Soft and Feminine Jelly Sandwich

Hey everybody!

Sorry I was MIA all this week. Monday was Labor Day so I completely forgot about posting and the rest of the week has been busy to say the least. This was the first time I got around to posting. 

I have another jelly sandwich for you guys today, but this one really surprised me with how beautiful it turned out. 

My friend Katie bought me a couple of Cirque Colors polishes for my birthday this year, and one of the ones she got me is called "Ophelia". 

It's a really beautiful periwinkle glitter and I've been trying to figure out what to do with it. Last week, inspiration struck me as I was driving home. I decided to pair it with NYC's "Kisses", a polish that I've had since long before I started collecting polish. 

The result was incredible. 

L to R: Cirque Colors "Ophelia", NYC's "Kisses"

I'm completely convinced that these colors were made to be worn together. The subtle blue-green shimmer in Kisses's sheer purple base was the perfect compliment to Ophelia's periwinkle sparkle. And the final manicure was feminine and work appropriate, yet completely eye-catching. 

Since I dropped the ball and was so late on posting this week I'm not sure if I will be on time next week, but I can promise you that my next mani will definitely be a really fun one, so keep your eyes peeled!

Birthday Nails, ABC Party, and a New Kitty!

This past Saturday was my 24th birthday!  I was blessed with awesome company, and some awesome gifts, too. 

Remember that time I went to Brooklyn and shopped in search of Cirque Color's cult favorite, "XX"? Well, my friend Katie mailed me a bottle for my birthday, along with another color called "Ophelia"

L to R: "Ophelia" and "XX"

I had lots of ideas for my nails for my birthday. I volleyed between hand painted balloons and using actual colored sugar (I thought for my Anything But Clothes party it would be clever to do Anything But Polish on my nails). But as soon as this came in the mail, I knew I'd have to use "XX". 

I did a French mani with a twist; I used paper reinforcers to get the clean lines. I did rush it a bit since I was painting as guests arrived for the ABC party, but overall I think it looked great. 

Colors used: Zoya "Hudson", Cirque "XX"

I wish I had more pictures from my ABC party, but unfortunately the power went out. My costume was birthday themed, with a gift bow top, and a balloon skirt. 

Finally, on Sunday, Bob, Mike and I went out to get me my final birthday present: a cat! We went to the Atlantic City Humane Society and rescued a sweet 2 1/2 year old kitty named Moe. He's a total sweetheart, but he is still getting used to his new environment. 

Note the bow tie collar

All in all it was a fantastic birthday! And my awesome hubby, who was anti-pet for quite a while, confessed to being late to work because he was playing with the cat ;) 

No Sleep Til Brooklyn and My First Ever Cirque Colors

My friends Katie and Jico live up in NYC. This is pretty fantastic for me, because it means I have a great excuse to spend the weekend in the city basically whenever I want, and I LOVE the city.

Katie's birthday is this month, so Jico spent the past 3 weeks coordinating a surprise trip from me, Mike, and our friends for her. It was a big success, and we had a blast the entire weekend being rowdy and reckless (and then very tired over Sunday brunch). 

I first heard about Cirque Colors over a year ago. It is an indie line of nail polish hand made by a woman in New York; specifically, Brooklyn. Sure, you can buy her colors online, but to me, I always thought it would be more exciting to pick up a bottle while I was visiting the very place where it was made. 

Luckily, I remembered this, and emailed their customer service to find out where I could buy some. After a walk around Smorgasburg and Brooklyn Flea (both of which I highly recommend; where else can you get a Ramen Burger and an antique typewriter in the same place?), I paid a visit to a store called The Brooklyn Fox. 

The place seemed pretty high end. I walked straight to the back and picked through the Cirque Colors display. I found a sample of "XX", the first color I had my eye on from this brand. Unfortunately, there was no packaged one for sale. I tried to get the saleswomen to let me buy the sample, but they wouldn't do it, and then explained that it was "the brand's most popular color" 

Fucking duh. 

Girl, please. I know. That's why I'm willing to buy the sample. 

Anyway, I ended up walking out with "Cypress" instead, which is a beautiful rose gold color with spectacular linear holo. 

My reaction when the light hit the holo

As soon as I got back to Jersey I made time ASAP to do a new manicure using this color. I didn't do anything fancy. I didn't want to take away from the gorgeous color by making it too busy with stamping or incorporating another color. 

"Cypress" by Cirque Colors

Check out that prism

In certain lights, it just appears to be a pretty, champagne-y neutral, like so:

But then you throw some pin lighting on it (or shine your iPhone flashlight on it or, or some shit) and you get Edward Cullen on the beach in the middle of a sunny July day... Only on your nails. 

KaPOW!

DRUUUUNK IN LOOOOOOVEEEE

This was my first Cirque Colors polish, but it definitely won't be my last. I still want "XX" and after doing some IG research, I NEED "Coronation". All in all, a really successful weekend.