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Of Life and Lacquer > Swatches

Essie Resort Collection 2015

Posted on 7 April, 20155 April, 2015 by Cynthia

Can you believe I kept forgetting to post this review? In fact, you can tell it’s an older review because my nails were a different shape! I picked up the Essie Resort Collection for 2015 a while back because…I must try all the new Essie collections even when they don’t immediately appeal to me. Is that crazy? Some people may say so but it’s an addiction–at least I can admit it. Just like the yearly bridal collections that Essie releases, I like that they are smaller than the usual 6 piece collections. I feel that these collections can be very hit or miss so let me show you the swatches before we talk more about them.

Essie Suite Retreat

Essie Time For Me Time

Essie Stones n’ Roses

Essie Cocoa Karma

I’m just not feeling this collection. I really don’t like Cocoa Karma on me and the other colors, while nice, don’t really wow me. If I only had to pick one color from this collection it would have to be Suite Retreat because it’s the most vibrant color of the bunch and has a pretty kick-ass formula. I don’t really have much else to say about this collection–just a big meh.What are your thoughts on this small collection? Did you pick up any of these colors? Well, I hope you’re doing well and as always: thanks for the visit!

Essie Flowerista Collection Spring 2015

Posted on 6 April, 20155 April, 2015 by Cynthia

Hello friends! I hope you’re doing well today and that you’re ready for this post easter Monday. I had a nice Sunday with my family and we ate waaaaaaaaaay too much which is what usually happens when we get together for any holiday. Since Lent ended on 4/2, I immediately went out to purchase a bunch of polishes as I documented on Instagram. I was really dying to get my hands on the Essie Flowerista Collection for Spring 2015 so of course it was the first collection I decided to swatch. You already know that I have a love/hate relationship with Essie because I love the brand so much yet I end up hating the formulation on the polishes many times. I know you’re all on pins and needles waiting to hear what the final verdict is (not), but let me show you the polishes first.

Essie Perennial Chic

Essie Picked Perfect

Essie Petal Pushers

Essie Flowerista

Essie Blossom Dandy

Essie Garden Variety

Before I move forward with my thoughts, I wanted to share two pictures that are a little more color accurate. I took them with my phone camera so the quality isn’t the same but I did want to show you the way Blossom Dandy and Garden Variety lean more green than what my pictures above show. My camera is so difficult when it comes to blues and greens so I just have to deal with it.

In real life, Blossom Dandy is more minty pale green and Garden Variety is more teal-leaning. So there you have it.

Uhm, I just don’t even know where to start: this collection is freaking out of this world gorgeous! I loved every single shade and to make the whole thing even sweeter, the formula on these polishes is NOT problematic. I used two coats for all of my swatches with a coat of Seche to shine it all up. Does Rebecca Minkoff have the magic touch? Essie Collections this good–formulawise–are a little rare so I’m hoping this becomes a trend. I did not experience a single issue with these polishes, but I did allow plenty of dry time in between coats to avoid creating any bald spots. In case you haven’t realized it yet, I think this collection is peachy keen, the bee’s knees, totally tubular and any other silly saying you can think of. I’m super happy that Essie rebounded with this after the Cashmere Matte disappointment–I won’t lose the faith! So what do you think about this collection? Will you be picking up any of these colors? Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon!

Nicole by OPI Coca-Cola Collection

Posted on 2 April, 20151 April, 2015 by Cynthia

I haven’t been sleeping well lately. The reason is that I keep having jacked up dreams that I am in The Walking Dead, and I’m being chased by zombies. And you know what? There’s a reason why there aren’t any fat people on the show. If I had to run away from zombies, they would catch up with me in about 30 seconds. Even Hershel with one leg would be able to run faster than me. I always end up waking up completely freaked out, and then I don’t want to fall asleep again for fear of dreaming about zombies again. You’re probably thinking: “So stop watching the show, you dumbass!” I haven’t been watching this second part of this season cause I want to watch them all at once so I guess I can’t escape the terror! So besides zombie nightmares, things are going pretty good over here. I am enjoying blogging again so that is always good. Today I am sharing a collection that is flying under the radar: the Nicole by OPI Coca-Cola Collecion. Yep, you read that right. After OPI put out a Coca-Cola Collection last year, NOPI also put one out. While the collections are not identical, they have some similarities. Let me show you the 6 polishes that make up this collection.

Nicole by OPI The Look Is Orange

Nicole by OPI Seriously Citrus

Nicole by OPI Always A Classic Coca-Cola

Nicole by OPI DC Lover

Nicole by OPI In Grape Demand

Nicole by OPI Zero Is My Hero

Overall I think this is a very neat and cohesive collection. I really like Seriously Citrus and Zero Is My Hero so those two are my main recommendations. The formula on all of these is nice–I don’t really have anything negative to say about this collection, but it definitely did not wow me. These are nice staple colors so don’t hesitate to pick them up if you like the colors or don’t have anything similar. This collection is out now so go get ’em! Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I will catch up with you later.

China Glaze Electric Nights Collection Summer 2015

Posted on 1 April, 201531 March, 2015 by Cynthia

Hey guys! Happy April and happy April Fool’s Day! I don’t have any pranks for you today so don’t worry. I did think about doing one prank, but I thought it might be offensive so I decided not to do it. Are we getting too PC nowadays? It seems like it because I constantly find myself questioning if things I’m about to write could potentially offend someone. It’s not like I’m Ann Coulter or anything, but some people are really serious about this nail business! Well, today I have a new collection to share with you that we will all probably agree is fan-freaking-tastic. As you know, I get really excited when Summer collections start coming out so I was pretty much spazing out when I saw pictures of the China Glaze Electric Nights Collection for Summer 2015. As excited as I was, I was also really apprehensive because I know that neon collections an be really hard to pull off, and I always end up disappointed with the formula of the polishes. Well, let me show you the polishes before I let you know what I thought of them.

China Glaze Treble Maker

China Glaze DJ Blue My Mind

China Glaze UV Meant to Be

China Glaze Glow with the Flow

China Glaze Violet-Vibes

China Glaze Plur-ple

China Glaze Red-y to Rave

China Glaze Home Sweet House Music

China Glaze Daisy Know My Name?

Let me talk about the neon cremes before we get into the glitters…they are gorgeous. If you were expecting horrible formulas, then you will be pleasantly surprised because these are not problematic. They do not dry too quickly and do not dry satin/matte. They’re not perfect like some cremes because they do require a little more care when it comes to application, but since they are so gorgeous–do you really care? The key for me was to let the polish dry a little longer in between coats. If you do that, you can get away with two coats for most of these polishes. Daisy Know My Name? is the only one that gave me some trouble but that’s to be expected with yellows in general and this one is extra bright and somewhat sheer so I applied 4 thin coats. I would also like to mention that I did NOT wear a white base under these because I don’t think that they really need them. Yes, they are technically neons–some more than others–but they can also be called very bright cremes. In any case, I love them…I love them so hard.

China Glaze Point Me to the Party

China Glaze Let the Beat Drop

China Glaze Can I Get An Untz Untz

I know everyone has been going crazy over these glitters, and I can totally see why. They have an indie vibe to them and they are super pretty. I decided to swatch them over white because I wanted to show you all the different colors within each bottle. While it’s not difficult to get a decent amount of glitter on your brush, it is easy to flood your nails with the clear base. I recommend doing the dabbing method to avoid pooling of clear base at your cuticles. I think this glitters will look fabulous over black and over the saturated solid color polishes in this collection so I can’t wait to experiment.

Overall, China Glaze hit it out of the park with this collection. I love the colors, I liked the formula and I just think the feeling and vibe of this collection is fun and full of energy. I did not have any significant staining to report except for some minor staining from the two blues, but I was only swatching them and did not wear any base coat. The China Glaze Electric Night Collection officially comes out today but they’ve been available online at various etailers for a while now so you should be able to pick them up easily. Now I leave it to you: what do you think about this collection? I am really looking forward to hearing what you think so leave a comment below letting me know if you’re planning to pick any of these up and which are your favorites. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon!

Cirque Colors Metropolis Collection April 2015

Posted on 31 March, 2015 by Cynthia

Can you believe this is the last day of March? Where does time go? I’ve been away for most of March but even though I haven’t been posting, it doesn’t mean that I haven’t been painting my nails like a crazy person. It felt pretty good to just paint my nails and not have to worry about writing up posts and such. Now that we are entering a new month, that means there are two new beauties to add to the Cirque Colors Metropolis Collection! Aren’t you excited? I really look forward to these monthly releases because Cirque Colors does cremes like nobody’s business. Let me show you the two beauties for April.

Cirque Colors Sunset Park

Cirque Colors Vigo

Yes, they are gorgeous. Yes, the formula is perfection. Yes, you need these. Any questions? I am already excited about seeing next month’s colors–am I weird? These beauties will be available April 1st so make sure to check them out. What do you think of these lovely shades? Thanks for the visit and talk to you soon.

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Colores de Carol for Live Love Polish

Posted on 30 March, 201529 March, 2015 by Cynthia

I am really happy about finally being back on track with my blogging. I spent a good chunk of time on Sunday swatching, editing pictures and putting posts together. I made a pretty big dent in my swatching pile (I only have 6 polishes pending right now!), but about 20 more are arriving this week so I’m back where I started. haha I guess that’s not a horrible problem to have, but it can get a bit overwhelming to someone like me since I’m so anal about staying organized. In any case, I hope that I can stay on track with my blogging and swatching because I really miss doing it. I am definitely glad that I took a month to recharge my batteries because we are getting super close to the release of summer collections which always blow me away. Today I have some glittery beauties to share with you. These 4 glitter-dense polishes are my very first from the Colores de Carol brand and they also happen to be limited editions and exclusive to Live Love Polish. Let me show you how blingtastic they are!

These holographic glitter polishes are very pretty and in my opinion work better layered over a solid color base. Since the glitter is so dense, you can wear them alone but be warned that you will need multiple coats to get fully opaque coverage. It is recommended to use the sponge method if you will be using these on their own otherwise you may end up with very thick coats on your nails. For my swatches below, I applied 1 coat of each glitter over a similar color base–no top coat needed.

Colores de Carol Gatsby

Colores de Carol Don Draper

Colores de Carol Harvey Specter

Colores de Carol Dexter

So what do you think? While these glitters first struck me as being super basic, I ended up really liking them especially over the colored bases. I bet that there are a bunch of different colors that these will look good over. You can purchase these polishes over at Live Love Polish for $12 each or you can purchase the 4 piece set for $39, and you get free shipping on orders of $20 or more. These are LE so make sure to grab them before they’re gone if you want them. If I could only have one of them, I would go with Gatsby just because I love green glitter and because The Great Gatsby is one of my favorite novels of all time. I’ll leave you with the final lines of the novel:

And as I sat there brooding on the old, unknown world, I thought of Gatsby’s wonder when he first picked out the green light at the end of Daisy’s dock.He had come a long way to this blue lawn, and his dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it.He did not know that it was already behind him, somewhere back in that vast obscurity beyond the city, where the dark fields of the republic rolled on under the night.

Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgiastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that’s no matter — tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther…. And one fine morning ——

So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.

Is there a The Great Gatsby nail polish collection out there? Cause I’d buy it! I’d also like to see someone do a Cien años de soledad collection, but I think that would be as impossible as Essie doing that The Office collection but we can all dream, right? Anyway, I’d better stop here before I start raving about Invisible Man and Catcher In The Rye. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon!

The Lacquer Ring – Green

Posted on 12 March, 201511 March, 2015 by Cynthia

I am super lucky that I’ve had this post in my drafts for a few weeks because I might have crapped out otherwise. I’ve been sucking big time at blogging lately because I’ve just had so many things going on that blogging/doing my nails was just not that important to me. I’ve just felt out of it, but slowly I am getting back on my feet and hope to get back on a more regular schedule. I really do miss posting, but you can’t force yourself when you’re not feeling up to it. So today I am back with another edition of The Lacquer Ring and today Nicole has chosen the color green. How appropriate with Saint Patrick’s Day and all! You know what I’ll be doing this weekend? Have 5 million Guinness Milkshakes. Yep. Anyway, let me show you the green I decided to use. Dermelect Renegade 1 This is Dermelect Renegade which I also picked up at Ulta a while back for like $0.40…haha! I know, right? It’s a really pretty jade green which a pretty nice formula. It’s easily opaque at two coats and it is sooooo shiny! Dermelect Renegade 3 I then used Illamasqua Scorch to add some blobs all over my nails. This ended up looking very prehistoric egg-like to me and then Amy said they looked like Yoshi nails so there you go…Yoshi nails!

Anyway, I hope your doing well and that you excuse my random posting. I really hope I can get back in the swing of things soon. I’ve just been feeling way too dumpy, sensitive and just tired. I’m sure I’ll get through this slump soon so thanks for sticking with me. Thanks for stopping by, and I will talk to you soon.

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Stamping Saturdays #58

Posted on 28 February, 2015 by Cynthia

I really need to start planning my Stamping Saturdays manis a little better because I always end up having to do everything in a rush the day of. Even thought I did my mani last night, I just procrastinated on writing up my post and now I had to wait until I put Peanut down for his nap. He had a really fun-filled morning: first we took him out to breakfast and he ate some pancakes, scrambled eggs and orange juice. Then he went shopping at Ulta with his grandma and then finally to the grocery store to pick up some stuff for dinner tonight. It’s a tough job being an auntie! Anyway, let me show you what I did for Stamping Saturdays before I get waaayy off track.

It is no secret that I love Illamasqua, so when I saw them on Hautelook for a second time, I took it as a sign and I bought a bunch of polishes. Don’t worry–this was before my no-buy. Normally these polishes were like $17 at Sephora, but I got them on Hautelook for $7.50!!!!!!!!!!!!! I would have gotten more than 6, but the colors I wanted were already sold out or I already had the ones that were available. If you’ve never purchased on Hautelook, you should definitely check them out. If you’re interested, you can use my referral link here but don’t feel obligated to. Currently the have a great LORAC sale that I wish I could partake in, but I am going to extend my no-buy to make up too. Anywho, this gorgeous purple/pink is Illamasqua Obsess. The formula is perfect and it’s so beautiful!!!!

I didn’t really want to stamp it up, but hey…it is Stamping Saturdays! I used an image from Born Pretty plate Born Pretty 10 (press sample) and Mentality Black Opaque. I’ve been using this Mentality stamping polish pretty much non-stop because it’s amazing. The thing I like most about it is that it does not smear at all like my Konad Black.

Well, what are you up to today? Currently I’m getting ready to binge watch House of Cards because Season 3 was just released yesterday. Holy crap Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright are a dynamite team on that show. Now if only we could get Season 3 of Orange Is The New Black!!!! I hope you’re doing well today, and thanks for the visit. Talk to you soon!

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The Lacquer Ring – Gradient

Posted on 26 February, 201525 February, 2015 by Cynthia

I’m starting to think that my fellow Lacquer Ring-ettes hate me. A few of them were bemoaning the gradient prompt but whatever…it was my turn to pick! How spoiled and self-involved did that sound? I am actually super happy with my selection because my gradient turned out really great–in my opinion anyway. I’ve always had issues with doing a good gradient so I’m happy that wetting the sponge made a huge difference for me. Are you ready to see what The Lacquer Ring has in store for you today?

This is my amazeballs gradient. Isn’t it pretty? I used two of my favorite Illamasquas: Nomad and Noble for the gradient. In fact, I have used these same polishes before in a gradient but this time I did a vertical gradient just because I felt like it. I 100% believe that this gradient looks great because the polishes are just perfection. I am still not over the fact that Illamasqua is no longer sold at Sephora, but I am happy that I could buy a bunch on Hautelook for a deep discount.

To finish off my mani, I used Mentality Black Opaque and a chain-link design from MoYou London Pro Collection Plate 02 (press sample). Don’t you think the stamping just brought it all together in an awesome way?

After all my talk of how awesome this mani is, watch everyone hate it. Sometimes when I think I do a spectacular mani, no one cares but when I do a dumpy one it gets tons of attention and likes…what’s up with that? Anyway, I hope that you like my gradient mani today and don’t forget to check out the other manis below from my gals.Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon!

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OPI Soft Shades Collection 2015

Posted on 24 February, 201524 February, 2015 by Cynthia

I love obnoxious colors. Sometimes I think that the louder and more obnoxious my nails are, the better I feel. Is that weird? Whenever I do my nails, even if it is a simple manicure, people always seem to think it’s ok to grab my hands and inspect my nails. What if I am gross and don’t wash my hands after going to the restroom? I DO wash my hands every time, I was just using that as an example–I swear! I just think it’s kind of random that people do that (I even had a guy do that once), but I think I’ve gotten used to it over the years.So when soft and delicate colors come around, you would think that I I’d run the opposite direction, right? WRONG! I love soft colors as well because someone you want classy nails and don’t want some craziness on your fingertips. OPI puts out some of the best delicate colors, in my opinion, so I was definitely looking forward to this year’s OPI Soft Shades Collection. Let me show you what I’m talking about.

OPI Put It In Neutral

Doesn’t this kind of remind you of a lighter OPI Dulce de Leche? I seriously love this polish, but it is super sheer. I have to admit that I am not a sheer fan, so I applied 4 coats to get this opaque look. It’s one of those polishes that is supposed to be a wash of color on your nails but I couldn’t resist layering it up. I really love how it looks on my skintone

OPI Petal Soft

This one may not seem like much in the bottle, but hot diggity it’s beautiful. I adore how it looks over Put It In Neutral and I bet it will look awesome over a lot of different colors. Doesn’t this look like Spring in a bottle? The only thing is that fishing for the big flowers is kind of a pain but worth it at the end of the day. Soooo purty!

OPI Act Your Beige!

This is pretty much Put It In Neutral in a beige color. This also required 4 coats to be opaque but it’s not really meant to be opaque…but you know me and my OCD about sheer polishes. Still, it’s a beautiful and creamy polish.

OPI Make Light of the Situation

This is like snow in a bottle. Do you even understand how much my pictures don’t capture the beauty of this polish? It sparkles so much in the light that it’s mesmerizing. I layered this over Act Your Beige!, but I bet it will look like hot lava over a dark color. Make note, Cynthia…don’t forget to try that soon.

OPI Chiffon My Mind

And then we have this amazing white. It’s so icy yet so delicate! It has this amazing shimmer that isn’t captured very well in my pictures, but it is there and boy does it make this polish come alive. I applied 3 coats for my swatches above.

OPI This Silver’s Mine

Dear OPI, can we please stop with the silver chromes? I hate them. No mas, por favor. That is all I have to say about this.

Overall, this collection is a winner in my book. The lone bad apple here is This Silver’s Mine, but I can put it aside and focus on how pretty the other ones are. Some of you may not like the sheer shades and I get it because I want opaque polishes too, but you cannot deny that the glitters are soooo pretty. This collections isn’t due to be out until May so don’t forget about them! I can already see myself using a few of these soon in some Stamping Saturdays looks. Which one is your favorite? I seriously can’t choose but if I had to, I’d probably go with Put It In Neutral and Petal Soft…it’s a tie, I tell ya. Or Chiffon My Mind…or Make Light Of The Situation. See? I told you I can’t pick–it’s an evil process anyway. Let me know what you think of this collection overall. Are you sick of silvers like I am? Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon.

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