Misa in #289 Lost to the World + Comparisons

Direct sunlight

Sorry, this isn't a very exciting post. These pictures are terrible, and until I get a job it's going to be sporadic posting because I'm freaking out about life. 

This polish was a disappointment too. This is Misa in #289 Lost to the World from the Fall 2012 "Wanderlust" collection. "Wanderlust" is a great collection, and I'm a big Misa fan - I think they are a totally underrated brand. You can get them for almost as little as Sinful polishes online, the bottles look high-end and are nicely weighted, the brushes are perfect, and the formula is usually excellent (leaning more towards thick and opaque than thin and watery). And being a Chanel collector, I'm actually a fan of subtle shimmer. But, that's when I'm expecting it. I bought Lost to the World off of Kelly at Vampy Varnish's swatches, so I was surprised when I finally applied it because her picture is pretty misleading. Always try to find multiple swatch pictures people!

Okay, Misa has a tendency for long or awkward polish names, and their descriptions are no different. Here's what they have to say about Lost to the World: "Destinations are definite, but sometimes wandering is a lot more fun. Tackle your next adventure with this go-anywhere tawny mauve, a delicate hue that will have you floating through the days on cloud nine whether you're jet-setting or simply trendsetting." I hope that ad copywriter was paid overtime! I wouldn't describe Lost to the World as mauve - it's definitely taupe. It has gold and red shimmers, but they are extremely subtle. Barely visible in sunlight subtle. I was surprised in looking through my extensive taupe collection that there were no close matches. Lost to the World is very warm compared to most other taupes. It's kind of a chocolate milk shade and looks pretty different in warm vs. cool light.

I'm going off memory here, but I think the formula was pretty great. Thick but not too thick, and I'm pretty sure I used 2 thin coats with no cleanup. However, I used an old bottle of Seche Vite, so you can see I got some funky pulling away on my ring finger.

Worn January 16 - 19, 2013.

Indirect natural light

Direct sunlight - sunset

Direct flash 

Direct sunlight

Indirect natural light

Indirect natural light - indoors

As I mentioned earlier, Lost to the World was surprisingly unique in my collection. I chose these polishes for context: Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in #370 Commander in Chic (no shimmer, more purple and dusty, lighter), Chanel in Khaki Rose (no shimmer, more brown and yellow but not always quite as yellow as these pictures appear), Essie in #698 Mink Muffs (no shimmer, a bit darker, no pink), and OPI in You Don't Know Jacques! (no shimmer, much darker, more dusty, more purple, less pink and yellow). When you see it in comparison, Misa's description of "tawny mauve" makes a bit more sense, but by itself on the nails it reads distinctly taupe. Sorry for the sloppy photo editing to block out my sloppy handwriting!

Misa generally doesn't get much attention, but here are other swatches (keep in mind that Kelly's flash way overamplifies the shimmer): AllYouDesire, Crystaliciousss, and Vampy Varnish.

What was the last polish you bought that didn't look like swatches? Are you a Misa fan? Wish me good vibes in the job search guys - it's killing me!