Tag: Fall 2016

Of Life and Lacquer > Fall 2016
Zoya Urban Grunge Collection – Metallic Holos

Zoya Urban Grunge Collection – Metallic Holos

Posted on by Cynthia

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Zoya Urban Grunge Collection

 

Holy crap…it’s almost September! By now most of the Fall collections have dropped and we’re starting to look forward to the next season of shades. Personally, Fall shades are my favorite because I just love dark and moody shades. I’m pretty much caught up on all of my swatching so it feels like I can start just enjoying wearing manicures longer than a couple of days. This weekend I finally got the chance to swatch the last few polishes in my swatch pile and they are goygeous. Last week I showed you the creme half of the Zoya Urban Grunge Collection, and today I have the Metallic Holos. Let’s move forward with my swatches…

Zoya Urban Grunge Collection Alicia 1

Zoya Urban Grunge Collection Alicia 2

Zoya Alicia

Zoya Urban Grunge Collection Troy 1

Zoya Urban Grunge Collection Troy 2

Zoya Troy

Zoya Urban Grunge Collection Britta 1

Zoya Urban Grunge Collection Britta 2

Zoya Britta

Zoya Urban Grunge Collection Ash 1

Zoya Urban Grunge Collection Ash 2

Zoya Ash

Zoya Urban Grunge Collection Finley 1

Zoya Urban Grunge Collection Finley 2

Zoya Finley

Zoya Urban Grunge Collection Merida 1

Zoya Urban Grunge Collection Merida 2

Zoya Merida

Welp, these are beautiful; there’s not much else to say about these polishes. I know that everyone is losing their marbles over Finley and Merida, but my surprise favorite is Alicia. Yes, I do think that Finley and Merida are gorgeous, but there is something unique about Alicia that just makes me love it. It’s not really a typical silver holo–it has a gold sheen to it that makes it look different. The holo is scattered and very delicate. The only thing about Alicia is that it does require 3 coats of polish for full opacity because it has a very sheer formula. I actually really liked the look of Alicia at one coat because it looks very neutral in low light but comes alive in the sun. For all of my swatches above, I applied 2 coats of polish and a glossy top coat. So what do you think? Have you picked up any of these beauties? If you’re interested, head over to zoya.com where these retail for $10. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon! Zoya Urban Grunge Collection

 

 

Zoya Urban Grunge Collection – Cremes

Zoya Urban Grunge Collection – Cremes

Posted on by Cynthia

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Hello, good Monday morning (if you’re reading this as soon as it was posted)! I’ve had some pretty uneventful days recently, and somehow I feel that in a way it is exactly what I needed. It hasn’t been as unbearably hot lately either so I think that has helped out with my mood. I get so grumpy when it’s so hot that I just don’t want to do anything. Not having AC in my apartment is kind of annoying, but being this close to the beach means that I don’t really need AC for most of the year so I guess I shouldn’t complain. Things have also gotten back to normal since my parents went back home; I love them to death, but sometimes I just need some peace and quiet. This weekend I tried to get a bunch of things done but pretty much failed: story of my life! One thing that I did do, is that I got the creme half of the Zoya Urban Grunge Collection swatched. Yipppeeee! At least I got one thing done that was on my list. Let me show you my swatcheroos before we dive in.

Zoya August 1

Zoya August 2

Zoya August

Zoya Noah 1

Zoya Noah 2

Zoya Noah

Zoya Courtney 1

Zoya Courtney 2

Zoya Courtney

Zoya Tara 1

Zoya Tara 2

Zoya Tara

Zoya Wyatt 1

Zoya Wyatt 2

Zoya Wyatt

Zoya Mallory 1

Zoya Mallory 2

Zoya Mallory

Oh, where to start? You all know I love myself some delicious creme polishes, but I am not super in love with this half of the collection. These are marketed as one coat cremes, and I can tell you that these are much better cremes than the Sunsets. You can definitely get away with one coat on some of these if you use a thick enough coat, but personally I prefer to use two thinner coats because I feel like I get better results. The formula on these was not bad–with the exception of Noah. Oh, Noah, you traitorous putty creme! It was really difficult to work with Noah and even after 3 coats, it just looked streaky and off. I do like the color and I can see it working on many skin tones, but it was just a big fat nope for me. As for the rest of the colors, I used 2 thin coats of polish and 1 coat of glossy top coat. If you want to hear the honest truth, save your doubloons. These are nice creams if you don’t already have something similar, but let’s be honest: you probably have a few dupes of all of these. However, if you are kind of normal and don’t have numerous dupes of these colors, I feel that Wyatt and Mallory are definitely worth picking up. You will also need your doubloons for the other half of this collection: the metallic holos. Be still, my beating heart! (Swatches coming soon.) If you’re interested in picking up any of these cremes from the Zoya Urban Grunge Collection, you can head over to zoya.com where they retail for $10 each. What do you think of this half of the collection? Are there any shades that you are interested in getting? Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I hope you have a great day!

OPI Washington DC Collection Fall 2016

OPI Washington DC Collection Fall 2016

Posted on by Cynthia

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Ahhhh! Wednesday! We are just about halfway through the workweek, and I am already thinking about the weekend. It’s not just me, right? Lately I’ve been having a lot of problems staying asleep through the night. Even though I tend to fall back asleep quickly, I wake up about 2-3 times each night. I think this is the main reason why I always wake up feeling so darn tired. That is definitely something that I need to talk to my doctor about. In fact, I have been wondering if maybe I have sleep apnea–great, one more thing on my jacked up health conditions list. Anyway, let’s move on to some more pleasant things like awesome nail polish. Today I have the OPI Washington DC Collection for Fall 2016 and lemme tell you, there are some awesome shades here.  Let’s check out my swatches, shall we?

OPI Madam President 1

OPI Madam President 2

OPI Madam President

OPI Yank My Doodle 1

OPI Yank My Doodle 2

OPI Yank My Doodle

OPI By Popular Vote 1

OPI By Popular Vote 2

OPI By Popular Vote

OPI We The Female 1

OPI We The Female 2

OPI We The Female

OPI Kerry Blossom 1

OPI Kerry Blossom 2

OPI Kerry Blossom

OPI Squeaker Of The House 1

OPI Squeaker Of The House 2

OPI Squeaker Of The House

OPI Inside The Isabelletway 1

OPI Inside The Isabelletway 2

OPI Inside The Isabelletway

OPI Freedom Of Peach 1

OPI Freedom Of Peach 2

OPI Freedom Of Peach

OPI Pale To The Chief 1

OPI Pale To The Chief 2

OPI Pale To The Chief

OPI Never A Dulles Moment 1

OPI Never A Dulles Moment 2

OPI Never A Dulles Moment

OPI Shh...It's Top Secret 1

OPI Shh...It's Top Secret 2

OPI Shh…It’s Top Secret 

OPI Liv In The Gray 1

OPI Liv In The Gray 2

OPI Liv In The Gray

OPI CIA = Color Is Awesome 1

OPI CIA = Color Is Awesome 2

OPI CIA = Color Is Awesome

OPI Suzi - The First Lady Of Nails 1

OPI Suzi - The First Lady Of Nails 2

OPI Suzi – The First Lady Of Nails

OPI Stay Off The Lawn!! 1

OPI Stay Off The Lawn!! 2

OPI Stay Off The Lawn!!

You already know how I feel about cremes, so this is my kind of collection. OPI always does such a great job with cremes, and these are no different. I had zero issues with the formula on these: all of my swatches show two coats of polish and one coat of glossy top coat. Yes, I understand that these colors may not be mind blowing, but they are beautiful, creamy and very versatile. This is also the first collaboration between OPI and Kerry Washington who is their new Creative Ambassador. If you’re a Scandal fan, you’ll definitely like the names of these polishes. What do you think of this collection? Let me know if you’ve picked up any of these shades or if you have any favorites. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon!

China Glaze Rebel Collection Fall 2016

China Glaze Rebel Collection Fall 2016

Posted on by Cynthia

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Have I mentioned before that Fall polish collections are my absolute favorite? As much as I love super bright and flashy colors that tend to pop up during the Summer months, I am a lover of all things dark and moody. Fall collections always bring out rich and saturated darker colors that I just crave. I have quite a few Fall collections to share with you in the next week so I’m uber excited. I don’t know about you, but I think that China Glaze always tends to do some pretty awesome collections with great themes. This fall, the China Glaze Rebel Collection takes us back to the 90’s. Being born in 1979, I feel equally part 80’s and part 90’s kid so this was a fun blast to the past. Let me show you my swatches below before I get into my thoughts.

China Glaze Fresh Prince-ss 1

China Glaze Fresh Prince-ss 2

China Glaze Fresh Prince-ss 

China Glaze Dope Taupe 1

China Glaze Dope Taupe 2

China Glaze Dope Taupe 

China Glaze Jagged Little Teal 1

China Glaze Jagged Little Teal 2

China Glaze Jagged Little Teal

China Glaze Pearl Jammin’ 1

China Glaze Pearl Jammin’ 2

China Glaze Pearl Jammin’

China Glaze Purple Fiction 1

China Glaze Purple Fiction 2

China Glaze Purple Fiction

China Glaze Y’all Red-y For This 1

China Glaze Y’all Red-y For This 2

China Glaze Y’all Red-y For This?

China Glaze Combat Blue-ts 1

China Glaze Combat Blue-ts 2

China Glaze Combat Blue-ts 

China Glaze Teen Spirit 1

China Glaze Teen Spirit 2

China Glaze Teen Spirit

China Glaze Blue-Ya! 1

China Glaze Blue-Ya! 2

China Glaze Blue-Ya! 

China Glaze Heroine Chic 1

China Glaze Heroine Chic 2

China Glaze Heroine Chic

China Glaze Don’t Mesh With Me over Combat Blue-ts 1

China Glaze Don’t Mesh With Me over Combat Blue-ts 2

China Glaze Don’t Mesh With Me (over Combat Blue-ts)

China Glaze Holo At Ya Girl! over Pearl Jammin 1

China Glaze Holo At Ya Girl! over Pearl Jammin 2

China Glaze Holo At Ya Girl! (over Pearl Jammin’)

I’ve got to admit that I love this collection not just because of all the 90’s references, but because it has so much variety! You are bound to find at least a few shades to love even if they are not all your cup of tea. Fresh Prince-ss seems a little out of place in a traditional Fall collection but it’s a beautiful pink in west Philadelphia born and raised…uh, nevermind. The formula was ok: I applied 3 thin coats and one coat of glossy top coat. The only other polish that required 3 coats was Pearl Jammin’ but it is one of those transformer shades that can make another polish look amazing when applied over it thinly. I rather like wearing it on its own and think that the three coats is well worth it. The rest of the shades were easy two coaters and all of my swatches show a coat of glossy top coat except for Combat Blue-ts. Because Combat Blue-ts dries to a matte finish, it can be a little finicky. I overworked the second coat a bit so it doesn’t look as smooth as it could be, but the color is so rich and vibrant that I can overlook it. I didn’t top coat the polish because I wanted to show it in its satin/matte finish, but I will definitely gloss it up in the future. Overall, I am very happy with the China Glaze Rebel Collection and think there are are some gorgeous shades here that should not be missed. My favorites are: Dope Taupe, Teen Spirit, Blue Ya! and Pearl Jammin’. These are the main standouts for me, but I do like other shades from this collection. What do you think about this collection? Do you see any shades that you will be picking up? Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon.

KBShimmer Fall Collection 2016

KBShimmer Fall Collection 2016

Posted on by Cynthia

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It’s been pretty hot lately, but that doesn’t keep me from getting all excited about Fall collections. I’ve been working my butt off lately to get a lot of things swatched because once again I have fallen behind. Now that my parents are going back home after their very (very!) long visit, hopefully I’ll have more time to myself and be on a more regular schedule with my swatching and posting. Today I have the KBShimmer Fall Collection for 2016, and I can already tell you I’m in love. Let me show you my swatches below.

KBShimmer Little Boy Hue 1

KBShimmer Little Boy Hue 2

KBShimmer Little Boy Hue

KBShimmer Grin and Gerbera It 1

KBShimmer Grin and Gerbera It 2

KBShimmer Grin and Gerbera It

KBShimmer The Best Mum Ever 1

KBShimmer The Best Mum Ever 2

KBShimmer The Best Mum Ever

KBShimmer Sweet Devotion 1

KBShimmer Sweet Devotion 2

KBShimmer Sweet Devotion 

KBShimmer Tiers of Joy 1

KBShimmer Tiers of Joy 2

KBShimmer Tiers of Joy

KBShimmer Sage It Ain’t So 1

KBShimmer Sage It Ain’t So 2

KBShimmer Sage It Ain’t So

KBShimmer Fright This Way 1

KBShimmer Fright This Way 2

KBShimmer Fright This Way

KBShimmer Turning Pointe 1

KBShimmer Turning Pointe 2

KBShimmer Turning Pointe

KBShimmer Flake Me Home Tonight 1

KBShimmer Flake Me Home Tonight 2

KBShimmer Flake Me Home Tonight

KBShimmer Poppy Kisses 1

KBShimmer Poppy Kisses 2

KBShimmer Poppy Kisses

KBShimmer Orchidding Me 1

KBShimmer Orchidding Me 2

KBShimmer Orchidding Me?

KBShimmer Oh My Ganache 1

KBShimmer Oh My Ganache 2

KBShimmer Oh My Ganache

Oh good Lord! The holos in this collection are out of this world. Because my lighting set up does not really let holos shine, I did a quick swatch of 4 shades in direct sunlight. I posted the picture on my instagram so check it out:

 

I am never disappointed by KBShimmer and this collection is no exception. The formula on all of these beauties is great which means that they are opaque in color and have a great consistency. I used two coats of polish for all my swatches and one coat of glossy top coat. I really can’t pick any favorites because they are all so gorgeous, but from the holos, I absolutely adore Orchidding Me? and Oh My Ganache.

The official release date for the KBShimmer Fall Collection is 08/19/2016.  For your convenience I have listed all the places where you can purchase KBShimmer:

https://www.kbshimmer.com/

www.amazon.com/shops/kbshimmer

http://www.livelovepolish.com/collections/kbshimmer

KBShimmer

http://color4nails.com/index.php?route=product/category&path=59_310

So what do you think about this collection? Which are your favorite shades? Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon!