January 2013 - Of Life and Lacquer

Month: January 2013

Of Life and Lacquer > 2013 > January

Julep Beauty Resolution: Play With The Color Wheel

Posted on 31 January, 2013 by Cynthia

Hello my polish beauties! I am slowly getting back to normal after 6 days of complete flu agony. Since I just started my job, I was not allowed to miss work (we’re doing training) so I really had to tough it out. If you’ve ever been forced to go to work when you’re beyond sick, you probably know how miserably slow your days seem. I no longer have severe flu symptoms, but my cough is still pretty bad. Hopefully this weekend I will have plenty of time to just lay in bed and feel better so that when Monday comes around, I can be in tip top shape! I’ve been so bummed out these last couple of weeks because I just haven’t had time to post regularly or visit all my favorite blogs, but hopefully I can catch up this weekend.

About a month ago, I was invited to be part of a Julep Beauty Resolution Campaign. This particular assignment called playing with complimentary colors so I was sent two polishes to experiment with: Trina and Alma. I actually reviewed both polishes individually and created two separate looks:

This is what I did with Trina. You can read my complete post here.

This is what I did with Alma. You can read my complete post here. In fact, this look earned the honor of being Julep’s NOTD!! I was so happy and excited!

Today I am combining both colors in one manicure. Nicole and I always remember the first time that I ever combined yellow and purple in one manicure. If you are brave enough, you can check it out here. Just be warned that it is NOT pretty and that it was done in the very early days of my blog. So are you ready to see what I did? It’s not that revolutionary, but I am definitely trying to combine colors that I would normally not try to use together–especially after the earlier disasticure.

I started with 2 smooth coats of Julep Trina. One of my friends asked me if I knew of a dupe for Trina but I couldn’t really think of one. I thought of Essie Sexy Divide but it’s not really a dupe. If you know of a good dupe, let me know! 🙂

And this is how I ended up combining both colors. I know that it’s nothing out of this world, but I kind of like it! I added a strip of gold tape to really bring both colors together. If you haven’t joined Julep’s Maven subscription program, what are you waiting for? You can use my referral link here and enter the code JULEPVIP to get your intro box for one cent. Yep, for a penny.

So what do you think about my bold experiment with yellow and purple toned polishes? Win? Fail? I can tell you that I’m definitely not used to using colors like these together so it may take some time for me to get used to it, but it’s always nice to try new things. Well, that’s all I have for you tonight. My giveaway for a bottle of Silly Lily Polish in J-E-L-L-O ends tomorrow so don’t forget to enter here! I can’t wait until work is over for the week tomorrow…I am giddy just thinking about a whole weekend of being lazy in bed. Thanks for stopping by today and I will talk to you later!

Disclosure: The products featured in this post were provided to me by the manufacturer or their PR firm. For more information, please see my disclosure policy tab here.

Jindie Nails Strawberry Cupcake

Posted on 29 January, 2013 by Cynthia

Every time I look at this nail polish, I keep thinking of Strawberry Shortcake. Do you remember that cartoon?

Why can’t cartoons be so cute and innocent nowadays? It kind of makes me sad when I think that kids today don’t really have a real childhood. I’m just 33, bur I remember not having a cell phone or computer and actually going outside to PLAY! What a novel idea! Oh boy…here I am on one of my tangents. Let’s get down to the polish, shall we? Today I am sharing a quick swatch of Jindie Nails Strawberry Cupcake.

I purchased this mini of Jindie Nails Strawberry Cupcake during the last restock a couple of weeks ago. I haven’t purchased mani minis from any brand so I was curious about the bottle and brush. In short (pun–ha!), the brush is pretty short and I felt like I couldn’t really get the polish and glitter on it. What I ended up doing is adding a few drops of thinner and then let it sit upside down for a while. After I did that, it was pretty easy to get glitter on the brush without having to fish for it like crazy.

Strawberry Cupcake is a glitter explosion (duh!) in a delicate milky pink base. I see white, magenta, purple and teal hex glitters in many different sizes. I applied 3 super thin coats for these swatches because I didn’t want the polish to look crazy thick .

I’m going to keep this post short and sweet because it’s about time for me to take 3 cup shots of Nyquil and go to bed. No, I’m NOT joking. That’s the only way I have been able to get some rest lately. I am just glad that I was able to pull it together today and do this quick swatch.

You can find Jindie Nails at her etsy shop and at various online stockists. If you want to get direct updates regarding her next restock, make sure that you check out her Facebook page. What do you think of Strawberry Cupcake? Let me know! Thanks for stopping by today, and I will talk to you later. 🙂

Sorry

Posted on 28 January, 201328 January, 2013 by Cynthia

I feel like such a turd for the lack of posts that will probably extend through the end of this week. The truth of the matter is that besides getting used to my new work schedule, I am also battling a horrible cold–or maybe even the flu. At this point, I don’t care. All I know is that I’m miserable. I seem to go through spans of hours where it’s not so bad and then it hits me like a ton of bricks. I had so much stuff that I wanted to share this week and now it looks like all of that is going to have to wait until I start to feel better. I am on twitter and facebook sporadically but just don’t have it in me to do new manis. In fact, I tried to do one today and it looked so bad that I just took it off.

When I got to work today in the morning, my co-worker looks at me and he asks, “You didn’t even do your hair this morning. You must feel real bad.” Gee, thanks. hahahaha We are pretty friendly so I didn’t take it amiss. In fact, I told him that I would go to bed extra early tonight so I could wake up early and do my hair so he wouldn’t tell me it looks like crap again. Everyone thought that was pretty funny and I love making people laugh–even if it’s at my expense–so all was good. I pretty much have a hazmat bubble around my desk so everyone has been staying away–NICE!

So that’s where I’m at at this point. I am looking forward to getting back on a more regular schedule because I miss doing my nails so much! Thanks for stopping by despite the lack of new posts. <3

Edit: After I posted this, I remembered another funny thing that happened: I was taking some meds which I hate cause they taste horrible. So I said: “Ugh, this stuff tastes like ass!” So the same guy who teased me about my hair says: “Uhm, I am NOT going to ask you how you know what ass tastes like.” So then I responded: “You know what I mean!” And he says, “Oh, yes…” At that point a few other people got involved and the conversation went to a place that it should never go at the workplace. Great…now I’m going to be known as THAT person in the office. Oh well…it could be worse, right?

Winner Announced: OPI Liquid Sand Minis

Posted on 26 January, 2013 by Cynthia

It’s always really fun to announce winners for my giveaways so I won’t keep you waiting any longer. The winner is…

Kimberly Y!!!

Yay, Kimberly! I have sent Kimberly an email and she has 48 hours to get back to me with her address or else I will be picking a new winner. Thank you to everyone for entering my Liquid Sand Minis giveaway. If you didn’t win, don’t fret: I’m a giveaway fiend! 🙂 I am currently running another giveaway for a bottle of Silly Lily Polish J-E-L-L-O so be sure to head on over here to read my review and to enter!

Cacee BFF Nail Lacquer Sky

Posted on 25 January, 2013 by Cynthia

It’s Friday which means that I have made it through my first week at my new job! Woot! I am still in training and it really is tons of information to process, but things are starting to fall into place so I’m not feeling so overwhelmed anymore. I still haven’t worn nail polish to work yet, but I’ll probably start wearing it next week. After work today, I headed over to my nail polish places to see if they had anything new…and they didn’t. I hate it when I go in hoping that they have some new collection early so I can get the scoop but end up with nothing. Well, you know what nothing means to me: 5 polishes, some Seche Restore and a new brush for clean-up. One of the polishes I picked up is what I decided to try out tonight: Cacee BFF Nail Lacquer Sky.

Sky seems like a run of the mill vibrant blue but beejus the formula is great! This beauty is so incredibly pigmented, and I was very sorry when I got it on my cuticles because it was a biatch to remove.

For this design, I used Sation Strumming My Nails to paint the tip of my nails white and for the white dotting. I’ve mentioned Strumming My Nails before and I can’t believe that I haven’t done a proper mani with it to show you just how amazing this polish is. It’s not a pure white–it has some grey tones which I looooooove. Even better, this polish is almost a one-coater! These nails are a direct copy of the mani that Siobhan has on her blog’s banner. Every time I would see that picture, I immediately wanted to copy it and I finally did!

I’m not that talk-y tonight. I should have posted this hours ago, but I got sucked into watching puppy videos on youtube for hours. I’m not kidding…HOURS. It was sooooooo worth it! Thanks for stopping by today. I have a new Spring collection to share with you this weekend so don’t forget to check in. Talk to you later!

Disclosure: Sation Strumming My Nails was provided to me by the manufacturer or their PR firm. All other products featured in this post were purchased by me. For more information, please see my disclosure policy tab here.

China Glaze Avant Garden Collection For Spring 2013

Posted on 25 January, 2013 by Cynthia

Guess what? The Spring collections are coming to us at a fast and furious pace. Today I have China Glaze’s Spring 2013 offering to share with you.

BLOSSOM INTO SPRING WITH CHINA GLAZE®

China Glaze® Nail Lacquer Invites You to Visit the Avant Garden

Los Angeles (January 2012) – Spring is here and China Glaze® is blossoming with vibrant color with its new collection, Avant Garden. The delectable palette flows between soft hues and vibrant pops of color, offering an unconventional bouquet of cheerful and vivid shades. Take a stroll down the China Glaze® path, passing a bubbling brook of light and bright blues. Take in the view of the mossy green meadow and stop to enjoy the fragrant flowers of soft pink and white. Let Avant Garden take you away to a playful, romantic field of color and innovation this Spring.

The Avant Garden shades include:

Budding Romance: moss green
Sunday Funday: bright blue
Fancy Pants: indigo with pink and purple shimmer
Snap My Dragon: bright red with pink shimmer
Passion for Petals: bright salmon-pink
Mimosas Before Manis: coral with a light wash of shimmer
Life is Rosy: blushed mauve
Pink-ie Promise: iridescent baby pink
Tart-y for the Party: light lavender creme
Fade Into Hue: periwinkle creme
Keep Calm, Paint On: sea foam green
Dandy Lyin’ Around: shimmery vanilla icing

China Glaze® Avant Garden is also available in:

6 Piece Collection of “Blooming Brights”

6 Piece Collection of “Pastel Petals”

12 Piece 3D Counter Display

36 Piece Rack

China Glaze® Avant Garden will be available March 2013. Individual shades retail for $7; 6-piece collections retail for $42.

China Glaze® is free of DBP, toluene, and added formaldehyde.

China Glaze® nail lacquers are available through salons and professional beauty supply stores nationwide. For more information, please visit www.chinaglaze.com or follow China Glaze® on Facebook (@ChinaGlazeOfficlal), Twitter (@ChinaGlaze) and Pinterest (pinterest.com/chinaglaze).

China Glaze® is a division of American International Industries.

About American International Industries

For 42 years, AII has been the leading manufacturer and worldwide distributor of innovative, quality beauty and skin care products for men and women. Our product lines include Andrea, Ardell, Body Drench, Bye Bye Blemish, Checi, China Glaze, Clean + Easy, Clubman/Pinaud, Duo, European Secrets, EzFlow, Fright Night, Gena, GiGi, Gypsy Lash, IBD, It’s So Easy, Jeris-Lustray, LASH BeLONG, Nail Tek, No Tweeze/Micro Tweeze, ‘N Rage, Poshe, Prolinc, RAW, Seche, SuperNail, Surgi-Care, Waterworks, Winning Nails, Woltra, Woody’s, and Youthair. For more information, visit our website: www.aiibeauty.com.

Silly Lily J-E-L-L-O & A Giveaway!

Posted on 24 January, 2013 by Cynthia

Is there always room for Jello? I always find it strange when I meet people who say they don’t like Jello. I have loved Jello since I was a little kid mostly because it seemed like such a fun thing to eat. It’s colorful, squishy and candy-like…how can a kid not like it? I had quite a few mail surprises today–some expected and some not. Aren’t those unexpected packages the best? I don’t know about you, but I rip through those babies as if they were Ho Ho’s and I was craving chocolate. I have something super fun to share with you today: Silly Lily J-E-L-L-O! But before I show you this lovely top coat, let me show you what I wore underneath.

This is Sation Teacher’s Pet from their Class Of Sation Collection. The last time I went Sation hunting, I found this one at one of my local beauty supply stores so I snatched it up immediately because I really don’t have a delicate baby pink like this one. Unfortunately, the application was a little challenging because it was thick and went on really streaky. It was still a little streaky after the second coat, so I added some thinner to the bottle and applied a third thin coat to my nails. This seemed to fix the polish right up, but don’t ask me why I didn’t add thinner after the first coat. I guess I can attribute it to a brain fart.

And this is two coats of Silly Lily J-E-L-L-O. This polish is chock full of square matte glitters in rainbow colors in a clear base. I got a little too excited with the confetti-like look so I think that I applied a wee bit too much. I think it would look better with a thinner application. The possibilities are endless as to what base color you can use! For a polish so full of glitter, I was surprised that it wasn’t thick as glue. It was fairly easy to apply the glitter which I always appreciate.

I have an extra bottle of this cute polish and guess what? One of you can win it! Just enter using the rafflecopter widget below. As always, this giveaway is open internationally, but please make sure that you know if there are any customs restrictions in your country.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

You should check out all of Lily’s other polish creations at her Etsy shop here. You can also follow her on facebook for updates and discount codes. In fact, she currently has a promo code for 10% off to celebrate 500 sales! Just enter WOOHOO10 at checkout to get the discount which is valid until 1/31/13.

I hope that you have enjoyed this super fun polish as much as I’ve enjoyed wearing it. Thanks so much for stopping by, and I will talk to you soon!

Disclosure: The products featured in this post were purchased by me. Silly Lily J-E-L-L-O was purchased by me at a reduced rate for review and giveaway purposes. For more information, please see my disclosure policy tab here.

Miss Professional Nail: Sation Candylandia

Posted on 23 January, 201324 January, 2013 by Cynthia

Second post of the day? Why, yes! I couldn’t wait until tomorrow to share this because:

I am beyond impatient.
You all know I love me some yummy Sation polishes.
CANDYLANDDDDDDDDDD!

SATION SWEETENS THE NEW YEAR WITH CANDYLANDIA

Miss Professional Nail (Miss) has announced the launch of “Candylandia,” their Limited V nail lacquer collection. The flavored, fantasy-themed line presents 12 candy-coated colors with a mouth-watering range of confectionary names. Candylandia was inspired by the edible escapism of Hasbro’s Candy Land board game, a classic favorite spanning six decades. Miss loved the bright, playful visuals of the swirly rainbow board, which sparked the creation of its own irresistibly sweet polish palette. This whimsical collection offers winning colors that will stir up memories of childhood imagination and endless game-playing.

Embark on a magical, manicured journey filled with fun characters and luscious lacquers. Sweeten up your new year when Candylandia hits the shelves this January.

Polish players, take your places at the Sation starting line!

AbbacaDazzle: Ta-da! You’ll go bonkers for this yummy sunflower yellow
Cast a Spill on You: A bewitching cornflower blue with a pearl sheen will hypnotize you
Chocolate Chip Resistant: A creamy cookie dough with a sugary glaze
I’m so Ogre it: Reach for this sleek steely gray for those moody mani days
Lollipop! Goes the Princess: Pucker up for this pale, pretty periwinkle
Paint Some Sugar on Me: This sparkly blue-raspberry shade will give you a sugar rush
Peppermint Pedi: Your nails will be in mint condition with this refreshing vermilion
Plenty of Frogs: A toad-ally awesome grassy green with a kiss of shimmer
Queenie in a Bottle: Blink blink blink for this royally rich pink!
Super Nail-tural Powers: A potent indigo-grape will keep your players spellbound
Unicorns are Teal: No one can clip your wings when wearing this mystical turquoise
You’re My Lacquer Charm: Cross your fingers and flash this pop-rock pink for good luck!

Isn’t this collection absolutely precious? I want them all! Do you have any you’re already eyeing?

All Miss products are free of DBP, Toluene and Formaldehyde
Miss is an MBE (Minority Business Enterprise) certified company

Julep Alma

Posted on 23 January, 201323 January, 2013 by Cynthia

Sweet baby Jesus on rollerskates I’m tired. Book learnin iz hard. My brain is being crammed with so much information at work that I feel almost like a zombie once I get home. To be honest, I am enjoying learning so much new stuff so I shouldn’t complain–it’s just a lot of work! If you can believe it, I haven’t been wearing nail polish to work because I’m still getting a feel for things. Since I don’t want to cause any type of waves during my probation period, I am remaining very conservative…just wait until this passes because I’ll be causing some nail tsunamis for sure! Today I decided to use the other Julep polish that I got recently: Julep Alma.

Oh, Alma! You’re one of those pretty/ugly polishes that I always think is going to look better on me than it actually does. Actually, this color reminds me a lot of the creme version of China Glaze Trendsetter! I had a little weird issue with this polish and I’m wondering if it’s just my bottle or if other people had the same happen to them. When I was applying this polish, I noticed little chunks–like super tiny little balls. After the first coat, I thought that maybe I hadn’t primed my nails well and I had some residue from another product, but the second coat also had the little chunks. Remember Chunk?

Anyway, once I applied the top coat, I think the chunks pretty much disappeared, but it was definitely strange! I applied two coats here and got good coverage.

I just realized that I have used this stamp combination quite often. I just absolutely love it! Both of the images can be found on Bundle Monster plate BM 310. I used the inverted full coverage stamp as my accent nail, and I love how it looks almost leather-like since I didn’t apply top coat after stamping. If you’re a stamper, I’m curious if you know of a black polish that works for stamping. I haven’t found any others that are as pigmented as my Konad Black.

You know I’m going to say it so here it is: If you’re interested in becoming a Julep Maven for just a penny, you can use my referral link here and enter the code JULEPVIP. You can’t really beat one cent, can you? I am looking to explore more subscription type boxes so feel free to leave me a comment if you know of others that are good. I have been very satisfied with the Julep boxes because I think the subscription service is a great deal. Definitely give them a try if you’re curious!

I am BEYOND excited that I only have two more days before the weekend. WEEKENDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD! You know what kinda sucks, though? It might be raining here. It literally was in the 80’s earlier in the week and now it’s getting cold and rainy…get it together, bipolar California! Do you have anything fun planned this weekend?

Let me know what you think about this polish and stamping. I love reading all your comments! Thanks for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon.

Disclosure: Julep Alma was provided to me by the manufacturer or their PR firm. All other products featured in this post were purchased by me. For more information, please see my disclosure policy tab here.

Julep Trina

Posted on 22 January, 201323 January, 2013 by Cynthia

Well, hello there friends! I am a little disappointed in myself that I didn’t post anything after my first day of work, but I had forgotten how exhausting sitting in a training class for 8 hours can be! I actually did do my nails last night with the intention of posting them, but I felt like my nail mojo just disappeared. I seriously took about 50 pictures and not a single one turned out–they all looked shit-tastic. So I just gave up. Today I got home super flustered because I had so much stuff to do–who knew that having a job again would leave me with absolutely no time at all? Ah, well…I shouldn’t complain because getting a paycheck again means I can continue to enjoy the luxuries I have become accustomed to such as a roof over my head, food in the fridge and electricity. After finishing up my laundry, grocery shopping, cleaning and preparing my lunch for tomorrow, I sat down and thought I’d give it another try. Want to know what polish I settled on? Julep Trina!

Julep Trina is an amazingly rich and saturated metallic aubergine polish. It was a little on the thick side, but it was easy to work with. I only needed two coats for these swatches. Did you hear that the Julep boxes are getting holos? I hope it’s true because you doesn’t love holos??? If you’re interested in becoming a Julep Maven for just a penny, you can use my referral link here and enter the code JULEPVIP. Yep, for a penny. Awesomeness.

I then used an image from Mash plate MASH 43 which is kind of a strange flower and vine design. I am also wowed by the polish I used for stamping: Pure Ice Silver Mercedes. I finally found a decent Pure Ice display at a new Walmart and there was ONE of these babies left. This is such an amazing polish for stamping and you seriously can’t beat the under $2 price tag!

A lot of you have asked me about my new job and what I’ll be doing. I just wanted to say that I’ve made a very conscious decision not to discuss any details about my job. I’ve heard of way too many horror stories of people getting in trouble professionally about stuff they post online. While I do tend to share–and overshare–a lot about my personal life, that will not include details about my job. This will hopefully allow me to share funny people stories about my job–with names changed to protect the clueless, of course! I should have gone to bed about an hour ago but I stayed up to watch the series finale of Private Practice, and it was even more lame than I had anticipated. This show really jumped the shark about a year ago so I’m glad it’s over.

Well, I’m heading to bed now. It’s Wednesday tomorrow so I’m almost half-way through my first week of work. Woot! Hope you have a wonderful day, and I will talk to you soon.

Disclosure: Julep Trina was provided to me by the manufacturer or their PR firm. All other products featured in this post were purchased by me. For more information, please see my disclosure policy tab here.