Nars Zulu 2010

Four coats.

Dried quickly.

Gorgeous!

Playing with my new Ottlite!

I finally have a way to take bottle pics! DH picked me up an Ottlite at Lowe's.  I got this one, but DH only paid around $34.00.  Here's a new version, too.  

The best part is that I can use the base as a backdrop.  Here are some pictures of recent acquisitions. Swatches coming soon!

CND Night Factory Duo

CND Urban Oasis vs. Illamasqua Muse

BB Couture Infamous Lovers, Part Two

Today's post is the second half of the "girls" Infamous Lovers set by BB Couture. If you missed the first half, click here!

BB Couture Bonnie

 First up, and my personal favorite, is Bonnie, as in Bonnie & Clyde.  They were famous outlaws during the Great Depression.
(click here to find out more about them)

BB Couture Bonnie

Bonnie is a kelly green jelly with gold and green micro glitter.  If you have never ever tried a BB Couture polish before, I definitely recommend starting with one the glitter jellies.  There formula is superb!  Eve from yesterday's post would be a great option, since a lot of people responded positively to it!

BB Couture Bonnie

This was three coats, topped off with SV.  You can do slightly thicker coats if you want to avoid VNL.  I didn't want to take this off when I was swatching!

BB Couture Carla

Next up is Carla.  Carla and her Infamous Lover(!) Michael are very dear friends of the owner of BB Couture.  How cool is it to get nail polish named after you?

BB Couture Carla

When I pulled out Carla, I thought it was going to be just another vampy purple shimmer.  I was definitely wrong about that!  Deep eggplant purple with pink and blue shimmer.  Definitely click on the pictures to enlarge!

BB Couture Carla

The formula on Carla was A-MA-ZING.  Not thick, not runny, perfect!  I used two coats, but I think I could have gotten away with one! 

BB Couture Cleopatra

Lastly we have my personal favorite historical Infamous Lover, Cleopatra.  My degree in college was Greek and Roman history, and since both the Greeks and Romans did travel to Egypt Cleopatra showed up in a lot of my studies.  She had more than a few infamous lovers!  She bore the children of both Julius Caesar and Marcus Antonius, or Anthony, who he is referred to by BB Couture!

BB Couture Cleopatra

I am sad to say these pictures do not show how Cleopatra looks in direct sunlight.  In the shade, she is beautiful, but in the sun, you see her green side!  Green shimmer to die for!

BB Couture Cleopatra

Like the rest of the collection, the formula on Cleopatra was excellent!  Yesterday Jenni commented "BB Couture can do no wrong IMO. NO WRONG."  I have to agree with her! 

 BB Couture can be purchased from Overall Beauty (Kim is fab!) or directly from BB Couture.

xoxo,
polish insomniac


*These polishes were sent to me (indirectly!) for review.

BB Couture Infamous Lovers, Part One

I will be breaking this review into two parts, so check back tomorrow!

BB Couture Eve

   BB Couture recently released two new sets of polish, called the infamous lovers.  There are six "girl" polishes, and six "guy" polishes, which are part of the BB Couture for Men line.  First up, Eve, from Adam and Eve.

BB Couture Eve

 Eve is a green and gold micro-glitter suspended in a murky base.  When first applied the base is a dirty moss green, but as you build up the coats it turns brown.

BB Couture Eve

For Eve I used four coats plus my SV top coat, and I had no trouble with the formula whatsoever.

BB Couture Pocahontas

 Next up we have Pocahontas, whose partner in the men's collection is John Smith.  Kim from Overall Beauty brought up a good point.  Were John Smith and Pocahontas really lovers?

BB Couture Pocahontas

 Pocahontas is described as a light tan, but to me this is more of a taupe, or even a "greige."  What is interesting about this polish, and seperates it from all the other greiges out there, is the inclusion of black and silver micro glitter.  And when I say micro, I mean micro!

BB Couture Pocahontas

For Pocahontas I used two coats plus my SV top coat, and the formula went on surprising well, considering I did not use a base coat.

BB Couture Juliet

 Last for today, we have one of the more widely known of the imfamous lovers, Juliet of Romeo and Juliet.  When I first opened up this collection, I immediately thought I would not like this one.  Now that I am looking at the pictures, this polish has definitely won me over.

BB Couture Juliet

 Juliet is described as "pink heart red" but to my eyes, it is much more a taupey-pink than pink-red.  Actually, it is the color of my house, pink brick!  I believe the pink comes from clay in the soil.

BB Couture Juliet

 The same micro-glitter that is found in Pocahontas is found in Juliet, only much more sparse.  I honestly did not even notice it until I put it on!

BB Couture Juliet

For Juliet I used three coats plus my SV top coat.  Out of all the polishes, I thought this one would be the most difficult to work with based on how the first two coats applied.  But after a third coat and a layer of SV, it looks marvelous!

BB Couture can be purchased from Overall Beauty (Kim is fab!) or directly from BB Couture.

I can't wait to show you the second half tomorrow!

xoxo,

polish insomniac

*These polishes were sent to me (indirectly!) for review.

Dermelect Launchpad Update, Week 7, Day One

 

I took the pictures for this post this morning, before NFL Sunday Countdown started.  Do I have any football fanatics out there?  The NFL was upside down this morning, and it's not much better now!  All day long I tried to get up the ambition to come sit in the office and edit photos, but I couldn't take myself away from the TV!  My Steelers ROCK, BTW!

Back to nails, you may not believe me but these are the LONGEST my nails have ever been, all at once.  I am sure they would be much longer, but I am rather fanatical about filing, every week I take a few millimeters off.  I just want to grow out all the damage, and keep them all around the same length.  But they are UNBELIEVABLY strong!  You know when you bang your hand against something, and look down, expecting a break or a tear?  None!  And my nails are super susceptible to tearing.  The ONLY thing that I am doing different is using Dermelect Launchpad as my base coat.  That's it!

This product was provided to me for my honest review.  I have used more than half the bottle, so I am starting to freak out a little bit.  Definitely time to place an order!

xoxo,

polish insomniac

Karma, Desire and Illuminate

My friend Jen, the polish-aholic, mentioned on twitter that she was looking for DS Desire. In my head I thought to myself, isn't that the one that looks like DS Illuminate, but different?

OPI DS Desire - Sun

OPI DS Desire - Shade

 Both are beautiful brown holos.  Check out how different Desire looks in the shade vs. the sun!  Incredible!  Desire is more yellow-based brown, and Illuminate leans pink, atleast on me!

OPI DS Illuminate

OPI DS Illuminate

OPI DS Illuminate

I felt I really didn't need both of these and quickly let her know via twitter.  And what do you know, she just found me a Misa I have been looking for!

Nail polish karma really works.

xoxo,

polish insomniac

p.s. Lowered prices and added a few things to my blog sale!!!

Nail Mail!

 My wife-in-another-life sent me the best swap package!

Quick NOTD at the end of the post!



Glitter Purple, Glitter Silver



Magic Star, Totally Teal, Purple Magic



I Love My Jeans, Five Pocket Grey, My Boyfriend's Jeans



Movie Star, Just Rock It, Lime Up!



My Little Orchid, Fruit Punch, Sundowner, Jungle Drum, Back to Paradise

 

Sea of Green, Pebble Beach, Spiced Bronze, Plum Play with Me

Prism, Force, Jo'mina



Illamasqua Jo'mina

THANKS ROZE!!!



OPF: Glitterbomb from the Hungry Asian

Base color:  China Glaze Grape Juice

This lovely glitter franken was sent to me by Kae, aka The Hungry Asian.  She made it for me as an extra when I won her Lancome giveaway!  She knows me - blue + glitter = win!

My Giveaway Reminder!

There are only a few days left to enter my

Because It's Fall Mini Minis Giveaway!

Ulta OPI minis, OPI Go Goth Minis, 6 WnW Insomnia polishes

  I am so excited fall is in the air!  To celebrate the change is seasons, I am doing a mini-giveaway of mini polishes!

I am very sorry, but this giveaway is limited to US readers only.  My next giveaway will definitely be international!

CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE GIVEAWAY POST!

OPI DS Glamour

DS Glamour - shade

This lovely polish needs no introduction.  I found this polish on ebay last November-December.  You will never guess how much I paid for it.... $7.50!  For evilbay that is a great price!



DS Glamour - full sun

DS Glamour - full sun

DS Glamour - full sun



Deborah Lippmann Across the Universe

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Lippmann Across The Universe

It is no secret I love Lippmann polishes.  I thought that Lady Sings the Blues was my #1 Lippmann, but now I have this beautiful baby to consider too!  Across the Universe was originally released during Nordstrom's Anniversary sale, and I was not able to get my hands on it before it sold out.  So imagine my surprise when I walked through the beauty department at Nordstrom's on Saturday, and found this sitting in line with all the other polishes!

Across the Universe is a navy blue jelly with bright blue micro glitter, large green hex glitter, and light blue/silver hex glitter.  Deborah describes it as blazing blue and metallic green glam in sheerest navy.  It really does seem like a universe on your fingernail!  Reminds me of what earth looks like from space: green, blue, and white. 

The formula on this was fantastic.  Three easy coats, and I did not do any cleanup (I should have though, in the macro shots you can see polish on my cuticles).  I thought all the Lippman hex polishes were easy to work with, but this was definitely the easiest.

I still can't decide if I like Across the Universe or Lady Sings the Blues the best.

What do you think?

xoxo,

polish insomniac