Pretty Jelly Dark Magic: Holographic Flakie Multichrome

Hi everyone! Did you all celebrate Valentine's Day yesterday? I really wanted to do a girly pink mani for Vday, but I didn't feel like taking my current mani off - which is this pretty polish from my indie brand. It's a dark anti Vday purple...like my soul. ^^

Is it just me or are evil villains much more interesting than the heroines? I recently started (and finished) Once Upon A Time, and I really love all the villains. So while I'm waiting for season 5, I decided to create a dark purple reminiscent of the ominous rolling smoke clouds in the show.

It was cloudy when I took these pics, so I couldn't capture the scattered holo. :( It has a subtle shift from blue-purple to red-purple.

If you like this polish, it's currently available at my Etsy shop for $12. It's limited edition, so I only have a few quantities in stock. Also, I ship worldwide! :)

Thanks for reading!

♥ Liz

[Review+Swatch] CND Vinylux Daring Escape & Purple Purple

Press Sample

Hi everyone! Hope you're all enjoying your Sunday. Today I have two CND Vinylux shades to share with you. Enails.eu recently reached out to me and asked if I'd like to review this line. I've never tried CND polishes before, so I was excited to finally give them a whirl. :)

The Vinylux line is labeled as a weekly polish and is meant to last a week without the use of a base coat. The line also offers a top coat that activates in natural light. I think it's similar to Sally Hansen Miracle Gel, but I can't give you a direct comparison since I don't own the Vinylux top coat.

All swatches are shown with Seche Vite top coat and no base coat.

Daring Escape, 2 coats: dusty blue-teal with strong silver shimmer. This one had an interesting formula. It's thick in the way it clings to the brush; however, it applies like a medium-thin polish. So you need to brush off all the excess clinging to the brush, but on the nail it feels smooth and applies easily. I had no problems with application itself - just wanted to note the unique formula. I think the silver shimmer makes this color interesting and adds a bit more depth.

Purple Purple, 3 coats: purple base with strong, fine blue shimmer. This combination makes the polish look blurple in most lightings. The formula was excellent - medium consistency that glides on easily. The pigmentation is pretty good as well. You can get away with two coats, but I found that a third coat will eliminate brushstrokes and deepen the color. The shimmer becomes more rich and intense as well. Absolutely gorgeous!

I loved this one so much, that I wore it as a mani! I dressed it up with some simple stamping and a bow charm. I used MoYou London Kaleidoscope 09 in case you're wondering. ^^ I didn't do a wear test since I don't own the Vinylux top coat, but this mani was chip-free 3 days later with Seche Vite. I'm not particularly rough on my nails, but nail polish doesn't last very long on me without base coat.

Verdict: Both polishes applied flawlessly and had excellent pigmentation/coverage. The colors I tested were also unique and beautiful. Purple Purple in particular has stolen my heart.

Availability: You can purchase Daring Escape (here) and Purple Purple (here) at enails.eu for 12.99€ each. Enails.eu is one of the few online stores that offer CND Vinylux worldwide, so be sure to take a look. They offer a wide selection of colors including the latest collections.

Have you tried any of the Vinylux colors? Let me know your thoughts below! ^^

Liz

[Review+Swatch] Zoya Ultra PixieDust Fall 2014

Press Sample

Hi everyone! Today's collection is Zoya's Ultra PixieDust for fall 2014! In Zoya's how-to, they advised prepping with Zoya Remove+ first, and then applying 1-3 coats without base coat or top coat. I did exactly that with my swatches below. I was worried the richer colors might stain without base coat, but none of them did. Also, they were all opaque in 2 coats!

[Review+Swatch] China Glaze The Giver Collection

Press Sample

Hi everyone! I just noticed I've been posting a lot of China Glaze recently. Today's collection is not an oldie, but a new one inspired by the book-turned-film, The Giver. This was one of my favorite books as a child, so I'm excited to see it gain some popularity again. :)

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

Press Sample

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.

OPI Miss Universe 2013 Collection Review & Swatches

Press Sample

Hi guys!  Whew, did October fly by or what?  Now that it's actually cold here, I'm so into the dusty, darker colors we're seeing for fall and winter - like the colors I'm showing you today!  These were released as 2013's Miss Universe collection. :)

Color Club Girl About Town: Wicker Park + Pearl District Duo Review

Press Sample

Hi guys!  Today I have two of the color from Color Club Fall 2013 collection: Girl About Town. :)

Wicker Park, 3 coats: warm lavender creme. It's much warmer and more pink than the Color Club website shows, so I wouldn't say it's a pure lavender.  The formula was excellent and applied flawlessly.  The consistency of the polish was good as well.  It's a lovely color, but does tend to make my fingers look darker.  This reminds me of Bondi Botanical Beauty, but they're not at all alike.  Wicker Park is darker and more purple in comparison.

Pearl District, 2 coats: gold-olive metallic.  It's has very strong gold tones in it, but the olive in it is still apparent as well.  This applied in two easy coats and was surprisingly pigmented.  Perfect for fall!

Verdict:  Both polishes played well and were opaque in 2-3 coats.  My favorite out of the two is Pearl District.

Availability:  You can purchase this particular duo at shopcolorclub.com (here) for $12.  You can also buy all of the Girl About Town colors (here) for $8 each.

See any favorites?  Let me know in the comments! :)

Liz

China Glaze Avant Garden Spring 2013

Today I have 6 of the new colors from China Glaze's Spring 2013 collection: Avant Garden!  Two from the Blooming Brights set, and four from Pastel Petals.  The following four are from the Pastel set, although I'm not sure if I'd exactly consider them pastels.  They're a bit darker and brighter on the nail than in the bottle.

NOTD: Pretty Jelly Grape Escape

The sun was out, so I decided to quickly snap some photos of my nails with my DSLR.  It definitely captured the holo much better than my point and shoot!  I plan on redoing all my swatches for this line to show the holo better.  Next time, I'll use a tripod though so that it's less shaky.  It's hard to take good photos with one hand. -_-

This is two coats.  Except one nail is one coat because I thought I did a second coat when I didn't.  I'm not telling you which one it is.  But if you spot it, that's the reason why it looks a bit more sheer. -__-

You can find Grape Escape in my Etsy shop (here) for $10.  There's 4 left until the next restock which will be in February.  I'm trying to make one to match this year's Pantone color, Emerald.  As well as a few reds and pinks for Valentine's day.

Oh, and check out these reviews by Gotham Polish and MASPOOASE. :)
http://gothampolish.blogspot.com/2013/01/pretty-jelly-glamorous-thief.html
http://www.maspooase.com/2013/01/pretty-jelly-bullet-rouge-review-and.html

That's it for now!  Hope you're all enjoying the weekend. ^^

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.

Waiting for Autumn

Is anyone else anxious for fall to get here?  I've never been eager to see the end of summer, but this year I can't wait for cooler weather.  Well, until it gets here, at least I have this beautiful Models Own polish to keep me entertained.

sunlight

Aqua Violet, 3 coats from the Beetle Juice collection.  It was sheer on the first coat, but built up nicely in 3 coats.  Like the name says, it has a strong aqua to violet duochrome.  But those aren't the only colors I'm seeing.  Turquoise, teal, light blue, periwinkle, purple.  I can't stop looking at this polish.  It's like a chameleon.  But enough talk.  I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

shade

 

I really wish my pictures did this polish justice.  I got mine from Urban Outfitters on sale for $5 (retail $10).  If you can't find it there, you can also purchase Models Own polishes from http://www.modelsownit.com.


Liz

Zoya Gloss Collection Swatches

Katherine, 4 coats: a vampy eggplant jelly gloss.  This isn't one of those red-brown vampy shades.  It definitely stays true to its purple base.  While I like the color, unfortunately the formula is just as problematic as any other vampy polish.  The color applies very unevenly.  Even at four coats, you might notice uneven application.
 

***

Frida, 5 coats: a teal blue jelly gloss.  4 coats would have been fine for this shade, but I wanted it to be darker for pictures.  However, even at 5 coats you can see that it is still quite sheer.  (Yes, I have those white bruise marks on my ring finger.)  With that said, I love this color.  It's so gorgeous and shiny!  This is a color I wouldn't mind doing a few extra coats for.

***

Paloma, 3 coats: a berry pink jelly gloss.  OMG!  Haha, I don't use that word often, but this color is so pretty!  It's my favorite of the bunch, and the most opaque.  It's a lot lighter and brighter on the nail than in the bottle (as are all of these).  In the bottle, it just looked like another berry shade, but on the nail it's more of a berry-magenta mix!  It's also so shiny and so squishy and gahhh...  It makes me want to eat my nails.  Haha.

You can also layer glitter under these for a jelly sandwich look.  Here I layered two coats of OPI Pirouette My Whistle under one more coat of Paloma (making it 4 coats).  At four coats, Paloma become slightly darker and almost fully opaque (as far as jellies go).  The purple in it is also more emphasized.

Verdict:  Out of the three shades, I was definitely impressed by two of them: Frida and Paloma.  If you love jellies and sheers, these might just be for you.  They are definitely sheer though, and that's how Zoya is marketing them.  If you follow Zoya on Facebook, you might have seen their numerous pictures of ways to layer the glosses with glitters to make glitter sandwiches and ombres.

Availability:   This collection is currently available on Zoya.com for $8 each.  You might also find these at Ulta as well.


What do you think of these sheer glosses?  Is this something you would wear?  Let me know in the comments! :)


Liz

*The polishes reviewed in this post were sent to me for my honest review.
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Zoya Diva Collection for Fall 2012

Hello!  I was originally going to split this collection into two posts, but I decided swatch and edit everything today!  So here are my swatches for the whole collection. :)  (P.S. This is a picture heavy post).

Elisa, 2 coats: a classic red with slightly brighter shimmer.  Elisa had great pigmentation and flowed onto the nail easily.  It's not very unique, but it's pretty nonetheless.  I love the two-coat formula. :)

Zoya Designer Skittles: Part 1

If you like skittles, a good place to start for color inspirations are polish collections.  Usually colors within a collection will complement each other very well.  With Zoya's Designer collection, I noticed that the six creme shades can easily be divided into two groups.  Today I have the first group. :)

 Top to bottom:

Rekha, Monica, Toni, Rekha

Rekha, 2 coats: a bright neutral red.  It reminds me of a slightly darker Rimmel Stiletto Red.  I found the formula a bit watery for my taste, but otherwise it applied flawlessly.

Monica, 2 coats: a cool-toned plum.  Not much else to say except that it applied well.

Toni, 2 coats: a cool purple with a hint of berry.  The berry in it is accentuated more in the sunlight, but it's not a straight up berry.  The formula was great on this one as well.


Verdict: All of these were opaque in two coats and applied flawlessly.  It's everything you would want in a creme: smooth and shiny.  Naturally, Rekha and Toni were more flattering on my warm skin tone, but Monica does not look bad on me either.  I love how they look together like this.  It's trendy and classic at the same time.

Availability: Zoya.com at $8 each.

What do you think?  Are you a fan of the skittles trend?


Liz

*The polishes reviewed in this post were sent to me for my honest review.

Nicole by OPI 2012 Fall Shades: The Chromes

This fall Nicole by OPI came out with 5 Target exclusive fall shades.  Today I'll be showing you the two chromes in this collection. :)

Iris My Case, 3 coats:  a violet chrome with subtle golden-brown duochrome.  It starts out a little sheer, but reaches opacity in 3 coats.  I wasn't really wowed by this one, especially since the duochrome is oh so very slight.  My sister, however, loved it.

This is one of those polishes where you can see the duochrome much better in the bottle.

***

Mer-Maid For Each Other, 2 coats: light green chrome that shifts blue or gold.  I'll tell you right off the bat that this is not another Chanel Peridot dupe.  Rather, it seems to be the answer for those who found Peridot too yellow-gold for their taste.  While Peridot is predominantly gold, Mer-Maid For Each Other (wow that's long) is better categorized as a green polish.  It shifts a little gold as well, but the bigger shift is towards a gorgeous blue.

Verdict:  While I'm lukewarm about Iris My Case, I love Mer-Maid For Each Other; the former is barely a duochrome, while the latter is clearly a multichrome.  They are both minimally brushstroke-y, but nothing too distracting (think OPI Just Spotted the Lizard).

Where to buy:  Both shades are Target exclusive shades and retail for $7.04 each.

Liz

*The polishes reviewed in this post were sent to me for my honest review.

piCture pOlish Blog Fest 2012: Warning! May Put Your Head in Orbit

both polishes layered

It's finally here!  Today I'm happy to present to you two lovely shades from piCture pOlish!  I'll be one of the 80 bloggers participating in this Blog Fest, so don't forget to check out other blogs as well.  Without further ado, I present you...

Dr.'s REMEDY "Step Into Summer" Collection

I've reviewed Dr.'s Remedy polishes before, but in case you are new to them, here's a brief description of the brand:

"Dr.'s REMEDY is a line of doctor-inspired cosmetics that is dedicated to using clean, hypo-allergenic ingredients.  Their Enriched Nail Polish is the first-ever nail polish on the market created by doctors and approved by the American Podiatric Medical Association.  Made with organic ingredients, vitamins, wheat protein, tea tree oil, lavender, and garlic bulb extract, Dr.'s REMEDY vegan nail polish is the #1 podiatrist recommended brand."

Dr.'s Remedy's new summer 2012 collection, "Step Into Summer" features three playful colors reminiscent of daisies and tulips.  All swatches below are shown without top coat.

YOUTHFUL Yellow, 4 coats:  "A hue of banana-meets-lemon with here-comes-the-sun subtlety, this shade is matte, marvelous and magical."  I've got a lot to say on this one, so I broke it down into three parts.

Finish:  First of all, this color is not matte.  However, I am so glad it is not matte.  Light yellows tend to have problematic formulas, so adding a matte finish to the equation did not sound enticing.

Formula:  This is one of the better yellows I have used.  It was easy to work with and had good pigmentation.  Youthful Yellow was minimally streaky.  I used a fourth coat for pictures, but you can easily get away with 3 careful coats.  It's also self-leveling so you won't have to smooth it out with top coat.

Color:  I found this yellow worked well with my skin-tone.  A rare find, as most light yellows tend to be a touch too bright.  The color description for this shade actually makes sense to me.  It has the softness of a banana yellow and the brightness of a lemon, making it fall somewhere in between.  I would say it leans more banana than lemon though.  I hope this all made sense, because now I'm just thinking about fruit. -_-

HOPEFUL Hot Pink, 2 coats:  "Hello Kitty never had it so good; this shade of pink is every gal's new best pal, no doubt."  A pretty generic blue pink creme.  I think this color is flattering across all skin tones, so if you don't own one yet, Hopeful Hot Pink is a good option.

GRATEFUL Grape, 3 coats:  "Move over Jolly Rancher, this take on grape has sizzle, shine and a touch of shimmer."  Grape purple would be right on for this one.  It has subtle pink-purple shimmer that comes out to play in the sun.  In terms of the formula, it was thinner than the others, but equally easy to work with.


Verdict:  The collection as a whole features a fun trio of delicious colors fit for summer.  The pink was a bit generic, but the other colors were unique to my stash.  My favorite would have to be Youthful Yellow. :)

Dr.'s REMEDY is sold online at www.remedynails.com or by calling 1-877-323-NAIL.


Liz

*The polishes reviewed in this post were sent to me for my honest review.
Please view my Disclosure Policy for more info.