Monday, October 29, 2012

Zoya: STORM!

How appropriate!

Here is one of the polishes from the brand new Zoya Ornate Collection for winter/holiday 2012. I wore this out to my cousin Alison's sweet 16 party. Her color theme was black/white/neons, so I thought this worked well!





I love how this ended up! I used three very thin coats of Storm, then Seche Vite topcoat. For the cute little bows, I used Cheeky stamping plate CH24 and Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear White On. For some extra sparkle, two coats of INM Northern Lights (which is probably the most awesome topcoat ever!) and voila! 

Grandma Colors!

Some polishes just remind you of grandma!

I will say I really liked this manicure. And then at work, one of our female patients, who is about 90 years old, comments that my polish is so similar to hers.... and it was!!!!

The comfort came when a co-worker pointed out my color was much more frosty/metallic than grandma's, and my accent nail definitely made a difference. You can decide!



My base is Sinful Colors Dancing Nails. I used two coats here. It went on super easy and smooth. For my accent nail, I layered Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Strobe Light. Yes, another holographic glitter! This one has a clear base with sparse light pink microglitter, and it is absolutely fabulous. I'm betting it would look great over almost any pink or red.

Can I just say for the record, I really really like Sinful Colors polishes. For the most part they have great formulas and the colors are pretty. And they are cheap as dirt!! Most of mine were bought during 99 cents sales at Walgreens. If you're looking for some standard, basic colors to build up your stash, try Sinful Colors! Regular price is $1.99, and they can be found at Walgreens and Rite Aid. 

Hurricane Sandy Post Day!

Happy Monday to all!! I apologize for my lack of posting lately, but I hope to try and make that up to you today and tomorrow! My job was closed due to this crazy Frankenstorm that is on it's way towards our area, so I will hopefully have a bunch of posts lined up soon for you(as long as my power stays on!)

First up I have a Zoya/Orly combo. It's really pretty and sparkly, which has fit my mood perfectly lately! 

Orly Angel Eyes layered over Zoya Song




I wish I had taken a picture of Song before adding the glitter. It was a perfect one coater, thick but not goopy at all. Very beautiful on it's own, it is from the Zoya Fall 2012 Diva Collection. Angel Eyes is a holographic glitter with very tiny blue glitters mixed in, and yes, my second picture is blurry on purpose to show off the holo! Its a great layering glitter, but if you wanted to, you could get it opaque in a few coats - the tiny blue glitter would definitely allow for that. This polish is from Orly's Winter 2012 Naughty or Nice Collection.

In other news, last week I got in the mail my Zoya Ornate Holiday 2012 collection!! I couldn't decide which of the 6 to get, so of course I caved, and bought the set of 6 for $48! I got one other polish as well, and with my order being over $50, I got a bunch of free goodies! Sugar body scrub, polish remover, and tons of color spoons! This was my first time ordering from Zoya directly, and I was beyond pleased with the experience! And on top of all that, shipping was free and fast! Stay tuned for some of those polishes later on today!

Sunday, October 21, 2012

Sunday Sales

Hello there!

I just have some quick sales and a swatch for you today!

CVS and Walgreens both have some sales you may wanna check out(10/21 - 10/27). Don't forget, you need each stores' card to get the sales prices!

CVS:
Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure polish - Buy One Get One Free
all other Sally Hansen polishes - Buy One Get One 50% off
Wet N Wild Spoiled - 2 for $3 

Walgreens
L'oreal cosmetics - Buy One Get One 50% off
Sinful Colors polishes- 99 cents
Sally Hansen Magnetic polish and Salon Effects strips $6.99
Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear - 2 for $5


Ulta:
Red Carpet Gel Manicure starter kit (with light) $74.99
OPI James Bond Skyfall collection $8.50 each; mini packs of 4 for $12.50
Ulta cosmetics - Buy Two Get One Free

China Glaze Ahoy!

I picked up this polish a while ago at Sally's and never tried it until yesterday! Ahoy! is from the Anchors Away spring 2011 collection, and I believe it has been incorporated into their main collection, along with a few others from that collection. For these pics I used two coats, probably should have done 3 to reduce the visible nail line. It's a pretty raspberry color with really small glass flecks, which adds a great dimension. I highly recommend this color! 

Saturday, October 20, 2012

Polish-Palooza!

Hello there! After another crazy week I finally have an update for you! First, a small rant. I ordered some "swatchsicles" on ebay almost 4 weeks ago and I still haven't gotten them!! Getting very anxious over here! On the other hand, yesterday I ordered the Zoya Ornate holiday collection, which I am positive I will get before my swatchsicles! Anyway... :)

I have a couple of my mani's from this week, and I also want to share with you some great things I bought this week, and a press release!


OPI You Only Live Twice


Really loving this color from the new James Bond Skyfall collection! I used two coats for these pictures. I'm wearing Barielle Purple Hearts on my accent nail. This color is very similar to OPI The One That Got Away.


Zoya Daul

This is a great duochrome, flashing between purple and gold depending on your angle. I used 3 thin coats of Daul, and BM-315 stamping plate for my accent nail.

OPI The World Is Not Enough
Another James Bond polish! I really like this one, a nice gray, but you can see pink and blue shimmer in it as well! Its really beautiful in person. 3 thin coats, and BM-322 for the accent nail.


And now onto this week's haul :)
I found this little holiday collection at my local beauty supply. I've seen online that this year's China Glaze holiday collection won't be available until November, so I absolutely had to pick this up when I saw it! There are 3 great glitters in this package - Pure Joy, Winter Holly, and Glitter All The Way. It also comes with an adorable pair of fingerless gloves to show off your manicure! I haven't had a chance to swatch these yet, but just looking at the bottles, Glitter All The Way is my favorite! It is all different colored glitters, and reminds me of a New Year's Eve party!


I picked up these Wet n Wild Fergie polishes at CVS, and they were buy 1 get 1 free! 
(left to right)
L.A. Pride,  New Years Kiss, Make Them Boys Go Loco, Flossy Flossy


Last up today I have for you a press release from Nicole by OPI!

Deck the Halls…Kardashian Style


Nicole by OPI Introduces Six NEW Kardashian Kolor Holiday Glitter and Shimmer Lacquers   


Nicole by OPI announces new, limited edition Kardashian Kolor Holiday lacquers for the holiday season! Featuring six shades infused with dazzling glitters and rich shimmer, these lacquers are the essential accessory for festive fingers and toes. From rich red, deep purple and brilliant teal to shimmery gold, sparkly sliver, and multi-toned blue glitter, these spectacular shades make the perfect gift or stocking stuffer. 
“Whether celebrating the holidays traditionally at home with the entire family or jet-setting the season away, the Kardashians spread cheer with glitz and glamour, starting with their nails!” declares Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, Nicole by OPI Executive VP & Artistic Director. “The six captivating Kardashian Kolor Holiday shades offer the perfect way to add lots of color to this joyous time of year. Wear vibrant red, purple and teal for a jewel-toned look, or glittery gold, silver, and blue glitter for a classic holiday sparkle – both important trends for the season.”
The new Kardashian Kolor Holiday nail lacquers from Nicole by OPI include:
Kardashing Through the Snow
Jingle all the way in this multi-hued glitter.

Here We Kome A-Karoling
This deep, grape purple will make your heart sing.

All is Glam, All is Bright
This rosy silver sparkle goes with everything.

Keeping Up with Santa
Deep. Rich. Red. Must be Santa. 

A Gold Winter’s Night
Baby, it’s warm inside….especially in this blue-flecked gold shimmer.

Deck the Dolls
Accessorize teal you drop!

Limited edition Kardashian Kolor Holiday shades will be available November 2012 for $7.99 each in the U.S. at select Target, KMart, ULTA, CVS, Meijer, Sears, Kroger, H-E-B, Duane Reade, Fred Meyer, Giant Eagle, Harmon, and Winn-Dixie locations.  In Canada, these lacquers will be retailed for $10.99 each in Shoppers Drug Mart, Loblaw, and Jean Coutu.
For more information, visit nicolebyopi.com. Follow Nicole by OPI on Twitter @NicoleByOPI and become a Facebook fan



I am ashamed to admit that I do not own any Nicole by OPI polishes as of yet, but I do plan on picking up a few from this collection! I really like A Gold Winter's Night and Kardashing Through the Snow! And the names are cute! Which NOPI colors are you looking forward to?

Monday, October 15, 2012

Blue Jelly Sandwich!

Hello hello!

It is a dreary, rainy, ugly kind of Monday. So I spiced it up a bit with a jelly sandwich! I haven't really perfected this technique yet, but it came out pretty cool looking anyway!

The jelly I used is China Glaze Ride the Waves. My glitter is Nails Inc Royal Arcade.

My layering went like this: jelly-jelly-glitter-jelly-glitter-jelly-top coat-top coat.


I really like the look of a jelly sandwich, and mine came out okay, even though you can't really tell from my pictures. 

By the way... Royal Arcade is a total glitterbomb and I love it! It's the only Nails Inc polish I own, because I find Sephora to be way overpriced in general, I only got it because I had a leftover giftcard. :)


One thing I did notice - I used Seche Vite topcoat, and the shrinkage happened SO fast! I finished my manicure around 9am, and by the time I got to work at 9:30, I was already noticing it. As I'm typing this post at 6:30pm, it looks like I've been wearing this polish for a week with extreme tipwear. I'm not sure if this is because of the jelly, or the glitter, or the combination of the two, but I'll have to try a different topcoat for my next sandwich.

Hope you like, see you tomorrow!

Sunday, October 14, 2012

Birthday Nails & Sunday Sales!

Hello hello! Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! I spent it celebrating my 26th birthday! A very good friend took me out to see my favorite cover band last night, and we had an unbelievable time! Right now I'm in recovery mode, so I'll just show you my nails from last night and highlight a few of this week's sales!

Last weekend I went to TJ Maxx, because I read somewhere that you can sometimes find Sation polish there. Well, I found no Sation... but I lucked out and found this little beauty instead! I've been lemming this probably since I started collecting, and I am beyond thrilled that I finally found it! And to make the find even better, it only cost $7.99 for a two-pack of OPI colors!

Swimsuit... Nailed it! is one of the most beautiful blues I've ever seen! Glass flecks, foil-like finish... just perfect! I used two coats for my pics. The first one went on only a tiny bit streaky, and evened out on the second. I needed a little bling for my birthday, so I put one quick coat of Essie Set in Stones on my ring fingers. 



And now for Sunday Sales... 

Sally Beauty and Ulta's ads are still current from my last post here, I believe Ulta runs through the end of this week. As always, Sally Beauty's ads are monthly.

After searching through all the ads for this week, there really isn't anything noteworthy, just one sale at Walgreens. Wet n Wild nail color is only 99 cents! The photo in the ad shows a Wild Shine polish, so I'm not sure if this sale includes the Fast Dry and Mega Last lines also. However, no 'exclusions' are stated, so hopefully it does include the other two lines! I only have one Mega Last polish in my stash, and I'd really like to get all the others... :)

Even though we seem to have a lack of sales this week, we are getting something special: Zoya Ornate Collection! You can check out the colors on Zoya's website here. They are available for pre-order now, ship date is actually tomorrow, October 15. I'm not 100% sure if that means they will also be released to stores this week, but if I find that out I'll let you know. I am really looking forward to this collection... I may have to buy all of them!! Has anyone placed their pre-orders? Which colors do you need to have?



Friday, October 12, 2012

OPI Skyfall Part 2!

Hello Friday! I am particularly excited about today, I took off work, and my birthday is tomorrow! Yay :D

So in my last post I previewed the OPI Skyfall collection and showed you Goldeneye. Today I have another polish from that line, and it is beautiful!!!

Tomorrow Never Dies is a gorgeous purple. There is a wonderful, very subtle shimmer going on, and I swear when I was applying it, there were teeny tiny blue shimmer bits hidden in there. I used two thin coats for these pics - the first one went on a bit streaky, but it evened out great on the second. My pics make the color seem more blue than it really is, but trust me... this is one of the prettiest purples I own.




 I wanted a really eye-catching accent nail, and I dug this great Five Below find out of my Helmer. Funky Fingers Mermaid Lagoon has three different types of glitter in it - tiny blue, slightly bigger magenta, and then these absolutely fantastic medium sized hex glitters that are... you guessed it... holo! 
I'm totally obsessed with anything holo right now, since I am a *new* collector of polish, the only holo stuff I have is glitter, I am anxiously patiently awaiting the arrival of the China Glaze collection due out next year! For now, here are a few blurry pics of Mermaid Lagoon... enjoy its glittery goodness :) :)



Wednesday, October 10, 2012

OPI James Bond Skyfall Collection!

Happy Hump Day!

Today I have for you the press release for OPI's brand new James Bond "Skyfall" Collection!


Bond…James Bond!

OPI Marks 50 Years of Bond 007 with Holiday Lacquers Inspired by Skyfall




            This holiday season, OPI celebrates the 50th Anniversary of a fellow world icon – James Bond – appearing in Skyfall. Starring Daniel Craig and Javier Bardem, this highly-anticipated twenty-third installment opens in theaters nationwide on November 9, 2012. 
Inspired by the film’s blend of glamour and danger, OPI launches Skyfall Collection, featuring twelve limited-edition nail lacquers for Holiday 2012. “OPI is thrilled to work with EON Productions to celebrate 50 years of the style, swagger and mystique associated with Bond 007,” said Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, OPI Executive VP & Artistic Director.  “From metallic and glitter finishes to jewel tones and even a jet black, these lacquers capture the film’s sophisticated and glamorous look.
“Watch for Bérénice Marlohe wearing two Skyfall Collection shades in the film,” adds Weiss-Fischmann. “With Skyfall, a rich maroon, painted on top of the nail and GoldenEye, a shimmering gold, painted on the undersides, Marlohe’s luxurious manicure will be the one to try this holiday season.”
The Skyfall Collection features six shades that play off the movie’s seductive theme, and another six that offer a more dangerous look, including:

GoldenEye
All eyes will be upon you when you wear this glorious gold.


The Spy Who Loved Me
A red as romantic as the secret agent inside you.


Die Another Day
Live in the moment in this hot and lively red.

Casino Royale
This high-rolling plum is fit for royalty.


You Only Live Twice
This rich high-shimmer magenta is a once-in-a-lifetime find.



Skyfall
Get Bonded with this magnificent maroon.



Moonraker
Drive your fastest car to get this exhilarating metallic grey.



Tomorrow Never Dies
This eternally intense purple will live forever.



The Living Daylights
This courageous multi-hued glitter sparkles 24/007.



On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
This misty-green pewter commands attention.



Live & Let Die
Burn the candles on both ends in this private jet black.



The World is Not Enough
This rosy silver is as addictive as it is beautiful.


As with all OPI nail lacquers, these shades inspired by Skyfall contain no DBP, Toluene, or Formaldehyde, and feature OPI’s exclusive ProWide Brush for the ultimate in application.
This limited edition promotion will be available beginning October 2012 at Professional Salons, including Beauty Brands, Beauty First, Chatters, Dillard’s, JCPenney, Pure Beauty, Regis, Trade Secret, and ULTA, for  $8.50 ($9.95 CAN) suggested retail for each Nail Lacquer.


Pretty awesome right!? I've already bought 3 of these (Goldeneye, You Only Live Twice, and Tomorrow Never Dies) and I think I may need a few more! Which ones do you have to have?

Today I wore Goldeneye and it was a huge hit! It went on super smooth, it is sheer, so I used 3 coats. I used Bundle Monster stamping plate BM-314 and Wet n Wild Black Creme for the design. Enjoy!







Monday, October 8, 2012

New York Yankees Playoff Mani!

For those of you who know me personally, you know I am a HUGE Yankees fan! Since they made the playoffs (again!) I wanted to celebrate with a mani! I am really loving the way this turned out!

I used 5 different polishes for this look. 

For my index and ring fingers, I started off with 2 coats of Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear White On. Then I used China Glaze First Mate and Cheeky stamping plate CH6 for the pinstripes. I used the smallest dotting tool I have to draw on the NY, also using First Mate, then topped them both with a coat of Sinful Colors Queen of Beauty (silver glitter).

My middle finger is 3 coats of OPI Crown Me Already! which I am oh so totally in love with! I found it at TJ Maxx in a two-pack! 

For my pinkie and thumb, I used two coats of First Mate, and layered on top one coat of Ulta Indigo-Go Girl




Here is a shot of my right hand. I reversed the thumb/pinkie and middle fingers. And since I haven't yet mastered freehanding with my left hand, no NY on this hand!


In other awesome Yankees news, about six weeks ago I got an email from MLB.com saying I had won a free Yankee jersey from a Facebook contest I had entered! I sent back all my info, and never heard back. I thought it was a scam. And then when I got home from work today, there was a package from MLB waiting for me... and look what was inside!!


GO YANKEES!!!