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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.

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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.

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.

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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!

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China Glaze Apocalypse Of Color Collection Halloween 2014

Posted on 23 September, 2014 by Cynthia

Are you one of those people who love Halloween? I kind of stopped liking it once I was old enough to stop trick-or-treating. I mean, it’s not like I am a huge fan of the Halloween debauchery–how slutty can women dress isn’t really something I look forward to. Besides, I’m 35 now (it was my birthday yesterday!) which means that I’m old and crusty now. haha Why did I bring up Halloween? Because I have the China Glaze Apocalypse Of Color Collection to share with you today. Unfortunately, I am missing one polish and I didn’t buy the Ghoulish Glow because I’m not interested in the glow in the dark thing. Let me show you the 4 polishes that I piked up.

China Glaze But Of Corpse

China Glaze I Love Your Guts

China Glaze Don’t Let The Dead Bite

China Glaze Rest In Pieces (over China Glaze Liquid Leather)

The collector in me is annoyed that I didn’t get the 5th nail polish which is Getting To Gnaw You. This polish is like a dark brown/near black polish with copper glitter. I didn’t realize that I had missed it when I bought this collection, and then when I did see it, I wasn’t that impressed by it so I passed. Now that I’ve seen some swatches, I wish I had picked it up because it looks interesting. I have to say that the first two polishes: But Of Course and I Love Your Guts are really unique. I know the matte texture can be polarizing, but I think that China Glaze really nailed these polishes because they are soooo Halloween! I can go without the other two, but I think they are a nice addition to the collection.

Yesterday I took Peanut to the mall for a carrousel ride and we also made a quick detour to the Disney store. He instantly gravitated towards Woody.

I was looking at some other stuffed toys and I saw an even bigger version of Woody and I yelled: “Look! A really big Woody!” That comment didn’t seem to go over very well with the adults in the store. Whatever! It’s not my fault that they have dirty minds.

So what do you think about this collection? I think it’s pretty cool, and I like how unexpected some of these polishes are. I think this collection should be out everywhere in October just in time for Halloween. Thanks for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon.

Zoya Ultra PixieDust Collection Fall 2014

Posted on 22 September, 201421 September, 2014 by Cynthia

I think that for the first time I am uttering these words in a sincere manner: HAPPY MONDAY!! I am taking a couple of days off from work, and I am enjoying the crap out of them. Instead of doing nothing all day which is one of my favorite things to do (sleeping being another favorite), I am babysitting my little Peanut. He turned 10 months old and is now crawling and getting into EVERYTHING. I am planning on taking him to the mall for a ride on the carrousel and then maybe a trip to the toy store because his auntie loves to spoil him. Besides the Peanut/Auntie time, I don’t have much planned today. This weekend I did some swatching and a lot of Netflix watching–namely Sons of Anarchy. I am not up to season 4 but I kind of want to stretch it out because I don’t want it to end!!! I know this is the last season so I’m going to be sad. Well, one of the collections I swatches this weekend is the Zoya Ultra PixieDust Collection for Fall 2014. To be honest, I first thought that these polishes looked like Valentine’s Day threw up in my polish. They are all red…? Before I get into it any further, let me show you my swatches.

Zoya Oswin

Zoya Arianna

Zoya Noir

In the bottle, Arianna and Oswin look almost exactly alike. On the nail, they do look slightly different: Oswin is more red while Arianna leans more berry. They are both nice but they don’t make my heart skip a beat. Enter Noir…ahhhh, Noir. You are such a gorgeous, sexy bitch. I absolutely love the dark base on this polish. These polishes are supposed to dry super matte but only Oswin dried completely matte on me. Zoya did share a video about how to apply these. When I first saw the video I snickered because how many of us need a video in order to know how to apply polish? However, I now know why my polish didn’t dry completely matte:

After the first swatch, I used OPI’s Glitter Off which is why I think the polish didn’t dry completely matte. I also didn’t allow enough time in between the first and second coat. Matte or not, these are pretty. Am I all excited about this trio? Nope. The standout for me is Noir and I can’t wait to wear it again. To purchase these polishes, you can go to zoya.com where they retail for $10 each. Thanks for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon!

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?

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.

China Glaze The Giver Collection

Posted on 5 September, 2014 by Cynthia

Ermahgerd it’s Friday! So it’s almost Saturday since I’m posting this so late, but I’m just super excited to have my weekend again. I can’t tell you enough how beat down I have felt this week, but today after work I went to get a haircut and it’s waaaaay short again which I love. That was so relaxing because I love having my hair cut. Then I came home and just vegged out while I did my nails for tomorrow’s Stamping Saturdays. Have you joined us for Stamping Saturdays yet? No?! Why not? You better get on that because I’d love to see your mani. So what should I say about the polishes I have for you today: China Glaze The Giver Collection? The Giver? What’s that? Oh, another YA novel. *yawn* Ok, so I haven’t actually read it and haven’t seen the movie yet, but Meryl Streep is in it so I’m in! Let me show you this collection, and then you can tell me what you think.

China Glaze Friends Forever, Right?

China Glaze New Birth

China Glaze Five Rules

China Glaze Intelligence Integrity & Courage

China Glaze Release

China Glaze Capacity To See Beyond

China Glaze The Outer Edge

China Glaze History Of The World

China Glaze Givers Theme

China Glaze Seeing Red

China Glaze Community

China Glaze Boundary Of Memory

This shit just got real, yo! This collection came out before the Fall All Aboard Collection and China Glaze is definitely on a roll. Man, this collections is awesome. I know they are mostly cremes, but that is my favorite finish. The colors are so classy and have this very classic and serene look to them. The formula on all of them was absolutely perfect and I don’t have any complaints. I know everyone is going gaga over Boundary Of Memory and rightly so because it’s fantastically gorgeous. This type of full coverage glitter reminds me of I Herd That and I’m Not Lion from the On Safari Collection. What do you think of this collection? I have heard that people are having a hard time finding all of the polishes in this collection because it’s sold out everywhere so I guess I was lucky to find them all.

So what do you have planned for this weekend? I have a bunch of cleaning to do because I am planning to throw out tons of junk that I don’t need anymore. In a way I am the opposite of a hoarder because I tend to throw everything away–except when it comes to polish, of course. I hope you enjoy your upcoming weekend, and I will talk to you soon!

P.S. Sadly, this collection is up on my blog sale. I overspent by A LOT on polish recently so I can’t keep these. Hopefully they will find a nice new home.