Lacquer Laine

Dreams by Neihule Swatches

2011-09-07T09:50:00.002-05:00

I recently had a chance to try a pretty new nail polish brand: Dreams by Neihule. The nail polish shades have inspiring names like "I Believe" and "Dreamz of Hope". They come individually boxed and when you open the box you find a rainbow ribbon with a little message like "It's not over 'til it's over" and "You are loved and needed".

Dreams by Neihule Nail Lacquer is a new nail polish line that was launched early this year. Since the launch of our line, we have been apart of some of the biggest events in Hollywood, events such as The Oscars, The Grammy’s and an event for mother’s day titled “Mother’s day in Hollywood”.

Dreams by Neihule Mission Statement

Heavenly - This is a dreamy, creamy, baby blue creme. The formula on this was one of the best I have seen for a pastel blue. I don't find it terribly unique, but it is super beautiful and this type of bright, sky blue/baby blue/pastel blue is one of my favorite polish shades so I love this.

Glamtastic - Aw yeah! When I first opened this up I thought it was a gold glitter in a black base and I thought it looked awesome. Then I put it on and realized it was gold AND black glitter in a clear base and I thought it was even more awesome! This is mega-hott and ridiculously awesome and probably going to make my Best of 2011.

Prayze - This is a fine pink, full coverage glitter. Very pretty and delicate, but super sparkly and fun at the same time.

Crown Jewels - This is an awesome glitter. It is a full coverage shade, made up of small glitter pieces but the thing I like the most is that the overall color is achieved using silver, gold and copper glitter.

Overall, I am pleased with these shades! The formula is fantastic. The glitters are full coverage and the creme, although being pastel was well pigmented but still easy to apply. I don't doubt you can expect the same from the other shades they have to offer.

Dreams by Neihule shades can be purchased here and they retail for $12 a bottle. One thing I was thinking is that they would be great for a gift for a special occasion since they come in pretty boxes and have the inspiring little message ribbon. There are also some other gorgeous looking shades I want to get for myself!!

Disclosure: The products featured in this post were furnished to me by the manufacturer or PR company for review. For more information please visit my disclosure policy.

Grand Slam! England Swatches

2011-08-22T20:22:00.004-05:00

The England set has 3 shimmery, sparkly shades and no crackles! >>

Grape...Set...Match - This is a gorgeous, super shimmery purple, glass-fleckish type shade. The main color is a reddish purple but the shimmer is mostly blue giving a lot of depth.

Servin' Up Sparkle (over Grape...Set...Match) - This is a clear base with different sized holo glitter. Very pretty and very holo. I unfortunately didn't shoot it in great light so you wouldn't know, but it is very sparkly. It is not however, very unique.

Your Royal Shine-ness - This is a silver foil. I felt like this one looked more steel/pewter in the bottle than most silver foils, but now looking at the pic again, it just seems like the same silver foil.

Stand out from this set to me is definitely Grape...Set...Match. What do you think?

Disclosure: The products featured in this post were furnished to me by the manufacturer or PR company for review. For more information please visit my disclosure policy.

OPI Nice Stems! Swatches

2011-08-09T10:03:00.000-05:00

OPI has released a set of 4 limited edition pinks for summer 2011 and although pink usually gets me least excited I am super pleased with all of these!

Play The Peonies - This is a soft white with a hint of pink and a pearly, shimmer finish. I love all the components that make this shade what it is. Sooo prettty

Come To Poppy - This is a very interesting color. It's hard to describe. It's a pink, red, coral that's warm or cool... neutral? And it has a faint, pearly shimmer to finish off it's uniqueness and gorgeousness.

Be A Dahlia, Won't You? - Smokin' hot, fuchsia glass-fleck. Not terribly, unique, but still nice.

I Lily Love You (alone, over Poppy, close-up) - This is a pink-tint clear with loads of iridescent glitter in varying sizes and shapes. It's like a pink party!

Disclosure: The products featured in this post were furnished to me by the manufacturer or PR company for review. For more information please visit my disclosure policy.

OPI - Pirates of the Caribbean

2011-07-20T08:51:00.005-05:00

I know what you are thinking when you read that title. Is she flippin serious? That collection came out months ago! I know I know. I just kept putting this on the back burner and waiting and waiting and I am not quite sure what I was waiting for but here it is! :c)

I do need to apologize to you, my sweet loyal readers. I have become of a bit of an absentee blogger. I am working lots and lots of hours these days and it is very hard for me to find time to do the most simple activities in my life, let alone post. It is always on my mind, and I am still doing my nails and taking pictures, it's just hard to sit and do posts and edit pics as frequently as I would like :c(

Okay, enough with the sob story. Let's look at some swatches!

Mermaid's Tears

Steady As She Rose

Planks a Lot

Skull and Glossbones

Sparrow Me The Drama

Stranger Tides

Silver Shatter (over Mermaid's Tears)

SUNDAY SPAM!!!

2011-07-10T20:01:00.007-05:00

Hello and Happy Sunday! Let's start the week off right with some happy SPAM!

Moodstruck - unnamed pink (hot/cold/in-between) The last Sunday SPAM series included a Moodstruck shade that I said didn't change well but this was a complete 180. This was changing while I was painting it on. It was both colors most of the time. Granted it's just pink and pink, but it is obviously two different pinks and I enjoyed it more than most any other pinks I put on.

Sally Hansen - Paparazzi - This is very delicate and pretty shade but it took me 4 coats for this.

American Apparel - Neon Green - THIS IS THE BEST NEON GREEN EVER!

Essie - Absolutely Shore - This is beautiful. I resisted this for a while because I assumed it was just a gray creme and I have tons of these but this has a slightly green hint and it's beautiful.

4th of July Mani - For this I alternated blue/white nails and red/white nails. For the blue/white I did white creme base and OPI - Blue Shatter and for the red/white nails I alternated red base and White Shatter and white base and Red Shatter. I painted the shatter shades in a diagonal pattern.

Sinful Colors - Pull Over - This is a orangy yellow creme. Similar to a school bus. I got this from a new display of Sinfuls called Get Swirling! Looks like this>

Pure Ice Crackle - Crushed (over Pull Over) - This is a bright orange shimmer crackle and I loved it with this combo. I got a lot of comments on this. It was so bright and cheery and glowy like the sun. This is the display of Pure Ice Crackles. I found them at Walgreen's>>

Chanel - Peridot - Oh my. This is soooooo stunning. This is a strong olivey gold metallic with a strong blue/green duochrome. I think the pictures can speak for themselves.

A Couple Revlon Sweetly Seductive Swatches

2011-07-09T20:34:00.004-05:00

HELLO!!! I AM NOT DEAD!!!! YAY!

A few weeks ago I stumbled upon an untouched display of bright, juicy looking nail polishes with matching lip glosses. Upon further inspection, I realized that the polishes were scented and they were crazy shimmery! They all have a almost indescribable shimmer but I will try: It's not quite flakie, not quite glass-fleck, not a standard shimmer and not a glitter. It's a bit of all of them.

Watermelon Fizz - This is a bright, juicy jelly red with the firey flake type shimmer. The scent is of course watermelon and it is reminiscent of watermelon lip balm. Like a Bonne Bell, or something. Very pretty and I got decent coverage in three coats.

Grape Fizz - This is a pale, uneventful purple jelly base but the shimmer is amazing!!! The shimmer is bright, glowing blue purple and pink. It took me four coats to achieve this swatch. I think it would be more impressive layered. The scent actually reminds me of those scented big bouncing balls you could get at Wal-Mart or wherever that had a grape on it and smelled like a grape, or a cherry and smelled like a cherry. Yeah. It's funny the nostalgia you experience from scents.

In this collection there is also:
Grapefruit Fizz (pink)
Orange Fizz (orange)
Mint Fizz (blue)
Apple-tini Fizz (green)
Pineapple Fizz (yellow)
Colada Fizz (baby blue)

What do you think?!
-Elaine
:c)

SUNDAY SPAM!

2011-06-19T22:39:00.005-05:00

Lay It On Me - Vegas - I think I did a pretty job of getting the streaks to show this time. They actually looked better in real life.

Zoya - Yasmeen

China Glaze - Sugar High

China Glaze - Light As Air

Nubar - Peacock Feathers - What an unbelievable duochrome

Zoya - Ginessa

Moodstruck - I can't stand that these don't have names!!! This polish is sooooo damn pretty. It is one of the prettiest polishes I have ever put on. It got compliments everywhere. But sadly, it doesn't change colors :c( There is maybe a itty, bitty change, but not enough to deem it a mood polish.

CQ - Pearls

Sally Hansen - Lacey Lilac

OPI - Radiance + OPI - Turquoise Shatter - This cracked the best on my thumb. I did a thicker coat and I like it much better than the rest of my fingers.

HAVE A GREAT WEEK!!!
:c)
-Elaine

OPI - Blue Shatters: Swatches and Review

2011-06-10T10:36:00.009-05:00

If you aren't digging the crackle trend I am so sorry because OPI has released three new blue Shatters for us. I think they are all gorgeous. I actually gasped when I opened the box and saw them in person!
Turquoise Shatter - This one was the one that made me gasp the loudest. This is a glowing, lit up shimmer shatter in a cool, turquoise color. It is a bit translucent so I showed it over white to show the true shade and over Petites - Daze which let the green and the intense shimmer show through.

Blue Shatter - This is a cobalt shimmer shatter. Shown over white and Sinful Colors - Cream Pink. This one looks a bit faded on the nail. I think I thicker coat would have been better.

Navy Shatter - This is like a navy jelly that is obviously blue and not black. I have it here over white and a mint: Nicole by OPI - My Lifesaver.

I love all of these shades but I would since I like the crackle trend. I can see how if you don't like it, you aren't going to be a fan of these polishes. As far as crackles go, they are fantastic. OPI really has the formula down. They do look best, and wear best, with a top coat.

These are out now. What do you think?!
-Elaine
:c)

Glam Slam France Part Deux

2011-06-06T11:00:00.001-05:00

Hello! I have the other set of OPI - Glam Slam for you today!

Rally Pretty Pink - This is a mauvy, pinky, purple with very strong gold shimmer. It reminds me of Zoya - Faye but I haven't compared them yet.

Red Shatter (shown over Rally Pretty Pink) - This shatter is awesome because it is a sheer, jelly-ish crackle as opposed to an opaque creme crackle like most are. It allows the shimmer or glitter in your base color to come through a bit. I like that because I feel uncomfortable using a creme crackle over a shimmer or glitter, but having that translucent property makes me feel better. :c) I also thought I would feel uncomfortable about this crackle combo, but it actually does look nice.

What do you think?
:c)
Elaine

Glam Slam France

2011-05-30T19:37:00.005-05:00

In conjunction with the French Open (currently happening) OPI has released some new shatter shades inspired by Serena Williams. The first set I am showing you is the white shatter/delicious glitter combo>>>

Spark de Triomphe - I was really excited to see this one because I had a feeling from pictures it was more special than a regular silver glitter and I was right! It's actually a mix of silver and gold glitter in varying sizes! SOOOO PRETTY! My pic really doesn't do it justice.

White Shatter (Shown over Spark de Triomphe) - This is a standard crackle in white creme. Cracks quick and is easy to apply. I was concerned that I wouldn't like this combo because I didn't want to cover up the pretty glitter and I actually love it! To vary the cracks, as I applied I moved the brush back and forth while moving closer to the tip. Love it.

The Glam Slam sets are out now. What do you think?!
-Elaine
:c)

SUNDAY SPAM

2011-05-29T22:34:00.005-05:00

Sally Hansen - Antique Gold (over Wet n Wild - Nocturnal)

Rescue Beauty Lounge - Bangin'

Sally Hansen - Chartreuse Chase

Borghese - Almondine

Essie - Smooth Sailing

Color Club - High Society

China Glaze - Let's Do It In 3D

Zoya - Gaia (over white)

Sunday SPAM!

2011-05-15T20:43:00.000-05:00

This is a double spam! Two weeks of manis in one!

China Glaze - Dorothy Who? - Yes I really haven't worn this until now. I have had it for over year!!! Crazy.

China Glaze - Ruby Pumps - Another China Glaze classic it took me forever to get to. I am sure glad I finally got it on! So pretty.

China Glaze - Solar Power - I wore this of for like four days. Everyone loved it... including me!

Zoya - Kelly - Notice how quick my nails have disappeared in the last few weeks!? I've been breaking them like mad. I need to relax and stop throwin my hands around like a crazy person.

Clarins - 230 (over Zoya - Pinta) - I can't believe I actually have this!!!

BB Couture - Cap-Haïtien - What a gorgeous purple creme.

Milani - Digital - I picked the absolute worst time to wear this. I had to take a pic with a daylight bulb and that doesn't do this justice. This needs sun and the two days I wore this there was absolutely none in sight.

Wet n Wild - Nocturnal - I got this one on in one coat so it wouldn't look black and I love the result!

Rocks Mani - This friggin thing. I was outside yesterday with the dogs and I was thinking that the rocks on the side of my house looked so pretty in the rain and it inspired me to do a "rocks mani". So I made blobs with Nubar - Palisade, Color Club - Charity Ball, Orly - Pure Porcelain, Sally Hansen - Gray Area, Zoya - Dove, Tropez - Black Satin and a franken I made called Light and Sweet. Does it look like rocks?

Have a great week!
-Elaine
:c)

SUNDAY SPAM!

2011-05-01T23:30:00.000-05:00

Sorry this is late! I am still going to date it Sunday tho!!!

Firefly - This is a franken I made with OPI - Megawatt?!, a glowy yellow shimmer and some Sinful Colors - Last Chance, a dark green jellyish creme. Too bad I had to mess up the ring finger when I put on top coat.

Orly - Pure Porcelain - This is awesome! I love this color. I don't know if it is close at all because I don't have it, but it kept reminding me of RBL - Plie.

Deborah Lippmann - Girls Just Wanna Have Fun - Squishy fun! This has great opacity for being jelly. I did 3 coats but probably could have stopped at two.

Nicole by OPI - My Lifesaver - Man I loved wearing this vibrant mint! I just used an old photo as opposed to taking a new one. You guys have seen this before! :c)

OPI Femme de Cirque

2011-04-25T09:00:00.000-05:00

This spring, step right up and enjoy Femme de Cirque by OPI, four new breathtakingly dreamy additions to the SoftShades collection, designed to unleash a woman’s inner ring mistress. The collection includes three pink hues and one sheer glitter coat that can be worn on its own or painted over any of the other lacquers for an entirely new look.

These all look rather similar so what I am going to do is show them to you from least pink to most pink:

So Many Clowns, So Little Time - This is a sheer, squishy white with hints of pink and peach. This swatch is 4 coats. If you want to wear it with decent opacity, this is probably about how many coats you will have to do. I used this for a french manicure and it was awesome. I only used one coat for that. I would show pics but it really didn't photograph well.

Step Right Up! - This is a very white pink in a squishy, jelly form. This is the most opaque of the pinks. This swatch is three coats and as you can see, the opacity is decent. I like the cleanness of this shade.

In The Spot-Light Pink - This is a glossy, sheer, pink. This is the most sheer of the bunch. This swatch is 4 coats and as you can see this is never going to get to a reasonable opaque mani, but the smoothness, and shade could pass for a finished polished look if you like this. I would suggest it for a french manicure though.

I Juggle... Men (shown over black) - This is a clear with purple shimmer. I inspected this closely trying to figure out if it is blue, purple and red shimmer all mixed together, or if it was one shimmer that flashed all the colors. Regardless, that is the colors you get and I like!

So my final thoughts are that these are lovely shades. I think you can get away with wearing a couple of these alone but what I found great about these is that that they are fantastic for french manicures because they are perfectly smooth and apply evenly and not streaky at all. This allows you to do one coat, two coats, etc. However many you desire for your french.

And of course, I Juggle...Men is awesome.

Disclosure: The products featured in this post were furnished to me by the manufacturer or PR company for review. For more information please visit my disclosure policy.

Sunday SPAM

2011-04-24T18:22:00.007-05:00

Sunday SPAM is going to be a new featured article on my blog. Like many bloggers and nail junkies, I have a lot of polish. I have a lot of polish that I haven't worn. I have more polishes that I have not worn than that I have worn. I actually have enough untried shades to wear one a day for a whole year and beyond. I realize the chances I will succeed at doing a 365 untried challenge is very slim, but what I am going to do is at least attempt to do my nails everyday and then post all my manicures through the week on Sunday in an edition I am calling "Sunday SPAM".

Nina Ultra Pro - Blu Blaze -Oh blazes. This is hypnotic. This is a hot blue. It's not necessarily neon, but definitely has neon pigment because it dries matte (the look of which I enjoyed as well). This was my first experience with Nina Ultra and I am pleased. The only thing that sucked about it is the brush. Not a fan. It's very small making application a bit tricky but painting very carefully I got the job done.

e.l.f. - Coral - This was my first experience with e.l.f. This is a very inexpensive brand (the polishes retail for $1!) but I was never blown away by any of the shades. (I must note that I haven't checked out their color range in quite some time but it looks like there are some interesting shades now). I received this as an extra in a swap and so I thought I would take a chance. I was impressed. The brush is fantastic, the shade is much more interesting than I expected, and most importantly, and most shockingly, the formula is amazing. The swatch you are seeing is ONE COAT.

Color Club - Charity Ball - This is a very odd color. But it is so weird that I like it! I don't even know what to call this. It's like a really red brown. Like a brick color? Maybe it's burnt sienna? Or rust? I don't know but it's fun.

Mood Struck (hot/cold/in-between) - This I just found the other day. It was a pleasant surprise. I found a display at Rite Aid of mood polishes I had never seen before. This was the only one that I grabbed because a lot of them looked a lot like Claire's shades I already had but this one looked really nice. Cold it's a purple with blue shimmer and hot it's a bright blue with blue shimmer. This is awesome. The only problem I have with this is that it doesn't have a name!!!!!!!!!!!! I hate that. This is the display if you want to keep an eye out>>>

Zoya - Dove - I went ahead and got myself the entire Intimate collection and have used three of them so far and I am very pleased. This is a pretty, soft gray creme. Not too dark, too light, to warm, too cool...it's just right.

Misa - Touch The Rainbow - Oooooh! This is so pretty. I got comments on this baby. This is from the new Misa - Wishes collection. I have also worn a couple of the other shades in this collection and I am enamored with them all! They are so pretty. The soft shades are interesting colors and they are packed with a pretty shimmer that makes the whole look delicate, but beautiful.

Easter Mani - So I didn't exactly redo my mani, but I made it better! I dotted my Misa - Touch The Rainbow with Orly - Snowcone, Orly - Cashmere Cardigan and Nicole by OPI - My Lifesaver.

Hope you enjoyed my first installment of Sunday SPAM and I am super excited to bring you more! Happy Easter!

:c)
-Elaine

China Glaze - Island Escape Summer 2011

2011-04-18T15:19:00.001-05:00

Take an exotic island escape with China Glaze this summer with a tropical, shimmering rainbow of brilliant bright colors! Mix and match these hot hues to add a candy-like pop to that summer manicure and pedicure.

108 Degrees - This is a beautiful, hot pink, glass-fleck shimmer. This is one of those "pinks-I-love". Very sparkly and flashy and hot hot pink!

Papaya Punch - This is an orange I love! This is a super pigmented, creamy orange. This reminds me of pumpkins, which isn't very summery, but it is still summer appropriate. The formula is a bit thick, but in a good way.

Electric Pineapple - This is fantastic! This is so weird. I really don't think calling it "pineapple" is terribly appropriate, because it's a very, very green yellow. It's definitely more green than OPI - Fiercely Fiona but more yellow than any other green in the same realm. So it's definitely unique. I did a cool mani with this plus China Glaze - Crushed Candy Crackle Polish.

Cha Cha Cha - This is a striking olivey green with strong gold shimmer. I'm sure you have all figured out by now that this is close to China Glaze - Moonpool, but not a dupe. Whether close or not it is beautiful in its own right and I love it.

Blue Iguana - Now I do not know any iguanas that look like this but if I did I would have a stash of blue iguanas. This is a sparkly, shimmery, deep pool blue. The shimmer is an intense glass fleck. It's very watery and the sparkle reminds me of sparkling water in the sunshine :c)

Señorita Bonita - This is a red toned, glass-flecked purple. Very pretty and not like anything I have. The picture really does not do this one justice.

These are out now! What do you think?!
Elaine
:c)

Disclosure: The products featured in this post were furnished to me by the manufacturer or PR company for review. For more information please visit my disclosure policy.

Spring Nicoles

2011-04-03T17:58:00.000-05:00

Nicole by OPI welcomes warmer weather with twelve new vibrant shades from the Something About Spring Collection, available exclusively at Target. From bold purples to fierce yellow metallics and iridescent shimmers, Something About Spring has a hue to accentuate every style.

I had an opportunity to wear most of these shades and not just swatch them and I am VERY pleased with this collection.

Dandy Lion - Starting strong. This is a bold, beautiful yellow shimmer. Probably close to China Glaze - Lighthouse. This is so refreshing and perfect for the season change! I loved wearing this and this is also what I used form my leopard mani.

You're S-teal The One - This is a shimmery bright, cobalt blue with a bit of purple duochrome in the shimmer. It's beautiful and makes me think of jumping in a pool.

Iceberg Lotus - This is awesome, glowing jungle green shimmer. The shimmer seems to have a bit of a blurple duochrome at angels as well. These shimmers are really amazing. I bet they would look outrageous with a matte top coat.

Nicole's Nickel - Now we're stepping up our game with glitter!!! This is a fantastic black sheer base crammed with silver multi-sized silver glitter. It creates a awesome silver/black plating finish.

Brilliant Idea - This is a brilliant idea. This is a clear base with multi-sized lime green glitter. This is bright, sparkly and very pretty. This got lots of compliments.

Sea How Far You Go - And we're stepping it up yet again! This amazing. This is a soft, olivey, antiquey, gold shimmer that is sort of a duochrome, but not quite. It is a warm gray at angles. Very interesting and unique.

Make A Comet-ment - (Shown over Sea How Far You Go) This is a fine holo glitter top coat. Not terribly unique, but very, very pretty.

Pink. Seriously. - HAHA! Love the name. This is a serious, saturated pink creme. Got this one on my toes.

I'm A Pool For Love - This is a super vampy, deep, deep, purple with a blurple shimmer. It's like a super vampy OPI - Ink. And I don't know what the name has to do with the color. Doesn't really look like a pool to me...

Pink-nic In The Park - This may be my least favorite, but still nice if you like more understated shades. It's a soft, sort of sheer, bubble-gum pink with a pinky, purply shimmer.

Shell Me The Truth - This is gorgeous. This is pale pink with a strong gold shimmer. This is stunning.

Daffy Dill - This is a "Shrek-esque" green creme. Rich in color and with a super-saturated formula. Awesome.

You should be able to find these shades at Target stores now!
What do you think?!
:c)

-Elaine

Disclosure: The products featured in this post were furnished to me by the manufacturer or PR company for review. For more information please visit my disclosure policy.

Rawr!

2011-04-02T21:40:00.000-05:00

This is Nicole by OPI - Dandy Lion stamped with Konad and filled in with Revlon - Copper Chrome and China Glaze - 2030

Sorbets Better

2011-03-24T17:56:00.000-05:00

After I posted The OPI - Texas Collection I felt bad about it. I felt like my pictures really didn't do the sorbets in the collection justice. I took them under a daylight bulb before so this time I took them in sunlight and I also used a base acting as "underwear" to hide any VNL. My Underwear color is a franken I made using white creme, OPI - Dulce de Leche and Essie - Mucho Dinero. It created a soft, but clean, fleshy tone to lay my sorbets down on.

Ya'll Come Back, Ya Hear?

Big Hair, Big Nails

Guy Meets Gal-Veston

Too Hot Pink To Hold 'Em

Do You Think I'm Tex-y?

Houston We Have A Purple - unfortunately the sun was gone by the time I did this

And for fun (and for my readers!) I did this. Sorbet Skittles!! So yummy

Do these look better to you? I really felt like these needed another chance. They are really pretty, and fun and have a great, glossy, squishy finish.

What do you think?!
:c)

Nubar Spring Garden

2011-03-20T20:03:00.002-05:00

For Spring this year Nubar has created a collection of pastels. Now, usually that is everyone's Spring collection, and usually that is disappointing because there isn't too many ways to change up pastels, but these are actually different. They all have a softness to them, mostly due to the silver, pearly shimmer in them.

Pink Lily - This is a soft pink creme that leans on the peach side. The shimmer is pretty hidden in this one, but it's contribution makes a difference.

Earthen - This is a "greige" creme, that is more on the gray side than beige side. The pearly shimmer really stands out in this one and makes it look less like mud than most greige cremes.

Baby Sprout - Super cool, soft green pastel green. It's not so much a mint... it's like a ... baby sprout, I guess. It reminds me of mint gum. This one is a bit more white and stark that some of the softer colors in this set.

Blue Hydrangea - This is a bright, baby blue with strong, pearly, silver shimmer.

White Peony - This is a super soft white creme that is soft in texture: it's sort of squishy, and it is also soft in color as it is slightly off white, or maybe a smidge yellow or ivory. It's a bit difficult to explain but it's beautiful. It also had an amazing formula for being white. Very easy to apply.

Yellow Primrose - This is a very, very soft yellow with pearl finish. It is so soft of a yellow it is almost wrong to call it yellow. It' s more like a cream shade.

Purple Aster - I love this one. This is a gorgeous shade of lavender. This is one of the ones in this set that has more shimmer than others. I looooved wearing this. It's very pretty and delicate, but interesting and not boring, but not flashy and too noticeable. Good work shade.

Honeysuckle - If you have been searching for a polish in Honeysuckle to satisfy your need of the Pantone color of the year in a polish form, here it is! It is a creme with a slight jelly finish. Very pretty and flattering.

Dewdrop (over Purple Aster) - To complement all the shades in this collection, Nubar released this iridescent glitter in a clear base.

These are available now for $49.95.

What do you think?
:c)

Disclosure: The products featured in this post were furnished to me by the manufacturer or PR company for review. For more information please visit my disclosure policy.

Dr. Remedy Swatches and Review

2011-03-06T08:47:00.000-06:00

Dr. Remedy is a new line of doctor inspired cosmetics dedicated to using clean, hypo-allergenic, anti-fungal ingredients. The birth child of two New-York based podiatrists, Dr. Adam Cirlincione and Dr. William Spielfogel, Dr Remedy's proves quintessentially perfect for any person looking to better the condition of her skin and nails.

Healing Heather Gray - This is a gray creme. This shade of gray is nice and neutral. Not too dark or light, not too warm or cool, it's very flattering and soothing.

Revive Ruby Red - This is a pretty, ruby red shimmer. This is pretty, but I felt like I probably had enough red shimmers so I gave this to my sister.

Desire Dark Brown - Yummy. This is a dark chocolate brown creme. This reminds me a lot of OPI - Suzi Loves Cowboys but it's a bit darker.

Dr. Remedy polishes are available on remedynails.com and are $16. There are other colors including blues and purples and they also have a base coat and cuticle treatment.

What do you think?
Elaine :c)

Disclosure: The products featured in this post were furnished to me by the manufacturer or PR company for review. For more information please visit my disclosure policy.

Flower Mani

2011-03-04T12:50:00.000-06:00

HI! This is a quickie post. I wanted to show you a mani I did a couple weeks ago.

This is a white creme base (I think I used OPI - Alpine Snow) then I stamped the flowers with a Bundle Monster plate and Nicole - My Lifesaver. And to finish it off I dotted black polish to the middle of the flowers.

Have a great weekend!

Nicole by OPI - One Less Lonely Girl Collection

2011-02-27T15:04:00.001-06:00

The One Less Lonely Girl was conceived to raise awareness for Pencils of Promise, and organization that builds sustainable schools for underserved children in the developing world. In addition to educating consumers about this non-profit, Nicole by OPI has committed to building two such schools.

Not A Gold Bigger - This is a gold foil. Is it pretty? Yes. Is it unique? No.

I've Got Bieber Fever - This is a dark plummy purple with a subtle shimmer. This is very beautiful and I want to believe I have other shades like this, but I still have a spot for this one in my heart.

Make U Smile - This is a chunky silver/blue glitter in a clear base. It is shown over My Lifesaver. At first glance I thought maybe this was a dupe to Deborah Lippmann - Today Was A Fairytale, but it's not. TWAF has a blue base and although this looks blue in the bottle, it's clear on the nail. Also the glitter in TWAF is more dense.

Red-y To Runaway Love? - This is awesome. How could a plain red creme be so awesome you say? First thing is the formula. It's thin but pigmented. It glides on effortlessly in two coats. Next the color is so bright and amazing. I know, I know. This is a red creme. That is what I thought too until I put it on. I was actually going to wear this to work because I thought it would be boring, and I quickly realized I had to take it off because it is just SO DAMN BRIGHT!

I'm A Belieber - Hott damn. This a bright purple creme. It has the slightest bit of jelly finish. It is so bright a purple it makes me real happy. It makes me think of grapes. I feel like it should smell like grapes. I don't have anything like this.

My Lifesaver - This is a bright mint creme. Another winner. At first I wasn't excited because I assumed I had a dupe but its honestly not like any other mint cremes I have. It is more blue than most mints. The bluest mint I have is Essie - Mint Candy Apple but My Lifesaver isn't at all like it because it is more saturated and not pastel like MCA. It is awesome.

One Time Lime - This is another winner from this collection. This is a bold, saturated lime creme. I don't have anything like this in my collection.

"Baby" Blue - Cute name. And yet another winner. This is a bright sky blue creme. Another saturated, rich creme in a beautiful shade.

Overall this is a very fun collection. I feel a bit luke-warm about the non-creme polishes in this set but the creme shades: Oh my. I love every one of them. They are all incredible on and have great formulas, especially Red-y To Runaway.

These are all available now at Wal-Marts, select Targets, Sears and Ulta.

Disclosure: The products featured in this post were furnished to me by the manufacturer or PR company for review. For more information please visit my disclosure policy.

OPI -Texas Spring 2011

2011-02-21T09:00:00.000-06:00

For Spring/Summer this year OPI has released a set of 12 timeless shades perfect for the warm weather months to compliment fingers and toes. This is broken down into two distinct six-piece sets. The green/blue/gray/brown shades then the pinks and purples that are all a jelly finish that OPI is dubbing "Sorbet".

Don't Mess With OPI - This is a grass green creme. Is it similar to Jade Is The New Black? It's close. JITNB is more blue toned leaning toward that tennis court green and DMWOPI is more grass green. Although it is different, I would hope that if they did a green reme, or a green at all, they would do one that was more unique. The formula of this is a dream: super smooth. I got it on in two easy coats.

Austin-tatious Turquoise - This is a shimmery teal. Very beautiful. What I love about this is the base is a cool, jungle green sheer and then it's packed with the teal shimmer. Then to take it one more level, the shimmer has a purple duochrome. This polish is more complex than just teal shimmer. What I don't love about this is the formula. This is 4 coats.

I Vant To Be A-lone Star - I vant to be alone with this. I mean.... this is a hot color. This is a gorgeous clean silver with a pearly shimmer finish. Bright, clean, flattering, shimmery and just mesmerizing. This may be my fave from the whole set.

It's Totally Fort Worth It - Is it? If it's worth it is going to be different for everyone I suppose. This is a taupe-gray sheer with flecks of pinkish shimmer. I like the idea of this but it is very sheer which is a deal breaker for me. This was four coats. If I were to wear this for a full mani I would layer it over gray creme.

San Tan-tonio - haha! I have been dying to get this just for the name! I love it! I love the color of this too. I can't really think of color I have that looks like this. And if I do I don't like them on me. I actually like this one. And the formula rocks as well. Perfection.

Suzi Loves Cowboys - Oh my. This is delicious. It makes me want to eat my hands. I feel like my nails are little drops of dark chocolate.

And now for the sorbets>>>

Ya'll Come Back Ya Hear? - This is a bright, tangerine orange jelly. Very fun and happy, but it's a jelly so it's still got some visible nail line (VNL) after 4 coats.

Big Hair Big Nails - Red/orange jelly. This is a sort-of coral shade. I want to call it something else though. Maybe... guava? I was thinking guava and it hit me that it was like a jelly version of China Glaze - High Hopes, which is described as guava. So I guess that is a good description.

Do You Think I'm Tex-y? - This is a jelly raspberry. Clean and bright and decently pigmented so less VNL than some of the others.

Houston We Have A Purple - This is honestly pretty similar to DYTIT? but darker and I guess more purple than berry. It makes me think grape slush.

Guy Meets Gal-veston - This is a bright coral jelly. I really like this one. I can't wait to put this one on my toes.

Too Hot Pink To Hold 'Em - This may be my favorite of the sorbet finishes. This is a hot pink jelly. I think it's the richest and most pigmented of the sorbets and just the most fun! I am a lover of hot, hot pinks like this though!

Overall this is a kick-ass collection. The non-sorbet polishes are gorgeous. You can't really go wrong with blue, green, gray and brown. As for the sorbets, I am pleased that although OPI gave us a whole lot of pinks and berries, they at least made them different. I love the squishy, juiciness of a good jelly. The color choices for all of these really made me think of sorbet and gelato. The only down side is that they take several coats, however that isn't anything new for jellies and when I want to wear a jelly, I deal with more than the usual two coats.

OPI - Texas is available now. Which ones are you going to get?!
:c)

Disclosure: The products featured in this post were furnished to me by the manufacturer or PR company for review. For more information please visit my disclosure policy.

Yellow Brick Road Preview

2011-02-20T15:00:00.000-06:00

Lady Gaga is always pushing the envelope and exploring new trends. This year’s Grammy Awards proved no different. The award winner arrived in an egg pod and emerged wearing a bold, yellow nail.

The nail color is a new addition to Deborah Lippmann’s line and is called Yellow Brick Road. Celebrity manicurist Deborah Lippmann selected the color with the star to complement the canary yellow outfit she donned during her stage performance.

Yellow Brick Road launches on April 15 and will be available for $16 at www.deborahlippmann.com.

Happy V-Day

2011-02-14T07:00:00.000-06:00

I put together something really flashy and reminiscent of Valentines' Day for you today!

I started with a hot pink foil, then did a glitter gradient using a combination of different red and pink glitters. I think it came out fantastic if I do say so myself! It looks sooo much hotter and sparklier in real life. Glitter manis don't photograph too well in artificial light. You need sunlight to really show the sparkle but that wasn't available.

Here's what made it possible: Nicole by OPI - Mis-Magenta Me?, Revlon - Slipper, Color Club - Art of Seduction, Jade - Asteroid Caress, Nicole by OPI - Spark My Mistletoe.

What do you think?
Have any Valentine's Day mani plans?!
:c)

Black Shatter Manis

2011-02-08T09:12:00.001-06:00

I've been having a whole lot of fun with my new OPI - Black Shatter! I may need a back up! Wait, we have more shatter coming out from China Glaze too... yes!

This is Tropez - Black Satin with Sally Hansen - Pacific Blue + OPI - Black Shatter as accent on ring fingers. I loved this so much I had it on for about 4 days. Big fan of this.

This is neon breaking through black! I used the China Glaze Poolside neons, Kiwi Cool-Ada, Yellow Polka Dot Bikini, Sun Worshiper, and Flip Flop Fantasy all under Black Shatter.

This may be my favorite. It's Nubar - Barricade + Black Shatter.

You can probably expect more of these from me. I love them!

More Metal Mixing

2011-02-07T10:47:00.000-06:00

After I did the gold/silver mix here, I have been playing around with all the different combos of silver, gold and copper I can. Here is one I did with Revon - Copper Penny and Nubar - Silver Glitter:

You can expect more foil/glitter/metal mixing manicures to come!

Some New Drug Store Swatches

2011-02-06T18:06:00.001-06:00

Recently there have been several drugstore nail polishes releases from several brands. I have picked out a few from these brands to show you>>

Sally Hansen - Lacey Lilac - This is from a new set of Xtreme wears that includes a mint, dark gray, blue and magenta. This is an awesome pastel lavender/lilac creme. It's bright, but not stark and is isn't too red or too blue. Beautiful and also has a great formula. Easily applies in two coats. God I love Xtreme Wears.

Revlon - Copper Penny - This is a copper foil that can be found in a special display of metallics that includes a gold and silver as well. This is awesome. I have plenty of gold and silver metallics but none that are a copper color like this. I have a cool mani I did with this to show you too.

Revlon - Cloud - This is in a new collection of Top Speed Revlons that have a big display of several bright colors I am sure you have seen if you frequent the makeup section of the drugstore at all. This is a super pretty periwinkle creme. I feel like this is what Sally Hansen - Cloud should have looked like. Although I shouldn't take away from it, but this one is more wearable.

Wet n Wild - Party of Five Glitters - (shown over black) - This is a clear top coat with blue, silver, green, red and purple glitters (five!). I was disappointed with this one formula-wise. The base is very thick and gloppy and the glitter is very sparse. This is three coats and I am still not pleased with the coverage.

Oke Doke - Camo Loco - This is a new brand to me. Oke Doke surprised me one day at Rite Aid. And I am glad I found it because this green is to die for. This is a mossy, olivey, super shimmery green with gold undertones. This is gorgeous.

Oke Doke - Purple Nurple - Another winner from Oke Doke. This is a deep, rich, royal purple with red and blue shimmer. Really pretty. This is one you have to see in real life.

Just goes to show, you don't have to spend a lot to get gorgeous, good-quality nail lacquer. These are all between $1.99 to $4.99 and are easy to find at any drugstore.

Serena Williams - Grand Slam from OPI

2011-02-05T12:06:00.003-06:00

Simply Smashing - This is an awesome, very yellow, green shimmer. It's a bright, weird, maybe hard to pull off green, but that is the kind of shades that I like!

Black Shatter - Shown over Simply Smashing - Black Shatter is released with this collection as well as the Katy Perry collection if you were wondering. I was confused about it at first. I don't mind of course because I love Black Shatter. I may have been more exciting if they did a different color shatter, but it's cool.

Disclosure: The products featured in this post were furnished to me by the manufacturer or PR company for review. For more information please visit my disclosure policy.

Teenage Dream - The Katy Perry Collection by OPI

2011-02-04T20:05:00.002-06:00

OPI has teamed up with Katy Perry to create a collection of 4 glittery shades this winter. Katy Perry is a nail icon so it makes sense to collaborate with her! To complement the shades in the collection, OPI has also released a crackle top coat: whole lotta fun!

Teenage Dream - Semi sheer pink base full of large hexagon holographic glitter and pink micro glitter. This is three coats and I think it does a decent job building up. You could wear it like this, however I prefer it layered.

Not Like The Movies - My favorite of this collection! This is a steel metallic with a green/purple duochrome and little, itty-bitty silver flaky pieces in it.

Last Friday Night - Sheer blue with bright blue shimmer and iridescent hexagon pieces flashing red, blue and green. This one is definitely one to be layered. It looks pretty much identical to Sinful Colors - Hottie which I used layered for this mani.

The One That Got Away - This is a super rich, magenta berry with glass-fleck shimmer. This doesn't have quite as much sparkle as OPI - Let Me Entertain You from the Burlesque collection which I expected it to look just like, but it's beautiful in its own right.

Black Shatter - Shown over The One That Got Away - This is the best thing since sliced bread! I have been having a whole lot of fun with this one. You have to apply this over dry polish. It works best that way. If you ever used the old Cover Girl - Crackles from the 90's you'll remember they had to be applied over wet polish and they took forever to dry/crack. Black Shatter cracks quickly and gives a more uniform look. I am a big fan.

So overall, cool collection. It has everything. Holo, iridescent, duochrome, glitter, shimmer, and crackle! The Katy Perry Collection is out now!
What do you think!?
-Elaine
:c)

Disclosure: The products featured in this post were furnished to me by the manufacturer or PR company for review. For more information please visit my disclosure policy.

OPI Texas Preview

2011-02-03T08:21:00.003-06:00

I am super excited for the Texas Collection from OPI which officially launched yesterday. 6 of the 12 shades have a new "sorbet-like" finish which I am dying to try. It looks like it's jellyish but more creamy. Can't wait!!

Metal Mash Up

2011-01-30T13:30:00.005-06:00

Silver and gold clash? NEVER!

I came up with this mani on New Year's Eve. I really couldn't get any ideas for my mani out of my head except for silver and gold. But I didn't know which. And Then it hit me like a ton of bricks: BOTH!

I started with China Glaze - Cheers To You, a silver foil. Then I added a coat of Nubar - Heavy Gold Glitter and to finish off the fantasticness, I threw on a coat of my favorite holo glitter, Icing - Glamorous.

What do you think?!
-Elaine
:c)

New Drug Store finds

2011-01-26T10:15:00.001-06:00

While hunting drug stores, I found some fun new displays in Rite Aid. I picked up a couple that I have yet to swatch, but I did snap some [camera phone] pics.

Jesse's Girl - High Intensity Nail Color - I didn't actually pick up any of these but they did have a few interesting shades. There are neons, some shimmers and a polish that looks like a Charla dupe and also one that looks pretty similar to RBL - Scrangie. (The Charla dupe isn't actually in this pic. They were already snatched up but I know they exist because I saw them in another store.)

Wet n Wild - Fast Dry - This is a set of 9 quick-dry shades. Notice the glitter bomb on the left. (I got that one)

Oke Doke - Here's one I haven't seen before. It's to bad the front row only has the one teal color. Behind that wall of blue there is a purple, gold, red and perhaps one more? I can't remember now. I grabbed the purple to swatch for you.

Nicole by OPI - Liquid Metals

2011-01-24T20:50:00.002-06:00

For the new year Nicole has released a set of shades for some "notice me nails"! This is a collection of for foil finish, flashy colors giving the look of liquid metal on your nails.

Rich In Spirit - When I first saw this bottle I though "blue foil". But once I got it on it looked more like a silver foil tinted a bit blue. However you look at it, it's pretty.

Miss Independent - This is a cool pink foil with undertones of lilac. Very different from any other pink foil I have ever seen. I love how cool and purple it is. It could have been a girly pink but instead it is edgy and hott.

The Next CEO - This is a gold foil, which isn't really unique, but it at least is a more neutral gold thanks to the loads of silver in it instead of being real warm and yellow such as China Glaze - Midnight Kiss.

It Starts With Me - This is a peachy, warm foil. It actually, against my skin tone, made me feel like I was wearing a polish that matched my skin but was foil finish. Weird.

Liquid Metals are available this month and retail at ULTA, Walmart, Target, Sears, Harmon, HEB and Wegmans.

What do you think?!
Elaine
:c)

Disclosure: The products featured in this post were furnished to me by the manufacturer or PR company for review. For more information please visit my disclosure policy.

Nicole by OPI - Wal-Mart Exclusives - January 2011

2011-01-23T18:49:00.008-06:00

I don't know if there is an actual name for this set or if it is just "Wal-Mart Exclusives". I have swatches for you of four new shades added to the Wal-Mart line of Nicole by OPI. They are meant to be "timeless and sophisticated shades".

He's A Keeper - Bright red, creamy creme. This is sort of on the orange side and I like that. It's hard to make an red creme different, and this one has at least a bit of an edge.

Got Style? - This is a cinnamon, brick reddish, shade with a ton of silver shimmer. This is reminding me of a gingerbread cookie color and I like it because it's interesting but work appropriate. I wore this as a "work shade".

Never Give Up - Unless it's on trying to make polishes like this. This is a magenta with small holo glitter, which should be awesome, but the base is too opaque and frosty, and with the glitter it turns into a lumpy mess. This swatch even has a top-coat on it and it doesn't help even it out :c(

Count On Me - Back to the good stuff. This is a shimmery lilac with a flashy duochrome blue to purple shimmer. This is sheer so I layered it over Sally Hansen - Thinking of Blue.

These are available at select Wal-Mart stores this month.

What do you think?!
:c)
-Elaine

Disclosure: The products featured in this post were furnished to me by the manufacturer or PR company for review. For more information please visit my disclosure policy.

Best of 2010: A Look Back At The Year In Polish

2011-01-20T22:24:00.002-06:00

As I did last year, I made a compilation of the best releases in 2010. I apologize for this being so late, I meant to get this up sooner, but I do work a ton and this was a big post to work on, but what slowed me down more is I had an issue with my external drive that hold lots of my swatches. I essentially lost all of my pictures that I have taken in of my nails in the last two years. So I guess you could say I had some re-swatching to do. But it's all here now!

There is no limit to the polishes I picked. It's not a Top 10 or a Top 20. It's just a bunch of the most interesting and most wanted and talked about shades. Some are place holders for several shades or whole collections. Some are shades that many people like and some are just my personal favorites. One overall theme of what's to come is greens and purples and lots of glitter! AND NOW! In no particular order... the best of 2o10>>>

Barielle - A Bouquet for Eva - Not only is this creamy, bright teal gorgeous, but it was also for a good cause. 100% of the profits from the sale of this shade and two others from this collection went to The Ovarian Cancer Research Fund. That's awesome. Another shade that I really loved from this collection was Blossom.

Hard Candy - Fabuluxe - This is fabulous and luxe so I guess the name fits. This is a hot hot hot pink, full-coverage glitter. I wore this to my company Christmas party and it looked amazing against my bright blue dress.

Chanel - Khaki Vert - I just had to get it. For me to get a Chanel shade it has to be awesome considering the price tag and this one is. I can see how some may not like this but I am obsessed with weird colors like this. I did want to get the other shades in the Khaki Collection but I really couldn't swallow the price for all three. I am happy I got this one.

China Glaze - Mistletoe Kisses - This color just makes me so happy! It is so sparkly and bright and fun. I really loved all of the holiday collection from China Glaze this year so this can take the place for several such as Mrs. Claus, Peace On Earth, Frosty, Mommy Kissing Santa, Naughty and Nice, Party Hearty, Jolly Holly and Midnight Kiss.

Deborah Lippmann - Razzle Dazzle - This one is hard to post. I think it is incredibly beautiful. The fine raspberry glitter in that black cherry base is stunning but I hate that it is not available individually! This was in the All That Jazz Trio released for the fall. I would have thought if it were to be released separately it would have happened by now but maybe it still will.

NARS - Zulu - This is no surprise. This is not a unique release exactly. It is a re-release of a highly coveted shade from NARS and it was a long time coming for it to come out again. We've been waiting a while and it was worth it. I never thought I would ever see this one. I have gotten my hands on several discontinued, hard-to-find shades before, but I was sure I would never, ever see this one. But thanks to NARS taking care of its fans, I got it now. I also got myself Midnight Express and that one is equally beautiful.

Revlon - Perplex - The reason I chose this instead of the expensive polish is was based on (Chanel - Paradoxal) is because it is not the expensive one! This is a gorgeous brown/gray/purple and of course when Paradoxal came out it was that battle again of whether to spend $25 on a bottle or not, but thankfully Revlon came out with Perplex quickly after and I am glad. It's much cheaper, easy to find, and has a great formula.

Nubar - Knight's Armor - This came out at the start of 2010 and even then I knew it would end up on this list. I loved this so much when I first tried it and I still do! It is so packed with glitter. It is the BEST silver-glitter-in-a-black-base. Most black/silver combos disappoint me because they are mostly black with a sprinkling of glitter but this is glitter packed!

Nubar - Jewel - I had several favorites out of this set so it was hard to pick just one. I really loved Gem because it is holo AND duochrome but that one is hard to photograph and Jewel is beautiful. I love the idea of a brown holo. I also really love Prize from the Prisms set.

Nubar - Violet Sparkle - On man. The Sparkles Collection was amazing. A whole set of full coverage glitter? Hell yes. Violet Sparkle has to be my favorite though. This is so deep and sparkly and purple! I love it. I also really love Night Sparkle and Petunia Sparkle.

MAC - Blue India - This was a done deal the second it came out. I had to go get it. And I don't think there has been a dupe found still. This is a beautiful blue creme.

China Glaze - Flip Fop Fantasy - This is the most amazing neon ever!!! I have declared my love for this several times. And of course you can see it is on my Top 20 list so I must love it. I love neons and the Poolside collection was really great. I also love Sun Worshipper but this one is sooo pretty and unique.

China Glaze - Ick-A-Bod-Y - Wow. Stepping it up with the Halloween shades. No orange cremes here! I really loved the other two shades in the Awakening set but this is by far my favorite. It is packed with glitter... orange glitter! And I love the murky green, black base.

BB Couture - Paradise - I love this color so much. I feel awful it was discontinued. I wish they would bring it back. But it was for a great cause which makes it more than just a polish. 25% of the sales from this collection was donated to the Salvation Army to aide the women and children affected by the by the earthquakes in Haiti.

China Glaze - Re-Fresh Mint - This is a place holder for the Up & Away collection. That whole set was incredible so it was hard to pick one. I went with this because mints were huge this year and of all the ones released this was still my favorite. I also really love Lemon Fizz, Four Leaf Clover and Grape Pop from this collection.

Nubar - Verde - Wow! So deep and interesting. I love the deep, blueish green with it's smoky look and strong shimmer.

China Glaze - Bogie - Another knockout collection from China Glaze was the Vintage Vixen Collection. This may be my favorite. Others that I love are Goin' My Way?, Ingrid, First Class Ticket, Classic Camel, and Foxy.

OPI - Absolutely Alice - This is the best blue glitter I have ever seen. The blue is beautiful and the itty-bitty gold pieces really set it off.

OPI - Mad As A Hatter - The other glitter in the Alice in Wonderland Collection. This is one of my most favorite glitters ever. I know there are multi-colored glitter haters but I don't care. This is so cool!

OPI - Jade Is The New Black - Very unique green creme. I love green cremes and happy to have this one. It is very smooth and dreamy and it reminds me of tennis courts.

OPI - Ski Teal We Drop - Another awesome creme from OPI. This is in the Swiss Collection which had a few great shades like Lucerne-tainly Look Marvelous and I'm Suzi & I'm A Chocoholic.

OPI - The Show Must Go On - You would think since this came from an amazing collection consisting of half a dozen full-coverage glitters, I would pick one of them, but this color really, really, got me. I love this so much. I do also love all the glitters and also Tease-y Does It, and Let Me Entertain You!

Orly - Rage - Geebuz. I love all the Foil FX. I think Rage is worthy of the photo since it's the most unique. There aren't many foils this color gold but there are plenty gold an silver like Luxe and Shine.

Rescue Beauty Lounge - Diddy Mow - Wow. The second I saw pics of this I knew it was special. This is the chicest, gray-green and I love the hidden shimmer. If you don't want to shell out the big price tag, Essie - Sew Psyched was cheaper alternative released this year.

Orly - Space Cadet - Holy Cow. The Orly Cosmic FX collection was a whole lot of win. My favorites were this one, It's Not Rocket Science, Galaxy Girl and Lunar Eclipse. Although there are some dupes out there, the ones in this set beat out the competition in my opinion thanks to formula. These all look awesome together too.

Chanel - Illusion D'Or - So cool! A polish from Chanel needs to be really cool to get me to spend 25 bucks and this one is. The super shimmery, fine gold is gorgeous but what sets it off is the iridescent flake-like glitter pieces that are like a illusion of glitter. I love it.

Deborah Lippmann - Across The Universe - Neat. This is a beautiful navy blue jelly with light blue, green and bright blue glitter... lots of it! This is so fun to look at.

Essie - Pretty Edgy - Green creme! :c)

Essie - Demure Vixen - There were a lot of great shades from Essie this year including greens and such but one that really stood out was a more toned down, "safe color": Demure Vixen. This mauve is delicate and very understated, but still extremely beautiful. This was a big favorite this year. Another mauve-ish shade I loved this year is Diamond Cosmetics - Razzmatazz. It also has that purple flash like Demure Vixen that makes it special.

Bundle Monster plates - not a polish per se, but an important release in 2010: a super affordable set of good quality image plates.

Orly - Snowcone - Of all the pretty pastels in the Sweet Collection this past spring, this was the only one I felt was necessary to get. The sky blue/cornflower color is beautiful and on top of that, it is an incredible, one-coat formula.

Zoya - Shawn - There were several colors from the Wicked and Wonderful Collection this fall but I really, really love Shawn. I have a weakness for olive greens and this is super cool. I also love Julieanne and Kelly and I really love that they are named after people on Dancing With The Stars. I love that show.

Zoya - Valerie - Another great collection from Zoya this year was the Fire and Ice collection that Valerie is from. Other favorites include Tiffany and Crystal. I am really happy that Crystal came out because it is a dupe of OPI - Reflecting Pool which was a Eruopean exclusive and really beautiful but hard fro us in the U.S. to get.

Zoya - Adina - Oh Adina. You are gorgeous. This is just stunning. Lovely lilac with that slick, duochrome-y green shimmer and flash. So pretty. And as a side note, I looove my nails in this pic.

OPI - Fiercely Fiona - So unique! Sorry if you don't like yellows but I do and I think this one is awesome! It's great because if you don't like a bright, taxi cab yellow, but still want to wear a yellow creme, this works well because it is toned down and sort of murky. And of course, the whole Shrek collection was awesome.

Sinful Colors - Gorgeous - Mermaid love. This is seriously gorgeous. Sinful had several great new releases this year and they always blow me away. They have great colors, they have a great formula, they are readily available, and they're cheap! AWESOME. Other faves from this year are Easy Going, Happy Ending, Tapping Nails, Innocent and Soul Mate.

Zoya - Ivanka - The whole Sparkle Collection really deserves this spot but this one is my favorite! I know another fave is Charla and it may be even more popular than Ivanka, but to my eye this one is prettier.

Mlani - Cyberspace - This can pretty much go for the whole 3D Holographic set from Milani this year. These are beautiful holos. I really love Hi-Tek and Hi-Res as well. And Milani gets bonus points for making this permanent and not just limited edition.

Essie - Lilacism - Wow, this is such a super pretty lilac creme. It's just perfect It's bright and clean, blue enough and soft enough. Soooo pretty!

Deborah Lippmann - Waking Up in Vegas - I love this chic greige creme. Greige was one of the colors this year and of all the ones released this is my fave.

Icing - Glamorous - This is just the most insane, sparkly holo glitter ever.

Sally Hansen - Purple Gala - I love this! It's very similar to Hard Candy - Mr. Wrong which I put on my list last year, but I think Purple Gala is better :c)

Sally Hansen - Hidden Treasure - I hate this polish. It is so beautiful and it deserves a place for the frenzy it created this year but seriously, the distribution of this was awful. I still have never seen it myself. It's like a leprechaun or something. Luckily someone nice sent it to me... because it is so beautiful!

Sally Hansen - Pacific Blue - There were several great Xtreme Wears released this year but this one may be my favorite. This is just breathtaking. Other great releases from this year were Wet Cement, Going Green, Wet Cement, and Purple Pizazz.

Confetti - My Favorite Martian - We got a new drugstore brand this year: Confetti. The whole collection isn't that exciting, but they really hit it with this one. I also really love Moonstruck and Bombshell Blue. And they're inexpensive.

Diamond Cosmetics - Tranquility - This is just awesome. At the time that this came out I was really craving a pastel blue creme just like this. And then I got it! It's a bit stark, but that is why I like it.

LA Splash - Golden Seahorse - I have a deep fascination with this. There is something so appealing about seafoam green and gold together. It's so "Caribbean Sea". I also am a fan of several other LA Splash shades but more importantly I am a fan of the bottle! I posted about it before but I love the shape of them. They are very unique.

Claire's Mood - Calm/Wild - AH! How fun are these! These were an awesome release this year. They have a drastic change and change very easily. I also really love Daring/Innocent and Happy/Earthy.

Ruffian Mani - Not a polish but an important look for 2010. I still want to do them all the time!

Sally Hansen - Commander in Chic - The Complete Salon Manicure line was a big launch this year from Sally Hansen. It's the line the leprechaun, Hidden Treasure is from. Some of my favorite shades from this line are this one, Cloud and Sequin Scandal but my absolute favorite is
Thinking of Blue. That one is incredible and would have been used for the photo but it doesn't photograph true to life and it bugs me.

Sephora by OPI - If You've Got It, Haunt It - This was a HUGE breakthrough in 2010. BLACK GLITTER! Successfully! This is awesome. It has black, silver, and little iridescent blue pieces. Another great black glitter release this year was Nicole by OPI - Pitch Black Glimmer. It looks just like this in the bottle but that one is a top-coat and this is full-coverage.

Milani - Purple Gleam - More black glitter! These One Coat Glitters were another amazing release from Milani. This one and Gold Glitz are my favorites and of course the Happy Birthday dupe, Gems. Purple Gleam really is a one coater, too. It's amazing. It's black and purple glitter in a clear base and it is really one coat. Very impressive.

Borghese - Mediterraneo Sea - This and it's counterpart, Purple Confetti were an awesome limited edition release this year from Borghese. So fun!

Here's to more beautiful shades in 2011!

Anchors Away from China Glaze

2011-01-13T10:00:00.003-06:00

ALL HANDS ON DECK

China Glaze Introduces 12 New Glitters And Crèmes For Spring 2011

Los Angeles, CA – (October 2010): Sail away this spring in 12 nautically-inspired colors from China Glaze. These bold and confident brights are reminiscent of a carefree natural getaway, with soft ethereal hues that inspire leisurely thoughts of sand and sea. Colors in this collection include:

Life Preserver - Highly pigmented and luxurious poppy creme
Hey Silor - Vibrant creme red
Ahoy! - Delightfully intense pink that flashes with reflective glass speck
First Mate - Sophisticated and rich navy creme
Starboard - Hip and playful green creme
Lighthouse - Multi-dimensional, bright yellow glass speck
White Cap - Whimsical and sparkling multi-dimensional white
Pelican Gray - High shine, cool toned grey creme
Sea Spray - Calming pale blue creme
Below Deck - A flirty mix of taupe and violet
Sunset Sail - Delightful peachy pink high shine creme
Knotty - Micro-particle beige shimmer

This spring, take a relaxing trip to the shore and sail away with China Glaze. Stop and smell the sea breeze!

Snowflakes

2011-01-02T22:24:00.002-06:00

I got festive! I did nice winter mani for myself (and for all you!)

This is China Glaze - Frosty layered over a base of white creme. Then I stamped snowflakes with Konad plates M59 and M70 and China Glaze chrome shades in Harmony, Millennium, Devotion and Awaken.

What do you think?!
Elaine
:c)

Glitter Nail Polish - Born Pretty Review

2010-12-30T10:16:00.001-06:00

Another product that I had a chance to review from bornprettystore.com is a few of their "glitter color nail lacquer" shades.

There are four that I have to review. Unfortunately they aren't named but there is a white, beige, purple and pink.

white - This is a sheer white with a glittery, flakie type glitter, a la Zoya - Glitters, that flickers green and pink. This is three coats.

beige - This is an awesome shade because it is neutral and work appropriate but also interesting and fun. This is three coats.

purple - This is bright purple sheer that has the flakie glitter that flashes green, gold and a bit of blue. This will be good for layering.

pink - This may be my favorite, only because it is the most opaque. It's a milky pink with a green shimmer. It's not the glitter type like the other ones. It's more fine of a shimmer but it is pretty.

A few comments about these:

These are not sold separately. These are only a few of the shades that come in a set of 45 of these glitter shades. I don't know if I would really want an army of 45 of these, but if you do, they are available here for $82.31.
These are mini bottles. I don't have a problem at all with mini bottles. These are a fine size and have a good brush. The funny thing about these is that they say they are 0.6 oz but this is what they look like compared to a bottle that is actually 0.6 oz:
These smell really bad. They have an outrageous chemically smell that makes me feel like I am going to pass out if I breathe it in. Good thing it says this:

Striping Tape Review

2010-12-26T22:05:00.004-06:00

Hi! I recently had a chance to review some products from bornprettystore.com and the product I am showing you today is the striping tapes.

Striping tapes are thin, colored/metallic/glittery tapes that are used for nail art. These supposedly come as a set of 12, but I only have 10: black, coppery-brown, purple, blue, green, silver, white, pink, yellow and red. From their picture online it looks like there may also be a sky blue and magenta? It's hard to tell.

This is the first time I have ever used striping tapes but I think they were very easy to use and I like the mani that I did with them:

I started by painted my nails as usual. For this design I did half white creme and half China Glaze - Jolly Holly. Once that was all dry I started with the roll of red, taped it onto my nail from the diagonal corner near the cuticle, pressed it along the nail and cut the end. Simple! I did that to all 10, trimmed and excess and topped it with top coat.

There really weren't any issues with using these except that a couple nails did have some lifting at the free edge but to remedy that I just added more top coat.

The set of 12 tapes is sold for $8.99 and decreases in price the more sets you buy. Bornprettystore.com is located in China but ships internationally.

The store also sells plenty of other nail art products including rhinestones, filmo and stickers. They also sell polish (I have some to show you) tools, acrylic equipment, false eyelashes and other things. I have some nail stamping kits to review for you but so far I haven't had success with them. More to come...

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T16:04:00.004-06:00

This is Finger Paints - Spun Sugar topped with Christmas decals that I got from Sally's Beauty Supply. Cina? I believe. The best one is the reindeer:

Look how cute!
:c)

A Quick Trip to Outer Space

2010-12-12T23:31:00.005-06:00

If you thought my last layered glitter mani was outer space looking check this bad boy out>>>>

This is Deborah Lippmann - Bad Romance layered over black and then a coat of Sinful Colors - Hottie layered over that.

Looking at this seriously gets me lost in it.

-Elaine
:c)

Glitter, Glitter, Glitter... and more Glitter!

2010-12-07T14:06:00.001-06:00

I am a list writer. I write to-do lists all the time, for everything, and I generally like to write them in little notebooks. That means I am always on hunts for cute notebooks to write all my lists in. While shopping recently I found really cute glitter-bomb notebooks at Charlotte Russe and of course bought one. It was made of red, purple, green and blue hex glitter and of course all I could think is "how can I translate to this exact look to my nails?" Well I figured it out!

I did this with two coats of Nubar - Night Sparkle, a deep blue base with blue glitter. Then added Nubar - Grass Green Glitter, then Hard Candy - Zombie, then Wet n Wild - Prancer on top.

-What do you think?
:c)

Nicole by OPI - Holiday Magic

2010-11-26T15:17:00.001-06:00

For the Holidays this year Nicole has released a set of four shades that are supposed to " complement winter wardrobes" and "add a magical touch to any occasion". Let's take a look>>>

Bring On The Tinsel - This is a clear base with blue, green, silver, gold and red glitter. At first glance I thought it was red, blue and silver, but no! There is gold and green too! This is 4 coats. It's not full coverage but it looks good on it's own.

Spark My Mistletoe - This is a fiery red glitter with large, holographic, hexagon glitter thrown in. The red also flashes gold which I just love. This is definitely going to be a layering polish. I am thinking of all kinds of layering combos for this...

Stuck In The Chimney - This is a soft, brick red. I keep wanting to call this mulberry, but I don't think I know what color a mulberry is. This has a bronze shimmer throughout that I really love and I love the name!!

Kiss Me At Midnight - Vampy burgundy with red shimmer. This speaks for itself. It reminds me of Sinful Colors - Rich In Heart but that shade may have been darker. This color got noticed when I wore it. Lots of compliments.

Overall I love this set! Great little holiday collection and unique in comparison to other collections out. Great shades and great formula.

Nicole - Holiday Magic should be out now and is available at ULTA, Meijer, Harmon, HEB and Sears.

What do you think?
:c)

Disclosure: The products featured in this post were furnished to me by the manufacturer or PR company for review. For more information please visit my disclosure policy.

Holiday Jewel Basket by Nubar

2010-11-25T14:21:00.001-06:00

For the holiday's Nubar has released a gift set of seven shades, including lots of glitter, Diamont top coat and base coat all wrapped in a little cube with a little basket that you can put nail tools and things into. Let's take a look at the shades>>>

Competition Red - Dreamy, creamy, red, red red. Is it just a red creme? I guess. It is a very nice rich red and I like the formula in comparison to other red cremes I have been trying lately because it is more like a true creme than jellyish.

Pixie Dust (over Competition Red) - This is a super shimmery, white/silver dusting of little particles. This is meant to be worn as a top coat. This won't get you full coverage but it is beautiful.

I love looking at the bottle. It's like a magical snow globe.

Silver Glitter - This is a dense, full coverage silver glitter. This is three coats.

Grass Green Glitter - This is a full coverage green glitter with little flecks of gold. This is 4 coats. I wasn't terribly impressed with the formula. It's still patchy after 4 coats. I am looking forward to wearing this over Nicole - Fell From The Tree.

Ruby Red Glitz - This is a red jelly with little red glitter. I love this! I had it on for 5 days which for me is like a decade.

Heavy Gold Glitter - This has to be the best formula for a glitter, EVER. This is two coats, it is full coverage, it was even, smooth and just perfect.

NOT Pictured: Nubar - 2010. 2010 is a flakie in a clear base that was released in the summer and is a close dupe to Sally Hansen - Hidden Treasure and GOSH - Rainbow. It accidentally was forgotten in my samples but if it shows up I will post it.

This is a the basket. You could put about 5-6 bottles in it, but not close it, or you can keep little manicure tools in it.

The Holiday Jewel Basket retails for $49.95 on bynubar.com

What do you think?
Elaine
:c)

Disclosure: The products featured in this post were furnished to me by the manufacturer or PR company for review. For more information please visit my disclosure policy.

China Glaze 'Tis The Season to be naughty and nice

2010-11-13T11:24:00.002-06:00

For the holiday collection this year China Glaze has released a beautiful set of 16 SHADES! I am stunned. This is not only amazing because it is 16 polishes, but it is amazing because they are gorgeous colors. I have swatched all of the shades and did a couple comparison swatches. Swatches and reviews first and comparison s second. Let's take a look!>>>

Ruby Deer - Bright, bright tomato red. Sort of jelly in finish and has a fantastic smooth formula. So, so smooth. Amazingly smooth.

Phat Santa - Another bold red creme but darker than Ruby Deer.

Mrs. Claus - This is very interesting! This is a sheer red with silver glitter. I am so intrigued by this because it seems soooo sheer but with three coats, the color and the glitter still hide any VNL. Very impressive. This reminds me of candy canes. It also reminds me of Zoya - Astra, although it is absolutely not a dupe.

Mommy Kissing Santa - Deep, burgundy red shimmer. This is velvety and smooth and delicious. I love this! I had a client comment that it was gorgeous and very Christmas-y. I said that it was funny she should say that because it was from a Holiday set!

Sugar Plums -Wine shimmer with sparse, tiny holo specks. Similar to a discontinued China Glaze fave, Crystal Ball, but not a dupe.

Naughty and Nice - Deep, deep, almost black, burgundy creme with a jelly finish. I loooooved wearing this. This is three coats, although when I did a mani I did two. When I did this swatch I guess I forgot how to paint my nails and needed to do a third coat to even things out.

Little Drummer Boy - Navy/denim shimmer. Very nice. I wanted to say that this isn't terribly unique/exciting, but I also don't have anything close to it. What did excite me about it, though, is that it has an out of this world formula. Super pigmented and smooth. You can get away with one coat with this one.

Jolly Holly - Wow! This blew me away. This is a rich green with golden shimmer. So beautiful. Just like Little Drummer Boy this is an amazing, smooth, super-pigmented one coat dream.

Mistletoe Kisses - What a cool polish! It makes me smile when I look at it! This is a mix of a really neat, soft green that is sort of between emerald and jade, completely packed with super small silver glitter. Very pretty. I couldn't decide if this is a two or three coater. I guess it's two but I did a third to be sure. I probably could have just stayed at two. This swatch is with top coat and one coat makes this polish smooth. It's not too grainy.

Peace On Earth - Wow! Striking, olive shimmer. This is one of my faves of this collection. I did a comparison with a few other olive shimmers below.

Jingle Bells - Classy gold. This isn't a very yellow gold. It's more or a neutral gold. Very pretty. The finish is hard to describe. It isn't quite a foil. It's sort of a chrome, but not as chrome as a chrome... if that makes sense! It's like a pearlish chrome.

Midnight Kiss - Partying yellow gold foil! There is no ambiguity here. This is definitely a gold foil. This is two coats.

Party Hearty (over white) - Fun! This is a clear base with large red hexagon glitter, smaller green hexagon glitter and even smaller gold and silver glitter. This is two coats over white.

Snow - White Cream. Nothing noteworthy. I am always interested to try a new staple like white creme to see if it may be like, the best white cream ever. But this one isn't . It a standard three coat, sort of difficult to apply, white creme. This is three coats with top coat.

Frosty - Pretty, delicate, snowy, pearly shimmer. It's not like a typical shimmer. The particles are sort of like small pearly pieces. I really, really like this on. It is sort of sheer so it needs at least 3 coats unless you want to layer it over something. This is actually 5 coats but that is because I kept getting my middle finger uneven and had to add more to fix it, but then it was way off then the rest. I do like the look of 5 coats though.

Cheers to You - Silver fun foil. Very pretty and flashy and awesome, but not unique.

And as promised here are a couple comparison swatches:

Sugar Plums on index and ring and China Glaze - Crystal Ball on middle and pinky. Crystal Ball is thinner and has more holo glitter. Sugar Plums only needed two coats, but Crystal Ball needed three.

Peace On Earth comparison. From left to right:

Peace On Earth
China Glaze - Cat's Eye
OPI - At Your Quebec & Call
Peace On Earth

I was hoping that Peace On Earth would be close to an amazing discontinued olive from China Glaze: Cat's Eye. Cat's Eye is more metallic and not as green.

Midnight Kiss on index and ring. Orly - Luxe on middle and pinky. Close, but not dupes. Luxe has more silver particles giving it a less yellow gold look then Midnight Kiss.

'Tis The Season is available now online and at retailers. What do you think?! :c)

Disclosure: The products featured in this post were furnished to me by the manufacturer or PR company for review. For more information please visit my disclosure policy.

NARS - Zulu and More

2010-11-09T09:00:00.001-06:00

I finally got my NARS - Zulu on my nails and although it is beautiful alone, I couldn't help but layer over that dark, dreamy base. It was too inviting.

This is what I did: I started with a base of NARS - Zulu. Then I added Nfu-Oh - #56, a green/blue flakie in a green base. Then I added Sally Hansen - Hidden Treasure, a mostly red flakie with gold and green at the angles. Lastly I added Pure Ice - Busted, a purple shimmer that has a bit of a gold/green duochrome. This rocks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What do you think?
-Elaine
:c)

Today Was A Fairy Tale - Swatch, Review, Layering and Gradient

2010-11-07T19:08:00.009-06:00

For The Holidays this year one of the glittery shades that Deborah Lippmann has created for us is Today Was A Fairy Tale. It says it's infused with Virgin Diamond Powder and I do not know what that does, but it is a shimmery, shiny, sparkly glitter bomb.

Deborah Lippmann - Today Was A Fairy Tale - This is a mix of large, extremely reflective silver hexagon sequins and smaller silver glitter in a clear, but slightly blue tinted, base. The glitter in this is amazing. I don't know if it is certain, but it appears that the hex glitter is cut to reflect more light, just like facets in a diamond. It is extremely shiny. I would normally be upset that the base doesn't have enough pigment to build a opaque enough base, but with this I am fine because I wouldn't want to take away the shine of the glitter. This is three coats.

This is some layering experiments I tried with TWAFT. (hehe) This is two coats over, blue, black, silver and white. I think over white is kind of cool because then it brings out the blue base.

This is the mani I did with it. I started with NARS - Midnight Express as a base, then I did a gradient with TWAFT. I started with one coat way down by the cuticle, then the second coat further up and the third even further up and the 4th was pretty much just the tip. This was very flashy and fun! Everyone loved this. I got lots of compliments.

And I thought this was too hot to not share! It's Kim Kardashian wearing nothing but Today Was A Fairy Tale for a shoot for W Magazine to match the silver body paint. WOW.

Disclosure: The products featured in this post were furnished to me by the manufacturer or PR company for review. For more information please visit my disclosure policy.

Nubar Finest Silks

2010-11-01T09:00:00.002-05:00

Nubar Finest Silks is a collection of eight feminine, "work appropriate" shades. Mostly creme finishes with the exception of one shimmer.

Taffata - Brownish pink creme. When I was wearing this it made me think that this would be what it would look like if you mixed chocolate milk and strawberry milk.

Marabout - This is a dark gray-brown creme. Really interesting and stylish. It reminds me of mud which I know doesn't sound stylish but that is the kind of colors I like.

Chiffon - This is just like Marabout but lighter. Lighter mud. Nice, but I wore this right after Marabout and really didn't feel like I changed my polish.

Organza - This is a shimmery, sheer white. Not bad alone, but if you don't like sheers I'd say to layer this. This is three coats.

Moire - Light, soft tan creme with a hint of pink. Delicate and pretty.

Charmeuse - Mauve creme. Not a boring mauve; it's bright and bold. I like this. And the formula! All of these have a nice formula but this one was especially nice.

Pekin - Bright red creme. Nice, bold, smooth and sexy.

Sateen - Dark red, blood creme.

These are beautiful shades and I greatly appreciate colors like this being a working professional for when I can't wear my usual blues, greens and glitters. I really enjoy adding shades like this to my collection because I am so used to unusual shades being my norm, that these feel outrageous! But my gripe with this collection is that I feel like there are too many repeats! I like these shades for their sophistication but I don't want the same ones over and over. For example, Marabout and Chiffon really seemed like the same color to me. But anyway, they are nice and beautiful and have a fantastic formula.

Nubar Finest Silks is available now on bynubar.com and retail for $7.49 per bottle or $49.95 for the entire collection.

What do you think?
-Elaine
:c)

Disclosure: The products featured in this post were furnished to me by the manufacturer or PR company for review. For more information please visit my disclosure policy.

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T18:40:00.006-05:00

Happy Halloween! I have some Halloween manis for you!

Sally Hansen - Plum Burst with Kiss Halloween decals

Sephora by OPI - If You've Got It, Haunt It - I really love this! This is black and silver glitter in a sheer black base with little iridescent blue/green/red glitter pieces. Super cool!

Zoya - Paz + Nicole by OPI - Pitch Black Glimmer with decals. I really wished I took a pic of the left hand before I started removing the polish. Because then I had to take the right hand and I unfortunately suffered a break a couple hours before!

OPI Burlesque Shimmers (Part II)

2010-10-26T00:11:00.006-05:00

The second part of the OPI Burlesque collection is made up of various shimmers from foily shimmers, to glass-flecked shimmers and more. Take a look >>>

Ali's Big Break - This is a bright, candy apple red with irregular shaped shimmer. This is bold and spicy and I loved wearing this.

Tease-y Does It - This is a brownish purple with a glowy shimmer. It's vampy but not so dark it doesn't have it's own color and character. I love this.

Rising Star - Bold, slightly foily, shimmery yellow gold. It looks like what you would get if you crossed Nubar - Caramello and Nubar - Oro from the Venetian Glass collection.

Take The Stage - Burnt orange, slightly foily shimmer. Also similar to the oranges in the Venetian Glass collection.

Let Me Entertain You - Glass-flecked fuchsia. Very pretty and hot! Super similar to Zoya - Allegra. Like, practically dupes. It just seemed to me like Allegra was thinner, or it just took more because it has a smaller brush than the OPI but I got LMEY on in two coats and it took 3 with Allegra.

The Show Must Go On - This is my favorite!! I may even like this one more than all the glitters! :cO This is a hot pink foil with a gold/copper duochrome shimmer. It's much like MAC - Bad Fairy, but better! They are not dupes, but they have similar properties which makes me compare them. For all the days I was wearing this all I could think is "This is so much better than Bad Fairy!" The colors differ because Bad Fairy is deeper and more cranberry and The Show Must Go On is more like a hot strawberry. The similarities are the finish and the gold/copper duochrome, but the base color is much different. They do look similar in the bottle though don't they?!>>
What do you think of Part II of Burlesque?
:c)
-Elaine

Disclosure: The products featured in this post were furnished to me by the manufacturer or PR company for review. For more information please visit my disclosure policy.

Hard Candy - Halloween Polishes 2010

2010-10-24T20:30:00.001-05:00

Hard Candy has released three, new, limited Halloween shades this year that you can find at Wal-Mart. They are a nice change of pace from the usual orange, black and white creme shades we usually see for Halloween which seems to be the theme this year. Polish companies have learned that we need new, unique shades for Halloween just like all other releases. The best part about the Hard Candy Halloween shades? They are all glitter!

Wicked - This is a black base with tiny silver glitter. The base is a bit sheer but that is a good thing because it lets the glitter shine through. This is three coats.

Mischief - This is a orange glitter in a murky, green-black base, much like China Glaze - Ick-A-Bod-Y. I really couldn't tell a difference when I put this on. I could have sworn I was wearing Ick-A-Bod-Y. If there is any difference, Mischief may be a smidge more condensed, but they're pretty much the same.

Zombie - This is the star of this collection, in my opinion. It's the most unique, the most fun, and it's a bit of an oddball for a Halloween collection because it's really bright and happy instead of dark and spooky, but that is what makes me like it. This is a mix of purple, pink and blue glitter in a clear base. I love the overall purple glitter look.

These can be found at Wal-Mart and retail for $5.

What do you think?
:c)
-Elaine

OPI Burlesque Glitters with Close-Ups

2010-10-22T12:24:00.003-05:00

YES! Burlesque glitters! Finally! I have been dying for them! Today I am bringing you the glitter half of the OPI - Burlesque collection. These make me happy! These all have sort of the same idea: lots of different glitter with one shade being the overpowering one. All swatches are three coats, and have no topcoat.

Shimmer and Shimmer - This is a mix of mostly blue and silver glitter with a little red, yellow, green and fuchsia glitter thrown it. Is it close to Absolutely Alice? Not really. Here they are side by side:

Shimmer and Shimmer on the left, Absolutely Alice on the right

Extra-Va-Vaganza - This is a mix of mostly orange and silver with some green, blue, yellow and fuchsia. I love orange and I love glitter so this is awesome for me!

Bring On The Bling! - This is overall a gold glitter but has little bits of yellow (not gold) green, blue, fuchsia, red and silver. Really awesomely unique for a gold glitter.

Glow Up Already! - This is a lime/chartreuse glitter with some emerald green, blue, fuchsia, red, yellow and silver. At first it looked a lot like Rescue Beauty Lounge - Locavore, but side by side you can see they aren't that similar:

Glow Up Already! on the left and Locavore on the right

Show It And Glow It! - This is overall fuchsia with a bit of yellow, emerald, blue, red and silver glitter.

Sparkle-icious - This is the odd man out because this isn't a mix of all the same blue, green, fuchsia, yellow, etc. glitter. It is just three: gold, bold blue, and fuchsia. Reminds me a bit of Look Rich, Be Cheap from RBL, just with blue. I shouldn't really compare them because I didn't like LRBC but I really like Sparkle-icious. I really like this one.

If you missed out on OPI's Mad As A Hatter glitter from the Alice in Wonderland collection last winter/spring, and were hoping for a dupe here, there really isn't one. Mad As A Hatter also was a mix of several different glitters but didn't have one overall color. It's overall color was really... like colorless. It's mostly silver with some bits of other colors. Also, MAAH had a bold purple glitter in it that the other shades don't seem to have. Here is a close-up of MAAH:

OPI Burlesque is out now. I am so excited about these! What an exciting collection from OPI! Half of a collection being full coverage glitters?! Holy cow.

I will be posting the second half of the collection ASAP.
:C)

Disclosure: The products featured in this post were furnished to me by the manufacturer or PR company for review. For more information please visit my disclosure policy.

Finally Some Halloween Decals

2010-10-16T00:34:00.003-05:00

I have been on a mad hunt for Halloween nail decals and CAN NOT FIND ANY! I even work on the road and check places that are typically far from my house so I have an expanded drugstore search radius and that doesn't matter. I finally found A SHEET of decals at Sally's the other day and it was the last one. Geez. They are cool though. I just wish there were more of them!

I really like the spiders and spiderwebs and the different colored mini gems.

Deborah Lippmann - Across The Universe

2010-10-15T22:39:00.005-05:00

Hi all! I wish that I could post more often. I really do. I have just been working sooooooooo much. Thank you all for still sticking with me. I am doing the best I can! I have lots of great stuff to post so I will try to get the heck on it!

This is Deborah Lippmann - Across The Universe. It was released a while back but that doesn't mean it doesn't deserve a post! Look how pretty it is! Deb did a GREAT job with this one. For the past year and more Deborah has been giving us chunky, sparkly, hexagonal glitter polishes and this may be one of my faves. I want to say fave, but I am having a hard time picking between this and Happy Birthday! This is a navy blue jelly with green and light blue hexagon glitter pieces, and royal blue small glitter pieces. I love all the different, but complimenting colors. The polish is thin enough to let the glitter through, but pigmented enough to have a deep overall color. The glitter is super pretty and shiny, and the overall look is smooth and sparkly with a top coat. There is absolutely nothing bad to say about this one! FABULOUS!

What do you think?
Elaine
:c)

Disclosure: The products featured in this post were furnished to me by the manufacturer or PR company for review. For more information please visit my disclosure policy.

Still Love Mattes

2010-10-11T22:29:00.002-05:00

I had a crazy idea for some fun with my matte top coat and made an over the top layering mani. I started with super bright red creme. Then I added Wet n Wild - Ice Blue Pearl that I used for this matte mani. Then I threw on a coat of Sally Hansen - Hidden Treasure because matte flakies are one of my most favorite things ever. I don't like the end result that much because the blue is over powering. There is less blue on the right hand nails, but the cuticles on that hand were not camera ready soo.....

This close up is actually from my right hand. I like the more subtle blue flash and more emphasis on the flakies.

What do you think?

:c)
Elaine

MAC - Bad Fairy

2010-10-09T17:30:00.004-05:00

I know we've all seen this already but I love it! I didn't get the other two in the Venomous Villains Collection because they were dupes to Orly Cosmic FX shades, but Bad Fairy enticed me. And damn MAC for making limited edition stuff super limited so it makes me panic and run to buy!

Bad Fairy is really pretty. It is a strawberry-red with duochrome shimmer that is copper at the edges and at angles. The polish has a near-foil finish and is flashy, but not so much I felt I couldn't wear it to work. Really cool. Too bad it took 3-4 coats, but I love it. Glad I took the plunge and ran to my Macy's MAC counter to snag one of the last bottles.

If you like Bad Fairy run before it's too late. This sold out on the website super fast (as cool LE polishes from MAC usually do)

Nubar Finest Silks, Winter 2010

2010-10-02T20:20:00.004-05:00

Traveling the Silk Road for inspiration, nubar introduces Finest Silks, a collection of eight luxuriously silky shades which provide complete coverage in two coats. Effortlessly feminine with a thoroughly modern palette, these lovely new shades flatter every finger and lend themselves to the fluid, graceful silhouettes see on runways around the world.

Just as women love the shine and drape of silk, the love the sophistication of a classic nail polish. The shades of Finest Silks collection range to be universally appealing and beautiful on every woman.

Always free of formaldehyde, phthalate and toluene, the nail lacquers in Finest Silks offer seven dreamy cremes and one luminous frost.

nubar nail lacquers feature an ergonomically designed cap and a 299 bristle brush built for comfort and performance.

NS280: Organza - an intense pearl white

NA281: Taffeta - a pale peachy brown

NS282: Marabout - a deep muted brown

NS283: Pekin - a rich dark red

NS284: Chiffon - a muted brown

NS285: Moire- a light reddish brown

NS286: Charmeuse - a neutral blush

NS287: Sateen - a deep vivid red

New Xtreme Wears, Fall 2010

2010-09-29T12:04:00.001-05:00

Man I love Xtreme Wears. I get very excited for new displays. I love the colors, I love the brush, I love the colors.... just all good.

Purple Gala - Man I love this. I wore it for 5 days which for me is a loooong time. It is a purple base that is foily in finish with metallic gold flakes adding to the depth, and foil look. I love it. It looks very similar to Hard Candy - Mr. Wrong, but they are not dupes. I did a comparison:

Index and Ring: Mr. Wrong and Middle and Pinky: Purple Gala
It looks to me like Mr. Wrong is more grayed of a purple. In the swatch it also looks like it has more gold in it. But I like Purple Gala for a few reasons:
- I like the base color better
- I like the formula better. Purple Gala is 2 coats and Mr. Wrong is 3.
- Purple Gala is cheaper and has a bigger bottle
- Purple Gala is more accessible: Hard Candy is only at Wal-Mart.

Purple Fiesta - At first glance I thought there was more of a fiesta happening here. In the bottle it sure looks more exciting. All the holo glitter and holo bar glitter. But on the nail it got lost. Until I came up with an idea. I did three thin, thin coats instead of two coats. Then the glitter comes through more, and more layers gives you more glitter! I love the base color of this. This swatch is top coat-less so it would look a lot cooler with a smooth finish.

Concrete - This doesn't look much like concrete, unless concrete is purple? This is a grayed out purple creme. A "gravender", if you will. I love this. This is two coats.

Plum Burst - Oooh! How pretty. This is a bold, magenta-purple creme. It is very pretty and exciting! It may not be terribly unique, but I like it. This is 2 coats.

Mystic Lilac - This is a recent nail junkie favorite. I like it myself! It is a very gray lavender that has lots of super shiny, emerald green shimmer. The formula is thin on this, but it's a good thing because it lets the shimmer shine through. This is 3 coats.

These new Xtremes are on a new display in drugstores now and they retail for $2.99

What do you think?
:c)
-Elaine

A Couple New Sally Hansen Insta Dris

2010-09-22T22:43:00.002-05:00

So you know how I said that the Borghese shades I posted were buy one get one at Rite Aid? Well so were Sally Hansen's apparently. At least the Insta-dris for sure. Because I bought two and one was free! They were from a brand new display of metallics. Here are the colors I got:

Golden Flash - This is a rose with.... you guessed it! A golden flash! Lots of it. The golden shimmer in this is very pronounced and makes a boring rose not boring at all.

Metallic Momentum - Wow wow. This is a chrome gold with a aged olive tint. I think this may be a close dupe to BB Couture - Blind Love and Chanel - Kaleidoscope, but I don't have either to compare myself. Hopefully a comp pic will pop up from another blogger.

This is also great for Konading/stamping:

Chromes usually are good for this and this is no exception.

These retail for $4.95 and like I mentioned they are BOGO at ~~Walgreen's~~ this week. I meant Rite Aid! Ooops.

What do you think?
Elaine
:c)

New Borghese Glitters - Fall 2010

2010-09-21T12:00:00.001-05:00

Hi! I went on hunt and came home with something to mount! I went looking for a new collection from Borghese because I specifically wanted the glitters. There were two I got and 4 others I didn't. One was a raspberry shimmer/micro glitter and the other three looked to be re-releases from the holiday minis from last year, just in full sized bottles. I swatched them as a guest blogger on Vampy Varnish here. They are the gold, black and red ones.

Anywho, for the ones I did get, they are amazing! They are super-pigmented bases packed with multi-colored glitter.
Purple Confetti - This is a plummy base with silver, blue, green, gold, red and purple glitter. There appears to be mostly silver which through the purple looks purple. But then the glints of greens and reds really sets it off.

Mediterraneo Sea - This is a aqua base packed with the same glitter. It is the same, but looks different. The glitter seems to lean more green in this one thanks to the silver shining blue green from the base. Really cool.

These are very well pigmented, as I said before. I got them both on with two coats, no problem. The only thing about these, and it's not huge, is that they dry matte! It is so weird. I don't care because I would put a topcoat on them no matter what, but they are very unflattering without it. Take a look:

It could be that if it dries matte it allows for having a pigmented base without swallowing up the glitter. I don't know... I am just thinking here...

The best part about these is that at Rite Aid this week they are BOGO and they have a $1 off coupon on the display. So for $8 polishes, I bought them both for $7 total. Not bad!

What do you think?
-Elaine
:c)

Powder Puff Dupe

2010-09-18T20:12:00.003-05:00

Have you all seen the new matte Revlon polishes? Well I haven't! But I have seen some pics, and I really loved the look of Powder Puff, a soft, squishy white matte with blue flash. But I didn't know where to find it, or if I would find it and instead of trying to hunt it down, as fun as a NP hunt can be, I decided to dupe the look. This is what I came up with.

I started with two coats of Essie - Marshmallow, a squishy, white jelly. Then I layered over it, a
coat of Wet n Wild - Ice Blue Pearl. I set that with Seche Vite and then the next day I added a coat of Essie - Matte About You. I really like the end result and from what I have seen of Power Puff swatches, it looks pretty darn close!

What do you think?
Elaine
:c)

Misa - Spark My Interest, Winter 2010

2010-09-14T20:39:00.002-05:00

*click for huge pic!*

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

All That Glitters Is Gold With Misa Cosmetics’ Spark My Interest Collection

September 2010 – Philadelphia, PA. Ladies, put some bling on it! Whether you’re hitting the clubs in South Beach or sipping martinis in a Manhattan high-rise, you’ll need nails that glimmer as bright as the surrounding lights. Misa Cosmetics’ latest collection, Spark My Interest, pays homage to the glitz and glamour of nightlife and romantic intrigue—because nighttime nails should never fade into the background. The six brilliant hues are saturated with shine, thanks to the thousands of glittering particles packed into each polish, guaranteeing that nails remain the center of attention all summer long.

Winter 2010: Spark My Interest

Date Nights to the Twilight: You may never know what to wear on date night, but this ebullient royal purple will lay the foundation for the perfect look, whether you choose a flirty mini or laid-back denim. Wow him with your glittering personality (and nails!), then party from twilight till morning light!

Red Pumps at the Nordstrom: Self-conscious? Never! Slipping into a pair of red stilettos is instantly empowering for any woman, and this ruby-red sparkle polish will stir up the same sense of instant sexiness and look-at-me self-assurance. Match your favorite siren-red Louboutins with this high-octane shade for confidence that won’t quit.

Spark My Heart, That’s a Start: A glimmer of interest is easy to notice—he can just follow the flashing of your fingernails as you take his hand and lead him to the dance floor. This coral-pink hue lets him know that your heart beats strong, but he still needs to work hard to keep you interested. A bold demand, sure, but this shade is for women who know what they want.

Pink Bling On My Ring: You can’t leave home without the right accessories! A girl’s gotta have jewelry, but this shocking hot-pink glitter hue will vigorously compete with the gemstones that decorate her fingers. Like bejeweled ornaments, nails will shine bright and accent any outfit just right.

Wink, Blink, Let’s Get a Drink: Skip the awkward getting-to-know-you phase and get right to the flirting! This glimmering deep fuchsia will let him know you’re interested from across a crowded room—and will have his eyes glued to you all night as you work your charm. It won’t be long before he leans in and asks, “Another round?”

Glitz, Glamour, Smile for the Camera: Let’s get candid: Nails will be continually camera-ready with a couple of coats of this sparkling playful plum. Picture-perfect nails are guaranteed as this polish’s glitter catches the light of the paparazzi’s flashes. Evoke the sophistication of Old Hollywood and say “glam” just before the shutter snaps!

Bad Romance

2010-09-12T13:06:00.002-05:00

Hello all! I have a swatch of one of the newest releases from Deborah Lippmann, Bad Romance.

DL: " Bad Romance was inspire by last winter's Ruby Red Slippers. I loved this shade so much and wanted to keep that sheer black base but take it into to 2011. I was manicuring Lady Gaga for a photo shoot recently and thought to myself, "What would Gaga do?" The result was Bad Romance, a moody a dark yet brilliantly provocative glitter polish - a Gaga-blackened fuchsia. The chunky sequin shade captures the high-fashion feel of Gaga's signature style and the bold statement of the namesake song. It's also a great shade for toes - make sure you're pedi-ready for this season's peep-toe booties!"

This swatch was two coats. It's still looks a little sheer in spots and could have used a third, but I have worn it before with two coats. I just did them a bit thicker. I don't usually like blacks that much, but this one gets by because the sheer base allows for lots of the glitter to show through, making it look pretty shiny and purple and not so black. It is just the same concept as Ruby Red Slippers from last year, just with purple hexagons and small glitter instead of the red.

You can get Bad Romance at Barney's, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom and at deborahlippmann.com. It retails for $18

What do you think?
-Elaine

Disclosure: The products featured in this post were furnished to me by the manufacturer or PR company for review. For more information please visit my disclosure policy.

NYFW: Fashion's Night Out with Deborah Lippmann

2010-09-09T21:28:00.003-05:00

Kick off the week at Fashion’s Night Out on September 10, 2010 at Barney’s New York from 6-10 pm with fashion manicurist Deborah Lippmann.

Stop by New York City’s iconic department store on Madison Avenue (at East 59^th Street) and receive personal nail consultations with Deborah Lippmann. She can help select which colors are best for your skin tone and pick out shades for any occasion. She can also provide tips and tricks on how to find the right nail shape for you and how to give yourself a professional quality manicure at home.

Her new fall colors – Bad Romance, a GaGa blackened fuchsia, and Across The Universe, a blazing blue and metallic green glam in sheerest navy – will be on display for sampling and for purchase.

The nail polish trend-maker styled Lady Gaga’s nails for Vanity Fair’s September cover with Waking Up In Vegas. The putty-licious gray crème is a super-sultry rendition of the popular grey-nail look.

The first time the pair met, Lippmann applied Ruby Red Slippers to the popstar’s nails—an encounter that inspired bold new addition to the Deborah Lippmann line, Bad Romance. Lippmann set out to capture all the elements of Gaga’s larger than life persona in a bottle and thought “What would Gaga do?” The result? Bad Romance—a moody, dark yet brilliantly provocative glitter polish. The chunky sequin shade reflects Gaga’s signature statement-making style and the bold message of the namesake song.

Poison Ivy

2010-09-09T00:12:00.001-05:00

Hello all! I have been working a ton lately but I have something for you. Here is the mani I was rocking over the past weekend:

I finally got my hands on some Bundle Monster stamp plates! This is Sinful Colors - Innocent stamped with Bundle Monster plate BM20 and OPI - Jade is the New Black. This mani got lots of attention everywhere I went!

What do you think?
:c)
-Elaine