A short break

Lucky me, I'm in the middle of a MS flare-up and my manual dexterity is gone--typing is difficult and polishing my nails is impossible.  I'll be back when I can manage one or the other.

Revlon Just Tinted: Mystical

Mystical was actually the first Just Tinted polish I got, although I didn't get it when it came out last summer.  It was on the clearance rack at Walgreens earlier this year and I snagged it.  Like the others in this collection,   it's a semi-sheer polish that dries to a satin finish, this time in a color between mauve and dusty rose.  It applied well, and I found that if I was extremely careful, I could do even the first coat without streaks! All swatches are three coats and no topcoat.

Indoors with flash:

Indoors without flash:

In the sun:

Even though Mystical was the first Just Tinted polish I got, it's not my favorite.  It's a bit of a grandma color, although it doesn't have a grandma finish.  I'm going to try it in a jelly sandwich and see if some glitter makes it younger or just makes it look like mutton dressed as lamb!

Water Marble Wednesday: Peacock Inspired

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Indoors without flash:

I used Zoya Holly, Zoya Indigo, Color Club Gingerbread Man and Rescue Beauty Lounge Mismas for this set, and I wear it a lot. :)

Revlon Just Tinted: Victorian

Like Desire, Victorian was part of Revlon's summer 2011 LE collection, Just Tinted.  Victorian was the other polish I got in the two-pack at Big Lots for $2.  Victorian is a warm coral-pink, definitely not a Victorian color but still very pretty.  At three coats, which is what I used, you can still see some VNL, but I don't mind that.  I didn't use topcoat because I like mattes and satins, but you could certainly make these shiny with topcoat!

Indoors with flash:

Indoors without flash:

In the sun:

I don't love this quite as much as Mystical or Desire, but it's still very pretty.

Revlon Just Tinted: Desire

Last summer, Revlon put out a collection of pretty, sheer polishes which would qualify as jellies if they didn't dry to a satin finish.  I got one of them a while back at Walgreen's (on clearance) for $3, which seemed like a good deal until I got two more at Big Lots yesterday for $2 for both!  The first of these is Desire, which is a very pretty fuchsia.  At three coats, which is what I used, you can still see some VNL, but I don't mind that.  I didn't use topcoat because I like mattes and satins, but you could certainly make these shiny with topcoat!

Indoors with flash:

Indoors without flash:

In the sun:

I really wanted these last summer, but with all the great Color Club, Orly, China Glaze and Zoya polishes available, I hate to pay full prices for Revlon.  So I was just thrilled to find these at Big Lots!

Summer Greens Day Four: Deborah Lippmann Mermaid's Dream

Yup, after figuring out a layering combination to approximate this polish, I bought it when Beauty.com had a free shipping and 20% off sale.  I just couldn't resist.  Mermaid's Dream is the epitome of a cool summer green--it's a pale, blue-tinged green foil base with hex glitter that shifts from blue to green.  It took three coats for opacity and needed two coats of Nubar Diamont to make it shiny and to smooth out the glitter roughness on my nails.

Indoors with flash:

Indoors without flash:

I would not have been able to justify full price for this polish, but I do love it and I'm glad I got it!

Summer Greens Day Three: Urban Decay Mars

Mars was part of Urban Decay's 2011 Holiday mini polish set, and it's a shimmery forest green.  It was opaque in two coats, and is a lovely, glowing color even if it's not all that unique.  I adore mini bottles, even when they give me Godzilla hands! :)

Indoors with flash:

Indoors without flash:

I don't think I'll reach for Mars any more often than Emerald Sparkled or Orly Meet Me Under the Mistletoe, but it's still a pretty polish.

Water Marble Wednesday: China Glaze For Audrey and Zoya Robyn

Just a very simple water marble with two colors of turquoise--I was really pleased with how delicate this looks!

Indoors with flash:

Indoors without flash:

Summer Greens Day Two: Sally Hansen Sea

My previous experience with Sally Hansen Smooth and Perfect polishes was exasperating.  Fog took about six coats before it approached opacity and I gave up.  Sea, from the same collection, has the same problems with opacity, but I still adore it.  The perfect pale green, neither too blue nor too yellow, kissed with just a hint of shimmer and insanely shiny without topcoat, was worth the four coats I used for the swatches below.

In the sun:

Indoors with flash:

Indoors without flash:

Overall, the color makes this polish worth the work for me.

Summer Greens Day One: China Glaze Emerald Sparkled

Really, what is there to say about this gorgeous polish that hasn't been said already?

Well, I can always say something. ;)  Emerald Sparkled is a lush, dark green jelly with green glitter that never looks black.  It makes me think of deep, cool forests where the temperature is ten degrees or more cooler than outside the forest, and I adore it for summertime.  It's opaque in two coats, which is how many I used for my swatches, and really needs topcoat, which I did not use.

Indoors with flash:

Indoors without flash:

In the sun:


With one of my pretty pink geraniums:

Summer Blues, Day Four: Wet N Wild Blue Wants to be a Millionaire

Stupid name aside, this is a lovely denim blue polish with a scattered holo.  It was part of a special collection a while back (2009, maybe?) but is now part of Wet N Wild's core line.  It's pretty sheer--I used three coats for my swatches and should have used four.  It also dries gritty and a little dull, so topcoat is needed for a full mani.

Indoors with flash:

Indoors without flash:

In the sun:

It's not my favorite cool blue, but it's pretty and not bad for $2.99 or however much I paid for it!