Of Life and Lacquer

Sephora by OPI Eve-y On The Eyes

Posted on 17 January, 2014 by Cynthia

Happy Friday everyone! I’m really happy today because I actually have Saturday and Sunday off. OH MY GOD who did I have to pay off to actually have a normal 2 day weekend?? Unfortunately, this was just the way things worked out because my work schedule has been changed so I will be back to working one weekend day the following week. Womp, womp. I struggled so much to wake up this morning because the disgusting weather has triggered Allergygate 2014. I am feeling absolutely miserable, but I am going to push through it and try to enjoy my weekend. I went to buy some allergy meds and I forgot that I needed to bring an ID because people use this stuff for meth production. Yeah, no comment. Anyway, on to the polish! Today I have another one of my untrieds to share with you: Sephora by OPI Eve-y On The Eyes. Let’s take a look at this pretty.

This polish was so incredibly promising in the bottle. That beautiful shimmer drew me in immediately, so I was beyond sad when I finally tried it out and the shimmer basically disappeared. Waaaahhhh! Don’t get me wrong; this polish is still beautiful and the color rocks, but how gorgeous would it be if the shimmer showed up as well? The formula an this felt a little thin, but it does build up well.

I’m waiting for my nephew to get here right now so I can barely wait to see him. Every time I see him, he gets bigger and bigger. He just turned 2 months last week so he’s starting to coo and smile a lot which I love. He’s such a cutie. Hopefully he’s in a good mood today so I can get some good pictures of him. Make sure that you stop by tomorrow for Stamping Saturdays! I think that this time around, a few more of my girls will be participating so I can’t want to see what they come up with. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon!

Kiko 389 Mint Milk

Posted on 16 January, 201415 January, 2014 by Cynthia

I’m not going to go on another long rant about the weather today (even though I want to), so I will just mention that there was an earthquake the other night. I didn’t feel it since it was pretty minor, but this hellish heat and now the earthquake makes me feel like something bad is coming; maybe it’s a second collection of Crinkled Chromes. Ehhh… To make up for the crappy weather, I decided to wear a lovely, bright and creamy polish: Kiko 389 Mint Milk. I defy you not to love this!

My camera always tends to photograph things a little more blue than they really are. This color leans more minty green but my camera was just going nuts and would not capture it accurately. I was anticipating a difficult application, but the formula is so creamy and delicious that it only took two coat for full opacity. This polish makes me angry…angry because we don’t get Kiko in the States. Sadness. A big thank you to the lovely Sabrina for sending me this lovely gift–I love it!

Well, that’s all I have for you today. I am anticipating the weekend with so much glee. Through some fluke where all the planets aligned, I have this weekend off. Yes, two whole days off in a row…on a weekend. The idea that I am so excited about something that most people at most jobs get makes me kind of sad. Anyway, I hope you’re doing well and thanks so much for stopping by today.

Nicole by OPI & Dove: Discover Your Dark Side in the New Year Sweepstakes

Posted on 15 January, 2014 by Cynthia

Let me complain just a little bit right now: It is so dang hot today!!! It should not be 88 degrees in the freaking middle of Winter. You have no idea how irritated I am about this because I feel like I can deal and accept summer temperatures during the Summer, but not during the months when I’m supposed to be enjoying cooler temps. I know California weather is not typical and that we don’t really have Winters, but how is this even normal? Ok, I’m going to stop. As if you couldn’t tell already, hot weather makes me grumpy. Anyway, today I want to alert you that Nicole by OPI & Dove have teamed up for an awesome sweepstakes where there will be 25,000 winners!!! Say what?! Yes, 25,000 winners! Before I get to the sweepstakes details, I want to show you the two gorgeous polishes that you can win!

Are you a chocoholic too? Because I am!

Nicole by OPI Promises In The Dark

Nicole by OPI Better After Dark

Aren’t both of these gorgeous? The formula on both of them is perfect: creamy, very pigmented and smooth. I had absolutely no problem with application. Aren’t these the perfect colors for a chocolate inspired duo? Now for the fun part…

To enter the Discover Your Dark Side in the New Year Sweepstakes:

From now through February 5, 2014, DOVE® Chocolate Facebook fans can enter once per day for a chance to win one (1) of the 25,000 NICOLE by OPI® kits, which include:

§ A coupon for a free DOVE® Dark Chocolate Bar (1.34 oz. – 1.44 oz.)

§ Better After Dark NICOLE by OPI® Nail Lacquer Bottle

§ Promises in the Dark NICOLE by OPI® Nail Lacquer Bottle

To enter, simply “like” the DOVE® Chocolate Facebook page and click on the Sweepstakes tab to enter your name, email address, shipping address and date of birth. The Sweepstakes is open to legal residents of the 50 United States who are age 13 or older on or before December 27, 2013. All winners will be selected at random by an independent agency in the week following the sweepstakes.

For more information, please visit www.facebook.com/dovechocolate or www.facebook.com/nicolebyopi.

Go enter now! What are you waiting for? Good luck!

Formula X Fathom

Posted on 14 January, 201420 January, 2014 by Cynthia

Today I have another pretty from Sephora’s Formula X line. I really wish I didn’t keep liking these because of the price, but I just can’t help myself. I have a gift card burning a hole in my pocket right now, but I’m going to try to buy something sensible with it…like my MUFE HD foundation. I have one more Formula X polish that I bought around the same time, but it looks HORRID on me. I don’t recall the name right now, but it is a neutral color that I initially thought would be the perfect nude for a mannequin manicure. NOPE. It made my skin look green and gross. I was also sad that the cap had a small chip in it which I didn’t notice until I took off the plastic wrapping. I almost never return anything, but I’m thinking of returning this. I wonder if they will take it back even though I lost my receipt. Anyway, the polish du jour is Formula X Fathom so let’s take a look at it.

Beautiful smoky blue, come to mama. This kind of color is right up my alley…but don’t I say that about every color? The formula on this baby is superb: smooth, highly pigmented and crazy glossy. I applied 2 coats for my swatches above but I think that you could get away with 1 coat if you’re careful with your application. Since I need a little bling with this mani, I applied some gold glitter.

I am totally spacing on what glitter I used here…yes, I have that many gold glitters. This is nothing fancy, but I really like how pretty this looks. Those of you who have been following me since the beginning are probably laughing at me right now because there was a time when I hated glitter. HATED IT. What was I thinking?

Besides the ugly nude color that I hope to be returning, I can honestly say that I am very impressed with the Formula X line. While the price is now a deterrent for me ($10.50-$12.50), I think these are worth checking out if only to satisfy your curiosity. Have you purchased any polishes from this line? What do you think about this line being sold as a system where they recommend their own cleanser, base coat and top coat? Have you used the whole system? Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon!

Essie Resort Fling Collection 2014

Posted on 13 January, 201413 January, 2014 by Cynthia

It may still be cold and dreary in many parts of the country (not in my area since we’re getting up to the 80’s!!!), but it’s that time of year when we start to see Spring collections pop up. While I love the sizzling allure of Summer collections, I also look forward to the more restrained and delicate colors that inevitably pop up ever Spring. I always get excited about new collections because, frankly, that’s what polish addicts do. Today I have something new to share with you: the Essie Resort Fling Collection for 2014. I think I saw some promo shots late last year and I was a little underwhelmed. Since then I have seen some swatches, and I warmed up a bit towards the collection. Let’s take a look at my swatches, and I’ll let you know what I really think.

First up is Resort Fling. Ahhh…Resort Fling. I was really looking forward to this polish because it’s such a pretty sorbet type of color: like a creamy cantaloupe! Sadly, my excitement soon fizzled because of the formula. This polish is very sheer. Very, very sheer so the application was…difficult. I figured that it would be a 3 coater after I saw how sheer and streaky it applied, but I soon realized it would take more than that because it was still an uneven mess at 3 coats. I ended up applying 5 thin coats to get this polish to look nice. I am not ok with that.

Cocktails & Coconuts looks really pretty in the bottle, but I ended up not liking it on myself. I don’t think this is a particularly flattering shade on my tan skin. You can see some lovely shimmer in the bottle, but sadly it does not translate well on the nail. Because of the aforementioned shimmer, the consistency of this polish is somewhat grainy. Fortunately it covers a lot better than Resort Fling and I was able to achieve full opacity with 3 thin coats.

While I do feel that Essie has plenty of similar shades, Find Me An Oasis really grew on me. I love wearing white/off white polishes because they contrast so well on my skin tone, so I was very excited to try this one out even though I fear light colors such as this because they formula is usually streak city. Well, this polish was streaky, but it wasn’t as bad as I had feared. The first coat was very uneven, but it builds up nicely. Just make sure that you give ample dry time between coats and you shouldn’t have a problem with it. My swatches above show 3 thin coats.

And lastly we have Under The Twilight which is the best polish of this collection—consistency-wise. This baby is crazy pigmented so you could get away with one coat if you’re carefully with your application. This dark indigo polish leans a little more blue than purple in my eyes, but I would still call it a deep blurpe type of color. Is it just me or does it seem out of place in this collection?

Well, after the Essie high I had going on after their Fall and Winter collections, I am sad to report that I am not happy with this collection. The sub-par formulas really kill me because I’ve come to expect a lot from Essie. I also don’t feel that this collection is very cohesive nor am I a huge fan of the colors individually. Oh well! They can’t all be winners, right? In case you’re interested in these, I have made them available in my blog sale. Let me know what you think of this collection; are you as underwhelmed as I am? Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon.

Formula X Chaotic

Posted on 12 January, 2014 by Cynthia

Remember when Lynnderella put out Connect The Dots and everyone pretty much went batshit crazy for it? That seems like 5 billion years ago, right? Things seem to move so quickly in the nail polish world that we quickly got similar offerings from other indie makers. While the polish I have for you today is not an exact dupe of Connect The Dots, it is more of a close cousin. Formula X Chaotic is a black and white glitter topper with different sized black and white hex glitter as well as black bar glitter. You may notice that the bottle shape of this polish is different than the current Formula X polishes and that is because it was one of the first polishes from this line. Let’s take a look at this polish over a gorgeous pink.

Yeah, I know that we’ve all seen a million versions of this type of polish, but it doesn’t mean that it’s not any less pretty. I love the combination of the black and white over a hot pink like Golden Rose 09. The formula on this polish is fine…nothing to really complain about because it goes on well and you get good glitter coverage with one coat.

So…nothing groundbreaking with today’s post. I really like how this glitter topper looks over this hot pink color! I’m feeling kind of blah today so I’ll cut it short. I have a new collection to share with you tomorrow so make sure to check back in with me. Thanks for the visit today, and I hope you have enjoyed your weekend.

Stamping Saturdays – The Beginning!

Posted on 11 January, 201411 January, 2014 by Cynthia

One of the things I miss when I do tons of swatching is doing freehand designs and stamping. Stamping will always be my first love because when I first started getting obsessed with doing my own nails, it was the first technique I felt that I mastered. In order to push myself to at least do some stamping once in a while, a few friends and I will be trying to post stamping manicures every Saturday. For now I am feeling pretty enthusiastic about this, and I hope I don’t flake out like I always do. Ha! I think that because it’s only a once a week thing, I won’t be such a weirdo about it. For my first Stamping Saturdays mani, I decided to start with a gorgeous base: Illamasqua Superstition.

Seriously. This is such an amazingly gorgeous polish that it made me want to fall in love with Illamasqua all over again. I don’t know about you, but I was pretty annoyed when they raised their prices to $17 a bottle from $14. Uhm, yeah…no mas Illamasqua for me. I know that $3 isn’t that much and yes, I am that person who buys $30 polish, but such a sudden price hike rubbed me the wrong way. Anyway, I still love this. The formula is like buttah and it has a beautiful squishy quality to it. Then I started to stamp it up.

I’m not going to lie: I am way rusty with stamping so this manicure was kind of a nightmare. I really hate how the black konad special polish streaks like crazy when you top coat it. I actually had to redo the stamping because I smudged it up pretty horribly the first time. This particular image comes from Konad plate M64 in case you were wondering. I tried creating one of the inlinkz thing for this but I gotta be honest: I was way too lazy and I got confused easily. I’m sure the alcohol contributed to that but let’s not focus on that, ok? Once I figure out who and when my girls are posting, I will list their entries below. Edit: I think Amy figured out the linky thing.

So what do you think? Do you like stamping? I am definitely looking forward to doing more of these so make sure that you visit us next Saturday. Thanks so much for stopping by and I will talk to you soon.

Golden Rose 09

Posted on 10 January, 20149 January, 2014 by Cynthia

Hola my polish friends! For most of you, Friday means that your weekend is about to start. But for others like me, who work on the weekends, it just means that another week is almost coming to an end. Can you believe we are almost half-way through the first month of 2014?? Can you believe it’s actually 2014?! I’m not freaking out thinking that I’m getting older, even though I am, but I am thinking a lot about all the stuff I haven’t done. One of the things I constantly think about is that I had made a pact with my best friend, Daniel, to TRY climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro before we turned 30. Did that happen? NOPE. I’m now 34 and in terrible shape so I don’t think it’s going to happen anytime soon. I also just would NOT be able to afford it since it is quite expensive so now I’m stuck lamenting my poor planning and my even poorer finances. (Is poorer a word? It just sounds weird to me like “fork.”) Daniel still works in the travel industry and he still goes on vacations that make me jealous. His last vacation was to South Africa which he said was great. Any time he goes on any kind of vacation, I ask him to bring me back some polish. When he went to Puerto Rico last year, he brought me back my very first Bettinas. This year, he brought me back some Golden Rose polishes which I hadn’t really heard much about , but you know me: always happy to try something new! The polish I have to share with you today is Golden Rose 09 so let’s take a look at my swatches.

Golden Rose 09 is a hot pink polish…hello! Daniel sure knows my favorite colors! From looking online, this polish line is supposed to cover in one coat, but I didn’t think that was an accurate claim. The first coat covers well, but it definitely needs a second coat. I am not too sure where this brand really comes from, but I’ve never seen it in the US. It’s such a ME color that I am totally in love with it.

A big thanks to Daniel for such an awesome polish (1 of 2) that he brought back for me…even if I do force him to buy me gifts. hahaha Anyway, what do you think of this polish? Is this a brand that you’re familiar with? Let me know if there is something you have been wanting to do but haven’t gotten a chance to do yet. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I hope you’re having a nice Friday.

Nicole by OPI New Top Coats & Treatments For 2014

Posted on 9 January, 2014 by Cynthia

With all the pretty polish colors out there, sometimes it’s easy to forget that using a good base coat and top coat is going to be essential to keep that mani looking shiny, new and fresh. I realize that most people aren’t like me, meaning that you don’t all change your polish daily, so longevity is always important to the average consumer. This year we have some new offerings to choose from: Nicole by OPI New Top Coats & Treatments For 2014. Let’s take a look at some new products, shall we?

Now let’s see these in action!

First up is the 3-in-1 Base, Top Coat & Strengthener. This is a pretty convenient product because it’s actually 3 products in one so this is perfect if you’re traveling and don’t want to carry around multiple bottles. It gives a nice shine and it worked great to smooth and prep my nails before applying my nail color. Here I have applied it over OPI Gargantuan Green Grape (purchased myself).

Top coats…ahhh top coats! When you find one that you love and works for you, stick with it! I found that while this top coat is nice and smooths my polish nicely, it’s not a shiny as others that I use. I also found that it is thicker than what I normally prefer. Here I have applied it over OPI Gargantuan Green Grape (purchased myself) and Butter London Tart With A Heart (press sample).

Next up is a Matte Top Coat which I think had a nice consistency and wasn’t too thick. It mattifies nicely!

And lastly, we have this Oil To Go which is such a convenient way to give constant TLC to your poor battered cuticles. I keep this at my desk at work and apply some product after I wash my hands which is a lot of times throughout the day. I am always cautious of these types of products because if they are heavily scented, I probably won’t use them. The scent of this product is rather sweet and smells kind of tropical to me, but it’s not overpowering. While I would like a more subtle scent, it doesn’t really bother me.

Have you tried any of these products? Are you a cuticle product fanatic like myself? Considering the amount of abuse I put my hands through, I have to make sure that I keep my hands and cuticles super moisturized. Anyway, I hope you’re having a nice day, and I will talk to you soon!

OPI Gargantuan Green Grape

Posted on 8 January, 2014 by Cynthia

After yesterday’s disgusting turn (sorry if I offend your eyes), I wanted something that was clean, crisp and smooth so that is how I ended up picking today’s polish. I completely overslept today and now I’m feeling like I got run over by a truck. I am also going to have a hell of a time trying to fall asleep early tonight so that I can wake up at dawn to go to work. Holy shitballs this sucks. Oh well, such is life! Sooo…back to the polish. I’ve had OPI Gargantuan Green Grape for a while but I hadn’t used it, and I have no idea why because it’s such a cool color. To be honest, the first time I grabbed it, I was attracted by the name. Being a complete lit freak, I just kept thinking of Rabelais’ Gargantua novels which was a series I loved reading when I was taking some hardcore French lit classes. How could I not like them? Satire and scatological humor galore! Before I get too off track, let’s look at my swatches, shall we?

Isn’t this color just deliciously creamy? It made me think of pistachio gelato! I’m sad to report that the formula is not as wonderful as the finished result because it is fairly thin. Because of this, it applies super streaky so I do want to warn you that you will need multiple coats to even this out. When I saw how thin the formula was, I decided to apply very thin coats to minimize any dragging and bald spots so I ended up with 4 thin coats. Despite this, I still very much like this color and I can see myself wearing this for Spring.

What do you think of this color? If you like the color, are you willing to deal with a sort of difficult formula? I wanted to mention that I really enjoyed all of your comments and thoughts on the Crinkled Chrome polish that I posted yesterday. At least I know I’m not alone in my hate for that polish. Ha! Thanks so much for stopping by today, and we’ll talk soon!