Zoya Delilah, Mimi & Mieko

I need to get my butt downstairs quick if I want there to be any hot water left for my shower, so let's do this lickity-split-quick! All three polishes were lovely application-wise. No dragging, all smooth-flowing yumminess. Base coat was Nail Tek II Foundation, top coat was Poshe Fast Drying.

Zoya Delilah, 2 coats, sun


Red jelly with red glitter. Made me crave a jelly donut. You know the ones with powdered sugar on top? Seriously, I have junk food on the brain. See the visible nail line? That's the jelly talking to you. I don't mind it at all, not this time.



Zoya Mimi, 3 coats, sun


Two coats would have been fine for this one, but I dinged my pinky fingernail and needed to fix it. Then I couldn't have 3 coats on only one finger...although I can see now where I bumped the free edge of my middle finger...*sigh*

Zoya Mieko, 2 coats, sun-ish


Gorgeous golden shimmer. Reminds me of China Glaze Strawberry Fields, but darker. Must be appreciated in person.

If all Zoyas apply and wear like these, I'll be spending more dollars at Zoya! I didn't give Mieko a true wear test (less than 24 hours) but Delilah and Mimi are going on their second day now with no tip wear (they're on my left and right hands, respectively, lol) and. I suspect they have much more staying power in them. =)

Bottle Preview!

I had a mani done, but I ruined it cutting down a stubborn guava bush (tree?) and silly me, I forgot to take a picture before the yard work. Anyhow, I love posing and taking pictures of the new pretty ladies so today you get a quick preview of my Zoyas all standing at attention. (I really want a proper light box, not the DIY bit of nonsense I constructed. If Nihrida's is named "Crappy" mine is Crappy's ugly sister Floozy. She's cheap, easy & tipsy, but she gets the job done.)

First the new haul from the Zoya Polish Exchange:






Then the older Zoya ladies were getting jealous of all the attention the newbies were getting and demanded their own photo shoot.






So, where do I start?! Any requests?

China Glaze Octa Gone Wild

About mid-week I seriously needed a pick-me-up. The humidity, the heat, gaaaah! I'm glad the building I work in is air conditioned, but somehow that just makes it worse when we have to leave and the evening temperatures are worse than the day was. But I'm getting off-topic...

I was craving purple something bad, but I've worn two purple cremes recently (Misa Sorry Just Can't Help It, China Glaze Grape Pop) and I just wasn't feeling like a dark vampy shimmer. I couldn't make up my mind, discarding one possibility after the other. Then I had a light bulb moment: it's sunny! (I swear my job is turning my brain to mush, lol.) Mmmmm, holo-y goodness.

China Glaze Octa Gone Wild, sun


Can you believe this has been sitting in my untrieds since last summer? Something is seriously wrong with me...

(Okay, I have to stop now to tell a story. It isn't relevant to the post, except in a roundabout way, so you can skip it if you want to.)

It's Friday night, I'm burned out, so I stopped at the deli on the way home from work and picked up some fried chicken and potato salad for dinner. Bad for your health, but ooooh so tasty. It's Friday, I need this. Anyway, I'm sitting here at the computer eating dinner and working on this post (because its too freaking hot to eat in the kitchen, hubby agrees & is here next to me at his computer) and its nice and quiet. I'm thinking about getting another piece of chicken, which I left on the counter in the paper bag it came in from the deli, when I realize its Too Quiet. You know how when small children get into something they're not supposed to and they get real quiet and suppress their little giggles? Yeah, like that. Only I don't have children. So hubby and I go to the kitchen to check it out. And there is the culprit, the oldest of our cats, sitting happy as you can be on the counter, munching on my chicken. MY chicken. Not only that, he didn't even bother to open the paper bag (too noisy) he ate right through it. I don't have the heart to scold him, he looks so content. I did take the chicken away though.

Okay, end of story. I just felt a sudden urge to share. Here, look at another picture of Octa Gone Wild to get your mind back on topic.



Application of holographic nail polish can be tricky. You don't think you have any bald spots but then the sun hits it just right and suddenly there it is. I used three coats of Octa Gone Wild just to feel safe. I know some people don't use a base or top coat with holographics, but I feel naked without them. So this mani has CND Ridge Out for a base and Poshe Fast Drying topcoat. Topcoats seem to dull the holo at first, but once they dry all the sparkling goodness comes right back. Octa Gone Wild is from the now discontinued China Glaze Kaleidoscope collection.

Another noteworthy event, my Zoya Polish Exchange order arrived! I hope to have pictrues up soon. =)

China Glaze Dorothy Who?

Gah, I'm a bad blogger. I haven't been keeping up and now I just hit enter after typing the title and posted an empty post. *insert head meeting desk here* So it's late, I'm pretty much gone to la-la land and I just realized I didn't take any notes on the polish I'm going to show you. *sweatdrops* Let's just start with a picture and wing it from there!

China Glaze Dorothy Who?, overcast


From the re-released Wizard of Ooh Ahz this past holiday season, Dorothy Who is a charming blue jelly packed with silver glitter.

same polish, shade


IF I'm remembering correctly (and that's debatable tonight, lol) this is 2 smooooooth coats (smooth like jelly! not jam...jelly!). Base coat was Nail Tek Foundation II ('cause I can't find my OPI ridge filler) and topcoat is Poshe fast-drying. (Seche Vite and I have a love-hate relationship...we're currently in a Hate phase)

Dorothy Who? oh hai, Mr. sun...


Oh wait, you wanted to see more sparkle?



Does this satisfy my lemming for the original release of Dorothy Who? Hmmm...nope, can't say it does. But then, I can be like that. In my head this is Dorothy Who, Part Deux? I love it, I wore it for days (no chips until Day 3!) but I still want the original. Now, I need a bed. And I wish I hadn't stopped at McDonald's for that caramel frappe thingy on the way home from work...

Quirius Caribbean Turquoise & China Glaze Grape Pop + Hidden Treasure

Depending on the lighting, Quirius Caribbean Turquoise can lean a bit more towards green or blue. I did the best I could to take pictures of the awesome. Really, I think its my new favorite turquoise! I feel a bit guilty, I've had this first pic uploaded and waiting for almost a week. BUT, I also wore this color for 5 days! So I took a picture of that too so you can see how well it wore.

Quirius Caribbean Turquoise, overcast sun


This was three coats of polish over Nailtek II Foundation and topped with Poshe Fast Drying topcoat. Two coats of polish would have been fine, but I was watching House while doing my nails and accidentally put a third coat on my pinky...I got a little obsessive and *had* to make sure they all had the same amount of layers. *blushes*

The polish consistency was a little thick. Not chalky, but it did have some cuticle drag if you went over the same spot twice too quickly. Easily remedied by just letting each layer dry a bit. It does dry semi-matte so you'll have to add topcoat for shine (if you want that, of course!). Otherwise, pigmentation is very good. Caribbean Turquoise pops quite nicely without the white layer some neons require underneath to really show off their potential.

As I said earlier, I wore this for five days with minimal tipwear and no chips!

Quirius Caribbean Turquoise, Day Five


And, because it was holding up so well, I decided to pull out some the the nail art supplies I was sent by Viva La Nails and attempt some nail art. I'm thinking I'm not nearly as talented in this area as other bloggers, lol.



What the heck, if you've kept reading this long, here's a picture of China Glaze Grape Pop topped with a layer of Sally Hansen Hidden Treasure. Sadly, Grape Pop didn't fare as well, this tipwear is after only one day of wear. Same number of coats, same base & topcoat combo as the Caribbean Turquoise. Still pretty though! (Ouch, my poor dry and abused cuticles!)

China Glaze Grape Pop + Sally Hansen Hidden Treasure


And now, I'm going to be late for work so you all have a beautiful day!

Viva La Nails Nail Art

Viva La Nails is an online store that carries a nice selection of various nail art and nail care supplies. They offer a free sample pack to bloggers and youtube artists (you can read more about that here) which I ordered, being curious about it myself.

While I waited for my sample pack to arrive I browsed their website. Prices seem reasonable and they ship internationally to a number of companies (you can see the list here). What I liked best however, is that many of the nail art supplies had a short video in the description explaining their use. For nail art newbies like me that's very helpful! Anyhow, my sample pack arrived a few days ago and though I didn't have time to really dig in, I wanted to embellish my current manicure so I chose to add some nail stickers.

China Glaze Heli-Yum with Nail Stickers NSC05


Application was pretty easy, just peel and stick. I used tweezers to remove the stickers from the sheet, it makes placement much easier. Added a clear coat and I was ready to go! These do create a bump on your nail surface so I don't think they'll last long at work if you have a job that involves scraping your nails around. I think the water decals will be much thinner and smoother. Check out what else came in my sample pack (click for a bigger image):



I'm not sure how to use the crushed shells or those tiny beads, but I really want to try out the little fabric flowers. They just look too darn cute!


The nail art products in this post were provided by the company for review.

Quirius Sunshine Energy

Woweee! Quirius Sunshine Energy is aptly named! Haha, the bottle pics I took before don't even begin to show how neon this is. (Yes, I'm digging in to my Quirius haul without finishing the other haul. Absolutely shameless, I am.) So, these pictures. Skin tone is not accurate, but I sacrificed that in an attempt to show you a little bit of how bright this is. Annnnnnd...nail length was sacrificed in the name of a busy weekend of hardcore gaming. Heh.

Quirius Sunshine Energy, sun


Quirius Sunshine Energy, shade


Now isn't that awesome? Just imagine it brighter. More neon. Hmmm, details...three coats plus base (Nailtek) and topcoat (Poshe). Very very pigmented. Consistency was a bit thick, which caused it to streak just a little if you went over the same spot twice. Easily remedied by letting it dry a smidgen between coats. Rather like many neons out there. If anything, I love Sunshine Energy more than many others because it doesn't need white under it to really make it pop!

Orly Snowcone

Short and sweet today! From Orly's Sweet Color Collection, Snowcone looks a bit dusty in the bottle but actually is a bright cornflower blue! Beautiful.

Orly Snowcone, sun


Orly Snowcone, shade


This was a true swatch, meaning I didn't use a base or top coat. I am in love with this polish. Not only the color, but the application. No challenge at all. (That's good! lol) I used two coats but Snowcone is so richly pigmented it was almost opaque in one coat. And see how glossy it is? Yum!