Shifty

Colour-shifty!  For these chromatic rainbow nails (if your definition of a rainbow includes mostly greens, blues and purples) I brushed on five Polish Me Silly multi-chromes, layering them lightly along their edges in a kind of vertical gradient.  The blended effect works best on my middle finger where the two polishes I used are slight tonal variations on each other, but I think this very mermaidy-looking mani is pretty cool, straight across the (modified) rainbow spectrum.

From index to pinkie (and left to right in the photo below) I used Polish Me Silly’s multi-chromatic Dreamer, Obsession and Paradise, and duo-chromes Guilty Pleasure and Holy Shift.

A Full-On Monet

Bahahahaha! Okay, so I don’t know what happened with this manicure here, my attempt at layers of delicate climbing flowers, but to quote the great Cher Horowitz, it’s a full-on Monet (that means at a distance it looks all right, but up close it’s a big old mess.) Hagsville, as Christian would then snottily sneer. All right, so perhaps not Hagsville – this manicure is still pretty, it’s just a touch messy and a whole lot ill-defined. It happens, particularly when you’re trying to cram a too-complicated design into the day’s final remaining hour of photo-friendly sunlight. In summary, don’t rush things, and, as always, Clueless is awesome.

Soap Bubbles

In case you were wondering what kind of nail art I’ve planned to do with all of the new Polish Me Silly multi-chromes I’ve recently acquired, here’s the first idea that came to mind – soap bubbles! The colour-shiftiness of the polishes – here Obsession, Paradise and Dreamer – make for the most perfect iridescent bubbles, to which I added a tiny little hit of holographic sparkle (Enchanted Polish’s Rainbow Juice (With Pulp)) along the outer edges of the bubbles.

This manicure is SO pretty in really real life, but it’s doing that thing where it’s not so pretty in photographs. That’s usually how I know I’ve hit on something good – if my mani’s being a difficult twit, it’s solid gold. 😉

Legacy

Okay, so we had to come to one of these Polish Me Silly multi-chromes that I’m not completely spun for eventually.  Might as well be the one the colour of Clark Griswold’s station wagon – the non-wood paneled parts, that is – a shade identified as either Electric Pea or Electric Pee.  And as it turns out, both are pretty apt descriptors for this polish!

Legacy is one of those polishes that regrettably presents as completely different in photography than in real life, a difference that spills over into the slightly misleading photos of Legacy on Polish Me Silly’s website, which show a cool-toned yellow foil that shifts across lush shades of grass green and sea blue.  Legacy’s reality is actually a brassy, greenish-gold frost that reminds me of the colour my 13-year-old brunette locks turned the summer I discovered Sun-In (to paraphrase a line from Buffy, in every generation there is one…who will so ignorantly and horribly damage her hair with bleach, it’s lucky she didn’t burn every follicle straight off her scalp.)  Its colour-shifting effect is also nearly totally non-existent, and displays nowhere near the sparkling yellow-to-sky blue range as shown in its photos.

But no mind (or little mind), Legacy is exactly the kind of polish that I will find endless uses for.  That’s the way it always works with me.  Hand me something gorgeous and I’ll use it a couple of times a year, but hand me a polish the colour of baby poo and I’ll find a way to work it into every manicure I do for the next year and a half.

But aside from my ability to turn lemons into lemonade here, Legacy is just not on par with that of its Mega Multichrome collection mates.  Legacy applies nicely, with that same phenomenal liquid satin-type feel as its sister polishes, but it dries down to a too-streaky frost finish that highlights every single imperfection in and about your nails, including ones you didn’t even know you had. That combined with the colour mis-fire makes this one Legacy I’m not terribly keen on continuing.

Obsession

Guess who might be a wee bit obsessed with Polish Me Silly’s Mega Multichrome polishes? Yup, this person! So how fortunate that the name of the third such polish I’m featuring this calendar week is Obsession, right? Because I’m feeling quite strongly about these polishes.

As in they’re fantabulous, and I want to immediately snap up all that I haven’t already purchased (which is actually not very many, sadly/not sadly for my wallet.) Obsession is a particularly lovely addition to the collection, shifting gorgeously between dark purple, jade green, turquoise, denim blue and a heathery kind of purple that I always refer to as “chemical haze.” So freakin’ beautiful.

I also don’t feel like I’ve harped on enough about the formula of these multi-chrome polishes, which is, across every single one of these lacquers, universally awesome. Like painting your nails with satin is how I recently described it, and that description stands. It’s very lush, very plush and applies like a dream about shiny rainbow things.

Huge recommendation on these polishes. Get yours at Polish Me Silly.

Bath Time Experimentin’: A Mini Lush Review

Ooh, sounds dirty!  Or possibly like I’m trying to create cold fusion in my tub.  But actually, I’m testing out another fun, super colourful bath bomb from Lush, this time the vibrantly-hued (and popping candy-filled!) Experimenter.

The Experimenter, another vegan, baking soda-and-essential oils-infused bath ballistic (that’s what folks from the UK sometimes call bath bombs; badass, right?) is a relatively new addition to Lush’s line of bath bombs.  At $8.95 (Canadian) a piece, these single use bath bombs are one of Lush’s pricier products, although the expense is offset somewhat by the sheer size of these colourful buggers.  As in they’re gigantic, and weighty.  I actually wish there was a way to break this bomb in two without destroying the cool rainbow effect that results from the fuchsia, turquoise, white and gold bits blending together.

But as it went, this entire bomb hit the tub and began merrily zipping about, shooting off bubbly, mica-dusted rainbows with every zig and zag.  And it did that for a full seven minutes. When I finally said enough was enough and climbed into the tub, there was still a little chunk of pink and blue bomb crackling away contentedly behind me.  So I guess in this case size really does matter?

But before that, the Experimenter put on quite the impressive show, dancing merrily about my tub, swirling in and in and in on itself until the resulting bath art looked a lot like tubby time with Monet.

In terms of function separate and apart from its big, colourful show, the Experimenter does a terrific job.  My skin was nicely moisturized and so soft after my bath, with nary a hint of lingering greasiness.  In fact, while I was soaking and floating, I took the opportunity to see if, with the benefit of lots of slippery oils, I could wrench my wedding and engagement rings off my left hand, and I could!  And that’s something I haven’t been able to do in years (in case you’re wondering, there’s nothing funny going on here between Mr. Finger Candy and I.  Rather, I’d like to take advantage of my building’s indoor pool this summer, and I’d prefer it if I could NOT destroy two of my most cherished possessions with chlorine while I’m at it.)

Two small drawbacks to this bath bomb are its smell (an earthy, unidentifiably woodsy scent other users either love or hate; I was mostly indifferent towards it) and the colour of the resulting bathwater, a brackish, putty brown that looks like you’ve been mudding tiles instead of taking a bath.  It’s pretty unpleasant, even shimmering prettily with golden mica dust.

All told, though, this was a fun little bath time experiment (wah wah) that I could – and will! – justify again as a nice treat.  All in the name of scientific advancement, right?! 😉

Millennipost

I was about to start this post – my 1,000th! – with something trite like, “Hard to believe, eh?” but I’m retracting that, because I can totally believe it!  I was here for all 1,000 posts, and they didn’t just magically compose themselves out of thin air.  This blog is the product of a lot of hard – but so fun – daily work and I’m tremendously proud of all that I’ve built up over the past two and a half years.

I recently read that the failure rate for blogs is on par with that of opening a restaurant. That means roughly 90 percent of bloggers tap out within the first three months to a year of start-up.  It’s an approximate number born out by my own experience – with the exception of a handful of lovely followers (oh, how I loathe that term; no cult leader am I) that have, to my great delight and wonderment, made this blog one of their second virtual homes, most readers come and go within six months.

So how have I persisted while others have already closed up (or abandoned) shop?

1. It sounds like a real no-brainer, but centre your blog around something you feel passionately about. It doesn’t particularly matter if what you feel passionately about is animal welfare or world politics or poetry or nail art or constructing elaborate miniature dioramas of the Globe Theatre populated entirely by hamsters in velveteen period costumes – if it holds your interest and you’re having fun sharing that interest with others, you’ll blog to do precisely that.

2. Don’t take shit from others.  I’ve learned that the act of blogging – particularly silly old beauty blogging – is a lightning rod for some people to tell you how and why you’re wasting your life and bandwidth.  The me of years’ back probably would have folded pretty quickly under the critical gaze of others, but the me of today refuses to be chased away from something she loves because it doesn’t look like someone else’s definition of a “proper” undertaking.  Don’t allow your blogging efforts to be derailed by a judgmental few.

3. Never stop learning.  Whether it’s keeping abreast of the latest updates to your blogging platform, learning new techniques, teaching yourself relevant computer programs, trying out new products and vendors or whatever the heck aligns with your blog, never stop trying to understand the (virtual) world around you.  Keep things fresh and interesting and it’s something you’ll want to return to every day.

4. Get involved in the community.  Blogging does not occur in a vacuum.  Cultivate online (and maybe even real life) friendships with like-minded bloggers and you’ll come to think of your online space as more than just a place for you to dump your random thoughts.

And to that end,

5. Have something to say.  Or do or display or demonstrate or show off or any one of the other thousands of action-oriented verbs in the English language.  Using your blog as a public diary can be cathartic, sure, and I’m not trying to diminish the importance of getting your thoughts out in the world and off your mind, but in terms of blog sustainability, we all eventually run out of things to say (just not apparently me.)  Tying your blog and your writing to some other product you’ve created gives you a built-in subject, and a jumping off point for other tangential discussions (it’s how I get away with talking about The Lost Boys every 27th post.)

So there, some hopefully wise words of blogging advice from an old timer who’s been there, done that, forgotten how the stupid saying actually goes.  As always, thank you to the enthusiastic supporters (that’s so much better than “follower,” right?) who always have a kind and friendly word, and who make this space such a fun and enjoyable place to call MY second home.  Here’s to the next 1,000!

 

Mermaid in Paradise

Happy Saturday, friends!  We made it to the weekend – time to celebrate with some gorgeous (and so simple) nail art featuring a couple of fun (and new-to-me) beauty products.

For these very mermaid-y nails, I first brushed on two smooth coats of Polish Me Silly’s multi-chromatic Paradise, a purple-to-turquoise-to-periwinkle colour-shifter, and topped them with one coat of Seche Vite.

Paradise, another stunning lacquer from Polish Me Silly’s universally gorgeous line of Mega Multichromes, is so unbelievably beautiful, I would have been content to leave it just as-is, but then I remembered the mother of pearl-type shell stickers I purchased from Daily Charme some months back, and the idea for this marvelously mariney mani took shape.

The stickers themselves come on one small adhesive sheet.  Made from real shells, the colour-shifting, iridescent stickers are finely scored in a delicate diamond pattern, which allows them to adhere neatly and firmly to your nails, exactly like a nail appliqué.

For this manicure, I eyeballed the approximate size of my index and pinkie nails (parts of my anatomy I am more familiar with than others, true) and then cut out a corresponding “nail strip” with a pair of super sharp manicure scissors.  Then, carefully removing the paper from the adhesive backing, I laid the stickers down on my nails and gently pressed them into place before trimming off the excess material along the tips of my nails. So easy!  So beautiful!

SO DELICATE.  No, really, these shell stickers are gorgeous and can take a lot of back-and-forth, but what they cannot handle AT ALL is soap.  Anything harsh or abrasive, I’m assuming, which is why I naturally decided to forgo the topcoat.  But I really wasn’t expecting them to fall apart during the gentlest of hand-washings (I always wash my hands before taking pictures of my manicures.)  If you look at the right edge of my index finger, you can see the small tear that opened up in the sticker.  It’s not the biggest deal, particularly as the polish under the sticker is of the same colour-bendiness as the sticker itself, but something to be aware of – manis involving these shell stickers may not be in it for the long haul.  Definitely a one-and-done nail art accessory.

Otherwise, I am so impressed with both these stickers and, of course, another fabulous pick from Polish Me Silly.  Such an awesome, easy look, and 100 percent mermaid-approved.  You know Ariel would dig on the shells. 😉

 

Gecko Green

Here at the tail end of Earth Day (at least according to my time zone; WordPress Standard Time is telling me we’ve already moved on to the 23rd) I thought it would be appropriate to showcase a polish I recently picked up that reminds me so much of nature – either the skin of a gecko (hence the title of this post) or indeed, the lush blues and greens of planet Earth.

This is Polish Me Silly’s Dreamer, a multi-chromatic colour changer from their Mega Multichrome line.  These polishes are so gorgeous, both in terms of colour shift and formulation (they glide onto your nails like satin) I don’t understand how they fly under the radar like they do.  There should be mad rushes on these polishes, wailing and lamentation in the streets by frustrated would-be shoppers (actually, no, I can totally do without the lamentation; I detest the “ninja fast” approach to online shopping.)

But luckily for you and I, Polish Me Silly doesn’t seem to engage in those sorts of retail shenanigans, and there’s lots of these gorgeous multi-chromatic lacquers to go around. And Dreamer is just the most beautiful and unique addition to the line, a rich chromatic that morphs from grass green, to jade, to turquoise, to navy and then back again.

The bottle I’ve shown in these photos is a generously sized mini and retails for $7.50 US. All of Polish Me Silly’s lacquers are actually available in mini sizes, which gives you the option of trying out a whole handful of terrific polishes without total investment in a full size bottle.  You can find Polish Me Silly’s fantastic lacquers on their Etsy site here, and you can also always browse around my archives and see some of the fun looks I’ve come up with using Polish Me Silly’s multi-chromes and more!

Earth Day

Happy Day, Mother Earth.  Or as Will Smith said in THE most patriotic movie ever committed to film, “Welcome to Earf!”