Here's Color Club Wild at Heart over Revlon Peach Petal using Bundle Monster
plate BM10. I finished it with a coat of Hidden Treasure because I just can't leave anything alone. As much as I love the colour of Peach Petal, it's a pain to use. This is four coats and it's still patchy but I pretty much gave up at that point because I knew I could cover most of it by stamping. I had to overlap the images to cover my nails. I can't wait until I can buy the new Bundle Monster plates with larger designs. Has anyone tried them yet? And are they definitely worth buying?
Showing posts with label Sally Hansen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sally Hansen. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
NOTD: Stamping with BM10
Labels:
BM10,
Color Club,
peach,
purple,
revlon,
Sally Hansen,
stamping
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
St Patrick's Day: NOTD 3
I wanted to do a leprechaun for St Patrick's Day. This one definitely didn't turn out as well as I had pictured it in my mind. I like how his hat looks, and the beard seems okay, but it kinda goes downhill from there. Anyway, here it is:
I did the hat with these dots from Dollar Nail Art. I used Elf Innocent for his skin, a mix of SH Xtreme Wear in Sun Kissed and So Sexy Red for the beard, clothes are Xtreme Wear Emerald City, shoes are Xtreme Wear Black Out, and China Glaze Midnight Kiss for his belt. The background is Elf Mint Cream.
Labels:
China Glaze,
elf,
NOTD,
Sally Hansen,
St Patrick's Day,
Xtreme Wear
St Patrick's Day: NOTD 2
My second NOTD for St Patrick's Day is the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. So I could get more designs done, I switched to using false nails for this series, but my original plan for this one was to have the rainbow would continue from the thumb over to the ring finger. The design below with the pot of gold would then be on my pinkie nail.
I used bullion beads from Dollar Nail Art for the gold. The pot is Color Club Revvvolution and the background is OPI What's With the Cattitude?. For the rainbow I used (in order red to violet) SH Xtreme Wear in Cherry Red, Sun Kissed, Mellow Yellow, Green with Envy, and Blue Me Away, and Sally Girl in Your Majesty.
Labels:
NOTD,
OPI,
sally girl,
Sally Hansen,
St Patrick's Day,
Xtreme Wear
Sunday, March 13, 2011
March Greens: Layering Lime Lights
Today's green is Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Lime Lights. This is an iridescent pale green. My index finger shows three coats and it's still incredibly sheer, so this one is made for layering.
Left to Right: 3 coats Lime Lights; LL over SH Xtreme Wear in Green With Envy, LL over China Glaze Jolly Holly, LL over SH Xtreme Wear in Black Out.
I love how this polish adds a little unexpected shimmer to lighter cremes and totally transforms black.
Labels:
China Glaze,
green,
March Greens,
Sally Hansen,
Xtreme Wear
Saturday, March 12, 2011
St Patrick's Day: NOTD 1
Here's the first in my series of St Patrick's Day nail art. I'm not sure how many I'll end up doing. It all depends on how many ideas I can come up with.
The green is Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Emerald City and the gold is China Glaze Midnight Kiss. The heart rhinestones are from Born Pretty. The tiny balls I found at Dollarama, but the colour bleeds out of them. Born Pretty has similar balls, which I plan on reviewing soon.
Heart Rhinestones (Click image to go to Born Pretty Store) |
Labels:
China Glaze,
gold,
green,
NOTD,
Sally Hansen,
St Patrick's Day,
Xtreme Wear
Friday, March 11, 2011
March Greens: Emerald City
Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Emerald City
is a true medium-dark emerald green shimmer. Not too yellow or too blue. This is two coats, but it could use a third to even out a bit of patchiness. It's just slightly darker than the photo shows.
I'll have my first St Patrick's Day nail art up later today so check back in a few hours for that.
Labels:
green,
March Greens,
Sally Hansen,
swatch,
Xtreme Wear
Thursday, January 27, 2011
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.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
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?
Labels:
elf,
NOTD,
pink,
purple,
Sally Hansen,
water marble,
Xtreme Wear
Sunday, January 2, 2011
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.
Labels:
blue,
BM20,
Complete Salon Manicure,
fauxnad,
OPI,
Sally Hansen
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Christmas NOTD 8: Snowflakes & Snowmen
I had a few requests to do either snowmen or snowflakes. So I have two versions to share--stamping and freehand.
First up, SH Pacific Blue as a base with SH Celeb City stamped on using m37 for the snowmen and BM14 for snowflakes. Then I sponged on SH Disco Ball.
I also did freehand on my sister's nails. This is over China Glaze For Audrey. After painting on the designs with white polish, I used loose iridescent glitter. Clearly, I need to practice freehand nail art.
Labels:
blue,
BM14,
China Glaze,
Christmas,
glitter,
m37,
NOTD,
Sally Hansen,
Xtreme Wear
Friday, December 17, 2010
Christmas NOTD 7: Christmas Trees
I decided to do Christmas tree nails, but rather than stamp or freehand the trees, today's nails are just inspired by Christmas trees. I used China Glaze Jolly Holly as the base and stamped on Color Club Worth the Risque using image plate BM11 for tinsel.
And since Wendy suggested I do a glow-in-the-dark Christmas mani, I used Sally Hansen Glow in the Dark for the lights. I couldn't get a picture that showed the dots glowing but how cool is this bottle shot?
Last, I used clear polish to add rhinestone ornaments. It turned the silver holo a bit yellow, but I'm not sure if that's better or worse.
I completely forgot to take a photo of Jolly Holly alone until I was done my left hand but luckily I got a picture of my right hand (at a bad angle, sorry). I don't wear green nail polish very often but this colour is gorgeous. Dark green full of green shimmer with just a bit of golden shimmer as well. It's a perfect Christmas green.
Labels:
BM11,
China Glaze,
Christmas,
Color Club,
green,
NOTD,
Sally Hansen,
swatch
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Christmas NOTD 3: Gingerbread Men
This design turned into a fail. It was supposed to be gingerbread men, but they look more like amorphic alien blobs. That sometimes happens when I try to freehand nail art. I might try these again; I haven't decided. Anyway, I wanted to share this anyway because I like the idea of gingerbread men nails, even if it didn't turn out so well.
I used Ardene Barely There as a base, Rimmel Hot Cocoa for the gingerbread men, Wet n Wild Black Creme for the buttons, and SH Xtreme Wear Blue Me Away for the eyes. I forgot mouths, which is another reason they look so wrong. :/
Labels:
Ardene,
Christmas,
NOTD,
Rimmel,
Sally Hansen,
wet n wild,
Xtreme Wear
Friday, November 26, 2010
White Ruby Nail Prisms (Pic Spam)
Here's White Ruby. This is one of the sheerer Nails Prisms so i layered it over black to really show off the rainbow effect. At some angles it's silvery white; sometimes it has a pink foil effect. I could just sit and watch my nails as I move my hands to see the different colours. I took dozens of photos to try and capture every colour shift, so here's a bunch of them.
More photos after the jump.
Labels:
duochrome,
green,
Nail Prisms,
NOTD,
pink,
Sally Hansen,
swatch
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
East Village Comparison
I've got another colour today that isn't very "fall" but I just bought it so I wanted to show you. Pharma Plus has NYC polishes BOGO this week so I chose a couple. The first is East Village. This is a shimmery blue-green. It went on smoothly, but after 3-4 coats was still a bit sheer.
I think I have a dupe for this. Comparison after the jump.
Labels:
blue,
comparison,
green,
NOTD,
NYC,
Sally Hansen,
swatch,
wet n wild
Friday, November 5, 2010
Tag + Ivy League
I know I said it was time for a no-buy, but here's something you should know about me: I'll always say it's time for a no-buy but I won't actually do it until my far more reasonable sister convinces me I have to slow down. So, I'm planning just a couple more hauls online (it doesn't count if it's online, right?) THEN I'll stop for a bit. So, I was looking through swatches on Imperfectly Painted trying to decide which polishes to get and I came across this tag from a few months back that I haven't done. I love when I get a chance to know more about bloggers, aside from their makeup and nail polish likes and habits. So, hopefully you guys find some of this interesting. But I won't be offended if you skip to the end for a nail swatch.
50 Things You Never Knew About Me
1. What time did you get up this morning?
Noon. I usually work nights so I don't get along well with mornings.
2. How do you like your steak?
Not a steak person at all. I've been vegan for almost two years.
3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema?
The Town. Ben Affleck AND Jon Hamm? Awesomeness. Even aside from them, it was really good.
4. What is your favorite TV show?
All time, I'd have to say Jeopardy. I know that's such a nerd answer, I apologize. Right now? I love Mad Men and White Collar.
5. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?
It would definitely have to be close to a big city. I'd like New Jersey just so I can go to Devils and Giants home games.
6. What did you have for breakfast?
French fries with hot sauce and vegan Becel. I tend to eat meals at the wrong times. For example, after the dinner rush at work I usually have a bowl of oatmeal.
7. What is your favorite cuisine?
I really like Middle Eastern. And Italian is a classic.
8. What foods do you dislike? or rather don't prefer?
It always seems to surprise people that there are a lot of veggies I don't like. Broccoli, cauliflower, celery, etc. And obviously, I'm not a fan of meat, cheese, eggs, any of that stuff. (Though I do love Daiya vegan cheese.)
9. Favorite place to eat?
I like Fresh in Toronto because they have such an amazing vegan selection. For fast food, you can't beat Pita Pit.
10. Favorite dressing?
Either balsamic vinaigrette or something with sesame, soy sauce, ginger, that kind of flavour.
11. What kind of vehicle do you drive?
I have a sweet bike. It's pink and has a basket. And splash guards for the tires. It is my pride and joy.
12. What are your favorite clothes?
As much as I hate to admit it, I like sweat pants and hoodies. They're just so easy to wear. But I also love dressing up and looking nice even when I have nowhere special to go.
13. Where would you visit if you had the chance?
1. What time did you get up this morning?
Noon. I usually work nights so I don't get along well with mornings.
2. How do you like your steak?
Not a steak person at all. I've been vegan for almost two years.
3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema?
The Town. Ben Affleck AND Jon Hamm? Awesomeness. Even aside from them, it was really good.
4. What is your favorite TV show?
All time, I'd have to say Jeopardy. I know that's such a nerd answer, I apologize. Right now? I love Mad Men and White Collar.
5. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?
It would definitely have to be close to a big city. I'd like New Jersey just so I can go to Devils and Giants home games.
6. What did you have for breakfast?
French fries with hot sauce and vegan Becel. I tend to eat meals at the wrong times. For example, after the dinner rush at work I usually have a bowl of oatmeal.
7. What is your favorite cuisine?
I really like Middle Eastern. And Italian is a classic.
8. What foods do you dislike? or rather don't prefer?
It always seems to surprise people that there are a lot of veggies I don't like. Broccoli, cauliflower, celery, etc. And obviously, I'm not a fan of meat, cheese, eggs, any of that stuff. (Though I do love Daiya vegan cheese.)
9. Favorite place to eat?
I like Fresh in Toronto because they have such an amazing vegan selection. For fast food, you can't beat Pita Pit.
10. Favorite dressing?
Either balsamic vinaigrette or something with sesame, soy sauce, ginger, that kind of flavour.
11. What kind of vehicle do you drive?
I have a sweet bike. It's pink and has a basket. And splash guards for the tires. It is my pride and joy.
12. What are your favorite clothes?
As much as I hate to admit it, I like sweat pants and hoodies. They're just so easy to wear. But I also love dressing up and looking nice even when I have nowhere special to go.
13. Where would you visit if you had the chance?
I definitely want to travel across Canada. So far, I've just been to Quebec, and obviously Ontario. There's also a few cities in the States.
14. Cup 1/2 empty or 1/2 full?
I'm really not a fan of this question; like it's supposed to tell you everything you need to know about me.
15. Where would you want to retire?
Somewhere in Canada. Free healthcare is a retiree's dream, isn't it?
14. Cup 1/2 empty or 1/2 full?
I'm really not a fan of this question; like it's supposed to tell you everything you need to know about me.
15. Where would you want to retire?
Somewhere in Canada. Free healthcare is a retiree's dream, isn't it?
16. Favorite time of day?
Between midnight and 4am. I'm a night person, for sure.
17. Where were you born?
Toronto, ON.
18. What is your favorite sport to watch?
Hockey. Even though this season has been a bit depressing so far.
22. People watcher?
Yes. So much fun.
23. Are you a morning person or a night person?
Night
24. Do you have any pets?
Bonnie-a black lab, Sarge-a boxer who thinks he's a person, and Harry-a cat who thinks he's a dog.
25. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share?
My sister is coming home for the weekend to go to the women's show with me. That's kinda exciting. And I'll tell you all about it on Monday.
26. What did you want to be when you were little?
For a while, I thought lawyer. That's so sad. Kids shouldn't want to be lawyers.
27. What is your best childhood memory?
One that really stands out is going to pick up one of our puppies when I was about twelve. There was a room full of tiny yellow labs. I love puppies. I think a lot of what I remember from my childhood focuses on the pets we had or our friend's pets. My dad's friend had a pit bull that was the nicest, sweetest dog I have ever known. Every time they came over, I would play with the dog for hours.
28. Are you a cat or dog person?
I have both and I love both. I don't understand being just one or the other. Liking dogs doesn't preclude someone from liking cats.
29. Are you married?
Yes. To Jon Bon Jovi. He just doesn't know it yet. Other than that, no.
30. Always wear your seat belt?
Yes
31. Been in a car accident?
Yes. Last year. I was on my bike, but there was a car involved.
32. Any pet peeves?
So many. Poor grammar and spelling is one, or two. "Would of" instead of "would've or would have". Oh, and pink jerseys. My favourite colour is pink and most of my clothes are pink but NJ Devils colours are not pink, so why would I wear a pink Devils jersey. I don't know what marketing genius thought up that one. Being a girl doesn't stop me from wearing team colours. It shouldn't be so hard to find girl's sizes in the real team colours. Ok, I'm done with that rant. I'm just saying Don Draper wouldn't put up with that.
33. Favorite Pizza Toppings?
Sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, red onions, roasted garlic, pineapple, and mango.
34. Favorite Flower?
I don't really have a favourite but I like hibiscus. And also snap dragons, but not nearly as much as my sister does. ("Aw man, these aren't even snap dragons." Sorry, that's an inside joke.)
35. Favorite ice cream?
I love peanut butter soy ice cream.
36. Favorite fast food restaurant?
Pita pit or Subway.
37. How many times did you fail your driver's test?
Just once. And that was enough. I don't drive anymore. Hence, the wicked-awesome bicycle.
38. From whom did you get your last email?
Sister
39. What store would you max out your credit card?
Forever 21, H&M, Sally Beauty, Tiffany's (in my dreams)
40. Do anything spontaneous lately?
I cut my own hair. Big mistake. I used to do it all the time when I had super-long hair but it's a whole other story with short hair. It started as a trim in the back. And now I look like my brother at age 12.
41. Like your job?
It's not too bad. I work at a sports bar. I expedite orders and also work in pantry and take-out. When it's not busy, I can watch the hockey games, so that's pretty cool.
42. Broccoli?
No thank you.
41. Like your job?
It's not too bad. I work at a sports bar. I expedite orders and also work in pantry and take-out. When it's not busy, I can watch the hockey games, so that's pretty cool.
42. Broccoli?
No thank you.
43. What was your favorite vacation?
I went to Montreal with my sister in the summer. That was pretty cool.
44. Last person you went out to dinner with?
It's been a while. I don't remember. Unless a quick snack at McDonald's with my dad counts.
45. What are you listening to right now?
The computer is kinda buzzing. Other than that, silence.
46. What is your favorite color?
Pink. But I also like purples and teals/aquamarines.
47. How many tattoos do you have?
None. Tattoos freak me out almost as much as piercings do. And I'm way too indecisive to have something permanently put on my body. I change nail polish every day for goodness sake!
48. What do you like to do when nobody else is around?
Snuggle with my cat and watch tv.
49. Favorite Movie?
I have so many. I love musicals. And brat pack movies. I really liked Jersey Girl but I think I'm one of three on that. Stand By Me will also be one of my tops.
50. Coffee drinker?
Not so much. I love the smell but I don't drink it.
As promised, here's SH Xtreme Wear in Ivy League, and the compulsory accent nail with gold glitter.
This is an apple green with gold shimmer. I don't wear greens too often but I like this one. It's a nice, bright spring colour, which explains why I'm showing it to you in November.
Labels:
green,
Sally Hansen,
swatch,
tag,
Xtreme Wear
Thursday, November 4, 2010
SH Rockstar Pink
Here is SH Xtreme Wear in Rockstar Pink. This has pink/purple, blue, and red regular glitter and silver microglitter.This is three coats with nothing underneath. I normally use black as a base, so this is a little different for me. Click on the images to enlarge so you can see this glitter in all its glory.
Even this wasn't quite enough for me so I added two thin coats of SH New Lengths Ceramics in Urban Chic, a holographic microglitter. The difference isn't too noticeable here, but it did add a little extra oomph.
And because I just couldn't leave it alone, I added a coat of Claire's matte top coat. I usually love matte glitters and shimmers, but I actually prefer this one glossy, so I used Seche Vite to add back the shine.
What's your favourite glitter bomb polish? Do you prefer to use a base colour or just the glitter alone? I'd love to hear from you.
Labels:
glitter,
NOTD,
Sally Hansen,
swatch
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
SH HD DVD
This is Sally Hansen HD in DVD. It's a light purple (lavender, lilac?) packed with light blue shimmer. And even if that was it, this colour would be stunning. But, there's more. If you catch the light just right, the blue shimmer seems to turn pink-purple and the overall colour is a dark fuchsia. So I tried over and over to capture that effect on camera. I don't know if it's just my lame camera, or if the duochrome is that elusive, but at the very least, I did get some color-accurate shots of the blue shimmer. This took three coats because it's so sheer and I'd probably need at least two more for opacity.
Here's a blurry shot to show all the gorgeous blue shimmer.
And this is as close as I could get to capturing the fuchsia duochrome. Definitely less blue than the other shots, but nowhere near as pink as it gets.
I love duochromes. And contrasting shimmer. And purple. And I like the formula on these. Not too thick, not runny. If it wasn't so sheer, this could easily make it's way into my top ten. Maybe next time I'll try layering over a light purple. Revlon Gum Drop would be perfect if that didn't need about six coats itself. Maybe Elf Lilac. Or I might try over a pink to pick up more of the fuchsia in this polish.
What do you think of these new(er) HDs? What are your favourites of the collection? I'd love to hear your opinions.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Outlet Haul + Swatches
I'm lucky enough to live about ten minutes from a cosmetic outlet. Most of the stuff is really old and I wouldn't want to chance a mascara or lippie from there but sometimes I'm able to find great deals on nail polish. And all it takes is a couple drops of nail polish thinner to restore them to their original glory. I went in the other day because I was passing by and figured it would be worth 10 minutes to try and find a polish worth rescuing. And it was! Worth it, I mean.
I'm sure most people reading this are familiar with Sally Hansen Nail Prisms, the discontinued polish that promised "a rainbow in every bottle". Well, as intriguing as that is, I'm just not willing to pay what some people are asking on eBay. So, I'd resigned myself to looking at swatches longingly, knowing I'd never have a bottle for myself. Well, imagine what went through my mind when I saw not one, but two different shades of Nail Prisms. My heart rate picked up a little, and I quickly glanced around to be sure no one was just waiting to snatch up my find. What colours were there? Did it even matter? I had to have them. I grabbed them up quickly and after double- and triple-checking to make sure I hadn't missed an elusive third shade, moved on to the next rack, just hoping lightning would strike twice and I'd find another gem. Drama aside, that's how I became the proud owner of White Ruby and Opal Presents.
The rainbow effect is admittedly less pronounced than in swatches of other shades that I've seen, but beautiful colours nonetheless. Of course, I immediately thought of layering. So, I picked up my go-to black (Xtreme Wear Black Out) and got to work. Over black, the magic really happens. The orange disappears and you're left with green shimmer. And pink, blue, purple. Depending on how the light hits, it really is a rainbow. White Ruby turns first silver, then purple-pink, and blue-green. I couldn't capture it on camera, but trust me, it's there. So much so, that I just spend a solid five minutes turning my hand every which way but loose and admiring the colour change. (Do click that link by the way, I promise it's worth it.)
Left to right: Opal Presents over Black Out, White Ruby over Black Out, Opal Presents (two coats), and White Ruby (two coats).
I had doubts about finding anything else as exciting as Nails Prisms, but I kept looking. Just when I thought all my searching was in vain: a lonely bottle of Sally Hansen Chromes, begging me to take her home. How could I say no? Again, the shade didn't matter. I've heard about how well Chromes stamp and images of fauxnad plates started dancing in my mind. For the record, this is Rose Diamond. Roses are red, diamonds are white; but Rose Diamond is a light silvery, purple. Hmmm, doesn't quite rhyme (or make much sense). Names aside, this is a stamping dream. I think it's actually going to replace Celeb City as my top fauxnad polish.
I'm not a fan of Revlon polishes generally. They have some amazing colours (Gum Drop, for example) but the formula is groan-worthy. That aside, these next two made me revoke my Revlon ban. Silver Switch--from the Color Illusion line--is a metallic silvery pink-purple that shifts to a light silvery green when it catches the light. Duochrome? Check. Purple and pink?!? Check. It had to be mine. The other Revlon I found is Crystal Ball. This is a pink-purple loaded with pale blue-green shimmer. At one angle, it's very purple with the shimmer super obvious. Then, it looks like just a fuchsia frost. The formula is very thin on these, even after sitting on a shelf for who knows how long, but I've said it before, I'm willing to put up with less than stellar formulas when the colour is this good.
Left to right: Rose Diamond over Black Out (plate BM13), Crystal Ball, Silver Switch, Rose Diamond.
After all that excitement, everything else I bought can't possibly compare, but here they are anyway. I found two glitters from Super Shine Naturalistics for a quarter each. Just 25 cents. If all polishes were that cheap, I'd buy every colour ever made. Pinky: Twilight; ring: Ice Crystals; Middle: Twilight over Black Out; Index: Ice Crystals over Black Out. The holographic diamonds in Ice Crystals applied really well, which isn't always the case with these chunky glitters. And, I love that the lids on the bottles coordinate with the polish. It's the small details that count.
The last one I picked up was a real stinker. Literally. Even after drying, and letting is set all night, it still smelled. Aside from the usual chemical smell that most old polishes have, this one stank like really strong orange cleaner. Like someone threw a bunch of chemicals in a bucket and said "hey, that kinda smells like oranges, of course people love the smell of oranges on their nails". Not so much. And the colour isn't stunning enough to put up with the odor. Anyway, this is Maybelline Express Finish in Matte Orange. After half a dozen coats, still super sheer. I'd try it as a top coat but I'm afraid the smell will keep me away. You win some, you lose some. At the very least, I can use the bottle for a franken--that is, if I can get rid of the odor.
*Please excuse my nubbin index nail. It broke the other day and my nails have been doing so well lately that I can't bear to file them all down.*
I know this has been pretty wordy, but last thing I wanted to mention is that I've updated my page with tons of new giveaways. Check it out here to enter and good luck everyone.
Labels:
haul,
nail polish,
revlon,
Sally Hansen
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
This is what a month's worth of nail polish hauling looks like (part two)
In part one, I covered my Orly, OPI, and China Glaze hauls, so here are my drugstore nail polishes from the past month. I'm going to blame most of these purchases not only on good sale prices, but also airmiles.
First up: Rimmel 60 Seconds. My sister and I had both been eying Grey Matter for a while. As I'm sure you all know Xtreme Wear Wet Cement isn't available in Canada (grrr) and I'd been searching for a grey creme. So, when Pharma Plus had Rimmel cosmetics on sale (plus 25 airmiles when you buy three), I bought Grey Matter, Red Carpet, and Night Before. I told my sister that I would franken a dupe for Grey Matter then give her the original. That was silly of me because 30 seconds after opening the bottle I knew I couldn't give it up. So, I had to buy another for her, and remember it was a buy three deal so I had no choice but to choose two others. ;) This time I chose Rapid Ruby and Deliciously Dark. (Up to 50 airmiles, for anyone counting)
Pharma Plus also had NYC cosmetics on sale (again, 25 airmiles when you buy three) so I bought pretty much every colour they had. For under $2 each, and the formula is pretty good, I figured this was a good time to stock up. Most of their colours are pretty basic but I did get a few nice pinks and reds.
Top Row: Lincoln Center, MoMA, Penn Station. Middle Row: Greenwich Village, Mulberry Street, West Village. Bottom Row: Manhattan, Park Avenue, Wall Street. These pics are probably the least accurate in terms of colour, but I'll have swatches coming up for each. (75 airmiles)
That's it for the bonus airmiles. Now I have to decide if I should spend them or save up for something extra-special. Do any of you collect airmiles? What have you redeemed them for? I have to admit I'm a bit of a sucker for rewards programs, though the only thing I've actually traded in points for was a CD years ago.
Back to the nail polish. The rest that I bought last month were pretty much just random drugstore polishes that caught my eye. SH HD DVD, Wet n Wild Megalast Bite the Bullet and Under Your Spell, SH Xtreme Wear Pink Boa, SH Insta-Dri Petal Pusher, SH New Lengths Ceramics Urban Chic. I also bought a black crackling polish on eBay and a random iridescent sheer at a dollar store. The final two I'd been considering for ages but put off because they're a little expensive for how much you get and I'd heard the formula isn't great. On the other hand, I've been craving colour-change nail polish. So I finally let myself buy them during one of Claire's perpetual BOGO 1/2 off sales. After a fair amount of debating, I settled on Wild/Calm and Mellow/Crazy.
That's it. All my nail polish from the past month. After seeing it all laid out here, I've decided it's time for a low-buy. I'm only allowed to buy polishes if they are either on an amazing sale or limited edition. I wouldn't want to miss out on holiday collections, of course. But I definitely do have to slow down the spending.
Labels:
haul,
nail polish,
NYC,
Rimmel,
Sally Hansen
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
I'm Michelle and I have a problem...
I think I'm addicted to nail polish. There's just something about using a new colour for the first time. Or the feeling you get when you finally find something you've been searching for. More than once that has caused me to come home with a bag full of polishes when I go to the store for something unrelated. Well, today I actually went for nail polish, but not nearly as many as I ended up buying. After seeing the new Xtreme Wear limited edition colours, I couldn't stop thinking about them. I want to wait for a sale, so I only bought two for now. But while I was at Pharma Plus, I saw the new Sally Hansen HD display. And I had a tough time choosing just one.
Left to right: Sally Hansen HD Laser, Xtreme Wear Concrete and Purple Gala, Hidden Treasure
Hidden Treasure! I don't think there's anyone left who isn't in love with this one. My sister found two bottles at Zellers a while ago so we each have one but when she spotted this today, I knew I'd regret not buying it. I'm trying to decide if I should save it as backup in case more lines don't realize how coveted flakies are right now. Or should I pass it on to someone still lemming it?
I also went into Sally Beauty for polish thinner and ended up buying a China Glaze. Fairy Dust (the name is perfect!) is a holographic glitter. I can't wait to try it over black, and any other colour.
And since I can't be near a Walmart without checking out their nail polish selection:
I picked up Wet n Wild Caribbean Frost, French White Creme, Blue Moon, and Tickled Pink. I originally had about twice as many in my basket but managed to narrow it down since I had near-dupes for the others. For $1.57, these wear pretty well and there's a decent selection of colours. I also got some Rimmel Recover foundation for five cents each (that's right, $0.05!). Between two of us, we cleared out the display. I love finding makeup on clearance and you just can't beat that price. The same foundation was on clearance for eight bucks at the drugstore.
Labels:
China Glaze,
haul,
hidden treasure,
nail polish,
Sally Hansen,
wet n wild,
Xtreme Wear
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