Champagne Bubbles for the Holiday

I love the Christmas decorations that are all gold. They look so rich, right from a storybook. And to think, I almost passed this golden polish up...

China Glaze blew the cork right out of glitters with their 2011 collection. This gold is named 'Champagne Bubbles.'

This is why, at the last minute, I decided I did, indeed, need this gold...

This gold has sparse silver glitter in it; like...bubbles in champagne!

And this gold is a buffed, softened gold...

Just a bit of an issue with the silver glitter making the polish look, well, bubbly. In person, it isn't quite this bad, just very noticeable in (my) photos.

I applied 3 coats and they didn't dry as quickly as other polishes do. And so, I nicked my pinky. But the last photo shows just how yellow 'Champagne Bubbles' is. This isn't a gold that usually goes well with my skin tone, but this one, somehow, works very well. No top coat needed.

I like to have one glass of champagne a year, but rarely make the attempt to get it. I posted about Verdi and that's what I enjoy. How about you? Champagne? Gold polish?

Orna-ment For Each Other, At Least Through Christmas

Nicole by OPI is a brand I rarely pick up. I will check them out while shopping, but I only have 3 or now, 4. My reasoning is that they rarely have anything I find unique. And, I know, that is an odd remark coming from a nail blogger that will swatch 3 different brands that have similar colors. But, as a lot of nail/beauty bloggers know, we don't always have the most logical reasons for our choices.

Here's my latest Nicole addition...

A Christmas nail polish, if there ever was one. This is 'Orna-ment For Each Other.' Cute name! I do have to hand it to OPI, they come up with fun and definitely, unique names.

There is so much glitter in 'Orna-ment For Each Other' that it is opaque in just 2 coats. But I did the fail-safe 3...

This polish is heavy-laden with micro gold and red glitter. Very shiny; I'm swatching with no top coat. 'OFEO' is gritty, but it isn't difficult to remove like some glitters can be. It wore nicely for the 36 hours I had it on.

 

There's just a one thing I wasn't happy about with this polish. It makes my fingers look red. I think it is the combo of red and gold together. It combines to be an orange and my pallor can't handle it. Sadz.

However, besides that, it is a great Christmas glitter polish. It is feisty and cheery and just Christmas-y.

I'm just sad that the beautiful color 'OFEO' shows in the bottle didn't translate onto my nails. Interestingly enough, the color looks all the same in my photos.

Here, it shows a bit of patchiness, but I'm chalking that up to user-difficulty. There's enough glitter jammed in this polish to counter bald spots. I feel that this is the type of glitter polish that looks good on both short or long nails.

Are you a Nicole by OPI fan? Is 'Orna-ment For Each Other' for you?

Fast and Furious Glitter Drive-by Glitter Manicure

Fast and Furious! I did this mani the other evening and was out the door early the next morning. I usually take my photos before I leave for work. But, not this time. This is after I got home.

As you can tell, a lot happens to my nails from the start of the day to when I get home...

I started out with a base color from Color Club. This is 'Pretty in Platinum.' And I am in love with this platinum. It wasn't one bit streaky and was actually set to go after just one coat.

I used 'Pretty in Platinum' to showcase this glitter overlay...

Forever 21's love & beauty polish called 'Red/Black/Silver.' Well, I guess that doesn't leave me taking up any time describing it, does it?

I tried the glitter over a medium green creme, wanting to stay within a Christmas color theme, but I had to go so light with a green for the glitter to show, that it wasn't even close to Christmas. In fact, it seems weird-looking.

Here's what a platinum shade did...

Two issues! One, I had to dab the glitter on as it was just bunching up at the tip. Second, this made the glitter coat so thick it took more than forever to dry. As I mentioned, I polished my nails the night before and they were still tacky the next day.

The expression, cool. The play out, meh, could be better...

And I'm not even giving my thumb any face time. Notice on the middle finger how thick the polish is. And that nail seems to have the least amount of glitter too. I did do two coats of 'Red/Black/Silver.' I didn't do a top coat over the glitter so it was a bit gritty too.

What color would you use to show off this glitter?

Nubar Has Great Glitter Just Not Great Names

When I started blogging, almost 18 months ago, I learned about Nubar nail polish. What I read was it was held in high regard. So, in June of this year, I went to the Orlando Premiere and when I visited the Nubar booth, I dropped some bucks.

Now, I don't read about Nubar so much. I don't know why. However, here is one that I bought and it works sort of nicely for the Holidays...

Nubar's 'Green/Silver Glitter' isn't a bold glitter. And I'm liking that after swatching a lot of SCREAMING glitter.

This polish has micro-glitter, and though it looks like there is so much in there that it would apply opaque...let me set you straight. Nope.

I have on 4 coats. Yet, I'm happy with this lighter look. I can still appreciate the softer looks of glitter as well. The silver seems to be more iridescent than just plain silver. It casts off many different colors in the sunshine. I can somewhat see that happening on my ring finger.

Take a closer look, I want to show you something...

This is what 4 coats looks like. Not bad. And, yes, it is gritty. It's hungry like Santa is for cookies. But, there is something else I want you to see. A nail and its cuticle in DAMN GOOD shape!!! WORD!!!!!

After a super easy work day, I came home excited to swatch a new polish. But a light bulb went off...how would it look matted?

I gave it a try. It dulled it some, but not like I thought it would. That glitter is determined to sparkle!!!

I used China Glaze's 'Matte Magic'. I don't think it changed it enough to bother.

Is 'Green/Sliver Glitter' something you like too?

Del Sol's Christmas Polish: Tinsel Toes

This just in...Holiday Del Sol polish!!!

 

 

'Tinsel Toes!' I love it! I visited clients that have businesses out at the airport and this is where there is a Del Sol store. Since I found a Halloween polish and I blogged about it here, I stopped in to see if they had any Christmas polishes.

OK, the novelty is neat but I like the colors a lot. The fun of this brand is to show people that haven't seen it. Kind of like magic!

'Tinsel Toes' is a softened gold that is slightly sparkly and understated. It is not an 'in your face' flashy gold. These photos were taken in the shade.

Now watch it change...

A little more red....

Getting darker and redder...

And here it is a magical golden red. However, it comes off a bit like a salmon color on the nails. It's not so noticeable in real life. However, you can see how it makes my fingers look like the infamous 'lobster fingers' where the contrast between nail color and flesh tone collide.

I was surprised, and I don't know why, that this wasn't more opaque. I have on 2 coats and I just finished there because I knew it would take many more to get it opaque.

So, Del Sol's 'Tinsel Toes' is a more subtle sparkle, and after flashy glitter manis and polishes, it is nice to wear something more demure.

Share with me your thoughts on 'Tinsel Toes.'

Is Bigger Better For Glitter? What If I Said Flaky Glitter?

I just have to face the facts. I'm going to wake up and it is going to be Jan 2, time to start a new year and new business contracts. That means Christmas and New Year's Eve will have flown by me and I'll be sitting here with a lot of Holiday polishes I never got to swatch. So, I better get busy!

Realizing this situation, I dug around the to-be-swatched drawer in the vanity. I was all set to pick out my favorite one and get crackin'. My first choice was China Glaze's 'Snow Globe' from their 2011 winter collection. In staying with the comparison theme, I dug some more and found Cosmetic Arts no-name flaky that is now 'Super Size Me Flaky'.

 

'Snow Globe' is the perfect name for this polish. You'll find a mix of holo micro-glitter along with a bit of holo hex glitter.

Sparkle-dazzle holiday. Yes, it does, indeed, look like a snow globe...

I picked this photo because it reminded me of the kid that got double-dog dared to lick a metal pole. You know, from 'A Christmas Story.' I can only guess that the little people in this snow globe are playing hide-and-seek.' But they must really suck at it.

Done digressing...
Cosmetic Arts is missing the fun by not naming their polishes. But, they are giving me some fun. When I first laid eyes on this one, I really did yell out 'Oh, shit!' I couldn't grab this polish fast enough when I found it at Ross'...

I don't think I have another polish that has flakes this size. Thus, 'Super Size Me Flaky.'

There was nothing that could suffice to showcase these topcoats other than a rich creme. I picked out 'Velvet Box' from China Glaze's current holiday collection. And, I think this one did the job...

On my thumb, middle and pinky finger, you see 'Super Size Me Flaky.' That leaves 'Snow Globe' for the index and ring finger. Now tell me, if you had 4 seconds to pause at a red light, wouldn't you stare at these?

 

Good grief, those flakes are on steroids. And I was flat out thrilled that this polish applied in a very well-behaved manner. 'Snow Globe' was thick and it wanted to bunch up at the tip of the nail. After patience with laying it down and going back over it before it dried, it fell into that scattered look.

I'm gong to play favorites all over this post...

 

I'm not a fast-food girl; I gave it up 9 years ago. But this is one time I have no regrets at all to ask for a Super Size.

Opinions? Envys? Revulsions?

Three Way Holiday Green Comparisons

As mentioned in my last post, I am so loving green polishes this Holiday. And, I'll say it again, green polish is new to my life in the past 2 years. I must have been in some rut, avoiding wearing green polish. I would wear it on my toes but, just not on my fingers. Too funky.

I'm so glad I snapped out of that one! Look what fun I'd be missing out on...

 

Three random, Holiday greens. Using the last photo, from the left: from Color Club's Under The Mistletoe collection in 2009 (no name); Orly's 'It's Not Rocket Science'; and Finger Paint's 'Comet's Collar'.

Each one is worthy of Holiday wear. I like all of them. So, here are the skittles of green...

I used 3 coats on all of these and added a top coat of Color Club's 'Vivid'.
On my thumb and ring finger, I'm sporting the Color Club green from 2009. On my index finger and pinky, that's 'It's Not Rocket Science.' And just on the middle finger is 'Comet's Collar'.

As it so looks, the Color Club felt gritty but it sparkles. 'It's Not Rocket Science' is a swampy green that was a hit last Fall. And 'Comet's Collar' is new this season but doesn't have much 'umpf' next to the other shades of green. I'd recommend 'Comet's Collar' for nail art or stamping.

For the Holiday look and feel, my vote is for the Color Club green. Which one do you like?