Monday, March 30, 2015

6:00 AM

Orly Color AMP'D - Surfer Girl


     Last week I brought you the press release for the new Color AMP'D collection from Orly. Today I'm sharing my experience with this new 2 part color system with you.  I figured being gone on vacation was the perfect chance to test the wear time and I was not disappointed. I was sent Surfer Girl and the Flexible Sealcoat for this review.

     
     Surfer Girl is a bright neon pink with flashes of purple micro shimmer. Application was a little tricky compared to your typical nail polish but not so much that it was unusable. It just took a little getting used to. The first coat I applied a thin layer, which seemed to end up a little patchy. The second coat I used a bit more polish and it seemed to even out for the most part. But I still had some spots where you could tell the polish was uneven.  A thin 3rd layer evened everything out nicely. I think if I had started with a slightly thicker first coat I would have avoided most of the hassle.

Surfer-Girl-Orly-Color-AMP'd-Collection
Accent nail in Winstonia Plate W-04 with Milani White on the Spot


     I topped everything off with a layer of the flexible seal coat and waited for it to dry. The sealcoat is not a quick dry top coat so I had to wait a bit longer for my nails to dry. After 3 minutes my nails were dry enough to handle a light touch. That wasn't long enough to wait to stamp over the nail however and I ended up with some wrinkles in my polish. But you'd never know that by looking at my pictures. When Orly said this has smudge proof technology they weren't kidding! I added another layer of the flexible sealcoat over my image and everything evened out. Right then and there I was impressed.  But I still needed to test the wear time.

     Over the last week I put my hands through some pretty rough conditions. I was in Northern Minnesota where my kids and I went hiking, collected rocks, skipped rocks into Lake Superior, and spent a lot of time outside in the cold. Not to mention I still had regular things to do like washing dishes, cooking, and giving baths. Oh and before we even left 8 inches of snow fell and I had to shovel my way out on top of scraping the ice off my car. It was the ice scraping that caused my first casualty and I tore the nail on my pointer finger causing a small chip in the polish. 

Day 4 Photo taken with my cell phone inside without direct light.

  
    This is day 4 of my wear test and you can see the small chip on my pointer finger. Other than that I still have a glossy finish on my nails and there is no sign of tip wear. My hands however are starting to show the effects of the cold weather. 

Day 6. Starting to show some tip wear


     After 6 days my manicure was starting to show definite signs on wear. After having to trim down the nail on my pointer finger the polish really started to chip. (I know if I hand't broken that nail this picture would have looked a lot different.) You can just start to see the signs of tip wear on my middle and ring fingers. But I still have a glossy shine. Oh and did I mention that I didn't wrap my tips during application? 6 days before showing tip wear without wrapped tips! I say the problems I had with application are more than worth it for 6 days on wear time. What do you think? 

     Orly Color AMP'D polishes are available exclusively at Target in 36 long lasting shades for $9.99 each. Or you can pick up a launch kit containing 1 flexible color and 1 Sealcoat for $14.99. Have you seen these popping up in your local Target yet?  Thanks for stopping by and Happy Polishing!
   


Saturday, March 28, 2015

10:29 AM

MoYou London - The Doodles Collection Part 2 (Press Release)


     I know I'm posting this a little later than normal but Im still getting back into my routine after vacation. I had a wonderful time but now it's time to get back to reality. In case you missed it on Friday MoYou London released 3 more image plated in the Doodles Collection. Here is a quick look at the images.

Hi There,

Have you met Daria and her oodles of doodles yet?
From feisty red crabs to playfully patterned parrots,
this imaginative free spirit draws up brilliant tales of wanderlust.

These three new plates will be available as part of
THE DOODLES COLLECTION
this Friday, 27th March.

Have a doodle-rific day,
The MoYou-London Team
        MoYou plates can be purchased in their shop. As mentioned above these plates were available starting Friday March 27th. Plates are £4.99 each or about $8 US. Thanks for stopping by and Happy Polishing!

Wednesday, March 25, 2015

6:00 AM

Neon Gradient with Stamping


      How is everyone week going so far? I've got a quick post to share with you today. With spring fever hitting me hard this year I wanted something bright and cheery on my tips. I decided to try a neon gradient with a little stamping.  While this didn't turn out exactly like I had hoped I still though it looked pretty cool.


     I started with a white base and sponged on Orly Tropical Pop (yellow) Saturated (purple) Milani Pink Hottie and Fresh Teal. No matter what I did Saturated wanted to photograph blue and after about 100 photos I gave up on getting a color accurate picture. It really is this great intense purple color. While it's a great purple I think it is what went wrong with this manicure. Saturated ended up being too dark for the stamping to show up very well against.


     See what I mean? It shoes up better in pictures than it does in real life and that was a bit disappointing for me. Otherwise I love this manicure. 

     
     For my stamping I used Zoya Black Swan and MoYou Plate 04 from the Kaleidoscope collection. I love this collection from MoYou, and use it the most out of all the image plates that I own. So you will probably see more designs like this in the future.

     And of course I had to share a macro shot with all of you. This is the one nail that turned out pretty much perfect. With even blending on the gradient and a pretty close to centered image. That is a huge accomplishment for me by the way. Image placement is the hardest part about stamping for me. If you have any tips Id love to hear them. 


      What you you think? Are you a fan of wearing neons? Let me know in the comments! That's all I have for you today. Thanks for stopping by and Happy Polishing!


Tuesday, March 24, 2015

6:00 AM

MoYou London- The Zodiac Collection Aries Plate (Press Release)


      MoYou London has released another plate in the Zodiac Collection. The Aries plate is available for purchase right now if you want to add it to your collection. Let's take a look at the plate below.

Hi there  

This is for all the courageous, adventurous, versatile, lively, positive, passionate, independent, enthusiastic, energetic, dynamic... ARIES stamping girls!

<< ZODIAC COLLECTION >>

Meet LUNA - She connects with stars* 
This plate is Available TODAY
Have a great day!
The MoYou-London Team
     MoYou plates can be purchased in their shop. As mentioned above this plate is available right now. Plates are £4.99 each or about $8 US. Thanks for stopping by and Happy Polishing!

Monday, March 23, 2015

6:00 AM

Bongo- Break the Rules


     Did everyone survive the weekend? I was not so pleasantly surprised with snow on Sunday, all day Sunday. Around 6 inches in total. Unbelievable if you ask me, especially since last Sunday was 70 and sunny. So you might remember I mentioned on Friday that I'm on vacation this week. I thought while I drive 6 hrs north Id share Bongo's Break the Rules with all of you. 

     Break the Rules is a teal shimmer nail polish that leans more blue or green depending on the lighting. I picked my bottle up on Clearance from K-mart a few months ago.  It is my one and only polish from this brand and I was curious to see how the formula was. Plus it's hard to pass up a $.75 bottle of nail polish when I see one.


     Application of Break the Rules was really quite smooth and even. While the first coat is extremely sheer it builds up nicely to reach full opacity after 4 thin coats.  Like most shimmer finishes there are some brush strokes but I found them to be minimal and they pretty much disappeared with the addition of top coat.



     I know a lot of you are thinking that 4 coats is a lot of polish and it is, but these were very thin coats so it doesn't feel like a lot of layers on my nails. I wanted to see what it would look like layered over Black. Thinking that it might help to cut down on the number of coats needed.  


     This is 1 coat of Break the Rules over 1 coat of black.  The color is intensified and I actually like it better this way, except for the brush strokes. The black polish seems to have intensified them as well. Which way do you like it better? Have you tried this brand before? Thanks for stopping by and Happy Polishing!

Friday, March 20, 2015

6:00 AM

China Glaze - Intelligence, Integrity & Courage


      Happy Friday, hooray we made it to the weekend! As of 3:20 this afternoon my kids will be officially on spring break. We have decided to take an impromptu vacation and head north to colder weather. I know I must be crazy right? Because this is so last minute I'm not sure if I will have posts ready for my blog and may miss my Monday and Wednesday posts. Fingers crossed I can get them done tomorrow. I just wanted to give you all a heads up about that.

     Now for today's polish, I have Intelligence, Integrity & Courage from The Giver Collection by China Glaze. I still have not read the book or watched the movie but I love the colors from this collection. I wonder if I can find the movie on Netflix? I'll have to check on that. But for now let's take a look at the polish. You might recognize it from my previous post on the Black Rhinestones from Born Pretty Store.

The-Giver-Collection

     Intelligence, Integrity & Courage is a medium grey creme with a slight blue undertone. The formula on this one was a bit tricky. The first coat applied streaky but self leveled as it dried. This can make for an interesting application process since you could be tempted to go over the nail multiple times causing bald spots to appear. Just be patient and let those streaks settle and you'll be left with a smooth finish.  Shown here is 2 coats plus top coat.



    The pigmentation is really dense and you could possibly get away with 1 thick coat for full opacity but I recommend applying two regular coats to avoid frustration. Because of the opacity I got with my first coat I figured this would make for a good stamping polish and I was right!


     I love the combination of yellow and grey together. I used Sally Hansen Mellow Yellow from the X-treme line on my accent nail and Red Angel plate RA-113. As you can see both polishes stamped really well.  I don't know if I love the design I chose but it is interesting. It reminds me of googly eyes. Which is fun and creeps me out at the same time. I know I might be crazy but I mentioned that at the beginning of this post so you had fair warning.  Well that's all I have for now, I've got some packing to do and a few other posts to write. Thanks for stopping by and Happy Polishing!

Thursday, March 19, 2015

6:00 AM

MoYou London - The Doodles Collection (Press Release)


     This Friday brings and entirely new collection from MoYou London. From hand drawn flowers to intricate patterns this 4 piece collection is sure to have something for everyone. Let's take a peak at what's in store for the Doodle Collection below. 

Hi!

Meet Daria and The Doodles Collection. This daydreaming artist scribbles through the day to keep boredom at bay. She’s not afraid to draw outside of the lines and her playful patterns are simply works of art.

Are you ready for her oodles of doodles? Daria’s picture-perfect plates launch this Friday, 20th March!

Keep calm and doodle on,
The MoYou-London Team



        MoYou plates can be purchased in their shop. As mentioned above these plates will be available Friday March 20th. Plates are £4.99 each or about $8 US. Thanks for stopping by and Happy Polishing!

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

11:46 AM

Sinful Colors - Pink Smart and Charmed


     So a few weeks ago when Walgreens was having their $.99 Sinful Color sale I was lucky enough to find a few that I didnt already own, Which usually never happens so I broke my no buy a bit and picked 2 up. I figured $2 wasn't really breaking my no buy since I spend almost that much on a pop every day. What were these 2 colors? Pink Smart from the What's Hot 2015 Collection and Charmed from the Glitz and Glittered Collection. It turned out that Charmed is not actually a new color. It's just been reformulated and I missed it the first time around. 

     First up is Pink Smart, a  saturated baby pink creme polish that makes my skin look very tan. I love it what a polish does that! This overly pale girl needs all the help she can get. 

Pink-Smart-Sinful-Colors-What's-Hot-2015-Collection
Photo taken in lightbox

     Application was only ok with this one. The first coat applied slightly streaky and was not self leveling.  The streaking disappears after 2 coats and you're left with a smooth semi-gloss finish. Shown here is 2 coats plus top coat. I've heard rumors that this is a Walgreens exclusive color. 

Photo taken in natural light

     Next we have Charmed, a clear base with Pink and Silver micro glitters. I originally thought the base had a pink tint  but when I tested it on a piece of paper all hints of pink were gone. I do see Pink in the bottle so it has to be glitters even though they are hard to see layered over a pink polish. 

Sinful-Colors-Charmed-Glitz-and-Glitter-Collection
  
     Application of Charmed was better than Pink Smart. I had nice even glitter coverage with each coat. Shown in my photos is 2 coats plus top coat but I could have gotten away with just 1. I would avoid trying to use this on it's own, I have a feeling it would take 5 or 6 coats to get full coverage and no one wants that many layers in their nails. 


     Charmed made my nails so sparkly that I had a had time photographing it in natural light. I did have good luck with my light box and was able to get this macro shot.


     The finish of Charmed is a little gritty thanks to all that yummy glitter but a good top coat smooths everything out. That's all I have for you today, don't forget to enter my 3 year Facebook Giveaway if you haven't yet. Thanks for stopping by and Happy Polishing!



10:47 AM

China Glaze - Electric Nights Collection (Press Release)


     This morning I have some information on the new Electric Nights Collection from China Glaze.  Check out the details below while I finish up my post for later today.

     It’s time to party until dawn with the new Electric Nights collection from China Glaze!  Our 2015 Colour Adventure continues with the core Summer collection inspired by the outrageously colorful fashion seen at electronic music festivals such as Electric Daisy Carnival in Las Vegas.  This new 12-piece collection features nine enhanced neon lacquers and three paint splatter effect top coats you can wear alone or mix and match to create a glowing, mashup manicure that won’t skip a beat.  Plus, the nine lacquers glow under black light!


     Electric Nights marks the first time Gelaze will simultaneously launch select colours in its Gel-n-Base in One formulation both as open stock colours and a 4-piece set. As if all of this was mind-blowing enough, Electric Nights also includes nail art kits including the paint splatter kits All About The Base and Good Vibes Only which include everything you need to create a colour splash design, as well as Speaker Your Mind nail gem kit, and the adorable Baby Beats mini set of six shades. China Glaze Electric Nights will launch April 1 at beauty supply retailers nationwide including Sally Beauty Supply and Ulta.  MSRP $7.50 for individual shades.


 Love, laugh, dance and bring the good vibes to the ultimate non-stop party when China Glaze® launches Electric Nights, summer’s hottest day-glow nail lacquer collection. Inspired by the outrageously colorful fashion seen at electronic music festivals, Electric Nights features nine enhanced neon lacquers that illuminate under a black light and three first-of-its-kind splatter paint effect top coats. Mix and match them all to create a glowing, mashup manicure that won’t skip a beat.


Twelve bass-bumping, bold shades include:

* Violet-Vibes: Ultra-violet purple crème
* Plur-Ple*: Vibrant blue-purple crème
* Glow with the Flow*: Ultra bright baby pink crème
* Red-y to Rave*: Unstoppable neon red crème
* Home Sweet House Music*: Neon orange crème
* Daisy Know My Name?: Hi-light yellow crème
* DJ Blue My Mind: Vivid blue crème
* UV Meant to Be: Tranquil baby blue crème
* Treble Maker: Glowing green crème
* Point Me to the Party: Neon green, orange, pink and blue matte multi-size glitter
* Let the Beat Drop: Hot orange and pink matte multi-size glitter
* Can I Get An Untz Untz: Cool neon blue and green matte multi-size glitter
(*Also available in Gelaze® Gel-n-Base in One™ formula)

Can I get An Untz Untz
Daisy Know my Name?

DJ Blew My Mind
Glow With the Flow


Home Sweet House Music
Let the Beat Drop
Plur-Ple
Point Me to the Party

Ready to Rave
Treble Maker
UV Meant to Be
Violet Vibes

     For more information, please visit www.chinaglaze.com or follow China Glaze® on Facebook (@ChinaGlaze), Instagram (@ChinaGlazeOfficial), Twitter (@ChinaGlaze) and Pinterest (pinterest.com/chinaglaze). Thanks for stopping by and Happy Polishing!

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