Nail Addicts Anonymous

Happy Valentine's Day

2012-02-14T07:32:00.000-05:00

Hey Ladies! This will be a quick post because I'm in St. Louis spending Valentine's Day with my boyfriend. Yeah, this was a scheduled post. At this time I'm on a plane on my way back home... =(

So I wanted to do a Valentine's Day post. This is OPI's Koala Bear-y. I love this color. I've had it for a long time and realized I had never used it. Shame on me. This is a berry fuchsia type pink creme. Great application and great formula. It goes on like a dream. Very bright and pretty. Only issue is that it's difficult to capture on camera. The pictures have a tendency to make the color come out reddish. I then stamped the heart design from Bundle Monster's BM03 plate using China Glaze's Millennium.

Hope you gals like it! Have a Happy Valentine's Day! Hope you guys don't have to spend it away from your significant other!

(Anti) Valentine's Day

2012-02-13T07:30:00.000-05:00

Hey Ladies! So I decided to do a Valentine's Day manicure... but I wanted to do something that wasn't so lovey-dovey. (I will also be doing a lovey-dovey mani.) I had a few years where I was anti-valentine's day... So I wanted to represent those days with some polish and stamping. If anything, this can also be a punk rock type valentine's day mani. LOL! I know, random!

I started off with 2 coats of ManGlaze's most popular color ever: Matte is Murder. It dries matte very quickly and turns into a very dark grayish black color. Almost like asphalt. Then I applied a coat of Seche Vite. That makes Matte is Murder turn into a pure black color with some shimmer. The shimmer is almost holographic in the sunlight. Sadly, I wore this during 2 days of rain and had no sunlight for pictures of the shimmer. So how did I know about the shimmer if I had no sunlight? I've worn this before (here). So check out the link if you want to see picture of this color in the sun. Don't mind the old style photos. That was before we found our picture-taking-groove. LOL!

Then I stamped the heart pattern that you apparently can't see... LOL! Let me explain! I used the heart pattern from Bundle Monster's BM212 plate. Such a cute design. I thought it was appropriate for the look. I wanted it to be red so I used Konad's Special Polish in Red. I thought it would work since the bottle is super bright red and Konad polishes are meant to be opaque for stamping. Yeah how about no! I stamped and you couldn't really see it. It was there but it was so dark on the black that it made the design subtle. I've noticed that sometimes topcoat brings out the stamped color more so I applied a coat of Seche Vite. Yeah it helped... only a little. I decided to keep it on for the day and see if it looked better while I was out and about (and not confined to artificial light). But then I had rain and no sunlight all day.

So I got annoyed trying to photograph it in a way where you could see the red and decided to change it. I took the same exact pattern from BM212 and stamped over the red using Konad's Special Polish in White. NOW you can see it! Topped it with a coat of Seche Vite and I was good to go. It's unfortunate that the red didn't work out. I thought it really looked badass when you could notice it.

Either way, I hope you gals like it. I'll be doing another Valentine's Day mani and hopefully that one won't be an epic fail like this one. LOL!

Happy Polishing!

Zoya's Skylar v. OPI's I Have A Herring Problem

2012-02-10T07:30:00.001-05:00

Hey Ladies! As promised, I did a comparison between Zoya's Skylar and I Have a Herring Problem by OPI. Just like my last comparison post, I didn't understand why a little voice in my head was telling me not to get I Have a Herring Problem. Why was I debating a beautiful color? Simple! Because it reminded me of Skylar. I just didn't realize it at the time. *sigh* A bottle to bottle comparison lets you know that the two colors aren't exact dupes... But when you are standing in a store that doesn't sell both OPI and Zoya, you can easily think they are identical based off of your memory. So here is the comparison for those of you that might be debating the similarities:

Skylar is a medium steel blue with a softened, dusty look and speckled by visible gold and silver shimmer flecks. (Zoya's words.. Not mine!) I Have a Herring Problem is like a dusty medium blue with the same gold and silver shimmer. Both were opaque in 2 coats (no base coat and no topcoat). The formula and application was great for Skylar. I Have a Herring Problem did the same thing it did to me the first time I used it. It pulled a bit of the color from the first coat while I was applying the second coat.

So are they dupes? Nope. They are similar enough to maybe be more like half-sisters. LOL! Skylar is bluer while I Have a Herring Problem is more grayish and/or more muted. In the end, I would recommend Skylar over OPI because of the formula and application difference. I also love that Skylar is more on the blue side. I love OPI's brush but I wouldn't have bought this color if I had remembered about Skylar while I was at the store.

Hope this helps some of you in making your purchasing decision. Happy Polishing!

I Don't Have A Herring Problem...

2012-02-08T07:40:00.000-05:00

Hey Ladies! So I got 2 colors from the Holland Collection when I went to my local supply store to get the China Glaze Magnetix polishes. I really debated this color and didn't understand why. I couldn't decide between I Have A Herring Problem and I Don't Give A Rotterdamn. I finally settled for this one. When I got home I realized why... It reminds me of Zoya's Skylar. A bottle-to-bottle comparison shows they aren't dupes but they are possible half-sisters. LOL! Maybe I'll do a comparison soon.

I Have A Herring Problem is like a dusty medium blue with gold and silver shimmer. It's a grayish blue. Very pretty. The shimmer looks more silver than gold sometimes but then looks more gold than silver other times. LOL! The formula was ok. I noticed that the push was pulling a little bit of the color from the 1st coat while I was applying the 2nd. So I caught myself applying the 2nd coat with a little more polish on the brush than I normally would have just to avoid that pulling. Most nails have 2 coats. A few have 3 coats since I had to fix them. But still a pretty color to have!

Happy Polishing!

Zoya's Tru vs. OPI's Dutch 'Ya Just Love OPI

2012-02-06T07:16:00.000-05:00

Hey Ladies! So I figured out why I really liked Dutch 'Ya Just Love OPI by (obviously) OPI... Because it's pretty much identical to Zoya's Tru. I've been head-over-heels in love with Tru ever since it came out. *sigh* I knew I shouldn't have bought Dutch 'Ya Just Love OPI when I was debating which colors to get from the Holland Collection. At that moment I just couldn't figure out why a voice in my head was saying: "Don't get it!" But I was hypnotized by the beautiful color. And of course it was because I technically was already in love with the color. LOL!

Tru is a saturated, red-toned grape purple with speckled shimmer that reflects gold, orange and red. OPI is described as a plum purple and has the same gold, orange, and red shimmer. Both were opaque with just 2 coats and both had a perfect formula. There was a moment when I thought one was darker than the other but I think it was the light. In the bottle, Tru seems to have more shimmer but on the nail they have the same amount. In my opinion, I think we have an official dupe! I really don't see how to justifying purchasing both (unless you're a dork like me and don't remember already owning the color). I think in the end it will come down to which brand you love more or which brand you have more access to.

My heart was always with OPI... But ever since Zoya came into my life my loyalty has changed.
<3 Zoya

So which one would you buy?

Happy Polishing!

An Oldie, But A Goodie!

2012-02-03T07:37:00.000-05:00

Hey Ladies! So I was organizing my polish and came across this beauty. This is OPI's Lincoln Park at Midnight. I've had this polish for years! Easily one of the first polishes I ever owned. So it's at least 4-5 years old. This one holds a special place in my heart. LOL! So I was happy to see the formula hadn't changed over the years. It was still as perfect as the first day I'd bought it. I'd describe Lincoln Park at Midnight as a dark purple with purple shimmer. The shimmer is very subtle and visible only under direct light (natural or artificial). This is a very vampy color and can look almost black sometimes. I love it! 2 coats of perfection. I originally bought this because of it's name and my love for the band Linkin Park. So many years later and I still love the band and this color. It was meant to be. LOL!

Happy Polishing!

Over The Top!

2012-02-01T07:46:00.000-05:00

Hey Ladies! You would think I wouldn't get more polish with as much as I have in the un-tried drawer of my helmer... But I went to a local nail supply store and saw Over The Top. I've been eyeing it for months but have never been convinced enough to get it. I finally caved. I like the color but it wasn't what I was expecting it to be. Essie describes this as a dramatic metallic midnight silver. It's really dark but not so dark that it ends up looking black. It's like metallic asphalt. I applied 2 coats. The first coat was pretty sheer. And some spots would have needed a 3rd coat if it wasn't for the fact that the 2nd coat I applied was very generous.

I stamped the swirl full nail pattern from the second Bundle Monster set, BM-201. I think its an adorable pattern. One of my favorites. I stamped using one of China Glaze's best polishes for stamping: Millennium. The swirls cover a lot of the base color so I decided to just stamp the ring fingers. Didn't want to cover up that much of Over The Top.

Happy Polishing!

China Glaze Magnetix - Pull Me Close

2012-01-31T07:43:00.000-05:00

Hey Ladies! Ok so seriously... when did this collection come out? I didn't know anything about it until I saw swatches start appearing everywhere! So I contacted my go-to nail supply store (ever since I discovered them I don't order polish online anymore because their prices are amazing) and they got them in today. I went straight there after my morning class. There they were... pretty in their little display on the counter! LOL! I have been dying to try magnetic nail polish but never managed to get my hands on some. And then the one time I found some at Walgreens it was too expensive for a brand I didn't know or trust. Needless to say, I was super excited when I saw that China Glaze had a collection of magnetic polishes! I definitely trust them to do it right. And they sure did!

This is Pull Me Close from the Magnetix Collection. It is a grayish blue with a metallic finish (before you use the magnet). I found that one generous coat was all you needed for even coverage. It was a bit streaky but it honestly doesn't matter because the magnetic design hides that. The instructions said to hold the magnet for something like 10 seconds. I held my finger up to eye level and put the magnet over it. The design appeared instantly for me. You are supposed to do this while the nail was still wet so I did one nail at a time (applied polish, held the magnet, and moved to the next). Be very careful not to touch your finger with the magnet. I found it easier (and faster) to hold the nail and magnet up to eye level.

This was my first attempt at using these and I don't think it came out too bad. My right hand (not the one photographed) came out better because I had already a feel for it by then. (I would have photographed the right hand but it's impossible for some reason). I love this polish! I got one more (the dark purple) and now I kinda wish I had bought the entire collection. One thing I didn't like about the polish was that it kinda had a funky smell to it... but that isn't a deal breaker for me! I hope these last long on the nail and don't chip instantly.

Which ones are you getting (or already got)?

Happy Polishing!

Lusting Over Misa

2012-01-30T07:49:00.000-05:00

And I thought this color was beautiful in the bottle. Put it on the nail and it goes to a different level of beautiful. I feel like these pictures just don't do it justice. Its THAT gorgeous! This is Forbidden Lust by Misa from their Poison Passion Collection in Fall of 2008. (The same collection that brought us the very beautiful A Sin Worth Committing!) It is a ridiculously vibrant, yet deep purple with purple and reddish shimmer and blue undertones. Yeah, something like that. It's a dark purple but when the light hits it... BAM! Super bright and vibrant. 2 coats of perfection. I was going to stamp over this but the color was too pretty. I didn't want to draw attention away from it.

This color technically belongs to Mari... And now I have to add it to the list of "Polishes I Have to Order for My Own Stash Once I Move Away." Its THAT awesome! I highly recommend it. In my opinion, Misa has a great selection of stunning and unique colors.

NOTD: Blue on Blue

2012-01-27T07:04:00.001-05:00

Here is another look from "the vault." I think this might be the last one. Before I start, I just want to say that I love these bottles. I like the different design and the color of the cap. However, make sure your hands are acetone free before you touch the top... Because it screws it all up and then its not so pretty anymore. So this is China Glaze's Kaleidoscope Him Out from the Kaleidoscope Collection. This is a pretty light blue scattered holo. Reminds me of Nfu-Oh's 65 (one of the loves of my life). But trust me, they aren't the same. Hmmm... Maybe I should do a comparison. I'll add that to my list of things to do one day. Then I stamped the full nail design using Bundle Monster's BM224 from the 2nd plate set. I stamped using Konad's Special Stamping Polish in Blue.

By the way, I added a new commenting system. I've always wanted to be able to reply to comments and I think I finally found a way! So feel free to post a comment to test it out. Let me know if you encounter any problems via email: Lissi4NAA(at)gmail(dot)com. Thanks!

Time to play with Legos!

2012-01-25T07:35:00.000-05:00

So my inner child has come out! I must confess that I'm 26 years old and I LOVE Legos... What you see in the picture is a Lego Wiimote. How freaking awesome is that? I didn't even know they made those! My boyfriend got it for me as a gift the Christmas before last. It comes with little lego pieces so you can decorate it (the strip of colors running along the sides). This Wiimote is a real attention-getter. Anytime I take it to a friends house for game nights I get tons of comments on it. And since its so unique and bright, there is no having to figure out which remote belongs to who (at least not for me). So, being the dork that I am, I decide to paint my nails matching my Wiimote.

First up is China Glaze's Happy Go Lucky from the Up & Away Collection. This is a bright yellow creme. Super bright but not a neon. 2 coats. Next, we have OPI's No Room For The Blues from the Brights by OPI Collection. This is a sky blue creme. 2 coats. Next is OPI's Dating a Royal from the Mod About Brights Collection. This is a deep dark blue (but not so dark that it looks black). The jury is still out on whether its a creme or a jelly. 2-3 coats. But I know one thing for sure: This polish stains like a mother! So be sure to apply 2 coats of your base. Last but not least is Chrysanthe-mum's The Word by FingerPaints from the Petals Collection. This is a bright green creme. Sometimes it looks a little on the mint green side. 2 coats. This is a look from "the vault" so I don't remember what I put on my thumbs... I probably just repeated one of the 4 colors.

Hope you all like it! Anyone else a Lego freak?

NOTD: Kotori

2012-01-23T08:04:00.000-05:00

Am I the only one that thinks of Atari when I hear the name of this polish? I'm hoping you all know what Atari is... I went back to my un-tried drawer and pulled out Zoya's Kotori. Why hadn't I used this sooner? It's awesome! I know Mari is probably thinking: "Told ya so!" I took this polish from her months ago! The last time she realized I still had it I got a very sharp: "You haven't worn that yet!?!?!" *hides* LOL! Zoya describes this as a dense bright blue shimmer superimposed over a sheer black base. You notice how sheer the base is as soon as you put on the first coat. I applied 3 coats for even coverage. There is something different about this polish. Its bright even though its dark. Does that make sense? The blue shimmer almost looks like it has different tones of blue. Some of the black base covers shimmer from the coat underneath it. So that covered shimmer is darkened a bit while the shimmer from the top-most coat is still very bright. I think that causes a really cool effect on the nail. Point of the story: Get Kotori! (Ha Ha, I made a rhyme!)

Polish Battle: Tempest vs. Grape Going

2012-01-20T07:16:00.000-05:00

Hey! I have a comparison for you guys that I did a super long time ago. As a matter of fact, I've had the draft of this post saved for a year now. Horrible, I know! You can tell it's old because it doesn't follow our usual photo format (and my nails are much longer then). So sorry about that! I didn't want to waste the swatches so decided to post it anyways.

This is China Glaze's Tempest with Sally Hansen's Grape Going. However, I'll probably do this comparison again one day since we now have RBL's Scrangie and I want to compare that with Grape Going. I've heard they are extremely similar.

All of these swatches were done with no base coat or top coat.

Tempest - This is a blue/purple douchrome.

Grape Going - This is a purple with bluish shimmer.

Application: These were all 3 coats. I liked the application of Tempest better than Grape Going. But that is only because I don't like the brush shape for this line of Sally Hansen polishes. The brushes are way too fat and uncomfortable!

Verdict: No dupes. Tempest is clearly darker than Grape Going. It's much more noticeable in the sunlight pictures.

NOTD: Angora Cardi & Flowers

2012-01-19T07:50:00.000-05:00

Hey Ladies!

Today's post is not from the vault. I am going to make it a point to make a dent in my un-tried drawer. I need to make space for future polish. So I decided to use Essie's Angora Cardi. I bought this polish like 2 years ago!

Angora Cardi - Essie describes this as a creamy deep dusty rose. It's like a mauve-ish purple creme. Super creamy and yummy. Applies like a dream. Like melted butter. I applied 2 coats. Could be opaque enough with just 1 coat but you have to make sure you get it right the first time. As always, I don't have the patience for that.

I missed stamping so I decided to go for it. The design I used is from Bundle Monster's second plate set, BM-205. This plate has 3 designs I absolutely love! I stamped using Emotion by China Glaze. This is a metallic warm pink from the Romantique collection of Spring 2009. This one is great for stamping! At first I was only going to stamp on my ring finger. I liked it so much that I stamped all my fingers before I realized it.

Happy Polishing!

Zoya's Bevin vs. OPI's Mermaid's Tears

2012-01-17T07:29:00.000-05:00

Hey Ladies!

So I've read a few comments from people on the internet wondering how Bevin and Mermaid's Tears compare with one another. So I decided to do a comparison! I thought they were identical when looking at them in the bottles but that isn't the case on the nail. Swatches were done with no base coat and no topcoat.

Zoya describes Bevin as a dusty medium sage green with teal tones and a creamy opaque finish. OPI's Mermaid's Tears is like a dusty turquoise sea green. No dupe. Bevin is darker. And the tones are different. There is more blue in Mermaid's Tears. What you don't see is the difference in the formula. The swatches above have 2 coats. Bevin is much more opaque with just 1 coat. Mermaid's Tears seemed so much more watery. It was weird. You get the same result with 2 coats in the end but I didn't like the watery formula too much.

They're clearly different but I don't think the difference is crazy enough to "need" both (if you're on a budget). If you love green as much as I love blue, you'll probably want both. LOL! If I had to pick one, I'd go for Zoya's Bevin. The formula is just so much better on this one!

Happy Polishing!

NOTD: A Hi-Tech Pineapple

2012-01-16T07:41:00.000-05:00

Hey Ladies!

Today I have a funky look for you guys from the vault. I decided to recreate a look I did before (here) but with different colors, obviously. I started off with 2 coats of a China Glaze color from the Island Escape collection. Electric Pineapple is a lime green creme. It's bright but the green holo makes it seem much more toned down than it really is. I used french tip stickers (the ones that are slightly curved, not straight) to make the diagonal line. Then I used Milani's Hi-Tech on the slanted tip portion. Hi-Tech is a light green (with subtle gold) holographic. I never thought I would like this combination. My skin tone usually doesn't go well with colors that are kinda puke-ish yellow/green. LOL!

China Glaze - ElectroPop

2012-01-14T14:12:00.000-05:00

Los Angeles, CA - (January 2012): Where heavy metal meets rocker chic, China Glaze® introduces the Spring 2012 collection,ElectroPop. Inspired by all things girly, edgy and fun, the 12 shades of ElectroPop bring out the inner rock star in all. For flash and glam this spring, China Glaze® hits the stage in style!

ElectroPop Shades include:

Kinetic Candy – Touch the sky in light blue crème
Electric Beat – Periwinkle nails for a wink worthy performance
Aquadelic – Pool blue for nighttime gigs and daytime fun in the sun
Gaga For Green – Green lacquer for the girl craving the limelight
Sunshine Pop – Shine in the spotlight in bold yellow
Make Some Noise – Rock the mic in tangerine
Wicked Style – Party cocktail tropical punch
Fuchsia Fanatic – Fuchsia pink for the rocker diva in us all
Gothic Lolita – Steal the show on girls night out in seductive purple
Dance Baby – Hit center stage in cotton candy pink
Sweet Hook – Blow a kiss in dreamy lilac
Techno – Glitter confetti polish for a dazzling topcoat finish or all over finger tip bling

ElectroPop will be available February 2012. Individual shades retail for $7; 6 piece collections retail for $42.

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.

NOTD: Pink Wrapping

2012-01-13T07:45:00.000-05:00

Hey Ladies!

So I went digging in my overstuffed "un-tried" helmer drawer and pulled this out. I got this Barielle from a blog sale. This is the first time I've ever used a Barielle polish. I still have 3 more to try out. My verdict: So far so good! This is Wrap Me In Ribbon from the Holiday Hustle collection from Winter of 2010. Wrap Me In Ribbon is a pinky mauve metallic polish. Barielle describes it as a metallic raspberry with violet and copper pearl undertones. Maybe I'm blind but I don't see the copper at all. I see it in the bottle... settled in the bottom. I tried everything I could to shake it up well but nothing worked. It's still a pretty color. The first coat started off really sheer. I didn't expect that. But the second coat somehow gave me a perfectly even and full coverage. Application can be tricky. It's metallic so you have to be careful with your brush strokes because it can be streaky. Regardless, I really like it...

Too bad I had it on for less than 24 hours. This is the color I was wearing when I got the Zoya collection in the mail and I took it off immediately so I could swatch them. LOL!

So since I don't have much experience with Barielle, what do you guys think of this brand?

Happy Polishing!

NOTD: Purple Butterflies!

2012-01-11T07:00:00.000-05:00

Hey Ladies!

And yet another look from the vault... Seeing these older manicures makes me miss stamping my nails! Anyways... This is a cute purple combination that I might do again during Spring. This is FingerPaints Aren't You Glad-iolous? from the Palette of Petals collection of Spring 2011. I'm assuming that is the correct spelling of the polish name. It didn't come with a label. I bought this collection from a blog sale and that blogger had received the collection from FingerPaints to review. So it had weird labels on the bottom. Anyone know the correct spelling? I googled it and a bunch of bloggers had different versions. Whatever. Not important. LOL! Anyways... It's a pretty light purple creme. You should be able to get a good even finish with 2 coats. I was afraid this color was going to be chalky but I was pleasantly surprised. Then I stamped the butterfly design on my ring fingers using BM205 from Bundle Monster's second plate set. I stamped with Zoya's Mira from the Summertime collection. Mira is described as a blue toned medium purple with dusty lavender tones. Personally, this color is awesome. It's so creamy and yummy.

Happy Polishing!

NOTD: A 360 View

2012-01-09T07:59:00.010-05:00

Hey Ladies!

I normally don't post on weekends. But I did yesterday because I really wanted to share my swatches and review of the Zoya Fleck Effect Collection. So be sure to check out that post here: Zoya Fleck Effect Post!

I start my last semester of law school today. It's hard to believe that its been almost 3 years already. It feels like I started law school just the other day. Time flies! I don't want to go back. This break wasn't long enough. LOL! But I'm glad it's my last semester. I'm almost at the finish line!!! Hopefully this semester won't be as insane as the last one (which was one of the reasons why I had to stop blogging). Anyways...

Here is another look from the vault. I have so many looks that I did but never posted. This is one of my favorites! I actually want to redo this. It's so pretty! Today's polish is from RBL's Surf's Up collection. 360 is a teal-ish color with extremely subtle silver shimmer. So subtle that you barely notice it on the nail. But I swear it's in the bottle. LOL! The color is opaque enough that you can get away with just 1 coat... but I applied 2 just for that perfect even finish. There is something about this color that is just so beautiful to me. To finish off the look I stamped the flower pattern from Bundle Monster's 2nd plate set, BM224. I stamped using the popular Millennium by China Glaze. I love that flower pattern. It's one of my favorites from the set. I stamped the pattern in different directions so that each nail wouldn't be identical.

Hope you all like it!

Zoya's Fleck Effect Collection - Swatches & Review

2012-01-08T08:27:00.000-05:00

Hey Ladies!

Swatching the Fleck Effect Collection by Zoya was fun! I love flakes so much! I wanted you guys to see this collection over a color polish and over a black polish (to focus on the flecks). Just in case anyone is wondering, the black I used is China Glaze's Liquid Leather. (Liquid Leather is literally just that, black leather in liquid form. Pure black.) I figured most of you (if not all of you) would apply this over something else and not alone on the nail. Therefore, I didn't swatch them alone. The base for all 3 of these have a slight tint of color. They are obviously sheer so you will always see your nail underneath no matter how many coats you apply. I didn't apply a base coat or a topcoat. Lets get started!

Chloe - Zoya describes this as a sheer coral pink base with two types of duochrome Mylar flakes: red-orange to gold and gold-green to blue. Spot on description. There are more of the red-orange to gold flakes than there are of the gold-green to blue flakes. The purple polish used was 2 coats of Zoya's Tru from the True Collection. Over this purple, the flakes look more orange and pink than when applied over the black. Over the black, the flakes look more orange and red. Application was great. 1 coat.

Maisie - Zoya describes this as a sheer turquoise blue base with reflective Mylar flakes that shift from green to blue. This one is tricky. Sometimes it looks more green and sometimes it looks more blue depending on the light. But the blue is more on the greenish side. Did that even make sense? LOL! Application was great. 1 coat. I just wish the flakes were bluer. (More of my thoughts on this below.) The blue polish used was 2 coats of Zoya's Skylar from the True Collection.

Opal - Zoya describes this as a sheer green base with reflective Mylar flakes that shift from bright green to blue. Again, another spot on description. Once on the nail, its easy to get confused between Opal and Maisie. After all, they both shift from green to blue and blue to green. However, as the description says, the green in this one is brighter. I also think Opal shifts less to blue. Application was great. 1 coat. The green polish used was 2 coats of Zoya's Bevin from the True Collection.

___________________________

Just for fun I decided to make these matte just so you can really see the flakes! I used Essie's Matte About You topcoat. I love how making these matte makes the flakes pop out even more!

Chloe

Maisie

Opal

__________________________

Overall: This collection is loaded with flakes. I love it! One dip of the brush into the bottle is all you need for an application overloaded with flakes. You can easily move the flakes around with the brush if you don't like where they ended up on the nail. The polish you use as a base can really help the flakes look more like one color than another. Purple polish brings out the pinkish red of Chloe. Blue brings out the blueish side of Maisie. Green polish brings out more of the bright green of Opal. I love these polishes! I only have one slight complain... But note, this is the blue-lover in me speaking: I wish the blue in Maisie was more dominant than the green. How awesome would an all blue flake polish be? Amazing! Don't get me wrong though, I still love Maisie.

What do you gals think about this collection? Which will you be getting? Thoughts? Comments?

Happy Polishing!

Zoya's True Collection - Swatches & Review

2012-01-06T07:20:00.000-05:00

Hey Ladies!

First, just wanted to let you guys know that I added an email subscription option on the sidebar!

As promised, here are the swatches for the True Collection by Zoya. I was so excited to see a Zoya box on my front porch when I got home from work. At first I thought it was my textbook order from Amazon so I took my sweet time getting out of the car. But when I noticed the huge "Zoya" printed on the side of the box I ran out of the car so fast that I forgot to turn off the car! LOL! It felt like I couldn't get the box open fast enough. I hadn't blogged in so long that I forgot how exciting it was to receive new collections for review. So let's get started! As a side note, I like to post Zoya's official description of the color instead of only posting my own take on it. Personally, I feel that Zoya is one of the few companies that has the skill of describing their colors down to a science! What they describe is always what you get!

Cho - Zoya describes this as an opaque yellow-toned light soft peachy beige with a hint of ultra fine silver shimmer. Spot on description! The shimmer is super ultra fine. Very subtle. So subtle that I don't think this picture even captures it enough to do it any justice. But trust me, its there! Application was great. I thought it was going to be super sheer but all you need is 2 coats for full coverage.

Farah - Zoya describes this as an opaque light khaki-beige with subtle sandy, greenish undertones and a cream finish. This color looks like Cho at a quick glance but they are clearly different. Put the two bottles next to each other and you'll notice how much more yellow Cho is and the subtle green undertone of Farah. Also, Farah has no shimmer. Application was great. I thought it was going to be chalky but it wasn't. 2 coats for full coverage.

Bevin - Zoya describes this as a dusty, medium sage green with teal tones and a creamy opaque finish. I don't see the teal tones but maybe I'm just blind like that. LOL! This color is so pretty! It's nice and light but not boring. Application was great and not chalky. You can almost get away with just 1 coat. But I don't have the patience to make sure I get it perfect on the first attempt so I just did 2 coats.

Skylar - Zoya describes this as a medium steel blue with a softened, dusty look and speckled by visible gold and silver shimmer flecks. Again, spot on description! The split between gold and silver shimmer is pretty well balanced. I thought this was going to be one of those colors that leave your hands with a shimmery mess upon removal as if you've just strangled a fairy... but it doesn't! *heavenly song plays in the background* That is a big deal to me for some reason. Application was great. The first coat seemed a little sheer but the 2nd coat provided what was needed for a full and even coverage.

Tru - Zoya describes this as a saturated, red-toned grape purple with speckled shimmer that reflects gold, orange and red. Beautiful! For once in my polishing life a purple has taken the #1 spot for me in a collection over a blue. You guys know I'm a sucker for blue. But this time Tru has won me over! This color is just so deep and rich. And the shimmer makes it a "tru" stunner. LOL! (Corny, I know.) Application was a dream. 2 coats for full coverage.

Lotus - Zoya describes this as a very soft, dusty blue-toned amethyst purple with colorful shimmer that reflects pink, red and gold. The shimmer in this color is gorgeous! Not so red but not so pink. I wish I had swatched this during the day so I could see it under the sun. Application was great. 2 coats for full coverage.

__________________________________

Overall, I love this collection. Shockingly, a purple has taken the #1 spot for me: Tru. So much prettier on the nail than I thought it was going to be based on what I saw in the bottle. Goes to show you that you can't always rely on what you see in the bottle. Bottles lie! The #2 spot goes to Skylar. I love blue and I love that name! The #3 spot goes to Lotus (love that name too). #4 goes to Bevin. I don't care much for Cho and Farah. But thats only because I'm not a neutral type of girl. With that said, there is no way that you can't find something to like from this collection. It has colors and types that appeal to different likes and preferences. Application for all of them were great. No complaints.

So what do you gals think? Which ones will you be getting?

Also, I will be swatching the Flecks Effect Collection this weekend and posting that first thing Monday morning (if not sooner). So be sure to check back.

Happy Polishing!

Sneak Peek

2012-01-05T15:51:00.001-05:00

Hey ladies!
Just wanted to quickly share what you can expect to see real soon! I found this on my doorstep when I got home today! I'm so excited that I might swatch them right now even though I painted my nails last night. =)

NOTD: Havana in Plaid

2012-01-04T07:46:00.001-05:00

Hey Ladies!

I have been drooling over this color for the longest time... Sephora by OPI's Havana Dreams is a sheer pale sky blue. It seriously is sheer! I believe I used 3 coats below. I usually don't have a problem with 3-coaters if its a color I absolutely love (like OPI's Merry Midnight or My Private Jet). But I was a little disappointed with it. Don't get me wrong though... I still love the color! I just think I probably own a similar color that will give me less of a hassle. Mari posted about it back in May (here). She literally took it from me the moment I got it! *evil stare* But its ok because I've done the same to her plenty of times.

I then stamps the plaid pattern using Konad's stamping plate m60 and using Konad's Special Polish in Blue.

Teal Heaven!

2012-01-02T07:59:00.000-05:00

Hey Ladies!

Today I have CND's Urban Oasis and Teal Sparkle. Can we say FREAKING GORGEOUS! Urban Oasis is a beautiful dark teal creme. The polish is no joke! 1 coat is all you need. Its THAT opaque. And then we have Teal Sparkle... *drools* Amazing clear base packed with tons and tons and tons of teal micro-glitter/flakies. The number of coats for this is all a matter of personal preference. I only applied 1 coat but you can apply another if you want more BAM! I just didn't want it to overpower the dark teal underneath. Either way, this is a great combination. Now that I think about it... I don't understand why I don't own more polishes from CND... Maybe its because I own too many polishes as it is. Is that even possible? Owning too much nail polish? Silly me! Of course not! Any recommendations for must-have CND colors?

China Glaze - Colours from the Capitol Collection

2012-01-01T17:27:00.002-05:00

China

Glaze “Colours from the Capitol” Official Swatch Sheet

Attached you will find the official swatch sheet from China Glaze’s “Colours from the Capitol” collection. This collection of 12 new nail polish shades is inspired exclusively by one distinct setting in The Hunger Games - the Capitol of the nation of Panem. Awash in lavish fashion, food, and entertainment, Capitol citizens enjoy extreme cosmetics and body modifications, bold wigs, and outlandish costumes.

Zoya TRUE and FLECK EFFECTS for Spring 2012

2012-01-01T07:00:00.013-05:00

2012 SPRING NAIL COLOR by ZOYA
TRUE
HONESTLY, BEAUTIFUL COLOR
A fresh bloom of dewy color. Inspired by the runway looks of top designers this collection features slightly muted and unexpected spring shades in six easy to wear, full-coverage creams and metallics.

· Cho (ZP585): Full coverage, vanilla shimmer metallic

· Farah (ZP586): Full coverage, latte beige cream

· Bevin (ZP587): Full coverage, pale sage green cream

· Skylar (ZP588): Full coverage, silvered slate blue metallic

· Tru (ZP589): Full coverage, gilded purple orchid metallic

· Lotus (ZP590): Full coverage, light lotus purple metallic

FLECK EFFECT
MYLAR FLECK TOPCOATS

Zoya Nail Polish presents - three new mylar fleck glazes that can be worn alone or layered over the new ZOYA TRUE collection colors for a unique and beautiful nail look!

· Maisie (ZP582): Blue tint with mylar green fleck effect

· Opal (ZP583): Green tint with mylar green fleck effect

· Chloe (ZP584): Pink tint with mylar green and gold fleck effect

Zoya is the new color of fashion...

Ultra long-wearing, glossy nail lacquers by Zoya are free of harmful industrial chemicals like toluene, camphor, formaldehyde, resin, dibutyl phthalate (DBP) that are known to cause cancer and birth defects.

Sug. Retail $8.00 per 0.5 fl.oz. bottle (US)

Available January 13, 2012

Find Zoya TRUE & FLECK EFFECT as well as over 300 other ultra high-fashion Zoya shades at www.zoya.com. As always, each and every Zoya color is made for women so we name them after women.

SinfulColors Holiday 2011 Collection - Wish

2011-12-29T07:00:00.002-05:00

Hey Ladies!

Yes... We're back!

So lets jump right into it.

This is SinfulColors Wish Collection for the 2011 holiday season. The collection includes 5 polishes and 2 nail art shades. All the colors represent the holidays pretty well. This collection is also great as a starter set since it contains basic colors and nothing too crazy.

I struggled with using the nail art shades. The brush on these is long and thin. It's not the products fault. I've just never used these before and didn't create anything I was proud enough to post. LOL! So I think I'll play with them more until I learn how to use them properly. I'll probably do a separate review post for them. But just so you know they are called Flower Girl and Fashionista. Flower Girl is described as "a bronzy gold with tons of sparkle" and Fashionista is described as "a glitter-laden pewter."

On to the polishes... All swatches are with no base coat and no top coat.

Last Chance is described as "an emerald with depth and allure." This is a deep green creme. Very pretty. Reminds me of a christmas tree. 2 coats for full coverage.

This was the hardest color to capture... and this picture does it no justice. Daddy's Girl is "a deep purple with a drizzle of shimmer and glitter." It's a deep purple jelly base with small glitter and shimmer. So I'm having a love hate reaction to this polish. First, it took about 4 to 5 generous coats to get the coverage you see above. But ugh, you can still see my nail tips underneath. I hate that. But the color is so pretty. This picture does not show up purple. I tried so many camera settings and different lighting. But this is one of those purples that photographs blue! *Must do camera research on this issue!* The purple tone, the glitter, and the shimmer go beautiful together. I think this polish would be best layered over a matching purple or a black polish.

My favorite! Midnight Blue is described as "a bold, bright twist on navy." I couldn't agree more. This color is so vibrant and electric. Definitely an attention grabber. It has a little bit of a metallic finish so you have to pay attention to the application to avoid streaky lines. But its nothing troublesome. 2 coats for full coverage and you're good to go!

Out of This World is described as "a perfect silver with swirls of glimmer." This polish is a bit on the sheer side. It took about 3 to 4 generous coats for full coverage. It's a silver packed with silver shimmer/glimmer. Very bright. Reminds me of snow... I wish it snowed in Miami...

Sugar Sugar is described as "a candy cane, red-hot tint." This does remind me of the red stripe in a candy cane. I haven't had a candy cane in years! This is a red packed with red shimmer. Another vibrant and bright color. Perfect for the holidays. 2 coats for full coverage.

So what do you gals think?

SinfulColors is available for $1.99 at major drug stores. Call 1-800-448-0763 or online at www.walgreens.com.

Quick Update

2011-07-19T19:17:00.000-04:00

Hey Ladies!

Just wanted to jump in and give you guys a quick update. You might have noticed that we've been slightly "missing." Or you might not have noticed at all. LOL! Either way, here is the update.

I'm still in St. Louis. I have a collection by China Glaze and Dr.'s Remedy to swatch and review for you. However, I am waiting to get my camera back so I can do that. You might be asking: What happened to your camera? Well... It went swimming in the river. Literally! I took it on a float trip down a river with me and it ended up in the water despite all my efforts. I sent it to Sony for repair and was just told it was shipped back to me.

Why hasn't Mari posted? Because I have her camera too. So you might wonder: Why don't you swatch and use Mari's camera? Um, well... It kinda died! It's been giving me a weird error and refuses to take pictures. I google the error and called Nikon. Seems its a shutter failure. Great!

So we are both camera-less. But hopefully not for much longer!

Deborah Lippmann Shades for Fall 2011

2011-07-07T10:09:00.000-04:00

New Deborah Lippmann Shades for Fall 2011

Billionaire: moody hunter green (creme)

Brick House: shimmering rust (shimmer)

Single Ladies: flirtatious red (creme)

PRICE: $16 (each)

Stormy Weather: an edgy granite (crème)is a collaboration

with fashion designer Narciso Rodriguez.

PRICE: $16 (each)

Nordstrom Anniversary Set

Happy Birthday: a party in a bottle (glitter)

Forget You: party all night (glitter)

Candy Shop: bubblegum pink (glitter)

PRICE: $42 (set)

WHERE TO FIND IT: Barneys New York, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, and online at www.deborahlippmann.com.

Zoya - Smoke & Mirrors...beautiful illusions

2011-07-07T09:58:00.000-04:00

Fall 2011

Smoke and Mirrors ...beautiful illusions

Zoya Nail Polish presents 12 enticing and mysterious new colors for Fall 2011.

Zoya Smoke Collection
Jana (ZP564) -smoky mauve quartz cream
Petra (ZP565)- smoky eggplant mauve cream
Codie (ZP566)- smoky brown taupe cream
Anja (ZP567) -smoky palatinate purple cream
Cynthia(ZP568) - smoky Prussian blue cream
Dree (ZP569) -smoky camouflage green cream

Zoya Mirrors Collection
Nimue (ZP570)- smoky rich thistle metallic
Marina (ZP571)- smoky steel blue metallic
Tao (ZP572) -smoky slate gray metallic
Yara (ZP573) -sparkly olive green metallic
Neeka (ZP574)- sparkly amethyst purple metallic
Jem (ZP575) -sparkly fandango pink metallic

Zoya is the new color of fashion... The new Zoya smoke & mirrors colors were designed and inspired by top fashion designers and beauty icons.

Ultra long-wearing, glossy nail lacquers by Zoya are free of harmful industrial chemicals like toluene, camphor, formaldehyde, resin, dibutyl phthalate (DBP) that are known to cause cancer and birth defects.

Find Zoya smoke & mirrors as well as over 300 other high-fashion Zoya shades at www.zoya.com. As always, each and every Zoya color is made for beautiful women so we name them after beautiful women.

Smoke & Mirrors by Zoya - available July 15, 2011 (USA)

Sug. Retail $8.00 per 0.5 fl. oz. bottle (US)

Happy Late Birthday!

2011-06-08T07:00:00.000-04:00

Hey Ladies!

As always: Better late than never! This is a mani that I did for my birthday back in March. I was inspired by a shirt I had bought that week for myself. So I kinda mimicked the shirt on my nails for the night we went out dancing!

So I started off with two coats of China Glaze's best color EVER made: For Audrey! In my opinion, this is the most beautiful color on earth. Don't get me wrong. I love unique colors that have 43 thousand shades in one (I exaggerate a bit). Love douchromes. Love holos. But you don't always have to be crazy to be a beautiful color. I remember when I first saw this color. Mari wore it out for a previous birthday outing of mine. I loved it so much that I went on the hunt for it. Sally's Beauty was sold out back then. Thankfully I was able to get it online from Transdesign. *insert heavenly music here* I was sooo happy. Mari and I usually share our colors but this is one of the few colors we each own a bottle of. I guess you can say its in my permanent line! Moving on....

I applied 2 coats of For Audrey. I then stamped with Konad plate m57 using their Black Special Polish. Then I dotted with China Glaze's Spontaneous. This color was great for it because it's seriously opaque! You ask: How did I dot? (Or you might not care!) Either way, listen up (those of you that don't have a dotting tool). I don't own a dotting tool. I got a toothpick and cut a little bit of the tip off so it wouldn't be so pointed. You want that flat end for dotting. Don't cut too far unless you want a fatter dot. Then I just placed a drop of the polish on my nail board (yes, I have a board -school binder flap- that I use to paint my nails on in case I ever spill polish - don't want that landing on my desk). I dipped the end of the cut toothpick in the polish and then applied it on my nail. I waited a while for the dots to dry and then applied a coat of Seche Vite (didn't want the dots to smear).

And that's basically it...

Hope you gals like it. Happy Polishing!

L8R Miami... Hello St. Louis!

2011-06-02T07:00:00.001-04:00

Hey Ladies!

Long time no see! Life has been crazy but its stabilizing again. I am officially in St. Louis for the entire summer! So, an update: I finished finals and I started to prepare myself for the summer. I had to pack for my vacation and start packing for St. Louis. Then I went on my cruise vacation and it was awesome. Wish the vacation would have been longer. But don't we all wish that? LOL! Then I came back from my vacation and I immediately had to finish packing because I was leaving for St. Louis the next day. Packing for 2 months is not easy. I didn't want to overpack but I didn't want to be limited to 2 pairs of jeans and 5 tops all summer. LOL! That was an overwhelming experience. It looked like my closet had thrown up all over my room. It was a war zone!

So now I'm in St. Louis and I've been here for a little over a week. The first week was very hectic. I started summer classes right away so I was doing homework. I was trying to find a way to accommodate all my stuff. I was trying to get used to the new routine. And if that wasn't enough, I had my first terrifying experience on Day 2... Tornado Warnings! I'm from Miami. We don't get any of those there. All we get are hurricanes. Personally, I prefer a hurricane over a tornado. Hurricanes give you plenty of warning that they are heading your way. Plus, homes in Miami are built to withstand them. However, a tornado doesn't give you much warning. It's more like "BAM! I'M HERE!" And can you even build a structure to withstand a tornado? Either way, we got bad weather and were under tornado warnings for most of the day. So I was glued to the news and had no idea where things were happening. Imagine that while being in a new city. I didn't know where the counties and cities they were mentioning were located. So I didn't know how close or far the tornado sightings were. I was literally sitting there with a map open on my laptop trying to follow the news. And then I heard the tornado siren going off outside. I think I almost crapped my pants... Seriously! I hope I never hear that thing again in my entire life! Luckily, nothing happened here.

Needless to say, my nails have been naked for far too long now. I finally painted them this week. Go figure I chipped a nail the next day. LOL! I'm going to post up the backlog of manicures I have and then I'll start posting my most recent ones. You'll notice when I reached recent ones because I don't have a light box here. So I have to depend on the sun to get good pictures. Well, enough of my rambling and on to the nails!

This is Chrysanthe-mum's the Word from FingerPaints Spring 2011 collection. Yeah, the bottle doesn't have the name on the bottom sticker because I got this collection from a blogsale and they had received this collection for review. I'd describe this as a pastel lime green. Very appropriate for spring and summer. The formula was great. 2 coats for full application. I then applied 1 coat of China Glaze's L8R G8R to my ring finger because I was bored. LOL! L8R G8R is a light green holo from the OMG Collection.

Happy Polishing!

China Glaze Crackle Metals

2011-06-01T12:44:00.000-04:00

THE HOTTEST METALS GET CRACKLED

China

Glaze Introduces Six New Crackle Glaze Polishes in Sparkling Metallics for Summer 2011

Los Angeles, CA – (June 2011): Set your summer style to “sizzle” with China Glaze’s new Crackle Glaze Metals collection. The pioneer in crackle technology, China Glaze takes the beauty phenomenon to the next level with this second-generation polish that pairs the edgy innovation of crackle with the elegant beauty of metals. The China Glaze Crackle Glaze Metals collection features six sparkling metallic colors including:

· Tarnished Gold: Warm, honeyed hue

· Platinum Pieces: Shimmering silver

· Haute Metal: Pale pink

· Cracked Medallion: Bold bronze

· Latticed Lilac: Soft lavender

· Oxidized Aqua: Deep aquamarine blue

Create dramatically different looks with just one sweep of China Glaze Crackle Glaze Metals. 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. As versatile and edgy as China Glaze’s biggest celebrity fans (Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Nicole Ritchie and Kelly Osbourne, to name a few), Glaze Crackle Glaze Metals is sure to be this summer’s hottest beauty trend!

The China Glaze Crackle Glaze Metals collection will be available as open stock colors and 12 piece counter display with a unique Crackle Glaze screen and including an instructional hang tag.

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 Twitter: http://twitter.com/ChinaGlaze

Grrr to Blogger!

2011-05-26T07:00:00.001-04:00

Hey Ladies!

It's been a crazy week and an even crazier day. I don't have the mental energy to get into it right now so I'll share the details later. Either way, I apologize for my absence. There is a reason to all this madness.

Some of you might recognize these pictures... That's because I had already posted them. Apparently something happened to Blogger on Friday the 13th and this post was deleted! Unfortunately, I don't have the mental energy (as I just mentioned) to type up everything I had typed up earlier regarding these polishes. But I still say that this is 2 coats of Sephora by OPI's Sue vs Shue from the Glee Collection.

Then I added Sephora by OPI's diamond topcoat Celibacy Club (also from the Glee Collection). It makes any color shine as if it were a holo. I love this stuff!

As a short summary: I don't remember having any application problems. Formula was fine. My only real complaint is the size of the bottle. It was hard to grip the bottle cap comfortably during application. But that is what I get for purchasing the mini bottle set. Either way, I think it was still worth it since you get a variety of the colors from this collection for a not-too-crazy price.

I will be back to posting regularly soon. Maybe even tomorrow. No promises though. I'll keep you all posted and I promise we haven't disappeared from the blogging world. Seems a lot of bloggers are doing that these days... and I miss them all!

Happy Polishing!

Zoya's 2011 LE Touch Collection!

2011-05-25T13:28:00.000-04:00

2011 limited edition, full coverage nude nail colors

TOUCH

soft sensual sexy

Zoya Nail Polish presents 3 new, full coverage nude nail polish shades designed to coordinate with a variety of skin tones ranging from light to dark. Each softly kissed with a bit of metallic to make them ultra wearable.

Zoya TOUCH Collection

Minka (ZP561) - latte beige cream with a metallic kiss

Shay (ZP562) - desert rose sand beige cream with a metallic kiss

Pandora (ZP563) - mauve beige cream with a metallic kiss

Zoya is the new color of fashion...

The Zoya TOUCH collection was designed to recreate the custom looks developed for and inspired by the runways of New York Fashion Week.

Ultra long-wearing, glossy nail lacquers by Zoya are free of harmful industrial chemicals like toluene, camphor, formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, dibutyl phthalate (DBP) that are known to cause cancer and birth defects.

Find Zoya TOUCH as well as over 300 other ultra high-fashion Zoya shades at www.zoya.com. As always, each and every Zoya color is made for women so we name them after women.

TOUCH by Zoya

PRE-ORDER May 25 - May 31, 2011

shipping JUNE 1, 2011

Sug. Retail $8.00 per 0.5 fl. oz. bottle (US)

Reclaiming my freedom...

2011-05-09T07:00:00.002-04:00

Hey Ladies!

Freedom... I can almost taste you. I have my last exam on Wednesday and a paper/motion due by Friday. I can't wait! In the spirit of freedom, here is a mani I wore almost two months ago. LOL! Better late than never! This is Nubar's best color ever (then again, I think this is the only Nubar color I've used): Reclaim! Reclaim is an amazing pure green linear holo. I believe this was just 2 coats. I don't remember experiencing the drag problem during application that you tend to see with holos. This color is gorgeous. This is one of my top favorite holos (right after Nfu-Oh's 65 and China Glaze's DV8).

I think this color is a must-have for every polish lover out there. I would have worn this longer if it wasn't for the fact that I have an entire Helmer drawer full of untried polishes. On another note, I haven't really tried Nubar polishes (besides this color). Mari owns one other Nubar color (I think). Any recommendations or other must-have Nubar colors that I'm missing out on?

I hope everyone had a good Mother's Day yesterday. My niece is too cute! She just turned 5 and I guess she has the concept of Mother's Day a little confused. She kept telling me "Happy Mother's Day" but added that she didn't make me a card. I told her it was ok because I wasn't a mom. She said "I know but I'm telling you because you're someone's mom!" LOL! Such cute innocence.

Well, until next time (which will probably be on Wednesday). Happy Polishing!

BornPrettyStore Stamping Plate Review

2011-05-08T07:00:00.001-04:00

Hey Ladies!

Happy Mothers Day! Happy Sunday to those of you that aren't mothers (like me)! Also, thank you for the sweet and understanding comments regarding my super busy final exam period and lack of posts.

Just wanted to make a quick post for my promised continuous review of the BornPretty stamping plates. I have tried and tried to remember what polish I was wearing when I stamped these over and I can't remember. I usually do these reviews right before taking off my polish for a new manicure. I'm sure I could figure it out if I looked a little harder but I don't have the brain function for that right now. I think this color might have been a swatch and not an actual worn mani. Whatever. LOL! I stamped using Konad's Special Polish in Black.

My initial review can be found here. My opinion on the overall quality of these plates is detailed there and I don't feel like typing it again. So these are my 4 favorite images from the BornPretty plate labeled m11. We've got a butterfly, a crown, a flower, and a rose. The only thing I really want to add is that I wasn't able to get the entire crown image to lift off the plate. See what I mean? It isn't completely solid. I retried applying black polish and lifting with the stamper but I could see it wasn't full before stamping on the nail. I gave up after a few attempts. Other than that, I'm happy!

The m11 plate is a part of this set. This set can be purchased from BornPrettyStore. You can't beat the price ($12).

These stamps were sent to us for review. Please read our disclosure policy (here).

Your poison has me hypnotized...

2011-05-07T07:00:00.001-04:00

Hey Ladies!

I am sooooooooo sorry for the disappearance! I've been in finals, Mari was out of town, and her nails are healing from some bad breaks. This last week and a half has been brutal. I didn't paint my nails until 2 nights ago. I decided I deserved a break and gave my nails some love! I worked my butt off to finish a take-home exam and outline/study for my other exam so I could afford to spend some time with my boyfriend last weekend since he was visiting. I just barely made it. First, take-home exams are not easier! Having the ability to use your book, notes, outlines, etc doesn't do much when professors come up with insane scenarios on an exam question. LOL! And lets not talk about that second exam... Lets just say everyone walked out of there saying "what the hell was that!?!?!" I have one more exam and a mini paper/motion to go.

I can't wait for all this to be over! I go on a cruise in 2 weeks. My niece turned 5 this week (and I had to miss her birthday party at her school because I was stuck taking my final exam) and we are going on a Disney cruise to celebrate. And then I come back from the cruise and have to quickly pack 2 months worth of stuff! I'm going to spend the summer in St. Louis with the boyfriend and take classes up there. I leave the day after I get back from the cruise. I'm so excited! But the thought of packing 2 months worth of stuff is a little scary! Of course I'll be taking nail polish with me! I'll keep photographing and posting but I won't have my light box (I'm not packing that, LOL). Hmmm... Maybe I'll make one up there (if my boyfriend won't think I'm an official weirdo). LOL!

Enough of my ramblings! I'm sure you rather all see some polish! However, this is not a current manicure. As I said, I took time to paint my nails and photograph them. But I haven't uploaded those pictures yet. So I'm posting one of my "crap I'm behind in my posting" manicures. LOL! (And I still have plenty of those to go... Some as far back as February!)

So this is Essence's Hypnotic Poison. I got this color from an international swap I did with an awesome blogger (Colour Victim). I had seen this color on All You Desire and I fell in love with it! I'd say Hypnotic Poison is like a wine red color with very very very subtle pink shimmer (super subtle). It only took 2 coats for full coverage. I think the application and formula was great. My only complaint (and this is a general one for Essence) is the size of the bottle. It's not as comfortable to hold while painting your nails. I like bigger bottles that you can get a sturdy grip on. At the end of the day, its really not a deal breaker considering the awesome colors and the awesome price (I can only speak for the price on the bottles available in the US, $0.99).

Again, sorry for being MIA. I promise I'll TRY to set up some posts this weekend just in case my time gets a little crazy again before my last final.

Happy Polishing!

Make Me Smile!

2011-04-25T07:00:00.001-04:00

Hey Ladies!

Hope you all had a great Easter! This is going to be a short (scheduled) post because I'm supposed to be studying. I feel like this exam time period is going to take forever! I'm looking forward to seeing my boyfriend this weekend. He will be in town and I can't wait! That is helping me survive the week. I still haven't painted my nails so these are pictures from some of my many manicures that I have yet to post. This is Misa's Quirky Smile from the What I Like About You Collection (Fall 2010). Quirky Smile is a gorgeous teal shimmer. 2 coats of perfection. Perfect application and formula.

Until next time!

Happy Polishing!

Now Serving Eggplant

2011-04-22T07:00:00.007-04:00

Hey Ladies!

I just want to say that "it" has arrived. No, I don't mean a polish order or a new collection for review... The "it" I'm talking about is the scariest "it" out there! LAW SCHOOL FINALS! I hate this point in the semester. It's bitter sweet. Classes are over (hooray) but then the dreaded exams start. I hate the stress and anxiety that comes along with it. Bad enough that I haven't painting my nails in a week! Yeah, my last two posts are from a few manis ago. I promise I'll try to keep posting during finals. But at the end of the day I have to put school first. I'm literally just setting my sights on a few things happening after exams to help me get through the next 2 weeks. So please forgive me if I disappear a little during this crazy time.

This is Wet n Wild's popular Eggplant Frost. It's a plum purple with intense blue shimmer/flash. You see that blue the moment the light hits. Its impossible to avoid it but why would you want to? LOL! This was 2 coats. The application was easy to worth with. No complaints. I had seen so many bloggers posting this one so I decided to go for it when I saw it at a local Walgreens. No regrets here!

Happy Polishing!

Zoya's Mira

2011-04-21T07:06:00.000-04:00

DREAM application. Super smooth and could have been a one-coater, EASY, but of course, I always do two at minimum. This is Mira by Zoya. The bottle pic because of the lighting tends to be a little light, but the other pictures are true shade accuracy. Just a great purple.... which are my FAVES!

Happy Polishing!

Sooooooooooki! (couldn't resist, sorry)

2011-04-19T07:32:00.000-04:00

This is some serious red. Like, really. Here we have Sooki by Zoya. Creamy and pretty decent with one coat... but of course this is two. It's super bright with, I want to say, orange undertones, but still plenty red. Very nice, opaque and bright. Lovely application, as usual with most Zoyas. *love*

Happy Polishing!

Giveaway Winner!

2011-04-18T19:51:00.000-04:00

Hey Ladies!

Sorry for the delay in getting the winner posted. Life has been a little busy lately! On top of all that, the amount of entries was pure insanity! Either way, I'm sure you guys don't want me to yap yap yap and just want me to get to the winner.

So.....

The winner is....

MEGAN HARMEYER!

Congratulations! I'll be email you for your information so please keep an eye out for it!

Thanks to everyone who entered! We appreciate each and every one of our followers!

Baby, I wish it was "coal" outside!

2011-04-18T07:03:00.000-04:00

Hey Ladies!

This is my attempt to finish clearing out my manicures from the Fall/Winter. Just in case your wondering why I was busting out with a dark color in the middle of Spring. This is OPI's Baby It's "Coal" Outside! Personally, I love OPI's creativity when it comes to polish names. Super cute. This reminds me of my wish for cold weather in Miami. It's in the 90s here and sooooooo humid. I practically have a mini heat stroke every time I walk to my car. And my butt cooks on the seat every time I get in the car. LOL! I hate it! You never get used to it! And summer hasn't even started yet! *faints* I'm jealous of the fact that it was 60 degrees up by my boyfriends neck-of-the-woods. I wish I were there right now! Anyways... I'd describe this as a charcoal/gunmetalish black with a mega ton of shimmer. I believe this took 2 coats for full coverage. The formula and application were great. Really love this color!

Anyone else hate the heat?

Happy Polishing!

Zoya LE Mod Mattes Collection (Summer 2011) - Swatch / Review

2011-04-15T07:00:00.009-04:00

Hey Ladies!

Today I have the last of the three Zoya collections: Mod Mattes! I was so excited when I saw these. Zoya makes awesome matte polishes. I was dying to see these new colors! So vibrant!

Phoebe - Zoya describes this as a bright azure with fine electric blue and violet shimmer with a velvety matte finish. This is easily my favorite color from this collection. Setting aside my bias for the color blue... This color is so bright, vivid, vibrant, electric, insane, etc. I think you get the point. The shimmer is so pretty too! You notice the electric blue shimmer but I don't notice the violet shimmer. 3 coats for full coverage.

Lolly - Zoya describes this as a bold, saturated medium magenta pink cream with a velvety matte finish. This is such a pretty pink! It reminds me of bubble gum. LOL! The color is very rich! 2 coats for full coverage.

Mitzi - Zoya describes this as a funky murky light yellow-toned lime green cream with velvety matte finish. This color really is funky (but in a good way). It really is intense and vibrant. 3 coats for full coverage.
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Overall, I am very happy with this collection. I think the colors are so different for mattes. Very refreshing and new. The formula has the typical qualities of a matte: They dry quickly so apply them fast.

What do you gals think?

This collection was sent to us for review. Please read our disclosure policy.

Zoya Sunshine Collection (Summer 2011) - Swatch / Review

2011-04-14T07:00:00.004-04:00

Hey Ladies!

I have for you the other half of Zoya's summer collection: The Sunshine Collection. I decided to keep my general opinion on the number of coats, formula, etc until the end. All swatches were done without base coat and without topcoat.

Apple - Zoya describes this as a luminous yellow-toned apple green packed with gold metallic sparkle. I have to say that this is my favorite color out of the entire collection. And we all know my issue with greens. I see this color and I literally think of a nice plump green apple. Yum! It is a perfect green shade for my skin tone. I had seen swatches online and I didn't think this would end up being my favorite.

Faye - Zoya describes this as a bronzed mauve with purple and brown undertones flooded with bright gold sparkle. Maybe I'm crazy but I don't really see the brown undertone. The mauve color really is gorgeous though. It blends well with the gold sparkle.

Reva - Zoya describes this as a cool toned strawberry red with flowing golden metallic sparkle. This color can be tricky. It can seem very reddish under certain lights. You can really notice the strawberry tone in person though.

Kimmy - Zoya describes this as a gleaming metallic candy apple red brightened by gold sparkle. This can be another tricky color. It seems to have an orange tone to it under certain lighting. Maybe it's just the gold sparkle.

Tanzy - Zoya describes this as a light, bright tangerine orange with yellow gold metallic sparkle. This color reminds me of the sun! I feel that this has a bronze quality to it. Again, maybe its just the gold sparkle.

Rica - Zoya describes this as a warm light coral with pink and orange tones and heavy gold metallic sparkle. I'd have to agree with this. As I was applying it I was trying to think of how I would describe it. Only 3 words came to mind and they happen to be in Zoya's description: Coral, pink, and orange. LOL!

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Overall, I like this collection (but my heart still belongs with the Summertime Collection). Each color took 3 coats before I was satisfied with the amount of VNL. I know you can still see some VNL in the pictures. Here is the thing about this collection... You don't really see the VNL in person because of all the gold sparkle. The sparkle is constantly reflecting light and that helps hide the VNL. Add the fact that your hands are constantly moving and you can be confident with just 3 coats. But take a picture of your nails and its a different story. Either way, I think 3 coats is good enough. With that said, its obvious that the formula is a little sheer. Application was perfect. No complaints there. I personally feel that the gold sparkle makes this collection appropriate for the summer. What better way to honor the season of the sun than by tossing in a metric ton of gold sparkle? LOL!

What do you gals think? How do you feel about all the gold sparkle?

This collection was sent to us for review. Please read our disclosure policy (here).

Zoya Summertime Collection (Summer 2011) - Swatch / Review

2011-04-13T07:00:00.004-04:00

Hey Ladies!

Today I have for you a collection that I was very excited to receive! I present to you Zoya's Summertime Collection.

On a side note, props to Zoya for their great timing. I got back from St. Louis and was a little extra down about being back home in Miami. Long distance relationships suck! Yeah I know... I say that all the time. My flight left St. Louis at 6am. I tried my best to sleep during the flight but it was oddly freezing in the the plane and there was a child that insisted on screaming bloody murder for about half of the 2 hour flight. So I get home and I'm tired, grumpy, and sad. And then it arrived... unexpected nail-mail! My dearest Zoya, you have no idea how much your nail-mail brought me out of the dumps. THANK YOU ZOYA! You guys are amazing! You made my day so much better and you didn't even know it!

Enough of my rambling. Here are the swatches (no topcoat and no base coat)!

Breezi - Zoya describes this as a cool soft, dusty, dirty medium cerulean blue with an opaque cream finish. First, the word cerulean will forever remind me of The Devil Wears Prada. Love that movie! This is such a yummy creme color! I am also totally head over heels for this blue color! So gorgeous! 2 coats for full coverage. Great application. This color is definitely my #1 favorite from both summer collections!

Mira - Zoya describes this as a cool blue toned medium purple with dusty lavender tones and an opaque cream finish. This reminds me of a very grape type of color. You can really tell the blue tone in the top right picture. Another yummy creme. 2 coats for full coverage. Great application.

Kieko - Zoya describes this as a warm red toned dusty light purple with berry tones with an opaque cream finish. This is definitely a berry toned purple. Yet another yummy creme. 2 coats for full coverage. Great application.

Areej - Zoya describes this as a soft, muted cool fuchsia pink with an opaque cream finish. This is such a pretty pink. Again... another yummy creme. 2 coats for full coverage. Great application.

Sooki - Zoya describes this as a bright, clean, crisp cool cherry red cream with a subtle jelly finish. First, let me just say that I can't see this polish without thinking of Sookie from TrueBlood and Snooki from Jersey Shore. LOL! This red is very intense and bright. Another yummy creme polish. I accidentally touched my cuticles while painting and learned that clean up can be a little tricky with this one. I didn't post the 3rd picture because you could really tell that my cuticles were stained red. But I've experienced this with reds regardless of the brand. 2 coats for full coverage.

Tamsen - Zoya describes this as a medium warm brick red with strong orange tones with an opaque cream finish. This was my least favorite color of the collection. I feel that colors with that brown/caramel tone don't look good against my skin tone. Putting my personal issue aside... This was yet another yummy creme. Application was great. I had the same tricky clean up situation as I did with Sooki. 2 coats for full coverage.
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Overall, I am 100% please with this collection. I truly am! I was only "meh" about one color but that is due to my personal taste and thoughts about my skin tone. My thought on the color (Tamsen) in no way reflects on the actual quality of the polish. Moving on... This collection is awesome. The colors are very rich and vivid. If you haven't noticed, I found them all to be super yummy cremes. Application was great with all of them. So smooth and perfect. Sooki and Tamsen were a little tricky for clean up but that is a quality that I see with a lot of reddish colors. All polishes required just 2 coats for full and even coverage. The formula was easy to work with.

I have the Sunshine Collection and the ModMatte Collection coming up soon too. Please be patient with me. I'm reaching the end of my semester and this is when things start to get a little crazy for me. Plus I've been in the middle of planning something for the summer. But I promise to have them up in the next few days.

What do you gals think? Which is your favorite? Did you purchase any of them with the promotion Zoya had running a few weeks ago? Opinions? Thoughts?

Happy Polishing! =)

This collection was sent to us for review. Please read our disclosure policy (here).

Jessica Runway Style Collection (Spring 2011) - Swatch / Review

2011-04-12T07:00:00.000-04:00

Hey Ladies!

I have another review for you today. I was very excited to receive this collection. It took me a while to get this swatched. Life can be crazy sometimes! This is Jessica's Spring 2011 Runway Style Collection. Overall, I am very pleased with it. This was my first experience with Jessica nail polish.

Lets take a look!

Alluring Creature - This is described as a baby pink color. I think its more of a muted baby pink creme. I only needed 2 coats for full coverage. Application was great.

Coquette - This color is described as an iridescent gray. This color has a very pretty pink/purple iridescent shimmer. I felt that this made the color unique. However, it was very difficult to capture. You can see some of it on the top right picture. If you can't see it then just trust me... It's there! This color isn't a frosty/metallic color but you do have to watch your application so that it doesn't leave any streaks. This took 3 coats for full and even coverage.

Enchantress - This is described as an orange coral color. I think the coral is barely noticeable. I feel that this is a light orange creme. Application was great and smooth. I used 2 coats for full coverage.

Goddess - This color is described as a shimmery white. They aren't kidding! This is a very pearly white shimmery color. Very frosty like. You have to be careful with application because it can be very streaky. You can see some of that in my pictures. This color took 3 coats for full coverage since its a little more on the sheer side.

Seductress - This color is described as a ruby pink. I know it looks red in my pictures but I swear it was impossible to photograph. However, its not completely inaccurate either. This color switches from ruby pink to a reddish color depending on the light. It's a super yummy jelly (so its a little on the sheer side)! I applied 3 coats before I was satisfied with the amount of VNL. Application was great.

Temptress of the Sea - This color is described as glistening beige. This reminds me of a champaign type beige with subtle silver shimmer. This took 3 coats for full coverage. Application was great.

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What do you gals think?

This collection was sent to us for review. Please read our disclosure policy (here).

China Glaze Island Escape Swatch / Review

2011-04-11T07:00:00.003-04:00

Hey Ladies!

I was super happy when we received nail-mail last week. We received 5 out of the 6 new China Glaze colors from the Island Escape collection. Mari was nice enough to do the swatching for me since I received this collection and was leaving town the very next day (went to visit the boyfriend).

Here goes!

Papaya Punch - China Glaze describes this as a creme based vivid orange. They aren't kidding! Super bright. These pictures don't even do it justice. It's insane in person. 2 coats for full coverage. Great application.

Electric Pineapple - China Glaze describes this as a high intensity creme based lime green. 3 coats for full coverage. Not as insanely bright as Papaya Punch. Great application.

Cha Cha Cha - China Glaze describes this as a vivacious shimmer green. Certainly a glass fleck with plenty of shimmer. 3 coats for full coverage. Great application.

Senorita Bonita - China Glaze describes this as a passionate purple shimmer with pink micro glitter. Beautiful! Super pretty purple with pink shimmer. 3 coats for full coverage. Great application.

Blue Iguana - China Glaze describes this as a bold and daring sparkly blue. This one took 4 coats for full coverage. There was some VNL. Experienced some cuticle drag while applying the color though. That made the application a little bit troublesome. Luckily its such a pretty blue!

So, what do you ladies think?

This collection was sent to us for review. Please read our disclosure policy (here).

Starred Purple Panic

2011-04-05T06:55:00.001-04:00

Another purple, and this shade DOES NOT DISAPPOINT! This is Purple Panic by China Glaze. Good gracious, this is bright, yummy neon purple with the best pink microshimmer. My nails glowed for days. In person it's way more purple... it just photographs pink, and boy did I try. I used Bundle Monster's BM05 plate for the stars with China Glaze's Millennium. This is definitely going to be a repeat performance for me.

Happy Polishing!

Revlon Perplex....

2011-04-04T07:30:00.003-04:00

It's no secret I'm in LOVE with Chanel's Paradoxyl... and while I have yet to acquire it, I gotta tell you I'm really liking Perplex by Revlon. Once I get Paradoxyl, I'll do a comp and I'm sure there are plenty of them out there, but this is just my kind of color. Purples are my favorite... so this dark taupe with the purple shimmer totally does it for me. This is two coats. *love*

Happy Polishing!

NOTD - From A to Z-urich

2011-03-30T07:00:00.001-04:00

Hey Ladies!

Today I have a color that I'm sure you've all seen 100 times. But I decided to finally wear it so you are stuck seeing it one more time... that is assuming you haven't closed your web-browser on us yet! LOL! This is OPI's From A to Z-urich from the Swiss Collection (Fall 2010). From A to Z-urich is a rose red creme. Application was perfect! Super yummy smooth creme! Could have almost been done with just 1 coat. I used 2 coats just because. I love this red tone because it isn't... umm.... how do you call it.... "cheap!" LOL! I hate those reds that seem like the ones that come in those cheap dollar store makeup kits.

Well, that is all for this post. I have a migraine right now and can't function any further!

Happy Polishing!

Orly's Precious Collection (Spring 2011) - Swatch & Review

2011-03-25T07:00:00.001-04:00

Hey Ladies!

I've got a review for you today! Mari and I were soooooo excited when we found out we would be receiving these polishes to review. We were at work when the package arrived so I had my mother open it and tell us what was inside. Her reaction was hilarious: "There is a dark polish in here... A light green.... OMG This is a loud pink!" LOL!

I present to you a few colors from Orly's Precious Collection for Spring 2011.

Ancient Jade - This is like a minty jade creme. So yummy! It took 2 coats for full coverage. Some other bloggers have complained that the formula was a little thick but I didn't experience that at all. This swatch is without base coat and without topcoat.

Royal Velvet - This is a really dark purple with blue flash. As always, blue flash makes this polish difficult to photograph. The blue flash is so vibrant. It's hard to see the purple base. But trust me... It's there! Application was a little tricky for this one. The formula was a little thinner so it took 3 coats to get full coverage. Fortunately, the formula was easy to work with.

Fancy Fuchsia - This is a "holy moly" super bright fuchsia pink creme. Reminds me of a neon (has that vibrant color without the matte type of finish). Another yummy creme. Application was great. One coat was almost enough but just a little short. So I applied 2 coats for full and complete coverage.

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What do you gals think?

Happy Polishing!

These polishes were sent to us for review. Please read our disclosure policy (here).

Zoya in my Snow Globe

2011-03-24T07:30:00.002-04:00

I love nothing more than to take Snow Globe from China Glaze and to throw it over a pretty pastel. I've tried it over darks and it's just not the same. Look at it in the bottle! It's just the cutest shade of everything fairyesque and shimmery. Adorable. It looks absolutely great over any shade of pastel you guys have. This is no exception. I used two coats of Zoya's Marley, a super light lavender with even lighter lavender microshimmer and I topped the whole thing with a coat of Snow Globe. Sooooooooo cute, no? Just makes me think of pastel skittles with a coat of snow globe for Easter? I just might!

Happy Polishing!

China Glaze Summer 2011 - Island Escape

2011-03-23T11:34:00.000-04:00

ESCAPE THIS SUMMER WITH HIGH SHINE AND BRIGHT SHIMMER

China

Glaze Introduces Six Sizzling Shimmers and Cremes

Los Angeles, CA: Take an exotic island escape with China Glaze this summer with a tropical, shimmering rainbow of brilliant bright colors! Mix and match these hot hues to add a candy-like pop to that summer manicure and pedicure. Colors in the collection include:

· Papaya Punch: Crème based vivid orange.

· 108 Degrees: Flirtatious berry pink with specks of micro glitter.

· Senorita Bonita: Passionate purple shimmer with pink micro glitter.

· Blue Iguana: Bold and daring sparkly blue.

· Cha Cha Cha: Vivacious shimmer green.

· Electric Pineapple: High intensity crème based lime green.

Escape this summer to a far away place with China Glaze. Vacation in color!

The China Glaze Island Escape collection will be available as open stock colors, 6 piece box collection, 6 piece counter display, 12 piece counter display and 36 piece rack.

China Glaze is free of DBP, toluene, and added formaldehyde.

China Glaze is a division of American International Industries.

About American International Industries

Pink and Yellow Crackle Combo

2011-03-22T07:30:00.000-04:00

I bring you gals my Crackle combo. I just happen to like pink and yellow... pink and mint green being my first choice but this is just the two colors I decided to use. I'm sure that with crackles polishes popping up everywhere we're sure to get plenty of color combos to keep us entertained for some time to come. I used Lemon Fizz by China Glaze as the base, two coats, and one thick coat of their Crackle pink, named Broken Hearted. Cute, no?

Happy Polishing!

Zoya BOGO Sale!

2011-03-21T09:37:00.000-04:00

Do you have an account** on Zoya.com? If you answered yes, a very special offer is waiting for you!

A BOGO (Buy One, Get One) Offer*on the new Zoya summer collections, 12:01 EST 3/21/2011 – 11:59 EST 3/25/2011 only.

As an ADDED BONUS for taking part in the exclusive account holders only BOGO Offer*, standard shipping will be only $2! (Order more than $55 and shipping will be free!)

You can BOGO* any colors from Zoya’s ModMattes, Summertime and Sunshine collections! With 15 new colors to choose from you are bound to find plenty of BOGO offer* options to love!

Please see the ZOYA blog for complete details.

*Offer open only to those with active accounts** on Zoya.com, artofbeauty.com, Qtica.com and qticasmartspa.com as of 3/20/2011 at 5 PM ST. Offer open to consumers, Online promotion only. Continental US ONLY. BOGO Offer* is good on Open stock .5oz Polish ONLY from Summer 2011 collections. (Zoya Summertime, Sunshine and ModMatte) BOGO Offer good for up to 7 polishes. BOGO Offer* code is unique and non-transferable. One code per account. Code expires on 3/25/2011 at 11:59PM EST. Standard ground shipping is $2.00 and FREE for orders over $55. Upgraded shipping not available for this promotion. Please allow standard time for processing and shipping, however if volume is higher than expected please allow up to 4 weeks for shipping and processing. Please allow 2-6 weeks for delivery.

**Qualifying accounts are those with a valid username (email) and password that has been created and used in the last 3 years account must be made by 3/20/2011 at 5PM EST to qualify for the BOGO Offer. No purchase necessary to start an account. Customers are responsible for maintaining active accounts. If username or password have been lost we (Art of Beauty, Inc.) are not responsible for restoring accounts or giving out any account information.

Zoya - ModMattes LE (Summer 2011)

2011-03-21T06:30:00.001-04:00

Zoya Nail Polish presents three new mattes for summer 2011.
modmattes LE

all of the color - none of the shine!

Zoya is the new color of fashion... The ZOYA color experts have done it again! Introducing three new LIMITED EDITION (LE), exclusive modmattes LE* shades for summer 2011...

The incredible Zoya modmattes LE* shade collection has been expanded with three new LIMITED EDITION beauties. Get all of the color, none of shine with modmattes LE*, Zoya’s exclusive blend resulting in utterly wearable and truly stylish matte nail polish.

Zoya Nail Polishes are free of harmful industrial chemicals like toluene, camphor, formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, dibutyl phthalate (DBP) that are known to cause cancer and birth defects.

Find Zoya modmattes LE* as well as over 300 other ultra high-fashion Zoya shades at www.zoya.com.

As always, each and every Zoya color is made for women so we name them after women.

modmattes LE* by Zoya, available March 21, 2011
Sug. Retail $8.00 per 0.5 fl.oz. bottle (US)
Available at www.zoya.com

Zoya - Sunshine and Summertime (Summer 2011)

2011-03-21T06:30:00.000-04:00

Zoya Nail Polish presents two new collections with six new metallics and six new creams for summer 2011.
Sunshine and Summertime
...everything should be this good!

Summer 2011 color so perfect that it could only come from the nail polish experts at Zoya... Zoya is the New Color of Fashion!

ZOYA SUNSHINE COLLECTION

Reva (ZP546) - A cool toned strawberry red with glowing golden metallic sparkle. A very rich and luxurious looking gilded red.

Kimmy (ZP547) - Gleaming metallic candy apple red brightened by gold sparkle. Not your usual red shimmer- this one has a fiery attitude.

Apple (ZP548) - Luminous yellow-toned apple green packed with gold metallic sparkle. A dimensional green that's clean and bright.

Tanzy (ZP549) - Light, bright tangerine orange with yellow gold metallic sparkle. A sunny orange that's easy to wear year-round.

Rica (ZP550) - Warm light coral with pink and orange tones and heavy gold metallic sparkle. An alternative to flat corals for when you want to shine.

Faye (ZP551) - A bronzed mauve with purple and brown undertones flooded with right gold sparkle. A unique gilded shade that will work in any season.

ZOYA SUMMERTIME COLLECTION

Sooki (ZP552) - Bright, clean, crisp cool cherry red cream with a subtle jelly finish. For an irresistible, attention-grabbing red nail.

Tamsen (ZP553) - Medium warm brick red with strong orange tones with an opaque cream finish. A special red that is both enticing and mysterious

Areej (ZP554) - Pink with an opaque cream finish. A pink for when you want a bold pop of color but not something neon-bright.

Kieko (ZP555) - Warm, red toned dusty light purple with berry tones with an opaque cream finish. A nice alternative to pure pink or berry, especially flattering on warm skin tones.

Mira (ZP556) - Blue toned medium purple with dusty lavender tones and an opaque cream finish. For a muted yet colorful purple that isn't too dark.

Breezi (ZP557) - Soft, dusty, medium cerulean blue with an opaque cream finish. A super chic high-fashion denim look for nails.

Find Zoya Sunshine and Summertime as well as over 300 other ultra high-fashion Zoya shades at www.zoya.com.

As always, each and every Zoya color is made for women so we name them after women.

Sunshine and Summertime by Zoya, available March 21, 2011
Sug. Retail $8.00 per 0.5 fl.oz. bottle (US)
Available at www.zoya.com

China Glaze's Shower Together (for the millionth time)

2011-03-18T07:30:00.001-04:00

Like this NEEDS an introduction. Really? Seriously? Of course not! This has been seen and seen again. Done and redone. But why not? It's BEAUTIFUL! Of course I'm talking about the lovely Shower Together, by China Glaze. Gorgeous cerulean - not quite a jelly but also not an opaque creamy application - of pretty. Don't you agree? If you guys don't have this in your stash, get it. Regardless of being co-bloggers and constantly swapping from our collection, Lissi and I each have our own bottle of this one. *grin*

Happy Polishing!

Smokin' Hot Flowers!

2011-03-17T07:30:00.000-04:00

Hey!

Today I have for you my favorite color from Essie's Winter 2010 collection. I present to you Smokin' Hot. Essie describes this as a "stone-cold fox gray that burns hotter than any flame." I don't know about it burning hotter than a flame though... Smokin' Hot is a yummy purple-gray creme. It leans more towards purple in certain lighting. Application was yummy. Perfect. Flawless. 2 coats for full coverage.

I then decided to add a little something to it. I used Emotion by China Glaze from the Romantique Collection (Spring 2009). These are great for stamping! Emotion is a metallic warm pink. The color of the bottle in the picture is a little off. But like I've said before: Bottles lie! The color on the nail is accurate. I stamped the flower from the BornPretty plate M71.

I'm assuming you've all heard of the BornPretty plates by now. If you haven't then I invite you to step out from under the rock and check out the BornPrettyStore (here). They have amazing stuff. Get 10% off until March 31, 2011 with our promo code: NAA10K31. We've also been reviewing their stamping plate sets so check that out as well. You can see all the stamps we've used so far here.

Happy Polishing!

St. Paddy's Day Mani

2011-03-16T07:30:00.000-04:00

My version of a St. Patrick's Day manicure. Didn't want anything too festive, but I think this is just enough. Cute, no? Two coats of OPI's Jade is the New Black and I stamped the swirly pattern from Konad's M51 plate using 2030 by China Glaze. Jade is the New Black is such a nice shade of green. Jelly finish too. Super shiny.

Happy Polishing!

I had to get this blue...

2011-03-15T07:30:00.001-04:00

Hey Ladies!

Goodbyes make me feel blue! Have I mentioned how much long distance relationships suck? LOL! Well, they do! The boyfriend was here this weekend for my birthday. I love having him around. But like all good things, it had to come to an end. But I guess that is good for you guys because I can pay attention to the blog again. LOL!

Today I have a blue combination for you! This is OPI's Yoga-Ta Get This Blue from their India Spring 2008 collection. It is a beautiful blue that doesn't do what your typical dark blue polishes do... which is be so dark that its practically black! You can actually tell that this polish is blue. I've seen similar blues like this. However, this one stands out for me because of its blue/aqua shimmer. So vivid and vibrant. The application was great. 2 coats for full coverage. Cleanup was a little tricky. It took me just a little longer to clean since its such a dark color.

I then decided to add 1 coat of Nfu-Oh's 52. This color looks blue/green in the bottle but its actually a sheer purple base with tons of blue/green flakes. Bottles lie! LOL! You don't see the purple as soon as you layer it over something else though. I applied this only to my ring fingers.

I know everyone dies for Nfu-Oh's 51... but I've always been in love with 52. I'm a sucker for blue!

Check back with us soon! We got some great Nail Mail so I'll be posting swatches up (hopefully this week since I'm on spring break).

Happy Polishing!

Merry Birthday To Me At Midnight!

2011-03-11T09:49:00.000-05:00

Hey Ladies!

This will be a short post because... Today is my birthday! I'm 26 years young! So I figured I'd share an awesome polish on such an awesome day! Well... it's an awesome day for me at least. LOL! I present to you one of the loves of my life in the polish world... OPI's beautiful Merry Midnight!

Merry Midnight is a GORGEOUS reddish-purple jellyish polish with blue and purple shimmer and red flakes. *drools* I could wear this EVERYDAY of my life if I had 20 bottles of this stuff! It's a little on the sheer side so I applied 3-4 coats (I can't remember exactly right now). I think it was 4. Application was super yummy. Perfect. I have no complaints about this polish AT ALL. As a matter of fact, seeing my pictures makes me want to go home and wear this again...

I have to give credit for this to Lissa from Lissa's Nails! I posted about this polish a while back. I wanted it and didn't know where to find it. She replied and found me a bottle. She is awesome! I am forever grateful. This was a major lemming fulfilled! THANK YOU!

Happy Polishing!

Having an affair with Misa...

2011-03-10T11:07:00.000-05:00

It's no secret I love Misa polishes. It's good stuff. I had taken a bottle from Lissi of a beautiful shade of eggplant but I didn't want to steal her thunder. I'm sure she'll be posting soon. In turn, I bring you this. Fatal Affair by Misa. Another gorgeous shade of eggplant that I just cant get to photograph well. It's super dark and inky eggplant, although it photographs as really dark navy. The reason why is because the eggplant shade is covered with blue microshimmer. It's beautiful. You can see the shade best in the picture of the bottle itself. See? Two coats. Misa NEVER disappoints.

Happy Polishing!

Swatch - Orly's Pink Chocolate

2011-03-09T09:30:00.000-05:00

Hey Ladies!

I must warn you that today's swatch is... meh! I don't know if I like it or hate it yet. I'm talking about Orly's Pink Chocolate. Love the name though! Then again who doesn't love chocolate... I got this color because I saw it swatched on another blog. Their swatch made this color look gorgeous. The pink was dark yet vibrant. Imagine my surprise when I open the box of polishes I ordered and I saw this... My bottle is so much more dull. It doesn't have that same vibrant pink color. It doesn't look like the same color at all! It's not hideous but it's just soooooooooo safe. This is a color my mother would wear if she ever felt like wearing something adventurous (in her eyes). Maybe the swatch I saw was... off... a bit...

Pink Chocolate is a creme medium pink with a hint of brown in it. You can get full coverage with just 1 coat. I only did 2 coats on 2 nails because I did a sloppy job applying it. The other 2 nails were done with 1 coat. I'm not going to tell you which is which. There is no need if you can't tell the difference. LOL! Application was great. The formula is great. The color is the only thing that isn't great for me. But that is just my personal taste. This swatch was done with no base coat and no top coat.

Happy Polishing!

Capped Misa's Money

2011-03-08T07:15:00.000-05:00

Once we received the China Glaze Anchors Away collection (which you can see our swatches here), I really wanted White Caps. I just think it was a nice shade where you can perk up a manicure a day or two after you've first applied it. I don't however want to put it on everything, but on occasion, why not? I plan on doing the same thing with some of their crackles. *wink*

So this is what I decided to do. I took two coats of Dirty, Sexy Money by Misa... the exact color of dollar bill green, and threw on a coat of White Caps by China Glaze. Here's the outcome:

Happy Polishing!

Sephora by OPI: Havana Dreams

2011-03-07T09:15:00.000-05:00

I totally stole this from Lissi when she got it. We were talking while she was on Sephora's website and I was planning the actual theft while she added to her cart. LOL I didn't even let her smell the bottle, practically. It arrived, she brought them over and I snatched it. *grins* And for good reason. Look how cute! Havana Dreams by Sephora by OPI. I gotta admit though, it could have used another coat. I've heard some people apply up to 4 coats of this beauty but I tried my best with 2 good ones. I have toddlers. Seche Vite can only do so much for my allotted downtown. Regardless, it's pretty, right? As usual, Nailtiques as my base coat and Seche Vite as the topper.

Happy Polishing!

Swatch - Sephora by OPI's Just A Fairy-Tail

2011-03-04T07:04:00.000-05:00

Hey!

I've got an awesome swatch for you guys today! This is Sephora by OPI's Just A Fairy-Tail from the Mermaid in the Shade collection. Did I mention that its freaking awesome? ...Well, it is! Just A Fairy-Tail is a silver blue base with silver and baby blue shimmer. The formula was great but a little sheer. It took 4 coats for full coverage (but totally worth it). This is the first Sephora by OPI polish I've ever used and I was more than happy with it! It is sooooo bright in the sunlight. Kinda like when the sun reflects off a mirror. Almost blinding!

This swatch was done without basecoat and without topcoat.

Happy Polishing!

BornPrettyStore Stamping Plate Review

2011-03-03T07:30:00.002-05:00

Hey Ladies!

I have something fun for you today! I was contacted by Jessica from BornPrettyStore about reviewing some of their products. I was able to select an item and I picked a set of their stamping plates (here).

Their quality is amazing! The images aren't too deep or too thin. So you don't have to worry about the image smudging from too much paint or not lifting up because its already dry. The edge of the plates don't feel rough. I know some people complain about plates that are rough around the edges and cut. These don't! They do come with a very thin clear protective sheet over the plate. You almost can't even tell its there. So don't try to stamp without removing it first.

Most importantly, you can't beat this awesome price! 12 plates for $12.63... That is an amazing deal! We all know how expensive plates can be. It also includes a little stamper and a scraper. The only downside is that shipping can take a little while since they are located in China. But these stamps are definitely worth the wait!

This set provides a great range of images. Great variety. You are bound to find things you like. They have flowers, animals, swirls, bows, hearts, stars, butterflies, etc. They also have another set of plates that includes the very popular Hello Kitty stamp! The only thing their plates do not include are full nail stamps.

It's hard to photograph the plates since the reflection is difficult to avoid. You can see great images of the plates on their website (here).

I've decide that this will be a continuing review. I want to show you guys images from each plate but it would take me forever to sit down and do that. I'd be stamping all day. Unfortunately, my school schedule won't let me do that. So here is the deal. I will be showing you guys over time my favorite 4 images from each plate until I have covered all the plates. If you have any requests, feel free to let me know and I'll include those as well.

So here goes my first two sets:

These are stamps from plate m28.

These are stamps from plate m04.

In case you are wondering, I stamped using Konad's Special Polish in White.

So what do you ladies think? Who own these already? Thoughts? Favorites?

Don't forget that you can get 10% off any purchase at BornPrettyStore.com with our code: NAA10k31

These products were sent to me for review. Please read our disclosure policy (here).

Swatch - OPI's My Private Jet

2011-03-01T07:30:00.000-05:00

Yes ladies... My Private Jet... HOLO! *angels singing*

I never thought I would have this polish in my collection. Most of us already know the controversy regarding this color. If not, here is a brief recap: The original My Private Jet was a holographic. OPI discontinued the color but then brought it back... but they never made it like the original and that is why there are 3 or 4 versions of My Private Jet rolling around the earth.

The Lacquerista had a giveaway a while back for the original/holo version of My Private Jet. Of course I entered the giveaway right away! I seriously never thought I would win. So many other people had entered too. What were the odds... but then I got an email telling me I won. I was like a kid on Christmas morning! Imagine me when it actually arrived in the mail. My poor mailman... I stalked him for days waiting for it to arrive. Thank you Lacquerista!

My Private Jet is a jelly-like smokey black full of holographic glitter. It's like a rainbow over a black sky. (How awesome would that be in real like? Yeah, I'm a little twisted.) The only downside to this amazing polish is how sheer it is. It took 4 coats for full coverage. Other bloggers have suggested putting a black base coat first and then My Private Jet over it so you don't waste so much of it. I haven't tried that yet. This swatch was done without a base coat and without a top coat. I think this is one of those colors that you have to see in person to truly appreciate how awesome it is. You can see the holo in my pictures but I still think that it doesn't fully capture how amazing it is.

On a side note, Blogger has been driving us crazy! Has anyone else had problems scheduling posts? That option hasn't been very reliable for us lately. Posts have been appearing out of schedule or not appearing at all. I had a post prepared and scheduled for yesterday morning and it never appeared!

Anyways... Happy Polishing!

Pure LOVE!

2011-02-24T07:30:00.003-05:00

This has just ranked as one of my Top 5 polishes. It's beautiful, gorge... It's OPI's Purple with a Purpose. It's a medium purple with pink microshimmer and tiny amounts of blue microshimmer. love, Love, LOVE! The blue microshimmer just makes the shade glow. Can't explain it. You seriously have to see this shade in person and/or in the sun. Two coats, perfect application, as usual with OPI... see?

Happy Polishing!

Swatch - Essie's Fancy Delancey

2011-02-23T07:00:00.002-05:00

Howdy!

(No, I'm not southern but Mari has gotten me into country music lately so its starting to stick!) (Hi gals. Mari here. And btw, I don't go around saying "Howdy" either. Just wanted to make that clear.)

I have another swatch for you. Today I'm showing off Essie's Fancy Delancey. Adorable name! This color is also perfect for summer! It's a fuchsia pink with purple undertones. The application reminded me of a jelly but this color is a yummy creme. It was sometimes so bright in the sunlight that it reminded me of a neon! It took 3 coats for full coverage. I have no complaints about the formula. This swatch was done without base coat and without topcoat.

Do we like it? What is your perfect summer polish?

Happy Polishing!

CLOSED Guess what time it is? It's GIVEAWAY time! CLOSED

2011-02-22T10:59:00.001-05:00

*CLOSED*

We're celebrating our ONE YEAR blog anniversary and what better way to celebrate
than to give away polish to our followers?

We're giving away 80 bottles of polish and some nail art supplies.

(We'll be adding more products to this giveaway so check back soon for updates.)

What do you get? Take a look!

Here is a closer look at the bottles. Click to enlarge.
They're also listed below.

Cheeky Monkey

Whatever

China Glaze

Ick-a-Body, Peace on Earth, Peachy Keen, Recycle, Zombie Zest

CND

Rich in Sin

Color Club

Hot Couture, I Believe in Amour, Oh Naturale, Pardon my French,

Take me to Your Chateau, Turn the Other Chic
Deborah Lippmann
Wicked Game

ELF

Bubble Gum Pink, Fair Pink, Fire Coral, Fluorescent Pink, Fuschia, Hot Pink, Light Pink, Medium Red, Nude, Pearl, Plum, Punk Purple, White

Essence

What do u Think?

Essie

A-List, Bermuda Shorts, Breezy Beach, Deep Pockets, Meet Balls,

St. Lucia Lilac, Watermelon, Wicked, Wiggle Room

Nailtini

Spritzer

Naughty Nailz

Creamy, Divorce Court, Late Night, Lip Service, Morning After, Oral Sex, Pounded,

Red Hot, Secret Carpet Burn, Spank Me, The Big O

(and other names I just wont type here....LMAO)

OPI

Alpine Snow, Mrs. O'Leary's BBQ, Not in KS Anymore Red,

OPI & Apple Pie, Parlez-vouz OPI?, Pistol Packin' Pink, Sand in my Suit

Orly

Bon Bon, Glitz, Iron Butterfly, Luxe, Opal Hope, Pink Slip

Perfect Color

Giverny, Color Jardin, Sunrise

Pronto WEC

9, 204

Rimmel

Spice, Romance

Sally Hansen Xtreme

Cherry Red, Deep Purple, Disco Ball, Red Carpet

Sinful Colors

Sea you Soon, Show me the Way, What's Your Name

Stila

Pandora

ULTA

Black Lace

Zoya

Veruschka

And here is some fun stuff for your nail art collection!

A few of these are very lightly used, some are old, some have just been swatched and some haven't even been opened. *gasp*

Rules:
1. Must be a follower. New followers are always welcomed...international entries too!
2. You must leave a comment below with the following information:
- Your name (you can use your Google Friend Connect name since it makes it easier to keep track)
- Your email. Feel free to write it in a way where spambots can't get it but make sure we can understand what you're saying. lol
- Your additional entries. See the list of possible additional entries below.

Additional Entries:
- Blog about our giveaway on your own blog and help spread the word! Please provide us a link. We'd love to see the post.
- Add a picture of our giveaway to your blogpost.
- Add us to your blogroll and provide a link to that as well.
- Follow us on Facebook. Please provide your name or facebook link. This is for verification purposes only.

Total Possible Entries:
- Being a follower (automatically 1 entry)
- Blogging about our giveaway (2 entries)
- Adding a picture to your blogpost (1 entry)
- Have us on your blogroll (2 entries)
- Follow us on Facebook (2 entries)

Deadline:
This giveaway will be open until Friday, April 8th at 11:59pm. The winner will be announced by Monday, April 11th.

GOOD LUCK!!!!!

Dr.'s Remedy Winter Wonder Nails Swatches / Review

2011-02-22T07:01:00.001-05:00

Hey Ladies!

I have a review for you today! This is a brand I have never heard of before. I have to admit that I wasn't disappointed! Just goes to show that you shouldn't be afraid to venture beyond the big name brands.

These swatches were done without base coat and without topcoat.

Desire - Dr.'s Remedy describes this as a cocoa-meets-hot-fudge handsome hue. This is a yummy simple dark chocolate brown creme. The formula was great. 2 coats for full coverage.

Healing - Dr.'s Remedy describes this as a seductive pewter with deep blue undertones. This is another super yummy light gray creme with a subtle blue undertone. The formula was great yet again. Not chalky. I used 2 coats for full coverage.

Revive - Dr.'s Remedy describes this as a shimmer-infused, Wizard of Oz inspired shade of crimson. This is such a vibrant crimson/ruby red with gold shimmer. The formula was great. I used 2 coats for full coverage.

_________________________________

Overall - The quality of these polishes was amazing. The formula was great. Not chalky, thick, or watery. Excellent. Personally, I love the square bottle shape. The top/cap feels good in your hands while applying polish. The brush is your standard style. Easy to work with. I recommend them!

Dr.'s Remedy Enriched Nail Polish is available for $16 online at www.remedynails.com or by calling 1-877-323-NAIL. Dr.'s Remedy is a new line of doctor-inspirred cosmetics that are dedicated to using clean, hypo-allergenic, anti-fungal ingredients. The birth-child of two New York-based podiatrists, Dr. Adam Cirlincione and Dr. William Spielfogel, Dr.'s REMEDY proves quintessentially-perfect for any person looking to better the condition of her skin and nails.

_________________________________

So what do you ladies think? Have any of you already tried some of their polishes? I want your opinions! Penny for your thoughts!

These polishes were sent to me for review. Please read our disclosure policy (here).

Orly's Pixie Dust

2011-02-21T07:30:00.012-05:00

Cute no? Not so much a neutral, since it's basically gray, but I still feel it's office-appropriate without being mannequin hands. (Luckily I work at a law firm where they could care less what color my nail polish is. And even before when I was a court reporter, I'd go before a Judge on a daily basis and my nails were blue or green. Some would even ask for the name of the shade I was wearing. I'm just saying... don't put it passed your boss that they could be a bit open-minded to something other than beige for your manicures (which I don't even own.)) Sorry about the rant. Anyway, Orly never fails me and here we have two coats of Pixie Dust.

Grey with slight silver glass fleck and a tiny amount of blue microshimmer. It's in there, for sure, because it's just not plain gray but you gotta look closely. It gives it just enough of something different. It's nice. *shrugs*

Happy Polishing!

Swatch - China Glaze's Chiaroscuro...

2011-02-18T07:30:00.001-05:00

Hey Ladies!

Today I have another swatch for you but I must warn you that I'm going to be brutally honest. Well, I'm always honest but today I'm going to be brutal. I can't help it. I really really dislike this color. I don't know what made me buy it. I'm talking about Chiaroscuro... This swatch was done without base coat and without top coat.

I felt comfortable with the coverage after 4 coats. Its a little on the sheer side. Other than that, the formula was great. I think I'd describe this as a nude pinkish peach with a shimmer that varies from gold to green. However, the green shimmer is a little on the lime side. LOL! It's not the typical green tone you see in shimmer.

Now I have to admit that I hate this color. I really do. And don't take it as a reflection on China Glaze because they're awesome. I just think it's all the wrong colors for my skin tone. Remember, I have an issue with greens and I tend to like colors that aren't safe. I'm studying to be a lawyer so I rather enjoy crazy polish now in case I end up getting a job where crazy polish is highly frowned upon. LOL!

In the end, I own the color so I wanted to share it with you gals. Maybe one of you out there likes it! Just because it doesn't work for me doesn't mean it won't work for someone else.

And.... random but every time I see this polish name I think of Churrasco! Yum!

Do any of you guys have a polish like this? A polish you totally hate and don't know why you bought it?

Happy Polishing!

Swatch - Color Club's Rule Breaker

2011-02-17T07:30:00.002-05:00

Hey Ladies!

I was able to get some swatching done a while ago. So I'll be posting them up little by little. Our weekly manicures take posting priority though. LOL! I have 2 reviews to do and post but I'm still trying to catchup with my schoolwork since my trip this weekend.

First up is Color Club's Rule Breaker. This color is really stunning. I see it and think of royalty for some reason. Rule Breaker is from Color Club's Wild at Heart collection from Fall of 2009.

This color is a deep teal/green shimmer. It almost wants to be frosty... but its not. You only need 2 coats for full coverage. Application was flawless.

This swatch is without basecoat or topcoat.

Who has this color? Who likes it? I love it. My skin tone doesn't work well with certain greens... usually the ones that, as I call it, are puke or swampy greens... But dark greens and I are on good terms.

Happy Polishing!

Swatch - Misa's Embroidered Emerald

2011-02-16T07:00:00.000-05:00

Hey Ladies!

Today I've got a longtime lemming for you! I fell in love with this color when I saw it on Jellynat's blog (here). I'm talking about Misa's Embroidered Emerald. This gorgeous polish is a plum jelly with a ton of blue/green shimmer. It's pretty sheer so I needed 4 coats for full coverage. The formula was excellent. Personally, I love the bottle. The cap is a little heavy which actually makes applying the polish easier. I don't know how to explain it... just take my word for it. This swatch was done without basecoat and without topcoat.

I LOVE this color. It's everything I thought it would be and more. It's stunning. Amazing. Unique. Gorgeous!

Anyone else like this color?

Happy Polishing!

China Glaze Crackle Collection

2011-02-15T17:46:00.000-05:00

LET’S GET CRACKING

China

Glaze Introduces Six New Crackle Colors

Los Angeles, CA – December 2010: Roughed up grunge meets gorgeous glam! China Glaze brings a whole new level to the game with “Crackle” polish! Create endless edgy looks and make a statement with fun, fearless, color. Everyone has asked for it, and now China Glaze is giving it to them! The six different Crackle colors include:

Lightning Bolt – White Crackle
Black Mesh – Black Crackle
Broken Hearted – Pink Crackle
Cracked Concrete – Grey Crackle
Fault Line – Purple Crackle
Crushed Candy – Teal Crackle

An innovative technology allows you to play with a wide array of color combinations and achieve an edgy, new wave look. This unique formula was developed to give your nails a “crackled” design over traditional nail color. Contrasting colors are used one over another to achieve a deconstructed shatter look that takes place right before your eyes. Instant art for your nails!

How do you do it? It’s easy! Apply your favorite China Glaze glitter, shimmer or crème. Depending on the color you are using, apply either one or two coats for full coverage. When the colored enamel is dry, brush on a thin layer of the Crackle color. Allow the Crackle to work its magic during dry time. After approximately 5 minutes when the crackled design has completely formed, apply a top coat to seal the design for prolonged wear.

China Glaze Crackle will be available starting February 2011 at Sally’s Beauty Supply and BSG in 12 piece displays and 3 pack color kits which will include a base color, a crackle glaze (Black Mesh, Broken Hearted or Crushed Candy) and a China Glaze Top Coat.

China Glaze is free of DBP, toluene, and added formaldehyde.

China Glaze is a division of American International Industries.

About American International Industries

NOTD: What are you!?!?!

2011-02-15T07:30:00.001-05:00

Hey Ladies!

Today I don't know what I have for you. Seriously... I don't know what this is. I have no idea where Mari found this polish. I'm betting it was a local drugstore/pharmacy. I've never seen this brand before. The color doesn't even have a name... I'll just call this #9 since that is the only thing on the label that isn't standard label text. I'm guessing the brand is WEC and Pronto is in reference to the fact that it's "Quick Dry." This is a gray cream with sort of blue/purple undertones. I almost had a perfect even application with just one coat but in the end I did 2 coats. Better safe than sorry. The polish seemed to be a little watery though... but I'm happy with the end result anyway.

I love the tone of this color. I normally stay away from random drugstore brands because the colors are usually so boring. However, I was actually pleased with this one. Maybe I'll start giving random brands a second chance.

Happy Polishing!

Nail Addicts Anonymous

Happy Valentine's Day

(Anti) Valentine's Day

Zoya's Skylar v. OPI's I Have A Herring Problem

I Don't Have A Herring Problem...

Zoya's Tru vs. OPI's Dutch 'Ya Just Love OPI

An Oldie, But A Goodie!

Over The Top!

China Glaze Magnetix - Pull Me Close

Lusting Over Misa

NOTD: Blue on Blue

Time to play with Legos!

NOTD: Kotori

Polish Battle: Tempest vs. Grape Going

NOTD: Angora Cardi & Flowers

Zoya's Bevin vs. OPI's Mermaid's Tears

NOTD: A Hi-Tech Pineapple

China Glaze - ElectroPop

NOTD: Pink Wrapping

NOTD: Purple Butterflies!

NOTD: A 360 View

Zoya's Fleck Effect Collection - Swatches & Review

Zoya's True Collection - Swatches & Review

Sneak Peek

NOTD: Havana in Plaid

Teal Heaven!

China Glaze - Colours from the Capitol Collection

Zoya TRUE and FLECK EFFECTS for Spring 2012

SinfulColors Holiday 2011 Collection - Wish

Quick Update

Deborah Lippmann Shades for Fall 2011

Zoya - Smoke & Mirrors...beautiful illusions

Happy Late Birthday!

L8R Miami... Hello St. Louis!

China Glaze Crackle Metals

Grrr to Blogger!

Zoya's 2011 LE Touch Collection!

Reclaiming my freedom...

BornPrettyStore Stamping Plate Review

Your poison has me hypnotized...

Make Me Smile!

Now Serving Eggplant

Zoya's Mira

Sooooooooooki! (couldn't resist, sorry)

Giveaway Winner!

Baby, I wish it was "coal" outside!

Zoya LE Mod Mattes Collection (Summer 2011) - Swatch / Review

Zoya Sunshine Collection (Summer 2011) - Swatch / Review

Zoya Summertime Collection (Summer 2011) - Swatch / Review

Jessica Runway Style Collection (Spring 2011) - Swatch / Review

China Glaze Island Escape Swatch / Review

Starred Purple Panic

Revlon Perplex....

NOTD - From A to Z-urich

Orly's Precious Collection (Spring 2011) - Swatch & Review

Zoya in my Snow Globe

China Glaze Summer 2011 - Island Escape

Pink and Yellow Crackle Combo

Zoya BOGO Sale!

Zoya - ModMattes LE (Summer 2011)

Zoya - Sunshine and Summertime (Summer 2011)

China Glaze's Shower Together (for the millionth time)

Smokin' Hot Flowers!

St. Paddy's Day Mani

I had to get this blue...

Merry Birthday To Me At Midnight!

Having an affair with Misa...

Swatch - Orly's Pink Chocolate

Capped Misa's Money

Sephora by OPI: Havana Dreams

Swatch - Sephora by OPI's Just A Fairy-Tail

BornPrettyStore Stamping Plate Review

Swatch - OPI's My Private Jet

Pure LOVE!

Swatch - Essie's Fancy Delancey

*CLOSED* Guess what time it is? It's GIVEAWAY time! *CLOSED*

Dr.'s Remedy Winter Wonder Nails Swatches / Review

Orly's Pixie Dust

Swatch - China Glaze's Chiaroscuro...

Swatch - Color Club's Rule Breaker

CLOSED Guess what time it is? It's GIVEAWAY time! CLOSED