SpaRitual Cherish Collection for Spring 2009, Part I

Good afternoon, Dear Reader!

Today I have a pleasant little surprise for you.  Last evening, my SpaRitual Cherish Collection showed up.  What good things it had in store for me!

It looks like a really good collection, with a few colors that are very SpaRitual and a couple of surprises as well.  Since the day is escaping from me, I deciding to post the collection in two parts.  You know I always like to save the best for last, Dear Reader, but today is the exception to that rule.  One of these is so good I just *had* to swatch it first, and so you get to see it today!

Let's get to the pics.  All are three coats over a base, and for the sake of tradition, I'll save my favorite of the three for last.

Adore is a soft pastel peach with a subtle silver shimmer.  Classic SpaRitual.

 

 

Treasure is a soft orange with a quiet gold shimmer, definitely a surprise color for Spring, but somehow with the shimmer it still looks very SpaRitual.

 

Are you ready for my favorite of the collection, Dear Reader?  It's called Delight, and indeed it is!  It's a dream come true - there now exists a green SpaRitual!  It's a pale minty green creme, and is just lovely.  It killed my lemming for the upcoming MAC completely.

 

Where did I get these, you ask?  I think you already know the answer to that... I get my SpaRituals from sparkling*nails on ebay, who will have these listed tomorrow.  The link is to a search for them, so as soon as they're up, you'll get to them through the link.  She also has Zoya, OPI, Essie, Precision, you name it, she's got it, and she ships free to the US and Canada for order of $100 or more.  The voice of experience here says that's easy to do in her store!  I'll have the other three swatched and posted for you to check out this weekend, Dear Reader, but if you want Delight (the green), I'd suggest you get it now and worry about completing an order later (sparkling*nails is patient if you email her).  My guess is that this one will go quickly.

On to your reminder about the sale at Nubar!  Skip this paragraph is you're a regular...

I'm going to keep reminding you of this for the next month, Dear Reader, just so no one misses out.  Don't forget that Nubar loves you, too!  Until March 31st, they have a coupon code that's good for 20% off orders of $50 or more on www.bynubar.com, and they have free shipping over $75 (after the coupon).  The code is nlphle2050, and it's here just in time for the release of their Coral and Cleopatra Collections, which just recently became available.  Also, I just found out it was Nubar's Pasadena Purple that was the featured color in the movie He's Just Not That Into You.  Pretty cool, huh?  Anyhow, have a good haul and enjoy a good break on the price! 

Until next time, Dear Reader, love and nail polish to you!

Subway Surfing with Coraline

Good afternoon, Dear Reader!

I bet you thought I forgot about you today, it's so late in the day without a post.  Never!  How could I ever forget you?

I finally got around to doing my nails today - I've been one busy nailphile lately!  I decided to try a mani that I had in my head when I first saw the Coraline Kit I at wowsocool's site.  What I had in mind was a gunmetal grey with the hot Psyche Pink stamp from plate CO1 ("O" being the letter, not the number, for the record), using the button & crossbones pattern on the nailbed and something else on the tips.  I was too overwhelmed my how cool the plates were yesterday to settle on the details, but managed to pick a mani today!

For the gunmetal, and largely for the name of this post, I selected Carolyn New York's Subway Surfing.  This is three coats over a base topped with one coat of SpaRitual Tout de Suite.

 

 

Then I waited a few minutes and used the Psyche Pink, also adding a small flower pattern to my tips.  Much to my glee, the pink is bold enough to show up on the deep grey.

 

 

That's Subway Surfing with Coraline, Dear Reader!  Pretty fun, I think.

Here's your daily reminder, which you're getting through March 31:

I'm going to keep reminding you of this for the next month, Dear Reader, just so no one misses out.  feel free to skip this paragraph if you're a regular!  Don't forget that Nubar loves you, too!  Until March 31st, they have a coupon code that's good for 20% off orders of $50 or more on www.bynubar.com, and they have free shipping over $75 (after the coupon).  The code is nlphle2050, and it's here just in time for the release of their Coral and Cleopatra Collections, which just recently became available.  Have a good haul and enjoy a good break on the price! 

That's all for today.  Until tomorrow, love and nail polish to you!

Coraline & Cotton Candy - What Could Be Better???

Good morning, Dear Reader!

I had the happiest mail day yesterday!  

First off, as I'm sure you figured out from the title, my Coraline Kit I showed up!  Whoo hoo!  If you don't know what I'm talking about, here it is - I preordered from wowsocool, my Konad place.   In it is a two-sided stamper, which I'm actually interested in trying; minis of Yellow, Psyche Pink, and Blue Pearl (the one I used today), all of which are colors I do not have and are seriously hot; a metal stamper, which I never mastered (I use the plastic one); and TWO OF THE COOLEST PLATES EVER!!!  I ended up just picking two patterns that would fit on my nails - I was overwhelmed with the possibilities!  If you click the link to wowsocool and then click on the images of the plates (CO1 and CO5, and incidentally, "O" is the letter, not the number) you'll see what I mean - it shows you the detail of them.  There are a bunch of images that will work across tips and a ton that will work on the nail bed, so my mind was just running.

So that was the Konad part.  The polish part - Barielles!  My Barielle Shades order showed up!  I got the new summer colors based on Scrangie's pics, which are spot-on.  They're online now, although I'd wager they'll show up in CVSs like the Winter colors did.  I really wanted to use the Blue Pearl Konad polish, so I picked one of the Summer Shades that I thought it would look good on, and selected Cotton Candy.  It's a really good mid-tone pink with a subtle-but-not-secret shimmer.  Very girly, and just perfect for my first Coraline mani!  Here she is.

 

 

That's the tale of yesterday's mail and today's Konadicure, Dear Reader!  I'm just as pleased as I can be with it!

I'm going to keep reminding you of this for the next month, Dear Reader, just so no one misses out.  Feel free to skip this paragraph if you're a regular...  Don't forget that Nubar loves you, too!  Until March 31st, they have a coupon code that's good for 20% off orders of $50 or more on www.bynubar.com, and they have free shipping over $75 (after the coupon).  The code is nlphle2050, and it's here just in time for the release of their Coral and Cleopatra Collections, which just recently became available.  For international shipping, just contact Nubar's customer service through the link on their site for a shipping quote and they'll see what they can do for you.  Have a good haul and enjoy a good break on the price! 

That's it for today, Dear Reader.  Until tomorrow, love and nail polish to you!

Orgasm Batteries Not Included

Good morning, Dear Reader!

Today I have another pretty for you from Orgasm Cosmetics, this time Batteries Not Included.  This is the second Orgasm polish I've used and I am seriously impressed with them!  Both have  a really glowy quality that even exceeds that of my beloved SpaRituals, and they also have that somewhat elastic quality on the nail like SpaRituals and Rescue Beauty Lounges.

This one is a fuchsia with a strong blue/fuchsia flash.  I used three thin coats, with the necessity of the last coat being questionable.  The pictures are with a base and top coat.

 

 

Pretty polish and funny name - what more can I ask for?  The names make me giggle while I blush!  I am really happy with them, and now that I've used the first two I got, will likely place an order for more.  I got them from Orgasm Cosmetics, and have given you a link if you want to check them out too.

One last thing - don't forget that Nubar loves you, too!  Until March 31st, they have a coupon code that's good for 20% off orders of $50 or more on www.bynubar.com, and they have free shipping over $75 (after the coupon).  The code is nlphle2050, and it's here just in time for the release of their Coral and Cleopatra Collections, which became available over the weekend.  Have a good haul and enjoy a good break on the price! 

That's what I have for you today, Dear Reader.  Until tomorrow, love and nail polish to you!

One More Konadicure & Good News for Our International Friends

Good morning, Dear Reader!

Today I have one more Konadicure and some good news for international folks.  I'll starts with the Konadicure and go from there.

Yesterday, I realized I'd never used China Glaze Cherish (from the Romantiques Collection) as the base for a mani, I'd only used it for the stamping.  I decided to correct that and used two coats of it.  Although the Romantiques go on with brush strokes, once they dry the brush strokes significantly diminish.  I then pulled out China Glaze Adore, from the same collection, and used it with plate S6 then plate M19 (to cover the gap at my tips), and I had my KOTD.  Here she is.

 

 

Now for the good news!  I got my Romantiques, and my China Glaze Summer Days (which I'm waiting for), from Trans Design (www.transdesign.com, linked on the right).  I was communication with them about their international shipping in recent days just as they were redesigning their site to offer First Class shipping for international orders, which costs way less than Priority.  It has some down sides, like no tracking and it's slower, but when I ship polish to my friends in other countries, I always use First Class and it's always gotten there safely.  I wanted to pass this on to our international friends since I know that sometimes the shipping of polish costs at least as much as the polish itself, but that's no longer true at Trans Design.

One last thing - don't forget that Nubar loves you, too!  Until March 31st, they have a coupon code that's good for 20% off orders of $50 or more on www.bynubar.com, and they have free shipping over $75 (after the coupon).  The code is nlphle2050, and it's here just in time for the release of their Coral and Cleopatra Collections, which became available over the weekend.  Have a good haul and enjoy a good break on the price! 

That's all for today, Dear Reader.  Until tomorrow, love and nail polish to you!

A Trio of Konadicures

Good morning, Dear Reader!

After all the swatches and plain colors I've shown you lately, I thought I'd show you the Konadicures I've done after my swatchfests.

For the first, I used two coats of Nubar Sphinx Purple as a base, then added a floral pattern from Konad plate M37, using FingerPaints Papier Mache for the stamping.  This is a picture of the finished manicure in the sun.

 

 

Next up is my Seahorse Konadicure, which made me giggle all day Friday.  It's two coats of Nubar Cayman Coral with the seahorse patterns from fauxnad plate C04, also using FingerPaints Papier Mache.

 

 

The last one really pleased me too, because it's the first time I've had the nerve to use this pattern.  It looked hard to center, which it was, but the Konadicure didn't turn out bad at all!  I started with Misa Blue over a Boy, and the pattern is from Konad plate M64.  I used blue Konad polish which I'd thinned for the pattern - I've found the thinning puts an end to smudging the pattern with top coat.

 

 

That's what I have for you today, Dear Reader.  

Don't forget - Nubar loves you, too!  Until March 31st, they have a coupon code that's good for 20% off orders of $50 or more on www.bynubar.com, and they have free shipping over $75 (after the coupon).  The code is nlphle2050, and it's here just in time for the release of their Coral and Cleopatra Collections, which became available last night.  Have a good haul, enjoy a good break on the price, and until tomorrow, Dear Reader, love and nail polish to you!

Nubar Loves You, Dear Reader!

Good evening, Dear Reader!

Nubar just contacted me with good news!  They're offering you 20% off orders of $50 or more at www.bynubar.com just in time for the release of the Cleopatra and Corals Collections, which are now up!

The code is nlphle2050 , and it's good through March 31.  Use it in good health, and until tomorrow, Dear Reader, love and nail polish to you!

Orgasm Dripping Wet

Good morning, Dear Reader!

I have something fun for you today - a new brand of nail polish!  The company is Orgasm Cosmetics, and this is the first time I've use one of their colors.  I must say, it is *specatular*!  The color is Dripping Wet, and it absolutely glows - my pictures don't do it justice, but they give you the idea.  It applied beautifully and is very well pigmented,  and this is three thin coats over a base with a top coat.  

 

 

Isn't that an amazing purple?  I got it from http://orgasmcosmetics.com/, if you're interested in checking it and their other colors out.  I love it!

That's what I have for you for now, Dear Reader.  Until next time, love and nail polish to you!

Nubar Coral Collection for Spring 2009

 

Good morning, Dear Reader!

I have more Nubar fun in store for you today.  Today we'll take a look at Nubar's second collection for Spring 2009, the Coral Collection.  Let's get right to the pictures!

Each is two coats (all were two coaters for me) over a base under artifical light, and I'll show them to you in the order that I swatched them, which is the order they're in the box.

Red Sea Coral is a true coral, and this one is the only shimmer in the collection.

  

Cayman Coral is a really hot coral creme.

  

Costa Rica Coral is a bit more subdued than Cayman Coral, and is also a creme.

 

Belize Coral is a true coral, more intense in color than Red Sea Coral, and is a creme.

 

Palau Coral is a vivid orange coral creme.

 

Amazon Coral is a vivid pink coral creme.

Caribbean Coral is the surprise in the bunch, inspired by purple coral, and is also a creme.

Finally, Cozumel Coral, which is another surprise: an orange coral jelly.

There you have it, Dear Reader - Nubar's Coral Collection.  I'm now told that these and the Cleopatra Collection will be available online at www.bynubar.com on Monday, and they offer free shipping over $75, so check out my other Nubar swatches and start filling your cart!  I swatched all of my Nubar is anticipation of these releases, so there's plenty for you to look at.  

One thing I noticed swatching the Corals was that in all the many Nubars I've used and swatched, I have yet to encounter a wonky brush - OPI needs to give Nubar a call and ask how to do a Big 3 Free formula that's opaque in two coats and where they get their brushes!

That's what I have for you today, Dear Reader.  Until tomorrow, love and nail polish to you!

Nubar Cleopatra Collection for Spring 2009

Good morning, Dear Reader!

Oh, what fun we'll have today!  I was so excited about these polishes that I tried to get them swatched for you last night, but I only got through four of the eight because I was too tired.  As soon as I woke up at 4:00 this morning, I decided to swatch the remaining four.  Since I was tired for half and groggy for half, these swatches do not represent my best application ever, but they show you the colors so I trust you'll forgive me.

Since I love Nubars and purple is my favorite color, I've been on the edge of my seat for this collection since I first saw a press release for it.  I got them late yesterday (along with the other collection Nubar has for us this Spring, Coral Collection, which I'll show you tomorrow), and I melted into a little puddle when I saw them.  Once I collected myself enough to assemble myself back into a solid, I started swatching immediately.  As I swatched these, I started a color and decided, "This is my favorite," moved on to the next, decided, "This is my favorite," and did that for the whole thing.  I've simply concluded that I cannot pick a favorite, so I'll show them to you in the order that I swatched them, which happens to be the reverse of the order they're boxed (I always swatch lightest to darkest).  Each is only two coats, which is a rarity for me since I do thin coats and most polishes require three, over a base under artificial light.

Here we go!

Pharaoah Purple is a somewhat greyed deep lavender creme.  Vote #1 for my favorite...

 

Isis Purple is a somewhat pinkish lavender creme.

 

Hieroglyphs Purple is a rich purple creme leaning to a berry shade.

 

Sphinx Purple is one that beats the heck out of the promo pictures.  It also leans to berry, but has such a strong shimmer it's just a little bit short of metallic.  It literally glows on the nail, and I don't think I did an adequate job of capturing that in my pictures.  It's definitely at least as good a glow as the SpaRitual glow I've raved about.

 

Pyramid Purple is a cross between a muted lavender and a royal purple - it lands right in the middle, and is a creme.

 

Here's where things started getting over-the-top with how cool they are (or else I'm just in fabulous purple polish overload!)  Nile Purple is a reddish purple with a fantastic sparkly shimmer.

 

Cooler yet is Toga Purple, which is a true deep purple, but again with an amazing shimmer. 

 

The grand finale is the blurple to end all blurples: Passionate Purple.  It's a deeply colored blue purple, but the far from black.  It's distinctly blurple and sparkly on the nail in normal lighting.

 

Obviously (and predictibly), I'm a huge fan of this collection.  What I've found especially exciting about it is the shimmers - we've known for quite some time that Nubar can do fabulous cremes and duochromes, but these shimmers are seriously exceptional.  What I find exciting about that is the potential for what they'll be giving us in the future - if they have this kind of a handle on shimmers now, the limits of what we'll be seeing from Nubar seem boundless!

As I mentioned in passing above, Nubar has also given us another collection this Spring, the Coral Collection.  After swatching this one, I'm really excited to see what the other one holds, and I will have that one for you tomorrow.  Both collections will be available within the next week from Nubar's site, www.bynubar.com.  Nubar offers free shipping over $75.00, and in anticipation of these collections, I've swatched all of the Nubars I have for you.  If you just select the label Nubar from the drop-down box on the upper right of the page, you'll get all of those posts.  I did a five-part series on their duochromes (which realistically could have been much longer!) as well as many of their other collections, in case you want to do a major haul and take advantage of the free shipping.

That's what I have for you today, Dear Reader!  Until tomorrow, love and nail polish to you!