BB Couture Cantina Nights Collection: Grasshopper

BB Couture Grasshopper (3 coats)

Ok, I lied. Again. I said I was actively trying to get back on Eastern Standard Time, but in fact, I've been sticking with my Pacific Time zone pretty exclusively. I know, this makes me a really later riser. Basically my life will consist of writing papers/my dissertation for the next few months so I guess I won't really have any good stories of my life to include before I finally decide to start writing about the nail polish of the day. You know, the stuff most of you glaze over to get to the good stuff ;-) 

I've finally bought a few more BB Couture polishes! I absolutely love BB Couture, but with the slightly higher price range they have to be more of a luxury product for me. I have half of the Cantina Nights Collection to show you guys. Tonight is Grasshopper which is a lime green base with a fine shimmer of blue, gold and green. You guys know my feelings on shimmers, so you probably know what I'm going to say next. I love this one! BB Couture is really known for their greens, and this one doesn't disappoint. I love how they know how to include different colors of shimmer to really add depth to a polish. This one is slightly sheerer than most of my BB Couture polishes, and needed a full three coats for full coverage, but I had no issues with application whatsoever. What a great start to the collection! You can find BB Couture polishes from Kim at Overall Beauty. If you sign up for their newsletter you can often find some sale codes.

Orly Cosmic Fx Collection: It's Not Rocket Science

Orly It's Not Rocket Science (2 coats)

Sorry this is late tonight, but Monday is trivia night so I always get home around 11 or so. I'm honestly trying to get back to Eastern Standard time, but so far I'm not doing so great. Oops! 

So this is the last polish I have from the Cosmic Fx Collection. All the rest of them are dupes anyway, so I don't feel like I'm missing out on much. It's Not Rocket Science is a duochrome shimmer of green, blue and gold. Apparently it's very similar to a polish from China Glaze's upcoming Halloween collection called Zombie Zest (thanks to Scrangie doing a nice comparison picture for all of us!). I used two coats, but after seeing the picture and my ring finger, I definitely needed 3 coats for full coverage. Overall, I like the polishes I bought, but I think I was more excited about them back in the day when I saw the press release.

Orly Cosmic Fx Collection: Galaxy Girl

Orly Galaxy Girl (3 coats)

So after looking at my pictures, I realize that my application on this one is just crap. Like really bad, sorry. I did this one right before my trip so I probably just slathered it on and it wasn't because of the nail polish itself. Galaxy Girl isn't quite as flashy as Space Cadet, but it is still a really cool polish. It is a deep duochrome purple shimmer that flashes blue and sometimes green. I forgot to mention yesterday that a few of the polishes from the upcoming MAC Disney Venomous Villains collection has dupes of several of these polishes. Actually, it seems like lots of companies received these same pigments and are duping each other. As a blogger and polish fanatic, it is really disappointing. I want unique polishes, not the same thing over and over. Who's with me on this?

Orly Cosmix Fx Collection: Space Cadet

Orly Space Cadet (3 coats)

I'm finally back in North Carolina. While I had a nice enough time in Seattle, I am really excited to be back home. Those conferences really take the energy out of you. Right before leaving I obtained three of the new Orly Cosmic Fx polishes for your viewing pleasure. I wanted to show the most beautiful and unique one first, so here is Space Cadet in all its glory. It's a duochrome (actually a trichrome, if that's a word) of purple, gold and green. I took several pictures to hopefully show the beauty in this one. I thought it may be hard to capture in pictures, but it was actually so easy! It was slightly sheer and needed three full coats, but the application was just fine. The only downfall is that these polishes will set you back a full $10. Yeah. Even on e-tailers like Transdesign. Why Orly, why? I didn't order the polishes that are dupes, except for It's Not Rocket Science which I don't have a dupe for. Anyway, what do you think of Space Cadet?

Jessica Cosmetics Muse Collection Fall 2010: Intrigue

Jessica Cosmetics Intrigue (2 coats)

It's the last day of the Jessica Cosmetics Muse Collection and I'm done giving my talk at the international conference! Yay! Oh happy day! Intrigue is definitely appropriately named because it is intriguing. What is it, a taupe, a grey, a purple? I think it's a really cool mix of all three! It seems like everyone is doing the taupe thing lately, but I think this one is a fun plan on the normal taupe. This one was really pigmented and only needed 2 coats of polish.

Overall, I thought this was a really great collection. Jessica Cosmetics definitely has their formula down pat and the colors are really trendy for fall this year. I hope you enjoyed them as much as I did!


*These polishes were provided the the company or PR representative. All reviews are based solely on my opinion. For more information, please see my full disclosure at the bottom of the site*

Jessica Cosmetics Muse Collection Fall 2010: Scarlet

Jessica Cosmetics Scarlet (2 coats)

So my mom went on my facebook today and told me that she was sad to see that I didn't blog today. Well mom, this one's for you because instead of sleeping I'm blogging. Yay! I am soooooooo nervous about my talk on Thursday :-( Ugh. I've been practicing, but who knows if that will be enough. Anyway, I digress. Finally continuing on with the Jessica Cosmetics Muse collection we have Scarlet. Yup, a second red, but I really like this one. Holy crap it is a hot tomato red polish! Like, a really really bright red polish. Despite not wearing many red polishes, I really felt like I stuck out wearing this one. Application was a breeze as usual with Jessica Cosmetics polishes. Have I been missing anything new in the polish world? Being at this conference makes me feel like I'm missing out on everything in the world. I miss checking Twitter and all my blog friends. Oh well, only a few more days and things will be back to normal.


*These polishes were provided the the company or PR representative. All reviews are based solely on my opinion. For more information, please see my full disclosure at the bottom of the site*

Jessica Cosmetics Muse Collection Fall 2010: Majesty Blue

Jessica Cosmetics Majesty Blue (2 coats)

My lovely readers, I am exhausted. So exhausted. It was the first full day of the conference and it is just so overwhelming in that good and bad sort of way. I'm having issues with the Wi-Fi at my hotel right now, but here I am at the conference blogging about nail polish. :-D You gotta love it. Continuing on with the Jessica Cosmetics Muse Collection is Majesty Blue. I love blue shimmer polishes so this one is definitely in my love category! If you look at the bottom photo hopefully you can see the green shimmer found in the midnight blue base. What a great combination! When I first looked at the polish, I didn't notice the shimmer, so it is a little subtle for those not into the full on shimmer load. Ok, back to being smooshed into a room too small to stare at hundreds of scientific posters. Wish me luck, because I'll need it.


*These polishes were provided the the company or PR representative. All reviews are based solely on my opinion. For more information, please see my full disclosure at the bottom of the site*

Jessica Cosmetics Muse Collection Fall 2010: Bittersweet

Jessica Cosmetics Bittersweet (2 coats)

Oh man, I leave for Seattle tomorrow morning! I just realized I'd get there around 11 and not be able to get into the hotel until 3 :-( I never think about that when picking out plane times. Anyway, I'm really excited about the trip, and if you don't hear from me every day, I'm sorry! I should definitely be able to finish up the Jessica Cosmetics Muse Collection at least. I was told of a few places to get some polishes while I'm there so I will hopefully be able to bring home some pretties. 

It wasn't too long ago that I was pretty much against brown polishes. I know, I must have been crazy! Bittersweet does remind me of melted chocolate, or a muddy brown color. I know that may not sound like the most appealing thing, but I think it goes really well with my warm skintone. I hope that the bottom picture shows the beautiful gold shimmer. When the leaves start changing, I'm definitely picking this one up again! Application, like all Jessica polishes, was great and only needed 2 coats. I'm in love! When I talk to you next, I will be in Seattle! Yay!

*These polishes were provided the the company or PR representative. All reviews are based solely on my opinion. For more information, please see my full disclosure at the bottom of the site*

Jessica Cosmetics Muse Collection Fall 2010: Crimson Reflections

Jessica Cosmetics Crimson Reflections (2 coats)

Happy Friday! This week really flew by and I can't believe my flight for Seattle leaves on Sunday early! Yikes! I started to round some things up, you know, double check your purse to put stuff in that annoying quart bag, and stuff like that. I'm embarrassed to admit that I've been watching Veronica Mars on Netflix Instant and I'm on the last episode right now! I'm really liking that show!

Ok, back to the Muse Collection. There are two reddish colors in this collection, and you guys know I'm not 100% happy about that. What about a green instead? Anyway, Crimson Reflections is a deep berry creme color. It's a bit of maroon, with a bit of pink.  Listen, it's a nice color, and I can see lots of people liking it, but out of this collection, it's probably my least favorite. I do like how shiny the polish was and how nicely it applied.

Don't forget, you still have plenty of time to sign up for my giveaway. Find out information on the right side bar! Thanks and good luck to everyone who has signed up!

*These polishes were provided the the company or PR representative. All reviews are based solely on my opinion. For more information, please see my full disclosure at the bottom of the site*

Jessica Cosmetics Muse Collection Fall 2010: Victorian Crush

Jessica Cosmetics Victorian Crush (2 coats)

Jessica Cosmetics has been kind enough to send me their Fall 2010 Muse Collection. Upon first glance of the polishes, I am in love. I think you guys will really enjoy what they have in store for this collection. I'm starting with my favorite of the bunch called Victorian Crush. Whoa, army green! I think this is so unique and the closest polish I have is Rescue Beauty Lounge's No More War. To refresh your memory, here is No More War: 

Rescue Beauty Lounge No More War

I think that No More War has more brown in it compared to Victorian Crush, but I definitely love both! Application was absolutely wonderful. Actually, I don't think I have ever had an issue with a Jessica polish. Also every polish in this collection only needed 2 coats. That's awesome. If you are trying to decide between No More War and Victorian Crush, just remember that RBL polishes are $18 and Jessica Cosmetics polishes are $7.50. You decide. You can find their polishes on their website or hello gorgeous. If you're not happy with ordering online, you can find the Jessica Cosmetics salon finder on their website.


*These polishes were provided the the company or PR representative. All reviews are based solely on my opinion. For more information, please see my full disclosure at the bottom of the site*

OPI Swiss Collection Fall 2010: Yodel Me On My Cell

OPI Yodel Me On My Cell (2 coats)

Yawn, I need a nap. If I said that comment every night I felt like a nap you guys would hear this every single day. Again, I only bought the 2 polishes from the Swiss Collection that caught my eye, but I may end up buying a few more later. Up tonight is Yodel Me On My Cell which is a medium blue shimmer that has a little green in the background (at least to my eye). I knew immediately just looking at it in the bottle that I needed to have this polish. After seeing it on, I still feel the same. I'd say my favorite polishes are blue shimmers, so of course I'm going to say this! Application was wonderful and it only needed 2 coats for full coverage. 

I just wanted to warn everyone that I may take a few days off next week since I will be in Seattle for that conference. Since I have blogged almost every day for a year, I feel like I deserve a few days off, don't you think? So if you don't hear from me on here, I still may be twittering (which I have been doing too much of recently) so you can get your Audrey fix. I hope you can understand! As always, don't forget a good base coat...

OPI Swiss Collection Fall 2010: Lucerne-tainly Look Marvelous!

OPI Lucerne-tainly Look Marvelous! (2 coats)

There are several polishes from the OPI Swiss Collection that I want to try, but for now, I only have 2 polishes to show you guys. Hopefully I'll get an order into Transdesign to order some more. Up tonight is Lucerne-tainly Look Marvelous! which is a beautiful dark grey/silver foil. I think the darkness is what sets this polish apart from the rest of the foils that have been released recently. It really seems that foils are in this fall. The polish was very opaque and needed only 2 coats. I am still a fan of the Pro Wide brush used by OPI so I thought the application was fantastic. Those of you with small nail beds might not agree with me though. Overall, I love this polish and I think this is going to be a big one for fall. Don't forget to sign up for my giveaway! You can find the information on the right sidebar.

Piggy Polish: Poet-Tree with Base and Top coat Review

Piggy Polish Poet-Tree (2 coats)

Sorry it's so late, but I just got home from a beating a trivia tonight. It was brutal! Today I have the last polish from Piggy Polish, but it sounds like we got some good buzz going for the company. The colors and application by far surpassed my expectations. Up tonight is a pastel mint green polish called Poet-Tree. Someone mentioned that it has a vintage feel to it and I totally agree with that. I also received several compliments on this polish. Instead of the more bluish mint greens, this one is definitely green based which I really like. The application and formula was flawless and was completely opaque in 2 coats. 

I was also given bottles of their base coat (Under Toes base coat) and quick-dry top coat (Over the Top quick dry top coat). I just want to mention that I don't normally use base coats like this since I usually opt for treatments as base coats. The blue liquid dries clear and very quickly. I didn't see a huge difference in wear length, but it did seem to stop my nails from staining. On the other hand, I am extremely impressed with the top coat! Since I paint  my nails every day, I really need a quick dry topcoat so I can get things done (I can't wait all day for my nails to dry!). The top coat really dries quickly (dry to the touch in approximately 5 minutes) and I have no issues with the thickening like some see in Seche Vite. Also, I had no shrinkage on the nail. It probably reminds me the most of Poshe which I also really like. Actually, I think it may be a little bit shiner than Poshe top coat. Overall, I love this stuff and I need to get another backup bottle!

August 1 Year Blogiversary Giveaway!

 From Left: Saved By the Blue, Buffy the Violet Slayer, Glory, Angel Baby, The Gold & The Beautiful, 9.0.2.1.Orange

On Bottom: Lathers & Lights Intensive Therapy Hand Balm

 Yes, the time has finally come for my August Giveaway! I'm happy to present you with four new Wet N Wild polishes, 2 Love My Nails polishes, and 1 jar of Lathers and  Lights Intensive Therapy Hand Balm. As you can see, I wanted a better variety of colors and products to choose from.

Melissa from Lathers and Lights has been gracious enough to include a 4 oz container of her Intensive Therapy Hand Balm (retail value $12). I have been a huge fan of Lathers and Lights for a long time, and I have never received better Customer Service and Quality Control from other Bath and Body e-tailers. Since Fall is upon us, I really need to order several of her moisturizers since they are my go-to products. The Body Butter and Body Lotions are both really thick and help my hands from drying out since I know you guys don't want to see my dry cuticles. For warmer climates I would suggest the Body Yogurt or the Lotion Mist since they are not quite as heavy. All products are hand made (no bases here!). While I do like places like Bath and Body Works, sometimes I want a wider variety of scents to choose from. The scent list from Lathers and Lights is so impressive, and with every order, Melissa always includes several samples in different products so you can find other scents and products you must have. Anyway, I have always been impressed with Lathers and Lights and right now they are having a Back to School sale where all orders are 25% off!

To enter, please leave a comment to this post with your e-mail address. You must be a follower in order to win. And finally, this is open to only US readers. I'm so sorry! Please only 1 entry per person. A winner will be chosen by random on August 30, 2010. Good luck everyone!

Please feel free to repost or retweet on your respective blogs, facebook accounts, Twitter accounts, etc. :-D

Piggy Polish: Keep It Teal

Piggy Polish Keep It Teal (2 coats)

Ah, I just woke up from a great nap on a Saturday evening. Fantastic. Tomorrow I will officially post my giveaway, so please make sure to check it out! I'm really excited about this one as you can tell. I hope you are enjoying the Piggy Polishes since they don't seem to get much or enough love in the nail polish world. After today I only have one more to show you and I will be on to new things. Up tonight I have Keep It Teal which is a really cute green teal shimmer polish. I'm just loving the slight shimmers in these polishes. The last few polishes have needed 3 coats, but Keep It Teal is back to 2 coats. The formula was just so smooth...I can't really say anything negative about it at all. Overall, you green lovers will definitely love this one.

As you can tell from the nail, these polishes are supposed to be for your toes. I thought I'd mention that I'm sorry, there's no way I would ever show you guys my feet so you'll have to deal with my fingers. The handle on the polishes are a bit long, most likely to help facilitate the toenail painting process. I think I forgot to mention that before. Anyway, as always, don't forget a good basecoat....


*These polishes were provided the the company or PR representative. All reviews are based solely on my opinion. For more information, please see my full disclosure at the bottom of the site*

Piggy Polish: Make Waves

Piggy Polish Make Waves (3 coats)

Happy Friday my lovelies! It's late, and I just drove back to North Carolina from Tennessee with no air conditioning. I was a sweaty mess when I got home. Needless to say, I needed a shower and some food. The food is now in front of me, but I thought you guys deserved a blog post of my favorite Piggy Polish color. Ah, the name is really appropriate and cute this time, too! Make Waves is a cornflower blue metallic/frost polish that is an absolute dream. I actually wore it as a pedi and a mani which is a rarity for me. Since it is a metallic polish, you really need to be careful of brush strokes but it's well worth it. It was slightly sheer and needed three coats, but the application was flawless. Ok, time to eat! Sorry it was short tonight!

*These polishes were provided the the company or PR representative. All reviews are based solely on my opinion. For more information, please see my full disclosure at the bottom of the site*

Piggy Polish: Yacht-a Yachta-a

Piggy Polish Yacht-a Yachta-a (3 coats)

Happy Thursday! I can't believe how the week flew by. I will be leaving for Seattle on the 22nd, so I wanted to ask if anyone has any suggestions for things to see or do while there. I'm going for a science conference where I'll have to give an oral presentation (eek!!).

I happened to stop by Sally's Beauty Supply and they had the new China Glaze Vintage Vixen polishes (they were $4.99 apiece) as well as the new Finger Paints Fall 2010 Collection. The clearance selection was pretty picked over, but they still have random China Glaze and Orly polishes so you may want to stop by. No Orly Cosmic Fx polishes yet, but I did see them at Ulta last week if you really need any. I've seen several comparisons with this collection, and several of them look like exact dupes of other polishes. I know for sure one I will have to pick up is Space Cadet! 

Anyway, on to the nail of the day which is Piggy Polish Yacht-a Yachta-a. Umm....what the heck is up with the name? Several of the names are cute, but this one is just weird. I would have to say out of all the polishes I got, this is my least favorite. I know some of  you are going to completely disagree with me, but this is just a personal preference. It is a medium purple jelly, and since it is a jelly finish, it is pretty sheer. The picture shown is three coats, but it could have used one more for an opaque finish. If you're like me and want it to be opaque, you can always put a base coat of a flesh colored polish before adding this one. Overall, I really like the color, but I'm not a fan of the finish. The application of the polish was just fine, but again the formula was a bit thin. What do you guys think? 

*These polishes were provided the the company or PR representative. All reviews are based solely on my opinion. For more information, please see my full disclosure at the bottom of the site*

Piggy Polish: Regatta Get This Color!

Piggy Polish Regatta Get This Color! (2 coats)

Yawn, it is nap time. I've been waking up pretty late lately and I had to get up relatively early this morning so I'm paying for it. I'm still in Tennessee, and boy is it so hot here. I walked a few buildings away and I started sweating almost instantly (thank goodness I remembered deodorant today!). Since I am still out of town, I am going to have to wait until this weekend to post my new giveaway! I don't want to say too much, but I will be sharing several more polishes than usual with another special product to give away. 

Up today I have another polish from Piggy Polish called Regatta Get This Color! Hmm, it certainly has a cute name to it, right? This color and polish is just gorgeous! It is a medium lime green polish with a slight green shimmer that you can hopefully see from the bottom picture. It was just so bright and happy and reminds me a bit of some of the cyanobacteria we work with in my lab. Again, the formula was flawless and I seriously haven't had polishes apply this well in a long time. I know there are tons of green fans who read this blog, so what do you think? Do you need this green? 

*These polishes were provided the the company or PR representative. All reviews are based solely on my opinion. For more information, please see my full disclosure at the bottom of the site*