Twinsie Tuesday: Lush Lacquer Clowning Around

Twinsie Tuesday is channeling "the greatest show on Earth" this week with circus-inspired manis! I really wasn't up to muddling my way through some misguided attempts to make poorly drawn circus animals, so it was indie polish to the rescue! Lush Lacquer Clowning Around not only has a circus-related name, but the bold neon pops of blue, pink, orange, purple and lime green remind me of the colorful costumes and sets that help create the circus' festive atmosphere. At least, that's my story and I'm sticking to it. ;) Ironically enough, I have never liked clowns and I was terrified of them as a little kid. Clowning Around has a clear base, so here it is over Illamasqua Scorch, a white creme.

The formula on this polish was so-so. The base is a bit thick and matte neon pieces don't spread very evenly. I had to do a third coat to try and cover up some bald patches. I would suggest leaving extra time between coats, as I wound up with some little ripple marks on my middle and ring finger where some of the polish got pulled off a bit when I applied the next coat.

Be sure to see what my other Twinsies are up to this Tuesday with their circus manis! :)

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

OPI Holiday 2013 Featuring Mariah Carey Preview

Let's start the week off with a fun look at some upcoming holiday polishes! This holiday season, OPI is once again teaming up with singer Mariah Carey. I look forward to OPI's holiday collections each year and this one looks to be HUGE! There will be a whopping eighteen new polishes (six of which are Liquid Sand) plus a limited edition white gold and silver topcoat and a bevvy of gift set options.

I don't have official promo shots for individual colors yet, but this info and various pictures have been circulating around the web for a while now (Below, I have sourced just one of several sites that has this info up), so I figured you would appreciate some initial info and early preview pictures. I'll try to update this post as soon as more photos become available!

Polish

• My Favorite Ornament
• I Snow You Love Me
• All I Want for Christmas (is OPI)
• Ski Slopes Sweetie
• Cute Little Vixen
• Sleigh Ride for Two
• Underneath The Mistletoe
• All Sparkly And Gold
• In My Santa Suit
• Wonderous Star
• Vision Of Love
• Warm Me Up

Liquid Sand

• Silent Stars Goes By
• Baby Please Come Home
• Make Him Mine
• It’s Frosty Outside
• Emotions
• Kiss Me At Midnight

 Top Coat

• Mariah Carey Pure 18K White Gold & Silver Top Coat 

Source 

 The collection is disappointingly (at least for me) heavy on reds, but the new Liquid Sand polishes look amazing! OPI always puts out some great sparklies for the holidays.

I don't have a price on the top coat yet, but I'm guessing it will retail for around what last year's Man With The Golden Gun top coat did, which was $30. In the past, OPI's holiday collections typically debut in late September or early October, so these polishes should all be hitting the shelves around that time. Will any of them be on your wishlist this year?

China Glaze Highlight Of My Summer

China Glaze Highlight Of My Summer is a bright mint green. Although this is part of CG's neon collection this year, I wouldn't really classify this as a neon; it's not quite that vibrant. But it's still very pretty and eye-catching! Such a perfect summer green.

As for the formula? Welcome to streak city. Population: Highlight Of My Summer. The consistency of the polish is fine--as in it's not too thin or too thick when you're applying it--but man, does it still find a way to streak on the nail. I used four coats, although a nail or two needed five. It's not the streakiest polish I've ever worn, but there's certainly some room for improvement here. It's a shame that the formula is kind of dodgy, because the color is absolutely gorgeous!

Zoya Miranda

Zoya Miranda is a raspberry-colored textured polish with silver glitter bits. It's a gorgeous shade--not quite red, not quite pink--that the texture lends a fun, modern twist to.

The formula applies well and covers in two coats. One thing I will say about the PixieDust polishes though is they dry a bit funny. I feel like with OPI Liquid Sand, the polish "crystallizes" all at once, whereas PixieDust is a little slower; some areas solidify, while others still have a soft surface. (Does this make sense?) It doesn't really detract from the polish itself, I just find it sort of odd. Overall though, I really like the PixieDust polishes and can't wait to check out some of the new ones coming out for fall!

Deborah Lippmann Jewel Heist Preview

With a name like Jewel Heist, you know Deborah Lippmann's fall collection will be filled with rich, gemstone colors and plenty of sparkles--and luckily, it does not disappoint! The collection features six new shades--three glitters and three shimmers--that would go perfectly with any bejeweled baubles. Take a look!

The glitters look positively mouth-watering! I can't wait to see more shots of them! Glitter And Be Gay in particular looks really incredible.

The glitters retail for $19 and the shimmers for $17. They are already available on the Deborah Lippmann website and should be hitting stores soon. Will you be splurging on any of these beauties?

Color Club Pearl-spective

Color Club Pearl-spective is an iridescent topper from the brand's new Kaleidoscope Collection. If you like polishes like Essie Pearlfection, Pearl-spective is basically that on sparkly, color-shifting steroids! As the light shifts, it changes from pink to orange to purple to blue. It's a tricky effect to try and capture on camera, but trust me when I say that it's really lovely in person!

This is two coats over China Glaze Pool Party, a screaming neon pink. The formula is excellent and didn't give me any trouble. I was a little worried that such a bright color might overshadow Pearl-spective, but I actually think they work beautifully together!

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

Color Club Harp On It

I have wanted an intense, linear silver holo for about as long as I've been interested in nail polish. I longed for the days of collections like China Glaze OMG, where you could easily get rich, beautiful holos from mainstream brands. So major kudos to Color Club for fulfilling the wishes of nail addicts everywhere by making affordable, mass market holos that pack a serious punch. With Harp On It, I finally have the silver holo of my dreams!

Another thing I love about the Color Club holos is that they apply just as beautifully as they look. You don't need a special base coat to get smooth application and an intense holographic effect. This is three effortless coats.

I really can't recommend Color Club's Halo Hues highly enough. They are some of the best quality, most affordable holographic polishes out there. They absolutely live up to the hype and are a must-try if you love holos!