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Kiko 295 Cerulean Blue

Posted on 27 April, 2014 by Cynthia

Last night I was in one of my moods so I turned to Netflix to see if I could distract myself for a while. Well, I was looking at my long queue of films to watch, and I remembered that I really, really wanted to to watch Blue Is the Warmest Color (La vie d’Adèle). Dude…watch it. It’s beautifully acted, it’s tender, it’s sweet, it’s intense, it’s heart-wrenching and will just leave you feeling like you’ve been completely emotionally destroyed. It probably wasn’t the best movie to watch when I was already feeling like shit, but it actually changed my mood in the sense that I was happy to watch such an amazing movie. The movie is in French so I know not a lot of people like movies with subtitles (weirdos) and it’s also rated NC-17 so if you’re opposed to graphic and long sex scenes (eh?), then this movie may not be for you. Still, I highly recommend it. One of the characters in the movie, Emma, has this really awesome blue hair so it put me in the mood to wear blue. That is how I ended up with Kiko 295 Cerulean Blue on my nails.

I honestly don’t know why I hadn’t worn this beauty before. Kiko 295 Cerulean Blue is so freaking bright that it almost looks neon. In fact, it’s so bright that it made my camera take 5 dumps on me while I was trying to take these pictures. Not only is the color beautiful and saturated–the formula is to die for as well. With careful application it could be a one-coater, but I applied two coats out of habit. The finish is incredibly shiny and glossy so I didn’t even need to apply a top coat.

And because I can never leave well enough alone, I applied one coat of Nubar Black Polka Dot. I love the final look here!

What do you think about the Kiko? Isn’t it gorgeous? I always lament that we don’t have access to this brand in the US, but we can’t be that greedy since we have pretty much everything else. I hope that you’re having a great weekend. Thanks so much for the visit, and I will talk to you soon.

Stamping Saturdays #16

Posted on 26 April, 2014 by Cynthia

Since purple is one of my favorite colors, I remember being obsessed with getting every purple and lilac polish known to mankind when I first started ~~hoarding~~ collecting nail polish. One of the very first polishes that made me swoon is OPI Do You Lilac It? and it is still a favorite. I decided to use it as the base color for my mani today so let’s take a look…

This is two buttery coats of OPI Do You Lilac It?, and it is still as gorgeous as I remember it.

I then used KBShimmer Pansy-monioum (press sample) to sponge on my gradient.

And lastly, I used an image from Konad plate M73 for this girlie and flowery design.

While I’m not in love with this final design, I think it is pretty. It’s a little more “girlie” than I tend to do, but sometimes change is good, right? Don’t forget t check out the other Stamping Saturdays looks below. Also, if you’re interested in joining us in Stamping Saturdays, feel free to link your stamped manis below as well. We’d love to see what you come up with. As always, thanks for stopping by!

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Morgan Taylor New School Nude

Posted on 20 April, 2014 by Cynthia

How was your Sunday? I didn’t do anything exciting, but I did stop by my brother’s house to visit my little Peanut. He is so freaking adorable! I hadn’t seen him all week because my sister in law’s sister is visiting and she is babysitting him. I’m not a big Easter person but if you are, I hope you had a nice day with your friends and loved ones. I also wasn’t in the mood to do some cutesy Easter mani so I used a gorgeous nude that I bought a couple of weeks ago: Morgan Taylor New School Nude.

This is a gorgeous nude. It’s slightly beige and has a little bit of yellow in it. To be honest, I thought this was going to look hideous on me but I am quite liking it. If you haven’t used Morgan Taylor polishes before, this one is the usual creme perfection that I have come to expect from this brand. The polish was a tiny bit streaky so I ended up applying 3 coats, and it did not need top coat because it is beyond shiny on its own.

And just to make this a little more interesting, I applied a coat of OPI Snowflakes In The Air (press sample) and then used my OPI Matte Top Coat (press sample) to bring it all together. I’m quite happy with the way this turned out!

So I know that I mention work a lot and how much it stresses me out. I’m going to do my best to stop talking about work on here because my blog really is a sort of escape. At this point, I am physically sick from the stress so I know that something has to change. I hope that I don’t have to step away for the blog while I figure this out, but if my postings seem more sporadic, at least you will know why. Thanks so much for all the kind words and encouragement–they mean the world to me. I’ll talk to you soon…hopefully.

Stamping Saturdays #15

Posted on 19 April, 2014 by Cynthia

Welcome to another installment of Stamping Saturdays! I can’t believe that I have managed to do this without missing a single Saturday since we started this up. Is it funny that I find this a huge accomplishment? I’m feeling like a lazy bum today which is par for the course so all I’m going to do it laundry and watch TV all day. For today’s Stamping Saturdays post, I decided to do something kind of obnoxious so I started with a crazy bright yellow: nails inc. Carnaby Street.

This polish is so damn electric. In real life, it leans a tiny, tiny bit orange but it’s still a super bright orange. The formula is a bit streaky so it did need three coats for full opacity. Now that we’ve seen so many awesome yellows come out, it’s disappointing to have such a streaky yellow. I am pretty sure that I have mentioned that I love yellow everything and I can trace it back to my mom always dressing me in yellow when I was a little girl.

For my stamping design, I used a design from MoYou Plate Pro Collection – 02 (press sample).

I can’t tell you enough how awesome these MoYou London plates are! I’ve used them so much lately and the quality is just superb.

This triangle design is kind of busy, but I just love the combination of yellow and black. It makes me think of cabs and of crash test dummies.

I don’t know about you, but these videos used to scare me when I was a kid. hahaha

So what do you think about this design? Do you have any plans for Easter Sunday? I haven’t finalized any plans yet so I’m assuming I won’t be doing much for now. Thanks so much for stopping by today and enjoy your weekend.

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Inglot 992

Posted on 17 April, 201423 April, 2014 by Cynthia

Once again this week has pretty much flown by. Work is still mentally exhausting so I haven’t really been in the mood to do much blogging. I still tried out a few polishes this week, but I just didn’t have it in me to actually put together a post. I haven’t even had time to visit all my usual blogs so I’m sorry I’ve fallen so behind on commenting and responding to comments here as well. I’m glad that tomorrow is Friday because I’m looking forward to a break from everything. I am not sure if I’ll be doing anything for Easter with the family so I’ll just plan on sleeping. For today’s mani, I finally got around to posting about a polish I bought a few months ago at my local Inglot store. I have not been back since I bought it because I know that I’d get in some serious trouble there. Before I babble too much, let me show you Inglot 992:

Inglot 992 is a gorgeous blurple creme. It’s unfortunate that my pictures don’t show the purple quality to this polish, but as I’ve mentioned before: blues and greens are my camera’s mortal enemies. In fact, this polish has a slight purple/pink irridescence that is absolutely stunning in the bottle. Once you get the polish on your nails, it goes away for the most part but you still get that beautiful blurple hue. The formula on this polish was buttery perfection, and I only needed two thin coats for full coverage. I so want to go to Inglot again, but I know this will be me:

I don’t recall exactly how much this polish was, but I think it must have been somewhere around $10-$15. What I do remember is that I bought it at the same time that I got Tom Ford Black Sugar cause after paying like $35 for that one, this Inglot seemed like a bargain.

Moving on from the polish, today I am very heart broken because my favorite writer has passed away. I know that to some people it may seem silly that I am so sad about someone that I never met, but that is where you are wrong: I did meet him in my mind and heart every time I opened up one of his novels. I was introduced to this titan of magical realism by an ex-boyfriend and I can honestly say that I’ve never had a more significant gift. It almost makes me forgive my ex for being such an asshole–I said almost. Anyway, after reading Cien años de soledad, it was like I was intellectually reborn. If you’ve never read this novel, please do yourself a favor and read it because you will not regret it. I am fortunate in that I was able to read it in its original Spanish version, but despite the “traduttore, traditore” mindset, Gregory Rabassa’s translated English version is superb. So yes, I am incredibly sad about Gabo’s passing but my heart is full of joy for the gifts that he has left us will endure forever. I will leave you with the final line of his magnum opus:

“Sin embargo, antes de llegar al verso final, ya había comprendido que no saldría jamás de ese cuarto, pues estaba previsto que la ciudad de los espejos (o espejismos) sería arrasada por el viento y desterrada de la memoria de los hombres, en el instante en que Aureliano Babilonia acabara de decifrar los pergaminos, y que todo lo escrito en ellos era irrepetible desde siempre y para siempre, porque los estirpes condenados a cien años de soledad no tenían una segunda oportunidad sobre la tierra.”

“Before reaching the final line, however, he had already understood that he would never leave that room, for it was foreseen that the city of mirrors (or mirages) would be wiped out by the wind and exiled from the memory of men at the precise moment when Aureliano Babilonia would finish deciphering the parchments, and that everything written on them was unrepeatable since time immemorial and forever more, because races condemned to one hundred years of solitude did not have a second opportunity on earth.”

I still get the chills ever time I read this last line. Thank you, Gabriel García Márquez.

Essie Too Taboo Summer Neons Collection 2014

Posted on 14 April, 201413 April, 2014 by Cynthia

Can I complain about something today? I am so sick of people and their cell phones. If I have to be in an elevator with one more person yapping loudly about something stupid, I’m going to get stabby. Even worse, I can’t stand it when people are talking on their phones while they drive because it’s freaking dangerous. I had a close call with a lady who was driving like a maniac because she was on her phone, and she had the nerve to flip me off as if I had done something wrong! Well, to all you out there who continue to yap on your phones (hands free or not) while you drive, I salute you:

Anyway, that’s enough of my complaining. To counteract my sour mood about cell phones in general, I have some hot, hot, hot polishes to show you. So I’ve been going bananas for the last couple of months about the Essie Too Taboo Summer Neons Collection. I have this unhealthy obsession with getting every single Essie collection no matter what they look like or how many lilacs they have. Before I get into the swatches, I just wanted to say that I’m not happy with these pictures at all. My camera was acting super wonky, and it was really hard to get good pictures. I also used wayyyy too much cuticle oil and moisturizer so my fingers ended up looking greasy. Eeekk! I decided to post the picture anyway because I just did not want to sit through re-swatching the whole collection. I feel like I am all swatched out, and I am going to give myself a break for the next 5 days. In fact, I just filed my nails waaaay down, but they grow so fast that in another week they’ll be long again. Let’s get this show on the road already!

Essie I’m Addicted

Essie Chills & Thrills

Essie Vices Versa

Essie Too Taboo

Essie Sittin’ Pretty

Essie Serial Shopper

This is what the colors looked like on a swatching wheel in direct sunlight.

I’m torn. I’m torn because I pined for this collection for so long that I feel silly saying that I’m not in love with it. We all know that neons can be really finicky so I was trying to mentally prepare myself before I even started. Yep, some of these polishes were difficult…

I think Brit feels my pain. Neon formulas are usually a big ick in my book so I can’t really fault these polishes for acting like the neons they are. Before anyone starts telling me that they would be so much better if I would use a white base, save your breath–I know about wearing a white base. What do you think this is? Just a little hobby? (Yes, I’m being sarcastic so don’t get offended!) I almost always refuse to wear white underneath because one of my major nail pet peeves is the white base peeking out from the edges. It makes me want to barf! I can tell you that most of these polishes need 3 coats with the exception of Too Taboo and Chills & Thrills. While these two were ok with 2 coats, they also dried the quickest out of the collection which means that you have less time to work with them. Your best bet with neon polishes is to work fast and not overwork the polish or else you risk getting a lumpy uneven finish. I let each coat dry thoroughly before applying another, and this seemed to help a lot. All of these polishes dry to a satiny finish so you will need some top coat if you want a glossy finish. I applied one coat of Seche Vite on all of these because shiny nails is my thang. The color I was most excited about was Vices Versa because this year I seem to be all about lime green. Can it be the 2015 Pantone Color Of The Year, please? So anyway, if you are thinking about getting these polishes, go into it knowing that the formula is not a walk in the park. They are definitely NOT the worst neons I have ever used so don’t feel too discouraged just yet. While I like these colors, I don’t think they are super unique–especially for people who have massive collections. If you’re interested in these polishes, I have put them up in my blog sale. (Please note that I will give preference to those who want to buy the whole collection.)

Well, I hope that you had a lovely weekend! I had a busy weekend, and now I have too much to do during the week. I’m still upset that it’s Monday again so let me wallow in my pit of sadness. Let me know what you think about this collection. Are you still excited about picking these up? It looks like the polishes are already popping up here and there but aren’t officially out until next month. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon.

Nicole by OPI Kellogg’s Special K Collection 2014

Posted on 13 April, 2014 by Cynthia

I say this every Sunday, but Sundays really do suck. I’m so incredibly annoyed right now because it was like the weekend was gone in the blink of an eye, and I didn’t get to do most of the stuff I had planned. Do I just have some serious time management issues or is that pretty typical for everyone? I don’t know how long I’ve been saying that I need to get into a routine so I can go to the gym a few times a week. On Saturday I was cleaning out my closet and I noticed that some clothes now fit me again which was kind of a surprise. I’ve made a few changes like forcing myself to eat breakfast (oatmeal or yogurt with granola) every day, and I think that has helped me not feel so ravenous by the time lunch rolls around. If I could stop snacking before dinner, I think that would be another huge change. I want to make a commitment to go to the gym 2-3 times a week just to start out. I know that if I say I want to go every day, I will just burn myself out and won’t follow through. I remember hearing about the Nicole by OPI Kellog’s Special K partnership last year–mainly the free polish part. lol This year, they are once again collaborating to bring us 3 shades. Let’s take a look at my swatches below and then I can tell you how these can be yours.

Nicole by OPI My Sol Shines Brighter

Nicole by OPI Challenge Red-y

Nicole by OPI Live In The Momentum

While these colors aren’t earth shattering, they are really nice basics. They are all super creamy, highly pigmented and deliciously glossy. I did not even have to top coat them for that glass-like shine! Here is some information on how you can get this trio:

Through the “Shine Brighter” campaign, Nicole by OPI and Kellog’s Special K hope to inspire “women to be their best selves–healthy, confident and positive, to look better, feel better, and shine brighter.” The three custom shades include: Challenge Red-y (crème red), Live in the Momentum (crème blue) and My Sol Shines Brighter (crème coral). Shoppers will have the opportunity to receive free full-size bottles of Nicole by OPI nail lacquer by signing up for the Kellogg’s Family Rewards program and entering codes from specially marked boxes of Special K products, while supplies last. With the purchase of three eligible Special K products, consumers will receive the shade Challenge Red-y. After submitting the purchase codes from five eligible Special K products, consumers will receive two lacquers – Live in the Momentum and My Sol Shines Brighter.

Nicole by OPI Signature edition Special K packages designed by Suzi Weiss-Fischmann will be available exclusively at Target. The designer packages are available only for select flavors (Original, Red Berries & Chocolatey Delight). For more information, visit nicolebyopi.com. Follow Nicole by OPI on Twitter @NicoleByOPI and become a Facebook fan!

So what do you think about this collaboration? I’ve got to admit I thought it was a bit random, but I like Special K (the strawberries one–yum!!!) and I love polish. If that means someone gets free polish, I’m all in! Thanks for stopping by today, and I’ll catch up with you tomorrow.

Stamping Saturdays #14

Posted on 12 April, 201413 April, 2014 by Cynthia

You know that I’m always excited when Saturday rolls around and not just because I don’t have to work…it’s STAMPING SATURDAYS, of course! I woke up a couple of hours ago and now I’m just lounging around being a total bum. Later today we’re taking my mom out to dinner since tomorrow is her birthday so I’m anticipating something yummy. For today’s Stamping Saturdays I tried another gradient. I don’t want to be a one trick pony here, but I’m so excited about being able to do decent gradients now that I want to do them ALL THE TIME. For my design today, I started out with 2 creamy coats of Illamasqua Nomad.

If you don’t have Illamasqua Nomad, you cannot imagine what a creamy minty masterpiece this is. I am generally a lover of anything Illamasqua and this is no exception.

I then used Illamasqua Noble and sponged it on top of Nomad for this gradient. Gradients can get really messy as you can see above. I normally find that taping up the skin around my fingers is more annoying to me than actually cleaning the mess up so I never do that. When I posted this picture on Facebook, a lot of people suggested that I use Elmer’s glue on my skin. WHY HADN’T I THOUGHT OF THAT???? That’s genius! I am going to give that a try next time I do a gradient and I’ll let you know how I liked it.

I don’t know about you, but I think the mess is totally worth it. Look at that gradient! It could be a little smoother, but I’m not going to be too picky about it.

Lastly, I used this design from plate MASH-48. I have no idea what this design is…at first I thought it looked like flames. I think it goes well with this gradient because it lets plenty of the base colors show through.

So what do you think of today’s design? I’m really happy with it and still mourn the fact that I had to take it off. I’m doing a bunch of swatching this weekend so I couldn’t keep it on. Sadness! Well, I hope that you’re having a nice weekend so far. Thanks so much for the visit, and I’ll talk to you soon.

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China Glaze Surprise Collection

Posted on 8 April, 20147 April, 2014 by Cynthia

Last week when I went on a polish shopping binge, I ended up finding a few polishes that weren’t really on my radar. Of course I got excited and wanted to buy EVERYTHING, but I finally settled on picking a few out that really called to me. That is how I ended up with 3 out of 6 polishes from the China Glaze Surprise Collection. To be honest, this collection is a surprise because I’ve hardly heard anything about it. I am such a masochist because I keep buying China Glaze religiously even though I usually end up disappointed. The Surprise Collection is an all glitter-topper collection, so I figured they really couldn’t go wrong with this…right? Let’s take a look at my swatches.

China Glaze Don’t Be A Flake

China Glaze Shine-nanigans

China Glaze Glimmer More

Since these are glitter toppers, I can tell you that they are kind of hard to apply. It’s very difficult to get a lot of the glitter on the brush and when you do, you can swipe it right off if you’re not careful. In order to get the glitter on my nails, I had to do the dabbing method, but this caused some difficulties–namely bubbles. I hate bubbles. If you’re careful not to get excessive amounts of the clear base on your nails, you should be ok. So what do I think about these? Uhm, I actually really like them even thought I wasn’t expecting to. I think they are fun, cute and a quick way to spice up any polish. Alas, I am not excited enough about these to want to keep them so to the blog sale they go.

What do you think about these glitters? Are they your cup of tea? Are you excited about any of the upcoming China Glaze collections? Let me know what you think below. Thanks so much for the visit, and enjoy the rest of your day!

LeChat Dare To Wear Sugar Me Up Collection

Posted on 7 April, 20147 April, 2014 by Cynthia

I don’t know if it’s just my hot flashes or what, but it’s been really hot here lately. In fact, this morning I was sweating and it was only 5 am! On second thought, it probably is just hot flashes so ignore me. This morning was pure torture waking up so I hope that I’ll be able to get to bed early tonight. You know what my favorite part of my morning ritual is? It’s when my alarm rings and I hit the snooze button for 5 more minutes of sleep. Those 5 minutes feel heavenly even though I know that I’ll have to be up soon. This made me think of a question that I asked my group of girlfriends yesterday: How are people happy? What does it feel like to be happy? I honestly don’t think that I am happy, and I am constantly envious of those who appear to be happy. I dwell on all the things that I don’t like about myself and my life instead of focusing on the good things. This made me think of how necessary it is to be unhappy in order to truly appreciate happiness. Would we appreciate youth without old age? Life without death? Probably not. I just need to find some balance in my life. Sometimes I tend to complain a lot about work, family stuff or other inconsequential things because they do seem overwhelming to me, but in the grand scheme of things, they are definitely not bad. I think that I am a worrier by nature so things will always seem a million times worse than they really are. I don’t really know where I’m going with all of this, but I just felt that I needed a little dose of reflection. Now that I got some of the heavy stuff out of the way, can we get back to polish? Ha! Today I have something light and delightful to show you: the LeChat Dare To Wear Sugar Me Up Collection. The formula on all of these is rather similar so I’ll show you my swatches, and then we can get into the details.

LeChat Dare To Wear Rock Candy

LeChat Dare To Wear Mint Jubilee LeChat Dare To Wear Cotton Candy

LeChat Dare To Wear Lollipop

LeChat Dare To Wear Lemon Drop

LeChat Dare To Wear Spearmint

Overall, I really like this collection. It’s sugary, sweet and fun which is just what I would expect from a Spring collection. I can’t say that the colors are all that unique, but these polishes have a nice formula that I enjoyed. A couple of these polishes (Spearmint and Rock Candy) have some shimmer in them, but the rest have a crelly type formula. Since I prefer using thin coats, I applied 3 thin coats for all of these but 2 thicker coats would have gotten the job done. I think that we have seen a lot of similar colors as of late, so I’ll be putting these up on my blog sale. If you’ve never tried LeChat’s Dear To Wear line, this would be a good opportunity to give them a try. I’ve been very happy and impressed with their polishes and was excited about the way they have revamped their line. What do you think about these polishes? Do you have any suggestions on how to relax and live in the moment instead of worrying about anything and everything? I hope you’re having a nice Monday, and thank you so much for visiting today.