Cynthia, Author at Of Life and Lacquer

Author: Cynthia

Of Life and Lacquer > Articles by: Cynthia

The Lacquer Ring – Inspired By Frosso

Posted on 23 October, 201422 October, 2014 by Cynthia

I had totally forgotten about today’s The Lacquer Ring post. I am such a spaz that I didn’t even realize that we are almost at the end of the month, so when Amy mentioned it last night, I had to scramble. At first I was going to pass on the post, but today we are posting manis inspired by Frosso. In case you don’t know her (duh!), she is the hands behind the now retired Lacquer Me Silly. Now, I am still refusing to acknowledge that she officially retired from blogging because she is one of the first bloggers I became friends with. It’s like the end of an era! She will still be around on IG so it’s not like she stopped liking nail polish, blogging just wasn’t a priority in her life anymore and I totally get that. There are days when I want to shut it all down because I think there are a million blogs out there that are better or have more followers or blah blah blah. But you know what? I am unique…uniquely crazy. There is no one out there like me so I will continue to hoard my polishes and hopefully entertain anyone who stops by. Since Frosso is the queen of gunmetal, I took out Zoya Marina. Is this considered gunmetal? Maybe. Kinda. It didn’t matter because I wanted to use it since it’s my mom’s namesake polish and I was thinking of calling her today to bug her for a recipe. Anyway, let me show you what I did for my mani.

This is three coats of Zoya Marina. It was a little thinner than I am used to with Zoya polishes, so I ended up applying three coats to cover up bald spots. This is almost frosty, but I think they color saves it for me. I was going to stop there because I was just going to keep it simple and classy, but I had to bling it up.

As an accent, I used OPI Muppets World Tour. I lurve this. Seriously. LOVE. I think it’s such a pretty glitter and it goes great with this color.

So what do you think about today’s mani? I know it’s simple, but I just really like it. Don’t forget to check the other manis linked below. Thanks for the visit, and I will talk to you soon!

Loading InLinkz ...

Essie Jiggle Hi Jiggle Low Collection Winter 2014

Posted on 20 October, 201420 October, 2014 by Cynthia

Hey there! How’s your Monday going? Mine is same old same old–you already know how I feel about Mondays. I had a pretty relaxed weekend and of course I didn’t get all he stuff done that I need to, but that’s just the way weekends go, right? I still have a huge pile of polishes to swatch that I’ve decided to not stress about anymore. I got about 20 done on Sunday which is pretty good so at least that was a small dent. Today’s post is all about the latest Winter collection I got my hands on: Essie Jiggle Hi Jiggle Low Collection for Winter 2014. Jiggle Hi Jiggle Low???? What does that even mean? Anyway, let’s take a look at the polishes.

Essie Tuck It In My Tux

Essie Back In The Limo

Essie Bump Up The Pumps

Essie Double Breasted Jacket

Essie Jump In My Jumpsuit

Essie Jiggle Hi Jiggle Low

Ugh. Where to start? The first two polishes Tuck It In My Tux and Back In The Limo are sheer jellies so they were not enjoyable AT ALL. They were both so streaky! I have this rule that if a polish still doesn’t look good at 3 coats, I am not going to fiddle with it anymore and it will stay ugly for my blog. I really wanted to like these two because they are classy colors that I think everyone should own, but the formula ruined it for me. The next 3 polishes are creamy and delicious–everything I dream about when I think of cremes. They are one coaters if you’re careful which you know I always enjoy. Despite this, how do these colors fit in a Winter collection? I just don’t get it. And then we have the gold/silver foil. No, just no. This collection was just a big no for me so I’ve put it up on my blog sale. Don’t get me wrong–4 polishes out of 6 had a really great formula, but I just find the collection disjointed and not super exciting at all. So what do you think? Are you as “meh” on this collection as I am? Let me know in the comments below! Thanks so much for stopping by today.

Stamping Saturdays #41

Posted on 18 October, 2014 by Cynthia

Well hello there and welcome to another Stamping Saturdays! I haven’t posted much in the last week, but I won’t get into it here because I have a lot to share and I’ll never get through this post. Ha! I am super happy with the weather lately because it’s finally starting to feel like fall. I’m going to do a ton of stuff around the house today so I’m kinda looking forward to everything being spic and span. For today’s mani, I used one of my new pretties: OPI Christmas Gone Plaid.

I really hate that my pictures make this polish look darker than it is. It’s actually a lot more green in real life and it’s gorgeous! The good news is that OPI Christmas Gone Plaid (press sample) is super amazing, smooth, opaque and incredibly shiny on its own.

I just wanted to jazz everything up so I applied a coat of Nubar 2010 which is one of my favorite flaky polishes.

This large houndstooth design is from plate MoYou London Pro Collection 18 (press sample). I just love houndstooth everything!

Well, what do you think about this mani? I hope you’re doing well today and that you are enjoying your weekend. Thanks for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon.

Loading InLinkz ...

Zoya Matte Velvet Collection – Re-released!

Posted on 13 October, 201412 October, 2014 by Cynthia

I was a big fat swatching failure this weekend. I thought that I would have time to do a lot of swatching, but I ended up just being lazy and watching tons of movies. Hey, it was a relaxing weekend, sort of, so I guess it’s all cool. On Saturday I picked up my new camera and shed imaginary tears of frustration because I am a tech dunce and have been having a lot of issues trying to get all the settings just right. It’s not a complicated camera, but it’s complicated to me! So I’m sorry if my pictures look off or different–you let me know what you think. One of the collections that I did swatch is the Zoya Matte Velvet Collection because I had been looking forward to playing with the colors that I didn’t have and boy this collection does not disappoint. Don’t you hate it when companies discontinue colors that everyone wants? Well, now we don’t have to complain about not being able to get these beauties because the whole collection is being re-released! Woot! Let me show you just how gorgeous these polishes are.

Zoya Veruschka

Zoya Savita

Zoya Harlow

Zoya Posh

Zoya Loredana

Zoya Dovima

Sooooooo? Was I right? Aren’t these freaking gorgeous? I know that mattes aren’t for everyone, so you can definitely top coat them and transform them into shimmery gorgeousness. I prefer to leave them matte since that’s what’s special about them. The formula on all of these is pretty easy to work with if you just work quickly and don’t overwork the polish. For my swatches I used two coats of polish, and they all dried lightning quick. Which color is your favorite? I can’t make up my mind between Veruschka and Savita. This collection can be purchased on zoya.com for $9 each but they will only be available for a limited time so don’t drag your feet if you want them. You know how polish freaks roll and they will all disappear.

In celebration of this gorgeous collection, I am introducing a new rating system today to give you an overall idea as to how strong the polish boner is for each collection I review. The rating system will tell you how much my brain was thinking, “Shut up and take my money!” and is based on a scale of 1-4.

It should be no surprise that my final rating is:

You really nailed it with this re-release, Zoya.

Stamping Saturdays #40

Posted on 11 October, 201411 October, 2014 by Cynthia

Sweet baby Jesus on rollerskates, I think I came down with some sort of stomach bug yesterday. My stomach was killing me all day, but I just seem to get sick for random reasons. I didn’t eat anything bad yesterday. In fact, I ate pretty well: yogurt, apple with peanut butter, string cheese and a chicken salad–this was before dinner. Anyway, I think my system has never been the same since I had my gall bladder removed a few years ago. My stomach feels pretty normal now so whatever! Suck it, stupid stomach issues! Yesterday after work I went to my nail polish places and I kind of went overboard. You see, I was feeling pretty good because my manager was giving me kudos for something and then even the director of our department stopped by to tell me what a great job I did. It’s always nice to be recognized for doing a good job, right? Sometimes it feels that the only time you hear from management is when you mess up, so it’s a nice surprise to hear positive feedback too! Look at all the stuff I got:

I tracked down the rest of the Cuccio Colour Precious Metals collection so I was beyond excited. I also found the Essie Winter Collection (which seems so wrong!) and some Color Club Halo Hues that I hadn’t picked up yet. And lastly I picked up a few dreamy Kiara Sky cremes, one of which I will be using for today’s Stamping Saturdays. Ready to check it out?

This beauty is Kiara Sky Teal The Spotlight. You’re welcome. That is all I really have to say. It’s gorgeous, has a gorgeous formula, it is shimmery, buttery and opaque. Perfection.

The color totally made me thing of the ocean so I used my MoYou London Sailor Collection Plate 07 (press sample) to stamp this wave design. I’m really digging this! After the fails from the previous weeks, I’m glad this design turned out.

What are you up to today? I don’t have anything exciting planned so I think I’m just going to swatch my little heart out. My fingers are scared in advance, but I’m also really excited to try out all my new pretties! Thanks for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon.

Loading InLinkz ...

The Lacquer Ring – Vampy

Posted on 9 October, 20149 October, 2014 by Cynthia

I know I’m super late for The Lacquer Ring post today, but I wasn’t in the mood to do my nails last night and then tonight I was having issues with my camera so it took me a long time to get it to work. The camera did not want to turn on and then it would shut off by itself. I think that it is finally time to get a new one. I’ve bought 2 cameras lately and returned both because they just didn’t work out for me. I use a point and shoot camera that was under $150 a couple of years ago so I’m not looking for anything crazy fancy or expensive. I have my eye on a Nikon that is $100 so I’m going to go check it out at Best Buy this weekend. I’m excited about going camera shopping! Today’s prompt is vampy, and I received the perfect polish today.

OPI Sleigh Parking Only is a new polish from the Gwen Stefani Holiday Collection. I am a little surprised by how much darker this polish looks on the nail. It’s a beautiful dark raisin polish with a great formula. I applied two coats for my swatches above and it covered perfectly. It dries incredibly shiny which you know I love when it comes to cremes.

I could not leave my mani nice and simple so I applied one coat of OPI Snowflakes In The Air. I adore this glitter and love how it pops against the dark base.

I am watching Grey’s Anatomy right now and am patiently waiting for Scandal. I love that show! I have a crapton of polishes to swatch this weekend, and I have no idea how I’m going to get through them all, but I’m going to give it my best shot. Aren’t you happy that tomorrow is Friday? I’m looking forward to the weekend laziness for sure. Don’t forget to check out the other manicures for today’s The Lacquer Ring posts. Thanks for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon.

Loading InLinkz ...

Cuccio Colour Vivacious Verdigris

Posted on 8 October, 2014 by Cynthia

You know those days when you just start off on the wrong foot and it sets you up for a Rube Goldberg day of disaster? Well, that was my life today. This morning I woke up all early because I wanted to get to work early, eat a little oatmeal and coffee and just relax before starting my day. I had all my stuff ready to go and I walked out of the door—without my keys. I spent a few minutes banging on the door and calling my brother—the world’s heaviest sleeper—so that he could open the door for me. How was I supposed to drive to work without my keys? Anyway, all was fine once I got my keys until I got on the freeway, that is. I work like 11 miles away from work yet it took me an hour to get to work so that made me late. I HATE BEING LATE!!!!! Supposedly there was an accident on the 5 but when I got to the supposed accident area, everything had been cleared out of the way but people were still slowing down trying to see if they could spot the accident. WTF, people? I hope you fucking rubberneckers get hit by bird shit. Anyway, I’ll just put the shitty day behind me–I won’t even mention work–and show you the awesomeness of Cuccio Colour Vivacious Verdigris

This is another one of those amazing suede polishes from Cuccio Colour. I adore this green and was super excited to use it. As all suede/matte polishes, the formula dries super fast and can be overworked very easily. I applied two coats for my swatches above and that is all that was needed.

What do you think of this polish? I can’t wait to find the rest of this collection because they are awesome. How was your day today? I can’t wait for tomorrow just so that I can put today behind me. Sucky days are awful. Thank you for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon.

Winner Announced – OPI DS Polished Quartz & OPI Pink Of Hearts BCA 2014

Posted on 7 October, 2014 by Cynthia

Hey there. It’s taken me forever to chose the winners of these two giveaways mainly because I have been beyond lazy lately, and I have having some problems with the rafflecopter widgets loading correctly. I also had a hard time picking the winner because so many people were claiming entries without actually doing the task. Oh well. I ended up picking a winner using random.org and then had to validate entries. I know you just want to know who won, so let me tell you.

The winner of the OPI DS Polished Quartz polishes is: Kimberly Y.

The winner of the OPI Pink Of Hearts Duo is: Jacqui D.

Congratulations, ladies! I have sent them both an email and I’m just waiting for them to get back to me.

I plan on having more giveaways in the next month or so because I will be celebrating my three year blogiversary. Can you believe I’ve been at this madness for 3 years? Craziness!

Anyway, thanks so much for stopping by today. Congrats to the winners again.

Rouge Louboutin

Posted on 6 October, 20145 October, 2014 by Cynthia

Hey, how are you on this scorching Monday? This weekend was pretty miserably hot here, so I was not able to get all the swatching done that I had planned because I wanted to sit by the fan all day which doesn’t mesh well with painting my nails. Was that sentence long enough? (Look, I’m Henry James!) One polish that I did have to absolutely swatch is the one I have for you today: Rouge Louboutin. Yes, it’s the majestic Rouge Louboutin–the polish I had a huge boner for ever since I heard of its existence, the polish I dreamed of, the polish I tried to get at Sephora when they were sold out and now the polish that was a truly amazing present from the lovely Amy from The Fancy Side. She went overboard when she sent this to me for my birthday and I can’t thank her enough for such a beautiful gesture. Let me show you just how gorgeous this thing is.

This bottle is just a piece of art. It’s so inconveniently shaped and sized, but it’s meant to be displayed and not tucked away in some melmer. I also like the idea of having a weapon in my bedroom in case anyone ever breaks in–it could totally be deadly. Once you get past oohing and aahhhing over the bottle, you realize that there’s polish in there that you must try immediately.

This polish is so decadent! The formula is extremely opaque and it applies smooth and buttery. I applied two coats for my swatches above, but you could get away with one coat. It dries very quickly and also dries super shiny so you can skip top coat if you want. I did find application a little challenging only because it was a little awkward to maneuver the brush and the long wand, but you get used to it. The color is less orange than it appears in my pictures. It’s more vibrant red, just like the soles on all the Louboutin shoes.

So what do you think? I think this is one of those polishes that you get because it is like a work of art. Will I be getting other polishes from this line? Maybe. Probably. I mean, if I see a very unique color, I will be tempted to get it but I probably won’t buy anything that is very dupeable. I am crazy about this polish since it’s so iconic and gorgeous AND because it was such a thoughtful gift. I have the most amazing friends, don’t I? Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon.

Stamping Saturdays #39

Posted on 4 October, 2014 by Cynthia

Hello. I’m melting today. I’m super upset about this shitty weather because it makes me miserable. The dry heat and the winds make my allergies go nuts so I’ve been a total mess the last few days. Today I woke up early for my Saturday morning movie ritual and I watched Gone Girl. Man, that movie was a mindfuck. I had not read the book but I knew the plot and all because I had googled it when everyone started talking about the movie. That is one of my most annoying habits even to myself–I like to google everything such as movie plots, TV show summaries…you name it, I google it. I know it seems ridiculous since part of the enjoyment of watching a movie is to be surprised. I don’t know when I started doing this, but it’s a habit now. Anywho, I highly recommend the movie if you’re looking to watch something this weekend. I know I’m posting super late today, but I just had a crapton of stuff to do today and then it was so hot I just couldn’t function. I don’t have AC in my apartment so it gets super hot. Enough complaining about the weather–let me show you what I did today for Stamping Saturdays.

For my base color, I used Super Nails Cookie Dough (press sample). I have never seen a polish more aptly named!

This is two easy coats of Cookie Dough. The formula on this polish seemed a bit thick at first, but it applies easily and is very opaque. I like the base color of this polish, but I don’t think that it looks too good on me. Maybe it would look better on someone with a different skin tone.

I’m totally meh on this combination. I don’t thin that I made the right choice here because everything looks muddled. From far away it looks cool, but up close it doesn’t quite mesh. In case you’re wondering the jigsaw puzzle design comes from Bundle Monster plate BM 319.

So how has your Saturday been? Anything exciting going on in your life? I’m going to jump in the shower and meet up with a girlfriend for a cup of coffee since we haven’t had time to catch up lately. Hopefully I can get some watching done tomorrow otherwise I’m not going to have too much to post next week. I am so crossing my fingers that I start making it to the gym after work because I’m at a crossroads here. Let me know what you think of Super Nails Cookie Dough. It’s my first experience with the brand, and I quite liked the formula and application. Make sure that you check out KC’s etsy shop for all of her fun creations. You can also find Super Nails on Facebook and Twitter. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon!

Loading InLinkz ...