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Purple

A Quick & Easy Gradation Manicure with Butter London Stroppy

By on July 16, 2010
in butter LONDON, CND, Nail Art, Purple, Teal with 71 Comments
butter-london-Stroppy-jelly-bottle Remember way back in February 2009 when I had a CalGel Gradation Manicure done at Sakura in NYC?  If you’re not familiar, a gradation manicure creates an ombre effect where the polish fades down the nail.  I wore a version with a purple tip that faded into clear but you can also fade two colors together.

As much as I loved the look of my CalGel mani, the thought of spending two hours at the salon to get it done and another half hour or longer to remove it does not sound appealing.  There has to be an easier way.  An at-home method to get the look for less.  Enter butter LONDON Stroppy.

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China Glaze Vintage Vixen “Cat’s Meow” Swatches & Review

china glaze Vintage Vixen cat's meow six piece set In spite of the fact that women were called “dames” and “broads” there’s something about the 1940′s that intrigues me.  I wouldn’t want to live in that time but I’m completely fascinated by the style and beauty of that era.  The pin curls, the heavily powdered and made up faces, the structured clothes.  Women put so much work into their look.

Though what the ladies of the 40′s seriously missed out on is nail color.  As we all know, there is more to life than blood red talons. Thankfully when China Glaze looked to the 40s for inspiration, they pulled shades from all aspects of that decade to bring us the colorful Cat’s Meow set from the Vintage Vixen collection.

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China Glaze Vintage Vixen “Hotsy Totsy” Swatches & Review

china glaze vintage vixen hotsy totsy six piece set Goldie Hawn in Swing Shift, Joan Crawford’s signature brows, Dita Von Teese’s moon manicures, Cannery Row, Lauren Bacall’s wavy locks.  All these things dance through my head when I think about the 1940′s screen sirens and the look of that decade.

China Glaze has channeled that vibe into their Fall 2010 collection, Vintage Vixen.  Muted neutrals, vivid jewel tones and shiny metallics are all given the China Glaze twist infusing different textures to create some unique versions of old standards.
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Orly Plastix Satin Finish Nail Polish Swatches & Review

By on June 18, 2010
in Fall 2010, Orange, Orly, Purple, Red, Satin, Teal with 72 Comments

orly-plastix-collection-fall-2010 “Gretchen, stop trying to make FETCH happen! It’s not going to happen!” – Regina George leader of “The Plastics” in Mean Girls.

For the past year now nail polish brands have been trying to “make fetch happen” with a seemingly never ending barrage of matte nail polishes.  My lazy, always-running-late self loves mattes for their quick dry time and I know I’m not alone but the detractors seem to be in the majority.  I get it.  The wear issues and flat wall paint finish aren’t exactly selling points and most certainly deal breakers for a lot of you.

Enter Orly’s twist on the game, the Plastix Collection, a set of four satin lacquers.  Like their Nails For Males and now discontinued Matte Top Coat these polishes dry with a semi-gloss “plastic” finish.  This isn’t the first time we’ve seen this type of finish but it hasn’t come in fun colors until now.  The Fall runways featured lots of satin nails as well which is why I’m declaring Satin is the new Matte.

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OPI Shrek Forever After Collection Swatches, Review and Comparisons

By on April 15, 2010
in Blue, Green, Lilac, OPI, Purple, Summer 2010, Yellow with 126 Comments
opi shrek forever after collection swatches opi brights 2010 You might have seen a housefly, maybe even a superfly, but I bet you ain’t never seen a donkey fly.

Fanatics, can you please join me in a standing ovation for OPI and Suzi Weiss-Fischmann for creating a collection with NO REDS OR PINKS!! It took a big, smelly ogre to make this magical moment happen but I’m not complaining.  The Shrek Forever After Collection is OPIs addition to their ongoing Summer Brights series and I’m totally into it.

Surely, OPI could have found a reason to include a red or pink in this collection but I applaud them for not playing it safe.  A swampy, ogre green isn’t exactly conservative and I love that.  In fact, looking at the colors it’s like they were designed to be mani/pedi combinations.  The lilac & purple, sky & cyan blue and yellow & green.  They’re just meant to be together.

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