Red Hot Deals!

Monday, January 31, 2011
Good Evening, Readers!
Tonight's post is all about some fantastic savings I've stumbled upon lately. As you probably know, CVS is having a great beauty sale right now, 50-75% off of select items. I was there yesterday (actually, I had to use the restroom. How these products manged to get into my cart and check themselves out is beyond me) and got a few things, and noticed that they were all bright tomato red and they were all Revlon. Well in my defense, I really love this color, and Revlon is one of my favorite drugstore brands.
I bought a Revlon Colorburst lipstick in Coral, Revlon Super Lustrous gloss in Firecracker and a bottle of polish in Red Hot Tamale.
Indoors, no flash, lightbox

Coral lipstick isn't a true coral, it's really a red-orange without any pink tones. I love the Colorburst lipstick formulas- they're not at all drying and they glide on so easily. I think I'll wear it tomorrow for picture day.
Firecracker gloss is one I've been wanting for a while. It came out in 2010, as a part of the spring collection and I remember everyone on MUA freaking out, unsure if these shades were perm. I'm happy that I finally got it today. It's really quite orange and very sheer, like the color of the inside of a persimmon. I think it goes well on top of Coral lipstick, it warms it up even more.
Indoors, flash under lightbox. 1x Essie First Base, 2x Red Hot Tamale
and 1x SpaRitual Base and Top Coat
Red Hot Tamale polish is just what it sounds like, a screamin' red creme. It covered nicely in just two coats. It's a light enough red where it doesn't look bloody or stark against pale skin, just a very warm and inviting shade.
Altogether, I paid around $6 for these three lovely red items because they were each 75% off.

I would definitely advise you to head on over to a nearby CVS if anything catches your eye!

Products purchased by me, for my own use.

A Very Strange Polish: Borghese Almondine

Sunday, January 30, 2011
Happy Sunday Night, Readers!
Today I want to show you my first Borghese polish, called Almondine. My pal Mae sent this to me, and it's a bit of a oddity. I really don't think I've ever seen a polish quite like this one, but the effect is quite subtle and will probably be appreciated by the wearer alone.
Almondine is a buff creme, with a bit of hidden pink shimmer and very fine black speckle. The first time I put on this polish, I thought I had gotten lint on my wet nails but no- it was just the strange grainy specks of black. It makes the polish very visually satisfying- instead of being a plain nude creme, its got texture. The pink shimmer is really fine and easy to miss, it's only visible in certain lighting but it gives my nails a faint luster.
Look cloooooser! Isn't that hidden shimmer interesting?
The formula on this polish... ugh, this is one heck of a fussy polish! It took four coats to get that nice opaque look you see on my nails. Anything short of four coats looked quite streaky. It was a difficult formula to work with, I had to wait a really long time before applying top coat because it smudged super easily when touched with my top coat's brush.
Speaking of brushes, this one leaves a lot to be desired. Since it's my first Borghese, I'm not sure if it's typical of all their polishes but it was the first time where I thought, "Hmmm. This brush really hampers my ability to paint my nails neatly. Cheese and crackers, it looks like a gibbon tried to give me a mani." The brush comprised of stubby hairs that were all of uneven length that really made even strokes across my nail awkward.
So while I loved this clean, deceivingly complex color... applications and brush are terrible enough where I'm not sure I'd recommend it. I have a bottle of Stellare Notte in my untried polish bin, but now I'm apprehensive- I'd hate to use another brush like this one!

What do you think of Borghese polishes? They just came out with a new collection and I really want Euro Green... but not if all the brushes and formula are like this one.

Thanks Mae for this fascinating polish!

Product featured was given to me as a gift. 

Kose Cosmeport Softymo Q10 Powder Wash

Saturday, January 29, 2011
Hello Readers!
I have a fascination with products that come in a different state of matter than they usually are sold. What do I mean by that? Astronaut ice cream, dry shampoos and cake mascara are all great examples of altered oddities, things that you can't easily find but I'm obsessed with none the less. 
Today I want to talk about powdered face wash! My first encounter with powder face happened in the summer of 2007, when I was visiting family in China. I don't remember the brand that I used (or price, or even how effective it was. Heck, I'm not too sure why I'm bringing this up, but luckily I write this blog so I get to drop all the weird anecdotes I want!) but I was enthralled by the dry white powder sudsing up. 
Fast foward to November, 2010 when I was making a Sasa order and saw that Kose made a powder wash. All sorts of bells and lights went off in my head and I eagerly added it to my cart. It was $10.20 for 75g of product. When the order got here, I have no shame in saying that as I tore into my package, this was the first goody that I tried. 
It comes packaged in a bottle with an attached cap that lets you shake out as much as you want into your hand. The powder is very finely milled and has this faint...fishy? sour? meaty? (I can't really tell) odor. However, once I added water to it, I couldn't discern any scent from the sudsy mix at all.

Kose Powder Wash dissolves instantly and lathers quite nicely, a small sprinkling of the powder (shown in the pictures) is enough to wash my entire face. It rinses off easily however, it feels really soapy to me like I just scrubbed my face with a bar of Dial soap.
My face feels nice and clean, though maybe a tad bit dry. On the plus side, this cleanser doesn't break me out but I just don't like the results as much as I like other face washes. I didn't set this wash aside and forget about it though! I bring it with me all the time when I travel. It's lightweight compared to my liquid cleansers and I don't have to worry about TSA restrictions since it's a dry powder (I do worry that they'll think a powdery substance is suspicious and that I'll get tackled at the boarding gate because they think I'm smuggling cocaine...).

So what do you think about powder washes? Have you ever tried any?

Product featured was purchased by me, for my own use.

Zoya Juicy

Hello Readers!
Flash
It's quite yucky outside today so I decided to boost my mood by trying out one of my new Zoya polishes, Juicy. This is one of the ones that I picked for my three free Zoya polish giveaway deal.
I really have no idea why I picked this one, maybe because it's the color of a plump, mouthwatering, fresh raspberry. Blargle, now I'm craving berries.
I used three coats in all of these pictures, with Essie First Base underneath and Sally Hansen Insta Dri on top.

No flash, under lightbox.

No flash, lightbox

Juicy is a very gorgeous saturated jelly. The finish is somewhat semi matte, so a good top coat is needed for that glossy shine. The application wasn't bad, but it wasn't anything to laud about either.
As much as this vibrant color did perk up my mood, I want to wait till summer to wear it. It doesn't match my winter blues, and I think I'll appreciate it more when I'm out on a picnic on a hot sunny day. 

Ok readers, I need your help. What would you suggest I do to get rid of my terrible mood? I'm stuck at home for the time being, and I'm antsy and all out of sorts. Also, there's no chocolate in the house, which makes me double grouchy. 

EOTD: Urban Decay Last Call

Friday, January 28, 2011
Happy Friday, Readers!
Have you any fun plans for the weekend? I've been snowed in the past couple of days, so I'm really looking forward to going out, maybe get some dim sum tomorrow morning.
I used one of my favorite shades from my Urban Decay Book of Shadows 3, Last Call. I loved this shade even before I bought this palette, it's just such a beautiful plum sparkle. Ulta brand makes a shade very similar, called 'Flirty' but the quality of the new formula shadows (the hard shadows with 'Ulta' embossed in the top, the old shadows were soft and quite lovely) is really inferior.
These lashes are also from KKCenterHK. They're criss cross lashes that are longest in the center of the band. They're a bit more flashy that I'd regularly wear during the day, but they're really quite sexy. They're ES brand, style A26.


I used:
Brows: NARS Bali shadow
Eyes: UDPP, Urban Decay Last Call shadow, Urban Decay Rockstar shadow, Rock & Republic Spy, MAC Blacktrack Fluidline

I took some action shots of Sir Nigel while we were in the backyard. We got 15 inches, and he frolicked and rolled around it like it was pure cocaine.


Notice how I didn't watermark these pictures? It's ok, you can steal pictures of my dog playing in the snow if you want.

Have a great weekend, everybody.

Some of the products mentioned were sent to me for review. Please refer to my disclosure policy for details.

Giveaway Winner

Thursday, January 27, 2011
So I finally finished tallying the entries from my China Glaze Mini Set Anchors Away Giveaway.

Congratulations to Saroun, who was lucky number #40!

Thank you for all those who entered, I'll have another giveaway soon.

NOTD: Candyland Series- Mr. Mint

Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Hello!
I have a certain weakness for board games. My favorite when I was a kid was Candyland, that simple game of traveling down the path of brightly colored squares to reach the glorious end and be declared the winner. I've never confessed this to anyone but I totally used to cheat all the time when I was younger. I played the game so many time that all the cards became dog-eared at the corners and I knew which ones they were, and always shuffled them to favor myself. Sneaky, sneaky.
Today I started with a Mr. Mint manicure. Mr. Mint was so sweet and cute looking, chopping down candy canes in the forest.
I made one major mistake though, I used CND Air Dry on the design when I thought it was dry but it wasn't. I forgot that Air Dry Top Coat has the nasty tendency to smear color, and it completely wrecked my design. Ah, lesson learned for next time.
I used: Ulta Deck the Halls, Sally Hansen Dazzling, Sally Hansen Polar Bare, Wet'n'Wild French Creme, Essie My Private Cabana, Art Deco Black Striper. That glossy oil you see is China Glaze Peppermint Cuticle Oil
I used a marbling technique to swirl the designs on my pointer, middle, ring and pinky finger. It didn't turn out quite as well as I thought it would, but I'm satisfied that I spent the effort nonetheless.
Have a great night!

EOTD With Bobbi Brown Pewter Chrome

If you look closely you can see that there's a hair in my eyeball. Ewww.
Hello Readers!
I was reminded of a favorite eyeshadow yesterday and this morning I decided to use it. I decided to use greenish tones with it to emphasize the almost olive tint that Pewter has. I tried on yet another pair of lashes from KKCenterHK. Though they look somewhat similar to the pair I tried the day before by the brand DJ, they're quite different in terms of malleability. I definitely prefer the DJ ones quite a bit because they're softer and easier to work and shape better to my lid but these aren't half bad.
This pair is called Ballerina CM 408.

I used:
Brows: NARS Bali shadow, Maybelline Define A Brow, NYX Brow Shaper
Eyes: UDPP, Rock & Republic Spy shadow, Rock & Republic Snakeskin shadow, Bobbi Brown Pewter Chrome, Rimmel Soft Kohl liner, Opera Volume Control Mascara


Some of the products mentioned were provided to me for review. Please read my full disclosure policy for more details.

Rock & Republic Pressed Powder

Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Hello Readers!
Ok, this another one of my shamefully prolonged reviews. I've been using this product since the end of last summer and I feel like now is a pretty good time to finally write about it.
I first ordered this pressed powder because it was 50% off ($22) and honestly, I wanted something sexy to whip out of my bag when I did the terrifically unglamorous act of touching up my makeup (if you've ever seen me blot off my greasy t-zone and attempt to buff out the shine, you'd understand). I chose well, many friends have been impressed by the ornate compact and instantly asked what it was.
The powder itself is really matte and offers medium coverage. Unlike the rest of Rock & Republic's powder products, it's not super smooth and silky, yet it functions like a good powder should- providing a bit of coverage without looking cakey. I do like that unlike many other lines, Rock & Republic offers many this powder in many shades, including for dark skin tones.
I use 'Chiffon' currently in the winter for when I'm closer to NC20 (and MUFE HD 117), but I also purchased 'Suede' for when I'm closer to NC25. My favorite way to use this powder is to pat on a bit with a clean sponge and buff it in with a soft face brush. I also like that this powder doesn't make me look ghost-faced in photos with flash. I wish that there was a built in compartment for a sponge but that would probably make the compact even heavier.
One thing to note about this compact- it is quite heavy. Really, one added benefit of keeping this in my purse is that if I'm ever attacked while walking about, I can always swing my weighted purse into the perpetrator's face. Makeup win! 

Have you tried this powder? What is your favorite pressed powder if you use one?

Products mentioned were purchased by me, for my own use.

Wet'n'Wild ColorIcon Trio in Silent Treatment and KKCenterHK Lashes

Monday, January 24, 2011
Hello Readers!

So I haven't quite finished tallying up the results of the China Glaze Mini Anchors Away Set Giveaway yet, but I promise it'll be done soon. I felt well enough to finally do a proper post today, so I decided to post about another Wet'n'Wild ColorIcon trio and to show you some pictures of new lashes I received.

This trio was the one I was looking forward to the most. It has a lovely light taupe! In addition to the frosty taupe, it has a dark brown with multicolored sparkles as well as a pearly light peach shade. All three shades are of great quality, but I like the taupe the best because it's just ridiculously smooth!




The lashes I'm wearing today are yet another pair sent by the very generous KKCenterHK. They're by the brand DJ (style 02). Aren't they gorgeous? They're soft and fluttery, with enough length to be flirty but wispy enough that they're not over done.

I used:
Brows: NARS Bali shadow
Eyes: UDPP, Rimmel Soft Kohl liner, Wet'n'Wild Silent Treatment trio


Note, this is sample packaging!
I think I just might order more of this style myself! On the site they're $13.55 for 10 pairs, cheap enough that I'd like to buy 'em in bulk.

Have you tried Silent Treatment yet?

Some of the items featured in this post were provided to me for review. Please read my disclosure policy for more info.

Past, Present and Nails (Part 1)

Friday, January 21, 2011
Happy Friday Readers!
I hope that you're doing well! Though I'm still confined to my bed, I did manage to scrounge up a post today. This blog post started out as a review for a nail product, but I realized as I tried to write a brief summary of my history with nail polish but it turns out that it was a more heartfelt topic than I had thought and anything but brief. In fact, it took me so long to write it and I'm not even done yet. I'll post Part 1 tonight, and hopefully finish Part 2 sometime this weekend.

I grew up in a household where it wasn't acceptable to wear nail polish. My father despised the stuff, and refused to let me put it on my finger nails. I did anyways, on the sly. In middle school, I would wait until Dad left for work and hastily slap on a coat of color that I kept hidden in my room and run out to meet the bus.
Ah, look at how bad my photos were!
My finger nail painting wasn't that great, my result was a smudgy mani that chipped even before I got to school. I would rush home after school and quickly remove the evidence off my fingers, and wash my hands over and over to rid myself of the chemical smell that would give me away.
When I was fifteen, I remember my father confronting me about my sneaky polish wear (as it turns out, parents know about everything and I am not as sly as I thought). I stood my ground and refused to take it off. He didn't put up with such direct defiance, and I sat sulking at the dining room table as he furiously scrubbed my nails with acetone.
Back then, my manicures looked like crap anyways. I attribute my failings mostly to the fact that I was not knowledgeable about base and top coats, I know that now but back then I blamed it on my poor application and cheap lacquer. By the time Dad grudgingly accepted that I could wear polish (and only soft, barely noticeable colors) I had given up on pretty nails, and for five years, didn't pick up a bottle of polish.

A year ago (when my picture taking skills were shoddy and I was still new to this blogging game) I picked up a bottle of Essie Lollipop on clearance on Ulta (heck, if you want to- read the post here!) I honestly had never used anything like OPI, Orly, China Glaze or Essie, and I was blown away by the quality of the polish. However, I was taking art classes at college at the time, my hands were callused, hang nail ridden, rough looking monsters. Still, I had hope that someday my hands would be things of beauty- soft skin, shapely nails with glossy, impeccably applied polish.
After that semester, I hesitantly picked up a bottle of Orly Mirror, Mirror and tried a color that wasn't a traditional red. From there, I bought my first bottle of Seche Vite Top Coat, and was blown away at how a fast dry top coat changed everything I knew about nails that never dried. I started reading the Nail Board on MakeupAlley, but it was like reading an alien language.
Speaking of that flakie...
Still, my nail polish collection was quite meager (in fact, I remember when the Zoya had their recycle program, I didn't even have six crappy polishes to send in, isn't that funny?).
Then for my birthday, a good friend sent me two amazing polish for my birthday that changed everything.  Sally Hansen Hidden Treasure and OPI Suzi Skis in the Pyrenees Suede. After my initial excitement of owning my first flakie and my first matte it dawned on me that there was a vast world out there- where I could find any nail polish in any finish my heart desired.

Alrighty, so that's just about as much as I've finished writing now- check out Part Two in the following few days!

One thing I wanted to ask you all was if there was a time in your life, where you weren't allowed to do simple things like wear makeup, polish your nails or perhaps color your hair or wear sparkly ornaments?
I would love hearing back!

Kose Cosmeport Softymo Speedy Cleansing Oil

Thursday, January 20, 2011
Kinda hard to tell from this picture of the
packaging, but the refill is on the left and the
pump bottle is on the right.
Hello Readers!
I'm sick at home with the flu I was kind of at a loss about what to write about today. I mean, I was in no mood to swatch nail polish or to apply any makeup to my face, so I figured it was time to write a long overdue skincare review. 
I stumbled upon this Kose Softymo Speedy Cleansing Oil (I have no idea what makes this cleansing oil 'Speedy') after browsing through Kathi from Lotus Palace's reviews (by the way, I really enjoy reading this blog. She mentions so many Asian products that I would have otherwise never heard of and never tried). It was $13 on Sasa.com for a 230ml (which is a little over 7.75 fluid oz.) and a refill satchel of 170ml. What a fantastic price! You get over 13.5 fluid oz in smart packaging- with the refill satchel, it means less packaging waste. Thumbs up for being efficient. 
Not only is it really cheap, but it works amazingly well for me too. It's a big lighter than the Missha Perfect BB Deep Cleansing Oil, but I like the consistency because I find it easier to stroke over my skin. This oil cleanser is both scentless and is clear in color. 
I usually spend about five minutes during which time I can literally see my makeup melt away and the gross hardened sebum plugs work themselves loose from my nose area. After that, I rinse my face with warm water (it amazes me to no end every single time I see cleansing oils emulsify into that white, milky color) and follow up with another cleanser- my Neutrogena Oil-Free Stress Control Power-Cream Wash, just to make sure that I've removed all traces of the oil cleanser. 

I use two pumps of this oil cleanser each day, and the bottle plus the refill lasted me roughly five months. 

Shipping on Sasa is $6. This product goes out of stock very quickly, so you might want to sign up for email updates that alert you when it comes back into stock.

I was so thrilled with this product that it made me want to try more Kose products! In fact, I'll be reviewing the Kose Softymo Q10 Powder Wash shortly. 

Product was purchased by me, for my own use.

NOTD: China Glaze Zombie Zest Over Savvy Garland

Tuesday, January 18, 2011
1x Essie First Base, 3x Zombie Zest
Hello Readers!
I'm feeling as sick as a dog today so I'm going to post a NOTD from last week. First, I want to show each component of my NOTD, China Glaze Zombie Zest and Savvy Garland.
I remember distinctly the 'Ewwwww' that came out of me when I saw Zombie Zest in a promo picture for the first time. Gross I thought, it looks like sparkling boogers. However, when it came out (as well as Orly It's Not Rocket Science and SpaRitual Optical Illuison, its brother shades) my initial impression faded into curiosity. I liked green polishes, how would this actually look in person?
Luckily for me, the other night I found Zombie Zest at Sally's on clearance for $1.99. I picked it up as well as Garland, which had been in Savvy's recent holiday collection.
However, it was just as I had suspected. Zombie Zest proved to be a gruesome color on my nails. Glittery and light catching, but gruesome none the less. My smile line still showed after three coats and I wasn't too pleased that it looked as though I had try to claw lichen off a tree with my bare hands. What to do?
1x Essie First Base, 3x Savvy Garland

I took it off and tried the color over Garland. Now, this is my first Savvy color and though it's a very basic color (shimmering evergreen!) the application is pretty nice and I like the bottle.
With two coats of Garland and one coat of Zombie Zest, I definitely had a winner!

Look at that beauty! It looks like it's glowing. Doesn't Zombie Zest's glitter look so much more attractive now? Mmm, a rich olive sparkle instead of a color that looks like it came out of a baby's diaper.
I used 1x Essie First Base, 2x Savvy Garland, 1x Zombie Zest, 1x Gelous and 1x Sally Hansen Insta Dri. I know, that's a lot of freaking polish, but I'm doing a bit of durability testing, I'll tell you about it some other time.

Now that I showed you my latest favorite layering scheme, how about yours? What color combination did you try out? Was it glorious or just kinda gross?

Love,

Wet'n'Wild ColorIcon Trio in Spoiled Brat + EOTD

Monday, January 17, 2011
Hello Readers!
Here's another one of the new Wet'n'Wild trios called 'Spoiled Brat'.
This one wasn't my cup of tea exactly at first glance, but I ended up really liking it.
The 'browbone' shade is a super silver metallic, the 'crease' is a matte black with tiny silver sparkles and the 'eyelid' shade is a bright pearly fuchsia.
The quality of this trio is great, but without primer the silver doesn't look that great because the little particles that make up the shadow won't lay flat. The black shadow is a really nice matte, but the sparkles don't really show up and when I blend out that shade, they disappear. Still, it's the darkest matte black I think I've ever seen in a drugstore palette (and would definitely give Urban Decay Perversion a run for its money).

I actually wore this trio out to my friend's birthday dinner, have a look.
Brows: NARS Bali shadow
Eyes: UDPP, Wet'n'Wild Spoiled Brat trio, MAC Blacktrack Fluidline


Did you have the day off because it was MLK Jr Day? I did, I spent most of it running errands!


Product featured was purchased by me, for my own use.

Green Wet'n'Wild FastDry Polishes

Sunday, January 16, 2011
Hello again Readers- my second post of the night!
I decided to follow up my green eye shadow post with one about ... green polishes. I can't help myself, it's one of my favorite colors.
This line of FastDry polishes is brand spankin' new and I bought quite a few of them last night when I found them for 1/2 off (regularly $1.99). To be honest, I've tried about four of them so far and I don't actually like what I've used. Let me show you them first and then I'll tell you why after.


Flash on the left, no flash on the right. Picture taken under lightbox.
The first one is called Sage in the City. This is three coats, with Sally Hansen Insta Dri on top and Essie First Base underneath.


Flash left, no flash right. Taken under light box.
This one is called SaGreena the Teenage Witch (cringe worthy, in my opinion but it's cute that they tried!). Also three coats, with the same combo of top coat and base coat.

So even though I used three coats each, they really could have used a fourth. Both polishes were really thin. Despite the line being called 'FastDry', these polishes dry anything but. Seriously. It was nightmarishly slow for this polish to dry between coats, the previous layer just wouldn't set enough for me to add a coat. It drove me nuts when I kept smudging my nails with the brush, because it made them look streaky the way metallics do, even though they're shimmers. I would have given up completely if it haden't been for my miraculous Sally Hansen Insta Dri. Even though Insta Dri helped dry it a bit, they stayed dentable for a few hours.
But while I hate the formula, I LOVED (all caps lock, pay attention-I love these so much I yelled) the color. The greens were so pure and rich, especially SaGreena which is just such a lovely true medium green.

I'm a bit hesitant to try the rest of the polishes I bought. I have an awful sinking feeling that I'll be highly disappointed.

Have you tried any of the new FastDry polishes?

Products featured were purchased by me, for my own use.

Wet'n'Wild ColorIcon Trio in I Dream of Greenie + EOTD

Hello!
I took the weekend off, so tonight I have two posts for you. I was super busy all week- cleaning like mad on Friday, pet sitting for two very fast bichons and a friend's 21st birthday on Saturday, and today I volunteered to do makeup for a fashion show put on by a local church. I am, beyond exhausted.
But you know what I found yesterday? Some of the new Wet'n'Wild stuff! I saw a display at Walgreens with the ColorIcon trios, liners and the new Fast Dry polishes.
I was so thrilled- everyone and their grandma has been twittering like mad about these trios. To top it off, when the cashier ran up the sale, everything was 50% off! Yes, I win at life sometimes.

Get closer. Isn't that simply beautiful?

Let me tell you about the texture and pigmentation of this trio- it is... mind blowing. I can't remember the last time I encountered such vivid pigmentation, high end brand or drug store bargain. To compare the texture of these shadows to butter would be an insult- rather they're as soft as a baby kitten dusted with powdered sugar. These greens are really vibrant and I have never seen such a pleasing array of them in one trio before. The 'browbone' shade is a frosty butter mint, the 'crease' is a bright kelly green shimmer and the 'eyelid' is a sparkle-packed yellow green.

Isn't that simply beautiful? I was floored by this trio and I couldn't get wait to get home to use it. I really recommend a primer with these shadows, it's so soft that on its own it doesn't adhere to skin all that well. That's not really a complaint, just something to note.


EOTD time!
Brows: NARS Bali shadow, NYX Brow Shaper
Eyes: UDPP, Wet'n'Wild trio in I Dream of Greenie, Rimmel Soft Kohl Liner, Opera Volume Control Mascara

Anyways, I love this trio quite a bit and can't wait to get my hands on more of them.

Have you seen this trio or any of the other new Wet'n'Wild ColorIcon products out yet? Where did you spot them?

Product featured was purchased by me, for my own use.

China Glaze Anchors Away Sea Spray

Thursday, January 13, 2011
Happy It's-Almost-Friday-But-Not-Quite Day! 
Today I have a polish from the upcoming Anchors Away collection. I love all things nautical, so I couldn't resist picking up a few polishes from this set. However, my CosmoProf didn't have the full collection so I guess I'll need to find the other half somewhere!

This is Sea Spray, a lovely soft muted pastel blue. There's enough grey in it that it doesn't look Easter-y. In addition, there's also a teeny bit of pearly shimmer that can be seen in the bottle but really, I can't see it on my nail at all. It's supposed to look very similar to Essie Sag Harbor, but I don't own that so I can't really compare. 
I didn't actually like the application on this polish. It was goopey and rather streaky at the same time. I did like how clean and neat it looked on my fingers though. 
So while the color is beautiful, this polish was a bit of a no-go for me. 

What do you think of this soft, cloudy blue?

Product was purchased by me, for my own use.

Color Club Preview: Alter Ego Collection

Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Hello Readers!
Look, polish-
Oh noes, another nail collection post! I just got an email from Color Club about a new collection, so I thought I'd show you the promo pictures.
It looks like we'll be getting a softer, springtime taupe creme, some delicate pastels and some eye catching indigos! What's that on the end, an eggplant purple? Yes please! The only thing I'm apprehensive about is that dark Snakeskin looking polish in the middle (remember Snakeskin and how I didn't like the finish?), but maybe it'll be like Snakeskin, minus the bumps.

This is what Color Club had to say about the collection:
Color Club lets you create high-fashion looks for every identity with Alter Ego,
their latest collection of diverse, long-lasting lacquers!
Alter Ego’s consists of 12 shades! Go incognito with our opaque shades or
rendezvous in full view with our sheers of Alter Ego ‘LIGHTS’ and ‘DARKS’!
Alter Ego’s ‘Reveal Your Mystery Collection’ 7 piece salon pack includes Get a
Clue, Revealed, Incognito, Secret Rendezvous, Sheer Disguise, and Give Me a
Hint shades plus Milky White Base Coat. Their ‘Keep It Undercover Collection’
7 piece salon pack includes Alter Ego, Secret Agent, Total Mystery, Alias,
Ulterior Motive and Masquerading plus Vivid Top Coat.

Mmmm, count me in! I'm especially fond of purples, I have more violet polishes than any other in my collection so I'm quite excited for the dark half of this collection.

What do you think? Do you spot any polishes you know you need to have?


Love,