The Ugly Series: Part 3, What Vampires Wear

Ready for some more ugly?

Up front, I'll confess, this is a total contradiction.  This is a brownish-red vamp color. It's Sally Hansen's 'Vivid'. And it is from at least 2 winters ago.

I admit, I only think it is ugly in the bottle. But once it is on, and particularly in the sunlight, I am ready to wrap myself in a crushed velvet cape and fly off into the twilight. OK, so it's not an original idea, but you get the point.

Some of photos drive home my feelings that this isn't such a hot color. But, alas, confession is good for the soul...I stared at it while I was sitting at stop lights.

Ah, this is the best rendition of 'Vivid.' Yes, indeed, it is vivid. I have on 3 coats and feel that a better talented nail person could have got it in 2. I topped it off with Color Club's 'Eco Chic' top coat.

Here's the reason I picked this one. I asked my husband to, quick, name a color! He didn't answer right away and started laughing and backing up at the same time. 'No! No! This isn't a trick' I tried to soothe him over. Once he realized I was definitely not set out to trick him, he chose RED. I then took that as my lead to find a red in my huge stash that I felt was ugly.

In the shadows, this color isn't so pretty. Pull it out into the sunlight, and it begins to show off. And you can't do that with 'real' vampires. I tried to explain to my husband that 'real' vampires cannot go out into the day time and they not shine either. He was left in a more confused state.

Do you find vampy reds to be beautiful?

The Ugly Series: Part 2, Ugly Betty

Did you watch the series 'Ugly Betty'? I only did once. However, it reminded me of my start as a 'trimmer'. That's what the title was of the person who dressed the mannequins and made up the displays of clothing on the walls. I did this for a women's dress store that isn't in business any longer but, it was like the dual-sided 'Dress Barn' stores.

I started doing this in Orlando and transferred to Memphis. There, I rotated between 5 different stores. One store had 5 mannequins up on a 10 foot high ledge that was only 2-1/2 feet wide! Oh, and it had neon lights 'waving' on the wall behind the mannequins. If any part of you touched the light, you'd get a burn. However, what the company REALLLY didn't want was to have the lights fry out and then have to be replaced.

Look, I took this job because I thought it was glamorous. Gawd, NO! It was terrible. Dressing mannequins is not easy or fun.

A friend, who didn't work in the retail/fashion business, remarked that I looked like I was having fun dressing the dummies. I must mention, she said this to me as I was wrestling one of the mannequins apart and I wassweating profusely. I promptly set her straight by telling her I had a very 'close' relationship with each dummy. Why, yes. I had given each of them names. But, it was all the same name and, it began with the letter 'B'. And it sure in the hell wasn't Betty!! And with that, I grabbed the dummy's boob and wretched her upper torso away from the lower half. Hmpf...Take that 'Betty!!!'

Thus, my connection, albeit strange, to Ugly Betty.  Here's the manicure version...

Kleancolor's 'Holo Orange'. I used 3 coats and a top coat of China Glaze's 'Fast Forward Top Coat.'

I guess it's orange. But it's a murky orange. I love glitter and I love holographic stuff, but this one tests my loyalty. I'm thinking maybe it would be either one, better for the fall months or two, as a top coat over a tan or brown. It did become mostly opaque with the three coats.

It does seem a light enough color for summer. However, I'm going to let you tell me what you think.

And as far as the 'Betty's'; they deserve that rod up their backsides!

The Ugly Series: Part 1, Brace Yourself

This is going to be a daring series. I'd like to review ugly nail polishes. Well, make that ugly in my opinion. And please, don't hesitate to agree or disagree with me. I like to keep my blog an open forum.

This one, I think, is ugly upon first glance. But when I go to study it, I see some real kewlness.  This is Finger Paint's 'Warm He-Art-Ed'...

Yes, I am showing you nicked nails. Well, I said UGLY didn't I? But really, I didn't mean for that to be there.

'Warm He-Art-Ed' is a greige that has an iridescent sheen to it. It is just not translating to photo. However, let me tell you that the sheen is this polish's saving grace. I would not have picked it up if it had not been for the sheen.

The last photo give a glimpse of that sheen. I have on 3 coats and a top coat of China Glaze's 'Fast Forward Top Coat'. I'll tell you another saving grace, this polish applied artfully. Not quite a skimpy brush, it was easy to use. And I think almost everyone agrees that Finger Paint bottles are easy to maneuver.

Dear Readers, I am terribly sorry to assault you with a mucked up manicure. I know you read blogs to look at pristine applications and wonderful photos with delightful reviews. I do too. I definitely owe you better work and a redo. Please be forgetting.

Here's a flower to soften the ugliness...

From my backyard, taken at the same time I photoed 'Warm He-Art-Ed'.

What do you do with your ugly polishes?

The Usual Treatment; Not the Usual Color

What is the color of sunshine? Maybe the same color as L'oreal's 'Yellow Seahorse'?

Great Shades of Sunshine, this is an in-your-face yellow! Pow!

Because this is a jelly polish, it is thick compared to regular lacquers. I took this polish with me to the nail salon. And, the technician (is that title even appropriate/correct?) opened the bottle and promptly ran off to put some nail polish remover in it to thin it out!!!  HORRORS!!!  I did yell out 'NO!' but in a milder manner. Well, not so mild. Not mild.

I then took it upon myself to educate the polish applier (nope, that doesn't sound good either) that it is SUPPOSE to be like that. It is a jelly! Nope, he never heard of that before. I did find that disturbing.

I think you can only get two coats out of nail salons, so that's what is here. There is even a bit more of a VNL IRL than it shows here. However, I really did expect that. What I didn't expect was the sparkle that is in 'Yellow Seahorse' to NOT show up. Gosh, it has a very pretty sparkle to it too.

I didn't take a super macro of the polish to show the sparkle but take it from me; it's lovely.  This had a great shine without the top coat but then the work I get at from the nail salon worker (I think that's a good fit) is pretty consistent: base coat (however, I am finding that this step is getting dropped), 2 color coats and a base coat, over to the dryers, out ya go!

Here's a photo of a real yellow seahorse. I can sort of see the inspiration, how about you?

The Kreativ Blogger Award

Isn't it cool when you meet someone and you just instantly like them? That's the way it is with kittypolishnbags. I get to chat with her on Twitter and we trade comments on blogs. And with that, I'm so thrilled that she tagged me with this blogger award...

 She's a sweetie and you should check out her blog. Seriously, it's very good.




The rule is to share 10 facts about yourself and then tag 10 other bloggers to do the same.
10 things about me that most of you probably don’t know….

1. I'm allergic to milk and milk products. I'm not lactose intolerant, I just get clogged up sinuses. I hate it too because I love cheese, yogurt and ice cream. I don't drink cow's milk anymore but the cheese and ice cream have alluded me. 

2. My husband asked me out on our first day via email. We worked together and always chatted when we worked in the same location. (Our company had three locations.) And when we didn't work that day together, we would email each other about the day's events. One night I got an email from him and we had even worked in the same office that day. He asked if I would mind taking our conversations away from work. I was floored. We did go out for our first day very shortly after that. :)

3. I have had 3 different Toyota Celicas. The first one I totaled big time. I loved that car so much I ended up buying another one. With that car, a deer jumped out in front of me and I totaled that car. I still wanted a Celica so when I got my third one, my Mom freaked out just knowing that things come in threes. I drove that Celica into the ground having it so long. :)

4. I loved wearing nail polish when I was a teen, as well. I couldn't always wear it often because my Dad gets headaches from the fumes of the polish and even more so from the polish remover. I would have to do my nails outside if I wanted to wear any.

5. I lived in Nashville, TN for 4-1/2 years after being stranded there. I worked as a mobile photographer for a guy who owned 'Glamour with Panache.' I did a 3 week gig for him in Denver and Colorado Springs. He already owed me back pay but said he'd pay me that and pay me well for coming out and doing the Colorado gig. I got out there and he did pay me the back pay. However, he never paid me the $8K he owed me from the $28K I made for him. I didn't find this out until I traveled back to Nashville where my work partner was from. There I was; stranded. Even after going to court and winning, he never paid me. Ass hat!

6. I do not like to wear flip flops. Ugh on having something between my toes!

7. My nickname for my husband is 'Peeps.' When I ask him something, he will look at me with wide eyes and blink a few times quickly. I started to tease him by saying 'peep, peep, peep' when he did that Then I just moved into calling him 'Peeps'.

8. I'm the oldest of three siblings. I have a younger brother who lives in Denver with his family. And, I have a sister, the baby of us, that lives in Dallas. Oh, and let's just say 'Big sisters RULE!'

9. I use to teach nutrition classes. The subject matter was so cool, I ended up getting a doctorate in naturopath sciences. I took various types of classes on nutrition to earn my degree.

10. I love to wear boots. There's a line in a Stevie Nick's song that says something to the fact that she wears her boots all year-round. I would too if the weather allowed. I do know I own too many pairs for living in Central Florida.  Boooo! :(

And here is who I tag:

1: Imperfectly Painted
2: Kitschy Suburbia
3: For Your Nails Only
4: Just Peachy
5: Ice Queen's Nail Parlour
6: Nicoletta's Beauty Space
7: What a Bind
8: Trace Face Philes
9: The Chain Nail
10: Polish Sis