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Nails

FEATURED - Thursday, January 17th 2008

China Glaze: OMG Collection So Hot

All you nail polish lovers out there, your going to love this OMG collection!  China Glaze introduces OMG Collection for spring 2008, A holographic nail polish collection.  OMG, were indeed the words when my jaw dropped evisioning these gorgeous colours marinating my nails as I text a million words on my Blackberry.  This campaign is focused around looking kewl while your texting.  Notice all the nail polish names relates to instant messaging or texts abbrevations.  Can you identify everyone?  

I happened to see this collection about a week ago, and my oh my.  I must say the colors are gorgeous!  I espically love DV8, A teal colored polish.  MAC lovers, if you love the infamous Parrot eye shadow, then this is a must have color for you!  Blue, Teals, Greens, I see a trend coming.  These are going to be huge colors for the spring and summer!

I imagine China Glaze to release this collection to retailers around January 19th.  I pre-ordered the complete 2BKEWL set, which I loved every single color.  I don't expect to receive them for a week or so.  Keep your eye out for them!  I have a feeling these will go fast. 

Stay tuned for my review and swatches.

{Photo via: China Glaze}

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}

FEATURED - Tuesday, January 29th 2008

Rihanna's New Do: Love it or Hate it?

Just Gorgeous!  Does this girl ever look bad?!   I have to say, I love everything about this look.  The nails, hair, dress, makeup, and jewelry!  Classy, but not over the top.  She can sport just about any hairstyle and look beautiful!  Pictured is Rihanna at the NJR Awards in Cannes, France.  The NJR Awards is a like a French version of the American Music Awards that started in 2000.  Love it or Hate it?

{Photo via: Rihanna Fan}

Sunday, February 3rd 2008

WATCH: Manicurist Worst Nightmare

Lays Potato Chips latest commerical.  I happened to stumble across this video today, and think it's hilarious!  Anyone that gets their nails done, can imagine the humor in this!  OMG My nail tech would be soo Pissed!

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 - Friday, February 15th 2008

Chanel: 2008 Summer Collection Color Story

The destination of choice this season?  An extoic local, where very little comes between you and a beautiful bronze.  Chanel captures the feel of adventure - and the stunning sun effect - of the summer safari.  An exclusive colour collection, including sun-swept tan, golden bronze, pink bronze, and shades of khaki, delivers the must alluring getaway looks.

Chanel 2008 Summer Collection Color Story

FACE

Soleil Tan De Chanel.  Moisturizing Bronzing Powder.  Colors: Desert Corail, Terre Epice, Terre Ambre, Desert Bronze, Sable Dor*.  Price $48.00.

Bronze Uninersel De Chanel.  Sun Illuminator.  One color.  $45.00 USD.

EYES 

Ombre Essentielle.  Soft Touch Eyeshadow.  Colors: Tigre* (Bronze), Nomade* (Pink Rose), Khaki** (Khaki Green), Safari** (Stone Brown).  Price $27.50

Lumieres Facettes.  Iridescent Eye Effects.  Oasis*.  Colors included in quad: Khaki, Bronze, Coral and Pink Shimmer.  Price $55.00. 

Ombre Deu.  Fluid Irisdescent Eyeshadow.  Color: Atoll* (Gold Sand).  Price $30.00

Stylo Yeux Waterproof.  Long Lasting Eyeliner.  Vert Bronze* (Green Bronze), and Espresso** (Dark Brown).  Price $26.50.

 Inimitable Waterproof.  Mascara Multi-deminsionel.  Color: Emeraude* (Jade Green).  Price $27.50.

LIPS

Rouge Hydrabase.  Creme Lipstick.  Colors; Leopard* (Golden Coral), and Rose Flamingo* (Flamingo Pink).  Price $26.00

Rouge Allure.  Luminous Satin Lip Color.  Naive (Pink Nude), and Curious* (Nude Brown).  Price $30.00.

Aqualumiere.  Sheer Color Lipshine SPF 15.  Colors: Zanzibar* (Soft Peach), and Mauritius* (Bronzed Coral).  Price $26.00.

Levres Scintillantes.  Glossimer.  Colors: Gazelle** (Praline Pink), Pinup** (Frosted Golden Peach), and Seashell** (Soft Shimmering Pink).  Price $30.00.

NAILS

 Le Vernis.  Nail Colour.  Colors: Antilope* (Frosted Golden Brown), Flamingo Pink* (Bright Pink).  Price $19.00.

* Represents Limited Edition Colors

** Represents Repromotes

A new fragrance will be introduced in the Fall of 2008.  It is described as a softer version of Chanel No. 5.  It will only be available in one size, 5oz spray bottle, retailing $125.00.  Stay tuned for more on this.  

There is a couple of items I'm really looking forward to in this collection.  Lumieres Facettes (limited edition), the colours are beautiful bronzed in this eyeshadow quad along with a gorgeous pink color.  Inimitable Emeraude, a jade green mascara and last but not least, the limited edition nail colours.  I can't wait to see Flamingo, a bright pink and the golden bronze.  I expect one of those if not both to be sold out colours.  There is alot of greens in this collection.  Do I see a Jade Green nail polish for the fall of 2008?  Oh, I hope so!  What nail colour would you like to see Chanel come out with for fall?

UPDATE: The new collection should arrive at Chanel counters end of March beginning of April.

Check out the reviews and photo swatches on the Chanel 2008 Makeup 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.

FEATURED - Wednesday, February 27th 2008

Dior: Limited Edition Poison Blue Nail Polish

Do you think the blue nail polish trend is too passe?  Well, think again!  This popular nail polish trend is just beginning and it's here to stay folks!  I suspect that this trend is going to stick around for quite sometime, and into fall of 2008.

Get ready Chanel and OPI, we have another contender knocking on your door.  What is it?  Poison Blue, a nail polish shade inspired by the legendary Dior Midnight Poison fragrance.  Available for the first time in the US, and exclusively only at Sephora.  Prior to the US release, this was only available in Europe.

Dior Vernis Long-wearing Nail Lacquer is drama at your fingertips! This spring, Dior takes nails to new levels of intensity by introducing Poison Blue, a deep midnight blue nail polish in a silky smooth formula for long-lasting, glossy nails. Only by Dior and only at Sephora.com.  $19.00 USD.

Is there really a difference?  Of course there's a difference!  The main different I notice, the formula doesn't have much shimmer which makes this polished and perfected.  Poison Blue is a very high gloss, and very sophisicated nail polish look.  I really like the polished look of Dior Blue Poision.  This is a great look not only for Spring, but, for Fall 2008. 

Love the blue nail polish trend?  Don't worry, it's going to be here for a while!  Be on the look-out for some gorgeous Blue's and Green colors to arrive now throughout fall of 2008.  This color is very much appropriate to wear through summer and fall!  Have fun with it!

Our next appearence of blue nail polish comes from Nars.  Nars is releasing a blue nail polish for Spring 2008. Midnight Express, described as navy blue.  Stay tuned for more information.

Check out the review and photo swatch for Dior Vernis Bleu Poison.

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 - Wednesday, March 19th 2008

Sally Hansen Color Pen: Review and Swatch

Sally Hansen introduces a new nail polish technology.  Color quick fast dry nail color pen.  New fast dry nail color formula packaged in an easy-to-use, take anywhere spill-proof pen.  Just click to dispense color, brush on and go!  Handy application makes it easy to use anytime, anywhere!  Retail Price is $7.99 USD.  No DBP, Toluene or Free Formaldehyde.  Check out the 8 color shades available below.

I really hate to give bad reviews on products, but, this certainly gets a big two thumbs down for me. I felt like I had no control of the amount of color applied to my nails.  It either came out in a big goopy mess, or not enough color for the application, and dried too fast for me to correct it.  However, the hot pink color is very pretty.  This is certainly something I will not be purchasing again, espically for $7.99.  Great idea Sally, just get the technique perfected, then this would be an great product.

FEATURED - Saturday, March 22nd 2008

Rescue Beauty Lounge: Steph's Spring Picks

Rescue Beauty Lounge features two of my favorite nail color picks for spring 2008!  What better way to celebrate spring with two eco-friendly colors.  I love rescue beauty lounge's formula and all the beautiful array of bold colors they offer.  The only drawback, they are $18.00 USD, just as much as Chanel or any name brand nail polish. But, it's defintely worth the money for the beautiful bold colors you wont find anywhere else!  These two shades I predict will be smoking hot colors for this Spring and Summer 2008.

Here's a little history if you are new to the Rescue Beauty Lounge name.  Several lab technicians quit their job before Ji was satisfied with the polish that would bare the Rescue name.  The result is a long-wearing polish created with resin and high molecular polymers to improve flexibility, durablitily and high shine.  What you won't find- harmful and drying Touluene, Formaldhyde or DBP. 

I know alot of ya'll probably think I'm crazy for picking these bold colors, that most of us won't even wear!  But, they are HOT colors and anyone, any-age can wear them!  Come on break out of that shell, I know your in there!  Be daring!  Next time you go get a pedicure, manicure, or even do your own nails, try someting daring!  Have fun, summer's almost here!  Whoohoo!

Recycle, described as a deep blackish emerald green creme that is about 97% identical to the coveted, Nars Zulu, that was sold-out instantly at Sephora.  I actually prefer Rescues's Recycle over Nars Zulu polsh.  This is probably my favorite color of 2008 so far.  The blue/green trend is right up my alley.

Yellow Fever, described as a bright lemon yellow creme color, that just brightens my day like the beautiful sun!  I just get happy looking at this beautiful yellow color.  Rihanna, has been seen sporting around this "trendy" yellow nail color.  Yellow is going to be an hot color this summer. Green Bay Packers fans these are must have colors for next football season!  These colors rock together, espically for those packers fans!

Check out some nail polish comparisons below.

China Glaze Solar Power, is more of a toned down mustard yellow color, with noticable shimmer.  This is a new color from China Glaze's ecollection, for spring 2008.

Rescue Beauty Lounge Yellow Fever, is more of a bright yellow color (like the sun) with hardly noticeable shimmers.  This is a new color from the Spring collection

My favorite is Yellow Fever.  It's a very bright and bold yellow color that looks great on darker skin tones.  I think yellow is going to be a harder color to pull off, for some.  But, I love bright bold colors, and I think anyone can pull it off, espically paired up with the right outfit.

China Glaze Tree Hugger, is described as a granny smith apple color with noticeable shimmer.  This is a new color from China Glaze' ecollection, for spring 2008.

Rescue Beauty Recycle, described as a emerald green creme polish.  This color is very similar to the infamous, Nars Zulu.

I love green, and I love both of these nail polishes.  Think Green for spring!  Going green is an continuing trend this season, and what better way to start off with eco-friendly nail colors!

Love Rescue Beauty Lounge?

Check out Ji Baek's new book, Rescue your nails or the new lavendar nail polish trend that's becoming the next it color for summer.

FEATURED - Saturday, April 26th 2008

Sephora Exclusive: Nars Orgasm for Nails

Name: Nars Orgasm Gift Set

Price: $30.00

Buy it: Sephora

It's time for your nails to have an Orgasm.  Nars, has created a nail polish color, after  their most popular color, Orgasm.  But, in order to get a sneak peak at this lustful nail color, you have to spend a hefty price tag.

Sephora has this exclusive limited edition gift set including: one lip gloss and one Orgasm nail polish for $30.00.  Overall, it's not a bad value cosidering the retail value is $40.00.  But, if you can wait, I definitely would.

I don't want the gloss, can I buy the Nail polish seperately?  Nope.  This is an Sephora Exclusive only, which is not sold seperately.  But, no worries, this isn't the last you'll see of Orgasm.  Nars will be releasing this nail color in July along with their Fall 2008 collection.  So, if you don't get a chance to the the gift set, be sure you snag a bottle when it's released in their fall collection.  I have a feeling this will be a hot color for summer, so don't wait until the last minute!

Stay tuned for the photo swatches of this orgasmic color!

FEATURED - Thursday, May 15th 2008

Essie's Summer Collection: Bringin Color Back

Essie's seasonal fashion-forward nail polish collections are inspired by the runways of New York, Paris, Milan and London.  Essie introduces six hot shades that's bound to shake up your summer!

Risky Business - Glam Red meets Tangerine (tomato red color)  My Place or Yours - A sophisicated Pink Rose (light dusty rose) Guilty Pleasures - Pink Strawberry Bliss (pink strawberry) Movers and Shakers - Sassy Bold Pink (toned down hot pink) Secret Stash - Dramatic traffic-stopping fuschisa (hot fuschia pink) Escapades -  A Bright Coral red (cherry red)

I may be a little late but, have ya'll seen Essie's new summer collection?  The collection is based around the seasons hottest runway colors which include: reds, pinks, and oranges.  The consistency applied like a charm, and only two light coats are needed.  One fact I love about this new collection is the polishes are all cremes, and no sheer colors!  Yeah, it's about time!  Essie has been notorious for sheer polishes, so this collection really thrills me!  Essie's bringin color back baby!

While I'm still preparing all my photo swatches, check out some other fantastic swatches: Makeup and Beauty Blog and 15 Minute Beauty Fanatic.

FEATURED - Wednesday, May 7th 2008

Chanel: Limited Edition Color Art Nail Colors

This May, Chanel is opening its second Los Angeles trendy North Robertson Boulevard. Located adjacent to the famed Ivy restaurant, the new 5,395-square-foot, Peter Marino-designed store marks the birth of the company's new design concept.

Peter Philips, Chanel Makeup's new global creative director, marked the grand opening by designing four limited-edition nail colors. The collection of graphic, pop-art shades was inspired by the hipster-cool spirit of Robertson Boulevard and boast such whimsical names as Melrose, Rodeo Drive, LA Sunrise, and LA Sunset. While the product will initially be available only in-store, Chanel.com will stock the polishes starting in July.

The four limited edition polish colors retail for $25.00 each.  The polishes will only be available online at Chanel.com or at the Robertson Blvd stores in Los Angeles.

L.A. Sunrise - A bright yellow sunshine color that's bound to make you smile Melrose - A fun, hot pink color perfect for those pedicured toes Rodeo Drive - A hot puple lilac color that is slowly becoming the new "it" color L.A. Sunset - A spicy tomato red color perfect to spice your night

This collection is VERY rare and limited quantities.  Click here for email notifications for the release of Robertson Blvd Collection.

Check out some more pics of this highly anticipated collection.

{Source: FWD}

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, May 18th 2008

Sneak Peek: Pics Chanel Robertson Collection

I happened to stumble across these jaw-dropping pictures and would love to share them with ya'll!  Let me start off by saying, I literally am drooling over every single color right now!  LA Sunset has my name written all over it!  If the color pay-off is as pictured above, I think this may be the perfect orange shade many of us have been longing for, including myself!  Yeah!

Get em' while their hot!  I predict that these four electric shades will sell-out like hot cakes.   And, being an "limited edition and the seasons "must-have" colors, don't help the fact!  But, Chanel never lets us down ladies, we all know that!

Chanel should be releasing the Robertson Blvd collection online at the end of June/July and retail for $25.00 each.  Supplies are very limited and only availble online or at the Robertson Boulevard store.  So, be sure you are signed up for availablity notifications!

Love Chanel's Rodeo Drive?  Check out Rescue Beauty Lounge's, Purple Haze nail polish.  Chanel may have some high expectations to live up to! 

{Lucky Mag}

FEATURED - Tuesday, May 27th 2008

Vitamin E Oil: A Must Have Beauty Staple

Here are just a few defintion(s) of Vitamin E: A substance used in cancer prevention. A vitamin that helps protect cells in the body against damage. Vitamin E is commonly referred to as nature’s own healing agent. Found in vegetable oils, it is known for its emollient benefits to the skin, including helping to maintain skin elasticity.

Vitamin E is one of my beauty staples I've kept in my medicine cabinet for years now.  Any natural mineral or oil is bound to work wonders.  I use Vitamin E for everything.  It helps promote healing of scars, burns, blemishes and moisturzes those subborn fine lines around your eyes, mouth and throat.  Take a look at your Beauty cremes, moisturizers, and makeup ingredients. Vitamin E is in there!  So, it's a no-brainer that this would be ayone's beauty staple!

This is not your typical Vitamin E oil.  Fruit of the Earth delivers a massive 28,000 IU per ounce.  A maxium strength oil delivering maxium results.  The texture is extremely thick and sticky at 28,000 IU.  I would only recommend an high dose of IU for intense therapy areas and at night only.

Here are some of my tips:

Add a drop to your facial or body moisturizer for ultimate hydration. Scars: Promotes healing of scars: acne scars, stretch marks, fine lines and wrinkles under your eyes. Add a dab to any scar or fine line at night . Don't forget your nails! Just like your face our nails need moisturized too. Massage vitamin E on your nails every night for a week or longer.  Within a week your nails and cuticles will be completely repaired. I'm in the process of this and I have to say my nails and cuticles are looking great.  Hair: Rub a small amount of vitamin E oil evenly distribued throughout your hair.  I would recommend a lesser IU amount because it is rather sticky. Vitamins: Take your vitamins daily! I always take a multi-vitamin, vitamin E, and vitamin C.  I'm a very finicky eater so, I need all the vitamins I can get.

The capabiliites are endless. Experiment around and see what it can do for you!

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 2nd 2008

Rescue Your Nails: Rescue Beauty Lounge Style

Product: Rescue Your Nails Book

Price: $12.95

Steph's Rating:

Buy it: Rescue Beauty Lounge

Recommend: Yes

Ji Baek, the ultimate queen of nails, delivers an outstanding book that tops my charts as a "must have" for anyone.  It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of Rescue Beauty Lounge and of course the creator, Ji Baek.  So, I was pretty excited to get my hands on this ultimate beauty book for nails.

Ji's book was everything I expected plus more.  If you've visited the Rescue Beauty Lounge Salon in New York, you'll know they strive on cleaniness.   In this book, Ji passes on her wisdom about sterlization.  This was one of that things that most impressed me.  Because let's face it, bacteria is everywhere!  So, don't ever under estimate the power of germs.  I'm not going to go on a rant about germs, because you'd be reading forever. Some other things that impressed me was the do-it-yourself detailed drawings.  I can't say enough good things about this book, and I would highly recommend it for anyone.  It is suitable for the beginner or expert.  I think anyone would walk away with a little more knowledge they didn't have before.

Sadly, my nails are the first thing that lacks attention during my crazy weeks.  And, working on my laptop constantly doesn't help the fact.  I don't bite my nails.  I just pick them.  I have major issues with dirt.  I can't tolerate seeing a tiny speck of dirt under my nail.  It drives me absolutely bonkers.  TIP: Stay far, far away from paper clips!  Don't deny it, ya'll know what I'm talking about.  What's the first thing you grab at work when that tiny piece a dirt creeps up?  Hello, paper clip.  It's the first thing in reach, when your stuck on the phone and can't get up.  Don't succumb to the ole mighty nail destroyer.  Check out some of the drawings below.

And a little more pics....

Check out the detailed technical specs of the fingernail below.

Here's just a couple of the photos featured in the book.  And, at $12.95, it's defintely a steal.  You won't want to leave home without it!

FEATURED - Wednesday, June 4th 2008

Allure June Free Stuff: Rescue Beauty Lounge Loot

Through the month of June, Allure will be giving away Rescue Beauty Lounge's complete nail polish collection worth a value of $792.00! I am totally drooling over all these gorgeous nail polish colors.  Don't miss your chance to score some serious eye candy for you nails.  Click here for a chance to win and good luck!

Love Ji Baek and Rescue Beauty Lounge?  Check out her new book, Rescue your nails, a must have beauty book for any nail polish diva.

FEATURED - Wednesday, June 4th 2008

Nail Polish of the Day: Dior Golden Nugget

These last two days has just been horrendous in the KY and OH region.  Tornados, thunderstorms, and flooding, oh my!  Hopefully, everyone else is staying dry and cool today.  Two straight days of constant stroms has me feeling quite blah.  I felt the need to spice it up a little with Diors gorgeous, Golden Nugget nail polish. 

I know many of you have asked me about my nail polish swatches.  And, I apologize for my lack of posts but, my nails have been going through a little rehab.  Sometimes it's best to chop 'em all off and start fresh.  Rescue my nails book gave me some great tips on how to get my nails in top-notch shape.  Great book, ya'll should check it out!

Today was the first chance I had to wear Dior Golden Nugget polish.  And, it's a gorgeous bronze metallic nail polish with gold shimmer.  Throughtout the day I kept glancing down at my nails admiring this gorgeous summer color as the light brings out the nautral gold shimmer.  I really think this color is going to appeal to ladies of color and warmer skin tones.  It's more of a deeper bronze color but, the gold shimmer shines like the sun.  This color looks great paired up with Dior's new Eyeshadow quint in Golds 569 ($54).  A new release in their summer collection 2008.  Check out the photo swatches below.

Summer beauty trends are pretty much a given.  From year to year it usually never changes admiring the traditional sun goddess.  Color shades of: Bronze, Golds, and Coppers.  All colors that are right up my alley, that I never get tired of.  Dior 5 colour iridescent eyeshadow quint in golds includes shades of: dark copper, light gold, champagne, golden olive (green-gold) and gold.  This is one of my favorite quints that I purchased this season.  Dior's quints have great color pay-off and staying power. 

I have a ton of nail polish swatches that I'll be posting in the next couple weeks.  Being in nail rehab has my swatches backed up big time.  Some of the collections include: Essie's Summer, OPI Mod about brights, Zoya and some others.  Stay tuned.

Have a great day peeps!

xoxo

FEATURED - Friday, June 6th 2008

MAC Cosmetics: Neo Sci Fi Nail Polish Swatches

MAC introduced four new nail polish colors with the release of Neo Sci Fi collection. Phosphur, Plasma Blu, Neon 8 and Metalist.  Pictured above (from Left to Right): Phosphur, Plasma Blu and Neon 8.  I decided against Metalist because it's a neutral sand colored shade.  I felt it was blah and kinda boring because I'm all about the color baby. However, Metalist would be a nice color if you tend to stay on the safe side.  The color reminded me of Chanel's Antilope and Dior's new one.

The new colors are all frosts.  And, MAC makes the best frost textures around (the MA's will also agree). My favorites are Plasma Blu (hello blue, no-brainer for me), Neon 8 and Phosphur.  These colors are definitely bold and daring and are right on track for trendy colors this summer.  Check out some photo swatches below.

Plasma Blu is described as a bright turquoise blue shade with turq. blue shimmer.  This color has a tendency to look tealish-blue in certain lighting.  Some more pictures below.

Plasma blu is pretty unique. The only thing I have close to this color would be an teal green polish.  I will post comparisons later next week.

Phosphor is described as a bumble bee yellow with golden frost.  My husband liked this color over Plasma Blu? Can you beleive that?!  But, I'm just not sure I'm so coo-coo over it yet.  This is a very mysterious color and unlike anything I own.  In some lights it tends to look like a golden mustard color.  Phosphor may take some time to win my heart over.  But, I'm sure it won't take that much time.

Phosphor is a FAB pedicure color.  Coordinate this with your beach apparel = instant eye candy!

I had a chance to sport around Neon 8 all this weekend.  And, I just love it!  Described as a coral-strawberry color, that is just fabulous.   It  is an universal color that anyone can wear.  This is truely a must have and is my favorite color out of the bunch.  Check out the candid shot below.

The consistency of the polishes are pretty much the same.  Two coats with thicker applications and three coats for lighter applications.  All my swatches are done with three light coats.  Originally, when I swatched the colors at the MAC store, plasma blu and phosphor stained my nails.  So, make sure you use a base coat on your nails.  I always recommend using a base coat on all nail polish applications.  I had no problems with staining using a base coat.

Have a great weekend ya'll!  Keep cool and safe!

xoxo

FEATURED - Thursday, June 12th 2008

Nail Polish of the Day: Nicole Blue Lace

Nicole by OPI's Blue Lace - an aqua blue shimmer with yellow-green undertones makes this color oh-so fabulous.  A perfect color to go with MAC's gorgeous Cool Heat eyeshadows.  Now, I know ya'll may be thinking, MAC's Plasma Blu.  But, nope.  There are some noticable differences between the two.  What you can't see in the pictures is the yellowish undertones that gives this color green appeal!  And, I love green envy!  Plasma Blu has clearly no greenish or yellow undertones and is much more frosty.

Blue Lace is most defintely an cameleon kind of color.  She's had a chance to show off at the MAC store and at Applebee's for dinner with my Seafoam Green tube top.  I had to actually hold my nails against my top just to make sure it was still blue.  I loved how the seafoam green top reflected off my nails and gave blue lace a huge boast of green. 

This was my first bottle of the "Nicole by OPI" brand.  Being an polish by OPI, I had no doubts.  The application applied smoothly and only two coats were needed.  Nail polish makes me so happy when only two coats are needed.  I absolutely dread applying more than two coats of polish because I can't sit still.  My morning was so busy, I didn't have a chance to apply a topcoat.  And, I'm happy to report - no chipping yet!

    

Blue Lace matches perfectly with the blue-green eyeshadows from the Cool Heat collection.  If MAC featured a Nail Lacquer in this collection, Blue Lace would be her!

FEATURED - Wednesday, June 18th 2008

Lippmann Summer Collection: Review, Swatches

Product: Lippmann Nail Polish

Colors: Shut up and Drive,  Lady Marmalade

Buy it: Lippmann, Nordies

Price: $15.00

Recommend: Yes, if you like shimmers

The lippmann collection introduces two gorgeous shimmery shades for summer.  I wanted to start off my nail polish swatches with a little glitz and glam delivered right to your nails.  Which, is exaclty what these two shades delivers.

Lady Marmalade, a sizzling coral strawberry shade named after the classic disco song and Shut up and Drive, is a drop-dead gorgeous magenta with Tons of silver shimmer named after Rihanna's top 40 hit.  We all know how much our girl , Rihanna love those magenta based shades!  And, Deborah Lippmann did an excellent job creating this color to fit Rihannas style. 

I'm not going to spend much time on this review because the photo's pretty much explain everything.  However, these polishes are semi-sheer, glossy and take serveral coats to accomplish a good color pay-off.  Shut up and Drive required three heavy applications and Lady Marmalade four.  Personally, I dread applying more than two coats of polish because I'm not patient enough to sit still.  But, after seeing the end result - it's worth the wait.  Keep in mind my nail tips are extremely white (almost french manicure white).  It does take a little more than average to completely cover my nail and the heavy coating may have contributed to that factor.  Check out the all photo swatches below.

Lady Marmalade is much more sheer and has the least amount of shimmer compared to Shut up and Drive.  Four heavy applications were used in the swatch above.  And, to be honest, I could probably use an additional coat.  Lady Marmalade is a great shade, espically if you don't fancy too much shimmer or glitter. 

Hello...., gorgeous!  Aren't you going to look so fab on my hand and toes! I am completely speechless and hyptonized by this gorgeous magenta shade!  Shut up and drive is absolutley beautiful and the photos don't justify the true color pay-off.  Now, when I say this color has lots of shimmer - I'm talking about TONS.  The silver glitter is so overpowering it takes over the nail polish and you'll start to notice an metallic sheen. 

The metallic sheen is really hard to capture digitally.  But, you can start to see some metallic in the photo above.

Shut up and Drive and Lady Marmalade are great shades for summer.  Super glittery, fun, and perfect for those nights out with the girls or just some good ole fun.

Are you guys feeling these colors? 

FEATURED - Thursday, June 19th 2008

Givenchy Fall Makeup 2008: Sweet Dandy Collection

The Autumn and Winter 2008 makeup collections promo pictures are starting to surface.  Most fall collections are slated for the end of July to mid August.  Random fact: my beauty wardrobe completely lacks any givenchy makeup.  I'm looking to change that soon - starting off by the gorgeous, Le Vernis nail polish and smokey eyeshadow quad.  Check out the color story and promo pictures below.

Pocket Beauty Case Accessory for Glowing Lips and Cheeks $55.00 (Sweet Dandy)

Prisme Again! Shimmer Eyes Mat & Shimmering Eyeshadow Quartet $49.50 in Smoky Shimmer and 44 Precious Shimmer

Prisme Libre Loose Powder Quartet Air Sensation $63.00 in Dandy Beige

Captiv’Eyes Intense Volume Mascara Magnetic Eyes $25.00 in Dandy Black

Magic Khôl Eye Liner Pencil $21.50 in Dandy Blue

Rouge Interdit Satin Lipstick Irresistible Color $26.50 in Romantic Dandy and Fatal Dandy

Pop Gloss Crystal Crystal Lip Gloss $23.50 in Romantic Dandy and Fatal Dandy

Polka dots dress up! These two customized harmonies are reminiscent of a dandy’s basic deconstructed three-piece suit. A matte texture and three complementary glowing shades offer two ways of creating sophisticated, smoky eyes.  Smoky Shimmer: three dense, shiny black shades softened by a matte white base for grey tones coloured with blue, white and purple pearlescent particles.

Rouge Interdit lets you show off two sides of your charm with two different languages to express your femininity: Romantic Dandy pinkish beige for a naturally flushed look, and pure, intense Fatal Dandy red, the most dangerous lipstick around! Matching Pop Gloss Crystal in pinkish beige or intense red can be used alone for glossy, transparent colour or as a top coat to accentuate shine.

Nail polish addicts - saving the best for last...

Le Vernis. Limited Edition
The nails look as if they have been dipped in a starry night. Male codes meet female codes in luminous Dandy Moiré navy-blue varnish.

This beautiful green-blue shimmer nail polish is what orginially pulled me into this collection.  Looking at the promo picture, it looks very familiar to one of my all time polishes, MAC whirlwind.  Needless to say, I haven't found an worthwhile comparison to MAC's color.  So, I'm pretty excited to see this color in real life.

{Source: Temptalia, Kiss and Makeup}

FEATURED - Monday, June 23rd 2008

Nail Polish of the Day: Nicole's Fav

Ya'll have to check out the Nicole by OPI brand, seriously!  The unique nail polish colors are just as fabulous as OPI.  Today's polish is named Nicole's Fav and I can see exactly why it's her fav!  The color is described as an gorgeous vibrant orange with gold shimmer.  A perfect color for summer and to go perfectly with all the summer collections out there.

Everything was perfect about this color - the pay-off is amazing and only two coats of color needed.  Check out some close up pictures below.

The swatch above was taken in natural light and below in sunlight. 

Amoungst all my polishes, orange is a shade you won't see much - only because I haven't found a nice, wearable color.  So, I'm happy to add this to my small and growing orange collection.  In the meantime, check out Stephanie at The Polish Addict orange comparison's.  Her nails rock.

Hope your having a great day!

FEATURED - Tuesday, June 24th 2008

Nordstrom Beauty Exclusives: Preorder Only

Nordstrom gives us a peek at some beauty exclusives available for pre-order.  Take a moment to stop by and check out the drool-worthy pictures and release information.  Here are just a few things I'm excited about.

MAC Colour Forms - Warm Eyes ($38.00): A set of five limited edition shadow combinations perfect for those green eyed gals.  It might be the eye-catching green casing or the beautiful color combination of purples and greens that draw me into this palette.  Having green eyes ain't no day in the park.  Bottom line: their difficult and we just can't pick any color.  Purple is a shade that won't do us wrong ladies and gents!

MAC Colour Forms - Warm Lips ($22.50): A set of three limited edition lipstick shades.  This lovely Warm Lip Palette was featured in Allure's July issue as one of the Editior's pick.

Fall is creeping up faster than you think and so is all the upcoming collections.  It's all about dark goth colors and I'm loving it.  I can't wait to drench my nails and lips with dark vampy colors such as Dior's Rouge in Fantastic Plum and Nail Vernis in Liquorice.

Dior Rouge in Fantastic Plum ($27.00) - a dark plum and Liquorice ($19) - a dark plum shimmer is a great way to start off your Fall.

Essie's 2008 Fall Collection ($15.00 mini set) - Forever Young - Fiery Tango Red, Lacy not Racy - velvety vintage burgandy, No Boundaries - passionate plum and Tomboy No More - red current traffle.

Regarding Essie's Fall collection - I'm not certain if their releasing more colors.  But, I will keep you guys updated as soon as I find out anything.

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 - Sunday, July 6th 2008

Get your metallic on with Sally Hansen

Metallic's are on fire this summer and Sally Hansen introduces three superstars to the collection.  Gilty Pleasure - a gold with gold glitter, Bronze Ambition - a bronze with silver glitter and Shooting Star - a silver with silver glitter.  These metallics are drenched in silver flecks making the texture a tad bit chunck but none the less gorgeous.

Why pay more?  These three additions retailing at $4.99 each are great alternative colors to some of the pricer metallic polishes out there.  All three colors should be available now at your local stores or Sally retailers.  Check out the photo swatches below.

 

Although the texture is on the chunky side, it's not as bad as China Glaze's ink collection.  I really disliked the ink collection due to the gritty and chuky feeling on my nails - I prefer a smooth clean application.  All my swatches were used with two coats and had no application issues.  When you apply additional coats, say 3 or 4, that's when the chukniess may come in.  But, nothing a top coat won't fix!

I wanted to get some swatches up real quick and I'll be posting individual swatches later this week.

Hope everyone has a wonderful 4th of July!  Mine was kinda blah - it rained and rained but that didn't stop the fireworks.

FEATURED - Monday, July 14th 2008

Pedicure of the Day: Chanel LA Sunset

The next couple weeks I'll be mixing it up with Pedicure of the Day posts.  I wanted to give my nails a break because the constant yellow stain is driving me nuts and summer colors are about the toes espically these four hot colors!  Not many beauty bloggers post POTD (pedicures of the day).  I'm assuming it's the same fear  - Aren't all feet ugly?!  At least that's how I feel.  Suprisingly, I do have serveral requests for POTD's. 

Chanel finally released the "Hello, like summer's over" Robertson Blvd Collection last week online.  I would love to rebel against them for draggin this out but, that isn't happenin.  The four shades are equally pretty in a sophisicated and classy way.  Very practical, everyday colors you can wear in the corporate atmosphere espically for summer.     

LA Sunset is described as an Melon orange glossy creme that applied flawlessly with two coats.  The price tag may be controversial setting you back 25 buckaroos but, take these factors into consideration: Chanel, Limited Edition, Exclusive to Chanel.com and Robertson store in LA only, and Created by new director, Peter Phillips.

Before the Robertson Collection was officially released online, Heidi or Elodie were two shades that looked familiar judging by the swatches online.  I pulled out all my possible dupes and no luck.  All these shades above were completely off making this a unique color in my collection.

FEATURED - Tuesday, August 19th 2008

Sally Hansen Salon: Nail Polish Swatches

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!  I've been dealing with internet issues for the last couple weeks and that's one of my main reasons for my lack of posts.  But, it looks like everything is back to normal, thank goodness.  Life without internet - can you even imagine?

Let's start off with some Sally Hansen today.  Here's four shades that I picked up in the last couple of weeks.  I'll be posting the others later.  Haute Chocolate is a chocolate brown shade with red and gold shimmer that's a great brown color for fall.

Check out some more pics below.

 Shimmers are my favorite nail polish texture because they can be so unique.

Grenadine Glaze is a grenadine hot pink-red that was much prettier than expected.  It's hard to pick up on the hot pink in my swatches but the color is definitley there along with subtle hot pink and gold shimmer.

A great color to end the summer and begin fall.

Plum It - a gorgeous deep plum purple with pink and blue-purple and gold shimmer.  This would be a pedi color.

Navy Baby - a navy blue shade with aqua shimmer.  Navy blue is probably my all time favorite nail polish shade that I'll always have love for.  It's such a classy color and a great alternative to your standard goth black polish.  Navy baby may not be the most unique color but my nails are loving the metallic sheen texture. 

FEATURED - Monday, August 25th 2008

Nail Polish of the Day: Borghese Palermo Plum

Today's polish of the day is Borghese nail lacquer in Palermo Plum (oops, mis-spelled in my pic above) - a deep purple wine shade that's an divine color this fall season.  My photo swatches applied flawlessly with two coats.

This is going to be my official review on Borghese Nail Lacquer since I haven't had a chance to do so.   Palermo Plum was my second shade of Borghese.  The brush and formula is absolutely marvelous and my favorite by far.  When it comes to painting my nails - I'm not a professional my any means.  Sure, I can paint within three swipes but not without touching my cuticles.  The brush allowed me to apply pefectly with hardly no clean-up.  Very impressive. 

If more brands were like Borghese - I could do more swatches for you guys!  Check out the candid shot below.

This color may look more of a reddish-wine but, actually has more purple distinction in real life.

Monday's are so blah, aren't they?  It's overcast, hot, muggy - just rain already and stop with the tease!  As much as I'm a Califonia girl at heart but living in KY - I'm ready for the cold weather and Fall to come.  How about you guys?   

FEATURED - Friday, August 29th 2008

Product Review: Sephora by OPI Remover

Product: Sephora by OPI Polish Remover

Price: $5.00

Steph's Rating:

Buy it: Sephora

Recommend: Yes

Summary: A non-drying nail color remover that quickly and effectively removes even the darkest shades of nail lacquer.

Sephora by OPI Nail Colour Remover is a fast, gentle nail polish remover without harsh, drying effects or the tell-tale white residue left behind by traditional acetone nail polish removers. The superior formula contains grape seed oil, vitamin E, and extracts of sea kelp and aloe vera, making it more effective than traditional formulas.

A few weeks ago, I was placing a Sephora order online and need five bucks to meet the free shipping requirement and Sephora by OPI nail polish remover was the lucky winner.  Finding a high quality nail polish remover is extremely important to me.   I'm not a hard core swatcher like some of my fabulous fellow beauty blogger gals - Steph, Scrangie, Michelle - but, I do find myself removing polish quite frequently at least more than I'd like.

Let's start with the negative and the only downside - the price.  Wow, this remover goes awfully fast when your constantly using it.  $5.00 for 2oz, doesn't go a long way.  But, it's so wonderful, I'm willing to overlook that part.  If you tend to use remover one or twice a week this will last for sometime.  Now, if your like me this could end up being a costly nail polish remover in the long run. 

Now, the good and there's so much of it!  The light fragrant scent is perfect - it don't fill up the room with those "gag-like" nasty fumes.  Vitamin E and the other added benefits kept my nails and cuticles heavily moisturized from drying out which was amazing.

My two biggest complaints about nail polish remover is the dryness and strong toxic fumes.  And,  Sephora by OPI passed with flying colors. 

The result - my nails are as hard as a rock - not soft and brittle!

FEATURED - Saturday, August 30th 2008

Prefall collection: spongebob to the rescue

It's officially pre-fall and Rescue Beauty Lounge introduces three fun and chic shades this season.   This new collection is inspired from Marc Jacob's love for Spongebob.  Starfish Patrick - a creamy coral shade, Square Pants - a pale lemon shade with subtle shimmer and Bikini Bottom - a watery baby blue creme that top's my favorite.

What a genius idea - prefall shades!  So, it's not an official season - it should be.  From the end of summer to the beginning of fall - what colors to wear?  Isn't that the worst?  Well, these colors are perfect.  Not to dark and not to bright.  End the season right, girlfiriend!

Spongebob who?  Honestly, if it wasn't for my neices of nephews - I would have no knowledge of the popular childrens tv show.   So, regardless of the inspiration - these colors totally rock.  Take confidence in Ja Baek and the RBL team because they never let us down.  The formula is true perfection along with the brush.

Check out the swatches below. 

Starfish Patrick looks more brighter and vibrant pictured above.  But, in real life, it's more toned down.

Square Pants is a great color.  It's a soft, pale yellow that's pefect for any ocassion.  Very chic and feminine.

Candid shot of Square Pants.

Bikini Bottom - my favorite shade out of the collection.  A watery baby blue creme that looks stunning on your nails and feet.  Oh boy, I can't wait to use this shade for my next pedi.

The Spongebob collection is now available at Rescue Beauty Lounge and retail for $18.00/each.

Want more RBL?  Check out their "must have" Fall 08 Collection.

FEATURED - Tuesday, September 2nd 2008

Nail Polish of the Day: Milani Disco Lights

Hope you guys had a fabulous labor day weekend!  At least it's only a four day work week for some of us.  Milani's Disco Lights is such a fun color, isn't it?  An ultra feminine, pink, party shade that's screaming for fun and excitement!

When I'm browsing nail polish, it takes an interesting or unique shade to catch my attention.  And, Disco lights was calling me from da club.  I mean - what girl doen's like to sparkle?  This may not be your practical shade you can sport around at the office or anything but, it's pretty to look at.

The application applies thin and takes three or more coats to achieve bottle color.  Tomorrow I'll be posting my pedi picture in this color.  It looks so much better on toes than it does nails!

FEATURED - Friday, October 31st 2008

Holiday 08: Dior Pure Diamonds Nail Polish

Dior's nordstrom exclusive, Pure Diamonds ($19.00) is decribed as a "true diamond" glitter polish shade.   Trying to take a picture of this baby in the sunlight was like putting reynolds wrap directly on my nails, it was that blinding.

Pure Diamonds isn't your typical silver glitter polish.  There's alot of "white" mixed with the silver glittler to make this totally blinged for the holidays.

Check out more swatches below. 

The first comparison that comes to mind is China Glaze's, Tinsel, which has chunkier silver glitter compared to Dior's fine texture.  All in all, this probably isn't going to be the most unique shade out there, but definitely a great choice for New Years Eve.

Since the Holidays are right around the corner, I expect to see more silvers/white glitter polish out and about.

I'll be sorting through my silvers this week for some photo comparisons. Stay tuned.

FEATURED - Thursday, September 18th 2008

Lippmann Collection: New Shades for Fall

Deborah Lippmann introduces a whole bunch of goodies this fall for your nails.  A couple of items I picked up from the fall collection is Party Like a Rockstar Set ($25) and Superstar ($15).

Party Like a Rockstar Set includes two (small size) limited edition shades: Good Girl Gone Bad - a gorgeous purple with pink and silver shimmer, Devil in a Blue Dress - a midnight blue and a small fast dry topcoat.

Check out the photo swatches below.

Good girl gone bad - a sexy purple vixen nail polish named after Rihanna's hit album/song.  A gorgeous purple loaded down with pink and silver shimmer.  Since there is so much pink shimmer, this looks magenta purple in some lights.

Devil in a Blue Dress - a darkened navy blue - black creme.  This is just your standard midnight navy blue creme - nothing special.

Debroah Lippmann best describes Superstar as a copper flecked fudge.  A brown base coat filled with massive amouts of copper, brown and gold glitter.  Superstar is definitely out of the ordinary and different - which is one of the reasons it's starting to grow on me. 

This collection is now available online.

FEATURED - Thursday, September 25th 2008

Fall Collection: Rescue Beauty Lounge Swatches

This fall, Ji Baek, creator of Rescue Beauty Lounge, took a very different approach.  Introducing three, very different shades from most Fall collections we've seen this year.  Different and unique equals love for me.

Most of you probably think I'm obsessed with polish, which is true most of the times  - I won't lie.  But, one thing I'm more obsessive about is finding rare and unqiue shades just like these three new ones.

Check out the swatches below.

      

Come on, need I say more about this heavenly color.  A must have shade for Fall and I say "must have" delicately.  Teal is "IT" for fall.  Look around, everywhere you see in Fashion is Teal and I'm absolutey loving it.  Infact, this color is smashing paired up with some of INC's fall fashion looks.

The name "Teal" is pretty much self explanatory.  Described as a deep teal creme that's incredibly stunning on every skin tone.  The new colors are highly pigmented and only require two coats to acheive bottle color.  And, the application applies like butter like all the Rescue Beauty Lounge polishes.

 

I once heard this described on Makeup Alley as baby poo and about pee'd my pants.  But, seriously, that's the best way to describe it.  A deep olive army green that looks great on olive skin tones.  No more War is going to be that shade that's the hardest to pull of with most people.

Love No More War but hate the cost?  Check out a great alternative to this super unique shade. 

Bruised is the shade the sold out almost immediately through pre-sale.  A dark mauve plum that's hard to describe.  When I look at bruised on my nails, I'm seeing more of a deep mauvey plum shade.  If your looking for more of a darker plum color - three coats should do the trick.

Overall, excellent collection for fall.  Right on track with the fashion trends.    This collection is now available at Rescue Beauty Lounge and retails for $18.00/each.

Want more Rescue Beatuy Lounge?  Check out their Pre-Fall Spongebob Collection.

FEATURED - Saturday, September 27th 2008

Nail Polish of the Day: MAC Cosmetics Vin Goth

So, it wasn't two minutes and that crappy Seasonal Peach was off my nails.  It so - does not deserve a Saturday.  Heck, it don't even deserve a Monday at that! 

It's Saturday and I wanted to go out in style with some Vin Goth from MAC.  This is an oldie - but definitely a gorgeous one at that.  A purple grape loaded in purple-pink and silver shimmer that is oh so drool-worthy.  One particular reason this color's so fab - it actually looks purple indoors and not a dark black shade.  The subtle pinkish shimmer keeps it from getting to goth.

Check out another swatch below. 

Your probably thinking - your such a tease since this is one of those hard to find shades..  Hard to find but not impossible.  I've seen these pop up on Ebay (even tho I don't condone it) at okay prices.

Hope your having a fabulous Saturday!

FEATURED - Monday, October 13th 2008

Nail Polish of the Day: Revlon Steel her Heart

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend.  One of Revlon's newest Fall colors, Steel her Heart ($4.99) is my nail polish of the day.  A metallic charcoal steel with matching shimmer.  I'd say this is a true charcoal steel metallic and is much different from your basic silver or even Gunmetal shades.

My only problem was the application.  As you see in the my swatch above, it was fairly streaky.  But, that could have been from my sloppy application.  I may have to give this a go at another time.

So, my nails were starting to get super long.  And, even though I like short square nails - long nails are the bomb.  If only and I say this delicately, they would just stick around already.  Needless to say, I didn't break a nail - just went a little (mean alot) file crazy.  Being a perfectionist - I just couldn't accomplish a good shape therefore, their short again!

Have a great day guys!

FEATURED - Wednesday, October 22nd 2008

Holiday 08: Dior Black Sequins Nail Polish

 

Today's nail polish of the day is the new Black Sequins ($19.00) from Diors Holiday collection. A black lacquer filled with silver almost duocrome-y fleck like shimmer. So I don't know if I'm going crazy or what. I'm really seeing these flecks turn bluish in the sunlight. Even in some of my swatches you'll notice a silver/blue effect.

My application was smooth with no true problems. Black Sequins drys to a glossy/very slighty semi matte. You'll probably need a topcoat to accomplish a glossy look. If your wondering - is this the most uniuqe?  Well, probably not. So, if your not head over heels for black polish - I'd pass on this one. If you love black - go for it girlfriend.  

 

Let's start off with the closest comparison which would be Chanel's Black Satin. Black Sequins is more chunkier with slighty visible blue/sillver shimmer compared to Black Satin, but both are similar. It's a great alternative, espically if you wished Black Satin had a little more kick.   

Dior's Black Sequins ($15) is now available at Sephora for a limited time only.

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, October 31st 2008

Allure's Editors Favorite: Borghese Vini Violet

Wouldn't being the beauty editor of Allure or a major beauty publication magazine be the best job ever?  This month in Allure's November issue, Borghese nail lacquer in Vini Violet ($7.99) gets the spotlight for editiors favorites.

Borghese introduced this scrumptous dark purple shade with the Wines of Tuscany fall collection.  Described as an gorgeous deep magenta purple creme that's stunning on nails or toes.

After organzing my enormous nail polish collection the other day, I came to realize that purple "rules" not only in my collection but in my heart beating out any other shade including blues.

The Wines of Tuscany collection should be available now at your Borghese retailer.

FEATURED - Monday, November 3rd 2008

Nail Polish of the Day: Revlon Crushed Crimson

Happy Monday!  I've been enjoying the fantastic weather these last two days, while it's here anwyay.  Today I'm sportiing one of Revlon's new fall colors in Crushed Crimson ($4.99).  Described as a mix between cinnamon, plum, and brown with fine subtle shimmer that's actually very pretty.

Crushed Crimson isn't the usual suspect you'll see on my nails or in my collection.  But, after having two close encounters with this shade, is a clear sign it was meant to be, obviously lol.

A few days ago, I picked this up but decided to put it back right at the last minute.  Then, just yesterday as I was browsing through my November issue of Instyle magazine, there it was again, bingo!

My application required two coats and no true problems with the formula.  Crushed Crimson is now available at most stores.  Have a great day!

FEATURED - Wednesday, November 5th 2008

Limited Edition: Wet n Wild Holiday Gift Sets

The label should read - calling all nail polish junkies!  A few days ago, I stumbled across Wet n' Wild's holiday gifts sets for five bucks at my local Meijers.   Of course, the only reason that attracted me to the gift set was the precious metal nail polishes that looked simply metalicious and right up my alley.

Five bucks is a great deal for seven different beauty items.  Heck, you can't even get a bottle of Sally Hansen's Salon polish for that price.  Cosmetic companies are marketing geniuses around the holiday season.  They always include one or two fabulous products in holiday sets that you just can't resist.  In this case, it's the metall nail lacquers.

Check out the nail colors below. 

The nail poilshes don't officially have names since their included in gift sets, just shade numbers.  352 is described as a red/pink metallic with silver shimmer. Application and formula was perfect. 

354, my obvious favorite, is described as a pink/purple metallic with silver shimmer. This shade is so cool you guys, it's like piinkish purple foil on my nails - totally retro.   

Don't need the extra items?  You can always give the extra goodies to your sister, mom, friend or even a reader on your blog or site!

The holiday sets should be popping up now at your local stores.

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 - Tuesday, November 25th 2008

CK Barefoot: A Good Neutral Nail Color

Usually, you wouldn't catch me wearing any kind of natural shade on my nail, but Sally Hansen's Divinity, from the Tracy Reese fall collection, opened my mind to explore other interesting neutral colored shades.

So, I was anxious to try Barefoot because of the bursh discripency from my first CK experience.  And, I'm happy to report that - no application problems and the brush was perfect.

Barefoot's described as a jelly like, nude-pink with loads of shimmer.   It looks completely natural on nails with a perfect amount of sparkle and shine.

Sally Hansen's, Divinity is the closest dupe I have to Barefoot.  It's more opaque, nude and has alot less shimmer compared to CK's.

Barefoot is now available at Sephora and retails for $10.

FEATURED - Wednesday, November 26th 2008

NOTD: Nail Fantasies Twist and Shout

Happy Wednesday - or should I say Friday for most of us!  The night before Thanksgiving was always a huge night for me back in the day.  Nowadays, the government's buckling down and it's not worth risking someone's life or your entire world as you know it.

It's winter for sure!  And I'm hating it since my return from the gorgeous sunshine state, Florida.  With all the blah weather at hand, I need some cheering up with an eye opening shade such as Twist and Shout ($2.20) by Nail Fantasies.

So, there's a story behind this one, but isn't there always a story with nail polish?!  This is the only shade at my local Walmart that totally stands out - yet is always sold it.  I've seen Twist and Shout for months and months now.  And, always thinking "who would ever wear that color anyway!"

Well, guess who just bought it and loves it now! *running away with her foot in her mouth* 

Check out the swatches guys! 

 

The green shade on all Cetaphil products is the best way to describe Twist and Shout.  A true apple creme that applied fairly well in three coats.  No brush stroke problems either.

I've never heard of Nail Fantasies products, but I beleive it may be an extension of love my nails cosmetics.  So, If you like this color - check out the love my nails makeup displays.

Have a safe and happy pre-thanksgiving! 

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, November 30th 2008

Fall Winter 08: Misa Poisoned Passion Collection

Misa introduces the Poisoned Passion collection this fall and winter 2008.  A collection of six seductive dark vampy shades of red, purple, blue and green.

Overall, Poisoned Passion is a nice collection of five shimmers and one creme shade.  Being a lover of shimmer polishes, I was pleased with all shades and glad only one being a creme texture.

All colors are rich and infused with excellent pay-off.  Most colors only required two coats and only had problems with Dying love.

 

A Sin Worth Committing, vibrant royal blue with blue and aqua shimmers.  Much brighter than OPI Yogta get this blue and Jessica's Midnight Moonlight.

Dying Love was my favorite from the Fall collection even though the application was a little finicky.  A black with silver and light blue shimmer.

This one left some visible brush stokes, but I really liked how the blue and silver shimmer made an glaze effect on my nails, so I guess I'll deal with it.  If you take your time and don't rush, you shouldn't have any problems.

 Candid shot of Dying Love

Fatal Affair, purple with blue and pink shimmer.  The base color is distinctly purple, but the blue shimmer is so powerful it leaves a glaze type of blue shimmer on top.

 

Forbidden Lust, violet based purple with red and blue shimmer. 

 Love Bite, the only creme and the dud of the collection.  Burgandy red brown creme.

Toxic Seduction, a blackened teal with gold and green shimmer.  Being a green nail polish fanatic, you'd think Toxic Seduciton rank up there with my favorites, but it didn't, for me at least. 

At first, Toxic Seduction was like love at first sight.  But, after a day or so of wear and tear, the once vivid teal was gloomy and darkened like a cloud was hoovering over.  My nails looked somewhat dull.  Mostly because of the "darkened" in Toxic Seduction.

The Poisoned Passion collection is available at Head2Toe.

FEATURED - Friday, December 5th 2008

Nail Polish of the Day: Revlon in Jaded

TGIF!  Hope your having a fabulous Friday!  Revlon's nail polish in Jaded is another steal I picked up on my Big Lots shopping spree and my NOTD for yesterday.  Sorry guys - I was slammed and didn't get a chance to post this.

Described as a mint green shade with shimmer - that's quite different than any shade I own.  Application was perfect.  Revlon has the bomb formula - I never seem to have any problems.

Did you guys know Big Lots, Dollar Stores or any other discount stores have rare and discontinued nail polish colors?  It's TRUE!  They do and lots of them.  Everytime I go out of town or on vacation one of my priorities is hitting up Dollar Stores or Big Lots.  Not only will you find rare colors, but ridiculously cheap! 

 

Here's my cat, Luv, she's such a wus!  This weekend we'll be painting our kitchen cabinets and let me tell you I am SO not looking forward to that.  Actually, I'm dreading it.  The only thing I love painting is nails!

Have a great weekend and try to stay sane while dealing with the holiday madness!

FEATURED - Friday, December 12th 2008

New Colors: Sally Hansen Insta Dri Polishes

Sally Hansen introduces several new Insta-Dri ($4.99) shades this winter.  So, what is Insta-Dri?  Exactly what the name states - instantly drying nail polish.  It may not be instantly, but it's pretty darn close and probably the fasting drying drug store nail polish out there.

There's so much to go over with these Insta-Dri's that I'm just going to list the positives and negatives.  Usually, I don't recommend fast drying nail polish to anyone that has trouble with the three swipe rule. But, with these you dont' have to worry about three swipes, it's meant for one or two and it's easily accomplished with the large manly brush.

Positive                                                     Negative

A Variety Rich, Pigmented Colors  Fast Drying for quick on-the-go Mani's  One or two coats to be Opaque  Lasts a good 5 days, esp with a topcoat

Some colors are Thick and Goopey  Tapered, wide shaped manly brush  May not be mistake proof for some  $4.99 - $5.99 for .31oz

Jumpin' Jade - darkened green with subtle shimmer much like Misa's Toxic Seduction, Blazing Blue - navy blue with subtle aqua shimmer, Uptempo Plum - darkened plum with purple shimmer, Pronto Purple - violet purple red and purple shimmer. 

Toxic seduction isn't quite an exact dupe, but it's the closest color in my collection to compare.  Jumpin Jade is much more pigmented and has a tiny bit more blue.

The tapered, odd size brush is mainly the downside of these insta-dri's.  My nail beds are fairly small, so you can imagine my disappiontment when I first laid eyes on this brush. But, there's a upside to this story. Looks can be deceiving. 

I can understand what the folks at Sally Hansen were going for when they designed this brush.  "Since it's super fast drying, you'll need a wide brush that can coverage in less than three swipes.

At first, I thought my small nail beds were going to be the disadvantage, but they actual ended up being the advantage in my case.  The brush was a little tricky to figure out at first, but I was able to swipe in two coats since my beds are small (center swipe then swirl from right then left - try to swirl with the shape of the tapered brush). That's how I apply mine.        

The Insta-Dri polishes is a pernament Sally Hansen procut and is available at most stores. What do ya'll think?

Love these? Click here to check out some Limited Edition summer 09 bright shades.

FEATURED - Thursday, August 20th 2009

OPI Fall Matte collection: Review, Swatches

This Fall, OPI introduces the Matte collection, a release of six current OPI shades available in a non glossy, matte finish. Each bottle is included with an instruction tag that states the following:

• Matte by OPI does not wear as long as original OPI Nail Lacquer.
• Do not use base coat, top coat, drying products, or hand lotion when wearing matte.
• Do an all Matte nail. Or do a Matte nail with matching Glossy tip.

Before we get to the details, let's discuss what this means. It's time to toss that rule book out the window because skipping a base coat would be a bad idea. You don't want your nails super stained. If you can hunt down a no shine base coat, that would be best. I've had better luck using a ridge filler for my base.

As far as hand lotion, just be sure to wipe your nails off with a tissue or cotton pad to avoid that shiny, satin finish.

Application is the challenging part. Every matte polish I've tested is super fast drying, which may create problems for the habitual coater. The good news, OPI's wide brush makes it easier to accomplish three brush strokes. Anymore than that, you'll notice streak lines in your application.

Ready for some swatches guys?

Alpine Snow, a white chalky flatte matte. This reminds me of a winter snowy morning when the snow is intensely bright to look at.  

As much as Gargantuan Grape looks minty green in my swatches, it's not. It's a tad bit more yellow based and has that chalky texture.

La-Pazatively Hot is true to the name! A gorgeous hot pink matte with shimmer that's one of my faves from the collection.

 You Don't Know Jacques, a mushroom brown taupe chalky matte.

Lincoln Park after Dark, a vampy blackish purple matte. 

As much as I'd wish Russian Navy was a shimmer like the original, I still love it. A flatte navy blue  matte.

The matte collection is now available at Professional Salons and online at the E-tailers. Have a wonderful night!

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 - 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 - Tuesday, January 27th 2009

Product Review: Barielle Hand Creme

Product: Barielle Hand Creme

Price: $8.00 for 2.5 oz Travel Size

Steph's Rating:

Buy it:  CVS, Barielle

Recommend: Yes

Everyone wants great nails.  Why else would we spend a small fortune each year on salon services. 

The first rule to having great nails breaks down to one simple thing.  Moisturization. 

Just like our skin, our nails needs hydration and Barielle's Professional hand creme ranks number one in my book.

Details: For Dry, Chapped hands.  Rich in emollients, Vitamin E and Protein, this proven formula helps soften and moisturize hands while forming an invisible shield to help protect against water, wind or exreme cold.

The fresh clean scent of Barielle's hand creme is amazing.  Not sweet nor fruity.  Very Refreshing and Invigorating that doesn't leave your hands feeling greasy.  I've noticed after the first couple washes the scent actually sticks around.

Three places you'll find Barielle's hand creme.  1. My office desk  2. Main bathroom right next the soap  3. In my Purse.  A little goes a long way too.  All you need is a little dab.  Since it's meant for your hands, you could stretch it to last a couple months.

Barielle's hand creme is available online at Barielle or at CVS stores. The 2.5 ounce travel size retails for $8.00 and 6 oz $15.00.

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 - Monday, February 16th 2009

Spring 09: Rescue Beauty Lounge Swatches

This Spring and Summer is all about the bling, bling baby.  And, Ji Baek introduces three fun, yet edgy glitter shades to the Rescue Beauty Lounge family that just tickles my fancy.

When Ji dropped the bomb on the new spring collection, I just about fainted.  Sparkle, Sparkle and more Sparkle.  These new additions are down right gorgeous!  Diamonds for your nails, Ji put it best.

The glitter consistency is thick and chunky in a clear base.  It's not fine like some glitter polishes out there, where you need four or more coats.

Check out all the nail candy below.  All my swatches were used with three coats. 

Locavore is a mulit combination of blue, green gold and purple.  The green and blue glitter really shines through this one. 

Look Rich, Be Cheap is a rich gold and purple glitter combination.

Oh my goodness, Fugalista is just gorgeous!  Look at the sparkle and shine!  Obviously, this is my absolute favorite.  A combination of chunky silver and purple glitter that had a thicker opacity than the others.  This is a definite must have.

The spring collection will be available in March at Rescue Beauty Lounge.

Help me Decide! I'm dying to try one of these beauties on my toes.  Which one would you like to see?  I'll be posting the results along with my pedicure in three days.

FEATURED - Wednesday, February 18th 2009

Nail Polish of the Day: Black Radiance Sensual

Happy Wednesday ya'll!  It feels like forever since I posted a nail polish of the day post.  This past week I've been jammin on spring swatches and haven't had any time to actually paint my nails until now.

Today I'm bringing you a pretty spectacular shade from Black Radiance's Bold & Sexy line.  Sensual, is a cross between silver and pewter metallic that's simply stunning I tell you!

Everything about Sensual reminds me of Chanel's Kaleidoscope including the application.  The formula's thick, opaque and applied like butter in just two easy coats.

Check out the swatches below.

Chanel Kaleidoscope (left) and Black Radiance Sensual (right).

Here is a photo comparison of Kaleidoscope and Sensual.  Both are very much alike with the exception of Kaleidoscope being two shades darker with a pewter tint.  Overall, if your looking at the comparison side to side it's hard to distinguish the difference.

The Bold & Sexy lines are only available where the Black Radiance cosmetics are sold and retail for $3.79 - $4.50.  This line consists of eight new sexy and sassy shades that's worth checking out!

FEATURED - Wednesday, February 25th 2009

Nail Polish of the Day: Milani Totally Cool

Happy hump day everyone.  You know what Wednesdays are at Steph's closet?  Nail polish giveaways, yah!  On top of my Wednesday giveaway, I'll be giving today's nail polish of the day to one of my Twitter followers.

I'm bringing you a Totally Cool ($3.49) shade from Milani cosmetics.   And, totally cool is such an understatement for this exceptionally drop dead gorgeous shade.  Smokin Hot or Shimmer Ho would be more appriporate in this case.

How freakin awesome would a nail polish called Shimmer Ho be?

Wow, I haven't been this excited about a drug store color in years.  Seriously, years I tell you!  Described as a blue purple jelly drenched with gold and pink micro shimmer that's to die for.

The good news, totally cool will be a permanent color in Milani's nail polish line.  If your store is anything like my CVS, their always out of Milani and I expect this color to be a hot commodity.

 Outside in Sun. 

Inside under lighting, no flash.  For best results, you'll need three coats to achieve bottle color. Plus, three coats bring out the gorgeous-ness of the shimmer.

I'll be posting the nail polish winners later this afternoon.  Have a great day!

FEATURED - Thursday, March 12th 2009

Holo Hotness: Orlys Primsa Glosses

Have you guys seen Orly's new glosses? They are down right incredible!  One of Orly's newest editions, Prisma Gloss in shades of Silver and Gold.  Prisma gloss acts as a topcoat that's - fast drying, high shine and loaded with special gold & silver glitter particles for a holographic effect on your nails.

Have fun with any nail polish shade using Primsa gloss!  Forget Essie's Starry Starry night, you can create your own starry dream in silver or gold.

Shake, Shake, Shake!  When you receive these glosses, you'll need to give them a good shake.  The glittler particles fall to the bottom of the bottle and needs to be mixed up with each mani.

For best results, treat prisma gloss as a topcoat.  The glitter and holograpic effect will stand out more.  Personally, I think they work best when used with a creme nail polish color.

Too bad the sun wasn't out today, I really wanted to show you guys the full potential of these babies.  All my swatches were used with one coat of Orly's Primsa Gloss and any creme based polish.

Silver Prisma Gloss is a clear base with silver and holographic glitter.  These are so fun to play with!  You can experiment with virtually any nail polish color in your collection!

The best news is - you'll only need one coat of Primsa Gloss to acheive a "WOW" factor to your nails!

Gold Prisma Gloss is a clear base topcoat with gold and holograhic glitter.  The gold looks stunning over a brown creme.  Definitely one of my favorite looks with the gold gloss.

The glosses look espically fab if you pair up with a complimentary base color.  Orly's Prisma Gloss retails between $3.19 - $4.99 and is available at Trans Design or other Orly retailers.

Aren't these fab?  What do you guys think?  Who has em?

FEATURED - Saturday, March 21st 2009

Nail Art: Jin Soon Choi Recreations

A couple weeks ago, I posted some interesting nail art designs by Jin Soon Choi that I stumbled across in the Teen Vogue's March issue.

Most of these designs were super easy and didn't require any special nail art tools except a dotting tool for the polka dots (which aren't shown).

Check out some pics below.

This was one of my least favoirte designs at first, but ended up loving it.  There's something about a neon base that makes both orange and black pop against my skin.

What you'll need (any brand): Neon yellow, Opaque french white, Halloween Orange creme and Black creme.

How to: Start with any yellow neon base color. Most neons I've seen are matte and pretty sheer. Tip: use a white opaque color (such as a french white) before applying the neon base. You'll have better color pay-off and you'll avoid numerous applications.

When the base is completely dry, take your orange creme polish and make some creative brush stroke swipes on the neon. It's pretty easy - just dab and swirl you brush creatively. Once dry, repeat the same steps but with the black polish. Finish with a fast dry topcoat and go.

This design was super easy using Sally Hanen's nail art pen in white. You could also try a navy blue background that would look fab.

What you'll need: Black Opaque creme polish (my fave is Wet n Wild) and SH nail art pen in white.

How to: Start with a black basecoat. Once dry, seal with a fast dry topcoat. Make sure your base and topcoat is completely dry before you start with SH's nail art pens. Then draw vertically and horizontal lines on your nails. Seal with a topcoat and go.

Another super easy design. On this one, you can use basically any nail polish colors. Just make sure both colors are pretty opaque.

What you'll need: Any two colors really.

How to: Apply the first color about 2/3 on the nail (one or two coats). You want to make sure you make steady straight lines. Once dry, apply the other color to 1/3 of nail. Finish wiht a topcoat and go.

I'll be posting a few more designs in the next few days. What do you guys think? Easy enough?

FEATURED - Tuesday, March 24th 2009

OPI Spring Summer 09: South Beach Collection

 

This Spring and Summer, OPI dives into the South Beach with splashes of color.  Introducing 12 new shades this season ranging from your pinks, coral, and purples to bronze and nudes.

Today I'm beginning with my six favorite shades from the South Beach collection. Overall, OPI played this collection on the safe side.  We're seeing your typical pink and red corals that's pretty, but not entirely unique. Along with a few suprises such as a Done out in Deco and Bronzed to Perfection.

Most the colors applied smooth like butta with no visible problems. All my swtaches were done with mostly two or three coats - just to even out everything.   

Check out all the swatches.

Feelin' Hot Hot Hot is the shade you've probably seen in the promo images or in your magazines. Described as a bright hot pink with coralish undertones that's more brightened than pictured in my swatches above.

Note: Model in promo image above is wearing Feelin' Hot-Hot-Hot.

Bronzed to Perfection is different and the most unique out of the bunch. Described as a bronzey orange with chunky gold and red shimmer.

It's really hard getting used to this color because I don't own anything like it. Perhaps, maybe in the summer this will look a little better.

Done out in Deco is just stunning and my favorite by far. Described as a pastel lilac purple that certainly compliments warmer skin tones.

Miami Beet is a deep berry purple creme that's much darker than pictured above.

OPI on Collins Avenue is just your standard reddish coral creme. Not so much unique, but looks very pretty on your nails or toes.

Overexposed in South Beach is a pretty purple with purple and pink shimmer.

The South Beach collection is now available at Salons or online at Transdesign.

What's your guys favorites? 

FEATURED - Monday, March 30th 2009

Matte Nail Polish: A Total Knockout

KO (Knockout Cosmetics) was created by makeup artist Mike Potter, best known for creating the hair and makeup for the groundbreaking stage and film versions of Hedwig & the Angry Inchfor. Along with fellow KO leader Aaron McCann, are very excited to welcome you to the beauty and glamour of KO.

Knockout introduces four new glamourous shades of Flatte Matte nail polish.  Karen - a virbrant red (OMG yes red), Calamine - pink powder, Black Flatte - black flatte and Powder - milky white powder along with a matte topcoat.

The quality was superb. Each coat applied smooth like a matte and dried to a silky satin finish with two applications. Although, I did use three coats due to my errors - not the actual formula or brand.

Let's break it down. Priced at $22 a pop, may be the only drawback to these beauties. But, you get what you pay for and so much more! The bottles are huge-normous (.56 oz). Biggie size me up please - no kidding!

My Issues. The extra large bottle accompanies an even longer handle. For me, the handle wasn't practical at all. I felt like I was painting with a oversized sharpie marker. Mostly, it's that I'm not used to a longer handle. 

Calamine is exactly that  - a calmine creme pink powder with no visible shimmer that's perfect for Spring. The pink creme looked so elegant on my nails - I just loved it!

Next week, I'll be featuring the gorgeous, Karen - a red flatte matte. Make sure you stay tuned! In the meantime, check out Scrangie's black and white swatches.

FEATURED - Friday, April 3rd 2009

Celeb Nail Art Icon: Solange Knowles

Along with her gorgeous looks, talented voice, and keen sense of style - Solange Knowles and I share something in common, an obsession for Nail Art! Last year, she opened up about her current addiction in the Hadley St Journal:

"For about the last 2 years I’ve had an addicting obsession with nail art and design…Call it “Ghetto-fab” of me but yo, I’ve seen some artists who need to have their ish in museums."

Ever since Sally Hansen released my favorite nail art pens, I've been hooked and expanding my creative horizons. Like the old saying goes, "practice makes perfect." Once you get the hang of it, you'll be addicted.

There's nothing like a good design to catch my eye and Solange's polka dot/domino effect design did just that. It's fairly easy for beginner to intermediate, using just a few simple tools.

Here's my try at it: 

What I used: Any black or white nail polish, acrylic paint or thick nail polish, SH nail art pen and dual sided dotting tool. 

Before you start, make sure you practice on either your nails or artificial ones. There's been numerous occasions I've jumped the gun and ended up ruining my mani.

If you don't fancy nail art, the black and white alone is hot! This could be a great look for a night on the town with a hot little red number.

Here she is, my pride and joy. I haven't blogged much about my new Holy Grail dotting tool, but it's the best thing since, well, Nail Art Pens!

Sure, you can use toothpicks or SH's nail art pen for the polka dots, but you won't get a perfect & precise circle like using a dotting tool. A cheap investment initially ($4.99) at Sallly Beauty or any other beauty store. You'll wonder how you lived without it!

Polka Dots: If your using a dotting tool, just dab the end in acrylic paint or nail polish and dot on your nails. Repeat steps if necessary. You can also use a tooth pick or nail art pen.

The white lines were the hardest part about this design, particularly the horizontal one on my ring finger. You may need to practice a few times with SH nail art pen before starting. It was much easier with the art pen verses a detailing brush. 

And the finished result. I really loved this design - so cute and girly. Hope you have a great weekend all! What do you guys think?

FEATURED - Saturday, April 4th 2009

Revlon Fruitful Temptations: Scented Nail Polish

Just when you think you've seen it all, BOOM! Revlon drops a fruit sensation delivered right to you fingertips - you'll be sniffin all the way home. These are addicting. No, let me put this clear - these are obsessively addicting!

Revlon introduces eight new scented shades inspired by the freshness of exotic fruits and infused with succulent tropical scents.

Before I get to the review, check out my favorite shade from the collection.

Not So Blue-berry is insanely gorgeous! The color is well worth the purchase alone. Described as a duochrome shimmer that switches from a blue (sunlight) to frosty silver violet (inside) pic below. It's loaded down with silver and rainbow like shimmer.

The scent is a blueberry grape that's quite yummy! You'll be craving your nails and sniffing like a mad man.

To really appreciate the unique shade, you'll have to see in person.

Here's some quick swatches below. All were used with two coats. 

Coconut Crush - white frosty shimmer with a coconut scent.

Mad About Mango - coral orange creme with a mango scent.

Pretty in Papaya, featured in the promo ad, a coral red cream with a papaya scent.

Sublime Strawberry - a mid tone pink with white micro shimmer and a strawberry scent.

Passionate Fruit - magenta purple creme with a berry scent.

Mon Cherry - cherry red creme with a cherry scent.

Raspberry Rapture - raspberry pink creme with a raspberry scent.

Overall, I absolutely loved these and think they'll be a huge hit. What's the one complaint we make about nail polish? The nasty intoxicating fumes. So why not make a nail polish that actually smells good?! Just brilliant!

Once completely dried, you'll notice a light tropical scent in each shade. At first, it's just like any other nail polish when you apply.

Can I use a topcoat? Yep. In my experience, when a topcoat is used the scent wasn't nearly as strong - but it doesn't destroy the smell at the same time. If you feel the smell is a tad overwhelming, it may be a good idea to use a topcoat.

Personally, I skip a clear topcoat because I want to smell the strong fruity scent - that's the benefit! 

How long does the scent last? Suprisingly a long time! For the first 8-12 hours the fruity scent is strong and even after a day or two, you'll notice a faint smell.

When the scent does start to die down, all you have to do is reapply one coat and go!

Are they safe? Of Course!

Fruitful Temptations is a limited edition collection and retails around $4.50/ea. I wanna hear everyone's thoughts? Have a wonderful weekend!

FEATURED - Sunday, April 12th 2009

Easter Mani: Speckled Egg Polka Dots

 

Happy Easter! Today's mani takes me back to the good ole days when I used to get an easter basket filled with speckled whoppers, jelly beans, and anything bad - but too good to resist.

With my nail art obsession in high gear right now, I just couldn't resist the cuteness of polka dots for my easter mani. Polka Dots are quite frankly the easiest type of nail art, espically when using a dotting tool. Even a breeze with your opposite hand!

Check out one more swatch below. 

Just when I was debating what to wear for my Easter NOTD, it struck me from the shelf of my favorite sweet in the world, Cupcakes!

What I used: Base color: Misa - Dirty Sexy Money, Orly - Spark, Nina - Sweet Nothings, Misa - Speed of Life. Polka Dots: standard acrylic paint colors. Tools: Dotting. 

You guys asked, and shall receive. Ok, so I've been getting mass requests for video tutorials, particularly on Polka Dots and should have that up in the next few days! Hope your having a wonderful Sunday!

FEATURED - Saturday, May 16th 2009

Spring 09: Sally Hansen Tracy Reese Collection

This Spring, Sally Hansen collaborates with fashion designer, Tracy Reese for the six season in a row with seven fabulous shades.

Each limited edition color is inspired from Tracy Reese's Spring fashion show held back in Sept 08'.

Overall, what a fabulous Spring collaboration from Tracy Reese and Sally Hansen and a big two thumbs up! Every color has excellent pigmentation and requires around two or three coats.

Check out all the swatches.

 

Pardon me, do you have any Grey Poupon? The best way to describe Forsythia is a little slice of Honey Mustard heaven. More cool toned than most yellows I own, yet very peculiar at the same rate.  

 

 

Honeydew is a gorgeous mermaid teal shimmer. Click here for your chance to win this shade.

Tassel is a gorgeous gold metallic with a pinch of bronze that looks so much prettier on, and the application was a breeze.

Nasturtium - a perfect spring and summer coral orange creme.

Azalea is a medium pink toned creme.

Night Hydrangea, is truely the gem of the collection, a blueish purple with shimmer. Click here for your chance to win this shade. 

Beet Satin, a beet berry red creme. The Tracy Reese collection is now available at stores and retails around $5.99/ea.

FEATURED - Wednesday, August 19th 2009

Illamasqua Nail Art Competition

It's time to let your creative thinking juice start flowing and strut your stuff in Illamasqua's Nail Art Competition.

Calling all nail addicts! Been feeling a bit left out of the Mizzworthy/Illamasqua Alter Ego make-up competitions? Fancy showing us your nail alter ego and be in with the chance of having your work seen by top nail artist Sophy Robson?

Then start getting your ideas together to win some fabulous Illamasqua Nail Varnishes that the Nail World has been going crazy for...

FEAR NOT if you have untidy cuticles or a slightly wonky hand as this competition is being judged on creativity and artistic flair as opposed to technique and professionalism.

So How Do You Win?

Sophy and I want to see inspired and creative works that reveal your alter ego - either through your hand nails or toe nails [or both!] and with a brief introduction to yourself and why this look is your alter ego! For example, are you normally a pretty-in-pink princess?! How about unleashing your inner vixen with black and blood red talons?.

For more details, Head on over to Illamasqua's Official Blog to check out rules and cool prizes. You guys know I'm all for Nail Art, so I hope you'll join me in entering this fun Alter Ego contest. Remember, the deadline is September 6th and I'll be posting my attempts in the next couple weeks.

{Image via: Illamasqua}

FEATURED - Friday, May 1st 2009

Massini Glitter Nail Polish Swatches

It's Friidayyy TGIF!! Today I'm bringing you some glitters from Massini. Some of you may notice that Massini's nail polish names are exact replicas of Color Club's - it's because the same company manufactures for both brands. Chances are, Color Club may have the same shade if your having trouble locating Massini.

Sex Symbol (pic above) - clear base with silver glitter. CC dupe.

 Gold Glitter - clear base with silver and gold glitter.

Sexy Siren - clear base with turquiose glitter. CC dupe. 

 Tru Passion - clear base with purple glitter. CC dupe.

Magic Attracton - clear base with pink and silver holographic glitter. CC dupe.

Drama Queen - clear base with red and silver glitter.

These next two shades are more like your standard nail polish textures compared to the glitters above. The opaqueness is amazing with only two coats, and by far my favorites from Massini. I don't think Color Color has dupes for these - truely unique. 

 Purple Medallion - purple base with silver, pink, purple, blue holographic glitter.

Slammin Red - red base with silver, pink, red holographic glitter.

Massini is only available at Meijer stores and retails for $2.99/ea. Hope your having an awesome day!

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, May 6th 2009

Dior Summer 09 Vernis Nail Swatches

This summer, Dior introduces three new beauties the Cristal collection: Bubble Gum, Sweet Orange (Sephora Exclusive) and Purple Candy. Along with these new additions are two more department store LE exclusives, Grenade (Macy's) and Paprika (Nordstrom).

I always say don't judge a book by its cover and this being the perfect case. Most shades were completely different from the promotional images we saw online and some of us will probably be disappointed by that fact.

Overall, a nice round up of spring and summer shades with the formula being top notch. Most colors had a two coat application with the exception of a couple.

Check em' out! 

Nordstrom Exclusive, Paprika is a mid tone pink with silver shimmer. 

Sephora Exclusive, Sweet Orange is the most unique out of the five, described as a pinky peach with gold shimmer that's really pretty and tops as my fave from the summer release.

Not exact dupes, Nars Orgasm is the closest comparison I have to Sweet Orange. Check out the swatch below.

The only true difference between these two, Sweet Orange is more pink when compared to Orgasm. It takes four coats of Orgasm to equal three of Sweet orange.

I really do prefer Dior's version over Nars, color wise and formula. 

Macy's Exclusive, Grenade is a bright hot pink with a mix of rainbow shimmer, blue being the most noticeable.

Grenade Alternatives: NYC Midtown and Borghese Dolce Vita Fuchsia.

Bubble Gum was quite the little suprise. From Dior's promo pictures I was expecting a bubble gum pink shade, instead we get a bright summery color. Described as a bright coral pink with very subtle shimmer like Purple Candy.

Sure, this isn't the most uniqiue shade, but I'm just happy it wasn't another pink.  

Dior Counter, Purple Candy is a magenta pink with very subtle shimmer.

Purple Candy Alternatives: Orly Samba.

Dior retails for $20.00 and is now available at Dior counters or specialty department stores.

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, May 8th 2009

KO Liberty: Mint Green Matte Goodness

Today is a happy happy Friday and it's all thanks to Knockout's new shade, Liberty. This one is hot, really hot! Described as pastel mint green matte that dried to a satin with three thin coats.

Well all know mint green shades are on fire right now, and I think Liberty will break us from our matte nail polish phobia. It's the perfect Spring or Summer shade for mani's and pedi's.

My Application: There was a little bit of streakiness at first, but it all seemed to dry out evenly in the end. You could probably get by with two thicker coats.

And now for the comparison.  

Liberty is much greener than For Audrey, and just a pinch bluer than MAC's Peppermint Patti. If your swooning over mint greens lately, this is a must have!

Liberty is now available online at Knockout Cosmetics and retails for $22 for a huge bottle (.56). Have a wonderful weekend! 

FEATURED - Saturday, May 9th 2009

Limited Edition Mini Sets From Icing by Claires

Hope your having a wonderful Saturday afternoon. It actually turned out to be a beautiful day here in Kentucky ya'll.  Today I'm bringing you another fabulous limited edition set from Icing that had me at "green glitter," hello.

Each set comes with five miniature nail polish bottles that retails for $10.99/set. The glitters are pretty spectacular, I'm just bummed that these are Limited Edition and not available in full sized bottles. Oh, how can you do this to us Icing?!

Oddly, every single glitter set that was stocked, didn't have a sticker at the bottom with the name?? Hmm, so that must mean their extra special!

On to the swatches.

Green Glitter is the one held repsonsible for my impulsive buy, a bright (not neon) grass green with sliver glitter. A bit semi sheer that needed four coats for bottle color. Very pretty.

Purple Glitter is a gorgeous deep purple with blue undertones and silver glitter. Great coverage in two coats.

Green and Purple glitter together. Two of my favorites.

Black Glitter is a rich black with silver glitter that had great coverage in two coats.

Red Glitter is a cherry red with silver glitter. Two coats for bottle coverage.

Ms. Red and Black. 

White Glitter is a clearish base with white and blue chunkier glitter compared to the others. Three coats on each nail.

The Neon set was kinda my pity buy for the Buy one, get on half off deal. Most of these colors are available in full sized bottles, if you only wanted one or two. On all my neon swatches I used, one coat of white polish as a base and one without.

Neon Yellow always seems to be the problem child of neons, regardless of the brand. And, using a french white as a base cuts out half of my application time. Anymore, I amost always use a white base for yellow and green neons.

The next three really didn't need a white base coat, the color pigmentation was pretty good. 

Orange and Purple Neon that had good coverage.

Pink Neon that also had good coverage. Have a great weekend!

FEATURED - Monday, May 11th 2009

Nail Art of the Day: Silver and Gold Glitter

Happy Monday! Hope everyone had a beautiful Mother's Day yesterday. Today I wanted to get a little blingy using L.A. colors nail art polishes in silver and gold glitter. Nail art polishes are pretty easy to find online or in stores, and you don't necessarily have to get L.A. color's brand.

I started with very few supplies: Sally Hansen's Blackout, L.A. Colors Art Deco silver & gold nail art glitter and fast dry topcoat. Most nail art polishes have a fine detailed brush that makes drawing lines super easy.

Check out some more designs below.

 

The design pictured above is my favorite by far and would look hot for a special occasion. Hope your having a fabulous Monday! What do you guys think?

FEATURED - Wednesday, May 13th 2009

Wet n Wild Chrome Polishes: Swatches

Happy Wednesday! Today I'm bringing you five new colors from Wet n Wild's tarnished chrome collection.

The Tarnished collection introduces seven limited edition chrome shades that have a metallic feel to them, but aren't entirely a true chrome, tarnished finish.

Application: Most shades I found to be on the semi sheer side and needed at least three coats or more to achieve bottle color.

True chrome and metallic shades are known for excellent color pigmentation and application issues, so I wouldn't necessarily put these in that category. There were a few that applied like a metallic, but for the most part these are more shimmer like.

Check em' out! 

Steel - a light silver with silver shimmer.

Brass - brassy gold with gold shimmer.

Pewter, the sheerest one of the group, is a coral orange with gold shimmer.

Cobalt, one of my faves from the collection, a darkened teal with shimmer. You can't really see the darkened side from my pics, but it sorta resembles MAC Whirlwind's base color.

Patina, the only one that pulled off a two coat application, a vibrant purple with pink and blue shimmer.

The chrome collection should be popping up in stores and retails for $1.89/ea. Have a wonderful day! 

FEATURED - Thursday, May 14th 2009

OPI Summer Brights: Bright Pair Paige Denim

This Summer, color meets fashion when you pair OPI's brightest new shades for nails "pair up" with the bright new shades of paige Premium Denim.

Bright Pair includes six trend setting new Brights by OPI lacquer choices, which coordinate with six new shades of shorts and crops by Paige, one of today's hottest brands of designer jeans.

Overall, a nice colorful summer collection for any creme lover. Although, I wouldn't really classify these as being bright. Most colors are very wearable for summer. All six shades applied perfectly in two or three coats. All my swatches were done with two coats, even though some could have used three.

On to the swatches.

Shorts Story - is a cool pink creme.

On the Same Paige - reddish orange creme. 

In my Back Pocket - bright orange creme.

No Room for the Blues, the brightest color of the bunch, bright sky blue creme. 

Over the Taupe - a mushroom taupey brown creme.

A Grape Fit, my favorite from this collection, is a deep lavender purple creme.

The Bright Pair Paige Denim collection is now available online at TransDesign or any salon that carries OPI. Each bottle retails between $4.50-$8.50.  

FEATURED - Monday, May 18th 2009

Nail Polish of the Day: SH Turquoise Opal

Happy Monday! Hope you guys had a terrific weekend! It's absolutely gorgeous outside and makes for a great start to the week.

It was only a matter of time before I dragged out these gems from Sally Hansen. And, wow, that's all I need to say! These are certainly magical in every way.

Once upon a time, Sally Hansen introduced an amazing line called Nail Prisms. Each bottle is filled with massive amounts of shimmer that reflects off light to create a rainbow of duochrome colors.

Turquoise Opal, one of my favorites from the nail prisms, distinctly flashes four obvious colors: teal, blue, pink, and purple. On the pictures above, I tried to get both teal & blue and purple & pink captured. 

One more swatch below.

In this swatch, I used one coat of black polish as a base and two coats of SH nail prisms. And, you can kinda see a gradient of all four colors.

I'm not sure how many Nail Prisms colors were produced, but I know there's many. I personally own over thirty something and still see new colors popping up on ebay.

Where can I find these? It's not impossible, you just have to look. Ebay is the most obvious place. Also, check your Dollar Tree and Flea markets.

This past weekend, me and my hubsand went to the Flea Market and I stumbled upon this booth with over 300 discontinued Sally Hansen's, NYC, Naturalisitcs, etc. I was literally in heaven, but sadly I already owned most of the nail prisms they had. Wanna see my mini haul.

Have a wonderful Monday!

FEATURED - Wednesday, May 20th 2009

Dolce and Gabbana Nail Lacquer: Stromboli

Happy Wednesday ya'll! Today I have a really fabulous shade to show you. Brand spankin' new, from the long awaited Dolce & Gabbana makeup line, Strombolio.

Described as a gorgeous black base with gold semi chunky glitter, packaged in a sleek and slim bottle with silver cap. The removeable caps are just like Dior's and Chanel's. I really loved the glitter texture in this one. It's not too over powering - yet not to mild at the same rate. Perfecto!

Application: Coming from Dolce & Gabbana, I expect nothing but the best and Strombolio surely pulled through. The formula was very rich and pigmented with only two smooth applications. Although, if you wanted to add a third coat for that ultra bling, it's just as fabulous. You know, I'm all for that!

The Wear: Today is my second day of testing and so good, so far! I'll keep reporting back.

Negative: The only issue I see is the price. At $20 (.37 oz) each, you'll want to stock up one by one - that's what I'll be doing. Saks often has free shipping, so make sure you take advantage of those if your interested.

One more swatch below. 

In this swatch, it's not completely sun - about half and half. I wanted to show you guys how much visible the glitter is compared to China Glaze's Wagon Trail. One thing I love about Stromboli, you can actually see the glitter.

You can find the Dolce & Gabbana makeup line at Saks Fifth Ave. The nail polishes retail for $20.00/ea. What do you guys think?

FEATURED - Thursday, May 21st 2009

Chanel Cosmic Violine: Nail Polish of the Day

Hope your having a wonderful Thursday! Today I'm bringing you one of Chanel's newest shades, Cosmic Violine, from the Celestial Lights collection. Described as a muted or dirty reddish brown loaded with gold, red, and pink glitter.

Maybe it's the dull finish, or just the fact this reddish brown shade should of been released late summer. Either way, it's not getting much love from nail polish lovers. But, I'm here to give it some love, because I really do like it. Come fall, it will be a different story and Cosmic Violine will be MIA.

The application was smooth and pigmented with only two applications. Check out the comparison swatch below.

Is Cosmic Violine unique? Yep. I really don't have an exact comparison to show you guys, it's that toned down finish that makes it different than the other red and brown's.

Have a wonderful night! TGIF tomorrow!

FEATURED - Friday, May 22nd 2009

New Nail Color: Knockout Cosmetics Ox

It's Friday - TGIF! Hope your having a fantastic day. Today I'm bringing you a lovely new matte shade from Knockout Cosmetics. Ox, described as a purple plum matte that applied perfectly in two coats.

This is certainly a Vampylicious shade! And, it's definitely a color that you'll see sporting around this Fall. Infact, I can't even wait that long - I think I'm doing this as my first matte pedi color.

Matte, Matte, Matte. Yes, I've been talking about them for a year now and I'm beyond estatic that nail polish companies are finally...finally starting to introduce them this Fall. So, if Knockout's a little out of your price range, just hold tight - we'll have some budget friendly polishes coming soon!

Hope ya'll have a fabulous weekend!

FEATURED - Saturday, May 23rd 2009

MAC Style Warrior: Nail Polish Swatches

This summer, MAC introduces three new nail polishes to the Style Warrior collection. Peaceable - a light champange metallic frost, Violet Fire - a purple with pink and blue subtle shimmer and Mercenary - a gorgeous bronze with gold shimmer.

Peaceable was nothing special nor unique, and you could probably skip out on this one. Plus, it was a metallic frost, which I don't do well with anyways.

Check out some swatches below. 

The end result of Violet Purple is really pretty. But, the issue is getting to that point. The formula applied like a sheer jelly. Looking at the bottle, I would have never guessed it's sheerness. It took four coats to even out. Either way I applied this one, I couldn't get away from four coats. 

There's only one way to describe Mercenary, super duper hotness! A bronze loaded down with gold shimmer that's absolultey stunning and the bread winner from the Style Warrior collection.

Check out a comparison swatch below.

For those who missed out on Dior's Gold Nugget last summer, now is the perfect time to stock up on a great alternative. Mercenary, not an exact dupe to Gold Nugget, but close. Dior's is just a tinge more gold compared to MAC's. Both equally gorgeous.

The Style Warrior collection is now available for a limited time online and at MAC stores.

FEATURED - Sunday, June 14th 2009

Nail Polish of the Day: Orly Satin Royalty

Hope your having a wonderful Sunday! With the all Matte craziness we've been having lately, I wanted to pull out an oldie from Orly's Satin Hues line.

Satin Royalty is a pefect example of a matte nail polish with visible shimmer.  A sheer, light purple with pink and blue shimmer. The application was more sheer than I like, but the end result is really pretty with four coats.

I'm not sure when Orly introduced Satin Hues, but it's been quite sometime. While this line isn't readily available, you could still find these discontinued gems at Dusty's, Ebay, or beauty stores that carries discontuned lines.

Let's talk about Matte vs. Satin - Is there a difference?  Well, it really depends who you ask. To me, matte is satin. Anything with no gloss or shine, flat or satin looking is matte. Of course, some finishes may be more satin or flatte, but it all falls under the same category.

Hope you had a wonderful weekend.

FEATURED - Wednesday, May 27th 2009

Nail Polish of the Day: Maybelline Purple Party

Happy Wednesday! Hope you guys had a great memorial day weekend. Since it's been raining for the last several days, I've spent most of the weekend finishing up painting.

Purple Party, a dollar tree gem I picked up a while ago, described as a gorgeous magenta pink - purple jelly loaded down with silver and pink shimmer. This one applied pretty sheer, but it's definitely worth the four coat application.

Here's some more eye candy for ya. These are my past NOTD's from the weekend that I neglected to post.

When it comes to sheer's, I run away as far as possible...but I just can't help staying away from this one. Satin Sheets, a sheer white loaded down with gold/pink shimmer.

 

Allure's June issue (pg 131) inspired this classic vampy shade from Chanel. Vamp, a dark blood red with shimmer. Have a wonderful day!

FEATURED - Friday, May 29th 2009

OPI Jumps on the Matte Bandwagon this Fall

“OPI Matte is cutting edge for nails in terms of sophistication and style,” says Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, OPI executive vice president and artistic director. “An all-matte nail is fresh, confident, and very fashion runway, and OPI Matte is meant for those moments when you want to make a major fashion statement.OPI Matte does not wear as long as original OPI Nail Lacquer – but its impact is long remembered!”

I'm sure most of you already heard about OPI's newest matte collection slated this Fall. To my undertstanding, OPI is releasing six duo shades, available in two finishes: matte and glossy - take your pick!  All six shades are standard OPI colors that are readily available, not new ones.

Alpine Snow - french white creme, You don't know Jacques - mushrooom taupey creme, Russian Navy - Navy blue shimmer, La Paz-itively Hot - hot pink creme, Lincolon Park after Dark - midnight purple and Gargantuan Grape - greenish yellow lime.

The Matte collection will be available beginning July 1st. In the meantime, here's a few examples that I added a matte topcoat, just to give us an idea.

Note: these are not actual OPI matte shades. Just recreations using a matte topcoat. In most cases, Matte shades usually aren't the same as topcoats.

Check out the swatches. 

The Matte collection will be available starting July 1st. Check out the official swatches and review. 

FEATURED - Saturday, May 30th 2009

Nail Polish of the Day: Finger Paints Lilac Lagoon

Hope your having a wonderful Saturday afternoon. Today's nail polish of the day is a gorgeous lilac from Finger Paints Sunburst summer collection. 

Lilac Lagoon, a semi sheer, juicy lilac loaded with flecks of goldish copper glitter. Since the texture is a semi sheer jelly, I needed four coats to achieve bottle color.

The Brand. You don't hear too much coverage on Finger Paints, but I definitely love the brand as a whole. Perhaps some of the colors aren't as unique as I'd like, but overall the quality is fab.

Finger Paints are available at Sally Beauty Supply stores and retail around $4.99/ea. Have a great weekend!

FEATURED - Thursday, June 4th 2009

It's Tiki Time: Orly Summer 09 Tiki Collection

With summer almost being here, it's time to get out the tiki torches and party it down with Orly's new Summer Tiki Collection.

Introducing four new bright shades sure to get you noticed this summer. When I say bright, it's not your typical neon bright. Just enough to get some worthy attention.

Application. Overall, some of the formula's fall on the semi sheer side, but nothing that three coats can't fix. I was able to get by with two coats on most, with the exception of Mint Mojito, which is definitley worth the three coat application.

My Favorites: Mint Mojito and Calypso Blue. Check out the swatches. 

Mint Mojito, is a little piece of mint great heaven sure to please your sweet tooth. A must have for any green lover.

Check out a comparison picture below.

As you can see, Mint Mojito is certainly special amoung the others. 

Calyspo Blue is pretty special indeed. Nothing like Essie's Mesmerize or Sephora's Blue Grotto. A medium to light blue that definitley stands out amoung the rest. Although, this one could have used an additional coat. Loves it!

Sol Cabanna, is a orange creme that's more toned down.

Teeny Bikini, ultra bright red creme. Orly's Tiki Collection is now available and retails around $3.20 - $4.99. Online, you can purchase this collection at Head2Toe and Transdesign.

Have a wonderful 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 - Sunday, June 7th 2009

Pedi of the Day: Teal with Yellow Polka Dots

Happy Sunday! Hope your having a fabulous weekend so far. Monday and Tuesday I'm jetting off camping with some close friends, and wanted something to coordinate with my bathing suit for the next couple of days. And wouldn't you know it - Polka Dots. Yes, I'm obsessively addicted to polka dot nail art and don't care who knows it. I just luv them!

Why do I love polka dots so much? It's super easy, super cute, and never goes out of style. And, perhaps one of the easiest types of nail art out there. As long as you can dot with your non dominant hand (which you can), your golden.

The Supplies:

What I used: L.A. Girls Flare in Tropical for base color (or any teal cream), acrylic paint (or yellow nail polish), Dotting Tool (or a toothpick using the end) and fast dry topcoat.

Why do I use Acrylic paint vs Nail Polish? Actually, I use both. But there's a couple reasons why I prefer paint over polish. Acrylic paint wipes off super easy if you make any errors, whereas nail polish don't. Acrylic paint also has a thicker consistency than nail polish that makes dotting more precise and easy.

The only true drawback with Acrylic paint - since the paint is a thicker consistency, the surface may be bumpy or uneven and you may need an additional topcoat. No biggie, just make sure you use a fast dry topcoat.

Update: Some of you may have noticed my posts are lacking this week, that's because I'm giving my nails a breather and should resume mid next week. Click here to see what's to come!  

Have a fabulous Sunday!

FEATURED - Thursday, June 11th 2009

Nail Polish of the Day: CG He's going in Circles

Happy Thursday! Hope your having a fabulous week so far. I just returned from my camping trip yesterday. It  was fun, but I'm glad to be back to reality. Today I'm bringing you some holo nail spam from China Glaze.

Going in Circles, is a cross between a silver and light green holographic from China Glaze's older Kaleidoscope collection.

The Kaleidoscope collection seriously kicks butt. I'm sure most of you already know that! And, if you love holograhic nail polishes, it's a collection you don't wanna miss. You can still find this collection online at Head2Toe and TransDesign.

Have a fantastic Thursday!   

FEATURED - Friday, June 12th 2009

Summer LE Brights: Sally Hansen Insta Dri

This Summer, Sally Hansen introduces a new limited edition collection of brights to the Insta Dri nail polish line.

With a variety of eight colorful shades to choose from, ranging from yellow, green, blue, orange and pinks. Most textures being all cremes with the exception of one shimmer, Instant Iris.

I've blogged a few times about the Insta Dri line and I've really grown to love them. The tapered one coater brush is a little awkward at first and may take some time to get used to.

Check out all the swatches below.

Lickety - Split Lime, a lime green creme.

Lemon Dash - a bright sunny yellow creme. As far as the application, just like any yellow creme. You'll need three coats to even it all out, although I only used two in my swatch above.

The burning question: are these dupes? Well, pretty much. It's really hard to tell a differece in general. Lemon Dash may be slightly lighter, but brighter at the same rate. If you already own Lightening, I don't really see a need for Lemon Dash.

For some reason, Brisk Blue turned out ultra bright in my swatches. A fabulous sky blue creme. I really loved this one.  

Instant Iris, is way more pink than it looks in the bottle. A fuchsia pink with flashes of blue and pink shimmer.

Orange You Fast, a deep orange with reddish undertones.

These next three pinks are all related, and not very far off from each other color wise.

Rapidly Rosy, a mid tone pink rosy creme.

Coral Rush, a bright coral pink that is just a tad darker than Rapidly Rosy.

Flyin Fuchsia, is a bright hot pink creme. For some reason, my swatch went MIA. I'll be posting this one in the next couple days.

The brights collection is now available for a limited time only and retails around $4.99/ea. Have a wonderful Friday!