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Gray

FEATURED - Friday, December 14th 2007

The Perfect Slouch Boot: Is there such a thing?

I have literally been on the hunt for a good slouch boot for more than two years now.  Initially, I was going to purchase Frye Dorado Slouch boots retailing at $500.  A little out of my price range, but, I didn't care. I wanted to end this Red October hunt. Unfortunately, Frye told me they were discontinuing this gorgeous boot. Let me ask you this, why on earth would  manufacturers stop making such a popular boot?  That really blows my mind!  Those money grubbers! Needless to say I was pretty pissed off about that because I was ready to buy them. So the search continues...

I happened to stumble on HSN's site while searching for something.  I never thought to look for something like this on HSN.  Not, that I wouldn't buy from them, just that I didn't realize how many great things they have.  When I saw these boots, it was like love at first site. But, the bad reviews kept me from purchasing these beauties. Over the month, I kept them in my shopping cart and never hit the "order" button.  So, one day I went ahead and took the chance, thinking what the heck, worst that can happen is I have to pay postage to send them back. Estatic was the feeling I felt when I saw the package on my front porch.  I ripped into the box like a kid in a candy store.  Beautiful was my first expression when opening my package. But, I wasn't worried about the quality, I knew that they were going to be perfect. It was the high heel I was most concerned about.  The heel is about 4" tall. Thats a pretty tall heel, espically if you are tall like myself.  I was dertermined to make it work. I took my boots to a local shoemaker, and he cut 1" off the heel and put some good insoles in for $20, and TADA! Perfecto!

So, here is my official review on these infamous boots.  The brand name is Hot in Hollywood 3 in 1 convertible suede boot, Plum Color, Retailing at $99.  You ask 3 in 1? Yep that's right, three boots for the price of one basically.  This boot converts from tall to slouch, to fold down bootie with tab snap closure.  Brilliantly thought of! The Plum color is absolutely to die for, not to mention it's the hottest color this season!  They also have Gray, Congac, Brown & Black.  My favorite amongst the colors: Plum, Gray, and Congac.  All three colors are the hottest this season, you can't go wrong!  So, lets get to the con now.  The only con was that the heel was way too high and the fitting was a little loose, but nothing a shoemaker can't fix! I usually wear a 8 1/2M, but with boots I always order a 1/2 size up and a wide width.  Boots tend to run small in most cases.

That's the great thing about Fashion, you can always make something work. There are endless possibilites! It may take a little here and a little there, but it will all come together perfectly in the end!  For me, spending an extra $20 and putting a little work into it, saved me not only $400 but my time also.  Thats not even the BEST part!  These Fabulous boots are on clearance for $49.90.  Most of all, I don't think people are purchasing them due to the negative reviews.  If you are a true Fashionista, you will go through hoops to get the perfect shoe!

{Photo via: HSN}

FEATURED - Monday, January 28th 2008

OPI India Collection: Spring Summer 2008

  

OPI Introduces India Collection for Spring Summer 2008.  This India Collection is focused around sunny, high-energy pallette for the nails and lips. This season trends will include: hats, brightly colored bangles, metallic clutch purses, and India inspired beading and embelishments.

I'm really loving OPI India's Collection and China Glaze OMG Collection for Spring and Summer 2008.  Essie and Zoya is taking a different route by introducing sheers and neutral colors for their Spring Collection.  Neutrals are nice, but I need bold colors for Spring and Summer! 

Move over Blue Satin and Russian Navy, OPI Yoga-ta Get This Blue is in town and is on Fire!  OPI introduces a new blue nail polish in this collection, which I cannot wait to see!  See the nail polish colors and names below. 

I'm Indi-a Mood for Love - Hot Pink	Yoga-ta Get This Blue - Dark Blue
Get Me to the Taj on Time - Pale Opal	Curry Up Don't Be Late - Metallic Gold
Charmed by a Snake - Bronze	Lunch at the Delhi - Coral
Royal Rajah Ruby - Burgandy	ElePhantastic Pink - Light Pink
Black Cherry Chutney - Dark Blackish-Red	Keys to my Karma - Rich Red
MonSooner or Later - Orange	Moon Over Mumbai - A Soft Gray

Check out the Reviews and Swatches for this collection.

{Photo via: Ball Beauty}

Wednesday, February 6th 2008

OPI India Collection: Review and Swatches

OPI India Collection for Spring/Summer 2008 has officially launched today.  I had a chance to get a sneak peek at this collection, and pick up a couple of bottles.  First off, I really love India inspired collections.  This collection has a little bit to offer for any appetite.  Neutrals: Soft Grey and Opal colors.  Dark: A gorgeous blue that no-one should overlook, and a deep burgandy with red shimmer.  Metallics: Sheer Gold and Bronze perfect for summer. Brights: A beautiful fuschia magenta (pictured on model), Bright Pink .     

If you haven't been locked up and living as a hermit, then you know by now,, that blue is the "IT" color for Spring/Summer 2008.  Most nail collections this season have featured some kind of blue shade.  Chanel Blue Satin, is one of my personal favorite nail colors this season, but, something was just missing.  As much as I love Blue Satin, it's just too darn dark without putting a topcoat of Azur.  Don't get me wrong, I still love the color and will continue to wear it.  But, it was hyped up so much, that I already had high expectations and the vision in my head didn't match up with actual color.  Maybe if the formulation wasn't as thick, it would have an potential of being a 10.

 

Charmed by a Snake.  A bronzed color that is perfect for any anybody.  This is a great color and much approiate for warm and cool tones.  This is definitely tied with MoonSoon or Later as my second favorites.  "Bronzed" and "Goldened" are one of the color trends for this summer, which brings me to the next color.

 

Curry Up Don't Be Late.  A sheer gold color with yellow undertones. I think this color is more appealing to the warm tone crowd.  A Metallic Yellowish-Gold is a tricky color to pull off.  But, I'm really liking yellow this spring/summer.  If your feet get really tan in the summer, this is a must for pedi's!  Check out the OPI India Collection Promo Ad, featuring this color.  I'll be honest, I love this color but, it was really hard to paint my nails.  It's very sheer, and I certainly needed 3 heavy coats to cover completely.  But, it's defintely worth the hassle, the color payoff is a gorgeous metallic yellow-gold.

Lunch at Delhi.  Described as a soft coral shade with pink-undertones.  I honestly don't see the pink undertones in this one.  It defitnely has more reddish undertones which makes it dark coral color which is really pretty.  Coral is going to be an "IT" color this spring/summer 2008. 

I'm Ind-ia Mood for Love.  Described as a Fushia-Magenta color.  A Magenta Fushia creme color that is a must have for pedi's this summer!  Take a look at the model in the picture above.  She is wearing this color.  How cute would that be on your toes, white flip-flops, and a toe ring.

 

Yoga-Ta Get This Blue.  So true to the name.  Yoga-Ta Get this Blue!  What are you waiting for!  WOW!  This color is exactly what Chanel Blue Satin lacked and is amazing.  It is exactly the blue I have been looking for.  If you love the blue nail polish trend, well, this is going to be your holy grail color.  So, what makes this blue different from all the hundreds out there?  Well, OPI for one, secondly the beautiful aqua and blue shimmer that makes this perfect!  And, one more thing, it LOOKS blue! Unlike Blue Satin and many others, where it looks black-ish in different lighting.  Russian Navy fans, get ready, your going to love this color!  Same type of texture, instead of the purple-ish pink shimmers, it's aqua and blue.  This is my favorite color of this collection, and think it's going to be a HUGE hit.

 

MoonSoon or Later.  I absolutely LOVE this color!  Described as a bright reddish-organish color.  I think this is one of the colors that most people will overlook.  And, if you love orangey-red's, this defintely shouldn't be overlooked!  It's not as bright and orangey as you might think.  Described as a creamy tomato red.  At first, I honestly overlooked this color.  Two days later, I saw this color and messed with it a little bit, and ended up loving it and purchasing it.  If your attracted to reds as I am, you'll love this!  This color is my second favorite, right under the blue.  Coral and Oranges are going to be a Hot color this summer!

Moon over Mumbai.  Descirbed as a gray shade.  I was really hoping I would like this color.  I'm honestly seeing more pink in this shade.  I would describe it as a very light pink shimmer with gray undertones.  It is a very pretty shade, but, I was hoping for more gray.  Essie's, Body Language is by far the best gray color I have seen this spring.  This color is much like Essie's 2008 Spring Collection.

Keys to my Karma.  Described as a rich tomato red color.  Honestly, I see this color being more like a cherry red opposed to a rich tomato red, which I have plenty of similar colors.

Elphantastic Pink.  Described as a bold carnation pink.  Much talk was going on about this color.  So, I was really looking forward to it.  But, I was quite disappionted.  My skin tone is warm and this color stands out like a sore thumb.  It's just too bright for me.  This color may look more appealing on cooler skin tones.

Here are some other colors I didn't get, but, would be more appealing for me in the fall.  Spring and Summer is almost here so, I'm ready for some colors.  Royal Rajah Ruby, a burgandy with reddish shimmer.  If the shimmer were light pink, this would be an huge it color.  This is more of a burgandy-blackish color.  Black Cherry Chutney, a dark black cherry red.  

Below are some photo swatches I took from my salon.  

The first picture was taken with a flash, the second without a flash. 

Overall, I really liked this collection.  Yoga-ta get this Blue!  Go get this stuff now!  That was the best color hands down.  Followed by Curry up Don't Be Late, Charmed by a Snake, and MoonerSooner or Later.  

What do you think of this collection?  Are you planning to purchase any colors?

Check out the ultimate summer accessory featuring two colors from the OPI India Collection.

FEATURED - Wednesday, February 27th 2008

MAC Cosmetics Fafi: Review and Swatches Part Two

Eye Shadow Quads. I purchased both of these eye shadow quads.  I honestly, did not expect to like Quad 2, but, that ended up being my favorite.

Quad 1.  Vanilla, a white color witha a velvet finish, that is good for highlighting.  Hey Neutral, a shimmery tan color, that is very pretty nude color.  Pink Venus, bright pink frosted color, that has great color payoff and texture.  Howzat, a dark gray-ish black color, good for crease lines.  

Quad 2.  Bold as Gold, a gorgeous shade of shimmery yellow-gold.  I really loved this color, perfect amout of shimmer that isn't over powering.  Shockwave, more of a shimmery tangerine color, that isn't as bright as it looks.  You're Fresh, as it looks green in the quad, it's quite sheer.  More of a greenish-yellowish shimmer.  Prankster, it may look navy blue, but, comes out more dark blue-blackish.

If you tend to play it safe, I would go for the Quad 1. If you are daring enough, I would definitely recommend purchasing Quad 2.  The colors may look funky, but, appear more sheerer than they actually look.

Paint Pots.  I absolutely love MAC's paint pots.  I purchased Cash Flow, and Perky.  I am planning to pick up Rollickin soon.  My favorite by far is Perky.

Perky, a coral-peach shimmer color, that is truely gorgeous, and the color pay-off is great.  This is a must have base for Quad 2.  Cash Flow, a goldish-brownish color, that is great with browns and neutral colors.  Rollickin, a tealish shimmery color, that looks great espically paired up with Parrot eyeshadow.  Nice Vice, a purplish brownish color, that was way too dark and purplish for my skintone (NC25).  Layin Low, a creamy flat brown beige color.  Girl Friendly, a very flat pink color.

 

 

Powder Blushes.   The powder blushes were something I didn't even look at twice until I saw in person.  They may appear "very bright" in their Fafi cases, but, that is not the case whatsoever.  The blushes have very  "build-able color".  I initially only purchased Hipness but, later purchased Fashion Frenzy.  It's really hard to choose between the two, because they are both equally beautiful.  

Fashion Frenzy, a medium cool pink matte color that is very buildable.  Just be careful with the blush brush, you can easily get outta control  with the blushes, which might reflect the brightness of the color.  Fashion Frenzy looks great with Quad 1, Sexy n Fun lipstick paired up with Totally It lipglass.  Hipness, a warm peach matte color with a small hint of pink.  Hipness looks great with Quad 2, Strawbaby lipstick, paired up with Sugar Trance lipglass.

Iridescent Mineralized Powders.  These powders are just gorgeous, and by far the best out of the Fafi collection.  If you love to sparkle and shine, then these powders are for you.  Unfortanetly, I could not get a good picture to justify the beauties of these powders with them being so sheer.  I purchased Verve-vacious, more of a golden bronzed color. 

Verve-vacious, a goldish bronzed powder with several pigmented gold flecks.  This is gorgeous, and can be used as a bronzing powder for summer also.  Sassed-Up, a soft golden peach-pinkish color.  I believe this color will be more appealing for everyone and the most popular.  Sassed-up is another one I would like to purchase, only if my bank account wasn't depleted by Fafi!  Belightful, a cooler brownish powder with gold specks.  Verve-vacious and Belightful were very similar in colors.  I opt for Verve-vacious because it's more becoming, and it's a limited edition color.

Nail Lacquer.  I purchased both of these colors, because I'm a nail polish freak!  However, I do think Girls will be Girl is more appealing than Boom.  Girls Will Be Girls, a pink with a specks of gold that makes it somewhat coral-ish.  The coral color is not very noticable to the naked eye.  If you prefer the sheerness, you will only need two coats.  However, In the picture above, I had to use 3 coats to cover my nail completely.  Boom, a burgandy color with specks of pink shimmer.  This metallic like color is very pretty, and looks great on nails.

Overall, Fafi is truely a great collection.  It offers alot of bright pink/corals, girly colors that are going to be "it" colors for spring/summer 2008.  Definite stand out items: Strawbaby and Fun n Sexy Lipstick, Sugar Trance and Totally It lipglass, Perky Paint Pot, and Sassed-Up mineralized powder.  The only items that are sold out nationwide is Fun n Sexy and Strawbaby lipstick.  But, they may still be available at your local MAC Store.

Tuesday, March 18th 2008

China Glaze Ecollection: Review and Swatches

Suprisingly, Unplugged was my favorite color of China Glaze Ecollection.  A beautiful brown rust color with red and gold shimmer making this color stunning.

Shower Together a bright turquoise blue color that is my second favorite out of the ecollection.  Many hollywood celebs have been sporting around this color.  This color is comparable to China Glazes popular, Aqua Baby.

Solar Power, a bright taxi cab color that represents the sun but, don't be afraid of this color!  Believe it or not, this color is going to be the "it" color geared towards summer.  Rescue Beauty Lounge also has a beautiful yellow color that I will be swatching soon.  I was really hesitant about this color at first, but, ended up like it.  Solar Power will look great on those pedi's.

 

Tree Hugger, a Granny Smith Apple shimmer color, that is perfect for spring.  I really like this color, it also reminds me of an sour apple blow pop.

Hybrid, a light brown shimmer that is very comparable to OPI Charmed by a snake.  This is a nice neutral color, that most will find appealing.

Recycle, a dark gray creme shade that's my first. Gray nail polishes are on the hot radar right now, so I think alot of us will really like this color. 

Overall, I really liked this collection and the fact that the colors are based around the envirnoment is and A+ in my book.  The fact is, our Environment is in Crisis and we need to be aware of this critical problem.  What have you done to change the envirnoment?

I laughed when my husband handed my 20 cloth re-usable bags at Walmart to replace the plastic ones.  But, the fact is, he is the one laughing at me.  If everyone just makes the littlest change, it could make the biggest difference.

I would love to hear if anyone has done anything different to save the envirnoment.

FEATURED - Thursday, May 14th 2009

Gray Nail Polish Comparisons: Swatches

 

Happy Thursday lovelies! Hope your having a wonderful afternoon or morning, wherever you are. It's another rainy day in the neighborhood and a perfect time for some gray nail polish comparisons.

Just a little over a year ago, this stormy color was scarce to find, and today - I'm happy to report we have a few great picks to choose from.

My Most Memorable Gray: Although there are many fabulous shades of gray, I have to my give props to one that broke my gray virginity, China Glaze's Recycle from the E-Collection.

Back in Spring 08', when the E-collection was originally released, I had a completely different view of Recycle. It's defintitely a shade you have to warm up to. And, now I love it. 

Some other favorites: Zoya Harley, Essie Body Language, LA Girls Flare Saharan Sand, RBL Concrete Jungle, MAC on the Prowl.

(C) Creme (S) Shimmer  Check em' out!

 

The Light Gray's (pictured above). Body Language and Saharan Sand are two of my favorites. It's a mix between gray, nude and white that looks really fabulous on. It's light, crisp and opaque.

The Medium Gray's. RBL's grays have just a pinch of stormy blue that makes them different from the others.  

The Dark Gray's. Have a wonderful day! What's everyone's favorite shade of gray?

FEATURED - Sunday, April 13th 2008

Product Review: Dior Sky Glow 5 Color Eyeshadow

Product: Dior 5 Couleurs in Sky Glow

Price: $54.00

Steph's Rating:

Buy it: Sephora

Recommend: Yes

A few weeks ago, I had a chance to learn alot about Dior Cosmetics.  One thing learned, Dior focuses highly on skin care.  And, I have to say they have alot of great skin care products.  But, I wasn't interested at the time.  I had my eyes set on one thing, the Sky Glow 5 Colour Eyeshadow Quint.  I've passed the Dior counter on a numerous occassions, and just couldn't resist this time.  The gorgeous teal blue color was just calling out my name.  And, if you're a reader of mine, you know I'm pretty obsessed when it comes blues.

It's not very often I find a Quint (he he it's so fun saying Quint) that is absolutely amazing!  And, of course, the pictures do not justify the beautiful colors.  So, I decided pulled out my husbands professional Nikon D200 to try to get a true-to-color close up photo.  Check out the eyeshadow colors below.

The colors include: teal/aqua blue (top left), bronze greyish-taupe (top right) this is an amazing color, white pearl (middle), gunmetal gray (bottom left), and silver (bottom right).  Sky glow, is becoming one of my all-time favorite eyeshadow combinations.  It may be on the pricey side but, when you break it down, it's $10.80/per color, which isn't bad.  The eyeshadow colors are gorgeous (not too shimmery), and when combined together, delivers a knock-out.  The colors lasted forever, just as long, as any MAC eyeshadow.

Check out some of my looks using all the colors from this Quad.

 

 

My mascara is the wonders of Diorshow Blackout and cetaphil creme.  Diorshow Black Out works miracles, espically if you have already have a good amount of eyelashes.

FEATURED - Friday, May 9th 2008

Trend Alert: Lavender Purple Nail Polish

Product: Purple Haze Nail Polish

Price: $18.00

Steph's Rating:

Buy it: Rescue Beauty Lounge

Recommend: Yes

More love goes out to the fabulous Ji and the Rescue Beauty Lounge team!  I've had my eyes on Purple Haze since it was introduced in their Spring Collection.  But, never took that next step to purchasing it.  So, after months of debating, here it is. 

Purple lavender nail polish started to make an appearance in winter, hitting most nail polish collections in Spring of 2008.  Essie's Spring Collection, was one of the first lavender nail polishes that caught my eye.  Looking for love, described as a sheer lavender nail polish, was one of the firsts I've tried.  But, with much sadness, looking for love was extremely sheer, and the color pay-off just wasn't there.  At that point, it was a color that I just put on the back burner, until now!

Ji and the Rescue Beauty team have created another truely unique polishes with outstanding color pay-off!  I have nothing but good things to say about this color and the Rescue Beauty Lounge formula.  The color is described as a creme lavender with dark blue undertones.  The consistency applied like a charm and only two light coats are needed.  Purple Haze has everything that Essie's, looking for love, lacked.  And, you won't find a comparable polish to this color.  Actually, it's hard to find many lavender blue-based colors in stores period.  Check out the photo swatch on my toes below.

So, I have been sporting around this color for the past few days on both my hands and feet.  And, I to say, this color is amazing!  I usually don't wear matching colors unless the color is fab, and that is exactly what it is!  The navy blue undertones makes this color a periwinkle blue outside in sunlight, and a deeper lavender purple inside.

I predict that this color will be a hit through the summer and fall seasons.  Purple Haze will be an appropriate color in the fall to coordinate with your grays/blues/purples.  Chanel, OPI, and many others are introducing a lavendar based nail polish to their summer collections as well.  I think most of us will sway away from this color because of it's boldness.  If you love blue, your sure to love this color also.  Purple Haze espically looks great with darker skin tones; it tends to give you the perfect amout of pop on your nails or toes!  It also looks great with a tan or a sunless tan.

Let's talk about Rescue Beauty Lounge!  My first few impressions have been absolutely fantastic.  And, we all know first impressions are crucial!  It can usually make or break your business.  My RBL collection is consistency growing with bold and beautiful colors.  I'll usually wear any color, as long as it fits my style.

Future Colors.  I would love to see Ji and the team create an orange nail polish for summer.  Orange is rapidly becoming one of the next nail polish trends, and I know the Rescue Beauty Lounge color would be amazing!

FEATURED - Sunday, June 1st 2008

Gold Member Baby: Chanel Fall 2008 Makeup

Chanel strikes it rich this Fall with jaw-dropping gold and bronze shades.  With the rising cost of gold, it's no wonder Chanel would be at the top of their game.  Facettes D'or nail color in gold fiction, delivers an massive 18 karats of illiminating gold right to your fingertips.  But, this gold rush nail candy don't come cheap.  This hyptonizing nail color will be retailing for $30.00. Chanel is also introducing Gold Fever, an finely milled golden powder that delivers a sheer glow of gold.  Gold Fever will be retailing for $50.00.  Two must-have products you don't want to over-look.  This new fall collection should hit most Chanel stores mid July. Check out the color story and info below.  

Lips

• Rouge Hydrabase Creme Lipstick.  Simply Pink (coral pink), Fantastic Plum (deep purple) and Great Copper (bronze). $26.00 USD. 
• Rouge Allure Luminous Satin Lip Colour. Enthusiast (deep red creme). $30.00 USD.
• Aqualumière Sheer Colour Lipshine with SPF 15. Formentera (beigey rose) and Papeete (cranberry).
• Glossimer Lipgloss. Amberlight (bronze), Delight (lilac), and Gold Light, (shimmery gold). $26.00 USD.
• Precision Lip Definer.  Pretty Pink (medium nude pink). $28.00 USD.

 

Eyes

• Eye Shadow Quad in Reflets d’Ombre.  An eyeshadow palette with four shades in coffee, dark green, ivory, and gold. $55.00 USD.
• Soft Touch Eyeshadow.  Bronze, (metallic brown) on one side and Bois Bleu (dark teal) on the other. $27.50 USD.
• Silky Eyeshadow Duo. Cristal-Dusk contains two shadows in white and brown. $40.00 USD.
• Precision Eye Definer. Denim is a gray-blue shade. $27.50 USD.

Face

Powder Blush. Rose Dust is a pinky, plum shade. $42.00 USD. Soft Pressed Powder. Almond is a shimmery beige. $50.00 USD

Nails

Le Vernis in Kaléidoscope - is a greenish-gold shade Le Vernis in Fantastic - is a deep, plummy wine shade

The Chanel Fall Collection has arrived.  Check out the review, swatches, product photos and nail polish swatches for this brand new collection.

A little gold member for your viewing pleasures!

FEATURED - Monday, June 16th 2008

Kat Von D Makeup: Photo Swatches

A couple months ago, I blogged about Kat Von D's new makeup brand.  I was finally able to check it out at Sephora.  Overall, I was pleasantly suprised with the eyeshadow palettes.  The color pay-off was pretty good as well as the lasting power.  And, at $34.00 per palette for 8 eyeshadow colors, is a fantastic deal.  Just averaging about $4.25 a color.  Check out the photo swatches below.

True Romance Palette in Beethoven ($34).  The Beethoven palette contains: Lucifer (matte charcoal black), Speed Blue (dark metalic blue), Razor Gray (warm gun steel shimmer), Tequila (metallic cornsilk shimmer), Galeano (metallic medium plum shimmer), Sinner (metallic purple black shimmer), Rad Purple (matte purple black with purple glitter), Leather (matte dark brown) with two doubled-ended applicator brushes.

Speed Blue was my fave out of the Beethoven palette.  It's a cross between MAC's freshwater and blue flame.

True Romance Palette in Ludwig ($34).  The Ludwig palette contains: Lucifer (matte charcoal black), Orbi (golden green shimmer), Dimebag (metallic lime green), Clay (beige with gold glitter), Tequila (metallic cornsilk shimmer), Downtown (metallic light copper shimmer), Baroque (golden bronze shimmer), Leather (deep chocolate brown sheen), and two double-ended applicator brushes.
 

Ludwig is my favorite out of the two.  It's a great color combination, espically for the neutral loving gals out there.  My faves are both the greens (no brainer).

FEATURED - Wednesday, July 2nd 2008

Chanel Gold Fiction and Kaleidoscope Swatches

This Fall Chanel introduces three new limited edition colors:  Gold Fiction - a true 18 karat gold, Kaleidoscope - a metallic pewter gray with green undertones and Fantastic - a deep wine shade.   Along with these three new shades accompanied a pretty hefty price tag.  Gold Fiction retailing at $30 and the others at $20.  Did ya'll notice their regular nail polish even increased in price?!  I know what your thinking, 30 bucks for a nail polish, that is ridiciously, and it is! 

Gold Fiction is described as a true 18 karat gold shade.  The application is like spreading butter on your nails except with 18 karats of pure perfection.  But, for 30 bucks worth of perfection?  Probably not.  Everything about Gold Fiction was perfect, which is exactly what your paying for.  Your not paying for the unique color, just the richness of Chanel.

The Polish Addict has some great gold comparisons and OPI Symphony in Gold looks to be right on the money.  It's definitely worth taking a peek.

I literally fainted when Kaleidoscope - a pewter grey metallic with green undertones, graced my eyes.  Now, this is what I'm talking about!  I would certainly pay 30 bucks Kaleidoscope in a minute.  This is probably one of the most unique colors Chanel has created and I'm loving it.  All the photo swatches don't justify the beauty of this color - it is truely hard to describe.

Kaleidoscope has been fingers and toes for quite sometime.  I've been sporting around this color for the last couple days and I can't stop drooling at it.

Fantastic is a nice creamy shade of red wine, but, I just don't see anything fantastic about it.  Save your money on this shade and pick up another bottle or Kaleidoscope or save it for the Robertson Blvd Collection.

Overall, Kaleidoscope is the bread winner of the Fall nail colors.  But, all being limited edition, don't hold your breath and snatch them up quickly before they sell out.  Don't wait on Kaleidoscope it will go super fast.  I promise you won't regret it.

Chanel hear me loud ~ please release the Robertson Blvd Collection already!      

FEATURED - Friday, August 15th 2008

MAC Cult of Cherry: Nail Polish Swatches

MAC in Illegal Purple is a blackened deep cherry that applied ultra glossy and flawless.   The cult of cherry color story described this color as a blackened eggplant purple which you'll see in the first coats but, after that, it's all about chocolate cherries. 

Although, this is just your typically black cherry creme - it's very stunning.  Initially, Illegal Purple was just oh, *yawn* but, sporting this shade around has me thinking differently.  One particular thing I loved, is the ultra glossy formula - it's chic and goes perfectly with the cult of cherry theme. 

 Candid shot of Illegal Purple - I love how super glossy this formula is!

I didn't waste my time trying to get a good picture because it wasn't happening.  Silverstruck's such a unique shade - there's no capturing the true beauty, honestly.  Ok, here's a go - a taupeish gray frost that has red, gold, green flicks of shimmer.  The red shimmer gives this taupe shade a copperish red metallic undertone - truely unique.

The texture reminds me of Chanel in Kaleidoscope except with a taupe base color and green, red, gold shimmer flecks.  My swatches were applied with three coats with no application issues.  You'll start to notice a copper reddish metallic finish when 3 or more coats are applied.

I had to post this because it's the craziest picture!  Within the multi-second of the flash - this critter felt the need to jump in.  The cult of cherry nail polishes will be available on August 21st at freestanding stores and maccosmetics.com.

Need more MAC?  Check out the cult of cherry photo swatches, review, lip looks using cult of cherry lipstick colors and my makeup haul.

FEATURED - Saturday, September 6th 2008

New Fall Shades: Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear

Here's some new fall shades from Sally Hansen's Xtreme Wear line that I've had for a couple of weeks now.  More and more, I've been turning to Sally Hansen's bold, beautiful, fall-alistic colors.  

It's a horse of a different color (if you don't know this saying, shame on you)!  Emerald City - Don't this so remind you of Wizard of Oz?!  Infact, the name "emerald city" might have a little too much in common with the 1939 classic film.  A true emerald green shimmer perfect for green lovers.  

Gunmetal - a gorgeous blue/gray gunmetal shimmer.  It's more on the blue side - very pretty.

Mellow Yellow - a yellow - lime with green shimmer.  This color is "different".  A color that I wouldn't usually go for.  But, after wearing for a few days, it grew on me.

All these shades should be available now at most stores retailing an average $2.69 - great shades and cheap too!

FEATURED - Tuesday, September 23rd 2008

Limited Edition: New colors from Wet n Wild

Wet n Wild introduces six new limited edition rock solid nail colors this season.  Overall, this is a fabulous mixture of dark and seducing shades for fall.  This collection is definitely a hit, retailing at just $2.69 a pop.

The colors ranging from dark steel, blue, purple and red's - sure to please any appetite.  One particular thing I would have changed is the red shades.  Mysterious is just your basic red shimmer.  And, boy, if that were substituted for a green version - nail addicts around the world would be going crazy for this.

Pictured Above, Femme Fatale - a dark charcoal grey with blue and green shimmer that is one of my favorites.

Check out more swatches below.   

 Sexy Siren - a vibrant blue with aqua blue shimmer.  Very pretty but, not so unique.

Seductress - a blackened purple with pink and purple shimmer.  Blackened shades with shimmer are really hard to capture on my digital camera.  But, this color is much pretty in person.

Stunner, wow - the name just says it all, doesn't it?  A black with gold specks of shimmer and a exact match to China Glaze's Wagon Trail.  If it wasn't for the release of Wagon Trail, I'd say this is the most unique out of the collection.

 

Temptress - a dark, vampy blood red with matching shimmer.  A sexy dark red that's stunning.  It may not be the most unique but, it's definitely goes with the fall theme.

 

Mysterious is just your basic ruby red shade with pink and red glitter.  In the picture above it looks more as a cherry red but, it real life it's actually darker.  Mysterious was my least favorite shade out of the Mistress of Darkness collection.  Now, if they'd substituted this red for a dark vampy green - well, I think we all know how that would have went, right?! 

This collection should be available at most grocery stores, drug stores, etc.

FEATURED - Wednesday, October 8th 2008

Nail Polish of the Day: Sephora Metro Chic

Happy Hump Day, ya'll!  At my previous job, one of my co-workers would come in every Wednesday and say "Happy Hump Day".  It drove us girls bonkers to the point we'd always laugh.  It's been rainy here and I just want to crawl back into bed.  But, I didn't.  Instead, I decided to finally open my Metro Chic ($10.00) that I've been stashing for quite sometime.

This baby has been getting alot of press lately.  So, I wanted to see what all the rage was about.  A grayish purple creme that certianly lives up to the name "Metro Chic".  The formula was thicker than I liked and applied rather streaky at first.  But, eventually smoothed out when it was all said and done.

Metro Chic is different and unique.  Metro Chic is always sold out at sephora stores and online.  Giving those two reasons - it's bound to be all the rage, duh!  But,  please, don't get stupid and pay those insane ebay prices.  Because all in all, it's not worth more than the retail price of nine bucks.  I share the same views with one of my favorite nail polish blogs, The Polish Addict.  So, make sure you check out her blog and put an end to this madness.

 

Ok, enough about my rant.  One reason I like Metro Chic - it's a cross between purple and gray, two of my favorite colors.  Indoor lighting, the grayish appears more visible and outdoors you'll notice a purple gray shade.  But, don't let the "temporarily out of stock" on Sephora's site get you down because they will be restocking this.  Infact, they've replinished stock three times already.  So, don't give up all hope.

Although, there may not be an exact dupe - we have some good contenders,  I'll be posting in the next few days!  Have a great Wednesday, you guys!

FEATURED - Thursday, October 30th 2008

My New Love: Laura Mercier Caviar Dreams

Good Afternoon, Lovelies!  My poor blog needs some much deserved attention. Yesterday, I received a sweet little package from Sephora and couldn't wait to tell you guys about it.

Laura Mercier's Caviar Dreams ($15.00), from the Black Tie Collection is described as a gorgeous duochrome that shifts between Charcoal Gray, Green and Purple that's simply amazing! The formula was smooth and two coats gives you good coverage with no true application problems. Since the formula is rather thick, you may able to pull this off in one coat.

Check out more swatches below. 

Here's an example of the Charcoal duochrome, which you'll see more of in the sunlight. It's definitely unique and I own nothing like her. if you love green and duochromes make sure you grab this fast ladies!

Caviar Dreams is now available at Sephora and Laura Mercier for a limited time only. Don't miss out on this great shade!

FEATURED - Monday, November 9th 2009

New Holiday Mini Sets from Borghese

Product: Borghese Holiday Mini Kits, 4 minis per kit, .14 oz/ea

Price: $9.99/per kit

Steph's Rating:

Buy it: Rite Aid, Walgreens

When you start to see the Christmas trees, lights and decor - you know the Holidays are right around the corner, which only means, exclusive gift sets! I'll be the first to admit, I'm a sucker for seasonal collections including this one from Borghese.

Each limited edition set includes four, small nail lacquers with Micronized Gemstones or what I'd like to call, Glitter. The mini sized bottle is accompanied with a pint size application brush that I had minor issues with. No biggie, but worth mentioning.

Are you ready for some swatches? Lets start with the first set called, Allegra.

Gold Glitter is a warm toned gold with gold glitter. It's much warmer than Nubar's 24K Nail Polish.

Red Glitter is a fabulous holiday color, it's an opaque red loaded with gold glitter. 

White Glitter is a frosting like white glitter with micro glitter that can be topped over any nail color or worn alone.

Black Glitter is a opaque black with silver glitter.

White glitter layered over Black glitter.

Next is the Serena Collection. 

Brown Glitter is a semi sheer brown/red with gold, red and silver glitter. If you love OPI's Holiday Glow like I do, you'll love this one. 

As soon as I swatched Green Duochrome, I knew we had a winner and a close dupe to Laura Mercier's Caviar Dreams. It's a gorgeous duochrome that switches from Gray, Green and Purple depending on the lighting. Really fabl!

 

Even though Borghese Green is a teensy bit more blue toned or tealish compared to Laura Mercier's, it's great alternative to the fabulous Caviar Dreams. 

Multi Color Glitter is a clear/sheer with blue, purple, gold and red glitter that's a close dupe to Sally Hansen's Rockstar Pink.  

Purple Shimmer is a vampy purple/plum with micro shimmer.

Overall, Great Sets! A perfect holiday gift for any fashionista. Each set includes trendy, up-to-date colors that are fabulous and unlike the typical package sets. Downside, I found the price of $9.99/set a bit high considering each bottle is only .14 oz. The smaller application brush gave me some minor issues. Micronized Gemstones or Glitter? Whatever the case, these are awesome! Borghese, we want full sizes!

My favorites: Green Duochrome, Brown Glitter, Red Glitter, Black Glitter and Gold.

What do you think of miniatures? Love them, Hate them? What's your favorites?

FEATURED - Friday, November 7th 2008

Nail Polish of the Day: OPI My Private Jet

A few days ago, when I was organizing my nail polish stash, I set aside this piece of eye candy for one of my notd's this week.  OPI's, My Private Jet is unlike any polish.  Described as a smokey gray holographic glitter that looks gorgeous on your nails.

My Private Jet was originally released back in 2007 with the Night Brights collection.  Since then, OPI released a new version that is quite different from the original.  Read more from The Polish Addict on the MPJ drama.

Check out more swatches below. 

 

There's really no way to tell which version if available.  I'd just pick up two bottles and hope for the best. 

Have a fabulous and safe weekend!

FEATURED - Wednesday, November 19th 2008

Nail Polish of the Day: CK Steele

It was incredibly hard to choose a nail polish of the day with so many new choices from my vacation, but CK Steele ($10) came out on top.  A true metallic steel nail color that's rich and extremely pigmented.

With Steele being so heavily pigmented, my usual three coat "rule" was thrown out the door.  The application only required two coats due to fantastic color pay-off.  However, I did have a little trouble with my application and it wasn't the formula, but more so the wide fluffy brush.

Sometimes a wide brush has their disadvantages, espically in my case.  Since my nail beds are rather small - a full, wide, professional brush may not be best and I found CK's brush just that - fluffy, wide and a litte hard to navigate on my small nail beds.  If you notice a unusually large gap between my cuticle and the nail color, well that's becuase of the wide brush.

Crossing my fingers, hoping it's just a brush defect, which may be a good possibilty.  Regardless of the brush situation, this is a fab-tastic metallic color!  I have another shade coming this week that I'll be testing out. 

CK Calvin Klein cosmetics are only available at Sephora. 

Collections I've had forever, but haven't posted yet: Misa Poised Passion, OPI France, China Glaze Under the Mistletoe, OPI Holiday, OPI by Sephora Swatches, NFU Oh colors, Misa Fall Runway....shoowee - lots to do!

I'm going to leave ya with a little tune-age today.  One of my favorite songs that I listen to compulsive-obsessively! Great song with a good meaning too - check out the lyrics.

 

FEATURED - Saturday, November 22nd 2008

Nail Polish of the Day: China Glaze Recycle

Happy Saturday Ya'll!  Today I'm sporting around the lovely, yet grungy Recycle by China Glaze.  Since tonight's ladies night, I wanted to coordinate my outfit with my polish and what better way than a universal shade such as gray!

Recycle is one of those highly unique shades that just don't have an comparison.  Infact, it's the only true gray color in my entire nail polish collection - so what's up with that?!  We need more of an gray selection, damnit!

When the E-collection released back in Spring, I wasn't to thrilled about this color.  And, I just think it didn't fit with the typical "spring" shades.  But, hold the press - this is super hot to coordinate with the fall and winter trends going on right now!  Gray certainly appeals more than you may think - blues, teals, blacks - the possibilites are endless.  Give it a shot girlfriend.

Have a safe and awesome night!

FEATURED - Sunday, November 23rd 2008

New Nail Colors from Hot Topic

Aren't these the best - bad ass, punk rocker nail polish bottles?  I jus luv 'em.  They speak death by lacquer!  Every few months or so when I visit the dreadful mall, Hot Topic is one of the few stores I always swing by.  It must be my inner punk rockstar screaming to come out.

Their nail polish selection always puts a smile on my face offering - bold, bright and very unique colors.  And, just as I was walking in yesterday, the SA was placing out three new shades, yippee! 

So, Hot Topic don't really have official nail polish names like OPI or China Glaze.  Actually, it's not even printed on the bottles anywhere only on the hard copy receipt.

 

Gray Muted ($2.99) has more distinct gray undertones in real life.  In fact, Saturday, China Glaze's Recyle was my NOTD and under their artificial lighting, I really thought it was an close Recycle dupe.  But, nope - come to find out it's complete different in a good way, of course.

Pastel Purple ($2.99), a lilac purple iridescent and Pastel Pink ($2.99), a "pepto bismol" pink iridescent nail polish.  Both these pastels have an iridescent base like other Hot Topic shades.

 

Here's some other Hot Topic shades I've had in my collection for a while.  Silver Glitter is a nice silver that's a mix of a foil, metallic and shimmer all in one. 

As far as Hot Topic's nail polish quality - well, it's so-so.  Some finishes are perfect and others seem to have thicker consistencies.  But, no worries.  Just a quick fix with a few drops of nail polish thinner.

FEATURED - Monday, November 24th 2008

Nail Polish of the Day: Hot Topic Gray Muted

Happy Monday!  It's your typical start of the week - cold, rainy and the perfect time to just crawl back in bed.   Today's nail polish of the day is Hot Topic's Gray Muted ($2.99).  Best described as Recyle and Teal's long lost cousin.  A stormy gray-blue creme that had excellent color pay-off with just one simple coat!

Talk about unique, different and cheap.  All rare qualities in the nail polish world nowadays.

Check out more swatches below.

Some photo comparisons below.

Although Recycle and Gray Muted may look very different, it was hard to notice a difference under artificial lighting at Hot Topic.  It's such a complimentary wardrobe color - gray, blue, teal, black.

Hope ya'll have a wonderful Monday!  Think short work week!

FEATURED - Saturday, November 29th 2008

Fall Winter 08: OPI La Collection De France

 

Couture Couleur La De France fall/winter 08 collection features twelve rich, senous colors inspired by the effortless elegance of French fashion.

Despite the fact I'm so fashionably late posting my Fall swatches, the OPI France collection has some truely unique shades this year.  Starting off with the most unique and my personal favorite, You Don't know Jacques.  A deep brownish gray taupe creme that compliments most every skintone.  Another great shade coming in second is Parlez-vous.  Described as a lavendar purple with gray undertones.

What I passed on - most the Reds.  There's only so much you can do with red and while most of the shades in the France collection were nice, they just didn't interest me.

Check out the swatches below. 

Bastille My Heart - a medium cherry apple red with subtle pink shimmer.  I would of preferred this to be a tad bit darker.

 This image is a good color representation of Bastille my Heart.

We'll Always Have Paris - a dark vampy purple reddish creme.  A great plum shade for fall.

You Don't Know Jacques was one of the many stand-outs in this collection and my favorite.  Described as a Muddy Grey Taupe creme.  It's different, unique and just a fab neutral color all around. 

Lourve me Lourve me not - a violet base with blue and red shimmer. 

Parlez-vous OPI is another one of the stand-out colors in the France collection.  A lavender purple with muted gray creme.

Tickle my France-y is a nice neutral shade that's anything but sheer.  This is the perfect anytime shade that you can leave on your nails for days and not have to worry about coordinating with your work wardrobe.  

Eiffel for this color is a darkened plum with blue and pink shimmer that simply looked stunning on.   

Eiffel for this Color

Yes.. I can-can a darkened red plum much like We'll have Paris' base color, but with added silver shimmers.  I preferred this one over We'll have Paris because the silver sparkles gives a bit of kick.

I'll be adding a few more swatches this week.

The OPI collection de France is now available at OPI retailers and 8ty8 and Head2Toe.

FEATURED - Sunday, December 14th 2008

My Favorite Holo: Nicole's Seasons Graytings

How's everyone doing on this unusually warm Sunday afternoon.  Today's nail polish of the day and my all time favorite holographic, Nicole's Seasons Gray-Tings.  A gray based holographic polish that's amazing and beats out my second fave, OPI's My Private Jet.

One thing that makes this shade so spectacular - it's actually gray and only takes two coats to accomplish the bottle color.

Check out more pics below. 

Season's Gray-tings may be a little hard to find, but not entirely impossible.  Hope you guys have a great Sunday afternoon. 

FEATURED - Sunday, December 14th 2008

Winter 08: OPI Holiday in Toyland Collection

This Holiday Season, OPI transports you to a winter wonderland of twelve festive colors with it's new Holiday Toyland collection. 

OPI intoduces a winter collection consisting of six dark & neutral shades and six sparkling reds.

Overall, the hoiliday collection is quite impressive much like their fall France collection.  However, I did have issues with some of the brushes on the lighter colored shades.  When you have a defective brush, it can really ruin the entire application and can be rather frustrating.

 

 

Sheer Your Toys - a silver gray with pink undertones and reddish copper flecks of glitter.  The pink undertones in this shade gives the effect of a sliver lavendar color.

Very interesting and unique shade that accompanied a boat load of application problems.  The wild brissels in my brush made this a little frustrating to apply.

 

You're a Doll - a muted peachy pink loaded down with shimmer. 

 

Glamour Game - a light metallic champagne gold that applied fairly sheer, but three coats gave me pretty good coverage.

My application was a little finicky just like Sheer your Toys, but wow this a such a pretty color.  It almost has a duochrome purplish tone to it.  

Brand New Skates - one of my favorites, is a pewter silver loaded down with goldish glitter.  The glitter gives the appeal of an metallic pewter. 

Baby it's Coal Outside - is a black loaded down with silver and subtle blue flecks of glitter.   It's not secret that black nail polishes are my fave, but I wasn't swooning over this color.

This reminds me alot of Dior's black Sequins except OPI's has 10 times more glitter than Dior's or even Chanel's Black Satin.

 

Play Til Midnight - Two of my favorite colors combined in one.  Blue plus Purple equals Blurple goodness!  This is absolutely stunning and my number one favoirte from the Holiday colleciton. 

A definite must have!

 

The OPI Holiday in Toyland collection is now available at authorized stores and 8ty8 Beauty.  I'll be reviewing each shade more in depth.  Stay tuned.

FEATURED - Monday, December 28th 2009

MAC Cosmetics Love Lace: Nail Lacquer Swatches

Product: MAC Love Lace Collection, Nail Lacquer .34 oz

Price: $12.00/ea

Steph's Rating:

Buy it: MAC Cosmetics, Macy's, Nordies

Couture's fascination with lace is a long love affair. Intensely intimate, our newest collection captures lace's notoriety and allure.

When I first saw the promo images for MAC's newest collection, I immediately thought of J Lo's chic lace nails created by Celebrity Manicurist, Elle. Love Lace brings us a limited edition shade this winter called, Light Affair. A crisp, clean neutral that's the perfect accessory to Lace.

Before we move on, let's talk about the application. It wasn't completely perfect. I had minor application issues, but managed to smooth out my brush strokes within three coats.

Check out the swatches.

MAC describes Light Affair as a creamy grey taupe. It's more along the lines of a pale grey nude with a hint of lavender that's barely noticeable. Very chic and wearable.      

 

Even though it's hard to tell from my swatch, Light Affair isn't an exact dupe to Body Language. The faint lavender shines through just a bit when compared side by side. If you already own Essie's, I'd say you can probably skip this one.  

 

Put your hands up if you love Polka Dots. Oh, yeah! I love how Cool Reserve contrasts the slight lavender undertones in Light Affair.

Has anyone picked up Light Affair? What do you think of lace nails? Have a wonderful night!

FEATURED - Tuesday, January 6th 2009

Carolyn New York Nail Polish Swatches

Happy Tuesday everyone.  It's rainy and cold here in Nati (cincinnati, OH).  So, hopefully everyone's keeping nice and warm.  With Carolyn's current New Years Promo going on, I thought it would be a perfect time to post some of my favorite shades.

Greenwich Ave,  (pictured above) is described as a apple green creme pefect for the upcoming Spring and Summer months.

Check out more swatches below.

Handball Courts, a must have shade for any gray lover, that's described as a light gray with subtle white-silver shimmer that's hardly noticeable expect in sunlight or bright light. 

Handball Courts - Natural Light. 

Hangin on the Stoop, another must have shade, espically if you love China Glaze's Recycle.  Described as a stormy gray creme that coordinates perfectly with the winter season. 

Subway Surfin, a dark gunmetal gray with rainbow color shimmer that's hardly noticeable except in sunlight or bright light. 

Good News guys!  MAC's discontinued shade in Nightfall is an exact dupe for Carolyn's Subway Surfin.  And, I do mean exact with very little differences.

All these shades are availabe at Carolyn New York and are 50% off retail plus free shipping until Janurary 10th.  Don't miss out.

Here's some other shades from Carolyn New York. 

FEATURED - Sunday, January 11th 2009

Swatches Galore: Hot Topic Nail Polish

Since I've been talking about Hot Topic so much latley, I figured now would be a perfect time to post all my nail polish swatches.  Just a warning to ya'll -  pic spam galore here.  You'll probably find yourself scrolling and scrolling.  Sorry Chicas.

I'm going to brief you guys real fast so you can get down to the good stuff.

Price: $2.99 or cheaper, if you can spot any on clearance.  Those discount bins are seperate from the nail polishes, so check around or ask sales associate.  Most colors are available at Hot Topic stores usually located in Malls and some online.  You'll find more of an color selection at the actual shops.

Quality.  Here's some of my descripencies I have with Hot Topic's quality.  The awkward brush size and overall construction makes it a little hard to navigate on your nails.  Some formulas I find rather thick and others are just fine.  If you run into a thick formula, no worries.  All it takes is a drop or two of thinner such as Seche thinner Restore.  Guys, don't be afraid of thinner.  It's, so easy.

One of my blogger friends, Scrangie also has love for Seche Restore.  Click here to check out a great instructional she posted on how to repair your nail polish.

Bottom Line:  I'll deal with the formula & brush because the colors are kick ass.  Plain and simple! 

Muted Gray - A stormy blue gray creme.

Comrad Green - A great alternative to Rescue Beauty Lounge's, No More War.  Army green olive creme tht applied glossy.

Kelly Green surely speaks for itself.  A great alternative for Nars Zulu and Rescue Beauty Lounge's green.  A must have color for me.

Kelly Green

Pastel Pink Iridescent - a pastel pink with blueish purple iridescent shimmer.  The snapshot in the picture is accurate.  Three coats to achieve bottle color.

Pastel Purple Iridescent - a pastel purple with pinkish gold iridescent shimmer.  Three coats to achieve bottle color.

Bright Turquoise - a bright turquoise creme that dried to a satin like finish.  You'll need a top coat if you desire a glossy finish.

Bright Purple - a bright purple creme that dries to a satin just like bright turquoise.

Dark Pink - Dark Pink Fuschia creme that applied to a satin like finish.  You'll need a topcoat if you desire a glossy finish. 

 

Midnight Purple - a purple blue creme that sways towards an "ink" colored tone.  Very Vampy. Love this.

Chocolate Brown - a dark chocolate creme that applied glossy. 

Silver Glitter - an opaque silver metallic foil type glitter polish.

Black Glitter - a black base loaded with silver glitter.

Black Glitter

Red Glitter - light red based with silver and red glitter.  You'll need three coats to achieve bottle color.

Red Glitter

Turquoise Glitter - a light turquoise base with blue and silver glitter.  Three coats to achieve bottle color.

Turquoise Glitter

Blue Iridescent - navy blue based with matching and aqua blue glitter.  A must have color.

Blue Iridescent

Purple Iridescent - a purple based with purple and blue glitter.  Another must have color.

Purple Iridescent

*New Trq/Ht Pnk Chunky - OMG Hot Topic gives birth to a Glitter this Spring!  A gorgeous chunky hot pink and turquoise blue glitter.  The base is clear like RBL's and takes a good three to four coats for bottle color.  Well worth the hassle!

FEATURED - Friday, January 23rd 2009

New Bold N Sexy Shades from Black Radiance

TGIF!  Happy Happy Friday.  Today has been a glorious day.  Mid 60's, full sun - gorgeous.  But, I'm not holding my breath because it's just a big fat tease.  Tomorrow were right back to temperatures in the thirties and snow.  Booo!

Let's jump start the weekend with some Bold and Sassy colors from Black Radiance.  So, these aren't exactly new.  Well, they were back in November when I oringially picked them up at Walmart in Jacksonville, FL.

When I spotted these beauties, I was on it because most stores in my area don't carry Black Radiance.  What's up with that?

The colors are extremely pigmented.  You could probably get by with one thick coat.  All my swatches were done with two.

Check out the swatches

 

 Rique -  a deep red brown maroon loaded with gold shimmer. 

 A very close dupe to China Glaze's Side Saddle and NYC's Cognac Sparkle.

 Passion - deep purple eggplant with matching shimmer

 Naughty - charcoal gray with silver and mint green shimmer.

 Seductive - a bronzey gold with gold shimmer.

Seductive and Prize Winning Mare are pretty much an exact dupe.  The only difference is Seductive is just a hair darker, but not by much.  Gold Nugget is more gold compared to the other two.

Now finding these may be a litte tricky.  Check the Black Radiance makeup displays where their regular nail polishes are located. 

Have a great weekend!

FEATURED - Saturday, January 24th 2009

Nail Polish of the Day: Borghese Milano Taupe

Happy Saturday folkies!   Today's nail polish of the day is a fabulous spring color named Milano Taupe ($6.99).  A truely uniuqe shade containing a little gray, plum and rose pink thrown into a creme texture.

The uniuqe shade of Milano Taupe was impossible to capture in my swatches.  Borghese formula applied perfectly in three light coats.

Check out all the swatches below.

 

 Taken indoors with Flash

 Indoors with Natural Light

To give you guys an idea, I've included some other plummy shades close to Milano Taupe.  Sephora's, Don't Call your Mother is the closest alternative.  But, as you can see in the picture above, Borghese's is much lighter with gray and pink undertones.

Milani Taupe is now availabe at CVS and retails for $7.99.  Have a great evening - Be safe all.

FEATURED - Wednesday, January 28th 2009

Man Glaze Matte Nail Polish Swatches

I'm finally getting around to the extrodinary Man Glaze nail polishes.  One word, Amazing.  Breathe, take a step back.  Wow, these are super hot!  Very goth and punk rock.  Totally cool.

Man Glaze is intended for a man or unisex and is to be worn without a topcoat for the desired "matte" look.  Without a topcoat?  Isn't that a faux paus?!  To think of a world without a topcoat is inconceivable.

Let's just throw the topcoat rule out the door for now.  Just pretend it don't even exsist. 

Check out some swatches below. 

 

The Death Tar - a smooth black matte/satin with subtle rainbow shimmer with no topcoat.  There's something about matte finishes I just love!

Two wears in one nail polish.  So versatile you can wear two ways. 

 Pic above is with a topcoat. 

 Fuggen Ugly - a charcoal steel gray with rainbow shimmer.  Pic above is with no topcoat.

Pic above is with topcoat.

The Death Tar and Fuggen Ugly retail for $6.66 and are available at Man Glaze.  Make sure you check out their blog to see some cool pictures and different uses.

Another reviewer from Man Glaze's Blog, DowdyDiva mentioned topping with Chanel's Azure glitter polish.

Here's some fun I had with one coat of Chanel's Azure.

Although the glossy look may be stunning, I prefer the matte look.

FEATURED - Tuesday, February 3rd 2009

Milani Valentines: Illustrations of Love

The month of February marks the season of love and Milani gives you six reasons to celebrate the holiday in style.

The Illustrations of love collection is a new valentine's day release that includes: red and pinks for those passionate lovers, black and purple's for those wanting to vamp it up and grey's and whites for that laid back lover.

Overall, this is a great collection that offers a range of different shades to pick from!  The application was amazing and most colors only required two coats for bottle coverage.

Milani's nail polish has it goin' on.  Their quality is just as good as Sally Hansen or Borghese and other high end brands. 

Day Dreaming - a true medium gray creme.  Hands down, the best gray creme I've seen.  Not to dark nor too light.  Perfecto!

Spring has officially kicked the gray nail polish trend into high gear!  So, don't miss out on this perfect shade of gray.

It's official!  Milani's Day Dreaming is an exact dupe for MAC's On the Prowl from their latest Hello Kitty Collection. 

While digging through my small stash of grays, I came across two close contenders.  RBL's, Concrete Jungle is more blue based and Carolyn's, Handball Courts is much lighter with added shimmer.

Having some fun with Milani's Day Dreaming and black tips with SH's black nail art pen. 

Fond of You is the perfect off white creme that's a great alternative to Chanel's White Satin.  Actually, we might have an close dupe here.  I'll have to check later today and let you guys know.

The application was simply amazing for a white.  Only three coats to achieve bottle color. 

 

Sweetheart - a bright hot pink creme.  Not as vibrant as a neon.

Milani Sweetheart.

 

Sweet Love - a reddish pink with subtle pink and purple shimmer.  The actual shade was hard to caputre for some reason.

 Sweet Love.

My Darling - a charcoal black with mint green shimmer. 

Devoted - a deep black purple with subtle pink and purple shimmer.

The valentines day collection should be hitting stores this week.  Keep an eye out for Day Dreaming!

FEATURED - Wednesday, February 4th 2009

Nail Polish of the Day: Fingerpaints Lilac Love

Hope ya'll are having a fabulous Tuesday.  I'm trying to keep my head high but it's hard.  Everytime I turn on the Tube - helloo " bad news."  Think positive though and stay away from that TV!  Lets gettie on to some good news folks.

Ever since the gray plum trend took off this winter, I've been intrigued by any lilac gray color like this one.  I stumbled across Fingepaint's spring collection at Sally's and Lilac Love was the only color out of six that caught my attention.

Described as a pink lilac with subtle white rainbow micro shimmer that has grayish undertones.  This was interesting, very interesting...  Infact, I didn't like it until the third coat.  Lilac Love applied as a pastel pink lilac but after the third coat become more of a grayish lilac pink. 

Three coats to achieve bottle color.  If you wanted to apply a fourth coat (which I forbid to do) the grayish undertones would probably shine through better.

Fingerpaint retails for $6.99 and is available at Sally's beauty store.  Have a great day.

FEATURED - Wednesday, February 11th 2009

Zoya Jumps into Spring with a Twist

This Spring, Zoya introduces six new resfreshing colors to the Twist collection.  Instead of going the traditional route of sheers, pastels and nude, Zoya mixes it up with some feminine yet edge colors for everyone to love.

Overall, this is a fantastic collection.  All the colors flowed perfectly with my skin tone which made it easy to love the entire collection.  The formula was smooth like butter which made this collection a dream to apply.  All my swatches were done with two coats.

Check out all the swatches below.      

Harley - a mid tone gray with flecks of goldish bronze shimmmer that tops my favorite from the twist collection. 

 Jo - a mix between periwinkle and cornflower with silver shimmer that top's my second favorite.. 

 

 Mailia - a gorgeous lilac creme that looks great on both tips and toes.

Barbie's name couldn't be anymore fitting.  A barbie pink with subtle shimmer that's not very noticeable.  In my swatch above, you can notice the subtle shimmer on the bottle.

Cassie is a mix between a peach and coral with gold shimmer. 

Moxie is a great shade that you can wear all year round. Described as a deep berry creme.

The twist collection is now available at Art of Beauty and retails for $36.00. 

FEATURED - Friday, February 13th 2009

Spring 09: MAC Hello Kitty Nail Swatches

Hello Kitty has arrived and MAC introduces two new lovely nail lacquers and one repromote to the Spring collection.  If the mixture of pink, gray and white doesn't catch your attention, the heavenly bottles with the hello kitty signature logo surely will.

First off, I'm super excited that MAC when out on a limb for us nail polish addicts to match the Hello Kitty line with the nail polish bottles.  Bravo, Bravo!  The bottles will have you at Hello!

All the polishes were exceptionally pigmented and only needed two coats on most colors with the exception of Vestral White.  You may need three coats to even out everything.

What I wasn't thrilled about is Something about Pink's brush.  It looks like MAC may be testing out the water with this new brush or I just received a defective batch.

Something about Pink's brush is slightly angled and tapered kinda like SH's Insta-dri (see pic below).  Immediately, I noticed brush differences when I was swatching the colors.  Thumbs down on the funky brush.

Check out the swatches below. 

Vestral White can be described as a french white that was opaque in two coats, but needed three to even out the streaks.

Pretty, but not a must have if you want to skip.  It's just your typical french white shade. 

On the Prowl, a must have color from the Hello Kitty collection.  The perfect mid tone gray creme that you'll want to sport around this spring and summer.  Her twin sister isn't as cute, but definitely worth checking out.

Gray's are on the rise big time, this is definitely worth picking up.

 

Something about Pink was the only polish that had an angled tapered brush that I found difficult to navigate on my nails.  Described as a girly vibrant hot pink that fit in perfectly with the Hello Kitty theme.  

Here's a picture comparison of On the Prowl and Something about Pink.  There could be two problems with this picture.

Number one, the most obvious, MAC produced a bad batch of polishes with defective brushes.  If you ordered from the site (which i did), you may be getting a defective brush like mine.  Secondly, they may be switching over all their brushes.  And, let's just hope it's not that. 

The Hello Kitty polishes sold out rather quickly online, but you can still find them at Nordstrom, Macy's and MAC freestanding stores which retail for $11.00/ea.  Don't wait a minute if you have any interest in Hello Kitty.  They will go super fast!

Want more Hello Kitty?  Check out all the makeup swtaches or my black and hot pink polka dot mani for this release. 

FEATURED - Thursday, March 5th 2009

Going Green: Green Nail Pic Spam Part One

This is a great image of the actual color representation.  For Audrey's unique shade can be rather difficult to capture digitally. 

Happy Thursday!  Today is the first little segment of my "Go Green" theme this March at Steph's Closet.  Since I have so many greens to show you, I'll be breaking my posts into four seperate parts and featuring each part once a week.  

I wanted to start off with a french mani, because you guys know how much I love those funky colors.  

What I used:  Two coats of China Glaze For Audrey and two coats of my favorite Sally Hansen Nail art pens for the white tips.  The color combination just look stunning and only can image how hot this would look on those tootsies!

China Glaze, For Audrey a tiffany colored green - blue. 

Claire's, Blue for you is a seafoam green with fine shimmer.  Very pretty and feminine for spring.

 

Nars, Mash is a gorgeous deep olive bronze with gold shimmer.  A stunning color, espically for summer.  Looks fab on olive and darker skin tones.

Max Factor, Momentum Moss is dollar store gem, a olive gray metallic with shimmer.

Claire's, Green Confetti is a light green jelly glitter with subtle holographic effects.

Have you guys been in Claire's lately?  They have some pretty spectacular shades for spring.  I have a whole segment planned for those too!

Sally Hansen's, Jumpin Jade screams riches and luxury.  A deep, rich green that's seriously gorgeous!  A great drug store pick.

Maybelline's, Jade Flash is a green with blue undertones, but still falls in the green category.

And here's the two I posted a few days ago.

Icing, Awkward is a mid tone green with gold and subtle blue shimmer.  A great alternative to OPI's, Rainforest.

LA Flairs Girl, Green is a deep green with blue undertones. 

I'll be adding more to this post later this evening!  Have a great one!

FEATURED - Saturday, March 14th 2009

Color Club Catwalk Queen Spring Collection

Color Club's, Catwalk Queen is the second installment to the Spring 2009 collection.

Just like the Femme Fatale, in this release we see pearlized textures, gorgeous holographic and glitters.

Let the world be your runway this Spring as Club Color introduces six new runway approved shades.

The sheer iridescent textues look much better topped over a complimentary base color or just a simple black shade.  Check out some swatches Scrangie used with black.

Some of my favorites: Catwalk Queen, Fashion Addict and Vintage Couture.  The holo's from both spring collections are absolute must haves.

Check out all the swatches below.

Front Row Diva is a dove white gray pearl iridescent that needs a good three coats to even out the streaks. 

Runway Muse is a sheer teal based with pink, teal, silver shimmer.  All different kinds of colors in this one.  Although, you'll definitely want to start with a colored base coat because it's pretty sheer.

Ready to Wear is a sheer light pink base with pink shimmer.

Fashion Addict is another fantastic holo from Color Club, a light pink silver holo. 

 

 Vintage Couture is a milky pastel pink creme.

Catwalk Queen is a vampy plum purple with shimmer that's very pretty.

The Catwalk Queen is available at Head2Toe and retails for $2.50/ea.

FEATURED - Thursday, April 2nd 2009

Matte Nail Polish: Bringin Sexy Back

 

Matte Nail Polish, a grungy nail trend from the 90's, is regaining it's popularity this year. From brands like Man Glaze to Knockout Cosmetics, it's bringing sexy back - slowly but surely!

Trends come and go, as I always like to say. And, lets hope this one is here for a little while because I'm totally digging it. Come on, ya know your inner punk rock is screaming to come out!

Most of us probably won't fancy matte textures. Let's face it - their different and we've been using a shiny topcoat for years now. Just to think of a flat topcoat is inconceivable! But do give em' a fair shot, they may suprise you all in all.  

Today I'm posting some of my favorite matte nail polishes to kick off this new trend.

Man Glaze Death Tar (pictured above) - black with rainbow shimmer.

Man Glaze Fuggen Ugly - Steel gray with rainbow shimmer.

Knock Out Calamine - soft calamine pink (yes just like the lotion) flatte matte.

Covergirl Mattalic's are a different kind of matte from the others I own. A mix between a matte and metallic - pretty easy. Each color is loaded with silver metallic shimmer. 

Covergirl Triple Platinum Mattalic - silver with silver glitter.

Covergirl Bronze Mattalic - orangey bronze matte with silver glitter.

Covergirl Blue Steel Mattalic - sky blue with silver glitter.

Covergirl Mattalic Pink Zinc - pink rose with silver glitter.

For my weekly nail polish giveaway this month, I'll be giving away three shades of Covergirl Mattalic. Make sure your a Steph's Closet subscriber, you don't wanna miss out.

Maybelline's matte polishes are ultimate meaning of sexy. I hold these close to my heart because their beyond extraordinary. The best out of the best!

I'm not going to lie, these are pretty hard to find - but not impossible. Check out ebay, dollar stores, big lots and any other discount stores in your area.

Maybelline Olive Matte - golden olive green with rainbow shimmer.

Maybelline Grape Matte - a plummy grape with rainbow shimmer.

Turn all your polishes into mattes with Maybelline Mattte Maker - yellowish clear topcoat that takes the shine from your mani.  Knockout Cosmetics and Orly also makes a topcoat that would serve the same purpose.

What do you guys think of Matte nail polishes? Love them or hate them?

FEATURED - Tuesday, April 14th 2009

Essie Summer: North Folk Collection Swatches

Grab your sunglasses, beach towel and a little SPF this summer and get ready to sail your blues away with Essie's new North Folk collection.

This summer Essie introduces two releases for summer - North Folk and The Neons.

North Folk is a  small collection of three fun, yet watery shades that take you back to those lazy summer days.

Bravo, Bravo, Essie! And another Bravo for the fabulous blue colaboration this summer!  Essie must of been listening, this collection goes out to the nail polish lovers that have been longing for unique shades such as,  Starry Starry Nights and Dominica Green.

Overall, everything about this collection is amazing, including the dreamy application. All my swatches were done with two coats and no visible problems.

Check em' out.

Greenport - a minty blue green creme that's gorgeous. A lighter version of Misa's Dirty Sexy Money, but not an exact dupe.

Sag Harbor - Wow, this is HOT! Described as a powder blue shimmer with grey undertones that's amazing. Not quite a "traditional" duochrome, but it definitely changes from gray to powder blue in different lighting.

What you can't see, the gorgeous gray undertones that's more apparent in real life.

Shelter Island - a bright sky blue creme that's not too bright, but not too dull.

Essie's North Folk collection is now available at Essie, Beauty Salons, or online at Head2Toe.

FEATURED - Tuesday, April 14th 2009

Sephora by OPI Summer: Mermaid in the Shade

This Summer is all about the blues, and Sephora introduces six limited edition shades to the Mermaid in the shade collection. A mixture of grays, blue and teals that takes you back to the lazy days at the beach.

Before I get to the official review, all my swatches were taken in two different types of lighting: direct and indirect sunlight.

The application. Most shades I found to be rather sheer and required a minimum of three thick coats or four to achieve bottle color. Other than being mostly sheer, no visible formula problems and a nice collection for any blue lover.

And, here they are!

Water Baby - a semi sheer, mix between white and light gray with fine silver and turquoise blue shimmer. The texture isn't quite a metallic nor a shimmer.

Lagoon a Beach - a semi sheer, light powder blue base with silver and turquoise blue shimmer.

Underwater Fantasy - a semi sheer, light cornflower blue with silver and turquoise blue shimmer.

Just a Fairy Tail - a sheer silver blue base with silver and turquoise blue shimmer that's really pretty. After three thick coats or more, you'll notice Fairy Tail takes on a blue silver foil effect.

Suprisingly, this was one of my favorites. I just love that foil look. 

 

Blue Grotto - is actual only a two coater (ignore my swatch) and the only creme of the bunch. A mixture between a navy blue and royal that applied perfectly in two coats.

We have a few close comparisons to Blue Grotto: OPI's Dating a Royal, China Glaze's Bermuda Breakaway and Misa On the Edge.  Misa's Living on the edge being the closest dupe.

There's always a shade you have high expectations for, and this was it. Mermaid to Order, a blue green frosty metallic with shimmer and yellow undertones.

I was seriously bummed when I found out that Mermaid to Order was a metallic frosty shade. Don't get me wrong, it's a gorgeous shade, but I had my heart set on a blinged out shimmer. And, if you've been reading my blog, you know me and metallics are on a non-speaking basis right now.

The closest comparison I have to Mermaid to order is China Glaze's, Adore from the Romantiques collection. Not exact dupes, China Glaze's is much more blue and Sephora's is more green with yellow undertones.

As far as the application, yes, you can slight stroke lines but it's not as bad as other metallics.

The Mermaid in the Shade collection is now available at Sephora for a limited time only and retails for $9.00/ea.

FEATURED - Wednesday, May 6th 2009

Zoya News: Limited Edition MatteVelvet for Fall

Most of you probably thought I was crazy when I blogged that Matte's were bringin sexy back, and just lookie what Zoya has in store for us this Fall 09'.

Note: The MatteVelvet is a special limited edition release that's not part of the regular Zoya seasonal collections.  

After working with hundreds of matte formulations and color options, the ZOYA color experts are happy to announce three perfect LIMITED EDITION, exclusive MATTEVELVET* shades for Fall 2009 (available July 1, 2009).

Loredana (ZP498) - Gunmetal gray matte shimmer.

Dovima (ZP499) - Black matte shimmer.

Posh (ZP500) - Wine matte shimmer.

Designed to appeal to a multitude of matte color trend lovers; including every metro mod, vintage stylista, retro pin-up, goth beauty, glam rocker, street chic fashionista and color junkie out there, Zoya MATTEVELVET* shades deliver the new color of fashion. Get all of the color, none of shine with MATTEVELVET*, Zoya’s exclusive blend of matte base and subtle shimmer resulting in utterly wearable and truly stylish nail polish.

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

As always, each and every Zoya color is made for women so we name the colors after women. Find your favorite shade, Zoya MATTEVELVET* and over 300 other ultra high-fashion shades at http://www.zoya.com.

*MATTEVELVET (matte velvet) nail color by Zoya is not intended to be worn with a base coat, top coat or speed dryer of any kind. Due to the unique matte formulation, color is not as long-wearing as traditional nail color. A completely clean, dry nail surface yields the best results for matte nail color wear. For best results make sure to always prepare nail with Zoya Remove + (3-in-1 nail polish remover, nail plate cleaner and new color prep.) prior to applying color.

The MatteVelet collection will be available at Art of Beauty beginning July 1st.

FEATURED - Thursday, May 7th 2009

NOTD: MAC Cosmetics Love and Friendship

Happy Thursday! Hope your having a wonderful week so far. Today's nail polish of the day is a new one from MAC's A Rose Romance Collection. When this collection was originally released, I was in Gatlinburg and didn't have a chance to check it out until now.

Looking at the bottle, I would have said, "this one don't look so unique?" But, boy was I wrong! Wow, what an interesting color... MAC describes Love & Friendship as a dirty mid tone lavendar creme on the website.

Not your typical lilac or lavendar shade. Perhaps a little mauvey plum and grey thrown in there to create a different species of purple that I'm totally digging. The overall color is really nice, and will probably appeal with most skintones.

 

Any Dupes? Not Really. I dug out my lilacs, lavendars and plummy grays, the only one that was remotely close is Icing's In Bloom, which is a shimmer in a LE set.

My Application was pretty good. No formula issues or streaking with three coats. Love & Friendship sold out super fast on MAC's website, but shouldn't be to hard to track down. Try Dillard's, Macy's or Nordstrom online.

Have a wonderful Pre-Friday, were almost there!

FEATURED - Friday, June 5th 2009

Nail Polish of the Day: Pure Ice Kiss me Here

Happy Friday! Hope your having a fabulous afternoon. It's just gorgeous outside - makes for a perfect end to the week. Have ya'll checked out Walmart's new Pure Ice nail polish colors lately? Well, they have some pretty spectacular new colors, and Kiss Me Here being one of them.

Described as a medium gray creme that applied fairly well with two coats. A close dupe to China Glaze's Recycle and Carolyn New York's Hangin on the Stoop, the only difference being Kiss me Here may be just a pinch darker.

Some other drool worthy new colors from Walmart: Excuse Me - Buttery frosty yellow, No Means No - purple with blue and pink shimmer, an excellent alternative for MAC's Violet Fire, French Kiss - Superman blue creme, Cheatin - clear base with blue, pink and purple glitter, Beware - clear base with silver glitter, Strapless - clear base with turquoise glitter, Don't you Wish - clear base with rainbow colored glitter.

Pure Ice nail polishes are available at Walmart and retail around $1.85/ea. Have a great weekend! So, fess up - who loves Pure Ice? I do, I do!

FEATURED - Friday, June 19th 2009

Limited Edition: Zoya Matte Velvet Collection

This Fall, Zoya introduces a limited edition collection of three fabulous matte nail polishes.

Before I get to all the goodies, let's take a minute go over the formula. First off, Matte nail polishes generally require no topcoat or basecoat for best results. One main reason being, matte and glossy textures are two different apples. So, when you mix both together the outcome may be a collision of formula's.

With all the Matte polishes being released this Fall, hopefully we'll see more topcoats and basecoat's becoming readily available.

The Application: Smooth, opaque and dries super fast. All you'll need is two coats to achieve bottle color. No application problems, perfect!

Overall, I'm really impressesd with Zoya's Matte's. I know many of us aren't too keen on a flatte looking polish, but the shimmer in these gives a little boost, which may be a little more practical for some.

Check out the swatches.

Loredana, a steel gray with shimmer. 

Posh couldn't be named better. Classy, elegant and super hot for Fall! Described as a red wine matte with shimmer. 

Domiva, a rich black matte with rainbow shimmer.

Zoya's Matte Velvet collection is a limited edition release and is only available at Art of Beauty.

FEATURED - Sunday, June 21st 2009

Fall Collection: MAC and Jin Soon Nail Lacquer

Coming soon Manicurist, Jin Soon Choi and M.A.C Cosmetics collaborate this Fall with a limited edition nail lacquer collection. A release of six, creamy shades to be introduced in September '09.

• Cool Reserve - Midtone Gray Lavendar
• For Fun - Rich Purple
• Dance All Night - Brick Red
• Rich Dark Delicious - Rich Blackened Brown
• Dry Martini - Khaki Olive Green
• Beyond Jealous - Blackened Blue Green  

I'm super excited about this collection. For one, I absolutely love Jin Soon Choi's work. Two, it's a collection dedicated to nail polish addicts!

A few months ago, I posted some of Jin Soon's work that was featured in Teen Vogue. Click here to check out some of my recreations of Soon's nail art designs.

This collection should be available September '09.

{Source: Specktra}

FEATURED - Friday, June 19th 2009

Nail Polish of the Day: Icing by Claires Lily

Happy Friday! Hope your having a wonderful evening. Today's nail polish of the day is a new color from Icing by Claire's, Lily. Described as an opaque, gorgeous lilac creme. You'll only need two coats to achieve bottle color.

Love Icing polishes, but sometimes the brush comes out a little funky. That's certainly not going to stop me from buying them though, because the color selection rocks. I have about five other new colors I'll be posting in the next couple of days.

Check out a comparison below.     

Icing's Lily and OPI's Done out in Deco are pretty similar, but not exact dupes. Lily is a little more gray toned comarped to OPI's slight bluer tones. Both are very gorgeous.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

FEATURED - Sunday, June 21st 2009

New Nail Polish Colors from Icing

Happy Father's Day everyone! Hope you had a wonderful day. Today I'm bringing you some new Icing nail polish colors as promised. Besides the funky brush, these all are pretty fabulous shades. Check out all the swatches below.

Grape A Licious, a vibrant purple grape loaded with chunky pink and blue glitter. This one is pretty opaque, you'll only need two coats. 

Pink Sparkle, a neon pink with holographic glitter. I haven't check out my comparisons yet, but I'm thinking this is exactly the same as Claire's Lulu Belle.

Sour Apple, a semi sheer apple green with gold shimmer. Three or four coats to achieve bottle color.

Hazelnut, a rich and fabulous hazelnut brown with shimmer. 

 

Lily, a gorgeous lilac purple creme. OPI's Done out in Deco is a close dupe. 

Ice Queen is a much deeper shade from most gray's I own, but with an added tinge of blue undertones that makes this one special.

I really thought Recycle and Kiss me Here were going to closer dupes, but as you can see, Ice Queen is much darker with some added stormy blue undertones. Really love this.

Have a wonderful night and Monday morning!

FEATURED - Sunday, June 28th 2009

Nail Polish of the Day: Maybelline Shooting Stars

Happy Sunday! Hope you guys are having a wonderful weekend. Maybelline's Shooting Stars was my NOTD this past Friday that I neglected to post. sorry for that.

Described as a holographic glitter in a clear base that I picked up at my favorite Dollar Tree. Check out some more dollar tree gems below.

Jean Jacket is so much prettier in real life. Described as a denim blue with gorgeous pink and gold shimmer.  

Blue Chill, a blue gray with pink and blue micro shimmer. Very unique and different.

I'm spending the day catching up on some swatches, so you should see some new posts soon. Have a wonderful Sunday!

FEATURED - Wednesday, July 1st 2009

BB Couture for Nails: Review and Swatches

Today I'm bringing you a truly fabulous nail polish brand called BB Couture for Nails. If you've been reading the nail blogs, then your somewhat familiar with this one-of-a kind polish that's just phenomenal. The color selection is beyond amazing and my swatches don't do any justice...really!

Each formula contains no hazardous chemicals and is Big 3 free. And the best news yet, you get everything in this little package. Base, Top coat, Nail Color, and Strengther - all in one. What a brilliant idea? Just brilliant. Why didn't anyone think of this sooner?!

The Wear. Since you get everything in this little bottle, you really don't need a base or top coat. But, I have a feeling most of my readers will have trouble skipping this step, which is OK! I still love ya! Plus, you can never be too safe. My average wear was three days with no chipping, which is pretty remarkable with no base or top.

I know, enough of the review, let's get down to the nitty gritty.

Opposites Attract, a medium gray with silver glitter and some black. The black was very subtle, but you can look at the bottle pic and see the darker black glitter. 

Blind Love gives Chanel's Kaleidoscope a run for it's money. Described as a pewter silver foiltastic color that's pretty much an exact dupe to Chanel's.

Balboa Beach Bunny, a deep purple with multi colored glitter. All the jellies are amazing! I'm totally crushing on them.

 

 Sea of Cortez, fabulous light blue jelly with glitter.

Moon over Manhattan is one of the best blues I've ever laid eyes on. Described as a mid tone blue with teal undertones and fine glitter.

Here's a comparison swatch of Moon over Manhattan and Sea of Cortez.

Frosty Meadow, gorgeous light green jelly with glitter. 

Zuma Wave Rider didn't quite capture as well as I'd liked. It's a mix between a lavender purple and baby blue pastel. The pastels applied a little streaky, but nothing three coats can't fix.

Laguna Lagoon, a pastel mint green creme.

 Laguna Lagoon is similar to OPI's Hey get in Lime, but just a tad more lighter and pastel.

Poison Ivy, a medium green creme. One of the best greens on the market.

Iced Olive is insanely gorgeous! Described as a olive green with gold shimmer.

Where do I buy BB Couture? You can purchase BB Couture directly through BB's site or Overall Beauty. I highly recommend Kim at Overall Beauty. Her customer service exceeds excellence and she ships internationally at a pretty reasonable rate. The retail price is around $8.00 - $9.95/ea.

Have a wonderful Wednesday! Enjoy peeps!

FEATURED - Tuesday, July 7th 2009

New Nail Polish Colors from Pure Ice

Hope your having a grand ole Tuesday! Today I'm bringing you some new nail polish colors from Pure Ice that I've been promising. You can find this brand at most Walmart stores, which retails around $1.88/ea.

Kiss me Here (pic above), gorgeous mid tone gray creme.

Beware, silver glitter in a clear base. 

Kiss me Here topped with Beware silver glitter. 

French Kiss, fabulous blue creme.

Strapless, blue glitter in a clear base. 

 French Kiss topped with Strapless blue glitter.

 

Cheatin, purple, pink, and blue glitter in a clear base.

No means No, is beyond awesome. Packed with loads of color, opaqueness and a close dupe to MAC's Violet Fire. Check out a comparison below.

No means No isn't quite an exact dupe, but for half the application - it's totally worth it!

I'll be adding two more colors tomorrow. Have a wonderful night!

FEATURED - Thursday, July 9th 2009

Nail Polish of the Day: SH Emerald Amethyst

Happy Thursday! Today I'm dragging out another one of Sally Hansen's fabulous Nail Prisms. Emerald Amethyst, described a duochrome shade that flashes between a grayish purple and bronzy green. As you can imagine, there was no possible way to capture all the amazing shades in this one.

You can still find Nail Prisms at discount stores, flea markets, and occasionally on Ebay. All my swatches were used with three coats with no major application issues. In the next few weeks, I plan on posting some more nail prism shades, there's a ton!

Have a wonderful Thursday!

FEATURED - Thursday, July 16th 2009

Fall 09: Orly Once Upon a Time Collection

Orly introduces a new release this Fall called, Once Upon a Time. A collection that's themed around fairly tales, wishes, and making our nail polish dreams come true with six fabulous colors.

If your looking for unique and unusual shades, tune in, because you'll love this new collection from Orly.

This was totally unexpected for fall and I'm digging it. Green, Grays, and Brown - what more can nail polish fanatics ask for!

Application: The formula was pretty good on most of these, packed with color and opaqueness. Pixie Dust was the only shade that needed three coats. 

Check em' out! 

Prince Charming is a brownish taupe creme that resembles another one we've seen this summer, Over the Taupe from OPI's Summer Brights collection. Not being exact dupes, Prince Charming is tad bit more brown. 

Enchanged Forest, a deep forest green creme. Not as dark as some blackened greens we've seen, such as, Zoya's Envy. The slight hint of blue makes this one special from the others. 

Mirror Mirror on the wall, who is the fairest gray of all, I am, I am! Described as a true light grey creme. This is a perfect light gray, I love it.

Rescue Beauty Lounge's Concrete Jungle is similar, but just a tad more blue than Mirror, Mirror.  

Pixie Dust is one of my faves from the collection, a grayish blue with silver shimmer. Very unique and gorgeous! 

Poison Apple, an apple red with slight orange undertones. I'm not a big fan of reds, but the muted orange gave this a little kick that I liked.  

Happily Ever After, berry pink with subtle hot pink shimmer. The shimmer is extremely subtle, almost non existent if looking directly at it.

Orly's Once Upon a Time collection should be available August 1st at Head2Toe Beauty, Transdesign and Sally Beauty Stores. Have a wonderful day!

FEATURED - Friday, July 17th 2009

Barielle All Lacquered Up Collection: Part I

Shades by Barielle introduces the All Lacquered up collection for Fall. A collaboration between our favorite nail blogger Michelle Mismas, founder of All Lacquered Up, Celebrity Manicurist and creative director for Barielle's Shades, Elle.

Barielle brings us twelve, trend making shades inspired by the latest and greatest fashions we've previously seen on the runway.

Overall, I'm thrilled about this collection and applaud Michelle and Elle's efforts for this awesome spread. Each shade was tastefully created and very wearable for most anyone.

In part one, I'm bringing you the neutral tones, a selection of corporate approved shades with some edge. As always, Barielle shades are cruelty and big 3 free (safe for pregnancies).

Formula and Application: You won't find any sheer formulas here, which I absoultely love. Each shade is thick, opaque and filled with loads of color.

Enough of the chitter chatter, let's move onto the swatches. 

Get Mauve-ing, a muted pink mauve creme that's a great color to sport around the office. 

U-Concrete-Me, my love affair continues with this concrete gray creme.   

 Putt-E-On Me, a unique combination of muddy gray and taupe. 

Falling Star is really cool, a marine blue with copper particles, very different and unique. 

Out-Grey-Geous, a silver metallic with gold shimmer. I particularly love the gold shimmer in this one. 

Slate of Affairs, a denim blue with flashes of blue shimmer. 

In part two, you'll see more vampy colors for Fall. The All Lacquered Up collection will be available online beginning in August and retails for $8.00/ea.

FEATURED - Wednesday, July 22nd 2009

Knockout Cosmetics: Black Matte Goodness

Happy humpety, hump day! Hopefully your day is starting off right. With all the Matte rage we've been seeing for Fall, one noticeable color that's MIA, a black flatte with no visible shimmer and Knockout Cosmetics makes one of the best to date.

Unlike most Knockout shades, Black flatte dries to a true "matte" finish opposed to other KO colors that are more "satin" like. So, if you looking for a true black matte, Knockout's Black is your answer!

I'm convinced that the only drawback to these babies is the hefty price tag. But no more than Chanel or Dior and you get an enormous .56 ounces.

And you guessed it, polka dots! Check out some pics below. 

Ooh, I just love glossy dots on matte!

This is one of my favorite looks using light gray acrylic paint for my polka dots.

Knockout's black flatte is available at KO Knockout and retails for $19.00/ea. Have a wonderful Wednesday!

FEATURED - Monday, July 27th 2009

Sephora by OPI Dark Room: Swatches

Happy Monday! Hopefully ya'll had a wonderful weekend! Today I'm bringing you a scrumptious treat from Sephora By OPI called, Dark Room. It's described as a darkened forest green creme with blue undertones and a slight glimpse of shimmer that makes this unique in my collection.

Let's start off by saying, this was totally unexpected! And I hate to disappoint you ladies (including myself), no Nars Zulu dupe here. Looking at the promo images, I envisioned Dark Room as a deep forest green creme. Instead, we get a deep forest blue - if there's such a thing! It's definitely on the blackened teal side, but with green and even a bit of gray.

Overall, I think some of us might be a little disappointed because it's not your true "forest green" as we imagined. But at the same rate it's a great color that you can add to your unique stash.

Check out a comparison below.

 

As you can see in the comparison swatch above, Dark Room is much different from other forest green shades on the market. 

The verdict's in, what ya'll think of this new shade?

FEATURED - Tuesday, August 4th 2009

LA Girls Flare: New Nail Polish Colors

It's a dreary, rainy Tuesday and hopefully your day is fabulous as ever! And if it's not, maybe these new L.A. Girls Flare nail polishes will cheer you up a bit!

Recap: L.A. Girls Flare is a nail polish brand you can find at Urban Outfitters or Forever 21 usually located in your mall. Personally, I prefer going to F21 because the retail cost is half the price from Urban Outfitters.

Most shades are full of life, loaded with opaque color and no true applications issues. The brush is small and thin like Essie's, but I don't mind - my petite nail beds love them!

Check em' out! 

 

Nostalgia, a mustard creme. Yellows are on fire this summer, so it don't suprise me that this unique color pulls me in. A bit more yellow than OPI's the it color. 

 

Celestial is a dose of foilstastic heaven...A light purplish silver that's definitely unique in my collection.

Magnetism, a great mid tone blue that's along the lines of Sephora's Blue Grotto and Misa's On the Edge.

It's Glitter time!! Fame, a purple, blue and pink glitter in a clear base. Pretty much the same version as L.A. Girl Rock Star in Overdose.

We have another L.A. Girl Rockstar look alike to Supernova. Rockstar is a semi sheer, gray jelly with holographic silver confetti.

Sunset, a peachy orange with flashes green shimmer. A lighter version than Maybelline's Sunset Prisms, love those peaches!

Eureka, a gold glitter in a clear base.

Spicy Salmon is actually really pretty! The subtle pink and gold shimmer isn't to noticeable in this Salmon orange, but still a great color!

Ravishing, rose colored pink glitter in a clear base.

You can find these in store at Urban Outfitters, Forever21 and online at Cherry Culture. Have a great day!

FEATURED - Sunday, August 9th 2009

Sephora by OPI Matte Nail Colour Collection

Happy Sunday! Hope your having a fantabulous weekend! Are you ready for some Mattene this week, Diva's? I have a few collections to show you, starting off with Sephora's newest one.

This Fall, Sephora introduces a limited edition collection of fashion forward, matte nail colours available in three of Sephora by OPI's most popular shades.

Matte Finishes may not be for everyone, especially die hard glossy lovers. It's trendy and gives us Manicure Mavens an alternative to shiny polish. But until the formula is perfected, I don't think this fad will be catching on quite yet...we'll see! 

Before I get to the goodies, let's talk about application and formula. Like most non glossy nail polishes these are fast drying, which might usher problems when applying mattes all together.

On all my swatches I used three thin coats. But I've found applying thicker coats may deliver a smoother application with less stroke lines.

Shall we check out the swatches?

Domestic Goddess, a flatte vibrant purple grape matte. 

Metro Chic, a flatte smokey brown, gray, purple, muddy matte. 

I'm excited to add another flatte black to my collection. What's a Tire Jack, a flatte jet black matte. I really loved this one, not as dull as the other two.

The matte collection is now available online at Sephora for a limited time and retails for $9.00/ea. What do you guys think? Love or hate the Matte trend?

FEATURED - Tuesday, August 25th 2009

Limited Edition: Damone Roberts 1968

Happy Tuesday! How was everyone's weekend? Besides by the fact it flew by, it was great! Today I have a delicious mint dessert to show you guys and it's all thanks to my favorite nail blogger, Michelle for enabling this lemming.

Damone Roberts, known as the Eyebrow Queen, teams up with OPI to create this gorgeous, green shade inspired by the walls of Damone Roberts' studio. "It's not your typical mint green. It has a little touch of gray in it and a little touch brown," says Roberts.

Damone Roberts 1968 is a pastel mint green creme that applied beautifully in two coats. This past weekend, I've sported this dreamy color and couldn't stop starring at my nails. It's perfect shade of mint green that pops!

You didn't think I would leave you without comparisons?!

It might be hard distinguishing the differences of these mint greens, but my camera did one heck of a job trying! If you look back from the computer screen, you may notice a deeper green in Damone Roberts compared to the other two.

Don't miss out on this limited edition nail color guys and gals, you'll love it. It's simple to order. Just call the NY salon at 212.764.4755 or the Beverly Hills location at 310.271.2100.  The retail cost is $9.00 plus $3.95 for shipping.

What do y'all think? I wanna hear from my mint green lovers! Have a great night!

FEATURED - Friday, September 4th 2009

MAC Cosmetics: Nail Trend FW 09 by Jin Soon

Collection: MAC Nail Trend F/W 09, Nail Lacquer .34 oz

Price: $12.00/ea

Steph's Rating:

Buy it: MAC Cosmetics, MAC Stores

More than a colour statement, an of-the-moment approach that dazzles with innovation and style. How to do it? Enter Jin Soon, much-sought-after nail guru who has worked the shows, collaborating with us to create nail colours exclusively for M∙A∙C.

I’m excited to bring you MAC’s latest collaboration called Nail Trend, created by professional nail artist, Jin Soon Choi. In this new collection, we have a variety of six falltastic runway colors ranging from luscious chocolate to blackened teal, army green to party purple and cool lavender to brick house red.

A little Jin Soon Choi  Aside from Jin’s incredible talent, she owns a Natural Hand and Foot Spa located in New York City where you’ll find the best nail art around - even the celebrities are taking notice. Known for her “No Airbrush” rule, you’ll walk out with a Choi masterpiece.

Are you ready for some swatches?

Cool Reserve is one cool Cat and I have nothing close to compare. It's a grayed out lavender creme that coordinates perfectly with the ongoing gray trend.

Dry Martini, not quite olive nor army green - perhaps a mix of both rolled around in the mud. As much as I raise my eyebrows with Dry Martini, I find myself drawn to the strange and unusual color.  

Beyond Jealous, a blackened Teal and just in case you're wondering, Beyond Jealous is a bit greener compared to Sephora's Dark Room. But, both are similar. 

Dance All Night, A red brick house creme. 

Rich, Dark, Delicous is one of my faves from the collection, a blackened chocolate with very subtle shimmer that dries to a creamy texture.  

 

For Fun is a fun party purple, and paired up with MAC's Peppermint Patti makes one sassy combination. Don't you love how the mint green polka dots pop on this purple grape?

All in All, Nail Trends F/W 09 hit the spot. Each cream shade flowed perfectly on my nails with minor application issues. And, not to mention the fabulous color selection to choose from.

What do you guys think? Love this, hate this? Favorites? 

FEATURED - Friday, September 11th 2009

NOTD: Sally Hansen HD Opulent Cloud

Happy Friday! Hope you've had an excellent day so far! Today I have a goodie to show you, and if your following me on Twitter you've already seen a sneak peek of this one-of-a-kind shade created by fashion designer, Tracy Reese.

Without further ado, introducing Opulent Cloud. I thought the time would never come. You first made an appearance back in Feb 09' at New York Fashion Week and I've been thinking about you ever since. You are amazing!

Amazing is an understatement. Opulent Cloud is a shade you'll have to see in person to appreciate. A somewhat duochrome-y charcoal that flashes distinctly purple and steel with an overlay of gold shimmer that's so pretty! I don't have another like her!

Check out a comparison below.  

What's so unique about Opulent Cloud, it's more purple toned compared to other charcoal grays out there. And Barielle's Out-Grey-Geous is a bit more blue than OPI's Brand New Skates.

Opulent Cloud is a limited editon color and will available at Meijer and other stores that carry Tracy Reese displays. The retail cost is $5.99/ea.

I'm crossing my fingers you guys can find this! Have a wonderful weekend!

FEATURED - Thursday, October 15th 2009

Zoya Ultra Glitter Collection: Swatches, Review

Product: Zoya Ultra Glitter Collection, Nail Lacquer 0.50 oz

Price: $7.00/ea

Steph's Rating:

Buy it: Zoya, Professional Salons

This Winter, Zoya introduces two smaller collections delivered right to your fingertips, Ultra Glitter and Matte Velvet. And today I'm bringing you an Ultra-Glam, Ultra-Blingy and Ultra-Cool collaboration for my glitter lovers.

In this collection, we have three new sparklers from Zoya - Astra, Luna and Nova. The formula is semi sheer, buildable color and you'll need three coats for full coverage.

Please Note: All my swatches were taken in overcast weather and not direct sunlight.

Check em' out! 

Astra is a red toned pink in a reddish pink base with pink glitter.

Luna is a silver glitter in a cloudy, gray-white base. I really loved this one, it's reminds me of snow with a layer of diamond dust!

Nova is purple toned pink in a purple base with pink and silver glitter. The silver glitter was hard to pick up, but it's definitely in there with three coats.

Overall, great collection! It's Fun, Glitzy and perfect for the holiday season. Application was decent with semi-sheer coverage. Texture is smooth, not bumpy or gritty with a top coat.

Who's on board Zoya's Glitter Train? Have a wonderful night!

FEATURED - Tuesday, November 17th 2009

Fall 09: Icing Limited Edition Nail Polish Set

Product: Icing 5 piece Nail Polish Set, Nail Lacquer 0.4 oz

Price: $15.99/per kit

Steph's Rating:

Buy it: Icing Stores

Now that you've seen the Gothic Lovin' side of Icing's Halloween Set, it's time to bring you more of a reserved, Fall collection of teal, purple, orange, taupe and black shimmers that's right up my alley.

The formula and application was a total hit for me, and quite honestly that doesn't happen as often as I'd like from Icing. Each color is shimmer based with either gold or silver. Like most Limited Edition collections, there's no official polish names.

Are you ready guys for some swatches?

Orange Shimmer is a hard shade to describe. Is it Orange or is it Pink? Maybe even a rustic combo of red, pink and orange with gold shimmer.

 

Teal Shimmer is really gorgeous, blue based teal with silver shimmer.

Purple Shimmer is a frosty Purple.

 

Black Shimmer is a deep, olive brown with gold shimmer. It's a bit more olive green compared to China Glaze Wagon Trail, both are very similar.

Khaki Shimmer is a cross between gray and khaki with silver shimmer.

Overall, Good Collection! A great selection of colors for Fall. Each shade was opaque and applied fairy well with two coats. Formula is Big 3 Free. Makes great holiday gifts for any nail polish lover. 

What do you guys think of the colors in this set? I have a special treat for my glitter vixens, stay tuned for massive bling, bling from Icing's Holiday Mini Set.

FEATURED - Saturday, December 5th 2009

The New Face of Sally Hansen Salon

Product: Sally Hansen, Complete Salon Manicure Nail Lacquer 0.5 oz

Price: $6.50 - $7.99/ea

Steph's Rating:

Buy it: Walmart, CVS, Walgreens

At the Tracy Reese S/S '10 Fashion Show back in September, Sally Hansen unveiled a new line of nail lacquers to replace the Salon brand called Complete Salon Manicure. While the Tracy Reese Collection isn't officially due out until next Spring, 42 core line hues are introduced this Winter.

Before I get to the details, let's take a jump to one my faves.

One of the standout colors from the new Salon line, Commander in Chic. A creamy mixture of Taupe, Grey and Brown that resembles our loved, Metro Chic.

Not only are their names alike, they share a sisterly kind of relationship. Commander in Chic is a just a teensy bit darker compared to Metro Chic.

The biggest change I've noticed is the application brush. It's somewhat tapered like the Insta Dri polishes, but not as wide and a little easier to navigate on your nails.

Another difference, the bottle redesign. It's square on the bottom and more rounded near the top with a small rubberized ring around the cap. I'm not too crazy about the shape, but the added rubber ring is a nice touch.

Final Thoughts, I'm not completely sold. Along with the new face is a hefty price tag from $6.50 to $7.99 a pop, depending on the store. The application brush may be a disadvantage to some, especially if you like a flat style. The Upside: A great selection of base colors that range from sheers to vampy. Improved 5 in 1 formula includes: base coat, strengthener, grow treatment, color and top coat. Yes, you can actually skip a top and base coat. The wear is incredible!

Check out the standard colors below. 

 

Side Note: Please use the color chart as a reference only, swatches (above) may not be accurate.

Have you tried the new Complete Salon Manicure line? I would love to hear what you think!

Looking for more Sally Hansen colors? Check out Lavender Cloud.

FEATURED - Tuesday, December 22nd 2009

OPI Suede Collection: Swatches, Review

Collection: OPI Suede Collection, Nail Lacquer .5 oz

Retail Price: $8.50/ea

Steph's Rating:

Buy it: Professional Salons, E-tailers

Be Per-Sueded with the richness and luxury of Suede by OPI. A new collection of six best selling colors available in lush, shimmering metallic finishes.

The matte craze has exploded this year - from flatte paint and shimmering textures to the pure brilliance of no-shine top coats. There's pretty much a choice for everyone and every budget. Following up from the previous Matte collection, OPI introduces one-of-a-kind, Suede.

Shall I start raving now, or save it for later? These are spectacular. Each color is insanely opaque and loaded with glistening, metallic shimmer that dries to a satin or velvety finish.

Before we get to the goods, let's take a minute to recap application. Like most matte polishes, it's not recommended to wear a base coat. But in my personal experience, a base coat don't hurt as long as your nails are completely dry and free of natural oils or lotions. Another difference is the formula. Smooth, flawless and perfect. Bravo, OPI!

Check em' out!

You Don't Know Jacques Suede started a new era of the mushroom color, released in the Fall 08 Le Collection De France is a golden brown with silver shimmer.

 You Don't Know Jacques with glossy top coat.

Russian Navy Suede was my first navy blue crush, released from the Winter '07 Russian Collection is a blue with silver shimmer. 

Russian Navy Suede with glossy top coat.

We'll Always Have Paris released from the Fall '08 La Collection De France is a purple plum with silver shimmer.

We'll Always Have Paris with gloss top coat. 

Lincoln Park After Dark released from the Winter '05 collection is a purple with silver shimmer. 

Lincoln Park After Dark with glossy top coat.

Suzi Skis in the Pyrenees Suede released from Winter '09 La Coleccion de Espana is a charcoal grey with silver shimmer. It's much different from the orginial, smokey blue shade.

Suzi Skis in the Pyrenees with glossy top coat.

Ink Suede released from the Summer '07 Night Brights Collection is a blue-purple with silver shimmer. Ink is just a tad more purple compared to Russian Navy Suede.

Ink Suede with glossy top coat.

Mixing combinations can be so much fun! How cute is We'll Always Have Paris with polka dots?

All in All, Fabulous collection! The Suedes are versatile - you can wear them glossy or matte; both ways look great. Smooth formula and flawless application.

What do you guys think of the Suede Collection? Which ones did you pick up? Have a wonderful night!

Quick Poll

FEATURED - Saturday, January 2nd 2010

Chanel Spring 2010: Les Impressions De Chanel

Product: Les Impressions De Chanel Collection, Nail Lacquer .40 oz

Price: $23.00/ea

Steph's Rating:

Buy it: Chanel, Chanel Counters, Nordies

This Spring, the Les Impressions de Chanel collection brings us a palette of three neutral nail lacquers ranging from sheer pink and classic nude to a grayed out muddy brown.

Let's get to the swatches, shall we?

Tendresse is a soft pink that's your typical spring shade. Tendresse may not be completely sheer like most neutral pinks. You can get by with three coats for decent coverage and four coats for full coverage. 

Chanel describes Particuliere as a grey creme, which is a little misleading. It fits into the mushroom/taupe/brown category. All you need is two coats to get the job done - the pigmentation is fabulous. If you're into mushroom shades right now, this is definitely worth the splurge.

I have some bad news for your pocketbooks. Particuliere does not have an exact dupe. It falls somewhere between OPI's Over the Taupe and Avon's Nocturnal. OPI's leans towards a mauvey-brown and Avon's is much darker like You Don't Know Jacques.

Edit: I've had a lot of questions regarding Essie's Mink Muffs and Orly's Prince Charming as close dupes. Just to clarify, both colors are much darker than Chanel Particuliere. Check out another comparison of Mink Muffs. 

Inattendu is a classic nude-beige cream with peachy undertones. A nice Au Naturel with good coverage, but not for me.

Overall, a nice selection of neutrals for Spring. Particuliere is the standout color from Les Impressions. Inattendu and Tendresse are nice, but can easily be duped. if you're looking for flesh or mannequin type shades, Essie has a good variety to choose from.

Does Particuliere live up to your expectations? Are you picking up any shades from Les Impressions? Have a wonderful Saturday!  

FEATURED - Wednesday, January 6th 2010

Nubar Prisms Collection: Swatches, Review

Product: Nubar Prisms Collection, Nail Lacquer .5 oz

Price: $59.95/kit or $9.49/ea

Steph's Rating:

Buy it: ByNubar

Inspired by the colorful play of light through a prism, those bands of light and color are embodied in nubar’s new Prism Collection. Each shade is filled with holographic glitter reflecting every color of the rainbow.

Last Summer, Nubar made our Dreams come true with a collection of eco-friendly greens. For winter, they fulfilled our sweet cravings with decadent Chocolate Truffles. Now, it's Holo-ific for Spring - Yes, Double Yes!!

Nubar introduces eight holographic glitters ranging from subtle neutrals to vivid pink to pale blue. We have a couple different types of textures in the Prisms collection. Some are smooth and fine, while others have large and chunky glitter. Either way, all colors are non-gritty to the touch. 

Like most Nubar polishes, application and formula was pretty good. My average coats varied between two and three with the exception of Absolute.

Check out the swatches.     

Absolute is a semi sheer, baby blue with fine holographic glitter. Even though this is somewhat sheer, it's a great alternative to OPI's pale Blue Lagoon. Very nice!

Gem is very interesting...Is it Grey or is it Pink? Well, a little bit of both. Described as duochrome-like, mauvey grey with medium holo glitter.

Brillant is a light pink with fine holo glitter. Another semi sheer, three coats for good coverage.

Prize delivers a punch! Boom, right in your face holo-tastic. A ruby red-pink filled with massive chunky glitter.

 

Spark is a neutral tan beige with fine holo glitter.

 

A girl can never have to many purples! Treasure is a light purple with fine holographic glitter.  

 

Essence is a peachy pink with fine holo glitter. Nice, but nothing special...Moving on.

Jewel is one of my favorites from the collection. A little bit of charcoal, brown and taupe with chunkier holo glitter. Fabulous!

Will you be purchasing any of Nubar's Prisms Collection? What are some of your faves? Have a wonderful night!

Full Disclosure: The following product(s) was provided to Steph's Closet by the Manufacturer or PR company for consideration.

FEATURED - Saturday, January 9th 2010

Shades by Barielle: Wildflower Spring Collection

Product: Barielle Wildflower Collection, Nail Lacquer .5 oz

Price: $8,00/ea

Steph's Rating:

Buy it: Barielle starting in Feb, ocrf.org.

Happy Saturday Divas! After all this snow, I know I'm ready for Spring. And Shades by Barielle celebrates with six stylish colors to look forward to.

Last week you saw a sneak peek at the gorgeous, A Bouquet for Ava. Today I'm bringing you the remainder of The Wildflower Collection, starting with the shades that benefit The Ovarian Cancer Research Fund created by, Elle.

Celebrity Manicurist and Barielle's Creative Director Elle says, "It means so much to develop a collection that hits so close to home with women affected by ovarian cancer. Having my best friend pass away from the disease, I feel honored to be part of something that gives back."

Let's jump to the swatches, shall we?  

June Bug is a grayed-out blue with subtle shimmer and fuchsia glitter. The combination of pink glitter and blue shimmer is fab!. Two coats for full coverage; dries to a non gritty finish.

Myrza's Meadow  is a semi sheer, light lime green with silver holographic glitter. Even though the holographic effect is mild, it's a step in the right direction. I would love to see more holo's from Barielle.

A Bouquet for Ava is a cool, caribbean blue creme with a touch of teal. 

100% of proceeds from June Bug, Myrza's Meadow and A Bouquet for Ava will be donated to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund when purchased through ocrf.org. How incredibly cool is that? A 100%! If you're interested in these colors, I encourage everyone to call and order. The retail cost is $8.00 and phone number is (212) 268-1002. Free Shipping and it's for a great cause!

Having fun with A Bouquet for Ava and Blossom. 

Blossom is an opaque peachy creme. The color is pretty... very spring and summery. Since the formula was a bit on the thick side, I had application issues. Just be sure to apply in thin coats to avoid streaking.

Snap Dragon - is a frosty sea foam green metallic. Love the fresh green... but me and metallics never seem to get along.

Darling Dahlia - is a fuchsia with shimmer. The base is a jelly like berry with extremely subtle shimmer. Application was good with three coats.

Overall, Great Collection! A fun, refreshing mix of Spring colors that benefit a good cause. As always, Barielle's formula is Big 3 Free.

Do you like this collection? What are some of your favorite colors? Have a wonderful weekend.

Full Disclosure: The following product(s) was provided to Steph's Closet by the manufacturer or PR company for consideration.  

FEATURED - Friday, January 29th 2010

New from ManGlaze: Matte is Murder, Hot Mess

Product: ManGlaze Matte Nail Polish and Top Coat

Retail Price: $6.66 - $13.13/ea

Steph's Rating:

Buy it: Online at ManGlaze

Who was the first to revive this long lost trend? It was ManGlaze... As my first no-shine experience, they hold a very special place in my heart and I'm super excited to test drive three new products. In this review, I'll be covering two new polishes: Matte is Murder and Hot Mess. Stayed tuned for my post on Matte Astrophe.

ManGlaze has the "strong enough for a woman, but intended for a man" vibe goin' on.  But who's keeping tabs, really? The stuff is tuff and I love it. What's even better is the smooth application. The formula is opaque and all you need is two coats to get the job done.

Ready for some swatches?

Our revised Black Matte Nail Colour is now more Awful than the Original! Matte is Murder is an updated version of Death Tar. It's a deeper black with the same rainbow shimmer.

For my glossy lovers.

 

(AKA FishDicks) The glossy destroying power as Matte Astrophe. Hot Mess is the shizz in short... A  silver, glittery top coat that dries to a matte finish. You might not notice the matte finish at glance, just give it a touch... So smooth and non gritty! Love! 

Dress up your mani! Hot Mess really shines when layered over different nail colors. All you need is one coat, just enough for the base to show through. 

Just for old times sake, Fuggen Ugly. A gorgeous gray with same rainbow shimmer as Death Tar.

Overall, Love! ManGlaze has the most creative bottle designs; each one is a work of art. The Formula is safe, Big 3 Free - which translates to safe for pregnant woman. Application is perfecto. My favorite from the bunch is Hot Mess. I can't wait to experiment with different base colors!

Oh, I forgot to mention that there's a limited supply (less than 1500/ea) of Hot Mess and Matte Astrophe.

What do you guys think? Have you picked up any ManGlaze? Have a wonderful weekend!

Disclosure: The following product(s) was provided to Steph's Closet by the manufacturer or PR company for consideration.

FEATURED - Monday, February 8th 2010

Nails of the Day: Arissa in Rockin Amethyst

Happy Monday! Hope you all had a wonderful weekend. Today I'm bringing you what I'd like to call an "unofficial" bargain of the day. The color itself is insane - purple, jelly, flecks! But tracking this gem down may be the gray area, which is why it didn't make the official cut.

Arissa in Rockin' Amethyst is a juicy purple jelly laced with blue shimmer/glitter throughout. I think it's safe to call this glitter/shimmer combo a glass fleck goodness. And the application - perfect in three coats.

Where can I find this? You can start looking at Family Dollar, General Dollar, Deals, etc... Any Dollar Store that usually carries higher priced items. The cost is $2.00/each (.5 oz).

What do you think of Rockin' Amethyst? Have you ever tried Arissa Nail Polishes? 

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