And when I say this, I mean Polish Police’s version of the Avengers – an epic nail polish adventure that made my jaw drop.

It started with an e-mail from James, James who brought home my first RBLs, who has made trips to American Apparel for me, James who actually met Ji Baek and who charms sales associates everywhere, James who tirelessly searched New York for my Chanel Les Khakis, who surprised me with these goodies from H&M and Europe. He was going to be in New York, he said. Did I want him to look for anything?

Yes! I said. Dior Bikini.

Then it hit me. Petah (you know Petah my beloved polish elf – he surprised me with MAC Wonder Woman, he helped me get my bottles of Chanel Les Jeans, he found St. Tropez when it was crazy elusive, he bowled me over with the Deborah Lippmann Edge of Glory Set, he helped me get my dose of Dior Anselm Reyle, he used his magic to get me Chanel Gold Fingers, he completed my Thakoon by NARS rainbow) was still holding on to some bottles of polish for me – maybe James could bring them home too?

Sure, James said. Sure, Petah said.

And while I was on the other side of the world, the two conspired to make my polish dreams come true. James and Petah had only met once before – when Petah invited James to an Oscars party at his apartment – but that didn’t stop them from working together to rock my world. Yes, they are incredibly sweet. And yes, I am incredibly lucky.

It’s not as simple as James getting the stuff from Petah and flying back to Manila. James is currently based in Abu Dhabi. He was getting the stuff from Petah, flying back to Abu Dhabi and asking one of his flight attendant friends to bring the goods to Manila. That meant my bottles were going to be racking up miles. Crazy? Yes. Awesome? Hell yes.

The package arrived in Manila on a Tuesday but I was out of town. I returned on Thursday, went straight to work and after long hours spent in the office, I came home to this.

And these packages were inside.

I started with Petah’s goodies.

Now the coffee isn’t for me – those are Jill’s – but I am staking a claim on those M&Ms.

I love Pretzel M&Ms. Love them. I’m a sucker for that deadly mix of sweet and salty.

Then I ripped into this heavy box. It was heavier than I thought it would be.

It was packed solid.

I picked up this box that was beautifully wrapped with red tissue.

I opened it and gaped.

Petah had gotten Sephora’s Pantone Universe nail polish set for me! How did he know I wanted this? I never told him! I had seen photos of this but I wasn’t prepared for how pretty (and big!) the bottles are in real life! So awesome and so orange! And I’ve been on a crazy orange kick! Love love love.

There are more reasons that I love this set – Pantone shades always remind me of Petah and his Brooklyn apartment is orange and blue. Pantone + orange + Petah = perfection.

Petah was only supposed to send the bottles he had been keeping for me. I should have known he would grab the chance to surprise me. He just blows me away every time.

Now these next gifts have given me a bit of a dilemma. It’s actually kind of funny too. Petah bought these Ciate Caviar Mani sets when they came out. I had no idea he did – they were supposed to be a surprise. Then the whole Ciate cease and desist mess happened and I posted this. And Petah ended up surprised. He sent me an e-mail telling me he had gotten them for me and they were already with James. He said I could ship them back to him and he’d return them to Sephora because he didn’t want me playing with something I didn’t believe in. I told him I’ll send them back. But then they arrived.

I didn’t like the way Ciate handled that incident and I hate that the whole mess tainted Petah’s surprise. But all that was eclipsed by Petah’s sweetness. Now I don’t know if I want to return these boxes. Petah said it’s totally up to me. What do you think?

You remember Petah’s Easter surprise?

Kate Spade’s Florence Broadhurst-inspired nail polish set is just as pretty as I imagined. I love it.

Petah also sent me a bottle of Oil Slick.

And these Deborah Lippmann bottles I won on Ebay – Stardust, Nefertiti and Marquee Moon. I still can’t believe I won Stardust and Nefertiti for just $10. Yes, I got them for just $5 each!

I won these Chanels on Ebay too – the older version of Pulsion (my other bottle is pink), Gold Lame (my Chanel Noir Et Or Paris-Shanghai Collection is now complete! ) and Magnolia Rose.

Then there were these bottles of Lynnderella that Petah had been keeping safe for me for ages.

I seriously love Lynn.

She is kind and generous (I love what she did for Friends of Rabbits) and she’s super talented.

I can’t wait to play with these. And I can’t wait to see her next creations.

This was the explosion of polish, thanks to Petah.

I think we need a shot with the M&Ms.

But we’re not done yet.

We still have the goodies from James.

I smiled when I saw the Chex Mix. James knows I love cheddar Chex Mix.

But I didn’t know he knew I loved Ritz Crackers and Cheese.

And Rice Krispie Treats!

And Kit-Kats!

And gummi candy!

And Kinder Joy! I love Kinder anything – Bueno, Joy, Surprise.

When he found out that I had opened the package, James sent me an e-mail explaining his choices:

On my last day in NY, I was thinking of getting you something special. Went around diff stores, but couldn’t find the perfect present. Then hours later, I don’t know why of all places, I decided on… Duane Reade! I got a basket and started grabbing little treats — so happy you actually like them. Can’t believe you love those RItz crackers with the spread. There were 3 left on the rack (and guess who ate 1 of them, lol sorry).

This made me laugh because I have a weird thing for Duane Reade. When I went to New York for the first time, the first thing I did was spend over a hundred dollars at Duane Reade. I bought Advil in teeny vials, little rolls of Tums, Tide to Go, Off towelettes, cold and cough medicated strips, bottles of Essie, black eyeliner and magazines. And since then, Duane Reade has held a special place in my heart. Even on subsequent trips to New York, I always had a hard time resisting the lure of Duane Reade. Back when Petah still lived in Jackson Heights, Jill and I stopped at the Duane Reade near his apartment practically every night.

James also went to Sephora.

Actually, he went to a lot of Sephoras in his attempt to find Dior Bikini. But I should let him tell you his story.

That Dior Bikini was impossible to find! I was hunting for it during the entire trip (everywhere: Sephora stores, from Upper East to Soho, Macy’s, Bergdorf’s, Bloomies) and on my last day was ready to give up and just find another bottle for you. So I went to the Sephora in Fifth Av with your WANTED list saved on my phone, and went through the racks. Found 2 that’s on the list, fortunately!

James got Illamasqua Throb and Dior Incognito for me.

And that’s not all.

Hours before heading to the airport, I went to the Time Warner Center to pick up takeout goodies from Bouchon Bakery (awesome desserts and little knickknacks) to bring with me home back to Abu Dhabs. I had a little snack at one of their open tables and from there spotted a Sephora on the floor below. How did I not know there was one here?? It was 9.45am, still closed, but two women were already loitering in the entrance. Long story short, I was customer#3 and they had 1 bottle left of Bikini (not even displayed, but inside the drawers). Lucky!!

Yes, he found Bikini for me too. I’m still amazed at the great lengths he and Petah go to surprise me and help me find the shades on my wish list.

I cannot say it enough.

James is awesome. (And so so sweet.)

This was the explosion of sweetness from James.

Here’s a look at all the polishes together.

Crazy, I know.

And here’s a look at all the goodies together. You can’t blame me for being overwhelmed.

Like I told James and Petah, it felt like Christmas AND my birthday.

I can’t wait to show you swatches of all these bottles. I’ve started swatching but this week is going to be pretty crazy. I’m leaving for South Africa today but I’m keeping my fingers crossed I’ll have time to write new posts while I’m there. We’ll see.

Thank you, James and Petah (and thank you, Jar, who brought this epic package to Manila). I am so so lucky to have them both in my life. It’s more than just bottles of polish and bags of snacks. It’s the love and care and thoughtfulness and sweetness that really overwhelm me.

I’ve worn these pretty blues a few times since then but I’ve been wanting to play with my Les Jeans de Chanel bottles some more.

When I saw this awesome gradient nails tutorial on The Nailasaurus, I knew I wanted to try it.

I love that this look can be created with any random sponge – yes, the kind you can buy at the supermarket for practically nothing.

I assembled my tools.

And it turns out that I went overboard. I didn’t need the tape after all.

I chose Coco Blue and Blue Boy. Coco Blue would be my base, Blue Boy would be the accent color.

After cutting my sponge into smaller pieces, I followed The Nailasaurus’ instructions. I painted my nails with Coco Blue and waited for it to dry. Before proceeding to the next step, I put hand cream around my nail and cuticle area for easier cleanup.

Then I began the fun part – the drop, blend and dab.

Now you know about my horrible nail art skills. But after a couple of attempts, I actually liked how it turned out.

I dragged the sponge along the top part of my nails to create those lines.

I love how the effect made them look like acid-washed jeans.

And while acid-washed anything is a trend I abandoned in the 80s, I am totally cool with rocking it on my nails.

And I knew it was cool because Jill, who is usually ambivalent about my nail-related experiments actually seemed impressed.

“How did you do that?” she asked. But it wasn’t me, it was The Nailasaurus.

It’s not perfect but I really like this mani.

I enjoyed it because it was super fun to do.

And it’s awesome that it made me fall even more in love with two colors I already love.

I would totally do this again. In fact, I’m already thinking of other possible color combinations.

Check out the tutorial here. Chanel’s Les Jeans Collection is still available at Rustan’s Department Stores.

Kuroko comes in this pretty NARS box.

It would make a great gift – just add a ribbon and you’re good to go.

And here’s what’s inside.

Four mini NARS polish bottles. The shades inspired by Japanese theater. I love how these colors really do remind you of kabuki.

Let me show you swatches of the four shades.

This is Shiro-Nuri.

Shiro-Nuri is a super glossy white creme.

I’m not kidding when I say it’s glossy.

It might even be glossier than NARS Ecume and NARS Ecume is already very glossy.

It’s a stark white, it’s really white and it makes me look more tan than I am.

I like that this isn’t sheer at all, that it’s a nice rich white.

I used three coats to get it smooth.

I like it.

Senryou is a shimmery gold polish.

I love this. Love this.

As I was painting my nails, my first thought was “I wish they’d release this in a full-size bottle.”

This polish has a foil finish and has gold and silver sparkle.

I think it’s the gold twin of Space Odyssey, another NARS polish I love.

The formula was lovely.

I used three coats.

I really love this polish.

This is Kata.

Kata is a super glossy black polish.

Let me say that again: it’s super glossy.

You know I love a good black polish.

And Kata has instantly joined my list of favorites.

It’s super rich, super smooth and super glossy.

The formula was fantastic.

I could have gotten away with one coat but I went for two.

Love.

This is Yoshiwara.

You know what I’m going to say.

Yoshiwara is a super glossy red.

Stress on the glossy.

I love how crazy shiny this red is.

Yoshiwara is Kata’s red twin.

Same fantastic formula.

Same insane shine.

I love it.

Love love love it.

I used two coats.

If my nail art skills weren’t embarrassingly bad, I would have done a kabuki-inspired manicure using these colors. They would be perfect. Maybe with a little practice I can give it a shot in the future.

NARS Kuroko Kabuki Mini Nail Polish Coffret is available at NARS counters and boutiques at Rustan’s Department Stores.

I ripped into it and gawked at the prettiness.

I know these four shades weren’t released in the same collections.

But man, do they look good together.

Like neon candy for your nails.

These colors just glow. I couldn’t wait to play with them.

This is Jo’mina.

Illamasqua describes this as “electric lilac.”

That’s the perfect description.

I’ve wanted Jo’mina for a while now – it topped my extremely long Illamasqua wish list.

And I used to look for it at Sephora stores in the U.S. but I never found it there.

Now I knew she was going to be pretty (I had stared at about a million swatches) but I still wasn’t prepared for how beautiful she really is.

Jo’mina is such a bright and happy lilac. I tried but these photos just don’t show how intense this color is.

And the formula was amazing. AMAZING. I used two perfect, easy, problem-free coats.

This is Gamma.

Gamma is a neon orange.

And I love it.

You know how a lot of neons can be such a pain? How they go on super sheer that you have to use multiple coats to get it completely opaque?

Not Gamma.

Like Jo’mina, the formula was amazing.

Two coats and I was done.

This color drove my camera crazy too. The pictures show a tinge of red but nope, Gamma is an orange through and through.

And it’s such a wearable neon orange. I love it.

This is Radium.

Radium is described by Illamasqua as “acidic lime, shimmer finish.”

I love this color.

Radium just drove my camera crazy.

In real life it has more yellow in it than these photos show. It’s also less neon than it appears here.

I used three coats of Radium. But I didn’t mind at all because the formula was fantastic.

I love Radium’s shimmer, it just makes the color even more interesting than it already is.

It’s an unusual shade of green.

I love it.

And now, Collide.

Collide is “bright neon pink, satin finish.”

I love it.

I love the bright punch of color.

It’s such a wearable neon too.

And, like Gamma, the formula was fantastic.

I used two coats.

Now these colors were just begging to be worn together.

You know I couldn’t resist.

I had to do a skittles mani.

But I decided to add black polish to give my skittles an edge. I didn’t bring Boosh with me (another Illamasqua polish that I just love) so I used Kata from NARS’ Kuroko Nail Polish Set.

And because I love this mani so much, here are about a thousand more pictures.

And I’m not the only one who loves this mani. It’s an attention grabber.

I’ve been wearing my skittles for four days now (which shows just how much I love it) and people – both friends and strangers – have stopped to take notice of them.

They’ve also been photographed twice.

Crazy.

Check out the Illamasqua website and follow the brand on Twitter. And if you love a great deal, I have good news – Illamasqua is offering five nail polish shades for just £7.50 each today and there will be five more shades announced every day until Monday. Are you ready to shop? I am.

I like this video. I like that they didn’t feel the need to do crazy close-ups of the model’s nails, that the polish shades dazzle from a distance – because that’s really how other people see our manicures. And I like how the different outfits matched each polish. That McQueen piece Saskia wore with Distraction is gorgeous. I’d wear that every day if the universe would let me.

Now on to the swatches.

This is Frisson.

Check out that gold shimmer.

Chanel describes Frisson as “soft pink with golden flashes.”

Yup, that’s exactly what it is.

Frisson is a pretty soft pink with gold sparkle.

We know how sometimes subtle shimmer can disappear once the polish is on the nails but that’s not the case here.

The pretty sparkle is visible on the nails too.

It’s really pretty.

I love how soft and sweet this shade looks.

The formula was lovely.

Although it is sheer and jelly-like, it gave me zero problems.

It went on smooth with no streaking.

I used three coats.

I wanted to compare Frisson with my other soft and sparkly pink Chanels.

They may be pink, soft and sparkly but they aren’t dupes for Frisson. Mica Rose is lighter with finer shimmer. Pink Satin is lighter, a lot more sheer and has a pink sheen. Mistral is a tad darker and has pretty iridescent glitter along with the gold sparkle. Morning Rose is darker too.

This is Island.

Island is one of the three shades from Chanel’s Summer Collection.

It’s an opalescent pearly beige.

I can see hints of pink and lilac in the bottle too.

On the nails, Island is a pretty pearlescent beige.

Although I think the pink might show a little more against other people’s skin tones.

The formula is nice, not streaky at all.

But this finish will show brushstrokes so careful application is a must.

I used three coats but two could work too.

Chanel Island is one of those pretty shades that can work from day to night.

It’s work-appropriate but can rock with a party dress too.

I took out some of my other pearly and shimmery Chanels to compare.

Golden Sand is a lot more bronze. Violette is pearly too but leans purple and lilac. Trapeze is a shimmery silvery beige. Gold Shimmer is bronze and more shimmery (it’s also a lot more similar to Golden Sand).

Chanel’s Summer Collection and Levres Scintillantes Roses Ultimes de Chanel Collection will be available at Rustan’s Department Stores next week. Chanel’s Les Jeans Collection is at the counters now. If you don’t own Coco Blue, Blue Boy and Blue Rebel yet, check them out.

But I was missing one more shade – Lal Mirchi.

The gorgeous shade inspired by the red chili, the hottest flavor on earth. The shade that would only be available at the NARS boutique on Bleecker Street in New York.

I needed it and I knew exactly who could help me. Petah my Polish Elf.

“I’m on it,” he said.

And weeks later, on the day the entire Thakoon collection became available, Petah went to Bleecker.

I woke up to this awesome e-mail from him:

From: Petah the Polish Elf

To: Pammy

Subject: Can you grow a sixth finger?

Date: Wednesday, May 2, 2012, 10:00 a.m.

First of May means another elf expedition. So I went to NARS after work and got your exclusive(x2).
Lo and behold, Lal Mirchi is coming.

❤
: – Petah

And the best part? Petah did not just get one bottle of Lal Mirchi, he got two – one for me and one for Miss Bun. And the timing was perfect. She needed cheering up because this horrible thing happened.

Thank you, Petah. Once again, you’ve rocked my world (and Bun’s). And thanks to you, my Thakoon for NARS rainbow is complete. Now I need to go and figure out how to grow a sixth finger.

Thakoon for NARS will be available at Rustan’s Department Stores in May. These shades are now up on www.narscosmetics.com.

This is far from complete – I still have a number of RBL nudes on my wish list. I intend to add them to my collection soon although some are sold out like Pippa and Om. Heartbreak.

Now these babies have been sitting in my Helmer for months, usually ignored in favor of my big RBL loves like 360, Bangin, Catherine H., Pizzicato and Iconoclast.

But some weeks back, I felt the strange urge to wear nudes and neutrals on my nails. I wore Pink B.Cause and loved it. Medium White captured my heart. Lulu had me staring at my nails for a long time. I slowly realized that each nude, neutral and pale pink had her own personality, just like the other RBL shades I adore. I made the mistake of ignoring them for too long and now I wanted to get to know them – to see how they looked on my nails and how similar and different they are.

And so I began my swatchfest. Here are eight of RBL’s nudes, neutrals and pale pinks.

Let’s start with Medium White, which is exactly what the name says – a medium white sheer polish.

Ji says you should wear Medium White “when you want something in between clear and a definite color.” She describes it as “Innocent and pretty. Perfect for brides or newly engaged with a ring to show off.”

Now I’m not a bride and I’m not newly engaged but that didn’t stop me from wearing this beauty. And instead of a ring, I decided to wear it with my Hello Kitty Doc Martens. (Call me crazy but I prefer Docs over diamonds.)

Now I’m pretty sure Medium White is supposed to be worn a lot sheerer than this but I’m a stubborn girl so I tried to make it as opaque as possible.

I used four coats.

And although it started patchy, I realized that waiting a few minutes between coats worked miracles.

I was left with a super clean-looking and pretty mani that I just loved.

This is Pink B.Cause.

Ji created Pink B.Cause for b.cause, a non-profit organization that advances charitable causes of salon owners.

Described by Ji as “the color of the inside of a seashell,” Pink B.Cause gives your nails a soft and pretty touch of milky pink.

Pink B.Cause is more opaque than Medium White.

I love how soft and pretty it looks.

I used three coats.

Next is Sheer Nude.

Ji says, “Like an ultra sheer stocking, this polish makes your fingers look sleek, glossy and very very expensive.”

Contrary to what its name suggests, Sheer Nude isn’t really sheer.

In fact it was opaque after two coats.

I like its subtle shimmer.

Pretty and very work-appropriate.

This is Opaque Pink.

Ji describes this as “Magnolia Bakery cupcake frosting pink.”

Despite the name, Opaque Pink is pretty sheer.

After three coats you can still see my nail line.

But I love its formula.

It wasn’t streaky at all.

And I love how it makes my nails look all ladylike.

Sophisticated but subtle.

And on to Ani, the shimmery wonder.

Ji describes this as “a shimmery semi-transparent golden beige.”

That’s exactly what it is.

I love that silvery shimmer ribbon running through Ani.

Ji is right – Ani makes it look like you dipped your fingers in nacre.

Lovely formula too. I used two coats.

This is Smitten.

I like Ji’s description of this color: “Angora, princess phones, Molly Ringwald movies. This is the light lilac pink that would have won Andrew McCarthy’s heart.”

I like that Smitten isn’t a boring pink.

That hint of lilac gives it an edge.

It’s pretty.

It can look more lilac or pink, depending on the lighting.

I used three coats.

This is Sweet Sixteen.

I thought this description was adorable. “Remember the first lipstick your mom allowed you to wear? It was soft pale pink and made your lips look like rosebuds. It tasted like cotton candy and when you wore it, your boyfriend said you were a good kisser. That’s this color.”

Now I never wore lipstick as a kid. And if I kissed a boy when I was sixteen, my mom would have kicked my ass (so I waited until I was seventeen). But I was charmed by this description (and yes, by the cotton candy – I love cotton candy).

I was charmed by the polish too.

I love that it exudes a playful innocence.

It’s a shimmery pretty pale pink and, for some reason, it reminds me of sugar and candy.

The polish equivalent of pigtails – and no one will tell you you’re too old to be wearing it.

I used two coats.

And now, Lulu.

Ji describes Lulu as a “glossy pink peony polish.”

Lulu is a pinkish white and yes it is super glossy.

I fell for this one hard. It was instant love.

I love how pretty it is and how clean it looks.

Now when I need a break from crazy colors, I know which bottle to pick up.

I used three coats.

Visit Rescue Beauty Lounge’s website, like the brand’s Facebook page, follow Ji on Twitter and check out her Tumblr too.

The collection also included Chanel Fantastic and Gold Fiction, the shade that got the most attention when all three first came out. These colors were among Peter Philips’ first creations for Chanel and that makes them extra-special in my book.

Thanks to my nail polish fairy who magically sent Kaleidoscope my way (and made my jaw drop), I now own all three. And while I love Gold Fiction and Fantastic, I can say that Kaleidoscope is my favorite.

And not just because I’ve been lemming it forever.

I love how complex Chanel Kaleidoscope is.

Chanel described it as a green-gold but that’s not all it is.

It can look silver, it can look pewter depending on the light.

I love it so much.

It’s like the silvery version of Peridot, another Chanel shade I adore.

The formula was perfect.

I used two coats.

Kaleidoscope has completely captured my heart.

I love it so much I want to wear it every day but I’m afraid I’d use it all up.

And that’s how I know it’s true love.

I’ve never been this worried about using up a bottle of polish before.

I brought out another Chanel shade I love to compare.

Even in the bottle you can see the two are quite different.

Chanel Graphite is very different from Kaleidoscope. Both shades are metallic but the finish is different. Graphite’s multi-colored glitter and micro-shimmer make it appear grittier than Kaleidoscope even though both shades are smooth to the touch.

The colors are different too. Graphite is a silvery grayish pewter while Kaleidoscope has a silver/antique gold/ green/pewter thing going on.

I love them both.

]]> http://www.polishpolice.com/2012/05/01/chanel-kaleidoscope/feed/ 4 http://www.polishpolice.com/2012/05/01/fish-egg-friday/ http://www.polishpolice.com/2012/05/01/fish-egg-friday/#comments Mon, 30 Apr 2012 18:11:01 +0000 pam http://www.polishpolice.com/?p=5122 When I first saw photos of Ciate’s Caviar Manicure, I had two immediate thoughts:

1. I would buy bottles as soon as they were available so I could swatch them for this blog.

2. While waiting for bottles to be available, I would find microbeads and attempt to recreate the look for less for people who wouldn’t have access to Ciate/wouldn’t want to pay the $25 price tag.

A number of other nail bloggers had the same idea. They posted tutorials on creating your own caviar nails using microbeads from craft stores. This did not sit well with Ciate. They sent letters to some bloggers, asking them not to use the words “caviar manicure” or “caviar nails” because Ciate is in the process of applying to register these trademarks around the world.

I had two immediate thoughts:

1. Applying to register a trademark is not the same as owning a trademark.

2. I really did not like the sound of that letter. What was that part about “avoiding confusion from the point of view of our customers”? Did they just mean they didn’t want people to know they can achieve the same manicure without splurging on their products?

And after a little Googling, I found out that Ciate didn’t even invent caviar manicures, the Dashing Diva nail team and celebrity nail tech Pattie Yankee created the look for the Mercedes Benz Fashion Week as early as February 2011. And bloggers have been playing with polish and microbeads long before those first images of Ciate’s caviar mani appeared.

Ciate made a big mistake sending out those letters. You don’t see Chanel kicking up a shitstorm when people try to find cheaper alternatives to their limited edition shades. They know no matter how many Peridot dupes appear on the market, there will always be customers who would go for their product. The same could have been true for Ciate’s Caviar Nails. A handful of DIY tutorials online wouldn’t have stopped people from buying their products. If they didn’t piss them off.

I will definitely not be buying those caviar sets anymore.

And while I usually try to stay away from drama, this time, I felt like I had to make a stand. Because I don’t want some company to one day throw together bottles of polish and pieces of straw in pretty boxes and tell us we can’t use the words “splatter mani” anymore. Or sell polish with water and cups and claim they’ve trademarked “water marbling.” Ridiculous.

There was one great way to make a stand – by joining Fish Egg Friday, a blogger movement organized by Sammy of Nailasaurus earlier this month. A number of nail bloggers all posted their version of caviar nails on the same day – Friday the 13th. I wanted to join then but microbeads proved to be elusive in my part of the world (sadly, there are no Michaels stores here). So yes, this is a couple of weeks late.

And because it’s not a Friday, you can just call it Microbead Monday. Or Beluga Bonanza. Or Roe Roe Roe Your Boat. Whatever you want.

I finally found microbeads in two places – Ebay.ph and Landmark.

This set of six colors came from Landmark. I got it for P139 (roughly $3).

I brought out the polish shades I wanted to play with.

I got little containers too for catching the rest of the beads.

For my first Beluga mani, I chose a-england Camelot with a Chanel Kaleidoscope accent finger.

I applied a coat of Chanel Kaleidoscope and let it dry. Then, I applied a second coat of Kaleidoscope and before it dried, I poured silver beads over that nail.

It was surprisingly easy.

I wish it could have been more even though.

And I wish it didn’t have bald spots.

Still, it wasn’t bad for a first attempt.

Maybe next time I can dip instead of pouring – maybe that will get more beads onto my nail.

Maybe.

Here’s a close-up.

And while this isn’t a look I’d rock every day, I had fun doing it.

I had so much fun I wanted to do another one.

This time I chose Chanel Rose Exuberant as my base.

And I mixed three colors of the microbeads.

I painted all the nails with one coat of polish, let them dry and added another coat, painting the accent finger last.

And just like the first time, I poured the beads over the wet nail and then pressed them down.

I let stray beads fall into the little container so I could use them again.

I like how happy these colors look.

Check out more fish egg fun by some of my favorite bloggers: Nailasaurus, Nails and Noms, The Swatchaholic, Fashion Polish, The PolishAholic.

Thakoon for NARS Nail Collection.

Deborah Lippmann’s Mermaid’s Dream, On The Beach, Forget You and Candy Shop.

Dior Addict Extreme Color Block Collection.

Laura Mercier’s Tres Chic Collection.

and NARS Trouville.

• SpaRitual and Orly also has new colors arriving in May – SpaRitual’s Pigments Collection and Orly’s Feel the Vibe Collection.

• And since I have the full set of Dior Addict Extreme (thanks to Tatin who picked up a bottle of Incognito for me), I have my eyes set on this next Dior collection – Dior Summer Mix.

These four shades – Lagoon (blue), Acapulco (yellow), Calypso (coral) and Cosmo (pink) – will be released in June. I can’t wait. And I’m keeping my fingers crossed – I hope Rustan’s will bring in this collection too.

• You saw the big dose of polish love Miss Bun sent my way when my friend Giff returned from Hong Kong. Now you can read about what I made Giff bring to Hong Kong for her on her blog.

Here’s a quick preview:

Giff showed up with a HUGE bag that was heavy like bricks.

I peeked inside the bag and I saw what looked like a CABINET. That’s right. One with drawers that you put things in. BUT I was going to a film premiere, and I can’t go through this in the middle of the street!

Read the whole thing HERE.

• Last month, Style Weekend did a feature on fashion collectors and Polish Police was included.

Here’s my page:

Click here for the bigger file so you can read the interview.

I had fun answering Liza’s questions and reading about other women’s fashion addictions. It’s always good to know I’m not the only one with a crazy obsession.

• And last week, my editor asked me to write a piece for the newspaper’s Beauty Section. Nail polish is the new lipstick. Yes, yes it is. Naturally, I dove into the assignment with gusto. I had a lot of fun writing it.

Here’s a link to the online version.

• If you’ve been wanting to get a dose of Lynnderella (and you have a U.S. address), here’s one great way. Lynn donated a number of bottles of her Easter creation The Bunny Code to Friends of Rabbits, a non-profit organization that runs a sanctuary for sick, injured and abused rabbits.

If you donate $10 or more to the organization, you get a chance to win a bottle of The Bunny Code.

Follow @bunnymasseuse on Twitter to see the winners.

Having lost two beloved bunnies recently, I think what Lynnderella did is a wonderful thing. And the awesome thing is you can help out too.

• And finally, Illamasqua is looking for beauty with no limits. It doesn’t matter how old you are, Illamasqua wants you to join their revolutionary casting call. They are preparing for a campaign that will feature people of all ages – and you can be a part of it.

The competition is open internationally. Nominate yourself or someone else at www.illamasqua.com/beauty-before-age before May 15. Applicants must be available to attend an open casting mid-May 2012 and be ready for the shoot that will take place in London on May 23. Those who will be featured in the campaign will receive £500, a new Illamasqua make-up kit worth £500 and a framed photo of themselves like they’ve never looked before.

Ready, set, nominate.