Happy Halloween Manicure with SinfulColors Black Magic and Skulls

SinfulColors Black Magic (1 coat) over 1 coat Jessica Cosmetics Velvet & Pearls

Happy Halloween! Since we finally have a house, we're hoping to have trick-or-treaters tonight! If not, more candy for us. If you follow me on Instagram or Twitter, you may have seen my picture of these rhinestone skulls I got from my local nail supply store. Of course I had to wear it for my Halloween manicure. Here I am showing SinfulColors Black Magic over Jessica Cosmetics's Velvet & Pearls. Black Magic was quite sheer and I found it to be a better charcoal grey and orange glitter topcoat over my new favorite black. Sorry I put the skull in the direction I did. I put it so that I would be able to see it all day without thinking about the blog. Hopefully the first picture puts it into perspective. Please have a happy and safe night, and make sure to do the Monster Mash and eat some candy!

Butter London Friends & Family Sale-30% Off

Will you be buying any? Apparently shipping can get a bit slow during these sales, so get your order in ASAP.

Jamberry Nail Wrap: Candy Corn

Jamberry Nails Candy Corn

*press sample*

I love candy corn, and I am a bit of a purist. I don't want any of these other new varieties they have out there (the only exception are Mellowcreme Pumpkins which taste like soft candy corn). The only candy corn I don't like are these Jamberry Nail wraps I have shown above. Like I said yesterday, these things wrinkle like crazy, and I did all I could to get them out to no avail. If you look far away, they don't look terrible as shown from the bottom photo. Maybe others are better at applying these, but they are pretty unusable for me.

*This polish was provided by 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*

Jamberry Nail Wraps: Halloween Words

Jamberry Nails Halloween Words

*press sample*

I'm back from Chicago! Boy was it a lot of work while I was there, so I'm happy to be home. I hope your weekend went well.

Jamberry Nails is a company that sells wraps (and just recently nail polish) that I've never tried before, mostly due to their price point at $15. I've tried a few nail stickers, and these are the thicker kind compared to say Sally Hansen ones (which I love). When I first got these, I was a little surprised with how long the instructions were. You can see them right here. It involves hairdryers and lots of heat and pressure. Overall, I found these wraps were just ok. It was really hard to get all the wrinkles out since they are thick, but luckily the ones I got had Halloween words which hid some of the wrinkles. They have lots of cute designs, but for the application and price, I would just stick with the Sally Hansen ones in my opinion.


*This polish was provided by 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*

Zoya 2013 Fall Pixiedust Collection Swatch: Sunshine

Zoya Sunshine (2 coats)

Stop the clock. This one is called Sunshine? Really? This is apparently a "Van Gogh" navy blue textured matte polish that is called Sunshine? I guess Van Gogh had a painting that had the word sunshine in it. Anyway, that's the only real complaint I have with this one because it is awesome. The blue is so saturated and different than all the other textured polishes out there. It also has a nice silver sparkle to it. Only 1 coat was probably needed like Chita, but I recommend using 2 for full textured effect. 

Zoya Fall 2013 Pixiedust Collection Swatch: Chita

Zoya Chita (2 coats)

Yup, Zoya keeps chucking out more Pixiedust polishes, and I keep buying them up because I can't resist a textured matte polish (especially a green one) to save my life. Chita is a forest green color with gold glitter throughout. The color in this one is so saturated you could probably get away with 1 coat, but I always do 2. Also, I find the texture comes out best with 2 coats compared to 1 or 3 for some reason (is this just me?). This is such a fall color and I think you need it in your life. I know a ton of other companies are coming (or have come) out with textured polishes, but there's just something about how Zoya does them that makes me keep coming back to them. 

Jessica Cosmetics 2013 Glitzy Collection Swatch: Sizzle

Jessica Cosmetics Sizzle (1 coat) over 3 coats of OPI's This Gown Needs a Crown (to be reviewed shortly)

*press sample*

You guys know that I love The Ohio State Buckeyes, so you can tell where I was going with this last Jessica Cosmetics Glitzy glitter polish. Sizzle is almost a pinkish red glitter with many different sizes of glitter. The glitter payoff was probably the best of the collection and you only need 1 coat if you're going to use it as a topcoat. This combination also looks a little like a holiday combination, right? This is another glitter that you don't have to dab on which is great. Overall, there are some fun glitters in this collection. Not all of them hit the spot, but at least these companies are trying, and I never experienced any bleeding or taco glitter.

*This polish was provided by 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 2013 Glitzy Collection Swatch: Star Spangles

Jessica Cosmetics Star Spangles (1 coat) over 2 coats Zoya Darcy (to be reviewed soon)

*press sample*

I leave for Chicago tomorrow! I will be working at the national lab there for the next 4 days, but I hope to post some polishes ahead of time for your viewing pleasure. It's supposed to be 45 degrees there tomorrow; I don't know if I can deal with this. I am definitely bringing my winter jacket since I think 65 degrees is freezing right now!

I wanted to find a base polish that would complement the patriotic colors going on in Star Spangles so you could use this one other times of the year instead of just the 4th of July. I used it over Zoya's Darcy and think it really distracts the fact that this is a holiday polish don't you think? I loved the application in this one; the glitter payoff was great and you could use full strokes without having to dab the glitter on. This is a fun polish that I think you can make work at different times of the year if you really try.


*This polish was provided by 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 2013 Glitzy Collection Swatches: Sparkles and Glam It Up

Jessica Cosmetics Sparkles (2 coats) over Maybelline Mod Moss (2 coats)

2 thin coats of Jessica Cosmetics Glam It Up over All Dolled Up (2 coats)

*press samples*

Quick post tonight because I have been busy sampling and trying to get ready for a scientific trip to Chicago to run this huge (and expensive) machine. 

Up first is Sparkles which is a holographic glitter topcoat that has some grey and green undertones to it with some larger hexagonal holo glitter pieces. I think this looks so awesome over Maybelline Mod Moss! You have to fish the larger glitter out, but it wasn't that big of a deal to me because the fine glitter is so awesome! The formula was great, and you could use regular strokes with this one.

Glam It Up is a blue/purple and silver hexagonal glitter polish in a clear base (it has larger and smaller glitters). This one is one of the weaker glitters of the collection in my opinion. The glitter payoff was fine, but it was a little boring compared to the other ones. The application was also fine with this one, even though I was expecting it to be a pain.

*These polishes were provided by 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 2013 Glitzy Collection Swatch: Bling in Black

Jessica Cosmetics Bling in Black (1 coat) over 3 coats Sephora by OPI Havana Dreams

*press sample*

Black and white glitter polishes have been all the rage lately, and Jessica Cosmetics jumped on the bandwagon. Bling in Black is a black and white hexagonal glitter polish in a clear base. I like the simplicity of this; like the fact that the glitters are the same size. The glitter payoff was also impressive since I'm showing only 1 coat here. It's not the best over Havana Dreams because the white glitter gets a bit lost in the shuffle, but I think this would work over a wealth of colors. 

*This polish was provided by 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 Glitzy Collection Effects Swatch: Razzle Dazzle

Jessica Cosmetics Razzle Dazzle (2 coats) over Jessica Cosmetics Blue Aria (2 coats)

*press sample*

I hope you're having a great weekend. I went to the state fair yesterday and had some great food. Even elephant ears!! I haven't had one of those in years since I moved from Ohio. I find it far better than funnel cake (which is also delicious) because it has both soft and crunchy areas in it. If you don't know what I'm talking about, Google it or check out my Instagram or Twitter because they are heaven sent. 

Anyway, Jessica Cosmetics recently released a collection of all glitters called the Glitzy collection and up first is Razzle Dazzle which has large and small blue hexagonal glitter with short pieces of holographic bar glitter. If you usually hate bar glitter, this shortened version may not bother you so much. I love all bar glitter, so I loved this one as well. The glitter payoff was ok; I found 2 coats to be better than 1, but I really wanted to show you what the glitter looked like.


*This polish was provided by 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 Designer Series 2013 Swatches: Lapis and Pewter

OPI DS Lapis (2 coats-no topcoat)

OPI DS Lapis (2 coats-with topcoat)

OPI has 2 new Designer Series polishes for 2013 and they are based on stone. Up first is Lapis which is for the stone lapis lazuli and is a sapphire blue color with blue and silver fine glitter. It is very opaque and dried to a matte finish very quickly. The glitter didn't give it a rough texture really, but I thought it looked much better with topcoat. Just look how gorgeous it is! I wouldn't call the matte version a textured polish because it is fairly smooth for that. I had no application issues at all. 

OPI DS Pewter (2 coats-no topcoat)

OPI DS Pewter (2 coats-with topcoat)

Weird, but I like Pewter with and without topcoat. It's definitely chunkier than Lapis with the larger silver hexagonal glitter, and it's a topcoat eater. It also doesn't really remind me of pewter, the rock. I usually think of grey and not black with silver accents, but maybe that's just me. Maybe the background color is just a really, really dary grey. To me, it looks a lot like Metallic 4 Life from the Nicki Minaj collection. The formula and application were also flawless with this one. In the end, I would definitely recommend Lapis over Pewter. Oh, and these suckers are expensive since they are DS polishes and will set you back a whopping $12.50. Eek!

Pacifica Body Butters Review

Pacifica Body Butters

*press samples, except for Waikiki Pikake which I purchased*

I get asked a lot about what I do to make my cuticles look nice and not get hangnails. My secret? I just put body butter or lotion on my hands. Yup, no cuticle oils or anything special for this gal. I've used Solar Oil and China Glaze Peppermint Cuticle oil, etc., but they end up making my cuticles feel dry. I bought Pacifica body butters before I received Hawaiian Ruby Guava and Tuscan Blood Orange to review, so I've been a fan of Pacifica for awhile now. I love what they stand for and how their products are vegan and have no:

Animal testing, animal ingredients, FD&C color, phthalates, parabens, sulfates, propylene glycol, benzene, mineral oil, petroleum, peanut oil, triclosan, and other ingredients you do not want on your skin.

I also love how the scents are reminiscent of what they're called, but there is a complexity to make them more than just one notes. If you not a fan of greasy lotions, these may not be for you. Being a scientist, I wash my hands all day and night. I need something really intense to keep me from getting cracked nails and skin. Now that fall is coming, this may be something you want to pick up from your local Target store or the Pacifica website. The larger sized body butter will set you back $15 for an 8 oz tube, but will last forever, but you can also get smaller versions at 2.5 oz and they are $7. They have a lot of scents, so you may want to purchase the smaller ones first. The three I have shown above I really love, and I want to try the Tahitian Gardenia next. The 2.5 oz will probably last a little while and would make great stocking stuffers. 

I also love their new skincare line (I purchased all this on my own), especially the Sea Foam Complete Face Wash and the Dreamy Youth Day & Night Face Cream. The BB Cream was a bit too shiny for my face and wouldn't really recommend that for oily or combination skin. 

You can find Pacifica on Twitter or on Facebook to learn more. 

Ingredients:

aqua (purified), caprylic/capric triglyceride (coconut source), helianthus annuus (sunflower) seed oil, glycerin (vegetable source), glyceryl stearate (vegetable source), aloe barbadensis leaf juice, stearic acid (vegetable source), stearyl alcohol (vegetable source), butyrospermum parkii (shea) butter, allantoin, theobroma cacao (cocoa) butter, hyaluronic acid, simmondsia chinensis (jojoba) seed oil, xanthan gum (vegetable source), algin (algae source), riboflavin (plant source), mangifera indica (mango) butter, rosa rugosa (rose) seed oil, daucus carota (carrot) seed oil, aleuritus moluccana (kukui) nut oil, macadamia ternifolia seed oil, linum usitatissimum (flax) seed oil, mixed tocopherols (vitamin E), panthenol (pro-vitamin B), parfum (Pacifica’s own fragrance blend with natural and essential oils), cucumis sativus (cucumber) fruit extract, arnica montana flower extract, chamomilla recutita (matricaria) flower extract, camellia sinesis (white tea) leaf extract, phenoxyethanol and ethylhexylglycerin (plant source).


*Select products were provided by 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*