Cynthia, Author at Of Life and Lacquer

Author: Cynthia

Of Life and Lacquer > Articles by: Cynthia

Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Poolside Paradise Collection

Posted on 29 July, 201526 July, 2015 by Cynthia

Lately I feel that I have been really happy withe the Sally Hansen Miracle Gel polishes because I’ve been into wearing manis for much longer since I don’t really do much swatching during the week. Since the temperatures are starting to get boiling hot, what better time to use these awesome and juicy summer shades? The Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Poolside Paradise Collection is made up of 7 summer inspired shade and today I have 4 of those shades to share with you.

Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Life’s A Peach

Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Pink-A-Colada

Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Morning, Sunshine!

Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Dive Bar

Aren’t these shades absolutely gorgeous? I love how bright they are…almost bordering on neon. The colors make me look extra tan too which I love during the hot Summer months. I’m sure that most of you who read my blog regularly know how much I hate the Summer heat, but I definitely love the nail polish shades that are released around this time. These shades were officially released in May, but I saw them at my local drugstore recently. Since they are limited edition, make sure that you pick these up before they are gone. Thanks for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon!

Sally Hansen Insta-Dri – New Shades

Posted on 28 July, 201526 July, 2015 by Cynthia

I tend to not follow up with the release of Sally Hansen Insta-Dri shades because….well, I don’t really have a reason and that’s kind of crazy because this line is really good. A lot of these polishes stamp well AND watermarble like a dream too. I had meant to get these swatches up earlier this month but you know how it is: life kind of gets in the way. As much as I would like to post every day, I just can’t do it anymore. I am always impressed with bloggers who can post a lot and keep it consistent because I wonder how in the world they can do it when they have jobs/family. If I did that, I would have no life outside of work and blogging but that’s just me–maybe I’m a slow blogger. haha Anyway, let me show you these three new shades that are, unfortunately, limited edition.

Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Vandal Eyes

Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Tag, Ur It!

Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Quick Brick

So what do you think about these shades? I really like Vandal Eyes myself Quick Brick and Tag, Ur It! are staple colors that are good to add to your collection if you don’t already have something similar. The limited-edition Insta-Dri collection, SRP $4.99, is available beginning July 2015 at chain drugstores and mass retailers nationwide. Well, I hope you like these shades and hopefully you can still get them if you’re interested. Thanks for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon.

ily Cosmetics – Swatches & Review

Posted on 27 July, 201526 July, 2015 by Cynthia

The fact that this is the last week of July is completely freaking me out. How are we 3/4 of the way through 2015 already? Time has flown by this year! I’m planning to make tons of changes in my personal life, so wish me luck on getting my shit together. ha! Monday tends to be the most annoying day of the week just because it’s the first day coming off a lazy weekend, but that’s life, right? We have to work to actually enjoy our down time. Today I have some polishes from a new-to-me brand: ily Cosmetics. Most of these polishes are glitter toppers so I have paired them with solid base colors. Let me show you the swatches below.

illy Cosmetics Tribal over OPI My Dogsled is a Hybrid

ily Cosmetics Starmalade over OPI Red Hot Rio

ily Cosmetics Flying Colors over OPI Kiss Me I’m Brazilian

ily Cosmetics Daydreamer over OPI Incognito In Sausalito

ily Cosmetics Candy Fairy

All of these polishes, with the exception of Candy Fairy, are traditional glitter toppers which means that they are very versatile and will look different depending on what base colors you use. The glitter toppers are hard to use because the base is thick, and it’s hard to get the glitter on the nail. The best way to use them is to use the dabbing method or to try sponging some of the glitter on. This is fairly typical when it comes to glitters in a clear base so I can’t say that I was surprised. My favorite polish here is Candy Fairy because it reminds me of Funfetti cake that I loved so much as a kid. If you’re interested in purchasing these polishes or seeing the other polishes in the line, you can check them out on their website here where they retail for $9.00. Let me know what you think of these! Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon!

ily Cosmetics

website – etsy – Facebook – Instagram

Winner Announced – OPI Nail Envy

Posted on 26 July, 201526 July, 2015 by Cynthia

Hello everyone, and I hope you’re having a nice Sunday. Today’s quick post is just to announce the winner of my mini-giveaway for a bottle of OPI Nail Envy in Bubble Bath. Without further ado, the winner is…
a Rafflecopter giveaway

I have emailed the winner and am awaiting a response. Thanks so much for taking the time to enter, and I hope to bring you a new giveaway soon. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon.

Stamping Saturdays #62

Posted on 25 July, 201525 July, 2015 by Cynthia

Happy Saturday everyone! I slept in so late today, and it felt delicious. I don’t have too much planned today except running errands and cleaning so it’s going to be a pretty lazy day. Last night I got my Stamping Saturdays mani done so I’m glad I didn’t leave this until the last possible second as usual.

This gorgeous purple is KBShimmer Pansy-monium (press sample). The formula on this is out of this world: creamy, opaque and glossy. This is two coats, and I probably could have gotten away with one.

For my stamping design I used Born Pretty plate BP-12 and Essie Good As Gold. I like this strange fan-like design–it’s simple but nice.

So what are you up to today? Any big plans for the weekend? I hope you’re enjoying the warm weather wherever you are. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon.

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The Lacquer Ring – Under The Sea

Posted on 23 July, 201522 July, 2015 by Cynthia

I bet you’re surprised to see that I did NOT flake out on today’s The Lacquer Ring post, right? I feel like I kind of cheated on this post because I didn’t put a lot of thought into it like I wanted to. Sometimes I get too wrapped up in complicated ideas that end up bombing out big time. Today’s prompt is “Under The Sea” and of course all I could think of was…

I’m sure that I’m not the only one that ADORES The Little Mermaid. So for my manicure, I decided to start out with a minty green polish that reminded of me seafoam.

This is two coats of KBShimmer Mint-al Vacation (press sample) which is a gorgeous minty shade with some holographic particles. This is a more faint linear holo, but you really won’t be able to see it except under certain lighting. Still, it’s gorgeous.

And here is the lazy part: I used MoYou London Sailor Collection Plate 07 (press sample) and my Konad White polish to stamp these sea-inspired images. Even though I kind of took the lazy way out, I think these turned out super cute.

So what do you think about this mani? Don’t forget to check out the other manis from my girls below. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon!

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OPI Infinite Shine Swatches

Posted on 16 July, 2015 by Cynthia

Since I should be getting samples of the OPI Infinite Shine Spring shades any year now, I figured I should show you some of the shades that came out during the initial release. I know I’m way behind on posting these, but long wearing polish is not my thing. As a sort-of nail blogger, I tend to change my polish so often that these types of polishes are wasted on me. However, I do tend to go through phases where I step away from too much swatching and just enjoy wearing a mani for a good week. Those are the times when these polishes come in handy because they really offer long lasting results with minimal wear. You can read my initial review of this 3 step system here if you are interested. Now, let the swatches begin!

OPI Infinite Shine Steel Waters Run Deep

OPI Infinite Shine Never Give Up!

OPI Infinite Shine Set In Stone

OPI Infinite Shine Endurance Race To The Finish

OPI Infinite Shine Unequivocally Crimson

OPI Infinite Shine Grapely Admired

So what do you think of these shades? Are you lured in by the idea of long-wearing polish? Let me know below if you have tried out this system and what you think. Do you see any colors here that you might want to pick up? Well, I hope you have a great Thursday, and I will talk to you soon!

China Glaze L8R G8R

Posted on 15 July, 2015 by Cynthia

Will our obsession with holo polishes ever end? While there a billion holo polishes to choose from nowadays, there was a time when holographic polishes–especially linear holos–were hard to come by. That was a sad, sad time that I am glad is no longer the status quo, but some of us hardcore nail fanatics still yearn for the discontinued holos of yesteryear. Do I sound like a holo poet? Well, my friends, I think I am…I truly am. So what is one of the most sought after holo collections of all time, you ask? China Glaze OMG, of course! I am slowly starting to build up my OMG collection, and I hope to one day have all of the pretties in my stash. Today I have the latest addition to my holo hoarder stash: China Glaze L8R G8R.

What is there to say about China Glaze L8R G8R except that it’s glorious? If you are familiar with the formula of the OMG Collection polishes, this one is no exception because it is fairly thin and a little tricky to work with but totally worth it.

I know that it’s super hard to get your hands on these polishes and resorting to evil bay is probably your best bet, but keep an eye on blog sales because sometimes they have treasures! I got my bottle on ebay for a pretty reasonable price so you can definitely get a bottle if you really want it. I hope your Wednesday went well. Mine was good, and I can’t wait for the weekend!! Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon.

OPI Coca-Cola Collection 2015

Posted on 14 July, 2015 by Cynthia

I feel like I’m finally getting back into the groove of posting. I haven’t been very good about preparing my blog posts in advance, but I am making an effort to post even if it’s late in the evening. Lately I’ve been suffering with some ridiculous headaches. They are so strong that they wake me up, but I think that maybe it’s something related to my meds that I sometimes forget to take. Of course I immediately thought of that Kindergarten Cop scene about the tumor, but I’d rather stop the psycho self-diagnosis for now. I guess that if they continue I’ll have to go see my doctor, but damn I hate going to Kaiser. Anywho, today I have two polishes to share with you which were added to the Coca-Cola Collection. Last year, OPI put out the Coca-Cola Collection which I reviewed here, and this year 2 additional shades have been added in honor of the Coca-Cola bottle’s century anniversary. Whatever you may think of soda, we’re talking about polish here. Polish! Let me show you the two new shades.

OPI Centennial Celebration is described as a “shimmering pewter” and that’s pretty accurate…but another silver/metallic? I think that out of all the super similar polishes that OPI has put out lately, this one is one of my favorites. I don’t normally like metallics and definitely don’t like a billion of these silver/pewter colors, but this one is just nice. It is fairly thin, but it builds up nicely. I’m wearing 3 thin coats in my swatches above.

When I first saw OPI Visions of Georgia Green I pretty much assumed I would hate it. I wrote it off completely until I actually wore it. And you know what? I actually adore it. It’s such a weird ugly/pretty shade that I couldn’t help loving how unique it is. I’m sure that it’s going to be one of those controversial shades that some people like and some people hate so I’ll just let you make up your own mind.

If you’re interested in picking these up, you should be able to find them already at the usual places that sell OPI. So what do you think? Will you be picking these up? I am not sure if you can get these individually, but if you can, I’d probably pick up Visions of Georgia Green if you can only get one. Well, thanks so much for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon!

OPI Nail Envy Strength In Color – Giveaway

Posted on 13 July, 2015 by Cynthia

Hello there! How was your Monday? If you knew how much swatching I got done this weekend, you would be extremely proud of me but now comes the hard part: actually putting the post together. womp womp. When I tackled my swatch pile, I really wanted to try out some of the newer products so I decided to try the new OPI Nail Envy shades. To be honest with you, I have never tried OPI Nail Envy mostly because my nails are super healthy and strong. However, I know many people swear by this treatment and credit it for giving them strong nails. Most people I know use it religiously as a base coat so I was excited to see that the treatment now comes in 4 shades that can be worn alone. For someone like me who is lazy about nail polish, these are perfect! Believe it or not, I don’t wear polish during the week for the most part, so applying a treatment like Nail Envy that actually has color would probably work out great. OPI has released 4 Nail Envy shades:

Hawaiian Orchid: A tropical pink with hints of light purple
Samoan Sand: A warm beige-pink
Bubble Bath: A sweet candy pink
Pink to Envy: A Nail Envy exclusive shade in sheer light pink

I only have three of the four new shades to show you today because I got two of one color. If you are OPI fans, I’m sure you’re familiar with these iconic colors anyway.