China Glaze No Plain Jane

I was super excited when I heard that China Glaze was coming out with a line of duochromes but I wondered how they would hold up.  The New Bohemian collection came out this month and sadly, I wasn't super awesome happy with several of them.  This is one of those.  No Plain Jane is a light purple with a brownish/orange duochrome that you can see a bit on the sides of the bottle.  Also, you'll notice my cap looks weird... my bottle wasn't closed tightly in shipping and it leaked out onto the bottle.  I took acetone to clean it up and it also stripped the silver coating on the lid.

For this manicure, I used a base of Poshe, 2 coats of polish and a top of Cult Nails Wicked Fast.  While this is a pretty color, it didn't do what I wanted.

Purple?  Great!  Duochrome?  No!  I just don't see it.

even in the shade - lovely purple but where's my gold?  I even tried holding my nails at a crazy odd angle, but nada.

Here's some indirect sun - maaaaaaaybe a little duochrome peeking through here.  Maybe.

With the flash?  Forget it.  I'm out like whoa.  (I also need sleep.)  So pretty purple - deal.  Duochrome, no Jane.  No.  Sad Krystal.

China Glaze [Website] [Facebook] [Twitter] can be found online through several etailers, including my favorite Head2Toe Beauty, Sally's Beauty Supply as well as TransDesign.

Disclosure: The product[s] in this post was [were] provided to me by the company for consideration.  For more information, please read this post.

Nail Files: Pageant Crowns & Glitter Showdowns Breakdown

Image Courtesy of TV Guide Network Facebook Page

Now I'm caught back up!  The episode that aired tonight was definitely one I was looking forward to... Katie is going to be at a beauty pageant for kids!  (Judging AND doing some free manicures!)

In The Salon
So where is the staff?  Lisa's father-in-law's had a stroke, Joyce is late (uh manager, what? Blame others, what?).  I'll tell you from this side, when my nail tech is running late, I'm not happy about it either.  Instead of just owning up, she gives Anna crap, and wants to quit.  Seriously?  Here's a life tip - nothing in life is "fair".  Deal with it.

Celebrity Sighting!
None this week.

In Katie's Life
Katie does it again and gets Walter to accept her new fur baby, Dolce.  I can't say too much - I got my "I don't want cats" fiance to agree to 6 indoors cats at the moment.  (Don't judge, I have a large house and 2 are just here temporarily.)  However, he's freaking out over the new dog that is poo'ing everywhere and he's trying to work.  Here's where the tv show and real life, start to blur.  That wasn't "made for tv fun" - that was a serious wall being breached and I feel bad that the cameras were rolling.  Thankfully, they were able to hash it out over the phone and are still totally in love.  I love watching them.

Meanwhile, Katie and Amy are going to be heading to Sin City, I mean Las Vegas, in her new wrapped smart car from stickercity.com for the pageant.  Katie rocks the night away in a VIP suite, with sparkly dresses, boys, and shots.  Okay, maybe it's the douche crew trying to feed her fruit... He didn't even know who Katie was - just probably saw the camera crew and got excited.  The day before the pageant, Katie decides to do some free manicures, but I'm shocked she brought colored polish... in the pageant world, it's all about stripper nails - Um, I mean French manicures.  She got told when a woman pulled out a nailene art kit and then a guy "with 9 pounds of makeup on" wants white tip, no glitter.  I feel like I'm in a bad comedy.  Doesn't help that he calls her a b***h to her face and plenty of times off camera.  

I'm kinda irritated that the actual judging won't be until next week... TV Guide, I want hour long episodes.  Got it?  Good.

The Mish Mash
It's always fun when Katie can talk about blow and porn in a tv show.  I have yet to see her comedy routine but I'm thinking it's pretty blue.  And that's Katie - she's business when it's time to talk business but when she's having fun - it's a freakin' riot.

Additionally, Katie, I'm going to steal your sparkly purple Louboutins.  I know you're like a size 5, and I'm a 8.5 but I'll Cinderella-wicked-step-sister my foot into that thing.  DO WANT.

Nail Files: Katie in the Dog House Breakdown

Image Courtesy of TV Guide Network Facebook Page

In the second episode, which was also premiered on August 19th, Katie is still reeling from the Lisa Foot Scrub incident, but wait, there's SO much more!

In The Salon
Seriously Lisa?  When your boss could be sued for your actions, you seriously need to eat your pride and shut your mouth.  But this is reality tv, and she has a camera to listen to her.  Thankfully, the client felt better when she got home so crisis averted.  But Lisa is still all hopped up after Anna changed her schedule "and flavoring her friends" and is now mouthing off... again.  If your boss says you're like sand in your girly bites - well... let's say that's not what you want on your resume.

Meanwhile, Katie has decided to name a Sunday Manager for the hair salon (Joyce) and is met with blank stares.  Granted, it was pretty unexpected but she finally says thank you but the deer in the headlights look made for some awkward tv.  Please don't blow it, but I'm sure you will.  (Great.)

To celebrate her 3rd year of the Painted Nail, and to launch the hair/makeup bar, Katie decides to throw a party and how!  Katie has some crazy ideas but that's what party planners are for (even if they want to take $14,000 of your money).

Celebrity Sighting!
None this week.

In Katie's Life
Sad news, Sugar crossed the Rainbow Bridge in between season 1 and 2, and Katie's other dog Pookie is feeling the loss.  Walter and I are on the same page... let's get rid of the dog entirely.  Katie however, wants to go rescue another dog.  MAJOR props and thank yous for adopting instead of paying a breeder - Katie, you did good there.  While Walter is busy with business, Katie and her BFF Amy of Brown Sugar (nom amazing cookies & cupcakes nom) go and adopt the freakin' dog.  Walter is ticked.

A little foreshadowing - Katie will be working (and judging!) a kid pageant soon, and she's so ridiculously excited.  Somehow, I don't think Toddlers & Tiaras will be wanting to showcase her anytime soon and yet at the same time, I could see Katie having a pageant for dogs.  They are planning to take Katie's smartcar which is currently being wrapped in Painted Nail pretties.  I love smartcars.  I saw my first one in Europe back in 2005 and was obsessed.

Beep beep! The original smart fourtwo in Europe.

The Mish Mash
When Walter said being at the shelter was like being in a Sarah McLachlan commercial, I actually spit out my drink.

While Katie was talking to Anna about Lisa, I noticed two words on her computer... the first was Kowtow and the second was Wattle.  I don't know if Katie is doing a word of the day or what, but I feel more educated now.  Kudos.  And Namaste. 

Nail Files: Foot Scrub Cocktail Breakdown

Image Courtesy of TV Guide Network Facebook Page

She's baaaaaaaack!  Katie Cazorla, owner of the Painted Nail in Sherman Oaks, California, is back for another season of her reality show Nail Files.  And I'm back with your episode breakdown.  (By the way, I know I never did the season finale of last season.  I was in denial that the show might be over so I refused to do a review.  When I heard that season 2 was officially ordered, someone had deleted it from my DVR.  I blame the cat.)

Now, not-really-a-spoiler alert, I got the opportunity to pre-screen this episode before it aired and let me tell you, I was laughing on the couch.  In fact, it was so good, that the fiance even stopped to watch it (and that's saying something, although I've gotten him to watch Teen Mom and Toddlers & Tiaras with me before too!).  Anywho here's what happened on Season 2, Episode 1 titled "Foot Scrub Cocktail."

In The Salon
So Katie decided to hire a brand new staff to help her with the salon.  Did someone call Tabatha?  She also got rid of the boutique she had next door (slight boo from me over here only because I heard she might carry GingerKittyDesigns there), added a hair salon and makeup bar and HELLO - she's working on a new location in Miami, Florida?! Um, time for me to go to Florida again.

By the way, Katie has two Annas now - Anna the Manager and Anna the Assistant.  I'm okay with her calling them AM and AA.  Just saying.

Lisa.  Oh Lisa.  You get your own paragraph.  Lisa is a Class C... for Crazy.  Not only does she constantly want to be the center of attention, but the girl doesn't understand that vegan and organic DOES NOT MEAN EDIBLE.  So yes, she feeds a client some foot scrub, and duh, the client gets sick.  When we had dinner with Katie, we told her we wanted a margarita minus foot scrub.  I thought Katie was going to throw nail polish at us.  ^_^  Lisa looks like she's going to be a bundle of trouble this season, so she may have her own subtitle in my breakdowns.  However, Anna the Manager should have jumped off her chair and said "OH HELL NO, we don't feed the clients foot scrub."

Celebrity Sighting!
This week's celeb was Marissa Jaret Winokur from Hairspray.  She's almost 40 (yes, 40!) but she looks absolutely amazing.  Although I have to say, I do not have nail polish on my 5 year old son but hey, rock on Marissa.  (In case you missed Marissa being pregnant, you didn't really.  They had a surrogate and Zev Isaac was born in July 2008.)

In Katie's Life
I had no idea that she had been with Walter for 7 years, but I hope that one day I get to meet him - you can see the love he has for her!  The ASCAP awards were the center of Katie's episode, and while she may not know exactly what it stands for, she knows it writes his checks and she'll let him Ascap that ass later.  (Thanks Katie, you always were punny.)

As with many photographed celebrities, Katie needs a new dress for the event and after a ridiculous "dress" fitting with a definitely now-unemployed stylist named Sam, Katie finds the perfect dress from Sassy.  At least my closed captioning thinks his name was Sassy.  I feel like Katie was calling him Sessy though.  Either way, they go, and it's a grand time.  Well, Walter may have some cold feet for the red carpet but Katie's a professional - she can lead the way.  

The Mish Mash 
Looks like this is going to be a crazy season - from the expansion, to the staff, Katie's life, and as I told you before, there's going to be a whole new Painted Nail coming from bottle designs to colors!

Wet n Wild Hollywood Walk of Fame

Hello friends!  Sorry I've been a bit spastic - my 5 year old started school on 9 August... and then came home with a fever just one week later and was out for two days.  Gotta love kids!  During some fleeting sun moments, I decided to try out the new line of Wet n Wild polishes from Fergie... yes that Fergie.  I only bought this one - Hollywood Walk of Fame, a bunch of reflective stars and bar glitter in a thick clear base.

I started off wearing this over my essence stuck on you manicure but then decided I wanted to wear it over black (my staple - Sephora Black), and then attempted it on a bare nail as well.  This is THREE COATS of this lovely star glitter, and a top coat of Seche Vite.

Okay, so this polish is not good at just applying.  Instead, I did a lot of fishing around for stars and then trying to get them to lay on my nail.  I think the black looks best but my ring finger?  Hot mess.

I do love that while in the shade, you can see the magic that is those reflective stars.  I love them!  I think I'd be better off placing them on the nail with an orange stick, in a deliberate fashion, and then brushing on for the bar glitter.

And finally here in the indirect sun, you can see again that the stars are so clumped together - no bueno.  Otherwise it's a lovely polish!

The Fergie line of Wet n Wild is limited edition.  I purchased mine at Walgreens for $3.50.

Wet n Wild is located at a variety of drug and grocery stories.  You can use their product finder on their website.  They also have a Facebook Page & Twitter account.

Disclosure: The product[s] in this post was [were] provided to me by the company for consideration.  For more information, please read this post.