Nars Desperado

Forget the groundhog. Spring is officially in full swing for me once the clocks spring forward that extra hour, which it just did yesterday. I know a whole bunch of you will be moaning about that one hour less of sleep but that's not a bad trade off with better things coming like warmer weather and much more sunshine! While I haven't exactly jumped on any of the Spring 2012 nail polish collections (partly because I wasn't feeling them much and mostly because my wallet had a restraining order underway), I'm revisiting old favorites from past spring collections. At the (oft alarming) rate of polish accumulation I'm going through, it's nice to sit back and enjoy what you already have instead of constantly running after the next big thing. Today's beauty is just that, a Spring 2011 release (with a surprising possible dupe, read on to know what it is!):

Probably the only yellow toned gold I'll ever be able to pull off with aplomb.

Orly Rage might have been a self-fulfilling prophecy

Are you one to follow the trends as they come and go? I'd like to say I try without feeling shallow, fickle and bandwagon-y. I like to think I'm more of a connector than a maven. Now, that brings to mind the Law of the Few that Malcolm Gladwell talked about in his book, The Tipping Point. He says that there are three different kinds of people that dictate why something becomes a trend and why another doesn't. There's the salesmen who take an idea/product/practice and (un)wittingly make other people want it because of the sheer persuasiveness of their personality. Mostly, without even trying. These are the Joneses of the world, so to speak. Then there are the mavens who are the early adopters of trends. They make it their business to know what the next best and biggest thing is and you can bet your bottom dollar that they'll also be the first ones to have it. Last but certainly not least, there are the connectors, who, with their vast social network, spread the word about this latest trend. There are a host of other factors that contribute to making something into a social epidemic aka trend/fad/whatever else you want to call it that are talked about further in the book, but we'll stop at that for for our purposes. (It really, truly is a great read. If you haven't read it yet, I highly recommend it, along with the rest of Mr. Gladwell's other books.)

So where was I going with that? Well, mid to late 2011, rose gold was such a huge trend. It was everywhere. This sort of makes me wonder if Orly had an inkling it would be so big when they first released our featured polish for today in the spring of 2010. Orly Rage became THE rage.

"A prophecy...that misread, could have been."

Orly Luxe wishes you a luxurious year ahead!

...Aaaaand we're back. Sorry about the commercials but we've been swamped and the schedules haven't really been back to normal. Give me 3 more weeks and everything should be running just as smoothly as before. See, next week my sis in law (who lives in Whitby but works close to our place) and her adorable daughter will be staying with us for a few weeks while her hubby goes overseas for business. Guess who's playing babysitter? No complaints yet as I get to spend quality time with my niece, but feel free to ask me again after the first stinky diaper. We're also celebrating Chinese New Year on the 25th so that's still part of our holiday season, which just doesn't seem to end. Lots of preparation and traditions that need to be observed so I don't really get to breathe easy until February kicks in. Anyway, Hammie just shot me a look that clearly said I should get on with it, and so I shall.

It was hard to pick the polish to open 2012 with. I felt it would set the tone for the year ahead so I had to pick well. I was gravitating towards flakie polishes as they seem to be quickly becoming a trend. But I felt I didn't have enough time to do them proper justice so instead, I went with a happy metallic that is much favored to mean wealth:

El Dorado's got nothing on this.

OPI Warm and Fozzie on a Special Day

Happy 11.11.11! Next year will bring us 12.12.12 and then it'll be a century before we go back to 01.01.01. Needless to say, today is pretty special. Not just because of the date numbers or because it's Remembrance Day but most importantly, because the man who loved me first was born today 64 years ago. That's right, it's my Dad's birthday today! :D I'm a huge Daddy's Girl so to celebrate, I picked an extra special polish to feature. I was floored when I first saw it; it was so much better in person! It reminds me of a warm hug or a hot mug of cocoa with marshmallows swimming in it on a gray, gloomy day. It screams Autumn but with all the happy, warm thoughts that come with it. Whoever named it was a genius. I present to you, OPI Warm and Fozzie:

A warm hug on your fingertips.

Nail Art Wednesday: Special Birthday Nails Part 3, Apple/Mac Nails

It was unfortunate that a couple weeks ago, the man who epitomized Apple passed away. His uncompromising stand on perfection and innovation will, no doubt, still be carried on by those whose lives he's touched directly and indirectly. So instead of mourning the sunset of one, we'll focus on the joy of daybreak for another: our birthday boy of the week, my brother in law, Chris.

When I was brainstorming ideas for nail art that would best describe Chris, it felt very much like an uphill battle. He's a bunch of contradictions that it was difficult to pin point just one aspect of him to showcase. He likes to stand out and yet he embraces trends as they come. He's all for innovation but he enjoys vintage. And then it hit me. He is (most probably) the biggest Apple fanboy I know.

Minimalist, shiny Apple inspired nails!

Nubar Gold Leaf

One of the best things about Fall is the changing colors of the leaves. It's like one big showcase of Mother Nature's fashion looks. One day she's sporting greens. Next you see her in oranges and reds. Then some earthy browns are thrown into the mix. With a gorgeous blue sky as the backdrop, this kaleidoscope of colors can be so much awe-inspiring.

A quick look outside reminded me that I had a polish in my stash that mimics Fall colors so well that I can't believe I haven't reached for it since the season officially started!

Isn't that just gorgeous?

Nail Art Wednesday: Special Birthday Nails Part 1, Pastel Skittle Nails

In our family, October is known as the birthday month with birthday dinners every week. It's always a lot of fun, family getting together and all that. Since each celebrant usually picks a different restaurant, it's also a great way to try some place new to add to the rotation. (Or they do a party at home!)This year, we're having one more birthday to celebrate: my niece, Alena, who's turning one on the 8th!

I did a skittles manicure in honor of the birthday girl in fun bright colors. I then stamped animals from the Konad S10 stamping plate in silver and added a holographic glitter layering polish as the final touch.

What I used:

Thumb: In the Mood Devious (cold color)

Index: Nicole by OPI City-Pretty Rose

Middle: Orly Snowcone

Ring: Revlon Garden (from the Spring 2011 mini set)

Pinky: Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Lemon Dash

Silver stamping polish: Rimmel Lasting Finish Pro in Pure Silver

Glitter polish: Sally Hansen New Lengths Ceramics in Silver Slightblade

More photos after the jump!

Revlon Carbonite

Whoever said "ignorance is bliss" clearly was ignorant. The first time I got my hands on a limited edition, hard to find nail polish, I didn't get it. Why? Because I didn't know it was so coveted and I was still sane enough then to think that the 6 bottles of polish I owned was already more than enough. I only realized my folly when I've gone down the rabbit hole of polish collecting. Gosh Holographic was the one that got away, all because of ignorance.

I've been following the trends and the limited release news since. When Chanel released Graphite, word came soon after of a Revlon dupe: Carbonite. While I wasn't inclined to drop $25 (or even more in CDN) for a single nail polish, I did want to get my hands on the more affordable option. I knew it would be a limited release and once it hit the shelves down south, it had all the US beauty bloggers talking about it. Since these products usually take at least a couple months to cross the border, anyone who knew anything about polish was anxiously waiting to see it on displays.

 Not this Carbonite...

Imagine my excitement when I saw a brand spankin' new Revlon display at my local Rexall with bottles and bottles of Carbonite! (Okay, more like four bottles. But it was a full display!) Now that I have my hands on this elusive find, is it worth all the hype?

...THIS Carbonite!