Rescue Beauty Lounge Haul

I'm sure the majority (if not all of you) knew about RBL's 1-Day 50% off polish sale a few weeks ago.  I had been wanting Coral ever since I saw it, just because of it's "universal, works for all skin tones" boasting.  Some may feel it's a bit traditional, classic....boring...but I liked it because sometimes I'm in a non-crazy, in your face color, kind of mood.  Anywho, I purchased Coral and Plie (just because I don't have anything like Plie either).  I wanted one other, Killa Red, but it wasn't advertised in the sale and I have a feeling it might have been discontinued :(

This was 3 coats w/o top coat.  I can't comment on the durability yet, since it hasn't been "tested".

Again 3 coats w/o top coat.  It's a bit pinker in reality (but I couldn't capture the color in with my lighting.  Sorry)  I can't explain why I love Plie, but I just do.  LOL

Did any of you get anything from the sale?

Caught in a "Bad Romance"

Rah-rah-ah-ah-aaaah. Roma-roma-maaaah! LOL Bad Romance has to be my fave Lady Gaga song thus far.  It never gets old for me.  Anywho...I had been eyeing the deborah lippmann collection from the swatches out in the blogosphere, but could never really bring myself to drop the $$ to obtain any of the polishes. Until a few weeks ago that is...long story short..I was having a bad day at work (what's new) and decided to cheer myself up with some retail therapy.  I purchased Bad Romance and Across the Universe.  I love black polish, but what I loved about this polish is the glitter.  It's dark but still girly.  This is three coats with Seche top coat (the cause of the HORRIBLE shrinkage!)  I reapplied this polish later because of the shrinkage.  The only negatives I have about this polish is that it can be a tad streaky (at least when you're trying to evenly disperse the glitter), and because of the chunky hex-glitter, it's difficult to wrap the tips of your nails.  It's opaque enough to have been good with 2 coats, but because I made some streaks, I wanted to even them out with another coat.  All in all, it's very Gaga-esque.  :)

2010 World Series Champs - San Francisco Giants!!!

I'll try to keep this post short and sweet...not just because I have work in the morning (don't think I'll be able to sleep tonight), but because I can't really put into words all the thoughts and emotions running through me now.  I'm still trying to come down from all the excitement of tonight as the San Francisco Giants (my home team) won Game 5, have been crowned the champions, and thus have ended this emotional roller coaster of a season.  I don't know if I should bust out singing Queen's "We Are The Champions", or slap myself to ensure this isn't a dream.  I had been meaning to do this mani since the beginning of the Series, but tonight I DEFINITELY had to do it!! (Apologies for the sloppy application, I cleaned up as best I could but given I have a whole bunch of adrenaline coursing through me, you can't blame a girl for not having a steady hand).

I used 2 coats of Urban Decay's Magic Bus as my base color, Sally Hansen's black polish pen, and topped it all off with Seche Vite.

GO GIANTS!!!!!

Hey There!

Hello my lovely peeps!  I realize it's been a month since my last post.  I've been laggin' on putting up any swatches, though I haven't stopped my collection or doing my nails.  Life seems to have shifted into warp speed.  I finally took some time to finish my little DIY lightbox and am hoping I can start posting some swatches soon.  Sorry for being lame.  Hope everyone is doing well. :)

My recent Mani/Pedi experience at ____ Spa

It seems like it's been forever since I had a professional mani and pedi.  Being a new mom, there are just some things you learn to cut back on to save some $$.  I chose to give up my regular mani and pedi that I used to get prior to my son's arrival.  I think it's been almost 2 years, since I've let someone else do my nails.  Now that I've been doing my nails myself, I had some hesitation about letting someone other than myself or my "go-to" nail salon do them.  I'm sure some of you out there can relate to the feeling of control and having your own personal preferences when it comes to your nails.  


Yesterday, I had a nice little business lunch with some colleagues, and after lunch we were scheduled to have manis and pedis at a local spa by my office.  None of us had been to this particular spa.  I figured, "Hey, I'm not paying for it.  It'll be a nice change to let someone else do the work and relax and have some girl time."  The spa was nice and clean and the nail area was small but clean.  There were three techs all who were really nice.  The service came with a free cocktail (Mojito made with champagne), which was TWO THUMBS UP in my book. (> _ ^)  I was in the mood for a teal/turquoise polish, so I picked out Essie's Turquoise & Caicos for my toes (I had been meaning to try it out), and Sparitual's Emerald City for my nail since it was a bit darker (I was instantly drawn to the color).


Overall the experience was nice and relaxing.  I had a fun time hanging out with my colleagues and the nail technicians were cool.  We (patrons and techs) were all just chatting and laughing away.  At one point the spa manager came and closed the door to the room because I guess we were having too much of a good time and disturbing the other patrons.  BUT (here's the "but") the thing that disappointed me was the polish application and the filing.  The polish application was a bit messier than I cared for and my nails seemed to be shaped irregularly.  Here are the pics of my nails (normally I don't like to share pics of my toes..I think they are funny-looking...but had to share the issue I have with them):

Emerald City is a gorgeous jelly (though the bottle says it's a creme).  My first experience with the Sparitual brand.  I wanted to buy a bottle of this but the spa didn't have it available for sale at that moment.  They said they could order it for me, and I may take them up on the offer.  Although I might be able to get it cheaper online.  As you can see the cuticles look a bit ragged and had some polish on them.  The tech put 2 coats of polish and I was going to ask her to put another coat since it's a bit sheer, but she seemed to be in a rush to get ready for another client. :(

Left Foot (seemed to be more jacked up than my right)

Right Foot

Turquoise & Caicos is a lighter version of Emerald City and is a true creme.  Two coats were used to get it opaque.  As you can see there's more polish pooling in the cuticle on the left foot than the right, and the length is SHORT!  Again, I loved the experience overall, but as someone who does her own nails on a regular basis, I'm used to my way of doing things.  They aren't horrendously bad, and the nails will grow out, so it's not a total disaster.

It's funny to note that I was sporting my own mani/pedi when I walked into the spa.  My tech commented that my mani still looked fresh.  When I told her, "Yeah I did this on Tuesday", she responded, "Wow you did this yourself?!! You did a real good job.  Are you a nail tech?"  It's not the first time someone asked me that question. I'm sure you ladies out there have heard it too.  Maybe it's time for a change in career. (>_^) LOL

Pasadena Purple

Nubar's Pasadena Purple

This color was the one that introduced me to the Nubar brand.  While watching "He's Just Not that Into You", I couldn't help but notice Ginnifer Goodwin's nails throughout the movie.  Since purple polish is one of my absolute favs, I locked onto her mani like some sort of polish-seeking robot.  I had to find that color!!!  I love Google.  You could find pretty much anything, no matter how obscure the item you seek may be.  My search led me to Nubar, thanks to Michelle @ All Lacquered Up, and her blurb about Ginnifer Goodwin and the movie. After finally procuring a bottle, here are my thoughts:

• Color - LOVE IT!!!!!
• Application - Easy. I think I only needed 2 coats to get it opaque
• Wear Time - HATED IT!!!! I think I only got 1 and 1/2 to 2 days out of it before it started peeling off! :(  I was so bummed because I loved the color and wanted it to last at least a week.  

My go-to base and top coat currently is Orly Bonder and Seche Vite.  Don't know if there is some incompatibility between those two and Nubar.  Any of you had any wear time issues with Nubar?

Nubar's "Peacock Feathers"

Nubar - Peacock Feathers

A few weeks back I finally was able to get a couple of Nubar polishes I had on my wish list for the longest time.  Nubar was having a one-day (I think??) 20% off sale on their website, so I had to seize the moment.  Like many polish afficionadas out there, I had to get Peacock Feathers.  I've never owned any duochrome polishes previously, and heard Nubar's are the best.  Peacock Feathers does not disappoint in the least.  Capturing it's beauty was very difficult.  If you look at it straight on, it looks deep indigo blue/purple.  Shift your fingers slightly and you get emerald green, and at times you may catch glimpses of gold.  You can definitely see the different shades better in the bottle than on my nails.

As far as the application, I used 3 coats and 2 coats of ridgefilling base coat, since on previous occasion, my other Nubar polish was sheer enough to have VNL.  I don't think it was necessary for Peacock Feathers since the color is darker than the one I was using before, but I just wanted peace of mind.  The application was pretty good.  I can't remember how many days I wore this since it was a while ago (plus my memory isn't as great as it used to be...sleep deprivation and all - those with children know what I mean...hehehehe).

I just got a new camera so hopefully I'll be able to post better swatch pics.