Chanel Paradoxal

Paradox, n: any person, thing, or situation exhibiting an apparently contradictory nature.  What a perfect name for this polish.  Chanel's Limited Edition shade for Fall 2010 alternates between purple and taupe, with its purple shimmer most visible in bright sunlight.  I wasn't planning on buying this since $23 is a bit much for a polish, but after sampling it at Nordstroms with a friend, we both just about died.  Then when a friend of hers at Saks offered to hook us up with a discount on two bottles, how could I say no?

I was in a rush when I did this manicure.  Having only an hour between dress rehearsal and a concert, I had to decide between shower, food or manicure.  (Obviously I went with manicure.)  Application was just ok but I blame that on my rushing, not the polish.  Every time I lifted the brush out of the bottle the bristles caught the afternoon sunlight and it was just gorgeous.  The first picture shows Paradoxal's purple side while the second two show its taupe alter-ego, which is how it looks most of the time.

Chanel Paradoxal, two coats direct sunlight

Chanel Paradoxal, two coats shade

Chanel Paradoxal, two coats shade

Because I was in a rush I topped it with one coat of Seche Vite, which I think might have dulled the shimmer just slightly.  Next time I'd like to skip that, since the natural finish on Chanel polishes are reputed to be great.  This manicure wore really well for six days with only minimal tipwear, and I really only changed it because I was in the mood for something different.

China Glaze Awakening for Halloween 2010

Free time is a dangerous thing when you're a polish addict.  Today after I got done teaching I wandered into Sally Beauty Supply and was greeted by an amazing find: The China Glaze Awakening collection for Halloween 2010...

Zombie Zest, Mummy May I, Ick-A-Bod-Y

ON CLEARANCE!

 

China Glaze has been nailing it lately and this collection is nothing short of fantastic.  It consists of three wonderfully named glitters: Mummy May I, Zombie Zest, and Ick-A-Bod-Y.

Mummy May I is purple glitter in a dark purple base.  This polish is along the lines of Deborah Lippmann Bad Romance but without the different sized glitter.  Already having Bad Romance I could've passed on this one, but it was only two dollars!  It went on a little sheer and streaky, I needed three coats.

  

China Glaze Mummy May I, three coats, indoors with flash

 Zombie Zest is a boogery green glitter.  With one coat it makes your nails look like deathly Zombie nails, I could see this being a good look to go with a costume.  After three coats it was opaque, and I have to say this polish has one of the best applications of any that I've ever tried.

China Glaze Zombie Zest, one coat

China Glaze Zombie Zest, three coats, shade

Zombie Zest also has a fantastic glitter in the sun!  The picture doesn't do it justice, but you can get kind of an idea.

China Glaze Zombie Zest, three coats, direct sunlight

And finally my favorite, Ick-A-Body-Y.  First of all, I LOVE the name, especially imagining the situation in which somebody might say that.  This polish is orange glitter in a green base.  The color combination makes me think of pumpkins and scarecrows and all things Fall.  After applying one coat I  thought holy cow, it looks like I have dirty, grimy corpse hands!  Another perfect Halloween accessory, I would totally wear just one coat of this.

China Glaze Ick-A-Bod-Y, one coat

I ended up wearing it as a manicure in two coats.  It's cool because the glitter stayed towards the base of my nail, so in sunlight you can see more of the green showing through at the tips.

China Glaze Ick-A-Body-Y, two coats, with flash

China Glaze Ick-A-Bod-Y, two coats, shade

Mummy May I and Ick-A-Bod-Y were very gritty and would need one or even two coats of seche vite to make them smooth.  The dry time on all these polishes was good.  I know they're for Halloween, but honestly I was a little surprised to see them on clearance.  Maybe it's because I'm a junkie, but I would wear these outside of October.  What do you think?  Which do you like?  Would you wear them all year round?

China Glaze Awakening

Duochromes.  I'm not sure how I feel about them.  They seem a little juvenile, like what you'd wear when your parents drive you on a date to the movies.  That being said, I don't entirely hate China Glaze Awakening.  (Not to be confused with the China Glaze Halloween collection from this Fall, Awakening, which I'm pretty sure has nothing to do with this polish.)  This Awakening is a purple/ gold duochrome that looks purple in the shade and gold in the sun.  The color combination is rather interesting.  In the first picture you can see how purple it looks indoors.  The other pictures show more of the gold side, though the effect is more pronounced than the camera could pick up.  It was a little thin so I needed three coats.

China Glaze Awakening, three coats, shade

China Glaze Awakening, three coats, direct sunlight

China Glaze Awakening, three coats, direct sunlight

I think on the right person this polish would be stunning, I just don't think that right person is me.  What is your take on duochromes?  Are you a fan? Did you stop wearing them after middle school?

Wet n Wild Morbid

There's been some buzz about Chanel's new shade for spring '11, Black Pearl.  It looks like its going to be a gunmetal green pearl/shimmer.  While I don't see what that has to do with spring, Chanel's polishes certainly create trends (Jade, Nouvelle Vague) so darned if I don't try to find a dupe for this one before it gets released.  I found something at Walgreens which I think might be close.  This is Wet n Wild Morbid.  I love that this polish costs under $2.  The wide circular cap makes it very awkward to apply, but since when has than deterred anyone from using a polish?  (If you have passed on a polish because you didn't like the cap, I'd love to hear about it.)  This is two coats, no top coat.

Wet n Wild Morbid, two coats, shade

Wet n Wild Morbid, two coats, direct sunlight

Wet n Wild Morbid, two coats, direct sunlight

Had I not been looking for something comparable to the Chanel I probably wouldn't have bought this.  I suspect though this polish might grow on me the next time I wear it, as many do.  (Right now I'm giving Revlon Get Reddy a second try and I'm slightly in love with it.  As soon as I get back to my camera I can't wait to show you pictures of it.)

So what do you think?  Are you excited for Black Pearl?  Do you think this could be a dupe?  Would you wear it?

Plum Attraction, Indeed

Wow.  Today I wore Revlon Plum Attraction, a gorgeous lit-from-within purple with a very noticeable shimmer.  When you look closely, the shimmer is actually blue and pink, making it look like a glowing orchid.  Very complex for a drugstore polish!  It's absolutely stunning, I got a lot of compliments on it.  If you're looking for a jewel-tone purple, this is your shade.

Revlon Plum Attraction, two coats with flash

Revlon Plum Attraction, two coats with flash

Revlon Plum Attraction, two coats direct sunlight

Revlon Plum Attraction, two coats direct sunlight

Isn't it gorgeous?!  My one reservation is that application is a little tricky.  I find Revlon's brush to be too skinny, I usually have to re-dip for each nail.  This polish also tends to go on too thickly, and then I have issues with bubbling.  For this manicure though I made sure to keep the coats thin, then sealed it with a coat of seche vite.  Problem solved!

Birthday Vixen

Today is a very special post dedicated to my good friend, miss Fabulista, in honor of her birthday!  For this manicure I started with Revlon Vixen, the quintessential vampy maroon creme.  This bottle is over 5 years old and the application and dry time was still great.  I used two coats and one coat of seche vite on top.  The pictures are actually after two days, you can see that it holds up really well with no chips and minimal tip wear.

Revlon Vixen, two coats indoors with flash

Revlon Vixen, two coats indoors with flash

Revlon Vixen, two coats indoors, shade

And now for the Birthday Festivities!  I added one coat of Deborah Lippmann Happy Birthday to my ring fingers to avoid glitter overkill.  HB looks GREAT on darker polishes, I love how this turned out.

Revlon Vixen with one coat Deborah Lippmann Happy Birthday on ring finger

Revlon Vixen with one coat Deborah Lippmann Happy Birthday on ring finger

Happy Birthday, Fabulista!  I hope this makes you as happy as the time we walked through Banff singing the McDonalds Filet-o-Fish commercial.  (And happier than we felt after actually eating it.)

Jade is the new Starbucks

I think everyone agrees that Jade Is The New Black from the OPI Hong Kong Collection Spring 2010 is a new classic.  Not only does it flatter most skin tones, but it also applies beautifully and dries with a spectacular glossy finish.  Two coats, no top coat, I love it.  Sophisticated, fun, it's the perfect dusty jade creme.  It totally reminds me of old Chinese jewelry.

OPI Jade Is The New Black, two coats, indirect sunlight

OPI Jade Is The New Black, two coats, indirect sunlight

Being the huge caffeine fiend I am, less than two hours into wearing this polish I realized that it is almost exactly the same shade as Starbucks green.

These reusable cold cups are great, btw.

The perfect pairing.

Even though I love Starbucks, I'm not sure if this similarity makes me want to wear JITNB more or less...