NYX Ultra Pearl Mania Swatches

HauteLook has NYX on sale this Thursday. You have to sign up to use the site if you aren't already a member, but the deals are worth it. So I thought this would be the perfect time to swatch their loose eye shadows. I also have swatches of NYX Glitter Mania loose glitter.

Here are the Ultra Pearl Mania loose shadows. The top row has no base, middle is Elf Studio Eye Primer, and bottom is a white cream base. Some of these colours work well without any base, but most do need a primer to help them stick. As always, click any picture to enlarge it.

L to R: White, Pearl, Nude, Baby Blue, Baby Pink, Lilac, Fanta, Grass

White is actually a true white, even though it looks more cream here. Pearl is a very soft pink-beige. All the others are colour accurate.

L to R: Lime, Very Pink, Yellow, Orange, Mink, Sky Pink, Yellow Gold

NOTD: Patchwork using SH HD Laser

I haven't been posting very often. I was determined to do better in the new year, but I underestimated how little time I would have to blog with the new puppy. I spend all day chasing after Rosie and keeping her out of trouble. Then, I go to work and by the time I get home, the last thing I have time or energy for is sitting at the computer. But one look at her cute little face and it's all worth it. And once she grows up a bit, I'll have more time to focus on posting here. 

Rosie loves playing in (and eating) the snow.

Rosie and our older boxer, Sarge

Anyway, back to the nails. I was wearing SH HD in Laser the other day and I wanted to change my nails but was too lazy to remove it and start over. So I figured this was the perfect time to finally do a patchwork design. I used SH Xtreme Wear in Ocean View and NYC in Midtown to pick up the blue and purple/fuchsia duochrome of Laser. This was super easy to do with painter's tape, although you can see a couple spots where the polish leaked under the tape. I think it's straightforward enough that I don't have step-by-step pics, but if anyone wants to see a tutorial for this look, let me know in the comments.

Born Pretty Fauxnad Review

I didn't really need any more fauxnad image plates but when I saw Born Pretty Store had one with penguins on it, I couldn't say no. So I bought the set for my sister, with one catch--I need to use the penguin image. For about 12 bucks, you get a stamper, scraper, and twelve image plates. Shipping is free on all orders.

Most of the images are floral designs but there's a good selection of seasonal stuff, and plenty of hearts, stars, and butterflies. They also have another set with more floral and other images. There aren't any full nail designs in either set, though, so if that's what you're looking for, the Bundle Monster set or Konad plates are your best bet.

I tried out a few of the images using my trusty Wet n Wild Black Creme and most of them stamped well, but one or two took a few tries. It seems like the images just aren't deep enough to hold enough polish after you scrape off the excess. Overall, this is a great set for anyone just starting out with fauxnading, or anyone that wants to expand their image plate collection without paying a lot.

Clicking the image will take you directly to the product page.

If you're interested in this set, use promo code OPENTENOFF before January 31st to save 10% on your order.

My New Favourite Nail Polish

I hinted on twitter the other day that I had found a new all-time favourite polish. And that is not a title I take lightly. Sure, just about any colour can make it into my revolving top ten for a day or a week, but to declare something an all-time favourite, you know it must be good. Charla good, or even Space Cadet good. Are you all dying to know what has me so worked up?

It's Joe Fresh in Peacock. A gorgeous dark blue-teal-green shimmer with purple duochrome. In most light, it's about equal parts blue and green, but at certain angles or lights, this looks royal blue or emerald green. And if you move your hand just the right way, you see the most amazing purple/fuchsia. I played with the bottle for seriously ten minutes before I painted my nails, turning it each way to watch the colour shift. (I know, air bubbles...eek.)

Joe Fresh is a grocery store brand available in Canada and what I've tried from them is so much better than I would have expected. These polishes retail for $4 and are sold at Real Canadian Superstore and Fortinos (and probably any of the other Loblaws brand stores, but I'm not certain of that). I never bought these before because $4 for 6mL seems too pricey. (It's like paying $12 for an Orly or $10 for a China Glaze.) But I got this one for just $2.33. Much more reasonable. How?

Superstore has a store coupon right now for $1 off any nail polish. And if you buy three of the Joe Fresh polishes it's $10 (instead of $4 each). So combining three of the coupons, you save a total of five bucks! I wasn't sure if they would let me use three, but it wasn't a problem. Have I mentioned how much I love couponing?

Now on to the swatches. This was a tough one to capture so check out the pic spam after the jump.

My First Water Marble

I've been meaning to try water marbling for ages but never got around to it until now. I think a lot of the reason I waited was just because it seems too intimidating. But it's actually pretty easy. Well, the basics are easy, but I know it's gonna be a lot harder to do some of the designs I've seen. 

I used SH Xtreme Wear in Twisted Pink and Plum Power for the marble, over a base of Elf Passion Pink. I just wanted to try out the technique this time, rather than an actual design, so I ended up with a very random marble effect.

I think next time I will choose colours that contrast more so the marble effect is not so subtle. You know, I'm not a big fan of subtlety.

Have any of you tried water marbling yet? I know I'm probably the last person not to, so I'd love to see what you guys have done. Any tips or tricks to share?

LA Girl Rockstar Double Platinum swatch

Here's Double Platinum from the LA Girl Rockstar collection. Taupe with holographic glitter. This one really comes to life in bright light but even inside, it's a gorgeous, slightly subdued polish. It starts off sheer but is buildable. I think this was three coats, maybe four.

China Glaze Towel Boy Toy

This polish was on my lemming list for ages. I'm not really sure why I waited so long to buy it, but I just got this a few weeks ago in my Head2Toe Beauty order. From the Summer 2010 Poolside collection, this is China Glaze Towel Boy Toy. I used four coats for this, but you could probably cut back on that by starting with a white base. 

I am absolutely in love with this colour. It's a bright, shimmery blue. Since it's a neon, this one dried super fast to a matte finish.

I also tried this one with a top coat for a shiny finish. And it brings this colour completely over the top! Check it out after the jump.

Black Nail Polish and Lip Gloss Giveaway

I had to share this giveaway with all of you because it is huge and amazing. Black Nail Polish and Lip Gloss has tons of nail polish, make-up, and more for four winners. Check it out here.

OPI What's With the Cattitude? + fauxnad

This is OPI What's With the Cattitude? from their Shrek For Ever After collection. Four (I think) coats. This one went on a bit streaky for me and probably could have used another coat. I have that problem with most pastels though, so maybe it's just me? The true colour is somewhere between the two pics. Not as bright as the flash photo but less dull than the no flash.

With flash

No flash.

I decided to add a little something extra so I used SH Complete Salon Manicure in Gray by Gray and image plate BM20. This picture comes closest to the actual colour of Cattitude.

Happy New Year! (and puppy pics!)

I want to wish all my readers a happy new year. My resolution for this year is to post more frequently. I always have ideas and plans for posts but when I get busy or stressed, this blog tends to suffer. So, this year, I'm going to set aside time each day to focus on blogging. What are your resolutions for the new year? I'd love to hear about them.

If you follow on twitter (@TheSassybeauty) you might already have heard about this. We bought a new puppy this week! Rosie is a 12 week old brindle Boxer. I'm already absolutely in love with her. How about some pic spam?

That's Sarge in the back. These two are getting along great. Sarge loves having a puppy to play with.

Her tongue, paws, and ears are already huge. She's gonna be a whole lotta Rosie when she grows up.