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China Glaze Apocalypse Of Color Collection Halloween 2014

Posted on 23 September, 2014 by Cynthia

Are you one of those people who love Halloween? I kind of stopped liking it once I was old enough to stop trick-or-treating. I mean, it’s not like I am a huge fan of the Halloween debauchery–how slutty can women dress isn’t really something I look forward to. Besides, I’m 35 now (it was my birthday yesterday!) which means that I’m old and crusty now. haha Why did I bring up Halloween? Because I have the China Glaze Apocalypse Of Color Collection to share with you today. Unfortunately, I am missing one polish and I didn’t buy the Ghoulish Glow because I’m not interested in the glow in the dark thing. Let me show you the 4 polishes that I piked up.

China Glaze But Of Corpse

China Glaze I Love Your Guts

China Glaze Don’t Let The Dead Bite

China Glaze Rest In Pieces (over China Glaze Liquid Leather)

The collector in me is annoyed that I didn’t get the 5th nail polish which is Getting To Gnaw You. This polish is like a dark brown/near black polish with copper glitter. I didn’t realize that I had missed it when I bought this collection, and then when I did see it, I wasn’t that impressed by it so I passed. Now that I’ve seen some swatches, I wish I had picked it up because it looks interesting. I have to say that the first two polishes: But Of Course and I Love Your Guts are really unique. I know the matte texture can be polarizing, but I think that China Glaze really nailed these polishes because they are soooo Halloween! I can go without the other two, but I think they are a nice addition to the collection.

Yesterday I took Peanut to the mall for a carrousel ride and we also made a quick detour to the Disney store. He instantly gravitated towards Woody.

I was looking at some other stuffed toys and I saw an even bigger version of Woody and I yelled: “Look! A really big Woody!” That comment didn’t seem to go over very well with the adults in the store. Whatever! It’s not my fault that they have dirty minds.

So what do you think about this collection? I think it’s pretty cool, and I like how unexpected some of these polishes are. I think this collection should be out everywhere in October just in time for Halloween. Thanks for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon.

Zoya Ultra PixieDust Collection Fall 2014

Posted on 22 September, 201421 September, 2014 by Cynthia

I think that for the first time I am uttering these words in a sincere manner: HAPPY MONDAY!! I am taking a couple of days off from work, and I am enjoying the crap out of them. Instead of doing nothing all day which is one of my favorite things to do (sleeping being another favorite), I am babysitting my little Peanut. He turned 10 months old and is now crawling and getting into EVERYTHING. I am planning on taking him to the mall for a ride on the carrousel and then maybe a trip to the toy store because his auntie loves to spoil him. Besides the Peanut/Auntie time, I don’t have much planned today. This weekend I did some swatching and a lot of Netflix watching–namely Sons of Anarchy. I am not up to season 4 but I kind of want to stretch it out because I don’t want it to end!!! I know this is the last season so I’m going to be sad. Well, one of the collections I swatches this weekend is the Zoya Ultra PixieDust Collection for Fall 2014. To be honest, I first thought that these polishes looked like Valentine’s Day threw up in my polish. They are all red…? Before I get into it any further, let me show you my swatches.

Zoya Oswin

Zoya Arianna

Zoya Noir

In the bottle, Arianna and Oswin look almost exactly alike. On the nail, they do look slightly different: Oswin is more red while Arianna leans more berry. They are both nice but they don’t make my heart skip a beat. Enter Noir…ahhhh, Noir. You are such a gorgeous, sexy bitch. I absolutely love the dark base on this polish. These polishes are supposed to dry super matte but only Oswin dried completely matte on me. Zoya did share a video about how to apply these. When I first saw the video I snickered because how many of us need a video in order to know how to apply polish? However, I now know why my polish didn’t dry completely matte:

After the first swatch, I used OPI’s Glitter Off which is why I think the polish didn’t dry completely matte. I also didn’t allow enough time in between the first and second coat. Matte or not, these are pretty. Am I all excited about this trio? Nope. The standout for me is Noir and I can’t wait to wear it again. To purchase these polishes, you can go to zoya.com where they retail for $10 each. Thanks for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon!

Stamping Saturdays #36

Posted on 13 September, 2014 by Cynthia

It is so incredibly hot today, so I have no idea why I decided to focus on dealing with my serious make up hoarding problem. You see, before I even started getting obsessed with nail polish, I was even more obsessed with make-up. My make-up collection grew so much and so quickly, that it got to the point that I became disgusted with the amount I was collecting and also the amount of money I had wasted on everything. I say “wasted” because there is no way I can get through all the make-up I bought before it goes bad. Who needs 15 NARS blushes? I only have one face, right? A couple of weeks ago I wanted to use one of my favorite lipsticks: Bobbi Brown Cocoa Berry. Well, it had gone rancid. Almost $30 for a lipstick and it went rancid. I then checked Bobbi Brown Heather Mauve and it was rancid as well. And that is how the great make-up destashing of 2014 began. I’ll share a little more about that below but first let me show you what I did for Stamping Saturdays today.

Illamasqua Poke is such a gorgeous polish. Please excuse the bad pictures and the bad polish job. The truth is that I had to use my non-swatching hand today because I broke a nail on my swatching hand. I didn’t mean for my skin to look so greasy, but I had to use some serious moisture because my cuticles were a total mess. Are you as sad as I am that Sephora no longer carries Illamasqua??? I think that Nordstrom carries the brand now, but I have kind of fallen out of love with them because of the price hikes. I have a lot of Illamasqua polishes in my collection, so I will probably only buy new ones if the colors are really unique.

I then used Pure Ice Silver Mercedes to stamp this chain link design from one of my MoYou London plates. I wasn’t feeling too inspired mostly because it was such a pain to do this on my non-swatching hand…I wish I was ambidextrous!

Now, let me show you all the stuff that I junked today…

I want to cry just thinking how much money I just threw in the garbage. Some of those items were used maybe once or twice. The worst offenders are the NARS lipglosses because those definitely went bad quickly. I think that it’s just the nature of the product, but at 20-some dollars a pop, I will not be buying lipglosses in this quantity. I have a lot more make-up that I should probably get rid of but I just can’t bring myself to do it just yet. This is probably 1/4th of all the make up I have so there is plenty more to sift through–I am definitely not looking forward to it.

So, what do you think about collecting make-up? Are you also a make-up collector or do you focus on nail polish? I think that the fact that polish doesn’t truly every go bad (thinner to the rescue!) makes me feel a little bit better about my collection. Anyway, I hope you’re staying cool today if the temperatures are infernal where you live. Unfortunately, we are entering wildfire season here in OC so I’m always sad when that starts up because so many people end up losing their homes and all the brave men and women firefighters are put in such danger. Thanks for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon.

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KBShimmer Fall 2014 Collection

Posted on 12 September, 201411 September, 2014 by Cynthia

Yay Fall is almost here…NOT! When I walked out of the office yesterday, I was punched in the face with 100 degree heat. Needless to say, I was not impressed. This weekend is supposed to be even hotter so I’m already upset about it. Maybe I will go to the beach and just get burned to a crisp the way I always do…or maybe I will go to some air conditioned place all day so I don’t have to deal with heat stroke. Shitastic weather aside, one thing I am super psyched about is the awesome collection I have for you today. What collection am I talking about? Well, it’s the KBShimmer Fall 2014 Collection, of course! Proceed with the swatches, posthaste!

KBShimmer How You Dune?

KBShimmer Hugs And Wishes

KBShimmer Stonewashed

KBShimmer Rust No One

KBShimmer Up And Cunning

Holy shit, now that is what polishgasms are all about. I have never EVER tried a KBShimmer polish that wasn’t superb. The formulas on these cremes is just deliciously buttery, smooth and glossy. They apply like a dream and the colors are unexpected but somehow fit in perfectly with a fall collection. The holos…the holos! I use different lighting for the holos because I want to show you what they look like out in the sun since they are just spectacular. They are so easy to apply as well–just a perfect formula. All of these polishes applied perfectly with two coats. I just can’t rave enough about these beauties.

You know you want these pretties so get them! The Fall Collection will be available for sale on September 15 so check them out here. Also be sure to follow KBShimmer on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for all their latest news. So which one is your favorite?

The Lacquer Ring – Gold

Posted on 11 September, 201411 September, 2014 by Cynthia

Today’s post is full of my most hated color: gold. I hate gold everything. I hate gold jewelry, I hate gold nails…I just hate gold period. Yep, I’m a gold hater. Every time I think of gold, this is all I can see in my head:

I pity the fool who doesn’t wear enough gold to feed a small country! However, this is Siobhan’s month to choose the color and design for The Lacquer Ring so I must respect the gold masta. I’ve probably mentioned before that despite hating gold in every incarnation, I actually really like OPI Love.Angel.Music.Baby from the Gwen Stefani Collection. I think that the satin finish won me over as well as the fact that it’s not an obnoxious yellow gold. In any case, let me show you this pretty polish.

This is two smooth coats of OPI Love.Angel.Music.Baby. Pretty, eh?

Since I just couldn’t leave well enough alone, I stamped an image from MoYou London Back To The 70’s plate 3 with my black Konad polish. I think this turned out great! It’s such a grooooooovy design, right? I just love how it pops against the gold.

Well, what do you think? Do you like the design I ended up with? How do you feel about gold? Don’t forget to check out the other designs below. Thanks for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon.

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Essie Pinking About You Collection BCA 2014

Posted on 10 September, 20149 September, 2014 by Cynthia

Yesterday I showed you the first BCA set that I got my hands on, and today I have a pretty trio from Essie. Now, you know my relationship with Essie: I must have every single collection no matter what people say. I have some weird obsession with the pretty square bottles and white handles. Since I now broke two nails, I’ve been feeling sad about not being able to swatch and stuff but I guess this is a good break for me. I do have enough posts lined up for the rest of the week, but I think I may have skip next week unless I wear a fake press on nail. Would that be weird? Maybe just a little? haha! Anyway, let me show you the Essie Pinking About You Collection for Breast Cancer Awareness 2014.

Essie I Pink I Can

Essie Pink Happy

Essie Pinking About You

You know, this is such a nice little trio. The two cremes are pretty nice and aren’t streaky. I used two coats for each polish and that’s all they needed. I was expecting I Pink I Can to be super streaky, but it has a pretty nice formula. My favorite of the three is Pink Happy because it’s one of those juicy hot pink polishes that I absolutely adore. Every time I wear a super hot pink like this, people always comment on my nails. The glitter combination in Pinking About You isn’t anything we haven’t see before, but Essie isn’t usually known for this type of glitter polish so I’m always happy to see glitter polishes from them. The glitter is plentiful so you will not have any problems getting good coverage.

So what do you think about this collection? I know the colors are anything out of this world, but they are nice, girly and excellent staples. I hope you’re having a good week so far–we are almost halfway through the week…yay! Thanks for the visit, and I will talk to you soon.

OPI Pink Of Hearts BCA 2014

Posted on 9 September, 20148 September, 2014 by Cynthia

Oh man, today was so crazy busy at work that I barely had a minute to breathe. To top it all off, it was super hot today–hot and humid. In fact, on my drive home it started to sprinkle a little bit and it was like everyone on the freeway forgot how to drive. Why is it that any time that it rains it’s like we forget how to drive? Is this a SoCal thing? What would we do if we had real weather nightmares like ice/snow? We’d probably all die instantly…spontaneous combustion. It’s supposed to remain hot and muggy for the rest of the week, and I am definitely not happy about that. From crappy weather to pretty polish, today I have the OPI Pink of Hearts Breast Cancer Awareness set for 2014.This is a totally adorable set, right?

As a lover of pink polish, I cannot believe that I had never tried OPI Mod About You. I was blown away by the rich creaminess of this pale pink and absolutely adore it. I used two thin coats for my swatches.

OPI The Power Of Pink is a milky based glitter that works better layered over the pink. I tried it on its own but it needed way too many coats for on opaque finish.

Overall, I think this is a great set and if it serves the purpose to raise awareness, then that’s an added bonus in my book. I know that this time of the year, we are flooded with PINK which can make people cynical, but I’m reserving my judgement on that one since I’m just talking about the quality of the polish here. What do you think about these polishes? Are they something you would wear? Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon.

Stamping Saturdays #35

Posted on 6 September, 2014 by Cynthia

Happy Saturday and welcome to another installment of Stamping Saturdays! I can’t believe that I stayed up until like 4 am last night and then I woke up at 8:30 for no apparent reason. Now I’ve just been watching Project Runway and putting off doing the cleaning I need to do. I’ve always loved Project Runway but I still sorely miss Michael Kors. I do like Zac Posen, but Michael was in a class by himself. I was having a hard time figuring out what I wanted to do for today’s post, so I looked through my melmers and decided to use Chanel Taboo. I’ve only used this polish once since I bought it mainly because it wears like crap on me. It basically stared completely peeling off my nails the same day. Anyway, let me show you what a did for my stamped mani today.

Yes, Chanel Taboo is gorgeous. Yes, it is too expensive. No, it’s not really worth it if the brand wears poorly on you. I think that body chemistry has a lot to do with how polish wears on you so I’m sure that Chanel wears perfectly fine on other people–just not on me. I guess this is a good thing because I only have one Chanel in my collection but that doesn’t keep me from admiring others from afar. My wallet is happy.

I then used this flowery image from plate MASH 42 and Pure Ice Silver Mercedes to stamp this design. I’m feeling a little meh on this overall, but it has this laid back island feel too it that I’m kind of enjoying.

What are your plans today? It’s pretty freaking hot here today so I’m probably just going to be lazy and do some cleaning…and maybe watch a bunch of zombie stuff on Netflix. Thanks for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon!

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China Glaze The Giver Collection

Posted on 5 September, 2014 by Cynthia

Ermahgerd it’s Friday! So it’s almost Saturday since I’m posting this so late, but I’m just super excited to have my weekend again. I can’t tell you enough how beat down I have felt this week, but today after work I went to get a haircut and it’s waaaaay short again which I love. That was so relaxing because I love having my hair cut. Then I came home and just vegged out while I did my nails for tomorrow’s Stamping Saturdays. Have you joined us for Stamping Saturdays yet? No?! Why not? You better get on that because I’d love to see your mani. So what should I say about the polishes I have for you today: China Glaze The Giver Collection? The Giver? What’s that? Oh, another YA novel. *yawn* Ok, so I haven’t actually read it and haven’t seen the movie yet, but Meryl Streep is in it so I’m in! Let me show you this collection, and then you can tell me what you think.

China Glaze Friends Forever, Right?

China Glaze New Birth

China Glaze Five Rules

China Glaze Intelligence Integrity & Courage

China Glaze Release

China Glaze Capacity To See Beyond

China Glaze The Outer Edge

China Glaze History Of The World

China Glaze Givers Theme

China Glaze Seeing Red

China Glaze Community

China Glaze Boundary Of Memory

This shit just got real, yo! This collection came out before the Fall All Aboard Collection and China Glaze is definitely on a roll. Man, this collections is awesome. I know they are mostly cremes, but that is my favorite finish. The colors are so classy and have this very classic and serene look to them. The formula on all of them was absolutely perfect and I don’t have any complaints. I know everyone is going gaga over Boundary Of Memory and rightly so because it’s fantastically gorgeous. This type of full coverage glitter reminds me of I Herd That and I’m Not Lion from the On Safari Collection. What do you think of this collection? I have heard that people are having a hard time finding all of the polishes in this collection because it’s sold out everywhere so I guess I was lucky to find them all.

So what do you have planned for this weekend? I have a bunch of cleaning to do because I am planning to throw out tons of junk that I don’t need anymore. In a way I am the opposite of a hoarder because I tend to throw everything away–except when it comes to polish, of course. I hope you enjoy your upcoming weekend, and I will talk to you soon!

P.S. Sadly, this collection is up on my blog sale. I overspent by A LOT on polish recently so I can’t keep these. Hopefully they will find a nice new home.

China Glaze All Aboard Collection Fall 2014

Posted on 1 September, 2014 by Cynthia

Today kind of flew by and that means the end of my long weekend. I wish I had a few more days off to just be lazy, but I guess being able to pay the bills is more important, right? I know tomorrow is going to be cray cray at work, but at least the day will go by quickly. So this weekend I did some insane amount of swatching, and one of the collections that I swatched is the China Glaze All Aboard Collection for Fall 2014. Normally I break up my posts into two since traditionally China Glaze puts out two six piece sets for their seasonal collections, but today I just decided to post everything together. I’m kind of super excited about this collection because it might just be a Renaissance for China Glaze since I’ve been so disappointed in recent times with some of the collections they have put out. Even the fact that this is a train inspired collection appeals to me because I absolutely adore trains. When I was in France, I always took the train everywhere. My favorite thing to do was get on the train at 7 pm and I’d arrive in Florence early the next morning. It was magical! I have quite a few train stories but I won’t get in to that right now because I’ll never get to the polishes. Before I start blabbing away, let me show you what I’m talking about.

China Glaze All Aboard

China Glaze Cho-Cho Choose You

China Glaze Conduct Yourself

China Glaze Don’t Get Derailed

China Glaze Loco-motive (over What Are You A-freight Of?)

China Glaze Lug You Designer Baggage

China Glaze Mind The Gap

China Glaze One Track Mind

China Glaze Nice Caboose

China Glaze Stop That Train!

China Glaze Well Trained

China Glaze What Are You A-freight Of?

Holy polishgasm, Batman! Let me tell you something: this collection blew my socks off. It’s almost as perfect as the On Safari Collection from a couple of years ago–yes, it’s THAT good. I can honestly tell you that the only one I didn’t care for is Stop That Train! cause it’s kind of frosty and orange–ick! However, every other polish is just pure perfection. The cremes are fabulous and the shimmers are killer. I know that for most people, the stand-out shade will be Cho-Cho Choose You, and all I could think about when I wore it was this:

Hahaha! Ralph might just be my favorite Simpsons character–It’s so hard to pick just one! I do love Cho-Cho Choose You and also love Mind The Gap because it’s one of those ugly/pretty colors that always pull me in. The formula on all of these is fantastic–they all needed two coats and some of the cremes could be one coaters if you apply them carefully. I know I tend to be a little harsh with my China Glaze reviews sometimes, but it is only because I expect so much from the brand–they really were the first brand that pulled me in when my polish obsession began. From all the Fall collections I have seen, I think this is THE collection of the season. I’m sorry if this is causing stress to your bank accounts–well, not really cause if it wasn’t me, it would be someone else and I quite enjoy being part of the enabling circle of polish life. What do you think about these beauties? Are there any colors that you are going to pick up? Thanks so much for the visit, and I will talk to you later!