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?

Zoya Chyna

Purchased

Hi, guys. I hope you all had a nice long weekend. I had a good weekend and that extra day off was just awesome. I feel so refreshed and not tired. I really wish every week was a 4 day work week. One can dream. Today I have one of the classic Zoya Pixie Dust polishes. Chyna was one of the original Pixie Dusts if I remember correctly. I did not manage to snag it when it first came out by fixed that with my Zoya Earth Day order.

Chyna is a beautiful and deep cherry red polish with tons of red and silver glitter. This is a textured polish so it dries matte. The formula was thick (like most textures) but not problematic. It was very pigmented and the glitter payoff is fantastic. These swatches are 2 coats over base coat and no top coat. 

I don't usually put top coat on my textured polishes since I like their intended finish, but I have a feeling that this one would be really pretty with some top coat on it. 

This is a winner for me and I am glad to finally own it. I love all of the Pixie Dusts I've tried so far though I have not had the chance to try the Magical Pixie Dusts yet. Not sure if they'll be too chunky for me but I should pick one up the next time I place a Zoya order.

That's it for me. Hope you're having a wonderful week so far!

L'Oreal Some Like It Chunky

Purchased

Hello, hello. Thanks for coming by today. This morning I have a really unique polish to show you. L'Oreal Some Like It Chunky is a burnished gold/almost copper shade with subtle pink shimmer and silver hex glitter. This is a textured polish and is meant to be worn without top coat. Some Like It Chunky came out earlier this year as part of the Gold Dust collection. I wrote in my notes that the polish name sounds like a Flo Rida song. Ha.

Some Like It Chunky had a smooth formula and it was really easy to work with. I love how it looks matte. The texture is really uniform and I didn't have any snagging issues. 2 coats was all it took to get the luxe look above. 

The Gold Dust was originally a limited collection but L'Oreal smartly added it to their current core display. I really like this one. Love how glittery it is and it's a unique shade in my collection. What do you guys think of this one? Did you pick up any others from this line? :)

OPI Love.Angel.Music.Baby

Purchase

Good morning! I hope you all had a good weekend. I was busy volunteering at a friend's book event this weekend most of Saturday and had Sunday to just chill. Can you believe that April is almost over? It's been an insane month for me and I am kind of glad to be getting into a less busy time.

I have another polish from the OPI Gwen Stefani collaboration today. It's taking me a while to swatch them all but I'll get through it one day. :) Love.Angel.Music.Baby is a cool-toned gold or champagne. It's a satin finish with a beautiful glow. This polish is pretty unique in my collection since it's very cool toned. If you look closely you can see the gold and silver particles that make up this unique shade.

Love.Angel.Music.Baby had a smooth, buttery formula that as wonderful to apply. For these swatches I used 2 medium coats, making sure I let it dry fully between each coat. The formula on this reminded me a lot of the Suede formula by OPI. It's just got a soft look about it.

After 4 In the Morning, Love.Angel.Music.Baby is probably my favorite out of this collection.  Are you guys sick of this collection yet? Promise I only have a couple more to go, but I haven't even swatched them yet. :) Thanks for stopping by today!

OPI 4 In the Morning

Purchase

Hi, everyone. I hope you all had a nice Easter weekend. I didn't really do much on Sunday. A lot of things were closed which was actually kind of nice because it forced me to chill out. The weather was also gorgeous and I spent a couple of hours outdoors. I am trying to get a bit ahead of myself this week by scheduling a couple of posts before I get too busy and suddenly realize that it's Thursday and I still haven't posted.

Today I have one of the polishes from the Gwen Stefani collection by OPI. I picked up a bunch of them when they went on sale a month or two ago at Sally Beauty. 4 In the Morning was the polish that I was most excited for in this collection. I love satin/matte blacks and this one looked beautiful in swatch photos. In person, it did not disappoint.

4 In the Morning is a black satin with a very slight grey shimmer. You can't see it very well in person but it helps give the polish a really pretty glow. I had no issues with formula and used 2 coats with on top coat in these swatches.

I really like this one. It's edgy and cool and was a breeze to apply. Now that the polish world is embracing the matte and textured finish, I hope that they move on and give us more satins like this.

Did anyone else pick up this polish? Let me know what you think of it in the comments below. :)

Zoya Chita

Hi, everyone! This week has totally gotten away from me and I can't believe that it's Thursday already. It's been unseasonably warm here in California and I finally painted my toes after a long hiatus ( OPI in the Cable Car-Pool Lane). I hope that all you readers on the east coast are staying warm and safe.

Today I have Zoya Chita, a beautiful forest green textured polish. Like the other Pixie Dusts polishes, it's got very even, fine glitter, given it a really sparkly but not too chunky finish. This one was super pigmented and I did 2 coats here though I might have been able to get away with 1 if I was careful. Shown without top coat.

I continue to be impressed by the Pixie Dust formula and color selection. I know that Zoya has some new ones coming out this spring that have holo glitter in them, and I am interested to see what they are like. Did you guys order from the recent Zoya promo/ I did at the last minute and am just waiting for my polishes to come. :) 

Thanks for coming by. Hope you're all having a wonderful week!

L'Oreal Hidden Gems

Hellooooo, Monday. Sigh - vacation is officially over. :( But it's a new year and I am excited to see what it brings. Today I am showing you L'Oreal Hidden Gems, a textured polish from the Gold Dust collection. Hidden Gems is a blackened blue polish with chunky silver glitter. It is a textured polish and is meant to be worn without top coat. Below is 2 coats.

I was actually a little disappointed in this one. In the bottle it looks almost like a duochrome with a purple and blue shift but it really doesn't come out in real life and appears almost black in most lights. You can see the blue better in these pics, but on my nails it wasn't nearly as exciting. 

oooh, texture!

I think I have two other polishes from this collection to try. While this one wasn't as awesome as I'd hoped, I am still excited to try the rest of them.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great week!

Zoya London

Happy New Year's Eve, everyone. Do you guys have fun plans for this evening? I don't have anything interesting planned. I am not that biggest fan of New Years and like to spend it usually snuggled up with a good book. I can't believe that 2013 is almost over. It went by so quickly.

Anyhow, today I have for you Zoya London which is a textured polish from Zoya's Pixie Dust line. It's a medium grey with tons of fine silver glitter in it. he Pixie Dusts are some of my favorite textured polishes. They always have a great formula and are super sparkly. I had no issues at all with this formula and I am wearing 2 coats below with no top coat. I think they suggest not using base coat as well but I always do and have not had any issues.

I love this shade and think that the name is perfect for it. It makes me think of grey London skies. Like I said, I love the Pixie Dust line and London is no exception. Great color with lots of sparkle - what more could you ask for?

Thanks for coming by today. Have a safe and fun holiday. See you in 2014!

L'Oreal I Like It Chunky

I am really getting a kick out of the name of today's polish. L'Oreal I Like It Chunky the brand's first foray into the texture trend. The Gold Dust collection consists of I believe 6 rich, textured polishes and I have one of them for you today.  

I Like It Chunky is a warm copper shade with plenty of shimmer and small hex glitter. I picked it up because it was an unusual shade and I didn't have anything like it in my collection. The finish of this is very similar to the Julie G Gum Drops texture polishes. It's pretty smooth overall but super sparkly. Remember, textured polishes are not meant to be work with top coat. I did use base coat with this though because, well, old habits die hard. 2 coats used below. 

I really liked this one. The color is unique and would look good on a variety of skin tones. I think it would look especially nice on those with darker skintones. No issues with the formula at all. If the rest of the Gold Dust collection is like this, then I want them all.

Textured polish is still going strong this winter. I, for one, am still enjoying them. Thanks for stopping by today. Happy hump day!

Zoya Harlow

Hi, everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Sorry it was a bit quiet for a couple of weeks but I went out of town for the holiday and didn't have as much time as I thought I would to blog. Today I have another of the Zoya Matte Velvet polishes to show you. Apologies in advance for these pictures. I took them at my parents' house on vacation and the lighting was just bad and these pictures came out less than stellar.

Harlow is a medium magenta shade with the same unique finish as all the Matte Velvet shades. The subtle shimmer running through the shade give it a much softer look than a flat matte finish. If you look closely you can see the silver particles in the photos below. Formula was a little thick but not too hard to work with. Only 2 coats were needed for the swatches below.

oops - this one is a bit blurry

Did anyone pick up any of the Matte Velvets during Zoya's pre-sale? I love the Matte Velvet finish and highly recommend them to anyone who likes matte finishes.  

Thanks for stopping by!