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Stamping Saturdays #62

Posted on 25 July, 201525 July, 2015 by Cynthia

Happy Saturday everyone! I slept in so late today, and it felt delicious. I don’t have too much planned today except running errands and cleaning so it’s going to be a pretty lazy day. Last night I got my Stamping Saturdays mani done so I’m glad I didn’t leave this until the last possible second as usual.

This gorgeous purple is KBShimmer Pansy-monium (press sample). The formula on this is out of this world: creamy, opaque and glossy. This is two coats, and I probably could have gotten away with one.

For my stamping design I used Born Pretty plate BP-12 and Essie Good As Gold. I like this strange fan-like design–it’s simple but nice.

So what are you up to today? Any big plans for the weekend? I hope you’re enjoying the warm weather wherever you are. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon.

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Essie Peach Side Babe Collection Summer 2015

Posted on 27 May, 201526 May, 2015 by Cynthia

Whaaaat? Another Essie collection? Yes, there are two summer collections from Essie! Aren’t we lucky? (No, that was not sarcasm!) Coming off the ~~neons~~ brights from the previous collection, you might feel a little underwhelmed. Well, let me tell ya that while the colors may not be as bright, but they can still blow your socks off…or not. The Essie Peach Side Babe Collection for Summer 2015 is a collection of rather tame colors. I found myself not getting too excited as I sat down to swatch these, but I was pleasantly surprised by a few of the shade. Let me show you what I’m talking about.

I nearly had an aneurysm when I first laid eyes on Essie Private Weekend. In the bottle it looks like a gorgeous white with freaking sparkle. Yes, I went all googly eyed…until I put it on. Let me tell you that I didn’t find the formula that atrocious..it was no Zoya Genesis. While the first coat was super uneven, I found that three coats was enough to get it looking good. The tragic part about this polish is that the sparkle pretty much disappear on the nail. So sad.

I am really really liking Essie Chillato. What is a chillato? It sounds like clamato to me but when I wore this is reminded me of eating a huge cone of pistachio gelato as I walked the streets of Florence. The formula on this one was pretty typical of light colors like this: thin and patchy but it easily built up opacity with three coats.

Ahhh…my love of blues continue with Essie Salt Water Happy. Be warned that my camera makes this look a little more vibrant than it actually is. It’s a little less blue than what you see here, but it’s still gorgeous and it has a great formula–2 easy coats is what I am wearing above.

Look! Another beautiful blue. Essie Pret-a-Surfer should have been this collection’s namesake because it really steals the show. This one easily has the best formula of the entire collection–you could almost get away with one coat if you’re application is precise. Even better, there was no crazy staining. Score!

I don’t think peach colors look so hot on me, so Essie Peach Side Babe is definitely not one of my favorites. I lost my notes on application on this one, but I would remember if it was atrocious. I am pretty sure this was two coats.

And lastly we have Essie Sunset Sneaks. This one surprised me a bit because I am kind of an orange-red hater (omg, I remember how much i hated that color in my Crayola box!!!), but I actually really ended up liking this. The formula was ok on this one so no real problems to report.

I feel like I should like this collection more. I feel like I should go to the gym too, but that ain’t happening. I am feeling a little uninspired by this collection because the color are so mundane. Maybe I should have reviewed this before the brights, because now I’m feeling almost let down by their blandness. There are a few colors that I really love like Chillato, Pret-a-Surfer and Salt Water Happy so those would be my main recommendations. I really wish Private Weekend had fulfilled it’s delightful bottle promise, but alas, it was not meant to be. Anyway, I’m curious to hear what your take is on this collection so let me know in the comments below. Thank so much for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon.

Essie Summer Neons Collection 2015

Posted on 26 May, 201526 May, 2015 by Cynthia

Neons. Neeeons. NEEEEEEONNSSSS. Did anyone say neons? If you are like me, you pretty much live for neon polishes in every shade, every finish and every brand. I know that when Essie puts out a “neon” collection, it won’t really be neon but that doesn’t dissuade me from stalking my beauty supply. I know some of you get insulted by the lack of true neon colors, but let’s just make nice with Essie and realize that their neon = bright. If they were to put out a true neon collection, they would have to call them radioactive or something like that so until that happens, let’s just work with them…mmmkkk? The Essie Summer Neons Collection for 2015 is just what I was expecting: 6 bright polishes with a somewhat tricky formula. I’ve got to admit they’re kind of gorgeous, so let me show you these beauties.

First up is Essie Coacha’bella. This one is pretty, oh so pretty but oh so forgettable. The formula isn’t horrible–you just have to apply it precisely and not overwork it. I recommend two very thin coats–with adequate dry time in between coats–and a thicker third coat to level it all out.

Next we have Essie All Access Pass. This one was the one I knew would make me age 3 years just trying to capture the color accurately. My camera is super difficult when it comes to capturing these indigo/purple colors so I pretty much gave up after a few dozen pictures. The formula on this one is incredibly thin and sheer so I figured I’d need 50 coats to make it look good. Three coats is what it took so no biggie.

When I saw Essie Vibrant Vibes, I was afraid–very afraid. This type of color is notoriously difficult to work with so I said a little prayer to La Virgen de Guadalupe before I sat down to swatch this one. Well, it seems that my prayer worked because it really wasn’t horrible. Yes, it was super streaky after the first coat, but it looked fine after the third coat. I’m not gonna complain about that because 1) I didn’t apply white undies 2) It could be much, much worse.

I love me some bright blues, so Essie Make Some Noise is right up my alley. Out of the 6 polishes, Make Some Noise has the best formula. It’s super pigmented and opaque which means that it’s out of control gorgeous and also stains like a mofo. You can see what happened after I removed this polish over on instagram in case you’re curious. It was a blue massacre. Still, it’s pretty and only needs two coats for full opacity. If you want to avoid hella staining, wear a good base coat.

Essie Groove is in the Heart is a beautiful pink with a patchtastic formula. Patchtastic /pachˈtastik/ is a word in the Cynthia Polish Lexicon in case you were wondering. Colors like this make me look extra tan so please excuse the blatant darker skin picture–it’s still my hand…not some darker random stranger. This one required 3 coats as well and to be honest, I think this one was the hardest for me to work with. Still, it’s pink and pink is my color even when it’s baby pink so I’ll let it slide.

And lastly we have Essie Melody Maker. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. The formula on this one is really good, even for Essie. It’s the second two coater from this collection, but I didn’t get staining from this one like I did with Make Some Noise. Lesley and I were remarking that we probably have dupes for this one but we don’t care because we can NEVER get enough of these types of colors. The first couple of colors that came to mind are OCC Chlorophyl…

Sorry, I couldn’t help it. So, I was saying: OCC Chlorophyl and YSL Vert d’Orient are two polishes that are possible dupes. Do I care? Nope. It’s a sickness, I tell ya.

So what do you think about this collection? Personally I like it, I like it a lot. I’m happy that they do not require a white base because ain’t nobody got time for that. I know that the major complaint will be that these are not neon, so let’s just get that out of the way right now. The only neon in this whole collection is probably Vibrant Vibes and even that one didn’t require a white base. Despite the atrocious staining, I think Make Some Noise is my favorite one from the collection with Melody Maker coming in at a close second. I’ve heard that this collection is exclusive to Target (Essie’s post on IG), but that’s kinda weird, no? I got my set at an independent beauty supply so there’s that. I do wonder what the general reaction will be to this collection so please share your thoughts below. I hope you’re doing well today, and thanks a bunch for stopping by today. Talk to you soon!

Essie Resort Collection 2015

Posted on 7 April, 20155 April, 2015 by Cynthia

Can you believe I kept forgetting to post this review? In fact, you can tell it’s an older review because my nails were a different shape! I picked up the Essie Resort Collection for 2015 a while back because…I must try all the new Essie collections even when they don’t immediately appeal to me. Is that crazy? Some people may say so but it’s an addiction–at least I can admit it. Just like the yearly bridal collections that Essie releases, I like that they are smaller than the usual 6 piece collections. I feel that these collections can be very hit or miss so let me show you the swatches before we talk more about them.

Essie Suite Retreat

Essie Time For Me Time

Essie Stones n’ Roses

Essie Cocoa Karma

I’m just not feeling this collection. I really don’t like Cocoa Karma on me and the other colors, while nice, don’t really wow me. If I only had to pick one color from this collection it would have to be Suite Retreat because it’s the most vibrant color of the bunch and has a pretty kick-ass formula. I don’t really have much else to say about this collection–just a big meh.What are your thoughts on this small collection? Did you pick up any of these colors? Well, I hope you’re doing well and as always: thanks for the visit!

Essie Flowerista Collection Spring 2015

Posted on 6 April, 20155 April, 2015 by Cynthia

Hello friends! I hope you’re doing well today and that you’re ready for this post easter Monday. I had a nice Sunday with my family and we ate waaaaaaaaaay too much which is what usually happens when we get together for any holiday. Since Lent ended on 4/2, I immediately went out to purchase a bunch of polishes as I documented on Instagram. I was really dying to get my hands on the Essie Flowerista Collection for Spring 2015 so of course it was the first collection I decided to swatch. You already know that I have a love/hate relationship with Essie because I love the brand so much yet I end up hating the formulation on the polishes many times. I know you’re all on pins and needles waiting to hear what the final verdict is (not), but let me show you the polishes first.

Essie Perennial Chic

Essie Picked Perfect

Essie Petal Pushers

Essie Flowerista

Essie Blossom Dandy

Essie Garden Variety

Before I move forward with my thoughts, I wanted to share two pictures that are a little more color accurate. I took them with my phone camera so the quality isn’t the same but I did want to show you the way Blossom Dandy and Garden Variety lean more green than what my pictures above show. My camera is so difficult when it comes to blues and greens so I just have to deal with it.

In real life, Blossom Dandy is more minty pale green and Garden Variety is more teal-leaning. So there you have it.

Uhm, I just don’t even know where to start: this collection is freaking out of this world gorgeous! I loved every single shade and to make the whole thing even sweeter, the formula on these polishes is NOT problematic. I used two coats for all of my swatches with a coat of Seche to shine it all up. Does Rebecca Minkoff have the magic touch? Essie Collections this good–formulawise–are a little rare so I’m hoping this becomes a trend. I did not experience a single issue with these polishes, but I did allow plenty of dry time in between coats to avoid creating any bald spots. In case you haven’t realized it yet, I think this collection is peachy keen, the bee’s knees, totally tubular and any other silly saying you can think of. I’m super happy that Essie rebounded with this after the Cashmere Matte disappointment–I won’t lose the faith! So what do you think about this collection? Will you be picking up any of these colors? Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon!

Essie Cashmere Matte Collection 2015

Posted on 28 January, 201528 January, 2015 by Cynthia

Hey chickadees! How is your week going so far? I can’t believe that we are almost through the last week of January. Holy frijoles! Where does time go? I’ve been chugging along…working, swatching, buying a million polishes…new year, same old same old. I am pretty excited about all of the Spring collections that are about to drop so that’s definitely keeping my swatching schedule busy. I should have the Zoya Satins up on the blog next week (since quite a few of you have asked me), the KBShimmer Spring Collection will be on my blog on 2/1 and you are going to DIE–it’s amazing. I will also have the Essie Resort Collection up next week and the Zoya Spring Collection as well. After that I am expecting my shipment of OPI Hawaii and some of the Infinite Shine polishes that I’m super excited to try out. So yes…lot’s of fun stuff coming to ye olde blog. Today I have a collection that I had been lusting over ince I first saw swatches. I stalked my beauty supply until they came in and of course I grabbed them all. Since I’m the one person on the planet that adored Belugaria, I was thinking I would enjoy these “different” polishes. Before I get into my thoughts (and oh boy do I have thoughts), let me show you my swatches. Here is the Essie Cashmere Matte Collection for your perusal.

Essie Coat Couture

Essie Spun in Luxe

Essie Wrap Me Up

Essie Just Stitched

Essie Comfy In Cashmere

Essie All Eyes on Nudes

When I first saw swatches of these, I was like chomping at the bit: Essie. Check! Shimmer. Check! Luxurious mattes. Check! Beautiful transitional colors. Check! Then I tried them. Uncheck errrything. I think that these look absolutely horrendous on me. In the words of a friend who shall remain nameless: “these essie cashmere mattes or whatever make your fingers look shitty.” I seriously cracked up reading that because it’s so true. These look kind of foul on me. Not only do they look gross on me, but I had the hardest time working with them. You can see how uneven my application looks in my pictures. Part of it might be that I have a really damaged and uneven nail surface right now, but I also found them kind of goopy and just hard to deal with–like most mattes. I think that top coating them might have helped to make them look more smooth, but I was just not in the mood to even deal with them any longer. In their defense, the idea of what these could have been is freaking spectacular. The shimmer in these polishes elevates them–makes them infinitely more interesting. The shimmer doesn’t disappear on the nail so of course that excited me to no end. Now, if you want to see swatches of how gorgeous they can look, you can check out Eugenia’s post or Karen’s post about this collection. They made me want them bad…and then I wanted to drop an a-bomb on the whole collection. I’ve started to call them the Cash-smears Collection just cause I don’t like them and cause I’m terribly sad about it. Look, I wouldn’t be this sad about it if I didn’t love Essie so much. I feel like I write this in 80% of my Essie reviews–not a good trend. haha Anyway, considering how torturous this collection was, I leave you with Shakira’s La Tortura cause they were pure torture to apply…and because this video features my #1 hot lava Alejandro Sanz. Yep, enjoy…and I’ll talk to you later.

Stamping Saturdays #52

Posted on 17 January, 2015 by Cynthia

Saturday is my favorite day of the week, and not just because of Stamping Saturdays–ha! I have a 4 day weekend to enjoy so I’m kind of in lazy heaven right now. I’ve been so dang tired this week so I’m hoping that this break with recharge me. I don’t have too much planned for this weekend, so I’m going to try to get some swatching done. I am still dealing with my damaged right hand nails so you’re continuing to see my left hand. In fact, I changed the shape of my nails to more of an almond shape on my right hand because they were tearing at the corners due to how weak they are. The last time I changed the shape of my nails, people didn’t seem too happy with the shape but I’m going to keep it until the damage grows out. Last night I could not figure out what to do for today’s Stamping Saturdays so I went with a color that I love: OPI In The Cable Car-pool Lane.

In The Cable Car-pool Lane (press sample) is one of my favorite colors from the San Francisco Collection. Just look how glossy and delicious it is.

For my stamping, I used my favorite stamping gold, Essie Good As Gold, and an image from Born Pretty plate BP-21. I really like the combination of the base color and the gold even if the actual design is just ok.

So what do you think of this mani? If you are in the US, do you also have a nice long weekend? Well, I hope that you’re doing well today and are enjoying your Saturday. Check out the other Stamping Saturdays designs below and join us on Instagram by tagging your posts #stampingsaturdays so I can find you. Also, if you haven’t entered my flash giveaway which is running for one week, make sure to click here to enter. Thanks for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon.

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Stamping Saturdays #45

Posted on 29 November, 2014 by Cynthia

Aaahhh this weekend is turning out pretty darn deliciously lazy. I haven’t really been sleeping in because I don’t want to completely throw off my schedule, but I have been lazying around pretty much all day. In fact, yesterday I didn’t change out of my pajama until I took a shower and put on a new pair before bedtime. hahaha! I haven’t done much today but I do have to go babysit the Peanut Brat tonight, so that will force me to at least shower, get dressed and comb my hair. I did manage to get my Stamping Saturdays mani done early last night, but I got lazy when it came to putting the post together–story of my life. So I ended up using an oldie: Cult Nails My Kind of Cool Aid.

Do you remember how people went bananas when Cult Nails My Kind of Cool Aid came out? I think this is a gorgeous polish that looks so classy and flattering. The formula on this baby is great and it only needed two coats for full opacity.

Since I wanted to keep the overall felling very delicate, I used Born Pretty plate BP-21 for this design along with Essie Nothing Else Metals for my stamping polish. I think this came out just the way I wanted it to. I am super pleased with all of the Born Pretty plates that I have used!

So what are you up to today? It’s pretty warm here like in the low 80’s but it’s really windy and sunny so I think it’s a lovely day. Well, I hope you’re enjoying your weekend, and I will talk to you soon!

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Essie Jiggle Hi Jiggle Low Collection Winter 2014

Posted on 20 October, 201420 October, 2014 by Cynthia

Hey there! How’s your Monday going? Mine is same old same old–you already know how I feel about Mondays. I had a pretty relaxed weekend and of course I didn’t get all he stuff done that I need to, but that’s just the way weekends go, right? I still have a huge pile of polishes to swatch that I’ve decided to not stress about anymore. I got about 20 done on Sunday which is pretty good so at least that was a small dent. Today’s post is all about the latest Winter collection I got my hands on: Essie Jiggle Hi Jiggle Low Collection for Winter 2014. Jiggle Hi Jiggle Low???? What does that even mean? Anyway, let’s take a look at the polishes.

Essie Tuck It In My Tux

Essie Back In The Limo

Essie Bump Up The Pumps

Essie Double Breasted Jacket

Essie Jump In My Jumpsuit

Essie Jiggle Hi Jiggle Low

Ugh. Where to start? The first two polishes Tuck It In My Tux and Back In The Limo are sheer jellies so they were not enjoyable AT ALL. They were both so streaky! I have this rule that if a polish still doesn’t look good at 3 coats, I am not going to fiddle with it anymore and it will stay ugly for my blog. I really wanted to like these two because they are classy colors that I think everyone should own, but the formula ruined it for me. The next 3 polishes are creamy and delicious–everything I dream about when I think of cremes. They are one coaters if you’re careful which you know I always enjoy. Despite this, how do these colors fit in a Winter collection? I just don’t get it. And then we have the gold/silver foil. No, just no. This collection was just a big no for me so I’ve put it up on my blog sale. Don’t get me wrong–4 polishes out of 6 had a really great formula, but I just find the collection disjointed and not super exciting at all. So what do you think? Are you as “meh” on this collection as I am? Let me know in the comments below! Thanks so much for stopping by today.

Essie Pinking About You Collection BCA 2014

Posted on 10 September, 20149 September, 2014 by Cynthia

Yesterday I showed you the first BCA set that I got my hands on, and today I have a pretty trio from Essie. Now, you know my relationship with Essie: I must have every single collection no matter what people say. I have some weird obsession with the pretty square bottles and white handles. Since I now broke two nails, I’ve been feeling sad about not being able to swatch and stuff but I guess this is a good break for me. I do have enough posts lined up for the rest of the week, but I think I may have skip next week unless I wear a fake press on nail. Would that be weird? Maybe just a little? haha! Anyway, let me show you the Essie Pinking About You Collection for Breast Cancer Awareness 2014.

Essie I Pink I Can

Essie Pink Happy

Essie Pinking About You

You know, this is such a nice little trio. The two cremes are pretty nice and aren’t streaky. I used two coats for each polish and that’s all they needed. I was expecting I Pink I Can to be super streaky, but it has a pretty nice formula. My favorite of the three is Pink Happy because it’s one of those juicy hot pink polishes that I absolutely adore. Every time I wear a super hot pink like this, people always comment on my nails. The glitter combination in Pinking About You isn’t anything we haven’t see before, but Essie isn’t usually known for this type of glitter polish so I’m always happy to see glitter polishes from them. The glitter is plentiful so you will not have any problems getting good coverage.

So what do you think about this collection? I know the colors are anything out of this world, but they are nice, girly and excellent staples. I hope you’re having a good week so far–we are almost halfway through the week…yay! Thanks for the visit, and I will talk to you soon.