The Cheeky Monkey Experience

I recently attended the aesthetic show in Toronto and picked up a few goodies. Cheeky Monkey was a brand that stood out with their fun names and cute packaging. I got the base coat- Wet Dream, polish in Born Again Virgin, and the top coat- I like It On Top. Fun, no? It's a 4-free brand (no formaldehyde) and has a good range of shades. I only picked up one because I needed to see how well the polish performed. I wanted to try Dirty Secret, and Camel Toe (hahaha) t00 but decided to wait.

All the polishes come with witty or downright hilarious tags with different sayings in them. This one was a gem!

So how was the experience? Not great. Born Again Virgin is a fun, light pink shade and I love the color but it went on pretty unevenly and refused to self-level.

After I applied the top coat (and I allowed the polish to dry a bit before I did so) everything started to bubble. You can kind of see some bumps on the center nail.

The thumb got it the worst though and here it's really visible. Fast forward an hour later and I am not happy. Not only was it bubbly but it also wasn't dry. Unacceptable I say, so I took the whole mess off. Needless to say I was disappointed. I had high hopes for this line and was loving the 4-free part but it just didn't work.

The Lippman Experience is coming up!

NOTD: Easter Series- China Glaze Peachy Keen

(Painting by David Carter Brown)

Here we are at the end of the Easter series and it's peachy perfection all the way! Peachy Keen is part of the China Glaze Up & Away collection and is a true peach. Most polishes fall into the "coral" or "orange" category, but that's not the case here. The application was quite nice. Opaque, smooth and even. I may sound like a broken record, but this one again, is a toe color for me.

This was a really fun series for me and gave me a chance to try some colors I may not have otherwise (on my fingers). The standout winner is going have to be China Glaze Re-Fresh Mint.

Its fresh, clean creaminess evokes feelings of spring and all things pistachio and mint. Makes for a spectacular spring manicure!

NOTD: Easter Series- China Glaze Re-Fresh Mint

Mint chocolate chip ice-cream anyone?? That is what I think of when I see this luscious shade. The creamy formula is beautiful and much less troublesome than some of the others from the
China Glaze Up & Away collection. Unfortunately the color pictured below doesn't quite capture the mintyness of the polish. In the photos it ends up looking much more blue than green and reminds me of China Glaze's For Audrey. Boo to these un-true-to-life-pics!

This is definitely a drool worthy polish and the one I ended up wearing Easter Sunday. If you take out the chocolate bits from the decadent dessert below you'll get the color of Re-Fresh Mint.

NOTD: Easter Series- OPI Chapel of Love

Evoking images of Dutch tulip fields, OPI's Chapel of Love was a bit of a departure from the other more pastel shades I've been sporting for this Easter series. It's brighter, deeper, and not a cream formula. What I failed to capture with the picture is the beautiful gold micro-shimmer that shows up in sunlight. The shimmer makes this shade unique and fun and keeps it from being ho hum. Oops I think I rhymed there!

*Opacity achieved with three thin coats

NOTD: Easter Series- OPI Do You Lilac It?

Do I? Lilac it? Mm.. not so much. This is probably my least favorite color of the bunch, despite its flawless application. It was so hard to get an accurate representation of the color in the pics. If it actually looked like the shade pictured below, (almost periwinkle) I would love it! Alas, it is much more lavender and oh so NOT flattering against my skintone.

Although this photo is blurry, it was the only one that depicted the polish even remotely close to what it really is. It's actually quite a lovely shade in the pictures but doesn't really do it for me in person. As I mentioned, the application is wonderful! No streakiness and self-levels nicely. It seems that my search for the perfect Easter nail color continues....

Have you found yours?

NOTD: Easter Series- China Glaze Lemon Fizz

My second installment for the Easter series and it's pastel perfection! Lemon Fizz calls to mind fuzzy baby chicks in morning sunlight and sugary sweet Peeps.

I found the same application issues with this one as with Mod About You. Can be streaky and extremely difficult to apply neatly close to the cuticle. It must be something about the cream pastels in general that have that bit of a chalky quality. For me, this is a straight up toe color, but I can see using this on the fingers for a fun funky look. I highly recommend this to people with a bit of a tan or those who have a deeper skin tone.

Not the best shade next to my winter white skin. This pic was taken in cooler morning light.

NOTD: Easter Series- OPI Mod About You

OPI MOD ABOUT YOU
*Please excuse the dry cuticles

I thought I would do a pastel Easter series of nail color. Any color that will evoke images of bunnies and chocolate eggs and pretty pastel cupcakes will be up here! First off I'm starting with OPI's Mod About You. Let me start by saying that I absolutely love the end result of this pretty pink pastel. Now, for the drawbacks. It is one of the most unforgiving polishes I have ever worked with. I found it nearly impossible to get it close to the cuticle and still maintain smooth margins. I ended up having to employ the help of a toothpick to straighten things up.

The formula is slightly chalky, almost as if someone added a drop of red pigment into a bottle of whiteout. Despite the fact that it is a rather thick formula, I still had to watch out for streaking and opacity issues. (Ring finger needed 3 coats).

All in all I think this would be a color much better suited to toes where perfection isn't exactly a must (neatness wise). Can't wait to try it on my footsies especially when I have a bit of a tan!