China Glaze Holiday Polishes

Hey Everyone!

Yeah I know I'm late on these, if you wanted to see these when they actually came out, but I think a lot of bloggers have pictures of them because they aren't that hard to grab! I still want to have pictures up for my own use, and yours too, so I'm posting these! Better late than never, I think ^_^

I only have four of these, and of course, one is a gold. I swear, I'm not really sure how many times I have to tell myself that golds look odd on my skin before it will sink in!

I've got more pictures and reviews after the jump!

Zoya Payton

Hello Again!

Today I've got Zoya's Payton for you. This one was a frustrating one to review because the color and sparkle are great, but I'm not quite sold on the formula. First, the good part. Check out more pictures after the jump!

St. Patty's Day NOTD

Happy Monday!

Short post today! I just wanted to post what I'm wearing for St. Patty's Day! I like stripes, so this is a simple little design. I can barely call it nail art, but I did use nail tape so I feel like I'm allowed at least that, right? I'm getting a little rainbow vibe from this one too.
I used Butter London Swinger and China Glaze Running in Circles. I swatched these two colors together and liked them in my 5 ways post, so I decided to wear them together.

Hope you have a good St. Patty's Day!

5 Ways: Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Lazy Sunday!

Well, it will be for me. I had all these plans today, but it's supposed to rain pretty much from now until much later this evening, so I'm gonna hang out here and watch hockey. We really spanked the penguins yesterday afternoon, and I'm hoping we can spank 'em again today. Not to mention, I'll get to talk a lot of smack to my pens friends in the process, which I would love.

I haven't done a 5 Ways in awhile, so I decided while I was figuring out which green polish I'd wear on Monday, I'd swatch some colors and maybe inspire someone.
I've only recently found that I have the courage to wear green, honestly. I love wearing green clothes, but I wasn't too sure about it on my nails. I'm happy to say that my phobia is gone :)

Check out the jump for more pictures and thoughts!

Zoya Normani

Hello Again,

Happy Friday to you. I'm actually sick today. I've felt pretty bad ever since I ate crab meat and had an allergic reaction to it the other day. That's unfortunate because I think crab meat is delicious, so I'm pretty bummed out to know I won't be able to eat it anymore :(

Anyway, I'm going to do something a bit different for this post. Usually, when we post swatches of things up on our blogs, we like to show you a freshly painted manicure so you can really see a polish at it's best. Well, today I'm going to show you what a polish looks like after a week of wear. Behold, the lasting power of Zoya's Normani!

I've got a few  more (color accurate) pictures after the jump.

China Glaze Side Saddle

Hello Again!

I took some time off! I've actually missed posting on here, and thanks to some inspiration today, I'm going to start back. I've been a bit down, so I hope posting some regularly will help to pick my spirits up! I don't think I have any regular followers, so I can't really say I hope you've all been well, like I know you, but I do hope you're at least having a good week!

I've got a short post today, nothing fancy. I found this one awhile ago, but I never did post it. This is China Glaze's Side Saddle. It's old and I'm betting if you like CG, you've seen this one before. If not, you're in for a treat because it's nice! Here is Side Saddle:

Lighting: Sunlight

Lighting: Shade

I remember having to do three coats of this because it's patchy, and even with three it had a slight patchiness around the tops to it. I'm not even really sure how to describe this one, in terms of color. Burgundy reddish brown? It's got some shimmer to it, which you can see a bit in the sunlight picture. It's a good fall color, for sure. I better post these fall colors before spring rolls around!
This is one old, but you can still purchase it from places like Head2Toe Beauty. What do you think of this one? Maybe I'll start posting some of my older polishes on Thursday and call it throwback Thursday nail day, until I can get all of my bottles swatched..
Thanks for stopping by!

Avon Cosmic Collection: Aurora and Super Nova

Hi Everyone!

I've been pretty sick for the past few days, so I haven't been doing much in the way of posts. It's snowing here again, which is a bummer because I live at the beach and it's definitely not supposed to be cold and rainy/snowy ever! At least, that's how I feel. My family in Philadelphia are probably so sick of snow by now...

Anyway, I've been wishing for summer, so I swatched some summer polishes to match my mood. I've got Avon's Aurora and Super Nova from their Cosmic collection. They've got a ton of these, but I only purchased two of them. I was pretty shocked at their quality for the price (6 bucks!), so I'll probably buy more when summer comes around this year. Here they are:

I have more pictures after the jump!

My Two Favorite Zoyas: Kylie2 and Areej

Hi Again!

Why don't more people talk about these two Zoyas? Well, I've seen a few people talk about Areej, but I'm not sure that I've ever seen anyone really mention Kylie2. Kylie2 was one of my first Zoyas and was really my first favorite. The formula is really fantastic, and I like the coloring on my skin. Check these out!

Kylie2

Kylie2

This is still my favorite after all of the Zoyas I've tried. I think it's very flattering on, and it makes me feel a bit sassy when I wear it :) I've got cool tones in my skin, and I find it doesn't pull too orange on, which is probably why I like it. It's tough to find corals that don't pull too orange.
The top picture is more color accurate, it's definitely a coral toned red. This is two coats, no top coat. No streakiness or pooling. It's not too thick or too thin. It's kinda perfect!

Areej

Areej

This is my second favorite. Both of these are accurate in terms of the color. The formula on this is very similar to Kylie2, in that there's no pooling or streakiness, and it has a nice thickness to it, definitely not too thick or too thin.
While both of these strike me as summer colors, I like to wear them year round. I'm wearing something similar (Zoya LC) now.
I hope you enjoy these!

Comparison: Zoya Odette vs OPI I'm Feelin' Sashy

Hey Again!

Today I've got two new polishes to compare: Zoya Odette versus OPI I'm Feelin' Sashy. I've got some good news for you and some bad news for me. The good news is if you missed out on I'm Feelin' Sashy, Odette is extremely similar. The bad news for me is that I continue this streak of getting polishes that are pretty much the same. Lol! Check out the pics:

Lighting: Indoor

Lighting: Full Sun

Lighting: Full Sun

Can you even tell a difference? It's there, but it's subtle. I've got Odette on my pinky and middle finger, and Sashy on my middle and index.
Formula wise, I prefer the Zoya. It's thicker, so it's more opaque, but only slightly. I have two coats on of each. I bet if you were to add a 3rd coat of the OPI, it would look even more similar.
Most of the time I'm going to prefer a Zoya creme over probably any other brand, and this is no exception, but it's really very hard to tell the difference between these two. I'm pretty much calling them dupes. Hopefully you didn't purchase both like I did :)
I hope this has been helpful! Have a great day!

Comparisons: Zoya Mira vs China Glaze Grape Pop

Hi Again!

I've got another comparison for you today. I'm glad I'm finally able to do these, because the more of these I do, the more I realize that I really like specific colors! I'm so bad about buying varying shades of the same colors. And if it's purple, it's happening.

So I've got Zoya Mira on my pinky and ring fingers and China Glaze Grape Pop on my index and middle fingers. These are pretty similar but they aren't dupes. Check it out:

You can tell a bit better with the bottom picture that these aren't dupes. Mira is probably a shade lighter, and less cool toned. Grape Pop is definitely more blue based. I like both of these.
Formula wise, Mira wins it. Zoya almost always puts out a top notch creme, and Mira is no exception there. It's smoother and a bit thicker (in a good way) than Grape Pop.
I've got two coats on and no top coat for each of these. I love how shiny both of these are. I hope this is helpful to you! Happy Friday!

Dance Legend Celia

Hey Guys!

It's cold today! :(

But! I've got a really awesome one for you today! It's Celia from Dance Legend! I haven't seen a shifting polish quite like this one, so I'm pretty excited about it! You've GOT to check out all of the pictures after the jump!

Randoms: Zoya Petra, Cassedy and Dakota

Happy Monday!

I can't believe how cold it's been lately! I'm up in Philly this week (!!) and it's cold here, but it's also cold back home. It hasn't snowed in North Carolina in like, 10 years at least, and I'm gonna miss it! Still, I'm glad to be up here too, since I love Philly. Anyway..

I've got a few Zoyas to show you today. I've been taking more pictures of my collection and since I have a decent amount, I'm just kinda grouping them together and taking shots and putting them in the same post. I've got Petra, Dakota and Cassedy to show:

Check out the jump for more pictures and reviews!

Comparisons: Plums

Happy Freezing Friday!

Gosh, it's cold out..
 I've got another comparison for you today. These are mostly OPIs and a Zoya. On my pinky, OPI Casino Royale, ring finger, OPI No Spain, No Gain, middle finger, OPI Pamplona Purple and Zoya Moxie on my index finger. Here are two angles for you:

Pamplona Purple looks REALLY purple here compared to the rest of these. Moxie has more red in it than the others. So that really leaves Casino Royale and No Spain, No Gain. These are pretty similar, but I think Casino Royale is a bit darker, which you can see in the first picture.

These are all with three coats. I don't think you need both No Spain, No Gain and Casino Royale since they are both cremes. Moxie and Pamplona Purple are both quite different. That's enough of an excuse for me, but I don't need much of one to buy another purple :)

I hope this helps!

Randoms: Essie

Hey everyone!

Brrr, it's cold out! Not like Philly though. I've got a lot of family up there, and I hear that they got like, 13 inches of snow. Ugh! Please stay safe, and warm too!

So today, I've got four Essies to show you today. These are the only four I own, but I liked these and will probably purchase more if I see any colors I like. They're a bit more expensive than China Glaze or OPI, so it will have to be a pretty unique color in order to tempt me!

I've got some closeups and reviews after the jump!

Randoms: Butter London

Hey Everyone!

I've got a few Butter Londons to show you today! I've got Brummie, Squatter, Silly Billy, Kerfuffle and Lady Muck.
I bought these during a sale of some kind, I don't remember which, but I wanted to show them all in the same post. Check out the jump for more pictures and reviews!

NOTD: OPI Sleigh Ride for Two and Cover Girl Timeless Rubies

Hi Again!

I've got a quick NOTD to show you, using an OPI and a Cover Girl polish I saw at the store the other day that I just liked. I wanted to use Sleigh Ride for Two, but wanted something sparkly to go with it, which is why I used Timeless Rubies! A few people noticed this and liked it, so maybe you will too!

I also have a closeup of timeless rubies, it's quite sparkly!

The OPI doesn't look as brown in person as it does here in photos. This is a kind of unexpected combination, but I like it. One thing I've noticed, I've started getting a bit more creative with my color combinations since I've been blogging and wearing polish.

Hope you like this!

China Glaze: Immortal

Hello Again!

China Glaze's Immortal is probably old, and a lot of you have seen it, but I'm a bit of a completionist, you see. First, I want to put all the polish I own online, so I can see swatches of what I've got and not buy 500 polishes that all look the same. Second, if I include a polish as a base to a glitter, I like to dedicate another post to the base so I can show both polishes. So with that, here is Immortal:

This picture is a more color accurate picture, the first picture has an old greenish cast to it.

I love this. The shimmer is so noticeable and so pretty on the nail, it takes something potentially "done" and boring and turns it into something beautiful and unique. I love a shimmer in a creme. Especially when it's noticeable in low light. I've got 2 coats on with no top coat. It's pretty glossy on it's own. Formula is nice and opaque, no streakiness or runny behavior. One of my favorite grey polishes, easily. Great for fall.

I bought this on Head2ToeBeauty. Have a great day! 

Serum No. 5 As a Matte-A Fact

Hello Again!

I've got a matte top coat for you today, Serum No 5's As a Matte-A Fact. The twist is that it has a lot of matte sparkle in it too! I like!

I've got close ups and review after the jump!

Arcane Lacquer: The Power, The Passion

Hello Again! Happy Monday to you!

I've got another new to me brand to show you today called Arcane Lacquer. I was pretty excited about this one since it's a sparkly purple, I've got to be one of the most predictable people in the world. It didn't disappoint though! This one is called The Power, The Passion. I'm wearing this today and I love it:

I've got some sunlight shots of this after the jump. It's super sparkly!

Elevation Polish - Malaspina Glacier

Happy Saturday!

I'm happy it's the weekend, but next week is probably going to be crazy! I should really take the time to relax :)
Today, I've got a new to me brand today, Elevation Polish's Malaspina Glacier. This polish looks like the real Malaspina Glacier, so that's pretty cool! Take a look!

I love this one. The color is beautiful, the speckles are awesome, and the formula is really great too. I'm not sure that I have anything bad to say about it, really. This is 2 coats and there's the slightest hint of nail line, which you can really see in the closeup.
I purchased this on Llarowe's website. Have a great weekend!

Cadillacquer - Once More with Feeling

Happy Friday!

I went to a Hurricanes game last night and they beat the Maple Leafs 7-1. It was a total blowout, and very fun to watch. They have a really great goal horn, so it was exciting to hear it 7 times. The Canes are my secondary team, so I always like to see them win, as long as it's not against the Flyers :)

So, I've got a polish from Cadillacquer today. I wish I could find some of the Dexter collection on a North American retailer site, but no one seems to have Masterpiece. I love that one but I waited too long to snap it up!
This one is from the Such Is Life collection, called Once More, With Feeling:

This is three coats. I like the thinness of this, because it makes a nice little jelly sandwich out of the glitter. It also has a really beautiful purple shimmer to it, which you can really see in that closeup.

I purchased this from Llarowe.

Comparisons: OPI Definite Moust Have VS China Glaze Make Some Noise - Are They Dupes?

Hi Everyone!

Today I have another comparison for you. This time, it's OPI A Definite Moust Have vs. China Glaze Make Some Noise. I also threw in Zoya's LC on my thumb, but I wanted the main comparison to be between the OPI and the China Glaze. Here are the pics!

I've got Definite Moust-Have on my pink and middle fingers and Make Some Noise on my ring and index fingers. Like I said, I threw LC in there on my thumb as well. I have another shot, plus close ups of these polishes after the jump!

NOTD: Hurricanes Nails

It's Wednesday!  This week is flying by. It's been super busy at work, so that probably helps.

So! My second favorite hockey team is the Carolina Hurricanes! I was kinda playing around with my nails the other day and I knew I'd be going to watch them play, so I did a very simple red and black manicure, nothing fancy, but I still like it. I've been practicing with getting the lines nice and straight on my nails, so this was good practice.

These kinda remind me of a diving flag, except of course I used black instead of white. That might be something fun to do if I ever get the courage up to go diving again :)

I used OPI's Danke-Shiny Red and  Black Onxy for this. I'll be going to a Hurricane's game this year and I'll do something a bit more fancy for that. This inspired me and I've got a few more ideas for something a bit more exciting. Maybe I'll be able to look back on this and appreciate it for it's simplicity, and hopefully I'll be more creative too!

Zoya Pandora

Happy Monday!

Mannequin hands, anyone?

Maybe the better question is, am I weird for kinda liking the mannequin hands look? I hope not! Well, I think that Zoya's Pandora is a good match for my skintone, so I'm diggin it!

I've got a few more after the jump!

Comparison: OPI Koala Bear-y VS Zoya Sachii - Are They Dupes?

Good Morning!

Happy Playoff Saturday! Here's hoping that the Eagles beat the Saints tonight and go on to the next round!

I recently purchased some polishes from Zoya, and a few of them looked pretty similar to others that I have in my stash, so I'll be posting some comparisons for you. I like going through the stash every once in a while to see what looks similar, and to try and stop myself from buying things that look the same. That's difficult since I feel like we're attracted to the same colors that we think look good on us! So anyway, here's the comparison!

Can you tell the difference?? It's pretty tough! I've got OPI Koala Bear-y on my pinky and middle finger, and Zoya Sachii on my ring and index finger. In real life too, it was very difficult to tell these apart. The finishes are both similar too, as they are both creme without shimmer. I think that Koala Bear-y might be a touch darker.
Formula wise, I prefer Koala Bear-y, as ut's darker on the initial coat and doesn't take as much to build up as Sachii. Though Sachii does build, it's thinner so you really need three coats to build it up here, while you just need two for Koala Bear-y.
I love both OPI and Zoya's cremes, so I think either is a nice choice. These are almost dead on dupes, for me. Hope this is helpful to you!

Vampy Purples: China Glaze First Class Ticket and OPI Black Cherry Chutney

Happy Friday!

It's super cold outside today, so I think a post think this is alright. They fit the kind of weather that's happening.

I've got two vampy purple shades to share today, one from China Glaze and the other from OPI. This time of year, everyone seems to get on that vamp wagon, and I'm happy to say that I get on that myself sometimes. I like a nice, vampy color on a cold day, and well, today's the day for that.

Black Cherry Chutney

First Class Ticket

First Class Ticket, up close!

My poor middle finger cuticle. They've gotten better, but this weather kills my skin. I have to remind myself to slather that lotion on!
Black Cherry Chutney is a super dark black cherry (sorry, it really is that color). Actually, it looks darker in the bottle than on the nail, which I think is a good thing. When you see it in the bottle it straight up looks black. The thing that's odd about this, is that it's not very opaque. It took 3 coats to even it out without balding. This is part of OPI's classic range, so you can buy it at most places that sell OPI. It's pretty old so I'm sure you've probably seen it before.

First Class Ticket is a dark blurple. I've seen swatches where this looks much more purple. Up close, you can see it has some blue flecks to it, which adds a nice depth. The lighting here isn't really the best (it was overcast), but this is what it looks like in low lighting. Formula was a bit thin, but workable. I wasn't careful and it flowed into my cuticles a bit. I bought this at Head2ToeBeauty.

Hopefully you like vampy shades too! Thanks for stopping by!

Changes to the Blog

Hi!

I'm not sure how many people read my blog, but I just wanted to let you know that I've made some changes to the comments portion of the site. Hopefully I'll hear from you all soon, since I think Disqus is more user friendly.

Have a great day!

-Lauren

Zoya Lauren

Happy Thursday-Monday

Today is the first day I go back to work, so it feels kinda like a Monday to me. Bummer! I thought about taking today and tomorrow, but I've got stuff I need to do, so here we are!

Well, I feel like you should own your own polish if there's one with your name, right? It seems like Zoya has made a shade for almost every name out there! Well, probably not that much, but they certainly have a lot of shades, don't they?

So, here is Zoya's Lauren, a nice metallic-y neutral beige:

Lauren: Sunlight

Lauren: Shade

Lauren: Close up!

This one really reminds me of Zoya's Pandora and OPI's A Butterfly Moment. It's kinda like if those two had a kid. There are several things about this polish that are doing it for me. One, its surprisingly opaque. This is two coats, no balding or streaking to speak of. Two, I'm loving that shimmer. It really toes the line between a creme and a shimmer nicely, and I think you can see that in the close up. Overall, I'm really liking this one!

I purchased this on Zoya's webpage. Have a great day!

Picture Polish: Imperial

Happy New Year!

I wanted to start the new year out with a special polish that I really like. Of course, it's purple. This is my first piCture pOlish, and I think it's great! I bought this on Llarowe's site, and I'd been eyeing it for awhile, so I feel like I was justified in purchasing ANOTHER purple. I was really wanting this one!

Imperial: Full Sunlight

Imperial: Shade

Imperial: Wee Close up!

I LOVE this. I thought I would, so I'm really not at all surprised. This is pretty neon in the sunlight. It's got a rubbery kind of finish, and while that chips easier on me than usual, I like the finish enough that I didn't want to add shine on it, so this is 2 coats with no top coat. It's a bit patchy, so that's the only negative I can say about it. Another coat would probably fix that up, but it's worth noting.
I hope you have a wonderful day celebrating the new year!