Of Nail Polish and Costume Jewelry ~~~~

Well Darklings,



I spent my lunch breaks this last week cruising through our local drug and department stores, checking out the various nail polishes available for the holiday season.



Color Therapy has 3 types of gift packages with various nail polishes, some with nail kits and other with lip stick and blushes, a perfect gift idea for those who love make up, but one has to be careful with those friends who have cosmetic allergies.



I’ve been checking out the Holiday Kardashian nail collection and although some of the colors are nice like “Deck the Dolls” the glitter polish does not hold up as well and chips easily, even when I use a clear top coat. I would say its fine for one evening but unless you’re willing to do touch ups, not longer than two days.



Revlon, L’Oreal and other nail companies are coming out with lots of gift packages for the season, perfect if you have friends who are into doing nails as you do. Revlon is experimenting with coming out with a duo set called “Expressions” on side is a small full bottle of polish and the side with a nail polish pen of a complementary color, but if you buy several sets you can have fun experimenting.



In Real Simple magazine I was taken by the intensity of a deep rich plum lipstick combination; the model’s lips were outlined and filled in with a deep berry lip pencil topped with a similarly toned lip gloss--- they used Nars Train bleu velvet Matte Lip Pencil and Christian Dior Ultra Gloss Black-Tie Plum, perfect for the Winter Holidays or to sultry beckoned a lover to his doom.



I’ve found that although the lesser expensive nail polishes by Revlon, L’Oreal, Milani, Remmiel, Sally Hansen are fun, but if I want real quality I go to Estee Lauder, Channel, or Dior, although I do prefer Estee Lauder.



It’s the same thing with Jewelry; I have several real good pieces in gold with flawless jewels but its fun to have fun costume jewelry.



Real Simple magazine also showed some out there wonderful in-your-face jewelry, from aprilsoderstrom.com, urbanoutfitters.com, fantasyjewerlybox.com and accessoryartists.com.



But what really caught my eye was a glass stone cuff in gold plate from Kate Spade katespade.com, deadly, edgy, totally saying I’m the “wicked queen in this room” type attitude; this is one piece of costume jewelry that should be worn by itself as it makes its own statement.



Cocktail rings are a big item statement and I saw a wonderful Swarovski crystal ring that was wicked, swarovski.com



Getting back to nail polish I had to decide on a nail polish that I would wear for this Holiday Season and I found myself gravitating to the Revlon Top Speed nail collection, I already had a green polish “Invitation Only” that I thought was perfect but I found an old standby, “Ignite” a lesser intense Chinese red shimmer that has that soft under glow so perfect for the Holiday season, so testing them both on white heavy cardboard, I was debating which color for my Nails when Doyle popped up and said “Green for the toes, red for the fingers”

And I have to admit Doyle was right, so it is “Ignite” for the Christmas Holidays.



But for New Year’s Eve I’m wearing L’Oreal’s “The Muse’s Attitude” a lovely blue green shimmer that will go well with a vintage evening gown and matching shoes of the same color that I will be wearing when Doyle, dressed as a Navy Lieutenant from World War II and I, dressed as a movie siren will go dancing on the U.S.S. Hornet to welcome in the New Year.



Later Darklings