Above The Curve - Fallen Angel Collex, Part I

Above The Curve is a unique Indie brand that has really gotten my attention lately. I usually buy their scattered holos - their Fallen Angel line is gorgeous, and I'm going to show you some looks from that line today and tomorrow.  They don't just sell polish, though - they started a group on Facebook called "Hey Mani, Do You Lacquer?" for polish enthusiasts, bloggers, creators, etc.  They also donate $1 from each of their polishes to Shriners Hospitals and for scoliosis research. 

Arch Angel. Light lavender holo that leans pink. 

I did a gradient over it with Risen Angel.  This eggplant color is one of my faves from this collex.  It's rich and dark, and the holo texture really gives it dimension.

This look was inspired by a Mardi Gras look from Pink and Polished.  I just changed the colors up a bit.  To do the detail on top, I added a little white to Diablos and painted on the lines. 

Here are the bottles of the three polishes I used, and backwards, so you can see the polish better.

This next look also uses Arch Angel, and pairs it with another purple from the collex, Aurora.  First, I painted half of each nail with Arch Angel, and then the other half with Aurora.  It was really hard to tell the difference, even in Real Life.

Same mani, but I added the black lines, and that really brought out the contrast between the two.  Aurora is much darker.

I did a simple, subtle framed nail for my last look.  Fallen Angel is an interesting polish - it's dark, but at the same time, very sheer.  It actually photographed more opaque than it looks in Real Life - it was like the shimmer reflected the illusion of a solid surface.  Between the blue shimmer, and the blue and black glitter, it's a very pretty polish.

 

Bottle shots.

Divine Angel, a turquoise holo, brings out the blue flecks in Fallen Angel.  I think they work well together for a subtle look.

Tomorrow, I have three more looks I created from the Fallen Angel line.  If you'd like more information about Above The Curve, you can find them on Facebook and on their store..

Ahhh! Refreshing Mint!

I recently ordered three colors from Mint's premiere collex, and I have to say, I'm pretty impressed.  All three colors applied wonderfully, glossy, self-leveling, and I loved all the colors.  I even did some nail art, and they worked great for that, too!

Original Mint.  I am a sucker for a clever name, and what's more clever than an homage to your own brand? 

The bottles are pretty cute, too!  I used Bleeker St. Babe as well as Original Mint for my art.

I thought the olive green reminded me of plant fronds, so I painted in some long, simple fronds.  The highlight was made by mixing in a little white with Bleeker St. Babe.

Bleeker St. Babe.  And, speaking of, here's a swatch of just Bleeker St. Babe, a lovely olive green.

 I decided to pair it with Lavender Macaron for a simple striped nail art inspired by this look done by The Polish Squirrel (only I didn't use tape). 

I'm not much of a perfectionist anyway, but I kinda liked the 'rustic' look of the messier stripes.  Kind of a 'homespun' look, if you will.  (or, just messy.  I'm not proud.)

Lavender Macaron.  These pastels are hot, hot, hot this spring, and I'm loving them. Pastels are notoriously troublesome; this one was less so than most, but not as nice as the two greens from this collex.

A final bottle shot of all three bottles:

I can't help it, I love chevrons, and before I knew it, I was using all three colors together in a chevron pattern.  I really like it when I can buy different colors from a collection, but they can still be used together.

So, what do you think of Mint Polish?  Any faves?  Are you tired of all of these colors already, or do these have something fresh to them?

If you're interested in finding out more about Mint Polish, you can find them on Facebook and on their webpage.

NOPI and Models Own

I was at Walmart the other day, and saw the new Nicole by OPI Modern Family collection.  I love Modern Family, and I like OPI, so hey, I picked up a couple.

Stand By Your Manny.  Pale pastel blue with a white shimmer.  This polish doesn't remind me of Manny at all.  Mostly because this polish was a streaky mess, and Manny is dependable!  Even after 3 coats, I was having balding patches, VNL, and it didn't dry evenly.

So, what is a girl to do?  Cover that mess with a beautiful glitter!  I picked up a few from the Wonderland collex by Models Own, and they are pretty awesome.  This is Southern Lights, one, maybe one and half coats.  I wanted to be able to see the blue underneath, but with 2 good layers, this would probably be opaque.

NOPI Alex By The Books.  Another color I really wanted to love - I'm a sucker for these minty greens.  Again, though, the formula was a nightmare.  It didn't level out, and was all lumpy and streaky.

So, I covered it with Models Own Juicy Jules, a scattered holo glitter.  I have quite a few similar polishes.  Nice formula, spreads evenly.  It makes the NOPI look pretty good, doesn't it?

The next two NOPIs I got at a Central Florida Beauty Blogger meeting.  I got to pick my own colors, and I absolutely love the ones I got.  Even though they were provided for review, my opinions are my own.

Back to Reality..TV.  I don't know much about the Kardashians, except that they're famous for being famous.  And Bruce Jenner, who, sadly, doesn't resemble his Olympic self anymore.  And I mean his face.

Anyway, I love polishes like these with a red shimmer.  You can even see it on the nail as well as the bottle.

Even though I liked it, I still have glitters to try, and I picked Northern Lights to go with this one.  I like the periwinkle and pink together.  Very soft and pretty!

Smile for the Glam-era.  This was, by far, my fave!  Deep eggplant purple, with sparkles.  I loved this one so much I actually wore it a few days later for Girls' Night Out, and paired it with a plum blouse. 

I suspected that Models Own Jack Frost would look best over a dark polish.  I am so drawn to these iridescent glitters and flakies.  This look is very *me*.

Bonus Models Own!  I couldn't resist picking up Hayley's Comet, a duochrome.  First, I applied (from index to pinky) Zoya Indigo, OPI Black Onyx, 2 coats of Hayley's Comet, and Wet 'n Wild Haze of Love.

Then, another layer of Hayley's Comet over everything.

I couldn't tell the difference between the blue and the black!  I actually liked it best over the reddish color, or by itself.  I liked the brown/nude tones, and not just all blue shimmer. 

Are you liking these glitters?  Would you rather go with the NOPI by themselves?  What would you recommend pairing with Hayley's Comet?

Chevrons, two ways

I have become a real fan of the use of chevrons in my nail art.  They are easy and especially flattering for those of us with short nail beds (and nails!)  I'd like to show you two looks I did with chevrons.

Smitten Polish I Want It Now.  This is a great glitter, full-coverage in two coats.  Sparkly green!  I believe this collex was in reference to Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, and this was Ms. Salt's homage.

I like gold and green together, so I added the chevron tip in Above The Curve Aslan, a gold scattered holo.  It's opaque enough to cover the glitter, which is a bonus for nail art!

I wanted a little more contrast, so I used a black art striper.   Topcoat, and done!

This second look gets its inspiration from a mani done by Globe & Nail, where she used chevrons and matte topcoat to create a striking mani.  

Essie Armed and Ready.  It looks grey, I know, but it's an army green, and there's a gold shimmer that my camera refused to capture, but it's there.  Subtle, yes, but there.  You can see a hint of it on the bottle.

I'm pretty impressed with the Julep glitters so far.  I had expected this to be a loose glitter, but this is only one coat of Julep Cindy, and it's pretty opaque.  

I did opposite color chevrons, and then painted the bottom part of my nail with the matte topcoat.  It really makes the Essie look even more grey, but hardly changes the Julep at all!

No matter where on the nail you put the chevron, so long as it's pointing down, it creates the illusion of length.  Changing the angle can also help make the nail bed look narrower or wider, too.  It's fun to create illusion with makeup on your face, and on your nails, too!

Do you use nail art to create illusion on your nails?  Do you accentuate something you like about your hands, or minimize something you don't?  

Sparkly Zoyas

Zoya is one of my favorite mainstream brands of polish.  Their formulas are usually great, they have a lot of colors, their customer service is amazing.  I have three polishes to show you today, and, well, one of these is not like the others.

Indigo.  Oh, I wanted to love this one.  Look at the bottle!  Sparkly!  And blue, I love midnight blue, it's my favorite color.  Now, look at my nail.  No sparkly.  Where did it go??

I have no idea why none of that holo goodness made it onto the nail.  It's a pretty blue, but I really wanted sparkly blue.

Blaze.  Now, that's some sparkly!  Love this color - it's red, but almost a raspberry red.  It was so hard to get an accurate pix of this polish - the holo kept freaking out my camera and so most of my pix are blurry!

This polish caught the eye of my 7-yr old niece, too.  I gave her a glue base, though, so she picked it off soon after.  Her mom wasn't too keen on the bright red nails, but was okay when she saw how easily it came off.

Storm.  This is so pretty!  I love the black with holo sparkles.  I suppose it's no longer that unique, but it was at the time.  I still love it, though.

A little striping tape, and we get a peek-a-boo mani with Storm and Blaze.  You can just see the red peeking out.  Love!

Are you as bummed as I am when a polish reads one way in the bottle and then another way on the nail?  Do you like the striping tape technique?

Zoya Chloe Choices

A friend asked me for some more layering options for Chloe, and being the enabler that I am, I am happy to oblige!

Left to Right, all Revlon:  Runway Pearl (sheer white with a red shimmer), Gold Coast (sheer, almost clear base with gold shimmer), Jelly (one coat hot pink), Trendy (one coat teal), and Urban (one coat navy blue)

Same order from Thumb to pinkie.  I tried to pick different types of bases, as well as different colors.  Chloe has a sheer pink base, so I wanted to see if it would enhance a sheer base, or match Jelly, or obscure Trendy.

Here's the verdict:

It's pretty hard to see over either of the sheer polishes, even more so in Real Life.  I love it over Jelly!  Over Urban it reminds me a little bit of DL Ray of Light.
 

What would you wear it over?