[Review+Swatch] China Glaze Apocalypse of Colour Collection for Halloween 2014

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Hi! I have another Halloween collection for you today. This one's from China Glaze and is ominously named the Apocolypse of Colour - enjoy! :)

[Review+Swatch] Zoya Entice Collection for Fall 2014

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It's Monday again! Seems like the days are just flying by. Today I have the new fall creme collection from Zoya - Entice!

[Review+Swatch] Zoya Ultra PixieDust Fall 2014

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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

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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] OPI Gwen Stefani Collection

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Hey guys! It's already Friday - TGIF! Today I have swatches of the new Gwen Stefani for OPI collection. This collection features several different finishes, so there's something for everyone. There's also nail art at the end, so keep reading!

[NOTD] China Glaze: Be Merry, Be Bright + Elfin' Around

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Hey all! Today I'm wearing this pretty coral-red from China Glaze's Holiglaze collection (Holiday 2013). I love warm reds like this, and the metallic finish gives it an extra oomph in the shine department. This is one smooth coat without top coat.

I topped it with a coat of ChG Be Merry, Be Bright for some added sparkle. Be Merry, Be Bright is filled with multi-sized red and purple glitters. It's hard to see on Elfin' Around, but I liked how the cooler red glitters in BMBB added some depth to the warmer base.

What's on your nails today? Let me know in the comments below! :)

Liz

Nicole by OPI Tink Collection Review

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Hi everyone! Today I have four of the six new colors from Nicole by OPI's Tink collection - inspired by none other than Disney's Tinkerbell.  These bright colors are perfect for summer!  Check them out below. :)

Sweet on Pete, 3 coats: chartreuse creme.  I'm usually not a fan of these types of greens, but I actually really liked this one.  It works really well with my skin tone and the formula was superb.  It applies flawlessly and can be opaque in 2 coats.

Fairy Fairy Quite Contrary, 3 coats: tangerine orange creme.  This one has the same great formula - very easy to apply and smooth.

Tink's In The Pink, 2 coats: medium pink creme.  Usually my pictures are fairly color accurate, but this one's tragically off.  It's not a neon pink, nor a particularly bright blue toned pink either.  It's really a medium pink - not too blue or yellow, not too bright or dark.  A perfect medium pink.  Formula-wise it was excellent, just like the others.

Half Charming / Half Alarming, 3 coats: bright red creme-jelly with orange undertones.  I think this is what we call "neon" red.  It's not really neon, but bright enough to come close.  This one's also a jelly, but dries to a squishy creme-like finish. 

  

Verdict: Love!  My favorite is Half Charming/ Half Alarming, especially because I don't have a dupe for it in my stash.  Sweet on Pete is a close second.  While I own colors similar to the other three, I thought the colors in this collection had a better formula.  If you're interested in adding any of these colors to your collection, I would recommend these.

Availability: This limited edition collection is available exclusively at Walgreens starting July 1st (today)!

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

Liz

Barielle Elle's Spell + Falling Star Review

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Hey all!  Today I have two gorgeous Barielle polishes I've been lemming for some time now. :)

Elle's Spell, 3 coats: red jelly base with red to green flakies.  I love how the flakies add a pretty glow to the red polish.  I think it's also sheer enough that you could layer it over other reds and purples.  No problems with the formula either.

Falling Star, 2 coats: dusty periwinkle base with fine copper glitters.  The glitters are actually square, but you can't tell because they're so small.  Isn't it gorgeous?  I love blue and copper combinations, so this is right up my alley.  The formula was excellent and the polished flowed on in two even coats

Verdict:  I loved wearing both of these polishes!  They were easy to apply and the colors are undeniably beautiful.

Availability:  You can purchase these at The Beauty Clutch for $6.50 each, but they're currently on sale for $5. :)  Be sure to follow The Beauty Clutch on Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest for more on their current promotions and polishes.


Liz

Couture de Minnie by OPI

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Hi everyone!  I am, indeed, still alive. -.-  I meant to post more, but I kept holding off on collection reviews because I wanted to swatch them all at once.  Of course, it later occurred to me that I would have probably finished a collection by now if I had just reviewed one polish a day.  But I like having collection swatches in one post.  Lol.

For today, I have swatches of the new OPI Couture de Minnie collection.  Just like the last Minnie Mouse inspired collection, this one is composed of reds and pinks.

Chic From Ears To Tail, 3 coats: medium pink creme with very subtle clear shimmer.  I found this a little streaky and my brush kept dragging in the polish.  This one's a pass for me.  It's a fairly common pink, so I'm sure there are dupes with better formulas out there.

Julep Jodie

Hi guys!  Today I have a quick swatch of one of my older Julep polishes.  I think Jodie came in my very first Julep Maven box, but I don't really remember.  On Julep, it's described as a "rosy mauve with gold shimmer."  The shimmer is very fine and more subtle than I wish it was.  I think it looks pretty in bottle, but on the nail it only adds some extra shine.  Overall, the polish was easy to apply and became opaque in two coats.  I think this is a discontinued color, since it's out of stock on Julep.  It's an okay color, but I don't think it will be missed.

What do you think?


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.

Nicole by OPI Modern Family (Part 2)

Today's post contains all the reds and pinks from Nicole by OPI's Modern Family collection!  If you missed Part 1, you can check it out (here).

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.

Kardashian Kolors Pretty Petites: Celeb-bities

Hey all!  Today I have a handful of polishes to show you! :)  Here are the four mini Kardashian Kolors from the Celeb-bities set (from top to bottom): Wear Something Spar-Kylie, Sealed with a Kris, Kim-pletely in Love, and All Kendall-ed Up.  I found that all of these applied flawlessly, even with the small mini brush.

2 coats, All Kendall-ed Up: a bright, blue leaning pink creme.  Pretty much your typical pink.

4 coats, Kim-pletely in Love: a sheer, light pink with blue shimmer.  Gorgeous!  I wish the blue shimmer showed up in my pictures.  I'm still trying to hunt down a full-size bottle of this one. :/

  

3 coats, Sealed with a Kris: a blood red jelly. So squishy and shiny.
3 coats, Wear Something Spar-Kylie: a light red with fine silver glitter.

Overall, I think these colors make a nice set.  I was especially elated to see Kim-pletely in Love in this set, since I haven't been able to find it.  What do you think?  Do you usually buy mini sets like these?  Let me know in the comments! :)


Pretty Petites will be available July 2012 for $10 each at Duane Reade, H-E-Butt, Fred Meyer, Meijer, Rite Aid, Sears and ULTA. In Canada, each set will be available for $15 at Katz Group, Loblaw, Shoppers Drug Mart, select Sears locations, and Walmart Canada. 
 



Liz

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

Sally Hansen Oxblood

Today I have for you another polish from the Alexander Wang Spring 2012 line.  This one's a gorgeous vampy red creme.

Oxblood, 2 coats.  Is it red?  Or is it brown?  This is one of those deliciously dark, vampy reds that look brown in certain lightings.  Maybe it doesn't fit in a spring collection, but I like it anyway.  It's very glossy and kind of squishy looking.  My only gripe about this polish is the brush.  I think I got a bad brush. :(  It wasn't cut very evenly.  Combine that with a flat, large brush and it spelled disaster with such a dark, pigmented color like Oxblood.  I think I'm going to trim my brush a bit to even it out.  I'm pretty sure all the brushes aren't like this, since I've never had problems with my other Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure brushes.  If anything, you can always check the brush at the store before you buy it.

Currently, I'm still craving soft colors, but Oxblood is definitely a polish I'll revisit in the fall.


Liz

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

Striped Ruby Pumps

Here's a simple look I did using China Glaze Ruby Pumps.  Ruby Pumps is a gorgeous red jelly with lots of pretty red micro glitter in it that really gives it depth and sparkle.  On my tips I used Sinful Colors Black on Black and silver glitter striping polish.  It really reminded me of something, so I stared at it for a while and eventually figured it out.  It reminds me of Pixar's Cars!  Haha, but I still like it anyway.



Liz

Dr.'s REMEDY Fall Fever Swatches

Hey all!  Finally a long overdue post.  As usual, I am really busy with school and club work.  I knew I really needed to update soon, so despite a headache I'm taking this time to post.  I really missed posting!

Blooood

Possibly sensing that Halloween is drawing near, one of my new Wet n Wild Coloricon polishes decided to take a high dive from my hands...

Zoya Reva

Zoya Reva is described as a "cool-toned strawberry red with glowing golden metallic sparkle," which I think describes it pretty accurately. :)  It's opaque in 2 coats, but I did 3 for pictures.