Revlon Colorstay Gel Envy Showtime Swatch And Review

Purchased

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

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?

Purchased

Wet 'n' Wild Summer 2014 All Access Collection Swatch And Review

Purchased

Happy Thursday ladies!  I was suppose to have the day off today, but I forgot and ended up scheduling a business dinner tonight.  Oy.  Don't you hate when that happens?  In other news, I finally got through the last season of Game Of Thrones, and now I can't wait until the next season starts again.  I love the development of the characters throughout the storyline!  Have you seen the last season, and did you have any thoughts about it?

Today I have Wet 'n' Wild Megalast's newest summer collection called All Access, based after summer music festivals.  Most of this collection are crellies along with one shimmer.  This limited edition collection features white tops and can be found at drugstores in their own display for a whopping $1.99 each.  The formula on these leaned mostly on the sheer side and took at least three coats each, but keep in mind that they're mostly crellies which dries to a squishy finish.  My major gripe with this collection, or with Megalasts in general is that the brush is too wide for my taste, making it difficult to maneuver without messing up the cuticles.  But, for considering how wonderfully priced these are, I'm willing to forgive that!

 My first polish is a nice bubblegum pink crelly called Beat Of A Generation that needed three coats for opacity. The formula was easy to apply with minimal streaks.

Beat Of A Generation

Beat Of A Generation

Beat Of A Generation

A favorite of mine is this lovely lavender purple crelly called Trippin' On The Boardwalk.  Here, I used three coats for opacity.  It still had some VNL and probably could have used four coats.

Trippin' On The Boardwalk

Trippin' On The Boardwalk

Trippin' On The Boardwalk

Next is another surprise favorite for me, and that's Contact High, a gorgeous neon green jelly that used three coats for opacity.  Behold this beauty!  It's not often you see a shade of green with a jelly formula!

Contact High

Contact High

Contact High

 The shimmer in this collection is a Smurf blue shade with a slight silver shimmer.  Isn't she pretty?  The silver shimmer isn't terribly strong, but it's not hidden either.  It's just right!

Coast To Coast

Coast To Coast

Coast To Coast

Coast To Coast

Next I have a sunflower yellow crelly called A Venice Day.  This one did not have the easiest formula to work with, and still showed some streaks even after three coats.  Not surprising for a yellow I suppose, but the color is nice!

A Venice Day

A Venice Day

A Venice Day

 Lastly I have a peachy coral crelly that applied smoothly with no streaks, and that's Love Me Some Muscle.  I don't think I have any shade quite like this, and I'm very pleased with the way it looks on me!

Love Me Some Muscles

Love Me Some Muscles

Love Me Some Muscles

 Overall, I really like the shades in this collection and I think the crelly formulas make them worthwhile to check out.  They're not solid cremes or sheers, but a nice balance in between that make them unique in any collection.  Hopefully you'll spot them next time you're at the drugstore and pick some up.  My next project will be attempting some more nail art with these!  Have you any favorite crellies?

Purchased

Lumina Lacquer Malificent Swatch And Review

Purchased

I forgot to mention yesterday that during numerous flight transfers, I inevitably had some nail casualties.  So be forewarned, I had to nubbinize!  I haven't had short nails in a long while, and although my dexterity has improved, my nails look awkwardly short.  I'll get use to it!  The only problem with squares/squovals is the frequent corner chips.  Hopefully I can get some length before that happens.

While on vacay, I managed to squeeze a little bit of time to scroll through my Instagram feed, and came upon some swatches from Lumina Lacquer.  I instantly fell in love with Malificent, a blurple holographic glitter sister to Digital Nails Supernova.  I love the uniqueness of these holographic glitters because they're so fascinating to watch when exposed to light - it's like a million little sparks of rainbow exploding in all directions.  The glitters are suspended in a clear base that I found highly viscous during application, making it difficult for me to maintain a small cuticle gap.  I used two thin coats followed by a thicker third coat to achieve opacity.  It dries to a gritty finish, so I recommend a topcoat followed by another quick dry topcoat for a smooth and shiny finish.

The first two pics are in the light tent to show the color, and the following are under direct light so you can see Malificent in its glory.

Lumina Lacquer Malificent

Lumina Lacquer Malificent

Lumina Lacquer Malificent

Lumina Lacquer Malificent

Lumina Lacquer Malificent

Lumina Lacquer Malificent

Lumina Lacquer Malificent

Me likey those pretty sparkles!!  A-hem, sorry, I must have slipped back to LO talk.  I love the shade of this beauty, and I'm becoming a fast fan of those large holographic glitters.  I think I may have to stalk those polishes if they come in other colors.  A green would be fabulous!  Overall, I'm really happy that I found Lumina Lacquers, it seems that this line has a lot of different finishes that are worth exploring.  Make sure you stop by the storefront to see what she has to offer.

Purchased

My Ten Friends Planetary Romance Swatch And Review

Purchased

Success!!  I managed to take LO to the gym today and she only cried a few minutes before settling into their daycare.  I didn't want to push my luck though, and only worked out for about half an hour.  I'm excited about this because not only do I finally get to focus on my health and weight, but getting out the house allows LO to interact and have fun with other kids and activities.  Yay!

In my untried stash, I found a beauty by My Ten Friends called Planetary Romance.  I don't know how I overlooked this gem, but it's a lovely orchid purple shimmer with hot pink hexes, gold micoglitter, and gold squares and hexes.  Conceptually it sounds like a simple combination, but visually it comes together in a harmonious mix that reminds me of a beautiful lei of flowers.  The formula itself is sheer and I need four coats to build up opacity, but fortunately the glitters are not overly dense and the final result is well balanced.  I finished this with a layer of topcoat for smoothness and shine.

My Ten Friends Planetary Romance

My Ten Friends Planetary Romance

My Ten Friends Planetary Romance

My Ten Friends Planetary Romance

My Ten Friends Planetary Romance

My Ten Friends Planetary Romance

Planetary Romance is a perfect name for this polish because the pink hexes are a romantic take of pink planets in a purpled out deep space with gold twinkling stars.  My Ten Friends always manages to make some extraordinary polishes in unique color combinations and luckily she's planning on having a restock later this month.  Keep an eye on the MTF Facebook page for further updates and hopefully some new releases.  What's better than more galaxy polishes to add to a girl's collection??

Purchased

CrowsToes Minion Swatch And Review

Happy Friday!  Thank goodness this is a short week, it seems to have gone by like a whirlwind for me, and just like a whirlwind, everything is disorganized and haphazard.  Hopefully I can pick up the pieces and get everything back in its place next week!  As for the weekend, I hope to get some much needed relaxation and de-stressing.  Perhaps a spa visit is required!  Do you have any big plans for this weekend?

From CrowsToes Summer 2013 collection, I have Minion, a delightful purple shimmering duochrome that changes from dark navy to royal purple in the slightest shift of light.  Embedded within are sparkling silver flakes that give break the uniformity of the purple shimmer and give the illusion of outer space and its twinkling stars.  The formula was fluid and easy to manipulate, but use a light hand to avoid brushstrokes.  I used three coats here for maximum opacity and finished with a layer of topcoat of shine.

CrowsToes Minion

CrowsToes Minion

CrowsToes Minion

CrowsToes Minion

CrowsToes Minion

CrowsToes Minion

I'm glad that I'm cleaning out my drawers for untrieds, otherwise this would have sat longer in there without getting any much needed appreciation.  I always get weak in the knees at the sight of flakes, and then to put them into a purple duochrome base is a double whammy to my solar plexus.  CrowToes somehow always manages to take polish to another level, beyond what is imagineable.  It's probably her talented artists eyes that helps her create these lovely beauties.  Oh how I wish I had those creative abilities!

I Love Nail Polish Sirene Swatch And Review

TGIF!  I'm excited for today, as I mentioned in my last post I'm off from work and I have the day to myself - well, at least until 3:30pm.  Hey, no complaints here!  I'll take what I can get.  DH keeps asking me where I want to go for my special dinner, but I have not a clue.  It's hard to decide when there's LO in tow because I need something kid friendly but elevated enough for a special occasion dinner.  I'm sure we'll figure something out!

Holy Carp!  I've got a stunner for you tonight, and that's a glorious multichrome from I Love Nail Polish Spring 2014 collection called Sirene.  There's no doubt that this is a multichrome, as it flashes deep saturated colors of green, teal, and purple.  None of the shifting shades are shy either, and you can see all the colors easily at various angles.  It's one of those delightfully distracting polishes that you'll be waving your fingers at yourself all day.  Formula was similar to the last release of ILNP multichromes, and that's a sheer finish that requires 3 layers for opacity and careful application to avoid brushstrokes.  As you can see, I couldn't avoid the dreaded brush strokes either, but the finish is worth it!  No topcoat in these pics.

I Love Nail Polish Sirene

I Love Nail Polish Sirene

I Love Nail Polish Sirene

I Love Nail Polish Sirene

I Love Nail Polish Sirene

I Love Nail Polish Sirene

I Love Nail Polish Sirene

If there's a definite must have from ILNP, I would absolutely recommend this one, and that's before I've finished swatching the rest of my ILNP haul.  I don't think there's any other multichrome that could compare to the beautiful shifting colors in Sirene, but maybe that's because I'm a huge fan of purple, teal, and green.  Make sure you snatch this one if you're doing the pre-order this weekend, you won't regret it!