A Rhyming Dictionary: A Rhyming Dictionary

I’ve been blogging here on Death By Polish for a long time. It’s been about 3 years, which is crazy! And recently I was contacted by Morgan from A Rhyming Dictionary Polish for the first time to review her set of polishes based on the Oz books. I’m very flattered and excited to blog about them. This one caught my eye first (How could it not? A blue flakey? Come on!), and I couldn’t wait to use it.

Saturated blue jelly with flakies

This polish is really fun. As I always say, I love blue polish. This polish is so pretty in the bottle; it’s a bright, poppy saturated blue packed with different shaped iridescent blue, purple, and violet flakes. The flakes are really interesting in this polish and it makes it very special. I do think this polish would look even better layered over another blue polish to brighten it up and make it shine. I look forward to using it again and layering it for sure!

I had no issues with formula on this polish. Although it’s not fully opaque, I used three coats and got good coverage. It went on smooth and also dried easily. In the past, I have noticed independent nail polish brands have an overly strong odor, but did not notice it with this one.

Where to Buy: http://www.etsy.com/shop/Arhymingdictionary / $ 7.50

Do you like this fun, flakey blue polish? Have you seen or purchased any of the A Rhyming Dictionary polishes? Have they caught your eye on Etsy or other blogs? Are you now interested in giving them try?

– Liz

Zoya: Zuza

 I’ve been wearing a lot of blues lately, and Zuza was an untried I hadn’t gotten around to yet. The pretty watery, mermaid-y blue is obviously something I was drawn to.

Sparkle-y aqua green

Zuza is a fun manicure. It’s a pretty, medium toned aqua with a touch of green. The finish on this polish was interesting to me. The silver shimmer read almost as a foil to me, but seemed to be just a little short of the full on sparkle that a foil has. I’m not going to say this polish is the most unique, but it was fun to wear and great for summer.

Easy, smooth application

In typical Zoya fashion, this polish applied very easily. The formula was smooth and I had no coverage issues. I used two thick coats and everything turned out well.

Where to Buy: Zoya.com / $ 8

Do you like Zuza? Did you buy Zuza? What did or didn’t you like about this polish?

– Liz

Zoya: Wednesday

Hey all. I hope you’re all getting time to enjoy summer and the warm weather. It’s by far my favorite time of year and I’ve been enjoying sitting out on the patio relaxing and admiring my flowers.

I apologize for my lack of posting recently. It’s not that I don’t enjoy writing about nail polish anymore or don’t enjoy polish anymore; it’s that it’s been really difficult for me to find new collections that really pique my interest enough to want to purchase them. I feel like many collections have been quite repetitive and nothing new or exciting. I still want to chit chat and connect with all of the wonderful readers of DPB so, as always, I’m keeping my eyes peeled for new polishes to wear and write about.

Wednesday is just one of those colors that will suck me in everytime. I could have my own helmer drawer for turquoise-y green-y blues. This polish did look a little dustier to me in swatches then it ended up being in real life.

Shiny turquoise-y blue

Although this shade is quite common, I couldn’t help myself. As mentioned, I did think Wednesday would be a little dustier or a slightly more interesting tone via swatches, but I’m pretty sure it matches most of my other turquoise cremes, silly me. I do think it has a nice balance in it, and it’s definitely blue (to me) so there’s no lobster hands in sight.

Very nice formula and application

The formula and application on this polish was really great. It applied like butter to my nails, very smooth and opaque. I used two coats for full coverage. It was super quick and easy application.

Where to Buy: Zoya.com / $ 8

Did you get any of the Zoya Surf and Sun polishes? Did you pick up Wednesday? Which is your favorite? Or did they seem pretty standard for a summer collection?

– Liz

Rescue Beauty Lounge: IKB: 2012

Although my RBL stash isn’t large by anyone’s standards, I am a big fan. I appreciate the attention to detail from Ji and the company and think they always have interesting colors and stories that draw me in. However, my bank account hates when that happens.

IKB: 2012 is from the fan collection. I literally couldn’t wait to get my hands on this electric blue; it couldn’t be any more my taste.

Jelly / creme electric blue

First of all, this polish wasn’t easy to photograph. In real life, it is deeper and darker than these photos display. I apologize for not being 100% color accurate. However, the way these photos turned out is more so what I thought the polish was going to look like. I was expecting a bright, radiating blue. But it is darker and more purple than I was expecting. It dries semi-matte, so this leads me to believe there’s some neon pigment in the formula, but it’s not as bright as I was hoping or expecting. I wanted it to be a bit louder. I still actually love this polish a lot, but I did have a different pre conceived idea of it.

Somewhat tricky formula

I heard the first batch of these fan polishes had formula issues, but they were to be resolved. I didn’t have much issue with the formula on IKB: 2012. The first coat did go on pretty uneven and sparse, but by the second coat it really covered my nails and was almost completely opaque. I did do another thin coat (3 in total) just to make sure everything was perfect. It also dried quickly thanks to the neon pigment (I think). I did do this manicure last night, and already have tipwear though. Not what I like to see from a $20 bottle of polish, to be honest.

Where To Buy: RescureBeauty.com / $20

So let’s hear it! Did you end up buying any of the RBL fan collection? Did you get IKB: 2012? If not, which color was most interesting to you? Did you like the idea of fans of the line being able to win and developed their own polishes?

– Liz

PA: A72

I was out of town for the weekend last week, so I apologize for the lack of posting! I hope you all are doing well and enjoying the summer weather that is finally here.

This is the second polish that a friend was sweet enough to bring me back from Japan. As you all are well aware of, I love everything blue. And this dreamy turquoise had me from the jump.

Creamy, dreamy turquoise

This color isn’t the most unique and many of us that collection polish have numerous variations of it, but I think many of us are drawn to it. It’s beautiful. Though this creme polish leans a touch more green (to me and on my skintone), it has a nice balance of blue and green. It’s a perfect summer color and I have loved admiring this color on my nails.

Easy, smooth application

This polish has a super shiny finish, since it’s a half creme half jelly hybrid. The formula on it was great; super easy and quick to apply. It also dried very quickly. What I’ve been most surprised with regarding this polish, is how well it has worn on me. Polishes usually chip within the first day on me, but I’ve had minimal tipwear after 3 days. Always a welcomed surprise!

Where to Buy: Online Retailers / $ 4 – $ 5

Is turquoise one of your go to nail colors for summer? Or like me, do you like to wear it year round? Summer for me means turquoise and coral!

– Liz

Essie: Lapis of Luxury & Zoya: Maisie

I had a different intent for Lapis of Luxury when I first applied it. I’ve had this polish for years and don’t think I’ve used it enough. We all know I love any blue polish and this one is great. And with blue flakies on top, it’s a winning combination.

Dusty periwinkle blue with blue flakies

Lapis of Luxury is a pretty color on its own. It’s rather unique and interesting in my collection of blues. It’s a slightly dusty, periwinkle blue. It has a touch of purple in it to keep it more in the cornmeal realm of colors, to me. It’s very flattering and easy to wear. Layered with the blue flakies of Maisie, it looks awesome. The two complement each other and are really fun together.

Easy smooth application on both

Lapis of Luxury has an outstanding formula. It’s a half jelly / half creme hybrid formula, which is my favorite to use. It went on smooth as butter. It almost applied itself. Though I did need three coats. As for Maisie, I didn’t want the flakies to be too overbearing, so I did one thin coat and it ended up just as I wanted. I think this manicure looks great and it has been a great combination to admire.

Where to Buy (Lapis of Luxury): Online Retailers / $ 8

Where to Buy (Maisie): Zoya.com / $ 8

What’s your favorite way to layer? Do you like this combination? Do you like to coordinate layering flakies with a matching base? Or do you like to mix and match?

– Liz

Wet N Wild Megalast: I Need A Refresh-Mint

Guilty. I feel guilty for being unable to post all week long. I’m sorry! But I’m back with a polish that I really enjoyed wearing.

I posted a couple of these Wet N Wild Megalasts awhile back. But since then they have revamped the bottles (which I think look really great by the way) and added new colors. This one is definitely the most interesting one of the bunch.

Turquoise-y blue creme

This polish looks a lot like Chanel’s Nouvelle Vague. The tone is very similar to me. But this polish is a creme with no shimmer. I think a lot of people love this almost sea-foam greenish blue color and it has been done a lot and often, but this polish has just a touch more blue in it and it makes it really beautiful. It’s almost a robin’s egg blue. For me it’s completely worth having and reminds me of summer. It definitely cheered me up when I looked down at my hands.

Super easy application and great formula

I was impressed with the Megalasts formula during my first run through with the line, and still am. It was smooth and full of pigment. I had no issues and only needed two coats for opacity. Even though Wet n Wild is a very affordable drugstore nail polish line, I think this line looks more upscale and performs very well in terms of formula, application, and wear. Totally worth the $ 2 !

Where to Buy: Drugstores / $ 2

How are you feeling about this color? Is it too over done for you? Or are you still a sucker for the pretty blue / green hue? Are you tempted to go pick up some of these gems for only a couple bucks?!

– Liz

Zoya: Maisie (over Zoya: Breesi)

I think I ordered the new Zoya flakies the day they were released. I love flakies that are cool toned specifically, however, the pink (Chloe) in the collection also made its way into my basket because it’ll look gorgeous in a summer manicure.

I knew I was going to want to layer Maisie for this manicure, so I picked a complimenting blue. Breesi worked out perfectly. This manicure is stunning and screams “ocean” to me.

Sparkling blue, green, yellow flakies

Maisie, to me, really seems like the flakie version my beloved Zoya Charla. It’s got the same colors going on (blue, green, yellow) just in a different way. I love it. What I also love is the amount of flakies that are dispersed per coat. It’s a ton! They are packed into the polish and the brush so you get a major impact without countless layers. Just look at how fun and pretty this combination is. I like how it’s layered in this manicure because it gives just the slightest jelly / squishy effect. Water-y almost.

Prefect application

I had no formula issues with this polish. As mentioned, it was packed with flakies on every layer and they applied evenly per swipe; they didn’t collect just at the base or top of the nail. I ended up doing two coats over one coat of Bressi as a base. Everything dried quickly and looks great.

I can’t wait to use the rest of these “Fleck Effect” polishes.

PS – Has anyone noticed how Zoya has started to cheap out on their shipping packaging? They used to ship their polishes in polish holders in a box (which I loved), but now they arrive taped and wrapped up in padding in an envelope. Come on, guys!

Where to Buy (Both polishes): Zoya.com / $ 8

Did you pick up these new Zoya Fleck Effects? Do you plan on it? How do you like to wear your flakies? How you feel about so many flakies being released at the same time by different brands?

– Liz

China Glaze: Blue Year’s Eve

In honor of the past holiday, I decided to paint my nails Blue Year’s Eve. I think this name and fun and we all know I can never have too many blue polishes. Although this color might not seem too unique, it really is beautiful.

Blue glass fleck with blue and purple glitter

Blue Year’s Eve is a medium-dark toned blue glass fleck polish with blue and purple glitter throughout. This polish is packed with pigment and color. It’s saturated, lively, and full of vibrancy. In the sunlight, it glows and the glitter dances. I also like how it’s deep and rich. It’s not too light in the base color so it’s more of a “grown up” glitter. It’s gorgeous. I can’t keep my eyes off of it!

Easy, smooth pigmentation

Although the China Glaze brushes are a bit thin for my liking, I had no problems with formula or application. I used three coats for full coverage and opacity, which I feel is standard for glass flecks. My only application tip would be to make sure each coat is dry before you apply the next!

Where to Buy: Sally’s Beauty / Ulta / Online Retailers / $ 5 – $ 6

What polish did you wear for New Year’s Eve? Was it Blue Year’s Eve? If not, are you interested in picking up this polish? Or does blue and purple glass fleck not seem too unique to you?

Getting ready to watch the Winter Classic!,

– Liz

China Glaze: Little Drummer Boy & Nails Inc.: The Old Vic Special Effect

I honestly think this may be my favorite manicure I’ve ever worn. Or at least my favorite manicure in a VERY long time.

It’s a shame that the weather here has been pouring rain without a bit of sunlight in days, so much to my disappointment, my photos do not capture how stunning and mesmerizing this combination is. It’s perfect.

Dark, metallic navy with blue flakie top coat

Those that are regular DBP readers are well aware of how much I love blue polishes and LDB is no exception. Little Drummer Boy is a gorgeous deep, metallic navy polish. It’s almost a gem stone tone. It’s so rich and gorgeous on its own. The polish itself is very pigmented and I could have gotten away with one coat of it, but I was a little sloppy on my application.

The Old Vic is part of three different special effect polish duos from Nails Inc. It’s a flakie topcoat meant to layer with. The flakes are irregularly shaped and mostly blue and purple in color (to me) in a clear base. The flakie effect isn’t overly loud, which is what I like about it. It’s noticeable, especially in strong light, but not overkill. And it’s seriously gorgeous. My only complaint would be I wished the flakes themselves were more brightly colored. Regardless, I can’t get enough of it.

Easy application

As mentioned, LDB is very pigmented and I could have gotten away with one coat for this layered look, but needed two. It was a smooth application with no problems.The Old Vic was also an easy formula and application. I used two coats and it dried pretty quickly as well. For the next time I wear this manicure (which might be for a second time this week..), I think I will try to use three coats of The Old Vic flakie topcoat for even more impact. Or even matte it!

Where to Buy (Little Drummer Boy): Online Retailers / $ 4 – $ 6

Where to Buy (The Old Vic Special Effects Duo): Sephora / Sephora.com / $ 16

How do you feel about flakie top coats? I love the blue ones! Are you interested in the textured, fun effect? They seem to be gaining more commercial popularity this holiday season. Do you own this duo? Are you interested in getting any of these Nail Inc. sets?

– Liz