Perfectly Polished Tips

Perfectly Polished Tips 200 - Zoya Fleck Effect & a 200th Post Giveaway!

2012-01-26T15:15:00.000-05:00

In addition to their True collection, Zoya released Fleck Effects. Three holographic, flake-y top coats. They can be worn alone or over any polish of your choosing. In my Zoya True post I showed them over Bevin, Cho, and Farah. To be honest I am not big on any type of glitter, shimmer, or flakes on my finger tips. I prefer cremes, not too sure why. I will go wild on my toes but usually I like to keep it simple.

I hate showing my naked nails! When I did last month's glitter challenge I really did a number on my nails. I don't know what it is about glitter polish but I always feel the need to pick it off. That in combination with not moisturizing left me with some gnarly tips. I did my best to clean them up so hopefully my photos aren't too offensive!

I found the fleck top coats to be a little on the thick side. For my photos I show each polish with 1 coat (pinkie nail), 2 coats (ring nail), 3 coats (middle nail), and 4 coats (index nail). I would probably go with three coats if I was to wear it alone and I found one coat to be perfect over Bevin, Cho, and Farah. That is just me though, feel free to go wild :) Layering over black polish is also another option.

Chloe is a sheer coral base with duochrome mylar flakes. She has red orange to gold and gold green to blue. Very girly and would awesome over red or orange polished

Maisie is a sheer turquoise base with flakes that shift from blue to green. This is my favorite of the three and would look awesome over blues, greens, and teals.

Opal is a sheer green base with flakes that shift from green to blue. I could see this looking amazing over a pea green or maybe even a neon green.

The Fleck Effect holographic nail glazes are available now at Zoya.com. They retail for $8 each or you can purchase all three for $24.

I have finally made it to my 200th post! It feels like it took an eternity to get here. I don't really remember why I decided to number all of my posts, seems silly now when I think about it. Anyway, to celebrate reaching 200 I am giving away one set of Zoya's Fleck Effect nail glazes!

To enter do any or all of the following:

1. Like Perfectly Polished Tips on facebook.

2. Share my contest in some way, facebook, blog about it, tweet it.

3. Leave a comment letting me know which one(s) you did.

Don't facebook, blog, or tweet? Leave me a comment telling me about your favorite layering combination.

Contest will end on Feb 2, 2012 at 11:59PM EST. Good Luck!

(these were sent to me for review)

Perfectly Polished Tips 199 - Perfectly Polished Tips on Facebook

2012-01-25T07:00:00.000-05:00

I finally made it to 2012 and joined Facebook. If you get a chance please head on over there and check out my page. Perfectly Polished Tips I hope to be able to interact with my readers there more so than I do on the blog. So go on over there and say hello!

Tune in tomorrow for my Zoya Fleck Effects review + a giveaway!

Perfectly Polished Tips 198 - Zoya True for Spring 2012

2012-01-24T09:54:00.000-05:00

Zoya True is a collection of six soft but beautiful colors. A perfect color palette for spring! I will admit that I am a bit thrown off as to why they chose to put two neutral colors in this collection, especially since they released the Feel Collection recently. Feel was made up of six neutral shades. I do think that the other colors they chose really made up for that though! In addition to the six True colors Zoya also released three Fleck Effect holographic nail glazes. I will have a separate post up for those but I did include them swatched over the three creme shades. I didn't put them over Tru, Skylar, or Lotus because I thought they were pretty enough on their own.

I found the formula on the cremes kind of on the thick side which isn't Zoya norm, at least not in my opinion. I had to do three thin coats for even coverage. The other three applied wonderfully though with two coats. For the pics with the Fleck Effect top coats it is three coats of polish + one coat of the Fleck Effect.

indirect light

with the Fleck Effect top coat

direct sun light

Bevin is a muted sage green and probably my favorite out of the six. It's a nice change to the mint green that was all the rage last spring. I prefer muted colors on myself. To my surprise I loved it with Maisie, I'm really not into the flake-y topcoat that so many love. I think it would make a fun pedicure.

indirect light

with the Fleck Effects

direct sunlight

Cho is a yellow toned beige with a slight hint of silver shimmer. Zoya recommends this polish for olive toned gals. I am far from olive toned so needless to say I didn't love this one on me. I have been on the hunt for a "your nails but better" shade and have not found anything that I love. Any suggestions for me?

indirect light

with the Fleck Effects

direct sunlight

Up next is Farah, a khaki beige with green undertones. Farah is also too warm for my skin tone I think, still a nice neutral. To be honest I didn't love the Fleck Effects over Cho and Farah they seem out of place to me but maybe I'm just boring :)

I was not able to get indirect light & sunlight photos of Tru, Lotus, and Skylar. It started to get cloudy and since it had taken so long for a sunny afternoon to come about I just wanted to get the swatches done. When I got to Skylar I thought that the sun was done for the day but of course as soon as I removed it the sun came back out. That is always how it goes, right?

Lotus is a very pretty blue toned purple. My photo does not do it justice, it has amazing shimmer that shows gold, pink, and red depending on the light.

Skylar is a light cornflower blue with silver sparkles. It's a fun color and now that I am really looking at the photo it probably could have used another coat.

Tru is my second favorite. This one is the darker, grape-ier version of Lotus. It has the shame gold, red, and pink shimmer. I like Tru more because the base color really makes the shimmer pop. It reminds me slightly of the coveted Clarins 230 and would probably look awesome layered. I may have to make that happen!

Overall this is a nice collection. Like I said in the beginning I'm not thrilled that Zoya chose two neutral shades. I would have liked to see a blue creme, or maybe even a pastel orange. I think for most though the release of the Fleck Effect top coats probably made up for Cho and Farah. I will say though that I am happy to see that the nail companies are listing to what their fans like and what they would like to see in their line up.

Zoya True & Fleck Effect collections are available now at Zoya.com. They retail for $8 per bottle or there is the option to buy all six for $48.

Be sure to follow Zoya on facebook & twitter. They offer great promos every now and again.

(these were sent to me for review)

Perfectly Polished Tips 197 - Perfect Formula Holiday 2011

2012-01-19T10:03:00.000-05:00

The holidays are over you say? Well good thing this collection is made up of such versatile colors! For their holiday collection Perfect Formula chose, what are in my opinion, classic shades. They can be worn year round, they aren't over the top or in your face loud. Of course there is nothing wrong with loud polish, it's just not my style. Perfect Formula's polish is B3F, which means it is free of Toluene, Formaldehyde, and Dibutyl Phthalate. I think I gushed about the brush in my last post on the brand. It is perfect for my nail size. It reminds me of the Carolyn New York polish brushes (RIP CNY, I still miss you!) The formula on these was very nice, I happen to need more practice in applying polishes with a jelly like texture. In the photo below of Invite Only you can see some of the bald spots. That is completely user error, it happens to me every time I use a plum color like Invite Only. It sucks because it happens to be one of my favorite manicure colors! Practice makes perfect, right? In the photos I applied the polish in two coats, except for Invite Only which is three. I did not use a base or top coat.

Black Tie

Caviar

Invite Only

There is another color in the collection, Tulle, which appears to be a soft light pink. I was not sent that one so that is why it is not included. You can purchase Perfect Formula on their website or QVC. Each bottle retails for $15. This brand is fairly new to me and I have been very impressed with what I have seen so far and I cannot wait to see what is coming up next.

(these were sent to me for review)

Perfectly Polished Tips 196 - Philosophy Purity Made Simple One Step Cleanser

2012-01-12T09:56:00.000-05:00

I've posted about the fickleness of my skin before. I made it through my teens with 2 or 3 bad blemishes, I thought I was one of the lucky ones. Then I turned 20 and BAM! Suddenly I was not so lucky anymore. I've used tons and tons of cleansers, treatments, moisturizers, scrubs, and masks. Some products worked temporarily and others not at all. Currently I have found a few products that are HG status for me. (HG=holy grail). One of these products is Philosophy Purity Made Simple One Step Cleanser. I've always heard great things about Philosophy and a couple of years ago I decided to try Hope in Jar. It destroyed my face, I was so disappointed. I went to Sephora recently and the One Step Cleanser was one of their 100 Point Perks. I decided to give it a shot. I am so glad that I did!

ingredients:water (aqua), sodium lauroamphoacetate, sodium trideceth sulfate, limnanthes alba (meadowfoam) seed oil, coco-glucoside, cocos nucifera (coconut) alcohol, peg-120 methyl glucose dioleate, aniba rosaeodora (rosewood) wood oil, geranium maculatum oil, guaiac (guaiacum officinale) extract, cymbopogon martini oil, rosa damascena extract, amyris balsamifera bark oil, santalum album (sandalwood) oil, salvia officinalis (sage) oil, cinnamomum cassia leaf oil, anthemis nobilis flower oil, daucus carota sativa (carrot) seed oil, piper nigrum (pepper) seed extract, polysorbate 20, glycerin, carbomer, triethanolamine, methylparaben, propylparaben, citric acid, imidazolidinyl urea, yellow 5 (ci 19140).

I use this cleanser at night with my Clarisonic MIA (which I will review soon)and it leaves my skin feeling clean but not stripped and so soft. The smell reminds me of a fruity cereal, maybe Fruity Pebbles. It fades fast though. If it keeps working well and not irritating my skin I will definitely be repurchasing once my sample bottle runs out.

Philosophy Purity Made Simple One Step Cleanser can be found on Sephora.com and on Philosophy's website. The price ranges from $10-$49.50 depending on the size you purchase.

Perfectly Polished Tips 195 - ASK Cosmetics Ultimate Bare Naked Nail Challenge

2012-01-05T09:20:00.002-05:00

ASK Cosmetics is looking for 50 people who are tired of having weak, peely, dry nails to take the Ultimate Bare Naked Nail Challenge. To enter you need to:

1. Take photos of your naked nails in their current state.
2. Describe what issues you are currently having and why you would like to participate in the challenge. The more details the better!
3. Send your mailing address, photos, and description to: lmueller@askcosmetics.com

If you are chosen Lisa will email you with what to do next. The challenge will be using T.I.P.S Nail Conditioner for a period of 8-12 weeks. Throughout the challenge you will be asked to send photos and updates of your nails.

Each of the participants will receive:

Either:
*2 x T.I.P.S. Nail Conditioner
OR:
*1 x T.I.P.S. Nail Conditioner and 1 x T.I.P.S. for Toes (depending on the situation of the nails at the beginning of the challenge)
*1 x Contour Nail File
*1 x 2 oz. Revival Hand & Nail Cleanser
*1 x 2 oz. Revival Skin Conditioning Milk
*full instructions for each product in order to achieve best possible results

You can enter now up until Jan 18th. You can find all of the rules/stipulations on ASK Cosmetics' facebook page or on Lisa's Nailcare Blog.

If you enter to take the challenge and are chosen please let me know how it goes! I have gotten into the habit of picking my polish off and it's left me with quite a mess. I'd love to know how the T.I.P.S nail conditioner works.

Perfectly Polished Tips 194 - Zoya Promo!

2012-01-04T09:30:00.003-05:00

From now until Jan 9th Zoya is offering 2 bottles of polish for FREE. You just pay shipping. This is an awesome way to try out Zoya if you are new to the brand or a great way to get some new colors. Use code ZOYA2012 at check out. They are also offering free shipping with orders of $25 or more. You can read more over at Zoya's Blog or "like" them on Facebook.

I will have swatches of True and Fleck Effects later on this week!

Perfectly Polished Tips 193 - Happy 2012 & Zoya Spring

2012-01-01T12:38:00.002-05:00

Happy 2012 readers! I hope this year is great for everyone :)

Zoya is kicking off this year with a bang (as usual) with the True and Fleck Effect collections.

from the press release:

TRUE
HONESTLY, BEAUTIFUL COLOR
A fresh bloom of dewy color. Inspired by the runway looks of top designers
this collection features slightly muted and unexpected spring shades in six easy to wear,
full-coverage creams and metallics.

· Cho (ZP585): Full coverage, vanilla shimmer metallic

· Farah (ZP586): Full coverage, latte beige cream

· Bevin (ZP587): Full coverage, pale sage green cream

· Skylar (ZP588): Full coverage, silvered slate blue metallic

· Tru (ZP589): Full coverage, gilded purple orchid metallic

· Lotus (ZP590): Full coverage, light lotus purple metallic

FLECK EFFECT
MYLAR FLECK TOPCOATS
Zoya Nail Polish presents - three new mylar fleck glazes that can be worn alone or layered
over the new ZOYA TRUE collection colors for a unique and beautiful nail look!

· Maisie (ZP582): Blue tint with mylar green fleck effect

· Opal (ZP583): Green tint with mylar green fleck effect

· Chloe (ZP584): Pink tint with mylar green and gold fleck effect

These collections will be available Jan 13 & retail for $8 a bottle. Zoya posted a preview on their facebook page today. Be sure to check it out.

Perfectly Polished Tips 192 - Happy Holidays!

2011-12-26T22:51:00.003-05:00

I don't have a NOTD prepared for today. My MAC Vin Goth manicure was a huge FAIL. I guess VG's formula doesn't play nicely with Poshe. I woke to horrible shrinkage and a chip. Just from sleeping!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season. I also want to wish everyone a happy and healthy new year!

I'm gearing up for a cross country move so I may be quiet for a bit. See you all soon!
xx

Perfectly Polished Tips 191 - NOTD Monday

2011-12-19T07:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Monday! Today's NOTD Monday polish is Massini Purple Medallion. It's a fun, chunky, purple, and slightly holographic glitter. I wish I could have gotten my hands on more polishes from this brand. I believe they are sold at a place called Meijer's. I don't have one of those near by. This polish was sent to me by a friend. On to the photos. Two coats w/ base and top coat.

I'm getting ready to move & my stash has arrived at my new home. Hopefully in one piece. I did keep two polishes behind though. Now just to find the time to use them! Have a good week everyone!

Perfectly Polished Tips 190 - More Holiday Giveaways!

2011-12-14T20:09:00.002-05:00

SkincareRx.com and Apothica.com are each hosting 12 days of Giveaways on their facebook pages. You have to like each facebook page and can enter daily.

To enter SkinCareRx's Giveaway head over to: https://www.facebook.com/SkinCareRx

To enter Apothica's Giveaway head over to: https://www.facebook.com/Apothica

Good Luck! I'd love to know if any of my readers win.

Perfectly Polished Tips 189 - Dermelect Resurface Stem Cell Reconstructing Serum

2011-12-14T07:00:00.000-05:00

Recently I had a chance to try out Dermelect Resurface Stem Cell Reconstructing Serum. That is a mouth full! This serum is used twice daily and will help to stimulate your skin's protein production which will then boost facial stem cell activity.

The reconstructing serum is also supposed to help protect your skin from harmful UV rays and even prevent the formation of wrinkles and reduce the appearance of fine lines.

The special ingredients in the serum are Alpine Rose (plant) stem cell, Ecoskin, and vitamin E. This product also contains dimethicone which my skin hates.

The serum is part of a Skin Regenerating System and it is recommended that all the products be used for best results.

It goes on nicely, a pea sized amount is all you need. It soaks in quickly but I found that my skin felt a little bit tight after it dried. It has a light rose scent but that vanishes as soon as the product dries. I only lasted for a week using this because my skin started breaking out. I am pretty sure it was the dimethicone which is a type of silicone. Most hair products containing this break me out/irritate my skin almost immediately. I had a small blemish on day 2 but I stuck it out hoping it was just a coincidence. It only got worse though. I was very disappointed because I was hoping to get a radiant complexion from it. I have been trying to achieve "dewy" or glowing skin and I can't get it. I've tried all types of lotions and creams, different cosmetics. Still nothing. Maybe I should try working with what I have.

Dermelect Resurface Stem Cell Reconstructing Serum retails for $75 and can be purchased on Dermelect's website. Currently Dermelect is offering the three piece Skin Regenerating System for $159. You can find it under the Holiday Sets tab on their website.

(this was sent to me for review)

Perfectly Polished Tips 188 - ASK Cosmetics Giveaway

2011-12-13T07:00:00.001-05:00

ASK Cosmetics is holding a "Gigantic Festive Giveaway." The contest is going on now until December 22nd. The prize up for grabs is the company's entire line of products. To be honest I am not familiar with the products, they have been available on QVC for quite some time now. I wanted to share though because I know that everyone likes a giveaway!

You can find the contest rules & regulations on ASK's facebook page which is linked above or on Lisa's blog which you can find here.

The company is based in Canada but the contest is open to international folks as well! Go enter & good luck!

Perfectly Polished Tips 187 - Nail of the Day Monday

2011-12-12T07:00:00.001-05:00

The next couple of NOTD Monday's are kind of a cheat. They are past manicures that I have not yet shared on the blog. I am in the middle of a move and am unable to do a new mani in time for Monday. It's currently 11:57PM on Sunday and my nails have the chipped remains of last week's Visions of Sugar Plums! Lucky for me I had a few glittery polish photos stashed away.

Lippmann Superstar was the polish I was hoping to kick off the glittery month of December with. It is a beautiful coppery/brown chunky glitter polish. As I have said before I am not big on glitter, I think it's the tough removal. I've only worn this color on my tips twice. Both times were 2 coats over a brown creme. It's a gorgeous polish and I'm glad I own it!

Perfectly Polished Tips 186 - Holiday Gift Idea: Dermelect Skin Regenerating System

2011-12-08T07:00:00.001-05:00

This holiday season Dermelect Cosmeceuticals is offering an amazing deal on their new skin regenerating products. The kit, which is worth $208 contains:

1 - 1 fl oz Resurgent Stem Cell Firming Activator

1 - 1 fl oz Resurface Stem Cell Reconstructing Serum

1 - 1 fl oz Resilient Stem Cell Regenerating Treatment

All three items arrive in a bonus Dermelect red signature bag. The kit retails for $159. This is a great deal because the products are all full size. I will have review of the Resurface Stem Cell Reconstructing Serum up in a few days.

If skin regeneration is not what you are looking for check out their Holiday Sets page. They have a decent variety of products including nail stuff.

Perfectly Polished Tips 185 - NOTD Monday

2011-12-05T15:31:00.005-05:00

Today's Nail of the Day is OPI Visions of Sugarplums. I believe this polish was an Ulta exclusive 2 winters ago. I don't know why it took me so long to get around to wearing it, it's a beautiful polish. I did decide to do a month of glitter. I had wanted to kick things of with Lippmann's Superstar but it chipped before I had a chance to snap a photo. I apologize for the tip wear in this photo. I am always running around like a chicken with no head this time of the year. I thought I was going to miss getting a photo but I forgot how well OPI wears on me. This manicure is 2 coats of polish w/ Gelous base coat + Poshe top coat.

sunshine.

indoor - no flash

This polish may only be available on ebay however I did read recently about random Ulta exclusives being spotted at CVS. so you could check there although I don't find this polish to be overly unique and there are probably a few dupes out there.

Perfectly Polished Tips 184 - Jessicurl

2011-12-01T09:00:00.001-05:00

Happy December! I cannot believe that it is already the last month of 2011. I feel like this year flew by. I've felt like that about the past couple of years actually. I was thinking about doing some sort of challenge for this month. Like how some wear a different red for each day or week of the month, but maybe with glitter? I don't love glitter and yet I somehow have an entire Helmer drawer devoted to it. Most untouched of course, so maybe if I can get myself to wear them I can get rid of a few.

Today's post is not about polish though. It's about hair. I have thick but fine, dry, curly/wavy hair. It is currently just about bra strap length. For about 10 years I flat ironed my hair a few times a week. I just didn't know how to style it properly and wearing it straight solved that. After a bleaching mishap I was left with dried out straw and decided it was probably time to start taking better care of my hair. Googling lead me to the curly girl method which involves using only conditioner to cleanse your hair. You can read more about it here. NaturallyCurly.com is also a great resource. Google also lead me to Jessicurl products. They are gentle and all natural and they also smell amazing. There are several cleansers, conditioners, and styling products. I tried out the Light & Luminous collection and the Rich & Radiant collection. I absolutely love the Too Shea conditioner and Rocking Ringlets Styling Potion.

I tried the Light collection first and even with following the directions to a tee my hair fell flat by the time it was completely dry. The same thing happened with the Rich & Radiant collection. I have since watched a few of the videos on the Jessicurl website and I think maybe I was not using enough styling product. I'm out of Rocking Ringlets though so I've been using Confident Coils Styling Solution with a Garnier hair gel. I will have to get more RR and try again. I also adore the Deep Conditioning treatment. Nothing has ever made my hair as soft and shiny as this stuff.

I was very disappointed that I could not get the products to work for me. Over the past year I have been working towards a more natural life style. Which means looking for products with the least amount of harmful chemicals and ones that do not contain animal products or by products. No animal testing is also important to me. I was very excited to see a brand geared towards curly hair that fit my needs. My daughter also happens to have curly hair so I thought I would try it out on her. She uses the Hair Cleansing Cream, Aloeba Daily Conditioner, Confident Coils, and Awe Insprialing Spray (for 2nd day hair). Jessicurl products have made quite the difference in her hair. I'm glad they worked for one of us!

Here she is pre-Jessicurl:

Freshly washed with Hair Cleansing Cream & Aloeba. I use a pea sized amount of the Confident Coils:

Second day hair spray with Awe Inspiraling Spray & gently scrunched:

I would recommend Jessicurl products to everyone. The owner Jess is very nice and was very helpful over emails. You can purchase everything listed here at Jessicurl.com, or through NaturallyCurly.com. The Jessicurl website also has a salon locator.

(these were sent to me for review)

Perfectly Polished Tips 183 - NOTD Monday

2011-11-28T09:00:00.002-05:00

To get me on track with posting and to force me to photograph my Nail Of The Day more often I'm going to try to do these once a week. I don't change my polish nearly as often as I would like. I used to do 3 or 4 manicures a week. To start it off I have Orly Luxe topped with China Glaze Lightening Bolt.

I saw a manicure similar to this sometime last year when the news the crackle polish was making a comeback was released. I remember using the Cover Girl crackle polish when I was younger and loving it. I didn't keep any of the polish I had when I was younger and I often wonder what gems I tossed out! Anyways I saw the manicure and I needed to replicate it ASAP. The China Glaze crackle was hard to come by in my town. It sold out immediately. My lovely sister was able to find it online and got it for me for my birthday. I finally wore it and was happy with the results.

Even though crackle polish is everywhere right now it seems to get mixed reviews. I personally love it. It's nice for a funky/fun mani and my favorite thing about it? I can slap it over an old mani or one I may have smudged and I am good to go.

I picked up Orly Luxe from my local Sally Beauty I believe it's part of the core collection. Crackle polish can be found just about anywhere in a variety of colors.

Perfectly Polished Tips 182 - Zoya Smoke

2011-11-23T09:00:00.003-05:00

If I had to use one collection of polish for the rest of my life this is the collection I would choose. For fall Zoya released Smoke & Mirrors. This is the Smoke half and it is made up of six amazing creme polishes. I know most of these colors have been done before but I really like Zoya. I like that they are B3F and environmentally friendly. My little girl has recently gotten into polishing her toes and I love that this line is available. I feel great about letting her use them and the color selection doesn't hurt either. These all applied with ease. Photos are two coats of color with no base or top coats.

Jana

Petra

Dree

Cynthia

Codie

Anja

Smoke & Mirrors can be found on Zoya.com. Also make sure you follow them on facebook as they do the occasional promo. There have been lots of good deals on zoya lately!

(these were sent to me for review)

Perfectly Polished Tips 181 - Perfect Formula Spring/Summer 2011

2011-11-21T09:00:00.003-05:00

Perfect Formula is a brand that is new to me. I've tried their cuticle oil and it is pretty nice. If i only I could remember to use it regularly! Perfect Formula polish is formulated with "instant strength technology" which helps to thicken and strengthen your nails. I believe this brand is fairly new so while there are not a lot of color options there are a lot of nice choices. I have my eye on the fall/winter 2010 collection. I really like that this collection is small and basic. All three are perfect in any combination for the season. Calypso would be an amazing pedi and Pirouette is a nice neutral mani. As much as I love gold polish I just don't think it works on me. I've tried so many and it just doesn't feel "right." Maybe I haven't found the right one yet.

On to the polish. Each swatch to two coats of polish, no base or top coat.

Pirouette

Calypso

Tango

Perfect Formula polishes retail for $15 and can be purchased at perfectformulas.com. This brand is a little on the expensive side but I liked them just as much as I like my Lippmanns. For the right color I don't mind spending extra.

(these were sent to me for review)

Perfectly Polished Tips 180 - SkinCareRx Friends & Family Sale

2011-11-16T20:43:00.003-05:00

SkinCareRx.com as well as Apothica.com and skinbotanica.com are currently offering 20% your order with CODE: FRIEND20. This code is good until 11/23/2011.

I've ordered from them before, all three of the sites are connected and I would order again. Customer service was great and shipping was quick. Each site carries different brands but what I love is that you can make one cart and order using all three sites.

Perfectly Polished Tips 179 - Essie Summer 2011

2011-11-16T16:01:00.009-05:00

hey I'm kinda late to the party on this one. I've been busy or maybe just lazy. I love blogging but sometimes I get overwhelmed and feel like it's too much to do. A lot goes into swatching and photographing. Or well a lot goes into it for me because it has to be done around a two year old's schedule. Unfortunately for me nap time was dropped a long time ago. The next couple of posts may be old news for some and I apologize!

Essie has been doing amazing things lately. The collections have had more variety and more colors that I would want to wear. Yea, a lot of times the "safe" pale pinks and reds are included but for this summer collection they did not play it safe.

Brazilliant

Meet Me at Sunset

Super Bossa Nova

Smooth Sailing

Too Too Hot

Absolutely Shore

All photos are two coats of polish except for Absolutely Shore which is 3. This collection should still be easy to find.

(these were sent to me for review)

Perfectly Polished Tips 178 - Zoya Summertime

2011-07-12T16:40:00.007-04:00

Finally I have the other half to Zoya's 2011 summer release. The weather has been crazy, one minute it's gorgeous and sunny and then the next there are clouds for days.

Summertime is made up of 6 creme shades, all bright and perfect for summer manicures or pedicures. I think in every Zoya post I make I rave about their creme formula. It is perfect to me, very pigmented and a great consistency. Now that they have released a collection* that includes all my favorite colors I may do something crazy and shun all other brands. Just kidding, but seriously again amazing. Zoya has not yet disappointed me with a release, I may not love all of the colors but their collections as a whole are great.

On to the photos, all are two coats of color, no top or base coat.

Tamsen - a warm brick red with strong orange undertones. The photo is pretty true to life, this would be a perfect pedi color for me!

Sookie - a slightly jelly cherry red. I'm really not a fan of jellies but this one applied wonderfully.

Mira - blurple! I love colors like these. Slightly muted but still cheery. One of my faves from the summer collection.
Kieko - purple with berry tones. Very pretty, Zoya recommends this for warm toned gals.

Breezi - a medium, dusty, cerulean blue. This is probably my favorite of the collection. I love blue polishes and I never grow tired of seeing this color.

Areej - a muted, cool fuchsia pink. A very bright and happy color. This shade is usually my go to pedi shade in the winter. I love bright pink toes when it's cold out.

Summertime is currently available on Zoya.com and retails for $8. Also I may have mentioned it in my last post but if you don't already, go "Like" Zoya on facebook. They recently hit 50,000 Likes and may be planning a promo soon!

*The collection I was referring to was the Smoke half of Smoke & Mirrors for fall. I will have photos soon!

(these were sent to me for review)

Perfectly Polished Tips 177 - Zoya Sunshine Get it for FREE

2011-06-22T09:30:00.004-04:00

For summer Zoya has given us six ultra sparkly shades. Each polish is infused with gold glitter that creates sunshine on your finger tips. I am not a glitter girl, but these polishes are beautiful in the sunlight. The formula was great on them, one coat would have been fine on most except for Tanzy & Rica. I found them to both be a bit more sheer than the rest. Each photo is two coats of polish; no base or top coats.

The Sunshine collection is available on Zoya.com now. They retail for $8 each.

Zoya has a promo going on until June 28, 2011 @ 11:59 PM est. If you purchase a Color Lock System you can chose a free Sunshine or free Summertime collection. They are offering free shipping as well.

Use codes:

Z22 for the Sunshine Collection

Z23 for the Summertime Collection

I will try to get pics up of Summertime soon. Unfortunately there are clouds and rain in the forecast for the next few days.

Perfectly Polished Tips 176 - Zoya Mod Matte Collection

2011-06-21T20:58:00.005-04:00

Happy 1st Day of Summer! There is better way to celebrate it than with a bright, fun, manicure

or pedicure. Maybe both. These three polishes are the most recent to join Zoya's matte polish family. I am still torn on matte polish, I adore the colors that Zoya offers but I don't know if I can leave them with out a top coat. It's like forgetting a step in my manicuring routine.

The formula on these was great, the dry quickly and apply best without a base coat. Mattes do make for a great, quick and easy choice for when you need a mani but are short on time. The colors are so bright and happy. For my photos I did two coats of polish, no base coat and no top coat.

Phoebe - An electric blue with violet shimmer. Gorgeous color and I think it would make an awesome pedi.

Most times when I get new polish if there is a blue in the collection it's the stand out to me, my favorite. That wasn't the case with the Mod Mattes collection. Usually I don't go for greens, let alone a neon lime green but Mitzi surprised me. I put it on and instantly fell in love.

Lolly - Bold, magenta pink. It's funny, when I first really got into polish I always would chose red and pink for my manicures. Now I always seem to over look them. Lolly is the perfect mod spin on classic barbie pink.

The Mod Mattes collection can be purchased from Zoya.com, they retail for $8 each. Also if you aren't doing so already like Zoya on facebook and follow them on twitter. They do a lot of promos and sales.

Perfectly Polished Tips 175 - Nail Files Premiers tonight!

2011-06-21T16:52:00.002-04:00

Nail Files premiers tonight on the TV Guide channel at 10PMe/9PMc. A bit about the show:

"Produced by the team who brought you “Jersey Shore,” Nail Files features Katie Cazorla, a blonde bombshell who owns Hollywood’s fastest growing celebrity-filled nail salon while juggling her relationship with 53-year-old Walter Afanasieff, a Grammy® award-winning music legend who’s written and produced hits for Mariah Carey, Barbra Streisand and Celine Dion. The series takes a look at the driven yet colorful Katie as she aspires to take The Painted Nail to the next level. With the support of Walter and her ever-present best friend Amy, Katie hosts giftingsuites at the Sundance Film Festival and the Oscars®, walks the red carpet at the Grammy® Awards, launches her Spring line of polishes, and handles her celebrity clients all while placating her trouble-making staff. Katie’s life may seem glamorous, but keeping all the balls in the air without stumbling is a daily challenge."

Katie is also giving away prize packs all day via her twitter (@thepaintednail). She is also giving away a trip via her Facebook page to Hollywood. The lucky winner will get to visit The Painted Nail. Tonight, June 21st 10Pe/9Pc on the TV Guide Channel.

Will you be tuning it? It sounds interesting but I don't have cable! I wonder if I will be able to watch online anywhere. If you check it out please let me know what you think!

Perfectly Polished Tips 174 - MIA (again!)

2011-06-20T10:41:00.003-04:00

have you guys watched this video/read this book? NSFW - might be offensive.

Go the F**k to Sleep

Samuel L Jackson reading Adam Mansbach's Go the F**k to Sleep. The author is a genius and I wish it were somehow acceptable to read this book to my daughter every night before bed. She doesn't like to sleep, she wakes all hours of the night thinking it's play time. She also likes to get up at 4AM and be a total crab all day long. This means that I have little to no time to myself. Which also means that my blog has been getting neglected. I told myself when the new year started I would do at least one post a month...and yea, that has not happened.

It is much easier for me to review hair and skin care items because they are already a part of my daily routine. I tried snapping photos of manicures but usually I would forget or it would be chipped before I had a chance to get a photo. Since my sweet daughter had me up at 6 AM today and it was sunny I took the opportunity to get some swatching in. I do have stuff to share, now it is just a matter of getting the photos up and edited. I will do it very soon, like tonight soon. I've had a photo of a recent mani sitting on my desk top for 3 weeks now, pleading with me to just write a post.

I am not going to promise that I will be back to posting regularly but I do have some stuff that will be up over the next few weeks. Baby steps people!

Perfectly Polished Tips 173 - Wah Nails & Motel Rocks Competition

2011-05-16T20:10:00.004-04:00

Motel Rocks is a clothing company offering unique and edgy clothing for women. (they carry Model's Own nail polish as well!) Motel Rocks is partnering with Wah Nails and running a competition. Wah Nails is a company that specializes in original nail art. I've been over on the site and they have a lot of nifty designs.

Wah Nails has made a bunch of designs based on Motel Rocks clothing. The company is holding the competition to promote their site and their new designs. To enter head over to Motel Rock's facebook page "like" them and then identify the pieces of clothing that the nail designs are based upon. In the end ten lucky ladies will be allowed to choose one piece of clothing of their choice as a prize.

Here are the designs:

The contest starts today, May 16 2011. I am not 100% on the end date but I will try to find it and report back. Good Luck!

Perfectly Polished Tips 172 - PMD Personal Microderm System

2011-04-28T10:31:00.007-04:00

This is the PMD Personal Microderm System. This little tool is used for at home microdermabrasion. It is a nice alternative to fitting appointments into your schedule and costs a whole lot less. This device uses the same aluminum oxide crystals as the high tech pro machines. It is supposed to smooth out the skin while diminishing age spots and other signs of aging.

For the best results a cell renewal or skin resurfacing cream should be used along with the treatment. The creams are meant to enhance the outcome of the treatment. Before using the PMD Personal Microderm System it is very important that you watch the instructional DVD that comes along with it. You need to take precautions and be sure to not apply to much pressure to the area you are working on.

The tool comes with two different types of exfoliating discs in two sizes. A larger one for area such as the cheeks and chest, and a smaller one for harder to reach areas. The blue grit is for sensitive skin and the green is slightly more coarse. PMD also offers a coarse disk for tough areas.

I got to test out the PMD Personal Microderm System and while it is supposed to be very simple to use I was not able to get the hang of it. The instructions say to pull the skin tight and very lightly apply the tool. You are to move back and forth across the skin. The tool has a bit of suction which I believe it supposed to remove the dead skin cells off of your face. When I attempted to use it the tool got stuck to my face leaving a not so great result.

(photo credit goes to my 5 year old)

As you can see on my cheek the tool left behind some mean scrapes. This was a couple of days after I had used it. I emailed Skincarerx.com's help center and was told that I was probably not pulling my skin tight enough. Makes sense so against my better judgement I tried again but this time on my knee. I still could not get the hang of it and again was left with some scrapes. It is possible that I am just not coordinated enough to hold my skin with one hand. After using it I did have a tiny bit of pain, almost like a sun burn and my skin was pink. Nothing terrible.

I think that this tool could be very useful but it does have a learning curve. I was very lucky to have only gotten a few minor scrapes. I watched the instruction video several times, I had it on during my first attempt. To be honest I feel like the woman in the video does not have her tool turned on because I could not get it to glide across my skin like that, even when I did have proper suction.

I may give this product another go in the future. I really feel like my skin could benefit from a tool such as this, I just wish it were easier to use.

The PMD Personal Microderm System can be purchased on SkinCareRx.com and retails for $179.

(this was sent to me for review)

Perfectly Polished Tips 171 - Systeme 41 Gentle Purifying Cleanser

2011-04-25T21:13:00.004-04:00

Systeme 41 is a line of all natural skin care products. Their products do not contain any harsh surfactants or detergents. They are free of parabens, gluten, mineral oil, and all artificial colors and fragrance. They also do not test on animals which is always nice.

I have the most fickle skin ever. I find something that works amazingly for a couple of months and then I am back to square one. I do get minor breakouts, I have an oily T-zone, and my cheeks are usually very dry. I got to try out the Gentle Purifying Cleanser. It is made up of a blend of amino acids, coconut oil, and sunflower oil as well as almond oleosomes to rehydrate your skin. I've been using it for a little over a month now and I'm really liking it.

The cleanser is a cream that is slightly on the thick side but it does not feel greasy. It rinses easily and clean. My skin does feel dry after washing but I think that might be due to the benzoyl peroxide I use to help with break outs. My face looks smoother and a lot more refreshed after using the cleanser. My break outs have been less frequent as well. This product also does a great job at removing make up. I try to make my self use eye make up remover before washing my face but ehh, so many steps. I am not very high maintenance so the less time I can spend and the least amount things I have to use the better. It even takes off all of my mascara, it's not a water proof formula though.

I love the packaging, it comes in a pump bottle. I guess that is really personal preference but I am one of those people who would like it if everything came in a pump bottle. For me it's easy, the bottle stays clean. The perfect amount of product is dispensed as well. The bottle is 6 oz, I've been using it 1x a day for a little over a month and am about a quarter of the way through it.

The only downfall to this product, for me, is the price. $39.95 for a 6 oz bottle. The website does offer a slight discount if you purchase more than one at a time. I do not think I would be okay with spending $40 on a cleanser that I was not sure that I would like.

Overall I really like this product and am going to continue using it for as long as it keeps playing nice with my skin.

(this was sent to me for review)

Perfectly Polished Tips 170 - Karmin G3 Salon Pro Giveaway

2011-04-06T09:30:00.002-04:00

The lovely people from Hairtools.ca have offered to give one of my lucky readers a Karmin G3 Salon Pro ceramic flat iron.

The styling iron not only straightens but curls as well. It has variable temperature control, and a slim design to allow for ease of use. The tourmaline infused plates allow for shiny frizz free hair making the Karmin G3 one of the best flat irons available.

To enter the giveaway leave a comment here telling me why you think you should be chosen to receive the Karmin G3. Then Like Karmin Hair Tools on Facebook. Please mention in your comment here that you Liked them on Facebook.

The giveaway is open to US & Canada readers only. I will choose a winner on April 20.

Good Luck!

Perfectly Polished Tips 169 - American Apparel Army Jacket

2011-04-05T09:30:00.000-04:00

American Apparel Army Green was one of my first AA polishes. I had heard nothing but good things about the polish so I ordered a few. Army Jacket is a muted celery green creme. I don't usually do green but I've been stepping away from my comfort zone as of late so I decided to give this polish a try. Unfortunately it was still the middle of winter when I photographed Army Jacket so it looks more split pea than celery. It's slightly lighter in real life. I am not a fan of this color on me, it gave me lobster hands. I can do minty greens, shades of deal, even hunter greens, but I can get into these types of greens. I tried though!

I am not a fan of the cap size of these polishes, they are short but the brush is super long. I loved everything about the brush but the small cap made it slightly tricky for me to maneuver. The formula on this one and a couple of others was great. They are very pigmented and apply well. I've had a couple issues with pastel shades being really thick. My bottle of Army Jacket was good to go though.

Army Jacket and others can be purchased at American Apparel either online or in store for $6 a bottle. Hurry though because it seems as if the company's future is uncertain!

*I worked really hard on getting my cuticles in tip top shape to review more polishes and then I went and bit off all my nails. I'm nursing them back to health and will have more polish up soon!*

Perfectly Polished Tips 168 - Sally Hansen Gray by Gray

2011-04-04T14:09:00.002-04:00

This Sally Hansen Gray by Gray from the Complete Salon Manicure line. This Sally Hansen line is new to me. I will admit that I am kind of a polish snob. I don't usually buy drug store brands. The prices for drug store polishes as rising and I feel like why should I pay $7 for that when I can get a salon brand that I love for only a couple dollars more.

I set out to find this polish because I had heard it was a near dupe to MAC's Blue India which I missed out on. I failed on my search and was lucky enough to have a dear friend pick up a bottle for me. It didn't quite cure my lemming for Blue India but it is a gorgeous creme which I always appreciate.

In the bottle it looks slightly more blue than my photo shows, but on me it pulled more gray. The brush for this polish made me nervous at first, the ends are a bit tapered and I was worried that it would be a pain to work with. I was wrong though, it made application a breeze, I have small, thin nail beds and brush kept my cuticles nice and clean. The formula was great, this polish has one coater potential but my skills are a bit rusty. I did two on the above manicure to make sure everything was nice and neat.

I am not sure of the exact price on these, I want to say I saw them for $6.50 at my local Walmart. I didn't see any other colors unique enough to buy but if the line comes out with more colors in the future I will definitely be checking them out.

Perfectly Polished Tips 167 - No More Rack MARCH MAKEUP MADNESS

2011-03-29T11:03:00.003-04:00

Starting right now, March 29th, nomorerack is doing a 60 hour Makeup Madness deal. All you have to do is sign up and than share your referral link with your friends and family. If those you shared with sign up you get FREE make up. They don't even have to buy anything.Brands included in the giveaway are MAC, Lip Fusion, & Lancome. I also think there is an OPI mini set as well.

nomorerack is trying to get the word out about their site & I love that they are offering this promo. The promo is 60 hours only it ends Thursday, March 31 at 12AM PST.

ps; i will be back to my regularly scheduled polish posting soon! the sun is finally out and i have polishes waiting to be shared. :)

Perfectly Polished Tips 166 - No More Rack

2011-03-28T21:22:00.003-04:00

nomorerack is a website that runs daily deals on various products. Subscribers can find high-quality products for up to 90% off of retail prices. The site runs one new deal per day in a few different rotating categories. They have things for women, children, men, home, beauty and more.

Some highlights of the site:

no invitations needed, just go on over and sign up
new items are posted at 9AM PST/12PM EST and subscribers are sent an email prior to the release
nomorerack offers $2 flat rate shipping and boasts amazing customer service.

nomorerack also offers FRIENDRACK; subscribers are able to send free $10 nomorerack virtual gift cards to up to five of their friends who sign-up to shop; $5 nomorerack dollars are credited to the referrer’s account once a friend makes their first purchase. Your account will also be credited $5 for each friend’s first purchase – no matter how many friends you refer!

i've been playing around with the site and seems pretty nifty. who doesn't like getting good deals on everything? especially now with two small children running around, the less i have to go out and shop the better. if you check out the site let me know how you like it! the site addy again is : nomorerack.

Perfectly Polished Tips 165 - Apothica.com Giveaway Winner

2011-03-04T11:03:00.003-05:00

Congrats to Dee, she is the winner of the $25 Apothica giveaway! Please keep an eye on your email, Dee.

After 2 rounds of a stomach bug and the flu I think I may be able to post again. Two small kids & a sick husband will really keep you on your toes!

Congrats again to Dee & thank you to all who entered :)

Perfectly Polished Tips 164 - $25 Apothica.com Giveaway!

2011-02-16T12:34:00.006-05:00

The people over at Apothica.com have generously offered to sponser a giveaway on my blog. One lucky Perfectly Polished Tips reader will win a $25 gift card to Apothica.com.

What is Apothica.com?

Apothica.com is a great beauty boutique that offers tons of different brands and a great selection. Apothica carries such brands as Clinique, Too Faced, Stila, DHC, and one of my favorites; SpaRitual. Aside from cosmetics, skincare, and hair care products they also offer aromatherapy items. Many of the brands Apothica stocks are all natural and/or organic. This is really important for me; I love my nail polish and make up but have also begun caring more about what I put on my skin and into my body.

How to enter:

Comment on this post with your email address and let me know what you would use the gift card for if you are chosen as the winner.(1 entry)

1. Blog about a brand found on Apothica.com and my giveaway. Be sure link it to the brand on Apothica.com and send me the link for your post. (5 extra entries)
2. Like/Add Apothica on Facebook (2 extra entries)
3. Follow Apothica on Twitter (1 extra entry)
- bonus entry for retweeting their tweet about my giveaway! (1 extra entry)
**Please place all entries in one comment**

Total possible entries: 10

If you are chosen Apothica will contact you and verify your information. Shortly there after you will receive a code in your email for your gift card.

*This is open to international readers as well but please be advised that Apothica DOES NOT ship to all countries*

Perfectly Polished Tips 163 - 100% Pure Purifying Seaweed Facial Mask

2011-02-07T22:11:00.003-05:00

I ordered this on a whim a couple of weeks ago. My skin has been really picky since having children and I am always looking for a miracle product to give me smooth, clear, glowing skin. A few months ago I began using the Oil Cleansing Method which lucky for me my skin loves. I've used this mask twice so far and I love the out come. My forehead is a trouble spot for me and after 2 uses it's drying up. I have high hopes for this product. Also 100% Pure is an all natural, vegan company. I have been striving for a healthier, greener life style so I am happy to have stumbled upon this brand.

This mask is rich in nutrients and antioxidants which are supposed to help purge your skin of toxins. The seaweed nourishes your skin while alpha lipoic acid and vitamin C help to repair damaged skin and strengthen overall cellular structure.

The mask comes in a powder form with directions to mix with water, juice, or yogurt. I've only used water. I do one teaspoon powder & one teaspoon water. This makes more than enough for me to generously coat my face with. It smells like seaweed, there are no other filler scents in there. I found it to be slightly over powering while mixing but after it's applied the smell has already begun to fade. The directions on the jar say to leave on for 5-10 minutes, I found that after 5 it was almost dry. I like to remove it with warm water + a wash cloth. It has a nice cooling tingle as it dries. Upon removing I have fresh, soft skin. I will definitely keep using this mask.

100% Pure Purifying Seaweed Mask costs $17 for 2 oz and can be found on 100% Pure's website.

Ingredients: Organic Seaweeds1(Kelp, Agar Agar, Bladderwrack), French Green Clay, Alpha Lipoic Acid, Vitamin C (calcium ascorbate), Organic Peppermint Leaves1

Perfectly Polished Tips 162 - Zoya Intimate Collection for Spring

2011-01-27T12:26:00.002-05:00

Zoya really is one of my favorite brands, I know I've probably said this a million times. Honestly though their collections never disappoint me. For this spring Zoya has a collection of metallic and creme polishes. They are:

Marley - lavender pink with a whisper of metallic

Dove - delicate, pale gray cream

Caitlin - misty, moody gray violet cream

Dannii - sparkling, enchanted orchid metallic

Jules - soft, glimmering gold kiss metallic

Gemma - mysterious green/purple duotone metallic

Caitlin & Jules are stand outs for me. Although the whole collection looks promising. These are already available on Zoya.com & retail for $7 each.

Perfectly Polished Tips 161 - I'm Baaaaack!

2011-01-25T19:33:00.002-05:00

After a long year off I will (hopefully!) be returning to blogging. I am making a few changes to the site and will have some new posts up soon!

While you're waiting check out this Make Up Sale being held by my friend Michelle :)

Perfectly Polished Tips 160 - Essie Loves Diamonds by Judith Ripka

2009-12-20T07:30:00.000-05:00

A few months ago Essie did a collection with jewelry designer Judith Ripka. The collection consists of three simple but classic shades. Each is infused with diamond dust giving them an ever so subtle shimmer. Apparently 3 bottles have precious stones in the bottom, I have not tried to look in my bottles but I am curious if anyone else has. If you found a jewel let me know!

Put a Ripka Ring on It - a milky pink something Essie does too well! It was streaky, ridge filler would probably help a lot.

Heart to My JR Jewels - sophisticated brown

Queen of Hearts - lovely red, a color you can never have too many of

Essie Loves Diamonds is a limited Edition collection. They do appear to still be for sale on Essie's website. These ones retail for $15 instead of the usual $8.

Thanks Essie for letting me test them out.

Perfectly Polished Tips 159 - Color Club Wild at Heart

2009-12-17T07:30:00.000-05:00

Finally a collection that wasn't 3 seasons ago! Color Club gave me the chance to try out their Fall 2009 collection; Wild at Heart. This collection has an amazing line up for fall. All of the colors are perfect for the season and the variety of finishes is pretty great too.

Wild & Willing - a gorgeous foily duochrome. I could not capture the color good enough. Kind of pink, kind of gold. Very unique though.

On the Wild Side - a blue grey shade. It's on the metallic side which for me means brush strokes all over. The color is nice but I'm not crazy about the finish.

With Abandon - brown and gold glitter in a black base, one of my favorites from the collection.

Rule Breaker - a beautiful shimmery teal. I love the color of this polish but I wish it were a creme. There aren't enough easy to get teal cremes out there.

Wild at Heart - purple holo! CC's holos apply like butter, i love them.

Love Em Leave Em - pale gold holo, it's a pretty color but not on me.

Thoughts on the new water mark? Distracting? Covers up too much? A few months ago a photo on mine was used on Ebay with out my permission. I know watermarks won't really stop the thieves but I guess it's worth a shot.

Perfectly Polished Tips 158 - Color Club Femme Fatale

2009-12-13T07:30:00.000-05:00

Femme Fatale was another spring 2009 collection that Color Club allowed me to try out. This collection was made up of black and white with two beautiful holos thrown in. I think the intention Color Club had for this collection was to bring back the french mani but make it not so boring. (I'm so not a french mani or pedi fan). There are two shades in this collection that would be great for layering and surprisingly Ooh La La applied well. I never have luck with white polish it's usually streaky or needs a million coats. Oh La La was a two coater as were the others.

Worth the Risque

Revvvolution

Ooh La La

Oui Oui Oui

Femme Fatale

There is one more polish in this collection, Where's the Soiree. It is a basic black creme however the formula was terrible. It was very thin and streaky. I tried for a good while to get it applied decently to photograph and I couldn't. I was disappointed because it's always great to have a basic black polish on hand. I use them often in frankening and they come in handy if you like to layer.

Perfectly Polished Tips 157 - Color Club Catwalk Queen

2009-12-10T07:30:00.000-05:00

Many moons ago Color Club gave me the chance to sample their Catwalk Queen collection. Catwalk Queen is from Spring 2009 and is made up of mostly pale, dainty shades. The collection did have one gorgeous purple, which was the stand out shade for me as well as a holographic purple. Holos are hit and miss with me but Color Club makes awesome holo polishes. Color Club has a great brush and formula, I wasn't feeling this collection because I don't wear pale or sheer polishes very often. A couple of these would be great for layering though. Layering is another thing I don't do often, I should though.

Front Row Diva

Runway Muse

Ready to Wear

Catwalk Queen

Vintage Couture

Fashion Addict

I am not 100% sure if these are still available from the e-tailers, they should be though as the collections were not limited edition.

Oh what I would give to have those nails back. Cold weather is rough on my nails, it probably doesn't help that I'm not on top of moisturizing. Good thing I have photos stock piled LOL. I am afraid to post anything with my nails/cuticles in their current state.

Perfectly Polished Tips 156 - Zoya Dare

2009-12-06T22:39:00.006-05:00

Thank you all for the comments on my last post! I'm not sleeping yet but she's so worth it!

Finally Zoya's Dare collection, this was for Fall 2009. I think this was one of my favorite collections this year. I have been on a purple, blurple, blue, teal, and green kick as of late. I am a total creme whore so this collection was right up my alley. Even though Ibiza and Envy had subtle shimmer I still loved them. Ibiza is a shade of blue that I absolutely adore and I have a weak spot for polishes that look like this. I have several in my collection and love them all. I have said it a million times before that I love Zoya's formula and I honestly think it might be my favorite brand of polish. There are other companies I like for their color choices but I think Zoya is doing a great job at branching out. I would love to see a teal in an upcoming collection and maybe some dusty/muted shades as well.

Vanessa - lovely red creme

Ciara - plum creme

Pinta - inky violet creme (my favorite from the collex!)

Demi - grape creme

Envy - forest green w/ subtle shimmer

Ibiza - shimmery royal blue

The Dare collection is currently available on Zoya.com. Zoya did have a small price increase back in October, they now retail for $7. Thanks Art of Beauty for allowing me to try these out.

I am trying to get back into the swing of blogging and hope to at least get a few posts set up to auto post. The holidays are a busy time for everyone. This is my last semester of school though (for now anyways) so I hope that once the new year is here I will be able to get back to blogging full time.

Perfectly Polished Tips 155 - Busy Blogger

2009-10-26T12:55:00.001-04:00

Hey everyone, I just to share that my baby girl, Olivia Josephine arrived on October 6, 2009. I had planned to put a bunch of posts on auto post that my blog would keep going while I was busy. Unfortunately with all the last minute preparations I never got around to it. So maybe, hopefully I will get those posts posted sometime soon.

Perfectly Polished Tips 153 - Nubar Cleopatra Collection

2009-09-13T15:15:00.000-04:00

Nubar's Cleopatra collection is made up of 8 shades of purple. I have been wearing purple often lately so this collection was right up my alley. As with the Coral Collection the polishes applied well and I had no issues with them. I liked the range that this collection provided. As much as I love the muted grey purple shades like Pharoh Purple I love the deeper shades in this collection. I will be wearing them this fall for sure.

*looking at Nubar's website I believe Luxor Purple should be Heiroglyphs Purple and Hyke Purple should be Isis Purple. I guess the ones I got in my set are named differently from what they decided to release.

You can find the Cleopatra Collection on Nubar's website.

Perfectly Polished Tips 153 - Nubar Coral Collection

2009-09-13T07:30:00.000-04:00

Nubar's Coral collection was my first time trying a Nubar polish. I have always heard good things about them and was happy to have gotten the chance to try them out. The Coral collection is inspired by different types of sea coral. There are 7 various shades as well as 1 purple polish. I was really impressed with how well they applied and how well they wore. They applied smoothly and were all opaque in two coats. My swatches are shown without a base or top coat.

Cozumel Coral - a warm soft bisque pearl
Caribbean Coral - a cool pinky purple
Amazon Coral - a warm bright pinky orange
Palau Coral - a warm true orange

Belize Coral - a warm salmon orange
Costa Rica Coral - a warm bright tangerine
Red Sea Coral - a cool bright pinky red
Caymen Coral - a warm bright red-orange

You can find the Coral Collection on Nubar's website.

Perfectly Polished Tips 152 - Essie Northfork Collection

2009-09-12T07:30:00.000-04:00

When I found these in mail box I think my jaw dropped. I could not believe that Essie would release a collection like this. She always seems to play it safe with all of her collections, although we have seen a couple of blues this year. And there is always Starry Starry Nights which is a favorite of mine. All three of these polishes applied beautifully, the photos show two coats each no base or top coat.

Shelter Island is a sky blue creme.

Sag Harbor is a grey-ed baby blue with fine silver shimmer.

Greenport is a soft aquamarine creme that is boarder line jelly. It has a unique finish and my favorite from the collection.

This collection was released in April and was Limited Edition. If you poke around the internet you may still be able to find them.

Perfectly Polished Tips 151 - Adovia Mineral Hand Cream

2009-09-11T07:30:00.000-04:00

I am always looking for lotions, creams, and oils to make my hands soft. Especially in the upcoming fall and winter months my hands and cuticles get really dry. Not to mention I haven't been the best at keeping up with cuticle maintenance. I recently had the opportunity to try out Adovia's Mineral Hand Cream. It is made from Dead Sea Minerals and Shea Butter as well as Aloe Vera and Chamomile. I noticed a huge difference in my hands and nails after one use, my hands were softer and my ragged cuticles looked some what presentable. The lotion isn't greasy which I like and there is no over powering scent. In my opinion it doesn't have much of a scent at all which is always nice.

I was recently on vacation and got slightly sunburned, I grabbed this lotion instead of my Burt's Bees After Sun lotion accidently and I was pleasently surprised. My sun burn instantly felt better and it took away the uncomfortable itching and hot feeling. At the time I had not realized that the lotion contained Aloe Vera so I was surprised until I turned the bottle over and read the ingredients list. So it does have multiple uses!

The only downside (maybe) to the product is the price. A 3.4 oz bottle will run you $16 USD. I guess for some it may be worth the price for some. I really like the lotion but I think I would probably try to find a cheaper alternative before shelling out the 16 bucks but that is just me.

Adovia Mineral Hand Cream is a favorite beauty product of Claudia Jordan. Miss Jordan was previously Miss Rhode Island and was one of the models on the TV show Deal or No Deal. Currently she has her own radio show. This lotion can retails for $16 USD and can be found at Adovia Spa.

Perfectly Polished Tips 150 - Zoya Truth Fall 2009

2009-09-10T07:30:00.001-04:00

For this upcoming fall season Zoya put out two collections. Truth is made up of six, gorgeous shimmery polishes. I will have up it's counterpart Dare early next week. Dare contains the creme shades. The photos following the review have the warm/yellow tint, I was not able to figure out how to edit them and make them look normal. I have been trying to do all my swatching in the sun when possible so future photos will hopefully look better. As I mentioned in my last post I am so far behind, a lot of my photos have already been taken and uploaded I just have not written the review. So please bare with me while I catch up.

Salma is a warm scarlet red with a metallic finish.

Drew is a mauvey rose and is more pink in real life. It's not as brown as this photo shows.

Anaka is a fuchsia pink metallic with purple undertones. It even has a slight glass flecked shimmer look. This is the stand out polish from this collection for me.

Kalmia is a rosey copper with a metallic finish. I often have issues with metallics and their brush strokes, it was most apparent to me with Kalmia, but nothing too terrible.

Penny is a coppery gold mettalic. It is not as orange in real life.

Isla is a deep venetian red metallic. I think it's a must have for red lovers.

The Truth collection is up for sale on Zoya's website right now. Overall it's not my type of collection. I love cremes and as of late I have been wearing a lot of purples and blues. Zoya does do golds well though and one day I'll stop being a baby and wear one!

Perfectly Polished Tips 149 - Essie Neons

2009-09-09T14:07:00.003-04:00

I am pretty far behind on my reviews and I apologize, I am trying to catch up. Hopefully I will be able to do so over the next month. I have a ton to share and I will get it posted! One of my resolutions for the Fall school semester was to stop procrastinating and unfortunately I did well for about a day. I am working on it though haha. Anyways on to Essie's summer neon collection.

I've been really impressed with Essie's formula over the past year. It seems to have gotten a little thicker and it covers the nail better. I am an Essie fan though, I like the brush. Neon polishes aren't really my thing. I like the pinks for pedicures but I can't get into yellow and a lot of purples pull too red on me. There is a bigger difference in Flirty Fuchsia and Punchy Pink, these photos were taken with my old camera which obviously sucked at taking any type of photo. Punchy Pink is lighter and all of the colors are brighter. Punchy Pink reminds me of a neon OPI Elephantastic Pink if that helps. Each polish pictured is three coats except for Funky Limelight which is four coats. I did not use a base or top coat. Neons tend to dry matte so if you do not like the matte look don't forget to add a topcoat!

Perfectly Polished Tips 148 - Dazzle Dry Nail System

2009-08-12T10:41:00.002-04:00

Dazzle Dry 3 Piece Nail System is made up of a nail prepping solution, a base coat, and a top coat. It claims to dry your nails completely in 5 minutes. That is if you use their brand of polish as well. I tried it out and surprisingly it lived up to it's claims which I find to be quite rare.

Step One is to use the Nail Prep which is pretty much made up of isopropyl alcohol. It is also suppose to moisturize nails along with providing B5, calcium, and protein. It's not like Zoya's Remove, it's not a nail polish remover.

Step Two is the base coat for natural nails. It is not intended to be used on fakes of any type. It dries very quickly, by the time I finished my second hand the first was completely dry.

Step Three is to use Dazzle Dry polish. I used Day Dreaming. I thought this color looked gorgeous in the bottle. On my nail it was mauve w/ subtle silver shimmer. I'm not a mauve lover, I wore it for one whole day before taking it off. The formula was amazingly smooth and one coat covered my nail completely. I did two because it's a habit. I loved the brush too, the handle was a little too long but the brush was small and worked well on my tiny nail beds. It dried just as quickly as the base coat did which was nice. The only thing I didn't like was that it made the vertical ridges I have in my nails stand out a lot. I think it was the frost finish of the polish.

Step Four is to apply Dazzle Dry top coat. The consistency is not thick like most other fast drying top coats, it spreads well though. It's so glossy, I thought Lippmann's Addicted to Speed was shiny but I think Dazzle Dry beats it. My manicure was dry in minutes, I didn't time it but I checked shortly after finishing up my second hand and it was good to go.

I don't have photos because while I liked the kit I wasn't fond of the polish color. I also cannot post about the wear time because I took off the manicure after one day. I checked the website out though and they have some great colors. I want to order some in the near future. If/When I do I will come back to this and report on the wear.

Dazzle Dry products can be found at DazzleDry.com, the polish retails for $9 and the 3 Piece Kit is $28. The products are all B3F and vegan!

Even though the kit says the fast drying time only works with Dazzle Dry's polish I was curious as to how well it would work with other brands. I tryed it with a Barielle polish and while my nails weren't dry completely in 5 minutes, around the 15 minute mark I was good to go. I don't know if I would stop using my Addicted to Speed for the Dazzle Dry though.

Perfectly Polished Tips 147 - MAC Peppermint Patti

2009-07-22T11:30:00.000-04:00

MAC released Peppermint Patti for spring. It's a very pretty pale mint green creme. I love MAC's polishes, the formula, the brushes, everything however this is the only one I own. I am kicking myself for swapping Whirlwind and Rainy Day, I know I'll never see those again. Dupes just aren't good enough. I found Peppermint Patti to be a bit streaky, I used two coats and still had some streaks but since I was going to use my Konad stamper on top of it I wasn't too concerned. It dried quickly and wore wonderfully. I did this manicure late on July 17th, I took it off on the 21st because I had a huge lemming arrive at my door. I had one small chip on my left thumb. I don't know if that is due to the quality of the polish or to Lippmann's Addicted to Speed, either way I was impressed.

For the Konad design I used plate M70 and Konad Special polish in black. I got so many compliments on this manicure. Someone likened it to mint with dark chocolate drizzled on top, maybe that is why I loved it so much. This is the first noticably green polish I have worn on my nails, I'm really not a green girl but I really love this polish.

Perfectly Polished Tips 146 - Zoya Matte Velvet

2009-07-21T23:41:00.004-04:00

Matte polish is making a come back. Many, many years ago Maybelline was among the first companies to produce a matte polish. Matte means with out shine, not to be confused with creme. For this fall Zoya has created three matte colors, each with gorgeous shimmer. Personally I have not jumped on the matte train, it's just not me. I've been meaning to wear one of them for a few days to see if I could get used to it but I always end up putting on a top coat. These polishes are meant to be applied to dry, clean, naked nails. No base coat and no top coat. Unfortunately this means that your matte manicure may not last as long as you would like. If matte is your thing though these three make it worth it. Those of you saying, "Oh no, how can I function without my quick dry topcoat?" don't worry. These dried to the touch in minutes. If you look closely you can see that Zoya also gave the bottles a matte look just for this collection.

Loredana - gun metal with shimmer

Dovima - black with shimmer

Posh - wine with shimmer

I think Loredana is my favorite as I am just getting comfortable with black on my tips and I don't do red shimmers on my tips. I wore my first black manicure recently and I was surprised at how much I loved it.

Matte Velvet is currently available at ArtofBeauty.com. I believe this collection is limited edition however I am not 100% on that.

OPI and Nubar have released matte colletions, I also believe SpaRitual will be releasing one as well. Essie has made a Matte topcoat, I will have a review of it up soon!

On one other note, how are the photos now? I tried my best to get them as true to life as possible but I think sunlight might be the only way to go.

Perfectly Polished Tips 145 - Konad

2009-07-14T23:08:00.003-04:00

The Konad Nail Stamper has been pretty popular as of late. I always loved looking at the designs but could never convince myself I "needed" one. Finally I decided it was time to get one and I am so glad that I did. I feel like the use I will get out of my stash has quadrupled and I almost feel bad about all the polishes I recently purged. The Konad is fairly easy to use, which surprised me because I thought it was going to take a while to get the hang of it. I did about 4 or 5 practice runs before I was confident enough to do an entire manicure with it. I actually enjoyed stamping so much that I want to do another one tonight.

For my first Konadicure I used Misa A Sin Worth Committing as the base coat. It's a really pretty vibrant blue. It has aqua colored shimmer and it's not so dark that you can't tell that it's blue. Orignially this polish was in my swap box but something made me try it out last night and I'm so glad I did. I have heard that it is similar to the blue OPI released with it's India collection but I haven't compared the two. For the stamp I used Maybelline's Silver Speed. I don't know much about this polish, it is an Express Finish one but I don't know if they still make it or not. It works very well with the Konad though. I used image plate M63 for the design.

I was able to get outdoor photos today and I think they turned out quite nicely. I got a couple of comments on my last post that said my photos looked too warm. I'm looking into getting a new light bulb and I also have a natural lighting option on my camera. I am going to test that too. I will do my best to get the lighting issue figured out. Unfortunately for me some of the polishes I had already photographed and had planned to post have been sent to new homes. I will do my best to get the photos back on to my camera and edited with the natural lighting. Until I have time to do that things might be a little slow around here.

There are quite a few places online that sell the Konad and accessories. I ordered mine from OCNailArt.com, I'm sure you are all familiar with the site. I ended up with six image plates and I also got the Special polish in Black and White. The Special polish isn't completely necesarry but it does work well. I got my order very fast which I was happy about because I was so excited for it to arrive. I actually placed another small order last night for 3 more polishes and another plate and this morning I was happy to see that it is already on it's way to me. A few of the blogs have promo codes for 20% off of your order with OC Nail Art, also shipping is free for orders over $20. Causal Lavish, Scrangie, Sasse, & A Stroke of Color all have promo codes and you can see the details over at their blogs.

Perfectly Polished Tips 144 - Color Club Electro Candy

2009-07-10T07:00:00.000-04:00

Neons are quite popular for summer time and I was surprised to see so many companies jump on the neon train. Color Club is another favorite brand of mine. I love their formula and their brushes. I have tiny nail beds so if a brush is thin enough for me to polish with and not get polish all over my fingers I'm going to love it. This collection is made up of 6 shimmery neon colors. What I loved most about this collection was that each polish has a blue sheen to it. I thought that was pretty cool and because usually the neons I have come in contact with have been cremes. These polishes are on the sheer side, I only used 3 coats on the yellow but all of them could have used 3 coats. A trick I learned is to use an opaque white underneath the neons if you don't like the sheer look. Milani Soft White is a good one.

Tangerine Scream - a bright orange w/ blue shimmer. It is truly orange not coral as my photo shows.

Ultra Violet -a bright shimmery purple, this photo shows the blue shimmer

Volt of Light - a super bright yellow, it is extremely sheer

What a Shock - bright kiwi green

Pure Energy - bright blue

Electro Candy - bright pink

Electro Candy is available now.

Perfectly Polished Tips 143 - China Glaze Kicks

2009-07-09T07:00:00.000-04:00

In addition to their Summer Days collection China Glaze also released the Kicks collection. It is made up of 12 polishes, some are creme, some shimmer. I wasn't really impressed with this collection, six of the polishes are pink or are close to being pink. I feel like China Glaze could have done so much better or at least added a little more variety. I will give them credit for having two greens and a teal though.

Oh How Street it Is - a burnt orange creme, this is 3 coats
Style Wars - neon-ish orange creme
Breakin' - a light pumpkin-y orange w/ gold shimmer

Sky High Top - sky blue with aqua shimmer
Custom Kicks - teal with gorgeous gold shimmer & my favorite from the collection
Paper Chasing - grassy green with shimmer
Entourage - pastel lime green with shimmer

Fly - magenta with pink and purple shimmer, reminds me of Essie Jewel
It's Poppin' - hot pink with pink shimmer
B-Girlz - slightly lighter hot pink with shimmer
Laced Up - a pepto/bubble gum pink creme

Sneaker Head - neon cherry red

Over all this isn't my favorite collection from China Glaze but I really like their formula and brushes, I can't wait for their fall collection it looks like it has a pretty neat purple.

Kicks is currently available.

Perfectly Polished Tips 142 - Zoya La-Di-Da

2009-07-08T12:30:00.001-04:00

La-Di-Da is the second half of Zoya's summer release. It is made up of 6 creme polishes, three which are neons. They all applied wonderfully and like usual the neons do dry slightly on the matte side. My photos are taken without top coat, although most times I snap the photo while the polish is still wet. As of late I've really been drawn to Zoya's polishes. I have a ton of them in my stash but for the longest time I never really reached for them. My past 3 or 4 manicures and past 2 pedicures have been Zoya polishes. They released some really fun colors for spring and the fall shades are amazing. Maybe I'm drawn to them because they are free of all the super harsh chemicals? I'm not sure but I'm glad I rediscovered the ones in my stash and am finally seeing how great they are.

Paz - ultra bright neon orange. This polish is like construction cone orange. The picture is blurry because I had to edit it a bit to get even close to the true color.

Renee - bright cherry red. i found it to be a bit on the pink side, my camera did too obviously.

Pippa - ultra bright neon yellow. It's not as pastel as it looks in my photo. This is my first yellow polish but I'm not sure I have the guts to wear it.

America - bright orange/red. Reds like these are staples in my stash, they make the perfect pedicure color.

Dita - cherry red. This one of the berry shades I mentioned in my previous Zoya post. Zoya does do berry well and this is currently on my toes but I'm kinda tired of seeing the shade. It reminds me of Moxie but I haven't compared the two side by side.

Ali - ultra bright neon pink. This photo is blurry like Paz due to editing. I just couldn't capture the neon as well as I would have liked. I love neon pinks, I usually sport them on my toes though.

La-Di-Da is currently available on Zoya.com. The polishes are $6 each or $36 for the whole set. I haven't jumped on the Twitter band wagon yet but Zoya posts some pretty amazing deals from time to time if you'd like to check it out.

Perfectly Polished Tips 141 - Zoya Ooh-La-La

2009-07-08T00:21:00.004-04:00

Zoya released two great collections for the summer season. Ooh-La-La is a set of 6 metallic polishes. I really like that this collection is made up of 6 different colors. I've noticed that Zoya usually does a berry pink and a red shade that are so similar to one another and puts them in the same collection. I was relieved to see 6 unique colors, and to be honest no berry pinks! I don't know if it is because I haven't been polishing my nails as often or if Zoya changed something in their formula but all of these applied like a dream. Most times metallic polishes end up full of very visible brush stroke marks and I expected Goldie and Emme to be tricky, they went on smoothly though. Each were two coaters, except Ginessa, she could have been but I went with three.

Ginessa - a metallic frosty white, reminds me of snow flakes.

Goldie - metallic yellow gold, as I've probably mentioned before I love golds but they don't love me. I think it's because this one is so yellow and I haven't branched out to wearing yellow yet.

Emme - soft pink. I usually don't go for baby pinks or metallics but my stash houses quite a few of these now.

Katy - metallic pinky purple, althought the photo doesn't show it the shimmer is there!

Tallulah - metallic medium blue and my favorite from this collection. It's such a happy and fun color.

Midori - metallic apple green. To me this was the most unique shade in this collection. I don't love green but I think it's a really pretty polish, the gold shimmer really brightens it up.

Ooh-La-La is currently available at Zoya.com, each polish retails for $6 or you can purchase the whole collection for $36,

Perfectly Polished Tips 140 - PSA: Carolyn New York Colors

2009-07-05T20:13:00.002-04:00

For some reason my scheduled posts are not posting and I was not aware of it until today, I need to figure out what is going on with that.

I just wanted to post a quick note about Carolyn New York Colors, apparently their site is accepting orders but their email addresses and phone numbers are no longer in service and people are not receiving the orders. So you may want to wait on placing that CNY order until there is a clear answer as to what it going on with the company.

I personally hope they haven't gone out of business, I love their brushes and formula. I'm kicking myself for not getting back up of Frankie Joins the Navy. I guess I'll have to use mine sparingly in the mean time.

Perfectly Polished Tips 139 - Zularis Naturals

2009-06-25T07:30:00.001-04:00

A few months ago Penny, the creator of Zularis Natural products sent me an awesome kit for DIY manicures and pedicures. I've been making time every few weeks to use the products and I am very impressed with them. Penny's signature scent is so soothing and pleasant. On her website is says it is a mix of "essential oil blend that includes lemon, bergamot, lavandin, frankincense and myrrh; fragrance." Although it smells nice it does not linger. This is important to me because I usually use hand and foot products before bed and I hate having a smell lingering around on my finger tips. My kit came with : Intensive Repair Cuticle Oil, Soothing Milk Soak, Hand and Foot Scrub, Hand and Body Rub and bottle of Pumpkin Spice (I believe that was the name) Lotion. A callous reducer/foot file, and emery boards as well as instructions.

The Soothing Milk Soak is wonderful on sore, swollen feet. I am 6 months pregnant now and I never thought sticking my feet into a tub of warm water and this soak would feel like heaven. I like to soak for about 10 to 15 minutes, or really as long as my 3 year old allows before needing something. It softens my feet too which is always a plus. I have not used this on my hands yet but it can be used either way. It comes with a conveient scoop too.

The Hand and Foot Scrub does wonders on dry skin, especially dry heels. I will admit that I have not been taking the best care of my feet and have only done a few real pedicures since flip flop season has began. This scrub improved my heels 100% with just one use. It contains a couple of different oils which left my feet not only feeling soft but refreshed as well. I believe I have the Passionfruit Paypa scent, again it's a nice light scent, not over powering, and it does not linger for too long. Penny has 3 different seasonal scents up on her website right now, Passionfruit Paypa is the only one I've tried in addition to her signature scent.

At first I was a little confused about how to use the Hand and Body Rub. It comes in a jar but it is solid, it's not like regular lotion where you can stick your hand in a pull some out. It takes a bit to soften it up and get it on to your skin. I like to use it on my heels, elbows, knees and cuticles. I have a small tub of the Passionfruit Papya and I like to use it on my cuticles. It absorbs quickly and doesn't leave a greasy residue.

The Aloe and Shea Butter lotion is really great however I was not a fan of the Pumpkin Spice scent that came in my kit. I'm not too sure what it was about the scent that I did not like, it was spicy but sweet at the same time. Maybe it was just my hormones doing the complaining. Putting the scent aside the lotion was very moisturizing but not greasy. This is really important to me because I hate having to wait forever for a lotion to soak in. That really puts me off from a moisturizer.

I love the Intensive Repair Cuticle Oil, even though I haven't been taking the best care of my nails this oil makes them look almost decent after a couple of uses. My finger tips are always really dry, no matter how often I lotion but this oil helps keep them smooth. You only need one drop for each finger and you're good to go. It's also supposed to be beneficial for nails that peel and/or break easily.

These products have made my pedicure routine much more enjoyable. My favorite part about the line is that it's made from all natural ingredients. This has become very important to me as pregnancy has decided to make my skin sensitive to almost every product out there. I've had to change not only manicure products but hair and skin products as well. It's probably worth it in the long run though. The instructions that came with the kit were very informative, especially if you are just starting out. I will admit though that I have not used the foot file, I'm intimidated by it.

You can check out Zularis Naturals at ZularisNaturals.com and Penny has a blog which can be found here.

Perfectly Polished Tips 138 - BB Couture for Nails

2009-06-24T10:35:00.000-04:00

I really love this brand of polish, they have amazing, unique colors. They apply and wear well, and I think I have gushed before about the brush, the size and length is perfect for me. These photos were taken with my new camera, I hope they are a little bit easier on the eyes. I tried to clean up my cuticles last night and I moisturized a ton today just so I could swatch. I haven't been doing my nails nearly as often as I used to. Since I've been lazy with the polish I've also been lazy with taking care of my cuticles. I am going to try to get back into the habit of doing both because I have so much new polish to play with. A couple of these polishes have been in my possession for a couple of months and I had no idea what I was missing out on.

Laguna Lagoon is a really pretty pastel green. It's a bit more minty in real life. Upon seeing this and Zuma Wave Rider in the bottle I thought they were going to be streaky messes. I did two semi thick coats. I think 3 thin ones would be perfect though.

Zuma Wave Rider is another pastel. This one is a soft shade of lavender, it reminds me of China Glaze's Agent Lavender but I think this one is a little less blue.

Venice Party is a purple shade w/ a blue sheen. It is also full of rainbow colored glitter. It's not really visible in the photo but the polish is full of it.

Balboa Beach Bunny is a grape shade packed with glitter. I found the glitter in this to be really abundant but my camera just didn't pick it up.

Midnight Malibu is a dark blurple filled glitter. I know it looks black in the photo but it's more of a navy/purple in real life. It's a really fun color and I cannot believe I waited so long to try it.

Moon Over Manhattan is a teal color with silver glitter. As soon as I put on the first coat I was in love with this polish. I love teal and even though I'm not big on glitter I really like the way it looks. The glitter is not gritty like it is with the last three polishes I posted. Those need a top coat (I do my photos without) but this one was smooth.

BB Couture for Nails polishes can be found on OverallBeauty.com as well as on BBNailPolish.com.

Perfectly Polished Tips 137 - China Glaze Summer Days

2009-06-23T00:15:00.004-04:00

I know most of the stuff I am going to post in the coming days/weeks is going to be so 6 months ago, and I apologize. I haven't been the best blogger but I am going to try to make up for it. So even if you have viewed the collections a bunch on the other blogs I hope you enjoy the photos anyways. Also I got a new camera, the following photos were taken on my old one and the reds and pinks always came out slightly off. My new camera seems to take much better photos so I'm really excited about that.

First up I have China Glaze's Summer Days collection. When I saw the promo photos for this collection I was immediately in love. They all have that amazing glass flecked glitter look. I like each polish in this collection which isn't something that happens often. I even love Orange Marmalade and I don't usually do orange.

Orange Marmalade

Cherry Pie - it's not as orange in real life, it makes an awesome pedicure color when layered on top of a red creme.

Raspberry Festival - not as red in real life.

Strawberry Fields - has gorgeous gold shimmer.

Grape Juice

Watermelon Rind

These may still be available in some Sally Beauty locations and I believe they are still available online. They are perfect for summer (or anytime really!).

Perfectly Polished Tips 136 Rescue Beauty Lounge 50% off Sale

2009-04-29T22:28:00.002-04:00

Tomorrow ONLY from 12-2 PM EST Rescue Beauty Lounge is having a 50% off sale on their Nail Polish, however you MUST buy one beauty product in order to get the discount.

COUPON CODE: Mea Culpa

Just wanted to share, now would be the time to get those polishes you've wanted but couldn't justify spending the money on. Too bad I've already used up all my birthday dough. I would so get a couple of those glitter polishes, and Under the Stars because I've been lemming that forever.

Perfectly Polished Tips 135 - Butter London Turn in Your Toxins

2009-04-22T00:33:00.002-04:00

Tomorrow in honor of Earth Day Butter London is giving the first 500 customers to log onto their site 1 free bottle of polish of their choosing. I believe the promo begins at 8AM PST/11 AM EST. Their website is www.butterlondon.com.

I am so sorry for my absence! I am expecting baby #2 this fall and up until about a week ago the smell of all polish even B3F polish irritated my tummy. I have a new camera and hopefully more sunny weather, I have a ton of new-ish stuff to share and I hope to be back to posting regularly.

Perfectly Polished Tips 134 - More Spring BB Couture for Nails

2009-03-16T21:01:00.003-04:00

Finally I have for you the other two spring BB Couture shades; Sea of Cortez and Frosty Meadow. Both are lovely jelly finishes that are sprinkled with multi colored glitter. I had a bit of trouble applying them because I don't often wear jelly shades. I tried three thin coats to help the opacity but just ended up with an uneven paint job that looked globbed on in some spots. You will be able to see that in the photos. I thought about it and decided the best plan of action was to either use ridge filler, Zoya's Get Even is great as well as Essie's, or to use white polish underneath. Something like Milani Soft White or Essie Below the Belt. Unless of course a visible polish line doesn't bother you, then two coats and you should be good to go. BB Couture makes very unique colors and the brush and formula are great. If I remember correctly these polishes also have a built in base and top coat. I like to use them with BB's quick drying raspberry scented topcoat though.

This polish is a beautiful shade of blue and so perfect for spring. You can see what I meant about thickness if you look at my pointer finger.

This green shade probably made a lot of green and glitter lovers very happy. This isn't something I'd normally wear on my finger tips but I think I am going to love it for pedicures.

In addition to these two colors and Midnight Desire I believe there are a few other colors out for spring as well, including an olive green. You can find them on OverallBeauty.com.

Perfectly Polished Tips 133 - Zularis Naturals Contest

2009-03-12T12:06:00.002-04:00

Recently I was given the opportunity to try Zularis Naturals products and I fell instantly in love. I will do a full review later on but I wanted to give my readers a chance to win a Passionfruit Papaya Goodie bag. The goodies will include:

*8-9 oz Layered Hand and Foot Sugar Scrub. It contains two layers of my new passionfruit papaya scent with a layer of mango in between.

*2oz Passionfruit Papaya Hand and Body Rub

*1/2 oz Intensive Repair Cuticle Oil

*a foot file/callus reducer and an emery board

The scrub and body rub are amazing products, I have yet to try out the cuticle oil and lord knows I need it! You can check out how to enter the contest at the Zularis Naturals Blog. The contest is running until March 22nd at midnight and is open to US residents only.

As for myself, I have a ton of things to share but have been super busy. Not to mention the end of winter has killed my nails, most tore almost to the quick so I am trying to nurse them back to health before doing swatch photos. I hope to have some new stuff up in the next couple of days.

Perfectly Polished Tips 132 - Zoya Summer Preview

2009-03-02T17:04:00.002-05:00

Summer color is bright and fun,

Summer color is for everyone

Zoya Nail Polish announces Summer 2009 Collections…

LA-DI-DA and OOH-LA-LA

Summer preview coming soon…

6 creams – 6 metallics – 12 beautiful colors

Connect the (blogger) dots to see all 12 colors. My color clue is Ali from the Ooh-La-La collection:

this is a scavenger hunt of sorts..check out Zoya's twitter for clues to find the other 11 colors.

twitter: Zoya_nailpolish

Perfectly Polished Tips 131 - BB Couture Spring Preview

2009-02-11T07:00:00.000-05:00

I'm calling this a preview because I have not swatched two of the colors yet. I am getting there! BB Couture for Nails has come out with three unique shades for spring. Two glitter polishes, including a green and a deep vampy purple.

Sea of Cortez is a bright blue base infused with rainbow glitter.

Frosty Meadow has a base very similar to Color Club Wild Child and is also infused with rainbow glitter.

Midnight Desire is a blackened purple with shimmer. This color also fits my purple kick, and even though it's blackened it is still visibly purple in all lights. Please excuse the chip on my pointer finger, I began typing too soon and my nails weren't completely dry.

You can find these beauties on OverallBeauty.com. I will have swatches of Sea of Cortez and Frosty Meadow up in the next couple of days.

Perfectly Polished Tips 130 - Essie Spring

2009-02-10T07:00:00.000-05:00

For spring it appears that Essie went slightly outside of her comfort zone. Among the pale pinks and reds she included a blue, but not just a blue, a blue creme! To be quite honest I don't love this collection, my love for pinks and reds have faded completely. I haven't had a red or pink (especially cremes) lemming in a long time. It's hard to make unique variations of them after a while. I suppose it would be the same for blue as well but for some reason I just can't get enough. Each of these polishes applied amazingly, and Mesmerize wore like iron which isn't usual for me when I wear an Essie. I noticed that with the winter collection as well. No complaints here!

One of a Kind is a tomato red creme.

Lacquered Up is an orange-y red but more so red than orange.

Eternal Optimist is described as spiced tea rose. It's a band aid but better color on me, and a bit more pink in real life. I don't think it looks too great on me though.

Flawless is supposed to be a cherry blossom pink, it's more bubble gum in real life. My camera doesn't pick up pinks well in artificial lighting.

Status Symbol is a tame hot pink. Even though it's been done a million times I know already that this is going to be a favorite spring/summer pedicure color for me.

Mesmerize is royal blue amazing-ness. My favorite from the collection.

Essie spring is currently for sale and should be relatively easy to find. I really want to applaud Essie for coming out with two awesome collections in a row. Winter was brillant with those purples and now with Mesmerize. Maybe one day she'll come up with a collection filled with nothing but jewel toned greens, purples, and blues. You hear that Essie?

Perfectly Polished Tips 129 - Zoya Twist

2009-02-09T11:21:00.004-05:00

The Twist collection is made up of 6 bright and cherry colors for spring. When I saw that this collection included a blue and a gray I was overly excited. I have been on the hunt for a cheap and easy to get gray polish, although Harley isn't a creme it still (temporarily) satisfies my craving. I did try to franken a gray creme but the formulas must not of liked one another because I got tons of bubbles each time I used it. Anyways back to Twist, I think I can honestly say I love each color in this set, which doesn't happen often. They all applied like a dream and 2 coats of polish was plenty, except for Cassie, I used three coats because it was a little sheer. I think this collection includes a color that will work with every skin tone.

Harley is a pale grey shimmer. This photo was taken in the sun, the rest were taken in artifical light.

Malia is a light purple creme, I love this polish...it fits in with my purple kick perfectly.

Cassie is more pink in real life, with goregous gold shimmer.

Barbie is a bit pinker and less peach in real life, it also has the beautiful shimmer that I love Zoya for.

Moxie is a raspberry creme and kind of the odd one out, my first thought was why didn't they do a mint green but after trying it out this is a perfect juicy berry shade.

Last but not least Jo. A wonderful powder blue with silver shimmer.

The Twist collection is up for sale now on Zoya.com. Zoya is also doing a polish exchange, I am not 100% sure when it ends, but I believe it is still going on right now. You can send them unloved polishes, empties, even minis and they will send you full size Zoya polishes. You have to pay shipping and I believe it is $3 per polish. You can go here for more details.

Perfectly Polished Tips 128 - Sephora by OPI On Stage

2009-02-03T21:08:00.003-05:00

First please let me apologize for my lack of posting. I have been busy with school and mostly just lazy with my nails. I have a ton of photos to share, I just need to edit them and get them posted! I am working on it and will have new stuff up by the weekend for sure.

Here is a recent NOTD of mine. Sephora by OPI On Stage. I really love this brand of polishes, they are nothing like OPI's main brand. I haven't used Sephora's brand before so I can't compare there. They apply wonderfully, no crazy thick or too runny formula. The best part is the brush is a normal size. I know a lot of people love OPI's Pro Wide brushes but I hate them. I have small nail beds and I make a terrible mess every time I use one. On Stage is a smokey purple but more purple than smokey. I wasn't really in love with it, in most lights it looked like dirty dish water on me. I only did two coats and have a (hopeful) suspicion that it will look nicer with three coats of color. Sephora by OPI also has great staying power and durability.

I have also been trying out a new base coat. European Secrets Rock Hard base coat, it can be found at Sally Beauty. It is a nail hardener, so it can be used alone or over polish. The directions are basically the same as Nail Tek, apply one coat and reapply daily for one week, remove, and start over. I'm just using it as a base coat and so far so good. My nails aren't peeling anymore and I think it's helping prevent staining. If you are looking for a new base coat to try this is a good one. I believe Sally's has it on sale right now as a Buy One Get One, but I think you have to buy the top coat to get the base. I haven't tried the top coat out though so I don't know how well it works.

Perfectly Polished Tips 127 - Zoya's Color Lock System

2009-01-17T07:00:00.001-05:00

Zoya's Color Lock System used to consist of Remove, Anchor, Armor, and Hurry Up Drops. They recently added Get Even Ridge Filler and Renew polish rejuvenator. I have heard that Zoya doesn't play well with some of the base coats and top coats that are favored on the MUA Nail Board and I did have an issue with Seche Vite and Zoya. However since dumped Seche and picking up Out the Door I haven't had an issue. Anyways, I gave the Color Lock System a try and I'm not sure what I think about it.

I love the Remove polish remover, it smells amazing and is ultra gentle on my nails and cuticles. I could do a dozen swatches at once and not have the dryness or redness that would result from using my usual Beauty Secrets remover.

For the manicure I did using the system, I used Jo from the Twist collection, Get Even Ridge Filler, Armor top coat, and Hurry Up drops. I don't have photos at the moment because I have been super busy with school, however I will use the system again and post photos in the near future.

I liked Get Even a lot, it dried very quickly and left my nails looking smooth and neat. It is white in color, I did only one coat but I would imagine that if you did 2 or 3 it would be opaque. That would make it ideal for use under sheers or streaky problem polishes. I applied two coats of Jo after and it looked flawless. My only beef is that after 3 consecutive manicure's using just Get Even as a base coat I got peelies, big time. In the future I am going to try Anchor underneath and if that causes peeling I will use my HG Color Club Vitabase first.

Armor top coat is suppose to protect nails from UV rays and prevent yellowing. It made the polish very glossy looking. I topped that with the reccomended one drop per nail of Hurry Up Drops. Zoya claims that nails will be dry to the touch in 5-10 minutes. 20 minutes later I had a dent in multiple nails. Out the Door has really spolied me, and I'm not if anything else will ever impress me the way OTD does. I reapplied Armor and used the drops after two days as the directions suggested.

By day 5 of my Jo manicure I had horrid tipware and chips. I read somewhere on the Zoya web site that this system is suppose to keep a manicure looking good for up to 2 weeks, which I didn't think was possible anyways. Since I love Zoya polish so much I am going to give the Color Lock system another shot. After I use the system again for photos I am probably going to add Out the Door into the mix. I am too impatient to sit and wait 20 minutes for my tips to dry. I wonder why Zoya hasn't made a quick dry top coat yet..hmmm.

I have the new Twist collection and will try to have photos up by the middle of next week. I go to school full time, and have an almost 3 year old so I don't have much free time right now. Please check back soon and thank you to those who are still reading!

Perfectly Polished Tips 126 - Carolyn New York Swatches

2009-01-16T14:46:00.003-05:00

I posted photos of Carolyn New York's Holiday collection a couple of weeks ago, and now I have a few more colors to share. I really love CNY polishes, I probably went on and on about it in my last post, but seriously everything about them is amazing. If you get the chance to try them, please do. I think they are on sale for $5.99 at the moment but I'm not 100% sure on how long it's going to last.

Brownsville - Melted chocolate on my finger tips

Howard Beach - this is a gorgeous, shimmery purple but unfortunately it was really hard to photograph. Winter here has been horrible, and I haven't had good sunlight in forever. The photo above is pretty true to life, it's a blackened purple with amazing shimmer. It is one of those polishes that look black indoors but if you are lucky enough to catch a glimpse of it in the sun you will be stunned.

.
Howard Beach w/ flash in artificial lighting

Howard Beach w/ flash in artificial lighting. It is not as blue as it appears here.

Hillside - a deep eggplant creme. It's a very clean and classy color.

Street Fair - I somehow mislabeled the photo and for some silly reason I don't have the original photo on my PC. So please excuse the typo! This is a sheer milky pink, the photo is 3 coats over 2 coats of Essie's Ridge Filler. It's a nice clean neutral color and would probably be good for french manicures.

Perfectly Polished Tips 125 - Essie Winter 2008

2009-01-09T22:17:00.004-05:00

For this winter Essie released a collection full of rich, bold, and beautiful colors. Usually I am not drawn to Essie's collections because they normally contain boring reds and pinks, which I have a ton of as it is. However as soon as I laid eyes on pictures of this collection I knew that I would love it. The polishes applied wonderfully and are opaque in two coats, even Shifting Power; however I found that three coats made the shimmer in the polishes pop. I've worn Sexy Divide and Damsel in A Dress, I didn't have great luck with Sexy Divide and it chipped in 2 days. That could have been due to a number of things though. Damsel wore like iron for a week. As most of you know the base coat and top coat play a huge role in how long your manicure will last. Your body's chemistry probably effects that as well.

Shifting Power - sizzling molten gold
Another gold I love but probably won't wear, the brush marks are minimal.

Bold and Beautiful - rich, ruby garnet
Lovely red creme, I actually really like this red.

Sexy Divide - electric violet temptation
This is my favorite from the collection, it's highly pigmented and has a lovely sparkle.

Rock Star Skinny - glamorous crimson red
This is kinda brown on me, with silver shimmer. I didn't really find it to be red at all actually.

It's Genius - violet quartz shimmer
This was another favorite, it has amazing gold glitter. It may be similar to China Glaze's Cow Girl Up but I think the base color might be slightly different.

Damsel in a Dress - oh so deep currant
As with the others this color has a gorgeous shimmer and really fits well with the rest of the collection.

Normally I'm sure that I would complain about all the purple shades included in this collection but I'm going through a purple phase right now and cannot get enough. I think Essie did an awesome job with this collection and the colors are perfect for any time really. I saw some swatches of the Spring Essie collection on Scrangie's blog and that blue is to die for. I cannot wait to get it.

Perfectly Polished Tips 124 - China Glaze Romantique Part Two

2009-01-05T06:09:00.000-05:00

Here is the warm half of the China Glaze Romantique collection. I was drawn to the golden shades in this collection but I feel like I probably won't ever wear them. Unfortunately my camera almost made all of the colors look similar (to me anyways), hopefully the swatches are still helpful!

Emotion

Joy

Poetic

Passion

Magical (more of a sandy color)

Delight (bronze-y brown shade)

My favorites from this part of the set are Magical and Poetic. I love golds but I don't think they love me. I can always wear them on my toes!

Perfectly Polished Tips 123 - China Glaze Romantique Part One

2009-01-04T17:47:00.005-05:00

Sorry for the long delay in posts! The holiday season is killer. China Glaze's newest collection Romantique includes 12 gorgeous metallic colors. They are perfect for the upcoming spring season or any time really. They apply smoothly and while I did have brush strokes they didn't ruin the polishes for me. My favorite part about this collection is that they are all one coaters! That alone made me forget all about the brush strokes. I am posting the cool part of the collection first followed by the warm.

Devotion

Awaken

Cherish

Adore

Admire (as with almost every pink my camera distorts it, it's a bit lighter/truer pink in real life)

Harmony (a bit deeper in real life)

Being a cool toned girl myself, I am partial to this collection with my favorites being Harmony and Adore. I wasn't a huge fan of Cherish but it might be a fun pedicure color for me. Personally I think silvers look better on me than golds but I always find myself disliking the silvers and craving gold.

I hope to be back to posting regularly, and I hope you all had wonderful holidays!

Perfectly Polished Tips 122 - Carolyn New York Colors Holiday 08

2008-12-22T07:00:00.001-05:00

I am a huge fan of Carolyn New York polishes. I got my first ones about a year ago and instantly fell in love. Since then they've branched out with colors and I think have a great line of polishes. They have rubberized caps which I am always a fan of, the brush is small enough for me to comfortably use and not make a mess with, and the formula is great. It's not too thick, or thin, even the lightest colors are not streaky. They wear amazingly too, I got 5 days each out of the last two polishes that I used. The only thing I wasn't in love with when I ordered was the customer service, however since they were just starting out I suppose it was to be expected. Now everything is great and I really recommend this brand overall.

Here is the Holiday 2008 collection:

Holiday Shopping - is pretty orange, maybe not as bright as the photo but I wouldn't call it rosey as the website does. It has gorgeous gold mircoshimmer.

House Party - red with gold glitter, this is my favorite one. It's festive and fun.

New York New Year - purple with subtle yet pretty purple and gold shimmer. This is a must for purple lovers.

Tinsel Town - yellow gold with silver sparkles which give it a foil finish. There are still a few brush strokes but the glitter makes up for it. I go through these phases where I love gold and collect a million, than I realize that gold doesn't look good on me and I pass them along. Well I'm back on that gold kick and I hope I keep them all this time.

Carolyn New York Colors are currently on sale for $5.99 each or you can buy the Holiday Collection as a set for $29.45. Carolyn is also offering free shipping until the end of the year, no code needed.

Perfectly Polished Tips 121 - Essie Love, Beverly Hills xx

2008-12-21T19:09:00.003-05:00

This time Essie teamed up with the Beverly Hills Conference Center and Visitors Bureau to create another red nail polish. This polish is unique though in that it is infused with real 24 karat gold. The polish is very beautiful even if it is not unique. It applied well and does have an amazing glow. Love, Beverly Hills is a Limited Edition item and can be found on Nordstrom.com. However the price is $18. I am an Essie fan however, $18 is a bit steep in my opinion.

I wish Essie would step away from red for a little while and use some of the other amazing colors out there; blues, greens, glitters. The possibilities are endless and yet milky pinks and red show up every time.

Perfectly Polished Tips 120 - Octa Gone Wild

2008-12-16T11:27:00.002-05:00

The China Glaze Kaleidoscope Collection is full of holographic glitter and comes in colors that will work with every skin tone. These have recently been discontinued, they are still for sale on the e-tailers (which are listed in my side bar) but I don't know how much longer they will be available for.

I also wanted to apologize for the lack of posts lately. It's the end of the semester so I've been focusing on that. Tomorrow I will be offically on winter break so check back. I have China Glaze Romantiques as well as Carolyn New York Color's Holiday Collection to share.

Perfectly Polished Tips 119 - Essie Pama

2008-12-10T08:00:00.001-05:00

Essie and Pama teamed up to create a polish capturing the lush red of a pomegranate. Pama hosted a give away of the polish, and it went fast. I was surprised that I was able to get one. It's pretty much your run of the mill pink based red creme polish. It applied wonderfully and might even be jelly-ish. If you missed out on this give away don't be disappointed because it's dupe-able. I've been really impressed with Essie as of late, awesome colors, formula, and wear.

As for pomegranate flavored liqueur, I've never tasted it. The website is pretty nifty though and they seem to have some good recipes. Head on over there and explore, Pama Liqueur.

Perfectly Polished Tips 118 - China Glaze Swatches

2008-12-09T17:50:00.003-05:00

Inner Beauty is a sheer milky pink. The picture is two coats and as you can see it's a bit streaky. I don't normally wear colors like this. A ridge filling base coat would make this polish look a million times better. This is a great color for a french manicure or if you are going for that clean look.

Blushing is another sheer color, this is more beige than pink. Again a ridge filling base coat is needed for these types of colors.

This polish was sent to me unlabeled. I've gotten a few suggestions of it possibly being Summer Rain or Rio but I'm not 100%. It's a bit brighter in real life. This picture is two coats and I have a visible polish line, so another coat would probably fix that.

For Audrey is pretty much a dead on dupe for Tiffany's blue boxes. I love this color but only wear it on my toes. Swatching it was the first time I had ever put it on my finger nails. I'm not sure if I would ever do it again. It applies nicely and is opaque in two coats.

Long kiss is a deep red with very subtle gold shimmer. It's an awesome holiday color.

As far as I know all of these colors are current and can be purchased where ever China Glaze is found.

Perfectly Polished Tips 117 - China Glaze Operation Color

2008-12-05T15:32:00.000-05:00

I'm kinda late to the party with this collection. It's still fall though! China Glaze released Operation Color for fall 2008. I personally felt like these colors would have been more appropriate for a spring collection but I really like them. As I've mentioned before I love almost every polish with a creme finish. Combine that with hues of blues and purples and I'm hooked. I didn't have any application with these polishes and even though my pictures show two coats of color I have a visible polish line, so in the future I would use three coats of color.

Secret Peri-wink-le is a pastel periwinkle creme. The color shown in the photo is pretty true to life.

Agent Lavender is a delicate lilac creme. I hate how my camera likes to assume anything light colored is white. The color is more intense and less blue. Every since I wore Zoya Miley I fell in love with all lavender and lilac colors. They are so clean and lady like.

Pink Underground is a pepto bismal-y pink with subtle pink shimmer. A year ago I would have been all over a color like this now not so much. Believe it or not though I don't have anything similar in my stash.

Here is Pink Underground with flash to show the subtle shimmer.

Revolution is a tomato red creme. I had to alter it a bit to actually make it look like the polish. The picture is pretty close, it's a bit brighter in real life. This red applied very nicely but I just don't do red as much as I used too.

This collection has two more colors as well; Code Orange, and Golden Opportunity. I don't do yellow or orange so I don't have those to show you. I know a lot of the other blogs have posted swatches though so you should be able to find them easily if you're curious!

Perfectly Polished Tips 116 - Piggy Polish Part 2

2008-12-04T08:00:00.000-05:00

Here is the second half of my Piggy Polish swatches.

Sunshine on Snowflakes is holographic glitter in a clear base. I probably should have layered this over another color. My nails are so yellow and not in any shape to be photographed naked. This polish reminds me a lot of China Glaze Fairy Dust but I think the glitter pieces are larger.

Purple HEYS is a fuchsia creme and a bit more purple in real life. It applied wonderfully and dries shiny. It's similar to Zoya Audrina but slightly less pastel.

Pirates & Giggles is a sheer pink with pink shimmer. The above picture is three coats of polish. I would prefer to layer it over another polish but that's just me.

Pirates & Giggles with flash.

Pinkerbelle is a bubble gum pink creme. It has no hints of coral like the picture might suggest. It wasn't chalky at all though which is always good.

Like I mentioned in my last Piggy Polish post their polishes seem to look better with three coats, all of these swatches are three coats except for Sunshine on Snowflakes which is only two.

Perfectly Polished Tips 115 - Two Things to Share

2008-12-03T20:12:00.002-05:00

1. China Glaze's Romantique collection is up for sale on Transdesign.com

2. Butter London is having a friends and family sale. From December 4-9 enter code FF2008BL during check out to receive 20% off any online order.

Happy shopping!

Perfectly Polished Tips 114 - Piggy Polish Part 1

2008-12-03T09:00:00.001-05:00

Piggy Polish is a new brand to me. As I don't have an Ulta or any little beauty supplies around here (that I know of anyways). You can order from their website though, www.PiggyPolish.com. All of the polishes applied really well, I wasn't crazy about the brush. I think the stem was a weird length; not as long as BB Couture but not as short as Zoya. It was just strange to me. These polishes look great after two coats but three makes the shimmer just pop. The website has a color chart up but they aren't accurate so I pretty much picked the colors based on names.

You're Blue-tiful is a sheer, shimmery sea green. This is three coats. I have this on my toes right now, but I have China Glaze For Audrey underneath.

You're Blue-tiful with flash.

Something Blue is a metallic blue with amazing blue shimmer. It's not quite as bright as the picture above but it's a beautiful color.

Something Blue with flash.

Blue Me Away is a slate blue color with a light blue shimmer. It's a pretty interesting color, it looks grey in some lights and blue in other. The shimmer is pretty subtle. This picture is three coats.

Blue Me Away with Flash.

Piggy Polish retails for $6 on thier website and at Ulta.

Perfectly Polished Tips 113 - Zoya Kalista

2008-12-02T20:06:00.002-05:00

For the long holiday weekend we went to visit family. I was worried about my polish chipping but didn't want to be bothered with bringing my manicure supplies. I put on Zoya Kalista and decided I would just deal with any mishaps. To my surprise and delight Kalista lasted a whole week. I applied it last Tuesday and removed it today to swatch some new polishes.

Here is photo from earlier this afternoon. I had one tiny chip on my left thumb but other than that all I had was some tip wear.

I was surprised because I've never had a Zoya wear this well for me. I used Color Club Vita Base and Out the Door top coat. When I first started getting serious about my nails I would worry about chipping and it would always happen with in 2-3 days. Finally I stopped worrying and decided it wouldn't be the end of the world if I walked around with a chipped, or *gasp* naked nails for a couple of days. Now I get awesome wear out of pretty much all of my polishes. I don't think it's the base coat because before that I was using Lippmann Hydrating and I got great results as well. Maybe it's Out the Door.

I just wanted to share because I love Zoya polish but always shy away from using them because I don't have as much time to change my polish as often as I used too.

Perfectly Polished Tips 112 - A Gift for the Polish Addict on Your List

2008-11-28T17:32:00.004-05:00

Rescue Beauty Lounge is currently offering a library of 47 nail polishes for the holiday season.

"For the girl who THOUGHT she had everything: The Rescue Beauty Lounge Nail Polish Library-Limited Edition. Yes. The works. Forty-Seven gorgeous shades from the palest taupe to a ruby-infused black and of course secret weapon Base Coat Prep, Base Coat and Top Coat. Plus the "sold out before they ever hit the shelves" Bruised (a plummy brown or a brownish plum), the sophisticated blue-green Teal and No More War, a peace-loving olive green."

This retails for $750, which saves you $150. You can check out RescueBeauty.com for more details. Also RBL has free shipping, so even if this deal doesn't appeal to you, now would be the time to make an order!

Sorry I have been MIA! Between the holiday and the end of the semester I've been busy. I have some stuff to share and will be back posting next week. I hope you all had a great holiday & enjoy the weekend!

Perfectly Polished Tips 111 - Free Zoya Nail Polish

2008-11-24T00:00:00.001-05:00

Until tomorrow, 11/25 Zoya is giving away a Fall or Winter sampler pack with every purchase of a Color Lock System. Just add the Color Lock System to your cart and type in the code that corresponds to the sampler you would like. It will be automatically added to your order.

For the Vibe Sampler - VIBE (you can see my swatches here)
For the Pulse Sampler - PULSE (you can see my swatches here)
For the Flourish Sampler - FLOURISH (you can see my swatches here)

These codes can be used at Zoya.com and Qtica.com. They may not be combined with any other promotions or free gifts. One per order.

This is an awesome deal and perfect for the up coming holidays!

Perfectly Polished Tips 110 - Franken Polish Extravaganza

2008-11-23T11:00:00.000-05:00

Before I was able to get my hands on Essie Starry Starry Night I was determined to make my own replica. I went on to make pink and purple versions, but not realizing only certain sparkles worked they were a bust. Last fall NARS had a sale on several of their polishes and I grabbed three. I ended up hating them, the smell, the formula, and I got terrible wear from them. I decided that Midnight Express would make a great base for my SSN dupe. However because I wasn't big on glitter at the time I didn't have much to work with. I used China Glaze Kalidescope Him Out to acheive the glittery goodness of this polish. I believe the Kaliescope collection was recently discontinued, so get them while you still can.

A jelly navy blue with glitter.

I like that the glitter isn't over the top because that's not me.

This concludes my Franken Polish Extravaganza. Mixing polishes is a great way to make to make your self a unique signature color. It's also a good way to (temporarily) satisfy a very very very hard to find lemming.

Perfectly Polished Tips 109 - Franken Polish Extravaganza

2008-11-22T14:00:00.000-05:00

A posts back I wrote about how if there was a smokey orange polish, a la Metro Chic and Parlez- vous OPI? that I would wear orange. I attempted to make one and got this:

I used CND Feista as well as a grey franken. I did orange first and then the grey. I then added a bit of Color Club Heart to Heart which is an orange based red.

It's not as brown in real life, think of the Crayola burnt orange crayon. That is one, right?

Any ideas of what to do to improve it? I think I need to add a whole lot more orange. Or does anyone know of an easily accessable smokey orange polish that already exists? I would prefer a creme but I suppose it doesn't really matter.

Perfectly Polished Tips 108 - Franken Polish Extravaganza

2008-11-21T14:30:00.001-05:00

For whatever reason my Sally Beauty doesn't have China Glaze Recycle. I've been craving that polish since it was released. My first franken polish was a grey creme but it bubbles like crazy, and unfortunately causes all the polishes I've since mixed it with to bubble as well. I don't have a photograph of it because who wants to look at a bubbled up manicure? Not I. Here is what I did make.

looks much nicer in the bottle, and is bumpy on the nail.

to make this I used CND Voodoo, Essie Below the Belt, BB Couture for Nail Diamond Dust, and Cutex Crocodile. The Cutex has to be an oldie because the chemical stench is almost unbearable.

This is made from CND Voodoo and CQ French White. I apologize for the smudge on my middle finger, I hit it just before taking the photo. This grey is a lot lighter than my first franken.

I didn't test the first one with a base coat but I think it might be wearable. The second is right up my alley but I feel like it might be a little too light.

Perfectly Polished Tips 107 - Franken Polish Extravaganza

2008-11-20T19:39:00.003-05:00

Every now and then I get a lemming for a polish that I either cannot find or doesn't exist. When this happens I turn to my stash to see what I can combine. I try to use cheaper polishes or ones I don't love to franken though. Sometimes I will sacrifice (I used some Zulu once) the favorites though. Over the next few days I will be sharing my personal home creations. This polish is probably going to be my NOTWeekend. I already need a break from using up my untrieds.

with flash.

artificial lighting.

To make this polish I combined: China Glaze Shower Together, Color Club Naughtycal Navy, China Glaze Tinsel, and Pure Ice Oh Baby. I don't have exact measurements because I am a messy franken-er. All of the polishes should be very easy to find.

Perfectly Polished Tips 106 - Men Wearing Polish: Goth, Girly, or OK?

2008-11-19T12:08:00.004-05:00

Personally I don't think it's normal for a guy to wear colored nail polish, I guess I am more traditional in that sense. I suppose a manicure or pedicure with clear polish is okay. I would love if my husband would agree to have a nice manicure and pedicure. When I see guys, well male celebrities rather wearing nail polish, specifically black polish, I immediately think -You are trying too hard. I don't think it's goth or girly, it just looks out of place. I haven't witnessed a man wearing polish on their toe nails in real life though, I admit I might be intrigued if I did. Which is why I thoroughly enjoyed reading Darren Garnick's article about getting a fish pedicure, complete with leg exfoliation, tacky flip flops, and orange nail polish. You can read that here - My First Fish Pedicure (and why it poses no threat to American nail salon jobs).

I will admit that I am not a huge fan of orange nail polish, but it doesn't get enough love. There are always people sporting neon green, neon blue, and of course neon pink. Never neon orange though. I feel like most people look down upon any color of varnish that it's pink or red. However it seems that dark plums and greys are making their way into the acceptable category this season. When will that happen for orange? For me an orange would have to have a creme finish for sure, maybe if some one made one with that smoky grey tinge that is in currently they would have themselves a winner. I know I would wear it.

What do you think? Should guys wearing nail polish, on their fingers or toes be considered normal? I know there is the ManGlaze brand but their polish is full of glitter, that doesn't scream manly to me. How about orange? Will it ever make it to the main stream?

ETA: I completely forgot to write about the fish pedicure! I was trying to type this up as quickly as possible this afternoon. My 2 year old was watching a DVD and I didn't know how long I had HAHA.

After reading about Darren's experience I want to try it out. At first I was concerned about how sanitary it would be, but I guess if I am able to find a knowledgeable salon I should be good to go. Of course there are simpler ways to exfoliate your feet but it would give me a good head start. I'm going to look into it and see if I can find a place near me. However I will say that I hate having my feet touched, I always keep my toes painted but I've had maybe 3 or 4 professional pedicures and I only recently, probably with in the last two years, began wearing flip flops. Before then I would always have socks on.

Also I am not judging the men who do choose to wear polish. I think it is awesome that they are confident enough to do so. I also see sporting polish as a type of self expression, and who I am to judge how someone chooses to express themselves. I personally don't like it, but that's just me.

Perfectly Polished Tips 105 - Amour Black Berry

2008-11-18T22:44:00.002-05:00

I am working through the untried polishes in my stash. At first I was going to use Random.org's integer generator but it kept choosing colors I had already worn and I wasn't about to make a new spread sheet for my unworn polishes. So I decided I would go in alphabetical order by brand. I'll be doing ones I haven't photographed on tips and those that have been swatched but not worn on my toes. First up Amour Black Berry

This color doesn't look like a black berry at all. It's a coppery, redish brown with gold shimmer. I don't like it at all and it will probably be removed once I am finished with this post. The first coat went on a deep berry color so I thought I might like it but once I saw it under my bulbs I said no way. I was really going to try to stick it out but I just don't think it's for me.

It applied beautifully though, it was opaque in two coats and I didn't have an issue with streaking. I did three coats because all of the sudden I have become a habitual three coater. The brush is nice, not too wide, and it's not super long or short. I had good control over it. It dried very quickly with the help of Out the Door. I would definitely buy this brand of polish but just not this color.

I did some Googling and couldn't find anything on the company but Transdesign.com sells them for $1.99 and it seems like they have some good color choices.

Perfectly Polished Tips 104 - OPI My Private Jet

2008-11-17T18:29:00.003-05:00

I take back every mean thing that I said about OPI My Private Jet. Today was MPJ day over at the MUA nail board and I wanted to participate so I decided I would give this polish another chance. This polish has been quite lucky because I think this is the 4th or so time I've given it another go in hopes of loving it. Usually I don't do that. I layered My Private Jet over SpaRitual Solitude and was instantly in love. I guess I have just been layering it over the wrong colors. I tried a basic black, grey, and most recently white. None of them looked good to me, and honestly I would have never thought to try purple. I can only imagine what it would look like over blue, or red, or even hot pink.

1 coat of My Private Jet over 3 coats of SpaRitual Solitude

I'm really glad that I gave this polish another go. As I posted before there are two versions, this is the holographic version. The other is sparkley but not holographic. I think the Polish Addict posted pictures a few weeks ago if you are curious.

After counting my untrieds I decided that for the rest of this month each manicure and pedicure I do will be out of that list. I'll try to make it ones I haven't photographed.

Perfectly Polished Tops 103 - My Top 20 Part II

2008-11-16T15:30:00.001-05:00

Here is the other half of my top twenty, in no special order.

Essie Ballet Slippers - my favorite neutral, it's just clean and neat

OPI You Don't Know Jacques - another weird one..honestly I love it purely because it's a creme

SpaRitual Solitude - unique dusty purple and it's a creme

OPI Hollywood & Wine - another classic red

Zoya Yasmeen - this glows..it's such a gorgeous color

OPI Don't Know Beets Me - my go to pedicure color

Zoya Nina - looks like chocolate!

CND Blue Blood - only polish I "needed" a back up of

Lippmann Hit Me With Your Best Shot - bold but still wearable

butter London Henley Regatta - this is a pedicure only polish and I usually layer with Color Club Bizerk Turq

Well there you go, a complete list of the polishes I'm currently loving. Anyone else want to share their top picks?

Perfectly Polished Tips 102 - My Top 20 Part I

2008-11-16T01:47:00.008-05:00

So some people have 1 favorite polish or maybe 5. I however have 20 "must haves" that I would like to share with you. Some are my all time favorite, some are from newer collections. These are the ones I am loving at the moment. Although when I think about it this list isn't really fair, as I haven't worn all the polishes I own. Yet. I will admit that I have an unreasonable amount of untrieds but we'll save that for another day! Here is the first half of my top twenty list. In no special order.

China Glaze White Kwik Silvr - reminds me of winter and the glitter is amazing

Nicole Pinkerbell - soft, girly and Tinkerbell is my favorite

Sephora by OPI Metro Chic - unique but chic..it's a fun color

OPI Got the Blues for Red - my HG red creme, it's classic

Zoya Kalista - one of the few glitter polishes, it's so pretty

L'Oreal Emerpor - my newest obsession..dark blurple (more purple) creme

China Glaze Bermuda Breakaway - perfect blue creme

butter London Portobello Pink - fun summer color..usually I use it on my toes

Lippmann Collection Fade to Black - 1 coater, great for layering

OPI Designer Series Glamour - looks awesome layered over OPI Dating a Royal

Perfectly Polished Tips 101 - Metro Chic & You Don't Know Jacques

2008-11-14T16:09:00.004-05:00

Sephora by OPI Metro Chic and OPI You Don't Know Jacques are two popular colors that were released this fall. I did separate posts on both of these polishes but I never compared the two. The question of are they too similar to own both comes up often. In my opinion no they are not similar at all. Metro Chic goes very purple on me while Jacques pulls a lot of brown. Jacques is also darker than Metro Chic. Of course this is going to vary from skin tone to skin tone.

The lighting today made MC look very grey, usually I get more of a purple look from it.

In real life and in natural lighting Jacques doesn't look this brown. I like it either way though.

Here are the colors side by side. You can see that the tones have changed again, which makes me think it's a pretty versatile polish.

I love both very much and I love that they are cremes even more. I switched to posting large size photos, does it make much of a difference? You can always click on the photo for a bigger one but I think that might also have to do with my photo bucket settings. Let me know what you think.