China Glaze First Mate and Doctor Who geek out

God bless Netflix for showing me the wonders of Doctor Who. I am a straight up nerd when it comes to a few things... Harry Potter (I display the highest level of geek here), Lord of the Rings, Twilight (sort of, but not really)... I knew of Doctor Who and I knew the show had quite a following, but had never seen an episode until I looked for something to occupy my brain a little while I work on my husband's giant (but yet unfinished) knitted blanket.

I promise there is nail polish after the jump!

OPI DS Mystery Matte-ified

I was talking with Bestie last night about matte polishes and decided to see what Mystery looked like with a coat of Hard Candy Matte-ly in Love. I love it! This is a pretty accurate representation of the color and the shimmer.

Hard Candy Beetle

I can't adequately explain how much I love this color. I tumbled down the nail polish rabbit hole after Orly Space Cadet's release and right around the time the MAC Venomous Villains came out. I never considered getting Mean and Green due to the $13 price tag (I know!) though I drooled over it frequently. A few months later I saw extraH's post on Polish or Perish and I was done. This may be the first polish I searched stores for.

I tried to get a picture that showed all the colors at once. It's generally called a duochrome, but that doesn't do it justice. I'd call it a quadchrome. You see the green and gold on my index finger, and the pink/purple is shown on my middle finger. This polish is a gorgeous foil in a sheer teal-ish base.

Above is 2 coats, which looks a little bare near the corner tips of my nail, but that oil-slick look totally distracts you from a minor detail like that! extraH's pics are really good, so be sure to check them out as well. Certainly a winner, considering I got it on sale at Walmart for $4.

Hard Candy Sky

Newbie blog chick fail. I've tried uploading them differently 3 times, and my photos keep flipping around backwards. So, first shot is of Hard Candy Sky with a coat of Matte-ly in Love. MiL dries super fast. I've always put it on after 2-3 days when I'm getting bored with what's on my nails. Usually does the trick.

I saw this on kelliegonzo.com, then noticed it at Walmart this weekend. She was totally right about the formula. She called it chalky and thick, and I would agree. I can't find the post now, but someone else recommended 2 thin coats and 1 thick one. I think this worked well.

It is a robin egg blue with a very fine shimmer. It is said all over the internets that this is a dupe for Chanel Riva. From pics I've seen, I would agree. So, that would be 2 Chanel dupes in my collection. This is Orly Bonder, 3 coats of Sky, and Seche Vite.

What I've Got...

My collection so far. Please excuse the crappy pictures. It was nighttime and I've got fluorescent bulbs.

Topcoats, l to r: Hard Candy Matte-ly In Love, Poshe Quick Dry Topcoat, Seche Vite Quick Dry Topcoat, OPI RapiDry Topcoat

Purple: Mary Kay Intensity

Duochrome: Hard Candy Beetle

Browns, l to r: Zoya Cola, China Glaze Ingrid

Greens, l to r: China Glaze Peace on Earth, Rescue Beauty Lounge Anne

Pinks, l to r: China Glaze Heaven, Zoya Skye, OPI Polar Bare

Blues, l to r: Hot Topic Blue, Hot Topic Periwinkle, Rimmel Marine Blue, Zoya Ibiza, OPI Yodel Me On My Cell

Greys, l to r: Rimmel Steel Grey, Zoya Kelly, Zoya Harley, Zoya Freja, $OPI Just a Fairy Tale, OPI Lucerne-tainly Look Marvelous

Reds, top to bottom & l to r: Zoya Blair, Zoya Kalista, Essie Wicked, OPI Color So Hot It Berns, Revlon Crushed Crimson, OPI You Make Me Vroom, OPI Red Like Roses, China Glaze Phat Santa

Orly Bonder

I tried to flip that reds picture, but my blogging skillz are lacking. :) I hope it can only go up from here!