Saturday, March 31, 2012

New Poll: Update

Hello everyone!  I want to thank everyone who took the time to vote in my poll. Whether you voted yes or no, your input means a lot to me and I'm grateful to hear from you! The poll is technically still open for a few more hours so if you haven't already, you're more than welcome to vote and let me know what you think!


The overall results so far are in favor of featuring some make-up posts on here every now and again  so I've been working on my very first cosmetics review for Nailed! It will be up later today and I'm very excited to share it with you all. It features a product from one of my very favorite brands...so that's a little tease for now!


For those of you who voted no on the poll, I want to reassure you that my primary focus will still be on nails. Posts will still be once a day so you're not going to be inundated with an overwhelming amount of new blog content, although there are always rare occasions (like yesterday) when I post twice in one day, just because I like ya. :) I've got the nail bug and I've got it bad (obviously) so all my nail swatches and reviews won't be going anywhere! At least 95% of my posts will still be an ode to all things polish. But now in addition to enabling you to drop obscene amounts of cash on nail polish, I'll throw some cosmetics into the mix every once in a while too! Since featuring cosmetics on here is something I'd really like to try, I figured I'd give it a shot!


I never thought this blog would grow as much as it has and while Nailed is still a baby blog compared to a lot of the big dogs out there, I sincerely appreciate all of you who take the time to read or comment on or link to or blogroll this blog! I really hope you'll enjoy having a little fun with make-up on here with me. But now if you'll excuse me, I have to go paint my nails... ;)

a-England 30% Off Sale

a-England founder Adina's cat Tristam is celebrating his first birthday on April 2 and Adina is having a 30% off sale on all a-England polishes going on right now in honor of his birthday! You may recall that Tristam is the inspiration behind the ridiculously beautiful shade Princess Sabra (Tristam Eyes). Simply enter the code "tristam" when you order off a-England's official website to receive the discount.



This code is valid for both the Mythicals and The Legend collections and will run for the next 72 hours. In addition to the 30% discount, shipping (even internationally) is always FREE from a-England's website!


I just thought I'd share this amazing sale with you all because you know how much I love a-England polishes and I think every nail addict should have some in their stash! You can check out all of my a-England swatches HERE if you'd like a refresher on which of these beauties you need in your life right this second!

Butter London Knackered

I was beyond pumped when Butter unveiled their Spring 2012 Collection. If you've been reading Nailed for a while then you know that I'm a total Butter fangirl and love everything about the brand, from the colors to the packaging to the formula. So far I've managed to limit myself to just one of their new polishes, Knackered, and it is to die for. Knackered is a blue-ish duochrome that shifts to grey, purple and even a little green, depending on your lighting. On top of that, it's also full of holographic glitter! Duochrome, holo and glitter?! I am so there, Butter!





With flash...



Knackered kicks ass. It's that simple. I love, love, love this polish! Pictures really don't do it justice. It's a real beauty--and a unique one, at that. I layered two coats of Knackered over my OPI I Have A Herring Problem manicure because Knackered is a bit sheer. I thought the OPI would help build up Knackered's opacity without changing Knackered's base color and it seems I was right; I think the two compliment each other very nicely. You could wear Knackered on its own though if you don't mind the extra coats or I've seen plenty of other layering combos with this polish that look phenomenal, especially when you layer it over black!


If you only buy one Butter polish all spring and all summer, make it this one! It truly deserves to be seen in person because it's such a stunner--one of Butter's best!

Friday, March 30, 2012

OPI I Have A Herring Problem

OPI I Have A Herring Problem is a dingy periwinkle blue with gold shimmer. This polish looks quite similar to another one from the Holland Collection, I Don't Give A Rotterdam!, but it's the warmer of the two shades. However, if you have one then you honestly don't need both. I think it would be just a matter of whether you think warmer or cooler shades flatter you more if you're trying to decide between the two.





The formula here was great and covered in two coats. I think I Don't Give A Rotterdam! will likely wind up being more flattering on me just because it has different undertones but I still really like I Have A Herring Problem. I'm always a fan of these soft blues and the gold shimmer is a really nice compliment to this particular shade. I feel like silver would have been more expected so I like that OPI went with gold here.


Also, I get the pun and all but I just have to say that having a herring problem sounds extremely unpleasant.

Thursday, March 29, 2012

a-England Ascalon

A-England Ascalon is another duochrome/linear holographic combo from The Legend Collection that I just can't get enough of. The base color is grey with purple duochrome. It's very reminiscent of OPI Not Like The Movies from the Katy Perry Collection, but with some extra holographic fairy dust mixed in. (I'm sure Katy would approve.) The duochrome is more prominent indoors, while the holo comes out to play more in the sunlight, so there's a nice trade-off between the two effects. I always wind up staring at these a-England polishes when I'm super bored in class so I appreciate the extra complexity they have haha.




With flash...




Unfortunately I didn't have the benefit of some strong natural sunlight when I took these pictures but hopefully the flash shots will give you an idea of how much this polish really comes alive in the light. The formula is divine and a pleasure to work with. I love how quickly the a-England holos dry. They are great to put on when you need some extra glam in a hurry! 


This collection continues to be perhaps my all-time favorite polish set. Each one is just perfect and very unique. I can't recommend these lovelies highly enough!

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

OPI Germany Collection Preview

So I know I said I'd show you all a-england Ascalon today, but OPI unveiled their fall collection on Facebook yesterday! So I thought I'd share that with you today instead. This year's country will be Germany. In addition to the country announcement, OPI also posted names and pictures of all twelve polishes from the collection! I love that they gave us actual photos instead of the bottle PR shots. Take a look at these beauties!


Top row, L to R: My Very First Knackwurst, Don't Pretzel My Buttons, Berlin There Done That, Don't Talk Bach To Me, Nein! Nein! Nein! OK Fine!, Schnapps Out Of It
Bottom Row, L to R: Suzi & The 7 Dusseldorfs, Every Month Is Oktoberfest, Unfor-greta-bly Blue, Deutsch You Want Me Baby, Danke-shiny Red, German-icure


As usual, some of the names are...questionable but the colors themselves look really great! There appears to be a nice variety of shades and finishes. This is a massive improvement over last fall's Touring America Collection. I seriously cannot wait to see some swatches of these!


What do you think of the Germany Collection? Which names are the worst? Which colors do you totally need right this second? Tell me all about it, girls!

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Twinsie Tuesday: China Glaze Luxe and Lush

This week's Twinsie Tuesday theme is a hyped up polish. EDIT: I guess it was supposed to be a hyped up polish we were disappointed by...oops! It may be because I have Hunger Games on the brain lately (I really want to see the movie, you guys!) but my mind went to the Hunger Games Collection. With the immense popularity of the books and now the movie, as well as all the behinds the scenes drama regarding whether or not this collection would even happen, I feel like there was a ton of hype surrounding this entire collection. But I decided to choose the shade I was personally looking forward to the most from the Hunger Games Collection: Luxe and Lush. It's an irridescent flakie with a clear base. For this mani, I layered two coats of Luxe and Lush over two coats of a-england Ascalon, a grey duochrome holo--stay tuned tomorrow for a more in-depth look at that absolutely beautiful polish.





Most of these polishes with shredded mylar in them tend to be a total assache to apply but Luxe and Lush was actually quite cooperative. I had to guide the mylar flakes away from my tips but other than that I didn't really have to place them on the nail since they go on pretty smoothly and dry time between coats was very quick. Luxe and Lush also doesn't have that awful jagged, bumpy feeling that so many of these types of polishes have. I love my Studio M flakies but even with topcoat (sometimes multiple coats of it), they feel bumpy and sharp. But with Luxe and Lush, one coat of Seche Vite sealed in any rough edges and smoothed everything out--not completely but enough so that I didn't have to worry about accidentally scratching myself on a stray piece of mylar.


I'd say overall this polish lives up to the hype, as well as the expectations I had for it. I love how it looks like little embers--very theme-appropriate! Pictures really don't capture this effect as beautifully as it appears in person. I own several clear-based flakies but none like this one.


Want to see how some other polishes fare against the hype? Check out the other Twinsie Tuesday blogs!




Amanda: http://amandalandish.blogspot.com/
Anna: http://goingtotheshowing.blogspot.com/
Anne: http://grapefizz.blogspot.com/
Ashley: http://artevolve.blogspot.com/
Brandi: http://thecollegiatenail.blogspot.com/
ChiChi: http://beautystarr1009.blogspot.com/
Jenn: http://allthatisgorgeous.blogspot.com/
Jenna: http://www.jennafroggy.com/
Katherine: http://hauloffame.blogspot.com/
Marisa: http://marijonails.blogspot.com/
Meredith: http://polishandcharms.blogspot.com/
Nory: http://fiercemakeupandnails.blogspot.com/
Rachel: http://topcoatit.wordpress.com/
Sarah: http://seesarahswatch.blogspot.com/

Monday, March 26, 2012

China Glaze Riveting

Did any of you catch the "Hunger Games" movie this weekend? I haven't yet (but I really, really want to) so until I make it over to the theatre, I'll just have to settle for rocking the nail polish! Riveting, a bright orange polish with gold glitter, is the latest polish I have to show you from the Hunger Games Collection. There may be a hint of red duochrome in this polish as well, but I can't tell if it's just my imagination. One thing I do know for sure though is that Riveting is totally awesome!





What's with me loving all these oranges lately? It's very uncharacteristic of me but Riveting is just too cool to deny it some love. It's ultra-pigmented and the sparkle inside just looks so alive, almost like flames. This is so much more interesting than just orange polish with gold glitter in it. I highly recommend checking this one out in person if you can because it looks so much better in real life than photos can convey.


The formula is a touch gloppy but covers very well. Riveting is more or less a one-coater but I used two just to get everything extra opaque. I really adore this polish and I think it's a color you could easily wear all year round. It's just gorgeous! Perfect for when you want to channel your inner "girl on fire." ;)

Saturday, March 24, 2012

Orly Dark Shadows Preview

It seems like Orly will be hopping on the cross-promotional lovetrain as well this summer with their first movie-centric offering, a collection inspired by Tim Burton's latest film, "Dark Shadows." The collection, which will be available in May, features four new shades.


L to R: Mysterious Curse, Buried Alive, Grave Mistake, Decades of Dysfunction

 
Meh. Personally I don't see anything here that excites me, although Mysterious Curse sparked my interest a little bit. Orly, you need to release another FX collection so we can be lovers again!

 
See anything you like in this collection? What do you think of so many brands doing collections inspired by movies and popular characters lately?

Friday, March 23, 2012

Deborah Lippmann Across The Universe

I was recently given a voucher by the fine folks at Apothica. They sell a huge variety of cosmetics but naturally I went straight for their Deborah Lippmann selection! There were lots of tempting candidates but ultimately I picked up a classic polish: Across The Universe. Across The Universe is a navy jelly base packed with blue and green hex glitter and blue round glitter. This is one of Deborah's most famous polishes and for good reason--it's stunning!






Jelly bases like this sometimes get shrinkage with my Seche Vite topcoat but thankfully I did not have that problem here. Even though this polish is filled with glitter, the application is very smooth and I didn't have to place the larger glitter pieces, aside from guiding a few stray ones away from my tips, but that's par for the course with these types of polishes. I used three coats here but you could certainly use less if you were layering (not necessary to build up to opacity but might be fun and saves polish) or just like more of a jelly look. I've been wearing this for three days now and it holds up very well. I've only got tipwear on my right pointer finger, which is my demon fingernail anyways because it always wants to peel and break.


Across The Universe is a really lovely polish. It's classic Deborah Lippmann all the way. I like how there are several different elements in Across The Universe that all come together as a cohesive, beautiful whole.



*This product was purchased using a voucher from Apothica and given an honest review by me. Please see my Disclosure tab for more information.

Thursday, March 22, 2012

New Poll

Hey everyone! This is just a quick little post to let you all know I've put up a new poll on the right sidebar about whether or not Nailed should feature occasional posts featuring cosmetics other than nail polish. If I were to implement other cosmetic content into Nailed, the primary focus of this blog would still far and away be nails--don't worry!--but I would just do a post every now and then featuring some swatches/reviews on a product I'm loving (or hating, as the case may be) or that I think would be of interest to you all. Hypothetically, the content of Nailed wouldn't really change all that much and 95% of it would still be all about nails.


This is a thought I've had kicking around in my head for a little while but I'd love to hear what YOU think about it! I truly appreciate that so many of you take the time to read and comment on my blog, as well as send me e-mails, so I want to know what you all are interested in reading about and seeing pictures of.  And again, no matter what happens, all the nail swatches and reviews on here aren't going anywhere! It's in the name of my blog, after all! ;)

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

OPI Wooden Shoe Like To Know?

Oh yes, I would like to know, OPI. I would like to know how such an atrocious pun came into being. The horror, the horror... Now that I've worked in a British literature reference and addressed how much the name of this polish physically pains me, we can get down to business! OPI Wooden Shoe Like To Know? (Ugh...just typing the name makes my insides hurt!) is a brown polish with gold shimmer. It's like a warmer version of China Glaze Ingrid. Please excuse the sideways picture down there, by the way. Blogger did not want it to be horizontal for some reason.




The name may be unforgivable but the polish itself is not bad at all. I'm a little finicky about brown polishes but this one is actually quite nice. The shimmer is subtle but gives the shade a little something extra overall. (It doesn't show up as much as in the bottle though. I took these pictures at night so I used flash, which makes the shimmer appear a bit more prominent on the nail than it normally is.) There's a hint of taupe in this color as well that I like. The formula is great and covered in two coats. I wore this color for three days with no chips. If you're in the market for a new brown, this would make a solid candidate.

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Twinsie Tuesday: OPI At Your Quebec & Call

Hello everyone and welcome to another installment of Twinsie Tuesday! This week's theme is discontinued polish, so today I'll be sharing OPI At Your Quebec & Call, all the way back from the OPI Canadian Collection, which I think came out in 2004. At Your Quebec & Call is a very interesting color: a little olive, a little bronze...totally my style. It's got this antique-y gold look to it that reminds me of Butter London Wallis, which is always a good thing.




The formula on this is cooperative but thin. I used three coats and still noticed a few little patches afterwards. But I really love this polish regardless. The color is just so interesting and a little unexpected too. It's such a shame OPI didn't make this one permanent because there isn't anything else in their current core collection like it at all. You can still find this polish pretty easily online though.

Do you have a favorite discontinued polish? Check out some more discontinued beauties on the other Twinsie Tuesday blogs!



Amanda: http://amandalandish.blogspot.com/
Anna: http://goingtotheshowing.blogspot.com/
Anne: http://grapefizz.blogspot.com/
Ashley: http://artevolve.blogspot.com/
Brandi: http://thecollegiatenail.blogspot.com/
ChiChi: http://beautystarr1009.blogspot.com/
Jenn: http://allthatisgorgeous.blogspot.com/
Jenna: http://www.jennafroggy.com/
Katherine: http://hauloffame.blogspot.com/
Marisa: http://marijonails.blogspot.com/
Meredith: http://polishandcharms.blogspot.com/
Nory: http://fiercemakeupandnails.blogspot.com/
Rachel: http://topcoatit.wordpress.com/
Sarah: http://seesarahswatch.blogspot.com/

Monday, March 19, 2012

OPI Minnie Mouse Collection Preview

OPI's next collaboration will be with the one and only Minnie Mouse. The collection has an official release date of June 1 and features four new shades.




What do you think? These look cute but not my thing, personally. Swatches may change my mind though--these OPI bottle shots are so notoriously tough to gauge what a color really looks like.

Sunday, March 18, 2012

Zoya Beach & Surf Preview

Bright colors always come back in a big way in summer and Zoya's summer offerings are no exception. Which of these 12 new shades will you be sporting on the beach this year?


 
I really like the colors here. They're all bright, beachy and fun. I like the idea of having a collection with a shimmer and creme version of the same color but I think I would've preferred a set of 12 unique colors as opposed to a set with two variations of six colors. That's just me though. However, I think they chose some really great shades. They look perfect for summertime. As the preview shot says, they will be available April 1. I can't wait to see some swatches!

Saturday, March 17, 2012

St. Patrick's Day Nails: Sinful Colors Green Ocean

You didn't think I was going to pass up the chance to rock some green nails today, did you? ;) A few days ago I picked up Sinful Colors Green Ocean, a green flakie that only makes an appearance once a year in the Sinful Colors St. Patrick's Day displays. I layered two coats of Green Ocean over two coats of Orly Fresh, a neon green creme.






My friend Kaley layered her Green Ocean mani (We went hunting for the bottle together and both had success!) over black and it looked stunning. It brought out some of the blue-green duochrome in the flakies. My camera here only really picked up the blue end of the spectrum but trust me, this polish looks much more beautiful and complex in-person. I put mine over green just to fit a theme but next time I wear Green Ocean, I'm totally putting it over black!


The formula on Green Ocean is alright. It's thick and requires some placing of the larger mylar flakes, but it's not a huge hassle overall. Formula-wise, it could be better but it could be worse. The polish itself is ridiculously beautiful though--and only two dollars!


Are you sporting green nails today? Happy St. Patrick's Day to all of my wonderful readers! Have fun and be safe, everyone!

Friday, March 16, 2012

China Glaze Harvest Moon

If you're like me then the first thing that comes to mind when you hear "Harvest Moon" is the video game series. Man, have I sunk some serious hours into those games. But today I'm talking about the polish Harvest Moon from China Glaze's new Hunger Games Collection! Harvest Moon is a bronze foil. Color-wise I'd say this falls between OPI Rising Star and OPI Take The Stage, both from the Burlesque Collection. It looks very rich and goes just perfectly with the name.





The formula on Harvest Moon is very nice. Although it's a foil I didn't really encounter any notable problems with brushstrokes or streakiness, which can sometimes be problems with polishes like this. I used two coats here. I love the shine on this shade. As I mentioned above Harvest Moon looks so rich and the shine adds some great dimension too. It's going to be especially marvelous for fall, but of course I enjoy wearing it now as well. It's so perfectly autumn-looking though! (Not that I'm longing for fall. Ugh, I hate fall weather...) All in all, this is just a beautiful polish. Easy to wear, easy to love.


Have you spotted the Hunger Games polishes yet? If so, which ones did you pick up? Are you going to see the movie when it comes out?

Thursday, March 15, 2012

China Glaze New Bohemian Preview

Hell. Yes. That was pretty much my reaction when I first saw the preview pics for this collection. If you're as nuts about duochrome as I am, then does China Glaze have a treat for you! The New Bohemian Collection will feature six new shades in what it appears China Glaze is calling a "luster chrome" finish. I spy a potential Chanel Peridot dupe in here too!



Unpredictable


Rare and Radiant

Swanky Silk

No Plain Jane

Want My Bawdy

Deviantly Daring



No idea when these will come out this year but man, do I ever want them! UPDATE: These will have a fall release date. Here's hoping the duochrome is as prominent on the nail as it is in these preview pics.

 
What are your thoughts on this collection? China Glaze has seriously been knocking it out of the park for me lately. I can't wait for these!

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Nicole By OPI A Million Sparkles

I realized the other day that it'd been a while since I wore something sparkly on my nails, so I decided to rectify that with the total glitter explosion that is Nicole by OPI A Million Sparkles. There is a lot going on in this shade. It's complex yet somehow totally cohesive. The base is clear but then you've got two types of round glitter (small blue and larger gold) and two types of bar glitter (small blue and larger holographic pink). I know the whole "party in a bottle" is a Deborah Lippmann thing, but I'd easily apply it to this polish as well. It looks like a crazy confetti blowout on your nails!






Despite how many different types of glitter are in this polish, I found opacity to be a bit of a struggle with this at first. Then I remembered that all of my NOPI holiday glitters needed a good shake before I used them and that seemed to do the trick for A Million Sparkles as well. In the end, I used three coats here. I wore A Million Sparkles alone but you could easily layer it instead and come up with some crazy combinations to add to the fun of this polish.


This is a very unique, very pretty glitter. I can't think of another one like it and got a lot of compliments on it yesterday. If you're gaga for glitter like me, this is an excellent addition to your sparkle hoarde. Fans of polishes like China Glaze Marry A Millionaire and OPI Save Me will feel right at home with A Million Sparkles. I've come around to bar glitter in a big way. I used to think it looked really weird, like pine needles or even hair on your nails. But after I gave it a try, now I can't get enough of the stuff!