Summer Ready Swatch Spam!

(**Press Sample**)

Hello my loves! 

  Today I have some swatch-y spam for you guys. I've had these pics sitting in my folders for some time now.... So I figured, why not do a spam post?

 These shades are all kinda screaming Summer to me. What are some of your favorite Summer shades? Or do you not really follow seasonal colors? Me, I kinda wear what I want, when I want. But I do tend to gravitate to Spring and Summer shades because they are always so bright and happy. 

 All of these swatches are shown with a top coat. 

LVX Nail Color in Mynt

 Mynt by LVX is a lovely, clean Mint creme. I found the formula on this shade to be AMAZING. Normally, these types of Pastel-ish, minty greens can be a pain in the butt to apply. That was not the case with this beauty. I did Three easy coats of Mynt for my swatch. 

LVX Nail Color in Deco

 Deco is an amazing shade of Melon-y Coral creme. I knew I would love this shade the second I unpacked it! I am a sucker for these types of colors. This shade is insanely flattering and easy to wear. I used Three thin and easy coats of Deco for my swatch. 

Zoya Gaia

 Gaia, Gaia, Gaia... This color.. Ok.. So this color is BEAUTIFUL, stunning really... A Pearly, shimmering White with the most perfect Golden shimmer running though it. Bridal perfection... That said, this color has a horrid formula! I found it to be patchy and uneven.. I needed Four thin coats to get it to look even and opaque. Maybe layering it could remedy that problem, but it could also ruin that squishy effect... I suppose the color payoff is definitely worth the work I put into the application though. 

Essie Tart Deco

 Tart Deco is a vivid, hot Melon-Coral shade. This shade is a more vibrant cousin to LVX Deco. The formula on this color is a little patchy, but not problematic. I used Three thin coats for my swatch. 

Zoya Sari

 Sari is a lovely, nude Pink jelly. Colors like these are great for French manis, or just to add a healthy glow to a nakey-look. I used Three thin coats for my swatch. 

LVX Nail Color in Indigo Bleu

 Indigo Bleu is a deep Violet-Blue creme. This shade is intenesely pigmented and very easy to apply. I could have almost done with one coat. I used Two thin coats for my swatch. 

Zoya Josie and Zoya Destiny

 Zoya Josie is a beautiful Grass Green creme that applies like a dream. I used Two easy coats of Josie. For this look I did an accent in Zoya PixieDust in Destiny. Destiny is a hot Coral texture laced with strong Golden shimmer. I used Three thin coats of Destiny. 

  Any faves in this bunch? I am really in love with Gaia. I hate the formula on that color, but my gosh it is just beautiful! I also really loved Mynt and Deco by LVX. Though I must admit, this Summer has turned into the "Summer of the Textures" for me. I've been wearing Textures non-stop since they all started coming out! 

 What have you been wearing lately?

More about → Summer Ready Swatch Spam!

Indie Spammy- Spam!!

(**Press Sample**)

Good afternoon my darlings! 

  Look at me getting a post up!!! I hope you guys have missed me as I have missed you. A few days ago I asked you guys on Facebook if you were interested in seeing some indie spam and the answer was a big 'ol Yes. SO spam you I shall.

Lac Attack Hogwarts over OCC Power Plant 

  Hogwarts is an awesome mix of small Blue, Silver, Orange and Green glitters suspended in a clear base. I love the unique blend of colors and the pretty, sparkling effect it creates when layered.

Colores de Carol Hero in Disguise 

 Hero in Disguise is a muted Grey jelly with very subtle Blue-Violet shimmer accented by Marigold and Coral hex particles as well as Black stars. This is a really cute polish, and I loved wearing it, But it was not the easiest to work with, and I had to do quite a lot of fishing to get the glitter pieces on the nail. I used Three coats for my mani.  

R. Hobby Cosmetics Holo Berry over SindiePOP White Gold 

  Holo-Berry is a blend of small Raspberry and Black glitter suspended in a clear base.

Twee & Honey Glittertits over Picture Polish Kryptonite

  Glittertits (LOLOLOLOL) is a mix of chunky Silver holo hexes and smaller Silver holo particles suspended in a clear base. This is a fantastic topper for just about any shade.

KBShimmer Where my Peeps At?

 Where my Peeps At? is an adorable, soft Yellow jelly with small Pink, yellow and green glitter accented by Circle glitters in Gold, Green, red and Pink. This polish is just TOO CUTE!!! I am really liking the Circle glitters, they add something new and unexpected.

  I am still working on getting better on my end. I have not been extremely well, but I am staying as positive as possible. I have many beauties to play with and I am really wanting to feel better so I can dive back into my stash. Truth is I can no longer downplay how unwell I've been feeling. I had been working really hard at "mind over matter" but lately my body is winning. On a positive note, I am keeping track of my ideas in a notebook and when I feel well again there will be SO much awesome happening!!!

 Do you adore any of these?

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Zoya PixieDust Nyx and Vespa and a PixieDust Recap

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Hi loves and happy Friday!! 

  Today I am showing you my last PixieDust combo as well as recapping the other combinations I wore with these pretties. My final combination was a simple alternating color mani with Nyx and Vespa. Once again I was completely blown away by the wear on these polishes and how beautiful and sparkly they are.

 Zoya Nyx is a lovely Cornflower Blue texture packed with lovely Silver shimmer and glitter. This shade does best in Three easy coats. I also advice waiting a bit between coats to make sure the textured bits do not clump together. Vespa is a really delicate Sage green with that same beautiful Silver Sparkle. Both of these colors are really flattering and easy on the eyes. I wore these babies for about Five days and had very minimal chips.

 Now, Zoya has been, in a way, called out by their fans for going a little photoshop- happy with the Summer PixieDust promo pics. And I kinda get it lolol. I mean they were obviously re-touched with the cute added starry sparkles and whatnot... We know they are sparkly, faeries, there is no need to resort to over photoshopping. That would be like taking a picture of an already beautiful model and trying to shop her to make her "even prettier"... Generally it ends up taking away. So, I took a blurry pic to show just how sparkly these are. And the answer is: INTENSELY sparkly. The best part is that the sparkle seems to float over the textured surface and the "encrusted" sparkles give it this cool precious stone look. But no pic will ever do these true justice.. Just try one out. I promise, it will be LOVE at first try.

I won't go into detail about these combos since they have been previously shown. But I will go ahead and link the original post in case you have any questions. Below are London and Chyna. 

 And here are Dahlia and Godiva. 

 After trying all these, I am very giddy to try the new Summer PixieDusts. Zoya did an amazing job on these colors and the sparkly finish that they chose. I will be honest, I wanted to hate this textured trend... but I don't. I really am loving it a lot and I really like all the different takes from all the different companies. I have to say though, Zoya's are, by far, my favorite! From this group in particular I really adore Chyna, Godiva and  Vespa.
 I know I've said it a lot but the wear on these is AMAZING!!! These are also sheer enough that they can be layered over other colors, or eachother, to create really cool effects. I am really excited to see the vivid Summer shades. These are just AMAZING. They apply like a dream, they dry fast enough and are just beautiful. Textured nails have become my new weekend thing because I know they will always wear like iron and start lots of conversations :D.

 Do you have a favorite shade from this collection? And if so how did you rock your PixieDusts?

(**Press Sample**)

More about → Zoya PixieDust Nyx and Vespa and a PixieDust Recap

OCC Lip Tar and Nail Color in Power Plant

(**OCC products provided for review consideration**)

Yay Friday!! 

  Today I have my very first OCC nail color evar! OCC is a brand that I've had a major crush on for a while now. I am a HUGE fan of Lip Tars and I've read nothing but fantastic things about their pigments and nail color. Well, recently OCC released an awesome new collection (Sci-Fi Lullabies) and I got a chance to try out Power Plant. This is their new shimmery-metallic Sage Green nail and lip color. All I can say is OMGWOW! 

 I kinda love the picture above. I would have never thought I would have liked Green lips on me! I need to practice applying lip tars, especially this shimmery ones. I should have done a light coat of concealer on my lips to bring out more of the Green in the lippy... Anywho, Power Plant lip tar is a beautiful, minty shade of soft Green with strong metallic shimmer. It's a bit sheer (when compared to my creme lip tars) but it can built up easily. I do like that it  is slightly sheer as it makes it versatile in terms of layering, gradients and such.

 And here is OCC Power Plant nail color. The nail version of Power Plant is a more vivid shade of Green. I would call this a Spearmint Green. The shimmer in this shade is just amazing! I love that Silvery-Green-Blue micro shimmer that seems to float over the green base color. When you read about "glowy" colors... THIS is what we are talking about ♥. The formula on this shade is incredibly smooth and even. I only needed Two effortless coats for full opacity. I.LOVE.This.Color! This is everything I wanted Barielle Snap Dragon to be and MORE. 

 And here is a swatch of Power Plant lip tar. I will have better pictures soon. But I do really like this color and the soft, pastel-ness of it all. Right on trend for Spring!! I hope I master this lip tar soon because I really want to wear it out and scare all the old peeps in my town lol!!! 

 What is a brand that you have always loved, even before getting to try it out? Mine were Sugarpill (OMG how I lemmed Sugarpill!!), OCC and BFTE Cosmetics. And now that I am familiar with all Three brands, I have nothing but praise for their biz ethics and fantastic products! 

 And how about "unusual" lip colors? Would you rock a Green lip?  

(**OCC products provided for review consideration**)

More about → OCC Lip Tar and Nail Color in Power Plant

"Truffin" Tuesday!! Barielle Green Apple and O.P.I My Paprika is Hotter than Yours!

Hello and happy Tuesday! 

  SO sorry this post is running late. I got distracted yesterday while working on my hair. I got into one of my cray cray funks and decided I wanted to re-do my hair colors. I've been taking Folic Acid supplements (per my doctor) and my hair, and nails have been growing SO fast!! But, anywho... My roots were KILLING me, so I got wrapped up in that project and completely forgot to post this awesome mani I did with Truffle's pick(s).  

 Muffin is still refusing to pick lol. She will just sit there looking pretty like "What, what do you want human?". This week though, Truffle decided to join in the fun and picked me some shades to play with.

 I don't know what it is about this look but I LOVE how it turned out. The color combination is weird and yet it works so well. Truffle picked for me Barielle's Green Apple and O.P.I My Paprika is Hotter than Yours. These are both phenomenal, vibrant shades!! They both have amazing formulas, incredibly saturated and creamy! I used Two coats of each shade. For the triangle Purple accents I used Zoya Pinta. I finished the look off by adding some contrasting "glequins" and topping the whole look off with Twee & Honey's This is Matteness- matte top coat.

 And here are the kitties doing their thing.

 And because I loved these shades together before I even added accents. Here are my base colors. I am smitten with O.P.I MPIHTY!! That said, my camera was not a fan lol. It is an AMAZING Summer/ Spring shade and if you even remotely like Oranges, you will want this baby. Green Apple by Barielle is a really fun and unique shade and you can't beat that Barielle formula!

 I'm loving all these fun and quirky shades for Spring and Summer. I think those are my favorite seasons for nail polish. I had so much fun working with these colors and I can see why Truffle has trouble deciding ;).

  Time to go finish working on my hair!! I will have pics for you guys as soon as it is done ♥.

(**OPI and Barielle products provided for my consideration**)

More about → "Truffin" Tuesday!! Barielle Green Apple and O.P.I My Paprika is Hotter than Yours!

China Glaze Avant Garden Collection Swatches- Part One

Hello!! 

  Yesterday I held a little "poll" on Facebook to see what you guys wanted to see today and ya'll voted for the China Glaze Avant Garden swatches. This post will focus on Six of the Avant Garden Shades (and yes, I will be sharing the other six shades :). 

 China Glaze did a beautiful job with this collection. All the colors are definitely Spring-perfect and they all compliment each other. There is a nice range of shades in this 12 piece collection. 

 To see close ups of these pretties just continue reading ♥.

China Glaze Fade into Hue

Fade into Hue is a dreamy shade of Periwinkle creme. This polish gave me a little bit of trouble with photos. It kept wanting to come off a tad more vibrant in pictures than it is in person. Think of this shade with strong Grey undertones. Like a cloudy Sky Blue. I'm not sure how this compares to Secret Periwinkle but they might be cousins. The formula on this shade was just a little patchy but keeping a light hand remedies that issue. I used Three thin coats for my swatch. 

China Glaze Keep Calm, Paint On 

 I was SO sure I was going to loathe this color... It was the complete opposite! This might be one of my very top picks out of this entire collection. Keep Calm, Paint On (LOVE the name) is a lovely minty Seafoam green with a strong Pearly finish. My fear with this shade was that it would look dated, or frosty. SO GLAD it is a beautiful Pearly finish with a perfect application. I had no issues with the formula on this one and only needed Two coats for my swatch. Feeling stressed? Put this on your nails, stare at it while counting to 10... You will feel better!

China Glaze Fancy Pants

 Fancy Pants is this trendy shade of vivid Cobalt Blue with subtle Pink- Copper shimmer. The shimmer is so much more evident in the bottle than on the nail. The Blue creamy base is almost too dense to allow the sparkle to show through when the polish is applied. That was a slight bummer. That said, I still adore this shade and the shimmer is obvious enough to make this polish uniquely beautiful. This color has a great formula and could have almost been one coat for me. I did Two coats for my swatch.

China Glaze Dandy Lyin' Around

 Dandy Lyin Around is the most angelic shade of shimmering White. This shade is so chic, clean and just plain pretty. The shimmer in this is very fine and Silvery- Pink so it has a snowy quality about it. The formula was slightly thick but not problematic. I used Three thin coats for full opacity. It is best to wait between coats with this shade. And yes, I will comp this with Frosty. Though I'm sure they are quite different.  

China Glaze Budding Romance 

Budding Romance was an instant favorite for me. This is an edgy shade of Light Olive Green with strong Yellow undertones. This shade has an AWESOME creamy-jelly formula so the finished look is a ridiculously shiny, squishy shade of fierce Green. I used Three thin coats for my swatch. Make sure you are wearing a base coat under this pretty to avoid stains!

China Glaze Tart-y to for Party 

 How great are these names!? Tart-y for the Party is a beautiful shade of cool toned Lilac creme. I love this shade because it is more vivid than other "pastel" Purples to come out this Season. This shade is classic and still beautiful. The formula on this beauty was buttery smooth. I used Two coats for my swatch.

 China Glaze knows the way to my heart. Amazing cremes in fun and interesting colors, fantastic formulas and quirky names... What more could you want? I can't wait to try out the other half of this collection. I am SO in love with the Six in this post. I'd have to say my top picks are Budding Romance, Dandy Lyin Around and Fancy Pants. Fade into Hue and Tart-y for the Party are a refreshing take on the more classic colors. Keep Calm, Paint On is on a league all it's own... Could it be I've found my favorite color for Spring in this collection?

Do you have any picks from this half?

(**CG products provided for my consideration**)

More about → China Glaze Avant Garden Collection Swatches- Part One

Spring Rolls Jelly Sammiches!

Hello my beauties and happy Friday!! 

  Today I have a quick post for you guys featuring some yummy glitter-jelly sammiches. While I was swatching my China Glaze Bitz 'n' Pieces Collection I figured it would be fun to see them sandwiched as well. 

 I won't be going into huge detail about each look since these are simple jelly sammiches. This is still one of my favorite methods to spice up a plain manicure. I will break down the polishes used from base color to top color to keep things easy haha!

China Glaze Tart-y for the Party, Bling it On- Sammiched with O.P.I Care to Danse?

China Glaze Dandy Lyin' Around, Mosaic Madness- Sammiched with O.P.I Don't touch my Tutu

China Glaze Keep Calm, Paint On, Graffiti Glitter- Sammiched with O.P.I Don't touch my Tutu

China Glaze Fade into Hue, Glitz 'n'n PIeces- Sammiched with O.P.I My Pointe Exactly

 If you are a lover of the jelly sandwich look you will definitely love the Bitz 'n ' Pieces Collection by China Glaze! Also, I really want O.P.I (or anyone) to release more jellies a'la O.P.I NYC Ballet Collection. Those were, and still are, some of my favorite polishes ever.

  For some strange reason I am SO very reado for the weekend to start!! Maybe I should rock a jelly sammich to get it started right!!

(**Products provided for my consideration**)

More about → Spring Rolls Jelly Sammiches!

China Glaze Bitz 'n' Pieces Collection Swatches

Good afternoon loves!! 

  Today I am sharing my swatchies of the new China Glaze Bitz 'n' Pieces collection. I'm pretty happy to see all these mainstream companies jumping on the "quirky, chunky glitter" bandwagon. This collection is made up of Six glittery toppers which are heavily accented by Black "bits and pieces". I know many of us have been spoiled by the indie polish makers but these really are fun, cute and HEAVILY packed with sparkly goodness.

 To see swatches of these babies just continue reading ♥.

  All of these swatches are shown with a top coat of Seche Vite. These glitters don't dry gritty, but they do dry a bit dull. A good top coat will bring out shine and smooth the surface out completely. 

China Glaze Bling it On over China Glaze Tart-y for the Party

  Bling it On is a mix of "Burple" Hexes in varying sizes, and Black hexes and Bars in varying sizes suspended in a clear base. This glitter has a nice spread and there is no fishing required. I used one "coat" of Bling it On over my base color.  

China Glaze Scattered and Tattered over China Glaze Fancy Pants 

 Scattered and Tattered is a clear-based blend of Rusty Red hexes in varying sizes, and Black Hexes and Bars in varying sizes. My bottle of Scattered and Tattered was a little thick, which made application a bit tricky. I might need to add a bit of thinner to my bottle. I used one coat of SaT for my swatch. Lemme just get this out of my system.. I LOVE THIS COMBINATION!!! 

China Glaze Razzle Me, Dazzle over China Glaze Budding Romance 

 Razzle me, Dazzle is a clear-based mix of light, Warm Gold hexes in varying sizes, and Black hexes and bars in varying sizes. I also ran into a thick bottle with this glitter. If you do as well, please, for the love of all that is good and great DO NOT PUT ACETONE IN YOUR POLISH. That will just ruin your pretty polishes. Invest in some polish thinner. 

China Glaze Graffiti Glitter over China Glaze Keep Calm, Paint On 

Graffiti Glitter is a clear-based mix of Emerald Green hexes in varying sizes, and Black bars and hexes in varying sizes. My bottle of GG has a great consistency and great spread of glitter. I really love the edgy look of the Green and Black mix. 

China Glaze Mosaic Madness over China Glaze Dandy Lyin' Around 

Mosaic Madness is a clear-based mix of Sapphire Blue hexes in varying sizes, and Black bars and hexes in varying sizes. My bottle of MM has a great consistency and the glitter spread was great. 

China Glaze Glitz 'n' Pieces over China Glaze Fade into Hue

 Glitz 'n Pieces is a clear based Silver and Black blend. This is the most "normal" of the toppers. Glitz 'n' Pieces is a great addition to the collection of any "glitter- sammi" lover as the combination of glitters allows for endless sammi combos. 

 That will do it for me today. Have you picked any of the Bitz 'n Pieces glitters yet? I can't really pick but I really loved Scattered and Tattered, Grafitti Glitter and Bling it On. Which are your faves? 

More about → China Glaze Bitz 'n' Pieces Collection Swatches