Pop Beauty Radiant Ruby and Purple Plum

*These products were sent to me for review by PR. All opinions are honest, without bias.*

I am back!!!!!! So sorry for the hiatus. I have been extremely busy and needed some time for my family as well as myself. (Nothing wrong with that right?) I have some random pictures I need to post of past manicures, but that will be taken care of later.
   
On with the show! I was recently sent two nail polishes from Pop Beauty. I will be honest, I have never purchased any of their products before. I have walked passed their products many times at Ulta and just not had the urge to splurge. Well, I can honestly say I was pleasantly surprised by their Nail Glam. Both colors were beautifully pigmented and leveled out without any help from me. It was nice to have a trouble free manicure for a change. I was sent two of their nail polishes in Radiant Ruby and Purple Plum. They retail for $10 in the US and are sold at Ulta. (One of my favorite stores!) Both colors were stunning! They are definitely fall colors that I can't wait to wear more of.

I lightened this photo so you could see that Purple Plum was purple and not black.

Radiant Ruby

Radiant Ruby is a stunning red that makes me think of the red carpet and Dorothy's ruby slippers. It has a beautiful, subtle gold shimmer that is just breathtaking in the sunlight. This swatch was two coats with no topcoat.

Purple Plum

Purple Plum is a darkened eggplant/plum color that is to die for. Most of my pictures make it look darker that it is in sunlight, but I promise it is purple. I lightened the last picture so you could see more of the purple in the polish. This color had a great shine and almost a jelly quality to it. This swatch is two coats with no topcoat. 

I was really impressed by the formula of the nail polish. I had always assumed that Pop Beauty mainly focused on facial cosmetics when walking past the display. This product is well worth the money, and I think I might have to go to Ulta for some more Pop Beauty Products. What do you think about these colors?

*These products were sent to me for review by PR. All opinions are honest, without bias.*

Pixi Summer 2013 Polishes

* These products were sent to me for review by PR. All opinions are honest, without bias.*

Hello all. Sorry for the posting hiatus, I have been working more and more at the hospital, and been enjoying some nice weather with my family, and running. You know how it is. When it is pretty outside, it literally draws you out like a siren. You have no choice but to follow its song. I have the Summer 2013 Pixi polishes for you today. They released three new colors to add to their nail polish collection. Wakeup Wisteria, Summer Sunset, and Fluoro Flamingo are three bright and fun colors that I definitely like. The color coverage on these were very dependent on the color and type of polish it was. Nothing that wasn't easily managed though.  All of the manicures have a clear topcoat on. Don't forget you can click on any of the pictures to get a much closer look!

Wakeup Wisteria

Artificial Lighting

Artificial Lighting

Outside

Wakeup Wisteria is a gorgeous medium lilac cream polish. This great looking purple makes a clean and fresh looking manicure. Wakeup Wisteria was the first color I tried out and liked it so much I did a full manicure, and received tons of compliments on it at work! This was the easiest of the polishes to apply with full coverage at two coats. 

Summer Sunset

Artificial Light

Indirect Outdoor Lighting

Outside

 Summer Sunset is a blazing pinky-orange coral with a gold shimmer that has an almost jelly finish. You can still see a visible nail line at three coats, but it dose not detract at all from its fiery beauty. The most color accurate photo is the indirect outdoor lighting one. Like with all colors, it does look a bit different in different lighting. The shimmer is on the more subtle side, but very complimentary to the bright nature of this polish.

Fluoro Flamingo

Artificial Light

Indirect Outdoor Lighting

Outside

Fluoro Flamingo is great hot bubblegum pink cream polish. I swear, this is as close to being neon, without the matte finish, as you can get. I did find this a bit streaky and thin, having to use three coats for full coverage, compared to the other colors in the release. This wasn't exactly surprising since lots of neon polishes work best with a base coat of a white polish underneath it.  I found it was much easier to apply once I had my "underpolish" on with only two coats.  

 Here is a comparison of Fluoro Flamingo with and without one coat of a white base polish. You see that there is not much difference in appearance.

Clearly my favorite of this bunch was Wakeup Wisteria since it is purple, but all of these colors will definitely be added to my permanent rotation of colors! All of these polishes can be purchased online or in store at Target or online only at Pixibeauty.com for $8. A neat little side note: Pixi states that these polishes have built in UV protection to prevent polish discoloration, besides being chip-resistant and 3-Free! 

* These products were sent to me for review by PR. All opinions are honest, without bias.*

Layla Red Passion and Burlesque "Caviar Effect"

Now, as you know I have a small issue with texture on my nails. So, I have been hesitant to try one of the "caviar manicures" everyone has been doing since at least last year. I am a picker. If I feel any irregularities , rough spots, or snaggers, I just have to fix it. Saying that, I just knew I would loath any texture other than smooth on my nails. I was surprised when I got sent the Layla Caviar Effect in Burlesque, which is metallic gold balls, to review. I eyed the innocent looking contents with suspicion. They looked harmless enough, but I "knew" it would be a nightmare. I must confess, it wasn't that bad. GASP! I know, I know, "But Kim, you said you couldn't handle any texture." I was wrong (Don't tell my husband I admitted to that!) The beads are so small and packed so tightly together that it isn't nearly as bothersome as I expected it to be. The best way to describe the feel was a smooth ripple. Admittedly, I could not wear this to work (nurse remember) or even wear it daily, but I think this would be a lot of fun to do for a night out. It definitely makes the statement "Look at me!" I left this manicure on overnight to see how many of the beads came off and surprisingly not many did. The area where five tiny beads came off was, unsurprisingly at the tip. What did take them off in greater numbers? Me picking at them the next day. It drove me crazy since there were now ridges and gaps on the tip that would snag on things. I couldn't take it, I took it off. God that felt good. Another big, but pleasant, surprise was the ease it came off. I was prepared for a fight to the death to get the balls of fury off my nail, but it quite easily surrendered to my nail polish remover. It was a bit anti-climactic really. Regardless, I do think this looked neat, would try it out again for a special event. The base color I used is Red Passion in the Ceramic Effect line from Layla. Depending on how heavily you apply it, you will get full coverage with two to three coats. I really like this red creme. It compliments my skin tone and I really liked the shine it dried to. Now, it isn't the glass shine like you get with a clear top coat, but it looks great without assistance.

Depending on how many coats you do of Red Passion, it has a pretty fast drying time . All of these pictures were with no topcoat! I have noticed this color can look darker or lighter depending on what type of lighting you are in.

Burlesque is a great looking gold metallic ball that measures about 1 mm across. These stayed on well with no topcoat needed.

The Caviar Effects come in 12 different shades that include gold, silver, bright colors, and even a multicolor mix called Samba.

You can purchase Layla nail products online at Zappos.com, Aveyou.com, or my favorite Ninjapolish.com. The Caviar Effect retails for around $10.50-11.50 depending on where you purchase it and the Ceramic Effect Polish is around $10.

*These products were sent to me for a honest review.

Girly Girl Nail Art Challenge: Inspired by the Runway

This weeks challenge calls for us to be inspired by the runway. So, I hit the internet searching the latest fashion for the "IT" things for the season. I fell in love with the color oxblood. It is a deep red/burgundy that can look almost black. The other trend that caught my eye was all of the uses of leather and reptile prints/embossing. It looks so chic and edgy. Combined, I think I have found the coolest manicure to date. I feel like one bad mam'a jamm'a. I used the beautiful Prey Tell from China Glaze as my base color. I feel dark and mysterious with it on. Next, I used my ManGlaze Matte Is Murder for the matte black, reptile stamping detail. I think this looks too cool. I had two little problems doing this manicure. First, clean up of Prey Tell left evidence. By "evidence," I mean bloody looking cuticles. No matter what I did, they looked red and irritated. The other problem I had was stamping the matte polish quick enough before it dried on the stamper. Matte polishes dry quickly in general. Having such a thin layer for stamping meant I had to move like the Flash. I think the effect I captured was worth the effort.

Ignore my poor index finger. The nail was involved in a small lawnmower starting accident. It will be missed.

Try not to notice the bloody looking cuticle. :(

Looks so dramatic.

One more for the road.

Prey Tell : This was a little tricky to apply. It was fully opaque in two coats, but it was a little "gloopy" in consistency. Even with it being thicker than I prefer, I will definitely wear this color again. Look at that shine!

 

Color Inspiration: Oxblood            Designer: Peter Som 

Picture obtained at Harpers Bazaar

Texture/Stamp Inspiration : Reptile/Leather        Designer: DKNY 

Picture obtained at Harpers Bazaar

Red Comparison

When I was picking out my red base color for my Hello Kitty manicure, I realized I have a few "similar" reds. Isn't it amazing when you are at the store trying to pick out a new color and you just know you don't have that at home. Unfortunately, when you do get home, you have 5 different versions of it. Well damn it all if that isn't what happened. Sadly, I did have more reds that were similar to these colors, but these were the closest looking while still in the bottle. The reds I am showing you are similar, but divided into two different groups : Cherry Red and True Red. The cherry reds lean on the almost orangy, but not quite orange side. They are very bright and cheerful colors. The true reds lean neither towards the blue or orange side of the red spectrum, it sits right smack dab in the middle. I notice every single one of these polishes had amazing coverage with just two coats. I probably could have gotten away with one thick coat, but I try not to do that so I get a more accurate manicure. Does that make sense? I did not use a topcoat in the picture, but the base coat I did end up using was my Posh Quick Dry Base Coat. I had no nail staining using that with the Zoya Sooki. Now, on to the comparison!

Wet n Wild I Red a Good Book , Zoya Sooki, China Glaze Hey Sailor , OPI, O'Hare & Nails Look Great, and Color Club Cadillac Red

Thumb Wet n Wild, Index Zoya, Middle China Glaze, Ring OPI, Pinkie Color Club

Cherry Reds: Zoya Sooki, China Glaze Hey Sailor
True Reds: Wet n Wild I Red a Good Book, OPI O'Hare & Nails Look Great, Color Club Red Cadillac

What do you think of the difference? Do group your reds based on what color they lean towards or is it just red like my husband would say?

On a random side note, look how shiny they all are. I can see a reflection of me in them!!

Hello Kitty Stamping

My daughter just turned one the other day and the theme for her birthday was ... Hello Kitty! Of course, since the theme of her party was Hello Kitty my nails had to match. I decided to go with a red bowed version of the cute feline accompanied by polka dots. I am really happy with how it turned out. The only thing frustrating me is the smearing. I have tried different topcoats, waiting longer periods of time, and different stamping polishes all-together, but I can't get the stamp to quit smearing. So, if any of you have found the magical trick please share, because I am at my wits end. Anyways, I used Zoya Sooki (2 coats), Wet n' Wild  French White Creme (2 coats), Konad White, Konad Black Pearl, Seche Vite top coat, and HOT stamping plate QA12. If you get this brand of plate, please be very careful. The edges are very sharp. It is cut into an octagon so it even has sharpened corners!  I used the medium sized Hello Kitty image and the polka dots from this plate for my manicure. I had a lot of fun coming up with this and will hopefully be doing many more!

I think this is my favorite manicure yet!

I think the overall effect is very cute and fun. What do you think?

Hello Kitty! Ahhh, fond memories of my childhood. I used to spend hours in the Sanrio Store. Too bad it isn't still open.

Konad Black Pearl, Zoya Sooki, Konad White, HOT plate QA12

Look at those edges. You will definitely have to keep this somewhere safe away from little kids. Shoot, I have to be careful not to drop it on my own foot!

China Glaze Capitol Colors Part 1: Dress Me Up, Foie Gras, and Fast Track

The Capitol Colors Collection for China Glaze was released in the beginning of March in correlation with the Hunger Games movie. I absolutely loved the books and was thrilled to see the movie! I think it was really neat to have a tie in with nail polish. It is a collection of twelve different polishes that correlate with the twelve different Districts, and I have nine of them to show you. I will say that every single one of the polishes I purchased, I loved. They went on like butta at two coats. I had no problems with application or anything for that matter. I just have nothing bad to say about them except I really didn't like the names they gave half of them, but oh well. All of these photos were two coats with no top coat.

Dress Me Up is a dusty rose/mauve color creme polish.  I ended up liking this one more on than in the bottle.  A very subdued color for me.
District 8 - Textiles

Foie Gras is a purpley/brown/taupe color. This is really hard to describe. You at first think yeah, its brown, but when compared to other browns you definitely see the purple. Still, a very pretty creme.
District 10 - Livestock

Fast Track is a nice beige with gold shimmer. It is kind of a mix between China Glaze Stellar and Knotty.
District 6 -Transportation

Out of these three colors, I have to say my favorite is a tie between Dress Me Up and Foie Gras. I really don't have a lot of "neutral," "work appropriate" colors, and it was just really refreshing to see these and add them to my collection. Did any of you have any surprise favorites from this group?

Butter London Lip Gloss and Polish: Trout Pout & Primrose Hill Picnic

Butter London has a new collection of lip glosses, called Lippy, that correspond with some existing and some new polishes. I think the idea is really neat to have matching nails and lips. The lip glosses are heavily pigmented that very closely, if not identically, match their intended lacquers. I have Trout Pout and Primrose Hill Picnic to show you. Now the polishes were AMAZING!! Great coverage at either two thick coats or three thin coats. I am not wearing a top coat in these pictures. These polishes went on like a dream. Oh, and a bonus, they are a 3-Free brand! This was my first experience with this brand, and I am happy to say I absolutely love them!At first, I had a little issue with the lip gloss. First, I don't have perfect lips. No matter how much chap stick I wear, or scrubs I use, I always have dry skin on my lips. These glosses are thick. Warning, they will pull at any dry skin on your lips. So a little advise, put your favorite chap stick on first then the gloss will simply glide over your lips with lipstick like pigment that will truly compliment your nails. Since I did have to use a chap stick underneath, I did have to use two coats of the lip gloss to get even coverage, without looking streaky.  

Trout Pout

Trout Pout

Trout Pout

Trout Pout

Trout Pout is described as pale, retro, cantaloupe color. I really liked this color with my skin tone. I wouldn't exactly call it pale, but it was very flattering on my nails.  The Lippy was actually flattering as a lip gloss as well. I normally shy away from bright lip colors, but I actually liked this.

Primrose Hill Picnic

Primrose Hill Picnic

Primrose Hill Picnic

Primrose Hill Picnic

Primrose Hill Picnic is a fuchsia pink that is just beautiful. I liked the color on my nails much more than the color on my lips. Like I said earlier, I just don't think I pull off bright lips very well. The nail polish makes for a fun and bright manicure for summer! 

Well this was my first official "make up" post. I hope you like how I displayed the lip glosses. Let me know if you have any suggestions! What do you think of this collection?

These products were sent to me, by the company, for review.

Essie Meet Me at Sunset

Essie Meet Me at Sunset is a beautiful bright orange creme that dries almost to a jelly finish. It was a dream to apply with only two coats and no top coat. I almost didn't want to take it off, but I was in the middle of a swatching session. I can't wait to wear this color in the summer. Meet Me at Sunset came from Essie's 2011 Summer Collection.

 The bottom picture is the actual color but I thought you all might appreciate the close up to see the jelly finish.

This product was purchased by me.