China Glaze Drama Queen with flash- discontinued

China Glaze Stella with flash- Available at Transdesign, 8ty8 Beauty

A few months ago when China Glaze's Retro Diva Collection first debuted, Stella looked freakishly similar to the discontinued Drama Queen, which is one of my very favorite shades. Since my bottle of Drama Queen is half empty, I snatched up Stella in a nanosecond and have since found that while it will serve nicely as a backup of my beloved Drama Queen, there are slight difference. So I've done a few comparison shots for you.

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China Glaze Emerald Sparkle and Golden Enchantment
Available at Transdesign, 8ty8beauty, and some Sally Beauty and Ulta

This was last year's Christmas manicure, and the year before that was China Glaze Ruby Pumps with Fairy Dust. I want to try something new this year but it wouldn't be Christmas without Emerald Sparkle. I did two coats of ES, with one coat of Golden Enchantment on top.

Emerald Sparkle is a deep green jelly base with bright true green glitter. Quite simply put, it's the green Ruby Pumps. Chances are that you already know that. I did two moderately thick coats only because I planned on layering something over it. In a situation where i'm using Emerald Sparkle alone, I'd use three.

Golden Enchantment is a clear base with golden and holographic microglitter. It's often considered the "gold China Glaze Fairy Dust" but in my opinion the glitter in Fairy Dust is a bit bigger. I'd personally compare this with China Glaze Wireless topcoat, only gold.

The overall effect is similar to a Christmas tree glittering with festive multi-colored lights. Obviously perfect for the holidays. I still have to figure out my Christmas manicure. What will yours be?

Nubar Prisms Collection
Available January 1, 2010

"Inspired by the colorful play of light through a prism, those bands of light and color are embodied in Nubar's Prisms Collection. Each shade in the Prisms Collection is filled with holographic glitter reflecting every color of the rainbow, with base colors just as varied, ranging from subtle neutrals to vivid pink to pale blue. Going a step beyond holographic nail lacquers, Nubar's Prisms Collection is a celebration of color and light. As all Nubar products, they are free of formaldehyde, phthalates, and toulene, as well as vegan and cruelty-free"

I'm just going by the photos right now, but below is how I'd describe the shades. Hopefully very soon I'll be able to show them to you!!

Shades in this collection:

Spark: golden tan 
Jewel: light golden brown
Gem: neutral beige
Essence: warm light pink
Treasure: midtone purple
Brilliant: midtone pink
Absolute: vibrant blue
Prize: vivid warm pink

I'm excited for this if only for the neutral holos. OPI has a couple, but other than that most companies concentrate on making their holo polishes' base colors vibrant colors. I'm looking forward to seeing those neutrals. I think that a lot of people who shy away from bold color will be able to enjoy a little private color show on their nails while the rest of the office thinks they're sporting a neutral.

Click on the photos to see the collection and hear Tori's new single "Pink & Glitter". The makeup set looks gorgeous. But look, I'm not the world's biggest Tori Amos fan,  I am however somewhat familiar with her older music. And is it me or does she sound totally different? And while she looks a little too well-preserved, her cover look is frankly just terrifying. Click the jump to see what i mean.

TERRIFYING

Maybelline Express Finish Fast-Dry Nail Enamel in Jaded Blues

Another Maybelline Express FInish for your enjoyment. I have no idea when this polish is from. I received it from my secret santa as part of an exchange recently and I really like it. You may be able to find this at your Dollar Tree as a bunch of this brand and range have been popping up there recently. This is my second go with this formula, and while Tassled Taupe seems to have a better application, the color of Jaded Blues is just as unique. It's a blue-based polish with green frost and gold shimmer. It takes on a few different personalities in different lights, ranging from denim to jade to golden overtones.