Estee Lauder Metallic Sage

Good morning, Dear Reader!

I'm wearing Estee Lauder Metallic Sage today, which is a particularly fabulous birthday present.  It's far more lovely in person than in any pictures I've seen, including mine, so I'll try to add to the descrption to give you a better idea.

Metallic Sage is well-named since it's a sage green with an extra touch of brown, and it has a gold shimmer similar to that in Surreal Violet in that it's super fine and very dense, but does not have as strong an appearance as most shimmers.  The polish benefits from the huge paperweight of a bottle because the little sphere of polish inside the glass cube lets the shimmer show through quite well.

For the manicure, I started with SpaRitual Lacquer Lock, then added two easy to control coats of color, and finished with Lippmann Addicted to Speed.  I've had this Addicted to Speed for while, I think I got it with a code or as a freebie or something, as it's way too pricey for top coat for me, but works beautifully, and I keep it for extra special polishes like Metallic Sage.

It's still cloudy out, but I managed to get a picture of Metallic Sage that shows its overall look and also hints at the in-person fabulousness.

Estee Lauder Metallic Sage Nail Polish, Two Coats

The color in this picture is what it really looks like indoors - holding my hand up to the monitor, it matches.  The cool gold shimmer that shows just above the EL logo is what didn't come across in the picture - that shows on the nail, and you can see on my nails in the picture that the shimmer bits don't give the impression of lines that most do, they're evenly dispersed.

I absolutely love Metallic Sage.  It made me think of OPI Greenwich Green, an older olive with gold shimmer that's kind of harsh (both the shimmer and shade) that I've always loved despite its brashness against very pale skin, but in a more grown up version that's refined to be a thousand times more flattering with just the softening of the shade and shimmer.  This is definitely my favorite olive shade of any that I've used, and the fall greens that proclaim the coming of autumn without threatening winter always put me in a happy frame of mind.

That's Estee Lauder Metallic Sage and all I have for today, so until next time, Dear Reader, love and nal polish to you!




All Rights Reserved, Siobhan@The Nailphile. If you're reading this elsewhere, it's stolen from a real nail polish blog.

Estee Lauder Surreal Violet

Good evening, Dear Reader!

I'd planned on leaving Lippmann Across the Universe on all day today, but this afternoon I got no less than five chips, one of them giant, in it.  That was kind of a bummer - I use SpaRitual Lacquer Lock base coat, which even works with the old chippy Chanels.  Ah, well... It gave me a chance to use Estee Lauder's Surreal Violet, so it's not all bad!

Surreal Violet is another neutral with purple shade, and a really nice one.  It's darker, has a more purple base, and a different shimmer than Essie Demure Vixen, the closest thing I can think of to it.  I used two coats of Surreal Violet, and this is it with a top coat.

Estee Lauder Surreal Violet Nail Polish, Two Coats

I really like this one a lot, even though I wouldn't call it violet by a long shot.

That's what I have for you today, Dear Reader.  Until next time, love and nail polish to you!  

Estee Lauder Blue Dahlia

Good afternoon, Dear Reader!

I held off on posting today because I had some Nordstrom exclusives being delivered, and I have Estee Lauder Blue Dahlia for you today.  I've had Revlon Lunar and Galaxy on for two days, and it's worn well - just a bit of tip wear.  It was kind of a hassle to remove, but took under 5 minutes with felt and acetone followed up with non-acetone remover to tidy up.

The down side to Blue Dahlia is that it looks nothing like the promo image (which Nordies no longer has available in a reasonable size), but the upside is that it's really pretty.  It's a very dark blue creme, and makes me think of Dior Poison Blue without any shimmer.  I used two coats, and this is the finished manicure.

Estee Lauder Blue Dahlia Nail Polish, Two Coats

I like it.  It's near black, but still clearly blue.

That's what I have for you today, Dear Reader.  More from Nordstrom to come in coming days, and until then, love and nail polish to you!  

OPI Pink Me I'm Good & EL Ultra Violet

Good morning, Dear Reader!

Today I have anti-greens for you: OPI's Ulta Exclusive Pink Me I'm Good and Estee Lauder's Ultra Violet, also a limited edition nail polish.

Pink Me I'm Good is a pink jelly with lots of gold glitter. It was the only one of this year's OPI Ulta exclusive pinks I wanted, which is fortunate as I no longer have an Ulta nearby. Since it's a jelly and I didn't want to use a zillion coats, I used one coat of Essie Walk Down the Aisle under it, and two coats of Pink Me I'm Good.

Walk Down the Aisle seems to be my new go-to base for jellies - it whitens the nail, masks VNL, one coat is sufficient, and it doesn't have the stark look of completely opaque whites.

Ulta Exclusive OPI Pink Me I'm Good Nail Polish, Two Coats

The other color I have to shake off the greens is Estee Lauder Ultra Violet, also limited edition. It's a rich violet purple with shimmer bits that border on being tiny glitter. It's opaque and even in two coats.

Limited Edition Estee Lauder Ultra Violet Nail Polish, Two Coats

That gargantuan bottle is hard to get a hold of, and it only contains 0.3 ounces.

I hope you had a great Saint Patrick's Day, and are as relieved as I am to be done with the theme. I think I managed to shake it a little today!

Until next time, Dear Reader, love and nail polish to you!