Apr 30, 2012

Love Grey's Anatomy

Hey! Sorry for my disappearance. I'm in finals week(s) and have been studying like crazy. I actually have a final exam today and am probably studying as you read this (this is a scheduled post).

Prepare to be shocked. For once I'm not liking a Zoya polish. LOL! Well, let me be more specific. I'm not a fan of the color. However, like every typical Zoya polish I've come across, the formula and application were perfect. I'm just not a fan of the color itself. It does nothing for me. I'm talking about Lexi. On a random note, I love that name! It's the name of my favorite character from Grey's Anatomy... I love her hair... *sigh*

Zoya describes this as a soft-toned shimmering multi chromatic shade that combines mauve, silver, pink, and hints of blue. Sounds pretty right? I thought so too. Except I don't see the blue... what I see is green. I tried to see the blue in different lighting but not luck. I kept seeing green. I tried to see the blue in different lighting but no luck. I kept seeing green. And in some lighting that is all you see: Green! By no means is this Zoya's fault. Its just my personal taste and my skin-tone's refusal to look flattering with certain greens. I applied about 3 coats for a full coverage. Application and formula were good as always.



Apr 16, 2012

I don't know what I was thinking...

Hey! 

As you read this, I'm probably on a flight back home to Miami from St. Louis. This was my last trip before I move in August. I wish I could visit just one more time! But it's crazy to know that I'll be a resident of a new place in exactly 4 months. =) Anways, on to the polish...

 Today we have Jo by Zoya. Zoya describes this as a delicate and serene looking medium periwinkle blue with subtle silver and blue toned shimmer. This is a cute color. Very relaxing. I thought it was going to be sheer but the joke was on me. 2 coats for full coverage. The application and formula were perfect.


Then I don't know what came over me... I got some tape and taped off most of the nail and painted the side black with Liquid Leather by China Glaze. I thought it was going to be cuter. At least it was in my head. Whatever. Next! LOL!


Happy Polishing!


Apr 10, 2012

I'm No Diva!

Hey! Today I have for you Diva of Geneva by OPI. This color is like a red-based plum purple with a rosy gold pearl/shimmer in it. I used to be so excited about this color when it originally came out. I never purchased it because Mari did and I could always just steal it from her. However, I noticed that I always left this polish behind every time I raided her stash. So I finally took it from her recently... I'm disappointed. I don't know what it is. I feel bored. Don't get me wrong... the color is pretty. I just think its prettier in the bottle maybe. Or maybe the problem is me? LOL! Either way, 2 coats for an opaque finish. No complaints with the application and formula. 

Ever been in a nail polish funk?


Apr 5, 2012

In Da Bush....

Me and greens... an eternal love affair (after purples, of course).  Luckily, very few greens give me lobster hands and this is another one!  Yay for me.  This is Essie's Da Bush.  It's a dusty muted light khaki green if you ask me.  Jellyish in finish as well.  Super shiny.  Application was pretty good, like most Essie polishes are. 



(Dont ask me what the strange glow is around my fingers.  There was literally FOG in Miami Monday morning and everything looked extra dewey.  Weird, I know, but it's pretty color-accurate).

Happy Polishing!

Apr 4, 2012

China Glaze Crackle Glitter Collection


SPARK YOUR SUMMER STYLE!
China Glaze® Introduces Four New Crackle Glitter Polishes for May 2012



Los AngelesCA – (March 2012):  Sparkle all summer long with China Glaze®’s new Crackle Glitters collection.  Once again taking crackle technology to the next level, this third-generation polish pairs the edgy innovation of crackling nail lacquer with glamorous glitters.  The China Glaze® Crackle Glitters features four shimmering shades including:

·         Luminous Lavender: Luscious light purple
·         Jade-d: Radiant bright green
·         Glam-More: Bold fuchsia
·         Gleam Me Up: Bright sky blue

Create glamorously different looks with just one sweep of China Glaze® Crackle Glitters.  Layer over different base colors to create bold styles.  Use a lighter coat to create a fine crackle, a thicker coat for a deep shatter effect.  Brush sideways or on an angle to create different looks.  As versatile and edgy as China Glaze®’s biggest celebrity fans (Lady GagaRihannaNicoleRitchie and Kelly Osbourne, to name a few), China Glaze®Crackle Glitters add a spark(le) to one of the hottest nail art trends!

The China Glaze® Crackle Glitters collection will be available as open stock colors and four-piece counter display.  Individual polishes retail for $9 MSRP and will be available at fine salons and beauty supply stores nationwide in May 2012.

China Glaze is free of DBP, toluene, and added formaldehyde. China Glaze nail lacquers are available through salons and professional beauty supply stores nationwide. For more information, visit: www.chinaglaze.com or follow China Glaze on Facebook and Twitter:http://twitter.com/ChinaGlaze

China Glaze is a division of American International Industries.

About American International Industries
For nearly 40 years, AII has been the leading manufacturer and worldwide distributor of innovative, quality beauty and skin care products for men and women.  Our product lines include Ardell, Andrea, Body Drench, Bye Bye Blemish, Checi, China Glaze, Clean + Easy, Clubman/Pinaud, Duo, European Secrets, EzFlow, Fright Night, Gena, GiGi, Gypsy Lash, IBD, Jeris-Lustray, No Tweeze/Micro Tweeze, 'N Rage, Prolinc, RAW, Seche, SuperNail, Surgi-Care, Waterworks, Winning Nails, Woltra, Woody’s, and Youthair. For more information, visit our website: www.aiibeauty.com.

Comparison: For Audrey v. Aquadelic v. Bella's Choice

Ok, first off, forgive the dry cuticles, please.  I did this comp in a rush Friday night because I just had to prove a point.  If you can't locate H&M's Bella's Choice anywhere near you, you can live with China Glaze's Aquadelic... and I'll show you how. 

It's no secret that blues, especially ones like these, are popular.  They're great Spring/Summer shades, so pretty, and very flattering colors on most skintones.  Win, win!  So when I received Aquadelic from China Glaze I kept staring at it, then Lissi stole it from me for a weekend or three, and then I decided to wear Bella's Choice by H&M.  As usual, it's a shade I cant stop staring at, but it reminded me of Aquadelic.... so..... here's a comp. 

(Sunlight)

(Indoors)

When I look at them, For Audrey by China Glaze appears dustier... less aqua with less of the green undertone, but Aquadelic  has just the tiniest bit of more green to it than Bella's Choice.  Bloggers like us and blog-followers would see the difference, but to the common man... really?  can you tell?  I think not.  :)

Happy Polishing!

Apr 3, 2012

Zoya Surf Collection - Swatches & Review

Hey Ladies!

I'm back today with Part 2 of Zoya's Summer Collection. Check out our post yesterday if you want to see the Beach Collection (link here). This is the Surf Collection! As always, swatches were done with no base coat and no topcoat.

Zuza - Zoya describes this as a deep, saturated, oceanic turquoise with gold and silver metallic shimmer and a foil-like finish. Maybe I'm living under a rock when it comes to nail polish but this color is so unique to me! I have nothing in my collection like this! So beautiful. Something about this color is vibrant and relaxing at the same time. Easily my favorite out of the entire collection! 2 coats for an opaque finish. Perfect formula and application.

Meg - Zoya describes this as a light yellow-toned mermaid green with heavy gold and silver metallic shimmer and a sparkling foil finish. This color looks like candy! 2 coats for an opaque finish. Perfect formula and application.

Myrta - Zoya describes this as a warm medium orange coral with red undertone, gold and silver metallic shimmer, and a foil-like finish. This color reminds me of fire (and of Zoya's Gwin, but they aren't dupes). Very vibrant! 2 coats for an opaque finish. Perfect formula and application.

Rory - Zoya describes this as a medium mauve pink with lilac tones, gold and silver reflective metallic shimmer accents, and a foil-like finish. Such a cute color. Very girly. The silver shimmer is a lot more noticeable than the gold (which is fine with me because I'm not a fan of gold, stupid skin tone of mine)! 2 coats for an opaque finish. Perfect formula and application.

Carly - Zoya describes this as a very rich, bold, red-toned dark purple with iridescent red and silver metallic shimmer and a dense foil finish. This color almost beat Zuza for the #1 spot for me. It's so gorgeous. Again, I have nothing like this in my collection. So vibrant. Really gets your attention. I love the shimmer! So unique! 2 coats for an opaque finish. Perfect formula and application.

Kimber - Zoya describes this as a rich, bright and saturated medium magenta pink with strong gold metallic shimmer and a foil-like finish. The gold shimmer is definitely strong in this one. 2 coats for an opaque finish. Perfect formula and application.

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I am very happy with this collection. The Beach and Surf Collections compliment each other very well. Both collections had polishes that I felt were unique (or at least unique to me). I can easily say that I have no complaints about these collections. They both get an A+ in my book!

So... Who is ordering and which polishes are you getting? =)

Note: This collection was sent to us for review. We've received no compensation. The opinions expressed are purely my own.

Apr 2, 2012

Zoya Beach Collection - Swatches & Review

Hey Ladies!

I'd like to thank Zoya for their inadvertent birthday present to me! I turned 27 on March 11 and got this collection for review March 30. I really fell in love with the promo pictures of this collection and was having an epic battle with myself about whether or not to purchase these colors. I wanted them badly but I've put myself on a polish-purchasing-ban because I'm going to stop working in 3 weeks for finals and to study for the bar exam. So I probably won't see a paycheck until after I move to St. Louis and find a job (which would be in August/September). I wish money grew on trees. Don't we all? I know now (after trying them out) that I would have regretted not buying this collection. It's worth every penny.

And yet another "thank you" to Zoya for making this collection. I've been so bored with nail polish lately. Don't you ever feel like you've seen it all? The collections I've seen lately are either very repetitive, boring, or have a horrible formula (*ahem* OPI Sorbets *ahem*). This collection brought me back from my funk. Some people might not understand why I find this collection so awesome. I don't know what it is about the tones, vibrant creams and micro-glitter but it got me excited about nail polish again.

Enough of my nonsense, lets see some swatches! All were done without a base coat and without topcoat.

This is the Beach Collection:

Arizona - Zoya describes this as a softened bright citrus orange with a muted cream finish. This color almost wants to be a neon because of how bright it is... but its not crazy bright either. The perfect shade for summer. I'm not much of an orange girl but I honestly love this color! 2 coats for an opaque finish. The first coat was shockingly sheer. I thought this was going to end up being a 3-coater. Perfect formula and application.


Lara - Zoya describes this as a medium magenta-rose pink with subtle yellow undertone and a soft cream finish. Another perfect color for summer. This color is very vibrant without being insane. So beautiful. I remember telling my boyfriend while swatching on skype: "Wow... this color is gorgeous!" To him its just another pink. LOL! 2 coats for an opaque finish. Perfect formula and application.

Reagan - Zoya describes this as a deep, cool fuchsia pink with subtle blue undertone and an opaque cream finish. Another beautiful color. So rich and vibrant. Those blue undertones make it a little difficult to photograph but I think I finally got a color accurate shot (ok maybe the picture on the bottom right is more spot-on). This was opaque after just 1 coat but at this point I applied 2 out of habit. Perfect formula and application.


Shelby - Zoya describes this as a soft but colorful cherry blossom pink with an opaque cream finish. This is such a cute girly pink without being your typical pastel. Again, vibrant without being insane. Zoya's description reminds me of how bad I want to go to DC so I can see the cherry blossoms when they bloom. I always tell my boyfriend that we're jumping on a train to DC next year as soon as they start blossoming! Oh maybe I'll wear this color whenever I finally get to see them. *Must make mental note!* Anyways, enough of my shenanigans. 2 coats for an opaque finish. Perfect formula and application.


Tracie - Zoya describes this as a faded, yellow-toned pistachio green with delicate silvery shimmer for a frosted pearl finish. This green reminds me of Granny Smith Apples. Random, I know! This is the only color from the Beach Collection that has shimmer and isn't a cream. I found that to be a bit odd. Only because I figured it would be 6 creams with their somewhat corresponding micro-glitter colors in the Surf Collection. But I am by no means complaining because I like this color too. Greens are not my cup-of-tea either but this one doesn't clash with my skin tone. 2 coats for an opaque finish. Formula and application somewhat remind me of the streaky issues with frost and metallic polishes. But very slightly! You don't have to be super cautious but just be mindful of your application so that it ends up looking nice and even.

Wednesday - Zoya describes this as a faded dirty medium turquoise with green undertone and an opaque cream finish. I am in love again... I've had my eyes on this color since I got the press release info in my email inbox. I'm such a sucker for blueish colors like this. So gorgeous! So vibrant. It's an attention-getter without being overpowering. I might rock this for easter! The green undertone was a little stronger than I thought it was going to be. But do you think that made me love this color any less... NO! 2 coats for an opaque finish. Perfect formula and application.

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Overall Thoughts:

LOVE! Simply put!

Note: This collection was sent to me for review. We received no compensation. The opinions expressed are purely my own.