Color Club I Believe in Amour

I've written before about how I am not into pinks. Pinks and reds, both, I guess. They are the traditional colors for nail polish, and I guess I am much more interested in the less conventional, "fashion" nail colors. When I was playing with Color Club's "I Believe in Amour" I actually had to remind myself of this apathy toward pink! Yeah, I forgot for a moment that I am not supposed to like this polish, lol!

Well, I do like this polish a lot! It is a really pretty medium shade of cool pink, maybe with a trace of lilac tones. Although, I think I see lilac and lavender in everything! But anyway, I don't know what else to say except that it is a very pretty cool-toned pink.

So, let's continue with this series on the Color Club Pardon My French collection, one of three spring collections, by looking at some pics of this pretty pink taken indoors and outdoors in the sun.

By the way, please ignore the dryness of my fingers and cuticles! I hate that things show up in my pictures that I don't totally notice in real life, ugh!

Okey-dokey, now it's time to examine "I Believe in Amour" with the glitter that I think it's supposed to be paired with, "Hot Couture." Interestingly, the colors don't seem to go together at all! The glitter is a wram-toned pink; I would describe it as strawberry-peach daiquiri. Well, I tried it anyway.

Voila! LOVE! I really love this glitter on top of the pink!! I left my pinky fingernail plain to show the comparison.

I think the glitter works beautifully with the pink. If I were a teenager who loved pink, I'd be all over this combination! I don't know if I am likely to wear this...or not. Maybe...well, yeah, I just might!

China Glaze Rated Holographic

 

  

Rated Holographic is a dusty pink holographic polish from the China Glaze Kaleidoscope collection, and it's the current entry in my series on the Kaleidoscopes. It is lighter and has a good amount of brown in it when compared to Don't Be A Square, which is more of a strawberry pink. Rated Holographic is in the bottle on the right, below:

  

In my pictures, I have two coats with China Glaze base coat and fast-drying top coat. I have also worn this polish previously with one very thin, subtle coat. The effect was of a clear polish with just a hint of colorful sparkle. I think it was the perfect work-appropriate way to wear this polish!

Here is Rated Holographic indoors, nice and subtle, even neutral:

  

  

Indoors, but in the sunlight streaming through the window, catching the light and starting to sparkle:

  

Sunlight! Full holo effect activated:

  

  

 

 

Orly Pure Petunia

Pure Petunia is a deep pink-purple....or...purple-pink? Mauve-y pink? What is this color? It's neither a pure pink nor a pure purple, regardless of being "Pure Petunia."

It's a lovely, rich, dark, yet not too dark, pinkish-mauvish purple (or however it should be described). This polish is a creme that goes on with a very nice application, the same as the others in the Bloom Collection from Orly. I'm using Seche Clear base and Orly In a Snap topcoat, which gives a nice glossy surface.

Outside on a sunny snow-covered Sunday (lol, love the alliteration!):




Shown in the shade:



Finishing up with some indoor shots:




I don't know the exact color description, but it's lovely!! A nice summery color.

Essie Spring 2010 Four Pack o' Minis

It's high time that I continued my reveal of the Essie Art of Spring collection. I've tried out New Whimsical, a milky lavender-pink, and Van d'Go, a milky salmon-y peach. Now for the minis in the cute four-pack. I've already bemoaned that they didn't just give you a six pack of Essie minis, since it seems the packaging was the right size and could have accommodated it.

So, first let's take a look at the collection altogether. We have the icy, milky pink/cool-toned shades. Left to right: Lilacism, Neo Whimsical, and Pop Art Pink.


Then we have the peachy/warm shades. Left to right: Tart Deco, Van d'Go, and Red Nouveau.


Look how nicely they coordinate with the cover of this gardening magazine. Pretty!

Below, on the index finger = Red Nouveau; On the middle finger = Tart Deco. I rather like these colors the best in the collection. Perhaps because they are actually COLORS, not the milky, streaky pale barely there colors. Essie's blog shows a nice picture of a coral red, not the same but very close to Red Nouveau here, from the Philip Lim runway. I see the inspiration for this polish color!


Now let's go outside and get some light on the subject. Here with the cute box (and see how I coordinated my nails to the colors on the box? Unh-huh, clever, right!)


Index = Red Nouveau, Middle = Tart Deco, Ring = Lilacism, Pinky = Pop Art Pink.

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Lilacism is the palest, milky lavender---pretty! Pop Art Pink is a super pale pink---also very pretty. (I wonder if Pop Art Pink is my Mannequin Hand color? The term "Mannequin Hands" refers to nails the same color as one's skin tone, kind of like a mannequin. I think you need a nude tone with some tan in it, but it does seem that this pink blends nicely with my hand. I do admit that I have pale skin, so why not a milky pink tone for my Mannequin hand nails? I'll have to look into that and compare with some actual nudes.)

Now, some shadier shots, including the one at the beginning of this post.

Aw, my snow shot was rather messed up, below, by the shade and shadows.


Below, bringing back Van d'Go on the thumbnail, the three peachy colors:

This collection was inspired by colors of spring fashion. The colors are certainly pretty, and some are even interesting. I think I am not as thrilled with Essie's spring 2010 offering as I was with the fall 2009, with its full-on colors including a couple of surprise neons. However, I do think the spring 2010 collection is quintessentially Essie, and I know I'll be wearing some of these colors if not all this spring!!

There's No Place Like Home. You can't go home again. But go anyway.

Alternate title: China Glaze Good Witch? meets Chanel Ming

Last weekend I was working in Boston at a conference. I wasn't feeling so hot the Thursday night before I left. Friday I felt much better but knew that when I got to my hotel in Cambridge that I would need a) a nap, and b) a shower. Yikes! I ran out of time and it looked like I was going to have to go out with naked nails!! Ugly naked nails. Well, things got adjusted, with friends picking me up (instead of my meeting them in Boston and then traveling back to the same area as my hotel to eat dinner. Phew!)

I still had limited time. I planned to wear China Glaze "Good Witch?" but had noted its sheerness when trying it on one nail after I got it recently. Still was seeing some VNL (visible nail line) after three coats. What to do, what to do, I wanted it opaque but time threatened to run out...

Well, I had Chanel Ming with me as well. These polishes do not match by any means, but they are in the same general color family, a pink with a bit of salmon going on. Ming actually has much more of the salmon-y orange tone. I know that Ming goes on just fine. I would use it as an undercoat!!

What followed was a big chemical mix that fortunately didn't explode on my nails---just one bubble gurgling up on my right index finger that I managed to smooth out okay. The strategy did work, as I had two thin coats of Ming, which looked nice enough to stop there if I got the call that my friends would arrive soon. I was able to keep going with three more coats of the China Glaze topped by Seche Vite. The basecoat was the clear Seche.



Now, I know that the fans of the original China Glaze Wizard of Ooh-Ahz collection might be a little disappointed. Well, you can't go home again. It's different, apparently, and I actually like it a lot!! Yes, it's a metallic frosty pink with the glitter, and not the gel with glitter that Dorothy Who? is. I knew I had to get it when I saw the pink sparkles peeking at me. Pink on pink, it's just a lovely combination!

I found myself gazing at my fingertips during the evening when I had the chance. The glitter was subtle and very sparkly, and I just loved checking it out by turning my fingers in the light to try to see as much of the sparkle as possible. It's a winner!!


You can't go home again. It's not the same "Good Witch?" But go anyway. It's still a very fun and pretty polish to wear, and I thank China Glaze for at least trying.