Més que un club

My favorite soccer team, FC Barcelona, won the Champions League title today (well, night in the EU now). In celebration of their victory over Manchester United, I created an appropriate manicure:


The blue is China Glaze Blue Sparrow while the garnet is China Glaze Crystal Ball. But let's dress this down a bit...


I wasn't feeling the matte trend at first, but I'm hooked! I absolutely adore Nubar V For Men, a matte finish nail protector. For those of you not willing to drop over 20 bucks for KO's matte polishes, this is the way to instant matte goodness! I doubt I will buy from OPI's upcoming matte line because the colors I would've most likely acquired are already part of my collection. Why drop $8.50 when I can spruce up my own polish? Have you opened up to matte yet? Why or why not?

TODAY ONLY!!! 30% off at LindsayLou.com!

For those of you like myself who missed out on Rescue Beauty Lounge's awesomely awesome 50% off sale (Curse you, job!), LindsayLou.com is having a Memorial Day sale today. 30% your entire purchase! While they do have Rescue Beauty Lounge, Recycle and Grunge are out of stock. :( They are also offering FREE FedEx ground shipping! So what are you waiting for?!

I finally took the plunge and acquired a couple RBL bottles for myself...I've been lemming Bikini Bottom and Square Pants since I saw them on The Polish Addict last summer. Now they're all mine!!! *evil laugh*

I've read that many nail bloggers considered RBL (and Lippman, another plunge to take in the future) as the gold standard for a nail polish formula: I'm a believer. This is the least fussiest yellow I've dealt with and NO STREAKS!

Here is RBL Square Pants topped with Nubar Angelic Glitter:


Finally, I'd like to take the time to remember the men and women who are serving the US abroad and those who have died in the line of duty. For more information on Memorial Day, check out this article at Time.com. Hope you're enjoying your Memorial Day weekend!

Happy Asian Pacific American Heritage Month!

The month of May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month in the US. The first week of May was chosen due to the first Japanese immigrants in the US arriving on May 7, 1843 and the completion of the transcontinental railroad (thanks to many Chinese laborers) on May 10, 1869. (Thanks, Wikipedia!) In commemoration of this month, I tinkered around with some nail art:


colors used: Essie Marshmallow, Essie Mesmerize, China Glaze Cherry Pie and L'Oreal Bijou Gems B. Outrageous

My parents immigrated to the US from the Philippines in 1981 and 1982 respectively. I've never traveled there, but I look forward to in the future and hope I will be accompanied by my parents. Even though I was raised in the US, my parents never let us forget our heritage. I figured, since I'm "The Asian Girl", I better put it to good use and spotlight my heritage and all the varied yet equally fascinating cultures that make the US a melting pot.

It's been a while since my last post, and wow, have I been amassing some serious nail goodies (RBL, Nubar, even more Zoyas, etc.). I'm also on MUA now as theasiangirl, so I'll be around! Hope y'all have a great (and safe) Memorial Day weekend!

Nail vs. Nail: White-Kwik-Silvr vs. Sugar Daddy and other minty concoctions...

After seeing China Glaze White-Kwik-Silvr on Perfectly Polished Tips, I HAD to have it. I found it at (used) at a local nail salon along with OPI DS Dazzle. Unfortunately, after I put it on at home, I was a bit disappointed.


index, middle and left side of thumbnail: China Glaze White-Kwik-Silvr; ring, pink and right side of thumbnail: Misa Sugar Daddy (please excuse the smudges; they both require four coats)

It's a dupe for Misa Sugar Daddy.

Misa Sugar Daddy is part of the Misa Sugar Sugar collection. I picked up 5 out of 6 thanks to the awesome promotion back in December. I was inspired by The Polish Addict's amazing swatches, including some of the sheers layered over black. Sugar Daddy is a touch more opaque than White-Kwik-Silvr but both remind me of glittery snow.

Speaking of snow...I got some great news from the people at Baskin-Robbins!

I mentioned in a recent post about how my heart was broken when I saw that York Peppermint Patty was pulled from the lineup. Two days later, someone from Baskin-Robbins found my post on Google Alert and let me know that it wasn't discontinued, but merely seasonal and is available NOW! I shall be calling my local Baskin-Robbins and see if I can get my ice cream fix ASAP...

As a side note, I also received an amazing green in the mail today: China Glaze Emerald Sparkle. I really wanted it last year but all of the local Sally Beauty Supply stores ran out of them almost immediately. I've only been ordering nail polish from online suppliers recently, so most of them stopped selling Emerald Sparkle by then. I can see what the hoopla was all about; it's insanely gorgeous. I'll post up pics in due time :)

Happy Mother's Day!

My mom only wears nude pinks and sheers, so I've posted up a couple of colors I own that I think would suit her:

Chanel Allegoria

Allegoria isn't a bad color (albeit boring), but is a major pain to apply. This is one of the streakiest polishes I have ever encountered. I have on Barielle Camouflage underneath to help balance this out along with four coats of polish. It is currently part of Chanel's Celestial Lights collection. The price isn't justified, so move on to the queen of these colors: Essie.

Essie Mademoiselle

I bought Mademoiselle after seeing The Polish Addict's great French manicure tips. It's a sheer jelly pink. Mademoiselle might be streaky, but it's not quite as bad as Allegoria. A base coat of Camouflage will help out greatly. However, Allegoria is more opaque and is probably better for "regular" use, but Mademoiselle is perfect for French manicures.

Even if you don't wear basic colors like these, I wish a happy Mother's Day to my mom, your mom (no pun intended, lol), and all moms everywhere!

Just another lazy day here at Gettin' Nailed...

Rules:

1. Respond and rework: Answer the questions on your blog, replace one question that you dislike with a question of your own invention, add one more question of your own.

2. Tag eight other people.

What is your current obsession? Searching for discount polish...anytime, anywhere!

What is your weirdest obsession? Rearranging my polish collection and tabulating its exponential growth on an Access database and Excel spreadsheet.

What are you wearing today? Right now? A red halter bikini.

What's your favorite comfort food? Filipino food (i.e., chicken adobo with rice, arroz caldo or pancit palabok) or fast food

What would make today special? A cheeseburger from the Oval Office (a local burger joint in my hometown)

What would you like to learn to do? Get my golf game going, figure out my career path, finally get some crisp Konad transfers

What's the last thing you bought? A Liquid Sunshine from The Dock at Pensacola Beach...but I bought some awesome NYX Girls polishes at an independent beauty supply earlier today!

What are you listening to right now? My friend is in her bedroom watching Californication on DVD. I will probably listen to some DMB on my way home.

What is your favorite weather? 75-80 degrees; typical NWFL April weather...we are now approaching summer so now it's in the high 80s.

What is your most challenging goal right now? Figuring out my future. It's a pretty rough economy and I really don't know what I want to do career-wise, even though I am now a college graduate.

What do you think about the person who tagged you? I wasn't actually tagged, but I think Pink Sith is pretty cool. I do love her logo, though.

If you could have a house totally paid for, fully furnished anywhere in the world, where would it be? NEW ORLEANS AND BARCELONA. For those of you new to the blog, I freakin' love New Orleans and try to head out there when I can. If I could get permanent residency/dual citizenship in the EU, I would love to live in Barcelona. Spain is gorgeous and cheap(er) for the EU.

If you could swap lives with anyone for one day who would it be and why? I honestly wouldn't want to swap lives with anyone else. We all have our own monkeys on our backs...same shit, different person.

If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go? An awesome tapas bar in Spain...I want some yummy (and not too heavy) grub right now! Throw in a couple glasses of wine and I'm set!

What would you like to have in your hands at right now? A confirmation that my school loans have been paid in full; w00t!

Which language do you wanna learn? Spanish, German, Tagalog

What do you look for in a friend? A compatible personality. I need someone who just "clicks". Other traits are negligible; I collect some pretty random friends.

Who do you want to meet in person? An online friend of mine who urged me to study abroad for a full year before I finally mustered up the balls to do so myself. I'd like to thank him personally for one of the best experiences in my life (so far).

What's your favorite type of music? Honestly, my roots are mid-1990s R&B. However, as of lately, I've been branching out...my current playlist includes Sublime, DMB, Adele, Lil' Wayne, T.I., Taylor Swift, Lady GaGa and Kylie Minogue. My friends are trying to work on me when it comes to country, though! I DO live in the South, lol.

What's your dream job? I wouldn't mind being the Asian Carrie Bradshaw. I'd get to dish, wear cute clothes, and party? Awesome!

If you had $100 now what would you spend on it? Oh fuck, I sure hope 8ty8, H2T and Transdesign's pages are down if that happened.

Things you wish you could change in the past? I wish I would've picked a career already. But then again, I feel like I would've boxed myself in and wouldn't have studied abroad in England and left my options open. I'm a believer in "whatever happens is meant to be".

Fashion Pet Peeve? Oh damn...those high-waisted pants that were trendy for a little bit. Grey brown nail polishes a la You Don't Know Jacques! Kathy Van Zeeland purses. Chipped nail polish. (if my nails are chipped, I'm just being lazy! NOT trendy!) Looking like a human Barbie doll (a la Carrie Prejean AKA Miss California).

Do you admire anyone's style? I loved Christina Aguilera's retro look during her Back To Basics album. I'm a huge fan of Dita Von Teese's style. If I had money (and a lot more motivation/initiative), I'd definitely try to emulate it.

Describe your personal style. A lot of my style lately is The-Asian-Girl-is-too-worn-out-to-do-something-about-her-style-because-she-wakes-up-at-4am-every-morning. I really like to look nice when I have the energy to. I wear a lot of black because it coordinates with everything (AKA I'm kinda cheap). As of lately, I've been experimenting with more colors (clothing, make-up and nail polish-wise) because with my skintone, there aren't many colors I can't get away with.

What's your favorite ice cream flavor? I swear, Baskin-Robbins broke my heart when they discontinued their York Peppermint Patty flavor. One time I walked in, looked at their selection and when I couldn't find it, I walked out without buying a thing. My sister exclaimed that Baskin-Robbins isn't the kind of place you window-shop at.

What's your favorite makeup brand? I have a secret: I don't really wear much makeup. I will if I'm going out on the town (once or twice a week), but I work at a snack bar 4-5 days a week. There is no way am I wearing make-up to melt while I work in a small kitchen next to a grill and a fryer. I wouldn't mind experimenting with higher-end brands in the future (most of my stuff is MK and HIP), but I think my nail polish addiction is sucking up enough of my limited funds as it is.

What makeup do you use a lot? My Clinique pressed powder. I had an MK pressed powder that sucked in comparison. I love the color and I love the application; I can't ask for more.

Do you get enough beauty sleep? Yes or no? Why? No. HELL NO. I wake up at 4:30am almost everyday. Even today, on my day off, I still woke up at 4:30. Oh, well.

Why did you start your (beauty) blog? I wanted to share that I, The Asian Girl, am addicted to nail polish. *other imagined NP addicts: "HI, THE ASIAN GIRL!"*

What do you think is the best feature about yourself? I'm honest to a fault. And I think that's super.

What is your favorite vacation spot? I'd really like to be back in Barcelona. I don't want to say New Orleans because it's only like, 3-3.5 hours away.

What do you like least about yourself? My tendency to procrastinate. I WILL OVERCOME IT...tomorrow.

How much nail polish do you own? Over 300. (THIS IS SPARTAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!! Okay, lame movie quote break is over.) This is so disturbing to me considering that I barely broke 100 at the end of 2008. If I keep going at my current rate, that would mean I would own about 750 bottles by the end of 2009. I personally don't mind, but I think my wallet does.

I tag... Eh, I think I'll follow suit with Pink Sith and not tag anyone. I really do like Brooke at Getcha Nails Did's new "Getting To Know..." series featuring prominent nail bloggers, though. It's definitely an effective (and very entertaining) way to find out the background story of your favorite blogs and the people who write them!

Nail vs. Nail: Chanel Nuit de Russie

While drugstore hopping, I found not one, but TWO colors comparable to Chanel Nuit de Russie, from winter 2008's Moscou collection. I present to you, Sinful Colors What's Your Name and Nicole by OPI Midnight Madness.

I do like Nicole's range of colors but I hate the price. It irks me to pay $6.99 for it, especially when I can get China Glaze or OPI online for 3-4 dollars. Also, my local stores suck and rarely carry any unique colors, with the exception of Valentine's Day when my local Wal-Mart stepped it up and had a LE Nicole stand. I missed out on Dream Maker, a sheer glittery pink but picked up Sinful Colors' Glass Pink instead. Sinful Colors is an underrated gem of the drugstore nail polish world and cheap: $1.99 each! Even if a color sucks, I won't feel too guilty (unlike certain Chanels I have bought in the past).


Chanel Nuit de Russie is on the ring fingernail. All three polishes are black-based with fine blue glitter. Nuit de Russie is in the mid-range when it comes to glitter density. The glitter is duochrome and changes from blue to green.


Nicole by OPI Midnight Madness is on the middle fingernail. I find it to be the least alike of the three due to the glitter color, which lacks the blue-to-green duochrome color that the other two possess. Midnight Madness is what I hoped Zoya Kotori would be like. It also has the densest glitter.


Sinful Colors What's Your Name is on the index fingernail. It is the darkest of the three but has the largest and the least dense glitter particles. This is my personal favorite; I'm very surprised by the quality of this polish.

All three colors are three-coaters with great formulas and application. I don't remember the exact date, but I think the Moscou collection was pulled around February. I don't recommend looking for it on Satan's Little Online Shop because I've seen prices as high as $55. Midnight Madness is probably on its way to DC land like Nuit de Russie because I picked it up half-price at Target. (I blame Brooke at Getcha Nails Did for this! I saw her off-the-wagon haul and noticed Nicoles on clearance!) As for What's Your Name, you should be able to pick this up at your local Walgreens. $50, $3.30 or $1.99? The choice is yours!

This nail polish is so bright, you gotta wear shades!

Honestly, I bought Essie Funky Limelight for its kitsch factor. It was never a true lemming of mine because when you hear from one of your favorite blogs that it takes SEVEN coats for opacity, it kind of deflates any kind of lemming. My pictures aren't accurate for if they were, you'd shield your eyes. All were taken indoors with sunlight coming in.


While I also saw it all over the blogosphere, I wasn't particularly tempted to buy it during my double haul at Transdesign and 8ty8 (AKA my temporary lapse of judgement). It was a good day for nail polish (but not my wallet): I picked up 13 total online and 7 in person. My first stop was Trade Secret and there was Funky Limelight in all of it's highlighter yellow glory. Did I say highlighter? Yes, it's HIGHLIGHTER yellow. You can't miss this color in bright light; it's the cause of that throb in your temples.


Siobhan is right: it does take seven thin coats. (Scrangie used four thick coats, for those of you like myself who are spooked by the number seven.) Is it worth it? YES. I freakin' love this color. I can't help it: it's loud, it's crazy, it belongs in WACKYLAND! (As do I, but I digress...) This is a little like Mesmerize: it doesn't belong with the boring sheer pinks that Essie usually sends out with monotonous regularity. It looks a lot like China Glaze Celtic Sun, does anyone own it and can tell me if this is a dupe?

Holy effin' cakes...

DARK GREEN OPI...THIS FALL!!!

I've said in the past, I'm not a huge fan of green...but lately, I've noticed the green side of my nail cabinet expanding faster than expected. I have an idea...especially for those advanced nail mixologists! How about a GREEN version of the Chanel Moscou polishes? Fine green glitter in black? Talk about a nailgasm!

Hop on over to pssion.se to check out the HAWTNESS!

I'm psyched for the Spain collection, but it still has a lot of "filler" colors (AKA mid-range pink and reds for those "normal" types). And you know what REALLY irks me? A lot of the awesome colors get discontinued, yet these crappy colors stay on! WHAT GIVES?!

I got nostalgic looking at this collection, especially seeing the color Barefoot in Barcelona. While on holiday during my study abroad stint, I traveled with some friends to Barcelona. If New Orleans is my #1 favorite city in the US, Barcelona is my #1 in Europe. It was relatively cheap (especially compared to London!), beautiful and fun! However, the beaches are kinda...lacking. 3 out of the 6 in our group are Florida residents so we were excited to see a beach again, especially after months of dreary English weather. I found out later that the beaches were only developed in the early 1990s for the Olympics and that their sand comes from quarries! Silly us, we were expecting Gulf Coast sugar sand.