Picture taken in sunlight. (Click to see this more clearly.) I didn’t think so after applying the first coat, but it really does build to opacity. I used three coats. As expected, the formula is thick because the clear base is loaded with glitter (as it needs to be to acheive opacity on its own), but it’s not that hard to work with. One coat of topcoat certainly won’t make it glassy smooth but that’s okay, since the mani already looks very thick. I’m afraid the polish might just pop off my nails eventually but that could actually come in handy when I’m ready to remove it. It’s hard to tell when you’re looking at the polish directly (the glitteriness is so intense!), but looking at my photos, there’s more going on than I originally thought. There’s two shades of purple glitter; a royal purple and a lighter, silvery purple, as well as turquoise green and chartreuse bar glitter. The green lights up against the purple when looked at at the right angle. I didn’t think I could like a polish with bar glitter, but it looks great in this mix! It totally works when it’s part of an opaque blend. I paired this with China Glaze C-C-Courage on my toes.

I’m still in sort of a daze after watching the Australian Open men’s final yesterday. I thought I was stressed after Nole’s semifinal match; this was on a different level! It was Nole and Rafa’s 30th meeting, and the first to go to 5 sets. At 5 hours and 53 minutes, it was the longest major final in the Open Era, and the longest match in Australian Open history. I found it amusing that on the program guide, ESPN2 allotted a paltry 3 1/2 hours for this match, just 3 excluding the 30 mins. of pre-match coverage (come on, these guys once played a 3-setter that went four hours!) It went on for so long that it cut well into the time allotted for the re-air! With the win, Nole has his fifth major, his third Australian Open title, and his third consecutive major title. I can’t even begin to analyze this epic well enough to do it justice. I can only applaud the effort Nole and Rafa put up. I can’t imagine how exhausted they both must have been immediately afterwards, watching them struggling to stand during the trophy ceremony. I kind of want to see the match again so I can watch the points without feeling like I’m gonna have a heart attack! And this is just the start of the season, oh boy…

<3sarah

Picture taken in sunlight. This applied well; the formula has some jelly qualities so it’s not a really solid creme. It looked decent at two coats but I used three to get that extra -opaque look. It’s a great shade of pin-up red, bright without being too orange-toned. The color and glossy finish make me think of maraschino cherries, which are the only cherries I like to eat (although strangely, I do like cherry-flavored things.) I realize this is the first red-red creme I’ve worn this year, and it feels so good to be wearing one! There will sure be a lot more in February. I paired this with Maybelline Denim Dash (Express Finish) on my toes.

I went through a veritable five-hour emotional rollercoaster watching Nole play that semifinal. Sleepy at the start (with Melbourne being sixteen hours ahead I had to get up at 3:30am). Relaxed when Nole won the first set. Confident when he went a break up in the second. Annoyed when Murray eventually won that set. Frustrated at all the unforced errors and by how many times they were breaking each other’s serve, causing so many shifts in momentum. Angry when Nole lost the third set in a tiebreak after having held set points. Relieved when Murray tanked the fourth to save energy for the fifth. In despair when Nole was broken at love as he was serving for the match at 5-3. Positively frantic in the last few games of the match because of all the break points faced and saved. Finally, overwhelming joy when Nole broke Murray to win the final set 7-5. I can’t wait to do it all again early Sunday morning!

<3sarah

Picture taken in natural light. The formula was a tad sticky but otherwise applied well in three coats. I adore all of these wine polishes, and this color looks particularly amazing in a proper jelly finish. The red wine base you can see with the first coat builds to the sexy dark shade you see by the third. It’s truly worthy of the description “vampy.” I was doing this mani while watching Nadal beat Federer in the semis (I can’t wait to watch Djokovic/Murray tomorrow morning!), and even then I had to stop and admire the incredibly glossy look of this polish. I paired this with LA Splash Glitz & Berry on my toes.

<3sarah

Picture taken in sunlight. (This doesn’t look quite as blue in real life as it does in the photo. Why do these never photograph properly?)  This applied well; it was nearly pigmented enough for one coat but I ended up using two. You have to take care to not overload the brush with polish, as the excess will run down the long brush stem. I feel like this blurple leans more towards purple as opposed to having lots of blue, but it’s so dark that these subtleties in tone aren’t really noticed unless you really look at it in the light. I wish it was more of a straightforward purple (I feel like it would look more royal/regal that way), but it’s undeniably a very rich color, plus it was very pigmented and smooth.  I paired this with Sephora by OPI Break a Leg-Warmer! on my toes.

<3sarah

Picture taken in artificial light (In the absence of good sunlight, artificial light will have to do.) This applied well; it was very smooth and pigmented.  The finish has that liquid metal look, but it looks shimmery instead of having horrid frosty brushstrokes.  Again, I applied the first coat to all my nails, then, nail by nail, applied the second coat followed by holding the magnetic cap over. It’s important to use the magnet immediately after applying the polish; if you move too slowly the magnetic effect won’t happen. I was mistaken the first time I tried Nails Inc.’s magnetic polish; the magnet doesn’t create lighter stripes; it creates the darker ones, while the light areas are the original color. I really don’t know how I didn’t see that before. I can’t explain why, but the effect/finish combined with the color give off a sort of jungle-like, reptilian vibe to me. I love this look; I keep staring at my nails! I paired this with OPI Cuckoo for this Color on my toes.

<3sarah

Picture taken in sunlight. This applied very well; I used three coats for full coverage and opacity. Like a true jelly, you can see the base color (a lovely shade of yellow-toned hunter green) with the first coat, but the shade gets deeper with each coat. You can only really see that it’s green in bright lighting conditions; most of the time it does look black. But I’m okay with that ’cause it’s Zulu! Its deeply blackened look is just part of what it is. I love how smooth, clean and reflective it looks! I didn’t mind doing three coats at all since the polish went on quite effortlessly and I acheived this stunning vampy look. Having missed out on the original release and the original re-release, I’m glad I was able to get it this time around. I paired this with Sephora by OPI I’m With Brad on my toes.

<3sarah

Picture taken in natural light. This was quite pigmented and applied well in two coats. I’m used to seeing dark blues that are of the navy variety, so this is a nice change of pace. The color isn’t jewel-toned like I would expect from the name and the theme of the collection; this is a more greyed, smoky, industrial shade. I paired this with Orly Poison Apple on my toes.

<3sarah

Picture taken in artificial light.  (This is one case where, in the absence of good sunlight, my artificial light photos turned out better than my natural light ones.)  Edit: I’ve replaced my original photo with a much better one taken in sunlight.  This is actually a completely new mani; the original popped clean off my nails after hours of cooking and washing up.  This applied well; for full coverage I first put down one thick coat, followed by a thinner second coat.  It’s hard to tell at a quick glance but there is small hexagonal glitter mixed in with the regular glitter.  Since the glitter is so dense, though, it all just blends together when looked at from a distance.  It’s great that this is able to reach opacity on its own, and with the dark base it almost looks like a layered mani.  Despite it being loaded with silver glitter, the gunmetal still comes through.  Best of all, it’s amazingly sparkly!  It’s perfect for getting me in the mood for awards season.  I paired this with Essie Over the Top on my toes.

<3sarah

Picture taken in natural light. (I’ve given up trying to photograph blurples accurately; they always turn out much bluer than in real life.) This applied well in two coats. I don’t think the name really matches the color. I picture a much truer blue when I think of sapphires. Regardless, it’s a very pretty and richly pigmented color. While this is a blurple, and it is very blue toned, I think this is actually one where the purple tones are more obvious. It’s quite dark but it has a certain element of dustiness that keeps it from looking pitch black.  I paired this with Color Club Rad Nomad on my toes.

<3sarah

Picture taken in sunlight.  This applied well in two coats.  This is a gorgeous, dark vampy color so it can be hard to tell the exact color at a quick glance.  In the light, however, the plummy tones become clear.  I love the vampy, sexy look of this polish, but admittedly I wanted it more for the name, since the color’s not really that unique.  Savile Row makes me think of bespoke suits, and I LOVE seeing men in well-tailored clothes.  I paired this with Sephora by OPI Dark Room on my toes.

<3sarah