Month: February 2012

China Glaze & Hunger Games: Colours From The Capitol Swatches

I think it is abundantly clear how much I was anticipating this collection: I was drooling like Pavlov’s dogs whenever I heard China Glaze and Hunger Games used in the same sentence. When I finally got the whole collection, I was so excited to start playing with all the colors. Without further ado…here are the swatches. Enjoy!

Agro is a dark olive green. It’s shimmery and absolutely gorgeous.  This is the kind of color that I need in my collection because how many purples can a person possibly need? A MILLION!!!!! I can’t wait to do some crazy stuff with this color.

 

 

Dress Me Up is a very soft and demure color. It makes me think of how Cinna dressed up Katniss to be super girlie and pretty. This is a pretty, creamy color that I am sure I will use often. It’s work appropriate for sure.

 

 

Electrify is just a gold and red glitter. There’s not much to say about this. Personally I am not a big fan of glitter. It has to be really unique in order for me to like it so I don’t find this exciting at all. I only applied 2 coats and I’m sure it would take another 2 coats to completely coat my nails. I can see myself layering this on top of another color instead of wearing it on its own. This is kinda like Twinkle Lights minus the green.

 

 

Fast Track is pretty…kind of like Classic Camel. This looks great in direct sunlight. Wearing it would make me feel like I’m age appropriate unlike other glitter explosions. Again, the formula was great.

 

 

I hate Foie Gras…not the polish, but the food. I really find it gross. There really isn’t anything that excites me about this color. It’s slightly purple and brown in the vein of Metro Chic. I like those dusty brown/purple polishes but haven’t we had enough of them already?

 

 

Harvest Moon  is one of the polishes I was excited about when I first saw the promo pictures. It’s a coppery shimmer dream that glides onto the nail. I like it. I like it a lot. I know you were thinking of this when you read that:

Oh, you weren’t? Well, whatever. The color is awesome and I don’t care what you think!

 

 

Hook And Line is what Color Club Boho Mojo could have been. This was definitely not as difficult to apply as Boho Mojo but it’s still frosty…Frosty…FROSTY! I kind of hate frosty colors but sometimes wear them anyway because I’m psycho that way. I can deal with this color and it might even grow on me after a while. It was freaky streaky when I first applied it but it looked better once it started to dry.

 

 

Luxe And Lush is made to be a topcoat. I don’t have anything that looks like this so I’ll definitely be experimenting with it. I kind of like the way it looks on it’s own. It remind me of broken glass…feels just like I’m walking on broken glass. Ah, Annie Lennox you evil bitch. Every time I think of her album Diva I just want to jump off a bridge. That song and Why? just wreck me. Anyway, yeah…me likey the polish.

 

 

I don’t really know how I feel about Mahogany Magic. It’s another one of those colors that I call inspired by baby poop. It’s just kinda gross but it could grow on me. I meant the polish, not the baby turds. The formula was divine on this one as well.

 

 

Riveting! Hello, goygeous! I freaking love this one so hard. First of all, I’m all into oranges this season and this one does not disappoint. I don’t know why I keep thinking of Orange Jell-o when I look at this. It had a perfect formula as well.

 

 

Smoke And Ashes is such a dark color that looks green, blue and black all at once. I had one heck of a time taking a decent picture of this color so it was super annoying. I like how cold this color seems…if that makes sense.

 

 

Stone Cold is a matter dream. I have a few matte polishes and they are always so incredibly hard to work with. You have to work super fast or else it gets goopy and then your nails look like a hot mess. This looked perfect with one coat. I will not defile this polish by adding a coat of Seche Vite.

 

So what do I think about this collection? I like it. I’m not gonna lie and say that my love of  The Hunger Games didn’t make me obsess about getting my hands on this collection. Overall, there are some colors that I would pass on such as: Mahogany Magic, Hook and Line, Foie Gras and Electrify. If you have similar colors, I would also pass on Dress Me up and Luxe and Lush. The other six polishes are right up my alley, and I love them. Why do so many collections have to keep popping ? Damn you, China Glaze! So what do you think? What colors are you going to get, if any? Let me know! It makes my day to hear about what other nail polish freaks want to get. Sad, right?

Laura Geller Creme Couture Lipsticks Review

Today I bring you another installment of the lipstick chronicles. Laura Geller is not a brand that I would say is one of my favorites, but I do think that they put out some quality products. I first came across this brand at Sephora but they unfortunately no longer carry the line. I was able to purchase a few items before the line was discontinued which included a handful of lipsticks, eye shadows and eyeliners. I find Laura Geller lipsticks incredibly creamy. It’s like they melt on your lips…even the matte shades which is surprising. Sometimes matte shades are very drying but these are so soft. They have a minty taste to them which not everyone will like, but it doesn’t bother me much. I am very satisfied with the pigmentation and the wear. They usually last about 4-6 hours on my lips without having to touch up.

 

Creme Nude

Mocha Rose

 

Mocha Mauve

 

On Stage

 

Bordeaux

 

I haven’t purchased any other Laura Geller products but I would still recommend them. I think the prices vary depending on where you purchase these lipsticks but the retail price is around $18 each. You can find Laura Geller Cosmetics on QVC and Ulta.

I’ve Hit The Motherload!

Not satisfied with my Sally Hansen loot, I decided to call up my go-to beauty supply store to hound them again about when they are going to get the China Glaze Hunger Games Collection. They know my voice by now…oh yes, they do. They hear it in their nightmares ever since I bugged them about the Nicki Minaj and Holland collections. Well, guess what?

I wanted to steal the display. I was so excited that I was sweating like a whore in church…or maybe that was just my blood sugar? Anyway, I was super happy when they told me they had just received the collection. I jumped in my car and confronted rush hour traffic.

How awesome is the model on the display? She’s wearing some of those paper eyelashes that I was tempted to try but I couldn’t swallow the price…for paper eyelashes! Maybe I can start dressing like Effie Trinket in every day life. How about that?

Now I am itching to wear all these colors and I want to re-read the three books even though I just finished them. Are you looking forward to The Hunger Games movie? I am!!!!!

Which color grabs your attention the most? Oh, and please rest assured, my beauty supply store friends. You won’t hear from me for a while or until the next “can’t wait to get my hands on collection.”  So I’ll call you next week.

Sally Hansen Virgin

Ok, I admit that I have never tried any Sally Hansen nail polishes. I use a lot of their other nail products like my holy grail of cuticle removers: Problem Cuticle Remover with aloe vera. It’s fantastic and cleans up my gross cuticles instantly.  Today I was perusing through all the cosmetics at Rite-Aid (no, I was not looking at the Revlon Colorburst Lip Butters…no!) and I saw that a lot of their Sally Hansen nail polishes were on sale…most at 75% off! Well, who am I to say no to a sale especially when nail polish is involved?  So I gravitated to the HD polishes display and ended up picking up 4 of those and 1 of the Diamond Strength polishes.

Oooooohhhhh shinny…..ooooohhhhh pretty! The three middle shades are duochrome so I can’t wait to try them out. The formula seems a little sheer so I don’t know how that’s going to work out.  It might be interesting to layer them over other colors. I want to swatch them now but I don’t want to take off my Konadicure from yesterday. I’m still in love with it.

I ended up paying under $10 for all of these so for the price, I will make them work! I’ll swatch them soon so check back.

Rainy Day Konadicure

I noticed today that I haven’t been giving my Konad plates much love lately so I picked a design from one of the plates I ordered recently. Then I had to decide what colors to use. What a dilemma. Well, I ended up using OPI’s Yoga-ta Get This Blue! with Konad’s special white polish.

First of all, I’ve got to show you how gorgeous Yoga-ta Get This Blue! is. It’s dark blue and shimmery and one of those perfect formula polishes. This is definitely the star of OPI’s India Collection from Spring 2008.

 

And here it is with a designe from the M79 Konad plate:

 

I’m really diggin’ this combination and strangely it suits my mood with all this rain outside. Weird.

Wen – Starting Out

Dear Wen,

I really hope that you live up to all your promises. Every time I see Chaz Dean’s freaky funky face during my late night insomnia infomercial sessions, I keep wondering if you’re really worth the price. Granted I have spent a small fortune trying to figure out what shampoo will work best for my hair but you are kinda pricey so if you don’t work, I’ll be super pissed off.

Thanks,

Crazy Hair Girl

So, I got my first shipment of Wen today which I wasn’t expecting. I had really been interested in getting it but I always found it too pricey. Well, when I saw an ad for it on Swagbucks, I decided to go ahead and do it. In case you’ve never heard of Swagbucks, it is this awesome online search engine where you can earn Swagbucks that you can then redeem for various prizes. I always end up redeeming my points for Amazon Gift Cards or Paypal. It really is a lot more than just a search engine and you can earn points by taking polls, filling out surveys, watching videos and so much more. I’ve actually earned a few hundred dollars in gift cards since I started using it. There really is no catch! If you’d like to check it out and join, you can use my link: http://www.swagbucks.com/refer/ArtemisAgrotera

So the main reason I decided to order it was because Swagbucks was offering 1,200 Swagbucks for trying out Wen. (1,200sb is almost enough for $15 in amazon gift cards.)  The kit came with the cleansing conditioner, their deep treatment, a wide-toothed comb and two free gifts for $29.99 + free shipping. Pretty cool! This is what came today:

I wanted to use it immediately so I jumped in the shower. I have very short hair (I’ve been sporting a sort of pixie cut for the last 8 months) but it’s very fine, thin and oily. I tend to wash my hair every day…sometimes more than once. Whenever I hear people wash their hair every other day or every two days, I gag. I’m glad they can get away with that but if I tried it, my head would be a grease ball.

I also have a lot of issues with scents so I was worried if it would end up giving me a headache. The scent was not overpowering but it did smell medicinal. Gross. I followed the directions and then proceeded to rinse out my hair thoroughly. I was surprised that my hair actually felt squeaky clean and that the scent went away. Now that my hair is dry, it feels incredibly soft, and it is super manageable which never happens with my hair.

This really isn’t a review yet since I just tried it today. I will be sure to post more info at the first week mark. I really hope this works for my hair!

Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Intense Review

I am a huge Make Up Forever fan. I think they have some of the best products out there and they make my favorite foundation: HD Invisible Cover Foundation. MUFE states that their line of Rouge Artist Intense lipsticks are formulated with 50% more pigment than traditional lipsticks and come in three finishes: matte, pearly and satin. I much prefer the matte finishes because they are so smooth, buttery and super pigmented. I get about 6-7 hours of wear on these lipsticks which is great. Even after they wear off, they leave color behind on your lips. These lipsticks retail for $19, and I have purchased all of mine from Sephora’s MUFE Studio.

 

 

MUFE Rouge Artist Intense #9

 

MUFE Rouge Artist Intense #10

 

MUFE Rouge Artist Intense #11

 

MUFE Rouge Artist Intense #13

 

MUFE Rouge Artist Intense #15

 

MUFE Rouge Artist Intense #18

 

MUFE Rouge Artist Intense #24

 

MUFE Rouge Artist Intense #29

 

MUFE Rouge Artist Intense #36

 

Are you a Make Up For Ever fan?

Too Faced Lip Of Luxury Review

Too Faced is one of those brands that I feel goes all out for the packaging and sometimes doesn’t deliver on the actual product.  Having said that, I think that their line of lipsticks comes in adorable packaging and the quality is very good. Too Faced claims that their Lip of Luxury line is ” luxurious, long-wearing, come in 18 shimmering, sparkling and classic matte shades with serious staying power. Drenched in shea butter, rich color, and diamond shine, our exclusive silky smooth formula smoothes out fine lines and creases while it pampers your lips with a flavorful moisture surge of pure champagne essences. ”

I have personally heard people complain about the taste of these lipsticks but I actually like it. The one thing I don’t like in these–or any lipsticks–is how gritty the shimmery shades feel. I hate rubbing my lips together and feeling like there is a brillo pad between my lips. The color pay-off on the shades I have is great and they last maybe 4-5 hours on me–less if I am eating and drinking.

Totally Nude

Cougar

Living In Sin

Drop Dead Red

Too Faced’s Lip of Luxury line can be found at Toofaced.com, Sephora, Sephora.com, Ulta and Ulta.com. These lipsticks retail for $20 each but you can sometimes get a discount on the Too Faced website since they tend to run promotions once in a while. Are these lipsticks worth $20? Well, you could probably find dupes from a more economical brand, but as usual with high-end make up brands, you are paying a lot more for the name and the packaging. Will I purchase more shades? Probably not unless they come out with a shade that I find unique.

What do you think of the Lip of Luxury line?

Orly Wednesday

Orly is a brand that I don’t think gets enough love.  I don’t actually have that many bottles of Orly but I definitely keep a close eye on their collections.

 

Lollipop is such a sweet light pink color that screams spring to me.. It reminds me of cotton candy.

 

Sugar Plum looks just the way it sounds. This is not a color that I really like because it’s so frosty. I have to be in a certain mood to actually wear this color so I don’t wear it much.

 

Gumdrop…ah, gumdrop. I love this color. This is another one of those Tiffany-Blue polishes. For Audrey is just the tiniest more blue but this is a good dupe. If you have For Audrey, do you really need Gumdrop? Probably not but for a nail polish fanatic, that is a silly question because of course you need both.

 

Coffee Break looks like the perfect neutral for my skin color. I bet I could do a pretty awesome matte mannequin manicure. This also makes my fingers look so long because the nail blends into my fingers

 

Prince Charming is a muddled brown which I didn’t think I would like as much as I do. The confusing part about the polish is the name. Prince Charming?

 

Flagstone Rush is another one of those frosty polishes that I don’t usually like. This is just a pretty rusty color that looks good on my skintone. I like this a little more now that I’m so obsessed with orange nail polishes.

 

Bus Stop Crimson is a color that is right in your face. It’s a blood red that will really make your manicure pop.

 

Wild Wisteria is a vampy purple. It will definitely look black unless you’re in the right light. I really liked that this polish did not stain my skin or cuticles despite the intense shade.

Today’s Manicure

There are plenty of tutorials out there for half moon manicures so I won’t go into a lot of the details. Despite being such a nail fanatic, I had never tried this before until tonight. I ended up using two Orly colors: Coffee Break and Prince Charming. I also did a matte version and a shiny version. Which one do you prefer?

 

Matte with Essie’s Matte About You

 

Shiny with Seche Vite