Mani of the Day: Spoiled Trust Fund Baby & WnW Private Viewing

January 19, 2012 By StephanieLouise 8826 Comments2012-01-19+18%3A22%3A00StephanieLouise

So here is the first Spoiled nail polish I picked out of the display, Trust Fund Baby, over my recent mani. As much as I love Private Viewing by Wet n Wild, I was feeling the need for some glitz! & GLITZ it is right! Here is 2 coats of Wet n Wild Private Viewing with a top coat of Spoiled’s Trust Fund Baby. To check out all 3 of my first picks off the display & a photo of the display, just click here.

Trust Fund Baby– A clear base with a mix of medium/small sized hex glitters in electric blue, black, & gold with a unique addition of small, square pink/fuchsia glitter.

Trust Fund Baby is a really fun mix of glitters, I especially appreciate the addition of black in there! What is it about black glitter that makes it so rare & special? I would LOVE to see more of it(hint hint beauty companies!) especially mixed in with other colors like this.

I did have issues with this brush, clearly. Although I can fix it with a quick trim, its still a bit disappointing though. I do hope this works itself out over time with more growth from the line.

Have you tried anything from this line? Do you love the selection? Are you waiting for any shades in particular?

Mani of the Day: Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Purple Pulse

January 14, 2012 By StephanieLouise 8833 Comments2012-01-14+16%3A43%3A00StephanieLouise

This shade is gorgeous, but also way unexpected. In the bottle, it looks like a deep punk purple, but on my nail it is way more blurple. Without flash or direct sunlight, its definitely a deep purple though. Personally, I’m a giant blurple fan so this works for me on either level.

On coat was really sheer & quite shimmery. This had me worried. My other SH Complete Salon Manicures did NOT start out this way at all. Dud?

Nope not a dud! Here’s 3 coats, no top coat needed. I always love this formula after 3 coats, sometimes 2. Its rare for me to go without a top coat for more than one day, but this is definitely different. Smooth, shiny, & won’t chip on me for AT LEAST 3 days. Plus, the color selection keeps me coming back for more. The last is natural light, the rest are with artificial lighting.

I picked this up at CVS for 75% off, it was a total score. Anyone else pick this particular shade up or own it? What are some of your favorite blurples?

Zoya True Collection for Spring 2012 (Pic Heavy!)

January 13, 2012 By StephanieLouise 8842 Comments2012-01-13+18%3A57%3A00StephanieLouise

Along with the gorgeous Fleck Effects Collection, Zoya has also just released their True Collection. Check out the descriptions, bottles shots, & my opinions below. This is a seriously gorgeous take on the everyday pastel collections I’ve come to expect in Spring.

Zoya’s Nail Polish Descriptions for True Collection

-Farah is an opaque light khaki-beige with subtle sandy, greenish undertones and a cream finish.

-Cho is an opaque yellow-toned light soft peachy beige with a hint of ultra fine silver shimmer.

-Bevin is a dusty, medium sage green with teal tones and a creamy opaque finish.

-Lotus is a very soft, dusty blue-toned amethyst purple with colorful shimmer that reflects pink, red and gold.

-Skylar is a medium steel blue with a softened, dusty look and speckled by visible gold and silver shimmer flecks.

-Tru is A saturated, red-toned grape purple with speckled shimmer that reflects gold, orange and red.

(All of these photos were taken by me. The bottles are all in natural sunlight.)

FARAH- I so love neutrals & this is no exception. I see this as a great base color, like mannequin hands. No shimmer.

CHO- The more I think about it, I don’t think I have any neutrals like this. The shimmer is extremely fine so you really only catch it in the light. Lovely & I think it’ll be flattering on most skintones.

BEVIN- I think this is my favorite nail polish of the group, I love it that much. This really is one of those shades you have to see to appreciate though, its a great middle shade.

LOTUS- Why I like purples so much I don’t know, but I do know there is a lot less gray purples in this word. This one in particular is special because it has purple shimmer in it that really makes it different.

SKYLAR- As much as I love blues & silvers, I feel as if I’ve seen this before? This is jam packed with silver throughout, a rather impressive amount actually. It applies completely smooth.

TRU- Tru is the gorgeous purple I’ve been waiting for. They say the glitter /shimmer is gold, orange, & red but to me it translates copper. Truly beautiful.

So here are the shots so you can see the shimmer in these bottles, except for Farah & Bevin of course.

FARAH

CHO

BEVIN

LOTUS

SKYLAR

TRU

To purchase this collection or to check out more of Zoya’s great colors, just click here & check it out.

*Item(s) sent to me for review are featured in this post. This in no way guarantees coverage. All of my reviews and reactions are honest, I would never recommend something that didn’t deserve it. For more information, please see my disclosure policy in the top bar.*

Old Navy Tip Toe Nail Polish in Navy Marine & Glitter Trio

January 11, 2012 By StephanieLouise 885Leave a Comment2012-01-11+19%3A11%3A00StephanieLouise

Remember when I showed off the gorgeous taupe shade I picked up at Old Navy? Well meet its marine blue sister, plus a cute little holiday trio, are what I have to show off today.I know we had a long discussion on twitter & facebook about where I got them, but I’ll throw it in here so there’s no questions. Up by the registers, there is a clear cylinder filled with nail polishes. They even had some of my beloved taupes inside, but the rest were pinks & this blue. I wasn’t feeling the pinks that day so here we go! The trios were hanging below them, LOTS of them. These were the only 3 colors available at my store…to my knowledge. If YOU spot some more, please do let me know!

All the nail polishes I saw had CLEARANCE TAGS on them. If you loved the Tip Taupe or are interested in any of these shades, go now! I don’t know if it was a fluke, repackaging, eliminating….

Tip Toe Nail Polish from Old Navy in Navy Marine. On Sale for $1.99.

Tip Toe Nail Polish from Old Navy in “Sparkle Nail Kit”…what? That’s what they said on the bottom I swear. This little set (the bottles are slightly smaller but are still of decent size) was clearances down to $2.99.

Tomorrow I’ll swatch & show you the blue & the glitters. I wish I had time today, but I simply do not. Till next time!

XOXOXO

Zoya Fleck Effect Collection January 2012 Swatches

January 10, 2012 By StephanieLouise 886Leave a Comment2012-01-10+00%3A21%3A00StephanieLouise

These fabulous flakies came in the mail & I immediately played with them. I reviewed them in my post Zoya Fleck Effect Collection January 2012 but here are the accomanying bare swatches so you can see the slight differences. Please do refer back to the original post for specific color descriptions & differences as I feel I did a pretty decent job describing them. Enjoy! These will be available (at the time of this posting) January 13th, 2012. I foresee immense popularity so if you’re interested, jump on it! Also, I am looking into getting a new camera so HOPEFULLY I will be able to capture these better in the future.

Zoya Fleck in Opal

Zoya Fleck in Maisie

Zoya Fleck in Chloe.

Mahya Mineral Eyeshadows Swatches & Review

January 9, 2012 By StephanieLouise 887Leave a Comment2012-01-09+15%3A45%3A00StephanieLouise

These eyeshadows are a whole new realm for me. They are vibrant, cruelty-free, & are the first mineral eyeshadows I’ve seen that I can use on more than just my lids. Whether you’re a Mahya fan or new to the brand, read on for more information & stunning swatches.

About Mahya-

Mahya grew up in Europe where her family owned and operated several successful beauty spas. Applying the secrets of the European beauty industry, she introduced her own line of pure mineral-based cosmetics after moving to the United States. The success of her cosmetic line was in part attributed to the testimonials of her clients professing that the all natural and nourishing cosmetic base left their skin feeling healthy and vibrant. Mahya has been in the Dallas area selling her line of cosmetics since 2001. Her dedication and commitment to her cosmetics has resulted in a superior quality product line that has expanded to include cleansers, lotions and bronzers.

So now that you know a bit about the woman behind the brand, jump down to the coolest things about the brand. I could write it out in my own words, but they seriously nailed it on the website.

Mahya Minerals Eye Shadows come in Lustrous Minerals (Ultra fine shimmers), Two Tones Lustrous Minerals (Pearl with Multi Effect Shades), Glimmering Minerals (Sparkly) and matte blends that accomplish any look you want.

-Like jewels for the eyes
–Less expensive and much more fun!
-Mix and match your favorite shades and create new eye colors. -Matches to every mood, every occasion, everyday. -Multi-tasking: use as an eye shadow, eyeliner, lip gloss, nail polish. -Create your own color.

So seriously, how cool is that! They not only have the most gorgeous shades, but they also encourage you to find varying uses! For instance, you can also buy all the blushes as eyeshadows. I also like using Fairy Tale as a lip highlight, so I definitely love the many uses. I mean, I do it anyway sometimes, but knowing its safe is even better. One thing I regret is that none of my shades are matte. Maybe next time!

Now its time for swatches! Each of these were done on bare skin AKA no primer. I seriously only used the TINIEST bit of each for this great color payoff.

Shade

Flash

From top to bottom we have Fairy Tale, Deep Sea, Grass, Turquoise, Barbie, & Sugar Plum.

Overall, these eyeshadows are fab. These are extremely buildable but messy, like all loose shadows. As always, tap off excess & build until you reach your desired shade. French Kiss makes a great highlight, I’ve been using it quite a bit. Then again, I always love sparkly neutrals. Deep Sea & Sugar Plum make gorgeous eyeliners as well, I just use a slanted eyeliner brush to apply. I picked Barbie because I can never find fab pink eyeshadows for a reasonable price but I haven’t put it to the test yet. Clearly Grass & Turquoise are right up my ally. Besides not getting any mattes, I so wished I had gotten a purple. Gorgeous!

If you have tried matte shades or any of these shadows, please do share! Which shades are your favorite? For more information, feel free to visit www.mahyamineralmakeup.com ! Stay tuned for upcoming eyeshadow looks as well as a review on Mahya eye primer, concealer, foundation, blush & bronzer! I feel a full Mahya tutorial coming on!

Zoya Fleck Effect Collection January 2012

January 7, 2012 By StephanieLouise 8882 Comments2012-01-07+17%3A02%3A00StephanieLouise

In a world of nail polish, flakies have their own division of seriously awesome. Companies seem to be embracing this awesome & putting their own spin on it, like Finger Paints amazing new collection. The long awaited Zoya Fleck Effect Collection has arrived & I am loving every minute of it. Unlike Finger Paints or Essie’s Shine of the Times, these flakies are suspended in a colored base of blue, green, or pink.

Left to right are Zoya’s Fleck Collection in Opal, Maisie, & Chloe.

Opal is a green/blue flake suspended in a green base. On the nail, these shift from green to blue then purple & almost a golden tone. I preferred two coats.

Maisie is a gorgeous blue/green flake similar to Opal except suspended in a blue base. This too shifts to gold although I don’t see the purple in this as much. Green is very heavy.

Chloe oh Chloe, you are wonderful. This is a peach toned pink base with green/pink/orange/gold flecks suspended within. I have found that the harder the flakie is to describe, the more I love it.

Final Thoughts- I know a lot of bloggers have been a bit let down with the closeness of Opal & Maisie, however I am not. Although I would have preferred a purple fleck (WHY WILL NO ONE MAKE ONE IN MY FAVORITE COLOR?!?!) these two vary over certain shades. I found Opal changed some of my neutrals to more of a yellow tone & Maisie to more of a gray/purple tone. Perhaps over black they are seen as too similar, but I wanted to point out this small but visible difference.

These will be available January 13th on Zoya’s website so mark it on your calendars! I have a feeling they will be very popular!

Winter Wonders: Barielle Holiday Hustle Nail Lacquers

December 26, 2011 By StephanieLouise 8921 Comment2011-12-26+17%3A26%3A00StephanieLouise

Remember back to my Dermstore order? Well I now have the Barielle Holiday Hustle Collection, a grouping of 4 nail lacquers in varying shades. There are 3 metallic/chrome shades and one flakie. Keep in mind these are minis, about the size of the Sally Hansen minis actually. Although this collection is from 2010, I still found myself deciding to buy them to add to my collection. Plus, there’s a flakie. ‘Nuff said.

I’ll give you the run down on Gelt Me to the Party, Wrap Me in Ribbon, & Snow Day first.

So these are all metallic in my opinion, with a chrome/frosty finish. I had issues with these honestly, the brush strokes never felt like they gelled together to make the perfect manicure. Frosty.

Left to right are Gelt Me to the Party, Wrap Me in Ribbon, Snow Day, & Elle’s Spell, 2 coats each no top coat.

Gelt Me to the Party is a deep bronze, when held to the light it clearly separates into a light (where the light hits) and dark shade (the edges). Its actually pretty unique as far as polish goes, usually bronzes involve sparkle in my experience. Weird but true.

Wrap Me in Ribbon is one I would actually like to have in a full size. Its a deep lavendar/lighter plum, definitely on the mauve side. Although frosty, I definitely love the shade. Why? Maybe I haven’t been rocking my usual purples or enough pinks lately?

Snow Day Meh, the usual icy blue with silver tones. This one DID NOT like me. At all. I’m serious. It went on all kinds of weird and the consistency was strange. It also took forever to dry! Why? It just wasn’t working.

Now let’s get into Elle’s Spell. I love flakies. If you ever read my blog, you know this. I was excited for this because I thought it was going to be a gorgeous burgundy wine jelly base. Unfortunately, it was really thin and didn’t dry like the jelly within the bottle. The flakes are gorgeous though, red & orange toned. I’m thinking that layered over something like a black or true red, it will be flaming gorgeous.

Overall, not completely satisfied. Application was off, even for mini bottles. Not what I expected from Barielle. However, another flakie to add to my collection & a lovely mauve shade. That’ll do pig, that’ll do.

Finger Paints Special Effects Flakie Nail Polishes 2011

December 23, 2011 By StephanieLouise 8936 Comments2011-12-23+15%3A53%3A00StephanieLouise

I want to start with how I came across these little beauties. So if you saw the Finger Paints Special Effects Announcement I posted, then you know how thrilled I am to have my little claws on them. How I managed to get them kind of still makes me giggle. So I walked in & immediately went to the nail polish display area. Not seeing them, I walked around looking high & low. Granted, I’m in a new area so I’m not 100% in the groove with this Sally’s & the items they do & don’t get so I didn’t know if they would be there anyway. So I did the smart thing…I asked.

She kind of laughed & shrugged, telling me they had them in the back & had gotten an e-mail telling them bloggers have been going wild for this collection. Darn right! Then she went back & got the display which is when it got reallllllly difficult for me to hold in my excitement. She told me they looked like “dirty dish water” which made me laugh. I guess if you aren’t a flakie obsessed blogger like me that might be true. Then I started holding each one up to the light & explained their fabulocity. Ah, a convert. So I bought all 5 & here they are!

Asylum

Asylum- Looks blue/purple & red/orange. I’ll be interested to see how this is transferred onto the nail. It reminds me of purple & orange (my favorite Halloween shades) inside the bottle but I’m sure it will translate more firey onto the nail.

Flecked

Flecked- Beautiful green, but it doesn’t appear to have anything else. Perhaps on the nail it will happily surprise me? Either way, I’m a sucker for green in all its forms.

Motley

Motley- Appears blue, green, & hints of a deeper blue as well. I’ll have to see how this one plays out on the nail especially with its varying shades of blue.

Twisted

Twisted- The rainbow of the group. A true mix of all shades showing flecks of every color of the rainbow. I am most excited to swatch this as I haven’t seen one this concentrated or vibrant.

Flashy

Flashy- Appears most like my other flakies I currently have within my collection. This looks orange to green which is something I’ve said before, but this is gorgeous & once again, will likely appear different on the nail.

I’ll be swatching them all in the next few days & providing some comparisons, but I wanted to make sure you could see the differences between bottle shots in case you didn’t want all 5. I love the pro shots I got sent (which are above) but they didn’t exactly show all the differences. Which ones are YOU lemming for?

If you didn’t read the beginning, you might want to in case your Sally’s doesn’t know what the heck these gems are either! Anyway, they retail for $5.49 but they were only $5 with my Sally’s card! Keep in mind these are exclusive to Sally’s & limited edition, when they’re gone… they’re gone! Swatches coming soon…you know I’m not patient!

Mani of the Day: Tip Taupe from Tip Toe from Old Navy

December 14, 2011 By StephanieLouise 8952 Comments2011-12-14+19%3A22%3A00StephanieLouise

Tip Toe Nail Polish in Tip Taupe, purchased from Old Navy.

So you guys have been super patient waiting, thanks! Its been crazy around here, but I am happy to bring you Tip Taupe, the random polish I bought from Old Navy in my haul seen HERE. I am still not all that sure how much it was, but my guess is around $4 or less.

This is a gorgeous taupe shade, a perfect addition to my taupe polish collection which seems to be growing a lot lately, along with nudes and grays. What is it about this neutral that makes it different? I wore it alone for a whole day with no chips. It has a natural shine to it which I always appreciate. I love shine! I then topped it with Seche Vite of course, but it stood its ground on day 1. See, I work with kids & cleaning products, the worst things in the world for my nails in my opinion haha.

I was ready to hate this polish, seriously, but I really like it!