Fruits of the Forest: OPI's Suzi And The 7 Dusseldorfs & Every Month is Oktoberfest

Longest blog title ever! I truly think I wear OPI gelcolor trigger manis for two reasons. First, I love this method of rocking an accent nail(s). I feel like my wedding ring draws enough attention to my ring finger already. Secondly, gel manicures are a bit more intensive so if I can wear multiple colors it allows me ( and subsequently you) to experience more shades. 

When I was choosing my shades this time I was definitely craving something rich and seasonal. I have been seeing so many lovely Valentine's inspired pinks, reds, plums, fuchsias, wines, etc., out there- and I love it! I have featured some of OPI's gelcolor core line, the Holland Collection, the Swiss Collection, and especially the Skyfall Collection. I barely have explored the Germany collection even though there were so many awesome shades to arise from it. (Unfor-greta-bly Blue for life!) 

The first shade Suzi and The 7 Dusseldorfs, is a gorgeous fuchsia purple shimmer. As with all the gelcolors, you can really see the microglitter suspended in the gel coat and there is none of the streaking of a lacquer. In the right light, sparks of a warm ember red shine through- amazing. Jes is a purple person, so he automatically liked the color. At a casual view, he didn't realize I was rocking two shades. I think that lends to how well these shades work together.

Every Month is Oktoberfest, is a vampy black cherry shimmer. This color means business. If you see me rocking a pair of Tahari heels and this mani- watch out. The shade is more purple leaning in nature than Germanicure ( which is burgundy all day long). I truly think I can equate this color to a glass of Pinot Noir. As my friend and I say, there is no other kind of Pinot (in our opinion).  It's a dark shade infused with deep berry undercurrents-gorgeous.

I look forward to sharing the last Effervescent Nail Lacquer- swatches are already on deck- and the upcoming Valentine's Day Nail Challenge with Ezzi and Lynette.

As always, color me addicted...

In a Galaxy (Nail) Far, Far, Away...

I was a bit nervous to attempt this technique, I have to confess... There are so many bloggers out there who blow this technique out of the water, and I didn't want to end up as an epic fail.  I have to say I blame it on the Cassiopeia, it was soooo pretty and made me think of stars and constellations. You see where my mind was going... oh, yeah. (No, not there.) Galaxy nails.

So I pulled out eight polishes and my trusty makeup sponge, and went for it. Honestly, there was no specific plan, it was haphazard layering and placing until I got the depth I was looking for. To finish off the look I added some freehand stars and dots with my Stripe Rite in White.

I am going to let the design speak for itself, so behold the pic heavy post starring the following:
Effervescence Nail Lacquer in Cassiopeia (indigo duochrome)
Effervescence Nail Lacquer in The Great Oz (emerald shimmer)
Essie in Turquoise & Caicos ( light turquoise sheer)
Essie in Blue Rhapsody ( slate blue metallic)
Julep in Ellie (opalescent seashell pink)
Julep in Madison (neon pink semi-matte)
Julep in Ivy (sapphire micro-glitter metallic)
Julep in Harper (opalescent mermaid blue multi-dimensional glitter)

Let me know what you think... 

Valentine's Day Nail Art Challenge: The Announcement!

 

Hello lovelies, it's that time again...  As I said to United in Beauty on Twitter, "Challenges are like going into battle, but with more nail polish." Love it. 

The super talented Ezzi at LovelyLacqueredLife is the brainchild and sponsor of this lovely event. She in my opinion does some of the best gradient work out there. It is flawless.

Please check out her blog for the details, we would love to have you join in!

Coming to you February 4th... <3 

And oh yeah, Another reason to love Zoya... can't wait to show you my swatches of FeiFei, Tosca, and Indigo...

ZOYA Nail PolishVerified ‏@ZoyaNailPolish

Couldn't have said it better! RT @ecklipse: Rocking @ZoyaNailPolish Indigo as my pedi. Stunning, sexy, and 5-free. A girl's best friend :)

Introducing Effervescence Nail Lacquer: Cassiopeia

Hello, my lovelies! I am so excited to present the third polish I selected from Effervescence Nail Lacquer. Cassiopeia is an absolute gem! This polish is definitely something that competes with and even possibly surpasses some mainstream polish. Cassiopeia is a constellation in the northern sky, named after the vain queen, Cassiopeia- in Greek mythology- who boasted about her unrivaled beauty. This lacquer is an unrivaled beauty...

This is a stunning indigo duochrome ( maybe a multichrome, even?). It is a perfect purple shimmer, that shines fuchsia, plum, cobalt, and even a fiery orange in different lights. Amazing! The application is a dream. The polish is not too thick and not too thin. One coat even showed the beauty of the lacquer. 

I have to say, I cannot pick one favorite out of these polishes so far- they are all my favorites! Darn you Caitlin and Paula for making polish perfection!!!

Please go check out their Etsy shop and buy one of each color. Seriously though, I dare you to end up with just one favorite...

For those of you with Instagram follow them @effervescencepolish and come on by and follow me on Twitter @ECKlipse. 

Stay tuned for the conclusion to the Effervescence love fest....

 

Introducing Effervescence Nail Lacquer: The Great Oz

I have been a bit silent on the blog front. It's with a very heavy heart that I let you know that my partner in blog crime, Mojo, passed away this weekend. Jesse and I will miss our beloved hamster very much.

So to celebrate Mojo, I wanted something magical and whimsical and this polish fit the bill. Effervescence Nail Lacquer in The Great Oz is the ultimate emerald for 2013. The application is flawless, the depth of the color is amazing, and the price point is awesome. Caitlin and Paula are straight up nail polish divas. 

The Great Oz is an emerald green shimmer with flecks of green microglitter and some teal-green leaning flakes. Triple green perfection. I love how this line not only has glitterbombs like Mardi Gras, Party Brah! but it also has shimmers like The Great Oz. Effervescence is a young line, but they are definitely adventurous and diversified. 

Please visit the ladies' Etsy shop, they have wonderful customer service, and ship super fast. Perfect polishes to buy for friends who want to try an indie but might not want to go on Ebay and shell out $23.00 ( no idea who I may be referencing...lol)

Stay tuned for the remaining two Effervescence Nail Lacquer shades...

Introducing Effervescence Nail Lacquer: Mardi Gras, Party Brah!

I am absolutely thrilled to premiere another fabulous line that I discovered on Etsy, Effervescence Nail Lacquer. Effervescence is the brain child of two lovely California college ladies, Caitlin Boynton and Paula Yuan. Their line of 18 shades is highly impressive. They cover a wide variety of shades from blush to midnight black and finishes from glitter to holographic.

Each shade is well developed and full of dimension. They definitely try to achieve something new and fresh with every color. The shade names are clever and are inspired by all sorts of things from constellations, movies, fashion, and even their alma maters. 

I will be featuring four colors from Effervescence Nail Lacquers, a duochrome, a holo, a glitter, and a metallic flake. My first selection was Jesse and Mojo's choice, Mardi Gras, Party Brah! This is an amazingly festive and fun glitter that applies like a dream. There is no issue with clumping or needing to dab to "place the glitter", this glides on like a dream. Loving it!

The polish consists of a cacophony of different sized reflective and matte glitter hexes in teal, navy, fuchsia, and periwinkle. It also features a sprinkling of gold square glitters. I featured the color over both Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Golden-I and Plum Power to emphasize both the gold and fuchsia glitters in different contexts. I still can't decide which one I love more! Overall the plum and gold with Mardi Gras, Party Brah! is New Orleans on my hands- amazing!

Go on over to Etsy and check out Caitlin & Paula's stunning line for yourself- you won't be disappointed! They currently are selling bottles of their 3-free lacquer for $3.00 for a 6ml size. 

Stay tuned for swatches of three more Effervescence Nail Lacquer shades...

 

Florida Dreaming: Glitter Gradient Mani FT. Julep's Madison

I have been feeling a bit homesick for my adopted state of Florida and it's two coolest residents ( Hi, Mom & Dad, xoxo). So why not a bit of color for a foggy and dark New Hampshire day?

I have yet to do a gradient and I also keep on forgetting to get makeup sponges to make it happen. Then genius struck... I was going to use glitter polishes and fake out the gradient. Let me tell you, it's super easy and it pulls off the look. 

For my ring, middle, and index fingers I started with a base of Finger Paints Paper Mache. I then painted the bottom half of the nails with Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Mellow Yellow. I covered the remaining white portion and a portion of the yellow with Wet N Wild's Can-Can You Hang the Mistletoe. I then did a stripe of Sally Hansen Complete Manicure Snow Globe over a part of the yellow. Lastly, I used Julep's Harper at the base of the nail. I finished the nail with a coat of Snow Globe and painted starbursts with Stripe Rite in White.

My thumb and pinky finger were painted with two coats of Julep's Madison and I used Stripe Rite in White to achieve the lattice-work effect. 

In the end it looks like drinking Mojitos, Pina Coladas, and Strawberry Margaritas in a Florida garden at sunset. Perfect. I'm booking my flight now...