My Sister Won't be Home for Christmas :( -EDIT

Hi Everyone, I hope you're all having a great time preparing for sharing the holidays with loved ones. I'm looking forward to the trip up to northern California to spend the time with my husband's family and my son who will be flying in from Seattle, WA.  So excited to see the young man, haven't seen him since April!!!

My sister, on the other hand, won't be home for Christmas this year. She was struck by a passenger truck while crossing the street on her way to the bus station to get to work last Tuesday morning. :(  She's so lucky to be alive and have no broken bones.  She's got some really bad torn muscles that are going to take a while to heal and there will be plenty of physical therapy in the meantime. She lives in Las Vegas so it's not an easy trek for me to get there to help out. I am however, helping to the best of my ability: making necessary phone calls, keeping her son on track (he's got what used to be called Asperger's Syndrome), and whatever I can do from a distance. She's got a few friends, but mostly just co-workers and her son. I figure I can do my best for her if I wait til they send her home. Then I'll get out there and help her out at home and get everyone into a routine.

Say some prayers, send happy thoughts, whatever you do to contact the higher power you believe in. I'm praying for an excellent recovery with no after issues. I'm praying that all her expenses will be covered by the auto insurance of the person who hit her. I'm hoping she'll be fine again soon.

I have one favor to ask of my readers and friends:
It would be awesome if she got a bunch of get well or better yet "Merry Christmas" cards from anyone who wants to send them: (edited because I had the wrong room number dammit!)
Constance Moore
Las Vegas Healthcare and Rehab Center
2832 S. Maryland Parkway Room 105
Las Vegas, NV  89109

If you have time and can spare a stamp and a card, I'd be forever grateful for any cheer you can add to her not so fabulous Christmas.

Look What I Made!

As I've mentioned before, my 22 year old son moved to Seattle almost a year ago. I haven't seen him since April and I'm really looking forward to spending some Christmas time with him. We celebrate the American Christmas...all the fodder without the religion.

He has expressed that he prefers gifts that were made for him rather than purchased and for that I love him even more. But still, I like to get him something unexpected and purchased when I can. Things that will help him accomplish the goals he's set for himself.

This year, for his handmade gift, I thought it would be kind of cool to give him ornaments that symbolized...well.. Me! That way, he could have his mom nearby even while we're apart, and when the time comes that I leave this life, he'll have these to put on his tree each Christmas and remember me by. What better way to give him something to remember me by than to use nail polish in the creation? Yep, I did! I got into my stash, picked some of my favorites and I made these: *click to make 'em BIG
The pictures aren't the best they can be, and I'll probably take better ones and post 'em up here again...these were taken with my cell phone at work today.

All colors are listed Clockwise from the top left.

OPI Merry Midnight, Sally Hansen Opulent Cloud (GORGEOUS), OPI Shim-Merry Chic and 

China Glaze Emerald Sparkled.

 Close up of the Shim-Merry Chic bulb.

 Essie Huckle Buckle, Sally Hansen Sea and Be Seen (Scene?), Milani 3D Holographic Gold, 

Diamond Cosmetics Canyon Sunrise, Borghese Stellar Notte and China Glaze Good Witch?

Sally Hansen Hidden Treasure, Orly Space Cadet, Zoya Delilah, My LOVE: China Glaze Atlantis (this photo doesn't do the bulb justice at ALL), Sally Hansen Prisms Diamond, My Sage Franken that I made HERE (because my son really like desaturated colors...I suspect this one will be his favorite.)

This last is a Franken I made. I call it "Lights on the Tree"

I mixed equal parts Orly Enchanted Forest and Clear, just a tad less of OPI Shim-Merry Chic and a few drops of China Glaze Atlantis (about 6 or 8). This added holographic sparkle and brought some of the blue back that was lost from adding the Shim-Merry Chic.

I got the idea while looking at Ambefrski's Franken she made with Shim-Merry Chic and some red.

My kiddo doesn't even look at this blog so I'm not concerned I'll spoil the surprise. I am loving the way these are turning out and have 6 more I can make...the fumes though... WOW. My husband came home yesterday, and our little house was so gaseous he asked me if I was feeling ok.  I was getting a headache and so we left the house for a while so I could breathe fresh air. Small house + fumes = not good. We slept with all the windows wide open last night and that helped a ton. They are sitting in my office at work tonight...should be interesting tomorrow. :) 

Any suggestions for other colors I might use? I was thinking De-Luxe-ious from Color Club might be good. I think I need a few more reds though...ideas? I also think the Delilah bulb could use another coat. Amazingly this isn't using much of my pretties. There is some waste, but it's not unbearable and I'm happy to share it with the ones I love, even the ones who don't wear polish. 

I sure hope he doesn't think it's a silly thing to give him...he is, afterall, a young MAN. Something tells me he'll love it though. I think they'll be good for next year...then they won't be flammable anymore. LOL

Please comment your suggestions! I have trouble when I open up my stash and try to decide, it's almost as hard as doing a mani!

Tagged - because I wanna be. :)

Seen this one on a few other blogs so I thought I'd copy and paste from Landa's blog and do it too.


1. Innie or outie?
Innie...way innie

2. Unlimited wealth or unlimited health?
Wealth, so I can pay for health. :) So many things I would fix could I afford to!

3. What is your favorite book?
as a child it was Hans Christian Andersen's Fairytales. Now I have a few, but I'll just go with "The Truth Machine" for now.

4. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live and why?
Where ever I could be close to family and friends. I love Santa Barbara, but I miss having loved ones nearby.

5. What is your security blanket?
No such thing as Security...so I go with the flow and roll with the changes.

6. What is your mode of transportation?
I prefer my bicycle, but that will have to wait a few weeks...so a 1995 Jeep Grand Cherokee or my hubby's 1994 Honda Shadow.

7. What is your signature scent?
I love Burberry's of London, just their namesake scent, but lately, I can't wear scents without having trouble breathing.

8. If you were at Hogwarts, what house would you belong to?
There would be a new house created for me and my kind. Black Beaked PinkMingos. :p

9. If you could be any Disney princess who would you be and why?
Giselle, Facebook already told me I am her. LOL. But really, I did love her character. She's open and vulnerable and has a childlike outlook on life. Not a bad thing to have I think.

10. What is one of your bad habits?
I am disorganized. Hey! I'm creative...we don't have time for organization. :)

Nubar Sale Starts November 15th

Straight from their website:
November 15th- 30th, nubar offers 30% off retail orders of $30 or more !  The code required to take advantage of this offer will appear here prior to November 15th, so check back soon.


And they're releasing a special collection for the holidays on the same day. Go visit The Hungry Asian for swatches of the "Holiday Jewel Basket" now!!
Or maybe you've had your eyes on the new Finest Silks collection?

Or maybe you've been thinking over the Venetian Glass collection?

(all images taken directly from www.bynubar.com)

Oooh an award!

Dear Kimberly at Libby's Pink Vanity  passed this on to me. Thanks a bunch Kimberly...I love your blog too!

Kimberly has the cutest ragdoll cats too. I think that may just be my next cat if I ever have another one. I'm allergic so there would be an adjustment period. Either a ragdoll or a snow bengal...maybe I could get a crossbreed of both!

I think I've seen this one everyone's blog that I read now...but if you don't have it yet, I pass it on to YOU! I don't read anything BUT lovely blogs anyway. :)

I'm home, I'm good!

Everything went well! I got a little scare when they mentioned I'd have to stay overnight IF the doctor had to put a pacemaker in. He had told me that but I conveniently forgot it probably so I'd show up this morning. :)

I'm ok, resting. Just wanted to post this up. More to come.
~Lizard

My Stash, My Heart, My Passion for Polish!

I know I've told most of you, and it's no big deal (I thought it was when I first got the news but I've adjusted since) but I will be going into the hospital on Wednesday, November 10 at 6:30 am local time for a procedure in my heart at 8:30 am. It's called Cardiac Ablation. It's not a "surgery" per se but a "procedure" LOL... they'll go up thru my artery (from my groin) to the heart with three skinny wires: one to stimulate the suspect problem and cause the problem reliably...one to see what they're doing, and one to do the freeze burn of the offending cells. Takes a minimum of 1.5 hours, maximum of 2. Then I'll be in the hospital for the rest of the day under observation to make sure they didn't break anything. They say I should be able to return to work the next day and I won't have to take medication for this problem EVER AGAIN!!! I am soooo looking forward to that, the meds make me retain unhealthy amounts of water and I have fat lower legs, ankles and feet. I'll probably lose 20 lbs the first couple weeks just from water retention. :)

No more meds, no more worries about SVT, hiking and biking can resume without worry, (just attention to injury prevention) and that will be a very very good thing.

So that is what I'm focusing on, but once in a while...the scary stuff creeps in and I just remember that there are good people out there thinking happy thoughts for me and it helps calm me down. Odds are in my favor, not fantastic, but not bad. So keep a happy thought for me tomorrow, okay?

After the Nail Polish Party with my co-workers, I had to reorganize my stash. So I dumped it out, sorted it and took some photos. I have not yet taken photos of my organizational choice, I guess I need to get to that next.

I do sort by color family, I find it easiest for me in my super tiny space. I have no need to sort by brand then color, just put the color families together and I know where to go for a purple, red, pink, blue or whatever thank-you-very-much.

Here begins the spam...bail now if your computer is slow. :) Remember: all of my pictures are clickable for your viewing pleasure. :)



So here's the stash in all it's not so organized glory: I sorted them by brand first but here's the whole shebang!

 Then we have all the China Glaze

 Followed by the lovely Zoya

 The nail polish pile of a price I swore I would never pay for a bottle of polish...and a stray bottle of Poshe?

 My beloved Essie collection.

 The "not found in drugstores but maybe sometimes in other lands" pile

 The Diamond Cosmetics pile...oh so small

 The "what I can get at my local drugstores" pile (lots of Orly in there)

The pathetically small OPI collection. (Told you, I am NOT a fan.)

 My Del Sols. I love these...I live where it's more sunny than anything else...except for the odd 10th year or so. These polishes belong here. It's just too bad that so many of them just turn the same shade of purple.

 Ahhhh, Nubar, my loves

 Sweet Color Clubs, such a great formula, such great pigments, so affordable!

 My favorite treatments, base and top coats (the rest were in the drugstore pile)

Then I sorted thru some of the piles, starting with the "I will never pay that much for nail polish" pile

Here are my Lippmann's, but one of them (the one beside the box) isn't really mine. I just took it out of the box to get a bottle shot. That's "Don't Tell Mama" and it belongs to someone else..yeah, you know who you are! The rest, left to right: Hit Me With Your Best Shot (I had to, I am a HUGE Benatar Fan), Wicked Game, Across the Universe (LOVE), Bad Romance (meh)

 My Rescue Beauties. 3 I won, 1 I got in a swap. I'll have a few more soon! Not many though...just um...6 I think?

 Who doesn't love Nfu Oh?

 Models Own...purchased during the 50% off sale. So far, from the ones I've tried, I like them. I think Peacock Green is my favorite. It's the exact color of that 'eye' of the peacock feather. 

 Assorted others that I only have ONE bottle from the makers. I think it's pretty funny that the one color I did bring home from my trip to Seattle last April out of all the polish I bought up there, I brought home the SH LE dupe. I didn't even know it, just really liked it and hadn't worn it yet. :) 

After I pulled out the Models Own, Miss Marion (you've seen that entire collection already) The 3 Misa's I own, the Gosh and the Finger paints, this is what was left. (I thought I took pics of those too, but apparently not.) Many of these were attained through swaps with some really great new friends. I wish I knew where my H&M Bella's Choice went off to...I'm sure it's around here somewhere.

There you have it, my stash. So far. I don't need a Helmer...don't have the space for one. As it is, this is too much for my little home, but I love them and so I let them crowd me a little...for now. But who knows? Maybe there will be an amazing blog sale at some point. I have to say, probably 50% (or more) of these are untried!  Do you see one I should try soon? Which one?

Nail Party with co-workers and PICTURES this time!

We had so much fun the first time around, we decided to do it again. This time with some from the last party, and some couldn't make it, but new faces joined in this time. Everyone who was at the first gathering was in awe of the increase in the size of my collection.
We had good eats:

Good drinks and a fabulous bartender

and lots of fun learning how to Konad.

We even had a professional but didn't try to get her to do all our nails...though she couldn't stand some of our sloppy applications...Her nails are here: (she had the BM plates within the week.)

and some close ups:

 Pretty sure this was Zoya Anaka with China Glaze Millenium

 Hrm...don't remember this combo...Will update if/when I do.

 Zoya Mimi

 All together now...the Bad Fairy nails are mine

Have you shared your passion for polish with any non-lacquerphiles?

On Beauty (and some nail spam)

So I was talking to my BFF yesterday after a rather upsetting meeting with the cardiologist and during our conversation she mentioned that her hubby had found photos from when they were really young. Long story/"Reader's Digest Version": She married her half-sister's cousin on the side of the parent they don't share. (they have the same Mother.)  They've known each other for YEARS and finally realized that this love they've always felt for one another isn't forbidden or incestuous after all. And I am so happy they are together, as I see them both glowing from a dream fulfilled. But I digress.

Upon her mention of the photos, I asked her if she could look at her younger self and see the gorgeous young woman she was, and she said yes. (Actually she said Hell yes! Damn! I was fine! lol)  And I asked her to remember how unaccepting she was of that young woman when she inhabited THAT body. She remembered, (think about it, we all do). So I asked her then if she could take that knowledge and allow herself to believe that she is still that beautiful woman, just older and wiser - and she said no. :(  She did add that her husband thought she was and that that was good enough for her.

But I have been pondering this since we had that conversation. Why are we so unaccepting of where we are RIGHT NOW? Why do we focus on our flaws rather than show off our beauty? Why don't we love ourselves as we look NOW the same way we love those old pictures of the younger version? Why are we still having trouble being comfortable in our own skin?

I don't have the answer, this is just what I'm pondering right now, and working on changing within myself. Yes I am carrying extra weight, and the current stress I'm under sometimes has me reverting to old habits of reaching for easy, bad choices for food.  But that doesn't change that I am a beautiful person. I have pretty eyes, amazing cheekbones and my hair can look amazing when I take time to style it. I have pretty feet! I do! And my legs aren't bad either. Even at this larger size, the legs seem to keep their shape and I'm proud of them.

So, I may not be perfect but, parts of me are excellent. I'm a work in progress and I'm working on allowing myself to realize how beautiful, talented, caring, funny and kind I am.

I know this is a blog about nail polish, so I'll share some spam now. :)

 A Lovely H&M polish which I don't remember the name of and I am in bed now so I'm not getting up to find out and Orly Rage on the tips (ala EvilAngel)

 In the shade

 Lippman Across the Universe. (LOVE)

 Shady close up...such depth. Love this so much.

 Sunny shot. This is definitely up there on my list with ChG Atlantis.

 China Glaze Crystal Ball - A lemming fulfilled. Sooooo pretty!

 Halloween Nails I did for a friend/co-worker during lunch one day last week. Used Miss Marion Ebony (black creme) and Sally Hansen Insta Dry white for the stamping. The Jewels were sent to me from KONADomania a long time ago in a fantastic swap that I didn't take pictures of but am enjoying so very much. In fact, the H&M pictured at top was part of that. (I cannot find the blue!!! *cries*)

 Close up of thumb. She has tiny hands.

 Blurry close up

One more to show the horrific job I did at applying the black. Oh well, she loved it and it was pretty too!

So, find a picture of yourself and post it up on your blog or send me a link here. Let's learn to treat ourselves now as we would have treated that younger woman. And for you younger woman reading, pay attention to us older ladies. There's a good lesson here and you'll be ahead of the game if you get the hang of this now.

Here's mine:

 Taken in 1983 or 1984...Summer time. I was in a dear friend's wedding.

The night before at her Bachelorette party. 

A few sheets to the wind, but having fun.

Alright, your turn! GO!

Been struggling a lot lately

Funny how October is, among other things, Depression Awareness month. Funny how my blog is basically green. Funny how I'm struggling through a bout of depression...yeah, funny that.

Today, I had a good cry, did some writing (it's where my songs come from...oh yeah, I'm taking a songwriting class)  and shared what I'd written with my husband. He pointed me to this video which basically shares what I and so many people I know are struggling to understand.

So my friends, I wanted to share it with you too. When you have 20 mins to care for yourselves, take the time to watch this video from a TedX talk in Houston, Texas.  This is exactly what I am struggling with and knowing I am not alone gives me courage to work toward living authentically. If watching can help just one of you, if you share it and help just one person...then the world will slowly become a better place.

Thank you for reading, thank you for following even though I've not posted in forever. Thank you for commenting and thank you for being there even when I'm withdrawn, shaking and feeling like I'm not enough.

NUBBINS!!!

Hi Everyone that is still around this pathetically neglected blog of mine. I am so sorry I've neglected you all by not posting anything here.

Life got pretty out of hand there for a while and it's currently showing no signs of stopping but I'll do my best to post at least once a week. Ok?

Life has tossed me into the abyss and I'm doing lots of fun things to keep from getting sucked in but some days, it's difficult. I won't go into the challenges, only the good stuffs though.

Good stuff number one: I'm finally learning how to play the piano and really truly read music. This is something so close to my heart, so deeply ingrained into my very being, that it is amazing to me that I've taken this long to do it. But here I am, and I am HAVING A BLAST!!! Granted, I can only play Mary Had a Little Lamb and other very simple songs using both hands, but I can PLAY and I'm learning fast.  Unfortunately, as a part of this, I've had to resort to nubbins. (Sad Face Goes Here.) They are, of course, polished, but they are, most definitely, nubbins. Once I'm done learning to play the "Piano" I can grow them out again and play the "Keyboard" without having to worry about the nails. For now, those weighted keys are hard to play correctly with the talons. I did try to go with short rounded, but even those were too long. (Another Sad Face Goes Here.)

On top of that, I am taking a song writing class. Haven't written anything yet, but I think it's due to all the STUFF going on in life right now. I had to re-commit to sitting down for 30 mins a day and just writing. whatever. comes. up. So far, just a bunch of whining and garbage, but I've done this part before, so I know the gem will show up. Hopefully more than one. And this time, I'll be able to write some accompaniment.

You've all seen this one before but it's gorgeous, even on my shorter, almond shaped nails. This is prior to the major chopping I did just last night before the mid-term exam. :)

Orly Space Cadet

Look at it! It's simply gorgeous. This is under incandescent lighting at night...this color is just amazing and it's in my top 5 of all time. Orly sure got this one right in my opinion. From the application to the wear, it was amazing.

Currently, I'm sporting Sally Hansen Xtreme Purple Gala and it's almost a kissing cousin to Space Cadet...but it's a dead-on dupe for Hard Candy's Mr. Wrong. (I finally got one of those a couple weekends ago so I've compared and it's true!)  Without further ado, I give you my NUBBINS!

Sally Hansen Xtreme Purple Gala

Also taken in incandescent light. Heh! My husband said this was subtle! Then he qualified that by adding, "to what you usually wear." heheheh Yeah, that's me, Mrs. Subtle. 

So, I'll be nubbinsy for a while, but I'll be around. Hope you enjoyed the post and I have a question for you all: If you could do ONE thing that you've always wanted to, but couldn't...and you were the prettiest princess in all the land, so there were absolutely NO LIMITATIONS on what you were able to do...what would you do? Please share! I'd love to read your comments.

New Polish Line - CULT NAILS - Release Date 2011

Cult Nails Press Release:

August 31, 2010 Nail polish blogger R3 Daily announces a new nail polish line, Cult Nails. Maria Morrison is the blogger of R3 Daily and creator of Cult Nails. The polish line will be B3 Free which means it does not contain formaldehyde, toluene and dibutyl phtalate. Cult Nails polish line is also camphor free, cruelty free and considered a vegan friendly product. "When creating this line it was important to me that not only can I safely wear it, but so can my daughters."

The line will launch in early 2011 with only three colors. Cult Nails will continue to introduce colors to the line throughout each fashion season in 2011. Maria stated that "While I was very excited about the opportunity, I had to be realistic in what I could bring to the table. A small line with a limited collection is a perfect introduction for Cult Nails. The focus is on creating trend setting polish colors that are fun and safe while taking an earth friendly stance in everything we do" In fact Cult Nails committment to being earth friendly means removing unneccesary packaging, using boxes for shipping that are made from 100% recycled materials and shipping packages with reusable packing materials, like cotton balls.

The three introductory shades will retail for $10 per bottle and will include a vibrant holographic red aptly named "Follow Me", a true grey purple creme with a subtle shimmer named "My Kind of Cool Aid" and a yet to be chosen color that R3 Daily's blog followers will have an opportunity to create. Maria's goal is to involve the polish blogging community in the creation of this new line, "Polish bloggers and followers are the most amazing group of women I have seen. They are so supportive of each other and have amazing ideas when it comes to polish. I can't wait to see what they create! This line isn't just for me, it's for all of us!"

For more information on R3 Daily or Cult nails go to: http://www.r3daily.com/ or http://www.cultnails.com/

Congratulations Maria!!!

Nubar Sale!

This just in!

Nubar offers our retail customers 20% off retail orders of $30 or more with code AUG2030 August 6 through August 7, with free shipping on orders of $75 or more after the discount is applied. Visit us at www.bynubar.com to take advantage of this offer!

Guest Blogger Diane shares some Orly Cosmix and one from the Christmas Collex!

Since I am a complete slacker, I asked a friend to do a post for me. She's done a most excellent job of it...I may never have to blog again!

First off, I want to thank Liz for giving me the opportunity to share these with you! My name is Diane, and I'm addicted to nail polish but I already run two blogs and really don't have time for a third. I do post all my manicures to my Facebook page, so feel free to add me if you like! Just let me know who you are :)

So, onto the amazing polishey goodness! Last week I went out to run some errands, and since I was in the area I couldn't resist a stop at my usual polish supply store which shall remain nameless in order to protect their faux pas.  I puttered around, picked up a few old polishes I'd been meaning to get (a few Art Club liners, ChG Frostbite and Heart of Africa) and as I was standing at the counter, I noticed a few strange Orly bottles on a shelf behind them. They were rich, glittery duochromes that looked familar but I couldn't place them. I asked to see them and when she handed me the bottles I checked the names. Space Cadet, Out of This World, and Meet Me Under the Mistletoe. The owner told me they were sample bottles, and they wouldn't be for sale until at least August. After a bit of whining on my part, she offered to sell me those three at her standard Orly prices, $7 a bottle. I was giddy, how could I refuse?

As soon as I got home, I took bottle photos to gloat online. They look just as gorgeous sitting around as the promo photos would have you believe. Please forgive the stray cat hair - I have an overly affectionate marmalade Maine Coon who gets into *everything*, including my polish storage and photo areas.

Without flash

With flash.

I was so eager to try them out, I did a full mani with Space Cadet immediately. Orly describes it as "Green with purple gold FX", but Liz called it "GAAAAHHH!!" and my friend Erin referred to it as "sexy-space-vampire-colored!", both of which I think are very apt descriptors. It's by far the most irridescent and multi-chrome. In indirect artificial light it generally looks like a warm raspberry, but as soon as you step into bright light or sunlight it goes absolutely nuts. It's an explosion of pink, orange, gold, and olive green with a dense gold glitter. This was three coats with a top coat.

I decided it wasn't over the top enough, I added a coat of Sally Hansen Hidden Treasure on top. It added a subtle flakey effect without killing the glory that is Space Cadet. These photos were taken after six full days of wear. And as you can see by the state of my hands in general, I am pretty abusive to them. I work in a toy store and do a fair bit of manual labour, as well as being on the computer or playing video games pretty much constantly in my spare time. The wear on these was pretty fantastic.

After posting photos of Space Cadet, Liz asked me if I'd be willing to swatch and blog about the other two. Always looking for excuses to repaint my nails, I waited until the tipwear on Space Cadet was too bad to deal with and gladly swatched the other two.

Next up is the other entry from the Cosmix collection, Out Of This World, which Orly describes as "Purple with pink silver FX". It's definitely purple, and I do see pink, but I'm not so sure about the silver. It's a very pretty colour, but has nowhere near the drama of Space Cadet. I did my best to capture the pink shimmer, but it doesn't translate so well on camera.

And taken in fluorescent indoor lighting in an attempt to capture the pink and silver

The last one I got was from the Holiday collection, Meet Me Under the Mistletoe. I haven't even found descriptions for this one yet, so I'm not sure what kooky promo text Orly's come up with for it. This is a beautiful green, in some lights it's a pure emerald and in some it's a very blue-leaning teal. The shimmer is green and slightly gold. I think it's definitely a great holiday colour, but very much like China Glaze's Emerald Sparkle, it will also be totally appropriate for other times of year. I apologize for the state of my cuticles - I'm still new to swatching and by this point my hands had given up! 

The formula for all three of these was about the same. Not too thin, not too thick, and very easy to control. They all started out very thin - the first coat went on watery and barely shimmery and I was worried it would take five or six to develop properly. I was pleasantly surprised when the second coats made them mostly opaque. I used a third coat just to help develop the shimmer, multi-chrome, and overall "oomph", but I think only Space Cadet really required it. Meet Me Under the Mistletoe and Out Of this World could probably have sufficed with two coats, but three just looks better. Removal was a bit of a nuisance, but not as bad as I'd anticipated. OPI's summer glitters (Catch Me In Your Net and Wing It!) were much worse to take off, to give a frame of reference.

Overall, these colours are all beautiful and unique, and I'm incredibly glad I got them. I will probably be snagging the rest of the Cosmix collection as soon as it's in stock. However, if I had to choose one out of the three, it would definitely be Space Cadet.

Thanks for reading! Now back to your regularly scheduled Lizard!
-Diane


Thanks Diane! I'm so happy that you were able to get those on your hands! Thanks for sharing them with those of us who still have to wait. :)  Diane also collects and documents her collection of Kimonos at www.moonblossum.net/blog/  Check her blog out, the collection is gorgeous1