Happy Halloween, everyone! I wanted to do a Halloween mani but didn't have enough to do any nail art, so here's my extremely loose interpretation of candy corn.

I mean, all the colors are there...

I used 3 coats of Melodious Utopia for the base, sponged Lara's Theme on top, and then dabbed on Wham. It took all of 5 minutes or so, but I don't mind the result.



I'll let you all know how many people get the candy corn reference. My guess is zero. :)

Here's another shade from the Orly Surreal Fall 2013 collection.

3 coats

 Orly Purple Poodle is a fuchsia jelly with purple flakes and shimmer. It looks darker in the bottle than it does on the nails. I wasn't pleased with how this looked on me, so I added a coat of Essie Matte About You to see if that would change my mind.







Uh yeah! It totes did. I love it matte and will probably only wear it this way. Purple Poodle's formula was thin and manageable. No application issues at all.



Have you picked up anything from this collection? What are your current fall lemmings?

The Orly Surreal collection is by far my favorite Fall 2013 release. It's also the only full collection I purchased this season. I love that none of these shades scream Fall, but they still fit.

2 coats Pink Waterfall, 1 coat Pixie Powder

 Orly Pink Waterfall is a cool toned pink creme. Unfortunately, the formula is pretty bad. It's quite thick, and I experienced a ton of bubbling. I thinned, tried again, and experienced even more bubbling. I used Orly Pixie Powder to cover the bubbles, which worked wonderfully. Pixie Powder is a bottle of sparkly goodness that you need to see in person. It's a must-have, in my opinion.

Do you have any colors you love a lot but maybe aren't the most flattering on you? That's Orly Glowstick for me.

2 coats over Illamasqua Scorch

Orly Glowstick is...ridiculous. No color description necessary. The formula is great for a neon. It's not at all streaky, so applying over white is a piece of cake.



So yeah, Glowstick looks absolutely awful on me, but I couldn't care less. It's just too awesome to purge. I actually can't wait to wear it again.



Also, side note: Illamasqua Scorch is the best white I've tried so far. It bumped Finger Paints Paper Mache from first place.

I'm back with more brands from my stash. It's so interesting to see what colors I'm drawn to. This is also another exercise in purging my stash. The more I see how many similar polishes I have, the easier it will be to get rid of some of them. Thanks for indulging me during this arduous process.

Deborah Lippmann

Deborah Lippmann

Adorable minis!

Orly

Orly

My Zoyas were all over the place! Each time I took a photo, I remembered I had more sitting around in another drawer.

Zoya

Zoya

Zoya

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

2 coats

Orly After Party is a black base with blue and fuchsia shimmer. It is most impressive in direct light or in the sun, but it's a pretty shade all around.



The formula was quite thick, and I had a bit of trouble applying this. Once I added a few drops of thinner, though, it was perfect. Side note: I do not really understand the philosophy that some hold about not wanting to thin a new bottle of polish. If there is a solution to a formula issue, I will use it. Right?





Orly After Party is part of the summer 2012 Feel the Vibe collection and is available wherever Orly is sold.

This looks amazing indoors and in the sun. It's like a party on my nails! I didn't have time to get a decent sunlight pic, but it's blindingly beautiful.

I found a couple old pics of this mani and thought I'd share.  :]

I don't remember what I used, but I took a stab at it.



From thumb to pinky: China Glaze Refreshmint, Essie Van D'go, Orly Lollipop, OPI Banana Bandana, OPI Rumples Wiggin