swatch: rescue beauty lounge coral

this photo varies wildly depending on the browser in which i view it, so just for reference rbl coral is a very vivid and juicy pink with slight melon undertones.


i absolutely love this color; it's so spring-y and thus perfect for the warm weather we've been having lately. it required just two coats for opacity and applied very smoothly... i adore rbls!

bf says: "you can see the reflection of the window in your nails. a csi person would be able to figure out where you live."

swatch: china glaze dorothy who?

my bf and i are going to go see the new alice in wonderland movie tonight, for which i meant to wear opi mad as a hatter... but alas, i forgot and put chg dorothy who? on instead!


depending on what browser you're using to view this pic, the polish may be a bit deeper and more vibrant irl. i do like dorothy who?, but unfortunately, after having worn opi absolutely alice i can't fully love the former polish, as it pales in comparison. of course, the two polishes are certainly not dupes, but when i think "amazing blue glitter" it's aa that immediately comes to mind! the consistency of this polish was quite good; the only note i have is that because of its jelly base, it did require three thick coats (plus a few touch-ups) for total opacity.

bf says: "dorothy who? dorothy YOU!"

swatch: nails inc. portland place

i got this gorgeous jelly polish from a uk friend as part of an asos christmas duo set that also included nails inc. duke st. i love that this is a teal that leans green rather than blue; this quality makes it quite unique in my collection. three coats:


bf says: "this is a good photograph considering that you took it on a moving train! note that my sister is a photographer so i would know! it is in my blood."

swatch: opi absolutely alice

from opi's recent alice in wonderland collection, tied to the movie of the same name. i edited this photo to make the color of the polish more accurate, so please rest assured that my skin isn't actually red in real life.


i didn't expect to have the reaction to this polish that i did. normally i avoid all but the darkest blues and steer clear of glitter in a clear base, but i'm absolutely in love with absolutely alice! and i'm thrilled that it pairs blue and gold glitter - not only do i find the combination of blue and silver to be a bit played out, but gold also works much better on my skin tone than silver does. photos can't do justice to how incredibly sparkly this polish is; for example, when i wore this it was gray and snowing here and yet my nails were still twinkling.

while i chose to do four coats, this polish was all but completely opaque in three. for maximum glassy shine, i then topped aa with a thick coat of wet 'n' wild clear polish as well as a thick coat of seche vite.

bf says: "is that a lot of coats? it seems like a lot of coats."

swatch: rescue beauty lounge purple haze

recently, i've gotten a couple of emails from people asking how to follow my blog - i actually didn't have the followers widget added because i personally use google reader instead, but i've just added the followers tool to the top of my sidebar for those of you who have been looking for it. i'm sorry about the confusion! and now, on to the polish:


a fairly vibrant medium purple with only a slight touch of gray, rbl purple haze in my opinion doesn't look its best on darker skin tones (a problem with most light-medium purples, i've found). while it's a pretty color and looks great on others, it doesn't quite pop on me in the same way. instead, it blends into my skin tone (not quite as badly as american apparel dynasty, however) and doesn't provide the contrast and boldness i typically look for in my nail colors.

on the plus side, the application of this polish was good. on the first coat it seems a bit like a jelly and as if it might require three coats for opacity, but it quickly evened out with just a second coat.

bf says: "there's a flaw in your application!"
me: "no, that's a bubble from my top coat. it's a chemical thing; i can't control it."
*long argument about polish application ensues; bf for some reason references marilyn monroe.*

swatch: bb couture impact driver

from the "tools for men" collection (i know, i know):


this polish had great application and pigmentation (this is two coats) - it flowed onto the nail beautifully and was easy to control. while i love the dusty blue color, this polish isn't ultimately for me because it has shimmer and i'm almost exclusively a creme and glitter girl. if you like it, though, it's available at overall beauty.

bf says: "that has a hint of shimmer... no, sparkles. is it sparkles? a hint of glitter?"

swatch: rescue beauty lounge opaque nude

it's strange that i consider rbl opaque nude - a neutral - my comfort polish, considering that normally i gravitate toward vampies, bright pinks and orange-reds, and teals. but for some reason this polish always feels 'right' to me.


opaque nude is now unfortunately discontinued, but i have two bottles stockpiled so hopefully i'll never have to be without it! its application is great for a pale shade… pretty streak-free and opaque (true to its name) in just two coats.

to see how this polish looks on someone with a lighter/cooler skin tone, check out tobywoo's pics here.

bf says: "that's skin tone for a white person... you are not white. who do you think you are?!"