franken-polish "Laughing Aspen"

Happy Fall-Back Day!  No matter how many times it happens, I still find this day so bewildering.  It's such a strange thing to do, really.

I've been very much into the seasonal vibe when I've been frankening so far, and one of my favorite things about autumn are yellow aspen leaves!  We don't have terribly many aspen or birch or poplars right here in Western Montana, but I treasure the golden autumn laughter of each one.  Aspen are my very favorite trees, and I've been stockpiling an improbably long list of polish ideas inspired by their autumnal state alone.  This is my first attempt, guided and inspired by the image below!

"Autumn Gold" by Adam Schallau

>>> Laughing Aspen <<<

Essence Cosmetics : Dark Romance Collection

Calling all vampires!!  Essence's Dark Romance Collection is all about thrilling trysts in Gothic castles, and forbidden love in haunted ruins... Jane Austen's wide-eyed heroine Catherine Morland of Northanger Abbey would be all about this, what with her naive fascination with Gothic novels bordering on hallucinatory obsession.  The Brontë sisters would undoubtedly approve as well.  But do be sure to accessorize properly with a shadowy gloss and unearthly lacquer when you curl up with Wuthering Heights, or maybe Jane Eyre, for a good October thrill... ;)  A spiced tea will be in order as well.  Purrrrr...

As Essence is a German company, the Dark Romance Collection was actually released as early as January 2014 in various parts of Europe (definitely Poland and Romania), but only just debuted in the United States.  According to the Essence website it was supposed to be a September limited edition release, but it only hit my local Fred Meyers on October 2 so it would seem that schedule has been pushed back a month.  I immediately pounced on every item Fred Meyer is carrying (except for the tattoos, they were a bit too biker chick for my taste) though the full collection also has one more each of the eyeshadow quad, lipstick ("Painted Love"), and nail polish (a gray), as I recall.  Ah well, I'll take whatever I can get!  I LOVE Essence's Limited Edition collections (though I rarely get to avail myself of them, seeing as they are available so sparingly in the U.S.); they do them monthly, and yet they are always consummately imaginative and original.  The themes are quite wide-ranging and the packaging is always adorable.  Not only that, the products generally quite excellent (at minimum, they are above average for a drugstore line), and are amazingly inexpensive!!  So much love for this brand, I has.

Oh, you demand to see this stupendously seductive collection, do you?  Well, okay.

 ...

Nyx : Simply Vamp Lip Cream : "Enamored" & "Temptress"

I've always been fascinated by plum lips.  It's totally not me, really; my usual lip look is peachy, rosy, and buoyant.  But you know what, there are times when you just need to let your bad self reign.  And when it comes to sultry and seductive, there really is no better time than autumn.  Bring on the vamp.

Nyx "Enamored", "Temptress" // Essie "Sable Collar" // Essence "Time for Romance"

Nyx "Enamored", "Temptress" // Essie "Sable Collar" // Essence "Time for Romance"

SpaRitual : Explore Collection [nail art]

SpaRitual's Explore Collection was inspired by adventures in the great North American forests, and by "bright flashes of color that punctuate the rich, earth colors of a well-worn hiking trail".  I love hiking my Montana mountains, and while this color palette is completely unexpected, it also completely makes sense.  Rather than a record of the literal hues of a forest, this collection is a powerful abstraction of the emotional experience of exploration.  For SpaRitual to communicate a feeling without relying on an image association indicates true color mastery, and with that I really cannot give higher praise to their creative team.

SpaRitual Explore Collection

While this collection was released for Spring 2014, there are two reasons I bring it up now; first, because *right now* is absolutely the best time to hike Glacier National Park, the crown jewel of this country's great parks.  And I think the Explore Collection is perfect for the occasion; and anyways, I feel the vibrancy of this collection is perfectly suited for the transition from late summer to early autumn.  The second reason is that these are HALF OFF on the Ulta website!!  Wheee!!  So in my mind, now is the time if ever to pick these up :)

SpaRitual Explore Collection [nail art]

Nails Inc. London: Ballet Sheers

Hello, beautifuls!  Have any of you ever wanted to be a ballerina (or in fact ARE a ballerina)?  I've spent many an hour prancing and leaping about my house, and sometimes I feel like I may have been a ballerina in a past life, but then if that is the case then any gracefulness I once had has been deeply suppressed in this lifetime.  It's a nice thought, though.  I had exactly one ballet lesson during my childhood, and all I remember doing are donkey kicks.  But I freaking destroyed at those donkey kicks. Today I have for you some of the Nails Inc. Ballet Sheers polishes!  Along the lines of the recurring OPI "Soft Shades" releases but much more creative, IMHO.  I have three out of the four Ballet Sheers available at Ulta, and am currently missing Mayfair Ballet, which is the white pearl of the collection.  The confusing thing is that Mayfair Ballet and Covent Garden Ballet both debuted two years ago as part of the A Listers Collection, but have now made a return as part of a collection that hasn't gotten much attention at all.  Since I've had my eyes on these for a while and I'm sure you have too, let's finally give these lovelies a talking about.