Valentine’s Day: These Are a Few of my Favorite Pink Things!

February 8, 2013 By StephanieLouise 550Leave a Comment2013-02-08+23%3A26%3A00StephanieLouise

Throughout the year, I’m not a hardcore pink gal. I look fine in pink, love me some pink cheeks, & I don’t have a bad relationship…we just aren’t besties. However, when Valentine’s Day rolls around, I embrace it. The softness of baby pink, the flash of hot pink, & the ease of neutral pinks are absolutely perfect for the holiday. I thought it would be fun to show you some of my favorite things…all of them pink of course. I tried to link to reviews & such for your convenience too so that’s what they will link to. Keep reading to see my picks for eyes, lips, cheeks, fragrances, nails, & more!

Eyes: Some of my least worn eyeshadows are pink. I feel like they can be super tricky. When I want a perfect pink, these are the shades I real for. The Coastal Scents Palette is called Think Pink. A dozen beautiful shades & 8 of them are pink. The black is a favorite, it has pink shimmer. I didn’t swatch it but check out this eyeshadow look I did here using this palette that is definitely gloriously pink.

Left to right: Jesse’s Girl Eye Dust in Pink Glitz, NYX Single Eyeshadow in Hot Pink, L’Oreal Infallible Eyeshadow in Glistening Garnet, & Maybelline Color Tattoo in Inked in Pink.

Lips: Can you tell I love pink lips? I could show you half a billion lip products but instead I’ll show you some of my favorites of the moment…with swatches!

Left to right: NYX Lipstick in Strawberry Milk, Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in Sweet Tart, Maybelline Vivid Lipstick in Pink Pop, Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Lip Tar in Pretty Boy, & Victoria’s Secret Lip Liner in Tickled Pink.

Left to right: Tarte LipSurgence Natural Matte Lip Tint in Hope, Victoria’s Secret Beauty Rush Lip Gloss in Passion Fruit Pop, Anastasia Hydrafull Gloss in Heiress, & MAC Lipglass in Steal my Heart.

Cheeks: Pink cheeks? Of course! Here are 3 lovely shades each with a bit of a different tone. You’ll find one more fuchsia & deep, a shimmery neutral, a self adjusting hot pink, & the perfect everyday fair pink.

Left to right: Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Flush, Physician’s Formula Happy Booster Blush in Natural, Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Dollface, & (this one is much hotter in person before it adjusts!) Stila Custom Color Blush in Self-Adjusting Pink.

Fragrance: Aquofina Pink Sugar, Victoria’s Secret Very Sexy Temptation, & Marc Jacobs Oh, Lola! perfumes. All of these are pink, girly, & super different. Pink Sugar is totally sweet & will make you smell like the best candy/baked good/sugary treat ever. VS Very Sexy Temptation is my newest aquired fragrance & boy is it aptly named! It smells so sexy & feminine, perfect for a date night! Oh, Lola! from Marc Jacobs is positively bright & perfect for daytime wear.

Nails: LEX Cosmetics Tuilleries, China Glaze Strawberry Fields, Zoya Chloe, & Milani Hot Pink. I’ll be swatching Strawberry Fields from China Glaze soon because it is a newer favorite but click the links above for swatches of the other 3!

Miscellaneous:

Carol’s Daughter Ectasy Shea Souffle: I got this in a Glossybox awhile back & although I didn’t think much of it at the time…I’ve since come to terms with my love. This smells like innocence with sugared strawberries. I’m absolutely in love & the texture is divine. This super light scent is perfection. I’ll be picking up a new container & also a fragrance soon!

Beauty Blender: I don’t think I need to explain this fabulous pink sponge soon! This is a backup as I use them until they completely beg for mercy & just seeing it in all that hot pink glory makes me oh so happy. The perfect way to apply foundation, sheer out thick foundation, & give a natural look. I haven’t found a dupe…& you know I’ve tried.

Batiste Dry Shampoo in Blush: I love dry shampoo. When my fine hair just won’t do what I want it gives me volume. When I have extra oils, it eliminates them. & honestly, it often just makes my hair look generally better. Batiste Dry Shampoo is fabulous in every scent but Blush is really something special. Super feminine & floral it will instantly make you feel all girly inside.

Anastasia Hypercolor Hair Powder In The Pink: I love this color so much & I feel so rocker glam when I use it. I’m not even going to talk about it anymore…GO LOOK HERE!

Well there we have it! Turns out…I kind of love pink! What are your favorite pink products? Are there any int his post you’d like to try? What makes you think of Valentine’s Day?

**Some items were sent for consideration of review while most were bought with my own funds. All opinions are my own.

Nails: SoFlaJo Involved Swatches & Review

February 8, 2013 By StephanieLouise 551Leave a Comment2013-02-08+16%3A58%3A00StephanieLouise

Involved is from the Matte Love Collection created by an indie polish maker called SoFlaJo. This is a gorgeous shade & well…it is purple so it was pretty much instant love.

I decided to keep this matte for swatches because it really is a beautiful look. This shimmer is gorgeous but the dustiness of the mattified purple really is the star for me. Combined they create something truly unique. This started out really sheer so I was a bit nervous but it built up rather nicely.

SoFlaJo Involved: A medium purple with antique gold shimmer. Dries matte. 3 coats. No base or top coat.

Inovlved ( & the gorgeous Hidden Gem which I swatched awhile back!) can be purchased on http://www.soflajo.com/shop/and on SoFlaJo’s Etsy shop if you prefer. Also be sure to check out SoFlaJo on Facebook so you always stay in the loop!

**Polish provided in consideration. All opinions are my own.

Nails: OPI Can’t Let Go Liquid Sand Nail Polish Review & Swatches

February 7, 2013 By StephanieLouise 555Leave a Comment2013-02-07+16%3A18%3A00StephanieLouise

Let me start with: I was fully prepared to hate this nail polish. I love new polishes, in fact, abnormally so. But for some reason, sand didn’t sound fun. When you use a lot of glitter you learn the truth about grit. It soaks up topcoat like a sponge, snags on every fabric you own, & manages to fall or chip off in the most inconvenient times.I was not amused by any of these things & thought OPI’s Liquid Sand would be similar….basically a mess.

However, I was wrong. Very wrong. In fact, I love this polish. From the texture to the wear time, I’m quite impressed. It did take a little longer to dry than average but the fact that you don’t use a top coat with these definitely contributes to that. It feels gritty but not flakey, it lays securely against the nail. This is definitely unlike anything else I have & I’m digging it! Keeping reading for swatches & thoughts about the Liquid Sand formulation.

OPI Can’t Let Go Liquid Sand: Medium purple liquid sand texture with medium purple hex glitter in the mix. Everything but the glitter dries matte (& liquid sand) so the glitter really gives a jolt of interest & catches the light beautifully. 2 coats no base or top coat.

Although this shade doesn’t remind me of Mariah Carey like at all (it isn’t pink for one thing) I do love it. For one thing…it is purple. I love me some purple. This texture is very cool & my husband agreed. I’ve been wearing it for 4 days total & only have minor tip wear. These don’t use a top coat because it ruins the effect but I’ve seen some great swatches (like this one here from The PolishAholic) where you can see this shade with top coat. It is lovely either way really so that’s nice. It looks completely different with top coat.

I received this in my January Glossybox (I’ll be posting about that later today) in a full size but a friend also bought me the set of 4 minis that I’ll try to show you soon! Would I want a whole collection of Liquid Sand? Probably not, I love me some high shine. I do enjoy having something pretty, wearable, & unique though!

NEW Victoria’s Secret Nail Lacquers in String Bikini & Backstage Swatches & Review

February 6, 2013 By StephanieLouise 557Leave a Comment2013-02-06+21%3A06%3A00StephanieLouise

This is going to be a depressing post folks. I have been so excited about the VS polishes coming out. I like quite a few Victoria’s Secret makeup items so when they decided to make nail polish I was all in. Unfortunately…the 2 polishes I tried first weren’t what I was expecting…

String Bikini: A very cool pink. Super stringy & difficult to apply. 2 coats.
Cooler than China Glaze Naked, hotter than Zoya Shelby, & slightly lighter than Sinful Colors Pink Forever.

Backstage: Light pink small glitter with sparse holo & dark pink hexes. 1-2 coats? Sponged on… No top coat. Very thick.
Very similar to Maybelline Rose Bling but with less holo & dark pink hexes. Besides that, they’re dupes.

I was so depressed after application I pretty much consider these swatches fails. String Bikini needed to be color corrected because it is that odd shade of pink but other than that….I barely looked through the few photos I did take. Fails. These are fails.

I loved both of these shades in theory (& the names!) but String Bikini was the biggest let down. I’m praying I got a bad bottle because I’ve never used a brand new bottle of polish these stringy. On top of that, it made my nails look dry as heck. Backstage was goopy, which I can deal with, but it was so goopy application was pretty much impossible. I had to sponge this on with the brush but I wasn’t happy about it. Notice the edges are glitter free because it was so gloopy.

Clearly these both need thinner & some serious chemistry. I have some other shades to try but man am I timid now. Very timid. I will say I like the packaging, very much like my beloved butterLONDON polishes with the removable cap & rectangular shape.

I picked my shades up inside the Victoria’s Secret store with some rewards points but these should also be available online soon. I honestly can’t remember how much they were…but they weren’t cheap! Whenever I find the receipt I’ll post the price.

Requested: OPI Pamplona Purple & Julie G for Jesse’s Girl in Mermaid’s Tale

January 8, 2013 By StephanieLouise 573Leave a Comment2013-01-08+16%3A15%3A00StephanieLouise

So I have a quick post this morning to fulfill a request form a few readers! Today I show you the test shots from my New Year’s Manicure base.

For the base I use OPI Pamplona Purple & then I sponged Julie G for Jesse’s Girl in Mermaid’s Tale on top. Both of these shades are gorgeous & I will try to remember to photograph it next time I rock this combination! I hope this helps those of you who wanted to see it?

Here’s my original manicure for reference!

Hope this helps those of you who wanted to see the combo! I know these aren’t the best because they were just my test shots to see how the shades came across on camera but at least they’re pretty!

Nails: Revlon Heavenly Over Pure Ice Party Hard

January 7, 2013 By StephanieLouise 577Leave a Comment2013-01-07+15%3A32%3A00StephanieLouise

So if I haven’t talked up Revlon enough on this blog then they come out with the most gorgeously affordable glitter ever. When I think of square glitter, I always refer back to my indie glitters. Square glitters at the drugstore? It was a dream. When I got word this was coming out…snapped it up quick along with Girly which I’ll swatch later on!

Revlon Heavenly: Medium iridescent hex & square glitter in a clear base. The squares lean pink/blue/teal/green while the hexes lean pink/orange/yellow. 2 coats. One coat of Out the Door topcoat.

I think you can see why I applied it over a dark base…go bold or go home! Obviously this is lovely over softer shades & I think it gives a really neat touch to your average nude manicure on an accent finger. Application is pretty good & coverage is nice for a glitter. Overall I’m really impressed! I highly recommend putting it over a deep navy like this one from Pure Ice in Party Hard because the different colors really pop.

What do you think of Heavenly? Does Revlon have a hit? I found mine at Walgreens but by the numbering…I think this shade might become permanent so if you can’t find it cross you fingers!

Zoya Lovely Spring 2013 Collection Nail Polish Swatches & Review!

January 5, 2013 By StephanieLouise 579Leave a Comment2013-01-05+15%3A00%3A00StephanieLouise

For Spring 2013 Zoya has graced us with their Lovely Nail Polish Collection containing 6 new & very gorgeous nail polish shades! There isn’t one polish in this set that I feel doesn’t work with my skin tone…it is a spring miracle! Stay tuned for swatches, color rundowns, & my favorite shades!

This set contains 3 shimmering metallics & 3 luxurious creams.

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Piaf: A soft shimmery metallic that is like a paled mustard yellow. It sounds gross, I know, but really it is lovely. I normally don’t do yellows & even less pastel yellows but this is so different & works so well with my fair skin! This has nice coverage, this is 3 thin coats.

Gie Gie: A soft cool shimmery metallic pink. This one had nice coverage & I applied 3 coats but I could have gotten away with 2. Lovely & so soft looking.

Julie: A soft shimmery metallic lavender. I love this shade so much…of course it is purple. This makes me think of those scenes in moves where girls in floral dresses dance through fields of lilacs…true story. 3 very thin coats.

Blu: A super light blue cream. This color honestly reminds me of adding a few drops of blue to a whole can of white paint & I love it. Gorg. This one was a bit streaky so I needs 3 thin, even coats.

Neely: A super pale green cream. This is definitely a springy green, it doesn’t lean blue or teal at all. 3 thin coats for perfect coverage.

Jacqueline: This is a super light creamy yellow toned nude with the faintest hint of sheen. This one applied a tad streaky & needed some coaxing to even out. 3 thin coats.

These are crazy gorgeous shades that have me lemming some springtime nail art & fresh air! Oh, & yes, there is still snow on the ground! I think these are essentially spring shades with either a beautiful creme formula or a really different shimmer. I am still shocked all of these shades work with my skin…are these my traveling pants for spring? I think so! My favorites from this collection are definitely although I definitely like them all!

These shades are available for $8 each from Zoya’s website.

What do you think of the Zoya Lovely collection? Do these shades whisper spring time bliss to you as well?

**Polishes provided in consideration of review. All opinions are my own.

My MOST Worn Nail Polishes of 2012!

January 1, 2013 By StephanieLouise 587Leave a CommentMy+MOST+Worn+Nail+Polishes+of+2012%212013-01-01+22%3A43%3A00StephanieLouise

So what is this post about? My most WORN polishes! These probably are all favorites but the thing to note is I either obsessed about each shade or it is a favorite base color shade. I’ll link each to their respective posts as well so you can see full swatches & review! I hope you guys enjoy this, I get asked about all of these shades a lot! These are in absolutely NO specific order!

Wet n Wild- Black Creme & French White Creme are my basic black & white!

Milani- Hot Pink I feel like I don’t even have to explain the awesome going on right here with the hot pink & such.

Spoiled- Ants in my Pants Or here with the black & red…I was a woman possessed.

Zoya- Reagan I honestly had no idea I’d fall so hard for this shade of pink but it just looks phenomenal on my nails & against my skintone. & I’m not much of a pink girl honestly.

Zoya- Kimber I wore this on my nails then straight on my toes. I love it so much, it scream gorgeousness.

Spoiled- Shrimp on the Barbie So when I look back at 2012, this definitely was a favorite. Low price point, gorgeous shift, & I didn’t have anything like it. When I finally had to take it off my nails…I put it right on my toes.

Zoya- Arizona Confession: Not a big orange fan…but Arizona had me rocking orange like a wild woman. It just looked so great on my skin & so fabulous for summer & well into fall for me.

Spoiled- I Only Eat Salads I honestly don’t know why this struck such a chord with me, don’t have a shortage of lime greens. But it did, it does, & it forever will.

China Glaze- Riveting This was THE fall shade for me. did not want to take it off. It is absolutely gorgeous.

Revlon- Mint Gelato Believe me, I didn’t expect to fall for a scented polish at all. But omigarsh this shade, the formula, & the creamy mint scent are simply intoxicating.

Nails by Laura (Joyful Noise Cosmetics)- Black Tie Affair If you love Black & White Glitters, ah, love, Here it is over another favorite Zoya’s Wednesday.

Zoya- Natty So I really loved the Fall shades, but Natty totally spoke to me. Here it is with Bling in the New Year from Joyful Noise Cosmetics…a new obsession.

Sally Hansen Comeplete Salon Manicure- Thinking of Blue My go to dark blue. Love this.

Zoya- Aurora Yes, this is a newer shade but consider me obsessed. I am constantly removing polish to put this back on!

Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure- Runway Red-y My go to red although butterLONDON Pillar Box Red is a very close 2nd.

Zoya- Wednesday OBSESSED. I seriously wore this on my nails forever to the point where I stopped doing nail posts for a bit. I am still in love & it is amazing & beautiful & & & LOVE.

Revlon- Facets of Fuchsia When this first came out, I had a fit & wore it allll the time. Purple & black, heaven.

Essie- Navigate Her I wear this as kind of a palette cleanser & I think it looks so simply pretty.

FLAKIES! From Finger Paints to Essie to Zoya to China Glaze & beyond…if I’m ever in doubt, you’ll find
flakies on my nails! I never get sick of them!

NOTE: Julie G for Jesse’s Girl in Peep Toe Pumps is also a favorite! I’ve had it on my toes for over 2 months. Obsessed. I need to swatch it, I’m not sure how this slipped by me!

I really hope you guys enjoyed this post & that you had a wonderful celebration for the New Year! I have more Best of posts/videos coming up (video camera fixed…woohoo!) so do stay tuned! What are some of your most used shades of 2012?

**Some items have been provided in hopes of review. This in no way altered my choices. All opinions & photos are 100% my own.

New Years Nails: Confetti + Disco Ball Explosion Manicure!

December 31, 2012 By StephanieLouise 589Leave a Comment2012-12-31+17%3A19%3A00StephanieLouise

To kiss 2012 goodbye I had to do some glitter bomb nails right? RIGHT! I honestly pulled both glitters off my nail rack & absolutely couldn’t decide…one looks like a disco balll…the other like straight confetti…why choose?

Base shade is Pamplona Purple from OPI. I then sponged on the gorgeous Julie G for Jesse’s Girl shade in Mermaid’s Tale. The glitters were both sponged on as well & both are from Forever 21! They have surprisingly nice polishes there although the names all pretty much suck! The confetti shade is labeled as crystal/multi & the silver holo disco ball shade is labeled as crystal/silver. I then topped it all off with Seche Vite!

I love them, so blingy! What nails are you rocking into 2013? What do you think of these glitters?

Glossybox USA for December 2012 featuring Zoya, Jewelmint, & More!

December 29, 2012 By StephanieLouise 593Leave a Comment2012-12-29+15%3A52%3A00StephanieLouise

This Glossybox was pretty fab! Full size items galore & items I will actually use…joy! December & January subscription boxes are always some of my favorites & they seem to go all out. To see what was in this Glossybox, keep reading!

So the card this month was a bit different & showed visuals of every product. Love this! I’m totally a visual person so this is great for me. Technically you get 7 items this month, but one is a foil packet & one is a perfume sample. This WOULD bother me except that 4 were full sized items!

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Jewelmint Necklace/Pin: Jewelmint is one subscription service I still haven’t tried. I absolutely love jewelry but $29.99 per item is a bit steep when I can usually find gold/sterling silver for that price. i haven’t seen some items I really liked so I might take the plunge someday. I know everyone got different items from Jewelmint & I quite like mine. This is a gold necklace that feels sturdy & the pendant can also be removed from the chain & used as a pin. I love multi-taskers! I’ll probably put this pin on one of my hats 🙂 This item alone paid for this box in value.

Heartland Frangrace Co White Tea Bath Salts: This one isn’t a full size, but it is a nice handful. You can see it in comparison to the other items in my first photo. I personally love epsom salts, bath melts, bath bombs, pretty much anything like that so I know I’ll always use them. I used these last night & white the scent is a bit light for me these were a nice treat!

Forrest Essentials Luxurious Ayurveda Bath & Shower Oil in Madurai Jasmine & Mogra: Wow is that a long title or what? This oil is heavenly but that is because I’m a jasmine fanatic. Seriously. I love a nice scented oil after getting out of the bath or shower so this is perfect. My only issue with this product is the way to get it out…you don’t get a squeeze or anything. That’s pretty dangerous with straight oil. This is a 1/2 size but I’m considering it a full one because it is so big! This same is worth $11.

Zoya Nail Polish in Electra: You guys know I adore Zoya & loved this polish from their winter collection. To see swatches, check out my original post here. I was more than happy to get a 2nd bottle because this is an awesome layering polish! This is a full size & worth $8.

Mark Luxe Lipstick in m.powerment Petal: I haven’t seen packaging on a lipstick that really struck me as being lovely in a long time but this one hit home. Metallic light pink tube with holo mark around the tube. This feels light but very sturdy & “clicks” closed with a magnetic pull. I think I’m in love. This shade is also pretty great & is a universal cool rose pink that is super easy to wear. it is that great mid-point of moisture & long wear so it is comfortable. It also feels light on the lips because it is nicely pigmented. These are $12.

I’m just putting these 2 together. You get a tiny sample of Wella Velvet Amplifier Style Primer & a fragrance sample of Pleats Please which is a fragrance from Issey Miyake. From Amazon: Pleats Please is a joyful, optimistic and exuberant fragrance of “vertically pleated” flowery, fruity and woody structure signed by perfumer Aurelien Guichard. Its opening splashes with Asian hybrid fruit Nashi, generated by crossing apples and pears (pear flavor is the one that dominates). The heart symbolizes femininity with floral accords of peony and sweet pea, while Indole molecule provides freshness and vigor to the composition. The base is generous with intensive accords of patchouli, cedar, vanilla absolute and white musk.It smells super floral & woody to me but I actually kind of like it. It isn’t for me personally just because it is pretty overpowering.

I loved this box & I think they hit it out of the park for me personally. Last month’s Glossybox didn’t blow my mind but they totally made up for it this month!As far as I’m concerned, they can throw in as many foil & perfume samples as they want as long as they keep hitting home with those full sized items! The Jewelmint alone paid for the box but everything really came together nicely. Very impressed!

To get your own GLOSSYBOX, check out their website! You can also earn GlossyDots which go towards a free box. If you have any questions, just let me know! You can also search for GLOSSYBOX in the top left of my blog to see what past boxes have contained. What do you think?

**This box was provided in hopes of review. I also buy my own each month. All opinions are my own. This is not sponsored. Affiliate links have been used.