Cynthia, Author at Of Life and Lacquer

Author: Cynthia

Of Life and Lacquer > Articles by: Cynthia

China Glaze Road Trip Collection – Spring 2015

Posted on 27 January, 201527 January, 2015 by Cynthia

Hello! This is kind of a late night post for me since I usually like to post in the morning, but I’ve been kind of out of it lately so I figured that since I got a burst of energy now, I might as well write this up right now before I go to bed. If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you know that I love China Glaze. You also know that I never miss out on a collection because…well…I am a freak and have no self control. When I first saw the promo shots for the China Glaze Road Trip Collection for Spring 2015, I just about pissed myself just because I love spring collections, I love China Glaze and I love anything that remotely hints at travel. As soon as my beauty supply got these in, I got the whole lot so I could try them all out. Well, how do you think it went? Let me show you the colors before I get into the dirty details.

China Glaze My Way or the Highway

China Glaze License & Registration Pls

China Glaze Boho Blues

China Glaze Dashboard Dreamer

China Glaze Sun’s Up Top Down

China Glaze Trip of a Lime Time

China Glaze Pop The Trunk

China Glaze I Break for Colour

China Glaze Pack Lightly

China Glaze More To Explore

China Glaze Pinking Out The Window

China Glaze Wanderlust

While some of you may think that these colors are kind of boring and that you’ve seen them all before, let me tell you that even for a nail polish freak like me that really has one of EVERYTHING, I really REALLY loved these colors. Maybe it’s because it’s one of the first Spring collections that I have gotten my hands on after a bunch of Fall and Winter colors, but I really fell hard for this collection. It just seems so cohesive and just plain pretty. The blue shades are gorgeous, the pink/peach colors are a gradient selection made in heaven. Hell, I even loved the yellow…and the green…the green! Ahhh…seriously, I really loved these colors. But. BUT! I hate using the word but because I always feel that everything that comes after the word but basically negates everything that came before it. However (a fancy but), I found the formula on these–not ideal. I don’t know if all of a sudden I suck at applying polish, but all of these felt kind of streaky. The only ones that didn’t really give me any trouble were My Way or the Highway, Boho Blues and License & Registration Pls which only required 2 thin coats. The rest of the polishes required 3 coats…some of them thickish. That definitely did not make me happy. If you’re a person that uses base coat and top coat, that’s like 5 coats of polish on each nail!!! 5 coats of polish make me a sad panda. I haven’t seen too many reviews of these polishes out yet so I don’t know if I just suck at doing my nails now or if others will also find them a bit streaky. Most of these polishes have a really lovely microshimmer that doesn’t show up too much in my pictures but man they look pretty when the light hits them just right. I don’t know about you, but when a polish is really pretty like some of these, I tend to be more forgiving for some formula issues. Ultimately, I would highly recommend the three blues that I mentioned above and a few others if you’re ok with some formula issues. This collection officially comes out in February, but I know that you can get them at a few places already. What do you think of this collection? Will you be getting any of these? Let me know! Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon!

Stamping Saturdays #53

Posted on 24 January, 201524 January, 2015 by Cynthia

Aren’t you guys happy that the weekend is here? Last night I found Masked Affair at my local Rite-Aid and I am still wondering why the display only has two of each polish…is that ridiculous or what? Anyway, I had a pretty big polish week because I bought a ton of new stuff that I’m already regretting but hey–that always happens to me. As usual, I had no idea what I wanted to do for today’s Stamping Saturdays so I just went with the flow. Let me show you the gorgeous polish that I used as my base.

This gorgeous polish is OPI Taylor Blue (press sample). If you don’t know the story behind this polish, make sure that you read it here. This gorgeous polish is so incredibly shiny and has a beautiful crelly consistency.

I then used Mentality White Opaque to stamp an image from plate MoYou London Sailor Collection Plate 07 (press sample). While the Mentality polish stamps beautifully, it has more of a pearl off white finish and I was really looking forward to an opaque white creme. I got so excited with my mani, that I top coated it with OPI I Can Teal You Like Me (press sample) before taking pictures of it. Womp womp. I really love how this looks but dang those bubbles kill it. I’m getting irrationally upset with the bubbles so I may have to take Emma’s suggestion and try the Dance Legend Top Aquarelles.

Minus the bubbles, I love this!!! What do you think? I’m starting to feel really gross because of the Santa Ana winds which make my allergies go bonkers…i’m not looking forward to that so I’m loading up on Benadryl. I have an eye exam later this morning which I’m not looking forward to. Lately I’ve been having tons of issues with my vision which is a huge concern since I’m diabetic. However, I’ve had all the check ups with my doctor and she said my eyes are perfectly healthy. I’ve noticed that I have a lot of trouble seeing up close now with my glasses, and by the end of the day, my eyes are so painfully dry that I can barely see. I bought some eye drops last night and when I got home I realized it said they were for dry “aging eyes.” Yep, I’m old. Well, I hope you’re having a nice Saturday so far and don’t forget to join us for Stamping Saturdays by adding your link below and tagging your posts on IG with #stampingsaturdays so I can find you. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon.

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The Lacquer Ring – Splatter

Posted on 22 January, 201521 January, 2015 by Cynthia

I need to tone it down a little today because I’m almost roid raging over a freaking nail. So here I am all happy with being able to use my swatching hand again, and I was all showing off my new nail shape and all…and BAM! My pink nail split lengthwise. How does that even happen? I’ve never had that happen before so I was like…WTF nail? I managed to file it down enough to where the split ended, but now I’m just waiting for the next nail catastrophe. Oh, and I also have a nail starting to peel/break on my non-swatching hand. Of course this happens when I have about 30 polishes to swatch because the universe hates me. Let me get off this rant for now so I can actually show you what I’m supposed to be talking about today: The Lacquer Ring! Yep, we are at it again with a new prompt which was chosen by Amanda. She chose splatter nails, and of course I had to take the easiest way out because, at Sweet Brown says, Ain’t nobody got time fo dat!

I started off with a simple black base using Jessica Velvets & Pearls (press sample) which is a pretty standard black creme. It has a great formula so no complaints here.

I then used Jessica Standing Ovation (press sample) to stamp this splatter image from Konad Plate M70. I thought the contrast would be better, but I kind of like how this looks. I should have left well enough alone but nooooooooooooo…

I then used my Nicole by OPI Matte Top Coat (press sample) to mattify the whole mani and basically ruined it. I do not like how this looks matte. I should have used a different stamping color to make it stand out more when I mattified it.

Welp, I’m sorry I brought you this craptacular mani today. I just gave up. I had a long day and just didn’t have it in me to do anything different after this fail. Hopefully I’ll do better next month. Womp womp. Check out the links below to see what the other ladies from The Lacquer Ring came up with–it sure can’t get worse than this. Thanks for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon!

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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!

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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!

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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.

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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!

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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.

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