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Zoya Wanderlust Collection Summer 2017

Posted on 7 June, 20174 June, 2017 by Cynthia

Before I even start right now I’m going to say something: I AM SORRY FOR THE CRAPPY PICTURES. You have no idea what a mess this swatch session turned out to be. First of all, my skin looks oily AF and I decided to swatch in full sunlight. If that wasn’t enough, I also made the brilliant (yes, sarcasm) decision to use a crazy holo background which did some flashback onto my pictures. Ugh, this whole thing was a big fat NOPE. It’s been a long time since I cringed when looking at my swatches, so please forgive me because I have learned my lesson. Before I ramble on too long, let me show you my swatches of the Zoya Wanderlust Collection for Summer 2017.

Zoya Wanderlust Collection Etsy

Zoya Etsy

Zoya Wanderlust Collection Byrdie

Zoya Byrdie

Zoya Wanderlust Collection Lois

Zoya Lois

Zoya Wanderlust Collection Sonja

Zoya Sonja

Zoya Wanderlust Collection Cora

Zoya Cora

Zoya Wanderlust Collection Sawyer

Zoya Sawyer

Zoya Wanderlust Collection Arbor

Zoya Arbor

Zoya Wanderlust Collection Journey

Zoya Journey

Zoya Wanderlust Collection Mandy

Zoya Mandy

Zoya Wanderlust Collection River

Zoya River

The more I look at these pictures the worse I feel about them. I guess I could have just re-swatched everything but….ain’t nobody got time for that. Besides the horrible swatches, my package suffered two casualties. Two of the polishes broke during transit and they drenched most of the other polish bottles. It took me forever to clean them up. See? Everything just started out on the wrong foot.

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Despite all of my swatching drama and bad pictures, I did like this collection for Summer. I did not have any significant formula issues to speak of. I am a little heavy handed with my polish application as of late so for all my swatches I used two generous coats of polish and 1 coat of glossy top coat. This collection screams fun juicy Summer colors to me, but I do feel like it’s so similar to the Summer collections that Zoya tends to put out. That’s not a bad thing, but you know you probably already have close dupes. If you’re interested in picking up any of these shades, they can be purchased on zoya.com where they retail for $10.00 each.

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

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Disclosure: These products were provided to me for review purposes. All opinions are my own.

Zoya Wanderlust Collection

Zoya Charming Collection Spring 2017

Posted on 6 June, 20174 June, 2017 by Cynthia

Zomg, can you say tardy to the party? I knew I was way behind on all my swatching and posting, but I just realized that I had this collection just sitting in my drafts folder like “HELLO, WHY HAVEN’T YOU POSTED ME?!” I guess better late than never! Later this week I will also have my review of the Summer collection, but for today let’s proceed with the Zoya Charming Collection for Spring 2017.

Zoya Charming Collection Millie

Zoya Millie

Zoya Charming Collection Tina .

Zoya Tina

Zoya Charming Collection Abby

Zoya Abby

Zoya Charming Collection Jordan

Zoya Jordan

Zoya Charming Collection Amira

Zoya Amira

Zoya Charming Collection Lacey

Zoya Lacey

I know you have seen a million and a half swatches of this collection so it’s not like I’m sharing anything new with you. Zoya does cremes exceptionally well and the ones here are no exception. The cremes applied well: I applied two coats of polish and one of of top coat for my swatches. For me, the stand outs were Amira and Lacey because of the beautiful finish and soft/dusty tones. I know a lot of people were kinda disappointed with these shades but I actually really love them. I felt that the application on these was a little sheer so I ended up using 3 coats to make sure they were even and perfectly opaque. Despite this, me likey a lot. Other than that, the collection was nice–nothing groundbreaking. How did you feel about this collection overall? Did you end up picking up any of these shades? If so, which were your favorites? If you’re interested in picking up any of these shades, they can still be found on zoya.com where they retail for $10.00 each.

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

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Disclosure: These products were provided to me for review purposes. All opinions are my own.

Zoya Charming Collection

OPI California Dreaming Collection Summer 2017

Posted on 5 June, 20174 June, 2017 by Cynthia

Hello friends. It’s been a slow few days chez moi so I ended up busting out all my swatching paraphernalia which includes my lighting and light box. I had been experimenting with swatching in direct sunlight, but I wasn’t quite satisfied with the results. I hadn’t had a massive swatch session in a long time and I can say I kind of missed it. I just wish that I had prepared myself by purchasing lint free cotton rounds because I had a hell of a hard time dealing with all the fuzzies. Anyway, today I want to share with you my swatches of the OPI California Dreaming Collection for Summer 2017. Being a born and bred California girl, of course I was excited to see a collection paying homage to my home state but the colors just kind of threw me off. Before I get into the details, let me show you some swatches.

OPI California Dreaming Collection To The Mouse House We Go!

OPI To The Mouse House We Go!

This magic red is for kissable lips, polka dot bows and tempting apples.

OPI California Dreaming Collection Me, Myselfie & I

OPI Me, Myselfie & I

But enough about me, doesn’t this coral look good in my selfie?

OPI California Dreaming Collection Santa Monica Beach Peach

OPI Santa Monica Beach Peach

Go ahead and hit the beach, this punchy orange has your back.

OPI California Dreaming Collection This Is Not Whine Country

OPI This Is Not Whine Country

The merlot the merrier I always say.

OPI California Dreaming Collection GPS I Love You

OPI GPS I Love You

I couldn’t have pinked a sweeter travelling companion.

OPI California Dreaming Collection Time For A Napa

OPI Time For A Napa

It’s always the right moment for this bubbly hot coral.

OPI California Dreaming Collection Malibu Pier Pressure

OPI Malibu Pier Pressure

This cotton candy pink has a very persuasive vibe.

OPI California Dreaming Collection Excuse me, Big Sur!

OPI Excuse me, Big Sur!

This rose may be soft, but it’s not afraid to speak up.

OPI California Dreaming Collection Barking Up The Wrong Sequoia

OPI Barking Up The Wrong Sequoia

Finding the perfect peach is a tall order.

OPI California Dreaming Collection Feeling Frisco

OPI Feeling Frisco

This nude’s bound to put you in a Bayful mood.

OPI California Dreaming Collection Sweet Carmel Sunday

OPI Sweet Carmel Sunday

You’re always a treat in this glistening gold.

OPI California Dreaming Collection Don't Take Yosemite For Granite

OPI Don’t Take Yosemite For Granite

Of quartz not! Everyone appreciates this shimmering slate.

Welp, I like this collection and I don’t. Part of me loves some of the shades but part of me doesn’t see the spirit of my home state reflected in this collection.

Was I the only one wishing for a polish called “Welcome to the OC, Bitch!”? Yes? No? Well, ok. I didn’t have any issues with the formula on these polishes. For all of my swatches, I used two generous coats of polish and 1 coat of glossy top coat. I was not expecting some of these shades to have a jelly formula. To The Mouse House We Go! and This Is Not A Whine Country have a jelly formula but they do build up fairly nicely so you don’t really have to worry about VNL. I did want to mention that my swatch of To The Mouse House We Go! has some shimmer flecks–that is not part of the polish; my top coat brush had some shimmer flecks from Sweet Carmel Sunday that unfortunately transferred to my swatch of To The Mouse House We Go! I absolutely love pink and coral polish shades so you can imagine that I quite enjoyed the shades in this collection. My absolute favorites are Excuse Me, Big Sur!, GPS I Love You, Malibu Pier Pressure and Time For A Napa. I found a surprise like in Sweet Carmel Sunday–who am I? The cutest part of the collection was the PR package. I posted some shots on my instagram:

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So what do you guys think about the OPI California Dreaming Collection? Have you picked up any of the shades yet? The collection is available in both classic Nail Lacquer and Long-Wear Infinite Shine formulas. Nail Lacquers retail for $10.00 ($13.50 CAN) each and Infinite Shine retails for $12.50 ($16.95 CAN) at Professional Salons, as well as Beauty Brands, beautybrands.com, Chatters, Dillard’s, Regis, Sally Beauty, ULTA and ulta.com and Macy’s.

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

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Disclosure: These products were provided to me for review purposes. All opinions are my own.

OPI California Dreaming Collection

Sweet & Sour Lacquer POTM June 2017

Posted on 30 May, 20174 June, 2017 by Cynthia

Hello everyone! How has the weather been in your neck of the woods? It has been super overcast here which is surprising but then it has also been on the cool side and it has been hella windy. This is very atypical for California weather in May. It’s not that I’m hoping it gets hot because we all know how much I hate the heat, but I’m just seriously thrown off. The sun did cooperate at least one day this weekend which allowed me to do some swatching. I really like taking pictures in direct sunlight when I swatch, but I rarely get the opportunity to do so. Today I have a really fun polish to share with you from a new-to-me brand. While this is the first time I try this brand, I have definitely heard about them and have seen some beautiful polishes from them in the past. Let me show you my swatches of the Sweet & Sour Lacquer POTM (Polish of the Month) for June 2017.

Sweet & Sour Lacquer POTM June 2017

Sweet & Sour Lacquer Polish of the Month June 2016

This beautiful polish has a turquoise base with lots of shimmer/micro holo sparkle. While the polish has a sheer to medium-sheer jelly base, it builds up nicely. For my swatches above, I have applied two regular coats of polish and a coat of quick dry top coat

Since I haven’t done much stamping lately, I decided to stamp up my mani. I used a Born Pretty plate but can’t remember the name of the plate. Shortly after I finished my mani, I started rearranging some of my nail stuff and I can’t find the plate. I’m a mess.

I really like this polish! Sometimes I can be a bit critical when it comes to jelly polishes, but this one is really beautiful. I love teals in every shade and finish so that just made me like it even more. I like the formula on the polish since it was easily buildable and was very easy to control–this is one of those polishes that did not require any clean up and allowed me to do a perfect cuticle line with minimal effort. If you’re interested in picking up the Sweet & Sour Lacquer POTM for June 2017, you can do so at sweetandsourlacquer.com starting June 2nd. Let me know what you think and if you will be picking this up. Do you have any recommendations that I should check out? I’ll definitely be picking some up in the future!

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

KBShimmer Multi Chrome Collection 2017

Posted on 24 April, 201724 April, 2017 by Cynthia

Hello polish peeps! How was your Monday? I was trying super hard to have this post up in the morning, but that would have entailed me actually writing up the post over the weekend and of course that didn’t happen so here I am. I tried really hard to figure out a way to capture the color shift in these polishes, but my camera was NOT COOPERATING–AT ALL. I was getting pretty worked up because I tried photographing them in direct sunlight, in the shade, in my lightbox…and nothing was working. Finally, I used my phone to photograph them in the shade and it worked! I would have liked to have some crisper images than what my phone produced, but I was satisfied to be able to show how beautiful these multi chrome polishes are. Let me show you my swatches of the KBShimmer Multi Chrome Collection for 2017 before we get into the details.

KShimmer Flip Flop Hooray

KBShimmer Iridescent Exposure

KBShimmer Chroma Chameleon

KBShimmer It’s A Blazing

KBShimmer Puns And Roses

KBShimmer Wine Not?

As I mentioned before, I took pictures in both direct sunlight and in the shade to show off the color shift. In person, you can really see all the beautiful colors without resorting to a bunch of tricks. I especially love Flip Flop Hooray and Iridescent Exposure–those are the two stand outs for me. In regards to the formula, I was a little concerned at how thin and patchy the first coat looked but I was pleasantly surprised that the second coat made the polish completely opaque. Sometimes I found myself creating a bald spot if I applied too much pressure when applying the second coat, but if I used a light touch and floated the polish on, I didn’t encounter any issues. I am not the biggest fan of chrome polishes in general, but these are sooo nice that I can definitely see myself wearing them often.

If you’re interested in picking up any of these bright and juicy shades from the KBShimmer Multi Chrome Collection for 2017, you will be able to get them online at kbshimmer.com on 5/5/2017 or earlier on 4/29/2017 if you are lucky enough to be going to Polish Con. Do you have any favorites from this collection? Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon!

KBShimmer All The Bright Moves Collection Summer 2017

Posted on 17 April, 20174 June, 2017 by Cynthia

Oh, Monday…how I hate you. Well, this Monday isn’t too bad because I took the day off but it’s such a long stretch to get back to the next weekend. I had a sorta busy weekend so I am definitely happy to have an extra day to relax and get back on track. I had some time to swatch a few polishes so I started with the KBShimmer All The Bright Moves Collection. Listen, I love bright and juicy colors so these shades do not disappoint. I know how hard it can be to photograph neons, so I opted to use direct sunlight for my pictures. I normally don’t have the time to take sunlight pictures since I end up swatching in the evenings, but I just did not want to deal with the issues of my camera freaking out under artificial light. Let me show you my swatches before we get into the details.

KBShimmer All The Bright Moves Collection Color Me Rad

KBShimmer Color Me Rad

KBShimmer All The Bright Moves Collection Please Don't Glow Girl

KBShimmer Please Don’t Glow Girl

KBShimmer All The Bright Moves Collection All The Bright Moves

KBShimmer All The Bright Moves

KBShimmer All The Bright Moves Collection Race Against Slime

KBShimmer Race Against Slime

KBShimmer All The Bright Moves Collection Double Pog Dare You

KBShimmer Double Pog Dare You

KBShimmer All The Bright Moves Collection Let's Be Frank

KBShimmer Let’s Be Frank

Ugh, these are so pretty! I love neons, but I hate it when you have to wear a white base underneath to make them pop or when you have to apply 4 billion coats to get them to look nice. You will be happy to hear that these neons do NOT need white undies and are all opaque at 2 coats!! The only one that gave me a little trouble was the yellow shade: All The Bright Moves. I still got it to look nice and opaque with 2 coats but the second coat had to be somewhat thicker than I’m used to. I guess this is a 3 coater if you use thin coats. I also want to mention that Double Pog Dare You stained my nails. Unfortunately, it was the first shade I swatched so I had to really scrub hard and even used a sugar scrub to try to get off all the staining from my nails and surrounding skin. I don’t normally use a base coat when I swatch, so make sure that you use one to try to avoid staining. Despite the staining, I love this shade. I think it reminds me so much of one of my favorite Sephora by OPI shades called Slushied. If you love neons, I guarantee that you will love this collection. Heck, if you are filled with 90’s nostalgia, these are worth getting just for the names and inspiration. My unexpected favorite from the collection is Race Against Slime.

If you’re interested in picking up any of these bright and juicy shades from the KBShimmer All The Bright Moves Collection, you will be able to get them online at kbshimmer.com on 5/5/2017 or earlier on 4/29/2017 if you are lucky enough to be going to Polish Con. Do you have any favorites from this collection? Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon!

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Disclosure: These products were provided to me for review purposes. All opinions are my own.

KBShimmer All The Bright Moves Collection

KBShimmer Polish Con Exclusives 2017

Posted on 10 April, 20179 April, 2017 by Cynthia

Well, I’m just going to come out and say it: I hate you if you’re lucky enough to be able to go to Polish Con in NYC. Ok, I don’t really hate you but I’m crazy jealous! I wish I had planned better because the trip could have been completely feasible, but as usual, my life is filled with a bunch of shenanigans. For now, I will have to console myself with living vicariously through those who will be there. If you’re here now, I doubt that I need to tell you that Polish Con will be held in NYC on April 29th–but I’ll throw that in just in case you’re a nail newb. Today I have two gorgeous polishes to share with you. These two shades are KBShimmer Polish Con Exclusives so get yourself a mule to pick them up for you if you can’t be there and want these–and let’s be honest: who wouldn’t want these?! Check out my swatches below before I talk a bit about the shades.

KBShimmer We Make Your Dreams Come Blue (Direct Sunlight)

KBShimmer Grand Prospect Holo (Direct Sunlight)

KBShimmer Grand Prospect Holo (Indirect light)

Well, let me just get this out of the way: THESE ARE FREAKING AMAZING. I really don’t know how Christy keeps churning out so many spectacular polishes! I was able to swatch these polishes this weekend despite the sun not cooperating. I am going to try to do more of my swatching using direct sunlight so I took advantage of some down time this weekend to take some pictures of these beauties in direct sunlight. It’s so hard to pick a favorite from these two, but I think I like We Make Your Dreams Come Blue the most. (Every time I say the name of that polish, I sing it a la Hall & Oates in my head.) Both of these polishes had an immaculate formula–on Grand Prospect Holo has the most amazing shift from turquoise to pinky-purple but it was very difficult for me to capture it. The last two swatches kind of show the color shift, but it’s way more beautiful in person.

So what do you think of these gorgeous KBShimmer Polish Con Exclusives? Will you be making the trip to NYC? Let me know what you think. Thanks so much for stopping by, and I will talk to you soon!

KBShimmer Nauti By Nature Collection Spring 2017

Posted on 27 March, 201726 March, 2017 by Cynthia

It really feels like Spring is in full swing. After a strange Winter here in California, it’s nice to have some glorious sunny days. We’ve still been getting the occasional shower and cool days, but I can definitely feel the weather heating up. Today I’m going to be showing you my swatches of the KBShimmer Nauti By Nature Collection for Spring 2017. There is a great variety of colors and finishes in this collection which guarantees that you will find something that you like. First up, I’m going to be showing you the holos–because who doesn’t love holos?!

KBShimmer Tropic Like It’s Hot

KBShimmer Latitude Adjustment

KBShimmer The Girl Is Tiki

KBShimmer Macaw Me Maybe

KBShimmer Copa-Banana

KBShimmer Keep Palm and Carry On

KBShimmer Saved By The Shell

KBShimmer Got It Sandaled

KBShimmer Tempting Fete

KBShimmer Starfishing For Compliments

KBShimmer Salt Water Sassy

KBShimmer Show Me The Mahi

The six holos in this collection are pretty great–the formula is opaque and smooth with all of them needed just two coats. I always love holographic polishes so I was very happy with the nice variety. I am surprised to say that my favorite holo was Copa-Banana; I don’t think I have a holo quite this shade and I like how it looks on my skin tone. From the rest of the collection, the main standout for me was Show Me the Mahi. I love jelly polishes with various sized glitters. Crellies are something that KBShimmer has always excelled at, and the two in this collection are no exception.

The KBShimer Nauti By Nature collection is available now at kbshimmer.com so make sure to pick up you favorites. What are some of your favorite shades from this collection? Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon!

KBShimmer Indie Shop Limited Edition Polishes

Posted on 10 March, 20179 March, 2017 by Cynthia

Oh hai there. I’m kind of excited that it’s Friday because Saturday is pretty much my favorite day of the week. This Saturday is also my nephew’s first birthday party so I know I’m going to have fun even though he hates me. He cries any time that I talk to him, that I look at him or basically just exist around him. I hope he gets over it soon because Auntie Cynthia is not happy about this. Saturday is also great because of…THE INDIE SHOP! If you are lucky enough to be going to The Indie Shop in Atlanta, you will be able to get your hands on a lot of pretties. I really wish I had the time and means to go to all of these awesome polish events because it would be great to meet all of the makers behind some of my favorite brands. As you all know, I have a major polish boner for all things KBShimmer so I’m excited to share with you the two KBShimmer Indie Shop Limited Edition shades: I Never Wood Have Guessed and It’s Petrifying. Let’s take a look at some swatches before I give you my thoughts.

KBShimmer I Never Wood Have Guessed (Indoor Light)

KBShimmer I Never Wood Have Guessed (Sunlight)

KBShimmer It’s Petrifying

So whaddaya think? Personally, I find I Never Wood Have Guessed to be a glorious polish. I love that brown, rusty color so much and it’s soo different from any other brown toned polish that I own. I do love the beautiful crellies that KBShimmer always puts out so I am very happy with It’s Petrifying. In case you did not know, these shades were created to celebrate Jen’s 5 year blogging anniversary. You can see her post here. Congrats to her on 5 years! So what do you think about these two shades? If you’re thinking that you won’t be able to get these if you’re not going to the Indie Shop, well you’re WRONG because these will be available on kbshimmer.com as well. WOOOOT! Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon.

KBShimmer Hella Holo Customs February 2017

Posted on 18 February, 201718 February, 2017 by Cynthia

Hi there! Long time no see. I’ve been dealing with a lot of personal stuff lately–namely health issues–so I haven’t been very active when it comes to nail polish. I do, however, stay in the know by being part of a million Facebook groups. Not only do I get my fair share of gossip, but I hear all about new releases and such. Well, today I have 4 gorgeous shades to share with you that are the result of KBShimmer being a featured maker in HHC. What is HHC, you ask? The group is called Hella Holo Customs and you must be a member to buy the exclusive polishes. Let me show you my swatches of the KBShimmer Hella Holo Customs and you decide if you want to join to be able to get your hands on these (and why wouldn’t you?!)

KBShimmer Hella Holo Customs Tall Pink Of Water

KBShimmer Hella Holo Customs Deep Hue Sea

KBShimmer Hella Holo Customs Shoe The Blues Away

KBShimmer Hella Holo Customs None Of Your Bismuth

My big plans for these polishes was so swatch them in direct sunglight, but it because virtually impossible because of the weather we have been experiencing here in Southern California. It’s been raining on and off forever and it’s been uncharacteristically overcast. I ended up using bright LED lighting which allows the holo to come through even without sunlight. I absolutely loved these polishes which did not surprise me because Christy from KBShimmer never disappoints with the quality of her products. I used two regular coats of each polish and top coated them with one coat of KBShimmer Clearly On Top. The only polish that I felt could have needed a third coat was Shoe The Blues Away because it almost had a jelly-esque consistency after the first coat. My absolute favorite from this quad is None Of Your Bismuth because it’s such a gorgeous and unique polish–it was also nearly impossible for me to capture the gorgeous shift from blue to pink with my lighting…but hot damn! It’s a beautiful polish.

If your are interested in purchasing any of these beauties, you must be a member of the Hella Holo Customs group; you can join by clicking here. Membership will be verified so make sure to join if you want to purchase and receive these polishes. You are able to purchase these directly at kbshimmer.com

None Of Your Bismuth – Retailing for $10.50

https://www.kbshimmer.com/hhc-rainbow-crystal-1/

Deep Hue Sea – Retailing for $10.00

https://www.kbshimmer.com/hhc-sunset-1/

Tall Pink Of Water– Retailing for $10.00

https://www.kbshimmer.com/hhc-sunset-2/

Shoe The Blues Away– Retailing for $10.00

https://www.kbshimmer.com/hhc-shoe/

Sales will be open until March 1st tat 11:59pm HST so keep that in mind if you don’t want to miss out on these. International buyers can purchase the 4 HHC polishes directly on the KBShimmer website. At the end of the sales period, the polishes will be shipped to HHC headquarters for international shipping. If you live in Canada, Sweden or the UK, you can join the HHC International Group Buy group and have your order shipped directly from your country. https://www.facebook.com/groups/786713078111281/

Let me know what you think about these polishes! Have you picked any of them up yet or will you be doing so? Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon.