Happy Thanksgiving!

Hello Everyone!  Just wanted to make a quick post to say Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours :)

Today I'm wearing OPI In My Santa Suit topped with one layer of Underneath the Mistletoe. I love this subtle glitter and the colors are great for the Holiday.

Anyways, I'm stuffed and about to lay down and watch a movie with family. Until next time!

OPI Pink of Hearts 2013 Collection Duo

Hey beauties! Today's mani is in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month. I used the OPI Pink of Hearts 2013 set to create this look. The set contains a pink creme Pinking of You and a limited edition matte glitter, More Than A Glimmer. 

For the accent nail I used the ribbon decals and crystals included in the set for a quick, fun and cute look!  

Silver - LA Colors Live

Pink - OPI Pinking of You

White - Wet N' Wild White

Glitter - OPI More Than A Glimmer

The Pink of Hearts 2013 duo can be purchased at retailers that carry OPI. 

~Provided by PR for Review~ 

Zoya Zenith Holiday Collection 2013 - Swatches and Review

Hello beauties! I'm super excited to present the Zoya Holiday Winter Collection to you today. The are some stunners in here for sure. Enough talk, on to the swatches.

OPI New York Fashion Week 2013 Inspired Nails - How to Half Moon Ruffian

photo courtesy of OPI

I'm not in New York this week but that's not stopping me participating in fashion week! This week's mani was inspired by nails created for Jenni Kayne's premier in New York Fashion Week 2013.

L.A. Colors Bows & Bling Nail Art Kit

Hello everyone! I hope you're doing great. Yesterday I stumbled upon this cute and inexpensive nail art kit at Wal-Mart. I was quite surprised because I've never seen L.A. Colors there before. I snatched both sets up immediately, then convinced myself to put one back. I settled for the bright colors versus the black/white/pink with silver glitter kit which I also loved. 

How I Shaped My Nails into Almond Shape (Baby Stillettos)

Hello everyone! I hope you're enjoying this holiday weekend. I finally have a day off and was excited to play with my nails. You may have noticed I've been trying to grow out my natural nails. I've worn square/squoval for a couple of years now and wanted to switch things up a bit, so I decided to try almond shape nails. I think I first fell in love with almonds when I saw Adele sporting them. Her fingers looked so long and elegant with the extended shape. 

Since my nails are short I couldn't create extremely long almonds (stilettos), so I'm going for the baby stiletto/almond version. Stiletto's are actually more pointy, but you know what I mean. 

Here's a video showing how I went from round to almond nails:

And here are the finished results:

The polish I'm wearing is Klean Color Black. I just painted black over my Chalkboard nails to allow me to shape them better. It was a lot easier than I thought it would be. 

I really like this nail shape so far. I'm not sure how long I'll be able to grow out my natural nails with this shape, but it will be fun to see.  

 Thanks for stopping by my blog today. Have a great weekend :)

Revlon Nail Art Chalkboard Polish - Review and Swatches

Sephora $10 Gift Card for $5 via Groupon

Hello lovelies! Just a quick note to mention that Sephora is on Groupon today. Get a $10 gift card for $5.

The Deal

• $5 for $10 worth of cosmetics, skincare, haircare, and fragrances
• Can be used in store, online, via mobile devices, or at any Sephora inside JCPenney.

Go to Groupon's website for more information. Happy Shopping :)

New Sally Hansen Insta-Dri and Xtreme Wear Fall 2013 - Swatches and Review

Hello lovelies! Today I have swatches from Sally Hansen's Fall Collection to share with you. I'm not sure if they're exclusive to Walgreen's but that's where I found them. And the best thing about it, they were BOGO 50% off! The Insta-Dri's didn't ring up on sale, but it's noted on the display so the manager honored it (50% off the regular price of $4.99).  The Xtreme Wears were on sale for $1.99.

There was also a mention of the Rent The Runway Sweepstakes on the display, where you can enter to win a 1 year supply of Sally Hansen nail polish  Wouldn't that be great! You can enter by going to Sally Hansen's Facebook page.

Anyway's on to the swatches. For the Insta-Dri's there is a collection of 8 foil polishes, which I only purchased six. I left behind a red and green I believe I may have dupes of. For the swatches,  I tried something different this time and included a swatch of a similar polish on my pinky finger.

Style Steel - Frosted caramel foil with reflections of pink. It looks more textured in person as if there's gritty pink sprinkles throughout.  Gorgeous 1 coater. My pinky is sporting OPI Pros & Bronze. 

Chop Chop Copper - Very thin copper foil. I'm wearing 3 coats and it was still sheer. OPI Pros & Bronze on the pinky again.

Pink Fast - I just loved this color in the bottle but didn't realize I already had a dupe.  Pinky finger Color Club Hot Like Lava.

Currant Trend - Magenta shimmer, not quite a foil. Lovely 3 coater. Pinky finger Klean Colors Metallic Fuchsia. 

No S-pear Time.  My least favorite from the collection. It reminds me of Christmas wrapping paper. Pinky finger Klean Colors Metallic Green. 

Quick Jean-ius. Gorgeous cobalt blue foil. Pinky finger Color Club Cold Metal.

For the Xtreme Wear collection, I only purchased 2 from the set. Yes. I'm surprised as well. I was really excited to see all of the shimmering glitters but upon closer inspection many of them felt dupe-y to me.   I could be wrong, but it just felt like I've seen them all before (think Deborah Lippmann Today Was A Fairytale, Boom Boom Pow, Revlon Sequins, Connect the Dots, and so on...).

Confetti Punch - medium dark blue hex glitter, medium light blue/green glitter, small pink glitter and pink micro glitter. I wish it was more dense but who can complain for 2 bucks. I applied 2 coats over Pink Fast.

 Confetti Cake - I thought this was the prettiest and most interesting from the bunch. Large black glitter, medium blue, navy and pink glitter, small pink glitter, pink micro-glitter. I may be missing a glitter or 2, LOL. Whatever the case, I love the mix and its my favorite from the 2 new lines. I applied 2 coats over Currant Trend.

Overall I think the X-treme Wears are a great and inexpensive way to slay your glitter craving. I just wish there were more unique combinations.  So many of them looked familiar to me.  I may go back and get the red/white and green/white glitter combos, but the others are pretty dupe-y in my opinion.

The color pay off with the Insta-Dri's is great and most of them only needed 1 coat, so you know what that means....they'll be great for stamping! The only 2 that gave me a little trouble was Chop Chop Copper. I believe it could be a 4 coater? I stopped at 3 and my nails were still see through. The other multi-coater was Currant Trend 3 coater? I stopped at 2.

I was so excited to find the new collections but I must admit I was a little disappointed to discover I had so many dupes. Overall I think the Insta-Dri's would be a great addition for anyone who loves foils or nail stamping. The glitters are just fun to play with and will make many glitter lovers happy :)

Easy Stamping and Gradient using Sally Hansen Sugar Coats

Hello everyone! Today I'm sharing a mani I did using the Sally Hansen Sugar Coats. For the base I used Royal Icing then sponged with Pink Sprinkles. I topped it off by stamping with Sally Hansen Flashy Fuchsia using a Bunny Nails Image plate.

I decided to sponge over the blue because you could still see my stains through the sheer formula, but sponging and stamping over them worked like a charm! 

Thanks for stopping by!

Nicole by OPI Carrie Underwood 2014 - Press Release

                Nicole by OPI Announces Partnership with

Six-Time Grammy Winner Carrie Underwood for 2014

~ I don't have any pictures right now, but the collection sound interesting. ~

Nicole by OPI announces 14 new nail lacquers inspired by award-winning superstar Carrie Underwood.  Available in January, this collection features a colorful mosaic of hues ranging from soft pastels to dark sultry shades to playful glitters.  Additionally, the line will include a signature gold textured shade called Carrie’d Away, created exclusively for Carrie.

“This is the first time Nicole by OPI has ever designed a signature shade for one of our celebrity partners!  We are excited to share this news with both music and nail fans – isn’t that everyone?” explains Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, Nicole by OPI Executive VP & Artistic Director. 

“In working closely with Carrie, we came up with 14 nail lacquers that truly encapsulate her soulful spirit and showcase different facets of her personality,” adds Weiss-Fischmann. “With shades as American as Apple Pie, you’ll get Carrie’d Away by her Southern Charm!”

Nicole by OPI formulas are long-lasting, fast-drying, and salon-quality.  Available at mass retailers, this limited edition promotion will also debut the NEW Nicole logo.  For more information, visit nicolebyopi.com. Follow Nicole by OPI on Twitter @NicoleByOPI and become a Facebook fan!

About Nicole by OPI:

Nicole by OPI offers a salon-quality range of bold, fashion-forward nail lacquers. The brand’s heritage is based in OPI’s well-established foundation of excellence in both color and technology, providing premium products to a broad range of consumers looking for trendsetting nail lacquers.

About Carrie Underwood:

Since releasing her debut album in 2005, Carrie has sold over 15 million albums and placed 17 #1 singles on the charts, 8 of which she co-wrote. Her current album, Blown Away, made history by debuting at #1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums Chart, making Carrie only the second country artist in the 47-year history of the chart to have each of their first four albums debut at #1.  The now Platinum-selling Blown Away album also debuted at #1 on the all-genre Billboard 200 chart, making Carrie only the second country artist in history to have three consecutive albums debut at #1.  She is a six-time GRAMMY® winner, a two-time Academy of Country Music Entertainer of the Year, a three-time Country Music Association and ACM Female Vocalist winner, and a proud member of the Grand Ole Opry.

OPI Fall 2013 San Francisco Collection - Swatches and Review

Check out the video to see these polishes in action.

China Glaze On The Horizon Feather Collection Fall 2013 - Swatches and Review

Hey lovelies! Today I have swatches of the new China Glaze On The Horizon Collection to share with you. I thought these would be really cute for the Fall so I scooped them up. There are 6 feathers (mini bar glitters) in the collection of various colors. Most of them have Fall inspiration with hints of orange and black and would be great for the Halloween season.

I swatched them over black and white. My first 2 nails have a black base, and my last 2 have a white base.

 

Fing'rs Get Spotted versus OPI Spotted, Swatches and Review

Hello everyone! I was out and about and found the Fing'rs Heart 2 Art nail display. This display is loaded with nail stickers, glitter, tape, brushes, water decals and even a stamping kit. I was so excited because I was able to snatch up the OPI Spotted dupe called Get Spotted.

Application is tricky and similar to crackle polish. You have to make sure the base color is dry and the polish is smooth. I created a video that shows the application (good and bad). I even made a mistake during application, LOL. But it shows how tricky the polish is. For the base, I used 2 coats of the pink and black that came in the kit.

I then polished my right hand with OPI Spotted for comparison. I prefer the look of the OPI, but for $7 the price of Get Spotted can't be beat (unless you use the alcohol water marble).

Overall I believe the polish does work, but it's tricky to work with. I had to use very little polish to create spots, and when I say very little, I mean very little. I would even go as far to say wipe off the brush completely and start there. 

The effect is similar to OPI but more striated than spotted. The look reminds me of crackle polish. 

I purchased Get Spotted for about $6.57. Some of the other embellishments were about $2.50. I also got a few of the water decals. Gotta love those for 2 bucks.

The Fing'rs Heart 2 Art display can be found at Wal-Mart. 

Thanks for stopping by!

NOTD and Nail Stamping Tutorial

Hello everyone! Sorry I haven't posted in sooooooooooooo long. To be honest, I've just been a little lazy and kicked back for the summer. I've been in permanent vacation mode, LOL. 

My nail of today is a look I completed with a combination of nail stickers and nail stamping. The stickers (middle finger) were purchased from my local beauty supply store.  I created the stamped images with Pueen  36, from the Love Elements Set, purchased from Amazon. Base colors are Zoya Dana, Wet N Wild White and Finger paints Black Expressionism. I also stamped with the same Finger Paints Black and Konad White. 

I have on 3-4 layers of polish to help create a protective layer over the nail. It helps prevents nail chipping and tearing at work. 

And here's the nail stamping tutorial. Check it out to see how I created this look. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Nicole by OPI Disney's Tinker Bell Collection Summer 2013 - Press Release

Paint on Pixie Dust!

Nicole by OPI Announces Tink: NEW Limited Edition Lacquers, Inspired by Disney’s Tinker Bell

Nicole by OPI launches its Tink collection, featuring six new limited edition shades inspired by everyone’s favorite fairy, Tinker Bell, including a brilliant glitter gloss and vibrant shades of tangerine, coral, fuchsia, pink and lime green.    

 “We’re excited to celebrate Disney’s feisty fairy,” explains Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, Nicole by OPI Co-Founder & Artistic Director.  “Big things come in small packages just like Tinker Bell, and this collection packs color with a punch. Our Tink collection is all about self-expression and having fun with bold colors. The vivid pigments created for this promotion capture the fairy magic and mystique, with alluring shades like the signature sparkly Pixie Glitter and the playfully pink How Fairy Nice of You!”

The Tink collection includes:

How Fairy Nice of You!

This sweet pixie pink gives me wings.

Pixie Glitter

This clear gloss is sprinkled with tiny rainbows.

Fairy Fairy Quite Contrary

Not, it's NOT orange...it's tangerine. So there!

Half Charming / Half Alarming

This coral is perfect when you're feeling unpredictable.

 Tink’s in the Pink

This happy fuchsia makes me, well...happy!

Sweet on Pete

This lime green is the "key" to Pete's heart!

Nicole by OPI formulas are long-lasting, fast-drying, and salon-quality.  This limited edition collection will be available July 1, 2013 for $7.99 each at select Walgreens locations nationwide.

For more information, visit nicolebyopi.com. Follow Nicole by OPI on Twitter @NicoleByOPI and become a Facebook fan!

About Nicole by OPI:

Nicole by OPI offers a salon-quality range of bold, fashion-forward nail lacquers. The brand’s heritage is based in OPI’s well-established foundation of excellence in both color and technology, providing premium products to a broad range of consumers looking for trendsetting nail lacquers.

Lush Lacquer Black Friday and Illamasqua Purity

I was browsing through my polish and came across this amazing glitter bomb from Lush Lacquer. I'm not sure what took me so long to try her out but I am completely in love! I used 1 coat of Black Friday over Wet N' Wild Black.  This is a beautiful combination and the glitter just pops over black. It's like a party on my nails.

 

I picked up Purity during the Sephora sale. Purity was a pure-challenge to apply. I'm not sure if it was due to me being tired or just a bad formula. Either way, it took quite a bit of cleaning to get a decent appearance. It is gorgeous, so I guess it was worth all of the trouble and the 3 coats. 

Those are my latest NOTD's. Hope you like them. Thanks for stopping by!

Sally Hansen Fuzzy Coat and Sugar Coat Summer 2013 Collection Swatches and Review

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all of the hard working Moms out there! Today I'm hanging out with the family and enjoying the beautiful weather but I also wanted to share my nails I did yesterday. I used home made Betty Boop decals and DRK A.

Hope you like this mani. You can check out details on how I made the decals in my video.

Thanks for stopping by!

OPI San Francisco Collection Fall Winter 2013 - PR

San Francisco by OPI brings street chic style with West Coast flair to nails and toes for Fall/Winter 2013. This new collection features a palette ranging from sky and sea-colored hues of blues and gray to reds, burgundies and browns inspired by some of the city’s most iconic elements – Chinatown, the Golden Gate bridge and the Embarcadero. This fall mélange is mixed with texture, seen in three newLiquid Sand™ nail lacquers in earthy hues of taupe, blue and gray: It’s All San Andreas’s Fault, Wharf! Wharf! Wharf! and Alcatraz…Rocks. Liquid Sand lacquers dry to a textured, matte finish, infused with reflective sparkle. 

“To me, the women of San Francisco and the city itself really epitomize today’s multifaceted beauty consumer,” explains Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, OPI Executive VP & Artistic Director.  “San Francisco offers a European flair with distinct West Coast attributes. These elements inspired a collection of urban chic nail lacquer shades, thanks to the sophisticated combination of high fashion and eclectic street style.

“With twelve colors ranging from moody grays and blues to garnet and ruby jewel tones, these lacquers are designed to accessorize fall’s hottest looks, from military details to winter whites,” continues Weiss-Fischmann. “On fall runways, models were seen wearing luxurious textures from head to toe. The three new Liquid Sand nail lacquers incorporate the texture trend through nails, with rich matte finishes in colors to complement the season’s fashion.”

San Francisco by OPI includes the following shades:

A-Piers to Be Tan

I shore do like this chocolaty tan.

Dining al Frisco

Just feast your eyes on this fresh-air blue!

Haven’t the Foggiest

Can’t tell you why I love this misty gray...I just do!

Peace & Love & OPI

This holographic sage and eggplant is far out!

Keeping Suzi at Bay

There’s no holding back this assertive navy blue.

Incognito in Sausalito

You better keep this almost-black blue under wraps.

Lost on Lombard

Oh garn-et! I’m all turned around!

I Knead Sour-Dough

Are you bready to wear this toasty warm brown?

Muir Muir on the Wall

This trailblazing plum is the fairest of all.

In the Cable Car-Pool Lane

Good golly, Miss Trolley, this rich burgundy takes me away!

Embarca-Dare Ya!

Betcha can’t pass up this marvelous magenta.

First Date at the Golden Gate

You and me and this shimmery ruby make three.

It’s All San Andreas’s Fault

I’d move mountains to get this textured earthy taupe!

Wharf! Wharf! Wharf!

Dog-gone it...fetch me that textured matte blue!

Alcatraz...Rocks

There’s no escaping this arresting textured gray.

San Francisco nail lacquer shades each feature OPI’s exclusive ProWide^™ Brush for the ultimate in application. Liquid Sand nail lacquers should always be worn without top coat. San Francisco by OPI will be available August 7, 2013, at Professional Salons, including Beauty Brands, Beauty First, Chatters, Dillard’s, jcp Salons, Pure Beauty, Regis, Trade Secret, ULTA and ulta.com for $9.00 ($10.95 CAN) suggested retail for each nail lacquer. 

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

ABOUT OPI

As the world leader in the professional nail care industry, OPI is committed to providing high-quality products and services to both salons and their customers, along with a focus on industry safety and innovation. Known for its exceptional formula, fashionable colors and iconic names,OPI’s heavily-pigmented lacquers are super rich, long-lasting and chip-resistant – offering an affordable luxury to consumers. OPI nail lacquer is available in over 200 shades. Each lacquer features OPI’s exclusive ProWide^™ Brush for the ultimate in application. Currently, OPI is available in over 100 countries and retails a full line of professional items, including nail treatments, finishing products, lotions, manicure/pedicure products, files, tools, gels and acrylics.

NOTD: Apipila Pink Flowers

A quick post to share my NOTD.  For the base I used MISA Double Dutch and stamped with Zoya Carly using an image plate from Apipila, p2.  

Carly stamps very well. 

I really like the way it turned out. Fancy but not too over the top for the office. 

I hope you like it. 

Thanks for stopping by :)

Shimmer Polish Swatches and Review

 Happy Sunday! I hope you're having a great day today.  I'm just happy to have a day off work where I can relax at home and let my brain rest. Today I have a few Shimmer polishes to share with you. Shimmer polish creates glitters named after her friends and family and uses many types of pigments and glitters to create her own special polishes. I was contaced by the owner of Shimmer and I am very excited to share a few of her collection with you.

Zoya Summer 2013 PixieDust Collection

Hello everyone. Today I have the Zoya Summer Pixie Collection to share with you!

"Infused with even more magic and wonder! Because everyone wants more of it... The color experts at Zoya went back to the lab and created six more beautiful, long-wearing textured, matte and sparkle Zoya PixieDust Colors for Summer 2013! The incredible and best-selling formula is sure to captivate with a magical sparkle and sugary finish like no other."

Julep Modern Beauty - May 2013 Box

Hey Beauties! Today I wanted to share my Julep May box with you. I haven't done a Julep review in a while but I still receive the boxes every month.  This month's box was a little different, in addition to offering nail polish, they are extending their market into the beauty world and offered beauty products this month.

I'm labeled an American Beauty which I believe was switched over to Modern Beauty. The Modern Beauty receives beauty products in addition to nail polish, or just all beauty products alone. I actually meant to switch my box over this month, but I forgot (as usual).  So the box I received had all beauty products. I was debating on trying the lip scrub, so I was still happy with what I got.

First of all, I loved the packaging this month. I thought it was very elegant.  I received the: New York Jazz Trio lipstick minis, Sugar Smooch brown sugar lip scrub and Volumizing Mascara. I also received 4 cute hair clips (not picture).

Here are the products outside of the packaging. The lip scrub really smells like brown sugar. 

New York Lipstick Trio: 

Tea for Two - nude shimmer lip sheer

 Satin Doll - poppy lip sheer

Lady in  Red - matte crimson

Swatches

I'm still laughing at the fact that Tea for Two didn't show up on me at all! I'll probably use it as a lip moisturizer. Satin Doll is really pretty. Although it's sheer, you can still see the color quite well.  Lady in Red looked very red on me and not crimson. I'll have to play around with these to see how they wear.

I may try to get the Bombshell Box which includes two polishes that I like and the Paris lipstick trio which has a cranberry and bubblegum lip sheer.  Overall I was happy with my box this month. I'm very excited to try out the lip scrub. I think I may have tried one once in my life!

Zoya - Who Knew?

LONG-WEARING MATTE NAIL POLISH – YES!

Who Knew?

Zoya added texture and sparkle and discovered the secret to
ultra, long-wearing matte nail color!

When the color development team at Zoya Nail Polish created the best-selling
Zoya PixieDust™ Nail Polish colors, the focus was on a stunning, textured, matte formula...
The unexpected BONUS was the long-wearing nature of Zoya PixieDust™

Add to that the easy application that requires no base or top coat and the stunning palette of
twelve fresh shades for a result that equals pure Zoya PixieDust™ magic!

Textured or Matte not your thing? Not a problem – The incredible extended wear of the

Zoya PixieDust™ formulation also looks just as amazing with a glossy topcoat!

This alternate nail look accentuates the unique pigments and dynamic sparkle of the

Zoya PixieDust™ colors in a shiny lacquered nail polish look.

Zoya PixieDust™ Nail Polish
Now available in six new long-wearing colors for Summer 2013 (original six also still available).
$9 ea (US)
zoya.com