China Glaze Side Saddle

This one's from a little ways back, but I have yet to try any polishes from this Rodeo Diva collection and have been saving them for fall. Up first is Side Saddle, a plummy brown with gold sparkle. When the sun hits this color, the gold really comes through and the brown lightens up to a more red-based purple. Indoors, it looks like a pretty, warm dark brown. I love this color!

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Deborah Lippmann Don't Tell Mama, plus comparisons!

It felt as though I had been on a green hiatus, so I had to bust this one out of my untrieds for this warm fall day. Don't Tell Mama is described as a "mood ring blue/green" on Lippmann's website, but in the bottle it really seemed deeper than that - inky, almost. On the nail, it is like a blackened teal - not so black that you don't see the green tone, but definitely "moodier" than your typical jewel tone.

Lippmann polishes tend to be "jellyish" to me, going on light with coat number one and deepening in intensity with each coat thereafter. This polish, however, was fully opaque in ONE coat as you'll see in some later swatches.

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Deborah Lippmann - Hit Me With Your Best Shot

Described as a "glistening gun metal (shimmer)", this is my first foray into blackish polishes. I felt like this one wouldn't ever look too black, and I was right even though some of these pictures show otherwise. It's jelly-ish in finish, like most Lippmanns are, so it's not that intense and the shimmer really keeps the gunmetal gray from ever showing up as black. The shimmer, to me, comes from what looks like tiny multi-colored shimmer particles - it really does look like that sparkling finish in some car paints or, I suppose, in actual gunmetal (though I wouldn't know!)

Anyway, read on for swatches, a couple with some bad tipwear (apologies!)

Topped with Lippmann's Addicted to Speed topcoat.

Rescue Beauty Lounge - Poco A Poco

This is the third and last polish I purchased from the Firebird Collection by Rescue Beauty Lounge - I am going to try to pick up Fortissimo later, though.

I don't have a lot of pinks, and the ones I do have tend to go on my toes rather than my tips. But this one was intriguing with its hint of orange shimmer. The pink and orange made me think of sunsets and mai tais - what a great combo! According to the website, Poco A Poco is "the stunning, sparkling pink of a fanning cloud when the red and orange rays of the sun are trying to burst through."

As you can see from my indoor swatches, the orange shimmer doesn't really translate inside (even less than in Piu Mosso), and the polish looks like a cool pink cream. You can just barely see any shimmer in it at all, and it doesn't look orange. Still a pretty shade, though.

Outside, in the sunlight, it's a whole different animal. These pics show the orange shimmer a little more, in my opinion. It makes me think of popsicles and summer time! Awesome!

The formula was good, a little streaky at two coats so I did three. I am surprised I like this one as much as I do, but I think Pizzicato is my fave from the collection so far. Enjoy!

Rescue Beauty Lounge - Bruised

I have had this polish sitting in my untrieds bin for a couple of months, waiting for fall before I dug it out. Well, the first day of fall came and went, and even though it doesn't feel like fall yet, I had to bust this polish out this weekend. It's so perfect for fall - a muted, browned, darker red shade. On the nails, it didn't disappoint. I love it from a distance, and up close!

The formula, for me, was good but not great. I probably should have done two coats, rather than three, but didn't have time. I also had some minor chipping after the first day. But it's a shade I really love and I don't have anything like it (I feel like I always say this), so I will definitely be wearing this again soon!