Category: Review

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Are You A Julep Maven? – Review & Giveaway!

Posted on by Cynthia

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How many of you have heard of Julep? Ever since I became a total polish freak, I have been keeping track of everything polish related as if my life depended on it. How many collections can one person possibly keep track of? The scary part is that I am a crazy polish savant and seem to remember the name of every polish and what collections they come from. Weird, right?

So, it’s about time I started looking into the Julep world. The intro box that I chose is the Boho Glam box which came with two bottles of nail polish and a tube of pedicure cream/moisturizer.

Julep polishes in Toni and Sasha and a tube of The Best Pedi Creme Ever!

I picked the Boho Glam box because of Toni. I know some of you are probably sick of the purple/greige polishes, but I am still seriously in love with them especially now that fall is coming. Sasha is not a color I would normally choose, but I’ve been trying to branch out a bit in my polish choices. I was also really looking forward to the pedi creme because I am always looking for something that will moisturize and exfoliate without being crazy greasy. When I looked at the tube closely, I noticed that there were mint leaves on it and my heart fell. I absolutely hate mint/peppermint scents on lotions because I always get headaches when I use them–especially if I apply them before bed. Well, I am happy to report that the mint scent is very faint and it smells more like cucumber to me: refreshing and cooling. I have used this pedi creme two days in a row and I have to tell you that I am in freaking love with this stuff. I don’t think that my feet have ever been as soft and best of all, the creme is not greasy at all. I will definitely be using this every single night…it’s a lifesaver. No more freaking out about wearing sandals or flip-flops!

I decided to wear Toni today:

Julep calls this a greige with a hint of lavender, and I think that it is a perfect description. It applied like a dream, and I only needed two thin coats for full opacity. I can’t get enough of creme polishes!!!

Now for the super deluxe good news: I am so excited to announce that I am hosting a giveaway in conjunction with Julep where you can win an intro Julep Maven box!! In order to enter, you can use this link: a Rafflecopter giveaway  This giveaway will run until 9/7/2012 so you have plenty of time to enter.

You can also sign up to be a Julep Maven for just $0.01 for your introductory box!!! YES, JUST ONE PENNY! How? Well, let me tell you how. Sign up by clicking on my link here and use promo code MAVENINTRO  By signing up using my link, you are helping support my site so click away! 🙂

For more information about the Julep Maven membership program, here are some details from Julep’s website:

As a Julep Maven, your monthly subscription of just $19.99 delivers exclusive access to at least $40 worth of products handpicked to suit your style.After your introductory box, you’ll start receiving a Julep Maven Box each month, including:

  • At least $40 worth of customized products elegantly packaged in our exclusive giftable box
  • New, never-before-released colors and treatments sent FIRST to you, before anyone else
  • Past hits and cult favorites–the products our girlfriends can’t live without.

Your Maven subscription also comes with free shipping, 20% off all purchases in the Julep Maven Boutique and the peace of mind that comes with knowing there’s never any obligation to buy.

We’ll send an email previewing your upcoming Julep Maven Box on the 20th of each month. Like what you see? Do nothing and your box is on its way. Want to try a new style, send your box to a friend or skip the month? Just log into your account between the 20th and the 24th to submit your request.

Don’t miss your chance to enter to win a free Julep Maven Intro box here. Even better, make sure you get your own box for just a penny by clicking here and using promo code MAVENINTRO

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you get a chance to try Julep because so far, I am thoroughly impressed with the quality of their products.

If you want an extra chance to win your very own Julep Maven intro box, visit Nicole’s blog here and enter there as well!! Woo hoo! Two chances?! Yes, please!

****These items were sent for review. This in no way influences my review and opinion of the product.****

a england Love

Posted on by Cynthia

I am ashamed to say that I had not tried any a england polishes before these three. For shame! I decided to take the plunge when  a sale was announced, and I am happy to report that I absolutely adore them. The formula was dreamy: consistent, buttery, pigmented and absolutely perfect. I kind of hate a england now because I can already imagine their polishes plunging me in a financial tailspin of epic proportions. I must have them all!!!!

GUINEVERE

GALAHAD

TRISTAM

It seems that summer has finally hit California. It has been so hot here the past few days that I am in an absolutely foul mood. Additionally, I had a major meltdown today because of HostGator. I had been thinking about having my blog hosted there and today I finally signed up. They made it sound like moving hosts would be a piece of cake and everything that could possibly go wrong has gone wrong for me. I am pretty sure that most of it is my fault, but I had asked so many questions beforehand and they really made it sound like a blindfolded monkey could do it. Alas, that is not the case. I decided to step away from it for the rest of the day since I spent all morning trying to figure it out. One of their support people called me (I had been dealing with online chat support) but I was so frustrated that I just didn’t want to talk to them. Hopefully I will be able to come back to it later and get it all straightened out. Let me tell you: WHAT.A.NIGHTMARE!

Let’s move on from my nightmare afternoon and back to the polish. What do you think of these colors? Are you as in love with them as I am? Do you have any a englands?

Thanks for stopping by, and I hope it’s cooler in your neck of the woods.

essence Gleam In Blue

Posted on by Cynthia

I think you have seen my recent Ulta polish hauls and how they tend to include tons of these cute little bottles of essence polishes.Today I have a new color that I hadn’t seen at Ulta in the past–probably because it was always out of stock. Behold, Gleam In Blue!

When I first put this color on, I was torn: is it a full on frost, metallic or a combination of the two? Well, I’m sure that you’ve heard me complain about frosts AND metallics. (I’m looking at you, Nicole!) In fact, that combination reminds me of the most horrific creation known to mankind if you are a poultry hater: the turducken! For those of you who may not be familiar with a turducken, it is a de-boned chicken stuffed into a de-boned duck, stuffed into a de-boned turkey. I am dry heaving over here. Anyway, I was surprisingly happy with this polish. It has a thicker consistency than I am used to from essence polishes, but it was still fairly easy to control. If you’re careful with your application, you could actually get away with one coat! If I had to pick one thing that I didn’t like, it would be that it’s somewhat prone to visible brushstrokes if you overwork the polish; otherwise, the brushstrokes aren’t too visible and a nice topcoat will definitely help.

And just because I feel that every mani gets better with a little stamping action, I used plate BM 312 and Konad special polish in white for this design. Pretty, right? I chose this stamp because it had a sort of whimsical, airy and cloud-like feeling to it that I felt complimented the color of this polish. Anyone else get a sort of bridal feeling from this look?

Gleam In Blue was one of the 10 new colors that were introduced in the Colour & Go line for Spring/Summer 2012. essence products can be purchased at ULTA, HEB, Fred Meyer and Shoppers Drug Mart if you’re in Canada. These polishes still retail for $.99. However, it appears that this line is being re-designed with a new bottle shape and with a price increase to $1.99. I will follow up on this once I start to see the new stock at my local Ulta.

So what do you think of this polish? Too frosty/metallic-y? Do you think the stamping compliments the polish, or was it better on its own? Let me know what you think and thanks for stopping by.

Remember: Enabling = Caring

****This item was sent for review. This in no way influences my review and opinion of the product.****

Entity Pearl Brights Collection for Spring/Summer

Posted on by Cynthia

I don’t know about you, but it doesn’t really feel like a true summer here in California. I know it’s been incredibly hot in other areas of the country (and the world), but I feel like we have had an atypical summer for sure. Today was fairly hot and I was very uncomfortable in my dusty havens when I went looking for some new nail polishes.  I was definitely feeling the heat today! When I got home, I just wanted to play around with some summery colors and lo and behold, these beauties were waiting for me. I’ve always thought of Entity Beauty as a company that caters more to the professionals since I had never really seen their products at any of the nail supply places I frequent. The only time I came across their products was at one of my favorite nail salons.

First let me say that I am kind of amused by the unique bottle shape. These are the first nail polishes that I’ve tried that have this round bottle, and it just makes them stand out a bit. As far as I’m concerned, packaging is a big part of initial brand appeal so they score points on that end right off the bat. To get to the nitty-gritty of it all, these polishes had a pretty nice formula. I am in the habit of applying very thin coats which usually forces me to apply 2-3  coats of polish. I opted for 2 thicker coats for these swatches and that seemed to work pretty well. I was actually surprised that I didn’t have more problems with the yellow polish since they are notoriously hard to work with. I’ve been on a yellow kick lately so I really liked this color! While these colors are definitely summery, they aren’t necessarily neon. They dry shiny and smooth and with a lovely pearlized shimmer that is noticeable yet not over the top. I know you’re all thinking that you may already have similar colors to these, and I agree that most polish hoarders fans will have dupes no matter what. Either way, this collection is cute and worth checking out if you like bright colors with a pearly/shimmer finish.

So now that I’ve blabbed for a while, here are the swatches:

    

PEARL FUCHSIA

    

PEARL ORANGE

    

PEARL RED

    

PEARL TURQUOISE

    

PEARL VIOLET

    

PEARL GREEN

    

PEARL YELLOW

For more information on where to purchase Entity products, you can visit their website and locate a distributor and/or salon in your area. You can also visit their facebook page for all their latest news and announcements. If you’re interested in purchasing these polishes online, you can find them at  Trans Design.

So tell me: what do you think?

****These items were sent for review. This in no way influences my review and opinion of the product.****

NARS Blushes

Posted on by Cynthia

If you think that my only obsession is nail polish, you’ve got another thing coming. When I first started getting interested in high end make up a couple of years ago, I was hesitant to pay luxury prices for brands like Chanel, Clé de Peau, Guerlain, Dior…etc.  I found my happy medium at Sephora with NARS, MUFE, Benefit, Too Faced and Urban Decay.  NARS quickly became my favorite brand for two products: lip gloss and blush. I have about 16 of their blushes so it was hard to really cut it down to my absolute favorites so I could share them with you. There are two images of each blush: the first one in direct sunlight and the second in the shade.

Taos – Warm desert rose

Desire – Delicate bright pink

Deep Throat – Flirty, sheer peach

Exhibit A – Matte vivid red

Taj Mahal – Blazing burnt orange with golden shimmer

Dolce Vita – Matte dusty rose

Albatross – Luminous glow for highlighting

Taos, Desire and Deep Throat

Exhibit A, Taj Mahal, Dolce Vita and Albatross

If you’re familiar with NARS, you may notice that I left out their most iconic product: Orgasm. Orgasm was the first blush I purchased and I do like it, but I wouldn’t call it one of my favorites.  These blushes are incredibly pigmented and finely milled so you have to use a light hand unless you’re purposely trying to look like a clown. I still use these blushes regularly, but I prefer some of my Benefit blushes–especially Bella Bamba.

NARS products can be purchased at many places like Sephora and narscosmetics.com,  so you shouldn’t have any problems finding them if you want to try them out. They retail for $28.

Do you own any NARS blushes? Do you have a favorite? What are some of your favorite make-up brands?

Illamasqua Velocity

Posted on by Cynthia

Illamasqua:

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of being and ideal grace.
I love thee to the level of every day's
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for right.
I love thee purely, as they turn from praise.
I love thee with the passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints. I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life; and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.

Ok, I am exagerrating but only by a bit. haha. This is my second Illamasqua purchase and I am falling hard…yes, hard. It’s so difficult to figure out what nail polish to buy when I am perusing sephora.com so this was an impulse buy–and I don’t regret it one bit. Illamasqua calls this polish a dusky grey-purple with a glossy finish and it is very fitting.

 

I am pretty sure that I have something close to this polish already but the formula is really amazing. Sometimes it’s all about the formula. Since I’m still an Illamasqua newbie, what other colors can you suggest? I can see my obsession beginning….

Sation Oh My Oceania

Posted on by Cynthia

Sweet baby Jesus on rollerskates this color is gorgeous. It’s not that often that I am really smitten with a color so I find myself a little giddy right now. Oh My Oceania is like the most perfect teal/turquoise/blue/green/shimmer combo that I currently own. This color reminds me of Rescue Beauty Lounge Aqua Lily but since I don’t own it, I’m not sure if it’s really a dupe. If you do own Aqua Lily, how does this compare? I actually don’t have any RBL polishes yet because I’m still very hesitant to spend that much on one bottle of nail polish. Anyway, on to the swatches!

Don’t tell me this polish isn’t drool-worthy. I thought it was going to be sheer but it’s opaque and full coverage at two coats. The formula was a tad too thick, but it wasn’t problematic. I don’t have much else to say–the pictures speak for themselves. What do you think?

****These items were sent for review. This in no way influences my review and opinion of the product.****

One Eyed One Horned Flying Purple People Eater

Posted on by Cynthia

When I was in 8th grade, my choir teacher had us perform this song during one of our assemblies. I remember that she had one kid run up and down the aisles of the auditorium pretending to be the monster. It was kind of ridiculous but really fun. I was a choir geek from elementary school through high school so maybe that’s why I love singing so much. Believe it or not, that was the first thing that came to mind when I used Power To The Purple.

This color is in the same vein as OPI Dutch Ya Just Love OPI, Zoya Tru, Jessica Witchy Wisteria…except that I think this version is way brighter and more re-toned. I am in love with this purple because it has that smoldering quality to it. The formula was perfect and I only needed two coats. Sorry about the cut on my middle finger; apparently I wasn’t careful enough with the cuticle clippers. 🙁

I did a quick design on my nails afterwards. I wasn’t super careful so you can see where the dotting could be cleaner but I still like it. Most people don’t grab your hands and hold them up to inspect your nails–notice that I said most because this has happened to me quite a few times. I like that people are curious and compliment my nails, but get your hands off me, please. kthanks.

This nail polish is a big winner in my book because it’s purple and because it’s so vibrant. Purple is my favorite color and yes I have worn purple shoes, clothes, glasses and make-up…all at once. It was my Barney Chic phase. Are you a purple lover too?

****These items were sent for review. This in no way influences my review and opinion of the product.****

Cool Summer

Posted on by Cynthia

When I was a kid, I thought this song was called cool summer and not cruel summer. I was born in 1979 so I wasn’t fully aware of pop culture in my childhood years during the 80’s so it always makes me laugh when I remember snippets of stuff like this song. Granted I am more into the Ace of Base version…and I’ll move on because then I’ll start talking about my obsession with Ace of Base and ABBA and that ALWAYS ends poorly.

Although it’s technically not summer yet, it’s usually pretty warm here in Southern California in early June. Surprisingly, the weather has been very mild lately. I’m a little shocked but also happy because I hate the summer heat. HATE IT. I am definitely NOT looking forward to this summer. The one thing I do love about summer are all the summer nail polish collections! I haven’t had the time or energy to go to my nail polish mecca lately so I haven’t seen all the pretty new polishes in person–just drooled over them online.

Today I have another three awesome summery colors from Miss Professional Nail’s Sation Line. I had a difficult time getting good pictures of these colors because they are neons and my camera was going crazy. Other than that, I love these colors! I love the shimmer in the first two and love the creaminess of the darker one. I always find that neons/mattes are kind of a pain to work with but these were not too bad! The formula is a tad too thick for my liking but it’s not a huge deal if you apply the polish carefully.

Shock Me Twice Pink is just that: an electric pink. This is a staple neon color for summer so it’s not terribly unique but it sure is gorgeous. It’s such a beautiful glowing color. I just got flashbacks of eating cubes of Bubble Yum or stuffing my mouth full of Big League Chew. Don’t lie…you know you did it too.

Show Off Your Navel Orange seems like more of a cantaloupe color to me. It’s a nice color, but I don’t feel that it really flatters my skin tone. Again, this color is super bright and has that great shimmer that so many neons seem to have lately.

Fan the Flames Fuchsia is my favorite of the three. It’s a creamy color that doesn’t dry satin/matte like a traditional neon but it’s super bright and saturated. This one had the best formula of the three as well.

How do you feel about neons? Are you feeling the trend or do you think it’s just getting annoying like crackle and magnetic polish? I love to wear these bright colors on my nails since I tend to purchase mostly neutral colors for my wardrobe. Let me know what you think!

****These items were sent for review. This in no way influences my review and opinion of the product.****

Sation Board Girl Blue

Posted on by Cynthia

Since Alfie has pretty much taken over my life in the last week, I haven’t had a chance to even do anything with my nails. Picking up dog poop doesn’t really lend itself to me wanting to do something pretty with my nails.  So in order to get back to some sense of normalcy, I decided to try out a new color that I received from Miss Professional Nail. When I first saw this color, I immediately thought of the Kate Bosworth movie Blue Crush. It’s funny how colors will sometimes elicit such vivid memories and images.

If you’ve read some of my other posts, you probably already know how much I love blue. And purple. And red. And…well, I might as well admit that there are very few nail polish colors that I don’t enjoy. However, I’ve really been on a blue/green/teal/turquoise kick so Board Girl Blue was definitely up my alley. I thought that maybe I had other similar colors but so far it seems to be a lot brighter and less smoky than other polishes I thought could be dupes.

I wanted to konad the life out of this nail polish, but sometimes you just have to stay simple and clean. I really loved this color and the formula was great. I probably could have gotten away with one coat if I had been really careful, but I applied two to even out the color. One of the things I like the most about this nail polish is the really wide brush. I have wide nail beds so the brush applies the polish perfectly. When I saw how bright and saturated this color is, I was afraid that it would stain my nails. Thankfully, that did not happen.  This creme polish is part of the new California Gleamin’ Collection. For more information, you can visit the Miss Professional Nail website at http://www.misspn.com and you can also shop their colors here.

What do you think of this color? Is it something you would wear? Thanks for reading and have a great weekend!

****These items were sent for review. This in no way influences my review and opinion of the product.****