Barielle Swatches

Hey lovelies! Today I have a few Barielle swatches to share with you. I wanted to try a few colors that would be great for the Fall since the colder months are right around the corner. So I chose a blue, red, neutral and pink, because I wear pink year round!

Berry Blue

Gorgeous 2 coater blue creme. I've been loving blues a lot lately. The formula was a little on the thin side but not watery. Just thin enough to give it a slight jelly finish. It applied smoothly in 2 coats.  

Fifth Avenue Boutique

Pretty in pink almost neon cream. I was surprised at the brightness of the formula but it's a great transition color into the Fall.  Also a 2 coater. 

Dancing Till Dawn

Vampy true blood creme. Perfect for Halloween season. The formula was similar to Berry Blue where it's a creme, but thinned out to provide more gloss. Very pretty and also a 2 coater. I see now in pictures, I could have used 3.

No Not Now

Grey-ish pink neutral with a slight hint of shimmer not visible on the nail. A true where anywhere color.  I think this is one of the better neutrals for my skin tone.  Also a 2 coater. 

  The formula on the cremes I choose were a little thinner than I expected, but that allows the finish to be more jelly-like and provide a higher gloss. Application was smooth with no lumps or clumps. And I was able to get away with 2 coats on most of them (after taking a picture I noticed Dancing Till Dawn could have used a 3rd coat).  This is my first time trying Barielle, outside of their glitter polishes, and overall I really like them. 

 Barielle polishes can be purchased at Barielle.com. They also have a feature that allows you to try on their polish according to your skin tone.  

That completes my swatches. I hope you guys enjoyed!

~ Press Sample~

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.

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.

Nicole by OPI Kardashian Kolors Spring 2012 - Swatches and Review

Kardashian Kolors for Spring 2012 are exclusive to CVS stores. The collection consists of 4 cremes and 3 shimmers in a broad range of colors from neutrals to brights.

“Nicole by OPI is very excited to bring new Kardashian Kolor lacquers exclusively to CVS for 2012. In collaborating with the Kardashian/Jenner family on the CVS exclusive shades, we came up with lacquers to represent each of their vibrant personalities and individual styles. The seven resulting colors offer the perfect accessory for spring’s bright colors, feminine frocks and reinvented neutrals.”

Paparazzi Don't Preach - super shiny ceramic doll pink. It's actually a lot darker than ceramic pink, more salmon, but the color reminds me of baby dolls. It's a very pretty neutral that you can wear anywhere. I used 3 coats to make it opaque.

Ladies In The Limelight - yellow creme with a hint of green. I saw this about a week ago in CVS and the green wasn't apparent in the bottle but it's obvious on the nail. I'm really feeling the lime here. It has a thin formula as most yellows do but it built up nicely. To my surprise I only needed 4 coats.

One Big Happy Fame-ily. Lilac base with light pink and baby blue shimmer that looks more silver on the nail. This is so pretty and great for Spring. I used 3 coats.

Back To Reality...TV. Periwinkle with pink/fuchsia shimmer. I used 3 coats here.

Strike A Pose. Dark coral that leans more red. It's a very bright creme but not neon at all. I had a difficult time capturing the true color. It looks more coral in the bottle and more red on. I used 2 coats but a third wouldn't hurt. I thought I saw streaks in person but they weren't obvious on camera.

Our Fuchsia's Lookin' Bright. Like the name says it's a bright fuschia creme. I really like the formula on this one because I only needed 1 coat. I used 2 to intensify the look. Very pretty.

Smile For The Glam-era. Dark plum with dark pink shimmer. This will probably sound strange but it's much prettier than I expected. I don't wear vamps as often but I love the look of this one. The formula was thicker than I expected so I only used 2 coats. I took several pictures to highlight the shimmer.

Outdoors

Indoor Light
Shade

The Kardashian Kollection

All of the polishes were photographed without a topcoat except Strike A Pose. Overall the formula was good and application was easy. Most of the colors needed 2-3 coats except the yellow which is pretty common. My favorites from the collection are Smile For The Glam-era, One Big Happy Fame-ily and Paparazzi Don't Preach. I also really like Ladies In The Limelight but I may have a similar color already. Overall, I believe the collection has a good variety and offers a little something for everyone.

~Sent for Review~

Color Club Back to Boho Collection - Fall 2011 Swatches

"The Back to Boho Collection feautures twelve 70's inspired longwearing polish shades perfect for creating an effortless "Boho Glam" look. "

Rebel Spirit

Chocolate brown creme that looks more like a jelly, opaque in 3 coats. I don't wear vamps too often but I'm in love with this one.

Earthy Angel
A pretty creme camel opaque in 2 coats.

Nomadic in Nude

Greige creme opaque in 2 coats. Color Club describes this one as off-white but it looks more grey-beige to me. It's a pretty neutral but I prefer Earthy Angel with my skin tone.


Artsy Crafty
Muted military green creme, opaque in 3 coats.

Boho Mojo

Frosty silver that needed 2 coats. I'm a true silver lover but this was my least favorite because of the streaks. If you apply a top coat you may want to wait until the polish is dry to avoid smears.

Shabby Drab

Purple greige that was thinner than I expected. I used 3 coats but I didn't mind because it's quite beautiful.

Rad Nomad
Dark purple-brown creme that reminds me of Essie Smokin' Hot. 3 coats.

Voodoo You Do

Charcoal grey with blue undertones. Two coats are all that was needed.

Nouveau Vintage

Red wine base with green/gold shimmer throughout that comes together to give off a rustic look. I really love how textured it looks on the nail.

Red-ical
Crimson red creme opaque in 3 coats.

Blue-topia
Deep blue jelly that looks almost black indoors. Quite beautiful. I used 3 coats.

The polishes went on smoothly with 2-3 coats each. Some of the colors were thinner than I imagined but they dried well with a shiny finish. Most are cremes so there may be some dupes out there. The only one I can think of is Rad Nomad and Essie Smokin' Hot. So if you missed out on the Essie, Rad Nomad just might crush that lemming.

The standouts for me are Nouveau Vintage, Rebel Spirit, Blue-topia, Shabby Drab and Artsy Crafty. Most of the colors capture the Boho-Glam feel but I would love to see a dirty orange thrown in the mix. I'll just have to settle for Nouveau Vintage which best represents the theme for me!

The Back to Boho Collection will be available Septemeber 2011.

~The polishes featured above were sent to me for review~