Author: Cynthia

Julie G Cruise Time Collection Summer 2014

Julie G Cruise Time Collection Summer 2014

PurchasedMyself

 

 

Apparently I didn’t get the memo that it would be hotter than Satan’s butthole this week so I’m currently melting. It is also super windy (damn you, Santa Ana Winds!!!) so my allergies are acting up. Oh well. I should be used to this by now. I had been meaning to post my swatches of the Julie G Cruise Time Collection for Summer 2014, but I’ve just been…unmotivated to say the least. I’m trying to clear out all my backlog of posts so this was the next one on my list.

Julie G Santorini 1Julie G Santorini 2Julie G Santorini

Julie G Tahiti 1Julie G Tahiti 2Julie G Tahiti

Julie G Canary Islands 1Julie G Canary Islands 2Julie G Canary Islands

Julie G Rio De Janeiro 1Julie G Rio De Janeiro 2Julie G Rio De Janeiro

Julie G Miami Beach 1Julie G Miami Beach 2Julie G Miami Beach

Julie G Old San Juan 1Julie G Old San Juan 2Julie G Old San Juan

These polishes are so pretty! I know that there’s nothing “revolutionary” about them, but it’s always nice to see a good creme formula. They are all very buttery and opaque so I applied 2 coats and that was enough for all 6 polishes. My two favorites from this collection are Tahiti and Santorini–they are flippin’ gorgeous. Since I’m preparing myself for financial Armageddon, I put these up on my blog sale. SO SAD. However, knowing the amount of polish that I have, there really is no point in me keeping most of the new stuff that I buy because they will probably never see the light of day after the initial swatching.

What do you think about this collection? I think it’s super cute, and I am very impressed by the quality of these polishes. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon.

 

KBShimmer Spring 2014 Collection – Cremes

KBShimmer Spring 2014 Collection – Cremes

PressSample

 

 

Hi everyone. Today I have some long overdue swatches. In my haste of organizing my desktop, I accidentally put the folder in the wrong place and forgot about putting this post together. I feel like such a dunce because I was so darn excited about sharing these polishes with you. I’m sure that you know how much I love beautiful cremes so I was in polish heaven when these beauties arrived. Let me show you 4 gorgeous cremes from the KBShimmer Spring 2014 Collection!

KBShimmer Life Rose On 1KBShimmer Life Rose On 2KBShimmer Life Rose On

KBShimmer Pansy-monioum 1KBShimmer Pansy-monioum 2KBShimmer Pansy-monioum

KBShimmer Sky Jinks 1KBShimmer Sky Jinks 2KBShimmer Sky Jinks

KBShimmer A Touch Of Glass 1KBShimmer A Touch Of Glass 2KBShimmer A Touch Of Glass

As you can tell by my nail shape, these swatches were done when I was experimenting with my nail shape. I did quite like this nail shape especially when I got some length, but I think I prefer my square shape. It could be that I’m just used to having square nails, but I just feel that the shape suits me better. As far as the polishes are concerned, they are absolutely perfect cremes. They are so smooth, creamy and easy to work with. I will always love gorgeous cremes and I can tell you that these polishes are beautiful staples to have in your stash. You can purchase these lovely cremes for $7.50 each on the KBShimmer website, so go check them out. Make sure that you follow KBShimmer on their various social media accounts to get up to date news on their collections.

Website  –  Facebook  –  Twitter  –  Pinterest  –  Instagram

Which of these do you like best? Will you or have you picked any of these up? Let me know what you think. Thanks for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon.

Kiko 295 Cerulean Blue

Kiko 295 Cerulean Blue

Gift

 

 

Last night I was in one of my moods so I turned to Netflix to see if I could distract myself for a while. Well, I was looking at my long queue of films to watch, and I remembered that I really, really wanted to to watch Blue Is the Warmest Color (La vie d’Adèle). Dude…watch it. It’s beautifully acted, it’s tender, it’s sweet, it’s intense, it’s heart-wrenching and will just leave you feeling like you’ve been completely emotionally destroyed. It probably wasn’t the best movie to watch when I was already feeling like shit, but it actually changed my mood in the sense that I was happy to watch such an amazing movie. The movie is in French so I know not a lot of people like movies with subtitles (weirdos) and it’s also rated NC-17 so if you’re opposed to graphic and long sex scenes (eh?), then this movie may not be for you. Still, I highly recommend it. One of the characters in the movie, Emma, has this really awesome blue hair so it put me in the mood to wear blue. That is how I ended up with Kiko 295 Cerulean Blue on my nails.

Kiko 295 Cerulean Blue 1Kiko 295 Cerulean Blue 2Kiko 295 Cerulean Blue 3I honestly don’t know why I hadn’t worn this beauty before. Kiko 295 Cerulean Blue is so freaking bright that it almost looks neon. In fact, it’s so bright that it made my camera take 5 dumps on me while I was trying to take these pictures. Not only is the color beautiful and saturated–the formula is to die for as well. With careful application it could be a one-coater, but I applied two coats out of habit. The finish is incredibly shiny and glossy so I didn’t even need to apply a top coat.

Nubar Black Polka Dot 1Nubar Black Polka Dot 2Nubar Black Polka Dot 3And because I can never leave well enough alone, I applied one coat of Nubar Black Polka Dot. I love the final look here!

What do you think about the Kiko? Isn’t it gorgeous? I always lament that we don’t have access to this brand in the US, but we can’t be that greedy since we have pretty much everything else. I hope that you’re having a great weekend. Thanks so much for the visit, and I will talk to you soon.

 

 

Stamping Saturdays #16

Stamping Saturdays #16

Since purple is one of my favorite colors, I remember being obsessed with getting every purple and lilac polish known to mankind when I first started hoarding collecting nail polish. One of the very first polishes that made me swoon is OPI Do You Lilac It? and it is still a favorite. I decided to use it as the base color for my mani today so let’s take a look…

OPI Do You Lilac It 1OPI Do You Lilac It 2This is two buttery coats of OPI Do You Lilac It?, and it is still as gorgeous as I remember it.

KBShimmer Pansy-monioum 1KBShimmer Pansy-monioum 2I then used KBShimmer Pansy-monioum (press sample) to sponge on my gradient.

Konad M73 1Konad M73 2And lastly, I used an image from Konad plate M73 for this girlie and flowery design.

While I’m not in love with this final design, I think it is pretty. It’s a little more “girlie” than I tend to do, but sometimes change is good, right? Don’t forget t check out the other Stamping Saturdays looks below.  Also, if you’re interested in joining us in Stamping Saturdays, feel free to link your stamped manis below as well. We’d love to see what you come up with. As always, thanks for stopping by!

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The Lacquer Ring – Unicorns Unite!

The Lacquer Ring – Unicorns Unite!

I almost didn’t get this post done, which would have been unfortunate because this is the inaugural post of…

TheLacquerRingWhat is this Lacquer Ring I speak of? Well, it’s a group of crazy polish chicks who spend way too much time emailing each other all day long about polish, life, woes and more polish. While we haven’t all technically met in person (except for me and Lesley and Amy and Frosso), we are pretty good friends and hope that we can all meet one day. Unfortunately, the universe will end that day because that much awesomeness is not allowed all in one place. While you may already know the ladies who make up The Lacquer Ring, let me introduce them all:

Amanda from Mae’s Beauty

Amy from The Fancy Side

Frosso from Lacquer Me Silly

Jessica from Once Upon A Polish

Lesley from IG @MisfitLesley

Nicole from Polish Me, Please!

Siobhan from For The Love Of Nail Art

Now that you know who will be participating in The Lacquer Ring, let me tell you that we will be posting twice a month and each month, one of us will be determining the two challenges for the rest of the group. For our very first post, we will all be using a special polish that Nicole got as a gift for all of us: Candy Lacquer Unicorn Bubbles. Let me show you what I did with this awesome glitter topper!

Jessica SharktoothI started with two creamy and delicious coats of Jessica Sharktooth (press sample). I’ve mentioned how much I love this polish many times because it is an amazing white polish.

OPI Sheer Tints 1OPI Sheer Tints 2I then used my OPI Sheer Tints (press sample) to create this watercolor design. Ever since I saw The Polish-Aholic’s post about this, I knew I had to do it. You can read more about it here. I should have used thinner coats of the Sheer Tints because I got some bubbling, but I decided to let it go since I was planning to put on a glitter topper anyway.

Candy Lacquer Unicorn Bubbles 1Candy Lacquer Unicorn Bubbles 2This is my very first Candy Lacquer, and I was quite happy with it. I love circle glitter so this is right up my alley. Like most glitter toppers, using the dabbing method will give you the best results. I ended up fishing the glitter out with a dotting tool because I was getting a lot of bubbling from the thick base. Although the base is clear, it does have some holographic micro glitter that kicks it up a notch.

OPI Matte Top Coat 1OPI Matte Top Coat 2Lately I have been obsessed with making everything matte, so I pulled out my OPI Matte Top Coat (press sample) and mattified my whole mani. I don’t know how you feel about the end result, but I absolutely love it. OPI’s Matte Top Coat has become my favorite amongst many others so I highly recommend it.

Currently I’m working through a lot of unpleasant stuff so excuse me if I’m not around as much. I had mentioned that I may not post as regularly for the time being, but I couldn’t miss out on the first post of The Lacquer Ring. Thank you so much for continuing to stop by despite my irregular posting. We were not very organized for our first post, so they will be trickling in as everyone gets a chance to publish. Some are already up, so make sure that you check them out below. Thank you so much for stopping by today, and I hope that you will join us for the next The Lacquer Ring post.

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Another Major Blog Sale

Another Major Blog Sale

I’ve added a bunch of new stuff to my blog sale page. Everything is current and updated as of the publishing of this post. I have also added a grab bag special:

4 Full Size Salon Brand Polishes (no drugstore brands)

1 Full size Indie Polish

2 indie minis

This will ship out in a priority box with tracking–$25 shipped.

You can find all my blog sale information by clicking here.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Morgan Taylor New School Nude

Morgan Taylor New School Nude

PurchasedMyself

 

 

How was your Sunday? I didn’t do anything exciting, but I did stop by my brother’s house to visit my little Peanut. He is so freaking adorable! I hadn’t seen him all week because my sister in law’s sister is visiting and she is babysitting him. I’m not a big Easter person but if you are, I hope you had a nice day with your friends and loved ones. I also wasn’t in the mood to do some cutesy Easter mani so I used a gorgeous nude that I bought a couple of weeks ago: Morgan Taylor New School Nude.

Morgan Taylor New School Nude 1Morgan Taylor New School Nude 2This is a gorgeous nude. It’s slightly beige and has a little bit of yellow in it. To be honest, I thought this was going to look hideous on me but I am quite liking it. If you haven’t used Morgan Taylor polishes before, this one is the usual creme perfection that I have come to expect from this brand. The polish was a tiny bit streaky so I ended up applying 3 coats, and it did not need top coat because it is beyond shiny on its own.

OPI Snowflakes In The Air Matte 1OPI Snowflakes In The Air Matte 2And just to make this a little more interesting, I applied a coat of OPI Snowflakes In The Air (press sample) and then used my OPI Matte Top Coat (press sample) to bring it all together. I’m quite happy with the way this turned out!

So I know that I mention work a lot and how much it stresses me out. I’m going to do my best to stop talking about work on here because my blog really is a sort of escape. At this point, I am physically sick from the stress so I know that something has to change. I hope that I don’t have to step away for the blog while I figure this out, but if my postings seem more sporadic, at least you will know why. Thanks so much for all the kind words and encouragement–they mean the world to me. I’ll talk to you soon…hopefully.

Stamping Saturdays #15

Stamping Saturdays #15

Welcome to another installment of Stamping Saturdays! I can’t believe that I have managed to do this without missing a single Saturday since we started this up. Is it funny that I find this a huge accomplishment? I’m feeling like a lazy bum today which is par for the course so all I’m going to do it laundry and watch TV all day. For today’s Stamping Saturdays post, I decided to do something kind of obnoxious so I started with a crazy bright yellow: nails inc. Carnaby Street.

nails inc. Carnaby Street 1nails inc. Carnaby Street 2This polish is so damn electric. In real life, it leans a tiny, tiny bit orange but it’s still a super bright orange. The formula is a bit streaky so it did need three coats for full opacity. Now that we’ve seen so many awesome yellows come out, it’s disappointing to have such a streaky yellow. I am pretty sure that I have mentioned that I love yellow everything and I can trace it back to my mom always dressing me in yellow when I was a little girl.

For my stamping design, I used a design from MoYou Plate Pro Collection – 02 (press sample).

MoYou London Pro Collection - 02I can’t tell you enough how awesome these MoYou London plates are! I’ve used them so much lately and the quality is just superb.

MoYou London Pro Collection 02 1MoYou London Pro Collection 02 2This triangle design is kind of busy, but I just love the combination of yellow and black. It makes me think of cabs and of  crash test dummies.

I don’t know about you, but these videos used to scare me when I was a kid. hahaha

So what do you think about this design? Do you have any plans for Easter Sunday? I haven’t finalized any plans yet so I’m assuming I won’t be doing much for now. Thanks so much for stopping by today and enjoy your weekend.

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Inglot 992

Inglot 992

PurchasedMyself

 

 

Once again this week has pretty much flown by. Work is still mentally exhausting so I haven’t really been in the mood to do much blogging. I still tried out a few polishes this week, but I just didn’t have it in me to actually put together a post. I haven’t even had time to visit all my usual blogs so I’m sorry I’ve fallen so behind on commenting and responding to comments here as well. I’m glad that tomorrow is Friday because I’m looking forward to a break from everything. I am not sure if I’ll be doing anything for Easter with the family so I’ll just plan on sleeping. For today’s mani, I finally got around to posting about a polish I bought a few months ago at my local Inglot store. I have not been back since I bought it because I know that I’d get in some serious trouble there. Before I babble too much, let me show you Inglot 992:

Inglot 992 1Inglot 992 2Inglot 992 3Inglot 992 is a gorgeous blurple creme. It’s unfortunate that my pictures don’t show the purple quality to this polish, but as I’ve mentioned before: blues and greens are my camera’s mortal enemies. In fact, this polish has a slight purple/pink irridescence that is absolutely stunning in the bottle. Once you get the polish on your nails, it goes away for the most part but you still get that beautiful blurple hue. The formula on this polish was buttery perfection, and I only needed two thin coats for full coverage. I so want to go to Inglot again, but I know this will be me:

Bridesmaids-HelpMeImPoor-1I don’t recall exactly how much this polish was, but I think it must have been somewhere around $10-$15. What I do remember is that I bought it at the same time that I got Tom Ford Black Sugar cause after paying like $35 for that one, this Inglot seemed like a bargain.

Moving on from the polish, today I am very heart broken because my favorite writer has passed away. I know that to some people it may seem silly that I am so sad about someone that I never met, but that is where you are wrong: I did meet him in my mind and heart every time I opened up one of his novels. I was introduced to this titan of magical realism by an ex-boyfriend and I can honestly say that I’ve never had a more significant gift. It almost makes me forgive my ex for being such an asshole–I said almost. Anyway, after reading Cien años de soledad, it was like I was intellectually reborn. If you’ve never read this novel, please do yourself a favor and read it because you will not regret it. I am fortunate in that I was able to read it in its original Spanish version, but despite the “traduttore, traditore” mindset, Gregory Rabassa’s translated English version is superb. So yes, I am incredibly sad about Gabo’s passing but my heart is full of joy for the gifts that he has left us will endure forever. I will leave you with the final line of his magnum opus:

“Sin embargo, antes de llegar al verso final, ya había comprendido que no saldría jamás de ese cuarto, pues estaba previsto que la ciudad de los espejos (o espejismos) sería arrasada por el viento y desterrada de la memoria de los hombres, en el instante en que Aureliano Babilonia acabara de decifrar los pergaminos, y que todo lo escrito en ellos era irrepetible desde siempre y para siempre, porque los estirpes condenados a cien años de soledad no tenían una segunda oportunidad sobre la tierra.”

“Before reaching the final line, however, he had already understood that he would never leave that room, for it was foreseen that the city of mirrors (or mirages) would be wiped out by the wind and exiled from the memory of men at the precise moment when Aureliano Babilonia would finish deciphering the parchments, and that everything written on them was unrepeatable since time immemorial and forever more, because races condemned to one hundred years of solitude did not have a second opportunity on earth.”

I still get the chills ever time I read this last line. Thank you, Gabriel García Márquez.

 

Essie Too Taboo Summer Neons Collection 2014

Essie Too Taboo Summer Neons Collection 2014

PurchasedMyself

 

 

Can I complain about something today? I am so sick of people and their cell phones. If I have to be in an elevator with one more person yapping loudly about something stupid, I’m going to get stabby. Even worse, I can’t stand it when people are talking on their phones while they drive because it’s freaking dangerous. I had a close call with a lady who was driving like a maniac because she was on her phone, and she had the nerve to flip me off as if I had done something wrong! Well, to all you out there who continue to yap on your phones (hands free or not) while you drive, I salute you:

Mr.-Bean-Flipping-The-Bird-From-a-Classy-Car-In-An-Upper-Class-NeighborhoodAnyway, that’s enough of my complaining. To counteract my sour mood about cell phones in general, I have some hot, hot, hot polishes to show you. So I’ve been going bananas for the last couple of months about the Essie Too Taboo Summer Neons Collection. I have this unhealthy obsession with getting every single Essie collection no matter what they look like or how many lilacs they have. Before I get into the swatches, I just wanted to say that I’m not happy with these pictures at all. My camera was acting super wonky, and it was really hard to get good pictures. I also used wayyyy too much cuticle oil and moisturizer so my fingers ended up looking greasy. Eeekk! I decided to post the picture anyway because I just did not want to sit through re-swatching the whole collection. I feel like I am all swatched out, and I am going to give myself a break for the next 5 days. In fact, I just filed my nails waaaay down, but they grow so fast that in another week they’ll be long again. Let’s get this show on the road already!

Essie I'm Addicted 1Essie I'm Addicted 2Essie I’m Addicted

Essie Chills & Thrills 1Essie Chills & Thrills 2Essie Chills & Thrills

Essie Vices Versa 1Essie Vices Versa 2Essie Vices Versa

Essie Too Taboo 1Essie Too Taboo 2Essie Too Taboo

Essie Sittin' Pretty 1Essie Sittin' Pretty 2Essie Sittin’ Pretty

Essie Serial Shopper 1Essie Serial Shopper 2Essie Serial Shopper

DSC06904This is what the colors looked like on a swatching wheel in direct sunlight.

I’m torn. I’m torn because I pined for this collection for so long that I feel silly saying that I’m not in love with it. We all know that neons can be really finicky so I was trying to mentally prepare myself before I even started. Yep, some of these polishes were difficult…

cringebritI think Brit feels my pain. Neon formulas are usually a big ick in my book so I can’t really fault these polishes for acting like the neons they are. Before anyone starts telling me that they would be so much better if I would use a white base, save your breath–I know about wearing a white base. What do you think this is? Just a little hobby? (Yes, I’m being sarcastic so don’t get offended!) I almost always refuse to wear white underneath because one of my major nail pet peeves is the white base peeking out from the edges. It makes me want to barf!  I can tell you that most of these polishes need 3 coats with the exception of Too Taboo and Chills & Thrills. While these two were ok with 2 coats, they also dried the quickest out of the collection which means that you have less time to work with them. Your best bet with neon polishes is to work fast and not overwork the polish or else you risk getting a lumpy uneven finish. I let each coat dry thoroughly before applying another, and this seemed to help a lot. All of these polishes dry to a satiny finish so you will need some top coat if you want a glossy finish. I applied one coat of Seche Vite on all of these because shiny nails is my thang. The color I was most excited about was Vices Versa because this year I seem to be all about lime green. Can it be the 2015 Pantone Color Of The Year, please? So anyway, if you are thinking about getting these polishes, go into it knowing that the formula is not a walk in the park. They are definitely NOT the worst neons I have ever used so don’t feel too discouraged just yet. While I like these colors, I don’t think they are super unique–especially for people who have massive collections. If you’re interested in these polishes, I have put them up in my blog sale. (Please note that I will give preference to those who want to buy the whole collection.)

Well, I hope that you had a lovely weekend! I had a busy weekend, and now I have too much to do during the week. I’m still upset that it’s Monday again so let me wallow in my pit of sadness. Let me know what you think about this collection. Are you still excited about picking these up? It looks like the polishes are already popping up here and there but aren’t officially out until next month. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon.