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GUEST POST: Deborah Lippmann Cleopatra in New York from Naz @ Naz's Nails

July 2, 2013, 6:00 am
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I asked a couple of nail blogger buddies to write some guest posts while my friend Chelsea is visiting. They were lovely and obliged me, and I'm so excited to share their posts with you! If you're not already visiting their blogs, I suggest you do it, WITH THE QUICKNESS, because they have such interesting collections and take beautiful photos.

Today's guest post comes from my friend Naz from the blog Naz's Nails. She found Stuff through MUA, and I'm so glad she did! We did a swap earlier this spring, and we're hoping to meet this summer since we're semi-local. Anyway, her nails are so nice and her manis always are crazy neat -- perfect for nailgazing, yes? Take a look!

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Hey guys! I'm Naz of Naz's Nails, and I am so excited to be guest posting on Rach's blog! I've never done a guest post, actually, so I may have flailed a little bit when Rach asked.

Deborah Lippmann Cleopatra in New York was released last winter along with Through the Fire, a "glistening radiant merlot" ... in other words, a dark red shimmer. Not that interesting for Lippmann prices, but I got Cleopatra in New York as a birthday present, and I am so happy with it! I used 2 coats over a black creme base, and Gelous and top coat. Next time I wear this I'm going to franken an opaque black jelly, because I think that would look nicer than a creme as a base. But how awesome is this glitter??




So glossy! It was actually pretty smooth on its own, before I added Gelous and top coat.


 


Like the other Lippmanns I've tried, Cleopatra in New York has a fantastic formula. I don't know how those labs do it, but I've never had any trouble with a Lippmann glitter.




I'm such a sucker for black and gold when done nicely, and this fits the bill perfectly. The wear is also excellent! I had this on for 4 days, and experienced no chipping, and very minimal tip wear. 

I'm sure you could franken this with a gold glitter like $OPI Only Gold For Me and black, but I can't think of any that are exactly like this, as is. It's also easy enough to just layer a gold glitter over a black creme, but then you would miss out on the awesomeness of a jelly base. 

Oh, and given Rach's love for Parks and Rec, I figured I should mention that I started watching it recently, and I LOVE it! Truth be told, I started watching it because I was informed that Rob Lowe and his gorgeous face would be there, but Amy Poehler is fan-freaking-tastic. And speaking of Rob Lowe, how about West Wing!? It's not the newest show, obviously, but we watched it a lot in AP Government, and now I'm revisiting it and am far too emotionally invested.

Have you tried Cleopatra in New York? What do you think? Tell me your feelings about Parks and Rec and West Wing!

Thank you for reading, and thanks so much for having me, Rach!

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I said this to Naz already, but is this Lippmann EVERYTHING on her, or what?! Even though I have this polish, I kind of want to buy it again, LOL. Ugh. So perfect. Thank you for taking the time to guest post for me, Naz! You are a lifesaver, and I owe you one!

And as for Rob Lowe ... well, he was in Richmond earlier last month shooting "Killing Kennedy" for NatGeo, along with Ginnifer Goodwin and Michelle Trachtenberg. One of my reporter friends got to interview the three of them, and I hate him forever.

Anyway, I think Rob Lowe liked Richmond as much as Richmond liked having him in it.




Clearly, I need to up my stalking game.

Thanks again to Naz for the guest post! Go visit and follow her blog -- she's been posting LOTS of CrowsToes, and her Pleiades posts have been killing me.



Another guest post is coming this week, so keep your eyes out for that! Till next time. :)
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GUEST POST: Reverse glitter gradient by Angie @ Glitter and Unicorns

July 5, 2013, 6:00 am
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I hope all my American readers had a wonderful Fourth of July yesterday. Mine was filled with kitty snuggles, which, you know ... not bad.

The second (and final) guest post of the week comes from my friend Angie at Glitter and Unicorns. Angie and I didn't get to know each other until a couple of months ago, but she's like a long-lost nerdy soul sister ... a soul sister who is waaaaaaaaaay more into glitter, video games and beer than I am, which is totally OK, because she can give me legit recs for all those things. It doesn't matter whether they're RL friends or Internet friends -- true friends are the ones you can trust when you want to get drunk, amirite? I'll tell you right now: If Angie's summer beer "recipe" is as good as her glitter gradient guest post ... I'm in so much trouble.

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Hi guys!  My name is Angie, and my blog is Glitter and Unicorns.  I know, it's a great name, no need to tell me! : )

First off I have to say how much I LOVE Rach's blog.  I may have a slight obsession with it, and have found myself reading old posts for hours ...  I feel like she's my kindred spirit.  She writes her blog how I talk IRL.  I can totally hear her voice through her blog.  I love how us bloggers can create these friendships!

Anyway, I racked my brain as to what to show.  If you follow my blog at all, you know I'm not a nail art person.  I have a short attention span, not a lot of patience, and well, frankly, no talent for it! lol.  But I love me some glitter gradients.  And it's about the only "nail art" I'm ok at!

So what I have for you guys today is a reverse gradient using two of my favorite polishes.  As the base I used Orly's Decades of Dysfunction which might just be my favorite neutral polish ever.  For the gradient I used Sally Hansen's Big Money (I just wanna call it Sexy Money!) which is a fine gold glitter with lavender hexes.  Ugg, so great!





While not the greatest gradient I've done, I love the combo!  The funny thing, is I wore this to work (I don't usually wear anything flashy, cause I always feel awkward when clients comment), and got a bunch of comments (cue the awkwardness!), and a couple people asked me how I did it.  I always think that's kinda funny!  It's not like it was stamping or watermarbling!







I hope you guys like what I created, and thanks for reading!

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Well, that's GORGEOUS. I LOVE IT. And I'm totally laughing at "Sexy Money." Thank you so much, Angie! (P.S. If you guys are looking for Orly Decades of Dysfunction, it's the same thing as Orly Pure Porcelain.)

And also, Angie's summer beer "recipe," as shared with me in a comment on my Zoya Amy post last month:




Someone try this and please tell us how drunk you got! (As always, please be responsible.)

For all this and more, go visit Angie's blog and give it a follow:



Yay! Thanks again to Naz and Angie for filling in for me and sharing their nails and photos this week -- you ladies are BEYOND rad, and I owe you both a post. :)

Barring any work-related ridiculousness, regular posts should resume next week. Enjoy your weekends, and I'll check back in with you soon. Thanks for reading!
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Terrible 2

July 7, 2013, 7:00 am
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Two years ago today, I took the plunge into nail blogging and shared some terrible photos of Chanel Riva with the Internet. Here's one of them:


In my defense, Chanel bottles haven't gotten any easier to pose with.


God, aren't those pictures HILARIOUS?

I've been away all week, so I don't have current NOTD photos to show! And as luck would have it, I came down with a *lovely* summer cold on Friday afternoon, so playing catch-up might take me a while. This makes me a little antsy, because I have so many fun things I want to share! >:(

As a peace offering, enjoy one of the two decent shots I got at drag brunch last Sunday. I forgot this queen's name and the song she was doing (shame on me!):




If you're fortunate to live in a city with a venue that does drag brunches, GO. IMMEDIATELY. And don't forget to bring LOTS of $1 bills.

Thank you to everyone who has been reading this blog for the past two years! At risk of sounding like Mr. Rogers, I'm glad we can spend a little time together every week. I'm not going to say I wouldn't be here without you, but things would be a lot less fun! I've scored so many polishes I didn't think I would ever get, I'm continuing to learn a little bit about web design and the mechanics of blogs, I'm learning to take better pictures, and I've made so many friendships with other bloggers and MUAers who make me wish I lived closer to them. (Special shout out to Danielle, my Twitter book club partner, without whom I probably would have read only one book this year. Thanks to the club, I've read three and we're starting our fourth. Reading has been a struggle lately.)

Not too shabby for someone whose hobby is buying nail polish and posting cell phone pictures of them, right? :)
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Nubar Pasadena Purple + bonus RVA!

July 10, 2013, 6:00 am
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If loving jewel-tone shimmers in the summer is wrong, I don't want to be right.

Here's the first of two jewel-tone shimmers in my unswatched NOTD line-up. Sorry if the pictures are the suck, I'm a little over 2 weeks out of practice and I wasn't feeling well when I took these. (Summer colds are THE WORST.) And wow, sorry about the mess of polish around my cuticles and index finger. Did not even see that until I saw the pics. :(




Three coats with SV. Sorry about the bubbles, too. My SV is dying for some thinner.







These last two photos were a bit doctored to get the purple to look warmer ...





Since it's got tiny pink shimmer particles, Pasadena Purple is warmer than a lot of the big purple metallic shimmers out now, but that's OK. A good quality purple like this was kind of a PITA to find back in '09 when I started collecting for some reason; the big ones that are out now tend to lean cooler and more blue. So Pasadena Purple is nice for a change!

Especially with its formula -- holy crap. Most purple shimmers from back in the day had a tendency to be thin and watery and required at least four coats to start looking like anything, so when this polish only needed two to be opaque, I was EXCITED. I don't think Pasadena Purple is an exact dupe for China Glaze Coconut Kiss, but it's what I wanted Coconut Kiss to be in terms of both color AND formula. Dry time was quick with SV and I wore this for five days with average tip wear and small chips on a breakage-prone finger.

I first became aware of Pasadena Purple during ALU's heyday in '09 -- I looooooved Michelle's "Get the Look" feature, even if I didn't care about the movies that brought them the hype -- and discovered that Ginny Goodwin's character in "He's Just Not That Into You" wore this polish. I got my bottle of Pasadena Purple in a semi-recent swap, but you can pick it up on byNubar for $8. It was part of the California Dreamin' collection for Summer 2009, which feels like a lifetime ago, even if jewel tones for summer are ~timeless. I can't get enough of this polish -- I wore it once last month, removed it, and put it back on.

Pasadena Purple is not the only thing Ginny Goodwin has prompted me to try. I mentioned last week in Naz's amazeballs guest post that GG was in Richmond last month shooting a NatGeo movie called "Killing Kennedy"; she tweeted this about a local restaurant:


(source: GG Twitter)


So what did I do last Wednesday? Why, go to Bistro Bobette, of course. (I know, so original.) My friend Chels and I had just finished a two-hour trolley excursion of historic downtown Richmond and we were STARVING, plus I'd parked my car in a garage conveniently close to the restaurant, so I invited my roommate and my friend Jenn to come along, too.

I'm not exactly a Thrifty McCheapskates, but I'm not a high roller either, so when I want to try a new place downtown (or anywhere), I do my best to make it for lunch. For one thing, the traffic and parking situations aren't so bad at lunch since it's basically only the med and dental schools; for another, lunch menus offer a good sample of the overall fare and don't cost half as much as dinner might.

I have no pictures, but trust me, the restaurant is adorable and the service was good. (My friend Jenn had been recognized by one of the owners -- I think that's who it was -- she's been trying to set up a sort of arrangement with her business. This probably had nothing whatsoever to do with why we had such an agreeable visit, but I'm noting it anyway.) I mulled over the grilled portabello tartine, the triple cut burger, and the bistro steak for a while, ultimately settling on the bistro steak with the truffle mac and cheese as my side. THEY WERE DELICIOUS. Filling, but not to the point where you need to loosen your belt and get wheeled to your car. The restaurant closes at 2:30 to prepare for their dinner hours, and I think the four of us were there until almost 3, but we weren't rushed out, so that was nice. I want to go back to try Jenn's dish, the sauteed calf liver, so ... I'M COMIN' FOR YOU, TASTY NOMS.

Anyway. I'm not a foodie. I don't have the palate for it, and my budget is definitely more oriented toward arts and entertainment. But I know a good time when I have one, and Bistro Bobette was such a fun time. If you're in the Richmond area, their lunch hours are 11:30 to 2:30 on Tuesdays through Fridays. I know the construction downtown is a pain in the ass, but parking wasn't too bad for us last Wednesday, so you have no excuse to get down there. :)

Oh, and here's a couple of pictures from the trolley tour. I got a Groupon deal for half off a tour, so at least Chels was able to get some super touristy sightseeing in and not just "OH HERE ARE MY FAVORITE PLACES." I'm slightly curious to know if a competing company offers a more thorough trolley tour, though, because things felt a bit ... glossed over; there's a LOT of ground to cover, so two hours might not be enough. Other than that, I won't lie, it's fucking nice to let someone else do the driving for once.

Another note: That trolley tour was kind of eye-opening in the sense of "OH MY GOD. I have basically lived up and down the tour route since 2005." Ridiculous. But also, college.


Historic Tredegar and Brown's Island

Our trolley stop at Libby Hill Park




Yes, that is a tennis racquet in Arthur Ashe's left hand and a book raised in his right, and why the Arthur Ashe monument will never NOT be the best monument on Monument Avenue.


My friend E was the Arthur Ashe monument for Halloween one year ... BEST COSTUME EVER.

More NOTD catch up and touristy pictures of my city will be up soon, so thanks for reading and keep an eye out for those posts. :) Any thoughts on Pasadena Purple? Where do you take friends when they visit your city?
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Oh, thank heaven!

July 11, 2013, 9:00 am
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Just a quick reminder to say it's FREE SLURPEE day at 7-Eleven!

This year, the store is giving away 12-ounce (small size) Slurpees instead of the 7.11-ounce size they previously offered.

I shouldn't go out today, but I'm sorely tempted to anyway. For one thing, a cold Slurpee is not what my poor sick throat needs; for another, my all-time favorite Slurpee flavor has been damn near impossible to find since 2011.


Oh, and I was wearing Zoya Midori on my nails that day. Midori is one of my favorite Zoyas, so if you're in the market for an apple green, check that one out.

And yes, that is the biggest size they have in the store. A police officer at Sheetz asked me once if I was capable of drinking the whole thing, and I assured him that I was -- in fact, I'm not sure whether this or PBR got me through college.


That flavor is Mountain Dew, by the way. I don't know why, but in 2011 they started taking Mountain Dew original away and replacing it with some nasty Mountain Dew Freeze thing. I don't even know what it's called, I just know it's stupid. I also looked at the list of other Slurpee flavors you can get, and I can't believe some people prefer PEAR-flavored Slurpees over Mountain Dew. Nope, nope, nope. (The regular Mountain Dew flavor disappeared from Sheetz in 2011, too. WHAT THE HELL.)

So while you're getting your free Slurpee today, please consider asking for the regular Mountain Dew flavor to return. It would make my LIFE. ;)

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Dior Ultra Violet + Funky Fingers Up All Night

July 12, 2013, 6:00 am
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All this talk of wanting "SUMMERTIME ON THE NAILS," yet here I am with ... more purple?

Exhibit A: Dior Ultra Violet, from last year's spring collaboration with German artist Anselm Reyle. Not a unique color by any means, but for the price, the formula is to die for. This makes me happy, because not all purple cremes are created equal and because my stash, circa 2011, was where purple cremes went to die.




Three coats with SV. SO PERFECT.







Last photo doctored just a smidge because, well, purple.




Purple is a horrible, uncooperative color to photograph, so I may have taken a buttload of pictures out of excitement at how good these photos are. I would consider taking this polish with me if I were out of town and needed to do a quick purple mani -- it's that good.

Since Ultra Violet and the other Anselm Reyle Dior polishes were a limited edition release, I'm not sure why the Dior site continues to feature them, only to show "this product is momentarily unavailable." I'll be honest, as much as I love Dior polish, the Dior site itself is BALLS. Bottom line: I have no idea where you'd find this if you wanted it now. Blog sales, I guess?

Funny story about this manicure. I had a spare half hour before drag brunch, and I thought I'd do my nails because Katie was going to meet us there. Look, there was JUST. NO. WAY. I was going to meet 1/2 of The Daily Varnish with nekkid nails! Chelsea chose Ultra Violet out of a bunch of polishes sitting on my desk, I slapped it on, and was grabbing my purse to run out the door when I got a phone call from Katie that went like something like this:

Katie: "Rachel? This is Katie, hi!"
Me: "Hiiiiiiiii! I'm on my way out the door right now. What's up?"
Katie: "I know you said you needed a fifth person for brunch, but THE WEST END BEAR is in my mom's yard right now and she's really freaked out so I'm going over there."
Me: "OH. MY. GODDDDDDDDDDDDDDD."

The West End Bear -- or as he was briefly known in some circles, Ron Beargundy -- was a black bear that had been roaming around a few far West End neighborhoods of Henrico County, or heading west out of the city of Richmond. This bear had been poking around a few yards looking for honey food, and found plenty of bird and pet food in several neighborhoods, which was a HUGE deal because bears are highly uncommon in the West End. The bear was safely let back into the wilds of southeast VA last week.

BUT LOOK AT THIS BEAR. I still can't believe it. --Katie was sweet enough to let me share some of these photos with you (thanks, Katie!). I believe she snapped them off her iPhone, and obviously while she was inside the house. Isn't this bananas?



source: both photos courtesy of Katie, via Facebook/text


Look at him going for that feeder! He knew what was up.

So that's the bear, and this is what she missed at drag brunch.





This guy at the table next to us got WAY into it, and it was hilarious.


Ugh, so much fun. Katie, we'll have to go another time! :)

As beautiful as Ultra Violet is on its own, I admit it was a little too plain for drag brunch. Little did I know that I would find the perfect topper for it when I took Chelsea to visit a Five Below a few days later (there aren't any Five Belows in Nashville, I guess). Against my better judgment, I scooped up three new Funky Fingers because I cannot resist a 3 for $5 deal. Nor can I resist things that remind me of those iridescent glitters that floated in the clear plastic dolphin necklaces you would have begged your parents to buy you at the beach:




I realize that was weirdly specific, but COME ON. Any '90s girl knows what I'm talking about! (This is Exhibit B of the purple domination in today's post.)








Shown above is two thin coats. I *think* Five Below also had this in green, blue and pink, but I only had eyes for this purple. Bonus points to Up All Night for the round glitter (I really love round glitter right now) and for drying quickly and smoothly. I only had this on for an afternoon, but I already want to layer this over a medium purple next, or a dark blue. I die.

And to close this post, here are some pretty pictures from Chelsea's visit to Maymont Park on July 1st, after we'd gotten back from Monticello. We got rained on several times that day. It was gross. But we got a LOT done.


Not Maymont, but a mama duck and her four babies at my apartment complex. Awww.

This parking lot trash can squirrel found a french fry. We thought it was funny.

The Italian Garden and Terrace




That's all for today. If everything goes OK this weekend, I'll have a Skinny Dipping post on Monday, and then one last NOTD catch-up post for you sometime next week. Thanks for reading, and have a great weekend!


P.S. I'm dead serious about the glitter dolphin necklace thing. Does anyone else know what I'm talking about?!
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Skinny Dipping (With Friends): Essie Playa del Platinum

July 15, 2013, 10:00 am
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Ugh, I hate posting in the afternoon. However, due to computer issues this morning, here we are.

My obsession with milky nude sheers continues, but it occurred to me that (A) I haven't really blogged Essie in a while, and (B) one of the few good things about summer is Essie's summer resort collection. Would you believe that while I own all four polishes in the 2010 Resort Collection, I've only worn ONE of them? Ridiculous.

God, 2010 was like a lifetime ago. But I do remember the day I dragged B to Ulta with me to buy this during an Essie B2G1 sale, back when said Ulta store was the ONLY Ulta in Richmond. (Now there are four. FOUR. I live near one location, and another one is on the way to his house. >___< )

Anyway, Playa del Platinum looks mega-lobstery on me. It isn't. I'm a bit more yellow.




Three coats with SV. Ew, why do my cuticles look so dry?! I promise they weren't.








I think Playa del Platinum is as close as I want a sandy nude to border on greige on my skin tone. For a creme, I think this is pretty complex! It goes from typical sandy nude to greige with a pinch of green, as you can see in the last picture. Because of that green tinge, I wasn't sure if I would like it on me, but after wearing it for two days, I didn't want to take it off. I don't know if that grey/green tinge would work for everyone, but ... it's pretty boss.

The formula on this polish is not the best Essie has ever done, but it's not the worst, either (which I think is something that can be said for Resort 2010 in general). Three thin-medium coats will get it opaque; however, it doesn't self-level, so I needed to break out the SV for this one. Dry time was quick and I had minimal tip wear after two days. I'd like to wear this again for maybe five days to see what happens.

As I said, this was part of the Essie Resort Collection for 2010. I don't think it's a core color any more, although I could be wrong about this. At any rate, it's quite ETF online if you want it.

That's all for today. Do you own any of Essie Resort 2010, or Playa del Platinum? Would you want to try it? Isn't it fun dragging your significant others to places like Ulta? And would you like to see the other polishes I grabbed with the B2G1 deal on the day I bought this?

If you haven't read Anna's post, go do it! Thanks for joining us, and perhaps I'll break out one last summertime milky sheer next month. ;)
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MURICA! Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Blue My Mind

July 19, 2013, 6:00 am
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Before I show you some peekchurrs of my new favorite blue, you should know that this is going to be a long post. The good news is that this is the last of my NOTD catch-up posts; the bad news is that unless I can scrounge something up, I won't be posting until midway through next week at the earliest. So because I'm really into overcompensating, I'll include a butt ton of MURICA-centric pictures in this post, which works out since this polish was my Fourth of July NOTD.

The reason for no new posts is simply this: I'm co-hosting my friend's bridal shower tomorrow (Saturday, eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek). My fellow bridesmaids put me in charge of decorations (eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek), and every spare moment I've had in the past month has been spent attempting to emulate Martha Stewart. I'll share photos of my endeavors after the shower, since the bride-to-be reads this blog. ;)

The bride-to-be is one of my best friends from college -- in fact, she helped me choose the first polish I bought! She also happens to be a pretty darn good couponer. Back in May, she gave me about six or seven nail polish coupons. One of them was a coupon for $4 off a Sally Hansen polish, and although I waited until the last day I could redeem that coupon, there was no way I wasn't using it.

As we know, Sally Hansen revamped and reformulated the entire Complete Salon Manicure line earlier this year. I've got five of the new Complete Salon polishes and didn't think I *really* needed another, but this $4 off coupon sucked me in. I was interested in only two polishes; despite not being the most unique in color or name, Blue My Mind won out.

A note about these pics: I had to adjust the color a bit to get it right. My photos were so washed out, you wouldn't have seen how vibrant Blue My Mind truly is. I hope you'll forgive me.




Three coats with SV.








Ohhhhhh myyyyyyyyy geeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrrd. Is it a dupe for anything? Maybe, but I don't know for certain, and I don't care. But THAT GLOW. Even B was impressed.

The formula was pretty wonderful on this, but I'm not going to lie: it smells like blue. You know the smell. Other than that, I have no complaints. I doubled up on base coat and it didn't stain, so I'm happy about that. I wore this for almost a week, because I got sick right after the Fourth of July, and it only chipped on my chiptacular right index finger.

Obviously, you need this polish. I daresay this might knock China Glaze Frostbite off my list of Top 20 material! (I think it's brighter than Frostbite, if you're wondering.) If you are a blue lover, then RUN, don't walk, to your nearest Sally Hansen display and buy this. It's core, so you have no excuse not to scoop it up the next time there's a Sally Hansen deal going on.

Like I said, since Blue My Mind was my Fourth of July NOTD, the pictures I'm about to show you are a little MURICA-centric. I probably sound like a huge dork, but I love living in a state with so much history.

While Chelsea was here, we visited the Virginia State Capitol and the Executive Mansion. I'd never been INSIDE the Capitol because parking downtown scares me sometimes (hello, endless construction + parking meters), so while I was a little sad that we weren't able to get a guided tour, the guide on the 2nd floor was wonderful. Guided tours are the bomb.com -- sometimes the guides share insights you wouldn't be aware of otherwise. Except for Wednesday, it was an annoyingly rainy week, which you can see. (This was on Tuesday, the 2nd.)

Enjoy some statues and busts of dead white dudes.



 
The reason we missed out on a guided tour ...


If this George Washington (a Houdon!) looks vaguely familiar, 
then it's probably because you saw it in "Lincoln."




This bust of Meriwether Lewis freaked me the FUCK out.




But wait! A painting of every other Richmond news professional's favorite former governor (and former Richmond mayor), who is very much alive:


I figured we had enough time for the Executive Mansion before the meter ran out, so we headed over there in the rain. I had quite a time keeping a straight face in mansion, in light of the current governor's Star Scientific scandal. You can Google that mess. But, quick photos:



I don't know who's in these two paintings because I was busy worrying 
about the parking meter. Oops.
 





Miraculously, B was off for the Fourth, so we went to watch fireworks by the reservoir. The weather was pretty disgusting that day, so while I'm glad we ventured out, I was happy to go back inside for a sandwich and ice cream.





We found out maybe an hour after the fireworks show that a seven-year-old boy had been struck in the head by a "celebratory" bullet some asshole had fired into the air. We were sitting close enough to see the ambulance and police cars rush away, but we didn't know exactly what had taken place. Sadly, the boy died the next day; as far as I know, the person who fired that gun hasn't come forward. I can't even imagine what the family of that child is going through. --Now, I know unfortunate things like this are prone to happen every Fourth of July in crowded places, but this still has me freaked out because the reservoir is such a remote area. It was a shock for a lot of people, and I wonder if security is going to be beefed up next year.

Ugh. People. :(

Closing thoughts: Does Blue My Mind's amazingness make up for its name? Wasn't it perfect for the Fourth? What did you do for the holiday?

Do you have anything good on tap for this weekend? I can't wait to spend some time with my friends and get this bridal shower in the books. I hope everything will look great. We're having the party inside, but please cross your fingers for some decent weather! Take care, and I'll check back in with you next week.


P.S. I have one last set of photos from Chelsea's visit that I think you're going to like the most. :)
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A Pink Wednesday with NARS Anardana + paper crafts

July 24, 2013, 6:00 am
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HELLO.

The whirlwind that was my friend Krysi's bridal shower came and went, and sadly I don't have any pictures to show for it. Chalk it up to one of these things:

  1. We were already running behind at around 9-10 a.m. on Saturday morning
  2. The post office is stupid (more on this another day)
  3. Five people were staggering shower times (see #5)
  4. The power went out for 30-40 minutes while we were trying to set up
  5. A couple of guests arrived HALF AN HOUR early while I was running around barefoot and bra-less (don't worry, I was clothed)
  6. We ran out of towels 20 minutes before the party, so I had to wait for Krysi to come back to the house and grab me a towel from the master bedroom before I could shower (her man had gotten back from work and was sleeping, and I didn't want to wake him up)

By the time I was clean and clothed, most of the guests had arrived and I'd missed the window to take pictures of the house, pre-party. I won't lie, that was disappointing, but the important thing is that we brought our A-game and Krysi had a lovely party.

Our matron of honor picked the theme: Southern tea party, but I think we went full-on floral with it -- not that that was a problem for me, since I got saddled with decorations. The maid of honor ordered invites from Etsy. We voted on our favorite designs, and this was our favorite one:


Invites by Silhouette Design, link to this one HERE


We based most of our color motif off that invitation, and because the bride loves pink and polka dots, it was super easy to find a good blend of decorations. Before I show you crappy pictures of my masterpieces, let me show you my NOTWeekend.

If you read this blog last summer, then you know I was jonesing for NARS Anardana pretty badly. I was pinching pennies at the time in anticipation of moving to the apartment I share with Tara, so I tried my hardest not to buy it. One day last August, however, I was feeling incredibly frustrated and went to buy my feelings in high-end polish. I stopped at Dillard's to pick up butter LONDON Scouse, then went to Nordstrom for Dior Shadow (they were out, so I got Poison instead) and noticed there was one remaining bottle of Anardana. Since I'm not someone who needs the polish gods to tell me anything twice, I bought it. I've been "saving" it for a special occasion ever since.

The bridal shower for one of your best friends? TOTALLY a special occasion.




Three coats with SV.









All the polishes from this collection were named for and inspired by Indian spice markets. I'm dumb and didn't know anardana = dried pomegranate seeds. I have THE SIMPLEST palate on earth, and my people don't really use too much of them -- we fry shit -- so thanks, Google.




For most people, the color of this polish might not seem special, but everything else I saw was too warm, too pink, or not opaque enough. IIRC, Essie Watermelon is too red. I think NARS prices have gone up a bit since last year, so I didn't pay $19 for it, but if you love pink, high-end polish and the inspiration for this collection, it's $19 well spent. It's so gorgeous. It even got a compliment from the matron of honor's mom at breakfast!

Anardana had the perfect creme formula -- two thin coats will give you creamy, rich coverage, but as a compulsive three-coater, I couldn't stop there. Yes, the square brush cap is kinda huge, but it's actually easier to work with than you think. It dried super quickly with SV, and I went to bed one episode of "Girls" after applying SV. The only bad thing I have to say about Anardana is that I had two small chips less than 12 hours later, but in all fairness, my hands were going through a LOT. I was cutting things, gluing things, taping things, hanging things ... and let's not forget that my bottle of SV was dying. Otherwise, the wear has been fine. I tend not to wear high-end polishes for several days at a time, but for weekends, they're perfect.

Anardana was part of last summer's Thakoon for Nars limited edition set, but it's still available on the NARS site. (I guess that makes it core now?) I have three more I can blog if you're interested, so let me know.

And now on to the part of the post I'm most excited to share with you ... the part in which I attempt to channel Martha Stewart. I wish I'd gotten better pictures of everything, but with only a month of planning, my priority was MAKING stuff, not trying to style photos of them. FWIW, I do regret not making the time now.

I've been really into paper crafts, but I haven't had a reason to make any. This bridal shower was the perfect opportunity for me to try out a couple of them! Crepe paper kissing balls/pomanders/topiaries are pretty much the perfect craft -- it took me two unsuccessful attempts (and one VERY painful, disgusting glue gun burn) to streamline the process. I can cover a 4-inch styrofoam ball in an evening, or between three episodes of a 40-ish minute TV show.



I spray-painted a vase from the Dollar Store. I thought I'd spray paint more cheap vases, but when I realized I was running out of time, I just picked up small gift pails to put them on. Krysi's mom even stuck the smaller 4-inch balls on wine glasses with ribbon tied on the stem.


If you're interested, I can share a tutorial next month, but I followed the one from Heart Hands Home. 


Sorry about the mess. Real life, yo.


I'm a little worried about the fact that I know the yardage of crepe paper streamer rolls from different stores, but if I end up having to make more of these for the wedding, that may not be a bad thing. Anyway, the flower balls were huge hits -- every single one of the 9 I made were spoken for. :)

The other thing I wanted to do was to make a banner that Krysi could bring out again for a birthday, dental school graduation ;) , a promotion ... basically, something she could use for any occasion. I decided the phrase "Cheers to Krysi" would be cute, but I had no idea what the hell kind of design I wanted to try.

And then I saw this banner, and said out loud, "She has got to be f-ing kidding if she's charging that much per pinwheel and letter." I mean, I get it. I really do. But for someone on a time crunch and an even smaller budget, I knew I could make it myself.

So I bought fifteen sheets of cardstock (three sheets per color) at A.C. Moore, plus a few more sheets in light pink and white polka dots. I found an amazing tutorial at I'm Lexie and You Know It, and this happened:




Part of the reason I love that particular tutorial so much is because of the helpful tips about measuring and scoring your paper. I made some modifications to the directions (I cut the paper in half after accordion folding it to make a smaller wheel, then used scalloped scissors to cut out circles I'd traced on the polka-dotted paper) and bought some banner lettering, then punched holes in the wheels and strung it together with twine. With enough focus, I got this banner done in an evening. (Scoring the cardstock was a PITA until I realized I needed to do it with a ruler, not measuring tape.)




I got two nasty paper cuts and told Krysi she was not allowed to take that banner down for another week. Here's a shitacular picture of it in her house:




I made a few other things, but those were the only ones I got photos of and the only ones I wanted to share. I hoped you enjoyed this peek at them! If I end up having to make more flower balls for the wedding, I'll definitely share more about the process here -- not that my instructions will be radically different from the ones already out there, but ... why not, right?

Okay, I'm out. The next couple of days are gonna be bananas (Loretta Lynn on Friday!!!!!), so I won't have a chance to post again until next week. While I wait, I'd love to hear your thoughts on Anardana, bridal showers you've been a part of, your favorite paper crafts, and whether you'd like to see Lal Mirchi, Amchoor or Koliary before the end of the summer. I can make one of those happen. :)

Take care and have a good rest of your week, y'all.


P.S. After the craziness died down, B and I had a double-feature movie date on Sunday. We saw "Red 2" and "Pacific Rim" (in IMAX 3D!), and while I think I liked "Red 2" more (not sure who's the MVP, Malkovich or Mirren), "Pacific Rim" is growing on me. If you don't like Mako Mori, Pentecost Stacker and Herc Hansen ... we can't be friends.
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The Long Haul: July 2013

July 29, 2013, 6:00 am
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I don't think any of my future haul posts will be as epic as this one. Check this shit.

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: Yes, that is what I spent. Hand to God.


JULY 3: Five Below visit, Funky Fingers 3 for $5 - TOTAL: $5
  • Funky Fingers Jawbreaker
  • Funky Fingers Mrs. Mint
  • Funky Fingers Up All Night

JULY 4: Wags bandage run - TOTAL: $1.99
  • Sinful Colors High Strung - $1.99


JULY TOTAL: $6.99
2013 TOTAL: $1333.31


It's amazing what you can buy when you're not buying polish! I've been watching my dollars because I'm saving up for our Kentucky bachelorette road trip and festivities during Labor Day Weekend, and until a couple of weeks ago, I didn't have time to buy anything that wasn't from a craft store. So things have been a liiiiiiittle tight, but I DID manage to treat myself ... to music festival tickets. The weekend of the 10th, I'm going to see The Breeders and Those Darlins. I AM SO STOKED, since I missed The Breeders in D.C. because of my friend's wedding in May. :D I'm also thinking about buying Shelby Lynne and Madeleine Peyroux tickets for September and October respectively, but I'll sit on that decision for a couple more weeks. (One way or another, I'm going to get Mayer Hawthorne tickets, so I'm not worried about that.)

Not bad, eh? I'm kind of excited to see how the year wraps up now that we're halfway through it.
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Pink Wednesday: OPI Steady As She Rose (a.k.a. A QUEEN LORETTA LYNN POST)

July 31, 2013, 6:00 am
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You know, when I bought my Loretta Lynn ticket at the 9:30 Club back in May, I felt as though July would never come. But it's over, and I finally can say I've seen her live in concert. --Yes, she was Bucket List status.

I mean, when you think about her fifty year career, how could she not be?


This was either "You're Lookin' at Country" or "Blue Kentucky Girl" ...
but I want to say it was the former


Believe me, I fully recognize the UTTER. ABSURDITY. of being a chubby, 5'3" Asian girl at a concert celebrating fifty years of country music history ... but let me tell you something!

One -- and this is something even my boyfriend says I should never disclose ... whoops -- my parents were HUGE "Lawrence Welk Show" devotees when my sister and I were little. Every Saturday night, our family would get in front of the TV to watch it on PBS, and we recorded it on the VCR (ha!) if we were going to miss it. As corny as that show was, it introduced me to so many kinds of music. My favorite shows were Disney-, Broadway-, or country-themed. I know, I was so weird.

Two, my mother hated ironing (she still does), and she found that ironing with music on made the chore more tolerable. Between this and the program that shall not be named, I was exposed to The Beatles, Henry Mancini, Broadway classics, American songbook standards, '70s rock, folk and soul hits (Ambrosia's "How Much I Feel" and Bread's "Lost Without Love," Y'ALL.) ... and classic country. Outside of Shania, I can't take this pop country stuff that started popping up during my childhood -- give me classic country any day.

Two-point-five, and this has nothing to do with Loretta Lynn -- everyone knows country, but you really haven't heard Patsy Cline's "Crazy" until you've heard your questionably sober Filipino aunties sing it on karaoke. Janice knows what I'm talking about.

Before I get into more about music and the show, let's ogle this lovely OPI, shall we?




Three coats with SV.

My cutes look rough, and I'm sorry. I have been pretty preoccupied with other things and I've neglected them. :(








Steady As She Rose is one of those polishes that looks different on everyone who wears it, but in the best possible way. It's a dusty, greyed-out pastel pink with a hint of lavender that doesn't pull too cool on me -- the perfect neutral shade. I made sure to keep this polish on all weekend so I could show it to Krysi and get her approval for a potential bridesmaid mani choice, since she wants us wearing neutrals. (This passed. A lot.)

The formula on this wasn't the best OPI's ever done with a pastel, but it's far from the worst. I got this opaque in two coats, although I needed a third for it to level. Dry time was good with SV, and I had this on for nearly five days with minimal tip wear and two chips on my peelie-prone finger. If I didn't have to do a guest post for a friend -- I'll share a link when it's up -- this would have stayed on for a whole week, I liked it that much.

Steady As She Rose was part of OPI's "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" tie-in collection from two summers ago. Don't get me wrong, the colors were gorgeous, but pastels don't exactly scream JOHNNY DEPP IS JACK SPARROW FOREVER. I think you still might be able to score this online and at beauty supplies, or through the odd blog sale, so be sure to check for it.

And now we've come to the part of the post where I tell you why I picked this polish to wear last Friday. I'm totally reaching here, but its name reminded me of The Raconteurs' song, "Steady As She Goes"; The Raconteurs formed after Jack White produced and collaborated with Loretta Lynn on "Van Lear Rose." A few future Raconteurs were the DoWhaters, Lynn's "Van Lear Rose" band.

"Van Lear Rose" is one of my favorite CDs, you guys. Ugh. It's been almost ten years since it was released, and it's still so good. She didn't perform any songs from that album last Friday, but she did mention Jack White. Specifically, she said, "I think next time I should bring him back with me," and the crowd went BERSERK. I did. God, that would be so epic.

Apart from the songs on "Van Lear Rose," she managed to cover her most iconic songs in a 75-minute set, beginning with "They Don't Make 'Em Like My Daddy" and ending with "Coal Miner's Daughter." A friend joked with me that her set was taking place past her bedtime, and I'll tell you what ... for an 81-year-old, she sounded great. She had to take a break and sat two songs out, but her band picked up the pace with some George Strait? George Jones? (oh damn it, I don't remember) and didn't lose a beat. Between her band members and her kids, she's got solid back-up.


Peggy and Patsy (a.k.a. The Lynns) warming up the crowd and opening for their mom

She did two Conway Twitty songs with her bandleader.
I WANT to say this was "Lead Me On."
I DO know the second song was "Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man."


I really can't remember what this song was. 
But who cares, because I probably knew the lyrics, LOL.


Her gown made it damn near impossible for anyone to get good photos on their smartphones, especially people like me who were snapping from a distance. The only other performer I've seen live who was this sparkly was Liza Minnelli (of course). So if you're after better pictures of Loretta Lynn's gown and an accurate write-up of the concert, you should read this piece on The Vinyl District. (It includes her hilarious bit about "Fist City" and its, erm, inspiration. READ IT.)

As I left the venue and headed back to the Metro, I found myself walking behind two guys who were about my age. They were ranking their favorite Loretta Lynn songs from her set, and I had to crack a smile when I heard one of them say he loved that she did "Fist City." His friend agreed that there was something incredible about hearing her in person. I had had a few beers before the concert, but that didn't change that I shared their sentiments.

Any thoughts on this OPI or OPI: POTC? Any faves from that collection? If you enjoy classic country, who are your favorite artists? What are your most embarrassing musical influences/discoveries? And lastly, I'd love to hear about who's on your concert bucket lists. Ryan Adams is my white whale, but when all is said and done, Dolly Parton better tour sometime in the next year. The end.


P.S. Do you guys have Uber in your city? I had my first Uber experience going a few blocks from my friend's apartment in Dupont Circle to the 9:30. She was waiting on someone else to get to her apartment and so our initial plan of walking together to Columbia Heights kind of died, but then she said, "Let me Uber you a ride. It'll be my treat.""Okay?" (beat) "I don't even know what that is." Uber is an app you can link to your credit card, and once you plug in your pick-up and destination points, it automatically charges your card for the ride, plus the tip for the driver. Pret-ty neat. I got to the 9:30 Club WAY faster than I would have had I walked or Metro-ed into U Street, so ... thanks, 33! Texas Forever.

P.P.S. B DVRed "POTC: On Stranger Tides," and I attempted to watch it with him last Saturday. It was such a first world struggle because the movie didn't hold my attention beyond the random but delightful Judi Dench cameo. (Also, I may have been texting three people while trying to convince SMA that my lap was a good place to catnap.) But my point is, this movie was so damn unnecessary. As we just witnessed via the fail train that was "The Lone Ranger," Johnny Depp needs to quit playing variations of Jack Sparrow. I LOVED the first POTC movie, and really don't GAF about the rest. But if the next POTC movie brings me polishes like Steady As She Rose, Stranger Tides and Skull & Glossbones, I probably won't complain.

P.P.P.S. B and I highly endorse "The Wolverine." It's the movie that should have come out four years ago! I'm not overly familiar with the source material, but I loved how self-contained it was, compared to the most superhero/comic-based sequels. And if you decide to watch it, stay for the credits.
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Guest post on Business Lady Polish!

August 2, 2013, 6:00 am
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You might know my friend Anna as my enabler and Skinny Dipping partner from our monthly nude polish posts.

She also did a guest post for me last year, so while I'm technically returning the favor, I was still excited that she asked me to write one for her! Visit her blog, give her a follow and check out the post -- it went up on Wednesday, and it's my foray into a brand I've never shared on Stuff before. :)

Have a good weekend, and I'll be back Tuesday? Wednesday? sometime next week.

[NOTE] Anna ended up having to post from her phone, so unfortunately the formatting I'd done in Notepad kind of went out the window. She'll probably fix it later, but until then, just enjoy the pictures! You can click on the photo to get to the post, as well as on the link below.




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Illamasqua Nomad

August 6, 2013, 6:00 am
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On Saturday, one of my favorite aunts had her 80th birthday party at my cousin's house in New Jersey, so that was where I found myself after hemming and hawing over the pros and cons of being an unaccomplished young lady in her mid-twenties. I spent most of last week agonizing terribly about whether I should even go (my family is cool -- that side of it, anyway -- but *I* am a hot mess. I look forward to the day when I can see my relatives and ACTUALLY HAVE MY SHIT TOGETHER, IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK? ;____; ).

In the process, Madeline and I had a discussion about power colors. It turns out my power color is ALL THE COLORS, but I had her choose between this Illamasqua and Essie In the Cabana.

It also turns out that I had an okay time up north. The trip was much too short for my liking and Shark Week had me looking like a "melted candle" (my dad's words), but my aunt was delighted with her party, I got to see my cousins and their babies, and I only cried once in front of my aunties, so ... gold star for me.

Pictures first, and then I will tell you why I'd give this polish a silver star instead of a gold one.




Three coats with SV.










Lovely color, no? On that alone, it'd get a gold star. This green is bright and saturated without becoming a neon, and walks the line between mint and jade (depending on your lighting, it could go either way).

Other reasons Illamasqua Nomad would get a gold star:
  1. I got SO MANY compliments on this mani, oh my God.
  2. I wore this for four days with no chips, only minimal tip wear. This hasn't happened to me with an Illamasqua, ever -- I usually get a chip by Day Three.
  3. That color, though!

Reasons Nomad gets a silver star instead:
  1. It might be something about the pigment, but it dries to a near-matte finish, so the formula is a little thick and you have to work a little quickly with it, meaning you don't have too much time to cover up mistakes.
  2. As a result, it didn't level too well, before *or* after SV. (Keep in mind, I was polishing at nearly 1 a.m.)
  3. LOOK AT THAT MESS near the my free edges! This is typical of pastels, but SV can work only so many miracles, apparently.
  4. It took a tad bit longer to dry completely than it should've.
  5. I've heard Essie First Timer is supposed to be a close dupe with an even better formula. I don't have a bottle, but I might get one the next time I have money to blow on polish.

But really, I like the color too much to be bothered by a silver star ranking. Nomad was released late last spring/early summer as part of Illamasqua's Human Fundamentalism collection. You can pick it up at Sephora for $17 ... or you can grab Essie First Timer if you'd rather save nine bucks. Up to you, dudes.

So that was my power color for the weekend, out of which two other great things came: My sister and I got made fun of by a cousin for drinking PBR at a party (RVA, represent). The other thing was that we discovered an adorable Canadian magazine my aunt had taken down to NY with her, Chatelaine. Maybe it was the lack of sleep and my predisposition to say "we can't have nice things in 'Murica," but ... I kind of want a subscription now. My aunt lives in Montreal and she is who I want to be when I am older and fabulous and very, very eligible.

Sorry this post was like, 5x the TMI than the usual, but ... have I mentioned I'm a hot mess? (Or that I have to be at work in 20 minutes?) I'd love to hear about your power colors, though, so tell me what they are!

Over and out.
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China Glaze Nasty: A great deal, like a Subway gift card.

August 9, 2013, 6:00 am
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YOU GUYS. I can't believe this summer is almost over, and I haven't told you about my new favorite summer movie!

When I say "summer movie," I'm actually not referring to some of the Hollywood summer blockbusters I love so much (what UP, "Iron Man" franchise? XOXO). Nope, I'm talking about a [slightly] raunchy comedy you can get on DVD and watch at home that will make you laugh yourself silly over a glass of whatever it is you fancy. Let me give you some examples: In 2001, that movie was "Saving Silverman." In 2004, it was the holy trinity of "Anchorman," "Dodgeball" and "Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle." Last summer, it was "21 Jump Street."

A couple of months ago, I Netflixed "For A Good Time, Call ..." and I LOVED it. WHERE HAS THIS MOVIE BEEN ALL MY LIFE?!?!




Remember when "Bridesmaids" came out two years ago? Or "Pitch Perfect," last year? I didn't like either of them. I was especially disappointed with "Bridesmaids" for some reason. "For A Good Time, Call ..." is everything and what I wanted both those movies to be.

If you weren't feeling the trailer, if you have a more highbrow sense of humor, or if you're expecting something over-the-top raunchy, then this movie probably isn't for you. [NOTE: I name-dropped this after my friend's bridal shower, and surprisingly, the matron of honor's super-traditional Catholic, Italian mom said she liked it. Score!] I loved it so much, I (1) watched it three times before I mailed it back to Netflix, and (2) immediately plotted how to sneak the movie into a blog post.

The answer came in the form of this China Glaze polish. There's a great scene in a nail salon with a huge rack of China Glaze polishes, and although Nasty wasn't used in the movie, its name was too perfect.




Three coats with SV.









Sure, it's a pretty basic color, but I couldn't find too many swatches of Nasty -- All You Desire's swatch is probably the best -- so I figured this would be a decent starting point for anyone who might be interested in it. :) It reminds me a lot of my favorite Deborah Lippmann, Between the Sheets (and its OPI almost-dupe, Ate Berries in the Canaries), only Nasty is more pink, less vibrant, and definitely more of a creme. It dries a little darker on the nail than its bottle color, but I think that's a top coat thing. The formula, dry time and wear on this were perfect, and I wore it for four days with no chips or tip wear. SO GOOD.

I bought my bottle at a dusty for super cheap (every time I'd go there, I'd keep picking this one up and putting it back down), but it's really easy to find online. I didn't know this until earlier in the week, but Nasty was part of the Flirt collection for Spring '05, the same collection fan favorite Spontaneous was from. The name "Nasty" in a Flirt-themed collection is just too hilarious, I have to say.

--Hilarious and hella charming, just like "For A Good Time, Call ..." It only came out last fall, but I wish I'd made more of an effort to see it! I'm a pretty enthusiastic Ari Graynor fan, so I was stoked to see her in a lead role instead of the supporting character she usually plays. Katie, her character in "For A Good Time" is a total riot, but I liked that she had depth as well as a genuine vulnerability that didn't seem forced, which some movies tend to lay on. Plus, Katie's relationship with the Mark Webber character ... oh my God. The best. (Is it me, or is Mark Webber that guy in every movie now?)




The two craziest cameos in the movie were the Kevin Smith (OH SWEET GRILLED CHEESUS) and Seth Rogen ones. At first, I didn't know how the producers had wrangled Seth Rogen until I realized he's married to the film's writer/producer/co-star, Lauren Miller. Derp. Also, Zelda, the precious King Charles spaniel in the movie? It's really their dog. :)

Oddly enough, my favorite aspect of "For A Good Time" was its depiction of female friendship, since not too many movies capture that essence and handle it successfully. The tone of the movie was not too far off from the one most contemporary, mainstream romantic comedies take; the thing "For A Good Time" did differently, though, was change its focus from romance to friendship. This approach worked well, particularly near the end, at which point I was practically in tears from laughing so hard. The end is just great -- I can't tell you enough how much truth there was in it, even if the situation in question was pretty outlandish.

If you can't grab this polish this weekend, at least check out "For A Good Time, Call ..." and report back to me. I don't think it's available on Netflix streaming, but some Redbox kiosks might have it. If you decide to watch it, I'd love to hear what you thought! I really hope someone else enjoys it as much as I did -- as soon as I have disposable income again, I'm totally buying a copy. Just promise you'll watch it sometime, okay?




Have a good weekend, and I'll check back in soon! As always, feel free to share your thoughts on this polish and your favorite summer movies -- blockbuster or comedy, whatever -- I love hearing from you. :)
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Big, beautiful [blue] sky: Zoya Skylar

August 11, 2013, 7:00 am
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First off, special shout out to my friend Krysi for letting me finish this post on her laptop! Thanks, girl. <3

Another important TV premiere post today -- the final eight episodes of "Breaking Bad" start tonight! I blew through three and a half seasons on DVD this year, so I had the benefit-slash-disadvantage of not having to wait for them to air. The show always was on my radar, but I dropped off halfway through the second season for some reason "Friday Night Lights"? "Battlestar Galactica"? "Dexter"? "Big Love"? "The Good Wife"? My epic "Smallville" series marathon with my former roommate? (I had a full DVR back then ...)

But it doesn't matter. I'm here now, I'm all caught up, I'm ready, and if everything has gone according to plan this weekend, Krysi and I are making meth cupcakes this afternoon.

Two things:
  1. See that huge ripped bit of skin on my ring finger? I've never been a nail biter, and I've been taking care of my cuticles, but if I find a hangnail, I will totally pick at it. :( I shouldn't, but I do, and that's what happened on Wednesday. There. Now you know one of my ~secrets.
  2. I'd planned to use a different polish for this post, but it had an annoying brush, d and I couldn't get the photos to . (I was polishing at 1:30 a.m., which was not the best idea.)

So hello, Skylar (even if the one on the show is "Skyler").




Three coats with Cult Nails Wicked Fast.









This shade of slate blue is tricky for me to pull off. I have shirts in this color, but sometimes I'm not sure if it's something that should be on my nails, you know? After applying two coats of Skylar, I wanted to take it off and scrap this post entirely.

But then I put on Coat Numero Tres, and then I was like, OK, let's see where this goes.

The shimmer is super pretty, dense and delicate at the same time. You definitely wouldn't mistake it for a creme with subtle shimmer. It works nicely against the blue base, I think, and lends it a greener tint that makes this color flattering on more complexions. Polishes with this type of shimmer (not quite a glass fleck or flakie) were A Thing in the spring of last year; the only reason I bought Skylar was because I thought it would be better on me than OPI I Have a Herring Problem and OPI I Don't Give a Rotterdam! I'm still deciding whether to keep this, so I think I'll have to actually wear this as a full NOTD (the photos above were a rare swatch).

Skylar was from last spring's Zoya True collection, and is still ETF online for $8 a bottle. I only picked up three polishes from that collection; I swatched Cho back in January, there's Skylar (obvs) ... and one more I haven't tried or blogged. Sound off if you'd like to see it!

Any thoughts on Zoya Skylar or the True collection? Do you have any cool plans for tonight's "Breaking Bad" premiere? I know I'm not the only one who can't wait to see how everything goes down! I'm also kinda hoping Walt gets his. Damn, that man is a greedy piece of work. Additionally, I may have an interest in Todd's fate because that actor was one of my favorites on "Friday Night Lights." Do you think Saul Goodman deserves his own spin-off series? Also, no lie, part of the reason I'm excited for the show's final episodes is because I'm wondering if Vince Gilligan (the showrunner) is going to visit the Richmond area in the near future. In case he does, I have Questions. (And knowledge of several local bbq joints.)

I'm sure you've seen this video sometime within the past week, but in case you haven't:




Candy Patrol, HAAAAAAAAAAA. Laughing for days.

Over and out. See you for a SUPER ridiculous post in a few days ... I was super distracted while writing this one, and the next one will explain why. :/ Oh, and if our meth cupcakes are successful, there will be pictures. Pics or it didn't happen, right?
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DRAMA ON THE HIGH SEAS! China Glaze Splish Splash, fainting spells, cannonballs & bonus meth cupcakes

August 15, 2013, 6:00 am
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It wasn't until Monday that I realized I'd completely left a sentence unfinished on Sunday's blog post. (I've fixed it.) MY B, you guys! But I was pretty shaken over the weekend because, uh ... I kind of fainted at a concert.

Twice.

Alone.

It was so. goddamn. embarrassing.

I can't even pretend I'm not still a little traumatized by that. Let me give you some background and show you the nails before I get into all of it, though.

Roughly a month ago, right before Krysi's bridal shower, I found out there was going to be an indie music festival in Richmond. I was about to roll my eyes to high heaven until I looked at the lineup of performers and saw that THE BREEDERS would be there, as would Those Darlins. I'd missed the Breeders when they came to D.C. in May because I'd gone to my friend P's wedding that day, and I didn't think they would swing by the VA area again. I remember saying, "Oh, SHIT" and spending too much money on a presale ticket for a 2-day pass.

Recently I scrolled through Haus of Polish for the first time in ages (that place is like a death trap, in the best possible way)and saw all the swatches of last year's China Glaze Summer Neons. They looked goooooood. And I owned two of them, still untried, so I decided to wear Splish Splash as my NOTWeekend.

--A happy accident, since the Breeders' 1993 album "Last Splash" has become a favorite of mine. Seriously, you cannot claim to be a '90s child and not know the guitar riff from "Cannonball." I'll be real: in 2003, I had no idea there was more to the band that gave us "Cannonball" -- remember, these were the dial-up Internet, pre-Soundhound days, and if you missed the DJ's blurb or the music video titles, you were SOL. But shit yeah, I knew that riff.





I also know this polish is pretty great.




Three coats with SV.










This isn't a neon, per se. It is hella bright, though. And I do love that glowy shimmer -- it elevates Splish Splash from the basic bright creme/neon category. So great.

The thing that really impressed me was its formula. It's very thin, so it looks like crap on the first coat, but it's opaque and amazing at three. It definitely needs to be built up, although the results are worth the effort. I think I was so thrilled with this because I think China Glaze Towel Boy Toy had this same result in mind, but its execution was CRAP. So Splish Splash was a complete upgrade. (I know people love Towel Boy Toy, but I'm sorry ... it needs a reformulation before I share those feelings!) Dry time and tip wear were average. I wore this for six days -- I was busy and didn't have time to change my polish ... at least this was a lot of fun to look at.

And at least my nails looked good before I went down like a 100-pound freshman girl practically trying to get alcohol poisoning on her first night back at campus after Christmas break.

I still have no idea what happened. I went to B's house and took this selfie with Sterling Meowlory before B and I had dinner at a barbecue joint.


Look at how much my precious baby wasn't having it.


Then I raced down to Brown's Island, where the festival was taking place. I had been killing time with B because I didn't want to spend all evening with drunk people by myself until the Breeders; it didn't hit me until Saturday morning that I was going to a music festival all alone-y on my own-y, and why on earth hadn't it occurred to me before then?!?! Anyway, by the time I got there, it was about 8:20-ish and it was starting to get dark. The weather was a bit humid and muggy, since it had rained earlier that day, but it could have been much worse.






You can see how dead it was, which is why I was SUPER confused. I was expecting epic crowds, kind of like what the city gets during the fall Folk Festival. I suppose Saturday night is what happens when you promote your event, oh, ONE MONTH before it starts. Because it was so dead, it took me forever to find the entrance, but the volunteers who helped me find it and greeted me were there pretty rad, so the festival got a point back.

I got my ticket along with my card for three free beers, to which all presale ticketholders were entitled. I stopped by the merch table first to pick up some Breeders swag, and decided on a super $$$ poster -- but I didn't feel bad about it, because it's their LSXX tour right now (20 years since "Last Splash"!). Then I got a beer from the truck, and started scouting for a spot close-ish to the stage. I stood to the left side, close enough to get OK pics, but far enough that if I had to leave for some reason, I wouldn't get trampled. I nursed my beer for the next 30 minutes, and halfway into it, the band came onstage.


I didn't even care that this shot blurs the heck out of Kim Deal's face because KIM DEEEEAAAAAAL.


They started playing through all of "Last Splash." It was EPIC. By that point I think a few more people had turned up, but the numbers were smaller than I thought they would be for a Breeders-loving town. However, the people who were there were having an awesome time. And so was I.





One of my most frustrating problems is that I have a hard time focusing 100% on any one thing, even if it's something I'm doing for fun, like writing a blog post or even rocking out at a concert. Last Saturday, while half of me was having a good time, the other half of me was wondering just how big of a carload I could move out of my apartment on Monday. What the hell, right? I was ecstatic when the band started playing "Drivin' on 9," one of their most popular songs; although I cheered and took a picture, I was debating whether I would move my kitchen utensils and appliances or my bedroom closet contents first when I blacked out and crumpled to the ground. Frankly, I was surprised that there was enough ground around me to fall on, given that more people had been gathering since the band had gone onstage.

Here's the last shot I took before I passed out. I'm so pissed that it wasn't even a good one, LOL.




You guys, I was FUCKING MORTIFIED. My first instinct was to check that my $$$ Breeders poster hadn't crumpled as well; it was fine. My second instinct was to wonder whether I'd gotten grass stains on my sundress (nope) or if people had seen my ass (this dress goes a bit over the knee). Several people helped me up, and a girl with curly blonde hair and a red skirt asked me if I was okay. For some reason, I told her I hadn't eaten. I guess I didn't want her to think I was some fucking alky.

I stood up. I feel like I stayed up no longer than 20 seconds before I went down AGAIN, because they weren't even halfway through "Drivin' on 9." At that point, the safety officer also helped me up, and had me lean on him as he walked me to a bench closer to the beer truck and away from the crowd. I remember him saying kindly, "You're okay" and getting a bottle of water for me. I think he knew I wasn't drunk because he'd seen me while I was at the merch table (trust me when I say rent a cops in college towns know drunk people). He patted me on the shoulder and went back to his post, leaving me to text B in a panicked daze. As I drank my water, I started to feel better, especially once I felt a cool breeze blow. By the way, I super appreciated Mr. Rent a Cop, because he could have been a royal jackass about the whole thing. So that was nice. Thank you, good sir.

I was starting to feel bad that I had to watch the concert from a short distance when Blondie Red Skirt walked over to me. She asked me if I was all right again. I thanked her and said I was feeling better. She told me to make sure I ate something, and handed me this:




Yay, drunk food. I was still full from dinner, but I nibbled this slowly and watched the set wrap up until it was time to leave. I was feeling steadier. Just ... also ... stupid. :/



Far away sads


Blondie Red Skirt swung back my way one last time, asking me if I would be okay to get home. Girl, I don't know who you are, but thanks for looking out for me! Seriously, I appreciated it.

I stayed on the phone with B until I got back to my car, and then drove shakily to Krysi's house, where I was planning on spending the night anyway. She and I stayed up till 3 a.m. talking -- I was so strung out, I couldn't sleep. I kept freaking out because I couldn't think of any warning signs (rapid heartbeat, blurred vision, etc.), but mostly because I'd been alone. That last one really did a number on me, because I go to so many places and do so many things by myself ... what if the situation had been more serious?

I still had my pass for the second day of the festival, but considering how Saturday had gone, I decided to skip Those Darlins. So Krysi and I just made a day of it, having lunch, shopping for polish and groceries, and OH YEAH, WE MADE THESE THINGS, TOO.






The recipe we'd looked at called for blue rock candy, but we couldn't find any. We improvised and used blue Jolly Ranchers instead, which, let me warn you guys ... that shit is HARD candy. And sticky. Krysi needed a hammer to crush them! I've never eaten rock candy, but I'm pretty sure you don't need a hammer for that. Oddly enough, that Jolly Rancher flavor didn't taste too bad with yellow cake and cream cheese icing. :)

... SIGH. What. A. Weekend.

If you would like to share your thoughts on Splish Splash, last year's ChG Summer Neons, the Breeders, the "Breaking Bad" premiere, or maybe an embarrassing fainting story, PLEASE DO! Whether it's a drunk fainting or sober fainting story doesn't matter to me -- now that I can say I've done both, they're both awful. This was *nothing* like drunkenly blacking out, because I know what that's like, and I haven't done that since I was 19, hahaha.

A note: I'm trying to get an appointment with my nurse practitioner in a few weeks. I don't know if she'll have any idea as to exactly why this happened, but the popular guesses (including my physician father's) are stress or vitamin deficiency. I haven't been taking care of myself lately, and I have been a little stressed out about money, moving and the eventual job hunt. I'm also a wee bit anemic and hypoglycemic, so who knows if that too had some part to play in this. The bottom line is that I'm all right now, and you know what? I'm probably going to avoid outdoor music festivals for a while.

But again, as many of us have said many, many times... at least my nails look good. I also have bragging rights about seeing a killer band, a poster, and this story, I guess, so there's that.

Thanks for reading, and see you next week. This weekend should be a relatively quiet one, thank goodness!
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One year of Skinny Dipping (With Friends)!!! + OPI Care to Danse?

August 19, 2013, 6:00 am
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First of all, thank you to all of you who shared your fainting stories in the comments last Thursday! You have some good stories, some even more traumatic and funnier than mine! I'll respond individually later tonight. Passing out = the worst, but you guys = the best. You do know that, right? I truly mean it.

Luckily, nothing crazy dramatic happened over the weekend. --I mean, I *did* notice on Friday afternoon that I couldn't find my driver's license, so I had to renew it online. SIGH. The last time I actually saw it was last Saturday night, an hour before I fainted. With my luck, I'll probably find it tomorrow or as soon as my replacement gets here, but ughhhhhhh. I can't believe I didn't notice it wasn't in its usual spot (my wallet), and I've been driving around the damn state all week.

ALSO ALSO ALSO. I just realized today's Skinny Dipping post marks ONE YEAR since Anna and I began this joint series!!! I'm so thrilled. Despite my Virgo nature, keeping up with *anything* is not my strong suit, so having a blogger friend to partner with once a month has been helpful. I couldn't ask for a better partner than my Anna. :) If you missed some Skinny Dipping posts or would like to relive them, feel free to browse the Skinny Dipping (With Friends) tag [HERE], at the bottom of this post, or on Stuff's sidebar.

Without further ado, Care to Danse, the first OPI NYC Ballet I'm sharing on Stuff because OPI NYC Ballet milky sheers 4evah.




This is four coats with SV. Really, you only need three. I'm just special, but you know that.











WAHHHHH, SO GOOD. I picked up Care to Danse back in March right before Ulta temporarily stopped letting us use coupons on OPI, and figured that if I hated it, it would be an easy swap. Except, well, I'm never getting rid of it.

This is touted as a pale lilac? lavender? sheer, which I certainly can see in the bottle. And on some people, it definitely pulls that way. On me, though? This shit is PINK., therefore, I don't have the dreaded zombie hands I always get with pale purples. \o/

The formula, application and dry time, of course, were flawless. Three coats will get it opaque. I had a bald spot because I was working too quickly, so I added a fourth coat. You don't need to wait copiously in between coats with these NYC Ballets the way you would with most sheer polishes, but at least give yourself two minutes. It makes for an even more flawfree experience, just sayin'.

I believe Care to Danse and My Pointe Exactly are core; if they're not core OPIs, they're definitely core at Ulta and super ETF online. After I fell in love with Barre My Soul, I didn't think I would want these two, but damn it, NYC Ballet is two for five right now! (I'm not counting Pirouette My Whistle.)

Soooooooo, do you guys care for Care to Danse? (Sorry, I had to.) And Krysi, because I KNOW you're reading this ... would this pass muster as a potential bridal party polish? God, this collection is the tits. I need to save myself the grief and get a bottle of Don't Touch My Tutu! and You Callin' Me a Lyre? already.

Thanks for reading, and especially if you've been following Skinny Dipping for the past year! Here's to another great one ahead. :) I'll get back with you ... uhhhhh ... sometime this week. Work has been a little crazy because last week was the first week of school, and one staff member just went on maternity leave, so ... I guess what I'm saying is: don't be surprised if I'm gone for more than a few days at a time.


P.S. Anna blogged Care to Danse and Pirouette My Whistle back in March. They look boss on her! And don't forget to visit Business Lady Polish to see the nude polish she's posting today.

K, I'm out.
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NARS Lal Mirchi

August 23, 2013, 6:00 am
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As it happens, there's an unphotographed NOTD in between this one and OPI Care to Danse: a gold from Zoya that I adored. But there was never a good time for me to get pictures of it, and as much as I adored it, I was tiring of keeping it on my nails "just in case." My fellow MUAers and bloggers know those feels.

So I asked Madeline to help me choose a new NOTD, which works out, because I said I'd show you another Thakoon for NARS before the summer was up.

I can't remember if I mentioned it on this blog, but I know I've told a couple of blogger friends that Lal Mirchi was my white whale among the Thakoon polishes.

Also, my pictures of this one aren't even 70% accurate, so please direct yourself to Scrangie's. For some reason, my pictures REALLY pulled out the red.




Three coats with SV.










When I finally ordered this and a few other NARS goodies last fall, I couldn't wait for the box to arrive. I think Lal Mirchi was the first polish I extracted from its little NARS box -- I was so excited to have it in my hands, as it was a NARS Bleecker street boutique exclusive and I'd never actually seen it on the NARS site before. I ended up seeing it on the site three times, and ordered it after it had gone out of stock twice because NARS regret is brutal (coming this fall, Rach and NARS Mash: A Love Story).

But my heart sank when I saw it in the bottle, because Lal Mirchi looked like a dusty sunset orange, and I had a couple of those. Little did I foresee it would be entirely different on the nail, where it definitely skirts the line between red and orange. It's crazy saturated. I definitely also see this:


 
(source)


The formula, application and dry time were just as fantastic as Anardana's, and by that I mean they were PERFECT. Two coats are all you need to get it opaque. Also worth noting is that this polish looks orange at one coat, but then is more of a red-orange after two. I wore Lal Mirchi for two days, during which I experienced better wear with it than I did with Anardana, which had chipped within a day. This did not; I only had barely visible tip wear after the second day. Score!

In conclusion: TOTAL WIN. If you're a fan of this collection or red-orange cremes, and find Lal Mirchi on a blog sale somewhere, anywhere, BUY IT. Don't wait forever like I did, and certainly don't wait almost a year to think about wearing it, either. (Shout out to Madeline for being decisive when I could not be.) That's no way to treat a white whale. ;)

If you're thinking this blog post was unusually short for me, you're ... not wrong. This week has been a busy one, and I haven't been able to concentrate on anything AT ALL. The good news is that I've somehow started Welcome to Night Vale (yay), started reading Danielle's August pick for our book club, and I've even begun crafting for Krysi's wedding at the end of next month. The bad news is that I'm generally stressed out right now, to the point where I think it's messing with my health a little bit. Not kosher at all, but everything should calm down within the next few days and I'll just have to ride it out.

Have a good weekend, and I'll be back next week! I hope to post at least twice, and I've acquired some new polishes I'm excited about -- that is, if I get the chance to take photos! :-P


P.S. I saw "Kick-Ass 2" last weekend with B. I kind of wish we had skipped it because it was not good. The only things I liked about it were Donald Faison and John Leguizamo, and ... that's about it. So save your pennies, or go see "Red 2," if it's still playing near you. Or you should order a pizza and catch "For a Good Time, Call ..." on HBO! That's a better idea, isn't it?
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Funky Fingers Jawbreaker

August 26, 2013, 6:00 am
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Note: As I'm writing this post, it's Friday night and I have the worst headache I've had in months. But I wanted to blog this polish because I have NO IDEA what this week holds until Thursday -- our bachelorette trip to Louisville starts on Friday. I'm so excited and stressed out, I might barf. (Literally.)

When my friend Chelsea was visiting at the beginning of July, we stopped at the Five Below near my apartment because she'd never been to one before -- apparently they don't have Five Belows in Nashville (or Tennessee), which is so weird to me because there are five in the Richmond area. Anyway, that store is great if you love cheap polish, cheap cell phone car chargers and the occasional $5 DVD, so I figured it was worth a visit. As I remember it, Chels didn't find anything to take home that day ... but I did. This was one of them, as was this polish right here:




Three coats with one coat of Gelous under one coat of SV.








While he was ringing me up, my Five Below cashier remarked that this polish reminded him of Pop-Tarts. I don't see it, but I've only ever eaten Pop-Tarts on maybe five occasions in my life, and they didn't look a thing like this. Jawbreakers, though? Absolutely.

It's worth noting that Funky Fingers Jawbreaker might resemble another indie, Pretty & Polished Jawbreaker -- at least, it does in pictures. I don't own the P&P, but I prefer the Funky Fingers because it doesn't contain bar glitter, which is really not my favorite. I love the color combination of the glitters, and I also love that the colors are bold and really stand out against the milky white base. Love.

The formula was better than I expected it to be. I was worried that it would be a gloopy mess, but it wasn't -- it reminded me of the formula on HARE polishes, which have been pretty good, in my experience. The milky white base takes at least three coats to build up to opacity. If you want it to look white WHITE, I'd recommend going for a fourth coat ... or try layering Jawbreaker over something like OPI Don't Touch My Tutu. ;) Dry time was really fast with Gelous and SV, and it doesn't dry bumpy or gritty, so that's always appreciated.

I've been to Five Below a few times in the past few weeks, and this polish is still there. For $2, you can have this, or pick up two more Funky Fingers polishes and you're good for the 3 for $5 deal. Juuuuust sayin'.

I only wish I loved this timeless relic of the late '90s half as much as I love this polish (spoilers afoot if you've never seen it):


("Eight Arms to Hold You" was THE TITS., and still is ... 
I'll totally fight you)


Pardon me for saying it, but "Jawbreaker" was a MESS. Yes, Rose McGowan was beyond great. I just felt like that movie didn't come close to what it could have been. (However, I will concede that the name "Vylette" is fucking HILAROUS.) That's okay, though, because 1999 brought us these far superior high school satires, none of which I actually watched until I was well out of high school:






But this? Just one girl's opinion, of course. Do you agree with me on any of these movies? What are your feelings on Funky Fingers Jawbreaker? If you own Pretty & Polished Jawbreaker, are the two polishes even close enough to be comparable? Would you like to see the last Funky Fingers polish I picked up from this particular haul? Sound off in the comments and give me something to read during my lunch break!

Hopefully I'll have one more post for you this week before I head off to Kentucky -- that is, if my body doesn't stage a full-blown revolt. :(
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The Long Haul: August 2013

August 31, 2013, 6:00 am
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A huge part of the reason I only spent a measly whopping total of $6.99 on polish last month was because I was crafting intensely for my friend's bridal shower. My mantra was this: If I can't eat it or it didn't come from a craft store, I can't haz it.

This month, I should have been saving up more for our bachelorette trip to Kentucky (where I'll be when this post goes up!), buuuuuuut I have this tiny problem where I either eat or buy my feelings, and apparently I was frustrated enough on the 14th and the 20th to pick up a few small thangs.

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: Let me know if there's anything you want to see on the blog in September. I'll do my best to post it, although I'm starting to favor seasonally appropriate polishes because fall is my favorite.


AUGUST 11: Sally's ... - TOTAL: $25.03
  • Instant Artificials - $7.69
  • Gelous - $5.39
  • China Glaze Dance Baby - $4.99
  • Sally card renewal - $5

AUGUST 11: Target - TOTAL: $9.95
  • L'Oreal Members Only - $2.48 (clearance) 
  • Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Perfect Pear-ing - $2.49
  • Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Pinch of Punch - $2.49
  • Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Pink-Grape Fruit - $2.49

AUGUST 14: SpaRitual Full of Life - TOTAL: $4.20 

AUGUST 18: Rite-Aid - TOTAL: $13.97
  • Julie G - Hot Cinnamon - $3.99
  • Julie G - Shark's Cove - $3.99
  • Revlon Brilliant Strength Tantalize - $5.99 (orig. $7.99, had $2 off coupon)

AUGUST 19: Ulta run - TOTAL: $7.36 (redeemed $3 in points)
  • Essence Colour & Go Walk on the Wild Side - $0.99
  • OPI Peace Love and OPI - $9

AUGUST 20: CVS run - TOTAL: $17.96
  • Sally Hansen CSM Loden Green - $7.99
  • Sally Hansen CSM New Wave Blue - $7.99
  • Wet n Wild Wildshine Listening to Blue Reed - $0.99
  • Wet n Wild Wildshine Stand the Test of Lime - $0.99


AUGUST TOTAL: $78.47
2013 TOTAL: $1411.78


I thought I did worse than this, but I must have been confusing my polish totals with some other indulgences: an almost $10 e-book to read on my tablet, the ~$40 I dropped at Old Navy last Sunday and the "Orphan Black" Season 1 DVD on Monday, sooooooo ... oop @ me. And I've been pretty guilty of piling up on take-out and fast food lately -- no bueno. :(

Anyhoo, sorry if my fixation with money is getting on your nerves or making you become uncomfortably aware of your own habits ... I've decided what I'm going to do when I post my total for 2013, though, and I'm really excited.
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