Pink Wednesday: Essie Topless & Barefoot

I wore this last Friday to a job interview - when I find out the results I will be sure to let you know, but now on to the review.


Color Description:  Topless & Barefoot is described by Essie as a barely there soft beige pink and IMHO is the perfect pinkish nude but pulls more beige on my skin tone than pink.  I really like this color, a lot.


Similar To: This lacquer has been compared to the despeckled, non-shimmer version of Borghese Almondine and after pulling the bottles of those that I thought were close, I couldn't find an exact dupe or anything close.


This Look:  One coat of Starting Over After Artificials, two coats of Essie Topless & Barefoot and one coat of Sally Hansen Mega Shine.


Price Point/Availability:  From Essie's Spring 2011 French Affair collection, Topless & Barefoot is still readily available in select salons and online, retailing for $8.00.


Do you have this color and if so, how do you like it?  As I said earlier this will definitely get you job interview ready - a really nice neutral to have in your collection.

OPI - A Man In Every Port-ugal (07/11/2011)

Not exactly sure about the name of this lacquer, so I will be using AMIEP instead, but the color is amazing! Maybe it has something to do with port wine, hmm? Anywho, I received this in a swap a few weeks ago.  I have a few extra China Glaze LOL and swapped one for this because of the bottle pics I found online.  I thought it was sooo unique!


Color Description:  AMIEP is described by OPI as a cool dark burgundy berry but does not let you in on the secret blue shimmer which drew me to this gorgeous Fall shade.  The blue shimmer can only be seen in certain light and when it can't be seen it creates a super shiny wet look. I couldn't wait for the Fall to try this one out so here it is in all its Autumn glory.

Macro Shot

Similar To: This is not similar to anything else in my collection.  I gravitate towards obvious shimmers or straight cremes but this is somewhere in between.  Nice!


This Look:  One coat of Starting Over After Artificials for the base, two coats of AMIEP and one coat of Sally Hansen Mega Shine topcoat.


Price Point/Availability:  AMIEP is now discontinued because it dates back to the Fall of 2002 and is from OPI's European Collection.  As I mentioned earlier, I swapped for this and feel it was well worth it.  I have seen this color for sale online so if you're interested, go for it!


How many of you beautiful ladies own this color? Would love to hear your thoughts about it.

Pink Wednesday: OPI - Pink-ing Of You

Looks like I have A LOT of lacquers in this particular color! :)  When I pare down my collection, this type of pink will be one of the first to go!


Color Description:  Another sweet bubblegum pink creme, however, I believe there are is another version of this that is more flesh-tone.


Similar To: Revlon's Top Speed Pink Lingerie (110),  Milani Sweet, or Wet N Wild's Flirty Rose Creme.  If you have any one of these you do not need this one. :)


This Look: One coat of Starting Over After Artificials, one coat of Miss Marion's Superbase (white), three coats of Pink-ing Of You and one coat of Sally Hansen Mega Shine.


Price Point/Availability:  Pink-ing Of You is originally from the 2002 Sheer Romance collection, however, I believe it is now in the core line of OPI lacquers and is readily available for $8.50 (retail).


Well off to a job interview tomorrow and I think I'll be dulling this bright pink down a bit with Bubble Bath or something similar.  Have a great evening ladies!

OPI - Bling Dynasty (07/01/2011)

Color Description:  Looks a bit frosty in the picture but Bling Dynasty is an antique gold with tiny micro-shimmer which makes it a very regal.  I wanted a sophisticated neutral for a 3-day convention I'm attending this weekend and this fit the bill!


Similar To:  In the bottle it reminds me of Milani's Gold Lame and OPI Golden Rules!, but both of these have no micro-shimmer and would lean more on the frosty side than Bling Dynasty.


This Look:  One coat of Starting Over After Artificals, three coats of Bling Dynasty, and one coat of Shine & Hold topcoat.


Price Point/Availability:  As with most OPI lacquers, this retails for $8.50 and is from the Hong Kong Collection of Spring/Summer 2010.  It is still available online and in select salon locations.


Thanks so much for taking a look at this lovely lacquer.  Do you wear gold often because I don't?  But I'm glad I gave this one a try!

Repost for Pink Wednesday: Wet n Wild - Flirty Rose Creme

Color Description:  Flirty Rose Creme (451C) is a very pretty bubblegum pink.  It's opaque, but went on a bit streaky at first and leveled out with the next coat.  It is the most saturated pink I've ever put on. :)

Price Point:  I found this last December in the clearance section of Rite Aid.  It normally costs $0.99 and was 40% off which came out to $0.59.  This color was last reviewed on MUA in '08/'09, so I'm going to take a wild guess and say that this is a WnW discontinued color.

Similar To:  The current possible dupe that is still on the market is Revlon's Top Speed Pink Lingerie (110).  I just picked this one up today and after swatching both on scotch tape, they're just about identical.  Another color that is very similar is Milani Sweet which came out Spring 2010, however, Sweet is very sheer.  Is there any other color that reminds you of Flirty Rose Creme?

This Look:  BASE COAT - 2 coats of Nutra Nail Touch of Color Strengthener plus Green Tea; COLOR - 2 coats of FRC; TOP COAT - 1 coat of Sally Hansen Mega Shine.  The ring is from Forever 21 and I found this yesterday, as well. :)

Thanks so much stopping for by and commenting.  Which pink makes you feel well-polished?

Salon Spotlight: It's A Secret...

This is the first in a small series of my favorite nail salon's in the Los Angeles area that will be called Salon Spotlight!  I say "small" because I can literally count the nail salons on one hand that I've been to in the last 20 years and absolutely adored.  I must say that It's A Secret Salon is at the top of the list.

Margaret and Me with a little "swag bag" for my favorite salon owner! (6/2/2011)

Everyone knows that AllThingsNails! is a natural nail care blog but up until March of last year (2010) I had on acrylics and although I've since removed them and started maintaining my own nails, I still get questions on salons that I would recommend.  So, whether it be acrylics or natural nails, the salons that will be mentioned in this series are one of a kind. I would still go back to them for a little TLC in the future!


Margaret Thomas is the owner of It's A Secret in Culver City, California and I've known her since the early 90's.  She is one of the most creative and talented nail-artisans in the city and is always keeping up with her craft and at the top of her game.  Here's her story:


"Margaret Thomas had a vision 25 years ago to use nails as a canvas for her artwork.  Inspired by her best friend, Charlette Fortune-Key, who at the time adorned her hands with 3 inch nails, they set off to study the art of Nail Technology.  Over the years she has painted everything from flowers to sunsets, portraits of Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, Batman and the Joker and abstract designs.  In 1996 she placed 3rd in a National Nail Art contest sponsored by Flo-Jo, the Olympic Track Star famous for her long nails and original nail art.  That one nail received a prize of $1,000.00!  She has manicured nails for the cover of Essence Magazine, Actors, Musicians, as well as countless loyal customers over the years."


Well, I guess it's not a secret anymore - Margaret is true gem.  If you're in the Los Angeles area please feel free to call her to make an appointment at 1-310-216-9520.

Essie - Turquoise & Caicos (06/26/2011)

What a weekend!  My brother had three of his five kids graduate last week (M-W-F) and asked me to help with the festivities of his graduation party on Friday.  Since he has three girls who absolutely ♥ nail polish, I set up shop, literally SET UP SHOP in the girls room with all the fixings, neons, crackles and glitters and we had a ball.

I did nails from 5p until 11p at night!  The mothers, daughters, aunties and friends were elated to have a little color in their life and I was happy to share my love of AllThingsNails!  Needless to say, after at least 20 manis I needed a mani myself.  So I came home and put on Essie's Turquoise and Caicos...


Color Description:  Essie T&C is a beautiful and serene island ocean blue.  I say "island" because you would have to imagine being somewhere tropical to truly understand this beautiful lacquer like the Blue Hole of the coral reef in Central America, Belize (San Pedro Caye).  My husband and I had the privilege of snorkeling there in 1996; it's simply amazing!

Similar To:  This is extremely similar to the OPI Pirates of the Caribbean's Mermaid Tears.  See the water correlation there, again? These are interchangeable but definitely one of them should be in your collection. Orly's Ancient Jade has been said to be a close second, as well.

This Look:  T&C is very sheer so I put an white base coat on of Miss Marion's Super Base, then layered three coats of T&C with a coat of my topcoat, Shine and Hold.

Price Point/Availability:  If you're looking for Turquoise & Caicos, you might be having a hard time because it's form last years Essie Resort 2010 collection, which I believe was limited edition.  You may be able to still find it as some salons and online.  You may be better off looking for OPI's Mermaid Tears, a this point, though.

Well, off to my meeting in about an hour - we'll be in Orange County today.  Hope you enjoy what's left of this beautiful weekend and talk to you soon!