Jessica Fall Collection- a quick preview!

Enlarge this photo, it's worth it!

Wow!! I checked my mail a couple of days ago and was excited to find an unexpected box from Jessica Cosmetics. I'm not sure if you're aware of this, but I absolutely ADORE Jessica polishes. The range of colors is fabulous and the quality is unbeatable. I couldn't wait to tear into this box and see what was there!

I wasn't disappointed. In the box was a set of 12 polishes that included the Fall 2013 collection and the Jessica Effects- Glitzy collection. That's right, it was a collection of glitter polishes that made my eyes almost pop out!

Oh yea, that's a LOT of testing!!

I was so excited that I had to experiment immediately. I pulled out my favorite notebook and began swatching on paper, and I was absolutely in LOVE!! (This page also includes the swatches from the latest Zoya collections. Expect a post on that soon as well!)

Seeing all of these colors together just made my afternoon, and I fell in love with two of the polishes. Usually when I get a collection, I let it sit for a while to come up with ideas that work with the colors. But not this time...

No, this time I couldn't wait to tear into this set and start wearing them. I started with two coats of Jessica Overture, a rich coppery, sparkling orange. I topped that off with a coat of Jessica Sizzle, an absolutely amazingly beautiful red glitter. The glitter in Sizzle comes in three sizes- a moderately large hex, a smaller hex, and then tiny pieces that are still larger than the microglitter in a lot of polishes.

These colors go so well together! I wasn't sure if red glitter over orange/copper polish would work, but ZOMG it SO DOES!! This is one of those manicures that just keeps me looking at my nails, loving how the light plays across them.

Of course, all this sparkle and shimmer made these nails almost impossible to photograph. I'll try to get some better ones tomorrow, but I'm not promising anything.

I've got the nails painted, so hopefully I can get the review of all the polishes up soon. I was just so happy that I had to share this! Hope you like it too.

Til next time!

Polishes were provided by the brand for consideration.

See my disclosure statement for more information.

I'm Alive... ALIVE!!!

This is an experiment for false nails.
Fun, but labor-intensive. It shows
promise, though!!

Wow. Are you sitting down? You may not be ready for this... but...

I'm alive. And CREATIVE!

I know, I know... it's crazy! But I'm finally starting to feel a bit more human, and with that has come an absolute explosion of creativity. So, while I'm working on a new video (yea, the one I teased like 4 years ago...) I thought I'd share these fun pics!

This first one is a technique I'm playing with. I haven't seen it anywhere, and I know why- it's a pain in the tush! But it's showing some massive potential, so I'm playing with it.

At the base of all this? Magazine pictures. Seriously... more info to come if I can figure out a good process for it.

Yet another gradient technique!

I've been having a lot of fun playing with gradient techniques. I've basically decided that no one technique is right for everyone and every situation. So, I've been playing around, and I'm planning to do a series of videos using different methods for creating different color transitions. This one is simple, but I'm not sure this is the best polish for it.

Still, it's a lot of fun. I used a couple of polishes from Zoya's Irresistible collection that is out for summer 2013. (Expect a review of these polishes, they are PHENOMENAL!!) I'll play with this technique a bit more and see if I can figure it out enough to share with other people.

Another attempt at the magazine technique, and I'm in LOVE!

Finally,  I wanted to share this second nail I did tonight using the magazine technique. I used some polishes from Zoya's Summer Pixie Dust collection to add a bit of glam and bling, and I find this just so delicious! (Again, showcase of the polishes coming soon...)

Granted, it needs a bit more work and these wouldn't work at ALL for natural nails, this is a very intriguing look for me. I can totally see wearing these for a special night out, and I'm really having fun looking at my magazines picking out images!

Check this detail shot out...

The golden and orangey tones of Solange and Beatrix make this look almost gilded! There's also a definite depth
to the nail that is fascinating to me.

Also, keep in mind that these photos were taken at 4am in really cruddy light. I can't wait to share these with something decent. I was just so excited to have actual CONTENT again!

Thanks for keeping up with me while I've dealt with all this. I love you guys!

Polishes were provided by Zoya for evaluation.

See my disclosure statement for more information.