Do I Need a Loub-otomy? Christian Louboutin Rouge Louboutin Swatches & Review

Nothing to Disclose

Yeah. I did it. I didn't mean to, it just sort of...happened. I feel a little nauseated, a little giddy, and a little guilty. I just wanted to look at it. To hold it. I shouldn't have brought my purse. When I reached the apex of that moving sidewalk in front of the Venetian Sephora, my heart skipped a beat...maybe two. I was within feet of having my hands on a bottle of the first nail polish from fabulous shoe designer Christian Louboutin. You know, to hold. Not to buy.

My first mistake was applying it to a single nail...at first. Then I found my way to the Nail Studio...I had to try this stuff on naked nails, surely it couldn't be a one coat red, could it? I removed the Elevation Polish Yeti Finds an Oasis that I've had on my nails for the last couple of days and sped back toward the entrance, where there was a glorious display of those spiked bottles of red awesomeness. I don't think I have to tell you the rest of the story, I think it's fairly obvious where this is going! :-P

If you've been reading my blog for any length of time, you know I'm not partial to reds. There are a few standouts, but on the whole, I'd rather spend my money on other colors. So why, you ask, was I so entranced by this red? I'm not going to lie. It was the packaging. I'm SUCH a sucker for great packaging, and this is GREAT packaging. It's sexy, dangerous, and sleek, and is a polish that is definitely not going to live inside a Helmer (not to mention the fact that it wouldn't really fit!).

I will admit, that even with the astronomical price tag, I was expecting a microscopic bottle. I was wrong, it's a fairly decent sized bottle which contains .4 fl oz of polish vs. a .5 fl oz bottle of Seche. The formula, as I mentioned above, is quite opaque, and I was able to obtain full coverage in one coat. For the pictures in this post I used one coat of polish and NO top coat. It is REALLY that shiny.

Let's address the price. Yes, it's expensive. Yes, it should paint my nails, and then buy me dinner for that price. I'll be the first to admit that I probably shouldn't have purchased it, but I have little to no willpower, especially when two of my favorite things collide–nail polish and shoes. Who knows, I may have buyer's remorse when I wake up tomorrow at 4:45 am for work, but maybe not, because dammit, I'm worth it.

This nail lacquer can be purchased at select Sephora stores and at Sephora.com, as well as Saks 5th Avenue, and Christian Louboutin boutiques for $50 USD.

What do you think? Would you have splurged on it? HAVE you splurged on it? Do I need a 'loub'-otomy? Tell me in the comments below!

Proof of Concept(tion)

Nothing to Disclose Press Sample



Holy cow. Today I celebrate the 12th anniversary of my 21st birthday. In other words...I'm now 33. Woah. Were you like me all those years ago as a dorky girl in my early teens looking up to those 30-year-olds you knew, thinking how impossibly cool (and old) they were? Yeah, now I'm beginning my 4th year of BEING one. Lucky for me, I don't feel my age...unless you count the tendonitis in both of my elbows from serving, and the fact that when I move (anything), I make a cacophony of creaks and cracks.

Anyway, to celebrate this blessed? day... I decided to do a non-conventional design on my nails...I really went back allll the way to the beginning...you know, somewhere in Aug/Sept 1980. :-D

Please excuse my thumb wound, Homer the Land Shark got me while we were playing...

This Isn't Real…

Nothing to Disclose


Two words— Theo. James. Not the only reason to go see Divergent, but definitely the most aesthetically pleasing one. :-D Yum. I'm not ashamed, I totally went and saw this the first night it was in theaters, and even painted my friend Nikki's nails in the theater with the Divergent nail polish set from Sephora. The movie isn't one of award-winning cinema, but it's fairly decent for what it is. Decent enough that I went to see it a second time, though that was probably due more to the extremely handsome male lead than the plot line. I did this nail art for the second viewing of the movie, it's the bird tattoo that Tris gets on her collarbone.

I used:

Nude: Deborah Lippmann Naked
Black: American Apparel Hassid

Basecoat: Formula X basecoat
Topcoat: Seche Vite topcoat

Have you seen the Divergent movie? What did you think? And let's talk Theo James (aka Four)...I'd love to read your thoughts in the comments below! :D

Morgan Taylor Glam Rock Swatches & Review

Press Sample

My first introduction to Morgan Taylor was this past summer at Cosmoprof, and man, what a color selection! Today's post is a review of their Winter 2014 collection–Glam Rock. These are colors fit for a punk rock princess; silver, black, duochrome, it has a little everything for the chic girl on the go! Most of the colors are pretty pigmented, and the ones that aren't build very nicely!

Check out my photos and review after the jump!

Bring that Bling!

Every once in a while, I feel like doing something that doesn't involve a nail art brush and several colors, and today/tonight was one of those times. In a twist of perfect fate, the bronze nail art jewels that Maria of Cult Nails sent in that fantabulous care package a while back inspired me to do a black and bronze gem-encrusted manicure. Figuring that all 10 nails might be a tad over the top, I decided to paint my fingertips with black polish, and do ring finger and thumb accent nails. Just enough bling to satisfy my need for sparkle at the end of two very mentally taxing days. I know I'm not generally one to wear glued on nail accessories/gems/whatnot, but this idea got in my head and I just couldn't shake it, so I went for it. I had tiny black Swarovski crystals left over from my Vegas showgirl Halloween costume a few years ago, and luckily I kept them- who knew that instead of ending up on my boobs, they'd end up on my nails?

The black I used for this manicure was also a Cult Nails product- Nevermore. I know I rave about American Apparel Hassid, and while I'll still keep that one around for my nail art, this Cult Nails polish will replace it for full nail coverage. :D This manicure was ONE. COAT, and it dried glossy as all hell. Now I have to figure out what to do with my 10 remaining bottles of Hassid. :-D More nail art?

I should mention that the bronze gems are far brighter in person, I just could NOT get a good picture of them!

I used:

Black: Cult Nails Nevermore
Multi-sized Bronze rhinestones from Cult Nails
Jet 7s Swarovski crystals

Topcoat: Seche Vite topcoat

Basecoat: Seche Vite basecoat

Quoth the raven, bling some more!

Earning My Stripes

Totally lazy weekend. LA-ZY! We watched 2/3 of the Back to the Future trilogy, I read a book, and I swatched the Deceptive collection. (have to re-swatch, my photos were crap) While in the backyard with the hound today, Chris and I caught a peek of a lizard in our rubber tree. Super cool lookin' dude, even saw him poop. In fact, it barely missed me. lol Exciting stuff, right? It must've been wildlife day in our yard, because there were also a couple rad looking red and black millipedes. Photos of both Izzy the Lizard and Milly Pede at the end of the post. :)

Homer has been a bit of a pill tonight, someone nearby keeps shooting off fireworks. Each time one explodes, he jumps, then runs from my lap to Chris' (or vice versa). It's like an exploding game of musical chairs. He's a nut. He hates thunder too. Poor thing can't climb far enough into my lap, and he trembles so much! I feel bad for the little man. :-P However, his scaredy-cat-ness has caused this post to take about 4 times the time it normally does. He keeps sitting on the trackpad.

Anyway. Let's talk nails.

Prepare for Totally 80s. At least that's what it reminds me of. I could totally see one of Robert Palmer's girls rockin' it, you know? Don't get me wrong- Totally 80s is totally cool by me. :D I'm completely in love with striping tape masking these days! So much easier!

I used:

White: Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear White On

Black: American Apparel Hassid

Red: Cult Nails Evil Queen

Topcoat: Seche Vite topcoat

Basecoat: Seche Vite basecoat

Creature Feature:

Talkin' About Blah, Blah, Blah

Ever have one of those days where you're super tired, and no ideas come to mind? Today was one of those days for me, but I turned it around– I found inspiration in NOT being inspired!

Here in India there are these little bastards called Indian Palm Squirrels. They squeak– incessantly. They also have little to no concept of time, because they squeak at night, during the day, and my personal favorite: at 6:00 in the morning. Now imagine that you have a dog that just LOVES his squeaky toy (I have one of those too-one who, much like the squirrel, also has little to no concept of time), and chooses to squeak the damn thing non-stop for hours on end. That's how it feels to endure the Indian Palm Squirrels, except there is no puppy-like cuteness to counteract the obnoxiousness of the squeaking. Never in my life have I ever wanted a slingshot more– I get precious little sleep, and if it's brutally stolen from me, I get mean. Damn squirrels.

Anyway, I digress. Today's nail art is literally kind of BLAH. (several kinds of blah, to be precise) I actually really like how this turned out, and I hope you do too!!

I used:

Light Grey: Nubar Marble Tower

Medium Grey: FingerPaints Stunning Stilettos

Dark Grey: Nubar Stronghold

Black: American Apparel Hassid

Topcoat: Seche Vite topcoat
Basecoat: Seche Vite basecoat

Striped With Sophistication

I loooove sales. Love them. I love the thrill, the hunt, the attack. Why is this relevant, you ask? Well, let me tell you! Recently, I received an email in my Inbox like I'm sure several of you did, informing me of a Surprise Sale at Kate Spade. I love Kate Spade. I love the bright colors, the patterns, the simplicity. How could I pass up just a little peek? I couldn't, of course. I mean, for all intents and purposes, I'm broke. (I need to tell myself this so I can manage to save money—something that's hard for me!) :) Anyway, I did sneak a little peek, and while my (Kate Spade) wallet can sigh a little sigh of relief because I didn't buy anything, I came away from the website with some inspiration for a few new nail art ideas! :) Some are color combinations, some are patterns, some just made something else click in my head that was completely unrelated. So you're thinking, 'Hey Melissa...get to the point.' Right? OK, OK! Sheesh! :-D

Today's nail art was actually a color combination that I was inspired by. I thought it looked classy and elegant, but it had that awesome pop of color that I love so damn much! Well anywhoo- here ya go:

I used:

Camel - American Apparel Trenchcoat

Black - American Apparel Hassid

Orange - CND Electric Orange

Topcoat - Seche Vite

All Things Being Equal

A while back after seeing some super awesome nail striping tape manicures, I decided to order some striping tape from eBay (the easiest place to order nail art things here in India). This design kinda hit me today, and I have absolutely NO IDEA where it came from, but it DOES use striping tape! The only other tool required is a cosmetic sponge! The thumb nail turned out to be my favorite, since it was the easiest to apply the tape to. I sponged the gradient first (over my yellow base color), then after that dried I applied a zillion strips of striping tape and painted the exposed nail black. Fairly easy, right?!  The hardest part is making sure the stripes are evenly spaced...or dare I say 'equal'? Get it—because its an equalizer?! *groan*

I used:

Green: CND Green Scene

Light Green: Sally Hansen Grass Slipper

Yellow: CND Bicycle Yellow

Orange: Zoya Arizona

Red: China Glaze Hey Sailor

Black: American Apparel Hassid

Clear topcoat: Seche Vite

striping tape

A Dash to the Finish Line

So I know I've been posting a lot of tutorials lately, and not as much nail art, so I decided to post something other than a flag today!! :-D  (Speaking of, are there any that you want to see? I have a few requests already, but I'll get to them!  :) )

It always amazes me how designs change even while I'm painting them. This design originated as dashes of all the same length in white over black, with an occasional red accent dash. It eventually evolved to different lengths of white dashes on back creating a wave-ish pattern with no red. Finally, I added color to each nail, making a sort of rolling gradient across the dashes. In retrospect, I wish I would've stuck to one color family for the entire manicure, instead of a different one on each nail. The orange and blue nails were my favorites...maybe I could've done an orange palette with a blue accent nail? (or vice versa?) Maybe next time?

I used:

Black: American Apparel Hassid
White: Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear White On
Dark Orange: CND Electric Orange
Medium Orange: Zoya Arizona
Yellow: American Apparel Manila
Dark Green: American Apparel Hunter
Medium Green: CND Green Scene
Light Green: Sally Hansen Grass Slipper
Dark Teal: American Apparel Peacock
Medium Teal: Zoya Robyn
Light Blue: American Apparel American Denim
Dark Purple: Zoya Pinta
Medium Purple: American Apparel Imperial Purple
Light Purple: American Apparel L Esprit
Dark Red: CND Bloodline
Bright Red: China Glaze Hey Sailor
Pink: Zoya Shelby
Topcoat: Seche Vite

Olympic Rings Tutorial!

So I'm going to be doing a series of tutorials for the Olympics, and this is the first one! :) I decided to get into the tutorial spirit, and get my ass in gear. Unfortunately my internet disagrees. It takes a full hour to upload a 4.5 minute video! Awesome right?

Anyway, I hope you like the first in my Olympics-themed Nail Art Tutorial Series!

Passing the Torch

I'm not sure if you guys know this, but there is a sports competition of OLYMPIC proportions that starts...tonight. Will you be watching the millions of hours of television coverage that they're sure to show? Are you super excited about the opening ceremonies? From rumors I've heard, I'm SO excited. I realllly hope that they're true! I'm one of those people that pretty much only watches the opening and closing ceremonies... I know what you're thinking—She's a communist! Right?! Nah, every once in a while I'll watch the events, it really boils down to what else is on TV, and how lazy I am at that time. Horrible, I know.

Anyway, with all the Olympic fever going around, I felt the pressure to do an Olympic-themed nail design, but I knew it had to be...different. I thought about it, and came up with this:

And the non-animated version:

I love how Big Ben/Clock Tower/Elizabeth Tower turned out!

And to show you my 'registration mark' to help with lining up the animation pictures.

I used:

White: Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear White On
Black: American Apparel Hassid
Red: Acrylic paint
Blue: Acrylic paint
Blue (ring): Ultra Pro Blue Blaze
Green: CND Green Scene
Orange: CND Electric Orange
Yellow: American Apparel Manila
Light Blue: American Apparel American Denim
Tan: Finger Paints Catwalk Queen mixed with OPI Suzi Likes Cowboys
Grey: Nubar Stronghold
Topcoat: Seche Vite

Animating on nails is a pain in the ass. I must've repainted them a million times!

Poppy Extravaganza!

Today I have a design that I did a few months ago for the Rite Aid Nail Extravaganza nail art competition. The judges were Suzi Weiss-Fischmann of OPI, Essie Weingarten of Essie, and Julie G of Julie G Beauty. Needless to say, I wanted to IMPRESS. With this design I made it to the finalist round, where I was sent a box of products that I had to use to create a new nail design. Here's the catch, I could ONLY use the tools/polishes in the box. Unfortunately this did not include A. topcoat B. a nail art brush. I did contact the PR people handling the contest to make sure I was not allowed to use topcoat or brushes, and they said if it's not in the box...no.

The kit included: a set of 5 polishes from the Jesse's Girl Julie G line, 2 Essies, a NOPI red, and 5 Sally Hansen Nail Art Pens. I spent 4 hours. FOUR. HOURS. trying to make these products work. Sure, the polishes were all AWESOME. Unfortunately not many of them coordinated, and on top of that, the lack of topcoat meant that anything I drew with the nail art pens wiped off. After several failed attempts (every time I drew something I was mildly OK with, the pen would shit on my nail and make a big splotch...there was a lot of unparliamentary language goin' on that night), I came up with something that I wasn't horribly embarrassed to submit. This round was voted on by the public... needless to say, my design didn't win.  You can view the other submissions on the Rite Aid Nail Extravaganza site.

In any event, I was REALLY happy with my initial submission. I tried a new watercolor technique where I painted the shape of where the color was the boldest/most opaque, then dipped my brush in acetone and 'pulled' the color to create the other shapes.

I used:

White: Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear White On
Red: Nicole by OPI Red-y to Runaway Love, sometimes mixed with Zoya Arizona
Darker Red: Essie Blood Curdling
Yellow: CND Bicycle Yellow
Green: Essie Pretty Edgy, sometimes mixed with CND Bicycle Yellow

Black: American Apparel Hassid

Topcoat: Seche Vite

The OTHER design. 

I used:

Essie Merino Cool

Silver, Black, and White Sally Hansen Nail Art pens

Wherever the Chips May Fall

My nails are FUZZY!!!

I can't take credit for the fuzzy part- I was inspired by Jen over at The Polishaholic blog! The rest of the inspiration for this nail art came from being homesick, and from being bummed about missing out on CosmoProf North America right now in Las Vegas with all my other blogger friends!! *BUMMED*

In honor of all the lovely bloggin' ladies in Vegas right now, I made Vegas poker nails!!  I used green flocking for the felt, and poker chips to make the half-moons!

I used:

Green: CND Green Scene

Yellow: American Apparel Manila

Red: China Glaze Hey Sailor

Blue: MAC Breezy Blue

Black: American Apparel Hassid

White: Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear White On

Topcoat: Seche Vite

Next year.

We Can't Stop Here...This is Batman Country!

Holy mix of pop culture, Batman!  For those of you wondering WTF I'm talking about... yesterday was Hunter S. Thompson's birthday (if he were still alive), and I'm sure anyone with a pulse and TV knows that tomorrow is the release of the latest and greatest Batman flick–The Dark Knight Rises. To understand why these two events work so beautifully together, one must read (or at least WATCH) Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. From the book:

The car suddenly veered off the road, and we came to a sliding halt in the gravel. I was hurled against the dashboard. My attorney was slumped over the wheel. "What's wrong?" I yelled. "We can't stop here. This is bat country!"

–Raoul Duke, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, by Hunter S. Thompson

You NEED to read the book.

Anyway, I've had this Ralph Steadman (the artist who illustrated Fear & Loathing)—slash—Fear and Loathing idea on my list forevvvvver (Chris is a major major major fan), and I figured what better way to do it than a Bat Country/Batman mashup, much like my Dexter/Dexter mani named He's Got a Way With Murder. In that manicure I took the Dexter (the beloved serial killer) logo, and an illustration of him in the style of Dexter's Laboratory (the cartoon) and combined them to celebrate the beginning of a new season of Dexter. (Speaking of Dexter, could you believe the Season 6 cliffhanger?! Season 7 premiere can't come soon enough!)

If you're not familiar with the art of Ralph Steadman, it's messy and well... slightly psychotic. (and creepy awesome) The best way to understand it is by seeing this:



I did the Ralph Steadman bats on all the fingers except the middle finger, where I did the batman logo in the style of Steadman, with splatters/drips.

So there you have it. An explanation of WhyTF I  did this manicure. And now, without further ado, the manicure you've all been waiting for...

And who could resist doing a Fear and Loathing manicure without taking a picture of it WITH the book. This is a First Edition of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, and the first gift I ever gave to Chris!

I used:

White: Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear White On

Black: American Apparel Hassid

Topcoat: Seche Vite

We were somewhere around Barstow on the edge of the desert when the drugs began to take hold...

Jailhouse Rock!

I think I could do an entire year of black and white nail art and never get bored. The possibilities are really endless. After yesterday's manicure, I still had all the grey polishes as well as the white and black polishes on my nail table, whom I affectionately call Dave. (OK, IKEA named him Dave, but I didn't change it, because who wants a nail table with an identity crisis?!) I guess I probably could've pulled out some colors and done something different, but this idea popped into my head as I was doing some things around the house, and I couldn't seem to shake it!

I decided to try my hand (again) at a tape manicure (I generally suck at them!). Well, I discovered why I always had such a hard time with them before- SHITTY TAPE!  When I was in the US, I grabbed a roll of real Scotch tape, and it seriously worked beautifully.... and then I messed it up by splattering it. (On purpose, I swear!!)  I'm actually pretty pleased with this manicure- yeah, the lines aren't perfectly straight and even, but I think that along with the splatter, it works.

I used:

White: Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear White On
Black: American Apparel Hassid
Topcoat: Seche Vite

Something I learned tonight that I want to pass on to you: never mix box Mac n Cheese, hot sauce, and ketchup... it's a recipe for disaster (and heartburn).

50 Shades of...

...grey?  more like 9. (At least in this manicure)

No, I haven't joined the 50 Shades of Grey craze, and am still undecided whether I want to bother. I hear good stuff and bad stuff, but more people that hate the series than people that love the series. I know that eventually, like all the other 'crazes', I'll end up reading them out of sheer curiosity. (Twilight, I'm looking at you) I'm so weak. WEAK. Why can't there be a craze over historic biographies? or maybe books full of bread recipes? I'd be on top of that shit. (I'd be a total book hipster and love that shiz before it went 'mainstream', ya know?)

Anyway, I digress. This manicure is dotting tool-riffic. As in, besides the base coat and cleaning up my cuticles, it's the only tool I used. I wanted to do a dot gradient manicure, and I originally planned to do it in color, but decided to scale it down... grayscale, that is. I figured after my Jagger-icure, I should do something a bit easier. Surprisingly, though technically 'easier', this took far more time than ole Mick. Funny how that works out, right?

What do you think- do you like seeing simpler manicures on here from time to time? Sometimes I feel 'weird' doing that, because I've set a precedent of doing wacky, weird, and detailed stuff for so long. Let me know, because I'm curious what you guys think!

I used (from lightest to darkest):

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear White On!
butter LONDON Billy No Mates
Zoya Dove
Orly Mirror, Mirror
FingerPaints Stunning Stilettos
Barielle U Concrete Me
American Apparel Factory Grey
Nubar Stronghold
American Apparel Hassid

Seche Vite topcoat

I Can't Get No...

...well, you know, Satisfaction?!

Did you know that today, July 12, 2012, marks the 50th anniversary of the Rolling Stones' first gig? It is! They played on July 12, 1962 at the Marquee Club in London, England!

Growing up, I wasn't one of those 'normal' kids that listened to Debbie Gibson...oh wait, I was. However, I actually spent the majority of my radio-listening time on Oldies 96.1, and could sing the words to every damn song that came on. I think I knew (and still know) the songs of my mom's youth better than she does. :D (with the exception of Neil Diamond, she's got his songs down) Anyway, I remember one night that they were doing a Rolling Stones marathon, and I kept trying to call in my requests, but never got through. Poor kid, I was super sad.

One of my all-time favorite Rolling Stones songs and favorite songs in general is 'Paint it Black,' which I SWEAR is one of the most stick-in-your-head songs ever. I can merely read the song name, and it get stuck in my head for days. Damn them.

Do you have a favorite Rolling Stones song?

In honor of the 50-year anniversary, I chose to do Rolling Stones nail art today!  I painted it black (get it?!) and then topped that with black glitter for a bit o' texture (makes me want a Bit o' Honey candy bar reaaaaal bad). Instead of art on all 5 nails, I focused on two accent nails, the Rolling Stones tongue logo on my ring finger, and the best Mick Jagger caricature I could fit on a fingernail on my thumb. :)

Looks kinda messy, but from a foot away, it looks better, I swear. 

I used:

Black: American Apparel Hassid
Black Glitter: L.A. Girl Glitter Addict Uninhibited
Red: China Glaze Hey Sailor
White: Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear White On
Brown: Barielle Coco Bar
Skin: Zoya Avery
Facial Shading:
               Light- Zoya Gretchen
               Medium- Zoya Dea
               Dark- Barielle Coco Bar
Lip color: Zoya Avery and China Glaze Hey Sailor mixed
Eyes: American Apparel Passport Blue

I see a red door and I want it painted black.


Disclosure: Links to Zoya polishes are 'Share the Love' affiliate links, and any points earned goes straight to giveaways!

Ch-Ch-Chain of Fools

Today's nails were inspired by the obvious... chains. :-D My friend at work said I should've done whips on the other hand and gone with a whole bondage theme. :-P I've have this idea milling about in my head for a while now, and finally decided to do it. Originally in my brain, it was more complex, with shading and depth and whatnot, but once I laid down the initial shapes, I liked it simple and graphic, so I left it. :) (hope you like it too!!)



I used American Apparel Hassid as a base, with China Glaze Millennium for the silver chains, and China Glaze 2030 for the gold. :) Topped it all off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat, because I wouldn't want the chains to break, right?!

So in closing, I feel the need to add this.... because it kept coming up when I was trying to think of titles for this post....

You ARE the Weakest Link.... Goodbye! :-P

(p.s. none of you are weak links, I just found this amusing :-P )