Color Club Untamed Luxury Indulgence Collection Fall 2010: Pretty in Platinum

Color Club Pretty in Platinum (2 coats)

Happy Halloween! I hope you are having a spooky day (night). I have a couple polishes from the latest Color Club collection to show you guys. I hope you enjoy them! Up first is Pretty in Platinum which is a silvery white shimmer polish. I think it looks a bit like a pearl! I really liked this polish, but it tends to get slightly streaky so make sure to take your time with it. It was also very opaque and barely needed 2 coats for full coverage. As always, Color Club's formula is one of the best around and this one is no different. I really wish they'd make more holo polishes....Color Club are you listening? 

By the way, my dissertation is printed and ready to be handed to my committee tomorrow! Eeek!

New York Summer: Amaranth

New York Summer Amaranth (3 coats)

Happy Halloween Eve! Sorry I was MIA yesterday, but I am going to be posting sporadically for the next few weeks. I have to print off my dissertation tomorrow (I'm back in Tennessee right now) so I have to get ready for my defense. Blah! I feel bad that I haven't really shown any good Halloween polishes (besides the China Glaze polishes) but I've just been so busy lately. I hope you can understand! 

New York Summer is a new brand to me. Transdesign has their polishes, but I never bit the bullet until my last order. At $1.59 you just can't go wrong! I know lots of people are wanting the elusive NARS Zulu that was recently repromoted (you can find it here at Sephora), but I just felt like I had seen other really cool green jellies so I didn't want to shell out the $16. I'm not saying that New York Summer Amaranth is a dupe, but I can enjoy this nice green jelly polish. It definitely seems a bit lighter than Zulu. Despite being a jelly, it is quite opaque with three coats which is shown here. I was very impressed with the formula and application as well. Overall, if you want a nice green jelly and you're on a budget, definitely check out this polish. 

I hope you are having a fun and safe Halloween weekend! What are you dressing as, and more importantly, what polish are you wearing with it?

LA Splash: Pretty Jellyfish

LA Splash Pretty Jellyfish (3 coats)

What a unique polish, right? I found this gem at Ulta a few months ago and I'm just now getting around to reviewing it! Pretty Jellyfish has purple and silver glitter in a base of light pink. I love it! My husband didn't like it because he thought the pink was too close to my skintone and it looked like bare spots. I, personally, don't see it, but I just wanted to mention a different opinion. The application was a bit thick and needed 3 coats so try to make them as thin as possible. Also, I'm not a huge fan of the bottles. They don't hold much polish and are so tall I feel like they are constantly going to fall over. I mean, they look nice, but not necessarily for polish. You can find this polish at your local Ulta stores or on Cherry Culture but the colors on their site look completely wrong to me.

China Glaze Awakening Collection: Mummy May I

China Glaze Mummy May I (2 coats)

I love, LOVE this polish. This is the second installment from the China Glaze Awakening (Halloween) collection and it's called Mummy May I. Upon first glance I immediate thought Deborah Lippmann Bad Romance based on the purple glitter resuspended in the extremely dark purple jelly polish. The jelly finish looks a bit black once you apply the second coat, but this doesn't bother me one bit! The glitter in this one is actually tiny squares that are sort of pink/purple. While not an exact dupe of Bad Romance, if you want something similar without the hefty price tag, definitely check out Mummy May I. I wasn't sure how opaque this was going to be, but I'm happy to say that this is only 2 coats. Formula was just fine as well. I know you can find these at Sally's Beauty Supply, but I'm not 100% sure when they were released or if they will still have stock. Either way, you can find this at online e-tailers.

Rescue Beauty Lounge SALE!

My apologies for dropping the ball a little on this one. Rescue Beauty Lounge is having a 50% off sale soon and I found this information on the Rescue Beauty Facebook page.  Will you be buying anything? Ahem, this may make a nice Christmas present (wink wink nudge nudge Mr. Right on the Nail)

Many apologies in advance for this repetitive post, but I'm still getting numerous e-mail regarding the sale:

1) Please sign up on our home page to receive the code and instruction about the sale--email blast will go out Thursday before the sale.
2) The 5 hour sale will take place November Ist 11-4PM EST.
3) There will be... no free shipping.
4) There will be no "customer note" field to edit or alter any orders.
5) All baskets will be emptied before the sale.
6) For international shipping fee: http://www.rescuebeauty.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=POLICIES
7) Allow at LEAST 10-15 business days for all domestic deliveries.
8) We will make a post on the FB if there are any announcements.
9) If you must e-mail us please choose only one e-mail address not all three. (Our IQ level is not that sharp during the sale and we get easily confused)
10) The new Tudor colors will not be on sale, but the RBL body products will be. I hope I'm not forgetting anything....

October Giveaway including Deborah Lippmann!

Deborah Lippmann Across the Universe 

Deborah Lippmann Bad Romance

That's right everyone, in light of my (almost) 300 followers I am having a giveaway! Up for grabs are the limited edition polishes from Deborah Lippmann Bad Romance and Across the Universe. If you weren't able to order them online, you may be in luck!

I am also pleased to announce that Angela from Solstice Scents on Etsy will also be giving away one jar of her Silky Whipped Body Butter to the winner! Solstice Scents started in 2004 and are located in Gainesville, FL. Most of the products are Vegan, except for a few select facial care items. The Ganache featured in the giveaway is Vegan, Paraben and Formaldehyde free and the winner is welcome to choose from any of the fragrances in stock at the time. Solstice Scents offers scents crafted primarily of amber, soft woods and incense-like fragrances but a variety of florals, fruit and spicy scents are also available. Solstice Scents carries a base line of general catalog scents as well as seasonal collections featuring products inspired by the mood, climate and aesthetics of a given season. I have been a huge fan of her products for a long time and she has wonderful CS. I am also a sucker for packaging and everything always looks good enough to give as a gift. If you are looking for a new lotion (or you are just another bath and body junkie like me) definitely check her out and tell her I sent you!

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 everyone, everywhere! I know, it's about time.  Please only 1 entry per person. A winner will be chosen by random on Monday, November 8, 2010. Good luck everyone!

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

Creative Nail Design (CND): Asphalt

CND Asphalt (2 coats)

I love this polish. I think this is possibly the most opaque polish I have ever tried. I did use 2 coats because that's what I'm used to, but only 1 was necessary. If you don't own a deep grey creme, I definitely suggest this one to you. What an appropriate name for this polish! After all my complaining lately, I want to mention that not all polishes have crazy names. Thanks, CND! I've seen lots of bloggers use this polish with the CND effects and they all look great, so if you own any topcoat effects, you may want to use this polish. Neutral colors seem to be sticking around this fall. What do you think?

Butter London: Minger

Butter London Minger (3 coats)

Wow, I now have 300 followers! I truly can't believe it has come to this. When I first started the blog, I didn't know how long it was going to go on and I certainly didn't expect to have hundreds of followers. With that, I want to give you a big THANK YOU to everyone for their support over the past year. As I've said previously, I will be having an international giveaway including Deborah Lippmann later this week. Details will follow. 

I have never reviewed Butter London for a few reasons. 1. They are fairly expensive at $14 a pop 2.  I've never seen any in real life and could only get them online 3. Some people on MUA were unhappy with the bottle tops and application of the brand.  On the bright side, my Ulta now carries Butter London so they are becoming more available and I believe Butter London changed their bottles so that's all better now as well. Up tonight is Minger which is an orange creme that reminds me of a pumpkin. If you're looking for an awesome orange polish for fall, look no further. Unfortunately this polish comes with a heft price tag ($14) and sketchy application. The formula is quite strange. It is runny and thick at the same time. I am not a huge fan. I had a few bald spots at 3 coats, but if you're really careful you may get away with 2. 

And now the name. Ugh, really Butter London? What is the deal with these awful names lately from companies? I really don't get it. If you don't know what a minger is, go to Urban Dictionary. If you decide to do that, realize that it is NSFW and is quite inappropriate, just like the name of this polish.

China Glaze Awakening Collection: Ick-a-bod-y

China Glaze Ick-a-bod-y (3 coats)

Yay for Halloween is coming! I know I haven't really posted anything about it yet, but here is your first taste of orange and black (well, sort of). Ick-a-bod-y comes from the Halloween collection from China Glaze that has three polishes in it. I only got 2 of them because the third is a dupe from Orly Cosmic Fx collection and SpaRitual. It has orange glitter in a very dark green jelly base. Honestly the base is very smokey and looks almost black, but that's not a bad thing because of all the orange glitter. I'm loving this one, especially for Halloween (but I'll probably wear thing one all year long :-) You can probably get away with 2 coats if you really want to see the dark base, but I opted for more coverage and the third coat. So what are you guys going as for Halloween? Unfortunately I have to turn in my dissertation on the 1st so I'm not getting to celebrate this year :-( I'm also going to miss my 3rd wedding anniversary because of the dissertation. Oh well, hopefully next year will be better.

Misa Spark My Interest Collection: Date Nights to the Twilight

Misa Date Nights to the Twilight (2 coats)

Misa, my friend, what is up with these names? Why are they so long and weird? I do love you, but what is going on? The only other polish I got from the latest Misa collection is Day Nights to the Twilight (gag). My picture is not really accurate at all. The polish is much less blue and more purple (the most realistic color is the bottle picture at the top) and I noticed hints of pink flecks in it as well. The color is nice, but again not really unique. While I really love Misa, I think they dropped the ball on this collection. No worries, I'm sure they'll be back with a vengeance in a few months. 

Misa Spark My Interest Collection: Wink, Blink Let's Get a Drink

Misa Wink, Blink Let's Get a Drink (2 coats)

I also bought a couple polishes from the newest Misa collection called Spark My Interest. While I'm hating most of the names (man, why are they so long?!), I generally like the 2 polishes I got. Up first is Wink, Blink Let's Get a Drink (see what I mean!) which is a medium berry shimmer. I don't think it's the most unique polish, but you know what? I like pinks, and I love shimmers so I do enjoy this one. That said, if you are into crazy colors, this one is not for you. Lovely application and formula as usual. What do you think, is this pink for you?

Misa What I Like About You Collection: It's You

Misa It's You (2 coats)

I honestly didn't hear much about the Misa What I Like About You collection. When did this one come out? Either way, I have to say that It's You is one of the few polishes I've been really excited about lately. It's a quite unique duochrome that has a charcoal base with a purple/pink and green shimmer. Make sure to click on the pictures to get a better look at this one. I am absolutely smitten over this polish and I definitely recommend this to anyone who wants a unique color. As always, the application and formula was on par with other Misa polishes. 

If you have left comments lately-thank you! I've gotten a bit behind on responding, but rest assured I read them all and I really appreciate it. I promise to be 100% back in a month and a half or so :-)

Misa Fall 2008 Poisoned Passion Collection: Toxic Seduction

Misa Toxic Seduction (2 coats)

We've got another oldie but a goodie from Misa. Again, you can find these at Transdesign, but I've never seen Misa in a store. Toxic Seduction is a beautiful green shimmer that has a hint of dustiness that makes me love it even more! I don't really have much more to say about this. I know there are lots of green lovers out there and I hope you are enjoying this one. Application was like all Misa polishes: very pigmented and smooth. Two thumbs up on this one.

Katy Perry for OPI (here we go again)

by Grace Gold  http://www.stylelist.com/2010/10/18/katy-perry-opi-nail-polish/

 All I have to say is that I want that crackle polish (but not because of Katy Perry).

Cult nail polish brand OPI has looked to celebrities for its color inspiration in 2011.

First it was tween heartthrob Justin Bieber who was snagged to design a glitter-tastic Nicole by OPI polish line, and now we hear that nail art-loving pop star Katy Perry has mixed her magic for an exclusive collection with the California-based brand, too.

Known for her funky red carpet manicures and penchant for posting Twitter pics of her dazzling digits, the line is big on the flashy and fun factor. The standout polish will no doubt be Black Shatter, a high-shine topcoat that creates a cracked leopard-like effect when stroked over any nail shade.

The nail color collection will include Teenage Dream (a plummy pink sparkle), Not Like the Movies (metallic silver), Last Friday Night (a Crayola blue glitter), and The One That Got Away (a deepest dark berry purple.) Each polish will retail for $9, and will launch at Ulta in January.

Katy is known world-wide for her innovative style and is always surprising us with her wild nail designs. When we learned about Katy's love for lacquers, we couldn't resist the opportunity to work together to create this glamorous collection," says Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, OPI executive vice president and artistic director.

With stormy greige and muted shades being all the rage for fall, we're thinking the glitter-filled selections from both the Bieber and Perry lines are looking to inject some much-needed girliness into an industry that has leaned towards neutrals for several seasons straight.

And for those of you that may be hesitant about the Teenage Dream-like color wheel, you can play with the trend by simply swiping Black Shatter on top of your own favorite mani shade.

Misa Dirty, Sexy, Money

Misa Dirty, Sexy, Money (2 coats)

I just love how Misa polishes apply. There, I said it! They are pretty much up there with Color Club polishes and the great thing is that they are both quite affordable. Dirty, Sexy, Money isn't new (it came out last year), but I just now got my hands on it (Transdesign finally got some of the older polishes that were out of stock back in stock-yay!). It's sort of hard to describe, but it's a dusty green creme that has some blue in it. Any way you look at it, I am absolutely in love with this polish! You guys know my feelings on dusty polishes! As always application and formula was phenomenal and only needed 2 coats. If you don't own this one, definitely pick it up. I've heard in passing that this one is similar to Sephora by OPI Ocean Love Potion, but I don't have it to compare. 

Essence Surfer Babe Collection: Hang Loose

Essence Hang Loose (2 coats)

Yup, a second purple creme in a row! You may not be able to find this one now (sorry, I am so late!) but this is called Hang Loose and it's from the Essence Surfer Babe Collection and I found it at Ulta a few months ago. As far as I know Ulta is the only place who sells Essence polishes, and at prices around $1-$1.50 how can you go wrong?! Hang Loose is a very light purple creme with hints of pink that tends to look a little milky. It's not the most exciting color, but it's a nice neutral purple. For $1.50 you are probably expecting crappy application and formula, but I'm really impressed that it only needed 2 coats and I had no issues at all.

Essie 2010 The Art of Spring Collection: Lilacism

 Essie Lilacism (2 coats)

I bought Lilacism from Ulta when they had their polishes buy 2 get 1 free. Since I cannot get get Essie cheaper anywhere anymore, I tend to get mine from Ulta because they sometimes have sales on them and they pretty much always have coupons you can use (it is not a Prestige brand...I really hate that I can't use the coupons on certain brands). Lilacism is a light lavender creme that reminds me of a colored Easter egg. Since this polish came from Essie's Spring collection, this one is quite fitting. The application was very slightly watery, but it was very opaque and only needed 2 coats for full coverage. I do like this one a lot, but I don't think it is the most unique color (well, perhaps it is a bit unique for an Essie polish ;-) I hope you are enjoying your weekend! I spent about 4-5 hours at the library working on the dissertation. Blah!

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear: Purple Gala

Sally Hansen Purple Gala (2 coats)

I first showed you Cherry Punch from the new Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear collection a few weeks ago and today I have another one called Purple Gala. While I wasn't happy with Cherry Punch, I am absolutely in love with Purple Gala! It is a shimmer of deep purple and gold and only needed 2 coats to be opaque. I recently saw a comparison of this one to Hard Candy's Mr. Wrong and you can find this on Body and Soul's blog. As you can see, they are similar, but not exactly the same. Either way, this one is really cheap (usually less than $3) so even if you have Mr. Wrong, Purple Gala is still nice to have. I've been really happy with Sally Hansen polishes, especially since they are so readily available at drugstores. Are you a fan?

Revlon: Powder Puff

Revlon Powder Puff (3 coats)

Today we have a drugstore find from Revlon with their new limited edition matte suede collection. I believe there are 4 polishes in this collection and here we have Powder Puff. They call this a suede matte, but it's more of a satin finish than a matte so I think those of you who hate mattes won't mind this one. It is a white polish with blue microshimmer throughout. I hope you can see the slight blue in this one. It was slightly sheer and needed 3 coats, but it was pretty opaque after the third coat. I had no problems at all with the application. One thing you must think about is that you cannot use a topcoat if you want to keep the satin finish. While it doesn't take that long to dry, it is definitely going to take longer than your quick dry topcoats.

Today I received a press release about Kim Kardashian wearing a Deborah Lippmann polish in a magazine. Problem is, she is completely nude (breasts blazing) with only her hands covering her vagina. Yeah. I didn't think this was appropriate for my (or probably anyone's) blog. What do you guys think of this?

China Glaze Holiday 2010 'Tis the season to be Naughty AND Nice Collection

I know I posted some pictures of the new China Glaze Holiday 2010 'Tis the season to be Naughty AND Nice Collection last week or so, but I just wanted to let everyone know that the polishes are now available from Transdesign! I don't know if this is new news, but if not, sorry! Happy shopping!

OPI 2010 Burlesque Collection: Glow Up Already

OPI Glow Up Already (3 coats)

So this is the last polish I have from the OPI Burlesque Collection. I've considered getting a few of the other shimmer polishes, but that will depend on if I order from Transdesign. In other words, don't expect OPI polishes for awhile. Glow Up Already is a gold/green multi-colored glitter which isn't that different from Bring on the Bling. Bring on the Bling is a bit brighter and a truer gold than Glow Up Already and I think I prefer it to Glow. The glitter is fairly dense, but again, for full coverage I used three coats. Overall, I think this is a fun collection and can see myself coming back to a few of these for this Holiday season. Do I think it is better than the collection last year? I don't think so (come on, remember Merry Midnight, Shim-Merry Chic and Holiday Glow?!) because that collection had lots of different finishes of flakies, cremes and shimmers. I have to admit, looking back on that collection, there were way too many reds in it. I digress. The collection is very flashy, but if you aren't into shimmers and glitters, this one is definitely not for you.