Another Look: China Glaze Sea Spray

The one good thing about blogging every day this month is I'm pulling out polishes I haven't worn in forever. Courtney's post of Raindrops yesterday made me want to wear Lynnderella's Gotta Love Brains.  I had planned on using Raindrops as my "underwear" because that what I saw over at the TraceFace Philes and I fell in love.  However since I wore Raindrops not that long ago, and Courtney wore it yesterday, I'd figure I'd give something else a go.  So after a few finger swatches I settled on Sea Spray.  And don't worry, Gotta Love Brains will be tomorrow's post.

Sea Spray came out in Spring 2011 as part of the Anchors Away collection.  It's a beautiful pale grey-tinged baby blue with some secret shimmer.  Courtney showed it to us back in February of last year.  She had formula issues and needed to thin it.  I didn't, but odds are very good that I could have thinned it after the first time I used it.  Whatever the case it went on easy in two coats.  I'm not sure why I don't wear this more often.  I actually think this would look awesome under the Essie Luxe Effect I just bought, Pure Pearlfection!

I really love this, but this mani only lasted 30 minutes before I slapped on Gotta Love Brains (I was just too excited to use it).  If you don't have Sea Spray yet or one of it's dupes, I think it's worth tracking down.  Essie Sag Harbor and OPI I Vant to be A-lone Star could easily satisfy your craving for this.  Sag Harbor is hard to find, but I Van to be A-lone Star should be easier.  There isn't a reason why you can't just get Sea Spray though.  Especially because you can get China Glaze polishes online pretty easily for half price.  You may still be able to find this at salons.  Retail on this one should be around $7.00.  You can get it today off of Sallybeauty.com for $6!

Another Look: Illamasqua Raindrops

After all the Christmas glitter and festive holiday polish, I needed a palette cleanser before I jumped into my next glitterfest on New Year's Eve.  I remembered how much Jessie raved about Illamasqua Raindrops, and since it's been sitting in my untrieds for far long enough (September at least), I thought it fit the bill quite nicely.

Raindrops is a pale greyed out blue polish with these amazing tiny silvery microflakies.  It falls heavily on the sheer side, but it has to, or else those beautiful flakies just wouldn't show up.  I used three kind of thick coats here, but if you're a thin-coat kind of girl, you'll probably need a fourth.  The application was flawless and streak-free.  Would we expect anything less from Illamasqua?  Definitely click to enlarge these photos and see how awesome this is!

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I owe Jessie SO much for this polish.  She totally surprised me by picking this one up for me when she ordered her own Raindrops during the big summer sale.  She's a peach!  Raindrops is everything I hoped it would be.  It's subtle and delicate and absolutely perfect for cleansing the palette between glitter bombs.  Looks just like raindrops on a window pane.  Sigh.

The downside to showing you guys this one is that it's a UK-exclusive.  And it's discontinued (Whyyyyy?!  *shakes fist*).  That being said, it's NOT impossible to get your hands on.   There are a few that pop up at any given time on MUA, and although there's only one for sale now, I expect to see more of them listed on ebay in the future.  I always hate to show polishes that are hard to find, but this one is just too lovely to not show you.

I hope everyone's had a great week so far!  It's almost the weekend, and the hubby and I will be celebrating both our birthdays with good friends!  Can't wait!  :-)

Deborah Lippmann Girls Just Want to Have Fun

And the last of my FredFlare.com haul!  Again, I bought this because it was $8.  Not a color I would have normally bought, but since I don't often get Deborah Lippmann polishes for half price, I figure why not?!  Girls Just Want to Have Fun is a beautiful coral creme.  It went on super smooth in two coats and is also very glossy.  This is without top coat.  Check out that shine!!!!!   It's definately a creme, but it's pretty squishy.  Almost in the jelly vicinity, but I didn't have the sheerness of Yellow Brick Road.  I don't have any corals like this.  I guess the next closest thing I have is RBL Coral, which I have yet to try out.  When I wear it one day I will do a comparison for you all.  In the meantime, enjoy these swatches.

Deborah Lippmann Girls Just Want to Have Fun

Deborah Lippmann Girls Just Want to Have Fun

Deborah Lippmann Girls Just Want to Have Fun

I'd say out of the 3 I picked up from FredFlare.com, this is the one I'd recommend at full price.  It's a beautiful, fun, and vibrant creme that is unique to my collection (although likely not unique to the nail polish universe).  You can pick up Girls Just Want to Have Fun at Deborah's website for $16.

Deborah Lippmann Yellow Brick Road

So part 2 of my FredFlare.com haul was Yellow Brick Road by Deborah Lippmann.  Honestly the only reason I got this is because it was $7.  Total impulse buy.  Plus I don't have anything like it.  The only other yellow I have is RBL Square Pants (which you can see here and here), so that also helped with my justification for buying this.  Yellow Brick Road is an odd polish, and when I opened the box to see the bottle you should have seen the look on my face.  I was like - oh this was a mistake.  Its much brighter and more yellow than Square Pants.  This one takes some guts to wear.  Good news is that its much softer on the nail than in the bottle.  I guess because of the wonderful jelly squishy texture.  I actually like the texture of this better than Square Pants, but I do think Square Pants is an easier yellow to wear.

Because this jelly is SO sheer, I needed 4 coats, but it is more sheer in real life.  I could still see through the polish. (Funny cause my Ott light seems to have the opposite effect of Courtney's X-Ray one!)  This dried pretty quick (much faster than Square Pants) and was very glossy.  Once again these pictures are without top coat.  And please excuse the dryness of my hands.  I was swatching and forgot the cuticle oil with this set.

Deborah Lippmann Yellow Brick Road

Deborah Lippmann Yellow Brick Road

Deborah Lippmann Yellow Brick Road with Flash

This is another Deborah Lippmann polish that you probably don't need, but if you could find on sale and you are in to unique colors this may be for you.  It is definitely unique and will always remind me of Lady Gaga and her egg outfit, which the color was first debuted with.  You can pick up Yellow Brick Road at Deborah's website for $16.

Deborah Lippmann I Know What Boys Like

My perfect periwinkle!  Why do I love every polish I put on my nails?  Maybe because I have a problem... a polish problem!  The first step is always admitting it right?

I actually don't have many other blues in this range, I guess my next closest is OPI Dating a Royal.  However the two aren't even close to being dupes.  Dating a Royal feels dustier to me, and paler (even though it's not a pastel).  This is just blue happiness.  I think this is actually pretty appropriately named.  A shade of blue like this one is definitely my fiance's favorite.

I Know What Boys Like went on it two perfectly smooth coats.  I really love Lippmann's formula.  It make me so happy and dries remarkably fast.  It's also super glossy.  This is without topcoat!!!

Deborah Lippmann I Know What Boys Like

Deborah Lippmann I Know What Boys Like

Deborah Lippmann I Know What Boys Like

So as always Deborah Lippmann's break the bank, I Know What Boys Like will set you back $16 at Deborah Lippmann's website or Nordstroms.com (free shipping!).  Unfortunately I don't know a dupe for this one.  Can you skip it?  Probably.  It's lovely and I'm happy I have it, but I got it for $8 on FredFlare.com on a clearance sale pre-Christmas.  I'd say pick this up for sure if you can find it on sale - otherwise you can probably save you $$ for a Lynnderella :).

Lynnderella Connect the Dots

Sometimes there are polishes that are just awesome beyond belief.  This is one of those polishes.  

Connect the Dots is a completely unique concoction of black and white opaque glitter in a variety of sizes and shapes.  There's hexagons, squares, bars, and even small round glitter all in a clear base with subtle shimmer.  The clear base makes it necessary for layering, so I'm showing you one(ish) coat of Connect the Dots over Zoya Dove.  I think that may be two coats on my index finger.  Despite the crazy shapes, it's surprisingly easy to work with.  Even easier than Lucky Numbers.  Just a small amount of manipulation was needed to put the glitter where I wanted it, and everything laid almost perfectly flat.  Definitely enlarge these photos to see all that's going on with this polish!

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Perfection.  This is Lynnderella at her best (though, honestly, when is she not?!)  It may just be the coolest polish I own.  The simple color scheme makes it perfect for layering over just about anything, but I just adore the monochromatic look when its layered over grey.  This was an incredibly popular manicure.  I got a ton of compliments just about anywhere I went!  A lot of people thought I did a splatter-paint technique, and from far away, I can definitely see where they're coming from.  Personally, this look kind of reminds me of those sprinkly garage floors.  Know what I mean?

Connect the Dots is a hands-down MUST HAVE.  Whatever the cost (including your first born), you NEED this!  Lynnderella will be opening shop with a new collection on her blog in the next month or so, so keep your eyes peeled for the opening!  If a five polish minimum is a little too high, you can also check out Lynnderella's polishes on llarowe.  $12 is almost a steal for a polish this awesome.  

Also, don't forget to check out our Finger Paints Special Effects Blogaversary Giveaway, if you haven't already!  :-)

October Julep Maven Box

OK, another month closer to getting caught up on my Julep Maven boxes.  October was actually a pretty awesome box.  The colors aren't revolutionary, but they are beautiful and perfect for when I need some more professional nail polish at work.  I actually did wear Malin when meeting my business unit's President (super exciting!) and just recently wore Gayle.  This month also included Glow On, a hand brightener.

I have to admit, after getting the hand lotion and scrub, I was pretty disappointed to see the hand brightener. I've really got no use for this and it's got the same weird smell.  At least I've got 2 amazing polishes to make up for it.

First up is Gayle, which I wore last week.  This is so beautiful.  I'd call it an eggplant or aubergine.  I think I'm so smitten with this because I'm considering a color like this for one of my wedding colors.  This is bright and vampy at the same time, and unlike any other purple I have.  This was two coats, but I could have easily done one.  And although my pictures show a bump on my ring finger, it was my fault not the polishes.  Gayle is a straight up creme, and she is special. 

Malin is a soft pale pink champagne with some beautiful shimmer in it.  You do get brush strokes with application (this is 2 coats), but I don't even care.  I don't have very many nudes, pale pinks, or "work appropriate colors.  So not only is this something I don't have - but I love it! It's so feminine and soft and pretty.  If you need a pale pink or nude, definitely consider picking Malin up.

These polishes are full of win!  You can pick these up on Julep's website for $14 each.  I highly recommend you check these out.