Serum No. 5 - fall polish swatches [Twilight Sparks, Sleepy Holo, Second Spring]

"Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower." - Albert Camus 

Happy Sunday, Twinklings!!  I've had these swatches sitting around for aaa-ages, and it suddenly occurred to me that I could maybe, I dunno, do something with them :)

Serum No. 5:  a few spontaneous polishes from various fall collections

Rainbow Honey: November Mystery Bag swatches and sniffs

Here it is, darlings!!  This mystery bag is a most perfect ensemble of hue, scent, and product "to get ready to face the colder months!"  I succumbed to the flu this weekend { :( }, and receiving this on the other end felt like a care package curated with get-well vibes!  I also am loving this mystery bag because it reminds me very much of my beloved Copenhagen, which is fitting as it was inspired by "modern life and our planet's natural light show".  Yellow bricks, black lacquer roofs, cozy sweaters, warm tea, the many harbors and canals, the purity of Nordic architecture, and of course, the golden candlelight so emblematic of hygge.  Jeg elsker dig, København.

Rainbow Honey November Mystery Bag

Rainbow Honey "Aurora" + "Mint Flavor"

Gloss n' Sparkle "Can't Even Breathe" ... and HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GRACIE!!!

Today is a very, very special day indeed: the birthday of my best friend for 16 years (!)!!  We used to joke that we'd still have abs if we didn't do a single crunch, because when we're together we tend to spiral into a haze of such silliness that we literally can't even breathe for laughter.  Just being with my Grace is as good as a cocktail (and probably better!) for feeling giddy and invincible.  Twin Vulpixes on the playground in second grade (make that twin everything, everywhere, all through elementary school).  Pizza dough.  Regularly running down the street as "fat ladies" (sorry, Sara, for ruthlessly stretching out your non-fat-lady yoga clothes with pillows.  You are the best).  Countless home videos, including a memorable cooking tutorial in which I, Granny Pudge, capture Grace, space alien, from under the trampoline/UFO for assistance in 1) reheating canned split pea soup, and 2) botching a box-mix chocolate cake.  Meeting halfway.  Randomly finding loose wolf dogs all over the place, and making friends with them (after recovering from terror).  Sleepovers- billions of sleepovers.  Taking pride in being the most aggressive forwards in Y Soccer; no seriously, we were like wild animals.  Accidental early morning mall walking.  Hair crimping.  Bowling like monsters with seizures- has it been twice now that you've managed to get your ball two lanes over??  Unprecedented.  Y dances, and those butch smoking girls that about ended us for our reckless cheek.  Tirelessly trolling CVS for magical serum to make my frizz go away (just ditch the Suave shampoo and you'll be golden).  A certain egg-like person, and the drama that is middle school orchestra.  That one time we watched that terrible bachelor reality show Flavor of Love for six straight hours, and were like, what just happened to us?  Battling through the convoluted mess that is high school.  The Notebook.  Boyfriends.  Foot baths.  Fish bowls.  Matching color obsessions.  Pretending to be grown up... instantly regressing whenever we are reunited.  I love you, girl.  I've given it my best shot, but really... there are no words.

* XOXO *

Gloss n' Sparkle "Can't Even Breathe"

M.A.C. "Formidable!" & Sephora Formula X "Legend" comparison swatches

Happy Monday, Twinklings!!  We have already seen M.A.C. "Formidable!" in a previous review, paired up with Picture Polish "Rocky" for some bling-y Rocky Horror Picture Show goodness, but I figured, eh, what the heck, it's on my nails, might as well take some pictures.  In the process, I couldn't help but notice a slight similarity to another great polish that you can snag for an awesome deal right now... Sephora Formula X "Legend"!

M.A.C. "Formidable!" vs. Sephora Formula X "Legend"

M.A.C. "Formidable!"

Sephora Formula X "Capricious" - Ombré Glitters Limited Edition

Happy Hump Day, mes chéries!  Have I just been exceptionally unobservant in the past, or have the holidays started early this year??  I couldn't believe it when I started hearing Christmas music a few days ago.  I mean, I absolutely LOVE the winter holidays, but ahem hello, what about November, guys?  With Christmas now oozing into September the pace of the year has accelerated enormously, so much so that the seasons have become depressingly muddled.  I know that fashion is always likes to keep ahead of the times, but as we jump from one season to the next more and more aggressively I kind of just want to switch it all off, and breathe deeply of the present.  Autumn in particular suffers from the commercial interests overeager to jumpstart holiday shopping, which is a shame because autumn is such a beautiful, comforting season to slow down and just enjoy.  So that's exactly what I'm going to do, darlings: while the temptation is strong to start showing you all of the new holiday delights that have long since flooded the cosmetics market, I'm going to hold out on all that until December (and to be honest, I won't have time this month in any case!).  In the meantime, what do you think about focusing on the present moment, and savoring this gorgeous autumn to the fullest capacity?  :)

Late last month Sephora released a new limited edition Formula X line: The Ombré Glitters!  Oohlala, the sparkle.  Now that I've made my whole season-fidelity stand, I have to admit this may be intended as a winter holiday release, though I haven't really seen it billed as that.  It certainly is glitzy enough to be, though!!  Formula X does have a set of four minis, and one gold-capped polish (!) called "Alchemy", that are explicitly holiday limited edition, if you want something extra festive.  There are five Ombrés in total, and today I have for you "Capricious".

Sephora Formula X "Capricious"

Rocky Horror Reprise: Picture Polish "Rocky" & Sally Hansen "Lava"

Let's do the Time Warp again!  And again!  And while we're at it, let's do Rocky nails, again!  Just about a week ago, I posted my first Rocky Horror inspired mani with Picture Polish "Rocky" and M.A.C. "Formidable!".  Only, it was all a decoy!  At the end, I give a shoutout to my boyfriend and wish him luck as Rocky that evening, regretful that I would miss yet another of his performances... which he thought was so cute, yet little did he know that I was already on my way!!  SURPRISE!  It's an 11 hour drive so this does not happen during the semester; not once, in four years of college... until now.  I just couldn't miss this.  I almost managed to pull off the surprise, too ;)  The man anticipates everything, I tell you.  It's unfathomable.  But for the most part he was not expecting that I would show up at his door after his first performance, ticket in hand for the second, and with lots of long awaited lovies :)

In my previous post I bleat piteously of my chagrin at missing the M.A.C. Rocky Horror polishes, namely "Bad Fairy", because it is so similar to one of Kellen's favorite polishes: Sally Hansen "Lava".  However, Jen of The Polishaholic assures us that "Lava" is just as good, if not better, than "Bad Fairy", so I got over it and proceeded to paint one of my favorite glitter manicures ever.  Pictures do it no justice whatsoever (in part because I was a bit in a hurry, getting back to Montana and all ;) ).  The molten pink-orange duochrome shift, the elemental gold and silver glitters, the sizzle and sparks... oohlala, it was a sexy thing.  You know, like Rocky.

Picture Polish "Rocky" + Sally Hansen "Lava"

Picture Polish "Rocky" + Sally Hansen "Lava"

Purrrrrr, smokin' hot, just like suntanned muscles and golden hotpants.  Admittedly, it's not always easy being the girlfriend of a fantasy, the icon of masculine perfection; but he was unbelievable, and not just because he was gorgeous.  I always assumed he was good at the whole acting thing, but I had no concept of just how good... finally seeing it left me breathless (no seriously, I actually hyperventilated).  The singing, the dancing, that silly Rocky innocence, the flexing... honey, you really were magnificent.  I am so, so proud <3

Well so anyways, you can pick up this "Rocky" perfection at Picture Polish or Llarowe, and "Lava" has been going on clearance everywhere Sally Hansen is sold for a while now...  but naturally you can always track it down on Amazon or wherever :)

Oh, and because I know you're already panting for more... here's that "Rocky" and "Formidable!" fierceness, mattified, no less!

Picture Polish "Rocky" + M.A.C. "Formidable!"

And, as ever, Twinklings: don't dream it, be it.

XOXO
Marisa + Sprinklepuff