Picture Purge

I have had this growing collection of pictures that I haven't either had time to post, or forgotten about. So, I thought I will "purge" them so I can start fresh. Sound good? I will let you know the polish brand and name. If I remember anything else, I will add that info under the picture. TTFN!

Color Club Snow Flakes over Color Club Glitter Wonderland

Color Club Snow Flakes over Color Club Berry and Bright

Candeo Colors Mallard over Zoya Megan
I absolutely LOVED this manicure!

Essence Choose Me

Sinful Colors Cinderella
Pretty color, but kinda sheer.

Nail Pattern Boldness Boop-Oop-A-Dupe over black.
This flashes red, orange, and green. Very Pretty!
(Ignore the tip wear)

Layla HE-07 Ocean Rush.
I love holographic polishes. Drool!

Nfu Oh 65 Holographic pale blue.
A very nice holo! 

Up Colors Disco Azul. 

If you have any questions about the colors, don't hesitate to post a question below! 

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.*

Essence Breaking Dawn Part 2: Jacobs Protection and Alice Had A Vision - Again

I have two lovelies from Essence's Breaking Dawn Part 2 Collection; Jacobs Protection and Alice Had A Vision - Again. There are two others in the collection, but I just didn't care for them. These two jem's called to me and my inner dorkiness. Yes, I will admit it. I like Twilight books. I know, it is a bit cheesy, but the books were great, and show an emotional depth that, up until that point, youth books didn't touch. (Besides the amazing Harry Potter.) The movies are kind of a bust, but the story is still a good one.

Jacobs Protection

 Jacobs Protection is a stunning dark blue glitter with hints of green and sometimes purple and gold in a blackened jelly base. This color went on in two, easy to apply, coats. No top coat was used in these photos. This color was beautiful! I definitely see myself wearing this over and over again in the future.

  

Alice Had A Vision - Again

Alice Had A Vision - Again is a beautiful purple glitter with some hints of blue, green, and gold. This is also a great vampy color to add to your "dark" collection. This went on in two even coats, with no top coat. 

Well, I know don't know which is my favorite. Is it the first or, or perhaps the second? Eeekk! Thankfully, I own both. Mwahahahaha! Well, these two polishes were a steal at 1.99 at Ulta. You can't beat that price with these colors!

My one complaint was the brush. These are on the wider side like the Wet N Wild Megalast Pro Brush. If you have narrow nail beds, you might find these brushes a bit too wide to maneuver. Other than that, perfect.

NO H8!! Are You Going To Give Their Words Power Over You?

Eradicate Hate was created after continued bullying in the nail polish blogger community. I am in full agreement with their stance. Having a sense of humor and the ability to take constructive criticism is necessary to survival when putting out anything in a public forum. The line is crossed when people start making comments that are purely mean and hateful for no other reason than just the joy of hurting someone else. We have all been on both sides of bullying whether we want to admit it or not. What is important is when you realized you were hurtful: did you learn from it and correct it? If the answer is yes, awesome. It means you are human and prone to mistakes. If it is no, and you are looking at all of these bloggers post as an overreaction to a "club" or "funny post," then you are probably still not aware that anything you do is wrong and everyone else needs to "toughen up." Fortunately there are those of us that do it for the fun and joy of sharing something we are excited about. I do it because I love nails, color, art, beauty, photography, writing, and the sheer enjoyment of connecting with others that think like me.

Showing support, bloggers are posting purple manicures on November 8th to stand up against bullying. This is Nfu Oh 51 layered over Orly Stone Cold (2 coats) and Essie No Place Like Chrome (tiger print stamping). I used the Bundle Monster Stamping Plate BM-223. I think the 51 gave a cool "blurple" effect.

This excerpt was created at Eradicate Hate  in response to all of the cyber-bulling in the blogger community.
"Bullying is not funny. It is not cool. It is not right. And more importantly, it is not okay. Most of us are, thankfully, residents of countries that support tolerance and many of our families have settled in these places simply for that reason. Generations later, it is our responsibility to perpetuate that message of tolerance across our new social platforms, including the internet.

As members of the nail polish blogging community, we all share a love of beauty, color, and lacquer. Other than that, we are remarkably different: from our race to our religion to our hair color...even to our polish application techniques. To marginalize anyone because of those differences is completely unacceptable and today I take a stand against that. I refuse to allow other people's view of "normal" dictate how I behave, believe, and blog.

In solidarity with a multitude of bloggers linked below, my purple manicure represents my proud commitment to the No H8 movement. Today, November 8, I dedicate my post to ending bullying of any kind and to encouraging diversity and imperfection among our colorful community."

I am amazed, when reading others blogs how bulling has affected each one of us. We all have at least one story to tell and none of them are pretty. There will be no happy face at the end of the story. No, "that was a good memory" or fond reminiscing  Bullying stays with us. It "teaches" us not to like ourselves. I liken it to a virus. At first, it usually starts as a small comment, but then more negative comments come your way and it builds and builds with no foreseeable "cure," because there is no cure for a virus. The most important thing someone, who is being bullied, can do is talk about it. Silence gives the negativity power that will morph into self doubt and loathing, that can only lead down a very dark and lonely road. Negative people will always be in our lives bringing others down around them to their level. The important thing to consider is: Are you going to give their words power over you? NO!

If you or someone you know suffers from bullying, there is help available. Please visit the following sites for support and encouragement:

StopBullying.org

Report Cyber Bullying

National Suicide Prevention Hotline - 1-800-273-TALK(8255)

Eradicate H8

Ludurana: Maravilhosa and Supremo

Ludurana is a great brand from Brazil that has everything from creme to color changing polish. I have two of their holographic polishes from the Aurora Boreal (Aurora Borealis) collection. Maravilhosa or "Wonderful" and Supremo or "Supreme" are two stunning linear holographic polishes that are slightly perfumed. I couldn't tell you exactly what the scent is, but it definitely isn't the standard stink of polish. It's more like a sweet floral scent that is noticeable while it is drying. Both of the colors dried to a gritty/dull finish. You will need a topcoat if you want a good shine.

Maravilhosa

A pretty rosy pink, holographic polish. This nail polish went on in two thin coats for full coverage. 

 Outside

Outside

 Shade

Artificial Light

Supremo

A lovely light violet, holographic polish. This nail polish went on in three thin coats for full coverage. This polish consistency was a bit runnier than Maravilhosa and also went on a bit sheerer. 

 Outside

Outside

 Shade

Artificial Light

You can purchase these polishes at either Ninja Polish or Llarowe.

A England: Lady of the Lake and Tristam

I have two beautiful polishes to show you from a england's The Mythical's collection. Let me just say I am in love with this brand from the United Kingdom. These colors were stunning and oh so easy to apply. Now, you all know I have a small obsession with holographic polishes. These two polishes are a scattered/subtle type of holo. Still 100% absolutely beautiful. They both had full coverage at two coats, had great shine without a topcoat, and had one of the best formula consistencies that I have had the pleasure of using. It was quite refreshing how easy these colors were to apply and purely enjoy. I have nothing critical to say about either of the colors! How often does that happen?

Lady of the Lake

A beautiful dusky, red toned, purple with holographic shimmer.

Outside

Outside

 Blurred to see holographic shimmer

 Shade

Artificial light

Tristam

A gorgeous dark, night sky, blue with holographic shimmer

Outside

 Outside

Blurred

 Shade

Artificial Light

You can purchase these beauties at either a england, Ninja Polish, or Llarowe.