Julep Anne

I love a good purple. It's almost as good as a great nude/neutral shade that I'd reach for if I wanted a "safe" pop of color without the eyebrow raising oomph of blue. I feel it's an acceptable deviation from the traditional pinks, reds and neutrals while maintaining the edginess of a non-traditional color. How I came up with this mentality can probably be traced back to my mom and her old school sensibilities. I've mentioned her overwhelming love for red, but she never did like my penchant for blue nail polish. "It looks like you've got frostbite" is what she usually says. Black nail polish merits the "Your nails look dead" comment. White brings about "Did you play with the correction fluid again?". Now, I don't take offense at all because she's always been frank about what she thinks and really, it's hard when you get such a laugh out of all that. So when she last came to visit, I cajoled her into getting out of her comfort zone. I wanted her to try this awesome navy I had just gotten, but she wouldn't budge. I gave her free rein to choose (although I hid all the neutrals, reds and pinks) and after much harrumphing, she ended up with a bottle of purple polish. (For the curious, it was Nubar Moonshadow aka Moon Eclipse.) So when I got the Julep Maven Valentine Mystery Box and saw this pretty purple, I knew it was the one that was getting first dibs on swatching:

I'm fairly certain my mom would approve.

Nina Ultra Pro Ink-ling hints at how well it goes with white (snow).

Isn't it funny how people have so much influence on each other without anyone actually realizing just how much exactly? Oh, don't worry, I won't delve into psychology and sociology, with all the intricacies of human interactions. I'll leave that to the experts. What I'm alluding to is far more simpler than that. See, a few posts back, Liz commented that Color Club Shabby Drab would make for such a pretty pairing with white cashmere sweaters (or white knitwear in general, I guess, but that's what she said so we'll stick to that). I hadn't even thought of it that way. Silly fashion retarded me. Of course it would look amazing with white! I, then, scrambled to search my stash for any other colors that might be deemed acceptable in that same category. I thought it would be timely as, if the weather men are to be believed, we were in for a bit of snow. This is what I found:

Pretty greblurple digits are part of what makes (a white) winter (wonderland) a good thing.

Orly Fowl Play is out to prove there's nothing foul about this play.

foul play

n.

1. unfair or treacherous conduct esp with violence

2. (Team Sports, other than specified) a violation of the rules in a game or sport

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003

I was trying to find something to tie in with today's featured polish but all I could think of were mighty ducks playing hockey and a goose referee calling a high-sticking violation amidst the squacking and booing of the turkey team's fans. You know, like a fowl foul play? (Hammie says I've reached new lows in cheesiness with that. Oops.) What about a flock of geese pooping in unison over your car? I'd consider that unfair or treacherous conduct. And violent enough if it hits you square in the eye! No? (Hammie's giving me that squinty eyed look that says just get on with it.) Moving on:

Definitely nothing foul in this play.

Butter London No More Waity Katie fuses girly glitter with a moody purple

Butter London polishes may not hail from London, but they still have the character to back the name up. Born from an actual nail salon in the US that branched out into creating their own product line, Butter London nail lacquers have won many a nailphile over with amazing formulas and highly coveted shades. Easily, I'm one of their newest fans. If you recall from this previous Truckload Tuesday post, I had three new lovelies join my collection. It was hard to decide which one to wear first but eventually the glitter won out.

No More Waity Katie: chic and edgy all at once.

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 Facets of Fuschia

I'll be honest. I'm not a big fan of black nail polish. Sure, it's edgy and classic, like the LBD (that's "little black dress" if you've lived under a rock all this time) but it's just so...dark. I do like vampy colors that are dark, like navy or blood red, just not full on black. Call me biased but it could very well have been because my mom used to always say black nails reminded her of dead nails. Not a very flattering thought, really. Unless you're a zombie.

When I picked up Carbonite, I ended up getting one other polish that caught my eye. I think I might have found the one black polish that'll make me change my mind.

Very rock chic, no?

Quo by Orly Celestial Star

I was planning to do just one post this week but when I found out about the bonus redemption weekend coming up at Shoppers, I figured it would be best if I did the first two polishes I promised in my line up. I like to think of it as my little bit of public service: increase awareness of awesome must have products that can be had at a discount (or in the case for this weekend: free!).

For the uninitiated, Shoppers Drug Mart (SDM), a Canadian pharmacy and retailer, has a points system that is explained in depth here. Basically, for each purchase you make at any of their stores, you get corresponding points. Once you hit the different point levels, these can be redeemed for cash. Simple, right? Now, what's really great about the system is that racking up points isn't hard at all. Shop only during weekends for really good deals on essentials (Sundays & Mondays are best) or let the shopping list grow (unless you absolutely need it ASAP!) for weekends with 20x the points and special Wednesdays with 18 500 bonus points for purchases over $50. You can also get their MasterCard to double the rate of amassing points. Paying bills and getting back points to splurge on beauty products? Yes, please!

So where am I going with my unsponsored rave about SDM? Like I said above: Bonus Redemption Weekend. Meaning: for every 50 000 points you redeem, you get $100 off (extra $15) and 95 000 points gets you $200 off (extra $30). That's a new fragrance for Fall or an armful of nail polish. And if you're like me who's always on the look out for new pretty nail polish to corral into your stash, then read on after the jump as I have one that needs to go home with you this weekend.

Tell me you wouldn't invite this lovely home.