Friday, February 26, 2016

Deborah Lippmann Almost Paradise

I'm dying for spring to get here, but we keep getting snow! So I decided to channel some spring vibes with Deborah Lippmann Almost Paradise, the cutest pistachio creme. This came out as part of Deborah Lippmann's Footloose-inspired collection to celebrate the 2011 remake of the film, but I believe I picked it up a few years after that through Ebay. I was in the pit orchestra for my high school's production of Footloose (NERD, I know) so this polish brings back a lot of fun memories from that time.


If you're a fan of either the original or the remake, then you may notice this shade was inspired by the VW Beetle in both films. The formula is pretty much your standard pastel: a little streaky, but opaque in three coats. Sorry again for the jank cuticles. I dunno what is going on with them lately, you guys! I think it's this cold and windy weather.

I love this color. It brings me to a happy place of lying out in the grass with a good book and the sun shining down. If you can still track it down on Ebay or through a blog sale, I recommend it! Alternatively, DL did another shade for her spring 2014 collection called Spring Buds that is quite similar.

Thursday, February 25, 2016

OPI Show Us Your Tips!

For my money, this is the best polish from the New Orleans Collection. I had to have it for the name alone, but the color itself is pretty fan-freaking-tastic. Take a look at this beautiful periwinkle shimmer!

Sunlight:
 Shade:


Please ignore my dry-ass cuticles. Anywho, the formula on this was disappointly streaky. The consistency itself is really easy to work with, so it's got that going for it, but it took three-and on a couple nails, four--coats to build up opacity and cover some bald patches. It wasn't a bad formula overall, just finicky.

I picked up two polishes from the OPI New Orleans Collection (this and Humidi-tea), but my wallet was greatful for the reduced haulage after snagging all of the Hello Kitty Collection. What's on your list from this set?

Saturday, February 20, 2016

OPI Look At My Bow!

Hey guys! Sorry for the lack of posts the past few days. I was battling a nasty stomach bug for most of the week, so I wasn't in the mood to blog or paint my nails. But I'm pullin' one from my backlog for you today, with OPI Look At My Bow! This is a cute bubblegum pink creme from the Hello Kitty Collection.


This has got a nice 'n easy formula. Above is two coats.

Like a lot of the Hello Kitty shades, this isn't a color we haven't seen before from other brands, but it's very well-executed for what it is and definitely worth picking up if you don't already have a similar shade in your collection--or if you're like me and just nuts for all things Hello Kitty. :) If you'd like to see more of Look At My Bow!, take a gander at this past Twinsie Tuesday post, where I used it as a base for glitter.

Wednesday, February 17, 2016

Butter London Stroppy

It's been a while since I've featured a BL polish on here. I used to be obsessed with the brand but they seem to be emphasizing their foray into makeup much more than their polish lately. But I had an urge to wear some purple polish over the weekend, so I pulled this one out of my untrieds.

Stroppy is a purple shimmer with a slight pink color shift. The shift looks very intense in the bottle (you can even see some gold in there too) but is considerably more subtle on the nail. I won't lie, it was super disappointing, but when you consider Stroppy for what it actually is instead of what the bottle teases, it's still very pretty. It has beautiful red flecks that helps make up for the lack of shifty goodness.




The formula was average--nothing much to report. I used three coats here.

Would this polish be even prettier with that fantastic color shift? Of course! I hate vanishing shimmers and shifters. But it's still a lovely purple, so long as you know what to expect.

Tuesday, February 16, 2016

Twinsie Tuesday: Essie Hot Coco

This week's TT has us doing coffee-inspired manis. Personally, I'm not a coffee fan. I don't like the taste and it hurts my stomach. I'm much more of a tea drinker. I'm also not much a fan of brown polish, which is what this prompt made me think of. However, one of the few browns I really like is, coincidentally, named after another beverage (and one that I love): Essie Hot Coco. This color could pass as coffee with creamer, yes?


Hot Coco is so creamy and cool-toned that is almost verges into taupe territory. I think that's one of the things I like best about it is how it straddles the line between the two shades. I wear Hot Coco often during the cold weather months. Something about it just seems so cozy to me! I received this beautiful brown from the lovely Rach over at Stuff I Swatched, so a huge thank you goes out to her! :)

So that's my coffee/quasi-hot chocolate-inspired mani, hahaha. Hope you enjoyed and be sure to take a look at what my fellow Twinsies are up to this week!

Alaina at The Little Canvas

Amanda at Amandalandish

Amanda at Fashion Footing

Amber at Nails Like Lace

Bridget at A Painted Nail

Chelsea at Nailed Blog


Claire at Kerruticles

Jessica at Blue Velvet Lacquer


Marisa at Polish Obsession

Marisa at Polish Those Nails


Róisín at Cuti-CLUE-les


Savannah at Addicted to Polish

Sharon at Behind Green Eyes


Wednesday, February 10, 2016

Essie Resort 2016 Preview

You guys seem to love the Essie resort collections. Year after year, they're consistently one of my most popular preview posts, even more so than some of the major OPI releases. They're a favorite of mine as well.

So without further ado, let's take a look at this year's colors! For 2016, Essie is taking us on holiday to India with four new shades.

Nama-Stay The Night

 
Going Guru

 
Delhi Dance

 
Taj-Ma-Haul

 

 

Essie's bright blues are serious business (check out Strut Your Stuff if you need further convincing) so I've definitely got my eye on Nama-Stay The Night. I'm liking the look of Going Guru, but I'm pretty sure I'll have a dupe for it already. :-/ 

I was pretty disappointed by the preview pics for Essie's spring polishes, but I think this is a step in the right direction. I'm not sure of an in-store date for these, but I'd guess we'll see them in late March or early April.

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

Twinsie Tuesday: LynBDesigns Benedict

We're doing a romantic theme this week, so I decided to bust out the heart glitter! I actually only have one polish in my stash that prominently features heart glitter and that's LynBDesigns Benedict. Benedict is a glitterbomb with small blue and holographic silver glitters and then of course the aforementioned hearts in shades of holographic blue, silver and red. I layered Benedict over OPI Look At My Bow!, a bubblegum pink.


Benedict is a cute polish, but I honestly feel like the glitter is too dense. I usually can't get enough glitter, but since this is designed to be a layering glitter, I think the overall look would benefit from allowing the base polish to peek through more. I wiped down my brush for each nail and I still felt like I was getting a ton of glitter each time. The end result can get a little crowded-looking--and this is with only one coat of Benedict. Oddly enough, I really had to fish for the heart glitters. There's so much small glitter that they get kind of buried.

I guess what I'm trying to say is I like it, but I don't love it. Anything with glitter is never a total loss. ;)

Alaina at The Little Canvas

Amanda at Amandalandish

Amanda at Fashion Footing

Amber at Nails Like Lace

Bridget at A Painted Nail

Chelsea at Nailed Blog


Claire at Kerruticles

Jessica at Blue Velvet Lacquer


Marisa at Polish Obsession

Marisa at Polish Those Nails

Róisín at Cuti-CLUE-les


Savannah at Addicted to Polish

Sharon at Behind Green Eyes


Monday, February 8, 2016

OPI Let's Be Friends!

OPI Let's Be Friends! is a porcelain pink creme from the Hello Kitty Collection. If you're on the hunt for that perfect ballerina pink, this is the polish for you! It's not the most mind-blowingly original color out there, but maaannnn, it's pretty.



The formula is sorta goopy. It's not terrible, but you might need to do some extra finagling when applying. I think the end result is worth it though, because the color looks so crisp and clean on. I can see myself wearing this one a lot this spring!

Sunday, February 7, 2016

OPI New Orleans Spring 2016 Preview

I did a sneak peek on this collection a while back and now that we've got all of the official names and such, here's a full-fledged preview post, as promised!

OPI-Spring-Summer-2016-New-Orleans-Collection
Top row, L to R: Let Me Bayou A Drink, Humidi-tea, Show Us Your Tips, Rich Girls and Po Boys, Take A Right On Bourbon
Bottom row, L to R: Crawfishin' For A Compliment, Got Myself Into A Jambalaya, She's A Bad Muffaletta, Spare Me A French Quarter, I Manicure For Beads, Suzi Nails New Orleans

OPI-Spring-Summer-2016-New-Orleans

I like this collection quite a bit. I'll be needing Show Us Your Tips (that name!) and Humidi-tea, at the very least. I expect we'll be seeing this collection in stores very shortly, so start budgeting for it! ;)


Saturday, February 6, 2016

January Empties & Mini-Reviews


IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Pores Finishing Powder: This is the jumbo size of Bye Bye Pores and it took me foreeevvverrr to finish. Not that I minded; it's one of the very best finishing powders I've ever used. After I used this up, I tried using some Dermablend Setting Powder I had sitting around from before I used BBP and there's just no comparison. BBP is so finely milled and mattifying, yet it never looks powdery or heavy. It keeps shine down all day and smooths out the skin flawlessly. I went out and bought another container of BBP after only a few days with the Dermablend.

Urban Decay Primer Potion: Holy shit, I finished an eye primer! Yes, it's a mini that probably came with a palette, but even one these seems like a lifetime supply! This is my HG shadow primer.

Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment: This is a nice lip balm but honestly with how much hype it gets (not to mention how pricey it is), I expected more. It's not bad at all, but I didn't think it was anything to write home about. I prefer the Jack Black lip balms any day.

Deborah Lippmann Gel Lab Top Coat: I've written of my love for Gel Lab many times. You can read my full review HERE. The review is on the old formula but I've tried the new Gel Lab Pro and it's even more fantastic!

Pur Minerals Big Blink Mascara: I've gone through a couple tubes of this now and I think it's woefully underrated. It reminds me a lot of Benefit They're Real. You get very nice volume from Big Blink, without any clumping. Plus it has argan oil in it to help condition your lashes.

Urban Decay Subversion Mascara Primer: I had to force myself to get rid of this, because I've been continuing to use it way past its prime. This is one of the best mascara primers I've tried so far. I can totally see a difference in how thick my lashes look when I use it and it really helps you get the most "oomph" out of your favorite mascara. My only complaint is I wish it went on black instead of white, but otherwise this is some good stuff!

Philosophy Purity Made Simple (2 deluxe sample sizes): Another Nailed HG! You can read my full review HERE.

Anastasia Brow Wiz in Dark Brown: Seriously, how many HG products did I run out of this month?! I love Brow Wiz because of how much control the fine tip gives you and the amount of "give" with this pencil is just right--not so stiff that it feels waxy it not so creamy that you apply too much. I also appreciate the included spookiest on the other end. (There's usually scrap over it but I lost mine somewhere.) The hype for this product is SO well-deserved. I already had a back-up ready and waiting in the wings so I wouldn't have to go without my Brow Wiz!

Tony Moly I'm Real Avocado Sheet Mask: I've purchased this mask a few times now and I think it may be my favorite of the I'm Real line. I'm a big fan of sheet masks in general for how handy they are as a travel buddy or a quick fix. This is great for when your skin is dehydrated or dull-looking. It provides a nice dose of hydration and nourishment to help put your complexion back on the right track.

First Aid Beauty Vitamin Hydrating Mist: If you're a fan of facial mists and you haven't tried this one yet, definitely give it a look. I loved how refreshing it felt on my skin and the citrus smell is to die for! I used it primarily as a makeup setting spray and it looks so pretty and dewy over makeup. I wish they made larger sizes of this because I went through the 2 oz bottle pretty quickly.

No7 Beautiful Skin Quick Thinking Wipes: I only keep face wipes around in case of a night where I'm absolutely too tired to do my whole skincare routine. I'm acne-prone and my skin does NOT appreciate it when it's denied all its usual washes and serums and creams. These No7 wipes are some of the only ones that don't irritate my sensitive skin. (The Neutrogena, Yes To Cucumbers and elf ones all made my face  burn, especially the Neutrogena.) I try to use these very, very sparingly so the last few wipes are usually sort of dried up by the time I get to them, which is a little annoying. But I like that these don't enrage my skin like so many other wipes. I recently got a Make Up Eraser and I'm seriously impressed with it so I think that'll be filling my "face wipe" role for the foreseeable future, otherwise I'd get another pack of these.

Bath & Body Works Warm Vanilla Sugar Bubble Bath: I love baths. I love vanilla-scented things. It's pretty self-explanatory why I got this. I love the Bath & Body Works bubble baths. They're strongly fragranced and produce tons of long-lasting bubbles.

Simple Micellar Water: Meh. I wanted to try this after reading so many positive blog reviews. I thought it'd be a good alternative to using face wipes, but it actually took way longer to remove all my makeup and didn't make my face feel any cleaner than the wipes. It would take several cotton large pads saturated with Micellar water to do what one wipe did. I wouldn't mind that if it made my skin feel more thoroughly cleansed, but it didn't. I resorted to using this as an eye makeup remover so that I wouldn't waste this whole bottle and while it worked adequately well for that, I was disappointed by this product overall.

Tony Moly Angel Glow Ring Hair Mask: This mask contains both a cream solution to put on your hair and a hair cap to put on over the mask. It's supposed to make your hair soft and shiny. I'll get to whether or not it did that in a second, but before I go any further, HOLY SHIT THIS BURNS. I am a bleach blonde so I've got a pretty high threshold for stuff irritating my scalp, but a few minutes after I put the cap on, I started to notice a weird tingling sensation. This quickly developed into a full-on burning feel, to the point that I had to rinse the mask out sooner than I would have liked. I was not prepared for how intense it felt and I have no idea if my reaction is a normal one, but I was not about to risk a chemical burn on my scalp. That said, my hair looked and felt ridiculously silky after this mask, but I would be too scared to ever try it again.

Wow, that's one looooonnnggg empties post! So I won't drag it on any longer. :) If you've tried any of the products I finished this month, I'd love to hear your thoughts on them!

Wednesday, February 3, 2016

Essie Spring 2016 Preview

I'd thought Essie's Retro Revival set (where they brought back popular shades from past years) would be their spring collection, but I shoulda known better. We're getting a proper release of six all-new shades too!

Essie 6 pc Essie Spring 2016 Collection
L to R: High Class Affair, Lounge Lover, Sunshine State Of Mind, Poolside Service, Off Tropic, Shade On

Eh, I feel like we've seen all of these colors from Essie before, several times over. Essie's spring releases tend to be my favorite from the brand each year, but this one just isn't doing it for me. Here's hoping this year's resort collection looks better!

Formula X Nude For You

Let's take a break from all the OPI Hello Kitty swatches to try something new, shall we? Today I thought I'd share my very first time trying a Formula X polish! This one is from their new collab with Aimee Song. I'll be real with y'all: I have zero idea who Aimee Song is. A fashion blogger, I think? That's the impression I got from the in-store display for this collection. But whoever she is, I am indebted to her for creating what is possibly my most perfect nude polish...ever!

Nude For You is a gorgeous, almond-y nude creme with the most amazing formula. All my fellow pale princesses out there, this one is going to look bangin' on you!

  Sorry for the green in the background; that's my coat!
And then a shot in the direct sunlight. You can really see how almond-toned this polish is here.

As I mentioned above, the formula on this is to die for. All it needs is one coat! I'm super impressed with how buttery and opaque it is. Expect to see some more Formula X on here Going forward because I was seriously feeling this polish!

Tuesday, February 2, 2016

Twinsie Tuesday: Mix and Match

The theme mix and match is pretty broad, so I tried to pick several polishes with different finishes in colors that I thought would be kind of unexpected and edgy together. That was the idea anyways. Instead, I think they just came out...well, I don't wanna go so far as to say ugly, but...it wasn't quite what I was going for. See and judge for yourself.


Index and pinky fingers: OPI DS Coronation
Middle finger: OPI Did It On 'Em with KBShimmer nail vinyls
Ring finger: OPI Metallic 4 Life
Thumb: Illamasqua Scorch with KBShimmer nail vinyls

The nail vinyls are by far my favorite part of this mani. They're a great nail art cheat--super easy and fast--and I love the variety of designs KBShimmer has to choose from. My main issue is with Did It On 'Em. I thought it'd be an interesting pop of color but it seems like it threw off the cohesiveness of the rest of the mani.

Anyways, I'm overanalyzing this. This mani had some hits and some misses, but I guess that's the nature of mix and match! ;)

Alaina at The Little Canvas

Amanda at Amandalandish

Amanda at Fashion Footing

Amber at Nails Like Lace

Bridget at A Painted Nail

Chelsea at Nailed Blog


Claire at Kerruticles

Jessica at Blue Velvet Lacquer


Marisa at Polish Obsession

Marisa at Polish Those Nails

Róisín at Cuti-CLUE-les


Savannah at Addicted to Polish

Sharon at Behind Green Eyes