Twinsie Tuesday: Summer To Fall Transition

Hi friends! Holy crap, it's September! My kiddo started back to school today, and I am pretty much a hot mess. Time is just flying by waaay too fast for my taste, and this year feels like warp speed. Since it is the first Tuesday of September and the first day of fall is just a few weeks away (the 23rd to be exact), we are going with transitional shades for this week's theme!

When talking about colors that walks the line between summer and fall, I immediately think of teal and peach tones. And since I have been gravitating more towards peach this year, that was the color I went with.

Zoya Tiffany (Fire and Ice collection Winter 2010)

Saturday Snapshot: Dreamy Summer Gradient

Hi friends! Today is a quickie post. Thursday, I review the Born Pretty water decals (you can read the full post here), but the gradient I did was so pretty that I felt it needed it's own post. So today you guys get it!

Embellished Gradient with Born Pretty Water Decals

Hey everyone! Happy Thursday afternoon! Sorry for the late posting, I totally forgot about today's post and never had it written up. Oops! 

Today, I have the second of three Born Pretty product reviews for you all. If you missed the first one from last Thursday you can read it here. For this week's post I am reviewing some water decals!

Please Note: Products shown were provided by the company/creator for review purposes.

Twinsie Tuesday: Favorite Holo

Hey y'all! This week's Twinsie Tuesday theme is a simple one - our favorite holographic polishes. While I do love the rainbow filled holos, I'm not one that goes crazy over them. But the Color Club Halo Hues are about as perfect as one can get in the vast market of holographic polishes. I don't have the complete set, but I do have a few and my favorite of the bunch is Cosmic Fate.

Pahlish Swatch Spam

Hey y'all, happy Monday! So I have a big ass post full of pictures today! Over the last four weeks, I have managed to order from Pahlish three separate times. So now it is Pahlish swatch spam day!

Please Note: Products shown were purchased by me for my personal use.

Zoya Threedom Promo Haul

Hey friends! Hope you all are having a great week! We have been stuck at home all week due to my husband's car malfunctioning and needing to use my car for his commute to work. It hasn't been too bad, but the limit of our outings has been a bit tiresome. It has given me more time to swatch my way through the ridiculous pile of polish I have acquired from birthday spending/gifts. 

Today I have my picks from the recent Zoya "Threedom" promo. Every so often, Zoya has a three free (just pay shipping) sale, and I usually use the opportunity to check a few Zoya's off my wish list. Cause the Zoya wish list is never ending!

Please Note: Products shown were purchased by me for my personal use.

Zoya Wendy (Tickled Summer 2014 collection)

Wendy is a bright, almost neon, pink coral cream. Apparently I am still in love with coral polishes because I just can't help myself when I see one! This color is probably my favorite for summertime. It is bright and fun and perfect for manis or pedis. The formula was good, a little more thick than what I am used to from Zoya, but easy to work with. This is two coats for total coverage followed up with KB Shimmer COT top coat.

Zoya Cole (Awaken Spring 2014 collection)

Cole is a soft peach cream. It is such a fun and unexpected shade. I am all over these bright pastel shades, especially the peachy toned ones, and this one is just perfect! The formula was standard Zoya cream. It was a little patchy, but evened out after three coats. I used KB Shimmer COT top coat for the swatch photos.

Zoya Bevin (True Spring 2012 collection)

Bevin is a dusty sage green cream. I just love dusty shades lately! This one is a great color too. Edgy yet sophisticated. The formula was consistent with Zoya creams, creamy and smooth. This is two easy coats followed up with KB Shimmer COT top coat.

The Zoya promos like this are always such great deals and I try to take advantage of them whenever there is one. I am never disappointed with the polishes either. Zoya has proven to be a strong mainstream brand with excellent products and always fantastic color pallets! 

So did you guys grab any from the Threedom event? What were your picks?

Please Note: Products shown were purchased by me for my personal use. All opinions are my own. For more info, please read my disclaimer.

Zoya nail polish is available on line. Products retail from $9 to $10 a piece.

Summer Nail Art Series: Matte Neon Gradient Cut Outs

Hello friends, happy Thursday! I am trying to get myself back into the nail art groove and along with the Twinsie Tuesday posts, I have decided to add some summer nail art looks to the ol' blog. If you read my blog, you know that summer collections, glitters, and bright polishes are my absolute favorite, so why not do some fun nail art with it?!

Used:

O.P.I. - MBSW

Floss Gloss - Lean

Floss Gloss - Pony

Sally Hansen - Big Matte Top Coat

Blue painters tape

Make up sponge

I have wanted to do a peach/purple gradient for ever and also the cut out gradient. And then the matte top coat. UGH. It is so soft and glowy and perfect for summer. Can I just do this all the time? Would you guys get bored, lol?

Pro tip: using blue painters tape will give you cleaner lines than scotch tape, since it is made for painting!

I will have more summer time nail art in the coming weeks. So hopefully you guys will find some inspiration to decorate your digits this season!

Delush Polish Spring Collection Fleur De Peche

Hi wonderful friends! Today I have a new-to-me Indie polish to share! I am steadily branching out into the indie world and finding more and more awesome polish that I wan to acquire, I just need time and a ton of money to try out all the amazing brands I find on IG. Delush Polish is one that I have on my wish list of brands to try, and with the release of the spring collection, I finally caved and ordered two beauties. The first is Fleur De Peche, and I think you will know why I chose it once you see the pics!

Please Note: Products shown were purchased by me for my personal use.

Delush Polish Fleur De Peche

Fleur De Peche is a milky peach crelly loaded with tiny copper, green and hot pink hex glitters and medium fuchsia hex glitters and a subtle golden shimmer. Like I have mentioned, I am all over peach this years so yeah, this is right up my alley! Gorgeous soft base color and super fun glitter mix makes this just perfect. Smooth application and no glitter issues. I used three coats, but was able to get the polish opaque in two. The third was merely dabbed on to get the amount of glitter I wanted on the nail.

(Macro)

I am kind of in love with this polish! It is so fresh and springy and super cute. Delush has won me over with one bottle, and that is a good thing. I am looking forward to enjoying more lovelies from this awesome Indie. And the next one will be up on the blog soon, and it is just as wonderful!

Please Note: Products shown were purchased by me for my personal use. All opinions are my own. For more info, please read my disclaimer.

Fleur De Pache and the rest of the Delush Polish Spring Awakening collection is available on line. Products retails for $4.50 (for minis) and $8.95 (for full size) a piece.

Cult Nails It's A New Day Trio

Hi friends! Hope you all had a great weekend! And all of you fabulous mamas had an equally fabulous Mother's Day! I was treated to a delicious breakfast by my husband and girlie, and had a relaxing day, myself.

Today, I have the spring trio from Cult Nails, who collaborated with one of my blogging idols, Marta of Chit Chat Nails for the colors. The release of this set also marks the first stamping plate added to the Cult Nails line up. But first the polishes!

Cult Nails Evolution (It's A New Day trio)

Evolution is a sheer but buildable peach crelly. The color is flat out stunning. It is soft and subtle, but still remaining very trendy - my ideal peach. The formula was more difficult than I was expecting. The first coat was very streaky, almost like the pigment was separating from the base in a bad way. Either it had settled quite a bit (& needed a good shake) before it came to me or I got a bad bottle, because every other one coat pic I have seen looked impeccable. I used three coats for full opacity, giving ample dry time between coats. It did threaten to bubble on me a couple of times.

Cult Nails New Day (It's A New Day trio)

New Day is a soft pastel yellow cream. It falls perfectly into that bright yet pastel category that I am ever so found of. The formula was a little watery and was streaky on the first two coats. The third coat covered nicely.

Cult Nails Falling Hard (It's A New Day trio)

Falling Hard is a cool toned pink cream. It's a pretty, but standard pink. It's a great shade if you are lacking a classic pink in your collection. Formula was good, a little on the thin side - which is standard for Cult polishes. Two coats for full coverage.

I was kind of let down by this collection, sure they are all beautiful colors, but I think it was hyped up a little too much, in the end. I did order it through pre-sale and managed a good deal, plus the stamp plate (which is awesome, full review on Sunday!), so it's not a total loss.

These have been added to the core line and sold individually. And right now it a great time to browse the Cult Nails catalog, there is a store wide 20% sale throughout the month of May! Just use the code "CELEBRATE" at check out.

Please Note: Products shown were purchased by me for my personal use. All opinions are my own. For more info, please read my disclaimer.

The Cult Nails It's A New Day Trio polishes are available on line. Products retail between $14-$12 a piece.

Julep May Bombshell Box - Part Two

Hey everyone!  Part two of the Julep Maven May box is up today, this time the polish swatches! If you missed part one, be sure to check it out!

This time around I opted for the Bombshell box since I wasn't particularly drawn to the colors in the Boho Glam box. It seems the Bombshell is my default second pick!

 Please Note: Products shown were purchased by me for my personal use.

Julep Saaya (Bombshell May 2014)

Saaya is a warm peach with golden shimmer. I am dying over this color! Peachy shades are a definite fav for me this year. And the shimmer is bananas! Formula was a tiny bit  thicker than what I prefer. I used two coats for full opacity. A thinner application is needed for the thicker base, or you might end up with some pesky bubbles!

Julep Laree (Bombshell May 2014)

Laree is a vivid rose pink with golden shimmer. like that of it's box mate. I actually really like this color, even tho pink is not a personal fav. I think it is bright and fun, perfect for late spring and summer wardrobes. Definitely a killer pedi color choice too! Formula was identical to Saaya.

I think Julep's strong suite is their spring/summer color choices. I seem to remember loving the boxes last year around this time as well. So I am back on the Julep bandwagon once again. I just wish there was some consistency with the brand.

Please Note: Products shown were purchased by me for my personal use. All opinions are my own. For more info, please read my disclaimer.

 If you are interested in signing up for your own Maven box, click here. Don't forget to use the code "FREEBOX" to get your first box for free

Maybelline Bleached Neons Summer 2014 LE

Oh hai friends! Many apologies for the sporadic posting as of late! I just don't know what it is about my schedule sometimes. I can go a whole month without anything crazy going on, and then the universe seems to decide to dump everything on me at once! April (running into May) has consisted of school stuff non stop, parties, brunch dates with fellow nail gals, more parties, camping trips, wedding receptions, birthdays. Oi. I don't see a free weekend in sight! I'm hoping to keep posting at least once a week, but don't get too worried if I go radio silent for a little while.

But, I do have a fun summer collection to share today! And I wanted to get these out a.s.a.p. since they are LE (limited edition) so you guys will have a chance to grab them if you like the swatches!

Please Note: Products shown were purchased by me for my personal use.

Maybelline Color Show Pink Punch (Bleached Neons Summer 2014 LE)

Pink Punch is a vivid bubble gum pink neon. The color has a slightly faded, or washed out look going with the "bleached" theme.  This is three coats on its own without a white base. The formula was pretty standard for a neon, streaky and thick. I did experience some cuticle drag in between the first and second coat. Allowing a bit more dry time between the second and third remedied the issue. Top coated with HK Girl by Glisten & Glow for a shiny finish.

Maybelline Color Show Coral Heat (Bleached Neons Summer 2014 LE)

Coral Heat is a red leaning coral neon. It looks kinda dupey for ChG Flip Flop Fantasy, but I don't have it to compare. This is three coats on its own without a white base. The formula was thicker and more difficult to work with, but not a complete loss. Thicker coats, with plenty of dry time in between make application possible. But it is still a pain! Top coated with HK Girl by Glisten & Glow for a shiny finish.

Maybelline Color Show Ultra Violet (Bleached Neons Summer 2014 LE)

Ultra Violet is a vibrant orchid purple neon. Out of all of them, this is the most neon, and captures that "bleached" look the most. This is two coats on it's own, without a white base. The formula was much more workable with a relatively easier application. Top coated with HK Girl by Glisten & Glow for a shiny finish.

Maybelline Color Show Citrus Collide (Bleached Neons Summer 2014 LE)

Citrus Collide is a pastel yellow neon. It has both the pastel and neon quality, without the chalkiness you would expect of a yellow this light. This is two coats on it's own, without a white base. As problematic as some of these are, I expected Citrus Collide to be the worst, but it actually isn't that bad. The formula is thick, but not horribly so (Pink Punch, Coral Heat and Bleached In Peach were all noticeably thicker). After a streaky first coat, a thicker second coat made it opaque. It did have some leveling issues, but top coating it smoothed everything out. I did notice that using a top coat changed the color slightly, bringing out the neon more. Top coated with HK Girl by Glisten & Glow for a shiny finish.

Maybelline Color Show Lime Accent (Bleached Neons Summer 2014 LE)

Lime Accent is a lime green neon.  It again, balances that pastel, yet neon so well. This is three coats on it's own, without a white base. Surprisingly, the formula was very thin and watery. But I was able to get full opacity with three coats, so all in all, not so bad. Top coated with HK Girl by Glisten & Glow for a shiny finish.

Maybelline Color Show Bleached In Peach (Bleached Neons Summer 2014 LE)

Bleached In Peach is a yellow toned peach neon. I am swooning for peach shaded this year, and so wanted to love this one. This is three coats on it's own, without a white base. The formula was in between Pink Punch and Coral Heat in terms of thickness and work-ability. I am hoping that a generous dose of thinner will help it some, because I can't let it go! Top coated with HK Girl by Glisten & Glow for a shiny finish.

Maybelline Color Show Dayglow Teal (Bleached Neons Summer 2014 LE)

Dayglow Turquoise is a bright blue neon. While this doesn't quite have the faded/bleached look as the previous colors, it is still bright enough to be a nice option. This is two coats on it's own, without a white base. It also boasts the best formula out of the bunch, almost a one coater. But I felt that a second coat would give it more life. Top coated with HK Girl by Glisten & Glow for a shiny finish.

I love the concept of this collection. I am all over the bright/neon pastels. And I think these capture the Bleached Neon look quite well. While about half of these are problematic, they are not without hope. In some cases, polish thinner might be a viable option. My favorite, based on color and formula is Ultra Violet, but I have my fingers crossed for Bleached In Peach!

Please Note: Products shown were purchased by me for my personal use. All opinions are my own. For more info, please read my disclaimer.

Maybelline Color Show Bleached Neons are available for a limited time. Products are available at many drugstore locations, including Walgreens. Prices vary by location.

Lacquer Lust - Morning Sunshine

Hey y'all, happy Monday! Hope the weekend was a good one. I want this week to go by as quickly as possible because next Monday is my birthday! I will be 33 and I'm not exactly sure how I feel about that. But I will be getting moar polish and that is definitely something to be happy about!

 

Today I have something new to share - thermal polish! A.K.A. polish that changes color depending on body/ambient temperatures. Thermal polish is a completely new thing for me, and I wasn't sure exactly how I felt about the trend, to be honest. Until I stumbled upon Lacquer Lust that is.

 

Please Note: Products were purchased by me for my personal use.

 

 

 

Lacquer Lust - Morning Sunshine

 

Morning Sunshine is a peach/coral thermal crelly with tiny gold flakies. It is beautiful! I cannot even begin to describe how much I luuuurvvvve this polish. The color change is awesome, very obvious and sensitive too. I was completely fascinated by it for the three days I wore this. Formula was nice, but strange. A little thick, but not problematic. More gluey in consistency, but again, it wasn't something that was an issue at all. It just felt different that other polish when I was applying that. I used three coats, two worked fine, but I used a third to cover a tiny bit of VNL. Application was really good, no dragging, pooling, or anything else. It was also kinda cool watching the polish change color while I was painting my nails.

 

 

Cold

 

Warm

 

Transition

 

 

Can you guess why I picked this particular thermal to try? If you said Coral, you're right! And you read my blog. Which means you are awesome. Anyway, I am totally blown away with this, and I am dying to get my hands on more thermals. There was recently a restock, and the shop is on vacation right now, but Jo (the creator) is active on twitter, facebook and IG so there are plenty of ways to find out when the next restock is. So go follow all the ways and get some thermals! She also makes some beautiful holos as well for all you holo lovers!

 

Lacquer Lust is available on line and at Harlow & Co for international shoppers. Prices range from $8.50 to $12.50 per bottle. Harlow & Co prices vary.

 

Please Note: Products shown were purchased by me for my own personal use. All opinions are my own. Please read my disclaimer for more information.

Essence Cherry Blossom Girl

Hey all! Sorry for the lack of posts this week, I have had things swatched and photographed, but never got around to actually editing the photos. Oops. Today I have polishes from the Essence Cherry Blossom Girl collection released in Europe last fall. I found a display randomly shoved in a corner of my HEB ( a texas grocery store chain) and immediately snatched up all the bottles. I hardly ever find special Essence collections, but when I do, I usually grab the polish if there is any left. 

 

 

 

Essence - Fortune Cookie

 

Fortune Cookie is a sunflower yellow with a yellow hidden shimmer. It's nearly impossible to see, except in sunlight where you will get a little twinkle. I happen to be one of the few people that can wear yellow with out it making me look horrid. This particular shade is a great one for my skin tone & I love it. Formula was pretty much standard for a yellow, streaky and hard to level. I used three coats, waiting (im)patiently between each one, and managed to get everything smooth. It also stained my fingers a bit, so it looked like I had dried mustard around my cuticles for a little while : \

 

 

Essence - My Little Kimono

 

My Little Kimono is a taupe/greige with a silvery shimmer. Usually, this type of color looks horrid on me, lobster hands and all, so I tend to stay away from them. But the hoarder in me couldn't pass it up and leave the collection incomplete! That would being breaking polish covenant! Luckily, it doesn't look too bad, and doesn't give me dreaded lobster hands. This was also the only one I didn't have formula issues with. 2 coats, no streaking, nice dry time.

 

 

Essence - Cherry Cherry Girl

 

Cherry Cherry Girl is a bright orangey red crelly (cream/jelly) finish. I wasn't expecting to like it, but it is so bright and the crelly is really nice and squishy looking! The formula was more like a jelly, thick with a longer dry time. Patient and careful application is required, otherwise expect a bubble fest!

 

Essence - It's Peach, Not Cherry

 

It's Peach, Not Cherry is a peach/coral crelly with the same formula as Cherry Cherry Girl. I LOVE this color! I have been obsessed with corals and peaches lately. I literally cannot get enough. This is the third one I have posted since January, and I actually just bought another one yesterday! Again, careful application is needed with it because of the formula.

 

 

 

And just because I had nothing better to do, I did a quick little dotted flower mani! Ignore the gloopy mistake on my index finger, k? ; )

Color Club Halo Hues - Cosmic Fate (Pic Heavey)

Hey guys! Holographic polish is all the rage right now and it seems there are collections popping up all over the place. Color Club is releasing a second part of their gorgeous Halo Hues holo polish line and it is amazing!

 

Color Club Halo Hues - Cosmic Fate

 

Cosmic Fate is a peachy/orange/pink linear holographic polish. As a holo newb, I have little experience with different brands, but what I do have, this one blows them away. Everything about it is perfection. The color is beautiful, application was dreamy (no need for aqua base!) and the holo effect is stunning!!!

 

Natural daylight

 

Really, there isn't too much else I can say other than get these as soon as you can. They are way cheaper than the Layla holos, Fnug, or even the up coming China Glaze holos, and I think they are far superior.

 

Right now, they are available at a few places on line, but the official release is February 15th. I snagged mine from 8ty8 Beauty.



Nail of the Day: Starfish and Snowflakes

Hey everyone! Just a quick little nail of the day post for you guys, today. When I originally ordered Rescue Beauty Lounge Starfish Patrick, I came across this post from Victoria (a.k.a. Manicurator), I fell instantly in love the Indie glitter brand "I Love Nail Polish." Needless to say, I promptly ordered a bottle of Up To Snow Good to go along with Starfish Patrick.

 

Rescue Beauty Lounge Starfish Patrick & I Love Nail Polish Up To Snow Good Jelly Sandwich

 

I decided to one up the copycat look & do a jelly sandwich, my first successful one at that. I started with a coat of SFP and applied a thin coat of UTSG. Next I added a coat of Gelous (which is awesome, btw), another thin coat of SFP, one more UTSG, mainly applying where there were bald spots, another coat of Gelous and two coats of Wicked Fast, allowing for dry time between each coat. Whew! This may be my fav mani to date. It is all around perfect.

Now this is just a little teaser and I plan on a full glorious write up of Up To Snow Good in a few days. I honestly couldn't wait to show you all the awesomeness of this glitter before I had proper time to sit down and review it. But here's a spoiler, it's pretty amazing!