Pantone, today announced Radiant Orchid, a captivating, magical, enigmatic purple, as the color of the year for 2014. “An enchanting harmony of fuchsia, purple and pink undertones, Radiant Orchid inspires confidence and emanates great joy, love, and health. It is a captivating purple, one that draws you in with its beguiling charm.”
A modern and surprisingly versatile shade, Radiant Orchid enlivens the skin, making all who wear it feel more healthy and energetic. Blending both cool and warm undertones, purple is an appealing hue for distinctive combinations and flattering to many hair, eye, and skin tones.
This multifaceted hue is seductive when combined with red and pairs well with its sister shades of lavender, purple and pink, which provides an assortment of lipstick and blush options. Radiant Orchid’s exuberance also acts as a brilliant finishing touch to nails.
Showing posts with label COLOR: Pink. Show all posts
BREAST CANCER AWARENESS: OPI Pink of Heart 2013 Duo plus 1
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
For the month of October, I try to show my support for Breast Cancer Awareness by wearing pink nail polish throughout the month. I've done this for the past few years. This year is no different. I've been very blessed that none of my immediate friends and family have been impacted by breast cancer. But that doesn't mean I don't help in the fight. Earlier this week, as I was posting about Breast Cancer Awareness, I e-met one of my Twitter followers. As as fate would have it, she was scheduled to start a new round of chemotherapy on October 1st, So I decided to dedicated my 2013 BCA manicures to "lovenailpolish3". I'm praying her strength and healing.
For my first manicure, I was determined to find and use the OPI 2013 Pink of Hearts duo. Fortunately, I found it at my local Ulta ($15.95 USD). This year the OPI BCA collection was made up of OPI Pink-Ing of You, a baby pink jelly and OPI More Than A Glimmer. This collection also comes with BCA Pink Ribbon nail stickers and stick on gems. While these two polishes would have been enough, I just felt the need for another color, so I pulled from my stash a favorite pink from 2012-OPI If You Moust, You Moust (2013 Minnie Mouse Collection)
It all started with Pink...Revisiting Orly Basketcase
Friday, July 26, 2013
I have loved the Orly brand of nail polish for years. Some of my earliest blog posts were of Orly polishes. I have often commented on how much I loved the Orly rubberized bottle tops. Orly recently redesigned their bottles again. My nail polish collection includes just short of 90 bottles of Orly, and in my collection I have 3 generations of bottles. Change is often not easy but after a couple uses, I have gained an appreciation for the redesigned bottle.
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| Orly Polish Family Portrait |
The redesigned orlybeauty.com features video tutorials, how-to tips, and insight on color and nail trends. I have already started making my shopping list by reviewing the true-to-life color swatches. We all seen other brands' swatches that looked nothing like the actual polish.
I've always been a history buff so the company video that Orly released explaining the history of the Orly line is very interesting to me. An isn't quite interesting that the founder's nail is Jeff Pink.
Barielle: Smarty Pants Pink
Monday, July 8, 2013
Ever since OPI released its Pink Friday a few seasons ago, I've been loving pink cream polishes and it appears that most brands are releasing similar shades. I recently went though my stash and found just a few similar polishes. A recent addition to my collection comes from the Barielle brand. I received today's shade, Smarty Pants Pink, as part of the Barielle Brilliant Colors collection. I don't know what it is about this color family, it doesn't appear to be anything really special but it is certainly a shade that needs to be in our stash.
Here, I'm wearing 2 coats to achieve true bottle color. The formulation was smooth with no application issues.
As I mentioned above, just about every brand has at least one shade similar. Here are those in my stash. L to R: Barielle Smarty Pants Pink, SC Cotton Candy, OPI Pink Friday, Barielle Pink Flip Flops, SC Over It, SinfulShine Yours Truly.
What are some of your favorite pink creams?
Here, I'm wearing 2 coats to achieve true bottle color. The formulation was smooth with no application issues.
As I mentioned above, just about every brand has at least one shade similar. Here are those in my stash. L to R: Barielle Smarty Pants Pink, SC Cotton Candy, OPI Pink Friday, Barielle Pink Flip Flops, SC Over It, SinfulShine Yours Truly.
What are some of your favorite pink creams?
Grace, Peace, & Blessings.
Revlon Glitters: Girly & Radiant with Undercoats
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
So as I continue to work through my untried polishes, I decided to try two of the Revlon glitter polishes in my collection. The first, is a fairly recent release, Girly, from the Revlon Bubble Gum Days/Urban Nights collection, released during the Winter of 2012. Girly is a milky glitter with pink & purple, multi-sized holographic glitters.
Because Revlon Girly is somewhat sheer and we all know how troublesome removing multiple layers of glitter can be, I chose to wear a base coat of Essie Splash of Grenadine. This was released during the Spring of 2010 as part of the Resort collection. I remember being on the hunt for this shade. Essie Splash of Grenadine is a fuchsia pink crelly with a purple undertone. Looking through both my purple and pink collections, I really don't have any shade similar. Pictured here I'm wearing 2 coats, but if I were going to wear this alone, I would probably add a third coat. This is a great shade for Spring & Summer.
So with the Essie Splash of Grenadine base coat, I layered two coat of Revlon Girly. Most nail polish addicts have at one point in time done a "sandwich manicure"- requiring at least 2 separate polishes. Revlon Girly is pretty much a "sandwich manicure" in a bottle. The different glitters are suspended at different levels in the polish. Application is easy. The glitter spread with no trouble. I didn't need to "place" them as with most glitters. There's something about this polish that just reminds me of a cupcake with sprinkles.
The next glitter I'd like to share with you is Revlon Radiant. However, being that Radiant is in a transparent base to achieve fully opaque manicure would require many coats, if at all possible. So as a base color, I chose one of my all-time favorites, Orly Blue Collar. I have worn this shades many times and am shocked when looking back that I have blogged about it. I love Orly polishes and especially their cream polishes. This mid-tone sky blue cream applies like a dream and is still readily available.
To Orly Blue Collar I layered Revlon Radiant. As I mentioned, Radiant is in a transparent base, so it requires a undercoat. In that base is blue micro glitter along with larger hexagonal green and silver glitters. I love glitters like Radiant. You and achieve many different looks all depending on the base you select. Much like Girly, the application was easy and I didn't have to struggle with the placement of the glitters. It should come as no surprise that I would love this blue glitter.
For whatever reason, I don't have many Revlon polishes in my collection. Revlon is a brand that has been around for decades. I need to give it some more love. What are some of your favorite Revlon polishes?
Grace, Peace, & Blessings.
Because Revlon Girly is somewhat sheer and we all know how troublesome removing multiple layers of glitter can be, I chose to wear a base coat of Essie Splash of Grenadine. This was released during the Spring of 2010 as part of the Resort collection. I remember being on the hunt for this shade. Essie Splash of Grenadine is a fuchsia pink crelly with a purple undertone. Looking through both my purple and pink collections, I really don't have any shade similar. Pictured here I'm wearing 2 coats, but if I were going to wear this alone, I would probably add a third coat. This is a great shade for Spring & Summer.
So with the Essie Splash of Grenadine base coat, I layered two coat of Revlon Girly. Most nail polish addicts have at one point in time done a "sandwich manicure"- requiring at least 2 separate polishes. Revlon Girly is pretty much a "sandwich manicure" in a bottle. The different glitters are suspended at different levels in the polish. Application is easy. The glitter spread with no trouble. I didn't need to "place" them as with most glitters. There's something about this polish that just reminds me of a cupcake with sprinkles.
The next glitter I'd like to share with you is Revlon Radiant. However, being that Radiant is in a transparent base to achieve fully opaque manicure would require many coats, if at all possible. So as a base color, I chose one of my all-time favorites, Orly Blue Collar. I have worn this shades many times and am shocked when looking back that I have blogged about it. I love Orly polishes and especially their cream polishes. This mid-tone sky blue cream applies like a dream and is still readily available.
To Orly Blue Collar I layered Revlon Radiant. As I mentioned, Radiant is in a transparent base, so it requires a undercoat. In that base is blue micro glitter along with larger hexagonal green and silver glitters. I love glitters like Radiant. You and achieve many different looks all depending on the base you select. Much like Girly, the application was easy and I didn't have to struggle with the placement of the glitters. It should come as no surprise that I would love this blue glitter.
For whatever reason, I don't have many Revlon polishes in my collection. Revlon is a brand that has been around for decades. I need to give it some more love. What are some of your favorite Revlon polishes?
Grace, Peace, & Blessings.
* FTC: These products were bought with my own money, unless otherwise noted. These are my honest opinions. I am not employed by nor was I paid by any of these companies. This is not a sponsored post.
Host of Holos: Layla Hologram Effects Swatches
Monday, May 13, 2013
It was about this same time last year that I first saw this brand, it was love at first sight. Layla Cosmetics Hologram Effect Nail Polishes...OMG!!! While I have been loving nail polishes for decades, it was really only in the last 3-4 years that I started collecting them. So I missed out on the earlier collections like China Glaze OMG, Nfu-Oh and OPI DS. The first full holo collection that I was able to acquire was the China Glaze Tronica collection. While there have been other holo collections, not many have the strong holo effect of the earlier brands. So when I encountered the Layla Hologram Effect, I knew I had to own at least some of them. During the Spring of 2012, Ulta and Ulta.com was the best place to purchase them and you can believe I did.
I purchased 5 of the collection. They are the following:

Layla Coral Glam: not that I would ever consider my skin tone "coral", but for me, this is an excellent neutral with a little bling. I would definitely consider this "office safe". I am only wearing 2 coats here, but I would absolutely go for 3-4 coats next time.
Another shade I purchased was Layla Retro Pink. It's a mid-pink, but not too "in your face". Definitely one that needed to be in my collection.
Of course there would be a purple in my shopping bag. Layla Ultra Violet is a gorgeous mid-range purple. The linear holo effect was very evident.
Layla Mermaid Spell is another must have. Truth be told all of the collection are "must haves". Anyway, Mermaid Spell is an absolutely gorgeous light blue-green. Of the five I own this is probably my number 2...can you guess #1? As with all of these polishes, I used 2 coats, but with future manicures I will go for 3-4 coats. Since this line is fast drying that won't be an issue.
That's right, my favorite of this Layla Holo haul is Layla Ocean Rush. Look at this blue. What can I say? Photos don't even do it justice. There was no question that I would own this. A Blue Holo? Hello! This blue has a turquoise undertone but is definitely blue.
I purchased 5 of the collection. They are the following:
Layla Coral Glam: not that I would ever consider my skin tone "coral", but for me, this is an excellent neutral with a little bling. I would definitely consider this "office safe". I am only wearing 2 coats here, but I would absolutely go for 3-4 coats next time.
Another shade I purchased was Layla Retro Pink. It's a mid-pink, but not too "in your face". Definitely one that needed to be in my collection.
Of course there would be a purple in my shopping bag. Layla Ultra Violet is a gorgeous mid-range purple. The linear holo effect was very evident.
Layla Mermaid Spell is another must have. Truth be told all of the collection are "must haves". Anyway, Mermaid Spell is an absolutely gorgeous light blue-green. Of the five I own this is probably my number 2...can you guess #1? As with all of these polishes, I used 2 coats, but with future manicures I will go for 3-4 coats. Since this line is fast drying that won't be an issue.
That's right, my favorite of this Layla Holo haul is Layla Ocean Rush. Look at this blue. What can I say? Photos don't even do it justice. There was no question that I would own this. A Blue Holo? Hello! This blue has a turquoise undertone but is definitely blue.
As with most holographic nail polishes, there is some sort of care that needs to be taken with their application-an aqua base coat or a specialty buffer. While I do own an aqua base coat and a holo specialty buffer, in these applications, I wanted to try them with just a normal fine grit buffer. I also allowed each coat to dry so that I would experience any dragging as is often the case with holo polishes.
Layla Cosmetics suggests the use of their 2-sided emery board. In addition, they provide these instructions for optimal application:
HOW HOLOGRAM EFFECTS WORKS:
1. On clean bare nails, take the Layla 2-sided emery board marked ‘side 1’ and rub all over the nail.
2. Immediately buff the nails with ‘side 2’ and a glossy base coat will appear.
3. Apply one full coat of Hologram Effect nail polish onto the nail. Wait a couple of seconds to add the second coat.
4. Apply Top Coat.
Layla Cosmetics Hologram Effect’s fast drying, high coverage polish will last 1 week. The revolutionary formula will not stain the nail and is free of toluene, camphor, formaldehyde and DBP. Choose from 8 intense colors to produce holographic nail art at your fingertips: Mercury Twilight, Coral Glam, Retro Pink, Ultra Violet, Jade Groove, Mermaid Spell, Ocean Rush and Flash Black.
While I purchased mine from Ulta.com, I recently checked and did not see the brand listed on their website. Layla is still available at Zappos.com and Aveyou.com. So if you are a holo-aholic such as myself, you need to add some of these to your collection. What are some of your favorite holographic brands?
BTW: I was sent a bottle of Layla Coral Glam to review, but since I had already purchased one for myself, I decided that I would eventually include the extra bottle as part of a giveaway, so keep your ears perked.
Salon Perfect: Sweet Melon, Pink Mystique, & a reminder...
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Today's manicures are from a brand I have blogged about recently. Today I am sharing with you two more from the Salon Perfect brand. I really wanted to share these with you because my most recent blog post on Salon Perfect was about a giveaway. So I wanted to allow you another look at some of the Salon Perfect polishes. These are two more that I purchased during the Walmart trip I discussed in my April 24th post.
First, I have Salon Perfect Sweet Melon. That name is a good fit. Sweet Melon is a pinky-melon cream-jelly-"Crelly", as my nail blogger friend, Rhonda of Nails Beautiqued has coined this finish. I was able to obtain a fully opaque application with 2 coats. The formulation was smooth and had an almost self-leveling ability. This is a great summer color without being too bold.
Next, I have Salon Perfect Pink Mystique. As I have mentioned in a previous post, many of the Salon Perfect nail lacquers are very similar to the China Glaze nail lacquers. Well Salon Perfect Pink Mystique is very similar to China Glaze Strawberry Fields. This polish is a berry pink with a gold glass flecks. I love this shade and definitely say that if you missed out on Strawberry Fields, get this one. Here I'm showing it with 2 coats, but probably should have went for 3.
Finally, as a reminder, I'm hosting a Salon Perfect Giveaway (ending 5/12/2013 at 12:00AM EST). One person will win these 8 bottles of Salon Perfect Nail Lacquer. I chose 8 shades that were very similar to popular China Glaze shades. If you missed out on my blog post explaining the details to the giveaway and how to enter, please click HERE.
Again, I thank my PR contact for Salon Perfect for providing the polishes for the giveaway.
Salon Perfect is a Walmart exclusive brand so be certain to take a look the next time you are in your local Walmart. These are some really great polishes and I look forward to adding others to my collection.
Grace, Peace, & Blessings.
* FTC: These products were bought with my own money. These are my honest opinions. I am not employed by nor was I paid by any of these companies. This is not a sponsored post.
Glitter Galore: Sinful Color Diamond Lust Collection - Shine On Me layered with Pure Ice Free Fall
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Well today, I'm sharing with you the last of the Sinful Colors Diamond Lust Glitter Polishes that I purchased. There were 8 polishes in the collection, but I only purchased 6. The last two were just two similar to polishes already in my stash. Now on to this last glitter, I won't say that I saved my least favorite for last, I'll just say that Sinful Colors Shine On Me took the most effort to work with. It appears to be a very sparse chunky glitter. There are micro, mid-sized and larger diamond-shaped holographic glitters. Looking at Shine On Me closely, it's probably just as packed as the others, it's just that the micro glitter in Shine On Me is a holo-clear. So with that being the case you only see the colored mid and diamond glitters, thereby making it appear sparse.
I decided to pull one of the untrieds, Pure Ice Free Fall, from my stash to use as a undercoat. Free Fall is a bright, fluorescent pink shimmer. That is one of the things I like about the Pure Ice brand, while the initial reason I started buying their polishes was for their layering shades, they really do make some great opaque shades that are perfect for undercoats. This is 2 coats. I will still need to do another manicure with Free Fall standing on its own.
Layered over Pure Ice Free Fall I placed Sinful Colors Shine On Me. As I mentioned about, the micro glitters are holo-clear, so all you really see are the mid-sized and diamond glitters. This is another case of me having to "place" the larger glitters to achieve a somewhat even look.
Well I have enjoyed this collection and it has sparked a glitter bug in me. So you can be assured that there will be other glitter manicures in the very near future. I hope you found these posts helpful and maybe even generated some glitter love. So if asked, which were my favorites? I think it would be a tie between Rags to Riches (Green), I Dream In Jewels (Gold), and Queen of Deco (Purple). Which has been your favorite of the collection?
Grace, Peace, & Blessings.
* FTC: These products were bought with my own money. These are my honest opinions. I am not employed by nor was I paid by any of these companies. This is not a sponsored post.
Glitter Galore: Sinful Color Diamond Lust Collection - Scene Stealer layered with Zoya Kimber
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Today, I have the fifth in my Sinful Colors Diamond Lust series. Lately, I've really become obsessed with glitters. For the longest, I said that I really didn't like glitters, but something has changed. Now I am buying them up like crazy.
First, I needed to decide on a base to layer with today's glitter. Lately, I've also been wow'd by the Zoya polishes in my stash. I had purchased them throughout the year but often didn't get around to wearing them. The polish I chose to layer was Zoya Kimber. I remember when this polish came out with the Beach & Surf Collection last year. That was a beautiful collection. I ended up buying like 7 of the 12. Kimber is a warm-toned raspberry magenta pink with a golden shimmer. I obtain full opacity with two coats. I don't think I have anything similar to Kimber in my stash. It really complements my skin-tone. I am starting to understand the love so many have for the Zoya brand.
With Zoya Kimber, I layered from the latest Sinful Colors Diamond Lust collection, Scene Stealer. Scene Stealer is in a clear base, magenta and peach micro glitters with pink holographic diamond glitters. The diamond glitters are kinda sparse, so you need to "place" them to get good coverage. The method that I am finding most effective for me is to drag the brush on the inside of the neck of the bottle and "pick-up" the chunkier glitter to be placed.

Grace, Peace, & Blessings.
* FTC: These products were bought with my own money. These are my honest opinions. I am not employed by nor was I paid by any of these companies. This is not a sponsored post.
REVIEW: Pixi Beauty: The Look of Summer 2013
Monday, April 29, 2013
Today I would like to share with you a brand I have seen in Target, but its just recently that I have tried any of their products. Today I would like to share with you the new Summer 2013 Pixi Beauty Nail Colors. I received these polishes to review. With Memorial Day less than 30 days away, its time that we start getting our Summer polishes ready. It won't be long before the sandals will be our daily footwear. So what will be your pedicure polishes for the season?
Pixie Beauty has given us three great shades that will compliment any tanned skin tone. First, there is Fluoro Flamingo, it is a bright bubblegum pink cream. I would say that this is just short of neon. The first coat was a bit streaky but with a second, coat application as smooth.
Next, is Summer Sunset. When I first saw this shade I didn't realize that it has a golden shimmer. Summer Sunset is a beautiful orangey-coral. This is probably my favorite of the collection and will certainly be one of my go-to pedicure polishes. Application was easy and the color was intense with two coats.
Lastly, in this collection is Wakeup Wisteria, a mid-tone lilac creamy-jelly, or as a fellow nail blogger calls this finish, a "crelly". Of the three, I believe that the application of Wakeup Wisteria was the smoothest. It was almost what I would call "self leveling". I hope to find other shades with this finish.
Pixi Beauty is a brand that prides itself with the mission to "make women look like themselves, only better." While the Pixi Beauty Nail Colors also claims, "Super smooth application with a chip-resistant finish and built-in UV protection to prevent polish discoloration."
Their nail colors are 3-Free (Toluene, Formaldehyde and DBP free.) The Pixi Beauty product line is available online at www.pixibeauty.com and www.target.com, as well as in Target Stores nationwide.
Have you tried any of the Pixi Beauty Nail Colors? Which are your favorites?
Pixie Beauty has given us three great shades that will compliment any tanned skin tone. First, there is Fluoro Flamingo, it is a bright bubblegum pink cream. I would say that this is just short of neon. The first coat was a bit streaky but with a second, coat application as smooth.
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| Fluoro Flamingo-Bright flamingo pink |
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| Summer Sunset-Pink-orange coral with golden shimmer |
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| Wakeup Wisteria-Cool medium lilac |
Their nail colors are 3-Free (Toluene, Formaldehyde and DBP free.) The Pixi Beauty product line is available online at www.pixibeauty.com and www.target.com, as well as in Target Stores nationwide.
Have you tried any of the Pixi Beauty Nail Colors? Which are your favorites?
Grace, Peace, & Blessings.
* This product was sent to me for review consideration by either the manufacturer or the PR firm representing the manufacturer. These however are my honest opinions. I am not employed by nor was I paid by this company.
Orly Hope and Freedom Fest 2013 - Elation Generation & Coachella Dweller
Thursday, April 25, 2013
The Orly Hope and Freedom Fest Collection came out earlier this year. It has 6 great Spring shades. From this collection I purchased 2-Elation Generation and Coachella Dweller.
I really wish Orly would release more polishes like Elation Generation. This and the recent Miss Conduct are two very pretty shades that I love to have in my collection. I would love to see the same finish in some of the jewel tones, like sapphire navy, emerald green and amethyst purple.
The other polish I purchased from the Hope and Freedom Fest Collection is Coachella Dweller. It is a pale foam green cream.
It was a bit streaky with the first coat but after applying the 2nd coat it was smooth. As pictured, I am wearing 2 coats.
These 2 shades along with the other 4 from the collection should still be available at your local retailers. I know I still want to get the yellow from this collection. Have you purchased any from this collection yet, and if so, which ones?
Orly Elation Generation was the first from the collection that I knew I had to own. It is a sheer pretty pink jelly with holographic micro glitters. Although, it has a jelly finish, I was able to get a fully opaque finish with just 2 coats.
I really wish Orly would release more polishes like Elation Generation. This and the recent Miss Conduct are two very pretty shades that I love to have in my collection. I would love to see the same finish in some of the jewel tones, like sapphire navy, emerald green and amethyst purple.
The other polish I purchased from the Hope and Freedom Fest Collection is Coachella Dweller. It is a pale foam green cream.
It was a bit streaky with the first coat but after applying the 2nd coat it was smooth. As pictured, I am wearing 2 coats.
These 2 shades along with the other 4 from the collection should still be available at your local retailers. I know I still want to get the yellow from this collection. Have you purchased any from this collection yet, and if so, which ones?
Grace, Peace, & Blessings.
* FTC: These products were bought with my own money. These are my honest opinions. I am not employed by nor was I paid by any of these companies. This is not a sponsored post.
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