October 28, 2012

Deborah Lippmann's Hollaback Girl with glitter fade - weekly nail review

October 28, 2012/ Nicole McIntyre

Recently Deborah Lippmann put together a nail collection called Run the World (Girls) and wouldn't you know, each polish is named after a hit single containing the word "girl". Run the World (Girls) does neon, but all grown up; thanks for this late 80's time capsule. For my first manicure experience with Blonde Tiger, Erin (formerly of French Pink) chose to do a glitter fade atop Lippmann's Hollaback Girl -- a matte neon orange.

Before painting my nails, Erin filed my nails and trimmed my cuticles and then she treated me to her homemade scrub. Erin's witches brew smelled so fantastic I could've lapped it out of the bowl; from what I can recall, her scrub combined lemon, gritty sugar and vanilla scented oil. After rinsing my hands, the aroma and feel left behind was decadent and soft.

The conversation and environment was solid -- we discussed her recent trip to the States, the upcoming election (g(O)bama!) and the salon space she shares with an eyebrow waxer and eyelash extension-air.

If you're looking for a day to treat yo' self, then please leave your worries at the doorstep of the beauty compilation, if you will, over on Level 1, 270 Russell Street, Melbourne.

October 20, 2012

Essie's It's Genius - weekly nail review

October 20, 2012/ Nicole McIntyre

"It's genius!" That's what Einstein would've exclaimed if he was A.) into polish and B.) concocted this delicious shade himself.

Essie's It's genius is a shade I only just learned about two weeks ago when I set my gaze on this once-hidden gem. What's old is new to me -- It's genius first made its debut back in 2009. This hue is comprised of cranberry shimmer goodness and a small helping of glints of golden micro glitter.

Looking for a playful colour for this holiday season? Essie's it's Genius is the shade which will get your bells ringing.

October 05, 2012

Butter London's Gobsmacked - weekly nail review

October 05, 2012/ Nicole McIntyre

Tarred, but not quite feathered. In a nutshell, that's the best way to describe Butter London's Gobsmacked. Gobsmacked is a textural polish with silver micro glitter; the colour hovers somewhere between black and steel grey or as Butter London defined it, "charcoal". Gobsmacked is an English adjective used to describe one's shock, surprise or astonishment. While I loved this colour, I was gobsmacked by its performance. Talk about chip city! The slightly bumpy texture caught on paper and allowed air and water to creep between my nails and the polish, as a result my manicure was hijacked.

If you don't mind minimal wear time (four days tops), then Gobsmacked might be for you.

September 30, 2012

Butter London's Dodgy Barnett - weekly nail review

September 30, 2012/ Nicole McIntyre

In a poorly lit room Butter London's Dodgy Barnett carries a regular, silver sheen - but, on a sunny day, go outside and let the light hit your nails. Pure joy, bliss and a spectacle of colours radiate from your nails. It's similar to the moment when Wonder Woman joins her cuffs together and bam!

Holographic nail polish has a tendency of becoming almost folkloric. Only few have claimed to have seen something so rare like a unicorn, fairies or centaurs; for those who look too hard, they actually miss it. The holographic experience is much-loved in the beauty world; the buzz generates quickly and ultimately leads to these precious lacquers selling out.

One coat gives you a peppery shimmer, while two coats provide an almost opaque finish with a multidimensional spectrum of rainbow-y goodness.

If silver holographics aren't your thing, you can always try All Hail the Queen, a beige and silver shimmer holographic or Trustafarian, a sage green and gold holographic.

Dodgy Barnett is my 46th documented manicure since starting Bagful of Notions last October. If you'd like to see what else I've sported on my nails, please take a gander at the nail library.