Blue Deco

I wanted to get started again and I thought I should just dig in and do it.

Here is a stamping project from at least April perhaps even March. It's all been a blur.

The break down...

Base: China Glaze Secret Periwinkle

Stamping: China Glaze Agent Lavender

Topper: Orly Precious Metal

Plate: UberChic Art Deco Flair

I like this combination and it feels right.

I figured out to post on Instagram from my computer desktop, so it's much easier to use than playing the "edit, email, post" game I was playing before.

I will post a link to my Instagram on the side bar, but it's paillettepolishjournal, but how the address works with your device, who knows. Later on I will do a java/html link, but until I backup, I'll just do a link. I love the blog, as it lets me write much more and feels more like home. But some people want images more than words, plus Instaworld is more in the mix with people rather than the lone cowboy on the range feeling of running a blog. (though at heart, perhaps I am a bit of a cowboy)

This photo shows me in polygel, which I was not unhappy with at all, but right now I have set it aside again.

I think this time of year there is too much water and more lifting. I did have another nail that I didn't know was lifting (thumb) and saw that it smelled a bit, so I removed them. All I need is some micro creature making his home there.

In a couple months I'll go back. We'll see. 

Thanks for reading my little nail polish journal.

I appreciate it!

Jemma Has Flown From Us

I wanted to post a little bit about why I haven't been posting.

Last month we had been to our 10th vet visit and finally realized nothing would help Jemma recover from her heart issue, lung issue, and blindness.

We went into palliative care mode, making her days comfortable and happy.

I really just focused on her.


She left us on the 4th and so now she is gone.

She was our darling girl, so kind, patient, intelligent and sensitive. Not the boisterous pug, but the introverted little sweetie.

She was beloved and will be sorely missed.

You were the first pug and in many ways the backbone of our dog family.

Godspeed darling Jemma.

Soft Spring Blue Comparison

Spring is a baby: turning on the tears on moment, mellow and smiling the next. You never quite know what to expect, so you prepare for it all.

Here are three blues I have had for a while and wanted to compare long ago, but never seemed to manage.

Here are Secret Periwinkle, Butter London Sprog, and Color Club Hydrangea Kiss

I love them in the same order that I have them on, actually!

Formula for Butter London is really excellent, it is more opaque and easier to use.

I found Color Club a little bit more subdued and less intense, but still a very pretty blue.

Here is another shot:

Three coats, no top coat. 

In person Sprog is very close to Secret Periwinkle.

Thanks for reading my little nail polish journal!

Pop Diaphanous

Pop Polish is an Etsy based seller with a wonderful stable of amazing polishes.

I always try to browse and there are many inspired collections.

Here is Diaphanous:

This is over a teal gray frankinpolish, but it covered very well and it just sings.

I can barely take my eyes off of it.

I wore this for about 4 days over the earlier polish, which had been on for two, and experienced wonderful toughness.

My top coat is currently an old Borghese called Brilliante and it's nothing more than a basic quick dry top coat. Nothing fancy, never had a reputation, just a Ross find.

I think this is a great topper polish, but will look gorgeous alone, though there is sheerness.

I don't capture the blue shift, so I can't compare to the Pop Polish Etsy photos, but this polish just wins so hard.

Thanks for reading my little nail polish journal!

Vintage Blue

As with all things, what is old is definitely new.

Here is Urban Decay Graffiti:

This was discontinued when I first got into nail polish, and I think I found it on a blog sale. I love the soft blue base and the delightful lilac/pink shimmer that really pops.

This does have a clear base when it all separates that has turned slightly yellow (this can be a problem with oldies) so I am planning to use a dropper to decant the base and replace over time. It's not hard to do, just have a tiny bowl of thinner ready to clean the dropper so it won't stop up.

The reason I mention this is that because of that yellowing, the blue can go a bit warm and muddy. Not a win for me.

This is in the Hard To Find category and so you may want to poke around a blog sale to see what's what.

Speaking of blog sale, I've got to get another one started. I've been purging a lot because I really just have too many polishes, so keep your eyes peeled!

Thanks for reading my little nail polish journal!

A Not Quite Right Nude for Me

I am so excited by the progressive change in lingerie, foundation makeup, and a whole inclusive arena that lends itself to more products for more people.

As someone with thick hair on my head that is also very dark, I have heard hundreds of hair dressers squawk at how thick it is, how much there is, and how long it takes them to cut it. I even had one gal shave the nape of my neck against my better judgement (I need to just stop being so nice, that took a solid 3 years to grow out). I won't discuss the percentage who can't seem to add layers without making me look like Bozo.

In the "nude" nail polish category I find the thinking still is along the beige lines and any other shade gets yet another name rather than "nude". Nude is a huge range, just like people on earth.

My personal "nude" is still probably out there, or at least untried, for sure. 

Here is OPI Baring It All topped with Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Crystal Watermelon:

I think it's a nice shade, but a bit light for me, though it is fairly neutral as far as light beige goes. 

My favorite thing though is to top the polish off with a glass fleck, the base of which is a little pink in its base and thus caused the whole thing to look, well, a bit too pink.

I have two coats of the OPI and one of the SH.

I think that the glass fleck is the redemption for me.

Formula thoughts: OPI was a bear. It is a black label, and the formula did that terrible thing where the top coat dries it and then it is molten underneath: slow to dry and inevitably I ding it.

I did peer into the OPI lacquer site (they don't call their extended wear or gel "lacquer", but I digress) and didn't see this one, though I did see a blog post where someone found it at TJ Maxx, so who knows where I found this one, I think the same place. 

Their splash page for nudes is filled with a pale graphic aesthetic, then the do populate with more shades. You can see it's a work in progress. That is, to quote Martha Stewart, a good thing.

Looking at the old Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Crystal Watermelon, well, I have such low expectations about dry time, that it must have been a bit of a formula clash with the OPI, because I am sure this was a contributor. On the other hand, it's a gorgeous topper and as I thin it, it's hard to fault.

OPI will move along to maybe some stamping as it does cover deceently, and of course SH will go back into it's topper drawer.

Little Jemma update: since she has been really down and introverted due to sudden blindness we have sort of been her "seeing eye people" while she learns the ropes. The book by Caroline Levin (apparently the best thing ever) spends a lot of time on training, etc, but Jemma is sort of a little pug person who is very introverted for a pug, so there isn't any choke chain or bossing her around. Trying to make the world she lives in friendly, safe, and easier to navigate.

It's long days and long evenings to help her do the basics like getting enough hydration, potty breaks, eye drops, etc.

I have found a stash of old photos that I will be tossing out because it's always fun to do that.

This manicure is fairly recent, from the 11th.

I keep my mildly blog on the down low, but I am not pumping out all the latest stuff, so I appreciate all 20-30 of you who actually read this! A LOT!! ;)

Absent for a Reason

Hi,

Wanted to keep you all posted.

I'm still blogging (no, they aren't invisible), but I have had a family emergency with my dog Jemma who was recently diagnosed with SARDS (Sudden Acquired Retinal Degeneration Syndrome) and went very blind very fast.

She also has had some senior health issues, too, so it's been a long month of March and April.

Meanwhile, I am trying to be normal but I seem to never get around to this part, and that's not good because I love blogging and still have so many to swatch.

Here's an older photo of Jemma, she's now 12, so this is a couple years old.

It's not an easy transition for her, and so the days are long, and the nights seem longer.


I can only say, thank goodness for pet insurance and the local teaching hospital.

Thanks for your patience.
:) 

Green to Gaze Upon

Here is the final green for March.

It's a layering combo, so sit down, enjoy.

How did we get there? 

Base is BB Courture Redwood Forest, which was a blogger collaboration with Vampy Varnish many years ago, but a gorgeous color. Scroll down for a separate shot of this one.

One coat of BB Couture Redwood Forest.

Below that is OPI Jade is the New Black (you really can't see it, but it brightens Redwood Forrest up a touch). I popped on two coats, just to use it up. I have a lot of greens and could have used something else.  

Topper is Polished for Days Cosmic Dust, a red to gold to green shifter, amazing. One coat.

The shift is great, the pigment is dense. It's a mind twister if you love the shift of red to green.

Still available on Polished for Days. Super professional site and shipping is great. They run a For the Love of Polish box, and they know what they are up to.

Here is another shot, the first one was under lamp, these are outside:

The sparkle in the sunshine and the green shift never do less than delight.

Here is Redwood Forest alone:

I love this guy. It is so nice with a glass fleck throughout that sparkles.

Top photo is under daylight corrected lights with flash, second one is outside.

Still available at BB Couture. You have to search BB couture nail polish, it will help.

If you can grab the Polished for Days, you won't be unhappy. It's so wonderful.

Thanks for reading my little nail polish journal!

Emily de Molly Reflection

Here is a semi-green, a blue clover green that pulled extremely blue when photographed.

Pretty as can be and two coats that were super easy to use.

A scattered flame and a readiness to show holo makes this such a win. Not a huge fireball of holo, but a beautiful shade and a respectable holo showing.

Playing with my old Lumix because it can be easier to use and does a better photo than the iPhone.

I am loving my A6000 by Sony, but the quickie jpeg file is too small and so frustrating. Perhaps it's just me and the menus. eep.

Here is some polygel info, and a photo I normally would ditch, but there is a great image of polygel "snot"

Take a look at the index finger up in the left hand corner. This is a result of the slip breaking down polygel and causing it to get on your skin. It is interesting how slip (what is basically perfumed alcohol and acetone) must be balanced: too much and you get this, too little and the brush just grabs on and causes brush marks. 

This goes away after a while, but really shows that I got a bit zealous. This was my non-dominant hand applying it and control was an issue.

Meanwhile, liking the more flattened polygel enhancements and loving the much easier grow out: less obvious and easier to fill.

Filing is also mitigated because there is less of a hump.

Thanks for reading my little nail polish journal!!!

Marching Forward, Carrying the Old on Our Shoulders

Here's a kitchen sink of layering that I won't say didn't turn out just right.



Here's a combo that I really enjoyed:

This is in the sunshine.

I admit my cuticles are so dry, many apologies.

It's so weird how my camera couldn't pick up the depth and play with the flakies.

The layers:

• Revlon Top Speed Emerald
• Color Club Lady Liberty (blogged here)
• Sally Hansen Aisle Be there (blogged here)
• Finger Paints Motley

I really liked it.
Sally Hansen Aisle Be There is a pretty oddly shaped flake, almost a semi glitter, like a flake of pearl or something akin to it, I have nothing like it, really. Sadly this whole line has gone the way of the Dodo. You might find it at the dollar place, or ebayland. You never know. Worth a look. Unique.

Here's Revlon Emerald all alone:

I call this more of a Kelly green, but it works out as a nice base.

And now we have it with Color Club Lady Liberty:

I confess this was the scene-stealer for me! I wore this for several days and just adored it. Well done Color Club!

Here it is again:

Here it is with flash. Loved this a lot.



Thanks so much for reading my little nail journal!

GREEEEEEEEENS FOR MAAAAAARCH!!

Yes, yes, yesssss...you've tolerated liverish shades for long enough.

Here's an emerald green from Colors by Llarowe: It's Your Destiny.

One coat. One. I am so serious.

It's juicy and luscious.

It isn't a scatter, but it's flame is blue, and my phone camera did it no justice, zero.

It's in the sun here, and though a little blown out, it gets the gist of things.

Dense formula that was highly forgiving in my growing out polygel, and this is without cleanup it was a little flow-y, but not over-flowing and it is a bit challenging on an uneven surface. I did a stand up job, to be honest.

Here it is under a lamp:

I put this on back on the 3rd and am still wearing it. I used Seche Vive and a mix in of some other top coats, and after a lot of use, am experiencing tip wear, but I am typing on my tips sometimes.

I can't fault this. 

It's from the 2017 August Polish of The Month. If you love green, you need to find this one, wow. A pretty stunning color.

Keep an eye on blog sales. I have nothing that approaches a dupe in the holo arena.

Sorry for the full on drool, but it's really that nice.

Thanks for reading my little nail polish journal!

Pahlish To-to-ro? and Don Deeva Stripper Glitter

Polish names always make me laugh, but I thought the combination of such a wholesome household nameas Totoro from Studio Ghibli and Don Deeva's offering was kind of a hoot.

Very simple, Pahlish To-to-ro? is a sweet mauve with a dash of holo that spices things up. There is a pink shimmer along for the ride, too. It is from the December Polish Pickup, it's theme Enchanted Forest. I think of shadowy glens and perhaps a few fungi and ferns as well.

I think that the Don Deeva Stripper Glitter is amazing.

This is a more shadowed photo with daylight corrected light. It shows the Don Deeva off very well.

With flash now, the soft grayed out lilac is apparent.

Three coats of Pahlish, two of Don Deeva

More flash...what's not to love.


Find these on blog sales or Facebook destash or swap trade pages for the various purchasing groups.

Not impossibly obscure to franken, but a delight to have.

Thanks for reading my little nail polish journal!

Old Polishes Making New Layerings

Normally I try to hit the new stuff, but sometimes I want to share the old stuff. I do that a lot on this blog, so this isn't the home of latest and greatest ever, really.

I have blogged Rimmel Steel Grey before as well as Sally Hansen Take The Leap, in fact, the Sally Hansen has had two outings!

Here is the combo:

My goal was to find a base that would work with this not wholly transparent topper.

I love this a lot.

It's three coats of Rimmel (a total favorite liver-y shade of taupe) and a couple coats of Take The Leap.

Then I added a matte top coat (Old NYC, now discontinued).

It reminds me of a cloudy day, evening, it's late winter, it will snow, but the dusk still has let the purple creep in before it's dark.

Winter has been hard for many, even if it's a late one. We have a phenomenon around here called the February Fake Out. Normally winter, well winter: snow, wind, cold, dark. Then in February there is this spate of springtime that just makes me love it around here. I wash my heavy down coats, I nearly put my thermals away. Then March trots in and reminds me that my notions of spring are cockeyed and to put my coat on.

This winter we had a balmy, mild one, then February just lost its mind. It's still in need of a back rub and a good talking to.

Meanwhile this polish fits the dreary bill.




Polygel Notes

Much flatter, though it's not super apparent, and shorter, too.

I've been bolder about replacing things that lift and even more bold about filing. Own it, basically, not pussyfooting around to get a better shape.

It's still hard with the non-dominant hand, but we are working around it.

Thanks for reading my little nail polish journal!

Portal Referenced Pahlish

I love Pahlish, an indie if you are not familiar with the brand, and so I will happily accept the polish names that have so little that relate to my life and understanding.

All I know is that this one, Material Emancipation Grill, refers to a game called Portal.

I think I heard about it years ago, but, truthfully, forgot.

My gaming tastes are more to Backgammon (I play on a phone app, and so far have maintained my own, a top 25 player) and Oxyd (you can find a dos emulator, and it is a very tricky game, that is so simple).

Here's Material Emancipation Grill

This is a favorite. It is from the October Polish Pickup Pack and I kind of wish I had a backup!

Delightful.

Three easy coats, not top coat. Look at that pink shimmer!

The deep hydrangea blue shifts a bit, and I couldn't catch it.


A side note: I am really just fed up with looking like an Oompa Loompa in my photos. I am not that orange!!

Thanks for reading my little nail polish journal!

After the Ball is Over

I had hoped to pop this one up in January, but here it is now, Black Dahlia Lacquer's Before The Ball Drops.

Unlike the image on the website, this is a bright gold with a fair amount of green flakies.

Very pretty and super glam.

This is three coats, no top coat.

This is definitely a show stopper.

Here's another image:

It is a beautiful polish, and perhaps the latest one at Black Dahlia Lacquer is a newer version.

In any event, no complaints.

Beautiful coverage and a lot of pow.

Thanks for reading my little nail polish journal!

Illyrian Time To Go To Sleep

In a perfect world I would not have to google references to nail polish names.

Here is Illyrian Time to go to Sleep:

Three easy coats. This is a dark base with load so shift pigment, flakes, and a sprinkle of holo.

The purple/blue/aqua flakies stay in the bright blue range and are luminous in contrast.

There is a red/gold shift, that probably goes green, but in the red, it really makes it all very plum colored.

I think this refers to a Bruce Campbell movie. I am no horror buff...nightmares...heck day-mares!

The name really reminds me of Roy Batty's line "time to die" at the end of Blade Runner.

This is how I would imagine the sparks or lights from C beams at the Tannhauser Gates.

I love how imaginative this polish is, things dance and pop and move in the light, it's not muddy, which I think is a big challenge.

This was part of the September Polish Pickup Pack and worth a look. There is one the 1st of February at polishpickup.com.

If you want to toy with indies, this is a great spot. There are caps on some polishes because these are one-offs and so makers do limited runs. The upside is that this is a great showcase for their brand and you can really see some gorgeous stuff you may never have imagined trying before.


Thank you for reading my little nail polish journal!

Random Stamping

Sometimes I stamp and I forget virtually everything.

Here's a quick one:

This is Borghese blue (sadly I moved this along, but now that I look at this, I really think this was an Anise polish!)

Stamped with a Sally Hansen Garnet Chrome (these old SH's are available on eBay and worth it!!) and overlayed with Orly Fifty-Four.

A pure delight to wear this one!

This is so janked up as far as good info, I literally remembered everything as I was typing. 

Thanks so much for reading my little nail polish journal!

Mining the Past: Color Club Love 'Em Leave 'Em

When I first got into nail polish I had a terrible habit of buying Color Club collections because they were so inexpensive.

I think part of it was fandom for several great bloggers and also Ross had them for super cheap.

The bloggers have moved on, Ross seems to have as well (heck even Color Club!)

Yet I still have drawers of untrieds.

Here is one from a 2009 or 2010 Color Club Wild at Heart collection called Love 'Em Leave 'Em:

I topped it with a virtually invisible Revlon Glimmer Gloss Banana Blaze.

I couldn't catch any glass fleck pops, nor did I really get a handle on the very subtle holo flame.

I call this scattered, but it does produce a faint warm red/orange flame that is a delight.

I think in order to emulate the current indie trend of multiple layers of depth, I'd have to layer it (It's two coats, pretty dense, so not really a good direction) or add a lot more Glimmer Gloss.

Many people call this a nude, it definitely is a golden nude. I will be moving this over to my stamping polishes because it covers very well.

Polygel Notes

I'm adding this section to just pass along things I learn.

A few things in this post.

Thickness

I notice that thickness is an issue. Since this photo, I've been filing with a coarse file (not labeled, but pretty coarse, 150? Who knows I know only from sanding my deck!) It removes a lot of bulk and helps them be less "bubble" shaped.

Lifting

In the past I didn't have much lifting, but now that I am polishing my nails more, I do get it between fills. Historically I found that it never produced a problem, but about two weeks ago, I had a lot, so I soaked and removed Polygel from 5 nails (different hands) and reapplied it. It took forever. For. EVAH! I mean after 3-4 solid hours, I had to slap on a nude and just deal with reapplication the following day. I so wanted an electric drill!

Reapplied and though I have a touch of lifting, I am not seeing as much. I will play around with some super glue, though, or something that can just prevent moisture from getting under the nail.

That brings me to...

Brown Spots

Prior to Thanksgiving, I had found that the natural nail under the Polygel that was on my pinky had somehow came undone. It was firm against the nail because it was past my nail bed, so in the 1/3 inch that extended past my bed - free edge -  the nail could be pulled away and would snap back.

I thought nothing of this, but a few days later the nail was in need of replacement, and somehow was tender. I removed the Polygel and found these light brown spots that caused divits in the nail bed. I discovered it was a bacteria making a home. Yikes.

Cleaned it up, filed it down, and haven't had a problem since. This is why if I have lifting, I file/soak it off. No easy access parties for the bacteria!

That's all for now, I like the more flat profile, I think it looks better than the old ones (above), but it's still a learning curve for shaping and filing. 

Thanks for reading my nail polish journal!

Up With Up Colors

Digging around through my holos and found a couple I think I partially blogged (here), but didn't really show the polish alone. A nice stamping holo, due to the fact that it's not scant on the nail after you've stamped it.

Up Colors is a Brazilian brand that I managed to get when holos were still not a thing again here in the US.

Seems like it has old "big 3" and is pretty smelly, but it is a scattered holo and there is a good density.

All are without a top coat.

Azul Disco

Beautiful peacock blue with lots of holo scattered about.

Two coats. Very good coverage.

Here is another photo:

This is more subdued, but it's a beautiful shade.

Verde 350 Degrees

Very amazing.

Almost a flame. This is two coats, too.

Another shot:

This is more of a washed out image, it's such a great shade of green.

I couldn't find any Up Colors anything, even translating into Portuguese and finding some Pinterest pages didn't really yield much.

I know they weren't cheap for me, and I think I've tried to blog sale them, but now I am keeping them for stamping.

Well the green one is a standout!

Thanks for reading my little nail polish journal!

Pop Culture

Pop Polish has been quietly performing in the indie world and selling on Etsy for quite some time.

A few years ago I made and order and my eyes are still bugging out of my head.

There are constantly turning out stunning collections, retaining great mainstays, and gardening the world of color, flash, and iridescence for polish fans like me.

I was particularly excited to see Pop now working with Hell Handmade Creations. HHC, located here, is one of those great limited run sale sites. So you have a short window in which to buy a one off polish made especially for the sale. This exposure to more indie buyers is great.

I found a wonderful flakie combo of UCC flakes, holo shards, micro gliltters and some shiftiness I couldn't catch on my photos.

Here's I'll Grow Back:

Two coats over an Elevation polish that is medium green (I keep forgetting to write down the name of the polishes. Never fear, I am keeping a journal now, so I won't be grabbing at air like this again!!!)

I really love the party going on here.

Here's another photo:

The red sparkles against the green cause my heart to thrum. Very beautiful.

There is a lovely large silver flakie that is a perfect accent. 

Here's an out of focus shot so you can get the drift a bit better:

I wore this for a solid week, no topcoat redo's and it was just as perfect day one.

Removal wasn't difficult, either.

You may find this on a blog sale, its not part of the regular Pop lineup, but they have a lot of great stuff, so do check them out!

Thanks again for reading my little nail polish journal!