Holla!

I apologize for the title of this post. I was trying to come up with something both relevant and clever,  but...*sigh*

This is Sand Dolla Make You Holla from the Sea Goddess collection by China Glaze. It's a ridiculous name for a nail polish, but it's a pretty unique and interesting polish.

It's a white texture polish with multicoloured glitter mixed in. I have to say that I was pretty excited about this one. White texture and multi coloured glitter just SCREAMED frosting and sprinkles to me! 

Admittedly, I did not love this polish as much as I thought I would. It took 3 coats to get it to be somewhat opaque, and it probably could have used one more. The white base actually pulled a little pink once it was on the nail. I still enjoyed the concept of this polish, and it did remind me of sprinkles (yum), it just didn't meet my expectations formula wise. I might wear it again,  if I'm ever in a sugary mood :)

I did pick up 2 other shades from this collection that I haven't worn yet, but I'm sure I'll be getting around to doing so come summer. 

Spring!

Hello!

After a long absence,  I HAVE RETURNED! My computer has been running at a snail's pace (at best), AND I seem to have misplaced my camera's charger in my move last fall, so I'll be continuing courtesy of the Blogger app on Android.

Life has been hectic in general, and I have just recovered from a bit of a funk...I'm convinced it was seasonal affective disorder because I've been feeling much better now that the weather is a bit nicer.

To go with that, we have my first attempt at nail art in a very long time!  I got this idea from cutepolish on YouTube. Don't you just love her nail art videos (and her soothing voice)?

The colours I used were Pistache by Sinful Colors, Hamptons Peach by NYC, and Ahoy by China Glaze. The green of Pistache is much less vibrant in real life - it has more of a dusty feel to it. It's a particular shade of green that I've been looking for for quite some time: deeper and more yellow toned than mint,  but still of a pastel quality. I assume that this is the colour of pistachios,  but since I'm allergic to nuts, it's not a colour that I'm particularly familiar with.

The time seemed right to jump back into blogging with the change of the seasons, finally,  after such a long and brutal winter. We'll see how well I can keep up what with work and such...

Until next time!  :)

A Year of New Beginnings

If there's one day/time of year that I have yet to miss on this blog, it's the coming of a new year. To celebrate the start of 2014, I of course went for the gold....glitter!

I didn't have time to clean up my cuticles, so excuse the mess!

This is Luster from Urban Outfitters. Luster is a black jelly filled with large and small gold hex glitters. Ever since last Christmas, I've had my eye on Cleopatra in New York by Deborah Lippmann. There's something about glitter in a dark jelly base that just speaks to me.

This was 3 coats of Luster with 2 coats of Revlon Quick Dry Top Coat. I could have probably gone with 2 coats and it would have been fine, but it was still a bit too sheer for my taste. I don't own the Lippmann, so I can't really say whether or not this is a dupe, but it looks like they may be similar enough. From the pictures I've seen online, Cleopatra in New York looks like it may have a warmer gold tone to its glitter. It's hard to tell...you may need to own both. ;)

All nail talk aside, welcoming 2014 had an odd feeling to it. Part of me is in disbelief that 2013 is actually over. How could it be? I remember thinking of 2013 as this impossibly distant entity, and now here we are, looking back at it!

2013 was a big year for me. I accomplished things that I'd dreamed of my whole life and I accomplished things that I would have never dreamed were possible as the clock struck midnight a whole year ago. I graduated. I got my first real job. I moved out for the first time. I became a Pharmacist.

If you go back and look at my other New Year's Eve posts (and if you're really keen, the posts from my old blogs), I'm sure you'll find me talking about how that particular year was the best year of my life. You might even expect me to say that about 2013. To be honest, 2013 happened so quickly I didn't even have time to really reflect on whether or not this was true. 2013 had some pretty insanely high highs, but I also remember it having some pretty low lows. Everyone raves about how their lives are exponentially better since leaving school, but there was something very comforting and safe about being in school, wasn't there?

I would probably be lying if I said 2013 was the absolute best year of my life. I would also probably be lying if I said I wasn't the least bit afraid of what 2014 has in store for me. I don't know where I'm going to be this time next year, and that scares the crap out of me. For all I know, this time next year I could be getting married or something ridiculous like that (jk, lol, forever alone)!

2013 was an adventure. It turned out so much differently than I had expected, but I don't know if I would have preferred it any other way. Be nice to me 2014, BE NICE TO ME.

Gouda Gouda Two Shoes

Cheese. Cheese makes everything better.

The last week or so I've become a bit...cheese obsessed. How have I lived 22 years without knowing the beauty of swiss cheese?

So, to coincide with my cheese obsession, I give you OPI Gouda Gouda Two Shoes:

Gouda Gouda Two Shoes is from the Fall 2012 Germany Collection by OPI. It's a warm-toned pink with a golden shimmer running throughout. The shimmer is pretty subtle, showing up more in the bottle than it does on the nail. This was 2 coats with a topcoat. 

The Germany collection was a great mix of colours, and this one was no exception. Gouda Gouda Two Shoes has found its place in my usual work-appropriate rotation. 

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to have some more cheese.

Joe Fresh Sea Blue

I love Joe Fresh.

Seriously. When it first made an appearance in my life, I thought it was mighty strange that they would try to sell clothes in the middle of the grocery store. Pretty soon, my wardrobe was packed with Joe Fresh clothes. I bashfully admitted to my fashion forward friend that I secretly kind of loved them. When she approved, I was actually kind of shocked. It was cool to like the clothes from the grocery store.

So, it's absolutely no secret that I am in love with their nail polish line as well. Trendy, wide range of colours...and affordable at $3-4 a bottle! This is Sea Blue.

Sea Blue is not a shade that I would necessarily associate with the sea. Usually when I think of the sea, I think of a more greenish, light blue. This shade is a blurple creme. The above picture shows 2 coats + topcoat. 

Joe Fresh polishes are 3 for $10, so more often than not buy three at a time. Their colour selection is pretty impressive, and I am particularly partial to their blues. I could probably create a gradient with my Joe Fresh polishes only (lightbulb!). The bottles are smaller than the average nail polish bottle (6mL vs. the usual 14-15mL, which I guess makes them on par for price with some other brands), but they are definitely worth a try if you ever have the chance. 

Essie Yogaga

Good morning!

It's pretty gloomy and wet outside right now. Luckily, we were spared of the flooding and power outages that happened all over the city, but still...not a pretty site outside.

Today I have for you Essie's Yogaga. With the weather, I wasn't feeling in the mood to do something brightly coloured, so I did a neutral instead.

The picture is blurry, but it's the only one that came out colour accurate, unfortunately. Yogaga is a pale taupe colour from one of Essie's Yogaga collection (Fall 2012). The formula is very good for a shade this pale. The photo above is 2 coats. Essie's actually been improving formula and colour-wise the last few years or so. I used to avoid buying them simply because their formulas left something to be desired.

Yogaga has become a go-to interview colour for me, and I assume it's a colour that will be getting a lot of wear in the next year or so as it is very work-appropriate. (Which is unlike so many other colours in my collection!)

Meanwhile, I'll be sticking to glitters and neons until the summer ends. Let's hope that we get some sunshine in here soon!

A Happy Colour for a VERY HAPPY DAY

Hello! I am in a very good mood today because...

You saw that right. (And to be honest, I'm still hoping that I saw that right too after checking a million times to be sure). I was actually paralyzed with anxiety over getting my licensing exam results, mainly because I was worried that if I didn't pass, the offer for my job would be off the table and I would have signed the lease on my apartment for nothing. Needless to say, I breathed a mega sigh of relief when I found out.

Since I'm so happy, I decided I would post about a colour that matched my mood.

Turned Up Turquoise from China Glaze is a neon turquoise with some awesome shimmer running throughout. The formula on this one was a beauty, considering that it's a bit of a neon. This was 2 coats.

This colour just makes me so happy. First off, I love anything that is teal or turquoise. Second, this is so bright, especially in the sun! I almost didn't get this polish because I thought it might be too similar to Four Leaf Clover, but of course I was wrong. It sort of reminds me a bit of a turquoise version of Frostbite, except not quite as...frosty. Sounds weird, but I think it's the brightness and the shimmer that makes me lump those two colours together in my mind.

Because this is a neon, it will dry matte. I used a coat of Revlon Fastdry over this, since I wasn't really feeling the matte finish -- but either way, it's such a beauty.

It's bedtime for me now, and I know I'll be sleeping well tonight. It seems like the last 4 years of my life have truly culminated into this one day. I feel marvelous, and I hope to keep feeling this way for a long time!