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.

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

Claire's Mood Polish in Happy/Earthy

As soon as I saw what Claire's Mood Polish in Calm/Wild would do on my nails I ran out to find the rest. Never found them so I asked a dear friend, (you've seen her toes on my blog) to head over to her local Claire's to see f she could find them. Find them she did! So I have the whole set and an extra set for my upcoming Contest/giveaway.

I put them all nicely away in my stash and promptly forgot about them as I was urgently accumulating more nail polish to add to the stash.

So, Tuesday night I decided to wear another. Slowly took each color out and viewed it...until I chose one.

Let me just say this: The labels on the caps, you know, the ones that show the color change colors? Who made those? They are so inaccurate!  Really! Here's the sticker on the cap.

Soooooo incorrect. Look:

I really love these! Mainly because I get a funky French mani with very little effort and also because the colors are so fun! This is pretty much how it looks on me all the time...there were a couple of overly air-conditioned moments at work when my nails were completely dark green, but only a couple.

The formula is easy to work with and the brushes are quite nice. Even more so when you consider the bottles are a bit smaller than the average bottle. I think the most fun about applying these is watching them change color as I'm applying them. Very cool!

The only con for me (and many of you will disagree) is that it is GREEN and when it's sporting both colors it's SCREAMIN' Green. As in, people notice but they don't say anything. I could see their eyes tracking my hands...but no one said anything...until today when they were coral. Still, this one is novel and therefore, I will wear it again!

The Lizard gives Happy/Earthy a rating of Balmy only because of the green. I'm fairly sure it will be my least favorite of the collection.

Mexican Sage "Santa Barbara" Franken

A while back I suggested Illamasqua make a color like the Mexican sage plant with it's silver green leaves and purple flowers. A sage green polish with purple/pink shimmer, like this:

Then I asked the experts on MUA if they'd seen anything like it, and got one answer saying no, but I should franken it. I lost sleep over the idea (and my husbands extreme snoring last night - poor guy got the cootie I had) and woke up this morning knowing what I'd try...You let me know how I did.

I give you "Santa Barbara":

I used Zoya Harley, a little Essie Huckle Buckle and a few drops of Orly Enchanted Forest. I need to find some sage around here to hold to see how it looks with the real deal. I think it could use just a little more green, but I could be wrong!
Til next time!
~The Lizard

Milani Fresh Teal

Knowing I'd love Milani's Rad Purple Neon (that isn't neon) this one caught my eye. Teal is one of my 10,000 favorite colors and I realized I don't have any Teals in my stash, so this one went into the basket. I will admit that the Rad Purple swatches told me to open the bottle and peek at the polish inside and it was, indeed, teal. My photos are too blue. There it's weird though, the bottle is a different color than the polish, but still, it's really teal, not blue, and a simple, nice, creme.

It went on nicely and this is 2 coats, thick coats, but they didn't bubble. I think I've got the bubbling issue down to a science now. My only concern about this one is it took a long time to really remove it all, and it was just a swatch. Still, I always put my base coat on, because I don't want any staining happening and some polishes can really do a number on natural nails. This would, most likely, be one of those problem children. Took forever to remove every trace...and if you take a closer look at the Anaka swatch, you'll see remnants of this biatch there. Still, it's pretty and I'll see about longer wear affects in the near future. This is a nice summer color and so I'll wear it then.

I'm off to get some Nubars I've been lemming and then, I swear...no buy until I go thru what I've got and swap or clear some space. I'm nuts for Nubar...really.

FAT TUESDAY!

I have never been to New Orleans and therefore I have never been to Mardi Gras. I've been to many a Mardi Gras themed event and had to wear ridiculous costumes for work promotions. I love the architecture of New Orleans and do hope to get there one day. I'd love to try Beignets, mint juleps and some King Cake!
With King Cake in mind, I give you my Fat Tuesday/Mardi Gras Mani! Enjoy it's colorful yumminess as you gaze upon the polish porn!

All photos taken under incandescent light with my phone camera. I'll take some sunny ones and post 'em up later today.
I used China Glaze Grape Pop, Emerald Sparkle and Twenty Four K.
I used French manicure guides applied upside down to guide my application of Emerald Sparkle, pulled those off while the polish was still wet, then filled in with Grape Pop to the tips.
Then I stamped with Konad M22 for the music staff on my Thumb and M40 for the beads and the crown on my fingers. After that, I fumbled and struggled and still don't have the right brush but I did my best to paint a line of Twenty Four K on the seam between the two other colors.
The shape of this mani was inspired by the nails created by CND for Ruffian that I saw on PolishSwatches HERE
I don't have the steadiest of hands...for painting of picture taking it seems.

Colors are pretty accurate! It was fun, it's different and I'm hoping someone will notice it today!

If you find yourself lucky enough to be there, please celebrate responsibly and send me some beads! lol

Nubar Peacock Feathers and Borghese Stellar Notte Comparison

I have been by the end cap display of the Borghese Fashionista nail lacquer collection at least 134 times now...each time, I pick up that lovely bottle of Stellar Notte (or is it Stellah?) and also the deep, dark, rich purple creme as well. (I forget the name as soon as I put the bottle back!) I keep putting Stellar Notte back telling myself, "No! I already have Nubar Peacock Feathers WHICH I've not yet worn and it's pretty much the same color. No, No, NO!) Space is a very special thing where I live, so dupes are not allowed.

I remembered that I picked up the little mini bottle holiday collection with this lovely in it so I ran home to do comparison. I painted Nubar Peacock Feathers on my ring and index finger and Borghese Stellar Notte on my middle and pinkie fingers. Stepped out into the sunshine - when it came out - snapped some shots, took some in the shade and here you go. Picture heavy to truly show the comparison:

Full Sun:

PF, SN, PF, SN

SN, PF, SN, PF

Indoors with some cloud cover outside:

PF, SN, PF, SN

Indoors with the sun peeking in:

And this one is blurry by accident, but it shows how similar the colors can look at times:

These are both duo-chromes and about as similar as RBL Scrangie is to Sally Hansen Grape Going. :p (I've seen the comparisons...I've got serious lemmings for the whole blogger series from RBL, I couldn't take advantage of the year end sale since the holidays were upon us and the husband had just gotten laid-off. Happy Happy Joy Joy and all that...*reminds self to stop whining*)

Let me say, I love them both for their color. Peacock Feathers starts out as this gorgeous teal, applies like creamy buttery goodness and as you add each layer, it becomes more purple with depth and flash. It appears to be a teal jelly packed with purple - and a touch of pink - shimmer. Stellar Notte starts out kind of an icky, murky gray with a hint of teal shimmer. The first coat goes on streaky and fussy as all get out but - if you're careful - it does even out nicely on the second coat. I did 3 coats for both and they are topped with Seche Vite fast dry top coat.

This is my first Borghese and my second Nubar. Stellar Notte's mini bottle had a decent sized brush but it had a few wild hairs sticking out all crazy like. They settled down with use. The Nubar brush is pretty typical while the Borghese is similar to the Sally Hansen Insta Dri brush. I had no trouble with either one.

I know that Nubar has some staying power, I've been wearing Swiss Chocolate on my toes for two weeks now. :) I thought I would have a little fun with this mani and just finish it up as is...all skittle like, so I painted my left thumb with Stellar Notte and then did my right hand opposite my left. It will be interesting to see if anyone else notices I have two colors on...but also, I want to compare the wear on these two. I'll wear them all week if they'll last and I'll post up the results here when I have them.

What do you think? Did I help any of you decide which one or did I just confirm that we need both of them?

Tinks Tips

I have been eyeballing Myrza's Meadow since I first saw it posted...then I was looking at all my photos and I realized why. I had already created something very much like it using a mini Sally Girl polish "Pea-body" with a mini Sally Girl glitter over the top - maybe "So 70's". These pics aren't great, they're awful even but check 'em out if ya want.

My son was NOT fond of this one. He made fun of my "chartreuse nails" and how unflattering the color was on me. Maybe so, but for a few days, Tinkerbell was there with me as I went through my day. She always makes me smile that sassy little fairy. But Jenks makes me laugh out loud...are here any Kim Harrison readers/fans reading this?

Blurry close up (no you don't need glasses - I do)

horrible application. I'm much better at it now.

Inspired by Nihrida

Back around the Thanksgiving Holiday Nihrida created a gorgeous mani using a variety of colors then going over the mosaic with a Konad Stamp from image plate M56. I didn't have that plate at the time but I really liked the idea of the fallen leaves colors on my nails...so I did the background with some WnW colors I picked up just for this purpose.

I covered the entire nail with Orly's Enchanted Forest and, using a makeup sponge, I dabbed some of the metallic WnW's and a few Sally Beauty mini's I had on hand to create this look:

Shade

Sun

Through the blinds. :)

I really liked this and received many compliments. It was more reminiscent of the sparkly holiday centerpieces found on fancy tables for Thanksgiving, but it worked for me.

I have since acquired Konad Plate M56 but I think I'll save them for some other creation. Thanks for the inspiration Nihrida!