Crystal File 072: TGIF!

So, if I'm not mistaken, today is the first day of Spring. Mother Nature is certainly trying to pull a fast one up her, our high temperature is forecast to be in the low 40's! Complaints aside, it is Friday, and the sun is shining at least. I have a really lovely TGIF mani to share with you. I just received this beauty last night, and had to share it with my readers as soon as possible!

This is the gorgeous BB Couture Moon Over Manhattan. With it's dusty blue-teal base and subtle sparkle it is perfectly on trend for the spring season. The formula applied very nicely, two coats over Zoya Get Even base provided complete opacity. Even though this is a micro-glitter polish, the heavily pigmented base hides some of the sparkle, leaving it more subdued than the "typical" glitter. One coat of Poshe leaves it glossy and smooth. All photos taken in natural light.

This first photo was taken closest to the window, the intense light washes the color out a little, but it shows the sparkle well.













and a close-up to show how dense the micro-glitter is.




That's all for this installment! I hope you all enjoy the first weekend of Spring, whatever weather it may bring :)

Crystal File 071: Essie Introduces The North Fork Collection

According to the Essie press release this limited edition collection of three shades were inspired by the "soft hues that floated down this season's runways". The three colors in The North Fork Collection are each named for quaint vacation villages located on Long Island's East End. Essie Weingarten says, "The new nail colors remind me of the most beautiful blues that surround the North Fork" (from the Essie press release).

I just received these three lovely colors this morning and have snapped a few quick photos to share with my readers. Please excuse the rough shape my hands are in, i haven't been kind enough to them lately! Both cremes are pictured over Zoya Get Even base as they are a bit jelly-ish in texture, the ridge filling base helps aid opacity. All polishes are two coats, no top coat.


Greenport:




Misa Dirty Sexy Money compared to Greenport (DSM on index/top, Greenport on thumb/bottom)




Shelter Island (Misa Right Here Now, No More Later on thumb)




My favorite of the collection, although not very flattering on me, is Sag Harbor. A lovely, soft, shimmering, silvery blue, it is opaque at two coats. Photographed with no base or top coat.




The North Fork Collection is limited edition and will be available beginning in April. See anything you need? Let me know which ones you might be stalking :)

Crystal File 070: Nailtek Intensive Therapy II

As winter has lingered here, my nails have begun to show the effects in the form of peeling on a few of my nails. As a result of this I decided to finally give Nailtek Intensive Therapy II (therapy for soft, peeling nails) a try. I have to say, this turned out to be a huge mistake on my part. Unfortunately, I have come to suspect that the formaldehyde component in Nailtek actually intensified the peeling problem for me. Over the course of ten days, the peeling areas became much worse than I have ever experienced. Obviously I abruptly discontinued use of this product, as I don't think my nails could have tolerated even one day more!

I have heard many wonderful things said about Nailtek products, so I was quite disappointed. This is truly a product where individual results may vary. Keep in mind, I'm only posting this as a warning. I think any product can be worth trying, just be aware that some products can be counter-effective (which is a term I just made up, but hopefully you get the idea) depending on the individual.

In addition to this note on Nailtek, I do have to apologize to my readers for not having posted much recently. Both my Grandmother and my husband's Grandfather passed away recently, so we've been busy with funeral travel and such. Hopefully things will settle down now. I should have quite a few exciting new summer colors coming my way, so please keep checking in!

Crystal File 069: Zoya Scavenger Hunt for Summer Hints!

Zoya has decided to send you all on a scavenger hunt to all your favorite blog sites for swatches of their 12 new gorgeous polishes for summer. Here is the actual text of the press release:

Summer color is bright and fun,
Summer color is for everyone

Zoya Nail Polish announces Summer 2009 Collections…
LA-DI-DA and OOH-LA-LA

Summer preview coming soon…
6 creams – 6 metallics – 12 beautiful colors

Connect the (blogger) dots… 12 colors to collect!



This is one of the niftiest promo marketing ideas i've encountered! Have fun hunting all your favorite sites for the clues :)

My swatch is Katy, which is listed as a metallic in the La Di Da collection.



My gal Scrangie has Midori, Siobhan over at thenailphile has Paz, Vanessa at CasualLavish has Pippa, Kelly at VampyVarnish has Emme, AllLacqueredUp has Tallulah, and you can find Goldie at ClumpsofMascara. I'll try to continue updating the link list as more become available! UPDATE: Stephanie over at Polish Addict has Dita, and Dami of Perfectly Polished Tips has Ali. Enjoy!

Have fun "connecting the blogger dots"!

Crystal File 068: Nubar Cleopatra Collection

This is the perfect collection for all of my fellow purple lovers! I am even in love with a couple of the cremes, and any of you who know me will know that I'm not much of a creme loving gal. I'd say my favorite of the collection is Passionate Purple, closely followed by Sphinx Purple, and then Isis Purple. Since i recently began trying Nubar polishes, I've discovered that i truly love their brush and bottle design. I hope to be able to bring you many more beautiful and exciting colors from Nubar in the future.

First up, my favorite, Passionate Purple:






Next is Sphinx Purple:






Isis Purple (this one applied so beautifully, i was absolutely stunned)




Toga Purple (i was losing the sunlight, these photos make the color a bit darker than it truly is)






Nile Purple (had some brushstroke issues with this one, the finish is metallic, base and top coat may help even it out)






Hieroglyphs Purple (very similar to Zoya Moxie and Misa Push Upon It)




Pharaoh's Purple (a more dusty/grey version of OPI Parle-vous OPI)




Pyramid Purple (a really pretty mid-toned purple creme)




Although the full set of the Cleopatra collection is now available from bynubar.com. Individual colors should be available within a few weeks. Check back with me soon, i hope to have China Glaze Summer Days photos up within the week!