Friday, January 31, 2014

Mad About Abstract Floral

Hey ya'll.  Quick NOTD here.  I found this abstract floral on the edge of a valentine the other day.  What do you think- tulips or a tight rose, it was hard to tell, but this was my interpretation of it.



The base polish I used is Mad About Hue from the Sinful Colors pastels collection I reviewed the other day.  Here it is at two coats:

This is a rather beautiful purple, very creamy and soft.  So, that's it for today- short and sweet.  I hope you're having a great day and gearing up for a fabulous weekend.  See you back tomorrow :)

Song of the Day: Portland- Deezy Daisy(Oxford Remix)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9_wLS8zYHA
*this link is provided for its audio content only*

Over and out

Thursday, January 30, 2014

10 Most-Loved Pink Polishes

Hey, I'm here again with another round up of polish favorites.  This time it's the pinkies!  Now truth be told I don't wear pink polish all that often.  After the poo-brown shades, pinks in general are probably my least-desired.  That being said, I do come across some lovelies from time to time and if I have to narrow down my top ten, these are they.  You'll find the video with live application here and then photos of each down below.



Sinful Colors Easy Going is as pale of a pink you can get before it's just plain white.  This one gets opaque in two coats so it's fine by me.  It's also in their permanent line so you should be able to find this one wherever Sinful Colors is sold.
 Another budget-friendly polish from the brand Spoiled- this is My Silicone Popped and it's like a tan pink.  It's smooth and creamy in two coats and this one is representing for the lovely neutral pink hybrid polishes.


 I have to Sally Hansen pinks for you- the first is from the Complete Salon Manicure brand and as you can see it's this peach/pink shade.  This is two coats, and the formula and brush are both great.


Almost the same shade, just a tad more peachy, this is from the Xtreme Wear line, and it is called Peach Beach.  Not quite as good a formula as it's sister above, but it retails for about a fourth of the price, so it's up to you.


NYC Spring Tulip is a really lovely deep coral pink and is smooth and lovely in two coats.  It takes two to even out- but it gets there.  This is really vibrant and represents the idea of tulips blossoming in Spring quite nicely.


We gotta get a neon polish in there, this is China Glaze Bottoms up which is you perfectly bright bubblegum pink.  This one really packs a punch and is a safe bet for any polish lover.


Taming it down a bit is OPI Sparrow Me the Drama.  Perfection in formula and brush, the color is so lovely and serene.  This could read old lady, but to me it doesn't- just really chic.


Next up is another Sinful Colors polish named Outrageous and that is definitely what it is.  This fuchsia is out to make people take notice and I find it gorgeous instead of obnoxious.


To change it up a bit, we have a scattered holo from Milani called Digital.  This one really is special and has so much dimension to it- just like each one of us.  Look at all that sparkle and all that interest.  Wow.


Let's finish up with a textured polish- Nicole by OPI My Cherry Amour.  Lovely fuchsia berry with the perfect amount of shimmer in its texture.  I really love this brand's textured formula and this color was very special.  When I had it on, I stared at it all day.  Divine.

That's it- my most-loved pink polishes.  These babies have a special place in my polish family- they are pinks that don't annoy me too much ;)  Don't forget to check out the video if you want to see live application.  Until next time- xoxo.

Song of the Day: First Rate People- Someone Else Can Make a Work of Art
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LmETtXhpkQ&feature=c4-overview&list=UUxyaXaL-9fTQZaXSkVmJFHw
*this link is provided for its audio content only*

Over and out

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Sinful Colors Mod in Bloom Swatches and Possible Dupes

Howdy, lovelies!  I recently picked up the two latest releases from Sinful Colors.  I'm going to be showing you swatches today of all of the polishes released in the Mod in Bloom collection.  I found the display at my Rite Aid but they should be at Walgreens too I think.  If you need some new pastel polishes in your life, then this release might be just up your alley.  Each swatch will be at two coats with no top coat and I'm going to give you my best dupes for each polish as well.  Let's get started:

First up is Daisy Daze which is a very pale pastel yellow.  This was somewhat streaky and wasn't a very pleasant application, but keeping in mind that these are just two dollars, and this week they are buy one get one half off at Rite Aid...you could do worse, right?  It reached a decent level of opacity at two coats.  This is a very close dupe for Sinful Colors Unicorn which is a pale yellow cream, but this polish manages to be even paler.  The polish that it really is spot-on for is Ulta Cream of the Crop which was the only uber-pale pastel yellow I had....until now muahahaha.


This is Nice Stems which is a pastel minty green and it appears a bit grayed-out on the nail.  This application was pretty much the same as the rest, a bit patchy but evened-out at two coats.  Nice Stems is rather close in shade to Amour Frayed Denim but less bright, and even more close to Avon Serene.  This is a very near dupe for China Glaze For Audrey(but slightly more gray) and then it is slightly less gray than China Glaze Re-Fresh Mint.  This is also rather close to Wet n Wild Megalast I Need a Refresh-Mint(which is just a tad more blue).


Next up we have Bright Lucite which is just your basic pastel blue nothing very special here, but if you love Spring shades you'll enjoy this polish, even though this shade was probably my least favorite when compared with the rest.  This little cutie is rather close to NYC Raindrop and Revlon Blue Lagoon- although the latter has shimmer.  Another close one is Sally Xtreme Wear Breezy Blue, but that one has a somewhat frosty finish and I don't care for it that much.


Finally adding in a little shimmer, Violets are Blue is a periwinkle packed with silver shimmer.  Not as opaque as some of the others this is two thick coats, but still a little sheer.  Having said that, this was still one of my favorites from the bunch.  This polish is very close in shade to Essie Bikini So Teeny, but of course has shimmer that Bikini So Teeny does not.  Hitting it right on the money though- this is a dupe for two Nicole by OPI shades- Nothing Kimpares to Blue and Stand by your Manny- which are peculiarly similar to each other for being polishes in the same brand.  It has the same streaky formula as the two Nicole by OPI polishes and the same silver shimmer.  If you didn't pick up either of those higher-priced polishes- get this one- you won't be able to tell the difference in formula or shade.


Lovely and bright on the nail, this is Baby Blues which I particularly fell in love with.  What a nice name for a polish...when you have the baby blues, there's a chance this purple-periwinkle might actually brighten your day!  This is almost bang-on for OPI You're Such a Budapest!  If you haven't got your hands on that one- this might be a nice alternative for you.  It's possibly a smidge brighter and doesn't have the impeccable formula and nice wide brush- but hey for two bucks- this is a really great polish!  It's also quite similar to Sally Xtreme Wear Lacey Lilac, but has a little more blue in it.  Again, within the Sinful Colors family of polishes, it's very close to Candy Coated which released last year, but again, a little more periwinkle in it than Candy Coated has.  It also has a subtle shimmer, which none of the dupes I mentioned has.  The shimmer doesn't even really show up on the nail so I'd say its of no consequence.


Very similar to the purples Beverly Hills and Sweet Tooth released by Sinful Colors last year, this is Mad About Hue.  It's just a tad darker and brighter than the two almost-dupes I named above.  When I saw it on the shelf, I thought to myself that they just pumped-out the exact same shade, but it's slightly different.  Of course, purple-lover that I am, I really enjoyed this one as well.


Not to be a collection of purely pastels, they included this lovely fuchsia called Pink Poppys.  Nothing out of the ordinary here and off the bat, you can find a close match in Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Fuchsia Power, or even three Sinful Colors shades- Boom Boom, Outrageous, and Sugar n Spice.  They could have probably stretched themselves a little more on this one.  It applied nicely though.


Last up we have Cream Soda which is your basic pastel peachy orange.  I love this sort of shade, and it had a very subtle shimmer which should be noted.  You can find a close dupe in Avon Swift Sherbet(although I do not recommend this formula), Julep Cassie, and Sinful Colors Orange Cream is basically the exact same color, but without the shimmer.

Overall I did enjoy all of these shades, and for the price point they're great.  I do wish they didn't have so many dupes within their own brand, but with Sinful Colors having so, so, so many shades and releases constantly, they're kinda doubling up here.  Which was your favorite of the bunch and will you be purchasing any of these or are they too close to already-released Sinful Colors shades?  If you want to see the Oh My Mod! collection which released at the same time, let me know in the comments below.  I'll see you back tomorrow dolls!

Song of the Day: Heart- All I Wanna Do
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAfxs0IDeMs
*this link is provided for its audio content only*

Over and out.

Weekly Wrap-Up 1/29/2014

Hey ya'll!  Every Wednesday I do a photo roll wrap up of what we've been doin in our neck of the woods to keep family and friends who live far away up on our adventures.  Well, I've been sick this week and as a result took a measly amount of pictures.  I do have a few though, so here's a sneaky peek at our shenanigans.  Enjoy :)

This woman has been totally into finger painting and play doh and something tells me she was into getting a little creative with her applesauce...



Missy Bee loves her nursery class and is excited to go and play with her friends every week.  She brought home this crown on Sunday and has been wearing it ever since.



Sorry for the blurry picture, mr. bug never sits still.  Here he is getting ready for school in the morning, safety harness and all.  He is so happy to be back in school full time and wakes up happy and exited every day.


My three goofballs, having some nice simple dinner since Mommy feels like roadkill :)  But they were just all so cute that I found the energy to snap a pic on my phone.


or two...

there were more pictures, but ketchup started flying and it was like a blood bath.  :)


This cool dude, with the help of his dad, made a minecraft server where he can invite his buddies at his new school to play with him and hopefully some of his friends from Grass Valley and his cousins will play too! These are cards he took to school to tell his friends how to play with him online.  He's super pumped about it!


 Lastly, always in the science-guy mood- Bear has been growing some crystals this week.  He used some allowance to buy a kit and they are turning out great!


And that was our week...for the most part.  It's what I caught on camera anyway :)  I know it wasn't much but I hope it helps you feel closer to us.  Have a great day!

Song of the Day: The Temper Trap- Need Your Love
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Vsbc0oR6fE
*this link is provided for its audio content only*

Over and out.

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

French Twist Tutorial

Hi everybody!  How's your Tuesday going so far?  I have a quick tutorial for you today.  Do you have a nude polish that you absolutely love but it's a little too sheer and you don't like to show your tips.  Thinking french manicure but want to shake things up a bit?  Try this manicure on for size:


You can go right to the video tutorial here:



And some more pictures of the finished look:



This is a really fun way to wear your favorite nude polish that maybe doesn't get completely sheer and you want to cover your tips a bit.  Here is the base polish that I chose- Revlon Seashell at two coats:


I hope you enjoyed this look and that you give it a try!  I'll see you back tomorrow.

Song of the Day: Daft Punk- Lose Yourself to Dance
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQMPU9Rk0Vs
*this link is provided for its audio content only*

Over and out

Monday, January 27, 2014

Chick Chick, Line Line

Hey darlings :)  Today's post is featuring a new Sinful Colors polish called Chick Chick.  In the past few weeks, Sinful Colors released two collections featuring the name Mod in the title and this is from the "Oh My Mod" collection.  It's rather an interesting yellow, right?  Aptly named, it's like baby chick colored- not quite butterscotch and not quite sunshine.  I accented this shade with some hand-drawn linework on a couple accent fingers with a chocolate brown.  Here's the look:




Here is Chick Chick at its own at two coats- which is pretty good for a yellow polish:


I hope you enjoyed this look and I'll see you back tomorrow for a tutorial!  Have a fabulous day!

Song of the Day: Goldfrapp- You Never Know
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYCfHzlWmSU
*this link is provided for its audio content only*

Over and out

Sunday, January 26, 2014

Get in Line

Hey loves.  Here's a quick way to spice up any polish.  I love clean and simple linework to make your mani really pop.  I had on this great metallic polish and then I took a green acrylic paint and placed a line down the middle of my nail and then accented with a thin black stripe as well.  Take a look:



I really loved the look of these shades together and the gorgeous copper/bronze base polish is Fall Mood by Revlon.  Here it is alone at two coats:

I hope you enjoyed this look and that you're having a great day!  Get some polish out and play and I'll see you back tomorrow.

Song of the Day: Young the Giant- Cough Syrup
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAsTlnjvetI
*this link is provided for its audio content only*

Over and out

Saturday, January 25, 2014

Saturday Swatchfest 1/25/2014

First off- happy birthday to ma boo!  I'm lucky to have been able to celebrate the last four of your birthdays with you and this is going to be a wonderful year for you babytdoll.  On to the swatchfest!

Pure Ice Siren is a great classic red for a low price.  It didn't make my top ten reds even though it could be an exact dupe for a couple in there, but I just didn't prefer its formula.  It's fine though and you can pick this up at Walmart. A



Color Club East Austin is such a nice peachy pink and applied nicely in two coats.  It's rather a soothing shade for me and if I'm going to wear a pink polish, I usually end up reaching for something like this.  A



Sinful Colors Orange Crush is from their textured polish offering and I think they really do a great job with it.  As with the rest of the polishes from the Crystal Crushes collection, it has some really lovely sparkle along with the texture.  These really are pretty.  A



Here's a really great nude crelly for you, Spoiled Show Me Some Skin.  It's just a couple bucks at CVS and the thing I like about it is it's just pale enough but not too sheer.  It rides that fine line so well.  For it's shade, application, and price I give it an A.



Kleancolor Pearl Jungle is a totally unique shade in my polish family.  It's kind of a light jungle green with this silver running so thick through it that it makes it look almost like a metallic.  This one takes forever to dry, just like most polishes from this brand, but they do come out with some interesting polishes.  B+



Ulta Bam-blue-zled is such a pretty periwinkle blue.  This is two coats and it's that perfect grayed-out light blue that I just can't get enough of.  It's similar to Sinful Colors Sail La Vie, but I didn't prefer this formula.  Still nice though, right?  A



Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Pronto Purple is so delicious.  This rich plum that's trying to lean metallic is so gorgeous on the nail and is shown at two coats, but can be worn at one.  Revisiting this shade makes me want to wear it all over again.  So gorgeous for Fall and Winter.  A



I found Bongo Off the Chain for .79 cents in a Kmart bargain bin along with his brothers and sisters.  It's really not the best silver metallic out there, but it wasn't horrible either.  I don't know if I'll ever wear this one again, but if you have a youngster who loves polish, this might be a great choice for her.  B



Nicole by OPI Brilliant Idea over Sea How Far You Go were paired together in a gift set I found on sale at Marshalls and they go really well together.  The glitter topper is a green-yellow multi-sized glitter with micros and larger hexes.  Really beautiful, especially with its companion, and I'm not even a glitter-lover.  A



Savina Royalty is my A+ polish of the week.  I just really loved the shade and the creaminess of the polish.  I don't have many from this brand but all that I've tried are lovely.  This is another lovely, soothing color and you're looking at two coats.  

There you have it, 10 random shades.  Which was your favorite and what were you rockin' on your nails this week?  Have a fabulous weekend!

Song of the Day: Heart- Crazy On You
*this link is provided for its audio content only*