Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Pahlish El Topo Petit Swatch And Review

Hey there! How's you week going?  Mine has been interesting to say the least.  My car is in the autobody shop and my in-laws are still in town.  Luckily, I have LO's birthday party to look forward to at the end of the week, so I've got some light at the end of the long tunnel!

I've got a lovely neutral for you today, and that's Pahlish El Topo Petit, a dark taupey cream with a ton of red microglitter.  The formula was smooth and creamy, and applied with easy fluidity across the nail.  I used two lovely coats and had no issues with pooling or streaking and the microglitter dispersed itself equally throughout.  I finished with a layer of topcoat for added shine.

Pahlish El Topo Petit
Pahlish El Topo Petit

Pahlish El Topo Petit
Pahlish El Topo Petit

Pahlish El Topo Petit
Pahlish El Topo Petit

Pahlish El Topo Petit
Pahlish El Topo Petit
The microglitter is easily visible and doesn't get swallowed up by the dark base, and comes off as a beautiful red shimmer.  There's something incredibly sexy about a work appropriate neutral with a pop of vibrant red shimmer.   I feel like I can wear this easily at a business meeting and look professional, but then there's that quiet shimmer that hints at my inner vixen.  There's not too many neutrals out there that have qualities like this, and given that it's a product of Pahlish, I'm not surprised.  Shannon is brilliant and her easily wearable polishes can be found in her Big Cartel shop.  Make sure to stop by and give them a gander!

Thursday, July 24, 2014

Pretty & Polished Pieces Of You Swatch And Review


Hooray for Fridays!  I feel like today is going to be a really long day, considering all the craziness that I have going on at work.  I'm hoping to have a fun and relaxing weekend to make up for it!  Do you have any plans for the weekend?

I have a really interesting polish for you today, and that's Pretty & Polished Pieces Of You from their Winter 2013 collection.  It's a deep aquamarine blue jelly loaded with silver flakes and shreds, which supposedly shifts colors with temperature.  Strangely, I don't know if I don't notice the color change or the thermal pigment is deactivated, but I haven't witnessed any color shift so far.  Application wasn't difficult at all, although understandably it is on the sheer side due to the jelly finish.  I used a total of three coats for opacity with a tiny bit of VNL, and the formula was smooth without streaking or pooling.  My only complaint would be that the larger flakes can bunch up and stick up on the nail, such as the one on my index finger.  That little guy would not straighten out!  I finished with a layer of Essence Gel Look topcoat followed with NYC GCS.

Pretty & Polished Pieces Of You
Pretty & Polished Pieces Of You

Pretty & Polished Pieces Of You
Pretty & Polished Pieces Of You

Pretty & Polished Pieces Of You
Pretty & Polished Pieces Of You

Pretty & Polished Pieces Of You
Pretty & Polished Pieces Of You

Pretty & Polished Pieces Of You
Pretty & Polished Pieces Of You
Pretty & Polished Pieces Of You
Pretty & Polished Pieces Of You
I adore the color of this jelly base and the wonderful squishy finish.  There's nothing like a glitter jelly because it's like having an easy glitter sammich in a bottle.  I love how unique this polish is with all it's fabulous components and beautiful finish.  I'm not exactly sure how I came across this beauty, but I'm sure glad it's part of my collection!  Do you know of any polishes like this or is it as special as I think it is?

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Revlon Colorstay Red Carpet Review With Dotticure Nail Art

Happy Humpday!  Hopefully this week is going by quickly for you!  I've been trying to stay away from carbs lately because my DH is on a no carb diet, and so far I've been ok but not as strict as I want to be.  For example, right now I'd love to have a nice crusty sandwich but I know it'll be a huge cheat.  Diets are no fun!  Well, if somehow I happen to come across a sandwich today, I'll try to spend some extra time at the gym today.

Don't be mad at me but today's swatch is from a line of polishes that aren't available anymore, and that's Revlon Colorstay Red Carpet.  The Colorstay line recently was discontinued and replaced by the Colorstay Gel Envy line.  Honestly I don't know what the difference is, other than a higher price tag.  The colors are the same and they both dry to a high gloss shine. Red Carpet is the bold red of this collection and uses only two coats for full opacity.  Unlike typical red polishes, this did not have a strong jelly finish, but rather a crelly finish which I appreciate more(crelly means less VNL).  Below I finished with a topcoat, but in all reality it didn't need it - I needed to camouflage some minor dings.

Revlon Colorstay Red Carpet
Revlon Colorstay Red Carpet

Revlon Colorstay Red Carpet
Revlon Colorstay Red Carpet

Revlon Colorstay Red Carpet
Revlon Colorstay Red Carpet

Revlon Colorstay Red Carpet
Revlon Colorstay Red Carpet


 A while back I came across a unique dotticure on Instagram, and ever since I've been wanting to try it out.  I'm not sure if I did a good job of replicating it, but my hands are too shaky to get those perfectly sized and spaced dots. First I used a large dotting tool to make some black dots down the center of my nail, then connected them with a thin black line using a striping brush.  Next I dotted with a smaller tool using GOSH Holographic Hero over the black dots.  For these pics, I didn't finish with topcoat in fear that the black would smear, but luckily the nail art did not suffer from any streaks post photos.

Revlon Colorstay Red Carpet Dotticure
Revlon Colorstay Red Carpet Dotticure

Revlon Colorstay Red Carpet Dotticure
Revlon Colorstay Red Carpet Dotticure

Revlon Colorstay Red Carpet Dotticure
Revlon Colorstay Red Carpet Dotticure
If you don't look too closely, you won't see all my imperfections.  From afar, it looks like a black chain necklace embedded with diamonds.  I like how the black and holographic silver accent the bold red color of Red Carpet.  It's been a long while since I've done a dotticure, and I have no excuse because they're so easy to do and very quick to finish.  I'm liking the shorter red nails for the summer, something I don't often do for some inexplicable reason.  Have you grabbed a not so summery color to wear lately?

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Bettina Tulipani And WnW I Need A Refresh Mint Gradient with Hit Polish Punked Up Kicks

Hello my dears! I'm still trying to get back on track but it's been difficult with LO lately.  This weekend we spent a lot of time with in-laws, but I think LO was either teething or had a bitten tongue because she was really fussy and didn't want to eat.  Luckily today she finally started being her normal cute self and managed to eat quite a bit for dinner.  I was getting worried too, especially when MIL started googling fever blisters which brought up a multitude of diagnosis which included the likes of herpes simplex virus.  Oy!  That is a big reason why non-medically educated people should not be googling medical conditions.  Ain't nobody got time to be scaird like that!

I've been trying to figure out how to wear Hit Polish Punked Up Kicks, but could not come up with any base color that I thought would highlight the multitude of glitters in the clear base.  Then it occurred to me that I do a gradient to match the colored glitters, so that they would pop against the complimentary background.  I pulled out some oldies but goodies, Wet 'n' Wild I Need A Refresh Mint and Bettina Tulipani and sponged away.  I love the way gradients look, but the cleanup is always a PITA.  I wish I knew an easy way of doing that!  Here's those results, pardon the slight uneveness.  I love the way that the bubblegum pink and cool blue combined in the middle to create a hint of purple.  Word of advice that's always important to remember:  make sure you let the layers dry before sponging on the next, otherwise you will pull up that previous layer and cause balding.

Bettina Tulipani And SH I Need A Refresh Mint Gradient

Bettina Tulipani And SH I Need A Refresh Mint Gradient

Bettina Tulipani And SH I Need A Refresh Mint Gradient
 Next, I happily laid down my Hit Polish Punked Up Kicks, a bright matte blue, pink, black, and white glitter topcoat with a sprinkle of holographic hexes.  I love the tiny microgitter in black and white and the shards of black to help tied in the name of Punked Up Kicks.  I'm not sure if my gradient really did a lot to bring out all the colors in this glitter topcoat, but overall, I don't think I did too bad!  Punked Up Kicks had a formula that was thicker than I like, and it wasn't easy getting a good balance of polish on the brush to apply on the nail.  I kept getting too much on the brush which would then flood my nail.  Luckily it dries down easily enough and cleanup wasn't any more difficult than the gradient.  This was all finished with a quick layer of topcoat.

 Gradient with Hit Polish Punked Up Kicks
 Gradient with Hit Polish Punked Up Kicks

 Gradient with Hit Polish Punked Up Kicks
 Gradient with Hit Polish Punked Up Kicks

 Gradient with Hit Polish Punked Up Kicks

 Gradient with Hit Polish Punked Up Kicks
 Gradient with Hit Polish Punked Up Kicks

 Gradient with Hit Polish Punked Up Kicks
 Gradient with Hit Polish Punked Up Kicks

 Gradient with Hit Polish Punked Up Kicks
 Gradient with Hit Polish Punked Up Kicks
There's a lot going on in this glitter topcoat, but with the gradient background, it does seem to go hand in hand pretty welll.   The black and white matte glitter are most predominant but the matte blue and pink glitters show up easily too.  I've got a few Hit Polish in my collection that I need to finish swatching, and I'm glad I finally pulled out this fun little guy to try. Are you a fan of matte glitters like this, or do you think it ends up looking too juvenile?

Friday, July 18, 2014

Lumina Lacquer Soleil Swatch And Review

Hey hey hey!  It's Friday, yo!  This has been a really strange week for me, and I'm glad that it's finally over. The in-laws have arrived for the month, which means a lot of juggling between them, LO, and work.  I like routine, and only have a few days, I can't wait for things to go back to normal!

What's the best look for a night out?  Glittah nails!!  I'm going out with some coworkers this weekend and thought some disco ball nails were in order.  Enter Lumina Lacquer's Soleil, the golden sister of Malifient.  Like Malificent, this is a glitter polish made of tiny holographic gold hexes in a clear base.  The formula of this beauty was not as viscous as Malificent and applied fairly easily, which is important to minimize any cleanup later.  It's got a lovely density of glitter as well, and probably had enough coverage after two coats.  I did three to be on the safe side, and finished with two layers of topcoat.

These pics are in the light tent so that you can see opacity and color.

Lumina Lacquer Soleil
Lumina Lacquer Soleil 

Lumina Lacquer Soleil
Lumina Lacquer Soleil 

Lumina Lacquer Soleil
Lumina Lacquer Soleil 
 Bam!  These pics are under direct light so you can see the loose holo flare.

Lumina Lacquer Soleil
Lumina Lacquer Soleil 

Lumina Lacquer Soleil
Lumina Lacquer Soleil 

Lumina Lacquer Soleil
Lumina Lacquer Soleil 

Lumina Lacquer Soleil
Lumina Lacquer Soleil 

Lumina Lacquer Soleil
Lumina Lacquer Soleil 


Holographic glitter bestill my heart!  Those little rainbow bits are so magical and provide hours of entertainment - especially when I'm at work.  LOL.  I'm so happy to have picked this golden bottle of sunshine, and I can't wait to see how it sparkles on the dancefloor(I guess that's one benefit of having the in-laws around).  Lumina Lacquer is climbing up high on my list of favorite indies, and I'm looking forward to trying out more from this line.  Do you have any Luminas that you recommend I try?

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Revlon Colorstay Gel Envy Showtime Swatch And Review

Hello ladies! Sorry for the lapse in posting - I haven't been able to put LO to sleep without her waking up within minutes of me leaving the room.  I think she must be going through a phase, which I hope passes soon.  I haven't had any time to myself in over a week!  That means no shopping, swatching, posting, internet browsing, or watching tv.  Oy!

I was in dire need of a mani change, so I grabbed what I thought would be the quickest to apply with the most payoff.  I chose Revlon Colorstay Gel Envy Showtime, a multifaceted royal purple flakie based polish.  The flakies range in a multitude of colors from violet, blue, to purple.  From my previous experience, the Colorstay Gel Envy line was easy to apply with saturated pigmentation.  Unfortunately, this did not live up to that previous experience, at least the first coat did not anyway.  It was streaky and patchy and I felt overall clumsy using the brush to apply the somewhat overly thin polish.  The second coat did wonders to even out the first messy layer, and left only a few patches behind.  I left it at two coats which dried fairly quickly albeit matte.  To finish, I used a layer of topcoat for shine.

Revlon Colorstay Gel Envy Showtime
Revlon Colorstay Gel Envy Showtime

Revlon Colorstay Gel Envy Showtime

Revlon Colorstay Gel Envy Showtime
Revlon Colorstay Gel Envy Showtime

Revlon Colorstay Gel Envy Showtime
Revlon Colorstay Gel Envy Showtime

Revlon Colorstay Gel Envy Showtime
Revlon Colorstay Gel Envy Showtime
Look at all those pretty flakies!!  I adore flakie based polishes like these, and wish that they were easier to find.  I'm willing to put up with the extra attention the application of this polish needs for a payoff like that.   From afar, the different colors glint in the light, and you can easily see sparks of of violet and blue.  Summer isn't really the time for dark vampy colors like this, but this is too irresistible to wait until fall.  I'm not deterred from the Revlon Colorstay Gel Envy line by the experience with this polish, and I hope to try out some more of their cremes in the future for further comparison.  Have you a chance to try this line out yet?  What are your thoughts?


Thursday, July 10, 2014

Sally Hansen Spark In The Dark Over Wet 'n' Wild All Access Gradient


Hurrah for Friday!  It's been a long week and I'm glad it's nearly over.  It'll be my last weekend alone before the in-laws come out, followed by my parents through the end of summer.  I'm going to make the most of it, and try to relax, have fun, and minimize any errands.  How do you plan on spending your weekend?

I've been neglecting nail art over the past couple months and decided to do a quick gradient using the new Wet 'n' Wild Megalast All Access Summer collection.  I started with a base of the lightest color,  A Venice Day, which required three coats for opacity.  Next I sponged on the three gradient colors - A Venice Day, Love Me Some Muscle, and Beat Of A Generation together.  The middle shade, Love Me Some Muscle, ended up getting bullied out by the more pigmented pink of Beat Of A Generation.  I'm happy the way the colors blended together because it looks like a warm tropical sunset.  Pardon my crappy clean up, it's hard to do my nails when LO wakes up in the middle of my polish hour!






I added some visual interest to the gradient with Sally Hansen Spark In The Dark, a clear glitter topcoat containing matte black bar and hex glitter and gold hex glitter. Probably not the best layering combination with the gradient but I've been wanting to try this one out for a while.  There's something about that gold and black glitter combination that makes me weak in the knees!  Keep in mind when using this polish that the suspension base is thick like typical glitter bases, but when it dries it tends to shrink the base paint beneath it - you'll want to make sure to paint up to if not beyond your base color on your nail bed.  This is finished with a layer of topcoat.






Somehow with this combination I turned a beautiful tropical sunset into a bad neon eighties outfit.  LOL.  Well, at least I got Sparks In The Dark out of my system and it's no longer an untried, however, I'll have to come up with a more complimentary base color the next time I brave using it.  Blue maybe?  This is one reason why I have a hard time wearing gold accessories - it's so hard for me to coordinate!  Do you ever have this problem?