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Guest Post Enchanted Polish "Austin Powers"

Today I have my first guest post on Refined and Polished's website.  Check her out here. 

Bundle Monster 2012 Image Plates Have Landed!

Woop woop! I got my Bundle Monster plates a day early. I was so excited to receive them, I stopped dead in my tracks and started stamping.  I choose the water marble image to play with first.

I had to stamp the nail several times to get a scattered effect. I used Konad White, Blue and several Sally Hansen Insta-Dris to stamp.

Here's the first attempt where I stamped once on each nail, except the pinky which was an accident but came out great.   

And a quick swatch of Mr. Bubble by Lush Lacquer.  Mr. Bubble is loaded with blue, pink and white matte glitter in various sizes. It's very concentrated but I was able to get the application I prefer by blotting it on the nail.  I used Finger Paints Blissfully Blue as a basecoat and 1 coat of Seche Vite.  

The new Bundle Monster image plates are available now on their website and Amazon for $21.99. Use code Nail2012 to take about $3 off.

Butterfly House - Nailz Craze Image Plate

Today's post is inspired by a family trip to the Butterfly House. Although it looks like the popular freehand design, it was made using the new butterfly image plate by NailzCraze (ordering information below).

I decided to go with the OPI Hot Fun in Summer Line as the base coat, then stamped with Color Club's Where's the Soiree. I immediately switched to Konad Black which is a pain to remove but stamps the full image much darker and more complete. 

I love how it turned out. I was a bit skeptical at first because the curve of the butterfly wings look very pronounced, but it's perfect on the nail. I guess it's hard to vision what the results will look like in 3D. 

For the white dots I used my favorite dotting tool, a toothpick, with white acrylic paint.  Acrylic paint is great to use because you can wash the mistakes off with water and start over.  

Stamping Tips for Using the Plate

1. Stamp in 1 sweeping motion across the nail (if not the wing lines will be staggered).

2. Practice lining up the dark edge. My first attemps (pinky and ring finger) weren't all that great and I had to fill in the dark area with black polish.  I think I'll get better with practice. 

A few pictures from the Butterfly House. I had never seen a butterfly with tiger stripes, LOL.

Pretty. Wouldn't you agree?

And here's the image plate from Nailz Craze.  She doesn't have a website right now so it's ordered via Facebook.  It's $7 plus $3 shipping. I was a bit skeptical of the price but it's so worth it with the time saved and uniqueness of the designs. It takes about 2 weeks to deliver because it's an international purchase. 

I hope you like this butterfly design. It's one of my favorites :)

Pure Ice - 5 Shades of Grey, Swatches and Review

Good morning beauties! Today I have five shades of grey from Pure Ice to share with you.

Beware

Beware has a clear base loaded with micro silver glitter.  I sponged it over Eyes of Steel and then matted it to get that "industrial" look.  I love how it came out!  Beware is a must have for all glitter fanatics, as it looks great layered and alone.  

Silver Mercedes

 Silver Mercedes is a true silver chrome that went on smoothly. This is two coats without a base coat.  I was afraid it would show my nail ridges but they didn't show through. You do have to be care with the brush strokes to make them blend. I can't believe I never tried this silver before. I hear it's also great for stamping which is a plus!

Eyes of Steel

Eyes of Steel is a smokey charcoal chrome that went on well with two coats. The brush strokes are more obvious here, but it could be due to my application.  I'm not sure if it stamps well but I'm going to try it out soon.

Electric 

Black base with silver shimmer throughout. Unlike some formulas, the shimmer is very obvious on the nail and softens the look of black and makes it more of a charcoal.  I used two coats here.

Lightning Strikes

Lightning Strikes is a shimmering silver crackle. I used 1 coat over Eyes of Steel.  I think it crackled well but I should have waited for my base coat to dry before applying.     

These polishes are sleek and very affordable at $2-4.  A great "steel" for the price.  The 5 shades of grey are available now at Wal-Mart or at Bariscosmetics.com. Silver Mercedes and Beware are my favorites from the set! 

~Provided by PR for Review~

China Glaze On Safari Collection Fall 2012 - Native Swatches and Review

Good morning beauties! Today I have part II of the On Safari Collection to share with you! You can view part I of the Collection here. 

Man Hunt 

A bold and bright cobalt blue creme.  I really love this color. I'm not sure if I have anything like it in my current stash.  Two Coats.

Elephant Walk

Grey creme with an invisible shimmer. This was my least favorite from the bunch. Grey just doesn't look good on me.  It will probably look awesome on other skin tones though. 

Exotic Encounters

Dusty teal creme. Very pretty and one of my favorites from this half of the collection.  I used 2 coats.

Jungle Creme

 I've seen this color so many times over the past year. Charcoal purple with a light purple shimmer. A good Paradoxal dupe if you don't have the original. Two coats.

Purr-Fect Plum

Dirty cherry berry creme. I really like this color and the formula much better than the others. I used 2 thin coats.

Prey Tell

Jelly-ish wine/burgundy creme. Pretty but it feels familiar. I used 2 coats but could have gone for a third.

China Glaze did a good job capturing the Safari feel.  Man Hunt doesn't seem to fit in the collection, but it's one of my favorites so I won't complain.  My other favorites from the Native set are Purr-Fect Plum and Exotic Encounters. Although I have more favorites in this set, I prefer the Tourist half of the collection which is more glittery and bright.  Who says a girl can't have a little glam while On Safari?

The On Safari Collection is available now at beauty Etailers, Amazon and Ebay for about $3 per bottle.

China Glaze On Safari Collection Fall 2012 - Tourist Swatches and Review

Adventure Red-Y

Cherry brick-red. This one is gorgeous! A great red to wear to work without raising everyone's eyebrows. Very sultry and a surprise favorite. I used 2 coats. 

Call of the Wild

Dark chocolate creme. I used 2 coats here. 

Desert Sun

This one doesn't look like the sun at all, it's more of a caramel creme. I think most will either love or hate this color. I personally love it. I used 2 coats here. 

I Herd That

Clear base with tiny red, bronze and gold holographic glitter.  I used 1 coat over Desert Sun. This one is cute but it reminds me of Finger Paints Holly Good Time.  I searched all over for Holly Good Time last year and finally found it but wasn't crazy about it. For some reason I like this one better.  Maybe it's the combination over the caramel.    

Kalahari Kiss

2 coats with topcoat.  Neutral khaki creme. Thick formula but I think my bottle was opened accidentally during shipping. 

I'm Not Lion

Neutral base filled with tiny silver and gold holographic glitter. I found this a little on the thick side which is great if you want to use it alone. I layered 1 coat it over Kalahari Kiss.  It dried matte but livened up with a top coat. 

This half of the collection is nice.  I found the formula a little thicker than what I personally prefer, but it allowed coverage in 2 coats for most of the polishes. My favorites from this half of the collection are Adventure Red-y which is a surprise because I rarely wear reds.  My other favorite is I'm Not Lion.  The others I feel like I've seen before somewhere in my collection.  They are worth checking out if you don't own them though.  Overall this set will wear great for the Fall.

China Glaze Safara is available now online at several etailers, Amazon and Ebay!

Nail of the Day: Tape Mani

A quick pick of a past Nail of the Day done for the Purple Crumpet Fairy Challenge. Unfortunately, due to my move, I haven't been able to participate as much as I would like to.  I used Zoya Dana over Finger Paints Glaze Lemon Sour. The bright yellow base changed the Zoya color somewhat but I like the brighter effect. 

A quick and dirty swatch of Lemon Sour.  Two coats over 1 coat of white. I love this color :)

Thanks for stopping by. Until next time, Happy Polishing!

X Out™ Nail Project

Happy Monday!

Today I have a special mani to share with you that I worked on for the maker's X Out™.  If you haven't heard of X Out, it's an acne medication created by the makers of Proactiv.  For each blogger that participates in the Nail Project they are donating $200 to the Pacer's National Bullying Prevention Center. I thought it was a great cause so I didn't hesitate to participate. I hope you enjoy this mani inspired by their packaging and manifesto.

To create this mani I used a white base and stamped using Fab Image plate 1,Wet N' Wild Black, OPI Pack Your Booty Shorts and Sally Hansen insta-dri in Brisk Blue.

Thanks for stopping by. Until next time, Happy Polishing!

Jade Holographic Giveaway

It's summer time so that means its time for some fun and a quick giveaway! Up for grabs I choose a few of the new shades from the Jade Holographic Collection.  The colors I choose are lilac, red and teal: Vermelho Surreal (red holographic), Fascinio Violeta (lilac holographic) and Energy (teal holographic).

There will be 3 winners! 

Giveaway Rules:
1. Must follow via GFC or BlogLovin. (mandatory)
2. United States followers only.
3. Must reply as a winner within 48 hours after contact (provide email so that I can contact you).
4. The giveaway begins today and ends on June 26, 2012.  
5. Each winner will win 1 polish only.
6. Must enter using Rafflecoptor below.

This is a US giveaway only. I am in the middle of a move and international shipping is a challenge at the moment.  

This is my first time using Rafflecoptor so please report any issues to me. Thank you :)

Here are swatches of the lovely polishes up for grabs. All photos were provided with permission courtesy of  Loucas Por Esmalte. Thank you!!! 

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Color Club Take Wing Collection Summer 2012 - Swatches and Review

Happy Friday! Today I have the Color Club Take Wing Collection to share with you. Inspired by butterflies and metamorphosis, the collection consists of 6 glass-flecked shimmers that will brighten your summer days. 

Wing Fling. Gorgeous pink fleck that flashes lilac at some angles.  Very pretty. 

Daisy Does It. Very bright lemon yellow. My camera couldn't accurately capture the color and makes it appear more subdued, but believe me it is bright!

Sparkle and Soar. I'm in love with this tangerine shimmer.  

 Fly With Me. This was my least favorite of the collection but I've seen it look awesome on other skin tones. 

Metamorphosis. A green-teal shimmer that flashes a slight blue at an angle.  

Sky High. This is one of my favorites from the collection. It has a slight pink shimmer that's barely visible on the nail but it's still gorgeous.  

I used two coats of polish for most of the collection, except when it got to the darker colors (Sky High and Metamorphosis), the formula was slightly thinner so they required 3 coats.

Overall the collection is great. This finish is a shimmer glass-flecked which causes your nails to twinkle in the sunlight. Some of the colors remind me of pretty summer cocktails with added citrus garnishes. My favorites from the collection are Sparkle and Soar, Wing Fling and Sky High.

The Take Wing Collection is available now online and at retailers that sale Color Club!

~ Provided for Review~

Calling out to my lovely French Friends!!!

Frenchies, j'ai besoin de votre aide ! Je suis tombée amoureuse d'une exclusivité française OPI en vente chez Sephora appelée Black Spotted ! En gros, ça ressemble à un shatter (le fonctionnement est le même) sauf que ça fait l'effet inverse (on voit dans les craquelures au lieu de voir entre les craquelures) et avec un aspect "peinture à l'huile" un peu.. J'aimerais acheter ou échanger cette petite merveille.
Si vous avez moyen de l'obtenir, contactez-moi ! Merci :)

French ladies I need your help! I fell in love with a unique OPI Sephoro France Exclusive called Black Spotted. It creates black holes in  nail polish instead of the cracks. I would like to trade, buy or exchange for this new beauty. If you can get your hands on this, please email me! Thank you!

OPI Announces New Limited Edition Outrageous Neons, the Brand’s First Neon Lacquer

 

            OPI launches its first neon nail lacquer with the Outrageous Neons mini pack, including four limited edition neon shades, a neon white base coat, and OPI Top Coat. The four fluorescent hues include vivid shades of yellow, orange, pink and purple. The essential step for achieving the best results is to prep nails with one coat of neon white base, followed by two coats of neon lacquer. Colors dry matte, but adding one layer of OPI Top Coat results in bright, bold color with a shiny finish.

 “Outrageous Neons marks OPI’s foray into the world of neon color,” explains Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, OPI Executive VP & Artistic Director.  “In the US, the FDA requires that all cosmetic colorants be approved, and each batch must be certified for purity. The lacquers in this set are formulated with new, FDA-approved neon pigments for a look that’s dazzlingly vibrant.”

Along with neon white base and OPI Top Coat, the four shades in the Outrageous Neons mini pack include:

Ridiculously Yellow
So yellow, it’s beyond understanding.

 Formidably Orange
Brace yourself for this powerful orange.

Riotously Pink
This pink has been known to create a scene.

Seriously Purple
I really mean it…it’s really purple!

   As with all OPI nail lacquers, Outrageous Neons contain no DBP, Toluene, or Formaldehyde. This limited edition mini pack promotion will be available beginning July 2012 at professional salons, including Beauty Brands, Beauty First, Chatters, Dillard’s, JCPenney, Pure Beauty, Regis, Trade Secret, and ULTA, for  $19.95 ($24.95 CAN) suggested retail for each mini pack (includes all six products).

For more information, please call 800-341-9999 or visit www.opi.com. Follow OPI on Twitter @OPI_PRODUCTS and become a Facebook fan!

OPI Ulta Exclusives Summer 2012 Swatches and Review

Today I have the OPI Ulta Exclusives to share with you. I found these bad girls while I was out over the weekend. I had to hunt around a little because the first location I visited was sold out within 30 minutes. I guess there are quite a few nail fanatics in my area :) 

The Flowers Are Blue-Ming! Bright blue scattered holographic. There was talk that it was similar to Absolutely Alice but it's slightly darker and lacks the gold glitter that gives AA the slight green hue. I used 3 thin coats to make it opaque. 

A blurry pic to show off the bling.

Indirect Light

 

Hot Fun In The Summer-Lime. Kelly green creme that's much prettier on than in the bottle. I used 3 thin coats that went on without any drama. The formula is thin and it's almost a jelly but not quite.  

Shade

Indirect Light

Pack Your Booty Shorts.  Medium purple creme. It reminds me of Grape Pop but its not as dark. The formula is also a little on the thin side. I used 3 coats here.  

Pack Your Booty Shorts - Indirect Light

Overall this is a cute little set. The blue glitter doesn't appear to go with the two brights in the collection but I won't complain because it's gorgeous! There is also a gold foil which completes the collection,  but I left it behind because it seemed dupey to a gold I already own. There may also be dupes to the cremes but I can't think of any off the top of my head. My favorites from the collection are Hot Fun In The Summer-Lime and The Flowers Are Blue-Ming.

I purchased this set from Ulta for $8.50 a bottle. Over the weekend they ran special B2G1 free but I'm not sure if it's still going or not. Unfortunately OPI's cannot be purchased from ULTA online, so you'll have to take a trip to pick these girls up.