MISSION UPDATE Part 4 - Rah Rah Rah Romance

Lippmann Bad Romance

This is the second to last polish I have to show you from my Nordstrom's Mission.

So far we have seen RD -Razzle Dazzle (here) and

LStB - Lady Sings the Blues (here).

I was hoping the pictures I took of Bad Romance would come out as well as Lady Sings the Blues, but alas it was hard to capture! I intend to retake these photos at some point.

Bad Romance has a black jelly base with small magenta glitter and large hex glitter of the same color. I used two coats in this application. I was disappointed that the formula on BR was slightly harder to use than LStB. However, if I compared the Lippmann formula to other companies that use hex glitter (or any other large glitter) Lippman would come out on top each time. I think I was simply spoiled by how easily LStB went on.

The Lippmann's polishes were part of Nordstrom's Anniversary Sale. Don't fret if you didn't get them, they most likely will be available with the rest of the core polishes later this fall.

So was it worth the $18 price tag? I think the quality of the formula is worth it. Would I spend $16-$18 on Razzle Dazzle? No. On Lady Sings the Blues? HELL YEAH!
And I still don't have Across the Universe. I need to get my act together!

I have one final Lippmann to show you tomorrow!

xoxo,

polish insomniac

Venting & Random Zoya Spam

I decided to eliminate the majority of my venting, but I got such a positive repsonse on the frog pool I knew I had to leave it!

On my way home from work today DH tells me he picked up the tank for the pool filter, we had a guy weld it to hopefully fix the leaks... Because the leaks were causing a lack of air pressure and the water wasn't cycling. DH spent an hour putting it back together, turned it on, and the thing exploded. Apparently water gushed out if it like a fire hydrant. Wonderful. AND the pool sweeper is broke. So we will continue to spend our days off cleaning the pool BY HAND. The only thing cycling the water is a small pond pump. Good lord. I quit!

The pool that DH and I will have to use once ours turns green.

OK! I feel better. Hopefully I will get to sleep. Usually when I am stressed I stay up all night worry about EVERYTHING. Hopefully venting to all of you will allow me to sleep! So to thank you for listening, please enjoy some Zoya SWATCH SPAM.

Midori - sent to new home!

Also sent to new home!

good night!!!
polish insomniac

Prizes for this Sunday's Instant Giveaway!!!

Did you miss the first instant giveaway I held last week?

Don't be sad, check out what you can win this time!!!

(and follow me on Twitter to get a heads up when the contest will start!)

The ENTIRE new Wet n Wild collection... and it's named...
Can you see it?
Can you?

xoxo,
polish insomniac

OPI Have You Seen My Limo?

OPI Have You Seen My Limo? was a polish I was lusting after for LONG TIME. I actually thought is was HTF (hard to find) and I would never lay my hands on it. Then along came the OPI vs. Transdesign drama. Alot of people did crazy haul's trying to get their hands on as many OPI's they could before the prices went up... (but did they?)

I had just dropped around $500 bucks at the Volkswagon dealership, and I had NO cash to spare for polish. Luckily for me, a very generous friend of mine (the Nail Narc) placed a big order and got this for me!!!

This is the STRANGEST duochrome I have tried yet. In direct sunlight, you get NOTHING. Nada. Zilch. In fact, it looks purple! But in lowlight its freakin' awesome!!! It moves from burgundy to green to black. I took the shot above with flash and it brought out the micro sparklies!

HYSML was released in the 2007 Holiday in Hollywood collection. I just googled HYSML and you can still purchase it from a few places online.

What do you think? A duochrome that only comes out in the dark? Sounds like a vampy polish for sure!!! LMAO.

xoxo,

polish insomniac

Icing Roger That!

The moment I started applying this polish I knew it was a winner. Roger That is a polish by Icing, the accessories store in the mall, similar to Claire's. Before I got back into nail polish I would not be caught dead in Icing or Claire's. I still am a little uncomfortable shopping at Claire's, but I don't feel the same anxiety shopping at Icing. Funny story, the first time I went into Claire's for nail polish, I bought every bottle of Magic that they had, since I had heard such good things about it. The sales lady thought I was nuts. Unfortunately, every time I have returned, the same lady is working!

Roger That! is a gorgeous teal green glass flecked jelly. As many others have reported, the application was PERFECTION... this was ZERO cleanup. None! The formula was neither thick nor runny, the brush was perfect for my narrow fingers, and dried beautifully.

I used two coats of polish plus one coat of Nails Inc Kensington Top coat. For those of you still not comfortable with VNL, I believe a third coat would have been enough. The picture above was taken in direct sunlight to show the VNL.

I wore this for two days with no chips and very minimal tip wear, and that probably only occurred due to the fact that I was typing away on my laptop a few minutes later... I have no patience!

I purchased this polish a few months ago at Icing, so you might still be able to find it. If you do, I highly recommend it. I think it was $4.50, and of course there is the never ending buy one get one 50% off sale. Which really bugs me because it never changes.

Do you like polishes from Icing? My only frustration (other than the "sale") is that the store is not in as many malls as it used to be, and I have to go out of my way to visit a store.

xoxo,
polish insomniac

My first attempt: L'Oreal Star Magnet

I read the directions. Oh yeah, there weren't any. So I read the directions suggested by other bloggers!

Even with my careful attempts, I would say 5 of 10 nails looked decent. I love the way my thumb came out!

What I did was first apply a layer of Illamasqua Boosh, my go-to black when I need one layer of coverage. Then added, one finger at a time, the Star Magnet. Its really NOT a good idea to try this when you don't feel well, because you have to CONCENTRATE! Lol, that is why I think so many of them failed!

Next time I will NOT layer over black, I didn't like the way it looked. Maybe over a nude, or a deeper red? Any experts in the house???

MISSION UPDATE Part 3 - POTD and New Shoes

Orly Royal Navy

Yeah, those new shoes weren't for me. I think I spent as much money on nail polish as DH did on shoes! BUT LOOK HOW CUTE!!!

DH was not thrilled about this... I wonder why? Does he have shy feet?

Back to polish, I wore Orly Royal Navy as a mani recently, and I love it just as much on my toes. It really glows!!!

What's your favorite color to wear on your toes this summer?

xoxo,
polish insomniac

Count the Coloramas & Win! - - CLOSED! Congrats to Magic Maid!

Remember how I told ya that I collected Maybelline Coloramas?

Well, here is my entire collection.

Wanna know a secret? I have NEVER worn any of them!

Unfortunately, within my collection I have quite a few dupes.

The first person to guess how many Coloramas I have,
as shown in the picture above,
wins 10 bottles, as pictured below!


CLOSED! Congrats to Magic Maid!

You can twitter me, facebook me, or comment below.

GOOD LUCK!

Free Shipping on $OPI... ONE DAY ONLY!

I myself have never been partial to $OPI, but for those of you who are, you can get free shipping if you order TODAY, Sunday July 25th... see code below!

AND don't forget to use Ebates! If you don't have an Ebates account, you can sign up at www.ebates.com OR if you use this link I get a referral:

http://www.ebates.com/rf.do?referrerid=kgR6Xmbu2ydlmK6DoFzAwA%3D%3D

The first time I tried ebates I forgot all about it, until I got a check in the mail for almost $15 bucks! I couldn't believe how easy it was. Sorry if this sounds gimmicky, I am not trying to be!

	* Enter code RATEWINSHIP in the promotion code box at checkout to receive free standard shipping on your online order when you purchase one or more of the following products: Bare Escentuals bareMinerals SPF 15 Foundation, Urban Decay Eye Shadow Primer Potion, Dior DiorShow Mascara, SEPHORA by OPI Nail Colour, NARS Blush, Clarisonic Skincare Brush, Philosophy Purity Made Simple, KORRES Wild Rose 24-Hour Moisturizer SPF 6, Smashbox Eye Shadow Trio, Bare Escentuals Buxom Lips, Giorgio Armani Acqua Di Gio, and Stella McCartney Stella. Not valid in Canada, retail stores, on previous purchases, purchases of eGift certificates or gift cards. Cannot be used in conjunction with other promotion codes. This offer is valid through July 26, 2010, at 11:59 p.m. PST/PDT.

Looking for a Deal?

Check out this blog sale! I just picked up 3 RBL's for $28, including shipping!!! Very excited!

xoxo,
polish insomniac

MISSION UPDATE Part 2 - Doesn't Razzle My Dazzle

Deborah Lippmann Razzle Dazzle

Razzle Dazzle is the second polish from the All That Jazz collection that is currently available at the Nordstrom's anniversary sale. It is a fine raspberry glitter suspended in a dark raspberry base. When built to opacity (two coats) the base does actually appear black in some lights.

Razzle Dazzle was quite easy to apply, and I appreciated that after two coats of polish plus one coat of topcoat, the finished product was quite smooth.

I have heard quite a few comments from others who bought this collection in which they state that this polish is their favorite from the collection.

Hmm... I'm not feeling it. I was actually happy to remove it. I don't know exactly what it is about the polish I don't like. Perhaps I was just more excited about the different glitters in the other new colors? Perhaps I just don't like pink enough?

What do you think? Do you love it? Do you hate it? Could you care less?

xoxo,

polish insomniac

MISSION UPDATE Part One - Lady Sings the Blues

Deborah Lippmann Lady Sings the Blues

(Insert drool here)

I was really really bummed out when I got to Nordstrom and they were sold out of Lippmann's Across the Universe. Butt hurt even (that means really really REALLY bummed out). So I picked up Bad Romance, which I did want, but was sad for the rest of our shopping trip.

DH must have picked up on how sad I was because he mentioned I didn't spend all of my "budget" for clothes shopping (DH makes budgets for EVERYTHING) and it was OK to use it on more polish! God I love that man! I perked right back up, went back to Nordsrom, and picked up the All That Jazz set, which contains 3 polishes for $40.

This is absolutely, positively my favorite of the trio. I would say I will be showing you the rest of them soon, but I don't want to take this one off!

I applied TWO COATS of Lady Sings the Blues. Two coats!!! And for a glitter-jelly, the application was PERFECTION! The hex glitter laid down all by itself, and any that landed in the wrong place (like over the tip of my nail) were easily coaxed back a bit. I only used one coat of top coat (currently on the outs with both SV and Diamont, so I am using Nails Inc) and the surface is fairly smooth. Those of you who hate feeling any texture on your tips might want to use two coats.

I am still on the hunt for Across the Universe, especially since LStB was so great. Cross your fingers for me that it is still in stock tomorrow (payday)!

If you couldn't get your hands on Project Runway...

... then hopefully you can still get your hand's on Ulta's Tainted Love, from the Glam Goth mini set. Because, all lawyer jokes aside, can YOU tell these bad boys apart?

Any guesses?

Pretty close huh? I would go as far to say "they are dupes" in my own opinion!

Project Runway came from a limited Sally Hansen collection that was apparently only release in Canada. It was actually "before my time" a la before I became obsessed with nail polish. It is spoken of in hushed tones and crazed swaps. I was lucky enough to receive it as a swap EXTRA!

They even applied similar! I layered these over Model's Own Grass Green, I used two coats each of the Sally Hansen and the Ulta. I must say, the only notable difference was that the SH stunk to high heaven!

I wish I would have done this comp right away when the Glam Goth set was still in stores. Who knows, maybe an Ulta near you still has them in stock? Since I don't need two of these fabulous greens, one of them is on its way to a new home.

So, did you get Project Runway the first time around? If not, did you manage to score Tainted Love? Here's to hoping Ulta will make it permanent!

xoxo,
polish insomniac

Today's Mission... Is It Halloween Yet?

Wish me luck, DH and I are going shopping today, I am hoping to find that my Nordstrom's has Deborah Lippmann Bad Romance and/or Across The Universe still in stock! At first I thought I just wanted Across The Universe, but after seeing Bad Romance on Scandalous I knew I needed it as well.

I am thinking that if I can't find Bad Romance, maybe the purple glitter from ChG Halloween will satisfy me??? When I saw Mummy May I on Scrangie's blog I immediately thought of the comparison, and apparently she did too!

OK, OK.
Whatever, not the same but, I NEED THOSE ChG Halloween Glitters!
To get in the Halloween spirit, I thought I would share a hilarious picture I found in my Picasa account this morning. It's from about five years ago.

(Superman is not DH, he is actually DH's BF)

Wish me luck!
xoxo,
polish insomniac

Talk About the Power of Bloggers!

I am so impressed by the number of well written pieces I have read in the past 24 hours regarding the MAC + Rodarte saga.
In 24 hours their official statements went from:

STATEMENT FROM RODARTE ON THE M·A·C AND RODARTE COLLECTION Our makeup collaboration with M·A·C developed from inspirations on a road trip that we took in Texas last year, from El Paso to Marfa. The ethereal nature of this landscape influenced the creative development and desert palette of the collection. We are truly saddened about injustice in Juarez and it is a very important issue to us. The M·A·C collaboration was intended as a celebration of the beauty of the landscape and people in the areas that we traveled.

STATEMENT FROM M·A·C COSMETICS ON THE M·A·C RODARTE COLLECTION
We understand that product names in the M·A·C Rodarte collection have offended some of our consumers and fans. This was never our intent and we are very sorry. We are listening carefully to the comments posted and are grateful to those of you who have brought your concerns to the forefront of our attention. M·A·C will give a portion of the proceeds from the M·A·C Rodarte collection to help those in need in Juarez. We are diligently investigating the best way to do this. Please be assured that we will keep you posted on the details regarding our efforts.

To this:

STATEMENT FROM RODARTE ON THE M·A·C RODARTE COLLECTIONWe recognize that the violence against women taking place in Juarez needs to be met with proactive action. We never intended to make light of this serious issue and we are truly sorry.Helping to improve the conditions for women in Juarez is a priority for us and we are thankful for all the comments calling attention to the urgency of addressing this situation.

STATEMENT FROM M·A·C COSMETICS ON THE M·A·C RODARTE COLLECTION
We understand that product names in the M·A·C Rodarte collection have offended our consumers and fans. This was never our intent and we are very sorry. We continue to listen carefully to the comments we have received and have the following plans to address concerns: We are committed to donating $100,000 to a non-profit organization that has a proven, successful track-record helping women in need and that can directly improve the lives of women in Juarez in a meaningful way. We are changing the product names in the M·A·C Rodarte collection. As we have done in the past, please be assured that we will communicate details regarding our progress in this matter.

If that doesn't prove how much strength beauty bloggers have, I don't know what does!

A special shout out to Musicalhouses "Of Faces and Fingers" and Helen from Just Nice Things for clueing me into what was going on!

I still will not be purchasing from this collection, will you?

Blast From the Past: My Very First NOTD

Funky Fingers Jester
November 22, 2009

This was the first NOTD pic I ever uploaded.

My how far I've come!!!!

xoxo,

polish insomniac

In the Navy Now

Quite a few other bloggers have already shown this awesome color,
so I will let the pictures do the talking!

This color is now in the permanent Orly display at Sally's, so if you didn't buy it yet, there is still time! I am doing at-home pedicure right now and I am about to put this color on!

xoxo,
polish insomniac