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Venique Goes Hollywood Collection

Posted on 12 March, 2013 by Cynthia

Happy Tuesday everyone. I am off tomorrow so I’m really looking forward to sleeping in which means that I’ll be getting out of bed at 6 am. WOOOOOT! hahaha Do you even know how horrible it is to have to get up at 3:30 am? No? You’re lucky! I have been such a turd about getting up my posts in a timely manner, and I am finally catching up. Today I have the Venique Goes Hollywood Collection to share with you. Before I even get into it, I have to admit one thing: I don’t like metallics. I just don’t know what is about metallic finish polishes, but I just can’t appreciate them. I tried to put all my metallic prejudice aside before I started swatching this collection so let’s take a look at the polishes…

The formula for all of these polishes is identical so I’ll talk about that at the end. I also want to mention that I am missing one polish from this collection which is the silver metallic called Reels Of Fun.

Venique Golden Age Of Beauty

Venique Diamond Kisses

Venique Down The Carpet

Venique Acting Is Living

Venique Oceans Of Pearls (over Acting Is Living)

I didn’t think that I would be saying this, but I actually kind of liked these polishes. I don’t find the colors too unique, but they are pretty nonetheless if you like metallic finish polishes. To tell you the truth, I was scared that these would be as difficult to work with as the Essie Mirror Metallics, but the formula was rather easy to work with. However, the brush strokes….OY VEY! I could not find any way to work with these polishes that left me with a brush stroke-free result. Overall, if you like metallics, you should look into these. I haven’t tried using these for stamping but I hope they work!

To learn more about Venique, you can visit them on their website and on their facebook page:

Website: http://veniquenails.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/VeniqueNails

Thanks so much for stopping by today. Let me know what you think of this collection. Do you have a favorite polish finish?

Disclosure: The products featured in this post were provided to me by the manufacturer or their PR firm. For more information, please see my disclosure policy tab here.

Venique Acting Is Living

Posted on 24 February, 201324 February, 2013 by Cynthia

Today as I prepared to watch the Academy Awards, I was trying to decide if I should do my nails. When I looked over at my bin of polishes to be swatched for my blog, I zeroed in on the Venique Goes Hollywood Collection. How fitting, right? Then I went with the purple which ended up being called Acting Is Living. Well punch me in the eye and spit in my Orangina fantastic! It’s no secret that I obsessed with purple, so this was a perfect choice. Are you ready to see this gorgeous and shimmery grape purple that is Venique Acting Is Living?

Venique is a new to me brand, but I had head about it through friends and other nail polish afficionados. In looking deeper into this brand, I was able to obtain some information about the formula. Venique Nail Lacquer is made with Sil-Tek, which is a silicone-based ingredient that causes the polish to be flexible and therefore isn’t as susceptible to chipping. Additionally, each coat is supposed to dry in about 4 minutes. One of the more interesting formula points is that if your manicure loses its shine, you can lightly buff your nails and you will regain the shine.

Now, I haven’t worn this polish very long so I can’t speak about its resistance to chipping, but I did think it took longer than 4 minutes for each coat to dry. I applied 2 coats and found that the polish was very, very thick and went on streaky. I decided to mix it for a few minutes hoping that the second coat would be nicer. Once I applied the second coat, the polish was pretty self-leveling and I got an even, glossy result even without top coat. For news about Venique, make sure that you check out their Facebook page here.

You may have noticed a change with the layout of my post. I have decided to stop watermarking my pictures, and I’m am uploading them individually instead of in a collage format. I am aware of all the picture stealing issues that arise if pictures aren’t watermarked, but honestly, I don’t think it’s worth it. If someone wants to steal your swatch pictures, they will do it–watermark or not. I had decided to use a watermark after my pictures for the WNW Saved By The Nail Collection were used in videos and sites all over the net without my permission and without giving me credit in most cases. Now I just want to focus on improving my photos/photography skills and getting rid of the watermarks.

This weekend was pretty busy for me especially since I had to work on Saturday. I ended up going out with a couple of friends to let off some steam. We ended up eating a yummy dinner, getting a drink, singing some corny karaoke and then just having some intense girl-talk. I want to share something with you that was like an epiphany for me…courtesy of my friend Nancy. As most women tend to do when girl talk is involved, we were discussing men. Ah, men…yes. Anyway, I was telling them about a guy I had met whom I no longer fancied for a few reasons. I told them that he was just “weird” and that I had lost interest. Then Nancy tells me: “But you’re weird. You can’t expect to date a “normal” guy. That’s just not going to happen.” I looked at her for a moment and realized that she is 100% right. One of my best friends has been calling me “freak” for the last 15 years–he never even calls me by my name anymore, so you know there is some truth to it. I guess I like to think of myself as unique and not weird. I’m just special. hahaha This made me think that maybe I shouldn’t be so quick to dismiss others as weird or strange since apparently we’re in the same boat. So there you have it.

How was your weekend? I hope it was interesting and full of fun stuff. What do you think of Venique Acting Is Living? Have you tried Venique polishes before? I’d love to hear what you think. Thanks for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon!

Disclosure: The products featured in this post were provided to me by the manufacturer or their PR firm. For more information, please see my disclosure policy tab here.

Pomegranate Nail Lacquer Royal Fairy Tale Collection

Posted on 20 February, 2013 by Cynthia

Today I have two shades from the Pomegranate Nail Lacquer Royal Fairy Tale Collection to share with you. I wasn’t planning on doing any swatching until I got a little more length to my nails, but I just need to get over it and accept my nubs! This is actually my first experience with Pomegranate polishes, and I have to say that I am incredibly pleased with the quality. Before I get too much into it, let me show you the 2 shades I have: Rose Garden Romance and Prince Charmer.

Rose Garden Romance is one of those amazing reds that I can’t get enough of. It is so incredibly pigmented and bright that my camera wanted to freak out on me. In fact, this color is ALMOST a neon. You could get away with one coat if you’re careful, but I applied two thin coats.

Prince Charmer…ahhh, you’ve stolen my heart. I am in love with delicate shades like this one especially because it’s such a beautiful greyed lavender creme. The first coat seemed somewhat sheer, but the color builds up nicely. I applied 3 thin coats here.

I am so happy to have gotten the opportunity to try out this new-to-me brand. Unfortunately, now I have yet another brand to drool over–my wallet is weeping! What about you? Have you tried Pomegranate Nail Lacquer? Will you be picking up any of the shades from the new Royal Fairy Tale Collection?

To get more information about Pomegranate Nail Lacquer, make sure that you check them out on:

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pomegranatenaillacquer

Twitter: https://twitter.com/FreshJuicyColor

Website: http://www.pomegranatelacquer.com/

Thanks for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon!

Disclosure: The products featured in this post were provided to me by the manufacturer or their PR firm. For more information, please see my disclosure policy tab here.

Silly Lily Winterberry Review & Giveaway

Posted on 13 February, 201313 February, 2013 by Cynthia

I’ve been feeling so damn blah for the last few days and then bam! I got my period. TMI, I know…but this is a good thing since I had not gotten my period in about 6 months. As someone with PCOS, this is a regular occurrence so I tend not to dwell on it. I’ve been feeling stressed out and restless so I hope that it was just my hormones acting up. It has definitely felt weird not being able to do my nails these past few days but it serves me right for not wearing gloves and for impulsively nubbing my nails. I do hope that both my hands and nails have recovered by next week so I can start swatching the OPI Oz Collection (and launch my giveaway for a mini set of Oz Polishes) and the China Glaze Avant Garden Collection. I also have a Venique collection to swatch and a few other indies that will be here any day now so I’m going to have my work cut out for me. Today, I am going to show you a polish I swatched a couple of weeks ago: Silly Lily Winterberry.

Out of the three Silly Lily creations that I purchased recently, this is by far my favorite. I love that the base is a lightly tinted jelly and love all the various glitters. The black glitter in this makes me feel like I sprinkled cracked black pepper all over my nails. I can imagine that this polish would look amazing over a very light and delicate purple or lilac. I don’t think I have ever seen anything similar to this polish so I hope that you are excited to learn that I am giving away a brand new bottle of Silly Lily Winterberry to one lucky reader. This giveaway is open internationally so please make sure that you know the customs regulations and restrictions of your country before you enter. I will not be responsible for any lost, damaged or confiscated packages, but I will be extra sad if any of that happens. Use the rafflecopter widget below to enter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Also, don’t forget that my giveaway for a set OPI Euro Centrale minis is going to end in a couple of days so don’t miss your chance to enter here.

I hope that you like Silly Lily Winterberry as much as I do. I also hope that you stop by Lily’s facebook page here to show her some love so she can continue to create these lovely polishes for us to ogle and purchase. You can also visit the Silly Lilly Etsy Shop so you can peruse all her other creations!

Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon!

Disclosure: Silly Lily Winterberry was purchased by me at a reduced rate for review and giveaway purposes. For more information, please see my disclosure policy tab here.

LCN Blossom Sorbet Collection Spring 2013

Posted on 5 February, 20134 February, 2013 by Cynthia

You have no idea how happy I am that it’s Tuesday now. Mondays are the absolute worst in my opinion because you have the whole week ahead of you to get through before you can get some rest again and enjoy the weekend. I didn’t get a chance to do most of the stuff that I wanted to do this past weekend, but I did get all of my posts done for the week so that’s a huge accomplishment. Well, I got the manicures done and photographed which is the hardest part of putting a post together in my opinion. I definitely don’t want my blog to fall by the wayside now that I have started working because this little outlet is so important to me–it keeps me sane! I received this pretty little set about 2 weeks ago right when I started working so I didn’t get a chance to swatch and post it since I got so freaking sick. Are you ready for another shot of Spring? This is the LCN Blossom Sorbet Collection for Spring 2013.

LCN Soft Daisy is the color I was most excited about when I opened up this set. What is it with me and yellow polishes lately? I really wanted this one to work for me but the formula was just so streaky. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised since this is the norm for yellows. Despite the formula issues, I do love the color–it’s like a little more yellow than Illamasqua Load which is like my new favorite polish.

LCN Lilac Blossom….ahhhh so purty! The formula on this one was much better and more in line with what I expect from LCN. If you haven’t tried their polishes yet, I can’t rave enough about their buttery cremes. I think this looks more periwinkle than lilac but either way, it’s a gorgeous color.

LCN I Love Mint is the staple minty green polish that seems to crop up every Spring. Incredibly, I never get sick of all the various versions of this color and I know that most of you also can’t get enough of this type of color. The formula was nice and buttery!

And lastly, LCN Vintage Rose is my surprise favorite. I don’t know about you, but this does not look like a rose color. I guess I was expecting it to have more pink in it, but it’s definitely more peachy…almost cantaloupe with some pink tones to it. Again, the formula was great.

So what are your thoughts on these shades? I don’t think they’re like super original, but I do love this cute little cohesive set. The colors are pretty and spring appropriate for sure. You can check out these polishes and more over at the LCN Boutique.

Are you ready for all these Spring shades? I sure am! Don’t forget to enter the TWO giveaways that I am running right now! Enter my giveaway for a bottle of Silly Lily Polish Bunny Eggs here and enter to win a set of OPI Euro Centrale Minis here. Thanks for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon!

Disclosure: The products featured in this post were provided to me by the manufacturer or their PR firm. For more information, please see my disclosure policy tab here.

Silly Lily Bunny Eggs – Review & Giveaway

Posted on 1 February, 20131 February, 2013 by Cynthia

The weekend has arrived, and I don’t think anyone is as glad and relieved as me. I am in serious need of some bed rest, and so far that is all I have planned for this weekend. Of course I’m going to try to get some blog stuff done so I don’t feel so pressured and rushed to get things done during the weekend. I know I’ve said it before, but I am seriously bummed that I have been neglecting my blog so much since I started working. Hopefully once my training is over and I have my regular schedule, I’ll have more time to dedicate to my blog and reading all the awesome blogs I’ve been neglecting as well. Tonight I ended up spending some time with one of my friends and we went out for coffee and then watched a movie at my place. It was a low-key evening which is exactly what I needed. I also took a little break to paint my nails which is what I’m going to show you now. Behold, Silly Lily Bunny Eggs.

Ok, this isn’t Bunny Eggs, but I wanted to show you what base color I decided to use. This beauty is Illamasqua Velocity. I’ve worn it quite a few times in the past, and I thought that the lovely light purple would make an amazing base for Bunny Eggs. As always, the formula on Velocity was perfection.

I know Easter is still far away, but how cute is this polish? I don’t think that my pictures do it justice. It’s just so delicate and bright at the same time. I have to say that I felt that the polish was a little on the thick side so I did have to add some thinner so that I could apply it without causing a mess. I have come to realize that this is the norm when a glitterbomb is involved. I think that they key to applying a polish like this is to use very thin coats which is what I did. I applied 2 thin coats here.

And now, here is your chance to win your very own bottle of Silly Lily Bunny Eggs! Use the widget below to enter and don’t forget to share with your friends! As always, this giveaway is open internationally but please make sure that you know the customs regulations of your country. With all the issues surrounding international shipping, I just want to make sure that you understand that I will not be responsible for those problems but will do my best to make sure that your package arrives safe and sound should you live outside the US and you win the polish.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

I think I’m posting this just in the nick of time before midnight here on the west coast. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. Be safe if you’re planning to have some Super Bowl festivities. Thanks for stopping by today and I will talk to you later!

Disclosure: The products featured in this post were purchased by me. Silly Lily Bunny Eggs was purchased by me at a reduced rate for review and giveaway purposes. For more information, please see my disclosure policy tab here.

Julep Beauty Resolution: Play With The Color Wheel

Posted on 31 January, 2013 by Cynthia

Hello my polish beauties! I am slowly getting back to normal after 6 days of complete flu agony. Since I just started my job, I was not allowed to miss work (we’re doing training) so I really had to tough it out. If you’ve ever been forced to go to work when you’re beyond sick, you probably know how miserably slow your days seem. I no longer have severe flu symptoms, but my cough is still pretty bad. Hopefully this weekend I will have plenty of time to just lay in bed and feel better so that when Monday comes around, I can be in tip top shape! I’ve been so bummed out these last couple of weeks because I just haven’t had time to post regularly or visit all my favorite blogs, but hopefully I can catch up this weekend.

About a month ago, I was invited to be part of a Julep Beauty Resolution Campaign. This particular assignment called playing with complimentary colors so I was sent two polishes to experiment with: Trina and Alma. I actually reviewed both polishes individually and created two separate looks:

This is what I did with Trina. You can read my complete post here.

This is what I did with Alma. You can read my complete post here. In fact, this look earned the honor of being Julep’s NOTD!! I was so happy and excited!

Today I am combining both colors in one manicure. Nicole and I always remember the first time that I ever combined yellow and purple in one manicure. If you are brave enough, you can check it out here. Just be warned that it is NOT pretty and that it was done in the very early days of my blog. So are you ready to see what I did? It’s not that revolutionary, but I am definitely trying to combine colors that I would normally not try to use together–especially after the earlier disasticure.

I started with 2 smooth coats of Julep Trina. One of my friends asked me if I knew of a dupe for Trina but I couldn’t really think of one. I thought of Essie Sexy Divide but it’s not really a dupe. If you know of a good dupe, let me know! 🙂

And this is how I ended up combining both colors. I know that it’s nothing out of this world, but I kind of like it! I added a strip of gold tape to really bring both colors together. If you haven’t joined Julep’s Maven subscription program, what are you waiting for? You can use my referral link here and enter the code JULEPVIP to get your intro box for one cent. Yep, for a penny.

So what do you think about my bold experiment with yellow and purple toned polishes? Win? Fail? I can tell you that I’m definitely not used to using colors like these together so it may take some time for me to get used to it, but it’s always nice to try new things. Well, that’s all I have for you tonight. My giveaway for a bottle of Silly Lily Polish in J-E-L-L-O ends tomorrow so don’t forget to enter here! I can’t wait until work is over for the week tomorrow…I am giddy just thinking about a whole weekend of being lazy in bed. Thanks for stopping by today and I will talk to you later!

Disclosure: The products featured in this post were provided to me by the manufacturer or their PR firm. For more information, please see my disclosure policy tab here.

Cacee BFF Nail Lacquer Sky

Posted on 25 January, 2013 by Cynthia

It’s Friday which means that I have made it through my first week at my new job! Woot! I am still in training and it really is tons of information to process, but things are starting to fall into place so I’m not feeling so overwhelmed anymore. I still haven’t worn nail polish to work yet, but I’ll probably start wearing it next week. After work today, I headed over to my nail polish places to see if they had anything new…and they didn’t. I hate it when I go in hoping that they have some new collection early so I can get the scoop but end up with nothing. Well, you know what nothing means to me: 5 polishes, some Seche Restore and a new brush for clean-up. One of the polishes I picked up is what I decided to try out tonight: Cacee BFF Nail Lacquer Sky.

Sky seems like a run of the mill vibrant blue but beejus the formula is great! This beauty is so incredibly pigmented, and I was very sorry when I got it on my cuticles because it was a biatch to remove.

For this design, I used Sation Strumming My Nails to paint the tip of my nails white and for the white dotting. I’ve mentioned Strumming My Nails before and I can’t believe that I haven’t done a proper mani with it to show you just how amazing this polish is. It’s not a pure white–it has some grey tones which I looooooove. Even better, this polish is almost a one-coater! These nails are a direct copy of the mani that Siobhan has on her blog’s banner. Every time I would see that picture, I immediately wanted to copy it and I finally did!

I’m not that talk-y tonight. I should have posted this hours ago, but I got sucked into watching puppy videos on youtube for hours. I’m not kidding…HOURS. It was sooooooo worth it! Thanks for stopping by today. I have a new Spring collection to share with you this weekend so don’t forget to check in. Talk to you later!

Disclosure: Sation Strumming My Nails was provided to me by the manufacturer or their PR firm. All other products featured in this post were purchased by me. For more information, please see my disclosure policy tab here.

Julep Alma

Posted on 23 January, 201323 January, 2013 by Cynthia

Sweet baby Jesus on rollerskates I’m tired. Book learnin iz hard. My brain is being crammed with so much information at work that I feel almost like a zombie once I get home. To be honest, I am enjoying learning so much new stuff so I shouldn’t complain–it’s just a lot of work! If you can believe it, I haven’t been wearing nail polish to work because I’m still getting a feel for things. Since I don’t want to cause any type of waves during my probation period, I am remaining very conservative…just wait until this passes because I’ll be causing some nail tsunamis for sure! Today I decided to use the other Julep polish that I got recently: Julep Alma.

Oh, Alma! You’re one of those pretty/ugly polishes that I always think is going to look better on me than it actually does. Actually, this color reminds me a lot of the creme version of China Glaze Trendsetter! I had a little weird issue with this polish and I’m wondering if it’s just my bottle or if other people had the same happen to them. When I was applying this polish, I noticed little chunks–like super tiny little balls. After the first coat, I thought that maybe I hadn’t primed my nails well and I had some residue from another product, but the second coat also had the little chunks. Remember Chunk?

Anyway, once I applied the top coat, I think the chunks pretty much disappeared, but it was definitely strange! I applied two coats here and got good coverage.

I just realized that I have used this stamp combination quite often. I just absolutely love it! Both of the images can be found on Bundle Monster plate BM 310. I used the inverted full coverage stamp as my accent nail, and I love how it looks almost leather-like since I didn’t apply top coat after stamping. If you’re a stamper, I’m curious if you know of a black polish that works for stamping. I haven’t found any others that are as pigmented as my Konad Black.

You know I’m going to say it so here it is: If you’re interested in becoming a Julep Maven for just a penny, you can use my referral link here and enter the code JULEPVIP. You can’t really beat one cent, can you? I am looking to explore more subscription type boxes so feel free to leave me a comment if you know of others that are good. I have been very satisfied with the Julep boxes because I think the subscription service is a great deal. Definitely give them a try if you’re curious!

I am BEYOND excited that I only have two more days before the weekend. WEEKENDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD! You know what kinda sucks, though? It might be raining here. It literally was in the 80’s earlier in the week and now it’s getting cold and rainy…get it together, bipolar California! Do you have anything fun planned this weekend?

Let me know what you think about this polish and stamping. I love reading all your comments! Thanks for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon.

Disclosure: Julep Alma was provided to me by the manufacturer or their PR firm. All other products featured in this post were purchased by me. For more information, please see my disclosure policy tab here.

Julep Trina

Posted on 22 January, 201323 January, 2013 by Cynthia

Well, hello there friends! I am a little disappointed in myself that I didn’t post anything after my first day of work, but I had forgotten how exhausting sitting in a training class for 8 hours can be! I actually did do my nails last night with the intention of posting them, but I felt like my nail mojo just disappeared. I seriously took about 50 pictures and not a single one turned out–they all looked shit-tastic. So I just gave up. Today I got home super flustered because I had so much stuff to do–who knew that having a job again would leave me with absolutely no time at all? Ah, well…I shouldn’t complain because getting a paycheck again means I can continue to enjoy the luxuries I have become accustomed to such as a roof over my head, food in the fridge and electricity. After finishing up my laundry, grocery shopping, cleaning and preparing my lunch for tomorrow, I sat down and thought I’d give it another try. Want to know what polish I settled on? Julep Trina!

Julep Trina is an amazingly rich and saturated metallic aubergine polish. It was a little on the thick side, but it was easy to work with. I only needed two coats for these swatches. Did you hear that the Julep boxes are getting holos? I hope it’s true because you doesn’t love holos??? If you’re interested in becoming a Julep Maven for just a penny, you can use my referral link here and enter the code JULEPVIP. Yep, for a penny. Awesomeness.

I then used an image from Mash plate MASH 43 which is kind of a strange flower and vine design. I am also wowed by the polish I used for stamping: Pure Ice Silver Mercedes. I finally found a decent Pure Ice display at a new Walmart and there was ONE of these babies left. This is such an amazing polish for stamping and you seriously can’t beat the under $2 price tag!

A lot of you have asked me about my new job and what I’ll be doing. I just wanted to say that I’ve made a very conscious decision not to discuss any details about my job. I’ve heard of way too many horror stories of people getting in trouble professionally about stuff they post online. While I do tend to share–and overshare–a lot about my personal life, that will not include details about my job. This will hopefully allow me to share funny people stories about my job–with names changed to protect the clueless, of course! I should have gone to bed about an hour ago but I stayed up to watch the series finale of Private Practice, and it was even more lame than I had anticipated. This show really jumped the shark about a year ago so I’m glad it’s over.

Well, I’m heading to bed now. It’s Wednesday tomorrow so I’m almost half-way through my first week of work. Woot! Hope you have a wonderful day, and I will talk to you soon.

Disclosure: Julep Trina was provided to me by the manufacturer or their PR firm. All other products featured in this post were purchased by me. For more information, please see my disclosure policy tab here.