Lynnderella Mercurial

Long time no post guys!  I am so sorry to have been away, especially when Ms. Courtney is so busy as well.  Between work, grad school, and planning a wedding, my time for blogging has been reduced.  I do have a few posts lined up, and I most recently did some serious hauling with Deborah Lippmann, Lynnderella, and Layla products.  For that reason I thought I would bring you 2 out of the 3 today, with a Layla to follow later this week.

I have already showed you Deborah Lippmann's Stormy Weather, but I thought it would make a great base for Lynnderella's Mercurial.  I took what I like to call a picture story of this amazing glitter, because words just can't do it justice.  Well neither can the pictures aparently.  There is so much to this polish you can't see in the picture.  Besides the silver, grey, black and purple glitter of various sizes suspended in a clear base, you have this gorgeous teal shimmer.  It was really hard to capture on camera with my current lens inside, but man, it just sparkles.  And check out the HUGE hexagon on my middle finger :).  I love this.

Lynnderella Mercurial over Deborah Lippmann Story Weather

Lynnderella Mercurial over Deborah Lippmann Story Weather 

Lynnderella Mercurial over Deborah Lippmann Story Weather 

Lynnderella Mercurial over Deborah Lippmann Story Weather 

Lynnderella Mercurial over Deborah Lippmann Story Weather 

Lynnderella Mercurial over Deborah Lippmann Story Weather 

Lynnderella Mercurial over Deborah Lippmann Story Weather 

Lynnderella Mercurial over Deborah Lippmann Story Weather 

This is just so cool. :)  If you are into this edgier glitter look, I highly recommend trying to get your hands on Mercurial.  It's pretty difficult to get at this point, but you'll want to head over to Llarowe's website to request to be put on the wish list when it reopens.  Stormy Weather can still be purchased from Deborah Lippmann's website, or my ever favorite - Zappos.com.

Deborah Lippmann Across the Universe

So last week before I took off Deborah Lippmann's I Know What Boys Like, I slapped Across the Universe over it to see how the combo would look.  I really really love this polish and it was my first Lippmann.  It's a dark blue jelly with blue and green glitter in varying sizes.  Total mermaid nails.  You definitely want to wear this over another polish, because building to opacity is tricky.  I usually wear it over OPI Dating a Royal, but this works too!



Deborah Lippmann Across the Universe

Deborah Lippmann Across the Universe

Deborah Lippmann Across the Universe

Check out that sparkle.  Mr. SLR hated photographing this one.  The light just goes nuts.  This polish will set you back $18 but is always available at Zappos.com or Nordstroms.com with free shipping.  This is a must have Lippmann, so if you don't have it and love it start saving up :).  Once I figure out how to take better SLR pictures of glitters, I'll redo these to get some zoomed in shots of it's awesome!  What do you think?

Rescue Beauty Lounge Coral

So remember when I brought you Deborah Lippmann's Girls Just Want to Have Fun?  Well I decided I might as well show you Coral by Rescue Beauty Lounge and get this comparison out of the way before I forgot about it forever.  This is another beautiful, fun, bright coral with an excellent formula.  These new swatches are just getting better and better.  This is another fantastic formula from RBL, and super shiny too. This is no top coat!  Coral is a more orange leaning coral than Girls Just Want to Have Fun.  Which I would have never know without wearing them next to each other on the nail.  This is 2 coats.

Rescue Beauty Lounge Coral

Rescue Beauty Lounge Coral

Rescue Beauty Lounge Coral

Time for the comparison.  The middle finger is Coral, the left and right are Girls Just Want to Have Fun (GJWTHF).

GJWTHF, Coral, GJWTHF

GJWTHF, Coral, GJWTHF

I have to say, formula wise I like RBL Coral better.  It's more opaque and is thinner.  Even though GJWTHF is a little squishy, its more sheer so I need more coats.  From a color perspective, the Lippmann wins all the way with me!  I'll take pink leaning over orange leaning any day :).

RBL Coral is still available on their website for $18 a bottle.  If that's a little steep for you, go with Girls Just Want to Have Fun to save a few dollars.  While they certainly aren't dupes, you likely don't need both in you life.

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 :).

Layering Fun: Deborah Lippmann Some Enchanted Evening over Rescue Beauty Lounge Dead Calm

So I've been in a pretty blue mood lately.  Not to say I'm sad or depressed, but I've been wearing only blue polishes.  I haven't worn this layering combo in forever (last I wore it was in January when I threw my hubby-to-be a surprise 30th birthday party) so I had to break it out!  I received Deborah Lippmann Some Enchanted Evening and RBL Dead Calm (as well as RBL Teal) from a blogsale over at Jessica v. Polish back at the beginning of January.  I was so excited about them I decided to wear the two together and a perfect match was made.  Something about the particular shade of pink glitter over that deep rich blue just screams match-made-in-heaven.

Putting Rescue Beauty Lounge's Dead Calm on again was so refreshing.  I think maybe I wore it once since  the first time I layered it and it's just wonderful.  It's a simple DARK navy blue creme, but it's a true one-coater and super super glossy.  This may have not been Courtney's perfect navy, but it is mine.  The thing I love the most about it is that while it is very dark, it always looks blue and never looks black.  

Deborah Lippman's Some Enchanted Evening is large hexagon pink glitter and small round pink glitter suspended in a clear base.  It is so feminine and pretty.  It's a great way to feel girly without being over top.  This is one coat below.  Please note it is a thicker coat and after the initial "painting" part I usually use a dotting motion to add more large glitter or move it around for a more distributed look.  You can also see where I've brought this to you before for my Hurricane Mani.  Some Enchanted Evening looks great over any dark creme.

Deborah Lippmann Some Enchanted Evening over Rescue Beauty Lounge Dead Calm

Deborah Lippmann Some Enchanted Evening over Rescue Beauty Lounge Dead Calm

Deborah Lippmann Some Enchanted Evening over Rescue Beauty Lounge Dead Calm

Deborah Lippmann Some Enchanted Evening over Rescue Beauty Lounge Dead Calm
One more time with the DL bottle!

Deborah Lippmann polishes are available at Nordstrom and Deborah Lippmann's site, or other online retailers like BeautyBar.com and Zappos.com. Some Enchanted Evening retails for $18 and was originally released in the All That Jazz trio for Nordstrom in 2010, but is now individually. Rescue Beauty Lounge Dead Calm is only available form the RescueBeauty.com website and it is also $18.  Man - this is one EXPENSIVE mani.  Anyway!!!!  If you are looking for a splurge, I'd get Dead Calm, cause it's perfect.  Luckily Essie just came out with a dupe of Some Enchanted Evening called A Cut Above which is only $8!  So if I were you I'd probably get the Essie over the DL.

Deborah Lippmann Happy Birthday over Essie Shelter Island

I have a tiny confession to make, this mani is a little old.  I was saving it, so I wouldn't mess up our 100 post plans :).  So bear with me as you and I catch up on some past manis! 

So at this point, life it finally starting to calm down for me a bit, which is a great thing, cause at the time I did this mani, it was SUNNY!  And it was time for my now 8 year old nephew's birthday party.  I have never worn Deborah Lippmann's Happy Birthday before (I got it in a nail polish swap).  I figured it's one of those polishes I'll wear like once a year, if that, but still one I have to have.  I figured if I was ever going to wear it this year, it was going to be for my nephew's birthday party!  I picked out a nice blue (Essie Shelter Island) as a base for Happy Birthday.  Given the constant state of my peelies, my naked nails are not cute.  So a base is a must for me.  Essie Shelter Island is pretty awesome on it's own, I'll have a separate post on that next.

Happy Birthday seems to have a few incarnations, and I've got the 2nd generation.  The first generation has small square glitter, and large hexagonal glitter.  There is no square glitter in my polish, only hexagonal.  In both generations, the glitter is an array of colors all suspended in a clear base.  Apparently the Get The Party Started Set is a bit different, which has yet another generation of Happy Birthday.  Scrangie sums is up here, showing us that the new Happy Birthday looks less like clown/circus and more like rainbow sprinkles :).  I thought it was pretty funny Scrangie said that. because I remember thinking while I was taking these pictures, how much Happy Birthday looks like a clown barfed on my nails.  I think layering it over blue, brought out the yellow and orange glitter, which I wasn't crazy about.  If I wore this again, I'd try it over another color.  

Now onto the pictures.  This is two coats of Essie Shelter Island (thick coats), topped with 1 coat of Deborah Lippmann Happy Birthday.  I think next time I may try wiping the brush a bit more  before applying to get a more sparse glitter effect.  Overall this was a great fun mani for a kid's birthday party.

Deborah Lippmann Happy Birthday over Essie Shelter Island

(click to enlarge)

Deborah Lippmann Happy Birthday over Essie Shelter Island

Deborah Lippmann Happy Birthday retails for a whooping $18 bucks at Nordstrom, Deborah Lippmann's site, or other online retailers like BeautyBar.com and Zappos.com.  Unless you are obsessed with multi-color glitter and Deborah Lippmann, this one will probably be a pass for most of you.  There are multiple good knock-offs of this at a very fair price.

Also, Courtney's 2nd post ever :) was Deborah Lippmann Happy Birthday gradient over OPI Mad as a Hatter and Color Club What a Drag!  Check that out here!

100 Posts Giveaway!!! Illamasqua Raindrops and Deborah Lippmann Glitter in the Air Combo!!!!

So I had heard on Makeup Alley (MUA - an online forum for beauty junkies) that Raindrops by Illamasqua was on sale for 5GBP (about $8), but it didn't entice me enough to buy based on history alone.  This polish made a big splash when it came out in 2010 as one of the winner of Illamasqua's Nail Varnish Competition.  The promo shots of it and the story behind the inspiration sent the internet a-buzz with excitement.  When the polish actually came out, some were disappointed, which is probably why it ended up in the bargain bin on Illamasqua's website.  Something made me change my mind (find out below), and just before the end of the sale I caved.  Now that I have it, I can not fathom for the life of me why people are not in love with this polish.  I sure am.  The color is so beautiful, it's got a wonderful jelly consistency, and the soft silver flakes are just....so...beautiful.  I think this polish may have earned a spot in my top 5.

Anyway, the polish was never released in the US, only in the UK (Illamasqua is a British company).  So while I thought it was pretty, I wasn't into polish enough to order it from overseas.  Then 2 weeks ago, I saw this post on Spaz & Squee and immediately went to order Raindrops online.  Have you looked at the post yet?  No? GO LOOK! :) I'll be here when you get back.

So there I am, scrolling through Cilucia's pictures, marveling at the soft blue-ish grey jelly, dazzled by the small silver floating flakes, secretly pinning for perfect nails like hers when BAM!!!! What?!?! Use Raindrops and the most perfect backdrop EVER (in my humble opinion) for Deborah Lippmann's Glitter in the Air?!?!??! Hell Yeah!  I have Glitter in the Air and I love it, but I never know what to wear it over.  I usually go with the general baby blue everyone does, but you loose some of the contrast with the blue glitter when you do that.  Anyway, at this point I've ordered 3 Raindrops, one for me, one for my lovely friend Courtney, and one for one of you.  I rushed over to Zappos and did a mini Butter London haul, threw in another Glitter in the Air (you wouldn't think I'd let mine go now would you!) and a giveaway was born.  Just in time for us to turn 100 :).  

So let's first start off with my pictures of Illamasqua's Raindrops on it's own.  It's 100 times more gorgeous in real life you guys.  I promise :).  The darker shot was includes because if you click to enlarge it, you can see the flakes better.  This is 3 coats to opacity.  I've heard others say they needed 4, but I do tend to do thicker coats than I should.  I had no issues with drying, smudging or bubbling.  Perfect formula for a sheer.

Illamasqua Raindrops

Illamasqua Raindrops

Illamasqua Raindrops

Now it's time to celebrate the 100th post, throw some "glitter in the air", and top off my mani.  Here are the shots of 2 coats of Glitter in the Air over my 3 coats of Raindrops.  I think next time I will only do one.  Here is a hint on using Glitter in the Air - dip the brush in the polish, wipe one side of the brush off inside the bottle, before you apply look at the other side, if you aren't happy with the variety or quantity of glitter, do it again before applying.

Deborah Lippmann Glitter in the Air over Illamasqua Raindrops 

Deborah Lippmann Glitter in the Air over Illamasqua Raindrops

Super extreme close-up! Can you see how soft and pretty this is?  You can also see the flakes from raindrop peaking through.

Deborah Lippmann Glitter in the Air over Illamasqua Raindrops

If you must have these and don't want to wait for the giveaway to end, Raindrops is still available on Illamasqua.com, but it's back to full price (13.50GBP or $21.50!!!) plus international shipping!  Glitter in the Air is $18 and can be found online at Beautybar.com, DeborahLippmann.com, Zappos.com or Nordstroms.com.

So now that you know the story behind my new love - it's time to give away some polish.  I've got one brand new in box Deborah Lippmann Glitter in the Air, and one brand new in box Illamasqua Raindrops.  Both of these puppies will go to one lucky winner.

Shiny and New!
Deborah Lippmann Glitter in the Air and Illamasqua Raindrops

Win these!

Contest rules and information:

1. You must be a public follower using Google Friend Connect (GFC).  New followers are welcome.  To follow, click the Join this site icon on the left hand side of the blog.  Make sure you opt to follow publicly.  If you are not a public follower, you will be disqualified.
2. To be a contestant of this giveaway you must fill out the contest form below.  One contest form per person. Required information is your GFC name and email address (for contact purposes only).
3. One entry is automatic for all contestants.  A second entry can be earned by linking to this contest.  A valid link to your twitter posting, facebook post, or blog post linking back to this giveaway page must be entered on the contest form to earn this second entry. 
4. The giveaway will close on Tuesday, September 27, 2011 at 10:00PM E.S.T.
5. The winner will be selected using random.org.
6. The winner will be contacted by email and will have 48 hours to respond.  If the winner does not respond a new winner will be selected.
7. The contest is open internationally.

Good luck everyone!!!

The giveaway is now closed.  Thanks to everyone who entered, and GOOD LUCK!!

Hurricane Irene Mani: Deborah Lippmann Stormy Weather

Hurricane Irene! Seemed like a perfect excuse to wear Deborah Lippmann's new Stormy Weather.  This polish is HOT.   Seriously.  It is so chic!  It's not super original, by any means.  There are probably 100 dupes of this color, but man, I love this one.  I bought it off a blog sale and I'm so happy I did.  I don't have any charcoals or dark greys, and this one is just perfect.  Not only did the name suit Hurricane Irene, but the deep charcoal color just evokes a bad storm you don't want to be out in.  Hurricane Irene was not a storm you wanted to be out in.  And while we fared pretty well, some areas were not so lucky...

Deborah Lippmann Stormy Weather

(click to enlarge)

Deborah Lippmann Stormy Weather

This polish went on beautifully in one coat, a true creme.  I did a second coat for consistency, but I really didn't need it.  Obviously these swatches were done the day after.  I had fully intended on doing my mani Saturday night before the storm his to get a great shot of it in the storm, but the power went out too early and we are in such a wooded area we don't get a lot of sun.  Oh, and there was a ton of pre-hurricane clouds.  So I took these Sunday afternoon.  It was nice and bright then.  It actually made me think - hey I should totally top this with Deborah Lippmann's Some Enchanted Evening (it looks amazing over dark cremes)!  So you'll see that at the bottom of the post.

But first, let's take a look at Stormy Weather in front of all the "destruction" it caused outside of our house.

Stormy Weather

As you can see, just a ton of leaves and twigs and small branches everywhere.  But we were lucky.  We also only lost power for 24 hours.  Which was good, cause unlike ALL our neighbors, we do not have a generator.  Some people in our neighborhood weren't so lucky.  Here are a few shots of "Stormy Weather"'s rath.

Downed tree, hanging from power lines
We stupidly drove under this, twice...

BGE to the rescue!!!!!

Huge tree that had fallen, most of it had been cut up already

And since you are all really here for the polish, as promised, Deborah Lippmann Some Enchanted Evening over Stormy Weather.  LOVE! What a fashionable way to spice up this charcoal grey creme!!!  Some Enchanted Evening is a clear base with mutli-sized and shaped pink glitter.  This is one coat. It also looks awesome over a deep navy (I love it over RBL Dead Calm).

Deborah Lippmann Some Enchanted Evening over Stormy Weather

(click to enlarge)

Deborah Lippmann Some Enchanted Evening over Stormy Weather

Deborah Lippmann polishes are available at Nordstrom and Deborah Lippmann's site, or other online retailers like BeautyBar.com and Zappos.com. Stormy Weather retails for $16 and is a new Fall 2011 color. Some Enchanted Evening retails for $18 and was originally released in the All That Jazz trio for Nordstrom in 2010, but is now individually. Would I pay full price for either of these? No. Do I love them? Yes. Would I recommend buying these one sale (or from blog sales like I did)? Absolutely.

My Valentine's Day Manicure: Deborah Lippmann Ruby Red Slippers

Happy Valentine's Day to everyone!  I hope your day has been warm and full of love, whether you're attached or not for the holiday.

I personally don't really celebrate Valentine's Day, mostly because both mine and hubby's birthdays fall in January, as does our old "dating anniversary" (our wedding anniversary is in June).  So after Christmas, two birthdays, and an "anniversary," we're just plain broke by Valentine's Day.  We know we love each other.  Hehe.  But I did want to do a somewhat festive manicure for the occasion, so I thought it was the perfect time to break out another Deborah Lippmann!

This is two coats of Lippmann Ruby Red Slippers over two coats of China Glaze Lubu Heels.  Ruby Red Slippers is a combination of large hexagonal red glitter and smaller round red glitter suspended in a jelly black base.  It's a bit cooler toned than these pictures show - more of a true red.  It applies pretty easily, but you need short brush strokes to avoid moving around the glitter too much.  I love how this turned out - so dimensional, sexy, and full of va-va-voom!  Perfect for Valentine's Day!  Click to enlarge to see this saucy little minx up close!

I had been lemming Ruby Red Slippers something fierce, and I'm really glad I finally had the perfect occasion to wear it!  Hubby LOVES it, so I consider that a huge WIN for this polish!  The only down side, which I should have considered, is that the black base pretty much covered up Lubu Heels entirely. I thought they'd be a perfect match, but I could've just used one coat of a plain black and gotten the same effect.  But don't think you need to layer this.  Like Across the Universe, the base is colored enough to be opaque with three coats.  Ruby Red Slippers retails for $18, and you can grab it at Nordstrom or www.lippmanncollection.com.

Just for funsies, here's Lubu Heels all by its lonesome:

This is two coats, and I just adore it!  It's a black jelly base with red glitter.  It's subtle, but sexy - a good alternative if you don't want to go all out with Ruby Red Slippers (or pay the hefty price for it).  It's in the core line, so you can pick it up at Sally's or Ulta for about $6.

One more Lippmann left to try, so stay tuned!  I'm sure as soon as it goes on, an instant lemming will be born for more Lippmanns.  That's always how it goes, right?  :-)