Thursday, May 16, 2013

piCture pOlish sunset & violet femme

 Hi everybody! I have been waiting to do this post because I wanted to do the neons together...i'm just missing Hot Lips. I'll start by saying these have AMAZING formulas!! I can't get over what a pleasure they are to apply..sometimes the brush can be a bit wonky but I believe they said they're in the process of changing  their brushes..it's nice when companies listen to their customers, right? :) I'll get down to the nitty gritty...I LOVE one but was disappointed by the other...now to be fair we all know as polish lovers that creating a neon purple is NOT easy and thus far hasn't really happened. (if so please someone tell me so I can buy it!) I think honestly i'm most disappointed that people swatch pictures of the colors and then don't let you know if it's accurate or not..I HATE that! We've all spent money on something expecting it to look a certain way and then when we get it...surprise..it's not what we were hoping for or expecting. And again...to be fair...it's a damn hard polish to get accurate pics of but then SAY so! So..my advice to you all is to find a blogger that consistently takes as accurate pics as possible..and when they're not accurate MENTIONS that they're NOT color accurate. I will be following this from now on! I try my hardest to do exactly that..I NEVER edit and then not mention that I did and the reason for it and I consider flash editing as well because it changes the color most of the time. On PP website (which I didn't look at first) they have a pic showing off Violet Femme and it's pretty darn close...a little lighter/brighter than what it actually is. Anyway..i'll shut up and post some pics :)
 First pic is in natural lighting..no sunshine. 2 coats..
 Another pic in natural lighting..no sunshine present...so much for Spring..thanks Alberta :/
 So then I did a comparison of Violet Femme(#19) with China Glaze Creative Fantasy(#20). The top one IS edited..these are very close to the actual color but just much lighter than they really are. The bottom one hasn't been touched up at all. VF is more a magenta purple and CF is more a violet purple. They're VERY close. I found VF to be much darker looking and CF seemed a bit brighter. The formula is the big difference for me..although I like CF more color-wise, VF's formula is the bomb! I only needed 2 coats and it almost looked opaque at 1! CF was 4 coats and I probably could have done a 5th. I swatched a 3rd nail on the wheel just moments ago to check if maybe I had applied VF too thick the first time and maybe that's why it appeared so dark but it made no difference. All in all..I would have bought this polish anyway because I DO love the color and the formula...it's probably going to be my new go to purple! But it's not the flashy bright neon purple I was hoping for so i'm still on the hunt for that....
 And then I added some Gene Doll..sorry..it's kinda hard to see it peeking out! I added it to my thumb, pointer and ring fingers. Then I stamped with my new Llealac Plate A with Konad Psyche Pink.
 This pic is in direct sunlight...love these colors together!!
 And since I can't leave well enough alone I added some Out The Door Northern Lights and some scattered holo dots.

  And now we have Sunset!!! This is a stunning bright coral neon with a fabulous formula!! 2 coats were used and it was perfect!! How I LOVE this color!!!! Now..this is completely opposite from Violet Femme in that all the pics I saw were misleading in a bad way...Sunset is misleading in a good way! It's always hard to capture the amazingness of a neon so swatches of this looked dull in comparison to what this looks like on..it glows..it's magical and I can't can't say enough good things about it! This first pic is pretty damn close....and no flash was used. This is in natural lighting..no direct sunshine.

 This is in sunshine..STUNNING! I have nothing like it in my huge stash and it's become a favorite. I do find it's a touch more red looking here. The first pic is more color accurate.
 This is in my dull kitchen lighting..so lovely!
 And some flash for fun! It glows on your nails..I was wearing this in the car when the sun was going down and they looked like glowsticks! However..it's not overwhelming bright like a neon yellow might be because it's such a saturated coral color..you really do have to see it to believe it.
 I'll write a quick blurb on Gene Doll as I likely won't review that one. It has a nice thin clear base and I like how the glitter is sparse so you can add a little something extra with one coat or add more for more bling..very versatile! Who doesn't like some hot pink glitter??

So I hope you found this helpful...sorry if it was a bit wordier than usual. Have a fabulous day!


Tuesday, May 7, 2013

China Glaze Sunsational Summer Neon Collection

Hi everyone! Today I have four colors from the Summer Neon Collection! I bought 3 cremes and 1 jelly. I have read some varying reviews...some I agreed with..some I didn't. I'll give you my honest thoughts. First up is a mani I created with 2 of the neons..Base is That's Shore Bright and I used a dotter to apply Too Yacht to Handle..knew these colors had to be paired together!!

 First up is That's Shore Bright..2 coats. This applied nice and even...no issues with application. I wouldn't consider this a neon but it is a nice bright purple shade..it's a lot brighter on than when you you see it on a nail wheel. I love it <3
 Now we have Too Yacht to Handle..3 coats. The first coat was ok but the second one went on thick and goopy and it didn't do any sort of self leveling. I used 2 drops of Seche Restore and my third coat went on great. Now some people have said this is not a neon and it's just a bit brighter than For Audrey...NOT! Aquadelic was way brighter than For Audrey..this....in my opinion...is as close to any aqua neon I have seen and I thought Aquadelic was super bright. I LOVE it. It's worth thinning :)
 And to show you what I mean...my thumb is Aquadelic and the other fingers are Too Yacht to Handle. They look close but in person you can definitely tell that Aquadelic looks more muted..probably how For Audrey compares to Aquadelic. Hope this helps..cause I have always LOVED Aquadelic and now I LOVE LOVE LOVE Too Yacht to Handle!
 Next up is Highlight of My Summer..3 coats. Same exact formula issues as Too Yacht to Handle..so again I added some Seche Restore. I have read that people said this is not a neon...ummmmm no..this is neon. My photo is without flash and that baby is crazy bright!! I also NEVER do any photo editing as I try to get it as accurate as possible...not as "pretty" as possible. I have NOTHING like this in my stash of over 500+ polish'. I LOVE it..a neon minty green? YES PLEASE!!!
 This is the one jelly I picked up. Are You Jelly?...I used 3 thin coats and had no application issues. It looks like it's not opaque enough in this photo but I assure you it is. This was my least favorite out of the 4 that I picked up. I also don't think this is a neon...pretty but not a neon.
So I hope you liked...and maybe this will help make up some minds :) Have a fabulous day!!

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Quo by Orly Lilac Lust & MM07

Hi everybody! I have Quo by Orly Lilac Lust tonight and I also tried out my new Messy Mansion plate 07. Lilac Lust is a lovely lilac color that leans pink...very spring/summer. It had a very thick formula that was almost a one coater..it leveled really well. It's worth adding to your collection if you're short on these kind of colors like I am. I care about formula..and this one has a good one so it would beat out a lot of other similar colors in my opinion. So I stamped with MM07...the lovely roses plate. I'm not a huge fan of roses but when I saw this plate I knew I had to have it! As always these plates are great quality and I love her creativity. I used 2 coats of Lilac Lust and stamped with Wet'n'Wild Black Creme. Then I went in with my dotter and applied Quo by Orly My Muse..(a pretty lilac glitter that I previously reviewed)...over the black. Here's some pics :)



 This last pic is probably more color accurate.
Well..hope you like! Have a fabulous night :)

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Quo by Orly My Muse

Today I have a review of Quo by Orly's My Muse...a stunningly pretty lavender/pink glitter. This glitter has a great formula! The photos are all at 4 coats but you could get away with 3 or even 2 depending on your taste and I think that's because it's such a fine glitter. I can't stop staring at my nails!! It dries quick so you don't even care that you used multiple coats and it's smooth to the touch! First coat felt slightly gritty but after that it was smooth! I used one coat of Out the Door Fast Drying Topcoat ( my go to topcoat). It's such a girly lavender leaning pink..I LOVE it! Perfect Spring/Summer color. And i'm pretty sure this isn't an Orly replica. I think it's a new shade because it was part of a new display..I snatched up this one, Hey Girl! and Lilac Lust but there were a few others I was drooling over. Oh..almost forgot..I bought them at Shoppers Drug Mart. I'll shut up now and post the pics :)





Well...what do you think? Will you be searching this out? Have a fabulous day :)

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Quo by Orly Hey Girl!

Tonight I have for you a review of Quo by Orly Hey Girl!....a FABULOUS neon pink that blew me away!! This polish applied nicely and covered in 2 coats. It's so creamy and glossy..i'm in love! I have quite a few neons but none like this one. In the pictures it looks like it's leaning coral but it's not..it's really more pink in person and of course brighter. I got this at my local Shoppers and it was in a new display so not exactly in the polish isle but at the end of it. Once I got home I checked my other Orly neons to make sure this wasn't a replica and it's not! This is hands down one of my fave summer polish' :) Onto the pics..if there's a question I left unanswered in my rambling don't hesitate to ask :)


 The first two pics are in natural lighting..no flash. The next pics are with flash.

 Then I killed the neon with some Konad black and DRK-C. I tried to stamp with a coral polish but it didn't show up. I was very disappointed with the outcome of this stamp..it lost all it's bright neon goodness :(

Well...hope you liked! And I bought this polish and all opinions are mine...fyi..you'll know when I get something sent to me for review because I won't be able to shut up about it ;)

Saturday, April 13, 2013

China Glaze Neons..Pink Plumeria

Hi everyone!! I see a few new faces..hi! Thanks for checking out my little corner of the "webiverse"..lol. Today I have a neon summery look to share with you. I did it last night so I didn't get pics of it step by step..not enough good light! But i'll explain step by step. I used 2 coats of China Glaze Pink Plumeria as my base..a fabulous coral/pink neon that has a great formula!! LOVE the neons they came out with last summer..they're all 2 coats with subtle shimmer. Then I sponged CG Love's A Beach on the tips...which you can't even really see! I then sponged OPI Teenage Dream on the tips. I topcoated with the amazing Out The Door Fast Drying Topcoat..my go to topcoat...before stamping on CG Papaya Punch and then CG Dance Baby. I used an image from the Cheeky XL Plate E..i'll post a photo. Then I stamped with Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Blue Streak and another image from the same plate...i'll post that too:) Lastly I sponged on some Zoya Chloe and topcoat. Now for the pics!

 The top pic is with flash which more accurately represents the color of the polish'.
 These two are in natural lighting..no sunshine. In fact it's snowing today..GROSS.
 Next up is the first image and I layered these near the top of my nails. It was a fabulous image..like a floral explosion!
 This one is the blue you see on the nail..not normally something I stamp with but it's pretty :)
Well I hope you like! Have a fabulous Saturday :)

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Quo by Orly Little Miss Sunshine

I grabbed another Quo by Orly polish up from Shoppers Drug Mart...this one is Little Miss Sunshine. It's an exact dupe..in fact the same exact polish as Orly Melodious from their Hope & Freedom Fest Collection. Since i'm on a strict no buy from online..since before X-mas *cries*....I pick up the odd polish here and there. Of course I would've rather bought the bigger size in the actual Orly bottle I love so much but these are pretty good too..handle is pretty much the same just a touch smaller. Anyway..on with my review.
This polish had me yelling "yes" when I picked it up..there's all this crimson shimmer that's just stunning! And I have heard that other people say they don't see it on the actual nail but I totally disagree! You do see it and it's gorgeous! My camera didn't pick it up as much as I wanted but it's there...trust me.
Now..the formula? That's the problem. I thought at first coat it was going to be fine but after the second I knew it was trouble. It's extremely patchy, and don't hope for any self leveling...it's not gonna happen. I used 3 coats and it still didn't look great. My suggestion would be to layer it or even sponge it over another yellow...that way you'll get that fabulous sparkle. Here's some pics :)


 I think these next 4 pics really show the streaking and the fact that it's still not opaque.



Will you be buying this? I thought another option might be to buy CND Crimson Sparkle and layer it over your favorite yellow for a similar effect.
Have a fabulous day :)

OPI Fly and Sally Hansen Lickety-Split Lime

Hi again..last one for today I think! I was in the mood for something really bright and fun and this certainly did it for me! I love more abstract images..this one is very neat and stamps wonderfully too!

I used OPI Fly as my base..one of my fave teal polish' hands down and it's probably because the formula is so unbelievable fantastic!! A great crelly..so easy to apply..opaque with 2 coats but I think I used 3 thin ones here. I then stamped with Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Lickety-Split Lime and BM 319. I wore this mani for 7 days and there was the slightest tip wear! I use Out The Door Fast Drying Topcoat..that might be the reason? It's my go to topcoat. On with the pics!


 And here is a pic that I took on day 7 of wearing this mani...crazy, right??! Barely any wear at all!! I guess I never really tested this topcoat before..I usually change my mani's so often that I didn't get a chance to see these kind of results! I'm really impressed!
This was my base coat OPI Fly..so lovely <3

Hope you like....have a fabulous day :)

Spring Manicure

Hi again! I have a nice bright spring mani for you all today! Even if i'm surrounded by gross weather I still hear birdies chirping and that's always a good feeling! Plus all the extra daylight helps too :)

I used the lovely Butter London Trout Pout as my base..GREAT color! I then added a layer of China Glaze Snowglobe...I saw a similar combo on Instagram and fell in love. They used Mimosa's Before Mani's..which is a pretty color but has a not so great formula. I then stamped with DRK-A Image Plate and Sinful Colors Dream On. This particular image was really deep and I ended up having to scrape it multiple times so I could get a clear image. So it turned out so so...you'll see what I mean. On to the pics!





Hope you like..have a fabulous day :)