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Layering

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 - Monday, May 4th 2009

New Nail Colors from Maybelline Express Finish

Happy Monday! Hopefully your having a wonderful day. Today is yet another gloomy and rainy day here in the tri state. But, I'm not going to let that stop me from swatching some new colors from Maybelline.

Sunset Prisms (pic above), is a new shade in the Express Finish Line that's really pretty. More toned down than Color Club's Tangerine Scream, described as a orange with iridescent green shimmer. You shouldn't have any problems finding this one, it should be in the standard display.

These next two are limited edition colors that should have a seperate makeup display in stores now.

Coral Radiance is much prettier in person. Described as a rose pink with a pinch of coral and gold/silver shimmer. It's definitely more pink than coral. A nice universal color for anyone.   

Pot of Gold is really cool. Described as a clear base with gold glitter and "sequin like" designs. At first, I wasn't sure how'd these apply due to the torturious application of the Valentine hearts, but they surely pulled through.

Pot of Gold applied fairly well with two coats, so you don't need a toothpick or anything to move them around. The finished result, a smooth even surface that wasn't bumpy or gritty. I really loved how the different lighting catches the glitter and sequins at angles!

These colors should be available now. If your interested, make sure you keep an eye out because we all know how LE's are. Have a great day!

FEATURED - Wednesday, October 14th 2009

Holiday Collection: Wet n Wild Festive Flirt

Product: Wet n Wild Collection, Nail Lacquer 0.29

Price: $1.99/ea

Steph's Rating:

Buy it: Meijer, CVS

While Fall is still in full swing, the holiday collections are bursting out of their shell waiting to get noticed. And first up is Wet n Wild's Festive Flirt. A Christmas release of six sparkly colors ranging from foil, glitter and shimmer textures.

Wet n Wild's Chrome Collection shares something in common with this one as far as bottle shape and application. Each color applied fairly thin and I needed a minimum of three coats for full coverage. 

Are you guys ready for some swatches?  

Frostbite is a silver that lacks opaqueness unlike most foils I own. It's a bit thin and you'll need three coats for complete coverage.

Ho Ho Ho is your typical holiday red with shimmer. 

Gumdrop is a warm toned gold glitter that's a great topper layered over any nail color. Note: In the swatch above, my pinky color is actually brown not black. Sorry!

Red Velvet is a red wine with shimmer. 

 

 

Glided is a gold glitter with round holographic glitter that's pretty cool worn alone or layered over any nail color.  

Holly is a tad deeper than Red Velvet with added gold shimmer that's really pretty. Last weekend when my mom stopped over, I gave her a manicure with Holly and topped off Seche. The end result, 5 days with no chipping!

All in All, nice collection! A selection of Holiday Reds, Silver and Gold Glitters. Price is right at $1.99 each. Wet n Wild's lasting formula has proven to be a great drugstore brand.

Hope you have a great night!

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 - 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 - Monday, August 17th 2009

New Nail Polish Colors from Sinful

Have you guys seen Sinful's new nail polish colors? You can imagine my excitement when I stumbled upon these new glitters at Walgreens for $.99/ea (Bogo Sale)! You can't beat that!

The only issues I have with Sinful's formula, most colors apply fairly sheer. On all my swatches, I used a minimum of three "thick" coats or more. if you don't mind sheers, go for it girlfriend. Heck at $.99, it's totally worth it - stock up!

Check out the swatches. 

HD Nails, a mid tone green with shimmer that applied fairly sheer.

Side Note: My nail tips are extremely white, so it might take a little more than average to cover completely.  

I Love You, a sheer purple jelly with purple and pink shimmer that's really pretty. It's a bit more puple compared to her sister, Daddy's Girl. 

Nail Junkie, a sheer blue jelly with chunky green, blue and gold glitter. My swatches look turquoise blue, but it's actually more of a mermaid blue. 

Call you Later, is chartreuse mixture in a clear base of chunky gold and green glitter.

Frenzy, a clear base with pink, blue and purple glitter. 

All About You, a clear base with copperish gold and red glitter.  

I miss you, a sheer magenta jelly with silver chunky glitter and a slight holographic appeal.

It's no secret I'm a black nail polish fanatic, So it don't suprise me that Secret Admirer is one my favorites. An opaque black loaded with silver fine glitter. 

 

Queen of Beauty, chunky silver glitter in a clear base. A great topper for black, blue or any darker shade.

UFO is a sheer orange jelly filled with gold and chunky glitter. This makes a great topper over orange nail polish (see pinky).

Every Walgreens I visit, Let's Meet is always out of stock by popular demand. A sheer mustard yellow with gold shimmer.

See you Soon, a blackened blue with shimmer.

Aside from Social Ladder being sheer, I really like this unusal color. A white that has an overlay of pink iridescent and green shimmer. The best news, you'll get more bang for your buck with this Chanel Intermezzo knock-off. Dupes? No, Social Ladder is much prettier.

The new colors can be found in the regular display with Sinful's core line at Walgreens. Each shade retails around $1.99/ea. Make sure you keep an eye out for sales like Buy One, Get One for the best deals!

FEATURED - Thursday, August 27th 2009

Fall Collection: Color Club Wild At Heart

Trust your impulses! Color Club introduces Wild at Heart, a Scintillating collection of high quality lacquers in the sexiest colors that go from Dark to Light and Dazzle with Seductive Sparkle.

Take a Walk on the Wild side with Color Club's newest fall release. A collection of holographic, shimmer and glitter polishes.

Season after season Color Club seems to impress and leaves me anxiously waiting for more. Just when I thought it couldn't get any better, it does! In Spring we saw an introduction to the fabulous holographic shades, Summer blew our socks off with electrifying neon nail candy and now, they totally nailed it again!

Overall, every single color is fabulous as the next. Even the oddball grew on me! The holos had excellent coverage along with most shades being two or three coaters.

Let's get down to business, shall we? 

Oh my freakin' holo goodness! What more can I say? Wild at Heart is absolutely incredible. A gorgeous purple filled with a kaleidoscope of colors. Wow, just Wow! And to make things even better, I'm talking one coater here. The opaqueness is fabulous.

Love 'Em Leave 'Em is a gold holographic shade that also has good coverage.

Wild and Willing is a shade you'll have to see in person to appreciate. My swatches don't justify the intense sparkle and shine. It's a duochrome glitter that flashes gold, pink and copper. 

 

Oh yes, what would fall be without a gorgeous green. Rule Breaker is a greenish blue shimmer that leans more towards the green family.

With Abandon is a black jelly with bronze-y, brown fine glitter. It's a little streaky when applied at first, like most jellies. But no worries, three coats will do the trick. The glitter is more noticeable with two coats: whereas, with three the black takes over.

Want to add some flair? Try topping Wild and Willing over With Abandon for that extra bling. Can you see the duochrome effect in the second picture? Love this!

 

As soon as I saw that On the Wild Side was a frosty charcoal metallic, my hopes were let down a bit. You see, me and metallics aren't too friendly these days. But all things put aside, I was instantly drawn into the shiny, steel look.

The Wild at Heart collection should be available within the next month or so. Stay tuned, I have more Color Club goodies to share with you guys.

Have a wonderful day!

FEATURED - Wednesday, September 23rd 2009

Halloween: Color Club Master of Disguise

Collection: Color Club Master of Disguise,    4 minis per box, 0.25 oz. ea

Price: $5.95 and up

Steph's Rating:

Buy it: Head2Toe Beauty, VNS

Summer has officially kicked the bucket this season, and I couldn't be happier to celebrate Fall. Football, Sweatshirts & Long Pants, Bonfires - All things I love! And don't forget, Halloween!

Today let's start with a wickedly cool collection from Color Club called, Master of Disguise. In this new boxed set, you'll find four halloween mini polishes averaging .25 oz/ea. All colors applied fairy well not exceeding three coats.

Check out the swatches! 

 

Abracadabra is a thin orange jelly with chunky round gold glitter that has a slight matte texture.  

Abracadabra layered over black screams Halloween.

Taboo is absolutely gorgeous and one of my faves. It's a blue purple shimmer that's certainly pretty. Just a tad bit blue compared to her sister, Electronica.

Ghost of Chance is a opaque french white creme.

Witchy Woman or Master of Disguise, you pick? On the original press release both names are mentioned, but I'm going with Witchy Woman. It's more fitting. Described as a black creme that has the same satin/matte texture as Where's the Soiree.

All in All, great collection! Price is right and the small mini bottles are ideal for travel and everyday use. The only downfall, Abracadabra and Taboo aren't sold seperately.

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

FEATURED - Friday, October 2nd 2009

Hard Candy Just Nails: Swatches, Review

Collection: Hard Candy Just Nails, Nail Color 0.35 oz

Price: $5.00/ea

Steph's Rating:

Buy it: Walmart Stores

Now that you've seen a preview of Hard Candy's new makeup line, are you ready for some yummy eye confection? If you're not familiar with the brand, Hard Candy was founded in the mid 90's, best known for their sky blue and pastel colored nail polishes. They've recently teamed up with the largest retailer in the world, Walmart to bring you cost effective, higher-end cosmetics.

Just Nails is a range of 16 new nail colors. Each shade is included with an oversized plastic ring, similar to older bottles. And the formula is just as wonderful as I remember. Although some of us might find the opaque colors are bit more thicker than usual, but no big deal. Just apply in thin coats.

Let's get to swatches! 

 

Mr. Wrong is anything but wrong, it's a bad-to-the-bone amazing shade that you have to see in person! A smokey purple with silver and gold glitter! Just fabulous!

Click here to check out a comparison swatch of smokey purples. 

Envy is a gorgeous, deep blackened green shimmer.

Sweet P is a yellow green pea colored glitter.

 Date Night is a pink glitter in a clear base.

Hot Pants is a sheer pink jelly with large hexagon shaped glitter. It makes a great topper over any nail polish.

Break Up is a clear glitter with smaller hexagon shaped glitter that shifts different colors depending on the lighting and base color. Another great topper over any nail polish. 

Oh, yeah Frenzy is uber hot! An opaque sky blue creme that's a classic Hard Candy color.

Splendid is a soft buttery yellow.

 

Lava is a red orange loaded with an insane amount of glitter. Similar to Mr. Wrong's texture.

   

Mr. Right is an opaque Navy Blue with shimmer. 

Sugar Daddy is pretty spectacular when used as a topper. It's similar to CND's Colour and Effects line. A sparkly sugar topping that coordinates with any nail polish. Check out one more example below.

Don't you just love the gold over green? Hard Candy's Evny would also look super hot!

Hypnotic is another candy topper similar to Sugar Daddy. A sheer pink loaded with gold, pink and subtle purple glitter. 

Overall, great collection! Price is right and budget friendly. The application and formula is right on. A variety of 16 colors ranging from shimmers, glitters and cremes. Readily available at most Walmarts.

Make sure you bookmark this page; I'll be adding more Hard Candy nail swatches soon. Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

FEATURED - Tuesday, October 6th 2009

Fall 09 Collection: Nubar Royal Gems

Product: Nubar Royal Gems Collection, Nail Lacquer .5 oz

Price: $49.95/set or $7.49/ea

Steph's Rating:

Buy it: Nubar

After the spectacular summer collection, Going Green, Nubar swings forward into Autumn with seven new shades inspired from the richness and luxuries of the finest jewels around.

The Royal Gems consists of Platinum, Gold, Sapphires, Rubies, Emerald, Amethyst, Tiger's Eyes and the queen of the crop, Tiara - a dazzling multi faceted glitter that can be worn alone or layered over any nail polish for that extra sparkle, bling baby!

With the exception of Tiara, most polishes from this collection are shimmer based with glitter.  The application is like most Nubar shades, full of opaqueness and only requires two to three coats for bottle color.

Let's get down to business! 

24K is a semi sheer, vivid gold with gold glitter.

Tiger's Eye is a brown red with shimmer.

Platinum is a white silver with silver glitter.

Ruby is a ruby red with red glitter.

Emerald is a gorgeous green with glitter.

Sapphire makes this virgo proud! A gorgeous blue with glitter.

Amethyst is a royal purple, almost blurple with glitter.

Tiara looks great both ways - alone or layered over any nail polish.

Overall, good collection! A variety of seven rich, jewel-toned hues to choose from. Each color applied well in 2-3 coats. And as always, the formula is Big 3 Free.  

What's everyone's favorite? Hope your having a fabulous week!

FEATURED - Saturday, October 31st 2009

The Best of Halloween 2009: Nail Polish Exclusives

Happy Halloween, Ghost and Goblins! Are you guys ready for the big H tonight? Yesterday we celebrated with some friends at our house, and this evening I'm ready for some good ole Rest and Relaxation.   

To ring in this ghoulish holiday, I'm bringing you some limited edition and/or exclusive nail colors that are floating around your local drugstore.

Let's start off with my favorite from the bunch, China Glaze. Check out all the Hallo-Spam below! 

Spellbound Top Coat is a sparkly orange and silver glitter with small and medium round glitter. Even though this is meant for a topper, you can wear alone or over your favorite nail color. Personally I love this layered over any silver foil (pictured above).

Fortune Teller is a Sally Beauty exclusive that's nothing but fabulous. An opaque black loaded with orange round and hexagon shaped glitter.

Next we have some colors from Phantom Frights aka Blue Cross Beauty. You can find these at Rite Aid or Meijer stores in the Halloween section. 

Black is a black creme. 

Black Glitter is a black with silver glitter. 

Black Glitter is a black with silver glitter mattified with China Glaze Matte Magic. 

Green is a Neon Green. 

Orange is a Neon Orange. 

Pink is a Pink Neon.

Black Holographic is a smokey black with holographic glitter.

Teal is a blue green neon. Application and formula was streaky.

Confetti is a orange and black confetti glitter.

Besides Spellbound and Fortune Teller, Toxic is one my favorite Halloween exclusives this year. It's a gorgeous shimmery green. I've only seen Claw Polishes available at Meijer and Kroger's in my area.

Bloodshed is a red creme. 

VooDoo is an exclusive from last year, a red glittery top coat.  

Sinister is a black creme. 

Walmart Green (no official name or brand) is a mini size blue green creme that's well worth a buck at Walmart. 

Walmart Orange is another mini size exclusive from Walmart. Application and formula was finicky.

Black Magic is a Wet n Wild exclusive that's been around for a few years. A multi-colored, confetti glitter in a clear base. Great for layering. 

 Magical is a red, gold and silver glitter in a clear base. Another good one for layering.

Harvest Party is a multi-colored glitter franken I created using clear nail polish and Martha Stewart's Glitter.

And last but not least, my orange and black tiger striped mani. Originally, this was my Cincinnati Bengal's manicure a few weeks ago, but it's very Halloween-ish - Don't cha think?

For more Halloween coverage, check out Milani's Black Magic, Color Club's Master of Disguise, MAC's Style Black, and/or Icing's Black Glitter set. .

Do you guys have any Halloween plans? Hope you have a wonderful night, be safe!

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 - Thursday, February 4th 2010

Milani 3D Holographic Collection for Spring

Product: Milani 3D Holographic, Nail Lacquer .5 oz

Retail Price: $4.25 - $5.99/ea

Steph's Rating:

Buy it: Meijer, CVS, Kmart

This Spring, Milani Cosmetics enters the realm of 3D with an assortment of new products consisting of Nail Lacquers and Makeup inspired by the blockbuster flick, Avatar.

When I heard that one of my favorite drugstore brands was unveiling a line of Neon, 3D Holographic and Nail Art polishes I was ecstatic and couldn't wait to test these babies out myself. Well the time is finally here, after a sneak peek at Fashion Week last September, Milani finally launches nationwide at stores.

If you're familiar with holographic or prismatic shades, then you can relate these to the Kaleidoscope Collection from China Glaze. The rainbow effect isn't nearly as strong; the large, glitter-like particles tend to break up the hologram a bit more compared to others.

The formula is light, airy and dries to a smooth, non-gritty finish with three coats. Have fun!  Try experimenting with different layering combinations for the ultimate look of sparkling, brilliant cut diamonds.

Check em' out! 

I haven't had a chance to check out Avatar, but when I do Cyberspace is the perfect accessory to tag along with for a total 3D experience. Even better, add some depth with Milani's Neon Dude Blue. 

HD - is a silver holographic.

3D - is a gold holo.

Hi-Res - is a light purple holo. To add more color, try using a coordinating base color like Milani's Rad Purple. 

Digital - is a pink holo.

Hi-Tech is absolutely fabulous! If you only pick one, this is your go to gal. Keep in mind, my swatches are NOT even close to being accurate, it's a bright (not neon) spring green with strong holo effect. Totally awesome with three coats!

Overall, Great collection! If you need a spur of the moment holo polish, Milani's are readily available at stores. The price may be a little on the high side, but if you figure in shipping costs and time for online ordering it all balances out.

To my knowledge (98%), Milani's Neon, 3d and Nail Art products are permanent items. I can't completely back that up until we starting seeing these more widespread. Look out for special BOGO (buy one, get one free) sales.

What do you guys think? Has anyone picked these up? I would love to hear feedback and what stores you've seen these? Have a wonderful pre-friday!

Feel free to link to this post; under no circumstances should my pictures be used without permission. 

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