China Glaze Crackle Glaze is HOT.

I feel like I'm late to the Crackle/Shatter party here. Just because I haven't purchased or wrote about it doesn't mean I didn't desire the ever living heck out of it.
I've just had a lot on my plate.

Yesterday I took a bit of time for myself and went over to Sally Beauty after work. The one down the street from my salon is open until 9, which is totally awesome because I get off at 8.
I was gonna check out the new Finger Paints, but as soon as I walked in China Glaze was sitting right there in front beside the register!
Oh, let me tell you I wanted to buy every single one but I had a slow day at work and didn't have much in the way of tips to be spending. I started my collection with Cracked Concrete and Broken Hearted.

1 coat Broken Hearted over 2 coats OPI Who The Shrek Are You?

The premise behind these crackle and shatter nail polishes is pretty simple:
1. Put on a base if you like to (I didn't here)
2. Put on a coloured nail polish.
3. Wait for that coloured polish to completely dry. Not tacky dry. Not "yeah, this'll do" dry. TOTALLY dry.
4. QUICKLY brush on a coat of crackle. I doesn't have to be perfect. In fact, it's probably not going to be so I wouldn't try if I were you. Besides, it's gonna crack up undoing all the smooth beautiful work you just did.
5. Watch the cracks form! For this China Glaze, it started happening almost immediately. The tag on the bottle says 3-5 minutes but my first finger was already cracked when I moved on to my next.
6. The crackle polish dries with a matted finish and is bumpy, so finish up with a good thick top coat. I used 2 coats of OPI Rapid Dry, but only because that's what I had handy right there. I'm not sure that was the best for this polish.


I can say with absolute certainty that I LOVE crackle polishes. It's such an easy way to have interesting nail art that everyone will go bonkers for. I like that I was able to wear my two fave colours without looking like a kandyraver kid. Not that there's anything wrong with kandyravers, I just think I'm too old for that.

Martha Stewart Manicure

I almost didn't want to post this because it didn't really go well...
...But I really love Martha Stewart and her signature motifs.

I used China Glaze For Audrey and and old Nubar Nail Art Pen. I had a lot of trouble over the control of the nail art pen. Kinda sad about that.

For Audrey is supposed to be a Tiffany Blue (cuz, you know, Breakfast at Tiffany's... Audrey Hepburn...). Martha Stewart Blue is more of a pastel blue shade and not as green as Tiffany Blue is.
A while ago, I made a Frankenpolish trying to get Tiffany Blue before I knew of For Audrey. Something was a little "off" about it and I added a dab of China Glaze Four Leaf Clover but I didn't get it green enough. That Franken is probably more of a Martha Blue.

I had the most problem with the M on the thumb. It's all bubbly and strange. Same with the wreath on the ring finger.
I'll probably practice it more. Maybe I'll even do it with Martha's glitters!!

Orly Galaxy Girl

Found it on clearance for $3.99 at Sally Beauty Supply.
Hated it.
Exchanged it for China Glaze For Audry.
Am not sure if I'll like that either though :(

China Glaze Party Hearty!

I picked this up at Sally Beauty Supply a few days before Thanksgiving, but I'm pretty hardcore on keeping Christmas in the Christmas Season - which, in my mind, will never overlap Thanksgiving.

I played with it and have worn it a few times since Thanksgiving, but forgot to post about it. There's not that long until Christmas, so I should get on it!

The set includes:
Phat Santa, a rich red
Holly Jolly, a deep holly green (I used this for the Zombie experiments too)
and Party Hearty, a festive glitter in green, red, gold, and silver.

Party Hearty looks really great layered or on its own.

Here is 4 coats of glitter, 2 of glitter, each of the colours with 2 coats of glitter and bare, and OPI Alpine Snow with 2 coats of glitter.
So far, I've had the best feedback with the white.
2 coats of glitter may seem excessive, but I REALLY like glitter. Christmas seems like the only time of the year where something this glittery is seen as festive rather than childish.

China Glaze Zombie Zest

I don't know how behind the times it is to take a look at Halloween polishes, but I love Halloween and wear Halloween clothing and keep up my decorations year-round.
I found Zombie Zest, part of the Awakening Collection, at Cosmoprof for $1.99 on clearance. They had the whole boxed Awakening Collection for $7.99 but they also had the VooDoo box for $3.99 so I got just my favourite colour.

Wow! Looking to see if China Glaze still had a link to the collection, I discovered this polish was reviewed by some other bloggers as early as July this year. Now, my mantra is "Halloween is every day" but releasing a collection in July seems a bit early. Ah, that's the fashion world for you. I *AM* pretty behind...

When I first got the polish, I was wearing OPI Who the Shrek are You? and just put it on over. It looked siiick. It really looked like glistening, rotting flesh or the skin of a salamander. I got to thinking about using it as a layer glitter rather than on its own.

So I tested different greens!

The new colour balance makes everything look kinda blue.

CND's Hot Pop Yellow, OPI Who the Shrek are You, Sally Hansen Lickety-Split Lime, Some Neon, China Glaze 4 Leaf Clover, China Glaze Holly Jolly, Finger Paints Expressionist Red, and Zombie Zest.

I thought it would be neat to throw in a few odd ones. Zombie Zest over Shrek looked really sick, so I wanted to see if a red base would mystically transport me to Silent Hill or something.

Hot Pop Yellow, Shrek, Lime, Random Neon Green

4 Leaf Clover, Holly Jolly, Expressionist Red, 4 coats of Zombie Zest

Each colour got 2 coats of Zombie Zest and I also did just some Zest to see what it is like on its own.

On the Yellow, it really reminds me of a salamander and on the red it came out very gold. It was quite surprising to see the variations on Zombie Zest when placed on different bases. I almost want to take this nail wheel into my Colour Theory class for extra credit.
And as soon as I typed that, it sounded like a good idea.

*packs up schoolbag for tomorrow*,

China Glaze ON SALE

Premier Nail Source has China Glaze on sale for $2.50 a bottle!!

I don't know if you have to provide a beautician's license to shop there, so I apologise if one is needed. Even if they don't require it, a LOT of the products on there are intended for PROFESSIONALS ONLY so please stay safe and limit your purchases to traditional nail lacquers.

More of my fave polishes!

When it comes to nail colours, I like to think I'm quirky or a little different. In some ways I may be, but I haven't really changed much at all for years. I've always gotten the same colours - green, pink glitter, blue, and black.

This week's new purchases were no different. When I moved from Chicago to Indianapolis, very little stuff could come with me, but I was sure that my best nail polishes did. Here's what I had (with my new ones now added)

1) Absolutely Alice from OPI's Alice in Wonderland collection.
This is by far one of the best glitters OPI ever made. Once I moved all my stuff from Chicago to Indy (a year after I moved my body here), I found a box of nail polish dating from 8th grade to my beauty school 8 years later. In it, I found 4 or 5 different blue glitters. Not a single one is as good as Absolutely Alice is. Not a single one could have such nice coverage in only 2 coats. This polish is perfect. Absolutely perfect.

2) DS Divine from OPI's Designer Series
The Designer Series is everything it has ever said it is. It has amazing coverage, intense holographic sparkle, and long wear. Divine is 100% pure Barbie. I'd pair it with Stila's or MAC's Barbie cosmetics collections (more on Stila's later). When I wear this, I have trouble not looking at my nails. Now that I'm going to take a job back in a salon, this will have to be vacation polish. Yes, it's that distracting for me.

3-7) See yesterday's post.

8) Russian Navy from OPI's Russian Collection 
I believe this is now in the normal stock. At least, we had it in line at Ulta last year. I remember when it came out everyone was ga ga for the fact that it was "off black". It really is deep. When the Russian Collection hit shelves, I was spending too much money on fine art supplies (though little of what I've ever made could be called "fine" art) so I got a knock off version. Too blue! The OPI version has this... something about it. It's blue, true, but it's not dark blue. It's something different.


9) "Summer French"
This was one of the new polishes I got this week too. I hate the way it looks on the wheel though. In actuality, it's a very sheer red shade. This is very like the polishes used in the 20's and 30's. I'm trying to get a more retro aesthetic to my fashion lately, so I figured I'd give this a go. The jury's still out on it. It seems to be a "private label" polish and I got it at the pro supply store but Orly's Beverly Hills Manicure is very much like it.

10) Miso Happy With This Colour from OPI's Japan collection
Sadly, I think this one is discontinued. I have always called it my "going to court" polish. On my skin tone, it is very natural but still finished. It can have a sheerer coverage, but I always do 2 coats - usually without base and top because it gets removed rather quickly... Not because it's a bad colour; because it's just not really "me".


11) Let Them Eat Rice Cake from OPI's Japan collection
I'm pretty sure this one is supposed to be a sheer coat. When done with only one, it doesn't get streaky like so many other sheers do. It's a little light for my tastes, but it was given to me at a beauty show so it went into the grandmother-approved collection. I've worn it several times to go do bridal trials or office job interviews. Sometimes, you have to play dress up.

12) Barefoot in Barcelona from Espana by OPI
Holy crap holy crap holy crap this is my FAVOURITE COLOUR!!!!!
I know I don't usually tend toward the neutrals, but this one is just so timeless and classic I don't think anyone can pass it up. In fact, the ENTIRE Spanish collection was perfection in a bottle. I call it my "rich lady" colour. My hands just look so refined and my nails look long and well formed when I wear this. It really goes well with any skin tone. I think everyone should own it. Even better - it comes in a no-chip gel polish form! Just be sure to see a professional to have it applied. OPI's UV gels are NOT for consumer use!


13) Can You Tapas This? from Espana by OPI
Lucky 13 - Can you Tapas This? NO YOU CAN'T!
If I had the money for the whole collection, I would have bought it. Can You Tapas This is a perfect deep burgundy with just a hint of brown to bring it neutral. It's another of my "rich lady" polishes. Very chic, very vintage! This is a wonderful colour for the 20's smokin vamp. I think this one has gone into the in-line collection as well.


Looks like I have a few more spots on the colour wheel. I can already think of a few that are missing. Lincoln Park After Dark, for one. Black Satin from OPI's Tuxedo Collection belongs on there too.
What do you think? What colours would you put on your wheel of favourites? As an inaugural blog contest, the first commenter to this post will receive a full-size OPI polish in my choice of colour. Perhaps one of my faves will become your new fave!

New Nail Polish

I have ALWAYS been a fan of nail polishes!
As a young girl, my mother subscribed to a faith that did not allow the wearing of cosmetics or nail polish (or slacks, or jewelery, or modern hair styles, or...). That faith worked for her, but as a fan of New Wave bands like Culture Club and Missing Persons it didn't work for me.

You mean Boy George is a boy?! All the better!

When my father married a cosmetologist in October of 87, every holiday spent with him was like an act of rebellion. I spent my days in the salons where she worked and played with the haircolor swatch rings, putting the samples up against my own hair (Level 5 Ash Brown, I discovered) and thinking of all the cool punk rock things I would do when I grew up. Punk would never die, after all... Not like disco!
His wife was also certified to do Tammy Taylor nails. Acrylic nails were the new hotness back then and not every salon offered manicuring services. Tammy Taylor was (and still IS in many ways) the best system available so as word got around that she used the best products, her reputation grew... And as her reputation grew, her collection of nail polish colours grew!

When I was younger, I could only paint my nails with my right hand. The boys I played "superhero" with would tease me and call that my "COOTIE HAND!" It was a bit of a duality - I only "had cooties" when I would do things outwardly girly. Otherwise, I was just one of the boys - except for that one hand.

Back then I would usually wear whatever my dad's wife had available. There were always beautiful reds but also shades like "Muted Wine", "Dusty Plum", and "Windswept Arbor". In other words, "mauve". There was also tanning beds in her salon (nothing I ever took part in) so she always kept around "California" colours like neons and pastels. I always gravitated toward neon pinks and various greens.
The mid-90's came and her design focus changed. She opened her own salon and put aside nails for styling people like Courtney Love and Beck. My tastes still leaned toward obnoxious nail colours though.  My mother and I finally came to an understanding on nail polish so I started buying from the Delia's catalogue and brands I could get at K-Mart like Street Gear and Jane.

As I grew up, I found the only thing that changed was my brands. I started wearing Orly, OPI, and Creative (now CND).  I would sometimes have to mix shades to get what I like but eventually my generation "grew up" and started making the decisions - like putting BLACK NAIL POLISH (3 shades, in fact) into OPI's fashion collection! For the first time, I didn't have to stock up at Halloween.
OPI continued the trend of previously avant-garde colours and the rest of the salon brands followed suit. Today, I can find most any shade I could ever dream of having....

And in fact, this week I found 5 shades I dreamed of having!

1) OPI Burlesque Collection; Sparkle-isicous (gold, red, pink, and blue sparkles)
2) OPI Burlesque Collection; Show It and Glow It (various pink and silver sparkles)
3) OPI Shrek Forever After Collection; Who the Shrek are You? (an intense chartreuse green)
4) OPI Coleccion Espana; Here Today, Aragon Tomorrow (dark, almost black, green)
5) China Glaze Rainbow of Hope; Ovarian Cancer/Four Leaf Clover (light blue-green)

Aren't they all just so interesting and beautiful?
I can't ever resist glitter nail polish. When I saw a preview this summer that OPI was doing a collection based off the movie Burlesque I was pretty excited. OPI polishes and strippers? Well that's gotta be a HOT collection. Then I found out that CHER was going to be in the movie and I just went over the moon. CHER?!??! I LOVE CHER!!!!! As always, these glitter polishes are a wonderful quality. They only needed 2 coats to get the coverage shown and dried as quickly as the other polishes.
Shrek and Aragon took me some convincing to buy. I have always loved green polish but I never get the coverage I expect. I loved every other colour in the Spanish Collection, but shied away from Aragon. I had a manicure at my favourite place in Indianapolis and decided on that colour and was not disappointed. It opened the door to not only add it in to my collection but to also try Shrek and the China Glaze Four Leaf Clover.
A "psychic" once told me that seafoam green is my "power colour". I'm not very sure what she meant, and she said that I would be stinkin' rich by now, but neither of those points detracts from the fact that Four Leaf Clover is one of the most lovely shades I've seen in a long time. And when you purchase any of the Rainbow of Hope colours, China Glaze will donate funds to cancer research organizations. Check out the shades - they are raising awareness for not only Breast Cancer (pink, of course) and Colon Cancer (brown, LOL) but also Male Breast Cancer (a lovely blue) and a very fall chic grey Brain Cancer.

I really love all these shades. I've gotten out of my usual practice of weekly polish changes. I'm hoping this new purchase reignites my passion for this simple accessory.