Colors by Llarowe My Broke Down Crop Duster

Tonight I have a gorgeous polish to share with you: My Broke Down Crop Duster from Colors by Llarowe. As a riff (and dupe) of the legendary OPI polish "My Private Jet," this polish is described as "I can't afford a private jet so this is the next best thing! Deep blackened brown intense linear holo." This is pretty much spot on. My Broke Down Crop Duster has a very strong holo effect and the color is dark brown, but it definitely doesn't look black.

This was a great polish-- I had no issues with it. It applied easy and I used two coats. This didn't have any patchiness. It also wore very well on me, considering most of the polish I wear chips within a day!

Artificial light (flash):

Generally I'm not a lover of brown polish, but I do love it with a holographic finish. This is a very pretty polish-- and the name cracks me up. I thought it was being discontinued, but it doesn't currently appear to be. You can find it on the Llarowe site for $12.

Two-fer Tuesday: Sally Hansen Deluxe and Velveteen

Alright, another Two-fer Tuesday post! This time I have two more polishes from the Sally Hansen Velvet Texture-- Deluxe and Velveteen. These polishes look very similar but are not actually the same. Really! Deluxe is a very dark inky blue that reads almost black. Velveteen is a deep black. These are both nicely pigmented-- in fact, I would say that you probably want to be careful of staining, especially with Deluxe, which is something that blue pigment sometimes likes to do. Here I used two coats-- they both applied well without any issues. The only thing I noticed was that the black, Velveteen, seemed to dry a little unevenly and I had some shiny patches (which you can see in the photos). That hasn't happened to me with any of the other polishes from this line, so I'm not quite sure what to make of that.

Deluxe:

And Velveteen:

These colors look similar, but they aren't quite the same! Can you tell? I wish Deluxe looked a little more blue instead of being quite so dark.

Butter London Right As Rain

Hey all! I am finally getting over all the plagues that have taken over our house, slowly but surely. I still have a nasty cough which is annoying, but am finally starting to feel better. My kids and husband were out of town this weekend and I got some swatching done, but no blogging! 

Today I have a Butter London polish to share with you: Right As Rain. This was a limited edition lacquer that was released in January-- Butter London is releasing one limited edition lacquer a month in celebration of their 10 year anniversary (though Right As Rain was originally released as a set exclusive in the Gears and Gadgets Trunk collection). I think this is a fine idea, but what kills it for me is the shipping. The polishes are already $15, but then shipping is another $7.50 which... ugh. I know they have standardized shipping but sheesh, it's hardly worth it to have one polish shipped. At the time, I was also curious about the new Butter London Glitter Scrubbers so I splurged. I don't know if I'll be doing it again. Right As Rain is a very pretty blue-toned grey shimmer.

The formula on this was ok-- maybe a little on the thin side, and now I can't honestly remember if I used two or three coats. Three, I think? Sorry, I don't really take notes these days. I didn't have any problems with the formula.

Artificial light (flash):

I think this is really pretty, but I don't know if they price is justified, especially with the shipping charges. Butter London currently has another limited edition polish for sale for the month of February.

Sunny's Body Products Exclusive Box: Valentine's Edition

Another holiday, another box of amazing products from Sunny's Body Products! Unfortunately, I'm a week late with this review and now this box is sold out so, my apologies.

Hand Butter: Lovely in Lace. This scent is described as "a lush bouquet of green florals and spicy carnation veil a base of sensual musks and sheer patchouli to create this romantic, feminine fragrance."

As always, I love the hand butter and use it every night before bed. This scent is strong but nice.

Sugar Scrub: I'm Too Sexy. Described as "a blooming rose accord balances with hints of lily, while patchouli warms the floral tones. Precious amber, warm woody notes and soft musky vanilla surround the bouquet."

I love how spicy this smells! Yum! Definitely one of my favorite scents from the box. 

Intensive Therapy Oil: Better than Sex Cake. What's better than sex? Well, just read the following description: "smells like German chocolate cake that is blended with semi-sweet chocolate chips and laced with crunchy toffee bits to create this decadent treat. Vanilla creme and butterscotch syrup create a luscious undertone, while hints of almond and coconut complete the yummy blend."

This smells soooooooo good. So edible; I wish this was a real dessert because this smells so delectable I want to eat it (though obviously, please don't try that).

Cuticle Oil: Pheromones. This scent is described as having "clean and inviting citrus notes of bergamot and grapefruit, open up to a sensual bouquet of white floral and woody violet, grounded by the deeply sensual scent of oakmoss and sandalwood."

This is a nice, crisp invigorating scent. This smells a bit watery to me, but I like it.

Body Balm: Endless Love is described as "a green fruity floral bouquet with apple, rose and jasmine topnotes with a sweet woodsy musky background."

This is definitely a sweet smell-- the apple scent comes through very strongly at first, but then the other scents start to come through. This borders on being a little sickly sweet, but luckily the floral/woodsy scents keep this from becoming overwhelmingly sweet.

Miracle Balm: Kiss and Tell is "a flirty, colorful blend of succulent purple passion fruit, burgundy Tuscan grapes, sun-kissed yellow peonies, fragrant vanilla orchids, and just a hint of fresh greenery."

This is a nice fresh scent! As per usual, I love the miracle balm.

Lip Balm: Chocolate Covered Strawberries. Just like the name implies, this scent is "a delicious blend of fresh picked strawberries dipped in creamy milk chocolate."

This really does smell like chocolate covered strawberries, which I love in real life, but I'm not a huge fan of this on my lips. There's something about the chocolate scent that I don't love. 

With the release of this special edition box, Sunny also released three new products! You could buy a 7 piece box or a 10 piece box. I decided to get the 10 piece box because I can't resist. The new products include a bath whip and two different lotions. 
 
Bath Whip: Sheer Seduction. This scent is described as "a sensual floral accord of African violets and lily of the valley, complimented by slight hints of kiwi, lime, and grapefruit."

I actually just tried this for the first time today and really liked it. The bath whip seems a little bit weird at first, but I scooped out some and put it on my loofah in the shower and it created a really nice, thick lather to soap up with. I think you could use this as a shaving cream if you were so inclined! The scent was nice and light-- it didn't hang around too long, which is good if you like to apply perfume as part of your daily routine. 


Triple Thick Body Cream: Honeymoon. Described as a "unique aroma begins with top notes of fresh ferns and water lilies. Middle notes of fresh rose petals, clove, french jasmine, and lilac, with a background of sandalwood."

This is a thicker body lotion, one that's good for applying after a shower. I love the way this smells. 

On the Go Hand Lotion: In the Mood. This scent is described as "a blend of refreshing ocean notes, peach, and pineapple, with cool cucumbers and stem green notes."

I freaking love this lotion! My hands get so dry and chapped during the day so I always have lotion around. This is great one. It's not greasy and it sinks in quickly, which means you can apply it and get back to work quickly. The scent is a little strong at first, and does hang around for awhile, which may be something with this particular fragrance, but something to keep in mind if you buy this! I like having this size for every day use-- it would perfect for travel as well.


Whew! That was a lot of text. The Valentine's box is currently out of stock, but Sunny restocks her products as often as she can with her schooling and really, you can't go wrong with any of her products!

Julep Hartleigh

And after a nice spate of posting, my house was struck by multiple plagues last week so my energy was extremely low and so no posting happened. Hence, no Valentine's Day manicures. I do have one in the vault though, which I'll share with you now! I used Julep Hartleigh (by the way, how long has it been since I blogged about a Julep polish? For-ev-er!), which was a free polish in the January Maven box (additionally, I was given five bottles of Hartleigh to gift to their girlfriends, which I though was awesome). Hartleigh is described as a "holographic heart glitter top coat." What they don't mention is that there's also white hex glitter as well.

Here I've layered Hartleigh over Butter London Right As Rain, which is a grey shimmer. I thought maybe it would be difficult to get the heart glitter out of the bottle, but actually it was pretty easy. I used one coat here and used a combination of "regular" application and dabbing to get the glitter where I wanted it. The hearts do have a hard time lying flat if you get them on the curved part of your nail, but I only have a few issues with that.

Artificial light (flash):

Normally I'm not really one for glitter toppers, but I was in the mood for a themed manicure so this fit the bill nicely. Will I pull it out very much in the future? Doubtful, but given that it was free, I can live with that.

I hope everyone had a nice Valentine's Day with your loved ones!

Sally Hansen Lush

Tonight I have another polish from the Velvet Texture collection. This time it's Lush, which could broadly be described as taupe, but is a little bit of a chameleon. In the bottle this has a definite beige tone, but on the nail there are strong grey tones that appear. In other lights, there is also a purple tone that appears as well. Pretty awesome for what looks like just a standard beige!

Here I used three coats to get full coverage-- I probably could have gotten away with two, but it was a little patchy and I didn't have the look I wanted after two coats, so I used a third one. As with the other ones, this one dried quickly and has the slight textured finish. Of course, I didn't use a top coat here.

Artificial light (flash):

I really liked this polish, except for two things: this gave me lobster hands, which is a real shame because I love the color. The second thing was that this started to chip in less than 24 hours, which drives me absolutely crazy. I really do like these velvet texture polishes, but I wish they didn't chip so darn quickly!

Colors by Llarowe Nice Melons!

How about we inject some summer into what is currently dreary winter weather here in the PNW? Tonight I bring you Nice Melons! which has a hilarious name and is a gorgeous cantaloupe coral holographic. I actually love this polish so much that I forgot I had worn and photographed it once that I wore it and photographed it a second time! Whoops. However, it wasn't much of a hardship because I love colors like this.

Nice Melons! has a good formula and was easy to apply-- I have basically stopped taking notes when I apply a polish because I just don't have time anymore-- I'm pretty sure I used two coats here. The holographic flash isn't as strong as some other CbL polishes, but there is a softer linear holographic flare. Looks gorgeous outside in the sun, so perfect for sunny summer days!

Artificial light (flash):

Unfortunately, Nice Melons! is currently sold out and I don't think it will be returning. But Leah Ann, the mastermind behind CbL, comes out with a ton of polishes during the year, so I bet there are some juicy surprises in store for her spring and summer collections-- keep your eyes peeled!

ILNP Supernova

Today I have another ILNP Ultra Chrome Flakie to show you! This time it's Supernova, which shifts from blue and teal to green and eventually violet. Here I wore this over Sally Hansen Regal, which you can see in my last post. This would look gorgeous over a green, a deeper blue or probably any color. I used two here and got good coverage! This polish was sparser than Electric Carnival, and ILNP suggests 3-4 coats if you want to wear it opaque on its own. I would agree with that, though I intend on layering these over a base color.

Although my photos don't truly capture the extent of the shift on the nails, it's there-- believe me! You can see in the bottle how the colors shift from blue/green to violet/red and that shift does happen on the nail. You really need to see it in person.

Natural light - shade:

Seriously, I can not get enough of these Ultra Chrome polishes. So freaking pretty. It's hard to resist staring at my nails... or buying the rest of these. (Now I really want just the blue/green one. No Cat, noooooo.)

The Ultra Chrome Flakies retail for $12.50 and are currently available on the ILNP site.

Sally Hansen Regal

This will be a quick post, because I'm tired and honestly, don't have a whole lot to say about this polish. That's not necessarily a bad thing, it's just the truth. Tonight I have another polish from Sally Hansen's Velvet Texture polishes. This is Regal, which is a royal blue polish. (I guess that's why it's called Regal? Or maybe because velvet is regal? Anyway...) It has that slight textured finish, and a slight satiny shine. The formula was good-- I'm pretty sure that I only used two coats here. As with other matte or textured polishes, it dried quickly, which makes it great it you need a manicure in a hurry.

Artificial light (flash):

This is a really gorgeous blue and I thought it applied well, but it chipped very quickly, which was frustrating.

Seahawks Super Bowl Manicure!

The big day has arrived: the Super Bowl! Honestly, I'm really only excited because the Seahawks are playing for the second year in a row. We are planning on dragging the kids to one (or possibly two) parties tomorrow and then will probably skip halftime in favor of putting them to bed. So of course I had to do a manicure to support my team!

I have a bunch of Hawks inspired polishes now, so it was a struggle deciding which polishes to use. But I got an idea into my head and luckily that worked out.

Here are the polishes I used:
-Fairytale Finish Beast Mode
-Cult Nails Lethal
-Cult Nails Deal With It
-LVX Azzurrum

On to the pictures!

Hope everyone enjoys the game tomorrow!