Skittle Tips - Skipples?

 

 

 

Needed a topcoat to smooth it out a bit

• I really love this and I don't mind that I went a bit OTT on the ring finger and made a puddle!
• Over CG White Cap (shouldn't that be whitecap?)
• I prefer it to plain ol' skittles

•  Bourjois Bleu Model (this is so not blue to my eyes)
• Barielle Expressive (they have a 50% sale on in the UK and have had for some time)
• L'Oreal Yellow Seahorse
• Essie Smooth Sailing

Do you like skittles or any variant thereof?
Jenni

Illamasqua Purity + Barielle Blossom

(Ever so slightly washed out by the flash.)

How thick is Purity? Thicker than a very thick thing with added thickitude. But it covers in 2 coats which is remarkable for a chalky pastel so no complaints really....

The Barielle has a reputation for being thick and possibly unworkable but actually it behaved quite nicely. Also 2 coats. And when, pray, is Barielle going to introduce some new polishes? Hm? Well? Come along, come along. We're waiting.

Recommend me some peachy shades, please!

Jenni

Barielle Coalest Day of the Year + ELF Metal Madness

The ELF is better. Not so dark and has more sparkle.

 

2 coats of each. The Barielle is on the index finger.

 

Top marks to ELF. It's a little thinner and doesn't disguise my ridges quite as well so the better option would be 1 coat of each with the ELF on top. Sorted.

ELF are getting some funkier colours up and running. Ha! Paint. Paint runs...Oh, never mind.

Jenni

Barielle Gelt me to the Party

I do find I get bad tipwear on Barielle (as you can see). Typically takes less than a day to develop. Not chips you understand. That's a huge no-no. But I still like their colours so I'm sticking by them.

With an accent of Accessorize Gold Dust. I thought that this would be a streaky mess but I rather like it. Not saying it suits me but I like it nonetheless.

I'm awaiting a bundle from BB Couture with no great patience. Also coming my way from the US is my cousin and her husband from Philly. Well, they fly out tomorrow/Wednesday. I warned them to expect cold weather. I think they know what that's like in PA.

I apologise for stating that Barielle was a British brand a few posts back. I should have known!

Jenni

Barielle Elle's Spell - a day's wear

What a rubbish day! I usually love my work (teacher) but today was bl00dy awful. Plus my mobile does not appear to be making or receiving calls plus plus plus.....On the good side daughter 2 rang to say she is OK after I read on her facebook that she had had lots of pills from the doctor! Kids, eh?

Oh, yes. Nail polish. I really like this one. End of.

AND I hate Children in Need and Comic Relief and all that forced jollity alternating with dreary violins. You have to be in the UK to know what I'm on about. And I wish I could exchange places if you're somewhere else.

Not that I'm curmudgeonly or anything. Much.

Are you ranting and raving or rested and relaxed?
Jenni

Barielle Jess' Champagne Toast & Misa Shop till u drop

Ridiculous name.

The BOGOF on autumn/winter 2010 polishes. I would never pay £8 for these. Don't get me wrong, Barielle are British (I think) and they are good but not THAT good.

I read that this is a bit of a weed so I put a coat of a similar colour underneath and then 2 coats of this. It dries dull as it's a foil so top coat was a must. I always TC anyway though....

It's pretty and that's as far as it goes. Pretty underwhelming. Heck, it's only nail polish.

I need to post about something more profound - cars, fashion, TV. Something really deep and meaningful...ahem.

I hear they've isolated some anti-matter particles in Switzerland. Now that IS remarkable. Apparently. If I understood it and hadn't failed physics at the age of 13. What gets to me is this: the scientists try to explain by way of analogy/simile but even THAT makes no sense to me. Which makes me think that they don't understand it either. I wonder......

What leaves you cold?
Quantum theory?

Jenni

Barielle Cashmere Or Loose Me

Some polish names are whimsical, some are hideous puns and some are just plain STUPID.
Cashmere or loose me.....
You couldn't make it up. Except that some eejit DID!

I've been quite hard to please recently but this one hits the spot.
See that copper pearl in the bottle? It doesn't translate so much to the nail but what the heck. I really like this colour. This is day 3 or 4. Started off as 2 coats and then I refreshed it with a third coat as, even by my own lackadaisical standards, I hadn't done a very good job.
I'm not a great chocoholic but it's a very satisfying polish in a gourmandising sort of way.

Mind you, I've used my cold and sore throat as an excuse to guzzle 6 almond choc ices in about 24 hours. Oops.

How's your health these days? I can't seem to shift this dratted cough and cold.

Jenni

Rimmel Sunrise + Barielle Blossom

Popped in to TJ Hughes. They had a whole load of Rimmel for £1.99. And not just sad old pinks either! You have to check up on TJ Hughes. Got a Stila moisturiser for £1.99 as well. They are a good place to get skin care stuff IMO.

3 coats but it's the 60 second stuff and it went on as easy as an easy thing.
Blossom is 2 coats and still streaky but I didn't notice before I did the photo-thing.
Sunrise is so preeeeeettty
It's not exactly a thrill-ride into oblivion and beyond but it is a nice polish.

Mind you, 8ml isn't much so it isn't even a great bargain. Oh, what the hell....

An ad from 1968. Cutex.

It's a bit eerie due to the "foreign fingers".  Makes the whole face look distorted. And casts unbecoming shadows on the face. Oo, hark at her. Graphic design expert or what? NOT.

Believe me, I was there in '68 and we didn't all wear washed-out shimmers. Bright lime green and banana yellow were my favourites in those days.

What nail colours did you wear when you started out with nail varnish? And, if it's not giving too much away, how old were you and when was it?

Jenni

Barielle Daring Dahlia BOGOF

There's a BOGOF on all the 2010 ranges and I badly wanted Aura Angora and the silly one with a long name with Cashmere in it. So I picked up Blossom and Daring Dahlia to make it worth the £3.95 postage. Working out at just less than a fiver each all in. Not too shoddy.

2 coats. I was expecting this to be a creme but it's more of a jelly and hence has become an instant favourite. Most people would require 3 coats because they prefer an even finish. I quite like the way the polish settles at the tip and gently pools there. Looks interesting in different lights.

A lot of people also report Barielle generally being "too" thick to work with easily. I really like their formula.

What I do NOT appreciate is the way they (yet again after me complaining) shove 4 polishes loose in a padded bag. So the polishes have every opportunity to bang together and shatter. This did not happen fortunately but what a negligent way of posting a fragile product. Boo!

Can you believe this ad is from 1944? With a bit of restyling this could easily work in 2010.

Jenni

Barielle Aura Angora + Konad Grey Pearl

Sorry. I ain't mastered the art of Konad - just got a polish by them.

The Barielle is not flattering. One of those effin' ugly shades known as fugly. But I like it. 2 coats. Not nearly as glossy as I imagined it would be. Top coat was absolutely essential.

I much prefer the Grey Pearl but BUT BUT it is an example of Jennifer thinking she knows it all.
See the vertical line? Course you do.
That's there because this polish never dries.
Not that they didn't warn me.
"Do not use this polish for any purpose except Konad as it will not dry under normal usage."
Something like that. Words to that effect.
But I knew better.  Or thought I did.
OK, Konad-people, you were right and I was wrong. You warned me. I went ahead. I admit it. It's designed to be used as a thin layer to be superimposed over a base colour using the Konad methods and tools. Not just slathered on like I intended.

No matter. It's very pretty.
Have you ever tried to use a product in a way it wasn't quite designed for?

Jennifer

Barielle Electric Boogie

Don't get me wrong. I like Barielle. But when they had a BOGOF offer on their spring and summer 2010 collections I did struggle to find enough shades to justify the P&P. I prefer their older polishes.

Voila...EB.

As is so often the case when I haven't expected much of an item I was disproportionately pleased with this.

1 coat over the pre-existing blues (Illamasqua Force and Miss Sporty). You can see the previous mani easily enough. I was being lazy. I'm going to do this more and more though i.e. use an existing mani as a base for a different polish rather than start from scratch each time. Laxity and moral turpitude? Gosh, yes.

And just because I can, I give you Mary Quant.

I have footballer's legs so these socks don't suit me but does that deter me? Not a jot. I have a drawer full of long socks in various designs. They emphasise my muscular calves and make me look more like Wayne Rooney than is generally considered desirable but I love 'em.

Ad is early 70s. Obviously for the US market as it includes the word "fall". 

What differences between US and UK English have annoyed or confused you? I particularly detest the demise of the "shop" which we are losing in favour of "store". You buy things in shops with money. Shops have warehouses or stores where they.....store stuff.

Jenni

Barielle Belly Dance + Bourjois Beige Sophistique

Removing that Bourjois red made my hands all...red! Needed a lot of scrubbing. But the Bourjois did such a good job of ridge-filling that I had the inspired *modest? moi?* idea of using the beige one as a base coat. Then it took just 1 coat of Barielle and I was done. Here goes. 2 coats would've been better.

You can see the Beige beneath because I'm not exactly meticulous about these things but people don't habitually grab my hands and rate my nails. Although the woman at the check-out in the CoOp last week did say I had an interesting concept i.e. different colour nails on the 2 hands. So now I have conceptual nails. I'm almost Picasso.
Belly Dance. Ghastly name. Belly dancing is becoming popular though. You can even take lessons these days. It's not the most flattering colour on me and does make my hands look lobster but I still like it. It's sort-of pinky-purple although it also ISN'T. It was on a BOGOF so I don't mind that I don't love it. The Bourjois is now my default ridge-filler. It works better than anything else I've tried.

Today's ad

• Plasteen - where are you now?
• 15 cents
• What a vast range of complex colours!
• Can anyone figure out what those brooches are, please? This is really bugging me.
• And for AggieP (should she be reading this) a redhead! Natural, I'd say.
• It's one of those photos where you start to wonder, "What is she thinking? Who's she talking to? What's going on?"

What polish do you wear that you believe doesn't really flatter you but you like it regardless?

Jen

A fail - Barielle - and a pass - Jessica

Context is all.

Yesterday I did the bling-thing on the LH so the RH had the much-anticipated Barielle Belly Dance. It was lovely - now my official fave taupe - but I couldn't see the pink iridescence as promised so I was frankly "meh" about it and (highly unusual for me because I hate waste) changed it after a couple of hours.

To this..

Jessica Violet Tint

I got 6 of these for £6.50 all inclusive. 

This is probably 4 coats but it goes on without any effort so who cares? I actually enjoy ladling it on with a trowel. 

These are true jellies. If you hate VNL then you'll loathe these.
I have always loved this kind of translucent finish so I am in 7th heaven with these.
I have emerald, aqua, pink, red and coral to try.
Because it isn't opaque it doesn't verge on that tedious "looks-like-black-all-the-bleedin'-time" territory. Looks black in the bottle to be sure but not on the nail.
Hurrah, say I. And at that price I've ordered another 6 as back-up. Now that is a rarity!

And here's the Belly Dance with Mavala Pink Diamond attempting to distract the eye from a c0ck-up. It's a lovely taupe but it simply didn't suit my mood.

"What larks, Pip!"
(In honour of elder daughter's 22nd birthday today - not that she reads this)

Happy Friday
Jenni