September.  Month of Multichrome Madness.  And Also a Baby!

   Of course you know that on the 15th my daughter Freya was born, so here's a quick rundown of the other little pretties I picked up this month...

   I couldn't resist preordering the new I Love Nail Polish brand multichromes.  (Website here.)  Left to right they are Cygnus Loop, My Little Glacier, Birefringence, and Mutagen.  These look pretty awesome, can't wait to try them myself.  =)

   I did a bit of blog sale shopping for the L'oréal jelly polishes Bananarama Love, Creme de Mint, and Bubble Trouble.  I also snagged the discontinued glitters Ozotic 528 and 530.  These five bottles all came from Jacki at Adventures in Acetone.

   Then I placed a very exciting Digital Nails (on Etsy!) order.  I bought Convergent, along with the Starship trio!  Serenity, Galactica, and Leviathan.  Sadly these multichrome glitters are suffering the same end as their Ozotic cousins above... once they're gone, they're gone.

   So, definitely on a bit of a multichrome kick.  But that's okay, the grey days of fall are a perfect time for appreciating these color-shifting gems.  Of course, I probably won't be paying too much attention to my nails until my little girl can go more than 3 hours without eating.  ;P

Introducing my daughter...

 

~  Freya Lunette   ~

Born on Sunday, September 15th, 2013 at 11:41am

weighing 7lb .9oz and measuring 19" long

Freya, Norse, means "lady" or "noblewoman"

Lunette, French, means "little moon"

♥ ♥ ♥

   Hello everyone, and thanks for letting me show off a new little princess!  My husband and I are back at home and doing great, and so is Freya.  September 21st was her due date, but she decided on an early appearance!  She's healthy and (appears) happy, so that's okay with me.  Joe says we need to record the story of her atypical labor and delivery for the benefit of others, so there may be a post about that up on the blog eventually.  =)

   Expect it to be fairly quiet on the blogfront until I get into a routine with my little one.

Nail Art / Swatch & Review

   Good day, Princesses!  Last month when my Laquerlicous polishes arrived in the mail I was immediately inspired by this one.  It was calling out to me from the bottle and I knew I needed to use it in a melon-y manicure ASAP.  I wanted to make the glitters pop, so I couldn't do just a regular pink/red watermelon design.  I thought of trying a nice cantaloupe color, but there is a funny thing about watermelon...


   It's a fruit, it's a vegetable.  It's not technically a melon.  And when it grows without the red pigment-giving antioxidant lycopene... it comes in the most lovely shades of yellow!

Photo source: whataboutwatermelon.com

   I must admit to feeling quite clever about remembering that yellow watermelons are indeed "a thing".  You see, I've never actually found one in person.  They just aren't common in our area.  I'd love to try a slice, though!  They sound like they taste fantastic...  Anyway, nail polish, yes.


   Laquerlicious Melon Sorbet is such a fantastic glitter topper.  I mean, just look at this macro!  It is full of satin and matte shapes in happy shades of pink and green, along with a dash of black and white.  It's the perfect blend of color variety and glitter sizes, easy to work with, and has perfect topper coverage at one coat.  Each nail ends up looking totally unique (without looking chaotic) and there is no need to do glitter fishing.  Though I did fish out the pastel pink circle for my index nail - I saw it in the bottle and I wanted it!  I could go on, but that would probably be cruel.  Right now this polish is on clearance, and there aren't many bottles left.  I'll just say that if you missed this one, I feel very sorry for you.


Details on the nail art:
   Pastel yellow glitter nails: 3 coats China Glaze Lemon Fizz and 1 coat Laquerlicious Melon Sorbet.  Topped with 1 coat of Gelous and 1 coat of Poshe.  (Only used Poshe for the other nails.)
   Melon slice accent nail: Lemon Fizz base with China Glaze Happy Go Lucky sponged at the cuticle for a riper, sweeter-looking melon, black seeds using a nail art striper (L.A. Colors Black), and Zoya Purity sponged at the tip for a realistic fade into the rind..
   Melon rinds:  Base color is Zoya Hunter with squiggly lines done with a bright green nail art striper (L.A. Colors Mint Green).

   I'm a nail-art novice, so I am really happy with how these turned out!  I actually wore these nails at the end of last month; editing the pictures now and seeing them again made me happy all over again!  It's only summer for another week, so it was a perfect time to get my melon on.  Haha.


   If you'd like to see more about yellow watermelon, check out this article on wiseGEEK and this recipe for, what else?  Yellow watermelon sorbet!  Also, if you've ever had the chance to eat yellow watermelon please leave a comment telling me about your experience!  Until I find it myself I'll have to live vicariously through others.  =)


   This might be my last blog post for a little while.  My previous OB appointment revealed that I can basically go into labor at any time (Yay!  ...I think?), and if I don't by this weekend I'll probably be induced (having issues with low fluids again, thus the constant monitoring).  In fact, as this post is going live I'm heading off to one more appointment, where I guess they could say "we're keeping you now".  But I'm hoping that doesn't happen...  Either way, I don't know that I will have much of a brain for blogging.  Most of my time off this week has been spent cleaning, packing, and napping.  ^-^  Until we see you again, hugs and kicks-es from the baby and I! ♥

Swatch & Review

   It's no secret that I looove Nyx products.  I have a whole slew of their eyeshadows, lipglosses, and of course nail polish.  When it comes to the polish I mainly have bottles from their cheaper Nyx Girls line.  I don't often see anything about these Advanced Salon Formula polishes.  So, I've been really curious about their quality.  Finally I decided to just go for it and try all of the pastel colors.  That is, the colors that have "pastel" in their name, and happen to go in sequential numerical order...

   I present to you swatches of Nyx Advanced Salon Formula: Pastel Yellow, Pastel Pink, Pastel Blue, Pastel Coral, Pastel Pistachio, Pastel Mint, and Pastel Lavender.  Let me start off by saying that I added a bit of nail polish thinner to all of the polishes because they were slightly thick, and I wanted them to be flowing a little better!  Not sure if this was because of sitting around or if these are all normally thick polishes.

Pastel Yellow

3 coats, plus topcoat

   This buttery yellow wanted to photograph a bit more vivid than it looks in person.  I had to use 3 coats for opacity, it looked streaky otherwise.  My topcoat helped to level the color out better.  I can't fault a pastel yellow for being a 3-coater, they usually are.  The color is very nice (a bit warmer than China Glaze Lemon Fizz).

Pastel Pink

4 coats alone

   This polish stands out as the lone shimmer in this group of pastels.  I could tell from the Online swatch that it wasn't going to be a plain creme finish, and was hoping for a hidden-shimmer creme instead.  This is more of a pink jelly with ultra fine pinky-purple shimmer.  I was surprised by how much I ended up liking the shimmer and even the color (I'm picky about pink polish), but the formula leaves much to be desired.  This wasn't as thick as the other pastels, but it was super sheer.  It went on streaky, patchy, blah...  Took 3 coats to look decent and 4 for me to be happy with the effect on my nails.  Shorter nails could be okay with 3.  I'm torn about this one. The squishy jelly effect is pretty, and the shimmer is brushstroke free... but I don't have patience for 4 coats of one polish!

Pastel Blue

2 coats, plus topcoat

   This is one of the colors I was most hopeful about, and I wasn't let down.  It is the best polish out of this pastel bunch.  Despite how pale a blue it is I only needed 2 coats, and it was the most willing to self-level out of all these colors.  I added topcoat and that only made it look more perfect!  I really love this light powder blue, and I think it will be a great base color for nail art.

Pastel Coral

2 coats, plus topcoat

   I don't often go for coral, but I did want to add a not-too-bright shade to my stash for nail art.  This color fits the bill nicely.  It's a pigmented true coral without being an eye-searingly bright shade or too warm for my skin.  On the note of pigmentation, this one did want to stick to my cuticles at removal time.  It took a little more remover than the other shades did to completely rid myself of its coral tinge.  This polish was thick and didn't want to self-level, so topcoat is a must.

Pastel Pistachio

2 coats, plus topcoat

   This really is pistachio green!  While the color names aren't super creative at least they are spot-on...  The coverage was good for a light green, good at 2 and surely better with 3 coats.  It is also on the thick side and needed topcoat to level it out more.  So, not the perfect polish but fully tolerable for a shade that is usually finicky.

Pastel Mint

2 coats, plus topcoat

   Nyx gave us blue, green, and blue-green here!  Sitting next to Pastel Blue this definitely has a minty green cast, so it isn't too confusing.  I like the shade but can't say that is the most spectacular mint ever.  It did have good coverage, though.  It also leveled out with topcoat.

Pastel Lavender

2 coats, plus topcoat

   This is a red-toned (but not pink-y) pastel purple.  I have several lavender shades but can't think of an exact dupe for this one.  I really like the color and I think it would work for most skin tones.  Once again this polish was quite pigmented and only needed 2 coats, but needed topcoat to level it out better.

   Here is what I can say about all the polishes:  They have very low odor; I hardly noticed any polish smell at all.  They remove easily.  I love the square bottles which are sturdy and store wonderfully.  The wide, flat brushes are easy to work with.  (Pastel Pistachio and Pastel Mint each had a stray long bristle, but I didn't need to trim it before use.)  And yes, they all had to be thinned.  (Pastel Pink was the least thick of all, but it was also a shimmery jelly instead of a creme.)  Rather than be watery pastels these seem to be so loaded with pigment that they are thick and not really good at leveling themselves out.  I can't really be upset about needing topcoat with most of these when I always use it anyway, but of course I'd prefer for these to have a smoother finish.  I am most impressed by the fact that I couldn't find dupes for any of these in all the pastel polishes I already own!

   They are pastels, though, and it probably isn't good to judge an entire line by just these.  Am I inspired to buy the rest of the Advanced Salon Formula line?  No.  But I will pick a color up if I'm curious about it... and it doesn't have a dupe for half the price in the Nyx Girls line.  What do you think?  If you own any Advance Salon Formula polishes let me know which ones they are and what you think of them, thanks!

Swatch & Review

   Good day, princesses!  I have another Laquerlicous creation to share with you today.  Behold the glossy, glittery beauty that is Sapphire Glaze!

   I love this polish!  It's so gorgeous!  In the shop it carries this description: "This polish is in a deep blue base with blue, teal and magenta micro glitter."  That is very accurate.  You can tell there is more than one shade of blue glitter, and the magenta glitters give it a little something special.  The deep blue base often makes the magenta glitter look like a deep purple on the nail, which is awesome in my opinion!

   Looking at the polish in the bottle I thought "well, it's a dark jelly, but I wouldn't be surprised if it took 3 coats by itself".  Not so!  It covers very well and I had no issues with visible nail line or bald spots on my nail.  Despite being packed with glitter the glitter is very easy to work with and spreads evenly.  It does have some texture by itself but it smoothed right out with topcoat, which added to the shiny jewel effect.

   This polish is perfect for princesses who love royal blues and/or having their tips sparkle like gems!  You can find Sapphire Glaze (and a range of other jewel-themed "glaze" polishes) at the Laquerlicious shop.  My thanks to Michelle for sending me this polish to share with everyone on my blog!