Sunday, June 30, 2013

Spoiled Are Mermaids Real? Swatch And Review

Hello dears!  How is your weekend going?  Have you managed to stay cool in this heat?  We didn't do much today during the day, but towards evening we went down to the OC and did some grocery shopping and went out to eat for some Hue food.  I did manage to sneak into Skylark Nail Supply where I picked up some new Essies and some older ChG.  It's not my favorite of the nail supplies down there because the selection isn't great, but it's open the latest.

Tonight I have Spoiled by Wet N Wild to show you, a gorgeous blue based purple jelly with tons of gold shimmer and flakes embedded within.  It's slightly sheer, but I think that's a benefit because it builds up the density of the gold shimmer quite nicely.  I could have gotten away with three coats but used four in these pics.

Spoiled Are Mermaids Real?
Spoiled Are Mermaids Real?

Spoiled Are Mermaids Real?
Spoiled Are Mermaids Real?

Spoiled Are Mermaids Real?
Spoiled Are Mermaids Real?

Spoiled Are Mermaids Real?
Spoiled Are Mermaids Real?

Spoiled Are Mermaids Real?
Spoiled Are Mermaids Real?

Spoiled Are Mermaids Real?
Spoiled Are Mermaids Real?

Don't you just love that gold?  The gold makes it perfect to wear in the sunshine.  This reminds me of a purple version of Zoya Faye and OPI Rally Pretty Pink.  If I could have this gold in every color base under the rainbow, I'd be a happy girl!  Do you know of any other colors that have this kind of shimmer in it?

Friday, June 28, 2013

Color Club Abyss Swatch And Review with Lynnderella Connect The Dots

Thank goodness it's the weekend!  I'm exhausted from my first full time week back at work.  I fell asleep early each night this week and didn't get a chance to post as much as I wanted to.  This weekend there's a million and one things I want to do again - there's a food truck festival at the Rose Bowl, a sample sale, and then my mother wants to take another trip down to OC.  I'm not sure that I'll get to do all of what I want to do, but there's always another weekend I suppose!  Is your weekend jam packed?

I visited my favorite nail supply with my BFF when she was in town, and she convinced me I needed to pick up Abyss from Color Club's Kaleidoscope Spring collection.  It didn't take much convincing because it's a gorgeous green leaning teal cream that simple pops with color.  I found application to be a dream, nearly opaque in one coat but two to even it out.  This is with a layer of Poshe.

Color Club Abyss
Color Club Abyss

Color Club Abyss
Color Club Abyss

Color Club Abyss
Color Club Abyss

Color Club Abyss
Color Club Abyss

Color Club Abyss
Color Club Abyss
I hope I captured how gorgeous this color this is, teals are always wonky on the camera.  I thought it would be the perfect shade to go with Lynnderella Connect The Dots, an oldie but goodie.  I forgot that there was shimmer in the clear base.

Color Club Abyss With Lynnderella Connect The Dots
Color Club Abyss With Lynnderella Connect The Dots

Color Club Abyss With Lynnderella Connect The Dots
Color Club Abyss With Lynnderella Connect The Dots

Color Club Abyss With Lynnderella Connect The Dots
Color Club Abyss With Lynnderella Connect The Dots

Color Club Abyss With Lynnderella Connect The Dots
Color Club Abyss With Lynnderella Connect The Dots
It's no wonder that Lynnderella revolutionized the polish world with this amazing mix of matte white and black glitters with squares(!), hexes, and bars.  There's been several similar dupes released since, but nothing compares to the simple awesomeness of this glitter topper.  Is there a glitter topper that you'll never get tired of?

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Walgreens Friends And Family Haul and Super Walgreens Review

No swatch post tonight - instead I've decided to post my haul from today's Walgreen's Friends and Family sale.  It was a one day sale that allowed 15% off all items, including sale items.  Normally I wouldn't rush out for this sale, but it coincides with the Sinful Colors 2 for $3 dollar deal plus 500 points(which is $1 value).  I'd been meaning to check out the new super Walgreens on the corner of Vine and Sunset, so this was the perfect opportunity.  From what I understand, there are only a few Walgreens in the country that have a super set-up, and that includes boutique cosmetics by brands such as The Balm, Pop, and Cargo, as well as an extended deli, sushi bar, froyo, and wines/liquor.  I've been to the super Duane Reade's in NYC but never thought the concept would extend to the west coast.  Imagine my excitement when this Walgreens opened up last fall.

On to the pics!  Here are some pics of the boutique nail lacquer displays.

Room view

GOSH Cosmetics

GOSH Nail lacquer closeup

Pop Beauty
The Balm
 I just realized that I should have taken some pics of the deli and froyo section, but aside from it being fairly large and uncommon inside a Walgreens, it wasn't anything special and bordered on being a slight upgrade from a 7-Eleven.

Of note, I was particularly excited about the GOSH cosmetics but after seeing the colors in the display, I was really underwhelmed by the colors.  Most were dupe-able creams, and although there were a few LEs, those looked dupe-able as well.  The only stand-out was Galaxy but I already own that.  I ended up getting only one GOSH LE shade in a dark wine color, a shade that I think is under represented in my collection.

I was pleased to see four Sinful Colors displays, but then realized that they all had similar colors in the same display.  I only purchased four Sinful Colors and then used two $1 off coupons to purchase two L'Oreal polishes that were buy 1 get 1 half off.  With my bottle of GOSH, priced at $7.50, and a Herbal Essence Shampoo marked down to $2.20, I paid about $22 all together.

Here's a pic of my haul, sorry for the blurriness!  There's a bottle missing too.  Oops.  I guess it'll help build suspense for future posts!

My blurry pic of tonight's haul
Overall, it was an interesting visit to the super Walgreens but I'll probably never go back, unless GOSH releases some uber cool LEs.  I'll stick to going to the two regular Walgreens just a few blocks away from my house.  Oh, and don't try the froyo.  It's terrible!

NerdLacquer Crunchy Frog Swatch And Review

Does anyone have XBox Live?  I found out a nifty little trick today when you need to renew.  If your membership expires there's a way to extend it for $2 for 2 months.  I was under the impression that you had to purchase a new Gold card but instead, log onto your expired Microsoft account and it will give you the option to renew for the $2 price.  After you renew, make sure you turn off the automatic renewal so you can sign up again for $2 once it expires again.  Can't beat $1 a month!  One dollah, make you holla!  I also do this with Amazon Mom all the time - they always offer free 3 month trials and I re-register each time under a different email or through my DH.  It's a great way of getting the perks without having to pay $79 a year!  Just make sure you use a different credit card at least every other trial period and that the automatic renewal is turned off.

If you haven't heard the bittersweet news, Amanda from NerdLacquer is back with a new collection that was released a couple days ago. I'm sad to hear about her recent losses, and can only applaud her courage to continue on at full force.  In anticipation of the new collection arriving, I have Crunchy Frog, a pretty mix of silver and green hex glitters in a shimmery brown jelly base.  There's also a sprinkling of green squares in there, making it a metallic version of earth shades in a bottle.  I had no difficulty with application and formula, and used two coats in these pics. There's still a little VNL on camera but not to the naked eye.  This is finished with a layer of Essence Gel Look topcoat.

NerdLacquer Crunchy Frog
NerdLacquer Crunchy Frog

NerdLacquer Crunchy Frog
NerdLacquer Crunchy Frog

NerdLacquer Crunchy Frog
NerdLacquer Crunchy Frog

NerdLacquer Crunchy Frog
NerdLacquer Crunchy Frog

NerdLacquer Crunchy Frog
NerdLacquer Crunchy Frog
I think this is such a unique combination of colors, and a perfect shade for fall, if not year round.  I really love those green squares most of all.  Did you manage to snag any polishes during Amanda's last restock?

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Julie G Frost Gumdrops Sugar High Swatch And Review

Happy Tuesday!  My brother finished his visit with us today and flew up to Reno for work.  With him he took a souvenir that my father had purchased in Singapore - to be honest, it was a really gaudy and obnoxious gold statue that flashed red and blue led lights and sang a Singapore jingle that was painful to hear.  I was glad he took it out of my house, despite how well it entertained LO.  Unfortunately, he caused a commotion at the airport when security saw it in the x-ray scanner.  They thought it was a gun and swarmed the luggage.  Once they saw what it was, one of them actually liked it so my brother gave it to him.  Good riddance!

Today I have a texture polish for you by Julie G called Sugar High from the Frosted Gumdrops collection that was released this spring.  This was the polish that sparked my interest in all colors orange or coral, colors that I previously avoided like the plague.  It's a an orange based sparkly sand finish with gold flecks spread throughout.  I really love the combination of orange and gold together and think it's the perfect shade for summer.  Formula was easy peasey, it took only two coats for opacity and didn't take very long to dry at all.

Julie G Frost Gumdrops Sugar High
Julie G Frost Gumdrops Sugar High

Julie G Frost Gumdrops Sugar High
Julie G Frost Gumdrops Sugar High

Julie G Frost Gumdrops Sugar High
Julie G Frost Gumdrops Sugar High

Julie G Frost Gumdrops Sugar High
Julie G Frost Gumdrops Sugar High

Julie G Frost Gumdrops Sugar High
Julie G Frost Gumdrops Sugar High
Look at all those pretty flecks!  There seems to be hints of pink in there too, which gives the sand finish even more depth.  Love!  I know there are a some similar dupes out there by OPI and Zoya, but for the price of about $4, it's worth it.  If you get a chance to pick this or one of its dupes up, definitely get it.  You won't regret it!

Monday, June 24, 2013

Smitten Polish Wicked, Tricksy, False Swatch And Review

It's going to be Monday and I'm hoping that it will fly by quickly.  Mondays are always the hardest to get through when you're at work.  Hopefully I'll get a little time during my lunch break to take a nice walk and enjoy the outdoors.

I was in the mood for some purple tonight and pulled out one of my untrieds by Smitten Polish.  This is Wicked, Tricksy, False, a release from last year's Halloween collection that is now a core polish color.  It's a sheer grey jelly with multisized hexes and squares of purple and red suspended within.  Formula was slightly thick but workable, and I had no issues with balding or dragging of the glitters.  I used three coats in these pics topped with a layer of Essence Gel Look Nails.

Smitten Polish Wicked, Tricksy, False
Smitten Polish Wicked, Tricksy, False

Smitten Polish Wicked, Tricksy, False
Smitten Polish Wicked, Tricksy, False

Smitten Polish Wicked, Tricksy, False
Smitten Polish Wicked, Tricksy, False

Smitten Polish Wicked, Tricksy, False
Smitten Polish Wicked, Tricksy, False

Smitten Polish Wicked, Tricksy, False
Smitten Polish Wicked, Tricksy, False
Hmmm... I wasn't in love with the charcoal jelly base so I decided to layer it over Sinful Colors Shock And Awe, in hopes that it would tone down the brightness of the blurple and give it more of a purple hue.  This is two coats of Wicked, Tricksy, False over two coats of Shock And Awe.

Smitten Polish Wicked, Tricksy, False Over Sinful Colors Shock And Awe
Smitten Polish Wicked, Tricksy, False Over Sinful Colors Shock And Awe

Smitten Polish Wicked, Tricksy, False Over Sinful Colors Shock And Awe
Smitten Polish Wicked, Tricksy, False Over Sinful Colors Shock And Awe

Smitten Polish Wicked, Tricksy, False Over Sinful Colors Shock And Awe
Smitten Polish Wicked, Tricksy, False Over Sinful Colors Shock And Awe

Smitten Polish Wicked, Tricksy, False Over Sinful Colors Shock And Awe
Smitten Polish Wicked, Tricksy, False Over Sinful Colors Shock And Awe

Smitten Polish Wicked, Tricksy, False Over Sinful Colors Shock And Awe
Smitten Polish Wicked, Tricksy, False Over Sinful Colors Shock And Awe
Yum!  I love that layering combination, Wicked, Tricksy, False totally turns that blurple base into a dark purple and it makes the red glitters pop against the purple.  Don't get me wrong, I totally love Wicked, Tricksy, False alone - the charcoal jelly base is a great smokey base for the glitters.  Tonight, however, I really was in the mood for purple and this combination hit the spot.  Which way do you like Wicked, Tricksy, False?

Sunday, June 23, 2013

Sinful Colors Lavander and Shock And Awe Swatch And Review

Happy belated Summer Solstice!  I hope you're enjoying the longest days of the year this weekend!  I have my brother and mother visiting so I've been busy running around town with them.  It's always great to have family visit.

I found some of the new Sinful Colors polishes to show you - first is Lavander, a nice dusty lavender cream.  Opaque in two coats with a wonderful formula and easy application.  No topcoat in this pic.

Sinful Colors Lavander
Sinful Colors Lavander

Sinful Colors Lavander
Sinful Colors Lavander

Sinful Colors Lavander
Sinful Colors Lavander

Sinful Colors Lavander
Sinful Colors Lavander

Sinful Colors Lavander
Sinful Colors Lavander




This color I found at Target and I believe it's exclusive to them.  It's called Shock And Awe and it's a neon blurple cream.  Nearly opaque in one coat, however I did two hasty coats here.  Super easy application and great formula once again.  There is a topcoat of Poshe in this pics.  First pic is the auto white balance setting on my camera but it made the color look much more blue than it actually is.  The rest are more color accurate despite my skin look off-color.

Sinful Colors Shock And Awe
Sinful Colors Shock And Awe

Sinful Colors Shock And Awe
Sinful Colors Shock And Awe

Sinful Colors Shock And Awe
Sinful Colors Shock And Awe

Sinful Colors Shock And Awe
Sinful Colors Shock And Awe
Each time I use Sinful Colors I find that I love them more and more, more so than OPI and China Glaze.  I'm really considering switching to that brand for my regular staple colors.  How do you think Sinful Colors compares to more costly polishes on the market?