Cynthia, Author at Of Life and Lacquer

Author: Cynthia

Of Life and Lacquer > Articles by: Cynthia

Healthy Sundays – Week 1

Posted on 21 September, 2014 by Cynthia

When I first heard this song on the radio, I couldn’t help singing “I don’t care if the world knows what my secrets are” at the top of my lungs. If you read my blog, that must be pretty clear. Today I have something that is going to be a little different for my blog but that I hope will help me on my journey. I’ve been talking about all the medical and psychological issues that being obese has forced me to deal with, so I won’t rehash all of that. As I come closer to my 35th birthday, I have pretty much had it and have decided to take the step in trying to get bariatric surgery. I know that weight loss surgery is not something to take lightly and it’s not an easy fix, but I don’t want to continue to live like this. I know that this is a very personal decision and my blog has always been very personal so I figured that sharing this journey with all of your from day 1 might be useful and cathartic for me. This is my first post in a planned weekly series of posts that I will call Healthy Sundays.

On Tuesday I have my first appointment with my new PCP at Kaiser. Kaiser offers coverage for bariatric surgery for their members, but there are requirements and you have to go through their process. I’ve been reading up on everything on various websites so I feel that I have a good general grasp of what will be entailed. I’ll be documenting this process on my blog as well as sharing my progress. I want to make it clear that this is not about losing weight–that will be a byproduct of my getting my health under control. I will have my first substantial update next Sunday so I hope you will join me.

Wish me luck!

Stamping Saturdays #37

Posted on 20 September, 201420 September, 2014 by Cynthia

Holy shitballs. I can’t believe I am currently enjoying day 1 of my 4 day weekend. And how am I enjoying today, you ask? By watching episode after episode of Sons of Anarchy, of course! I completely blame Emma for getting me started on this show, and she was 100% right–I love it. I am just starting season 2 and I suspect that I’ll be able to get through a couple of seasons over this long weekend. Next week is a big TV week for me because 2 of my favorite shows are coming back: Scandal and The Blacklist!! My TV life will be complete when The Following comes back, but it seems that I will have to wait until next year for that. I think I might have to stop watching so much TV, but to be honest I tend to watch while I do other stuff like cleaning or doing my nails so at least I’m being somewhat productive. For today’s Stamping Saturdays, I decided to go extra glittery so let me show you what I did.

This gorgeous polish is NYC Blue Majesty (press sample) from the Crystal Couture Collection. It’s a very opaque glitter with a very pigmented blue jelly base. Unfortunately it stains something fierce so make sure that you double up on base coat. I didn’t use any base coat and ended up having to buff the staining away because it was so bad that not even pure acetone worked. You may also have noticed my super short nails. I don’t normally like having my nails this short, but since I broke my pinky nail I just decided to file them all down.

Because there is nothing more gorgeous to me than a white and blue mani, I stamped this image from plate MoYou London Pro Collection – 02 (press sample). I really like how this mani turned out despite my nubs.

So what are you up to this weekend? I’m really happy that the weather has cooled down dramatically. Earlier in the week it was around 100 degrees and now I’m enjoying upper 70’s and low 80’s which is heavenly. I just hope that it stays this way so I can enjoy my mini vacation. I hope you’re doing well, and thank you for stopping by today!

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Giveaway – OPI Pink Of Hearts BCA 2014

Posted on 15 September, 201415 September, 2014 by Cynthia

Hi there! I hope that it’s not hotter than Satan’s butthole where you live. It’s still like 90 degrees and it’s almost 9 pm. I am not happy and I kind of want to stab someone. Can winter get here already, pretty please? Anyway, I had a rough Monday today–nothing bad, just the usual Monday Misery. Today I have my final giveaway for the month of September–aren’t you guys lucky?! On of my wonderful readers will win the OPI Pink Of Hearts BCA 2014 set!

Please use the rafflecopter widget below to enter this awesome giveaway courtesy of the very awesome people from OPI.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Did you also know I have two other giveaways running right now??

Click here to enter the OPI Peanuts Collection Giveaway

Click here to enter the OPI DS Polished Quartz Giveaway

Good luck!

Stamping Saturdays #36

Posted on 13 September, 2014 by Cynthia

It is so incredibly hot today, so I have no idea why I decided to focus on dealing with my serious make up hoarding problem. You see, before I even started getting obsessed with nail polish, I was even more obsessed with make-up. My make-up collection grew so much and so quickly, that it got to the point that I became disgusted with the amount I was collecting and also the amount of money I had wasted on everything. I say “wasted” because there is no way I can get through all the make-up I bought before it goes bad. Who needs 15 NARS blushes? I only have one face, right? A couple of weeks ago I wanted to use one of my favorite lipsticks: Bobbi Brown Cocoa Berry. Well, it had gone rancid. Almost $30 for a lipstick and it went rancid. I then checked Bobbi Brown Heather Mauve and it was rancid as well. And that is how the great make-up destashing of 2014 began. I’ll share a little more about that below but first let me show you what I did for Stamping Saturdays today.

Illamasqua Poke is such a gorgeous polish. Please excuse the bad pictures and the bad polish job. The truth is that I had to use my non-swatching hand today because I broke a nail on my swatching hand. I didn’t mean for my skin to look so greasy, but I had to use some serious moisture because my cuticles were a total mess. Are you as sad as I am that Sephora no longer carries Illamasqua??? I think that Nordstrom carries the brand now, but I have kind of fallen out of love with them because of the price hikes. I have a lot of Illamasqua polishes in my collection, so I will probably only buy new ones if the colors are really unique.

I then used Pure Ice Silver Mercedes to stamp this chain link design from one of my MoYou London plates. I wasn’t feeling too inspired mostly because it was such a pain to do this on my non-swatching hand…I wish I was ambidextrous!

Now, let me show you all the stuff that I junked today…

I want to cry just thinking how much money I just threw in the garbage. Some of those items were used maybe once or twice. The worst offenders are the NARS lipglosses because those definitely went bad quickly. I think that it’s just the nature of the product, but at 20-some dollars a pop, I will not be buying lipglosses in this quantity. I have a lot more make-up that I should probably get rid of but I just can’t bring myself to do it just yet. This is probably 1/4th of all the make up I have so there is plenty more to sift through–I am definitely not looking forward to it.

So, what do you think about collecting make-up? Are you also a make-up collector or do you focus on nail polish? I think that the fact that polish doesn’t truly every go bad (thinner to the rescue!) makes me feel a little bit better about my collection. Anyway, I hope you’re staying cool today if the temperatures are infernal where you live. Unfortunately, we are entering wildfire season here in OC so I’m always sad when that starts up because so many people end up losing their homes and all the brave men and women firefighters are put in such danger. Thanks for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon.

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KBShimmer Fall 2014 Collection

Posted on 12 September, 201411 September, 2014 by Cynthia

Yay Fall is almost here…NOT! When I walked out of the office yesterday, I was punched in the face with 100 degree heat. Needless to say, I was not impressed. This weekend is supposed to be even hotter so I’m already upset about it. Maybe I will go to the beach and just get burned to a crisp the way I always do…or maybe I will go to some air conditioned place all day so I don’t have to deal with heat stroke. Shitastic weather aside, one thing I am super psyched about is the awesome collection I have for you today. What collection am I talking about? Well, it’s the KBShimmer Fall 2014 Collection, of course! Proceed with the swatches, posthaste!

KBShimmer How You Dune?

KBShimmer Hugs And Wishes

KBShimmer Stonewashed

KBShimmer Rust No One

KBShimmer Up And Cunning

Holy shit, now that is what polishgasms are all about. I have never EVER tried a KBShimmer polish that wasn’t superb. The formulas on these cremes is just deliciously buttery, smooth and glossy. They apply like a dream and the colors are unexpected but somehow fit in perfectly with a fall collection. The holos…the holos! I use different lighting for the holos because I want to show you what they look like out in the sun since they are just spectacular. They are so easy to apply as well–just a perfect formula. All of these polishes applied perfectly with two coats. I just can’t rave enough about these beauties.

You know you want these pretties so get them! The Fall Collection will be available for sale on September 15 so check them out here. Also be sure to follow KBShimmer on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for all their latest news. So which one is your favorite?

The Lacquer Ring – Gold

Posted on 11 September, 201411 September, 2014 by Cynthia

Today’s post is full of my most hated color: gold. I hate gold everything. I hate gold jewelry, I hate gold nails…I just hate gold period. Yep, I’m a gold hater. Every time I think of gold, this is all I can see in my head:

I pity the fool who doesn’t wear enough gold to feed a small country! However, this is Siobhan’s month to choose the color and design for The Lacquer Ring so I must respect the gold masta. I’ve probably mentioned before that despite hating gold in every incarnation, I actually really like OPI Love.Angel.Music.Baby from the Gwen Stefani Collection. I think that the satin finish won me over as well as the fact that it’s not an obnoxious yellow gold. In any case, let me show you this pretty polish.

This is two smooth coats of OPI Love.Angel.Music.Baby. Pretty, eh?

Since I just couldn’t leave well enough alone, I stamped an image from MoYou London Back To The 70’s plate 3 with my black Konad polish. I think this turned out great! It’s such a grooooooovy design, right? I just love how it pops against the gold.

Well, what do you think? Do you like the design I ended up with? How do you feel about gold? Don’t forget to check out the other designs below. Thanks for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon.

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Essie Pinking About You Collection BCA 2014

Posted on 10 September, 20149 September, 2014 by Cynthia

Yesterday I showed you the first BCA set that I got my hands on, and today I have a pretty trio from Essie. Now, you know my relationship with Essie: I must have every single collection no matter what people say. I have some weird obsession with the pretty square bottles and white handles. Since I now broke two nails, I’ve been feeling sad about not being able to swatch and stuff but I guess this is a good break for me. I do have enough posts lined up for the rest of the week, but I think I may have skip next week unless I wear a fake press on nail. Would that be weird? Maybe just a little? haha! Anyway, let me show you the Essie Pinking About You Collection for Breast Cancer Awareness 2014.

Essie I Pink I Can

Essie Pink Happy

Essie Pinking About You

You know, this is such a nice little trio. The two cremes are pretty nice and aren’t streaky. I used two coats for each polish and that’s all they needed. I was expecting I Pink I Can to be super streaky, but it has a pretty nice formula. My favorite of the three is Pink Happy because it’s one of those juicy hot pink polishes that I absolutely adore. Every time I wear a super hot pink like this, people always comment on my nails. The glitter combination in Pinking About You isn’t anything we haven’t see before, but Essie isn’t usually known for this type of glitter polish so I’m always happy to see glitter polishes from them. The glitter is plentiful so you will not have any problems getting good coverage.

So what do you think about this collection? I know the colors are anything out of this world, but they are nice, girly and excellent staples. I hope you’re having a good week so far–we are almost halfway through the week…yay! Thanks for the visit, and I will talk to you soon.

OPI Pink Of Hearts BCA 2014

Posted on 9 September, 20148 September, 2014 by Cynthia

Oh man, today was so crazy busy at work that I barely had a minute to breathe. To top it all off, it was super hot today–hot and humid. In fact, on my drive home it started to sprinkle a little bit and it was like everyone on the freeway forgot how to drive. Why is it that any time that it rains it’s like we forget how to drive? Is this a SoCal thing? What would we do if we had real weather nightmares like ice/snow? We’d probably all die instantly…spontaneous combustion. It’s supposed to remain hot and muggy for the rest of the week, and I am definitely not happy about that. From crappy weather to pretty polish, today I have the OPI Pink of Hearts Breast Cancer Awareness set for 2014.This is a totally adorable set, right?

As a lover of pink polish, I cannot believe that I had never tried OPI Mod About You. I was blown away by the rich creaminess of this pale pink and absolutely adore it. I used two thin coats for my swatches.

OPI The Power Of Pink is a milky based glitter that works better layered over the pink. I tried it on its own but it needed way too many coats for on opaque finish.

Overall, I think this is a great set and if it serves the purpose to raise awareness, then that’s an added bonus in my book. I know that this time of the year, we are flooded with PINK which can make people cynical, but I’m reserving my judgement on that one since I’m just talking about the quality of the polish here. What do you think about these polishes? Are they something you would wear? Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon.

Giveaway – OPI DS Polished Quartz

Posted on 8 September, 20147 September, 2014 by Cynthia

Hello and happy Monday! Can’t you just feel the sarcasm dripping from that phrase? I hope that you had a nice weekend. I actually had a pretty busy weekend and two things ruined it: it was blazing hot and I broke a nail–on my swatching hand! It seems that I very rarely break nails because I tend to keep them so short, but I was doing tons of cleaning and washing dishes on Sunday that it must have happened during that time. I actually didn’t even notice that it was broken until was washing my hair and my hair got caught in it. Ugh! It’s my pinky nail so I hope that it grows quickly. I also got a haircut on Friday and I’m kind of regretting it now because it’s super short–the shortest I have ever gone and it’s really hard to do anything with it. Thankfully, my hair grows super fast so I won’t have to deal with this length for too long. I am thinking about finally letting my hair grow again…let’s see how long this lasts!

Anyway, what I wanted to share with you today is the launch of a new giveaway, courtesy of OPI, for the OPI DS Polished Quartz Collection which consist of Tourmaline and Titanium.

I really liked these and hope that whoever wins them enjoys them as much as I did. One lucky reader will win both of these babies. In order to enter, use the rafflecopter widget below. The giveaway is open internationally.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck!

Stamping Saturdays #35

Posted on 6 September, 2014 by Cynthia

Happy Saturday and welcome to another installment of Stamping Saturdays! I can’t believe that I stayed up until like 4 am last night and then I woke up at 8:30 for no apparent reason. Now I’ve just been watching Project Runway and putting off doing the cleaning I need to do. I’ve always loved Project Runway but I still sorely miss Michael Kors. I do like Zac Posen, but Michael was in a class by himself. I was having a hard time figuring out what I wanted to do for today’s post, so I looked through my melmers and decided to use Chanel Taboo. I’ve only used this polish once since I bought it mainly because it wears like crap on me. It basically stared completely peeling off my nails the same day. Anyway, let me show you what a did for my stamped mani today.

Yes, Chanel Taboo is gorgeous. Yes, it is too expensive. No, it’s not really worth it if the brand wears poorly on you. I think that body chemistry has a lot to do with how polish wears on you so I’m sure that Chanel wears perfectly fine on other people–just not on me. I guess this is a good thing because I only have one Chanel in my collection but that doesn’t keep me from admiring others from afar. My wallet is happy.

I then used this flowery image from plate MASH 42 and Pure Ice Silver Mercedes to stamp this design. I’m feeling a little meh on this overall, but it has this laid back island feel too it that I’m kind of enjoying.

What are your plans today? It’s pretty freaking hot here today so I’m probably just going to be lazy and do some cleaning…and maybe watch a bunch of zombie stuff on Netflix. Thanks for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon!

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