It starts off small. You have six or so treasured polishes that fit neatly in your medicine cabinet, or underneath your sink.
Slowly, your Stash begins to grow. You turn to a shoebox for help, but that only works for a few weeks. You need something bigger. Something better. Something that’s not lowly cardboard. You need a vessel worthy of your Stash.
Gals, I feel your pain — because I’ve been there. I searched high and low at brick-and-mortar stores like Target and IKEA. I scoured Amazon and Google images for ideas. I read other nail polish blogs to see what fellow polishaholics were doing.
In the end, I found the perfect storage solution! I’ll show you guys pictures tomorrow, but first I want you to tell me — how do you store your Stash? I’d love to hear about your tried-and-true method in the comments. (If you have pics, even better!) And if you’re still on a quest for a great method, then come back tomorrow for my purrsonal recommendation! >^..^<
xx, Francesca
This was taken one year ago. Oh, how my Stash has grown…
So who’s TOP of the Top Coats? The poll doesn’t lie. The winner is…
Thanks for voting! It was fun to see which brands you all like best. And with that, it is my pleasure to announce that I will be giving away a bottle of Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat to one of you!
All you need to do is post a comment below! The cutoff for entries is 11:59pmPT this Monday, 7/2. At the clock strikes Tuesday, the chance to win shall end. I apologize for adding a restriction — but U.S. residents only, please.
I’ll announce the winner on Tuesday afternoon. Good luck!
Honestly, I am not quite sure why we celebrate this holiday or why we celebrate it on its designated day. St. Patty’s Day just appears to be a good day to socialize, wear green, and drink beer…..at least that’s what I’ve heard (can’t remember the last time I celebrated St. Patty’s Day).
So, I am joining in the festivities this year with some fabulous green, blinged out nails!
This is my first 3D nail, and let me tell you, I have some serious reservations about 3D nails. Mostly, they are just WAY too much for me, gaudy, and sometimes incredibly unsophisticated. Not to harp on 3D nails too much, but I don’t really think they are meant for working professionals in their late 20′s, ya know?!
So, I am attempting a serious compromise here with a 3D ringer (if you don’t remember what a “ringer” is, please read here).
These nails are still loud and gaudy, but much more toned down than most 3D nails I have seen. Compromise.
Also, I would like to note that I will not be wearing these to work….they are only for the St. Patty’s Day weekend.
First, I started with a base coat. Then I painted one thick coat of Wet n’ Wild Spoiled’s I Only Eat Salad, which is surprisingly opaque and quite nice after just one coat.
Then I covered my nails in one coat of Milani Neon’s Totally 80′s, just for a brighter pop of green.
I have to say I am rather sad out Milani Neon’s Totally 80′s, which is not neon at all. It’s just a bright green, and I was really hoping for a neon green Oh well.
Now for the 3D effect, you will need rhinestones, a toothpick, water, and your top coat.
Once your nails are completely dry, paint a top coat on one ring finger. Then, while still wet, use a wet toothpick to carefully place the rhinestones on your ring finger. Once all your rhinestones are in place, then coat the entire nail in another layer of top coat. Make sure to let dry completely.
Super fun and perfect for a St. Patty’s celebration!
Have fun with your green nails and beer and remember to be safe!
Honestly, they can do no wrong. Without a doubt, Essie is my favorite line of nail polish. Their colors are gorgeous and unique; in the color department, Essie takes the cake. Their application is flawless. Their knack for fashion is on point.
Needless to say their spring collection is gorgeous….just as I suspected!
I haven’t purchased the whole collection yet, but a couple colors have graced my stashed, including Navigate Her and A Crewed Interest.
Thus far, I am in love with A Crewed Interest!
I am always hunting for the perfect pale pink; one that is not too sheer or streaky; one that has me gawking at it and commenting aloud to myself, “damn, I love this color.”
True story. Ask any of my friends.
Well, A Crewed Interest is it! A gorgeous pale pink, with a slight touch of peach in it….
Then I gave this pink a beautiful shimmer with Essie’s Luxeffects in Shine Of The Times….a polish I had been hemming and hawing over for weeks until I commited to its purchase.
And boy and I glad I did!
The Luxeffects gives a very sbutle sparkle that changes color in the light, from an orangey pink to gold and to green, sure to make you stare at your nails in the sunlight all day! Interested to see how luxeffects looks over other nail polish colors….
Orange you jealous of my on-trend precious peach of a cat? His name is Theo. Theodore Arthur.
Polishment posted on Chanel’s new shades for Spring 2012 back in January. Since then, I’ve noticed that readers find Polishment on a regular basis thanks to googling Chanel June. Seems like everyone finds it to be as peachy keen as I do!
If only we could all have Chanel June in our Stashes! It’s a pretty one, but it’s not a color I’d wear often enough to justify the $26 price tag.
I saw a Nubar color recently that was reminiscent of June enough to give it a whirl. May I present Nubar Orange Cream!
Here's Nubar Orange Cream in the car; indirect sunlight.
Orange cream in sunlight & shadow.
Nubar Orange Cream, full sunlight. Pardon the sloppy paint job; I treated myself to a manicure today and the manicurist wasn't very, ah, "detail-oriented." ;_;
And for comparison, some shots of Chanel June…
Temptalia's Chanel June Swatch.
The Beauty Look Book's swatch of Chanel June.
They are far from dupes, that’s for sure! Nubar Orange Cream is, as you’d probably guess, a cream formula, whereas Chanel June appears to be slightly sheer. Orange Cream is much brighter than I’d anticipated and has very yellow undertones; June, on the other hand, is pinky-peachy.
If you’re in the mood for a wild peach, may I suggest Essie Haute As Hello. It’s one of my all-time favorite shades! I haven’t taken my own pictures of it, but will probably slap some on this summer and share with y’all. In the meantime, here are some great swatches from a blog called Short ‘n Chic.
Short 'n Chic's swatch of my precious gem, Essie Haute As Hello. Click the pic to read her post & see a few more images.
I don’t know if this fabulous information graced your email inbox this morning, but it did mine!
The coming of spring means warmer weather, budding flowers and color, color, COLOR! To help you transition from winter to spring, we’re making it easier to freshen up your Zoya Nail Polish wardrobe.
With the purchase of at least 3 Zoya Nail Polish colors of your choice, you will receive any 3 FREE*.
Now through Wednesday, March 14th 2012 11:59pm EST, ONLY.
Instructions:
Add at least six (6) Zoya Nail Polish colors of your choice to your shopping cart.
Enter code: SPRING3 into the coupon code field in your cart and press “Apply Code”.
Complete Check-Out Process, Review, Submit Order and watch your Zoya Collection Blossom!
I am hoping the same doesn’t happen again this time around, but given the offer one can only expect the worst as crowds of women make a mad dash to zoya.com to claim their three free bottles!
Alas, I am an eternal pessimist.
This, however, did not stop me from joining in the madness. I purchased:
Zoya Trixie
Zoya Nova
Zoya Paz
…..getting ready for spring and summer, obviously.
According to WikIpedia, Ikat is a dyeing technique used to pattern textiles that employs a resist dyeing process similar to tie-dye on either the warp or weftfibres.
This is a very popular print in textiles and upholstery:
But, if you are anything like me, you probably are more familiar with the ikat fabrics that have been gracing the runway:
I did some research on ikat nails, as all good homemade manicurists do, and I was able to find these super fun ikat nails made by other homemade manicurists:
Or if you prefer, try this ikat print nail sticker by ncLA:
My inspiration for this next blue manicure, is this amazing ikat dress work by Heidi Klum:
First, here are the tools you will need to complete your ikat nail:
Cover nails in base coats and let dry. Then cover nails in two coats of Sinful Colors’ Snow Me White and let dry completely:
Then using a fine tip paint brush and Loreal’s Jet Set To Paris, carefully and creatively paint on some fun blue shapes:
I can’t really describe the shapes here, so just follow these photos for inspiration:
Make sure these are dry before moving onto the next step, which requires Sally Hansen’s Nail Art Pen in Bright Blue and Black:
Using the Bright Blue pen first, following with the Black pen, make short and small dashes around the larger blue shapes you just painted. Again, I can’t really describe this, so just check out the pics. You really cannot mess this us, so just have fun!
Let dry completely, and I mean COMPLETELY, before putting on your top coat. These pens are tricky and they will bleed hours later when applying the top coat. I suggesting going to bed and then applying your top coat in the morning.
Honestly, these are my new favorite nails. I cannot get enough of them!
Special thanks to my hand model, Jana! Meow!
(Proper placement of ikat and baby snow leopard….for effect, of course!)
(I’m not one to post manicures done by professionals, but this one from Thefreshmani is soooo awesome!)
(Oh, Conrad and her ombre’s!….she gets me every time!!!!)
Ok. Are you good and prepped now?
Here are the colors I used:
(From left to right: Zoya’s Dove, Essie’s Lapiz of Luxury, Sally Hansen’s Pacific Blue, Loreal’s Jet Set To Paris, China Glaze’s First Mate)
(Reverse the order listed above from right to left)
* Side Note: I am really digging Loreal’s new polishes (seen on index finger in above pic)! The have some lovely colors and they go on nicely…so far…..
This manicure was a hit and I received many compliments for the gorgeous blues! Super fun and super easy!
Today, we’re going to talk about lemmings. First, here’s how The Polish Addict defines nail polish “lemmings.”
Lemming is a common nail blogger term. This bit of jargon likely came from the myth that lemmings, small rodents that live in the wild, are so foolish that they’ve been known to commit mass suicide. Lemmings have the fatal habit of mindlessly following each other anywhere… including right off the edges of cliffs. Ouch.
My take on the nail polish term “lemming” is this: if it’s a polish you know you’d pay a ridiculous amount for… or if it’s a polish that you know wouldn’t look good on you but you have to have it because everyone else does (here’s lookin’ at you, OPI You Don’t Know Jacques)… then that color, for you, is a lemming. In fact, you are also a lemming.
To really talk lemmings, we first have to touch upon HTFs and VHTFs. And reader beware, this post exposes the dark, seedy underbelly of the nail polish world. Ha! You though it was all sparkles and ombrés? Think again.
Supply and demand. People want HTFs and VHTFs. But here’s the catch; you’re craving an HTF? Well, finding one will be a challenge out in the wild. Maybe it’s been discontinued. Maybe it’s selling like hotcakes. But there is one place you can probably find it — for a price. And that, of course, is eBay. eeeeBaaaaayyyy. The very name is chilling to me.
It’s an unfortunate fact that when supply is low and demand is high, it’s a seller’s market. There are a few sellers on eBay that, like selfish dragons curling their scaly tails around stockpiles of treasure in their foul little caves, hoard precious bottles of polish and then sell them for unthinkable amounts of money. But who’s really to blame? It’s a vicious cycle, as you’re about to see below.
It can be yours for the bargain price of $74.99. That’s not even the result of bidding. That’s the “Buy It Now” price. Definitely much more than I’d ever fork over for a bottle of polish.
Have you heard of the legendary VHTF, Clarins 230? Google images will show you its loveliness. Those who have seen it say it’s a rainbow in a bottle. It’s known to nail polish bloggers as “Unicorn Pee.” That’s its actual nickname.
If you covet this VHTF, be prepared to kiss $149.95 good bye. Hope you find some gold at the end of that rainbow.
And now the Holy Grail of Lemmings. Essie Starry Starry Night. Sometimes it’s called “Starry Starry Nights.” Code name: SSN.
Thar she blows!
What’s so special about SSN, you ask? It’s a deep blue (nearly navy but not quite) jelly base with small specks of silver microglitter. The most popular application involves three thin coats. The sheer jelly base allows you to build color, and three coats result in a layered look that leaves you with three colors of sparkle: blue from the first coat, light blue from the second, and silver from the third coat. It literally looks like the night sky twinkling about in gleaming glory on your fingers.
This is my lemming.
So imagine my horror when I shamefully turned to eBay and saw THIS.
$81.00! And that’s Australian currency! I was shocked. How does a polish get to be that expensive?
Oh. I see. Let’s put this in perspective.
What. The. Hell.
I presumed that this was unusual activity for SSN. Because $81 Australian dollars is a heck of a lot. In the world of Essie SSN eBay activity, this transaction must be an outlier. Right? I know it’s VHTF but c’mon.
Are you horrified? Good. Brace yourself.
Two hundred and ninety five dollars. US dollars. I know SSN is gorgeous, but no nail polish is worth nearly $300. How on earth did this happen?
It’s kind of a relief to see it was a bidding war between two insane people, (neither “upping the ante” nor “setting the bar high” can accurately describe the $29 to $159 jump)… but it doesn’t make this any less disturbing.
I blog about nail polish. I have a bajillion colors. And yes — in total, I have probably (mmm, make that “definitely“) spent over $295 on my Stash over the years. But I pledge to you all, here and now, that I will never engage is this eBay gouging, so help me GOD.
As crazy as it is that there are dragon-hoarder-sellers on eBay making such a profit on the sale of a tiny bottle containing less than ONE FLUID OUNCE of product, just remember. People bid for it. Someone bought it.
On a lighter note, I am going to share some helpful tips to avoid eBay and get your lemming fix in an affordable way in future posts, so stay tuned.
xxo, Francesca
P.S. The idea of an out of touch person paying ~$300 for one nail polish always reminds me of this scene:
Oh well.
