Valentine’s Day Polish Picks!

Hello! I thought it would be fun to compile a list of my picks for Valentine’s Day polishes. As you can see it’s mostly pinks and reds, but with a little variety in the silver and black colors. 🙂

Orly Mirrorball is a beautiful silver holographic polish. This swatch doesn’t do it justice at all! The silver is sparkly but it still a nice neutral shade for the occasion.

OPI China Rouge is one of my favorite reds. Rich and bright, but sexy.

OPI Sorry I’m Fizzy Today is a classic pink coral, my favorite type of shade!

Butter London Knees Up is an alluring, metallic red. You can’t go wrong with this one!

Paul and Joe Toujours is one of my favorite pink nail polishes of all time. Soft, romantic, and vintage.

OPI Big Apple Red is your classic, vibrant red. The formula on this is great too!

Zoya Roxy is one of my favorite fuchsia shades. It has glitter suspended in a jellyish base, and the formula is great.

Deborah Lippmann Mermaid’s Kiss is sweet and full of sparkle. I love this one for Valentine’s Day because it just captures the fun of this holiday.

Dior Princess is my number one pink nail polish of all time. Even though it’s limited edition, I had to mention it here. It is pink with silver shimmer and named so perfectly.

Illamasqua Creator is a rich black color with silver glitter. This one is perfect for Valentine’s Day rebels, or for someone who wants some drama on their nails.

Those are my picks! I have no idea what color I’ll be wearing, but I’m leaning towards Mermaid’s Kiss. 🙂

2014 Color of the Year: Radiant Orchid Polish Picks!

Pantone’s Color of the Year for 2014 is Radiant Orchid. I thought it would be fun to share some of my polish picks in that shade range. As you can see, some are dark, some are bright, and some are in the nude shade range.

Essie Play Date– This is described as “soft purple.” It’s coming across a little dark here; it’s a little brighter in person.

OPI You’re Such a Budapest– This is a purple toned periwinkle shade. This is a really great color for winter and spring because it truly pops on the nail!

Maybelline Lust for Lilac– I think that this is Maybelline’s answer to Radiant Orchid, because this is a new shade for 2014.

Butter London Molly Coddled– This is the perfect choice, as it is described as “lavender orchid cream.”

China Glaze Sweet Hook– I seriously love this color. It’s a pale lavender shade that is white-based.

Essie Bangle Jangle– This is one of the first polishes I bought when I stopped biting my nails. Described as “lavender amethyst”, this looks a lot darker here than in person.

Zoya Rue– I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this color. This is a pink toned nude from Zoya’s spring collection that appears to be Radiant Orchid inspired.

Zoya Kennedy– This is a cool beige cream shade that has a slight lavender tint. This is a great nude!

Revlon Gray Suede– This is another nude in the same color family as Kennedy and Rue. It has some slight shimmer to it. Very office appropriate!

Essie Go Ginza– This is a milky, white-based lavender. It’s like the purple version of Fiji.

In the sunlight!

There are a lot of great picks out there if you want to get into the Radiant Orchid craze! My favorites from this bunch are China Glaze Sweet Hook (my favorite of them all!), Essie Go Ginza, and OPI You’re Such a Budapest.

Are you enjoying this year’s color of the year?

Vibrance Vitamins Are Helping My Nails!

*Product sent for review

I’m always looking for new ways to keep my nails strong and healthy, and ways for them to grow faster. I struggle with weak nails from biting them for so long. It has been two years since I stopped, but they aren’t where I want them to be.

In December, I received a bottle of EU Naturals Vibrance Vitamins for healthy hair. I’ve been incorporating these into my vitamin regiment, and they have really made a difference in my nails, which is where I found the biggest changes! While my hair is softer, I can’t say that it is much longer, since it was already long in the first place, but I’m thrilled with how fast my nails have been growing. I had a couple of bad breaks recently, and instead of taking WEEKS to show any growth, they were showing decent growth within a week.

I can’t say that everyone will have the same results, but I’m really pleased with the outcome!

You can find these vitamins on Amazon, and they have also given me a coupon code for 15% off that you can use: EUN15OFF.

Do you take any vitamins for your hair or nails?

*Product provided for review from EU Naturals. All opinions are my own.

Sparkly Gold and Mint Manicure

Hello! I hope you’re having a good week. I’ve been totally hooked on this gold polish I have: Sephora by OPI The Golden Age. It’s just gold glitter with a touch of some silver, but I’ve layering it with everything lately!

In this manicure, I used Zoya Tomoko as accent colors, and Pop Beauty’s Mint Magic as the base layer. This color is SO pretty! My pic is a little dark due to it being winter (natural lighting is poor), but I really got a dose of spring with this manicure. Also, I really like Tomoko! The sparkle is so pretty and the Fairy Dust formula really wears like iron!

What colors have you been enjoying lately?

2013 Polish Favorites: Part One!

Hello! Welcome to my 2013 nail polish favorites post…the first part anyway. 🙂 There are SO many great polishes that I fell in love with this year, so I had a hard time narrowing it down. This was my first full year of not biting my nails, and it has been about two years since I quit.

Dior Princess, Zoya Rocky, MAC Sweet Pop

Since I’m of the excitable personality type, I’m going to start with my FAVORITE polish of the year: Dior Princess! This is named perfectly, as it is a feminine pink with silver shimmer. This was a limited edition spring release, but you may be able to find it on eBay or at some counters. This is also a little sentimental since I bought it in Chicago while on a little getaway with my hubby.

Next up: Zoya Rocky. Zoya really impressed me in 2013. Their cream shades seemed to improve and the colors are soft, yet vibrant. Rocky is a gorgeous blue with the slightest hint of dustiness.

MAC Sweet Pop might be one of my top ten polishes ever! It is a not-quite-neon peach shade. Love!

Zoya Micky, China Glaze Dandy Lyin’ Around, China Glaze Snap My Dragon, Essie Maximillian Strasse Her

Zoya Micky is coming across a little dark here, but it’s described as “coral cream”. It definitely leans pink, and it has some slight silver shimmer.

China Glaze Dandy Lyin’ Around is a beautiful white shade with silver and white micro shimmer. The formula is incredible and this is definitely one of the best white polishes I’ve come across.

China Glaze Snap My Dragon- Another pick from the Avant Garden collection, Snap My Dragon is opaque in one coat and glows on the nail.

Essie Maximillian Strasse Her is a gray green shade that I wear all the time. It reminds me of a rainy day.

Butter London: Bit Faker, Kerfuffle, Fiver, and The 444

The next four are all Butter London shades.

Bit Faker– An explosion of bronze glitter.
Kerfuffle- Pale, peachy pink. Hubby picked out this one for me!
Fiver– Pastel mint
The 444– Champagne glitter!

Maybelline Coral Glow, Paul and Joe Toujours, Zoya Yana, Illamasqua Scarce

Maybelline Coral Glow is a limited edition polish that I loved so much on the nail, that I bought a backup. It’s a hot pinky coral that really does glow. It has that “lit from within” quality.

 Paul and Joe Toujours– Another pink, I know…I just can’t help myself! This color is the ultimate girly pink, a little on the old-fashioned side.

Zoya Yana– Deep red-based pink. 🙂

Illamasqua Scarce…speckled, neutral PINK!

OPI: Pussy Galore, Solitaire, and When Monkeys Fly

The last of the bunch on this wheel are from OPI, including two liquid sands from the Bond Girls collection, Pussy Galore (light pink), and Solitaire (shimmery, silver white). My other OPI favorite is from the Oz collection: When Monkeys Fly.

Stay tuned for more favorites to come! 🙂

Seven Reds for the Holidays!

Red is so classic for the holidays. It’s definitely not a color that is going out of style any time soon, especially with nail polish. Even though there are so many amazing colors out there now, red is one that I come back to time after time. It’s kind of like red lipstick: tried and true! Here are some of my favorites for the holidays!

Nails, Inc. Soho Street– This is a full coverage red glitter polish. Look at that sparkle, and without top coat! The glitter is all one type, very fine and small.

MAC Sparks On Screen– Another full coverage glitter, this one has a little more variety with shape and is a deeper color.

Essie Twin Sweater Set- This is a cool-toned red creme. I don’t know what it is about this color, but I am really drawn to it. The formula is fantastic. This is from Essie’s “For the Twill of It” collection.

 

Taylor Morgan Rare as Rubies– This polish has a red jelly base with red hex glitters. I used two coats here. I have no idea where to buy this polish in person, but found mine on Amazon after reading about it on another blog. It is gorgeous!

OPI All I Want For Christmas (is OPI)– I knew I would buy this polish JUST for the name. For the dog lovers out there, I had a golden retriever who I would sing this song to and replace “you” with her name, Wembley. Every time I hear that song, I think of her! Anyway, this is another classic, Christmas red. I think this would be great on a variety of skin tones, because it is neutral.

Deborah Lippmann Ruby Red Pumps – Though this doesn’t look festive, I think this is a good party polish. It’s a black base with red glitter throughout, and it looks incredible on the nails. This polish only needs two coats. There’s also a Fergie for Wet ‘n’ Wild dupe of this shade!

Butter London Knees Up– This is a metallic red. This polish must be seen in person. No brush strokes and it is just “hot”- that’s the only word to describe it!

What are your must-have holiday reds?

Eight Gold Polishes for the Holidays!

It’s time to check out some gold polish picks for the holidays!  Most of these involve some kind of glitter and sparkle. I think gold is my favorite polish to wear during the holiday season.

Butter London The Full Monty– This is a really nice metallic gold. It’s pretty neutral, so a wide variety of skin tones can wear this shade. The polish goes on smoothly and doesn’t have visible brush strokes.

American Apparel Meteor Shower– This is one of my favorite glitter toppers. It has jagged shards of gold foil. This polish is really versatile and it just looks amazing over so many colors.

Nuance Goldstone– This looks silver compared to the rest of these golds, but in reality it is a very cool-toned pale gold. In person this is more visible. Nuance is Salma Hayek’s brand from CVS. I thought this shade looked interesting, and I was impressed with the quality of it.

Orly Halo– This polish came out last holiday season. It is a mix of pale and yellow gold glitters, but it can be built to opacity.

China Glaze I’m Not Lion– This is one of my favorite polishes! It’s a matte gold holographic glitter from last fall’s On Safari collection. It can be worn alone or layered over other shades.

Zoya Ziv– This gold flakie polish from last winter’s holiday collection is beautiful. It’s a yellow gold with some deeper bronze flecks running throughout. The formula on this is excellent.

OPI Honey Ryder– This is a liquid sand polish from the Bond Girls collection. It’s a neutral, textured gold. I love this shade. Although it looks similar to I’m Not Lion, this is not holographic and just has some nice sparkle to it.

Deborah Lippmann Glitter and Be Gay– Do I need to say more? This is THE gold glitter of the year!

What are your favorite gold polishes?

Eight Silver Polishes for the Holidays!

It’s that time of year where silver, gold, red, and green are taking over the holidays! I thought it would be fun to share some of my picks in each shade. Some of these polishes are great toppers, others are fun for all over the nail. What they do have in common is some serious sparkle and shine! 🙂

Illamasqua Glory– I’ve written about this polish before. Received in a Glossy Box, I didn’t think it was anything special, but then I layered it with some glitter and it makes an amazing base. On the nails alone, it looks like molten metal. Lovely shade of silver!

Sephora X Whimsical– This shade is from “The Sparklers” collection within Sephora X polishes. It has a white microglitter base with small and large silver glitters throughout. Very wintery, this can be worn as a layer or alone. It would look great over Glory!

Revlon Rich– This is a shade from Revlon’s holiday collection that is in stores now. It is a deep neutral silvery taupe, similar to OPI Number One Nemesis. The formula is smooth, and with a $4 price tag, it is highly affordable!

Milani Gems in Silver– The Milani Gems line is full of BIG glitter. This is pretty self explanatory. Big silver glitter.

China Glaze Glistening Snow– This polish came out last holiday season. It is a fine silver holographic glitter that dries to a matte finish. This polish is so pretty! It really does look like glistening snow.

Zoya Electra– Another from last season, this is silver holographic bar glitter that you can actually achieve opacity with. I don’t usually like bar glitter, but I do like this one.

OPI Haven’t the Foggiest– This is an amazing polish! I love this color. It is one that you have to see in person because it is so striking. I would describe it as a blackened mirror type silver.

Essie Hors D’Oeuvres– This polish is from Essie’s Encrusted Treasures collection this holiday season. Though it seems similar to Whimsical in these swatches, it’s different in that it has more shimmer and sparkle, with a pinky/golden sheen.

What are your favorite silver polishes?

China Glaze Bottoms Up

China Glaze Bottoms Up is hot pink neon polish from the Sunsational collection. This is definitely my kind of color! 🙂 Even though it’s a neon, it has GREAT opacity and the formula is a million times better than another polish I have from this collection: Sun of a Peach. I only used two coats for opacity.

Since it is neon it has a semi-matte finish. The dry time is pretty quick and I love the color! It looks a lot more saturated in photos than it does in real life. In person, it is more pale and kind of that highlighter pink shade. I bought this polish because Cheryl from Makeup By Cheryl was raving about it on YouTube in many of her videos! I’m so happy that I discovered it because it is definitely a favorite pink of mine now, which says a lot! 🙂

Do you have any pink polishes I should check out? What are your favorite pink shades?

Josie Maran Bear Naked Nail Wipes Review

I am a huge fan of Josie Maran’s beauty products, including the Bear Naked facial wipes. They smell amazing and the proceeds go to a good cause. Since I liked those, I decided to try the BearNaked Nail Wipes, which are grapefruit scented. The smell is very pleasant and natural, not cloying and artificial.

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

These portable three-in-one nail wipes remove nail polish, repair dry cuticles, and promote healthy nails—naturally. Acetone free and grapefruit-scented, Bear Naked Nail Wipes are infused with organic Argan oil to moisturize cuticles and support nail growth.

For $9, you get 20 wipes, which definitely adds up; however, they are moisturizing and your money goes to a good cause: the Polar Bear SOS initiative of the National Resources Defense Council.

Now, do they work? They do work, but I am not able to remove polish from ten fingers with just one wipe and need to use two if I am wearing a 3 coat polish. With less coats, I just need one. I love how gentle they are. They do not burn my fingers and they actually feel good on my skin. And how often does a nail polish remover smell good? Hardly ever!

I would purchase these again and prefer them for travel because the container is so lightweight, and it makes me happy that part of the proceeds go to a good cause.