I feel like Illamasqua was one of my first higher end polish brand obsessions, so I am completely bummed that they are no longer easy to get a hold of since Sephora no longer carries them. At one point I could get them at Nordstrom but then they were gone from there too. I’ve caught them a few times on Hautelook, but I’ve kinda given up on searching for them when I can get other things without such a hassle. I have a pretty sizeable Illamasqua collection, and I told myself that I should start going through my untrieds. I pulled out Illamasqua Dedicate to try out today and jazzed it up with UP and some stamping. Let me show you what I came up with. Continue reading “Illamasqua Dedicate”
Tag: Illamasqua
Illamasqua Ouija
This past weekend, I basically did nothing. I did not get out of my pj’s all day on Saturday and on Sunday I went out to do some errands, washed my car, did my laundry and basically nothing else got done. It felt pretty amazing. I don’t know about you, but I am such a freaking homebody. It’s starting to get toasty outside, so the last thing I want to do is be running around outside. I’m thinking of starting out my work out routine slowly by going for a brisk walk each morning before going to work but you know me and my hatred for waking up early so let’s see how that one goes. I also did not get a bunch of posts done. I did my nails. I took the pictures. I uploaded the to my computer. And that’s where it all ended. I fail so bad at blogging as of late, but I’ll just have to deal with it and do what I feel like doing…when I feel like doing it. So, instead of working on other blog posts, I decided to just pull out one of my unused Illamasquas while I watched Bloodsport. (Don’t ask.) When I took Illamasqua Ouija out of the bottle, I was not that excited but that soon changed once I applied it.
Isn’t she pretty? And no, it does not have flakies…it’s just the holo reflection on the bottle from my sparkly background.
The first thing I want to say is that the formula on this polish is like out of this world phenomenal. It is so full of shimmer that it has an almost sandy consistency so it applies very precisely with zero flooding. Since it is thick, it is very pigmented and you can almost get away with one coat. I know that this type of pink isn’t for everyone, but you know I love pink in any incarnation so this one gets a good review from me. When I bought this polish, I did not realize that it’s kind of a glow in the dark type polish–it looks all glowy under black light so I guess I can wear it the next time I go clubbing or go to a rave…so basically never. I find this a little gimmicky, but it’s a beautiful polish nonetheless.
So what did you accomplish this past weekend?? If you’re in the US, are you already planning something for the long weekend? I have a 4 day week, so I’m pretty excited about that. I’m not sure what I’ll be doing yet but I’m sure it will involve some bbq and probably fireworks. Anyway, I hope your Monday goes well! Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon.
The Lacquer Ring – Negative Space
Hey! I’m baaaaaaaaaaaaack! I’m trying really hard to get into blogging again because I am not going to start April with this slump so I decided to participate in today’s prompt for The Lacquer Ring. Nicole chose negative as her design prompt and you know I was moaning and groaning because negative space is totally not something I normally like. I guess one of the awesome things about doing these prompts is that we try new things or things we don’t usually want to try. Let me show you what I decided to do:
This beautiful polish is Illamasqua Dedicate. Have I told you how much I love Illamasqua? I used stripping tape and nail vinyls to create the negative space designs. It’s a very basic mani–almost too basic, but I wasn’t really feeling the inspiration to do anything too complicated.
Anywho, I’m keeping this post short but have tons of things in the works. I’m really pushing myself to get worked up of April so wish me luck. How do you feel about negative space manis? Let me know in the comments below. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon.
Loading InLinkz ...
The Lacquer Ring – Green
I am super lucky that I’ve had this post in my drafts for a few weeks because I might have crapped out otherwise. I’ve been sucking big time at blogging lately because I’ve just had so many things going on that blogging/doing my nails was just not that important to me. I’ve just felt out of it, but slowly I am getting back on my feet and hope to get back on a more regular schedule. I really do miss posting, but you can’t force yourself when you’re not feeling up to it. So today I am back with another edition of The Lacquer Ring and today Nicole has chosen the color green. How appropriate with Saint Patrick’s Day and all! You know what I’ll be doing this weekend? Have 5 million Guinness Milkshakes. Yep. Anyway, let me show you the green I decided to use.
This is Dermelect Renegade which I also picked up at Ulta a while back for like $0.40…haha! I know, right? It’s a really pretty jade green which a pretty nice formula. It’s easily opaque at two coats and it is sooooo shiny!
I then used Illamasqua Scorch to add some blobs all over my nails. This ended up looking very prehistoric egg-like to me and then Amy said they looked like Yoshi nails so there you go…Yoshi nails!
Anyway, I hope your doing well and that you excuse my random posting. I really hope I can get back in the swing of things soon. I’ve just been feeling way too dumpy, sensitive and just tired. I’m sure I’ll get through this slump soon so thanks for sticking with me. Thanks for stopping by, and I will talk to you soon.
Loading InLinkz ...
Stamping Saturdays #58
I really need to start planning my Stamping Saturdays manis a little better because I always end up having to do everything in a rush the day of. Even thought I did my mani last night, I just procrastinated on writing up my post and now I had to wait until I put Peanut down for his nap. He had a really fun-filled morning: first we took him out to breakfast and he ate some pancakes, scrambled eggs and orange juice. Then he went shopping at Ulta with his grandma and then finally to the grocery store to pick up some stuff for dinner tonight. It’s a tough job being an auntie! Anyway, let me show you what I did for Stamping Saturdays before I get waaayy off track.
It is no secret that I love Illamasqua, so when I saw them on Hautelook for a second time, I took it as a sign and I bought a bunch of polishes. Don’t worry–this was before my no-buy. Normally these polishes were like $17 at Sephora, but I got them on Hautelook for $7.50!!!!!!!!!!!!! I would have gotten more than 6, but the colors I wanted were already sold out or I already had the ones that were available. If you’ve never purchased on Hautelook, you should definitely check them out. If you’re interested, you can use my referral link here but don’t feel obligated to. Currently the have a great LORAC sale that I wish I could partake in, but I am going to extend my no-buy to make up too. Anywho, this gorgeous purple/pink is Illamasqua Obsess. The formula is perfect and it’s so beautiful!!!!
I didn’t really want to stamp it up, but hey…it is Stamping Saturdays! I used an image from Born Pretty plate Born Pretty 10 (press sample) and Mentality Black Opaque. I’ve been using this Mentality stamping polish pretty much non-stop because it’s amazing. The thing I like most about it is that it does not smear at all like my Konad Black.
Well, what are you up to today? Currently I’m getting ready to binge watch House of Cards because Season 3 was just released yesterday. Holy crap Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright are a dynamite team on that show. Now if only we could get Season 3 of Orange Is The New Black!!!! I hope you’re doing well today, and thanks for the visit. Talk to you soon!
Loading InLinkz ...
The Lacquer Ring – Gradient
I’m starting to think that my fellow Lacquer Ring-ettes hate me. A few of them were bemoaning the gradient prompt but whatever…it was my turn to pick! How spoiled and self-involved did that sound? I am actually super happy with my selection because my gradient turned out really great–in my opinion anyway. I’ve always had issues with doing a good gradient so I’m happy that wetting the sponge made a huge difference for me. Are you ready to see what The Lacquer Ring has in store for you today?
This is my amazeballs gradient. Isn’t it pretty? I used two of my favorite Illamasquas: Nomad and Noble for the gradient. In fact, I have used these same polishes before in a gradient but this time I did a vertical gradient just because I felt like it. I 100% believe that this gradient looks great because the polishes are just perfection. I am still not over the fact that Illamasqua is no longer sold at Sephora, but I am happy that I could buy a bunch on Hautelook for a deep discount.
To finish off my mani, I used Mentality Black Opaque and a chain-link design from MoYou London Pro Collection Plate 02 (press sample). Don’t you think the stamping just brought it all together in an awesome way?
After all my talk of how awesome this mani is, watch everyone hate it. Sometimes when I think I do a spectacular mani, no one cares but when I do a dumpy one it gets tons of attention and likes…what’s up with that? Anyway, I hope that you like my gradient mani today and don’t forget to check out the other manis below from my gals.Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon!
Loading InLinkz ...
The Lacquer Ring – Purple
I’m kind of grouchy right now. Not just kind of….but rather super pissed. I had typed up this post and was getting ready to schedule it. When I hit schedule, I got an error message from wordpress that said something like “Are you sure you want to do this?” Then when I tried to go back to my post, it was gone…all of it. I wanted to throw my computer across the room because somehow that would make it all better, right? Anyway, let me get over my bitter party of one right now and get back to the main point of this post–it’s all about ME! Yep, me. I got to pick the color for today’s The Lacquer Ring post so of course I had to go with purple because….well, is there any other choice? Let me show you the purple beauty I decided to use today.
This gorgeous polish is Illamasqua Prosperity and has a unique rubber finish. It’s not quite satin not matte…it really is rubber-like! I absolutely adore Illamasqua, but ever since Sephora stopped carrying the brand, there really is nowhere to get it locally and I refuse to pay for shipping. I’m cheap like that. When Amy told me that Illamasqua was back on Hautelook, I freaked the efff out and headed over there to see what they had. Six polishes later and 10 minutes of cursing Amy for tempting me this way, I got my hands on a few polishes that I had been kicking myself for missing. Ok, I didn’t really curse Amy but dangit she is such an enabler! The only thing I hate about Hautelook is that the shipping takes freaking eons so I should expect to get my polishes by…2017?
Since I’m all about the bling, bout the bling, no treble…oh wait, no. I had to make everything sparkly so I applied a coat of Delush Polish Nue Girl (press sample) just cause I love it and cause I love sparkles. You guys…I am dying about the upcoming spring collection that Delush has for us. Like seriously dying over how gorgeous it is. Ok, I’ll stop gushing.
Well, I hope that you like this gorgeous purple as much as me. Do you have any purple polish recommendations for me? I’m always excited to find new purples so let me know below! Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon.
Loading InLinkz ...
Stamping Saturdays #36
It is so incredibly hot today, so I have no idea why I decided to focus on dealing with my serious make up hoarding problem. You see, before I even started getting obsessed with nail polish, I was even more obsessed with make-up. My make-up collection grew so much and so quickly, that it got to the point that I became disgusted with the amount I was collecting and also the amount of money I had wasted on everything. I say “wasted” because there is no way I can get through all the make-up I bought before it goes bad. Who needs 15 NARS blushes? I only have one face, right? A couple of weeks ago I wanted to use one of my favorite lipsticks: Bobbi Brown Cocoa Berry. Well, it had gone rancid. Almost $30 for a lipstick and it went rancid. I then checked Bobbi Brown Heather Mauve and it was rancid as well. And that is how the great make-up destashing of 2014 began. I’ll share a little more about that below but first let me show you what I did for Stamping Saturdays today.
Illamasqua Poke is such a gorgeous polish. Please excuse the bad pictures and the bad polish job. The truth is that I had to use my non-swatching hand today because I broke a nail on my swatching hand. I didn’t mean for my skin to look so greasy, but I had to use some serious moisture because my cuticles were a total mess. Are you as sad as I am that Sephora no longer carries Illamasqua??? I think that Nordstrom carries the brand now, but I have kind of fallen out of love with them because of the price hikes. I have a lot of Illamasqua polishes in my collection, so I will probably only buy new ones if the colors are really unique.
I then used Pure Ice Silver Mercedes to stamp this chain link design from one of my MoYou London plates. I wasn’t feeling too inspired mostly because it was such a pain to do this on my non-swatching hand…I wish I was ambidextrous!
Now, let me show you all the stuff that I junked today…
I want to cry just thinking how much money I just threw in the garbage. Some of those items were used maybe once or twice. The worst offenders are the NARS lipglosses because those definitely went bad quickly. I think that it’s just the nature of the product, but at 20-some dollars a pop, I will not be buying lipglosses in this quantity. I have a lot more make-up that I should probably get rid of but I just can’t bring myself to do it just yet. This is probably 1/4th of all the make up I have so there is plenty more to sift through–I am definitely not looking forward to it.
So, what do you think about collecting make-up? Are you also a make-up collector or do you focus on nail polish? I think that the fact that polish doesn’t truly every go bad (thinner to the rescue!) makes me feel a little bit better about my collection. Anyway, I hope you’re staying cool today if the temperatures are infernal where you live. Unfortunately, we are entering wildfire season here in OC so I’m always sad when that starts up because so many people end up losing their homes and all the brave men and women firefighters are put in such danger. Thanks for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon.
Loading InLinkz ...
The Beauty Buffs – Neon Everything
Hello everyone! We’re *almost* halfway through the week, and I’m already dreaming about the weekend. Today I am posting with my fellow bloggers who make up The Beauty Buffs and we are excited to bring you NEON EVERYTHING! I don’t know if you like neons as much as I do, but I just find that neons really scream summer and just make everything more fun. That’s not to say that I’ll go neon overboard, but neon nails are always a nice pop. I do have tons of neon polishes, but when I saw these pretty polishes the last time I was doing a quick polish run, I couldn’t resist picking them up.
To be honest, I had seen Jade Nail Lacquer many times, but I never paid much attention to them because they are super cheap–like $1 each. I should know better than to judge polish solely on price since I have some amazeballs Sinful Colors that perform better than $30 polishes. Anyway, these colors are, from left to right: Jade Hot Pink – Jade Mysterious Pleasure – Jade No Non-sense.
I wish my pictures showed how electric these colors are in real life. Most of the time my camera does a decent job with neons, but it just would not cooperate with these colors. This mani is just a little funky and I liked wearing it. The formula on these polishes was pretty nice. They did need 3 coats to be completely opaque but that’s not a big shocker considering they are full on neons. For $1 each, they are a steal.
Then I decided to pull out my two super favorite bright pink cosmetics…
Nars Desire is like bright cotton candy. You can’t imagine how easy it is to end up looking clownish if you go a little too heavy with this blush–but it’s gorgeous!!
And my favorite lipstick of the moment: Illamasqua Eurydice. It’s electric so I always wear very neutral make up except for the lips because otherwise I’ll look like a drag queen–not that there’s anything wrong with that, but that’s not the best work look. Actually, this is NOT a work lipstick. hahaha
And here are some swatches of those two products. I told you they were super bright!Well, I hope that you take a moment to check out the other neon offerings below. Have a great day today, and I will talk to you later.
Stamping Saturdays #14
You know that I’m always excited when Saturday rolls around and not just because I don’t have to work…it’s STAMPING SATURDAYS, of course! I woke up a couple of hours ago and now I’m just lounging around being a total bum. Later today we’re taking my mom out to dinner since tomorrow is her birthday so I’m anticipating something yummy. For today’s Stamping Saturdays I tried another gradient. I don’t want to be a one trick pony here, but I’m so excited about being able to do decent gradients now that I want to do them ALL THE TIME. For my design today, I started out with 2 creamy coats of Illamasqua Nomad.
If you don’t have Illamasqua Nomad, you cannot imagine what a creamy minty masterpiece this is. I am generally a lover of anything Illamasqua and this is no exception.
I then used Illamasqua Noble and sponged it on top of Nomad for this gradient. Gradients can get really messy as you can see above. I normally find that taping up the skin around my fingers is more annoying to me than actually cleaning the mess up so I never do that. When I posted this picture on Facebook, a lot of people suggested that I use Elmer’s glue on my skin. WHY HADN’T I THOUGHT OF THAT???? That’s genius! I am going to give that a try next time I do a gradient and I’ll let you know how I liked it.
I don’t know about you, but I think the mess is totally worth it. Look at that gradient! It could be a little smoother, but I’m not going to be too picky about it.
Lastly, I used this design from plate MASH-48. I have no idea what this design is…at first I thought it looked like flames. I think it goes well with this gradient because it lets plenty of the base colors show through.
So what do you think of today’s design? I’m really happy with it and still mourn the fact that I had to take it off. I’m doing a bunch of swatching this weekend so I couldn’t keep it on. Sadness! Well, I hope that you’re having a nice weekend so far. Thanks so much for the visit, and I’ll talk to you soon.
Loading InLinkz ...