Happy New Year!

Here in the Eastern US timezone, we are about 30 minutes away from the new year!  And for once, I'm actually pretty excited about it.  Not that 2010 has been particularly bad.  I've had to deal with Blake's issues, but other than that, this year has been fairly good for us.  Not like 2009.  That was a mess.  :\

That said, I'm still ready to put this year away and start fresh with a new one.  It's like putting fresh sheets on a bed.  LOL.

Right now, my nails are nekkid.  I was doing some cuticle maintenance and I'm planning on applying my most recent acquisition, Nfu Oh 51.  But here is a mani I did yesterday...

This OPI Vancouvered in the Snow as a base, 2 coats of OPI Mad as a Hatter over top, with a thin french with a magenta pearl striper/pen from Born Pretty Store.  If you happen to own MaaH and aren't completely enamored with it (like I was), try it over a white base.  It really takes out a lot of the black and makes the other colors pop.  Vancouvered in the Snow is an icy white shimmer, which is sadly d/c'd, but another white shimmer would work just as well.  :)

I hope you all have a great (and safe NYE) and that the new year finds you happy and healthy.  See you in 2011.

Fingerpaints Winter Wishes w/ Orly Glitz & Glamour

Both of these polishes are from their brands respective winter collections.  Neither of which I gave much attention to.  I didn't really notice the Fingerpaints collections because those can be so hit-or-miss at my Sally's that I didn't want to lem one only to not be able to find it.  And I didn't pay much attention to the Orly collection, because just about the time it came out... Orly decided to make all the etailers jack up their prices to $6 a bottle (hrmph, Orly).

Anyway, like Savvy Garland, which I posted about previously, I happened to find these at Sally Beauty for half-off the clearance price.  So, they were $2 each.  Woohoo.  :)

Fingerpaints Winter Wishes is a champagne base with tons of silver and pale gold glitter (and there's possibly a small amount of orange in there).  I'm a sucker for golden polishes, so I fell head-over-heels for this one.  The glitter seems rather fine, but it was still quite gritty.  I have several coats of TC on my nails in this pic and it was smooth at that point, but it took at least 2 to get remotely smooth.  That said, I tend to use a thinner quick-dry TC, so I suppose if you were to use Seche Vite, it would take less.  The formula was a bit thick, so you had to be patient with it.  Pic is 2 coats.

Orly Glitz & Glamour is a very warm gold metallic.  Again, I'm a sucker for gold, so I had to pick this one up as well.  I love this one on my tips and I can't wait to use it as a full mani.

To create this look, I used one coat of basecoat, Jessica Critical Care and 2 coats of Winter Wishes.  I then applied a coat of TC and my Qtica Half-Time drops.  That was last night.  Then, this morning, I applied my french mani guides and applied Glitz & Glamour to my tips.  Then I applied a coat of TC, silver holo stars from my Art Club Christmas rhinestones pack, and 2 coats of TC to set the stars.

I realize it's only the 29th, and I'm almost certain, this won't make it 2 more days on my (darn NP ADD), but I think this would be a perfect NYE mani.  :)

Savvy Garland

I've never tried Savvy polishes before.  However, I happened to see this at Sally's on clearance for $.99.  I thought it was such a beautiful color, that I had to pick it up.  Savvy Garland is a velvety, blackened, emerald green shimmer.  The brush was a bit unwieldy, but in all honesty, that's probably just because I've been spoiled by OPI's brush.  I tend to get easily frustrated by anything that isn't the Pro Wide brush.

Unless I'm mistaken, Savvy is only available at Sally Beauty at on their website.  As this polish was part of their Christmas collection, it's part of their clearance sale and probably won't be around much longer.

Combating Winter Cuticles

I don't know about you all, but every winter, my cuticles suffer.  They're horribly dry.  They flake and peel.  And there doesn't seem to be much I can do about it.  Especially if they are too far gone.  However, this winter, I am starting early with the cuticle maintenance and hoping that will help me all season long. 

To start, I had to whip my cuticles in shape.  They weren't bad, yet, but they did need a bit of care.  To do this, I used Blue Cross Cuticle Remover and an orange stick.  What this didn't remove, I handled with a pair of nippers (use with caution, please). After that, I used this...

Sally Hansen Diamond Strength Cuticle & Nail Refiner.  Basically, this stuff is a scrub that you work on and around your nails.  After massaging it in for a few minutes, I wash it off with water and scrub around my nails using a manicure brush.  I then use the nippers again to remove anything this didn't get. 

So the above is what I plan on doing every few days to make sure my cuticles don't go south.  For daily upkeep, I apply a healthy amount of...

Orly Cuticle Therapy Creme, followed by...

OPI AvoJuice Lotion (scent may vary. LOL), and then I finish it off with...

China Glaze Peppermint Cuticle Oil.

I keep these 3 products with in quick reach of my computer and I use them multiple times a day.  

So far, so good, I think my cuticles are in pretty good shape, but, consistency is my biggest foe, and I know I have to keep this up, if I want to have pretty hands by the end of February.  :)

The holidays are over and more updates...

Hi everyone.  Just a boring update post here. :)  I got rambly, so read at your own risk.  LOL.

Looks like I am finally back from the holiday abyss.  LOL.  My house is still a mess of boxes and paper (waiting on trash day which isn't until Friday.  Ugh), but I'm out of the holiday stress factory at any rate.  I swear, when I was a child, and even a young adult, I loved Christmas.  I loved everything about it.  I still do, but I no longer see it through rose colored glasses.  Now that I am a 35 yr old adult with 5 yr old twins... Christmas is a lot of work.  From getting gifts for all the extended family members, to buying for the kids, to wrapping all the presents, and cooking for Christmas dinner, I'm exhausted by the end of it.  :\  I never felt like that pre-marriage and pre-kids.  LOL.

That said, I loved our Christmas this year.  This was the first year that they both got the concept of "Santa", though Amelia got it a bit more than her brother.  Nonetheless, Santa was very good to them, though we refuse to go overboard.  That's for the 26th, which we've officially dubbed "Blake and Amelia Day".  Basically, we let them take the majority of their Christmas money (thank goodness for generous grandparents and great-grandmothers) and let them go hog-wild in Toys R Us.  We started doing that about 3 years ago and it's already become a tradition.  I just love creating traditions in my little family.  It makes me feel like such an adult.  LOL.

But now that Christmas is behind us, we are plowing ahead towards New Year's.  I do have one more significant date between now and then, however.  Tomorrow is my 9th (!) wedding anniversary.  Seems like yesterday that I was stressing about the big day and now it's almost been a decade ago.  Anniversaries are never really a big deal with us, though.  Though, there have been a few anniversary-mishaps along the way...

The first one, both of us though the other one had something secretly planned, when it turns out neither of us had anything planned.  It was 9pm before we realized we were just sitting in our apartment.  Our big anniversary dinner was in the Krystal parking lot with me crying that it was ruined.  :S  After that, I gave up on big expectations.  :P  Our 4th anniversary was spent with me very pregnant with twins on bedrest, but other than that... it was a pretty good day.  On our 5th anniversary, we did go to Williamsburg, VA for a short three-day vacation, but after the second day, I was missing my babies (they were almost-1 and with their grandparents) so much that I had to abandon our last night at the B&B (and our dinner with "Thomas Jefferson") and head home.  Of course, I ended up getting a speeding ticket in Nottaway County, VA.  :S  And to be honest... I have no idea what we did for years 6,7, and 8.  I'm assuming we went out to eat, but I couldn't tell you anything else.  :\  We don't have anything planned for tomorrow, but we do have dinner at the Melting Pot planned for the 30th (that day was much easier for Grandmommy).

Anyway, like I mentioned the new year is in sight.  And for the first time, in a long time, I'm actually looking forward to it.  I have some big plans for 2011.  Plans that will require a lot of work on my part, but I'm ready for it.  I'm ready to put this year away and start off with a brand-spanking-new one.  :P  What about you?

Lastly, and if you've made it this far... thank you, as this is a nail polish related blog, I suppose I should put a little bit of blogging news in here.  You may notice that A Polish Problem is now big time.  LOL.  As one of my Christmas presents, I treated myself to a custom URL (and if I known how easy it was, I would have done it long before now, but I'm kinda clueless sometimes).  You can now find this blog at www.apolishproblem.com (though your old bookmark will lead you here as well).  I will soon be transitioning my contact email to megan@apolishproblem.com (that just sounds so official).

Also, don't forget to enter my Born Pretty Store giveaway.  It ends on 1/6/11.  I plan on a post soon showing you some the cool things you can get from Born Pretty Store and what you can do with them, but for now be sure to check out the "Born Pretty Store" label if you are interested.

Merry Christmas!

Or what's left of it, that is (I started this at 11:40p).  I totally meant to create a Christmas mani, but then Zoya Lisa chipped on me within minutes, so I had to take it off and I never did get started again. 

At any rate, I do have something to show you...

This is China Glaze Peace on Earth from the Holiday Naughty or Nice collection.  It's a beautiful, golden-hued olive green frosty shimmer.  Yes, it is a bit frosty, and no, it doesn't work with my skin, and yes, it should probably be call "Peas on Earth" or "Whirled Peas", but in spite of all those points, I still love this polish.   And I guess it's because it reminds me of one of my favorite holiday songs, "Let There Be Peace on Earth"...



This song makes me tear up everytime.  Sorry for the Vince Gill version, as I know country music is an acquired taste (one I don't have, but I love Vince's voice in this). 

If you celebrate, I hope you had a wonderful Christmas.  If not... I hope you had a great Saturday.  :)  Tomorrow is "Blake and Amelia Day"*, so if I get to post, it will be later on in the day. 

*the day we let our children go hogwild with their Christmas money. 

ChG Sugarplums (frankened up)

When China Glaze Sugarplums first hit retailers, all people could talk about was the fact that it may be a dupe for the long-d/c, much-loved China Glaze Crystal Ball.  Turns out, they aren't dupes (though I don't have Crystal Ball to do a direct comparison).  The base colors are slightly different and Crystal Ball has more holo shimmer particles.  Now, I couldn't do much about base, but I could add more holo.  This is a combination of Orly Shine On, Crazy Diamond (which didn't do much), OPI Paris Couture for Sure (which I didn't want to use much of), and Color Club Magic Attraction (which I used the most of).  I don't have a pre-franken pic of this (though I plan on taking one soon as I have 1/2 a bottle left), but I absolutely love this with more shimmer/glitter.

Giveaway - Born Pretty Store (CLOSED)

A few weeks ago, I was given the opportunity to host a giveaway sponsored by Born Pretty Store.  As I was currently in my series of Holiday Giveaways, it had to be put on the back burner for awhile.  But, now those are finished, I'm able to finally focus on this, and I'm so excited to be able to share this giveaway with you.

As you may be aware, Born Pretty Store is a great source for nail art materials.  They also offer nail implements, crackle and glitter polishes, fake nails and gel and acrylic products, as well as non-nail related products such as false eyelashes and make-up brushes.  They are always listing new products.  Their prices are reasonable and they usually have coupon codes available (please see my sidebar for one exclusive to my readers).

As a result of me trying and reviewing several products from them, Born Pretty Store is offering my readers a chance to win a $50 credit to their store!  This giveaway will run through 1/6/11.  To enter, simply fill out the form below.  You get one entry simply by being a follower of my blog (new followers are always welcome).  Additionally, you have the opportunity to get 5 additional entries by...

- following me on Twitter
- following Born Pretty Store on Twitter
- Tweeting about this giveaway
- Listing me on your blogroll
- Blogging about this giveaway



Good Luck!

UPDATE 1/8/11 - I had all intentions of closing this giveaway on the 6th, but then time got away from me.  If anyone happened to entered in these extra days, don't worry, you'll entry will still count.  I will tally the data and pick a winner w/in the next few days. 

Thank you so much to all that entered.

Zoya Valerie

Yesterday, when I posted my Zoya Valerie/ OPI Tease-y Does It comparison, I meant to include this picture as well, as I think Valerie is far to pretty to be simply part of a comp post.  LOL.  Valerie is a beautiful browned-plum shimmer with golden/purple (slightly) duochrome shimmer particles.  This polish is amazing and is another one in a string of successful deep purples from Zoya this year (Julieanne and Mimi being the other two).  Pic is 2 coats and there were no formula issues.

Zoya Valerie is available at Zoya's website and at various online boutiques.  FYI... don't forget that Zoya is offering 3 free polishes on 1/3/11 as they reached their goal of 20,000 FB followers!  Woohoo.

Zoya Valerie was purchased by me.

SpaRitual Optical Illusion

I picked this one up because I thought it was such an "ugly-pretty" color.  I was right.  After one coat of this, I was ready to chuck it.  It was a gross, watery, spinach green.  But, with a second and a third coat, the beauty in this one still came out.  It's still a bit like a shimmery swamp, but it's pretty, nonetheless.  Optical Illusion is a swampy, murky, military green with tons of tonal green and golden shimmer.  It in the bottle, it looks like there may be some blue shimmer, but that doesn't translate to the nail.  While I do like it, and it is a green that I can wear with my skintone, it's still not something I see myself wearing all the time.  Pic is 3 coats.  Formula was a bit watery.

SpaRitual is available at online boutiques, like Apothica.com.

Optical Illusion was purchased by me using an Apothica.com gift card.

Comparison: Zoya Valerie vs. OPI Tease-y Does It

I decided to compare Valerie and Tease-y Does It because when I was swatching them separately, I thought they looked similar and on paper... they do.  They are both brown-plum hybrids with golden shimmer.  However, in reality, they are much different.

Bottles

L-R: Valerie, TDI, Valerie, TDI

Tease-y Does It is more brown than Valerie.  It also is murkier (hazy, smoky, whatever) so the sparkle isn't as pronounced.  Pretty much, it's like comparing apples to monkeys, but I felt like it was necessary to post nonetheless.

The reason being... that if there is anyone else out there (like me) that just doesn't like Tease-y Does It, then Valerie would be a great substitute if you are looking for a shimmery browned-plum, but don't really like the murkiness of Tease-y Does It.  

Both are 2 coats.

FYI - this is a rare appearance of my right hand.  It's so hard to take pictures with my left hand.  :S  I had a bad break on my L index finger, so for the next few days, you'll either see my right hand or my left hand with the index finger hidden.

Hard Candy Sky

A few weeks ago, right after Riva came out, I tweeted that I was finally going to spring for my first Chanel polish. I had my cart all loaded up, my cc info entered, when I realized I was spending almost 30 bucks on a nail polish. Now, I'm not opposed to spending that much, I just decided it was kinda silly to spend that on Riva as, from what I understand, it's pretty dupey (if you know where to look).

One of the dupes that I'd seen bantered about was ChG Moody Blue. Unfortunately, Moody Blue is d/c'd and I've only been able to find it for around $20 shipped. For that price, I might as well buy the Riva, if you KWIM. Then I discovered that Hard Candy Sky is also a very close fascimile to Riva. Of course, then I realized that HC Sky is also a d/c color, but as luck would have it... it's been re-released as part of Hard Candy's new Wal-Mart line. I never thought I say this, but yay for Wal-Mart. LOL.

I picked this up a few weeks ago, and finally had the chance to try it out.

Sky is a pale, slightly-dusty blue with just a tiny hint of green. There's also a "secret" iridescent shimmer, just like with the Chanel (though, I think the shimmer in this is a tad more pronounced than in Riva) That said, I don't know if this is an exact dupe for Riva, I just know that for $4, it works for me. :) Especially when you consider it made my skin around my nails look red (it looks much worse in this pic). I suppose that's because of the green in this color. This is 3 coats and a TC to even out the finish. I had no real problem with Hard Candy's formula, though I did find it to be a bit thin.

FYI... Rmcandlelight at Nails Beautiqued did an excellent comparison post. So be sure to check that out to see them side-by-side.

Hard Candy Sky was purchased by me at Wal-Mart.

CSN Stores

Where are you in holiday shopping? Done? Haven't even started? Given up? LOL.

Me? I'm done. And what happens when I get finished with holiday shopping early? I start dreaming up what I'm going to buy for myself once the holidays are over. Happens every year. I scour online sites religiously during the days leading up until Christmas.


This year, I happened to discover CSN Stores. I've heard a bit about CSN Stores through various blogs, but I've never really had the chance to really go through the site, or should I say sites, as they have over 200 stores. From kitchen stores, to furniture stores, and even luggage stores, their selection has everything under the sun.

I've already found some really cool things in the kitchen department, as I'm a total junkie for kitchen gadgets (nail polish isn't my only vice. LOL). However, for those of you looking for nail polish... they have that, too. I saw some Piggy Paints, which are water based polishes, perfect for wee ones (my daughter will flip for those).


You may still be able to use CSN Stores for holiday shopping if you are still in the thick of it, though be sure to check their site for more information. Or, if you are like me... and dreaming about what you are going to get yourself for Christmas, CSN Stores are a great place to start.

Also, I will have an opportunity to review a product through CSN Stores, and I'm quite excited about that. :) I'll let you guys no more about that as it gets closer.

Sponsored post. Experiences, opinions, and words are 100% my own.

A few BB Couture Swatches

A few weeks ago, right after Thanksgiving, Kim at Overall Beauty offered a fabulous B1G1F sale on BB Couture for Nails polishes.  Needless to say... I jumped at the chance.  I purchased a few BB Coutures last year and earlier this year, I had the opportunity to review some of their polishes from the Cantina Nights collection, but this was my first time buying BB Couture polishes in quite some time. 

Because, I don't review/use them often, so I sometimes forget that BB Couture's polishes are pretty much amazing .  1. Their colors are always have an element of the unexpected.  Whether it be a "secret shimmer" or random specks of color, there is always something in their colors that makes you stop and notice.  2. Their formula is one of the best in the business and, dare I say it, I find it better than even Rescue Beauty Lounge.

Here are the 6 I chose...

Eve - Mossy green shimmer base with bright green, gold, and blue shimmer particles.  This polish is absolutely gorgeous (something you may read quite a bit in this post).  The base color is one of those "ugly pretty" colors that you think would be hideous in theory and yet, IRL, there's something about it that is just beautiful.  The shimmer particles in this one are so pretty.  The bright, almost kelly green, just pops against the mossy green background.  Also, there is a ribbon of copper shimmer than runs through this.  Now, normally, a "ribbon of color" translates to "frosty finish", but in this one that tiny copper shimmer, it's much smaller than the other shimmer particles, gives this one a slight duochrome effect.  No, it's not a true duochrome.  Rather, the copper has a tendency to catch the light when you move your fingers, though there is no true color shift.  Eve is from BB Couture's Infamous Lovers collection.  Pic is 2 coats, and (of course) there were no formula issues.

Hollywood Junk - pale gold glitter and holo bar glitter in a clear champaign base.  Hollywood Junk is one of those polishes that I have been lemming for quite some time, and I honestly can't tell you why.  When you read the description, it sounds rather boring, but in true BB Couture style, there is something about this one that is totally unique, and I think it's the bar glitter.  Those long strands of holo glitter really catch your eye, whether you are staring at your nails or staring at the bottle (um, no... didn't do that :P).  This pic is 3 coats, and I was trying to see if I could reach opacity.  The answer is no, unless of course, you wanted to gloop tons of this on your nails... and then it wouldn't dry.  However, I think this would look amazing over a gold foil, like say Luxe of Orly's Foil FX collection.

Impact Driver - Smoky Wedgwood blue base with tons of pale pink, pale blue, and silver micro-shimmer.  It also has an unexpected element of charcoal grey (!) in the micro-shimmer.  Honestly, I picked this one up because it's supposedly a dupe for RBL Catherine H. Well, that and I'm a sucker for dusty/smoky blues.  I'd been lemming Catherine H. pretty hardcore, but kept passing on it because I just didn't want to spend $18+ shipping.  I've seen a few comp pics, and I have to say it... Impact Driver looks to be almost identical to Catherine H. (here's a great comp pic at Nailed Up - scroll to the end of the post).  I'm sure there might be some slight differences in the shimmer when you get down to it, but for me... this has certainly filled the lemming.  The formula on this one is flawless.  Impact Driver is from BB Couture for Men's Tools collection.  Pic is 2 coats.  

Juliet - browned rose-pink creme base with tiny black and iridescent pastel shimmer particles.   I included a bottle pic of this one because I wanted you get a closer look at the colors of the shimmer.  Above, when I mentioned BB Couture's element of surprise, this was the polish that was specifically coming to mind.  The base itself is gorgeous.  It lives at the intersection of Brown Avenue and Rose Pink Way in Color Town.  :P  Yet it's that shimmer that made me fall in love with it.  I love that the black shimmer is peppered (pun intended) throughout the base.  You may get a lot on one nail and just one or two specks on another.  I really like the randomness to it.  Also, as the base is a creme, the pastel iridescent shimmer tends to sit on the top of the polish, creating a beautiful "hidden shimmer".  This pic is 3 coats, though you would be perfectly fine with 2.  Juliet is another polish from the Infamous Lovers collection.  

Napa Valley Red - Jelly-like red shimmer base with brighter red shimmer particles.  This one reminds me of a deeper version of BB Couture Fairy Blood.  This is a beautiful, mesmerizing color.  The shimmer pieces in this one almost glow in the base color.  It's a tad bit lighter on the nail than it is in the bottle, but that was fine with me.  Napa Valley Red is from BB Couture's Vampy Varnish collection, which was co-created by Kelly at Vampy Varnish.  Pic is 2 coats.  

Vampy Varnish - Deep black-green base with shimmer particles in gold, purple, and light and dark green.  This one is the namesake polish to the above mentioned Vampy Varnish collection, and Kelly certainly pulled out all the stops when she came up with this one.  The finish on this is like Napa Valley Red in that the base color has a touch of a jelly-like consistency.  The base is a very dark green that looks like black in any light other than direct light.  That, coupled with the multi-colored shimmer, makes it look like multi-colored stars tossed against a black sky.  I said Napa Valley Red was mesmerizing and I'm going to have to use that word to describe this one as well.  It's unbelievably gorgeous, and probably my favorite of the 6 I got (which is truly saying something... because I love them all).  Pic is 2 coats.

All in all, I love these.  The colors are so beautiful, and in a lot of ways, completely unexpected.  BB Couture is a fabulous line of polishes and you can really tell that they are created by a lover of unique nail polishes for those of us that tend to stray away from your traditional baby pinks and standard reds.  I love that about this company.  I can't wait to place another order I've already started on a small wishlist of BB Coutures.  :)

I'm pretty sure that you can only find BB Couture for Nail polishes through online sources.  They have their own website, but for the best selected, you'll need to check out Overall Beauty.  BB Coutures retail for $9 at Overall Beauty and $9.95 on their website.

I purchased all these polishes myself during Overall Beauty's B1G1F promotion.

Holiday Giveaway #4 - 12/14/10 - 12/21/10

Well girlies... we've done it. :) This is the last of my holiday giveaways. Can you believe it?

Giveaway #3 will close as soon as I publish this post, and I will compile the entries and select a winner within the next few days. I don't think I mentioned it in an actual post on here, but the winners my first and second Holiday Giveaways, respectively, were Jo Anne and Lindsay. Congratulations to them. I hope you enjoy your goodies.

Anyway, here is Holiday Giveaway #4...

This is China Glaze's "Cheers to You" gift set, which is part of their 2010 Holiday gift set collection. This one is more "New Year" themed than Christmas themed. It consists of Midnight Kiss (gold foil), Cheers to You (silver foil), and a really cute shot glass, which you could use to ring in 2011, or perhaps more appropriately, kiss 2010 goodbye. :P I've also added 2 OPI AvoJuice Juicies in Orange Almond and Crisp Apple. I absolutely adore these lotions. I always have one beside me while I'm on the computer. :)

As this giveaway will be concluding just a few days before Christmas, I've decided to make entering more simple. That way, if you are the winner, I'll be able to ship out your prize much faster. I like doing "extra entry" giveaways, because 1. it gives you more chances to win and 2. it helps get the word out about my blog. However, they are also a bit more work (both for me and for you), and none of us need that during next week. LOL.

So to enter, you simply need to fill out the box below. I do ask that you be a follower, and new followers are always welcome. That's my only requirement. Just include your name, GFC name (or if you follow through other means... mention that) and your contact email address. Easy-peasy-mac-n-cheesy. If you would like to tweet/blog about this giveaway, I would very much appreciate it, as it does help me gain more traffic on my blog, but, due to the way the form is set up, it won't give you extra entries. :)



Thank you so much for playing along with me during my Holiday Giveaways. It was a lot of fun and helped to put me in the Christmas spirit. I should have another (sponsored) giveaway next week, and then I am planning a few giveaways for 2011. If my wallet can handle it (LOL), I may be having a themed giveaway each month. :D I already have some ideas cooked up for January and February.

Also, and I think I forgot to mention this on my previous giveaway, it's open to international followers. :)

Giveaway Reminder

Hi girls.  I just wanted to remind you that my Holiday Giveaway #3 closes tomorrow.  If you have yet to enter, please feel free to do so by clicking here.

Holiday Giveaway #4 will go live tomorrow. 

Blogger Round-Up

Sorry for taking so long between round-ups.  I swear, time has just been flying by lately.  I feel like I'm always chasing my tail. 

Anyway, here are the new blogs I have for you in this round-up...

The Chain Nail

Polish This!

Kendal

Nails in Nippon

Dancing Phalanges

Five new blogs!

As always girls (and guys if you happen to be out there), if I missed you, please let me know.  Sometimes it's so easy for me to miss a comment or an email, so please don't think it was intentional.  :)

Also, if you want to be included in the next round up (probably after Christmas), please reply in this post or shoot me an email.

Color Club Enchanted Holiday Mini Set

I'd been holding off posting about this one because I thought I'd get around to showing you a nail art look using the included decals and the accompanying rhinestones, by Art Club.  Unfortunately, I just didn't around to it, and I wanted to post this collection while I still had it as a giveaway (but more on that in a bit).

Also, I feel a bit out of sorts today, so I wasn't as gabby as I usually am.  :P

Enchanted Holiday - Dense pale-to-medium-toned gold glitter in a clear base.  I was expecting this one to be like the gold glitter in the CC Glitter Vixen collection, but it's actually a bit lighter, and much smoother in formula.  It seems a little similar to Nubar's Gold Glitter, though that one is a bit brighter, I think.  Pic is 2 coats.  

Magic Elf - Dark lime green foil with golden shimmer.  This one is crazy pretty, and definitely the most unique in the collection.  2 coats.  

Snowflakes - icy white iridescent glitter in a milky, clear base.  This one is pretty, but looks like the CC Japanese Glitters or the white glitter from the Pardon My French collection.  2 coat.s

Wish List Red - Red glitter in red jellyish base.  This one is your typical, red glitter.  I struggled a bit with formula, so I had to go slow and be patient.  It seemed a bit gritty, but nothing TC couldn't handle.

Like I mentioned above, this set also comes with coordinating decals, and CC's sister company, Art Club, has an adorable rhinestone set to go with this one (pics to come soon).

This set is available at e-tailers, and I am offering this set as part of my Holiday Giveaway #3.

This was sent to me for review.  The set offered in my giveaway is a brand-new set purchased by me.

Zoya Free Spoon Friday

I know this has been making the rounds, but I just wanted to do a quick and dirty post just in case anyone has been hiding over a rock.  In addition to their (almost-there) facebook promotion, Zoya is offering Free Spoon Friday.  Basically, you go to www.zoya.com, you pick out 6 spoons, you put them in your cart and you apply code SP6 and you get them for free (shipping included).  Pretty cool.

Lemmings come in strange places

Do you guys in the US (and anyone else that can get it) watch The Sing Off? I didn't watch it last season, but last night, I happened to catch it because Jeopardy ended and we couldn't find the remote and then I got hooked.

Basically, it's a competition for a cappella groups. As someone that loves to sing, and especially loves to sing a cappella... I was in (why I didn't watch this last season, I have no idea). One of my favorites was the group from the University of Oregon, On the Rocks.

So today I get to googling and find this vid of them singing Bad Romance (this was in the first episode of the season as well).



Um, cute boys, dancing and harmonizing to a Lady Gaga song? Yes please. I think I've watched this about 10x today already. I love it that much. Of course, this led me to purchase Lippmann Bad Romance. I just couldn't stop myself. LOL.

Another blog sale update

I just wanted to let you all know that I've cut many prices. Also, feel free to make me offers on lots.

A couple Sephora by OPI swatches

Sephora by OPI is a new brand to me. For some reason, I've never gotten around to trying it. I guess it irked me that retail on these is $9, whereas you can get a regular OPI in the $5 range.

However, Sephora recently offered $15/$20 gift cards to their Beauty Insiders and VIBs and due to an online loophole, you can use it without any minimums. So I decided to pick up a couple SOPIs. Using my GC, I got 2 SOPI polishes, my 500 point perk Philosophy gift set, a deluxe mini of Marc Jacobs Daisy, and 3 samples, for less than $6 shipped. Not too shabby.

As these polishes were essentially free, I wasn't too picky about which ones I chose. I just looked a few online swatches and picked 2 that were sparkly and shiny. I ended up getting 212-Sephora and Looks Like Rain, Dear.

212-Sephora - Smoky, deep browned-charcoal base with small copper flakies, rainbow, holo glitter, and golden microglitter. Woohoo! This one is like a party. I love it. I remember this being the rage on the NB last year, but I haven't heard much about it lately, so I thought the was LE for last year. But, it looks like they brought it back for the holidays. The base is pretty opaque, so it only took 2 coats. However, it's not super-dense to the point where the glitters and flakies would sink to the bottom. I had no issues with the formula on this one. It covered nicely and there was no drag that you can sometimes get with glitter. Also, this one had none of the removal issues that you oftentimes get with a glitter. A swipe of acetone and it was completely gone.

Looks Like Rain, Dear - Dense, pale golden glitter with larger rainbow, holo glitter in a golden shimmer base. Aside from the color, and the fact that 212-Sephora has golden flakies, the glitter in this one is very similar to the polish above. I like golds in theory, but normally, they just don't work with me. So my expectations on this one were pretty low. I mainly picked this one up because I had seen very few swatches of it online, and as it was technically free, I figured I take one for the team and get it to swatch. So imagine my surprise when I put it on and I actually liked it. It's very pretty and, though I haven't done one in months, I think this would look amazing as a base for a konad design. Pic is 2 coats. Formula was okay, though I found it to be a weird runny/thick consistency. However, it wasn't too difficult to work with. EDIT: All Lacquered Up just posted this polish today as well, and as her picture is much closer than mine, I figured I'd link to her post. In her swatch you can see tiny hexagonal silver glitter, that my little point-and-shoot just couldn't pick up. It makes the polish even prettier, IMO.

The brush on these was very nice. While it's not OPI's wide brush, it applied with no issues and the wand is very long. Although, and this is purely cosmetic... while I like brush, and the bottle, it's nice and weighty and it feels substantial in your hand, I hate (HATE) the cap. It feels cheap and... um... it looks like a "personal massager". :O There. I said it. :P

All in all, I'm pretty impressed with Sephora by OPI polishes. I still don't like the price point (or the look of the cap), but that doesn't stop me from already forming a small wishlist.

China Glaze Crackle Polish

I just saw this on my Facebook page and I thought I would pass it along... China Glaze Crackle Polish.  The link is to a post on China Glaze's blog regarding their new, upcoming Crackle polish.  I won't CP the entire blog post here, but they are coming out with 6 new crackle colors: Black Mesh (black crackle), Lightening Bolt (white crackle), Broken Hearted (pink crackle), Cracked Concrete (grey crackle), Crushed Candy (teal crackle) and Fault Line (purple crackle).  


I have mixed emotions about this.  On one hand, I think it's great.  Lightening Bolt and Cracked Concrete sound amazing, as do they all, really.  However, on the other hand, we are just ending a season where so many colors were duplicates, that this seems so forced.  We already know that OPI is coming out with Black Shatter in January and there are a few smaller crackle polish brands floating around.  In fact, I'm sure one, maybe two, more nail polish companies will come out with their own version crackle polish before it's all said and done.  It's the matte top coat of 2011.  KWIM?


I get wanting to keep up with trends, but to me, I would much prefer a company to stray away from trends than to just be a part of the herd.

Born Pretty Store: Christmas Candy Mani

Today, I'm bringing you another mani I created using nail art products from Born Pretty Store.

In my box of goodies from Born Pretty Store, I received the Kawaii Nail Applique set.

This is a set of 24 (12 designs, 2 per design) 3-D nail art appliques.  As soon as I saw this set on their website, I fell in love.  I mean... come on... waffles?  chocolates?  ice cream cones?  candies?  Yup.  I'm in.  You had me at hello.

This is another product that I assume is actually meant to embed in gel, but as I didn't want to deal with the hassle, I decided to do a mani on my natural nails.  And being that we are just a few weeks away from Christmas, I wanted to do something festive.  Here's what I came up with...

(sorry for the dry cuticles)

This is 3 coats of Essie Marshmallow (a squishy soft white) as a base.  I then free-handed stripes in Zoya Kristi (a bright, true red), and topped it with a coat of Rush quick-dry top coat.  Then I took the 3-D nail art appliques (2 lollipops, a meringue, and a candy) and pushed them down, using tweezers, into the top coat, before it set.  I then topped the whole thing with another coat of top coat, making sure to get the area at the base of each applique.

Is this practical?  Probably not.  But it's totally fun and I love it.  At first, when I came up with this idea, I thought there is no way it would really work in practice.  However, those suckers are stuck on there really well, so you could conceivably wear this look for a holiday party (probably not one in which you would have to wear a cocktail dress.  LOL).  I would totally wear this to my kids' school parties.   In fact, I showed it to my daughter and she squealed!  :)

This set of appliques is available at Born Pretty Store for $3.41 (click on the above for a direct link).

This is the last of the goodies I got from Born Pretty Store, though I may have some more to show you soon. However, as Born Pretty Store has been so nice as to offer my readers a 10% off code (more on that in a bit), I do plan on recapping all of the nail art items I got from them over the next few days.

My coupon code is MEGAN2010 and it is good through March 31, 2011 (I will post in on the side bar below the banner for Born Pretty Store).  It's for 10% off and Born Pretty Store offers free shipping to most countries (see their website for details).  Also, keep your eyes peeled, because I will be offering a giveaway sponsored by them after my Holiday Giveaways are complete.

Nail art products used in this post were sent to my by Born Pretty Store for review

Holiday Giveaway #3 - 12/7/10 - 12/14/10

Hi girls... time for another Holiday Giveaway!

Giveaway #2 has closed and I am in the process of compiling the information and selecting a winner. If you are the winner, I will let you know within the next few days.

Now, on to Giveaway #3!

This is the Color Club Enchanted Holiday set as well as an OPI AvoJuice Berry Merry Rose Juicie and an OPI AvoJuice Pumpkin Butter Juicie.

To enter, please fill out the form below.  I ask that if you enter, you please be a follower.  New followers are always welcome!  You can get extra entries by following me on Twitter, tweeting about this giveaway, listing me on your blog roll, and blogging about this giveaway.



Thank you so much for entering my giveaway!

PS - I will probably have pictures of my Enchanted Holiday set (that I received from Color Club to review) up within the next few days.

Born Pretty Store: Dried Flowers Mani

Hi everyone, I know it's been awhile since I've showed you some things from my box of goodies from Born Pretty Store, so I figured I'd show you another product.

Here is the 12 pc Dried Flower Set.

The set consists of 12 different dried flowers, each in it's own jar. I'm pretty sure the point of this set is to embed the flowers in acrylic (EDIT: these are to embed in gel). However, having no acrylic, I decided to create a nail art look using these flowers on my natural nails.

This is an idea that I had floating around in my brain for sometime and never got a chance to try it. This is one coat of ChG Jolly Holly as a base. I then sandwiched the dried flowers between 2 layers of a thin quick-dry top coat (Rush) and then I used another layer of the same top coat to even out any bumpiness.

I like the concept of this mani, though I don't think my application was the best. The flowers themselves were pretty easy to use and apply, even though this isn't their intended use. The best thing about these flowers is that you can cut them to your desired look. I think this would look beautiful if done to look like a field of wildflowers.

This nail art set is available at Born Pretty Store. Price is $6.15.

For your convenience, I've placed a banner that hyperlinks to Born Pretty Store on the right side of my blog. As I was writing this post, I realized that while I've shown you most of the products I received from them, I have yet to do an individual post on each product, so I plan on doing that this week.

Also, my 2nd giveaway ends tomorrow, so be sure to enter if you have yet to do so. Lastly, I realized I'm a bit behind of the Blogger Round-Up. Fear not... it will post sometime this week.

Nail art products in this post were sent to me for review. I purchased ChG Jolly Holly myself.

Franken - Blackened Gold

So yesterday, as I was sorting my stash (to update my blog sale), I came across a couple of frankens. Frankening was something I obsessed about, tried it, failed at it, and decided it was best left for professionals. LOL.

However, the 2 frankens I found seemed to be okay, so I decided to keep them. More that that... I decided to use one of them as my NOTD.

This is a warm blackened gold. I remember wanting to try this franken based on Dr. Frankenpolish's Aztec Gold. Okay, so it doesn't have the "glowyness" of Amanda's creation, but I am happy with it nonetheless. I can't believe I'd left this one untried for all these months.

Honestly, it's been so long since I created this (well over a year), that I can't remember the ratios. However, I do know that this is Sation 24K Gold and Sation Black.

You can find Sations at TransDesign and Victoria's Nail Supply. They are usually under $1.50.

Blog Sale - UPDATED (again)

I just added a bunch more polishes to my blog sale list.  I thought I was done, and then I just decided to narrow things down even more.

Please see the Blog Sale tab at the top of this blog for information.

A few Deborah Lippmann swatches

So lately, I've found myself gravitating towards Deborah Lippmann's polishes.  I recently picked up a few from Apothica.com...

Call Me Irresponsible - Red-purple jelly.  This one looks like grape candy.  I was unable to get full opacity at 3 coats, though, but that's a jelly for you.  Also, the formula wanted to drag, so I had to wait between coats.

It's Raining Men - Bright red creme.  This one came out at the same time as Call Me Irresponsible, and while that polish is a true jelly, It's Raining Men can be described as "jelly-ish".  It was opaque in ONE coat (though I did 2), but there was a squishy-ness to it that you don't get with a regular creme.  Formula was flawless.

Ruby Red Slippers - Black jelly base with red square and hexagonal glitter.  This one is in the same vein as China Glaze Lubu Heels, RBL Black Russian, and Color Club Red Velvet, but this one takes it to an entirely new level.  It's insanely pretty, hence my tweet about stopping my swatchathon and applying it as a full mani.  That said, this is 3 coats and as you can tell, it's crazy bumpy.  Seriously, after 2 coats of TC, my nails still looked like little relief maps.  A third coat of TC fixed the bumpiness, but also left the polish gooey.  I think my problem however, was in my TC (Nubar Diamont).  Next time I use this, I'm using a thicker quick-dry (i.e. Seche Vite).  

Wicked Game - silvery purple-green duochrome metallic.  Okay, I'll admit it.  I picked this one up because it was named after the Chris Isaak song from my youth.  I love that song.  Almost 20 years later and it's still gives me chills (because of all the haunting emotion he stuffs in it).  Unfortunately, of the 4 I picked up, this one was the one that disappointed me.  I've seen pictures of it looking amazing on girls with actual pigment in their skin.  It just didn't work with me.  It washed me out and I washed it out.  Beautiful polish with a nice formula, but it and Megan don't play nice.  :(  3 coats.

I've also purchased a bottle of Boom Boom Pow (again because of the title) which I will swatch as soon as it gets here, and based upon my love of Ruby Red Slippers, I'm thinking about picking up Bad Romance and, if can find it outside of the boxed set, Razzle Dazzle.

Deborah Lippmann polishes are in the $16+ range (more for glitters) and are available at www.deborahlippmann.com and online beauty boutiques like www.apothica.com.

These polishes were purchased by me using a GC from Apothica.com

RBL Sale Haul

Okay, so three polishes don't exactly constitute a haul, but that's what I picked up at this last 1/2-off sale (as opposed to the 10 polishes I got in the 2009 sale.  See, I'm learning restraint.  :P).

You've already seen my pics of RBL Ani, so here are the other 2 polishes I picked up, Scrangie and Smitten...

Scrangie - Blue/green/purple multichrome shimmer.  RBL Scrangie is one of those polishes that I resisted for months.  It always looked pretty in pictures, but there was something about it that just didn't grab me.  And unfortunately for RBLs, with an $18 price-tag... grabbing is something that needs to occur.  But I'd read that this was one polish that had to be seen in person to be completely appreciated.  As, I had heard that SH Grape Going was a dupe, I thought I'd save myself some cash and see if I liked it.  I really didn't like Grape Going, so I figured I was going to have to bite the bullet and pick RBL Scrangie up for myself or just decide I was never going to get it.  When it became permanently OOS, earlier in the year, I figured I was out of luck.  But then Ji brought it back, along with No More War.  And yet, I still hesitated.  Finally, when the news of the 1/2-off sale broke, I once and for all decided that if Scrangie was still in stock, I was going to pick it up.  I finally put it on this morning and... *sigh*.  I have no idea why I waited.  It is absolutely gorgeous.  As you all know, the blogger Scrangie envisioned this polish to look like the wing of a beetle, and that is a dead on description.  My swatch above does it no justice, so don't let that sway you one way or the other, but if you are still waffling on this color... take it from another I'm-on-the-fence-about-RBL-Scrangie-er and pick this one up.  It's gorgeous and unique and totally shimmery and you won't be disappointed.  3 coats.

Smitten - Tea rose pink creme.  Rose pink in one of those lemmings I never even knew I had until I was browsing on the NB one day.  Someone asked for the perfect rose-pink and after I checked all those suggested, I still didn't find one that looked like the "rose pink" in my head.  So in browsing RBL swatches one day, I came upon Smitten, and well... I was just that.  The swatches were beautiful, but in actuality, the color is so much more.  I know Ji describes it as a "light lilac pink", but I get no purple tones in this.  To me, it's a perfect rose pink, with just a teensy hint of brown.  I love it.  3 coats.

RBL polishes are available at www.rescuebeauty.com as well as online beauty boutiques like Beauty Sak.

I purchased these polishes myself during RBL's sale

Zoya wants you as a Fan...

and they are giving free stuff away to prove it. :)

Always up for giving away free polishes, Zoya is (potentially) doing it again. If they get 20,000 Facebook fans on, or before, January 31, 2011, they are giving you 3 free Zoya nail polishes (a $21 value).

Here's the press release info...

We like our fans, well actually, we LOVE our fans.

We are a small, independent cosmetics company that understands and values the importance of each and every one of our customers. Zoya views our fans as ambassadors of our products. Your dedication and feedback via our social media outlets has helped shape us into the successful company we are today. We continue to grow with your input and support. During this holiday season we would like to show you our appreciation with an incredible offer to start off the new year.

Please, allow us to share our wonderful nail polish and treatment products with your like-minded friends! We are hoping for 20,000 "Likes" on facebook by January 3, 2011, and if we get them, we will provide a code for 3 free bottles* of Zoya Nail Polish to all fans and followers in the Continental US. Yes, we love our international followers too but due to international regulations and restrictions we can only offer this promotion domestically at this time.

“Like” us on facebook and make 2011 a year of nail polished perfection.

Here's what you need to do...

Not already following us on facebook?

Do you love nail polish? Then you should follow Zoya for daily updates, promotions and fun on facebook! Simply go to www.facebook.com/zoyanailpolish and press "Like"! With over 300 colors and treatments to choose from, there is always something for you and your fellow nail polish lovers to talk about. While you are at it, make sure to spread the word about Zoya to all of your friends.

Already following us on facebook?

You "Like" us - we LOVE you! You already know about the great giveaways and promotions we do! Don't keep Zoya to yourself! Spread the word! To help reach the 20,000 tell 4 friends (or more!) to like Zoya!

On January 3, 2011

...or sooner, when we hit the magic number of 20,000, Zoya will release the 3 FREE BOTTLES of Zoya Nail Polish code on facebook.

*Restrictions apply. See facebook page for complete details. Online promotion only. Offer valid in continental US only. Consumer orders only. Offer not valid in conjunction with other promotions, discounts or offers. Code is dependent on 20,000 likes. To get the code, www.facebook.com/zoyanailpolish MUST have 20,000 likes by 11:59 PM EST on January 3, 2011 (or before that date if 20,000 is reached). Code valid January 4 - 7 2011 only. The offer is void if 20,000 "Likes" is not reached by January 3, 2011 at 11:59PM. Offer good for 3 free bottles of nail polish per order. S/H charges apply.

Shown: Zoya Nail Polish in Jo.

--

With my last post being a press release about how another nail polish company (albeit a HUGE one) was just swallowed up by a cosmetics conglomerate, I have to say that this one is rather refreshing. Zoya is one of the companies I absolutely love. They are accessible to their fans, they have a large color base, they are a small, INDEPENDENT brand, and they are always offering awesome promotions, both through Twitter and Facebook. That said, the catch is they want 20,000 Facebook fans. They are currently at 7600+, so there is some work ahead of them (and us). If you are a blogger and haven't received this press release, feel free to use the info in this post (and the picture) and post it on your blog. Let's get the word out.