Shades by Barielle Spicy Swatches

Shades by Barielle Spicy
















This was three coats of lacquer, but this formula is amazingly quick drying.  So while I usually can't stand a three coater because of the dry time, this was lightning fast!


What else surprised me?  How many thread fuzzies I picked up while these coats were speed drying!!!  I have several strands of black winding their way through my lacquer application.

I'm somewhat iffy on the color. 

It is a muted red/orange.  Perhaps a dulled pumpkin?




















But is it something I'll reach for again?  Hm ... I will need another test wear before deciding if this is a keeper or a donater.


Barielle Hydrating Ridge Base
3 coats Spicy
1 coat CND Air Dry

SpaRitual Hush

SpaRitual Hush is a dark warm brown, this is three coats. I did a thin first coat, very streaky. Followed by a heavier thick second, but had to finish with an inevitable third coat when two didn’t give me quite enough coverage.





This, like all SpaRituals and their parent company Orly, was very slow to dry. Fairly hidden denting three hours later (even with Diamont top coat).


This is really dark. With all the “manikin” hands I’ve seen on the web recently, this just looks odd.

It will make a great gradation color, but I don’t think it will get many full manis in the coming year.

Jalie 2682 - shirt muslin 2 review

Jalie's Stylish V-Neck Top Pattern
http://www.jalie.com/v-neck-top.html






















The Original Muslin
- cut size V (37" bust and 31" waist) to W at hips (41" hips)
- lengthen the upper bodice by 1" for long torso
- 5/8" sway back adjustment (add back seam)

I pretty much put this together as directed.

This first muslin was extremely droopy at the neckline. I know other people have fixed this problem by adjusting the back neckline, but I was determined to fix the main problem ... a "concave" chest on the muslin model, me. I don't have a picture of the first muslin.

Additionally, it was too big. I had "loosely" measured as I remember my last Jalie being too tight for my measurements. However, loose is too loose. So in addition to the chest problems, I also needed to drop a size.



Here is a picture of Muslin 2, Jalie 2682.



















The neckline was tightened up enough for certain fabrics, but I could still pull another 1/2" dart out of the neckline. I cut this one in a size U for bust and waist and tapered to a V for the hips.

It now fits fairly well, but in order to approach the final shirt, I need to do final adjustments. Like rotating out an armhole dart. I can see its need in the side view.









































I think the upper back looks good, the lower back ... I've already taken out 5/8" in sway back adjustments ... do I need anymore?

Maybe I should wait until the third version is complete with a hem. A hem might pull out the remaining wrinkles.



As to the neckline, adjustments went as follows.












First mark where your excess is located. Mine is always in the upper chest, the pattern is simply too long for my upper chest. I decided to dart it out to the armhole.














Cut down the middle of your dart and overlap the pieces, folding out the excess length.














Now to redraw the center fold line (since it has been completely thrown off by the dart) and shift the needed adjustments to the opposite side.

In the picture above, the original pattern piece is on the bottom, and you can clearly see how the center fold-line is thrown off if you compare the bottom original to the second top piece.

I basically measured how much I'd have to pull in the outerseam line by measuring from the new fold line to the true fold line. At the tip of the dart, this ended up being about 3/8" if I remember correctly. I then rotated each piece (upper bodice and lower bodice) to the new measurement and redrew.


If fits and seems to work ... now to put a third together for everyday wear.

I like how quickly these go together, how simple the neckline is without being boring, and I can imagine this being used in many different looks.

It works with thin fabrics since the front bodice is doubled. No see through. You could also double the upper back or the entire shirt if you need more coverage.

This is a great basic.

Introducing the Cirnechi - Delta and Massimo

Cirneco dell'Etna - Italian rabbit (and squirrel and bird and frog and turtle and ...) hunting breed

The little ones decided to bed down and bask for half an hour this morning.

Their squinty-eyed mien was irresistible. I had to take a shot ... or ten.















And over to the left ...
















And look at me ...















And bow ...


Thank you to our participants, Delta ... on the left, a youthful 9 years old and Massimo ... on the right, a mature 8.5 months old. He already has 7 pounds (3.2 kgs) on her.

Seborrheic Dermatitis update

As Matt, a reader, requested ...
here is an untouched closeup of my formerly Seborrheic Dermatitised face. As a reminder, it was the nasolabial folds and the area around my chin where the dermatitis was localized.

This picture was taken last month, and is two months short of the two year mark from when I began "curing" my last Seborrheic Dermatitis outbreak.

For the most part, my uneven texture and blotchiness have completely disappeared. Though I question whether I will ever really consider myself "cured."

Every time I get a zit or some dry skin in these areas, I think another outbreak is starting. And I cringe and cry inside. So far, these stress responses have come to naught.



As to current product use, I am still using my Wonder Wash liquid soap and Neutrogena and Purple Prairie Botanicals sunscreens.

Soap Review http://sewmanythings.blogspot.com/2009/05/soap-wonderful-wonder.html

Sunscreen Review http://sewmanythings.blogspot.com/2009/10/as-if-milk-allergies-werent-enough.html


While I don't have many other skin problems, my spouse does. He was prescribed, what else?!?, steroid cream for his hand. He has a quarter size area of his hand that breaks out when exposed to some chemicals.

For him, I've purchased "Gloves in a Bottle" which is similar to "Skin MD" from what I can figure out.

http://www.glovesinabottle.com/

http://www.skinmdnatural.com/


These products create a siliconized barrier layer between your skin and whatever you are working on. For those individual that have dermatitis on the hands and forearms, I'd strongly suggest checking out the types of products and testing their protective features on your own skin. (Obviously if you have silicon reactions, DON'T try this product.)


Gloves in a Bottle Ingredients (copied from bottle); moderate hazard of 3 out of 10 on the cosmeticsdatabase.
Purified Water
Dimethicone
Stearic Acid
Glycerin
Cetyl Alcohol
Isopropyl Myristate
Stearyl Alcohol
Tiethanolamine
Xantham Gum
Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose
VP/Eicosene Copolymer
Steareth-21
Phenoxythanol



Skin MD Ingredients (copied from their website); also a moderate hazard of 3 on the database.
Deionized water (Aqua)
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract (Aloe Vera)
Cyclopentasiloxane
Dimethicone
Methyl Gluceth-20
Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E)
Arnica Montana Flower Extract (Arnica)
Symphytum Officinale Leaf Extract (Comfrey)
Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Extract (Chamomile)
Achillea Millefolium Extract (Yarrow)
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
1,2 Hexanediol
Caprylyl Glycol
Butylene Glycol
Aminomethyl Propanol
Phenoxyethanol

Latest Finds - Box Turtles Hortense and Helga

My youngest dog Massimo, 8.5 months and maturing, loves to play with clods of dirt. He crouches and barks at the menacing clumps. Hops forward, picks up the bit, and throws it into the air. His game can stretch for hours.

Unfortunately, turtles resemble clods of dirt. I can't decide if Massimo thinks they are the same thing as his bits of dirt, or if he knows they are animals and therefore fair game (in his mind). The fact that he plays the same with the two is both humorous and horrifying. Especially for the turtle. I bet there's some "Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy" language playing out in the turtles head as she flys through the air with an ease which should NEVER happen to turtles.

Regardless, Hortense and Helga here have been living in my backyard for a time. Helga for several weeks, Hortense unknown.

How do I know they are girls? I don't, I'm guessing. Some male turtles have a concavity on their abdominal shell, these two don't (then again, Boxes might not, so) and when Helga was first caught I was able to see a bit of her tail region. Females have much larger openings for egg laying purposes. Helga seems to be an egg layer. Hortense is a pure guess.

How do I know they have been here? I can scarcely see them for their camouflage, but Massimo can smell them. He has pulled Helga (the younger box) out of the pine needles at least three times. Our negative conditioning does not seem to be working.

A close up the photo reveals his recent retrieval and the damage he performed upon Helga's shell. I hope she is healing quickly.


The story goes like this ... Massimo found the turtle, AGAIN, for the third time, and I decide that this is the perfect time to mow the yard. I can put the turtle into a crate while I mow and release her back to the yard when I am finished. I have been unable (unwilling) to mow since I knew she was somewhere in the backyard, and I knew I'd be mowing wild parts of the yard that haven't seen a mower in several years.

Strangely enough, Miss Turtle has taken a bunch of shell damage to the outer sides since I last saw her. And while shell peeling isn't unheard of, it is unexpected for a box.

Into the crate Miss Turtle goes, and off to mow I go (after the SO ... cleans lawnmower ... changes the oil ... and does some engineering communing with the power tool ...). Off into the wilds I trek, racing into greenbriar patches several feet wide. This mower is my greenbriar, old tree, and shrub ramming device.

After I finish with the worst of the patches and whack down some of my geraniums (they are larger than ever this year) I head back to the briar patch with a pair of clippers. The dogs can get around back there, it is time I could as well.

About that time the hounds are released and reacquaint themselves with the "new" yard. There is the smell of cut herbaceous growth, new pathways to explore, and rearranged bits to bark at.

Which is when the spouse tracks me down and says, "Massimo found another turtle."

"What! Another one? Where is it?"

"In the crate with the first one ..."

Low and behold the larger and older of the two, Hortense, found first this weekend is a new turtle to us. No wonder her shell looked funny. I didn't recognize it.

Helga, of course, is the turtle that Massimo has been finding, and since we weren't expecting two turtles in the yard, he had the chance to damage her (sorry Helga). I'm glad I didn't catch you with the lawnmower!

Helga has a much better shell but is also younger by at least a year, if not two. My turtle aging's not accurate.

I've returned the girls to the wilds of the backyard, and am even more vigilant with the MonsterMo. A hunting dog is a wonderful thing, their brains are amazing. However, they are also stubborn. I WILL win in the end, and Massimo will learn to ignore turtles.

Check back with me next year.

Ginger+Liz Swagger Review and Swatches

A glittery metallic smorgasbord of pink.

















































Copied from Ginger+Liz website
Swagger description "So what you strut like a “rooster in a hen house”. Why shouldn’t you? You’ve got it, flaunt it! Swagger is a sexy, tough luxe metallic with rose gold undertones. Rock Glam, Casual Chic and Bohemian styles of dress are perfect contenders for Swagger. And as Liz often says, the colour is just “sexy”!"





















I have a lot of rose gold. And this looks nothing like it. Swagger is very cool in tone, and definitely has more of a pink undertone than a copper undertone (rose gold is made by adding copper to gold).

Also, it is a glittery metallic, which made it apply and remove like a glitter. The underlying glitter is a solid silver.

Due to glitter concentration, this wasn't actually as difficult to remove as a sparser glitter. It still isn't a favorite of mine.


This was the manicure I wore to the Black Eyed Peas concert. It was a Fergie homage. And the homage came to a close the next day.

No shrinkage, tip wear, or chipping by 24 or so hours. This seemed to hold up well, but I wasn't putting the mani through a typical day's wear.

Barielle Hydrating Silk base
2 coats Swagger
Diamont Top coat


Swagger dried quickly, and Diamont really was an afterthought.





















Ginger+Liz Swagger on pointer and ring, China Glaze Delight on middle. (As as aside, all of my CG polishes are starting to lose their script, as seen in the bottle above. I've got black paint flecks on everything!)

















China Glaze Robotika on middle and pinky.




















China Glaze Hi-Tek above and below. Hi-Tek has the warmer glow I was hoping for and expecting from Ginger+Liz Swagger.  And Hi-Tek isn't all that warm, so this shows the ultra cool shading of Swagger.

Lacquer Toxicity - 3-free formulae are NOT created equal

Skin Deep Toxicity Levels for Polishes taken from the Environmental Working Group's CosmeticsDatabase.com

CND - 3

Nfu-Oh - 3

Sephora by OPI - 3

American Apparel - 4

Misa - 4

Revlon - 4

Shades by Barielle - 4

Zoya - 4

BB Couture For Nails - 5

China Glaze - 5

Color Club - 5

Nubar - 5

OPI - 5

Rescue Beauty Lounge - 5

RGB - 5

Diamond Cosmetics - 6

Ginger+Liz - 6

Illamasqua - 6

NARS - 6

Orly - 6

SpaRitual - 6

The worst ingredient identified by Skin Deep is Triphenyl Phosphate, effects are listed as: Developmental/reproductive toxicity, Neurotoxicity, Allergies/Immunotoxicity; Occupational Hazards.

China Glaze, Illamasqua, Nubar, OPI, Orly, RBL, RGB, Shades by Barielle, and SpaRitual all contain Triphenyl Phosphate.

The list of ingredients below does assume that companies are not making massive changes from one batch to the next of their 3-free formula. I am surprised by the CND result of such a low toxicity reading. However, I suppose it makes sense, since these are one of the most recent releases. Which I also suppose makes Ginger+Liz high toxicity reading so surprising.

The most toxic ingredients as per "Skin Deep Cosmetics Safety Database" results are bolded in each of the lists below.

American Apparel Ingredients

Butyl Acetate, Ethyl Acetate, Nitrocellulose, Adipic Acid/Neopentyl Glycol/Trimellitic Anhydride Copolymer, Acetyl Tributyl Citrate, Styrene/Acrylates Copolymer, Stearalkonium Hectorite, Isopropyl Alcohol, Camphor, Benzophenone-1

BB Couture For Nails Ingredients

butyl acetate; ethyl acetate; nitrocellulose; acetyl tributyl citrate/phthalic anhydride/trimellitic anhydride/glycols copolymer; isopropyl alcohol; stearalkonium hectorite; adipic acid/fumaric acid/phthalic acid/tricyclodecane dimethanol copolymer; citric acid; titanium dioxide; red 6 barium lake; red 7 calcium lake; red 34 calcium lake; yellow 5 aluminum lake; yellow 10 aluminum lake; blue 1 aluminum lake; ferric ammonium ferrocyanide; red iron oxide; black iron oxide; guanine; bismuth oxychloride; mica; violet 2; polyethylene terephthalate; synthetic fluorphlogopite; Sucrose acetate isobutyrate; dimethicone; diethylhexyl adipate

China Glaze Ingredients

ethyl acetate; butyl acetate; nitrocellulose; propyl acetate; tosylamide formaldehyde resin; isopropyl alcohol; trimethyl pentanyl diisobutyrate; triphenyl phosphate; ethyl tosylamide; camphor; stearalkonium bentonite; diacetone alcohol; stearalkonium hectorite; benzophenone-1; citric acid; kaolin; dimethicone; mica; ferric ammonium ferrocyanide

CND Ingredients

butyl acetate; ethyl acetate; nitrocellulose; acetyl tributyl citrate; phthalic anhydride/trimellitic anhydride/glycols copolymer; isopropyl alcohol; titanium dioxide; adipic acid/fumaric acid/phthalic acid/tricyclodecane dimethanol copolymer; adipic acid/neopentyl glycol/trimellitic anyhydride copolymer; sucrose acetate isobutyrate; stearalkonium hectorite; citric acid; ethyl tosylamide; iron oxides

Color Club Ingredients

butyl acetate, ethyl acetate, nitrocellulose, acrylic resin, isopropyl alcohol, camphor, benzophenone #1, may contain: D&C Red #6, D&C Red #7, D&C Red #34, iron oxides, titanium oxide, ferric ferrocyanide, trimethyl pentanyl diisobutyrate, bismuth oxychloride, D&C Yellow #5

Diamond Cosmetics Ingredients

Butyl Acetate; Ethyl Acetate; Nitrocellulose; Acetyl Tributyl Citrate; Phthalic Anhydride/Trimellitic Anhydride/Glycols Copolymer; Isopropyl Alcohol; Stearalkonium Hectorite; Adipic Acid/Fumaric Acid/Phthalic Acid/Tricyclodecane Dimethanol Copolymer; Citric Acid; colorants; Polyethylene Terephthalate; Calcium Sodium Borosilicate; Titanium Dioxide; Tin Oxides Silica; Aluminum Powder; Iron Oxides; Aluminum Powder; Fragrance 

Ginger+Liz Ingredients

Butyl Acetate; Ethyl Acetate; Nitrocellulose; Acetyl Tributyl Citrate; Phthalic Anhydride/Trimellitic Anydride/Glycols Copolymer; Isopropyl Alcohol; Stearalkonium Hectorite; Adipic Acid/Fumaric Acid/Phthalic Acid/Tricyclodecane Dimethanol Copolymer; Citric Acid; colors; Polytheylene Terepthalate; Calcium Sodium Borosilicate; Titanium Dioxide; Tin Oxides Silica; Aluminum Powder; Iron Oxides; Aluminum Powder; Fragrance

Illamasqua Ingredients

ethyl acetate; butyl acetate; nitrocellulose; propyl acetate; tosylamide-formaldehyde resin; isopropyl alcohol; triphenyl phosphate; trimethyl pentanyl diisobutyrate; stearalkonium bentonite; ethyl tosylamide; camphor; diacetone alcohol; benzophenone-1; citric acid; dimethicone; titanium dioxide; mica; bismuth oxychloride; ferric ferrocyanide; aluminum powder

Nfu-Oh Ingredients

Ethyl Acetate; Butyl Acetate; Nitrocellulose; Acetyl Tributyl Citrate; Isobutyl Acetate; Isopropyl Alcohol; Adipic Acid/Neopentyl; Silica; Styrene-Acrylates Copolymer; N-Butyl Alcohol; Cl 26100

Misa Ingredients

butyl acetate; ethyl acetate; nitrocellulose; adipic acid/neopentyl glycol/trimellitic anhydride copolymer; acetyl tributyl citrate; isopropyl alcohol; red 5 lake; acrylates copolymer; yellow 5 lake; stearalkonium bentonite; red 7 lake; styrene/acrylates copolymer; n-butyl alcohol; silica; benzophenone-1; titanium dioxide; trimethylpentanediyl dibenzoate; polyvinyl butyral

NARS Ingredients

ETHYL ACETATE ; BUTYL ACETATE ; ISOPROPYL ALCOHOL ; ADIPIC ACID/NEOPENTYL GLYCOL/TRIMELLITIC ANHYDRIDE COPOLYMER ; NITROCELLULOSE ; TRIPHENYL PHOSPHATE ; TRIMETHYL PENTANYL DIISOBUTYRATE ; CALCIUM ALUMINUM BOROSILICATE ; ETHYL TOSYLAMIDE ; STEARALKONIUM BENTONITE ; DIACETONE ALCOHOL ; TOSYLAMIDE/EPOXY RESIN ; SUCROSE ACETATE ISOBUTYRATE ; BENZOPHENONE-1 ; STEARALKONIUM HECTORITE ; ETOCRYLENE ; CAMPHOR ; CITRIC ACID ; DIMETHICONE ; SILICA ; MAY CONTAIN: MICA ; CI 77891 (TITANIUM DIOXIDE) ; CI 77491 CI 77492 CI 77499 (IRON OXIDES) ; CI 19140 (YELLOW 5 LAKE) ; CI 15850 (RED 6 LAKE, RED 7 LAKE) ; CI 15880 (RED 34 LAKE) ; CI 77510 (FERRIC AMMONIUM FERROCYANIDE) ; CI 75170 (GUANINE) ; CI 77163 (BISMUTH OXYCHLORIDE) ; CI 77000 (ALUMINUM POWDER) ; CI 73360 (RED 30 LAKE) ; CI 60725 (VIOLET 2) ; CI 47000 (YELLOW 11) ; CI 26100 (RED 17) ; CI 17200 (RED 33) ; CI 45370 (ORANGE 5) ; CI 42090 (BLUE 1)

Nubar Ingredients

Ethyl Acetate; Butyl Acetate; Nitrocellulose, Adipic Acid/Neopentyl Glycol/Trimellitic Anhydride Copolymer, Isopropyl Alcohol; Triphenyl Phosphate; Trimethyl Pentanyl Diisobutyrate; Butyl Alcohol; Stearalkonium Hectorite; Citric Acid; Benzophenone-1; Dimethicone; Mica; Titanium Dioxide; Black Iron Oxide, Red Iron Oxide; FD&C Yellow #5; Ferric Ammonium Ferrocyanide; Bismuth Oxychloride; D&C Red #7; D&C Red #6; D&C Red #34

OPI Ingredients

ethyl acetate; butyl acetate; nitrocellulose; propyl acetate; tosylamide/formaldehyde resin; isopropyl alcohol; trimethyl pentanyl diisobutyrate; triphenyl phosphate; ethyl tosylamide; camphor; stearalkonium bentonite; diacetone alcohol; stearalkonium hectorite; benzophenone-1; citric acid; dimethicone; alumina

Orly Ingredients

butyl acetate; ethyl acetate; isopropyl alcohol; nitrocellulose; adipic acid/neopentyl glycol/ trimellitic anhydride copolymer; triphenyl phosphate; trimethyl pentanyl diisobutyrate; stearalkonium bentonite; ethyl tosylamide; tosylamide/epoxy resin; sucrose acetate isobutyrate; stearalkonium hectorite; etocrylene; benzophenone-1; citric acid; acetyl tributyl citrate; aluminum powder; water;calcium sodium borosilicate; dimethicone; polyethylene phthalate; polyvinyl butyral; propyl acetate; silica; styrene/acrylates copolymer; synthetic fluorphigopite; tin oxide; Trimethylsiloxysilicate; mica; bismuth oxychloride; ferric ferrocyanide; ammonium ferrocyanide; titanium dioxide

Rescue Beauty Lounge Ingredients

ethyl acetate; butyl acetate; isopropyl alcohol; adipic acid/neopentyl glycol/trimellitic anhydride copolymer; nitrocellulose; triphenyl phosphate; trimethyl pentanyl diisobutyrate; stearalkonium bentonite; diacetone alcohol; ethyl tosylamide; sucrose acetate isobutyrate; tosylamide/epoxy resin; stearalkonium hectorite; camphor; etocrylene; benzophenone-1; citric acid; aluminum powder; polyethythene terephthalate

RGB Ingredients

ethyl acetate, butyl acetate, isopropyl alcohol, nitrocellulose, adipic acid / neopentyl glycol / trimellitic anhydride copolymer, trimethyl pentanyl diisobutyrate, triphenyl phosphate, stearalkonium hectorite, diacetone alcohol, citric acid, dimethicone, benzophenone-1, red iron oxide, ferric ammonium ferrocyanide, mica, titanium dioxide

Revlon Ingredients

Ethyl Acetate; Butyl Acetate; Nitrocellulose; Tri-Benzoin; Isopropyl Alcohol; Propyl Acetate; Acetyl Tributyl Citrate; Stearalkonium Bentonite; Serica (Silk Powder); Dimethicone; PPG-2 Dimethicone; Triacetin; Citric Acid; Malic Acid; Tetrabutyl Phenyl Hydroxybenzoate; Stearalkonium Hectonite; Calcium Sodium Borosilicate; Silica; Alumina; Polyacrylate-4

Sephora by OPI

butyl acetate, ethyl acetate, nitrocellulose, tosylamide/epoxy resin, acetyl tributyl citrate, isopropyl alcohol, stearalkonium bentonite, benzophenone-1, silica, trimethylpentanediyl dibenzoate, polyvinyl butyral, cl 77891, cl 15850, cl 77491, cl 77120.

Shades by Barielle Ingredients

ethyl acetate; butyl acetate; isopropyl alcohol; nitrocellulose; polyester resin; trimethyl pentanediol diisobutyrate; triphenyl phosphate; stearalkonium hectorite; benzophenone-1; ferric ammonium ferrocyanide; titanium dioxide; bismuth oxychloride; mica

SpaRitual Ingredients

ethyl acetate, butyl acetate, nitrocellulose, adipic acid/neopentyl glycol/ trimellitic anhydride copolymer, isopropyl alcohol, propyl acetate, trimethyl pentanyl diisobutyrate, triphenyl phosphate, butyl alcohol, stearalkonium hectorite, stearalkonium bentonite, benzophenone-1, citric acid, dimethicone, ethyl tosylamide, tosylamide/epoxy resin, sucrose acetate copolymer, acetyl tributyl citrate, polyvinyl butyral, trimethylsiloxylsilicate, titanium dioxide, mica, silica, bismuth oxychloride, ferric ammonium forrocyanide, aluminum powder, tin oxide, water

Zoya Ingredients

butyl acetate; propyl acetate; ethyl acetate; nitrocellulose; isopropyl alcohol; polyester resin; camphor; stearalkonium hectorite; benzophenone-1; titanium dioxide; iron oxide; ferric ammonium ferrocyanide


The polishes in the picture are:

China Glaze V

CND Guava

Misa Dirty, Sexy, Money

Nfu-Oh 124

PeaceKeeper Paint Me Patient

OPI My Private Jet (original)

Orly GingerLily

Rescue Beauty Lounge Starfish Patrick

RGB Cognac

Revlon Peach Nectar

Shades by Barielle Driven

Sephora by OPI Brainiac

SpaRitual Fall in Love

Zoya Austine

Vogue 8546 - Dress Pattern

Simple princess seamed knit dress with keyhole bodice.

The keyhole is not at all deep, and perfectly wearable to a variety of functions.






















I made the dress pattern with sleeves for a work appropriate outfit ... for those throw and go days.







































A Vogue wardrobe pattern, this had a mix of pieces that appealed to me. But now that I've made up the dress, I am less impressed.


The shaping of the princess seams is really throwing me. The inward turn to the centerpoint seems ... odd. And I'm just not sure the keyhole is me.







































Pattern Adjustments -
- size 12 bodice to 14 hips

- added 5/8" to the length at waist

- sway back adjustment by NOT adding length at the center back and incrementally rotating out the waistline to meet the added length in front

- dropped bust point by 1 inch

I lengthened the hem by one inch and added a one inch hem facing. I like deeper hems in knits. The hem is totally off ... I did not walk the pattern so: either the back pieces are too long in the pattern OR I added too much length to the back. The jury is out.

I added pockets, but got the opening too shallow ... ugh. It works to hold a cellphone, the most important job at the moment. When my alarm buzzed today in class, I could feel it radiate up the length of the fabric ... I was leaning over enough that I couldn't feel it against my leg. That was an odd sensation.

I also reworked the facing to catch in the armscye, and interfaced the neckline all around.















This is the very last of my bird family knit. Some of the cheapest fabric I have ever found in my life. It ate up needles like they fall from the sky. There are so many skipped stitches! The fabric stiffness has added wrinkles galore and makes the dress fall away from the body.

I do think half of my problems are solely due to the fabrication used. But that has little effect on the keyhole and princess seams.

I am tempted to make this without the keyhole in a nice fabric before I make a final toss or keep decision for this pattern.

China Glaze Peachy Keen

China Glaze's Peachy Keen is awfully, uh, bright.





















Barielle Hydrating Ridge Filler Base
3 coats lacquer
1 coat CND "Air Dry"


Not streaky so much a wash when applied thinly. After two applications, I still had some funny washed looking nails along with some bright nails. A third coat gave them all a bright evenness.

I had some tipwear at day three, but it did hold up remarkably well during a spectacular crash that shaved off nail layers. Very little chipping around the damage.














Laid out on my colorcard, I can't figure out what "Peachy Keen" is ... it is not orange, it is not red, it is not pink. It is a funky combination of the three.

I'd definitely consider it a nectar/melon color. And it looks horrid on me. I suspect someone with some skin pigmentation would pull this off much better than myself.

It is flirting with neoness when mixed with my pale yellowed skin tone.

Ginger+Liz Polish Tough Luxe

Update -

I wore this on the first half of my Florida Vacation as a Pedi color.  And it just doesn't cut it when you can't get it close to your eyes to ooh and aah.

The bling just isn't there when it is 5 feet from your head.  I just ended up with a dark muddy green on my toes that just did not thrill me at all.


I would recommend this as a mani color ONLY!































 

Ginger+Liz

I ordered three polishes from this new company and tried Tough Luxe first for a pre-St. Patty's mani.

Tough Luxe is a blinged out military reminiscent color. A medium/dark green washed with cadet blue liberally sprinkled with gold and multicolored microglitter. Wow.

The Good-
The lacquer has an excellent application and brush (great shape and width, not as wide as the ProWide, which meant my pinky application wasn't all over the place).

No cuticle drag.

Dries quickly.

It does not have the strong chemical smell I'm used to from lacquer ... hm ...



The Bad -
Thin is streaky, so two thick coats work best for even coverage.

It doesn't have the strong smell because it has a cover fragrance. Not good.



The Ugly -
Tip wear and a chip on the second day. I don't think longevity is a character of this polish.



Skin Deep rates this polish a 6 out of 10 on the toxicity scale.

Ingredients:
Butyl Acetate
Ethyl Acetate
Nitrocellulose
Acetyl Tributyl Citrate
Phthalic Anhydride/Trimellitic
Anhydride/Glycols Copolymer
Isopropyl Alcohol
Stearalkonium Hectorite
Adipic Acid/Fumaric Acid/Phthalic Acid/Tricyclodecane Dimethanol Copolymer
Citric Acid
a freak load of color
Polyethylene
Terephthalate
Calcium Sodium Borosilicate
Titanium Dioxide
Tin Oxides Silica
Aluminum Powder
Iron Oxides
Aluminum Powder
Fragrance

All My Teals

I've had a recent hankering for teals. I like the idea of blue-green toe nails.

I've watched for this year's "shade," the warm aqua that Pantone has released as Color of the Year - Pantone 15-5519, turquoise.

I would say that China Glazes's "Passion in the Pacific" is closest. I have VNL at two coats, so some lacquer ladies would not approve.




















From Left to Right (Green to Blue):
Pointer - Barielle Sweet Addiction
Middle - China Glaze Passion in the Pacific
Ring - Barielle Decadence
Pinky - Illamasqua Muse


Two coats each. I was very surprised at how quickly the Illamasqua dried. None of these were slow driers.








































Illamasqua Muse























Barielle - Decadence




















China Glaze - Passion in the Pacific























Barielle - Sweet Addiction

More OhNos from the give away pile

I'm not against light or "neutral" polishes. But I am strongly opposed to boring polishes. And most of these are boring neutrals that don't work for my skin tone. Too orange a lot of them.


The next two photos are of SpaRituals "Solid as a Rock"




























Not exactly a bad color, but the silvery undertone blew it for me.

If Solid had been gold or copper undertoned, we'd have gotten along better.





The next two are Zoya Dea


































Zoya Dea is a dark orange, and it clashed badly with my skin. It would be a great neutral ... for someone else.





Zoya Flowie

















Zoya Flowie - There's a lot of -ish in this here polish. It's a tanish, mauvish, pinkish color depending on the light source.

It was pretty thick and I got bad coverage from two coats. After thinning out the bottle, the third coat "flowed" very nicely. Ha!

It was fairly quick to dry, but it is a funky little color. I can't decide if I like it or not. It got a drab, work camouflage vibe going.

There was some noticeable tip wear following day two, but nothing as bad as my recent RGB or RBL lacquers.