American Apparel 'Office'

Hi!  I've not posted in a while (a week?  10 days?) because, well... I've been really stressed out with real life.  Family issues and whatnot.  I had several phone calls with my sister who reassured me over and over that I am not a bad mother nor am I a terrible person.  Yup.  It's been that kind of pity party over here.  I created this blog so that I could write about stuff that makes me feel happy and positive and I haven't exactly been feeling that way lately, so this blog has suffered.  I've been wearing nail polish but not taking photos and I haven't been changing it daily (gasp!  HERESY!!).  I will be getting back on the bandwagon, though!  It might take some time for me to find my footing again.

Thisi s an older swatch from the last typhoon, Muifa.  I've said before, American Apparel has overpriced clothing and reasonably priced, really good nail polish.  'Office' is a pale slightly-grayed green creme, between a seafoam and a mint color.  It was opaque in two coats.  My biggest issue with it is that it gave me lobster hands... this is definitely a color I would keep, if only for summer pedicures.  On my fingers it looked a little to preppy for my tastes.  Also, the bottle is a long rectangular shape, so 'rolling' the polish to re-mix it is out of the question--this brand's a shaker. 

This is two coats American Apparel 'Office', taken with flash.

My picture shows this color a little lighter than in real life, due to the flash.  American Apparel nail lacquers can be purchased at all American Apparel stores, with varying stock availability, and at http://www.americanapparel.com/ for $5 each. 

Thanks for Reading!

NARS 'Chinatown'

Given my last run-in with a NARS polish (NARS 'Blue Lagoon', here: http://anabksproudseabeespouse.blogspot.com/2011/08/nars-blue-lagoon.html) I expected this polish to be a runny mess.  I was pleasantly surprised!  This polish was easy to apply and control and was fully opaque in three thin coats! 

With a name like 'Chinatown', I was expecting a warm red with a creme finish, similar to the red lacquer finish one finds on so many beautiful Chinese boxes and other items... maybe I took it too literally?  The color is actually more of a deep, clear wine color with an almost jelly-ish finish.  It looks kind of squishy, lol.  I'm a sucker for these kinds of colors as they flatter my skin tone beautifully.  Compared to the last, this NARS color is a keeper for me! 

Taken with flash

NARS polish is on the pricier side.  I bought it here on Okinawa at the B/X (for a slightly lower price) but I know that it can be purchased at Sephora (they usually carry a limited range of colors) and directly online at http://www.narscosmetics.com/color/nails/ .  Both sites retail the polish for $17.00.  I'm going to say right now that I'm not sure if this polish is worth nearly $20.00... especially with how inconsistent I've found the formula to be thus far.  However, 'Chinatown' is a keeper for me!

Thanks for Reading!  



Pa 'AA36'

One of the more affordable nail polishes here on Okinawa is a brand called 'Pa'.  The line carries a more-than-decent array of colors and finishes.  They're the only company I've seen on this island that makes jellies!  They also have some of the most interesting glitter polishes I've ever seen... I mean, we all know Nicole by OPI has those heart glitters but I've seen stars, butterflies, and hearts in one polish here!  It looked like a hot mess but it was definitely unique, lol! 

Today I have Pa 'AA36' for you, from Pa Nail Collective's 'Premiere Lame Grande' line.  It features a darkened base with silver and holographic glitter with larger pink hex glitter.  It caught my eye because 1) holo glitter black polishes are my weakness and 2) the pink hex sequins were an interesting twist.  At 324 yen (about $4.65 at the current exchange rate) it's a good bargain for glitter polishes out here.  The bottle was small; I'd say no more than 8 mL, possibly 5 mL, but if you're only planning on using this as an accent polish that would stretch a long time.  However, this can and does pass as a full-coverage glitter with three coats!  It dried with quite a bit of texture; two coats of Seche didn't put a dent in it but I'm not one to waste my precious Seche on glitter so that's the most I'll apply, lol.  Here's the picture!

Taken in partial sun; click for more detail!

Isn't it an interesting polish?  I found the dark base really interesting... I'd love to see this layered over black or gray, or sandwiched with a gray jelly.  I'm definitely going to be checking out more offerings from this brand later!  You can see the full line of Pa nail polishes at http://dear-laura.com.  I've seen some of the shades on Amazon but I don't know where these can be purchased online.  If you've seen these before, please comment!  I'd love to know if these are available in the U.S.!

Thanks for Reading!

Zoya 'Ali'

I have been wanting to post this for so long but other polishes have been getting a higher priority lately.  This is my kind of pink: obnoxious, loud, and eye-bleedingly bright.  Zoya 'Ali' was one of the polishes that I ordered through the company's Earth Day promotion, wherein customers would only pay S&H and sent back an equal number of non-Zoya lacquers for appropriate disposal.  This polish was the only one that had a break; I had to decant the lacquer into another bottle and add some thinner to it to make it workable but it's fine now!  ^_^

Zoya 'Ali' is my kind of pink: obnoxious, loud and eye-bleedingly bright!  This color screams "LOOK AT ME!!!".  I would wear this pink as a base for crackles or darker nail art, or just when I feel like a little mouse having to confront the big bad world... when in doubt, go loud and proud!  It was opaque in three coats (neons tend to be sheer); to get optimum blinding brightness I would wear this over white polish but I don't think it's really necessary with this polish.  I have it here with a regular and matte topcoat:

With topcoats

No topcoat

Both taken with flash.  I had to tweak the pictures via my photo editing program to accurately portray this color (that's why my fingers look hypothermic)... my camera made it look too orange!  The first picture is more color accurate.  This is a neon bright, girly pink: think 1980s Barbie and the Rockers (version 1), jelly sandals and Swatches, lol.  (Man, I wanted a Swatch.  I was so upset when my mom refused to buy one for me... She was right, though.  A plastic watch is a waste of money.)

I'll be posting some exciting polishes in the near future: a black holo, more awesome Nubar and Nfu-Oh polishes, and two from the Rescue Beauty Lounge Firebird Collection: 'Piu Mosso' and 'Poco a Poco'!  ('Poco a Poco' is also the name of a popular restaurant chain here on Okinawa, so this makes me giggle a bit.)  Also, around November I'll be holding a drawing for some Japanese glitters and polishes to celebrate the 1-year anniversary of my little piece of the internet!  Look forward to it!  ^_^

Thanks for Reading!

NFU-OH 61!!!!!!! (Pic Heavy and PROUD!!!)

Metallic Silver Holographic polish... my most desired holo polish shade... China Glaze 'OMG', Gosh Holographic, Chanel Holographic... and Nfu-Oh 61.  Of these four polishes, only one is even remotely affordable: Nfu-Oh.  China Glaze 'OMG' and Gosh Holographic all ebay for over $50, and Chanel Holographic is $300+ on Ebay...  While Nfu-Oh 61 is $12 when it's available at the online store FabulouStreet (http://www.fabuloustreet.com/index.php?main_page=index. ).

It was finally available again!  I snapped it up and the Aqua Base Coat, which is specially formulated for Nfu-Oh's holographic polish.  The formulas of both were thick and somewhat goopy.  I had read on the MUA nail board that doubling up on the base coat helped bring out that holo effect, so I applied two coats (they each took around 20 minutes to dry) of the base coat, then three thin coats of Nfu-Oh 61 (which took considerably less than 20 minutes to dry.  You have to apply this stuff super-thin or you get chunks; the consistency of the lacquer reminds me of a crackle polish that's been used a couple of times.  I thought the Aqua Base Coat smelled like watered-down Elmers glue, lol.  Also, when I applied my topcoat I thought I completely mucked it up because the holo disappeared but when it dried, the holo returned.  Even with all the trickiness, the payoff is phenomenal.  I'm going to let my pictures do the talking for me... This post is pic-heavy for a reason!

Taken in shade

All taken in sunlight.  Click for more detail!

All taken with flash.  Again, click on the pictures for more detail.

I can definitely tell you that this current batch of Nfu-Oh 61 is not as clearly linear as previous batches, HOWEVER it's like your nails explode into rainbows even in fluorescent light wearing it.  The only way to not see some sort of holo is to be completely in shade, with no direct light.  I don't care that it's not as clear as previous batches have been; I am in Holo Heaven.  This is definitely going into my 'Touch It And You Lose A Finger' box!  *faints*

Thanks for Reading!

NOTD: Wet 'n Wild 'Eggplant Frost' with Nfu-Oh 51

I am so excited to start trying out my Nfu-Oh polishes!  I know that the flakies are sheer so I decided to layer Nfu-Oh 51, which has a purple base with pink-to-gold duochrome flakies, over Wet 'n Wild Eggplant Frost, one of my untrieds.  I actually don't own a lot of purple polish--I'm not a big fan of the color.

Wet 'n Wild Wild Shine 'Eggplant Frost' is a red-toned purple base with a blue shimmer that cools it considerably.  The formula was opaque in 3 thin coats (I had some cuticle drag issues), but two medium coats would work nicely as well.  This color didn't turn me on that much; it reminds me too much of the 90's.  The only benefit to a color like this is the polish's price: I bought mine for .99 cents.  Other than that, I can't see myself using it for much more than a base to layer other polishes over.

I had to clip my claws, lol.  I was afraid of them breaking and the ends were starting to get all peeley.

Nfu-Oh 51 has a purple base with a magenta shimmer and duochrome flakies that are alternately pink and gold, and green.  It's a 'WOW' polish!  One coat of this polish gave me flakie duochrome goodness; two coats gave me dimensional flakie duochrome awesomeness!  I can so see this as nail polish jewelry.  (Note to self: figure out how to make nail polish jewelry!)  One quick coat of Seche and I was good to go!  Click on these pictures to see more detail!

This one was taken after a day spent digging in the sand at the beach, lol.  There's some tip wear and a chip on the edge of the nail on my index finger.  >_<  But look at that amazing blue-green flash!  You can see this in shade, indirect sunlight or under fluorescent lights (this picture was under fluorescents).

One more picture for you, lol... the best picture of a hermit crab I have ever taken!  One of the best things about the beach we went to was the hermit crab hunting.

Thanks for Reading!

Nfu-Oh Haul!

Ohmigosh... I finally bit the bullet and purchased some Nfu-Oh nail polishes!  I have been lemming these for nearly a year.  For those who don't know, Nfu-Oh is a Korean nail polish brand that has some KILLER flakies and holo shades.  Their holos can be tricky, though, since they require a special base coat--the Nfu-Oh Aqua Base Coat-- to get the best effect.  Anyhow, I had had a shopping cart full of polishes for months now at http://www.fabuloustreet.com/ -- just looking at their nail art is eye candy for the soul-- but I didn't follow through.  Why?  I've been wanting Nfu-Oh 61, a mad silver linear holo, since I discovered photos of it online.  The only problem is that whenever the website gets some in, they're gone in an instant!  So I waited.  And I waited.  Finally, I read on the MUA makeup boards that it was back in stock so I bit the bullet and placed my order!  Here's the haul:

Top, left to right: Jasmine Flower Oil, Nfu-Oh 61, Nfu-Oh 66, Nfu-Oh Aqua Base Coat

Bottom, left to right: Nfu-Oh 51, Nfu-Oh 52, Nfu-Oh 60, Nfu-Oh GS 14

Lemme just say right now that these bottles are FABULOUS!  I'm in love with them.  The caps are shaped like corsets, with the top looking like a heart with the logo on it.  The glass bottoms look like skirts!  There is so much detail in the packaging alone... and they're HEFTY.  You can definitely feel that this is a heavy glass bottle and it looks like they hold more polish than we usually see in the U.S., too.  I'll have to write up a post comparing all the different bottle styles and their volumes soon.  I can easily see this bottle dressing up someone's vanity; just looking at them made me feel more girly!

Pics of the bottle details (these are not that great; I think I'll be able to get more detail when I photograph the silver caps.), please click to better see the details:

 

Nfu-Oh nail lacquers retail for $12--this time, I'd say it's twelve dollars well spent!  The bottle alone is worth half that imo.  I bought mine at the store linked earlier on in this post.

Thanks for Reading!  

American Apparel 'Army Jacket'

According to the ALU blog (one of my faves... I am in awe of how comprehensive it is!) one of the major nail polish trends of fall is military greens (link is here: http://www.alllacqueredup.com/2011/09/fall-2011-nail-polish-trend-military-greens.html).  You can't see it, but I am totally doing a white-girl fist pump right now!  I love me some military green for obvious reasons, lol!  I think it looks edgy with a more tailored look and fresh with a more feminine ensemble.  You can keep a really girly look from being too cutesy by grounding it with a good olive drab polish.  I have many, many olive drabs in my collection but one of my favorites is American Apparel 'Army Jacket'.

See, there are several different shades of olive drab in the various military uniforms.  Some are more grayed-out and others are almost virulently yellow-based.  Light colors and super-pigmentations abound; ReBeL's 'No More War' (pic here: http://anabksproudseabeespouse.blogspot.com/2010/12/lonely-hearts-t-t.html), for example, is an awesome yellow-based deep olive green but it's so pigmented that it can stain nails and cuticles, while a color like OPI's 'Stranger Tides' (pic here: http://anabksproudseabeespouse.blogspot.com/2011/05/polish-haul-opi-stranger-tides-4-ways.html) is super-light, enough so that it might not be considered a military green right away but I've seen similar colors on the lighter digital camouflages.  American Apparel 'Army Jacket' falls squarely on the lighter side, so it's much more skin-tone friendly.  It's a two-coater creme.  The strange thing is that in the bottle, it seperates to show a definite red tone that doesn't show up on the nail at all! 

This is two coats American Apparel 'Army Jacket', taken indoors with flash:

It is a little bit darker in real life.  I love this color; I think it's cool enough for paler skin tones and warm enough for deeper skin... Just an all-around great color.  This is one I'll definitely be keeping!  I am keeping an eye out for olive drabs here in Okinawa but the cosmetic companies like to keep it elegant and feminine; not many greens to be had around here... I'm still searching for that elusive beauty supply store!

American Apparel nail polishes can be purchased at American Apparel stores (sometimes their selection is pretty picked over) and online here: http://www.americanapparel.com/beauty---grooming.html .  They retail for $5.  As I've stated before, AA only does cremes and they're really good at them, so stocking up on some basics at this price is a good way to go.

Thanks for Reading!

Tuff Scent 'Beautiful'

As I've mentioned previously, I learned about the small nail lacquer company Tuff Scent via Jen, the writer of The PolishAholic (http://www.thepolishaholic.com/ ), one of my favorite nail blogs.  Their lacquers have different fragrances that can last from 24-48 hours, and they aren't just fruit scents, which is great because I am SO not a fan of fruit scents!  I bought three polishes: 'Hope' (China Rain scented and here: http://anabksproudseabeespouse.blogspot.com/2011/08/tuff-scent-hope.html ), 'Beautiful' (peony scented) and 'Red Rose' clear polish (rose scented). I really liked 'Hope', so much so that I didn't change my polish for several days (it's been known to happen!).  I had noticed some issues with 'Beautiful' when I used it for my last Beauty World Nail Cocktail post but I chalked them up to impatience and lack of experience with the long brush stem and short cap.

I was wrong.

Tuff Scent 'Beautiful' is a bright, creamy medium pink.  I originally bought it because 1) it's peony-scented, and 2) it looked to be the warmest pink offered among their colors.  I'm not a fan of pink but I like to have different warm and cool tones of it, if only as a base for layering.  It was cooler and lighter than I was expecting.  The cap of the bottle is small and round, with a longer-than-usual stem and a brush of standard length; the length of the stem and the small cap combined seemed to lighten the pressure I used to apply the polish so I couldn't fan out the brush as much as I'd have liked.  I didn't mind all that though because I'd got the hang of application with 'Hope'; my issues were with the formula.  No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get this stuff to lay without streaking unless I gooped on a really thick coat of polish (and thick coats = more drying time, sometimes bubbling and more chipping).  The polish itself wasn't especially thick or pigmented, so those reasons are out.  I took off my first attempt and changed my base coat, thinking that could be the reason (I use CND Stickey and Zoya Anchor) but the issues remained.  After several removals and re-applications to get this stuff to lay streak-free, I gave up.  The pictures below are three coats of Tuff Scent 'Beautiful' with CND Stickey base coat.  Both were taken indoors, with flash.

If you click on either picture, you'll see the issues I had laying this down.  The picture below better shows the color and the streaky mess that I was trying to correct. I love the back label with its spiritual-esque description.  The labelling of these bottles really appeals to me, lol.

There are a lot of great things about this polish: I like the bottle design, the labeling, the color is nice and the peony fragrance did last for quite a while--even after taking it off, there must have been some small amount left around my cuticles or something because I was still smelling it the next day.  However, for $14 I expected a formula similar to 'Hope', not this streaktastic mess.  Part of it might have been my application method but after removing and re-applying it 3 times I should have gotten the hang of it.  I have to put much of the blame on formula this time.

Tuff Scent nail lacquers can be purchased online at http://tuffscent.com/ and are $14 each.  Their fragrances range from herbals (peppermint, lavender) to fruity (pear, grapefruit, etc.) to florals (rose, wisteria, etc.) to fragrance blends (China Rain).  They ship in the U.S. and to APO and FPO addresses.  I really hope that their products are more like 'Hope' and I just received a dud.  Either way, I don't think I'll be using this polish despite its gorgeous scent.  *Places in Blog Sale/Swap box*

Thanks for Reading!

Deborah Lippmann 'Forget You'

As enthusiastic as I was over 'Candy Shop' and 'Happy Birthday' in the Deborah Lippmann 'Get This Party Started Set', the color I really wanted to try was 'Forget You'.  It has the same multicolored but predominantly cool-toned large and small hex glitter in a BLACK JELLY BASE.  It's like the perfect marriage between the Goth me and the Glitterwh*re me! 

This formula was pretty sheer; I would actually apply three coats of this one, only because I had some bare patches with two.  This one also benefited from the 'dab method', wherein you apply 1-2 coats of lacquer and 'dab' more on to cover the spots in the glitter that look bare.  Otherwise, WOW! 

Why has no one thought of this color before?! 

Seriously.  I love this set!  'Forget You' would be perfect on the toes during a holiday party!  Or used in nail polish jewelry.  On the hands... I like it but I think I like 'Candy Shop' better.  ^_^  How weird is that?

Taken with flash.  Click for the goth-glitter-party!  ^_^

The 'Get This Party Started' set retails for $42 and can be purchased at http://lippmanncollection.com and http://shop.nordstrom.com/.  'Forget You' is only available in this set but a similar effect can be had by sandwiching a sheer black polish (try blending some black polish with some clear polish) and Deborah Lippmann 'Happy Birthday' (try two layers franken'd black, on layer 'HB', one layer black, another layer of 'HB' topped with a last layer of black.). 

Thanks for Reading!