NOTD: Colors of Love with Hearts

Happy Valentine's Day Everyone!

 

Today's post is all about the colors of love i.e. red and pink with accent hearts. I am not much of a nail art person but love nail polish so I always try to add a bling here and there.

 

 

The two polishes that I used for the first look are: Nicka K New York and Julep Hartleigh.

  

 

Julep Hartleigh: This was a part of 2015 February collection and has a clear base with white round specks and red metallic hearts. It does not come out even so I had to pick out the hearts to make it look even on both hands. Also, since it has a clear base so I used one coat of red polish to make it pop.

 

 

Nicka K New York: I received this polish in a subscription box around 2-3 years ago. Not only it has beautiful packaging but an awesome formula.

 

 

 After about four days my red polish chipped but the accent nail was still perfect, so I decided to replace the red with pink and it turned out amazing.

 

 

 Fingrs You Pinky Swear?: I shared a blog post about seven different shades of Fingrs polishes back in 2013. Their formula is amazing in general and this one is no exception, its a beautiful baby pink shade that goes opaque in just one coat and looks flawless in two. Also, it lasts well and doesn't chip.  

 

 

So, these are my super simple and easy Valentine's day nail looks. Give them a try and see if you like them.

 

Thank you for taking time to read this post. Hope you have a great day!

 

Review: CND Vinylux Weekly Polish & Top Coat

Vinylux is a nail polish line by CND that claims to have a week long wear without the use of any UV lamps. According to the their website, "VINYLUX® Weekly Polish is a breakthrough polish that endures a week of fashion perfection...without a base coat! Exposure to natural light activates the patent-pending ProLight Technology™ to deliver week-long wear. While ordinary polishes break down over time, VINYLUX® Weekly Polish actually becomes more durable!"

 

This line has 99 shades and cost around $10-12 CAD each on different websites. This review is going to be on the weekly top coat and the nail polish in shade Masquerade #130.

 

 

CND Vinylux in Masquerade: It is a duo chrome shimmery burgundy shade with a very fitting name. It goes on sheer so it took me five coats to get a satisfying streak free look. The staying power of the polish is kind of questionable as it started chipping on the very first day of application.

So if you just want it just for this particular shade then I don't feel its worth the trouble because  Wet n Wild megalast nail polish in Under Your Spell and Calvin Klein splendid color in Opus are very close dupes.

 

CND Vinylux Weekly Top Coat: This product was a huge let down.  It has regular semi-thick consistency that most top coats have and dries up just fine. However, the issue is that instead of prolonging the wear of the polish, it makes it chip faster. I followed all the instructions and used it with the polish from the same line but it started chipping within hours of application.

 

 

The picture above was taken after about 20 hours of painting my nails. I usually paint my nails at night before going to bed, so this level of chipping within a few hours of being active is out of ordinary. Also, I did not do any scrubbing or dishes or anything rigorous that could have fastened the wear.

 

 

In the above picture, where the white arrow is pointed, you can see that the chipping is not restricted just to the tips but also at the base of the nail.

 

In addition to the chipping, the polish started to look dull and worn off after 3 days.

 

 

Since the top coat did not work with the vinylux polish so I decided to try it with other brands.

 

First polish that I tried was Loreal Paris nail polish in Color of Hope, and sadly there was quite a bit of chipping. All the pictures below were taken within 24 hours of application but at different times of the day.  

 

 

 

 

  Second polish that I tried was Maybelline Express Finish nail color in Berry Fancy, and unfortunately I got the same result.

 

 

 

A few other brands that I tried with this topcoat but did not take pictures of were: China Glaze, OPI, Rimmel and Julep. Unfortunately, none of them worked. So, I guess I will just stick to my tried and true Revlon Colorstay topcoat. So, for me personally, Vinylux line was a fail , and from all the reviews that I have seen, it either works great or just fails miserably, and I guess I fall into the latter category.

 

If you have any tips to make it work, please let me know because it is an expensive polish and I don't want it go waste.

 

Thank you so much for taking time to read this post. Hope you have a great day!

 

 

 

December 2015: Julep Maven All That Glitters Overview

I have been a Julep maven for about two years. Its a great service with free shipping and new colors every month. This months theme was All That Glitters and I got the IT girl box. It came with three nail colors and a cinnamon flavored candy cane along with a coupon for free nail polish.

 

Chrissy, Beatrice and Omelia

 

Chrissy: Beautiful creamy green shade that leans a little bit towards teal. UPDATE: This polish stains both the skin and the nails really really bad during the removal process. Even repeated washing with soap didn't get the color off my skin. I will never use it again. I will share the pictures in an upcoming post.

 

Beatrice: Shimmery gold with a hint of copper. Its a difficult to define kind of shade so I may be wrong but to me it looks like the liquid form of Becca Jacyln Hill Highlighter.

 

Omelia: This is a special edition 2015 wonder maven polish. It's purple with tiny pink sparkles in it.

 

On the first look I thought I already have these shades in my collection so I have done a brief comparison.

 

Omelia (bottom) and Barbara (top)

 Barbara is a lot more pink while Omelia is purple.

 

Chrissy and Emilie

 

Chrissy and Emilie

 Emilie is true leafy green shade while Chrissy has some bluish undertones to it, which makes it look a little bit teal when placed close to a true green.

 



Sienna and Beatrice

Beatrice has a lot more copper to it while Sienna is more of a cool toned silvery gold. Also, Sienna has a creamy and smooth texture while Beatrice has some finely milled glitter.

 

What did you get in your Julep maven box this month? What do you think about Julep polishes in general?  Also, do you have any thoughts on Julep matte lipsticks because I really want to try them.

 

Thank you for taking time to read this post. Hope you have a wonderful day.

 

 

NOTD: Chocolaty Brown & Rose Gold

Today's nail look is mix of deep dark chocolaty brown polish topped with rose gold sparkle. Even though it does not look like it but for some reason it reminds me of Ferrero Rocher packaging, I know that's totally random but it does.

 

 

Revlon Hot Chocolate: Very deep dark chocolaty brown color that looks almost black at times. It is a very pigmented polish and gave me full coverage with just two coats.  

 

Julep Jane: Beautiful rose gold glitter polish. I have just one coat of it over hot chocolate on ring finger and it bought the whole look together.

 

 

Adding an accent nail is a really easy way to jazz up the look, especially for those who are not very proficient with  nail art.

 

 

I wore this dark chocolate brown shade after years and totally fell in love with it all over again. What do you think about dark brown polishes? What are some of your favorites?

 

Thank you for taking time to read this post. Hope you have a great day!

NOTD: Sparkly Bling

Today's nail look is somewhat different for me because normally I do not wear glitter polish on all the nails at once as it is a pain to take off. However, this time I made an exception because my original plan of glitter accent with a nudey mauve shade didn't go well. 

The polish that I used is Clio by Julep and to be honest I am quite disappointed with it. I bought several glitter polishes from Julep last month and based on how it looks in the bottle I thought this one is going to be my favorite, which unfortunately it isn't. In the bottle, it looks very condensed and multidimensional with beautiful pinkish rose gold specks mixed in with silver and gunmetal glitter. However, the problem is that on the nails it looks like plain flat silver glitter. 

Also, another issues is that I had to use thick four coats to get this look and I can still see some gaps in between. I think next time I am going to layer it over a darker color for some added depth and intensity. However, on a side note, I really like the silver top of this polish as regular Julep polishes come with a black cap. 

Do you like glitter polishes? How do you wear them? 

Thank you for taking time to read this post, I hope you enjoyed it. Have a great day!

 

NOTD: Pinkish Sparkly Rosegold

The China Glaze nail polish Strike Up A Cosmo was released earlier last year as a part of their Autumn Nights Collection along with eleven other beautiful shades. But even after a year of release, all the colors are still readily available. 

Strike Up A Cosmo is a pinky rosegold shimmery shade, which is marketed as a foil finish by the company. The consistency is really nice and goes on opaque in just one coat. 

In the pictures, I have two coats of polish along with a regular base and top coat. As I said earlier, one coat is enough to get the color in the bottle but I used two just because I always do that. I have few other colors from this line that I'll share in the future posts. 

Do you have any polishes from this collection? If yes, then which one is your favorite?

Thank you for taking time to read this post, I hope you enjoyed it. Have a great day!

December 2013: Ipsy Bag

I finally received my Ipsy Bag in the mail yesterday. All the products are centered around the celebration theme. Everything came in a black patent leather bag, which is quite nice and chic. 

I kind of liked this months bag for the most part except one product i.e. the bombshell stick. 

Pop Beauty Eye Shadow Trio in Naturally Bare: I am glad that I got this neutral trio instead of the smokey one. I am not a huge fan of the giant floral design on the compact. Actually, I find the Pop Beauty packaging quite gaudy in general and this trio isn't any exception. All three colors are shimmery and have decent pigmentation. However, the darkest shade is disappointing because it took several swipes to build up the swatch. Since I have it so I'll use it but these days even drugstore eye shadows have raised their bar so I have no desire to repurchase or to try other versions of this line.However, it is a full sized trio so I am glad I got to try it. 

NYX Lipstick in B52: I love NYX lip products and own several lipstick shades from this line. I always wanted to get this shade so I am glad I got it in this bag. It is a beautiful deep mauve shade that is very smooth and creamy. 

Be a Bombshell The One Stick in Girl Crush: This has to be the worst product out of all this month. It goes on very unevenly and feels somewhat crumbly. It is packed with lots of gold glitter and the color blends into nothing leaving specks of glitter all over the place. Usually, I try to utilize everything I have but this is something that will go straight in the trash. 

Nicka K New York Nail Polish: This has to be one of the most beautiful nail polish bottle I own that deserves to sit on the vanity. The polish itself is a gorgeous deep red shade but has very strong pungent smell like those of cheap polishes. Also, unfortunately it doesn't have a name on it. Nonetheless, I am glad I got it because I absolutely love the bottle and the coppery bronze lid. 

Demeter Snow Roll On Perfume Oil: Firstly, I am really happy that it is an actual usable roll on tube rather than the tiny sample. Secondly, I really like the soft scent. I know it may sound odd but the scent makes me feel somewhat nostalgic, it takes me a few years back but I don't clearly remember when and where? I have been continuously sniffing it so that I can recall something and calm down my curiosity but it is not helping :(. 

Overall, I really liked this bag for the size and variety of products. The only thing that is not even worth trying is the Be a Bombshell stick, other than that, I feel everything else is usable. 

Are you a subscriber? What did you get this month?

Thank you for taking time to read this post, I hope you enjoyed it. Have a great day!

NOTD: Deep Berry & Sparkly Rose Gold

This past week, we finally got the first snow of the season in Toronto and to celebrate that I pulled out my deep dark nail polishes. I love using glitters along with dark colors as they not only add a dimension to the look but also accentuates the dark tones. 

I absolutely love this berry and rose gold combination, and as always I used the colored polish under the glitter to tie up everything together. Also, it aids in the glitter removal later. 

The colors that I used are Maybelline Express Finish in Berry Fancy (2 coats) and Julep Nail Color in Jane (1coat). I really liked this line of Maybelline polishes but unfortunately, it has been discontinued. However, you can use any dark berry color. The Julep nail polish is a full coverage rose gold glitter which goes on opaque in just one coat. However, unfortunately Julep glitter polishes get somewhat goopy in the tube after a while. 

The Julep polish is on sale in a set for $14.99 right now along with three other glitter polishes. So, if you are interested then I would highly recommend you to pick it up now. 

How do you spice up your regular manicure?

Thank you for taking to read this post, I hope you enjoyed it. Have a great day!

November 2013: Ipsy Bag

I received my Ipsy Bag today in the mail and this month's theme is Glam it Up so there are a fair amount of shiny and bronzy products. I felt that this bag was more summer appropriate than fall, especially  because of the bronzer and the orange lip balm. Also, this month there are six samples instead of usual five, but I found the outer bag to be overly gaudy and tacky looking. 

Tresemme Tres Two Spray: I have heard a lot of things about this spray and always wanted to try it so I am really excited that I received it this month. 

Nailtini Lacquer in Champagne: I love this brand of nail polish, it is nicely pigmented and doesn't get streaky. Also, I am glad that I received this bronzey shade instead of the silver one. 

Star Looks Gem Pencil in Topaz

Star Looks Gem Pencil in Topaz: A month or two ago, Ipsy sent the black version of this pencil and I didn't like it at all. This time they sent  the color topaz, which is a sparkly silver shade and is kind of too much for me. Even though it is super creamy and soft but it doesn't last at all. 

Pixi Beauty Bronzer in Subtly Suntouched

Pixi Beauty Bronzer in Subtly Suntouched: Pixi is a high end drugstore brand which can be found at Target. I was really excited about this product but it is way too light for my skin tone. However, it can be used as a subtle highlight because of the pink undertones. 

Em Pillow Plush Balm in Creamsicle; Be a Bombshell Lip Crayon in Hot Damn

Em Pillow Plush Lip Balm in Creamsicle: I think this is the extra sixth sample this month. I found this balm to be very similar to L'Oreal Hip Studio balms minus the tackiness. It has a very pleasant sweet candy smell but this particular color is way too sheer to show up on my dark pigmented lips. It is a good product but I would never ever spend $15 for a lip balm. Also, I am a hygiene freak so I do not like to repeatedly stick my finger in the product. 

Be a Bombshell Lip Crayon in Hot Damn: I am a huge fan of lip crayons and jumbo lip pencils so I really like this product. The color appears corally red in the picture but is actually a pink based red with tiny sparkles. Also, it leaves a stain behind thus increasing its lasting power. 

I really liked some products from this month's bag so it was a hit for me. Usually, the bags with nail polish and lip products are my favorite and this month Ipsy had both. 

Have you received your Ipsy bag? Did you like it or not?

Thank you for taking time to read this post, I hope you enjoyed it. Have a great day!

NOTD: Halloween Special

I love nail polish but I suck at nail art, so whenever I feel like doing something different I opt for a simple accent nail. And since today it is Halloween so I chose orange and black as the theme. As usual  along with the colors I used the Revlon Color stay base and top coat. 

The colors that I used are OPI Call Me Gwen-ever and Hard Candy Masquerade. 

The OPI shade is really nice and pigmented and gives an opaque finish in just two coats. I also used it as a base for the pointer finger under the glitter polish.

The Hard Candy nail polish screams Halloween to me. It has chucks of orange glitter in black base but goes on somewhat gritty because the base is not smooth polish but actually an accumulation of tiny black particles.  Nonetheless, it has really nice pigmentation as for the above look, I used only one coat over the orange base. 

What color did you paint your nails for Halloween? 

Thank you for taking time to read this post, I hope you enjoyed it. Have a great day!

October 2013: Ipsy Bag

I received my October Ipsy Bag today. Ipsy is a monthly beauty subscription for $14.95 CAD. Every month they send out five personalized beauty, hair or skincare products in a cute little bag. This time I already knew what is going to be in the bag because for some reason Ipsy unlocked the glam room beforehand. But nonetheless, I was just as exited as I always am. This month's bag is white with red font saying "Love of beauty is taste. The creation of beauty is art". 

This month's bag included: Coastal Scents Medium Shadow Brush, Bella Terra Mineral Shimmer, Big Sexy Hair Blow Dry Volumizing Gel,  Zoya Nail Polish and LA Fresh Oil Free Wet Face Wipes. 

Above: Coastal Scents Medium Synthetic Shadow Brush; Below: Coastal Scents Medium Natural Shadow Brush.

Coastal Scents Medium Shadow Brush: When I saw this brush in my glam room I wasn't very happy because I already have a CS Medium brush. However, I didn't know that the one I own is synthetic while this one is natural. Both the brushes are very different. The synthetic is stiff, short and thick while natural one is super soft and long. It sheds a little but still it is an okay brush to pat down the eye shadow.

Bella Terra Mineral Cosmetics Mineral Shimmer in Emotion: For some reason, all the subscriptions boxes send a lot of loose mineral shadows which I am not a huge fan of because they are very messy to use. But other than that, it is a beautiful soft shimmery purple shade. 

Big Sexy Hair Blow Dry Gel: I really love this brand in general so I am quite excited about this product. Especially because I have very fine hair and gels don't work for me. But this one feels really light and non-sticky to touch so hopefully it won't disappoint. 

Zoya Nail Polish in Neve: This is a gorgeous shimmery navy blue color. Zoya nail polishes retail for around $10-11 + taxes in Canada so this polish alone makes the bag worth it. Also, I am a nail polish fanatic so any nail polish is welcome. 

LA Fresh Oil Free Face Cleanser Wipes: When I saw these wipes online I was honestly disappointed because I am allergic to certain ingredients that are present in almost all the wipes. However, I am pleasantly surprised with these as their claim of natural ingredients is true to the core as even the fragrance that is used is natural. The wipes have a very subtle fresh fruity scent. Also, the packaging is beautiful and nice quality. Overall, I love these wipes and would definitely buy them in future. 

Do you have monthly subscription? If yes, which one? And would you recommend it?

New Product Alert: Super Inexpensive Nail Polishes

I went to the Walmart today and was browsing through the aisles casually and came across a hidden display of nail polishes.  At first I thought these are the nail art type with pointed brushes because of the bottle design and the overall display,  but since there were a lot of glitter options so I checked one out and found them to be regular polishes. The brand is called Fingrs Heart 2 Art, and they carry standard polishes with cream, shimmer and glitter formulas along with  a lot of other nail art accessories and kits. Even though they do not have a lot of unique colors but I found the collection to be pretty decent with a lot of neutrals and mid-toned shades and some bright colors. After pure ice, I feel that this nail polish has the most attractive price point of $1.98 and that is what made me pick up so many shades at once.

New Nail Polish Brand at Walmart: Fingrs Heart 2 Art

I usually do not buy multiples at once, especially from a new brand but this time I did because the formula seemed pretty nice and the shades were also very wearable. 

From Taupe to Bottom - 2 coats 

This polish passed the test when I swatched the lightest shade as lighter shades are usually streaky. However, this one went on very nicely without streaks in just two coats. 

Left: Julep (8ml); Right: Fingrs Heart 2 Art (8.8ml)

The bottle is very similar to the Julep, except the shape of the cap. Julep has a rectangular cap while this one has round cap. However, the main difference is that Julep polishes retail for $14 (8ml) while Fingrs is just $1.98 (8.8ml). I find this brand to be pretty generic, just like any other nail polish brand. The brush is just like Julep or any other typical nail polish brush. The only thing with cheaper polishes is the strong scent. I felt the scent was really strong and chemically when I had a whiff at the store, however, now that I tried smelling the other polishes for comparison, it seems fine to me. 

I can't really comment about the lasting power because I just bought it, but I am planning to do NOTD's with these shades so will let you know about their wear time in those posts. However, it is definitely not one of the quick drying nail polishes and it does take a while to dry off without a top coat. 

The colors that I picked up are as follows (in the order shown in the picture):

From Taupe to Bottom: This is a gorgeous sandy beige shade with a hint of taupe. To me, it looks very similar to Essie Sand Tropez, may be a bit lighter. 

Mauve It or Lose It: This is a mid-toned mauvy neutral shade. It is basically the above mentioned shade with mauve tint to it, but a very beautiful work appropriate neutral color. 

You Pinky Swear?: This is a nicely pigmented standard baby pink, which goes on without any streaks. 

Peri-Wink, Wink: As the same suggests, this is a periwinkle shade with a tinge of purple and goes on very nicely. 

Catch Some Grays: This is a grey shade with a slight taupey tint to it. In the store I thought it is similar to the Maybelline Color Tattoo in Tough as Taupe but it is not. It looks taupey grey on its own but more like a standard cement grey in front of the color tattoo which pulls more purple near it. 

V.I.Purple: This is a shimmery duo chrome bluish purple shade. When you look directly at the bottle it looks like a deep blue, but when the light hits at an angle, the beautiful purple shows up. 

Red You Loud And Clear: This is a true velvety red shade which reminds me of holiday season and Christmas. The shimmer in this polish is so finely milled that it just takes this color up a notch. 

Even though I bought these polishes today but I already love them because it doesn't take too long to test the quality of nail polishes. Especially because the wear time is not an issue for me as I change my polish every other day. Also, I give this brand props for giving a thought to the names like the OPI does. So overall, I love the packaging, the shades, the formula, the pigmentation, the names and off course the price. 

Have you seen these polishes at Walmart stores near you? Have you tried them? Or do you plan to try them in future?

Thank you for taking time to read this post, I hope you enjoyed it. Have a great day!