Quick Look: China Glaze - Creative Fantasy

This was one heck of a polish to photograph. My camera insisted on making it look blue, and even in this picture which is ALMOST the right color, it still looks bluer than in reality. Creative Fantasy is part of China Glaze's Cirque du Soleil Worlds Away collection which had a lot of fun colors, but of which I own only one.  This polish is described as neon purple, and has a jelly finish (which I love). I'm wearing three coats, and topped it off with Sally Hansen Insta-Dri top coat. Just one coat is horribly streaky, and two is almost right. Three is the magic number. 

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(Funny side note - my husband took it upon himself to see if he could get the polish to photograph correctly... future nail blogger in the works?)

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Maybelline Color Show - Pink Shock

Hello! Happy Thursday - we're almost to the long holiday weekend! Woohoo! 

Today I've got a quick look at my nails. I'm wearing a Maybelline Color Show polish in Pink Shock. 

This is a fun, bright neon pink that is sort of like a creme and partially like a jelly finish - in between. I'm wearing two coats topped off with a coat of Sally Hansen Insta-Dri top coat, and as you can tell there is still some visible nail line. This color is fun for summer, and really that's about it...nothing special. I've been wearing it for a couple days now and it has chipped fairly quickly which is disappointing, however these polishes retail for something like $2.99 so it's not shocking. I'm not sure how much use I'll get out of this polish in the future; I'm pretty sure I have one or two other polishes that are very similar. 

What is your favorite hot pink color? 

Quick Look: Gatsby-esque Nails

Here's a quick look at my Gatsby inspired polish combo - doesn't it make you think of a fancy 20's party? I should be holding a cocktail...

Products used:

--Base color: Sinful Colors - Vacation Time

--Glitter: Nicole by OPI - A Gold Winter's Night

On that note, I'm off to see The Great Gatsby this afternoon! Have a wonderful weekend, old sports! 

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Finger Paints - Blue Raspberry Taffy

Thursday, MAY 2ND we got 15.5" of snow in southern Minnesota. Hard, heavy, bringing-trees-down, knocking-power-out, cold, spring snow. One for the record books. So today, you can imagine I was in the mood for a spring nail color - something to make me forget that there is snow outside on May 4th. (Thankfully, the forecast shows mid-high 60s for the next week - buh-bye snow!)

This is two coats of Blue Raspberry Taffy by Finger Paints from the Spring 2012 Gumdrops & Lollipops collection (I got this on clearance recently, hence being a year late!). This is a lovely, creamy sky blue that is perfect for spring! There is not a whole lot that makes it unique (there are many colors just like this out there, in fact I'm sure I have a couple already in my own polish collection), but it is a pretty color, nonetheless. 

To jazz it up a little, I used an oldie but goodie, Last Friday Night by OPI from the Katy Perry collection (which I loved) on my middle and ring fingers. This is a super pretty blue glitter polish, filled with circular blue and silver round glitters, and a mix of micro glitter. I'm a big Katy Perry fan, so naturally I loved this collection, which I still pull out and incorporate in to my manicures now and then - which is saying something as I don't use many polishes over and over (total polish snob over here...). 

Hope you are enjoying your weekend as much as I am! Til next time! :) 

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Zoya - Aurora

Say hello to my new favorite nail polish! Long have I been lusting over Zoya's Aurora, and a couple months back I snagged it and (true to form) I let it sit in my "untrieds" pile for way too long! This color is absolutely amazing, which you might have guessed I would say, as it's jam-packed with holographic glitter - MY FAVORITE!

Aurora is a gorgeous plum color that is really out of this world. It looks like there are neverending layers of glitter on my nails. Beware, once your nails hit the sunlight - you will not be able to look away! Aurora definitely lives up to the hype, and I'm so glad I snagged a couple polishes from this line (Zoya's Ornate collection). I can't wait to try this on my toes for summer! 

Have a great Monday!!

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April Birchbox

Today I've got a different sort of post for you. Typically, I write only about various nail polishes that I use; however, while I love nail polish, and reviewing it for you, my love of the beauty industry spans more than the nail polish sector. I try out so many products and have an opinion on most of the items in the cosmetics aisles, and I want to share that with you as well. So, from today on out, I've decided to expand the scope of my blog to include more than just nail polish. Yay!

I figured, what better way to kick this off than to show you my April Birchbox. Let's back up for a second - for those of you who are unfamiliar with Birchbox, it's a monthly subscription service for beauty products. Each month, you get a box filled with 5 or 6 sample products to try out. Full sizes of the products are available on Birchbox.com if you like what you've tried! It's an awesome way to "test-drive" often expensive products before you shell the money out on them. For only $10 a month, you can't beat it! I've been a subscriber since October of 2010, and I've been really happy with it so far.

 If you're interested in signing up, click this link to join: www.birchbox.com?raf=owwcv

This month Birchbox teamed up with Women's Health to create a box designed by their wellness experts, filled with a collection of their favorite products. It came like this: 

Inside my Birchbox are the following items:

Caudalie Divine Oil | Full-size: $9-49

This is a 0.1 oz sample of Caudalie's Divine Oil. This can be used in a number of ways: on the skin, hair, or nails, adding a glow where you need it. It has a floral scent that, in my opinion, is a bit overwhelming. I will most likely use this just as a cuticle oil. The packaging notes that the Divine Oil is ideal for the face, but there is no way I'm putting this oil on my acne-prone skin!

Nexxus Youth Renewal Rejuvenating Elixir | Full-size: $20.99

I was really excited to see this sample, as I love Nexxus products and I'm pretty sure this is a new one! This is an anti-aging elixir that boots shine and cures dry ends, while reducing the odds of age-related breakage. It smells wonderful, and is a nice 0.14 oz sample. 

StriVectin-SD Eye Concentrate for Wrinkles | Full-size: $65

This is the product I am most excited about from this month's Birchbox. This is an anti-aging cream designed to diminish fine lines and reverse puffy circles. This is also a pretty decent sample size at 0.25 oz. It doesn't have any detectable smell, which is nice. I'm all about preventative anti-aging skin care, so I will certainly be using this sample until it's gone.

Youngblood Mineral Cosmetics Anti-Shine Mattifier | Full-size: $36

This is an interesting sample. This mattifier zaps shine when you apply it to your T-zone (prior to applying foundation). This little pot is a 0.05 oz sample, and really I'm not a fan of this packaging. I'm not sure if I'll get much use out of this (I'm a little skeptical), but I'll certainly give it a shot. It feels sort of oily on the skin, which is odd for a "mattifying" product.

Weleda Body Lotion | Full-size: $16.50

I always enjoy lotion samples; it's kind of fun to try out something different than the lotions sitting on my vanity every day. These are 0.13 oz samples by Weleda in three distinct fragrances: Wild Rose, Pomegranate, and Sea Buckthorn. I have yet to try these out, but a friend of mine who is also a Birchbox subscriber mentioned that one of these smells like pickle juice - yuck!  I'm certainly not going to spend $16.50 on a pickle-juice scented lotion!

Women's Health One-Year Subscription

A cool little perk in this month's box is a free one-year subscription to Women's Health magazine. Being that I'm a big magazine junkie, I'll gladly take a free subscription! I almost looked past this little goodie, until I watched Eleventh Gorgeous' video for their Birchbox and Ipsy unboxing where they mentioned it - so I have to say a big thanks to them for cluing me in! 

Stay tuned! I'll be doing these Birchbox unboxings monthly and I've got lots of new, fun things up my sleeve! 

** This post contains my referral link. If you click on the link and sign up, I will earn credit towards Birchbox products.

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Orly - Peaceful Opposition

Wow, wow, WOW! This is such a fun, unique polish that I'm so glad I picked up. Today I'm rockin' two coats of Orly's Peaceful Opposition, which is part of Orly's 2013 Spring Hope and Freedom collection. This polish is a sheer milky white packed with silver and white square and hex glitters. This is such a cool polish; the glitter gets sandwiched between layers and makes a really nice effect on the nails. 

The application was a little tricky, as it got kind of chunky from the glitter, but I think if I would have been more patient and waited longer between coats, it would have been a total non-issue. I hope Orly comes out with more polishes like this, because this is just so pretty!

I got this polish at Sally Beauty, so go snatch up a bottle for yourself while you can!

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Nicole by OPI - Di-Vine is Divine

Today I've got an oldie but a goodie, a polish that has been sitting on my untried shelf for far too long. For some reason it just never caught my eye as I looked for something new to wear, but not any longer! Today I'm sporting Di-Vine is Divine from Nicole by OPI. 

This is two coats topped off with one coat of Seche Vite. The color is very pretty, a deep berry purple with a bit of shimmer. True to OPI fashion, application was very easy and smooth.

Funny enough, a couple years ago I wouldn't even wear dark purple polish like this. I just didn't like the deep, blue-ish hue. Nowadays, I've come around and actually enjoy purple nails every now and then. While this color is very pretty, there isn't anything too special about it. I'm not in love with it, although I don't dislike it. I probably won't reach for it again, unless it fits with a theme or certain outfit. There's just not much else to say! 

Color Club - Blue Heaven

Today I have a polish I've been very excited to wear since receiving it for Christmas; it's a polish from Color Club called Blue Heaven. This polish is from the Halo Hues collection (a collection entirely of holographic colors), and if you've spent any time reading my blog you know my ultimate favorite polishes are holographics!

This is two coats of Blue Heaven, topped off with OPI's Start to Finish top coat (which I am NOT a fan of, but I left my Seche Vite at home). Because of the junk top coat I used, my nails chipped rather quickly, but I can't bring myself to remove it quite yet. It's just too pretty!

The application was pretty good, although I'm curious to know if it would chip as fast even with Seche Vite as a top coat. I got two others from the collection, and I can't wait to show you if they're as pretty as this polish!

What is your favorite style of polish?

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Color Club - Insta-This

I'm not one to gravitate towards a blue polish if I'm presented with lots of other color choices, but this blue is one I'd definitely recommend picking up. However this color, Color Club's Insta-This, is a Birchbox exclusive - so if you want to sign up for an awesome monthly subscription box that comes filled with beauty samples, leave me a comment below and I'll send you a referral link! I think I'll actually do a review on my next Birchbox so you guys can see how awesome they really are!

Insta-This is a bright true blue cream. There is no shimmer or glitter or anything of the sort, but I think this color is loud and fun enough without it. I got this polish back in my September or October Birchbox and just didn't feel inclined to try it out until this week, and I do not know what I was waiting for - it's absolutely gorgeous! I'm wearing two coats, as one coat was not quite opaque and a little streaky. 

Unfortunately, I've been wearing this polish for just a couple days and it has already turned in to chip-city on my nails, even with a good coating of Seche Vite top coat to seal it off. Like I said, it would probably be a good pedi color (I don't know about you, but my toenail polish takes about a month to chip), and I think it would be especially pretty in summer!

Happy Friday, everyone! Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Julep - Cupid's Mystery Box

I mentioned in my previous post that I ordered the Cupid's Mystery Box from Julep and had been anxiously anticipating adding more Julep polishes to my ever-growing stash. The ad for the Cupid's Mystery Box said that you would definitely get: 4 Valentine's Day colors, a mystery holographic polish (or a code to pick one online), and different colors in each box purchased (which doesn't really apply here since I only ordered one). There was also a chance to receive a box with a $1,000 Visa gift card, or jewelry from Baublebar. These mystery boxes were valued between $70-$2,000. 

And here is my Cupid's Mystery Box:

This definitely was not as good as the New Year's mystery box I got, which included a pedicure cream and some lotion samples, along with 3-4 polishes - but I'm definitely not disappointed with this box either. So let's take a closer look...

Julep - Evangeline

The holographic polish I got is Evangeline, which is sort of a coppery orange holographic. From the swatches I've seen, it looks gorgeous, but maybe more for fall than Valentine's Day. I'm excited to try it out because holographic polishes are my weakness!

Julep - Lynn

Lynn is a pearly nude shade which looks so pretty in the pictures I've seen. I love a good nude polish - it's a simple way to feel elegant and classy, especially after lots of bright, crazy manicures! I'm positive I'll get lots of use out of this polish.

Julep - Lucy

Lucy is a fun, vampy burgundy creme polish. It's not often I feel like I can sport these kind of colors and pull them off, but every now and then I feel sort of vampy. When that time comes, I'm definitely going to reach for Lucy!

Julep - Demi

Demi is probably the most Valentine-y color in this box, being it's a dark red creme polish. I really don't have anything like this color, and I can't wait to try it out. It's different and fun, but still professional enough for work. I like!

Julep - Maya

Maya is probably my least favorite polish in this box. This is a nude pink pearly polish. I don't like my nude polishes to have a sheen to them like this, but I know I'll still give it a shot anyway. 

Julep - Camellia Lip Gloss

This was a pleasant surprise to find in my mystery box, as I am a lover of lip products. It doesn't have much color, but it will work great over a lip stick or even alone for a bit of shine. It smells amazing, and isn't sticky at ALL which is awesome! This might just be my favorite product from the Cupid's Mystery Box!

Did any of you get a Cupid's Mystery Box? How does yours compare?

Julep - Lauren

Today I have my very FIRST Julep polish to show you! I've long ogled these polishes, seen them in Sephora, and watched videos of people showing off their Maven boxes, but I haven't ever tried them. The hefty $14 price tag for this polish was a pretty good deterrent. However, back in December I got an e-mail from Julep about their New Year's Mystery Box which cost only $20, which really caught my eye since they were guaranteed to come with at least $100 worth of products. And this beauty, named Lauren, came in my Mystery Box!

First of all, let me just say - I am now a Julep convert. The formula was just amazing. It went on super smooth, dried nicely, and has great coverage. Lauren is described by Julep as a hot tropical pink creme - I actually thought it was sort of a jelly, but I guess not. I'm wearing two coats, and I'm in love! A perfect color for Valentine's Day, don't you think?

This polish actually reminds me of the Zoya Blogger series (which you can see one of my swatches from, HERE) especially with only one coat of the polish, however that line is strictly made up of jellies. Overall, I really like this! I'm excited to try the others I got in my New Year's Mystery Box, and I just ordered the Valentine's Mystery box from Julep so you're going to see a lot more where this came from! 

Claire's - Bedazzled

Despite the ever-growing pile of "untrieds" sitting on my nail polish shelf, this weekend I wanted to do something a bit more fun and pulled from my stash of "already useds" to create the look. I have for you today a cascading glitter tipped manicure!

For this manicure I used two coats of an unnamed pale pink by The Color Workshop, and for the glittery tips I used a favorite of mine by Claire's named Bedazzled which is a really fun polish filled with multicolored hex glitters and small blue glitter in a clear base. I wasn't sure exactly how it would turn out, but I actually really love it, and I can't stop peeking down at my nails!

After the pink base coat was on and dried, I started by painting Bedazzled along the tips of my nails and trying to keep the clear base minimal by scraping as much off as possible while still retaining the glitter. I then followed up with another coat along the tips, but this time drew the glitter up further along the nail so it wasn't such a rigid line. I like the look of it cascading up my nails. 

This is a fun alternative to the standard French Manicure! What do you think?

Essie - Trophy Wife

Happy 2013 everyone! Hope you had a very happy NYE celebration, and 2013 has been treating you well so far. Today I'm wearing a polish I received as a gift at my bachelorette party earlier this summer, and funny enough the friend who got this for me didn't even read the name when she bought it! Hilarious, considering the name!

This is two coats of Essie's Trophy Wife, a shimmery turquoise that is stunning! I'm not one to go crazy for blues and turquoise colors, but this one is so full of shimmer and vibrancy that I'm sure I'll wear it again! I'd like to see how good this looks for a pedicure in the summer.

At first I thought this was going to be streaky, as it appeared that way when I was painting my nails, but it dried really nicely and you can hardly see any streaks. I'm not quite sure what made someone associate such a shimmery blue with a trophy wife (a bright pink or red comes to my mind), but I feel extra fabulous while wearing this, so maybe that's why. ;)

L'Oreal - Gorgeous Gold

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas - I can't believe it's over already, but I am looking forward to New Year's Eve and the New Year celebration! I'll be ringing in 2013 with my husband and my uncle and his fiance, as well as some of their friends - most likely playing Cards Against Humanity (one of my new favorite games that my husband and I got for Christmas)! I tried to choose a polish that is festive enough for the holiday, and so I'm sporting two coats of L'Oreal's Gorgeous Gold. 

I absolutely love this color in the bottle, but I don't like it so much on my nails. This is a greenish gold foil with  gold hex glitter, and it is unfortunately a bit too green for my taste. 

The application was okay; one coat was thin and runny, but by coat #2 it is pretty much opaque. It's hard to get it completely even with all the hex glitters scattered all over the place. Overall, it's not my favorite, but it's not the worst I've ever worn either. You win some, you lose some!

Savvy - Deja Blue

Merry Christmas Eve everyone! I hope you're enjoying this special time of year with your loved ones! My family and I are getting ready for our annual Christmas Eve hors d'oeuvre dinner, and I'm in charge of the popcorn balls, queso dip and some cheesy grilled peppers so I'll keep this post brief! :)

This is two coats of Deja Blue by Savvy. I've never used this brand before, but got it cheap at Sally's last year some time. This definitely needed two coats, it was very uneven with just one coat, but the formula was smooth and easy to work with.

In the bottle Deja Blue looks much more shimmery, but it's pretty solid once painted on. In my experience, dark polishes like this one lose their color and appear black except in sunlight or bright light - but the thing I like about this one is that it definitely looks blue in any light. I'm not the biggest fan of blues, but I can say I really like this one!

Have any of you ever used any Savvy polishes?

Zoya Lovely – Spring 2013 Nail Polish Collection

I can't believe it's already that time to start thinking about Spring, but alas, Zoya has released information on their 2013 "Lovely" spring collection and it's looking to be an assortment of pretty pastels! If you read my blog even semi-regularly, you'll know my love for Zoya spans far and wide, so even though I'm not crazy about pastels, I will still be anxiously awaiting this collection!

Straight from Zoya, here is the scoop about the new collection:

"Lovely, just LOVELY!

Spring is awash in six soft and lovely new Zoya shades including three dewy metallics and three fresh blooms of cream. Poetic in nature, this collection is sure to capture the beauty of the season like no other....

•     Piaf (ZP652) - Fresh Forsythia Yellow Metallic - Full Coverage (Originally designed for Fashion Designer Zang Toi)
•     GeiGei (ZP651) - Blushing Cherry Blossom Pink Metallic - Full Coverage (Originally designed for Zang Toi/SS13).
•     Julie (ZP650) - Soft Wisteria Purple Metallic - Full Coverage (Originally designed for Zang Toi/SS13).
•     Blu (ZP653) - Lucky Hyacinth Blue Cream - Full Coverage
•     Neely (ZP655) - Earliest Spring Green Cream - Full Coverage (Originally designed for Peter Som/SS13).
•     Jacqueline (ZP654) - Perfect Magnolia Nude Cream - Full Coverage (Originally designed for Peter Som/SS13)

Shipping January 01, 2013

Ultra long-wearing, nail lacquers by Zoya are BIG5FREE - all formulas are completely free of harmful industrial chemicals such as toluene, camphor, formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin and dibutyl phthalate (DBP) that are known to cause cancer and birth defects.

Zoya Lovely $8 (US)"

Avon - Fuchsia Fun

I have only worn two holiday manicures yet this season (a minimal amount in the nail blog world). However, after two in a row I have already been craving a color completely different and this summery color hit the spot. This is two coats of Avon's Fuchsia Fun.

In the bottle it appears to have more pink shimmer than it shows once it is painted on, but this is still a really gorgeous polish. I'm definitely adding this to my (mental) list of favorite pinks so I can remember it again come spring and summer, when it will be more seasonally appropriate. 

Fuchsia Fun painted on smoothly, which was nice considering other Avon Nailwear Pro polishes I've used dried slower than this one and had a slightly more difficult formula to work with. After this nice bright mani, I think I just might be able to stomach one more holiday themed design before Christmas comes and goes. 

Zoya - Veruschka

My nails last week were more New Year's than Christmas, but this week I am going full force holiday! And it just so happens that I am sporting Pantone's Color of the Year (before it was even announced, might I add!) - so this week's mani is extra festive and fashionable. ;)

This holiday green is Zoya Veruschka, an older polish that I picked up during one of last year's flash promos. I've picked it up and put it back down a million times, but the time finally felt right to wear this gorgeous matte polish. I'm not the biggest fan of matte polishes, (I'm more of a glitter and shine kind of girl) but this is one I can get behind. Packed with shimmer, it would look great with a top coat, too. I totally forgot to use a base coat (what was I thinking?), so I've got my fingers crossed that it won't stain my nails completely.

I added a bit of white and glittery red flair to my ring finger and thumb with my L.A. Colors nail art polishes, and called this holiday manicure complete! Don't you love how the bottle is matte as well? Super cute.