SquareHue December Nail Polish Box (New Subscription Service!)

December 28, 2012 By StephanieLouise 594Leave a Comment2012-12-28+16%3A05%3A00StephanieLouise

So besides Julep, I can’t think of another worthwhile nail polish subscription. While I like Julep alright, I haven’t liked it enough to subscribe. SquarHue is pretty new & also pretty fabulous. This is my first box, but the fabulousity is in the details. Keep reading to find out why I’m giving it a thumbs up!

The bottles are really sleek & modern looking. Square with a white “hue” on one side & a white lid. I love the feel of these glass square bottles!

The labels on the bottom have to be my favorite part though. Here you will see the name of the shade & also the date you received it in your box…brilliant! I can’t believe no one else has come up with that idea!

Each box contains 3 full size ( .5 fl oz) bottles nicely packaged in a simple box. Because this is monthly, you will recieve 3 very “now” shades. These polishes are big 3 free, not tested on animals, & just look so lovely up on my nail polish shelf. Let’s see how I like the formula shall we?

Champagne Toast- A gorgeous champagne metallic. This applied like a dream. Here is 2 even coats.

Holly Berry- A shimmering nearly metallic red. Gorgeous. Perfect application. 2 coats.

Sugar Plum- Another nearly metallic that is a vibrant plum purple. So me. This has great dimension. 2 even & easy coats.

These shades are amazing & were perfect for the holiday season! Interested in subscribing to this new monthly nail polish subscription? Check out SquareHue here for yourself! I think it will definitely be the new IN polish subscription! For only $21 a month, I’m way impressed!

**Box received in consideration of review. All opinions are my own.

Joyful Noise Cosmetics Winter/Holiday Nail Polish Swatches Part 2

December 27, 2012 By StephanieLouise 596Leave a Comment2012-12-27+16%3A56%3A00StephanieLouise

So now that Christmas is passed & I feel like I’m running a bit late on these but I decided I wanted to show them off closer to New Years! This part has my favorite polish of all, Bling in the New Year! I hope you love them! Check out Part 1 of the Joyful Noise swatches + review with my favorite Christmas mix possibly of all time!

Warm & Toasty- Seen here over bare nails except my middle finger which is butterLONDON Pillar Box Red. Warm & Toasty is a mix of small red & orange glitter, red medium glitter, & medium brown glitter in a clear base.

For some reason, this one was hard for me to photograph! The brown almost looks like shadows in some lighting but it actually really lovely! Definitely makes me think of warmth so it is also aptly named. This is 2 coats over bare nails & one coat over the red.

Star of Hope- This is a yellow metallic with small satin neon yellow hexes, super fine gold glitter, small yellow hex glitters, medium small hexes, & gold star glitters. Seen over bare nails except my ring finger which is butterLONDON Pillar Box Red.

I thought this would be a layering polish, thus one of my fingers having the red base, but this is definitely better on its own! I’m not a big yellow fan but this has the most dimension in a yellow I’ve ever seen. Very well thought out! I also love the addition of the star glitters, super fun! This would be a great accent nail as well!

Bling in the New Year- A clear base packed with super fine holo glitter, small bright blue glitter, small holo glitter, medium silver glitter, & medium blue glitter. All glitters are hexes except the superfine holo dust. Seen here over Zoya’s Natty.

What you are looking at is glory in nail polish form. This is 2 really fine coats because I wanted to make sure you could see the galaxy like quality. Gorgeous. I love this over the dusty blue that is Zoya Natty. I highly recommend this combo! I wore this for over a week! I refused to take it off, it is holo awesomeness!

To purchase these polishes, head over to Joyful Noise Cosmetics on Etsy & remember to LIKE it on facebook to stay up to date on awesome deals, steals, & giveaways! I hope this has brought a bit of holiday cheer to your day & a ideas for a happy new year!

**Products sent in consideration of review. All opinions are my own. Not a sponsored post.

Zoya Lovely for Spring 2013 Official Information

December 19, 2012 By StephanieLouise 602Leave a Comment2012-12-19+17%3A12%3A00StephanieLouise

You know I LOVE me some Zoya. Seriously, just look for it i my search bar. Ridiculous obsession. Today we’re supposed to get a wicked storm here so I am super excited to bring you the Lovely line from Zoya for Spring 2013! These look like a fun take on spring & I can’t wait to get my hands on them.

Lovely, just LOVELY!

Spring is awash in six soft and lovely new Zoya shades including three dewy metallics and three fresh blooms of cream. Poetic in nature, this collection is sure to capture the beauty of the season like no other….

Zoya Lovely – spRING 2013

-Piaf (ZP652) – Fresh Forsythia Yellow Metallic – Full Coverage (Originally designed for Fashion Designer Zang Toi)

-GeiGei (ZP651) – Blushing Cherry Blossom Pink Metallic – Full Coverage (Originally designed for Zang Toi/SS13)

-Julie (ZP650) – Soft Wisteria Purple Metallic – Full Coverage (Originally designed for Zang Toi/SS13)

-Blu (ZP653) – Lucky Hyacinth Blue Cream – Full Coverage

-Neely (ZP655) – Earliest Spring Green Cream – Full Coverage (Originally designed for Peter Som/SS13)

-Jacqueline (ZP654) – Perfect Magnolia Nude Cream – Full Coverage (Originally designed for Peter Som/SS13)

When the press info for the Zang Toi & Peter Som shows originally rolled in, I took note of Jacqueline, Neely, & GeiGei. I really want to see Piaf in person…I seriously cannot picture it in my head! I love the idea of creamy metallics for spring, gorgeous. Julie is easily going to be awesome…hello…it is purple. Blu looks so soft & gorgeous. I’m just estatic!

Nails By Laura (Joyful Noise) Winter Nail Polish Swatches& Review Part #1

December 18, 2012 By StephanieLouise 605Leave a Comment2012-12-18+14%3A37%3A00StephanieLouise

I’m SO excited to be bringing you this post today! Yes, these polishes are glorious. But another reason is the technical difficulties I’ve been experiencing lately have been ridiculous. One thing after another. I’m hoping everything is back in good working order! Now…let’s see these swatches! They’re bound to put you in the holiday spirit! Laura just makes the most gorgeous combos!

Let’s address the name change first shall we? Indeed! Nails by Laura will now be known as Joyful Noise Cosmetics! From now on, I’ll be reviewing & referring to items by this new name but I wanted to explain a bit before anyone got confused! If you haven’t seen my swatches from Laura of Joyful Noise just type “Nails by Laura” into the search bar at the top left of my blog! I’ll be tagging them as Joyful Noise later on so you will be able to search that way in the future.

What Laura said about her exciting name change:
What does this mean for you? Absolutely nothing! It’s no secret that I’ve felt limited by the name I chose when I first started almost 2 years ago, and feared I had established myself too well with that name to change it.

Then I realized… How can I be TOO established? You guys have been AWESOME, and I know you’ll stick with me through this transition! Only good things are to come!

I’m super excited! I know lots of bloggers who chose names specific to a topic then felt limited to expand later. I say go for it, more is better! Today I’m going to be showing you the first 3 polishes of her winter/holiday collection…& they’re pretty spectacular! I did use top coat below but that is a personal preference!

Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel: A very light baby blue base with a super fine blue shimmer packed with glitter. Glitter hex shades are medium sized vibrant blue, light purple, blurple, less frequent green, small holo & silver hexes. Seen here is 2 thin coats over white.

I really like this shade, totally different from anything else I have & it feels nice & wintery. If you don’t mind a little bit of a VNL you could definitely wear this on its own but I wanted to pop it against white.

Snow Bulb Fight: A milky white base packed with a hidden red/orange microshimmer. The glitters in this include extra large red hexes, medium green, yellow, lavender, blue, & super light green hexes. The most abundant glitters are small hex glitters in the shades orange & purple. 2 coats over a white base.

If you love shades like China Glaze It’s A Trap-Eze! you’ll definitely adore this! The name definitely describes the glitters which is impossibly cute. I love the edition of yellow glitter (which I’m not usually a big fan of), lavender, & that super faint green. Definitly super original & looks gret. This is 2 thin coats just to show the milky base. You could also wear this on its own or only in one coat over white. I love the large red hexes as well, they really draw the eye.

Nargles in the Mistletoe: A clear/light green base jam packed with glitter. Medium red & green hex & square glitter with very small light blue, red, green, & silver hexes. Seen here over ButterLONDON Pillar Box Red.

For those of you not geek-tastic like myself, this is an awesome Harry Potter reference! Although this is tons of glitter, this applied wonderfully smooth. I didn’t want to take this off. Not one bit. In fact, after this mani comes off…I’m rocking this combo again. You guys are lucky you got anymore swatches out of me after this. This was GLORIOUS. I’ve never had a combo of red/green that contained a super light blue. That addition is brilliant & causes this glitter to move to the top of my must-have list. It positively glows with holiday cheer. This is one medium coat. Love. Seriously.

There you have it, part one! Next you will see an awesome warm glitter, golden stars, & the polish I refused to take off that will bling in the new year! I think you’ll be impressed.

**Products sent in consideration of review. All opinions are my own. Not a sponsored post.

China Glaze Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away Swatches

December 10, 2012 By StephanieLouise 619Leave a Comment2012-12-10+23%3A50%3A00StephanieLouise

So I ended up only picking up 3 polishes from the Cirque Collection from China Glaze. I wanted some of the cremes but I just couldn’t decide & ended up passing. I was most excited for the black & white glitter because that is so crazy rare in the mainstream nail world. The other 2 also happen to be glitters.

China Glaze Whirled Away: A clear base with extra large white hex glitter, medium black hex glitter, & black long bar glitter. Seen here over China Glaze Four Leaf Clover. I kind of hate this. I was SO excited about this shade because I love black & white combos but man…total fail. For one thing, the huge white hexes are REALLY hard to fish out of the bottle. So tough. The rest of the glitter is uncooperative as well. I applied this multiple times because I kept getting bubbling. Too much base, not enough glitter. The glitters also didn’t lay flat 🙁

China Glaze Water You Waiting For: Blurple, blue, & teal micro & small glitter mix in a slightly blue base. 3 coats.

China Glaze It’s A Trap-Eze!: A lilac toned white milky base with small & medium rainbow hexes. This is two coats. Application is easy as is color disbursement. Glitter finish. It will need a dense top coat (probably multiple coats) if you want a smooth finish.

Out of the 3 polishes I snagged, It’s A Trap-Eze! is clearly & overwhelmingly my favorite. I adore it. Water You Waiting For just wasn’t as exciting to wear as I had hoped. I thought it would be pretty for winter like a water glitter…but it kind of felt meh. Whilred Away? Man let’s not even get into that, I think I said my peace above. Although…BUMMED!

So there are my 3 shades! I urge you to pick up It’s A Trap-Eze! if you dig shades like this, it is so full of win. I adored wearing it & see myself wearing it a lot all year long! Now to snag some backups…

What shades did you pick up from the China Glaze Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away collection? Any of these strike your fancy?

Glossybox for November 2012 featuring Illamasqua, Kryolan, & More!

December 7, 2012 By StephanieLouise 622Leave a Comment2012-12-07+14%3A18%3A00StephanieLouise

So normally I love to do a video open box for my GLOSSYBOX supscription but that just isn’t happening. I am so sick guys. Seriously. No one wants to see this. I’m still working hard to bring you the best in beauty but there is no way you want to see me on camera. A blog post only will simply have to do!

I know some people weren’t thrilled with this GLOSSYBOX & while I don’t think it was the best I certainly didn’t think it was a bad box. With 2 makeup items, one nail item, one hair item, & one skin product I thought it was decently rounded out. One of the products alone nearly paid for the box.

Here’s the Glossybox Magazine that comes with every box. Always in color, beautiful, & a nice read.

Illamasqua Lip & Eye Medium Pencil in Honour: This pencil is a not too soft not too hard medium-dark brown. I realize this isn’t something I will be rocking on my lips but I HIGHLY appreciate them letting me know I can. When looking through my stash for Halloween tutorials & dramatic looks it was hard to find a liner that was super dramatic yet still lip safe. This is a full size & retails for $20 so it nearly paid for the $21 box itself. This is creamy & blendable but doesn’t blend away. Looks nice on my eyes!

INCOCO Nail Polish Applique Strips in Sinderella: I love nail strips & these are a welcomed addition to my stash. These are meant to be used on bare nails & contain both a base & top coat. This is kind of a cranberry red looking shade but nice & bright. I might bring these with me on vacation!

Kryolan for Glossybox Blusher in Gloss Rosewood: I know I read & saw some complaints about this blush but I personally like it. It is supposed to apply lightly & indeed it does. It looks healthy & it is easy to apply. It says cream powder formulation but I’m really not feeling that.

Nume Style Arganics by NuMe Argan Oil: This really doesn’t feel or smell like argan oil, great for those looking for an oil without the strong smell or the oil feel. This feels almost sticky or stringy at first which had me super hesitant to put it on my hair. It smells like a shampoo kind of? Not that strong Argan scent I was expecting at all. Once applied, it soaked into my hair, nothing stick about it.

Skin & Co Roma Truffle Serum: This is a Hydro-Toning Daytime Face Serum which is meant to “slow down the signs of aging” & contains lots of good-for-your-skin ingredients. This is clear & sinks in. It is like a gel but definitely soaks in to the point where I can’t even see I have applied it. I definitely detect a scent…but sadly being sick I can’t tell you what that scent is. Sorry 🙁

Here are swatches of the Illamasqua Lip & Eye Pencil & the Kryolan for Glossybox Blusher in Glossy Rosewood.

Overall, I liked this box. This didn’t blow my mind but these are products I was happy to try. The blush is a nice size, I think it is an easy shade to wear too. Perfect for travel. I really like the Illamasqua Lip & Eye pencil too. Nail Polish Strips always make me happy!

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.

Nails: Revlon Ruby Ribbons Swatches + Review

December 6, 2012 By StephanieLouise 624Leave a Comment2012-12-06+21%3A42%3A00StephanieLouise

This is my hands down favorite of the 3 I have shown you today. Ruby Ribbons looks so incredible in person that I could take hundreds of pictures & it STILL wouldn’t look quite as cool. I heart this SO much. Bar glitter, holo, sparkle, opacity. The density is amazing & so is the shade combination. I’ve NEVER seen Revlon come out with something at this level.

Revlon Ruby Ribbons: Red extremely fine micro glitter, purple bar glitter (or wispies as I call them for being so long & thin), & holo bar glitter packed into a clear base.

This has an indie feel to it & I’m totally digging it. How gorgeous is this right? It looks like fire on my nails, a mix of Christmas lights, fireworks, & a bundle of glitter so fabulous. I am in love. I put the layer of black base down on my ring finger after trying Brilliant Bordeaux because that was so thin. Seriously… can you even tell other than at the edges? It is that opaque!

I used 2 coats on my ring finger & 3 on the rest for full opacity. This covers nicely, it just layers perfectly to cover up any bald spots. The downside to this polish is the clean up… Because this is made of micro glitters (much like my beloved Sally Hansen Lava) the cleanup is kind of irritating. For some polishes, this might nearly be a dealbreaker… But Ruby Ribbons kills it so I’ll deal.

Love? Is this your favorite of the 3 or did you prefer Brilliant Bordeaux or Midnight Sparkle?

Nails: Revlon Brilliant Bordeaux Swatches + Review

December 6, 2012 By StephanieLouise 626Leave a Comment2012-12-06+14%3A56%3A00StephanieLouise

So today I’m goign to be posting the 3 AMAZING Revlon glitters I picked up from ULTA awhile back. I hauled those here on my Instagram…you really should follow me because I compulsively buy things. I haven’t seen much about these which has me confused…they’re pretty much the most original glitters I’ve seen released in ages. I’ll be posting the other 2 (one of them possibly being a Lippman dupe & the other being my favorite-ist!) so stay tuned for those!

Revlon Brilliant Bordeaux- A grey base with black micro glitter, purple micro glitter, thin purple bar glitter (I call these wispies because they’re so thin!), & holo bar glitter.

This isn’t super dense so I put it over Sally Hansen Thinking of Blue. This is one medium coat. This doesn’t have spectacular coverage but I actually like it because you can see the shade underneath. I can’t wait to put it over a lime green or teal. I think it would look great over black as well but I wanted you to be able to see the black micro glitter!

What do you think of this color? Love it? Have you seen this anywhere? I’ve only spotted it at ULTA!

China Glaze With Love & Glitter All the Way Swatches + Review

December 4, 2012 By StephanieLouise 629Leave a Comment2012-12-04+20%3A40%3A00StephanieLouise

I picked up a few polishes from the China Glaze holiday collection (6 to be exact) & there are the next 2 I have to show you! I already showed you the 2 holos in this collection called Glistening Snow & Angel Wings. Here’s the next 2 I have, one a glitter & the other great brightness!

The Holiday Joy Collection from China Glaze was exactly what I wanted for the holidays, including these 2. Glitter All the Way reminds me of old school Christmas Lights while With Love is a new take on red because it has great application & so pin up styled bright.

With Love from China Glaze: A bright pin-up red. This was opaque in 2 medium coats & leaned a bit orange on me.

Glitter All the Way from China Glaze: This is gold, green, red & purple glitter in varying sizes suspended in a clear base. Wonderful opacity, it took only 2 coats on my ring finger! I love Mardi Gras shades but I don’t have one like this! Love it!

So there you have it! Have you picked these up yet? Interested? I picked mine up at Sally Beauty Supply.

NEW Revlon FX Nail Polishes in Celestial FX & Hearts of Gold FX

December 3, 2012 By StephanieLouise 633Leave a Comment2012-12-03+17%3A24%3A00StephanieLouise

I was SO excited when I found these at our BX ( a store on military bases) & I assume they will be hitting drugstores soon! I picked up two polishes even though many of them were new. I considered getting more but these were the 2 that I knew I needed. I sent in photos to Nouveau Cheap (because I adore her OH SO MUCH!) because I was pretty sure I hadn’t seen these? She let me know she’ll be posting those photos soon so keep an eye out for this display & another Revlon display. This looks like a Halloween display kind of but I checked online & couldn’t find either of these polishes. Both are glitters with shapes!

I didn’t add top coat to these photos & the base shade is Through the Grapevine Megalast Nail Polish by Wet n Wild.

Ring finger & pointer are Hearts of Gold FX. Pinkie & middle are Celestial FX.

Celestial FX from Revlon- Holo fine glitter with holo moons, diamonds, & stars suspended in a clear base.

Hearts of Gold FX from Revlon- Gold fine glitter with holo hearts suspended in a clear base.

I love when drugstore brands put out something with shapes in it! They just aren’t all that common! & although I don’t necessarily consider them holiday-esque shades Celestial is perfect for maybe the Winter Solstice? Love the glitters with diamonds in them! Obviously, these won’t lay super flat & I recommend a dose of Seche Vite or another thicker topcoat!

What do you think of these 2 shades? Will you be picking these up? Have you spotted them? I assume they’ll be popping up at Rite Aid, Walgreens, & maybe CVS soon?