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Of Life and Lacquer > Swatches

Dare To Wear Starstruck

Posted on 9 April, 201319 October, 2013 by Cynthia

The product featured in this post was purchased by me.

Hi there. Long time no blog. I’ve got to admit that my mind just hasn’t been on blogging much this past week. I wasn’t really going to post for a while but I have a bunch of polishes swatched that I might as well post. I didn’t want to be a total Debbie Downer so that’s why I was staying quiet, but then I realized that this is my blog and I can be a Debbie Downer if I need to be. The polish that I have to share with you today is Dare To Wear Starstruck.

When I first saw this polish, it reminded me so much of SpaRitual Meditate On This which I was super disappointed in. Unfortunately, this polish was also a little disappointing in that it’s really hard to capture the purple undertones. Don’t get me wrong–this is a really gorgeous blue, but I was definitely looking forward to the purple in this polish as well. The formula on this polish is a lot better than the SpaRitual one at a third of the price so save your moola ladies. I applied 3 coats for the swatches above, but I probably could have gotten away with 2 thick coats. Also, as an aside–even though I wasn’t really a fan of SpaRitual Meditate On This, it is a special polish to me because I got to meet one of my super duper favorite friends because she found my blog when she was looking for swatches of that polish. Love you, Lesley!

So, now about my craptastic life. I have a new development in the great battle of “Why does God hate me so much?” It’s been a fierce battle and once again, God is winning. I seem to have carpet beetles in my living room–and thankfully it doesn’t seem to be widespread yet. For those of you who are fortunate enough not to know what carpet beetles are, they are kind of like bed bugs but less disgusting as they feed off natural fibers. In the most bitter irony, the only way to really get rid of them is to clean, clean, clean. And then clean some more. If you know me well, you are probably snickering a bit about this solution. I don’t know if you’ve ever had any kind of gross bugs in your home, but I am seriously stressed out a bout it because I feel disgusting like bugs are crawling all over me–like an acid trip without the acid. I know it’s all mental, but I already am mental…like insane in the membrane mental so this is the absolute last thing that I needed at this point.

On the job front, I am still fairly miserable. I’ve been slowly trying to motivate myself to look for something else but even that is difficult to do. As much as I hate my current job, I dread the idea of jumping back into the job search process even more. The other day we had a team building type of workshop and I nearly threw up on their faces. I could not believe what they were preaching to us about passion and accountability in the workplace when they do nothing to support that kind of behavior from their employees. Maybe if they didn’t treat us like disposable property, we would be motivated to stay and enjoy our jobs and the place wouldn’t be a revolving door of hires, firings and resignations. Employers like this are just taking advantage of how bad the job market is right now. Of course I feel lucky to have a job and to be able to make a decent pay that allows me to take care of my financial obligations, but we all know how hard it is to deal with a job you hate. I have sent out a few resumes and I have gotten some responses so hopefully things start to materialize.

Anyway, that’s what has been going on with me. I really resent it when bloggers that I follow just disappear so I wanted to let you all know that I’m not planning to disappear and that I am around but probably won’t be blogging daily like in the past. I will try to post a couple of times a week just so I don’t feel so pressured and overwhelmed. I still very much enjoy blogging and interacting with all of you, but I don’t want it to become another stressor in my life. Thanks so much for continuing to visit even when I’m not posting daily.

Love ~C

The product featured in this post was purchased by me.

China Glaze Texture Collection

Posted on 3 April, 2013 by Cynthia

The products featured in this post were purchased by me.

I don’t know about you, but I suspect that the texture craze is going to go the way of crackle polishes. It seems that every brand is coming out with some sort of Texture polish nowadays, and I’m more than happy to try them all out. Today I have the latest in popcorn ceiling chic: the China Glaze Texture Collection.

The formula on these polishes is pretty great; it is incredibly easy to control and it is very opaque. I found that it was better to apply two very thin coats than to apply one thick coats. However, it is important to mention that you have to let the first coat dry before you apply the second coat or else you will drag the texture and create bald spots. The finish should be completely opaque so whenever you see some shiny spots, it’s because the texture wasn’t applied evenly. I took most of my swatch pictures too quickly because as my nails continued to dry, they became more matte. Let me show you my swatches of the China Glaze Texture Collection before I give you my final thoughts.

China Glaze Of Coarse!

China Glaze Unrefined

China Glaze Bump & Grind

China Glaze In The Rough

China Glaze Toe-tally Textured

China Glaze Itty, Bitty & Gritty

Well, I am really happy with the color selection in this collection: they are vibrant and varied. However, I do feel that they are missing the sparkle that I have seen in other collections. If you’re new to the texture craze, I do think that these are worth picking up if only to try them out. The texture feeling doesn’t really bother me as much as I thought it would. I realize that this collection seem to be very polarizing: either you love it or you hate it. I’m curious to know what you think. Will you be picking these up?

The products featured in this post were purchased by me.

Tom Ford Bitter Bitch

Posted on 1 April, 201324 September, 2017 by Cynthia

The product featured in this post was purchased by me.

Yes, you read that correctly: Tom Ford Bitter Bitch. I have been obsessing over this polish for a few reasons:

1) Tom Ford, duh!

2) Bitter Bitch…need I say more?

My first foray into the world of Tom Ford is one of my favorite fragrances, Black Orchid. Let me tell you about Black Orchid. I believe that it was the basis of the cologne described in Anchorman: Sex Panther by Odeon because 60% of the time, it works every time.

I had really been resisting picking this up because the price is kind of exorbitant. At $30 for a .41oz bottle, I figured I should not be spending such crazy money on one bottle of nail polish. However, since I’ve been having such a craptacular time lately, I decided that it was time to splurge a little. I headed over to the mall after work to pick up my own little bottle of polish heaven courtesy of Mr. Ford. I walked up to the Tom Ford Beauty counter and the following ensued:

Me: “Hi, I’m looking for a bottle of Bitter Bitch.

Employee: A little confused at first. “Excuse me? Did you say butter? Like butter london?”

Me: “No, bitter. Bitter Bitch.”

Now, this is when everything quickly went downhill. There was a woman standing at the counter sampling all the Tom Ford fragrances with her young daughter and she looked at my like I had 3 heads.

Nosy Customer: “How dare you talk to her that way? I can’t believe this. Don’t you have any respect? Can’t you see I have my 10-year-old daughter here with me?! What classless language!”

Me: “Excuse me…????”

Nosy Customer: “Yes, you heard me correctly. You need to learn some respect.”

Now, at this point, a fearsome monster emerged: Ghetto Cynthia. Yes, GC is hidden most of the time but if you are from Southern California and I tell you that I was born and raised in Santa Ana, you know that this is a very real and scary beast. At this point, the associate was looking at both of us not really knowing what to do so I quickly recovered and really let her have it.

Me: “Listen to me, you uptight bitch. Don’t speak to me that way. If you knew anything about Tom Ford, you would know that Bitter Bitch is the name of one of his most popular polishes. So you better back off unless you want a real problem.”

Nosy Customer looked at me like she wanted to punch me in the face so I said to her, “Don’t even think about it because I will beat you down right here and now.” Unfortunately, a security guard was either walking by or was called over and he pulled me aside and pretty much proceeded to blame me for the situation. The Nosy Customer was in tears, her daughter was staring at both of us and the counter associate was trying to explain to the Nosy Customer and the security guard that the polish was indeed named Bitter Bitch. Once they both realized what had happened, the Nosy Customer stormed off with her daughter and both the associate and security guard apologized to me. I grabbed my purchase and stormed off because I just didn’t want to risk going thermonuclear mad at both of them. So now that you have heard my story about what happened when I purchased Bitter Bitch, are you ready to see if it was worth all the hassle?

I have to admit that the packaging is to die for. I am always lured by gorgeous packaging and Tom Ford never disappoints in that department. It’s classy, clean and just plain sexy. Nail polish is sexy? I must be going nuts.

This is really painful for me to write, but I do not think that this polish lives up to the hype. I had really high hopes about the formula and color, but it fell flat. The polish is so sheer that I was shocked after the first coat. I ended up applying 3 coats, and I still see areas that are a little more sheer than others and it was bald patch central. I allowed a few minutes in between coats, and I still had some polish drag–what a drag. I also really wanted the color to appear more red but that’s impossible since you have to apply 3 coats. I do love the brush, though. It was perfect, soft yet firm and fans out wonderfully. I really wanted to love this, but I just don’t think that it is worth the $30 price tag. I like the color and would actually recommend the product if the formula was better. Ultimately, I am glad I satisfied my polish lust even if I paid a hefty price.

Final thoughts: Fuck you Tom Ford–literally and figuratively–for making me lust after your products. I will forgive you for this hiccup, but my patience will wear thin if you continue to disappoint me. What do you think of this polish? What is the most you have spent for a bottle of nail polish? Do you think I’m insane? I’m really curious to hear what you think so share on!

The product featured in this post was purchased by me.

Essie Resort Collection For 2013 – Swatches & Giveaway

Posted on 31 March, 201331 March, 2013 by Cynthia

The products featured in this post were purchased by me.

Ahh…happy Easter, my polished peeps. I haven’t been doing much today after my Easter brunch with the family. It was actually really nice, and I’m proud to say that I didn’t overeat to a point that I felt sick. Lately my stomach has been really sensitive–especially because of stress–so everything makes me want to vomit. Lovely, right? Anyway, I hope that you’re having a great Sunday whether you celebrate Easter or not. So what do I have for you today? I have my three picks from the Essie Resort Collection for 2013.

I decided not to get the 4th color just because I wasn’t feeling like adding ANOTHER red to my collection. I almost passed on the purple/pink one as well, but ended up getting it just because I couldn’t help myself. Before I get into the swatches, I want to mention that I had a hell of a time getting these to look nice. I am not sure if it was me or the formula. I’ve read on a few other blogs that I really trust that the formula was really great, so I don’t know what to think. It could be all me to tell you the truth. I’ve been feeling kind of blah about my blog lately to the point where I’m thinking about just stopping altogether. It takes such an enormous amount of effort and sometimes it just feels like no one even cares. Now, don’t get me wrong–I appreciate all the wonderful people who always follow, read and comment but there are just times when I feel people think this is frivolous–just nail polish, you know? Anyway, I hope it’s just a temporary slump for me. Let’s get on to the swatches!

Ok, Under Where was my absolute least favorite of the three because it is so freaking ho-hum. I mean, we just came off the Madison Ave-Hue Collection (my review here) where there were two pink/lilac/purple colors which I felt was overkill and now here is another one? Ugh…this is going to become one of those colors that I’m going to start to dislike out of pure over-saturation. The first coat of this was super streaky so I applied a second coat which caused some bald spots–most likely because I just didn’t give it enough time to set. The third coat seemed to fix it up.

Dude, First Timer took my breath away. I just love greens like this. I am wondering how this one compares to Mojito Madness which I unfortunately got rid of a while ago so if anyone has both, let me know! I’ve been thinking about re-purchasing Mojito Madness so maybe I won’t have to. The formula on this one was a little less problematic for me so two coats were sufficient for full coverage.

At first glance, In The Cab-Ana was the color that I went gaga for when I first saw the promo pics. While it is that perfect robin’s egg blue that I adore–maybe a little more turquoise than say, Illamasqua Noble. This particular polish flooded my cuticles pretty badly, but again, I think that was mostly my crappy application. I applied 3 coats for the swatches above.

Now, if you want a chance to win a mini set of all 4 colors in the Essie Resort Collection for 2013, enter using the widget below. As always, this giveaway is open internationally but make sure you know your country’s customs regulations before entering. I will not be responsible for any lost or confiscated prizes.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Also, my Nailtiques giveaway ends in one more day so make sure you enter that one too! Click here to enter. Overall, I think that I could have done without Under Where and I would have been perfectly happy with just First Timer and In The Cab-Ana. Let me know what you think of these shades–are you over the pink/purple/lilacs like me? Thanks for stopping by today and catching up.

P.S. I’ve put some of these polishes up on my blog sale since I bought back ups thinking to do a giveaway with them but I opted to by a mini set with all the colors instead.

The products featured in this post were purchased by me.

Ninja Polish Divinity

Posted on 28 March, 2013 by Cynthia

The product featured in this post was purchased by me.

I had such high hopes for today! I went in to work thinking positive thoughts and telling myself that things aren’t so bad. Well, what do you know? Work didn’t completely suck ass today! I did have to deal with a few psychos, but it wasn’t anything I couldn’t handle. By the time I got out of work, I was feeling good so I headed over to Target to buy a few things–nothing fun: toilet paper, some razors and some laundry detergent. I wanted to treat myself so I got my favorite iced triple venti non-fat caramel macchiato. Once I was done, I was putting my bags in the trunk and I placed my keys in my purse so I could hold on to my yummy Starbucks. I then proceeded to place my bags–including my purse–in the trunk of my car and closed it. I literally saw it happening in slow motion. FUUUUUUUUUCCCCCCCCCCKKKKKKKKKKK! I didn’t have my phone so it’s not like I could call anyone and even if I could borrow someone’s phone, I don’t have any phone numbers memorized. So I walked back into Target and they let me call AAA. However, AAA couldn’t help me because my wallet was stuck in the car so I couldn’t pay for a membership on the spot. I’ve been a member for a long time, but I let my membership lapse in the last year or so. Anyway, they put me in touch with another local place where they charged me $70 to unlock my car. An hour later, I was on my way home. So, how was your day? I hope not craptacular like mine. Anyway, today I’m going to show you a new pretty: Ninja Polish Divinity!

Ninja Polish Divinity is like Fantasy Fire on crack. In my opinion, this polish is way too opaque to really be used as a layering polish. I don’t have Clarins 230 but I do have Max Factor Fantasy Fire (check out previous swatches of FF here) and it’s one of those polishes that will just take your breath away. As gorgeous as FF is, it’s not really meant to be worn alone because it will need a lot of coats and it’s too small and precious to waste. Divinity is opaque at two coats which is what I applied for these swatches. I also wanted to mention that this polish dries to a satiny finish. In case you were wondering, the formula is perfection.

What a difference some top coat makes! I love how this glows and I just couldn’t stop staring at my nails.

I found it impossible to catch the color shift in this polish when I was photographing it with direct light–natural or artificial. These pictures were taken indoors with very low and indirect lighting. The gorgeous color shift is very apparent in person but my pictures just wouldn’t capture it. At least these pictures give you an idea of all the amazing colors in this polish.

Anywho, I hope you’re doing well today, and thanks so much for catching up with me today!

The product featured in this post was purchased by me.

Blues Smackdown

Posted on 27 March, 2013 by Cynthia

With all the gorgeous blues that have come out lately, the questions about possible dupes is inevitable. As a blue polish lover–and hoarder–I knew that I would cringe when I finally sat down to evaluate all the possible bright blue polish dupes. Today I chose two older and two newer blue polishes to compare. For my blues smackdown, I have the following four polishes:

Color Club Bright Night – Essie Butler Please – Kiko Electric Blue – Nails Inc. Baker Street

While all of these colors are fairly similar, I think that Color Club Bright Night and Kiko Electric Blue are dupes while Essie Butler Please and Nails Inc. Baker Street are dupes. All of these polishes have a glossy creme finish except for Color Club Bright Night which dries to a satin finish.

These are 3 other polishes that I thought might be close to these as well:

Nubar Dusk Till Dawn (I suspect it’s pretty close to Nubar Blueberry too!)

Cacee BFF Sky

And lastly, this is Essie Avenue Maintain which is NOT a dupe for any of those blues. People had asked me how close this is to Essie Butler Please, and it’s obviously not close at all.

I hope this helps some of you decide if you REALLY need certain blue polishes, but I have a sneaking suspicions that the true polish addicts won’t care. And just for the heck of it, here is my polish haul for this week. I had commented that I basically blew through my polish budget for the next few months…if I had a polish budget.

I picked up 3 of the 4 new Essie Resort Collection polishes and also got an extra set for a giveaway so be on the lookout for that. Thanks for stopping by today!

She’s Having A Baby!

Posted on 25 March, 2013 by Cynthia

No, not the Kevin Bacon movie! Today I have something special for you: I am happy to help in sharing the news that Nicole, from Polish Me, Please!, is having a baby! Let me tell you a little bit about Pregozilla–I mean Nicole. She is one the very first (maybe the first??) blogger friend that I made when I started my blog about a year and a half ago. I am so lucky to have met someone like her who is kind and hilarious while being totally snarky–we egg each other on and have a blast. So today, a few of us future “online aunties” have gotten together to do a post with baby-themed nails. Are you ready for my contribution?

To start, I painted my nails with Sinful Colors Unicorn from the Sugar Rush Collection. Every bad thing that you have heard about this polish is true. The formula is such a pain in the ass because it’s crazy streaky. I applied 4 coats here and I am still not satisfied with how it turned out. The worst part is that I love this shade of yellow but the shit-tastic formula totally ruins it.

Don’t diss my nails; it’s the thought that counts, right? I was thinking of those cute little building blocks when I did these nails. I’m super happy for Nicole, her husband and her two fur babies although I am suspecting that Minnie is going to be crazy jealous of the baby and is always going to be up in Nicole’s face for attention even more. hahaha Good luck with that, Nicole! Both Frosso and I would like to volunteer to take Bubba off her hands, though. hehehehe

Don’t forget to check out all the other baby nails from my favorite nail polish soul sistas!

Nicole http://polishmeplease.wordpress.com

Frosso http://lacquermesilly.com

Jessica http://onceuponapolish.com

Lesley https://twitter.com/misfitlesley

Siobhan http://vmoller.wordpress.com

Jindie Nails Live Out Loud

Posted on 22 March, 2013 by Cynthia

The product featured in this post was purchased by me.

Hey there peeps! It’s Friday!

Sorry I went there…I just couldn’t help myself. It’s so nice out today so it’s kind of a shocker that I’m not complaining about the weather. I would like to complain about work, but today I won’t just because even I’m getting sick of my own complaining. I’ve gotten this really great burst of energy and inspiration where I want to take care of all the messiness in my life so I’m hoping that it continues and that I don’t lose my resolve. I think that the name of this polish is very fitting for my current mental state: Jindie Nails Live Out Loud.

Shouldn’t we all Live Out Loud? The first thing that I noticed about this polish was the circle glitter. I am so completely obsessed with circle glitter so this purchase was a no brainer. I love the milky white base and how awesome do all those colors look together? It’s like I have some funfetti cake on my nails. The formula on this polish was a little sheer so you definitely will need 3 coats (or more if you apply thin coats) for full opacity.

Let me know what you think of this polish. Thanks for the visit today, and I will talk to you soon.

The product featured in this post was purchased by me.

Precision Shine, Wine N Dine

Posted on 21 March, 201316 November, 2013 by Cynthia

All products featured in this post were purchased by me.

Hello there and happy Thursday. Normally I would be all excited that it’s Thursday because one of my favorite shows, Scandal, is on tonight but since I have to go to bed so early, I won’t get to watch it until tomorrow. Double poop. Anyway, at least there will be one good thing to look forward to tomorrow. I’m really excited about the polish I’m featuring today because it’s just so dang pretty. I actually got this polish the day that stupid dog bit me–and from the shop where the dog bit me. I’m not going to let that experience taint my love for this outrageously gorgeous baby. Are you ready to see Précision Shine, Wine N Dine?

I decided to post four pictures of Précision Shine, Wine N Dine: the first two in artificial light and the second set out in direct sunlight. It’s not always possible for me to take picture in direct sunlight so I’ve been relying on my light box ever since I started working. Précision Shine, Wine N Dine is a gorgeous pink based red polish with very fine and delicate holographic particles suspended throughout the squishy jelly base. Being a jelly, it’s rather sheer so you do need 3 or more coats for complete coverage. I think that the fine holo particles really kick this polish up a notch.

Since I just received my Winstonia Store stamping plates, I was dying to try them out. Here I used Pure Ice Silver Mercedes to stamp an image from plate W113. If you’re ever looking for a perfect silver stamping polish, you have to get Silver Mercedes because it’s just perfection. Look how clear it transfers! I was also worried that the full nail images might be too small for my wide and curved nails, but the size was perfect on this image. I can’t wait to try it more of the designs and hope to have a full review of the plates for you in the near future.

Holy shiznit, that was a fun mani! I haven’t been doing much stamping lately just because I haven’t had much time, but there is also a more tragic reason: I think I may have thrown away all my stamping plates by mistake. I am hoping that maybe I put them in a box in my closet the last time I was trying to get everything organized, but I also remember that I threw out tons of stuff so I really hope I didn’t through out my stamping plates. I think I had about 100 plates altogether so that makes me want to cry. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

I bought an extra bottle of this gorgeous polish for a future giveaway. In fact, I’m hoping to reach 1,500 likes on Facebook so I can have a super fun giveaway so spread the word! I’m way behind on responding to comments lately, but I promise to get to them soon. Thanks so much for the visit today and talk to you soon!

Illamasqua Speckled

Posted on 20 March, 201320 March, 2013 by Cynthia

Well, today I have a polish to share with you that I had been seriously lusting over since I first saw the promo images. I know it’s been out for a bit now so I’m sure that you have seen plenty of swatches already, but I was still super excited to try it out. Since I’ve been a little slow lately with my polish swatching and such. So without further ado, here is Illamasqua Speckled!

There is no denying that Illamasqua Speckled is gorgeous and the formula is perfection which I have come to expect from the brand. The finish is extremely smooth and you only need two coats for full opacity. As soon as I photographed this, I had a strange feeling of déjà vu so I looked through my stash, which is no easy feat, and I realized that I already did a similar mani a few months ago. Want to see what I used?

I started with 2 coats of Cacee BFF Kim. Sorry about the greasy looking fingers–I went a little heavy with the Solar Oil.

I then applied one coat of Nubar Black Polka Dot and then topped it with one thin coat of Kim. Since I wanted the black to show up a little more, I went back and applied the thinnest coat possible of Black Polka Dot.

I think it’s pretty obvious that I am very loyal to Illamasqua, but it can be a little painful to purchase all of their newest colors when they are $14-$16 a pop. I also know that not everyone can afford those prices, so I wanted to give you a cheaper alternative. Even better, you can make every polish speckled with one bottle of Nubar Black Polka Dots. I’ve seen this polish being sold online for anywhere between $4 and $8 so that’s a pretty good deal if you ask me. And here they are side by side:

The choice is yours. Let me know what you think!

Discolsure: All products featured in this post were purchased by me. For more information, please see my disclosure policy tab here.