Indelible + Layering

Giving Formula X another chance! I decided to try a nice, easy cream. Creams are hard to mess up, and I wanted Formula X to get a chance to impress me after its previous failure. To that end, I picked out Indelible.

Of course, as purples tend to do, it photographed much more blue than it really is. I tried to correct it in the above photo, but it's still not quite right.

Here's how it photographs. It's a great polish! Easy to apply and control; even and opaque at two coats. Definitely one I'll be reaching for again.

But I was bored, so over it I layered Nars Disco Inferno. It was on sale + VIB discount, so I think I paid $4. What a steal!

It's really pretty! Pinky purple flecks, with a green shift from extreme angles that I could not pick up on camera.

But it's definitely a layering polish, and to be honest there's no way I will ever think a layering polish will be worth $19. So I'm glad I have this, but I'm also glad I got it on mega sale.

Skull & Glossbones fail

A short post today. This is Skull & Glossbones from OPI's Pirates collection. I bought this one a couple months ago and hadn't gotten around to wearing it yet... and I'm not sure this really counts. I had an afternoon where I absolutely could NOT choose something to wear. I think I tried 3 different polishes before I found something I could at least tolerate. This color just does not work for me; it makes me feel like I have corpse hands. Plus, the formula was weird... even though I'd mixed it up, it was like the pigment had separated from the base. The first coat was really streaky in the weirdest possible way. I had to super mega shake it up & use a thick second coat to get it to smooth out.

Maybe at the end of the summer when I'm not (as) ghostly pale it will look okay on me, but I don't think I'll be trying it again soon.

China Glaze Traffic Jam

This is a quick post today, because I am really unhappy with these pictures. China Glaze Traffic Jam is really lovely. It's a mid-tone berry; not light, not dark, just perfect. But these pictures are way too pink.

The sweater I'm wearing here is brick red, but my skin tone here is pretty much that pale, so I have no idea how to accurately edit this. Just... try to imagine the polish a little less pink and a full shade darker.

Bah. Displeased. Sorry these aren't better.

Misa Office Polishtics

My first Misas! I've heard such amazing things about their formula, and I was definitely not disappointed. One perfect, applies-like-butter coat. And even though this is just a "boring" cream, I couldn't stop staring at it. Is it purple? Blue? Gray? I still haven't decided.
Here are way too many pictures so you can make your own call!

This looks pretty blue.

This is a really grayed out blue.

In the sunlight, it's very gray.

Again, blue, but this time with a little purple undertone.

I thought it was a dusty blue, and then several of my students called it purple, which I hadn't seen before. After they pointed it out, I could see why they thought that, but I would never call it "purple."
All I do know is that I want to wear it again, just so I can have the pleasure of applying it, and so I can stare at it in confusion.

Nail Mail! Zoya Mira + Danii

My zoya promo finally got here! Yaay, nail mail! I've been on a serious no-buy due to a severe lack of budget in our household this month, so this is my first new polish since Christmas. I'm sure you all understand how freaking excited I am!

 As always with Zoya, the box came with swatches of their recent collections. This time, the True + Fleck collections & the Feel collection as well.

This is the first time I've gotten a box this size. My first order from them I got two of the 6-pack box (yep, I bought a lot!), and the second order they just wrapped them up in soft packing stuff.

And the pretties!! Mira & Danii.

Mira could be a one coater if you're really good at polishing your nails; I had a couple bald, draggy spots from where I was being impatient and not quite careful enough. But here she is at two, with no top coat: utter glossy perfection.

I want to enjoy Mira in all of her beauty, but I also didn't want Danii to feel left out, so I did an accent gradient with her. These two look really lovely together!

No top coat

OPI Natural nail top coat

And finally! Since we all know what Zoya Mira/OPI Funkey Dunkey looks like, I figured she's a good judge against what the purples in the True collection are like for those of us who aren't fortunate to own them already. As you can see, the True purples' bases are much warmer & grayer.

Mira is my first purple cream and I think I officially need to get myself more purples!