Lacquer or Leave Her: November 2012

Sation Holiday Golightly Collection Review and Swatches

The wait is over! Some of you may have guessed yesterday's sneak peek of the nail art for tonight. It was based on the super simple Coewless Fair Isle Snowflake tutorial, and it's featuring three colors from the newest Sation collection, Holiday Golightly.

Colors used: Under the Miss-tletoe, I Love Yule, and Feliz Navi-Doll

The complete collection is six colors, and tonight I'll be showing you four of them. But first, here's the info from the press release.

Holidays are a time for all things fabulous: parties, presents, and polish! Miss Professional Nail (Miss) is ringing in the season with “Holiday Golightly,” a shimmering new collection of nail lacquers. These six sparklers are a great idea for fun stocking stuffers and to accessorize your New Year’s Eve look!

Miss’ Creative Director Staci Dao wanted to celebrate the joy of gift-giving (and receiving!) by reminding us to pamper ourselves and our loved ones this season. Silver screen icon Audrey Hepburn captured our hearts playing free-spirited fashionista Holly Golightly, whose love of shiny gems helped inspire Miss in creating this wish list of winter stunners.

From the timeless, Tiffany-inspired blue to unique reds and greens, these luxe shades will light up your holiday season: “Under the Miss-letoe,” a pearlescent pine green; “Feliz Navi-doll,” an icy crystalline grayish-white; “I Love Yule,” a velvety poinsettia red; “Let’s Mingle & Jingle,” a silver-spangled sapphire blue; “Holiday Golightly,” a glistening Robin’s egg blue, and “Stop Scrooging Around,” a gold-sparkled ruby wine. ‘Tis the season to channel our inner Holly Golightly and embrace the Miss mantra that “It’s the little pleasures that count...”

If you don’t the find the Holiday Collection under your tree, it will also be available online and in beauty supplies in late October.

I always enjoy a giggle at all the names Miss comes up with. I think my favorite is I Love Yule in that category. I'll let you be the judge as to which color is your favorite though.

Numero uno is Feliz Navi-Doll, shown with 4 coats. This polish is described as "an icy crystalline grayish-white", which is better than I could explain it. It's muy sheer, and you need at least cuatro coats to cover your whole nail and your VNL without a base colore. However, it works beautifully over a base coat of blanca. I layered it over Strumming My Nails (also a Sation) and really enjoyed that look. Layering it without a base color will give a softer finish however. Es muy bonita!

Feliz Navi-Doll

Next is Holiday Golightly. I see why this is the namesake of the collection, because it's unique to any other holiday collection I've seen since I started getting into nails. It's perfect though, and I'm really glad I got to try it. It's shown with 4 coats as well, and applies very sheer. Only the first layer is uneven though, and the rest smooth everything nicely. It's unlike the sky blue you might think it to be, in that a slight green tint makes it more teal than anything. If it didn't have shimmer in it, and if it weren't paired with the other colors of the collection, I'd venture to say it was a spring color!

Holiday Golightly

The last shimmering polish I'm showing you today is Under the Miss-tletoe. (Oh Miss, so clever!) The perfect pine color with added shimmer to bring it out in a different way. The shimmer's a little blue. It's like a dewy pine tree on a sunny morning with a clear blue sky. The dew and the reflection from the sky could create this kind of look on the needles. I really like the way my nails look with this on!

Under the Miss-tletoe

The last color, I Love Yule, doesn't contain any shimmer. It's a 2-coat creme color. Santa's suit is a good comparison of this color. Or it could be the color under many Walmart shoppers' nails after Black Friday sales as it's a bit of a blood color. A brick blood color that looks fantastic against my skin color. I can't imagine it looking bad on many others'! It was really easy to work with for the nail art as well, whereas I wouldn't recommend using Under the Miss-tletoe for that. Honestly, shorter nails with less white on their nail showing could definitely just do one thin coat of this. I love that.

I Love Yule

There are two other colors in the collection that I didn't share with you today: Let's Mingle and Jingle and Stop Scrooging Around. You can see those swatches over at Polish Art Addiction though.

I think my favorite for the color is Holiday Golightly, but for application I'd have to say I Love Yule. Pigmented colors always make me happiest!

You can pick up the collection right now at the Miss PN store for $5.00.

These products were sent to me by Miss Professional Nail. The reviews are based entirely on my experience with the products and were in no way influenced by anyone.

Ciiiiiiinderelllaaaaaaa!

Another quick one tonight as I'm ridiculously pooped today. I still haven't gotten back on my work sleep schedule, so I'm going to bed at around 1 and waking up between 5:45 and 6:30. It's not very enjoyable, as I'm sure you could imagine. Today, we're going to take a look at Sinful Colors Cinderella.

Cinderella is a powder baby blue jelly with a gorgeous pink flash. The flash is pretty prominent in the bottle, and, luckily, it's prominent on the nail.

Application is a bit tricky. The first two coats are very streaky. It also clumps a little and thickens the longer you keep the bottle open. This is three coats, and, as you can see, it is patchy in spots.

Here's the pink flash on the nail. I really love this effect. It's like the polish is glowing on my fingers. Simply gorgeous.

Despite the application issues, I really enjoyed wearing this polish. It was one of those polishes that I just sat and stared at all day. Unfortunately, Cinderella has been discontinued, but you can still find it if you dig around the bins at Walgreens. While I liked Cinderella, I have another baby blue polish with pink flash that I like much better. Girly Bits Arctic Sunrise is everything Cinderella isn't. It has the gorgeous color and the perfect application I've grown to love from Girly Bits just a little bit darker blue. I'll try to show that one to you guys sometime next week.

Do you have a baby blue with pink flash polish? Which one and what do you think about it?

Before & After Twinpost: Flip Flop Fantasy

Hello!

I promised you a summery manicure today, and here it is! This week Dina and I are up to Cheeky plate 37, and we decided on the flip flop image from that plate.

I want to go on record as saying I was not a fan of this image from the start, lol! I'm not sure why, maybe it's because the full image has the word 'flip flop' in the middle, or maybe because in the whole image there isn't one pair of flip flops that aren't cut off one or the other in some way, and that drives my OCD crazy, lol. Whatever the reason, it just isn't my thing. But as Dina points out, that's what makes this a challenge, because it makes us do stuff we might not otherwise!

So here's what I decided to do with it. I started with a base of China Glaze Bare If You Dare, which is a really pretty coral-orange color with a golden shimmer:

China Glaze Bare If You Dare

I decided to do a layered look for the flip-flops, so I started with Sally Hansen Insta Dry Lightning, and then stamped over it again with Konad red, to make it look like there was a sole and a top-section. Then on the accent nail, I stamped little footsie prints in Lightning, with Shany plate 03...I figure, since the flip-flops are empty, the feet must have gone off on their own! (Note: I never said I wasn't crazy):

Flippety Floppety Feetsies

Overall I like it, I think it's cute; I just have to pretend I didn't mess up on the first finger as badly as I did. Ironically, it was actually the last finger I stamped. Grrrr...

So, there's a little flash of summer for you, and don't forget to check out what Dina did with this stamp, which you can see by clicking here!

Thanks for looking. :)

Xoxox,
M.

The Manicurator Dotted French Nail Art for Marc Jacobs DOT

A beautiful nail look inspired by a brand we love, created by a blogger we love!

The ever talented Manicurator designed a timeless, dotted French nail art look inspired by Marc Jacob's newest fragrance DOT (top), as well as a second look inspired by the chic packaging (bottom). See more pictures of these manicures from The Manicurator HERE.

Zoya Nail Polish in Ziv (gold), Zoya Rekha (red) and Zoya Raven (black) were used to create these amazingly elegant looks!

ZOYA IS THE NEW COLOR OF FASHION!
www.zoya.com

NOTD Before & After: Glitter Gal Evening Light

Hello!

As we leave fall and sneak on into the full-on Christmas season, I thought I'd do a manicure for you that has a slightly different color scheme than the ones I've been posting lately. Tomorrow's will be a big seasonal departure...but I'll leave that a mystery as to why. :)

For today's manicure I started with what might be one of the prettiest, girliest duochromes I've ever seen, and I love it like crazy. You know I don't care for pink, and this definitely has pink, but it has a rosey, glowy pink that shifts coral, and even a bit purple-y. It's Glitter Gal's Evening Light, and it reminds me of the sorts of sunsets you see in pictures of Maui. :) Take a look:

Glitter Gal Evening Light

Evening Light in direct sun

Even in the shade, it does look like it is it's own light source, and it has a very subtle shimmer, not in-your-face at all. It's very flattering on me, and I have a finicky skin tone, so I think it would be pretty on most people. :)

I wanted to do something a little different with the color-scheme of the stamping, so I used China Glaze's Tree Hugger, an avocado-moss sort of green. I stamped using Bundle Monster plate 314:

Soft green leafy vines. :)

Good shot to see the duochrome shift :)

Mmm...glowy...:)

This is one of those manicures I couldn't stop looking at, and that I didn't want to take off. I will definitely be recreating this one again. :)

Thanks for stopping by to take a look! Stay tuned for a summery manicure tomorrow...:)

Xoxox,
M.

Sneak Peek Santa

I have an exciting couple of swatches for you tomorrow, but I feel bad holding out on my favorite part of the post. Sometimes I just can't contain the fun, so here's a sneak peek at tomorrow's goodies!

Stay tuned!

Comparison Thursday: Vampy Reds/Purples

I apparently have a million vampy red (and purpleish red) OPIs... I thought it might be a good idea to check them out tonight! I decided to toss in a China Glaze and an Essence for good measure. Let's take a look, shall we?

Top Row (top picture) right hand: Black Tie Optional, Have You Seen my Limo, Int'l Date Line, Fateful Desire, and Mat-adore Red

Bottom Row (top picture) left hand: Prey Tell, Germanicure by OPI, Every Month is Oktoberfest, La Boheme, and Painted Desert Crimson

All of these polishes applied really well. They're all two coats and perfect, except for the smudge on my right thumb... Here's the finish breakdown:

Cremes: Prey Tell, Int'l Date Line, Fateful Desire, and Mat-adore Red
Color Shifts / Multi-Chromes: La Boheme, Black Tie Optional, Have You Seen my Limo, Painted Desert Crimson
Shimmers: Germanicure, Oktoberfest

There's not really much to say about these, other than Germanicure and Oktoberfest are similar enough to not have both. Prey Tell is pretty much the creme, non-chrome version of Black Tie Optional. They both have the same rich and deep red that borders on purple. My La Boheme doesn't have the strong gold and green flashes on my nail, but I think it's because I really need to shake the crap out of my bottle to mix it up a little better. It's gorgeous in the bottle. The black label OPIs smell pretty terrible, but they apply much better than the green labels. I wish I got home with enough sunlight to show off the gorgeous shimmers and color shifts in these polishes, but I got home well after the sun had set. I'll try to take pics again on a weekend so you guys can see how pretty these polishes truly are.

Pretty much every single one of these polishes has been discontinued. I'm not really sure about the Essence, but the rest can only be found in salons or supply stores that have older collections. Prey Tell, Germanicure, and Oktoberfest would be the easiest of this grouping to find in the main chains like Ulta since they were released only a few months ago.

Which is your favorite?

Spreading Holiday Cheer With Zoya Nail Polish - Don't Miss A Drop!

(Zoya Nail Polish Ornate Collection Holiday 2012)

Ready for a fun and beauty filled holiday season?!

The season of giving has begun, so don't miss out on upcoming super buys from Zoya Nail Polish and Qtica! There may be some really, REALLY big things coming at the beginning of December (wink, wink) and you never know when or where they will pop up. To make sure you get in on the action, Zoya Nail Polish recommends doing the following:

1. Like Zoya Nail Polish on Facebook
*Learn how to Get Notifications & add Zoya to your Interest Lists here.
2. Follow Zoya Nail Polish on Twitter (@ZoyaNailPolish)
3. Follow Zoya Nail Polish on Pinterest (@ZoyaNailPolish)
4. Follow Zoya Nail Polish on Instagram (@ZoyaNailPolish)

*Most importantly - be sure to set up an account at www.zoya.com ahead of time - you won't have time to create one once any deals are released, they're gone in a flash!

Information may be released on all of the above locations where others will only be released on each individual outlet. Increase your chances and follow all!

ZOYA IS THE NEW COLOR OF FASHION!
www.zoya.com

New email address!

Just a quick post to let you guys know that I've updated my email address to wishesofablueeyedgirl@gmail.com. I finally realized that I needed a dedicated blog address. If you need me for anything, that's the best way to contact me.

I'll have a real post for you guys tonight. In the meantime, check out the most terrifying book covers I've ever seen in the children's section of a book store...

Must Have Color - Pittsburgh Tribune Features Zoya Nail Polish in Monica

Fashion's biggest "it" color right now - moody red and berry tones like burgundy, wine, oxblood, maroon and Merlot.

Wear this trend on your nails with a sultry, plum shade like Zoya Nail Polish in Monica - featured in the Pittsburgh Tribune Online Feature about the season's newest hue!

"It is amazing how well burgundy plays with other colors, says Marissa Rubin, senior market editor for People Style Watch."

To find the best Oxblood nail polish to suit your personal style and skin tone, check out the entire collection of Oxblood Red Nail Polish Shades by Zoya.

ZOYA IS THE NEW COLOR OF FASHION!
www.zoya.com

Zoya Nail Polish Pop Up Salon in Pink at Glamour Magazine!

Zoya Nail Polish created fun Pop Up Salon at the offices of Glamour Magazine recently to celebrate the beautiful new Pretty in Pink look of Glamour.com.


Sunshine Outing, Manicurist, applied various Zoya Pinks and create custom looks for Glamour Staffers!

Glamour staffers selected a variety of Glamour-inspired pinks by Zoya and were treated to custom nail looks by manicurist Sunshine Outing and assistants... All this just in time to wear home for Thanksgiving Holiday celebrations - Timing is everything! Everyone looked beautiful.

Zoya Pink Nail Polish

Click to see more of the looks the created for the Girls in the Beauty Department at Glamour.

And you find yourself wondering just what Glam Pink is for you... browse The Zoya Pink Nail Polish page for lots of pretty in pink options

ZOYA IS THE NEW COLOR OF FASHION!
www.zoya.com

Before & After: L is for Lalique

Hello!!!

Are you ready for this week's installment of Llama Nails' alphabet challenge? This week we're on 'L', and I decided to use 'Lalique' as my 'L'.

To recreate the look of some of the beautiful pieces by Lalique, I chose retro colors and a swirly lacy design. :)

I started with Maya Hex (Indie Alert!!) for my base; this is a simple, understated polish that can be easily overlooked. It's an olive 'drab' with a gold undertone and gold flakies in it that give it just a little bit of flash:

Maya Hex

Next, I stamped over it using China Glaze Passion, and Anna's W217 plate. Then I put dots of Color Club Alter Ego on the swirls to give it an inlaid look, and on the accent nail put microbeads that I got from Born Pretty Store on the design (I told you I'm addicted to those mirco-beads!):

L is for Lalique...Art Nouveau goodness :)

Or, at least, my attempt at Art Nouveau goodness...:)

I can't say I'm completely in love with it--I do like it, but it's not quite what I was going for. Regardless, it does call up the sort of design that I think a woman would wear if nail art had been around at that time, to complement a beautiful Lalique necklace or pin!

If you want to pick up the micro-beads, I reviewed them yesterday, and you can get them at Born Pretty Store by clicking here; here is my 10% off code for your entire order:

Born Pretty Store

Thanks for taking a look, and please check out the other 'L' manicures, linked below. :)

Xoxox,
M.

Windestine Review and Swatches

One of my first favorite Etsy shops was Windestine. The creator, Freda, was one of the original black and white glitter creator, with two of my long-running favorites, Carbon Copy and Asbestos. In addition to creating amazing glitters, Freda's a truly outstanding seller. She individually contacted me when she found out that the polishes I bought from her may contain steel mixing balls that may leech into the polish. She offered to reimburse me even!

Since Etsy, she's moved up to her own site, now selling through Big Cartel. Asbestos and Carbon Copy are both still available, but she's also added some really dreamy colors. I'm showing you three of those today: Pele, Androgynous, and Snow Prince.

I'm beyond pleased to report that I absolutely loved these three polishes. They're on the sheer side, but that's intentional. It creates the sometimes milky, sometimes candy effect that brings out the glitters in the mixes. I'm so excited to show these today!

First is Androgynous. While I like this one a lot, it's not the best for my skin tone. I'm showing 4 coats for this one, with no base color. It would be unbelievable over a nude, which I regret not showing you in the post. Guess you'll just have to get a bottle of your own to try out!

Androgynous

The next color is Snow Prince. This is the milky polish I was talking about. I used 4 coats again with no base coat. The milky base has both gold and pink pieces of glitter. It's simple, but it's really a perfect mix.

Snow Prince

I liked this polish so much, I kept it on for several days! I also did a little floral nail art to accompany it. Just like the polish, I wanted to make it a subtle design. Can you see all the flowers?

The last color I'm showing today is Pele. OH WOW. I really just want to suck on this color, like a Jolly Rancher. It's a true jelly color, sweet and delicious. I can hardly stand it. I'm actually wearing this polish again. I couldn't wait to put it back on after swatching! This is showing 3 coats with no base color.

Pele

I loved the application and recipe of each of these, as different as they are. I'll likely be placing an order for a few more, and you can too at the Windestine shop.

Thank you for your excellent business Freda! I can't wait to see more from the shop!

These products were sent to me by Windestine. The reviews are based entirely on my experience with the products and were in no way influenced by anyone.