Thursday, August 29, 2013

I've Got the Blues!

The Zoya blues that is! Whenever I paint my nails for myself and not for swatching for my blog, I have the tendency to stick with certain colour families. Over the past several months, I have gone from an orange kick, to pink, to green, and now I'm loving all things blue. For today's post, I decided to wear Zoya Breezi and Zoya Liberty.


I used two coats of Breezi and then added lines and dots of Liberty using the brush in the bottle. I love the contrast of the smooth creaminess of Breezi with the sparkle and texture of Liberty. It is a fun and simple way to use the Zoya Pixie Dust polishes to jazz up your nails.

I hope you enjoyed today's post! Have a wonderful day!

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

A Giveaway to Say Thank You!

I hit 2,000 likes on Facebook this weekend! I couldn't do it without you, and I truly appreciate all your support! What could be better for prizes other than some of my favorite goodies from Glisten & Glow!

Nail & Cuticle Balm
HK Girl Top Coat
Stuck on Blu! Base Coat
Glis-tics Cuticle Oil

Hand Sanitizer
Body Spray
Body Wash
Body Lotion

There are two prizes and two winners! This giveaway is open internationally and ends September 15th. 

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Précision Nail Lacquer: Oasis Collection Nail Art

Press Sample

Can't believe SAHARA DESERTED ME in the SANDSTORM! I've already BEEN THERE DUNE THAT. I'd rather be painting my nails in SAGE, cooling down by YOU'RE IN DE-NILE RIVER. I just hope I don't get bitten by the SCORPION KING.

Good morning, dear readers! I have something a little different than usual for you, and I hope you enjoy it! I was asked by Lamoon Beauty Products, Inc to try out their Précision nail polish line, and I was given the option of doing the usual swatching or nail art. I've been sharing a lot of swatches lately, so I chose to jump on the opportunity to do some nail art. I used the following six colours from the Oasis Collection on my nails.
Sahara Deserted Me
Been There Dune That
Sandstorm

Sage
You're in De-Nile River
Scorpion King

And now to my nails!
Because Sahara Deserted Me, Been There Dune That, and Sandstorm look pretty similar in the bottle (and the lightest colours), I decided to use them as the base colours on my fingers so you could see just how they compare to each other. Sahara Deserted Me is the base colour on my middle finger, Been There Dune That is on my thumb and pinky, and Sandstorm is on my index finger.

I was very pleased with the quality of these polishes! They applied smoothly on my nails, and with the exception of Sandstorm, the base colours I selected only required two coats for opacity. Sandstorm was a little tricky to apply, but I found it to still be manageable. It was also little on the sheer side and needed three coats to be opaque.

I love the colours in this collection! Sometimes I just want a simple neutral colour, and this collection fills that desire perfectly. Furthermore, Précision nail lacquers are both three-free and cruelty-free. I definitely appreciate that!


Links
Précision nail lacquers can be purchased from Lamoon Beauty Products here
Also, keep an eye on their Facebook page for upcoming events, new products, promotions and more!

Until next time, dear readers, have a wonderful day!


Disclaimer:  The products reviewed above were provided to me for my honest and unbiased opinion. All thoughts stated are entirely my own and are based on my use of said products.  I love receiving feedback from my readers, and any comments left here are the express opinions and/or property of the individual authors.  Therefore, I, the author of this site, cannot be held responsible for the opinions held by others.  I reserve the right to remove any comments that I find to be harmful, unnecessary, or not constructive for other readers.

Monday, August 26, 2013

Nire's Desire Polish: Blue a Smurf

Press Sample

Good morning, dear readers! I have another beauty from Nire's Desire Polish to share with you today. Blue a Smurf is a gorgeous medium blue polish with hints of scattered holo for extra dazzle. I just can't stop staring at my nails! If you prefer strong linear holos, Blue a Smurf may not be for you, but if you like scattered holos, Blue a Smurf is perfect! It's a gorgeous polish and one you need if you're a fan of blues. On to the photos!

I used two thin coats for these photos.

I was very pleased with the formula of Blue a Smurf. This polish applies so smoothly! It was a little sheer with the first coat, but I achieved opacity with the second coat. Now this is the kind of Monday blues I like!

I have been very impressed with the quality of the Nire's Desire polishes I have tried, and I definitely recommend checking them out! While most retail for $8 at the etsy shop, Blue a Smurf is $10 due to the more expensive ingredients. The shop is currently having a promotion: buy three polishes, get a fourth free! 

Disclaimer:  The products reviewed above were provided to me for my honest and unbiased opinion. All thoughts stated are entirely my own and are based on my use of said products.  I love receiving feedback from my readers, and any comments left here are the express opinions and/or property of the individual authors.  Therefore, I, the author of this site, cannot be held responsible for the opinions held by others.  I reserve the right to remove any comments that I find to be harmful, unnecessary, or not constructive for other readers.

Saturday, August 24, 2013

Happy Birthday, Amy! Literary Lacquers Swatches and Review!

Good afternoon, dear readers! For those of you that may not know this, today is Amy of Literary Lacquer's 40th birthday! I adore Amy, and she does not look like she is close to 40. I certainly hope to look as good as she does when I turn 40! In honor of her birthday, I thought I would share some swatches of her polishes from "The Good Parts" since we're almost ready to be adults now ;) Amy, I hope you have a wonderful birthday weekend!

Now to the swatches!

Roissey over Zoya Song
Black and blue polish inspired by The Story of O published under the pseudonym Pauline Reage in 1954. This polish is named for the chateau where O, our heroine, is taken to be transformed into a sex slave. In an article in 1994 in The New Yorker, Anne Desclos came out to the world as the actual owner of this intense and sometimes brutal smutty book.

Because Roissey is quite sheer and I wanted just a touch of black glitters, I decided to swatch one coat of it over Zoya Song. I then added HK Girl top coat. I love this polish! The colour is so vibrant and it just makes me feel good whenever I wear it! The formula was smooth and easy to work with, and the black glitters spread out very nicely over the nails. Roissey is arguably my favorite non-holographic Literary Lacquers polish. 

John Thomas/Lady Jane
Deep forest green glitter polish with accents of many shades of green glitter and shimmer and a touch of white glitter. This polish is inspired by Lady Chatterly's Lover by D. H. Lawrence, published in 1928, specifically the scene where Constance Chatterly and her lover Mellors (the gamekeeper) run naked through the English wood during a rainstorm. After their lovemaking, they celebrate the marriage of "John Thomas" to "Lady Jane".

Look at all this glitter! John Thomas/Lady Jane is densely packed with glitters, and I had full coverage with just two coats. Because it had so many glitters, I topped this off with Gelous and the a layer of top coat to get a smooth finish for these photos. In spite of being chock-full of glitter, the formula wasn't too thick and the glitters dispersed nicely. I love wearing this polish because it reminds me of the wooded park I used to visit when I lived on the east coast.

Woman of Pleasure
Periwinkle crelly with navy. lavender, matte pink glitters and magenta circle glitter. This polish is inspired by Fanny Hill: Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure written by John Cleland in 1748 when it was promptly banned for over 200 years.

I usually shy away from periwinkle-based polishes, but I absolutely adore this one! I love the combination of glitters that have been added to this polish, and I love the depth they create when on the nails. I used two coats of polish and a coat of top coat for these photos. 

Bionic Mmmm-Detector
Black jelly packed with aqua, teal, blue and green microglitter. This polish was inspired by Vox by Nicholson Baker published in 1990. This entire book is one long anonymous phone sex conversation over a 1-900 number. The book, published in the midst of the AIDS crisis represents the ultimate safe sex in a pre-internet era. This book gained even more notoriety as the book famously given to President Bill Clinton by the young intern Monica Lewinsky.

I'm so glad it is almost fall because I plan to wear this polish a lot! The colour is gorgeous, and the formula was perfect! Bionic Mmmm-Detector is in my list of Literary Lacquers must-have polishes; you won't be disappointed! I used three coats plus top coat for these photos.

If It Pleases You
Deep plum linear holographic. This polish was inspired by The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty by Anne Rice, originally published in 1983 under the pseudonym A. N. Roquelaure. It's a kinky fairy tale, telling us what happens after the prince wakes Sleepy Beauty (not with a kiss in this tale). If it pleases you is what Beauty is taught to answer questions by her masters. Lots of joyful spankings in this book...

Go ahead and drool for a minute; I'll wait...

Are you with me now? Good. If It Pleases You is my favorite polish from this collection, and all you have to do it look at photos to understand why. I have worn this several times already, and I just cannot get over how beautiful it is! I discovered that I tend to be drawn to polishes that have this bruised-colouring, but Amy created the perfect polish with this one. I used two coats of If It Pleases You and followed up with Glisten & Glow's HK Girl top coat for these photos.

My Secret Garden over If It Pleases You
Glitter topcoat of multicoloured matte glitters with a hefty dose of sparkle. This polish is inspired by My Secret Garden by Nancy Friday, published in 1973. This groundbreaking feminist book collected the sexual fantasies of women in a time when women were considered not to do such things. This book, as well as being fabulously sexy, is worth a read just to really understand where women were sexually in the culture as the sexual revolution was changing everything.

While I have never read the book that inspired this polish, it definitely looks like a garden in the bottle! There are so many colours, and I suspect this top coat would look beautiful over almost anything. I dabbed and swished a coat over my nails and then followed up a touch here and there that seemed a little sparse of the larger glitters. I then added a layer of top coat for a smooth finish.

Links
These and other Literary Lacquers polishes can be purchased at the Literary Lacquer Etsy shop. Keep an eye out on Amy's Facebook page for shop announcements as well as shared pictures from her fans. While you are there, don't forget to wish her a happy birthday!

Until next time, dear readers, have a wonderful day and enjoy the rest of the weekend!
<3 <3













Friday, August 23, 2013

Born Pretty Store Holographic Polish Review


Press Sample

Good morning, dear readers! I have one of the gorgeous holographic polishes from Born Pretty Store to share with you this morning. I wasn't sure what to expect from my first polish from this vendor, but I was blown away with the first brush stroke. I used two thin coats and no top coat for the following photos.
I fell in love with this coral-leaning light red polish and was a little sad when I had to take it off! The formula was superb: not too thin or too thick. It seemed a little sheer with the first coat, but it was opaque in two coats. The only potential downside to this polish is the size. The square-shaped cap and the mini brush were a little awkward for me to handle at first, but I think it is manageable once you get the hang of it. Each bottle is only 6mL, and something this pretty will go fast! You're definitely going to want a backup or two of this one, and if you have an empty bottle around, you can easily decant them together into the larger bottle!

This gorgeous polish can be purchased from Born Pretty Store (direct link) for $12.88, although it is currently on sale for $5.59.

While you are there, be sure to check out Born Pretty Store for all your nail art needs- they have LOTS to choose from! You can also save 10% by using my coupon code QWL91 towards your purchase of anything from the site.

What do you think oh the holo polish craze? Are you ready to move on to something else, or can you still not get enough? I'd love to hear your thoughts on it!


Disclaimer:  The products reviewed above were provided to me for my honest and unbiased opinion. All thoughts stated are entirely my own and are based on my use of said products.  I love receiving feedback from my readers, and any comments left here are the express opinions and/or property of the individual authors.  Therefore, I, the author of this site, cannot be held responsible for the opinions held by others.  I reserve the right to remove any comments that I find to be harmful, unnecessary, or not constructive for other readers.


Thursday, August 22, 2013

Nire's Desire Polish: Swatches and Review

Press Sample

Good morning, dear readers! I am so excited to be sharing a new indie polish line with you today! If you're not a glitter fan and want solid colours while still supporting an indie line, I strongly encourage you to check out Nire's Desire Polish. These beautiful nail lacquers are 3-free, and the formula on these were simply amazing! I've been wanting to share these with you for a couple weeks now, but the Arizona heat paired with the swamp cooler has made swatching all polishes a nightmare. All of the following swatches are of the Nire's Desire polishes without top coat. Check out these beauties!

Stormborn
Stormborn is a gorgeous violet polish loaded with pink shimmer. There is also some touches of blue shimmer that are subtle, and you can pick up on this feature more in the blurred out nails the best.

I used three thin coats of this polish, but two slightly thicker coats would have sufficed. If you do opt to use thicker coats, you need to be mindful of flooding cuticles. The formula on this was a touch on the thin side like I prefer, but it does flood the cuticle (eponychium for you sticklers out there!) if you aren't careful.

Land of Ire
I have been loving green polishes lately, and Land of Ire was no exception! This green beauty looks rather foil-like when dry, and it has quite a bit of green shimmer added for good measure. The shimmer was pretty elusive and hid from my camera, but you can definitely see it on the nail. I used two thin coats for these photos.

Milfred
A stunning tomato-red foil-finished lacquer, Milfred was the most pigmented of this set. I used two coats for these photos, but you can easily get away with one if you have shorter nails or just use a slightly thicker coat if you have longer nails. I may not have even needed a second coat myself only I was convinced I saw the slightest hint of nail line with just the one. Milfred was the first Nire's Desire polish I swatched, and I was amazed at just how easily it applied.

Links and Additional Information
I usually use top coat when I swatch polishes, but I did have issues when I used top coat. For some odd reason, after I applied top coat, the Nire's Desire polishes would start to crackle slightly. I'm not sure if they aren't compatible with the base coat I normally use (Glisten & Glow Stuck on Blu!) or if the issue was the top coat (Glisten & Glow HK Girl). I know others have successfully used the same top coat with this line, so it could just be an issue of my personal body chemistry combined with base coat, colour, and top coat that created the issue. Whatever the case, I wanted to at least let know you of my experience with the combination. Used by itself or with the base coat, I had no problems what-so-ever, and I just need to figure out what specific combination with top coat will work for me.

Nire's Desire Polishes retail for $8 at the etsy shop, and you should definitely check them out! They are currently having a shop promotion where if you buy three polishes, you get a fourth free! How awesome is that?

Until next time, dear readers, stay good, or just don't get caught! ;)




Disclaimer:  The products reviewed above were provided to me for my honest and unbiased opinion.  All thoughts stated are entirely my own and are based on my use of said products.  I love receiving feedback from my readers, and any comments left here are the express opinions and/or property of the individual authors.  Therefore, I, the author of this site, cannot be held responsible for the opinions held by others.  I reserve the right to remove any comments that I find to be harmful, unnecessary, or not constructive for other readers.


Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Femme Fatale Cosmetics Nail Lacquer Review and Swatches

Press Sample

Good evening, dear readers, and happy hump day! How did it get to be Wednesday already?!? I feel like the days are just flying by, and I am looking forward to cooler days.

Today's post features the gorgeous indie polishes of Femme Fatale Cosmetics, and you have no idea how excited I am to finally be able to post this! If the scribbling and crossing out of information is any indication of the package travels, I'm not sure how it made it to me in the first place. Thankfully it did eventually make it to me because these are so pretty! Let's check out some swatches and chat more later, yes?

Keeper of the Grove over Sally Hansen Grass Slipper
Keeper of the Grove is a fantastically bright lime jelly base jam packed full of holographic greens and golds, as well as teal/pink dots and soft pink hearts. Add a little springtime to your fingertips.

I've be loving green polishes lately, and Keeper of the Grove was no exception. Packed to the nines with glitter, I only needed to dap about a coat of polish on my nails to get this much sparkle over the lime green base coat. The polish is a touch on the thick side, but I've found the slightly thicker polishes work easier for me when it comes to dabbing glitters. The glitters broke up very nicely and there was no clumping here! I topped this off with top coat for these photos.

Fatal Attraction
Fatal Attraction is a deep magenta polish with scattered holographic particles in a rich burgundy. Will dry to a rough surface so will require topcoat and 2-3 coats for an even finish.

For those that have seen this before (and there are LOTS of pictures online), you might be thinking "There is no way this is Fatal Attraction! This looks textured!" Oh, dear readers, it sure is! I wasn't expecting it to be this rough with three coats of polish, and I fell in love with it like this. If you don't already own this, you may never get to see this beauty in this way, and it would have been a shame to keep it a secret! I did use Glisten & Glow HK Girl top coat on all but my ring finger on the last photo. Not too thick and not too thin, Fatal Attraction applied like a dream.

Nightsong Grotto over Essie Go Overboard
A lovely teal green base filled with various teals and greens, highlighted by a scattering of iridescent and pink holo. Reminiscent of lotus flowers floating along some forgotten stream in a shady forest.

I am so glad fall is almost here because I love this colour for the season! Who am I kidding- I wear whatever I want year round! Nightsong Grotto is lovely, and I was happy to get a circle-shaped glitter on my ring finger. The glitters in this beauty are more teal-coloured than the pictures show; my camera just could not handle the awesomeness of this polish. :D I dabbed on a coat of this over the Essie undies, and the glitters dispersed pretty easily. I then followed up with top coat for these photos.

Planar Anomalies over Zoya Raven
Planar Anomalies is a really complex polish that is nearly impossible to photograph. It's a murky base base (sheer crelly, suitable for layering over another shade) with a subtle pink to green shift. In this darkly delightful base we have an assortment of grey, black, holo, purple, and teal.

I wanted to like this polish, but this one was disappointing for me. It was thick and difficult to apply, although the application issues could be due to the bent brush. Mini brushes are hard enough to work with, and I had a difficult time manipulating the brush and breaking up the black hex glitters mixed in. The little lump on my pinky nail is due to this issue, and I just could not get the couple glitters there to break up. I think this polish has a lot of potential, so I'm going to hold out hope that a good brush would make it apply much better! 

These and other Femme Fatale Cosmetics can be purchased directly from Femme Fatale Cosmetics if you reside in Australia. They are also available through an assortment of stockists, many of which ship worldwide.

Until next time, dear readers, have a wonderful evening!



Disclaimer:  The products reviewed above were provided to me for my honest and unbiased opinion.  All thoughts stated are entirely my own and are based on my use of said products.  I love receiving feedback from my readers, and any comments left here are the express opinions and/or property of the individual authors.  Therefore, I, the author of this site, cannot be held responsible for the opinions held by others.  I reserve the right to remove any comments that I find to be harmful, unnecessary, or not constructive for other readers.

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