Independence Day Mani Idea: Orly Star Spangled

This is Orly's Star Spangled. A red jelly-like base with tons of sparkling red glitter. It's from the Orly Stars and Stripes collection, which is not really a "new" collection, but a set of three polishes, two are repromotes (Star of Bombay and White Out) and one is new (Star Spangled).

Even though I bought this polish just for the name, I still love the color. I can never resist a red glitter. There's just something about red glitters that makes me excited. They're so rich and sparkly, I can't take my eyes off of them.

I haven't decided exactly what my 4th of July manicure will be yet, but this might be part of a cool, festive fireworks manicure.

On a totally unrelated note, I thought I should let you know that I am still *way* behind on everything- posting reviews, responding to emails and comments and completing requests. I am absolutely buried in requests and I'm starting to feel like I'll never be able to finish. I know that lots of you are waiting for me to post your requests, and I apologize. Lately my schedule just hasn't allowed me to complete them. And if you've sent me an email that I haven't responded to, I'm not ignoring you! I promise! There's just a lot going on for me right now. I'm sure you can relate to that. Thank you for your support, I really do appreciate every one of you!

And on a happier note, I hope to have the rest of the Obsessive Compulsive polish line posted this week, and some polishes that have travelled halfway around the world to reach me, including Illamasqua, Barry M and Bloom!

Alpine Forget-me-not

I climbed Mt. Sniktau on Thursday June 18 and then again on Tuesday June 23rd. In the span of those 4 days, the Alpine Forget-me-nots (Eritrichum aretioides) had sprouted in droves. The tundra wildflower season is here. In fact, these pictures come from this past weekends trip to Crystal Lake in Summit County. They are quite wide spread.

These diminutive flowers extend only an inch above the ground. The flower is about the size of my pinky nail. They are bright blue and stand out as clumps of color all across the tundra.

Celebrate: The Lippmann Collection 10th Anniversary Set

I did a sneak preview of this set a while ago, and now it's finally here! It appears to be a Nordstrom exclusive set, but I didn't know that when I first posted. Though, a lot of times "Nordstrom Exclusive" means Nordstrom has it first for a little while (remember the Nordstrom Exclusive Essies?)

Superstar. Golden copper glitter in a brown jelly base. This is my picture of the original-release Superstar. The new one is exactly the same, so I saved time on swatching. This is unique in more ways than one- I've never seen a glitter shade like this one, and also, this polish has square glitter instead of round. It's totally awesome, it was really cool of Lippmann to bring this one back because everyone asked for it!


Ruby Red Slippers. Black creme base with two sizes of ruby red glitter. I adore this. This is one awesome polish. I wore it all weekend and everyone commented on how cool it was! The combination of the large, hexagonal shaped glitter and the small round glitter gives this polish a serious punch. It's flashy and sexy and glamorous all at the same time. It's like China Glaze Lubu Heels but a million times better. The glitter in this polish is very obvious. It looks like little ruby gems on your nails.



Funky Chunky. Black with large black glitter. You guys know I am a Lippmann lover, but this polish makes me sad. I have to be honest with you; This is the polish I was looking forward to most from this set, but it's the one I like the least. I hate to say it because it was such a cool concept, but this polish just doesn't work. It's very difficult to apply evenly because of the thickness of the polish. You can't really see the glitter in this unless you hold your hand up close to your face. This polish just looks chunky and bad. It looks like you don't know how to apply polish, or maybe like you punched a beehive with wet nails. I wanted this one to work so bad... And in my opinion, it would have worked if the black base was sheer and let the glitter particles show through. This black is very opaque (think Lippmann Fade To Black) and the glitter particles all clump together and look chunky and weird. Lumpy. Looks like sludge, but not in a good way. Very sad. (This picture is with two coats of Nubar Diamont topcoat)

I'm going to try adding a lot of thinner or clear polish to my Funky Chunky to see if I can make the base a little more sheer so that the glitter looks like glitter and not like chunky polish.

The formula on these seems average for a glitter polish. Funky Chunky was the thickest and hardest to work with, but Superstar and Ruby Red Slippers seemed thin and even. Opacity on these is really good. They're opaque and dense in two coats. The only downside to this gorgeous glitter polish is that it's insanely hard to remove. I used my jar that I use for removing fake nails, and it couldn't get the glitter off. Felt worked okay but it made a mess. I resorted to extremely wet cotton balls and that got the glitter off with minimal headache.

Overall, I think the set is still worth getting for Ruby Red Slippers alone, and if you don't have Superstar then it's definitely worth having.

All I can do is keep on telling you- I want you, I need you... But there ain't no way I'm ever gonna love you, Funky Chunky... No don't be sad... Cause two out of three ain't bad...

Lippmann Collection Celebrate is available at Nordstrom.com, but I have a feeling it might show up on Lippmann's website eventually.

Pesman Trail (Mount Goliath Nature Area)

Distance: 3 miles round trip
Elevation: 11,503 ft to 12,152 ft
Elevation Gain: 649 ft

The Pesman trail wanders through a Bristlecone Pine forest but also has stunning views of the open tundra.

The Pesman Trail, sometimes called the Mount Goliath Trail, is a fascinating walk amongst the oldest living trees on earth, the Bristlecone Pine (Pinus aristata). The trail starts at the Dos Chappell Nature Center located 3 miles up from the Mt. Evan's fee station. A Federal lands pass ($80.00/yr) will now get you in. There is plenty of parking, a bathroom, and an interpretive forest ranger on duty to answer all your questions. At noon the Ranger on duty leads a 45 minute interpretive walk through the alpine gardens adjacent to the Nature Center.

The beginning of the trail, while packed dirt, does ascend 500 or more feet in a short series of switch backs.

One of the Bristlecones along the trail

The trail gains most of its 642 ft in the first half mile. Since it starts above 11,000 ft, this means lung-sucking distress for most of us. The trail has the advantage, however, of being relatively smooth with only occasional rocky portions. Quite a rarity in Colorado.

When the trail levels out, it leaves the forest for a rocky slope with tundra views.

Besides wandering through a square mile of Bristlecone Pines, the trail also traverses a broad ridge with distant views, tundra flowers, and towering boulders. It really is incredibly scenic. I kept expecting a herd of Mt. Evan's resident Mountain Goats to come trotting into view.

Looking west. The two peaks on the far right of the picture are Chief Mountain and Squaw Mountain.

The trail ends at a picnic area on Mt. Evan's Road. I almost did not go all the way because I had already climbed most of the way up Mt. Sniktau earlier that morning and was really feeling the altitude, but I am glad I did. From the terminus of the trail, there are incredible views of the Continental Divide to the west. There is also a short Alpine Garden Trail in the area, which later in the season is filled with low-lying but flowering tundra plants.

The upper trailhead. Near the car is a picnic table.

Near the upper trailhead is the intersection with the Alpine Garden Trail. There are also great views of the Continental Divide.

If one has two cars, then making the Pesman Trail a shuttle hike would be possible either heading up for maximum cardiovascular distress, or heading down for an easier outing. This trail is a great way to spend time above treeline without having to scale thousands of feet in elevation gain. The views are well worth the effort and seeing the Bristlecone Pines is a rare treat.

Celebrity Reviews Eugene Kim Yoo-jin

Kim Yoo-jin, professionally known in English as Eugene, is a South Korean singer and actress, known mostly for her musical career as part of the hit K-pop group S.E.S.. By way of an audition tape, Eugene was able to be part of a music group for SM Entertainment in South Korea, even though she was still in Guam. Debuting in 1997, S.E.S. became one of the biggest Korean groups of all time, having the record for biggest selling album by a female group in Korea. While in S.E.S., Eugene became known for her beauty and was part of the reason why S.E.S. had many advertising contracts. In fact, for certain print campaigns (like for Korean cosmetics company Etude), Eugene had the leading role, being the focus of the advertisements. After the split of S.E.S. in 2002, Kim has appeared in four Korean dramas: Loving You, Save The Last Dance, Wonderful Life, and I Really, Really Like You. She has also appeared in commercials and advertisements, most notably for Korean cosmetics company Cathy Cat. In addition, she has released two solo albums. My True Style, her first album, has sold nearly 65,000 records and had one hit ballad, “The Best”. Her second album 810303 sold a disappointing 19,000 copies. Although sales were low, Eugene still had a very successful single with “Windy”, mostly due to her new “sexy” image (compared to her previous girl next door image). This song was performed on all the music video programs in Korea for many months, in addition to her second single. Promotions were stopped near the end of the year. Eugene did some promotional work for Philippine tourism in mid-2006, having appointed spokesmodel of Philippine tourism for Korea in that year. In 2007, she was one of the co-hosts of KBS’s Happy Together: Friends, taking over from Lee Hyori, until the show was overhauled for a third season. Also, she has become part of the musical version of the film Innocent Steps. She also debuted as a film actress in Unstoppable Marriage (released on May 10, 2007). In March 2008, it was announced that she would take the lead role in the drama Three Daddies and One Mommy, to be aired starting in April.

Profile
Stage name: Eugene
Real name: 김유진 / Kim Yoo Jin (Gim Yu Jin) 金柳真
Nickname: Panda
Profession: Singer and actress
Date of birth: 1981-Mar-03
Place of birth: Seoul, South Korea
Height: 160cm
Weight: 47kg
Horoscope: Pisces
Blood type: A
Religion: Christian

Celebrity Reviews Uhm Jung Hwa

Uhm Jung-hwa is a South Korean female Korean pop artist and actress. Uhm is known for her roles in the films Marriage Is a Crazy Thing (which earned her a Best Actress Award at the Baeksang Arts Awards), All for Love and Princess Aurora. Actor Uhm Tae-woong is her younger brother. As a singer she is recognized as a 90s k-pop icon, and is one of the few Korean entertainers often referred to as a gay icon.[citation needed] Known as the "sexy queen" or as the "queen of charisma", Jung-hwa is signed with Trifecta Entertainment. In 2006, she courted controversy by wearing revealing outfits for her performances in support of her Prestige album, causing Netizens to heavily criticize her. On July 1, 2008, Uhm Jung Hwa released an EP titled D.I.S.C.O. It was entirely produced and marketed by YG Entertainment despite the fact that she is signed under a different management company. Uhm made her comeback on MBC's 쇼! 음학중심 (Show, Music Core) on July 5, 2008. She also held a pool party concert on July 13, 2008, performing live in front of 2,000 fans at the Walker Hill Hotel in Seoul. Apart from singing and acting, Uhm Jung-hwa launched a lingerie line, Zuhm in New York, which raked in over 10 million USD within months of its release.

Name:Uhm Jung Hwa (Eom Jeong Hwa)
Profession: Actress and singer
Born: 1971-Aug-17
Height: 164cm
Weight: 47kg
Star sign: Leo
Blood type: A
Family: Younger brother/actor Uhm Tae Woong
Talent agency: Sim Entertaiment

Celebrity Reviews Son Dam Bi

Son Dam Bi was Born September 25, 1983. Son Dam Bi is a South Korean singer who debuted in 2007. She has been the It Girl among many Korean netizens for several months after somebody accidentally uploaded her dance video online. Then, after her Samsung CF aired on TV, she officially become the “the female Rain". She made her first debut on June 29th on Channel V A-Live. Since then she has performed in concerts and music shows.

Fing'rs EDGE Hardcore Nail Addict 31120 Black French Manicure Nails

The black-tipped french manicure seems to be extremely popular these days. I can deal with that. Personally, I like the look and I have worn it in the past. French manicures can be tricky to do yourself, so if you need a little help, Fing'rs EDGE has something you might like.



These are the Fing'rs EDGE black french manicure artificial/press-on/glue-on nails. The style number is 31120. It includes 24 short-length (and they do mean short!) nails, a small tube of nail glue and a sheet of stick-on tabs.

Application of these is the same as with any press-on nail, and you can read about the application process in more detail in these posts I've done about them:

Revlon Color Allure Vintage Velvet
Fing'rs EDGE Hardcore Nail Addict Pink Houndstooth French
Revlon Runway Collection Stella

Anyway, here's what they look like on me:




As you can see, these nails are extremely short. This is an uncomfortable length for me as I had to file my nails down as far as they could go to apply these. If they were just a few millimeters longer, they would be much more suitable for me. However, I know that a lot of people prefer very short nails and don't have the same problem as I do. As always, with any product, your mileage may vary. These were too short for me, but might be the perfect length for someone else.

The design itself is great. It's a flawless black french tip that's perfectly even across all five fingers. The line is not too thick and it looks nice and neat. I would be hard pressed to do a black french this good on my own.

The base color of the nails is a semi-opaque milky nude pink. It's not a perfect match with my natural skintone, but it does mimic the look of a lot of salon french nails that I see on people. I think I prefer a more clear look on the nail bed, but these are especially good at covering damage or stains because they're not too sheer.

One thing I really like about the Fing'rs EDGE Hardcore Nail Addict line of artificial nails is that they all come with a sheet of adhesive tabs with enough tabs to do at least three full manicures. A lot of people wear these type of nails for a temporary look, and using the adhesive tabs instead of the glue makes these not only temporary, but also reusable. Alternately, I can see these being a first fake nail experiment or a dress-up type product for a very young girl and the adhesive tabs would be safer to use than the nail glue, but also allows the nails to be removed with hot water instead of soaking off in acetone.

The other thing I love about Fing'rs EDGE is that they have the best designs. I'm not the type of girl who wants a traditional french manicure or who wants frilly-frou-frou pretty pink princess nails... Fing'rs EDGE acknowledges that another type of girl exists (FINALLY!!) and provides products and designs that fit my personal style. I honestly love every single Fing'rs EDGE product I've ever tried. Repeating themes within the line seem to be skulls, stars and 'Rock Star' designs and that makes me very happy.

These nails are available at pretty much every drugstore I've ever been to, and I've never seen them for more than $6.

Lupine

Lupine at the Acorn Creek Trailhead

Lupine on the Tenderfoot Trail

Colorado has been inundated with rain this spring, which has made for a bummer crop of wildflowers. Lupine (Lupinus argenteus) is one of my favorites. It grows on dry slows that are also covered with Sagebrush. Lupine is a member of the Legume family, which means the bacteria in along its roots return Nitrogen to the soil.

More from Diamond Cosmetics (with foils!)

Another post I have been meaning to do for quite some time... I find myself saying this a lot lately, but better late than never!



182 Metallic Blue. Bold blue shimmer. I don't know if I'd call this as metallic as much as I'd call it a frost- it is kind of frosty but not in the unflattering, brushstroke showing way. The color is bold and bright, sort of a medium blue shade that reminds me a bit of Essie Aruba Blue.

192 Hi-Ho Silver. Purple silver grey shimmer. This is a weak duochrome effect color, the duochrome is definitely there but it isn't dramatic or visible in all lighting. Just a nice, subtle change at different angles. Makes it interesting to look at. This is a little frosty as well, but not bad frosty, though brushstrokes are slightly visible when the polish is dry.


231 Party Hearty. Champagne foil. This is a really cool color. It's a champagne type color, not quite silver but not really gold either. Maybe white gold. Pale neutral. Party Hearty has a metallic foil finish that sparkles like it's on fire when it's outside. It gleams and glints, it shimmers and sparkles... It's super reflective and completely distracting.
232 Sparkling Sherry. Dark pink foil. This is a must have. I don't even like pink and I love this. It is too beautiful for words. The closest thing I can compare it to is Hard Candy Scam. It's the same type of foil metallic finish, but this one seems much more sparkly. This thing is insane.


235 Decadence. Chocolate metallic foil. Noticing a trend here? Diamond Cosmetics does foils extremely well. They are rich and flashy and sparkle like crazy. This particular shade is a rich chocolate brown with hints of gold. I have a feeling I'll be wearing this a lot when the leaves start changing colors.

256 Seafoam Spray. Light seafoam green pearl. The color of Seafoam Spray is so pale and beautiful, it makes me feel relaxed looking at it. It's tranquil. Not the best color with my skin tone, but that won't stop me from wearing it. On top of the soft seafoam green base, there's an overlay of white pearl finish. It looks like the white is floating on top of the grean, and it looks smooth and pearly. So dreamy.

295 Hue Are You? Warm golden burgundy foil. Hey, look! Another foil! This one is different from the other ones, it's mostly a dark red burgundy base with gold flakes making the foil finish. The other foils seem like silver flakes with a colored sheer base that lets the silver shine through while adding tint. This shade screams fall to me. I love it.


302 Dirty and Flirty. Metallic taupe shimmer. The name of this one cracks me up. Taupe doesn't really scream dirty or flirty to me, but hey, maybe it does to someone! Anyway, beautiful smooth metallic pearl shimmer, borderline frosty. Nice soft color. Lots of sparkle.


The formula on these was perfect. I had no application problems. The brushes were consistent and the texture of the polish was smooth and even. I applied all of these using the Diamond Cosmetics Base Coat and Quick Dry Topcoat. The basecoat provides an even yet sticky surface perfect for the polish to adhere to and the topcoat is smooth and glassy and is comparable to any good quick-dry on the market.

Since their online color chart is nameless and sort of nondescript as far as swatches go, you'll have to go by the numbers when ordering.

Diamond Cosmetics polishes retail for $2 each (excluding the neons, which are $2.50) and as far as I'm aware, can only be purchased from their website. Shipping is a flat rate of $4.95 for ten bottles or less, orders of more than ten bottles are charged exact shipping.

I still have more Diamond Cosmetics swatches to come :)

2009 Brunette Summer Hairstyle with cute curls

This is latest brunette curly Asian hairstyle for school girls.
A good summer haircut. hairstyle with headband.side swept bangs and cute curls. I love her curls best.more summer hairstyles for women

Bristlecone Pine

The Bristlecone Pines of Mount Evans

These twisted and gnarled trees are living metaphors for how to thrive in adversity. Actually preferring harsh conditions, the Bristlecone Pine (Pinus aristata) lives on the south-facing slopes of high mountain peaks where the wind never ceases and moisture is hard to come by. They love the contrast between intense sun and deep cold and have evolved a series of creative adaptations that proves once again that Mother Nature, or Natural Selection if you prefer, can master anything.

Most pine trees shed their needles yearly. The Bristlecone in contrast only sheds its needles every 10 to 15 years. It also is very slow growing. Its narrow growth rings create a very dense wood that is hard for pests to penetrate. It is also makes the tree slow to decompose. Centuries after death, the Bristlecone can remain standing, a mute testament that man's hubris. The Pyramids were raised and will crumble long before the average Bristlecone Pine turns to dust. If you are looking for a fast growing privacy tree, don't look for a Bristlecone!

The same trees as in the photo above taken from the short interpretive trail

There are two public stands of Bristlecone Pines that I know of in Colorado. One is on Mt. Evans and the other is on Mt. Bross. I am sure there are others. The photos in this post were taken on Mt. Evans at the Mount Goliath Research Natural Area. There is a short interpretive trail through the trees as well as a 3-mile trail (Pesman Trail) that really lets you get up close and personal to the "ancient ones".

While some Bristlecones have been dated to 4,900 years old, the oldest on Mt. Evans is only 1,750 years old. Quite young by Bristlecone standards. Perhaps that is why there were so many beer cans laying around the base of the trunks. These Bristlecones are in their late 20's.

A dead Bristlecone on the Pesman Trail. How many centuries has this stump been standing?

Not all Bristlecones possess the twisted shape that identifies them to most people. That is an adaption for life near treeline where the conditions are the harshest.

The forest service does a talk on the Bristlecones every day at noon during the season at the Dos Chappell Nature Center, which is 3 miles up the Mt. Evans road from the fee station. Entrance to the Mt. Evans area is now covered by the standard Federal Lands/Parks Pass ($80/year), so you have no excuse not to visit.

Zoya Truth and Dare Fall 2009 Collection plus my first ever giveaway!

I know, I really dropped the ball on these. I should have had them posted ages ago. I had a really off week. It happens to everyone once in a while. Well, here they are now, better late than never, and to make up for it I have a special surprise at the end!

TRUTH

Anaka. Shimmery dark pink. This color is ridiculously pretty. I don't even like pink and I love this. It's on the darker side as far as pinks go, but it has so much depth and shimmer that I can't stop looking at it. It has little golden and slightly iridescent flecks and also a very faint blue reflection. Unusual choice for fall, but I'm not complaining.

Drew. Soft mauve pink shimmer. This one feels a little more fall-like! It's a greyed-out medium pink, I'm calling it mauve. We used to have carpet this color in the 80's. You may think that's a bad thing, but it's the opposite- I like it because it reminds me of those happy memories.

Isla. Blackened red shimmer. Whoa. When I first saw the promo pics and color chips for this, I was thinking... Oh joy, another red shimmer. But wow! I didn't expect it to be this hot. It's one of those reds that looks black on the edges and bright in the middle. I love colors like that. Surprise favorite for me.

Kalmia. Red and gold shimmer. I don't know if I can truly call this copper, but it's sort of coppery looking. Very metallic. Not quite rose gold, not really copper... It's more of a red-gold fusion. Unlike most metallic shades, this one doesn't show brushstrokes.

Penny. Golden metallic shimmer. Since this is called Penny, I feel like I should be calling it copper, but it looks more gold to me. A warm, orangey gold. It's bright and shiny, also very metallic and it shows a little bit of brushstroke but nothing major.

Salma. Red shimmer. This is a loght warm red, almost kind of orange looking. This is probably the most fall-like shade for me, it reminds me of maple leaves changing colors and gently floating to the ground.

DARE

Ciara. Warm red-purple creme. This is a bit softer and more purple in real life. All of these Dare colors were so hard to capture! Reddish purple creme. Pretty straightforward.

Demi. Medium purple creme. I love this!! This color also looks different in real life. It's a fantastic purple creme, but it's a little more dusty looking and it's a lot richer and deeper. Photographing these was more difficult than I anticipated!


Envy. Blackened green creme. Wow. Seriously. Wow. Deep, dark, leafy green. Like the forest at night. Beautiful. It has a slight amount of shimmer that is really only barely visible in very bright light. I'm declaring it a creme for sanity's sake. It also has this interesting textured look- like there's a bunch of little green spheres in a green base.


Ibiza. Shimmering midnight blue. Dark, velvety, mysterious. This is a very dark blue, not quite black-looking but pretty much as dark as blue can be before it looks black. It has a little bit of soft shimmer to keep it interesting.

Pinta. Dark purple creme. This picture isn't even remotely color accurate. I couldn't capture the purple color of this polish at all. I'm only posting it here so the set of pictures can be complete. In real life, this isn't blue. It's purple. Deep, dark, sexy purple. It is gorgeous. You might just have to see it for yourself because I don't know if I'll be able to keep it from turning blue in pictures.

Vanessa. Deep berry creme. This is darker in real life. This is a straight up, no-frills berry creme. Not much else to say about it! Reminds me of Moxie.


I didn't expect Dare to be such a challenge to photograph! All of the colors kept changing on me! If I can get better pictures, I will. But, at least between my bottle and swatch Dare pictures you can get a general idea of what they look like.


Anyway. Formula was good on these. Very good. Smooth, even-textured, not thick or runny. They didn't give me any application problems at all. The opacity was great, almost all of them were two-coaters, but I did three on everything just to see how they looked that way. The polish itself is perfect. The only thing that gave me a hard time were the brushes- all of the brushes in these seem to be cut at an angle... almost in a V shape... I'm thinking they got a bad batch of brushes, because I've never had problems with Zoya brushes before. They normally fit my nails like a glove and give me perfect coverage, but these made me have to actually pay attention to how I used them.


My favorites from these collections are Anaka, Isla, Demi, Envy and Pinta. Anaka and Isla really surprised me, they were totally unexpected but entirely gorgeous on the nails. Demi and Pinta are perfect purple cremes, and there are not enough good purple cremes in the universe. Envy... do I really have to say anything about Envy? It's dark green. It's fan-freakin'-tastic!!!

So, now for the surprise!

These polishes aren't available until July 15th, but Zoya and I are giving you a chance to get your hands on them before they're released! You'll be the only one besides the media to have them!

I have a full set of Truth and Dare polishes up for grabs. That's the entire fall collection, all twelve polishes. Starting from right now until noon Central on Friday, you can enter your name and email for a chance to win both sets before they're released. I'm leaving this open for everyone, both US and International.



The winner will be drawn at random. Good luck!! :D