That being said, I haven't had any personal problems. My box changes have always gone through without any issue (you can change what kind of box you receive), I haven't had any charging issues (once had 2 pre-authorizations but only one charge), haven't had any shipping issues, and I'm really happy with the way that people who go into the salon, are treated (they have salons in Seattle).
Enough about that, let's get to the polish. Trina is a shimmery deep aubergine (eggplant) from the November "Polish Lover" box. I'm originally an "American Beauty" Maven boxer (heh), but I couldn't resist switching to the Polish Lover that month (3 polishes, no other beauty products). Please note in my bottle picture that the top of the polish does come off like Chanel, Illamasqua or Dr.'s REMEDY to reveal a smaller round handle, but it's not necessary for polishing.
I used the Julep Base Coat ($14), 1 coat of Trina and a top of CND Air Dry. I do have the Julep Fast Dry Topcoat but couldn't find it when polishing my nails. This polish was so super thick that I'm going to have to add some thinner. I had to wipe my brush several times.
Here in the sun you can see how deep of a color this is. I really like that while it's a dark plum, it doesn't have the red and blue sparkles that you typically see in colors like this (think China Glaze Let's Groove).
The shade just kinda is "ick"... the color is so dark that it doesn't translate well on camera. It's a great fall color and I always love darker color on shorter nails. I don't see me pulling this one out too many times this year though.
Finally indoors with the flash and you can see how pretty this purple truly is, but it is just a bit dark for me. Vampy purples aren't really my thing, but this is a pretty one! Just thick formula'ed.
You can purchase Trina on Julep's website for $14.
Julep is available on their website for $14 a bottle. You can like them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.
Many moons ago, Nailene sent me a great press kit that had lots of stickers and some glue, and lots of PERFECT tips - french polish guides. (Dearest Melissa, I'm sorry this got stuck on my shelf and never used!)
As much as I loved Fashion Friday by itself, I decided that I wanted to make it even more funky, so I put down some of the tip guides and added a coat of Jesse's Girl Girls Night Out (also from the JulieG collection). For my middle finger, I laid the guide sideways and made the dot freehand. Obviously I didn't let it dry long enough and that's why you see smearing. I topped the nails with CND Air Dry.
As you see, I'm not an expert at nail art, but these guides do help you make some crisp lines! I'm definitely happy with it. I need to really look at all these other items that were in the bag because there are some cute stickers - a quick way to add instant glam to any manicure.
Nailene has a "Where to Buy" located on their website. You can like them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.
You can visit Jesse's Girl on their website, Like them on Facebook and Follow them on Twitter.
Disclosure: The product[s] in this post was [were] provided to me by the company for consideration. For more information, please read this post.
I wanted a fun color to wear, so I decided to grab the Jesse's Girl Fashion Friday from the JulieG collection. This is a happy red purplish creme. I used a base of Duri Rejuvacote, 2 coats of polish and a top of CND Air Dry. Formula was smooth.
Hello sun! See what I mean about it being such a happy little creme! It's almost a throwback to an 80s fuchsia, or maybe I'm just making all that up. Works for me either way.
In the shade, this color reminds me a little of Color Club Mrs. Robinson except this is definitely not a matte finish and not as neon. Still, always good to look for twins/dupes!
Finally indoors with the flash and this is a hot color as far hitting the camera flash and just being super bright. I know I'll wear it in the future, but this is one of those where I have to be in the mood for something "loud".
The JulieG Collection is a limited edition collection available at Rite Aid stores starting Labor Day weekend and will be available online at Jesse's Girl Cosmetic's website. They retail for $3.99 each ($1 more than the original core line).
You can visit Jesse's Girl on their website, Like them on Facebook and Follow them on Twitter.
Disclosure: The product[s] in this post was [were] provided to me by the company for consideration. For more information, please read this post.
I went to 2 different Sephoras to track down the Glitter and Sparkle collection but I found it! Be-Claus I Said So is a micro and larger hexagonal red glitter in a clear base. I used a base of Duri Rejuvacote, 2 coats of polish and a top of CND Air Dry. I originally tried wearing this color alone (pinkie and ring finger) but decided it needed a good base so I used Cult Nails Quench.
Here in the sun you can see that it definitely needs a good red base coat unless you still want to look like you have weird red bumps on your nail. The coverage is more opaque looking because of the microglitter but still not okay for me.
I love how the glitter really glows in a jelly like way over the index and middle fingers. Such a pretty color even if it takes a bit of prep work to get it all pretty.
Indoors with the flash really don't do justice for this pretty color. I almost made this my Christmas manicure but at the last minute, I couldn't find where I put this bottle (since I had moved everything around!). Go figure!
You can purchase Sephora by OPI in Sephora stores or online here for $9 a bottle.
I have been obsessed with deborah lippmann's Do Ya Think I'm Sexy? since it was first spotted in mid-February 2011 during Fashion Week. The working title was "jessica rabbit", but as you know, Deborah names her polishes after songs. This is a large hexagonal glitter in a clear base.
On my pinkie and ring fingers, I have a base coat of Duri Rejuvacote, 2 coats of polish and a top of CND Air Dry. On my middle and index fingers, I've added a base of Cult Nails Quench.
Now, Deborah had said during her group interview that I was in, that all her polishes are designed as 2 coaters, so that's why I used 2 coats. Granted, I love this SO MUCH MORE over an existing red creme, because on the bare nail, it reminds me too much of a really bad case of chicken pox (sorry!). Well, really, of shingles (which I had in my early 20s).
Forget anything else, go buy this polish because of how awesome it looks in the shade. Yes. Go. Post done.
Okay fine, here's indoors with the flash - not as gorgeous, but still, I'm in love with this polish. What a way to start 2012! This is a limited edition shade, but you may still be able to pick it up in stores.
deborah lippmann [official website] sells for $18 a bottle. You can also Like her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter.
While I was trying to find a perfect red to layer some awesome upcoming red glitters, I figured that Cult Nails Quench had to be the best red in my stash. I know Maria (creator of Cult Nails) wasn't going to just put out any old red, so I was excited to finally put it on. LOOK how that bottle glows up there!
I used a base of Duri Rejuvacote, 2 coats of polish and a top of CND Air Dry. The formula was a bit sparse on the first coat, but the second coat smoothed it all out and made it super perfect. I don't know how she constantly does that with her formula, but she has consistently with all the polishes I've tried!
In the sun, this polish is hot hot hot! I finally figured out what's up with my index finger - my nail is just thin. That's why it never looks "polished" well - too thin of a nail! So I'm totally calling Quench a jelly - it's so pretty and squishy!
In the shade, this color appears a little darker, but it's really a true pigmented red - kind of like OCC's Lip Tar "NSFW". Bold and in your face!
Indoors with the flash and you can see that it's not just my index fingernail that is thin - most of them are. Duri has kept them from breaking but they are still thin. At least they aren't splitting or peeling.
If you haven't purchased Quench, what are you waiting for?
Cult Nails available in their shop for $12 a bottle or now you can purchase from Overall Beauty. You can like Cult Nails on Facebook and follow them on Twitter. Once they reach 5,000 Likes on Facebook, Maria will be offering all polishes for only $5!
I was hoping 2012 would be the year of the holos but it looks more like year of the flakies! Please enjoy the following press release from Zoya! (You can click on the images to see them larger)
Oh lookie!
I literally have 3 boxes full of polish that I have been needing to show you. I pretty much skipped every fall collection, as they are my least favorite polishes when I see them, and then when I finally put them on my nails, I like them SO much more. This has happened for three years straight. LEARN, Krystal.
Jumping back to 2011 Fall, Color Club's Back to Boho collection included this "vintage frosty gold" - Nouveau Vintage. I feel it's more of an olive with antiqued gold in it. Well, close enough, right? I used a base of CND Stickey, 2 coats of polish and a top of Color Club 0-60 Speed that was included in each 6 piece section of this collection. (PS: It didn't dry in 60 seconds for me. After 5 minutes, the polish was still dentable.)
Okay, what is this color? It's like a base of reddish brown, and then a green shimmer and a gold shimmer layered on top. But it's all in ONE color - just 2 coats of this stuff! It's like a crackle coat has been built into polish.
Even close up, I just can't pin down WHAT this color is! It's amazing!
Here in the shade, I'm just drooling. Why did I wait so long to put this on?!
Indoors with the flash shows a bit more of that red undertone as well as all the shimmer on top. I love you Nouveau Vintage.
Formula was a bit weird - not thin but a bit thick? I had to make sure my brush was wiped well before putting a coat on.
Disclosure: The product[s] in this post was [were] provided to me by the company for consideration. For more information, please read this post.
Happy New Years Eve (kinda - I mean, it's a whole 23 hours until I'm sipping champagne and watching the ball drop)! I thought I'd check out some glitters for the holiday, and realized I could post China Glaze Material Girl from the Eye Candy collection. Did anyone else think that the promo picture looked like Christina Aguilera? So this collection was duped by both Wet n Wild and Sally Hansen, but more about that later. Notice that in the bottle picture, it almost looks like there is some holographic glitter in there, but nope - it's just all pink glitter in a clear base.
I used a base coat of Duri Rejuvacote, 3 coats of polish and a top of CND Air Dry. The formula worked well but the glitter was gritty, even with the top coat.
Here in the sun, I had to think if this was Pom Pom for a minute! Nope, the pink is lighter in color but still - it works! I'm shocked at how opaque it is, despite being in a clear base. Good job ChG!
The shade is also pretty lovely. Notice the different sizes of glitter - large, small and micro.
Finally we have indoors with the flash - nothing new to say. I think this color really said Marilyn to me - that classic pink dress from her Gentlemen Prefer Blondes movie (although that was super hot pink). Don't forget your felt to remove this glitter! (I'll have a post up soon for glitter removal!)
Disclosure: The product[s] in this post was [were] provided to me by the company for consideration. For more information, please read this post.
The finale of my Miss Universe reviews is Swimsuit... Nailed It! I originally HATED this color and avoided it, especially after I heard from other bloggers that it was staining their nails. However, LOOK at this bottle shot! It almost glows! I kept thinking "Is this a DS?" (It's not, by the way.)
I used a base of Duri Rejuvacote, 2 coats of polish and a top of CND Air Dry. Formula was great.
These are my nails! I can't believe how amazing this looks. No crazy photoshop, no false nails - it's all me. I'm in love with this color, this finish, the smoothness of the polish, how insanely pretty it is!
Indirect sun - still some amazing shine and just beautiful glow to it!
In the shade, you'll note a bit of a green/red cast over my picture - this is from my red wall, sorry about that!
Finally indoors with the flash - not much to say here... the shimmer was a bit overpowered by the flash. I wore this color for a few hours and didn't have any staining of my nails, but I did have to scrub with my nail brush to get all the shimmer off. I'm shocked by this color, but definitely in a great way. I can't wait to wear this one again!
OPI is available at Professional Salons, including Beauty Brands, Beauty First, Chatters, Dillard’s, JCPenney, Pure Beauty, Regis, Trade Secret, and Ulta, for $8.50 ($10.95 CAN) suggested retail for each Nail Lacquer. Please visit their website for details [official website].
Disclosure: The product[s] in this post was [were] provided to me by the company for consideration. For more information, please read this post.
Bouncing back a bit to the JulieG Collection from Jesse's Girl Cosmetics - this is All Things Girly, a peach creme that to me, just says Julie. It's such a happy color! I had just gotten a manicure the morning before, and decided to start using Rejuvacote by Duri, religiously. It's a nail growth system that my nail tech uses every time I see her (about once a month). I used 2 coats of polish and topped it with CND Air Dry.
So, I had icky weather but there's a bit of sun out there! While this is not a neon, it is a happy bright color.
I actually prefer this color in the shade! It's a nice color that I think goes well with my skin (no lobster red hands!) Sadly, I did find the formula to be a bit streaky, although it doesn't look bad in the final pictures.
Go inside, add the flash, and my camera goes nuts. It wouldn't focus and every picture made this color look neon. I give up, but at least you can enjoy the outcome.
he JulieG Collection is a limited edition collection available at Rite Aid stores and online at Jesse's Girl Cosmetic's website. They retail for $3.99 each ($1 more than the original core line).
You can visit Jesse's Girl on their website, Like them on Facebook and Follow them on Twitter.
Disclosure: The product[s] in this post was [were] provided to me by the company for consideration. For more information, please read this post.
Going back to OPI's Miss Universe - now it's Crown Me Already! a multi-sized glitter in a clear base. Honestly, this polish looks best layered either over another color or over itself, but I didn't know that until I swatched. I used OPI Natural Nail and then put 1 coat on my pinky, 2 coats on my ring finger, 3 coats on my middle finger and finally 4 fantastic coats on my index finger. I sealed all with OPI Top Coat.
In the sun, you can see that oddly, it doesn't seem to matter if there's 1, 2 or 3 coats... it's either 1 coat or like... 4. I don't understand it, haha. The larger hexagonal glitter was a bit hard to get onto the nail but I was able to get it there eventually.
In the shade - same story. This was before I got my manicure (as you can tell) but tomorrow, you'll start to see how much my nails grew! (Sadly, these pictures are like 6 weeks old... I'm a bit behind right now).
As for this polish, I can't wear it on its own - I need it to layer. Frankly, I'd prefer to wear Servin' Up Sparkle if I wanted a glitter like OPI layering polish.
OPI is available at Professional Salons, including Beauty Brands, Beauty First, Chatters, Dillard’s, JCPenney, Pure Beauty, Regis, Trade Secret, and Ulta, for $8.50 ($10.95 CAN) suggested retail for each Nail Lacquer. Please visit their website for details [official website].
Disclosure: The product[s] in this post was [were] provided to me by the company for consideration. For more information, please read this post.
This is the polish that I've had my eye on ever since I heard of "color change" polish by Del Sol. Ruby Slipper is a silver glitter in a clear base when it's in the shade.
To test this, I put CND Brilliant White for my pinky and ring finger, China Glaze City Siren for my middle finger and a bare nail for my index finger. Then I put 3 coats of Ruby Slipper over each finger. The only finger I sealed with top coat (Seche Vite) was my pinky.
First let me show you what this color looks like when the sun hits it.
BAM. Hello red.
Over white, Ruby Slipper had more of a pink effect because the clear base is actually a red color changing effect. Over red, it just looks silver glitter mixed in. On my index finger, first I see that I sucked at polishing and got it all over my cuticle. (Oops), but it did work pretty well. I think I like this best over a red.
After being in the sun, all colors faded back to silver.
Del Sol may be ordered online for $10 a bottle with free shipping on orders over $50. You can also find stores with their Store Locator. For social media, Del Sol has a Twitter, a YouTube channel, a Google+ page and a Facebook page.
I realized that I use this color a lot but have never dedicated a post to it. CND colour Brilliant White is a core color - a nice bright white. For this, I used a base of CND Stickey, 2 coats of polish and a top of OPI Top Coat (it's all I could find at the moment).
Okay, so ignore the huge nick in my middle finger. I bumped it right when I walked out the door. Now I've had my bottle for quite some time, so I'm not sure if the formula has been affected, but I noticed that this color was a bit patchy for me. Not what you'd hope, but pretty typical for whites.
Here in the shade, the color looks a bit dusty? I think it's just the reflection of the light off my roof that I was shooting under. It's still a good base but I have to layer something over it to feel better.
Oh the flash. It tells how streaky this color is, and uneven - patchy as I explained before. I still love it and am glad I have it, but I'm still on the search for a "perfect" one coat white. :]
CND is available for $9 per colour, and $11 per effect and you can find locations to buy here.
TransDesign and Head2ToeBeauty has the colours for $4.50 and effects for $5.50.
