Couleur du jour?

Maybe even couleur du mois/ de l'annee!
Orange.

Illamasqua Insanity. Even WITH a bubble it's simply the best orange there is and moreover the best polish I've bought for a long time. £5 in the sale! Superb result. How chuffed am I.
3 coats is plenty. 2

So what d'you reckon is the genuine, current couleur du jour?
Orange
Coral
Other

And would that be a creme formula?

Oh, a little pointer for those who weren't sure. The large square cap on Illamasqua is MEANT to be removable. In fact you SHOULD remove it and leave the smaller cap for proper control. I have heard some say Illamasqua polishes are unwieldy. That need not be the case.

Jenni

Bourjois Orange Creation

 

2 coats over ridgefiller plus top-coat as it dries insufficiently glossy. Sadly I selected a topcoat that has seen better days - hence the bubbling and uneven finish. Not perceptible IRL.

Oh, BIG MOAN! Got a lot of chipping on the Bourjois Bleu Model. Hope this is better. And lots of tipwear on OPI JITNB. Not funny! Be warned. Please report back if you experience unwarranted chipping on the new Bourjois. I haven't had a polish wear so poorly in nearly 2 years.

This is an intense and slightly dirty orange. Not quite neon. I like it. These come out just as they look in the bottle. Consistent then.

Worst polishes for chipping?

Jenni

Bourjois Rose Corset

 

• It isn't rose.Well, roses can be this kinda shade but when we say 'rose' we don't think of this colour, do we?
• It has nothing whatever to do with corsets that I can think of.
• 2 or 3 coats
• Great Bourjois thick quality
• Love the Bourjois brush
• It's one of the shades du jour

Jenni
Is Bourjois too expensive? Discuss. Sorry to be so bossy.

Color Club Orange Revenge + accent swirl

I've read the phrase 'retina-searing' before. Now I know what it truly means. Took the dogs for a walk in the April sunshine and nearly blinded myself when I glimpsed my very own fingers. Crikey.

Coupla coats. Three? Not sure. But I can see some VNL. That bothers me not one jot.

The 'swirl' is where I was trying to add white and make a gradient but the consistency was thicker than an Irish bog in a relatively mild spring with added algae so I had to cut my losses and slop W7 Earthquake White over it. What a globby mess. But it turns out that is reminiscent of peach slices in syrup (you know those tins) with single cream spooned in. I hate it when people do that. Makes me feel a bit sick. But it isn't actually that bad. Impressionist brushwork? Explosion in paint factory?


Jenni

Barry M 03 Lip Lacquer Crayon

Perhaps I was a satsuma or a tangerine in a former life. Everything on my list these days cosmetics-wise is orange/coral.

This lip lacquer is a lot more sheer than the 01. A little disappointing. But I kept at it until I was reasonably satisfied. 01 had raised my hopes perhaps a little too high. This is still pretty though. I am so unused to seeing this kind of colour on my lips. Takes some getting used to. Need to get some OCC Lip Tars in orange or coral. Believe me, I'm looking! 'Grandma' is a good colour.

Reincarnation. I desperately hope there is no such thing. I fear death far more when I contemplate the prospect of returning - in whatever guise. Some lives are seemingly so intolerable and I have been so blessed in this life that I have a terror of being reincarnated as ...well, I have to be one the most privileged people on the planet so virtually any other life would represent a fall from grace. And if it's dependent on karma then I'm by no means sure I've been as well-behaved as I should have been to ensure progress in subsequent lives. Gloomy. Sorry.

Reincarnation.
Do you discount it completely? What are your views?

Jenni

Color Club Feel The Beat

My first Color Club. 2 coats. The index finger is mattified with another colour over half the nail but the other colour wasn't enough of a contrast so that was a fail. But this is one heck of a shiny, easy polish. Problems? Yes, tip shrinkage but I tried 2 new products under the CC so I may have to blame the chemical combination. And chipping after 2 days - may again be related to new Mavala ridge-filler (only one to be found in Boots).

Yes, I know it came out ages ago but I got this for £8.99 plus £2.49 P&P. Yes, that's right. Less than £11.50 all in!!! If you're in the US you can have NO IDEA what a bargain that is. Stuff generally is mega-expensive over here with nail polish no exception. I know Color Club is not a premium brand but it has a high reputation over here nonetheless and I have seen some great swatches. I couldn't pass this up at that price. Evidently I was not the only one. It's all sold out now (ebay) so no point giving you the link.

The Vitabase product (far right) is great too and makes a good base. I am now hunting for CC in a BIIIIIG way. Luckily they are now stocked by: http://www.venusnailsupplies.co.uk/ This is a company I can recommend. The P&P is a bit steep but the polish prices are low so make sure you order plenty.

What Color Club can you recommend? (international readers)
Does Color Club interest you sufficiently to seek it out? (UK readers)

Jenni

China Glaze Life Preserver + matte tips

I am trying to keep away from the same old, same old US brands but I had a voucher and I picked up the set of minis from the Anchors Away collection. This is my favourite. Fabulous CG quality. Took 2 coats but you could maybe get away with one if you have good nails. Very impressed with the 17 matte coat. Makes a good contrast because LP is a decidedly glossy polish so this is a simple way to tart up a mani.

IRL the tips look much neater. But I always say that. And likewise my cuticles are much less scruffy. Still, in my head I'm 17 so what do I know....Perhaps I removed the tip guides too soon. The OH wanted to know why I had bits of paper stuck to my fingers so I had to show her. My explanation clearly wasn't enough. Proof was required.

I'm going to invest in some more Boots 17 because I think they may be good quality. Pity the bottles are so small. Why can't we have big Texas-type bottles over here - generous bottles. Why are our bottles the size of a piddling English village with no pub, school or Post Office?

Best bottle?
OPI?
Or square ones like Misa and Color Club?
Models Own?
Revlon?

And advice needed on how long to leave tip guides or masking tape on the nail before removal, please.

Jenni

Zoya Zaufda

Zoya is buckets of money in the UK. BIG buckets. Biggest buckets you ever did see.

That's why I don't have any. Until I got 3 for about £7.50 on ebay including P&P.
Zaufda  is the one I expected to like least. Orange. Just shows the power of expectation and anticipation. Aim LOW. Contrary to what the government and these 'life-coaches' would have you believe. Slightly tongue-in-cheek? Not even sure myself.

2 coats. You have to keep your eyes peeled on ebay. Persistence pays. This is a great colour. Duochrome-ish too. Seems to darken in some lights. Great brand but I'm not paying £10 so I don't expect my little trio to expand within the near future.

Anyone else up for the giveaway? There was a brief flurry and then nothing. That's fine by me. I'm not touting for readers. Just reminding any regulars out there. See RH menu.

Jenni

OPI Going Ape-Ricot and OPI And This Little Piggy and a confession

Multiple layers of these very sheer glass-fleck polishes. I wasn't counting. Just ladle on with a trowel.

Now, to my shame I bought 4 OPI despite having vowed not to (due to their takeover by L'Oreal the animal-experimenters). These were 4 for £12 on some obscure site I can't remember and I yielded to temptation. So I am going to have to re-commit myself to not buying OPI and actually having and sticking to some decent principles. Great polishes. Not going to recommend them. Obviously.

Confession, so 'tis said, is good for the soul. I shall see. Get back on the old 'No cruelty to animals' horse and have another try.

Jenni

Jessica jellies - Aqua and Coral

Aqua and coral - they ought to go well together, yes?

Hark at me! As if I go diving in the lucid waters off the Great Barrier Reef every morning before breaking my fast with a grilled sea-trout and papaya.
I did go to Blackpool once...


Lots of coats. In sun.
No base coat and no top coat.
A I'm getting lazy
B I'm somewhat thrifty
C I'm desperately impatient and I just wanted to get on with it and it took an age to remove the glitter plus I knocked a brush on the carpet, made the mistake of squealing involuntarily and thus alerted the OH to the catastrophe, hastily swabbed carpet, assured OH (still downstairs) that no bones were broken and no further intervention was required and got on with it...

I love these even though Coral is too orange for my taste. But it does speak to the Aqua (a genuine aqua IMO) and so I will graciously accept it.

In shade.

Bottles. You can see how clear the Coral and Red are. The Pink appears essentially creme which it emphatically is not. The Emerald is far left and the other dark one is the Violet (my fave so far).

They are so GLOSSY. I smooch them.

Btw I hate real jelly (I hesitate to say edible food-item as it is neither palatable nor of any value to the human body). Does anyone like it?

That's the QUESTION OF THE DAY.
What about jelly? (Not jam.)
What ABOUT jelly?

Fave flavour? Fave combinations? Do you loathe it? Best jelly mould?

Jenni

Another pig's ear - Butter London Minger and Bourjois Rose Virtuel

Minger
It is mingin' - i.e. it doesn't suit me
Lovely quality polish though for the right person and I am offering an exchange (see right)

Dear Lord, what does it look like? I didn't change the middle finger from yesterday because I'm like that...
2 coats here, pre-cleanup because I wasn't sure if I'd keep it on
It's a creme

On the RH something more successful but unexciting

Bourjois Rose Virtuel - holo
2 coats, easy as you like
I am a huge fan of Bourjois

The Max Factor Blue Energy from yesterday pleased me and remained flawless but I had meant to apply Minger yesterday but had forgotten to remove the large cap before applying base coat and was thus scuppered

There's always another day in the world of nails....
Oh, and is anyone up for exchanges?

Jenni

Nightmare! Max Factor Blue Energy and Bourjois 1 Seconde 11

Honest to God. Today hasn't been a great day and this has put the icing on the bl00dy banana cake (I hate bananas)

I don't really bother about VNL but the Bourjois (3 coats) needed a topping of Mavala Gold Diamond to make it a bit less bland
The Max Factor (from a cheap etailer like the Bourjois) went on very nicely in 2 coats
But I'm trying not to leave such big gaps round the cuticle so I inevitably made a s0dding mess
The Bourjois goes on so easily. It has the fan-shaped brush that looks very odd but is perfect for my nails as my hands are somewhat small. Kiddie-paws.

Why blue and orange?

They are complementary colours on the colour wheel and should therefore make each other "sing".

IRL this looks a lot better - yes, I know, I WOULD say that...

So it does work and I have achieved my end to a certain extent.

To cheer me up, because even my camera wasn't cooperating and insisted on providing unnecessary amounts of flash, I now insert a pic of CG Sprinkles with GOSH Rainbow. Even this isn't true-to-life as it shows the pink rather cooler than as perceived by my (admittedly failing) eyes...

I hope there'll be something new in the post tomorrow that simply screams at me to be tried. Not very hopeful however as there is always a dearth of post on Monday. Does anyone else find this to be the case?

What is your favourite blue? Shall I do a poll? Or a quiz? Do you want a giveaway? Anyone?

A decidedly grumpy

Jennifer

The Edge - a haul of 5 - you haven't seen these before, I promise!!

From a company called The Edge

Here they are again. My haul of today..

Guess how much they cost? I'll tell you later.

They are from L to R:

Coney Island

Malibu

Sunset Bay

Moscow

Barcelona

I already have London so I ordered these 5. But what would they be like? Ta da da!

Little: Coney Island

Ring: Sunset Bay

Middle: Malibu

Index: Coney Island

2 coats plus base and top

3 coats definitely not required

Thick-ish but in a good way

All creme formula

Very shiny

I made a right c0ck-up on a couple because I was in a rush and then I got a hair caught in one and so on and so forth but they managed to even themselves out

I am thrilled with these! Could you tell....

I really like these. They are from a collection called: Electric Beach

Well, 2 of them seem to be anyway.

As always this mani looks better IRL, I can assure you!

Ah! The price. Maybe you are not sensitive about these matters but I am! 

£11.69

What? You can't hear me.....?

£11.69!

For the lot. No postage. Ordered Wednesday and arrived Friday.

Thoughts?

Jenni

Have a nice weekend, peeps!

May I introduce your leaders..blue, red, neutral (think David Dimbleby), green, orange

4 polishes available in the UK - I thought that was important

Blue - Miss Sporty creme
Red - Revlon Frankly Scarlet slight shimmer
David...Bourjois So Laque Beige Glamour creme
Green - Nails Inc Portland Place (old shade) creme
Orange - Barry M Tangerine shimmer/frost

For fairness they are all 2 coats over Misa Bang
Topped by Misa Breakneck with CG Fast Freeze drops


Which would you vote for? They all went on easily.
I shall be introducing their fellow candidates during the countdown to May 6th. Which party has the greatest following? What about the independents in the purple and pink parties? 


In your stash which is your FPTP (first past the post) colour?


Jen x

For Leanne - Post 1

Picture Key:

1 On 2 nails but I decided it looked odd on just 2 so walked the dogs and then did the rest

2 Didn't clean up - naughty me, mustn't take pix until I clean up

3 The thumb worked quite well

4 Whole hand (well, duh)

I've been following nail blogs (mostly) for about 7 months now. Does the world need another one? Who cares! Here's yet another one.

So why this one?

• I need to stop spending time and money ebuying (ebaying) and require an outlet for all that saved time and mental energy to curb my expenditure so this is mostly for me
• There aren't as many blogs with a uniquely British perspective as I'd like to see

So the first post is a thank-you to all British bloggers (whether I have already found you or not), all inspirational bloggers out there everywhere and my second attempt at nail art. I used Leanne's tutorial.

http://www.donotrefreeze.com/2010/04/easy-peasy-nail-design-2-d.html#comments

This girl is 18! I admire creative people. Oh, especially creative people with a steady hand!

Tiger nails with:

Base coat Misa Bang

couple coats Attitude School Bus to begin

use the sponge applicator to apply a bit of Misa Ghetto Fabulous

then more sponge with Maybelline Mandarin Heat

Used a no. 1 paintbrush from a craft shop for black stripes (Miss Sporty black)

For silver stripes used Mercia nail art pen/brush in silver

Over the top is CG Fairy Dust

Lastly Misa Breakneck and CG Fast Freeze

Please note

• The Ghetto isn't obvious enough
• My cuticles etc are awful but I'm 54 and I had years of obsessive handwashing which doesn't do your hands a GREAT deal of good
• The black stripes are not fine enough but I hope to improve with that
• The Fairy Dust doesn't really work but it looks more subtle IRL

Where do I get my stuff?

I google a lot of brands and add UK to find an etailer (Venus Nail and Beauty is good)

I ebay

Sally's

Directly from websites e.g. Eyeko, Barry M, Overall Beauty (Kim is the BEST)

Boots and Superdrug

TJ Hughes has Bourjois very cheap at the moment

I've started to look at market stalls as well because I need to rein in this compulsion!

Love from Jenni