China Glaze: "Peachy Keen"

China Glaze "Peachy Keen" is another polish from the Up & Away Collection. This "peach" creme is a color that everyone seemed to be extremely excited about. I too was excited about this color however I do not think this worked for me at all.

I have seen some beautiful swatches of this color where it appeared to be the perfect peach tone. On me, it's orange, and this tone of orange looks bad on my skin. I guess my coloring makes this look more orange.


The formula on this polish is thick and pigmented. It's opaque in 2 coats but I used three to clean up messy application. I find thick polishes a bit difficult to apply well, no matter how precise I try to be. Pastels like this are notoriously hard to work with, this wasn't horrible but not great.

Do you have "Peachy Keen"? What do you think of it? My eye always wanders to these cantaloupe/peach/orange colors and time and time again I am disappointed with how they look on me.







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I'm Back & Goodies from Sweden.

I am back from Disney World! I had a blast with my friends but boy was it COLD! In the 30s (F) in Florida, INSANE!! We had layers of clothing and gloves and we were still cold! It was fun to watch the fireworks with blankets and hot cocoa though.

This was the first time I'd been to Disney since being married there January 5, 2009 and it was nice to be there! I just love Disney World! I missed by hubby but I survived LOL. I got home and was greeted with a wonderful surprise from my husband! He completely remodeled our bathroom and painted our kitchen. It was such a nice thing for him to do. I just love how everything came out. What a sweet guy huh?

When I arrived home I was also greeted with a package all the way from Sweden which I was excited to get. I had won the Nail Nerd's Viva la Diva contest and the package contained the prizes. Thanks so much Anna for the great polishes and the yummy candy! As you can see in the photos I totally could not wait to break into that candy! Yummmm!!





Be on the lookout for swatches ASAP. I am currently wearing the green which is a great color. I am impressed with the formula. Thanks again Anna for the opportunity to try a product I cannot get here in the states!

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Upcoming Collection: China Glaze Poolside

I know this information was leaked a while ago but I wanted to wait until I got the word from the source. While I was away I received a press release from China Glaze on the Poolside Collection. I thought I'd share:

SPEND SUMMER BY THE POOLSIDE IN CHINA GLAZE

Six New Neons Sure To Make The Summer Sizzle

Los Angeles, CA – (February 2010): Lounging poolside, sipping on a drink and reading the latest magazine…makes you think of Summer doesn’t it? The only thing missing is that perfect manicure and pedicure! Dip into the summer with some of the brightest and most amazing neons from the China Glaze Poolside collection! Perfect for fingers, and especially the toes, nothing says Summer of 2010 like a couple coats of bright polish! The 6 colors in the Poolside collection include:

• Pool Party: Neon Pink
• Flip Flop Fantasy: Neon Coral
• Sun Worshipper: Neon Orange
• Yellow Polka Dot Bikini: Neon Yellow
• Kiwi Cool-Ada: Neon Green
• Towel Boy Toy: Neon Blue

As for most neons, these tend to finish drying on the matte side…But no fear, getting that gorgeous shine is only a top coat away! Try China Glaze Patent Leather Top Coat. Once you get a look at your China Glaze neon nails glimmering underwater and in the sun, you’re never going to want to take these polishes off!

China Glaze Poolside launches April 1st 2010, for international and domestic.

[...]

China Glaze Nail Lacquers have a suggested retail price of $6.50 each.

[...]

Are you interested in any of these neons? I am interested to see how "Pool Party" compares to Neon Shocking Pink, which I own. I might check out "Towel Boy Toy" too. Excited? Or skipping this one?
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Essie Lollipop: The Perfect Red Jelly

Are you looking for the perfect classic red? Well look no further folks. Alright, that's an exaggeration, but to me this is pretty close to the perfect red.

"Lollipop" from Essie is a gorgeous classic red jelly polish that came out around Christmas in 2009. It's shiny, squishy and beautiful. It does take three coats to get this to be opaque and it's still a teeny tiny bit see through at 3 coats but it is a jelly so you know how that goes. I hate sheers but I love jellies. I think jellies have a great consistency, they're really easy to apply and this is no exception.

I know a lot of you don't particularly care for reds but I really enjoy them, especially when they are bright and attention grabbing. I feel like reds are really a "safe" color to wear. While they are bright and noticeable they're so old school that you can totally wear them to a job interview or in a conservative work setting and no one would think twice, while they might scoff at other bright colors.

Did you pick up "Lollipop"? What do you think of it?

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Interview with a Polish Blogger: Sarah (GlitterMillie)

Meet Sarah!! She's the owner of GlitterMille's Nails and Sparkle. Her blog is wonderful and if you haven't checked it out yet you totally should! I had a fun time interviewing her and as always if you're interested in a feature contact me!

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1. How did you get so interested in nail polish?

I was first into nail polish when I was 16/17. I had loads of bottles back then and really regret not keeping them all! My interest in it was renewed after chatting to Niki (Magic Maid) on Twitter. I knew Niki through YouTube and when I got into Twitter I was lured by her pictures of polishes :) It's all her fault!

2. What's your collection like size wise? Have you counted?

My collection is quite small really, compared to the giants of the nail polish network. I haven't counted for a while but at last count it was just over 100 so I reckon it's about 150ish now.

3. What's your favorite polish brand?

It's a toss up between China Glaze and Nails Inc. China Glaze have such a massive variety and come out with some real stunners but I think at a push I'd go for Nails Inc despite the fact they're quite expensive and I don't actually have that many of them! I just love the colours and think the bottles are very cute.

4. If you had to choose only 5 polishes to use for the rest of your life, what would they be?

This is the hardest question! I think it would have to be China Glaze's Coconut Kiss, Chi Chi's Moondust, OPI's Teal The Cows Come Home, Nails Inc Chesham Street and Collection 2000's Show Off.

5. What colors have you been rocking most lately? Is there any color you do not like wearing?

I tend to wear a lot of dark blues and purples. My collection leans heavily towards those colours but lately I've been trying to buy colours I wouldn't usually consider just for a change! I'm not a big fan of yellows. I don't think they suit my skin tone at all!

6. How did you decide to start your blog? What was your motivation? How did you choose the name?

I can't actually remembered what inspired me to start my blog in the first place. Originally it was meant to be for makeup and general chit chat rather than nail polish so I think I must have started it after I decided YouTube wasn't for me. If you look back at my very first posts they're mainly about Urban Decay. It turned to nail polish after, as I mentioned earlier, Niki got me hooked. Showing my nails in photos is much easier than showing my face! As for the name Glittermillie, well that's just what I chose when I joined YouTube and I stuck with it. Sometimes I think I should change it as it's not exactly inspired but, well it's part of me now! Millie is my nickname and I love glitter so I just put them together... (you can tell a lot of thought went into that!)

7. What do you think is the most essential tool/technique/product needed to achieve the perfect manicure?

A nail buffer. For me, my manicure's always look their best after I've buffed them first. Unfortunately it's not something you should really do more than once a week otherwise it would be part of my daily routine.

8. What are your favorite television shows and movies?

TV - I love all the CSIs (Las Vegas is my favourite), Ghost Whisperer, Medium, any Agatha Christie mystery, Midsomer Murders and any show that involves dancing in any form. Film - My favourite films are pretty much all musicals! Moulin Rouge and Chitty, Chitty Bang, Bang would probably top the list. I also love scary films and pyscological thrillers.

9. What are your favorite books? Fiction and non.

This is a dangerous question! I could be here all day :) I will be restrained though. My favourite fiction books are all Harlan Coben books, Gideon and Icarus by Russell Andrews, all Nicci French books, The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold, The Curious Case of the Dog in the Night by Mark Haddon and The Shopaholic Series by Sophie Kinsella. Non fiction - I've just bought Makeup: The Ultimate Guide by Rae Morris and I absolutely love it. One of the best makeup books I've ever read. I also love the books Extraordinary Uses for Ordinary Things and How to Clean Just About Anything...Isn't that sad!!

10. What polish brand do you think is the best kept secret? (not popular but fabulous)

I love HJ Manicure polishes. I only have a couple of them but I really want to get some more. One of the colours I have, Midnight Sky, is one of the most amazing blues I have seen.

11. You mentioned you love to cook, what's your best dish?

I just asked Maz about this and he couldn't decide between lasagna, chilli con carne and various curries! He's easily pleased. My personal favourites that I cook are enchiladas and roast chicken.

12. I hear you're crafty? How did you start making cards? Where do you get inspiration?

I've been making my own cards for about 8 years now. I don't always handmake things, it depends how much time I have but I think it adds a personal touch. I got into it out of boredom one Christmas when I wasn't working. I get my inspiration from experimenting and just everyday life really! I see colours etc that look good together, or a design on something that I think will look good on a card. I can't draw to save my life so the cards are basically sticking things together!

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I hope you enjoyed learning a little about Sarah! Thanks for the great interview Sarah, it was fun!


Please note: I will be away from 2/12/2010 to 2/21/2010 so if you leave a comment I will respond but it will not be for a while. I have scheduled posts to post for the week I am away but I will not have access to email during that time so I will not be able to respond. But please continue to comment as usual, I love to hear from you and always do my best to respond.

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Happy Valentines Day! Think Pink!

Happy Valentine's Day!

I'm a terrible wife. This year I won't be with my wonderful husband on Valentine's Day. I am headed to Disney World with some friends and unfortunately he cannot take work or school of that week so I am tagging along solo. I am sad though that I won't be with him on Valentine's Day, but it's okay. He works 3rd shift and sleeps during the day so I am sure we would have just done dinner or something. My sweetie did show me that he made notes on his iphone about things I mentioned I needed to buy (like a perfume I have been out of and dying to replace) and he was going to surprise me with it on Valentine's Day. Instead he gave me some cash for the trip. I know men are not like women so I am sure he's totally cool with me being away on V-Day but a tiny part of me is a little sad about it.

My husband is a wonderful man. He's kind, caring, hard working, generous, and so many more things. (Plus he's hot LOL). I hope that each and every day he knows just how much he means to me and how much I care about him. He's my World and I don't know what I'd do without him. Thinking about him makes me smile and spending time with him is the best!!! I always hope he knows how much I appreciate all he does for us!

Alright, enough mushy stuff! Let's talk about pinks shall we?

I won these mini OPI pinks from a contest held by Manicure Mommas, thanks so much! I guessed how many polishes in her collection! Can you believe I guessed the EXACT number. Hahaa! Nuts!? So here's the set:

I love it!!! I don't have an Ulta in my state so it's nice to get an exclusive set from there, perfect for Valentine's Day!

First off we have "Princesses Rule!" which is described as "a bright sparkly pink that's tiara worthy." To me it's a sheer baby pink with iridescent sparkle. It's really sheer, this is three coats and there's still visible nail line, which means I will probably never wear this again. Maybe I will wear it on my toes. It's just too sheer for me:

Up next is "I'm Indi-a Mood for Love". OPI's tag line for this is "I'm Indi-a Mood for Love and this hot pink is what I lust for." I guess hot pink is a pretty nice way to describe this. It's a creme formula. I like this one. It's nothing unique but it's a very pretty pink and I am glad I have a tiny bottle to travel with:

Last we have "You're a Pisa Work"which is my favorite of the bunch. OPI says this is a "prima donna pink 'leaning' toward headstrong." Whatever that means. It's a gorgeous creme raspberry color. Again, nothing super unique but beautiful nonetheless.



I like the formula on the two cremes but I didn't like the shimmery shade, I just don't do sheers and shimmers are not my favorite either.

Have a wonderful Valentine's Day with your sweetie. And if, like me, you can't be with him/her don't fret, they love you everyday not just when Hallmark says they should!!!


Please note: I will be away from 2/12/2010 to 2/21/2010 so if you leave a comment I will respond but it will not be for a while. I have scheduled posts to post for the week I am away but I will not have access to email during that time so I will not be able to respond. But please continue to comment as usual, I love to hear from you and always do my best to respond. Pin It Now!

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Eye of the Day: Mac Royal Assets Warm Eyes Pallette.

Today's post will be a little bit different. I'm not a makeup artist so be kind. I liked how my eye makeup came out so I attempted to take a few photos. I realize now that it's not as easy to photograph makeup as it is to photograph nails but I think you'll still be able to see.

I used an old holiday palette from MAC to achieve this look. The Royal Assets 6 Warm Eyes Palette. I received it as a gift from a friend that Christmas. I don't remember, maybe 2006 or 2007? I can't be sure which year it is from. Here's what the palette looks like:

Sunday Best and Nobility are both limited edition and no longer available but the other colors in this palette are part of the permanent collection and guess what!? I didn't use Nobility anyway so you'd just need to dupe Sunday Best which is EASY it's just a light frosty baby pink shade.

I used MAC's Painterly Paint Pot as a base. I used Sunday Best all over my lid. Star Violet in the inner 1/3. Club in the crease. A little bit of Showstopper in the outer V to darken it up a bit and Retrospeck VERY lightly as a highlight after using NYX Highlight Mosaic (face) as the main highlight. I lined my waterline with MAC's Blacktrack Fluid Line and used Cover Girl Lash Blast Mascara (original, volume). I didn't use the brush in the palette. I used a Sigma SS 239, 224, 217 and 219.

Here is the finished look:



What's crazy is, until I took these photos, I never realized I totally have a hooded lid. How did I not realize this?!?!?! I thought "OMG, I am all wrinkled and droopy and I am only 25!" Well I am a little wrinkly but someone on twitter said "no, it's just a hooded lid." Who knew?!?! Here's the photos that tipped me off to that:





Well that's all for today. Let me know what you think and if you'd like to see similar posts in the future. I thought I'd shake it up a bit! Have a wonderful day!

P.S. All images are click-able and clicking allows you to view them larger.

Please note: I will be away from 2/12/2010 to 2/21/2010 so if you leave a comment I will respond but it will not be for a while. I have scheduled posts to post for the week I am away but I will not have access to email during that time so I will not be able to respond. But please continue to comment as usual, I love to hear from you and always do my best to respond.

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Interview with a Polish Blogger: Maria (R3Daily)

I recently had the opportunity to interview someone newer to the blog world, Maria from R3daily. Maria's blog is great, for most posts she incorporates stories from her daily life and finishes with a few nail of the day photos. I think Maria's blog is going to be hugely successful so get to know her below then visit her blog to keep up with her.

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1. How did you get so interested in nail polish?

I have enjoyed doing my nails as long as I can remember. But because I was a nail biter, I opted for acrylics to help me stop biting my nails. For the next 15+ years I wore some type of nail enhancement. Last year after a move and little time to take care of my enhancements, I decided to give natural nails a try. I had done this a few times over the years and always went back to enhancements. This time I was determined to keep my nails natural and I already had a good collection of nail polish, but once they started getting strong and looking good, the polish addiction grew and so did my collection! I have had my nails enhancement free over a year now.

2. What's your collection like size wise? Have you counted?

My collection isn’t as big as some others out there, but according to family and friends I have way too much and I am obsessed! I have 3 daughters and my youngest gets a kick out of counting my collection regularly and letting everyone she meets how much nail polish I have at home. At the last count it was over 300, that was in December. I have probably added a “few” more since her last count. My girls make fun of my polish collection, but whenever I sit down to do my nails, it doesn’t take long for them to join me and they have each started their own small collections recently.

3. What's your favorite polish brand?

I love Rescue Beauty Lounge polishes. I never thought I would pay $18 for a polish, but when I saw grunge I knew I had to have it. When it arrived I was so amazed by the formula – it is so smooth and even after 4 coats it looks like I only applied 1. (I am much better at giving myself a manicure now and can get full coverage in just 1 or 2 coats with Grunge)

4. If you had to choose only 5 polishes to use for the rest of your life, what would they be?

RBL Grunge. RBL Killa Red because every time I put that one on, my husband tells me how much he loves that color. Sephora by OPI Metro Chic, KM Nail Lacquer Purple Bloom (this is a dusty I found and it seems the company only has a handful of polishes – but I LOVE this color. I included a crappy indoor pic and you can see it still looks AMAZING!) And a clear so I can cheat and create a lot of colors by adding stuff to it.

5. What colors have you been rocking most lately?

I’m a huge taupe, purple and blue fan, so I tend to wear those a lot. If I didn’t have so many to try right now, I would be wearing RBL’s Dead Calm, that color just keeps calling to me. I love how different it looks in natural light compared to inside light.

6. Is there any color you do not like wearing?

What? I have never heard of such a thing! Actually, I will have to run and hide after I say this, but those mint green colors everyone is so fond of right now look horrible on me!!! I have olive skin tone and it just seems to bring out the green in my skin. I learned the hard way after buying MAC Peppermint Patty. It sits in my drawer because it is so pretty, but really I should just swap it because I know I will NEVER wear it.

7. How did you decide to start your blog? What was your motivation? How did you choose the name?

Actually this is such a weird story and a long one. My goal is to one day open my own salon. Because I am always thinking of ideas for my salon, or day dreaming about it, I thought I would start a blog and then possibly an online store. I thought I could combine my life experiences and end each blog with a nail of the day to match the blog discussion. I was going back and forth with this idea for a little while and then finally mentioned it to my husband. He thought it was a great idea, but still I waited.

Then I took my daughter to New York for her Birthday and as a fun thing to do, I took her to a Psychic. I just thought it would be something fun to do. Well the Psychic told me that I was contemplating a business that had to do with Paint and Writing. She then asked me if I was an artist or a writer. I told her I wasn’t. She then proceeded to tell me that this business she is seeing has a lot of colors, she sees painting and colors and a lot of writing and asked if this made sense to me. I said it did. At this point the only other person who knew my plans was my husband, so my Mother in Law and daughter and her friend were all staring at me like I was crazy. The Psychic told me that people wanted to hear what I had to say and that the colors were the means to the writing, but the writing was what was going to make me successful. After we left there my Mother in Law immediately laughed over what a crock it all was, but I couldn’t shake what the psychic said. When I told my husband, he said it was my sign to get the blog going and contact distributors to get the store going as well. So a week later I started the blog, I am in contact with distributors and hope to have an online store in the near future!

My blog name is R3Daily.blogspot.com. I may change it to what I want to name my store which is R3 Beauty. R3 stands for Relax – Recover – Retreat. Because we all need to get away and treat ourselves and relax our minds and recover from the day to day grind. Doing nails is a little piece of that pie for me. Of course we also have three daughters so R3 or (Our 3).

8. What do you think is the most essential tool/technique/product needed to achieve the perfect manicure?

The right basecoat. I think so many people skip this step or use the wrong one. The right base coat can protect your nails from being discolored and some can nourish your nails at the same time. There are so many out there to target specific concerns, so I don’t think this is a one size fits all. I have friends who have naturally strong nails and then they put strengtheners on their nails thinking that if they were harder they wouldn’t crack, but they were making them so hard they were no longer pliable which was instigating the problem. What they really need is a moisturizing base coat.

9. What's the best compliment you've ever received on your nails?

When someone asks me for nail advice, I take that as a compliment. It makes me feel that I can make this my job one day. It inspires me to continue on with my dreams.

10. You mentioned you're a bit of a tomboy, how do you balance your girly side with your desire to get dirty?

I think I have a small tomboy side, I drive a Jeep and I love taking it off road and getting it all muddy. I love going camping and hiking, but I am no good at sports! I enjoy going to sporting events, but can’t be bothered to watch them on TV – yawn! When off-roading, I am usually the only one on the trails with makeup on, hair done, and matching outfit to get all dirty and muddy and of course my nails are always done! And I always carry a nail emergency kit in case I need a quick fix!

11. What polish brand do you think is the best kept secret? (Not popular but fabulous)

I recently found a polish called Inglot while in New York for a weekend. This brand is based in Poland and sells in the UK, Australia and Canada. It hasn’t hit big in the U.S. yet because they don’t sell online and they only have the one U.S. store in Times Square. They have over 100 polish colors and they are all amazing. Since I didn’t know the brand I didn’t want to sink too much into it, so I only picked up 5 colors to the tune of $65!!! But it is such a great brand, I regret not getting more now!

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Thanks Maria for a great interview. Visit Maria's blog and be sure to subscribe to updates she has a great giveaway planned when she reaches the 50 subscriber mark!

Remember, if you're interested in being featured drop me a line at primandpolished@gmail.com I'd love to get to know you! :-)

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China Glaze "High Hopes" from the Up & Away Collection

"High Hopes" from China Glaze debuted with the Up & Away collection and is described on Trans Design as "guava". This color is a true stunner; a gorgeous high gloss orange tinted red creme. This color is super flattering and SUPER difficult to photograph. I'd say these photos lean a tiny bit more orange than the actual color is but I did my best. I promise, this is NOT saftey orange. Now let's talk fruit, shall we?







This is a guava, which like I said "High Hopes" is described as. I personally think "High Hopes" is more of a papaya... as long as we're on the tropical fruit comparison right?










This is a papaya, I think this is closer to what the color is than guava. Perhaps we can call "High Hopes" a guava-papaya. Yes, a hybrid.








The formula on this one is wonderful. This collection has consistently impressed me and this color is no exception. It's so bright it borders on pastel. It's thick and pigmented, goes on smoothly and is opaque in two coats. This is one of my favorites from the collection. It's going to be perfect for summertime. I think I will be pulling this one out a lot when I am tan.

What do you think of "High Hopes"? Did you pick this one up, or do you plan to?




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Super Bowl XLIV Who Dat! Geaux Saints!

It's Super Bowl Sunday and to get into the sprirt of things I tried my hand at some BASIC nail art. I tried to Konad, once again and I failed. I give up, I am throwing that crap away! So I was a little lazy about this. I painted my nails with Milani "Black Magic" and then just free handed with China Glaze "2030". Nothing fancy but it will do!

Now I have been a Saints fan my whole life and being from New England I stand alone up here. I've been made fun of for years because the Saints were never that good. This is out year baby! We deserve this Super Bowl and win or lose it's been a heck of a season!

Who are you rooting for?

Geaux Saints! Who Dat!?!?!

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China Glaze "Grape Pop" from the Up & Away Collection

China Glaze "Grape Pop" is a gorgeous bright royal purple that debuted this year with the Up & Away collection. I see it described on Trans Design as a "bright plum" but I disagree. Plum to me suggests a really red based purple but to me this is a blue based purple.

I love purple cremes! This is no exception, this color is fantastic and the formula on this is almost perfect. It's opaque in one coat, yes, one coat. However, these photos are two coats because I like to add a second coat to even out any mistakes I made in application.

If you love cremes and you love purples ORDER THIS NOW!







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