dailyEnail: March 2014

Thursday, March 13, 2014

Spotlight On: Green

It's that time of years, guys! The time of year we celebrate all things green. My roommates and I usually try to at least have dinner in an Irish Pub, but it's kind of a bummer that St. Patrick's Day is a Monday this year. We all have to get up and go to work the next day!

Because it's the greenest time of year, I thought I'd take the opportunity to talk about my most favorite green nail polishes! Narrowing this down to five was tricky, but I managed. Read on to see five amazingly green-tastic nail polishes!

First up is Zoya Dree. Dree is an army green, and the most muted of the bunch. It's a super shiny, easy to apply polish and I love wearing this with gold flakes on top. It's definitely one of those love it or hate it kind of colors, but I love it.

Zoya Dree

Next is Barry M Ridley Road. Mint green is one of my favorite colors, in general. I have quite a few mint green nail polishes, but Ridley Road is the only one I've got that's textured. I love it. The texture is kind of unique -- it's not that weird cottage cheese texture that you sometimes see with cream based texture polishes, and it's not really like the more leathery ones either. It's grittier than that, but I think in pictures, it almost looks fuzzy. And the color is just perfection. So bright and perfect for spring.

Barry M Ridley Road

Next is A England St. George. This is a super deep, saturated holographic emerald green. It's so luxurious and chic. I'm wearing only one coat in the photos below. The holo is a little more apparent in the bottles, but I love how intense the color is. I just adore it.

A England St. George

Next is China Glaze Running in Circles. This is from their Cirque du Soleil collection from Fall 2012. It's a glass fleck green and the sparkle is so pretty. It's a very bright shade of green and when the sun isn't glaring off it, you can see all the shimmering goldish flecks. It's really stunning.

China Glaze Running in Circles

Finally is Lime Crime's Pastelchio. This green. I just can't even. It's a yellow toned pastel-neon. It's amazing. I know it pulls more yellow in the photos, but it's green. And it's so unique. I have no other green that walks the line so perfectly between neon and pastel. Of all the greens in this post, it's the only one I've bought a backup bottle of.

Lime Crime Pastelchio

And that's it! My top five favorite greens. I hope this post inspires you to put on your most awesome green or maybe pick up a brand new awesome green. I can't wait to see all the amazing St. Patrick's inspired nails on Monday. See you then!

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Ways to Wear It: Sephora X Maniacal

Hi guys!!

For over a year now, I've been tumbling (almost) every manicure I wear. And for the past five months, I've been Instagramming them too. It's been a lot of fun, but Tumblr and Instagram aren't really the best platforms for review or comparison. So I've decided to open things up a bit!

For my first post ever, I'm showing Maniacal from the Sephora X collection. I've loved every polish I've tried from the Sephora X line, but for $12.50 a bottle, they have to be pretty unique and versatile for me to commit to taking them home. For a glitter, that means it has to look good over a bunch of different colors. And in that regard, Maniacal definitely passes the test.

First I wore it over OPI's My Paprika is Hotter Than Yours. I really loved the contrast of the tomato-orange and the pastel green. It's like something cool and refreshing paired with something spicy and full of fire! It definitely makes me think of summer and sunburns :)

Sephora X Maniacal over OPI My Paprika's Hotter Than Yours

Next I paired it with Zoya Charisma. This felt a little more rock-star girly to me. Like graffiti or something. I really love the color combo -- it definitely brought out the neon side of the glitter. Charisma is such a difficult color to photograph though -- the bottle looks a lot closer to accurate than my nails do.

Sephora X Maniacal over Zoya Charisma

Then I tried it over OPI You're Such a Budapest. I have to admit, when I was pondering Maniacal in the store, I imagined it over a bunch of pastel-y colors for Spring. I adore this combo. Delicate but still with a pop. And I think the contrast is really pretty too!

Sephora X Maniacal over OPI You're Such a Budapest

Then I paired it with Essie Warm and Toasty Sweater. I think this is probably my least favorite combination of the bunch. It's okay but the colors don't compliment each other particularly well, and I think with so many other really great options, I probably would't wear these two together again.

Sephora X Maniacal over Essie Warm and Toasty Sweater

Finally, perhaps my surprise favorite, I paired Maniacal with China Glaze Holly. I love this! St. Patrick's Day is right around the corner, and this combo will definitely be going back on my nails! I think the contrast is so eye-catching and it emphasizes the green-ness of Holly (if that makes sense).

Sephora X Maniacal over China Glaze Holly

So there's Sephora X Maniacal for you! I feel like it was $12.50 well spent. This glitter can definitely carry across seasons and I see myself reaching for it again and again. Happy painting, everyone!