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OPI Couture de Minnie Collection 2013

Posted on 15 May, 2013 by Cynthia

Happy Wednesday, everyone! This is my favorite weekday since I get to sleep in and be lazy (yay to no work on Wednesday but boo to working one day on the weekend). I always tell myself that I should wake up early so I can get a lot of stuff done, but I never do. I ended up waking up around 8 and just vegged out for a while. I also went to get an eye exam because I hadn’t gotten one in over two years and I was a little worried just because my eyes have always been really finicky. Well, now I have to get my eyes dilated because a nerve looks a little “bigger” whatever that means so I’ll probably get that done next week. Other than that, they said everything looks fine and I got fitted for some contact lenses. I’ve been wearing glasses since I was 15 and then started wearing contacts at 20. Then when I got Bell’s Palsy, my eyes got even more finicky so I decided to just go back to glasses until now. I almost feel like glasses are part of my personality now, but they can be so annoying at times so I’m looking forward to the convenience of contacts. Well, now that I have complained about my bad eyesight, I have some fun swatches to share with you today. Are you ready to hear what I think about the OPI Couture de Minnie Collection?

The whole time I was using Innie Minnie Mightie Bow, I had a craving for Hot Tamales. Maybe it’s because this polish is so fiery! The formula on this polish is pretty fantastic and I could have gotten away with one thick coat, but I applied 2 thin coats here. This kind of color is one that I consider a staple because of the rich red hue, but the shimmer in this really makes it even more beautiful.

A Definite Moust-Have was really hard to photograph because it was acting like a neon. It’s definitely one of those pink leaning coral shades that have been so popular and that I can’t get enough of. The shimmer in this polish is very prominent and I love how my nails glowed in the sunlight. The formula was ok as it did feel a bit streaky in a strange way: the color was fine but it didn’t feel like it leveled out very well. The second coat helped with that so I do recommend thin coats. Once I applied my top coat, everything was peachy keen.

I was super excited about Minnie Style because I love the color combination of the glitter. It was easy to apply, but I do recommend some dabbing just because the glitter can be dragged off your nails.

Chic From Ears to Tail was a bit of my problem child when it came to application. It was very streaky in the beginning so I had to apply 3 coats. This color kind of reminds me of Pink Friday but with some pretty shimmer thrown in. Unfortunately, the shimmer is very hard to capture and it doesn’t show up very well on your nails unless the light hits them a certain way.

And just for fun, here is Minnie Style over Chic From Ears to Tail. Cute, huh?

And last but not least, here is Magazine Cover Mouse. As you may know, I am a huge Liquid Sand fan so I’m really happy to see this new addition to the line. All of the Liquid Sand polishes that I have ever used have been a breeze to apply and dry lighting fast so this one was no different. At first, this one reminded me a bit of Jinx, but obviously it’s not orange but the shimmer and shine is pretty similar.

So what do you think about this small but sweet collection? Are you a Minnie Mouse fan? Do you have a favorite from this collection that you’ll be getting? Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon!

Lupus Awareness Month

Posted on 14 May, 2013 by Cynthia

Hello everyone. I’m in a pretty great mood today since I have tomorrow off so I’ll probably be spending most of my day off swatching so many new pretties. I have about 30 new polish that are in line to be swatched so it’s a little overwhelming, but I think I’ll be able to get through everything rather quickly as long as I break it down into manageable batches. I have something special today for you: as you may or may not know, May is Lupus awareness month. Lupus? What’s that? Ok, I have to admit that I knew about Lupus since I was a teenager because I used to watch One Life To Live and Marty Saybrooke had lupus on the show so I remember looking it up to find out what it was. (For once, a trashy soap opera was actually educational!) Well, yesterday I was chit chatting with my group of lovely ladies from a Facebook group I am part of *waving at all the beauties from PWRC* and my friend Holly asked me if I could feature some purple nails in support of Lupus Awareness Month. Of course I said yes and I decided to do them right away before I get bogged down with my planned swatch-a-thons. If you don’t know what Lupus is, here is a brief description from the Mayo Clinic:

Lupus is a chronic inflammatory disease that occurs when your body’s immune system attacks your own tissues and organs. Inflammation caused by lupus can affect many different body systems — including your joints, skin, kidneys, blood cells, brain, heart and lungs.

Lupus can be difficult to diagnose because its signs and symptoms often mimic those of other ailments. The most distinctive sign of lupus — a facial rash that resembles the wings of a butterfly unfolding across both cheeks — occurs in many but not all cases of lupus.

Some people are born with a tendency toward developing lupus, which may be triggered by infections, certain drugs or even sunlight. While there’s no cure for lupus, treatments can help control symptoms.

No two cases of lupus are exactly alike. Signs and symptoms may come on suddenly or develop slowly, may be mild or severe, and may be temporary or permanent. Most people with lupus have mild disease characterized by episodes — called flares — when signs and symptoms get worse for a while, then improve or even disappear completely for a time.

The signs and symptoms of lupus that you experience will depend on which body systems are affected by the disease. The most common signs and symptoms include: Fatigue and fever, Joint pain, stiffness and swelling, Butterfly-shaped rash on the face that covers the cheeks and bridge of the nose, Skin lesions that appear or worsen with sun exposure, Fingers and toes that turn white or blue when exposed to cold or during stressful periods (Raynaud’s phenomenon), shortness of breath, Chest pain, Dry eyes, Headaches, confusion, memory loss

For all those warriors out there who struggle with Lupus, I hope that treatment options continue to improve and that maybe one day we can find a cure.

OPI Purple With A Purpose is really high up there on my list of most favorite purple polishes and that really is saying a lot considering that I regularly go on purple overload. While the formula on this seems a little thin upon the first coat application, a second coat really levels it out and gives complete coverage. Don’t tell me that you don’t like this polish because I will hurt you. Hurt you bad. I have swatched this polish on my blog before but I am kind of embarrassed because it was in my early days of blogging and the swatch is kind of atrocious. If you decide to search it out, don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Don’t ask me about the China Glaze Classic Chromes polish because I know absolutely nothing about it. hahaha! I picked it up in some random beauty supply but it wasn’t labeled or anything. I’d love to find out more about it, but I never heard back from China Glaze when I emailed them about it. Hmmmpphhffff! I used a design from Bundle Monster Plate BM-321 for the ribbon design. I really like how these turned out.

I encourage you to visit the Lupus Foundation Of America and that you sign the petition to urge congress fund more Lupus research. I truly hope that you take a moment to do this and that you learn a little bit more about this chronic disease that affects so many people around the world. Thank you so much for stopping by today!

Seche Coral

Posted on 13 May, 2013 by Cynthia

Oh emm geee…it is so hot today. When I walked out of the office today, it literally felt like I had walked into another circle of hell–my job being one of those circles, of course. I am pretty darn miserable right now because of the heat so I figured I’d share a super bright and summery polish with all of you. Despite the fact that I say that the formula on these Seche polishes is a little tricky, I get lured by their sweet siren song. The last time that I wore a Seche polish, I seriously got so many compliments about it that I could barely believe it. I guess there is something about Snapdragon that really pops against my skin tone. In fact, every time I wear hot pink anything, people notice it right away. Well, Seche Coral is another winner from the Seche polish line.

Gorgeous, right? Seche Coral is such a fiery summer shade that I totally see this as a pedicure color all summer long. I can’t complain about the formula on this polish because it was fan-freaking-tastic. It was so incredibly creamy and smooth that I was actually shocked because normally I tend to find Seche polishes a little finicky. I applied 3 very thin coats here but I could have gotten away with two regular coats. If you can’t tell yet, I absolutely love this color!!!!!!

Well, I don’t want to sound like a broken record, but I’ve had a few more people alert me to ebay sellers stealing my swatch pictures for various collections:

Are these people for real? It just feel like this has gotten out of control lately and I can’t even figure out how to report this to ebay. Ugh, these fucktards are really getting to me because doing all these swatches is really hard work. Oh well. I guess it comes with the territory of nail blogging so I’ll just have to get over it. What else can I do?

I hope that the weather is a little more bearable where you’re at. As for me, I’m going to go take a cold shower and just hope that it’s not disgustingly hot tonight so I can actually sleep comfortably. Right now it doesn’t matter that I live so close to the beach–it’s still too hot! Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon!

Clinique Hula Skirt

Posted on 12 May, 2013 by Cynthia

Have you heard that Clinique brought back their nail polish line? Well, being the insane polish hoarder that I am, I found myself at Bloomingdales this Sunday morning waiting for them to open their doors. It was kind of like those old Mervyn’s commercials: “Open, open, open”…am I aging myself here? hahaha

Anyway, I showed up an hour early so I went to do some grocery shopping to kill time. Damn the mall and Sunday hours! I always hate walking through the mall because I have such horrible self-restraint. I have been a beauty product junkie since I was 15 and I would spend all my summer job earnings at the beauty counters. In fact, Clinique was probably one of the first brands that I loved for skin care. But really, what does a 15-year old know about skin care anyway? Still, I always loved their clean packaging and got a kick out of the white lab coats that the associates wore. Today was almost like walking through a little bit of heaven wandering through all the make up counters: I had to walk by the Tom Ford, Chanel, YSL, Givenchy and Dior counters before getting to the Clinique counter so I could spaz out all over the new polish display. I didn’t really have many details about shades and sizes so I just played around with a few of the colors and settled on two. Today I am going to be sharing Clinique Hula Skirt with you.

Hula Skirt reminded me of a pale pistachio green ice cream cone so of course I had to scoop this one up immediately. The formula on this baby is pretty luscious and creamy. The first coat applied a little streaky but a second thicker coat evened it all out. The swatches above are two coats of Hula Skirt and one coat of Seche Vite. The polish does dry pretty glossy on its own, but I never go without a good top coat to protect my mani. For those of you who are concerned with 3-Free formulas, I didn’t see any information about that on their website so I’m assuming that they aren’t because that’s always a huge selling point. However, Clinique claims that the formulation of their nail polish is ideal for people with sensitive skin and eyes. I don’t know much about that since I pretty much wear anything on my nails without a reaction so I’m curious to hear from people with actual skin sensitivities to normal nail polish. Here is my beef, though: these polishes are $16 for .3oz. $16!!!!!! I would imagine that this is not a problem for someone with skin sensitivities, but that’s way too pricey for me. I would only purchase more of these if they had a truly awesome and unique color which I didn’t see in their display. Yes, the colors are pretty and the formula seems great–so far–but you can get the same colors and quality at a much lower price point.

I also wanted to share something with you which you might have seen on my Facebook page if you’re on there. I was notified by another fellow blogger that Nail Polish Direct was using my pictures from my review of the China Glaze Texture Collection on their website to sell that collection. I was infuriated and posted on their page and tweeted my indignation and demanded that they remove my pictures from their website. I know this is nothing new to our nail polish community–in fact, it’s not the first time my pictures are stolen–but there comes a point where enough is enough. For a “business” to do something like that is really sneaky and dishonest so I have no qualms putting them on blast. What ensued are the following Direct Messages from Nail Polish Direct on Twitter:

Huh? Did these messages even make sense? What I would be happy with is a public apology to me and to all the other bloggers who have had pictures stolen, but since I know I’m not going to get that, I’m happy to share what a slimey company NPD is. If they have no problems ripping off and stealing from bloggers, what can you expect from them from the customer standpoint?

So that’s my story for this weekend. I’ve been pretty busy so I haven’t had a chance to reply to comments and a bunch of emails so I’m sorry, but I promise to get right on it! Thank you so much for all the support on my FB page and on twitter. I saw a bunch of posts on NPD’s FB in support of bloggers but of course they deleted everything, but thank you anyway! Besides the picture thievery, I’ve had a pretty nice weekend so far and I hope you have had the same. Let me know what you think of this new Clinique nail polish line. Have you checked them out yet? What was the very first make-up and skin care brand that you remember falling for? Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I will talk to you later!

Essie Summer Neons 2013

Posted on 9 May, 20139 May, 2013 by Cynthia

So my life is really sucking big time lately, and it’s all due to my crappier than crap job. Have you ever had a job that literally sucks the life out of you? That’s what I’m going through right now and it seems that it just keeps getting worse and worse. I’m doing everything that I can to really continue to motivate myself so I can keep looking for something else, but even that is hard right now. It’s basically a vicious cycle where I hate my job and get really depressed and then can’t muster the motivation to look for something else. I have been sending out resumes, but I think I need to be a little more aggressive with my efforts. I just wish the job market and the economy wasn’t so bad so that there were some decent opportunities out there. Ugh…I hate that I keep talking about all my job issues because I’m sure you’re all tired of hearing about it so I hope that the next time I write about work, it will be to say that I’ve quit because I found something way better. Dare to dream, Cynthia…dare to dream. So what did I do today after a particularly horrible day? I came home to play with pretty polish. Since I was in a dark mood, I ended up finishing up my swatches for another neon offering: Essie Summer Neons 2013. Are you ready for these pretties?

The sheerest of them all is Shake Your $$ Maker. I was so excited about this color just because I love this kind of green polishes, but boy is it sheer. I applied 5 coats here–some of them thick–and you could still see VNL. Visible nail line doesn’t bother me as much as it used to, but that is a whole lotta polish on your nails and as Sweet Brown would say: Ain’t nobody got time fo’ dat!

This polish definitely gets the Cynthia seal of approval. As you already know, I love hot pink polishes so Bottle Service is right up my alley. I think this polishes was the most pigmented of them all: it looked pretty good after two coats but I applied 3 just to make sure I couldn’t see any VNL. If I had to pick a favorite from this collection, it would be Bottle Service.

You know I love me some orange polish as well, so I really liked the finished mani here. Of course this one was pretty sheer but definitely not as sheer as some of the other polishes in this collection. Saturday Disco Fever makes me think of a beautiful radioactive sunset that we see here in So Cal on particularly bad smoggy days. haha!

DJ Play That Song is another rather pigmented color. Despite me being a magenta/purple lover, this one wasn’t as interesting to me. Yes, it’s a beautiful color but I wasn’t totally in love with the color. It did however make me think of one of my favorite childhood shows: The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air.

I couldn’t find a clip of Ashley singing “Hey Mr. DJ” but this clip is from the same episode and I was snorting water out my nose when I saw Will and Carlton as back up dancers. hahahaha! Is it weird that I can still sing the whole theme song from The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air?

Boom Boom Boom is pink. Very pink. It’s a girlie neon baby pink if that makes sense. I really like this color, but I would much prefer it with a pigmented creme formula like Dior Rosy Bow which this kind of reminds me of. If you’re looking for a bright jelly pink, look no further.

Call me crazy, but I think that I may have finally had my fill of these blue polishes. Doesn’t it seem like every single new collection seems to have a version of this color lately?? Bouncer It’s Me takes the prize for the second most sheer polish from this collection. I had to apply 4 thick coats of polish here and you can still see VNL. This really is a beautiful and vibrant blue so I don’t blame you if you love it.

Before I forget, I do want to mention that these polishes are all jellies that dry to a satiny finish so I top coated them all with Seche Vite for an extra squishy look. Also remember that Essie recommends that you use Blanc as a base coat (or any other smooth white polish) which will make these colors pop and will also decrease the number of coats that you will need to get even color development. So my final thoughts is that this collections is really fun and bright–not necessarily NEON but bright. If you’re a jelly polish lover, than you will definitely like these. As for me, I am not really a jelly polish lover…give me creme polishes and I’m all over them. I do have a special fondness for crelly polishes because they are the best of both worlds. Anyway, as you can guess these are going on the blog sale so check them out before they’re gone.

Thanks so much for stopping by despite my Debbie Downer posts–I promise I’ll work on not being such a complainer because ultimately, that doesn’t get me anywhere. I must charge forward and continue on my job search before I go completely nuts. I’ll talk to you later!

Dior Rosy Bow

Posted on 7 May, 2013 by Cynthia

Hi everyone! Well, today was a rather putrid day at work so I’m just feeling completely blah. Nothing much is going on except that I am completely backed up when it comes to swatching my polishes. Just to give you an idea, this is just a small sampling of all the polishes I have lined up to be swatched.

Fun times, right? Not so much. I don’t like being so backed up so I really shouldn’t purchase so many bottles all at once, yet they are so pretty that I can’t help myself. They call out to me: “Cynthia! Buy me! Your nails need me!” And I fall for it every single time. Something sad happened to day. I got an alert last night from UPS My Choice telling me that I should expect a package to be delivered today. I was super excited since I hadn’t ordered anything recently so that meant it would be some of my favorite nail mail: PR Samples. Weeeeee! Well, look what arrived:

This is what happens when UPS thinks it’s ok to play stomp on the package. Womp womp! Oh well, I’m sad about it but there’s no use in crying over spilled polish. One bottle was completely broken and the other 3 are cracked so I decided not to mess with them because the last thing I need is to give myself a crazy cut. So after a craptacular day at work and this sad polish massacre, I decided to show you something pretty and cute: Dior Rosy Bow.

I’ve got to admit that while I definitely don’t like Dior prices ( $24 for a .33oz bottle!!), I am in love with the Dior formula and brush. There is no other brush that I love more than the Dior polish brush. It’s the perfect size, width and it fans out beautifully for even application. The formula on ever Dior polish that I have ever tried is absolutely flawless and Rosy Bow was no exception. This pink is so incredibly girlie and cute, yet I still fell in love with it. I know I’m a girl at heart no matter how much I try to deny it. hahaha!

So how has your day been? I hope it’s been better than mine. I am so glad to have tomorrow off so I can really build up my strength for Thursday’s impending shit storm. Oh well, such is life! Let me know what you think of Dior Rosy Bow. Have you tried any Dior polishes? Do you think they are worth the price? What is the most expensive bottle of nail polish that you have ever purchased? Thanks for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon!

China Glaze Hologlam Collection

Posted on 6 May, 2013 by Cynthia

So, I finally got around to swatching 4 of the polishes I picked up from the China Glaze Holofraud–err…Hologlam Collection. Ok, ok…I can admit that I was really annoyed about this collection when swatches finally came out because I was expecting some awesome holo goodness and these felt like a big letdown. Was I on crack before, or do you not remember some amazing swatch wheels floating around about this collection from last year’s Cosmoprof??? I was so excited because I still have not gotten over completely missing out on the OMG Collection which sadly pre-dates my polish obsession. Well, here I thought I was going to get my second chance but no. Waaahhh waahhh! When I started seeing all the reviews online, I just became bitter, yet still purchased 4 of these polishes. Why, you ask? Well, because I am a polish hoarder, and I just couldn’t help myself. I ended up exiling them to the back of one of my melmers until recently when I told myself that I should at least swatch them. I did swatch them, and I think I need to somewhat take back some of my vitriol against this collection. While I stand by my comments about these polishes not really having a very strong holographic effect, they are still very pretty. The formula on these was kind of spectacular. I swatched them on my bare nails and applied 2 coats and no top coat. While the formula seemed a little thin, they covered well and dried lightning fast. I’m sure you’ve seen a million and a half posts about the China Glaze Hologlam Collection, but indulge me, won’t you?

Infra Red

Not In This Galaxy

Take A Trek

When Stars Collide

Well, my final thoughts on this collection is that while they are not crazy holographic, I do like the delicate holo effect. I can imagine wearing these when I want something sparkly but not flashy a la Halo Hues or Laylas. Will I get more of these? Maybe one or two more, but I won’t die without them. What do you think about this collection? Have you tried them out yet?

Since I was so annoyed earlier today, I’m going to just share a little mini-rant with you today. I hate cell phones. I hate the fact that cell phones have completely taken over people’s lives. Why do people feel the need to ALWAYS be on their cell phones either talking or surfing the web or whatever? I seriously almost got into a car accident with some moron who was too busy talking on her phone instead of actually paying attention to the road. When I was waiting in line to pay for some stuff, the moron in front of me was talking on his cell phone so loud that I just wanted to punch him in the back of the head. And the worst is when you are with friends and they are paying more attention to their phones than to you. Seriously? When I was a teenager, cell phones weren’t that common and we survived. Why do people nowadays act like they can’t live without them? Anyway, that’s all I have to say about that. I could say more, but it’s probably wiser to leave it at that.

I hope you’re having a nice Monday, and thanks so much for stopping by today!

L.A. Girl Sand Blast

Posted on 5 May, 2013 by Cynthia

I had mentioned on Facebook that I had a bunch of new polishes to swatch, and I decided to go with these pretties that I recently picked up during one of my polish hoarding binges. I know you’re probably thinking: NOT MORE TEXTURED POLISHES!!!! However, I just couldn’t help myself because I had never tried any L.A. Girl polishes and I had seen some interesting swatches floating around on the internets. This collection has a total of 8 polishes, and I picked the 4 colors that most appealed to me. Can you believe that I actually showed some self-restraint? Anyway, let me get to the polishes and show you my swatches of the L.A. Girl Sand Blast polishes.

It was a given that I was going to pick up Sandy Beach because it’s a vibrant blue and when’s the last time I said no to a blue? This polish is super crazy pigmented and only needed two coats. I found that the formula was much nicer to work with than the China Glaze Texture polishes because it didn’t set as quickly. This is a straightforward textured polish with no sparkle to it but it does dry somewhat glossy.

I think that I was the most excited about Green Sand when I first saw the display. Again, the formula was great and it covered in two coats. The one thing I want to mention is that this polish has a glittery shimmer to it that didn’t quite show up in my pictures, but boy does it shine in the sunlight. This delicate seafoam color just totally won me over.

Glissand has the same gorgeous shimmer that doesn’t show up so well in my pictures. I have been completely obsessed with orange and coral this season so this is right up my alley. I needed 2 coats for full opacity.

And last up is Sands Of Time. This polish initially made me think of Honey Ryder from the OPI Bond Girls Liquid Sands, but this polish has chunky gold glitter that really makes it shine. This is a really beautiful polish, but I’m not so sure that I really like wearing full on gold nails.

Overall, I think these are a great little set of textured polishes. I can’t say how much longer the textured craze is going to last, but so far I’m not really tired of it yet. To tell you the truth, I had no idea where to purchase these locally until I randomly came across a display at a new beauty supply place that I visited. You are able to purchase these online, though. What do you think of these? Do you have a favorite? Thanks for the visit today, and I will talk to you soon!

LVX Spring 2013 Collection

Posted on 3 May, 20133 May, 2013 by Cynthia

Happy Friday everyone. I’m a little miserable today since it’s the upper 80’s to low 90’s so you all know how I feel about hot weather. BARF. I’m doing my best not to be in a completely foul mood but it’s hard my friends. It’s really hard. There nothing like shiny new nail polishes to put me back on the road to happiness. Ha! Today I have some swatches to share with you of a new-to-me brand: LVX. LVX–or light in Latin–is a brand that has been around for about a year, but it wasn’t until today that I got to test out their latest delicious Spring collection. So without further ado, here is the LVX Spring 2013 Collection.

You are not alone in thinking that some of these colors don’t really seem very Spring-y…but that doesn’t mean they are pretty.

First up is Fantom. For those of us who like to dabble in nail art, we are always on the quest for the perfect white polish and this one comes pretty darn close. It’s creamy, glossy and very opaque. I applied 3 thin coats for the swatches above, but I could have probably gotten away with 2 thick coats. I love this white, and I can already see myself nail arting it up posthaste!

I am still a little unsure about Citrine. It’s a pretty and unique colors, but I’m not so sure that it looks good on me. I just don’t know what to make of it. What do you think? This polish has a kind of crelly finish so I did need 3 coats for full coverage.

I think we all probably have a dupe of Azalea in our collection. It’s a nice color, but not terribly unique. What sets this one apart is the amazing formula. This polish could have been a one-coater, but I applied two out of habit. It dries glossy and gorgeous–so feminine.

Viridian…ah…Viridian! I think that every single collection out there has put out a version of this color since emerald is Pantone’s Color Of The Year. I think that this is my favorite polish of the whole collection even though I am pretty sure I have a bunch of similar colors already. It’s such a beautiful jade color that unfortunately stained my nails to high heaven. I haven’t had a polish stain my nails so badly since I used OPI Fly. Still, Viridian, I forgive you cause you’re pretty.

Before I show you my swatches of Cerulean, I wanted to show you what happened to it when I put some Seche Vite on it. What in the world? Look how streaky and chalky it turned!!! I had to go back and apply another coat of polish to hide this strange reaction.

Cerulean is also somewhat of a stainer, but it’s definitely not as bad as Viridian. You know I swoon over these gorgeous blues so I am definitely feeling this one as well. It is super pigmented so I only needed 2 coats for full opacity.

And last up is Indigo Blue. This is a color that seemed a little out of place in this collection because it screams fall to me, but I’ve never been one to follow rules so who cares? Rules? What rules?! This polish was also beyond pigmented and it looked pretty good after one coat, but I applied a second one just because that’s how I roll. I was dreading the impending staining after removal, but it was actually not bad for such a dark color.

Overall, I am very pleased with my first LVX experience. The formula on all of these polishes is rather fantastic: pigmented, smooth, glossy and incredibly easy to work with. In addition, I really loved the brush because it was very conducive to precise application, and I hardly needed to do any clean up which is always a huge plus for me. My one drawback is the price. At $16 for a .5oz bottle, they are on the pricier side. What do you think about this collection? Have you tried LVX before? I’m really interested in knowing what you think so leave me a message. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon!

Just a little bit about LVX:

LVX recognizes the importance of beauty within Fashion. LVX is a deeply devoted fashion brand providing an in-depth understanding of emerging runway trends and high fashion. Our unique color collections are meticulously selected to be the top colors of the season, and will be the perfect complement to your wardrobe. LVX is committed to creating palettes that exceed seasonal trends while maintaining a timeless essence. Our long lasting, chip resistant and non-streak formula is free of toxic and harsh chemicals. LVX products are formulated without the use of Formaldehyde, Formaldehyde Resin, DBP, Toluene, and Camphor. We are devoted to providing you with top quality, socially responsible, and vegan-friendly, luxury products without compromising quality, durability and finish.

LVX nail lacquer is cruelty free. All products are produced in the U.S.A.

To keep up with LVX news and releases, you can visit them at:

Website: http://shoplvx.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shoplvx

Twitter: https://twitter.com/shoplvx

China Glaze On The Shore Collection – Sunsational Summer 2013 Neons

Posted on 2 May, 20132 May, 2013 by Cynthia

Hey mon! Summer has hit us in Southern California and it’s hotter than a witch’s armpit today which means that we are seeing our first wildfires of the season. Fan-freaking-tastic. I guess this would be the perfect time to share with you my swatches of one of the first summer collections I’ve gotten my hands on: the China Glaze On The Shore Collection for Summer 2013. The On The Shore Collection is a 12 piece collection comprised of 6 neon jellies and 6 neon cremes. Since I am such a creme lover, I picked up 5 of the neon cremes and 3 of the jellies. Because this is pretty picture-heavy post, I am going to talk about the formula and such here before I get into the actual swatches.

First of all, I would like to say that the colors in this collection are gorgeous. I was so excited when I first started seeing the promo pics but my excitement soon fizzled once I started swatching this collection. I could cry neon tears lamenting what a disappointment the formula was for these polishes. I have to say that while the jellies behave like typical jellies (multiple coats), the cremes are the real offenders here. The creme formula is chalky, patchy and streaky and no matter how much I tried to work with them, they just didn’t want to behave. I wanted to chop my fingers off in utter disappointment and despair–yes, dramatic, but you know polish is something serious up in here. I do have to mention that I swatch all my polishes on my bare nails so maybe a good base coat could have helped? The creme polishes dry to a satiny finish and I thought I could fix them with some Seche Vite, but they just looked worse afterwards. I have no idea if the horrible application has something to do with my application technique or maybe they could have looked and behaved better with a base coat and/or a different top coat. By The time I finished swatching, I was just fed up and didn’t want to fiddle with them anymore. You can see the uneven application on my swatches below which really annoys me because I try to do my best to only put up decent swatches, but sometimes you just can’t help it.

First up are the three jellies: Heat Index, Keepin’ It Teal and You Drive Me Coconuts. All of these required 4 thick coats to get rid of the VNL. I much prefer these jelly polishes to the creme ones only because they look great at the end. You could probably avoid so many coats by applying a white polish underneath–put on your white undies, ladies!

Heat Index

Keepin’ It Teal

You Drive Me Coconuts

The following 5 polishes are all from the neon creme collection. This side of the collection had the most drool-worthy colors, but unfortunately they did not measure up. Sadness. All of these swatches are 2 thin coats and one thick coat to try to smooth them out a bit. None of them have top coat as I wanted to keep their satin finish but also wanted to avoid the weird streakiness that developed when I applied Seche Vite.

Highlight Of My Summer

Bottoms Up

That’s Shore Bright

Sun Of A Peach

Too Yacht To Handle

I don’t think I’ve been so disappointed in a collection in a long time. Wait, I’m lying. Tranzitions. Enough said. Anyway, I think I’ve made it pretty clear that I was not happy at all with these polishes. I will repeat myself in that maybe I just needed a different application technique with a base coat and maybe a different top coat. I don’t want to sour you on this collection because the colors are just so pretty that if you can get them to work, they are totally worth the effort. As for me, I just don’t have the time and patience to fiddle with them so they will be going up on my blog sale. Make sure you check it out if you’re interested in trying them out for cheap before you buy them all. Just a suggestion.

Thanks so much for visiting today, and please let me know if I’m just nuts and these have worked for you. I can’t wait until more reviews start popping up online so I can compare my experience with that of others. What do you think of these colors? Are they gorgeous enough to be worth all the extra work? Let me know! Talk to you soon.