Jessica Cosmetics Spring 2012 Heavy Petal Collection: Born 2 Pansy and Geranium Gypsy

Jessica Cosmetics Born 2 Pansy (3 coats)

I decided to give you 2 polishes instead of 1 tonight, I hope that's ok with you! Born 2 Pansy is just like Rolling Rose, but in a light lavender form. I think the purple looks a bit better on my skintone (it shows up better), and it has the same blue shimmer finish that I love. I think I would recommend this one the most from the collection. Unfortunately the application was the same as well; it needed 3 coats and was a bit thick. It's still a lovely polish. 

Jessica Cosmetics Geranium Gypsy (2 coats)

Holy frost, Batman! This was is also a purple version of Hotter Than Hibiscus which I showed a few days ago. I know lots of you aren't into frosts, but there has to be some people out there who still rock them. If that's you, then you'll probably love Geranium Gypsy. As such, it's a really nice purple color, it's just the frost is a bit too strong. I had the same problems with application since it's a streaky mess. I did my best to limit the streaks, but as you can see, I wasn't that successful. I don't have anything like this in my collection, so I guess you can say this is unique to me. 

Don't forget to sign up for the new giveaway! You still have plenty of time to do so. 

*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 Spring 2012 Heavy Petal Collection: Hotter Than Hibiscus

Jessica Cosmetics Hotter Than Hibiscus (2 coats)

I can't believe it's almost Friday already! I don't have a lot of weekend plans, but I do have a vegan potluck to go to for my friend's birthday. I eat a lot of vegetarian meals, but not many vegan ones so I don't have any recipes to go on. Do you have any favorite vegan recipes you can share with me? 

Doesn't Jessica Cosmetics Hotter Than Hibiscus look like something Barbie would have worn in the early 90s? I mean, seriously! I love the shade of pink, but the frostiness is just too much for my liking. It's a shame because it would have looked nice as a shimmer. The application was a bit of a pain since it's a frost, so make sure to keep your brush as parallel to your nail as possible to inhibit brush strokes.


*This polish was 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 Spring 2012 Heavy Petal Collection: Rolling Rose

Jessica Cosmetics Rolling Rose (3 coats)

Spring is definitely in the air. Just ask my husband because he has been sneezing for weeks. Man, if I had allergies like him I'd be at the allergist STAT. Men never listen though. With spring showers and blooming trees comes the spring polish collections such as Heavy Petal by Jessica Cosmetics. When I first looked at the collection I admit I was a bit let down. Really, only pinks and purples? Well, several are better than expected so let's check out Rolling Rose first. The shimmer in this one is just insane! There's loads of blue shimmer in it that is very prominent on the nail and I love it. At first you think it's a boring pink, but upon closer inspection you can really see how special this one is. The formula was a bit thick and it was sheer so I had to apply 3 coats to get the coverage you see here.



*This polish was 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*

April Giveaway!

Hi guys! I'm really happy to report that I'm having a giveaway that features three polishes from Julep. The top polish is Meryl, the middle Oscar, and the bottom is Rachel. April is my birthday month and I thought I'd have a little something extra for you as well.

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 only open to US readers (I'm so sorry to my international readers)! Please only 1 entry per person. A winner will be chosen by random on Thursday, April 12, 2012 (my birthday). Good luck everyone!

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

Essie Winter 2011 Collection: Bobbing for Baubles

Essie Bobbing for Baubles (2 coats)

I went to see The Hunger Games today and I thought it was great. In fact, I'd say it was better than the book. The book was good, but there was so much focus on flashbacks and discussion of food that I found unnecessary and were (thankfully) left out of the movie. I was dubious of Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss, but I thought she did a good job. 

Bobbing for Baubles is probably my favorite of the Essie Winter collection. I find the dark teal blue teal completely appropriate for a winter collection. The application was also the best of all 4 and barely needed 2 coats. For you dark polish lovers out there, this is definitely one you want to buy. 

Ok, Mythbusters is back on so until next time, don't forget your base coat....

Essie Winter 2011 Collection: Bangle Jangle

Essie Bangle Jangle (2 coats)

Hola! It's been a stormy day that has turned into a stormy night. Apparently we were supposed to get this weather all week, but it decided to hold off until the weekend (thanks, Mother Nature). Yup, I've resorted to talking about the weather on my blog. 

Bangle Jangle is one of those polishes that looks like a light purple creme in some lights and then more grey in others. For the most part the purple tends to win out most of the time. The color reminds me of something that would come from a spring collection, not winter, which is perhaps why I'm really loving it right now. Despite using their mini bottle, I had no issues with the application or brush. Overall, it's not earth-shattering, but it's a nice color. 

Essie Winter 2011 Collection: Size Matters

Essie Size Matters (2 coats)

Happy Friday! I can't wait to go see The Hunger Games this weekend. I assume it's going to be crazy at the theaters tonight and Saturday so I'm waiting for a Sunday matinee to go watch it. I read the books and enjoyed all but the last one (ugh, I say!). Katniss was sort of an unlikeable main character and I sort of hope they keep that in the movies. I don't want them to make her out to be this wonderful heroine when she clearly had issues in the book.

Anyway, I bought a few mini polishes from the Essie Winter collection since they were on sale at Transdesign last month. Up first is my least favorite from the collection called Size Matters (HA!) and it's a blue-based red creme. I dunno, this one just isn't doing it for me. There's nothing wrong with it, and maybe it would have looked better during the winter, but it's just too boring for me. On the bright side, the application and formula was great.

Orly Cool Romance Spring 2012 Collection: Prelude to a Kiss

Orly Prelude to a Kiss (2 coats)

I hope you're having a good night! This post needs to be quick because the finale of Project Runway All-Stars starts in 2 minutes! Eek! I hope Austin wins. Who are you picking?

I only bought 1 polish from the Orly Cool Romance collection and it's Prelude to a Kiss which is a pink/peach creme. I was hoping it wouldn't be too pink on me and I'm happy to report that it is a fun pastel peach. The formula was a bit thick and streaky on the first coat, but the second coat covered up all streakiness. 

If I had it to do over again, I would also purchase Faint of Heart from this collection because the swatches look pretty awesome. 

Nerd Lacquer Series: Cuprum

Nerd Lacquer Cuprum (3 coats)

How is it only Tuesday? I asked a fellow co-worker if she was coming in today (I knew she worked on Wednesday) and she had to remind me it was only Tuesday. Oops! I'm spending most of the week doing soil digestions which involves adding concentrated nitric and hydrochloric acid to the samples and then putting them at 95 degrees Celsius. I'm generally a careful scientist, but boy, does working with these acids make me go really slow (I'd like to keep my arms and face, thank you very much)!

It makes me really sad to say this, but Cuprum is my least favorite Nerd Lacquer. There's just something about this copper/orange jelly color with identical glitter that makes it look crappy with my skintone. It's sad because I really wanted to love it. I don't think Cuprum is the most popular Nerd Lacquer polish anyway. It also had the worst application, needing probably 4 coats for full coverage. Yup, I only posted 3 above, but if you look at my middle finger you can see some bald spots. Perhaps this one might look better layered over another polish. 

Nerd Lacquer Series: Hyperspace Bypass

Nerd Lacquer Hyperspace Bypass (3 coats)

Hola, chicas! Yup, it's Monday so I'm back to the grind. I've been working on getting my flight schedule for my next trip to Cambodia (whoa are they expensive!) and I think I'll be leaving May 7. I'm happy to report that a friend of mine in the department will be going with me :-D

Just look of the awesomeness that is Hyperspace Bypass. Boy, do I hate bees, but this one reminds me of a bumblebee and that makes me happy. It's a bright yellow jelly with lots of gold glitter of various sizes and some smaller black hexagonal glitter. I think Amanda from Nerd Lacquer even threw in a handful of holographic glitter for good measure. All the polishes I've used applied the same and need the same number of coats (3). It's a weird polish, but I think this one was my favorite. 

Zoya Summer 2012 Beach and Surf Collection Preview

Summer 2012 is going to be a super stylish season for nails with the latest offering of nail polish collections,Beach and Surf, from the new color of fashion, Zoya! This new splash of color, designed by the Zoya color experts, is kissed by sea and sand translating beautifully onto the nail in the famous, full-coverage Zoya formula.


Dive into the creamy shades of the Zoya Beach Collection or the shimmering sea foils of the Zoya Surf Collection. The choice is yours – this color palette is sure to be a splash!

Zoya BEACH Collection

• Reagan (ZP614) - deep cerise pink cream
• Lara (ZP615) - vivid cerise pink cream
• Shelby (ZP616) - soft pinky pink cream
• Arizona (ZP617) - soft coral orange cream
• Tracie (ZP618) - sea grass metallic
• Wednesday (ZP619) - soft aqua cream

Zoya SURF Collection

• Rory (ZP620) - lotus pink foil metallic
• Carly (ZP621) - thalia purple foil metallic
• Kimber (ZP622) - magenta pink foil metallic
• Myrta (ZP623) - coral orange foil metallic
• Meg (ZP624) - mermaid green foil metallic
• Zuza (ZP625) - aquamarine foil metallic

Zoya is the new color of fashion... 

The Zoya BEACH and SURF collection was designed and inspired by resort runways and tropical get-a-ways.

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

Find Zoya BEACH and SURF 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. 

BEACH and SURF by Zoya - 12 new colors - available April 1, 2012
www.zoya.com


Does anything tickle your fancy?

Nerd Lacquer Series: Crunchy Frog

Nerd Lacquer Crunchy Frog (3 coats)

I've had a pretty good Sunday so far. We went to see 21 Jump Street and it was hilarious. I always find Jonah Hill really funny and I wasn't disappointed. What did you end up doing?

Day 2 of Nerd Lacquer polishes brings up Crunchy Frog which is a light chocolate shimmer with large hexagonal green and silver glitter and smaller green and silver pieces. It is such a complex polish, but in a good way! It as also a little sheer, but there were no bald spots after 3 coats. I should mention that the prices went up on the polishes and they now run $10 (up from $8 for full bottles). When I got the 4-pack minis they were only $15 for all. They are a bit pricey, but if you want a custom blended polish you're going to have to pay a little more. Will the prices deter you from buying? 

NerdLacquer Spaaaace Series: Quasar

NerdLacquer Quasar (3 coats)

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Today would have been my grandfather's birthday and he was named Leo Patrick due to this (I thought it was cute). I almost forgot it was today and my husband had to remind me (I wasn't wearing any green, either). 

NerdLacquer is a seller on Etsy who has become extremely popular as of late. If you want to purchase any of her polishes, you will need to sign up for a notification when she opens and purchase them within a few hours. Yup, she gets so many orders within 4 hours that she has to close up shop to make the polishes. Quasar is from her Spaaaaace Series and is a hunter green jelly with small green and silver hexagonal glitter and some sparse larger green hexagonal pieces. Do I also detect some holographic and blue glitter in there as well? It is truly a beautiful color and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Even if you only wear green polish for St. Patrick's Day, it would make a fun part of your collection for that one day. Application was great, but it definitely needed all 3 coats I gave it. I am showing one of her mini polishes, but unfortunately, she doesn't seem to make these anymore (only full-sized bottles for now). 

I also love the fact that she uses "nerdy" names for the polishes. I am a huge Dr. Who fan and was excited to see some named from the show. 

Julep Maven Box: Megan

Julep Megan (2 coats)

When I first opened my January Julep Maven box, the first thing I thought was that Megan looked like a mermaid. Slap some scales on this polish and Ariel would be all over it. It's quite fitting that I have lobster hands in the pictures (Sebastian would be so proud)! It's a blue/green shimmer color that reminds me of water. Having done my dissertation on aquatic systems, this polish is near and dear to my heart. One thing I have come to notice is that I'm sort of hating the Julep brushes because they are just too skinny for my wide nail beds. Besides this issue, the application was fine. 

Julep Nail Polish: Rachel

Julep Rachel (2 coats)

It's Hump Day already! It also happens to be potstickers and rice night for dinner which is exciting for me (my husband not so much). I could eat pan fried chicken potstickers every day and be a happy woman :-D

I got Julep's Rachel last month with their Maven program. The box was Oscar themed and featured two metal colored polishes such as this one. Rachel is a copper shimmer color that would look fabulous in the fall. Unfortunately I haven't been reaching for fall-like colors recently, but that doesn't mean that this isn't a pretty color. Two thin coats were used for the swatches and it had a good formula. 

Zoya Fall 2011 Mirrors Collection: Yara

Zoya Yara (2 coats)

*yawns* I love Daylight Savings Time (hooray for more sunlight), but I've been a bit sleepy the past few days. Back when I used to live in northwest Ohio (Defiance, OH what!), Daylight Savings was the best because it felt like it was dark and dreary the whole winter and spring was on the way. Has it affected your sleeping schedule?

When I saw swatches of the Zoya Mirrors collection I fell in love with several of the polishes. I love the fine glitter in the polishes that are still easy to remove. Yara is an olive green color with lots of gold glitter (it's either a fine glitter or chunky shimmer...take your pick) and it is gorgeous. If you don't own it, I recommend it to you. Despite my somewhat crappy application, it applied like a dream. Overall, nothing negative to say here. 

Zoya Summer 2011 Sunshine Collection: Tanzy

Zoya Tanzy (3 coats)

Happy Monday! It's weird, it's Monday and I am in a really good mood. Our prospective student was really nice and I got to hang out with her a bit today. Nothing like a little undergraduate excitement to make your day a bit brighter. 

I bought Tanzy when Zoya had their get 2 polishes when you pay shipping sale. It's an orange color with lots of gold glass-flecks. For some reason I think there's too much gold in this and I was hoping for more of the orange color. It's still a really fun polish, but more orange would have been my personal preference. The application was fine, but the formula was a bit sheer and needed all three coats I gave it. 

How was the start of your week? I missed Celebrity Apprentice last night so I don't know who went home yet :-(