New Nail Polish Collection for Spring 2014: Zoya Awaken

Just as Spring emerges from a natural Winter slumber, Zoya Awakens to a fresh season of BIG5FREE* color...

Open your mind to the beauty of color discovery; the new, the unexplored, the excitement! Awaken by Zoya - Six new, full-coverage, dew-drenched creams and gold-kissed metallic nail polish colors for Spring 2014. Full of pure pigment, intense color and modern complexity that will take you far beyond the hazy, barely there hues of seasons past into a new world of chromatic joy.

ZOYA AWAKEN - 2014 SPRING

• ZP723 - Dillon: Green Mint Shimmer Metallic Full Coverage Formula.
• ZP724 - Rebel: Blue Sky Shimmer Metallic, Full Coverage Formula.
• ZP722 - Hudson: Purple Orchid Shimmer Metallic, Full Coverage Formula (Yes, it's a Radiant Orchid!)
• ZP720 - Dot: Pink Petal Cream, Full Coverage Formula
  (originally created for fashion designer Zang Toi’s SS14 collection).
• ZP721 - Cole: Peach Whisper Cream, Full Coverage Formula
  (originally created for fashion designer Peter Som’s SS14 collection).
• ZP725 - Brooklyn: White-Gold Shimmer Metallic, Full Coverage Formula.

 

$9.00 ea. (US)

PLUS, A SPECIAL EDITION TOPPER
Create a nail color masterpiece. The multi-colored, holographic flakes of Zoya Monet lend an impressionistic color change option to existing color palettes. Never boring, this artistic topper can be applied as an accent or used as an overall color changer.

• ZP726 - Monet: Multi-Color, Cellophane Holographic Topper.
$10.00 ea. (US)

*BIG5FREE: Zoya Nail Polish and Treatment Formulas are free of formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, dibutyl phthalate, toluene and camphor.

Find over 300 long-wearing, beautiful Zoya colors on www.zoya.com. Each and every color has a name as unique as the women who inspired it.

ZOYA IS THE COLOR OF FASHION!
Available on Zoya.com

Sew Psyched....

This is totally not the first time I swatch this shade.... but to me, it's a great Fall color and it's one of the few greens that doesn't give me lobster hands.  This is two coats of Essie's Sew Psyched and I used Millennium by China Glaze and stamped on the paisley design from Bundle Monster plate 315.  Cute, no?  Then I added a little rhinestone from one of my wheels from Born Pretty Store.  Nothing fancy. 

To be honest, I was having a little creative block.  Two failed attempts at plaid will do that to you.  LOL

Happy Polishing!

Make a Minty Spectacle

Oh, how I love greens.... and I've been lucky that most of them don't give me lobster hands. Here we have two coats of Zoya's Neely from their new LOVELY Collection. It's such a pretty, creamy color. After it dries, it's not so minty and more-so a light jade. Very nice and slightly muted. I covered two of my nails with Make a Spectacle by China Glaze (two coats). What do you think?

Happy Polishing!

Glittering Fall Leaves

I'm in a Fall kinda mood but wanted to avoid the dreaded neutral browns and the like.  Although I love those shades, they make my super pale/pink undertone skin look horrible.  Instead, I came up with this look.  Two coats of Glittering Garland (a gorgeous green jelly with tons of microglitter in gold tones) by China Glaze and 2030 for the stamp.  I used Bundle Monster's B04 image plate.   

What are you guys thinking for Fall?  Any looks you love to recreate?  I cant even believe Thanksgiving is next week.  Where did the year go?

 Happy Polishing.

Armed and Ready for Fall...

Well, at least whatever you can consider Fall when you live in Miami (Florida).  No snow ever and our cold fronts consist of 48 degrees.  LOL

This is two coats of Armed and Ready by Essie.  A new favorite of mine, and cant you see why?  It's freakin' gorgeous!!!  It's like a deep olive with bronze microshimmer.  I cant tell you how much I love it.  Application was great too.  Then I used 2030 by China Glaze to stamp on the plaid image from Mash 50 plate. 

Happy Polishing!

Smoke and Ashes

This is Sunday's mani.  Two coats of Smoke and Ashes by China Glaze. A practically black base loaded with blue/green/gold duochrome shimmer.  Very different and beautiful in person.  It's practically a one coater.  I used Sold Out For Ever by Catrice on ring fingers.  Also two coats.  Then I stamped the snakeskin pattern from Bundle Monster 215 on ring fingers using Smoke and Ashes to tie it all in.  *love*

Happy Polishing!

Peekaboo... I "Sea" a Born Pretty Store Review!

Hey Ladies!

I have another mani and a Born Pretty Store review for you today! The item I'm reviewing today is half of their Dried Flower Set. The set includes 12 different flowers in individual little plastic jar containers. The set I received included 2 different styles (6 of each) in various colors. Below are pictures of half of the set (one of the styles). The flowers are adorable and came in green, pink, blue, yellow, orange, and white. Each jar contained 5 flowers. These retail for $7.08 (but remember, I'm only showing you half of the set today).

I paired a yellow dried flower on my ring finger with 2 coats of I Sea You! by Catrice. I've always been a fan of the names Catrice gives their nail polishes. Always so cute and catchy. I love the play on words with this polish's name because it happens to remind me of the beaches here in Miami. I Sea You! is a dusty green turquoise creme. 2 coats (1 coat could've almost been enough). I applied a coat of Seche Vite topcoat and quickly placed the dried flower on the nail. I wanted it to stick to the topcoat while it was still wet so it could hold the flower down. I used a woodstick to place the flower. Simply wet the pointy end so that the flower sticks to it and then gently press the flower onto the nail. Don't press too hard or you'll end up squeezing out the polish underneath. Then I applied 2 more coats of Seche Vite to lock the flower in and to smooth out the texture of the nail. Make sure you cover the entire flower with topcoat or it can start to lift up.

This is the first time I've ever used a dried flower on my nails and I think it turned out alright. Any issues I had with these were due to my inexperience and in no way reflects on the quality. I would suggest not using the light colored flowers over dark polishes. They are a little thin/sheer so you can see some of the green polish through the yellow petal (you see it more on the first picture). Other than that, I had no problems with these dried flowers. I think they are super cute. Just remember to handle them gently because they are real dried flowers and very delicate. Again, the retail for $7.08 (remember I'm only featuring half of the set in this post) and Born Pretty Store is currently offering free shipping! So be sure to check them out here: Dried Flower Set!

Feel free to share any tips on how to better apply these flowers since I'm so new at this! Happy Polishing!

In Da Bush....

Me and greens... an eternal love affair (after purples, of course).  Luckily, very few greens give me lobster hands and this is another one!  Yay for me.  This is Essie's Da Bush.  It's a dusty muted light khaki green if you ask me.  Jellyish in finish as well.  Super shiny.  Application was pretty good, like most Essie polishes are. 

(Dont ask me what the strange glow is around my fingers.  There was literally FOG in Miami Monday morning and everything looked extra dewey.  Weird, I know, but it's pretty color-accurate).

Happy Polishing!

Zoya Surf Collection - Swatches & Review

Hey Ladies!

I'm back today with Part 2 of Zoya's Summer Collection. Check out our post yesterday if you want to see the Beach Collection (link here). This is the Surf Collection! As always, swatches were done with no base coat and no topcoat.

Zuza - Zoya describes this as a deep, saturated, oceanic turquoise with gold and silver metallic shimmer and a foil-like finish. Maybe I'm living under a rock when it comes to nail polish but this color is so unique to me! I have nothing in my collection like this! So beautiful. Something about this color is vibrant and relaxing at the same time. Easily my favorite out of the entire collection! 2 coats for an opaque finish. Perfect formula and application.

Meg - Zoya describes this as a light yellow-toned mermaid green with heavy gold and silver metallic shimmer and a sparkling foil finish. This color looks like candy! 2 coats for an opaque finish. Perfect formula and application.

Myrta - Zoya describes this as a warm medium orange coral with red undertone, gold and silver metallic shimmer, and a foil-like finish. This color reminds me of fire (and of Zoya's Gwin, but they aren't dupes). Very vibrant! 2 coats for an opaque finish. Perfect formula and application.

Rory - Zoya describes this as a medium mauve pink with lilac tones, gold and silver reflective metallic shimmer accents, and a foil-like finish. Such a cute color. Very girly. The silver shimmer is a lot more noticeable than the gold (which is fine with me because I'm not a fan of gold, stupid skin tone of mine)! 2 coats for an opaque finish. Perfect formula and application.

Carly - Zoya describes this as a very rich, bold, red-toned dark purple with iridescent red and silver metallic shimmer and a dense foil finish. This color almost beat Zuza for the #1 spot for me. It's so gorgeous. Again, I have nothing like this in my collection. So vibrant. Really gets your attention. I love the shimmer! So unique! 2 coats for an opaque finish. Perfect formula and application.

Kimber - Zoya describes this as a rich, bright and saturated medium magenta pink with strong gold metallic shimmer and a foil-like finish. The gold shimmer is definitely strong in this one. 2 coats for an opaque finish. Perfect formula and application.

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I am very happy with this collection. The Beach and Surf Collections compliment each other very well. Both collections had polishes that I felt were unique (or at least unique to me). I can easily say that I have no complaints about these collections. They both get an A+ in my book!

So... Who is ordering and which polishes are you getting? =)

Note: This collection was sent to us for review. We've received no compensation. The opinions expressed are purely my own.

Zoya Beach Collection - Swatches & Review

Hey Ladies!

I'd like to thank Zoya for their inadvertent birthday present to me! I turned 27 on March 11 and got this collection for review March 30. I really fell in love with the promo pictures of this collection and was having an epic battle with myself about whether or not to purchase these colors. I wanted them badly but I've put myself on a polish-purchasing-ban because I'm going to stop working in 3 weeks for finals and to study for the bar exam. So I probably won't see a paycheck until after I move to St. Louis and find a job (which would be in August/September). I wish money grew on trees. Don't we all? I know now (after trying them out) that I would have regretted not buying this collection. It's worth every penny.

And yet another "thank you" to Zoya for making this collection. I've been so bored with nail polish lately. Don't you ever feel like you've seen it all? The collections I've seen lately are either very repetitive, boring, or have a horrible formula (*ahem* OPI Sorbets *ahem*). This collection brought me back from my funk. Some people might not understand why I find this collection so awesome. I don't know what it is about the tones, vibrant creams and micro-glitter but it got me excited about nail polish again.

Enough of my nonsense, lets see some swatches! All were done without a base coat and without topcoat.

This is the Beach Collection:

Arizona - Zoya describes this as a softened bright citrus orange with a muted cream finish. This color almost wants to be a neon because of how bright it is... but its not crazy bright either. The perfect shade for summer. I'm not much of an orange girl but I honestly love this color! 2 coats for an opaque finish. The first coat was shockingly sheer. I thought this was going to end up being a 3-coater. Perfect formula and application.

Lara - Zoya describes this as a medium magenta-rose pink with subtle yellow undertone and a soft cream finish. Another perfect color for summer. This color is very vibrant without being insane. So beautiful. I remember telling my boyfriend while swatching on skype: "Wow... this color is gorgeous!" To him its just another pink. LOL! 2 coats for an opaque finish. Perfect formula and application.

Reagan - Zoya describes this as a deep, cool fuchsia pink with subtle blue undertone and an opaque cream finish. Another beautiful color. So rich and vibrant. Those blue undertones make it a little difficult to photograph but I think I finally got a color accurate shot (ok maybe the picture on the bottom right is more spot-on). This was opaque after just 1 coat but at this point I applied 2 out of habit. Perfect formula and application.

Shelby - Zoya describes this as a soft but colorful cherry blossom pink with an opaque cream finish. This is such a cute girly pink without being your typical pastel. Again, vibrant without being insane. Zoya's description reminds me of how bad I want to go to DC so I can see the cherry blossoms when they bloom. I always tell my boyfriend that we're jumping on a train to DC next year as soon as they start blossoming! Oh maybe I'll wear this color whenever I finally get to see them. *Must make mental note!* Anyways, enough of my shenanigans. 2 coats for an opaque finish. Perfect formula and application.

Tracie - Zoya describes this as a faded, yellow-toned pistachio green with delicate silvery shimmer for a frosted pearl finish. This green reminds me of Granny Smith Apples. Random, I know! This is the only color from the Beach Collection that has shimmer and isn't a cream. I found that to be a bit odd. Only because I figured it would be 6 creams with their somewhat corresponding micro-glitter colors in the Surf Collection. But I am by no means complaining because I like this color too. Greens are not my cup-of-tea either but this one doesn't clash with my skin tone. 2 coats for an opaque finish. Formula and application somewhat remind me of the streaky issues with frost and metallic polishes. But very slightly! You don't have to be super cautious but just be mindful of your application so that it ends up looking nice and even.

Wednesday - Zoya describes this as a faded dirty medium turquoise with green undertone and an opaque cream finish. I am in love again... I've had my eyes on this color since I got the press release info in my email inbox. I'm such a sucker for blueish colors like this. So gorgeous! So vibrant. It's an attention-getter without being overpowering. I might rock this for easter! The green undertone was a little stronger than I thought it was going to be. But do you think that made me love this color any less... NO! 2 coats for an opaque finish. Perfect formula and application.

_______________________________

Overall Thoughts:

LOVE! Simply put!

Note: This collection was sent to me for review. We received no compensation. The opinions expressed are purely my own.

Sew Psyched for Roses!

Hey ladies! Today I have another long overdue beauty that has lived in my untried drawer for far too long. It was time it was used and graduated to my "green" drawer. LOL! This is Sew Psyched by Essie. So pretty! I got this in a little box set that came with 3 other colors from this collection. The small bottles are cute but now I wish I had a big bottle of this color because it's so amazing! Essie describes this as a cashmere soft sage pewter. I agree with the sage description and would only add that it has subtle silver micro-shimmer. 2 coats for full coverage.

I'm such a cornball. I told my boyfriend I was going to stamp flowers because I get "sew psyched" when he gives me flowers! LOL! *insert knee slap here* So I went with the full nail rose design on m65 by Konad. I stamped using Millennium by China Glaze (a silver). Only downside, I think stamping with silver killed the silver micro-shimmer. Maybe I'm crazy but now I don't see it! *stares at nails* Oh well! Still pretty!

On another note: 5 days 'til my 27th birthday!!! =) I'm so excited. I got myself the Pandora charm bracelet as a birthday gift. But I'm not wearing it until Sunday. Especially since I didn't buy any charms. My mom got me some charms but she won't let me have them until the day of my birthday. No point in wearing a charmless charm bracelet. LOL!

Now I just need to figure out how to paint my nails for that day. Any suggestions?

Cuckoo... !

Hey Ladies! So I picked this color because I need to return Mari's polishes to her before I move in 7 months (moving from Miami, Fl to St. Louis, MO). LOL! So I've set aside her polishes in my stash so I can make it a point to use them asap. It's going to suck not having easy access to her nail polish stash! We've always avoided buying something one of us already has because we can just share and have a larger stash (collectively) that way. Kinda backfires on you when you plan to move 1200 miles away though! So here we go with the first one: Cuckoo for this Color by OPI from the Swiss Collection (Fall 2010). It is a blue-based green with what appears to be blue-green shimmer (more blue than green under certain light). The color is pretty opaque so you only need 2 coats. I didn't have any issues with the formula or application. I like this color. It's nothing special/unique. I wouldn't go as far as saying I'm "cuckoo" for this color but its pretty. And its a green tone I like and can wear with my skin tone.

Do you share your polish stash with anyone else?

Happy Polishing!

Time to play with Legos!

So my inner child has come out! I must confess that I'm 26 years old and I LOVE Legos... What you see in the picture is a Lego Wiimote. How freaking awesome is that? I didn't even know they made those! My boyfriend got it for me as a gift the Christmas before last. It comes with little lego pieces so you can decorate it (the strip of colors running along the sides). This Wiimote is a real attention-getter. Anytime I take it to a friends house for game nights I get tons of comments on it. And since its so unique and bright, there is no having to figure out which remote belongs to who (at least not for me). So, being the dork that I am, I decide to paint my nails matching my Wiimote.

First up is China Glaze's Happy Go Lucky from the Up & Away Collection. This is a bright yellow creme. Super bright but not a neon. 2 coats. Next, we have OPI's No Room For The Blues from the Brights by OPI Collection. This is a sky blue creme. 2 coats. Next is OPI's Dating a Royal from the Mod About Brights Collection. This is a deep dark blue (but not so dark that it looks black). The jury is still out on whether its a creme or a jelly. 2-3 coats. But I know one thing for sure: This polish stains like a mother! So be sure to apply 2 coats of your base. Last but not least is Chrysanthe-mum's The Word by FingerPaints from the Petals Collection. This is a bright green creme. Sometimes it looks a little on the mint green side. 2 coats. This is a look from "the vault" so I don't remember what I put on my thumbs... I probably just repeated one of the 4 colors.

Hope you all like it! Anyone else a Lego freak?

Zoya's Bevin vs. OPI's Mermaid's Tears

Hey Ladies!

So I've read a few comments from people on the internet wondering how Bevin and Mermaid's Tears compare with one another. So I decided to do a comparison! I thought they were identical when looking at them in the bottles but that isn't the case on the nail. Swatches were done with no base coat and no topcoat.

Zoya describes Bevin as a dusty medium sage green with teal tones and a creamy opaque finish. OPI's Mermaid's Tears is like a dusty turquoise sea green. No dupe. Bevin is darker. And the tones are different. There is more blue in Mermaid's Tears. What you don't see is the difference in the formula. The swatches above have 2 coats. Bevin is much more opaque with just 1 coat. Mermaid's Tears seemed so much more watery. It was weird. You get the same result with 2 coats in the end but I didn't like the watery formula too much.

They're clearly different but I don't think the difference is crazy enough to "need" both (if you're on a budget). If you love green as much as I love blue, you'll probably want both. LOL! If I had to pick one, I'd go for Zoya's Bevin. The formula is just so much better on this one!

Happy Polishing!

NOTD: A Hi-Tech Pineapple

Hey Ladies!

Today I have a funky look for you guys from the vault. I decided to recreate a look I did before (here) but with different colors, obviously. I started off with 2 coats of a China Glaze color from the Island Escape collection. Electric Pineapple is a lime green creme. It's bright but the green holo makes it seem much more toned down than it really is. I used french tip stickers (the ones that are slightly curved, not straight) to make the diagonal line. Then I used Milani's Hi-Tech on the slanted tip portion. Hi-Tech is a light green (with subtle gold) holographic. I never thought I would like this combination. My skin tone usually doesn't go well with colors that are kinda puke-ish yellow/green. LOL!

Zoya's Fleck Effect Collection - Swatches & Review

Hey Ladies!

Swatching the Fleck Effect Collection by Zoya was fun! I love flakes so much! I wanted you guys to see this collection over a color polish and over a black polish (to focus on the flecks). Just in case anyone is wondering, the black I used is China Glaze's Liquid Leather. (Liquid Leather is literally just that, black leather in liquid form. Pure black.) I figured most of you (if not all of you) would apply this over something else and not alone on the nail. Therefore, I didn't swatch them alone. The base for all 3 of these have a slight tint of color. They are obviously sheer so you will always see your nail underneath no matter how many coats you apply. I didn't apply a base coat or a topcoat. Lets get started!

Chloe - Zoya describes this as a sheer coral pink base with two types of duochrome Mylar flakes: red-orange to gold and gold-green to blue. Spot on description. There are more of the red-orange to gold flakes than there are of the gold-green to blue flakes. The purple polish used was 2 coats of Zoya's Tru from the True Collection. Over this purple, the flakes look more orange and pink than when applied over the black. Over the black, the flakes look more orange and red. Application was great. 1 coat.

Maisie - Zoya describes this as a sheer turquoise blue base with reflective Mylar flakes that shift from green to blue.  This one is tricky. Sometimes it looks more green and sometimes it looks more blue depending on the light. But the blue is more on the greenish side. Did that even make sense? LOL! Application was great. 1 coat. I just wish the flakes were bluer. (More of my thoughts on this below.) The blue polish used was 2 coats of Zoya's Skylar from the True Collection.

Opal - Zoya describes this as a sheer green base with reflective Mylar flakes that shift from bright green to blue. Again, another spot on description. Once on the nail, its easy to get confused between Opal and Maisie. After all, they both shift from green to blue and blue to green. However, as the description says, the green in this one is brighter. I also think Opal shifts less to blue. Application was great. 1 coat. The green polish used was 2 coats of Zoya's Bevin from the True Collection.

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Just for fun I decided to make these matte just so you can really see the flakes! I used Essie's Matte About You topcoat. I love how making these matte makes the flakes pop out even more!

Chloe 

Maisie 

Opal

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Overall: This collection is loaded with flakes. I love it! One dip of the brush into the bottle is all you need for an application overloaded with flakes. You can easily move the flakes around with the brush if you don't like where they ended up on the nail. The polish you use as a base can really help the flakes look more like one color than another. Purple polish brings out the pinkish red of Chloe. Blue brings out the blueish side of Maisie. Green polish brings out more of the bright green of Opal. I love these polishes! I only have one slight complain... But note, this is the blue-lover in me speaking: I wish the blue in Maisie was more dominant than the green. How awesome would an all blue flake polish be? Amazing! Don't get me wrong though, I still love Maisie.

What do you gals think about this collection? Which will you be getting? Thoughts? Comments?

Happy Polishing!

Zoya's True Collection - Swatches & Review

Hey Ladies!

First, just wanted to let you guys know that I added an email subscription option on the sidebar! 

As promised, here are the swatches for the True Collection by Zoya. I was so excited to see a Zoya box on my front porch when I got home from work. At first I thought it was my textbook order from Amazon so I took my sweet time getting out of the car. But when I noticed the huge "Zoya" printed on the side of the box I ran out of the car so fast that I forgot to turn off the car! LOL! It felt like I couldn't get the box open fast enough. I hadn't blogged in so long that I forgot how exciting it was to receive new collections for review. So let's get started! As a side note, I like to post Zoya's official description of the color instead of only posting my own take on it. Personally, I feel that Zoya is one of the few companies that has the skill of describing their colors down to a science! What they describe is always what you get!

Cho - Zoya describes this as an opaque yellow-toned light soft peachy beige with a hint of ultra fine silver shimmer. Spot on description! The shimmer is super ultra fine. Very subtle. So subtle that I don't think this picture even captures it enough to do it any justice. But trust me, its there! Application was great. I thought it was going to be super sheer but all you need is 2 coats for full coverage.

Farah - Zoya describes this as an opaque light khaki-beige with subtle sandy, greenish undertones and a cream finish. This color looks like Cho at a quick glance but they are clearly different. Put the two bottles next to each other and you'll notice how much more yellow Cho is and the subtle green undertone of Farah. Also, Farah has no shimmer. Application was great. I thought it was going to be chalky but it wasn't. 2 coats for full coverage.

Bevin - Zoya describes this as a dusty, medium sage green with teal tones and a creamy opaque finish. I don't see the teal tones but maybe I'm just blind like that. LOL! This color is so pretty! It's nice and light but not boring. Application was great and not chalky. You can almost get away with just 1 coat. But I don't have the patience to make sure I get it perfect on the first attempt so I just did 2 coats.

Skylar -  Zoya describes this as a medium steel blue with a softened, dusty look and speckled by visible gold and silver shimmer flecks. Again, spot on description! The split between gold and silver shimmer is pretty well balanced. I thought this was going to be one of those colors that leave your hands with a shimmery mess upon removal as if you've just strangled a fairy... but it doesn't! *heavenly song plays in the background* That is a big deal to me for some reason. Application was great. The first coat seemed a little sheer but the 2nd coat provided what was needed for a full and even coverage.

Tru -  Zoya describes this as a saturated, red-toned grape purple with speckled shimmer that reflects gold, orange and red. Beautiful! For once in my polishing life a purple has taken the #1 spot for me in a collection over a blue. You guys know I'm a sucker for blue. But this time Tru has won me over! This color is just so deep and rich. And the shimmer makes it a "tru" stunner. LOL! (Corny, I know.) Application was a dream. 2 coats for full coverage.

Lotus - Zoya describes this as a very soft, dusty blue-toned amethyst purple with colorful shimmer that reflects pink, red and gold. The shimmer in this color is gorgeous! Not so red but not so pink. I wish I had swatched this during the day so I could see it under the sun. Application was great. 2 coats for full coverage.

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Overall, I love this collection. Shockingly, a purple has taken the #1 spot for me: Tru. So much prettier on the nail than I thought it was going to be based on what I saw in the bottle. Goes to show you that you can't always rely on what you see in the bottle. Bottles lie! The #2 spot goes to Skylar. I love blue and I love that name! The #3 spot goes to Lotus (love that name too). #4 goes to Bevin. I don't care much for Cho and Farah. But thats only because I'm not a neutral type of girl. With that said, there is no way that you can't find something to like from this collection. It has colors and types that appeal to different likes and preferences. Application for all of them were great. No complaints. 

So what do you gals think? Which ones will you be getting? 

Also, I will be swatching the Flecks Effect Collection this weekend and posting that first thing Monday morning (if not sooner). So be sure to check back.

Happy Polishing!

SinfulColors Holiday 2011 Collection - Wish

Hey Ladies!

Yes... We're back!

So lets jump right into it. 

This is SinfulColors Wish Collection for the 2011 holiday season. The collection includes 5 polishes and 2 nail art shades. All the colors represent the holidays pretty well. This collection is also great as a starter set since it contains basic colors and nothing too crazy. 

I struggled with using the nail art shades. The brush on these is long and thin. It's not the products fault. I've just never used these before and didn't create anything I was proud enough to post. LOL! So I think I'll play with them more until I learn how to use them properly. I'll probably do a separate review post for them. But just so you know they are called Flower Girl and Fashionista. Flower Girl is described as "a bronzy gold with tons of sparkle" and Fashionista is described as "a glitter-laden pewter." 

On to the polishes... All swatches are with no base coat and no top coat.

Last Chance is described as "an emerald with depth and allure." This is a deep green creme. Very pretty. Reminds me of a christmas tree. 2 coats for full coverage.

This was the hardest color to capture... and this picture does it no justice. Daddy's Girl is "a deep purple with a drizzle of shimmer and glitter." It's a deep purple jelly base with small glitter and shimmer. So I'm having a love hate reaction to this polish. First, it took about 4 to 5 generous coats to get the coverage you see above. But ugh, you can still see my nail tips underneath. I hate that. But the color is so pretty. This picture does not show up purple. I tried so many camera settings and different lighting. But this is one of those purples that photographs blue! *Must do camera research on this issue!* The purple tone, the glitter, and the shimmer go beautiful together. I think this polish would be best layered over a matching purple or a black polish.

My favorite! Midnight Blue is described as "a bold, bright twist on navy." I couldn't agree more. This color is so vibrant and electric. Definitely an attention grabber. It has a little bit of a metallic finish so you have to pay attention to the application to avoid streaky lines. But its nothing troublesome. 2 coats for full coverage and you're good to go!

Out of This World is described as "a perfect silver with swirls of glimmer." This polish is a bit on the sheer side. It took about 3 to 4 generous coats for full coverage. It's a silver packed with silver shimmer/glimmer. Very bright. Reminds me of snow... I wish it snowed in Miami...

Sugar Sugar is described as "a candy cane, red-hot tint." This does remind me of the red stripe in a candy cane. I haven't had a candy cane in years! This is a red packed with red shimmer. Another vibrant and bright color. Perfect for the holidays. 2 coats for full coverage. 

So what do you gals think?

SinfulColors is available for $1.99 at major drug stores. Call 1-800-448-0763 or online at www.walgreens.com.

L8R Miami... Hello St. Louis!

Hey Ladies!

Long time no see! Life has been crazy but its stabilizing again. I am officially in St. Louis for the entire summer! So, an update: I finished finals and I started to prepare myself for the summer. I had to pack for my vacation and start packing for St. Louis. Then I went on my cruise vacation and it was awesome. Wish the vacation would have been longer. But don't we all wish that? LOL! Then I came back from my vacation and I immediately had to finish packing because I was leaving for St. Louis the next day. Packing for 2 months is not easy. I didn't want to overpack but I didn't want to be limited to 2 pairs of jeans and 5 tops all summer. LOL! That was an overwhelming experience. It looked like my closet had thrown up all over my room. It was a war zone!

So now I'm in St. Louis and I've been here for a little over a week. The first week was very hectic. I started summer classes right away so I was doing homework. I was trying to find a way to accommodate all my stuff. I was trying to get used to the new routine. And if that wasn't enough, I had my first terrifying experience on Day 2... Tornado Warnings! I'm from Miami. We don't get any of those there. All we get are hurricanes. Personally, I prefer a hurricane over a tornado. Hurricanes give you plenty of warning that they are heading your way. Plus, homes in Miami are built to withstand them. However, a tornado doesn't give you much warning. It's more like "BAM! I'M HERE!" And can you even build a structure to withstand a tornado? Either way, we got bad weather and were under tornado warnings for most of the day. So I was glued to the news and had no idea where things were happening. Imagine that while being in a new city. I didn't know where the counties and cities they were mentioning were located. So I didn't know how close or far the tornado sightings were. I was literally sitting there with a map open on my laptop trying to follow the news. And then I heard the tornado siren going off outside. I think I almost crapped my pants... Seriously! I hope I never hear that thing again in my entire life! Luckily, nothing happened here. 

Needless to say, my nails have been naked for far too long now. I finally painted them this week. Go figure I chipped a nail the next day. LOL! I'm going to post up the backlog of manicures I have and then I'll start posting my most recent ones. You'll notice when I reached recent ones because I don't have a light box here. So I have to depend on the sun to get good pictures. Well, enough of my rambling and on to the nails!

This is Chrysanthe-mum's the Word from FingerPaints Spring 2011 collection. Yeah, the bottle doesn't have the name on the bottom sticker because I got this collection from a blogsale and they had received this collection for review. I'd describe this as a pastel lime green. Very appropriate for spring and summer. The formula was great. 2 coats for full application. I then applied 1 coat of China Glaze's L8R G8R to my ring finger because I was bored. LOL! L8R G8R is a light green holo from the OMG Collection.

Happy Polishing!