Tag: Orly

 
+

Silly Putty

A photo posted by Lara (@knobbygirl) on

Doesn’t Trust Fund Beauty “No Filter” look just like silly putty? Grayish beige with a hint of pink/lavender. It’s almost dirty looking.

I don’t know what’s up with the Trust Fund Beauty polishes that ipsy keeps putting in their bags…the colors just are not normal.

After Orly Bonder, I slapped on two quick coats of this thick creme polish. So thick. I was fairly careful, but I still got a few crinkled edges. Luckily, it wasn’t streaky after the second coat. A coat of “HK Girl” was just what I needed to make it super shiny.

My poor middle fingernail was a casualty of house cleaning activities this weekend. I weep for my fallen fingernail.

+

Elegantly Wasted

A photo posted by Lara (@knobbygirl) on

Is it even possible to be elegantly wasted?

To be “wasted”, it’s generally understood to indicate a state of sloppy hot mess. Whatever, this polish by Trust Fund Beauty is called “Elegantly Wasted”.

I got it a million years ago in an ipsy bag. I’d been resisting it because it’s so boring. “Elegantly Wasted” is a greyish lavender – elegant, I guess? I needed something boring after the worst polish ever.

After Orly Bonder, I tentatively put on a coat of “Elegantly Wasted”. Second coat, no problem — smooth cream coverage. I added shine with “HK Girl”.

I don’t know what I was so worried about. It looks pretty good for boring.

+

Worst. Polish. EVER.

A photo posted by Lara (@knobbygirl) on

I’m not even kidding. Essie “Belugaria” is literally the worst polish EVER. Words cannot describe how awful this polish is…but I’m going to try to explain.

My first hint should have been the fact that it was $2.12. I’ve never seen an essie that cheap. This poor sad polish had been sitting at Walgreen’s for three fucking years. Seriously…NO ONE wanted this polish. Then I googled and saw that it came out in the Winter 2013 collection. But I made the mistake of taking it home with me.

Why is this polish so horrible? First…the bottle lied to me. I thought it was a black jelly with glitter…but NOOOOOO. It’s textured, which would be great if it was fine textured like “Sugar High” or if it was chunkier like one of the Zoya Pixie Dusts AND had visual interest. Nope – it was chunky as fuck and MATTE black with just a few holo hex glitters thrown in. Seriously, it was like spreading sugar scrub on my nails. After Orly Bonder, The first coat wasn’t too bad…thick and goopy, but not quite full coverage. My mistake was going for the second coat. It didn’t spread – it just made little mountains on my nails.

Although it dried quickly, the formula chipped easily. The first time I washed my hands – BOOM, half my nails were chipped to fuck. To be fair, this is a common problem with textured polishes, but this one is the most fragile I’ve ever tried.

Worst of all…it damaged my cooter. This might be TMI…but I feel like I need to make a public service announcement. This stuff is so sharp that it cut through several layers of toilet paper and scratched me. No blood…but a close call, nonetheless. Don’t worry, I took it off as soon as I got home from work.

Remember…just say NO to “Belugaria”.

+

Company Blue

/

Another 97 cent polish…this one is essie “Strut Your Stuff” – a bright turquoise blue creme.

I decided to mix it up and start with Orly Bonder. The first coat had a few streaks, but two coats were perfect. I’m getting better with cremes – as long as I keep it from pooling around the edges, I’ve been able to avoid the crusties. I topped with “HK Girl”, which dragged a few bald spots. Luckily, they were all on my right hand.

I’d like to see this color with a silver glitter gradient – that would be luxurious.

This blue is the same exact blue as my employer’s logo. I bet I could stick my fingers in a Pantone machine and get a trademark warning…

+

Endless Love

/

I’ve had this polish nearly two years and I am just now getting around to trying it. I can’t believe it has taken this long to try this amazing polish.

RUFFIAN “Endless Love” is a chrome pink dream. I started with Orly Bonder and really could have gone with just one coat. I did two. Even though it goes on smooth and gives full coverage in one coat, it is very unforgiving of any ridges or peeling in your nails, so it looks best when your nails are in their best condition. It didn’t bubble as badly as the other RUFFIAN polishes I’ve tried, but I’ll chalk that up to user error – that was before I was using a base coat and a good top coat. I used “HK Girl” this time.

+

Daddy’s Soul Donut

/

…and this is the only reason I bought Funky Fingers “Cupcake Sprinkles”: to make ‘Daddy’s Soul Donut’ from The Simpsons. D’oh!

I switched it up and started with Orly Bonder. I then painted two very careful coats of Trust Fund Beauty “I’m Kind of a Big Deal” from this month’s ipsy bag. It is the perfect Pepto Bismal pink. It’s thick, but if you’re very, very careful – you can avoid getting it in the cracks at the edge of your nails and making a mess. It only took one coat of “Cupcake Sprinkles” to get all those sprinkles on my nails. Of course, I finished up with “HK Girl”.

What other kind of desserts can I make with “Cupcake Sprinkles”?

+

I Got Trouble

/

It’s a thrill when you you open up the mailbox to find a package you’ve been waiting for…but it’s even MORE of a thrill when you open it up and find a package you weren’t expecting.

I was tickled to receive an envelope from my friend (and most frequent commenter), Luci, sent me nail mail! She had a few polishes that were not getting the proper love at home, so she sent them to come live with me! She sent 2 Deborah Lippmann polishes – “Fashionably Late” and “Ya Got Trouble”, I’m guessing from the 15th Anniversary Set “I’ve Gotta Be Me”.

Which one to try first???

/

“Ya Got Trouble” was a no brainer. It is a beautiful multichrome that shifts from brown to gold to greenish to purplish. I love how all Lippmann polishes are named after songs. “Ya Got Trouble” is from The Music Man.

I started with Orly Bonder and then painted two coats. The first coat was a bit streaky, but the second one gave full coverage. Finally, “HK Girl” to seal it.

It’s been 24 hours and no major chips…although I have a bit of edge wear on my left hand. It’s not tragic – I can wear this color at least one more day, maybe even two.

 

+

Obligatory Snow Manicure

I can’t let the season pass without making my nails a winter wonderland!

I pulled out one of my oldest polishes for the base – Urban Decay “Strip”. I can’t remember exactly when I got this polish, but it was probably 12+ years ago. It still had the price tag on it – I bought it at Nordstrom for $9.50. Remember when Nordstrom was the only place you could buy Urban Decay? Anyway, it’s a beautiful icy silver foil. I needed just one coat over Orly Bonder for full coverage. No one makes polishes like this anymore! I then dipped and dabbed Funky Fingers “Elsa” to get the snow flakes. (I gave up by the time I got the middle finger on my right hand – ain’t nobody got time fo dat!) I finished with “HK Girl”, but I still have a few snowflake edges sticking up – they got all caught in my hair when I was washing it this morning. I was even able to find a glass ball to match my nails. There really isn’t a sophisticated way to hold a huge ball, is there?

So, yeah – I have decade old+ polishes – anyone else? Please share so I don’t feel quite so bad about my nail polish hoarding…

+

Jewel Orchid

/

Yesterday, I was feeling rather…purple…so I chose Sonia Kashuk “Jewel Orchid” for my nails and toes. It reminds me of my husband’s bathroom orchids – the vibrant centers of yellow and white orchids.

After Orly Bonder, I did two coats of “Jewel Orchid”. It was smooth formula, but I was shocked that it was a bit streaky after two coats, but nothing too noticeable. I was surprised to find a few bubbles, but “HK Girl” smoothed it out.

Pay no mind to my raggedy ass cuticles. Winter is rough on my skin, er…not that it is really winter here in Texas. I need to push back my cuticles, but I know they will bleed. Ugh.

+

Roy G. Biv

/

Wow…just…WOW.

I am totally in lust with the Formula X Infinite Ombre Nail Design Set. It’s infinitely easy! You just start with “Platinum Prime”silver anchor base – and layer the four included colors however you wish – “Boundless Berry”, “Infinite Indigo”, “Timeless Teal” and “Limitless Lemon”.

I started with Orly Bonder and one coat of “Platinum Prime”. Once dry, I started on my thumb with “Boundless Berry” and layered the colors in Roy G. Biv order. The polish is a sheer jelly, formulated to layer and blend. I managed to capture every color in the rainbow by layering the 4 colors. The finishing touch was “HK Girl” for extra shine.

Definitely not worth full price ($29.50), but I don’t regret spending about $11 on the set.