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Sunday, April 22, 2012

Revlon Grape and Sally Hansen Rockstar Pink




So glad that Blogger isn't acting up any more than usual and I can finally get this post out!

I have been able to wear this mani for a few days since I've taken the pictures and I have fallen in love with it a bit more each day. I admit it. I really like purple. And this color has not let me down. I picked up Revlon's Grape last week when Walgreen's was running a sale on Revlon. They were also having a sale on Sally Hansen, so I picked up a couple of Sally Hansen Xtreme wear polishes. One of them was Rockstar Pink. I sat staring at my new pretties and had an A-HA! moment. I'll put them together!




Grape turned out to be quite lovely on the nail. I would call it more of an eggplant or aubergine color. It has small red and blue shimmer to it too. They really blend into the polish, but they give the color so much depth. I think that is part of the reason I have come to love this polish.


Rockstar Pink is an amazing glitter bomb. It has fuchsia, red and blue glitter, and gold microglitter. At least that's what it looks like to my eyes. There is so much going on in this glitter, it's a little hard to tell.


 I showed this picture a bit fuzzy so you could see all the wonderful glittery goodness in this polish.


Application on both polishes was very good. The polish flowed very well and covered beautifully. I used three coats of Grape. I could have probably just used two. However, it is almost impossible for me to not put three coats on. I used one coat of Rockstar Pink on my ring finger for an accent. It covered really well. The glitter is dense enough in this polish you could probably get full coverage in two or three coats all by itself. I was a bit worried that the glitter would be a bit rough, but it only took one coat of Seche Vite to smooth it out. I did put a second coat of SV on, but that was more out of habit than necessity. 

What do you think of this combination? Do you like glitter polishes? What is your favorite one?






Friday, April 20, 2012

Blogger is being a Dong-a-Long

Well, I was going to work on a new post tonight and post it up for you. I've got on Revlon Grape and a glittery accent nail by way of Sally Hansen's Rockstar Pink. I really like and wanted to share it with you.

However...

Blogger is being a dong-a-long (as my eldest would say) and isn't letting me upload any photos. Well, phooey on them!

Hopefully, I'll be able to get it up in the next couple of days. Friday is my realllllly long day at work, so not sure if I can get to it then, but I'll try Saturday afternoon. (If I don't sleep it away that is.)

Friday, April 6, 2012

Finger Paints Magnetic Effects

I was in Sally's today (when am I not?) and happen to see a display for new magnetic polishes from Finger Paints. Well, I just had to pick them up. And since Sally is currently running a buy 2 get one free, I grabbed three of the four. I got Electro-Midnight, Cop an Attitude, and Steel of the Night. The only one I didn't get was Hypnotic. It just wasn't doing it for me.
 


First up is Electro-Midnight. This a a dark blue. With my love for blue polish I certainly couldn't pass this one up. The color and formula on this was really nice. I like the color shift that showed up with the magnet.


Next is Steel of the Night. A black that shifts to gray and silver. This one is perfect for football season. Go Raiders!!! Once again, it applied very well. And I like the shift.

 
Last is Cop an Attitude. A beautiful copper polish! If you look at this picture larger you can see these gorgeous red/orange sparkles shining through. Just beautiful!

Overall, I really liked these polishes. The formula on all three was really nice. The magnet could have been a bit better. I've seen worse though. I've also seen better. The large cap with the magnet does come off to leave a smaller lid behind. All mine came off easily with no problems. I've had some that were practically impossible to get off. The magnet has a lip that you place on or above your cuticle (depends on nail length) to keep the magnet off the polish.


Don't forget about my giveaway!

Have you tried magnetic polish yet? Which ones and what did you think of them?

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Revlon Whimsical

When I bought Whimsical, I bought two bottles. One for myself and one for my giveaway. I knew I wanted to swatch it up for you so you could see all the loveliness of it, but I couldn't decided what base I wanted to use for it. I happened to be reading through my blogs and came across Lacquer Me Silly where she had just worn Tiffany Impostor. That made me think about For Audrey. And from there it was an easy jump to using For Audrey for my base for Whimsical.

I think For Audrey was a good choice for this. However, I wasn't thrilled with Whimsical. I thought the formula was a bit thin and the hex glitter was a bit too sparse. I love the pink and blue hex glitter. I just wish more of it would make it on to the nail. And the iridescent glitter shimmers wonderfully.

I used two coats of For Audrey and two coats of Whimsical for the photos below. That was then topped with Seche Vite.






Macro Shot of Whimsical

Really Macro shot of Whimsical




You can really see some of small glitter in this one


I've currently had this mani on for three days and it is holding up better than most. I usually have major chipping after a day at work, but this time I've only had minor chipping. Not sure what was different, but I'm glad for it no matter what it is!

Have you used Whimsical? Did/Do you like it?

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Revlon Royal


 I got my Zoya buy 3 get 3 free in the mail the other day and I planned on swatching them. However, I also picked up Revlon Royal that same day and it sat there on my table screaming at me. It was begging me to put it on. And so I did. I topped it with some stamping done with Sally Hansen Celeb City. I had originally planned to just stamp accent nails on each hand. Planned. Originally. But, I oopsied and stamped the wrong nail on my second hand. That's what happens when you try to stamp and watch TV at the same time. So, I just went ahead and stamped the whole thing.

I really liked the formula on Royal. This blue is just gorgeous! I had to use three coats to get even coverage though. I tried it with two, but there were a few spots that just looked a bit thin. It looked great after that third coat.

This is only my second time doing stamping. I think it came out alright. I know I messed up in a couple of places, but overall I think that it looks nice.









 Also, I'm running a little giveaway to welcome myself back to the big bad world of blogging. I'm giving away Revlon Whimsical, Sinful Colors Cinderella, and Hard Candy Beetle. You can check that out here.








Friday, March 23, 2012

Welcome Back to Blogging Giveaway

I think I finally have things under control and can get back to blogging. YAY! I've missed sitting down at my computer and playing with my pictures and trying to get my posts just right. Of course I'm still learning. I'm just a baby blogger! But, I've decided, in honor of my return to the blogosphere, to have a giveaway.

I will be giving away three polishes: Revlon Whimsical, Sinful Colors Cinderella, and Hard Candy Beetle

Giveaway is only open to US residents. Sorry folks! This is my first giveaway and I want to keep it as simple as I can. You must use the Rafflecopter widget. Blog comments will not be added to giveaway.




Sunday, March 18, 2012

Absence

This is just a short note to explain my absence from my blog. On March 2, my grandmother (who raised me as her own since I was 3) passed away. I've been focusing on that in my down time instead of my blog. I am hoping to start rolling posts out again in the next week or two. I may even have a giveaway to welcome myself back to the blogging world. It wouldn't be much, but I need something fun right now.

What small something would you like to see as part of the giveaway (besides polish)?

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Swatch Essie - Go Overboard

I picked up Essie Go Overboard at my local Walgreen's a couple of weeks ago. I finally got a night where I could swatch it up and show it off. All photos were taken under my Ott Lamp. Since I work nights and sleep days, it is super hard for this vampire to ever see the sun. I think the Ott Lamp does a good job of showing off the true color though.

This swatch is a base of Essie Grow Stronger and 2 coats of Go Overboard. I probably could have gotten away with just one coat if I had been a bit more careful of my painting. I probably would have still done a second coat anyway. I find it hard to put less that three coats of polish on, and two is cutting it a bit fine for me. I'm not wearing any top coat in these photos. Just look at the gorgeous shine on there. 

Essie describes Go Overboard as a "limitless sea blue". I definitely put it in the darker teal category.









I know I could have been a lot neater in my application and should have probably cleaned up a bit. However, I was in a hurry and I didn't think it looked too bad. Until I saw the photos. I promise to try and do better on my next group swatch.

The application on Go Overboard was spectacular! It covered in almost one coat and probably would have had I used a slightly thicker coat. The brush worked really well and I was able to control it quite easily. The polish you see on my cuticles is from human error, not the brush.

Overall, I love this polish! I can't think of anything bad to say about it at all.

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Stash Shopping

I got to do a little stash shopping today. Made it to Sally Beauty, Walgreen's, and Wal-Mart. I picked up a few that I had been looking at and a few that happened to catch my eye.
China Glaze Some Like it Haute, For Audrey, and Dorothy Who
Fingerpaints Avante Garde Green, Where Art Renoir?, Cerulean Seascape

Essie Go Overboard, Sinful Colors Let Me Go, Revlon Smoldering, Hard Candy Beetle


Thursday, February 16, 2012

Polish Stash

I haven't been collecting nail polish for very long. Below you will find my current list of polishes. I've gotten many of them at Sally's in the clearance bin. I don't care if I get them when they first come out, I still love them. I don't have a lot of money to put toward new polishes right now. Hopefully that will change soon. I'm starting to have new polish withdrawals.

Are there any colors you would like to see swatched? Just let me know in the comments section.
Based on these colors are there any I don't have that you think I would love to own?


AvonBlack as Night
AvonEmpower
AvonPink Power
AvonTween
China GlazeBlack Mesh
China GlazeWhite on White
China GlazeTinsel Town
China GlazeLiquid Leather
China GlazePelican Gray
China GlazeHolly-Day
China GlazeSolar Power
China GlazeNear Dark
China GlazeTwinkle Lights
China GlazeTrendsetters
China GlazeLemon Fizz
China GlazeChampagne Bubbles
China GlazeCross Iron 360
China GlazeIn Awe of Amber
China GlazeCoconut Kiss
China GlazeFaultline
China GlazeVelvet Bow
China GlazeCrimson
China GlazeRing in the Red
China GlazeRuby Pumps
China GlazeLight My Tiki
Color ClubOrna-Minted
Color ClubGingerbread Man
EssieGrow Stronger
EssieShine of the Times
EssieBachelorette Bash
FingerpaintsAsylum
FingerpaintsTwisted
FingerpaintsTo-Teally Chic
FingerpaintsMilitary Green
FingerpaintsComet's Collar
FingerpaintsVintage Velvet
FingerpaintsCatwalk Queen
FingerpaintsHaute Taupe
FingerpaintsPurple Pinstripe
Hard CandyMatte-ly In Love
INMOut the Door
L'OrealVIP Status
NYCFrench White Tip
NYCBlack Lace
NYCStarry Silver Glitter
NYCSkin Tight Denim
NYCEmpire State
NYCBig Money
NYCTimes Square Tangerine
NYCPurple Pizzazz
NYCPlaza Plumberry
NYCFuschia Shock
NYCBroadway Burgandy
NYCPink Promenade
NYCCharming Rose
NYCBig Apple Red
NYCClassic Coral
OPIBase Coat
OPITop Coat
OPIFrench Quarter for Your Thoughts
OPIunknown color
OPIWarm and Fozzie
OPII'm Not Really a Waitress
OPILincoln Park After Dark
OrlyAndrogynie
OrlyLiquid Vinyl
OrlyTwilight
OrlyStone Cold
OrlyFrisky
OrlySweet Peacock
OrlyLucky Duck
OrlyLe Chateau
OrlyVelvet Rope
OrlyFowl Play
OrlyOui
OrlyGorgeous
OrlyMa Cherie
Pure IceAll Night Long
Pure IceMint Dream
RimmelViolet Metal
Sally GirlGlo-in-the-Dark
Sally GirlSo Disco
Sally GirlSilver Glitter
Sally HansenDouble Duty
Sally HansenCeleb City
Sally HansenOcean View
Sally HansenSpark
Sally HansenEmerald City
Sally HansenIce Coffee
Sally HansenElegant Cognac
Sally HansenCrushed
Sally HansenPat on the Black
Sally HansenBerried Treasure
Sally HansenShining
Sally Hansen HDLaser
SecheClear
SecheVite
Sinful ColorsHottie
Sinful ColorsGorgeous
Sinful ColorsLet's Talk
Sinful ColorsFrenzy
Sinful ColorsPinky Glitter
Wet n WildRain Check
Wet n WildBlack Creme
Wet n WildBlue Moon
Wet n WildBelieve Me, It's Real
Wet n WildCaribbean Frost
Wet n Wild24 Carats
Wet n WildBack Alley Deals
Wet n WildEggplant Frost

Friday, February 10, 2012

Zoya - Adina

I had hoped to get several swatches done on my days off, but that just didn't happen. Once I put Adina on I didn't want to take it off. Maybe Saturday night I'll take it off and put on something new. Maybe.

I finally was able to pick up my first Zoya nail polishes. I chose Cynthia and Adina. I actually wore Cynthia already, but I was never able to get any decent shots of it. Our weather here has been nothing but overcast and cloudy for the last two weeks.


That makes it really hard to get good pictures. I resorted to using my Ott Lamp inside. The below pictures are better than the past ones that I have done. They aren't really good yet, but they are getting better. Know what changed that? I finally read my manual. Amazing how much one can learn from reading the manual!





Macro shot of the bottle. Love the brilliant green shimmer you can see.

The green showing through

The lovely dark lilac purple true color


More of the green showing.


I loved this polish, but I did have a bit of a problem with application. The stroke marks are pretty obvious. They aren't too bad, but I can see them. And that makes for a sad nail chickie. The coverage was also a bit thin. It took three coats to reach full opacity and keep me from showing any bare spots.


Visible brush marks


Visible brush marks




Name: Adina
Manufacturer: Zoya
Color: Light Purple/Green Duochrome

Application: Base - Essie Grow Stronger
                   Color - 3 Coats Adina
                   Top - Seche Vite

Overall: 4/5
     The color on this is just stunning. And the shift from purple to green is great. I would have given it full marks if the coverage and application had been better.


What is your favorite duo/multichrome color?