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Teal

FEATURED - Thursday, January 17th 2008

China Glaze: OMG Collection So Hot

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

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

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

Stay tuned for my review and swatches.

{Photo via: China Glaze}

Wednesday, February 13th 2008

MAC Cosmetics: Fafi Merchandise Haul

MAC Cosmetics officially releases the Fafi Collection nationwide to MAC stores, and other fine department stores.  Here is some of the merchandise that I picked up online, because I knew my store wouldn't have stock. 

Small Fafi Cosmetic Bag.  Limited Edition.  $25.00 USD.  This has to be my favorite item of my merchandise haul.  It is the perfect size.  Don't let the "small" mis-lead you in anyway.  This is not small by any means.  In the picture above, I put 5 MAC Lipsticks and 4 Lipglasses, and you can see it's not even half full.  So, it has plenty of room.  I also might pick up the mini one, so I can keep in my purse filled with lipsticks, glosses, etc.  

Fafi Scarve.  $15.00 USD.  Limited Edition.  I really like the scarve, and at $15.00 it's quite a steal.  Put it in your hair, on your purse, or even around your neck!  This is a  "Sold Out Item" on the MAC website.  Hopefully, you can find it at your local store.

Fafi T-Shirt.  $38.00 USD.  Limited Edition.  Not as cute as Barbie loves MAC t-shirts, but, still buy worthy.  These shirts are really cute.  In my opinion, they look cuter if they are form fitted and paired up with the scarve as a bandana and some big hoop earrings.

 

Fafi Dolls.  Limited Edition $9.00 USD.  These are adorable and at $9.00 each, why not pick up one, two or even three!  The Dolls are pretty small, about the size of a MAC Lipglass.

Tomorrow, I am off to the MAC store to check out the makeup.  I didn't want to go today, because I get so claustrophobic when tons of people are in the store, when a collection releases. 

Stay tuned for reviews and swatches on the makeup.

FEATURED - Wednesday, February 27th 2008

MAC Cosmetics Fafi: Review and Swatches Part Two

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

FEATURED - Tuesday, March 25th 2008

OPI India Collection: Ultimate Summer Accessory

Accessorize this season with OPI's newest collection, India.  If you love color, this is your season to shine and steal the spotlight.  Bold, Beautiful color is truely the "IT" this season and is featured on all the Fashion Runways!

OPI India nail lacquers are the ultimate accessory this season!  India's collection offers a little bit for everyone.  Neutral-to-Darks-to-Brights, they have it all!  I really liked OPI's India colllection this year.  From candy hued dreses in pink, light blue, to all out bright splashes of red's, orange, and yellow.

I knew this collection had many nail capablities, but, wow, this looks smokin!  I would never attempt to do this myself, because I am not patient or steady but, my manicurist on the other hand would give it a shot.  Check out a close up picture below. 

The two colors you will need from the India Collection is, Charmed by a Snake and Royal Rajah Ruby.  But, the directions may seem easier said than done.  This is something I may put my manicurist up to the challange.

If anyone attempts this, please let me know.  I would love to see pictures!

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 - Wednesday, May 27th 2009

Win Sally Hansen's Honeydew, Night Hydrangea

Hope ya'll had a fabulous Memorial day weekend. Next week, I'll be giving two fabulous shades away from Sally Hansen's Tracy Reese Spring collection. Honeydew - a gorgeous teal and Night Hydrangea - a gorgeous purple with shimmer.

How to enter: Anyone can enter. Just post a comment in this entry telling me why you would want to win. Also, please include your twitter name in the comments for those who tweet.

Two winners will be randomly picked from my followers at Twitter and Steph's Closet subscribers. Both winners will be announced on June 10, 2009. Good Luck all!

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 - Thursday, May 1st 2008

Naughty Nauticals: Review, Swatches, Photos

 

Check out all the Naughty Nauticals collection swatches.  I will be writing up the review shortly, along with more photos!

Party Mate - A semi-sheer mid-tone pink lustre color that has light buildable coverage.  This has more color pay-off than Ahoy, There and is a tad bit darker. Ahoy, There! - A sheer dirty pink color with multi-dimensionel pearl that makes this a glaze.  This is the lightest color of the bunch. Port Red - A must have for red lipstick lovers!  A gorgeous ruby red with gold pearl which makes this a frost.  This is my favorite out of the bunch, and is very pretty. Buoy-O-Buoy - A creamy neutral beige color with pink undertones, that has buildable color.

 

The only color that really stood out to me was the gorgeous, Port Red.  The other colors have more of a " neutral-pink" pay-off, which I'm so over pink right now.  My makeup collection is heavily out numbered by pinks.

Ensign - A peachy pink with white and gold pearl.  This color appears more peachy than pink.  And, is a great all around color. Hey Sailor - A mauvey plum pink with white pearl.  Hey Sailor has the best color pay-off out of all the lustreglasses. Love Knot - A sheer pink with blue and white duochrome.  Love Knot is the sheerest of all the colors. Bateaux - A neutral brown peach with white frost.  Bateaux is my favorite color of the bunch.  It's a nice neutral color with a hint of peach.

The two colors I purchased were Hey Sailor and Bateaux.  Hey Sailor has good color pay-off and looks fab combined with Port Red lipstick.  Ensign is also a pretty color, but, Bateaux had more of a peach color pay-off which I opted for Bateaux.  Love Knot was very sheer on me but, I absoultey loved the blue and white duochrome, just wished it had better color pay-off.

Lark About - A sheer white frost pigment with blue undertones.  Bell Bottom Blue - A navy blue color with white pearl.  The white pearl gave this color more of a blue color with purple undertones. Lovely Lily - A soft lilac color with pink undertones.  The pink undertones gave this more of a softer color. Mutiny - A clean sky blue with gold pearl.  The gold pearl makes Mutiny not as bold, and less color pay-off.  This is my favorite out of the pigments.

Mutiny was the only pigment I purchased from the Naughty Nauticals collection.  I think this is a great color in general that everyone can wear.  It's not to bold or daring, it's a nice soft aqua color.

Shore Leave - A pale frosty ivory color with pink undertones, that has quite a bit of shimmer to it.  I really liked this color, it looks fab as a highlighter paired up with Illegal Cargo. Pandanonium - A frosty gunmetal color with white pearl. Illegal Cargo - A frost grey plum color that has more mavey-plum color pay-off.  Meet the Fleet - Midnight blue matte color.  I really did not like this color nor texture at all.  It was very blotchy when playing with the colors, and I was not impressed at all. Submarine - A beautiful mid tone blue color with frost that almost looks like a darker teal color.

I wasn't nearly as impressed with the eye shadows.  I felt Meet the Fleet and Pandanonium were very dull and boring to me.  The texture was very blocthy and hard to work with when I was swatching.  I purchased Shore Leave, Illegal Cargo and Submarine.  My favorite out of the eye shadows is Illegal Cargo.

Pigments vs Eye shadows.  I had a hard time deciding between the pigments and eye shadow colors, because they are somewhat similar.  But, I decided to go with the eye shadows because of the better color pay-off.  Illegal Cargo is much prettier and bolder purple than Lovely Lily.  And, Shore Leave is a pretty ivory white frost comparted to Lark About, which is more of a sheer white-blue pigment.

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 - Friday, May 2nd 2008

Drugstore Haul: Milani, Max Factor, Lashblast

I try to stay far-away from drugstores because they can really do some major damage!  But, it was time for a visit, because there are many things I've been wanting to test and review.  So, I will be doing seperate blog entries on each product to elaborate a little more.

1.  Covergirl Lashblast - The buzz has been going around the on beauty radar about this wonder mascara.  So, it's on the top of my list to review.

2.  Nicole by OPI - I'm sure you've been seeing alot of this brand lately.  So, I've been a little curious about the formula, and staying power.  But, I'm sure it will be quality espically, if it's backed by OPI.  Plus, their free off the big 3, which is a huge plus.  I picked up the color: Nicole's Fav, a tangerine orange shimmer that is perfect for summer.  I will be posting swatches soon.

3.  Milani - Fashion Runway Eyes and color brillant eye pencils.  My Milani purchase was the hightlight of my haul.  The Fashion runways shadows come in 6 different color combinations.  I went to 4 different drugstores looking for the yellow and green combination but, everywhere was completely sold-out!  Milani also carries a Blue/Teal color combination, sold-out, just my luck!  And, I just happend to get lucky with the eyeliners, and picked up three (kelly green, teal, and violet purple).

4.  MAX Factor Vivid Impact Eyeshadow Duo -  The green and blue wand recently was seen in the Carmen Electra ad for MAX Factor.   The emerald green and blue wand was so hard to find.  The green is a fab color.  And, I was quite impressed how long the shadow stayed on without any base. 

5. Neutrogena Sunscreen - Don't forget that sunscreen!  My favorite brand is Neutrogena Ultra sheer.  It's so light, gentle, and blocks UVA/UVB rays!

I will be reviewing each product seperately.  Stay tuned for the review and swatches.

FEATURED - Sunday, June 1st 2008

Gold Member Baby: Chanel Fall 2008 Makeup

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

Lips

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

 

Eyes

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

Face

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

Nails

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

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

A little gold member for your viewing pleasures!

FEATURED - Monday, June 2nd 2008

Rescue Your Nails: Rescue Beauty Lounge Style

Product: Rescue Your Nails Book

Price: $12.95

Steph's Rating:

Buy it: Rescue Beauty Lounge

Recommend: Yes

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

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

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

And a little more pics....

Check out the detailed technical specs of the fingernail below.

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

FEATURED - Monday, June 2nd 2008

Colored Mascara: Black Is Out And Color Is In

Product: Urban Decay Big Fatty Color Mascara

Price: $17.00

Steph's Rating:

Buy it: Urban Decay, Sephora

Recommend: Yes, Espically if you love color

If you love the extra-thickening powers of Big Fatty Mascara, round out your collection with these wearable shades. Turquoise and navy hues give brown and blue eyes a jolt, purple shades make green eyes more dangerous, and burgundy adds drama to any eye color. They're a refreshing alternative to basic black.

Colored mascara is making an huge comeback and I'm so giddy over it!  Urban Decay introduces four new colored mascaras this summer.  Black Cherry (a deep burgandy), Electric Blue (a vibrant teal blue), Indigo (a vibrant blue violet) and Purple Haze (a dark purple).  Check out the photo swatches and the video tutorial to get this look below.

These new shades are so fun and sassy, I just love them.  The bold pop of color instantly makes your lashes eye candy.  I happened to stop by my local Sephora today to pick up some primer potion, and these beauties were calling out my name.  I was immediately drawn to these vibrant colors, foremost the Electric Blue shade.  Thankfully, I was able to snatch the very last one (shoowee, close one)!  Electric Blue is definitely going to be the most popular out of the four.  The other colors were fully stocked.  Purple Haze is another nice color I will have to pick up soon.  It is a must have color for those green eyed babies!

The promo image is pretty smokin hot ladies!  So, make sure you check out Urban Decays tutorial video to get this look.

To get this look you'll need: Urban Decay Eyeshadow(s) in Blaze and Rush 24/7 Glide on Eye Pencil in Deviant Sparkler Pen for Lips in Flare Big Fatty Color Mascara in Electric Blue

 

FEATURED - Friday, June 6th 2008

MAC Cosmetics: Neo Sci Fi Nail Polish Swatches

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

xoxo

FEATURED - Friday, June 13th 2008

MAC Cool Heat: Photo Swatches, Review

Overall, the cool heat collection is exhilarating - with a refreshing burst of color.  Warming Trend  - a taupe frosty color and Solar White - white frost are great colors for you neutral loving gals out there.   Gulf Stream, Cool Heat, Blue Flame and Climate Blue were some of my favorite colors out of the collection.  Cool Heat is a cross between steamy and parrot.  Although, cool heat is an gorgeous color, it may not be nessecary if you own many teal colors.  MAC has a wide variety of teal shades.  I saw a little bit of Big T (from the c-shock) in this collection also.

I also picked up a couple of my favorite green shades: swimming and humid.  If you've been to the MAC store you'll notice "green shades" are extremely limited.  I can only think of three stock colors off the top: juxt, humid, and swimming.  Which, are all gorgeous shades of green.  So, needless to say I was pretty excited to see green in the cool heat collections. Check out all the photo swatches below.

 

  

 

 

 

 

      

FEATURED - Thursday, June 19th 2008

Covergirl Tropical Fusion Quad: Review, Swatches

Covergirl may be a little late jumping on the bright makeup bandwagon, but, at least it's a start.  A few days ago, I blogged about Covergirls new promo ad for their summer makeup collection.  As predicted, I caved and purchased this tropical colored quad ($5.99) at CVS yesterday.

I debated purchasing this quad the entire time I was in CVS.  Mostly due to my recent purchase of covergirls eye enchancers in Gold Sizzle.  Being the very last on the entire display I wasn't going to pass this up.  Yeah, I'm weak at the knees when it comes to vibrant colors and makeup.

Overall, I was impressed more so with the tropical quad compared to the individual shades.  The teal and blue shimmery shades had fairly good color pay-off and was quite pretty.  I had high hopes for the orange shade because I really wanted it to work.  But, the pigmentation just wasn't there at all.  It was hardly noticeable on my NC30 skin.  You could substitue MAC's Fab & Flashy or another orange you prefer.  The yellowish/lime shade was a different nature than the other colors.  It was between a matte and satin texture that I really didn't care for and had ok color pay-off. 

The teal and blue shades are the highlight of the tropical fusion quad.  Very pretty and shimmery with good color pay-off all around.  See some more swatches below.

This is an big improvement from the standard neutral colored shades covergirl offers.  If they focus a little more on the pigmentation issues then we have a keeper.

UPDATE 6/26/08: After using this quad serveral times, I'm happy to report the teal and blue shades have fantastic color pay-off and those two colors alone are worth the purchase.

Love this Quad?  Click here for a chance to win it this month!

FEATURED - Monday, July 7th 2008

Chanel Fall Makeup Collection: Review, Swatches

 

The new Chanel Fall makeup collection debuts at most stores this week. Overall, some key players in this collection: Gold Fever highlighter is a beautiful gold highlighter that looks absolutely flawless on any skin type.  Glossimer lovers - Gold Light and Delight are must have lip glosses drenched in glistening shimmer.  My first thoughts on the lilac (Delight) lip gloss "What in the world am I going to do with it"?  Oh my gosh, Everything!  Words and pictures cannot describe the beauty of this sparkling gloss.  It's definitely meant to be a topper and not to be wore alone.  The Glossimer were my fav's besides the Kaleidoscope nail polish. 

Kaleidoscope nail polish sold-out online within two days of release on Chanel.com.  But, you can find this limited edition color at most Chanel counters as the Fall collection just debuted.  If your thinking, is it really all that?  Yes, Yes and double yes!  Don't miss out on this very unique shade!

I was pretty disappionted in the eye shadows and quad but, my wallet was oh so happy!  The colors were just blah to me - brown, white, gold, dark teal?   Come on Chanel, you can do better than that.  I was more impressed with HiP's new metallic shadows rather than these.  Also, the shades had poor pigmentation as it took quite a few swipes to get some good color on my NC30/35 skin.

Check out all the pic spam below.

 

Want more Chanel?  Check out my Haul from the Fall 08 collection. 

FEATURED - Thursday, September 4th 2008

Rescue Beauty Lounge: Fall Collection Preview

Rescue Beauty Lounge introduces three drool worthy shades this fall.  Bruised - a moody deep plum brown cream, that's the new black to coordinate with your best outfits.  Teal - a deep green navy blue shade, that's a must have for any green and blue lover.  No more war - an edgy pure olive green grunge shade perfect for that metro chic look.  And, with the return of winter whites Ja Baek reintroduces, Plie - a opaque neutral beige with a hint of blush.

The fall shades are now available for pre-order at Rescue Beauty Lounge ($19).

Check out the swatches & review for the Fall o8 collection. 

FEATURED - Wednesday, September 10th 2008

New Feature: Stephs Photo Gallery

 

Hey, All!  Me and my husband, Scott have been hard at work these last few days.  Well, mostly my husband because he's the brains of the operation.  Anyway, due to the high number of requests, I decided to add a cool feature to my site.

The Gallery is my photo land filled with all my pictures.  From makeup - nail swatches to celebrity picutres, and lots more.  Right now, I have over 1,000 hi quality pictures in my database that I'll eventually convert to my online gallery - in due time.  The best part is, I'm giving all my friends complete access with very little stipulations.  Please read carefuilly.

1.  All Celebrity and Entertainment photos are property of Wire Image and cannot, by any means, be used without written permission from wireimage.com.

2.  Anything watermarked with the Steph's Closet logo is property of me!  And, I'm giving you permission, under some conditions.  You must and I say this nicely the first time around, "must" put a direct link back to stephscloset.com crediting the original photo source.  It's that easy!  Just don't steal from me and I won't hunt ya down! *saying that in the nicest possible way, really*

3. Under no circumstance should my pictures be altered or used for personal gains.  Example: used for ebay, ecrater auctions, etc.

Foremost, if you have any questions, click here to contact me through my form via email.  Have fun with my pictures!  And remember, as long as you link back to the original photo source - you have nothing to lose!

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 - Thursday, September 25th 2008

Fall Collection: Rescue Beauty Lounge Swatches

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

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

Check out the swatches below.

      

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

FEATURED - 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 - Saturday, November 22nd 2008

Nail Polish of the Day: China Glaze Recycle

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

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

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

Have a safe and awesome night!

FEATURED - Monday, November 24th 2008

Nail Polish of the Day: Hot Topic Gray Muted

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

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

Check out more swatches below.

Some photo comparisons below.

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

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

FEATURED - Friday, November 28th 2008

Nail Polish of the Day: Claires Cosmetics in Envy

Hope everyone's Turkey day was fabulous!  Today, I'm staying glued to the couch and you couldn't pay me enough to deal with the shopping maheim!

Claire's nail polish in Envy ($3.50, .5 oz) was my shade yesterday for Thanksgiving and it's still on today - so, you gotta know I love it!  Described as a fairly sheer dark grey base with mostly green shimmer and some blue.

The only negative aspect about Envy is the base color is pretty sheer and requires at least four applications to obtain bottle color.  But, for me, it was well worth the four coats.

To eliminate additional coats you could always start with a dark creme base such as OPI Black Onyx or Milani's Black Magic and build from there.

Check out some more pics. 

 

Overall, Evny tends to looks like a blackened forest green shade and at $3.50 it's quite a steal.  Have a great day!

Envy should be available at all Claire's stores.

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

Great Gift Ideas for Nail Polish Lovers

On my recent trip to the Mall last week, I happened to stumble upon these awesome gift sets at Icing.  Each nail polish set consists of five shades retailing between $12.99-$14.99 (set of 5).  And usually, Icing has buy one get one half off too - so that's a steal!

The dark vampy set automatically took me back to OPI's France collection.  Not to be a tease or anything, but I wont' be able to post swatches until tomorrow, hopefully *crossing fingers*.  Sadly, the only way to capture percise images is with the sun.

Stay Tuned!

FEATURED - Friday, December 5th 2008

Nail Polish of the Day: Revlon in Jaded

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

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

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

 

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

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

FEATURED - Monday, December 15th 2008

Nail Polish of the Day: Loreal Bijou B Fearless

Happy Monday, yall!  Hope your having an awesome day to start off your work week. Today's nail polish of the day is one I picked up at my local Dollar Tree (3 different colors in the package for a buck, wowza) that's quite a steal.  It's definitley worth stopping by your dollar store to see if they have any of these.

Described as a medium blue with rainbow colored glitter giving a holographic and prismatic effect.  Application was pretty good - no visible problems with three coats.

Check out one more pic below. 

Tomorrow I'll be posting my December giveaway list and photos!  There's a ton of nail polish - so stay tuned!  Have a great night guys!

FEATURED - Tuesday, December 16th 2008

Steph's Closet One Year Anniversary Giveaway

Good morning all!  December's a special month for me and not because of the Christmas Holiday.  Last year at this time I can remember sitting with my husband at the Las Vegas conference center listening to Matt Cutt from Google and Craig from Craig's List and other successful bloggers speak.  At that exact moment, I knew blogging was for me, but didn't realize what I was getting into.

I'm not going to bore ya'll with all the geeky details, but I plan on writing a pretty lengthy post on my first year of blogging.  Anyhoo, on to the good stuff.

This has been a beyond excellent year for me and my blog at Steph's Closet.  Since the beginning, my traffic is 50 times the amount it once was and it's all thanks to my awesome readers.

How do I enter:

Simple!  Just post a comment.  Anyone that has a email address can post a comment on Steph's Closet.  Please make sure email address is current for contacting reasons only!  Email addresses are NEVER displayed or given out at anytime.  Must be a U.S. or Canda mailing address Only one entry per person Winner(s) will be picked randomly and announced mid to end Janurary

All items are brand new and unused.  1st prize details: Chanel Sublimage Eye .14, Strivectin SD Eye Creme 1 oz, bliss body butter 1 oz, Rescue Beauty Lounge mini sample kit - lotions, body wash, mini opi metal file, amazing graze buffing wash, glitter files

All full size and unsed Nail Polishes: SH emerald city (green), Nicole Show you Care (dark purple shimmer), China Glaze Ruby Pumps (gorg red glitter), CQ Chocolate Plum (brown plum), Revlon Berry Jeweled (magenta shimmer) , Rimmel Pop Quiz (peach glitter) and Scene Stealer (brown glitter), Loreal B. Impulsive (blurple glitter).

 OPI Blue Lagoon (blue holographic), mini manicure set, blue glitter file.

Revlon Plum Flip (duochome plum), Berry Jeweled (magenta shimmer), glitter file and mini manicure set.

The winners are announced!

FEATURED - Wednesday, December 17th 2008

NOTD: Carolyn NY Frankie Joins the Navy

Hi Guys!  Sorry I'm getting my nail polish of the day in so late.  I've been messing with my new lighting this evening and totally lost track of time!  Since it's winter, the sun has the tendency of never coming out anymore and I just have to find another resource.  With a little practice, my new lights are going to work out perfectly! Yeah!

Carolyn New York in Frankie Join the Navy is a darkened teal shade with subtle shimmer that's extremely pretty.  The shimmer isn't very noticeable to the naked eye.  It almost resembles a creme like texture.

My application was perfect in three coats.  The formula was ultra glossy and applied as a jelly like formula.  Perfecto!

Hope you have a great night - I'm so ready for bed now.  Nighty - Night, Sleep Tite!

FEATURED - Wednesday, December 17th 2008

Holiday 08: Chanel Moscou Collection Swatches

Chanel's Moscow - Moscou collection introduces three new exclusive limited editions inspired by Russia's fashion.

Let's get down to business because I know you guys are dying to know.

Are all three shades beautiful?  Of course.  Unique?  Somewhat, but for the most part, not really.  Must Haves? Probably not. Depending on your current money situation.

My Favorites are Nuit De Russie and Or De Russie.  Must Have: Nuit De Russie.

The formulas are rich, opaque and only require two coats for each color.  You could possibly get by with one coat due to the thickness.  Not overly thick - just perfect.  No reason to add thinners or anything like that.

I'll be posting all possible dupes from my collection in the next couple days. 

The big question that's on everyone's mind? Does this look like Wagon Trail and Wnw Stunner?  Yes.  Looking at both Wagon Trail and Stunner compared to Ore De Russie, you'd think their different.  The shimmer in Stunner and Wagon Trail is distinctly gold toned and Or De Russia is bronze almost resembling a brown base rather than black.  When applied, it's hard to tell the bronze and gold shimmer apart from each other.

First, let me clarify that these aren't exact dupes.  Just extremely close and probably not recognizable to the naked eye.  I'd say pass on this want to save some cash and opt for China Glaze's Wagon Trail for $4.99.

 

 Inside Flash.

Fue De Russie is a black based polish with maroon and very subtle pink shimmer.  Both Feu and Ore have fine micro glitter shimmer and Nuit has more of a chunkier heavier glitter.

What distinguishes this from any other comparison is the maroonish shimmer.  CG Lubu Heels, Nicole Black Cat-cha Later, Petites Black Rouge are all "red" based shimmers.  Even though there's some subtle pink in there, I still would classify this as a "maroon" shimmer.

 Inside Flash.

Nuit De Russie is truely the bread winner from the Moscou collection.  Described as a black based polish loaded down with teal and subtle green chunky glitter.  Now, when I say "chunky"glitter, it's not as heavy as your probably thinking,  just more so compared to the other two from this release.

If you were to splurge on only one shade, I'd recommend this one.  It's gorgeous!  The chunkier shimmer makes this oh so fab.  Maybe not so unique compared to Sinful's What's your name or Nicole's Blues in the Night except Chanels has tons more shimmer with an added touch of subtle green.

The Moscou collection retails for $30 each and is only available online at Chanel.com or at their Boutiques.  Most of these colors are not available at the makeup counters.  It's going to be the same routine as the Robertson Blvd collection.  I'd call first before making a trip.  Stay tuned for the comparisons.

Want more Chanel? Check out their latest Purple Craze for Spring 09!

FEATURED - Friday, December 19th 2008

Nail Polish of the Day: NYC Glossies Cognac

Happy Happy Friday!  Today has been the craziest weather related day.  Unseasonably warm in the mid sixty degrees, thunderstorms, crazy sidewards rain, sun, rainbows and in between all that I was able to get a picture in the sun. Yeah!

Tonight I'm going out with some of my girlfriends and wanted to sport around a break-taking shade such as NYC Glossies ($1.99) in Cognac.  Described as a deep burgandy with loads of gold shimmer that's simply stunning and a perfect shade that everyone can love this season.

Target is the only store I've seen Cognac available and is well worth making a trip.  If you do, make sure to check out Saffire.  Another great color close to MAC's Whirlwind if you love deep tealish shades.

Have a great weekend - be safe!

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 - Sunday, January 18th 2009

NOTD: New York Summer Amaranth

Happy Sunday!  I hope your having a terrific weekend so far!  With all this cold weather we've been having lately, I'm ready to Spring forward with a shade like New York Summer's Amaranth Green ($1.59).

Described as a bright grass green jelly that applied fairly sheer in three coats.  You'll need at least three or more coats to achieve the bottle color.

Amaranth isn't your typical grass green shade.  It's much brighter and has tealish undertones that you can't really noticable in my swatches. 

Check out one more swatch below. 

New York Summer Amaranth retails for $1.59 and is available at Transdesign.  Have a great night peeps!

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 - Thursday, February 26th 2009

New Spring Colors From Butter London

Created Backstage at the Spring / Summer 09 Fashion shows in London and New York, Butter London is now proud to share these colours with our Fashionista friends.

Butter London is running a great deal for these new spring shades.  Now thru March 10th, purchase all five colors for only $40.00.  Enter FASHIONISTA09 at checkout page.

Artful Dodger - This true teal is a show stopper, Hi fashion and so unique, it's the perfect way to wear this trend without overkill.

The Old Bill - Burnished copper with a beautiful antique patina.  For sophisicated metal heads.

Blowing Raspberries - Rich, delicious berry lacquer.  Perfect for in between days when red is too much and pink is too little.

Muggins - Not your mother's lilac, A opaque shade that's pale, but packs a punch.

Cheeky Chops - Why no, I do not have a banana in my pocket, but I am happy to see you.

Now availabe online.  Click here to go straight to Butter London's site. 

FEATURED - Sunday, March 1st 2009

Stephs Closet Goes Green For March

 

This month, I'm giving tribute to all my green lovers out there by featuring my notd posts filled with lots of green nail candy.  Besides purple, green is my ultimate favorite color and what better way to celebrate this March.

Just a little over a year ago, you wouldn't find many green shades in my collection.  Infact, many grocery stores only carried one or two selections, if that.  Now, green is becoming an obsessive addiction amoungst nail polish addicts (like myself), beauty lovers or just some of us looking to be a little more eco-conscious.

I'm starting with two new polishes (to me) that I picked up a few days ago at the Mall.  These shouldn't be to hard to track down since I just snatched them up.

Icing's new spring color, Awkward ($4.50) is a vibrant green loaded with green and sublte light blue shimmer.  Wow, this color is absolutely stunning.

Check out some comparisons below.

Awkward's pigmentation is outstanding compared to Rainforest which is on the semi-sheer side.  Two coats of Awkward equals three coats of Rainforest.

 

L.A. Girls Flair nail color in Green is such a unique shade that I don't have another like her.  Described as a forest creme with teal undertones.

It's hard to tell by my swatches, but this is definitely green and not more tealish.  I love this one so much!

The formula was thick and pigmented like crazy.  In all honestly, you'd only need one coat of green.  My application was perfect and the wear lasted a good three days until I removed it.

Here's a comparison just to give you an idea where L.A. Girls green falls. 

You can find L.A. Girls Flair at Urban Outfitters and Forever 21 stores which retails between $2.50 - $4.00.  At forever 21 they were on clearance for $2.50.  Hope your having a fabulous Sunday!

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 - Sunday, March 15th 2009

Update: New Hot Topic Nail Color Added

Hope your having a wonderful Sunday afternoon!  Today, I'm adding two new shades to my ongoing Hot Topic swatches.  And, OMG if you love glitters, you have to check this out.  I'll be adding the other color later today.  It's not a glitter - just a teal shimmer. 

Click here to check out the new color.  I've marked the new additions in pink.

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 - Friday, March 27th 2009

Nail Polish of the Day: CQ Tahitian Green

It's Fridayy!! Hopefully your having a fabulous afternoon on this gloomy day. Today I'm bringing you a brand new color from CQ, Tahitian Green ($2.19). Described as a deep minty green with teal undertones and bright green shimmer.

This minty green shade was standing out like at sore thumb at Walmart just callin' my name. In fact, it's the only green they had in the makeup isle period.

To give you an idea where the color falls, Tahitian Green is much like China Glaze's, Passion in the Pacific. CQ's base is more green and both have the same colored shimmer.

The only place I've seen CQ cosmetics is at some Walmart and Rite Aid stores that retail between $2.00 - $2.50/ea. Hope your having a great weekend!

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 9th 2009

Summer Collection: China Glaze Kicks Part I

Along with Summer Day's, China Glaze introduces Kicks. A collection of twelve colorful shades ranging from green, orange, red, pink, purple and blue inspired from footwear worn by sneakerheads.

Yep, China Glaze does it again for summer! Overall, I really liked this collection because it's not your typical bright neon shades were used to. You don't have to be brave or daring to love every single one. 

Today I'm starting with the shimmers shades. The textures are a cross between a fine micro shimmer and subtle. Most shades applied perfectly with  two or three coats with no application problems.

Check em' out guys!   

Paper Chasing - a grass green with matching shimmer that reminded me a little bit of Essie's, Dominica Green. 

It was next to impossible to get an accurate swatch for Custom Kicks, a tealish aqua with gold shimmer. More greenish aqua in real life that's absolutely gorgeous and my fave from the Kicks collection.

Breakin' - is an orange with gold shimmer. 

Entourage - lime green with gold shimmer.

Fly - magenta pink with purple and pink shimmer. 

Sky High Top - cornflower blue with aqua shimmer. 

Here's a quick comparison of Custom Kicks and Sky High Top. As you can see, Custom Kicks is more green based when compared to Sky High Top.

I'll be posting Part II tomorrow - stay tuned. I wanna hear your thoughts!

FEATURED - Saturday, May 16th 2009

Spring 09: Sally Hansen Tracy Reese Collection

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

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

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

Check out all the swatches.

 

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

 

 

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

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

Nasturtium - a perfect spring and summer coral orange creme.

Azalea is a medium pink toned creme.

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

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

FEATURED - 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 - Sunday, April 26th 2009

Nail Polish of the Day: Massini Fashion Addict

Hope your having a fabulous Sunday! This weekend has just been beautiful with temperatures reaching almost 90 degrees. And, for the first time in four years, I'm sick with a severe head cold.

To cheer me up, I wanted to put on a brand new color from Massini. Fashion Addict is a light pink  purple holographic that has every resemblance to Color Club's version, including the name.

This is pretty much the same color as Color Club's. Massini is manufactured by Forsythe, the same company as CC. Chances are, if you love Color Club's nail polishes, you'll surely love Massini's brand. 

Massini nail polishes are pretty awesome. Averaging a huge .6 oz a bottle and retailing $2.99 is quite a steal! The only problem, Massini is only available at Meijer stores. I'll be posting some neons and glitters soon.

Have a wonderful Sunday afternoon!

FEATURED - Tuesday, May 5th 2009

Pedi of the Day: CNY Summer in the City

Hope your having a fabulous Tuesday! Today's pedicure of the day is a perfect spring color that the lovely Karla Sugar helped me pick out on Twitter.

Carolyn's Summer in the City is described as a pastel yellow creme that applied fairly well with three coats and looks fab on toes. Although, you could probably get by with two thicker coats.

You know with my nail art obsession in high gear, I just couldn't resist adding some cute lil teal polka dots. The polka dots really pop on this pastel yellow, Love!

Check out one more swatch below, 

Polka Dots are so fun and easy! Hope you have a fabulous day!

FEATURED - Wednesday, May 13th 2009

Wet n Wild Chrome Polishes: Swatches

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

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

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

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

Check em' out! 

Steel - a light silver with silver shimmer.

Brass - brassy gold with gold shimmer.

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

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

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

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

FEATURED - Monday, May 18th 2009

Nail Polish of the Day: SH Turquoise Opal

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

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

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

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

One more swatch below.

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

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

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

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

Have a wonderful Monday!

FEATURED - Sunday, June 7th 2009

Pedi of the Day: Teal with Yellow Polka Dots

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

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

The Supplies:

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

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

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

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

Have a fabulous Sunday!

FEATURED - Saturday, June 20th 2009

New Nail Polish Colors: L.A. Girl Flare Swatches

I love me some L.A Girl Flare nail polishes! Here's just a few new colors from L.A. Girl Flare. Some brand spankin new colors, and some older ones that's been around for a while.

One of their newest colors, Rapture. Glitter plus holo equals winner, ding ding ding! Now what gal doesn't love these two combinations! Described as a silverish, platinum gold holo in a clear base.

 

 

 Nirvana, not your standard sky blue creme. A mix between teal and sky blue. Loves it!

Another new shade from L.A. Girl, Sea Grass. A gorgeous sea green creme that applied perfectly in two applications. This looks similar to the shade Lauren Conrad was sporting in a episode of The Hills a couple weeks ago. We all know how much she loves Urban Outfitters, so it's a good possibility. 

When I first laid my eyes on Sea Grass, I thought it was going to be a close dupe to another one of my favorite colors, Tropical. But, it's defintitely more green when compared in the swatch above.

Sunny, a bright pastel yellow creme.

Hype, a mid tone barbie pink creme.

Spunky is much more purple in real life. For some reason, this didn't capture true to life. A magenta purple creme.

Love L.A. Girl? Check out some more L.A. Girl Flare swatches. You can find L.A. Girl Flare polishes at Forever 21, Urban Outfitters, and Cherry Culture.

FEATURED - Wednesday, June 24th 2009

Nail Polish of the Day: Revlon Tidal Wave

Happy Wednesday y'all! It's been such a crazy week! First, my site's been down for a few days, which I sincerely apologize to my faithful readers. My visitor traffic has been overwhelming lately, with tripling digits in the last month or so. But, I have new servers and I'm ready to go.

Today I'm bringing you an oldie from Revlon's Super Top Speed line called, Tidal Wave. I picked this one up at Big Lots a while ago. Big Lots has a nice selection of older Revlon colors, so make sure you check them out. Infact, they actually had a nice variety of Dark Pleasures too.

Described as a ocean green wilth silver and teal shimmer that's very gorgeous. It's more green than your average teal. Tidal Wave is super opaque and only requires two coats or less for bottle color.

Hope you had a great Wednesday!

FEATURED - Wednesday, July 1st 2009

BB Couture for Nails: Review and Swatches

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

 Sea of Cortez, fabulous light blue jelly with glitter.

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

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

Frosty Meadow, gorgeous light green jelly with glitter. 

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

Laguna Lagoon, a pastel mint green creme.

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

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

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

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

Have a wonderful Wednesday! Enjoy peeps!

FEATURED - Wednesday, July 22nd 2009

Sephora Beauty Insiders Exclusive: Dark Room

Oh man, this takes me back to the Nars Zulu days! Be sure to snatch this up, exclusively available to Beauty Insiders early.

What you need to know: An intensely dark and sexy shade that channels film-noir drama.

Sephora by OPI DARK ROOM is a dangerously deep, gorgeous, green nail color that will make you a scene stealer this autumn. Embrace an air of seductive mystery that will keep your audience at the edge of their seats.

What else you need to know: Put the final touch on fingertips and toes with this top-quality formula that continues the OPI legacy of excellence. The long-lasting, chip-resistant polish ensures flawless results with each application, and its green ingredient list excludes DBP, toluene, and formaldehyde.

Dark Room is available to Beauty Insiders early only available at Sephora and retails for $9.00/ea.  

Edit: To my understanding, Dark Room will be available at all Sephora stores.

FEATURED - Monday, July 27th 2009

Sephora by OPI Dark Room: Swatches

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

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

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

Check out a comparison below.

 

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

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

FEATURED - Monday, August 3rd 2009

OPI Summer 09: Sunbelievable Collection

Happy Monday! I have one last Summer collection to bring ya'll before I get into the Fall goodies.

OPI's Sunbeleiveable collection is a small release of four summertastic colors ranging from coral, yellow, pink and blue.

The application: I found most colors to be semi sheer with a jelly consistency. You'll need a minimum of three coats or more. My swatches were done with three, with the exception of one. Let's get down to business, shall we?

Check out the swatches. 

I'm his Coral Friend is a semi sheer coral jelly that's similar to her sister, Modern Girl.

 

Sea I told You, a gorgeous aquamarine with blue micro-glitter that's really stunning. A little different than Sephora's Skinny Jeans, which is a bit more teal. Must have for any blue lover!

 

If the Fushcia Fits, your standard hot pink shimmer. Not so much unique, but certainly pretty!

 I love Banana Bandanna! The application may be somewhat streaky, but definitely worth the hassle of this soft, buttercup color. So pretty!

OPI's Sunbelieveable collection is now available at Professional Salons and E-tailers. Hope you have an awesome day! 

FEATURED - Friday, August 7th 2009

New Colors: Sally Hansen Insta Dri Fall

It's Friday and what gal doesn't love that!!  Since you've worked long and hard this week, girlfriend... You deserve a much needed treat from Sally Hansen's Insta Dri line. Your totally worth it!

This Fall, Sally introduces a variety of eight, limited edition colors to the Insta Dri line. The collection ranges from reds, pink, white (sheer), violet (ooh la, la), teal and blue.

Application: I'm not entirely convinced with Sally's wide, tapered brush. It's a love, hate relationship. Love the opaque colors, but my petite nail beds say no, no, no to this large, oversized brush. But, I'll deal. The formula itself is perfecto.

On your mark, get set, go... Grab your kicks, it's time to head over Walgreen's and let the stalking begin!   

Check out the three I snatched up.

Violet VOOM has that boom, boom Pow! A vivacious, blurple with pink and blue shimmer. Oh my, this is really fabulous and unique! More purple than OPI's Play til Midnight and not as blue as OPI's Blue my Mind. I'll post comparison swatches tomorrow.

Ink-a-Blink-Blue is another great shade from this collection. A deep sky blue with bright aqua shimmer.

It don't suprise me I fell for this blue green shade. Teal Takeoff is a gorgeous shimmering teal.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend! This collection is now available, keep your eyes peeled.

FEATURED - Monday, August 10th 2009

Go Green this Summer with Nubar

Happy Monday, Ladies! It's August and Summer has offically kicked in high gear with blazing temperatures. And what better way to cool off with Nubar's fabulous Going Green Collection.

If you've been reading the nail blogs, you know this collection is hot, sweet and just plain incredible for us green nail polish fanatics! Thank you Nubar for making our nail polish dreams come true!

The going green collection is a limited edition release consisting of six bodacious greens from crème to shimmer - to holographic to duochrome; whatever your preference.

A litte Nubar History, if your not familar with the brand. In 2000, Nubar was founded as the healthy alternative for beautiful nails. After being affected by cancer within his own family, Nubar’s creative force, Noubar Abrahamian, was uniquely committed to his role as a pioneer in producing the highest quality nail care products that were free of formaldehyde, toluene, and DBP (phthalate). These common ingredients are included in California’s Proposition 65, which lists chemicals known to cause cancer, birth defects, or reproductive harm, and nubar’s exclusive formula omits these components as well as their derivatives without sacrificing quality.

You guys ready for some swatches?

Introducing the first true green holo on the market, Reclaim. A light grassy green holo that screams hotness.

Forest, a rich forest green creme that's a tad bit lighter than RBL's Recycle.

Conserve, a gorgeous green teal loaded with glitter. A bit more green than blue. 

Nubar has some amazing duochrome shades and Wildlife being one of them. A mossy green when applied at first that flashes bronze, pink and green at the same time. Wowzers! 

Earth is a more blue version of Conserve loaded with glitter.

Greener is a rich, dark emerald green shimmer that's absolutely stunning!

Now let's talk about application...Perfecto, every single one of them! Even though I'm a die hard three coater, you could get by with two coats on each color.

The Going Green collection is still available online at ByNubar, don't miss out on this fabulous release. Have a wonderful night! 

FEATURED - Monday, August 17th 2009

New Nail Polish Colors from Sinful

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

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

Check out the swatches. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

See you Soon, a blackened blue with shimmer.

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

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

FEATURED - Thursday, August 27th 2009

Fall Collection: Color Club Wild At Heart

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

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

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

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

Let's get down to business, shall we? 

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

 

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

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

Have a wonderful day!

FEATURED - Friday, September 4th 2009

MAC Cosmetics: Nail Trend FW 09 by Jin Soon

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

Price: $12.00/ea

Steph's Rating:

Buy it: MAC Cosmetics, MAC Stores

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

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

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

Are you ready for some swatches?

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

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

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

Dance All Night, A red brick house creme. 

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

 

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

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

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

FEATURED - Saturday, October 31st 2009

The Best of Halloween 2009: Nail Polish Exclusives

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

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

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

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

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

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

Black is a black creme. 

Black Glitter is a black with silver glitter. 

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

Green is a Neon Green. 

Orange is a Neon Orange. 

Pink is a Pink Neon.

Black Holographic is a smokey black with holographic glitter.

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

Confetti is a orange and black confetti glitter.

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

Bloodshed is a red creme. 

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

Sinister is a black creme. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

FEATURED - Tuesday, November 17th 2009

Fall 09: Icing Limited Edition Nail Polish Set

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

Price: $15.99/per kit

Steph's Rating:

Buy it: Icing Stores

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

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

Are you ready guys for some swatches?

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

 

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

Purple Shimmer is a frosty Purple.

 

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

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

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

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

FEATURED - Thursday, December 24th 2009

Tis The Season To Be Mint Green

Merry Christmas Eve, all! To celebrate this festive holiday, I wanted to kick off with some minty green nail spam for your viewing pleasures. Enjoy!

(Above) Chanel Le Vernis in Jade

 MAC Cosmetics Nail Lacquer in Peppermint Patti

OPI Nail Lacquer in Damone Roberts 1968

 OPI Nail Lacquer in Hey! Get in Lime

Essie in Mint Candy Apple 

RGB Cosmetics Nail Polish in Minty 

American Apparel Nail Polish in Office 

OPI Nail Lacquer in Creme de Menthe 

Illamasqua Nail Varnish in Milf 

Avon in Teal Waters 

Claire's Cosmetics Nail Polish in Dream Catcher 

Nicole by OPI Nail Color in Hint of Mint 

And a little polka dot nail art for fun!

Those are a few of my favorites. Click here to check out more Minty goodness. Do you love this cool, pastel-y color? What's your faves?  

Wishing you a safe and wonderful Christmas!

FEATURED - Sunday, January 3rd 2010

Sneak Peek: Barielle A Bouquet for Ava

Collection: Barielle A Bouquet for Ava, Nail Lacquer .5 oz

Retail Price: $8.00/ea

Steph's Rating:

Buy it: Barielle - Available in February

Shades by Barielle blooms into Spring with six floral themed hues to the Wildflower Collection.  This release includes Blossom - an opaque peach, Snapdragon - a metallic sea foam green and Darling Dahlia - a deep fuchsia with a hint of silver metallic.

Three additional colors pay tribute to women close to Barielle who are still battling breast cancer. A Bouquet for Ava - a cool caribbean blue, June Bug - a teal with fuchsia glitter and Myrza's Meadow - a light lime green with silver glitter.  100% of the proceeds from A Bouquet for Ava, June Bug and Myrza's Meadow will be donated to The Ovarian Cancer Research Fund when purchased at ocrf.org.

Today I'm bringing you a sneak peek at the stunning, A Bouquet for Ava, created by Elle.

A Bouquet for Ava is a refreshing breath of caribbean air. It's a deep, cool blue that's perfect! This leans towards teal a bit, but not a dusty teal like Misa's Dirty, Sexy, Money. Spectacular and unique!

As far as dupes, Barielle's is darker and more teal compared to ChG Shower Together. 

And for the Polka Dot lover!  

Barielle's Blossom paired up with A Bouquet for Ava makes a great combination for Spring.

What do you think of A Bouquet for Ava? Are you excited about Barielle's upcoming Wildflower Collection?

Enough teasing, are you guys ready for some swatches?

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

FEATURED - Saturday, January 9th 2010

Shades by Barielle: Wildflower Spring Collection

Product: Barielle Wildflower Collection, Nail Lacquer .5 oz

Price: $8,00/ea

Steph's Rating:

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

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

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

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

Let's jump to the swatches, shall we?  

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

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

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

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

Having fun with A Bouquet for Ava and Blossom. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

FEATURED - Thursday, January 21st 2010

Nina Ultra Pro: Crushed Velvet Collection

Product: Nina Crushed Velvet Collection, Limited Edition Nail Lacquer .5 oz

Retail Price: $3.49/ea

Steph's Rating:

Buy it: Sally Beauty Stores

Last week when I stopped by my favorite beauty store to pick up some nail gel, I stumbled across a sweet, limited edition collection from Nina Ultra Pro that caught my eye.

The Crushed Velvet Collection introduces six, hi-gloss metallic nail lacquers laced with stunning flecks of gold shimmer. For the most part, each color is well pigmented and has a foil-y metallic finish. With the exception of Vintage Velvet, all shades applied smooth with two coats.

Are you ready for some swatches?

Vintage Velvet - is a gorgeous green metallic with flecks of gold shimmer. 

Velveteen Rabbit - is a mixture between a white gold and bronze metallic with flecks of gold shimmer.  

Viva La Velvet - is a red metallic with with flecks of gold shimmer. 

Velvet Underground - is a purple grape metallic with gold shimmer flecks.

Velvet Revolver was the only color from the collection that has a true metallic finish without flecks of gold shimmer. You'll notice in my swatches, the streak lines are more visible compared to the others.

Velvet Seas - is a blue green metallic with flecks of gold shimmer. 

And for the Matte Edition starring Essie's Matte About You. 

 

Overall, Great Collection for the metallic or foil lover. Nina Ultra Pro polishes are Big 3 free of toxic chemicals. Nice variety of colors, smooth application and reasonably priced for the budget savvy diva.  

My favorites: Velveteen Rabbit, Velvet Seas, Velvet Underground and Vintage Velvet.

How do feel about Nina Ultra Pro polishes? What are some of your favorite colors from the collection?

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