Sally Hansen Taupe Pearl Chrome

Today I've got an oldie for you: Sally Hansen Taupe Pearl Chrome. 

It's taupe. It's chrome. 

Strange combination. But kinda pretty. See?

A little brushstrokey in the sun.

A look at the label:

So, what do you thing of this oddball polish? I had never considered the possibility of a taupe chrome before. It's weird, but neat. It looks a bit more taupe in real life than it does in the pictures. Want to see more blast-from-the-past Sally Hansen Chromes? Check them out here!

Layla Black as Ebony (Mirror Effects)

Monday I posted about Layla Metal Chrome, and today I have Black as Ebony, a gunmetal grey chrome from the same collection. All I can say is...

YOWZA. Check it. 

In sunlight:

In the shade (super reflective!):

Yep, this is THE BEST chrome polish I've ever tried. Totally unique (at least I can't recall another gunmetal grey chrome polish), and it surpasses expectations when applied to the nail. Utterly gorgeous.

The formula on this was also better than on Metal Chrome; it wasn't as brushstrokey, and where Metal Chrome was a bit of a pain to apply, this was definitely easier to manage (although you'll still need to wait a tiny bit longer between coats to prevent bald spots).

If you're a chrome/metallics lover, you should probably have this one in your collection. I got mine at Harlow and Co., a Canadian nail polish retailer which carries a nice variety of hard to find polish brands. Shipping is quite reasonable (especially for Canada), and they ship very quickly. Even better, they still have Black as Ebony in stock!

What do you think of Layla Black as Ebony? Are you as crazy about it as I am?

Layla Metal Chrome (new Mirror Effect polishes!)

Today I have one of the brand new Layla Mirror Effect polishes to share with you! This one is Metal Chrome, and it is a classic silver chrome.

I was incredibly excited about this collection when I first heard about it, because I LOVE metallics and chromes and Layla has been knocking it out of the park lately when it comes to their unique polish lines (their holographics and magnetics are both great). Now that I've tried the Mirror Effect polishes, my excitement is slightly dampened, but only a little (after all, my expectations going in were extremely high). I'm not sure I'm totally prepared to grant this the title of "Best Chrome Ever", but it's definitely up there. Like most chromes, it will show up every imperfection in your nail, so be prepared to buff them a little before hand. Application is also a little challenging; wait in between coats to ensure even coverage, and be careful when applying to minimize brushstrokes. What you see here is 3 coats.

Indoors, out of direct light, this lacquer does take on a "mirror effect" appearance, which is pretty cool. In sunlight, it's less reflective, but still unabashedly chrome. I did use a topcoat for these photographs, which I suspect may have compromised some of the mirror effect, but I really wanted this manicure to last. For my next Layla Mirror Effect review (I'll be showing you Black as Ebony in my next post), I'll be sure to take picture before and after topcoating. 

I purchased my bottle of Metal Chrome via Harlow and Co., a fantastic Canadian-based nail lacquer e-tailer. I highly recommend them, and they carry a nice range of hard-to-find brands. 

Essie Penny Talk

I have my other purchase from the Essie Mirror Metallics collection to show with you today; this is Essie Penny Talk. 

Penny Talk is a coppery chrome metallic with a similar formula to Blue Rhapsody. The finish is relatively brushstroke free, provided you're somewhat careful with application. What you see here is two coats. Because of the chrome finish, you might want to consider buffing your nails before application, or using a ridge-fillng base coat to help hide imperfections.

I'm really happy that I picked this one up, mostly because I have a huge weakness for coppery shades, not to mention for chrome polishes. Combine the two, and I'm sold!

What do you think of Essie Penny Talk? Will you be picking it up?

Essie Blue Rhapsody (plus glitter gradient!)

Today I have Essie Blue Rhapsody from the new Essie Mirror Metallics Collection to share with you. 

Blue Rhapsody is reflective light blue metallic polish. In the sunlight, some very minor brush strokes are apparent, but mostly this applied very smoothly. This kind of polish does tend to highlight any imperfections on your nail, so it's worth it to buff out any problem spots before painting (or, consider using a ridge-filling base coat to help with creating a smoother surface).

Overall I'm fairly happy with how this looks- I'm crazy about chrome/metallic polishes, so it's a keeper for me.

I couldn't resist adding a glitter gradient to this manicure! Maybe it's KawaiiKagura from Nailpocalypse  and all her recent posts featuring awesome gradient manis, but I pulled out two different glitters to experiment with:

China Glaze Lorelei's Tiara, and Claire's Night Sky.

The two nails on the left have Claire's Night Sky, and the two on the right have China Glaze Lorelei's Tiara:

I think both of these glitters are a perfect complement to the shiny metallic blue of Essie Blue Rhapsody, but overall I really love how Lorelei's Tiara looks as a gradient over this! I'll have to remember to pull this combination out during the winter- it reminds me of ice and snow.

One last picture to show of the amazing holographic glitter in Night Sky:

What do you think of Essie Blue Rhapsody? Do you think it works well with a glitter gradient?

Sally Hansen Chrome - Royal Purple

I realize it's been awhile since I've posted a Sally Hansen Chrome polish, and I still have a lot of them to share with you, so here's Royal Purple! This is another Sally Hansen Chrome that I definitely recall owning (and loving) back in the day. 

This was two coats, and while the chrome finish tends to show up every little imperfection in the nail, overall it wasn't too challenging of an application. 

And here's a quick picture of something that had been occupying my time a couple weeks ago when I was wearing this polish (it's been languishing in the unposted file for awhile now...)

Anyone else playing Diablo 3? Since I took this picture I've started playing Nightmare mode, but I'm kind of running out of steam with Act II. Not sure how I feel about playing through all the same material, just on a harder difficulty. It's a bit tedious.

What do you think of Sally Hansen Royal Purple and/or Diablo 3?

And in case you missed my announcement the other day, I'm now officially taking orders for Pirate Polish. See this post for details, if you're interested!

Sally Hansen Aquamarine Chrome

Like my previous post about Sally Hansen Tourmaline Chrome, this is another blast from the past: Aquamarine Chrome.

This is a lacquer I distinctly remember owning, and loving, nearly 15 years ago. As I lamented before, I wish I had held onto all my Chrome polishes! Nonetheless, after a trip to ebay, I now have several lovely Sally Hansen Chrome polishes to share with you. This is Sally Hansen Aquamarine Chrome, a deep metallic chrome blue (2 coats):

See how reflective it looks in this next picture?

While this has a somewhat similar finish to Models Own Dream Stream, it isn't quite as intense and vividly blue. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing- to me, this looks more chrome-like. It also doesn't stain like Models Own Dream Stream (word of warning- my nails are STILL hugely stained from Dream Stream, even after several changes of polish. Better double, or triple up on base coat!).

If you're looking for Sally Hansen Chrome polishes, this is the ebay listing through which I purchased mine (not affiliated), and I have no complaints about the service I received- everything arrived safely and in a reasonable time frame.

What do you think of Sally Hansen Aquamarine Chrome? Was this one in your stash years ago?

Interested in winning Lynnderella Connect the Dots? Check out my Connect the Dots giveaway! 

Sally Hansen Tourmaline Chrome

I have a quick post to share with you today, and it's something of a blast from the past. Do you remember those Sally Hansen Chrome nail lacquers from about 10 or 15 years ago? When they first came out I had just started high school, and I was crazy for them- I think I had about 7 of them, and I adored them. I'd never seen anything like them and thought they were the coolest. Sadly, over the years I lost them somehow, and ever since I've turned into a nail fanatic I've been bemoaning their loss. 

Finally in a fit of nostalgia I ordered a set of them via ebay. This is the first of the Sally Hansen Chrome polishes I have to share with you- it's called Tourmaline Chrome, and it is a bright, reflective pink-red. 

The application on this was very easy, and it covered in almost one coat (what you see above is two coats). It did smell a little chemically, which is a hallmark of older polishes. Well, I don't mind so much... it added to the nostalgia. ;)

What do you think of Tourmaline Chrome? Did you/do you own a few of the Sally Hansen Chromes?