Dr.'s REMEDY Giveaway Winner!

Another quick post my fellow lacquered lovers! We have a winner for the Dr.'s REMEDY summer color giveaway! First I verified all 148 entries and then put the numbers into random.org for a random number generator:



Lucky number 143! Congrats to Theresa!!!



The winner has been notified! I hope you enjoy them Theresa! I know I did! For everyone else, stay tuned because there is another super fun giveaway on the horizon that will have TWO winners!

OPI Suede Collection Featuring We'll Always Have Paris and You Don't Know Jacques Swatches and Review!

Good Afternoon my fellow lacquered lovers! My Dr.'s REMEDY giveaway closed a few hours ago so one I finish verifying entries I will post the winner! But first, I am going to show you some new pretties that I found for $4 a few weeks ago! Usually these retail for at least $8 so I was super excited! The OPI Suede collection takes actual OPI colors but packs them with shimmer and gives them a matte finish. Now the finished product looks nothing like the original colors but they are still gorgeous! The two I will show you today I don't have the originals so I can't do comparisons but when I get to the few that I do have both of, I'll show you the difference! So now, on to the polish!



Above: We'll Always Have Paris Suede - 2 coats over 1 coat OPI Nail Envy

This color is so pretty! It's a deep pink that's jam packed with shimmer and has a gorgeous finish after 2 coats! I absolutely love the texture to this, it has so much depth and dimension! This is why I love to make shimmers matte because I love the look but this has even more shimmer than usual! I'm not normally a pink fan but I love the dusty look to this and will absolutely wear it this fall when I'm not quite wanting a vampy color! Of course I wanted to see how the shimmer would translate with a top coat so below you can see the pointer and ring finger with one coat of Seche Vite over it and the middle and pinkie fingers with no top coat:




Gorgeous! I love how the top coat makes it slightly darker and the shimmer really pops! I'd definitely add the top coat on day 2 of wearing this as a manicure to change it up a bit!

Next up, You Don't Know Jacques Suede:



Above: You Don't Know Jacques Suede - 2 coats over 1 coat OPI Nail Envy

You Don't Know Jacques is probably my lease favorite of the Suedes but it's still really pretty. It's a warm brown that full of shimmer like the rest of the Suedes, I just didn't love it on my skin tone. It falls a bit more flat than a lot of the other suedes but that may just be because the base isn't a "color" but is more neutral. This was fully opaque in 2 coats and for some people, it might look better. Here it is below with top coat on 2 nails and matte on the other.




I have to say, I like it better with top coat! I just find it more flattering on me!

All in all, I love the suedes! I think it's great to have a shimmery matte and there is just a lot of dimension to most of them! Stay tuned for the rest of the collection coming in the next week or so!

What are your favorite Suedes?

Another Try at Tape Manicures!

Good morning my lacquered lovers! This morning, just a quick little post to show some more of my experimenting with tape manicures! I'm having so much fun searching blogs and finding ideas to try out! Today I have a tape manicure involving crackles and a patchwork manicure!

First up, the patchwork I did last night!




To do this manicure, first I started with my trusty OPI Nail Envy (which is definitely helping with my nail strength and peeling!) Then I did two coats on every nail of OPI Ogre The Top Blue which is a gorgeous bright blue cream (with a coat of Seche Vite Fast Dry) from their Shrek collection. This is definitely one of my favorite bright blues! Next, I taped of different areas on each nail so they would all be slightly different and did a coat of Zoya Trixie, hands down my favorite silver foil. I love how sparkly this polish is! After another coat of Seche Vite Fast Dry, I waited a few more minutes before taping off the last sections and applying NARS Night Flight, a gorgeous deep blue from the Night Series that I reviewed last week HERE. One last coat of Seche Vite and I was good to go! I got a little trigger happy and pulled some of the tape too soon so there was a bit of smudging but for my first try, I was pretty happy!

Next up, a tape mani with crackle!



This was a super quick mani I tried out last week because I wondered how crackle would look with the tape manicure style. I started out with NYC Color Blackula which is from their limited addition halloween collection (and that I completely bought for the name because it made me laugh.) One coat of OPI Nail Envy and two coats of Blackula. Luckily Blackula is a quick dry so within about 15 minutes, I taped off half of my nail on a diaganol and did one coat of China Glaze Tarnished Gold from the Cracked Metals collection. I love how it turned out! So pretty! Definitely will be doing this again in the fall!

So there you have it, a few more tape manicures. I love the look of the patchwork and am going to try again soon, possibly using polishes with different finishes! I'm so excited to find a way of using nail art that I can use!

Are you a fan of the tape manis? Do you like the patchwork, diaganol or stripes the best? Ever tried one?

Butter London Fall/Winter 2011

Good afternoon my fellow lacquered lovers! Today I have almost the entire Butter London Fall/Winter 2011 collection for you! The only one I didn't get was Toff because quite frankly, I didn't like it! However the other four are GORGEOUS and I hope you enjoy them as much as I do! Now, on to the polish!




Above: Bluey - 2 coats over 1 coat OPI Nail Envy

First up is Bluey, a gorgeous peacock blue shade packed with shimmer. The third picture was taken blurry so you can see how much shimmer is packed into this polish! It's absolutely stunning, and as many blues as I own, not one dupe! There is the tiniest hint of green which is what makes this really a "peacock" color, slightly darker than a teal in my opinion. This polish was opaque in 2 coats, no streaking, no bald spots, just a beautiful application. If you are a blue lover, you need this in your collection!




Above: Knees Up - 2 coats over 1 coat OPI Nail Envy

Ah Knees Up. First of all, love the name. Secondly, LOVE the polish! I am loving the jewel tones for fall and Knees Up is definitely a jewel toned red. It has a beautiful shimmer to it that somehow doesn't make it too light or too pink like can happen sometimes in polish and it stays a true red. The finish on it almost looks like satin versus Bluey which is definitely a shimmer. I had no application issues with Knees Up, it's gorgeously vibrant and opaque in 2 coats with no brush strokes and just a really pretty red polish. This is the perfect polish to wear to a formal event when you want your nails to pop!



Above: No More Waity, Katie - 3 coats over 1 coat OPI Nail Envy

First, let me apologize that I couldn't get a really perfect picture of this polish. No More Waity, Katie originally came out at the time of Kate Middleton's wedding to Prince William but Butter London decided to add it to the Fall Collection as well. No More Waity, Katie is a greyed out lavender that's full of very small lavender glitter that's fairly sparse but definitely gives a textured look to the nails. This was my least favorite of the collection even though I still really liked it, but that was more for the fact that it took 3 coats to get rid of the visible nail line. It's definitely unique in my collection and very pretty, just takes a bit more time to apply.




Above: Wallis - 2 coats over 1 coat OPI Nail Envy

Ah Wallis. I actually posted about Wallis once before which you can read HERE. In fact, go read that now so you can learn the story behind the name of this polish! That being said, this color is stunning. It's a blackened olive green that flashes green, yellow, gold and bronze depending on the light. The application like the other shimmers was superb.

So there you have it! Most of the Butter London Fall/Winter 2011 collection. The formulas on these were gorgeous, the colors unique and I just love fall colors so much! It's definitely my favorite nail polish season. Butter London retails for $14 and can be bought at their website, Ricky's or Nordstrom.

What do you think of this collection? Any colors must haves? Any dupes?

My First Guest Post!

Good morning fellow Lacquered Lovers! I'm sorry I didn't post this on Friday but between an earthquake and a hurricane last week was pretty busy for us New Yorkers! Now later today I have a special Fall Collection to show you that I think you'll all love, but first I wanted to share this with you.

The amazing Caroline over at Good Lack Nail was kind enough to post my very first guest post on her blog! She asked me to pick my top 5 favorite summer polishes from this year and it was really fun to go through all my older posts and try to pick just 5! Check it out HERE! Don't forget to follow her blog because it's great!

Hope you all faired ok in the Hurricane! Luckily NY didn't get hit too hard!

CHANEL Peridot (Pic Heavy)

Good afternoon my fellow lacquered lovers! Now I know I've been talking up this polish (and after today I promise to go back to more affordable colors) but it's so glorious that I needed time to get the perfect pictures! And I finally figured out how to get rid of the wonky shadow that kept showing in all my photos with flash so get excited for a whole new level of Lacquered Lover! Now, without further ado, I give you Chanel Peridot. Just a warning, the pictures will be peppered throughout to show you different angles and different colors!


Above: Peridot - 2 coats over 1 coat OPI Nail Envy

Duochromes. After holographic polishes, this is probably my favorite finish because they are constantly flashing different colors! Let me start by saying that I love this polish so much, I did this manicure on Monday and here on Thursday, it's still on! For someone with NADD (Nail Attention Deficit Disorder) like me, this is huge!




Peridot, like the two other Chanel polishes I have tried, is amazing. The application is so incredibly smooth, no streaks, no bald spots with 2 coats and it stays on! All the pictures you see were taken this morning so that's after 3 days of wear and no chips or tip wear!




The polish is named after the gemstone Peridot which is an olive green that flashes different colors in the light. The polish Peridot is a goldish/olive base that in certain lights flashes almost yellow, green, gold, and an antique looking gold that's been tarnished. It's simply stunning. I love that every time my hand moves I see a different color!




I was worried that this color would be too yellow for my skin tone and make me look all washed out but I love it! I can't tell you how many compliments I have gotten on it in the last few days, even from strangers! It's just such a unique color, I definitely don't own anything like it and as far as I know, the only dupe is a mini Sephora nail polish and it's not exact.




All in all, this polish was amazing and worth the $25 price tag. It's incredibly unique and I love the different flashes of color. The pigmentation was perfect and the application was incredible. If you're looking for a truly unique color that won't chip and is beautiful, Peridot is for you.

What do you think? Do you love the duochrome? Do you like the color or is it odd to you?

CHANEL Paradoxal

Good afternoon my fellow lacquered lovers. After my quick post-earthquake post yesterday, I figured I'd show you something really special! Now as many of you know, I had my first CHANEL nail polish experience a few weeks ago with CHANEL Graphite which you can read about HERE. It was love at first sight. I knew I needed more, so I tracked down Peridot and Paradoxal, the two other polishes I had seen swatches of and loved! I'm actually wearing Peridot now but don't have enough pictures to capture it's amazing qualities yet so first, I will show you Paradoxal!



Above: Paradoxal - 2 coats over 1 coat OPI Nail Envy

This polish certainly did not disappoint! Perfectly opaque in 2 coats with a gorgeous smooth formula. I love polishes that apply like this! Paradoxal is a stunning grey/violet color with taupe undercurrents. It definitely leans more to the grey than the violet shade, however the subtle shimmer in this polish is purple based so when light hits it, you can really get the purple effect.



So stunning! This color is perfect for fall. The pigmentation was great and I love how it can look grey or violet or shimmer or creme depending on the angle. It's just such a versatile color and would really look great with almost anything. I know there was a Revlon dupe out there for Paradoxal but it's my understanding that it's hard to find, however if you want a cheaper option you could try to find that!

All in all, I love this polish and don't feel the least bit bad about the $25 price tag. I definitely have nothing like it in my collection, the application was spectacular and it's just a beautiful Fall color. I love how different it looks in every light and the hidden shimmer that pops out. I wish I had a sunlight picture and I'll try to take one the next time I wear this to show you all how goreous it is in the sun!

What do you all think? Does anyone have Paradoxal or the Revlon dupe? Do you like the grey based trend in the last few years or do you prefer colors?

An Earthquake in NYC? Also Color Club Chelsea Girl!

Good afternoon Lacquered Lovers! Quite the eventful day in NY today, we had an earthquake! I'm sitting at my desk and all of the sudden I feel like I'm shaking and I see the glass in front of me moving! So scary! Luckily everyone is ok and it seems there wasn't any damage or injuries but I can tell you, earthquakes are NOT fun!

So, just a quick post today (and an older picture so sorry for the crappy quality) about one of my favorite blue polishes this summer!



Above: Chelsea Girl - 2 coats over 1 coat OPI Nail Envy

Color Club Chelsea Girl is a gorgeous bright blue cream that is perfect for summer! now, as you can see, there is slight visible nail line with only two coats but with a third coat it evens out completely. It's not quite a neon but it's close enough that it's a bit sheer. I love this color for when I need a bright pop! My good friend bought me a bunch of Color Club minis for my birthday this year and this is definitely my favorite (although I may be biased since the neighborhood I live in is called Chelsea) but it's just a really fun bright summer shade!

What's your favorite Color Club? Did anyone else feel the earthquake???

NARS Night Series

Good afternoon my fellow lacquered lovers! Have I got something gorgeous to show you today! But first (as usual) a little back story. So when I was in high school is when Sephora first got big and when I first got into makeup. One day I decided to treat myself to a ridiculously expensive (for me at the time) eye shadow by NARS. It was called Night Fever and was just beautiful. I ended up getting their other Night series eye shadows and to this day, I still have them! So, a few weeks ago I saw that NARS was releasing the Night Series nail polish collection based on the polishes and got super excited! I knew I had to have them so a few a weeks ago I ordered them and they finally arrived last week! They are stunning! So, without further ado, I give you the NARS Night Series nail polishes.



Above: Night Rider - 2 coats over 1 coat Seche Base

Since I am so looking forward to the fall, Night Rider was the color I was least looking forward to in this collection, however it ended up being the second most loved color! Night Rider is a stunning lavender/grey almost jelly base that's packed with iridescent shimmer flakies. I love flakies! This color is most definitely a multi-chrome, changing shades every time the light hits it and it's just gorgeous. I don't think it's really a fall color for me however I will definitely be wearing it for the rest of the summer! This is truly a unique color that I don't have a dupe for so I'm really excited about this color!



Above: Night Porter - 2 coats over 1 coat Seche Base

Night Porter I was super excited about (I love greens!) but slightly underwhelmed with. It's a really pretty deep hunter dusty green with gold and green shimmer which was very nice, but for $17 a bottle I thought the price was a bit steep for not such a unique color. The formula was fabulous and it was fully opaque in two coats and in direct sunlight it's very pretty, but otherwise, it didn't really have a wow factor. I would have loved to see more shimmer or even gold glitter in this but they can't all be winners! This is definitely not a must have because I'm sure I have a dupe in my collection. It is nice that as dark as it is it's not really "blackened" to the point that you can't tell it's a color and it does look green even in the shade.



Above: Night Flight - 2 Coats with 1 Coat Seche Base

Ah Night Flight, you are a beauty! I love blackened Navy blues (OPI Russian Navy is always a favorite of mine) and Night Flight did not disappoint! This deep blue is simply stunning, although not that unique if you are a dark blue person. What is really fun about this shade is that in sunlight you can see hints of green, pink and silver shimmer! Night Flight does look almost black inside although there are hints of blue and I just love this color! I get the feeling I'll be sporting this a lot this fall/winter. The application was amazing and fully opaque in 2 coats.



Above: Night Breed - 2 coats over 1 coat Seche Base

I saved the best for last. Night Breed is coming in close second to Chanel Graphite as my new favorite polish. Night Breed is a black base with silver glitter. Sound like it's been done before? Well, the glitter in Night Breed is irregular! All different sizes! Swoon! I love this polish! I love that the black jelly-like base makes the silver blingy but not too bright and it's just stunning! I'm obsessed! Definitely did NOT have a dupe for this and it's totally worth the $17 price tag!

All in all, I loved these polishes! NARS has a great formula with all the colors being opaque in 2 coats and having really pigmented colors. I was very happily surprised by how much I loved Night Rider and Night Breed is just amazing, definitely both must haves in my book. I really liked Night Flight and Night Porter but unless you are a NARS collector or just don't have a lot of dark colors, these aren't must haves. Now let's hope they make Night Fever into a polish soon!

What do you think of these colors? Are you a NARS fan? What are your favorites?

Guest Post by Celeste of Death To Hollywood!

Good morning my lovely lacquered lovers! I hope you all had a fabulous weekend! Today, I have something extra special for you! A guest post by my hilarious friend and stand up comic Celeste! Celeste has a blog called Death To Hollywood you should definitely check out all about her life growing up in a funeral home and then living in Los Angeles that you can read HERE. So she did me a favor and went and got a pedicure this weekend so read on to find out how it turned out!

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Let me start by saying that I’ve never been a big nail polish person, but during the summer when pedicures are of utmost importance, nail polish is a little more important to me than usual. I should also let you know that I have always been conservative when it comes to nail polish colors because chipped nail polish is bad enough, but when I see chipped glitter nail polish, I always think “bowling alley waitress.” But since following Lacquered Lover, I admit that Carly has gotten me a little more excited about glitter and taking nail polish chances.

I went for a pedicure yesterday and I went to a new place. One thing I really liked about this place and never experienced before was that they display the colors with fake nails that you can put over your own nail to actually see how it looks against your skin. Maybe other places do this all the time, but the places I’ve gone to in the past never did this; you chose from what you saw in the bottle, which can lead to unhappiness when you see your finished nails.

I finally settled on a pink glitter from OPI, and it also happens to be from the Katy Perry line, and the color is “Teenage Dream.”I love that song too. Carly probably knows that Katy Perry teamed up with OPI to have her own nail polish line, but I didn’t know this, and if you didn’t know this either, I highly recommend it. I LOVE this nail polish because it’s subtly sparkly and classy at the same time. Some glittery nail polish can look a bit over the top or even kind of cheap at times, but I absolutely love this color. I also think it’s suitable for just about any outfit, aside from a business suit, and the colors are neutral enough to go with anything.
I give it two enthusiastic thumbs up!



However, this picture does not do it justice. It’s a really pretty pink in person.

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Thanks Celeste! So glad you like your glitters! What do you all think, do you like the glittery toes?

Barielle Blackened Bleu Swatch and Review

Good afternoon Lacquered Lovers! As promised, here is my second post of the day! I figured I'd keep with my Barielle theme and show you one of my favorites from the collection, Blackened Bleu!



Above: Blackened Bleu - 2 coats over 1 coat Seche Base

Ah I'm so excited for Fall so I can start wearing my dark polishes! Blackened Bleu is a black almost jelly base that is packed with sapphire blue shimmer/sparkle! Gorgeous! This color is dark and vampy but when the light hits it, it's like an explosion of color! Since this color is clearly blackened by the black base, it has that glowy, lit from within look that I love so much where the blue sparkles are highlighted and surrounded by black. Here is a fuzzy picture to show you how much sparkle it packs:



Love it! The application on this was a bit thin and if I was wearing it as a full manicure I probably would have layered it over black or done a third coat, but I don't even care because it's so pretty! I highly recommend this polish if you're looking for a great fall/winter color!