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Jessica Glamarama Collection Holiday 2012

Posted on 14 November, 201214 November, 2012 by Cynthia

Oh my dear glitter God, where do I begin? Last week I showed you a sneak peek of the Jessica Glamarama Collection which is their holiday collection for 2012 and we were all left wondering if it would be red overload. Let me tell you…this collection is freaking amazing. Yes, there are 4 “reds” in this 6 piece collection but they are all different enough that I did not think it was too much once I actually saw them in person. Let me also say that I really appreciate smaller collections such as this because when they are 8-12 polish collections, I inevitably feel like that are a lot of filler polishes without any real inspiration behind them. Before I blab your ear off, I’m going to move on to the swatches which is why you’re here, right? Right?!

Velvet Fantasy is one of those one coat wonders that is just a classic and a staple. It is so incredibly pigmented that you don’t need more than one coat and the formula is just perfect: smooth, highly pigmented and glossy. I have to say that I generally love red nail polish, but it’s really hard to find one that has such a perfect formula like this one.

Magic Spell is what I imagine my brain sees when I eat a bunch of Red Hots all at once. Jessica calls this a “deep crimson” which doesn’t really fit this polish in my opinion. I think that my lighting makes this polish look a little more orange than it is, but crimson wouldn’t be the first description that comes to mind. This polish was also really easy to work with and was fully opaque at two coats.

Heart’s Desire is gorgeous! If it reminds you of Cinnamon Kiss from the Spicy Dream Collection, you are right: the colors are in the same family because of the shimmer and glowing quality, but the actual color is different. Cinnamon Kiss is a lot darker, but they are definitely cousins. The formula on this one was a little tricky. It felt thicker than the other two polishes, and it felt like it was almost gooey. It’s nothing that a drop or two of thinner won’t fix so I don’t think it’s a big deal, but I thought it would be worth mentioning.

Hot Hot Hot definitely surprised me. I did not think that I was going to like it as much as I do. In fact, I love it!!!! It’s a very fine red glitter with a smattering of silver holo glitter throughout. If you want to wear this on its own, it will take 3 coats for decent coverage. It dries matte and gritty so a thick top coat such as Gelous is a must. This is also an amazing topper so I can’t wait to layer it on top of other polishes. (You’ll see some layering at then end.)

The two following shades are something that Jessica is introducing as “Disco Glitters” and they definitely look best layer over solid nail colors. I decided to swatch them on my bare nails below.

Platinum Wishes is not really…platinum? I see a mix of steely blue-green glitter and some red-orange glitter to boot. The formula feels thick and a little goopy. I applied 3 coats for the my swatches and it was way too thick to apply that many layers. Again, this is good as a glitter topper and I do not recommend you wearing it on its own.

Glitterati is described as a champagne gold which I can definitely see, but there is also a very unique multi-chrome quality to it when you see the polish in the bottle. I see flashes of green, red and gold in the bottle but it’s not very apparent once I applied it on my nails. The formula was exactly the same as that of Platinum Wishes: thick and meant to be layered.

Now, I did a quick layering of the glitters on top of Velvet Fantasy:

From pinky to pointer: Glitterati, Platinum Wishes and Hot Hot Hot (on middle and pointer fingers)

The Glamarama collection is available now and retails for $7.50 each at www.jessicacosmetics.com and salons and spas internationally. All Jessica polishes, including the Glamarama collection, are formulated with vitamin A for maximum conditioning and UVA/UVB protection from the sun’s damaging rays. Plus, they’re quick-drying and eco-friendly, free of toluene, formaldehyde and DBP.

So, what are your thoughts on this collection? Let me know; I’d love to hear from you!

**These products were provided for review purposes. All opinions are my own.**

Shimmer Polish Part 2

Posted on 22 May, 201322 May, 2013 by Cynthia

Hi friends! I think I had mentioned earlier in the week (or was it last week??) that I had gone in for an eye exam, and I was told that there could be an issue with my optic nerve so I had to make an appointment to get my eyes dilated so they could get a better look. Well, I dragged my friend with me so she could drive me since my vision would be impaired for a few hours after dilation. So it turns out that everything is just fine and that I may just have a larger optic nerve. They did recommend that I continue to have regular eye exams just in case anything changes, but I won’t need any follow up treatment. I was concerned about it because, as a person without health insurance, there is no way that I would be able to afford any further tests or treatments. I am always so disappointed with the state of health insurance here in the USA because we just don’t have the level of care that we need. Personally, I would not be able to purchase an individual plan for myself because of my medical/mental history–I’d be rejected so fast that my head would spin. That means that the only way I can currently get health insurance is through an employer policy and my shitastic job does not have those benefits. So here I am–without any health insurance for the first time in my life and it’s not a good feeling. Even when I did have insurance, I found out how horrid my coverage was after several hospitalizations. Anyway, who knows what’s going to happen when more things go into effect next year with the whole Obamacare thing–I just hope that we do get some kind of affordable plans because everyone deserves proper medical care!

I’ll get off my soapbox now and talk a little polish with you now. Today I am sharing another round of beautiful glitter polishes from Shimmer Polish. This time I decided to use colors from the Jessica Cosmetics Gelato Mio! Collection from Summer 2012. Let me tell you that I love that collection like I love cake–meaning a lot. They were the perfect base colors to show off these other 4 polishes. You can see my Part 1 review of Shimmer Polish beauties here. Anywho, this time I also decided to share a macro shot of the actual polishes so you can see what they look like in the bottle. Are you ready for a new glitter explosion feast for your nails AND eyes?

Shimmer Polish Jasmine (Jessica Surfer Boyz’n Berry)

Shimer Polish Karen (Jessica Strawberry Shake It)

Shimmer Polish Vivian (Jessica Tangerine Dreamz)

Shimmer Polish Tammy (Jessica Banana Peel)

So what do you think about round 2 of Shimmer Polish swatches? Do you see any that you like? I am pretty obsessed with Jasmin and how it looks over Surfer Boyz’n Berry. As I stated in my previous review, all of these glitter polishes have a great formula that applies smoothly. The only one that was slightly testy was Vivian–it went on a little thick so I applied a little more than I initially wanted to. The combination also looks a lot like Valerie with Sation Heather from my previous Shimmer Polish post. Guess I really like that combination!

For news on Shimmer Polish and to keep up with all the gorgeous beauties that Cindy creates, don’t forget to follow her on all of her social media sites:

Website: http://www.shimmyshimmer.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ShimmerPolish

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ShimmerPolish

Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/shop/ShimmerPolish

Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I will catch up with you later.

Giveaway Time! – CLOSED

Posted on 4 December, 201222 December, 2012 by Cynthia

One year ago, I started this blog. My first blog post was on December 16, 2011; how many of you have read it? (Pssst…go read it here if you’re interested.) I can’t even begin to explain what this blog means to me and how grateful I am to all of you, my readers, who have stuck with me through this venture. Whether you regularly comment, send me encouraging messages or just read when you can–thank you! I’ve been debating about what I would like this blog to be in the future, and I still don’t really know. What I do know is that I am one fortunate gal to have met so many wonderful people thanks to this blog.

So in order to thank all of you for your continued support, I am holding my last giveaway of 2012!

Prize #1 A Set Of Mini OPI Skyfall Polishes

Prize #2: Seche Vite, China Glaze Channelesque and China Glaze Who’s Wearing What

(Quick note about these CG polishes. They are not 3-free in case that is a concern for you. These are old HTF and discontinued colors.)

Prize #3: Sation Seriously Slate, Hot 4 Teacher and Miss Emo Shun All

Prize #4: Nail Art Package

Prize #5: Jessica Cosmetics Spicy Dream Collection

(The amazing people over at Jessica Cosmetics just sent me a brand new set of their Spicy Dream Collection polishes to share with all of you. This is such an amazing collection that I previously reviewed here.)

Prize #6: Essence Break Through, Chic Reloaded, Fame Fatal and Grey To Be Here

(These polishes were kindly provided by the awesome people at Essence.)

To enter, just use the handy dandy Rafflecopter widget below. This giveaway is open worldwide, but please make sure that you know the customs regulations of your country before entering. The only mandatory entry is to be an e-mail blog subscriber and to leave a comment. Everything else is optional.

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I hope you all continue to enjoy my blog as much as I enjoy writing it and here is to a wonderful 2013 for us all!

Cynthia

China Glaze Wicked Collection Halloween 2012

Posted on 18 September, 201218 September, 2012 by Cynthia

Today I decided to beat the heat and head over to Little Saigon before the heat really started. My dusties are really…dusty. No, you don’t understand: you actually walk out of some of those places covered in dust and soot. My allergies actually get out of control when I go there, but it’s worth it. It’s sooooooo worth it. Jessica from Once Upon A Polish had mentioned that her Sally’s already had the China Glaze Wicked Collection out so I figured I might as well check my usual places since it’s the only place I can get my polishes for cheap. See, when you buy as much polish as I do, you have to become a polish sleuth and find the best (read cheapest) places so you can really go nuts on the quantity.

The China Glaze Wicked Collection is a 6 piece collection and I decided to get 4 of the polishes. I passed on the two glitters just because I didn’t think they were that interesting. Let me show you some swatches of the 4 polishes I picked up.

Roguish Red is kind of radioactive when my camera is involved. It is a very bright tomato orange color but it looked way brighter in the sun so I had a hard time taking an accurate picture. In the bottle, this looks exactly like China Glaze Pure Torture that was released in 2005 as part of the Voodoo, That U Do collection. It’s probably the same color! Poo! The application on this was perfect and only needed two coats. My only complaint is that the brush is junk on my bottle. I rarely have brush issues with China Glaze but this brush was frayed and wonky. 🙁

Immortal is really my favorite polish from this collection. I am always on the lookout for a good grey, and this one definitely fits the bill. The shimmer in it is just so pretty!! This polish was a little thin so I had to use three thin coats. Although I don’t think this is the most exciting polish of the bunch, it is probably the polish I would get the most use out of on a regular basis.

Bizarre Blurple is really throwing me for a loop. Normally I would say that it’s my favorite (purple and blue–hello!) but it’s very “been there, done that” on the heels of Orly Mysterious Curse (aka Orly Royal Velvet) and Deborah Lippmann Dancing In The Sheets. There might be slight differences, but not enough for me to tell you it’s worth getting if you have the others already. I know that won’t stop serious polish hoarders…like yours truly. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!

Cast A Spell is the only polish in this collection that actually seems Halloween inspired! Wow! One out of six. I don’t think I have anything similar to this in my collection so I’m definitely glad I picked it up. It’s such a gorgeous blackened olive with goldish/green flecks. Did I mention it’s amazing? This could be a one-coater if you use enough polish, but I ended up applying two thin coats.

What are your impressions of this collection? Are you planning on getting some of these polishes or will you be passing? Personally, I think that the Wet N Wild Fantasy Makers RIP polishes seem much more interesting. I will be swatching those for you tomorrow so you’ll have to let me know what you think.

Here is what the damage has been in the last couple of days…mostly all today.

Why does polish make me so happy? I’m just fortunate that I have stealth ninja skills when it comes to getting polish on the cheap…otherwise I would be in BIG trouble. Thanks again for stopping by and until next time!

P.S. Have you entered my Jessica Cosmetics Giveaway? No?! Why not?

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Barielle Falling Star

Posted on 17 September, 201217 September, 2012 by Cynthia

You know the feeling when you finally find a polish you’ve been wanting but initially passed on because you were being dumb? Well, I finally found this beauty. I picked up Barielle Falling Star this weekend at TJ Maxx, and I was beyond happy. I actually don’t remember the exact price, but I think it was $2.99 which is a steal in my book.. I had seen this polish in a blue themed set of Barielle polishes that I had neglected to pick up and then they disappeared. I should know better than that because when cool polishes show up, they will disappear just as quickly so don’t ever hesitate because you will lose out.

When I got home, I immediately searched online for swatches and I was super sad about the reviews for this polish. I read a lot of reviews stating that this polish was an application nightmare: that is was goopy and gross and almost impossible to apply. I armed myself with my bottle of thinner and was determined to make this polish work. Normally I am heavily against the idea of thinning a brand new polish, but if the reviews were accurate, this baby would need a whole bunch of thinner.

Behold, Falling Star:

I normally don’t post this many pictures for just one polish, but I actually really love this shade of blue. It was an antique and dusty feeling to it and I adore the copper/pink glitter. Even more amazing, the glitter doesn’t get lost in the base color despite the color being so pigmented. As far as the formula is concerned, yes it is thick and can get unruly and goopy in an instant. I added quite a few drops of thinner and found that the formula improved tremendously.

So what do you think of Falling Star? Is it a color you would wear? I honestly can’t think of any other similar color in my collection so I’d love to hear if you have any dupe suggestions.

If you haven’t entered yet, make sure that you check out my post here with the information for my latest giveaway which features two mini sets of Jessica Cosmetics polishes.

Thanks for stopping by and catch you later!

September Birthday Giveaway #2

Posted on 16 September, 201216 September, 2012 by Cynthia

Are you ready for another giveaway? As promised, the birthday extravaganza continues with another nail polish giveaway. I will be choosing two winners for this next giveaway as I have two sets of Jessica Cosmetics minis:

The colors in this kit are: Happy Days, Loving The Lilacs and Velvet Rope.

The colors in this kit are: Starlight Starbright, Cabernet Creme and Chilled Chambord.

This second picture made me laugh because you can see me taking the pic, and I hadn’t even combed my hair. What a bird’s nest!

I am so happy I got my hands on these sets because I think they are adorable and Jessica is really one of my favorite nail polish brands. I think they are sorely underrated because a lot of people can’t seem to get this brand locally and don’t always want to purchase them online. If you want to know how awesome the quality of these polishes is, check out some of my previous reviews here.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

My previous giveaways have been open to US, Canada, France and UK residents but I am going to open this up worldwide. My only concern is that I’ve heard that some countries are really strict when it comes to nail polish being mailed so please know the customs regulations of your particular country before you enter. I will not be responsible if you win and your prize is confiscated by customs…and that would make me super sad!

After this giveaway, I have one last one planned, and I hope that you will really enjoy it because I’m loving the idea of planning it. Weeeeeeeeee! 🙂 Don’t forget to share this with your nail polish loving friends.

Is This Real Life?

Posted on 6 July, 2012 by Cynthia

I love this video. I think it’s my second favorite kid video on youtube with Charlie Bit My Finger being #1

I was asking myself if I really bought this much nail polish today. I look at it and I am still wondering what possesses me to go on these nail polish buying binges. It’s like a high. Is anyone else understanding this or am I just nuts?

So much polish…………………..

I picked up the whole Gelato Mio collection from Jessica Cosmetics. I’ve gotta admit that the main reason why I got these is because I am dying to go back to Italy. Some of my fondest memories of Italy are food related–gelato being a huge part of it. The last time I was in Italy, way back in 2003, V. and I went to Rome and Florence. Despite how cold it was, we were still dedicated gelato eaters the whole time. Ahhh! Also, I have the funniest picture of D. and I during our first trip to Italy. We went out for a really awesome dinner and we had probably the most pivotal conversation in our 15 year friendship. We also proceeded to get plastered on red wine and then wandered around the city drunk and crazy trying to find a gelato place that was open. Once we did, we bought some and headed back to the hotel. The next morning, D. was asking me what the hell we had done the previous night because his jacket was coated with something. We never figured it out until I developed the pictures and we got a picture of him drunk, eating gelato while it was melting down the cone and down his arm all over his jacket. LOL

One of my dusties had a crapload of these American Classic nail polishes. I wanted to get a bunch of them because the one I previously tried was awesome. I still don’t have much info about this nail polish line, but I got to talking with the owner of the nail polish store and he told me that the guy who started this company also started China Glaze. Huh? He was telling me how he had designed the bottle and stuff. When you look at these, they do look exactly like CG bottles except for the ridges on the cap. How cool. Sally Beauty Supply gave me a contact # for American Classic (who make Gelous) so I’m going to call them and see if they can give me any info about this. I’d love to know how old these are.

Ahhh…Kleancolor. These smell like the vas deferens of a platypus. The smell is beyond disgusting so I don’t know if I’ll be able to deal with them. These are all glitters!!!! I decided to get them because they are dirt cheap and I will never pay a lot for any glitter.

These are just some assorted goodies from China Glaze (yay for super old polishes!!!), Nubar, Essie and Dare To Wear.

And lastly, I got some more special Konad polishes for stamping and some nail art stuff.

I need to cut the crap and stop being such a nail polish hoarder. I only have 20 nails…why do I need so much? Well, for now, nail polish makes me happy and I really need a little happiness when I’m usually feeling so rotten. I hate feeling like I’m just a shopaholic, but I guess it could be worse.

Stamping Sunday: Can’t Wait For Fall

Posted on 19 August, 2012 by Cynthia

I am a fall person. I can’t help it. I was born during the Autumnal Equinox, and I always found something poetic about it because I’ve always felt like I was an old soul with a darker disposition. Maybe that’s one of the reasons why I hate summer so much!

This Sunday, our theme is “Can’t Wait For Fall” and it couldn’t be more appropriate for me. Today I’m teasing you with Pumpkin Delight, a color from the Jessica Spicy Dream collection that is not available just yet. It should be available this month so keep an eye out for it if you love dark, spicy and rich fall colors. If you would like to see swatches of the whole collection, you can click here.

I started out with 2 coats of Pumpkin Delight:

Then I used stamp BM 309 for this design. I’ve got to admit that I hate birds. They freak me out so this was a big step for me to actually have birds on my nails even if they are supposed to be cute owls.

So what do you think of this look? I wasn’t feeling super inspired today. This was actually my second mani for Stamping Sunday; the first one was a complete fail that I didn’t even photograph before taking it off. Don’t you hate it when things don’t work out at all the way you pictured them in your mind?

I hope this weekend has been nice and relaxing for you. The heat has not eased up here in So Cal so I’m beyond grouchy at this point. All I have to say is that next week better be cooler or else…