OPI Spring 2011 Texas Collection: I Vant to Be A-lone Star

OPI I Vant to Be A-lone Star (2 coats)

Ah, we finally come to my favorite of the three I have. Despite the lame name (which a few of these have), I Vant to Be A-lone Star is an awesome light blue and grey polish with shimmer. You know how some polishes sort of looks crappy in real life, but look great in pictures and vice versa? Well, this one looks beautiful in both. It also had the best application and opacity needing only 2 coats. Love it! 

OPI Spring 2011 Texas Collection: Do You Think I'm Tex-y?

OPI Do You Think I'm Tex-y? (3 coats)

*yawn* I love naps. Unfortunately I really love 2 hour naps and I just woke up from one! Up next is Do You Think I'm Tex-y? which is their version of a pink jelly. Cheesy name aside, I actually really like this jelly. You guys know how I have a love/hate relationship with jellies, but the fact that the visible nail line goes away after 3 coats makes me extremely happy. Even opaque, you can still get the jelly factor on the nail. This collection is apparently full of these jellies, and if they are all similar to this one, I would definitely recommend them. You can find OPI polishes in specialized salons, Ulta, and at Transdesign online.

OPI Spring 2011 Texas Collection: Austin-tatious Turquoise

OPI Austin-tatious Turquoise (3 coats)

It's the return of lobster hands! It always cracks me up when my hands look so red when wearing certain blue polishes. I was lucky enough to get my hands on a few of these from my mother-in-law who just happens to live in Texas (I know, I am surprised she could find these there!). Austin-tatious Turquoise is a lovely blue-green shimmer that is a little on the sheer side. I'm actually happy with the photos since you can really see the mix of the blue and the green, especially in the first picture. As I said before, the only down side is the sheerer formula that needed 3 coats.

Color Club Alter Ego Keep It Undercover Collection: Ulterior Motive

Color Club Ulterior Motive (3 coats)

Man, today was a rough day. My personal e-mail just got hacked today and spam was sent to my address lists :-( Thank goodness gmail found the suspicious e-mails pretty quickly so it could have been worse. Anyway, I just want the day to be over with. Today is the last of the Color Club swatches from the Alter Ego collection. Ulterior Motive is a pink polish with lots of pink and purple shimmer throughout. I'm also a fan of this one, and received several compliments from customers from work. Like the entire collection, it was pretty sheer, needing at least 3 coats overall. I only bought the ones that interested me at least slightly, so I don't feel like it was the most successful of Color Club collections. While some are nice, I feel like they have been going a bit downhill lately, at least compared to some of their older collections. What do you think? Do you agree?

Color Club Alter Ego Keep It Undercover Collection: Total Mystery

Color Club Total Mystery (3 coats)

Good evening everyone! I hope you had a wonderful weekend. It got so cold here this weekend, and right now it is only 37 degrees outside. Man, it was only a week ago that it was in the 80s! Anyway, I have Total Mystery to show you tonight, which comes from the Keep It Undercover set of the Alter Ego Collection. I'm not going to lie, when I saw promo pictures for this set of the collection, I thought they were going to be vastly different than what they gave us. I thought they were going to be more duochromes, but they ended up being shimmers. That being said, I still like Total Mystery. It is slightly more purple in real life (you know how it goes with purplish colors and cameras) with lots of pink shimmer throughout. This one was also slightly sheer since it needed 3 coats, but that seems to be the way it goes with this whole collection.

Color Club Alter Ego Keep It Undercover Collection: Masquerading

Color Club Masquerading (2 coats)

I've been swatching the new ELF nail collection that includes 5 polishes for only $5 which you can find here, and I must say, I am very impressed! I'll start posting those soon, but make sure to check our your local Target for the set. 

Tonight starts the Keep it Undercover set of the Alter Ego collection. I must say, Masquerading is an interesting color. It is a blue/green teal (frosty?) shimmer that is quite unique. While the color is nice, the application was pretty horrible. It was so thick and had a weird texture. I know, I'm not being much help, but trust me, it was weird. That being said, it was very pigmented and barely needed 2 coats for full coverage.

Color Club Alter Ego Reveal Your Mystery Collection Spring 2011: Give me a Hint

Color Club Give Me a Hint (3 coats)

Up tonight we have Give Me a Hint that may remind you of several different purple taupes that have been released recently (most recently being Below Deck by China Glaze). While I like it, I don't find it unique at all, but it's my own fault for getting a polish that reminds me of several others that I already own. It was also quite sheer, needing 3 coats. If you don't have a polish with this color, it is a good value at under $3, but if you want one that is more pigmented, you may want to stick with China Glaze Below Deck from the Anchors Away collection. Enjoy!

Color Club Alter Ego Reveal Your Mystery Collection Spring 2011: Incognito

Color Club Incognito (3 coats)

Happy Hump Day! I just got home a little bit ago from Charming Charlies. Has anyone been there because I absolutely adore that place! I ended up getting a nautical themed necklace and a new wallet that will actually fit everything I currently have in my old wallet. Score! 

I'm not 100% sure why I ended up buying Incognito because it's not normally a color I would go for. It is a pink/brown nude creme that is quite sheer needing at least 3 generous coats for (mostly) full coverage. I dunno, I can see lots of people loving this one since it is work appropriate and all, but it's just not my thing. Although sheer, the formula and application was just fine.

Random Nail Thoughts

The picture above is a blooming Rosebud tree which are starting to pop up all over North Carolina right now, much to my pleasure (not so much to my husband because he has allergies). Today the temperature reached 80 degrees and I had the day off work so I was in heaven. I decided to stop by Target because I had a $1 off coupon for Sally Hansen products and I decided I needed to try the Instant Cuticle Remover that claims to dissolve cuticles in 15 seconds. I tried it tonight, and I must say that my cuticles look much better already. After the discount I only paid $3 which was money well spent.

Since a Sally's Beauty Supply was right across the street, I couldn't resist stopping by. Upon entering the store, what is that I see? Why, it is a display for the China Glaze Tronica (the mostly Sally exclusive) collection! For the past few months I told myself I didn't need them, but since they were right in front of me, I couldn't resist. I bought Electra Magenta and Hi Def which are pink/purple and blue, respectively. From working in the cafe, my nails have been brittle and full of peels so I also bought the Nail Life Nail Revitalizer (without formaldehyde) and American Classics Gelous nail gel which have gotten rave reviews on the nail board. I've only used them once, so I will report back with any positive or negative results.

And finally, a product that I've been loving lately is Essie's Good to Go! quick dry topcoat. It may not dry quite as fast as Seche Vite or Poshe, but I really like the smooth finish and thicker coverage which helps deter chips from forming. At $10, it is a bit pricey, but I bought it with the Ulta $3.50 off $10 coupon.  So in the end it only put me back $7.50. Anyway, I know people are always looking for a good topcoat, so I thought I'd add my 2 cents.

Color Club Alter Ego Reveal Your Mystery Collection Spring 2011: Revealed

Color Club Revealed (3 coats)

Greetings everyone! Continuing on with the Color Club Alter Ego collection we have Revealed which is a peachy pink polish with slight shimmer. You can actually see the shimmer better in the bottle than on the nail unfortunately. It reminds me of a lighter version of Essie's Van d'Go from their Spring 2010 collection. While I like it, I really wish the shimmer showed up more. The application was also pretty crappy with it being slightly thick and streaky. What do you think, are you loving Revealed?

New from Zoya (Sunshine and Summertime Collections) and Promo Code

Zoya Sunshine Collection:

• Reva (ZP546) - A cool toned strawberry red with glowing golden metallic sparkle. A very rich and luxurious looking gilded red.
• Kimmy (ZP547) - Gleaming metallic candy apple red brightened by gold sparkle. Not your usual red shimmer- this one has a fiery attitude.
• Apple (ZP548) - Luminous yellow-toned apple green packed with gold metallic sparkle. A dimensional green that's clean and bright.
• Tanzy (ZP549) - Light, bright tangerine orange with yellow gold metallic sparkle. A sunny orange that's easy to wear year-round.
• Rica (ZP550) - Warm light coral with pink and orange tones and heavy gold metallic sparkle. An alternative to flat corals for when you want to shine.
• Faye (ZP551) - A bronzed mauve with purple and brown undertones flooded with bright gold sparkle. A unique gilded shade that will work in any season.

Zoya Summertime Collection:

• Sooki (ZP552) - Bright, clean, crisp cool cherry red cream with a subtle jelly finish. For an irresistible, attention-grabbing red nail.
• Tamsen (ZP553) - Medium warm brick red with strong orange tones with an opaque cream finish. A special red that is both enticing and mysterious
• Areej (ZP554) - Pink with an opaque cream finish. A pink for when you want a bold pop of color but not something neon-bright.
• Kieko (ZP555) - Warm, red toned dusty light purple with berry tones with an opaque cream finish. A nice alternative to pure pink or berry, especially flattering on warm skin tones.
• Mira (ZP556) - Blue toned medium purple with dusty lavender tones and an opaque cream finish. For a muted yet colorful purple that isn't too dark.
• Breezi (ZP557) - Soft, dusty, medium cerulean blue with an opaque cream finish. A super chic  high-fashion denim look for nails.

Ultra long-wearing, glossy nail lacquers by Zoya are free of harmful industrial chemicals like toluene, camphor, formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, dibutyl phthalate (DBP) that are known to cause cancer and birth defects.

Find Zoya Sunshine and Summertime as well as over 300 other ultra high-fashion Zoya shades at www.zoya.com. 

As always, each and every Zoya color is made for women so we name them after women. 

Sunshine and Summertime by Zoya, available March 21, 2011

 

 

Do you have an account** on Zoya.com? If you do a special offer is waiting for you! A BOGO (Buy One, Get One) Offer* on the new Zoya summer collections!

As an ADDED BONUS for taking part in the exclusive account holders only BOGO Offer* standard shipping will be only $2! (Order more than $55 and shipping will be free!)

You can BOGO* any colors from our new Zoya Summertime, Sunshine and ModMatte collections! With 15 new colors to choose from you are bound to find plenty of BOGO offer options to love!

How it works:

• SIGN IN – to your account** on Zoya.com
• CLICK on MY ACCOUNT
• Once you are in your account go to the left hand side of the page and CLICK on MY PROMOTIONS AND COUPONS
• APPLY the code that reads ZOYA SUMMER BOGO*.
• Then ADD - Any combination of  polishes from the new summer collections to your shopping cart.
•  (This BOGO* you can buy up to 7 bottles and get 7 FREE(of the new summer collections)
• ADD any additional items you would like to purchase
• CHECK OUT (BOGO* applies to polish from Summertime, Sunshine and ModMatte collections ONLY!)
• Please double check all information IS CORRECT and ALL FIELDS have been completely filled out PRIOR to submitting the order. There is NO WAY to issue a new code after the order has been processed.
• SUBMIT – your order.

*Offer open only to those with active accounts** on Zoya.com, artofbeauty.com, Qtica.com and qticasmartspa.com as of 3/20/2011 at 5 PM ST. Offer open to consumers, Online promotion only. Continental US ONLY. BOGO Offer* is good on Open stock .5oz Polish ONLY from Summer 2011 collections. (Zoya Summertime, Sunshine and ModMatte) BOGO Offer good for up to 7 polishes. BOGO Offer* code is unique and non-transferable. One code per account. Code expires on 3/25/2011 at 11:59PM EST. Standard ground shipping is $2.00 and FREE for orders over $55. Upgraded shipping not available for this promotion. Please allow standard  time for processing and shipping, however if volume is higher than expected please allow up to 4 weeks for shipping and processing. Please allow 2-6 weeks for delivery. Comments, videos and pictures posted about this Zoya.com BOGO Offer* outside of Zoya.com or zoyanailpolish.blogger.com are not representative of the opinions of Zoya Nail Polish, Art of Beauty, Inc., Qtica and Qtica Smart Spa and we do not confirm the accuracy of any postings..

**qualifying accounts are those with a valid username (email) and password that has been created and used in the last 3 years account must be made by 3/20/2011 at 5PM EST to qualify for the BOGO Offer. No purchase necessary to start an account. Customers are responsible for maintaining active accounts. If username or password have been lost we (Art of Beauty, Inc.) are not responsible for restoring accounts or giving out any account information.  

Color Club Alter Ego Reveal Your Mystery Collection Spring 2011: Sheer Disguise

Color Club Sheer Disguise (3 coats)

I have a bit of a backlog of Color Club polishes (some newer, some older) and I figured I'd start with the newer since I haven't really seen many posts for the Alter Ego collection lately. Up first is Sheer Disguise which is, indeed, a bit sheer until the third thick coat. Despite being sheer and a bit streaky upon application, I still absolutely adore the color. It's a dusty blue creme that has a bit of grey in it as well. You guys know me and dusty polishes. Anyway, I hope your weekend went well despite having to go back to the grind tomorrow :-(

Wet N Wild Party of 5 Glitters

Wet  N Wild Party of 5 Glitters (2 coats) over Blue Moon (2 coats)

Happy Saturday! I hope everyone is having an awesome weekend! A few days ago I posted about Blue Moon, and bought the Party of 5 Glitters a few weeks ago so I thought I'd make it a Wet N Wild manicure. I wouldn't call it a dupe of the Deborah Lippmann Happy Birthday polish, but since it is so cheap, I would probably stick with the Wet N Wild one anyway. It is filled with large silver hexagonal glitter with medium sized blue and pink/purple glitter and small green and red glitter. The only downside is the clear base that suspends the glitter which is really thick and gloopy. The first coat isn't enough, and on the second coat, the thick base starts to gloop up. Overall, I don't think it takes away from the look of the polish and you end up getting enough glitter on the nail. You can find Wet N Wild polishes at your local drug stores or superstore (e.g. Walgreens, CVS, Rite Aid, or Target).

Essence Lime Up!

 Essence Lime Up! (2 coats)

Happy St. Patrick's Day! As you can see, I have an unconventional green polish from Essence called Lime Up! It is a chartreuse creme polish that reminded me a bit of OPIs Who the Shrek are You? from their Shrek collection last year. I believe a couple blogs have comparisons if you want to see the specific differences. I am always impressed with the pigmentation on this inexpensive brand. If you are looking for a polish that is a little different than your normal green, definitely stop by Ulta and pick this little gem up. 

Newest Promotions and Sales

Hi everyone! I received several e-mails about discounts this week, so I thought I'd pass these on to you. Don't forget to wear green for St. Patrick's Day tomorrow. Of course I'll be sporting some green nail polish :-D

 Butter London

Barielle 20% off

Nubar Spring Garden Collection is now online and the collection of 9 polishes is $39.95 for retail customers though Friday, 3/18.

Will you be utilizing any of these discounts?

Wet N Wild Wild Shine: Blue Moon

Wet N Wild Blue Moon (2 coats)

Hello hello! At first I thought I'd take the night off, but you guys deserve it! The first thing that comes to mind when I hear Blue Moon is the Molson Coors beer. It is also the beer of choice for my Ph D advisor and his wife (yes, orange slice and all). Anyway, Blue Moon is a deep blue shimmer from Wet N Wild that put me back $0.50 from Walgreens. That's right, $0.50! I mean, who wouldn't buy this for that price? Wet N Wild ceases to amaze me with their variety of colors for an incredible price. They are also 3 Free and apply smoothly with impressive pigment. Enjoy!

Essence Choose Me

Essence Choose Me (2 coats)

Ah yes, the battle of the dupes. I believe most of you have seen this very polish several times this past year. Scrangie mentioned recently on her blog about how there is a lack of unique polishes lately, and if you look at this, you would probably have to agree. This one is a dupe for Zoya's Charla, OPI's Catch Me in Your Net and Orly Haley's Comet. What the Essence polish has going for it that the others don't is the fact that it is only $0.99 at Ulta (but it does come in a smaller bottle, which doesn't bother me since I have way too many polishes that I won't finish up anyway). Application and formula were fine even though the bottle is smaller.

China Glaze Crackle Collection 2011: Cracked Concrete

China Glaze Cracked Concrete (1 coat) over China Glaze Pelican Gray (2 coats)

Oh Daylight Savings time, how I love and hate you. I love you because I love more hours of sun in the evening, but I hate you because I lost an hour of sleep and it is now almost 3 in the afternoon! Where has this day gone?! Oh well, I'll take it because that means that spring is upon us (at least for those of you in this area of the world). 

Today I have the final crackle from China Glaze called Cracked Concrete which I think is witty. I've showed you previously how vastly different colors look with the crackle effect, so with this last one I thought I'd show you how it looks with colors of the same family. Since I just used Pelican Gray and still had Cracked Concrete to swatch, I decided to see what happens. Also, I love using these crackles when I have a small chip in my polish because 9 times out of 10 it covers up any flaws I had. What do you think of this combination? Feel free to leave me a comment to let me know.

China Glaze Anchors Away Spring 2011 Collection: Pelican Gray

China Glaze Pelican Gray (2 coats)

Happy Friday! I had the day off and I spent most of the day sleeping. I don't feel sick at all, but I just can't seem to stay awake. Oh well. Pelican Gray is the final polish I have from the Anchors Away collection. Of course I wanted to buy them all, but the whole income thing stopped me from getting them all. Pelican Gray is a great neutral gray color that would also make a work appropriate polish. Like Sea Spray, if you look closely, you can see some fine shimmer throughout that does not translate well to the nail, but still looks nice. I like it, but it wasn't my favorite of the collection. Application was slightly watery, but nothing too difficult. Have a wonderful weekend!