NOTD and Fat Fingers

I've been feeling a little pudgy lately so I had to take off my wedding ring.  It left a pretty nice tan line but I wanted a way to show that I still had it even if I wasn't wearing it.  So, in the tradition of the one-finger-with-a-different-polish, here is what I did for the NOTD:

Manglaze Lesbihonest (Index, Middle, & Pinkie) and Fuggen Ugly (Ring) - 3 coats each color

I just received this polish after finally buckling down and ordering it off Amazon.  I was originally trying to buy it off the Manglaze FB page but I was having issues with the checkout (totally NOT Manglaze's fault and Mike, the owner was so super cool about it!)

I do not regret this polish at all and so you shouldn't either.

It was hard to choose the ones I'd get first to pop my matte nail polish/Manglaze cherry, but I finally went with Lesbihonest, ILF, and Fuggen Ugly.  They are gorgeous.  You need these.

Formula wise, I didn't see any of the problems that I have read usually come with mattes.  Really smooth to apply, two coats are sufficient although I went three, and I'm pretty sure with a topcoat like Seche Vite, they'd look absolutely beautiful glossy too.

Here's ILF:

Manglaze ILF - 3 coats

I love teal/blue/aqua so of course I had to have this color and it didn't disappoint either.  No streakiness, easy to apply and all three colors dried super fast which is typical of mattes.

They are a little pricey (around $12 with the 10% off) but seriously, you need these in your life.  They were worth every penny.  Not to mention Mike himself is all full of awesome-ness.   He responds quickly to any problems you contact him about and shipping was incredibly fast -- I got my order in three days from Chicago to San Diego.

I would say that if you could only buy one matte nail polish, Manglaze should be the first place you go.  With a variety of shades ranging from standard issue black (for the rockers and the posers), to hot pink (F*** Off & Dye), there's sure to be a shade in between to make you happy.

Adventures in Matte Land

I was a little skeptical of the whole "matte thing" but being one not to shy away from a challenge, I found a girl willing to swap her Essie Matte About You on MUA.  Here are the results of my findings.

Butter London - Trout Pout with Essie Matte About You (Index finger layered with Essie Flawless then Matte About You.)

I hunted this down at Ulta.  It was the last bottle and looked like it could have been opened but I gave it the benefit of the doubt.  It is an absolutely gorgeous color on it's own but with a matte finish gives it a pretty interesting look.  I plan on experimenting with other brights in the near future.

L'Oreal - Waters Edge with Essie Matte About You

Waters Edge is supposedly an Essie Greenport dupe.  As I don't own the latter, I can only rely on pictures from other blogs and it looks pretty close.  I really like this family of colors (being a Pisces) and it also looked pretty neat as a matte, but I still prefer Trout Pout.  Incidentally, I also ordered ILF from Manglaze who happens to be the purveyor of fine matte polishes.  It's supposed to be a nice teal color so I'll be swatching that as soon as I get it (which I hope is soon!)

Formula wise, MAY is nice, not too goopy like Seche Vite can be and dries quickly, which from what I understand is typical in a matte polish.  I like that this type of topcoat allows you to turn your normally glossy polish matte as opposed to turning your matte polish glossy.  Anyways, its a nice addition to my top coat family and it will probably be one I'll be using frequently to "tone down" a lot of the bright shades in my collection.

My Pretty Priti - #209 Alister Stella Gray Rose

Today's NOTD is exceptional in that, after five minutes I didn't want to take it off.

Priti - #209 Alister Stella Gray Rose

Alister Stella Gray Rose is a nail polish created by Priti NYC An absolutely gorgeous shade, it's one of the first four Priti polishes I ever purchased.  It was also the one I was drooling over the most, partly because it was especially designed for Stella McCarthy's F/W 2011 Paris Fashion Week showing.   It is a soft, work-friendly coral pink that leans more pink on my skintone -- wow, am I that yellow? (J/k)

Anyways, Priti also collaborated with McCarthy to create a shade for Spring/Summer 2012 Paris Fashion Week:

#137  Sweet Pea

And here's her Spring/Summer 2012 Paris Fashion Week show:

I'm not a huge fan of sheers so I'm not sure how sold I am on it yet but I'm definitely a fan of Priti after trying Alister Stella Gray Rose.  Formula was not too thick to be difficult to work with and I reached an acceptable opacity after 3 coats.

The only downside to this polish is that it is on the pricier side, $12.50 USD per bottle but it makes up in a decent formula and gorgeous color payoff.  But for me, this is a polish I would definitely want a backup bottle of.  Not to mention the color online actually matched what I received.  Shipping was fast -- I placed my order on Tuesday and had them on Friday -- and they do have a "clearance" section where bottles are half off.  The color line itself is pretty work-appropriate and I don't regret choosing to buy Priti over Rescue Beauty Lounge this time around.

In addition to this shade, I also ordered #511 - Dusty Miller, #559 - Coffee Bush, and # #593 - Lamb's Ear, with the latter two being part of their new 2012 Pre-Spring collection.  I'll have photos up on the other three as soon as I can bring myself to take off Alister Stella...hopefully sooner, but probably later.

XOXO