THEME WEEK - My Favorite Neon :)

I admit, with my life being filled with glitters this past year, I haven't had time to look at neons. But I figured, with it being summer, I should give them a chance! So, this is pretty much the first neon I've almost ever tried (I'm sure) but I love it already! I went with the classic neon YELLOW. Nice, bright and obnoxious in a good way.

China Glaze Yellow Polka Dot Bikini. Trust me, it's bright. And totally matches neon yellow highlighter. It's super lovely and bright and may I say, vivacious? I'm not sure if people were complimenting me when they would comment that it was REALLY bright, but I'll take it as such :P It was overcast when I took this picture but this just goes to show the true neon-ness of it.

And of course, the add on of glitter. I did one coat of Essence - Edward. I love the teal/green square glitters! The yellow and the green matched so well together, I loved looking at it.

edit: Sorry! I must have been half asleep when I wrote this post, it's China Glaze Yellow Polka Dot Bikini :)

THEME WEEK - My Favourite Neon

This is one you've seen before - Nfu.Oh 497. And, as before, I have failed utterly at getting a colour-accurate picture. This is such a great neon. It's bright but deep, a proper primary blue Crayola colour with a hint of green. It's awesome.

But Jesus Christ on a bike, is photographing it ever a pain in the arse. I think Nfu.Oh must put some weird plasticisers in their polish that deflect light (it applies a lot like seche vite, it feels more like molten plastic than polish and has a super shiny opaque jelly type finish) because they all go through some kind of insane hall of mirrors transformation in front of a camera. Through my viewfinder, it looks like this amazing bright teal blue. On my focussing screen, it looks like either light azure or royal blue. So I wrestle with the settings, try again...still whacked. Swear a bit, fiddle some more, all to no avail. So, um, try and imagine it like this, but with more of a cyan undertone, brighter, and about thirty times better.

Last time I photoshopped the frack out of it to get it even half way close to the real colour. This time I gave up and tried to trick my camera with my car's paintwork. I mentioned previously that it's very close to my car's colour. While it turns out that my camera also hates my paintwork, it hates it a bit less, so I thought that might be a useful comparison swatch. You can see the green undertone better in my car! So, erm, try to imagine that in the polish. Yes.

THEME WEEK - My Favourite Neon!

As the weather gets warmer and warmer (in the Northern Hemisphere), we thought it was only fitting for the final Polish or Perish THEME WEEK to be showcase neons! Each day a PoP blogger will show you their fav retina-searing polish. Get your sunglasses out, kids!

FAVOURITE NEON WEEK

This is polish I usually reserve for my toes (in fact, it's on my tootsies right now!) but in the summer if I'm feeling frisky, I will bust this one out for a mani! In fact, it's the ONLY neon in my collection, and I'm quite attached to it! Essie Perky Purple...

Why yes, I do suck at photographing neons! I had to colour adjust a bit (*cough*somuchit'sridiculous*cough*) to try to get it to show up as it looks in real life, but trust me, it's a screamer! This may not be the only neon I own very soon, because I may be picking up one or two of the new Essie Poppy Razzi neon collection....

Do you wear neons? Just in summer or do you brave it in winter as well?

kittytokaren

THEME WEEK - My Favorite Holo!

Nfu.Oh 066

It's so strange to see photos of my nails this long when I've had shorties for the past year or two... but anyway, here is Nfu.Oh 066. Holy holo!! :D Give me a good linear holo any day... although, admittedly, it's been awhile since I've worn a really good holo like this one. 

THEME WEEK - My Favourite Holo

I don't have enough sun to swatch a holo properly - since I'm in the Southern Hemisphere, I'm sitting here shivering in my ugg boots with a mug of hot tea! So this is an old swatch of China Glaze TMI, a salmon-pink holo polish from the OMG collection. I don't know if it's my FAVOURITE holo - holo is holo is holo is awesome! Other ones I love are DV8, LOL and Nubar Reclaim... plus I have a DIY spectraflair topcoat, so argh. How is one supposed to pick a favourite??

I guess this is the dilemma that mothers supposedly have when they can't pick a favourite child. I used to think it was weird when people said they couldn't pick their favourite fur baby - I mean, it's an animal, not a child - but now here I am with my holo kids. Sigh.

Mmm rainbows! Here it is with some stamping - ulta3 Orchid with a BM plate.

THEME WEEK - My Favorite Holo :)

I remember when Ozotics first started popping up on the NB -- I was amazed and jealous that I couldn't get them easily. Now, you can get them from Ozotics from Llarowe easy peasy but before her, only obtainable through swaps with the land down under. [quick note: the 500 series multichrome/holographic/Elytra and Mish Mash series are being discontinued, so if you want some, hurry and get them!]

One of the ones I wanted the MOST though was Ozotic 518. A RED holo. Yumyum. I got it and then saw someone else post 621. A TRUE RED. I knew that I must have it and got it through another swap.

So pretties. But because I love both, I used both for this holo post. I mean, they are both red and from Ozotic... so it's okay, right? 518 is a linear holo, but more of a strawberry red than a true red. 621 is a scattered holo (which I actually prefer) but a true red. I love holos but prefer scattered holos over linear because I feel they have a bit more "oomph" and sparkle akin to real glitter. In the case of 621, it seems more like a firey glow, hard to capture on camera, sadly!

So here she is, the beauty that is red. 518 is on my ring finger, no top coat. 621 does have top coat, but only because it was matte when it dried. I use Aqua Base as my base, as I do for all holos. :)

in the shade

So, if you are into holos, what do you prefer? Scattered or linear?

THEME WEEK - My favourite Holo!

Nfu.oh 65. Massive pic spam ahead.

Would you believe it? It's another blue! I know, I know. This must come as a terrible shock to you all. I really love this one because a) it's blindingly holographic and b) it's such a beautiful shade, which I actually find quite wearable rather than being too OTT. I'm even wearing this to a colloquium today. What my supervisor thinks remains to be seen, but I'm sure it'll be fine.

It is, unsurprisingly, a bit of a pig to apply. It's kind of granular and it can be tricky to get it to even out. I used my usual base coat, then aqua base, then three coats and then top coat. I personally refuse to go without top coat - they chip quick enough as it is, so I can live with it being slightly less holographic if it lasts longer than two days - but if you're worried about this, I find doing a top coat sandwich works well with Nfu.Ohs. Just put an extra coat of polish over your top coat, and it'll last much longer but still retain the super holo finish. I don't actually think the difference is very noticeable either way, but at least that's an option that makes wearing the more fragile holos a little less of a chore.

But ultimately, who cares when a polish is this pretty?

THEME WEEK - My Favourite Holo!

Polish or Perish THEME WEEKS continue - this time with a sunshine-appropriate theme! Every day a PoP blogger will share their favourite holographic polish - will someone pick your favourite? Check back with us every day this week to see!

FAVOURITE HOLO WEEK

Picking my favourite holographic polish was easy! The hands-down (ha!) winner for me is OPI DS Design...if only because it is the only holo I own!

I'm not the biggest holo person, but this one I actually really really like! I think that the reason for that is because it's nude - that way the only thing going on is the unique finish. For me a coloured holo feels a little like overload and makes my brain hurt! (For the ultimate brain-pain polish see me wearing Claire's Yel here - taken while I was held captive by Piff.) DS Design is rather sheer though, so here I put it over Essie Jazz and I think it makes it show very true to colour. 

Now c'mon holo-heads! What's your fav??

kittytokaren

THEME WEEK - My favorite nude!

Misa Whimsical Wish

I'm not one for nudes (kind of like how I'm not one for reds), but I really loved this one. Light, fairly neutral but with some beautiful shimmer. Go figure that my idea of a neutral nude includes shimmer. I have one of the RGB HIPP polishes but haven't found the opportunity to wear that one yet: I'm holding out hopes that it's the MNBB that I've always dreamed of (except not really, because I don't really wear nudes). But I loved this one.

Just moved earlier this week. Moving = urgh. Nails look like crap. :(

THEME WEEK - My Favourite Nude

Sit down, boys and girls, it's story time with Lab Muffin...

My first ever manicure was a discount deal early last year - $30 for a mani-pedi and a set of eyelash extensions. I wanted the extensions for a photo shoot, so the mani was just a pleasant extra. I had my nails done using an OPI nude, and being me, I forgot to ask the name. For the next week, I smiled every time I looked down and saw my pretty fingers.

Then it chipped off, and THE HUNT BEGAN. Of course, it would've been easiest to just go back to the salon and ask for the name. But the lovely ladies there were Korean and didn't speak English very well, so that would've been awkward, and I spend most of my waking hours avoiding teh awkward. I went to the department store and tried to match a bottle to my nails - no luck. I scoured countless nail blogs, opening a plethora of new tabs that promised "OPI - nude". I went through MakeUpAlley and stalked anyone with skin shade NC25.

Eventually I narrowed it down to the two most likely candidates: Malaysian Mist and Cuddle by the Fire. Since CbtF was discontinued, I bought them off the evilBay. After impatiently waiting two weeks, they arrived... and they were Not. The. Colour. Ah, the crushing disappointment that only comes when you wait two weeks for a lemming and it doesn't perform!

I've resigned myself to the fact that I'm probably never going to find that nude again, and even if I did, it wouldn't be anywhere near as pretty as I remembered. So I've grown to love Malaysian Mist (struggling with CbtF) - I'm still on the hunt for more awesome nudes, since Malaysian Mist is the only one I can wear without thinking "bleh". So here it is:

OPI Malaysian Mist - 3 coats. It starts off sheer, but I prefer it when it's opaque. Drying takes forever, but that seems to be standard with milky polishes.

I love glitter-on-nude manis, and gold is my favourite - here's Essence Make It Golden layered on top:

So... does anyone have NC25 skin? Recommend me some nudes? :P

THEME WEEK - My Favorite Nude :)

My collection of nude polishes is quite... sad. Even with all the polishes I have! I did purchase a lot recently from the recent Zoya Earth Day promo because I feel as if I would need some more work safe polishes as I will foray deeper into the world of lawyers... But I do have a favorite! I think I discovered it from someone's recommendation many many moons ago. It's Sally Hansen Complete Manicure in Cafe au Lait. It used to be more mannequin hand on me but I like it anyway! 

I love the shimmer in it, too. Keeps it interesting :D

And of course, I added glitter on top. Lynnderella polishes are so beautiful but need to be layered on top... I had tried a black lace sort of look with a nude polish and black glitter (LA Girls Uninhibited) before, so I wanted to try the white version this time :)

This is 2 coats of Lynnderella Love, Lace and Lilacs on top of Sally Hansen Cafe au Lait. So delicate and pretty :D

Every try nudes below a glitter without an opaque base? Try it!

THEME WEEK - My Favourite Nude

OPI Samoan Sand


This one was so tricky for me. Not because I don't like nudes (I do!) but because I have yet to find my perfect nude. One of these days I'll have an epic Essie splurge and just wade through a bunch until I find my winner, but right now I have lots I like, but few that stand above the rest. My current favourite is actually a combo - Essie Brooch the subject with Illamasqua Spartan - but I thought it would be kind of cheating to choose a combo for this purpose.

So here's Samoan sand, which is the one I usually reach for. It's a good match for my skin, non-streaky, and it looks good with one, two or three coats (this is three). Dries quickly and is very shiny. It's sort of winner by default. But it is, to be honest, a bit boring. I tend to prefer opaque colours with something more about them.



Any suggestions for great edgy nudes for my skin tone?

THEME WEEK - My Favourite Nude!

More THEME WEEK action here at Polish or Perish... This week we're getting frisky and sharing our favourite nudes with you! (Ooh la la!) Keep checking back - every day a different PoP blogger will reveal their favourite!

FAVOURITE NUDE WEEK

I thought it would be harder for me to pick my favourite nude, since I have and love so many! (I'm even known as the blog 'nudist'...scandalous!) But when I got to thinking about it, there was really only one answer for me - Essie Jazz.

Two coats of creamy, dreamy gorgeousness are all you need of this cafe au lait nude. I really like that it's not too pink-fleshy - those nudes often seem to look wrong on me. (I'm looking at you, OPI Tickle My France-y.) A long-time standby, this is the equivalent of a pair of nude pumps for me - a total classic, goes with everything, and makes my fingers seem longer and more elegant than they really are.

What's not to love?! If you had to pick, what would you say is your favourite nude?

kittytokaren

THEME WEEK - My Favorite Glitter

Revlon StreetWear FX Flash (Green Version) over a dark creme (I forget which)

Whoa, my nails were long. I've gotten a couple of requests in the last few months about where I get all my StreetWear polishes. It was a place in Midtown Manhattan but the last three times I checked, there were no SWs to be found. Or anything else of much worth. :(

Either way, this is one of my absolute favorite glitters: I'm not a fan of it needing a dark base but otherwise, I just love the green-gold duochrome-y glitteriness of it.

I'm maid of honor in my best friend's wedding today. I don't like Zoya because it doesn't last on me, but I accompanied her to an organic salon (in another state!) for her to get her hair done and all they had was Zoya. So I got Zoya Tru on tips and Zoya Barbie on toes. Both looked prettier in the bottle. If I have time today, I'll post a photo from my iPhone of my tips and toes (in really sparkly silver shoes!!).

THEME WEEK - My Favorite Glitter :)

Expecting someone who wears a lot of glitter polishes to answer the question of "which glitter polish is their favorite" is hard! I had to think on it a bit, because I love all glitters! But then KNEW.

It's OPI Crown Me Already! It's a silver glitter with multisized hex glitter, smaller round and fine micro glitters. It builds up nicely. It's a dupe of a Claire's polish that I love (and glad the OPI one was released because I can't find the Claire's polish in stores anymore). I find that a good silver glitter is almost classic for the blingy look, and the fact that this polish has different sized glitters makes it different from the other silver glitters out there.


It's my favorite because it's so bright and blingy... and also because what can be done do it. Which is gradients. I like layering up, gradient style, sheer shimmer or glitter polishes on top of it. I've done it before but did it again for this post.

sunlight

in the shade

The green is NYX Girls Emerald Forest. It's sort of sheer, but not super sheer -- I used a sponge to make it lighter in the middle and used the brush of the polish itself to make it darker at the ends. I love the look of gradients! There's such depth to it and it's easy to do. Instant nail art :)

THEME WEEK - My Favourite Glitter

I don't own many glitters. Too much bling on my fingers makes me feel awkwardly overdressed and teenagery, I feel self-consciously like I have strobe lights on my fingertips - as much as I love how glitter looks in swatches, I can't wait to get it off!

That's why China Glaze Some Like It Haute is such a great glitter for me - it's sparkly, with round holo glitters, but the charcoal microglitter tones it down. The holo glitters are also always obediently weather appropriate, looking muted on cloudy days and blindingly bright in the sun.

This is two coats over one coat of ulta3 Metal, a gorgeous charcoal shimmer that looks like lead pencil, one of my top ten ulta3s. I can't stand how Some Like It Haute is translucent when backlit (e.g. when using my phone), and for some unknown reason it looked weirdly gritty in my photos of it on its own, so Metal is the perfect opaque underwear!

Can anyone recommend some other slightly-toned-down glitters?

THEME WEEK - My favourite Glitter

...OPI Absolutely Alice.

I had a really hard time with this one. I am a complete ho for glitter and I spent quite some time weeding through contenders trying to narrow it down to just one. Whilst in many respects this probably isn't the prettiest or most amazing glitter in my collection, it is my favourite. Something about it just speaks to me!

Maybe it's the deep cyan blue of the base colour (which somehow manages to be richer, greener and sparklier than my pictures suggest..we've had non-stop rain with more forecast all next week, so I had to make do with flash). Maybe it's the gold flecks which accessorise with all my jewellery. Maybe it's the tiny glitter particles, which makes it opaque in two coats and so sparkly in the light that it looks as though there are far more colours than just two.

Who knows. But I love it!

What polish makes you feel most like you?

THEME WEEK - My Favourite Glitter!

We are currently in the midst of THEME WEEKS here at Polish or Perish! Last week was Favourite Red Week and each day you got to see a post from a PoP blogger revealing their fav red polish. Today we're kicking off...

FAVOURITE GLITTER WEEK

Now, admittedly, I'm not the biggest glitter fan. I'm a little...scared...of glitter. I LOVE it on my toes in winter, like my dirty little gleaming secret. But I'm a bit timid when it comes to sporting the sparkles on my tips. OPI Spark de Triomphe is one of the few mega glitters that makes me feel glam and not self-conscious!

The colour of this is just awesome - a mix of gold and silver glitter of varying sizes. Really the only words that aptly describe this are "jewel-encrusted". When the light hits it...it's bananas, y'all. Even though it is so blingy, I feel like the metallic colour makes it pretty wearable - especially for a special night out with an LBD. I wouldn't want to be without this in my collection!

What do you think of my pick? What's your fav glitter?

kittytokaren

Theme Week - My Favorite Red

L'Oreal Bijoux B. Daring

This week's theme is probably the hardest one for me: I don't really like to wear reds. I suck at applying them, most don't look fantastic on me, and I just don't gravitate towards that particular color. But I found one, an oldie-but-goodie whose photos do it no justice. I don't even remember how I came across the L'Oreal Bijoux series: either a swap or a dollar store find from years ago. But here is B. Daring: cherry red jelly with holo glitter. :D

THEME WEEK - My Favourite Red

I love red! It's probably the colour that looks best on me in clothing, so it was hard to pick just one red, but I managed.

This is ulta3 English Rose. ulta3 is a great little Australian drugstore brand of polishes that have (generally) excellent formulas and are incredibly cheap - $2 a polish.

It's a lovely red jelly full of gold microglitter. 3 smooth coats, delicious! Here it is in the sun:

THEME WEEK - My Favorite Red :)

My favorite red... it's kind of hard finding a favorite red, don't you think? I love glitter, but most red glitters look similar. But I had known when I had first seen this beauty on the MUA NB years ago that it had to be mine and I would love it. And I do!

OPI - La Boheme. A HTF beauty, but worth it once you can get it. I usually wear it over black to allow the duochrome shimmer to shine.

One coat of American Apparel Hassid and ONE coat of OPI La Boheme. Beautiful.




The duochrome shifts from red and green to orange and some gold... Worn alone over black, you can see more of the red, but the duochrome happiness isn't as prevalent. I've yet to try it not over black, but maybe next time :)

THEME WEEK - My Favourite Red

OPI a Good Man-darin is hard to find

The more observant amongst you may notice that the 'red' I am showing you is, technically speaking...orange. But my subject is political science and we specialise in explaining why black is in fact white in certain lights, so I will now proceed to tell you why I am right and OPI is wrong.

I don't wear red nail polish. There, I said it! I occasionally wear reds on my toes, but of all the colours in my stash, reds and pinks are the shades I own fewest of. Being a pale (natural) blonde, I find pure reds too bold for me. However, coral reds, poppy reds (which is what I would classify this as, and that's the story I'm sticking to) and berry reds I like very much. In fact, my favourite lipstick is MAC 'So Chaud' (which I believe is also technically an orange, but it reads as a retro matte poppy on me), and this polish is a great compliment to it, as shown above.

So, back to my favourite 'red'. It was released with the Hong Kong collection in 2010. This is four coats, since although it's creamy, it's a tiny bit sheer and I wanted to make sure the finish was perfect, as befits a favourite. It's a really wonderful, happy colour.