Wet n Wild ATTEN Hut! Texture Polish Swatch And Review

Ugh, what a crazy 24 hours!  Yesterday, I was freezing at work and couldn't figure out why.  On my way home, I was still cold despite putting the heat on in my car.  I crawled under the covers once I got home, and stayed there all night and day with a fever.  I must have had the 24 hour flu because now I feel better, but only after feeling like a truck had run me over during the day.  My other theory, and maybe some of you mommies will sympathize, is that the culprit is my blocked duct that started yesterday morning and still hasn't gone away.  It's painful and sore, and I think the fever was my body's reaction to the blockage.  Hopefully my body will resolve itself before I have to go into work on Monday!

After getting a much needed bowl of ramen tonight, I stopped into Walgreens to pick up some toothpaste and photos.  I tried to stay away from the cosmetic aisle, but the new displays pulled me in.  I was drawn to the new Wet n Wild texture polishes and like a moth to a light, I had to pick up ATTEN Hut!, a sparkly and gorgeous bronzed olive sand.  For a Wet N Wild, it was a bit pricey at $3.99 but I could not help myself and brought it to the register with my other purchases.  I haven't used one of the small cylinder bottles in a long time, and the tiny bushy brush was a downfall during application.  I had trouble getting near my cuticles on my smaller nail beds, but otherwise the polish flowed smoothly and easily.  It was nearly a one coater but I used two in these pics. 

Wet n Wild ATTEN Hut! Texture Polish

Wet n Wild ATTEN Hut! Texture Polish

Wet n Wild ATTEN Hut! Texture Polish

Wet n Wild ATTEN Hut! Texture Polish

Wet n Wild ATTEN Hut! Texture Polish

Gah, how gorgeous is that sand?  I love that color of green and the gold just adds a touch of bling factor to that shade.  I think this might be the most perfect sand color, EVAH!  I can't wait to use this during the fall.

And to top it off(literally), I used two coats of Gelous and a layer of Poshe.  It was super thirsty and needed the three coats to smooth out.  I was dreading adding the topcoat, but I think it still maintains its awesomeness, but in an entirely different way.  Check it out!

Wet n Wild ATTEN Hut! Texture Polish

Wet n Wild ATTEN Hut! Texture Polish

Wet n Wild ATTEN Hut! Texture Polish

Wet n Wild ATTEN Hut! Texture Polish

Wet n Wild ATTEN Hut! Texture Polish

 OMG, I can't decide which I like better.  I do know one thing, and that's you need to run out and grab this polish ASAP.  There was also a purple shimmery shade in the display, but I held off buying it because I wanted to get the Zoya purple that was released for fall.  After ATTEN Hut! I think I will have to rethink that and get that one instead!  Have you seen these, and what color do you think is the perfect color for sand polishes?

Pure Ice Purple Reign Swatch and Review

My post is a little late today because I fell asleep early last night.  I don't know why I was so tuckered, possibly because I didn't eat all day and then stuffed myself at night.  I did manage to take advantage of the CVS clearance sale, luckily the two stores I stopped in didn't have their signs up yet - the items showed up discounted when I scanned the items at the price checking kiosk.  I picked up a bunch of Revlon and Milani polishes for 75% off, while some Sally Hansens, all NOPIs, and some Orlys are 50% off.  Noveau Cheap has a post about the sale here. I might keep an eye on the page and pick up some more items if anything new gets reported.

Today I have a polish that was gifted to me recently, called Pure Ice Purple Reign.  It was on my MUA wishlist forever but I never really got a chance to pursue it.  I had a few transactions with another member, and in the last blog sale purchase from her, she included it as a nice surprise.  I'm not very familiar with the brand Pure Ice other than it's available at Walmart, which is not a convenient store for me, so this is probably the first time I've used this brand.  I've always adored this color because of the beautiful glowing pink shimmer embedded in the purple base.  I had no issues with application, and shown are two coats with a layer of Poshe.

Pure Ice Purple Reign

Pure Ice Purple Reign

Pure Ice Purple Reign

Pure Ice Purple Reign

Pure Ice Purple Reign

Considering the price point of $1.99 per bottle, I definitely plan on stopping by the first Walmart I see next time I'm near one.  I heard there is a LE collection out, and they're flying out the door.  Knowing that, maybe I should make that trip this week!  What about you, what are your favorite Pure Ice colors?  Any that you recommend?

Hare Polish Bisbee Reformulated Swatch and Review

It rained again today in Los Angeles and I regret not having my car outside to take advantage of it.  Hopefully it will rain a little bit more this weekend(yes, I'm wishing for rain) because I enjoy the cooler weather and it makes nap time with LO so much sweeter.

Finally! Today I have Hare Polish Bisbee in my hot little hands and I'm so excited to show this to you.  I'd been stalking this color for months and it kept slipping away each time I had it in my checkout basket, but this time I was at the computer with my trigger finger and managed to snag one.  Bisbee is lovely combination of a gorgeous turquoise jelly base and multisized gold glitter.  Gold and turquoise is a classic combination of colors and I love how the two contrast against each other.  I found the formula to be a bit thick but workable, with some instances of glitter clumping during application.  I resolved that by dabbing the brush to separate the pieces and it seemed to work out fine.  I used three layers in these pics and you can still see a little VNL through the camera but not so much with the naked eye.  I probably could have used only a layer of topcoat to add shine because it dried a little matte, but I used a layer of Gelous too for good measure.

Hare Bisbee

Hare Bisbee

Hare Bisbee

Hare Bisbee

Hare Bisbee

Beautiful, isn't it?? Do you know of any other polishes that have a similar combination?  Butter London Two Fingered Salute comes to mind but it's more of a teal blue with copper flakes.

Nostalgic Lacquer Date At Midnight With Nosferatu

Have you ever noticed that the line at the post office is always incredibly long?  I always try to avoid it at all costs and do most of my shipping through USPS.com or the Paypal Multi-order shipping option.  Worst case scenario I'll use the automated kiosk at the PO, but I'll never go in line for anything if I can do it myself.  Unfortunately the only time I have to go in line is when I'm shipping a package international first class(usually MUA swaps).  The last time I was in line an argument broke out between two men about who was first in line while an older lady spent 5 long minutes waffling over a book of forever stamps at the window(the automated kiosk was open).  Madness, really!

I know it's already past Halloween, but due to a shipping error I received my bottle of Nostalgic Lacquers Date At Midnight With Nosferatu later than I anticipated.  It's so pretty and I need to post it so you can see for yourself.  This is a sheer grey crelly base with small fuchsia glitter, a simple combination that looks so elegant.  Application was remarkable except for the base being too sheer - I used four coats in these pictures and I could have probably done a fifth.  It would probably be easiest to apply with a medium grey colored base to get the safe effect, however the formula was not too dense with glitter so I prefer using it alone to maximize the glitter amount.  I topped it off with a layer of Poshe for shine.

Nostalgic Lacquers Date At Midnight With Nosferatu

Nostalgic Lacquers Date At Midnight With Nosferatu

 

Nostalgic Date At Midnight With Nosferatu

Nostalgic Lacquers Date At Midnight With Nosferatu

Nostalgic Lacquers Date At Midnight With Nosferatu

Nostalgic Lacquers Date At Midnight With Nosferatu

Nostalgic Date At Midnight With Nosferatu

Sorry for the poor cleanup - I always have a hard time getting those tiny glitters off.  Does anyone have any recommendations?  In any case, I really liked this formula because it applied incredibly smooth, and I hope to see more glitters like this from Nostalgic Lacquers.

Illamasqua Charisma Swatch and Review

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!  I'm thankful to have spent the day with my family and in-laws that flew in for the holiday.  This year has been really special for me and I couldn't be happier or more thankful for it.  We were out and about and I could tangibly feel the peacefulness that everyone we encountered exuded.  I wish that Thanksgiving was every day!

I've been rocking Illamasqua Charisma for the past few days and I gotta say, I'm really impressed at how well it's held up.  I haven't gotten a single chip with two coats and Poshe, and only very slight tip wear.  Charisma is a new color for fall and is a gorgeous shimmering deep red that's perfect for the season.  I had no trouble with application at all except that I was a little anxious with drying time.  I applied the topcoat too early and got a little bit of dragging on my right hand, so I would recommend waiting for it to dry completely before applying your next coat.

Illamasqua Charisma

Illamasqua Charisma

Illamasqua Charisma

Illamasqua Charisma

Illamasqua Charisma

This color is so pretty one the light hit it at the right angle.  I'm usually not comfortable wearing reds for whatever unexplained reason, but this color looks so good I don't want to take it off. 

Sation Miss McTeal Swatch and Review

Happy Thanksgiving everybody!  I can feel the buzz of Black Friday sales on the internet, and the shopaholic in me is getting that itch to spend some money.  I'm try to show restraint this year, simply because I've been on maternity leave and not making as much money as I normally do, and also because my in-laws are in town and as the responsible mother that I am, I can't show them that unrestrained shopaholic side of me.  Mama would love a new camera though!  One thing that upsets me about this year's Black Friday are the early sales that are starting at 9pm Thanksgiving day.  I wish they wouldn't start that early because Thanksgiving is really meant to be spent with family and not running around shopping or having to go into work.  Someone really needs to draw a line!

I am loving the new reformulated and reinvented Sation polishes.  After trying out Weed out the Wimps, I had to try another and decided to go with Miss McTeal because of its glowing teal goodness.  It's a color that's hard to describe, it's like a luscious teal blue with a lighter turquoise shimmer that makes it look almost duochromatic in some lights.  I can't get enough of it but I felt like the color was incredibly photograph properly because the color was always shifting.  I didn't have any trouble with the formula at all, and I used two coats in these pictures. I finished with a layer of Poshe for shine, which I think caused a tiny bit of shrinkage at the tips.

Sation Miss McTeal

Sation Miss McTeal

Sation Miss McTeal

Sation Miss McTeal

Sation Miss McTeal

Gorgeous isn't it?  I really love teal polishes - believe it or not I hated them about a year ago but then got a hold of Joe Fresh Teal and then it was all over for me.  Do you have any favorite teal polishes?

Butter London Sloane Ranger Swatch and Review

I've been addicted to overnight no cook refrigerator oatmeal recipes that I found online, because they make a yummy healthy oatmeal to eat in the morning that I can just grab and go.  The recipe is fairly easy - in a sealable container, mix steel cut oatmeal, greek yogurt, milk, and then your choice of sweetener and filling like honey and berries, or cocoa, sugar, and bananas.  The mixture should be a little runny so the oatmeal will absorb the liquird.  Let it sit in the fridge overnight and voila, the next morning you've got breakfast ready to go.  Healthy, fast, and delicious, just the way I like it!

I recently noticed a new color on Butter London's website called Sloane Ranger, and it's described as a "Olive, khaki crème nail lacquer infused with silver shimmer."  I was sold at the word Olive.  I don't know how many polishes I have that are in this color range but I'll never have enough as far as I'm concerned.  The bottles appears to be grey in person, but once on the nail the true dusty olive green comes out.  I was really impressed with the smooth self leveling formula and it took only one coat for opacity, and that's what I have in these pics for you.  Did you hear that? One coat!!  The only disappointment I had is that the silver shimmer is very subtle, and only visible in bright light.  This seems to be a common phenomenon with Butter London.  Below are pics without topcoat.

Butter London Sloane Ranger

Butter London Sloane Ranger

Butter London Sloane Ranger

Butter London Sloane Ranger

Butter London Sloane Ranger

 And below are Sloane Ranger with one layer of Poshe.

Butter London Sloane Ranger

Butter London Sloane Ranger

Butter London Sloane Ranger

BTW, I used a new cleanup brush for this mani - it's the Essence gel liner brush which is an angled flat brush.  I'd been looking for a back up and for $1.99, it's a bargain!  My current go to brush is an Ulta angled flat brush and I never was able to get a hang of the elf concealer brush that is so popular.  The Essence brush gave me no issues so far, and it was easy to maneuver and it was fairly precise with clean up.  I definitely recommend it if you're looking for a brush.  It's part of the regular Essence display which can be found at Ulta.  Don't forget your coupon!

Zoya Ornate Collection Aurora and Logan

I got my hair did today!  My hair was getting out of control and I was in dire need of a new haircut.  Did you know that when you're pregnant, towards the last 3 months and 3 months following birth you don't lose a single strand of hair?  It has something to do with the hormones during pregnancy.  My hair is already thick to begin with, and not losing any hair for half a year made me feel like cousin It, especially since my normal cut is long layers.  It was just too heavy!  I needed more body!  So I went onto yelp and found a new hair salon which was able to schedule me in within a couple days.  Now I've got shorter, texturized layers that make my head feel so much lighter. Another plus is that my daughter, who is learning how to grab with her hands, can't take fistful of my hair any longer.  I love it when I haircut makes you feel like a million bucks.

I'm sure you're tired of seeing swatches of the new Zoya Ornate collection, but I couldn't resist two of their colors and had to pick them up.  One of course one was green, Logan, and the other is Aurora, a color that looks positively stunning in every picture I've seen so far.  I would have picked up Storm as well if it was in stock but unfortunately my nail supply was out(oh, did you know I found a nail supply that carries Zoya now?  Winning!).  I always forget how lovely Zoyas apply and these were no different.  I only needed two layers for both and the formula was stellar as always.  An added bonus is that Zoyas are 5 free, which recently became more important to me while I was pregnant.  Gotta love Zoya!

My first swatch for you is Logan, a shimmery pine green foil interspersed with gold.  To the naked eye, I needed two layers for opacity but in some of the pics you can see balding here and there so for camera pictures, three coats works best.   In the bottle it looks fabulous but once on the nail it loses its initial appeal. 

Zoya Logan

Zoya Logan

Zoya Logan

Zoya Logan

Next is Aurora, which is more stunning in real life than in the pictures I've seen online so far.  It's a deep raspberry polish with holographic microglitter, and bright light really picks up the holographic rainbow easily.  I don't have a single polish like it and I'm totally in love!  Again, only two coats in these pictures with a coat of Poshe for added shine.

Zoya Aurora

Zoya Aurora

Zoya Aurora

Zoya Aurora

Zoya Aurora blurred for holographic sparkle effect

I don't want to take off Aurora, ever!  It's so holographically delicious and sparkly.  I can only imagine with Storm looks like in real life and it's definitely going onto my wishlist.  Zoya really made some great polishes in this collection and I'm so glad they ventured into holograph polish arena.  It's a great start!