Pumpkin Nail Enamel Halloween Mani

A while ago while trying to hunt down the Wet N Wild Fantasy Makers polishes I stumbled upon these Pumpkin Nail Enamel Nail Polishes at Rite-Aid.  They have no individual color names, but they were displayed in a variety of colors ranging from the usual Glow In The Dark to Pink, Blue and  the two I have to show you today.

First, let's talk about the Pumpkin Nail Enamel on the right.  It is REALLY cool.  A clear base with holo glitters of your usual chunk, shapes, and also moons!  You had to maneuver and play around a bit, which made it a little thick in some areas, but the polish itself looked rather cool.  I don't normally like to have to WORK to get a mani looking nifty, but a holiday is a special occasion and definitely worth it!

Here is it over Wet N Wild Fantasy Makers Creepy Pumpkin:

Now for the shade of Pumpkin Nail Enamel on the right.  It looks as though this would be more opaque, but it's not.  The base of this is clear and not as many orange glitters will apply as you would think based off of looking at the bottle.

I put this polish over Deborah Lippmann Brick House:

As you can see from the close up, it deposited hexagonal glitters as well as bar glitter.  This was 2 coats and I had to maneuver this one as well to appear as even as possible.

For fun, I put the other Pumpkin Nail Enamel over the orange one and got a pretty neat little Halloween mani!!

What did you all do for a Halloween mani?  I know we have some awesome nail artists out there and I'd love to see your looks!

Deborah Lippman NAKED Nail Polish Swatches & Review

If you follow me on Twitter you probably saw that I'm going to a fancy shmancy wedding tonight. It's at a country club about 30 minutes away, so I am trying my hardest to hang up my yoga pants and other various "mom gear" and look presentable.

When I go to weddings that are on the fancier side I like to wear a nude nail and a flashy toe (Currently Essie Meet Me At Sunset). For my nail I dug into my untried and came up with Deborah Lippman Naked Nail Polish, Spring 2011.

Naked is that perfect flesh toned, peachy beige shade that makes your nails look absolutely impeccable. I was worried this would be a nude shade that would wash me out, but it turned out glossy and classy. A perfect wedding mani!

I DID have to use 4 coats with this polish, which I wasn't real happy about. More coats = easier to chip and longer to dry. It wasn't laying on my nail evenly, and things like that bug me. I'm ok with a bit of visible nail line, but with 4 coats you won't get it.

Deborah Lippman Nail Lacquer retail ranges from $16 - $20. The glitters tend to be more expensive. Naked is a $16 polish. You can pick these polishes up at places like Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom.

FYI - Currently Neiman Marcus is doing their beauty event, so if you buy $32 in Deborah Lippman Polishes you get Purple Rain for free! There are a lot of other Beauty Offers, so head on over and check it out! Yes, I took advantage of this and you should too!!!

***This post contains an affiliate link... for more information please read my disclosure policy.

MAC Ice Cream Cake Nail Lacquer

*** Throughout today I'm going to be posting swatches and reviews from the MAC Quite Cute Collection. At the end I'll do an overall review of the collection with a summary of the items that were reviewed.

One of the MAC Quite Cute Nail Lacquers that caught my eye was Ice Cream Cake. It actually made me think of Cotton Candy ice cream from Brewsters. Now I'm craving..


This polish is an uber-girly barbie pink. It's actually a shade I've been hunting down for a long time. Everything else I bought has always been a bit off in my head.

I LOVE the color of this. It's a cream, so it didn't have the best application. Truthfully the only polishes with a cream finish that I love (because of their 2 coat flawless wonder) are from Finger Paints. Ice Cream Cake wasn't TOO bad, though, and I was able to cover in 3 coats.


(*yes I totally tried to do some "art" here lol I thought a heart on one nail would be fun for the theme. It's a little haggard... not bad for a first timer tho haha. For a base coat I used Orly Top 2 Bottom and for my top coat I used Seche Vite Fast Dry Top Coat.)

Some packaging pics:



MAC Ice Cream Cake Nail Lacquer is described as a Creamy Blue Pink on maccosmetics.com and retails for $14. It IS Limited Edition, and as of this blog posting is still available.

Essie Mochacino Nail Lacquer

Oh Essie... one one hand I'm SO happy these are everywhere now, making the brand more available to everyone... but I hate that white printing on the bottles. The sides still have the clear 3D Essie (which I love, it just looks so classy!). I appriciate the mass market... but lets leave the bottle alone, girl!

Onto the pretties!

Essie Mochacino is a shimmery taupe song bird. It called to me from a sea of it's sister polishes and said "Buy Me". It's a pretty greyish taupe with a lovely shimmer. It's hard to capture the shimmer with the pics, but it makes the normally drab shade that much more enjoyable. In the pics it gave Mochacino a foil look, which I thought was pretty cool.

Application was a bit meh... it took me 4 coats to get it to the point where I couldn't see some nail. The staying power is right on par with other Essie polishes.

In this pic I used Orly Top 2 Bottom as a base coat, 4 coats of Essie Mochacino, and a top coat of Seche Vite Fast Dry Top Coat


The retail on Essie polishes has become a bit varied, but the price point is close enough. At drugstores they seem to start around $7.75, but at places like Trade Secret they're still an even $8.

***This post contains an affiliate link. For more information please see my disclosure policy.

Finger Paints Aren't You Glad-iolous? Nail Color

My NOTD yesterday was (and still is) Finger Paints Aren't You Glad-iolous? AYG is part of the Finger Paints Spring 2011 line and is a beautiful lilac creme.

I don't own many Finger Paints polishes, and this is my first experience with one of their cremes. I'm super crazy impressed. The formula is amazing. It applied SO well and only took TWO coats. I'm Mrs. 3 coats no matter what and I only used 2 here!



And look, a blingy ring to make your nails even more fancy ;)

From yesterday I have no visible wear from this polish. It's holding beautiful and strong. There are definately more Finger Paints cremes in my future. From this collection the only other color that called to me was Dahlia My Number (not a creme), which it hopefully still in stock and wanting to be picked up today!

Finger Paints retail for $4.49 (give or take a promotion or coupon) and I picked mine up at Sally Beauty Supply.

Do you have a favorite brand for creme polishes? Do tell ;)

Chanel Jade Rose Le Vernis Nail Colour

I've posted this color before, just a quick pinkie nail swatch... here is a full on NOTD with Chanel Jade Rose Le Vernis Nail Colour.

This is one of my "adult" polishes that I pull out when hubby has a work event or when there is a funeral, church... places where sparkle isn't an option.

I'm not REAL gaga for the color. It's not the perfect pretty pink that I've been searching for. Of course the formula is amazing, and it does go on well... Chanel is always top notch in that respect... but I can't get all mooney over it because (though pretty) it's not a fun shade. Yes, I could probably find something cheaper that would get the job done, but I loves me some Chanel polishes. And I feel like since this is for grown up times it's allowed to be high end. (In case you couldn't tell by now, I can justify any purchase. It's a gift and most people won't shop with me because of it lol I get them to purchase too much!)



Chanel Nail Colour retails for $25 - this particular shade is going to be hard to find at your local counter, but is still available at Chanel.com - sign up for emails and every once in awhile you can get a free ship code for any purchase. They also send free samples with every order ;) One of my fav samples is the eye makeup remover!

NOTD: NARS Zulu Nail Polish

My NOTD today is NARS Zulu. This bottle is the second release, not the original. I'm unsure if there are any differences in the two. NARS re-released this shade with their LE Vintage Collection last year. Obviously, people were psyched, since this shade reached cult status.

I'm not sure if I'm on board with the hype. It's certainly a beautiful polish, I love the look of a dark green jelly... but I wouldn't pay what some people were paying on ebay for it.

3 coats of NARS Zulu & SVFDTC



You can click the photos to enlarge. As you can see in the one, it applies rather patchy. Next time I'll use 4 coats of the polish. I absolutely cannot stand the cap. It's bulky and annoying and makes it hard to apply. Plus it kept bumping off of my nails and making marks. Grrrr... It'd be nice if they'd make the cap similar to Chanel Nail Polish where the square part of the cap is removable.

IMO NARS Zulu is totally worth the retail price of $17 USD. Get it while you can on the NARS Website, it is LIMITED EDITION and who knows when (if) they'll release it again.

Essie Hot Coco Nail Polish Review & Swatches

Ever since I feasted my eyes on swatches of Essie Hot Coco (from Winter 2010, described as tawny sepia) I thought it resembled one of my biggest polish lemmings: Chanel Khaki Rose. I do not have the Chanel polish to compare to, but based off of swatches I'd say they have to be pretty close... maybe the polish gals that follow can give me a confirm on that?

This is Essie Hot Coco with 2 coats. I thought it looked ok but then I did the pics and it's spotty, so I did my other hand with 3 coats and it looked much better. I'll probably put some sort of crackle over it tomorrow to test out one of the other shades ;)


and in this shot if you click to enlarge you can check out the patchiness lol


The pink tinge in this makes it totally wearable for me, I seriously have a hard time finding taupes I like!

Essie retails for $8 USD and is available online at transdesign.com or at Ulta (where I picked up this one).

Superbowl Sunday NOTD w/ Missha Crystal & OPI Black Shatter

Well holllaaaaaaaaaa, football fans! Welcome to the Superbowl edition of BlushingNoir!!!!

I know a lot of you are International, or maybe just don't give a who-ha... but this year I totally give a who-ha because I'm from Pittsburgh! And the Pittsburgh Steelers are vying for their SEVENTH Superbowl win against the Green Bay Packers.

Here is my Pittsburgh Steelers inspired Mani:


The above is Orly Top 2 Bottom Base Coat, 2 Coats of Missha Crystal (Nat from AUS sent this to me, so I have no idea what the name is... not on the bottle!), and a top coat of Seche Vite. I posted two pics because the second one is meant to show off the gorgeous rainbow shimmer.

And, of course, I added OPI Black Shatter:


I'm not liking the shatter so much over the Missha. I think it's because that Missha is, hands down, the most gorgeous polish of all time. It may even beat out my fav OPI Teenage Dream... since it wasn't such a dream to get off lol

I'm also going to be doing some Steelers inspired eye balls, hopefully I'll be able to get a decent pic of that for you and post a FOTD as well. Happy Sunday, everyone! And GOOD LUCK, STEELERS!

OPI Teenage Dream & Black Shatter NOTD

Because I haven't hyped it up enough ;) Here is my NOTD

Orly Top 2 Bottom for a Base Coat
OPI Teenage Dream (3 coats)
OPI Black Shatter (1 coat)


I put a coat of the Black Shatter a little thicker on my pointer finger, and I think I like it better that way, rather than the thin coats used on the other fingers.

How are you guys enjoying the Shatter? Are you geeked for the China Glaze Crackle Glaze collection releasing this month? If you haven't heard about the China Glaze's - click HERE for their latest video.

MAC Bad Fairy Swatches & Review

Finally I got around to doing my nails. Seriously, they're looking rough. I have had nothing on them since the last time I posted a NOTD. I'm a reformed biter and sometimes things get the best of me. The length is starting to get back on track, but the shame is still there =(

Anyway, I've been dying to try MAC Bad Fairy from the Maleficent collection of Venomous Villains. It is a mish mash of red, pink, copper, gold, orange... you really can't tell from my pics, it's hard to pick up the duochrome, but it's definately one of a kind. Even MORE gorgeous in the light.

This is with 3 coats plus a bottom and a top coat.




And DON'T FORGET to enter my first GIVEAWAY featuring a bracelet from GingerKitty Designs!!!

Essie Sew Psyched NOTD & Swatches

Happy Morning to you everyone! Ugh MONDAY! Actually, this one hasn't been too bad for me. It seems like it's going FAST. Been doing lots of dishes, laundry... PHONE calls to the internet peoples whom I can't understand. =\ I know you've been there.

Anyway, I got a bit more sleep last night than usual (5 hours as opposed to my usual 2 or 3) and I decided to paint the nails. I always feel so much prettier when my nails are painted. Like my class level sky rockets or something lol

I've had Essie Sew Psyched (Fall Into Fashion 2010) sitting on my desk for a week. I got it in the mail the same day as China Glaze Classic Camel. Yes, that's how lazy I've been.

These pictures were taken with 2 coats of the Essie, Zoya Anchor Base Coat, and Seche Vite Fast Dry Top Coat. I was a little worried when I did the first coat. It seemed like it was going to be thin and streaky... no bueno. I put on the second coat a little thicker and now it looks DIVINE! I'm not a huge green fan, but this polish has just the right amount of gray mixed in... like a dusty, dusky green. With a subtle shimmer... Mama likes! Two polished thumbies up!





This color is part of that whole Military look for Fall deal. I'm not so into that look, myself, but the color is super pretty. It's worth having and much cheaper than the Chanels ;)

Essie retails for $8 and can be found at Trade Secrets... however, if yours is like mine and never gets the new stuff when other places do, you'll have to do what I did and order from transdesign.com, where it is ALSO $8. Shipping is a little high there, but if you order a bit more it'll even out since they have China Glaze discounts.

Essie Angora Cardi Nail Polish Swatches

(pics are clickable)

Today is a SPECIAL day! It's my 100th post! I had wanted to blog something special, but all creativity escapes me. For some reason, even though I've been getting a decent amount of sleep, I'm just exhausted. So, it's a nail swatch.... that turned into a NOTD because it was so beautiful.

Essie Angora Cardi has been sitting in my untrieds for AT LEAST a year. I think it was from Fall of 2009 =\

For some reason when I look at the color.. I think Boysenberry lol Plummy purple! It's really so pretty, I'm totally ashamed I've had it so long and never gave it a go. it's my favorite out of the purple family.

I hear a lot of complaints about Essie polishes application wise... that they're streaky, you need a million coats... but this one was just glorious. I only needed TWO coats and it covered like a dream. I also used Orly Top2Bottom as a base and, of course, Seche Vite as my fast dry top coat. The first pic has flash, the second pic has no flash (I hit some good light!)




And here's some random bottle pics because I am loving this polish and it needs lotsa love ;)





Essie retails for $8.00 a bottle, and you can purchase at online retailers, Trade Secret, and I believe Ulta. And, as I've found, at random Nail Salons lol.

Hard Candy Break Up (051) Swatches

(pics are clickable)

As I was perusing the beauty aisles of Wal-Mart last night (shhhh, don't tell hubby!) I came across a display I'd never seen before. (Granted I don't go to the beauty aisle when DH is there or I have the kids... cause it's just not fun lol..so it's been awhile.)

HARD CANDY! Does anyone else remember when Hard Candy was at Sephora? Am I showing my age here? I had heard whispers of Hard Candy now being at Wal-Mart.. but I'm a need to see it to believe it kinda gal so I just sort of thought.. yeah right.

It IS there, and my Wally World had a ton of it! In those previously mentioned whisperings I had heard a certain Hard Candy nail polish bore a nice resemblance to Sally Hansen Hidden Treasure (which I can't find for the life of me).

Enter Hard Candy - Break Up (051)




Really, I don't think it bears a GOOD resemblance to SH HT, just because it's not flaky. But it IS pretty, and I'm happy with it ;) My biggest gripe is mostly because of my OCD. I need lots of spaced glitter bits. Not here or there clumped glitter bits... so I spent a good bit of time spreading them out lol

I thought it was fun, flirty, and cute! Even though I'm almost 30 I felt I could still kick it with this polish. I just tossed it on top of my swatches of ChG Emerald Fitzgerald and MAC Jade Dragon... but I think it'll get put on permanently (at least for now) tonight over top of something else.

Hard Candy Nail Polish retails for $5.00 plus tax at Wal-Mart. And, YES, it still comes with the fun plastic ring ;) hehe

NOTD ~ MAC Jade Dragon

(pics are clickable)

Today my NOTD (since DH and I are coming out of retirement for DH's cousins 21st birthday lol) is MAC Jade Dragon.

This polish is pretty awesome. It's the first MAC polish, or really any polish in general, that I've only HAD to apply 2 coats. And I'm actually ok about it! Full coverage in two = time saver. Very important!

Jade Dragon is a REALLY pretty green with teal sparkle. This seems to be a hot color for fall, this greenish/turquoisness. I'm seeing it in all of the collections... and I like it. I like it a lot!

Swatches ~ China Glaze Awakening Collection

(pics are clickable for full size viewing)

For Halloween 2010 China Glaze has launched their Awakening collection. The collection consists of three polishes - Mummy May I, Zombie Zest, and Ick-A-Bod-Y.




Mummy May I

Mummy May I looks black based with purple sparkle in the bottle, but on the nails its a deep purple base with the flashy purple sparkle. It came out a lot prettier than I thought it would. With all of these polishes (IMO) you need the full three coats to achieve the color in the bottle. It's a bit patchy in places if you stop at 2, unless you're really gooping it on.

Zombie Zest

Zombie Zest is my fav from the collection. It has a fine green glitter.. the color of the green makes me think of seaweed or moss. Something from a swamp. A more appropriate name for this one might have been Swamp Thang ;)

If you know me the fact that Zombie is my fav should come as a surprise. Initially I was drawn more to Ick-A-Bod-Y, but on the nails Zombie Zest captured my Halloween lovin' heart. Pittsburgh is big on the Zombie's so I could see this being a fav in the area as well.

Ick-A-Bod-Y

Ick-A-Bod-Y with it's black base and orange glitters makes me think Halloween the MOST. Orange....Pumpkins... mmm which makes me think of pie... ok back on base here.... =)

Three coats of Ick will do ya, but you might want to slather on a fourth just in case. It gets you some more coverage as well as more glitter, which is always good. You can never have enough glitter ;)

This whole collection screams (hehe) Halloween. The colors are so cool I'd wear them even when it's not the ghostly season. (PS - I apologize for the random positioning of my hand... it bugs me that it's not uniform but those were the best shots of the polishes, which I feel is more important.)

China Glaze can be purchased at Sally Beauty Supply for the retail price of $5.99 each (right now they're on sale for $4.99). From what I've read, the Halloween Awakening Collection will launch in September 2010.

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