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Stamping Saturdays #18

Posted on 10 May, 201410 May, 2014 by Cynthia

Welcome to another edition of Stamping Saturdays! Let me ask you: have you done your stamping mani? We would love to see what you come up with so join us by linking your mani at the end of this post. Stamping is probably the very first nail art-y thing that I ever did when nail polish became my #1 obsession so it’s something that will always be fun for me. I hope that it’s fun for you too–fun enough to join us, that is. Ha! Anyway, today I am feeling kinda blah (not mentally, but physically) so I’m being a bum. I think I just ate some questionable things like the “Le Burger de Madame” at Mimi’s Cafe. My first mistake was even going to Mimi’s cause that place is pretty barftastic. I’m sure that it shaved off at least a day of my life considering the amount of fat and calories that this buttery bovine behemoth contains. (Buttery bovine behemoth–alliteration at its finest or at its worst?) I also watched the newest Captain America movie and I did enjoy it despite the shitty reviews. To be honest, I will pretty much enjoy any action movie and can’t even think of one that I have hated off the top of my head. I really liked watching Alien vs. Predator which was universally despised, so I should stop talking about movies since I clearly have no taste. By the way, why didn’t I know that Robert Redford was in this movie??? He’s one of the pillars of my childhood crush trifecta: Robert Redford, Harrison Ford and Sean Connery.

I was definitely a weird kid…you don’t have to say it! But come on! Sean Connery was always at the top–it must have been the accent. Harrison Ford was a hot archeologist/professor (and we all know how I feel about professors). Enough said. And Hubbell, I mean Robert was just…Robert Redford. Wait, wasn’t this post supposed to be about nail polish and stamping? Oh yeah, duh…

The polish I decided to use as my base is China Glaze Social Animal. This is one of those ancient polishes that I love hunting for at dusties. Social Animal is from the Fashion Lounge Collection that came out sometime in 2004. It’s a sheer red with lots of shimmer, and I quite liked it despite needing three coats.

I then used an image from Bundle Monster plate BM 322 and Pure Ice Silver Mercedes. I’m feeling a little meh about the design because it was so hard to line it up correctly. You can see that the design on my pinky nail isn’t centered, but whatever–it can’t always be perfect.

Before I forget to mention it, I got a chance to meet Robert Redford like 10 years ago when I was working at the airport as a ticket agent. I may have lost my ability to speak momentarily or maybe I burst into a heartfelt rendition of “The Way We Were.” Who can remember that far back anyway? So, what do you think about this mani? Yay or nay? Please weigh in below and don’t forget to check out all the other Stamping Saturdays manis. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon.

P.S. I’m really not crazy. I’m just passionate. At least that is what I tell myself…

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The Lacquer Ring – Orange

Posted on 8 May, 20148 May, 2014 by Cynthia

Who would have thought that orange would become my mortal enemy in the span of one day? I remember how excited I was when Tangerine Tango was the Pantone Color of the Year, and I reveled in wearing every single orange polish that Summer and was in love with all of them. Today–not so much. For our very first “official” post, Nicole chose the color Orange and little did I know that this would become the day I officially swore off orange…at least until the next awesome orange polish comes around because we all know what that is like. Before I tell you all about my fails and flails, let me show you the mani I ended up choosing at the least hideous of the bunch.

This is NARS Ethno Run Left–a yellow orange that is super bright and squishy looking. I quite like this color, but it’s a beotch to photograph.

I then had to sparkle it up so I applied one coat of Shimmer Polish Alice to really make the polish shine. I love this glitter so much!

And because I can never leave well enough alone, I used Bourjois Grenadine Tonic to make a jelly sandwich. The bright red orange tint of this polish intensified the orange base color so I kind of liked the end result. It’s super bright, and I can tell you that it looks fantastic out in sunlight.

Now for the ones that didn’t quite make it…the first two are swatches so it’s not like there is anything wrong with them, it’s what happened to them after they were swatched that became the problem.

Bettina Orange

Jessica Sun-kissed Beauty

As I said, the previous two polishes were nice enough, but this is where things started going downhill…very quickly.

Fail #1 was this sloppy and gross water marble. Seriously. It’s disgusting and you can’t even imagine how long it took me do create this monstrosity. I hate it so hard.

Fail #2 was even more difficult to deal with because it took even longer to create than the sloppy water marble. I don’t know what I was thinking, but this looks disgusting too. My nail mojo was off today. Big time. After those two fugly bombs, I was ready to give up…

Puck knows how I was feeling for sure. I am just glad that I was able to put something together that didn’t make me want to stab my eyes out with a glass nail file. The next challenge will be cherry blossoms which I know is going to destroy me since I suck at freehand designs. I kind of hate Nicole right now…lol (I kid! I kid!) Make sure that you check out the other orange inspired looks from the other ladies. Thanks so much for stopping by today and checking in with The Lacquer Ring! I’ll talk to you soon.

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KBShimmer Spring 2014 Collection – Glitters

Posted on 6 May, 2014 by Cynthia

Did you watch 24 last night??? I was so psyched about it being back that I nearly went nuts with anticipation to be able to see good old Jack Bauer in action. I’m always so disappointed when shows that I love get cancelled…like Dollhouse! I’m still not over that one. Anyway, now that The Following and The Blacklist are on hiatus, I will have something awesome to replace them with. I got a chance to swatch these 3 gorgeous glitter polishes from the KBShimmer Spring 2014 Collection and I can tell you that I am in love. LOVE!

KBShimmer Daisy About You

KBShimmer Belle of The Mall

KBShimmer Make My Gray

Aren’t these beautiful? I think that Belle Of The Mall is my favorite because it has such a gorgeous jelly base that lets the holo glitter shine through. It’s such a juicy polish! Make My Gray and Daisy About You are milky based glitter polishes so you will been multiple coats to get a fully opaque finish. I am always super impressed with KBShimmer polishes and these are no exception. If you want to purchase any of these, they can be found at KBShimmer.com for $8.75 each. How do you like these 3 polishes? If you haven’t seen my review of some gorgeous cremes from this same collection, you can check them out here. Thanks so much for the visit today, and I will talk to you soon.

Zoya Bubbly Collection Summer 2014

Posted on 5 May, 20144 May, 2014 by Cynthia

Hey, look! I have all 6 polishes here because Peanut did NOT break any of them. Yay! I’m still a little sad about the loss of Rocha (and about my table being ruined!), but I’ll just classify this as Peanut’s first polish destruction. I’m sure that there will be many more to follow. Today I have the Zoya Bubbly Collection to share with you, and I can tell you that I am a bit surprised. Surprised good or surprised bad? Keep reading and you’ll find out…

Zoya Harper

Zoya Binx

Zoya Muse

Zoya Staasi

Zoya Jesy

Zoya Alma

When I first saw the promo pictures for this collection, I had no idea what to expect. In fact, the idea of jelly polishes with holo glitter seemed kind of strange considering the images that were released.I wouldn’t really consider these polishes holographic in the sense that we were all expecting and hoping that they would be. These are very thick glitter polishes in a tinted jelly base which means that they are very sheer. I applied 3 thickish coats for all my swatches because I wanted them to be fully opaque without having to layer them over a solid color. The final result is a lovely glitter packed finish that almost makes them look metallic. I certainly was not expecting to like these, but I kind of do. I’m not like dying with excitement, but I do think these are pretty and anticipate that they will be fairly well-received. So what do you think of these? I’ve been hearing mixed feelings about these and I can tell you that if had to pick one or two, I would go with Muse and Harper because I just love how they look. If you want to get your hands on these, they can be found at Zoya.com for $9 each. They should start shipping out May 15 which is right around the corner. Don’t forget to check out my swatches of the Zoya Tickled Collection! Will you be getting any of these?

Zoya Tickled Collection Summer 2014

Posted on 4 May, 20143 May, 2014 by Cynthia

Remember how I had mentioned that my Friday had turned into a comedy of errors? Well, fortunately my Saturday was pretty mellow so I was able to get a lot of swatching done–namely the Zoya Tickled Collection (as well as the Bubbly Collection!). As soon as I saw the press release for this half of the Summer Collection, I knew I was in love because I am a sucker for cremes. Let’s take a look at my swatches, and then I will let you know what I think.

Zoya Wendy

Zoya Kitridge

Zoya Rooney

Zoya Tilda

Zoya Ling

You may notice that I’m missing one polish here. Well, there is a story about that. If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen this picture of Peanut admiring (trying to grab) all the polishes.

Sometimes I forget that he can actually grab things now and that he can also throw things. It’s always fun and games until someone gets hurt, and this time Zoya Rocha was the victim.

I did see Peanut grab a polish and then throw it back into the pile. I heard the smash, but everything seemed fine. I gathered up the polishes and put them back into the boxes and went back to playing with Peanut. A few minutes later I noticed that the living room was smelling a lot like nail polish which is pretty normal but it was much stronger than usual. I was putting some stuff away when I picked up the box and polish was pouring out of it. It had gotten on the glass tabletop, on the wood and some had dripped onto the carpet and on my shirt/shoes. WHAT IN THE WORLD??? It was one bottle of polish…half an ounce and it felt like a gallon of polish had spilled all over the place. When I tried to clean it up, the finish on the wood came off.

Womp, womp! I’m so irritated, but it was totally my fault. It wasn’t Peanut’s fault since I let him play with the polishes, but I think this is going to put an end to any future Peanut Picks posts. hahaha So that is the unfortunate story about Rocha’s demise.

Now that we have taken a moment to mourn Rocha’s sad fate, let me tell you that I adore all of these cremes. They are just so gorgeous and shiny that I can barely stand it. I want to wear them all at the same time. The formula on all of them was rather similar: opaque but a little streaky. I tend to prefer thin coats to thick coats, so I applied 3 thin coats for all of my swatches. I think 2 thick coats would have been enough, but I like doing thin coats. I am completely in love with these colors even though they may not be that original. To be frank, when you get to be this polish obsessed, original colors is something that you rarely encounter. I just can’t deny my love for cremes, and these don’t disappoint. Stay tuned for the second half of the collection which will be up tomorrow. If you’re interested in purchasing any of these beauties, they can be found at Zoya.com for $9. Let me know what you think of these pretties. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon.

Stamping Saturdays #17

Posted on 3 May, 20143 May, 2014 by Cynthia

Holy shitballs you guys…I had a bad day yesterday. My day was a perfect comedy of errors so it’s not like something horrendous happened to me, it was just that EVERYTHING was going wrong. I ended up going to dinner with a friend and then we ended up drinking (a lot of beer–ha!) and watching the show My Strange Addiction. Do you know how much stranger that show is when you’re wasted? I am miraculously not hung over this morning which is great considering that I needed to put this post together. Thankfully I had completed my manicure yesterday when it was 5,000 degrees–even my fingers were sweating! Anyway, let’s get the polish show on the road!

For my base color, I used OPI In The Cable Car-pool Lane (press sample) which is simply goygeous. It is so shiny and squishy. I’m still loving the whole San Francisco Collection despite popular opinion.

For my stamped design, I use my MoYou London Pro Collection 18 plate (press sample) and Essie Good As Gold.

I really like how this turned out! I know this isn’t a very Spring/Summer manicure, but I don’t care. I will always wear whatever I’m in the mood for and this is what I wanted to wear yesterday.

It’s supposed to be a lot cooler this weekend (not in the 90’s) so I’m looking forward to not sweating while I sit on the couch and just watch TV. I’m also hoping to get some swatching done but there was a Zoya tragedy at the hands of Peanut yesterday. I’ll leave the story for the actual post. Thanks so much for stopping by today and I hope that you’ll link up your posts if you are participating in Stamping Saturdays. Have a great day, and I will talk to you soon!

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Nicole by OPI New Core Colors For 2014 – Part 2

Posted on 1 May, 2014 by Cynthia

So I should have posted these swatches of the Nicole by OPI New Core Colors For 2014 like a million years ago, but I just kept forgetting. When I saw this in my draft folders, I got all excited because these colors are fan-freaking-tastic. I wish I was in the mood to chit chat right now but I’m basically sitting here SWEATING. I’m sitting down withe the fans on and I’m sweating. Enough said. So, let me show you just how pretty these colors are!

Nicole by OPI That’s Putting It Mild

Nicole by OPI Yoga-Then-Yogurt

Nicole by OPI Sweet Surrender

Nicole by OPI I’ll Have The Salmon

Nicole by OPI Taupe Of My Class

Nicole by OPI Always A Flirt!

Nicole by OPI Something About Spring

Nicole by OPI Fabulous Is My Middle Name

Nicole by OPI Oh That’s Just Grape!

Nicole by OPI Be Awesome

There is not a single color here that I didn’t like and that’s pretty rare. The formula on all of them was good–two coats of polish and 1 coat of Seche. The two glitters I could do without, but they give a nice look so I’m not going to knock them. You should check out Part 1 of this review which shows my 5 favorite colors from these new additions to the core line. I’m not going to talk your ear off right now because I need to get some stuff done before I can settle down to watch Grey’s Anatomy. Burke is back. Ghhhaaaaaa! Are you as excited about this as me? Anyway, I’ll talk to you soon!!

Deborah Lippmann Footloose

Posted on 30 April, 2014 by Cynthia

Getting ready for another day of heat misery sure is a process! But hey, there’s nothing to do except to try to stay cool so I’ll concentrate on that. I’ve been hanging out with Peanut and yesterday I had him choose what nail polish I would wear in a sort of “Peanut Picks” moment. I know I’m nuts, but I love this little guy so much.

After I explained the whole process to him, he gave me this excited look. I mean, at 5 months old he totally gets what I’m talking about, right? Look how excited he is. It’s either excitement or he’s thinking about pooping. I placed 4 polishes in front of him to see which one he would “pick” so let’s see which polish won.

And the winner is…Deborah Lippmann Footloose! I kind of figured he would pick this one only because it’s the brightest one in the bunch.

To be honest, I have never really been a fan of Deborah Lippmann polishes. I mean, I think they are nice and all, but I’ve just never felt that they are worth the price. I purchased a bunch of polishes on super clearance so I didn’t feel bad when I bought them. Footloose is a bright tomato red polish that has a crelly consistency. It is rather opaque, but I could still see some VNL which annoys me. I don’t think this is anything special, but it is a nice juicy summer color.

I hope you’re all doing well and that you’re having a nice week. Thank you for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon!

Julie G Cruise Time Collection Summer 2014

Posted on 29 April, 2014 by Cynthia

Apparently I didn’t get the memo that it would be hotter than Satan’s butthole this week so I’m currently melting. It is also super windy (damn you, Santa Ana Winds!!!) so my allergies are acting up. Oh well. I should be used to this by now. I had been meaning to post my swatches of the Julie G Cruise Time Collection for Summer 2014, but I’ve just been…unmotivated to say the least. I’m trying to clear out all my backlog of posts so this was the next one on my list.

Julie G Santorini

Julie G Tahiti

Julie G Canary Islands

Julie G Rio De Janeiro

Julie G Miami Beach

Julie G Old San Juan

These polishes are so pretty! I know that there’s nothing “revolutionary” about them, but it’s always nice to see a good creme formula. They are all very buttery and opaque so I applied 2 coats and that was enough for all 6 polishes. My two favorites from this collection are Tahiti and Santorini–they are flippin’ gorgeous. Since I’m preparing myself for financial Armageddon, I put these up on my blog sale. SO SAD. However, knowing the amount of polish that I have, there really is no point in me keeping most of the new stuff that I buy because they will probably never see the light of day after the initial swatching.

What do you think about this collection? I think it’s super cute, and I am very impressed by the quality of these polishes. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon.

KBShimmer Spring 2014 Collection – Cremes

Posted on 28 April, 2014 by Cynthia

Hi everyone. Today I have some long overdue swatches. In my haste of organizing my desktop, I accidentally put the folder in the wrong place and forgot about putting this post together. I feel like such a dunce because I was so darn excited about sharing these polishes with you. I’m sure that you know how much I love beautiful cremes so I was in polish heaven when these beauties arrived. Let me show you 4 gorgeous cremes from the KBShimmer Spring 2014 Collection!

KBShimmer Life Rose On

KBShimmer Pansy-monioum

KBShimmer Sky Jinks

KBShimmer A Touch Of Glass

As you can tell by my nail shape, these swatches were done when I was experimenting with my nail shape. I did quite like this nail shape especially when I got some length, but I think I prefer my square shape. It could be that I’m just used to having square nails, but I just feel that the shape suits me better. As far as the polishes are concerned, they are absolutely perfect cremes. They are so smooth, creamy and easy to work with. I will always love gorgeous cremes and I can tell you that these polishes are beautiful staples to have in your stash. You can purchase these lovely cremes for $7.50 each on the KBShimmer website, so go check them out. Make sure that you follow KBShimmer on their various social media accounts to get up to date news on their collections.

Website – Facebook – Twitter – Pinterest – Instagram

Which of these do you like best? Will you or have you picked any of these up? Let me know what you think. Thanks for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon.