Smitten Polish Mint Chip

Polish in general is of course a weakness of mine, but I am especially powerless to resist the lure of ice cream-themed nail polish. I own quite a few of them and I've got one to share with you all today: Smitten Polish Mint Chip. As you would expect, it's a pastel green with brown glitter (both square and round varieties), intended to resemble mint chocolate chip ice cream. Adorable!

The formula is a little on the thinner side, but not so much so that it's at all difficult to work with. I used three coats here.

I'm not sure if Smitten Polish still makes Mint Chip. I tried checking but unfortunately their site is currently on hiatus.

Twinsie Tuesday: Essie Hot Coco

This week's TT has us doing coffee-inspired manis. Personally, I'm not a coffee fan. I don't like the taste and it hurts my stomach. I'm much more of a tea drinker. I'm also not much a fan of brown polish, which is what this prompt made me think of. However, one of the few browns I really like is, coincidentally, named after another beverage (and one that I love): Essie Hot Coco. This color could pass as coffee with creamer, yes?

Hot Coco is so creamy and cool-toned that is almost verges into taupe territory. I think that's one of the things I like best about it is how it straddles the line between the two shades. I wear Hot Coco often during the cold weather months. Something about it just seems so cozy to me! I received this beautiful brown from the lovely Rach over at Stuff I Swatched, so a huge thank you goes out to her! :)

So that's my coffee/quasi-hot chocolate-inspired mani, hahaha. Hope you enjoyed and be sure to take a look at what my fellow Twinsies are up to this week!

Alaina at The Little Canvas

Alice at Nail Art in Wonderland

Amanda at Amandalandish

Amanda at Fashion Footing

Amber at Nails Like Lace

Bridget at A Painted Nail

Chelsea at Nailed Blog

ChiChi at I'm Just Me...ChiChi

Claire at Kerruticles

Jessica at Blue Velvet Lacquer

​Lisa at The Polish Playground

Marisa at Polish Obsession

Marisa at Polish Those Nails

Megan at A Beauty in the Business

Róisín at Cuti-CLUE-les

Sara at The Call of Beauty

Sarah at Cloudy with a Chance of Lacquer

Savannah at Addicted to Polish

Sharon at Behind Green Eyes

Steph at Lovestruck Lacquer

Tiffany at Polished To Precision

Twinsie Tuesday: Rescue Beauty Lounge Jane

We're re-visiting a past theme for this week's Twinsie Tuesday. I've been wearing a lot of brights and shimmers lately, so since I was in the mood for a palette cleanser shade, I chose to re-visit our minimalistic theme from the end of last year. To me, a nice nude is the perfect minimalistic mani.

I went with Rescue Beauty Lounge Jane, a putty creme from one of my all-time favorite collections, the Tudor Collection.

Jane has a beautiful formula that self-levels exceptionally well. This is three coats.

I am a total sucker for putty-colored polish, and Jane is largely responsible for starting that love affair. Putty has a little more visual interest to it than just a plan nude or sheer pink, yet it's still nice and understated-looking.

Hope you enjoyed this look back today! Be sure to take a look at which themes my Twinsies chose to re-visit!

Tiffany at Polished To Precision

Savannah at Addicted to Polish

Róisín at Cuti-CLUE-les

Marisa at Polish Obsession

Lisa at The Polish Playground

Lakeisha at Refined and Polished

Kristine at Pink and Polished Nails

Jessica at Blue Velvet Lacquer

ChiChi at I'm Just Me...ChiChi

Chelsea at Nailed Blog

Bridget at A Painted Nail

Amber at Nails Like Lace

Amanda at Fashion Footing

Amanda at Amandalandish

Essie Comfy In Cashmere

I put a nice chunk of my latest paycheck into polish--surprise! Part of my haul was the Essie Cashmere Matte Collection; I got every one except All Eyes On Nude. So I thought I'd share one of the polishes from that collection with you today: Comfy In Cashmere, a satin taupe with iridescent blue shimmer.

Here it is with topcoat...

....and then a close-up of the shimmer in the bottle.

The formula is alright--a little thicker than I would like and there's some drag to it as well. This is three coats.

I almost didn't get this one, since taupes can sometimes clash with my skintone, but I was intrigued enough to give it a shot. So of course I had to try Comfy In Cashmere on first, because I was so curious to see how it would look on me! As I'd anticipated, the color is kinda "eh" with my skin, but I don't dislike it. The shimmer is a subtle but lovely addition.

Has the Cashmere Matte Collection popped up in your area yet? What polishes do you want to pick up from the collection?

China Glaze Choo-Choo Choose You

I really hope the name for this polish was an intentional Simpson's reference on China Glaze's part, because to have such an awesome polish as an homage to my favorite Simpsons character, Ralph Wiggum, would truly be icing on the cake.

I don't think China Glaze has ever made a polish quite like Choo-Choo Choose You. To me, this is hands-down the star of their fall collection, All Aboard. It's a difficult polish to describe, but I guess if I had to try and sum it up, I'd say it's a deep, smoky taupe base with dense, color-shifting shimmer that changes from gold to green. The shimmer is truly breathtaking and it's what really makes this polish something special.

I had a hard time capturing the shift on camera; the green comes out in low light, making it tough to get a decent photo of it. I put up one quick snap I was able to manage, but I'm going to try and get some more later today, so I'll update if I get some better pics of it!

 

 

*drool* Isn't she gorgeous?! China Glaze really outdid themselves with this one. The shimmer is so stunning and it's such a unique color. This definitely falls into the category of what I like to call "car crash polishes"--y'know, the ones where the shimmer is so distractingly mesmerizing that whenever the light hits it, your eyes are instantly drawn to it, no matter what you're doing at the moment! So wear with caution, ladies. ;)

The formula is touch thin, but nothing too bad. I used three coats here.

If you get only one polish from All Aboard, make it Choo-Choo Choose You. The shimmer is unlike anything I've seen before in a mainstream polish and the base is a deliciously rich and creamy taupe that's so perfect for fall.

Barielle Me Couture Collection: Review & Swatches

Hey guys! I hope your Friday is off to a good start. :) To help kick off the weekend, I've got some swatches of Barielle's fall collection, Me Couture, to share with you today! Let's get started, shall we?

Moda Bleu is a navy creme with a beautiful high-gloss shine, even without topcoat. There's a little bit of purple in there at first, but it goes away as you layer the coats. It's a very deep, inky shade that's dark without appearing black. This is three coats.

Taupe Notch is a cool-toned taupe creme. It's almost grey, actually, but I'd still call it taupe. This is a wonderful neutral that would flatter any skin tone. If you're a taupe lover, definitely check this one out, 'cause it's pretty darn perfect. This is two coats.

Berry Posh is a glossy magenta creme. This is another one that, like Moda Bleu, is nice and shiny! I used two coats here.

Vintage Gown is a creamy milk chocolate with a bit of a pink undertone to it. There's some delicious-looking bronze shimmer visible in the bottle, but it's really subtle on the nail, which is a bummer. The base color is pretty enough (reminds me of hot cocoa!) that I still like this polish, but I would looooooveee it if that shimmer came through more!

 Here's the shimmer in the bottle:

Soho At Night is a dusty eggplant purple. Ya gotta get a little grimey with a fall collection! I absolutely love this color; so perfect for fall. The first coat is a little watery, but it everything comes together nicely by the second coat.

I saved the best for last! Boho Chic is a deep emerald green. It's a true dark green--not near-black--that is so rich and creamy. I can totally see myself rocking this with an animal print dress and some tights! This is two coats.

So all and all, there are some awesome fall colors here! My personal favorities are Soho At Night, Taupe Notch and Boho Chic. Out of all six polishes in the collection, there's not a dud formula in the bunch. Every one has a very workable consistency that's a breeze to apply. I'm impressed!

You can purchase Barielle from their website. Do you see anything you like from this collection? What are your favorite fall polish colors?


Disclosure: These polishes were sent to me for my honest review. For more information, please see my disclosure policy.

Sally Hansen Morrac-go

My feelings about brown polish are pretty well-documented here on Nailed, but every now and then I do get in the mood to wear some brown. It'll never be my favorite, but it is fun to try on sometimes! So yesterday I decided to go with a brown that's unlike anything I've ever worn before: Sally Hansen Morrac-go.

This is a warm-toned, almost terracota-esque shade from the brand's Insta-Dri line that I got from the always-wonderful Amanda. I was kinda intimidated by it in the bottle, but once I put it on, I liked it! One of the many nice things about swapping polish with someone is sometimes they introduce you to shades that push you out of your comfort zone. :)

Morrac-go is a one-coater, although I did use two coats to try and cover up a little bubbling on my ring and middle fingers from not letting my basecoat dry all the way before I started applying polish over it. (Oops!) The Insta-Dri brush isn't my favorite, but I gotta say, Sally Hansen's formulas are almost always on point. It's been a while since I wore a Sally Hansen but Morrac-go made me remember just what a fantastic line it is. I truly think they rival the more expensive lines in terms of quality and color variety.

What are some of your favorite Sally Hansen's? I'm a fan of their Complete Salon Manicure line in particular, so Frutti Patutie and Model Behavior are two of my favorites!

OPI How Great Is Your Dane?

I'll be the first to admit I'm not a fan of brown polish. But for whatever reason, I can't resist a good taupe, even one that's almost brown, like OPI How Great Is Your Dane?. This rich, chocolate-y taupe won me over! I think the key is the slightly cool undertone that keeps this color from veering too far off into brown territory.

Even with my mini bottle, the formula here was excellent--very smooth and creamy. It covered nicely in two coats. I never thought I'd say it, but the OPI minis might actually be winning me over! I've had a good experience with my Nordic Collection set.

As for How Great Is Your Dane?, I think this color is worth a look even if you typically shun browns like me. It reminds me a bit of one of OPI's all-time classics, You Don't Know Jacques. How Great Is Your Dane? is the perfect mix of classic and unexpected.

Pacifica Dark Desert Highway

You might know Pacifica for their fragrance and body products, but now the brand is coming out with their own line of 7-free, 100% vegan nail polish! Their launch collection has over 25 polishes to choose from and the one I'll be sharing with you today is a creamy taupe shade called Dark Desert Highway.

The formula here was excellent, with a nice, workable consistency. I used two coats. Sometimes taupes can look a little funky on my skintone, but this one is a neutral, chocolately taupe that I think will flatter just about anyone!

I should also mention that I really love the presentation with Pacifica's new polish line. The caps are decorated with this cute, retro pool party-esque seashell design...

...and the colors all have fun names like Blushing Bunnies, Unicorn Horn and Turquoise Tiara.

You can purchase Pacifica from their website.


Disclosure: This polish was sent to me for my honest review. For more information, please see my disclosure policy.

Twinsie Tuesday: Sephora by OPI 212-Sephora

For this installment of Twinsie Tuesday, we're featuring a polish that was given to us as a gift! I love receiving polish as a gift but I know I'm probably not the easiest person to buy it for, given the ridiculous size of my collection. So most of my gifted polishes have come from fellow bloggers, who share and understand the same obsession! The polish I chose for today's post, Sephora by OPI 212-Sephora, was a birthday gift from the lovely Nory!

If you ask me, 212-Sephora was the crown jewel of the now-defunct SOPI line. It's a very deep brown jelly with chunky silver holo glitter and iridescent green and orange flakies. This is a super unique polish. I can't think of anything else out there like it!

And then a really quick shot I snapped in natural light so you can see all the flakies better:

I'm not normally big on brown polish, but this one really won me over. You know me: I can't resist anything sparkly! I do wish my nails were still super long so I could show off this beauty properly, but I had a bit of a mishap at work this weekend that wrecked my right thumb nail, so unfortunately I had to trim down the rest to match. :(

But getting back to the polish itself, the formula is nice and can be built up to full opacity, no problem. I used three coats here. 212-Sephora is the only SOPI I own, but if there's one polish worth tracking down from the line, this one gets my vote!

Alaina at The Little Canvas

Amanda at Amandalandish

Amber at Nails Like Lace

Anna at Going to the Showing

Anne at Grape Fizz Nails

Casey at CaseyLane Loves Polish

Chelsea at Nailed Blog

ChiChi at I'm Just Me...ChiChi

Elizabeth at Did My Nails

Erin at Paint Those Piggies

Kelly at Tuxarina

Lakeisha at Refined and Polished

Maribeth at Obsessive Cosmetic Hoarders Unite

Marisa at Polish Obsession

Rachel at Top Coat It

Róisín at Cuti-CLUE-les

Stephanie at A Little Polish

Tiffany at Polished To Precision

Traci at DrinkCitra

Lumina Lacquer Mint Chocolate Chip

Lumina Lacquer Mint Chocolate Chip does a perfect job of embodying its ice cream inspiration. With its mix of black speckles, brown hexes and a variety of shapes--hexes, squares, stars and butterflies, to name a few--in shades of mint green, it looks almost good enough to eat! This is one coat over Barielle Money Talks, a mint green creme.

The excellent formula glides across the nail, with no fishing needed to coax out the larger glitter pieces. I got several stars on my brush easily, as well as one butterfly, which you might not notice right away but it's on the side of my ring finger. :)

There are quite a few mint ice cream-inspired polishes out there, in both the indie and mainstream lines, but I don't think I can imagine one cuter than this! It captures the color palette nicely and the addition of fun, whimsical shapes like the stars and butterflies give this polish an extra bit of personality.

You can purchase Lumina Lacquer from their website. I think Mint Chocolate Chip has sadly been discontinued, but Lumina always has something lust-worthy to check out!

Azature Latte Diamond

Azature Latte Diamond is a creamy light taupe imbued with a soft haze of silver shimmer. Like all Azature polishes, Latte Diamond is made with one real black diamond. In addition to adding an air of luxury, I've found the diamond in Azature polishes really makes the sparkle and shimmer in their shades come alive. I gotta admit, I wasn't sure about Latte Diamond in the bottle, but I fell in love with it on the nail! Those delicate veins of silver shimmer are truly gorgeous!

The formula is divine and reaches opacity in two coats. One of the things I like about Azature's polishes is they have the high level of quality befitting a luxury product--it's not all glitz with no substance behind it.

You can purchase Azature from their website.


Disclosure: This polish was sent to me for my honest review. For more information, please see my disclosure policy.

OPI You Don't Know Jacques

Today's polish is an oldie but a goodie: OPI You Don't Know Jacques. This deep taupe was one of my first OPIs and it's still a favorite palette cleanser of mine. It's understated without being snooze-worthy, which makes for a classic neutral in my book. This is a deceptively simple shade that pulls differently on every skin tone, while still flattering each one.

The formula goes on a little thin with the first coat, but builds to opacity in three. You Don't Know Jacques is a fabulous staple shade to have in your stash. I highly suggest picking this one up if you haven't already!

Twinsie Tuesday: East Coast Vs. West Coast

With Twinsie Tuesday, we have bloggers not only across the country, but all over the world! So we're having some fun with that this week by squaring off with an East Coast vs. West Coast swatch-off! Our west coast bloggers will show their favorite shimmer, while the east coast bloggers will wear their favorite glitters. I'm from the Midwest--Michigan, to be precise--so I'm kinda in between. We decided that our Midwest bloggers would fall in with the west coast crew, so I'll be Team Shimmer today!

After some debating, I decided that OPI Movin' Out deserves the "favorite shimmer" title, for a couple of reasons. First of all, this polish is full of multichrome, color-shifting, amazeballs awesomeness. It has a sheer, rose-tinted base that shifts from green to gold, plus these incredible red sparks that practically sizzle in the light. This is the kind of polish you just don't see made anymore now that everything is 3-free. Those nasty chemicals sure did make for some kickass polishes!

This is two coats of Movin' Out over OPI You Don't Know Jacques, a dark taupe. (I've also swatched it over black before, which you can check out HERE.)

The other reason this polish is special to me is because it was a birthday gift from my boyfriend! I've spoken before on here about our shared love of Billy Joel, so this polish, named for a Billy Joel song as well as the Broadway musical that features his music, was the perfect gift between two huge dorks in love.

So there you have it: my favorite shimmer! What's yours?

Amanda at Amandalandish

Amber at Nails Like Lace

Anna at Going to the Showing

Anne at Grape Fizz Nails

Chelsea at Nailed Blog

ChiChi at I'm Just Me...ChiChi

Cordia at Seriously Swatched

Elizabeth at Did My Nails

Heather at Peace, Love, & Polish

Kelly at Tuxarina

Lakeisha at Refined and Polished

Maribeth at Obsessive Cosmetic Hoarders Unite

Marisa at Polish Obsession

Meredith at Polish and Charms

Rachel at Top Coat It

Róisín at Cuti-CLUE-les

Traci at DrinkCitra

My Ten Friends Dirtball

My Ten Friends Dirtball is a brown jelly base with holographic turquoise glitter, brown glitter and silver holo microglitter. At first, Dirtball seems like a misnomer for such a lovely, glittery polish, but the name refers to planets, not the polish itself. :) It looks like a miniature galaxy on your nails! Most of My Ten Friends' polishes have an opaque enough base to wear them alone, but I tend to prefer them layered; makes the glitter "pop" more. This is one coat over OPI Suzi Loves Cowboys, a chocolate-colored creme.

The formula didn't give me any trouble, although I was a little bummed I couldn't fish out any of the large turquoise hexes that I could see glittering so beautifully inside the bottle. I am generally not a brown polish fan, but this one really won me over. Turquoise and brown may not seem like the most cohesive combination, but the two colors actually play off each other very well!

You can purchase My Ten Friends on Etsy.

Twinsie Tuesday: International's Choice

I, once again, must apologize to the entire nation of Canada for the terrible nail art I have done in the name of your nation. You may recall a while back that we did a TT theme called Canadian's Choice, in honor of our Canadian Twinsies, who tasked us with creating manis inspired by a particular aspect of their homeland. Well, we've brought back that theme once more, this time expanding it to International's Choice to celebrate our Twinsies around the globe!

I was on Team Anne--same as last time--for this theme. Anne, our resident Canadian, gave us the assignment of manicures inspired by the dogwood tree, the national tree of British Columbia. It's a beautiful theme and I'm sure my fellow Team Anne Twinsies will do some gorgeous manicures inspired by it, but...well...

I started with a base of OPI Teenage Dream, one of my all-time favorite OPIs, which I then proceeded to deface with some truly awful nail art that I freehanded using a dotting tool. The branches were done with OPI Suzie Loves Cowboys, the petals are Illamasqua Scorch and the cyme (green part in the center of the flower) is OPI Did It On Em. I think the "flower" on my index finger more closely resembles a runny egg, but maybe that's just me.

So there you have it: My dogwood tree mani. I tried, y'all. :-/ I am sure my fellow Twinsies came up with some great manis for this week's theme though and I can't wait to see their (undoubtedly much better) efforts!

Amanda at Amandalandish

Amber at Nails Like Lace

Anna at Going to the Showing

Anne at Grape Fizz Nails

Chelsea at Nailed Blog

ChiChi at I'm Just Me...ChiChi

Cordia at Seriously Swatched

Elizabeth at Did My Nails

Heather at Peace, Love, & Polish

Kelly at Tuxarina

Lakeisha at Refined and Polished

Maribeth at Obsessive Cosmetic Hoarders Unite

Marisa at Polish Obsession

Meredith at Polish and Charms

Nory at Fierce Makeup and Nails

Rachel at Top Coat It

Róisín at Cuti-CLUE-les

Sarah at See Sarah Swatch

Traci at DrinkCitra