Home / Tag: Silver

Silver

FEATURED - Tuesday, December 11th 2007

MAC Metal-X: A New Generation of Eye Shadow

A cream to powder metallic shadow that provides liquid metal effects. Goes on smoothly, blends like a charm. An extremely luxurious highlight/finish for eyes, cheeks and skin.

The colors pictured are Virgin Silver: A Metallic silver with white pearl and Plum Electric: a Deep purple with red pearl, which is the hottest color this season.  The Virgin Silver and the Plum Electric are the only two shadows I picked up on this collection.  Plum Electric is by far the best color of the Metal X eye shadows.  One reason I love the Virgin Silver is it's perfect for highlighting and for your lid, so you can avoid those crease lines.

My Review.  This isn't like most MAC eye shadows out there.  Most reviews have mainly been negative due to the consistency.  To get the best results you must put this eye shadow on with your fingers and do not use a makeup brush.  This eye shadow is not crease resistant, So, be sure you apply as a highlighter or on the eye lid.  Overall, this eye shadow is okay as long as you are patient enough to work with it.

FEATURED - Wednesday, January 30th 2008

MAC Cosmetics: Fafi Collection Color Story

These pictures clearly speak for themselves!  WOW, was my first expression when seeing these product photos back in December of 2007.   There is always one or two collections that will be a huge hit, and this is going to be one of them!  I'd never thought any collection could top Barbie loves MAC, but, I may be wrong!  So many things I'm looking forward to seeing in these collection.  Paint Pots, Blush, Eye Shadow Palette's, Nail Polish, Lipstick, Lipglass, Fafi Doll's (not pictured but, will sell out super duper fast), and the cosmetics bags.  Which, pretty much sums up the whole collection!  Last year, around the same time as Barbie love MAC was released, the Barbie Dolls sold-out instantly, and were going for $400+ on ebay. 

Fafi, a french Graffiti and Fine Art Graphic Artist, who is known for her images of sexy and liberated girls.  Her drawling and graffiti's are absolutely amazing!  If you've never seen any of her Drawling's or Graffiti's, click here to check them out.

Now, on to business!  This rare, limited edition collection, officially releases on February 13th, 2008.  Be sure to keep up-to-date on the Fafi Collection in your area, by signing up on the MAC website.  Check out the amazing color story below, that leaves me drooling at my desk.

Lipstick
Fun ‘n’ Sexy Blue pink with blue pearl (G)
Not so Innocent Sheer tan with pink and peach pearl (G)
Utterly Frivolous Rosy coral with pink pearl (L)
High Top Grey purple with blue pearl (G)
Flash-n-Dash Intense tangerine red with pink pearl (G)
Strawbaby Coral rose with rainbow pearl (L)

Lipglass
Cult Face Blue mid-tone pink with white pearl (F)
Sugar Trance Creamy soft pink with white and rainbow pearl (F)
Squeeze It Brassy plum (F)
Totally It Sheer bright pink with intense pink pearl (F)

Eye Shadow  Quad's (x4)  Fafi Eyes 1
Howzat Deep grey with silver sparkle (S)
Hey Neutral tan with pearl (VP)
Pink Venus Washed pink (L)
Vanilla Soft pale-peachy-ivory flecked with shimmer (V)

Fafi Eyes 2
Bold as Gold Yellow gold with gold pearl (L)
You’re Fresh Pale green with silver sparkle (L)
Shockwave Intense orange with silver sparkle (V)
Prankster Muted dark blue (S)

Paint Pot
Nice Vice Dirty purple with purple pearl (F)
Girl Friendly Creamy grey pink (C)
Layin’ Low Creamy beige (C)
Cash Flow Green gold with gold pearl (F)
Perky Cream coral with white pearl (S)
Rollickin’ Aqua blue green with white pearl (F)

Fluidline
Blacktrack Solid flat black

Eye Kohl
Smolder Intense black
Fascinating Snake-eyes matte white

Zoom Lash
Zoomblack Rich black

Powder Blush
Hipness Intense coral with soft white pearl
Fashion Frenzy Mid-tone blue pink

Iridescent Pressed Powder
Sassed-up Soft coral pink with gold sparkle
Verve-acaious Intense yellow gold with gold pearl
Belightful Gilded peach bronze

Nail Lacquer
Girls Will Be Girls Pink with coral pearl
Boom! Rich eggplant with purple pearl

Brushes
210 Precise Eye Liner.
129SH Powder/Blush (with decorated pouch).
208 Angled Brow Brush.
182 Buffer Large Brush.

Bags
Rectangle M.A.C/Small/Clearly Fafi
Rectangle M.A.C/Mini/Clearly Fafi

Fafi Dolls
Fafinette

{Source via: Specktra}

FEATURED - Thursday, March 20th 2008

MAC Heatherette: Review and Swatches

 

Forget the reviews, the photo swatches justify everything!  I tried to get high quality pictures for you guys on the MAC Heatherette Collection.  But, as always its hard to capture beautiful color.

Overall, I really liked the Heathertte collection with the exception of a few items. MAC's previous collection, Fafi, which many of us were disappiointed (excluding myself), was my favorite.  I have to be honest, I really loved the Fafi collection.  I think many of us really didn't give Fafi a chance due to the bold daring colors and was hyptonized by Heatherette's pink packaging (ha ha I was).

On to the Heatherette collection.  WOW!  Fafi who?  This collection is going to be the Barbie loves MAC collection of 2008, and is going to be sold out extremely fast!  I always advise people not to wait when it comes to MAC's limited edition collections.  Because, you don't wanna pay those outrageous ebay prices.  If you love pink foremost, then this is a must have collection in your beauty wardrobe. 

Heatherette Lipstick and Lipglasses.  I purchased every color except Fleshpot Lipstick and Bonus Beat Lipglass.  They just seemed really dull and boring to me, compared to all the others from this colorful collection.  Fleshpot and Bonus Beat are somewhat similar to the Lollipop Loving and Sock Hop, as you can see by these swatches.  The only true difference is Lollipop Loving and Sock Hop are more orangish rather than beigish. 

The Heatherette Collection Eye Shadow Trio's. It was really hard to pick one eye shadow Trio, so I choose both.  My philosphy, whenever in doubt, get both.  No, really I don't condone that, because it will get you and your checkbook in trouble.  But, I did end up purchasing both, because they are equally beautiful.  Heatherette Trio 1 is my favorite out of the two, only because it has a gorgeous shimmery blue color.

The Heathertte Collection Glitter and Pigments.  The most definite stand out colors amoung the glitters and pigments are, Pink Pearl and 3D Silver.  Pink Pearl, described as a mid-tone pink color with blue undertones, that makes this color really pretty.  Another bonus to Pink Pearl is it can be used on your eyes, cheeks, lips, etc.  Pink Pearl paired up with Fafi's, Fun n Sexy lipstick (which also has blue undertones) would look great together.  3D Silver, describled as a multi-reflective silver metallic glitter, is right up my alley.  Although, 3D Silver is not eye safe, you can use it for other purposes.  The MA had $$$$$ Yes, mixed up with the 3D silver glitter and looked hot paired together.

MAC Heatherette Dual Edge Eye Pencils.  I love these bold pretty colors!  My must haves are the Pop Blue/Black Funk and Fab Orchid/Dash Lily.  I also liked Nighhawk/Front Row but, haven't decided if I'm purchasing it yet.

 

The Heatherette Beauty Powders.  I had to pass on both beauty powders, just because I recently purchased two gorgeous beauty powders from the previous, Fafi collection.  Beleive it or not there is actually a swatch for Alpha Girl (very faint cool pink color).  Alpha Girl, described as a light pink with gold nuances.  The color is unbeleivealble light, I put numerous coats on my NC25/30 skin, and the pink is still very faint.  I think this color will be more appealing for cooler skin tones.  Smooth Harmony, described as a medium gold bronze color that is more on the organish side but, had great color payoff, espically for those with darker skin tones.  Smooth Harmony, is a color that would be more appealing to me rather than Alpha Girl. 

 

The Heatherette Nail Polishes.  The stand out color out of the two is, $$$$$ Yes.  I happened to pick up both colors, because Lola Devine is a nice coral shade I've been looking for.  Lola Devine, described as a soft mid-tone coral (cream) nail polish color.  This is a true coral color nail polish that is very pretty.  If you've been looking for that perfect coral color, well, Lola Devine is what your looking for.  $$$$$ Yes, described as a metallic silver foil (frost) nail polish color.  The MA had $$$$$ Yes combined with 3D silver glitter, and just looked devine. I really liked this color also. 

Check out an great alternative to MAC's, $$$$$ Yes nail polish. 

 

The MA's went on and on about these pantent leather-look lashes way before this line was even released.  So, this was a must have for me.  I haven't personally worn them yet, but, saw them on and they look pretty hot.  If you love MAC's number 7 eyelashes, you will love these.  I love that they are very natural looking.  I'm saving these beauties for a special night out.

Check out the photos at the MAC's Heatherette Launch party in Los Angeles, CA.

Thursday, March 27th 2008

Sally Hansen Sterling: Limited Edition Color

At my local drugstore, I was lucky enough to stumble upon this limited edition nail polish color from Sally Hansen, Sterling.  It's very rare that a nail polish color in a drugstore catches my eye.  But, this color definitely caught my eye quickly.  And, I was very fortunate because they were just putting out the display, which only held about 8 bottles.  So, I guess it was my lucky day!

Sally Hansen, Sterling, described as a metallic silver nail polish color that isn't too heavy nor sheer.  I really like Sally Hansen's Salon formula's, and was excited to get a hold of this limited edition color.

Think metallic colors are out?  Think again!  They are on a ongoing rising trend for Spring and Summer.  MAC Cosmetics just released a new metallic silver nail polish color from the Heatherette Collection, $$$$$ Yes.  Check out the photo comparisons between Sally Hansen's and MAC"s color. 

.

Can you see the difference?  If not, well that's because their about 98% identical.  There is only one true difference, MAC's $$$$$ Yes, is more sheer compared to Sally Hansen's, Sterling.  I actually prefer Sally Hansen's formula because it's a tad bit thicker, and has a true metallic silver color payoff.

If you can find this limited color, it's defintely worth picking up.  Sterling is a better and cheaper version of MAC's, $$$$$ Yes nail polish.

FEATURED - Saturday, March 29th 2008

Chanel: Aqualumiere Collection Color Story

 

Effortless summer beauty starts with lips that look sheer and bright, CHANEL designs a winning colour-trifecta: vibrant transparent hues that brush on - and glide on - for a clearly brilliant finish plus the see-thru luminosity of an easy lining pencil.  The added beauty of this collection: All shades of gloss, lipsitck and liner are complimentary to deliver even more options for lips that look moist, ripe....delectable!

Aqualumiere Gloss.  A new High Shine Sheer Concentrate gloss.  A gel based, high shine formula that delivers a punch of color.  Available in 9 colors.  Retail cost $26.00 USD.  Check out the colors below.

BonBon (Beige Rose Sparkle) Vanilla* (Creme) Freeze (Caramel) Candy Glow (Abricot) Diamond Rose (Rose Sparkle) Ironic Tonic (Sparkle Plum) Party Red (Sheer Red) Glass Quartz (Prailine) Bubble Plum (Deep Plum)

 

Aqualumiere Lipshine.  New runway colors, same fabulous formula.  This high shine, sheer coverage, a CHANEL top seller, debuts four new limited edition shades.  Retail $26.00 USD.  Check out the colors below.

Stressa (Rose) Como (Beige) Majorca (Rose Silver) Palma (Abricot)

Antigua** (Peony Rose) Barbados** (Beige Pink) Java**  (Sparkle Plum) Samoa**(Copper Rose)

 

Le Crayon Gloss.  Sheer Lip Colouring Pencil.  The perfect partner for CHANEL sheer lipsticks: this easy gliding precise lining pencil sheer enough to wear with gloss or alone as all over colour.  Retail $25.00 USD.

Clementine (Coral) Fraise (Pink) Rose Honey (Nude Rose) Grenadine (Cherry Red)

*Represents U.S. shade only  **Represents Repromotes 

This collection should hit most Chanel counters within the first week of May. 

May I go ahead and put my order in pretty please?  Look at those glosses, OH my!  The first color that's calling out my name is Party Red (the sheer red lip gloss) followed by Candy Glow (peach apricot color), followed by the Como (beige) lipshine lipstick. 

PS: I did google this new Aqualumiere gloss and found one color available.  But, please be aware this hasn't been released by CHANEL or any CHANEL approved retailers.  So, make sure your ordering from an reliable source.

The Model in the Aqualumiere Promo Ad is wearing: Le Crayon Gloss in Clementine (coral), Aqualumiere lipshine lipstick in Como (beige) and Aqualumiere gloss is Candy Glow (abricot).

Check out the Review and Swatches for Chanels newest gloss.

FEATURED - Wednesday, May 21st 2008

Neo Sci Fi: Swatches, Review, and Product Photos

 

Overall, the Neo Sci Fi is everything I expected.  I think this collection offers a little bit for everyone.  Most shades are very wearable and neutral toned, which many of us will find appealing.  However, there is quite a bit of repromotes in this collection.  But, this may be a good thing, espically if you didn't have chance to grab these in previous collections.  If the color swatches didn't grab your attention, well be prepared, the packaging is sure to "wake" up your day!

It don't take a brain scientist to figure out summer collections are all about the traditional Sun Godess.  So, if you think your seeing deja vu here, you probably are!  The color shades range in Golds, Bronze, Peach, and Browns.  And, I think Sci Fi will be more popular with warmer skin tones.  I really had fun playing with all the colors and chatting it up with the MA's today.  Espically, about the nail polishes.

So, do you notice what's missing in this collection?  Pinks!  The fact that there's not many pink color shades in this collection really tickles my fancy.  I know, I know.... A girl cannot have enough pinks, right?  Well, Pink "RULEZ" in my makeup collection, so, this is definitely a move in the right direction.

Of course, I didn't leave the MAC store empty handed. Take a sneak peek at my haulin pictures.  Some items I picked up were: Sci Fi Delity, Astral, Pink Grapefruit, and Supreme.  For the complete run-down, check out my haul.

Check out all the photo swatches below.

 

Neo Sci Fi Lipsticks  Astral - A mid-tone warm brown lustre with red and gold pigments. The red pearlized pigments are barely noticeable, and the gold shimmer makes this really pretty. Sci Fi Delity - A burnt red frost with gold pigments. As soon as I swatched this, I knew this was love at first site.  It's a perfect color that isn't to bold that everyone can rock. Electro - A very very bright neon orange.  As much as I love to look at gawk at this color, I need to get back to reality.  Because, I know electo would just sit their all lonley with her other sisters.  She has tons of sisters! Pleasureseeker - A sheer creamy peach glaze.  I really wanted to love this color (it was on my haulin list), but, sadly, it was extremely sheer.  My lips are fairly pigmented, so, it took about 5 applications to get good color.  Sunsonic - A light beige gold frost.  So, before you go, uggh... This is suprisingly, a very gorgeous color when paired up MAC's lipglass.  I felt like I was in one of those "Got Milk" advetisments.  umm, yeah, it was basically like a white frosted ring around my lips.  I think ya'll can image what that resembled!  However, I topped off with supreme lipglass = an oh so dreamy choclate creation.

Electro....your so electrifying....

 

Lipglass Naked Space  - is a nude peach with gold shimmer.  Naked Space is fairly light but,  a nice color, espically if your into nude colored glosses. Soft & Slow - is a mid-tone creamy plum with gold shimmer.  A nice pink that has good color pay-off. Pink Grapefruit - is a "must have" beautiful orange with gold pearl.  The swatches do not lie, it's absolultey amazing.  I plan on picking up a back-up this week.  Supreme - a rich milk choclate bronze with white pearl.  This is another color that just popped out to me, it's so rich.  It's also my first brown lipglass purchase.

 

I'm hypnotized by Pink Grapefruit...

Eyeshadows Magenetic Fields - is a brown black with silver pearl.  The color is much more brownish than black.  It's a great darker brown, espically for crease lines. Evening Aura -  is a frosty golden peach velux pearl.  Evening Aura was one of my favorite eyeshadows.  A very beautiful peach golden color for a softer look. Femme Fi - A frosty golden creme pearl velux.  A great highlighting that has awesome color pay-off. Time & Space - A rich copper brown that is highly pigmented.  The color pay-off is beyond excellent.  Expensive Pink - a pink with gold duochrome.  Although this is a permanent color, it is stunning.  I've owned this color for quite sometime and is one of my all-time fav's.

I know there's been alot of confusion about Expensive Pink.  This is a MAC permanent color.  So, don't let the bright orange packaging throw you off.  It's only being promoted with the orange packaging through the Neo Sci Fi collection.  However, the black packaging is available in their regular stock.

Some more pics below....

Powder Blush X-Rocks - A shimmery dirty mauve with great color pay-off and pigmentation. Spaced Out - A shimmery peach with good color pay-off.

I have a fancy with powder blushes, so this was a must have for me.  Spaced Out wasn't as highly pigmented compared to X-Rocks.  But, I may be back to my MAC store to pick up X-Rocks because it was just as gorgeous.

Cremestick Lip Liner 80% - is a Deep cocoa brown Beurre - is a dirted plum Summerfruit - a pale coral

Nail polishes are my major weaknesses.  I literally own about every color in the rainbow.  So, these color were a no brainer for me.  Check out the Neo Sci Fi photo swatches. 

Nail Polish Metalist - A soft light sand shimmer.  I think more of us will flock to this color because it's the safe route.  I passed on this color because it was boring and not unique.  In fact, it reminds me alot of Chanel Antilope and Dior's new summer one.  Plasma Blu - is an bright turquoise shimmer.   This is a pretty bright turquoise that will look fab on toes. Neon 8 - is a coral orange shimmer.  Neon 8 is my favorite color out of the four colors.  The color isn't as bright as you think.  And, is a great orange shade. Phosphor - a bright taxi cab yellow frost.

Check out MAC's Solar Field Review, Swatches, and Product Photos.

FEATURED - Sunday, April 13th 2008

Product Review: Dior Sky Glow 5 Color Eyeshadow

Product: Dior 5 Couleurs in Sky Glow

Price: $54.00

Steph's Rating:

Buy it: Sephora

Recommend: Yes

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

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

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

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

 

 

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

FEATURED - Friday, April 25th 2008

MAC Cosmetics: Cool Heat Collection For Summer

MAC introduces Cool Heat Collection for Summer 2008.  This collection should be arriving at stores and online around June 12, 2008 and International July 2008.  Check out the Product Images and Color Story Below.

Perfumes (Creations): $22.50 USD

• Turquatic Crisp and energizing! A splash of clear, sparkling mineral water brought to a chill through an infusion of fresh lotus leaves and Corsican cedrat, then finished with a warm blend of anemone, orris and blue cedar. (Repromote)
  
• Turquatic Heat - Turquatic heat is a warm, floral, woody fragrance, with a sultry modern sensuality. Inspired by the original turquatic scent, this new edition delivers a unique and strong personality, delivered thru a contrasting heated sweetness. (LE)

Eye Shadows: $14.00 USD

• Solar White - Frosted muted white-gold ((Frost) (LE)
• Warming Trend - Frosty light taupe (Veluxe Pearl) (LE)
• Warm Chill - Frosty seafoam green with gold pearlized pigments (Frost) (LE)
• Gulf Stream - Frosty mid-tone blue-green with green pearlized pigments (Frost) (LE)
• Cool Heat - Frosty teal with multi-dimensional pearlized pigments (Frost) (LE)
• Climate Blue- Midtone violet-blue with pink pearlized pigments (Velvet) (LE)
• Blue Flame - Metallic navy-blue (Veluxe Pearl) (LE)

Slimshines: $14.00  USD

• Tropic Glow - Blue-pink with silver pearlized pigments (Frost) (LE)
• By Degrees - Neutral brown-pink (Frost) (LE)
• Gentle Summer - Light clean yellow-pink with white pearlized pigments (Frost) (New perm shade)
• High 90s - Pink-orange (Frost) (LE)
• Swelter - Sheer red (Frost) (LE)

Cool Heat offers some stunning eyeshadow colors in this collection.  Lust haves for me are Warm Chill (a seafoam green),  Cool Heat (Frosty Teal), and Golf Stream (blue green frost).

{Source: Specktra}

FEATURED - Friday, May 2nd 2008

A Colorful Storybook to a Happy Ending

Product: Sephora Colorful Story Palette

Price: $35.00   (an $80.00 value)

Steph's Rating:

Buy it: Sephora, Limited Edition

Recommend: Yes

Nobody can tell a colorful story like Sephora!  Sephora introduces a limited edition palette feauting 16 of their best selling eye shadow colors.

This is such an fantastic deal!  I originally only purchased this because I needed an item for free shipping!  Sephora always gets ya with that free shipping!  I was automatically drawn to this colorful storybook palette.  But, hesitated for a minute because I've never tried Sephora's eyeshadows.  I knew it couldn't be too bad because they are my #1 beauty authority.  Plus, this would be a perfect Mother's Day gift also.

Overall, this limited edition palette has some great colors choices.  And, is the perfect palette to travel or take on-the-go.  What's great about this palette is the colors are all seasons appropriate which makes this a fab deal!  The only drawback I had is the quality (hey, I'm a MAC girl, I have high expectations).  It is fairly good quality, that is why I rated this 4 kisses but, not the best.  I found that the shadows worked best with a good base such as Urban Decay or my personal fav MAC Paint Pots.

Check out the palette colors below.

The colors featured in this palette include: Strass 7 (charcoral black with silver glitter), 9 (taupe shimmer with gold glitter), 3 (gold shimmer with gold glitter), 2 (silver shimmer with silver glitter); Pearl 8 (champagne beige pearl), 1 (white pearl), 9 (coral pearl), 7 (soft bronze pearl); Chrome 4 (vibrant iridescent teal-turquoise sheen), 3 (brown-green iridescent sheen), 6 (pale opalescent sheen), 2 (rich plum sheen); Mat 6 (matte white), 3 (matte chocolate brown), 7 (matte deep burgundy), 1 (matte charcoal black).

Check out the photo swatches below.  The photo swatches are in the same order as displayed in the picture above.

 Wowza!!!  Chrome No. 4 is my absolute favorite out of the palette....

Chrome No. 3 is a very unique color.  A brown-green iridescent color, that tops off at my second favorite.

 A little more pictures below....

FEATURED - Thursday, May 29th 2008

MAC Colour Form: Color Story, Promo Images

Nordstrom introduces MAC Colour Form as their Anniversary collection this year.  This collection will be available on July 18th, 2008.  Only available at Nordstrom stores and Nordstrom.com.  Check out all the promo images below courtesy of Bjooti.net.

Eyeshadow Palettes:

5 Warm Eyes (LE) $38.00 USD Fertile - blackened brown (S) Chillproof - Frosty creamy white (F) Tancentic - Frosty beige pink (VP) Rolled Gold - Frosty golden olive (L) Rustic - Frosted copper red (VP) 213 SE Application Brush

5 Cool Eyes (LE) $38.00 USD Radial Pink - Frosty white pink (V) Brown Border - Frosty plum(VP) Spot Colour - Mid-tone blue purple w/ white pearlized pigments (L) Blue Spill - Mid-tone cornflower blue w/ gold pearlized pigments (F) Slate- Smoke grey (S) 213 SE Application Brush

Lip Palettes:

Cool Lips (LE) $22.50 USD Miss Rose Lipstick - Creamy mid-tone blue pink (L) Cassis Royale Lipstick - Sheer mid-tone plum (L) Virginity Lipglass - Sheer mid-tone pink w/ pink pearlized pigments 316 SE Application Brush

Warm Lips (LE) $22.50 USD Fresh and Fun - Creamy neutral coral (F) Oh Garnet - Creamy mid-tone red (A) (Repromote) Flash of Flesh - Sheer peach pink w/ multi-dimensional pearlized pigments (Repromote) 316 SE Application Brush

Neutral Lips (LE) $22.50 USD Altered Beige - Creamy yellow beige (L) Square Root - Mid-tone burnt bronze (F) Lunar - Sheer creamy yellow beige w/ white pearlized pigments 316 SE Application Brush

Brush Sets:

Red Nylon Bag - 5 Basic Brush Set  (LE) $49.50 USD 129 SE 190 SE 224 SE 242 SE 266 SE

Green Nylon Bag - 5 Advanced Brush Set (LE) $49.50 USD 187 SE 168 SE 212 SE 219 SE 275 SE

Purple Nylon Bag - 5 Advanced Brush Set (LE) $49.50 USD 187 SE 168 SE 212 SE 219 SE 275 SE

 

Lipsticks (LE) $14.00 USD Naked to the Core - Creamy soft neutral pink outer w/ sheer beige pearlized core (L) Pop Circle - Creamy bright blue pink outer w/ sheer pale pink pearlized core (L) Inner Hue - Creamy mid-tone coral outter w/ sheer golden peach pearlized core (L) Rose Go Round - Creamy burgundy outer w/ sheer golden pink pearlized core (L)

 

Richmetal Hightlighers (LE) $16.50 Female - Frosty pale pink w/ green gold pearlized pigments Deep Deposit - Frosty deep blackened burgundy Quick Flash - Frosty warm gold Rose Bullion - Frosty mid-tone pink w/ gold pearlized pigments Dark Influence - Frosty purple w/ pink pearlized pigments Positive Charge - Frosty copper w/ gold pearlized pigments

 

Pigments (LE) $19.50 Royal Flush - Frosty mid-tone red Gilded Green - Frosty mid-tone green w/ gold pearlized pigments Tea Time - Bronzed brown w/ multi-dimensional pearlized pigments Jardin Aires - Tan w/ gold pearlized pigments (Repromote) Circa Plum - Frosty mid-tone lavender Steel Blue - Rich deep turquoise greenblue w/ small pearlized pigments (PRO item)

Colour Form Powder:

Sun Centered (LE) $24.50 Coral w/ gold pearlized pigments Mid-tone bronze Soft wheat w/ gold & silver pearlized pigments Soft peach w/ white pearlized pigments

Play Around Pink (LE) $24.50 Intense blue mid-tone pink w/pearlized pigments Plum Soft pink w/ pink & white pearlized pigments Light pink

{Info: Specktra}

FEATURED - Thursday, May 29th 2008

MAC Electro Flash: Color Story, Product Images

Here's some more MAC collection info I've been meaning to post.  MAC introduces Electro Flash collection for Summer 2008.  This new collection consists of 9 gorgeous Mineralized Eyeshadow Duos, along with 4 lipsticks, 4 lipglass and a Large Fluff Brush.  This new collection should be available starting in August.  Check out the product photos below courtesy of Bjooti.net.

Mineralized Eye Shadow Duos Play on Plums Mélange/Mono - Peachy gold with pink and bronze veining / Bronzed burgundy mono Sea & Sky Mélange/Mono - Silvery pale blue with deep blue and silver veining / Bright blue mono Hot Contrast Mélange/Mono - Dirty red with silver and black veining / Black mono Love Connection Mélange/Mono - Pale beige with gold and blue veining / Warm gold mono Two to Glow Mélange/Mono - Dirty bronze with pink and orange veining / Orange mono Odd Couple Mélange/Mono - Warm gold with lavender and bronze veining / Purple mono Polar Opposites Mélange/Mono - Dirty purple with silver, indigo and pink veining / True silver mono Fresh Green Mix Mélange/Mono - Golden olive with blue, gold and aqua veining / Lime mono Pink Split Mélange/Mono - Dirty rose with bronze and pale blue veining / Pink with gold pearl mono

Lipsticks - $14.00 USD Vanity’s Child - Sheer pale beige with pearl (Lustre) (LE) Fast Thrill - Frosty clean mid-tone pink with pearl (Frost) (LE) Mellow Mood - Glossy mid-tone dirty pink with pearl (Lustre) (LE) Dangerously Hot - Creamy deep brown red (Amplified) (LE)

 

Lipglass - $14.00 USD Culture Clash - Frosty clear baby pink with multi-dimensional pearl (Frost) (LE) Major Minor - Frosty mid-tone beige with multi-dimensional pearl (Frost) (LE) Sonic Vibe - Frosty mid-tone pink with multi-dimensional pearl (Frost) (LE) Lil’ Hot Pepper - Frosty burnt red with multi-dimensional pearl (Frost) (LE)

Brush - $30.00 USD  227 Large Fluff Brush

{Info: Kiss and Makeup}

FEATURED - Thursday, June 19th 2008

Dior Fall 2008 Makeup: Impression Cuir Collection

For Dior’s Fall 2008 Ready-to-Wear collection, designer John Galliano imagined a refined sensuality accentuated by precious python and ostrich skins, fox fur, and crocodile skin patterns.  Now comes Dior’s most exotic color collection yet:  Impression Cuir, which channels the luxury of animal-inspired patterns and textures and features rich, romantic shades of burgundy, plum, and copper.

Color Story

Impression Cuir Eye palette ($55.00) pictured above

2-Colour Eyeshadow in Bronzy Look and Silver Look ($35.00)

DiorSkin Poudre Shimmer in Copper Diamond ($42.00)

DiorBlush in Pink Copper ($38.00)

5-Colour Eyeshadow in Earth Tones and Iridescent Leather ($54.00)

Crayon Eyeliner in Iridescent Khaki #363 ($25.00)

Creme de Gloss in Creamy Burgundy  and Delicious Plum ($25.50)

Rouge Dior in Western Beige, Pink Drama, Fantastic Plum, Fiction Brown ($27.00)

Ultra-Gloss Reflect in Lace Beige #587 and Lurex Plum #877 ($24.50)

Dior Contour in Mythical Brown #713 and Mysterious Plum #988 ($25.00)

Dior Vernis in Red Ebony and Mystic Violine (Sephora exclusive) ($19.00)

Dior 5 colour eyeshadow quint in Irisdescent Leather ($55.00).  Dior's 5 colour irisdescent quints are truely fabulous and contain the perfect color combinations.

Dior Le Vernis nail polish in Mystic Violine (the sephora exclusive) and Rouge lipstick in Fantastic Plum.  I presume this collection will be available sometime in August.

The Fall 08 makeup collection is in - check out the swatches and review. 

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 - Friday, July 4th 2008

Product Review: Loreal Hip Metallic Shadow Duo

Product: L'oreal HiP Metallic Shadow

Price: $6.99

Steph's Rating:

Buy it: Drugstores

Recommend: Yes

Fly into the metallic world of color with Loreal's new Hip metallic eyeshadow duo's with rich, high pearl finish full of intense color.

HiP introduces another great product to their shadow duo line - a metallic with an insane amout of pigmentation and color pay-off.  These new metallic shadows are the whip you guys, for serious.  Gilded is the shade that came home with me today.  A true metallic gold with a brown w/gold shimmer for creases that is featured on the display promo.  A perfect combo to go with richness of Chanel Gold Fiction nail polish this Fall.

I was instantly drawn into the high intensity metallic pigments of the duo shadows.  Their practical, everyday colors you can incorporate into your work and school wardrobe.  Not bright and outrageous like some of the regular non-metallic shades. Five colors combinations are available in: Gun Metal -jade green/olive, Magnetic - navy blue/light blue, Sculpted - mauve/light pink, Gilded - gold/brown and Platinum - black/silver.  Check out the photo swatch below.

 

Two swipes with my finger delivers intense gold color that blended perfectly with my MAC 239 brush.  A sponge applicator and mirror is included with compact but, you'll get better results with a makeup brush such as MAC's or any flat tipped eye shadow brush.  

It's really hard to find a good metallic eyeshadow with staying power and color pay-off.  And, these rock compared to the dreadful, metal-x shadows from MAC.  Everything about metal-x collection was horrible - crease lines everywhere, texture nearly impossible to deal with - to much hassle than it's worth.  I have some swatches of metal-x and mineralized shadows I'll be putting up soon to compare textures.

 

Overall, HiP metallic shadow duos earned four kisses but, may easily earn five after a few more uses.  Other great colors are Platinum and Gunmetal.  I may go back seeing how wonderful these turned out.

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 - Wednesday, July 9th 2008

Loreal HiP Metallic Shadow: Gun Metal, Platinum

The other day I blogged about Loreal's new Hip Metallic Shadows Duos.  Well, these shadows are so wonderful that two new shades came home with me yesterday.  Gun Metal - a metallic olive shade with forest/green shimmer and Platinum - a silver metallic shade with a black/silver shimmer.

Check out the swatches below.

Gun Metal is a pretty combintation of olive and forest green color.  The green shimmer in the darker shade is stunning along with gold undertones in the olive.   Platinum is a great combination to accomplish that smokey eye look.  It's also a great combination for a night out or holiday parties.

Check out my eye look with the Gun Metal Quad.

I literally put this together in two shakes of a lambs tail with no time or effort wasted.  Outstanding color payoff and pigmentation made the application like cake.  I love that you can mix and match with other Hip metallic colors.  The gold in the Gilded duo topped over Gun Metal looks amazing!

FEATURED - Tuesday, July 15th 2008

MAC Cosmetics: Lustre Twins Collection

I'm seriously backed up on all my upcoming MAC Collection releases.  Here are the prelimanries details of the new Lustre Twins collection according to our friends at Specktra.

Pro Longwear Lustres - A two-step application of lightweight colour + mirror-finished top coat. Apply the colour. Let it dry. Apply the top coat! Provides sheer to medium coverage with a rich, lustrous, moisturizing finish. Longwearing, comfortable on the lips. Won’t shift, transfer, feather or smudge. $20.00 USD

• Coco Lust /Sweet Sexy - Deep red brown/copper brown with gold pearlized pigments
• Red Flame / Orange Flicker - Intense bright yellow red/bright yellow red with gold pearlized pigments
• Red Reflection / Mirror - Deep berry magenta with pearlized pigments/clear with white pearlized pigments
• Pink Air / White Top - Light pink with pearlized pigments/clear white with red and pink pearlized pigments
• Ripe and Ready / Soft and Lush - Bright pink coral with gold pearlized/yellow pink with gold pearlized pigments
• Gypsy Rose / Shimmer it - Berry red with gold pearlized pigments/white gold with multi-coloured pearlized pigments
• Custom Rose / Pink Virtue - Berry plum with pearlized pigments/light blue pink with silver pearlized pigments
• Boss brown / Slave to Pink - Chocolate bronze with pearlized pigments/champagne neutral with pearlized pigments
• Alta Moda / Hip Love - Deep blackened red/deep plum with red pearlized pigments

Nail Lacquer - $11.00 USD

• $$$$$ Yes - Metallic silver foil (frost)(Repromote from Heatherette) 
• Perplexing - Deep blue purple (frost)(New and PERM)
• Firehouse - Bright chrome red (frost)(New and PERM)

This collection should be available at MAC stores on July 31, 2008.  I'll defintely be passing on this release.  If your not familiar Pro Longwear Lustres, the lipstick combo dries out your lips to the extreme and two of the nail polishes will be perm.

{Source: Specktra}

FEATURED - Tuesday, July 15th 2008

MAC Cosmetics: Cult of Cherry Collection

I've had the color information for months now.  It was one of those releases that just got lost in translation because their are so many upcoming MAC collections!  Check out the color and product information below.

Available at MAC stores August 21st

Eyeshadow Quad: Spiced Chocolate $36.00 USD (LE)

• Nanogold - Sheer yellow beige with pink pearl (Lustre) (Repromote from N Collection)
• Brash - Frosty reddish copper (Veluxe Pearl)
• Spiced Chocolate - Deep reddish brown (Matte)
• Sweet Chestnut - Frosted cranberry (Frost)

Eyeshadow Quad: Tempting Quad $36.00 USD (LE)

• Next to Nothing - Next to Nothing - Cream white with pink pearl (Frost) (Repromote from Smoke Signals)
• Sharp - Frosty bright yellow-green (Satin)
• Dark Edge - Dirty chocolate brown (Matte) (Repromote from N Collection) 
• Tempting - Sinfully rich coco (Lustre) (Repromote)

Eyeshadow Quad: Shadowy Lady Quad $36.00 USD (LE)

• Light Fall - Light Pink (Satin)
• Smudged Violet - Frosty blackened lavender with multi-dimensional pearlized pigments (Frost)
• Deep Truth - Dark blue (Frost) (Repromote)
• Shadowy Lady - Darkly veiled plum (Matte) (Repromote)

Lipsticks: $14.00 USD

• Creme Cerise - Sheer yellow taupe (Lustre) (LE)
• Lightly Ripe - Sheer mid-tone pink (Lustre) (LE)
• Russian Red - Intense bluish-red (Matte) (Repromote)
• O - Intense purplish-red with metallic golden shimmer (Frost) (Repromote)
• So Scarlet - Grape burgundy (Amplified Creme) (LE)

Lipglass: $14.00 USD

• Cherry Blossom - Sheer light pink with multi-dimensional pearlized pigments (Frost) (LE)
• Rich & Ripe - Mid-tone pinkish red with multi-dimensional pearlized pigments (Frost) (LE)
• Cult of Cherry - Red with red pearlized pigments (Frost) (LE)
• Liquor - Neutral brownish mauve with multi-dimensional pearlized pigments (Frost)(LE)
• Jampacked - Sheer grape with multi-dimensional pearlized pigments (Frost) (LE)

Mattenes: $14.50 USD

• Rapturous - Deep berry red (LE) (Repromote from Mattene)
• Kirsch - Blackened cranberry (Mattene) (LE)
• Chock-ful - Blackened brown (Mattene) (LE)
• Bing - Blackened eggplant (Mattene) (LE)

Nail Lacquer: $11.00 USD

• Silverstruck - Frosted greyed taupe with multi-dimensional pearlized pigments (Frost)(LE)
• Illegal Purple - Creamy blackened eggplant (Cream) (LE).

Blush: $17.50 USD

• Plum du Bois - Frosted deep pink bronze with gold pearlized pigments (Frost) (LE)
• Blooming - Frosted deep peach (Frost) (LE).

Mascara: - $12.00 USD

• Zoomblack - Rich Black (Permanent)

The eyeshadow quads look amazing only if the colors weren't repromotes.  The Tempting quad has three repromotes (are you kidding me) along with a gorgeous new yellow shade that's in between Eyepopping and Going Bananas.  This kinda frustrates me knowing I have one, two and even three shades of each quad.

Check out the Cult of Cherry invitation for the launch party held on August 12th.  Craving cherries? take a peek at the photo swatches, review, lip looks using cult of cherry lipstick colors, nail polish swatches and my makeup haul.

{Source: Kiss and Makeup, Specktra}

FEATURED - Wednesday, July 16th 2008

MAC Cosmetics: Suite Array Collection

The Suite Array collection introduces a new eye shadow suite with pearl glide liners.  Check out all the color information below.  All preliminary information and pictures courtsey of Specktra and Ernie1881.

The Suite Array collection should be available on Sept 25th.

Eye shadow Suites - $16.00 USD

• Blue Zone - Deep grey/green with silver pearlized pigments/Light ice blue with silver pearlized pigments.
• Ocean 2 - Mid-tone blue with silver pearlized pigments/Light blue with silver pearlized pigments.
• Smoke & Ash - Black with silver pearlized pigments/Mid-tone grey silver with pearlized pigments.
• Counterparts - Deep forest with gold pearlized pigments/Mid-tone orange with gold pearlized pigments.
• Rose Suites - Intense blue pink/Light yellow with silver pearlized pigments
• Shallow v. Deep - Bluish green with gold pearlized pigments/Mint with silver pearlized pigments.
• Sweet Liason - Pale yellow with gold pearlized pigments/Deep brown with gold pearlized pigments.
• Team Violets - Dark burgundy with burgundy pearlized pigments/Mid-tone violet with gold pearlized pigments.

Pearlglide Liners - $14.50 USD

• Wolf - Deep grey with gold glitter
• Rave - Deep purple with purple glitter
• Fly-by-Blu - Light blue with blue glitter
• Black Russian - Black with navy blue glitter
• Miss Fortune - Eggplant with light pink glitter
• Bankroll - Rich green with bright green sparkle
• Spare Change - Mid-tone brown with copper glitter
• Molasses - Brown with mid-tone brown glitter

Thanks to Ernie1881 for this sneak peak.  To check out more pictures from this collection, click here.

FEATURED - Thursday, July 17th 2008

Chanel Autumn 2008: Limited Edition Blushers

Chanel's autumn 08' collection is a tribute to the classic 1950's tweed.  Four new limited edition blushers will be available in shades of Coral, Red, Pink and Amber combined with silver and gold shimmers formed in "tweed" like textures.  But, these tweed blushers don't come cheap, retailing at $61.00 (ouch!) each.  The collection is slated for mid September 08'.

{Images via: Bellezapura}

FEATURED - Tuesday, July 22nd 2008

Pedi of the Day: Chanel Rodeo Drive

My pedi of the day is the beautiful, Rodeo Drive from Chanel's Robertson Blvd Collection and is my favorite shade out of the collection.  A very pretty lilac purple color with subtle silver shimmer makes this color quite unique in my nail polish collection.

There's been quite a few mixed reviews regarding the new Robertson Blvd collection - some bad, and some good.  Overall, most of the polishes applied flawlessly for me with two easy coats.  The yellow shade was the only color I had application problems but, every yellow shade is difficult in my opinion.  I'll be elborating a little more when LA Sunrise is featured as my pedi.

Check out some comparisons below.

I don't own many lilac purple colors because this shade is quite new to the fashion industry and was just introduced last year.  The most obvious comparisons are Chanel Rodeo Drive and Rescue Beauty Lounge's Purple Haze which are completely different in their own way.  Purple Haze is navy blue based violet/purple compared to a true lilac purple.

Hope everyone is having a fabulous day! 

FEATURED - Sunday, July 27th 2008

Pedi of the Day: Chanel LA Sunrise

Today's pedi of the day is LA Sunrise - a soft yellow color with subtle silver shimmer.  The pale lemon shade is absolutely gorgeous and unlike any yellow in my collection.  However, the application was extremely streaky and difficult to accomplish a polished manicured look.  You may need some crazy pills dealing with yellow polishes because they share one thing in common - the formula is a nightmare!  But, don't fret there's hope - call your manicurist!

Rescue Beauty Lounge and China Glaze are two brands of yellow that applies perfectly for me.  Check out some yellow comparisons below. 

LA Sunrise is more toned down compared to my other yellow polishes which, makes her unique.  Essie's shorty pants and Zoya's Creamy are much brighter than Chanel's but, can pass as dupes within themselves.  Shorty Pants applies thicker than Creamy but, the finished results are pretty much the same.

UPDATE: I love love love this color, it's so fab ya'll!

FEATURED - Monday, July 28th 2008

Shu Uemura Fall 08: Instinct Collection

The Instinct Fall Mode collection is now available online at Shu Uemura. 

"Stimulate your instincts with shu uemura's Fall Mode Makeup Collection! Explore these layerable, sensual and iridescent shades of Fall to discover your own make-up expression! Staying true to shu uemura's heritage of innovative and conceptual design, each item is encased within palettes of silver, gold and black motifs, expressing the modernism and elegance of the collection's femininity".

Duo Eyeshadow ($38.00) in Mesmerizer - sumptous violets in creme and powder formula, Tantalizer - green and goldish bronze in creme in powder formulla, Mystifier - a green black and brown bronze.

Glow on Blush ($21.00) in Lust - a reddish pink with subtle pearl, Pulse - warm elegant pink with fine pearl and Steam - a sensual hightlight with platnium like glitters.

Rouge Unlimited Crystal Shine ($23.00) in Crimson Dazzle - a rich red and Brown Dazzle - a beige brown colors.

Luring Powder ($38.00) in Rose - a sensual pink shade that compliments all skin types.

Nail Enamel ($16.00) in Dark Wine - a dark wine shade with silver and gold glitter.  Must have shade for polish addicts.

FEATURED - Monday, August 4th 2008

Dior Fall 08 Collection: Review, Swatches

Overall, Dior's new fall collection offers a nice collection of neutrals with an edge of color.  This is a great collection espically for neutral lovers wanting to ad a jolt of color this fall.  However, I was slightly disappionted because some shades were sheer and the pay-off wasn't there -espically for darker skin tones.  I'd hoped this collection be in the same category as MAC's Cult of Cherry with rich, dark, vampy shades but, it's not.  

Dior's new Fall 08 makeup collection, Dandy Lady, should be readily available at most counters or within the next week.  Check out all the photo swatches below. 

My local counter didn't have all their stock in so, one lippie's missing.  Despite the promotional images, Fantastic Plum applied sheer as a cool berry shade which, was a huge disappiontment to me because I was expecting more of a dark, gothy shade.  Regardless, it's an beautiful berry-wine color.

Delicious Plum is a gorgeous berry wine color with excellent pay-off and is the bread winner of the four. 

The gorgeous olive green and gold in the Khaki eye liner looked divine with my olive complexion and green eyes. 

At first, Dior's 5-colour quint in Earth Tones didn't interest me whatsoever until swatched.  All the colors had excellent pay-off on my NC-30 skin and was suprisingly beautiful.  However, I didn't pick this up yet, the word is YET.  This is an great universal quad that would appeal on anyone.

From the first sight of the product image - I knew this wouldn't be for me.  The color pay-off took several swipes to achieve the swatched color above. 

Both eye shadow duo's are pretty but, nothing unique from the Silver and Bronzy.

While the exotic crocodile print in the Impression Cuir is striking to look at but,  the color pay-off wasn't there.  The swatch above was swiped serval times with my finger and who wants to ruin the gorgeous print?  Copper Diamond highligher is just simply gorgeous for every complexion.  My Dior MA told me all five shades are different colors which, is something Dior usually don't do.  Simply stunning.

Being a crazed nail polish addict - it was a no brainer for these drool worthy vampy shades.  Red Ebony, a glossy reddish brown creme with subtle shimmer that's featured in the Dandy Lady campaign ad, is much prettier than expected.  Initially, this shade didn't come home with me because I didn't think it was special but, it is!  Hopefully, you guys were able to pick up the Nordstrom Beauty Exclusive, Liquorice - a pretty plum color drenched with shimmer.

I've been told Dior's, Red Ebony nail polish, is only avaiable at Dior counters and will not be available at Sephora or Nordstrom.  Sephora is also debuting a Dior exclusive called Mystic Violine which should be available sometime this month.

FEATURED - Wednesday, August 6th 2008

Shu Uemura Dark Wine: Something to talk about

Shu Uemura's new fall nail polish in Dark Wine ($16),  is so smoking hot, it should come with an R rating, ya'll. The pictures don't justify the gorgeous-ness of this color. Dark Wine is a perfect shade of black cherry-wine loaded down with gold, silver and red/wine colored glitter - truely fabulous and unique in all ways. Three light coats applied flawlessly with no real issues in my photo swatches.

The swatch above is taken in sunlight.  Check out more swatches below.

Photo swatch above taken in shade.

Shu Uemura has a great fall 08 collection lineup.  Another item that came home with me is Crystal Shine Lipstick in Crimson Dazzle - a gorgeous shade of crimson red - beautiful.  I'll be posting that shortly. 

FEATURED - Wednesday, August 13th 2008

MAC Cult of Cherry: Review and Swatches

Tonight at the Cult of Cherry launch party godiva chocolate martinis and yummy hors d'oeuvres were served by the sexy and stylish Cult of Cherry chic all decked out in cherries.  The store was packed and extremely hot as they only let about 40 people in at a time - that's alot considering how little the stores usually are.  The hot flashes were starting to come on and I couldn't wait to get the heck outta there.

Overall, Cult of Cherry is a great selection of color to choose for Fall - from dark vampy colors to reds and pinks.  It's a great variety for every appetite.  The lipstick and lipglasses impressed me the most - espically, the Mattene colors.  The shades are dark, vampy and have fabulous color payoff - exactly what I'm looking for this fall season.  Jampacked lipglass is drop dead gorgeous and will appeal on any skintone, seriously.  I saw this shade on fair, medium and dark skin - truely beautiful ya'll.

Check out some swatches below. 

The Mattenes's are in a slimline case much like the slimshines but are semi-matte texture.  Some of us probably won't like the textrues - just because they don't glide on easily like MAC's lipsticks.  But, don't let that hold you back because the colors are fab and looks hot paired up with MAC's lipglasses.

So Scarlet - a must have dark wine shade and Creme Cerise - yellow beige neutral shade are the two stand-out colors in this collection.  Lightly Ripe is also a pretty pink color if you looking to tone it down a bit.

Cult of Cherry - a sparkling red with amazing color pay-off along with Jampacked a deep grape gloss that leans more on the dark magenta side are both must have colors. 

Blooming was hardly faint on my NC-35 and Plum De Bois is a beautiful brownish plum that would appeal even on lighter skin tones.  The color is very buildable and not to dark.

As much as I wanted to resist the yellowish lime shade of Sharp - I couldn't.  The color has excellent pay-off and just looked amazing with the other shades in the quad.  Sharp looks espically fabulous on ladies of color.

The bad news - there's two repromotes in this quad and thank goodness it's not Satin Taupe.   I know some of you are torn on wether to purchase this quad for the yellow shade.  So, here's my advice on the situation.  If you own overgrown or bitten you might want to think about passing on this one because their close.  Personally, I don't own those two shades which, is one of the reasons this came home with me. 

Spiced Choclate quad is suprising beautiful with excellent pay-off.  I didn't expect to bring this home with me.  In fact, me and my friend Tracy both picked this one up.  Very gorgeous - the orange frosty shade reminded me alot of Firespot from the Moonbathe collection.

Shadowy Lady quad was the only one that didn't interest me.  When I was swatching this quad at the Launch party with my girlfriend Tracy - she automatically picked up on how boring the colors were.  And she's not a crazed MAC fan like myself.    

Illegal Purple is a glossy black cherry shade verses a purple eggplant as described on the color story, which, was a little disappionting.  It's very pretty and the application applied flawlessly but, it's just your standard black cherry creme polish.  Now, on to Silverstruck, a gorgeous multi-dimensional grey taupe frost that is so very "WOW" unique.  I'll be posting a seperate swatches for the nail polishes.

So, there it is!  What do you guys think of Cult of Cherry - Any takers?  I'll be posting my haul pictures soon.

FEATURED - Friday, August 15th 2008

MAC Cult of Cherry: Nail Polish Swatches

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

FEATURED - Tuesday, August 26th 2008

Milani Goes Pop Art in six Gorgeous Ways

Don't ask me why Milani decided to introduce these gorgeous metallic shades so late in the game.  Just when you thought Fall was here - Milani pulls a little rabbit out of their hat.  infact, six new limited edition rabbits!  woot, woot!  But hey, better late than never!  Plus it's never too late to sport around pop color.

I'm not certain if there's a collection name, but, all six new shades are named after "art/design".  So, I'm just callin them Pop Art.  Shimmers, shimmers and more shimmers -  that's all you'll see in this new collection.   So much shimmer they can be classifed as metallic-like.

The best way to capture shimmers is with the sun and that's not happenin today.  The dark clouds have been hanging around for last couple days and isn't budging.  I would assume alot of us are having this nasty weather (my heart goes out to anyone in extreme circumstances).  But, in the next couple day's, I'll be replacing my swatches with regular ones. 

Check out the photo swatches below. 

Red Canvas - cherry red shade with gold and red shimmer.  Good color pay-off, two coats will you give good coverage.  No application problems.

                                          

Pink Abstract - a hot pink drenched in pink and silver shimmer.  Two coats will give you good coverage and three will make you shine.  No application problems.

 

Art Deco Blue - a royal blue metallic shade with aqua shimmer.  Two coats will give you good coverage and color pay-off.

 

Purple Pop Art - is going to be my next pedi shade which, I'll be posting tomorrow.  A magenta pink-purple with blue and pink shimmer.  Two coats will give you good cover but three is recommended for the bottle color.

 

Green Impressions - a granny smith apple green loaded with green and gold shimmers.   One particular thing I like - the conjuction of green and gold shimmers gives the appearence of multi-dimensonel under certain lighting.  The bad news - they are fairly sheer and require four coats or more to achieve bottle color.

 

Modern Yellow reminds me of China Glaze in Solar power with one minor expection.  It's completely drenched in gold and yellow shimmer - very gorgeous!  Just like Green Impresssions, the application required four coats to achieve bottle color.

 

Honestly, I liked every shade in this collection.  Very suitable for most people - if you love shimmer polishes.  Who doesn't like to shine with every color in the rainbow!  Hope your having a wonderful day!

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 - Monday, September 22nd 2008

Fall 08 Swatches: Nicole By OPI

While I was shopping at my local grocery store the other day - I stumbled upon a new Nicole by OPI display that caught my attention. Pictured above,  On Nicole's Wish List,. a translucent milky clear loaded with white and silver shimmer.  On my swatch, I just applied two coats on my natural nail.  You can also use this over a off white or a silver polish that would look fab.

The next three swatches below are all black based polishes loaded with shimmer - that are simply divine.   

Black to the Future - a black with purple shimmer.  Two coats gives you good coverage and three gives you more of a purple shades.

Blue's in the Night is my favorite shade I purchased.  A black with navy and aqua blue shimmer.

Midnight Madness - Although this may look similar to Blue's in the Night but, it's a little different.  A black with turquoise shimmer.  Later, I'll be comparions side by side swatches of these two.

The new fall and holiday colors should be available now or within the new week.  Keep your eyes out because these are truely unique shades for black lovers.

FEATURED - Wednesday, September 24th 2008

Limited Edition: NYC Gets Metalicious for Fall

New York Color cosmetics introduces the metals for fall.  A collection consistsing of mineralize metallic eyeshadows, two lipsticks, lip gloss and a must have metallic nail polish - that's a definte hit in my book!

This limited edition display should be hitting most stores now or later this week.  Make sure you keep your eyes peeled because, my store only had two slots for Molten Metal nail polish *gasp*!  Should of, would of, could of picked up the other bottle but, I wanted to give someone else the oppurtunity to grab this awesome nail shade.

Check out the photo swatches below.   

24KT Chrome lip gloss is a gold loaded down with gold shimmer.  Marbleyes mineralize metallic eyeshadows in Aquamarine - a teal shimmer mixed together and Tiger's Eye - a light bronzy gold shimmer mixed together.

Saving the best for last.

Ever since Michelle gave us a preview of Molten Metal - I couldn't wait to get my hands on it.  If you have any doubts, don't.  Because your doubts could be someone else's treasure. 

Molten Metal's a very hard color to describe.  A reddish burgandy brown based loaded with silver glitter.  One thing I absolultey loved about this color, it compliments everything, and I mean everything.  Pinks, Reds, Purple, you name it.  It's totally smashing, you guys!

The picture above was taken in the shade and is accurate color representation.  This collection is only available for a limited time where all New York Color cosmetics are sold.

FEATURED - Saturday, September 27th 2008

Borghese Roman Holiday Collection

Borghese introduces another nail polish collection this season - The Roman Holiday.  An ultra blingy collection of six limited edition shades consisting of: silver, gold, reds, pinks and plums - perfect for those holiday occassions.  All six shades are loaded down with mass shimmer - to sparkle and shine.

Overall, this is a great collection - particularly if you love shimmer based polishes.  Out of the six shades, only four stand out colors came home with me.  The other two colors I choose not to purchase was just your standard cherry red and hot pink shimmer's.

Check out the photo swatches below.    

Bella Blackberry is one of my favorite shades out of this collection.  A deep burgandy plum color with pink shimmer.

Romanza Ruby - a ruby red with pink and red shimmer.  In my swatch above, the color may look more cherry red but, in real lift it's a darker ruby red.  Perfect holiday event color.

Celestiale Silver and Trevi Gold aren't your standard gold and silver metallic shades.  Both colors are unique in their own way with a pewter colored undertone.

Celestiale Silver is a light silver with matching shimmer and pewter undertones.  Both these polishes have the same texture as Chanel's Kaleidoscope. 

Trevi Gold can be described as a dirty toned down gold that also has pewter colored undertones.  Check out some comparisons below.

Chanel Kaleidoscope has more noticeable pewter color compared to Borghese but, may not be so different in real life.  Although, the colors are different they all share one thing in common - the pewter colored undertones.

The Roman Holiday should be available now at your local CVS or Walgreens. 

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 - Sunday, October 5th 2008

Chanel Holiday 08 Collection: Review, Swatches

Can you hear those sleigh bells ringing yet?!  It's not even fall and the Holidays are hitting most counters.  Actually, Chanel is always the first to release their collection super duper early and the rest seem to follow.  That's Chanel for ya!

Chanel's new holiday collection continues the "gold-theme" carried out through their fall collection as it is with most holiday releases.  Two colors that we continually to see is Red and Gold shades that never get old. 

You may see a couple of familiar items silimiar to their Fall collection but, I assure you they are quite different.  Foremost, the gold highlighting podwer's.  Gold Fever, released back in fall, is a gold beauty powder compared to holiday release.  The Pourde Precieuse Or is absolutely stunning as you'll see in the swatches below.  What's different - it's actually a pigment verses a powder and it's filled with gold and silver glitter - it's breath taking, you guys!

Check out all the swatches below.

The only lipstick that was a stand-out was Audace - a vibrant holiday red.  It's pretty but, not so unique.

Looking at Gold Shine - your probably thinking it's exactly the same as Gold Light.  But, it's not.  What's so unique about Gold Shine is you'll notice a peachy-pink base color which is stunning verses a clearish base.  Red Shine - a pretty red gloss perfect for the holiday.

 Chanel Holiday 08 Quad.

The Quad was prettier than I expected and the color pay-off was good on my NC-30 skin.  The gold highlighting powder looked gorgeous topped over the eye shadow quad.

How many times can I say WOW in a sentence?!  Don't worry, I'll spare you guys from the torture.  The gold highlighter is absolutely amazing and the picture doesn't even justify it.  When I was at the Chanel counter I grabbed the last one of these babies and the makeup artist was showing how multi purpose this stuff is.  You can add this to your lip glosses, eye shadow, nail polishes and even moisturizer.  If you can only get one product - do purchase this because it's truely amazing and beautiful!

Three nail polishes were released with this collection and Haute Chocolat was the only worthy one.  A gorgeous hot chocolate brown filled with gold pearl and very subtle red shimmer.  Check out more photos for Haute Chocolate.

Check out my Chanel makeup haul from the Holiday collection.  This collection should be available in the next weeks to come and on chanel.com.

FEATURED - Friday, October 10th 2008

Sally Hansen Fall 08: Tracy Reese Collection

Year after Year Sally Hansen collaborates with fashion designer, Tracy Reese to bring us the latest and greatest nail trends right from the Runway.  For Fall 2008, Sally Hansen and Tracy Resse introduces 10 limited edition shades directly from Tracy's Fall 2008 Fashion Runway show.

The fall collection includes 10 new shades sure to please any appetite.  The shades range from your basic nude colors to vampy and edgy - perfect for fall trends.  Sally's best selling formula provides full coverage with two easy applications.  Some colors used three applications just to even everything out.  But, overall, two coats was the average for me.

Check out all the photo swatches below.

I'll be the first to admit - nude colors aren't my thang but, Divinity - a true nude with gold shimmer and slight pink undertones ended up being one of my favorite shades from the Fall collection.

 

Quartz Chameleon - a soft pink with gold shimmer.

Moonstone was my least favorite shade from the Tracy Reese collection.  Despite the grey bottle color, it's more of an white frost with silver shimmer. 

If it wasn't for Sally Hansen's previous release in Gunmetal, I would be all over this color.  Stormy Blue was slightly disappionting just because Gunmetal is pretty much an exact dupe.

 For the swatch above, three coats were applied on each nail.

Raven's Wing - a black loaded down with black, gold, and silver shimmer that's very blingy.  I absolutely love black nail polish colors for Fall - it's the new blue baby.  What makes Raven's Wing different from any other black is the beautiful gold base shimmer.

The Good Earth - a dark brown coffee shade with gold and red shimmer.  Good Earth is a darker brown than Chanel's new one, Haute Chocolat.  Check out the brown nail polish comparisons.

Alchemy, another favorite from the collection, a magenta purple with red and pink shimmer.

Cruel Heart - a ruby red with matching shimmer.  Just your standard red, nothing special.

Night Lily - a deep berry purple pink creme.  Unfortanetly, my swatch isn't an accurate color respresentation for some reason.  It's a much deeper purple berry shade that's very pretty. Check out an example below.

Night Lily has the same base color as Massini's Purple Medallion.  Just to give you an idea how off my swatch is above.

The Tracy Reese collection should be available now at most stores reatailing ($4.99 and up).

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 - Tuesday, October 21st 2008

MAC Dame Edna Collection: Color Story

Lipstick (LE) - $14.00 USD

• Kanga-rouge – Creamy dark blue red (amplified creme)
• Gladiola – Matte mid-tone blue pink (matte)
• Coral polyp – Creamy mid-tone coral (amplified creme)

Lipglass (LE) $14.00 USD

• Hot Frost – Sheer mid-tone blue pink with multi-dimensional pearlized pigments (frost)
• Splendid – Frosty pale pinky coral (frost)
• Possum Nose Pink – Sheer bright coral with multi-dimensional pearlized pigments (frost)

Eye Shadow Trio (LE) - $32.50 USD

Royal Tour Eye Trio

• Royal Tour – Mid-tone cool lilac (satin)
• Dame’s Desire – Frosty mid-tone reddish purple (frost)
• Climate Blue – Dark blue violet with pink pearlized pigments (velvet) (Repromote from Cool Heat)

Wisteria Eye Trio

• Fineshine - Frosty true-silver (lustre) (Repromote from Lustrevision)
• Wisteria – Frosty robin’s egg blue (velvet)
• Divine Night – Frosty charcoal with silver pearlized pigments (velvet)

Highlight Powder (LE) - $26.00 USD

• What a Dame! – Pale orangey pink
• Spectacle – Pale soft pink

Nail Lacquer (LE) $11.00 USD

• Asiatique – Creamy classic red (creme) (Repromote from Ornamentalism)
• Varicose Violet – Frost mid-tone pinkish purple (frost)

The Dame Edna Collection will be available December 26th (US/Canada).

{Source: Specktra}

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 - 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 - 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 - Saturday, November 15th 2008

Nail Polish of the Day: Givenchy Purple by Night

Happy Saturday!  It's 86 degrees, sunny and beautiful at Captiva island in Sanibel, FL.  Since Wednesday, we've been vacationing in FL and the gorgeous beach and warm weather keeps holding me back from opening my laptop.

I've had Givenchy's Purple by Night ($15 for .018 oz) for quite sometime now and I'm just getting to this, sorry guys!  Described as a purple loaded down with fine purple, gold and silver shimmer that's insanely gorgeous.

Although this is a fabulous purple shade (probably one of the best out there) I find it hard to recommend because it's so darn expensive - which is one reason I'm not going to go on and on!  Darn that Givenchy - Why does fabulous colors have to be so expensive!  

The sun wasn't working on my side and the only pictures I was able to capture was indoors with a flash.  But, I feel the color representation is pretty accurate.  Application was flawless and opaque in two coats, but I'm a die hard three coater.

Purple by Night ($15) is now available at Sephora for a limited time only.

Hope your having an excellent weekend!

FEATURED - Sunday, November 23rd 2008

New Nail Colors from Hot Topic

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

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

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

 

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

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

 

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

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

FEATURED - Monday, November 24th 2008

MAC and Hello Kitty: Let the Insanity Begin

You've heard the rumors for months now.  WWD sets the records straight for this highly anticipated collection we've all been waiting for.  Seriously, do you know how insane the demand is going to be for this collection?  Read more details below.

MAC has teamed up with Sanrio Global Consumer Products to create a Hello Kitty color cosmetics collection.  This new collection will arrive on MAC’s Web site Feb. 10, in North American stores on Feb. 12 and into overseas stores in March.

“We are thrilled to partner with a brand that shares the vision of offering an innovative, authentic and transforming experience to our loyal fan base,” said Janet Hsu, president of Sanrio. Sanrio’s worldwide retail sales of licensed products for 2007 is estimated at $5 billion.

While the 34-year-old Hello Kitty character is usually assumed to be a cat, she is actually a girl, according to Sanrio. And a girl without a mouth, so she “speaks from the heart,” the company said. “She may not have a mouth, but she’s going to sell a lot of lipstick,” cracked Demsey, noting that a waiting list for the items will go live on Jan. 7 at maccosmetics.com.

“To me, MAC Hello Kitty embodies the ultimate beauty icon,” said Jennifer Balbier, senior vice president of product development for MAC Worldwide. “She’s sweet and sexy, slightly edgy, and appeals to a wide range of customers. We wanted to reflect that through a sweet side, but also something slightly mischievous when it came to the colors. I started out by creating a palette of pinks, since they fit and always trend well in the spring. And this look is so much about the eyes that we did two eye shadow quads.” The Lucky Tom quad has violet blue, brown, gold and pink-coral shades, while the Too Dolly palette has mint, blue-silver, pale pink and magenta shades.

“We incorporated glitter eyeliners because she loves anything that twinkles, and we took the coral and hot pink theme and did pretty, poppy [colored] blush,” added Balbier.

While this collection is intended to have a sophisticated presentation, MAC hopes to appeal to younger fans with two shades of lip conditioners.

The Hello Kitty offerings fall into two collections: the Hello Kitty Colour Collection and the more high-end Hello Kitty Kouture. The bulk of the items are in the former category: six shades of lipstick with names like Fashion Mews and Strayin’, each $14; six Lipglass shades, each $14; and two tinted lip conditioners, $14.50 each; two eye shadow palettes, which each contain four shades and retail for $38; two shades of pigment are $19.50 each, and two Reflects Glitter stockkeeping units — one blue, one pink — are $17.50 each. Four Glitter Eye Liners, each $16.50, two shades of Beauty Powder, each $22; three shades of nail polish, each $11; a black mascara, $12, and false lashes, $12, round out the color offerings. Shades range from pinks and turquoises to lavenders and greens.

Hello Kitty Kouture is intended to be the high end of the collection. Two shades of Dazzleglass, each $28, each feature a reusable silver chain pendant with Hello Kitty outlined in white Swarovski crystals on black with a pink crystal bow. Sheer Mystery Powder, $90 and available in three shades, is packaged in a silver powder compact with Hello Kitty outlined in white Swarovski crystals with a pink crystal bow on a black background.

“We wanted to have affordable luxury and a high-low aspect, so it made sense to do the Hello Kitty Colour Collection and Hello Kitty Kouture,” said Demsey.

The Hello Kitty Colour items, a Petite Makeup Bag, $22, and a medium Makeup Bag, $35, will be in all doors, currently about 581 department and specialty stores in North America including Nordstrom, Bloomingdale’s and Macy’s, as well as MAC’s 138 freestanding stores in North America and at maccosmetics.com. Internationally, the items will be in 1,307 doors in 69 countries, including 296 MAC freestanding stores outside North America. Hello Kitty Kouture will be available at MAC stores and maccosmetics.com only. At the maximum, the collection will be available for eight weeks.

A plush doll, $42; purse mirror, $22, and three-brush collection, $49.50, will be available at MAC stores, Nordstrom doors and maccosmetics.com only. A mirrored key clip, $16; beaded bracelet, $34, will be sold in MAC retail stores and at maccosmetics.com only, and a tote, $45 and soft vanity kit, $55, will be exclusive to maccosmetics.com. These items are intended to animate the counter presentation and create an entire Hello Kitty world at retail, Gager noted.

While none of the executives would discuss sales projections, industry sources estimated that the limited edition MAC Hello Kitty collection could do upwards of $12 million in North American retail sales. That projection is slightly larger than that of the hit Barbie collection.

In-store visuals, shot by Nick Knight, show the polar opposite aspects of the collection. One is an image of a blonde model holding a black vinyl Hello Kitty doll, which will be part of the accessory line. The other visual is what Gager terms “more of a dominatrix creature.” The point, said Gager, is to show that makeup can be transformative. Makeup was done by Val Garland, with hair by Sam McKnight.

And Demsey promises the surprises aren’t over yet. “There will be more products to come in the next three months with this partnership,” he said.

Ladies - start saving up!

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 - Tuesday, December 2nd 2008

Nail Polish of the Day: Claires Starry Nights

 

Today's nail polish of the day is Claire's cosmetics in Starry Nights.  Described as a black holographic nail polish with loads of silver glitter.  With the sun not being out for several days now, I was only able to capture these inside with a flash, sadly.

Starry Nights isn't a My Private Jet by any means, but it's a nice alternative espically if your looking for a deeper black color pay-off like myself.

My application was pretty much flawless and only takes two coats to be opaque, which is nice compared to MPJ's three and sometimes four coats.  The texture is somewhat gritty, but now worries, any topcoat can fix that.

I'll be posting photo comparisons tomorrow when I'm able to get some good picutures.

FEATURED - Wednesday, December 3rd 2008

Nail Polish of the Day: Revlon Berry Jeweled

So, I'm a little bummed out because the sun isn't cooperating with me today and I really wanted to show you guys the gorgoues-ness of this holiday gem. 

Usually, I'm never lucky.  It's always been pretty much the opposite.  Bad luck always seems to hunt me down someway or another.  But, on a recent trip to Big Lots luck must have been on my side when I spotted Revlon's LE holiday Berry Jeweled nail polish.

My oh My - it's soo blingtastic!  Described as a deep berry shade loaded with gold and silver shimmer that applied perfectly in three coats.  Since Berry Jeweled is literally drenched with shimmer, it gives the apperance of a berry foil like shimmer.

Love this shade?  I picked up two extra bottles that I'll be giving away this month to celebrate Steph's Closet one year annivesary.

Love it - Hate it?  Speak up folks - I love to hear from ya!

Have a excellent Wednesday and just think tomorrow is pre-friday.

FEATURED - Sunday, December 14th 2008

Winter 08: OPI Holiday in Toyland Collection

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

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

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

 

 

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

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

 

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

A definite must have!

 

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

FEATURED - Wednesday, December 24th 2008

New Line: NYC introduces quick dry nail polish

 

Out with the old and in with the new is NYC's resolution.  You may have noticed stores clearing out the NYC glossies only to make room for these hip new colors.  I've seen that Meijer and some other stores have marked down the glossies to clearance.  Make sure you take advantage of those clearance items and stock up because their bye, bye, bye!

Details: NYC introduces a quick drying nail polish in under 60 seconds called, New York color in a minute.  A vast variety of 24 new colorful shades and one clear fast dry topcoat.

Overall, these are fab.  Most colors are exceptionally pigmented and only requires two coats with the exception of a few lighter shades.  The variety of colors are endless and priced at $1.99 is a steal.

Who has time to sit and wait around for polish to dry?  I certainly don't.  That's why these are perfect for me.  A quick drying polish that stays put for days. 

The nail polish names represent street and popular places you'll see in New York City.

 

Chelsea (first two pics above) 228B - deep candy apple shimmer.  Two coats, no topcoat.

Lincoln Center 232B - dark burgandy red-brown creme.  Two coats, no topcoat.

New* Just Added  Manhattan 248B - a deep burgandy magenta-purple creme that could be Lincoln Center's cous.

New* Just Added  It was hard capturing the true colors of both these shades.  Manhattan is much prettier with the magenta purplish undertones.  

Canal Street 220B - a dark brown red shimmer. Two coats, no topcoat.

New* Just Added  Broadway 238B- a red- brown cinnamon with red, gold and silver micro shimmer. Two coats.  No topcoat.

 

Fifth Avenue 218B (above) - a rusty copper orange shimmer.  Two coats, no topcoat.

Mulberry Street 212B - a white sand beige with shimmer.  Coverage was really good for light toned shade.  You could even get away with two coats on this one.  Swatch (above) three coats, no topcoat.

Update: After wearing this Creme Bruele shade (Mulberry Street) a few times, I ended up really liking it.  Possibly a mix between NYC's Little Italy and Bryant Park into a shimmer version.  

Little Italy - A crisp white or french white creme.  It's really hard to find a white opaque shade and sometimes I even resort to a french white such as Little Italy.  Swatch (above) two coats, no topcoat.

New* Just Added   Wall Street 234B - a mid tone pink with shimmer.  Three coats no topcoat. 

 

Soho 222B - A light pink feminine shade with shimmer.  Three coats, no topcoat.

New* Just Added   Uptown 242B - a barbie pink with shimmer.

New* Just Added   Here are some pink comparisons from the NYC line. Uptown is my favorite out of the three. 

Bryant Park 214B - a much lighter version of OPI's Charmed by a snake.  Described as a sand color beige with shimmer.  Bryant Park kinda blended in with my skintone.  Meh for me, but pretty on someone else.   Two coats, no topcoat.

New* Just Added   Park Avenue (two pics above) 246B - a unique duochrome shade that switches between taupe, lilac and pink.  Three coats.  No topcoat.

Central Park 216B - a light peach shimmer with some pink undertones.

New* Just Added   Midtown 240B - a vibrant hot pink with blueish-purple shimmer.  

New* Just Added   Downtown 244B - a dusty pomegranate pink creme. 

Times Square 224B - Perhaps the brighest color from this collection.  A bright coral with hints of tomato red creme.  Although my pictures may look tomato orange, Times Square also has distinct hints of coral pink.

 

 Penn Sation (two pics above) 230B - a magenta pink-red with shimmer.

 

East Village (two pics above) 206B - Turquoise blue shimmer that was somewhat sheer.  Three coats to acheive bottle color.  Swatch (above) Three coats, no topcoat.

West Village 204B - a navy blue base wiith pink and purple shimmer. Maybe not the most unique, but very pretty.  Two coats, no topcoat. 

 

Chinatown (two pics above) 210B - Saving the best for last.  Not quite black but not quite purple.  A unique ink  colored shade loaded with some duochrome micro shimmer that looks blue, silver, and mint green at different angles.  It was hard distinguishing the colors.  Talk about gorgeous, whoa!  I highly recommend Chinatown - a definite must have from this collection.

The NYC New York in a mintue quick dry is going to be a permanent line and should be hitting stores in the next couple weeks which retails for $1.89/ea.  So, get on over there and pick you up some Chinatown.

FEATURED - Thursday, December 25th 2008

NOTD: Holiday Silver and Red French Mani

 

Ho, Ho, Ho - Merry Christmas!  Hope you guys are having a wonderful Holiday.  Today, I wanted to create something a little different from the traditional holiday red manicure.

So, I wasn't quite sure how this was going to turn out because the tips had to be done freehanded with no room for any mess-ups.  The result in the end was absolutely fantastic and couldn't be more pleased.

 

In real life, the colors are super blingy and look phenomonial when paried together in a french.  It was hard making a decision between Ruby Pumps and Emerald Sparkle for my tips, but there was no denying how fabulous red looks with silver.

 

Have a great Christmas everyone!  We're off to my husbands dad's today, then only one more event tomorrow. Shoowee!

FEATURED - Sunday, December 28th 2008

Sneak Peek: Dior Spring 2009 Nail Colors

For Spring 2009 Dior introduces two new lovely colors right on track with the Whites, Pink, and Nude upcoming nail trends.  When Dior's promo images surfaced on the net a few weeks ago, I was thinking "oh more pink and nudes" how boring.  So, to make a long story short - I'm totally biting my tongue on this one you guys.

Porcelaine is decribed as a feminine porcelain pink nail color with fine white/silver shimmer that was surprising pretty.  It reminds me of a perfected version Chanel's Allegoria with added shimmer and less the hassle.  Porcelain also resembles Chanel's new one, Django but with more pink undertones.

Dior's Porcelain has it going on because it's actually opaque in a non streaky way.  While swatching, it wasn't like I had time to paint three and four coats.  So, my nail swatches below are all done with a firm two coats.  Which is one of the reasons it sold me!  

All swatches are done with two coats including the MAC Colors. 

Now let's talk about Dior's Nude Chic.  A true to color nude beige jelly with no visible shimmer.  Slighty sheerer than Porcelain, but still good color pay-off for a nude.  Application was perfect with no streaking.

Picture Above: Dior 189 Porcelaine/Porcelain.

 

The Dior 09 Makeup collection should be available online and at counters mid Janurary.

FEATURED - Sunday, December 28th 2008

Chanel Spring 09: Bohemian Fantasy Collection

With the birds chirping and warm sunny days we've been having, you'd think Spring is on the way.  Trendsetter, Chanel, starts us off with a preview for the upcoming Spring 09 season.

The Bohemian Fantasy offers a collection of browns, plums, and silver eyeshadow quads and singles.  Bold bursts of red, pinks, and beiges for your lips not to mention the stunning yet vampy Vendetta nail polish for all you purple lovers.  For the not so bold, Django vernis offers a nice feminine touch of pink appropriate for any work envirnoment.

This year Chanel goes all shades of Purple - a girls best friend.  What a brilliant idea, purple!  Much different from last year's Aurora Blue and the typical "pastel shades" that I personally dislike.

Mystic shadow quad is much gorgeous in person.  The stunning silvery plummy shade will have you at hello - no kidding!  Need to brighten your eyes up? Try Delta Irisdescent fluid, a gold metalliic eyeshadow base that's stunning under Mystic Eyes.

Check out all the swatches below.     

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Spring collection should be available mid January at counters and online.

FEATURED - Thursday, January 15th 2009

NOTD: OPI I Get A Kick Out of Gold

Happy Thursday!  Today's nail polish of day is a piece of Gold heaven to cheer up your Thursday blues.  The beauty of OPI's I get a kick out of gold is just breath taking, period blank. 

Described as a muted gold metallic that has an foil like appeal with gold and silver glitter.  Applied perfectly in two coats with no application problems.

I get a kick out of Gold was realeased back in 07 with the Night Brights collection.  So, this may be a little hard to track down, but not entirely impossible.

Hope your having a great Thursday! Keep warm and safe!

FEATURED - Thursday, January 1st 2009

New From Sally: Easy to Use Nail Art Pens

 

Along with the Insta-dri polishes, Sally Hansen introduces eight new nail art pens ($7.99). A variety in white, black, light pink, hot pink, blue, red, silver and gold. An easy-to-use fine tip pen filled with different shades of lacquer in each one.

The mistake proof formula can be removed or corrected with a moist cotton swab without damaging dry nail polish. Water based formula is environmental friendly. Possibilities are endless.

I'm really excited about these new nail art pens from Sally Hansen. Mistake proof indeed. Since the formula is water-based, it's such a breeze removing when you make a mistake. Just take a moistened tissue or cotton ball and wipe without disturbing your base coat.

Check out swatches and a video tutorial. 

My swatches may be a little messy, but I wanted to show you guys how super easy this was.  It literally took me all of 1 second per nail.

 

Potential Negatives: As much as I love these nail art pens, $7.99 is expensive. Especially if you wanted to pick up a couple different colors like myself. Try choosing a shade such as white, silver or gold that you can alternate with any nail color in your collection. Your initial clear or colored base must be completely dry before applying the nail art colors.

Tips: Apply SV (Seche Vite) or any fast dry top coat to your colored base to avoid ruining your mani. Make sure SH's nail art color is completely dry before sealing with a topcoat. And, just remember the formula is water based so it must be completely dry.

Sally Hansen's Nail Art Pens are now available in stores and retail around $7.99/ea.

Check out some fun I did with Light Pink, Hot Pink, Black and Silver Nail Art Pens. What do you guys think? Do you love them? Hate them? Spill the beans.

FEATURED - Tuesday, January 6th 2009

Carolyn New York Nail Polish Swatches

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

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

Check out more swatches below.

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

Handball Courts - Natural Light. 

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

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

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

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

Here's some other shades from Carolyn New York. 

FEATURED - Saturday, January 10th 2009

Nail Polish of the Day: Hot Topic Silver

Happy Saturday everyone!  It's cold, rainy and I'm literally exhausted from going out last night.  What better way to spend the day in bed getting caught up on my blog entries and doing a whole lot of nothing.

Hot Topic in Silver Glitter ($2.99) was my NOTD a few days ago that I forgot to post.  Oops, sorry guys.  Isn't this so Mork and Mindy retro?  Described as a silver foil like metallic that has it going on - fo sho.

This has a little bit of everything.  Glitter, Metallic, Opaque, Foil.  And, only required two coats for bottle color, which is absolutely fantastic for a silver.  Formula was a little thick like most Hot Topic's, but nothing to worry about. 

The only discrepancy I have with Hot Topic is the ackward size of the brush.  It's a little hard to navigate, but I make it work just because their color selection rocks.

You can find Hot Topic nail polish at most Hot Topic stores usually located in Malls or online that retails for $2.99/ea.  Have a fabulous weekend - I'm in for the long haul.

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 - Wednesday, January 14th 2009

More Fun with Sally Hansens Nail Art Pen

 

Nail Art isn't a new thing.  It's actually been around for years now, but just not practical or simplified for the average person, espically with our crazy work schedules. 

This year, I see Nail Art is becoming one the hottest nail trends.  From your Celebrities to polished professionals - everyones doing it.  And, Sally Hansen Nail Art Pens makes it so much easier without the high cost of salon services.

Hopefully, you guys were able to snatch these up when Walgreens had their Buy One Get One Free Sale last week. 

Check out some designs with the light pink pen. 

OPI Alpine Snow base color plus Fast Dry top coat. Make sure you apply a topcoat before playing with the nail art pens.  Picture taken before applying SH Light Pink Nail Art Pen.

Picture taken after applying Sally Hansen light pink Nail Art Pen.  Wait until the nail art is completely dry before applying a base coat.

See how easy this is?  I wanted to mess around with some simple designs.  The half moon mani on my pinky finger was really easy.

Here's the low down.  I've only seen these available at Walgreens and they retail for $7.99 (.96 oz).  Expensive, Yes.  But, that's your call.  If you can find these on BOGO sales, that's fabulous.

Are these available in Canada?  Have no Clue.  Sally Hansen lacks good customer service.  So, sorry guys I can't answer that for you.  I tried, gals :)  If anyone sees these in Canada, can you please let me know for my readers? 

Some colors I've tested are red, pink, white, gold, silver.  The red pen gave me all kinds of problems.  The formula was orangey and watered down.  I'm not sure if mine was defective or if all are like that.  It just didn't have good coverage as the white and pink pens.

FEATURED - Monday, January 19th 2009

Spring 09: China Glaze Romantiques Swatches

Let's Spring forward to the Romantique collection from China Glaze.  A large collection of chromey metallics broken down into two seperate releases.

First up is the cool tone release which consists of six shades that include pinks, purples, blues and charcoals.  Some of my favorite shades from the cools tones are Adore, a teal metallic and Harmony, a mid purple metallic.

Overall, for me, The Romantique collection was clearly a miss.  The number one problem with Metallics is they possess brush streaks and often leave your application looking messy.  So, I knew it was going to a hit or miss.

As much as I wanted to like this collection, the dreadful application held me back.  Most colors had excellent pigmentation and being too thick may have been their down fall.  However, I did have more luck when applying in thin coats.

Check out all the swatches below. 

 Cherish - a light green sage metallic.

Awaken - a dark charcoal metallic.

Devotion - a silvery light purple metallic.

Admire - light pink metallic.

Harmony - A very pretty purple metallic.  Boy oh boy, I really wanted to love this along with Adore.  Those two colors totally stand out.

Adore - Probably my favorite color of the collection, a teal metallic.

I'll be posting the Warmer color toworrow.  Well, that is if I can get through the dreadful application process.  I'm going to mess around formula, maybe add some thinner to see if that helps.

FEATURED - Tuesday, January 20th 2009

Nail Polish of the Day: Essie Starry Starry Night

Happy Inauguration Day everyone!  Today has just been amazing to put it bluntly.  It's the beginning of change.  A new day, A new year that I'm most excited to get on with.   And, what better way to ring it in with some fabulous Starry Starry Night ($10) by Essie.

Described as a mid blue to navy blue jelly loaded down with blue and silver glitter that applied perfectly in three coats.

Essie re-released this dreamy shade back in the summer which is when I picked my bottle up.  But,  I've actually seen this shade on ebay just as reasonable. 

Check out one more swatch below. 

Later this evening, I'm going to give Starry Starry Night some Edge.  I'll be adding some silver tips with SH's Silver nail art pen. 

Check out some pics below.

 

 

Have a most excellent day and remember "Change" is on the way.  Things will get better, that's our destiny.

FEATURED - Friday, January 23rd 2009

New Bold N Sexy Shades from Black Radiance

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

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

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

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

Check out the swatches

 

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

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

 Passion - deep purple eggplant with matching shimmer

 Naughty - charcoal gray with silver and mint green shimmer.

 Seductive - a bronzey gold with gold shimmer.

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

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

Have a great weekend!

FEATURED - Friday, February 6th 2009

Sephora Glittering Nail Polish: Review, Swatches

Sephora introduces a new line of glittering nail polish sure to glam up those tips and toes.  A sparkling assortment of eight colors to pick to from sure to please your appetite.

The glitterning polishes come in a small compact mini size (.16 oz) that are perfect for travel or on the go which retail for $5.

Since each bottle is packed with loads of color I was able to use two coats on all my swatches.  Some of the formulas were thick and others were just fine.  I actually prefered them on the thick side because less is more and at $5.00 a pop you'll want to save every drop.

The glitter consistency varied between thick & chunky and fine mircoglitter.  Check out all the swatches below.   

Black Strass - a black with chunky silver glitter.

Red Ruby - a ruby red with chunky pink and silver glitter. 

Blue Sapphire - a deep royal blue with chunky silver and blue glitter. 

Blue Sapphire has a royal blue base compared to Essie's navy and the glitter color & consistency are different as well.  Although they are both different, Blue Sapphire can satisfy your Starry Starry Night lemmings.  Shhhh, I wont tell..

The next three swatches have fine micro shimmer.

Violet Amethyst - one of my favorites, a deep violet purple with pink, purple and rustic micro shimmer. 

Fuchsia Quartz - a fuchsia pink with silver micro shimmer.

Beige Topaz - a light beige gold with silver chunky & microshimmer.

I'll be posting a you tube review in a the next couple days.  Some of my favorites are Black Stass, Blue Sapphire, Violet Amethyst.  The glittering nail polishes are now available at Sephora and retail for $5.00.

FEATURED - Sunday, February 8th 2009

MAC Hello Kitty: Let the Craziness Begin

Can you believe it's almost here.  Only two more days until the collection officially launches online and the Hello Kitty madness sets in.  To celebrate the excitement, today's post is geared towards that little Kitty we all love!

For my HK manicure, I wanted to mix it up without going over the top.  Sometimes just the littlest change can make the biggest difference.  Try adding a different colored shade to your manicure - it just may give you that flair.

My oh my, where do I start!  First, lets venture through the makeup side of MAC's Hello Kitty.

Neither of the eye shadow palettes are appealing to me, but can I really pass up the cute Hello Kitty packaging?

Eye Shadow Palettes X 4 (LE) - $38.00 USD/$46.00.  Lucky Tom (right) and Too Dolly (left) eye shadow palettes.

Hello Kitty Lipstick (LE) - $14.00 USD/$16.50 CDN.

Lipglass (LE) - $14.00 USD/$16.50 CDN.

Beauty Powders (left two) (LE) - $22.00 USD/$26.50 CDN.  Beauty Powder Blushes (right two) are must haves for me. (LE) - $18.00 USD/$22.00 CDN.   

 

All three are a must have for this nail addict - no brainer.  Nail Lacquers (LE) - $11.00 USD/$13.00 CDN.

 

Some of the accessories I'll be picking up is the small size makeup bag and the stretchy charm bracelet.  I'm obsessed with bracelets period.  So, this is a must! 

HK Soft Vanity Case (Traincase) (LE) - $55.00 USD/$66.00 CDN.  Available online.

HK Tote (LE) - $45.00 USD/$54.00 CDN. Available online.

HK Makeup Bags : Petite Makeup Bag - $22.00 USD/$26.50 CDN, Medium Makeup Bag - $35.00 USD/$42.00 CDN. (Available at MAC stores, Nordstrom and online).

HK Brush collection (LE) $49.50 USD $58.00 CDN (Available at MAC stores, Nordstrom and online).

Purse Mirror (LE) - $22.00 USD/$26.00 CDN (Available online).

HK Plush Doll (LE) - $42.00 USD/$50.00 CDN (Available at MAC stores, Nordstrom doors and online).

Beaded Bracelet (LE) - $34.00 USD/$40.00 CDN (Available online).

Mirrored Key Clip (LE) - $16.00 USD/$19.50CDN (Available online).

Bling, Bling and more bling...Seriously who can pass this up?! 

Dazzleglass (LE) $28.00 USD
Each feature a reusable silver chain pendant with Hello Kitty outlined in white Swarovski crystals on black with a pink crystal bow.

Sheer Mystery Powder (LE) - $90.00 USD
These will be available in three shades and are packaged in a silver powder compact with Hello Kitty outlined in white Swarovski crystals with a pink crystal bow on a black background. These come with a refill powder.

So, I wanna hear!! What's everyone gettting?!

FEATURED - Wednesday, February 11th 2009

Zoya Jumps into Spring with a Twist

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

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

Check out all the swatches below.      

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

FEATURED - Saturday, February 14th 2009

Sneak Peek: Rescue Beauty Lounge Spring 09

Get ready to be dazzled this spring with Glitz and Glamour from our friends at Rescue Beauty Lounge.  It's time to roll out the red carpet for these A listers because they deserve special treatment!

A collection of three new glitter polishes inspired by the metallics and sequins previously seen on the runways back in September.

Ji says, "I was the one who'd actually call up for those 'price upon request' items." "Now I'm taking the subway, cooking at home, taking more yoga classes - with this economy, we're all sifting our priorities."

While the September shows of the Spring/Summer 09 lines preceded the economic meltdown in October 2008, Baek nonetheless was surprised at the excess of embellishment seen in the many collections.

"I've never seen so many sequins, embroideries, shimmering metallics and jewels sewn into fabrics. And price points seemed to reach all time highs, with a spangled Balenciaga dress going for $42,000 and jeweled Lanvin sandals for $2,200."

This need for an affordable way to sparkle led Baek to create three "super-shiny glitter" nail polishes for Spring. "We have brights, bold prints and florals from past seasons. All we need to update our look is a bit of opulence on our fingers and toes."

 

Frugalista (left) is a gunmetal shot through with purple glitter.

In the Spirit of of our J. Crew to Jimmy choo-loving First Lady, there's Look Rich, Be Cheap (middle) - a mix of gold and purple glitter.

And for sifting through locally grown produce at the Farmer's Market, there's Locavore (right), a dazzling combination of gold, green, blue and silver glitter.   

The polishes have much more glitter than polishes you've seen in the past - they sparkle like diamonds," adds Baek, "It makes me giddy."

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

 

 

Make sure you guys check out the photo swatches for this blingtastic collection!

 

 

{A special thanks to Ji at Rescue Beauty Lounge}

 

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 - Sunday, February 22nd 2009

Nail Polish of the Day: Massini Starry Violet

Happy Sunday, ya'll!  Hope your having a fabulous & relaxing afternoon.  Today's nail poilsh of the is a starry violet pink with silver glitter that's really pretty on.

Massini nail polish retails for $2.99 and I've only seen this brand at Meijer (or fred meijer) stores.  So, I'm not sure if this line is available elsewhere.

On my swatches, three coats were used, but you could get away with two easily.  The silver glitter is more obvious with three.  Starry violet dried to a matte finish and I topped it with OPI rapid dry topcoat.

Today, I plan on finishing up my Spring collections then on to Summer.  Have a great day!

FEATURED - Tuesday, February 24th 2009

Spring 09: Color Club Femme Fatale

Color Club Springs forward this season with two new collections, Femme Fatale and Catwalk Queen.  Each release consists of six new shades of holographic and pearlized textures.  First up is the Femme Fatale collection.

Ooh, la, la...Femme Fatale is a mysterious women of great seductive charm that lives life dangerously.  

Color Club gave us all a reason to look forward to spring by introducing new Holoographic shades to the line!  And, what gal doesn't love sport around holo's.

Check out all the swatches below.

Worth the Risque is a silver holographic shade that applied perfectly in two coats.  Wow, gorgeous, speechless!  The pictures pretty much justify the gorgeousness of this stunner.

As you can see in the photo comparisons that Worth the Risque texture is completely different from Diamond and OMG.  A def must have! 

Revvvolution is a black hologrpahic shade that applied perfectly in two coats.  Another break-taking shade.  Wow, amazing!

Revvvolution's coverage is just amazing compared to OPI's MPJ. 

Oui Oui Oui is a sheer white pearlized iridescent that has greenish shimmer that needs three full coats to achieve the bottle color.

 

Femme Fatale is a clear base loaded with pinkish shimmer.

 

Ooooo La La is a white pearl that needs a good three coats for bottle color.  My swatches could have used an additional coat to even out everything.

Where's the Soiree, the outcast of the group, is a black creme that dried watery to a satin like finish.

The Femme Fatale collection is now available at Head2toe and retails for $2.50/ea. 

FEATURED - Thursday, February 26th 2009

China Glaze Summer Days Collection

Summer is the ultimate season I look forward to year after year.   Grilled hamburgers and hot dogs along with corn on the cob after a long day at the beach or pool.  Fresh fruits such as watermelon, strawberries, oranges and grapes.

And, even though it seems like summer is a million months away, I couldn't hold back China Glaze's, Summer Days.

This collection certainly takes me take to those relaxing summer days featuring nail polish names such as Grape Juice, Watermelon Rind, and Strawberry Fields.

Oh, thank you China Glaze for giving us something to look forward to.  One noticeable trend this Spring season...NO shimmers ya'll!  Where did all the shimmers go - I miss them dearly! 

All the formula's are jelly like texture with glass flecked shimmer. Some colors I found to be semi sheer that required three coats and others were just fine in two.

Check out all the swatches below.

 

I'm starting with my two favorites from the Summer Days collection, Watermelon Rind and Grape Juice.  Both are equally gogeous and can't bare to pick a #1 favorite!

Watermelon Rind is a gorgeous watermelon green with silver flecked shimmer.   

Grape Juice is a cross between purple and violet with silver flecks of shimmer!  Gorgeous.

Orange Marmalade is a true orange with gold shimmer.

Strawberry Fields is a soft strawberry pink with gold flecked shimmer.

Raspberry Festival is cherry red with pink glass flecks of shimmer.

Cherry Pie is a red orange with gold shimmer.  Not quite a tomato red nor a true cherry red.

Here's a short video clip of China Glaze's, Summer Days.

The summer 09 collection is now available online at Transdesgn and retails for $2.60/ea.  Summer Days should be hitting Sally's and other retailers mid March.   

FEATURED - Wednesday, March 11th 2009

Limited Edition Nail Polish Sets from Icing

Happy Hump day!  Hope your having an excellent Wednesday morning.  Today I'm bringing you some fabulous limited edition sets from Icing by Claire's.

Last December during Christmas time, I discovered these nail polish sets at the mall. Unimpressed by the brush quality, I neglected to post my photo swatches.  Having brush imperfections can make your application a nightmare to deal with. 

When I saw the new spring colors at Icing, I just gasped and decided to give them another go around.  And, I'm happy to report - No brush difficulties. Yay!

Confession time.  So, the only reason I intitally picked up this set was due to the unqiueness of Ocean View and Retro Girl, but ended up loving them all!  Good thing, a? 

All five shades are loaded down with hot pink, gold, and purple micro shimmer.  Although, the only shimmer you'll see is hot pink.  Actually, I didn't even realize the various colors until I was swatching in the sun.  

Some of the formulas were a littlle more sheer than I preferred, but that's ok - I'll deal because their super pretty.  With any semi sheer nail polish, I pack the color on pretty thick - that way I won't be bothered with four coats.  The drying time may be a little longer than usual, but it beats four coats. 

 

Pure is a semi sheer white with hot pink shimmer that had better coverage than Icing's, Oceanview and China Glaze's, Kwik Silvr.

Ocean View, one of my favorites, a semi sheer seafoam green with pink shimmer.

 Ocean View and Pure.

 Tickled Pink is a light to medium pink with hot pink shimmer.

In Bloom is a lavendar purple with hot pink shimmer.

Retro Girl is beyond amazing and highly unique!  Described as a muddy olive green brown with purple, gold and pink shimmer that had good pigmentation all around. My pictures may look brown, but there's defintely olive green in there.  Take a peek at the product picture above.

Now, on to the bling bling. The glitters have an light tinted based and are filled with glitter and micro shimmer.  I debated on whether posting my swatches because it's next to impossible to capture the actual colors. 

 

Goldie Locks has a golden champagne base with gold, green and blue shimmer.

 

 Sparklin Girl has a silvery purple base with gold, purple and silver shimmer.

Starry Eyes has a light blue base with silver and blue shimmer.

 

Oscar has a light lime green base with gold and silver shimmer.

 

Passion has a light pink base with pink, gold and silver shimmer.

Here's some other colors from Icing.

Blackout is a greyish black base loaded with silver and holographic glitter.

 Luv U 2 Much is a clearish sandy base with silver and tan glitter.  Super blingy.

 Jem is a pink red loaded with silver shimmer.

Icing's Electrified reminds me of Misa's, Fatal Affair with a little bit more blue.  A blueish purple base with an overlay of blue shimmer.

Hellooo Foil goodness!  Oh my, I've never seen a foil polish this pigmented.  Wow, almost looks like Minx foils!

Maggie is described as a silver foil that's packed with pigmentation you'll only need one coat. 

 A Girl Like You, another foil goodness, is a pink and silver foil.  Excellent pigmentation, another one coater.

Here's a blurred pic just to show you how foily they just are!

Icing by Claire's nail polish is only available at Icing stores usually located in Malls.  Pricing as follows: miniature bottles $2.50, Large bottles $4.50, LE colored set $14.99 and Glitter set $10.99.  They always have buy one, get second half off specials.

So, I wanna hear - What's everyones favorites?  

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 14th 2009

Color Club Catwalk Queen Spring Collection

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

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

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

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

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

Check out all the swatches below.

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

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

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

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

 

 Vintage Couture is a milky pastel pink creme.

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

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

FEATURED - Friday, March 20th 2009

Macys Summer Exclusive: Dior Grenade

Just when you thought three limited edition polishes wasn't enough this summer, Dior's springs an four addition as a Macy's summer exclusive.  Now that you've seen Michelle's preview of Sweet Orange from the Cristal Collection, I'm bringing you some good ole Grenade.

Click here to see another one of Dior's releases, Purple Candy.

Described as a vibrant hot pink with extremely fine shimmer of blueish - purple, hot pinkish - red and silver. Although, you've only see the various colors of shimmer in the sunlight.

If you look real close at the second picture (yes, bring your head directly to the screen, I know we all do that LOL) you can see the blueish purple.

The application was just perfect and only required two coats for coverage. However, I used three coats for my swatches because the more shimmer the better.

Grenade is only available at Dior counters at Macy's.  As far as I know, each counter only received about four bottles or so. Grenade should be available in April.

FEATURED - Tuesday, March 24th 2009

OPI Limited Edition: Breathe Life for a Good Cause

The facts will leave you breatheless:

• Lung Cancer is the #1 cancer killer of women, more deadly than the 6 next largest cancer killers combined.
• 60% of new lung cancer victims will be non-smokers
• 85% of those diagnosed with lung cancer will die in 5 years of less.

OPI's Breathe Life Nail Lacquer was created exclusively to help the Lung Cancer Foundation of America in its efforts to find a cure. OPI has also made a donation to the Lung Cancer Foundation. Lung Cancer has stopped our breathing long enough. Now, let's cure it.

Breathe Life is a limited editon, cool silvery blue shade that will be available April 1st at Professional Salons and Ulta locations.

See swatches below.

Breathe Life - is a sheer milky white opalescent loaded blue and shimmer. To achieve bottle color and complete coverage, you'll need around four coats.

Be sure to pick up a bottle for yourself and your mom or friends. It's for a great cause!

FEATURED - Tuesday, March 24th 2009

LA Girls Flare Nail Polish: Swatches, Review

Hope your having a fabulous Tuesday. Spring is officially here and I couldn't be more happier with the weather we've been having this week. A couple weeks ago, I stumbled upon some pretty hot new colors at Forever 21 that I like to share with you guys.

Before I get down to the nitty gritty, let's talk about where these babies are available. You can find LA Girls Flare at Urban Outfitters, Cherry Culture (online) and Forever21 stores usually located in the malls or even online. They retail between $2.80 and $4.00 - depending where you find them.

The nail polish names are kinda tricky and a little bit confusing. Most stores like, Forever 21 and Urban Outfitters just have color descriptions on the sticker (ie: green, blue, coral) rather than the official names (ie: midnight, diva, saharan sand). I've included both names in my swatches, so you shouldn't have any problems.

Formula quality. Being so reasonably priced, LA Flare's formula rocks. I seriously haven't came across one shade that wasn't smooth and opaque. Most colors only required two or three coats at most. And, usually three coats was due to my errors.

I'll be keeping this post active and eventually adding all my LA girls swatches. So, make sure you add this to your favorites!

The best shade out of all my LA Girls Flare nail colors, Midnight Diva (dark purple). Descbried as a blue purple jelly with a rainbow of micro duochrome shimmer (pink, purple, gold, blue).

I couldn't resist posting massive nail spam of Midnight Diva - she's just absolutely breath-taking!

 It's hard to see the different colors of shimmer, but it's definitely there!

Saharan Sand (nude) is another terrific spring shade. An opaque grey beige creme, much like Essie's Body Lanuage that just pops with my skintone (NC-30). Love it.

Flushed (coral) is a great spring color, espically if you looking for alternatives to Chanel's, L.A. Sunset or Orange Fizz. Maybe not an exact dupe, but pretty darn close and certainly not noticeable to the naked eye.

Described as a bright (not neon bright) peach orange creme that was opaque in two coats.

Blazing Hot (coral) is a red coral creme. A great alternative to OPI on Collins Ave or Sephora OPI, Lost without my GPS.

Honeymoon Lavender (lavender) is a blue based mid tone lavender purple that's gorgeous! This would look fab on everyone.

Hello, foil goodness! Irony (silver) is a silver blue foil that's pigmented like crazy.

I pretty muched loved all their new colors! Next time you stop by the mall, why not swing by a Forever21 or Urban Outfitter store - you won't regret it!

Here's some other colors from LA Girls Flare:

Bedazzle (purple) is a blue based purple creme.

 

Galaxy (grey) a stormy grey creme much like Hot Topic's, Grey Muted. Call me crazy, but I would totally rock this color in a professional work atmosphere. A bit daring - but very posh!  

 Tropical (teal) is greenish teal creme.

 Envy (green) is a deep forest green with teal undertones.

 

Twinkling (blue) is a bright (not neon bright) mix between a sky blue and cornflower.

I want to hear your guys favorites? Aren't these colors fab :)

FEATURED - Wednesday, April 1st 2009

NOTD: Icing Roger That and Sunset Shimmer

Happy April Fools day! Can you believe it's April 1st already? To start the month off right, I'm super excited to show you guys two new colors from Icing by Claires.

Sunset Shimmer is one of the best peach shimmers I've seen in a long time. More peachy than MAC's Seasonal Peach and much lighter than Chanel's Orange Fizz and L.A. Sunset.

Check out one more NOTD below.

Roger That is just intoxicating! I suggest ya'll get over to Icing and grab a bottle or two! A must have color, espically if you love China Glaze's Watermelon Rind and Rodeo Fanatic.

Described as a marine blue green (mid tone teal) loaded down with aqua and silver shimmer. A more blue version of Watermelon Rind and teal version of Rodeo Fanatic. Just gorgeous!

Check out one more swatch below.

Hope you guys have a wonderful day - it's a perfect sunny day here!

FEATURED - Thursday, April 2nd 2009

Matte Nail Polish: Bringin Sexy Back

 

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

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

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

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

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

Man Glaze Fuggen Ugly - Steel gray with rainbow shimmer.

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

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

Covergirl Triple Platinum Mattalic - silver with silver glitter.

Covergirl Bronze Mattalic - orangey bronze matte with silver glitter.

Covergirl Blue Steel Mattalic - sky blue with silver glitter.

Covergirl Mattalic Pink Zinc - pink rose with silver glitter.

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

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

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

Maybelline Olive Matte - golden olive green with rainbow shimmer.

Maybelline Grape Matte - a plummy grape with rainbow shimmer.

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

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

FEATURED - 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 - Tuesday, April 7th 2009

NOTD: Revlon No Shrinking Violet

Happy Tuesday! Hope you guys had an excellent weekend. Today, I'm sporting around a lovely new shade from Relvon. With all this cold and rainy weather we've been having lately, I needed a purple fix to brighten up my day!

No Shrinking Violet ($4.79) is actually really pretty. And, I don't rave enough about Revlon's brand as much as I'd like, but it's superb. Described as a deep purple with violet undertones and silver and purple micro shimmer.

My application was perfect and you'll only need two coats to achieve bottle color. Great color pigmentation. No Shrinking Violet should be popping up in the stores within the next couple weeks.

And, one more for ya!

 

Pink Pursuit, is one of three, limited edition colors to help support breast cancer. 10% of all Revlon sales will be donated to fight breast cancer.

Descibed as a medium pink loaded down with silver shimmer that's featured on Jessica Alba in the promo ad.

Have a wonderful Tuesday!

FEATURED - Tuesday, April 14th 2009

Sephora by OPI Summer: Mermaid in the Shade

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

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

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

And, here they are!

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

FEATURED - Friday, April 24th 2009

New Nail Colors from Nicole by OPI

 

Happy Friday, TGIF! Today is going to be a great day. With temperatures sky rocketing to the mid 80's, it's going to be a weekend of summer.

I apologize guys, I've had these new colors from Nicole by OPI since Valentines day, but neglected to post them. They were hiding at the the bottom of my untried basket.

You don't hear enough raves about Nicole by OPI. And honestly, I really love brand as a whole. The colors are unique, espically the older and retired ones. From duochromes, holographic to shimmers - Nicole has it goin' on.

Here are some new colors I picked up a while ago. You can find these at Target, Walmart or Meijer stores that retail around $6.99/ea.

 

Dream Maker - one of my favorites, a light semi sheer pink loaded down with silver and gold glitter that's really pretty.

 

Play Fair - a light lavendar purple with silver and purple micro shimmer.

Imagine If - a clear to silver holographic glitter. A must have for any holographic nail polish lover!

The next three are all metallic/chrome textures that has excellent pigmentation, even with one coat.

It's Possible - a uniquely different color all around, mix between a rose pink and tan metallic.

 Light a Candle - a silvery lavendar purple metallic.

Positive Energy - a silver metallic chrome.

What do you guys think of Nicole by OPI? Have a great weekend ya'll!

FEATURED - Friday, April 24th 2009

Loreal Summer of Safari: Nail Swatches

Just the other day, I was thinking that it's been a while since I've last seen a Limited Edition Display from Loreal. And, lookie what I stumbled upon.

Loreal's Summer of Safari makeup collection is filled with bronze, golds, and sizzling reds along with four summertastic nail polishes. Yes, four limited editon colors that are perfect for those bronzed beauties.

Summer is my season. And, there's nothing better than gold, bronze and oranges to compliment my olive skin tone. Let's start off by saying, Wow! I'm totally loving all these summer colors from Loreal. Maybe not so much unique, but definitley a step in the right direction.

All my swatches were used with three coats and no true application problems. Since I have small nail bed's, Loreal's flat brush was a dream to apply with.

Before I get to the swatches, the bad news. Some of the nail colors only had one each per display.   

Tribal Treasure - was the only color that applied like a metallic polish. Described as a seml sheer light gold that's not quite a traditional metallic nor a shimmer.  

Desert Dawn - is a desert tan with gold, bronze and silver shimmer. 

 Exotic Expedition - reddish orange with red and gold shimmer.

Safari Sunset - orangey bronze with red, gold and silver shimmer.

The Safari Sunset collection should be hitting stores now and within the weeks to come. The nail polishes retail around $4.19/ea.