Saturday, September 25, 2010

Here's the latest installment of the Friday Blogger Round-Up!  Five new blogs to check out!

Away with the Fairies

Bold N Beautiful Make Up

Nail Polish Obsession

Beauty by Brittany

Persistently Polished

As always, if you'd like to be featured in one of my blogger round-ups, please reply to this post or send me an email.  If I forgot you, please let me know!

Also, I've said in the past that I don't mind if you post your URL in your comments, so I can't complain that some people do, and I'm not honestly not complaining.  Just please know that if you respond in a post and include your URL, I will more than likely not put you in a blogger round-up.  I'm not trying to be rude or ignore you, but there is no way I'd be able to catch everyone that asks me to follow them, as I am horrible at checking comments.  So, if you'd like to be in my round-up, just either respond in a round-up post or send me an email. 

PS - this will probably be my last post for a week.  I've decided not to do much in terms of NP on vacation, so I'll probably just be wearing top coat and nothing else (oooh la la).  And I never got around to scheduling post to hit while I'm gone.  So, until we meet again, I send you Peace, Love, and Mickey Mouse!  :P 

Color Club Untamed Luxury Pt. 2 - Indulgence

Here's the second half of Color Club's new fall collection, Untamed Luxury.  If you'd like to read about part 1, Diamond, click here.


















 Jewel of a Girl - Deep brown-red shimmer with same-tone micro-shimmer.  Pic is 2 coats.  Formula is great.

Nothing but Truffle - Dark brown shimmer base with gold and orange micro-shimmer.  Gorgeous brown.  Beautiful for fall.  2 coats.  Great formula.


















Ready to Royal - Very dark purple creme with a jelly-ish finish.  Reminds me of Blackberry jam.  You don't see many vampy colors with a jelly finish.  2 coats.  Formula was okay, you need to be aware of the amount on your brush and the amount you are applying to the nail.


















Positively Posh - Medium-toned greyed-brown.  Formula was a little thin, though it was opaque in 3 coats.

Pretty in Platinum - Pale grey-white pearl.  This is the exact color of pale grey pearls.  The finish is satin so it really does remind me of pearls.  I applied this one over a sticky base coat, and I still got brushstrokes.  Be sure to go in the same direction and let coats dry in-between. Formula was thick and runny at the same time, though I think this is so beautiful, it may be worth the issues.  Pic is 2 coats.


















Soft as Cashmere - Medium-toned putty.  In the bottle, I thought this would be more grey, but on the nail, a lot of green came out.  It's very pretty and in the "greige" family (like Positively Posh).  Formula was similar to PP.  Pic is 3 coats.


















Wild Orchid - ?.  LOL.  Is it purple?  Is it grey?  This is the one that caused me the most problems in describing it.  If I had to come up with something, I'd say it's a very greyed-out lavender (maybe I'll come up with a new word... gravender.  :P) with tons of pastel (pale pink, pale green, pale blue) shimmer particles.  It's absolutely gorgeous and my favorite of the collection.  It's beautiful in the bottle, but truly comes to life on the nail.  Formula was a bit thin, that's my only issue.  It's totally worth it though. Pic is 3 coats.

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All in all, I like this part of the collection.  It seems a bit more cohesive then Diamond, with everything thing in the grey, brown, purple family.  As they say on Project Runway, it tells a color story.  LOL.  I'm in swoony love with Wild Orchid.  Can't describe it worth a darn, but I still love it.  Color Club available at various online etailers (like TD and VNS) and is in the $3 range.

These were sent to me for review


FYI - the roundup will post tomorrow!

Friday, September 24, 2010

OPI Ski Teal We Drop in the sun


















Yesterday's pic of this color looked rather dark, so I wanted you to see it in the sun.  It's an amazing color, and my favorite of the collection, and one of my favorites of all the fall collections.

I know I mention this on the right side under "pictures", but if there is anything you all want to see in the sunlight, please don't hesitate to ask.  Because I'm a SAHM with insomnia, I tend to do all my blogging/picture taking at night.  I wish I could take indoor/outdoor pics on all the polishes, but I can't stop time yet. :P I'm still working on that super-power (in my secret lab), but for now, it'll have to be upon request only.  LOL.

Thursday, September 23, 2010

OPI Swiss Collection - Cremes

Okay, so I meant to get this out to you much sooner than this, but like always... time got away from me.  I swear, my days move at double-time.  LOL.  If you want to see my review of the first half of this collection, the Shimmers, click here.  Also, normally, I'm really wordy in my reviews, but due to time constraints, I'm keeping it short and to the point.  I'm sure you all are relieved.  :P

From A to Zurich - pink/red berry creme.  2 coats.


Color So Hot it Berns - bright, red creme.  Similiar to Zoya Kristi and Jessica Scarlet, though CSHiB is a bit more jelly-ish.  3 coats, and there are still faint VNLs. 


I'm Suzi & I'm a Chocoholic - warm, chocolate brown.  Looks a bit more red in the bottle, but it's a smooth chocolate brown on the nail.  This is what I wanted RBL Au Chocolat to be.  3 coats.



















Just a Little Rosti at This - browned berry-red creme.  From A to Zurich's browner, deeper sister.  2 coats.

Ski Teal We Drop - deep, yet bright teal creme.  If RBL Teal was too dark for you and Illamasqua Muse was a tad too light, try this!  This one is a bit bluer and a bit brighter than my picture would suggest.  It's a beautiful shade.  Probably my favorite of the collection, not just the cremes.  2 coats.


















William Tell Me About OPI - deep aubergine creme.  This type of color, has a tendency to look a bit muddy, but I really like the finish on this one.  Beautiful and totally sexy.  3 coats. 

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What has happened to me???  I love the cremes more than the shimmers.  Ski Teal We Drop, William Tell Me About OPI, and I'm Suzi & I'm a Chocoholic are the top 3 for me.  The red, Color So Hot it Berns, is beautiful, but dupey, and not all that fall-ish (though what do I know... 3 companies have released similar colors in their fall collections.  :P).  The 2 berry cremes, are pretty, and I do see myself wearing them in the fall (they would look amazing with brown), but they are kind of common if you KWIM.  Formula on all 6 was PERFECT.  I <3 OPI's formula and brush more than I should.  LOL.

These are available at salons and online.  OPI retails for $8, though you can definitely find these cheaper through online sources.

These were sent to me for review

FYI - I got my new camera, and unfortunately (maybe fortunately) the flash + macros = a big blown out mess.  However, I am able to use stabilization along with no flash and the macro feature, so it's actually a better situation.  No more annoying flash marks in pics.

Update on the RBL 50% off sale

A few months ago, Ji mentioned that they were considering having the sale around Thanksgiving.  Based on her post today, I'm guessing that's still the case, though she didn't give an exact date.  Other key points:

- The Tudor polishes are not included.  You can probably order them at the same time to save on shipping, but Ji was quick to mention that they may not be around (because of this, I am getting the two I wanted, Catherine H and Jane, today).
- Free shipping is not valid during the 50% off sale. 
- Processing will be 10-15 days.

So, we've got about 2 months before the sale, so start making your lists.  I hauled like crazy last year, so my list will probably only be 4-5 polishes this year.  I know Bangin' and Ani are on there.

Also, all of the above points seem perfectly fine to me, though Ji did mention that she was getting "hate mail" regarding last year's sale.  I don't know if that is the reason or not, but she also said this will probably be the last sale (though this hasn't been written in stone).  Honestly, I can't imagine why someone would send nasty emails regarding the RBL sale.  Thing is, RBL is a small boutique brand.  Yes, the are expensive, but she doesn't have to offer any sale.  She can just say... "forget you, they are 18 bucks, like or leave it".  But she doesn't.  I'm sure there are benefits to her sales on her end as well, but judging from the sell-outs on preorders, she probably doesn't need to offer them to make ends meet, if you KWIM. 

I know it seems like I'm getting on my soapbox here, and it's just me venting because Ji doesn't know me from Adam.  I don't have any sort of relationship with her, other than I'm a fan of her polish and more appropriately, I'm a fan of her service.  Of all the brands that use social media sites to help promote their products, RBL (and Ji) is probably the most approachable.  Sure, Zoya, OPI, and now Orly have reps on Twitter and FB promoting their brands on a daily basis, but there's something about the owner of the brand personally representing the brand and addressing your problems and concerns. 

Plus, in a day where Orly and Essie are making etailers jack up their prices and OPI is suing etailers, it's refreshing to see a brand that is offering something to their customers.  I get that even at half price, these are not the most affordable polishes, but that's still not a reason to be nasty. 

Okay, I'm done.  LOL.  

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Giveaway?

As I am nearing 400 followers (!!!) and haven't done one since my bloggiverary, I figured I'd do another giveaway.  But, I'm wracking my brain trying to figure out what to do.  So, I'm opening it up to you all... what would you like to see for a giveaway?  Anything included will be purchased by me, so I'd like to keep it in the $30-$40 range.

I'm going out of town next week, so it'll probably be mid-October before I start firming up my details.

Press Release: Barielle Style in Argyle











Fend off the season’s chill with six new hues from Barielle’s Style in Argyle Fall 2010 collection. With a rich color palette to choose from and their signature “3-free” formulation, this autumn apparel-inspired polish will keep you as warm as your favorite sweater.


Indulge yourself with Cashmere or Loose Me—a soft brown with copper pearl; cozy up with Tight Knit— a purple brown crème; keep your hands as pretty as the fallen leaves with Aura Angora—a royal gold crème; get tied up with Unraveled Rust—a burnt rust crème; engage yourself with Wool you Marry Me?—a plum brown crème and howl at the moon with Cowl of the Wild—a mushroom taupe crème.

Celebrity Manicurist Pippa Hebden suggests: “For that warm autumn look, color coordinate your nail color with your make up using Barielle Shades Style in Argyle collection. Lighter shades for day, using Cowl of the Wild- A soft mushroom taupe and russet colors for evening using Tight Knit- a plum brown crème”

Formulated to provide nails with safe, healthy and long-lasting glossy color coverage, Shades by Barielle is free of formaldehyde, toluene and dibutyl-phthalate. Women can also safely use Barielle products throughout pregnancy.

Key Features: Contains no formaldehyde, toluene or dibutyl-phthalate and Pregnancy Safe.

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I've seen pics of this collection floating around, and I have to say in what I've seen, I'm a bit torn.  The colors, in and of themselves, seem very fall-ish in the promo pic.  They look like a fall bouquet.  However, some of the pics make them seem a little "meh" to me.  I think I am probably most intrigued by Aura Angora and Cashmere or Loose Me (I'm guessing that's supposed to be Cashmere or Lose Me), though if I pick any up, it remains to be seen.  Shades by Barielle are available at their website.  They are $8 (I think that's a 50c increase) and they are always B2G1F.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Embracing My Shorties...

This is a post that I've been meaning to write for a month or so, but everytime I would start typing it out, I would end up abandoning it.  The main reason is I don't want to offend anyone.  If you have long, beautiful nails, then more power to you... you rock those puppies like nobody's bidnez.  However, this post is geared towards those of us in the nail blogger/reader community that aren't blessed with the genes to produce gorgeous talons.  It seems like we are few and far between, but I am a card-carrying member of this little group.  Though, deep down, I always preferred longer nails, and I always apologized for my short nails.

In fact, one of the reasons I got acrylics in the first place (both times) was because I wanted long nails.  In 2001, it was because of my wedding and then in 2008, it was because I had a wild hair.  Around that time, I had rediscovered nail polish, only to be frustrated with the application on short nails.  There's a learning curve to polishing shorties, one I had yet to master.  Thus, I ended back on the acrylic pony, which lead to disastrous results. 

Once I got my natural nails back, earlier this year, I thought that I would be able to grow longer nails because I had since learned so much about nail care.  Unfortunately, that was not the case.  I have used Dermelect Launchpad and Makeover Ridgefiller and Jessica Critical Care religiously, though at different times, and while in both instances, my nails felt harder, had less peelies, and grew faster, I still didn't have inch-long, rock-hard, indestructible nails that I'd always dreamed about.  I think hoping for that was pretty pie-in-the-sky anyway, but I am an eternal optimist.  You always hear about someone who chewed her nails to nubs, only to combat her demons, discovered polish, and end up with glorious nails. I wished I could have been that girl.  Sadly, I just don't think that's in my genetic code.  LOL. 

About 2 months ago, after a massive, and depressing clip-down, I polished my nails in OPI MPJ holo and I realized that my shorties were cute, and that I liked them very much.  And while coming to that realization was rather bittersweet and I took a long while in getting to that point, it was also a momentous occasion.  No longer do I have to worry about all the challenges of trying to grow long nails.  I can keep my nails short, trimmed, and well-groomed, and not have to deal with my index fingers growing slanted, or my ring finger growing downward, or all the other issues that plague me.  I think a lot of these are because of acrylic damage and they may rectify themselves in the distant future, but I think for now I'm quite happy with my shorties. 

Plus, there are upsides to me having short nails.  1. I can type without having to click the keys with my nails.  2. no risk of poking myself in the eye or accidentally stabbing my kids (yes, I have done both). 3. (probably the best) is no risk of tranny hands.  Due to the shape and size of my hands, they look a little man-ish and long nails only accentuated it.  4. dark colors always look great on shorties.  Now, I'm a big fan of wearing whatever you want, when you want, but I know sometimes, for me, darker colors, just looked like crappola on long nails (I never liked OPI RN until I put it on my shorties).  And lastly, I can be more carefree with my nails.  Growing out my nails is always a stressful experience because I keep waiting for one to break so I have to clip them down.  With them always clipped down... I've circumvented the problem.  LOL. 

So, if you have shorties, like me... rock 'em like they are an inch and a half long.  Konad 'em, nail art 'em, and polish 'em in whatever digs your well, but don't ever be ashamed of your shorties.  Yes, long nails are beautiful, but clean, well-groomed, perfectly polished short nails are gorgeous, too.  Polish loves everyone.  <3

Saturday, September 18, 2010

The Vanishing Camera...

I tweeted yesterday that I was all set to swatch my 2 remaining collections, and a few recent acquisitions when I realized my camera was missing.  I remember taking out the battery to charge it and then putting the camera back in the drawer and no it's nowhere to be found.  The door to my room was locked all day and the kids didn't have access to it, so I'm pretty much blaming the ghost that keeps following me around.  LOL? :P

I do have another camera, but honestly, it doesn't take macros for shit, so it's really not worth even trying.  Thus, I had to buy another blogging camera.  My Cybershot was a little outdated anyway, so I just went ahead and bought one.  I stumbled on a great deal on another Cybershot at Dell, so I grabbed it and it should be here on the 23rd. 

So, unfortunately, no new posts from me until then.  Hopefully, after that point, I'll be able to do a few posts in a row and schedule some to keep blogging through my vacation!

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Press Release: Misa Spark My Interest - Winter 2010

All That Glitters Is Gold With Misa Cosmetics’ Spark My Interest Collection


September 2010 – Philadelphia, PA. Ladies, put some bling on it! Whether you’re hitting the clubs in South Beach or sipping martinis in a Manhattan high-rise, you’ll need nails that glimmer as bright as the surrounding lights. Misa Cosmetics’ latest collection, Spark My Interest, pays homage to the glitz and glamour of nightlife and romantic intrigue—because nighttime nails should never fade into the background. The six brilliant hues are saturated with shine, thanks to the thousands of glittering particles packed into each polish, guaranteeing that nails remain the center of attention all summer long.

Winter 2010: Spark My Interest

Date Nights to the Twilight: You may never know what to wear on date night, but this ebullient royal purple will lay the foundation for the perfect look, whether you choose a flirty mini or laid-back denim. Wow him with your glittering personality (and nails!), then party from twilight till morning light!

Red Pumps at the Nordstrom: Self-conscious? Never! Slipping into a pair of red stilettos is instantly empowering for any woman, and this ruby-red sparkle polish will stir up the same sense of instant sexiness and look-at-me self-assurance. Match your favorite siren-red Louboutins with this high-octane shade for confidence that won’t quit.

Spark My Heart, That’s a Start: A glimmer of interest is easy to notice—he can just follow the flashing of your fingernails as you take his hand and lead him to the dance floor. This coral-pink hue lets him know that your heart beats strong, but he still needs to work hard to keep you interested. A bold demand, sure, but this shade is for women who know what they want.

Pink Bling On My Ring: You can’t leave home without the right accessories! A girl’s gotta have jewelry, but this shocking hot-pink glitter hue will vigorously compete with the gemstones that decorate her fingers. Like bejeweled ornaments, nails will shine bright and accent any outfit just right.

Wink, Blink, Let’s Get a Drink: Skip the awkward getting-to-know-you phase and get right to the flirting! This glimmering deep fuchsia will let him know you’re interested from across a crowded room—and will have his eyes glued to you all night as you work your charm. It won’t be long before he leans in and asks, “Another round?”

Glitz, Glamour, Smile for the Camera: Let’s get candid: Nails will be continually camera-ready with a couple of coats of this sparkling playful plum. Picture-perfect nails are guaranteed as this polish’s glitter catches the light of the paparazzi’s flashes. Evoke the sophistication of Old Hollywood and say “glam” just before the shutter snaps!

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Okay, so the promo pic really does nothing for me.  It's purple and then 5 other bottles in varying shades of red/pink.  However, my glitter-loving heart really hopes that the colors are more like the descriptions than the picture.

UPDATE 9/22/10 - I saw pics of these at Lacquerized and aside from 2 polishes, they kind of fall flat for me.  Sad.

Monday, September 13, 2010

Testing out the "Sticky Sandwich"

Okay, so that sounds reeeeally pervy.  LOL.  However, in truth, the "sticky sandwich" is a NP techinique to lengthen the wear of your manicure.  As I change my NP more often than my 4 year old girl child changes her clothes, I never really concern myself with wear time.  It does kinda bother me when my NP chips after a nano-second, but on the whole, wear just isn't a big issue.  NP just doesn't seem to wear all that long on my natural nails, anyway, so if I worried about it, I'd drive myself bonkers.

However, in 11 days we are heading to the airport, staying a night there, and then flying to Orlando for a week at Walt Disney World!  I am beyond excited, though we tend to go to WDW every 2 years (and were there in March to see the resorts... no parks). 

Yet, as excited as I am... I've been driving myself mad thinking about how I'm going to handle my nails while I'm down there.  I hate taking NP with me on vacation.  Something always has a tendency to leak everything and then I'm left with a huge mess (just ask my OPI Extravagance bottle that looks more than a little worse for wear). 

I've thought about getting Shellac'd, as there's a salon down the road from me that offers the service, but 1. given my past experiences with nail techs, I'm pretty much a devoted DIYer, 2. now that I'm a natural-nails girl, I hate feeling something thick on my nails, and 3. it's almost $40 for a CND Shellac manicure.  I even bought stuff to do my own gel nails, but I still haven't perfected it, so I don't think that's going to happen.  I still plan on working on it, so maybe look for that in an upcoming post. 

But, for the time being, my options are either nekkid nails or dealing with changing my polish every 1-2 days, with neither option sounding like a good option.  Then I remembered reading about the "sticky sandwich".  I've never tried it, so I figured I'd give it a shot to see if I could get a whole week's worth of wear (or at least 3-4 days).  Tonight, I tried it for the first time.  I used (in order):

1 coat of nail dehydrant (ASP Prep n Clean)
1 coat of sticky base coat (a cheapy, Amore, from TD, but if it works, I'll be more than happy to shell out the dough for CND Stickey)
2 coats of NP (I went with Jessica Scarlet, but if I had to do it again, I would probably go with a 1-coater.  This was 2)... Love, love, love Scarlet, BTW.
1 coat of sticky base coat
1 coat of quick dry TC (I used Rush)

It looks great and took about 30 minutes to fully set.  No pics yet as my camera battery is dead (off to charge now), but I will take some soon.  I did have a few bubbles, but I think that's because my bottle of Rush TC is half-empty and a little on the thick side. 

I plan on keeping this on for 3-4 days, so you probably won't see any new polish posts from me this week, but I will try to update you on the stickey sandwich progress.

Anyone else tried the "sticky sandwich" (gah, I hate typing that.  LOL) ?  If not, what products do you use to get long wear?  If this doesn't work and if I have the time, I'll be more than happy to give them a shot.  I just don't want to be worrying about my nails while riding Splash Mountain.  :P

Friday, September 10, 2010

Friday Blogger Round-Up

Here are the new blgs for this week!

New York Lady's Blog

Polished Punkii

Ohh My Nails

As always, if you'd like to be mentioned in my blogger round-ups or if I missed you in a previous round-up, please email me or respond in this post.

Also, I realize that when I started these round-ups, my goal was to post one every week, no matter if I had 1 request or 100.  Unfortunately, with my free-time dwindling, I'm going to have to start posting them bi-weekly.  I apologize, but I had no clue when I started this job, just how much a 15-20 hour job was going to impact my life.

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

OPI Swiss Collection Pt. 1 (Shimmers)

Okay, I hate breaking up collections, because personally I want to see them all in one place and I don't want to go hunting and and pecking to see all of the colors.  :P  However, due to my schedule of late, I, unfortunately, only have the time to swatch in small bursts.  This morning, I managed to swatch the shimmer side of the OPI Swiss collection, and I figured I'd go on and post it while I had a few minutes.  Hopefully, I will have the cremes swatched and posted within the next few days.

Glitzerland - Soft, muted gold metallic.  You may remember that I am on a continual quest to find the perfect gold nail polish.  Most, I find, are either too bright, too flashy, or to clashy with my pale pink skin.  I always that that the Ulta-exclusive OPI Dazzled by Gold would have been perfect, but as I live in the land that Ulta forgot and didn't want to shell out crazy-jacked-up-scalper prices on eBay, I never was able to get it.  Now, I don't know how Glitzerland compares with Dazzled by Gold, but I do know that Glitzerland has killed my lemmings for Dazzled by Gold.  Unlike most other gold nail polishes I've tried, Glitzerland doesn't make my nails look like Solid Gold Dancers (LOL).  Sure, it's a gold metallic, so it definitely gets your attention... it just doesn't smack you upside the head.  It's a very pretty, wearable gold, and if you have been searching long and hard for one as well, this one may be a good fit.  I know some of you may wonder how Glitzerland compares to ChG Swing Baby (from the Fall Vintage Vixen collection) and they are both gold metallics, but that is where the similarities end.  Swing Baby is more taupey than Glitzerland and seems to be a bit more muted.  Hopefully, within the next few days, I will be able to do a comp pic for you all.  This is 3 coats, as the formula is a tad on the thin side.  However, there were no issues with application.


Lucerne-tainly Look Marvelous - Gunmetal grey shimmer metallic.  The second of the 2 metallics in this collection and the finish is almost identical to Glitzerland.  However, Lucerne-tainly Look Marvelous (LLM) is nowhere near as muted as Glitzerland.  It's a gorgeous gunmetal shimmer.  It looks like it may be similar to ChG Jitterbug, but I want to say that Jitterbug is a bit darker than LLM (I hope to do comp soon).  Like Glitzerland, the formula is a bit thin, but it was no problem to work with.  Pic is 3 coats.


The Color to Watch - Pale grey-purple frost with pink and blue shimmer.  Okay, so the "frost" description might immediately be turning you away, but fear not... this is not your grandma's frost.  Yes, there are brushstrokes, but I don't think they detract from the polish.  It's a pretty blue/grey/lavender hybrid base with tons of blue and pink micro-shimmer.  It reminds me of OPI Give Me the Moon, though not as opalescent.  I wouldn't necessarily think of this as a fall color, but I think this would look beautiful with a silver snowflake Konad in the winter (*writes down idea*).  Pic is 3 coats and the formula was a tad on the thin side.


Diva of Geneva - Purple-based red shimmer. This color is one of the colors in this collection that I was the least excited about. In pics I’ve seen, it looked like a pink-based red shimmer, along the lines of OPI I'm Not Really a Waitress. However, pics, including mine, just do not do this polish justice. It’s a purple-based red, which isn't unique, I realize.  Yet, there is something so unique about Diva of Geneva.  First off, it has a faint purple/red duochrome effect.  The duochome does lessen with additional coats, but it’s definitely there. Also, there is a golden-cast to this polish which gives it a metallic cast.  I love this color and it's probably my second favorite among the shimmers.  Pic is 3 coats, but 2 would have been fine, I just wanted to see how deep I could make the color. Formula was perfect.


Cuckoo for this Color - Evergreen shimmer that leans slightly blue.  The shimmer in this one is blue and green.  This is a pretty color, but it does remind me more-than-slightly of ChG Emerald Fitzgerald (adding it to the comp list as well).  This one would look beautiful around Christmas.  It was a little bit brushstrokey, but that's due to the slightly frosty finish.  Pic is 2 coats and I had no problems with the formula or application.


FYI, I took several of this one and most of them turned out bright blue, for whatever reason, this one was darker and while my skin looks weird, the color is actually spot-on.

Yodel Me on My Cell - Deep marine blue shimmer. I bet you all can guess that this is my favorite of the shimmers, because as we all know... in my world, blue shimmer = LOVE.  This is a gorgeous marine/turquoise blue.  It does have the same faint brushstrokeyness as CFTC, but it wasn't bothersome. Like The Color to Watch, this one didn't exactly scream fall to me, but as the color is absolutely gorgeous and right up my alley, there will be no complaining from me. Pic is 2 coats and formula was perfect.

All in all, I really like this part of the collection.  YMoMC and Diva of Geneva alone are worth the price of admission, but the rest of the colors, while perhaps slightly dupey, are beautiful as well.  I hope to do a comp post soon, as well as post the creme side of this collection. 

As an aside, I also hope to get the rest of the CC Untamed Luxury collection out to you within the next few days as well.  Also, I know I missed Fridays Round-Up, and I plan on combining any requests made for last week's round-up into the one for this Friday.  If you'd like to be included in the round-up, please email me or reply to this post.  I apologize missing last week's round-up, to anyone that had requested to be in it... time just got away from me.

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Zoya Color Spoons

Okay, so the day is here, after all of Zoya's teasing on Twitter and Facebook, we are finally able to talk about their big announcement.  I know there was some speculation about what "Spooning" would be and well... now we know.  Much like getting a swatch of fabric or a sample of paint, Zoya Color Spoons are samples of nail polish.  Basically, the spoons are single sample nails with the exact color so you can try before you buy.  Color spoons are 50 cents each and can be ordered at Zoya.com.  They will ship the spoons to you free and credit your account with the amount spent on the spoons.  That amount can be applied to a future purchase.  For more information, check out the video on Zoya's website.

Here's the press release:

Zoya Nail Polish wants to Spoon with you!


Do you REALLY love nail polish? Have you ever purchased a color online or from a color chart only to find that it doesn’t match the picture? Have you always wanted to be able to try on nail polish the way you do clothing?

Well, what if you could see EXACTLY how any Zoya color would look on YOU before you buy it? What if you could make sure you ALWAYS get your perfect pink? Or perfect red. Or purple! ANY color! Any shade, EVERY TIME! Well now you can...

Zoya presents a new way to shop for nail color - The Zoya Color Spoon!

Every incredible Zoya nail color made will now be available as a spoon so you can try it before you buy it! This is a revolution for the online nail polish consumer and salon and spa buyers alike who previously only had online color representations or printed color charts as a guide. Never before have you been able to try so much color for so little money out of pocket. This is same Zoya color that comes in the bottle poured into small nail shaped wells to create a tester color spoon - you can see every subtle detail of the color and hold it up to your nail to see exactly how it will look. Plus, the amount you pay for the spoons will be added to your account in the form of code that will be available for use on a future Zoya purchase and BONUS Zoya will ship the spoons to you at no charge. “It’s amazing that we will be able to do this for our customers - there really is nothing else like it in the nail polish market today” stated Leo Reyzis, VP of Marketing at Zoya.

So quit the color guessing game when purchasing nail color online and try any one of Zoya’s over 300 formaldehyde, toluene, dibutyl phthalate and camphor free, vegan friendly shades. Now you can be sure that the color you try is the exact same color you buy!

See it - Try it - Buy it!

Zoya Nail Spoons - $0.50 ea. (free shipping on all spoons - value of spoon(s) will be added to your account for a future zoya.com purchase).

Zoya Nail Spoons will be available at www.zoya.com starting September 1, 2010.