Nine Zero Lacquer February 2016

I'm easing back into my posting and quite honestly, have just not been on the ball enough to get posts written up/photos edited ahead of time. I had been trying to do that and it had actually been helping me a lot but now I'm tired and behind. So I'm going to stick to 3 post per week schedule until I'm feeling like I can get back in the groove of more posts in a week! I have also started leaving my laptop at work during the week, making it more difficult to post during the week. Today I have a polish I wore awhile ago (and it was also released awhile ago)-- Nine Zero February 2016, which was the monthly polish from Nine Zero released backed in February. I actually wore it in March, but of course it's been sitting on my SD card since then and I just haven't gotten around to posting it! A bit of a shame because now I probably don't have as much to say about it as I could have back when I first wore it, but ah well! 

February 2016 is described as a "periwinkle blue holographic with holographic silver microglitter added in for extra sparkle." This is an accurate description, so no quibbles there! Being that it's been at least three months since I wore this, I don't recall having any issues when I applied this! I am pretty sure I used three coats here because that's my MO but you could probably get away with two if that's your jam! 

Gorgeous, isn't it? I love these periwinkle ones and really, you can't go amiss with holo and microglitters! The formula is good and I continue to like the polishes that make up the Nine Zero brand. Luckily, if you like this polish, Jessica, the creative mind behind the brand, has decided to make her POTMs available until the end of the year, so you can go have a look if you are interested! I still need to pick up the May and June polishes! 

Sinful Colors A-Crush

IWednesday, hump day! Woo! Today I have another polish from the Sinful Colors Chalkboard Matte collection to share with you! This is A-Crush (which I guess is supposed to be a spin on A-plus?! Not sure about that.) and I would call A-Crush a periwinkle satin matte (as opposed to yesterday with Zoya Nyx, which was definitely not periwinkle, despite being described as such).

Ok, real talk: these photos are from August. It's now January. Safe to say, I don't remember a whole lot about this one. I don't think the formula was terrible, but I did see some bubbling when this dried. It's possible I applied the polish too thickly or didn't let it dry. Because I wore this in August, it was also very hot, and that may have affected A-Crush as well. This is at least two coats, possibly three. A-Crush dries to satin matte finish (as opposed to a true flat matte)-- it looks a bit more shiny in my photos than it does in real life, but I did not use a top coat here.

Artificial light (flash):

I think this color is gorgeous, but the bubbling is annoying. Again, with all the heat we had this summer, it may have affected the formula-- or perhaps my coats were just too thick, because I don't think I've seen bubbling in other swatches. Next time I wear this, I will try to apply thinner coats (or potentially add some thinner) to prevent bubbling. 

Colors by Llarowe Meet Me Over The Rainbow Bridge

Hi all! Hope you have had an enjoyable weekend! Today I have beautiful though somewhat sad themed polish to share with you: Colors by Llarowe Meet Me Over The Rainbow Bridge, which creator Leah Ann made in memory of her dog, Zipper, whom she had recently lost. I'm sure we have all had a beloved pet that we have lost-- our pets become part of our families and it's hard to lose them!

Meet Me Over The Rainbow Bridge is a gorgeous periwinkle purple with a slight blue duochrome and a beautiful rainbow holographic finish (of course). The holo effect is not blinding, but it certainly comes out first and foremost when wearing this. The formula was pretty good, as far as I recall (I wore this back in June) and I think I remember being surprised that the periwinkle base wasn't too sheer. I can't remember if this is two coats or three-- my apologies! I certainly don't recall having any issues and it was easy to apply.

Artificial light (flash):

I think this polish is beautiful and I'm glad Leah Ann was able to channel her grief into something so lovely. It's a sweet way to remember her pet-- and for the rest of us to remember pets we have lost.

Meet Me Over The Rainbow Bridge was a charity polish (proceeds were donated to the ASPCA) and limited edition and unfortunately is not available any longer.

Rescue Beauty Lounge Ah, Oui

Today I have another polish from the Rescue Beauty Lounge Je t'aime! Je t'aime! collection, which is based on owner Ji's time in Paris. Today I have Ah, Oui! (translation: ah, yes) which is described as being the epitomy of Parisian chic and as "not blue, not purple, and not gray; just picture a perfect, cloudless Parisian powdery periwinkle sky. This polish is a glasslike periwinkle crème jelly." When I first saw swatches of this collection, this was the polish I was drawn to first. My all-time favorite nail polish is creme, so when there's a pretty, bold periwinkle like this-- I had to have it. Periwinkle seems like it might be a demure color, but Ah, Oui! definitely packs a punch.

Because Ah, Oui! is a creme-jelly (or crelly), the formula is on the thinner side. The description on the RBL site calls it transparent in one coat, but it was more pigmented than that, at least with how I applied it. Because I have wider nail beds and the Rescue Beauty brush is pretty narrow, but I usually load the brush with polish to make sure I can actually cover my whole nail. I did need three coats to get the coverage you see in my photos. Because of the thinner formula, you do have to be careful of streaks and use a light hand when applying it. Ah, Oui! dried to a fairly glossy finish but I did add a shiny, quick-dry top coat.

Artificial light (flash):

This is a gorgeous polish, but is it necessarily worth the $20 price point? Well, probably not, but it depends on what you're comfortable with, of course. Ah, Oui! is a stunning color, but not necessarily unique-- though I I don't have time to try and find any dupes, so sorry about that. The formula is ok, but as it's a creme-jelly hybrid, it's to be expected that the formula is a bit on the thinner side. Given that

L'Oreal Skinny Jeans

Hope everyone enjoyed their Cinco de Mayo celebrations-- we whipped up quite the little Mexican insprired feast and I am currently pleasantly buzzed on margaritas. Sounds like a good Tuesday! Tonight I have a polish that has been kicking around since last summer-- whoops! I honestly meant for it to get on the blog a lot sooner than now, but... life. What can I say? This is Skinny Jeans, from last summer's Denim Collection, which consisted of six textured polishes. You've seen a few of them already on the blog. I got the whole collection, but it was this polish that made me want them in the first place!

Skinny Jeans is a periwinkle creme texture. This color is so pretty! I don't recall any issues when I applied it and I'm believe I used two coats here. Like most textures, this dried quickly and had a slightly scratchy finish but that wore down the longer I wore it.

Artificial light (flash):

Natural light (sun):

When texture polishes started coming out, I used to dislike the creme ones (meaning, the ones without glitter) but these cremes have really grown on me. Plus, periwinkle is a great summer color so these hits all the right notes for me! 

Sally Hansen Babe Blue

Today I have a quick post for you! I feel like all my Monday posts are quickies-- probably because I haven't gotten into the swing of week yet. This is Sally Hansen Babe Blue, which is a polish from the spring collection. Babe Blue is a pretty periwinkle blue with a slight shimmer-- the shimmer is practically invisible but you can catch a little glimpse of it here and there. The formula is ok-- it's a little on the thin side, so I needed three coats to make sure I had completely opaque coverage.

Artificial light (flash):

It is a pretty color, though the formula was just ok. My photos are a bit brighter here than this polish actually is in real life, but it's a nice traditional color for spring. Not all that unique, unfortunately, but pretty nonetheless! What colors are you craving for spring?

Happy Monday everyone!