Monday, July 31, 2017

Ellagee for August Polish Pickup: Sophia, Queen of the Side Eye

Press Sample

Happy Monday, dear readers! I almost can't believe it is now officially the last day of July! I've been really busy all month long for one reason or another, so it isn't too surprising, but there is certainly a lot of truth to the expression that times flies when you're having fun! I'm here to share with you the new Ellagee Polish shade created for the Polish Pickup shop opening this Friday. Let's check it out!


The theme for the August Polish Pickup is Old Hollywood, and Laura, the creator behind the brand Ellagee, selected the infamous photo of Sophia Lauren eyeing Jayne Mansfield's chest region. The way I see it, this photo opportunity could have only gone one of two ways to public perception: Sophia being catty and giving the side-eye to Jayne OR the first ever photograph of a celebrity with the unfortunate nip slip. In the end, I'm not really sure which scenario would have been "best", but speculation is not the point of this post. Let's get to the polish.


Presenting: Sophia, Queen of the Side Eye!

Oof, sorry Sophia, I don't know if public perception is going to be able to change on this one!


Sophia, Queen of the Side Eye is described as a charcoal scattered holo with pink/sepia flash, copper miniflakes, and green shimmer inspired by Ms. Loren's auburn hair and hazel eyes.


This polish is fantastic! At some angles, it definitely looks charcoal, but when the light hits it just right, the pink flakes take over and give the over appearance of a sepia polish. It's beautiful and definitely a polish that will win over anyone that enjoys darker shades on their nails. Heck, even if you don't normally like dark polishes, I still think you might like it as it is quite unique and so pretty!


I have no issues to report with this beauty. Sophia, Queen of the Side Eye applied easily for me and is quite opaque. I swatched this just after my nails took the chop from their longer length, and since I originally had more polish on the brush than I would use for this length, I discovered it could be a one coater with careful application. Of course, I removed the excess polish and used two thinner coats, but if you use a heavier hand than I do, one can suffice. In addition to two coats of Sophia, Queen of the Side Eye, I added a layer of top coat for these photos.


Sophia, Queen of the Side Eye and other shades from other brands inspired by Old Hollywood will be available for purchase at www.polishpickup.com this Friday, August 4th through Monday, August 7th. You can buy as many or as few of this month's offerings as you wish! Please note orders submitted during the shop opening are preorders and polishes will ship out to customers in approximately three weeks.

Will you be picking up Sophia, Queen of the Side Eye or other shades from the Old Hollywood-themed Polish Pickup? There are LOTS of gorgeous polishes being offered, and I can already hear wallets crying everywhere!

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

Helpful Links
Facebook Group (Polish Pickup Pack): www.facebook.com/groups/polishpickuppack
Instagram: www.instagram.com/PolishPickup

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Friday, July 28, 2017

Nail Art Featuring China Glaze Summer Reign Collection

Press Sample

Happy Friday, dear readers! I hope you have something wonderful planned for the weekend! I have a lot on my plate right now so I will be busy getting things done, but I'll be loving every moment of it! Let's get in to today's blog post!


Earlier this summer, I shared this nail art design I created using the China Glaze Summer Reign Collection. Details on how I created this look can be found on my original blog post here

I opted to create more nail art looks with the rest of the collection, and I wanted to share them with you today. Summer certainly isn't over, but with several 110+ days this summer around here, I've had my sights on fall and cooler days lately. Even though it's a summer collection, it lends itself well to a summer-to-fall transitional looks very well. Let's step away from the super bright nails and start looking towards fall!




This fun dotticure is seriously competing for favorite looks with the collection! While I don't consider myself a die-hard fan of dots, they are a lot of fun to wear with the added bonus of easy! Even those with absolutely no nail art skills (which is definitely me some days as my next design can attest) can create a dotticure. My favorite thing about this type of look is just how different they can look just based on the colour combinations used. I started off with Simply Fa-Blue-Less as my base and added dots of various sizes with Chroma Cool, I Truly Azure You, and Emerald Bae.

My other design in today's blog post lives up to my mediocre nail art skills. Add to that my camera and lighting just not wanting to cooperate and we have a look with such potential but not so great delivery. I apologize in advance for that, and I hope you can look past it to see what could be done!




I LOVE the look of braided nails, and I particularly love them when they incorporate a variety of finishes rather than all being the same. I spent far more time on this design than I am willing to admit given the final turnout, but my braid strands just refused to be perfectly centered and even for more. In spite of that, I still really love this look and it did look better in person that these photos are showing. To create this look, I used High Standards, Rose My Name, and All Glammed Up.

I had another design planned for this post, but unfortunately the polish consistency just wasn't quite right for the technique I had planned. I'll be playing around with these more and will share if I can get one of my other designs to work out!

The China Glaze Summer Reign Collection is available for purchase at Ulta and Sally Beauty if you are wanting to pick them up and create your own manicures or nail art designs with them! If you do end up creating a nail art design with these, please feel free to tag me on social media; I'd love to see how these polishes inspired you!


Until next time, dear readers, have a wonderful day and enjoy the weekend!
XO!


Helpful Links
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/chinaglaze

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Thursday, July 27, 2017

CPNA Beauty: Ella+Mila Lip Lacquers in It's Complicated and Agent Provocateur

Press Sample

Good morning, dear readers! I hope this post finds you well! This week feels like it has flown by at record speed, and I can't believe the weekend is almost here again. I suppose that's the better option over have a week that never ends, right? I don't want to get too chatty as I know I am prone to do, so I'm going to keep it short and get into the real reason you're here: Ella+Mila lips!


Ella+Mila is one of the brands I had the pleasure of meeting with while attending Cosmoprof North America earlier this month, and although it isn't a new-to-me brand, I was thrilled to spend some time at their booth! While the brand has already made a name for themselves with their beautiful 7-free nail polishes, including the adorable mommy and me sized sets, the brand recently expanded on their repertoire with liquid lip products! I was already aware of these lip products, but this was the first I had seen them in person. I must say: I am in love! The new line launched with ten lip lacquers of differing finishes: three are glossy, two are creamy, and five have a matte finish. I was provided with It's Complicated and Agent Provocateur to share with you in today's post. Let's check them out!


Each Lip Lacquer is contained within a 4 mL/0.14 fl oz tube, and a doe-foot applicator is attached to the inside of the cap.


It's Complicated is part of the Creamy Lips subset while Agent Provocateur is one of the Velvet Matte shades. Both shades are nicely pigmented, and like the rest of the collection, has a light mint scent. I personally am a fan of mint scents so it likely wouldn't have bothered me anyway, and I don't think it is particularly strong and would be offensive to others unless you loathe mint.

It's Complicated

It's Complicated is a beautiful bright pink shade! While not a typical colour I would grab for constantly, I am smitten with this cheery shade and have worn it quite a few times since bringing it home. The formula was incredibly smooth and comfortable on the lips although I did note the finish was a little uneven and patchy with the first layer on my lips. After another quick swipe or two, the colour evened out beautifully. It's Complicated dries down onto the lips, but I did not find it dried out my lips at all. I had a meal after applying this beauty and my lipstick didn't budge. Mind you, I wasn't trying to smear it around like a crazy person, but I did still eat my lunch as I normally would. After about five hours, I noticed the center portion had rubbed off some, and I was able to swipe another layer on the center of my lips; It's Complicated blended in perfectly with the lipstick already on my lips, so I was thrilled to see those results!

Agent Provocateur

Agent Provocateur is It's Complicated's darker, moodier cousin in a Velvet Matte finish. It was love at first swipe when I applied Agent Provocateur to my lips. Densely pigmented, it smoothed onto my lips easily with no thin or patchy spots right from the beginning. After a few minutes, it also dried onto my lips but was no drying out my lips. I was able to wear Agent Provocateur for about six hours before I needed a touch up in the center of my lips, and like It's Complicated, the touchup coat applied easily and blended in with the already existing lipstick flawlessly.

In truth, once both Lip Lacquers dried onto my lips, I couldn't really tell much of a difference between the finishes. That's definitely not a deal-breaker for me, but if you are wanting a true, full-on matte finish, the Velvet Mattes like Agent Provocateur may not appeal to you. I personally love these Lip Lacquers, and if the remaining shades perform as well as these two did for me, I am sold! No more do we have to accept liquid lipsticks flaking off and creating odd textures on our lips when we apply a touchup! Those of you that are out there that have been there, done that know EXACTLY what I'm talking about, so I wholeheartedly suggest you pick up these beauties!

It's Complicated and Agent Provocateur, along with the other Lip Lacquers, can be purchased from the Ella+Mila website located here. 

While I can't share pictures, I can say that there will be more colours coming soon to the brand lineup, and I know a lot of people will be thrilled with the colour offerings! I know I am eager for their release!

That's all I have for today, dear readers! Have you tried any of the new Lip Lacquers fro Ella+Mila? If so, what is your favorite shade? Which ones are you interested in? I'd love to hear from you!

Until next time, have a wonderful day!
XO!


Helpful Links
Store: www.ellamila.com
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/ellamilapolish/
YouTube: www.youtube.com/EllaMila

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Wednesday, July 26, 2017

KBShimmer: Summer Vacation Collection

Press Sample

Greetings, dear readers, and happy hump day! This week feels like it is flying by at record speed, so I hope you are enjoying your summer while you still can!

Speaking of summer, KBShimmer will be launching the new Summer Vacation Collection at the end of the week so you'll have something spectacular to be sporting on your fingers and toes! This collection consists of eight polishes that will keep you beach ready and add a little nostalgia for the summers of our youth. All eight polishes feature KBShimmer's innovative glow flake finish and a colourful shimmer that will turn heads and keep you staring at your fingertips all summer long! Let's get a closer look at this fabulous shades!

Flock This Way

A raspberry pink shade with glowing holo flakes and a sizzling copper shimmer for a color that morphs into a deeper pink and coral in different lighting. Your tips and toes will never be more summer ready than in this flocking shade.

I would say something along the lines of "wow, what a great way to start this post!", but in truth, all the shades in this collection are fantastic and would have had the same reaction from me! This applied really easily for me as the formula was the perfect consistency. Shown with two coats plus top coat.

Shady Beaches

The sand, the sun, the self-tanner mistakes, ah summer in collage was so much fun! A coppery orange shade, with our glowing holo flakes and rose gold shimmer, ready for any beach.

This colour is beautiful, but it is the name that I may actually love the most. If you're not too sure about wearing orange polishes, Shady Beaches is a great option since it falls more into the orangey-peach spectrum but is still appealing to orange fans. I used two easy coats plus top coat for these photos.

Squeeze The Day

Squeeze The Day is a juicy yellow color inspired by pitchers of shocking yellow drinks. We amped up this lemony shade with an orange leaning copper shimmer, and holo glow flakes completes this fresh squeezed look.

While I'm not overall  huge fan of yellow polishes, I am losing my mind over Squeeze The Day! I wasn't too sure I would like yellow in this particular finish, and I am happy to report I was so wrong about my initial thought! This applied easily for me with two coats needed for opacity. I also added top coat for these photos.

Kiwi Real

There are days when you just crave those sweet summer salads filled with oranges, strawberries, kiwis and green apples. This juicy kiwi color shade is almost as refreshing as a fruit salad on a hot day. We filled this color with holo glow flakes. We added a pop of grass green colored shimmer for a really refreshing summer shade.

I have become obsessed with Kiwi Real in particular since receiving my swatch package! This colour is fabulous and so summery, and I can't seem to get enough of it! I have it shown here with two coats plus top coat.

No Wave!

Our nod to summer days spent in pools starts with a deep teal leaning turquoise base. We then loaded this polish with holo glow flakes and blue shimmer, for a splash worthy shade.

A summer collection just never seems quite complete without a bright shade of blue! Turquoise shades are certainly some of my favorites, particularly over the summer, so No Wave! is another favorite for me from this collection. I have it show here with two easy coats plus top coat.

Hashtag You're It!

A brilliant indigo leaning grape, this purple polish is accented by holo glow flakes and a duochrome shimmer that flips from an inky blue to a deep purple. Hashtag your posts, this is one polish you will want everyone to see!

While this polish would have been lovely anyway, it is the additional duochrome shimmer that really ups the WOW factor! While I don't normally gravitate towards indigo shades, I'm definitely enjoying this beauty! I have it show here with two coats plus top coat.

Berry Chill

An orchid colored polish with holo glow flakes and accented with a violet shimmer for a hue so vibrant, you will want to wear your sandals year round!

Berry Chill is another lovely shade in this collection, and I'm actually quite happy the weather is nice enough in Northern California that I do get to wear sandals a large portion of the year. I'm definitely going to be sporting this baby on my toes this summer and beyond! The formula was fabulous and swatches are shown here with two coats plus top coat.

I'm Onyx

Filled with holo glow flakes, this onyx black polish features a color shifting shimmer of blue and purple that dances like lights in the sky, while the flakes emulate the stars that sparkle. This polish is our proof that there is beauty even in the dark.

If I were forced to choose a single favorite from this collection, I'm Onyx would be it. As much as I enjoy my brighter shades for the summer, there is just something so mysterious about this dark shade that keeps pulling me in and won't let me look away. Like the rest of the polishes in this collection, the formula was perfection, and these photos are shown with two coats plus top coat.


The KBShimmer Summer Vacation Collection will release July 28th at KBShimmer.com, Amazon.com, and at select salons and retailers.

While I normally love when polish collections incorporate a variety of shades and finishes, I adore the look of KBShimmer's holo glow flake finish and am delighted to see a full rainbow of shades being offered with this captivating finish! While the finish is relatively new to the brand, KBShimmer has quickly become known for the holo glow flake look, and having a full collection of shades only solidifies it even further. These are exquisite polishes, and I'm sure they'll be grabbing everyone's attention at the beach!

Are there any shades in particular from this collection that are grabbing your attention? What polishes are you planning to pick up at the launch? Are you all about the bright shades or are you loving I'm Onyx too? I'd love to hear from you!

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


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