Have A Happy, Glittery New Year...And Dodge A Hangover

Holy crap it's December 30th!  Wherever 2012 went...it can stay there.  Harrumph.  Tomorrow night's the glittery-est, most jubilant holiday in the US, New Year's Eve.  Today's post might seem a little odd, but I realized that almost every NYE I've ever celebrated as an adult has been dimly lit.  Bars, parties, etc...it's always a bit dark.  A lot of polish loses its beauty in low light...but not all of it.  As an overnight security guard and nail polish fiend, I've spent more time than most looking at polish in dark hallways.  I know how that sparkle holds up.

I've also tacked on some drinking and makeup tips after the polish.  When I mention to people that I've only had one hangover, people ask...practically demand...to know how.  You'll find my hangover avoidance tips down past the polish.


...but first the polish.  Nichole's not alone in her gradient obsession.  Black and silver seems to be 'the' NYE color combo, so I did a gradient with Sinful Colors Heavy Metal and Finger Paints Black Expressionism.

I'm not doing anything to celebrate NYE this year, but if I was this would be my mani for the night.  It was exactly what I wanted it to be and the gradient effect made the silver almost vanish at some angles.

I can't completely vouch for how this would look in low lighting, because it was really bright here when I did it...figures, doesn't it?  It held up really well in lower-than-a-lamp light though.

It never looked completely black.

I used Heavy Metal for that gradient because foils, especially silver ones, keep a lot of their sparkle in darker settings.  I used its near-dupe, Nicole by OPI Give Me The 1st Dance for my Rocky Horror night nails for that exact reason.


As perfect as holographic polish might seem for such a sparkling holiday, most linear holos look dull and flat in anything but sunlight.  Scattered holos don't do much better (Zoya Aurora, for example).  Holo glitter has all of the rainbow sparkle you could want in bright light...

Finger Paints Sparkle And Snowflake over Black Expressionism

...and keeps that look surprisingly well in low light.

Finger Paints Sparkle And Snowflake over Black Expressionism - low light

Foils and holo glitter (over something dark) are my top suggestions, but lots of other things show up well in low light too.  Bright jellies become dark and vibrant.  Plenty of glitters and shimmers still sparkle in any light they catch.  Iridescent glitters and flakies mattified over dark colors still pop.

Revlon Heavenly (review coming soon!), mattified, over Royal

Glitters and flakes can also look really cool in colored light.  NYX Beige Glitter over Illamasqua Prosperity did the craziest thing when I was plugging my phone's car charger in one night.

I could see that looking amazing in a bar or club!


I was going to post some makeup pics, but I haven't slept much and I'm all puffy...so...not gonna happen.  A few suggestions is all you're getting. :p  The last three times I went out for NYE, someone knocked me to the floor.  Three different people, places, and situations...but shit can get a bit crazy on that night more than any other (except maybe Halloween).  I go with makeup that will look about the same if I get plastered, forget I'm wearing it, and rub my face.  No blush...not that I really wear it anyway.  Water-resistant, pre-smudged smokey eye makeup looks about the same in the morning when you forget and wear it to bed.  Lip gloss will give up quickly, without leaving odd remnants.  A stain under it will leave you with some color, even if you're having too much fun to remember to touch up the gloss.

If you're going to be outside watching a ball drop, a bonfire, or whatever, and you'll be out in the cold there are a few more things to consider.  If you're like most people, your nose will run.  Tinted moisturizer (without powder) will protect your skin a bit, but won't leave you looking weird if you blow your nose.  Your lips will probably chap, so stain is a good bet here too...you can keep slathering your balm on, but still have color.  A tinted balm or moisturizing lipstick is great too.


...and what some of you are really here for...

Having a method for hangover avoidance makes me seem like more of a drinker than I am.  Well...than I am now.  It's really my own tweaks on time-tested fratboy and barfly advice learned from exes and friends who taught me how to drink.  That hangover I did get that one time was caused by completely flouting this advice.  I finished a drink (mixed by someone else and stronger than I thought), and then went right to bed without a glass of water or anything.  I skipped breakfast the next morning.  By 6pm at work the next day, I was dry-heaving and my head was swimming.  Really miserable day.  Never again!  I follow these steps any time I have more than two drinks:

Have this stuff ready before you go out (or start, if you're at home):

• two 32oz bottles of low-sugar sports drink (like Gatorade G2) in a citrus flavor (bring one with you if you can, and have the other wherever you'll be when you wake up)
• naproxin sodium (Aleve) NOT ibuprofen, acetaminophen, or aspirin
• a bland, salty, starchy snack (popcorn, corn chips, pretzels, unflavored baked chips, etc - nothing super greasy)
• 2 liter bottle of caffeinated diet soda (or some coffee if you prefer)

Keep in mind that heavy drinking is harmful.  It's fun (and I kinda miss it sometimes)...but it's bad for you and you shouldn't pretend it isn't.  Hangovers come largely from dehydration, but that's the part you can fight.

One of the biggest pieces of advice is also the gross one.  If you feel like you need to throw up...do it.  There's no shame in it (if you don't make a mess).  Your body is responding to the stress of the alcohol by purging it and you'll only be stressing it out even more if you hold it in.  It feels awful while it's happening, but you're doing your body a big favor and you'll generally feel better pretty quickly.

Once you've stopped drinking (and PLEASE don't drive or let someone who's been drinking drive, but you know that), start in on the sports drink.  This is the most important part, especially if you puked.  Even if you didn't, you're dehydrated and you probably don't realize it.  If you couldn't bring one with you, buy one.  I recommend the low-sugar because sugar can upset your stomach.  Citrus flavor seems to be the easiest for me to handle if I'm feeling rough.  Finish the whole bottle of sports drink before going to sleep.

Go out to breakfast on the way home or eat something breakfasty before bed if you're even a little hungry.  Keep it mild and starchy.  Potatoes are ideal.  If you can't get breakfast, have fries.  The carbs do wonders in speeding recovery.  Don't eat anything spicy or weird when you're drunk.  That never ends well.  If you can go to bed sober and well hydrated, even if it's at 8am, you're golden and will probably feel completely fine when you wake up.

If you do go to bed drunk, but hydrated, you might need some more help.  When you wake up, despite avoiding a hangover, you might feel kinda sluggish and have a bit of a headache.  This is where the rest of the supplies come in.  One naproxin (with food) should be enough for the headache.  Take two if you have to, but keep in mind that you walloped your liver last night and it has to deal with painkillers too.  This is why you shouldn't take acetaminophen/Tylenol after drinking.  It's more stressful to the liver.  I recommend naproxin over aspirin or ibuprofen because they're rougher on the stomach.  If your stomach feels a little wobbly (throwing up can leave you feeling a bit hollow), eat the chips (or whatever).  These are especially handy if you're still tired from a long night out.  No cooking, just open the bag and munch.  The salt and carbs will help pick you up.  The last little boost you might need comes from the soda or coffee.  The caffeine should take care of the sluggishness.  The second bottle of sports drink should be finished within a few hours of waking up, even if you've also had soda or coffee.

I can't guarantee you'll feel 100% if you got trashed the night before, but these steps have always gotten me back to at least 85%.  My only hangover left me feeling about 20%.  Never. Ever. Again.


If you're going out for NYE have fun, stay safe, and drink one for me....I'll be at work.

Nichole and I have some big ideas for the next few months and I need to thank all of you for making this blog one of the good parts of an otherwise pretty shitty 2012.  Here's hoping next year is great for us all!  See you in '13!