My Top 12 Polishes For 2012

In no particular order, here are my top 12 polishes for 2012!  It was really hard picking 12, but I did it.  I tried to pick shades that were not only my favorites, but that I felt were also unique.  Some of them didn't have swatches, so you'll see the bottle pic instead. ^^

OPI DS Indulgence

Nail Mail, Recent Buys, and Gifts

When will this gloomy weather end?  I mentioned in my last post that I bought a new camera.  It was supposed to come yesterday, but it got delayed due to weather.  So now it's coming on Wednesday. =_=

Anyway, these are all the things I have waiting to be swatched.  I'm currently testing out the wear of the Sally Hansen gel polishes.  I've also worn the Zoya polishes, and a few from the OPI Mariah Carey and Nicole by OPI Modern Family collections.  I can't wait to share with you my experiences on those.

I also saw Revlon Girly at Walgreens ($4.99), so of course I snagged it.  I saw it in a display next to the Wet n Wild holiday display.  I've been looking for Wet n Wild's Sparkle Til Morning palette (not pictured), so I was happy to find one left.  Do you ever feel giddy about grabbing the last product?  I'm pretty sure Girly is joining the permanent collection, but in any case I walked out feeling pretty victorious. :P


Liz

Some of the products pictured above were sent to me for my honest review.

Please view my disclosure policy for more info.

Merry Christmas!

Hope everyone's enjoying their Christmas (or day) spending time with family and friends!  I've been busy here with my mom's birthday and the holidays, so things have gotten a little sidetracked on this blog.  But I have a ton of stuff to share with you, and there will be significant upgrades to this blog in the days/weeks to come (*hint: lightbox, new camera, Youtube tutorials)!

Oh, and I forgot to mention this, but my blog's new pink look was done by the lovely and talented Christa at ChrissyAi!  She's super sweet and her nail pictures are so gorgeous.  You must check out her blog.  You won't regret it! :)

I think that's all.  Stay warm and happy holidays to you all! :)

♥ Liz

Nicole by OPI Selena Gomez Collection (Part 2)

Today I have the second half of the new Selena Gomez collection!  You can find the first half here: Part 1.

Naturally, 3 coats: blue toned medium pink creme with subtle shimmer.  The shimmer is only barely visible in sunlight.  It's a nice color if you don't already own one.  Pinks like this tend to be unflattering on me, but this one was fine.  Formula-wise, it was about average.  It's best applied in thin coats.

First Impressions: Spring 2013 Zoya Lovely Collection

Hey all!  I got Zoya Lovely in the mail today and wanted to share it with you right away.  So I took some very quick swatches of 5/6 of the colors from the new Spring 2013 collection (I wish I had six fingers!). :)  I'll do full hand swatches soon, but this should give you an idea of what the colors look like.

The Stash: OPI Edition

It's finally snowing over here!  After a downpour of rain.  Not a great combo, so if you're in the Chicagoland area, stay safe!  Now on to the nail polish. :)

I think OPI is hands down one of the most innovative polish brands available in the States.  I believe it was OPI who started the Shatter trend, and it took off for over a year.  It was overly done by every brand and we became sick of it.  Then there's the Spotted polish, which is basically like a spotted version of the shatter.  So sad that one never made it over to the US.  And now...Liquid Sand.  Not to mention all their great duochromes, suedes, and DS holographics from the past - which I sadly missed out on.  Not everyone may have liked all the trends they put out, but I think they still get points for creativity.

My first OPIs were Teenage Dream and Black Shatter from the Katy Perry collection.  I remember seeing the ads in a fashion magazine and I rushed right over to Ulta to look for it.  I thought the shatter was the coolest thing ever.  Turns out I was a little too excited because the collection hadn't even been released yet!  Later on I got it as a gift, and they became my first OPIs.

As for favorites, right now I'm really loving the Bond collection, especially Tomorrow Never Dies (ultraviolet) and Live and Let Die (green).  The Spy Who Loved Me (red) is pretty great too.  Otherwise, I reach for the OPI NYC Ballet collection a lot and the nudes from the Germany collection as well.  I really wish I had the DS holos though or The Show Must Go On.  Or any of those HTF (hard to find) glitters from Alice and Burlesque. T__T  I really could go on and on...

Oh, and let's not forget the brush.  I'm definitely in camp OPI when it comes to the brush.  I like that they're flat and wide.  Oddly enough, I don't favor flat and wide brushes from any other brand - just OPI's.

Okay, enough rambling!  Now I want to know what your favorite OPI polishes are, and what your first OPI was.  Let me know in the comments!  I love reading them. :)


Liz

Nicole by OPI Selena Gomez Collection (Part 1)

Selena, 3 coats: peach creme with hidden shimmer.  One of my favorites from this collection!  It applies well and looks great with my warm skin tone.  The shimmer is barely there, but in the sun you can see a little sparkle.

Current Affairs v.02

Book: Catch-22 - Joseph Heller

Nails: Skinfood BR610 Rich Mocha

Show: How I Met Your Mother Season 8 (finally caught up!)

  

Quick post today!  I started Catch-22 last weekend, but haven't gotten very far.  Hopefully, I'll be able to finish it over the weekend.  On my nails I'm wearing Rich Mocha, which is like a metallic brown/bronze.  Isn't it pretty?  It kind of matches the book... :P

Until tomorrow!

Liz 

Pretty Jelly Glamorous Thief: Holographic Collection

Hi everyone!  I've been a bit busy these past few days, but I'm back with the first set of holographic polishes from my indie line Pretty Jelly.  The collection is Glamorous Thief and features four scattered holographic shades in the following colors: powder blue, teal, medium purple, and magenta-red.

Left to right: Bullet Rouge, Grape Escape, Diamond S-teal-er, Glamorous Thief 

Bullet Rouge

Grape Escape

Diamond S-teal-er

Glamorous Thief

You can visit my Etsy Shop for more swatches of each shade.  All of the colors are sold in 15ml and 6ml sizes ($10 and $5 respectively).  They're also 3-free and cruelty-free.  If you're interested in purchasing any of these shades, you can use code HOLIDAY10 to get 10% off your whole purchase (code expires 12/19).  Also, if you make a purchase between now and 12/16, you will automatically be entered into a drawing to win a free full size bottle of Sugar Cookie. :)

**I also added a Holiday Gift Set option to my store, which allows you to buy all four 15ml polishes with free shipping. :)

Thanks for reading!  And don't worry, I will resume regular posts tomorrow. ^^


Liz

Current Affairs v.01

Book: Lord of the Flies - William Golding

Nails: OPI Just Spotted the Lizard

Music: If I Ever Lost You - Tom Law

Shows: How I Met Your Mother Season 7

Sweets: Hershey's Mint Truffle Kisses

 

I have this long list of books that I want to read before I die.  I've always been an avid reader since I was young, and a fan of classics since middle school.  After graduating, I realized I haven't been reading as much, so out came the list.  I thought it'd be fun if I did these little posts on what I'm currently reading, wearing on my nails, etc.  I'll post new ones every time I start a new book. :)

And someone please get these chocolates away from me!


Liz

Revlon Carbonite

Carbonite is a grey-silver metallic with subtle gold shimmer flecks that give it a bit of warmth.  It has a tarnished quality to it that I love.  There was a lot of talk about this color because of its likeness to Chanel Graphite.  From the comparison shots I've seen, Graphite has a bit more sparkle and warmth, but I'm content enough with Carbonite not to splurge on the Chanel.

What are your thoughts on Carbonite?  Are you a fan of drugstore dupes?


Liz

The Wish List 2012: Beauty

EYES:  Disney Cinderella Storylook Palette / LORAC PRO Palette 

LIPS:  LUSH Bubble Gum Lip Scrub / OCC Lip Tar in Electric Grandma / NARS Lipstick in Honolulu Honey

NAILS:  Butter London Two Fingered Salute, Scuppered, Jack The Lad / Color Club Halo Hues (yes, all of them!)

PERFUMES:  Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb / Jimmy Choo Jimmy Choo

FACE:  Urban Decay 24/7 Concealer Pencil in FBI / beautyblender Duo Set

STOCKING STUFFERS:  Philosophy Home For The Holidays Set / Jack Black It's The Balm Lip Quad / Fresh Sugar Kisses Mini Lip Trio / Urban Decay Ocho Loco 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil Set

Today's post is a little wish list of mine that I thought I'd share.  Not everything on here is something I absolutely want.  That list is much shorter, but these are all items I'm interested in and have read reviews about.  I thought they would make great gifts or stocking stuffers. ^^

I'm also on the hunt for a new winter perfume!  Jimmy Choo and Flowerbomb are two perfumes I'm considering (pictured above), but Juicy Couture Viva La Juicy and Marc Jacobs DOT are also on my list.  I generally like light perfumes, because heavier ones can give me headaches.  Do you own any of these fragrances?  I'd love to hear your recommendations!  For reference, I love wearing Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue and Marc Jacobs Daisy Eu So Fresh in the summer.
 
What's on your wish list?  Let me know in the comments down below! :)
  
 
♥ Liz 

Comparison: China Glaze It's A Trap-Eze! vs Etude House Pajama Party

Today I have a little comparison post for you!  One of my readers wanted to know if It's A Trap-eze! and Pajama Party are dupes, so let's find out. 

Here's a close-up bottle shot.  Right off we can see that IAT has a white base with more glitter, while PP has a pale blue base with less glitter.

And here they are on the nail: 3 coats of PP (pointer and ring), 2 coats IAT (middle and pinky).  As you can see, they are definitely not dupes, but they are similar.  For some reason, IAT and PP's base looks very similar even though one is white and one is blue.  IAT has a lot more glitter, which makes it a little harder to apply and gives it a grittier finish.  PP has less glitter, which allows the base to come through more, giving it less grit and more gloss.

There are a few differences in the glitter as well.  PP has small dark blue and red glitters that IAT doesn't have.  PP's orange glitter is also more of a pumpkin orange, while IAT has red-orange glitters.  Another main difference is that IAT has a higher ratio of silver/white and purple glitters.  PP, on the other hand, has about the same ratio of each colored glitter.

While both glitters have similar concepts, they look and feel different.  IAT's overall look is speckled, while PP's is more polka dotty.  So, no, they are not dupes. ^^

If you'd like to see more swatches of these two shades in better lighting, you can find IAT (here) and PP (here).

*edit:  Since some of you expressed interest in buying PP, you can find it on Ebay for $4.99 with free shipping.  Here are the two sellers: Seller #1 & Seller #2 (not affiliated with either).  For the record, I did not buy mine from Ebay, so please make sure the sellers are reliable before purchasing. 


Liz

PS)  It was really nice out today!  Yesterday was warm too, but I think today was even warmer.  I gave Max (my dog) a bath, and we both lounged around on the deck until we were dry.  I'm still amazed that I was able to sit outside in a wet t-shirt in December and not be cold! ._.

Sunday Mystery Mani

Hey all!  I didn't have anything lined up for today, so I dug through all of my nail folders and found a mani I didn't post.  It's sort of a mystery mani, but I'm like 98% sure that this is OPI Save Me layered over Nein! Nein! Nein! OK Fine!

That's all for today.  Originally I was going to post what I'm wearing right now, which is OPI Gouda Gouda Two Shoes.  I don't know why I waited so long to wear these OPI spring shades, because they're gorgeous. -_-  Anyway, I wasn't able to get a pic in before the sun went down because the fam and I went out to watch Wreck It Ralph.  Have you seen it?  It's like a cute, feel-good family movie. :)

How did you spend your Sunday?


Liz

Skinfood Bronze Party

Hi guys!  Today I have for you #4 Bronze Party from Skinfood's Party Tox line.  Bronze Party has an orangey-bronze jelly base filled with various sized silver and holographic glitter - basically a bronze version of Ruby Party.  It's kind of like a sparkly fake bake on my nails...lol.  I found the formula easy to work with, and you're looking at 2 or 3 coats here.  I forgot which. -.-  In the sun, it's super sparkly!  Unfortunately, the sun ran away when I took these pics.

What do you think of Bronze Party?  And just curious, do you think this would work on those with pink undertones?  I thought it might not be flattering, but I wasn't sure since I obviously have warm undertones.


Liz