Early Morning Hotness: WnW Blazed

Apologizes for the lack of updates and news lately, I've been busy studying since my final was yesterday, and then today I went with my friends to the beach. It's been an exhausting day, but it was really nice to just chill with my friends since I won't see them until next year! Anyway, the real news (besides OMG! Exclusive OPIs to mark the start of 90210 version 2.0 and the fall NYC collection polish) is that I'm finally going home on Monday! I'm going to be more than dead on Monday, but I promise hopefully Tuesday or at the latest Wednesday, I will have some amazing picspam for you guys. That's because I have a HUGE pile of Misa, and I think Essie and China Glaze as well polishes to swatch and review. It's going to be a lot of fun.

It's going to be busy for the next couple of days so I'll just talk about the most G-rated way to get blazed. I'm talking of course of Wet n Wild's Blazed, a fun but demure light orange that has some coral undertones.
This picture makes it look more coral than it is, although it straddles that coral-orange line, it ultimately is more orange.

And well, here's the thing. I'm totally a shimmer girl, but lately I've really been digging creme polishes. Blazed is super shiny on its own (it's two coats here), but add a topcoat and it was still shiny on day 4 as it was on day 1. And I love shine too. For 99 cents the quality is just outstanding....I think I may have to pick up more WnW polishes. I mean I love NYC but WnW is really winning me over. Now if only they could create a non-streaky yellow polish that's as pretty as NYC Taxi Yellow. Actually, if any company could make a non-streaky yellow, that would be perfect.

Sunny Side Down with Extra Whites

Recently, I'm all about the bright, fun colors. I'm having a lapse right now by wearing a vampy shade (Nina Out of the Blue, see previous post) but last week I was all about the unconventional light colors.

I started last week by wearing Pure Ice Super Star! Yup, there is naturally an exclamation point in the name. With a name so exciting, the color must be great too, right? Well, I love it. Super Star! is a stark white creme polish that happens to be opaque in one coat. I used three because the second coat was a little streaky but topcoat evened everything out for me. Here it is in shade and sun:

I think white and yellow polishes make my skin look a lot tanner, which for me is annoying because for a Chinese girl I have super dark skin and when I go to China no one believes I'm Chinese. But at the same time, I love the contrast of the white against my skin. My fascination with white polish began last year when the girl that sat next to me in calculus class wore white polish once. Her skin was a lot lighter than mine but it still looked amazing, which is why I think more people can pull off solid white polish than they think. Is it a little too white-out looking though? Maybe I'm a bit biased but I think it looks waaaaay better than just painting your nails with white-out. It's a lot smoother (or at least it looks like it would be). Don't forget that you can only find Pure Ice polishes at Wal-Mart too. As you can maybe kind of tell with the shade picture, it's very glossy with a topcoat, as cremes tend to be, which adds onto the whole not-looking-like-white-out thing.

I then ended last week with Rimmel Sunny Side. Jen's been egging me to get this shade for forever because it's just gorgeous, a light orange/slightly coral color that has fine, but not micro-sized, gold glitter. I went through a lot finding it because it looks as if Rimmel is revamping some of their bottles and stuff. I even had a terrible moment where I got the last one at Walmart, but then someone stole my cart. It was a crushing moment for a polish addict. However, I eventually got it.

Application was pretty bad, there's just something about the 60 Sec. Vinyl Shine polishes that are very difficult to apply because it's as if the polish is drying mid-air so there's a bit of drag. I was also a bit disappointed because even with topcoat, the color wasn't as shiny as I hoped it would be (I LOVE gloss and shine). I normally use INM Out the Door topcoat, which is pretty glossy but it did nothing for this polish. I think Jen had more luck with Seche Vite topcoat in creating a shiny finish. She loves this polish but I think my favorite Rimmel so far is probably still Pop Apricot. Sunny Side isn't a bad color, but I was just expecting a better finish.

Early Morning Hotness: Essie Neons

I apologize for the delay in getting these pictures to you guys, it's been a very hectic week. I rarely get chips in my polish but I actually did get two while moving on Saturday. I felt like I had crossed an important milestone in my life, hehe. I haven't even caught up with my daily readings of the nail board at MUA and CNN/BBC in the past four days. It's been quite a week.

Anyway, onto the neons! I normally swatch without a base or top coat but since neons dry so matte due to the pigmentation in them, I added a topcoat to truly represent the color. Here they are all together:

L-R: Bermuda Shorts, Shorty Pants, Mini Shorts, Short Shorts

First, although I'm not a purple girl I must say that I really liked Bermuda Shorts. It had one of the best applications of the four, and it made my skin look very pale (always a plus in my look, I hate that I tan so easily). It's a great vibrant neon purple.
Now, I love yellow polish, but it does make my fingers look extremely tan. The contrast is nice but it doesn't photograph well. Anyway, Shorty Pants is a gorgeous neon yellow creme that is a true yellow, it doesn't turn out mustard-y like Icing Smooth Like Butta does. However, I must say that the application on this one wasn't the best. Maybe it was finicky because it wanted to have a name ending in 'shorts' too? It might be a yellow thing (NYX Carnation was also very streaky, NYC Taxi Cab Yellow was too watery/streaky until I let it dry out), but this one does require a lot of patience.

Ahhh it makes my hand look so dark! But honestly the contrast is awesome. I gave a sneak peek of Mini Shorts earlier, but with topcoat it definitely gives it that extra kick of neon. This one also had a good application

And finally, Short Shorts. I didn't think it was very neon until I looked at it on my computer screen (disadvantages of having a crappy digital camera and being colorblind). Just....wow. Definitely a pink that makes a statement. The application on this was ok, not perfect but workable like most other polishes.

Neons are hard to photograph but hopefully I did ok. I had to slap Orly Live Wire over Shorty Pants though to make it even more gorgeous (I love shimmer)...hopefully everyone can see the glorious golden shimmer...if not, click to enlarge.


And yes, I've graduated from tagging my pics with my MUA name to the blog URL. Does it look ok?

My nails are actually bare now, one because it's easier to swatch on whim whenever I please but also because my nails are recovering from using a SH basecoat (more on that later) which completely dried out my nails and stripped them completely of their natural oils and made them peel a bit. Ugh. More on that later, I'll have a complete product review. I've also been really good on not spending too much on polish lately but I did haul quite a bit today. I got my first Nubar polish (Cotton Candy), my second Zoya polish (Akyra), my first SH Salon line polish (You-Gurt Style) and my first Borghese polish (Capri Coral). But those are not the only polishes I got, which is quite terrible!

Anyway, even though I had some application issues, these neons are still really hot and perfect for summer!

Not For the Color Shy....

Is there a certain polish that brings you good memories? The one I can think of most prominently is Orly Passion Fruit. It's the color I was wearing to support one of my favorite tennis players, Novak Djokovic, during the finals of the 2008 Australian Open (I didn't have any of the Australian OPIs, so I just went for the word 'passion,' hehe). Ok so yeah, Nole's a little arrogant and sort of bends the rules sometimes when it comes to his excessive ball bouncing and whatnot. But that boy definitely has potential. And at least comes off as very charming in interviews. Hey, at least he gets put in his place too by Nadal and Federer. No matter how much he tries, I don't think he's going to advance much further than where he's been at for almost a year. Not yet, at least. Federer's poor performance at the French Open might foreshadow the end of his reign. But all three of them are amazing players!

Sorry, tennis tangent. Anyway, Passion Fruit. It's what I was wearing when Djokovic won his first (and hopefully not last!) Grand Slam title. Kind of a big deal, yes, but let's hope that he doesn't take the route of Andy Roddick (never really been a Roddick fan, sorry) and stays consistent. Well I figured this week I could use some luck, because clearly my polish helped Djokovic win....it's like he knew my passion for him. Ok, toning down the crazy, I promise...though that was also half-sarcasm there too. Half. I still love him. Seriously though, Passion Fruit is NOT for the color-shy. It's noticeable and is one of those statement polishes. It's a very bright, hot pink. Surprisingly I was able to capture the color pretty well.....


Also, as a favor for hill78 on MUA, I swatched Essie Mini Shorts yesterday when my nails were bare (I was getting ready to paint Passion Fruit but one swatch doesn't hurt!)....as with all neons it does dry matte. I tried to take the pictures as soon as I could but they still dulled a bit. The color is definitely brighter in real life. I've never been much of an orange girl but this could be a cool color to rock during the summer.


Also, I would like to thank the many of you who responded to my post Wow!, I've received a lot of great info about nail trends and colors in other countries! When I have a few more I'll be sure to post their thoughts. Thank you all!

What a Tease!

After a long and exhausting week, I'm ready to relax.....by studying for finals next week. I've given into the fact that the first half of June has/is going to be a lose-lose situation. But look what beauties decided to drop in today:

L-R: Bermuda Shorts, Shorty Pants, Mini Shorts, Short Shorts

Yep, the new Essie Neon collection. They released a LE neon collection last year too, but those were much sheerer. From the pics I've seen on MUA and 15 Min. Beauty Fanatic, these are highly pigmented. I'm eager to try these, but I will have to wait...but instead of just being a tease, I present you with pics of another polish.....Pure Ice Tease. It's a perfect summery color, a bright fuchsia with a hefty dose of blurple shimmer. I'm not sure how to classify the shimmer in this but it's so nice!


Pure Ice polishes can be found at Walmart for fairly cheap, I've forgotten the exact price. But they are good quality polishes for the money. Everyone over at the nail board has gone crazy over Pure Ice Heartbreaker, which is a great polish for layering over cremes because of the gorgeous shimmer in it. Also, occasionally these polishes will be out of stock...don't resort to the internet! Eventually they will be restocked, sometimes in a matter of days. Patience, patience.

With Essie's new neon collection as a direct competition with MAC and Chanel's neon collections, what do you guys think? It's definitely the cheapest alternative compared to the rest, but they are all different enough to justify (in my world at least), having them all. MAC's Phosphor, for instance, is a bit more frosty than Chanel's LA Sunrise or Essie's Shorty Pants. LA Sunrise is also lighter, and Shorty Pants is the only out of the three to be a straight creme.

Also, given Essie's surprising hit with their summer collection, and now a collection of neons, do you sense that they're branching out from their usual conservatism? Granted, the neon collection is limited edition but the pigmentation is a departure from the demure Essie polishes of the past. This could be the evolution of something great....perhaps a collection of sheer holo's? Something that incorporates their signature soft, workplace-safe colors with an infusion of holographic glitter for a bit of edge. I could easily see a nice nude holographic version of Congo Bongo, a pretty soft pink holo version of Charmeuse or My Place or Yours, or a pretty white holo with Intimate. China Glaze and OPI have all released holo collections, what do you guys think? I'm always in favor of progression while not completing leaving behind the basics. I think it's possible that Essie's color selection could become more daring without alienating their original fan base. After all, their tag line is that Essie is a color-holic. It's nice to see that becoming more of a reality now.

Early Morning Hotness: Essie Summer Collection '08

I won't be able to post for a few days because school is getting busy again, so here's a lengthy post to tide you guys over! I was given the opportunity to try out Essie's summer collection. Now, I know that Essie gets a lot of flack for not being terribly creative or innovative with their colors but sometimes you need classic and classy colors(or at least what society thinks is classy, I think anything is fine). Not to mention they can be streaky. Now, when I first saw Essie's new collection, my reaction (and echoed by the nail board) was....meh. But given the opportunity to try it, I must say that this collection comes highly recommended.

True, you probably don't need all the colors, but if you really really want one of these colors, I say take the plunge and get it. The application was surprisingly amazing for all of them (My Place or Yours and Movers & Shakers were only slightly streaky but even then the application was great). I could go on and on about the application and glossy finish of these polishes, I think that's really why I've got this silly little crush on these polishes.

L-R: Escapades, Guilty Pleasures, My Place or Yours, Secret Stash, Movers and Shakers, Risky Business

From the press release:
Escapades: red, red-coral
Guilty Pleasures: pink strawberry bliss
My Place or Yours: a sophisticated pink rose
Secret Stash: dramatic, traffic-stopping fuschia
Movers and Shakers: sassy, bold pink
Risky Business: `glam red meets shimmery tangerine

*click on pictures for a closer view*

I honestly didn't see much coral in Escapades, to me it's like a tomato-red. Though very pretty, it seems like a very familiar color. (please excuse the dark stains, it's from removing DS Fantasy)

Guilty Pleasures is very appropriate for summer, it's a great bright pink. I can easily see this pair with a little black dress or a black bathing suit/bikini for a cute flirty look.

My Place or Yours is, as I've mentioned before, only a bit harder to apply than the others. It's the softest pink in the entire collection and very much up my alley.

Secret Stash is definitely a bold color. I'm not a huge fan of purple tones despite of how it looks on me but this color, I will grudgingly admit, is pretty hot. It's got a great almost jelly-like finish.

Movers & Shakers is yet another pink infused with a bit of neon. I think this is maybe the most neon you can get away with in a stricter work environment.

Finally, I saved the best for last. Risky Business is the only non-creme in this collection, and embodies the great subtle shimmer that Essie's can have. It's a very wearable orange but my only gripe with this is that it's very sheer. Three coats make it opaque, but I found that even with four coats there was still a bit of visible nail line up close. However, it is a very glowy color, packed with gorgeous shimmer. I do wish that this were more pigmented, but I'm wondering if the sheerness is what makes this color so wearable? Or maybe this color would be even greater layered over say, Escapades? Ok I've got to try that! But here is Risky Business alone:


Bottom line? You could probably live without all the pinks, obviously. But I do think that if it's in your budget, you can't go wrong with any polish in this collection. I didn't really get excited about any of the colors until I put them on me....such is the beauty of swatching. By the way, I did all of these swatches without any top coat, so you know the finish is pretty great. Even though none of these colors are incredibly dramatic (except maybe Risky Business), they are still very pretty with great application (I just had to say it just one more time! Application is usually what sells me because painting my nails relieves a lot of stress, except some polishes make it more stressful).

I would however love to see more unconventional colors from Essie. Another green and blue such as Dominica Green and Starry Starry Night respectively couldn't hurt, right? I did hear rumors of a neon set from Essie though, I'll have to check that out next time I go.

The summer collection is in stores now, Essie retails for $8.00 US and C$11.00 CAD, and can be found at Ulta, select beauty supply stores, and online at e-tailers as well was essie.com.