2015 - Page 11 of 12 - Of Life and Lacquer

Year: 2015

Of Life and Lacquer > 2015

Cirque Colors Doyers

Posted on 21 January, 201520 January, 2015 by Cynthia

Today is my first day back to work after a 4 day weekend…oh the horror! Actually, I kinda miss work–it’s the waking up part that I have a problem with. I was talking to a couple of friends about how exhausted I am all the time no matter how much I sleep. I think that a big thing contributing to my exhaustion is that I still don’t have total control of my diabetes so my body is still flipping out. How many time have I said that working out will probably make me feel a lot better? Probably more than I can count but I’m stil dragging my feet. Sweet baby Jesus, help me get back on the right path. I’m so sick of feeling so shitty yet I continue to make bad choices. It’s a neverending cycle! Anyway, despite the exhaustion, I still seem to find plenty of time to play with nail polish. Who needs naps when you can have fabulous nails?! Yesterday I got a package from Cirque Colors that contained the February release for their Metropolis Collection: Cirque Colors Doyers. Before I show you the polish, let me show you the state of my nails in the ongoing overbuffing saga.

I decided to round off my little dagger nails a bit, because they were just a little too pointy. The damage is growing out slowly but I think that this shape is helping me avoid more nasty breaks. To be honest, I’m really liking this shape–it has a retro vibe to it. I know a lot of you prefer my square nails, but let me show you what they look like with polish.

Let me tell you that I have a love/hate relationship with red nail polish. It’s like I really want to love red nails, but then I just find them too in your face. Does that even make sense considering the crazy nails I post regularly on here? Well, I can tell you that Doyers does not disappoint. It’s such a bright and luscious red with a flawless formula. You can get away with one coat if you apply it carefully and it is so shiny!!!!

Well, what do you think of my new (temporary?) nail shape? And most importantly, what do you think of the polish? It’s such a classic red that I was singing The Police’s Roxanne while I was doing my nails. This new addition to the Metropolis collection becomes available on February 1st and you can buy it here where it will retail for $13. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon!

Follow Cirque Colors

Website | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

Inspired By: Rainbow Doodles

Posted on 20 January, 201519 January, 2015 by Cynthia

I’m currently enjoying the last day of my 4 day weekend so I hear the impending womp womp music in my head for tomorrow morning. I’m really enjoying the idea of keeping up these “Inspired By” posts because I hope it will push me to do more creative things. Last time I did the rose and chevrons mani that I really liked, so I hope that you like what I have for you today. For today’s post, I picked this fun rainbow doodle from Amy’s pinterest post and we set out to create our own interpretation of it.

Does this look like snakes to you? Like rainbow snakes….or maybe rainbow spaghetti?

To start with, I used this arch design from MoYou London Pro Collection – 02 (press sample) and stamped with Mentality Opaque Black stamping polish. I think that this has replaced my love for my Konad Black stamping polish for a few reasons: 1) It’s cheap 2) It stamps very well and very opaque 3) It does not stain like the Konad!!!!! For my white base, I used my favorite white polish in the whole wide world: Jessica Sharktooth (press sample).

Ok, so I’m super irritated with all the bubbling going on in this mani. I used all 4 OPI Sheer Tints (press sample) to fill in the design, but because they are so thick and gummy, it’s really hard to manipulate them. Since I applied them a little thick, bubbling was inevitable. Despite the bubbling, I still find the overall effect really fun.

Lastly, I mattified the whole thing with my favorite Matte Top Coat from OPI (press sample). I think that the matte top coat hides the bubbles a bit so I’m all for that. I’ve had this matte top coat for a while, and it has not gotten gunky or weird at all.

So what do you think about this mani? Minus the bubbles, I really like how this turned out. Make sure that you check out the other manis below to see how the other ladies interpreted the design inspiration. Thank you for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon!

Loading InLinkz ...

Stamping Saturdays #52

Posted on 17 January, 2015 by Cynthia

Saturday is my favorite day of the week, and not just because of Stamping Saturdays–ha! I have a 4 day weekend to enjoy so I’m kind of in lazy heaven right now. I’ve been so dang tired this week so I’m hoping that this break with recharge me. I don’t have too much planned for this weekend, so I’m going to try to get some swatching done. I am still dealing with my damaged right hand nails so you’re continuing to see my left hand. In fact, I changed the shape of my nails to more of an almond shape on my right hand because they were tearing at the corners due to how weak they are. The last time I changed the shape of my nails, people didn’t seem too happy with the shape but I’m going to keep it until the damage grows out. Last night I could not figure out what to do for today’s Stamping Saturdays so I went with a color that I love: OPI In The Cable Car-pool Lane.

In The Cable Car-pool Lane (press sample) is one of my favorite colors from the San Francisco Collection. Just look how glossy and delicious it is.

For my stamping, I used my favorite stamping gold, Essie Good As Gold, and an image from Born Pretty plate BP-21. I really like the combination of the base color and the gold even if the actual design is just ok.

So what do you think of this mani? If you are in the US, do you also have a nice long weekend? Well, I hope that you’re doing well today and are enjoying your Saturday. Check out the other Stamping Saturdays designs below and join us on Instagram by tagging your posts #stampingsaturdays so I can find you. Also, if you haven’t entered my flash giveaway which is running for one week, make sure to click here to enter. Thanks for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon.

Loading InLinkz ...

Flash Giveaway – OPI 50 Shades of Grey Minis

Posted on 16 January, 201516 January, 2015 by Cynthia

Hey guys! I am currently having a flash giveaway for a set of the OPI 50 Shades of Greys Minis. This giveaway is open internationally and you can enter by using the widget below. This giveaway is more for my instagram followers, but don’t worry if you don’t have an IG account. You can still get an entry for leaving a comment on my blog. This giveaway will only run for a week. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Delush Polish Murder House

Posted on 13 January, 201512 January, 2015 by Cynthia

Yesterday I woke up with the worst headache. In fact, the headache woke me up a few times during the night so of course I was grumpy mcgrumperson all day long. I didn’t even comb my hair or put up on any make up before going to work so I looked like a frazzled mess but it’s ok…I felt worse on the inside. I’m hoping it was just part of the Monday blues and that my week goes by much more smoothly. I’m actually really looking forward to the weekend because I have a 4 day weekend. YEAH!!! Well, I hope your Monday was better than mine, but we can only go up from here. So the polish I have for you today is a fun glitter from the Delush Polish Scream Supreme Collection which was a gift from Amanda. Let me show you Delush Polish Murder House.

Delush Polish Murder House is a deep black jelly with red and white glitter in different sizes and shapes. Like most jellies, it will take 2-3 coats for a fully opaque look. I found the formula very easy to work with and I applied 2 thin coats and one thicker 3rd coat. Maybe I’m biased because season 1 of AHS is my favorite of all of them, but I totally love this polish!

Delush Polish is fast becoming one of my top favorite indie brands and I can’t wait to see what they come out with in 2015. What do you think of this polish? Have you been following AHS? I haven’t been watching Freakshow so I’ll have to pull a AHS marathon soon. Well, I hope you’re enjoying your day/morning so far. Thanks so much for the visit today, and I will catch you later!

SpaRitual Starry Night

Posted on 12 January, 201511 January, 2015 by Cynthia

I have some sad news today: the great drugstore foundation search has been a bust. I bought the Revlon Colorstay foundation a couple of weeks ago and I had high hopes after all the great feedback I was getting, but I think I’m having some weird allergic reaction to it so I guess I’m just going to stop using it. I picked out the color warm golden and it looked kind of pink on me…ugh…so hard to get the right foundation! Now I’m just going to suck it up and go back to my MUFE HD which I know will work for me. I really wanted to find a more budget friendly alternative but it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen. DAMN YOU MUFE FOR BEING SO AWESOME! On this dreary Monday morning, I have yet another beauty from the Wander Collection: SpaRitual Starry Night.

Isn’t this polish just absolutely gorgeous? The formula is perfect–very smooth and opaque. You can almost get away with one coat if you’re careful. I think that the satin finish makes this polish look even more amazing. Let me just say that the SpaRitual Wander Collection is maybe my favorite Fall Collection of 2014.

So how is your Monday going? I hope you had a great weekend and are ready for the new week. Let me know what you think of this polish below in the comments. Thanks for stopping by today, and I will talk to you later!

Stamping Saturdays #51

Posted on 10 January, 2015 by Cynthia

It’s so nice and sunny today, and I’m soooo enjoying it. I don’t know what it is, but I have such high hopes for 2015. I’m determined to make the best of out of this year after being so down on myself for so long. Today I’m catching up with a lot of the shows I missed out on during the week, namely Empire. Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson are hot lava together in one show. So last night I was trying to figure out what to do for Stamping Saturdays and I decided to use a polish I hadn’t used in a long time: Dior Frimas.

Dior Frimas is one of those beautiful holiday polishes that Dior puts out each year. I picked this up a couple of year ago and had completely forgotten about it. Sometimes I hate myself for buying some of this expensive stuff and then never using it. I know part of it is that these are collectors items, but isn’t t just wasteful? Anyway, I think I don’t like this polish as much as I initially did. The color is just a little off on me and the formula is so grainy. Still, it’s pretty and I don’t exactly regret getting it.

For my stamping, I used and image from plate Born Pretty 02 (press sample) which i found a little difficult to do since I was stamping with my non-dominant hand. I didn’t initially like this mani at all, but it grew on me a bit.

So what are you up to today? Well, whatever you’re doing, I hope you are enjoying your day. Thanks for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon.

Loading InLinkz ...

The Lacquer Ring – Cobalt

Posted on 9 January, 20158 January, 2015 by Cynthia

I am sooooooo glad that it’s Friday. This week has felt really long so I’m looking forward to being lazy all weekend. I feel like I say that every Friday and then I end up feeling guilty when I do spend some totally lazy time. Major props to moms out there who NEVER get a day off–I don’t know how you do it. I had some drama with this post because I accidentally completely deleted it off my drafts and then it wasn’t in my deleted items either so it fell into the blog Bermuda Triangle. It seems pretty par for the course for me as of late, but I’m still pretty darn happy even if I have been kind of emotional lately. I could blame PMS, but I think I’m just weird overall. Today, The Lacquer Ring is featuring Cobalt. Can we all scream every time we see or hear the word cobalt they way they did in Peewee’s Playhouse? How rando was that show? I tried watching it with my brother a bit ago and it almost seemed creepy. Maybe it was the whole masturbating in public thing….Anyway, let me show you the polish I used.

This is Inglot 992 which I haven’t worn in a really long time. Initially it looked cobalt to me, but it’s actually more of a blurple. This polish has a beautiful purple sheen in the bottle that pretty much disappears on the nail. Still, I think it’s lose enough to cobalt where I don’t feel too bad for messing up.

Since I wanted to keep things simple, I just applied a coat of Shimmer Liana (press sample) over my base color to jazz it up. I really love all of the Shimmer Polish glitters that I have ever used because they are so pretty and interesting. I can always count on them to bling out my manicures.

So what do you think? Is cobalt a color that you like to wear on your nails? What is your favorite cobalt polish? To be honest, I think mine is Nails Inc. Baker Street which I probably should have used today but I’ve used it so many times that I just wanted to mix it up a little. Anywho, don’t forget to check out the other cobalt manis below. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and don’t forget to joins us tomorrow for Stamping Saturdays. Talk to you soon!

Loading InLinkz ...

Dollish Polish Wicked Wario

Posted on 7 January, 20154 January, 2015 by Cynthia

Did I tell you that I now have the full Dollish Polish Super Mario Bros. Collection due to the generosity and awesomeness of Amy and Amanda? They are so thoughtful and knew how much I wanted to get my hands on this collection so they sent these to me slowly building up the collection for me. I love you girls so much for being so sweet–these polishes mean a lot to me! I’ve been on a very limited polish budget for a few months now mostly owing to the fact that my rent went up quite a bit, so I just hadn’t picked these up on my own. Polish v. housing…it shouldn’t be such a hard decision, right? Only polish hoarders understand the struggle. Today I’m going to show you Dollish Polish Wicked Wario, but first let me show you what I used as my base color.

KBShimmer Hugs & Wishes (press sample) is just gorgeous. There is nothing else I can say about this polish that you haven’t heard yet: beautiful creme and opaque with two easy coats.

Dollish Polish Wicked Wario is such a unique glitter topper. It has purple micro glitters with small green hexes as well as gold and white glitter. I have no idea how this glitter combination works, but it totally does. I don’t think it would be a full coverage glitter on its own, so you definitely need a solid color underneath.

What do you think of this combination? Are you a huge Super Mario Bros. fan like me? What collection have you been lusting over but haven’t bitten the bullet yet? Is there a discontinued collection that you missed out on that you’d like to get your hands on? Well, I hope your week is going well so far, and I will talk to you soon!

SpaRitual Nomad

Posted on 6 January, 20154 January, 2015 by Cynthia

Have you been to Ulta lately? A week or so ago I mentioned finding a bunch of awesome polishes on clearance. I think my Ulta jumped the gun and had 50% off clearance items before the rest of the stores did which is how I managed to get crazy deals on some polishes. I managed to pick up a few polishes from the SpaRitual Wander collection for like $2.99 which is amazing! I know some ladies were finding them for around $5.99 which is still a good deal. The polish I have for you today is SpaRitual Nomad which is probably the star of this collection. Let me show you what this beauty looks like.

SpaRitual Nomad is one of those ugly/pretty colors, and I definitely love it. I think that what makes this polish spectacular is the satin finish that just makes the polish glow. The formula seemed a little sheer at first, but it was perfect after the second coat. I also loved that the polish didn’t dry too quickly so you don’t have to worry about overworking it.

I feel like SpaRitual is definitely on my radar because of this amazing collection. I’ve purchased a few of their polishes previously but was never blown away like this by them. In fact, I have a whole story about a SpaRitual holiday set that I still get a kick out of when I think about it. (You can read about it here.) So what do you think about this polish? Is it something you would wear? I’m sure these polishes are getting scooped up soon but it’s worth a look in the clearance section at Ulta if you’re interested in getting it. Thanks for visiting today, and I will talk to you soon.