NARS: Night Rider

How are all of you doing? I hope your weekends have been great! Only two more weeks until Thanksgiving and it can't come sooner! My up-coming week is full of presentations and exams, not so fun, but that's life isn't it? Anyways, I have a swatch to share with you today, NARS Night Rider. Night Rider is a glass-fleck polish that has a plum base with lighter, lilac/silver shimmer.

It has nice consistency, and was totally opaque in three coats. Unfortunately I don't think this polish looks very good on my skin tone, which is sad because I really do like the color in the bottle. This is three coats with one of Seche Vite over top.

I think this color would look really nice with as one coat or layered over something. What do you guys think? We're still having cloudy weather over here, but tomorrow is supposed to be sunny, so I'm planning on getting some good swatching in tomorrow! Have a fantastic Sunday guys, hope you enjoyed the swatches!

OPI: Midnight In Moscow

Drudgy, rainy weather and homework up to my chin make me feel so overwhelmed, but I have some really exciting things coming up, which seem to be the light at the end of this very cold, damp tunnel. What has been keeping me sane through all of this you ask? Some simple pleasures and procrastination: chai tea latte's, keeping up on my favorite blogs, involving myself in some really exciting activities, and painting my nails beautiful colors. There is truly no greater feeling than having pristine and primped little fingers; OK, maybe I haven't been able to shower in two days, but my nails are gorgeous.

Here's a color that I think you guys will all love and it really fits the broody mood mother nature seems to be in lately. I've been loving dark vampy colors this fall season, and this one is definitely a winner! You may recognize it, since it's been around for a while, it's from the OPI Russian Collection. It was one of my very first OPIs, even before I fell in love with polish! Midnight In Moscow is what I'm showing you today.

Here's a close-up of the polish. Unfortunately, since it's been cloudy and I prefer to only use natural lighting, these pictures didn't come out as crisp as I would have liked, but I still think you can see a good amount of detail. You can see that the polish is a very dark red. The base is actually black, and the red is from very fine shimmer. This is probably one of my darkest colors, since the red is very subtle.

So how do you like this polish? Would you consider checking it out? I think it's definitely going to become a color I reach to a lot this upcoming winter! Hope everyone is having a fantastic week!

Beautiful Scenery and an Update

Hey everyone! I'm sorry I've been MIA for so long. School has become unbearably crazy and busy. I barely have any time to anything for myself! Today we've been experiencing some strong winds from hurricane Sandy, look at those gorgeous waves! All the way over here in Wisconsin we've been experiencing the effects of the big storm. My heart goes out to all of the victims of Sandy, and I hope all of those displaced may find warm homes soon.

Some things that I've been up to: taking part in All Hallows Eve festivities, recovering from a terrible hair color, and a recent trip up north.

I can't wait to post some more soon, I've finally borrowed back the camera for a while so expect some great things to come! Thanks for reading!

NARS: Orgasm

Hey guys! I hope everyone is having a fabulous week! I am so excited for the weekend! It's my little sister's fourteenth birthday and I'm traveling to rural Illinois to go to an apple orchard. Here I come apple cider, maple fudge, and cake doughnuts! Fall is here and I couldn't be happier. Today I chose the "must have" color, Orgasm by NARS. It's universally flattering (just like the iconic blush of the same name) and timeless.

Orgasm is a gorgeous peach based polish with warn gold shimmer. This polish is a little bit sheer, even with three coats there's some visible nail line. I love that this color is bright, and in a way, subtle at the same time. This had a great consistency, and was very even. I have one coat of Seche Vite top coat on as well.

So what do you guys think about this color? Would you consider this a "must have?" Have a fantastic week and remember to cherish the beautiful weather before it's gone!

Deborah Lippmann: On the Beach & Mermaid's Dream

I hope every one's week is going well! School has made me really busy, but I'll always have time for my nails. Deborah Lippmann is my favorite polish brand ever. The designer always creates new and innovative colors. This duo was my 20th year birthday gift, and I was so ecstatic when I received it. These are such bright and happy colors!

Here's On the Beach, a gorgeous turquoise reminiscent of Mediterranean beaches. This is definitely a summery color that would brighten anyones mood! Anyways, this is three coats for complete opacity, and dries with a glossy finish. Great consistency as well, very smooth and self leveling.

Mermaid's Dream, oh my oh my. I'm sure you've heard of this polish, there was so much hype when it came out, and for good reason! This polish is one of my all time favorites, and I treat it like a precious little gem. This lacquer consists of medium dark blue hex glitter as well as very fine green and blue particles to make up the sea-foam green base. There's some very subtle holographic particles as well! This polish reminds me of crushed up gems and sea shells. This is three coats with some visible nail line peeking through.

So what do you guys think of this duo? I personally really like it, and had nothing similar to either of these colors. These both have a coat of Seche Vite. Have any of you tried these colors out? I hope everyone enjoys this review and I would love to hear your feedback! 

Dior: New World Purple / Aztec Chocolate 886

Fall is almost here! The coming season is my absolute favorite time of year. Chilly breezes, chai latés, and falling leaves make me so happy and excited for the coming winter months. I love winter, which is something that most people think is crazy, but who doesn't love to bundle up?

I decided to paint my nails to get myself in the mood for cooler days now that school is in full throttle. New World Purple is one of the first Dior lacquers I ever bought. This purchase was actually a total accident, as I meant to get another color, but this one ended up in my bag. They were really similar colors, and you know how department store lighting can be, so I pointed to the wrong bottle. Oops! As first I was like, no! But once I tried it on I was happy and I figured it must have been fate, so it stayed.

New World Purple is a raisin based lacquer with an abundance of golden brown shimmer.  This polish really shows it's true beauty in direct sunlight! Fantastic formula typical to Dior, this is two coats to make for complete opacity. This is such a warm beautiful color and has great lasting power on the nails.

I hope you liked these swatches! These are the first few pictures I've taken in my new apartment so I'm still getting used to the lighting in here. I think they turned out pretty well though. What do you guys think of this color? Love it or leave it? 

Estée Lauder: Chaos & Smashed

Hey everyone! Things here are finally beginning to settle down. With school starting in a few days, I'm so relieved I'm finally 100% moved in and ready for classes and have a little more time on my hands for swatching! As you may know I recently took a trip to New York City. My trip was a blast as I made sure to visit some places I'd been dying to see. Besides adventures to some the fantastic bakeries and cafés (Magnolia Bakery, Ladurée, Dean & Deluca) I had to take a trip to Madison Avenue and find myself something to bring home. I purchased my first Estée Lauder nail polish in Chaos & Smashed, don't you love those names?!

This is Chaos, the first Estée Lauder color I ever tried on. This is the color that made me fall in love with the brand, I will always think of the glamour and sophistication of NYC when I wear this! Chaos is a liquid-like pewter. In sunlight, hints of lavender and periwinkle show through in the bottle.

two coats, direct sunlight, Seche Vite top coat

The next color I had to have is Smashed, it's an absolutely fantastic and seductive color. This is definitely my favorite of the two! It's truly the most perfect purple I own, an ideal balance between light and dark, moody and luminous. A true keeper in my book!

three coats, direct sunlight, Seche Vite top coat

click original size for serious gorgeousness!!

With beautiful color and great, even consistency, what isn't there to love. What do you think of these colors? Do they scream NYC to you? I know that I will always love these colors, they are so timeless, and will always remind me of my amazing trip to the big apple.