Chanel Graphite Swatch

I have to say, I think Chanel really came out with a doozy of a collection this fall. Well, I don't like Quartz, but two out of three ain't bad (Meatloaf, anyone?). I ended up picking up Graphite recently (and ALMOST got a backup of Peridot), and it turns out I love this one too!

 Chanel - Graphite

Aren't the gold and pewter sparkles gorgeous?? Such a beautiful color!

Nubar Wildlife Swatch

Nubar Wildlife seems to be a true DUOchrome in that it switches (almost "flips" between a pink/copper and a grassy green). It's one of those that looks very nice on my skin with the mossy green and earthy tones.

Nubar - Wildlife

It's too funny... for some reason I ALWAYS want to call this one "Wildfire" instead of "Wildlife." Oh well :o)

Here are the underwater pics for this one. You can see that the color range is not very big on this one, but the colors altogether are quite beautiful!

As you can see, I had a pretty low break on my middle finger (which I tried to patch, but that only lasted a couple days, then it snapped off while I was building my Lego Yoda). But I recently had a company called KKCenterHK contact me and as me to do a review of one of their products, so I wanted to give you a sneak peek:

These are French tip water decals, and I love the pattern because it looks so "autumn" to me!  I can't wait to try them, but with my short, stubby nails you wouldn't be able to see any of the pattern.  I'm going to wait until my nails grow out so that I can get nice, pretty pictures of them!

In the meantime, you can browse all of their neat nail decals and such at their website: KKCenterHK.  They have so many awesome decals and there are so many I'd love to try!

Sally Hansen Burgundy Orchid

This is actually probably one of my favorites from the Sally Hansen Nail Prism line, but it doesn't get much publicity (compared to Garnet Lapis and Turquoise Opal). I love the awesome sunset colors in this one: Sally Hansen Burgundy Orchid.

Sally Hansen - Burgundy Orchid

Here are the underwater pictures for this one. Isn't it STUNNING?! I can't believe how the colors absolutely pop in these pictures (and it really does look like that in the water in person)!

One of the most interesting things I noticed is that the multichrome never reaches green. Instead, after the gold at the most extreme angles it just turns a purple grey (you can see it on the index finger in the last picture).

Someday I'll have to do a "Top 10 Favorites," and I'm sure this polish will be on the list!

Nubar Reclaim

I just ordered some Nubar polishes off ebay (retail price but FREE SHIPPPING!), and Reclaim is one that I've wanted for a long time but somehow just forgot to get it in my last order. When I got it and tried it on a swatch wheel, I felt a little disappointed.

But then I tried it on and I am in love. What an awesome green! Chief says it looks like a "creepy, slimy Halloween type of green" which I am totally ok with (Halloween is my FAVORITE holiday)!

Nubar - Reclaim (sun)

Nubar - Reclaim (shade)

I know it's been seen a lot, but it's new to me and instantly became one of my favorites! The holo is very linear and kind of subtle in normal lighting (more prominent than in the picture), but it gives it a very 3D appearance. Very cool!!

Ozotic 503 Swatch

This is a pretty awesome polish altogether. I've heard some say that it is not a very strong duochrome, and I have to disagree - the two main colors, a grassy lime green and a purple/grey/bronze, are almost ALWAYS present at the same time in most lighting. But in addition, it also has a subtle multichrome rainbow (the oil-slick type) that shows up at extreme angles.

This is how it looks a majority of the time:

Ozotic Pro - 503

This is 3 coats of 503 over 1 coat of Wet'n'Wild Black Creme.

**Just a note: This polish was a PAIN to photograph. I could not for the life of me get the purple/bronze to show up AT ALL! It just looked plain green (which is why a lot of pics of this color just appear to be solid green). So my gracious and wonderful friend actually edited the color into the photos, and it looks exactly how it does in person.

To show the cool multichrome, I used my new "underwater trick." Basically I just submerged my hand into a bowl of water and snapped some pics! But check out how it shows ALL of the colors at once!

I've started using this technique for photographing all of my duo/multichromes, so I will have others to show you as well very soon.

Nubar Peacock Feathers Swatch

Ever since Scrangie started on her duochrome kick, I've been trying every single one I have (full manicures, too!). I love trying to capture all the colors in photos, though sometimes it can be frustrating! I've found a new way of photographing duo/multi-chromes: underwater! I discovered this after these swatches, but I'll probably put this back on to try it in the near future.

This is one of the most awesome duochromes I own: Nubar Peacock Feathers.

I tried to capture the various awesome colors in this one in these pictures.The primary color shift in this polish is a purple to green shimmer that shifts though a golden-grey with a navy blue base, and it really does look amazing in person!  Other colors do show up on occasion like the copper that can be seen in the bottle on the last picture.

If you like duochromes in the purple-blue-green spectrum, I highly recommend this one!

My version of RBL's Piú Mosso

When Michelle first posted about the Firebird collection from Rescue Beauty Lounge (at All Lacquered Up here), I fell head over heels for Piú Mosso. What an amazing navy blue with fiery copper shimmer!

Since I'm not too big on paying that much for polish (although I have a few RBLs that I love!), I decided I'd try to replicate it using some polishes that I already have. Here are the results:

First I tried CND Effects Copper Shimmer over RBL's Dead Calm but since Copper Shimmer is so dense (is showed up as more of a pearl finish), I decided I'd decant some of it into a partially emptied Wet'n'Wild clear bottle. It turned out to be the perfect copper shimmer - exactly what I was looking for. However, because the clear was not a suspension base, it all settles to the bottom and must be shaken for a while each time I use it.  For the blue, I decided dead calm was a little too bright and wasn't quite as inky as Piú Mosso appeared to be, so instead I used China Glaze Calypso Blue as the base.

All in all I think my version came pretty close to the original.  I think the shimmer in mine might be slightly more prominent in low-lighting than in Piú Mosso, but I think it's just about as fiery in the sunlight!  Overall, it's one of my favorite polish combos I've done in a while!

What do you think?  Did I come close?

Fire Kitty and Nails!

So maybe you didn't know this, but I love World of Warcraft. My two mains (nope, I can't pick just one) are a gnome warlock named Whatsit (Chief has a gnome rogue named Whoosit... aren't we cute??) and a feral druid named Zyrah. Last night, Zyrah brought down the 6th boss in Firelands for the third time and Fandral's Flamescythe dropped!

All of my combat is in cat form, and this staff makes my character look like this:

I was so excited that all night I dreamed of ways of putting these flames onto my nails, and here's how it came out. I'm pretty happy with it, though I might do it again with a little more orange next time (less red). I used Zoya Kimmy for the base (2 coats), then lightly brushed Zoya Tanzy over it starting a little farther towards the tips each time, then added just a hint of China Glaze Lighthouse on the very tips.

I'm still so incredibly excited I can't stop squeaking now and then :o)

EDIT:  By the way, all of my Wow characters or on the US Doomhammer server.  Let me know if you have a toon there or would like to try playing and I can send you an invite for a trial account!