Sunday, June 30, 2013

Farewell Google Reader! Follow Me on Bloglovin'!

As many of you know already Google Reader is going bye bye tomorrow.

I encourage all of you who follow me now on Bloglovin!

You can follow me there by either clicking the link I attached above or clicking the follow me Bloglovin' icon on the right hand sidebar!

Thanks!


Share With You Sunday: 6/23/13-6/30/13

Imperfectly Painted Posts:
Mon- KBShimmer Summer 2013 Swatches
Tues- Urban Outfitters Polish Giveaway
Thurs- L'Oreal Berry Nice
Fri- Cult Nails Center of Attention

Posts I'm Loving:
Luster Lacquer shares with us her gradient triangles nail art.
little nails shows us her pink and navy flowers nail art.
Lick My Lacquer shares with us her purple stamped nails.
Lacquered Lover shows us new Sephora X polishes coming in September.

Posts You're Loving:
The Nails Art and Beauty Dairies shows us her leopard print nails.
 Nail Candy shows us her summer 2013 polish haul.
Polish Obsession shows us her saran wrap and glitter nails.
nuthin' but a nail thing shares with us her nail look for the tri-polish challenge.
FingerFood shows us her nail look for the tri-polish challenge.
Lacquer or Leave Her! shares with us her before & after franken flashback.
Geniamebe Beauty Blog reviews Kat Von D Tattoo Liner.
The Polish Playground swatches American Apparel Downtown LA.

You can submit your blog posts for Sunday posts here.

Reader Manis of the Week:
Name: Jasmine
Location: Philippines
Manicure Description: I just finished The 31-Day Nail Challenge, and this is one of my favorites! It was for Black and White nails day. I just went with the first five black and white logos I could think of, which were Steve Madden, Armani Exchange, Guess, Mango, and Zara. For the thumb, middle finger, and pinky, I used 3 coats of Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Lavender Cloud. For the index finger and the ring finger, I used 2 coats of The Face Shop BK901. I used my favorite paintbrush to paint the logos with the same colors used for the base. I applied a layer of top coat to smooth everything out, and it was done!
Favorite Polishes: Revlon Revlon Red, Revlon Phantom Angel, and butter LONDON The Black Knight!
Blog: http://ilovenailcandy.blogspot.com/

Name: Jessica Dymphna-Rose
Location: Montana
Manicure Description: Base color is ellagee's Cherokee Rose. Base of the rose is Julie G's Ornamental. White is Sinful Colors Nail Art Bad Chick. I also used OPI's Oy Another Polish Joke as a highlight of gold in the rose. Petals are Color Club Wild Cactus (dark green) and Sally Hansen Green With Envy (light green).
Favorite Polishes: butter LONDON All Hail the Queen & Tart with a Heart; Darling Diva Persephone; Hare Polish Hooky at the Hamlet; I Love Nail Polish My Private Rainbow; OPI Alpine Snow, Pepe's Purple Passion, Solitaire; Orly Sparkling Garbage; Sinful Colors My Buoyfriend, New Wave, Rise & Shine; You Polish Lagoona, Teal We Meet Again.
Blog: http://behappyandbuypolish.wordpress.com
Instagram:  http://instagram.com/behappybuypolish

I need manis for July! You can find information on how to submit your manicures for Sunday posts here

Happy Sunday!

Friday, June 28, 2013

Cult Nails Center of Attention

I have another polish to share with you today from the Cult Nails Dance All Night collection. This is one of the glitters, and I'm going to call it and say this my favorite glitter from this collection! This glitter has a lot of elements that really make it complex and special.

Center of Attention over Faded
Center of Attention is a mix of rose pink glitters and a golden iridescent glitter in a clear base.

Color: This is gorgeous! I love the pink glitter, and the micro iridescent glitter was a beautiful surprise to me. I absolutely love glitter bombs that include hidden shimmer or micro glitter. I find these really add dimension to a polish and make them extra special.

Formula: This formula was a little on the thick side, but not unmanageable in the least. This applied evenly and easily to the nail.

Price: I bought this and the rest of this collection during the pre-sale run, but you can purchase it now individually for $12 on the Cult Nails website.

Overall: Gorgeous, stunning, awesome. You need this. I'm calling this a must have!

My Rating: 5 out of 5 Paint Splatters
Happy Friday!

Thursday, June 27, 2013

L'Oreal Berry Nice

Sometimes, something awesome, isn't awesome. The L'Oreal Miss Candy collection was pretty awesome. Jellies are awesome, but not all jellies were created equal in this collection. This is the sad case with Berry Nice. A great idea, but a not a great result.

 Berry Nice
Berry Nice is a violet jelly.

Color: No doubt about it, this color is great. A juicy grape popsicle color is hard to beat in my book. Too bad the formula didn't match the greatness of this color.

Formula: The above swatch is wait for it...5 coats. Five coats, and it is still patchy, uneven, and streaky. Nouveau Cheap nailed it on the head in her review when she mentioned that the purple pigment is the issue here. The polish formula itself is not bad, it's really the pigment that is not dispersing evenly in the formula. I have also noticed this with other purples (i.e. China Glaze Creative Fantasy). 

Price: I believe I paid around $5-$6 for this at Walgreens. 

Overall: This is disappointing. This is such a beautiful color, but the pigment/formula issues make this not worth it in my book. This makes me sad. Womp womp. 

My Rating: 1 out of 5 Paint Splatters
Happy Thursday!

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Urban Outfitters Polish Giveaway!

*All giveaway items were purchased by me. This is not sponsored.

It's been a long time since I have a had a giveaway, so I have something special for you all today! I want to thank all of who have supported me and this blog. I really appreciate all of your kindness, comments, and your support.

I went to Urban Outfitters yesterday and bought some of my favorite colors of theirs for you! 

One Of You Can Win:

One winner will receive...(only one prize, but took 2 pics)

Urban Outfitters Bacon Sunrise, Bandeau, Bohemian Summer, and & Mystic

Guidelines:

-This giveaway is for USA residents only. Please do not take this personally. This is to avoid any issues with customs. International entrants will be disqualified from winning the prize.

-Giveaway runs until Saturday July, 6th  @ 12am EDT.

- One winner will be chosen. This winner will have 48 hours to claim their prize (I will send you an email) or else another winner will be chosen. 

-The only requirement to enter is that you provide your email. There are other optional entries, but email is mandatory.

-Enter using the Rafflecopter widget below only. 


a Rafflecopter giveaway Happy Tuesday!

Monday, June 24, 2013

KBShimmer Summer 2013 Swatches & Review

* I received the following products in exchange for my honest review by KBShimmer.

I have 3 of the KBShimmer 2013 summer polishes to share with you today. I voted KBShimmer as my favorite indie brand of 2013 (so did many of you), and as of now KBShimmer is my front runner indie for 2013 too! The creativity of colors, shimmers, and mixes of glitters by KBShimmer always impresses me. I have yet to be let down. I think you all will find these next 3 colors pretty awesome too!

Blinded by the Bright
Blinded by the Bright is a neon yellow crelly with rainbow glitters mixed in.

It's Razz-ical
It's Razz-ical is a red-toned violet jelly mixed with pink, silver, and holographic magenta glitters. 

Grayscale over Color Club Wham! Pow!
Grayscale is a mixture of black, white, and gray glitters in different sizes and shapes in a clear base.

Color: These colors are awesome. This is exactly the types of colors I am wanting in summer. I want loud, vibrant, and in your face colors. KBShimmer knocks it out of the park with these. Blinded by the Bright is a  great highlighter yellow with glitter. It's Razz-ical is very flattering shade of pink that pops with the glitter. Grayscale is not your typical black and white glitter mix, it's bolder and louder! 

Formula: Excellent formulas on all of these. Blinded by the Bright might have you worried because it's neon and yellow. Fear not, this was a 3 coater, self leveling, and easy breezy to apply. I used 3 coats of It's-Razz-ical and 2 coats of Grayscale over the base. 

Price: These can be purchased on the KBShimmer website for $8.75 each. 

Overall: Awesome 5 star and A+ polishes. KBShimmer has the indie nail polish thing down pat. These are awesome. I recommend you check some of these out. I don't think you'll be disappointed. 

My Rating: 5 out of 5 Paint Splatters
Be sure to check out the rest of the KBShimmer Summer 2013 collection on their website and follow KBShimmer on Facebook

*I received the above products in exchange for my honest review by KBShimmer.

Happy Monday! 

Sunday, June 23, 2013

Share With You Sunday: 6/16/13-6/23/13

Imperfectly Painted Posts:
Mon- Cult Nails Faded
Wed- Julie G Cabana Boy
Thurs- China Glaze Keep Calm Paint On

Posts I'm Loving:
little nails shows us her chevron nail art.
Peace, Love, and Polish shares with us her random line design nail art.
Luster Lacquer shows us her neon glitter and chevron nails.
Amandalandish shares with us her mint green with green holo accent nails.
Makeup Withdrawal shows us her taped neon gradient leaves nails.

Posts You're Loving:
The Nail Art and Beauty Diaries shows us her Cookie Monster nail art.
The Polish Playground swatches Color Club Limelight and Amp'd Up.

You can submit your blog posts for Sunday posts here.


Reader Manis of the Week:
Name: Amanda
Location: Texas
Manicure Description: This is 3 coats of Sinful Colors Orange Cream topped with one coat of China Glaze White Cap.
Favorite Polishes: Zoya Evvie, China Glaze Starboard, Pretty Jelly Cat's Eye, Takko Lacquer Kiss the Sky
Blog: http://etchedinthesky.blogspot.com/

Name: Lisa N. / The Polish Playground
Location: Canada
Manicure Description: These are my Kate Spade Color Block Nails inspired by Lovely in Lacquer. First, I applied Julep Nail Therapy as my base coat. For my base color, I used Sally Hansen Even Fog. Starting with my pinky finger, I used Misa Lather, Rinse, Repeat, China Glaze Towel Boy Toy, Color Club Amp'd Up, Misa Green with Envy, and Sinful Colors Folly for the color blocking. I topped it all off with my Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat.
Favorite Polishes: They include Orly Rage, Orly Ancient Jade, OPI Pros & Bronze, Essie Shine of the Times, Windestine Jeweled Sand, and many more!
Blog: http://thepolishplayground.blogspot.ca/
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thepolishplayground

I need manis for July! You can find information on how to submit your manicures for Sunday posts here

Happy Sunday!

Thursday, June 20, 2013

China Glaze Keep Calm, Paint On

Summer is not my favorite season. You'd think have more free time would be good? Not for me. I always look forward to have more free time, but honestly that's when my anxiety goes up! I really need things to do or else well I spend time thinking and worrying. My summertime worry has hit me hard this week, and now I need to find some things to fill up time. I'm thinking of adding another volunteer day in my schedule. I'd also like to take up some sort of fun hobby. Any suggestions?

Anyways, in the spirit of trying to chase the worries away I have China Glaze Keep Calm, Paint On to show you all today.

Keep Calm, Paint On
Keep Calm, Paint On is a soft sea foam green with a subtle shimmer.

Color: I love this color. This is soft and serene. I always worry colors like this will look harsh against my paler skin, but this is very flattering. I really can't think of another color like this.

Formula: I was nervous that this would be sheer or chalky, but it wasn't. The formula on this was nice and easy to use. I used 2 coats for the swatch above.

Price: I believe I paid around $7 or $8 for this at Sally Beauty Supply. I'm sure you can get this cheaper from e-tailers, Amazon, or eBay though.

Overall: I really like this color! Soft greens have been a favorite of mine this season. No complaints.

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Paint Splatters
Happy Thursday!

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Julie G Cabana Boy

Who loves blue? I love blue! The bright blue kick I've been on is still going strong since it hit me in early 2012. Bright blue has definitely caught on to all polish brands out there over the past year and  a half, and we've seen multiple versions and variations on this awesome color. Today, I have bright blue to share with you from Julie G line made by Jesse's Girl.

Cabana Boy
 Cabana Boy is a bright medium blue creme.

Color: There are a lot of bright blues out there, but they all have their slight differences. The question out there is how does this compare to the Nails Inc. Baker Street/Sinful Colors Endless Blue variety? Cabana Boy is lighter and not as saturated (see below).


L-R: Julie G Cabana Boy & Sinful Colors Endless Blue

Formula: The formula on this was good. This applied evenly and smoothly.

Price: I paid $3.99 for this on the Jesse's Girl website. You can also find this in Rite Aid stores if you are one of those lucky people who I am jealous of who have Rite Aids in your state!

Overall: I like this blue. I'm sucker for bright blues as you all know though. I will say in all honesty I gravitate to the the super bright and saturated cobalt blues, and this is a touch lighter than that. There is absolutely nothing wrong with Cabana Boy though, and I like the lighter touch.

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Paint Splatters
Happy Wednesday!

Monday, June 17, 2013

Cult Nails Faded

When I saw the Cult Nails Dance All Night collection I knew I was in trouble. The collection came out just a few weeks after the In the Garden which I had already purchased. I'm not one who typically makes back to back big purchases on collections, but Dance All Night was hard to refuse. The pre-sale price is always better than buying them individually later on, and on top of that I loved every single color! I caved, but it didn't take much persuasion. I have Faded from that collection to show you today.

Faded
Faded is a pale slightly cool grey creme.

Color: Greys, at least for me, are not always the easiest colors to pull off. They either are too warm greys that make my hands look ruddy or they are so stark and they look chalky. Faded isn't either of these. It's not too light where it looks white, and it has a touch of coolness which keeps it skin tone friendly at least for me. I really think this is a great neutral for summer.

Formula: The formula on this one was nice and easy to work with. It is just a hair on the thicker side, but not difficult to use by any means.

Price: I paid for the entire collection for the pre-sale price of $60.00. This polish is now sold individually for $12.00 on the Cult Nails website.

Overall: I adore this grey shade. It's really a surprising color to me, since I don't really gravitate towards these shades. This is an awesome summer neutral, and I'm digging it!

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Paint Splatters
Happy Monday!

Sunday, June 16, 2013

Share With You Sunday: 6/9/13-6/16/13

I'm sorry for the late post today. Our A/C broke early this morning. I can tolerate a lot of things more than other people, but being hot is not one of them. I could go without internet longer than A/C!  The temperature today is 90, with a heat index of 102, and to top it off the humidity is at 88%. The temperature in our apartment went from a nice 73 this morning to 85 in 2 hours and it was only 1pm. Nope! Thankfully, it seems to be fixed now (knock on wood), and we were only miserable for a few hours. I get this is a first world problem, but growing up in Texas and now living in Florida air conditioning becomes need versus a luxury!

Imperfectly Painted Posts:
Mon- Starlight & Sparkles Holos & Shimmers
Wed- Nabi Purple Jumbo Glitter
Fri- Icing Queen Bee

Posts I'm Loving:
Fairly Charming shows us her chevron nail art.
Colores de Carol shares with us her nail art using Essie The Girls Are Out.
My Nail Graffiti shows us her summer-y orange skittle nails.
Tunay Na Mahal shows us her leopard print nails using Zoya Destiny.
Fierce Makeup and Nails shares with us her neon nail art using the OPI Neon Revolution set.
Sincerely Stephanie shows us her studded Essie Mint Candy Apple nails.

Posts You're Loving:
The Nail Art and Beauty Diaries shows us her cherry blossom nail art.
the bubbly brunette shares with us her zipper nail art.
♥ Nail Candy shows us a roundup of her 31 day nail challenge.
The Polish Playground shares with us her 3D nail art.

You can submit your blog posts for Sunday posts here.

Reader Manis of the Week:

Name: Lisa N. / The Polish Playground
Location: Canada Manicure
Description: These are Vintage Mismatched Nails. First, I applied Julep Nail Therapy as my base coat. The polishes I used to create this manicure are American Apparel Rose Bowl, American Apparel Office, American Apparel Coney Island, Windestine Jeweled Sand, and Finger Paints Tough Art To Follow. I also used a dotting tool. Lastly, I applied Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat to seal in the design and to add some shine.
Favorite Polishes: They include Orly Rage, Orly Ancient Jade, OPI Pros & Bronze, Essie Shine of the Times, Windestine Jeweled Sand, and many more!
Blog: http://thepolishplayground.blogspot.ca/
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thepolishplayground


Name: Christina
Location: Ohio
Manicure Description: I started with a base of Bikini So Teeny by Essie. Then, using In the Cab-ana and Avenue Maintain, both from Essie, I made an arch from either side of my nail and connected it in the middle.
Favorite Polishes: It's ever changing! Right now I'm loving Orly Blue Collar, Essie Snap Happy, and L'Oreal Devil Wears Red!
Blog: http://thebubblybrunette.wordpress.com/2013/06/03/notd-essie-fishtail/

I need manis for July! You can find information on how to submit your manicures for Sunday posts here

Happy Sunday!

Friday, June 14, 2013

Icing Queen Bee

Before the Salon Perfect neon matte glitters were out, I found out that Icing had a few of their own thanks to oncebittenblog. In hindsight, there are only 2 Icing neon matte glitters and they're not as complex as the Salon Perfect ones, but I like them just the same. I actually think I'm most excited about the neon matte glitter trend than any other trend (don't think it's a full on trend yet, but I hope it will be) in 2013. I'm a glitter gal through and through and matte glitters are darn awesome to me! Here is one of the Icing polishes I picked up.

Icing Queen Bee over Cult Nails Nevermore
Queen Bee is a mix of neon yellow and green matte glitters in a clear base.

Color: At first glance in the bottle I thought this was just all neon yellow glitter, but there is some green mixed in there too. This is a cool combination of colors and I like the way it looks. I don't have a polish like this either.

Formula: Meh. Not so great. This is thick, goopy,and brush is thick and overly saturated with polish. It's not terrible, but it's not easy to work with.

Price: I paid $4.50 for this at Icing, but as we know Icing has this ongoing Buy 1 Get 1 50% off cosmetics deal, so you can stock up without the guilt.

Overall: I really like this glitter. It looks cool, and would make an awesome topper. The formula leaves a lot to be desired, but it isn't bad enough where I wouldn't recommend it either.

My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Paint Splatters
Happy Friday!

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Nabi Purple Jumbo Glitter

I don't remember where I first spotted Nabi Purple Jumbo Glitter, but the instant I saw it I knew I had to have it. I did not own any Nabi polishes, and never saw them the store, so this brand is entirely new to me. I was very excited to see the brand avaliable on Amazon and for very cheap prices. I snagged Purple Jumbo Glitter and a few others and I'm pleased.

Purple Jumbo Glitter over Cult Nails Nevermore
Purple Jumbo Glitter is a mix of purple toned multi-sized iridescent glitters in a clear base.

Color: This is pretty spectacular. I love the rainbow of color flashes you with the glitters in this polish. This is pretty much a sunset in a bottle. The glitters in here flash from purple, pink, orange, yellow, and green. The color flash isn't subtle either. Awesome! I don't have anything like this.

Formula: I didn't have much trouble with this formula. There are some thicker and larger glitter in here that keep it from being easy breezy to apply, but it didn't really bother me. I will say this polish stinks a bit as far is how it smells. It's tolerable, but definitely more noticeable than other polishes.

Price: Unbelievable. I paid $2.20 for this on Amazon.You might as well stock up on this brand because they're all cheap. The shipping was super cheap too.

Overall: Awesome unique glitter topper polish. I love the color. I love the price. No complaints!

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Paint Splatters
Happy Wednesday!

Monday, June 10, 2013

Starlight and Sparkles Holographics & Shimmers

* I received the following polishes for my honest review by Starlight and Sparkles

I have some more polishes by Starlight and Sparkles to share with you today. These polishes are holographic and shimmer polishes. Starlight and Sparkles has a large selection of different holographic polishes, shimmers, and topcoats to choose from. There is certainly something for everyone. 

Cocoa Crystal
Cocoa Crystal is a warm deep brown linear holo.

Blaze Crystal
Blaze Crystal is a light orange linear holo.

Hot Chocolate
Hot Chocolate is a warm deep brown shimmer.

Eponymous Princess
Eponymous Princess is a neutral pink with a multi-color shimmer. 

Color: I found the shades of the holographic colors to be very unique. These are not typical shades I reach for, but I know brown and orange holos are not the easiest to find. Cocoa Crystal and Blaze Crystal are definite new to me holo colors!The shimmers are nice colors too. Hot Chocolate is a rich and warm color and I love how Eponymous Princess is simple and clean color with a hint of bling.

Formula: I used about 2-3 coats for each of these swatches. The formula on the holos were great and easy to use. The formula on the shimmer polishes was a little on the thick side, but still manageable and not difficult to apply. 

Price: Eponymous Princess and Hot Chocolate are $3.00 for a 5ml bottle. A 15ml bottle of Eponymous Princess is $8.00 and a 15ml bottle of Hot Chocolate is $7.00. Cocoa Crystal and Blaze Crystal 5ml bottles are $4.75. 15ml bottles are $11.00. You can purchase these along with many other great selections on Starlight and Sparkles Etsy site

Overall: I liked the uniqueness and formulation of the holographic polishes. I also really liked Eponymous Princess with it being soft yet sparkly at the same time.

My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Paint Splatters
* I received these polishes for my honest review by Starlight and Sparkles.

Happy Monday!