OPI: Take the Stage (Burlesque Collection)

Hi everyone! I hope you're having a great week! Here's a color I wore back on Thanksgiving. I thought it was a great color for the fall holiday. Alas it's now almost New Years and I am just getting around to sharing. Sorry!!

This is Take the Stage from OPI's Burlesque collection.  OPI describes this color as "a warm orange spotlight shimmer".  It's a really really pretty burnt orange shimmer. The shimmer colors in this collection are just beautiful. The finish is amazing, the light hits it and it just sparkles but it's not glitter. I don't even know how to describe the finishes in this collection. It's like stained glass or something. Love it! I wish the amazing quality cooperated with the camera.

I had no issues with application. The more I use the wide OPI brush the better I get with it. So stick with it girls. I hated that thing at first and while it's still far from my favorite it's absolutely working much better for me with practice.

  

Are you a fan of this one? 

What are your plans for New Years Eve? Let me know!!!!

Disclosure: This product was sent to me by PR. All reviews are honest and done at my discretion. Please refer to my disclosure policy at the top of the page for more info.

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Rimmel: Grey Matter

Hi everyone! I hope your holiday was amazing and you got to spend time with friends and family. I had a great Christmas and loved celebrating my Godson/Nephew's first Christmas.

Santa got me a silver Helmer which is so exciting. It's like it was made to hold nail polish. It's perfect and I cannot wait to show you photos of how I organized mine. I am going to need another soon though it's full LOL. I love it though. My wonderful hubby put it together for me on Christmas Eve and I had so much fun stashing my polishes in there.  Anyway... on the polish! 

Today I want to share a color from Rimmel with you. This is Grey Matter and it is a gorgeous true grey creme. It's so pretty I can't stand it. I got mine at Walmart for like $2 or something.

This color is great. It's a true light grey. In some lights it does get sort of a blue cast, sort of like a steel blue. It mostly gets that hue indoors but outside it's a true grey. I just love this one. I think it's got to be one of my favorite tones of grey.

The formula is great.  It's a lovely creme and it is super shiny which I love. I have been consistently impressed with Rimmel nail polishes. I find their brushes to be fantastic, they're sort of flat and tapered at the end. Application is always easy and I never have much to clean up. Give it up for Rimmel being affordable and fantastic. Can't get much better than that! 

So what do you think? A great grey or depressing? I just love it! It's a win all the way for me and I see myself wearing this beauty out! 

Tell me what Santa brought you this year! I am curious!

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Merry Christmas from Prim and Polished

Merry Christmas (Eve) everyone! I wish you all the happiest of holidays and I want you all to have fun, celebrate and be safe. Make sure you have a designated driver!

I wish I had some super cute nail art to show you but as I have mentioned in the past I suck at nail art. However I made an attempt and by golly I am going to stand by it an wear it proud LOL. 

I have seen so many people layer Snow and Party Hearty together and I just adore the combo. I think it looks so Christmas-y like Peppermint Bark or something! I just knew I had to do the combo myself. I wanted to add an accent nail and I knew it would be a disaster but I did it anyway and I guess it looks ok. 

For the "tree" (It's abstract OK!) I used Nina Ultra Pro Salsa, China Glaze Jolly Holly and Essie Little Brown Dress. For the "ornaments" I used a dotting tool from Born Pretty with the colors China Glaze Ruby Deer  and Color Club Gossip Column. I topped it with a rhinestone from Born Pretty in yellow.  I think it came out ok but it's not anything to be impressed with really. 

The nail art tools were provided to be for consideration by the Born Pretty Store.  I am not receiving any compensation at all for mentioning these I was just given the products to review at my discretion. Everything came quickly (being it shipped from Hong Kong) and was packed securely.  Their prices are reasonable and they have a ton of nail art supplies on their website. 

The dotting tool make it easy to make the ornaments. I cannot wait to use that more. I always loved polka dot nail art and now I that I have the dotting tools I can do it myself. The design on them reminds me of water marbling! 

The rhinestone was easy to apply and I just stuck it on when the polish was still tacky and then topped the entire thing with a coat of Seche Vite. It appears it will hold up so that's good.

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So that's my Christmas manicure.  I know it's not very exciting but I tried. What did you do for Christmas nails? What are your plans for the holiday? Have any favorite Christmas treats?

Enjoy the holiday everyone and thanks for being amazing supporters of this blog. It means so much to me! 

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China Glaze: Mistletoe Kisses (Tis the Season to be Naughty and Nice)

Hi everyone! I hope you're all having a good week and that your holiday is starting off stress free. I know this time of year things can get hectic so remember to keep calm and think about what Christmas is really all about. Spend time with those who mean the most to you and enjoy the day, however it goes.

I have another color from China Glaze's Tis The Season to be Naughty and Nice collection.  This is Mistletoe Kisses which is a gorgeous pine green with silver glitter.  It looks like a fairytale snow frosted Christmas tree. It's very festive.  It's not my favorite color, it's pretty, don't get me wrong. I like it but I am not in love with it, color wise.  I find most things with silver do not flatter my skintone. That doesn't mean it won't work for you though! 

The formula is great. Like most China Glaze polishes it's just fantastic and there's nothing for me to complain about.  

This was sort of difficult to photograph but I did my best.  

Are you a fan of this one? Do you like it on me? Do you see how silver might not particularly flatter me?

I didn't do my holiday mani yet but I have some fun ideas. What are you wearing on your tips for the holiday!?

Disclosure: This product was sent to me by PR. All reviews are done at my discretion and are 100% honest.  Please refer to my disclosure policy above for more information. 

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China Glaze: Phat Santa and Nicole by OPI: Spark my Mistletoe

 Hi everyone! Geez, I feel like Christmas just snuck up on me. It's almost here! What are you doing to prepare? I am all done shopping and wrapping, which is a relief and now I am just mentally preparing myself to make this French Toast Casserole for the first time for brunch on Sunday. I think it sounds so good and it's perfect for a brunch dessert like item. I will let you know if it's a success.

Here's another simple holiday manicure featuring two colors from two different company's holiday collections.

First I did two coats of China Glaze's Phat Santa which is from the Tis the Season to be Naughty and Nice collection.  It's a gorgeous blue based creme red. I adore it. It glides on perfectly and is amazing on its own:

To make things more festive for the holiday I added two coats of Nicole by OPI's Spark my Mistletoe. This is such a fun color. I love it. It's glitter suspended in a clear base so I think it's best to be used as a top coat. This is red and silver microglitter and silver almost holo hex glitter. It's so fun and festive. I had no problems with application though I did have to move the hex glitter around a bit to make sure I got some! It's the best part of this polish in my opinion.

So what do you think of this holiday manicure? Festive or not so much? Did you pick up either color?

Disclosure: These polishes were sent by PR for review. All reviews are done at my discretion and are 100% honest.   Please refer to my disclosure policy above for more information.

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Silver Bells... Silver Bells... (China Glaze Cheers to You with nubar Silver Glitter)

Hi everyone! I hope you're all getting into the Christmas spirit because before you know it it will be Christmas Day! I am a slight Grinch this year, I'd say about 50% but hopefully I will be better come Saturday. I just feel I could have done better with gifts this year but I really just did not have the money to buy people what I'd have liked.  Oh well, next year.

Today I have what I am calling my Silver Bells manicure which features two different colors from two different company's holiday collections.  This is China Glaze's Cheers to You topped with three coats of nubar's Silver Bells.  Silver Bells came out with the Holiday Jewel Basket which is still available from nubar for $49.95 and comes with 9 polishes and a really cute basket.  I love the set, it's perfect for the holidays and beyond really. 

I already reviewed the China Glaze color here, so be sure to check out those swatches if you're interested. It's essentially a silver metal. The Silver Glitter is gorgeous and super blingy. I think it's best used as a top coat as it's silver glitter in a clear base. The glitter is pretty densely packed so you probably could do several coats and get decently opaque results but I personally like to use it layered. Over Cheers to You it's really fantastic. You get super glittery metallic nails. I think it's like tinsel so it's a nice look for the season.  

As far as the swatches go I think the two indoor photos are most color accurate. I find glitters photograph best for me indoors, while other finishes do not do as well indoors with my camera. Who knows why? 

So what do you think of this combo? Festive? Do you have either color? What would you layer the silver glitter over? 

Disclosure: These polishes were sent by PR for review. All reviews are done at my discretion and are 100% honest.   Please refer to my disclosure policy above for more information.

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Zoya: Edyta

Hi everyone! I hope you're all kicking off your weekend the way you want to, weather it's relaxing by the fire, heading to the movies or doing some last minute shopping. Have fun and enjoy the weekend. Today Steve and I are going to see Tron: Legacy in IMAX-3D. I just watched the original last night for the first time *I KNOW! Where have I been!? and I enjoyed it so I am looking forward to seeing this one.

Last night I went to Ulta because I was in the area, unfortunately the only three Ultas in my state aren't very close to where I live. So I wandered around for a bit and considered getting some Buy2Get2Free Essies or OPIs but you couldn't mix and match the brands and I find Ulta a bit expensive so I passed on those. Then I saw a lone Zoya display hidden on  a bottom shelf and there was Edyta! I have been lusting after this color ever since seeing a few swatches on various blogs and I was just waiting to see it in person before committing to an order. During the 6 free color spoons event I ordered a spoon of this but I didn't get those yet. I knew the second I saw this that I needed it in my life. The light hits this color in a way I cannot even describe in any other word by beautifully. So I grabbed this and an Ulta Hand & Body cream to get me over $10 and headed to the cash register with my $3.50 off $10 coupon in hand. So my total came to $6.95 not toos shabby, it was like getting a freebie lotion. 

Anyway, Zoya's Edyta  is described by Zoya as: "a complex mixture of gold, olive, blue-green and smoky grey with a sparkling metallic finish." The description is spot on. This thing is incredible. It's base is sort of a smoky grey/green and in the light it sparkles with this intense sort of bronze-y gold. It's so hard to describe and photos do not do it justice. It's incredible and  very unique in my book. When I brought it to the counter to pay the cashier was like "Wow, this is so pretty!!" I agree.

The formula is great. It's almost opaque for me in one coat but I did two to fix any mistakes I made. It glided on well and I had no brush streaks at all.  I am really impressed with what polish brands are doing lately with these shimmery finishes. I remember the days when shimmer was something I steered clear of because it almost certainly meant brush strokes and balding. Recently brands have really perfected this formula and presented us with some of the most incredible sparkly shimmery shades imaginable.  Color me impressed my dears.

On to the photos, as if they can do this one justice. My suggestion, just order it. You'll thank me later.   

Stunning? Didn't I tell you it was? I love this color, can you tell?  I am so happy Ulta had it.  Zoya polishes are great and not too expensive at $7 a pop. They can be hard to find in stores so shipping is something you have to consider. However their spoons really do make it easier to order online since you can pick one up for $0.50 (shipped free) to make sure the color is what you think it is (we all know we can't really trust stock swatches).  

So what do you think? Is this color on your must have list? Have you worn it? Do you love it as much as I do?

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China Glaze: Mommy Kissing Santa (Tis the Season to be Naughty and Nice)

Hi Everyone! I have another lovely holiday color from China Glaze to share with you! This Mommy Kissing Santa from the "Tis the Season to be Naughty and Nice collection. This color is a stunning shimmery sort of garnet color. It's absolutely gorgeous. I tend to enjoy colors like this. I feel like they are really flattering on almost all skin tones and usually work appropriate as well.  It's a great elegant understated color for the holiday but it's also great any time of year. Lovely.

The formula is wonderful, it glides on effortlessly and the finish is really pretty and glossy. You all know I adore China Glaze.

So what do you think? Hit or miss? I love the name of this one by the way. It's too cute!!!! 

Disclosure: This product was sent by PR for consideration. All reviews are 100% honest and done at my discretion. Please refer to my policy above.

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It's my One Year Blog-iversary! Plus China Glaze: Little Drummer Boy (Tis the Season to be Naughty and Nice)

Hi everyone!!! Today is a special kind of blogging day for me! One year ago today I began this blog and it's become a labor of love for me. I am having so much fun blogging and I especially love interacting with you all. So THANK YOU to all of my followers, old and new! This blog would not be what it is without you. Thanks from the bottom of my heart!!! Love you all! 

I feel like I've come a long way with this blog. When I began I didn't know how to use the macro setting on my camera to get better photos and I really sort of sucked at doing my nails. Along the way I think I have gotten better but I am still learning tips and tricks along the way. Hopefully this time next year I will be even better! Stay tuned!

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So today I wanted to share another color from China Glaze's 'Tis the Season to be Naughty and Nice collection. I know I should have gotten these up quicker but I suck.  This is Little Drummer Boy which is a dark navy blue shimmer. It's gorgeous! The shimmer in this is the same color blue as the base is so it's not glaring but it adds enough depth to make it interesting.

The formula, as always with China Glaze is wonderful. I am a China Glaze freak. I think they're just the best! Sometimes when I use other brands for a while and come back to China Glaze I sign with relief upon painting the first nail because it's just so easy to use and comes out as close to flawless as I can get. Love it! 

I love this color but if you're only going to get one dark shimmery blue from China Glaze I have to say Midnight Mission from the Vintage Vixen (Fall) Collection is amazing! I prefer it but that's just me. I  say get them both but if you have to just have one go with that one! 

So there you have it. Blue for the holidays! I suppose it would have worked for Hanukkah but Christmas, not so much LOL. Beautiful nonetheless right? What do you think?

Disclosure: This item was sent by PR for consideration. All reviews are done at my discretion and are 100% honest. Please refer to my policy above.

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OPI: Sparkle-icious (Burlesque Collection)

Hello everyone. Can you even believe it's almost Christmas? Wow, where does the time go? Insane. I have a lot of swatching to do! Yikes!

Today I want to share one of the OPI Burlesque glitters with you. This was the one I was looking most forward to, this is Sparkle-icious. It's a beautiful multi colored glitter in a clear base. It's so packed with glitter though that you really only need 3 coats to make it opaque which is great! A glitter that is not a top coat! Yay!!!  The colors I see most in this are gold, blue and purple. It reminds me of Marti Gras! It's absolutely stunning.  

While at first glance you might be thinking this is too similar to Mad as a Hatter but it's not. MAAH has is more silver based and this is more gold based.

In the right lighting this color looks positively molten! The gold makes it. I love gold! I tried my best to capture the color but it's so much prettier in real life than my camera could ever capture I think. 

So did you pick this one up? Are you planning to? I love glitter! This one is really fun!

Disclosure: This product was sent to me by PR for consideration. All reviews are done at my discretion and are 100% honest. Please refer to my disclosure policy above. 

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Revlon Perplex Perplexed my Camera

So there I was... roaming around CVS with nail polish on the mind. I knew I had almost no chance of finding the things I so wanted to find... Milani One Coat Glitters, Milani Jewels, Revlon Perplex. I never have any luck with hot collections. But just as I headed for the door with all hope lost there it was, calling my name. "Buy me Gina." It cooed. A lone bottle of the elusive Revlon Perplex, just one.  I rushed towards the devastated display, arms outstretched ready to tackle anyone going for my polish. It's MINE!  

Revlon Perplex is all the rage in the polish world right now and it was released as a dupe for the expensive ($23) and popular Chanel Paradoxal which I do not own.  I have seen several bloggers comparing the two and for me this dupe satisfies my desire for that shade. If you're lusting after Paradoxal I'd suggest searching this one out at your local CVS. I paid $5.99 for it. So it's a fraction of the Chanel cost. 

Now let me first begin by saying This color freaked my camera out. I really had a hard time capturing the gorgeous subtle shimmer, so for that I am sorry.

Perplex is a gorgeous smoky purple color with really subtle pink shimmer. The shimmer is ultra fine and visible in the light. If you look closely at my photos you'll see it but it just would not show up in my pictures. Sorry! I promise it's there though and it's the quality that makes this shade unique.  

The formula was nothing to write home about but it wasn't bad. I found I got cuticle pooling and that was annoying to clean up but  otherwise there were not insane problems with the formula. 

Have you had any luck finding Perplex? I hope if you want it you find it. I wish there was more than one in the display so I could send one out. I will keep looking though! Hype wise the color isn't THAT amazing but if you were loving the high end version but hating the price then this is the perfect alternative. 

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