Swatch: OPI Italian Love Affair

I'm up at 4:30 AM this morning because apparently I am still on Italy time but that is perfectly fine because it gave me the opportunity to post a swatch here on the blog! This is possibly the most animated pink I have ever used and the name is so perfect to kick off a stream of posts about all things Italy.

Swatch: Essie Knee High Life

My sister gave me this nail polish as a random gift one day and I am so thankful she did because not only is the color absolutely gorgeous BUT the name is totally awesome. We both went to an all girls private high school when we were younger and that came with a uniform, including knee highs. So I guess you could say we really did live the "knee high life" like this polish is named.

This polish is a really pretty berry/wine type color. It has an excellent formula and dries well.

And here is a photo of the infamous uniform....with knee highs of course! Turns out that after you graduate your private school uniform becomes a perfect go-to Halloween costume. Haha.

Check out those knee highs. And yes, Husband was Charlie Brown. Lol. Also say hello to some of my college buds!

I'm so glad it's Wednesday. This week has been so busy running from courthouse to courthouse. I didn't even make it to the office on Monday or Tuesday. And tomorrow is going to be the same. Can it be the weekend already?? At least the weather is nice so I can finally go for a run outside! How is your week going?

Swatch: Zoya Ireland

A quick post for tonight because I have to get back to watching the opening ceremony for the Olympics. I have no idea when I bought this polish or why I haven't used it yet because seriously this a stunning pale green/sage color. I think this would look beautiful on all skin tones and in the dead of winter or the hottest days of summer. I'll have to come up with a design for this polish.

And it's a creme, so that makes this polish even better. You know who I love me a creme polish!

And how funny is this name? Ireland. I must have bought it around the same time that we decided to add Ireland as a stop for our honeymoon. I blogged about those days here, here, and here.

Ok, back to the Olympics!

Swatch: Sally Hansen Street Flair

One of my cases had a settlement conference this morning at 9 AM. However, due to freezing rain and/or rain and/or snow and/or some wintry nonsense that would wreak havoc on driving conditions, the courts are all opening on a two hour delay. That's all fine and dandy except for one thing: Does a two hour delay mean that the court will open at 11 AM but start with all the 9 AM appearances anyway? Or does a two hour delay mean that the court is opening at 11 AM and will begin with those 11 AM appearances (and everything before 11 AM will be adjourned and rescheduled to another time)? No clue. So while I pondered that very annoying quandary I decided to swatch a new polish color. Because hey, I was up at 6:30 AM for an appearance that will not happen as originally scheduled and my remote login to my firm is not working so I can't get work done. Such a shame! Now to the nails:

I swatched Sally Hansen Street Flair because I was in a purple mood and I liked that the name kind of sort of tied into the whole streets-covered-in-snow/ice/wintry mix. That qualifies as some street flair, right?

I have probably said this before but I am really digging the Sally Hansen Miracle Gel line. There's a certain je ne sais quoi about it that I really like.

Not the best photos but it's a really pretty dusty lavender color. I'm not sure I would say it goes perfectly with my skin tone but there's something I like about it.

Are you having snow today?? Perhaps a "snow day" even?

Swatch: Sally Hansen Fuchsia Power

I adore this polish. Like, really. ADORE IT. I love a good hot pink that is very pigmented, applies evenly, and dries quickly. And that is exactly what you get with Sally Hansen Fuchsia Power. Because of how pigmented it is this is one of my favorite go to stamping polishes because it shows up so well. And the color just makes me happy because it's so bright and vibrant. It's definitely not a "winter" shade but I'll wear it anytime I like, particularly in the dead of winter!

Swatch: OPI Relentless Ruby

Well I had a very productive week. Not only did I change my name at Social Security Administration but I also got my new driver's license, applied for a corrected passport, AND looked into how to update my global entry.  I also finally got my hair cut and donated 10 inches of hair in the process.  What prompted me to be so productive? It must have been the fiery red nail polish I was sporting, OPI Relentless Ruby.

Is it just me? Am I the only one that thinks the color of your nails really does impact how your day goes? It's the same idea as what you wear impacting your day.

Seriously, it seems like when I have a lot to do I always gravitate toward reds and vibrant powerful colors.

Do you have certain colors you wear at certain times?

Re-Swatch: OPI I Have a Herring Problem (after 5 years)

For today's post I have a re-swatch of OPI I Have a Herring Problem. I first swatched it in 2013 and clearly I was not impressed by the color but I saw it the other day and thought hmm, I like that color.So I decided to give another try. What was interesting about this polish was that the last I used it it was a different color...weird, right? I checked my original 2013 swatch and it's definitely more green now. So I googled it and the pashotos on Google look a lot more blue than my bottle of polish looks now. Weird, right? So I decided to re-swatch it. I know I'm not the only person with this bottle of polish. Did anyone else a color change?? Did I get a funky bottle? I won't lie though--I actually really like the green it became. It's much more complimentary on my skin tone!

Swatch: Essie Eclair My Love

Today's post are swatch posts from the Vault. This polish was gifted to me as part of my bridal shower present from one of my law school buddies. I would describe this as a bright berry pink/red that applies like a creme dream! This might just become one of my favorite polishes!

It's pigmented and applies evenly. I did use two coats for full coverage just to be safe but I think you could have gotten away with one.

 Oh I just love the way it looks!

Swatch: China Glaze Heart of Africa

This China Glaze polish is the perfect winter red if you ask me. It's not a fire engine bright red but it's not so vampy that it's red-black. It's an oldie but goodie I bought years ago from China Glaze. I usually wear it around the Christmas holiday but honestly you could wear this red any time you want.

It applies smoothly and dries quickly, and the slight shimmer really gives the color some pizzazz. I know some people hate red nail polish because they consider it trampy (I beg to differ!). How do you feel about red polish?

Swatch: Red Carpet Manicure Simply Adorable

Oh my gosh Sarah gets married tomorrow! Naturally, I have to do a bit of pampering and getting ready for the wedding, which includes doing my nails! I was lucky to find the perfect light pink polish for the wedding. Where did I find it? Red Carpet Manicure from Ulta makes a gel polish called Simply Adorable, which is a subtle light pink. Here are some swatches of the polish:

I can't wait to celebrate Sarah's wedding tomorrow! But until then, I have to shower, look over the speech, and get my clothes and accessories ready for tomorrow! Ahhhh so excited!

Swatch: Sally Hansen Hello Pretty

Today's post is a swatch of a vibrant almost-neon pink and, honestly, professionalism be damned when it comes to this color. I mean, hot pink in the courtroom? Hmm. But luckily I didn't have anything scheduled so I was just wearing these nails around the office. I should confess, I love vibrant nails. Maybe it's because we're finally over with winter and we're starting to get some spring weather. So it's time to bust out the colors! Plus, I wear a lot of black...so colorful nails do a lot to keep me from seeming like I'm in mourning all of the time.  Here are the nails:

This color will make you smile. And will definitely get noticed!

Swatch: Sinful Colors Magik Touch

Ok, you may not know this about me but I am a fan of the Karsashians. Don't worry, I'm not an I-want-to-do-everything-they-do-wear-what-they-wear-and-I-follow-them-all-on-Instagram fan. Rather I just like how close they all are as a family (seriously their mom is one of the girls) and how they can travel and pretty much do whatever they want. Where do I sign up? You won't find me shopping at Dash, or watching their TV show live when it first airs (sure, I've been known to get sucked into a marathon of KUWTK if I get caught on E! Network...but who hasn't?), or losing my mind about which one is currently pregnant, engaged, married, or separated...but you may find me purchasing a nail polish or two when I find out one of them has launched a line. For example, a Sinful Colors collaboration with Kyle Jenner. Today's post is a swatch of Magik (with a K you see. Kardashians only use Ks) Touch, a shimmer matte that delivers what it promises. It's also serene and calming. Definitely "office appropriate" if you ask me!

At first I didn't know it was supposed to be a shimmer matte so when my nails dried I was totally disappointed in the ashy texture. But then I realized it's a shimmer matter so it was all good! Not bad at all I'd say. It only took two coats to get even coverage and it dried surprisingly fast. However, in looking at these photos I think a third coat would have been nice. I see some definite balding on my index and ring fingers. Bummer!

See the shimmer? Super pretty!

Did you pick up any from this line? How did you like shimmer matte effect?

Swatch: Essie Fall In Line

I painted m nails tonight because they got so gnarly and chipped and I haven't had an opportunity to re-do them. Finally, as part of my quiet night in I painted them! I chose Essie Fall In Line because it's this gorgeous, calming sage green. It's perfect for the fall.

Swatch: Sally Hansen - Dabbler

Can I just say, Sally Hansen is quickly turning into one of my favorite brands? Does anyone else agree? The formula is amazing and the dry time doesn't leave me sitting on the couch watching the third episode of Gilmore Girls in a row just because my nails are still wet. Wait, I'd watch the third episode even if my nails are dry. Anyway, I picked up two Sally Hansen polishes when I was in Target the other day and they were EXACTLY what I was looking for. Below are some swatch photos of Sally Hansen Hard As Nails Xtreme Wear in the color, Dabbler.

This color is pretty Perhaps we have a bridesmaid gown color on our hands here. Haha, ON our HANDS. Lol, pun intended! Thoughts on this color? Do you like Sally Hansen?

Swatch: For Audrey

Tiffany Blue might be my favorite color ever and China Glaze For Audrey is perfection. I swatched it back in 2011 but since my camera has been replaced and my photos have gotten better I wanted to try to re-swatch it. The color is so hard to capture on camera though. It's that prefectly blue with hint of green that my camera can't quite figure out. Here's my second attempt at swatch photos:

Swatch: OPI What's With the Cattitude?

Hello everyone! You've heard me say this before....I'm a blue polish kind of gal. It's my favorite. And this polish is no exception. OPI What's With the Cattitude joined my collection six years ago as part of the Shrek Forever After collection and it is the most spectacular powder blue. It's definitely more a spring color but we don't worry about that here on The Files, we rock our polishes rain or shine, sun or snow, spring or fall, and summer or winter.. Ain't nobody got time to worry about "on trend" and "in season" polishes, you know??

This might be my new favorite blue. Only problem is....it takes 3-5 coats to make it opaque. Bummer! Ain't nobody got time for that!!