the Polished Crow

Happy Friday :)

2012-06-01T07:11:00.004-07:00

the shops' open!!! http://www.crowstoesnailcolor.bigcartel.com

for this opening orders will ship between 6/2 and 6/5

thanks again., you guys are THE BEST!

lauri

Short Post & My Own Polish..... :O

2012-05-08T06:07:00.003-07:00

Well Then.....
Here i am - back on my blog. :)

yeh yeh i know...BAD BLOGGER. BAD BLOGGER. lol

now for the good stuff.

As many of you know, i started selling my frankens here @ http://www.crowstoesnailcolor.bigcartel.com., and i don't know what is different over on the store site, but for some reason i can't add stuff to the "updates" page now without doing it in html code. i completely DETEST html. so. with that said - updates will be found here...on the crowstoes nailcolor news page.

Sleeper Alert! - Finger Paints Sparkle Top Coat

2012-01-08T06:53:00.000-08:00

Hey Ladies!., long time no post., i know., my bad.....

well, here we go. As you all know if you're a nail nut like me all the broo-ha-ha has been about the finger paints flakie top coats, well i have a sleeper for ya that i think has flown under many a nail-nuts radar., it was at sallys right around christmas time. it's fingerpaints sparkle top coat.

first up, some bottle shots - doesn't look like much does it?....keep looking

this is her over essie bobbing for baubles - full sun

but tilt her around a bit and., - HOLY SHIT look at that color flip!

i'm tellin' ya., if you passed on this one, haul your hind end to sallys ASAP., i've been hearing they are being clearanced as we speak.....so GO NOOOOOW!

some random thoughts., & a warm welcome to the new faces!

2011-09-12T12:10:00.000-07:00

i just wanted to do a quick post welcoming my new followers - holy crap - i almost have 10., SWEET!!!!

oh wait - i have 10! WOOT!

but seriously - i haven't forgotten about my blog, i swear!., i've been having some health issues going on lately and just haven't been up to the task., but i'm planning on doing some posts coming up here about some new stuff i've gotten and my thoughts on them.

i'm on the nailboard on mua a lot but with all of the recent bullshit between the dramallama, the cafe trolls, the consistently-inconsistent mods & my personal favorite(s) - the self - appointed nail board cops over there up on their high horses., (you know who ya are - all talking' about your apartment getting carpeted, football, how depressed you are, hot guys, and then be the first to bust somebody's ass about going ot., i reply bite my shiny metal ass! as bender would say!) i'm kind-of tired of it.

i haven't stopped going over there completely but i definitely don't participate as much as i used to. and it sucks. because they've ruined it for me.
but anyway -

WHEW - *takes a deep breath* sorry about that,... i had to vent....

so as a result, a new more relaxed place has been created for us nailgals to gather., so if your interested in the new location send me an email or pm me over on mua and i'll pass it along.

Ozotic Pro 509

2011-07-27T06:17:00.000-07:00

may i finally present.,

Ozotic Pro 509

Need I Say More?

now that my awesome ozotic bottle has stopped mesmerising you., let's get down to the skinny.,

Ozotic Pro 509. WOW.

this is - hands down - my personal favorite silver holo. i've been holding off like mad to post this as my favorite girls at picture polish weren't "officially" carrying this shade until now!!! so if you want one please go see the lovlies at picturepolish.com.au for this beauty ( i have a feeling they'll go quickly)

ozotics wear like iron, for me anyway., i wear it without a base coat and inms' out the door topcoat and i get a solid week out of it. just try that with 61!. i dare you! ozotics' formula is one of, if not the best wearing holo out there in my opinion. they're on the expensive side $14.50 aud. but they are worth every penny. 509 applies like a dream and it doesn't drag, chunk up or chip like 61. UGH!

lets' do a quick little comarison to the other silver holos i own.,

l/r - ozotic pro 509, sally hansen nail prism in diamond, nfu-oh 61

same order as above - l/r -ozotic 509, sh diamond, nfu-oh 61., 3 coats each

l/r - ozotic 509 over white, 509 on nail wheel, 509 on black,
509, sally hansen nail prisms 01 diamond, nfu-oh 61

comparing the three -
509 is more akin to sally hansen diamond in finish only. the holo (in my bottle anyway) is a lot weaker in the sally hansen than the 509., and it actually is slightly more tan. the ozotic 509 has a more silver base. both the sally hansen and the 509 dry to a lovely shiny finish.
the nfu-oh 61 has an almost a solid white base which i don't particularly care for., i personally don't want to have to go through a bunch of bullshit to get a polish to wear properly like you have to do with 61. i also don't care for the dried finish of it either, i like my shiznits SHINY! its rather difficult to see the difference in finishes in my photos but take my word for it 61 is more matte when it's dry than the other 2. i can honestly say it really breaks my heart to say that because after seeing photos online of 61, when i finally did get it i was kind of disappointed. it won't leave my collection though, but it's not my go-to silver holo.
sally hansens have always been a favorite of mine for good reason, simply because they have always worn well for me without a lot of muss and fuss. go sally!

here's some shots of the same wheel in the sun -

same wheel as above, here you can see the difference in finish.

same wheel different angle.

509 on its own in the sun - look at the dimension in this?!!! sick.

BUT my ozotics have quickly taken over - and you can see why.

if you can $wing it and you want a great silver holo - by god get this one!!!!!!

2011 Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear Limited Editions

2011-07-22T15:23:00.000-07:00

WELL LOOKY LOOKY HERE!

it's the 300 lb elephant in the room., yeah, i know - doesn't make a damn bit of sense does it?! i'll explain,

if you're like me and you love the sally hansen xtreme wears you've probably been scratching your head (as have i) wondering why there is virtually nothing on these ANYwhere on the web. these were supposed to be "released" in july according to this press release i found buried on the web here (after re-arranging search terms 30 times on google - i hate that shit) http://advicesistersblog.blogspot.com/2011/06/nail-news-from-sally-hansen-part-i.html

personaly, i'm completely mystified myself. so, with those bassackwards corporate questions left unanswered, i bring you the Sally Hansen 2011 limited edition xtremewears!

NEW L/E xtremewears for 2011

all together now!!!!! from left to right - teeny greeny bikini, pumpkin spice, teal-y cool, deep blue sea, pink-y ring, time to shine, twinkle twinkle, very cherry, set the stage and midnight sky.

teeny greeny bikini, pumpkin spice, teal-y cool and deep blue sea.

deep blue sea, pink-y ring, time to shine, twinkle twinkle, very cherry.

time to shine, twinkle twinkle, very cherry, set the stage and midnight sky.

Pink-y ring, Time to Shine, Twinkle Twinkle,

let me tell you these suckers were hard to find after getting the first 5 at target i had to stalk my local walgreens to get the rest. at last - success! i haven't seen them in rite aid or cvs as of yet., that doesn't necessarily mean they won't have them but i can't be sure if they will. i Finally FINALLY got teeny greeny bikini today! EEP! i can also warn you that if you don't see the counter display check the SH wall displays. i found them at the last wags that way. *facepalm*

my impressions after swatching all of them., imo they are ALL 3 coaters. but i'm a compulsive 3 coater anyway. the formula is on the thinner side with all of these so it shouldn't be a problem.

teeny greeny bikini - a beautiful pale mint green laced with silver glass fleck

pumpkin spice - a dark brown jelly based orange glitter - this one seems to be the most packed of the glitters imo - 3 coats to acceptable glitterness!

teal-y cool - the other fairly packed glitter of the bunch - a pale teal jelly base with iridescent glitter laced throughout. GORGEOUS!

deep blue sea - another of the glass fleck finish - a silver based periwinkle/denim blue.

pink-y ring - bright magenta glitter in a clear base. this one wasn't as packed as pumpkin spice or tealy cool. i was really wanting to apply more than 3 coats here. (i think its' a case of rockstar pink on the brain)

time to shine - a really pretty silver laced taupe with the same finish as all of the other solid colors., definately office friendly.

twinkle twinkle - i was kind of disappointed with this one after the first time i swatched it., but, this time around its' not bad. this one looks a bit like opi servin up sparkle at half power.

very cherry - i'm not one for reds but i really like this one - to me this says summer toes!

set the stage - a mix of very fine and very large gold glitter in a clear base.

midnight sky - a murky metallic beauty. charcoal with a shot of silver. the most opaque of the solid shades.

indoors

indirect sunlight

full sunlight

overall i think it's a great little lineup of polishes that seem to be flying under everybody's radar. i can see endless layering possibilities with these. and, hell, for the price you can't go wrong. i got a b/u of pumpkin spice, teeny greeny bikini, tealy cool, midnight sky and deep blue sea.

get 'em while ya can! i still kick myself for not getting lavender envy and purple gala!!! UGH!

so what do ya think? will you be picking any of these up?

My All time Favorite Summertime Multichrome & her almost twin...

2011-07-04T08:40:00.000-07:00

Since it's Summertime - i figured it was appropriate to have my first "real" post be about my absolute HG polish.

*cheesy announcer voice* and Here she is -
All the way back from 2004 - a LE beauty from their summer collection,
Maybelline Wet Shine Wet Look nail color in Lilac Lights

Now., those of you that know me know how much of a duo/multi-chrome lunatic i am. i've got a decent collection of them, and am ALWAYS on the hunt - from my sally hansen nail prisms to my nubars to my beloved ozotic pro's, and oh yes., 230., woops, forgot my nfu-ohs too.

But this one is my all time favorite., am i nuts?, well., yeah, but shit , aren't we all??? But it is the most versatile, feminine and flattering multichrome i own., bar none, i actually have GUYS compliment me on this polish *holy crap*

While she has been d/c for a long time, i have finally found her sister - while not quite exactly the same they are very VERY similar.
*cheesy announcer voice* And here she is Orly's Rock Candy

On the nails - lilac lights on index & ring, rock candy on middle & pinky 3 coats of each...pretty close huh?

here are some more shots of it - as you know multichromes are a bitch to photograph - more so for a rookie as i am. take my word for it - this polish in real life is gorgeous. i can tell you though formula wise the maybelline is thicker and has a slightly more opaque base than the orly., and i think the pink/white/blue flip comes through better on the maybelline for this reason. they both look better in artificial light also. most of the time all three colors can be seen at the same time. (you wouldn't know it from my shitty pics)

the pink and blue visible at the same time

blue shift

pink shift

And a note to all of you frankeners' out there - I've discovered recently that the pigment to make a polish like this is available from TKB - it's in their planetary line - travel to venus!!!
So what do you think? what are you're summertime polish HG's?

tPC

2011-07-01T13:05:00.000-07:00

A BIG Welcome to my spankin' new Nail Polish blog!

i'm sure this will grow and evolve. so please bear with me - i want this to be a place where people can talk about polish and just take a break from all of the serious day to day crap that rolls around our brains and makes us want to stick our heads in an oven., so buckle you're seat belt, i'm hoping to make it a fun ride!

so y'all stay tuned =)

tPC