Showing posts with label Nail Polish. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nail Polish. Show all posts

Monday, March 28, 2011

Trend Alert - Bright Yellow Nail Polish/Nail of the Day - Zoya Bekka

If you've ever had the desire to wear the color of a highlighter on your finger, now's your chance. This summer's nail lacquer range is anything but traditional. Everyone from Lady Gaga (Deborah Lippman's Yellow Brick Road) to Chanel (Chanel's Mimosa Nail Lacquer) is pushing yellow nails this season. I decided to pick up the non-traditional shade while shopping online at Zoya. I decided to go for the almost-neon bright highlighter grade Zoya Bekka. This polish is sheer and required three coats to get the same opacity as seen in the photos below. I really like this shade because it's not a flat yellow, but has a nice shimmer throughout the neon-yellow lacquer which makes the polish less punk and more chic, in my opinion. I applied Seche Base as a basecoat, three coats of Zoya Bekka, and one coat of Seche Vite as a topcoat. Enjoy!

Zoya Bekka - Three Coats with Flash
Zoya Bekka - Three Coats with Flash
Zoya Bekka - Three Coats NO Flash

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Nail of the Day - Rescue Beauty Lounge Iconoclast

I will admit when I painted my nails with this color last night I wasn't too impressed with the actual color. I have received several questions about my "nail routine" and whether I paint my nails every day. The answer to that question is - I paint my nails every day. I try to wear each polish for the entirety of one full day to see how it wears, chips, etc. I have not noticed any one brand to be more or less prone to chipping after just one day of wear thus far. Some lacquers I wear for multiple days, I just don't photograph them. For example, I paint my nails on the weekends and use those photos for my Monday and Tuesday posts, thus allowing me the possibility of a "break" from painting my nails for two days a week.

Anyway, I painted my nails with Rescue Beauty Lounge's Iconoclast last night and I will admit, I did it while catching up on some episodes of Shamelss on Showtime (I pretty much love that show.) When I finished painting my nails I didn't think much of Iconoclast but this morning when I went to upload the photos I took last night I realize just how beautiful this lacquer is in the light. Rescue Beauty Lounge Iconoclast is a deep black with mutli-colored microshimmer. It's a very unique color and absolutely gorgeous in the sunlight. I will admit, if you spend your time in doors while wearing this polish you won't think it's anything special because it looks like a classic black cream nail polish in normal lighting. However, take a second look in the sunlight and you'll see the gorgeous shimmer and see why it's so unique and amazing on the nails. Rescue Beauty Lounge Iconoclast was easy to apply, covered with one coat (but I applied two, just to be safe) and is part of Rescue Beauty Lounge's Spring 2011 collection. I applied Seche Base as a basecoat, two coats of Iconoclast and Seche Vite as a top coat. So lovely! Enjoy!

Rescue Beauty Lounge Iconoclast - Two Coats with Flash
Rescue Beauty Lounge Iconoclast - Two Coats with Flash
Rescue Beauty Lounge Iconoclast - Two Coats NO Flash

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Zoya's Buy One, Get One Offer!

Zoya is running a promotion until 3/25/11 (Friday) which allows it's account holders to partake in a "buy one, get one" offer on their new Summer nail polish collections. There are three collections total: Zoya's ModMattes Collection (bright neon matte shades), Zoya's Summertime Collection (bright creams), and Zoya's Sunshine Collection (bright glitter/shimmer polishes). The offer allows for you to purchase up to seven nail polishes and get one free, thus fourteen polishes total from the collections. Standard shipping will be reduced to $2.00 and is free for orders over $55.00. For official rules and information on how to partake in this awesome deal, please visit Zoya's Blog. Enjoy!

Nail of the Day - Rescue Beauty Lounge Insouciant

I purchased two lacquers from the new Rescue Beauty Lounge Spring collection - Insouciant and Iconoclast. I decided to paint my nails first with Insouciant because I thought it was such a lovely deep purple/lilac with a hint of gray. I have to say, I am very impressed with Rescue Beauty Lounge's formula and I think I now understand that high price tag of $18.00. Unfortunately, I ran out of Seche Vite for my top coat and had to paint this polish without a top coat. I thought this would be disastrous, however it wasn't it at all. Rescue Beauty Lounge's lacquers dry quickly and with a very pretty shine. I was very impressed by the consistency and application as well. I found Rescue Beauty Lounge's Insouciant to be nearly opaque with just one coat. However, I decided to paint two coats just to be safe. As you can see, this color is extremely unique. It's a deep purple/lilac with a hint of gray and a soft super fine shimmer throughout the lacquer. It's hard to tell in the photos, but this polish's shimmer is just gorgeous on the nails and really makes the nails stand out. I'd call this color the ultimate "chic girl" polish because of it's gray undertones, but deep purple/lilac base and light shimmer. I also applied Seche Base as a base coat to this lacquer. Enjoy!
 
Rescue Beauty Lounge Insouciant - Two Coats with Flash
Rescue Beauty Lounge Insouciant - Two Coats with Flash

Friday, March 11, 2011

Nail of the Week - Sally Hansen Salon Effects in Houndstooth

Want to get stopped by every single person in an airport? Wear Sally Hansen's New Salon Effects in Houndstooth. The reason I was a bit MIA yesterday was because I was flying to Austin. In the airport I had men, women and children all staring and stopping me to ask what I did to my nails and how they could have theirs look like mine! Sally Hansen's Nail Effects are a new take on the "minx" nail. These pretty designed nail stickers are like instant nail polish for your fingers.

Here are my thoughts on the actual packaging and how I applied these amazing "nail stickers". The Sally Hansen Salon Effects retail for $10.49 at CVS in the city I live in. However, some people have reported they have found them for as low as $8.00 a piece. The entire kit includes 16 nail stickers, a cuticle stick, a mini nail file and a nice little instruction kit. For the first nail, I followed the instruction to the tee and had no problem applying the stickers. However, I would recommend a practice run first because the stickers can be hard to smooth out at first. To do a practice run, I would recommend using one of the stickers that is too big for your nails (the kit includes 16, so there are invariably stickers left over) and trimming it down to the size of your nail and applying it. If you do it the first time smoothly, then you are ready to apply all the stickers. If you struggle a bit - try different techniques to get it to smooth out evenly. I recommend using your finger to smooth down the middle of the sticker first and then applying the edges of the sticker. I also advise using scissors to trim the excess sticker once you have applied the nail sticker to your nails. Finally, I do not recommend using the nail file provided. I used a glass nail file and I had no problems, however the nail file provided isn't the best and I found that a glass file makes the whole process a lot easier.

Please also note, there is  no need for a top coat or base coat with these stickers. One thing I did notice about the Sally Hansen Salon Effects was that they smell a lot like nail polish on the fingers. In fact, when you first open the sealed package provided within the kit, the aroma of nail polish is extremely strong! Another thing to note, the stickers come with a clear plastic overlay to protect them which you peel off if you read the instructions. Unfortunately, for the first one I mis-read the instructions and applied the stickers without removing the clear plastic coating. Failing to remove the clear plastic coding made it extremely difficult to smooth the nail sticker out on my nail. The nail sticker on my thumb on my left hand crinkled badly and did not look pretty.I had to remove and re-do the sticker. I thus recommend to note the clear plastic coding and learn from my mistakes! :)

I will be testing the Sally Hanse Nail Effects out all week. I am going camping this weekend, so if the Sally Hansen Salon Effects last through this weekend, I will be extremely impressed! I will keep you updated on how they hold up! I have thus far been swimming in chlorine water with them and traveled across the country with them without any crazy mishaps. They have stayed beautiful and in tact thus far. We shall see if they can overcome the hurdles of camping now! :)

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Nail of the Day - Butter London Artful Dodger

I have been admiring Butter London's Artful Dodger for the past few weeks. I know it looks a lot like China Glaze's For Audrey at first glance, but trust me - It's not! This beautiful pale blue has just enough green in it to make you take a second look. I wish I could say it was super opaque with just one coat, but it wasn't. I had to apply two good coats to make this polish really stand out. I used OPI's Nail Envy as a base coat, two coats of Butter London Artful Dodger and one coat of Seche Vite for this effect! I don't know if I just love blue nail polish or what, but I really love, love, love this polish! Enjoy!

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Zoya Intimate Collection for $25 for International Women's Day!!!

Zoya is running a promotion today and today only! If you buy today you can get the entire Zoya Spring Collection for $25!!! I just made my purchase of these lovely lacquers and I highly recommend you all definitely check out this amazing deal!

Here's what you need to do to enter:
  1. Go to this website and add the Zoya Intimate Collection to your cart.
  2. At checkout enter the following code: ZOYAWD 
  3. Your order total will automatically be reduced to $25.00 plus FREE shipping!
  4. Fill in your info and wait patiently for your new polishes to arrive.
Zoya has unfortunately sold out of it's initial quantities of this promotion, however they are still taking orders with this promotion until midnight tonight. Please note, your order will be delayed by ONE week once stock as replenished. So, if you're willing to wait a little bit longer than usual (patience is a virtue!) then check out this awesome deal! Enjoy!

Nail of the Day - Butter London No More Waity, Katie

I was not super impressed with this color when I first saw it advertised on Butter London's website. I thought, I'll buy it for my readers. They will probably like to see it. However, when I opened the package from Butter London to reveal this beautiful color, I was stunned!  I wish I could say it was as fun to apply as it has been to wear the past few hours. First, what you should know about this lacquer is that it is quite sheer. I applied between three and four coats to get this vibrant of a light lilac purple. However, the lacquer itself is stunning with it's gorgeous lilac purple that isn't too sissy or girly, while still maintaining some sparkle. I am a sucker for a good sparkle. I have been raving all week about Deborah Lippmann's glitter polishes, however Butter London has reminded me why it's made such a mark on lacquer-loving-ladies for so long.

I applied OPI's Nail Envy as a base coat, three-to-four coats of Butter London No More Waity, Katie (and yeah, it was hard to apply so many coats without getting any chunkiness), and finally I applied Seche Vite as a top coat. I hope you all enjoy!

Monday, March 7, 2011

To My Loyal Readers..with Love and Concern!

I received an email from a reader who had a very bad experience with MBeautyLounge recently. I am a big believer in telling it like it is - so here goes. The very sweet reader ordered several limited edition nail polishes from MBeautyLounge and waited patiently in her home state of Hawaii. The nail polishes were not arriving after several weeks of waiting. At this point, the reader tracked her package using the order confirmation number on MBeautyLounge's website which stated her order had shipped out on February 11, 2011. However, when this sweet reader contacted the post office with the tracking number that MBeautyLounge provided her, the post office told her the tracking number was not active.

Sad and frustrated, the sweet reader attempted to contact MBeautyLounge. However, MBeautyLounge's website's customer service page was malfunctioning. The electronic form where the reader was meant to submit her complaint was not working and resulted in an error every time she attempted to submit her concerns about her order. Finally, the reader found a place to email MBeautyLounge. She attempted to email their customer service department. No response.

Finally, today on March 7th this reader received her purchase. However, one polish was missing! On her invoice was handwritten "out of stock" with a note saying she'd receive a refund for the missing polish. This reader has yet to receive the refund on her debit card and is extremely frustrated that nobody informed her that one of the polishes she selected was out of stock and that a refund would be issued in it's place. Additionally, the reader is now worried she might not get her money back.

I wanted to share this reader's experience with you all because I know I made the recommendation to use MBeautyLounge for pre-ordering nail polish. Clearly, had I known these issues would take place I never would have made a recommendation to use their company. I have used them several times in the past with no hiccups, however this experience makes me question their integrity as a company and whether I want to continue to support them. In my opinion, customer service is paramount. If someone tells me I will be issued a refund on my debit card, I expect it to happen - immediately. Life is too stressful as it is to be bombarded with bad customer service. For this reason, I wanted to share this experience with you all. I hope all of you will not have similar experiences with any of the company's I recommend in the future. I will do my best to better screen which company's I associate with and recommend.

Much love,

Jessica

Nail of the Day - Deborah Lippmann's Razzle Dazzle

While at Nordstrom last weekend, I picked up Deborah Lippmann's Razzle Dazzle. Although cranberry nails are typically unspectacular in the nail world, I found Deborah Lippmann's Razzle Dazzle to be a refreshed version of the fading fad. I love how opaque this polish applies, however it does require a good two coats before it really shines. I applied OPI's Nail Envy as a base coat, two coats of Deborah Lippmann Razzle Dazzle and Seche Vite as a topcoat. What are your thoughts? Does this nail polish refresh the old cranberry nail? I like it a lot. I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Deborah Lippmann Razzle Dazzle Two Coats with Flash
Deborah Lippmann Razzle Dazzle Two Coats with Flash
Deborah Lippmann Razzle Dazzle Two Coats with Flash
Deborah Lippmann Razzle Dazzle Two Coats with Flash
Deborah Lippmann Razzle Dazzle Two Coats NO Flash

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Nail of the Day - Deborah Lippmann's Superstar

The minute my exam was over I headed to Nordstrom for some retail rehabilitation! It just happened to be the same day as the Spring Fashion Event at Nordstrom and my Nordstroms was buzzing with customers all in line to get their makeup and nails neatly manicured! I was lucky enough to steal the attention of a nice sales person for Deborah Lippmann who showed me tons of amazing colors from her collection. However, almost every single polish I picked out for my nails was sold out! Finally, after lots of searching the salesman gave me Deborah Lippmann's Superstar for free!!!! He said he felt so bad that every polish I chose was sold out. He told me if I purchased one of other lacquer, he'd give me Deborah Lippmann's Superstar (the only one left in the store and the tester!) for free! At first I was like...the tester? But then he explained, "oh, I just opened this one this morning and I am the only one who has used it all day - I've probably swatched it four times today. I realized he was basically giving me a FREE brand new polish! I decided, free was better than paying for it! I jumped on it and purchased Deborah Lippman's Razzle Dazzle and received Superstar for free!!!!

By the way, I am so in love with Deborah Lippmann's nail lacquers. They are soooooooooooo beautiful. This one nearly took my breath away when I got it home and painted my nails! It's so unique and like no other polish on the market. I am definitely in heaven! To apply this lovely lacquer, I put down OPI's Nail Envy and then one coat of Deborah Lippmann's Superstar. Yes, it only took ONE coat!!! Ahhhh. Finally, I applied Seche Vite as a topcoat. Pretty spectacular, huh? I feel like a SUPERSTAR! :)

Deborah Lippmann Superstar One Coat with Flash
Deborah Lippmann Superstar One Coat with Flash
Deborah Lippmann Superstar One Coat with Flash
Deborah Lippmann Superstar One Coat NO Flash

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Nail of the Day - Milani 3D Holographic #514 Hi-Res

Ok, when I first received this lacquer in the nail I was unsure about it. But now that I have put it on my fingers and actually played with it - I am in love! This is my first holographic nail polish and to be honest, I was never completely wooed by their multi-dimensional sparkle. But now that I have one, I now see their appeal. Milani 3D Holographic #514 Hi-Res is an amazing color that is a subtle purple with the most amazing holographic effect. In normal light this polish looks light purple, but in the light it's a brighter more vibrant purple. You can see the difference in the polish between the photos taken with a flash and without a flash! I am really loving this effect and this lacquer has inspired me to hop on the holographic trend before it's over!

I applied two coats of OPI Original Nail Envy to my nails, one coat of Seche Base as a basecoat, two coats of Milani 3D Holographic #514 Hi-Res and Seche Vite as a top coat. Enjoy!

Milani 3D Holographic #514 Hi-Res with Flash
Milani 3D Holographic #514 Hi-Res with Flash
Milani 3D Holographic #514 Hi-Res No Flash
Milani 3D Holographic #514 Hi-Res with Flash
Milani 3D Holographic #514 Hi-Res No Flash

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Nail of the Day - Reverse Statement Nail with China Glaze Crackle Polish

I applied China Glaze For Audrey and decided to keep it on my nails however I also decided to make my nails a little bit more exciting by adding China Glaze Cracked Concrete. When I applied my nail polish I applied one too many coats of polish to my pointer finger and decided to take the opportunity to make my nails really stand out. I decided to re-paint my pointer finger with OPI's Suzi Skis the Pyrenees (Suede Finish) and then paint over that China Glaze Crushed Candy. I had to apply a top coat to OPI's Suzi Skis the Pyrenees because China Glaze Crackle Glaze doesn't crack without a smooth surface. The result was pretty cool and I wanted to show you all!

I applied Seche Base as a base coat, two coats of China Glaze For Audrey, Seche Vite as a top coat and one coat of China Glaze Cracked Concrete. For my pointer finger I applied Seche Base as a base coat, two coats of OPI Suzi Skiis the Pyrenees, Seche Vite as a top coat, and then I applied China Glaze Crushed Candy. Enjoy!

Right Hand - China Glaze For Audrey with China Glaze Cracked Concrete
Left Hand - China Glaze for Audrey with China Glaze Cracked Concrete, OPI Suzi Skiis the Pyrenees with China Glaze Crushed Candy
Left Hand - China Glaze for Audrey with China Glaze Cracked Concrete, OPI Suzi Skiis the Pyrenees with China Glaze Crushed Candy

Monday, February 28, 2011

Nail of the Day - Essie Sew Psyched

Essie Sew Psyched was originally released last fall with the Essie Fall 2010 collection. However, I recently saw it in the collection and decided I had to have it. Essie Sew Psyched is a creamy muted army green color. It's a really gorgeous polish and super easy to apply. I wore this polish for four days. At the end of four days, it was a bit sad and needed a few touch up's. So, the lasting power on this polish is probable around four days before it begins to noticeably chip. I used Seche Base as a base coat, two coats of Essie Sew Psyched and Seche Vite as a topcoat. Enjoy!

Essie Sew Psyched Two Coats with Flash
Essie Sew Psyched Two Coats with Flash
Essie Sew Psyched Two Coats with Flash

Sunday, February 27, 2011

China Glaze For Audrey versus Tiffany Blue (the real thing!)

I wanted to post these photos before I sent my China Glaze For Audrey away. I couldn't find my Tiffany & Co. box because I had put it in a "safe keeping place" and totally forgotten where my "safe keeping place" was. Argh! I do that all the time! Needless to say, I found the box this weekend and wanted to share with you a color comparison of China Glaze For Audrey with the trademark blue of Tiffany's box. I have promised China Glaze's For Audrey to my cousin who has fallen in love with it! So this will be the last time you will get to see this polish in action on my finger tips. Hopefully you will find this helpful if you are considering this polish for your collection! Enjoy!