Tag: Dahlia

LVX Fall 2013 Collection

LVX Fall 2013 Collection

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Fall? What’s that? Hello, California—can you please get with it already and stop with the 70-80 degree weather? I really don’t appreciate you forcing me into wearing flip flops and t-shirts instead of sweaters and coats when November is right around the corner. We might be getting rain today and tomorrow, but all that means is that we will have 2 “cool” days followed by more heat. Oh wait…rain means I don’t have to feel guilty about not washing Basil for the last 2 weeks…and by Basil, I mean my car which is in need of a good scrub down. I’ll never let it get to the point where someone writes “WASH ME” onto the coat of dirt, but he’s getting to the crusty point of no return. I’m sorry, Basil! One way or the other, you will get clean—let’s just hope mother nature takes care of it for me.

So, I’ve been mentioning that I’ve been doing a lot of swatching lately and by a lot I mean that my fingers and nails are feeling a little bit like a nice carpaccio. I’ve finished most of my swatching which includes about 30 polishes, and I still have 8 more to go before I’m completely caught up. In the meantime, I’m sure I’ll amass a few more so I better get to it. Today I have something to share with you that makes me weak in the knees in the best possible way (although it could also be my arthritis brought on by old age). If you are a crème lover, you are going to fall in love with the LVX Fall 2013 Collection. Seriously, don’t try to resist the urge to buy every single one of these because resistance is futile when you are confronted with the glossy and buttery goodness of a kick ass crème. Don’t believe me? Let’s take a look at these beauties.

LVX Azzurrum 1LVX Azzurrum 2Have you had enough of dark and mysterious navy hues? I sure haven’t! LVX Azzurrum is yet another fall appropriate navy blue that won’t disappoint. It’s not blackened to the point that you stop seeing the blue in this polish so you don’t have to worry about lighting and such. It’s a very saturated color so you will only need two coats for full opacity.

LVX Viridis 1LVX Viridis 2This.Is.Gorgeous. This beautiful and smoky emerald is the dream come true of every teal/green/emerald lover. Not only is LVX Viridis incredibly bright and pigmented, but it applies like a dream. It is almost a one coater, and it dries super shiny which only makes it even more gorgeous.

LVX Dahlia 1LVX Dahlia 2I really enjoy vampy shades like LVX Dahlia, but I felt that it was deceptively thin. I figured that such a dark color wouldn’t need more than two coats, but I ended up having to apply a thick third coat to even out the color. I think that the main problem came from not giving it enough time between coats as I found it was super easy to create bald spots. The more I look at it, the more this reminds me of a really luscious bbq sauce. Yum!

LVX Relique 1LVX Relique 2LVX Relique is definitely a color that I love in every possible version out there.  This color took me back to when we all went wild for OPI Metro Chic. I also treasure my bottle of Channelsque because it’s in the same vein. This color was very pigmented, and I actually got away with one thicker coat. Me likey. Me likey a lot.

LVX Cliquot 1LVX Cliquot 2I don’t know about you, but I don’t think that LVX Cliquot looks very rosy. It could be that my skin tone makes it look a little different, but this definitely looks more peachy to me. It’s a pretty color that I wouldn’t normally gravitates towards, but I can totally see this looking fabulous on lighter skin tones.  Since this is a lighter color, I did find it a little streaky after the first coat, but it evened out nicely with a second coat.

LVX Cashmere 1LVX Cashmere 2Ahhhh! This was a definite surprise. LVX Cashmere is such a delicate light grey that I feel really pops against my skin. It has this dusty quality to it that makes it look so unique. I always love painting my nails in light colors so this is a great option when I’m not looking for just a super bright white. You may remember that LVX Fantom is my favorite white of all time so you know that when a company makes a good white crème, they know what they are doing. I applied 3 thin coats of Cashmere to even it out since it did apply a bit streaky.

Unless you’ve skipped my entire review, you probably already know that I freaking love this collection. There is nothing revolutionary about the palette here, but there is nothing better than a fantastic crème in my book and boy does LVX know how to make crèmes that will blow your socks off.  If you’re interested in picking up any of these colors, you can purchase them at the LVX website where they retail for $16 per .5oz bottle. For more information on LVX, you can follow them on their website, facebook,   twitter and instagram. Thanks so much for catching up with me today, and I will talk to you soon!

Zoya PixieDust Collection

Ok, I have to admit that I am a little embarrassed by these swatches. I don’t know what I was thinking, but I was swatching this collection in very low light so I didn’t even notice what a crappy job I did. Additionally, I took these pictures during the cleaning tsunami of February 2013 so my hands look so raw and gross. In fact, I did something that I never EVER do to my pictures…I airbrushed my cuticle on my ring finger because it was raw and a little bloody. I know that many bloggers out there photoshop and airbrush their pictures, but I am very anti photoshopping–what’s the point? Show off the polish AND your hands for what they really are. There is nothing that I hate more than seeing pictures where the person photoshops their skin so much that they end up looking like they have mannequin hands. Ultimately, it’s none of my business what other people do–it’s their blog, their pictures. Now, before anyone gets their panties in a bunch, I am not directing this towards anyone; it’s just an observation and an opinion. Before I dig this hole any deeper, let me show you the Zoya PixieDust Collection.

Zoya PixieDust Collection

Here they are. Aren’t they pretty?

Zoya Chyna

Chyna

Zoya NYX

NYX

Zoya Godiva

Godiva

Zoya London

London

Zoya Vespa

Vespa

Zoya Dahlia

Dahlia

Instead of talking about each polish individually, I figured I would do it all at the end since the formula on these polishes is pretty much the same across the board. It is very important that you let each coat dry before you apply the next. I applied 3 coats in order to get full coverage. The rough texture of this polishes did not bother me at all which I already knew I’d be ok with after trying the OPI Liquid Sand polishes, but I kind of missed the chunkier look of the Liquid Sands. If you’re looking for a finer alternative, then the PixieDust collection might be right for you. Personally, I wish the colors were more vibrant and interesting. I think the colors here are very nice, but they don’t excite me. I would have wanted to see a purple and a dark green or anything more exciting. Despite the not so exciting color palette of this collection, I still think these are definitely worth picking up if you want to try matte glitter.

If you’ve never tried Zoya polishes and want to get a coupon for a free bottle, you can create an account by using my referral link here. The only caveat is that you have to pay for shipping, but if you purchase 2 more bottles at the same time, they offer free shipping.  This only works if you’re opening a brand new account with them.

What do you think of the Zoya PixieDust Collection? Will you be getting any of these polishes? Do you have a favorite?