Tag: Cuticula
La Paz-itively Hot
Although I LOVE wearing the fancy Indie polishes from Polish Pickup, sometimes a plain, corporate nail polish hits the spot. At least my base and top coats are still Indie…
I found OPI “La Paz-itively Hot” In the back of a cabinet – I think Miss Lisa gave it to me when she was purging her collection? It’s from the Fall 2009 Matte Collection, but it worked just fine. It is a hot pink matte with a hint of shimmer. I wasn’t feeling matte vibes, so I made it shiny.
Funny story. I have beef with La Paz – my ex indulged in hookers and blow on a business trip to La Paz. Then he came back and told all my friends that I must have cheated on him when I ended up with an infection. Too bad his co-worker had loose lips. Good times.
This is two coats of “La Paz-itively Hot” over Cuticula Mic Drop Base Coat in “Tropical Oasis” and under Cuticula Limitless Top Coat in “Froot Loops“.
Easter Egg
I must have taken a dozen different shots trying to capture every facet of By Vanessa Molina “Easter Egg” – every angle is a different look! Those shifty magnetic polishes…
“Easter Egg” is the last polish I needed to sample from April’s “Celebrate!” Polish Pickup. It’s – of course – inspired by Easter. It’s a magnetic polish containing green/magenta/copper/purple variations, with Aurora Pigment and glitter Galaxy. It’s like the northern lights, the milky way and a zombie rising from the dead, all wrapped into one.
I used the neodymium magnet on these again, but instead of just resting my finger on the flat side of the magnet, I held the narrow edge catty-corner over each nail and got a really nice stripy lightning effect.
This is two coats of “Easter Egg” over Cuticula Mic Drop Base Coat in “Tropical Oasis” and under Cuticula Limitless Top Coat in “Blackberry Passionfruit“.
Synchronous
I don’t know how I managed to skip over Envy Lacquer “Synchronous” – it’s been patiently waiting for me since last October’s “Natural Phenomenon” Polish Pickup!
“Synchronous” is inspired by the synchronous firefly display in the Appalachian mountains. I’ve never seen it, but I imagine it’s a sight to behold. We just get regular loner fireflies here in Texas – but we call them lightning bugs. (Ask me about Louie the Lightning Bug and maybe I’ll sing his song for you.)
I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a neon shimmer like this. It’s sheer, but opaque? How even?
This is two coats of “Synchronous” over Cuticula Mic Drop Base Coat in “Tropical Oasis” and under Cuticula Limitless Top Coat in “Blackberry Passionfruit“.
Empty Orchestra
I snagged Baroness X “Empty Orchestra” during April’s Polish Pickup. Did you know that ‘karaoke’ literally means ’empty orchestra’ in Japanese? You’re welcome.
This is another beautiful magnetic polish and I think I am finally figuring them out! I used my brand new neodymium magnet as I used my husband’s magnet – I just painted my nails while resting them on the magnet and got the ombre french manicure look. I LOVE this polish so much…How long until I can try it again?
This is two coats of “Empty Orchestra” over Cuticula Mic Drop Base Coat in “Tropical Oasis” and under Cuticula Limitless Top Coat in “Blackberry Passionfruit“.
Stinking Corpse
Cupcake Polish “Stinking Corpse” is another polish from May’s “Tropical Forest” Polish Pickup. It’s inspired by the world’s smelliest flower – the Stinking Corpse Lily. Even though Houston has its own corpse lily, I wasn’t able to make it to the Houston Museum of Natural Science when she bloomed in 2023. Here’s to hoping I get to smell her when she blooms again in 3 to 10 years.
“Stinking Corpse” is a beautiful combination of deep wine red shimmer nail polish with scattered holographic micro flakies – I love a shimmer, but adding the holographic flakies makes it really out of this world.
This is two coats of “Stinking Corpse” over Cuticula Mic Drop Base Coat in “Tropical Oasis” and under Cuticula Limitless Top Coat in “Blackberry Passionfruit“.
Electric Jaguar
Lumen Lacquer “Electric Jaguar” is giving GOTH LISA FRANK.
“Electric Jaguar” was one of my first picks when I was picking out polishes from May’s “Tropical Forest” Polish Pickup. It’s NOT magnetic – it’s a dramatic multichrome that shift from red to green to gold to amber. The main shades are red and green, but somehow it’s not giving Xmas. It’s completely wearable.
This is two coats of “Electric Jaguar” over Cuticula Mic Drop Base Coat in “Tropical Oasis” and under Cuticula Limitless Top Coat in “Blackberry Passionfruit“.
Power Number
…I feel like I’ve been stuck in the early 00’s lately – binging One Tree Hill with Lily, which also means revisiting the music and fashion – so why not revive another millennial trend? CRACKLE POLISH is back y’all.
Fresh from April’s Polish Pickup, we’ve got Colores de Carol “Power Number“. It’s a teal multichrome shimmer crackle – it’s got EVERYTHING, and it crackles like a sonofabitch.
I started with Cuticula Mic Drop Base Coat in “Tropical Oasis” and a single coat of Atomic Polish “Sour Apple Rings”. I topped with a thick coat of “Power Number” and I admit, that it got patchy as it shrunk, so I may have filled in a few bald spots to even out the finished look. I finished with Cuticula Limitless Top Coat in “Blackberry Passionfruit“.
Stargazer Lily
Leave it to Beaux Rêves Lacquer to create another polish that is nearly impossible to photograph accurately.
Beaux Rêves Lacquer “Stargazer Lily” is from April’s “Celebrate!” Polish Pickup. It’s another magnetic polish and is a sister polish to “Blooming Azalea”.
Since I used the Velveteen Magnet, there isn’t a clear line to see the magnetic effect, but since I’m using a ring light, you can see a pink to blue transition on my nails. Since I was velvetizing, I did not bother with DRK Nails Magic Effect.
This is two coats of “Stargazer Lily” over Cuticula Mic Drop Base Coat in “Tropical Oasis” and under Cuticula Limitless Top Coat in “Blackberry Passionfruit“.
Persephone’s Pomegranate
Zombie Claw “Persephone” was one of my picks from February’s “Fables & Folklore” Polish Pickup and is inspired by Persephone eating pomegranate seeds. I like the IDEA of eating pomegranate seeds, as well as the taste – but in real life…it’s such a pain in the ass.
I was struck by how similar in tone this polish is to Julep “Persephone”. I wonder how they’d look together?
This is two coats of “Persephone” over Cuticula Mic Drop Base Coat in “Tropical Oasis” and under Cuticula Limitless Top Coat in “Blackberry Passionfruit“.
Cheesecake & Candlelight
If cheesecake is involved, it’s automatically a celebration. Even if I wasn’t veering dangerously close to Golden Girls territory – at the ripe old age of 49 – this would be a universal truth.
Royla Lee “Cheesecake & Candlelight” is from April’s Polish Pickup and is inspired by the Golden Girls and their nightly cheesecake ritual. Truth be told, I CANNOT WAIT to live with my girlfriends and eat cheesecake and talk shit about the ugly neighbors. Of course, I’m a Dorothy – and I’ve got my friends slotted accordingly. In fact, the more the merrier – I know at least 6 or 9 Golden Girls that might be interested after their husbands (mysteriously?) pass away…
This is my first Royla Lee polish and it is quite nice. Like most chromed shimmer polishes, I did get a few visible brushstrokes, but they weren’t hideous. I ended up taking a lot of “thumbs up” pictures while I was in San Francisco the weekend before last, so I’m glad I was wearing such a pretty polish.
This is two coats of “Cheesecake & Candlelight” over Cuticula Mic Drop Base Coat in “Tropical Oasis” and under Cuticula Limitless Top Coat in “Blackberry Passionfruit“.