Hello, readers! Long time now post. I've been ridiculously busy with life - you all know how it goes. I have tons to catch up on, including my 600 follower giveaway. Please bear with me while I play catch up and post things you may have already seen a million times by now! I'll try to throw in some current things as well. If you have any swatch/review requests, please feel free to contact me!



Onto the review...



I picked up a bunch of AA's new shades recently, and since I've been on an indefinite neutral phase, Dance was the first one I tried.

2 coats

Dance is a pale nude with a touch of pink. It's pretty neutral, not leaning too cool or too warm. It's squishy and sheer - probably could have used a third coat. The formula is nice and smooth, not too thick or runny. I had no issues with the application. I thought it might look very similar to Deborah Lippmann's Naked, but it is slightly paler and pinker.

1 coat over 2 coats of Dance, with flash

1 coat over 2 coats of Dance, natural lighting

Tart with a Heart is such a fun polish! It has gold, silver, and holo microglitter as well as round holo glitter all suspended in a clear base. It is on the thick side, but that doesn't hinder the application much. I love that it's dense enough to just do one coat for layering. I bet it could be opaque on its own in three.

2 coats

It's true: the polish inside is just as gorgeous as the bottle. This is such a fun shade of pink! While you may have something close or perhaps a total dupe, all of P&J's polishes smell like roses. How's that for a leg up on the competition? This applied beautifully and dried with a smooth, glossy finish.

This has been out since Spring, but I guess they are officially releasing it with the Autumn/Winter collection. This is great for those who missed out on it the first time around!








No More Waity Katie is an interesting polish. It's a sheer smoky grey with bright lavender glitter. I layered a coat of NMWK over Misa Office Polish-tics because I just didn't care for the swatches I'd seen of NMWK on its own. Here's Office Polish-tics by itself in case you're wondering:






Yep, it's that pigmented and awesome in just one coat. Many of my favorite one-coaters are by Misa. I love this shade so much! It's one of the few polishes I've worn several times.





In other news, today is my birthday! It does't really count because 23 is a nothing age, but I'm going to treat myself to a couple Lippmanns, I think. :)

As promised, here is the other half of Essie's 2011 Resort collection.

2 coats

Da Bush is definitely my favorite of the bunch. I'm a sucker for dusty cremes, and this one fits the bill. The warm, greyed-out green makes me think of the honey badger at night, hunting prey. I also love the formula. No problems whatsoever. I prefer this to Stranger Tides.

3 coats, 1coat Seche Vite

You almost got me, Essie. I *almost* fell in love with this whole collection, but Fair Game is one hurdle I can't get over. It's a steel blue with some green and lots of fine shimmer, I guess. The color is definitely interesting, but it's not my favorite. The formula is definitely not my friend. It was gloopy, and noticed it didn't do a great job self-leveling. I had to add a coat of SV to even it out. I will try this again, and I'm sure with a couple drops of thinner it will behave a lot more nicely.





Which shade do you love most from this collection? Was the Resort or Braziliant collection more applealing to you?

Dearest Francois,


I love your polishes. Really, I do. When your Spring 2011 collection was released, and Desperado showed up at my door, I was so excited! When I put it on, that excitement was crushed. Totally unflattering. I didn't even bother posting it on my blog, can you believe it? Well, fast forward a few months to your Summer 2011 collection. You decided on a bright white and *cries* a gold. I'm not sure if you know this, Francois, but I have a serious aversion to gold. Nevertheless, I still placed an order for them because I love your polishes. I was a little apprehensive when they arrived. I mean, after the Spring debacle, who would blame me? Fortunately, Ecumé was not a total let down.



Opaque in two coats, it really is a beautiful white. But that's just it - it's white! I'd totally sing a different tune if it were a one-coater, but it's not. I am still greatful that you were so kind to release something that I will actually wear, though. Even if it's just a white.




Kismet, on the other hand, brought back the trauma I had only recently recovered from (via the Spring debacle), and once again I find myself asking why? Why, Francois, do you insist on crushing my dreams? On me, Kismet is 3 coats of disaster and mayhem. There are no other words. None.



I know these shades must look good on someone, but since that someone is not me, I humbly request that you stop coming up with these shades.



Forever (or until you release another ugly gold) Yours,

Lola B. of BurbBeauty.com



P.S. Galion is a huge step in the right direction!





I'm glad I got that off my chest!



Love it? Hate? Let me know how you feel about this collection.