For August's box, I went with American Beauty. Mainly this is because I was really curious about the "Rose Gold Metallic Chrome." I already have tried and loved a few other coppery/rose gold metallics like Essie Penny Talk, CND Copper Chrome and even (more on the copper side) SH Haute Chocolate, but why not try them all! *evil laugh* The truth is that there aren't many of that type of shade, so it was worth a try. Also, in this month's box was a really pretty gunmetal with some golden shards, and an acetone-free remover pump which actually turned out to be pretty awesome, and a reusable tote. If you're interested in trying Julep Maven, you can read about it here. If you want to join, you can do so on the Julep website. You can also use my referral link which will give me credit toward future purchases, and it would  make my day as I love these boxes. If you order, please don't forget to use the code COLOR2012 and you can get your first box for a PENNY, $.01, with free shipping.

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Essie Penny Talk - $8 Walmart and other retailers

Owing largely to the fact that I've been utterly distracted from my nails for the last month, I completely missed that Essie had a new collection of chrome-finish polishes out and only when I saw them hiding on a back shelf near the lotions did I finally realize! There are five colors, I believe. Or at least there were five colors available when I found these. In this collection you'll find a silver, a gold, a steely blue, a rose, and this bright brushed-copper shade. I passed on all but Penny Talk mainly because I already have China Glaze Millenium and 2030 which are spectacular silver and gold chromes respectively. I also passed on the blue and the rose because I have other similar China Glaze polishes from the Romantique collection. That left this copper, and while I've already got a copper chrome, CND Copper Chrome, this is very different and even more beautiful in my opinion. 

While CND Copper Chrome is very metallic as well, it's a lot more warm and orangey whereas the more rosy Penny Talk is like a bright, newly-minted penny, or the glowing brushed copper of a new copper-bottom pot. You need to be careful to avoid brushstrokes in the finish, but as long as it's applied evenly and vertically, and as long as you give the first coat a couple minutes to fully dry before applying the second, you'll notice that most of the strokes disappear as the polish dried. Topcoat will make them reappear for a bit until it dries, but then the finish will be extremely metallic. I really recommend this polish. You may take or leave the other four, but this one is a must-see. 

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I'm telling you, the best thing I EVER did was shape my nails differently. For my entire life I've had square nails, and I always loved them and could never imagine my nails in another shape, but I got a wild hair and decided I wanted to try it. As they're growing, I refine the shape often trying to coax the tips into soft points, and I'm really enjoying them. There are so many nail designs that suit oval and pointed nails that never look right with squares like half-moons for instance, but now I'm enjoying the experimentation.

Anyway, for this look I used Sparitual Paradigm for the base color. It's a very thin and milky cream color and it makes the nails look perfect, even when underneath they may look like total crap. Ahem. Like my stained little claws, for example. Believe it or not, beneath Sparitual Paradigm and a coat of Color Club Milky White Base Coat, my nails are a disturbing shade of ear wax. This color is awesome, it's like the Spanx of the nail world. Then I used CND Copper Chrome to highlight the very tips and base of the nails. The result is almost like jewelry for the nails. I loved this.

Products used:

• Color Club Milky White base coat
• Sparitual Paradigm
• CND Copper Chrome
• Seche Vite topcoat

Products used:

• China Glaze Strong Adhesion Base Coat
• Illamasqua Muse
• CND Copper Chrome
• Black Striper Polish
• Seche Vite Top Coat

Here is a simple tribal nail design using Illamasqua Muse as a base. I used CND Copper Chrome for a stripe down the middle and then I used a black Striping polish to make the design over the copper. I thought the teal and copper were made for each other!

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CND Copper Chrome $4.50 at transdesign.com

After my great experiences with CND's new formula with the Night Factory set and Anchor Blue, I bought a chrome finish just to check it out. It's hard to find a good chrome, and since most of China Glaze's are discontinued, I thought it was worth it to give it a whirl. Copper Chrome is a really warm gold, not quite a copper. Turns out it was a great buy because it's super metallic and great for Konading. One coat is enough, but I used two. It wears well and applies easily. The brushstrokes you see while applying really dry down well into a smooth finish. It's not the most flattering color alone but I think it'll come in handy for nail art. There's not much else to say about this polish, so I'll show you a couple more pics...

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Orly Fantasea - in Sally Beauty stores and online at transdesign.com

I ran into Sally Beauty because not only did they have that awesome Buy 2 Get 1 Free deal going on, but I also had a $5 coupon from renewing my Sally Card! I love a deal, but not as much as I love a beautiful and unique polish. I had seen Fantasea before, but for some reason it really popped out at me this time, so I picked it up. What a great pick for Spring! Part Spring flowers, part shimmery sunshine. I guess I assumed it would be more pigmented than it is, because it's unbelievably sheer. The base of the shade is a pinked purple then the copper flash starts to come out at about coat two. What you see above is about 4 coats and I could've used 5. The overall effect is wonderful, though I'd really like to try this over an opaque purple like China Glaze Spontaneous! Wanna see more pics? Click to see 'em!

Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure - around $8 in drugstores

Recently, I picked up two of this new-ish formula of polish from Sally Hansen, the first being Gray by Gray, which I love. I also picked up this amazing copper because I'd just read this post from KellieGonzo where she told us about two polishes she didn't love. One of them was a LA Colors color called Copper. Though she didn't love it, I realized I needed a rich copper polish in my life, so I lucked into seeing this sitting beside Gray by Gray in a Walgreen's dislplay. The shade was called Haute Chocolate, obviously, so my mind started wandering. "I wonder if this is the same as the Haute Chocolate from the last Salon range?... I wonder how this compares to Romeo & Joliet..." etc... I don't care if you'd call it copper, rust, or chocolate; I love this polish. Like Gray by Gray, I found that the formula of this polish was incredibly similar to that of Rescue Beauty Lounge polishes; namely smooth and pigmented enough for one-coat perfection. The color is definitely a deep copper with some rusty tendencies in the shimmer. The finish isn't really frosty, though in the flash photos it does appear to have that leaning. In person, though, it's a smooth subtle shimmer that glistens a bit in the sun and is rich and mysterious in the shade. You'd probably think that it would be ideal for Fall, and you'd be right, but this would also be an amazing accompaniment to Summer bronzes and on deeply tanned skin.

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