Back from a long break with a stash tour!

Hello, everyone! Long time no post! I have to apologize for not updating as faithfully as I would like to. A couple months ago I decided to start taking biotin to kinda give my nails an overhaul and they aren't really where I want them to be. Again I find myself battling an awful case of peelies and I've had to file my nails down to give myself a fresh start. I'm hoping that with my intense moisturizing and religious use of treatments I might see some length in the coming weeks. I would really like to start taking swatch photos again! I am tired of having bad nail luck!

In the meantime I thought it might be nice to post some updated stash photos. I actually got an Ikea Helmer for Christmas from my boyfriend Damon's mom, which was probably the best gift I got! I didn't hesitate to assemble it and fill it up right after I got it home! It felt SO GOOD to upgrade from my old three-drawer Jetmax cube from Michael's... I feel like I am playing in the big leagues now!

So there she is in all her beauty! I actually do my nails right on top of it, which is made possible by my Jansjo lamp (also from Ikea) and a little wooden stool that I picked up from Ross. That guitar belongs to Damon, in case anyone was wondering!

 

In the first drawer I keep my Zoya, Orly, FingerPaints, and China Glaze. My Zoya collection has grown in size thanks to their recent sale and Get 3 Free promotion!

In my second drawer I've got OPI, Milani, Rescue Beauty Lounge, American Apparel, Lippmann, Nfu Oh, GOSH, Tarina Tarantino, Stargazer, Nails Inc, and Chi. My OPI stash seems pretty lacking!

My third drawer holds Color Club, Sinful Colors, Barielle, Petites Color Fever, Nicole, Ozotic Pro, Hard Candy, Wet n Wild, Funky Fingers, Pure Ice, Rimmel, Nina Ultra Pro, and Savvy Femme Couture. This drawer is nearly packed!

In my super-packed fourth drawer lives all my Sally Hansen, Claire's, Icing, Revlon, Maybelline, Hot Topic, and Borghese.

Fifth drawer holds cotton rounds and random single bottles of polish with no "family members". Is it weird that I group all the brands that I only have one of in one drawer? I keep polishes I've used to franken with in the little white basket.

My final drawer holds all my backups (in the front of the drawer), implements and brushes in the clear bin (which also has two of my swaplist polishes in it for some reason), treatments and topcoats live in the white basket, and those Color Clubs haven't been added to my spreadsheet yet.

 

Finally, here is the overall group shot! I hope you all enjoyed my tour!



~Carley

See It, Try It and Buy It with Zoya Color Spoons

During the summer Zoya unveiled their new Color Spoon program after a few weeks of speculation by the polish community. Zoya Color Spoons essentially give you a way to preview a polish before you commit to purchasing it. You can purchase a Spoon for 50 cents, and the 50 cents is credited toward a future purchase of polish at zoya.com. The spoons are actually an awesome product... they are nail-shaped swatches of real polish, so what you're seeing on the Spoon is exactly what you will be getting in the bottle. They are also shipped for free, so there really is nothing to lose!

I decided to see for myself what the Spoons were all about, and I was able to do so by taking advantage of Zoya's Free Spoon Friday promotion that was held on December 9th. I selected Edyta, Valerie, Isla, Ibiza, Robyn, and Tiffany.

They arrived promptly, and packaged in a flat bubble mailer. In the package along with my Spoons was a Zoya color catalog, which was a nice freebie! The Spoons themselves come nestled in a lovely plastic envelope with the Zoya logo on the front and back. I honestly wasn't expecting them to be packaged so nicely!

The Spoons aren't flimsy, they are made of rigid plastic. They come labeled with a barcode and their color name on the handle. The swatches are shaped ideally to hold against your fingertip to give you a better idea of how the color looks against your complexion.

 

I was surprised at the quality of the Spoons, I really wasn't expecting them to be much more than thin strips of plastic with color painted on them. The swatches are actual Zoya color pooled into the little spoon part, which you can see when you look at the back of the swatch.

Overall I am very, very impressed and pleased with the Color Spoon program. The Spoons give you a true representation of Zoya's nail colors, and I really like the "try before you buy" aspect of the program. I really think this is something that sets Zoya apart from other nail polish companies... they truly think about their customers. This is a super convenient way to see if a color is right for you! You really can't lose anything by trying the Color Spoons out, since the 50 cents you pay up front ultimately ends up coming off a future purchase!

 

 

I am glad I decided to take advantage of the Free Spoon Friday promo! I plan on purchasing all of the colors I sampled! What do you think of the Color Spoon program? Have you tried it yet?

~Carley

Zoya's looking for 20,000 Fans!

Zoya is looking to hit the 20,000 Likes mark on facebook and is promising a wonderful reward in return! If their facebook page reaches 20,000 Likes before January 3rd, they will release a code that will be good for 3 free polishes! Let's help them reach this goal! Click on the image below to reach their facebook page.

I am a HUGE fan of Zoya nail polish. I don't have a single Zoya polish that I am not pleased with. The range of colors that they offer is incredible, and they don't limit themselves to 'tame' colors. I love that their polishes wear so long on me and are such a dream to apply.

Zoya's most recent offering, the Flame collection

My two newest Zoya colors are from the Flame collection. I chose Gloria and Crystal. Gloria is a gorgeous rosy pink flecked with gold, and Crystal is an icy gold-flecked blue that is perfect for winter. Both colors applied fabulously, and were opaque with two coats. I wish I had swatches to show!

Spread the word about their promo! Let's help them reach their goal of 20,000 Likes!

Coty buys OPI!

A Done Deal: Coty Buys OPI

2010-11-29 | 10:43

After weeks of speculation, Coty Inc. has signed a deal to acquire salon nail care specialist OPI Products Inc. The price tag is said to have come in at under $1 billion. Now, Coty is said to be looking at another opportunity.
The beauty giant has been on a buying spree and in recent weeks has struck deals to acquire skin care brand Philosophy from private equity firm The Carlyle Group and Dr. Scheller Cosmetics from Russian company Kalina.

Coty funded the acquistion with cash, input from its investors and debt. And more could be on the way in a few days.

"This acquisition will allow Coty to expand our presence in the nail care category via an important new channel of distribution: professional salons, and importantly will offer an even greater selection of products and choice to consumers," said Bernd Beetz, chief executive officer of Coty in a statement.
"Our management team will continue on with the company and OPI's business strategy will remain focused on the salon professional," said George Schaeffer, president and ceo of OPI, which was founded in 1981 and made a name for itself selling nail polishes with names such as Flashbulb Fuchsia and Dim Sum Plum.

source: happi.com

What does everyone think about this? I wonder how this will affect the collections that come out and the rate that they are released! I also wonder if Coty will bring OPI products into more retail outlets.

China Glaze's Summer 2011 Sneak Peek!

Weeeelllll helllllllooooooo everyone! I have to apologize for my lack of posts over the past month. I have been so embarrassed by my nails and they have been camera shy for weeks now. I took a bunch of NOTD photos to share a while ago but when I looked at them I realized my nails looked like crap and deleted them all. I have been in a nail funk lately and it sucks!

I am coming out of hiding to show you an awesome sneak peek for China Glaze's Summer 2011 collection that I found while Googling different brands along with "Summer 2011." I found a blog, Nailmall, that had these photos featured and I just had to share them!

The collection is called Island Escape and it consists of three glitters, two cremes, and one shimmer. The colors are bold, bright, and definitely tropical! There have been a lot of nice fall collections this year, but I am relieved to see what waits for us lacquer lovers in the winter!

I am really looking forward to seeing what these glitters are going to look like. I wonder if they are going to look anything like the Specialty Glitters that China Glaze released a little while ago. For some reason the thought of summer glitters really excites me, I don't recall seeing any summer glitter polishes recently!

The bottle shots in this picture give a slightly better representation of the colors than the dots in the first picture... that orange really reminds me of Sun Worshiper from the Poolside collection! Wouldn't it be cool if China Glaze came out with another glass fleck collection similar to their Summer Days collection? I have high hopes for Island Escape and I am SO looking forward to seeing swatches of this collection!

Are you excited about this collection?

~Carley

source: Nailmall.info

Oldie but goodie: Revlon Color Illusion Mocha Mirage

A few years ago when Sally Hansen released the Nail Prisms line a couple other companies came out with similar collections that tried to mimic the duochrome and multichrome awesomeness that the Prisms were known for. Revlon's attempt was the Color Illusion line, and it had some beautiful duochromes.

Mocha Mirage is one of the duochromes from the Color Illusion collection, and I think it is fantastic! It has a rich metallic finish and in the sunlight it shows a beautiful rosy-copper color.

 

Mocha Mirage, two coats in full sun

 In this shot the rosy hue is a little more apparent.

Do we see some gold tones making an appearance as well? This is a great duochrome!

Revlon really had a hit with this collection, but much like the Nail Prisms they eventually disappeared from drugstore shelves and never came back. There are too many amazing collections that eventually met this fate, and it is such a shame.

Here's a shot of Mocha Mirage in the shade. I love the way the bottle looks here! I think I would have named this color something else unrelated to coffee... I don't think this polish leans brown enough to warrant a coffee-centric name. I see more rose, gold, and copper. I am so not creative enough to name nail polish!

Overall I really love this nail polish. The color is unique and the formula is surprisingly good for an older Revlon. It isn't goopy or watery; it applied smoothly and only took two coats to get a great finish. I put one coat of Seche Vite on top and I got about 4 days of wear out of this manicure.

Unfortunately this line is discontinued, but you may be able to score them on eBay!

~Carley

An update

I just wanted to apologize for the lack of swatches or updates...

A very close friend of mine at work passed away on Saturday after a year-long battle with cancer. He was a great guy and I am very sad about his death. I haven't had much energy to swatch. I just wanted to let you all know that I didn't give up on my blog.

~Carley

Awesome Drugstore Find: Petites Color Fever Black Diamond

A couple months ago I had heard through the grapevine that a new Petites nail polish range was popping up at Rite Aid drugstores. The line is called Color Fever and it is quite different from the regular Petites lineup: the colors are bolder, the bottle style is different, and the price is higher at $3.99 per bottle. The bottles still hold the same amount as the classic Petites bottles (.25 OZ) yet we are paying more... perhaps we are paying more for the fancy bottle, maybe for the trendier colors. Price difference aside I am really fond of the Color Fever range so far.

My first purchase was Black Diamond... a charcoal creme with intermittent holographic glitter. I took it out of the bag after I walked out of the store and held it in the sun to see how impressive the holo was and I was pleasantly surprised! Black Diamond has since become one of my favorite drugstore finds.

Black Diamond, full sun

It took me two coats of Black Diamond to get a nice opaque finish. The formula is smooth and incredibly easy to work with, and it is surprisingly pigmented and full of holo particles. I had no dragging or spots when I applied my second coat.

As you can see the holographic aspect of the polish is intermittent in the sense that it isn't as in-your-face holographic as OPI My Private Jet. Black Diamond is similar to Color Club Revvvolution in terms of their holographic finishes, but Black Diamond leans more black than Revvvolution, which is dark gray in my eyes.

If you are a fan of holos, I would recommend picking up Black Diamond next time you're in Rite Aid! What a great little polish! I feel that it is worth the price tag, but there are some colors in the Color Fever range that I feel aren't worth the price... you could easily find full size 15 ml bottles of some of those colors for the same price.

What are your favorite drugstore polishes?

Color Club Magic Attraction

I decided to wear one of my favorite polishes yesterday, Color Club Magic Attraction. This is definitely one of my go-to polishes when I need a pick-me-up; it really sparkles like crazy and it makes me feel happy when I look down at my fingertips!

 

Magic Attraction, 2 coats in sunlight

Magic Attraction is a clear-based polish that is jam-packed with various sizes of holographic glitter that is incredibly vivid. There is also some rosy pink glitter, but it isn't nearly as noticeable as the larger holo glitter flecks. There may even be some silver in this, but I can't really tell.

Bling bling!

The pink glitter is easily noticed in my photos... I had a hard time catching the holographic rainbows on camera, but you can see here that the polish kinda leans to the pinkish side.

I see you, rainbow!

I tried taking several pictures to try to catch the best angles of Magic Attraction, but I could only get a SOMEWHAT good example of the glitter explosion when I took a blurry shot.

Out of focus!

 

This goes on easily for a dense glitter, it isn't goopy and it builds up nicely with a few coats. I would definitely recommend using a topcoat over Magic Attraction, though; since it does have quite a rough finish due to all the glitter! I didn't use a topcoat for these photos, but I usually use two coats of Seche Vite to get a smooth and glassy look. This polish wears like iron for me... I wore it once for nearly 5 days on top of Sally Hansen Nail Quencher and had no wear!

Close-up, partial sun

I have trouble using the paintbrush and acetone cuticle cleanup method when I use this and other polishes like it... the glitter just does not want to come off, and the acetone basically just loosens it on my cuticle. I'll take my rubber cuticle pusher and kinda pick the glitter particles off individually, so it gets to be quite a pain when I try cleaning up glitter manicures. I get frustrated especially when pieces of glitter get wedged under my cuticle! Annoying!

What are your favorite glitter polishes?

~Carley

My Silver Holographic Comparison

I recently received GOSH Holographic in a swap from a very sweet girl in Scotland. Once I opened the package I realized immediately that none of my other holographic polishes are anything like it. I took it out and swatched it and found that it is truly the most amazing holographic polish I own, and then I decided that it would be a great time for a comparison!

Nail Prisms Diamond, China Glaze OMG, GOSH Holographic, OPI DS Shimmer, Color Club Worth the Risque

What a lovely lineup! These are the five silver holo polishes that I own right now... and all five of them are unique. Each one has a different consistency and holo strength. Everyone should know that I am really a sucker for holos... I will pretty much buy any holographic colors that I can get my hands on.

Nail Prisms Diamond, 2 coats

Nail Prisms Diamond is the oldest polish in this group. It has a very thin and watery consistency, but that really had no effect or impact on the overall application. It builds up nicely and has a really nice shimmery holo effect. I first bought this polish back in 2004 (I believe) and it was the first holographic nail polish I had ever seen, and it became my go-to mani and pedi color for a couple years. I have gone through 2 bottles of Diamond, this one is my third.

China Glaze OMG, 2 coats

The holo effect in China Glaze OMG is much more dense compared to Diamond. The particles are smaller and seem to reflect more light which creates a more intense rainbow. The application of this polish is a little tricky for me... OMG tends to drag a lot on the second coat, and I have to swipe my brush just right to avoid bald spots. The end result is amazing, though; I get many compliments when I wear this on my tips.

GOSH Holographic, 2 coats

This is the most amazing nail polish I own at the moment. I wasn't expecting much from looking at the bottle, but when this polish dried I felt like my eyes were gonna fall out of my head. GOSH Holographic has the most intense holo effect I have ever seen, and I have nothing in my collection that even comes close to it. The application was difficult, as I had problems with dragging. I think this can be expected of this type of nail polish. Just like OMG, the issues with the application are totally worth the result! It really is a shame that GOSH polish isn't easily obtained in the US, because this is something everyone should be able to own!

OPI DS Shimmer, 2 coats

OPI DS Shimmer was my first DS polish. I had actually found out about it while Googling "holo nail polish" a while ago when I was wondering if there were other polishes like Nail Prisms Diamond! I found it on an auction site for an incredibly good price and I couldn't pass it up. Shimmer has a wonderfully smooth application and a beautiful scattered holo effect much like Diamond (it isn't as in-your-face as OMG or GOSH Holographic). I had no problems with dragging, and it dried incredibly fast. Shimmer is a great option for layering... I love putting it over dark blue cremes!

Color Club Worth the Risque, 2 coats

Color Club Worth the Risque is a great polish! While the holo effect isn't as pronounced as the other four polishes I've compared, I still really like it. The formula is great and I have never had any issues with application... it goes on smooth like buttah! I really enjoy using Worth the Risque as a Konad stamping color, especially over black. All in all this is a good holo for the money; I think I paid around $2.50 for it.

Group photo! Thumb to pinkie: Diamond, OMG, Holographic, Shimmer, Worth the Risque

I had a hard time maneuvering my hand into a position where all of my nails were visible, but I can clearly see that GOSH is the Holo Champion! Look at that baby glow! OMG is a close second!

My thumb went bye-byes.

And that concludes my comparison!

What are your favorite holographic polishes?

~Carley