Sally Hansen Salon Effects Nail Strips: Girl Flower

I've got a bucket of of fun for you today!  You've probably seen these at your local CVS, Walmart, etc.  Maybe picked them up, checked them out a little, put them back.  I did the same thing.  Like 10 times.  Curiosity got the best of me, and I finally caved.

Each package contains 16 polish strips, an angled cuticle stick, a little emery board/buffer, and detailed instructions.  The strips are real polish and, as I learned from Michelle at All Lacquered Up, are Big-4 free (meaning no DBP, toluene, formaldehyde, OR formaldehyde resin) - making these a great option for anyone with allergies to those ingredients.  

Application is a bit of a learning experience, but it's not really difficult.  You just find the strip that best matches your nail size (go a size up if you can't find one that fits perfectly), peel off the protective layer and backing, and stick it on, and remove the excess.  Getting the strips to line up perfectly with my nails was a bit challenging at first, but got easier as I did more of them.  

The hardest part for me was removing the excess on the tips.  You're supposed to use the file to kind of file it off and then buff to smooth, but for some reason it just wasn't really working that well for me.  Maybe I needed to use a different file than the one it came with.  I also had trouble getting the strip to lay flat against my nail at the tip - they kept wrinkling at the very tip and then I would pick at it and cause it to chip off (like that chip on my ring finger).  I imagine this will improve with practice.  It wasn't a huge deal - it just made it kind of rough around the edge.  If anyone has any tips for me, I'd GREATLY appreciate it!  :-)

It took me about 35 minutes to do all 10 nails.  Not bad for my first try, I think!  Check out the final look!

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How fun is that?!  Girl Flower is definitely an homage to the Minx nails that Katy Perry made so popular and it's a perfect look for spring and summer.  I think the pattern doesn't quite jive with my skin tone, but I still enjoyed wearing it.  Removal is absurdly easy with just regular polish remover.  

Think it's too busy for your own nails?  You could totally wear these on your toes (the cleanup will just be a bit more intensive).  I actually plan on doing it myself!  The price is a little steep.  I think I paid $10.49 for these?  But you can wait until they go BOGO 50% off and save.  Overall, I think these strips are a great product (you go Sally!) and I would definitely recommend them.  Seriously, if I can do this, anyone can!

What do you think?  Have you tried them?  Got any tips??

Essie Mink Muffs

My skin tone hates me.  I originally intended for this post to be about OPI Tickle My France-y.  The other day hubby and I were invited to a dinner party, which made me incredibly short on time for my manicure.  It's a nude polish that walks the line between creme and sheer.  Nudes are extremely forgiving in their application, which made it perfect since I didn't have all the time in the world to be cleaning up my inevitably sloppy manicure.  It's a fan favorite on MUA as an "interview-friendly" polish, and I was all excited to finally try it out after getting it for Christmas.  Sigh.

You guys, it was bad.  SO terribly bad.  It was so terrible it was turrible.  I got one coat on one nail and couldn't get it off fast enough.  I didn't even want to take a picture of it.  It looks SO good on everyone else, but my skin tone is the wonkiest skin tone on the planet.  It finds every weird mauve-y pink tone it can to pull out of my polish colors to mutate them into something hideous.  I'm never going to find my perfect nude.  I've pretty much just given in to that fact.  Maybe if I stop trying, it'll just find me.  

Plan B:  Essie Mink Muffs.   If OPI Suzi Says Da! was like dark chocolate, think of Mink Muffs as smooth milk chocolate.  It's another one of those addictive neutrals that I had on my list for a while.  I was pleased to find that it applied quickly and easily in two coats with no problems.  The cuticle drag on my ring finger was my fault, not the polish.  I was applying this polish like a madwoman.  Excuse the scratches in the finish and the mild tipwear - this photo was taken the day after I applied it.

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Simple.  Nothing too fancy here.  This isn't one of those polishes that I'm gonna say you need to have or should go run and get it now.  It's not that amazing, but it is nice.  As soon as I applied it, I was curious how it compared to Milani Teddy Bare (an almost dead-on dupe for Chanel Particulière).  Here's a bottle comparison:

(L) Essie Mink Muffs; (R) Milani Teddy Bare

Similar, but let's take a closer look...

(L) Essie Mink Muffs; (R) Milani Teddy Bare

Mink Muffs is a bit darker and more red-toned than the lighter and more yellow-toned Teddy Bare.  The real difference here is in application.  No surprise that the Essie is a thinner formula.  It applies smoothly, but the application on Teddy Bare is to die for.  It's like butter, and it's a one-coater for folks with careful application.  They're different enough to own both, but I would say if you weren't able to track down the limited edition Teddy Bare, Mink Muffs may satisfy your lemming.  It's in Essie's core line and you can pick it up for $8 at Ulta.  :-)

OPI Merry Midnight

It's not a very well-hidden fact that the hubby and I hate grocery shopping.  Like, hate it.  I just really couldn't think of much of a bigger waste of our time.  It takes like two hours and then we have to haul everything up three flights of stairs and then still cook it?!  And we also have this awful habit of either going when we're hungry, and therefore wanting to buy everything in sight (We totally need this oversized bag of Reese's peanut butter cups, right honey?) or going right after we stuff ourselves and then buy pretty much nothing (Food?  We need that stuff?).  It's just always a total nuisance, so we try to only go about once a month.  About two weeks ago the pantry was starting to look a little bare.  Off to Walmart...grumble...grumble...

So, our Walmart is one of those super Walmarts with a nail salon in it.  I've always kind of peeked in to see what they're selling - usually the current OPI collection.  For some reason, in the checkout line after our monthly shopping excursion, something happened to catch my eye from inside the nail salon.  I made hubby take care of all that payment business while I went to check it out.  Turns out it was just the jellies from the OPI Texas collection in a strange unmarked white cardboard display, but once I was in the door, I realized they had a huge shelf of polishes tucked away in the corner that looked awfully promising.  Just a few minutes of poking around and what did I find??

HOLY GUACAMOLE!  It's OPI Merry Midnight and a holographic My Private Jet!  Don't get too excited, it's not THE holographic My Private Jet that everyone will claw your eyes out for and/or sell it to you for $75 on eBay.  But it's definitely more holo than the current version.  Check it:

Awesome, right?  It's only about half full, but they sold it to me for $3!  Merry Midnight is almost completely full and was only $5 - SCORE!

This weekend I decided to test drive Merry Midnight, as it's a fan favorite on MUA.  It's definitely unique - opalescent flakes with blue and red shimmer, suspended in a berry colored jelly base.  It applies really nicely too.  Smooth formula and two coats!  I never thought I'd be drawn to a polish like this, but I...love...this!  I apologize for attaching so many pictures, but I couldn't pick just two!  Click to enlarge to see all the fun going on in this polish!

How awesome is this???  It's just so visually intriguing!  I haven't stopped staring at my nails since I put it on four days ago!  The only part about this that makes me sad is that it was released with OPI's 2009 Holiday Wishes collection, which means it's pretty hard to find now.  I hate that about those limited edition collections.  It's still available on eBay but you'll pay a higher price for it, so you may be better off trying your local nail salons that might still have a bottle laying around from last year.  It's so worth it, and the hunt is definitely part of the fun!

Hmmm...on second thought, there's another part about this polish that makes me sad - taking it off!  ;-)

OPI Suzi Says Da!

Now this is me!  I needed a good cozy polish after my encounter with Illamasqua Rampage.  We just weren't a good match.  (It's not you, Rampage, it's me.  We're just better as friends.)  OPI Suzi Says Da! was just what the doctor ordered!  :-)

Suzi Says Da! (I hate these exclamation points that are part of the polish name) is a red-toned brown creme.  I know it pulls pretty red here, but this is definitely a brown.  Think dark chocolate, with red undertones.  Mmmm...chocolate.  It applies beautifully, too.  Perfect consistency, easy to control, and opaque and even in two coats.  What more could I ask for?

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Isn't it lovely?  It's so great for work too - a good neutral that's dark but never black. 

Suzi Says Da! was released with the Russian Collection from fall 2007.  Gosh, that was an epic collection.  I wish OPI would release another one with that kind of awesomeness.  I mean seriously, almost every single polish from that collection was gorgeous.  Sigh.  Luckily most of that collection, including this one, made it to the core line, so you can get it at Ulta for the standard $8.50.  Yay!

Illamasqua Rampage

So, remember how Illamasqua Baptiste and I were completely in love?  Well, after our honeymoon, I ran out to Sephora to pick up another one of my Illamasqua lemmings - Rampage.  It's known as "The Jesus" on MUA, so I of course only had the highest of expectations for it.  Let's just go straight to the pictures (I took a few in different lightings, because Rampage is apparently quite the chameleon).

Under my Ott-Lite:

Outside, on a cloudy day:

Rampage is a blackened, forest green jelly.  Somehow the jelly finish brightens it, so even though it's a deep green, it's still vibrant.  It walks the "almost black" line, but never crosses it.  It's definitely the green that OPI's Here Today...Aragon Tomorrow wanted to be.

I don't know, you guys - I think someone needs to take my temperature.  This just isn't doing it for me.  I mean don't get me wrong, the application was flawless in two coats (and I completely expected to need three) and it's a lovely color, but I just feel kind of meh about it.  I don't hate it, but it just doesn't blow me away.  And for $14 a pop, it better!

I did a quick comparison of Rampage (3 coats) with OPI Here Today...Aragon Tomorrow (3 coats) and Orly Enchanted Forest (2 coats).

(L) to (R):  OPI HTAT, Illamasqua Rampage, Orly Enchanted Forest

You'll have to take my word for it that my lighting is washing out these colors.  HTAT is not this green.  For all intensive purposes, unless you're in FULL, DIRECT sunlight, it's black.  That's what was so disappointing about it.   And I'm shocked at how pale Enchanted Forest looks compared to these two colors!  It almost looks grey!  Trust me, it's much more saturated than it shows in this picture.  I'm gonna have to do a post on it just to do it proper justice.  LoL

Bottom line:  I'm not all that impressed with Rampage, but if you love greens, I think it'll be a keeper for you.  Maybe a good St. Patty's day manicure??  :-)

Sally Hansen Grey Area

Hook, line, sinker...I'm caught!  It's an addiction.  I can't stop buying these "edgy neutrals"!  They're just so versatile!  Interesting, yet work appropriate, but not boring at all.  The triple threat!  Sigh.  

The flavor of the week is Sally Hansen Grey Area.  It's the definition of "purple grey."  I really can't think of how else to describe it.  It's in a different vein than that of its more brown-toned relatives OPI You Don't Know Jacques (a taupey brown) and Sephora by OPI Metro Chic (a purpley taupe).  Grey Area is one smokey hotness of a polish!  This is two coats shown here, and I had zero issues with application.  Just smooth perfection.

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Grey Area is reportedly a dead-on dupe for Essie's hit Smokin' Hot from this past fall's collection.  The difference is that the Essie will cost your $8 (and good luck finding it), while Grey Area is just $2.99.  WIN!  It started hitting the shelves in Sally Hansen seasonal displays a few months ago, but I know a few girls on MUA have seen brand new displays out as recently as a few days ago.  I myself stumbled upon this tucked away randomly in the permanent display at my local grocery store (which never has any seasonal displays).  So, I'm not sure what Sally's ultimate plan is for this polish, but grab it if you find it!  

Illamasqua Baptiste

Remember when deep purple vampies were all the rage a few years back?  In magazines all the models were rocking some deep mysterious color on their short nails.  It was actually the trend that set in motion my undying need for polish.  I needed a deep, shimmery purple polish.  For some reason, it was almost impossible to find.  I found a few deep creme finishes that I liked, but they just weren't quite what I was looking for.  I stumbled upon OPI Russian Navy, which I love, but it isn't purple.  It filled the void well enough.  Or so I thought...

You guys...the heavens have opened, cherubs are singing, and fairies are dancing around unicorns in enchanted forests, because I finally found my true love!  I'd been interested in Illamasqua Baptiste for a while, and I finally brought it home in a swap.  I know I love a lot of polishes, but I'm not joking - Baptiste is magical.  

I've heard nothing but rave reviews for Illamasqua polishes, and I know why!  Baptiste applied like a dream in two easy coats.  It's totally a one-coater, but well...don't we know me by now?  It's the most beautiful blackened red-leaning purple with red and blue shimmer - the same kind that makes Russian Navy so gorgeous.  It wears like iron, too.  I've had it on for four days now with only minimal tip wear.  I am so in LOVE with this polish, I've been staring at my nails all weekend!  

Unfortunately, cameras don't like to photograph purples, so please forgive me, as I had to color-correct the photos to show a more accurate color.  I still don't think I got it exactly right, but it's pretty darn close.  Please enlarge them to see up close!

Look at that shimmer!  *swoon*

Baptiste is all that and a bag of chips.  Seriously.  This is easily a Top 10 polish for me!  It's everything I ever wanted in a purple.  This was my first Illamasqua polish, but I promise you it's not my last (stay tuned for Rampage - brought it home this weekend)!  It's worth every penny of its $14 price tag.  You can pick it up at www.illamasqua.com, www.sephora.com, or at Sephora stores that carry Illamasqua, and I highly recommend you do, if you don't already own this beauty!

Baptiste, where have you been all my life?!