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Orly Satin Hues Satin Luxury

Posted on 6 October, 20136 October, 2013 by Cynthia

Hey, guess what? I had to get up at 5:00 am today so I could be at work at 6:00. I hate my life today. I know I’ve mentioned a few times how much I hate waking up in the morning, and I honestly feel that I will never be a morning person because I wake up absolutely pissed no matter how many hours I sleep. The one good thing about this is that I am in a nice air conditioned building while it is a million degrees outside. Since I had the bad break on my pointer finger, I am going to be showing you some of the swatches that were in my pending folder—thank God for previous swatching fits! Until my nail grows out (which will take about 2-3 weeks), I will be posting swatches I did pre-break. I am expecting a couple of collections in the next week so I may just buckle down and do three finger swatches because I don’t want to get crazy behind on my reviews. Tomorrow I will be posting the Essie Winter Collection so I hope that the three finger swatches don’t bother you too much. I had asked this question on my Facebook page and most people didn’t seem to care too much. Personally, I can’t stand three finger swatches (and I’ve seen two AND one finger swatches!!!) because they just seem lazy. But hey, that’s just how I feel about what I post on my blog so everyone has the right to decide what works for them on their blog.Today I’m going to show you another HTF Orly polish from their discontinued Satin Hues line. I previously reviewed Uniquely Satin and totally loved it so let’s take a look at Orly Satin Hues Satin Luxury.

While this isn’t a color that I would normally gravitate towards, Orly Satin Hues Satin Luxury is just so unique that I can’t help loving it. It wants to look frosty, but I think that the satin finish keeps it from crossing into the abyss of frost city. The application can be a little tricky because it is prone to brushstrokes so I had to try not to go over the same spot twice. Unfortunately, the formula is super thin so I needed 4 coats for full opacity. I know…I know…ain’t nobody got time for that. Well, I had time for that and I will make more time for that when I wear this polish again.

If you’re interested in getting your hands on some of these Satin Hues, you may be able to find them on evilbay for a reasonable price. If you love older polishes and enjoy the pre three free formula fumes (am I the only one?!?!?!), these are definitely worth getting. I am also a big fan of collecting older looking bottles so I do love these .75 oz Orly behemoths. Well, I hope your weekend has been better than mine….and everything starts up all over again tomorrow. Being an adult sucks. And this sums up my sentiments about growing up in general:

Talk to you later!

Marc Jacobs Secret Love

Posted on 5 October, 20135 October, 2013 by Cynthia

I don’t know where you’re located, but I just have to say that today is the absolutely worst day here because of the weather. We are having some pretty strong Santa Ana winds, it’s in the mid-90’s and dry as hell. Basically this means that my allergies are in overdrive, and I have the most horrible tension headache. What a wonderful Saturday! The only good thing is that I didn’t have to work today, and I have been catching up on The Walking Dead now that new episodes are on Netflix. Other than that, I’m super irritated; isn’t this supposed to be Fall? Today I’m sharing another polish I got when Marc Jacobs’ make up line first came out. As you may recall, I previously reviewed Blue Velvet so today I have Marc Jacobs Secret Love.

I didn’t share a bottle shot with you in my previous review so here it is. I definitely think that this bottle is kinda weird looking. Fortunately, the cap comes off so you don’t have to worry about that huge cap when trying to polish your nails. I was told that the curve line is supposed to be a “smile” which I can see, but I still find the bottles very awkward.

Labeled as an “opaque eggplant purple,” Secret Love is a nice polish although not very unique. I am sure we all have dupes of this color in our collections. All I have to say is that I am a sucker for cremes and this really is a lovely creme. It’s so incredibly glossy and smooth!! The formula was nice but I did find it very easy to create bald spots so make sure that you give your first coat a few minutes to set before you apply the second.

So, uhm, yes I like this polish but don’t like the price tag.j I don’t see myself purchasing anymore polishes from this line unless they come out with new colors that are unique and warrant the $18 price. If you’re interested in checking out the Marc Jacobs Enamored Hi-Shine Nail Lacquer line, you can head on over to your local Sephora or sephora.com for details. I hope that you’re having a nice weekend, and I will talk to you soon!

P.S. I added a lot of new stuff to my blog sale so check it out!

OPI Miss Universe Collection 2013

Posted on 3 October, 20133 October, 2013 by Cynthia

I’ve never been one to really be interested in pageants and such, but I give those women props because I do think it takes a lot to go through that whole process. It’s sad that what I tend to remember from pageants is the following:

Poor Miss South Carolina! Anyway, today I have the OPI Miss Universe Collection which is a lovely trio made up of 2 cremes (CREMES!!!!!!!) and one metallic polish. Let me show you the shades and let you know what I think of them.

Love, love, love!!! OPI I’m Feeling Sashy is a gorgeous plum/purple creme with a dusty quality to it that really gives it a unique look. It’s so creamy and glossy that I can barely contain my glee. I do really love this color, and it applied like a dream. I applied 2 coats for the swatches above.

OPI Miss You-niverse is one of those gorgeous dark fall colors that should be a staple. The formula on this one was pretty nice as well and it is almost a one coater. It’s so inky and shiny!

When I first saw OPI This Gown Needs A Crown, I groaned because I thought to myself: not another metallic! You don’t even know how much I hate metallics. Anyway, this is a very unique polish. It’s not really a metallic as it applies like a glitter but dries to a satin finish. It’s a strange polish at first but boy did it grow on me! The formula is a little thin so I used 3 thin coats for full coverage.

I’m really pleased with this fun little trio! What do you think? Are these colors you’re interested in? Thanks so much for the visit today!

MISS UNIVERSE nail lacquers each feature OPI’s exclusive ProWide^™ Brush for the ultimate in application. This Gown Needs a Crown features a satin finish and should be worn without top coat for best results. These shades will be available October 2013, at Professional Salons, including Beauty Brands, Beauty First, Chatters, Dillard’s, jcp Salons, Pure Beauty, Regis, Trade Secret, ULTA and ulta.com for $9.00 ($10.95 CAN) suggested retail for each nail lacquer. For more information, please call 800-341-9999 or visit www.opi.com. Follow OPI on Twitter @OPI_PRODUCTS and become a Facebook fan!

China Glaze Monsters Ball Collection – Halloween 2013

Posted on 2 October, 20132 October, 2013 by Cynthia

I’m kind of a Halloween nut. It’s not that it brings back memories of eating pounds of candy in one night, well, maybe just a little, but I just love how crazy everyone gets during Halloween. I love the elaborate make up and am always amused by women who think it’s the perfect day to slut up any kind of uniform and call it a costume. I always look forward to the Halloween collections so I was super excited about getting my hands on the China Glaze Monsters Ball Collection. The collection is made up of 5 polishes and a glow in the dark top coat which I wasn’t interested in. Let’s take a look at my swatches, shall we?

Holy Toledo, I love China Glaze Bat My Eyes because it is just so shiny and gorgeous. The formula is great as it is thick and applies easily. I needed two coat for full opacity and the glitter covers very well. I think that this is my favorite polish from the entire collection.

If you like flaky type polishes, then China Glaze Howl You Doin’ is going to be one that you enjoy. The formula was nice but a little thick so I had to apply thin coats unless I wanted a gummy mess on my hands. I started out applying 3 thin coats, but 2 thick coats work just as well. My pictures don’t show just how gorgeous this polish is.

China Glaze Fang-tastic is a glitter topper which could be used on its own, but it would take a lot of patience to try apply the glitter evenly. I applied 1 coat of this glitter over Essie Bobbing for Baubles for my swatches above

China Glaze Boo-gie Down is a fun mix of white, black and bronze glitters. I am not a huge fan of anything with bar glitter, but I think this looks pretty awesome.

I know that this polish is going to be very polarizing, and as far as I’m concerned China Glaze Bump In The Night is a win. I love how it has a leather-y look to it. I think that most people will say that without sparkle, textured polishes are pretty boring. For the most part I tend to agree, but I am really diggin’ this one.

So, what do you think? Personally, I am very happy with this little collection especially after the disappointment I experienced with the HoliGlaze Collection (ick!). A few people have mentioned seeing this collection at Ulta already and I’m sure Sally Beauty will be getting it sometime next year–as usual. Do you have a favorite from this collection? Are you planning something fun for Halloween? Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon!

P.S. Check my blog sale! (ha!)

China Glaze Happy HoliGlaze Collection

Posted on 30 September, 201330 September, 2013 by Cynthia

Are you one of those people who enjoy the holidays and can’t wait for Christmas? I’m not! I actually get annoyed by the craziness of the holidays, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t enjoy the awesome glitterfests that are presented to us. I was super excited about getting these early-ish so I spent wayyyyy too much time Sunday afternoon swatching the 12 piece China Glaze Happy Holiglaze Collection. This collection can be broken up into three main parts: the metallics/fouls—err…foils (Freudian Slip!), the fine glitters and the chunky glitters (including one textured polish). In each section, the polishes had pretty identical formulas so I won’t be discussing each polish individually but will offer my thoughts at the end of each section. Let the holiday swatchfest begin!

China Glaze All Wrapped Up

China Glaze Put A Bow On It

China Glaze This Is Tree-mendous

Out of the whole collection, these are my three favorites. I just love fine glitter even though it is a pain in the butt to remove without ending up with glitter in your arms, face, ears…etc. These were a little challenging to apply because I felt that if I didn’t stir, shake, roll the polish every time I dipped my brush into the bottle, I got a bunch of clear base with very little glitter. These glitters are just so pretty and sparkly! I applied 3 coats of glitter to make sure that I got complete coverage.

China Glaze So Blue Without You

China Glaze Mingle With Kringle

China Glaze Elfin’ Around

China Glaze Just Be-claws

China Glaze Santa Red My List

It’s no secret that I hate foils and metallic polishes. I don’t know what it is about that finish that makes me want to stab someone. In this case, I just want to stab Santa. This reminds me of a little of something that happened this weekend. My friend Lesley and I were polish shopping and we ended up at Nordstrom after our Sephora trip. I saw these really awesome Estee Lauder Metallic polishes and the following ensued:
Me: “OMG, I want them!” (Imagine me saying this both longingly and very whiney)
Lesley: “But you hate metallics…”
Me: “Oh yeah.”
And I totally walked away at this point. Why did someone have to remind me that I don’t like metallics? Why is the allure of pretty new polishes so strong? I guess that is a true hoarder reaction. Ok, now let’s get back to the foil polishes in this collection. I abhor metallics/foils. This is just my personal preference which is not going to affect what I have to say about the polishes themselves: they are nice. The colors are festive hues but aren’t just Christmas-y so I can see people getting a lot of good use out of them. In addition, the formula on these is pretty great: it’s easy to control, smooth and opaque. If you’re careful with your application, these could be one coaters, but I applied two coats for all of my swatches above. I also wanted to let you know that it is VERY important to let the first coat set and dry a few minutes before you apply a second coats—otherwise you will have a lumpy mess when you drag some of the polish off.

China Glaze Bells Will be Blinging over So Blue Without You

China Glaze Your Present Required over Mingle With Kringle

China Glaze Be Merry, Be Bright over Santa Red My List

I consider these three polishes glitter top coats. I wouldn’t really wear them on their own just because it would be kind of annoying and time consuming to push around the glitter to make sure you had complete coverage and ain’t nobody got time for that! Out of these three, I am seriously loving Your Present Required. They are all pretty, though…even the one with bar glitter (ick!).

China Glaze There’s Snow One Like You

And lastly, this is the polish I knew I would love to hate: There’s Snow One Like You. There aren’t enough words to say how horrid this polish is. Look at it: it’s lumpy and gross. Basically it looks like the Abominable Snowman took a dump on my nails. This is one of those polishes that I had to get just to satisfy my morbid curiosity so call me satisfied and horrified.

So what do I think about this collection overall? If I liked metallic/foil polishes, I think I would like this collection overall. However, being that there isn’t a single crème in this collection (the horror!) and I HATE foils, I can’t say that I like it. The three fine glitters are so pretty and sparkly so I definitely approve of those. Now, for the love of God, do not get There’s Snow One Like you unless you just want to confirm with your own eyes what an abomination this polish is. In fact, I think this is the same exact finish as those horrid Nails Inc. Beaded Polishes—they were horrid when Nails Inc. did them and it is just as horrid now. Just say no. I think this collection will be available sometime in October, but I’m not 100% sure. Unsurprisingly, this collection is up on my blog sale so check it out if you’re interested. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon!

Pure Ice The Art Of Nail Noir Collection – Fall 2013

Posted on 25 September, 2013 by Cynthia

Remember how Fall started? Well, apparently California didn’t get the memo because I feel like it’s still way too hot. I actually get in a crappy mood when it’s hot so of course I’ve been irritated. The only thing that I’ve been happy about is all the delicious Fall polishes. Have I told you how much I love Fall collections? This year I am somewhat disappointed by all the icky foil and metallic finish polishes, but there are still plenty of other gorgeous shades to keep me entertained. Oh, before I forget: in case you don’t follow me on youtwitfacearest, I updated my blog sale with a bunch of stuff so check it out. I need to destash because my room is being overrun by polish…and my living room as well. I can totally see myself on a future episode of Hoarders with mounds of nail polish cluttering every room in my apartment. Scary thought or dream come true? Now, moving on to today’s pretties, I have two beautiful polishes from the Pure Ice The Art of Nail Noir Collection.

First up is Pure Ice All Night Long. OH MY GLOB. Yes, this is gorgeous but we’ve seen so many similar polishes this Fall! Hey, I’m not complaining because if you are on a budget, this one is the way to go. I am planning to do a shimmery blues smackdown post later this week so you can see what I’m talking about. The formula on this polish was a little thin, but it builds up very nicely. I applied 3 thin coats here and the finish was just beautiful. Best of all, this didn’t stain at all despite how dark and pigmented the polish is.

Don’t you just love polishes that give you the impression that they are glowing? Pure Ice No Means No has that glowing quality about it. This color reminds me a lot of OPI Purple With A Purpose which is one of my favorite purples EVER. Formula was thin but nice so nothing bad to report except that I didn’t want to take this off.

The Art Of Nail Noir Collection has 4 awesome shades:

Not Now – Forest Green Shimmer Finish
No Means No – Royal Purple Shimmer
Iced Merlot – Oxblood Red with metallic shimmer
All Night Long – Navy Blue Pearl

Not Now will be mine…because who in their right mind can resist an awesome green?? All Pure Ice nail enamels are free of formaldehyde, toluene and DBP. Retailing at only $1.99, Pure Ice nail enamels are available at Walmart.com & Walmart stores nationwide. For more information, please visit Pure Ice on their website, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I will catch you on the flippity flip.

Dior Galaxie

Posted on 23 September, 2013 by Cynthia

Well hello there! I’ve been a little neglectful with my posting schedule so I haven’t been around much–primarily because it was my birthday this past Sunday. Suck it, 34! Everything was pretty low key and I didn’t do much except go to dinner with the family. Today I spent the day with my bestie, Daniel, so we went shopping and completely pigged out on seafood as you will see below. I dragged him with me to Sephora because I wanted to buy one birthday polish. He was helping me pick out the color but I already had so many of the ones that he recommended that I just ended up grabbing one from the Dior section. Let’s take a look at Dior Galaxie.

I definitely have a soft spot for Dior, so much so that I don’t even care how dupable this color is. Yes, it’s pretty but not so pretty that you should run out and pay $24 for this polish–especially if you have something similar already. Dior Galaxie is one of the two polishes from the Mystic Metallics Collection for Fall 2013. The other polish was a big no for me because it’s metallic and brush stroke-y. Ick. The formula on Galaxie is full of the usual Dior deliciousness: super opaque, creamy and very easy to control. The one thing I didn’t like is that it dries rather dull, but a good top coat will fix that right up.

Now…let me show you the seafood destruction that ensued:

This was an eat all the things moment. This is what 1 lb of crawfish, 1lb of shrimp, 1lb of sausages, rice and chowder looks like. Yes, we ate all of this. Yes, it was just the two of us. Yes, we are disgusting but damn it was good even though I know I am going to be paying for this for the next few days. My stomach is already laughing at me. Instead of screaming “Exterminate!” the Daleks in my bowels will be chanting:

All in all, I think I had a pretty kick ass birthday. You may be surprised that I only bought one polish for my birthday, but that’s only because I am saving up all my repressed polish urges that will be unleashed this weekend. Yep, Lesley will be in town and we are going to GO TO TOWN. Polish Mecca round 2 is coming up. Let’s hope we both make it out in one piece. I’ll keep you updated.

Color Club Girl About Town Collection

Posted on 19 September, 201319 September, 2013 by Cynthia

Sweet baby Jesus, every time I think that things are going well, I get socked in the face with a studded glove. All I have to say is that I am so looking forward to tomorrow being over so that I can start my three day weekend. I’m excited because on Saturday morning I’m going to a Baby Shower Brunch for my sister-in-law. I don’t think I’ve mentioned it too much on my blog, but I am going to be a first time aunt in November. Little Vincent is due in early November so I am seriously psyched because I am going to have the opportunity to spoil that little kid rotten and then let his parents deal with him. Muawhahahaha. They are still trying to pick his middle name and they are looking for a very Austrian middle name since my sil is from Austria. I personally think they should call him Wolfgang so I can call him Wolfie for the rest of his life. Evil, right? I actually do like the name Wolfgang, but it’s not really up to me. I kind of gave up on trying to name the kid since they kept saying no to naming him Alfie…

Anyway, I have a bone to pick with Color Club. I found it IMPOSSIBLE to find the rest of this collection. As a rule, I don’t purchase polish online because I am cheap and refuse to pay for shipping. Since they sent me two polishes from the Color Club Girl About Town Collection, I wanted to get the rest so I could do a full collection swatch post, but the other 4 polishes remain elusive. Not only that, but the other two polishes that they sent me from the Ruby Wing Collection perished during transit. Womp womp. Now that I have gotten a chance to try these two polishes out, I really wish I could find the others. Anyway, let me show you the beauty of Silver Lake and Williamsburg.

When I first saw Color Club Silver Lake, I was already anticipating loving it because I love white polishes overall. I always approach whites with a lot of caution because I just don’t know how they are going to apply. (I just realized that sentence sounded racially iffy!) The first coat of Silver Lake was pretty streaky, so I applied 2 more thin coats and that gave me pretty good results. I love the kind of gray white look of this polish because it doesn’t look chalky or harsh–in fact it looks creamy and delicious. Fross0 from Lacquer Me Silly did a comparison post between Silver Lake and My Boyfriend Scales Walls so check that out!

Color Club Williamsburg is breathtakingly beautiful. This polish has such a complex look because of that gorgeous shimmer and peeks out when you least expect it. I’ve noticed quite a few similar polishes coming out this fall so I’m planning another smackdown post. Do I love this? Yes! Best of all, it did not stain and I only needed two coats.

I think I am giving up on trying to find the rest of this collection locally. To be honest, I don’t REALLY want the rest of the polishes in this collection because the collection overall seems very disjointed–like there is nothing tying all the polishes together. I think that individually the polishes are very pretty, but they do not look like a cohesive Fall collection. If you want to stay up to date on all Color Club news, make sure that you follow them on their website, Facebook and Twitter. Thanks so much for stopping by, and I will talk to you soon!

The Devil Wears Polish Part 2

Posted on 18 September, 201318 September, 2013 by Cynthia

I’m super duper excited that tomorrow is Thursday because that means that my weekend is ALMOST here. Wooot! I don’t know what kind of trouble I’ll be getting into this weekend since Sunday is my birthday so I guess I’ll be doing birthday stuff . And by birthday stuff I mean crying in a corner because I am entering my mid-30’s, getting totally drunk and/or buying a billion polishes because there’s no better excuse than my birthday to go completely nuts. I’m only kidding! Of course I can’t buy A BILLION polishes, but watch me try!

I am so glad that I did a bunch of swatching last weekend because who knows when I will have time to do more. I’m super glad that I finally got a chance to swatch the last two polishes that Tami sent to me. Have you guys gotten a chance to check out all her creations? Well if you haven’t you better do it soon because she did a lot of reformulations (drooling over the new holos!!!) and will have new collections coming out. Let’s take a look at Get Your Pop Rocks Off and Nice Melons.

The Devil Wears Polish Get Your Pop Rocks Off is a fun yellow based polish with various sized circle glitter. It can be very difficult to get the bigger glitter on your nails but I kind of like the sparse large glitter. The formula feels a little sheer so you will need 3-4 coats for full coverage. Is it just me or does this remind you of marshmallow peeps?

The Devil Wears Polish Nice Melons reminds me of kiwis! Well, except for the pink squares.hehe This polish is my favorite of the two but it has a very interesting finish. Without topcoat, it feels very meal-y. Almost like gritty and bumpy but it does get smooth with a nice top coat. I needed 3 coats of this polish for complete coverage.

Let me know what you think of these polishes. Better yet, make sure that you follow Tami and The Devil Wears Polish on her shop, blog and facebook. Thanks so much for stopping by today and I will talk to you soon.

Orly Satin Hues Uniquely Satin

Posted on 17 September, 201317 September, 2013 by Cynthia

I am on weather cloud 9 today. It has been an absolutely gorgeous day so I really have nothing to complain about. I had a pretty nice day so I’m trying to keep the good vibes going at least until the end of the week so I can really have a fun weekend. I’m not feeling super talky today so I’m just going to jump right into the polish talk. You may remember that about a month or so ago, I went on a polish shopping binge with Lesley. One of the places we went to was this massive warehouse that had so much polish I thought I was going to have a heart attack brought on by pure polish awesomeness. I am always drawn to old polishes so I had 5 shits when I saw a bunch of Orly Satin Hues. I already have a few that I love but had resigned myself to not having other colors. Well color me obsessed because I was able to add two more colors to my collection. Let’s take a look at Orly Satin Hues Uniquely Satin.

Yes, this needed 3 pictures. I had about 10 pictures, but I figured that would be overkill. I was actually surprised by how much I liked this polish since I am such a fan of glossy and shiny cremes, but seriously: look at it and drool along with me. I felt it would be sacrilegious to topcoat this baby because the beautiful satin finish is what these polishes are all about. Orly Satin Hues Uniquely Satin is a very VERY sheer polish so I needed 4 coats for complete coverage, and I can honestly say that I would gladly do 4 coats again for a polish this lovely. The good part is that these bottles are so ginormous at .75 fl oz that you don’t have to worry about running out.

Let me know what you think about this polish: do you think it’s swoon-worthy? I seriously can’t wait to wear it again! Thanks so much for the visit, and I will talk to you later.

P.S. I put up a bunch of stuff on my blog sale so take a peek here.