Wednesday, October 21, 2009

New Fing'rs Nail Decals

Okay, they're *kinda* new... I took these pictures probably 4 or 5 months ago when they *were* new and never got a chance to post them... But still... they're cool. And new-ish.

You all know that Fing'rs makes my favorite nail decals. You know, the ones with the little skulls and bats? The ones I'm wearing all the time? Well, now they have even more cool designs... take a look!


These are from Fing'rs EDGE... This is the Royal Punk Nail Art package. Take a look full size! We've got hearts, skulls, skulls with hearts, hearts with crowns, butterflies, nautical stars, crossbones, crowns, silver jewels. So cool. LOVE these. They go right along with my other favorites from them. The one major difference between these and the other ones with the skulls is that there's more decals in this set- four sheets as opposed to only two. BONUS!

These are from Little Fing'rs and they're called Girlie Nails. I know, I know... Pink package, cheerleading stickers, the word "girlie" on the front... You can't believe I bought these, can you? But I did, I totally did (I even bought a backup)! And can't you see why?! NEON SKULLS! DOGGIES!!! Doggies and kitties and bunnies and penguins and piggies and owls... Ohhhh the little paw prints... I may keel over from the cuteness. I love it so much. I'll buy anything with a doggie on it- I even used to buy that one toilet paper because it had a doggie on it. But the decals... they're awesome. I don't care if it's pink and girly, it has doggies!


I love decals. I would wear them more often if I got to do 'real' manicures more often! It seems like I'm taking off my polish every 10 minutes and I don't want to waste the awesome. But every time I wear them, they're from Fing'rs EDGE. I love it that there's a brand that realizes that not every girl wants frilly frou-frou flowers. Some of us want bats!

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Nail Event: Nails Night Out NYC

New York City area nail fans may appreciate this- a fun little get-together for nail junkies is happening this week!

Here's the info:

"Beauty industry top mavens and cosmetic elite join together to paint the
town red and their nails too, for the first stop on the Nails Night Out
national beauty event


Nails Night Out kicks off in New York in partnership with today's top
lacquer brands including Rescue Beauty Lounge, Rescue Beauty Lounge,
Nailtini, Priti NYC, Color Club Nail Polish/Forsythe Cosmetic Group,
Barielle, Jesses Girl Cosmetics, Nailtini, OC Nail Art, Carol's Daughter,
White Lies l Color Truths and PeaceKeeper Cause-Metics.


New York, New York (PitchEngine.com) - Nails Night Out is a gathering of
bloggers, beauty editors, creative directors, lacquer lovers, and
beauty/cosmetics junkies for a night filled with polish splendor. Traveling
the nation, Nails Night Out will stop in multiple cities to fulfill their
mission of spreading color and beauty to the world. Join self - admitted
nail polish addicts for their first stop on this national beauty event, Nails
Night Out NYC! on October 24, 2009 at the Beauty Bar NY from 7:30pm -
9:30pm.


Nails Night Out has been featured in AllLaqueredUp.com, 52flavors.com and
more with top beauty bloggers all abuzz for this first ever lacquer focused
series of events. Ji Baek (Founder, Rescue Beauty Lounge), Michelle Olson
(Founder, Nailtini), and Kathleen Highland (Owner, OC Nail Art) are the
specially invited guest for the inauguration of this colorful affair. Girls
will expect a night filled with new color launches, polish swaps, crayola
inspired martinis, beauty talk, desserts and gift bags to die for.
Supporting women from their expression in color to their well - being,
proceeds from Nails Night Out will go to benefit Breast Cancer Research.
Tamara Odom (Nails Night Out Organizer) states, "Nails Night Out is for the
kind of woman who loves nail polish,makeup, and color. She raves to
everyone she knows about the latest in lacquer, she sets trends and takes
cues from her favorite celebrities and she knows that nail polish is an
ultimate accessory."

Join Nails Night Out as they kick off Nail Night Out NYC! on October 24,
2009 at the Beauty Bar NY from 7:30pm - 9:30pm. For more information on how
to attend and tour schedule visit
http://event.pingg.com/NailsNightOutNYC<http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=5mj6gbdab.0.0.v7uo7ebab.0&p=http%3A%2F%2Fevent.pingg.com%2FNailsNightOutNYC&id=preview>
and
join the conversation at
www.twitter.com/nailsnightout



Media Contact:

The Garner Circle PR
...are you in?
P: Nicole Garner
O: 866-984-5854
C: 770-256-1800
E: pr@thegarnercircle.com
W: www.thegarnercircle.com"

Click to enlarge for more info!

Are any of you already planning on going to this? You'll have to tell me how it was! Say hi to Ji and Kathleen for me!



Monday, October 19, 2009

Milani Halloween Collection 2009

I want to say this collection is called "Black Magic", but I honestly can't remember what the display said. Maybe it was Dark Magic? I should have taken a picture!

Anyway, these are all a black creme base with different colors of glitter, and they are awesome. Unfortunately, my pictures of these are not so good and don't capture the true essence of these polishes. They can give you a general idea of what to expect, though!

Charmed. Black with silver glitter. This is possibly my favorite black/silver combo. This is the one that changed my mind about how much I like silver on black glitters- this silver is SO SHINY. It makes the black look even blacker. It's like a sky full of stars. Perfection.

Enchantment. Black with blue-purple glitter. Blue purple... also known as "blurple"... This looks a little less blue and more purple in real life.


Fairytale. Black with blue glitter. Holy cannoli. This one is freakin' amazing. The blue glitter is so bright, it looks so fantastic against the deep black base.

Magical. Black with orange glitter. A black orange combo! I love it! If you don't like the hexagonal glitter in China Glaze Fortune Teller, this is a great alternative. I adore this.


Spellbinding. Black with red glitter. Similar to another Milani (I can't recall the name) and along the same lines as Piggy Polish Midnight Fireflies / China Glaze Lubu Heels / Rescue Beauty Lounge Black Russian. The red glitter in this one is brighter and more obvious, though.


Whimsical. Black with purple glitter. I think this is my favorite, I can't decide. The purple color of the glitter is so rich, it almost looks like purple polish combined with the black. Like a deep purple shimmer. This is the one I've used the most so far... I just can't stop staring at my nails when I wear this!


The formula on these is decent. It's a little on the thin/watery side and I did need three coats of each, but it went on well and dried quickly all the same. These glitters are very smooth, not rough at all. They do look best with topcoat, it helps bring out the sparkle a little more. Also worth noting, these were very easy to remove compared to other glitter polishes- about the same as regular polish!

I just can't get over how much I love these. I know you're probably thinking, why not just put a glitter topcoat over black? Cause that's what I thought until I wore them. There's so much more depth and interest when the glitter is mixed in. Sometimes the glitter sits just below the surface and you can see it shining through, like it's under water... The glitter is a lot more even when it's mixed in as well. And these glitters are perfect in this black base. They're super shiny and sparkly and they show through beautifully, unlike some others which don't break through the base polish and look lumpy.

My only complaint is that they were kinda pricey... When did drugstore polish start to cost as much as salon?! That's a bummer. I got mine at Meijer, but I've also seen these at CVS.

So much glitter... so much kickass polish!

Friday, October 16, 2009

Nubar Chocolate Truffles Collection Fall/Winter 2009

Here's a little preview of Nubar's upcoming Chocolate Truffles collection! This is due to be released soon... I seem to have misplaced my press release so I don't know the date. Sorry, guys!

There hasn't been any sunlight here, so I had to take these inside... I apologize in advance if they're a little blurry or glare-y. From the top!


Cherry Cordial. A warm red/brown/gold/pink subtle duochrome shimmer. You can see some of the greenish-gold duochrome up near my cuticle. It's not one of Nubar's signature Super Duochromes, more of a subtle effect, a reflection.


Chocolate Caramel. Warm milk chocolate brown base with strong green-gold shimmer. I think this is my favorite of the collection! Well.. no... I'm having a hard time picking *one* favorite, but this is definitely top three. The shimmer is crazy! It's so bold. Electric chocolate. It's so fall!

Chocolate Coffee Bean. Dark chocolate brown with duochrome red/pink/golden shimmer. another very subtle duochrome. The shimmer shifts colors with the angle of your hand. The shimmer in this is also on the large side- almost like glass fleck but colored.


Milk Chocolate Creme. Warm milk chocolate brown creme. Haha, this really does look like milk chocolate! Or melted milk chocolate. I don't think it works as well on my skintone as I hoped, but I'm still going to wear it... Cause... It looks like chocolate!!

Raspberry Truffle. Dark chocolate brown with cool-toned red shimmer. This is another one that's tied for my favorite... It's the darkest color in the collection, vampy even. The shimmer in it is what makes it special- it looks like little glowing embers. The base is so dark and the shimmer is so large and bright, it just looks mesmerizing. Maybe you should view this one full size to get the full effect.


Swiss Chocolate. Soft deep brown creme with purple tones. Maybe this one is my favorite... I don't know... I can't decide. Either way, this one is beautiful. It's not just straight brown, it seems to have a plum or purple tone to it. It's a little cooler than the other shades in the collection so it works on my skintone better. This one also strikes me as looking 'elegant'. It's an elegant brown.


The formula was great. I didn't have any problems at all. The cremes didn't apply the same as the shimmers, but they weren't troublesome. These are very opaque- two-coaters.. I did three coats just because I wanted to see what they looked like with three.. and they looked just like they did at two coats. Drying time is average, not as fast as say, OPI, but not long either. An interesting note- these all dry shiny without topcoat. I'm not wearing any base or topcoat in these pictures.


Overall, I really like this collection. How could I not? It screams FALL!!!! I think my ears are ringing. And if the autumn look of this collection didn't get me, the word 'chocolate' on all the colors would. I am such a sucker. You know what would have been even better? They should have made these chocolate scented. I would die. That would be so cool. *sigh*

Thursday, October 15, 2009

China Glaze Khrome For Fall/Winter 2009

When I first heard that China Glaze was doing more chromes, my first thought was, "Oooh, Konad!" and then, "Didn't the do chromes already this year?"

And then I tried them... These chromes are much different than the Romantique chromes. Still good for Konad, but the Khrome collection chromes are nearly mirror-like.


2030. An excellent soft gold chrome. Very smooth and reflective. China Glaze calls this a warm gold, but you know, I think it seems pretty neutral to me. Which is a good thing!


Hi-Tek. Low life... hi-tek... the vectors in control, long live the new flesh... Ahhh, I just love it when a polish name gives me an earworm! Better yet when it's one of my favorite songs! Anyway.... Hi-Tek is a bronzy, coppery warm toned chrome. Maybe even what I'd consider rose-gold. Very smooth and reflective, all of these chromes are super reflective! You can see how nicely decorated my bottle is... Hehehehe :) Of all the bottles that I would expect to break in transit, I'd never expect a China Glaze! They're so sturdy! I was shocked! But it's okay, I think my bottle of Hi-Tek kinda looks like a trophy:




Metallic Muse. Blue-green "seafoam" chrome. The picture really says it all. Shiny, reflective seafoam chrome. Beautiful color for a chrome, too.



Millennium. Superb pure silver chrome. This is my new favorite silver chrome. It really doesn't look like much in the bottle, but when you apply it and it starts to dry, the mirror-like shine starts to appear and you just go "whoa."

Robotika. Soft warm-toned plum-brown chrome. This one kinda reminds me of an old penny- not so old that it's turned completely brown but one that is definitely not its former shiny copper self. I really like the name of this one. Except... it makes me think "Robotnik"... bonus!


Sci-Fi. A silver chrome base with a blue-lavender tint. I wore this one for a while and noticed that it seems to change tones in different lights. Indoors at night, under my kitchen light it looked like a pink-taupe and outside it looked grey. It's a chameleon!

Just for reference, here's one of the Romantique chromes:

Devotion. The Romantiques are reflective, but not as reflective as the Khromes. The Romantiques also showed the brushstrokes in the polish, which the Khromes don't do.


There are a couple of things you need to know about chrome polish formula. One, it dries super, super fast so it's a good choice if you're in a hurry. Two, it shows every single flaw on your nail. Before using a chrome polish, you'll want to either buff out your nail ridges or apply one or two coats of a ridge-filling basecoat, or my recommendation- BOTH. I have ridges- pretty bad ones on some nails- and there is no hiding them in a chrome polish.

These particular chromes, or Khromes rather, have excellent formula. It's smooth and even and extremely opaque. You really could get away with only one coat with most of these- I did two. The drying time is excellent. You can put two coats of one of these on right before you walk out the door and be fine. As far as topcoat goes- I don't think it even needs it. Actually, I think they look better without topcoat. These are some of the most reflective chromes I've ever worn-much more reflective than the old Sally Hansens or Avons or Revlons. This is probably the closest you can get to Minx without using foils. It's not a true mirror-look like Minx, but it's the closest I've seen in polish.

My favorite thing about chromes is that they are *perfect* for Konad. I used two of these for Konads recently, and they turned out AWESOME. Observe:

2030 over China Glaze Emerald Sparkle. Not the best picture, it was taken inside at night. This is my favorite Konad I've done so far. It looks amazing in real life, you have to try it for yourself! The glitter from Emerald Sparkle flashes through between the lines of the design... ugh... so awesome. I think the plate was M73.


Millennium on Orly Matte Vinyl. Chrome on matte is another cool look. It's really bold! The only thing is that the two polishes don't get along well- stuff doesn't seem to want to stick to the matte- and the lines come off in whole pieces after a while. I don't remember what plate number this is- it's one of the "Special" plates- this one is the cowboy plate with the badge and the rodeo thingy.


Overall, I dig these. Good application, amazing for Konad. The colors themselves aren't that special, it's the finish that makes them. I love the futuristic names! Maybe, in the future, robots would wear this polish... And I bet Future Sailors would too.

These are available online and at Sally, but I haven't seen them at Ulta yet.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Zoya UltraGlitter in Luna

Woohoo, it's here! Luna is here!

It's completely dark here, not even a hint of sunlight. Despite the fact that it's my favorite type of weather, it is not ideal for swatching. Anyway, I did an indoor shot and one with flash to try to catch the sparkle.


Luna. A medium-grain silver glitter in a sheer light grey-silver shimmer base. Another unique glitter. I was expecting a plain silver glitter in a clear base, but it isn't! The grey base really stands up to the glitter- it looks like a sequined dress (or glove *cough*)... It's sparkly and shimmery at the same time. Actually, I haven't seen this in full bright light yet so I can't judge the intensity of the sparkle, but it looks promising. I think Luna is a perfect name for this. It really does make me think of the moon... Moon dust, moon rocks... Ziggy Stardust?


So, that's the last of the Zoya UltraGlitters for winter!

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Zoya UltraGlitter Winter 2009 Partial Preview


I received some sneak-peek samples of the Zoya Ultra Glitters today and I just couldn't wait to show you. GLITTER!!!!!

Astra. This is a really unique shade. I don't have another one like it! A warm kind of reddish rose pink glitter and a lighter pale pink glitter in a deep magenta sheer base. This color makes me think of Valentine's Day! Or like a little girly pink disco ball on each nail. I might have had a pair of pants that looked like this in the 90s...



Nova. A cooler and darker pink than Astra. This is more of a deep purple-pink, a dark fuchsia or "royal fuchsia". It reminds me a little bit of Roxy, but I'd call them cousins more than sisters. Nova is a dark pink glitter and a light pink glitter in a sheer tinted purplish base. It looks really good next to Astra... I'm already plotting how I'm going to incorporate them into a manicure together... hmmmm....

There's also a silver glitter called Luna, but it's on backorder. I'll be sure to post it when it's available.

I did put a coat of topcoat on these. They're not very bumpy, they're actually quite smooth as far as glitter polishes go, but I feel like they need a shiny topcoat to reach their full potential. This is also three coats. The glitter is pretty dense and the base builds color well, but I don't like being able to see my nail through my polish and three coats takes care of that for me.

The word that keeps popping into my head is GLAM. Total glam.

I'd never really put much thought into pink glitter until a friend was looking for recommendations for bright pink glitter. I couldn't actually think of any! All the pink glitters out there seem to be this odd pale pink, like Milani Disco Lights... No true, rich, vibrant bright pinks. That's really strange, isn't it? I'm glad to see these new pink glitters. They've filled a gap in the market.

Ah, what a wonderful glitter-filled winter!
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