stepping out of my nail color comfort zone...

recently i've found myself craving to wear a nail color i've shied away from most of my life...

red!

don't get me wrong, i love red polish on nails. they're classic. they're uber-feminine. they can even be edgy.

truth be told, the very first nail color i ever wore was red {thanks, mom}.

but...

i've never been a red-nail-polish-wearing gal. i admit it, the color has always been a bit intimidating to me. that, and i love all shades of neutrals, pinks and purples; those are my go-to, safe colors. for fall/winter seasons, i typically go with "deeper" versions of them.

so...

i'm adding the shade that adorned my nails first into my color rotation-- especially for fall. i've gathered my small stash of red lacquers, and plan to rock them like nobody's business {and yes, the number of reds in my collection will be expanding}. Chanel Lotus Rouge {pictured, above}, a gorgeous berry-red, started me on my not-afraid-to-wear-red-nails-anymore path this past week...

and i just changed my polish to nubar's Competition Red this morning. :)

btw, i tore this Piperlime.com ad for my fall ensemble inspiration journal, then noticed a few days later: the model's nails are red!

all pics taken my me :)

China Glaze Wizard of Ooh Ahz Returns + Swatches

China Glaze re-released their beloved Wizard of Ooh Ahz collection just before the holidays and with the whirlwind that comes with that time of year (not to mention my family and i had just moved), i'm finally posting my swatches (better late than never, right?).

if you are a fan of sparkles and shimmer in your polish, these are sure to excite you. if you don't already own these, take a look at this collection...





The Ten Man is a white-silver and one of my faves. it looks good with anything.





Cowardly Lyin' is a really pretty gold. sadly, my cool complexion doesn't look as good in this shade.





CCCourage is my absolute favorite of the bunch. i am a huge purple polish fan, and this shimmery beauty doesn't disappoint.




Dorothy Who? is a jelly polish with blue and silver shimmer. i love this one--it's amazing!




Good Witch? is a soft pink and, as you can see, very pretty. my daughter loves this one (of course).





Ruby Pumps is the best-seller of the group, loved and adored by nail polish fans everywhere, with good reason-- it's gorgeous! this pic does it no justice. i love the shimmer in this red and even i (not much of a red polish wearer) like to wear this one.


each shade required three coats for the sake of the pics. some shades (like The Ten Man and Dorothy Who? and Cowardly Lyin') appeared more sheer with only two coats. in any case, these are all very gorgeous polishes-- what do you think??


visit chinaglaze.com for more info and to find a retailer near you.

xo
this collection was sent to me by the brand for review

Go Red Tomorrow!

as a way to keep women aware of the dangers of heart disease, the American Heart Association created Go Red for Women Day as a way to show support by wearing the color red on feruary 5.

heart disease is the #1 killer of women (that's scary!) and raising awareness is so important. visit goredforwomen.org for info about this great movement and discover how you can create your own "go red" day.



to show your support, why not paint your nails red (try Sally Hansen Insta-Dri in Rapid Red or Rimmel London's Lasting Finish Pro Nail Enamel in Stiletto), wear a fabulous red scarf or shirt, or even a glamorous red lip tomorrow?

i'll be wearing my favorite red nail color tomorrow-- what about you?

xo