Crystal File 058: Essie Love Beverly Hills XX

Well, the holiday season is in full swing! For many of you gals that may mean pulling out your favorite sexy, festive reds for tips and toes. I have to say, Love Beverly Hills has definitely joined my list of favorite reds. I was initially afraid it would be far to warm and golden for me, due to the intense golden shimmer apparent in the bottle. The shimmer comes from the addition of pure 24 Carat gold!

I was pleasantly surprised to find that once applied, the golden tone mellows and blends with the red base, creating a gorgeous foil like glow. This is an intense red, however, and not for the faint of heart.








I hope you're all done shopping, and all set for lots of holiday fun with family and friends! I hope to post again before i travel for the holidays, but if not, i wish all my readers the best the season has to offer!

Crystal File 57: Happy Holidays and all that Jazz!

Tis the season....to be super busy! I apologize for not having had many lovely pics for you as of late. Believe it or not, i actually do have pretties i'd like to share, but between nasty (sunless) weather and running all over the place to shop, swatching just gets put on the back burner!

I have three more Romantiques to photo so that i can post the six you all haven't seen here. I also have Essie, Love Beverly Hills xx waiting in the wings. I still need to share the Fall Barielle colors with you all as well! Oy, the list keeps getting longer. I may even be able to get my hands on the upcoming Spring/Summer OPI Miami South Beach collection over the holidays, wouldn't that be nifty?! At any rate, i've not forgotten you all, and i truly hope to be able to get some swatch work done before we leave for the Christmas holiday. Keep your beautifully manicured fingers crossed for sunny weather :)

Crystal File 56: Let's Welcome a New Blogger!!

Hullo ladies! I'd love it if you could all help me welcome a new blogger into our polish obsessed plane of existence :) Her name is Michelle, and she is one of my most wonderful MUA pals. You can visit her new blog by clicking the "A Stroke of Color" link on the right side of my page under favorite beauty blogs.

Michelle is not only a really sweet gal, she's also a master or Konad nail art. And if her awesome nails and fabulous personality aren't enough to win you over, she's also a competitive swimmer!

So, please take a few minutes and cruise over to her blog site. I'm sure you'll enjoy not only the site content, but getting to know Michelle a bit as well.

Crystal File 55: Why NOT to use Acetone to Thin Your Polish!

On the topic of thinning polishes using acetone, i have to advise against it. While acetone may work to thin the polish, it can also be damaging to the chemical composition of the polish, potentially harming the wear and shine of the product.

Using nail polish thinner (available at your local nail or beauty supply store, Ulta, Sally Beauty Supply, or via and etailer like head2toebeauty) is the best option. Thinner is specifically designed to replace the solvents that have evaporated from your polish, which is what causes it to thicken.

You'll notice that acetone is not on the original ingredients list of your polish, but ingredients like Butyl Acetate and Ethyl Acetate (common thinner ingredients) are two of the most common polish ingredients. That's why they're in your thinner, because as i mentioned, the purpose of thinner is to replace these solvents.

So, i know that its a common misconception that using Acetone or polish remover to thin your polish is ok, but i seriously advise you to invest in a bottle of polish thinner instead. Using thinner will not damage your polish, just remember to use it sparingly so you don't over-thin. Many thinners, such as my favorite, Seche Restore, come with a small glass eyedropper to help you control the amount you add. While Restore is my favorite, it does contain Toluene (one of the Big Three chemicals). If you'd prefer a thinner without Toluene, Beauty Secrets thinner is available at Sally Beauty Supply, and doesn't contain Toluene.

I hope this helps dispel the myth that its fine to use acetone as a polish thinning agent! I wouldn't want to see any of my lovely readers tossing a precious pretty because it became a dull, chippy mess every time they tried to wear it :)

Crystal File 54: China Glaze Romantique, First Installment

So, here's the deal. I'm generally not big into chrome/metallic polishes. Brushstroke marks tend to annoy me greatly, plus they can have an odd consistency. A few of these colors were duds for me for those reasons. I may need to search and see if i can find some tricks to help smooth out the application on metallic colors.

I found the paler colors to be the most difficult to apply without brushstrokes. They also seemed to have a sort of thick, glue-like consistency. In addition to those aspects, all of the colors dry extremely fast, which can make it difficult to "work" the polish to a smoother appearance on the nail.

I'm presenting my pics in order of least favorite (from both an application and color standpoint) to most favorite (better application and color). Please keep in mind these are all "quick-and-dirty" swatches, i used no base or top coat for any of them with the exception of Cherish.


Devotion




Admire




Cherish




Adore




Harmony




Awaken





I've enjoyed sharing with all of you! I hope to be able to share the second batch with you soon :)

Crystal File 053: For MUA Nail Board Gals!

For those of you who know me from the MUA Nail Board, I've organized a holiday gift exchange for the board to participate in. To be included you must have at least ten positive tokens, with no negative or unexplained neutral tokens. You must also have been posting on the Nail Board regularly for at least three months. If you meet these criteria and would like to participate, please PM me on MUA with your email addy included so i can send you an Elfster E-vite!

Love and Polish!

Crystal File 052: Quick Hello and What's Coming UP!

Hello my dear polish addicts! I apologize for not having had many new pics to share with you, the weather has been horrid (rainy, foggy, cloudy, just generally grey!) and with no new collections coming out, its difficult to find exciting things to share! I will, however, soon be able to share with you my first SpaRitual polishes and the new Barielle Shades colors. Both of these brands are new to me, so i'm incredibly excited to try them and share the results.

I also wanted to update my readers on my trial run of "Rock Hard" base by European Secrets. I LOVE this base/treatment! In only a weak i notice my nails are stronger, and this product provides a really nice sticky base for all the polishes i've tried it with (brand including Precision, OPI, Essie, Sephora by OPI, and SpaRitual). I highly recommend this product if you're looking for a good strengthening base for the winter months. "Rock Hard" is available at Sally Beauty Supply.

Crystal File 051: New Product to Try: European Secrets "Rock Hard"

From the packaging:

"Rock Hard bonds together a cross-link of fiber proteins that produces stronger, harder, thicker nails. Rock Hard creates a moisture shield that protects dry nails from unmecessary breaking and splitting. The results are longer, stronger, more flexible nails. Can be used alone, as a hardener, or as a base coat."

I've only just begun using this product, and i already love it. Used as a base coat it provided a smooth gripping surface to which my nail color applied flawlessly, no dragging or streaking. While wearing it my nails already feel harder than with my normal manicure, and i'm hoping over time using it as a base will provide my nails with even more strength and flexibility. Rock Hard is also Toluene and Formaldehyde free.

I'd certainly recommend giving this product a try if you're looking for a treatment base. With the onset of cooler months i have already begun to see some peeling beginning on my nails, so i felt i needed to try a product that might help protect and strengthen them in the coming months.

Rock Hard is available in the US at Sally Beauty Supply. It can also be paired with its partner top coat for even better results!

Crystal File 050: Zoya Flourish Has Landed!

This is such an amazing collection! The shimmer in these colors is absolutely out of control GORGEOUS! Application on all of the colors was wonderfully smooth, but Zara is a bit sheer, so it may take more than two coats for complete opacity. I'm saving my absolute favorite (Kalista) for last, so i'll start with the one i like the least on me.


Shivon:






Cyma: My close-up of this one was out of focus, so just a full nail shot here.




Zara:






Mieko: Beautiful, but i see myself wearing this more in the spring and summer :)






Richelle: Super gorgeous, i only wish gold looked good on me!






Kalista: Yeah, the pics speak for themselves.







Comparison between Kalista and China Glaze Side Saddle



Side Saddle has a much more plum/purple base, whereas Kalista is a more red based brown.


That's it for now, i'm all photo'd out! I hope you all enjoyed :)

Crystal File 049: NOTD OPI A Ruby For Rudolph

Hope all of my lovely readers had a Happy Halloween! Much trick-or-treating fun was had in our neck of the woods, and my lil' punkin did a great job marching down the long hill or house sits on, then all the way back up. He was a trooper!

First i would love to share a photo of him in his costume, and one of him sitting on my lap after we were all done.







And now that i've gotten that out of my system, on to the nail pics, which are what you came for! These are of my current NOTD, OPI A Ruby for Rudolph. Its a super sparkly mid-toned red shimmer with added teeny-tiny red microglitter. It is very pretty, but i'm not really "feeling it", so to speak. I'm hoping i will have time this afternoon to swatch Zoya Flourish and some other holiday OPIs, so it will likely come off soon :)















Thanks so much for letting me share! Enjoy the Halloween goodies judiciously, please, no tummy aches!

Crystal File 048: NOTD OPI DS Glamour

Having recently tried my first OPI DS (Designer Series) polish, i decided i needed to invest in a few more colors. My favorite of the DS polishes i have so far is still Extravagance. However, my current NOTD, DS Glamour, is certainly also a winner. I hope you'll enjoy these pics!













I also have a few recent swatches to share with you. These are somewhat random, as i was simply grabbing untried colors that were near at hand, but hopefully you'll still enjoy them :)


China Glaze Spin Me Round




China Glaze Rated Holographic




FingerPaints Red Marzipan




FingerPaints Black Gumdrop






The two FingerPaints colors are part of the newest limited edition Fingerpaints collection for the holidays, available at Sally Beauty Supply. China Glaze "Rated Holographic" and "Spin Me Round" are both from the Kaleidescopes collection, which has unfortunately been discontinued. Do not dispair, however, as they are still available via many etailers (such as 8ty8beauty.com, head2toebeauty.com, and transdesign.com).

Thanks for checking in with me, my dears! Hope to post for you again soon :)

Crystal File 047: Let's Catch Up!

I have been remiss in my posting responsibilities! I do apologize, my sweet readers, for my negligence.

First I'd like to share with you the lovely Borghese Bella Blackberry. This is such a beautiful color, and the formula itself is quite nice, but the brush, ARG! The Borghese brush is slightly wider than the OPI Pro-wide, and curved across the tip to mimic the natural curve at the base of the nail. My problem with it is that it doesn't seem to distribute the polish evenly. Additionally, almost every bottle of Borghese I've purchased and swatched has had a slightly off-kilter brush, which makes it difficult to get the brush to work as it supposed to. All that said, however, this color is most certainly worth it!







The next polish I'd like to share with you instantly rose to the ranks of my top twenty polishes ever. OPI DS Extravagance is absolutely heavenly! Application was smooth as silk, the formula flowed beautifully from the brush, the pigmentation of the base is incredible, and the holo effect is magnificent. I adore this polish. I will be needing a back-up bottle immediately. Enough said, onto the photos!















Well, those are the lovelies for this post! I'm hoping Zoya Flourish will arrive soon so i can share those with you. And there are dozens of other polishes i should swatch for you, simply so i can stay caught up! A true Nail Polish addict's work is never done! Until next time, my sweeties :)

Crystal File 046: Layering Fun, China Glaze Ruby Pumps over Branding Iron

I'm not usually a big one for layering, i guess I'm just kinda lazy, but i do love how this combo turned out! China Glaze Ruby Pumps over China Glaze Branding Iron (from the Rodeo Diva collection for fall 2008). Both polishes should be readily available via etailers, and many retail establishments probably have them as well. I used two coats Branding Iron (although i think one would work just as well, it is very pigmented) and one coat Ruby Pumps, then Seche Vite top coat.








I think the darker under-layer really gives the entire mani a jewel like glow. Sparkly and vampy at the same time!