Post-Holiday Wrap Up

Hello there.

I hope you all enjoyed your holiday break, whatever you celebrate. Mine was lovely. Time off is a wonderful thing, though of course the holiday rush makes it not so relaxing as you might like. To remedy that I had a three-day weekend that ended today, and we didn't do much besides cook and watch football.

Last time we spoke (more than a month ago!), I was eagerly anticipating my first ever BB Couture order. It arrived in due time but I regret to say that I neglected to photograph the three colors (Eve, Sex on the Beach, Horned Devil) that I wore. The holidays were kind of a whirlwind in terms of slapping nail polish on and running out the door only to (unsurprisingly) discover dents and smears when I arrived at my destination.

So, here are a few one-offs for you.


Barielle Elle's Spell! I believe this is from a holiday collection. I heard about this while in the grips of my frenzy to acquire the Ulta/OPI holiday exclusives after I had been told they weren't happening. I haunted two different Ulta's on what felt like two of the coldest days of the decade and didn't find the OPIs (at that point) but was able to grab Elle's Spell.


Pretty and lit from within.


Elle's Spell over black. My nails at this point can only be described as profoundly janky but I did like the look of this polish. If you missed it, don't fret: If you have Sally Hansen Hidden Treasure or Nubar 2010 you probably don't need this. Yes, the base is a jelly red but unless you want to wear it alone, that won't really matter.


OPI Cuckoo for this Color. I bought this when I finally acquired the Ulta/OPI holiday exclusives. Beautiful green with a teal/blue shimmer (that you can't see too well in this picture.


Barry M Block Orange, received in a swap from a nice lady in the UK. Jelly goodness.

As for my holiday nail colors, I didn't get too blingy or crazy because I have grown to truly detest removing glitter. I know this makes me a nail polish heretic in some quarters but I can't help it. So labor intensive! I wore Chanel Black Pearl on Christmas Eve and OPI Plum Full of Cheer (one of the Ulta holiday colors, and so pretty) after Christmas, and Illamasqua Fern on New Year's Eve.

What would you like to see next? I'm off buying for a while (of course...every time I say that, I fall off the wagon), but am happy to delve into my collection to show you some fun colors.

OP-I Love You

I feel like it's been so long, and yet the last post was just six days ago, which is crazy because I feel like I wore Zulu just ages ago.

In that post I mentioned I was having a fling with OPI. For various reasons I wore several OPI colors back-to-back and became semi-obsessed. They're just so darn GOOD. The brush is perfect on my nails and the formula and pigmentation are simply awesome. Around this time I also became somewhat stalker-ish about acquiring the OPI/Ulta holiday exclusives. Now I'm not so sure they're a must-have, but never say never when it comes to nail polish.

In any event, OPI.

I did totally swearsies with myself that I would not get any of the Burlesque collection. Call me crazy, but most glitters don't drive me wild with desire. In fact I think most of the Burlesque glitters are kind of a mess, frankly. I know many were over the moon about them, but between the gritty finish and the pain-in-the-A removal process I just can't be bothered. Aside from Ali's Big Break, I didn't feel particularly drawn to any of the other colors, and then? Then I went to Ulta.

Yes. Very very very pretty. Incidentally, also very close to Pomegranate Me A Wish, one of the 2009 OPI exclusives through either Trade Secret or Beauty Brands.

After that, I felt compelled to drag out a 2009 Ulta holiday exclusive.

Then I received Parlez-vous OPI? in a swap and used it right away.

So here's where things started to get sliiiiiiiightly obsessive. I put together an all-OPI cart at Transdesign.com and then thought better of it. However I did find myself at Ulta AGAIN one night recently and purchased two colors I've been wanting for a little while, Louvre Me, Louvre Me Not and You Don't Know Jacques!

I love OPI so much I can't stand it. But next time I'm going to show you what I got in my first-ever BB Couture order, which should be arriving in my mailbox very soon. Hooray!

Nail Party, Christmas Edition

So I don't really condone Christmas sweaters or candy cane-shaped earrings, but I do like decorating myself for the holidays. Nail polish is ideal for this because of the variety of colors and the extent of the "bling" factor -- and since the glitter/color is confined to a very small area, you can really go all out. (By the way Bridget Callahan, I am waiting to hear how those fancy Zoya glitters worked out for you.)

Below are some Christmasy polishes I have in my vast stash. I'll post more as I change my own nail polish over the next couple of weeks. What colors are you wearing for the holidays?

A deep, dark holiday green reminiscent of evergreen. Slight shimmer. You can buy Butter London at Beauty.com. If you use Drugstore.com or VisionDirect.com, you can earn discounts and rebates that are applicable on Beauty.com. This is good if spending $14 on nail polish -- plus shipping -- is not appealing.

Known on MUA as "The Jesus," Illamasqua Rampage is truly one of the most stunningly beautiful polishes I own. It looks like green glass on the nail. You can get Illamasqua at Sephora or direct from Illamasqua. This is another pricey polish, but WORTH IT. Practically applies itself.

This gal is harder to lay hands on because it is a Sally Hansen product exclusive to Canada (at this time, anyway). But very festive and Christmasy with the dark green jelly and twinkly gold glitter.

Here's one that's inexpensive and easy to find: China Glaze Emerald Sparkle, available at Sally Beauty stores and many, many e-tailers.

Mattified, this polish looks even more exceptional with a matte topcoat from Essie. There are other matte top coats from Orly, China Glaze and other companies; I like Essie and it's widely available. Try Ulta if you must have it.

So far as I know, Zip is still available, though it is part of a limited edition fall release from the ever-elusive Sally Hansen. Anyway, it's a great, glistening holiday red, with that molten glass look I like so much.

Applies beautifully, does Misa. These are great, great polishes -- high quality, fashionable colors, fantastic application, and typically less than $3. This is a beautiful and sexy bright red, perfect for a holiday date, if you do such things.

If you like a more retro, Joan Holloway-type red, this Dior fits the bill. May be hard to find at this point, but you can find a similar one in almost any polish range.

This is a holiday OPI exclusive to Ulta stores. Just a very pretty, sparkly purple. It would probably look killer with a matte topcoat, so maybe I'll try this color again before the end of the year and mattify it.

Another holiday OPI, but this one should be available anywhere OPI is sold, including e-tailers. This is a purple jelly, so it looks better over a red, purple or black creme base coat. In my opinion, anyway.

More to come, I'm sure...ho ho ho.