NYC Long Wearing Nail Enamel

I like NYC polish, but I feel like I buy them more than I actually wear them.  They caught my eye again when they added several new colors to their Long Wearing line and I accumulated a few.  A couple of these shades have been in my swatching bins for most of this year.  I bought Tudor City Teal because of lacquerlove over on the Makeupalley Nail Board.  I'm not sure how it started, but we've been influencing each other lately and this time it was her turn.  Tudor City Teal just glowed on her and looked so gorgeous that I had to pick it up too.  I swatched it for her and the rest tagged along, finally escaping from the swatching bins!


Tudor City Teal is a medium soft teal crelly.

She was right!  So pretty!  The application wasn't the best though.  It was thick and a bit streaky, but thinning might fix that.  At two coats it was almost right, but I added a third to be sure.


Empire State Blue is a sheer blue shimmer with a hint of green.

two coats over Tudor City Teal

Too sheer to wear on its own, so I layered it over Tudor City Teal.  The first coat was a bit streaky, but the second coat evened out really nicely, with only the minor brushstrokes you'd expect with this finish.


Boat Basin is a true blue cream.

Not a new shade like the other three, but I have moments of madness where I suddenly feel I need EVERY blue cream, and Boat Basin was conveniently at CVS in one of those moments.  I had some issues with application on this one.  Can you see the bubbles?  I'm not sure who's to blame here.  It went on thick, but not one-coat thick, so I added a second and it bubbled.  This is another I'll thin before wearing again.  Still, love the color, especially for $1!


Rock The Party! is a very sheer green-to-violet duochrome shimmer.

two coats over Boat Basin

When I say "very sheer," I mean it!  It's like an even sheerer Wet n Wild Gray's Anatomy.  I doubt you could ever build it enough for it to look like much on its own, but it's terrific for layering.  It goes on very smoothly and evenly.  In person the shift to violet is MUCH stronger than you see here.  My camera always has trouble with that.  You can see it a tiny bit more in this second photo, but it's really a lot bolder.

two coats over Boat Basin

I wasn't completely honest when I said that a couple of these had just been sitting in my bins.  I did swatch them months ago, but for whatever reason, I was never satisfied with the resulting photos.  I like the newer photos of them more, but it does help show off the layering abilities of Empire State Blue and Rock The Party! more than just one combo would.

Empire State Blue over Sinful Colors Innocent

Empire State Blue has a mind of its own, so it's not that changeable when layered.  Over a bright chartruese like Sinful Colors Innocent, it still retains its own look.  It might change more over a drastically darker or lighter base though.

Rock The Party! is far more changeable.  Its base doesn't seem to have any tint to it at all, beyond the shimmer itself, so it doesn't obscure the base color at all.

Rock The Party! over Sinful Colors Sweet Tooth

I loved watching it shift in this combo, again, the result was more violet than it looks here.

Rock The Party! over Sinful Colors Sweet Tooth

Of these four, I think my strongest recommendation goes to Rock The Party!, even though I have similar stuff.  I love its potential.  Tudor City Teal is great too.  I like Boat Basin enough to give it another chance sometime, and Empire State Blue is really eye-catching, but probably not that unique.


Hooray!  I managed three whole posts this week...and I baked a cake and made a taco feast!  Today is Nichole's birthday AND my roommate's.  Happy happies to both of you!

Ipsy Bag: May

I'm still loving Ipsy. I know, it's only my second month, but I'm enjoying it thoroughly. For the price, I think it is much more fun that Birchbox was. Birchbox never gave me two full sized polishes. (Here is my referral link if you're interested and feeling generous.)

This months box contains:

• Zoya Blu
• Juice Beauty Reflecting Gloss in Pink
• Yaby concealer refill in Buff
• Nume Finishing Serum
• St. Tropez Body Lotion (it's a freaking bronzer)
• A decent bag. I like makeup bags

everything all together

 My Thoughts:

I wear Bare Minerals foundation and concealer, so I really don't know if I'll get any use out of the concealer refill. Without a pan to put it in, it's really awkward to use. It is thick, and conceals fairly well. It's just a little too dark for my skin.
The hair serum is thick. I think this stuff has to be used with a light hand...especially if your hair is thinner. And it smells a bit like old-school shaving foam. I didn't really notice much difference after using it, but perhaps I need to re-read the directions.
The gloss is nice. Very light, and with a decidedly citrus smell to it. It has a very pink look in the tube, but on the lips it's like nothing at all. Strangely, it doesn't have a citrusy flavor either. It's ok.
LOLOL self tanner. If I ever use a tanner, I generally use the Jergens buildable one because I am one pale motherfucker. F'reals. And this stuff is BROWN. If you were of a less pasty persuasion, I think it could be a really good tanner for you. It's very thin, which leads me to believe that it would spread easily and dry quickly. Less than 24 hours later, there isn't much pigment left on my hand, but hands get washed a lot more than legs or arms would. I wouldn't buy it myself, but I might actually use it.

the swatchable stuff

the lipgloss. very meh.

 My favorite part! The polish! My stupid camera only got one clear photo, but wow. Am I ill? Not only is it a proper blue, but its a pale blue. And I love it. I actually put it on my toes too, which I never do with light colors. It applies easily, and cleans up beautifully. I totally expected a color this light to behave light a white, especially after using Kennedy. But it's smooth and easy. So weird. Also, it perfectly matches the exterior color of our house. Extra weird.

Oh, by the way: today is my birthday. Hooray!

Sephora by OPI If You've Got It, Haunt It

I like to change my polish daily, but that doesn't always happen.  A couple of weeks ago, I had to take a family member to the hospital and he was in for 10 days.  He's been out for a week now and starting a long recovery process, but doing well.  I went there eight of those days, so I had almost no free time.  I wound up only doing my nails three times.  Of all the polishes I could have gotten "stuck" in, I'm glad it wound up being something as cool as this.  I was giddy when I found it at TJ Maxx!


If You've Got It, Haunt It is a dense mix of tiny black and silver microglitter and small hexagonal blue/teal and orange/green duochrome glitter in a sheer black base.

The problem with a polish this complex is that photos will never do it justice.  With two different color shifting glitters and all of its depth and sparkle, still photos just can't contain it.  Looking at it as you walk, it twinkles and changes and just entrances!  I love the name too, so cute!  Two coats build wonderfully, but I still feel like I should have put it over black.  It takes a lot to gloss it back up.  I used Gelous and a coat of QDTC, but as it dried fully it lost its smoothness and I had to add more Gelous and another coat of QDTC.  Worth it, because a smooth finish enhances the sparkle.

I tried photographing it in every light I could find and none really showed it off at its best.  Damn.

My photos give only the vaguest idea of just how beautiful this polish is in person.  Aaaand...I found another bottle yesterday!  We've already got one giveaway coming up soon, but I'm thinking some lucky person will get this second bottle in July.

Bonus kitty again...Saya was giving me this look while I was trying (failing) to get that perfect photo of this polish.  I had to stop, take a photo, and pet him.

These photos are from almost two weeks ago, when I was still hating how short my nails were.  They're looking *so* much better now and almost back in the range where I like them.  Yay!  As you can see, I've got some of the new NYC Long Wearing shades to show you soon.  See you then!

Short Nails and Wobbly Tape

The short nails. Sigh. To make myself feel better about my poor choices, I decided to do an angled french with the lovely new colors I grabbed at Walmart. Apparently, I have somehow angered the gods of tape, because I can't get a crisp line to save my ass lately. It's beginning to get to me. I think I need to sacrifice something. Who knows? 

Colors Used:

Maybelline Color Show in Mint Mist

Sally Hansen Hard as Nails in Mighty Mango