Sephora by OPI I'm With Brad

The other night, I went to see the closing performance of a play called Drakul, which was about Dracula. So, naturally, I was inspired to do something vampy with my nails. I went with Sephora by OPI's I'm With Brad, a favorite of mine, from the Autumn and Eve Collection.

Natural lighting.

Artificial lighting.

 

Artificial lighting.

I'm With Brad is a dark base (black? brown? I can't decide) with gorgeous red shimmer. In lower lighting situations, it just looks like a dark color, but when it hits the light right, the red shimmer really shines! I used two coats, and one coat of Seche Vite. The application was great. I actually don't find this one to be thick at all, even though many people find Sephora by OPI polishes to be on the thick side. Maybe I got a good batch?

 

Drakul was inspired by Bram Stoker's novel. It was a long one to sit through (three hours!), but I enjoyed it. The actors were great, and the costuming was awesome. Click on the picture above to see a couple other images.

Because I'm bored, here's a few other vampire related things:

This episode of Are You Afraid of the Dark scared the crap out of me as a kid. Still a little creepy.

Perhaps my favorite video on YouTube. Never gets old. Check out those awesome dance moves. Cape twirl!

Happy Monday!

Sinful Colors Mint Apple

Happy Friday! Today I'm wearing Mint Apple by Sinful Colors.

This baby is a really lovely light jade green, with silver shimmer that sometimes reflects gold, depending on the lighting. I used three coats for this. If applied thicker, it could probably be good to go in two coats. The application was flawless - no issues whatsoever. These pictures are all in natural lighting, and have one coat of Seche Vite on top. The air bubble on my middle finger is from the Seche. :/

Sinful Colors really is a great brand. Two buxxx, great colors, wonderful application. What more could I ask for?

Colors like this remind me of vintage cars in cascade green, like this beaut:

 I don't even have my license, but if someone were to offer my this car, I would run out that same day and take the test! I will also accept a hot greaser behind the wheel of this car to drive me around. Actually, I think I'd prefer that one.

It also reminds me of vintage Melmac dishes, which at the time were cheap, but now are terribly overpriced at thrift stores.

These are a little more blue, obviously, but you get the point. I have a couple cups in this color. Super cute!

This polish also reminds me of the Chinese jade artwork at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts.

Again, not an exact color match, but this is a freaking sculpture of mountains made of jade! It's a million times more gorgeous in real life!

(As before, the "inspiration" images were found on Google, and link back to their original source.)

I hope everyone has a great weekend.

Rimmel Stiletto Red

I LOVE reds. I love vampy reds, bright reds, jellies, cremes, glitters - you name it! Reds are bright enough to be noticeable, but still "normal" enough that people won't look at you like, What in the hell do you have on your nails, grrrl?! Not that I don't love me some weirdo colors, 'cause I do. But reds just hold a special place in my heart.

I recently picked up Rimmel's Stiletto Red. Rimmel's bottles are very aesthetically pleasing. I love their square shape, and the cute little crown on top of the cap. I also love their brush. It's different than any brush I've seen, and I find it much easier to use.

I used two coats, and the application was great. I think this is a creme, with jelly qualities. It dried quickly, to a nice shiny finish. I can see myself reaching for this polish a lot in the future.

Bright red polish like this always makes me feel a little saucy, like a pin-up girl from the 1950s. It also reminds me of sailors, and other nautical goodies. It makes me think of my heroine, Bettie Page.

It also makes me think of Mary Kate Olsen, who I freaking love. I just want to hang out with her for a day.

 

And, lastly, this red makes me think of Rihanna's hot hot hot hair.

Check out those nails!

What do you think of having these "inspiration" photos in posts? I sorta like it, and think I may continue it in the future. Probably not in every post, because quite frankly I am too lazy for that shit. But it's fun to do on days that I am feeling bored and need a little something extra to waste my time with.

(Click on each photo to go to the original source. I found all of these on Google.)

A few older nail art looks

Every once in a while, this blog will probably show some nail art. I don't do it very often, but sometimes I can't help it when the mood strikes.

I'm bored, so I have decided to post some older looks that I did. The pictures were taken with Photo Booth, so they aren't good quality by any means, but you will still get the gist.

I LOVE nautical shit! Blue: Sally Hansen Blue Me Away! Red: Sephora by OPI And a Cherry on Top. Yellow: Sally Hansen Mellow Yellow. White: N.Y.C. French White Tip.

Cute little Pee Wee Herman-esque tuxedos! White: N.Y.C. French White Tip. Silver: Sephora by OPI Queen of Everything. Red: OPI Thanks So Muchness!

Half-moon mani. I love this look! Revlon Royal.

These gems are from a Hello Kitty nail kit I found at Target. The white is N.Y.C. French White Tip.

You'll probably be seeing normal manis with these polishes at some point in the future. That is, if I can ever get through all the new polishes I've purchased...

Sonia Kashuk Rock Star

Last night, I found a few bottles of nail polish on sale at Target. I tried out Rock Star by Sonia Kashuk first.

Natural lighting.

Natural lighting.

Flash.

As you can see, Rock Star is a deep indigo. I found the finish to have qualities of both cremes and jellies. The first coat was very translucent and spotty, and was surprised to find that it evened out perfectly with the second coat. I was sure this was going to be a three-coater. On the nail, it looks like a creme, but I think it has some of the "squishy" qualities of a jelly.

The color of this is awesome. An almost-black that shows more purple in brighter light, but also can look navy blue. The application was great: not too thick, not too runny.

Please ignore the tip shrinkage. I didn't get a chance to photograph this last night, and when I woke up this morning, Seche Vite had its way with the polish. Oh, Seche - I love you, but I hate you.

Minnesota is supposed to get hit with yet another huge snow storm today. I hope wherever you are, the weather is nicer than it is here!

OPI What's with the Cattitude?

I tried to fix the chipping of Caribbean Frost, which was a mistake. It just made things worse. The sides started to curl up, so I gave up and just took it off. It was such a nice day out today, so I decided on the bright and fun What's with the Cattitude? from OPI's Shrek collection.

The application of this was not too great. It was thick and gloopy, and only got worse the longer the bottle was open. Part of my troubles were likely due to the fact that my bottle is a mini, and the brush is teeny tiny.  It needed three coats to even out and get rid of the streaks. These pictures are three coats, plus one coat of Seche Vite.

It's totally worth it to deal with the application process, because this is such a gorgeous color. The sky blue is perfect for spring.

It's been so nice out lately, and I hope it stays that way. Today I went for a run and walked to the grocery store. It's was so nice to be outside and not have to wear my heavy jacket.

Just a little early afternoon rant

 

 

 

 

I really don’t believe in abortion. It’s, like, killing a baby? - Justin Bieber


These two links happened to show up on my Facebook newsfeed today (click on the picture to go to the first link). I know this is just a nail polish blog, and not a political blog, but considering how many people have purchased his line of polishes, I found it appropriate.

I've never paid Justin Bieber any attention before, really. He's just not on my radar. I had nothing against him, but I'm not a 12 year old girl, and I don't listen to the radio, so he's never been someone I've paid any attention to.

But I mean, come on, really?! Your anti-choice sentiments are not needed, nor appreciated, JB. You are a white male. You will never become pregnant. You don't know what it's like to be a woman in a rape culture. "Everything happens for a reason"? Are you shitting me? I know that he's young, but when I was his age, I knew that every woman should have control over her own body.

UGHHH!

This is so infuriating, that I can't even form an appropriate response.

Glad I never picked up any of his nail polishes.