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OPI Infinite Shine First Impression

Posted on 18 June, 2015 by Cynthia

I’ve had a really sucky June so far so excuse me for not being around much. Instead of posting sad and depressing stuff, I just decided to lay low and come back when things were looking better. I’m glad that things are getting back to normal so I figured that I should get back to a more regular posting schedule. I really do miss posting all my nail shenanigans and interacting with all of you, so I hope that I can commit to a consistent schedule. For today’s post, I have my initial review of the OPI Infinite Shine system. I can tell you that I am not the target demographic when it comes to long-lasting nail polish because I change my polish 3-4 times a week sometimes. I am extremely hard on my nails so every time I try “long-lasting” polish, I’m like..

Well, how do you think this lived up to the claim of 10-day wear? Let’s find out!

To start with, the OPI Infinite Shine system includes a primer/base coat, the polish and the gloss top coat. So basically this is just like regular polish except that this system is supposed to give you gel-like results and wear without having to cure the polish in a lamp. To be honest, I did not have any issues with these products but I have heard of people reporting bubbling. I applied one coat of the primer, 2 thin coats of the polish and 1 coat of the gloss. I remember reading Karen’s review about this line and how she suggested that you get some sun/uv rays on your fresh mani to make it harden quicker so I ended up following her tip. The polish felt sticky even 5 hours application which seemed weird, but it was dry because I did not get any smudges. Let me show you what my fresh mani looked like.The shade I decided to try out first is called Grapely Admired; and you know I love it. It’s such a gorgeous purple/pink–totally up my alley. Are you noticing the weird crinkled/wrinkled look of my manicure? Yeah–I’m not happy about that. I don’t know why it looked like that. Maybe I should have loaded up my brush a little more with the gloss so I could glide it over the polish. Maybe my application sucked…I can’t be sure what’s going on here. Next I’m going to show you what my manicure looked like 6 days later.

Ugh, that growth drives me insane! My nails tend to grow really quickly so I don’t normally wear nail polish this long to avoid that huge gap. After 6 days, I think my manicure is a little less glossy and is showing some tip wear but no major chips. I am actually really surprised by how well this wore because, as I mentioned earlier, I am very hard on my nails. When I took this off, I used my regular acetone and it came off just like regular polish–sweet!

So what do I think overall? This is a pretty nice system, and I was definitely pleased with the performance. By day 6, normal polish is barely hanging onto my nails so I think that this would work out great for me in situations where I would need a week out of my manicure. OPI Infinite Shine Gel Effects Lacquer System is available at Professional Salons, including Beauty Brands, beautybrands.com, Chatters, Dillard’s, Regis, ULTA and ulta.com for $12.50 suggested retail for each nail lacquer. Now it’s up to you to decide if you want to give this a shot. Let me know if you’ve used this system before and how it worked out for you–I’m very curious to hear what others thought of this line. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon!

Kiara Sky Hidden Garden Collection

Posted on 8 June, 20157 June, 2015 by Cynthia

How’s your Monday going? I hope all is well and that you’re having a good start to the week–and month! I have had a pretty busy start to this month so I am once again apologizing for my lack of posting. I am *almost* caught up with my swatch pile so it feels good to almost be seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. However, I have a bunch of new stuff coming in so that swatch pile is about to grow…big time. Lately I have been thinking about how in the world certain bloggers are able to do massive reviews every day for extended periods of time because I would go bonkers. Chapeau my dear blogger friends, chapeau! Today I have a new collection to share with you from a relatively new brand. The Kiara Sky Hidden Garden Collection is made up of 6 shades and 1 glitter topper so let me show you my swatches before I tell you what I think of this collection.

Kiara Sky Posh Escape

Kiara Sky Pink Petal

Kiara Sky Roses Are Red

Kiara Sky In Bloom

Kiara Sky I Like You A Lily

Kiara Sky Have A Grape Nite

Kiara Sky Masterpiece

First things first: these colors do not make a cohesive collection. They basically give me the impression that random colors from random seasons were lumped together and left me wondering what they were trying to go for. However, the individual polishes are nice…really nice. If you’ve never tried Kiara Sky before, I can tell you that the make the most amazing cremes: perfect consistency and opacity. 4 of the 7 polishes here are cremes so I was very pleased with all 4. There were 2 shimmers that also applied nicely, but Pink Petal is a little too frosty for my liking. The glitter is really nice–it will look great over many different colors but it has a pretty thick formula that dried way to quickly so you can’t overwork it or else you’ll have a gummy mess. Overall, I would have liked to see a collection of colors that made sense to me, but individually, I enjoyed these polishes. If you have a chance to try their polishes out, I think that you will not be disappointed.

Anyway, I hope you’re doing well. Currently I’m without my car (since last Thursday) because apparently my transmission is messed up. I took it to my local mechanic who didn’t even want to mess with it and told me to just take it to the dealership. Since I got my car about 2 years ago and it has such low mileage, the repair is covered under my warranty but I’m pissed. I mean, I’m glad it’s under warranty and all but not having a car sucks. This morning I’ll be taking the bus to work so I have to leave my house right before 7 am even though I don’t start work until almost 9 am. I swear public transportation in California is pitiful. Supposedly I’ll have my car by Tuesday at the earliest so I’m getting read for 2 days on the bus. I used to take the bus a lot when I was a kid and during my first semester in college because I didn’t have a car yet so I know how crazy the bus can be. I actually always end up meeting interesting characters on board so I may have some entertaining stories in the next couple of days. So wish me luck in getting my car back soon and that it doesn’t break down on me again because that would really suck. Thanks for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon!

Cirque Colors Metropolis Collection June 2015

Posted on 1 June, 201531 May, 2015 by Cynthia

Can you believe that today is the first day of June? Where does time fly? I’m kind of freaking out thinking that we are almost halfway through 2015 and we are entering my most hated season of the year: Summer. Don’t get me wrong, I like Summer colors, I just don’t like the heat and we sure get plenty of that here in Southern California. Lately it has been uncharacteristically cool so of course I’m getting ready for the heat to punch us in the face any day now. Terrible heat + massive drought + wildfires = rough times ahead for California. All I can hope is that we get some rain before Summer really starts. So besides impending Summer doom, I’ve been pretty busy and bogged down with stuff so once again my blogging is suffering. I’m really going to try to set up a schedule that makes sense for me because I hate feeling so flaky. For today’s post, I have the 2 new shades for June’s Cirque Colors Metropolis Collection. Every month I anxiously await the release of these babies, so I can’t wait to show them to you!

Was there any doubt that I would go gaga for Cirque Colors Nolita Lolita? This is a truly gorgeous pink, right? The formula was ok. I felt that it applied somewhat unevenly so I recommend two thin coats and one thicker third coat.

Cirque Colors Golightly is a beautiful dusty blue with a fantastic formula. This one was almost a one-coater so you know it made me happy. Breakfast at Tiffany’s is one of my favorite movies so I really enjoyed the character reference.

Well, lucky for you, these polishes are available now! You can head over to Cirque’s website to order these beauties if you’re interested in picking them up. I also wanted to let you guys know that there will be no more releases for The Metropolis Collection until September (sadness for July and August!). So what do you think about these shades? Will you be getting any of them? Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon!

Essie Peach Side Babe Collection Summer 2015

Posted on 27 May, 201526 May, 2015 by Cynthia

Whaaaat? Another Essie collection? Yes, there are two summer collections from Essie! Aren’t we lucky? (No, that was not sarcasm!) Coming off the ~~neons~~ brights from the previous collection, you might feel a little underwhelmed. Well, let me tell ya that while the colors may not be as bright, but they can still blow your socks off…or not. The Essie Peach Side Babe Collection for Summer 2015 is a collection of rather tame colors. I found myself not getting too excited as I sat down to swatch these, but I was pleasantly surprised by a few of the shade. Let me show you what I’m talking about.

I nearly had an aneurysm when I first laid eyes on Essie Private Weekend. In the bottle it looks like a gorgeous white with freaking sparkle. Yes, I went all googly eyed…until I put it on. Let me tell you that I didn’t find the formula that atrocious..it was no Zoya Genesis. While the first coat was super uneven, I found that three coats was enough to get it looking good. The tragic part about this polish is that the sparkle pretty much disappear on the nail. So sad.

I am really really liking Essie Chillato. What is a chillato? It sounds like clamato to me but when I wore this is reminded me of eating a huge cone of pistachio gelato as I walked the streets of Florence. The formula on this one was pretty typical of light colors like this: thin and patchy but it easily built up opacity with three coats.

Ahhh…my love of blues continue with Essie Salt Water Happy. Be warned that my camera makes this look a little more vibrant than it actually is. It’s a little less blue than what you see here, but it’s still gorgeous and it has a great formula–2 easy coats is what I am wearing above.

Look! Another beautiful blue. Essie Pret-a-Surfer should have been this collection’s namesake because it really steals the show. This one easily has the best formula of the entire collection–you could almost get away with one coat if you’re application is precise. Even better, there was no crazy staining. Score!

I don’t think peach colors look so hot on me, so Essie Peach Side Babe is definitely not one of my favorites. I lost my notes on application on this one, but I would remember if it was atrocious. I am pretty sure this was two coats.

And lastly we have Essie Sunset Sneaks. This one surprised me a bit because I am kind of an orange-red hater (omg, I remember how much i hated that color in my Crayola box!!!), but I actually really ended up liking this. The formula was ok on this one so no real problems to report.

I feel like I should like this collection more. I feel like I should go to the gym too, but that ain’t happening. I am feeling a little uninspired by this collection because the color are so mundane. Maybe I should have reviewed this before the brights, because now I’m feeling almost let down by their blandness. There are a few colors that I really love like Chillato, Pret-a-Surfer and Salt Water Happy so those would be my main recommendations. I really wish Private Weekend had fulfilled it’s delightful bottle promise, but alas, it was not meant to be. Anyway, I’m curious to hear what your take is on this collection so let me know in the comments below. Thank so much for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon.

Essie Summer Neons Collection 2015

Posted on 26 May, 201526 May, 2015 by Cynthia

Neons. Neeeons. NEEEEEEONNSSSS. Did anyone say neons? If you are like me, you pretty much live for neon polishes in every shade, every finish and every brand. I know that when Essie puts out a “neon” collection, it won’t really be neon but that doesn’t dissuade me from stalking my beauty supply. I know some of you get insulted by the lack of true neon colors, but let’s just make nice with Essie and realize that their neon = bright. If they were to put out a true neon collection, they would have to call them radioactive or something like that so until that happens, let’s just work with them…mmmkkk? The Essie Summer Neons Collection for 2015 is just what I was expecting: 6 bright polishes with a somewhat tricky formula. I’ve got to admit they’re kind of gorgeous, so let me show you these beauties.

First up is Essie Coacha’bella. This one is pretty, oh so pretty but oh so forgettable. The formula isn’t horrible–you just have to apply it precisely and not overwork it. I recommend two very thin coats–with adequate dry time in between coats–and a thicker third coat to level it all out.

Next we have Essie All Access Pass. This one was the one I knew would make me age 3 years just trying to capture the color accurately. My camera is super difficult when it comes to capturing these indigo/purple colors so I pretty much gave up after a few dozen pictures. The formula on this one is incredibly thin and sheer so I figured I’d need 50 coats to make it look good. Three coats is what it took so no biggie.

When I saw Essie Vibrant Vibes, I was afraid–very afraid. This type of color is notoriously difficult to work with so I said a little prayer to La Virgen de Guadalupe before I sat down to swatch this one. Well, it seems that my prayer worked because it really wasn’t horrible. Yes, it was super streaky after the first coat, but it looked fine after the third coat. I’m not gonna complain about that because 1) I didn’t apply white undies 2) It could be much, much worse.

I love me some bright blues, so Essie Make Some Noise is right up my alley. Out of the 6 polishes, Make Some Noise has the best formula. It’s super pigmented and opaque which means that it’s out of control gorgeous and also stains like a mofo. You can see what happened after I removed this polish over on instagram in case you’re curious. It was a blue massacre. Still, it’s pretty and only needs two coats for full opacity. If you want to avoid hella staining, wear a good base coat.

Essie Groove is in the Heart is a beautiful pink with a patchtastic formula. Patchtastic /pachˈtastik/ is a word in the Cynthia Polish Lexicon in case you were wondering. Colors like this make me look extra tan so please excuse the blatant darker skin picture–it’s still my hand…not some darker random stranger. This one required 3 coats as well and to be honest, I think this one was the hardest for me to work with. Still, it’s pink and pink is my color even when it’s baby pink so I’ll let it slide.

And lastly we have Essie Melody Maker. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. The formula on this one is really good, even for Essie. It’s the second two coater from this collection, but I didn’t get staining from this one like I did with Make Some Noise. Lesley and I were remarking that we probably have dupes for this one but we don’t care because we can NEVER get enough of these types of colors. The first couple of colors that came to mind are OCC Chlorophyl…

Sorry, I couldn’t help it. So, I was saying: OCC Chlorophyl and YSL Vert d’Orient are two polishes that are possible dupes. Do I care? Nope. It’s a sickness, I tell ya.

So what do you think about this collection? Personally I like it, I like it a lot. I’m happy that they do not require a white base because ain’t nobody got time for that. I know that the major complaint will be that these are not neon, so let’s just get that out of the way right now. The only neon in this whole collection is probably Vibrant Vibes and even that one didn’t require a white base. Despite the atrocious staining, I think Make Some Noise is my favorite one from the collection with Melody Maker coming in at a close second. I’ve heard that this collection is exclusive to Target (Essie’s post on IG), but that’s kinda weird, no? I got my set at an independent beauty supply so there’s that. I do wonder what the general reaction will be to this collection so please share your thoughts below. I hope you’re doing well today, and thanks a bunch for stopping by today. Talk to you soon!

Zoya Paradise Sun Collection Summer 2015

Posted on 25 May, 2015 by Cynthia

Hi everybody. I hope that you’re taking some time to think about all of the men and women who have bravely served this country. It doesn’t matter what your politics are, our men and women in the military deserve our respect and gratitude and today is a day to remember their sacrifices. I’m spending my day at home babysitting the Peanut Brat and we’ve just had a grand old time. Currently he’s taking a nap so I’m taking advantage of the free time to write up this post. Today I’m posting the second half of Zoya’s Summer Collection. I’ve already posted the Island Fun Collection which is the creme half of the Summer collection. The Zoya Paradise Sun Collection is about metallic shimmer which isn’t really my favorite finish, but Zoya always manages to really pull off this finish. On to the swatches!

Zoya Selene

Zoya Isa

Zoya Genesis

Zoya Oceane

Zoya Mae

Zoya Aphrodite

These polishes are SUPER shimmery which made them a nightmare to swatch. I had shimmer all over my fingers and had to use a scrub in between each polish. These are all really nice polishes if you like metallic shimmer, but Genesis was a horrible pain in the ass. It took like 4-5 coats to even it out and I would curse it to hell if it wasn’t so pretty. I love white polish so much and this one is so gorgeous and shimmery. My least favorite polish here is Aphrodite because it’s a jelly that still shows VNL despite 4 coats. I am satisfied with these, but I’m not as enthusiastic because this is not my favorite finish. So what do you think about this half of the collection? Do you prefer the cremes or the metallics? Let me know! Thanks for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon.

Zoya Island Fun Collection Summer 2015

Posted on 24 May, 2015 by Cynthia

Hey you. Are you enjoying your weekend so far? I basically have not left the house since Friday, and I’m enjoying it more than I should. There are tons of things that I could be doing, but here I am in my sweats watching movies and swatching tons of polishes. Have you been doing anything fun this weekend? I’m currently watching the movie Chef (for the 3rd time), and now I want a crazy delicious grilled cheese. Anyway, today I’m going to show you my swatches of the Zoya Island Fun Collection which is the creme half of their Summer Collection. If you read my blog regularly, you know creme polish is life to me so I’m always excited to try these out first. Let me show you my swatches, and then I’ll let you know what I think.

Zoya Jace

Zoya Nana

Zoya Serenity

Zoya Cecilia

Zoya Talia

Zoya Demetria

Well, you know I’m gonna say it: these are all gorgeous cremes. Lately I have been super obsessed with green nail polish so I was super excited about Jace, but it was super thin. I like the color, but it took 3 coats to get the color opaque. All of the other colors were opaque with 2 coats, which is typical with the Zoya creme formula. I had minor staining with Cecilia and Talia, but I’m sure that with a good base coat, you shouldn’t have too many problems. Overall, the colors are really nice and very Summer appropriate but they’re staples that you probably have dupes for already. If you don’t have something similar, then I can definitely recommend these. What do you think of these shades? Are there any that you are planning to pick up or have purchased already? Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon!

Cirque Colors Metropolis Collection May 2015

Posted on 20 May, 2015 by Cynthia

Well, hello there and happy Wednesday. I had planned on getting this post up early this morning but that didn’t quite work out. I had a pretty crappy restless night so I should have made the most of it and just sat up in the middle of the night to write up this post. I actually woke up around 3:30 am and basically just tossed and turned until I had to get up at 7 am. Fun times. Anyway, despite this, I still had a good day–I just need to learn how to work through the crippling middle of the night anxiety. The polish I have today is the May offering from the Cirque Colors Metropolis Collection and it is a unique shade called Hustle.Ahhh…Cirque Colors Hustle. Where to I start? When I first saw this color, you know what I was thinking: puke pea soup. The color did start to grow on me because it’s this pretty/ugly color at the same time, but sadly the formula was very difficult. This is the first time I have any formulation issues with Cirque so I was quite shocked that it was so streaky and patchy. I applied 2 thin coats and one third thick coat to smooth it all out. If you don’t have anything similar and you like unique colors, then definitely get this. I tend to like yellow polishes on myself, but I think the green tone to it doesn’t quite look good on me. Oh well, you can’t win them all! But…BUT!!! You will die when you see next month’s colors…absolutely die. I can’t wait to get my hands on them.

Cirque Colors Hustle is available now so check it out if you’re interested. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon!

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China Glaze Desert Escape Collection Summer 2015

Posted on 19 May, 201518 May, 2015 by Cynthia

So how was your Monday? My day was so busy that it just zipped by and poof it’s Tuesday. I guess that’s good, but it’s scary how fast time flies. I’m looking forward to a 3 day weekend so I’m excited about that so I hope this week goes by quickly and I can get to my 3 days of utter laziness. Yasss! I got a bunch of swatching done this past weekend so I do have a lot of new stuff to share with you. On Friday I got a nifty package from my friends at China Glaze…nifty? Am I back in the 50’s or what? Anyway, you know that I am always excited when new China Glaze collections come out and this is no exception. At first glance I thought the color palette looked a little disjointed, but once I got to see them in person they just worked. How did it work? I don’t know…it’s a mystery!

Ha! I remember how much I loved that movie when it first came out. Yeah, it’s a little pseudo-intellectual but it was really good! Plus, it came out during a time when my life goal was to become a Shakespearean scholar. Who would have thought that instead I’d decide to wax poetic about nail polish? Oh how low I have fallen! Still, nail polish has its merits, am I right or am I right? Back to the polish. The collection I have for you today is the China Glaze Desert Escape Collection for Summer 2015 so I hope you like my swatches (and commentary) below.

China Glaze Don’t Mesa With My Heart

I love pink and that is no secret. I do think that it my signature color despite of years of black rebellion where I refused to wear pink because it was too girly. I love this pink because it’s bright but no too bubblegum. The formula was nice–not streaky and very easy to control. I applied two coats here and a coat of Seche for added shine.

China Glaze What’s She Dune?

Lately I have totally been into putty colors so I can tell you that this is one of my favorite nudes of recent times. It’s not overly brown and it’s not yellow-based–it’s kind of perfect for my skin tone. I feared that this would be a nightmare shade but it was actually pretty nice. I applied three thin coats but I think two regular coats would have been enough to get a smooth finish.

China Glaze Rain Dance the Night Away

I absolutely love this color! My camera totally makes it look more blue than it is–it has more green in it in real life and it is goygeous. The formula was perfection so no complaints here. I just wish my camera would capture this type of colors accurately.

China Glaze Don’t Desert Me

Even though this is technically pink, or raspberry pink, I am not a big fan of this one because it’s kind of frosty-looking. I guess it’s a shimmer but I dunno–it’s just not my cup of tea. The formula seemed a little thin, but it actually built up nicely with two coats.

China Glaze Meet Me at the Mirage

This one right here was the big surprise for me. When I firs saw it I told myself I’d hate it…and then I put it on. It’s like this fantastically smooth metallic marvel! It’s practically a one-coater. I actually ended up really liking this one on me. I so love when I get proved wrong when it comes to nail polish.

China Glaze The Heat is On

This one is probably my least favorite polish in the collection. There’s nothing wrong with it–I just don’t like orange-red polishes too much. It’s a jelly finish polish so it has that really great squishy look to it, but you will need 3 coats to make it fully opaque–and even then you might get a little VNL. It’s nice, but not super exciting.

Overall, I am really pleased by the variety in this collection. The formula was good on all of them which you know will always be my #1 gripe regardless of brand because who has time to deal with bad formulation? While the colors aren’t revolutionary, they are pretty and good staple colors. If you are polish ~~hoarder~~ collector, you also won’t be disappointed. Now for the important deets: the Desert Escape Collection is set for a June 1st release and can be found at a new online retailer for China Glaze: lockandmane.com Sally Beauty Supply will carry limited kits but will not be carrying the individual shades. I was also informed that Ulta will not be carrying this collection so the main place to pick up individual shades will be lockandmane.com I’m not sure if this is they case because this is a specialty collection or whatnot, but I’ll let you know if I hear more. So what do you think about this collection? Do you see any shades that you’re going to pick up? Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon!

KBShimmer Summer Collection 2015

Posted on 18 May, 201518 May, 2015 by Cynthia

I keep hearing that it’s super hot in other parts of the country, but here in Southern California we are getting some much needed rain. Today has been a clear day, but I hope that we get some more rain. I had planned to put up my swatches of this collection like a month ago but my hiatus kind of derailed my plans. Since this collection is brand new and just became available on 5/15, what better time to start wearing bright Summer colors and show you my favorites? The KBShimmer Summer Collection for 2015 is absolutely massive with neon cremes, glitters, foil flakes and duochrome flakes–there truly is something for everyone in this collection. Let me show you the 9 polishes I picked out to for you today:

KBShimmer For Sail By Owner

KBShimmer In Yacht Water

KBShimmer Sarong Place, Sarong Time

KBShimmer We Be Jammin’

KBShimmer What Are You Wading For?

KBShimmer Vitamin Sea

KBShimmer She’s Beyond Kelp!

KBShimmer Green Weaver

KBShimmer Look On The Nightside

The neon cremes are so gorgeous, but they aren’t super easy to work with. Since they dry satin, they have a tendency to dry quickly so it is very easy to overwork them. As long as you’re aware of this, you shouldn’t have too much trouble with them–they’re very pigmented and gorgeous. I really was not expecting to love the duochrome flakies but holy crap they are really beautiful. I don’t have any of the flakies from other brands so I can’t do a comparison for you, but these offer really great coverage and are opaque at two coats. I had a hard time capturing the color shift so I took a few extra pictures in a different setting. Who knew my bathroom would have good lighting to show off the duochrome effect?! Overall, this collection does not disappoint! I love the variety of colors and finishes, and I know that you are bound to find something to love in this collection. In case you weren’t already aware, this collection is available now at kbshimmer.com so get them while they’re hot! Do you have any favorites? I hope that you’re having a good weekend and thanks so much for stopping by today. I will talk to you soon!