Thursday, April 8, 2010

Weird rambling mush and a buncha random Orly swatches

First off, I want to thank you all for all the kind words. I really do feel sad or like I'm letting people down when I can't post frequently or answer emails in a timely manner. I've gotten so much positive feedback over the years of blogging from messages telling me how much people like my pictures or how much my pictures help them with their polish choices, and it's been surreal and awesome to meet so many other people who love makeup and polish like I do.

The downside to that is that when I can't post as often as I want to, I feel like I'm not helping anymore, you know what I mean? I feel like when I'm just posting about random crap I like that it isn't helping anyone, like posting pictures of some old polish from 1997 that I love but no one can buy it anymore. I'm just trying to find balance, I think. One, to manage my time more responsibly (cause as much as I love it, this is a huuuuuge time vampire and I spend countless hours taking pictures of my own hands... productive, right?) and two, to not feel bad about posting random stuff I like on my own blog even though I know I'll get a bajillion emails saying "Where can I buy this??? Why do you post discontinued colors, you're a tease!!"

I really do love writing my blog, I love taking pictures of polish and recording my thoughts about it. And I really love the idea that somehow my blog helps someone halfway across the world find a new favorite polish. That's really cool. So, thank you for the support and all the good times. I'm not going anywhere!

So, yeah, I don't mean to get all weird and mushy and stuff... And now I feel all awkward and don't know how to transition into the rest of the post.... ummm.... uhh....

Look what my brother did to my Venus Flytrap! I don't think it really likes Caramel Apple flavored candy corn.

And now polish swatches!

You probably remember me talking about swatching my Orly collection a few months back. I made a lot of progress in spite of the complete lack of sunlight. I have a pretty big Orly collection that I have a love-hate relationship with. I love them cause they used to have tons of cool colors but I hate them because they take seventy-two years to dry.




Amethyst Decadence. Really cool looking polish. Sheer purple with silver flecks. I forget how many coats this was but I think it was four.

Buried Treasure. Frosty bronzy-brownish metallic. Kind of an old-fashioned 80's-90's color.

Fantasea. Quite honestly one of the best colors Orly has ever done. It has that 230-like red-pink-purple-gold iridescence that I love to see in polish. A little bit like OPI... Merryberry Mauve? One of those. Super awesome.


Ginger Lily. Truthfully, I only bought this for the name. Why for the name? You'd have to know me personally to know that :)


Cut The Cake. Blurry picture, cool polish. I don't normally go for the 'bridal collection' type polishes but this one is super pretty. It's sheer but it's made of little white-iridescent flecks of shimmer and they subtly change color with the angle.

Dazzle. I think this might be the third picture I've posted of this and I still can't get a good shot of it. It's your standard silver foil, but seems to have a little extra silver microglitter kick to it.

Flagstone Rush. Autumn! Changing leaves! The 90's! Brown lipstick!


Glam. A girl on the nail board made me fall in love with this. It's so hard to photograph. It's a deep wine red with silver glitter. Unique and hot. I always think of that girl when I wear this! Same with Essie Cloud 9.

Gogo. Pain in the ass to apply but a super hot color. Pure soft white with little bits of shimmer and silver glitter. You probably can't see the silver glitter in this picture, but it is in there. Very appropriate name, too, it makes me think of Go-Go boots.

Goth. Have I posted this before? I don't remember. Black with irregular silver glitter. One of my favorite black/silver combinations cause the glitter is all different sizes.

Hot House Flower. One of my most worn Orlys. Neon orange/coral with pink/violet iridescence. Picture doesn't do it justice.


Jungle Love. Ooh, old one, bonus! Why don't they make them like this anymore? This reminds me of an old Nat Robbins cream-to-powder eyeshadow I used to wear in high school. It's exactly the same color. I accidentally left it at Jill's house at a sleepover so I had to go everywhere looking for a new one. It creased like mad, it was horrible, but I wore the hell out of that shadow.

La Vida Loca. Another of my most-worn Orlys. Neon fuchsia with blue/violet iridescence.

Livewire. Super hot but one of the worst staining polishes EVER. I had neon yellow nails for a week after I wore this. It's barely-neon yellow with golden iridescent shimmer. Takes 3-4 coats and never dries but I love it so much.


I'll post more of my Orly collection sometime. That was fun.

57 comments:

  1. Nothing wrong w/ posting and writing about whatever you want! We'll still read it and ogle at your beautiful nails! :)

    Stay awesome, Scrangie! Missed you!

    Much Love,
    Belle

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  2. I have to say I find your blog incredibly useful, as I have to order a lot of polishes online, and its essential for me to be able to see good swatches and read what you think of the formula!

    Ellie <3
    missyellieuk.blogspot.com

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  3. You have some of the best Orlys ever!

    I finally got my hands on Hot House Flower on ebay after years of looking for it - it's HOT.

    Do you have Silent Night? It's an ooooooold one, a Starry Starry night dupe. Orly needs to bring that one back.

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  4. AWESOME swatches as usual Scrangie!!! <3

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  5. love those 90's Orly polishes! I had one called Forbidden Fruit (not the core line that might still be available) it was a rich blue toned rose red with gorgeous copper shimmer. There was a periwinkle with violet shimmer from the same collection, both amazing.

    nothin' but love for your blog :D

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  6. I like random posts every once in awhile! Don't tire yourself out swatching collection after collection.

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  7. I like the swatches as much as I love your plant and have missed your nails :D

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  8. Meh, don't say stuff like that. You're an icon and you should have some time off. We're not going anywhere either. ;)
    Thank you for your time! I love your blog!

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  9. Scrangie, your blog is very useful. Don't think that just because you need a break that you're letting people down. Heck, I liked your break. My "wishlist" had a break at the same time ;)
    You come first. Kk?
    ~Skulda

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  10. Gorgeous colors :) for some reason I wouldn't have picked HHF as a fave of yours but it's a pretty color. I don't know if Orly has the worst drying time I've come across but I'm never without my quick dry top coats when I use them :P

    On a sappier note... I always appreciate looking at your posts whether they are of the new up and coming collections or old favorites you dusted off. Of course we're going to want to know where we can get that fabulous color you're wearing but I can still enjoy ogling one I can't get ^.~ Personally I'd rather you post a little sporadically than burn yourself out and stop posting all together. Thanks for the eye candy!

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  11. " and two, to not feel bad about posting random stuff I like on my own blog even though I know I'll get a bajillion emails saying "Where can I buy this??? Why do you post discontinued colors, you're a tease!!""

    You're never going to be able to please all the people all the time, better to go your own course and please yourself than burn yourself out.

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  12. No worries about the lack of posting lately. As a fellow blogger I really know how it feels at times. Much love!

    Plus, that ivy green Orly is absolutely divine!

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  13. Lovely colors from Orly. I do find your swatches of polish very helpful. Thanks for posting these great looking Orly's. No matter what you post I always find interesting. Even if it's an old polish that can't be bought anymore. It's just neat to see what the color looks like. Sweet looking Venus Fly Trap....my husband used to have one years ago. It was interesting to watch....in a fun/creepy sorta way...lol!

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  14. woooooooooooooooooooooooow! Loved this post- you could do random spam posts for a month straight and I doubt many people would complain!


    I always look forward to any post you post. Whatever they are.........

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  15. I always say post about what YOU like - it makes blogging some much more fun! :) Keep up the good work and I hope you find that it's ok to post pics of your awesome collection even if its a color that isn't available any more - I think we all just enjoy looking at pictures of polish! Sending feel good vibes your way!

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  16. OMG!!! I have "Jungle Love", but it's just about on it's last legs. I'm still searching for something to replace it.

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  17. Wow, I totally want Hot House Flower. It's gorgeous! Is it still around?

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  18. Only post when you have time. Keep the blog fun for you so you don't lose your joy.

    I always wonder how you have time to swatch so many colors. I can barely paint my nails once a week. lol.

    I like the Venus Fly Trap. I bought one and tried to get it to grow so it could it the flies that sneak into my apartment. Sadly, it died. Guess a plant I only paid a $1 for at the dollar store didn't have much of a chance. Yours looks healthy.

    Love the Fantesea. So many great swatches in this post. Take care.

    Elizabeth

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  19. Some amazing colors here. Thanks for posting.

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  20. You do have the best swatches in blogdom but new polish collections are being dolled out to so many bloggers that by the 15th time I have seen them.....I have saw them.

    But the archive swatches Kill me! I am newer to the polish game and it does not bother me in the least that many cannot be purchased anymore. It allows me to research and hunt similar shades, and teaches me a lot more about the depth of polish shades.

    I like to share the love of polish from your world. Now if you really want to kill me, post a few pics of your stash! It would make me want to come over and play :)

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  21. I actually like it that you post pics from old collections -- things that you genuinely like or think are interesting. It makes me feel like part of a real community.

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  22. Scrangie, you know we all love your blog, and we all love you. It's not about the swatches as much as it is making a connection with someone who loves the same things we do (although I heart your swatches more than pie...and I LIKE pie.) Take all the time you need, and show us whatever moves you, when it moves you to do so. We'll be here. :)

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  23. You rock!! Whether you post once a day, once a week or once a month. We'll be here whenever you are here. We all have lives and if your not taking care of you first and foremost then you won't be able to leave weird rambling buncha random swatches of anything!! You have enough archives that if people miss you THAT much they can go through your archives and start from day one! You do YOU! Do what YOU like!! This is all about YOU...we're just little squirrels running around trying to get our next fix!! Be good to yourself, Scrangie!! XOXOXOXOXOXO

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  24. It's your blog, and above all it should be fun for YOU. So please don't worry/feel guilty about anything. We are just lucky to have your gorgeous pics and interesting comments - whenever you feel like posting them!

    Love those Orlys, now I want Fantasea ...

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  25. Your timing is perfect! I just swapped for my first Orly this week. Now I want Fantasea, Cut the Cake, Glam, and La Vida Loca. Plus, much cheaper that the Illamasquas I'm lemming. I personally love your blog and it always makes my day just a little bit brighter. Post whatever you like and I'm here :)

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  26. I love random posts! Thanks for posting Orly GoGo - I've been on the fence about that one but now I know I need it. :)

    LOVE the venus fly trap. I'm trying to get one myself!

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  27. Scrangie, i really really love reading ur blog so pls cont to write wateva u want k?

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  28. I pretty much agree with everyone else who says you rock, love the random musings and the older polish swatches (those especially!) Glad to hear you aren't going anywhere - you are not only the top polish blogger (IMO) but you have always been kind to other polish bloggers. I have MAD respect for you!

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  29. Fantasea, Hot House Flower and La Vida Loca are my favourites :D

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  30. I'm with Eeeradicator. I love your blog more than I love pie.

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  31. aw hell. We like everything you do! I remember I tried duping a kvd look you did.. I used the same colors but it looked like arse on me and I felt dumb but oh how nice your eye looked! lol

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  32. Your blog has been my inspiration, my go too when I am not sure if I want a polish and I LOVE the idea of random posts, older swatches and other things you like. It doesn't matter to me how often you post, as long as you POST. When you're inspired, when you have something to show us that wowed you or if you have a new collection to share.
    For this post: I've looked at Fantasea and put it back 15x, no more, tomorrow it is mine. Ginger Lily was always the one from the Bloom collection that kept grabbing me, but I've never grabbed it, tomorrow, I will.
    Glam and Jungle love = amazing
    Hot House Flower = yeeowza!
    Cut the Cake and Go-Go = girly stuffs!

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  33. oooh la vida loca looks like the polish version of mac stars n rockets! love it!

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  34. Fantasea is gorgeous! Btw, you are always so hilarious... Loved the random venus fly trap :D

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  35. Hii,

    I am kinda new to your blog, i love your swatches!

    Jeraldine from Singapore

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  36. You're much too hard on yourself, Scrangie. We luh whatever you post,whenever you post, b/c you're awesome. Are those Venus flytraps as scary as they are in Little House of Horrors..haha

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  37. I come to your blog because you have a personnality that strongly please me, you post quality pictures, you post oldies (I don't care not being able to buy them) and you just don't always post the collections you just received as a sample. Nah, the balance is good. And you helped me a lot in my polish choices. You're not going anywhere. Eh eh.

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  38. hey posting about discontinued ones is a good thing, keeps us off the streets searching for that one polish ;)but seriously, all colors are inspiring.

    Keep writing about the stuff that makes you happy, i must say that i like non pic items too :)

    hope to anjoy your lovely blog for a long long time :)

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  39. You shouldn't feel bad about posting random blogs! It's your blog, you can do what you wish with it :) x

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  40. All of these look great on you, especially Fantasea. Wow. And, I love your blog so much, no matter what you post. So what if it is a HTF or impossible to find color? If you have it and love it, show us! Keep up the great work as you see fit and we'll all be here for you!

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  41. Always love your site! I love seeing all the colours and various brands! Keep up the amazing work! I might not post much, but I am here daily checking your blog :)

    MissDeeCanada

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  42. if it brings any comfort, i like swatches of old polish.. it makes me look back of stuff i used to have :)

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  43. I'm one of those people "halfway around the world" that you've helped when it comes to picking out polishes! THANK YOU, and I love your swatches :)

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  44. Scrangie my Nail God. Please don't feel bad about not swatching as often or not answering emails etc. We readers realise that this is just a side project of your life and that REAL life is more important!!

    I ADORE your pictures. I have tried and failed so many times to take pictures of my NOTD. I think why do my cuticles look dead? why was my nail application so horrible - did I do this using my toes etc... your skills (not to mention nails) are AMAZING!! I mean why do you think people keep stealing your pics dude??

    YOU have inspired about 90% of my nail polish collection! I only have about 100 or so (I know that sounds like a lot but isn't really) but imagine - little old me in Australia buys according to your pictures + reviews...

    I have the entire China Glaze Rodeo collection because of you!

    I want to send you mega ♥ and tell you that everything's cool, we still love you and if you decide to take a break or stop - we'll miss you but life will go on!! Of course for my own selfish reasons I hope you never stop but if you do - that's cool too!!

    Massive props + ♥s

    BV

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  45. We love your blog! But we also know that you have a life just like we do, so whatever and whenever you can post, we appreciate it!

    Fantasea is one of my favorite polishes of all time!

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  46. Scrangie, I love seeing older / hard to find polishes on blogs. Where else are we going to get to see them? Please post what you want, I guarantee you're helping someone out there!! Plus, how fun is the search for a HTF polish? Great Orly swatches, I loooove Fantasea!

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  47. I love reading your blog and I've checked out your swatches for what to buy countless times. :)

    Still I think you should write about what you like and don't worry too much about being a public service. Blogging should be a fun hobby and not a chore. :)

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  48. I know what you mean about feeling like you need to meet certain expectations... on your own blog. My blog isn't nearly as big or well-known as yours, but I sometimes struggle trying to find the balance between what I want to post, what others want to see, and um, that silly thing called TIME. And yeah - my computer nearly crashed because I had so many pictures of my fingernails. Crazy. We love your blog - and less frequent posting is fine.

    I totally get the posting pictures of old favorites - I do the same. I have polishes 15-20 years old that no one is going to be able to find... so it is kind of like 'why are you showing me this thing I can't get? But I like the idea of keeping a visual collection of past and 'vintage' (to use the word very loosely) polishes. Once they dry up and get used up, we'll never be able to see that shade again, so its nice to have a visual collection.

    As for the Orlys, GORGEOUS!! Loving La Vida Loca - it is awesome. I tend to shy away from using my Orlys also because they take, like you said, 7 centuries to dry. The newer ones seem to be a bit better, but China Glaze has my heart because they dry so insanely fast.

    Thanks for being a polish inspiration and showing us your awesome collection, one post at a time. I love everything you post - even if it isn't polish related. Hey, you've become a household name around here - I'll call up my mom, sister, or best friend to tell her about a new polish and be like, "Check out Scrangie" and of course, she knows what I'm talking about (as opposed to my fiance, who still says, "What's a Scrangie?" I haven't converted him to the polish-side yet).

    Love you blog - and glad you love writing it. As long as it is still fun for you, it is still a good thing :)

    Happy polishing,
    Babbling Brooke

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  49. Your blog is a MUST read for me whenever I'm going to make a polish purchase, I just have to check your reviews/pictures before I can decide on anything I want to buy. You have the best pictures, and your blog is very entertaining to read. Love your quirkiness! And you should be able to post about anything you want, it is your blog, and I'm just glad you share with us! Even if some colors you post are unavailable anymore, who cares?! It's still nice pictures to look at, and its fun to try and hunt them down if we can, or to find a dupe. That's how I look at it...

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  50. "I feel like when I'm just posting about random crap I like that it isn't helping anyone, like posting pictures of some old polish from 1997 that I love but no one can buy it anymore."

    First off, this is your blog. You should feel free to post what you want, when you want. Second, randomness is the spice of life. And third, I'm sure many (or at least some) of your readers are also long time nail polish fans, and you might post about an old favorite which would remind one of us about a dusty bottle sitting in an old box under the sink - and thus rekindle an old love! :D I think that if you mention that the polishes you're posting are a thing of the past, no one need complain. Plus, if you ever find anything similar to your old favorites you can post about them!

    I love your blog, I admire your dedication to your readers, and I appreciate your willingness to share your concerns.
    ----
    In terms of these polishes: I really must try that bottle of Dazzle I bought! Goth and Jungle are also awesome, as is Fantasea - I love polishes with 6 hundred different undertones. :D

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  51. I don't care if the polish you swatch is not available anymore, because I just love to look at the wonderful pictures you take! Of course your swatches help me a lot when deciding what polish I want to get. I kinda use your blog as my own polish-lookbook :) I also appreciate the comments you have, YOUR opinions about them! When finding a polish I want, I always search your blog for it first, to see if you have anything to say about it. You shouldn’t feel bad about not having time to post too often though, there are plenty of interesting old stuff in your blog, that I love to look at.

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  52. I love your discontinued color posts. For me, this blog is mostly about eye candy, not for purchasing!

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  53. I like your blog very much. You shouldn't feel bad about anything. It's YOUR blog. Do what you like with it, post what you want. You shouldn't feel bad about what you post or how often. I just hope you keep doing it.

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  54. I actually miss more of your random more personality filled posts...I love you either way Scrangie. You the man.

    I like to get all mushy and gushy sometimes. It's okay. I can't be a mean-emotionless bitch all the time, right?

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  55. I LOVE when you throw out the random posts of whatever is on your mind! I think you should do it more often and not hold back. Your loyal readers are just that... loyal. We come here for you, Scrangie! It's your personality that is conveyed through your posts that peak interests.

    It's YOUR blog so do what YOU want! Keep throwing those obscure band/song references out there... sure, I don't know what you're talking about, but it's still entertaining! ^.^

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  56. Thanks Scrangie!! Awesome pics, great comments, beautiful polishes as usual. Talking about people half way across the planet, I'm in Ireland and, always come to your blog when I want (*NEED*) to choose my next nail polish(es)!! :-D

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  57. Hey... I currently have La Vida Loca on but cant find it anywhere in the stores to put in toes and salon is out. Do you know what stores sell this color?

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