NotD: Essie St. Lucia Lilac & Matte About You

Talk about a pretty, romantic color! I am really loving this look, even if it's a bit tame compared to what I'm used to.

This is Zoya Anchor (two coats) Essie St. Lucia Lilac (two coats... surprisingly opaque, though there was a bit of pulling at the cuticles), Essie Matte About You (one coat). It's a nice, light and pretty winter color (okay, it's more spring-y, but still!) and I'm glad I snagged it.

Love,
JP

NotD: China Glaze Flying Dragon

Technically, I did these yesterday. Sorry!

Direct sunlight.

Close up.

The close up is more color-accurate, but there is a stronger bluishness to the color in the sun. This is one of China Glaze's neons (from the Ink collection), so it dries matte. Easy fix... just put some Seche Vite on top and you're good to go.

The blue and pink/purple (I think they're pretty magenta-y) sparkles don't really flash the way some do, but they add a nice depth. Overall, I'm a fan. It's not my favorite color, but it looks good and is really vibrant.

And I saw some uniformity when I snagged mine at Sally Beauty Supply, but in case your color is a bluer purple, here's a great example of two different shades of the same color, thanks to Polish Me Happy.

Have a great Sunday, everyone! Thanks for reading.

Love,

JP

Nails of the Day, November 27, 2009: Essie Barbados Blue... with Flare!

So, I've realized that I come at my nail painting like a very girly six year old. I love sparkles, bright colors and fun when it comes to polish. And this, my darling readers, is no exception.

Here are the Essie Barbados Blue Swatches:

It's pretty (albeit a little brush stroke-y, which happens with a frost like this), but I knew I could do better. So, what did I do?

Added holo sparkles, of course! I feel like I poured sprinkles on the ice creamy goodness that is this lacquer color, and I can't get enough! Here's a close-up:

A little bit of glitz and glam? So much fun!

Love,

JP

Black Friday Haul, Nail Polish Style!

How can you NOT want to go shop on Black Friday? Okay, once you get past the crowds, lines, screaming children, etc...

Yeah, nevermind. I did, however, decide to brave a small quantity of crowds and went to grab a couple of items at great prices. No new colors, but some great ones that are new to me. See if you can name them!

And that's really not all, since I shopped Zoya's Green Friday sale. Oh, the collection is starting to build!

Love,
JP

The Big Test: Zoya Color Lock System, Day Three

Day three is a sad one, and here's why:

While 90% of my nails look good (do the math...), my thumb has decided to chip up. I should have reinforced the polish today, but I didn't (that happens when you get busy around the holidays).

So, we've ended at day three. I think I could've made them last longer, and that's not Zoya's fault.

Let's hope my set of greens will be a longer lasting design. I might just snag two, and give away another set. Would that be a good idea?

Love,
JP

The Big Test: Zoya Color Lock System, Day Two

So, I do have to say this: the bubbling? Driving me a little crazy. I've done everything to fix it, including using Zoya Renew, waiting five minutes between coats... and it always bubbles. If anyone finds a way to remedy this, let me know, because the polish is fabulous.

Here's day two, without any touch-ups:

Holding up really well. No tipwear, no chips (though my left hand does have a little bit of sheet marking because the polish didn't dry totally, even with the Speed Dry drops). So, the only blemishes are the bubbles.

So far, so good.

Love,
JP

The Big Test: Zoya Color Lock System, Day One

I know I get impatient when it comes to polish, but this is a special case. See, gray polish doesn't see all that Thanksgiving-y. So, what's a girl to do?

Bust out her Zoyas and make it happen! I'll be doing daily photos of how my Zoya Color Lock System is holding up so you can see if it's worth your money (note: I've been using this stuff for about three months now, and it has been great... but the proof will be in the photos).

Day 1.

Zoya Anchor (two coats)
Zoya Kalista (two coats)
Zoya Armor (one coat)
Zoya Speed Dry Drops

Stick around as I keep the test moving, and let's start a poll: how long will it last?

Love,
JP

Nails of the Day, November 25, 2009: Orly Mirror Mirror

There's not much to say other than that I love this gray. It reminds me of concrete (and that's a big compliment!). Orly is so wonderfully pigmented, but definitely has a little bit of the "three-free" scenario going on. What does that mean? The polish is a bit runny but thick and, for me, tends to dry unevenly.

But, once it did dry, I had a gorgeous shade of simple glamour on my nails. Yes, I'm a sap.

Zoya Anchor (two coats... I LOVE this stuff!)

Orly Mirror Mirror (two coats)

Seche Vite Topcoat (one coat)

Love,
JP

Black Friday, Zoya Nail Polish Style!

I'm so going to partake in this one... what a great deal!

Zoya's blog just announced this amazing deal!

Spend $20 on Zoya (hell, I need to buy some more Remove+ anyways!) and use Zoya coupon code "GreenFriday" to get:

Tangy, Envy, Midori, Suvi, Veruschka and Irene for FREE!

What will you buy to get these gorgeous greens?!?!

Love,
JP

Nails of the Day, November 22, 2009: China Glaze Ruby Pumps and Golden Enchantment

It's not that Ruby Pumps alone bored me. It's a gorgeous color (with great application) and amazingly glittery. But, I thought that I could improve upon it... and now?

I can't stop staring at my nails.

And, to catch a glimpse of the glittery goodness a little better:

Zoya Anchor (two coats)

China Glaze Ruby Pumps (two coats)

China Glaze Golden Enchantment (two coats)

Seche Vite Topcoat (two coats)

So yes. There are EIGHT COATS of nail polish on my nails. But they look good... and that's all I care about.

Love,
JP

Nails of the Day, November 20, 2009: China Glaze Frostbite

Zoya Anchor (two coats)
China Glaze Frostbite (three coats)
Seche Vite Topcoat (one coat)

First off, painting your nails in the dark while watching Die Hard with a Vengeance is a bad, bad idea. I swear, I'm not this twitchy. My nails usually look far better.

That being said, I'm obsessed with this color. It's so vibrant that driving to work today, I couldn't stop staring at them (it's a pretty big safety hazard...). I just snagged four new-to-me China Glaze colors, this being one of them, so be prepared to see more coming up soon.

Additionally, I set up a twitter account for this blog. Feel free to follow it... I'll still be tweeting primarily on @DenimDebutante, but @nailsoftheday will get some love too!

Love,
JP

New Blog: Essie Nail Polish's Official Blog!

I know I shouldn't be this excited over this one, but.... Essie creator Essie Weingarten has finally posted their first official blog! What are her favorite color combinations right now?

Blushing Bride and Mademoiselle!

Feel free to check out my previous Essie posts with Shelter Island swatches, Marshmallow swatches, Chinchilly swatches and Mint Candy Apple Swatches. What can I say, I love my Essie!

Love,
JP

Nails of the Day, November 18, 2009: Why Misa and Seche Vite Don't Play Nice

This is a good lesson learned. I put on Misa's Fatal Affair (a gorgeous color in the bottle and, if you go by other bloggers' shots, on the nails as well) and topped it with Seche Vite.

The result?

A sad, clouded nail polish. Sure, the color is gorgeous, but it's not what I was hoping for, judging from pictures on All Lacquered Up. So Misa + Seche Vite = no go.

Hey, you live and learn, right?

Love,
JP

Nails of the Day: November 15, 2009

Zoya Anchor (two coats)

Orly Enchanted Forest (two coats)

Zoya Armor (one coat)

I was impressed with this dark green... it's dark, but still noticeably green in any light, which is a really great change compared to a lot of darkened colors. It went on fairly easily and was totally opaque in two coats. A good pick if you're looking for something different.

Love,

JP

Nails of the Day: November 14, 2009

Zoya Anchor (two coats)

Essie Shelter Island (three coats... probably should have used for to get full opacity.)

Poshe Super-Fast Dry Topcoat (one coat)

I broke out my Zoya Hurry Up drops again... I'm still not positive that I love them. It's a tough call.

Either way, these Essie Shelter Island swatches don't show how gorgeous this color is. I know that Scrangie said that this color is a dupe for many others, but I don't own those bottles... so this is perfect for me. I love the color, the vibrancy. It's just as perfect for winter as it was for summer.

Love,

JP

Nails of the Day: November 12, 2009

Zoya Get Even Basecoat (two coats)
Orly Berry Blast (four coats)
Seche Vite (one coat)

Busy, busy day at work. And yes, this is what I do on my lunch.

Love,
JP

FREE Zoya Hot Lips Lip Gloss: Now With Coupon Code!

Follow @Zoya_NailPolish, and then go here and pick three colors.

Once you put three in your cart, use code LIPS to get them for free. You have to pay for shipping, but it’s a really good deal.

And while you're at it, make sure you're following me on Twitter as well... @DenimDebutante!

Enjoy!

Love,
JP

Nails of the Day: November 10, 2009

It was time to go a little bit.... simpler.

Two coats of Zoya Anchor

Essie Marshmallow (two coats)

Poshe Topcoat (one coat)

It's a nice, clean look... a huge change from what I usually wear.

Love,

JP

NotD: November 8, 2009

Since it's officially a warm and comfortable Indian Summer, I decided a summery mani was just what the doctor ordered! I'm really happy with how this one turned out... it took a good seven or eight pictures to show the flash of colors from the holo sparkles!

Zoya Anchor (two coats)

China Glaze Tree Hugger (two coats)

China Glaze Fairy Dust (two coats)

Poshe Topcoat (one coat)

This one was a bit more labor-intensive compared to most of my manis, but it makes me happy just looking at them.

Love,

JP

NotD: November 7, 2009

Zoya Anchor (two coats)
Essie Chinchilly (two coats)
Poshe Super-Fast Top Coat (one coat)

Two things with this little mani: first, I was amazed at how opaque Chinchilly was in two coats. I expected it to take way more than that... four, at least. But hey, less coats means less chance for me to screw it up, right? Second, I just snagged this bottle of Poshe today (I got a little kit with the cuticle care lotion, topcoat and polish reviver for $7 at a Ross store) and I'm pretty pleased. It dried ridiculously fast! I'll probably keep using Poshe with Essie polishes (unless I go for Matte About You), Zoya Armor with Zoya Polishes, Lippmann Addicted to Speed with Lippmann Polishes and Seche Vite with China Glaze.

FREE Zoya Hot Lips Lip Gloss

Head over to Twitter (if you don't have one, make one!) and follow @Zoya_NailPolish. If they hit 10,000 fans by November 11:

If we get what we want, we’ll give you a special promo code*good for 3 FREE ZOYA HOT LIPS (your choice of color). Valid on November 12 - 13, 2009 on http://www.zoya.com/ only.

Love,
JP

Nails of the Day: November 4, 2009

It's hard to capture to capture the glow of China Glaze's Wagon Trail... especially when you're an idiot who forgot to take the picture at home.

So yes, these are camera phone pictures. And yes, I remembered RIGHT after I put on cuticle oil. I never said I was the brightest bulb in the box.

Zoya Anchor (two coats)
China Glaze Wagon Trail (two coats)
Seche Vite Top Coat (one coat)

Love,
JP

NOTD: Essie!

Essie Mint Candy Apple (two coats)
Essie Anniversary Gala (one coat)
Seche Vite Top Coat

Welcome to Nails of the Day!

Since I wear all this nail polish and my collection keeps growing, I figured that it was about time that I started posting them somewhere, instead of flooding Denim Debutante with the shots.

This will most likely not be updated everyday. I usually change my nails 4-5 times a week... but you'll get every manicure I do! Hopefully, this will convince me to take better care of my nails, and venture into some more exciting colors.

And do a better job with painting them. :)

Love,
JP