Monday, March 31, 2014

Pahlish Winter's Heart Swatch And Review


Hello m'dears, I hope you enjoyed your weekend!  Yesterday we took LO and Grandma to the LA Zoo.  I've lived here for over ten years and have never gone, so it was a first time experience for me, and as a mom at that.  It's comparable to other zoos that I've been to, which involve a lot of walking and a lot of sleeping hard to see animals.  Overall it was memorable family experience, but I'll probably wait another couple years before we repeat it again!

Today's polish is a remnant of last winter's Pahlish collection, and it's rightfully called Winter's Heart.  It's a deep cerulean blue jelly embedded with tiny matte black glitters and larger silver hex glitters.  The formula was a bit thick and sticky making it difficult to control, making neat application nearly impossible.  There was also quite a bit of glitter drag with the larger hex glitters, but two coats covered up the streaks and allowed even coverage.  It dries a bit matte so topcoat is needed for shine.

Pahlish Winter's Heart
Pahlish Winter's Heart

Pahlish Winter's Heart
Pahlish Winter's Heart

Pahlish Winter's Heart
Pahlish Winter's Heart

Pahlish Winter's Heart
Pahlish Winter's Heart

Pahlish Winter's Heart
Pahlish Winter's Heart
Pahlish Winter's Heart
Pahlish Winter's Heart
This is one of the more unusual polishes that I've tried to date, in that it's a shade of blue that I'm not accustomed to seeing as a jelly.  It's got a bit of a teal edge to it but it's a saturated deep blue, almost like looking into a deepest part of a lagoon.  The tiny matte black glitters are unexpected as well, not something I would think to put into a dark jelly shade.  They seem to get overpowered by the jelly which makes it hard to appreciate them.  It does add a subdued sparkle to the jelly, but to be honest, I think I'd rather just having the jelly by itself in that case.  I think it would have a juicier, squishier effect by itself.  Now I want to go find a jelly in this color... has this ever happened to you?  Is there a jelly out there that would fit this craving?

Sunday, March 30, 2014

Essence Color & Go Oh My Glitter! With KBShimmer Toastess With The Mostest


I've been itching to wear this gorgeous purple shimmer ever since I did some nail art with it, and I'm so glad I finally got around to wearing it.  This is Essence Color & Go Oh My Glitter!, a perfect lavender with tons of sparkling pink shimmer.  The formula was smooth and excellent and applied with no streaks.  Two coats may have sufficed for shorter nails but I used three here for good measure.  This is without topcoat.

Essence Color & Go Oh My Glitter
Essence Color & Go Oh My Glitter

Essence Color & Go Oh My Glitter
Essence Color & Go Oh My Glitter

Essence Color & Go Oh My Glitter
Essence Color & Go Oh My Glitter

Essence Color & Go Oh My Glitter
Essence Color & Go Oh My Glitter

Essence Color & Go Oh My Glitter
Essence Color & Go Oh My Glitter

Essence Color & Go Oh My Glitter
Essence Color & Go Oh My Glitter
I was inspired by the pink shimmer to add a pink glitter topcoat.  The closest I could find in my collection was KBShimmer Toastess With The Mostest.  I wish there was a bit more pink, but then again, this glitter topcoat is pretty amazing with all the fabulous circle glitters in pink, silver, and gold.  I finished this with a layer of topcoat.

KBShimmer Toastess With The Mostest
KBShimmer Toastess With The Mostest

KBShimmer Toastess With The Mostest
KBShimmer Toastess With The Mostest

KBShimmer Toastess With The Mostest
KBShimmer Toastess With The Mostest

KBShimmer Toastess With The Mostest
KBShimmer Toastess With The Mostest
What a perfect spring combination!  I love how the silver and gold circle glitters highlight the pastel pink and purple.  If a mani could be effervescent, this would be it!  I guess that's why Toastess With The Mostest is such a fitting name for a circle glitter topcoat.  Are you a fan of spring pastels or do you run the other direction? 

Saturday, March 29, 2014

I Love Nail Polish My Little Glacier Swatch And Review

I'm so stoked.  I finally splurged and bought my HG facial moisturizer, Kiehl's Rose Artica, after going on a vacation from it for a few months.  I was being stubborn and wanted to find a similar moisturizer for cheaper using the Sephora VIB discount.  I tried both Dior Hydra Life and Korre's and neither were heavy enough for my super dry skin in the winter.  I've always appreciate a good Dior product and Hydra Life has a nice light texture but was more suitable for normal skin.  Korre's, which was super popular on the Sephora website and had tons of great reviews, was similar but had a stronger smell and a lower price point.  After my skin going through a number of break outs this past month I decided to suck it up and spend the extra money to buy a product that I know works for me.  Do you have this problem?  Are you stuck on an expensive product with no cheaper option available?  What's your HG moisturizer?

Today's eye candy is I Love Nail Polish My Little Glacier, metallic light blue duochrome that shifts from a metallic cobalt blue to silver.  Formula is on the thin side but easy to manage with the wide brush and applies with minimal pooling and thankfully no major brushstrokes.  I used three coats here with no topcoat.

I Love Nail Polish My Little Glacier
I Love Nail Polish My Little Glacier 

I Love Nail Polish My Little Glacier
I Love Nail Polish My Little Glacier 

I Love Nail Polish My Little Glacier
I Love Nail Polish My Little Glacier 

I Love Nail Polish My Little Glacier
I Love Nail Polish My Little Glacier 
This is one of those colors that you HAVE to stamp over, so I pulled out my neglected Bundle Monster plates and used the peacock print.  I wanted a dark blue cream but ended up using China Glaze Bermuda Breakaway which I don't think was dark enough.  It a subtle print, but is pretty to look up when seen up close.  I finished this with a layer of topcoat.

I Love Nail Polish My Little Glacier Stamping
I Love Nail Polish My Little Glacier Stamping


I Love Nail Polish My Little Glacier Stamping
I Love Nail Polish My Little Glacier Stamping

I Love Nail Polish My Little Glacier Stamping
I Love Nail Polish My Little Glacier Stamping
My nails are still too long to take to a regular stamping image.  I wish there was a better selection of larger stamping plates out there that didn't cost an arm and a leg.  I seem to be in a nail art rut as well and haven't done any other techniques lately.  When this happens, what do you use for inspiration?

Friday, March 28, 2014

Elevation Polish These Boots Were...Swatch And Review


Have you ever called your phone or cable company and threatened to cancel, in hopes that they'd lower your rate?  I hate paying a lot for cable, and recently they hiked up some of our fees.  How do you get around those expensive bills?  Cancel cable?

One of my favorite finishes are polishes embedded with flakes, but unfortunately they're not easy to find.  When I saw the finish the on Elevation Polish These Boots Were... I was compelled to order a bottle ASAP.  For a non glitter polish, it's an incredibly complex looking compilation, beginning with a burgundy jelly base and finished with blue shimmer and tiny red flakes.  The formula has a thin consistency but is easy to apply, with minimal pooling and no streaks.  I used two smooth coats here and finished with a layer of topcoat.

Elevation Polish These Boots Were...
Elevation Polish These Boots Were...

Elevation Polish These Boots Were...
Elevation Polish These Boots Were...

Elevation Polish These Boots Were...
Elevation Polish These Boots Were...

Elevation Polish These Boots Were...
Elevation Polish These Boots Were...

Elevation Polish These Boots Were...
Elevation Polish These Boots Were...

Elevation Polish These Boots Were...
Elevation Polish These Boots Were...
A polish like this always makes me melt a little inside.  From afar it doesn't look too complicated but the visual beauty is much more appreciable up close, which is just the way I like it.  It's a special little treat that only I get to see during the day.  Elevation Polish always delivers when it comes to polishes like these, from beautiful creams and shimmers, to holos and well executed glitters.  You can't go wrong with one!  I'm glad that Lulu took the time to make a pretty microflake polish.  Do you have a microlike that you love?

Thursday, March 27, 2014

Essence Me & My Lover Sparkle Sand Effect Swatch And Review


Spring is here and I finally got some spring cleaning done around my house.  Ok, I cheated and had some cleaners come in, but I did manage to purge some extra clothes and polishes that were lying around.  It feels wonderful to let go of excess!  Have you done any purging or cleaning lately?

I've been craving a good texture polish and when I found an Essence one at Ulta the other week, I squeed in joy.  How can you beat a sparkly texture for $2?  This is Me & My Lover, a pink leaning red with gold sparkles.  With the multiple versions of OPI Jinx everywhere, I was intrigued by this color and hoped that it wasn't as orange as those.  This aims to please and and succeeds as a nice red shade with no orange undertones, and lots of sparkling gold shimmer.  I used two easy to apply coats and had no difficulty with application.  This dried down quickly, and faster than other textures I've tried in the past. 

Essence Me & My Lover
Essence Me & My Lover

Essence Me & My Lover
Essence Me & My Lover

Essence Me & My Lover
Essence Me & My Lover

Essence Me & My Lover
Essence Me & My Lover

Essence Me & My Lover
Essence Me & My Lover

Essence Me & My Lover
Essence Me & My Lover
I wish the gold was more visible on camera, but trust me it's there.  You won't be disappointed, especially at this price!  This shade is part of the core line in the display, so if you're looking for it you won't have a hard time finding it.

Next, to add some visual interest, I pulled out my Winstonia plates and did some stamping with WnW Black Creme.  Stamping over textures isn't difficult as long as you let it dry down all the way, and press a bit harder than usual to ensure that the stamp sticks to the uneven surface.  I pressed the extra fly away bits with my fingers to make sure they laid flat.

Essence Me & My Lover with Stamping

Essence Me & My Lover with Stamping
Essence Me & My Lover with Stamping
Essence Me & My Lover with Stamping
Essence Me & My Lover with Stamping
Not so bad I suppose.  I'm glad I didn't go with a denser plate design because I think it would have been difficult to get the stamp to adhere properly over the entire surface, especially when topcoat won't be used to seal it in.  Plus, I get to enjoy all that sparkly goodness peeking through during the day!  Have you found a good sparkly red texture yet?  If you haven't, I definitely recommend picking this up when you're looking for a filler for your $3.50 coupon at Ulta!

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Barielle Velvets Spring 2014 Collection Swatch And Review


Woot woot! After nearly a month I've been struggling to catch up with my daily blog reading and I finally caught up today.  I feel like I'm back in the blogosphere loop once again!

The lovely ladies at Barielle were kind enough to send me the spring 2014 Velvets collection to review, and I have to admit that I'm looking forward to trying out these spring influenced nudes.  Contrary to the name none of these had a velvet finish and all dried to a high gloss shine.  I added topcoat to enhance that innate shine.


To start, Sexy Mood is a mauve pink cream that glides on effortlessly in two coats.  It leans on the cool side but I can see this being flattering on most skin tones.

Barielle Sexy Mood
Barielle Sexy Mood

Barielle Sexy Mood
Barielle Sexy Mood
My Week Away is the only shimmer in the collection, albeit a hidden shimmer in a pale pink base.  This took three coats for full coverage.

Barielle My Week Away
Barielle My Week Away

Barielle My Week Away
Barielle My Week Away
Uptown Girl is a pale nude cream and the lightest shade of the collection.  I needed three coats here for full opacity with no streaking or issues to report with application or formula.

Barielle Uptown Girl
Barielle Uptown Girl

Barielle Uptown Girl
Barielle Uptown Girl
One of the brighter colors of the Velvet collection is a coral cream.  Only two coats needed here with a smooth and silky application.

Barielle A Little Exotic
Barielle A Little Exotic

Barielle A Little Exotic
Barielle A Little Exotic
Cream & Sugar is the sheerest of the collection.  It's a pale nude that reminds me of WnW 2% Milk.   I used four coats here for my long nails.  I bet this would be lovely for glitter sammiches
Barielle Cream & Sugar
Barielle Cream & Sugar
Barielle Cream & Sugar
Barielle Cream & Sugar
Finally we have a chamois tan cream called My Tan Blazer, and just like a trusty tan blazer I see this being a shade that can be reached for any time during the spring months.  Only two coats needed here.

Barielle My Tan Blazer
Barielle My Tan Blazer

Barielle My Tan Blazer
Barielle My Tan Blazer
Well there you have it! The Velvet collection surprised me with its versatility and didn't seem as mundane as I'd imagine.  The colors lend itself to be perfect for all seasons and complimentary for all skin tones.

Stay tuned for an upcoming giveaway hosted by Barielle here on the blog! I'll be giving away two prizes for my lucky readers.