Color Club Over the Moon

Color Club Over the Moon is a beautiful sky/ocean blue linear holo, with a strong rainbow effect even in dim lighting. It goes on much more saturated/warmer-toned than it looks in the bottle, happily. I ordinarily wouldn't put anything over a holo, but I was in a Hawai'i state of mind at the time; the blue linear holo base reminds me of the Pacific ocean, while the glitter accent (Glimmer by Erica Rainbow Star Sprinkles) reminds me of the near-permanent rainbow in the sky above. 

While I'm thrilled with the color and holo effect on Over the Moon, the formula is a bit of a disappointment after Harp On It, which applied nicely and didn't chip for over a week. Over the Moon needed to be thinned, yet was pretty sheer - I needed one normal coat, plus one thick coat. It started chipping the next morning in the shower, which I'd expect from most linear holos, but not from a CC Halo Hue. Happily, though, it shares Harp On Its topcoat tolerance, in that the rainbow flare isn't dulled by my current choice, Hong Kong Girl. I bought all my Halo Hues from enospring.com - US$7 for a standard 0.5-oz bottle, a bargain compared to most linear holos (usually around US$11 for 0.3 oz).

Usually I'd use the bottle as a prop, but I thought you might enjoy looking at one of my new necklaces as well. I won't link to the shop, as I'm now concerned that the art used was stolen, but I bought all four turtles: Michelangelo just happens to be the cutest/most neon. All this TMNT stuff makes me feel like a seven-year-old again, but without the bedtime and restrictions on candy!

Deborah Lippmann Lady Sings the Blues

I'm not going to say that Deborah Lippmann Lady Sings the Blues is my first-ever HG polish. There are other polishes that I love for their wearable beauty (Revlon Lilac Pastelle) or because they're ultra-flashy yet go with everything (Color Club Cloud Nine). However, Lady Sings the Blues is the first time a polish has ever totally captured my personal aesthetic all at once, letting me wear my soul on my nails. It's black and blue, my favorite color combination; it has that sheer jelly base that makes it look a trillion miles deep; it reminds me of the ocean, the rain, and city skylines at night. I knew from the moment I saw the first pics that this polish would end up being a firm favorite.

As you'd expect after all that raving...it does have its flaws. It needs to be applied over black polish - this is two thick coats over black. Like most jelly glitters, tipwear is practically instantaneous. It seems to take forever (~20 minutes) to dry, although that could be a side effect of the humid Texas summer. I don't care. It's worth the fuss and the price - I got it for US$14 on Amazon, quite a savings compared to the usual price of DLs. Pick this one up if you like dark and glittery, because it is divine.

Sinful Colors Endless Blue + Darling Diva Ringer

I want to apologize for the tipwear and kitchen sink you're about to see. I usually have pretty high standards for the pics I upload. However, the color and finish of this mani are too amazing to let it go unseen by the Internet.

This picture is not Photoshopped. My nails really are an intense, ultra-saturated blue with strong purplish-pink shimmer. This is two thick coats of Darling Diva Ringer over one of Sinful Colors Endless Blue. Endless Blue is the Sinful answer to Nails Inc. Baker Street and the other ultramarine blue crèmes that have been all the rage lately. As a bonus, it's opaque in one coat, which makes it a real live unicorn among Sinful polishes, which are infamous for still showing VNL after five coats. Darling Diva Ringer is supposedly a dupe for the legendary and discontinued Clarins 230 - I wouldn't know, as I've never seen it in person. If you own both these polishes or any of these dupes, it's a must-try layering combo that reminds me of a brilliantly lit nebula. That makes it very appropriate for the playing of Mass Effect, which is a bonus!