Throwback Thursday: OPI Damone Roberts 1968

Oh man, the end of July has really thrown off my posting, which was not my intent. I'm just busier than anticipated and we have had a lot going on and I'm just not on the ball-- in fact, I even wore one polish for FIVE days because I just had no time to change it! That's very unusual for me! I'll try to get some posts scheduled this weekend so I can get back on top of things; it's already August and I have a ton of summer colors that I have been planning on wearing and blogging. Oh, so many things to do! Today I have a fun throwback polish on the blog! Damone Roberts 1968 has actually been released three times that I'm aware of; I got my polish from the third release (second re-release?!) so I can't say how it compares colorwise to the other two, but I *think* they are all pretty close. Has anyone actually done the comparison? Anyway, Damone Roberts 1968 is based on the color of paint used in his salons in CA and NY, and which Roberts describes as "a unique pistachio... a different green with undertones of a soft grey, and a warm brown that works well on every skin tone." Personally, I see a lot of yellow tones in the and more than pistachio, this polish gives me soothing jade vibes. I'll be honest, I'm not even all that familiar with Damone Roberts, but I guess he is an eyebrow guru! I do love a well maintained brow-- mine grow crazy long so I have to have them waxed and trimmed on a regular basis.

The formula of Damone Roberts 1968 was good! A bit on the thin side, but nicely pigmented and easy to apply. I used a light touch to avoid any potential streaks and it covered well in two coats, though I did use a third for good measure to make sure there weren't any thin spots. I didn't have any issues!

Like many of my polishes, I'm not really sure why I let this one sit around for so long because I really liked it! OPI was pretty much my start into "serious" nail polish and even though I actually don't reach for many OPI polishes these days, picking up a bottle is like running into an old friend. I feel like this shade of green is very soothing and very flattering; while I don't normally gravitate towards greens there was something about this that I loved. I was actually sad to remove it after wearing it for a couple of days! It's such a lovely, soft color.

 I bought my bottle on Amazon for $10 (and I had rewards points so I actually just had to pay shipping) and it says it's from Damone Roberts, so I'm pretty sure it's legit. It's also still available on the Damone Roberts website if you'd prefer to buy it direct.

Purple Friday: OPI Do You Have This Color in Stockholm and Zoya Gilty

Not going to lie, I took the lazy route out this week and modified my manicure from last week. And speaking of lazy, I totally forgot to write up this post before Friday and schedule it! Ugh, sorry! I don't know how it slipped my mind, but I totally forgot. One of those weeks! Let's get to the post!! This week the Huskies play Oregon, one of our most better rivals. The last time we beat Oregon was 2003... 11 years ago!! So long ago my husband and I looked like this:

OMG BABIES!! Where are these people now?! Hahaha, anyway... we hate Oregon. For a variety of reasons, but now mostly because they have beat us 11 times in a row and seriously, could we just freaking beat them already? Oregon is floundering right now, so there's hope for us. I mean, we did beat USC last week! That was a pretty amazing game.

As for manicure, we were out of town last weekend and I decided that I didn't have to time to come up with something super unique. So I pulled out OPI Do You Have This Color in Stockholm?, which is still an amazing purple (and I feel like I've got a handle on applying it now) and then pulled out Zoya Gilty, which is an 18K gold topper that I've had for at least two years. I have too many polishes (haha said no nail polish addict ever). I did have to do some fishing for the flakes, and definitely had to dab them on my nails. My photos are a bit sparse-- the actual manicure I ended up with has a bit more as I got better at getting the gold out.

Artificial light (flash):

Personally, I think the purple and gold combination looks incredibly royal! The gold flakes really pop against the purple base. It was a little annoying to get the gold flakes out of the bottle, but worth it for the final look.

Go Dawgs! Beat the Ducks!

Purple Thursday: OPI Do You Have This Color in Stockholm?

And for another switch up, we're having a Purple Friday on Thursday! The Huskies are playing tonight down in LA against the USC Trojans (and former coach) so of course it's a big game! And of course I have a purple mani to show you! It's a Husky game day! I'm not super optimistic about the game, but am hoping we play well and maybe, just maybe, pull out a win. That would be amazing!

This week I decided to go with a classic purple creme, mainly because I'm lazy and wanted something quick, but also because it's well, really, it's a classic! So is the UW-USC rivalry and we've had some awesome (and heart-breaking) games. So I grabbed a polish from the company that started my nail polish addiction: OPI. This is Do You Have This Color in Stockholm? and was released as a part of the 2014 F/W collection. This polish, which has an insanely long name, is a deep right purple with blue tones. The color is incredible. However... the formula leaves a lot to be desired. It's decently pigmented, but it's thin and watery and so goes on very streaky. Womp womp. It's workable, just not would I would have hoped for. I used three coats here and I would recommend using a light hand to avoid dragging and creating more streaks. I basically tried to "float" the third coat on there to make sure I got rid of all the streaks, because there were still there after two coats. On the upside, it did dry down quickly and does dry to a shiny finish (I'm not wearing a top coat here).

Artificial light (flash):

I wasn't thrilled with these photos with my photos-- you can tell it's purple, but it looks a little washed out. So I took a couple photos with my iPhone-- they're not great quality, but I think the color looks a lot closer to real life.

So that's it for this week! The color is fabulous, but the formula left a lot to be desired. Which is a shame, because I expect more from OPI in general and they generally deliver. Bummer! But... I'm willing to forgive them because this is a pretty fabulous purple. And so with that, I'm signing out!

Go Dawgs! Beat the Trojans!

Throwback Thursday: OPI My Boyfriend Scales Walls

Ugh, this week has been hectic. Our au pair finished up her year with us and left to spend another year in New York City. It was really hard to say good-bye and I think our whole family is emotionally exhausted, especially with two toddlers. I've had been having headaches every day as well, which definitely makes me want to curl up in bed and not blog or my nails. But I'm shoring up my energy just enough to at least get a blog post written so I have new content! Today I have a throwback polish to share with you-- OPI My Boyfriend Scales Walls. This polish was released in 2012 to coincide with the new Spiderman movies (do you know they are already remaking it again?! Yeesh!) and My Boyfriend Scales Walls became a cult classic among polish enthusiasts. I didn't get this when it came out, but bought it later from Zulily as part of some duo.

My Boyfriend Scales Walls is a grey-leaning white creme. In the bottle it looks more grey, but when you apply it to the nail it definitely looks more white. The grey in this polish makes it extremely wearable and keeps it from being a stark, white-off like polish. Light colored polishes like this can often be streaky and a nightmare to apply. The formula was thin but decently pigmented. Using a light hand, the first coat was a little streaky but evened out quickly. I did use three coats to make sure I had completely even coverage, but with careful application you could definitely get away with two coats.

Artificial light (flash):

It's obvious to me why this polish is such a favorite. It's a gorgeous creme, easy to apply, and very wearable. It works well as a nail art base (I used it for my 4th of July manicure) and on its own. If you can get your hands on this one, I would definitely grab it! It's not a ground breaking shade, but it's a good staple!

Fourth of July manicure!

Happy 4th of July! We are currently experiencing an unusual heat wave in the PNW, though it feels a little cooler today than most of the past week. We're all heat wimps here! I was drenched in sweat last night while I removed my polish to do my 4th of July manicure. Yuck! But I wanted to do a themed manicure so I wasn't going to let the heat beat me. I had been kicking around an idea for awhile, and I didn't want to waste it.

I started with a base of OPI My Boyfriend Scales Walls on my pinkie, middle and index finger. Once that was dry I used saran wrap to 'sponge' on Cirque Colors Rita on those fingers. Once that dried, I then sponged on Colors by Llarowe Living the Dream. Using saran wrap to sponge on different colors if one of my favorite nail art technique-- it's so easy and fun! I got a little overzealous in when I sponged on Living the Dream at first; my pinkie nail got a bit dark. Which, duh, makes sense because it's a dark color, but I thought it would be a little more sheer. Anyway! The joy of this technique is that it's different every time and very unique! I'm really happy with how this turned out.

On my ring and thumb I used two coats of Polish 'M American Spirit. This is a grey-white base with red, white and bright blue glitters. Perfectly in the spirit for the holiday-- some day I'll actually do a real swatch.

Artificial light (flash):

I was really proud of how my 'Cinderella' hand turned out, so I took a picture!

I hope everyone has a safe and happy 4th! Eat some good food, set off some fireworks, and hopefully don't start any fires!

OPI Love.Angel.Music.Baby

Happy New Years to you all! I am being incredibly boring and working on clearing off my DVR right now while the rest of my family sleeps. Super exciting! Actually, I'll be honest-- I don't really care about staying up until midnight to ring in the new year-- especially now that I have kids and they will definitely not sleep in despite my keen wishes. I honestly haven't even really made any New Years resolutions, except for I need to get organized and pay off my debt. As for the blog, my main goal is to just post more. Oh, and get through my massive collection and not buy anymore polishes (hahahahaha).

Even though I'm not doing anything supremely exciting, I do have a lovely polish to share with you! Tonight I have OPI Love.Angel.Music.Baby, which is from the first Gwen Stefani collaboration I grabbed this on sale from Ulta awhile ago, and this was the one polish from the collection I really wanted so I'm glad I was able to snag it. Love.Angel.Music.Baby is a pretty gold that dries down to a semi-matte satin finish. This has almost velvety, soft feeling to it when it dries down-- it reminds of the Julep suede polishes from a couple years ago. I am pretty sure I used two coats here and it dried to the satin finish in good time (not so fast that you had to worry about messing up your polishing job). Unfortunately, because this is a matte/satin finish, it is prone to chipping more quickly than if you were wearing a top coat (hopefully).

Artificial light (flash):

I love this gold-- it's soft and subtle and a nice metallic pop without being super showy (if you're in the mood for that). Plus, I would bet it looks equally stunning with a top coat, even though I didn't apply one here. 

Hope you all have a Happy New Years! Any resolutions? 

4th of July mani!

I'm not dead! It's hard to convey how much I want to be blogging right now, but just can not spare a lot of (or any) time for my blog. I'm not quitting, but am trying to figure out how I can blog with more frequency. So sorry for my long absences-- I am still around! You can follow me on twitter (@lacquerland) or on Instagram (catray); I am fairly active on both of those social media outlets, though it's not always polish related.

I wanted to do a manicure to celebrate the 4th of July because, let's face it, I don't have much time to do creative manicures these days. So I actually did some nail art! It took two days, but I did it! I was tossing around some ideas and finally settled one what you will see below. I used Cult Nails Tempest as my white base on four nails and Colors by Llarowe Rubies & Rednecks on my ring finger as an accent (who knows when I will review this polish-- it's awesome!). Then I taped off the top of my nail and used OPI Wharf! Wharf! Wharf! on the bottom half. Pretty easy, but it did take two nights because I wanted the white base to dry so I didn't have to worry about ruining it when I applied the tape. 

This manicure also has a nautical feel to it, but that seems to fit with the 4th of July. I'm just happy I was able to come up with a themed manicure and I think it turned out pretty well! Hope everyone has a happy 4th!

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!

OPI Live and Let Die

Another "oldie"... sort of. Today I have OPI Live and Let Die from the 2012 Skyfall Collection, which was released last year for the holidays. I have had this swatched for some time (last January, cough) but time got away from me and I never posted it. Time to rectify that! Live and Let Die, aside from being one of my favorite James Bond themes, is a deep forest green with gold shimmer. The green is pretty murky and deep, but I don't think it ever looks black, even in lower light. The shimmer also doesn't disappear into this dark base, which is great, because I think the shimmer really makes this polish.

Unfortunately, I seem to have forgotten to write down any notes for Live and Let Die, even though I did apparently to do it for all the other colors I swatched that day! Very annoying. I'm fairly certain I used two coats here, though you might be able to get away with one. The formula was good (again, as far as I remember)-- I certainly don't remember having any issues with it.

Artificial light - flash:

Artificial light:

Natural light - shade:

Sorry for the half-assed review-- hope you enjoyed the pictures! I don't have another polish like this in my collection. I do like that this polish, while part of a holiday collection, doesn't necessarily say "holiday" and you could definitely wear it at other times of the year.

OPI Lights of Emerald City

Tonight I have the other polish from the OPI 2013 Soft Shade collection, Lights of Emerald City. I'll be honest, I mainly bought this polish because of name-- and the fact that I live in Seattle, also known as *drum roll* the Emerald City. I had read about some people having issues with the formula of this polish, but grabbed it anyway. Lights of Emerald City is a clear polish with large white square and smaller iridescent squares.

Here I just used one coat over OPI Glints of Glinda. The formula is kind of a pain in the butt. The polish is on the thick side, and it's a little difficult to fish out the white glitters, though not impossible. I found putting the bottle on its side was helpful, and then carefully dabbing the glitters on the nail.

Artificial light - flash:

Artificial light:

Natural light - shade:

Natural light - sun:

I love the way this looks, despite the somewhat difficult formula. I think it would look really pretty over a variety of base colors-- perhaps something dark, like a blue or plum.

OPI Eurso Euro

I figured since I just used this as a base, it might be a good idea to actually show it to you! This is OPI Eurso Euro, which is a luscious looking cobalt blue creme from OPI's Spring 2013 Euro Centrale collection. I know this isn't a "new" polish because it's been blogged about a lot, and even though I liked a lot of polishes from this collection, I hadn't really made an effort to search them out. But then I made a random stop in a drug store and saw the collection and decided I needed Eurso Euro because I'm a sucker for these blues.

The formula of Eurso Euro is absolute perfection, but with OPI that's basically what I expect (though of course, it's not always the case). But here it is. I used two coats here, and the polish went on smoothly and easily, no problems at all. This color has such depth to it, I love it. It dries down to a nice shiny finish as well.

Artificial light - flash:

Artificial light:

Natural light - shade:

Natural light - sun:

Ahhhh, I just love this. What a gorgeous blue! It's deep, but never too dark. Even though this was released in the spring, I think Eurso Euro would look great year-round.

OPI GoldenEye

Tonight I have another pretty pretty sparkly gorgeous polish for you! This is OPI GoldenEye, which is one of the polishes that was released in OPI's James Bond collection this winter. Like many polishes, I've have these swatches sitting in a folder but haven't pulled them out yet. GoldenEye is a mix of fine, dense yellow gold glitter in a clear base.

I seen some bloggers comment on how sheer it is, but I got pretty good coverage with two coats. This first was definitely sheer, but I only needed three coats to get the coverage in my pictures below. I did find that the glitter would thin out as I reached my tips, but that's my only complaint. GoldenEye is very shiny and reflective and has sort burnished metal look to it. Or even hammered metal. I love the way this looks!

Artificial light - flash:

Artificial light:

Natural light - shade:

I'm generally a fan of golds, even though they can be hard to wear, and GoldenEye is no exception. Probably moreso in this case because GoldenEye has such a unique look to it. I haven't seen another gold quite like this. This will probably make an appearance during football season!