Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Marc Jacobs Beauty: Oui! - Enamored Hi-Shine Lacquer Swatches & Review

Tuesday, August 27, 2013
I was extremely excited when I first heard about Marc Jacobs Beauty.  I have been a lover of everything Marc Jacobs for years now, so I've been waiting for months for the arrival.  The collection finally launched on August 9th at Sephora, and I was there the same day to purchase the Enamored Lacquers of course.

The first lacquer I will be showing you is Oui!, a stunning metallic magenta that just glows.  It is one of those halfway between pink and purple colors that I always seem to buy because I'm constantly searching for the perfect one, and I am pleased to say that this is it!


The formula is perfect in two coats, without any dragging or issues at all, and I couldn't believe how smooth it was to apply top coat over it.  I thought this polish might have some visible brushstrokes, but they are practically invisible in person (the camera picked them up in a few photos unfortunately).  I'm very impressed overall, but I knew Marc wouldn't let me down!






My first MJ Beauty haul:
Lash Lifter Gel Volume Mascara, and lacquers in Blue Velvet, Nirvana, Petra, and Oui!

You can see my reflection in the bottles, they are so beautiful and glossy!


I purchased the Enamored Lacquers at Sephora for $22 CAD each ($18 US).  I actually ended up going back for a few more lacquers, the Genius Gel Super-Charged Foundation, and the Moisture Balm too.  If you want me to review any of those, let me know!  I just can't get enough of Marc Jacobs Beauty!


Thank you for reading! :)


Kristin


Monday, August 26, 2013

Elevation Polish Echinops & Passion Flower Swatches & Review

Monday, August 26, 2013
Today, I have a lovely pairing from the Wildflower Collection by Elevation Polish for you.  I am a huge Elevation fan (if you couldn't already tell from my Instagram), and they have been offering more holographic polishes lately which I am very happy about!

Echinops is a gorgeous lavender holographic polish.  It has a hint of periwinkle which makes it unique in my collection.  It is perfectly opaque and smooth in two coats and dries to an almost satin finish.  I actually really enjoy the finish it has, so I did not add any top coat for the photos below.

(I promise, my hands are not this orange in person!)



Passion Flower is a glitter topper consisting of a few different shades of purple glitter, green glitter, white hexes, and pale yellow and white circle glitter.  There is also some tiny white glitter and a very fine shimmer that makes this polish look so delicate and beautiful on the nail.  Passion Flower is packed with circle glitter, but they tend to sink to the bottom easily so I had a bit of trouble getting to them.  It definitely helps to stand the bottle upside down for a while before you use it, or give it a good shake.  The formula was great otherwise.  I used one coat for the photos plus top coat.



And, I had to share a macro shot.  I could stare at the bottle all day!


I purchased Echinops and Passion Flower for $8.50 each.  Elevation restocks on the 7th and 22nd days of each month, but they usually have some stock available so you can browse the store whenever you'd like.


Thank you for reading! :)


Kristin

Sunday, August 18, 2013

Rainbow Gradient Nails + Tutorial!

Sunday, August 18, 2013
On Instagram last week, a bunch of nail accounts (111!) joined together to create some rainbow nails as part of one big collaboration hosted by @nailslikelace.  I always love to participate in collaborations with others; it's really exciting to see so many different interpretations of a general theme.

For my rainbow nails, I decided to create a simple rainbow gradient.  This was my first time using so many colors in one gradient, but I'm very happy with how it turned out.  I figured my rainbow needed a pot of gold, so for my accent nail I used two coats of Chanel Gold Fingers, one coat of Gosh Greed, and then I placed some loose holographic gold glitter to create a glitter gradient effect.




Zoya Sooki, China Glaze Sun Worshiper, Orly Glowstick, Love & Beauty Neon Green, and Essie Avenue Maintain








I've been slacking on YouTube (I really need to get a routine going!), so I decided to film this look as well!

Here is the tutorial:



Let me know what you think, and as always, thank you for reading! :)


Kristin


Monday, August 12, 2013

Dance Legend Thermo 171

Monday, August 12, 2013
I finally got my hands on some thermal polishes and I'm so excited about it.  I've had fun playing around with them this past week, and I must say, I just love it when I look down at my hands and they are a completely different color than they were just moments earlier.  It's like having a few different looks built into one.

The first one I tried was Dance Legend Thermo 171.  It's a really lovely pink in it's cold state, and a white-silver shimmer that just glows when it's warm.  Most of the time my nails were white-silver (especially in this hot weather), and the tips of my nails were pink, it was like instant nail art.  It was actually quite distracting while driving because the air conditioning in my car was changing the color of my nails.  I thought it was really cool though!


The formula of 171 is pretty spectacular.  It's opaque in just one coat (I used two for the photos), it dries extremely fast, and isn't streaky like some metallic or shimmer polishes are.  It was one of the few Dance Legend thermals actually in stock on Llarowe at the time, which is why I got it, but I'm so glad I did; I absolutely love it!

Cold state

Warm state

My accent nail is Cirque Colors Fleur est Belle, a Mei Mei's Signatures exclusive.  This was the first time I had worn it, and I can't believe I waited this long.  It's just beautiful!



You can see the beautiful glowing shimmer it has in these photos.





I purchased Dance Legend 171 for $13 on Llarowe.  I am so glad I took the chance and decided to order it, because it's seriously one of my favorite polishes now and I cannot wait to try more!


Thank you for reading! :)


Kristin


Wednesday, August 07, 2013

Born Pretty Holo Polish #4 & #12 Swatches + Review

Wednesday, August 07, 2013
Recently, I was contacted to review some products from the lovely Born Pretty Store.  As I was browsing the website I came across the holo polishes, and they have quite a few amazing colors that I don't already have in my collection.  Of course, being the holo obsessed nail polish addict that I am, I had to try them!  I ended up choosing #4 and #12, so that is what I will be showing you today.


#4 is a beautiful, bright coral-pink linear holographic polish.  In direct sunlight with the holographic effect in full force, it almost looks neon.  It is opaque in two coats, super shiny (I am not wearing top coat in the photos), and so bright and summery, I love it.





It's gorgeous in the shade or indoors as well:



#12 is the most amazing dark green-teal linear holographic polish.  This is definitely one of my favorite holographic polishes in my collection now, it's that good.  It is also opaque in two coats, and extremely shiny (shown without top coat in the photos).  I actually posted a video on Instagram of this polish in action as well (here!).  Obsessed.





It's absolutely beautiful in the shade or indoors as well:




The Born Pretty Holo polishes retail for $5.59 USD and I highly recommend them!  The formula is beautiful (no special base coat required!), and they are extremely glossy with a very strong linear holographic effect.  I think I'm going to have to pick up a few more colors to try because I'm in love with these two!

You can also use the code KSG10 for 10% off your order.  They ship free worldwide!


As always, thank you for reading! :)


Kristin


The products in this post were sent to me for review.

Friday, August 02, 2013

Dance Legend Panandji - Sahara Crystal Collection

Friday, August 02, 2013
Textured polishes have been a love of mine lately.  I love the easy formula, and not having to wear a top coat is a huge plus when I need something quick.

Dance Legend Panandji is a gorgeous, intense coral, with a very fine texture.  It's super bright, dries extremely fast, and has a similar texture to the Nails Inc. Leathers, (not like the China Glaze Textures, which I thought were a bit blah).  I used two coats for the photos.


My accent nail is China Glaze Flip Flop Fantasy with a little gold stud.  Compared to Flip Flop Fantasy, Panandji looks much more vivid, which is pretty impressive, especially for a textured polish.





I bought Dance Legend Panandji from Llarowe for $9, but it's actually on sale at the moment for $7 (here!).

If you are a fan of textured polishes, and neons, then you will absolutely love this one, like I do!


Thank you for reading! :)


Kristin


Chrome Gradient Leopard Print Nails

I'm a bit behind on my blog, so you have probably already seen these (sorry!).  I actually posted them last week on Instagram, but I have many more photos to share so I hope you all don't mind! :)

I wanted something fun for the weekend, and I noticed that it's been quite a while since my last leopard print mani, so the idea came to me after I decided to do a gradient of gold and silver chrome on my nails.  I'm not totally happy with my leopard print this time, but I really love how the design as a whole turned out, and I think the mixed chromes with the white accents are perfect for summer!


I started with a gradient using CND Silver Chrome and Gold Chrome.  For a bit of added sparkle, I topped the gradient with piCture pOlish Majesty (my new favorite on top of everything!).  The accent nail (and leopard print) is Cult Nails Tempest.  To tie it all together, I added a small gold stud on the white accent nail.










I hope you like them, and thank you for reading! :)


Kristin

  
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