Moving day

Said I wouldn’t be updating this blog any more, yet here I am.  It’s to say the first post on my new blog — absolutely nothing to do with nail polish or makeup — is published and I hope you can check out A Meal and a Movie if you’re so inclined.  Tell your friends.  Tell your family.  Tell your friends’ families.  I’m on another Facebook page as well.

The layout and buttons on AMaaM are almost the same as on The Silver Nail so I hope it will be comfortable to navigate.  Still working out a few settings and tags and other details.

Thank you all so much for all the great comments in the past few days.  See you on the other side!

Ch-ch-ch-changes

Title is a nod to the passing of David Bowie yesterday.  Sad news, but it made me go ahead and write what I’ve been meaning to say:  To all my readers,  you probably guessed this day was coming.  I’ve decided to stop updating The Silver Nail.

There are several reasons.  First of all, nothing’s wrong!  I’m not sick or dying or drunk or losing my mind (Mr. Silver Nail finds the last point debatable).  I’m not mad at anyone; nothing bad happened.  I love my readers!

Mostly, I feel I have nothing new to say any more on the subjects of nail polish and makeup.  I always feel that when someone has nothing to say, they should stop talking.  Basically, it’s become a struggle to post.  You may have been able to tell from the recent lack of quality, for which I apologize.  I said to a fellow blogger that I didn’t have “the fire” any more, and as soon as I said it, I knew it was true.  And believe it or not, I’m actually tired of accumulating polish and makeup, especially at today’s costs.  It’s become stressful instead of enjoyable.

I didn’t try it for a month or two and give up; I’ve been doing it for four years.  Kind of like high school or college.  I achieved my goals of having fun with the blog, reaching older women and lots of younger ones too, and letting us all know that yes, we can wear blue polish or purple or whatever we damn well want.  I hope someone else takes up the banner and has a good, interesting blog about the subject (minus plastic surgery!) aimed at 40+ or 50+-year-old women.  I’d read it.

If anyone feels abandoned or angry at my decision, I’m sorry.  I’ll probably still post on The Silver Nail’s Facebook page with occasional news but won’t be writing full reviews.

Since I like to write but want to switch gears, I plan to start a new blog called A Meal and a Movie, where I’ll pair a film and food in a very low-key, uncomplicated way.  I’ll probably post there once a week or so, and I’ll update this post when the site goes live.  I have the domain parked in the free WordPress.com universe but nothing posted yet.  I don’t expect you all to flock to it; I’ll start small again.

To everybody — thank you very, VERY much for being along for the ride.  I have appreciated you all and your comments more than I can say.

Go Through the Looking Glass with Alice and OPI

New collection of brights for 2016 from OPI!  Called Alice Through the Looking Glass, it’s a tie-in with the new Tim Burton movie from Disney which is a sequel, I suppose, to Burton’s Alice in Wonderland.  Trailer looks…. creepy.

Direct link:  http://youtu.be/ynt9lWQG8uQ

I prefer my old book with the original Tenniel illustrations, thanks.

But… polish!  Everything2K has a quick writeup and shows this picture

Those three white ones on the left are blank, and there are nine polishes:

The I’s Have It
Oh My Majesty!
What’s the Hatter with You?
I’m Gown for Anything!
Fearlessly Alice
A Mirror Escape
Having a Big Head Day
Mad for Madness Sake
What Time Isn’t It?

I think the shimmery gold A Mirror Escape look pretty but the others underwhelm me.  We live in an ocean of red cremes already.

Release is tentatively scheduled for May 1st to precede the movie’s summer premiere.

Zoya sale — Free4You

You can call it four free polishes plus $15 shipping, or four polishes for $15 plus free shipping.  Either way, it’s a good deal.

Zoya’s official release:

FREE4YOU
Get ANY 4 Zoya Nail Polish Shades FREE*
Just pay promotional shipping

Start your year off on a colorful note with NEW, toxin-free shades. We’re making it extra easy for you to get a head start on your resolutions by switching to a healthier, BIG5FREE formula… you can pick ANY 4 colors to receive FREE – just pay promotional shipping.

The hardest choice you’ll make all year is which 4 colors to choose!

Click HERE to get started.

USE CODE: 4YOU
Valid 1/6 – 1/13 (11:59pm EST)

Terms & Conditions
Valid online only at www.zoya.com through 1/13/15 (11:59pm EST). Excludes pre-packed items, Naked Manicure, Zoya Treatments and the Spring Whispers Collection shades. Promotional shipping fee $15. Not valid in conjunction with other coupons, codes or promotions. Continental US & Canada ONLY. International processing fee applies for orders outside the US. Art of Beauty is not responsible for incorrect addresses, credit card entry errors, web related issues or any errors associated with declined credit cards. Returns or exchanges of promotional items not permitted. Code must be entered at time of purchase – code cannot be reinstated on canceled orders. Please allow up to 4 weeks for processing if volume warrants it.

*********************************

If you were going to order something from Zoya anyway and your order was $55 or more, shipping would be free plus you could add four free polishes.

Note that the newest collection, Whispers, is not included but that the Winter MatteVelvets are.  I think the latter set runs rings around the former but that’s just personal taste.  For more suggestions, check out my “Best of 2015” post!  Also keep in mind that Zoya has said that once their PixieDusts sell out, they will not be manufactured any more, so if you’ve been putting off getting some of those, go for it.

In the winter…. The Fall

Such a quiet time of year.  Recovering, for better or worse, from the holidays.  No news.  No new polish.  I’d like to hibernate for about six weeks.

Since I have nothing germane to the blog, I’ll ramble.  Quelle surprise.  If I can’t talk about polish, I’ll talk about color.  I’ve mentioned many times over the years about the use of color in movies, how it’s used for symbolism, for attention, and so forth.  It’s interesting to see how others use color and how we can use it ourselves in our polish and makeup.

One of my all-time favorite films — and my #1 favorite when it comes to use of color — is the little-known The Fall from 2006.  Starring Lee Pace as Roy, it’s set in a California hospital in the 1920s, and it introduces Catinca Untaru as the little girl, Alexandria.  Both Catinca and her character are Romanian and since her hospital scenes were shot in chronological order, you can literally see and hear her English improve.

Roy is confined to his bed…. but he wants something.  To get it, he convinces Alexandria to be an accomplice by telling her a fantastic story but parcels out the “chapters” to keep her on the hook, à la the tale of A Thousand and One Nights.  What’s fascinating is that what Roy says is not always what Alexandria understands.  For example, when he says “Indian” he means Native American but she pictures a person from India.

The dark, shadowy hospital scenes contrast perfectly with some of the brightest, most saturated colors you’ll ever see.  It’s the reason to have an HDTV and a Blu-ray player.

(Ooh, bright red polish!)

The Fall has some of the most gorgeous and striking scenes I’ve witnessed in any movie, any time.  Stills don’t do justice to them.  I was lucky to see the film in the theater, and bought it as soon as I could.  Here’s the trailer:

Direct link:  http://youtu.be/4YIEjqOzyP8

The Fall is rated R for violence and violent/frightening images, but there is no nudity or offensive language.

For 2016, Shut Up and Dance

Happy New Year!  The last few years I’ve written well-meaning posts along the lines of New Year’s resolutions, mostly about being better and kinder to yourself, which will result in your being better and kinder to others.

For 2016, my motto which I also recommend to you is going to be Shut Up and Dance.  This of course is the title of Walk the Moon’s extreeeeemely addictive pop song.  The official music video on YouTube has something like ten trillion gazillion views.

Direct link if the embed does not show up:  http://youtu.be/6JCLY0Rlx6Q

This video is so retro.  Besides a cute lead singer, it was shot with a total nod to the 1980s — the hair, the clothes, the makeup, and especially the video style of clunky, computer-generated special effects.  Remember those early CG efforts?  Funny to watch now.

So what does this have to do with a new year?  I don’t mean that you or anyone should literally shut up and not say anything, but I will recommend to stop complaining.  I do it, you do it, we all do it.  What really bugs me is that I find we tend to do more of it as we get older, and it’s a major downer.  A turn-off.  A party pooper.  A wet blanket.

I hang around very few older people, meaning my age (57) and older, because they do so much **** constant complaining.  Bitch, bitch, bitch.  It’s wearing and draining and a huge negative weight that I neither want nor need.  Sadly, the stereotype of the crabby old man/woman can be true.  Don’t be that stereotype; be upbeat.  And if you can’t be upbeat, be quiet.

Weeellllll…. good in theory, right?  I know it’s impossible.  We don’t want to be insufferable Pollyannas either.  And sometimes we do want or need to vent.  But maybe tone it down?  One thing I hope to do is stop harping on negative personal things.  For example, I have a minor foot issue that’s sometimes painful.  My family and close friends know about it, so there is absolutely no need for me to keep bringing it up.  They know.  It hasn’t changed.  So drop it.

Now the more fun part of my recommendation — dance.  Either literally dance, or at least get moving.  The sedentary lifestyle — says me, the mouse potato — is a killer and we need to move our bodies.  Dancing is more entertaining than walking on a treadmill, which I find boring as hell.  If an exercise is boring, you won’t stick to it, or you’ll hate it every second.

Maybe you have an issue with your knees or whatever and cannot actually dance.  You can still move to music.  A very fun video game is Disney Fantasia: Music Evolved, in which you “conduct” music to various trippy special effects.  It can be a ton of arm exercise, and face it, haven’t we all wanted to conduct an orchestra like Mickey Mouse in the movie Fantasia?  I like rocking out to Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody or Bruno Mars’s Locked Out of Heaven.  I bought the game when it was new, a little over a year ago, and the price has come down a lot since.

Here’s a video of how the game works, with the song Let It Go by Demi Lovato from the movie Frozen:

Direct link:  http://youtu.be/D7Xr_4ePyD8

Don’t know about you, but I would 1000 times rather do this than lift free weights.  You can play in “Party Mode” like I do (going directly to the songs) or go through the child-appropriate Story Mode, which unlocks more content.  Btw, Let It Go is another good resolution — let go of stuff that holds you down or holds you back or otherwise clutters up your mind.  But maybe I’ll hold that thought ’til next New Year’s Day!

The best polishes of 2015

Disclosure:  The Zoya and SinfulColors polishes were previously supplied by the company for review.

I started doing a “best of the year” post last year and thought I’d do it again.  Once again, I’m only covering nail polish because I don’t think I reviewed enough makeup to have a “best of” for that.

Roll film!

Best Pink:  Cherry Blossom from SinfulColors

I didn’t see as many foils this year as usual, and it’s my favorite finish.  Sparkly yet not glittery, and no brushstrokes.  Cherry Blossom’s shade of pink made me happy just to look at it.

Best Red:  Ember from Zoya

What a glowing red, nothing plain about Ember.  Excellent formula too.

Best Gold:  Date Night from Nonie Creme Color Prevails

Foil.  Give me more foil.

Best Green:  Honor from Zoya

Honor, from the Winter MatteVelvet Collection, is obviously matte (duh) and in the photo I show it compared to Zoya’s previous Veruschka.  They were almost exact duplicates, and Veruschka is no longer available.

Best Blue:  Yves from Zoya

Yves is another from the Winter MatteVelvet set.  It and Honor both had a fantastic formula.

Best Lavender:  Rose Dust from SinfulColors

This baby applied like a dream and was perfect for spring.

Best Purple:  Giada from Zoya

I’m addicted to these shimmery, violet-toned purples.

Best Blue-Purple:  Yeah, it’s a new category for me.  I loathe the term “blurple,” which sounds like a rude digestive noise, but that’s what many people call that color in between blue and purple.  Anyway, I loved OPI’s Cosmo With A Twist.  Here it is both without and then with a matte top coat.

Best White, Gray, or Silver:  Aspen from Zoya

Like sparkling snow!

Best Brown:  Cinnamon from Zoya

Best Duochrome or Multichrome:  Cabin Fever from China Glaze

Pink, copper, gold, green — Cabin Fever had it all.

Best Top Coat and Best Glitter:  Mr. Wrong from Nonie Creme Colour Prevails

This is two coats of Mr. Wrong over a black creme.

Overall, I felt 2015 was kind of an off year for polish, even though there were many individual ones I loved.  First — and this is purely personal preference — there was a yawn-inducing, mind-numbing prevalence of sheer and/or skin-toned neutrals in the fashion world and for the most part I say BORING.  Secondly, where was the innovation, new finishes, new and exciting colors?  (That’s a rhetorical question — they were buried in mannequin-hands neutrals).

But still, the final winners of BEST POLISH:  It’s a tie between Ember and Cabin Fever, pictured above.  Ember, while “only” a red, is not plain by any stretch of the imagination.  It seems to glow with an inner light.  Cabin Fever was so interesting and different that I want to keep it as a pet in a cage and stare at it.

Picking a BEST COLLECTION of the year was difficult, as there was no one set where I loved every single color.  But the closest was the fall Flair Collection from Zoya:

 

Yep, I love fall and fall polishes, the rich colors, the anti-neutrals.  Hope I chose some of your favorites too.  Happy New Year!!

Disclosure:  The Zoya and SinfulColors polishes were previously supplied by the company for review.

Whispers Collection from Zoya — comparisons

Disclosure:  The Whispers Collection and the comparison polishes were supplied by Zoya for review.

I hope my review yesterday of the new Whispers Collection, while brief, was helpful.

Left to right:  Cala, April, Eastyn, Misty, Ireland, and Lake

After thinking it over, I believe I should have used a third coat for several of the polishes for better results, particularly the two lightest colors, Cala and April.  Also, April has grown on me; it’s a very pretty pale rose, but I still think it would look better on someone with very light or very dark skin.

Well, let’s do some comps.  I’m reading that Whispers reminds many people of the Naturel Satins set from one year ago, and I think that too.  The finish is different; Naturel Satins was all semi-mattes and Whispers is all glossy cremes.  Also, I’ll only be comparing Zoyas.

I’m going to show old photos of the comparison polishes along with the new Whispers ones because I’ve done a major stash purge (to benefit local homeless teens) and no longer own most of these older shades.

First, Cala:

Ana from Naturel Satins:

Taylor and Chantal from the original Naturel Collection:

Of these three comps, I think Chantal is the closest to Cala.  I liked Chantal’s formula better and thought it was much smoother.  Ana is paler, a tad pinker, and semi-matte, and Taylor is more tan.

April:

Brittany:

Rue:

Dot:

Brittany is very close except for its finish.  Rue is darker and more lavender.  Dot is darker (although still a very pale pink) and much peachier-toned.

Eastyn:

Leah:

Very similar except for the finish.  Both were more gray than purple or lavender to me.

Misty:

Rowan:

Rowan was gray-taupe without Misty’s greenish tint.

Ireland:

Sage:

Tiana:

Not that close but I wanted to show them anyway.  Sage has a slight teal tone and Tiana is much brighter, kind of like lime sherbet.

Lake:

Tove:

Blu, Lillian, and Kristen:

Tove is close although slightly more gray.  Blu is paler and chalkier, Lillian is more teal, and Kristen is only a hair darker.

Of all these comparisons, I found no true duplicates.  Nevertheless, some are very close.  Probably the most similar ones are Cala to Chantal, and Eastyn to Leah.  Remember, you can always put a satin top coat on a glossy polish or vice versa.

Did I forget any?  Ask away, and if I have pictures I’ll post them.

The Whispers Collection is available for pre-order at ZOYA.COM , and there is a sale too.  Check my review yesterday for details.

**BIG5FREE, TOXIN FREE: Zoya Nail Polish Formula contains no formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, dibutyl phthalate, toluene, or camphor.

Disclosure:  The Whispers Collection and the comparison polishes were supplied by Zoya for review.

Whispers Collection from Zoya — full review

Disclosure:  These polishes were supplied by Zoya for review.

They’re here!  Just got my media samples of the Whispers Collection.  Without further ado (’cause I’m fresh out of ado):

Here are Zoya’s official color descriptions:

• Cala – ZP823: A soft nude with a kiss of warmth that will flatter most skin tones.
• April – ZP824: A light, rosy toned neutral that is a modern take on blush.
• Eastyn – ZP825: A subtle grayed grape that is more interesting than mauve and gives a modern alternative that is ever so wearable.
• Misty – ZP827: An easy to wear taupe that is an updated version of gray with just a touch of green to make it daring.
• Ireland – ZP826: A uniquely wearable green that is muted enough to make it subtle yet still interesting. This green is well balanced between blue & yellow so it’s flattering on all skin tones.
• Lake – ZP828: A softened blue that gives the effect of serene water with just a hint of vibrancy to preserve its luminosity.

All pictures show two coats of polish with no top coat and are photographed under indirect outdoor light.

Cala is indeed nude.

April is rosier than Cala, but still what I’d call a neutral.

Eastyn, hmmm.  Looked more lavender in the bottle but appears more gray on my nails.

Misty.  Well, Zoya’s description of taupe with a grayish and greenish tint is spot on.  What to say, what to say.  We had walls painted this color when we moved into our current house.

They were the first to go.

I’m glad they gave the name Ireland to this green.  It’s a pretty pale sage that would probably look better on warmer-toned skin but I still like it.

And Lake for the blue.  Ooh, now we’re talkin’!  I love this one, and pale blues often look chalky on me but I don’t think Lake does.  It’s rather a grayish-blue and I think it looks great.  Lake is definitely my favorite of the set.

I found the formula to be a bit thin and streaky for all six polishes.  Dry time was fast but not unusually so.

This is an appropriate set for late winter and early spring, a calm bridge between the jewel tones of winter and the brighter pastels of spring.  Will it be to everyone’s taste?  No, but then nothing is.  Frankly, this has been a hard collection to review because I feel few of the colors look good on my skin tone, and I don’t work in an office or situation where such muted neutrals would be just the ticket.  You may have lighter/darker/different skin, though, and love them.  I hope so!

I’m also prejudiced because I think the polish world in general has waaaaay overdone neutrals in the past year or two, and they are not my cup of acetone.  How similar is Whispers to last year’s Naturel Satins?  The finish is different, glossy vs. satin, and while the two collections are by no means duplicates, some of the shades are similar.  I will be posting comparisons later in the week.

AVAILABLE NOW FOR PRE-ORDER at ZOYA.COM

**BIG5FREE, TOXIN FREE: Zoya Nail Polish Formula contains no formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, dibutyl phthalate, toluene, or camphor.

But hold the phone, I mean the mouse!

Zoya is having a big sale on this set, even though it’s brand new.

Get all six shades now at a special pre-order price of just $33, plus free shipping!  Orders will start shipping 1/15/16.  See details below and click HERE to pre-order the collection sampler.

Pre-Order the NEW Whispers Sampler
Special Price $33 (Original Price $54)
NOW – 1/3 (11:59pm EST)
Use Code: PSST

Terms & Conditions:
Valid online only at www.zoya.com through 1/03/15 (11:59pm EST).  Not valid in conjunction with other coupons, codes or promotions.  Continental US & Canada ONLY.  Art of Beauty is not responsible for incorrect addresses, credit card entry errors, web related issues or any errors associated with declined credit cards.  Returns or exchanges of promotional items not permitted.  Code must be entered at time of purchase – code cannot be reinstated on canceled orders.  Please allow up to 4 weeks for processing if volume warrants it.

Read all the fine print and rules.  It’s a great deal but amazingly it will not work if you try to use an expired credit card, etc.

Disclosure:  These polishes were supplied by Zoya for review.

Spring 2016 news — House of Colour collection from China Glaze

My new Zoya Whispers Collection isn’t here yet, so let’s peek at some other late winter/early spring news.  China Glaze’s big spring set is called House of Colour.

I see a motley crew of cremes, shimmers, and glitters in a variety of colors — royal blue, pale yellow, fuchsia, tan, coral and more.  They should be in stores soon and are already available online, such as at Ulta.

For a really good look at all of them, check out THIS video review from Karina Kaboom.  The color names are (not in the same order as the bottles shown):

Come Rain or Shine
In the Near Fuchsia
Girls Just Want to Have Sun
Glitter Me This
Let’s Chalk About It
Sorry I’m Latte
Chrome Is Where the Heart Is
Shut the Front Door
Pink or Swim
About Layin’ Out
Moonlight the Night
Don’t Be Shallow

If you’re tired of the holidays, winter, snow, and so on, some spring news is always welcome.