A Beauty Find (plus a New Jcrew Necklace)

I have never blogged about beauty products before because I don't think that I have any beauty secret worth a post (in fact, I would say that I don't even have a real beauty routine or a favorite product) but I was wandering at Duane Reade this morning (I had just dropped my daughter at school and I had an hour and a half to kill - the full morning schedule isn't in place yet and the school is too far for me to go back and forth - but at 9 in the morning there isn't much to do) and I feel like sharing a "great find" with you.

I needed a pedicure and I was browsing the nail polishes, that is maybe the beauty product that I tend to buy more often because I prefer to bring my own polish to the nail saloon (am I the only one who feels stressed when it comes to choosing a polish at the saloon?). Actually I was trying to find the polish that HeidiG is wearing in this post (by the way check out her blog for fabulous beauty posts), that I've also seen, I think, on a mommy at the playground the other day and found being an amazing color IRL) and I stumbled upon this black polish that had its own display:



I have been tempted by black polish before but I never dared (I know that when you look at the Chanel ads it looks Oh so chic! but I'm wary of the potential Morticia Addams effect in real life).
Anyway, I never wanted to spend money on a black polish but this was only ... $0.99. Yes, 99 cents! I didn't even know that you could buy a polish for 99 cents! In NYC! So I decided to give it a try, especially given that Halloween is coming soon and worst-case scenario I can always use it as a complement of a scary last-minute costume.
I tried it at home (over my old polish, because I had no time for a serious pedi) and I can tell you that it has a nice, Chanel-chic shine finish, as you can see by yourself (I'm wearing a pair of BR peep-toe patent flats that I had completely forgotten about and I found when I was looking for my riding boots the other day. They were IN THE SAME BOX):



So now you will probably think that I suffer from a bipolar disorder because I just told you yesterday that I don't like wearing total-black and today I'm trying to convince you to paint your toenails in black (and as everybody knows, black nails call for a total black outfit). But I didn't say that I don't like wearing black in the evening, right (I am just checking that you were paying attention)? And even if you can't change your polish (especially a black one) as you change your outfit, we should agree that black polish should be reserved for the night if you want to avoid the "teen experimenting with her mama polish" look or the above mentionned "Gothic queen" one.

As if the polish was a sign, later I went to Jcrew to check if they had a pair of the (black) suede Juliet that went on sale this week (no chance here) and I ended up buying a new (black) necklace that they received with the new arrivals (more on that maybe tomorrow).

It's called the "Round Fireball Necklace" and it looks a lot like last year's fireball necklace but 1) it's black and 2) it's way cheaper ($35). The pics don't do it justice, but anyway here it is:



Now, it is cheaper than the "original" fireball for a reason. The hardware isn't the same quality (for starters it's a pullover, there is no clasp) and the chain is smaller and feels cheaper. Plus, there are only 6 "fireballs" instead of 7, which also makes it more difficult to wear because there isn't a center of gravity (the 7th fireball) and with the movement of the body I'm pretty sure that it isn't going to stay in place like this:



I also happen to own the original fireball (bought on ebay, but it's the original), so I took a pic of the two together for you to compare:




Anyway I really liked it at first sight and when I saw the price I liked it even better. Plus I have been looking for an easy necklace to wear with black and/or silver (ie not gold) and this one is perfect. I think that is going to be one of my fave, not to mention that it's perfect with the deco skirt that is maybe my favorite item of this season (so far).
I don't know if this is one of those retail-only items that is being offered in stores only. Anyway, if you want more details about it, I will be happy to share.

Do you wear black polish? Do you like this new necklace or you prefer last year version?

PS
We are a follower away from my first giveaway! I had decided that I would celebrate my 100th follower with a giveaway, so call a friend and let her know about my blog ;-).

PS2
Check back tomorrow for my wedding outfit post. I promise some fun.