Crystal File 083: Holy Moly, I Have Returned!

So sorry to have bailed on my readers for so long! The arrival of my best friend's new baby, Caden, followed quickly by our long awaited vacation to NC's Topsail Island, made for a long time away! I have returned, but for the moment i shall spare you any pics of my nails, they are in horrifying shape after two weeks of neglect. I promise to return to you all soon with some pretty new polishes, once my nails are presentable again!

Crystal File 82: China Glaze Let's Groove and Nubar Earth

Catching up with a few NOTD photos! It's difficult for me to be inspired by deep, rich fall colors since it's so hot right now. That said, these two colors are still vibrant and sparkly enough to feel wearable when it's HOT, HOT, HOT! First up is China Glaze Let's Groove, a truly fabulous deep purple that is warmed and brightened by red shimmer. The application was quite nice, although the formula seemed a tad thick, nothing a couple of drops of thinner wouldn't fix. I would definitely classify this as a warm purple, so if those don't work for you, maybe steer clear.






And next up Nubar Earth from their current Go Green collection. This entire collection is a green lover's dream. And although i wouldn't classify myself as a member of the green lover's club, i can still appreciate how beautiful these colors are. Earth is a stunning blue based green with teal-ish sparkle. The finish is much more sparkly than a traditional shimmer, while i wouldn't quite classify it as a glitter either. The shimmer is closely akin to the type of shimmer in OPI Ink. I can definitely see this polish looking far more teal on someone with a more neutral skintone than mine. Since my skintone is fair but warm, i get a cool emerald green.






I hope to be able to share some more of these lovely collections with you in the near future, so please stay tuned!

Crystal File 081: Zoya Dare First Installment

This has been on of the rainiest summers i have ever experienced, which is to say, sunlight has not been coming around often. I managed to snap a few quick shots of Zoya Pinta, Ibiza, and Envy a few days ago when we had a bit of (albeit weak) sunlight. Unfortunately i've yet to get another chance at swatching since i've been busy planning and prepping for my little boy's third birthday.

So, i'm going to share with you these few photos as a teaser, and promise to get the remaining colors swatched and photographed for you as soon as i can! Please forgive the fact that these aren't my best photos, i was rushed to catch what little sunlight i had!

Pinta is a beautiful deep violet/blue in the bottle, but on me it is nearly black. I could only see the loveliness of the color in the brightest of lighting conditions. I added a layer of Zoya Sparkle Gloss on the ring finger for a bit of pizazz.




Ibiza is a bit of a disappointment. Although pretty enough, Ibiza is not terribly unique. And while it does have the tiniest hint of shimmer, you aren't going to see it unless you are in very bright sunlight.




Zoya Envy, while pretty, is definitely not a "me" kind of color. The formula was nice, but definitely far more sheer than i expected. While Ibiza and Pinta were nearly opaque enough to get away with one coat, Envy definitely requires two (and would probably benefit from a third). I put a coat of Zoya Akyra over my ring finger, and as you can see, that was clearly a color experiment FAIL.





While i don't yet have photos to share with you, i did test drive Zoya Loredana from the MatteVelvet collection. My first impression is that Matte is definitely not for me. However, Loredana is very pretty with a shiny top coat. The only failing (as the manufacturer warns) is that the matte polishes do not wear well AT ALL. On the first day, in the course of normal activity, i lost half the polish off of at least two nails. I would not recommend the MatteVelvet polishes if you're looking for a manicure with extended wear.


I did manage to get a photo of Zoya Drew, which is my favorite of the Truth collection next to Anaka (which is an amazing color, but stained my nails horribly). While not an incredibly ground breaking color, Drew is very pretty, and has a gorgeous finish.




That's all i have to share with you this evening my lacquer loving ladies! I do have the entire China Glaze Retro Diva Collection on hand and ready to photo, as well as the awesome Nubar Go Green collection, so please check back soon!

Crystal File 080: Zoya MatteVelvet Shipping July 1st!

Zoya will be the first major manufacturer of salon polishes to usher in the matte trend this year. Notice i said "this year", since several polish companies have created matte collections in the past. The trend is being renewed this year by manufacturers such as Zoya and OPI. For the MatteVelvet collection, Zoya has created a series of three matte finish shades, each with subtle shimmer, packaged in special matte finish bottles. The shades are: Posh (matte shimmer wine), Dovima (matte shimmer black), and Loredana (matte shimmer gunmetal).

So, what are your thoughts on the matte trend for fall? Personally, having never tried matte finish polishes before, i am both excited and a tad apprehensive. I think the Zoya collection has strong potential, as all the shade have shimmer, where most of the upcoming OPI matte shades do not. All of the matte polishes (Zoya and OPI) are intended to be used without base or top coat, which leaves me wondering if how badly wear will be affected, and if staining will be an issue.

The MatteVelvet collection will ship from Zoya beginning July 1st. Thankfully i should have samples to share with you soon, so you can decide if you need them! The collection is Limited Edition and will retail for $6. Product should be available for pre-order soon via the Zoya website.

Crystal File 79: OPI Sea, I Told You! and Entity Swatches

I've found a new polish love, and it's name is Sea, I Told You! by OPI. For me, the OPI South Beach collection was an unfortunate failure, but Sea, I Told You! has given me new faith in OPI. Sea, I Told You! has a stunning finish that is both foil and micro-glitter. It truly does remind me of the ocean beneath a bright, sunny, blue sky. In low light you may even catch a glimpse of the soft laverder sparkle and *hint* of duochrome this polish has. For complete opacity i need three coats, but i certainly don't mind when the end result is this stunning!











I also had a brief moment of sunshine yesterday to snap a photo of these skittle swatches of a new brand (new to me, anyways) called Entity. I'm pleasantly surprised by the quality of these polishes. These swatches are each two coats, no base or top coat. The fomula is quite smooth, although a tad bit thick, and dries quite shiny. The orange is by far my favorite of the group i ordered, and i would recommend it to anyone who wants a great bright (but not neon) orange. I apologize for the smudged pinky swatch, i bumped it just before taking the photo. Colors are Pearl Orange, Pearl Turquoise, Pearl Violet, and Pearl Fuchsia.





Entity polishes are available to order through Transdesign.com, i've yet to see them at any retail location. They're certainly worth checking out!


For any who might be interested to know, i've finally gone over to the dark side and ordered a Konad stamp and several plates. At the moment i am simply experimenting and practicing, but i hope to soon be able to share some fun new Konad NOTDs with my readers! If you're considering ordering a Konad stamper, i would highly recommend OCNailArt for your Konad needs. The owner provides fabulous customer service and offers a %20 of discount for readers of the Sasse Stamping Stampede blog. Simply enter code SASSE at checkout to receive your %20 discount.

Crystal File 078: Layering With Neons

I often find myself avoiding creme finish polishes because it is difficult to hide flaws in a creme manicure. If i wear a creme finish polish, i generally layer a little something (or a massively blingy something) over the creme to add some sparkle or shimmer. Since the weather has gradually been warming, and the sun has been making the occasional appearance, I've been doing more and more layering experiments with neons.

When you layer a neon beneath a shimmery polish that isn't heavily pigmented you end up with a gorgeous glow, but the neon effect is a bit softer (which might make it easier for someone who is shy about neons to give them a try). If the neon creme you choose is a bit sheer doing two coats of neon, plus one coat of the shimmer polish you've chosen, will help you avoid the dreaded "Visible Nail Line".

As I'm sure many of you already know, there are a lot of fabulous neon polishes out at the moment. There are also some fabulous shimmery polishes (China Glaze Summer Days, Misa Candy Girl, Sweet Pleasures, and Lolli Jolly) that are sheer enough to allow your neon base to glow through. I've chosen a few of my recent experiments to share with you, i hope you enjoy and feel inspired to try some combinations of your own!


China Glaze Purple Panic topped with Color Club




China Glaze Rose Among Thorns topped with China Glaze Raspberry Festival




Zoya Paz topped with China Glaze Cherry Pie




These are the few combinations i managed to get photos of (when the sun made an appearance) but I've tried a few other combinations you might also like:

Essie Perky Purple topped with Misa Candy Girl
Misa Pour Me Something Tall and Strong topped with Misa Sweet Pleasures
China Glaze Japanese Koi topped with China Glaze Cherry Pie or Orange Marmalade
China Glaze Turned Up Turquoise topped with China Glaze Watermelon Rind

Layering is a ton of fun, and i truly hope you feel inspired to try your own combinations! You may even discover a new favorite summer mani :) And try these layering experiments with some of your favorite older colors as well! China Glaze colors like Drinkin' My Blues Away and Sass in a Glass (or any "glass flecked" polish) are fabulous for layering over neons too!

Crystal File 77: BB Couture Swatches

If BB Couture is a brand you've yet to check out, my fellow fanatics, trust me when i say, "Do it!" BB Couture features some amazingly unique shades and an easy to apply formula. You can find their polishes for sale at overallbeauty.com. This brand is constantly coming up with new, interesting colors, so they're definitely worth watching!

First up is Balboa Beach Bunny, a warm purple shimmer base with blue and red glitter, plus very sparse holographic bar glitter.






Next up Zuma Wave Rider, a totally bodacious sky blue creme (there is very secret lavender shimmer in the bottle, but it's creme on the nail).




And these two lovelies have the smoothest, sparkliest, foil finishes I've ever seen! Karribean Kiersti (blue), and Love Drunk (pink)










And the amazingly beautiful Fairy Blood. A gorgeous berry-red jelly base with the tiniest red micro-glitter. Absolutely stunning! (shown with two coats of top coat, since it's a true glitter it can be a bit bumpy)






I hope you've enjoyed these great polishes as much as I've enjoyed sharing them! Stay tuned for more new pretties to come!