Tuesday, February 28, 2012

OPI Red Lights Ahead... Where?

I think OPI really nailed it with the Holland collection this year. I have rarely been excited about so many polishes before in an OPI collection. I typically either completely bypass the collection or pick out one or two. This time around I ended up get six of them. I was so impressed with this red in the collection.

Red Lights Ahead... Where?


Red Lights Ahead... Where? is a bright red-toned coral creme.

This is a touch brighter than my camera could capture. It really is one of the most unique red polishes I've seen. It is so saturated and intense. It is very much the color red you see in neon signs. The name certainly fits! That being said, at the risk of sounding contradictory, it really isn't a true neon shade. It is very bright. It also dries shiny unlike other neon polishes that dry matte. If you're a red fan I think you will need this in your collection!

Happy Tuesday!

Monday, February 27, 2012

Warpaint Beauty A Mile Away

I really wanted an obnoxious yellow. I really did! A week or so ago I just had this craving for really loud eye popping colors. I have quite a few neons, but I did not have a highlighter yellow shade. I found this one on sale at Hot Topic last week and it was exactly what I was looking for. 

Warpaint Beauty A Mile Away


A Mile Away is a fluorescent neon yellow.

A Mile Away...could the name be more perfect? This took a ridiculous amount of coats. I think it took 5 or 6. The formula is thin and it dries matte (which dries almost instantaneously), so this actually did not bother me. It could probably benefit from some polish underwear, but I was lazy. I like it. It's just what I wanted. Now, I just need the courage to wear this out. It's funny since I wanted a color like this so bad, but now I'm hesitant about wearing it! 

Happy Monday!

Sunday, February 26, 2012

Share With You Sunday: 02/19/12-02/26/12

I just want to let you guys know that next week I will not be doing a Share With You Sunday. My parents will be in town next weekend, so I will not have time to post one. If any of you post links for this post I do not get to today, they will be posted on March 12th's Share With You Sunday.

Quiz of the Day:



My Results: You Are Highly Colorful

You are intensely alive and very passionate.
You are optimistic about the world and about people.
You feel very connected to others, and you tend to be a harmonizing force.
You are vibrant and receptive. You are ready for whatever the world has to offer you.

Share your results in the comments!

Nails:
Enamel Girl swatches Icing Magnetix blue polish.
LuvMyLacquer shares with us her Beach Inspired Water Marble.
Goose's Glitter shows us her Color Blind Test manicure.
Addicted to Polish swatches Nubar Blue Hydrangea.
Adventures in Acetone shares with us her polka dot manicure using OPI Wooden Shoe Like to Know.

Beauty:
Bows and Curtseys teaches us how to create Oil Slick eye look.
Cosmetics Aficionado swatches NYX Stick Blushes Part 1 and Part 2.

What You're Loving:
Polish Obsession shares with us Color Club Revvvolution and OPI My Private Jet.
bella diamante shows us Borghese Stellar Notte.
Life in color! swatches China Glaze Magnetix Pull Me Close.
The Lacquered Lady shares with us her Orly Cool Romance picks.

Happy Sunday!

Saturday, February 25, 2012

Bottle Spam Saturday: Rewind Edition

I am smack dab in the middle of a massive swatch-a-thon, and I have probably 300 pictures on my camera right now. Oy! It would too time consuming for me to take bottle spam pics and rummage through hundreds of photos to edit and post them today. I was hoping to be done with swatching last night, but I failed miserably. In the meantime, here are some random bottle spam pictures from the past. I'll have "My first polishes" bottle spam next week. Sorry guys!  The polish gods did not rule in my favor this weekend.


OPI Mermaid's Tears, Catch Me In Your Net, Suzi Says Feng Shui, and Glacier Bay Blues


WnW Sugar Coat, Laughing Lilac, Birdbath, and Garden Hose


Zoya Savita, Caitlin, and Trixie


Zoya Zara, Dannii, SH Lively Lilac, Lacey Lilac, and Frolic


Cult Nails Devious Nature, Captivated, My Kind of Cool Aid, Quench, and Living Water


American Apparel Mount Royal, Pure Ice French Kiss, OPI Dating a Royal, and China Glaze First Mate

Happy Saturday!

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Milani Hot Pink Jewel FX & Beauty Event

It seems like everyone is hoping on the glitter train these days! I'm still so thrilled Milani has come out with more polishes. This one is one of their newer Jewel FX polishes.

Hot Pink over Zoya Tobey


Hot Pink is a mixture of large magenta and holographic silver hex glitters in a clear base.

I want to like this one, but it feels a bit incomplete to me. I wish it was like the Teal Jewel FX where it had the smaller glitters and a different color glitter in the mix. I think that would of made this glitter a bit more cohesive. I like it, but after you've seen the more creative glitters out there, I'm not sure this one will cut it.

FYI:

Andrea, the PR Manager for Neiman Marcus Orlando wanted me to share this information with you all. Neiman Marcus is having a beauty event that starts to day and last through March 6th!


You can receive a tote with beauty samples when you purchase $100 or more on cosmetics or fragrances at Neiman Marcus. This event is nationwide in Neiman Marcus stores and online!

One per customer, while supplies last February 23-March 4 2012. Visit participating counters at NM stores for additional beauty gifts, or shop NeimanMarcus.com for the tote and other great opportunities. Tote beauty gifts may vary online. Offer not valid on prior purchases. Other exclusions may apply; see your sales associate for details.


Happy Thursday!

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Zoya Tobey

First off I wanted to thank you all who commented on yesterday's Talk It Out Tuesday post. I've replied to all of you. I appreciate all of your thoughtful comments. I enjoy reading all of your thoughts, and you all have some really great perspectives and opinions. Thank you for sharing them with me! 

I have to be honest. I do not think I've bought a single Zoya polish without there being a promo since I got into nail polish. I used to buy them full price, but ever since they started having regular promos I've taken them up on their generous offers! Thank you Zoya!  I hope that doesn't make me seem greedy...they're offering! This is one I got recently with their January promo. The buy 2 just pay shipping one I think? 

Tobey


Tobey is a bright fuchsia-pink creme.

This is not neon, just bright. I think the perfect way to describe this is Barbie pink. You know the colors on the Barbie boxes and stuff? This is it. I like this color, but don't think it's very unique. I'm sure you can find this color in various brands. That being said, all I paid was shipping and I got another polish for free, so I'm not complaining! Pretty color, I just don't think it's anything you need to go out and order now. If you like it..wait until another promo! :P

Happy Wednesday!

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Talk it Out Tuesday: What's in a number?

*Upfront this one will be controversial. I am just expressing my opinion, and it is my own. I am opinionated, but I am not trying to be mean or hurtful. I certainly hope this does not come off that way. 




The number of followers you have....does it really matter? Will it always matter?


As new blogger 2 years ago, I was really invested in how many followers I had. Every new follower you got was like a little sign you were doing something right. It got even better when I hit milestones like 50-100-250-500-1000. It was exciting! I remember that, and I can appreciate those who have that similar excitement now.

What is interesting is that there are factors into getting a certain follower count. One thing we know helps follower counts are giveaways. If you have a giveaway and you require people to follow your blog to enter you're going to get a slew of new followers simply because you're giving something away. There are few who will become loyal followers, but most just are in it for the free stuff. I'm sure I wouldn't have at least 25% of the followers I have now if it weren't for giveaways.

Also one of the things I've realized over time is your follower count is not really reflective of how many people are truly engaged in your blog. I currently have 1906 followers on my blog. I sure do not have 1906 daily page views. I do not have 1906 daily comments! Thankfully! Haha.

Just these two elements let us know that your follower count is not necessarily the best gauge for how many people are truly following your blog on a daily basis. Then why does the number matter so much? I understand that a high follower count can help you get into PR for some brands, but outside of that what?

I know this sounds very cynical, because I can understand and relate to everyone's excitement when you hit certain milestones. I've just gotten to the point where the number holds less of a value to me.  Of course, I'd be upset if I lost half or all of my followers. I guess what matters less to me now is the urgency to get these massive milestones. If it takes me months to get to 2,000 or years to get to 5,000 I am comfortable with that. The numbers are cool, but they do not hold a candle to the people who I know are really engaged in my blog. Those people however small or large that number maybe is more meaningful.

One thing I've noticed a lot on Facebook or Twitter is people tweeting "I'm 5-10-20 away from 200/500/1000 followers on my blog!" (I do not feel the same for businesses or companies. I understand the competition aspect there). What does that do? It just gets you random people to follow your blog so you can achieve that number to have a giveaway or something. I don't know. I get it when you're a new blogger, but I feel like obtaining followers through your own merit is more meaningful in the long run. I'm not judging people who do this, I just don't always understand the reasoning. Why the need to achieve this stuff so quickly? What is wrong with being cool with where you're at?

I'm sure I sound like a jerk or really negative about this. I guess I just really do not care about competing with other bloggers as far as follower count. I do not care about being the most popular blogger on the internet. It does not matter to me. These numbers mattered to me more at one point. I do not frown when I gain followers. I like to know that people like my blog of course, but getting to a certain goal in X amount of time is no longer that valuable to me. Is there some race I'm not aware of?

What are your thoughts on this subject? Feel free to comment even if you're not a blogger!

Monday, February 20, 2012

Essence Irreplaceable

The stars to do not always align when you put on a pretty polish. Sometimes the polish you "ooh" and "ahh" at turns out to look like complete crap on your nails. Sorry, I had to blunt, but isn't that the truth? Essence Irreplaceable is a perfect example of this. The same goes for Zoya Jules, since I think they are very similar. These are beautiful taupe-beige polishes with insanely gorgeous golden shimmer. I love them, but they don't love me. This makes me want so shed sparkly tears of nail polish unhappiness. I will live though.

Essence Irreplaceable




Irreplaceable is a beige-nude with a gorgeous golden shimmer.

This makes me hands look ruddy and dirty. It's rather icky really. I absolutely love the shimmer in this. It is unlike any other gold shimmer I've seen. I just so wish it was paired with a different color. I've read a few blogs and seen other people's comments about this color, and it seems it goes 50/50 it either looks good on you or it doesn't. Very sad....very sad, indeed.

Happy Monday!

Be sure to check out my FB page. I have small giveaway on there that ends tonight.

Sunday, February 19, 2012

Share With You Sunday: 02/12/12-02/19/12

Be sure to submit your links for this post.

Quiz of the Day:

The Ocean Test



My Results: You are Reflective and Thoughtful


You are most comfortable when you are challenging yourself and trying something new.
You are drawn to passion and emotion. You see the world as a colorful place.
You seek a bit more depth in your life, but you are slowly changing. You don't like to rush anything.
You believe that if you look closely enough at people, they all have worth.


Share your results in the comments!

Nails:
My Life in Polish shares with us CND Copper Shimmer over Zoya Kelly.
Let them have Polish! shows us Max Factor's Fantasy Fire and it layered with Jordana Copper Blaze.
Gotham Polish tells us about Bloggers Night Out and shows us her manicure.
MandysSecrets shares with us her Valentine's NOTD.
Southern Sister Polish shows us her Rainbow Flakie nails.
The Swatchaholic shows us her Valentine's Layering NOTD.

Miscellaneous:
Sugary Flower shows us her cute Owly Bento lunchbox.
Wonders & Marvels shares with us info on Dogs in Pharaonic Egypt.

What You're Loving:
Polish Obsession shares with us Elixir Lacquers With A K.
Make-up/Music/Money/Me shares with us her Warm, Fuzzy, an Polished giveaway.
Lacquer Lover shows us her Water Marble manicure.
Gothen Polish swatches Zoya's Peter Som collection.
The Lacquered Lady swatches Claire's Magnetix polish.


Happy Sunday!



You still here? Be sure to check out my Facebook page for a giveaway!.

Saturday, February 18, 2012

Bottle Spam Saturday: Coral Edition

Be sure to vote for next week's bottle spam!

I was really surprised by my coral collection. What usually happens when I grab stuff for Bottle Spam Saturdays is I'm shocked by the number of stuff I do have. I actually thought I had way more corals than this?!? I'm really surprised. I guess that means I'll need more corals....right? :)


Milani Retro, Pure Ice Twinkle, Rimmel Sunny Side, & Milani Fashion Designer


Maybelline Into the Sunset, Zoya Rica, Cult Nails Captivated, & Zoya Maya


Revlon Tropical Temptation, Confetti Fruit Smoothie, China Glaze Make Some Noise, Finger Paints Coral Collage, OPI Guy Meets Galveston

What are some of your favorite corals?


Happy Saturday!

Friday, February 17, 2012

Pure Ice Siren

There are some good Walmarts and there are some downright terrible Walmarts. Unfortunately, the Walmart closest to me is one of the terrible ones. I swear the whole cosmetics department there looks it's been ransacked. It's trashed and their are makeup swatches all over the displays. It does not look like it's been properly restocked since 2007. This makes shopping Pure Ice polishes stinky. Thankfully, there is another Walmart a little farther away that is the completey antithesis of the other Walmart. They have a nicely stocked Pure Ice section. This is one of my first polishes I ever got a few years ago.  

Siren


Siren is a  fire engine red creme.

I think this color is pretty self-explanatory. I love this red, it's definitely more warm-toned than other red cremes. It's not glaringly bright or anything, but this shade of red definitely makes statement. The formula is great. The pigmentation is good. The best part is you're only paying $2 for it!

Happy Friday!

Thursday, February 16, 2012

a-england Ascalon

Today, I have for you another pretty from a-england's The Legends collection. I decided I wanted to spread out the posts I have for these polishes because they deserve their own posts. They are just that beautiful! This polish combines two of my favorite elements in a polish...holographic and duochrome.

Ascalon



Ascalon is a medium gray scattered holo with a violet-magenta flash.

This is stunning and so unique. There are many times where companies tries to mix different finishes (i.e. shimmer and glitter, holo and shimmer, and etc), but they do not always produce nice results. This totally works. It is a perfect balance. The formula on this was great. I get excellent wear time with a-england. In fact, I think I get the best wear time out of them than with any other polish. I'd call this a must have for holo and duochrome fans out there! The photos truly speak for themselves.

You can purchase Ascalon from a-england's website or Overall Beauty.

Happy Thursday!

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Anna's Art Asylum Pigments Review Part 2 (Very Pic Heavy)

Happy Valentine's Day!

This is a continuation of yesterday's post for Anna's Art Asylum's duo-chrome and multi-chrome pigments. Be sure to view Part 1! Again, these are all two coats of pigment mixed with clear layered over Wet n' Wild Black Creme.

22808

22808 warm gold that shifts to olive green to spring green.

412604


412604 is fuchsia to shifts to violet to gold.

35202


35202 is blue that shifts to violet to pink.

481804


481804 is pink that shifts to orange to gold.

35204


35204 is pale green that shifts to spring green to teal.


1-35294
2- 481804
3- 35202
4- 412604
5- 22808

That's all! As I said yesterday, I absolutely love these. My camera does not do them justice. They are seriously 10x more stunning and magical in person! Anna is really nice. She ships incredibly face, and has always be kind and helpful to speak with.

She is currently offering your choice of 5 pigments for $24.99. This price is great. You get 1 gram per pigment and that is more than enough to make you several bottles of frankens. You do not have to mix them with clear. You can mix these with polishes and even combine pigments. If I had to choose my 5 favorite I'd go with 221501, 362801, 821502, 35202, and 481804.

Thank you Anna for allowing me to try these beautiful pigments!

**These products were sent to me for review.

Monday, February 13, 2012

Anna's Art Asylum Pigments Review Part 1 (Very Pic Heavy)

A few weeks ago I was contacted by Anna, who has an eBay store called Anna's Art Asylum. She sells duo-chrome and multi-chrome pigments. This is what I have for you today. This will be in two parts because there are so many photos. I will say that my camera could not pick up how beautiful these truly are. These are stunning in person. At the bottom of today and tomorrow's post I have added swatches on nail wheels. The camera seemed to pick up some of the color better on there.

Anna is currently offering a your choice of 5 pigments for $24.99. You receive 1gram of each pigment. These can easily be mixed in clear polish which I did. I cut off half the end part of a straw and added 2-3 scoops in small nail polish bottles. You can adjust this to your liking. These pigments are labeled by number, and Anna will label them on the packet for you. These are 2 coats of pigment mixed in clear layered over Wet n' Wild Black Creme.

221501


221501 is light spring green that shifts bright emerald green to light aqua.

362801


362801 is a bronze that shifts to a gold to a rust color.

821502


821502 is violet that shifts to blue to green.

462805


462805 is golden green that shifts to spring green.

41205


41205 is violet that shifts to blue to magenta.



1- 41205
2- 462805
3- 821502
4- 362801
5- 221501

That is all for today.  I will have part 2 up tomorrow. These are truly fabulous. I had a lot of fun playing with these. You do not have to mix them in clear. You can mix these with other polishes. You can combine these together. You have infinite possibles! 1 gram goes a long way, so you can make multiple bottles with one packet. Stay tuned for part 2!

You can purchase these pigments on Anna's Art Asylum ebay store.

**These products were sent to me for review.