Category Archives: duochrome

Models Own Tropical Sun

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I remember when I swapped for my bottle of Sally Hansen Turquoise Opal. It was only 3/4 full, but I wanted it so badly that I swapped one of my less-loved OPI DS holos for it. I was so ecstatic when I finally got it in the mail, and then I wore it and I was slightly disappointed. Granted, I wore it over something completely stupid instead of a staple like black, but still. There’s a photo of it a verrrrrrrry long time ago on my blog. Don’t look at it. You’ll laugh at me.

There were also so many duochromes coming out around that time (still are, actually) that I fell out of love with my bottle. It’s like my relationship with crackles; super love it at first, and then everyone else does it and I have to break up with that finish for a while. A “break,” if you will. (Though my break with crackles is on indefinite hiatus.)

I blame the rekindling of my duochrome romance on Scrangie. I’m sure I’m not alone when I say that that dastardly woman creates lemmings for just about every nail polish I’ve ever seen.

This is the second and last duochrome I purchased from the newer Models Own Beetlejuice collection.

This is two coats of Models Own Tropical Sun over Dior Lucky. This is an orange to gold duochrome that leans mainly orange, with sparse, tiny pieces of glitter scattered throughout. Some people don’t like the tiny glitter, but I think it’s way cute. Sometimes it leans ever so slightly pink. Just ever so slightly. A teeny weensy bit. Not a lot.

Application was super smooth, very similar to Models Own Indian Ocean. Cleaning up the edges, though…try to be neat when you apply this! You know how some microshimmers or glassflecks clean up horribly and you try really hard to not mess up because you’ll just get a streak of pigment and flecks and stuff all across your cuticle? Yes, this happens. You know it does!

I have attempted numerous times to make the base less orange, but even with a pink like Lucky, I have had no luck. (Har har.)

You know I don’t like orange polish, so when I say I really like this, that means something! I do love how the gold is there but not really there.

So if you don’t follow my Facebook page (which you should totally do if you are interested and like seeing pictures of nail polish jewelry, random Hipstamatic NOTDs (think of them as blog post previews!), or my cat), I mentioned that Llarowe is using my photo of Dollish Polish Dark Elf for her shop! This is super exciting for me as I have never been asked to have my photos used as swatch photos for polishes before. And here I was wondering why I had so many people check out my blog two days ago. So yay! And if you’re here for the first time, welcome!

Thanks for reading! <3

Essie Demure Vixen + Girly Bits Shift Happens

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You wanna see a mani that looks freaking awesome in real life but not in photographs because I’m in desperate need of an equipment upgrade? Alright, here we go!

This is three coats of Essie Demure Vixen (a pink neutral shimmer) with two coats of Girly Bits Shift Happens on top (an even better replacement for OPI Movin’ Out). I love that Shift Happens looks amazing over everything. It’s like putting Sriracha over everything. Nom nom nom nom.

This is Demure Vixen on steroids. STEROIDS. I injected some sexy into my nails, is basically what happened. I wish it looked more than just pink and shimmery. I posted a Hipstamatic photo on my Facebook page showing the KA-POW! of shimmer a lot better (even though it was under my side table lamp and thus washes out all the pink). I can never win some days.

Oh nowwwwww the green decides to really come out and play.

In a last ditch effort to keep your interest, I’m going to leave you with the cutest video for Dan Deacon’s “Paddling Ghost” (which is a few years old but I don’t care!):

(PS he has a new single out which sounds FREAKING AWESOME and a new album and I CAN’T WAIT and he’s playing at The Crescent Ballroom which is near my place and WILL SOMEONE GO WITH ME PLS. Happy sigh.)

Thanks for reading, & have a great weekend!

Models Own Indian Ocean

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When this new Beetlejuice collection was announced, I was ever so stoked. I knew immediately I wanted two colors from the new set, this and Tropical Sun.

Everyone initially seemed to brush this collection aside for various reasons. Most voiced their disappointments from the first Beetlejuice collection and how the bottle shots didn’t translate to the nail at all. A fair enough assessment (cause I kinda thought so with some of the colors also).

I’m really glad that didn’t stop me, because I went ahead and bought both of the ones I wanted. (Tropical Sun is currently on its way to me.) I figure if I wanted to be disappointed by something, it would be this and not the continued immaturity of E3 event organizers.

Anyway.

WHY DO MY CUTICLES LOOK DRY ALL THE TIME ;____;

This is one coat of Models Own Indian Ocean over Dior St. Tropez. Indian Ocean is a sheer light blue duochrome that shifts from a shimmery pink to a shimmery gold. The pink is more prevalent, but I kinda like the gold that comes out a little more. Hey, I play favorites with my shimmers.

ST is the perfect beachy ocean blue, and it is so totally ironic (despite the egregious overmisuse of the word…and yeah I just made that word up right now) that I am wearing a polish inspired by the ocean under a polish inspired by a beach town. This is ocean waves crashing up onto the beach. Serenity. Tranquility. Lying on a beach chair with a mai tai.

Mind. Blown.

I am having the best string of luck with favorite 2012 polishes. THIS is another favorite of mine for 2012! Soon I’ll have a bajillion by the end of the year, and then I’ll have to figure out what the hell to put on my top 20. LOL!

June is the time to escape to California. I feel like I need to see my old friend The Beach again, except I’m not a big fan of her friend Sandy V. Gina or those freezing cold showers you rinse off under before you get in your car. I rather like southern CA in mid-April, except this year it was all rainy and cold and I didn’t get to wear any of my cute dresses. :( Also I want more 85c pastries.

I shall leave you in peace while I wallow in my cravings of mochi egg tarts, almond half-moon cakes, and taro-filled pastries shaped as fluffy, beautiful pyramids. ;____;

Max Factor Fantasy Fire + Essie Bobbing For Baubles

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Happy Monday, everyone! It is a happy Monday for Phoenix Coyotes fans everywhere, as this past weekend, we won our first Pacific Division title in franchise history!! While I am so elated about this incredible accomplishment, I am the most happy for all the fans and season ticket holders who have stuck with this team since its inception and relocation to Phoenix in the mid-1990s. They really do deserve that banner, and I cannot wait for it to be hung in the arena at the start of next season! Ahhhhhh, I am so excited right now! AND the best part: we don’t have to play the Detroit Red Wings for a third year in a row! I rejoice wholeheartedly!

I cannot believe I am so excited for this year’s playoffs. Every single game is on TV, and I am probably going to be glued to my TV, watching all the games, and plotting new nail posts for the blog. :D

I will, however, be unable to go to one of the games this weekend, but the BF and I are sending louder Coyotes fans in our place to cheer for us, worry not! We will be in southern California for the Long Beach Grand Prix this weekend, aka our annual foodie & racing trip.

To celebrate, I have a super awesome mani for you! I hope you’re not too sick of lovely shimmer duochromes. Tonight I have the ever-so gorgeous Max Factor Fantasy Fire, which I received from a wonderful friend in Ireland who muled it for me! Thank you soooooo much, Tara! <3

I wish I had the original description for this polish, but I can’t find one. This is coat of Fantasy Fire over two coats of Essie Bobbing For Baubles. I love this combination because I haven’t really ventured away from putting duochromes like this over black or purple, but I’m really glad I moved out of my comfort zone!

I freaking love this over this gorgeous dark blue. I also love that the duochrome comes out a little easier in this polish. With Clarins 230, you have to work a little to get at the hidden green & gold shimmer. This one is pretty effortless; you can see it in all the photos except the first mani shot.

It’s like Master locks in Skyrim and not having a high-enough level to get the perk for it in the Lockpicking tree. As in, I have to go through 20 lockpicks to get a stupid chest open, and there’s only a Ruby and some piece of armor I can’t use? Aw heck no.

I know you hear me talk a lot about nail polish that glows on your nails, but damn it, look at it! Can I glow like that in real life? You know, just get me some GFP or something. Or RFP? I like red better. Except then I’d look like a Krarg (but less scaly…I do try to moisturize a lot more, you know!).

There are many good things happening right now; this polish combination is one of them. Thanks for reading! <3

Girly Bits Shift Happens

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Good evening everyone! Tonight I have one of a few polishes I purchased from Pam at Girly Bits. I was fortunate enough to order some full-sized polishes from her after the announcement of her Calendar Girls collection.

While Shift Happens isn’t a part of aforementioned collection, I wanted to purchase it anyway because I wanted to know how it compares to OPI Movin’ Out, which I currently own.

From the listing:

A sheer red based layering polish, with strong colour shifts from red to green to gold.
Layer Shift Happens over dark colours for the most dramatic effect.

I layered one coat of SH over a-england Camelot. This is a pretty basic red to green duochrome topcoat, but it’s also just that: pretty. You can see a little bit of the green on my index finger. I own red to green color-changing pigment, and what I’ve made doesn’t even compare to this. I don’t know what it is. I wonder if I add too much pigment and she doesn’t? Who knows. I have no time to figure it out. I will let the experts work their magic, and I will instead revel in their magic. (Or do my nails?)

Here’s some more green, by the way.

Honestly, I really like this instead of OPI Movin’ Out. It looks so much smoother & doesn’t look streaky. I don’t even think I paid attention to how thick I applied the polish. What’s nice is you only really need one coat, not because you need to preserve the pretty, but because that’s all you really need. So little effort for so much good on your nails!

In this photo, you can see both the green and the gold come out. It reminds me of the nebulas in space (and also in Mass Effect 3 on the galaxy map). Oh, that index finger…swoon! I’m a Mad Scientist, and that was my favorite finger on the Citadel.

The next two pictures are comparisons between Girly Bits Shift Happens and OPI Movin’ Out…on my left hand. With dry janky cutes. (I know. I’m sorry.)

L-R (index > pinky): Shift Happens, Movin’ Out, Shift Happens, Movin’ Out.

Girly Bits looks a lot prettier and melds in well with the black than the OPI. The OPI needed to be applied a little more carefully than the GB to prevent light streaking. The base color is also different; red as opposed to a purple. While the GB was only really red at one angle, you do see more than just purple shimmer with the OPI.

Here’s the shift. Again, the shimmer looks better with the GB than the OPI. You can also see this gray tint on the OPI, which looks…strange, I guess. I feel like it interferes with what’s going on. The GB glows better.

I haven’t tried layering Shift Happens over other colors, but when I do, expect some more posts featuring it. This has been a pleasant first experience with Girly Bits; I love that each polish has a story behind it (especially the ones in Calendar Girls), and I can’t wait to see more from the lovely Pam.

Thanks for reading!