nails & whales

It's been absurdly rainy lately in California. I know, I know, there's El Niño – I spent way too much time in high school trying to memorize every quirk of that weather pattern. Never really got it all down, to be honest. But, it's still a little too gray and overcast. (I also know it's currently winter and I'm in Northern California, so I'm out of excuses for wanting a bit of sun... throw me some slack, please?)

Long awkward intro aside, this calls for glittery nails.

What better than Deborah Lippmann Happy Birthday over Essie Peak Show? I'm just going to directly quote her description, as it's fantastically accurate.

"My most iconic and in-demand glitter. I created this shade during the recession to make people happy in an otherwise unhappy time. It's fun, festive, and full of colorful energy. Paint it on and smile." 

You right, Deborah Lippmann. You right.

Confetti, or sprinkles on pink donuts?

I impulse-picked this shade up at a local discount retail store; I've never been one for multicolored glitter toppers, but who can resist a $6 Deborah Lippmann? Although I honestly didn't think I would like it very much, I have read enough nail blogs to know that Happy Birthday is a time-tested classic.

It's been a while since I've done a "what am I reading?" shot. Today, I'm featuring my organic chemistry textbook.

And now, I know it's for good reason. I ended up liking this shade a lot more than I thought I would – the color mix is a bit chaotic, but there are only two sizes of hex sequins and the metallic jewel tones read considerably more lux than tacky. As one should expect from a luxury brand.


A more technical description of the glitter: the hex sequins come in medium and tiny, and the colors I spotted were magenta, orange, gold, sky blue, green, red, and silver. All vibrant and close to true primary/secondary colors. As indicated by the lack of square glitter, my bottle is of the post-2011 formulation. Overall color emphasis is heavy on the silver, giving the polish a cool tone. The base is completely clear.

Deborah Lippmann Happy Birthday

Overall: It's gorgeous. Glitz without being over the top. There are several notable dupes, including a Milani one and OPI's Rainbow Connection. They're not exact, though, so if you happen upon Happy Birthday and love glitter... go for it!

And now... a tiny preview of what's coming up in the next few posts. Could that be holo? ;)

Thanks for reading!

Bethany
Currently listening to House of Memories by Panic! At The Disco
Seriously, go check out their new album Death of a Bachelor. All tracks are on Panic!'s Youtube. And I'm not being paid to promo it. 

Disclosure: All polishes in this post purchased by author. Photos taken with an iPhone 6s and color-corrected in Adobe Photoshop CC 2015.