Lacquer Lundi

In response to my last LL post, Carol said..."One thing I keep meaning to ask you: I was trained to wipe the tops of my bottles with cotton wool soaked in nail polish remover BEFORE I put the lid back on. This avoids any messy gluggy stuff at the top. A friend of mine keeps her nail polish in the fridge for some reason she can't remember. Do you have any special storage and bottle care regime?"

I do not wipe off the tops of my bottles, mainly because I am usually pretty careful not to goop up the neck. However, your suggestion is a good one, as there is nothing more frustrating than trying to pry open a bottle that has been welded shut with nail polish. But then, I haven't met a bottle yet that could withstand the opening powers of my teeth!

Now, in terms of polish in the fridge, I have heard of people doing this to keep their polish fresh. However, I really doubt this has any effect on polish, other than making it cold. I also imagine it's a PITA to wait for the polish to warm up enough to return the viscosity back to the point where it is easily spreadable each time you want a manicure. Personally, I would rather keep some nail polish thinner around to ensure my polishes don't dry up and besides, I'd need a second fridge just to store my 284 (I know! holy crap!) bottles of polish.


Now, on to the pretties:

Rimmel Lycra Wear 10 + Minerals - Hyponotise
- purchased at Rexall (chain drug store) for $2.66 CDN

Hyponotise is a dark reddish burgundy shade that reminds me of luscious berries. It really is a beautiful colour for winter wear.

Hyponotise applied wonderfully - it had a good consistency and it moved around the nail easily. It builds up to opacity in two coats, although I applied a third to get a rich depth of colour. It wore well, with only tip wear after two days.





Joan Rivers Beauty - Pomegranate
- a gift from my Mom (she purchased at The Shopping Channel)

Let me start by saying that Joan Rivers rides my last nerve. She is the mammalian equivalent of nails on a chalkboard. So, when my Mom gifted me with some Joan Rivers make-up (that Joan sells on The Shopping Channel), I was not expecting much. However, every product I have tried from this line has been decent. Colour me surprised.

Pomegranate is a dark red creme that is vampy as all get out. This reminds me of the nail colour that Drusila (Buffy the Vampire Slayer fans will recognize this name) often wore.

Pomegranate applied nicely. It did require three coats to cover all streakiness - I would prefer if it was a bit more pigmented. It did wear very well, though as I only had minor tip wear after two days.


Finger Paints - Natural Talent & Icing - Paparazzi
- Finger Paints purchased at Sally Beauty Supply for $4.99 CDN
- Icing purchased at Icing for $3.75 CDN

So, when exactly will I learn my lesson? I keep saying that I don't like pink, yet I keep trying to find a pink that I like. I think the problem is that pink is so girly and sweet, two things that I most definitely am not. So, finding a pink that fits my personality and style may be a lost cause.

Natural Talent, the latest polish in my quest for the Holy Pink Grail, is a very sheer light pink, that would likely take a million coats to build up to any sort of opacity. However, if you like sheers or work in a very conservative environment, this may be to your liking.

After applying two coats of Natural Talent, I considered removing it and starting over. Then, I spied Paparazzi in my stash. Paparazzi is a peachy base loaded with multi-sized prismatic glitter. This baby took my manicure from ho-hum to blingtastic in two coats. As an aside, when I went into the Icing store to buy this polish, I felt like Methuselah. Nothing drives home exactly how old you are when you're surrounded by giggling tweens.

My only complaint with this manicure was the drying time - it was still rather squishy after 1.5 hours (even with a quick drying top coat).