2 coats over Ameican Apparel Manhattan Beach

SpaRitual Improvisation is a sheer pink base with blue/purple flecked shimmer. These types of shades are always so difficult to photograph! I don't love it on me, but it's a very pretty polish. I swatched this over a coral base because I thought it would be as sheer as some of the others in the Illuminate collection, but I think this could be worn on it own in 3 coats. The formula is nice. No complaints on that front.



A small selection of SpaRituals, including Improvisation, is now available at Ulta. I believe the retail prices is $12, and you can use coupons on these.

I'm going to see Sara Bareilles in concert today! This mani was inspired by the colors of her Blessed Unrest album.







So excited!

I have a few swatches that I either can't dedicate a full post to or are part of a collection that I've neglected to finish swatching. I figured I'd share them with you before I forget about them completely.

2 coats

Color Club Angel Kiss is part of the 2012 Halo Hues collection. It's a pretty light blue with a killer flame. Remember the holo drought? For years, companies would release weak, scattered holos, holo glitter, and even flakies and call them holographic. What a frustrating time! I'm so happy we have strong, linear holos that are easily accessible.

3 coats

Essie Secret Story is a midtone pink jelly. I randomly picked this up on clearance and was pleasantly surprised when I found out it's a jelly! Don't you love that? Secret Story's easy application was just a cherry on top.

3 coats

Here's an unnamed franken that I found while reorganizing my stash a couple months ago. I know it contains Wet n Wild Nocturnal and Cover Girl Ice Slicks Anti Freeze, but I'm not sure what else is involved. I only made a mini bottle, but I wish I'd made more. I love it!

2 coats

American Apparel Neon Red is more coral than Neon Coral is, in my opinion. I love the AA neons because they apply so well and don't require white undies.

4 coats

Verity Deep Violet is a purple jelly that should be in everyone's collection. It's gorgeous! However, I don't think my bottle is as pigmented as others because I see all these posts with 2 coats and no VNL, and I'm like...what? 4 coats later, my Deep Violet mani still showed VNL. I don't mind, though. It's perfect for jelly sandwiches.

2 coats

Illamasqua Charisma, how I love thee. It's a gorgeous cranberry raspberry hybrid with a flash of gold. It also has red shimmer sprinkled through it. I know people say Essie Swing Velvet is a dupe, and I even bought that one to satisfy my lemming for Charisma. It didn't quench my thirst, though, and I ended up buying Charisma anyway. I wouldn't say they're dead on dupes, but they're definitely similar. I prefer Charisma.





That's all, folks!

Finger Paints I Spy-Der, Itsy Bitsy Spider, Are You Hoppy?, Owlin' at the Moon, Fishin' for Fun

Finger Paints Wild About Spring  is pretty much full of win. There are actually six colors in this collection, but the one I left out was an afterthought, meaning I initially passed on it. I'll show you why in a bit.



Let's start with the glitters. I dabbed all of them on, which is much more effective than trying to put these on in coats. With a little patience, you can get all the shards to lie flat on your nail.

Over 2 coats China Glaze Aquadelic

Finger Paints Owlin' at the Moon is a light green shard glitter. The color reminds me of the fake grass that people use to stuff Easter baskets.

Over 2 coats of American Apparel L'Esprit

Finger Paints Are You Hoppy is a lavender shard glitter.

Over 2 coats of Finger Paints Gimme Some Sugar

Finger Paints Fishin' for Fun is a light pink and fuchsia shard glitter. The light pink is kind of salmon-ish.

3 coats

Finger Paints I-Spy-Der is a warm pink crelly with iridescent shimmer. The shimmer is similar to CND Sapphire Sparkle.

2 coats

Finger Paints Itsy Bitsy Spider (what's up with the spiders?!) is a cool purple loaded with the same shimmer. Definitely my favorite of the bunch. Go to your local Sally and pick this up! It's even prettier in person.

2 coats

So, this is the afterthought. Finger Paints Hoppy Go Lucky is a gorgeous teal shade, but I wasn't initially sure I wanted to deal with a possibly frosty polish. I decided later that yes, it is indeed worth the extra effort.

1 extra coat sponged on

The formula overall was pretty decent. The glitters are thick, but if you dab them on, it's not a problem. I didn't try thinning them. The shimmers are a little thick, but I had no major issues applying them.





Finger Paints Wilde About Spring collection retails for $5.29 ($4.49 for BCC holders) and is available at Sally Beauty.

I thought I'd start off the year with a Purge Wars post, since my one and only New Year's resolution is to take purging my stash more seriously. Hopefully it sticks because I'm running out of storage space!



Today, I've pitted different flakies with colored bases against each other. I also wanted to see if I could franken-layer to achieve a similar look.



First into the arena were Layla Ceramic Effect 52 and Nfu.Oh 51

Layla Ceramic Effect 52, Nfu.Oh 51

5 coats 51, 3 coats 52

The base colors of 51 and 52 are more similar than I anticipated. The biggest difference would be the opacity. I'd probably choose 52 to wear alone more often than 51 because I don't often have time for a 5 coat mani. I had no trouble applying either of these.



I used American Apparel African Violet as a base, and then layered Essie Shine of the Times and Milani Purple Neon for my franken layer. The purples I chose were too warm, and the flakie was too dense, but I do think it's possible to get close to 51 or 52 with a few corrections and maybe a coat of 230 or something similar. I think my next attempt will be more successful.



Battle Casualty: I'm keeping both of these because...just look at the pretty! Look at it!



Next up are Urban Outfitters Mystic and Deborah Lippmann Ray of Light

Urban Outfitters Mystic, Deborah Lippmann Ray of Light

3 coats Mystic, 3 coats Ray of Light

Mystic has larger flakes and its base more vibrant than Ray of Light. Mystic also looks a touch darker than Ray of Light, which is probably because it lacks that slightly dusty quality that Ray of Light has. The formula on both was a bit thick, so I thinned them both. No problems after than.



My franken-layer is a Revlon Royal base with Sally Hansen Hidden Treasure and American Apparel Moonlight Beach layered. I think Hidden Treasure was a better choice than Shine of the Times because it's less dense. I think I'd go for a darker jelly to achieve a more accurate look. Maybe Deborah Lippmann Rehab.



Battle casualty: Urban Outfitters Mystic. There's something missing here. Maybe some depth? Not sure, but I don't mind parting with it.





Is it bad that I prefer my franken layers over all of them, though? Maybe I'm just stroking me ego. :)



That's it for this round of Purge Wars. Stayed tuned for Battle of the Flakies 2:

They're more similar than you think

1 coat Ozotic Pro 505 over 1 coat American Apparel Hassid

Anyone familiar with Ozotic multichromes knows this is just the tip of the iceberg. Due to time constraints, this is the only picture I snapped before I took this mani off. I'll have complete swatches and a review soon!

I don't have an Independence Day manicure, but I thought it would be appropriate to post some American Apparel swatches. I made this decision solely based on its name, not its CEO.

1 coat

American Apparel Angeline is a hot pink creme. It's also ridiculously shiny. It's pictured completely dry.

2 coats

American Apparel Army Jacket is an army green creme. The polish looks very separated in the bottle, creating a sort of camouflage pattern. If most of my other AAs didn't look like that, I'd definitely say it was creative packaging. The polish applies just fine after a bit of shaking, though.

2 coats

American Apparel Berry is a rich, deep berry that leans a bit more red than my photo shows. It's definitely appropriately named.

1 coat

American Apparel Bronze Dash is a bronze foil with silver bits as well. I'm not sure why it makes my nails look so bulbous.

2 coats

American Apparel Butter is a pale yellow creme. I don't own any other yellows quite like this.





All of the AA polishes I've tried have a great formula - self-leveling, pigmented, and smooth application. I also am a fan of the brush. It's long and thin, making it much easier (at least for me) to avoid painting my cuticles.



American Apparel polishes retail for $6 and are available in store and online.



Do you have a favorite American Apparel polish?

Sorry I've been MIA for a few days. You know how life goes.



I've started taking pictures of my stash, which has proved to be quite the task. Eventually I'd like to have close up shots of my entire stash, large group shots will have to do for now. Here's what I've accomplished so far.



Note: I do apologize for photo quality (or lack thereof); I only had enough time to take one picture of each group.

American Apparel. That's Light Year crowd surfing

China Glaze

China Glaze

Yep, more China Glaze

China Glaze, most from the Summer Neons collection

ETF silver capped China Glaze

HTF silver capped China Glaze

Essie

Essie

Essie

That's all for now! I can't believe how much my stash has grown since the last time I posted.

Orly Mermaid Tale is from the new Glam FX collection, which is a collection of glitters. Apparently, Orly plans to release a total of twenty-two glitters. Remember when China Glaze released fifty glitters? Good times! So far, the Glam FX collection consists of five glitters, and Mermaid Tale is definitely my favorite.

1 coat over AA Peacock

Orly Mermaid Tale is a clear base with green micro glitter, blue and green mini sequins, and well as larger green holo sequins. There's a lot going on, but it all works really well.








The formula is definitely thick, so I added a few drops of thinner before I even started applying. I had no problems with the application. I dabbed the glitter on rather than painting strokes.

1 coat

Here's American Apparel Peacock on its own. I love my AA's because so many of them are one-coaters and apply like a dream. Plus, they're only $6! So cheap. :)



I definitely should have made sure I had a color accurate picture before slapping Mermaid Tale on top. It's much more teal and a bit deeper than what's in the picture.





Orly Mermaid Tale retails for $10 and is available wherever Orly is sold. If you have a beauty club card, they are $8.99 at Sally Beauty.

American Apparel Peacock retails for $6 and is available at americanapparel.net

This week's battle features three mid-tone purple cremes. Surprisingly, I don't own a lot of these. The more examine my stash, the more I'm learning about what colors interest me. So far, coral is hands down the winner. What color dominates your stash?



Anyway, into the arena:

American Apparel African Violet, Barielle Grape Escape, OPI

Disclaimer: Purples are always a challenge to photograph, but I tried to
get the most color accurate photos (to my eye and monitor) that I could. I sacrificed focus for color, so sorry for any
blurriness you see.

2 coats

American Apparel African Violet has more of a red undertone than I expected. I think slightly warmer purples look better on me than the cool ones.



I thought African Violet would be on the thick and a one-coater like most of my AA's. However, its consistency is thinner and a bit tough to control on the nail. I was prepared for it on the second coat, though, and it was totally manageable.

2 coats

Barielle Grape Escape is just a touch cooler than African Violet, but it is almost negligible. They are pretty much dupes. The formula on this is quite similar to African Violet's formula as well.

3 coats

OPI Funky Dunkey is much cooler than both African Violet and Grape Escape. The formula is also superb compared to the other two. It practically applied itself, which is something that almost never happens with OPIs. Pleasant surprise.

3 coats of each

Battle casualty: Barielle Grape Escape. Another Barielle bites the dust!



I chose African Violet over Grape escape because I like the bottle and the brush better. Funky Dunkey's wonderful formula and cool undertone saved it from the purge pile.



Which polish(es) would you have purged?



Have a wonderful weekend!

I am overwhelmed by both my stash and the amount of untried polishes I have, so I am starting what is bound to be a difficult, tedious polish purge.



To make this process slightly more fun, I am introducing a new blog series called Purge Wars. Here's the premise: each week, three polishes from the same color family will enter the purge arena. However, only two (or maybe one if things get crazy) will make it out un-purged. Got it? Awesome!



This week is the battle of the pink corals. Who will be the victors?








First up, Deborah Lippmann Daytripper

3 coats

Daytripper sort of has an advantage because it's a Lippmann! Not to mention, it's a squishy creme. Two qualities for which I am a major hoor. No question that this is a gorgeous polish. Daytripper was also a dream to apply. It self-leveled and didn't run or streak.



Next up, Illamasqua Lament.

3 coats

Lament is a full creme. It almost has a neon quality to it - so pretty and fun. The formula was less than desirable. Lament was a bit thick and difficult to control. I never cleanup for swatches, so you can tell how poorly a polish applied by how messy my cuticle gap is. It's really nothing a bit of thinner can't solve, though.



Finally, American Apparel Pink Ladies

2 coats

Pink Ladies is probably my favorite shade of the bunch. It's a full creme, and it is slightly warmer and more subdued than the others. The formula is kind of similar to Lament's, but slightly thinner.





Battle casualty: So long, Illamasqua Lament. I hardly knew ye!

Hello, readers! Long time now post. I've been ridiculously busy with life - you all know how it goes. I have tons to catch up on, including my 600 follower giveaway. Please bear with me while I play catch up and post things you may have already seen a million times by now! I'll try to throw in some current things as well. If you have any swatch/review requests, please feel free to contact me!



Onto the review...



I picked up a bunch of AA's new shades recently, and since I've been on an indefinite neutral phase, Dance was the first one I tried.

2 coats

Dance is a pale nude with a touch of pink. It's pretty neutral, not leaning too cool or too warm. It's squishy and sheer - probably could have used a third coat. The formula is nice and smooth, not too thick or runny. I had no issues with the application. I thought it might look very similar to Deborah Lippmann's Naked, but it is slightly paler and pinker.

1 coat over 2 coats of Dance, with flash

1 coat over 2 coats of Dance, natural lighting

Tart with a Heart is such a fun polish! It has gold, silver, and holo microglitter as well as round holo glitter all suspended in a clear base. It is on the thick side, but that doesn't hinder the application much. I love that it's dense enough to just do one coat for layering. I bet it could be opaque on its own in three.