Twinkle and Pink Champagne Bar Glitters - Vintage Sally Hansen Week

Hello lovely readers, hope everyone's morning has been splendid so far! I have two vintage Sally Hansen Hard as Nails with Nylon bar glitters today! I know bar glitters are not everyone's cup of tea but they were all the rage back in the 90's and I would be remiss not to include them during my vintage Sally Hansen week.

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First up in Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Twinkle. Twinkle is an iridescent bar glitter with little iridescent microglitters scattered throughout. I layered it over a base of Finger Paints Black Expressionism and as soon as Twinkle went on top I was just about knocked out with the AWESOME. The iridescent glitters that looked pink and baby blue in the bottle took turned out to be these fantastic color shifting glitters that shifted from orange to green to deep cerulean blue. Think Sally Hansen Hidden Treasure or Nubar 2010 in bar glitter form. It looks like I have a crazy game of Pac-Man happening on my nails, right? Obviously, I am in love with this glitter and I don't have anything else like this is my whole stash. A winner for sure!

Here is 1 coat of Sally Hansen Hard as Nails with Nylon Twinkle over Finger Paints Black Expressionism. I know a lot of the pictures look the same but if you look closely you can see how even the most subtle movement shifts the colors in the glitter!

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Next up is Sally Hansen Hard as Nails with Nylon Pink Champagne. Another awesome bar glitter, Pink Champagne is made up of pink, orange and lavender bar glitters with a spattering of microglitters in the same colors. It's so cool that over all these years, these bar glitters have not curled, bled or had their integrity compromised in any way. They are as good as the day they were made. I love that about these bar glitters. Anyways, I did this one over Black Expressionism as well and it was a dream to apply. Sally, bring back these awesome bar glitters! I have one other one, but there were quite a few HaN bar glitters that I hope to own one day. A girl can dream, right?

Here is 1 coat of Sally Hansen Hard as Nails with Nylon Pink Champagne over Finger Paints Black Expressionism. Enjoy!

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Thanks for stopping by today and I will see you all tomorrow with more vintage Sally Hansen goodness!

Sally Hansen Hot Sauce and Cool It! Frost - Vintage Sally Hansen Week

Good morning my lovely readers! Being that it is vintage Sally Hansen week over here at The Scholarly Nail, I have more Sally Hansens for you all today! Try to contain your excitement =) As you probably know, Sally Hansen Hard as Nails polishes are some of my favorite vintage polishes in my entire stash so you are going to be seeing a lot of them this week! Being that these are vintage polishes, they came out somewhere between 1997-2000 and are no longer available in stores. I found these both on eBay for super cheap!

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First up is Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Hot Sauce. Hot Sauce is an amazing bright red metallic with gold shimmer. The gold shimmer doesn't really show up on the nail but it definitely adds to the metallic effect. It took 3 coats for opacity, pretty standard for old non 3-free polishes. The formula was super easy to work with, it wasn't too runny or too thick and applied quite smoothly. This is one HOT!

So here is 3 coats of Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Hot Sauce!

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Next up is Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Cool It! Frost. Now this is your classic 90's polish, a bright, metallic yellow with frosty, brushstroke-y goodness! I know how most people feel about brushstrokes but I actually don't mind them. In fact, I embrace them! I feel like brushstrokes help add light and dimension to these kinds of polishes and I wish they wouldn't get such a bad rap in the polish world. 

Cool It! Frost is shown with 3 coats here and you can still see a bit of VNL (visible nail line) in bright light, although it's not all that noticeable in real life. Application with these kind of frosty polishes can be a bit tricky because you want all the brushstrokes to run in straight lines. But honestly, it was worth the extra bit of effort because I am loving how bright and metallic Cool It! Frost is. I know it's not everyone's cup of tea but I am positively smitten with this polish!

Here is 3 coats of Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Cool It! Frost. 

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So what did you all think? Did you like any of these? Hate Cool It! Frost as much as you thought you would? Do you have any vintage Sally Hansen polishes in your stash? Let me know and I will see you all tomorrow!

Retro Sunday Squared - Vintage Sally Hansen Glitters!

Heyyy everyone!! I'm so excited to bring you guys another edition of Retro Sunday Squared with Polished Claws Up! For all my new followers, Retro Sunday Squared is mine and my polish BFF, Dana's, way to showcase some of our vintage gems together! Both of us have an insatiable love for old and hard-to-find polish so we've decided to team up every Sunday to show you some of the stars of our collections. Now that I'm back in the swing of things, Retro Sunday Squared returns!!

We've decided to do vintage Sally Hansen glitters today!! I am so super stoked about this because, as you have seen from my stash pics, I have a huge weakness for SH glitters and I have not swatched nearly enough of them. I chose two of the Hard as Nails Special Edition glitters for todays post because they are some of my favorites in my entire stash. I think these came out somewhere around 1999-2000 and are long discontinued so the only place to find these nowadays is blogsales or eBay. These glitters are a bit tricky because they are suspended in very sheer jelly bases so they are generally best for layering. However, I wanted to see what these bad boys could do on their own so that's what I did here today. They both took 4 coats to reach opacity, but I think it was worth it because they look pretty fantastic on their own!

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First up is Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Laser. Laser is a new addition to my collection, it just arrived this week! From the moment I saw this polish, I knew that I had to do a manicure with it by itself. It truly is a stunner! Laser is a bright cherry red jelly with small holo hex glitters and small gold square glitters. This polish is unique in the Special Edition collection because most of them only have the holo glitter in it, so the little gold squares really added a special pizazz. It only needed one normal layer of topcoat, it was not gritty or hungry in the slightest.

I use the term jelly lightly to describe this polish because it is really, really sheer. It took 4 coats to reach opacity and even then you can still see a bit of VNL (visible nail line). But it was so squishy and sparkly and juicy that the 4 coats didn't bother me one bit. This being an old formula polish means that it takes longer to dry anyways and then add the need for 4 coats on top of that and you've got one that takes a looooong time to dry. It's all a matter of personal preference, I do not mind this at all but I can see how it would bother someone else.

On to the pictures! Here is 4 coats of Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Laser. Don't forget to click on the pics to enlarge, you'll want to see this one close up!

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Next up is Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Sonar! Sonar was the #1 polish of this collection that I had been wanting and I was lucky enough to finally find it (along with several others) on eBay a few weeks back. Sonar is a dark teal jelly packed with small hex and teeny square holo glitters. I LOVE THIS POLISH YOU GUYS. Not only is it squishy and delicious, but it seems to have more glitters than almost all of the other polishes in this collection so it is extra amazeballs! Again, it took 4 coats to reach opacity but I'm glad I decided to do this because when I was wearing it, I could not stop staring at my nails.

Here's 4 coats of Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Sonar. Don't forget to click to enlarge! Enjoy =)

And some bottle shots of Laser and Sonar!

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Thanks for stopping by today!! Don't forget to check out Dana's post over at Polished Claws Up to see what awesome vintage Sally Hansen glitters she has in store for you today!

Stay tuned for more vintage Sally Hansen polishes here all week! See you all tomorrow =)

Essence Twins Romeo & Julia - Degrassi Showdown Finale Week

Super quick post for today!!

Things went down on Degrassi last night in a way I wasn't really expecting so I am pretty apprehensive for the finale this evening. Tonight is supposed to be the opening night of Romeo and Jules, a musical adaptation of Romeo and Juliet that stars two gay men as the lead characters. This play has caused a huge uproar amongst the students and parents at Degrassi so we're not quite sure that it's actually going to happen. I'm excited (and extremely nervous) to see what goes down in the season finale tonight!

In honor of Romeo and Jules, I thought it only fitting to wear my Essence Twins Romeo and Julia duo! This Essence duo is a European exclusive and I was lucky enough to have one of my overseas nail friends send me a few of these duos. Romeo is a smooth medium grey creme that took an easy two coats for full coverage. Julia, the square silver holo glitter, is most definitely the star of the show here!! I am kind of obsessed with square glitter and Julia is one of my favorites in my whole collection of square glitters. LOVE IT!

Here is one coat of Essence Julia over two coats of Essence Romeo. Enjoy!

And here's one in really low light because look at how awesome those holo squares look!

Here is the poster for Degrassi's production of Romeo and Jules. Knowing Degrassi, nothing ever goes as planned at it will be a small miracle if that play opens tonight!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Girly Bits Canadian Eh? - Degrassi Showdown Finale Week

Good morning lovely readers!! I am still reeling from last night's episode of Degrassi, how about you? LOL. Today I have for you a polish from one of the many indie brands out there in the nail world today, Girly Bits. I chose Canadian Eh? for one of my Degrassi posts of course because Degrassi is a Canadian show but also because I am a huge fan of Canada in general. It has been said that American Degrassi fans have Canadian pride and it really is true. I also chose these colors for this mani because they are the colors of Degrassi's new junior pro hockey team, the Toronto Ice Hounds. Since they caused THE BEST FIGHT IN DEGRASSI HISTORY on last night's episode, it's only appropriate to honor them in today's post!

I chose Etude House Black Holo as the base for Canadian Eh? and I'm so glad that I did. Black Holo is a black jelly packed with holo microglitter and it really helped set off the white and red glitters in the Girly Bits polish. Canadian Eh? is a multi-shaped red and matte white glitter in a clear base with teeny bits of blue microshimmer. I'm not usually a huge fan of white matte glitter but it definitely works here. Application of both polishes was super easy, though I wish more of the square glitters in Canadian Eh? would have come out to play on the nail. I only got three square glitters on all ten of my nails, and two of them ended up on the same nail! Overall though, both had great formulas and no major problems.

So here is one coat of Girly Bits Canadian Eh? over 2 coats of Etude House Black Holo. Sorry for the less-than-stellar shots, I was rushing and didn't get any good ones. Oh well, at least with the bit of blur you can see the lovely holo sparkle in the Etude House polish. Enjoy!

And here are some of the Ice Hounds, the only hockey team that Degrassi has had in 12 seasons and "the worst thing to ever happen to Degrassi." They may be jerks but there's a few cuties in there, eh?

Edited to add this totally amazing action shot of last night's epic brawl. So cool.

Image source

I can't believe that the season finale of Degrassi is tomorrow already! It went by so fast, but at least we will have new episodes this fall again so we don't have to wait long.

Anyways, Hope everyone has a fantastic day and I will see you all tomorrow!

Vintage Chanel Clair-Obscur - Degrassi Showdown Finale Week

Happy Tuesday everyone! Today I have for you one of my vintage Chanel polishes, Clair-Obscur. I chose this polish for Degrassi countdown week because it reminds me of my favorite character on the show Clare Edwards (hence the "Clair" portion of the name). Clair-Obscur (chiaroscuro in Italian) is a term that originated during the Renaissance period used to describe the tonal contrasts between light and dark in art. The backgrounds and shadows during this time were often quite dark and obscured, while the bodies depicted would be very light, bright and clear. Hence, clair-obscur.

*Degrassi babble ahead*

I felt like Clair-Obscur was the perfect polish to dedicate to Clare because she has really been having such a rough time lately. Her parents divorce, boyfriend crashing his hearse into wall, new boyfriend becoming stepbrother, getting arrested, etc. all seem to pale in comparison to what Clare has been going through this season. Sure, she has her boyfriend Eli and her bestie Alli back in her life but things have become a bit darker for Clare, obscured if you will. She landed her dream internship only to be fired for reporting that her boss sexually harassed her. She is afraid to tell Eli about the harassment, so she has been lying about the whole situation. A girl who once prided herself on the clarity of her writing and purity of her faith is now spiraling down into a dark and depressing place.

*end Degrassi babble*

Chanel Clair-Obscur was released in 2000 and is no longer available to purchase from Chanel anymore, so I picked up this bad boy from eBay. Vintage Chanels can be quite pricy but this one wasn't too bad. The formula on this was typical for a non 3-free polish, a bit runny and thin so had to do 3 coats here for opacity.

The color of Clair-Obscur is hard to explain. It has a dusky lavender base with a very strong flash of greenish-gold. I have nothing like this color in my stash and I've never seen anything like it! It is subtle but has an unexpected edge with the hint of green in the gold. It dries to a satin finish, but I preferred the look with a topcoat so that is what I have pictured here.

So here is 3 coats of Chanel Clair-Obscur with topcoat. Enjoy!

And here is the character who inspired this post, Miss Clare Edwards, who has been described as "a riddle wrapped in a mystery stuffed inside an enigma." (Notice the use of clair-obscur in this picture....mind blown!)

Thanks for stopping by today! See you all tomorrow =)

Geometric Blue on Yellow Stamping - Degrassi Showdown Finale Countdown!

Happy Monday everyone!! For most people, Mondays are the worst of the worst, but for me, that means a brand new episode of Degrassi! *cue the groans* If you follow me on Twitter, you know that every Monday-Thursday for the past 4 weeks, I have been tweeting incoherently from 10-10:30 every evening using terms from the Degrassi vernacular such as Eclare, Jatie, Drianca, etc. intermingled with frequent cussing and sometimes just straight up jibberish. What can I say, I really get into my teen dramas!

This is the last week of the summer season of Degrassi and I wanted to do some Degrassi themed manis for the finale week! For a crash course on Degrassi, it is a Canadian teen drama that has been around for around 30 years in one form or another, with its current format in its 12th season. Degrassi isn't hugely popular like Pretty Little Liars, Vampire Diaries or all those other teen dramas out there but it has a huge cult following. The cast and crew of Degrassi are so responsive to and appreciative of the fans and it's such a fun community to be a part of. Yes, I am nearing the end of my twenties and still watching this teen drama, but I can't turn away. DEGRASSI I WISH I KNEW HOW TO QUIT YOU. But not really, because it's FLIPPING AMAZEBALLS.

Anyways, for my first Degrassi themed manicure I wanted to take inspiration from the Degrassi Community School building itself. The front of Degrassi has this huge pastel blue and yellow tile pattern and I always thought that would look so cool as a mani! I couldn't find the exact stamping plate I wanted so I went a bit abstract with it and I hope you guys like it!

For the yellow base, I used two coats of Orly Lemonade, a pastel yellow creme, and one coat of L'Oreal Eclair, a sheer yellow with silver shimmer. *fangirl alert* Yes, I used Eclair specifically because Eclare is my favorite Degrassi couple FOREVER AND EVER. *end fangirling* For the stamping, I used Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Blue Away. Hope you enjoy!

And here is the building (set) I took inspiration from, the infamous Degrassi Community School!

Thanks for stopping by and enduring my Degrassi-ness today!!