Sonoma Nail Art - Halloween In The Vines

Hi Goddesses

This is one of the Halloweenies that got away.  I should have posted it in October, but when I was working out which ones I could delay a little, it seemed obvious to save this for Day 1 of 30 Days of Purple.

There is no word for this polish other than stunning.  For a purple glitter loving Crumpet, it really doesn't get much more perfect than this.  Halloween In The Vines is dramatic, rich, decadent and tempting - shall we dive in ?

Like its sister polish, Deadly Zins, this sits in a gently tinted base, but not so much you could build it to opacity.  You can see it best on the ring finger, which is layered over Butter London Muggins.

The polish itself is an orgy of purple - all shapes, sizes and shades welcome - with a little silver thrown in.   It's an absolute riot, and total sensory perfection.

Most of the nails are China Glaze Velvet Bow, a gorgeous deep ruby, which really allows the purple to pop.  Interestingly, the jelly base has tinted the ruby a purplish colour - like the blood of blackberries mmmmmm.

This polish is a total winner for me, and along with Deadly Zins, it's probably the equal best Halloweenie I bought this year.  A couple of Crows and a couple of Polish Bars pushed it VERY close, but it you want rich, saturated, oozing colour, Sonoma is definitely your woman.

Enjoy xx :)

Sonoma Nail Art - Deadly Zins

Hi Goddesses

Wow, we have a lot to get through today, so much so that I think I'm going to carry some of it over to tomorrow.  Here's what's left in the official October pot -

* 2 x Sonoma Nail Art

* 2 x Crows Toes Halloweenies

* final depression awareness post

* Work Wear Wednesday

* Go Pink for BCA

Lol, that's a lot.  So, I don't really think you want 7 posts from me today lol, so I'm going to spread them.  Today you get to see The Red One from Sonoma Nail Art's Halloween Collection - I'm going to save The Purple One for tomorrow, which sees the launch of 30 Days of Purple.

So, Deadly Zins.  Ah and wow.  What a gorgeous polish.  This is predominantly a red glitter, with purple and blackened specks, nestling in a red tinted base.

I wanted to layer this over purple for maximum impact - and wow, doesn't it make the red POP?  This is KIKO 333, a crazily intense dark purple, and it just captures the drama of Deadly Zins perfectly.

The accent nail is CG Velvet Bow, a STUNNING ruby that is just pure perfection.  I like that this base was dark enough to make the red pop, but red enough to also coax the purple glitters into the light.

So yes, total wow.  Stunning polish.  Beautiful in every way, and even better, this one will last all year round.   As I said last week, it's proving impossible to choose my favourite Halloweenie, but the Sonomas would be right near the top of the list - breathtaking.

Enjoy xx :)

Glimmer by Erica - Trick or Treat

Hi Goddesses

You now how sometimes you buy something on impulse, not because you necessarily love it, but because some 6th Spidey sense is telling you it's going to be awesome ?  Uh huh.  This is that polish.

Trick or Treat is from Glimmer By Erica's Halloween range, and although it IS Halloweeny, it is also, perhaps, the very defnition of autumn.

In the past, I've owned Pumpkin Spice, Ick-a-Body and Fortune Teller, and NONE of them have looked right on me. However, something about this blend of copper (slightly more than the shop photos), yellow, purple and red reached out to me and wow wow wow, I love  it !!

I think the undies have a big thank you to play here.  The undies are China Glaze Velvet Bow, the ultimate sensual ruby, and for me, it just accentuates the fallen leaves aspect of the polish.  Look at it - don't you just want to put your wellies on and crunch around ??!!

I absolutely love this polish - it's the perfect blend of colours, and a great example of what happens when you mix 2 colours which should clash - but don't.

You can visit Erica's store HERE.

Enjoy xx :)

Summer Challenge - Day 29 - Cricket

Hi Goddesses

I am going to start with an exclamation - wow!! thank you !! 1000 followers !!  hurrah !!  so chuffed !! thrilled, you don't know how much this means, genuinely xx

And follow it up with an outraged question - how the hell have I gotten so behind with everything ??   Well, I probably know.  I had a major job interview this week, so that time I usually spend prepping posts so that I can just press C-LICK when I feel like it, evaporated, and it's taken me until 70 minutes to midnight to realise I was supposed to post this today!  Whooooooops.  Which is also kinda ironic, as I was really really chuffed when I did this on Sunday night, and couldn't wait to post it .......

Cricket.  English sport of gentlemen.  Played at test level over 5 days, or in 1 day formats that are a bit more action driven.   Partly made legend by a British radio program called Test Match Special, fond lovers of cake of all and any varieties, and creators of perhaps the most awesome radio clip of all time - when Jonners and Aggers wept with laughter because "Botham got his leg over".  It's one of those radio moments that makes you CRY with laughter - you cannot fail to join in with them, every single time.

Isn't that wonderful ?  It's the "Aggers do stop it" that makes me weep.  It's a radio clip held in a lot of affection in the UK.  Jonners (the older of the 2) died a few years ago but was a broadcasting legend - it's so wonderful his legacy lives on.

So, onto the nails.  The nails are divided into different elements of the game.  The thumb shows the pitch and the index finger shows the bails and the wicket (which must be knocked over by the ball) and at the top edge, you can see the boundary rope.  (Polishes used - Barielle Polished Princess for the green, and Nails Inc Colville Mews for the cream).

The middle nail is the red cricket ball.  In these photos it doesn't look red at all lol, but I can assure you it did in real life!!  This is China Glaze Velvet Bow, a deliciously wicked red (like the red apple the witch gave Snow White) and it's dotted with Colville Mews for the seam of the ball.

I also used Velvet Bow on the little finger, sponged on lightly.  Cricketers rub the ball along their groin and inner thigh to get it shiny, so this is the red stain they develop on their trousers.   Finally, the ring finger is 4, one of the key scores in cricket.

Oh, and by the way, England are currently the world's number 1 side.  I'm not actually gloating, cos when I say it was a long time coming, I am really not kidding!!

Enjoy xx :)