Thursday, September 27, 2012

Lynnderella A Neutral Party

So a few months ago, I would have told you that I was never going to buy any Lynnderella polishes... that her brand of crazy overrode my lemmings.  Then the crazy died down and my lemming for Salad Days just did not go away.  So when I saw a BIN listing on eBay for 3 Lynnderellas for $66 (directly from her), I cringed and then hit "buy".  LOL.  I chose 3 of my list of about 10 Lynnderellas, Salad Days, When the Moon was a Star, and today's post... A Neutral Party...


This is 2 coats of A Neutral Party over 2 coats of Essie Gym Dandy, a deep taupe from this Fall's Yogaga collection.  I also used 2 coats of Sally Hansen Insta-Dri, one over the base color and one over the glitter.  

A Neutral Party was the one I kept waffling on in my selections.  And even after I sent my order, I was kicking myself for not ordering One Nutty Fruitcake instead (especially since it appears that it is now OOS).  However, once I put on A Neutral Party, all the kicking stopped.  I have had this on all day and I can't stop looking at my nails.  LOL.  I absolutely love it over Gym Dandy, though I can't wait to wear it over darker shades, like a dark red.  

This is the first Lynnderella I have used, so I was really surprised at the myriad of glitter shapes, colors, and sizes compared to some of the other indie glitters I own.  Even with this one being a pretty simple color palette, there is a lot going on, so I will do my best to describe it.  It's a clear base loaded with golden micro-shimmer, and hex, square, and round glitter in copper, silver, gold, brown, white, and gunmetal.  There is also black bar glitter, though you can only see one in my swatch and that is slightly hidden by the flash on my ring finger.  I think my favorite thing about this polish is the square glitter, because frankly... square glitter had me at hello.  :)

A Neutral Party applied very well and I had no issues with getting the glitter on to the nail.  It also was almost completely smooth after just one coat of topcoat.  I would have done a second coat to completely even it out, but my bottle of Insta-Dri is gloopy and hard to use, so I just did the one. 

One thing I did notice is that these are a bit stinky.  When I first got them, they were very smelly, almost like Kleancolors, but after being in my house for a couple of days, that has died down somewhat, but they still smell like they are chocked full of chemicals.  I'm sure that I have lost many, many brain cells to nail polish fumes over the years, so the smell, while present, didn't really bother me while I applied this.

Current Lynnderellas are available through her eBay store for the $23 for singles and (when available) $22 each when you purchase them in multiples (the LE and "one-ofs" are auctions and go for much more).  Yes, that is crazy for nail polish, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.  :P


Lynnderella A Neutral Party was purchased by me and Essie Gym Dandy was sent to me for review.  

Friday, September 21, 2012

Zoya Blyss

Happy Friday everyone!  I am so glad that the kiddies have an inservice day today.  Getting up at 6a every morning has been killing me.  I'm such a night owl, that I don't fall asleep until 2a or later, so those early mornings have been a little rough.  I'm not sure how I'll handle it if I ever get a real job again where I have to get up regularly in the morning and then stay awake the rest of the day.  LOL.

Anyway, today, I have for you one of the my purchases from Zoya's most recent BOGO deal.  Each time they run one of those, I tell myself that I don't need any more Zoyas and yet, I keep finding myself purchasing more.  What can I saw, I'm a sucker for both a sale and for Zoya polishes.  In my last order I ordered 8 polishes and all of them were either a purple or a creamy pink/coral.  Today, I have one of the purples, Zoya Blyss...


Zoya Blyss is a bright magenta purple with a slight frosty-metallic finish.  Zoya states that Blyss has a strong blue duochrome, but honestly, I didn't see it.  I saw the potential for a blue flash, but it didn't really happen, in my experience.  Blyss was much like Zoya Hayden (one of my biggest Zoya disappointments) in this regard.  Also like Hayden, the formula seemed very watery at first.  It took me 3 coats to reach total opacity, and even then I felt like I was wanting the color to be richer and stronger.  I still liked it, I just wish it was a little more pigmented.  

Though the formula was thin.  I had no issues with application.  It flowed nicely on the nail and I had no issues with it flooding the cuticle, which is something that often happens to me with a polish is on the watery side. 

Blyss is available from Zoya.com and Zoya polishes retain for $8 a bottle.  That said, be sure to friend them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter as they are always offering promotions.  


Blyss was purchased my me.

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Candeo Colors Joker

Candeo Colors Joker has been one of my longest indie lemmings.  It seems like whenever Melinda would add it to the sale on her site, I wasn't fast enough.  So when I saw it in stock on Llarowe a few weeks ago, I jumped on it.  I know that Llarowe has been a bit of a drama llama lately, so I was a little nervous about ordering, but the power of the lemming was stronger than my trepidation.  LOL.  

She came in a couple of weeks ago, but that was when packages from Llarowe were still being sent with signature required, and it actually took me almost a week to have a chance to go the post office.  And then she sat in my purse for another week.  So much for a hardcore lemming, right?  :P

Anyway, I finally had a chance to put her on my nails (am I the only one that refers to nail polish as "her"?) and I am so happy I got her...


This is 2 coats of Joker over 3 thin coats of Essie Boxer Shorts, a soft periwinkle blue.  I also used one coat of Barielle No Chip Speed Dry.  

Joker is a mix of purple glitter, purple microglitter, blue glitter, periwinkle matte glitter and large silver and holo hex glitters.  Any other color you see in my swatch above (i.e. pink, orange, and green) was created by the flash off the holographic glitter.  It's a little brighter than I thought it would be, as I initially thought it would kill my lemming for Lynnderella Nosegay.  It doesn't... but Lynn's crazy kinda kills that on it's own.  :P  That said, it's still really, really pretty and I think it would fantastic over tons over colors (can you imagine it over a bright blue like Zoya Song?).  

Also, in the future, I think I may go lighter with my application.  It actually looked really pretty at just one coat, but I never know when to stop, so that's why you see two above (my second coat was much thicker).  The base on Joker is clear and I had no issues with the formula being thick or with the glitter not wanting to transfer to the nail.  That's one of the best things about Candeo Colors glitters.  

If you can snag it, Joker is occasionally available at Candeo Colors' website.  That said, they only restock about once every 4-6 weeks and when they do, the stuff is loaded into carts within seconds.  You probably will have a better chance of getting Joker through Llarowe (where I got mine), but keep in mind that she charges $12, about 25% more than purchasing directly from Candeo Colors, plus shipping costs.  For me, if it's something I really want, I'd actually rather pay a little more and get it, rather than deal with a long wait and fight a stampede.  

Joker was purchased by me.  Boxer Shorts was provided for review.

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Barielle Surf's Up

It's no secret that I love fall weather.  I'm a grumpy hermit in summer, and when fall comes along, I am so happy.  I also love fall nail polish colors, and I have been gravitating towards then since the weather turned hotter than the surface of the sun.  But, I am also beach-bound in less than a month (Cocoa Beach, FL... here I come) and I've been obsessing over our trip, so when I saw this beautiful ocean blue from Barielle, I knew immediately what was going on my nails for today's post.  

This is Barielle Surf's Up...


Surf's Up is an AMAZING, deep, cyan blue creme.  I reminded me of my other favorite cyan or cerulian blue, Zoya Robyn, but it's actually deeper and more saturated than Robyn, so you could own both with no worry of dupes.  It also leans a tad more teal than other cyan blues I've seen. 

I think I literally gasped when I pulled it out of the box, and it didn't disappoint at all on my nails.  The formula is fantastic.  I did use 3 coats, but it was opaque at two.  I simply applied 3 because it was so nice, I didn't want to stop.  LOL.  :P

Fair warning, though, this will give you smurf fingers when you remove it, and I did see a bit of staining, so you'll want to wear basecoat (I didn't) and even double up if you are prone to staining.   Also, because it's so pigmented, it does dry a bit matte.  I used one coat of Barielle No Chip Speed Dry to bring back the shine.

Basically, Barielle hit it out of the park with Surf's Up.  I love everything about it, and if you love blues, you really need this one.  It's fantastic.  

Barielle Surf's Up is available from Barielle.com and, as always, Barielle polishes are buy one get one half.  Though, you can pick up the entire Some Like it Hot collection for only $25.  


Products used in this post were provided for review.

Orly Emberstone

In my effort to get back to regular posting, I am trying to create posts for individual polishes.  I do have a couple more full collections waiting in my "to swatch" box, which I will try to swatch all together, but for the most part, it's singles so hopefully, I will be able to do one-per-day and not feel completely overwhelmed and also feel like I'm accomplishing something.  

Today, I have for you Orly Emberstone...


Emberstone is an amazing orange-based red shimmer, that reminds me a lot of China Glaze Cherry Pie from 2009's Summer Days collection, but rather than having tonal glass-fleck, Emberstone has gorgeous orange and purple (!) shimmer particles.  I absolutely love the contrast of the shimmer in this polish, and while the purple is unexpected, it really works with the red base.  What's funny is that I had seen swatches of this and I saw the purple shimmer, and yet in the bottle, the shimmer gets hidden.  But once I had it on my nails, the shimmer comes out to play.  This is one of those rare polishes that actually looks better on the nail than it does in the bottle.  

Emberstone is from last fall's Mineral FX collection and it's still easy to find, especially online.  I purchased mine through eBay and I paid about $7 for it.  Though, a simple Google search should show you where it's available.  Retail is $8.50 a bottle.


Emberstone was purchased by me.  

Monday, September 17, 2012

Essie Yogaga Collection Review

Last month, I received a press release from Essie's PR collection regarding one of their new fall collections, Yogaga, which was a collection of 6 "neutral" cremes with fitness-themed names.  I thought it was such an intriguing collection for fall, and I'm so happy to show it to you today.  

Before I show you swatches, there is one color in the collection, Yogaga, that I did not receive for review, but it is looks like a soft, sandy beige.  You can see the color on Essie's website.  Here are the colors I did receive...

Boxer Shorts - light periwinkle blue.  Boxer Shorts is the reason that I put the word neutral in quotations above, because while it is a calm, serene blue, it's not what I would exactly call neutral.  It is, however, a gorgeous color and it's my favorite of the collection.  This one is definitely on the blue side of periwinkle, but there is a enough purple in the base to make this one a periwinkle rather than a cornflower blue.   Also, of the 5 I swatched, Boxer Shorts had the best formula.  It did take 3 coats to reach opacity, but the coats were thin enough that there was no issue with evenness or leveling.  

Gym Dandy - medium-toned, brown taupe.  Essie calls this one a "greige" and while I definitely see brown and mushroom and taupe, I don't see much grey.  It's certainly in the same vein, but it's more brown than what comes to mind when I see the word greige.  This one is one of the more fall-ish colors in the collection.  I did have a bit of issue with the formula, as it was a tad thick, but going slow and trying to keep a thin amount on the brush helped.  3 coats.


Marathin - slightly spicy, tea rose pink.  Marathin is the one that I have shown you before, and it's a very pretty pink for cooler months.  The more I wore it, I did think it age my hands a bit, but in all honesty, that also could have been from the Julep remover which dried out my hands while I was swatching.  This one is a great pink for those of you that just like to wear neutral colors.  For example, my mom and aunt would LOVE this one.  I did have the same formula issues that I had with Gym Dandy, but they were nothing that couldn't be handled.  2 coats.


Pilates Hottie - light grey-lavender.  Now this is one that I would call a "greige", albeit a very pale one.  It's a really pretty grey/lavender hybrid, but unfortunately, it didn't look all that great on my nails.  Though, I think it would look much better on a darker skintone.  These pale greys and lavenders always have a tendency to give me a case of "dead hands".  Like the other 2 light colors I swatched, this one also had a thicker, slightly temperamental formula.  3 coats.    


Spinning Again - brick red.  In the bottle, I thought this one was going to be more brown, but on the nail, it's a fantastic brick red that just screams "FALL!".   It's also very flattering on my pale skintone. It had one of the better formulas in the collection and is my second favorite behind Boxer Shorts.


I think this is a very wearable fall collection from Essie.  It's funny because while it is a collection of neutrals, my favorites were the least neutral of the bunch.  What does that say about me?  LOL.  

The collection, including Yogaga, is currently available from Essie.com, as well as other outlets (I think I actually saw it at Target last week), and retail for $8 a bottle.


This collection was sent to me for review.  


Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Dove Damage Therapy Daily Moisture Conditioner Review


I realize that this blog is almost 99% me taking pictures of my fingers and posting it on the internet, but I am actually more than just my fingernails.  I have hair, too.  And not’s not good hair, either.  It’s temperamental, board-straight, thin, fine, color-treated hair.  And I'm sure many of you are in the same boat as me, so when I got the opportunity to try one of Dove’s new conditioners, I happily took it. 

Hair conditioner is always one of those things of which I am trying to find my perfect match.  Many don’t condition enough and leave me with a matted, tangled mess to brush out; or on the flip side, they are too heavy and weigh down my fine hair, so I look greasy by the end of the day.  Thus, even the though the bottle said all the right things, I approached this Dove review with a fair amount of skepticism.  I’d used Dove hair products before, so I knew it was going to be nice.   I just didn’t know if it was going to work for my hair. 

I received Dove Damage Therapy Daily Moisture Conditioner and I was happily surprised at my results.  I pretty much like everything about it.  First off, I love the bottle.  I like it when conditioner bottles have the cap on the bottom.  Not only does it make it easy to tell the difference from the matching shampoo bottle, but it also makes it easier to grip and use.  Bonus to this Dove bottle as well, because not only is the cap on the bottom, but the bottle is tapered and more of a rounded triangle shape so it fits well in your hand, and you are less likely to drop it while trying to use it with wet hands.

Additionally, the conditioner itself is just as nice as its container, too.  When you pour it out, you notice that it’s soft with a pearly finish, but it doesn’t feel heavy or thick.  It does have a scent to it, but it isn’t overpowering or heavy and I find that it doesn’t follow me for the rest of the day, meaning that my head isn’t surrounded in a cloud of rose petals. 

When I’m using it as my regular conditioner, I find that I need about a quarter size about to completely condition my shoulder-length hair.   It works easily through my hair and after leaving it my hair for 30 seconds to a minute, it makes my hair super soft and easy to work with for the rest of the day.  If my hair is especially dry, like after a coloring, I will leave this in longer, say 5 minutes, to help keep my hair from looking like straw. 

I’ve also been using this on my daughter’s hair, which is much like mine, only she has more of it, and I must say that this has saved us from many a screaming fit in the morning, while I fix her hair in pigtails.  I haven’t had to use the detangler since using this conditioner on her hair.  

I used this conditioner exclusively for about 2 weeks and I really loved it.  I’ve even been using a nickel-sized amount along-side a conditioner for color-treated blonde hair.  I definitely will be purchasing a second bottle of this when I’ve used this one up.  In fact, I've already purchased other items in the Dove Hair Therapy line because I like this conditioner so much.

If you are like me and you have fine, thin, color-treated hair, I encourage you to try Dove Daily Moisture, and to assist you in trying this fabulous product, there is a link to a $1.50 off coupon at the bottom of this post.  Also, be sure to enter the sweepstakes (information to follow) as you can win a $1000 Spafinder gift certificate.


Enter to win a $1,000 Spafinder gift certificate!

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY

COMMENTS TO THIS POST ARE NOT SWEEPSTAKES ENTRIES. PLEASE SEE BELOW FOR ENTRY METHODS FOR THIS SWEEPSTAKES.

You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:

a) Follow this link, and provide your email address and your response to the Promotion prompt

b) Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the following unique term in your tweet message: "#SweepstakesEntry"; and then visit this link to provide your email address and the URL to that Tweet.

c) Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and then visit this link to provide your email address and the URL to that post.

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. Winners will have 72 hours to claim the prize, or an alternative winner will be selected.

The Official Rules are available here.

This sweepstakes runs from 9/4/2012 - 9/30/2012

Be sure to visit Dove®Hair.com to get a coupon for $1.50 off Dove Hair Therapy products.


Sponsored post.  I was provided a sample for this review.  However, opinions expressed within this sponsored post are my own.