Wednesday, February 26, 2014

[Review+Swatch] China Glaze Sea Goddess Collection



Hi everyone! I know I've been posting a lot of textures recently, but I swear these are the last ones for the week. Today I have three of six shades from China Glaze's new spring texture collection.

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

[Press] China Glaze City Flourish & Surprise Collection for Spring 2014

THE CONCRETE JUNGLE TRANSFORMS INTO AN URBAN BLOOMING OASIS IN SPRING

Add A Little Sass to Spring 2014 with the China Glaze® City Flourish Collection

New York – Dark and dreary sidewalks turn into vibrant catwalks thanks to the China Glaze® City Flourish collection. Blooming with 12 pale pastels and high voltage neons, the Spring 2014 collection will inspire you to toss those gloves and coats for shorter skirts and strappy sandals. Tips and toes that sported the rich, dark shades of winter will flourish in the brightest shades of the season.

The China Glaze® City Flourish collection includes:


• Thistle Do Nicely – Electric pink neon crème 
• Peonies & Park Ave – Neon bright pink crème 
• Petal to the Metal – Warm pink coral crème 
• Spring In My Step – Baby pink crème 
• Strike A Rose – Watermelon shimmer 
• Don’t Honk Your Thorn – Nude shimmer 
• In a Lily Bit – Soft light violet crème 
• Lotus Begin – Neon purple crème 
• What A Pansy – Cool periwinkle/indigo blue crème 
• At Vase Value – Bright baby blue crème 
• Grass Is Lime Greener – Neon lime crème 
• Metro Pollen-tin – Neon peach crème 

China Glaze® City Flourish will be available in March 2014 at fine salons and beauty supply stores. 
***

“NEVER LET ANYONE DULL YOUR SPARKLE”


Be the Life of the Party with the NEW China Glaze® Surprise Collection

Shine on with pops of colour and glitters galore. The six-piece, limited edition China Glaze® Surprise collection is the life of the party where you can confidently let the pieces “fall where they may” for the ultimate manicure. The chunky glitters bring together large matte and shiny particles in feminine, flirty and funky color combinations. Wear alone or as a top coat for an extra effect that’s uniquely you. 

The shades in the collection include:
  • Create A Spark – large pink, purple and black glitter pieces
  • Don’t Be A Flake – large black and pink glitter with matte turquoise pieces 
  • Glimmer More – large pink glitter with orange and yellow matte pieces
  • Glitter Up – large purple glitter with matte turquoise and peach pieces
  • I’m A Go Glitter – large pink glitter with matte turquoise & lime green pieces
  • Shine-nanigans – large pink & purple glitter with lime green matte pieces 
China Glaze® Surprise is a limited edition collection that will be available in April 2014 at fine salons and beauty supply stores for $7.50 MSRP.

China Glaze® is free of DBP, toluene, and added formaldehyde. China Glaze® nail lacquers are available through salons and professional beauty supply stores nationwide. For more information, please visit www.chinaglaze.com or follow China Glaze on Facebook (@ChinaGlaze), Instagram (@ChinaGlazeOfficial), Twitter (@ChinaGlaze) and Pinterest (pinterest.com/chinaglaze).

Monday, February 24, 2014

[Review+Swatch] Zoya Magical Pixie Collection for Spring 2014



Hi everyone! Hope all your Mondays are going well. I got to test out this new spring 2014 collection from Zoya yesterday. It's part of the PixieDust series and has a textured formulation. These were all taken without top coat in sunlight. I apologize for my blotchy red fingers in advance. -_- The sun may have been out, but it was still freezing cold!

[Review+Swatch] China Glaze Wrinkling The Sheets & Don't Be Foiled


Hi guys! Today I have the rest of the Crinkled Chromes I own from China Glaze. I own one other, which I blogged about here. I'm actually a fan of this finish, so I enjoyed these as much as the first one.

I think these are supposed to emulate crinkled aluminum foil, and I'd say it get pretty close. Not so much up close, but at arm's length, yes! Both of these were opaque in one coat and apply very easily. However, it's better to do two coats to get a more crinkled effect. They also dry fairly quickly, but do take a few minutes to fully crinkle.


Wrinkling The Sheets, 2 coats: pale green chrome textured with fine sand-like glitter and short bar glitters. Like I said above, great formula and one coat opacity!



Don't Be Foiled, 2 coats: light teal chrome textured with fine sand-like glitter and short bar glitters. This one's pretty close to Iron Out The Details, but with a smidge more green.


Verdict: Like with most textures, people are going to either love it or hate it. Personally, I love them! Since the formula is top notch, it's really up to whether you like the finish or not. :)

Availability: China Glaze is available at beauty supply stores nationwide including Sally Beauty Supply and Ulta. Individual shades retail for $7.50 MSRP.

Saturday, February 22, 2014

[Review+Swatch] Zoya Awaken and Monet for Spring 2014



Hey guys! Look what came in the mail today? It's Zoya's spring 2014 collection! I fell in love with all the soft colors, so I decided to swatch it right away for you. Plus the sun was out, so yay. :)

Friday, February 21, 2014

[Review+Swatch] Incoco Double Date Nail Applique



Hi guys! Today I'm wearing this pretty design from Incoco's Vday collection - Sweet Surprise. This one's called Double Date and features a super sparkly, glittery design. You can't see it in my pics, but there's also holographic glitters scattered throughout the silver parts.



I did both hands and had no problem applying these to my nails. Top coat isn't necessary, but I used Nicole by OPI's new Quick Dry Top coat to seal the edges. It's been a few days now and mine still looks freshly applied. :)

Availability: You can purchase Double Date at Incoco.com* or wherever Incoco Nail Appliques are sold for $8.99.

Thursday, February 20, 2014

[Press] OPI Launches NEW Color Tinted Top Coats

“A touch of color can change everything!”

This spring OPI takes nail color to the next level with revolutionary Sheer Tints, the brand’s first-ever, pigmented top coats. Sheer Tints by OPI offers a fresh take on traditional top coats with the introduction of four new vivid hues in Blue, Pink, Yellow and Purple. An infusion of transparent color with high shine, these top coats can be worn alone, with a base coat for a playful sheer or layered over any shade to create an alternate finish for a progressive nail look. 

“Nail color is all about self-expression; apply Sheer Tints over your favorite OPI Nail Lacquer to achieve your dream shade, accent glitters and darks or transform crèmes and shimmers,” explains Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, OPI Co-Founder & Executive VP. “Make a statement by creating an ombre design that is on-trend, then add several coats to create dimension.” 

Sheer Tints by OPI includes the following hues:


I’m Never Amberrassed - Liquid amber morphs into a veneer of yellow tint that is anything but bashful. 
Be Magentale with Me - Give your nails the sweet treatment with this sheer pink tint. 
Don’t Violet Me Down - You can count on this crystal sheer amethyst. 
I Can Teal You Like Me - It’s obvious you’re head over teal in love with this sheer blue. 

Sheer Tints features OPI’s exclusive ProWide™ Brush for the ultimate in application. Sheer Tints will be available March 2014, at Professional Salons, including Beauty Brands, Beauty First, Chatters, Dillard’s, jcp Salons, Pure Beauty, Regis, Trade Secret, ULTA and ulta.com for $9.00 ($10.95 CAN) suggested retail for each nail lacquer. 

For more information, please call 800-341-9999 or visit www.opi.com. Follow OPI on Twitter @OPI_PRODUCTS and become a Facebook fan!

Born Pretty Store Gold Diamond Stud Review



Hi guys! Today I tested out these 4mm pyramid studs* from BPS. Since it's so big, I decided to keep the rest of the nails a plain color. I think these would be great for a one night event, but I don't think they'll hold up any longer than that on my nails. I have small, curved nails, so none of the sides touch my nail. Pairing them with other smaller studs and beads around the sides might help them stay on though.

Personally, they are a little too big for my taste. If BPS carried these in 2mm sizes, they'd be perfect! Because I really love how these look. I'm thinking of using these to decorate my phone. Something like this would be super cute!


If you like how these studs look, you can purchase them here for $1.99/10pcs. Be sure to use my coupon code F10X31 to receive 10% off your entire order! :)

Liz

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

[Review+Swatch] Salon Perfect Love, Lashes and Lacquer Collection

Press Sample Affiliate Links


Hi everyone! Today I have three of the six shades from Salon Perfect's Valentine's Day inspired collection. 

Monday, February 17, 2014

[Review+Swatch] OPI Brazil Collection for Spring/Summer 2014


Hey all! It took me a few days to get this post together, but it's finally up. :) The bright colors in this collection have me really looking forward to spring and summer. It's so cold, I'm literally counting down the days till spring. In the meantime, take a look at these sizzling colors!

Thursday, February 13, 2014

[Press] Nicole by OPI Announces NEW Limited Edition Roughles Textured Nail Lacquers

Nail Color That Rocks!

This March, Nicole by OPI launches Roughles (“ruffles”) -- 4 new textured nail lacquers featuring speckled, pastel shades of purple, pink, turquoise and yellow. When the lacquer dries, Roughles lacquers reveal a unique pebbled finish. Roughles should be applied without a top coat to achieve a matte effect. “Chic pastels were a major trend throughout the runway collections at spring/summer 2014 shows and textured, matte nails are going to be one of the hottest looks this spring,” explains Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, Nicole by OPI Executive VP & Artistic Director. “Wearing these feminine shades on fingers and toes is a refreshing take on this trend. Pair these lacquers with candy colored fabrics and flirty floral prints to really make a statement!” 
Roughles shades include:


Nicole by OPI formulas are long-lasting, fast-drying, and salon-quality. The 4 new nail lacquers will be available in stores beginning March 2014 for $7.99 each at retailers including select Duane Reade, Kroger, Kmart, Fred Meyer, CVS locations. In Canada, these shades will be available for $10.99 each at Shoppers Drug Mart, Jean Coutu, Rexall, Walmart Canada, Jean Coutu, Loblaw, and London Drug. For more information, visit nicolebyopi.com. Follow Nicole by OPI on Twitter @NicoleByOPI and become a Facebook fan!

[Nail-Art-A-Go-Go] Day 13: Hearts



Hey guys! Heart manis are right up my alley, so I had fun doing today's challenge. Since I've free handed hearts before, I decided to do some glitter placement this time. I love the end result! I'm especially enamored by the glitters. They're a holographic disco ball!

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

[Nail-Art-A-Go-Go] Day 12: Camouflage


Today's nail art challenge is camouflage! I've never done a camo nails before, so this was new. I'm not really a fan of the print, so I went with red and pink, instead of green and tan. I think it's fitting since Vday is coming up. ;)

I didn't want to make the entire nail camo, so I made these decals using a sandwich bag. You can see my tutorial here.

[Nail-Art-A-Go-Go] Day 11: Wallpaper


Hi guys! Today's challenge was really tough for me. I browsed pictures of wallpapers, scoured desktop backgrounds, and scrapped two designs before finally settling on this one. It's simple, but I like it. This was inspired by an actual wallpaper pattern found here. I wanted a pattern I could replicate across all nails that was both clean and easy to do. This design worked perfectly, especially with the taupe background. I finished my design off with matte top coat to make it look just like paper.

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

[Review+Swatch] Icing Witch's Brew


Good morning! Today I'm showing you an untried that I finally got around to wearing. It's been gathering dust in my helmer, so I pulled it out for my northern lights mani. I can't believe I haven't worn it yet. I have so many untried like this that I need to wear. Must work on this!

[Nail-Art-A-Go-Go] Day 10: Night Sky


For day 10's night sky mani, I decided to draw the aurora borealis on my nails. Not sure if I really nailed it, but hey, I tried. I didn't have a glowy green close to the ones in actual northern lights, so I went with a neon yellow instead. Next time I'll do it right!

Sunday, February 9, 2014

[Nail-Art-A-Go-Go] Day 9: Inner Geek


Today's nail art challenge was to channel our inner geek. Immediately I was drawn to the fashion interpretation of "geek." I wanted to play off the geek chic trend, so my nail art reflects that with bow ties, plaid, thick rimmed glasses, and a pair of suspenders. I used various shades of grey for a classic feel, but threw in some pink highlights to give it a girly fashion twist.

[Review+Swatch] Seche Perfectly Poised Spring 2014 Shade Review



Hi all! Today I have half of the new spring 2014 Seche Perfectly Poised collection up for review. The other three you can see here in the press release.

[Nail-Art-A-Go-Go] Day 8: Still Life


Hi everyone! We're officially into week 2 of the nail art challenge. It's getting more complicated, but exciting as well. For day 8, we had to incorporate still life into our nail art. Initially I was going to do a bowl of fruit, but I ended up painting a peony. Haha, I know it's another flower design. I guess I'm on a bit of a floral kick right now. :)

Saturday, February 8, 2014

[Press] OPI Joins DEGEN at New York Fashion Week!

Hey guys! OPI sent me some photos of the nail art they did for DEGEN at FW'14, which I thought was pretty cool. Check out the photos below! :)

OPI joined designer Lindsay Degen for the DEGEN Fall/Winter 2014 presentation this morning! Models wore short, squared tips featuring a blue sky/cloud nail design on all fingers except ring fingers, which were painted with a rainbow atop a chrome, glitter base. The designer selected this bold and colorful nail look to complement bright knits and reflective fabrics. The rainbow theme was continued throughout the clothing and an LED rainbow backdrop.

[Nail-Art-A-Go-Go] Day 7: Primary


Hi guys! For day 7, we had to incorporate primary colors into our nail art. Originally, I was going to do a tape mani, but instead I did another floral. This mani actually makes me nostalgic, and I realized it reminded me of illustrations in a children's book from a looong time ago. :)

Friday, February 7, 2014

[Nail-Art-A-Go-Go] Day 6: Neon


Day 6! I wanted to do something simple across all nails, so leopard print it was. Nothing too crazy, but I hope you like it. :)

[Nail-Art-A-Go-Go] Day 5: Contrast


Day 5! I'm still behind, but I'm catching up. I have day 6 and 7 pictures, but I still have to edit them. If I can get them up by later today, I'll be up to date. :) For day 5's theme, I used contrasting colors, yellow and purple, to create this floral design.

Thursday, February 6, 2014

[Nail-Art-A-Go-Go] Day 4: Monochrome

Hi guys! Here's my mani for day 4 of the Nail-Art-A-Go-Go nail art challenge! Since it's now officially February, I decided to work with variations of pink to create a V-day look.


Polishes Used (Nicole by OPI)
Love My Pups
Carnival Cotton Candy
Color Me Country
Some Hearts




[Nail-Art-A-Go-Go] Day 3: Warm vs Cool

Hi everyone! I missed a few days of the Nail-Art-A-Go-Go challenge, so I'm playing a bit of catch-up today. Hope you don't mind the number of nail art posts going up today. ^^;;


For day 3's warm vs cool theme, I went with something very simple. For the base, I used OPI Fly, which is a pretty teal blue. I then lightly sponged on Essie Turquoise and Caicos and Milani White On The Spot over it. For the lightning bolt, I used China Glaze Lemon Fizz and Orly Shine.


I guess it's not a very stark contrast between warm and cool, but I hope you liked it anyhow. :) There's more nail art coming your way, so check back soon!

In the meantime, check out these other lovely Day 3 manicures below!


Tuesday, February 4, 2014

[Review+Swatch] Nicole by OPI Carrie Underwood Collection



Hi guys! Today I'm showing you the entire Carrie Underwood collection from Nicole by OPI!

Sunday, February 2, 2014

[Nail-Art-A-Go-Go] Day 2: Jewel Tones



Hi everyone! Today's theme for the Nail-Art-A-Go-Go challenge is jewel tones, so this is what I came up with. I've been looking for an excuse to draw diamonds on my nails, so I thought I'd draw a bunch of gems over jewel tones. I'm so happy with how this came out! :)


Polishes Used
Nicole by OPI Basking In Gloria
Zoya Mason
Zoya Neve
Milani White On The Spot


I free handed all the designs using the red and light blue brush from this BPS drawing set*. I know I already raved about it, but I really like this set. When it comes to free hand nail art, I think the right tools can make a world of difference. These brushes offer so much control - it's almost as if I'm drawing with a pen. I'm so glad BPS sent me these to try. I honestly don't know what I'd do without them.

If you're interested in buying these brushes, remember to use my code F10X31 to get 10% off your entire order!



I also got to snap a few sunlight pics, which you can see below. They show off the colors better, but the shine gets in the way of the design. Aren't the colors lovely?



Be sure to check out all the other nail art submissions for today! And if you're interested in joining the challenge, you can find all the deets here.

Saturday, February 1, 2014

[Nail-Art-A-Go-Go] Day 1: Achromatic

Hey all! Today I'm taking part in a nail art challenge held by the talented blogger behind Gnarly Gnails. I've never finished a challenge from start to finish, so I'm trying my best for this one. Here are the themes I'll be tackling this month:


Today's the first day, so here's what I came up with for "achromatic." :)


Polishes Used
Milani Black Swift
Milani White On The Spot
Milani Sprinkles
Milani Carnival





Don't you just hate it when top coat smears your nail art? If I had more time, I would have redone the cat nail, but alas. Hehe, but I like how grumpy it looks. :P

Hope you enjoyed this post! And be sure to check out all the other blogs participating in this challenge below! :D