NARS Thakoon (2012)

My husband hates it when I eat two kinds of food:  Indian food and anything with truffles.  He claims the smell lingers for days on end, giving him a headache.  As much as I love my husband, I’m also a dedicated food enthusiast…sorry, honey bunny.

NARS Thakoon was inspired by the bright colors of Indian spice markets.  The names of the polishes are also names of Indian spices.

Amchoor (3 coats):  bright mango yellow crème

Amchoor reminds me of ataulfo mangoes, also known as champagne mangoes.  I’ve heard great things about Asian mangoes, particularly from India and the Philippines, but I’ve never tasted them.  The closest I can get in the US are Mexican ataulfo mangoes, which are sweeter than standard grocery store mangoes.

Anardana (2 coats):  azalea pink crème

The best time to visit the Charleston, SC area is spring time, especially if azaleas are blooming.  The nearby Town of Summerville is also known as Flowertown due to the prevalence of azaleas in their downtown area.  Anardana resembles these flowers very closely.

Koliary (3 coats):  cyan blue crème

The blue-green quality in Koliary brings me back to my favorite place, Opal Beach.  Opal Beach is part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore, located between Pensacola Beach and Navarre Beach.  If you are ever in Northwest Florida and desire to really get away from it all, definitely consider Opal Beach.

Kutki (3 coats):  baby blue crème

One of my knitting friends is a die-hard University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill sports fan.  This would definitely suit her tastes.

Lal Mirchi (2 coats):  hot pepper red crème

Lal Mirchi is my favorite due to the color’s richness.  It reminds me of shiny hot red peppers, such as bird’s eye chilis. 

Ratin Jot (2 coats):  orchid purple crème

2014’s color of the year was Radiant Orchid, similar to Ratin Jot.

The formula on these polishes are split.  Anardana, Lal Mirchi and Ratin Jot were the easiest to apply, only needing 2 coats each.  Amchoor, Koliary and Kutki needed 3 coats for opacity. 

NARS Thakoon was a limited-edition release and is no longer for sale.  However, you can find Amchoor, Anardana, Koliary and Ratin Jot on eBay below the retail price ($18).

Pretty Serious Pastel Pets 2 (2018)

(includes press samples)

Two years ago, Pretty Serious Cosmetics released their Pastel Pet Names collection to great fanfare.  If you like marbling nail art, they were perfect for such applications, as seen on More Nail Polish.  This April, a second Pastel Pet collection was released.

Bitsy Boo (2 coats):  sky blue crème

Bon Bon (2 coats):  cornflower blue crème

Chicky (3 coats):  pale yellow crème

Dollface (2 coats):  lilac purple crème

Poppet (2 coats):  bubblegum pink crème

Smoochie (2 coats):  neon pastel green crème

Tootsie (2 coats):  pale yellow-orange crème

I should admit something:  crème polishes are my kryptonite when it comes to swatching.  I tend to always have trouble applying them, especially pastels.  The hardest to apply was Chicky, which is usually par for the course when it comes to yellow polish.  Chicky looks off-white to me; similar to Illamasqua Load.  Tootsie is supposed to be more yellow, but comes off very Kraft-macaroni-and-cheese on my skin tone.

Pastel Pets 2 is now available in the Pretty Serious USA online store and on the Pretty Serious International online store.

Chanel Neon (spring 2018)

Previously, I reviewed Chanel’s 2017 collection Neon Wave.  Today I’ve got two limited edition neons from this spring.

Rose Neon (two coats):  searing peachy pink neon

Scenario (two coats):  hot coral red neon

Magnetic

I’ve included a picture of Magnetic to show the contrast in color.

If you’re a neon fan, you’ll probably love these two.  There is definitely enough difference to justify owning all three.

OPI It's Summer For Shore (summer 2003)

The summer of 2003 was special for me.  I had a rough second semester of my high school senior year, mostly due to the drama after the end of my first relationship.  Right before graduation, one of my longtime classmates brought me a graduation gift from his mother, a substitute teacher I previously helped.  We reconnected at our mutual friend’s graduation party, thus starting one of the best summers I’ve ever had.

Nail polish wasn’t even on my radar back then, being a degenerate nail biter.  But dang it, I wish I was into then…because that was when OPI released It’s Summer For Shore, full of shimmery, holographic goodness.  It’s Summer For Shore is different from other holographic polishes I’ve previously reviewed, due to the subtle holographic effect in shimmery bases.

Blue Moon Lagoon (three coats):  pale blue shimmery holographic

Coral Reef (three coats):  coral red shimmery holographic

Crim-sun (three coats):  strawberry red shimmery holographic

Day At The Peach (three coats):  pink-tinged peach shimmery holographic

Sand-erella (three coats):  lilac shimmery holographic with faint green duochrome effect

What’s Dune (three coats):  white shimmery holographic with blue/pink duochrome effect

I layered one coat of What’s Dune over Essie Marshmallow a few years ago.  Check out that holographic effect in the sun!

I feel like I need to apologize for the lack of holographic effect in my pictures.  I use an artificial indoor light box to swatch my polishes.  I probably should try to take pictures outdoors, but my area currently has triple-digit heat indices.

Unfortunately, we split ways that fall due to attending universities 200 miles away from each other.  Life has treated him well; he’s now happily married with a child, last time I saw.  I’ll leave it with a song I was listening to around the time we dated…I was in my Teena Marie phase.

HI HD HQ 4 U NO U NEVER SAW THIS BE4 YO ((( FIRE AND DESIRE ))) BY RICK JAMES AND TEENA MARIE

Pretty Serious Museum of Naileontology Vol. 1 (2015)

(includes press samples)

For vintage nail polish collectors, there is one blog above all else:  Pretty Random.  Pretty Random was THE vintage nail polish blog, full of discontinued polish and peppered with Kaz’s unique humor.  If I were to ever see Kaz’s collection in person, I would throw myself to the floor, Wayne’s World-style.  Unfortunately, the blog is now defunct due to malware, but they still have a Facebook page and an Instagram account.  Point being, Kaz is the queen of vintage nail polish.

Why do I mention a defunct blog?  Because the story doesn’t end there.

In 2012, Kaz started her own independent makeup brand, Pretty Serious Cosmetics.  The brand is very close with Kaz’s personality:  fun and retro.  She loves ‘80s hair bands, B-movies, video games, retro clothing (especially shoes), and all things glittery.  Pretty Serious even has a mascot, a retro pin-up named Daphne.  Daphne was created by graphic designer Leigh Young, who also designs all Pretty Serious artwork.  What I like most about the brand is that it marches to its own beat, rather than jumping on every trend bandwagon.

My all-time favorite line from Pretty Serious is the Museum of Naileontology, which started in 2015.  This line is every vintage polish collector’s dream, because VHTF (very hard-to-find) polishes are recreated.  Vintage polish collecting can be exhausting…I have saved eBay searches dating back to 2009 that have never been pinged!  If actual hunting isn’t difficult enough, the sheer cost of some of these polishes can make your head spin.  The Museum of Naileontology cuts out all those difficulties.

Eye of Copernicus (two coats) is an homage to Chanel Ciel de Nuit/Night Sky.  For more information on Ciel de Nuit, check out my previous post, The Great, Big Night Sky Lacquer Round-up.  It is a deep navy blue jelly with fine silver glitter.

Khepri’s Amulet (two coats) is a dupe of Revlon Street Wear Hippy Dippy.  It is teal green with a green/gold shifting shimmer.

The Dragon’s Curse (two coats) is inspired by OPI Crème de Menthe.  Crème de Menthe is from OPI’s coveted 1989 X collection, which includes the mythical Rainforest.  It is a mint green crème with a golden shimmer.

I personally own Crème de Menthe and Ciel de Nuit, so I can post comparisons for the Eye of Copernicus and The Dragon's Curse.  Hippy Dippy is INCREDIBLY hard-to-find, even for a seasoned vet like myself.

Eye of Copernicus (ring and pinky fingers) vs. Chanel Ciel de Nuit (index and middle fingers)

The Dragon's Curse (ring and pinky fingers) vs. OPI Creme de Menthe (index and middle fingers)

There are some very subtle differences, such as the amount of glitter in the first comparison and a slight color variation in the second comparison.  I think they're fine replicas of the originals.

The Dragon's Curse is now discontinued, but Eye of Copernicus and Khepri's Amulet are still listed on Pretty Serious's US shop.  Unfortunately, only Eye of Copernicus is currently available.

I'll be back with the 4 subsequent Museum of Naileontology collections soon!

Chanel Illusions D'Ombres (fall 2011)

Back in November 2010, I made an impulse decision that ultimately changed my life:  I signed up on Plenty of Fish, otherwise known as the cesspool of online dating sites. 

My first date after joining the site was a failure.  He totally wasn’t into me, which sucked because he was a Matt Damon lookalike.  After the date, I stopped by a vegan bar to meet up with friends and ran into an acquaintance celebrating her birthday…she immediately ordered me a double shot of Maker’s Mark.  It was befitting after that date.

There were some hits and there were some misses.  There was the Navy pilot who was cowed into admitting to me he was in the middle of a divorce due to a bartender friend of mine who knew he was married.  There were a couple of times I was dumb enough to end up at a guy’s residence and ultimately ended up in bed with them.  There was the guy I knew from high school who went full stage 5 clinger on me, before we even met in person (Spoiler alert:  we didn’t.).  Then I got stood up on Valentine’s Day…my baby sister felt sorry for me and bought me The League Season 1 DVD and candy as a consolation.  Finally, there was this guy whose profile was advertised in almost all of my searches…

Of course, I looked at the profile.  It was the most detailed and longest profile I’d ever seen, listing out explicitly who he was, his interests, what he wanted in a partner.  In contrast, my own profile was sparse on information…I was told later that I was able to get away with that due being an attractive female.  This person had an upgraded profile, indicating they were looking for a serious relationship and paid extra to appear more frequently in searches.  However, the profile was set to “email and text only” because he was deployed in Afghanistan.  I was already meeting people in person…not a snowball’s chance in hell, right? 

He messaged me and we started a sporadic exchange.  I asked him what drove him in life…and he emailed a response similar to his profile:  long and extremely detailed.  I didn’t have a ready response, so I sat on the message for a few days before responding.  I had no idea what drove me in life…what was I to say to someone who already had it all figured out?

Not long after the Valentine’s Day snafu, I grew weary of the random creepers and my recent string of misses.   By that time, he was the only guy I was regularly messaging, so I gave him my email address to keep in touch since I decided to delete my profile.

We kept emailing each other over the next 3 months, discussing current events, my love of nail polish, and everyday minutiae.  It turned out we had similar political beliefs; two blue spots in a blood-red area.  We talked about his dogs, random internet sites we liked, sports, alcohol, and his plans after the military.  I liked his personality, but I worried that there wouldn’t be a physical attraction, so I kind of put him at arms’ length.

3 months passed, then we met in person at the beach.  In retrospect, I didn’t have anything to worry about when it came to attraction.  Two days after initially meeting, we were Facebook official.  We would get engaged approximately a year later then married after a 6-month engagement.  It’s been exactly 7 years since we’ve been Facebook-official.

At the time, I was obsessed with Chanel’s Illusions D’Ombres Fall 2011 collection.  The collection featured Peridot, Graphite and Quartz…I was particularly taken with Peridot and Graphite, being unique for that time period. 

Graphite

Peridot

Quartz

Deborah Lippmann Supermodel

This was the polish I wore the day we met in person and the day we got engaged.

Happy 7th Facebook-official anniversary, honey bunny!

China Glaze OMG Flashback (summer 2018)

2 weeks ago, I posted China Glaze’s original 2008 OMG collection.  China Glaze just released a 10-year anniversary collection named OMG Flashback, featuring 6 re-releases of the original 12 shades.  This isn’t the first time China Glaze has re-released a collection.  In 2009, they re-released the 2001 collection Wizard of Ooh Ahz.  What I love about China Glaze’s re-releases is that they actually TRY to emulate the originals (looking at YOU, Essie, for that horrendous 2016 Retro Revival collection, and OPI for that lackluster 2009 Colorcopia collection).

2NITE

BFF

DV8

IDK

OMG

TTYL

So how do they compare to the originals?  Funny you should ask…

2NITE (2008 on index and middle fingers, 2018 on ring and pinky fingers)

BFF (2008 on index and middle fingers, 2018 on ring and pinky fingers)

DV8 (2008 on index and middle fingers, 2018 on ring and pinky fingers)

IDK (2008 on index and middle fingers, 2018 on ring and pinky fingers)

OMG (2008 on index and middle fingers, 2018 on ring and pinky fingers)

TTYL (2008 on index and middle fingers, 2018 on ring and pinky fingers)

The 2018 formula is a lot more opaque than the original, thus easier to apply.  The problem with the 2008 formula is that it’s extremely thin, making you wait for each coat to dry to avoid streaking.  The holographic effect in the 2018 collection is finer than the original, resulting in a brighter effect.

Overall, I’m impressed with OMG Flashback.  One complaint about China Glaze is how subsequent holographic collections (Tronica, Hologlam) were less prismatic than OMG.  However, with OMG Flashback, they improved the formula and refined the holographic effect, which surprised me.  Hey, Essie and OPI…THIS is how you recreate a collection!

Hard Candy 20th Anniversary Collection (2015)

You can’t talk about vintage nail polish and not mention the phenomena that was Hard Candy.  Hard Candy was the original “indie” polish brand.  Their first polish, Sky, was literally mixed in the founder’s bathroom to complement a pair of Marc Jacobs shoes.  Alicia Silverstone wore Sky on Letterman and thus, a legend was born. 

Hard Candy has switched hands over the years and is now a Walmart-exclusive brand.  In 2015, Hard Candy celebrated 20 years with an 8-piece limited-edition polish collection.

Sky (two coats) is the color that started it all.  It’s a light blue crème with a faint blue flash.

Claws Up! (two coats) is a nude crème with silver shimmer.

Coconut (three coats) is a white crème with purple/pink shifting glass flecks.

Girlie (two coats) is a pink crème with a subtle pink flash.

Mint (two coats) is a light green crème with a faint green flash.

Scam (two coats) is a purple jelly with violet shimmer.

Tangerini (two coats) is an orange crème.

Zombie (two coats) is a dark purple shimmer with burgundy shimmer.

Coconut was a nightmare to apply, plus the glass-flecks do not appear on the nail, probably due to the crème formula.  Most of the cremes have a subtle shimmer in the bottle but does not show up when applied.

Collecting vintage Hard Candy is a bit difficult nowadays, due to the passage of time and sifting out Walmart Hard Candy polishes from listings.  I have a handful of vintage Hard Candys and will post them in the near future.

Best of China Glaze Babes In Toeland (2000-2006)

Many moons ago, I wrote a post for my dear friend Rachel featuring 6 different polishes from China Glaze’s Babes In Toeland series.  However, I was using an iPhone 4 to take my polish pictures, so the picture quality is very lacking.  I decided to update them using my current DSLR camera and macro lens.

Twinkle Toes (two coats)

Stroke of Midnight (three coats)

Happily Ever After (one coat over OPI Care To Danse?)

Sass In A Glass (three coats)

It’s 5 O’Clock Somewhere (two coats)

Drinkin’ My Blues Away (one coat over Dior Sailor)

The Great, Big Night Sky Lacquer Round-up

(Eye of Copernicus is a press sample.)

Back in 1996, Chanel and Seventeen magazine sponsored a “color of the year” nail polish color competition.  The inaugural winner was the now-legendary Ciel de Nuit/Night Sky, the birth of my first lemming.

I didn’t pursue this lemming until I saw it for auction on eBay in 2009.  By then I had started to collect nail polish and I HAD to have it in my collection…which resulted in my highest-priced polish ever.  I lost the auction initially, but the seller offered to sell me another for my bid price ($140) in a second-chance offer.

Ciel de Nuit/Night Sky is a deep navy jelly filled with fine silver glitter.

As with many trends, Ciel de Nuit spawned knock-offs galore.  The most well-known one is Essie’s Starry Starry Night, released in 1997.  I admired SSN from afar, initially thinking in 2008 that $50 was too much to spend on a polish…little did I know that I would eventually bid $120 in an eBay auction to obtain it at the end of 2009.

Starry Starry Night is a dark royal blue jelly filled with fine silver glitter.

Now that we’ve addressed the two main night sky polishes, here are the myriad knock-offs. 

Essie's Retro Revival of Starry Starry Night was a huge let-down.  I feel like they didn't even try to emulate the original.

Chinoiserie Stellar Night

Christian Dior Sparkling Blueberry

Wet 'N Wild The Nail Zone Starry Night

Bonne Bell NailGear Scandal

Fing'rs Bear Blue Glitter

Revlon Street Wear Dark

Rescue Beauty Lounge Under The Stars

Nat Robbins Midnight Hour

Jessica Twilight

Naturistics Super Shine Crystal Blue Pearl

Maybelline Express Finish Zip Fly

Chi Chi Moondust

China Glaze Skyscraper

Orly Silent Night

BB Couture For Men Night Ops

L'Oreal LaquiResist Ocean

Here are differences I’ve noticed while swatching:

Base color:  CdN has a deep navy base, while SSN is a dark royal blue.  Jessica Twilight and Naturistics Crystal Blue Pearl have indigo-leaning bases.

Glitter:  The traditional glitter is a fine silver glitter.  SW Dark and RBL Under the Stars have glass-flecks rather than glitter.  The glitter in the Bonne Bell and Retro Revival SSN is significantly larger.  The glitter also differs in volume, from heavier proportions in ChG Skyscraper and Chi Chi Moondust to sparser in WnW Starry Night.

Opacity:  The glass-flecked polishes are more opaque than most of the glitter polishes.  Zip Fly has an opaque shimmer base.

While reviewing my polishes, I realize I don’t have Picture Polish’s Cosmos and Orbit, two night sky-esque polishes.  Here’s a link to the Polishaholic’s posts about Cosmos and Orbit.

If you’re looking for ready-to-buy options, here are two:

Pretty Serious Cosmetics Eye of Copernicus was developed from Chanel Ciel de Nuit.  Kaz, the overlord of Pretty Serious Cosmetics, sacrificed more than half of her bottle for the cause.  I was ecstatic when this was released, because I was down to 40% of my bottle of CdN and could finally conserve it.

Colors by Llarowe Twinkle Twinkle Little Star is a close facsimile of Essie Starry Starry Night.

Phew, that was a lot.  I hope you enjoy this post...I spent 2 weekends swatching!  Thanks for reading if you made it all the way down here! 

Morgan Taylor Platinum Journey To Wonderland

Hey everyone!

I enjoy seeing mainstream companies release holographic nail polishes.  I don’t mean any offense to indie brands, but it’s nice to just stop by a store and pick one up at your leisure, which is how I got today’s polishes.  My husband has been borrowing my shampoo and conditioner, so I decided to stop by CosmoProf and get him his own bottles.  It’s kind of frustrating when you’re ready to take a shower, but your shampoo and conditioner is in another castle!  Anyhoo, I saw these beauties on display and decided to add them to my purchases.  I can’t say the same for OPI Grease, which made me say, “meh”.

Morgan Taylor released their first Platinum collection earlier this year, mostly consisting of lighter shades of color.  Journey To Wonderland had more vibrant colors that caught my eye.   The holographic effect is a combination of linear and scattered holographic, much like Orly Mirrorball.

Caught In A Dream is a very vibrant teal holographic, which is muted in the picture.  This is currently my NOTW and I can’t keep my eyes off of it.

Frolic In Fairy Dust is a denim blue holographic, similar to OPI Glamour.  It may be a touch more violet than Glamour.

Not Your Average Damsel is a purple holographic and has the strongest holographic effect.

Journey To Wonderland is making me rethink passing on the previous Morgan Taylor Platinum polishes.  You may see the originals here in the future!

China Glaze OMG (spring 2008)

My generation is the last generation that will experience life without the internet.  I clearly remember when we first got AOL, the advent of high-speed internet and the birth of social media.  I have a Facebook account that goes back 13 years (so much cringe!).

The internet has brought us many various acronyms and abbreviations, many of which are featured in China Glaze’s OMG collection.  Unlike 2007’s Kaleidoscope collection, OMG is full of linear holographic polishes.  They are a bit finicky to apply.  You will have to allow each coat to dry before the next coat, or else it will result in bald spots.

2NITE (two coats):  cornflower blue linear holographic

BFF (two coats):  fuchsia pink linear holographic

DV8 (two coats):  teal linear holographic

FYI (two coats):  nude linear holographic

GR8 (two coats):  yellow gold linear holographic

IDK (two coats):  lilac linear holographic

L8R G8R (two coats):  light green linear holographic

LOL (two coats):  purple linear holographic

OMG (two coats):  silver linear holographic

QT (two coast):  cerise linear holographic

TMI (two coats):  coral red linear holographic

TTYL (two coats):  peach linear holographic

There is very little information online, but China Glaze is about to release a 10-year anniversary version of this collection named OMG Flashback.  I did learn from a Canadian beauty supply Facebook page that the re-released colors are 2NITE, BFF, DV8, IDK, OMG and TTYL.  I will definitely be back with these once I get a hold of this collection!

Chanel Neon Wave (fall 2017)

While most of my current purchases are vintage/discontinued polishes, sometimes new releases catch my eye.  Last fall, Chanel’s Neon Wave came into my radar.  I have a weakness for Chanel polishes, especially when they release unusual colors.  How deep is my passion?  Back in September 2009, I stayed up until 2AM to order Jade from Chanel.com.  I will sometimes do crazy things for Chanel polish.

Electric (two coats):  neon blue; this is far more vibrant in person.

Fantastic (two coats):  neon green; like Electric, also more vibrant in person.

Magnetic (two coats):  neon pink

Ultraviolet (two coats):  neon orange

The formula is a bit thick, but still shows visible nail line after 2 coats.  3 coats is needed for full opacity.

Chanel released 2 more neon shades in Spring 2018, Neon Rose (neon coral pink) and Scenario (neon red/pink).  They’ll be featured soon as well.

China Glaze Kaleidoscope (Spring 2007)

Hey everyone!

I’ve been suffering from a bad case of writer’s block.  I have lots of ideas circling around and a lot of polish to choose from but I still can’t find the right inspiration.  Instead, I’ll bring back some polishes I’ve reviewed in the past.

2007-2008 was when OPI and China Glaze released some of their best holographic polishes.  OPI released My Private Jet and their original Designer Series while China Glaze released Kaleidoscope and OMG.  Today I have Kaleidoscope, but stay tuned for the rest!

Don’t Be A Square (two coats):  medium pink scattered holographic

He’s Going In Circles (two coats):  seafoam green scattered holographic

How About A Tumble (two coats):  pale pink scattered holographic

It’s My Turn (two coats):  gold scattered holographic

Kaleidoscope Him Out (two coats):  ice blue scattered holographic

Let’s Do It In 3-D (two coats):  charcoal gray scattered holographic

Octa-Gone Wild (two coats):  light amethyst scattered holographic

Rated Holographic (two coats):  morganite pink scattered holographic

Sexagon (two coats):  silver scattered holographic

Spin Me Round (two coats):  rose gold scattered holographic

Tickle My Triangle (two coats):  Barbie pink scattered holographic

Visit Me In Prism (two coats):  silver lavender scattered holographic

Chanel Robertson Boulevard Nail Colour Collection (2008)

I recently asked in a vintage nail polish Facebook group what constitutes as vintage...I personally believed it to be a polish 5 years and older, but the consensus was 10 years and older.  This year, these beauties will officially be considered vintage.

In 2008, Chanel opened a boutique on Robertson Boulevard in Los Angeles.  This limited-edition collection was released to celebrate the opening. There are four polishes in the collection:  L.A. Sunrise, L.A. Sunset, Melrose, and Rodeo Drive.

L.A. Sunrise is a lemon yellow creme with a subtle shimmer.

L.A. Sunset is a coral orange creme.

Melrose is a bubblegum pink creme.

Rodeo Drive is a lilac purple creme with a subtle silver shimmer.

Essie would release their first Neon collection in 2008, with colors similar to the Robertson collection.  Essie even went as far as imitating the Robertson advertisement for their 2009 Neon collection.

I will eventually review Essie’s 2008, 2009 and 2012-2014 collections in the future.

A formal introduction...

(Pretty Serious Disc of the Heavens - PR sample)

Welcome to Throwback Lacquer.  I’m The Asian Girl, a long-time collector of discontinued and vintage nail polish.  I started collecting in 2007, blogged briefly in 2009 and 2013-2016. I created Throwback Lacquer as a way to share my past pictures and a little bit of myself.

If you had told me at 18 that I would be collecting nail polish in 4 years and would continue to do so in my 30s, I would’ve said you were crazy.  I was a degenerate nail-biter for as long as I can remember, only stopping whenever I had the luxury of acrylic nails. Yes, THOSE acrylic nails...pornstar pink-and-whites. (It was the early ‘00s, sue me.)

How did this addiction begin?  I became obsessed with acrylic nails during college and was rarely seen without them.  However, I lost my job just prior to my senior year and could no longer afford them. I left for my study abroad stint in England in 2007 shortly after losing my job.  I would look wistfully at the nail salons there, but the prices were 3 times more than the US. I was a broke college student, what else could I do?

Strangely enough, I bring along my only bottle of nail polish (a wine shimmer) and other nail accessories.  I started giving myself manicures, which led me to quit biting my nails. When I came back to the US, I started collecting polishes...and here I am, over 10 years later.

Urban Decay XX Vintage

In 2016, Urban Decay celebrated their 20th anniversary with the release of their XX Vintage collection.  They re-released 12 of their original nail polish shades (Asphyxia, Bruise, Frostbite, Mildew, Oil Slick, Pallor, Plague, Radium, Roach, Smog, UV-B and Uzi).  When I purchased this collection, Asphyxia was out-of-stock.  Luckily, I just bought Asphyxia off of eBay!