Another Zoya Blue...Tallulah...

It has never been a secret that blue nail polish is my favorite. This past May I did a blog post on all my blue Zoya polishes.  Recently, during one of the many Zoya sales, I picked up a few more.  I remember, when I first started blogging, up until that point, I had never tried Zoya polish. But I saw that many other bloggers where constantly raving about the brand. So I finally gave the brand a try and my Zoya collection is quickly growing.  

One of the latest additions to my collection just may be my new favorite blue nail polish.  Today, I'm sharing with you Zoya Tallulah.  This was part of the Summer 2009 Oh-La-La collection.  Tallulah is described as a "medium electric cobalt blue with fine bright aqua shimmer."  This is one of those polishes that had me glancing at my hands all day.  If you don't have Tallulah in your collection, you are definitely missing a stunner.

Here I am wearing two coats along with my usual base coats and top coat. I already have a good number of Zoya polishes, but really need to get more; especially more of their blue polishes.

I posted a picture of this manicure earlier on Instagram and Twitter, but those office pictures really did no justice in showing the real beauty of this polish.  I still have several other Zoya shades to share with you. I recently picked up 3 of the Zoya Pixie Dust.  Anyone have any insight to the next collections to be released? 

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.

PRESS RELEASE: China Glaze® Magnetix II, Fall, 2012

THE ATTRACTION CANNOT BE DENIED

China Glaze Introduces Second Collection of Magnetic Nail Lacquers

Los Angeles, CA - (September 2012): Magnetic nail art took the beauty world by storm earlier this year, creating a nail art force that was hard for anyone to resist.  Following the phenomenal success of its first-generation Magnetix collection, China Glaze® introduces Magnetix II, an expanded second collection of magnetic nail lacquers.  

As with the first Magnetix line, Magnetix II by China Glaze® is infused with iron powders that shift when exposed to the China Glaze® Magnetix II Magnet.  The China Glaze® Magnetix II collection features six dramatic metallic shades:

·         Gold Fusion – Rich gold

·         Positively In Love – Gorgeous magenta

·         Bond-Tastic – Soft rust

·         Get Charged – Dark lavender

·         Sparks Will Fly – Chic cobalt blue

·         Con-Fused? – Lively green

Along with the new shade line up, China Glaze® has created a second, specially designed magnet featuring three additional unique designs – a swirling circle, vertical lines and an intricate lattice.   The separate magnet allows more design options, especially when coupled with the original China Glaze® Magnetix Magnet.  Alternate designs, rotate the magnet, play with the positioning on the nail – the art creations are endless!

To create your own unique China Glaze® Magnetix II manicure:

• Select desired magnet design.  Choose from circles, vertical lines or lattice effects.

                                                                       

• Apply one coat of China Glaze® Strong Adhesion Base Coat to clean nails; allow to dry completely.
•   Designing one nail at a time for best results, apply one coat of Magnetix II nail lacquer.  Immediately hold the China Glaze® Magnetix II Magnet over damp nail for 5-10 seconds, positioning so the built-in finger rest holds it steady.  (If you happen to touch the magnet to damp polish, simply wipe clean with nail polish remover – it won’t damage the magnet.)
• Once the design is fully developed and nails are dry, seal with China Glaze® Fast Forward Top Coat. 

China Glaze® has also released a step-by-step video for the Magnetix II collection which can be viewed on China Glaze®’s official YouTube Channel. 

China Glaze® Magnetix II is available now at salons and beauty supply stores nationwide with polishes and magnet sold separately.  The collection will be available in a 12-piece counter display and as open stock colors and magnet.

China Glaze is free of DBP, toluene, and added formaldehyde.  China Glaze nail lacquers are available through salons and professional beauty supply stores nationwide.  For more information, 

Visit the CG website: www.chinaglaze.com

Like CG on Facebook: www.facebook.com/chinaglazeofficial

Follow CG on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ChinaGlaze

Follow CG on Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/ChinaGlaze

Follow CG on Instagram: ChinaGlazeOfficial 

China Glaze® is a division of American International Industries.

About American International Industries

For nearly 40 years, AII has been the leading manufacturer and worldwide distributor of innovative, quality beauty and skin care products for men and women.  Our product lines include Ardell, Andrea, Body Drench, Bye Bye Blemish, Checi, China Glaze, Clean + Easy, Clubman/Pinaud, Duo, European Secrets, EzFlow, Fright Night, Gena, GiGi, Gypsy Lash, IBD, Jeris-Lustray, Nail Tek, No Tweeze/Micro Tweeze, 'N Rage, Prolinc, RAW, Seche, SuperNail, Surgi-Care, Waterworks, Winning Nails, Woltra, Woody’s, and Youthair. For more information, visit our website: www.aiibeauty.com. 

PRODUCT REVIEW: Maybelline Color Show Nail Polishes

Earlier this year, Maybelline New York announced the release of their new collection of 40 polish shades.  As a nail polish addict, from the moment of the announcement, I was on the hunt for the Maybelline New York Color Show collection. So I was really excited when I first saw a part of the collection in my local Walgreens.  They had about half of the collection and I then found the other half at Walmart.  I haven't seen the entire collection at any one retailer.  I grabbed my first 2 at Walgreens and another 3 at Walmart.  If you have followed my blog, my twitter or facebook, you know that I LOVE blues and purples, and so of course, the first of this collection I purchased was blues and a purple. 

The collection has several finishes from creams, metallics, shimmers, mattes, denims and what they are calling their crackles-shredded.

So I picked up a couple of their metallics.  The first is Navy Narcissist.  A gorgeous metallic blue.  The application was good with not any real issues.  This is two coats.

The next shade I picked up was Blue Freeze. Another blue, but this was a navy blue with purple and blue shimmers.

Next, I think is my favorite of bunch I have purchased so far is Denim Dash. It is a satin-matte finish blue with silver specks.  I don't own anything similar to this so I am glad that I added it to my collection.  Application was a dream. 

The next polish I grabbed from the denim collection was a darker blue, called Styled Out.  This is another satin-matte finish with teal specks.  These two Denim polishes remind me of some of my favor jeans.  These two denims also apply with ease.  Hopefully they will release the equivalent to a dark or black denim.

Lastly, I could not pass up a purple metallic I found at Walmart. Amethyst Ablaze is a gorgeous purple metallic.

BTW, the shade name is the same as one of the EYE STUDIO® COLOR EXPLOSION™ eye shadows I own. It looks like they have reused some of the names of their previous products.

As a whole, from the shades I have tried, this is a great collection: many great colors, readily available at your local discount retailers, almost opaque with one coat, great prices ($5.99 at Walgreens, $2.97 at Walmart). and several finishes.  From the colors I've seen, most of the current trends can be covered with this collection (brights, neons, metallics, etc.)

Have you tried any of the new Maybelline Color Show collection? If so, which colors and what was your opinion?

Grace, Peace, & Blessings.

* FTC: These products were bought with my own monies. These are my honest opinions. I am not employed by nor was I paid by and of these companies. This is not a sponsored post.

HAULIN': Wet n Wild Chrome & Something to note...

Just wanted to share with you some of my recent haulin'. I was in my local Walgreens and picked up 5 of the 8 new polishes from the Wet n' Wild Chrome collection-$3.99 each.  They apply free from difficulties.  These pictures are actually 1 coat, but I would probably apply a second.  The colors shown below are L to R:

• Grew Up In Cobalt-imore (darker blue)
• Stay Outta My Bismuth (similar to Zoya Crystal)
• Precious Petals (pink metallic)
• I Got A New Cum-Pewter (green metallic)
• Hog-Quartz School (purple metallic)

Someone asked if these polishes are good for stamping. I have not started stamping yet, but I am expecting any day now one of my nail art mentors, Rhonda of Nails Beautiqued to have tried them and post. If you are looking for innovation for nail art, check her blog out.  Someone also mentioned that some of these polishes are dups of some of the Nubar/Painted Nail polishes.  If you have any comparisons, please post pictures.

The only issue I have with this collection is the bottle size.  These bottles are somewhere between a Zoya bottle and a Sally Girl bottle, but the price does not reflect a smaller bottle.  Wet N Wild, these are great colors, that need to be added to your core collection but in normal bottle sizes. Please and Thank you.

Have you tried any of the new Wet n Wild Chrome collection? If so, what was your opinion?

Grace, Peace, & Blessings.

* FTC: These products were bought with my own monies. These are my honest opinions. I am not employed by nor was I paid by and of these companies. This is not a sponsored post.

A couple OPI Spiderman swatches...

OPI recently released its latest collection inspired by the upcoming The Amazing Spider-Man Movie.  I knew when I first saw the bottle pictures, that at least one of the shades had to be mine.  The collection has 6 new shades: 

• Call Me Gwen-ever:  Girlfriend, be sure to pick up when this urgent coral calls.
• Into The Night: His perfect midnight blue was made for prowling.
• Just Spotted The Lizard:  Be seen in this reptilian yellow-green.
• My Boyfriend Scales Walls: Limb new heights with this cityscape white.
• Number One Nemesis:  Show your metal in this sparkling nickel.
• Your Web Or Mine?:  The perfect pink for sticky situations.

I know that this is a limited edition collection, so I will need to make my decisions quickly. So far I have purchased two of the six. I knew that Just Spotted The Lizard: the yellow-green duochrome would my favorite from the collection.  The formula was runny and very sheer.  In these pictures, I used two coats. Next time, I want to try using an under-coating of a dark opaque polish, maybe black. But nonetheless, I'm loving the duochrome!

The second shade I purchased is, of course, the blue, Into The Night. If you follow my blog or my Twitter page you know that I absolutely love blue polish. 

Into The Night is a dark denim blue metallic shimmer. As with most metallics you need to be careful to avoid brush strokes. I also found the formula of this one to be runny. In these pictures, I used 2 coats, but would suggest 3 coats to have no VNL.

I'm thinking that Call me Gwen-ever will also be added to my collection.  Which of this collection have you tried?

Grace, Peace, & Blessings.

* FTC: These products were bought with my own monies. These are my honest opinions. I am not employed by nor was I paid by and of these companies. This is not a sponsored post.

National Autism Awareness Month - Essie Aruba Blue

Still showing support of National Autism Awareness Month.  This time, I am wearing a much blogged about, but only very recently added to my collection-Essie Aruba Blue.  I also did an accent nail with the infamous Icing Epic Winning.  Blues are more becoming my favorite polish color.  There isn't much I can say about Essie Aruba Blue or Icing Epic Winning as they both have been blogged about at length. My two cents, "They're gorgeous!"

Review:

·Color Family: Blue (Sapphire Blue)

·Finish: Metallic (Jewel-tone)

·Opacity: 2 coats for bottle color

·Collection: Core Collection

·Bottle: 15 mL – 0.5 Fl oz

·Brush: Standard narrow brush

·Price: Reg. $8.00

·Availability: Ulta, CVS, Walgreens, and Sally Beauty are some of the major retailers that carry Essie. Icing polishes are available at Icing stores

·Application: Smooth.  I'm wearing BC, and 2 coats of NP

Remember, treat your nails as jewels, not tools. Grace, Peace, & Blessings.

Top of the Morning To You: Pure Ice Not Now

Still on my trek to decide on my St. Patrick's Day manicure. This next shade is one I came across during a recent Walmart shopping excursion.  It is Pure Ice Not Now. Pure Ice puts out some really pretty colors and at a very inexpensive price. I love the brand for many of their polishes that are excellent for layering, i.e. Purple Reign, Busted, and Heartbreaker. 

Pure Ice Not Now is a deep emerald green metallic with a slight blue undertone.

I also recently came across the much sought after Sinful Colors Green Ocean. Which has gained a cult following within the nail polish community. Green Ocean is a green flakie. So I decided to layer it over Pure Ice Not Now. Sinful Colors is another brand that offers a wide variety of colors and finishes. They introduce and repromote several collections throughout the year.  

I am the first to admit that I had been a brand snob, so it is from experience, that I can say, if you haven't tried Pure Ice or Sinful Colors, don't short change yourself. Give them a try. You won't regret it.

Review:

• Available: Pure Ice: Walmart or  Bari Cosmetics; Sinful Colors: Walgreens, & Target are the 2 locations I have been able to find them, but I believe they have been spotted in other locations.
• Price: Pure Ice: Reg Price $1.97; Sinful Colors: $1.99
• Bottle Size: Pure Ice: 15 ml, 0.5 fluid ounces   ; Sinful Colors 15 ml, 0.5 fluid ounces
• Application: Pure Ice: Smooth. It required 2-3 coats for achieve bottle color (opaque); Sinful Colors: 
• Selection: Pure Ice and Sinful Colors both offer a Large Selection, including neons, and glitters
  
  

Remember, treat your nails and jewels not tools. 

Grace , Peace, and Blessings. 

Top of the Morning To You: Sephora by OPI Leaf Him At The Alter

With St. Patrick's Day fast approaching, I figured it's time for me to decide on an appropriate manicure.  

One of the first shades that I looked at was one I recently acquired.  On a trip to the Sephora in my local JCPenney, I found Sephora by OPI, Leaf Him At The Alter.  This was part of the Modern Flowers Collection from a few seasons back.

The name, Leaf Him At The Alter, generated a chuckle. The OPI company is famous for its polish names. I was never a fan of green polish but this is one of the few that drew my attention.  It is described as a Metallic Vine Green.  Because of the metallic shimmer, you need to apply with care to reduce the appearance of brush strokes.

Review:

• Available: Sephora, Sephora counters (JC Penneys), & Sephora.com
• Price: Reg Price $9.50
• Bottle Size: 15 ml, 0.5 fluid ounces
• Application: Smooth but watch out for brush strokes. It required two coats for achieve bottle color (opaque)
• Selection: Large Selection, including neons, and glitters
  
  

Remember, treat your nails and jewels not tools. 

Grace , Peace, and Blessings. 

China Glaze Metallic Red Comparisons

Last week, one of my favorite Bloggers did one of her gorgeous comparisons. All You Desire does excellent side-by-side comparisons.  It is her blog, that I often go to when wanting to see comparisons.  Recently, she answered the request of one of her followers to compare several China Glaze metallic reds-Long Kiss, Momma Kissing Santa, & Short & Sassy.  Whoever it was that made the request had also asked for a comparison to include China Glaze Thunderbird. Unfortunately All You Desire did not own Thunderbird. 


Sometime during my first year of blogging, I remember sharing a similar comparison to someone on MakeupAlley.com. So I figured I would pull from my stash and do this comparison also but including Thunderbird and a couple others that are similar.  China Glaze must release a polish in this family at least once a year. And silly me, must buy each time.  While they are each in the same color family, none are true dupes. That's my story and I'm sticking to it! LOL!  They are each very pretty, it is just up to you to decide which one or ones...

Collections:  Each of these, can still be found online. Long Kiss is part of the permanent collection and can be found at Sally and Ulta.

Short & Sassy (Retro Diva Collection) is the darkest & deepest of the six.

Long Kiss (Permanent Collection) is very close to Thunderbird but has a bit more blue in the formula.

Thunderbird (Retro Diva Collection) has a lit from within glow.

Momma Kissing Santa (2010 Holiday Collection) is a traditional deep Christmas metallic red.

Stroll (Retro Diva Collection) contains red glass flakies. Kind of jelly-ish in its formula.

Riveter Rouge (Vintage Vixen) contains gold micro glitter.

The application of each was customary for the China Glaze formula. They applied smooth and with no streaking. To achieve bottle color, 2 coats were applied. 

• Bottle: 14 mL – 0.5 Fl oz.
• Brush:  Standard narrow brush

Remember, treat your nails as jewels, not tools. Grace, Peace, & Blessings.

NOTD: China Glaze Bogie

All day Saturday I walked around the house with 10 different polishes on trying to decide on my next mani. Ever since I ventured away from the reds and berries, and into the world of blues, and purples, I have had an increasingly difficult time deciding in my mani changes. And after all that, what did I end up choosing? None of the 10 I was wearing, UGH!!! Good Grief!!! Late Saturday night I was watching a fellow Nail Blogger on YouTube and noticed the polish she was wearing. So I went to my stash and found something similar, which was one of my untried-China Glaze Bogie. This muted, eggplant purple, metallic, shimmer is from the Vintage Vixen collection. I own 5 of the 12 polishes in this collection and have not been disappointed with any of them. The formula is consistent with China Glaze-easy application. I applied 2 coats to get this depth of color. I like this shade in that it is office safe yet still fashion forward. It’s a keeper.

So, with this mani in the books, if I start looking now maybe by my next mani, the decision won’t be so difficult. Until next time, Grace and Peace.