Shleee Polish Jakku

The next stop on our galactic tour is a newer planet we've been introduced to: Jakku, home of heroine Rey and a mysterious Imperial project (though I still need to read Aftermath: Empire's End to get all the details). It's also another desert planet, similar to Tatooine of the original and prequel trilogies, and offers some foreboding but intriguing visuals as we see endless sand dunes and the graveyard of Imperial and Republic starships.

From starwarsscreencaps.com

Jakku is a mix of bronze glitter and gold mica in a clear (maybe slightly tinted?) base. This mix is definitely more opaque going on than Hoth was, and was pretty much opaque in two coats. I did use my usual three, but I think two would have been fine. I can't remember if I needed to use two layers of top coat with this-- I think just one? I should have taken better notes, as per usual. I didn't have any issues with this at all!

Well, I love these golden bronze polishes so it probably comes as no shock that I absolutely love this. Jakku definitely seemed to be denser than Hoth and covered a lot more easily. The color is just so freaking fantastic and I love it! This was shiny and beautiful and it was really hard for me to take this off because I liked it so much. Definitely a winner in my book!

Olympics mani: Daily Hues Goldie

Ok, it's not secret that I love the Olympics. Yes, I'm a day late as the Olympics kicked off last night with the Opening Ceremony but that's my life. This is just a simple manicure I to celebrate the games; no nail art or anything. I was wracking my brain about what to do and then I remembered that I had a beautiful gold polish sitting around unloved: Daily Hues Goldie. What better that the color of the ultimate Olympic prize?

Goldie is a deep, rich golden yellow; it's also described as a "a bright sunflower yellow/gold with gold flakies throughout." This does have a metallic finish so it does want to streak; I tried to take as few strokes as possible while I was applying it. I wasn't quite perfect but the streaks aren't super noticeable in real life. The flakies did look a little bumpy in the metallic finish, which is a little unfortunate. The formula, though, is otherwise pretty good though I didn't have any actual issues applying it (except trying to avoid streaks). I only used two coats here and you can see I have nice opaque coverage; it's was very close to being a one coat wonder. In the future I might sponge on a third coat to try and eliminate any streaks but it could be much worse.

I wasn't completely in love with the finish (the flakies look bumpy and I'm not a fan of the metallic streaks) but otherwise I think this is a truly lovely deep, rich gold polish and I don't think I have anything else like it in my collection. Perfect for celebrating all the Olympic hardware that's coming in the next two weeks!

Will you be watching any Olympic events? I'm be focusing on swimming and gymnastics but will be definitely trying to catch a bunch of other events as well!

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!

Julep Jenica

I know we're heading into spring (at least we were last week) but at the same time I was craving some dark. But not too dark! I do tend to follow general trends for the seasons-- and usually I like brights and pastels as we move into spring. But even with the change of seasons, I found myself craving something dark. So I picked up Julep Jenica, which was in a Maven box at some point, though it has been so long now that I can't remember which one it was. Jenica is described as a "wrought iron metallic" and I think that sums it up pretty nicely.

The formula of Jenica was good. Just a touch on the thick side, but generally I didn't have any trouble applying it. As a metallic, you do have to be a bit careful of brushstrokes, but I certainly did have a problem with them while I was applying it. I think I only needed two coats to get the coverage I wanted. Jenica also dried fairly quickly, which is pretty common with a metallic finish.

I really like Jenica-- it reminds me of very shiny graphite. I haven't featured many Julep polishes lately, but I generally find them to be decent, especially since they changed to their oxygen formula. No complaints from me; this polish was easy to work with and I really liked the color; it was exactly what I wanted!

L'Oreal Feeling Kilty

Hey look, it's 2016!! I hope everyone had a merry Christmas (or whichever holiday you celebrate) and very happy New Year! Today I have a polish that's a little more current, though I'm still behind-- I have Feeling Kilty from L'Oreal's holiday collection. I initially planned to post this before Christmas, but we went out of town for almost two weeks and blogging took a back seat to all the packing and family time! So I got a little bit of a hiatus and got some down time and now I can get back to blogging more regularly. So let's talk about the polish! This was the only one that really caught my eye, though the whole collection was nice and colorful, this was the only one I really felt motivated to buy. Feeling Kilty is a gorgeous slightly rose-toned gold polish. It's really a bit of a chameleon-- in some lights it looks more good and in others a bit more platinum. Either way, very pretty!

The formula was pretty good-- it's a metallic and a bit on the thick side and also a bit prone to brushstrokes if you're not careful. It also dries pretty quickly, so you need to be careful when applying it. I didn't have any issues, though it did drag a bit towards the tips of my nails as I applied additional coats. I *think* I used three coats here, because I remember thinking I should have stopped one coat earlier, though really, it looked just fine.

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I certainly don't feel guilty wearing Feeling Kilty! (I'll be here all week, hardy har har!) This is a gorgeous metallic-- perfect for the holiday season (and beyond)! I don't know if this is the most unique color in the world, but I like it a lot.

Rescue Beauty Lounge Pardonne Moi

I think everyone knows by now that Rescue Beauty Lounge is going out of busy-- which I find not terribly surprising given their business model, price point, and the plethora of other indie and boutique polish makers out there-- today I have another polish from their Je t'aime Je t'aime collection. Today I have Pardonne Moi, which is described as a "satin finish of an exceptional indigo blue overcast with iris purple." This polish is a metallic blue with a slight purple duochrome on the edges-- it's more apparent in the bottle than one the nail, but you can see flashes. This isn't really a satin finish in my opinion, a shimmery metallic but I can't really remember

The formula on this was a little on the thin side, so I needed three coats to get the coverage I wanted. I would suggest being careful, as it can leave streaks due to the metallic nature. Also being a metallic, it dries fairly quickly.

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I know my photos do show a few streaks, but it's not terrible in real life, even for a metallic. You can currently purchase this for $8 (down from $20!) on the Rescue Beauty site.

Seahawks Sunday: Liquid Sky Lacquer Go Hawks!

I usually don't paint my nails for the Seahawks because I tend to have my nails painted for the Husky games on Saturdays, but this week is an exception because my husband and I are attending the game tonight! So I wanted to a) paint my nails and b) get up a quickie post to show you!

This is a pretty simple mani-- I had Go Hawks! from Liquid Sky Lacquer kicking around-- it's a mini bottle that she released one of the years the Seahawks played in the Super Bowl. It's a glitter topper with blue and green hex glitter and small green microglitter in a clear base. I initially thought I might layer it over a grey base, but decided to use silver instead. The closest silver I had on hand was A England Excaliber, so there you have it! I used two coats of Excaliber and then dabbed one coat of Go Hawks! on top. I think it looks good!

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Hope you all are having an enjoyable Sunday! Go Hawks!

Rescue Beauty Lounge C'est Tout

Switching gears, today I have a pretty unique (and just plain pretty) polish to share with you: Rescue Beauty Lounge C'est Tout from the Je t'aime! Je t'aime! collection. C'est Tout is described as a "rivalry between gunmetal and green, for sometimes it appears to be dark gray with blue undertones and in another moment, you will see green with micro shimmers of pink, blue, and gold." This is definitely a spot on description-- to me, I tend see more of the green with the multicolor shimmer, but I also see the grey and blue as well.

The formula on this was ok-- decently pigmented, but a little on the thin side, so I think I ended up having to use three coats here. The RBL brush is on the thin side so I always find that even with the more pigmented polishes, I tend to need more polish because of my large nail beds. As a metallic, this does dry on the faster side, but not fast that it's unworkable. Also due to the metallic, this is prone to have brushstrokes if you aren't careful, but they aren't super noticeable in real life.

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Despite the slight brushstrokes you can get when applying this polish, I think the color is very chic and modern-- a nice twist on a non-beige neutral. I think the shimmer really brings it to life and make it more than just a metallic grey. This one is pretty unique to my collection.

Julep Lainey

Usually during the summer, I'm not really into the jewel tones-- I tend to gravitate towards brights and neons during the warm months but at one point I was feeling the need to branch out to something different so I picked up Julep Lainey, which was a part of the July Maven box. Julep describes Lainey as a "summer berry shimmer" and I would add that it is a metallic shimmer, and therefore is a little brushstrokey because of that.

I didn't have any issues applying Lainey. The formula was pretty good, though a little on the thin side-- I used three coats to really get good, deep coverage. Again, despite Julep calling this a shimmer, I would call a metallic shimmer, meaning that you do have to be careful of brushstrokes if you overload your brush (which is what I tend to do, as I have giant nail beds). I didn't find it super obvious in real life, though!

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Lainey definitely fit my needs for a nice jewel tone. Even though it is a little metallic and therefore prone to brush strokes, it was exactly what I was looking for and will make a great transition color for the fall! Such a lovely, glowing color!

Zoya Tomoko

It's Monday and time for another Zoya Pixie Dust! Confession: for awhile I was getting Zoya Godiva and Tomoko confused. Which is not really fair of me, because they are definitely not the same. Tomoko was originally released as part of the Fall 2013 collection and is described as a "romantic champagne silver with a matte, textured, sparkling metal finish." This is pretty spot on. Tomoko definitely has a more sparkly, metallic look to it than Godiva, which is a more beige neutral.

As with the previous Pixie Dusts, Tomoko was easy to use. I think I used two coats here-- this was a little on the sheerer side just due to the nature of the lighter color, but two coats still gave good coverage. It dried quickly and wore really well, as these textures tend to. This one was a nice sparkly metallic, especially if you want to spice up a neutral look.

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Another hit from the Pixie Dust line! It really is a bummer that Zoya decided to discontinue this line-- I hope that some day Zoya will revamp the line or bring it back.

Rescue Beauty Bonne Journee

Today I have a polish from Rescue Beauty's latest collection, Je t'aime! Je t'aime! collection. I love France (have only been there once but would go back in a heartbeat!) so I was excited when this collection came out. The first polish I have from this collection is Bonne Journee, which means "good journey" in French. Bonne Journee is described as a "happy rose pink with blue undertones and a hint of copper." The description also says it has a "shimmery satin finish." What this translates to is metallic.

As a metallic, this type of polish is prone to brushstrokes, but the brushstrokes don't bother me as much as the formula did-- it seemed very thin to me, and was not helped by the narrow brushes these bottles feature. It was very sheer in the first coat (although I think this is pretty common with metallics) and I ended up having to use four to get the coverage I wanted, which was disappointing, because I think the color is gorgeous. 

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I actually don't hate this-- usually brushstrokes are not my cup of tea, but this polish is extremely pretty. I just wish that the polish had been more pigmented because the color is gorgeous. It reminds me of this gorgeous photo a friend took in southern France-- bonne journee indeed!

Cult Nails Lethal

Today I have another polish from the Cult Nails Passionate Dreams collection-- Lethal! Lethal is a silver foil polish, though when it dries it has a matte chrome like finish. This will be brief, because I don't really take notes anymore when I "swatch" so I'm going from memory here. To the best of my recollection, this is two coats of Lethal and I no issues applying the polish at all.

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For some weird reason, even though I wear a lot of silver jewelry in my day to day life, I find myself more attracted to gold polish instead of silver. I'm not really sure why that is, but it was a thought that crossed my mind the other day. But when I wear a silver polish, I'm like a magpie and incredibly attracted to how shiny it is, and Lethal is no exception to that. This is a great silver polish if you're in the market for one! Which color metallic polish do you like wearing the most?

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.

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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!

Sally Hansen Red Velvet

Today I have another textured polish to share with you-- Sally Hansen Red Velvet. This summer Sally Hansen released two different sets of textured polishes (or as they call them, Sugar Coats) and I found the second set to be a lot more interesting than the first collection. When I found the collection at my local Fred Meyer, I picked up three. The first I have for you is Red Velvet, which is a metallic raspberry texture. There's no glitter in this polish, but it does have a shiny, sort of frosty finish.

I used three coats  of Red Velvet, though you might be able to get away with two. And of course, being a textured polish, I didn't use a top coat.

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 I really like this textured polish-- even though I tend to prefer the sparkly, glittery ones, the metallic finish of Red Velvet keeps it from falling flat. Literally. Plus, I love the rich raspberry color of this polish-- it's perfect for fall.

Clinique Indie Rock

Tonight I have my other Clinique polish to share with you, Indie Rock. I would describe Indie Rock as a "smokey purple metallic", but certainly has some brown and grey tones to it, almost making is a purple metallic taupe. The formula was excellent and went on very smoothly-- I used two coats here. Because it's a metallic polish, you do have to be careful of brush strokes and overloading your brush with pigment, but I found that I didn't have problems applying it-- and I sometimes feel like these metallic polishes are my downfall. Indie Rock doesn't dry to a very shiny finish on its own, so you definitely need a top coat to give it a nice shine.

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This polish definitely says "autumn" to me. I love the smokey quality and think this will fit in perfectly with the darker colors and heavier fabrics of the autumnal season. This is a pretty color and I don't think I have very many like it in my stash. Hopefully I'll have time to reach for it this fall in between dealing with the babies!

Football Friday: Boise State Edition

Hey all! This week has been really busy but we have important business tonight-- it's my first Football Friday of the year! Tomorrow kicks off the Husky football season in our brand new, remodeled stadium-- we haven't see the inside in a year and a half!! So it's really exciting. We're throwing a big tailgate to celebrate and while I know it'll be a lot of fun, I also know I'll be exhausted when all is said and done! In any case, the Huskies take on the Boise State Broncos, who we last faced in Maaco Las Vegas Bowl-- a mere 8 months ago! Since this is a big game-- not only are we looking to avenge our bowl loss, but also to break in our new stadium the right way-- with a win!! So to celebrate, I wanted to do something fun and new, so I decided to try a saran wrap manicure. I hate saran wrap because it always wants to stick to itself, but that quality it what makes it perfect for this manicure!

For my manicure, I broke out two of the polishes from my Zoya LE Zang Toi trio and used Peterhof Palace (also known as Zoya Ziv), a gold foil and Imperial Russia, a metallic purple. I put down two coats of Peterhof Palace, let that dry and then put one coat of Imperial Russia. Using a balled up piece of saran wrap, I then touched it on my nail to create the final design.

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I'm really happy that this technique worked out-- I love it when that happens! It was really easy to do and I love the way it looks on the nail. I'll definitely be using this technique again in the future with other color combinations.

Go Dawgs! Beat the Broncos!

Cult Nails After Glow

Sorry for the lack of posts this week! After being organized for one full week... I couldn't repeat it! Just one of those weeks, I guess. And tonight is the series finale for Fringe (one of the best shows on TV!) and I just sobbed my way through the last ten minutes-- we're talking ugly crying here.

Tonight I have one of the polishes from the Cult Nails Behind Closed Doors collection-- After Glow. Sexy! This is a gorgeous metallic copper polish, described as a "deep copper with intense pink shimmer." In the bottle, After Glow has duochrome flash-- the pink shimmer shifts to gold.

I found the formula on After Glow to be a little on the thin side, and it goes on fairly sheer in the first coat. But it builds up nicely-- I used three coats here. I think it's really pretty, but I felt the pink shimmer was a little lost on the nail, and there definitely doesn't seem to much of a color shift either. So this was somewhat of a disappointment after seeing it in the bottle, but I still think it's stunning. Very flashy and shiny in person.

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Ugh, not a fan of my photos here. Sorry about that! I need to reswatch this. You can at least the flashes of pink in the polish!