Milani Color Statement Collection - Summer Fall 2014

 I found the new Milani's at my local CVS hidden on a bottom shelf. Well not exact "hidden" but I could have easily passed them up. The polishes sport the new bottle shape, similar to Nails Inc but slightly larger. There were 12 polishes in the display: a couple of glitters, shimmers, cremes and 1 quick dry top coat.  I selected 4 colors along with the quick dry top coat.

OPI Gwen Stefani Collection 2014 - Swatches and Review

Hey beauties! Today I have the Gwen Stefani collection to share with you.

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 :)

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

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."

OPI James Bond "Bond Girls" Liquid Sand Collection - Swatches and Review

Happy Easter!  I hope you all had a wonderful Holiday. I didn't realize Easter was so early this year, so I didn't plan anything special. I'm also new in town, so I really don't feel at  home yet. It's weird, the only time I miss my old town is during the Holiday season which is normally spent with family.  I still had a great day with my girls and they are stuffed with Easter goodies :)

Today I tried something a little different. I made swatches using video instead of doing still photos. I'll probably go back and take still images later, but I've been wanting to do a video for a while, so I finally jumped out there.

This is my first video ever, so please be kind. I realize now that I was way too close to the camera, LOL. I have a lot to learn, but I still think the video is okay for a first try.

Hope you enjoy the swatches. I also added in a couple of polishing techniques. They're probably a little unorthodox, but its my way of doing things. Enjoy :)

Click here to watch the video.

The Bond Girls Collection will be in stores May 2013 at Ulta and other fine retailers that carry OPI.

*The above products were sent to me for an honest review. My opinions are my own*

OPI OZ The Great and Powerful Collection - Swatches and Review

Tonight I have the OPI Oz Collection to share with you.  Click to read more!

OPI Euro Centrale Collection Spring Summer 2013 - Swatches and Review

Today I have the OPI Euro Centrale Collection to share with you! The collection is inspired by Czech Republic, Romania, Hungary and Poland. 

Happy New Year!!!

I hope this year brings all your dreams come true. Nail polish and otherwise!!!

Today's mani was done using Messy Mansion image plates. Aren't these the cutest images? I saw the group party shot and I just knew I had to sport this stamp.  

For the base coat I used Finger Paints Black Expressionism.  I usually go with Wet N' Wild black but I may have to add this into rotation. It went on in one smooth, semi-thick coat and hasn't chipped so far.  I used China Glaze 2030 for stamping. Then topped it off with a silver micro glitter by Klean Colors. 

 

I hope you like this mani as much as I do. Thanks for stopping by!!!

China Glaze Holiday Season Joy Collection 2012 - Swatches and Review

Happy Monday! Today I have the China Glaze Holiday Collection to share with you. So without further delay, here are the swatches. 

Glitter All The Way

By far my favorite from the collection. A mix of multiple colors and various sizes of glitter. Very pretty for the Holiday but it reminds me of Mardis Gras. I used 3 thin coats. 

A closer view. 

Winter Holly

Emerald green glitter with micro gold glitter accents. I used 2 coats. 

Angel Wings

I was less impressed with the next 3 glitters coming up (Angel Wings, Glistening Snow and Champange Kisses). They all had the same feel but different colors (gold, silver and champagne).  I used 2 coats of Angel Wings, a golden holographic glitter in a gold base.  

Glistening Snow

The silver version of Angel Wings. My least favorite of the 3. I used 2 coats. 

Champagne Kisses

This was my favorite of the 3. I'm not sure if its because it suits my skin tone the best, but I like it. I used 2 coats. 

Pure Joy

Red and gold microglitter with medium gold glitter throughout a clear base. Easy application. I used 1 layer over Cranberry Splash. 

Pizzazz

Another favorite from the collection. A combination of pink, silver, yellow, blue and green glitter. I used 1 coat over Blue Bells Ring.  

Blue Bells Ring

I really love this icy blue. The silver in the base makes it look much lighter in the bottle, but it applies a shade or two darker. Extremely pretty! The application was also flawless. I used 1 coat. 

Merry Berry

My favorite from the collection of reds but probably an easy dupe. I used 3 coats. 

Cranberry Splash

My camera couldn't capture the foil highlights in this polish. Much prettier in person. I used 2 coats. 

Red Satin

I kept thinking Red Satan instead of Satin, LOL. Three thin watery coats with a little visible nail line.  Described as a pure red creme and I agree. 

With Love

Bright orange-red creme with a great application. I used 2 coats. 

Overall I think there's a little something for everyone in this collection.  I really like the glitters but I could have done without so many red polishes. Most of the collection applied smoothly and needed only 2 coats.  The holographic glitters dried matte but the shine was easily renewed with a top quick coat.  My favorites from the collection are Glitter All The Way, Winter Holly, Blue Bells Ring and Pizzazz.

OPI James Bond Skyfall Holiday Collection 2012 - Swatches and Review - Part 2

Casino Royale 

Dusty plum creme. Surprise favorite from the collection. I used 3 thin coats to make it opaque. 

Die Another Day

Red shimmer/foil that looks like wrapping paper.  It has a great formula and applied smoothly in 2 coats.

Skyfall

Dirty brick red. Another great creme. I used 2 coats. 

GoldenEye

Golden shimmer foil. I've always been a silver lover but this one changes that. I'll have to wear gold more often. I used 3 thin coats. 

Moonraker

Moonraker goes with the Bond theme, but it was my least favorite from the collection.  It's a metallic silver with a very thin formula. I used 2 thin coats.   

Tomorrow Never Dies

Dark purple with blue accents. Much prettier in person with less visible brush strokes.  I had a hard time capturing the true color but it's a much deeper purple (see the picture above).  I used 3 coats. 

I found myself loving the cremes more in the second half of the collection.  My favorites are Skyfall, Casino Royale and GoldenEye. 

The Skyfall Collection is scheduled to appear at retailers later this month but are beginning to show up now. 

~Sent for Review~ 

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!

NOTD William Tell Me About OPI + Red Angel 108

I hope your new year is going well so far. I've committed to a healthier me in 2012 and started up a new workout routine. I guess it's not really a new routine but a more frequent effort. I'm still in pain from yesterday's interval workout. I ran and walked 2 mile intervals on 6.0, 5.0 and 3.5 mph. My legs are on fire but that's a good thing because that means it's working.

I was too tired to workout today so I decided to remove my New Years mani. For the base I went with William Tell Me About OPI, a dark eggplant creme. I used 2 coats which dried pretty quickly then stamped using China Glaze 2030 and Red Angel image plate 108.

Here's 2 coats of William Tell Me About OPI sans stamping.

And that's all for today. I have to go soak my legs in Aspercreme. Thanks for stopping by!

Holiday Manis

Hope you're enjoying the Holidays! I had a great Christmas but now all I want to do is sleep and eat chocolate chip cookies. Part of me wants to get up and get moving but the other part wants to sit back, relax and enjoy the break :D

My current nail of the day is a foil stamp using the Red Angel plate RA-107. I really like the flower petal image so I tried it again with the Color Club Foil Collection over Wet N' Wild Black Creme. The outcome was a very dramatic but I like it!

The colors I choose were Cold Metal (blue), Perfect Molten (green), Hot Like Lava (pink) and Sally Hansen Silver Sweep. To create this look I randomly placed dots of each polish over the image then swiped. The colors will combine to create a swirled appearance. The silver is very dominant so you only need a smidgen.

I love this so much I might wear it for New Years Eve!

And my simple Christmas mani. I used 1 coat of Wet N' Wild Hallucinate and sponged Milani Melt In The Sun over it. The nail decal is by Born Pretty.

And those are my Holiday manis. Until next time, Happy Polishing!