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Orly Sea Gurl

May 9, 2013, 6:00 am
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Last month In March, I inserted a poll on the blog with four different brands and asked you which of those brands you'd like to see for a month. You guys chose Orly, which made me really happy because I have lots of love for the brand. I think I wore more Orlys before I started blogging, so having the chance to wear and show you some for a month will be nice.

I feel like I'm starting out with what you probably think is a really unexciting polish, but I love it so much! This is Sea Gurl, from Fall 2011's Birds of a Feather collection -- I blogged Fowl Play last summer and found it to be fairly meh, so I'm pleased with this one.

I MEAN, you know how I feel about metallic polishes.




Yeah, that sounds about right.




Three coats with SV.









DEAR. GAWD. Next to Fowl Play and Sweet Peacock, Sea Gurl probably didn't have a decent shot at getting on most people's radars. At first I wasn't sure how I felt about it, then I decided to buy it in case I changed my mind. I wasn't too keen on it after polishing one hand, but a day later, I'm all about it. Good thing I got it!

This color is an interesting combination of gold, pewter, and taupe -- with the metallic finish, it almost resembles burnished jewelry, doesn't it? Actually, I would classify this as RBL Ghost's taupe/pewter sister.

The formula was good, too. It wasn't brushstrokey, applied well, and was opaque in two coats. Dry time was quick with SV, and I haven't had much in the way of tip wear in the past day.

Blogging Sea Gurl means I have three Birds of a Feather polishes left: Sweet Peacock, Nite Owl and Lucky Duck. Sweet Peacock is DEFINITELY HAPPENING this month. Next week? Week after? I'm a little hazy on when exactly, but keep an eye out for that. :)

Any thoughts you'd like to share on Sea Gurl? Birds of a Feather? Metallic polishes? Your favorite Orlys? Perhaps you'll see some of them on this blog in the coming days!

I had something else I wanted to say, but I had the worst time concentrating on anything yesterday. I bought the wrong stamps at the post office, had to go back and exchange them, and then drove the wrong way down a one-way street I've driven down a million times (luckily, no one else was there). I also decided to bake more brownies with the box mix I bought last week, and for some reason I poured the batter over parchment paper which I'd greased on top of the tray. IDEK what that was about, but those brownies, once baked, were not fun to remove. When I finally sat down in front of the computer to write this post (because I couldn't find my "Dexter" DVDs), I thought I would reply to comments and somehow ended up in a Youtube music video black hole of awesomeness. Here's the last vid I got stuck on.

CONFESSION: If hell froze over and I married B -- a thought I have entertained all of three times, as it is just too absurd and TERRIFYING -- I probably would try to play this song instead of doing a dance because that's how much we both HATE dancing. I will sing before I dance, and I can't sing, jsyk. If you ever get the chance to ride in a car with me, you'll find that out REAL QUICK.




One of my favorite songs (from one of my favorite Steve Martin movies), played by two of my favorite WGWGs. --Well, technically, one WGWG and a WGWUkulele. And, granted, JoCo isn't just any WGWG. ;)

Thanks for reading, and I'll see you with a drive-by post tomorrow. I really hope I can focus enough after work to get that done.
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Orly Frolic, or Y U GOTTA BE LIKE THAT?!?

May 10, 2013, 11:30 am
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So much for posting at my usual blog o'clock. I got home from work late last night, and couldn't get to sleep until 2 a.m. (I was reading, for once.) I did set an alarm so I could buy Neutral Milk Hotel concert tickets, and UGHHHHHHHHH TICKETMASTER, FUUUUUUUUUUUUUU. Ticketmaster is just the worst. Tickets went on sale at 10 a.m. I'd been logged into Ticketmaster since 9:56, and although I had a ticket in my cart, the stupid site captcha wouldn't let me actually purchase it until 10:23.

By 10:30, I shit you not, the show was sold out. I feel so, so lucky! (And although I missed the window to buy Shins tickets, I was able to buy a Loretta Lynn ticket yesterday for D.C. in July. Loretta FREAKIN' Lynn. SHAKING. AND. CRYING.)

Okay, now back to nail polish. I have a feeling I won't be doing much hauling this month, but after these tickets, I am completely fine with that. (However, now that I'm locked into Neutral Milk Hotel, maybe I should buy some Pahlish?)

Orly usually does a Back to School collection every summer, and when the press images of the 2011 Happy Go Lucky set came out, I lost my shit. I NEEDED THEM ALL. I love Orly! I love bright cremes! Nothing could be wrong about that, and generally I'm still happy with the collection, except for Frolic.

Oh, Frolic. :(

It was supposed to be a warm purple, and I swear to you that it was when I bought it. Check out the pictures at Colores de Carol -- those are close to what I remember. Two years later, it seems to have morphed into this weird, warm orchid color, not quite purple and a little more pink. It's pretty and that's fine, but I still wish this had stayed purple.

By the way, this orchid/pink is bright, but slightly more muted in person.




Three coats with SV.








As you can see, this would be a perfectly serviceable color if it didn't blend into my complexion. Up close, it looked fine; when I held my hand out maybe a foot away from me, YUCK. I think it would be stunning on someone whose skin tone is a little more pronounced than mine -- ladies with paler or darker skin tones could rock this. It kind of dies on me a little.

The good news is that the formula was great, and easy to work with. Frolic dries a bit matte -- not completely matte, more like semi-matte (think Milani Rad Purple) ... which leads me to believe that while it wasn't a true neon, it contained a good deal of neon pigment. Dry time was fast with SV, and I had no chips or noticeable tip wear for the day I wore it.

I did a little sleuthing online, and Frolic is in the Orly core line at Ulta. Next time I drop in, I'm definitely going to have to take a closer look at this polish to make sure it's really purple and that I have a freak bottle! This came from Sally's, and truly, it WAS purple then.

If you have Frolic, does your bottle look like this, or the original shade of purple? Or rant to me about polishes that have changed color over the years ... or your frustration with Ticketmaster, grrrr. And which would you rather see first: Fresh, or Sweet Peacock? I'll blog y'alls pick next week. :) Thanks!
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Guest post on Life in Color!

May 11, 2013, 6:00 am
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Hey y'all, happy Saturday! Just dropping in so I can direct you to my FIRST EVAH guest post on Life in Color. (!!!)

If you also read that blog, then you know Gosia's been away since the end of March because she's attempting to summit Mt. Everest. How badass, right? When she put out a SOS asking for guest bloggers back in January, I couldn't not volunteer.

So hop to it!

See you next week. Have a lovely weekend, and early happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there.
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Pretty Serious (Glitter Gradient Fail) with Daphne's Birthday Party & The Pink One

May 14, 2013, 6:00 am
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Welcome to the umpteenth Pretty Serious Daphne's Birthday Party post you'll see today!


Yay! Daphne, by the by, is the Pretty Serious mascot. She's one stylish lady!


Only, this one is a really sad attempt at a glitter gradient. I'm pretty sure there's a reason people don't exactly do glitter gradients over neon polishes, but damn it, I wanted to try! I also have to say that these photos make this experiment look like a hot mess -- I promise it wasn't so harsh in person. I wanted to layer Daph over Pretty Serious Poltergeist Puddle, but The Pink One was my NOTWeekend and I couldn't bring myself to remove it.

And that, friends, explains this ridiculousness.




Three coats of Pretty Serious The Pink One + Daphne's Birthday Party + SV.









... yeah, that's pretty bad, isn't it? That does not even remotely resemble a glitter gradient. You guys, I spent a couple of afternoons last week practicing (with AND without a sponge), and I thought I had it after attempt number 3. So I slapped on The Pink One for the weekend and figured I'd recreate the magic yesterday afternoon. Only, you know, no magic. :(

Color-wise, I am in LOVE with Daph. She's everything I wanted OPI Rainbow Connection to be -- I think the OPI contained more silver glitters and different sizes of hexes, and its colored glitters weren't as vibrant as the Pretty Serious. On the flip side, my bottle (of Daph) could have used a wee bit of thinner, since it seemed to go gloopy on me. Oh, and dry time was great!

I'll probably do a post on The Pink One in a few weeks because it's my new favorite Pretty Serious and possibly my new favorite pink. I even went so far as to declare that it was 2013 Top 20 material -- it's THAT good. Look at that neon hawtness. The color on my monitor is spot on, btw. I got craptons of compliments wearing it last weekend. It wore like a champ, but we'll talk about that another day.

As of this post, Daphne's Birthday Party is available at the Pretty Serious shop ($9.95 USD) and via Llarowe ($12); The Pink One is sold out on both sites. Just remember that if you get Daph -- which you should -- thin it after you've used it once.

Also, if you have a favorite glitter gradient tutorial, you should probably share that with me in the comments, por favor. I could practice more ... or I can learn a new way to do it that isn't a fail whale. And let me know what you think of Daphne's Birthday Party and The Pink One! 

I think out of all the niche brands that are out right now, Pretty Serious is the one that's going to get a LOT of my money! Kaz's blog, Pretty Random, was one of the first nail blogs I started reading back in the day, and it's been such a trip to be able to give her my money watch the brand grow in the past year. Plus, it doesn't hurt when a brand's customer service is the total package -- professional, friendly and humorous with a slice of nerdy (a major bonus)! I can't wait to see the new Hit the Road polishes, and for whatever Pretty Serious has in store. :)


In other news, I hope everyone had a great Mother's Day weekend. My mom was out of town, so I spent the morning snuggling with Sterling Meowlory Archer and the rest of day hanging out with one of my best friends, talking about her wedding plans and watching "Dexter." It was a lot of fun.

I wished I'd thought to post a photo of myself with my mom just like every other person on Facebook did on Sunday, but you guys know I'm late to everything except ONTD "Game of Thrones" party posts (and even then ...).
 
SO, here's a picture of my mom and me at Disney World in 1987. I don't understand why people take their babies to Disney World, because it's not like the babies will remember it. In my parents' case, I'm guessing it was because they had been living in America long enough to use their sole offspring as an excuse to visit one of the most famous theme parks in the world.




Please take note of my mom's shorts in this photo, legit in 1987. Now fast forward to me in 1997, having to wear them because nothing else fit my freak body -- I was too chubs for the regular juniors' sizes, and unfortunately misses' and women's sizes, matronly as they were, were all that would fit me. Luckily things are a lot less traumatic now, but Jesus, no wonder I have such an uneasy relationship with fashion.

All right, I'm out. Thanks for reading! The Orly posts will resume later this week. :)
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Orly Jealous, Much?

May 17, 2013, 6:00 am
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I know you guys want to see Sweet Peacock, and you will -- next week. It's just that I wanted to save it for the weekend because there's no point in wearing an eyecatching, sparkly blue polish when my boyfriend can't see it and I might see him on Sunday (saying the guy likes blue is a gross understatement). I also wanted to get in on the mint party Anna and Madeline had on Monday, can you blame me?

I'd been eyeing this polish since last year, but didn't pull the trigger on it until a couple months ago when Ulta was clearing out their stock of old Orly bottles. Orlys were buy one, get one free, so ... hello, little friend!




Three coats with SV. I'm sorry my cuticles look so ragged. I don't know why.










Mmmm, yes. Very nice, yes? Yes. I love mint polishes, but I have a hard time wearing them. Some lean too blue, some give me major lobster hands and sometimes the formulas are TOTALLY. SHIT. This polish did none of those things, hooray!

I think the most surprising thing about this polish was its finish. It was more of a jelly-creme than straight-up creme, which made for really easy application -- if you're patient. Mint polishes generally lean toward the stark side of the color wheel, and stark pastels are awful to work with! So I appreciated Jealous, Much?'s jelly-creme vibe. Now I know other bloggers have said this was a tad streaky, but I didn't find that to be the case. Sure, I had a few bald spots, but those disappeared and evened out after a third coat. Dry time was good with SV. I only wore this for a day, but I could wear it again.

Jealous, Much? was part of last spring's Cool Romance collection. If you want to find it in person, it's in the core Orly displays at both Sally's and Ulta -- I believe Ulta is having a B2G1 with the brand right now, and you should print a coupon and go nuts. I hate the new Orly bottles, so I'm glad I was able to snag one of the older ones.

What's your take on this Orly mint? Anna and Madeline, what do you think?


P.S. I also have Faint of Heart and Prelude to a Kiss from the Cool Romance collection. Would you guys be interested in seeing one or both of those after I wear Sweet Peacock?
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Skinny Dipping (With Friends): Orly Pure Porcelain ... pure hotness

May 20, 2013, 6:00 am
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I love nude polishes, but I am CRAZY for the ones that take your outfit to the next level. You know what I mean? If you don't, it's okay -- you're about to find out.




Three and a half coats with SV.









Wearing Pure Porcelain for just one day, I felt far more put together and "finished" than someone wearing an ill-fitting t-shirt, fat jeans and ratty sneakers should have felt. (I have been wearing my fat clothes lately ... nothing fits except my bridesmaid dress. I look like I'm well into my second trimester. I should probably do something about this.) And this is what I mean by taking an outfit to the next level. If I can feel that way with a crappy outfit, can you imagine how I would feel with a prim cardigan and sundress combo, or even with a formal dress? !!!

It turns out pink-tinged nudes and I are better together than I thought, and Pure Porcelain confirms this. It had a pretty good formula for a shade that's stark and faded at the same time. It's not streaky, but it does need at least two coats to level. It's actually pretty cooperative. Dry time with SV was fast and should help you out if you had leveling issues. I did an extra half coat because I basically was polishing in the dark and you know how that goes -- you never can be too certain.

Pure Porcelain was part of the Precious collection for Spring 2011, which was a great year for Orly now that I think about it. This, Happy Go Lucky, Birds of a Feather and Mineral FX ... good lord. Between Orly Precious and China Glaze Anchors Away, I was one happy polish collector. If you remember the Orly tie-in with "Dark Shadows," then Decades of Dysfunction was Pure Porcelain, renamed.

I also have to disclose that Pure Porcelain was not the first Precious shade I picked up, but I can show you that polish this week? next week? if'n you wanna.

Thanks for reading! Don't forget to check back next month for another nude polish, and don't forget to visit Business Lady Polish today for Anna's nude polish pick! (Oh, and check out Pure Porcelain on her -- it looks totally different, right? It pulls pretty pink on me.)
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Orly Sweet Peacock

May 24, 2013, 6:00 am
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Oh my God. So much to cover today because I am SO BEHIND ON ALL THE BLOG THINGS. Work was just busy busy this week, which is why I didn't have any time for anything I wanted to do that wasn't collapsing in bed and watching "Dexter" or "Hannibal." (I seem to be in deep with the serial killers these days, heh.)

I'm not sure if I have any readers out in Oklahoma, but seeing the news earlier this week about the devastation caused by the tornado was just awful. I can't imagine going through something like that and wondering if your family is all right. I hope everyone finds a safe place to stay, and a way to move forward with their loved ones.

Second, and this is totally 1st world problems-y, can we talk about new Flickr for a minute? On top of all the advertising issues, pro account issues, Yahoo! issues and general adjustment pains ... I HATE the new layout. I hate the photograph clusters, and I hate the black background. I wish there was an option to switch back to classic view! That would make life so much easier. I've been using Flickr exclusively for blogging purposes for the past two years -- and, before blogging, for NOTDs and personal photos -- so I don't want to find another host gallery service. I'm pretty attached. I know nothing in tech ever stays the same and there's always a learning curve, so I guess all I'm asking is for the white background to come back ... I can learn to deal with the clusters and the rearrangement of the photo notes and tags, but this fucking background. So clunky.

Third, I saw "Star Trek Into Darkness" last Friday and I think I hate it just about as much as I hate new Flickr. There were certain things I was willing to overlook, and right when I was beginning to enjoy it ... NOPE. I'm not going to spoil anything for anybody; I'll just say that considering how much I loved the 2009 movie, I'm very disappointed.

Fourth, SWEET MUTHAF-ING PEACOCK, Y'ALL. It took me forevs to get these photos not just because work was busy, but also because it rained on photo day. And did I mention new f-ing Flickr blows?




Three coats with NYC Grand Central Station.








This is a whole lotta foil. You can see the particles that got stuck to my skin and cuticle after I tried to clean up! But this teal peacock shade is certainly worth it. Depending on your light, it's going to lean either teal-azure or a true teal (see Scrangie's swatch); KleanColor Metallic Aqua appears to be more green than Sweet Peacock, and contains smaller foil particles than Sweet Peacock.

Now. I hadn't used my bottle since I bought it (I know), so it had gotten a little watery during the interim. My roommate remembers her bottle having a thick formula; after rolling mine around, it was good to go. I needed two coats to get this opaque, but I went for that third coat and a couple minutes later, T and I were on our way for some Qdoba (which is so weird when you've been eating Chipotle since 2008, and even weirder when you think about eating Qdoba all through college, 2005-2007). I had this polish on for maybe three days before it chipped on one of my chip-prone fingers, but I kept it on for five days total with minimal tip wear. For some reason, it didn't wear like iron the way KleanColor Metallic Green did, but I'm not complaining.

As you know, Sweet Peacock is one of the epic shades from the epic Birds of a Feather collection. This is a core polish at Sally's, and it's not htf online, so you can venture there. I have Lucky Duck and Nite Owl left ... but I think I'll wear some other Orlys before the end of the month first. ;)

Okay. Any thoughts on Sweet Peacock, new Flickr (ugh), "Star Trek Into Darkness" (punch me in the face)? Do you have any plans for this long Memorial Day weekend? I think I might have to work, but on Monday, I'm going to see The Shins in concert, something I have been dying to do since 2002. I know -- I'm such a closet hipster sometimes. Please don't throw any kombucha at me. I would appreciate it.
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Orly Heat Wave + Sterling Meowlory Archer: One year in the danger zone.

May 26, 2013, 6:00 am
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I usually don't post on Sundays, but today is VERY IMPORTANT because it marks one year since B adopted a little grey tabby cat and brought him home. I wouldn't go so far as to say that I can't imagine my life before my precious Sterling Meowlory Archer, but I maaaaaaaay have made B agree to let me take ownership of him in the event of B's untimely death because I don't think anyone else will love him as much as we love him.

Look at this face. How can you not?


Someone's first night home. It doesn't feel like a year ago!


Before I post cat spam, nails! I wanted to wear Orly Beach Cruiser since summertime kicks my general neon pink craze way, way up. However, given how problematic finding blogging time has been this week, I figured I'd better pick another polish that would be easy to photograph if I had a spare 10 minutes. Sorry, Arlyn!

Enter Orly Heat Wave, which is perfect, because the first time I posted about Sterling Meowlory Archer, I was trying to choose between several untried orange polishes.




Three coats with SV. If you guys HATE these pictures, I'll try to re-do them on my next major day off. LET A GIRL KNOW.








This polish may not be a neon, but ... I still like it, even if my hands can get a little too red for it sometimes. I loved that the shimmer was more apparent than the shimmer in Revlon Tangerine, my other contestant in the race for Rach's Perfect Candy Corn Orange Shimmer. (I'm not even going to link you to my post, those pictures were JANK.) It sparkles in low light -- if the particles were larger, it would remind me of Zoya Kimber's -- and I bet this would look amazing with a topper like China Glaze White Cap or even a flakie like Essie Shine of the Times. Hmm. White Cap. Hmmmmmmmmmmm.

No lie, the formula for this polish was much better than I thought it would be. It's thin, and I thought it would be watery and runny -- not so. It goes on the nail and spreads more evenly than most polishes this thin do. If you stop after two thin coats, you'll probably have a little streaking, so I'd recommend three for full opacity. Dry time was good with SV; I was half asleep while polishing and used NYC Grand Central Station on my right hand, which was a total mistake. I didn't have sheet marks the next morning, but apparently I scratched myself in my sleep and the GCS on two didn't survive those dents.

Heat Wave was from Orly's High Voltage collection from Summer 2008. I think this all happened a few months before I really got into nails, so I vaguely remember seeing it around. I do remember Charged Up becoming a permanent fixture at Sally's, and I know I ran into Hot Shot quite a few times at CVS. I got my bottle in a swap a couple of summers ago, which is lucky -- it seems to be discontinued as well as a little htf right now. Crazy.

I don't see too many swatches of Heat Wave out there, so I'd like to know what you think

And now for what you really came for ... cat spam.

B and I don't have fancy cameras, so everything you're going to see came off our phones (every nail picture I posted to this blog comes from a phone). Some of these shots are blurry and terrible quality, but they're some of my favorites.


A visit to ISIS ... how meta! (You're not going to get this unless you watch "Archer." Also, if this cat is Archer, B is Woodhouse, which would make me ... not Dicky, DAMN IT CYRIL.)



When you get a cat a tunnel that lights up, but he'd rather play in this:


And this ...



His "I sell kitty Chanel" face:



One day, B was cleaning and left his chairs up on the table like this. Of course, it is the perfect size to be claimed as a new cat bed.






Kitty, this just can't be comfortable:


(I was 80% asleep and only became aware of this photo because B started laughing. 
Then he dropped his phone.)


A terrible photo of him in one of the bow ties Madeline sent last Christmas:



You might not believe me when I tell you I didn't warm up to this little guy right away, mostly because I am not a cat person. The night Sterling came home, he wanted to jump in my lap, but I wouldn't let him. (I think my exact words were, "Not on this dress, kitty!") I don't live with B, so it took me a little longer -- two weeks? -- to become completely smitten.

We drove to New Jersey for a day last June, and spent the night not far from Atlantic City. This trip was the longest we'd been out of the house since B adopted SMA, and I relished the chance to sleep in a bed with my boyfriend without a cat attacking our feet. The next morning, we headed home, exhausted and sweaty (it was a REALLY hot weekend -- B almost passed out on the way to NJ). I think we skipped dinner to sleep. We crawled into bed, and I remember backing up into B so I could be the little spoon while he attempted to watch "The A-Team" movie. I remember being too hot, so I inched away from him and flung my arms out.

That was when Sterling, elated to see his humans (after dipping into some fresh water and wet food, of course), jumped on the bed and snuggled into the crook of my arm.

"B," I hissed. "This is really cute, but THERE'S A CAT HERE." Instead of helping get the cat off me, B just laughed. I figured Sterling would be over it after a few minutes, so I let him stay. He stayed for a long time, happily purring and purring into the crook of my arm.

And then the darnedest thing happened: As I watched that striped ball of fuzz purr himself to sleep, my heart suddenly swelled a size or two bigger, a size usually reserved for "FNL" episodes or especially moving installments of "This American Life." I'm not sure if it was because I was insanely tired from driving, but I started to feel a fraction of what new moms feel, what pet owners feel for their fur babies. So although he isn't technically my pet, Sterling Meowlory Archer became my fur baby that night.

Naturally, I had second thoughts the next morning when he attacked my feet. But he is my kittybaby.
 

Being really adorable about stealing my quilt last summer:


 

Keeping me company while I was sick last November? beginning of December?:




I can't watch "Sherlock" without my little 13-pound heating pad:






The first of many "Selfies with Sterling." My brows were a hot fucking mess that week, SORRY.




When B gets home from work, this cat will run to the door and JUMP UP ON HIS HIND LEGS to rub his face all over B's face. I have no photographic evidence of this particular act, but trust me -- Sterling loves B so much, it's disgusting. (And adorable.)






All this, because one year ago, a friendly, playful boy cat "chose" B by booping him in the nose with his paw.



I'm so glad he did. I love him so much.


P.S. I still don't like cats! In fact, I'm hoping to get a dog within the next year -- SMA is the only cat I WILL EVER LOVE.
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The Long Haul: May 2013

May 29, 2013, 6:00 am
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Of all the polish I purchased this month, I only regret buying two of them. Of course, the goal is not to have buyer's remorse, period, but sometimes shit happens.

The rules: If I bought other items at one store along with polish, I won't include the tax, just the total amount I spent on polish. Additionally, swaps or anything I bought as a gift for someone else won't figure into this and won't count.

Notes: Do you guys even care about seeing haul pictures?, because I give up. If I can't make something happen after five months, I probably can't do it.


MAY 2: Pretty Serious - TOTAL: $25.95 (USD)
  • Daphne's Birthday Party - $9.95 AUD
  • Elliot - $9.95 AUD

MAY 3: Target wedding run - TOTAL: $1.19
  • NYC Tudor City Teal - $1.19

MAY 6: Beauty supply drive by ... seriously, IDEK how I arrived at the total, but that's what I paid - TOTAL: $14
  • China Glaze Kinetic Candy - $3?
  • China Glaze Nasty - $3?
  • Essie Avenue Maintain - $4?
  • Essie In the Cabana - $4?

MAY 10: Pahlish haul - TOTAL: $41
  • Little Caroline - $9
  • Lonesome Ocean - $9
  • Pianos Filled With Flames - $9
  • Still Alive - $9

MAY 10: Llarowe haul - TOTAL: $44.60
  • Contrary Polish Santorini - $11
  • CrowsToes Purple People Eater - $9
  • HARE polish King of Carat Flowers - $11
  • Pretty Serious Mummy Mush - $10 

MAY 17: CVS run - TOTAL: $8.92
  • Orly Lollipop - $4.25
  • Orly Rage - $4.25

MAY 22: Dollar Tree run - TOTAL $3.00
  • Sinful Colors Boom Boom
  • Sinful Colors Dazzle
  • Sinful Colors Forget Now

MAY 22: Wags run - TOTAL: $11.94
  • Sinful Colors Anchors Away - $1.99
  • Sinful Colors Cross My Heart - $1.99
  • Sinful Colors Into the Blue - $1.99
  • Sinful Colors My Buoyfriend - $1.99
  • Sinful Colors New Wave - $1.99
  • Sinful Colors Sail La Vie - $1.99

MAY 27: CVS Shark Week run - TOTAL: $1.32
  • Milani Sail Away (clearance!)


    MAY TOTAL: $151.92
    2013 TOTAL: $1147.42


    Next month may be a bit skint -- I'm saving mah moneys for some really exciting summertime things! A friend of mine is coming to stay with me for a few days, so of course I'm going to give her a grand tour of Central VA. I'm hoping to squeeze in a quick trip to NYC in July, my friends and I just started planning our friend's bridal shower that month, and I need to get my bridesmaid gown hemmed -- basically, I have EVERY REASON to not buy nail polish. I'm trying not tospend mah dollars on material things, but rather, on experiences. (Unless I get to NYC. And then there WILL be polish.) WE'LL SEE HOW THAT GOES.
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    A tale of hipster heaven and hell + Orly Halley's Comet

    May 31, 2013, 10:00 am
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    I detest posting after noon (I feel like no one reads my blog in the afternoon/evening), but I got home from work way too late last night to finish this post properly, so here we are.

    You ever know how it feels when you FINALLY get the opportunity to do something, but then you're a little scared that it might not meet your expectations? This past Monday definitely was a twofer for me -- I wore Halley's Comet to see The Shins in concert. Yeah, it doesn't sound like a big deal, but work with me here.

    Let me start with The Shins (or as my mother calls them, The Tibias. *faceFUCKINpalm* Without even knowing my parents, you KNOW I'm their kid). When I first heard "New Slang" on the first season of "Scrubs" back in 2001, I was into it, but didn't think about them again until the first "Scrubs" soundtrack came out the next year -- apparently, 2002 was a formative year for my music preferences. At that point, I decided their debut album, "Oh, Inverted World," was the tits, as was their follow-up, "Chutes Too Narrow."

    And then the movie "Garden State" came out in 2004 and this happened, and I was all, "SONUVABITCH."


    (source: Le Cinema Paradiso ... in all seriousness, it's a cute Tumblr.)


    Let's just admit the MPDG trope is getting kind of tired -- I wouldn't mind so much if it were done well, but it's usually not.

    ANYWAY. My point is, I pretty much had to act like I didn't like the band after the movie came out in case people thought I liked them because of the movie. Either way, thanks for that, Zach Braff. (Really, when was the last time the logic of an 18-year-old made sense?) I've continued listening to the band over the years, but I'd kept that on the DL to the point that when I found out they were coming to Richmond, I had second thoughts about buying concert tickets because going meant HIPSTERS.

    For those of you who don't know anything about Richmond, it's the hipster mecca of, shall we say, the lower Mid-Atlantic. It was a little annoying when I went to college in 2005, but I can't imagine what it's like now. The idea of being surrounded by hipsters and BABY HIPSTERS was enough to make me decide I'd buy tickets later.

    Of course, when I finally decided I wanted a ticket, those fuckers were sold out. So I turned to Craigslist, and a lovely lady was nice enough to sell one to me.

    The show was a lot of fun! Yes, hipsters and baby hipsters abounded. (Don't worry, I didn't catch anything.) Strangely, the crowd skewed younger than I thought it would -- I supposed more people my age and older would be in attendance; if they were, they were nowhere near me! I was sandwiched between a bunch of kids WHO WEREN'T EVEN 21 YET, and one of these kids became my concert buddy that night. She was very sweet. I had a good time, though, and it would have been even better if not for, well, Shark Week. (Sorry, truth bomb.)


    Know Your Onion!


    New Slang


    I'm sure you've noticed I like to match my nails to a polish that is loosely lyrically-appropriate. I had a crap ton of options -- first, I thought of wearing Orly Sea Gurl again, but decided it wasn't fabulous enough. Then I put on Orly Spark, and that STILL wasn't fabulous enough, and after texting Madeline and Anna, I changed it to Halley's Comet half an hour before driving down to the venue. Yeah, I guess I'm THAT girl now.

    But, I'll take it if it means I'm not a hipster?




    Three coats with NYC Grand Central Station, one day of wear.

    Have a shload of pictures because I've barely posted all week and this polish deserves a shload of pictures.















    I'd say Halley's Comet is pretty fabulous, wouldn't you? (TY, Madeline and Anna!) I don't know why I put off trying it (or buying it) for so long!

    Halley's Comet was released in Fall 2010 as part of Orly's Cosmic FX line, and it's a core shade at Ulta. It's super easy to find online, too. It became popular as one of 2010's barrage of Zoya Charla dupes, and although I don't own Charla, I also have Wet n Wild FastDry Teal of Fortune as well as Essence Choose Me! I asked the great KarenD last year about her favorite Charla dupe, and she said she would be least likely to give up Halley's Comet. Clearly, that answer was enough for me to buy it last August, so a belated thanks goes out to you, Karen! :)

    Among all the Charla dupes, I think Halley's Comet is said to contain the most green/gold glitter/glass fleck particles, and warms up the teal base color rather significantly on me. When I had a delicious barbecue lunch with B the next day, he actually classified this polish as green. (I love him very much, but I think he might be even worse than I am at classifying colors.) I didn't have any issues applying this; the formula was perfect and it was opaque after two coats, but three gives the most satisfying coverage. I wore this for a day, removed it and reapplied it to take better pictures, when I found (1) SV shrinks something awful with this polish, but it is glassy af and (2) it didn't stain my nails after one day, nor did the glitter particles stick to my skin. Total win. By the time this post goes up, I'll have had it on since Tuesday night with no chips and minimal tip wear. I'll most likely remove this today.

    I've done my bit, so I'd love to hear from you about Halley's Comet, Cosmic FX (I regret not getting Lunar Eclipse ... I really want it!), or your favorite Charla dupe. I also hope you enjoyed my sad month of Orly polishes -- you'll see more of them intermittently in the coming weeks, though.

    Any Shins fans in the house? How did you come about them? I'm laughing so hard as I'm typing this, but ... do you struggle with hipster problems? While I have a weird affection for Richmond's, I would so not survive in Brooklyn. --I mean, I've known some really lovely hipsters in my time, but man ... I can only take them in small doses.




    Bless you, Max Blum. RIP, "Happy Endings."

    Oh, and believe me, the irony of my whole "this is how I knew it first and then I almost ragequit" hipster spiel is not lost on me. I can't win.
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    Fannibal party nails! China Glaze Tart-y for the Party + CrowsToes Purple People Eater

    June 4, 2013, 6:00 am
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    This post was supposed to go up yesterday, but then I got home from work late Sunday night (again) and Monday was just ... Monday. So, Tuesday. Hi.


    On Saturday, I felt compelled to text Madeline about a revelation I'd had earlier that morning because unless it has to do with my dislike of James Taylor, grits and children, she understands me.

    Me (11:39 a.m.): NOTweekend: ChG Tart-y for the Party + a failtacular glitter gradient of CrowsToes Purple People Eater. Officially going too hard on my Hannibal episode viewing

    Madeline (11:41 a.m.): I'm watching it right now.

    Me (11:41 a.m.): NICE

    Madeline (11:42 a.m.): NOTD, a thematically-appropriate Sinful Colors Bleeding Heart.

    Me (11:43 a.m.): High five, we win. I almost put on ChG Foie Gras but I wanted pastel.

    And that, you guys, is proof we've been going too hard on "Hannibal." Madeline, too. It was 8:40-ish in the morning, her time, when this conversation took place.

    But ... how do you not? I haven't been so excited about a new TV show since "The Mindy Project" started, but this! -- this seemed fully realized right out of the gate (I wonder if that's a Bryan Fuller thing, though. His work tends to lean that way). This particular depiction of Dr. Lecter is pretty darn fancy and great, except for the whole "people, nom nom nom" thing. Plus, the guest stars are ON POINT. Eddie Izzard? QUEEN GILLIAN ANDERSON? Bryan Fuller alums Ellen Muth and Chelan Simmons? I die. And if Laurence Fishburne does not get an Emmy nom for best supporting actor, I will get stabby. (But not, like, serial killer stabby.)

    And! DID YOU KNOW David Tennant nearly got the role of Hannibal? He only lost out because Hugh Dancy and Mads Mikkelsen are frans IRL, which makes my fangirlish heart pretty happy, ngl. Sorry I'm not sorry, but when it comes to creeping, Barty Crouch, Jr. < Le Chiffre.

    Anyway, until I texted Madeline, I hadn't thought once about the hilarity of these polish names. See, my most confusing "Hannibal" viewing habit is eating while I'm watching the show. Ever since the first episode aired, I've noticed that I always seem to be stuffing my face while the fancy cannibal is doing his thing. 'Sup, subconscious?

    I know it's practically summertime, but I'm still behind on wearing my spring collection polishes. Here's China Glaze Tart-y for the Party, a gorgeous pastel lavender creme from the Avant Garden collection (which, IMHO, was WAY more interesting than OPI Euro Centrale).




    In "Hannibal," I swear to you, even the BEER is people. (EVERYTHING IS PEOPLE) Now, (1) Hannibal probably would be offended that I don't have an especially sophisticated palate and probably would kill me on those grounds alone, but (2) I really, REALLY enjoyed this orange blossom business. I wish I'd taken more from B's fridge. (I think he bought this back when when he went to Total Wine looking for "Game of Thrones" beer for me, couldn't find it, and got this instead. He's nice like that.)

    Anyway, this is three coats of Tart-y for the Party with SV. Sorry for the scratchy top coat, it's an SV hazard. :(





    These OttLite pics are the most accurate:

    Altered ...

    ... altered ...

    ... altered ...

    ACTUALLY LEGIT (!!!)


    PRETTY GREAT, HUH. I didn't have an easy time applying this, but I suspect it's because my brush was jank, as in it was missing bristles and didn't fan out properly. Other than that, I had no problems until I tried photographing it, because all purples are blogger nightmares. Tart-y for the Party dried QUICKLY with SV, and didn't shrink drastically until maybe Day 3.This polish is actually more unique than I thought (check out this bottle shot comparison at The Polishaholic); it also looks good on everyone! Dudes, if I can find another bottle with a less jankity brush, I'm totally buying it. This polish is 2013 Top 20 material, for sure.

    Moving on, here's the icky glitter gradient with CrowsToes Purple People Eater, plus one coat of NYC Grand Central Station. If I wear teh glitters, I prefer them to be a bit chunkier, like HARE Why So Igneous? (A similarly-colored glitter, although I believe that one doesn't have a clear base, and PPE does.) PPE's particles are smaller, hence why I ended up doing the gradient thing.

    I was too tired to color enhance the purple glitters -- they're a touch redder -- and the ChG in these photos, but you just saw it. Unlike Hannibal's victims, you'll live.

    Apologies for whatever the hell is going on with my cuticles.







    Okay. I said last week that I regretted buying Purple People Eater, but I'm rethinking that because this actually doesn't look too awful, although the gradation is more apparent in person. I just don't know that I should've dropped $9 on a polish I don't see myself picking up too often is all. :/ Since I DO have this, though, I'll try to come up with some other layering ideas.

    All things considered, PPE is a great glitter, a perfect fit for last year's Halloween CrowsToes collection. Application and dry time were great for microglitter, although I may need some thinner when I use it next. As you can see, the smaller emerald green and royal purple glitters are suspended in a clear base, so you can layer this over pretty much anything anything. (For further exploration, here it is on other bloggers who layered it over Revlon Royal, Misa Dirty Sexy Money and Zoya Caitlin, and Essie Boxer Shorts.) Like I said, I bought my bottle at Llarowe, but it's sold out there. I'm not sure where you'd be able to snag one for yourself. :/ You can check Llarowe's estimated shipment arrival date page, or on Llarowe's PPE item page (according to that, it might be back in stock on between June 4-7, but I'd ask Leah Ann anyway).

    *flops over* *puffs cigarette* God, I talk too much. This blog is so TL;DR. If you've read this post, keep going for your reward.

    What do you guys think of this layering combination? Tart-y for the Party? (Thanks to ONTD, I'm aware of the Kim Zolciak connection -- you know people are really pushing their 15 minutes of fame when I have no interest in them and I STILL know how to spell their last name.) Do you have any layering suggestions for my next go-round with Purple People Eater?

    More importantly, is anyone else loving "Hannibal" as much as I am? Dudes, I'm so glad it'll be around for another season -- if it hadn't gotten renewed, my one consolation was that at least the DVD set would've been bitchin'. (I bet it still will be.)

    If you enjoy recaps and commentary, my favorite "Hannibal" recaps are Cleolinda's -- the same Cleolinda of the classic "Movies in 15 Minutes" parodies -- you can find them on her LiveJournal. Spoilers ahoy, but they are THE BEST HANNIBAL RECAPS EVER. Also, if you're on Twitter, make sure to follow Winston the Dog and the Dire Ravenstag for lols galore.

    Here's a hilarious (albeit grainy) picture of Hannibal Lecter in the Best Office Ever to make you giggle on this Monday morning, because what Monday morning couldn't use one?

    Seriously:


    (source: Fanpop)


    HA HA HA HA HA, WHAT A HANDSOME MAN FANCY CANNIBAL IN HIS FANCY PLAID SUIT. LAUGHING FOREVER, BYE.

    COME JOIN THE PARTY and catch up with "Hannibal" on NBC.com, Hulu, or iTunes. Totally worth it, even if I have to watch "Confessions of a Shopaholic" just to see Hugh Dancy smile again.
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    Zoya Amy

    June 7, 2013, 6:00 am
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    Generally, any post published on this blog at 9 or 10 a.m. is a scheduled post. I woke up on Tuesday at around 9:20, saw that my Fannibal post had gone up, and thought, "GODDAMMIT, I should have titled the post 'THIS IS MY DESIGN.'"

    You live, you learn.

    Later that day, a huge chunk of purple chipped off my right index finger while I was scraping a sticker off a box, so it was time to do my nails again. And after wearing lovely, cool purple awesomeness for five days, I wanted a warmer color but couldn't make a decision, so I shot Anna a text: "Red, orange or gold?"

    NGL, I was kiiiiind of surprised that she chose orange, but I was psyched to break out Zoya Amy. --I know, me wearing something from a current seasonal collection? What IS that?


    The other beer I took home from B's. 
    I love lambics, but this was TOO raspberry for me.




    Three coats with Cult Nails Wicked Fast.








    A lot of people have been wondering whether Amy is a dupe for China Glaze Riveting. Unless finishes are important to you, I don't think it is; Amy is more of a foil, while Riveting is more of a glass fleck. As far as color goes, they're pretty close. I can't find my bottle of Riveting (I need to deep clean my room so much), but I'm willing to wager that Amy has more of a sunburnt and rusty feel, plus more golden shimmer. And for those of you who are wondering which one I'd keep if it came down it, I'd probably go with Riveting -- alhtough Amy's golden shimmer is perfect for summer and probably would go great with a tan. ;) Amy is currently taming my desire for butter LONDON Sunbaker, which I believe is even rustier, though I haven't laid eyes on it in person, so don't quote me on that.

    (Side note: I don't understand the craze behind tanning, but then I take great, occasionally borderline Nicole Kidman-esque measures to stay as pale as possible. When my family visited the motherland last year, I even wore a similar hat. My parents laughed at me and my dad said -- and I quote -- "Hats are for tourists and Korean ladies." HA HA HA. No offense. It's just that every Korean lady I've ever seen in the motherland was remarkably pale.)

    Amy's formula and application were perfect and required no clean-up (I KNOW!). It was opaque after two coats, but it looked richest at three. Dry time was fast, and it's only gotten a little bit of tip wear in the past two days.

    You can find Amy fairly easily right now, since it's a current release from the Irresistible half of Zoya's 2013 summer collection; it's $8 on the Art of Beauty site. My bottle was part of my Zoya Exchange order a couple of months ago along with one other Irresistible polish. I've been avoiding going to Ulta, so I haven't seen the Stunning & Irresistible polishes in person, but based on the swatches I've seen, they aren't interesting to me.

    Any opinions on Amy or orange metallics for summer? (I'm LOVING this trend!) Anyone else find Stunning & Irresistible not quite so ... stunning or irresistible? Most importantly, does this polish seem particularly Amy-esque to you? I don't know, but I like it.

    Fun fact: I was named for another Rachel whose childhood/family nickname was Amy. Now that I think about it, I've always been partial to the name Amy ... but I wonder if this might be why.

    This polish, however, reminds me of another Amy. Gosh, how on earth did I ever make this connection?




    I haven't been able to bring myself to watch Series 7 because deep down, I know I'm going to get pissed off, but I'll probably get to it later. I enjoyed the heck out of Series 5, though. Maybe I'll rewatch it after I get through "Dexter" ...

    Oh my God. I just remembered I ordered Zoya Rory in my Exchange haul. !!! BRB, MUST FIND IT. NU!WHO OTP 4EVR. (Besides Jack/everybody, of course.)
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    Zoya Rory

    June 10, 2013, 6:00 am
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    I blogged Zoya Amy on Friday, and because I'm a big old "Doctor Who"-lovin' nerd, I removed it as soon as I got home from work so I could wear Rory. Twooooooo wuv, etc.


    (source; the link is a bit spoilery if you haven't seen Series 6-onwards)


    I gotta tell you, it was a small challenge to find a non-derpy AND non-spoilery picture of everyone's favorite time-traveling nurse. But really, he's the best.

    This polish, on the other hand ...




    Three coats with Cult Nails Wicked Fast.








    Not the most unflattering shade I've ever worn, but unfortunately, also not my favorite.

    I have no idea what the heck kind of pink Rory is, so I'm going to borrow from Willam and scream "IT'S FUCKIN' PINK." (With slightly mauve tones and prominent silver foil shimmer.) I do think the silver sort of ages Rory a bit -- maybe a coral or even a gold shimmer would have made this 10x more interesting.

    The formula was a little thick, but I think I've come to expect it from the Zoya Surf shades (except for Kimber, because it's not a proper foil). You can get this done in two coats, but I'd wait a couple minutes in between coats so you won't have any dragging. Rory dried quickly with Wicked Fast; for some reason I topped it with NYC Grand Central Station on my right hand and dry time was nearly the same. Wear was good, too. No chips and barely visible tip wear after two days. Nice.

    But DAMN. This is the third Zoya Surf polish I haven't liked -- someone (Madeline) tell me I won't hate Zuza! Rory's still quite ETF since it only came out last summer, so wait until there's a Zoya sale or see if you can get it on the cheaps at a beauty supply.

    What do you guys have to say about Rory? Zoya Surf shades? "Doctor Who"/the Ponds? Amy and Rory may not be destined to be together in my stash, but that's quite all right -- this polish is something I think my mom would wear on her toes, so Rory will live across the hall with her.

    I'll just leave you with this:




    I dunno about you, but *I* would. --Wait 2k years for the dorky white boy of mah dreeeeeeeams, that is.

    Thanks for reading, and enjoy your week. I'll try to catch up with you guys mid-week, but I have a couple of not-so-fun obligations, so I'm not making any promises. :/
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    White Cap ALL THE THINGS! (Chanel June photobomb edition)

    June 13, 2013, 6:00 am
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    Basically, this is my credo for summertime nails. Or nails in general. (At this point, I feel like White Cap deserves its own tag on the blog, Y/N?)

    This post originally was going to be Chanel June solo, but there were just too many problems with that, the biggest ones being (1) HAZMAT NO TIME and (2) the fact that I went to sleep after slapping on top coat, so I woke up with sheet marks on my left hand. I didn't have time to re-do my nails, hence the emergency White Cap.

    Now that I think about it, Emergency White Cap would make a great band name* ...




    One coat of China Glaze White Cap + NYC Grand Central Station over four coats of Chanel June and NYC GCS. I only would have needed three coats if I hadn't been polishing at OH GOD I SHOULD BE ASLEEP o'clock.

    I'm sorry these photos are so washed out, but I had to do it that way to get the color right. :/ While it's fun to look at IRL, it's so merpy to capture.






    The only photo that was the most color-accurate:






    Purdy. But as you can see, also a photo fail. It was bound to happen after a several-entry streak, haha.

    June looks really orange, though. The frustrating thing about it actually wasn't the formula, but the color, which is meant to be a soft orange-y peach. However, once you add top coat, it gets a little more yellow and more in the cantaloupe neighborhood. (I found that Seche Vite turns June into a straight up yellow-leaning orange.) For Chanel prices, I would've thought they'd find a way for this not to happen, but I guess not.

    I'm going to attempt to swatch Chanel June on its own one day when I have more time (and sun) to do it properly, but don't hold your breath. In the meantime, let's hope my next mani isn't a total photobomb!

    I also have two more manis in my June/July line-up that I know will be getting the White Cap treatment, so check back for them! --Yes, there is a line-up. (See also: Virgo.)

    What was your last photobomb? And seriously, does White Cap deserve its own tag?


    * "___________ would make a great band name" was a thing we used to do frequently at Job Fail No. 1. B and I also do this all the time. (We met at that job. Oops.)
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    Another photobomb: nails inc. Baker Street

    June 19, 2013, 6:00 am
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    So, Baker Street. You know the drill: insanely fun to wear, not so much to photograph. Luckily, roughly a zillion posts about this polish have been circulating for the past year now, so even if you don't own it, you have a good idea of what it looks like. These photos are the best I could get, which is a little scary.




    Three coats with SV.






    I don't need to talk about the incredible color because really, it makes me die. If you own it, you're familiar with these feels. It's great, totally chic, etc., etc. Let's talk about the not-so-fun stuff instead.

    ... such as the formula. Although I purchased this and other nails inc. polishes a loooooooong time ago, Baker Street was my first experience applying wearing the brand. This was slightly more watery and uneven than most true cremes are on the first coat, so I needed a second one for opacity. And then I still wasn't happy, so I added a third coat. If this had been thicker like most cremes, I actually would have stopped at two. But if this is the worst problem I had with Baker Street, then that's a pretty good problem to have.

    I got great dry time and wear out of this -- minimal tip wear after three days, and tiny chips on the usual chip-prone fingers. I wore this five days in all, and by then I had some pretty bad chips, however ... after I removed it, I was tempted to reapply it. This color is THAT GOOD.

    The best place to snag Baker Street is online at Sephora, although some stores do carry the line. You have to check. It's $9.50 and worth every penny.

    In short: If you love blue, you need this. If you're a nail blogger ... you better hope you have a good camera or Photoshop, because this is what you get.

    The name Baker Street reminds me of one of THE GREATEST Disney animated features OF ALL TIME (which was based on a children's series by Eve Titus; never read it. Maybe I should):




    And this episode of "Happy Endings":




    It's from Season 2, and it's called "Cocktails & Dreams." In case you didn't know, the name of that sax number is ... yeah, "Baker Street." (Google it.) This episode is why everyone needs to incorporate the phrase "he's Freddy Kruegering us in our dreams with sex" in her/his lexicon, and why I no longer can think about Freddy Krueger -- or Fran Sinclair -- without laughing hysterically.
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    LATE Skinny Dipping (With Friends): Wet n Wild Mega Last 2% Milk

    June 20, 2013, 6:00 am
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    This post may be mega ultra late, although hopefully it's better than the previous one.

    The past couple of weeks have been a weird combination of Real Life, crankiness and the loss of my ability to GAF about anything that wasn't related to (1) my bridesmaid/bridal shower duties and (2) TV. I caught up with "Dexter," and I'm working on "Breaking Bad" right now. Plus, the "Hannibal" season finale is tonight and I'm just not emotionally ready for that.


    (source: WeKnowMemes)

    This .gif may be the best thing to come out of those dumbass flop "prequels". --That, and the seemingly endless press Ewan McGregor was doing at the time. He will never not be one of my favorites.


    Basically, I didn't feel like blogging. And after next week, I really won't know what my timetable will look like, so please continue to bear with me. I'll make it up to you!

    Anyway, 2% Milk. Steff caused a minor frenzy when she blogged this polish almost a year ago. After that post, a bunch of my friends who didn't have it suddenly HAD TO HAVE IT. I lucked into it a couple of months ago when I got it as a swap extra. Why, WHY DIDN'T I GET THIS SOONER?!




    Three coats with SV.









    To quote Madeline, "Behold, the perfect milky sheer." So accurate. I'm not sure what's going on with me and these peachy/beigey sheers lately, but I'm not hating.

    You know that scene in "Anchorman" with Ron Burgundy's pleated, erm, optical illusion? This polish had a similar effect in that it was very difficult for me to act like I wasn't impressed. I was SO IMPRESSED. For one thing, the formula is amazeballs for a milky sheer. No streaks, no waiting five hundred years in between coats, fast dry time and nearly a week of perfect wear (this was my NOTD at the beginning of last week). I mean, between last year's OPI NYC Ballets and this polish, I think I've found my benchmark for milky sheers. Other companies must wish they could make some that are this good!

    2% Milk retails for $1.99 at drugstores and places like Five Below. $1.99 doesn't exactly break the bank, but if you'd rather save your pennies, hold out for a Wet n Wild promo and you'll be able to pick this up for almost nothing.

    Y'all, I can't even play right now ... JUST BUY THIS POLISH.

    I'll have another Skinny Dipping post next month, and *knock on wood* that should be on time. I'm not sure when Anna's post is going up, but be sure to visit Business Lady Polish to find out when. Thanks for reading (and not abandoning me completely) -- I appreciate it! :)
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    Summertime color blocking experiment

    June 21, 2013, 6:00 am
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    When I'm not telling myself to White Cap ALL THE THINGS, I've been wanting "summertime on my nails," whatever that means.

    I've done the accent nail and skittle thing before, but I've never tried full-on color blocking. However, I wanted to wear Essie Peach Daiquiri and Wet n Wild Waves of Enchantment at the same time, and color blocking seemed like the obvious answer.




    Three coats of both polishes + NYC Grand Central Station.






    And here's my right hand ...





    Fuuuuuuuuuun, yes? I've been wearing this for a day now, and I'm pretty happy with it for a weekend look. This actually reminds me of a mani Eileen would have done .. only I did the lame version of it, haha.

    Both polishes had awesome formulas and dry times, and I like them together way more than I thought I would. They're great summertime shades. Peach Daiquiri is core in both the salon and retail Essie lines, although Waves of Enchantment is a little harder to track down these days. I can't believe it's been two years since Mermaid's Cove! ... anyway, I never wanted Waves of Enchantment until a couple of months ago, and I got my bottle from Steph's Closet Store.

    Not feeling particularly chatty right now, since I'm coming down from the "Hannibal" season finale. --That finale, yo. I understand how someone would find it anticlimactic compared to the rest of the season; I do think having all the loose ends come together the way they did was more powerful than, say, having the team go after another serial killer. Anyway, you better believe I'm going to put the DVD release date in my calendar as soon as I know what it'll be. 2014, you're too far away!

    Was this color blocking experiment a fail or a win? Do you have any suggestions for future color blocking manis?

    Thanks for reading, and enjoy your weekend!
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    The Long Haul: June 2013

    June 26, 2013, 6:00 am
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    This month started out innocently enough. But then $OPIs went on clearance, and I did a bad, bad thing. I realize some of those babies might pop up at TJ Maxx in a few weeks? months?, but I don't care. I bought a few back-ups, and everything I thought about getting but never did.

    The rules: If I bought other items at one store along with polish, I won't include the tax, just the total amount I spent on polish. Additionally, swaps or anything I bought as a gift for someone else won't figure into this and won't count.

    Notes: If I pick up anything before the end of the month, ofc I'll edit this post.


    JUNE 3: TJ Maxx visit, Barielle Heavenly Blues 5-pack - TOTAL: $7.99
    • Snow Day
    • Swizzle Stick
    • Surf's Up
    • Falling Star
    • Sky's the Limit

    JUNE 4: CVS run w/ SH coupon ($4 off) - TOTAL: $3.99
    • Sally Hansen CSM Blue My Mind - $7.99

    JUNE 4: Dolla Dolla Tree, y'all - TOTAL: $4
    • Color Mates Disco Fever - $1
    • Sinful Colors Beverly Hills - $1
    • Sinful Colors Morph Orleans - $1
    • Sinful Colors Nicole - $1

      JUNE 9: Nail Polish Enthusiast blog sale - TOTAL: $27
      • China Glaze Elephant Walk - $5
      • Lynnderella Forget You Not - $22

      JUNE 13: Polishsale - TOTAL: $24.99 (USD)
      • Dior Mango

      JUNE 14: Sephora by OPI haul - TOTAL: $56.70
      • Bright as a Feather - $4.50
      • Domestic Goddess - $4.50
      • G-listen to Your Heart - $4.50
      • Is it Payday Yet? - $4.50
      • Mermaid to Order - $4.50
      • Ocean Love Potion (back up x2) - $4.50
      • Read My Palm (back up x2 ... what ... I love this polish) - $4.50
      • Sugar Plum Fairies Gone Wild - $4.50
      • Traffic Stopper Copper - $4.50
      • Under My Trench Coat - $4.50

      JUNE 19: Pinterest blog sale - TOTAL: $11
      • butter LONDON Keks

        JUNE 23: Wags run - TOTAL: $1.99
        • Sinful Colors Tidal Wave

        JUNE 24: Wags Rx run - TOTAL: $5.99
        • Sally Hansen Sugar Coat Royal Icing (SRP $6.99, had $1 coupon)

        JUNE 27: Blog sale + shipping from Ireland - TOTAL: $35.25
        • Chanel Graphite - $15
        • Lynnderella Boy-Girl Party - $15


            JUNE TOTAL: $178.90
            2013 TOTAL: $1326.32


            Final observations: OUCH OUCH OUCH OUCH OUCH and DAMN YOU, SEPHORA.
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            Calm Yer Tits!, Google Reader edition

            June 28, 2013, 6:00 am
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            As you know, Google Reader will be retired on July 1, which is a pretty ludicrous concept to me and to my friends, online and off. I'm still incredibly pissed off about it.

            Just think: Google is keeping Google Plus, yet they're retiring Google Reader?THE FUCK?! To quote my friend Janice, Google Plus is the "fetch" of Google products -- they need to stop trying to make it happen, because it's not going to happen (if we can help it).

            Google Friend Connect is NOT going away, but it wouldn't surprise me if they tried to do away with it entirely. After all, it's been long discontinued on all non-Blogger blogs. The best thing about GFC is that you're able to see who's following your blog -- which for me is crucial when it's giveaway time. So if you're not following Stuff on GFC, please consider it! I would love that. I always get excited when I see new readers. :)

            And if you're still not subscribed to Stuff on Bloglovin', please do so! Bloglovin' is the best way to keep tabs on Stuff, IMO. (I would have told you guys to go Team Facebook, except there's a Bloglovin' widget that will auto-publish your posts to Facebook.)

            TIP: If you search "stuff i (s)watched" on Bloglovin', you'll find this blog. Those parentheses, yo!

            There's a Bloglovin' button on the top of the righthand column on Stuff. Click on that and it'll take you to my Bloglovin' page, which looks like this:


            Yeah, I had roughly 20 tabs open that day.
            LOOK AT ALL THAT DIY I'M DOING FOR YOU, KRYSI. LOOK AT IT.


            I only have two problems with Bloglovin':
            1. I can't see the names of my ALLLLLLLLLLLLL my Bloglovin' subscribers. I wanna know who you are! :(
            2. If I derp and need to change the URL of a post, the new URL won't re-post to Bloglovin'. You see an error message instead, and ... yeah. I'll just have to be extra mindful of this issue from here on out.

            You also can subscribe to my RSS feed, as well as via e-mail. Both widgets also are located at the top of the right column of the blog. There's also Facebook (which I haven't done much with lately -- bad blogger, I know), and Feedly is great (though I haven't customized it 100% to my liking yet) -- so Bloglovin' really is your best bet right now.

            So come join the Bloglovin' party, and stick around here! I always enjoy sharing part of my day with you, and I hope you feel the same way when you read my blog.

            My best kitty friend joins me in thanking you for your time and compliance. Have a good weekend! Come back for a "Dexter"-centric post on Sunday. :)




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            Milani Sail Away ... "Dexter," it's been killer

            June 30, 2013, 7:00 am
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            My Twitter/ONTD buddy Chelsea is staying with me for several glorious days, and in a couple of hours, we'll be getting ready to go to drag brunch with some of my gurlfrans. (There will be a massive post about this visit, don't worry. Maybe even a two-parter, I don't know.)

            Tonight is also the final season premiere of "Dexter," which has been kicking it for eight seasons. EIGHT. The show definitely has fluctuated in quality and I really don't care about some characters (sorry, Quinn), but I have a weird soft spot for it. A lot of that has to do with marathon watching that show like it was my job back in the fall of 2009, while I was funemployed. My roommate at the time was really into "Dexter," and she wanted me to start it so we could watch Season 4 together. Well, I caught up, and Season 4 was AMAZING. It's been really hard to top, to be honest, and MCH was sick right before? during? Season 5, so I feel like there was a reasonable dip in quality around that period. I do think the show's cancellation was timely, but at least it enabled the creative team to lay the groundwork for Dexter's final denouement. It seems promising, and I don't like it when shows end unsatisfyingly (LOOKIN @ U, BATTLESTAR GALACTICA + BIG LOVE). As someone once said, "Now we don't have to watch this creepy fucker have breakfast any more." (LMAOOOOOOOOOOOO)

            I was thinking about subjecting you to my godawful pictures of RBL Killa Red, which I wanted to do for my TV week last October, but they're really terrible, so then I thought ... what about Ice Truck Killer nails? And then I rewatched Season One during an epic crafting marathon last week, and rediscovered this moment:




            LAUGHING FOREVER BECAUSE I AM 12.

            Without further ado, Milani Sail Away:




            Three coats with NYC Grand Central Station.











            Obligs:

            (source)


            All I have to say about the color is this: (A) this is a good enough slate blue-slash-navy foil, but it would have made a baller glass fleck, (B) this would have been right at home with Zoya's Surf collection, and (C) in the sunshine, it reminds of the ocean; in low light, it reminds me of denim.

            The formula on this polish runs thick, like most foils do, but it's really easy to work with. Dry time was fast. I wore this for two days without chipping or tip wear. Color me IMPRESSED.

            I grabbed Sail Away on clearance at CVS last month for a dollar and change, so I'm not sure whether this is an issue of this shade being permanently discontinued, or CVS not carrying it any more. Check your CVS for this polish, or try your luck online -- I found it when I hit the Google Shopping tab, so don't forget to look there, too.

            Any thoughts on this Milani? I have three others from this brand, but it's not really one I hunt for often. As I said, I only got this because (1) clearance, and (2) nautical names make me happy. I don't wear makeup, but Milani seems to be a more sought-after drugstore brand when it comes to blush and lipstick; nail polish, not quite as much.

            Anyone care to share any comments about "Dexter"? Tell me about your favorite moments, your favorite season, your favorite character (DOAKES, MOTHERFUCKER), worst guest star, lamest plot line (*cough* Season 5 in general *cough*), best kill ... anything! Rewatching the first season, I've been laughing my ass off over how many times Dexter name-dropped Hefty bags. I counted three mentions, but they weren't exactly subtle. I wonder if Hefty ever sponsored the show. Like I've said, it's gotten pretty ridiculous over the years (also, Dexter Morgan, could you be any more sloppy or overly melodramatic??), but I truly will miss it.

            Are you doing anything special for the premiere tonight? I'm watching it at my friend's house, and I'm bringing donuts. Totally Dexter-appropriate, yes? I'm so stoked to see Queen Charlotte Rampling on the show. She better slay.


            P.S. You have GOT to check out Manicurity's "Dexter"-inspired nail art. SO GOOD!

            P.P.S. Please enjoy this article about how Dexter's kill clothes are supposed to be sexy. I've always thought that was the point, ever since MCH turned it OUT during the first season.

            P.P.P.S. The Ice Truck Killer was totally into NYC (New York Color) polishes. Watch Season 1 and report back to me. It's cool, I'll wait.
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