Girly Bits Xmas and O's

Rounding off the week I have another Girly Bits polish to share with you-- this time one of the December COTM polishes! Today's polish is Xmas and O's (now I'm singing that Elle King song!). This is described as a "sparkling rose gold foil" which is spot on. I can't really add more to than that. Rose gold has been a big trend for what, at least the past year? I feel I'm pretty behind-- I honestly think this is the first rose gold polish I have! But, I think it was a good place to start!

I don't have any complaints to report about the formula! I used three coats, but two probably have been ok. This was smooth and generally pretty easy to apply, though the polish was maybe a bit on the thicker side. In any case, it definitely wasn't difficult to work with.

Here's a phone pic outside so you can revel in its beauty:

This is so gorgeous. I wore this for several days longer than I normally would have because it's just so stunning. All I wanted to do was look at my nails... so pretty. It was hard not to stare at my nails! This held up really well despite how hard I am on my hands; I can see myself reaching for this bottle again many times in the future! 

Polish 'M Center Stage

Because I showed you a metallic polish on Monday, I've got another one to share with you today-- this time from the brand Polish 'M! Centerstage was released a couple months ago and I loved the photos I saw so much that I decided I had to have it (ok, so that's really not that much of a challenge). Centerstage is described as a "crazy metallic flakie polish! It's in a clear base with rose, platinum, bronze and gold flakies." I think that sums it up very nicely!

I didn't have any issues with the formula of Centerstage. Because it is made of flakies, it's not 100% opaque right away-- I believe I used three coats here. It builds up very nicely and I didn't have any issues applying it!

Foils like Center Stage never fail impress me with how shiny and reflective they are-- it's mesmerizing! I was really happy with this and I freaking love how shiny it is and how it changes under different lighting conditions.

Here's an iPhone photo so you can see it in a slightly different light:

Are you drooling now? So.flipping.gorgeous! 

Centerstage is currently available for purchase if you are interested!

OPI The World is Not Enough

And here is another shade from OPI's 2012 Skyfall Collection-- The World is Not Enough. Not my favorite Bond movie, especially as it features Denise Richards as a nuclear scientists with the lamentable name of Christmas Jones. Ugh-- let's move on to the polish! I would call The World is Not Enough a metallic taupe, though the finish on this polish is foil and has a pink and blue shimmer.

The World is Not Enough went on a little sheer in the first coat, but built up nicely. I used three coats to make this opaque, but you could get away with two if you used thicker coats. I didn't have any issues applying this at all and it dried quickly. I didn't use a top coat on this and you can see that with the flash this polish is incredibly reflective.

Artificial light - flash:

Artificial light:

Natural light - shade:

Clearly, given the reflective nature of this polish, I had a bit of a hard time capturing it on camera. Hopefully you can get a sense of the color from my photos. I feel like this is a slightly unusual polish for a holiday collection, but the color is cool and wearable. A fun twist on a neutral, that's for sure!

Zoya Ivanka

Tonight I have a drop dead gorgeous polish to share with you,  Zoya Ivanka. This isn't a new polish-- it's been around for several years (released summer 2010)-- but that certainly doesn't detract from how beautiful this polish is. I was originally going to wear this as my St. Patrick's Day manicure, but was feeling unmotivated to even paint my nails and so I swatched it but didn't actually wear it. Which is a real shame, because Ivanka definitely deserves to be worn!

Ivanka is sort of a glass fleck/foil combo and is super sparkly. Zoya describes Ivanka as a "mermaid green sparkling metallic" and I can't complain about that. This is darker than Zoya Apple (you can see my review here) and has more depth; the mermaid descriptor seems very accurate-- this color definitely seems like it would be perfect for a mermaid tail. I wasn't happy with my flash photos, but if you don't have this polish, take my word for it. It's dazzling. There was no sun (of course, thanks Seattle!) when I was swatching this, but I'm sure sure it would be blinding in the sunlight. Well, maybe not blinding, but definitely a distraction!

This shade is slightly sheer and I used three coats here. It might have been less sheer if I used thicker coats (or more) but I'm not totally bothered by the sheerness.You could layer it over a green polish if you felt so inclined. If I were going to wear as a full manicure, I'd personally just throw another coat on.

Artificial light:

Natural light - shade:

Glass flecks are my favorite type of polish finish, and Ivanka is an amazing polish. I've had this polish for at least a year (actually, almost two now, ack!) and I shouldn't have let it languish in a drawer for so long. Needless to say, I will definitely be pulling this out this summer-- as a pedicure color and probably a manicure as well!

butter LONDON Lillibet's Jubilee

Today marks the last day of the celebration of Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee, a celebration of her 60 years on the throne of Great Britain. In honor of that I have a special polish to share with you, butter LONDON Lillibet's Jubilee.

History lesson! Queen Elizabeth II took the throne in 1952 after her father King George VI died, although her official coronation didn't take place until June 2, 1963. Aside from Queen Victoria, her great-great-grandmother, Elizabeth is the only other monarch in the UK to reign for 60 years, making this a pretty special occasion.

Lillibet's Jubilee is a special limited edition polish for this once in a lifetime celebration. butter LONDON describes Lillibet's Jubliee like this: "This commemorative colour honours the international celebration marking the 60th anniversary of the Queen’s accession to the throne. Lillibet’s Jubilee is a silvery, lavender metallic foil that boasts the perfect amount of sparkle that is fit for a queen!" According to a little card they had on their facebook, they chose purple because it is the color of royalty and the foil finish to be reminiscent of diamonds.

The formula on Lillibet's Jubilee was amazing. One coat is basically enough, but I used two coats in my pictures below. It's easy to use and goes on super smoothly and dries quickly. The only caution I have is not to use too much polish on each nail because it could show brushstrokes. But this seriously looks like foil on your nails-- it's so shiny and reflective! I love this.

Artificial light with flash:

Artificial light:

Natural light - shade:

Natural light - sun:

Blinding, isn't it?

Does anyone else think it's awesome that Princess Eugenia was wearing a patriotic manicure at the Epsom Derby on Saturday? I love it. Royals generally seem to have pretty strict protocols about what they can and can't wear, so it's cool to see one of the younger generation stepping out with some nail art on her hands. Apparently she wore this throughout the Jubilee weekend, including the Thanksgiving Service today.

The Daily Mail

Personally I'm a huge Anglophile so I'm loving all the Jubilee stuff. It's awesome to see a whole nation of people (mostly) so united in celebration. Next up... the Olympics!