Revlon Colorstay Red Carpet Review With Dotticure Nail Art

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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

 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

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?

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Pahlish Dance Across The Sea Swatch And Review

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I'm still doing lots of last minute prep for my trip, and that included some last minute shopping for my DH's tie and a couple dresses for me.  I'm sure I could have used a few more items but it's difficult to concentrate with a toddler wanting to run around and tear everything off hangers.  Oy!  On the bright side, I have an excuse to go shopping while on vacation because hopefully tax will be less than in CA, and also I have the grandparents to watch LO while I shop!

You know how I've been going through my untrieds?  I think I may have found my oldest untried indie polish.  *shameface*  It's Pahlish Dance Across The Sea, one of the original releases of this polish back when the line first debuted.  I don't know why it took me so long to wear it, other than I think I may have been confusing the bottle with another indie brand that I received more recently.  Dance Across The Sea is a azure blue crelly base loaded with tiny silver hexes and larger turquoise blue hexes.  The combination is true to its name and mimics swirling tropical ocean water and sparkling tiny bubbles.  Surprisingly the formula wasn't overly thick from sitting in my drawer too long and it was easily manipulated during application.  As with any thick polish, I had some trouble getting all the way towards the sides of my nailbeds, but nothing a little concentration couldn't fix.  I was too lazy to get up and get any thinner but I'm sure it would have made application quicker.  I used three coats here and experience no dragging, stacking, or streaking of the polish whatsoever.  I finished this with a nice thick layer of Essence Gel Look topcoat.

Pahlish Dance Across The Sea

Pahlish Dance Across The Sea

Pahlish Dance Across The Sea

Pahlish Dance Across The Sea

Pahlish Dance Across The Sea

Pahlish Dance Across The Sea

I'm literally kicking myself for waiting so long to wear such a gorgeous polish that has now become a classic in indie history for polishes.  I love the way the glitters catch the light and spark like water does when hit by sunlight.  I think I may have a few more Pahlish classics sitting around in my drawer, but I'll have to dig them up to swatch them.  Too many polishes, not enough fingers!  Have you been whittling away at your untrieds?

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Liquid Glam Lucky Charm Swatch And Review

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Hello darlings!  Did you enjoy your weekend?  Ours was a quiet weekend, which is always a nice weekend at our house.  LO has some sniffles, so we didn't got to the pool like planned.  Instead, we tried to use our new gym membership which included daycare services.  Our workout didn't last long, however, because after 10 minutes we got a call saying that she hadn't stopped crying since we left her in their care.  It's going to take time for her to get adjusted to the new surroundings, which means each subsequent workout is going to be 5 minutes longer.  Hopefully by the end of the month I'll get a full hour workout!

Today's polish is a white crelly based glitter that allowed me to knock to untrieds in one shot.  I started with a layer of Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear White On, a white cream proported to be one of the best drugstore whites out there.  I'm always looking for a good white, and I was not let down by this one at all.  I used only one full coverage coat and I had no issues with streaking.  Perfect!  For the star of the show, I used two coats of Liguid Glam Lucky Charm, aptly named for its colorful squares of turquoise, hot pink, and yellow glitters that mimic a certain cereal.  In retrospect, I could have used one coat of Lucky Charm and gotten a similar effect but without as much crowding of glitters.  Application itself was a cakewalk, with no issues with dragging or stacking of the adorable squares.  I finished this with a layer of topcoat for shine.

Liquid Glam Lucky Charm

Liquid Glam Lucky Charm

Liquid Glam Lucky Charm

Liquid Glam Lucky Charm

Liquid Glam Lucky Charm

Liquid Glam Lucky Charm

I really love the fanciful mix of glitters, especially considering that they're square glitters.  I have used a white base in a long time either, and the bright colors really pop against the blank canvas.  Although I think one coat would have been enough, I can't help not regretting the two coats because it's so much fun to apply the square glitters.  Liquid Glam certainly has created a polish that is addictive to use and addictive to stare upon, which makes it worth every penny IMO.  This polish is still available in the storefront, and features a 5 free formula and free shipping every day.  Score!

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Jindie Nails Tastes Like Snozberries Swatch And Review

Nothing To Disclose

Hello my dears!  Whew I've had a crazy week which didn't leave much time for posting.  Work has been kicking my butt again, and next week doesn't promise to be any easier.  In the meantime, I need to get it out of my mind and enjoy the weekend!  Do you have any fun plans for the three day weekend?  A bbq perhaps?

I was going through my drawers recently and pulled out my untrieds to swatch.  A lot of times they end up prematurely in my drawers because of visiting guests, and then I lose track of where I put them.  One of those lost but now found untrieds is Jindie Nails Taste Like Snozberries, a tpf swapbox polish I received.  Jindie Nails is always a good go to indie brand when I need a glitter polish fix, and this one certainly fits that bill.  It's a pepto bismol pink crelly loaded with varying sized pink circles and hexes, as well as other variants of white, purple, blue, and teal glitters.  The first coat was really sheer, but three coats built up easily with very little stacking.  I used a layer of topcoat, but in retrospect I could have used Gelous to smooth out those larger glitters.

Jindie Nails Tastes Like Snozberries

Jindie Nails Tastes Like Snozberries

Jindie Nails Tastes Like Snozberries

Jindie Nails Tastes Like Snozberries

Jindie Nails Tastes Like Snozberries

Jindie Nails Tastes Like Snozberries

 I love how much depth this polish has, especially with three layers worth of generous glitters.  This is a fun, girly polish that reminds me of one of LOs toys that invariably squeak or sound out whenever I'm remotely nearby.  Out of curiosity, I looked up the image of snozberries from Willie Wonka's movie, and yup, I can totally see the inspiration of this polish from the colors in the lickable wallpaper.  I'm not sure I'd ever enjoy such a concept, but I certainly enjoy snozberries on my fingertips!  Luckily Taste Like Snozberries is still available in the Jindie storefront if you're interested.

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Zoya Tickled Summer 2014 Collection Swatch And Review

Press Sample

Happy Monday!  How did your weekend go?  Did you manage to stay cool and have fun?  DH made sure to let me spend my birthday the way I like, which is shopping, swimming with LO, and having a nice dinner.  I didn't get to do all the shopping I wanted, but hopefully I'll get a chance soon.  I have to prepare for my Nola vacation!

I was fortunate enough to come by a set of Zoya's newest collection for summer, Tickled, which features creams in bold eye catching colors.  The formula on all of these were very similar, and surprisingly, verged on a crelly formula.  You'll see a bit of squishiness in the finish, and not any of that pesky chalkiness that sometimes happens with lighter colors.  Most of these only needed two coats, all except for the lightest shade Kirtridge, which required 3 for full opacity.  These are all finished with topcoat to maximize shine.

The first is Wendy, a medium pink shade that IMO lands smack in neutral territory.  I can't say it leans cool or warm at all, and surprisingly, looks feminine and clean on me.  Pinks usually draw at my sallow undertones and I'm happy to report that this doesn't appear to do that.

Zoya Wendy

Zoya Wendy

Zoya Wendy

Tilda is probably the favorite of mine in this collection.  It's a medium green shade that's got just enough murkiness to border on pretty ugly, but still leans toward a green that is full of life and reminds me of beautiful summer leaves.

Zoya Tilda

Zoya Tilda

Zoya Tilda

Rocha was a surprising favorite for me in this collection as well.  I didn't anticipate it to be such a bright tangerine orange shade from looking at the bottle, but once on the nail the orange really pops.  I don't normally like oranges, but the hint of red takes it out of the pumpkin orange spectrum.

Zoya Rocha

Zoya Rocha

Zoya Rocha

Next is Ling, a delightful denim shade that glides on easily with two easy coats.  There's been a lot of popular dark blue shades and I'm happy to finally see a blue in the medium range.

Zoya Ling

Zoya Ling

Zoya Ling

Lastly is Kirtridge, the lightest shade of the collection.  It's a neon baby pink shade that required three coats for opacity.  It's so bright, I think it borders on the neon color range.

Zoya Kirtridge

Zoya Kirtridge

Zoya Kirtridge

Each and every one of these colors is a lovely addition to the ever expanding rainbow of Zoya lacquers.  My favorites of course are Tilda and Rocha, both of which are exceedingly vibrant and unexpected.  I can see myself using these colors for summer pedis.  If you're looking for some refreshing new colors to add to your collection, head over to Zoya.com and make sure you pick these up!  Hopefully you'll like the crelly formula!
  

Press Sample

Different Dimensions Why Am I Such A Misfit? Swatch And Review

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This time of year the chocolates get marketed full force, and one of my favorites is Cadbury Mini Eggs.  I can't get enough of that crisp candy outer shell and the velvety smooth chocolate within.  I like to buy a few bags to freeze so I can eat them throughout the rest of the year.  My BIL always raids my stash, so I'll have to remember to get a couple extra just for him.  Do you have a favorite chocolate or snack that you like to load up on?

Tis the season of glitters and light colored crellies, and today's polish hits that it right on the nail(no pun intended).  This is Different Dimensions Why Am I Such A Misfit? a sheer white crelly that contains a lovely array of circles, stars, hexes, and squares in shades of matte pastels and neons.  I'm always a sucker for a polish like this, there something about matte glitters that I gravitate towards.  The holographic microglitter ain't half bad either!  Unfortunately the base is super sheer, and I used four coats here and still had some VNL.  The formula is thick so caution is needed when applying towards the cuticles, and the glitters aren't as dense as I'd like.  I finished this with a layer of topcoat to add shine and smoothness.

Different Dimensions Why Am I Such A Misfit?

Different Dimensions Why Am I Such A Misfit?

Different Dimensions Why Am I Such A Misfit?

Different Dimensions Why Am I Such A Misfit?

Different Dimensions Why Am I Such A Misfit?

Different Dimensions Why Am I Such A Misfit?

I want the neons to pop some more, and I can see this would be an amazing color to use if skittled with neons.  I'm in love with all those light colored circle glitters floating in the white crelly base, and there's definitely some squishiness to enjoy.  

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GlitterDaze Grand Swatch And Review

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Hello ladies!  Have you ever tried a dry shampoo?  I have a bad habit of shampooing my hair every day and I've been wanting to break out of that cycle because it dries out my hair too much.  I enjoy the feeling of clean hair, and it drives me nuts when it feels the slightest bit oily.  I'm thinking a dry shampoo might solve that problem and allow my hair some reprieve from overwashing.  Is there a dry shampoo that you recommend?

I just found out that one of my new favorite indie lines is closing shop, and it's sad to know that the polish community will be losing a line of polishes that creates sophisticated glitters and beautifully subtle shimmers.  I have one fine example for you today, and that's Grand from the last and final collection, Era Of Elegance.  It's a sheer medium grey crelly filled with pink, blue,  purple, white and silver glitters that works for any season, particularly spring.  Coverage was average, requiring three coats for this mani, with no issues to report such as glitter drag, pooling, or stacking.  I finished with a layer of topcoat to add smoothness and shine.

GlitterDaze Grand

GlitterDaze Grand

GlitterDaze Grand

GlitterDaze Grand

GlitterDaze Grand

GlitterDaze Grand

Isn't that a lovely combination of colors to behold?  Of course, my favorites are the pink circle glitters and tiny white squares.    Unfortunately this particular polish is no longer available but you can still grab some stock in her final clearance sale at the shop, where you can grab 15% off regular prices.  Hurry quick because I think her stock is flying out the window!  Do you have a favorite GlitterDaze polish?

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