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Zoya Bubbly Collection Summer 2014

Posted on 5 May, 20144 May, 2014 by Cynthia

Hey, look! I have all 6 polishes here because Peanut did NOT break any of them. Yay! I’m still a little sad about the loss of Rocha (and about my table being ruined!), but I’ll just classify this as Peanut’s first polish destruction. I’m sure that there will be many more to follow. Today I have the Zoya Bubbly Collection to share with you, and I can tell you that I am a bit surprised. Surprised good or surprised bad? Keep reading and you’ll find out…

Zoya Harper

Zoya Binx

Zoya Muse

Zoya Staasi

Zoya Jesy

Zoya Alma

When I first saw the promo pictures for this collection, I had no idea what to expect. In fact, the idea of jelly polishes with holo glitter seemed kind of strange considering the images that were released.I wouldn’t really consider these polishes holographic in the sense that we were all expecting and hoping that they would be. These are very thick glitter polishes in a tinted jelly base which means that they are very sheer. I applied 3 thickish coats for all my swatches because I wanted them to be fully opaque without having to layer them over a solid color. The final result is a lovely glitter packed finish that almost makes them look metallic. I certainly was not expecting to like these, but I kind of do. I’m not like dying with excitement, but I do think these are pretty and anticipate that they will be fairly well-received. So what do you think of these? I’ve been hearing mixed feelings about these and I can tell you that if had to pick one or two, I would go with Muse and Harper because I just love how they look. If you want to get your hands on these, they can be found at Zoya.com for $9 each. They should start shipping out May 15 which is right around the corner. Don’t forget to check out my swatches of the Zoya Tickled Collection! Will you be getting any of these?

Zoya Tickled Collection Summer 2014

Posted on 4 May, 20143 May, 2014 by Cynthia

Remember how I had mentioned that my Friday had turned into a comedy of errors? Well, fortunately my Saturday was pretty mellow so I was able to get a lot of swatching done–namely the Zoya Tickled Collection (as well as the Bubbly Collection!). As soon as I saw the press release for this half of the Summer Collection, I knew I was in love because I am a sucker for cremes. Let’s take a look at my swatches, and then I will let you know what I think.

Zoya Wendy

Zoya Kitridge

Zoya Rooney

Zoya Tilda

Zoya Ling

You may notice that I’m missing one polish here. Well, there is a story about that. If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen this picture of Peanut admiring (trying to grab) all the polishes.

Sometimes I forget that he can actually grab things now and that he can also throw things. It’s always fun and games until someone gets hurt, and this time Zoya Rocha was the victim.

I did see Peanut grab a polish and then throw it back into the pile. I heard the smash, but everything seemed fine. I gathered up the polishes and put them back into the boxes and went back to playing with Peanut. A few minutes later I noticed that the living room was smelling a lot like nail polish which is pretty normal but it was much stronger than usual. I was putting some stuff away when I picked up the box and polish was pouring out of it. It had gotten on the glass tabletop, on the wood and some had dripped onto the carpet and on my shirt/shoes. WHAT IN THE WORLD??? It was one bottle of polish…half an ounce and it felt like a gallon of polish had spilled all over the place. When I tried to clean it up, the finish on the wood came off.

Womp, womp! I’m so irritated, but it was totally my fault. It wasn’t Peanut’s fault since I let him play with the polishes, but I think this is going to put an end to any future Peanut Picks posts. hahaha So that is the unfortunate story about Rocha’s demise.

Now that we have taken a moment to mourn Rocha’s sad fate, let me tell you that I adore all of these cremes. They are just so gorgeous and shiny that I can barely stand it. I want to wear them all at the same time. The formula on all of them was rather similar: opaque but a little streaky. I tend to prefer thin coats to thick coats, so I applied 3 thin coats for all of my swatches. I think 2 thick coats would have been enough, but I like doing thin coats. I am completely in love with these colors even though they may not be that original. To be frank, when you get to be this polish obsessed, original colors is something that you rarely encounter. I just can’t deny my love for cremes, and these don’t disappoint. Stay tuned for the second half of the collection which will be up tomorrow. If you’re interested in purchasing any of these beauties, they can be found at Zoya.com for $9. Let me know what you think of these pretties. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon.

Nicole by OPI New Core Colors For 2014 – Part 2

Posted on 1 May, 2014 by Cynthia

So I should have posted these swatches of the Nicole by OPI New Core Colors For 2014 like a million years ago, but I just kept forgetting. When I saw this in my draft folders, I got all excited because these colors are fan-freaking-tastic. I wish I was in the mood to chit chat right now but I’m basically sitting here SWEATING. I’m sitting down withe the fans on and I’m sweating. Enough said. So, let me show you just how pretty these colors are!

Nicole by OPI That’s Putting It Mild

Nicole by OPI Yoga-Then-Yogurt

Nicole by OPI Sweet Surrender

Nicole by OPI I’ll Have The Salmon

Nicole by OPI Taupe Of My Class

Nicole by OPI Always A Flirt!

Nicole by OPI Something About Spring

Nicole by OPI Fabulous Is My Middle Name

Nicole by OPI Oh That’s Just Grape!

Nicole by OPI Be Awesome

There is not a single color here that I didn’t like and that’s pretty rare. The formula on all of them was good–two coats of polish and 1 coat of Seche. The two glitters I could do without, but they give a nice look so I’m not going to knock them. You should check out Part 1 of this review which shows my 5 favorite colors from these new additions to the core line. I’m not going to talk your ear off right now because I need to get some stuff done before I can settle down to watch Grey’s Anatomy. Burke is back. Ghhhaaaaaa! Are you as excited about this as me? Anyway, I’ll talk to you soon!!

Julie G Cruise Time Collection Summer 2014

Posted on 29 April, 2014 by Cynthia

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

Julie G Tahiti

Julie G Canary Islands

Julie G Rio De Janeiro

Julie G Miami Beach

Julie 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

Posted on 28 April, 2014 by Cynthia

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

KBShimmer Pansy-monioum

KBShimmer Sky Jinks

KBShimmer 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.

Essie Too Taboo Summer Neons Collection 2014

Posted on 14 April, 201413 April, 2014 by Cynthia

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:

Anyway, 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

Essie Chills & Thrills

Essie Vices Versa

Essie Too Taboo

Essie Sittin’ Pretty

Essie Serial Shopper

This 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…

I 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.

Nicole by OPI Kellogg’s Special K Collection 2014

Posted on 13 April, 2014 by Cynthia

I say this every Sunday, but Sundays really do suck. I’m so incredibly annoyed right now because it was like the weekend was gone in the blink of an eye, and I didn’t get to do most of the stuff I had planned. Do I just have some serious time management issues or is that pretty typical for everyone? I don’t know how long I’ve been saying that I need to get into a routine so I can go to the gym a few times a week. On Saturday I was cleaning out my closet and I noticed that some clothes now fit me again which was kind of a surprise. I’ve made a few changes like forcing myself to eat breakfast (oatmeal or yogurt with granola) every day, and I think that has helped me not feel so ravenous by the time lunch rolls around. If I could stop snacking before dinner, I think that would be another huge change. I want to make a commitment to go to the gym 2-3 times a week just to start out. I know that if I say I want to go every day, I will just burn myself out and won’t follow through. I remember hearing about the Nicole by OPI Kellog’s Special K partnership last year–mainly the free polish part. lol This year, they are once again collaborating to bring us 3 shades. Let’s take a look at my swatches below and then I can tell you how these can be yours.

Nicole by OPI My Sol Shines Brighter

Nicole by OPI Challenge Red-y

Nicole by OPI Live In The Momentum

While these colors aren’t earth shattering, they are really nice basics. They are all super creamy, highly pigmented and deliciously glossy. I did not even have to top coat them for that glass-like shine! Here is some information on how you can get this trio:

Through the “Shine Brighter” campaign, Nicole by OPI and Kellog’s Special K hope to inspire “women to be their best selves–healthy, confident and positive, to look better, feel better, and shine brighter.” The three custom shades include: Challenge Red-y (crème red), Live in the Momentum (crème blue) and My Sol Shines Brighter (crème coral). Shoppers will have the opportunity to receive free full-size bottles of Nicole by OPI nail lacquer by signing up for the Kellogg’s Family Rewards program and entering codes from specially marked boxes of Special K products, while supplies last. With the purchase of three eligible Special K products, consumers will receive the shade Challenge Red-y. After submitting the purchase codes from five eligible Special K products, consumers will receive two lacquers – Live in the Momentum and My Sol Shines Brighter.

Nicole by OPI Signature edition Special K packages designed by Suzi Weiss-Fischmann will be available exclusively at Target. The designer packages are available only for select flavors (Original, Red Berries & Chocolatey Delight). For more information, visit nicolebyopi.com. Follow Nicole by OPI on Twitter @NicoleByOPI and become a Facebook fan!

So what do you think about this collaboration? I’ve got to admit I thought it was a bit random, but I like Special K (the strawberries one–yum!!!) and I love polish. If that means someone gets free polish, I’m all in! Thanks for stopping by today, and I’ll catch up with you tomorrow.

Anne Kathleen Something Special Collection

Posted on 4 April, 20142 April, 2014 by Cynthia

Today I have a new to me brand to share with you: Anne Kathleen. You know that I loooove trying out new brands–because who doesn’t need more polish?! I think that would be me, but I would like to say that I am always willing to take one for the team. Before I get into showing you my swatches, I want to share a little bit about the brand. Anne Kathleen polishes are 5-Free which I know is very important to some people. The polishes are cruelty free, and the majority of them are vegan. The two polishes that I have for you today are from the Anne Kathleen Something Special Collection which is a 4 piece wedding collection. Let’s take a look at Cosette and Portia below.

Anne Kathleen Portia is a delicate baby blue shimmer with a frosty-type finish. The formula was very nice as it was easy to apply and was very opaque. I needed two coats for these swatches.

A white polish is a given in any type of wedding collection and Anne Kathleen Cosette fits the bill. This is a pearlized white shimmer that applies smoothly and is opaque at 3 thin coats.

I am quite happy with the formula of these polishes because they are easy to apply and are nice and smooth. These are not colors what I would normally gravitate towards since I do not like anything that is even close to frosty. While these are shimmers, they do lean a little frosty in my opinion so they are not my cup of tea. However, this does not take away from the good quality of the polishes. If your interested in purchasing these, the Something Special Collection will be available on April 15th and each polish retails for $10. Can you believe it’s almost APRIL?! It feels like this year is just flying by…

You can check out Anne Kathleen polishes at the following social media sites:

ANNE KATHLEEN

Website – Facebook – Twitter – Pinterest – Instagram

I hope you’re doing well today. I know it’s barely Tuesday but I’m already looking forward to the weekend. Is that sad or normal? Anyway, thanks so much for the visit today, and I will talk to you soon!

OPI MLB Collection

Posted on 3 April, 20142 April, 2014 by Cynthia

I’m sick of starting every post with how crappy I feel so today I’m just going to blabber on and on about polish…mmmk? This is the first full collection that I have swatched since I cut my nails back down to a squoval shape. I tried to rock the almond/oval shape for a while, but I got sick of it pretty quickly. It’s not that I hate that shape, I just missed my square nails. They do need a little bit more length to get to my ideal shape and size, but they’ll get there soon enough. So, a few people had asked me about the OPI MLB Collection and when I would have swatches up. I just got the polishes on Monday so I got right to work on swatching them. I did finish them on Tuesday, but I already had a few post lined up so here they are…finally. Ha! Let me show you my swatches first and then we can get into the nitty gritty.

OPI 7th Inning Strrretch

OPI Right Off The Bat

OPI Umpires Come Out At Night

OPI Short–Stop

OPI Love Athletes In Cleats

OPI Orange You Going To The Game?

OPI Girls Love Diamonds

Where to start? Well, I can tell you that the formula on all of these polishes is really great which is something that I have come to expect from OPI. I seem to take it for granted at this point so at least I am not always worrying if the polish is going to be a pain in the ass to apply like with other brands that shall remain nameless. However, I am not going to say that I found this collection exciting because to me, it’s a total snoozeville. The reds are nice, the blues are nice…but we all probably have similar colors if not dupes. Orange You Going To The Game? is really foul because it’s a weird orange color and it’s frosty…but some people have already told me that they like that color the most so you know what? Different strokes for different folks. You all know me well enough that if I came on here to tell you that I loved this collection, you’d be doing this:

I see this collection as something that baseball fans would enjoy. It’s like when a themed collection comes out and you want ALL THE COLORS just because of the marketing. Damn you marketing geniuses! So what do you think about this collection? I’m curious to hear your thoughts. Since OPI is my favorite brand of polish, I know they will make it up to me…besides, they have a pass after the gorgeousness that is the Brazil Collection. Well, I hope you’re having a great day–the weekend is almost here! *happy dance* I’ll talk to you soon!

MLB Collection by OPI nail lacquer shades each feature OPI’s exclusive ProWide^™ Brush for the ultimate in application. MLB Collection will be available April 2014 – just in time for the start of the baseball season – at professional salons and select retailers for $9.00 suggested retail. For more information, please call 800-341-9999 or visit www.opi.com. Follow OPI on Twitter @OPI_PRODUCTS and become a Facebook fan!

Essie She Said Yes Wedding Collection 2014

Posted on 1 April, 201430 March, 2014 by Cynthia

It’s that time of the year when nail polish wedding themed collections start to rear their ugly heads. I know, I know…I’m not being a killjoy or anything, but I usually find wedding collections too blah to really interest me. Despite this, I always look forward to the Essie Wedding collections because no matter how many times I get polishes with sub-par formulas, I still want to love Essie. I don’t know if that makes me loyal or kind of dumb. Either way, I never miss out on an Essie collection so it’s no surprise that I have the Essie She Said Yes Wedding Collection for 2014 to share with you today. This collection is the epitome of wedding collections: white, sheer and nudes. Before I rip this collection to shreds, let’s take a look at my swatches below.

Essie She Said Yes

Essie Meet The Parents

Essie Love Every Minute

Essie Got Engaged!

You may be surprised, but I actually do like this collection. WHAAAAAAAAAAT? Yep, you read correctly. Maybe it’s because the colors are so pretty and delicate or because I just finished watching My Best Friend’s Wedding for the millionth time, but I really like the end result. Sadly, I do have gripes with the formula on all of these polishes. I think that if you go into this knowing that they are supposed to be super sheer polishes, you won’t really be disappointed. However, I just don’t like sheers, and I do not like having to apply 4 coats of polish in between my base coat and top coat. Two of the polishes: She Said Yes and Got Engaged! had very subtle sparkles that completely disappeared once on the nail. You can catch some sparkle depending on your lighting and angle, but otherwise you won’t really see it. If you purchase these knowing that they are super sheer and that you’ll need multiple coats to reach opacity, I think that you will quite like these. I didn’t like these enough to want to hold on to them so they went up on my blog sale.

What do you think of this collection? Do you like sheer shades or do they drive you nuts? But more importantly, do you like My Best Friend’s Wedding? hehe Tomorrow I have another wedding inspired duo so make sure that you check in with me. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon.