Specializing in nail varnishes - rare, unusual, and obscure

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Sally Hansen Salon Burnt Sienna


This marks the end of the Runway collection that I have to swatch. There are two more colors in the collection that I don't have -
Valentino (a bronzey brown) and
Fashion Forward (a cool blue-leaning purple)


Today's manicure is Sally Hansen Salon Burnt Sienna.
Burnt Sienna is from the Sally Hansen Salon (believed to be) Canadian-exclusive release known as the Runway or Mode collection.
Burnt Sienna is a burnished gold with orange and green microshimmer.
It looks glowy and beautiful indoors as well. It's a bit frosty and brush-strokey, but nothing terrible.
This mani is one coat SpaRitual resurface base coat, three coats of polish, and one coat of SpaRitual tout de suite top coat.



Monday, November 23, 2009

Sally Hansen Salon American Beauty



Today's manicure is Sally Hansen Salon American Beauty.
American Beauty is from the Sally Hansen Salon (believed to be) Canadian-exclusive release known as the Runway or Mode collection.
American Beauty is a mulberry (sort of a purple/burgundy/deep pink) shade with purple and red microshimmer. It looks like a creme indoors.
This mani is one coat SpaRitual resurface base coat, three coats of polish, and one coat of SpaRitual tout de suite top coat.



Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Sally Hansen Salon Purple Heart



Today's manicure is Sally Hansen Salon Purple Heart.
Purple Heart is from the Sally Hansen Salon (believed to be) Canadian-exclusive release known as the Runway or Mode collection.
Purple Heart is a deep royal purple with pink and green microshimmer. It looks a bit like a plain purple creme indoors. I much prefer the Holiday Fingerpaints Icy Iris - but this is a bit more subdued version.
This mani is one coat SpaRitual resurface base coat, three coats of polish, and one coat of SpaRitual tout de suite top coat.


Monday, November 16, 2009

Sally Hansen Salon Project Runway




Today's manicure is Sally Hansen Salon Project Runway.
Project Runway is from the Sally Hansen Salon (believed to be) Canadian-exclusive release known as the Runway or Mode collection.
That sounds really vague, huh? At least one Sally Hansen rep has claimed that this collection is NOT a Canadian exclusive, but I've yet to hear of anyone finding it in the US. I've never seen a full picture of the display, and have heard Canadians call it the Mode Collection, Project Runway collection, and Runway Collection.
A kind MUA member named night_owl has allowed me the use of her photo of the bottom collection display (seen above) and I was quite fortunate to find a Canadian to purchase most of the shades for me.
Project Runway is an AMAZING polish. It's hard to describe. It's somewhere between green and teal. I can't call it a straight green, but it is a very green-leaning teal in any case. It's almost a jelly, which means it has a really cool effect, but is also a bit streaky - requiring three coats for good coverage. There's chunky gold and green shimmer/glitter sunk into the jelly. It looks good indoors and amazing in sunlight.
This mani is one coat SpaRitual resurface base coat, three coats of polish, and one coat of SpaRitual tout de suite top coat.


Thursday, November 12, 2009

Hard Candy Dork



Today's manicure is Hard Candy Dork. This mani was a reader request, which are always welcome.
Dork is an iridescent peach with golden pink undertones. Dork was part of OG Hard Candy's Radioactive Line, consisting of 8 iridescent polishes.
The nail on my ring finger is two coats of polish over 1 coat of black creme.
Unfortunately, the sun has been scarce this week and I took these pictures indoors - the polish practically looks like a creme. It's much more glowy in person. The last picture taken with flash is the most accurate representation. It's also a bit sheer, showing some vnl with three coats.
This mani is one coat SpaRitual resurface base coat, three coats of polish, and one coat of SpaRitual tout de suite top coat.



with flash:

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Finger Paints Sparkling Snow



Today's manicure is Finger Paints Sparkling Snow.
Sparkling Snow is a whitish silver metallic foil.
No good sun today, so these pictures are indoors.
This mani is one coat SpaRitual resurface base coat, three coats of polish, and one coat of SpaRitual tout de suite top coat.
with flash:


Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Finger Paints Snowman's Scarf



Today's manicure is Finger Paints Snowman's Scarf.
Snowman's Scarf is a warm-toned metallic red with strong gold shimmer. Red is generally tough to photograph well - the polish looks a bit coral in the first few pictures. I think the bottom picture is the most accurate for shade, but the shade is actually a brighter and deeper red in person.
This mani is one coat SpaRitual resurface base coat, three coats of polish, and one coat of SpaRitual tout de suite top coat.


Monday, November 9, 2009

Finger Paints Candy Cane Shimmer



Today's manicure is Finger Paints Candy Candy Shimmer.
Candy Cane Shimmer is a cool-toned metallic red shimmer with purple, peach, and a bit of green microshimmer. It looks like a silvered red foil indoors - I can only catch the multi-colored sparkle in direct sunlight.
This mani is one coat SpaRitual resurface base coat, three coats of polish, and one coat of SpaRitual tout de suite top coat.

blurred to show the microshimmer:

Friday, November 6, 2009

Finger Paints Icy Iris



Today's manicure is Finger Paints Icy Iris.
Icy Iris is the standout of Finger Paints Holiday 09 collection. It's a beautiful shimmery metallic purple with fiery purple/pink macroshimmer. My pictures don't do it justice.
It really takes 3 coats to get good coverage, but it's worth it.
This mani is one coat SpaRitual resurface base coat, three coats of polish, and one coat of SpaRitual tout de suite top coat.


Thursday, November 5, 2009

Finger Paints Evergreen Dream



Today's manicure is Finger Paints Evergreen Dream from the Holiday 2009 Collection.
Finger Paints is a Sally Beauty Supply exclusive polish line and can be found in Sally BS retail stores and online at sallybeauty.com. Finger Paints puts out limited edition seasonal displays - sometimes you can find a few bottles on the website, but they're generally only available in the stores. I think the best Finger Paints shades are those released for the Holidays.
The 2009 Holiday collection was "officially" released in select Sally Beauty Supply stores on November 1. I picked up 5 of the six shades released and will be sharing them on the blog. They are limited and will be hard to find after the holiday season - so if you're interested, make haste.
Evergreen Dream is a shimmering forest green shade. It appears green even indoors in low light.
This mani is one coat SpaRitual resurface base coat, three coats of polish, and one coat of SpaRitual tout de suite top coat.