ILNP Iconic

I'm sorry I've been MIA this week. I think the holiday made me get a little lazy about posting!

How was your Thanksgiving, those of you who celebrate? Mine was OK. It wasn't bad or anything. I thought this year I'd mix it up and try some new recipes for different side dishes. They weren't bad, but it I missed my traditional Thanksgiving food I eat every year. Oh well. Lesson learned.

Today, I have for you an all-star polish by ILNP. I have difficulty with nude polishes. I find they always are too yellow-toned for my skin, and make me look ill. I stay away from them. Once in a blue moon though, a nude polish comes along that makes all my nude polish wishes and dreams come true.

Iconic

 Iconic is a pale champagne gold linear holographic.

Color: I notice when going through swatches, that this looks different on everyone. Some people it looks more of a gold and some people it looks more of a rose-gold. This pulls really pink on me since I have a lot of pink in my skin. This reads to means as a nude holo on my skin, It is beautiful. This compliments my skin tone nicely. The color is subtle, but the holo is intense.

Formula: The formula on this is nice. I recommend 3 coats.

Price: This is $10 on the ILNP website.

Overall: Iconic is a complete package for me. It fills a void I've wanted filled for a long time in my stash. The color is beautiful and the holo is intense. If you're someone with similar skin tone as me, who has crap luck with nude holos, this one maybe what you've been looking for. This is a must have, and a contender in my Top 25 of 2014!

My Rating: 5  out of  5 *Golden* Paint Splatters

Happy Friday!

Orly Explosion of Fun

I think it's time I break out the holiday polishes because there isn't much time left! The end of the year is closing on us quickly. Today, I have one of the Orly Sparkle polishes to share with you.

Explosion of Fun over OPI Pamplona Purple

Explosion of Fun is a fuchsia glitter, holo glitter, and blue/purple shimmer in a clear base.

Color: This is a great nail polish color wise. I love the combination of glitter and the shimmer, but outside of color this really fails for me.

Formula: This formula is a mess. The bottle of this is stunning, but I was sorely disappointed on how this looks on the nail. This is sheer, it doesn't build up well at all. The formula was thick, and already starting to separate in the bottle.

Price: I found this at Ulta in the $7-$8 range.

Overall: This was a  huge disappointment for me. Explosion of Fun is so beautiful in the bottle. This really should of been an opaque glitter. The formula is a mess and leaves a lot to be desired. I feel like I was deceived by this beautiful bottle of polish. Yes, you can layer it, like I did, but it's not my favorite look.. I think you can pass on this one, don't be fooled by a pretty face!

My Rating: 2 out of 5 Paint Splatters

Happy Tuesday!

HPB Presents: My Fall Faves!

It's time for another Hobby Polish Bloggers monthly link-up! This month's theme was fall favorites. This theme was very self-directed so we could focus on any type of fall favorites we may have. I decided to focus on my fall nail polish and fall cosmetic favorites! These are all products I've been loving this month and wearing frequently.

Fall Nail Polish Faves:

Pictured: China Glaze Bend Over Backwards, Cult Nails Lamestain, KBShimmer Up & Cunning, Zoya Remy, OPI Do You Have This Color in Stock-holm?, Zoya Yuna, OPI Every Month Is Oktoberfest, Wet n' Wild Blue Moon, and Sally Hansen Chili Flakes.

Fall Eye Faves:

Pictured: Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette, Too Faced Boudoir Eye Palette, Too Faced Romantic Eye Palette, Coastal Scent Go Palette Beijing, Mary Kay Eye Color Cream- Apricot Twist, Maybelline Color Tattoo- Inked in Pink, and L'Oreal Butterfly Intenza Mascara. 

Fall Face Faves:

Pictured: NYX BB Cream- Natural, NYX Matte Finish Setting Spray, Milani Baked Blush- Rose D'oro, Milani Baked Blush- Red Vino, and City Cosmetics Be Matte Blush- Papaya. 

Fall Lip Faves:

Pictured: Revlon ColorBurst Blam Stain- Adore, NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream- Monte Carlo, NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream- Prague, Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter- Peach Parfait, Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter- Pink Truffle, NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream- Cannes, Jordana Twist & Shine Balm Stain- Terra Crave, Too Face Melted Lipstick- Fig, Revlon ColorBurst Matte Balm- Shameless, and Jordana Twist & Shine Balm Stain- Cranberry Crush. 

What are some of your fall favorites?

Check out some other Hobby Polish Bloggers fall favorites below!

An InLinkz Link-up

China Glaze Ulta-Violet

A few weeks ago I got this email from Ulta saying that I had racked up around $6.00 in rewards points that were about to expire. I couldn't let that happen, right? I went to a few Ulta stores, and had a hard time finding something I wanted. I went online and discovered some China Glaze Ulta exclusives! A few of those called my name, and I have one of those to share with you today.

Ulta-Violet

 Ulta-Violet is a metallic lilac base mixed with a fuschia pink shimmer and rainbow glitter.

Color: On first inspection this polish I was immediately taken back to China Glaze's Prismatic collection. This is the exact same type of polish as those. I actually thought this would be a dupe to Full Spectrum, but it's not (comparison below). This is the type of polish that includes all my favorite things about nail polish--- the lilac color, that punchy shimmer, and rainbow glitter?!? It works well together and I love it.

Left: Ulta-Violet Right: Full Spectrum

Ulta-Violet has more red tones and packs a bigger punch than Full Spectrum.

Formula: This formula is sheer. On the Ulta website it classifies this as an "overlay". You could certainly wear this as a topper, but I prefer it on its own. I achieved opacity in 4 thin coats. The formula was very easy to work with and apply. This wasn't chunky or clumpy at all. I do wish it were a bit more opaque. I prefer doing 3 coats rather than 4.

Price: This is $7.50 at Ulta. This is an Ulta exclusive, so you can only find it there!

Overall: Awesome blingy and fun polish. I really love Ulta-Violet. I'm so glad this wasn't a dupe to another China Glaze. This color would be great for the holiday season. It's another one of those colors that doesn't scream Christmas, but definitely fits the festive season.

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Paint Splatters

Happy Friday!

Throwback Thursday: Orly Oui

The next few Throwback Thursdays I will be featuring some of my past favorite holiday polishes. This next Orly one was a definite stunner to me a few years back, and one I always seem to revisit this time of year.

Oui

 Orly Oui is a rich purple with an intense golden shimmer.

Collection: Holiday Soiree 2011

Color: This color came out when a ton of other brands were doing repetitive pink versions of this color Zoya Faye, OPI Really Rally Pink, Orly Ingenue, OPI It's My Year, and so on. Oui on the other

hand has a very clear purple base. It's a beautiful color, and the gold shimmer is very much in the forefront. This is a perfect holiday color without it screaming "I have Christmas on my nails!".

Formula: The formula on this is average-good. I find the formula a bit thinner than I'd like, and I needed 3 coats. Not a deal breaker by any means, but in 2014, a color like this should be more pigmented.

Price: If you do a Google search of this you'll find many options in the $6-$7 range for purchase.

Overall: I really love Oui. I love a purple and I love gold shimmer! This combines both for a really blingy and festive nail polish.

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Paint Splatters

Happy Thursday!