Sunday, September 30, 2012

Pomegranate Nail Lacquer Curator

I've got another new polish from Pomegranate Nail Lacquer's fall collection to show you today. Curator is a black base packed with gold and silver glitter. This would be a perfect polish for a night out!



Curator covers completely in two coats, although the formula is a bit on the thin side for my tastes. Thankfully that doesn't affect the coverage though and it wears really well. I took these pictures on day three of this mani and as you can see, I had virtually no signs of wear.

Curator is much more rocker chick than mall goth. (But hey, I went through an unfortunate quasi-goth phase in high school, so I'm not one to judge. It's best we not talk about it though. Some very bad fashion choices were made, I'll say that much.) Either way, I really love this polish! It's super glam and I felt like a badass with it on. :) There are lots of riffs on the "silver glitter in black jelly base" theme, so I like that Curator has both gold and silver to make it more unique. If you're already a fan of polishes like OPI Metallic 4 Life, Curator will be right up your alley!


Disclosure: This polish was provided to me for my honest review. For more information, please see my disclosure policy.

CrowsToes Absolum - Your Potions Master

Happy Sunday, everyone! I hope you're enjoying your weekend. Look, I finally have a banner! I feel like a big girl blogger now. :) My friend Jenna designed it, so I wanted to give a big shout-out and thanks to her for helping me. Plus as you probably noticed, I revamped my blog layout too! Let's celebrate with some gorgeous polish, shall we?

Absolum - Your Potions Master was the first CrowsToes polish I ever saw. I immediately fell hard for both this polish and the brand. Absolum - Your Potions Master is a mix of blue, green, orange, black and holographic glitter in a clear base. I layered one coat over Pixi Evening Emerald for this mani. Hopefully these pics will give you an idea of why I fell so in love with Absolum!





Absolum is a total stunner and it looks even more beautiful in person! The colors in CrowsToes polish are always so vivid and they really pop on the nail. The mix of colors in this particular polish is excellent too. I love the contrast of blue and orange together. The formula is fabulous and I didn't find this to be quite as thick as CrowsToes I Make The Path.

Absolum seems to be one of CrowsToes' most popular polishes and I can absolutely see why. This is such a gorgeous polish. I love, love, love it! You can purchase CrowsToes from Llarowe and Overall Beauty.

Also, if you're wondering about the name or ever needed proof that nail polish can be inspired by just about anything these days, Absolum - Your Potions Master was named for actor Alan Rickman, more specifically his roles in Alice in Wonderland and the Harry Potter series.

Look, he's thrilled!

Clearly I like him best in Die Hard, myself. "I will count to three. There will not be a four." Bad. Ass. 

Saturday, September 29, 2012

Review: Fierce Polish Jewelry

My friend Nory from Fierce Makeup and Nails is not only an amazing blogger and all-around cool chick, she also runs her very own polish jewelry shop on Etsy: Fierce Polish Jewelry! I've ordered jewelry from Nory in the past, both for myself and as a gift, so when she asked me to do a review, I jumped at the chance! Nory's shop offers nail polish earrings, bracelets, necklaces and rings. I have several pairs of earrings and a ring to share with you today.

First up, let's take a look at the earrings! I have quite a few in my collection now, all custom orders using some of my favorite polishes. You can buy pre-made jewelry or shop Nory's stash to have her make a custom creation for you. It's super fun going through her collection and coming up with different combinations. You can pick specific polishes or give Nory a certain idea or look you're going for and she'll make it happen. She has just about every type, brand and color of polish you can imagine, so the possibilities are endless! Here is my collection.

L to R: OPI I Lily Love You over Essie Super Bossa Nova, Max Factor Fantasy Fire, Coverband Sticks 'n Stones over Essie Cascade Cool, Nail-venturous Floam, Deborah Lippmann Candy Shop

The earrings feel comfortable throughout a whole day of wear and the stoppers don't slip off or slide around; a pet peeve of mine for studs. I wear these constantly to work. They are fun and colorful without being gaudy or distracting.

Here are shots of me (or, y'know, just my ear) wearing the earrings to give you an idea of how they look on and what size the different shapes are. Oh, and for the record, trying to take a picture of your own ear feels really weird.

 Sticks 'n Stones over Cascade Cool
 Fantasy Fire
 I Lily Love You over Super Bossa Nova
 Floam
Candy Shop
 
Next up, we have the ring! I had it made with one of my favorite polishes: Butter London No More Waity, Katie. The ring is also adjustable, so you can easily fit it to your hand. I like my rings a bit on the snug side and I was able to get a perfect fit. A lot of times adjustable rings can feel a bit flimsy to me, but this one is nice and sturdy.


I had to use some strategic angles here so my *gasp* naked nails wouldn't show!

Nory's creations are a fun, unique way to rock some of your favorite polishes. Be ready for weird looks though when you tell people who ask about your jewelry that it's made of nail polish! :) Nory does gorgeous work for some of best prices on Etsy! Earrings are $4 a pair, rings are $5 and bracelets and necklaces are $10. She also works lightning fast and ships very quickly. You can order Fierce Polish Jewelry at Nory's Etsy shop.

Disclosure: Some of the items in this post were provided to me for my honest review. Others were purchased by me. For more information, please see my disclosure policy.

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Pomegranate Nail Lacquer Midnight Satellite

I have one of Pomegranate Nail Lacquer's brand new colors to share with you today: Midnight Satellite! Midnight Satellite is a rich teal base strewn with shimmering silver glitter.



Just look at how gorgeous this is! The base color is to die-for and silver glitter really kicks it up a knotch. This is definitely a fall take on teal. There's something very sophisticated and luxe to me about this color; it reminds me a bit of malachite. The formula is divine and applies in two smooth coats.

I think Tina really has a winner on her hands with this fall collection. I can't wait to show you another polish from the collection later this weekend! You can purchase Pomegranate Nail Lacquer from the brand's official website.


Disclosure: This polish was provided to me for an honest review. For more information, please see my disclosure policy.

Glimmer by Erica Princess Disco

What's the only thing better than being a princess? Being a disco princess, of course!

Glimmer by Erica Princess Disco is a pink microglitter base filled with as many shapes and sizes of pink glitter as a girl could ever want, plus some silver square holo glitter to top it all off.



This is one coat of Princess Disco over Essie French Affair, a pastel pink creme. I love all the different shapes and tones of pink in Princess Disco. Any princess mani worth its salt has to have plenty of pink, right? :) The holo squares are a fun touch too and give this polish some extra dimension. I also got a lot of compliments on this mani! Isn't it always a little awkward though when you try to explain indie polish to strangers who aren't obsessed with nails? I feel like they're always staring at me like, "Surreee, crazy lady..." Oh well, more indies for us then, right?

You can purchase Glimmer by Erica at Erica's Etsy shop. I really can't recommend Erica's polishes highly enough. They're a pleasure to apply, very opaque and they look absolutely gorgeous on. If you're in the market for some new indie sparklies, give Glimmer by Erica a shot! I think you'll find a lot to love!


Disclosure: This polish was provided to me at a discount by the manufacturer. This in no way alters or influences the content of my review. For more information, please see my disclosure policy.

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

OPI Skyfall 007 Magnetic Sets & Pure Nail Lacquer Apps Preview

OPI has released preview pics of even more polishes that will be a part of their upcoming collaboration with the newest James Bond film, Skyfall! This is shaping up to be a huge collection and I can't wait to get a look at it in person!

If you missed the original preview featuring the bulk of the Skyfall Collection, you can check it out HERE. In addition to all those goodies, OPI will also be offering three magnetic polish sets and new Pure Nail Lacquer Apps. Take a look!




L to R on top of display: Nice Tux (silver and black glitter zig zag), Positively Shocking (glittery gold), Floating Dragon (bright red with black dragon design), Shaken Not Stirred (silver with martini glass print)
 
The magnetic sets will retail for $21.95 and the Pure Lacquer Nail Apps will sell for $14.95. They'll launch in October, along with the rest of the Skyfall Collection.
 
I was really disappointed to see the pricetag on the magnetic sets. Personally I think $21.95 is a lot for each set. I might be a buyer for somewhere around the $15 mark, but at this price, I'll pass. The Nail Apps look cool, but I change my polish too often to really make it worth the investment for me. I'm still extremely excited for the rest of the Skyfall polishes though!
 
What do you think of these latest additions to the Skyfall Collection? Will you be snatching these up?

Twinsie Tuesday: Orly Rock Solid

EDIT: Thanks to reader Dawn for pointing out that this polish is Orly Rock Solid, not Orly Stone Cold like I originally labelled it. D'oh! This is what happens when you write posts at 3 a.m.

This week's Twinsie Tuesday theme is a pretty unique one: a polish the same color as your car! When I was shopping for a new car about a year and a half ago, I specifically remember looking at the color selection booklet and saying, "I want any color except white or that Monterey Grey." Lo and behold, Monterey Grey was what they had in the model I wanted, so Monterey Grey is what I got. I like the car but the color's pretty blah. It's not terrible, but there's nothing exciting about it either. Here's an old mobile pic of my car, Lola. I can't be the only one out there who names their car, right? She's a 2012 Ford Fiesta.


I may not really like grey as a car color, but I love me some grey nail polish. So I decided to have a little fun with this theme and go with Orly Rock Solid. Rock Solid is a gunmetal foil with pieces of holographic glitter embedded in it. It came out as part of Orly's Mineral FX Collection, which automatically means it kicks ass! Obviously my car's paint doesn't have the holo glitter, although that would be totally rad.



 
Now that I look at pictures, I see that Rock Solid maybe isn't all that close to my car color. My car is more of a blue-based grey than a gunmetal grey. I probably should have gone with what I was originally thinking: OPI Suzi Skis In The Pyrenees. But I think Rock Solid is more fun, so at least there's that.
 
Although it may not be a perfect match to my car, Rock Solid is still an amazing polish. I used two coats for this mani. I love the shine and texture of it. It's got this great smoky look that's perfect for fall.
 
I can't wait to see everyone else's car this week! What was your very first car? Mine was a red 2003 Mini Cooper and I loved it to pieces!
 

Amanda at Amandalandish
Anna at Going to the Showing
Anne at Grape Fizz Nails
Ashley at Art Evolve
Brandi at The Collegiate Nail
ChiChi at I'm Just Me...ChiChi
Cordia at Seriously Swatched
Elizabeth at Did My Nails
Jenn at All That Is Gorgeous
Jenna at I'm Still Thinking...
Katherine at Haul of Fame
Maribeth at Obsessive Cosmetic Hoarders Unite!
Marisa at Polish Obsession
Meredith at Polish and Charms
Nory at Fierce Makeup and Nails
Rachel at Top Coat It
Sarah at See Sarah Swatch
Tara at Polishy of Truth

Sunday, September 23, 2012

Lynnderella Boy-Girl Party

How about a little Lynnderella to kick off your week? Lynnderella Boy-Girl Party is a clear base with various shapes and sizes of red, blue, purple and pink glitter, plus a dash of holo thrown in too. There are a ton of shapes in this polish, so I'm sure I'm leaving some out, but from what I can see, there's diamond, square, round, hex and bar glitter. This polish came highly recommended from my friend Tara over at Polishy of Truth. I'm so glad she convinced me to get it because it's such a fun polish!

For this mani, I layered Boy-Girl Party over Pixi Very Violet, a very red-leaning neon purple creme. Very Violet has become one of my favorite layering polishes (Darling Diva Raspberry Kami, anyone?) because it can lean more red or more purple depending on what you layer it with, which makes it pretty versatile. It always photographs way too pink-looking though. *sigh* Still, I don't have anything else like it in my stash and I love how it looks under Boy-Girl Party!




I do have one complaint about the formula for Boy-Girl Party: it has these pesky bar glitters in it that are prone to curling. The red bar glitter didn't give me any trouble, but for some reason it's the pink ones that kept wanting to curl and stick out, so I picked most of them off. I can stand a little grit from glitter, but I hate it when you get prickly glitter that snags and scratches because it sticks out so much.

The pros definitely outweigh the cons on this one though. Yes, Boy-Girl Party is a little tempermental and requires some extra attention while applying, but it's beautiful, so I think that makes it all worth it!

Friday, September 21, 2012

Zoya Ornate Holiday 2012 Preview

Zoya will be releasing six new shades this holiday season for their Ornate Collection. Take a look!

 
It's really hard to judge from this preview pic what the final products will be like, but so far I'm liking the look of Logan. Which polish is the standout in your book? 
 
Also, if you haven't already, take a peek at what OPI, China Glaze and Orly have in store for their holiday collections! Just click right on the brand name to be taken straight to the corresponding preview posts and get those holiday wishlists started!

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Glimmer by Erica I Heart You

After falling so in love with Muy Caliente, I couldn't wait to try my next Glimmer by Erica polish! I have two left to play with so this time I decided to give I Heart You a go. I Heart You is a clear base with various sizes of bright pink and blue glitter, plus, best of all, pink heart glitter! For this mani, I layered two coats of I Heart You over Sally Hansen Celeb City, a silver foil. Take a look!




Isn't this polish adorable? Next time I'm going to layer it over a soft pink creme for an ultra-feminine look, but I wanted a little bit of glam this time so I went with a metallic. I think I Heart You would go with just about anything!

Formula-wise, I Heart You is perfect. Erica's polishes have an excellent consistency to them. They aren't too thick and they apply very evenly with no fishing required, even for the pink hearts. I used to be pretty "meh" on heart glitter because I thought it could look a little juvenile sometimes. But I've really warmed up to it lately. It's actually a ton of fun and I Heart You is a perfect example of heart glitter done right!

You can purchase Glimmer by Erica from Erica's Etsy shop. I am absolutely head over heels for this brand. I want them ALL!


Disclosure: This polish was provided to me at a discount by the manufacturer. This in no way alters or influences the content of my review. For more information, please see my disclosure policy.

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Glue Basecoat For Easy Glitter Removal: Instructions, Tips & FAQ

Oh, the things we do for glitter... Right, girls?

True. So painfully true.

Luckily, as I'm sure by now many of you have heard by now, there's a new, easier way to take off your glitter polish: glue basecoat. It all began when Essence came out with a peel-off basecoat, which it turned out was basically just the same ingredients as craft glue, plus some water and preservatives. Remember the weird satisfaction of peeling dried glue off your hands as a little kid? Well this is pretty much the same idea: being able to peel off glitter nail polish all in one go! No scrubbing, no foil, no hassle!

I will try anything for easy glitter removal, so naturally I had to test this out for myself after hearing all the hype. After doing several manis with a glue basecoat, I wanted to share my results with you all, plus some tips in case you were curious to try it too! I'm happy to report that the glue basecoat really works and is the easiest method I've ever tried for glitter removal!

The ingredients are really simple--and dirt cheap too! All you need is some non-toxic glue and an empty polish bottle.

Like so.
 
I made sure to clean out the bottle really well by turning it upside down for a few hours and then swirling some acetone inside for good measure too. Then I squirted the glue inside the bottle until it was about 85% full. I added a bit of water to make the glue thinner and more workable, but this step is completely optional. I personally don't like working with thick bases, but everyone is different, so you can fill it all the way up with just glue if you prefer. If you do add water though, make sure you shake the bottle up afterwards to really mix it in good with your glue.

Then, simply apply the glue like you would a normal basecoat. Allow about 5 minutes to dry (5-10 if you didn't add water), then go ahead and paint your nails like usual. When you're ready to take your mani off however many days later, wedge in a cuticile stick or something similar and go to town peeling! It's oddly addicting! I always just peel the polish off in the shower. The glitter comes right off and you can usually get it all in one big piece too.

Now for the FAQ portion of this post:

Is it safe?
So long as you're using craft glue (check your labels--think Elmer's or something similar), then it's non-toxic. Children have been using this stuff in school for years with no ill effects. Heck, some of you probably ate Elmer's glue in elementary school--you know who you are. ;)

Does it damage your nails?
I haven't seen any negative impact on the strength or texture of my nails. If anything, it's made my nails and my cuticles happier because I'm not soaking them in acetone all the time! However, this does lead me to my next point, which is important...

Do I use a regular basecoat with a glue basecoat?
No. I've read some people saying you can if you really want to, but that it makes removal more difficult. Others have also said that pairing glue basecoats with some traditional basecoats (Orly Bonder, OPI Nail Envy, etc.) has caused the glue to pull up layers of their actual nail. So only use a glue basecoat on bare nails!

Is this basecoat waterproof? How well does it wear?
I've been able to shower and wash my hands as usual with the glue basecoat and the glue holds up just fine. I haven't noticed any significant differences in weartime or durability.

Hopefully this post has been helpful! I think this is a real game-changer for us glitterhounds. It's cheap, it's easy and it works! What's not to like? :) Happy polishing, ladies!

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Zoya FeiFei

FeiFei and I have a very complex relationship. In the bottle, FeiFei is seriously one of the most beautiful polishes I've ever seen. It looks like a swirling supernova of glitter, duochrome, shimmering metallic...basically everything I love in a polish.

On the nail, it's a smoky blue foil with multicolored shimmer and a very slight pink duochrome. I want to emphasize slight, because the amount of kick-ass metallic pink duochrome you see in the bottle is unfortunately not what you're going to get on your nails.  It reminds me of a smokier version of Zoya Crystal. FeiFei is still a pretty polish, but I feel like it falls short of the earth-shattering gorgeousness the bottle teases you with. Don't you hate it when that happens?!




Formula-wise, I found FeiFei a little goopy but still very workable. This is three coats. As for the polish itself, to be honest, I'm kind of underwhelmed. The shiny finish and multi-colored shimmer in FeiFei are pretty, but I still can't help longing for it to look the same as the bottle does. My friend told me she had the same issue with FeiFei but I got it anyways, because I'm stubborn like that.

What do you think of FeiFei? What was the last polish you were disappointed by?

Twinsie Tuesday: Rainbow Mani

Hello and welcome to another installment of Twinsie Tuesday! This week's theme is rainbow mani. I wanted to do some kind of creative twist on a rainbow mani, but given my serious limitations with nail art, I ultimately just settled on an all-neon rainbow.

The polishes I used were: China Glaze Surfin' For Boys, Spoiled by Wet N Wild Did I Dye It Too Blonde?, China Glaze I'm With The Lifeguard, China Glaze Frostbite and Studio M Grape Escape. I layered Did I Dye It Too Blonde? over Sally Hansen White On, because it's a complete and utter nightmare on its own. But I was surprised how much I really like it over white! I guess I do have a use for this polish after all!

I tried to take a traditional swatch pic and somehow jam my thumb into the frame, but it looked really awkward, so instead, please enjoy *queue Toy Story voice* THE CLAW.


I don't think this mani is really anything special, but at least I had fun putting the colors together! I also realized I don't own a true neon purple, which I was a bit shocked by. A collector's work is never done!

Check out the other TT blogs below to see what the rest of the girls came up with for their rainbow manis!


Amanda at Amandalandish
Anna at Going to the Showing
Anne at Grape Fizz Nails
Ashley at Art Evolve
Brandi at The Collegiate Nail
ChiChi at I'm Just Me...ChiChi
Cordia at Seriously Swatched
Elizabeth at Did My Nails
Jenn at All That Is Gorgeous
Jenna at I'm Still Thinking...
Katherine at Haul of Fame
Maribeth at Obsessive Cosmetic Hoarders Unite!
Marisa at Polish Obsession
Meredith at Polish and Charms
Nory at Fierce Makeup and Nails
Rachel at Top Coat It
Sarah at See Sarah Swatch
Tara at Polishy of Truth

Sunday, September 16, 2012

Lynnderella Golden Rules

Lynnderella Golden Rules is a super fun, super sparkly grab-bag of gold holographic glitter. There's just about every shape imaginable in here: hex, star, bar, heart, square, round, diamond--you name it! I had a blast discovering all the shapes as I painted my nails!

I debated for a while about what type of base to use for Golden Rules, but finally I settled on a super glam all-gold look, with Essie Good As Gold for my base. These are some serious diva nails! The overall vibe really reminds me of Beyonce for some reason. You'll definitely want to click to enlarge to fully appreciate the insane beauty of this polish!







I really cannot tell you how obsessed I am with this mani. You could probably tell by the big number of pictures I posted of it. I was super excited to try my first Lynnderella but also braced myself for the slight possibility that maybe I would come away disappointed. But sure enough, I fell for Golden Rules right away!

The formula is great, especially when you consider just how much glitter is in this baby. I did need to do a bit of placing for the large square and heart glitters just to make sure they weren't sticking too far out on the nail or lying in a funny position, but otherwise this polish applies very easily. I do, however, really recommend two coats of topcoat to smooth everything out and avoid any jagged edges from the bigger glitter pieces.

Between the glitter, the holo and all the shapes, Golden Rules packs some serious punch. I absolutely loooveee this polish! I could not stop staring at my hands. This is one of what I like to call "car crash polishes," where they're so gorgeous that you can't stop watching them flash and flicker in the light...even if you happen to be driving at the time. But we've all been there, right? ;)

OPI An Affair In Red Square

An Affair In Red Square was one of my very first OPIs. Sure, it's a beautifully bright red shimmer, but what really made me fall in love with it was the name. One of my majors in college was Russian Studies and I got the chance to visit Red Square during my study abroad in Russia. I got the polish before the study abroad, but it was already one of my life goals to someday see Red Square in person, particularly St. Basil's Cathedral. I'm pretty attached to this polish because the name brings up a lot of awesome memories, but sentimentality aside, it's still a gorgeous red!



The formula is great and covers in two coats. I love how vibrant and shiny this polish is. If I had to point out a flaw though, it'd be that in the bottle, you can see a little bit of golden shimmer peeking out but it doesn't translate at all onto the nail. Vanishing gold shimmer aside, I still think An Affair In Red Square is an absolute classic and a polish that no red lover should be without. I've only got two polishes from OPI's Russia Collection--this and the equally classic Russian Navy--but they're both special polishes in my stash!

Are there any polishes you have a sentimental attachment to?