NOTD: Seafoam Chic

In the spirit of warm weather colors, today’s NOTD is reminiscent of dazzling sunlight on seafoam.  Although I feel that pale greens have been done to death ever since Chanel Jade, this one has that touch of blue, making it more summery than springlike.  And then there’s the fact that I’ve never been able to say no to a pretty green polish.

Sinful Open Seas is pulling more blue in the picture below than it appears in real life, but it’s captured the effect quite well (elegant, elongated fingers).  Paint on two coats, and you have the perfect accessory for a white button-down and denim shorts.

If the color looks familiar to you, it’s because this is a well-done dupe of OPI Mermaid’s Tears.  I may or may not have driven to 8 different CVS locations just to track this down.  What?  I was on a quest.

Both collections were LE, so I doubt you’ll be able to find them at present (is this evil of me?), but there should be similar colors floating around the drugstores this time of year.

What’s your favorite summer polish color?  Wearing anything on your nails today?

MM

The Lipstick Bandits Reunite: Summer Brights Edition

It’s been awhile, but The Bandits are back, just in time for the new season.  ’Summer Brights,’ our Bandit chief instructed, and as always, we’re here to deliver.

Pink, to me, is as summery as it gets.  It can be 30 degrees and raining outside, but as long as I have bright pink lipstick and some floral sunglasses on, the world seems sunnier.  I’m certainly not encouraging you to join in my deluded pastimes, but as far as summery lipstick goes, just take my advice and buy yourself something eye-searingly pink.

I’ve never talked about Milani lipsticks on Makeup Morsels before, maybe because there’s simply too much makeup to blog about and not enough time, but they are fantastic.  Some of the shades are misses, but more often than not, they have wonderfully pigmented colors.  And this pink, I was pleasantly surprised at finding something such a bright pink creme at the drugstore.

Everyone, Meet Milani Rose Hip:

Victoria’s Secret Come Closer Quad: Review & EOTD

I have to admit, I was astounded by how many of you gravitated to the Victoria’s Secret Come Closer quad in my Summer Collection preview post.  I’ve been so busy falling in love with the bronzers (they impart an unbelievably pretty sheen to my skin) that I may have abandoned the eyeshadows altogether.  Sacrebleu!

Luckily, I finally came to my senses and pulled out Come Closer for today’s EOTD.

The quad comes in a sleek, copper-colored case that practically screams ‘summer!’  I’m not sure whether it’s made of light metal or heavy plastic, but it definitely looks lovely on my vanity (which if you think about it, is really the only thing that matters).  Like all shiny things, the surface is prone to picking up fingerprints.

Inside, there’s a champagne pink, robin’s-egg blue, taupe, and soft white.  The eyeshadows are all

NOTD: Venus, Cupid, Folly, and Time

Today’s nails are courtesy of the lovely Jian, who sent me this little bottle of magnetic Boots polish all the way from the UK.  Thank you Jian!

The polish (creatively named Blue) was plenty opaque, but I applied it over a coat of Zoya Pinta, just to add more depth.

At first glance, this manicure bears little resemblance to Bronzino’s Mannerist painting.  Actually, that’s the polite way of putting it.  But if you squint really hard (and employ a healthy dose of imagination), you might notice that my nails slightly resemble the blue drapery in the background, yes?  Perhaps you are waiting for me to say that I thought for a very long time about what to name this manicure, and then did my usual if-it-doesn’t-work-make-it-work-thing.  No, I actually took one look at the finished manicure and immediately thought of Bronzino.  Then again, we all know my mind doesn’t work normally about 80% of the time, so maybe you can see where I’m coming from.

On a side note (this should actually be the main note, but I am feeling contrary today), I love this polish.  I’m normally not one for dark blues, but the magnetic stripes make it look so rich and glowy.  And if you’re interested, Scrangie has an excellent guide on magnetic polish application here, which I suggest you read before giving this a try.

Have you tried magnetic polishes before?  I’m hoping these will replace the crackle polish trend, which I am sorry to say I never liked much.

MM

Arkenstone Inspired EOTD & Tutorial

lash stamps via obsidiandawn

It should come as no surprise that I documented the step-by-step for this EOTD.  It’s Tolkien-related.  It’s glorious.  Granted, I have no idea how many of you will actually try this, given that a) it’s neither office nor classroom-friendly and b) I’m 99% sure it’s not even eye safe, but one does not simply post an Arkenstone-inspired EOTD, and leave out the how-to.  Agreed?

Products used: