Color Club Halo-graphic

Purchase

Hi, everyone. I am back! I know that this blog is very neglected but there's just not enough time in the day to do all of the things I want. Thanks for coming by for the occasional post though. I really want to make a trip to my local beauty supply shop soon so I can catch up on all of the new collections I've missed this year. Today I am showing off a polish that I wore recently when I wanted something that was feminine but edgy.

This is Color Club Halo-graphic, which was a part of the awesome Halo Hues collection that they did a year or two ago. (Side note that I think a Halo Hues part 2 is coming out later this year!). It is an amazing cool toned pink with linear holo.

It's pretty but unassuming in the shade here.

But put it in the sun and BAM! Beautiful rainbows appear. Seriously, this is too gorgeous.

Formula on this was pretty good. I had a bit of patchiness on the first coat but I was able to even it out easily on the second. I did use a top coat here which did not seem to affect the holo.  I wore this for almost a week with little to no chipping. Overall, this one is an A+ in my book.

I can't wait for the next series of these holos to come out. I really hope that the holo effect is just as good as strong because they are glorious. 

Happy hump day!

Comic Book Inspired Nails

Purchase

Hi, everyone. I hope that you're all having a fantastic summer. It's been a bit of a strange one, weather-wise for us. Lots of weird humidity has been happening. I've been pretty lazy with my nails as well. I have been doing my toes (since naked toes look kind of sad to me, esp in summer) but my fingernails haven't been getting too much attention. But I went to San Diego Comic-Con a few weeks ago and wanted to give myself an appropriate look. I decided to go with the classic comic strip look, Check out the details below.

 

I used 2 coats of Pahlish The Ghost Shift over a black creme as a base. I thought it needed the black to be opaque but The Ghost Shift was really pigmented and I could have just used that. I love how the holo sparkles in the sun.

Then, using stamping plate VL-011 from Vivid Lacquer, I stamped my nails in a random pattern trying to make each nail slightly different. I used a plain, black creme (American Apparel Hassid) for stamping.

My thumbnail was definitely my favorite. This manicure lasted quite a while. It was great for the full 5 days that I was at Comic-Con and stayed almost chip free for days afterwards. I really liked this manicure and would love to try it again sometime with brighter colors.

Have you ever done comic inspired nails? I'd love to see what you did to help me come up with more ideas for next year. 

China Glaze December To Remember

Purchase

Hi, everyone! Happy June. We are experiencing a bit of June gloom where I live. I don't mind though since it's usually pretty warm here all the time. I know it's been a long while since I last posted. Thanks to anyone who has been sticking with me. Clearly I am not going to become a career beauty blogger. :)

Today's polish is one that's been sitting in my stash for a while. I am not sure why I took so long to wear it, because I love it. China Glaze December To Remember is a really unusual blue-grey metallic with a pink shimmer and pink glitter. I don't think I have anything like it in my vast stash, which is quite a feat.

I don't usually wear metallic shades like this anymore, but I really like this one. The pink shimmer/glitter is unusual and it's just really fun

This was a little bit sheer so I used 3 thin coats. Topped it off with one coat of top coat.

I am pretty happy with this one. It's a bit futuristic and is definitely unique. What's been on your nails lately?

ILNP Iconic

Purchased

Hi, everyone. This year is seriously flying by. I have no idea where February or March went and April is almost over. I hope that everyone is having a nice spring so far. It's been very warm where I am so I feel like we've almost skipped straight into summer. I haven't really been painting my nails much lately. Blasphemy, I know. It's just hard to find the time lately. I also need a new digital camera but I digress...

Today I have for you another ILNP beauty. This is Iconic, which is a fantastic nude scattered holo. So far I am loving all of the shades I purchased from ILNP and I definitely want to pick up a few more when I get a chance. This was two easy coats.

 

As you can see, this shade is somewhat coppery but I still think it falls into the nude area. In the shade it's a pretty, silvery nude but in the sun is a fun holo explosion.

Holos are a weakness of mine and ILNP has some really amazing ones. I totally recommend checking them out if you like pigmented polishes and holos. Thanks for coming by. Hoping it won't be so long between posts next time. :0

ILNP Black Orchid

Purchased

Hi, everyone. Wow I cannot believe that it's February already. Where is the time going? I haven't been painting my nails much lately. I think this is just due to the fact that I am really tired at night and don't want to have to be careful with my hands for the 30 or so minutes it takes me to do a manicure. Lazy, I know, but it's the truth. But today I have for you a polish that I wore as a full manicure a while back. I bought a few ILNP shades last year when there was a big sale because of a bottle design change. I'd never ordered from ILNP before but was really impressed with the range of shades and the quality of the formula.

The first shade I tried was Black Orchid, a gorgeous, deep purple with a scattered holo effect. I am a sucker for shades like this and loved wearing this one. Formula was good and I needed only 2 coats for the swatches below.

Photos above are in my lightbox. It didn't really show off the holo goodness though so I went out into the sunshine to show it off.

 

Now you can see all of the sparkly awesomeness. I really like this shade and I wore it for almost a whole week. I am excited to try the other shades that I bought from ILNP!

Sinful Colors Sweet Tooth

Purchased

Hi, everyone. Sorry for the unintentional hiatus. I can't believe that it's been so long since I last posted. I really had good intentions but life just got busy and I find that editing swatch pics is pretty low on my list at the end of the day. I will try to be better in 2015 though. I am sorry that things haven't been very consistent but thanks for sticking with me if you're still here. I hope that you all had a good holiday. It's so weird being back at work. While I love long breaks it does make it harder to go back.

The polish I have for you today is Sinful Colors Sweet Tooth. I can't remember when I bought Sweet Tooth anymore. It was probably from a seasonal collection since I don't go to Walgreens often and usually only seek out this brand when a limited edition collection comes out. 

   

Sweet Tooth is a really pretty lavender with pink undertones and a subtle silver shimmer. If was hard to capture in pics but in person it gave the polish a nice glow. Formula was OK but not great. I used 2 coats here though I think some fingers could have used 3.

I tend to like pale purples like this and the shimmer makes it a bit different than the other shades in my stash. The formula wasn't fantastic but it wasn't terrible either, so I can live with it. It feels a bit weird to be wearing this shade in winter when I usually want dark vampy colors, but it's quite fun and refreshing.

Did anyone get an nail polish for Christmas? I got a cute e.l.f. set from my sister-in-law. I actually used it to paint my 2 year old niece's nails more than anything. Hope you all had a wonderful holiday and that 2015 is off to a great start!

OPI I'm Not Really a Waitress

Purchased

Hi, and happy Friday everyone. I hope you all had an awesome Halloween. I can't believe that it's over already. At least we have Christmas to look forward to. Today's swatch actually reminds me a little bit of Christmas. OPI I'm Not Really a Waitress is a classic red with a great shimmer. I have a really old black label bottle of this one. I was digging through my Helmer looking for something to wear the other day when I came across it. I hadn't worn it for so long and I thought it would be fun to swatch it.

I don't know why I don't wear this shade more. It's a really beautiful red and the shimmer is just gorgeous. I only needed 2 coats to get the finish you see below. 

While it may not be the most unique shade in the market, it's pretty classic and I think it would look good on almost anyone. 

I definitely think I'll be busting out I'm Not Really a Waitress this holiday season. It's the perfect Christmas color!

What do you guys think? Do you have this one in your stash, too?

Wet N Wild Distressed To Impress

Purchased

Hi, guys. Happy Halloween! I was hoping to have some cool Halloween nail art up this week but I just got so busy. Oh well. I hope that you guys are rocking some spooky manicures in my stead. Today I have a polish that I swatched a couple of weeks ago but didn't have time to post until now. It's Wet N Wild Distressed To Impress which was part of their recent matte collection. I think it came out a couple of months ago and it may still be available in stores.

Distressed To Impress is a dark taupe color with a satin finish. Like the other shade of this collection I have, it's not quite matte enough to be a true matte. Instead it has a cool rubber texture that makes gives it a really edgy look.

Formula on this was was alright. It wasn't bad but I don't remember it being great either. I used two coats here without top coat. 

Even though this one is kind of cool looking, I don't think I love it enough to keep it. I just don't see myself wearing it very often. What do you guys think? Should I keep it or give it away?

I hope you all have a fun and safe Halloween!

Barry M Malibu

Purchased

Hello, hello! I hope that you are all having a good week so far. It's Wednesday which mean that the week is halfway over! Yes I am totally one of those people who lives for the weekend. Jumping into it, today's polish is another matte shade from Barry M, Gee, I have been posting almost all matte shades lately. I guess I am having a matte moment. :)

Barry M Malibu is a bright turquoise blue with a rubbery, satin finish. As you can see in these pics, it's not a true matte but more of a satin. I found this to be true of the other matte shade from this line as well. I don't mind though because I happen to like this finish a lot.

The pigmentation on this was really amazing. I think I could have really done just one coat. I ended up doing 2 because that's what I am used to but it looked great after the first coat.

I love bright blue shades like this and can never get enough of them. This would make a great pedicure shade as well. It really does remind me of a really blue ocean or at least a swimming pool. :) Really wish these Barry M shades were readily available in the U.S. because I am super impressed with their formula. 

I know it's almost fall but I love wearing bright shades all year round. I'll probably start busting into some of the vampier shades soon but, for now, I'll enjoy this manicure while it lasts. Happy hump day, all!

Barry M Copa-Cabana

Purchased

Hi, everyone! Wow has it really been a month since my last post? Geez I guess time really does fly. I admit that painting my nails has taken a backseat lately due to other commitments on my time. So sorry this blog isn't very consistent. I don't know when I'll be able to blog more regularly but I hope you'll still pop by from time to time.

Alright, so today's polish is another one from my European haul. It's Barry M Matte in Copa-Cabana. This is a really bright red almost leaning to coral. The finish is more of a satin than matte as you can see below.

Reds and oranges can be hard to capture on camera and I did have some issues with this. It looks slightly more orange in these pics than it does in real life. I really liked this shade. It's super fun and bright. The formula was amazing and it was super pigmented. I did 2 coats here but you might be able to get away with one if you're careful. Shown here without topcoat.

Like I said, it's not super matte but has more of a rubbery, satin finish. I actually like this finish a lot so I wasn't disappointed. If, however, you want a true matte, I would just slap a matte top coat on it.

I am very impressed with this line so far. Every polish I've tried has had amazing color payoff and I love that they have some unusual shades and finishes. I really wish it was readily available in the States though I know you can purchase it online.

Thanks for stopping by today. I hope to have another post up later this week. :)

Wet n Wild So Berry On Trend

Purchased

Hi, guys! I hope you're having a great week. It's still super hot here and the air conditioning broke in my office yesterday. Instead of sending us home, which would have been the humane thing to do, they sent people around with fans until they could fix the problem in the afternoon. I swear, I almost passed out at one point it was so hot in my office. Anyhoo, today I have for you Wet n Wild So Berry On Trend. This is from their Megalast line and is a new shade that is part of their Matte collection. I don't know if it limited edition or not so I'd grab it if you like it.

 

So Berry On Trend is a deep berry shade. I am a sucker for these kinds of purple/pink plum shades and I can never pass them up, even though I probably have tons of dupes. This one is a bit different because it is a matte. As you can see though, it's not a true matte and has more of a satin finish. Pigmentation was pretty good though a bit patchy at times. I believe I did 3 really thin coats for my swatches here. 

 

It's not the most exciting shade but, like I said, I can never resist colors like this. I also like the satin finish, which reminds me of leather. I have one more polish from this collection to try out. 

What do you guys think? Do you like the satin look or do you prefer a true matte?

Stashed (20)

Hi everyone. I hope you're having a great weekend so far. It is insanely hot where I live right now and it's made me not want to do anything. I don't know about you but I can't wait for fall weather.

I still haven't been buying much lately but Ulta is doing their 30 days if deals right now and had butter LONDON on sale 2 for $15 yesterday. So I stopped by and grabbed these two shades. 

Sorry for the bad lighting. This is Wallis and British Racing Green. Racing Green has been in my wishlist for ages so it's nice to finally have it. 

That's all I've stashed this week. What's new in your stash?

Barry M Sugar Apple

Purchased

Hello and happy Monday, everyone. I hope you all had a good weekend. It was super crazy hot where I am this weekend. Clearly the weather did not get the memo about fall. I stayed mostly indoors this weekend because of the heat, which was OK because it meant I got a lot of reading time in and watched a couple of episodes of Hannibal.

Today I have a polish that came to me all the way from England. My cool friend offered to pick me up some UK makeup and I asked her to bring me back some shades from Barry M. So this is Barry M Sugar Apple, a bright pastel blue that leans a little green. I expected this to be more green than blue because of the name but it's definitely more blue. I love this polish so much. It's super bright and beautiful.

Despite this being part of the Gelly line, the formula really isn't jelly like at all. This shade was very pigmented and I only required 2 coats for full opacity. This had a really great formula and was super shiny when it dried. 

I loved how bright this was. It falls into that category of neon pastels that I really love.

I really wish that Barry M was available in the States. I know you can order it online but it's just not the same as being able to see it in person. Really happy I got this one though. 

Do you have any favorite foreign brands that I need to try?