Zoya Arlo

As most of you know I have a thing for textured polish and own almost all of the Zoya PixieDusts because, well...I need them.  I may not wear them all the time but as long as they are in my possession, that's fine with me.  (Now I really sound like a hoarder.)

Zoya Arlo is one of the newer Magical PixieDusts that came out recently.  It is a fuschia base with super chunky holo glitter and when it dries it's super textured.  I used two coats for these swatches and just can't stop staring at my nails.   If I haven't been into polish lately, this is definitely turning me back in the right direction.  Now I just need the other two to complete my collection.

Which is your favorite of all of the Magical PixieDusts?  I think this is mine by far.  Let me know in the comments below. (:

Color Club Wicked Sweet Minis

Hello Everyone!

I'm alive!  I'm sure you would have never guessed.  lol I am still in the process of moving to my new place so posting is not high on my list of priorities.  That's sad.  Anyway, I have a fun mini collection for you today.  It's the Summer 2011 Color Club Wicked Sweet Collection AND they are scented!  I know a lot of people who aren't crazy about scented polish, but I love it.  I love scented everything actually.  Scratch 'n' Sniffs are the best!

Again these are only minis so there are only 4 however, I don't think I would have worn the others anyway (except for that orange).
This is the full collection...

...and these are mine!

First up is Get Your Lem-on.  It is a slight sheer neon yellow base with amazing blue micro shimmer.  I had to use three coats over my natural nail.  Over white I'm sure I could have got away with one or two thin coats.  This one smells like lemons (obviously) but more like lemon scented cleaner and not so much the fruit.  The color is definitely better than the scent.

Here we have Yum Gum which is my ultimate favorite of the whole collection.  Not just the minis, but ALL of them.  I love how shocking of a neon pink it is, but I just wish it were as bright in photos as it is in real life.  You would freak over how blinding it is.  I actually don't own a pink neon in this shade.  It is a creme that was a little thick but very easy to apply and was self-leveling.  I only needed two coats.  The smell of this would be like heaven for a kid.  It smells like straight up Bubble Yum!  I love Bubble Yum!

I know I had no say over this one coming in the package, but I'm still disappointed in myself for even owning it.  If you come her often you may have seen me post about how I own several, and way too many, of this color.  I don't even really like this color, but what are ya gonna do?  It was out of my control.  It is called Gimme a Grape Big Kiss and it's SUPPOSED to smell like grape, but I have yet to experience that.  It still smells like nail polish.  Even the swatch on the nail wheel does.  So anyway, this is a neon fuschia creme and I used three coats.  The formula was a little thicker than I would have liked but not unmanageable.

Lastly is the collections name sake, Wicked Sweet.  I love this one a lot too.  It is the same color as an LA Colors mini polish I had once and I used it all up.  I never really tried to look for another one, but I'm glad I happened to find this one.  I don't want to say it again so I'll just say the color is the blue twin of Get Your Lem-on, blue shimmer and all.  The formula on this one was much better than the LA Colors polish and I only needed two coats.  This one also has another heavenly smell, in my opinion, because it's like candy.  It smells like blue raspberry!  mmm!

So eventhough this is a Summer collection from last year, it's still one of the best I think.  What do you all think?
D

Julep Lily

I'm BAAaaaack!  Lol.  I have so much to do right now like laundry and dishes and bathe so I'm gonna leave you with it.

This is Lily from my Julep Maven box.  I don't remember the month but it came with Courteney, the whole reason I didn't skip the month.  Honestly I didn't really need or want this one since I own literally 5 different tones of this same shade.  It's not even that great of a color to me so I don't know why I keep buying it.  lol. Anyway this is 2 coats I believe and the formula was sorta squishy, but not full on creme.  I feel like I don't really want anymore Julep Maven boxes, but I like the extra "something" that comes included more than the actual polish.   Is that even right?  I also really want some of those metallic shades they just launched, but I had to skip this month's box cuz I'm broke.  Oh well!

Have a great night.
D

Sonia Kashuk Limited Edition Mini Set

Hey Everyone!

So I've been in a pretty shitty mood the past few days so to cheer myself up, I went shopping.  I picked up another prize for my International Giveaway.  It's Color Club Magnetic Force Electro-Midnight.  I also got one for myself called Sci-Fi, and today I went to Target and saw this awesome mini collection from Sonia Kashuk for only $9.99.

I just love these colors and the names, but what really caught my eye was Khaki Shorts.  So I will show you that one first.

I thought this was a really unique tan color in my collection.  I don't even think I've seen another like it in person.  It actually has a bit more green in it than the photo shows.  On my nails IRL, it's an olive brown color.

Making Waves reminds me a lot of butterLONDON Slapper but only at a glance.  This is actually a true turquoise whereas Slapper is a bit more green.

Ooh La La indeed.  I think this such a rich, gorgeous color and though it looks similar to the fuchsias I've been showing, it is not.  It is not a neon at all as I'm sure you can tell.  This was also the only one that dried super shiny.

Lastly is the most popular color of the season.  Tutti Frutti is a pinky coral which is always perfect for the Summer season.  I have a pair of shoes this color so I'm really excited to coordinate them in an outfit one day.  This was the only one in the set that I applied 2 coats of.  That's only because this is the one I want to wear for the next couple days.

All of the others, I only did one coat simply to make my swatching a bit easier.  The formulas were fantastic, but the brushes were a pain.  These are my first Sonia Kashuk polishes so I wonder if the full size bottles have the same long, thin brush.  Let me know about your experience with this brand of polish and have a great night.

D

Comparison - Zoya Charisma/popBeauty Violetta

Ok so this doesn't need much explanation.  I had mentioned in my last post that these two were very similar but not dupes.  Here is the proof!

Zoya Charisma - 2 coats

Sorry about the VNL. ):  You can't tell with the naked eye.

popBeauty Violetta

Sorry about the bad lighting.  I just can't win today.

And now to compare the two...

pinky and middle: Violetta; ring and pointer: Charisma

pointer and ring: Charisma; middle and pinky: Violetta

Clearly I don't need more proof than that.  With Violetta I used 2 coats and Charisma is greedy with 3 coats.  I'm not sure which I like better.  Charisma is such a gorgeous color and is a true neon fuchsia while Violetta has a fantastic formula and needed less coats.  Which to choose.

Oh yeah and no comments on my tip wear and dents and scratches on Violetta.  I wore it for a whole day before I did the comparison.  (:  So which one do you all like best?

D

popBeauty Violetta

Aren't these AMAZING?!

Ablaze, Flamingo Hollar, Violetta, Aquatic Glitz

I have been waiting for these 4 polishes since I started my new job.  Yes I could have bought them online and paid a million dollars.  Yes I could have bought them at Ulta for 10 bucks a bottle.  But no!  I bought all 4 of them at my new job for $16.  They came paired together (orange and pink, purple and glitter) retailing for $9.98 and then of course I got my discount.  They are super gorgeous and now they are mine.  Since it is such a bright, sunny day, I thought I would start with Violetta since she looks so damn good in the sun.

Violetta is a neon fuchsia that looks dangerously similar to my new Zoya Charisma.  I can tell you that they are not the same color.  However the difference is so slight they might as well be.  I will post a comparison for you all later.  I used 2 coats for this and the best part about these popBeauty neons...they don't dry completely matte.  I love the formula on these too.  If you don't have any pop polish, get some.  It's worth the price and Ulta does a BOGO free on them sometimes.

Now I have to get out of here.  I'm having dinner with my bestie and some margaritas for Cinco de Mayo.  Please be safe tonight and have a great weekend.

D

Girly Girl Challenge Day 2 - Gimme That Bling

Welcome to Day 2 of the Girly Girl Challenge hosted and created by Lindsey from Neverland Nail Blog.

Day 2 is Gimme That Bling - Diamonds are a girl's best friend, so put some sparkle on those nails!

This is Hard Candy Fabuluxe and it's pretty blingin' I think.  OMG!  That's about all I could say once I got this on my nails.  OMG!  It's even better in person.  Fabuluxe is fuchsia glitter and a small amount of purple glitter in a fuchsia base.  It applies very uneven and my tips are extremely rough.  It didn't eat my top coat though.  I only had to apply 1 coat of Seche Vite and it was pretty smooth.

I applied 3 coats to get it all even, eventhough parts of it were opaque in 2 coats.  So yes I'm admitting that the application was a little difficult, but I still stand behind it.  You have to fight to get it right!

I am soooo not looking forward to taking this off.  It's going to be hell even with the foil method and I refuse to use acetone on my nails.  We'll see how that goes. :\ 

And don't forget to check out these other Girly Girl Challengers!
Lindsey of Neverland Nail Blog
Ashley of Follow The Yellow Polish Road
Stephanie of A Little Polish
Kelly of PolishEnthusiast
Jodi of Captivating Claws
Elly of Polishable
Olivia of Unprofessional Nails
Kate of This Charming Kate
Bethany of  A Plethora of Nails
Lizzy of The Do It Yourself Lady
Eugenia of Talon-ted
Johanna of Neues vom Kellerkind
Amanda of Nox Nails
Ashley of Smashley Sparkles
Sarah of See Sarah Swatch
Emily of The Lacquerologist
Jess of LuvMyLacquer
Tressa of O' Natur Nail
ChiChi of I'm just me...ChiChi 

CR of Color Me Silly

Amanda of Berry Polished 

Robin, Erin, and Anna of Polished Cousins

Until tomorrow.
D

V is for Valentine's Mani

This is my first successful tape mani and I love it.

First, I did two coats of each base color.  Then I just made a V shape with the tape and placed it on each nail in a different direction.  Then I applied the tip color and V is for Voila!


I think these are so cool.  They look so retro.


WHAT I USED:
No Name Franken - thumb
Love&Beauty Lavender - pointer
Jesse's Girl Fashion Friday - middle
Jesse's Girl Cupcake Frosting - ring
L.A. Girl Flare Hyper - pinky
Ulta High Roller - gold V
Jesse's Girl Party Dress - red V


D

Ulta Material Girl

Today I have Material Girl by Ulta.  I love, love, love this color.  It is a rich fuschia shimmer with holographic glitter.  I'm in a real glittery mood lately, but this one ate all 4 (yes, 4) of my top coats like it was nobody's business.  However, I will definitely wear it again so check it out and tell me what you think.

This is the one where you can see the texture since it ate all my TCs.

shade

It's a little lighter then in the bottle but not too much.

Look at all that glittery goodness!