Lacquer. Nail lacquer. TPS likes it ever so much. Lacquer is just fun to say. How did TPS fall in love with the lacquer? It's a semi-long story...
Just this past Labor Day weekend, TPS found herself in Tucson, AZ. A Northern girl all her life, TPS does not generally enjoy stifling heat, so she spent as much time as she could in the pool or near air conditioning. A lovely lady friend suggested that they beat the heat by getting mani/pedis at a nearby salon. Now can you believe that prior to 8.31.06, TPS had NEVER had a pedicure in her ENTIRE life? (Shocking, but true.) Needless to say, she has scheduled them monthly ever since.
As you may have gathered, TPS is hardly a wilting flower, especially when it comes to color. At that first appointment, she chose OPI Black Onyx (glossy black) for her toes and China Glaze Gun Metal (a lovely pewter) for her fingers. She learned her first lesson of the mani/pedi: everyday life (ok, and a chlorine pool) wreaks havoc on your manicure, but any pedi worth its salt lasts a good month before chipping.
For her next appointment, TPS rounded up a couple of girlfriends and went to a nearby salon. Her eye was drawn to a most sparkly blue, lighter than royal blue but not nearly baby blue. One of her girlfriends selected another sparkle for her own toes, but in a lush, deep red - exactly the shade of Dorothy's ruby slippers. (TPS was positively green that she hadn't seen the color first, but does not begrudge her friends their beauty discoveries.) At work the next day, a co-worker admired the sparkly blue fingernails on TPS and asked the name of the color. TPS was HORRIFIED - she hadn't even LOOKED at the name! Honestly, clever color names are often a deciding factor when TPS picks new products. TPS immediately flew to the web and searched for China Glaze color names. It was here that LACQUER caught TPS in its sticky grip, forever altering her beauty vocabulary.
Conducting a myriad of of failed searches, TPS finally found what she was looking for. China Glaze had a collection of nail lacquers called "The Wizard of Ooh-Aahz". The sparkly blue was named "Dorothy Who?", after Dorothy's gingham pinafore. Her friend's sparkly red? "Ruby Pumps", of course!
Sadly, "Dorothy Who?" and the rest of the collection are discontinued. Only "Ruby Pumps" escaped to become a classic color for China Glaze. At about $3 per bottle, "Ruby Pumps" is the greatest glitter nail lacquer ever made. It creates a sumptuous glow instead of a glaring disco-ball finish. This is grown-up glitter, ladies - it's just that sexy! For best results, apply base coat, 2-3 color coats and a nice, thick top-coat. The top-coat prevents the glitter from feeling sandy. Another tip: plain old OPI clear coat is the best top-coat TPS has ever used. Her manicures last much longer when she uses it.
China Glaze, like OPI, has a really great brush that allows for even color application. It also costs much less than OPI, but that will hardly TPS from her beloved OPI Lincoln Park After Dark! Whew! All this talk about nail lacquer has got TPS all revved up for her manicure this weekend. TPS is also getting her first leg wax ever, so she will dutifully report upon her return.
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