ABC Challenge: D is for Dosh

It's the fourth event in Kimber's ABC Challenge, and that means we're talking about the letter "D".  Today's mani incorporates a splendid "D" ingredient. Note: Lotsa pix ahead...

Butter London's Dosh is an apple green creme that's spiked with a stunning gold microshimmer.

This color has a wonderful energy.

No kidding... Dosh brought a vibrant burst of Springtime to a very un-Spring-like day. 

Dosh was an easy 2 coat application, and dried shiny; but since I find it difficult to imagine any manicure being "too shiny", I laid on a coat of Sally Hansen Mega Shine quick dry top coat.  To protect it, and all.  Ahem.  Right.  Let's be real here:  unless we're talking about a suede-ed, flocked, or deliberately matted effect,  I just love me some super shiney nail polish.  :)

Then there's the color....Green.

I confess, vert hasn't always been a fave shade of mine, for polish or otherwise.

It's only over the last couple of years that I've developed an appreciation for the color.

Now? I consider it an essential neutral.

In point of fact, I'm more likely these days to wear a shade like Dosh than I am to so much as consider a traditional creamy rose, coral, or red; and in terms of coordinating with your wardrobe...

If you're looking to spice up your corporate attire, Dosh is your jalapeno!

This beauty - and I sure do love it - goes nicely with a whole array of color: black, grey, brown, blue, red, orange, pink, purple, green; you name it!

But my favorite color collaboration?  That would be Dosh dressed up with a funky matte glitter top coat...

 Ready?  Set? Go!

Kapow!  High impact mani!

That's what happens when Dosh meets Sticks n Stones ($9US), that fabulous Ninja Polish "Cover Band" dupe of Lynderella's Connect the Dots ($24US). 

So unique.  So simple.  So eye-catching!!!

Lay folks (ie., those who aren't hooked up intravenously to their lacquer collection) are surprised to learn that this look comes from the simple brush of a matte glitter polish.

I know this because I get lots of comments like these...

"Wow.  Where did you get those decals?"

"You painted that all by yourself?!?"

"How the hell did you do that?"

As for the particulars about Dosh:  It applied thin and smooth, yet required only two coats for full opacity. I like that in a polish.  Especially a pricey polish.

Dosh ain't cheap.  It goes for $15US at the flagship site, or $14US at Ulta.

FYI:  For significant savings, I usually hold out for the frequent big sales at Butter London or Ulta.   Last year, through advance notice via email, Twitter, and Facebook, I took advantage of at least four of those sales. :)

Well, that's it, my lovelies. I thank you much for stopping by, and wish you a kick-ass day!

Don't now about you, but I'm now headed off to see what my co-challengers have been up to....

ABC Challenge: C is for Camels, China & Chocolate

It's time for letter "C" in this week's ABC Challenge!

Don't know about you folks, but it feels like I've been encased in glitter since 'round about late November.  The holidays do that to me.  But more than two weeks after the New Year cork's been popped,  I was looking to dial down the wattage a bit.

L to R:  Nubar Classic Camel, China Glaze Desert Sun, and Nubar's chocolatey-brown Marabout

So, I began The Hunt for all things polish-related, that in any way correlated with the third letter of the alphabet.

Have I mentioned that I Have A Lot of Polish?

Much later (strong emphasis on "much"),  I reached for three un-tried neutral cremes from within the bowels of my stash (more about that later):

• Nubar Classic Camel, a creamy spiced vanilla; 
• China Glaze Desert Sun, a buttery caramel brown; and 
• Nubar Marabout, a smooth deep chocolate.

The two accent nails were then stamped with a Bundle Monster image (plate# BM-20) that brings to mind a merging between DNA and Whoppers.

There you have it:  Creamy, chocolatey, color-blocked "C" nails!

As an aside, I'm happy to report that my burgeoning stash has now been entered into a sortable database.  Thanks to a head's up from my buddy, Diana, I installed this dandy little iPhone app that lets me scan the bar codes on each bottle, making for tres efficient data input. 

Are you rolling your eyes?

A couple of years back, I surely would have rolled mine.  Of course, that was before I acquired a disturbing amount of smile-inducing lacquer.

So, when next Wednesday's challenge rolls around...

I won't be rummaging through eight color-organized shoe boxes filled with a bazillion little bottles.

Instead, I'll  pull out my trusty iPhone; sort by color family, brand or polish name, and scroll down to the letter "D"...

Yowzah, I do love technology  :)

Well, that's it for today, folks! Until next time, please join me in checking out...

Goop Exclusive! Abso-Bloody-Lutely is absolutely stunning!

Hello and happy Tuesday! I meant to post these pictures of Abso-Bloody-Lutely from the Goop nail polish trio awhile ago, but life got in the way. The way that I see it, it's always better late than never.

Washed-out skin and fingerprints everywhere? That's just how I roll.

Now, I don't want you to get the wrong idea after taking a first glance at these swatches. I know, I know... I look like an albino alien, but look at the color of the polish! Behold the rich, plumy depths that call out to you. These pictures, out of my dozens upon dozens of pictures, managed to showcase the actual polish color in the most lovely of ways.

If polish could talk, this one would say "Hey! You! YEAH YOU! You will like wearing me.
What do you MEAN you don't like vampy colors? Let me be the one to change your mind, Baby."
::wink::

Now, when I ordered the Goop set, I was pretty ambivalent towards Abso-Bloody-Lutely. I never wear vampy colors, and if I were to wear a vampy shade it wouldn't be a deep burgundy. It would probably be a vampy blue or green instead because those are the colors that I gravitate towards. With that said... this nail polish is lovely. Vampy rather than "gothy," this dark shade manages to be edgy and classic at the same time. These swatches show two smooth coats sealed in with a hearty coat of Seche Vite. I can't say that I've been 100% converted to the dark side of nail polish, but I can certainly appreciate it.

What do YOU think about Abso-Bloody-Lutely?

ABC Challenge: "B" is for A-England's BNF & Born Pretty studs!!!

Welcome back for Lozlosa's second post in Kimber's ABC Challenge, with this week's focus on the fabulous letter "B"... 

I'm positively tickled about today's challenge because it's an opportunity to work with two of my very favorite nail products:  A-England's Beauty Never Fails (BNF) lacquer; and Born Pretty studs!!

First the polish....

BNF is a blackened pine, but don't for a moment think we're talking about Any Old Dark Green here. No way, Jose!  This lacquer is special.  It's dosed with a shimmer of gold, bronze, olive and emerald ultra-fine glitter, making for an amazing color shift from glossy black to olive gold.  Two coats left me with complete opacity, and as expected, the application was pure A-England:  Absolutely.  Positively.  Smooth.

I scored my bottle directly from A-England in the UK, but it can also be found at Llarowe for $10US.

Now, for the studs....

Ordinarily, I'd have been ecstatic with Beauty Never Fails, all on its own.  After all, it's an amazing lacquer.  But as good luck would have it, a shipment of Born Pretty supplies I'd ordered a few weeks earlier had just arrived in the mail. FYI, I was introduced to the idea of attaching 3D bling to nails by none other than my idol (fan-girl, much?) Sammy, The Nailasaurus.  

NOTE:  As often happens, when something excites me, I'm known to veer in the direction of...well, overboard. Logic being that if one group of gold studs looked good, then three sets must be awesome.

I need more practice with placement and all, but as an inaugural effort, I think it's not half bad.

Driving in to the office this morning, I found myself distracted and spellbound by the combined twinkle of polish and studs.  Not exactly what you want while driving southbound at 65+mph on the New York State Thruway. By the way, these pretty studs ran me $5.73US, with free shipping.  From Singapore, for crying out loud.  Such a deal!!!!!

So what do you think of Beauty Never Sleeps and Born Pretty studs?  Can you see yourself studding that next manicure?

Well, that's it for today, folks.  Please be sure to check what my co-challengers have going on with the letter "B"....
 

Fun With Striping Tape - Essie, OPI, and Gold Flake Top Coat Madness!

Happy Monday! I had the good fortune to be able to visit my family this past Christmas which really means one thing: Lozlosa reunion!!!! (Don't get me wrong, I love my dad, my brother, and the cats.... but c'mon.... nail polish.) Whenever we meet up, my mom and I always shower each other with nail goodies that we hoarded during the months we go without seeing each other - this visit was no different. I am thrilled to announce that thanks to my lovely mother/co-blogger/awesome-lady-in-general Lisa I have been able to mess around with striping tape for the first time. This stuff has been bringing me so much joy. I love it! The clean lines, the ability to create gorgeous geometric shapes, the craftiness of the whole thing. It's great. (Thanks Mom!) Today's manicure is a personal favorite of my recent manicures. REAL gold flakes, TWO different shades of green polish, AND the use of striping tape? Winning!

So, this manicure was a labor of love. I used OPI's Thanks A Windmillion from the Holland collection for the base color on most of my nails. I adore this faded sage green cream - in my opinion it was the best thing about the Holland collection hands down. To add a bit of luxury and texture I decided to top it off with a healthy coat of Sephora by OPI's It's Real 18K Gold Top Coat. I picked up a bottle online for a steal and I think that it was one of the best online nail purchases I've made in awhile. Because I can't leave well enough alone, I laid out some striping tape and painted Essie's Going Incognito on top of the whole thing. This shade is to die for - a deliciously rich and saturated forest green. Once the tape was lifted and some top coat was thrown on (Sally Hansen Mega Shine is my current go-to top coat) this manicure was complete.

For my accent nail I decided to reverse the greens and then opted to cover the whole nail with the gold top coat instead of letting it peek out from the stripped areas. The contrast between Thanks a Windmillion and Going Incognito is so gorgeous that I can barely stand it. With the gold accents, it just went to a whole 'nuther level. I had initially been bummed that I didn't pick up the OPI James Bond gold top coat, but I feel like this has more than filled the void. 

I took these pictures over the weekend, and I look forward to wearing this manicure for at least a few days more. Believe me, that's saying something! I am not the kind of girl to wear one manicure for more than a day or two. Between dings and boredom, one day's polish is taken off and replaced for another's. Not this time! Tell me, have you been enjoying striping tape lately? I know that I'm late to the party, so if anyone has a tip or suggestion on how to use it, I would be thrilled to hear about it! Also, what do you think about the real gold flake nail trend? It feels like everyone is putting one out these days. I'm loving them personally, but I'm only interested in polishes that don't break the bank. How much is too much to adorn your nails with gold?

ABC Challenge - Letter "A" - China Glaze "Agro" and OPI "Alpine Snow"

Happy Caturday, everyone.  It's been an average Saturday in this household:  our feline residents have been lying around and expecting their grapes peeled for them.  In that  next life they talk about, I plan on coming back as  somebody's beloved family cat.  Seriously.  No.  Greater.  Gig.  Ever. 

But in the meantime...

I've been swirling in the vortex that was a challenging work week.  My employer recently undertook a large software and systems conversion that's consumed my attention.  It wasn't until today that I redirected focus to relaxation, pretty things, Kimber's ABC Challenge, and my letter "A" mani...

A great big hat tip to Love'n Everything Nails for the design.  I spotted this on her Facebook page and instantly fell in love with its simultaneously pop-arty, bold, yin yangy style.  She does lovely work, and I recommend you drop by her page to say "hi!"

I spent a a good twenty minutes searching through my collection for polishes that began with the letter "A."  Mmm hmm.  Now, I understand why so many organize their stash with Excel.

And what did I find?  OPI's bright creamy core basic: Alpine White; and China Glaze's Agro, a Hunger Games favorite (and Peridot near-dupe).

I didn't notice a tutorial on Love'n Everything for this design, but the free wheeling pattern seemed simple enough to replicate.   I hope I did her lovely work some justice over here.  If it's in any way unclear to you, let me know in comments and I'll pull together a quick how-to.

I'm going to get a kick out this challenge.  There's a certain whimsy involved in matching up letters to lacquer. Lacquers and letters:  two of my very favorite things!

Well, that's it for today, folks.

Can't wait to see what my co-challengers have in store these coming 25 weeks.  Speaking of which, please join me, to see the fun and color they've this week brought to their "A" game...

Kimber @ Kimber'sLacquerKorner
Gini @ Sassy Paints
Kat @ Hooked On Polish
Diana @ Nails By Diana
Nicole @ Nicole Gets Nailed
Nailista
Lariesa @ Me, Myself, and Polish
Patty @ Patty And Goldie's Day Off
Meredith@ Perfectly Polished
Joanna @ Sweet Polish of Mine
Sammi @ GlitzNGlammer
Polishaholic
Dionne @ Glittery Fingers
Aly @ Wonderland Beauty
Kate @ Painted Pony Nails
Sarah @ Faithfully Polished
Small Budget Beauty
Brittany @ Pretty, Pink, and Chic
Alaina @ Dont Spill The Acetone
Simona @ Light Your Nails
Elle @ Miss Nail Polish
Holly @ Facebook (blog link coming soon!)
Sonya (link needed)

Thanks so much for dropping by!!!

Polish Days: Something New For A New Year

 Hello lovelies. I am here to tell you that I am still alive and kicking. I've been super busy on this side of the computer, but I figured that if I had to return on ANY day, returning for Polly Polish's Polish Days challenge was a must.

 You may have already noticed that this post will be pic-heavy. Why? Because this month's Polish Days challenge is all about trying something new. Working with a new technique, polish, brand... this month is all about celebrating the new year through new experiences! With all the "new" being thrown around, I decided to take way too many pictures. This, mixed with my lack of decisiveness, means LOTS of pictures today. YAY!

I was in a rather "go big or stay at home (like you always do)" mood when I decided to try water marbling for the first time. Not only was this a new technique, I also decided to employ polishes from my stash that I have never used. What I ended up with was a jelly water marble over a glitter base. I ended up liking the results much more than anticipated.

 As much as I adored the afterglow of an awesome manicure, geeze! This was a LOT of work! All the mixing and dropping and dipping and drying. Add to the mix my natural clutz tendencies  and it was a mess. Every time I would get two nails done, I would end up dinging one of them. By the end of the process, I must have done each nail two times... at least.... Oi!

 Let's talk details! For the base I used the enchanting butter LONDON Fairy Cake. I love this polish! It's a slightly weathered silver glitter. I was able to get full coverage after two healthy coats. Highly suggested!! For the water marble section, I used the Zoya Gloss Trio of Frida, Paloma, and Katherine. Honestly, I wasn't sure how the jellies would work, but the whole thing reminds me of stained glass.

I shall leave you with an extreme close up and my most sincere hope that 2013 has been treating you kindly so far. Here's to new experiences, new friends, and new nail polish!

THE HUNGRY ASIAN: Brrr

At the recommendation of Liz, I gifted myself a bottle of Brrr! for Christmas!  This is the first polish I've tried from The Hungry Asian's hand-mixed glitter collection.  Liz has just loved Kae's (aka The Hungry Asian) polishes, and thought I might like them,too.  She was right.

Brrr! (yes, that's three "r"s followed by an exclamation point), is a cool blue crelly (creme-jelly) formula, that's dotted  (as opposed to "packed") with a seasonal glitter palette:  medium sized bright red metallic and white matte hexagons; and teal metallic mini squares.

This polish so reminds me of a crisp winter day.  Snowballs.  Candy canes.  Blue Spruce evergreens.

 
The color combo works beautifully.  Don't know about you, but I can't so much as look at it without getting a chill. 

And.... the formula is soooooo smooth and shiny!  Each coat further levels out the surface of the nail, and it dries to a hard glossy finish (without top coat).

All that being said, retrieving the glitter was something of a fishing expedition (which in my experience is not uncommon with sparsely-glittered crellies).

For those unfamiliar, it's not simply a matter of painting on layers of color.  With each layer, the glitter needs to be first found, and then gingerly positioned.  If you're good with that, and the colors entice, then this is a polish for you.

 
These images reflect an application of three coats of Brrr!  over a base of OPI Nail Envy.  No  top coat applied.

As for the nuts, bolts and niceties (kindly ignore the pre-Brrr! thumb)...

I paid $9.25US for a full-size .5 oz bottle, plus shipping.  My polish arrived quickly, wrapped in lavender tissue paper, and tied with a carnation pink grosgrain ribbon, making it suitable for gift-giving.  Also enclosed was a thoughtful note card, written by the polish-maker herself.  Nice touch.

GIRLY BITS: Eggnogaholic

Here in the United States, our "whites" are stored away in early September.  It's a great big "NAY" to wear the color much beyond Labor Day.

Well, I like white too much to rid it from my winter wardrobe.  Especially the creamy ivory shade known as "winter white."

That's why I'd been counting the days until Girly Bits whipped up a fresh batch of Eggnogaholic, their super-glossy, super-creamy, egg-noggy-good polish that's been spiced up with golden nutmeg-like glitter.

I'm happy to report that I nabbed two this time around (one went into Liz's Christmas stocking)!  SCORE!

The best way to snatch one of these much-desired indies is to link up to the manufacturer's contact lists (email/Twitter/Facebook, etc.).  You'll be apprised of what's next set to be released.  Then, move fast...these polishes sell out rapidly.

Here we're looking at 3 coats of Eggnogaholic over a base of OPI Nail Envy (my latest holy grail product).  I sealed the deal with Poshé top coat.

This glitter is subtle.  Not at all overwhelming.  Floating in the creamy rich nog, the overall effect is that of a lovely gussied-up neutral.

Smooth application.  No glitter "drag."  Pretty little plastic gem.  Who could ask for more?  Not I.

I purchased this Girly Bits polish from Llarowe, for $11US, plus shipping.  Funny thing:  I was on the road when Liz texted me that Eggnogaholic had become available. Obsessed case that I am,  I pulled into the nearest parking lot and pulled out the IPhone browser.  Two polish purchases later, I was so tickled and back on the road.

YAY for technology, and YAY for winter white!!!!

PARIS SPARKLES: Cobalt Surprise

Hope your holiday was a happy one!  Mine was super-duper.  I took a couple of days away from the office, and got to spend time with Liz, family and friends. I sampled much great food and drink; and opened lots of beautifully-wrapped gifts, many of which - no shock, I'm sure - were nail polish-related. How's about we start with something blue....

Cobalt Surprise is what Paris Sparkles' calls its most popular custom-blended polish.   

This bright blue jelly is said to be filled with purple, pink, and silver halo glitter.   My bottle leans so heavily toward silver that I can't detect anything beyond blue and silver .  No purple.  No pink.  Still, we're talking about a hand-crafted line of polish here, and variations can be expected. 

I'm impressed with the uniform suspension, so important with handmade glitter polishes.  I,  for one, would prefer not "fishing" for chunks of glitter.  The result of uniform suspension is great coverage with a minimum of buildable coats.  In this case, two coats did the trick. And, there was no need for  base or top coat!

I confess to being curious about the "Surprise" part of this polish's name ever since noting at least one lacquerista's report of a tiny bit of large hex glitter that appeared in her bottle.  Since the manufacturer doesn't speak about this feature,  I presume it's a processing anomaly that that I can live without.

Cobalt Surprise is a hand-crafted polish that can be had for $8US at Paris Sparkles' Etsy shop.  Like other lacquers in the line, Cobalt Surprise needs no base or top coat to achieve non-staining shiny coverage.

FYI, I understand that the brand will soon release a holographic color line of polishes. Holos are a sparkly alternative for those among us who don't don't like chunky glitters, and a bonus for those who appreciate both (like me).

Happy New Year!