Hare Polish: Rococo Grandeur

Happy New Years Eve!

Well, I think this shade is pretty festive, if not quite what you would expect for a New Years manicure. I bought this polish during the Cyber Monday (or maybe it was Black Friday) sale on Llarowe's page. I made it a point to buy only brands that I haven't tried before, so Hare Polish is new to me. I like how this turned out. Rococo Grandeur is a delicate pale blue creme with pink and gold glitter:

Rococo Grandeur: semi shade

Close up!!

I'm SUCH a sucker for a close up. I just think that polishes like this look SO cool. I even like doing closeups of cremes, I'm getting pretty silly about it honestly!
So, what do I think? Well, formula wise it's okay. Because it's a glitter, it was thicker than usual. No problem. Because its a pastel, I had a little streaky-ness. Those two things added together made for not as smooth application as usual, but nothing difficult. I really like the end result of this, so working extra doesn't bother me. I hope you like this one!
Be safe and have a Happy New Year!

A Look Back at the 2013 Philadelphia Eagles

Hey Everyone!

I meant to make this post yesterday, but got a bit caught up in chores and swatching polishes, but today is still a great day for this post.
I know this is mainly a nail polish blog, but it DOES have Philly in the name, and I feel like I would be really remiss if I didn't talk about the Eagles and their win over Dallas, giving us the division championship, which we haven't earned since 2012! I'm so proud to be a Philadelphia fan, I love my teams and city. I wanted to make a post dedicated to some great moments and some stats and facts about the Eagles from this year. I'll also post a nail post later today :)

I think it's fitting to start with a picture of Chip Kelly, our new head coach. This was his first year in the NFL, and while he was great in Oregon, some people weren't sure if his success would translate to the NFL.
I would like to say unbiasedly that it did. Our offense was explosive and somewhat unpredictable. We were able to utilize McCoy and Jackson (more on them in a second) better than we have in the past few years and I  have a feeling Kelly played a role in that.
I also want to say that I'm very happy that Andy Reid found success in Kansas City. I'm thrilled that the Chiefs have done as well as they have this year, and I truly do think Reid is a great head coach. I think both teams just needed some new blood.

Did you know that Nick Foles had the best passer rating in the NFL this year, with 119.2? His touchdowns to interceptions ratio, 27 to 2 was not only the best this year, but the best in NFL history.
Did you know that Nick Foles is 24 years old, and this is just his second season in the NFL? While he did play for us last year, he was able to step up into the starting QB position and handle that pressure beautifully. Granted, he was put into that position because of an injury to Vick, but he was later named starter over Vick, even though Vick had recovered from his hamstring injuries.
This picture of Foles happens to be from the Raiders game, where he threw 7 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. He is 1 of only 3 QBs to ever do that. No pressure Foles, but I'm really hoping you can be the start of something fantastic for us. Also, you thanked the punter after your win in Dallas. You're awesome.

Shady! McCoy, you had an amazing year. McCoy not only beat Phildelphia's team record for rushing, he also beat everyone else with 1,607 yards! The last Eagles RB to earn that was Steve Van Buren in 1949.
I love watching Shady play (I have his jersey!), he dekes and always seems to find a hole to run through. I like this picture of Shady best, jumping over a Lion. That entire game was an absolute BLAST to watch. I was yelling and screaming and my dogs were going insane, but that's okay! I hope Shady stays healthy, because he is definitely one of the best RBs in the league, and my favorite player to watch.

 You know, I HATE the Philadelphia media. When it comes to a city whose sports writers love to beat a team or person when they're down, Philly can't be beat. They love to focus on a player and harp and beat on them until the player probably feels like a piece of trash (I'm looking at you, Bryz). I absolutely despise our hockey beat writers, and I don't find our football coverage to be much better.
That said, Jackson is growing on me, despite what Philly media would want me to think. He's matured significantly from a few seasons ago, when his play was affected by his poor attitude about his contract. He's got a ways to go, but he's showing he can grow, in my opinion. Stats wise, he did quite well this year with 1332 receiving yards, which was 9th in league. I think we have a lot more to see from him.

Hey Boykin, nice to see you here on my post! Boykin had the second highest number of interceptions in the league this year, with 6. I was planning on using this picture anyway, but it fits here, because this is a shot of Boykin after the game ending interception against the Cowboys. I want to take that moment, bake it into cake and savor the absolute deliciousness of it. Figures that the Cowboys would choke at the end, even without Romo.


Something else I want to say, with the exception of the Cowboys game, our O line has looked alright this year. I like Kelsey and of course, Peters. I'm hoping we'll see some improvement in the game against the Saints this Saturday.

Here are some other great moments:

Winning the NFC East Championship

Foles and Cooper celebrating after one of seven touchdowns against the Raiders

Any time we beat the Giants is a happy moment for me. This is Celek with a 4th quarter TD

Avant and McCoy celebrate during Redskins game

This picture was taken during the first game of the season against the Redskins. We won that game, showing that we were a team that can succeed, and also showing that Chip Kelly was worthy of being a head coach in the NFL.

I enjoyed going through the pictures on the Eagles website (that's where I got most of these) and looking through this season again. I hope we can go far in the playoffs, but I'm really proud that we got there. Fly Eagles, Fly!

Serum No. 5: Burning Orchid

 Happy Saturday!

I've got a glow in the dark top coat today, and I'm pretty excited about it. Very, actually. This sent me into more squealing fests in the bathroom haha.
I'd been waiting on purchasing Burning Orchid for awhile, but it was sold out. Once I got an email notification saying it was back in stock, I rushed to grab it. Woo hoo!

I've got 3 coats over Atomic Brain on the left, and just a picture of Atomic Brain on the right so you can see how this looks on. It adds a milky glaze to whatever you put it over. Formula is good, not exceptionally perfect, but it builds up and doesn't have any goopy weirdness to it. You can build it, but I personally don't like what it looks like by itself. To each their own though! But bonus, it glows, and it's a blue glow too!

I took the second picture after I stood out in the sun for a minute or so, so the glow is a bit stronger. I'm such a sucker for a glow in the dark polish, it gets me all kinds of excited. Squealing in the dark in the bathroom is such a strange, silly experience.
I bought this on Serum No. 5's website! Hope you enjoy glow in the darks as much as I do!! 

Merry Christmas! Water Marbling!

Hi Everyone!
Happy Holidays! I haven't had a chance to post for the past few days, I've been busy eating myself into oblivion! Haha!
A few days ago I decided to try water marbling for the first time. I did a green and red marble for Christmas. Here are the results!

I have closeups and thoughts after the jump!

Five ways: 5 Nice Shades of Red

Hi and Happy Monday!

It's happy for me since I don't have to work today, and for the next few weeks! I guess that's a perk of working for a university, right?
I enjoy doing 5 ways posts, and I figured I'd do one with some red polishes to get everyone in the mood for Christmas. I picked red based on finish and how much I liked them. Here they are:

The polishes are:

Thumb: Zoya Rekha , creme, 2 coats
Index: OPI Danke-Shiny Red, metallic, 2 coats
Middle: Butter London Chancer, glitter, 2 coats
Ring: China Glaze Elfin Around, foil, 1 coat
Pinky:  Zoya Sarah, sparkle, 2 coats

I've got closeups and thoughts after the jump!

Zoya Holly: A Festive Green!

Hello Everyone!

Quick Post today. I was looking for that perfect "holly green" and I found it in Zoya's Holly. Take a look:

Holly: Sunlight

Holly: Shade

Holly: Up Close!

I enjoy these closeup shots, because you can really get a good idea about what a formula looks like when you can see it up close, I think! This has a metallic finish and it's nicely opaque in two coats. It's quite shiny on its own, I didn't put a top coat on this to show the shine. No issues on the formula to report.

I purchased this polish on Zoya's webpage. Happy Holidays!

Zoya Timo

Hello Everyone!

Happy Friday!! And this is the Friday before a long break for us. I imagine that might be the same for a lot of people, so I'm sure there's a lot of happy campers out there :)

I've got a quick review of Timo from Zoya today. I bought their 12 pack holiday set, and I noticed that Timo wasn't on the website. I didn't see a lot of reviews on it, so I figured I would review it in case anyone is looking for some pictures of it. Here she is:

Timo: semi shade

Timo: full shade

I didn't notice this when I was taking the pictures, but my middle cuticle is pretty stained, isn't it? I decided not to take any other pictures of this because I think it's helpful to see that the polish stains a bit. I didn't notice bad staining on the nail bed, but it definitely stains your skin, quickly.
Formula on this is slightly thick for a creme. Zoya usually has a top notch creme formula, this one is a bit thicker than usual.
I love the stormy blue color of this. It's dark, but it never looks black, even in the shade. It's perfect for winter. I don't have any colors like this, so I'm happy to have it.
Thanks for checking this out, and have a great Friday!

Serum No. 5: Sunset Flare

Happy Wednesday!

Half way through the week, then I'll have a few weeks off for winter break. Yay! Just a few more days :)

So, I've got a nice one today! Another multi functioning polish from Serum No. 5! Check out Sunset Flare!

This shot captures this very well, because it's an orange shifting pink. What, is a shifting polish not enough for ya? There's a surprise with this one after the jump!

OPI Meep Meep Meep

Hi Everyone,

Quick post today! I've got an interesting take on a Christmas red for you. This is more of a sparkly raspberry, so it's great for someone that doesn't like to wear a "stark" red. While this came out in 2011 in a Christmas collection, I don't mind wearing this year round. It's a nice toe color:

I've got three coats of Meep on. This looks slightly pinker in person, but I think this is a fairly accurate representation. It's hard to describe the finish on this one. It's a glittery jelly hybrid, I guess. I love the individual shimmer in this. Formula on this is good, a tad sheer but it builds nicely.

I purchased this at Ulta.

What reds do you like to wear for Christmas? Speaking of that, I'll be putting a 5 ways with red polishes for Christmas soon!

Femme Fatale: Lunar Halo

Good Morning!

My friend Kevin bought this next one for me (hi Kevin!) awhile ago, but I wanted to swatch this one because its a really sparkly, feminine neutral. It's neutral with a kick, I think. It's from Femme Fatale, so you know it's going to be sparkly, and I'm probably going to love it! Lunar Halo is a peachy/beige base with iridescent blue and green glitter:

I've got 1 coat of Lunar Halo over Zoya Pandora on my index finger and on the rest, three coats of Lunar Halo on its own. Putting it over a base adds some depth to it, but I think you can go both ways on this one. I've got more up close pictures after the jump!

Model's Own: Absinthe and Pinky Brown

Good morning!

I order two Model's Own polish from Ninja Polish recently. Pinky Brown is old (new to me) and Absinthe is from their holiday collection from this year. Here are the pictures:

I've got more pictures and thoughts on the formulas after the jump!

Paula Dorf Swatches: Model and Blue-tiful

Happy Friday!

Christmas is almost here. Can you believe it?? I don't feel like I'm ready, but it always seems to rush up on  me :)

Today I've got a new to me brand today, Paula Dorf. I found these at TJ Maxx, but a quick Google search tells me that they're available in trios on Dermstore here. Anyway, on to the pictures and reviews:

I've got more pictures and thoughts after the jump.

Marc Jacobs: Petra

Hi Everyone! Happy Thursday!

I've got Petra today from Marc Jacobs. I bought this back in Sephora's sale and did a comparison of it here. I'll show you what it looks like on all of my fingers (lol) and go from there:

Petra - Low Lighting

Petra - Partial Light/Shade

Petra - Sunlight

 I like the way this looks out in full blown sun. It has more of a purple cast to it there. This wavers on almost being too frosty for me, but luckily its more of a foil than frost. Honestly, it's not a frost in finish, but it can look like that in certain light. Formula on this is nice. I've got two coats on for these pictures. But, for a polish this expensive, it's not something I'd be really writing back home about. The color is unique though, I don't have anything quite like it. I've been wearing it on my toes, and it's a nice fall shade.

I purchased this at Sephora. Thanks for stopping by!

Christmas Nails: OPI Magazine Cover Mouse and Crown Me Already!

Hump Dayyy! Yeah, sorry, when I walked into work this morning a coworker and I were kinda shouting that down the hall. Good times.

So! Are you ready for the break? Have you finished all of your shopping? Have you started yet? I know people that shop on the night before Christmas, but that's probably too stressful for me. I've gotten a lot of mine done, just a few more things left to do. I've got a sparkle red and silver manicure today to try and get in the spirit. Here it is!

I tried to do a bit of a glitter gradient. This is my first try at it. I think it looks pretty cute. I had someone ask me how much it cost to get my nails done. Hopefully they weren't going to follow up with, "well, you paid too much"! Haha! But I like to experiment and hopefully this turned out alright! I love the combination of the "gritty" sand finish with the sparkly glitter on top.

Hope you're doing well, and have a great day! Thanks for looking!

OPI Casino Royale

Before we get into polish today, I want to talk about how much fun I had watching the Eagles/Lions game yesterday. It was a classic snow bowl kind of day, and while it took us a bit to get our rhythm, I'm so happy to say that we crushed them and took the lead for the NFC East (for now! Go Bears!). I love a good snow bowl, and I have to say Shady was looking amazing, breaking our rushing record. Go Eagles! (I don't talk about them as much, so I'm very happy to say that I watched the game [we rarely get Eagles games where I am] and enjoyed watching us win!)

Speaking of classics, I've got a classic fall shade for today.

OPI released this last year with their James Bond collection. Apparently this was worn in the movie Casino Royale? Well, that's cool! Cool fact, I once stayed in a hotel in Japan that was featured in a James bond movie. I never did try to find it.. Maybe that's something I can do over the holidays!

So for today, Casino Royale:

Please excuse my poor cuticles. The air has been so dry lately, I always have a transitional period with my skin when winter comes around.

I like the background on this picture. I think I'll use that more often..

I love a classic creme like this, and I think OPI is really good at these. It's a tiny bit patchy, though. It's not too thick or too thin. I really do like these kinds of colors for fall..

You can still purchase this on Amazon!

Serum No. 5: Acai of Relief

Hi Again!

This is my first time trying Serum No. 5's polish, and I'm pretty excited about it! I purchased a few of their polishes last week, and when my package came in the mail I did a little jump lol. I kinda feel like I did when I was a kid and I'd get a letter or card in the mail, you know? Something else about Serum No. 5 that I didn't know when I bought my polishes is that every month they donate 20% of the profits of all lacquers sold to various charities. I really like that!

So today I have Acai of Relief, a blue purple duochrome. That sounds kinda boring on paper, but it looks pretty cool!  First, an indoor shot. This is what it looks like in the bottle too:

But when you step outside..

Different Dimension: Orbital

Hi and Happy Friday!

I've actually got a great memory of this next nail polish. I actually wore this one while I was getting my scuba certification! A friend of mine was looking at my nails and said they looked like little galaxies, so I think Different Dimension nailed it (no pun intended, I promise!). Here is Orbital:

This is a blue, pink, purple and teal hex glitter. I've got this layered over one coat of a black polish. It's mostly buildable on it's own, but I prefer to layer it, as its less thick and a bit easier to handle this way, as it's a grey jelly base. It's a little bit bumpy, even with a top coat. I like this one a lot, it really does look like a mini galaxy on the nail. 

I bought this on Different Dimension's Etsy page. Have a great weekend!

Femme Fatale Galaxis Shards

Before I talk about polish, I just want to say go Flyers, I'm glad you won on a nationally televised game (hoooraayyy) even if you won against a very injured team, a win is a win. And go Cooter for getting like, 4 points in the game. Okay!

I've got another Femme Fatale today!
I really love these polishes, they're always glitter packed and interesting to look at. Today I have Galaxis Shards. I vaguely remember a galaxis shard from WoW in the Burning Crusade xpac. I think it was something you got in Hellfire Peninsula. Here's Galaxis Shards!:

This is 2 coats of Galaxis Shards over China Glaze Immortal and 1 coat of China Glaze's Fast Forward. Galaxis Shards actually has a gray jelly base to it, which is why I chose to layer this over a gray, rather than a black. I like the murky look a gray gives this, but I think this would also look great over black! This one isn't as glitter packed as some of the other FF's I've worn, but that's definitely not a bad thing, just something to note.

I purchased this on Color4Nail's website. They've got a great selection of Femme Fatale polishes, and they ship here in the US.

I took a bunch of pictures of this, so I'll post a few of them after the jump if you care to see more. I didn't want these to go to waste!

Sephora X - Law of Attraction

Hi!

I got a macro lens for my camera, so I had a really good time taking dorky close up pictures and sending them to my friends this weekend! They like to indulge me and say it's pretty cool, so thanks for being good friends :)
Today I have another Sephora X polish, this is one from their Sparklers line, called Law of Attraction. This is described as a champagne with 3D blue glitter. The glitter is actually much more blue in person, on Sephora's website it looks almost purple. Take a look:

My camera wasn't really crazy about this one, so it's looking pretty blurry, isn't it? I've got some close ups and a blue/gold combination after the jump!

Five Ways to Wear: Honey Rainbow Lunairetic

Here's the post!

I liked the last 5 ways to wear that I posted, so I think I'm going to do these kinds of posts more often. They're a good way to kind of challenge myself, because I'm not very creative at all, so I'm stepping a bit out of my logical mindset and trying new things this way.
So today, I have Honey Rainbow's Lunairetic. I love this one, it looks like Mardi Gras in a bottle to me. Don't ask me why I think that, because I've never actually seen Mardi Gras :) Well, here we go!

 The base colors are:

Thumb - OPI GoldenEye (3 coats)
Index - OPI Casino Royale (2 coats)
Middle - China Glaze First Class Ticket (2 coats)
Ring - China Glaze Blue Years Eve (3 coats)
Pinky - Sephora Formula X Hyped (3 coats)

I've got some macro shots of each after the jump! Love me a good macro shot..

NOTD: Honey Rainbow Lunairetic

Short post tonight!

I've got Honey Rainbow's Lunairetic for this week. I'm going to post a five ways to wear for this polish, but I just wanted to show what I'm wearing on my nails!

I like burgundy and gold combination here! I'll post details on this tomorrow!

Also, go Flyers! Well, we're looking a bit sluggish tonight, and we're down two goals in the 3rd. I'm not sure we'll be able to pull it off this time!

Seche Enchantment and Uplifting

Hello Again!

I hope you all had a nice restful holiday, if you're in the States! Mine was pretty good. We didn't cook this year, which is a bit odd but it was much more relaxing than usual. I went out to my local Philly bar last night and watched the Flyers win in a shootout (!!), so I was pretty happy to see that.

Onto polish! I ordered these along with some Christmas gifts last week and decided to swatch them today. I've never used Seche's colors, so these were new to me. I've got Enchantment and Uplifting, both of which are purple (surprise surprise!):

Enchantment

Uplifting

Both of these are two coats. My thoughts:

I started off loving Enchantment's formula, but the more I used it, the more I hated it. It's so thick and hard to work with, though it's pretty opaque. You might be able to get away with 1 coat, but I had such a baldy goopy mess, I put another coat on and evened it out that way. I do like the color, but it's not all that unique, so it may not be worth the trouble. I'll definitely thin this out next time. I wasn't enchanted, I guess (sorry for the pun, couldn't resist).

Uplifting was great, formula wise, definitely not too thick like Enchantment. It's opaque for a foil/metallic, though I used two coats. I see some silver in the bottle, but it doesn't translate much on the nail. I like this one, but I have a feeling I have something similar. I was hoping there would be a bit more silver in this one, to make it more unique. I do like the color though!

I purchased both of these at Head2Toe beauty. I've also seen Seche in Ulta. Thanks for stopping by!