this weekend's haul..

I finally got up to Sally's this week! YAY! Unfortunately the fall collections were a little picked over by now, but whatever. I still found some stuff I was looking for...
China Glaze Trendsetter
China Glaze Tempest
China Glaze For Audrey
China Glaze Four Leaf Clover
Finger Paints Military Green
Finger Paints Easel-y Entertained
Finger Paints Sketchy Character
Finger Paints Guggen I'm Lime
Orly Rage
Orly Butterflies
Orly Emberstone (LOVE IT)

So, not bad..I didn't realize it till I got home but the ChGs were on sale for $5! If I had known I probably would've bought a few more..but like I said there really wasn't much left from the Metro collec: I got the last bottle of Trendsetter, and they had the two glitters but I really didn't care about them, and then they had a boring berry creme and a red creme. I'm sure they were nice but really, I don't need any more red or pink cremes right now!
And then at Trade Secret I found the new OPI Serena Williams set..I think it's the US Open? Not sure which it is? But it's the duo with Love is a Racket and Pros & Bronze. They're sooo pretty. Pros and Bronze is fun to just stare at in the bottle. I'm wearing Love is a Racket right now and it's gorgeous. I'll post it soon. I haven't really had time to post lately but I've been taking pics of my nails to post soon..tonight is my one free night a week. No cheer, no band tonight (since we had 7 AM practice this morning instead, UGH)..I'm sure I have homework but, meh..I'll worry about that some other time.
Anyways!

Sincerely, Cat

OPI Grape...Set...Match

It's finally the weekend! I had a super busy week..first full week of classes, homework, marching band practices, cheer, and first football game of the season last night (we lost big time, but who's counting?!) followed, of course, by a midnight Mcdonald's run. Anyways, to get on with the post..
I should apologize in advance for these pictures. They're messy, my nails are shaped badly, but that's nothing compared to the actual pictures. See, I haven't had my regular camera lately so I've had to use a different one that, frankly, sucks..ah well. Truthfully, this polish is gorgeous, but you really wouldn't be able to tell from these pictures!
This is OPI Grape...Set...Match.

Meh.
But look, it's such a pretty purple! It's so bright and..majestic! I love the blue and red shimmer in it. I used base, 2 coats of this and one coat of Seche Vite. Good formula on it.
I've been wearing this on my toes for about a week now and I must say I think I like this better as a pedi color than a mani..it looks so cute with flip flops.
All in all, love this color..not much more to say!

Sincerely, Cat

Icing Irish Gold and OPI Green-wich Village

So, this past Sunday was the finale of the Glee Project! I don't know if anyone watches it, but me and my friend A have (had?) an obsession with it..well, mostly with one of the contestants, Damian! (If you've ever seen the show, you may recall that he's adorable and is Irish..so he has an adorable Irish accent!) So when A and I went shopping a couple weeks ago, we were looking at the nail polish in Icing (she's a nail fanatic too!) and saw an awesome glitter named Irish Gold. Obviously, we both had to have it! And then we decided we'd have to coordinate when we wore it..since Damian made it into the finale, it was a perfect chance to wear it! A and I decided to use a light green base with Irish Gold over it, and it turned out pretty cute..and it was obviously a good-luck charm, since Damo won!
So without further ado..

Base coat, 2 coats of Green-wich Village, 2 coats of Irish Gold, and one of coat of Seche Vite. I officially adore this glitter! It was a dream to apply, the brush was awesome, great formula, looks super good, it didn't start to peel off in big chunks, and most surprisingly, it was totally smooth with just one coat of SV. It looks amazing layered, but I'd also like to try it alone! I have a few more Icing glitters I still haven't tried..I'm super excited to use them now!

Weekend mini haul

This is barely even a haul, but I wanted to post anyways, and this is what I got this weekend, so!

OPI Are We There Yet?
OPI Uh-Oh Roll Down the Window
OPI A-Taupe The Space Needle
OPI Roadhouse Blues
OPI Up Front and Personal

The new fall ones were buy one get one half off, so obviously I had to get 4! Up Front and Personal was 30% off and it caught my eye, so. 
I hadn't seen the Touring America collec in person yet, and I must say I was really underwhelmed! Just like when I saw swatches, nothing really stood out to me. The thing is, though, usually when I don't like a collection much in the bottle, I really like it on the nail..I have yet to wear any of these, but I really am looking forward to it!

Sincerely, Cat

OPI Cuckoo For This Color

Writing this post makes me kind of sad (but also really excited)...because today's my last day of summer! This is my last post before fall starts for me. :( I'm excited for fall...but I'll miss the lazy days of summer, the bonfires, the trampoline parties, summer cheerleading practices, marching band camp, being able to just sit around with friends everyday...ahh. There's always next summer though!
So, to get ready for fall again, I've been wearing a lot of fall colors lately. This is OPI Cuckoo For This Color, from the Fall 2010 Swiss collection (still absolutely adoring that collection a whole year later!)
I wasn't originally going to buy this because it looked kinda boring in the bottle. I'm so glad I did, it turned out to be one of my favorites in the collection...such a beautiful dark teal. I used two coats and one of Seche Vite and it's just perfection in a bottle. Love it!
I'm planning to wear my franken As A Sophomore (which I've worn and posted before here but will probably photograph and post again anyways, haha) because, well, I'm going to be a sophomore! Makes sense, right?
I just can't get over how fast this summer went. Ugh. I'm super excited though...especially for Friday night football :) Those Friday night lights start next week...I'm so pumped!

Sincerely, Cat

Franken -- Making Banana Pancakes

Let me just start out by saying...yellows are IMPOSSIBLE to franken! Trying to make this was a total hassle and it didn't even turn out exactly how I wanted it to.

This is one of my new (I made it like a week ago!) frankens, Making Banana Pancakes. The name isn't even final yet...I haven't labelled my new bottles. So it's subject to change. I do know for sure the name will be from Jack Johnson's song Banana Pancakes...obviously it is right now, but I also considered naming it Pretend Like It's the Weekend but I thought that would be kinda dumb. Anywho.

I was aiming for a unique yellow shimmer because companies never really seem to make any true yellow shimmers...and now I know why. First off, I wanted a base color that was true yellow (not too green, not too orange) but I DIDN'T want a pastel, but at the same time I didn't want like, a bold canary yellow. That part worked out ok...it's not too pastel, not too school bus colored.

Second, I wanted noticeable SHIMMER! This is where the problems started. See, most of the polishes that have really awesome shimmer that I use for a lot of frankens (like OPI Lucerne-tainly Look Marvelous, SOPI Lagoon-a Beach, etc) have colored bases that affected the yellow color. I did, in the end, get some shimmer in, but because it's so light, it doesn't stand out enough from the base. It doesn't stand out much, but you can slightly tell it's there.

And then there was application. See, it was actually quite good...you can definitely get away with 2 coats, but I went for 3. I used my usual coat of Seche Vite, but then of course...I started smudging basically every nail. Urgghh. So, being me, I decided (very stupidly!) to just do another coat over the smudges, and then more SV, which made everything super thick and gross. And then I continued to smudge them and repeat the process.

All in all, I do like the color and application was not bad besides my own personal mistakes. Next time I'm definitely going to be more careful and it should be a breeze!

Sincerely, Cat

Deborah Lippmann Razzle Dazzle

Another Lippmann! This one isn't even an untried...I wore it about a year ago but I figured I'd revisit it.

This is Razzle Dazzle, from last year's Nordstrom exclusive "All That Jazz" set...of course, this isn't exclusive anymore, all 3 polishes from the set can be purchased separately.
This looks soo pretty right now, but it was kind of a hassle to apply! The glitter made application kind of messy for me, but after cleaning up the edges, it's so worth it. It's fuschia glitter in a raspberry jelly base...look at the depth. I'm swooning. I love that there's the regular glitter but there's also tiny microglitter mixed in, too. So pretty!
I used 2 coats and one of Seche Vite...I probably should've used 2 coats of topcoat to smooth down the top but whatever.
All in all, it may not be my absolute favorite Lippmann glitter but it's still uber-beautiful. If I didn't have this, I'd buy it in a heartbeat!
And now for the fun part...removal. UGH.

Sincerely, Cat

OPI Ski Teal We Drop

You know what I realized today? I've been wearing a lot of cremes lately. This happens a lot....I get stuck in a rut. Usually it's a creme rut, because they're so easy to remove and I have so many of them. I get sick of removal with glitters, glass flecks, even some shimmers, so I just don't use them for a while. I'm okay with it today though, because this creme is absolutely gorgeous...

with flash

without flash

This is OPI Ski Teal We Drop...see? The color is absolutely GORGEOUS! This is from OPI's fall collection last year, the Swiss collection, which I've been revisiting lately...I didn't realize it when it first came out, but I absolutely LOVE that collection. Definitely one of my favorite OPI collections in the past few years. I wish their fall collec this year was more like it...more bright jewel tones instead of the murky colors we're seeing from EVERY company. As much as I love a good camoflauge green color, they're being done to death right now and I'm absolutely sick of them.

Enough about that...this color! I used 2 coats and one of Seche Vite. The other thing I realized is that I haven't used an OPI in like forever lately...weird, because that's usually what I always wear! So because of that, it took some getting reacquainted with the ProWide brush--that's why my nails turned out really messy. Still, the formula was spot-on and totally opaque. I'm head over heels for this color...not much more to say!

Sincerely, Cat

Sephora by OPI Miss Bossy Pants

Here's my Pink Wednesday mani for this week. This is Sephora by OPI Miss Bossy Pants, from the Glee collection.
This one is from the Glee mini set, and it's sat untried in my collection until now. You know why? Because it's pink! I hate to say it but I'm totally prejudiced against pinks...and it's weird because they usually look pretty good on nails!
So anyways, this is a medium berry-ish electric pink...it's actually pretty cool because of the purple-blue flash it shows. It's slightly darker in real life than in these pictures.
I used two coats, and it's opaque...the only issues I had were with the stupid mini brush (darn you!). It's not as apparent in pictures but there was a little bit of dragging on my pinky. Not anything too bad though.
All in all...I like it better than I expected, but still not really my cup of tea. I do love the name though!

Sincerely, Cat

Deborah Lippmann Naked

This is Deborah Lippmann Naked, a polish I wore recently. (I know, I know, more Lippmann!)

I like it...I'm not completely blown over by it, and it's not the most unique color I've seen (after all, it's just a flesh-toned nude), but it is pretty and applied well. This is 3 coats with Seche Vite. It's not COMPLETELY opaque, but it's not too bad. 

Also, I was hoping this would be my perfect Mannequin Hands shade...not quite. But it was still pretty darn close to my skin tone.

All in all...it's a nice nude, but nudes are easy to come by. I don't regret buying this, but I wouldn't buy it again, since I already have so many colors like this! Still, it makes a good go-to nude shade.

Sincerely, Cat

Sephora by OPI Frankly, I Don't Give A-Dam

Today I wore Sephora by OPI Frankly, I Don't Give A-Dam. Hahahaha. As you may or may not be able to tell, I mostly bought this for the name, although the color itself is fine.
I used 2 coats of Frankly and 1 coat of Seche Vite. It applied nice and even, no issues with the formula or brush or anything. It's a nice grey creme, and I picked it out because I really don't have anything that's much like this, but it's not a must-have. I like it, but it's not outstanding.
This is the only one I've picked up (so far) from SOPI's fall collection...I bought this in-store and I looked at all the others in the collection too, but none really stood out to me. I was gonna buy the mini set but even those seemed kind of meh. I like the red glitter though, and the teal shimmer...I might have to check those out too....
Which reminds me, I looked for Once a Cheetah Always a Cheetah (since they took it off the website a while ago, after it was listed as "out of stock" for basically ever) and it was definitely NOT there!!! OK, really, Sephora?! I was never able to get it from the website...it was out of stock at EVERY Sephora I went to in June and July...not cool!

Rant over. Anyways....

Sincerely, Cat

Deborah Lippmann Lara's Theme

I've been wearing a lot of Lippmann lately. Of course, I still have a bunch of untried Lippmanns after the buy 2 get 1 free at the Nordstrom sale...mwahaha.

without flash

with flash.

This is Lara's Theme...ahh, I love this so much! I wasn't going to buy this one because, meh, it's just an orange creme. I'm so glad I did buy this...the color is SO bright and fun without being a true neon, the application was PERFECT (2 coats, but the 2nd was barely needed), and, most amazingly, these pictures were taken after 5 days of wear. Yeah, 5. I don't even wear the same nail polish for more than 2 days in a row, usually. This was a whole week (minus weekend, that is).

I used my usual Sephora by OPI base coat, 2 coats of this, and one of Seche Vite. Aside from a little bit of tipwear and the tiny bit of outgrowth, there are no chips. And you know how sometimes after a few days Seche Vite can start to shrink the polish and make it pull away from the tips (or is that just me?)? Well, none of that.

I can never even express how much I love Lippmanns...they're amazing. I don't feel bad dropping $16-18 on one anymore because they're so high quality. After the Nordstrom sale, my Lippmann collection has officially reached 21...I'm obsessed with them! Now I can't wait for the holiday collection. Wait, did I just say that I'm excited for winter?! I think I need to go lie down....

Sincerely, Cat

Chanel Peridot

I know, I know...I still can't believe I gave in, either. But man, am I glad I did. This is so beautiful.

I used to tell myself I'd never buy a Chanel...they're overpriced, overrated, not THAT unique, and they aren't even a full .5 oz bottle. Then I saw Peridot.

From the first bottle shot I knew it was meant to be. And then I saw swatches and it was a done deal. The moment I stepped foot into Nordstrom and made a beeline for the Chanel counter, it felt right. And as I forked over nearly $30 for a small container of liquid nail covering, I could tell I had made the right choice.

Welcome home, Peridot.

weekend haul...

I usually don't do these but ouch...my wallet hurts...

Urban Decay 15th Anniversary Palette (I HAD TO HAVE IT)
UD 24/7 Liquid Eyeliner in Siren
UD 24/7 Liquid Eyeliner in Woodstock
UD 24/7 Liquid Eyeliner in Radium
UD 24/7 Concealer Pencil in CIA
UD Grind House (the little scraper stick thing in my other one broke...but I have a few Grind Houses now so whatever)
Philosophy Lip Shine in Frosted Animal Crackers (YUM)
Philosophy Under the Big Top Set
Sephora by OPI Frankly, I Don't Give A-Dam (I mostly got this for the name, haha)
Sephora by OPI Base Coat
Chanel Peridot (my first Chanel!)
Deborah Lippmann Superstar
Deborah Lippmann Lara's Theme
Deborah Lippmann Stormy Weather
Deborah Lippmann Billionaire
Deborah Lippmann Single Ladies
Deborah Lippmann Brick House

...ugh.

Thank the heavens Nordstrom has their sale going on...the Lippmanns were buy 2 get 1 free (so were Butter London, but I really didn't care about those). Otherwise I wouldn't have gotten all of those. In fact, none of them are really "must-haves"...but I wanted to drop some cash today, so.
The Nordy exclusive Lippmann set this year is SUCH a disappointment...it's the Get This Party Started set, and it's just Happy Birthday (and basically everyone in the world has either that one or one of the millions of copies of it) and two rehashes of it, one in a pink base and one in a black base. Last year's set was freaking amazing...the All That Jazz set. Three totally unique, amazing glitters. This year? No. So I guess it was actually a good thing...I saved like $50 (with the goshdarn tax, that's how much it would be, yuck).
I was SO CLOSE to buying the Le Metier set at Nordy's...I'm glad I didn't though. The only one I really wanted was the holo. The other 3 are blah. And it's so overpriced for the tiny bottles, seriously I mean they're smaller than a freaking OPI mini, and you can get a set of 4 of those for 10 freakin dollars, the Le Metier set was 25 for four teeny bottles...and one was a boring berry shimmer...pass!
The UD palette...ugh. I couldn't resist. I don't even know why I really bought it, but I mean...it's a limited edition UD palette! How could I not get it?!
And the UD liquid liners...I freakin love em. I've worn Siren (teal with a purple flash) the past two days and it's amazing. Not really sure why I bought Woodstock...super bright fuchsia liquid liner? Well I love it either way. The brushes are awesome...I totally suck at putting on liquid liner but these are a breeze. It practically applies itself.
So, I'm uber excited about the stuff I bought...and now that I've seen all the fall collections, all I can say now is...bring on the winter collections ;)

Sincerely, Cat