OPI Manicurist of Seville and Black Cherry Chutney

I found this duo of OPI polishes in Marshall's for $7.99!  The colors are not the most unique and not the kind of thing that usually excites me, but it was such a good deal I couldn't pass it up!  

Manicurist of Seville is a berry creme- really great formula on this one.  Thin but opaque, really almost painted itself on.  From the Fall 2009 Collecion de Espana.  More vivid and purple than pictured here.  2 coats.

Black Cherry Chutney is a vampy burgundy/plum with subtle red shimmer.  From the Spring 2008 India Collection.  It's quite dark, looks almost black in some lights.  This had a great formula too, 2 easy coats here.

I have no idea why these 2 random older polishes were grouped together and sold as a set, but I ain't mad at it!

Layering with Sinful Colors Nail Junkie

This beautiful creature was one of my best layering experiments ever!  I don't know about you guys, but I am still so in love with flakies!   I hope they stay popular for a while longer!  This was definitely more green than the pictures show.  This was an unbelievable 11 coats of polish on my nails!  I'm not even kidding.  Base coat, 3 coats of Unknown Color Club green creme, 2 coats of Sinful Colors Nail Junkie glitter,1 coat Gelous and Seche Vite topcoat.  Wore those eight coats for a day and then added 2 coats of Finger Paints Flecked and more topcoat.  That's a lot of layers!

Layering flakies over glitter gives this amazing fish scale effect!

This Color Club came in a TJ Maxx kit that was labeled incorrectly but I think it may be Edie.  It was so much greener than this picture shows.  Looks more turquoise here, either way- lovely color.  3 coats.

Look at that bottle of Color Club Nail Junkie!  This glitter has a teal jelly base with aqua, royal blue, green and gold glitter.  AMAZING!  You need this if you like glitter at all.  Could probably be built up to opacity in 3-4 coats, I chose to layer it here.  I like it so much I have a backup bottle.

Still nice before the flakies

Macro with the flakies added.  Reminds me of the ocean pictures you see around some tropical place like Tahiti.  

China Glaze Colors from the Capitol Hunger Games Nail Polish Collection part 2

Tonight I have for you China Glaze's Fast Track, Foie Gras, and Smoke and Ashes from the Capitol Colors Collection.  All of these swatches are without topcoat.

Fast Track is a sheer beige with tons of gold shimmer.  Great formula.  Incredible shimmery mannequin hands!  3 coats below.

 Foie Gras is a Grey/Purple Creme.  Good opacity, a litte streaky on the first coat.  This is very similar to OPI's You Don't Know Jacques but it has more purple tone to it.  I actually prefer this color over the OPI.  Dries darker than the bottle and super shiny.  Not the most unique but very nice.  2 coats below.

 Smoke and Ashes is a blackened blue base with beautiful blue green duochrome shimmer.  Unfortunately the duochrome doesn't translate quite as much on the nail.  Still incredible- completely opaque at 1 coat, 2 pictured below.  Beautiful alternative to basic black polish.

China Glaze Capitol Colors- The Hunger Games Nail Polish Collection

I have been anxiously awaiting this collection like so many of you.  Stopped by Sally Beauty this weekend and they had them- score!   Still in boxes in the back so I got first pick- nice new bottles that haven't been opened and sampled yet.   The ones I bought are Dress Me Up, Fast Track, Agro, Riveting, Foie Gras, Smoke and Ashes and Luxe and Lush.  I loved Harvest Moon in the bottle but think the copper color will look terrible on me.  Initially I thought I did not want Stone Cold because it's a Matte color- but it's really nice and I could always put topcoat on it...hmmmm...   So I could end up with more colors possibly.  Splitting this up into 2 posts, yes- cheating, I know, but it's so much freakin work to swatch this many colors!  I'll post the others tomorrow.  All of these swatches are without topcoat.

Dress Me up is a dusty rose/brown creme.  I do not generally like pinks, but this one really drew me in.  It's very classy and grown-up while still being modern.  Nearly opaque in one coat, 2 pictured here for good measure.  Went on like a dream, practically painted itself on.  Dries darker on nail than in the bottle.  Did not  photograph true to color in my light box(see above bottle shot) so this pic is indirect light outdoors.  

 With 1 coat of Luxe and Lush on top.  Pics don't do this justice- very pretty combo in person.

Agro is a metallic olive green- slightly brushstrokey, but not too bad.  Super pigmented- could have done one coat, this is 2 for good measure.  Would probably be good for stamping as well.  Love.  

With one coat of Luxe and Lush on top.  Gorgeous.

Riveting is like blazing fire on your nails.  Bright orange Jelly with gold shimmer.  Great formula on this as well.  Still a little VNL at 2 coats so this is 3 pictured below.  Excellent summer color.

1 coat of Luxe and Lush on center nails.  Luxe and Lush is a flakie topcoat that flashes mostly warm golds and yellow.  It does take on tones of the base color below it.  These are large irregular mylar type flakies and are quite rough unless topped with topcoat.  Formula is thick as expected with this type of polish.  Nice versatile polish I can see myself using alot.  It was lovely over a teal polish I tried also- will post that later in the week.  

After purchasing these, I held all bottles in my lap while riding around in the car with my husband.  I kept showing them to him like an idiot.  Yeah baby, nail polish- that's nice.  Fortunately he does not think I'm crazy (I hope)

More to follow tomorrow!

China Glaze Electropop Colors

The two colors I have from the Electropop collection so far are Gothic Lolita and Aquadelic.  Trying hard to resist Electric Beat and Sweet Hook from the same collection.  (I have a problem)

 I found the formula on Gothic Lolita to be horrendous- thick but runny, ugh.  You're painting away and all of these drips start forming up on the stem and running down onto your nails.  So mad, like wanna punch babies mad.  (no, I don't actually punch babies)  It is wonderful color, but I just got so mad when I looked at it, remembering all the hell it put me through.  Maybe I just got a bad bottle?  Didn't hear of other people having this problem.

2 coats 

 After I got tired of looking at it all day I added Pure Ice Busted on top-  look at that SHIMMA!

Bottle shot of Busted- If you don't have this you NEED it

Aquadelic had a much nicer formula than Gothic Lolita.  Nearly opaque at one coat, perfect at 2.  More turquoise and darker than the pics show.  Lovely robins egg blue.  Will look unbelievable on toes in the summer.

After a day to jazz it up- a coat of Essie As Gold as it Gets

(Sorry for the craptastic pic here)

Zoya Caitlin

Caitlin is a medium dusty blue creme shade from the Intimate Collection.  This went on like BUTTAH- 2 glorious coats for opaqueness.  Dries darker than the bottle color.  I adore Zoya's colors, formula, brush, etc.- but I have tip wear after just a few hours!  Wtf?  At first it may have been shrinkage with Seche Vite topcoat, but then I bought the whole Zoya color-lock system and am still having probs!  I don't get it- maybe it just doesn't go with my body chemistry?  If you have any tips please let me know!  (hahaha- tips for tipwear)  But I wore this all day proudly with my tip wear.





After a day I decided it needed something extra (besides a tip touch-up)...FLAKIES!

This is 2 coats of Finger Paints Flashy over Caitlin

Then I mattified it with Essie Matte about you topcoat

Flakies look really nice over this mid color- a more muted color show than the vibrant colors you get layering them over black.  This was my first time using a matte topcoat.  It went on easily and dried quickly.  I dunno if I'm a fan of the matte look- its just so chalky and I think it made my winter ravaged skin look drier.  Really made the flakies pop on the nail better.  I'll mattify other things and see if it grows on me- I hear glitter looks great matte!