Nail Art: Ombre Polka Dot

A few weeks ago, I was privileged to attend our local Yelp Burst day.  The nail polish from the Fingerpaints Crushed Chrome came off unevenly, so I decided to just add to the in-tact nails with some random nail art.

Thanks Yelp for a wonderful evening!

May Sally Beauty Special: China Glaze Clearance Polishes are Buy 1, Get 2 Free!

Two days ago, I got a wonderful email from Sally Beauty Stores about an awesome clearance they're having: Buy any China Glaze nail polish that is on sale, and you get TWO FREE!

The clearance polishes are any of the bottles with the big red sticker on it.  At Sally's, they are usually found at the bottom of the polish shelves at the front of the store, on the shelves by the nail supplies (files, remover, top coats, etc) or in the way back of the store.

Clearance stock varies from store to store, so I suggest hitting up your local Sally's as soon as possible!  The deal ends on Monday, May 19.

I lucked out and decided to try a remote Sally's Beauty store that I didn't believe that many people frequented.  I hit a jackpot of a huge rack of clearance China Glaze, and decided to choose some of the textured polishes that I wasn't very interested in when they first came out.  (And you all know my opinion about textured polishes...)

I nabbed "Teal the Tide Turns" from the 2014 Sea Goddess collection, "Wrinkling the Sheets" from the 2014 Crinkled Chrome collection, and "Boo-gie Down" from the 2013 Halloween collection.... all for $3.29!!!

Just show the advertisement picture when you're ready to check out, and the cashier will enter the discount code for your deal.  It is limited to 1 per customer during your visit, so make your choices count!

Swatches of the two polishes are after the jump:

Revlon Amazing Spider-man 2 Swatch "Electrified Web"

I've ben a huge web-head fan since I was a kid, and although they've received a lot of bashing since Hollywood jumped on the comic book bandwagon, I still love the Spider-man franchise.

Following the steps of OPI, China Glaze, and Covergirl comes Revlon with a makeup line that ties in with the  second installment of the Spider-man reboot, which is appropriate since the film stars Emma Stone, who is also a Revlon model.

I wasn't very interested in the products offered in the makeup line, especially the blue lip gloss (shrug), and even the nail polish wasn't too eye catching for me.  But summer is here with the arrival of big blockbuster movie releases, so I picked up one of the Revlon polishes during Ulta's huge sale where all Revlon products were 40% off.

Summer also means that I go overboard with orange in my makeup, and nail polish choices are no exception.

This is "Electrified Web", which is a duochrome orange polish that transitions into a magenta in the shade.  

The polish reaches full opacity in one generous coat, but I used two because it really is a lovely color.  Revlon's polish formula has yet to disappoint for me, although I experienced chipping immediately (as you can see in my photos), with the polish not even making it to two days of wear.

Revlon "Electrified Web"

 Trying to capture that deep magenta shade...

Revlon "Electrified Web"

And how cute is that bottle cap???

As I've said, the rest of the polish line didn't pique my interest, although I would love to collect the rest if they go on sale in the near future.  

Anniversary Nails! Finger Paints Crystalline Crush Swatch

Happy One-Year Anniversary to my boyfriend and me!

I'll be up in Tampa visiting and eating yummy foods.  I decided to go with a simple manicure for the weekend, using "Crystalline Crush" from the Finger Paints Shredded Chrome Collection.  I am a sucker for rose gold polishes, and while I'm not sure if Finger Paints was going for a textured look, I just picked one of these up for fun at my local Sally Beauty Supply store during its 3-day BOGO Free nail polish deal.

Application was easy, although the formula is a bit gloopy.  I reached full opacity in two coats.  I could have added a third coat, but the polish was starting to feel a bit heavy on my nails.  "Shredded" chrome is a bit of an understatement, as when it dried, the polish was scratchy during wear.  But the color is lovely and shiny without a top coat!

Finger Paints "Crystalline Crush"

Finger Paints "Crystalline Crush"

Wear time was not ideal; the polish started chipping about 2 days after application.

It's not the most unique of gold polishes, and there are very clear flaws with Finger Paints execution.  But it was worth a shot to try during the Sally Deal... AND it ended up matching the beautiful gift my boyfriend gave me.  He knows me so well.

Rose gold FTW!

China Glaze Surprise swatch: Glitter Up

China Glaze "Glitter Up"

As I mentioned in my previous blog post, I wanted to pick up "Glitter Up" from the latest China Glaze polish collection, "Surprise".  There are six chunky glitter toppers in the entire collection, and while all are very unique combinations of colors, there was only one that I was interested in adding to my collection.

"Glitter Up" is a combination of mini and large hexagonal navy blue, sky blue, and coral glitters suspended in a clear base.  Basketball season may be over, but I couldn't stay away from a Florida Gators-esque color themed glitter topper.

Today is the LAST day for Sally Hansen Beauty Supply Store BOGO Free special: all nail polishes are Buy One, Get One Free (excluding OPI brand), so if you're eyeing this fun topper, you can also nab another polish as well!

I applied one layer of "Glitter Up" over two coats of Essie "Find Me an Oasis" from the Resort Fling collection.

China Glaze "Glitter Up"

China Glaze "Glitter Up"

China Glaze "Glitter Up"

The suspension base is nice and smooth, which allows for easy application of the glitters, but because some pieces are so big, I resorted to fishing for the larger pieces and spreading the glitters around to disperse them evenly.

Dry time is average, and I added China Glaze Fast Forward top coat for an extra seal.  I can't wait to revisit this topper during football season!

Three Days ONLY - BOGO Free Nail Polishes at Sally Beauty Supply!

I just received in my email that for the next three days, all nail polish and soak-off gel polishes are Buy One, Get One FREE at Sally Beauty Supply!  It only excludes nail polish kits and OPI brand lacquers, but this is an added bonus in addition to their special running all throughout the month of April: Buy Two polishes, Get One free.

This BOGO Free offer expires on Thursday, April 10, so hurry to your nearest Sally Beauty Store!

I am going to try to pick up one of the chunky glitter toppers from the China Glaze "Surprise!" collection, as swatched by Jen over at The PolishAholic.  I can't resist an orange and blue glitter like "Glitter Up".

I am also supposed to be on a polish budget because I am going to Vegas in two months, so I might just pick up two inexpensive Sally Girl polishes from the limited edition line called "Fresh Picked".  They are four glitter chunks in a milky base polish.  G from NouveauCheap has photos of all four swatches.

Happy shopping!  What polishes do you have your eye on?

Ombre Nails, featuring polishes from an e.l.f. nail polish cube

 I was randomly browsing through the clearance section at Walgreens and I found a nail polish block that e.l.f. cosmetics sell as a gift set during the holidays.  There was no markdown price, so out of curiousity, I brought it to the cosmetics counter and the cashier said that she would sell it to me for $5 (half off the retail price).  For a 12-polish cube, I decided to try out e.l.f. polishes for the first time and bought it.

I was mostly surprised that the cashier offered to markdown the polish cube on her own.  I guess that they have the power to enter in whatever price they want in sales, as opposed to marking down products in certain increments over time.

e.l.f. 12 piece nail polish set

 

I was also inclined to buy this holiday cube because it contained three of the twelve polishes included in the e.l.f. Disney Villains nail cube: Smokin Hot, a red creme for Cruella deVil; Sea Escape, a glitter jelly for Ursula; and Gina Girl, a chunky glitter topper with a purple base for Maleficent.  Admittedly, I wanted everything Maleficent themed because she's my favorite Disney villain.

Looking at the other polishes in the cube, I pulled out most of the top level because they all look great in the current nude trend.  And after my last attempt at an ombre manicure, I decided to swatch the nude polishes in a type of block ombre that transitioned over each of my finger nails.

 

 e.l.f. polishes

For my ombre, I used (from left - right):

• Wedding Bells
• Desert Haze
• Blush
• Prissy Chrissy
• Nude

 

 e.l.f. "Wedding Bells"

"Wedding Bells" is a white creme, with pink undertones.  I applied three layers but it still left a bit of visible nail line.  It's a nice color included in the nail cube, but I believe Sinful Shine "I'm Blushing" has a nicer formula for this bare-bones nude.

 

e.l.f. "Desert Haze"

 

 Next, I applied "Desert Haze".  It is a light taupe creme polish that reaches full opacity in two coats.  It dries quite flat, so this polish truly benefits with a clear coat for shine.

 

 e.l.f. "Blush"

"Blush" is a peach-gold shimmer polish.  It's very pretty with my skintone, but somehow, it leaves me wanting something more.  The shimmer is bright even without a top coat. 

 

e.l.f. "Prissy Crissy"

 

"Prissy Crissy" is a dark coral creme.  This is a nice warm summer color, but once again, the formula lacks some shine when it dries.  I used two coats to reach opacity, and I suggest adding a top coat for shine.

 

e.l.f. "Nude" (on thumb) and block ombre manicure

 

"Nude" is the color I used on my thumb.  It is a mauve brown creme polish that also lacks shine when it dries.  This color is quite meh to me, and probably won't give it a second thought outside of this manicure.  Two coats still stayed streaky on the nail, and a third coat leveled out the formula.

e.l.f. block ombre nail manicure

Extending an ombre across your nails is an easy alternative to using the sponge-dabbing method in my last ombre attempt.  

Sally Hansen "Ooh la la Ombre" Poppy Purples kit Review and Tutorial

This past winter, I picked up all three of the Sally Hansen "Ooh la la Ombre" polish sets during a sale.  There were three kits: purples, pinks, and green-blue based themes.  I bought doubles of the purples and gave them all to my sister as a present, why?

Because each set, which comes with three polishes each and retails at $9.99, all came out to 99 cents!

CVS receipt for 4 Sally Hansen Ombre kits

While I couldn't help myself, I also did not need all that new polish.

I did keep one set for myself, the "Poppy Purples" because the 2014 Pantone Color of the Year is "Radiant Orchid", and I thought this set fits perfectly in that color scheme.  

I've always had trouble creating ombre designs even without the help of a kit, so I thought I'd give it another try.

April 2014 Nail Polish Sale at Sally Beauty Supply!

As listed in their monthly sale flyer, throughout the month of April, all nail polish and soak-off gel polish is Buy Two, Get One free!  It excludes OPI brand lacquers, but if you've been wanting to branch out and try different brands offered at Sally's, then this is a great deal!

Wet N' Wild Wild Shine Swatch "Deception" and Jelly Sandwich Tutorial

The Wet N' Wild Spring 2014 Street Art Limited Edition collection contains two JELLY polishes, and I when I read about it from Nouveau Cheap, I absolutely had to scoop them up at my local Walgreens.  Luckily for me, not only did I find the entire collection untouched in its display, but they were on sale at 69 cents (even though its regular retail price at 99 cents isn't bad either).

 Wet N' Wild "Deception" and "Cursed"

Jelly polishes have a liquid-like finish that seems see-through but shiny on your nail.  They're one of my favorite polish types because you can use them in "jelly sandwich" nails, which is painting glitter polish in between layers of jelly polish, hence the sandwich name.  The final look makes the glitter seem like it's suspended on your nail!

I haven't bought polishes from the Wild Shine in a while, but I do like their polishes in general.  I don't open beauty products in store, and unfortunately, the brush in my "Deception" bottle was frayed and funky.  I dipped it in the polish a few times to try and it eventually smoothed out, but after a while, the bristles would stick out again.  This doesn't bother me since it's a drugstore polish, but I know a few lacqueristas who wouldn't find it acceptable.

Wet N' Wild "Deception"

To create a jelly sandwich, I painted two coats of my jelly polish on my nails.  Since you'll be using several layers of polish, be sure to let each coat dry enough before adding another.  

One and two coats of Wet N' Wild "Deception"

Next, I added a layer of glitter polish.  I chose Sephora OPI "Mauve-ie Star in the Making".  It is a nice, mixed glitter topper with mauve and lilac purple hexagonal chunky glitter mixed with microglitter.  One layer was enough since it is a generously dense topper.

Sephora OPI "Mauve-ie Star in the Making" over Wet N' Wild "Deception"

I sandwiched the glitters in one last coat of "Deception"!  Depending on how opaque the jelly polish is, you might want to add more, but only one coat was enough for that juicy goodness!

Finished "jelly sandwich" manicure with Wet N' Wild "Deception"

 I am such a huge fan of jelly sandwich manicures!  Both colors "Deception" and "Cursed" are bright and festive for summer.  And at a drugstore price, these polishes are a definite hit for me.  I'm glad I could tear my eyes away from my nails long enough to write this tutorial.

Butter London Spring 2014 Boho Rock Collection - "GOSS" Swatch

As I had wanted, I picked up Butter London's "Goss" at my local Ulta Beauty Store during their 21 Days of Beauty Steals sale.

Described on the Butter London site as:

An opaque, rosy shimmer. An informal abbreviation for gossip reserved for the most talented of gossipmongers.

Goss is a rose-gold polish with a foil finish.  It's application is as difficult to apply as the polish is beautiful.  Every brush stroke can be seen if you apply with an uneven hand, but the color payout and overall look is worth the effort.

 Butter London "Goss"

I am a huge fan of rose gold anything and everything.  The warm pink tone is super complimentary to my skin tone.  In the light, the pink color really pops, and it cools to a deep gold in the shade.  Dry time is faster than regular polish and dries very matte due to its foil finish.

I applied two coats of polish to get full coverage, but you can reach full opacity with one generous coat.

I do suggest adding a top coat if your hands are very active during the day.  I swatched two fingers right after I bought this beauty and went to work, where I wash my hands frequently.  After a six hour shift, there was significant chipping.  A top coat will dramatically increase wear time, and it will add an extra layer of shine.  I used Butter London's Hardwear P.D. Quick Top Coat, and I am currently running on four days without any major chipping. 

This is one of the more unique finishes in the Spring 2014 Boho Rock Collection, as well as out of all my Butter London polishes.  I do recommend buying it, if it's not already sold out in stores.  This was the only bottle of "Goss" by the time I nabbed it at the sale.

Butter London nail lacquers retail at $15.
Their formula is 3-free: there is no added formaldehyde, toluene, or DBP.

BOGO FREE Butter London Polishes at Ulta - TODAY ONLY!

As part of 21 Days of Beauty Steals, Ulta is offering two Butter London nail lacquers for $15, which is the usual retail price of the polish.  Butter London is one of my favorite brands, so I am definitely hitting up my local Ulta Beauty store today.

The current lacquer collection by Butter London is themed "Boho Rock".  Jessica at Love For Lacquer swatched all six of the cheery spring shades at her blog.  I would LOVE to pick up "Goss" during today's sale.  If you've never tried Butter London, this is also a great opportunity to try two different polishes for your first time.

Because Butter London is what Ulta considers a "prestige" brand, their usual $3.50 off of any $10 spent coupon is not applicable with this sale.  But the coupon is still useful for lots of other beauty products and pretty much available year-round, so remember to print or pull it up on your mobile phone any time you shop at Ulta.

The 21 Days of Beauty Steals run until April 5, with a different beauty steal offers in-store as well as online. 

Sinful Shine "I'm Blushing" and Wet-n-Wild Mega Rocks Swatches

The nail trend of Spring 2014 is definitely nudes.  Collections of beiges, taupes, and creams sprouted throughout beauty lines of all brands, from Urban Decay to Sinful Colors.

Sinful Shine, a glossy spin-off from the Sinful Colors line, boosts Gel Tech technology that dries extra shiny so the user can skip the top coat.  I decided to pick up a few colors during a Walgreens sale, where all Sinful Shine polishes were only 99 cents. 

I've currently been obsessed with neutral white-looking polishes that have just a tint of color. 

Sinful Shine's "I'm Blushing" is a perfect example of this variant of a plain white color.  The formula on the polish is dreamy for a drugstore brand.  It only took two coats to reach full opacity, three being generous.  And the Gel Tech clearly works on this polish; you can see how shiny the polish is after it dries.  There's no top coat!

"I'm Blushing" has a warm pinkie undertone.  In the shade, it's a pale pink-white, but in bright light, the pink really comes out.  It is workplace-friendly and a nice palette-cleanser for spring.

Sinful Shine polishes retail at $1.99 at Walgreens stores.  It is 3-free: there is no formaldehyde, toluene, or DBP in its formula.

formaldehyde, toluene and DBP

formaldehyde, toluene and DBP

formaldehyde, toluene and DBP

Sinful Shine "I'm Blushing"

I also noticed the new line of Wet N' Wild glitter toppers on display at the same Walgreens.  The Mega Rocks line has a standard run of solid colors, but "Stick It to the Man" caught my eye with its mix of orange and blue (Go Gators!) glitter chunks.  It was the only topper I nabbed, and it came with an instant $1 off coupon, so I bought it for $1.99 (retails at $2.99).

Wet N' Wild Mega Rocks glitter topper "Stick It to the Man"

My overall experience with this glitter topper is underwhelming.  Glitter payout is modest from the bottle, so you'll need to fish out the square and hexagonal pieces if you want more on the nail.  The price is average for a drugstore polish, but I think you're better off spending your bucks on other polishes that offer more payout, or spending a little bit more on a higher end glitter topper, which are not difficult to find.

For me, the most disappointing part about the topper is that the orange pieces don't actually show up as orange on the nail!   It's actually tinted mylar chunks that become invisible against the nail.

Wet N' Wild "Stick It to the Man" on top of Sinful Shine "I'm Blushing"

For me, the Wet N' Wild Mega Rocks are an easy pass, even with any future coupons or  sales.

Nail Polish Subscriptions

 If you're adventurous enough, beauty boxes are a great buy for the lacquerista who is open to receiving a surprise polish at her door.  Subscription services at varying price points deliver monthly nail polishes without the hassle of leaving your home.  I've compiled a few nail polish subscription boxes that may pique the spontaneous lacquerista!

1. Julep Maven
http://www.julep.com/

Cost - $19.99 per month
Revolving coupon codes vary each month on you first beauty box

You receive - Two .27 fl oz nail polishes and a lip gloss OR Three .27 fl oz nail polishes

More information -
- "4-free" clean formula - Does not contain formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, toluene, or DBP
- Chip resistent

 One of the mos recognized and subscribed beauty boxes, Julep allows the buyer to preview their box beore it is shipped.  The buyer can choose which colors they would like out of the month's offered colors (or do nothing and be surprised).  Buyers can also choose to skip their box for the month if they are not interested in the offerings or send their beauty box to a friend at no extra cost.

2. Square Hue
http://www.squarehue.com/

Cost - $14.99 per month + shipping & handling
25% off first box for new subscribers

You receive - Three 0.5 mL bottles each month

More information -
- “5-Free” Clean formula – Does not contain Formaldehyde, Toluene, DBP, Camphor or Formaldehyde Resin
- Not tested on animals
- Proudly Made in the USA

A portion of subscription proceeds go to a philanthropy.  Currently a portion of all monthly subscription proceeds are being donated for prevention awareness, the protection of trafficked victims and the prosecution of human traffickers.

3. Color Me Monthly
http://colormemonthly.com

 Cost
$7 per month for a monthly subscription
$40 for a 6-month subscription
$75 for a 12-month subscription

You receive
One 6.5mL (0.56 fl. oz.) full size bottles

 
More information
- "4-free" clean formula - Does not contain toluene, formaldehyde/formaldehyde resin, dibutyl phthalate (DBP), or camphor

• Non-toxic and carcinogen-free
• Never tested on animals
• Vegan
• Eco-friendly
• Made in the USA
• Shipped FREE!

 

Sally Beauty BOGO Free Polish sale and swatch!

Early Tuesday morning, I received an awesome surprise in my email: Sally Beauty Supply is having a 3-day sale on nail polishes!  From Tuesday, Feb 25 - Thursday, Feb 27, if you buy any polish (excluding OPI), you get another polish free!

There's no coupon necessary, just show the cashier this ad or use the promo code when checking out online.

I headed to my local Sally Beauty Supply store to browse the new China Glaze spring line, but they didn't have any colors that sparked my interest.  Instead, I chose a textured polish by China Glaze "Sand Dolla Makes You Holla" and one polish that almost completes my collection, "Luxe and Lush" from the China Glaze Hunger Games line.

 Luxe and Lush (left) and Sand Dolla Makes You Holla (right)

As my only other brand of textured polish besides Zoya PixieDust, I was interested to see how I'd react to China Glaze's take on the textured gimmick.

Cover Girl "Hunger Games" polish swatches

"Tawny Flame" value packs with "Black Heat" and "Seared Bronze" Glosstini polishes

Browsing the clearance section in Walmart, I happened upon these Cover Girl Hunger Games polish value packs.  Each included one of the Glosstini polishes and 16 nail art stickers, themed "Flamed Out" for the fire design on the decals.

The movie "Catching Fire" released in theaters November of last year, but the polishes can still be found on drugstore shelves today, three months later.  This is a huge contrast from the polish release by China Glaze for the first Hunger Games movie.  The much larger polishes sold out well before the film went to DVD.

I had been eyeing these polishes since I'm a sucker for movie-inspired collections, but I couldn't justify the $4.99 retail price tag for 3.5 mL of product.  The China Glaze polishes came with 14 mL of product for $6.99. 

However, the Walmart clearance find definitely swayed me to finally buy from the Cover Girl Capitol Collection.  The glosstini at $4.99 plus the nail decals (retail at $9.99) all for the price of... $3! 

 Cover Girl Catching Fire glosstini "Seared Bronze" next to China Glaze Hunger Games "Smoke and Ashes"

But enough about prices, time for some swatch fun!

Comparison: Glitter bomb polishes

 

From left to right: 

Selena Gomez for Nicole by OPI "Confetti Fun" (retail $8.50)

Ulta "Pinata-Yada" (retail $6)

Sinful Colors "Pride" (retail $1.99)

Multi-color glitter toppers turn your fingers into a party!  I picked up "Pride" from my local Walgreens only to go home and realize that I had two other glitter toppers similar to it.  Of course, I did not return it.

A girl can't have too many glitter toppers, right?