Alchemy III by Formula X for Sephora

purchased by me

Hey, it's been a minute, but look!  A nail polish post!  Just in case anyone is looking for a little something to add to their bag during Sephora's Black Friday event, here's a gorgeous polish.  The Sephora description is "iridescent rose shimmer" and mine is "addictive rose foil".  Alchemy III is a lovely combination of minute gold and rose shimmer particles that add up to a polish that is both subtle and shimmery at the same time.  The pale color makes it work-safe, and the beauty of it garners compliments!  It's also one of those polishes where you can't see any VNL, even when the polish is technically sheer, because of its reflective nature.  My swatch is two coats and no top coat.

Last year's Alchemy II was $14.00, this year's is $15.00 and it's available now at Sephora.

Deborah Lippman Marrakech Express

purchased by me

I'm back!  Did you miss me?  If you want to know where I've been, check out Curmudgeonette. :-D

Anyway, today is all about Marrakech Express.  I love this polish so much!  It's been a longtime lemming for me, and when I finally grabbed it from HSN, it did not disappoint.  It's a red-copper foil with gold flakes, the formula was easy and it was opaque in two coats.

It's available at the Lippman website for $20 or at HSN for $21 with a free mini bottle of top coat.

Formula X Alchemy II

purchased by me

Alchemy II is described as "a champagne rosé shimmer".  It's a stunning rose gold foil that was opaque in two easy coats.

Alchemy II is limited edition and available for $14.00 + shipping and tax at the Sephora website.

31 Day Nail Art Challenge: Day 30, Inspired by a tutorial

purchased by me

Over the years, I have seen lots of precise and helpful tutorials on dotticures.  Sadly, I'm still not very good.  Here's my most recent effort, with Zoya Peyton dots over Milani Dolci.

Milani Dolci Bronze Collection: nail polish

purchased by me

I'm going to start this post by telling you that if you see this collection, grab what you want the day you see it.  There is only one nail polish and one lip gloss in each display!  If you'd like to see a picture of the display, there's a great one at Nouveau Cheap.  All of the products have the same name, Dolci.  I got the nail polish and the eye shadow.  The polish is a gorgeous rose gold foil, the same color as Orly Rage but in a deeper shade.  It absolutely flowed onto my nail, was opaque in two effortless coats and dried quickly.

Indoors with flash:

Indoors without flash:

I do not know if the products in this display are limited edition or if they're being introduced slowly to the core line.  I missed out on my chance to grab the lipstick and the gloss, so learn from my mistake!

OPI Shine for Me

purchased by me

OPI Shine for me was part of the 50 Shades of Grey collaboration, and the only polish I wanted.  Shine for Me is a silver foil with royal blue glitters which give the whole polish a bluish tone.  It's intensely sparkly, opaque in two coats, and my hairstylist squeed and asked me what I was wearing when she saw it, so I think it's a success!

Indoors with flash:

Shine for Me is still available at Ulta, where it retails for $9.50 + shipping and applicable tax.

Nicole by OPI DC Lover

purchased by me

Just as OPI collaborated with Coke last year, this year Nicole by OPI is doing a similar collaboration.  The only one I wanted was the Diet Coke polish, DC Lover.  DC Lover is a silver foil with red glitters, and it's so saturated with glitter, you can't tell that it's a bit sheer at two coats.  Be warned that there is a lot of fallout during removal--you will find foil particles everywhere.  For me, it's worth it!

Indoors with flash:

In the sun:

I found the Nicole by OPI Coke collection display on the top shelf of a CVS rack, where they retail for $7.99 each.

Formula X The X Look: Holiday Edition

purchased by me

The X Look: Holiday Edition is a set of 4 mini polishes Obsessed (opaque classic merlot), Impassioned (purple pearl), Thrilling (opaque heather grey), and Temptation (iridescent gold pearl).

Impassioned is definitely my favorite--it's a burgundy shimmer with blue and pink highlights which looks like more of a pinky-bronze in lower light.  The formula was great, opaque in two easy coats and very well-behaved.

Indoors with flash:

Indoors without flash:

Obsessed is a nice, functional blue-toned red with an unfussy formula and a ton of shine.  It took two coats to reach bottle color.

Indoors with flash:

Indoors without flash:

In the sun:

Thrilling must be one of them-there ironic names, because I don't find anything thrilling about a plain warm grey crème.  It's a nice, useful polish, with a smooth formula, opaque in two coats, but not really a thrill for me.

Indoors with flash:

Indoors without flash:

In the sun:

Temptation is a very good gold foil.  It was almost opaque in one coat, although I did two for my swatches, and very reflective.  However, like most foils, it's also very revealing of nail flaws.

Indoors with flash:

Indoors without flash:

In the sun and reflecting my green shirt:

The X Look: Holiday Edition is available at Sephora for $25.00 + applicable tax and shipping.  Obsessed and Thrilling are available on their own, but as far as I can tell, Impassioned and Temptation are only available in this set.

My new jelly undies!

purchased by me

Not underwear made of jelly/plastic, but the polish I will forever wear underneath jelly polishes--OPI Push and Shove.

Push and Shove is a silver chrome which was part of the first Gwen Stefani/OPI collaboration, and it was sold with a mini bottle of Lay Down That Base, a base coat supposedly designed especially for chrome polishes.  Honestly, I didn't find that it was any different from a regular base coat, and it's definitely not a ridge-filling one.  Push and Shove was opaque in two coats, blindingly shiny, and showcased every flaw in my nails.

Indoors with flash:

Indoors without flash:

And following are comparison pictures, with Push and Shove on my middle and pinkie fingers, femme couture Savvy in Chrome on my index finger and OPI My Signature is "DC" on my ring finger.

Indoors with flash:

Indoors without flash:

 And finally, Push and Shove under one of my favorite jellies, Oceanic Forces by Emily de Molly.

Indoors with flash:

Indoors without flash:

I just love how Push and Shove sets off the jelly polish!  Push and Shove is technically limited edition, but you can still find it on ebay, drugstore.com, HSN and Walgreens.com.

Coca-Cola by OPI 10-Pack of Style

purchased by me

The OPI and Coke collaboration came out a bit ago, but it took me a while to get all 8 colors swatches.  Yes, that's correct, the collection has 9 colors, but the mini-pack has 8 colors plus base and top coat.  Pictures and reviews after the jump!

photo courtesy of Ulta

Sally Hansen Color Foil in Cobalt Chrome

purchased by me

Cobalt Chrome came home with me long after the others did, because it was all by itself on the display and Sally Hansens were BOGO 1/2 off that week.  It's got the same formula as all the others--slightly thick, not noticeably quick-drying, needs a good shake before use and super-duper-shiny.  Cobalt Chrome is a slightly green-toned light blue, far from what I think of as cobalt but still pretty. My swatches are one coat with no top coat.

Indoors without flash:

In the sun:

The Color Foil polishes were limited edition, but a quick search turns up a lot of them on ebay!

Ruby Wing Cupcakes & Champagne collection: Cinnamon Bun

purchased by me

The third and final polish I got from the Cupcakes & Champagne collection is Cinnamon Bun, and they hit the ball out of the park with this one.  It's a scented, color-changing duochrome polish!  Indoors, it shifts from a rosy copper to a greenish gold, and outdoors it shifts from a deep red-purple to a deep reddish brown.  You're going to have to take my word for the latter shift, because it was too cold outside for me to try more than a few times to capture the color.  The formula was smooth and a dream to work with, plus it was opaque in two coats.

Indoors with flash:

Indoors without flash:

In the sun:

If you get only one polish from the Cupcakes & Champagne collection, make it Cinnamon Bun.  The double duochrome effect is crazy beautiful, and the scent of cinnamon hearts is subtle and far from offensive.  Plus, the colors are gorgeous and so is the formula!  Ruby Wing polishes can be found at a variety of etailers for $8-$10 US.  I got mine at Head2ToeBeauty.

Zoya Song

purchased by me

Song was part of Zoya's 2012 Diva collection, and it's a stunner.  A bright blue glassfleck/foil type polish, it was opaque in two smooth coats, with none of the problems you expect from a diva!  It's also mad shiny even before top coat.

Indoors with flash:

Indoors without flash:

In the sun:

 Song is available for $8 plus shipping and any applicable tax on Zoya's website, in salons and in some Ulta stores.

Zoya Zenith Winter/Holiday 2013: Seraphina

press sample

Last but definitely not least of the Zenith collection polishes is Seraphina, a pale, icy silver foil.  The formula was thin but not runny, and opaque in three thin coats.  Seraphina just screams ice and snow and winter wind, and it's super-shiny even without top coat!

Indoors with flash:

Indoors without flash:

Seraphina and the rest of the Zenith collection will be available on October 1st at Zoya's website.  I'm not sure when they'll hit salons and Ulta stores.

Zoya Zenith Winter/Holiday 2013: Cassedy

press sample

Cassedy, from Zoya's Zenith collection, is a gorgeous dark foil which appears more storm-grey in bright light and more greenish-grey in low light.  The formula was lovely--not too thick, not too thin, pigmented enough to be opaque in two coats.  I love the change in the tone of the grey, even if the greenish tone does give me lobster hands!

Indoors with flash:

Indoors without flash:

Cassedy and the rest of the Zenith collection will be available on October 1st at Zoya's website.  I'm not sure when they'll hit salons and Ulta stores.

Orly Secret Society collection: What's the Password?

purchased by me

For autumn this year, Orly has a gorgeous collection of glitters called Secret Society.  I grabbed four of the six, and today I'm showing you a beautiful bright copper foil/shimmer called What's the Password?  What's the Password was perfect in consistency, nearly a one-coater, shiny before top coat and a perfect fall color.  The larger shimmers are just that, bits of shimmer without any glitter texture.  All swatches are two coats without top coat.

Indoors with flash:

Indoors without flash:

In the sun:

Orly polishes are sold at Sally Beauty Supply, CVS, Ulta, salons and e-tailers.  The Secret Society polishes aren't available in brick & mortar stores yet, so I got mine at TransDesign.

Deborah Lippmann Mermaid collection: Do the Mermaid

purchased by me

I'll admit it, I saved my favorite of the new Mermaid polishes for last.  I just adore purple!  Do the Mermaid is a soft lilac foil with a ton of purple hex glitter and gold and silver micro-glitter.  It was easy to work with, opaque in two coats, and benefits from a good thick top coat for maximum smoothness and shine.

In the sun:

In the shade:

Deborah Lippman polishes are available on her website, at Nordstrom, at Beauty.com and at Ulta (although the Mermaid polishes are not in my local store yet).  The retail price is $19.00 + any applicable tax and shipping charges.

Deborah Lippmann Mermaid collection: Million-Dollar Mermaid

 Mermaid's Kiss is a soft peach foil with orange hex glitter and gold and silver micro-glitter.  It was easy to work with, opaque in three coats, and benefits from a good thick top coat for maximum smoothness and shine.

In the sun:

In the shade:

Deborah Lippman polishes are available on her website, at Nordstrom, at Beauty.com and at Ulta (although the Mermaid polishes are not in my local store yet).  The retail price is $19.00 + any applicable tax and shipping charges.

Deborah Lippmann Mermaid collection: Mermaid's Eyes

purchased by me

Mermaid's Eyes is a bright, sky-blue foil with a ton of blue hex glitter and gold and silver micro-glitter.  It was a little on the thick side, but easy to work with, opaque in two coats, and benefits from a good thick top coat for maximum smoothness and shine.

In the sun:

In the shade:

This one isn't as successful for me as the others in the collection.  Since the base is thicker, the glitter shows up more like lumps than like glitter.  I think I'll try thinning it before I wear it again.

Deborah Lippman polishes are available on her website, at Nordstrom, at Beauty.com and at Ulta (although the Mermaid polishes are not in my local store yet).  The retail price is $19.00 + any applicable tax and shipping charges.