I'm Swatchin' You - OPI I'm Not Really a Waitress

Hi everyone!  I hope you are all having a wonderful holiday season.  I would love to hear what everyone got for Christmas in terms of nail polish!  Any major lemmings crushed?  As for me, I got four, count them - FOUR ManGlaze polishes I've been wanting.  Can't wait to swatch them!  Stay tuned...

Today, I've got my favorite color to wear for Christmas, which is exactly what I did.  That's why you didn't see any swatches for the couple of days following Christmas.  I wore this for as long as possible.  It's OPI's I'm Not Really a Waitress.  It's a gorgeous red shimmer.

This was two coats.  The formula on this is amazing, and it applies like a dream.  Being a red, clean-up is a bit of a nightmare.  But when you go to remove the color, there is little mess if you use the method I discussed here.  What is your favorite holiday go-to color?

Side note:  There will be no post tomorrow due to the holiday.  Gotta take a day off every now and then, right?

SH Double Duty and SV as base and top.

I'm Swatchin' You - Orly Crawford's Wine

Hi all!  Today, I'm showing you Crawford's Wine, by Orly.  This is a dark red creme with a subtle shimmer, and a not so subtle virtual bandage.

This was pretty much opaque in one coat.  I added a second coat just to solidify the color.  As with most reds, this is a royal pain to clean up.  I think that it's a rule of nail painting that if you are using a color that does not clean up easily, you will make a huge mess.  So you are also looking at an example of an epic cleanup failure.

 SH Double Duty and SV as base and top.

I'm Swatchin' You - OPI A Roll in the Hague

Today's color is coming to you from OPI.  This is A Roll in the Hague, an orange creme from the Holland 2012 collection.

The orange color is not obnoxious at all.  It's more of a red-orange.  This was almost opaque in one coat, but for some minor balding.  So a second coat is definitely needed.  The formula was excellent, and application was easy peasy.  A note for those of you who may be visually challenged, such as myself.  I was applying this in poor lighting without my glasses.  Thankfully, the polish was easy to work with, so I didn't make a huge mess.  But I did have some cleaning up to do.  And as you can see, I missed the fact that I didn't get all of the polish off of my skin, resulting in a very attractive brownish/orange staining.  Awesome.

 SH Double Duty and SV as base and top.

I'm Swatchin' You - Orly Rage

Say hello to Orly Rage!  This is a neutral (bronze) foil from the Foil FX collection.  And yest, the virtual bandage strikes again!  Dun, dun, dunnnnn......

Rage is an awesome foil that applies so well.  The formula is amazing.  This was almost opaque in one coat, but a second coat was needed to really get a good finish.  This was a little difficult to clean up, but it's so worth it!

On a side note, I will not be posting tomorrow, as it is Christmas Day.  If you celebrate Christmas as I do, Merry Christmas, and I will see everyone on the 26th!

SH Double Duty and SV as base and top.

I'm Swatchin' You - China Glaze Swanky Silk

Today's polish is the first one I'm showing you from my favorite China Glaze collection, Bohemian, just released this year, 2012.  This is a pink and gold duochrome called Swanky Silk.

The formula was fantastic.  This applied smoothly and evenly and was opaque in two coats.  I tried my best to capture the duochromey goodness, and I hope you get an idea of just how pretty this color is.

SH Double Duty and SV as base and top.

I'm Swatchin' You - Zoya Tosca

I have been slowly building up some Zoyas in my collection.  Tosca, from their Classics line, is a really pretty bright red with a slight gold shimmer.

The formula on this was great.  Tosca applied so evenly.  You are looking at two beautifully easy coats.  The gold shimmer is very subtle.  You really don't pick it up except in bright sunlight.  Unfortunately, my day was a little overcast, so I don't know if you can really see the shimmer, except in the bottle.

SH Double Duty and SV as base and top.

I'm Swatchin' You - China Glaze Papaya Punch

Good morning, fellow adventurers!  Today's color comes to you from China Glaze.  This is Papaya Punch, an orange creme from their Island Escape 2011 collection.

The formula was pretty good. It applied evenly, and levels nicely.  However, there is some balding with each coat, so it took three coats for solid coverage.  This is one of those colors that I thought I would hate.  I know, so why buy it?  To be honest, I realized I had all of the other colors in the Island Escape collection, and my OCD took over from there.  But it really isn't a bad color at all.  Definitely has its purposes.  Thoughts?

SH Double Duty and SV as base and top.

I'm Swatchin' You - Orly Rock It

I have another incredible color for you today!  This is Orly's Rock It, from the Mineral FX collection.  It's a deep red shimmer.

As you can see, the red leans to a dark pink/fuschia side.  This is two coats, which applied wonderfully thanks to a fantastic formula.  My favorite thing about this polish?  Despite being a red, it was a breeze to clean up!  Always a big plus for me!

SH Double Duty and SV as base and top.

I'm Swatchin' You - China Glaze Love Letters

Today's color is called Love Letters, from China Glaze.  It's a water finish in a peach tone.

This is two coats.  It applied with no issue, and the formula was great.  I love this in the bottle.  Not so much once it's on.  I think one coat may work nicely as a french base.  Otherwise, I imagine this is how my fingers would look if my nails were peeled off.  Ew.

SH Double Duty and SV as base and top.

I'm Swatchin' You - OPI Chocolate Shakespeare

This is an oldie but a goodie.  I've had this one for quite some time.  It's OPI Chocolate Shakespeare, a light brown frost.

The formula was excellent, with smooth, trouble-free application.  You are looking at two coats.  And yes, the color totally reminds me of a chocolate milkshake.  Now, I'm thirsty.

SH Double Duty and SV as base and top.

I'm Swatchin' You - OPI Take the Stage

I just need to say something...I LOVE THIS COLOR!!!  Ok, thanks.  Needed to get that out of my system.  Today's color is from OPI's 2010 Burlesque collection.  It's called Take the Stage, an incredible orange shimmer.

First of all, a note on my color categorization.  I try to keep my categories as basic as possible.  I don't want to start getting into coppers, bronzes, taupes, etc.  You have probably noticed that anything that falls into a beige/taupe/light brown/tan arena, I classify as neutral.  Well, anything falling into copper/bronze/rust, I'm calling orange.

Second, I am calling this one a shimmer, because I think it's more of a strong shimmer than it is a foil.  For me, a foil has a more solid, metallic look.  This one falls just short of that.  But it's almost as good as a foil.

For all of the "at-a-glance" details on all of my polishes, you can find the link to my stash document under the "About & Stash" tab.  I also link each review in that document as I publish them.

So, for Take the Stage, you are looking at two gorgeous coats.  It applied great, and cleans up much easier than I expected from a shimmer.  Have I already said that I love this one?  Because I do!!!

SH Double Duty and SV as base and top.