Icing: "Grape A Licious"

These photos are from a while ago before I shortened (read: broke) most of my nails. Please ignore the broken pointer.

This is Icing Grape A Licious which is a bright midtoned purple with magenta glitter. The color is okay, it looks better in person but I probably won't grab for this one often. It looked prettier in the bottle than on my nails.

I have decided I am not a fan of the Icing polishes. They chip so quickly and the consistency is difficult to work with and messy. On this one the glitter is super chunky so the finish was bumpy without an enormous amount of top coat. It makes me sad because Icing does have some great unique colors.

What do you think of Icing polishes? Have you had better luck than I have? Let me know!!!

Have a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend everyone! :-)

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Interview with a Polish Blogger: Paige (Paint Away Girls)

Interview with a Polish Blogger is back!

Meet Paige. She's a newer member of the nail polish blogging community and one of our younger bloggers at just 13 years old! Paige is from the UK and her blog Paint Away Girls is great! She loves Disney World like I do so we have quite a bit in common! It's nice to see younger bloggers out there, so go on over to her blog and show your love!

_________________

1. How did you decide to start your blog? What inspired you?
Well, I was just searching Youtube one day and I came across a nail art tutorial so I checked it out and I loved it! Since then I have become addicted to watching the YT beauty gurus. I really wanted to start my own makeup and nail polish channel, I had everything planned out and then I came across blogging instead so I went with that! I love reading other peoples blogs, following people from around the globe and see what other people's favourite polishes are. It's great fun and I hope this is something I do for the rest of my life.

2. If you could only have 5 polishes what would they be?

That's a hard one! Zoya: Midori, China Glaze: Peachy Keen, GOSH: Holographic, Number 7: Vivid Violet and Sinful Colours: This Is It.

3. I hear you're a Disney fan like me! Who's your favorite character? And what's your favorite thing to do at Disney World?

Yep, I'm a huge Disney fan! I love all of the characters but my favourite would have to be Tinkerbell. She's super cute and girly and I love the Tinkerbell movies too! Everything about Disney World is fantastic. The atmosphere, characters, fireworks, attractions, shows, shops, food.. I could go on and on! My favourite park would have to be Magic Kingdom, just because it is the main Disney park and to me, the most magical. My favourite attraction is between Toy Story Mania and Test Track.

You told me you have quite a few of celebrity autographs, what one is your favorite and how did you go about getting them?

Yep, I have several autographs from celebs I admire such as Miley Cyrus, Zac Efron, Katy Perry, Robert Pattinson, Ant & Dec, The Saturdays, Pixie Lott and a lot more. I joined an online celebrity address database website (fanmail.biz) and I browsed through the forums, started chatting to some very helpful people and they explained to me how to go about requesting. I had to get the agency addresses of the celebrity, write them a letter and include a picture for them to sign. I sent out over 100 requests at the time, and it was so exciting waiting to see who would respond to my letters. I have gotten some lovely replies like handwritten letters, signed CD's, books and pictures and even a Birthday card that I will keep forever.

5. What's your favorite thing to bake?

Mostly I bake sweet thing like muffins, cookies and cakes. I like making cupcakes with pink icing, blueberry muffins, carrot cake (my favourite!) and chocolate chip cookies. Any recipe with chocolate in, I will bake!

6. Who's your favorite YouTube Beauty Guru?

My favourite has to be the amazing julieg713. I love all of her videos! She's so down to earth, bubbly, friendly, fun and she does great tutorials and tags. I have been watching her videos for so long now and she has stayed so real! I also like juicystar07, panacea81, gemsmaquillage, makeupgeektv, meganheartsmakeup.

7. What's your favorite nail polish brand?

I love so many! Revlon are great, as are China Glaze, OPI, Wet n Wild, Barry M and LA Colours Art Deco.

8. What nail polish colors do you wear the most?

It all depends on what mood I'm in an what the weathers like outside! At the moment, I have been wearing a lot of green polish because it's a great spring colour. My all time favourite colour is pink so I wear that a lot too.

9. What nail polish colours do you avoid wearing?
Probablyred's and black. Red because there are so many different type of red's out there that they get a bit boring and black because it's the only polish colour I make a mess with! I can never make black polish look tidy on my nail and it's very hard to get off.

10. What's your favorite TV show?

Easy, 90210! I love that show so much! I love the way it's set out, the characters, great storyline, gorgeous lifestyles. It's just great! I also love The Hills, The Simple Life, The Bill and Gavin & Stacey. I'm a TV addict!

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Thanks for a great interview Paige. I look forward to watching your blog grow! Have fun blogging!!!

Don't forget to visit Paint Away Girls and say hello to Paige.

As always, if you're a polish/beauty blogger who'd like to be featured please contact me at primandpolished@gmail.com

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Pure Ice "Free Spirit"

Happy Monday readers!!! Today I have a GORGEOUS mint green for you all. I am not totally on top of trends but I think these baby/pastel mints are still on trend and this is a fantastic one and it's only $2.00-$2.50 and readily available at Walmart. Yay!

This is Pure Ice's Free Spirit. It's the most beautiful mint green creme. I love the color. It's a bit more green than China Glaze's Re-fresh Mint. Re-Fresh Mint is more of a true pastel with more white in it than this one.

The formula is perfection. I am always so impressed with the quality of these polishes. Pure Ice is inexpensive but not cheap! The formula is infinitely better than Re-Fresh Mint. It was opaque in two coats and the finish was smooth with no streaks. I find Pure Ice to be pretty long wearing as well.




I think if you're still digging mint greens you should wander over to the cosmetics section next time you're in Walmart. I don't think this color will disappoint you.

Note: Like other Pure Ice colors (see Taupe Drawer post here) there is another color in the collection called Free Spirit and it is in fact green. However it is different. It has a shimmer to it and it's a brighter green. I am not sure if one of them is old and one of them is new. I don't really know why Pure Ice does this. I should have picked up the other one for comparison purposes as it's only $2 but $2 is $2 and I wasn't feeling the color so I didn't get it. But just a heads up in case you happen to see Free Spirit and wonder what the heck I was talking about it being mint green!

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Color Club "Edie" (Poptastic Collection)

Color Club's Edie is a gorgeous sort of kelly green color that came out with the Poptastic Collection. I love this color! I never think I am going to like these colors and I almost always do, it's so strange. I think this is a fun color for summer. I love the high shine finish this one has. Shiny cremes are the best!

The formula on this one was a pleasure to work with. I had no trouble with application it was a nice consistency. I did need three coats for opacity, and I have slight VNL on if you're really looking but I hate VNL and the result of this one is totally acceptable to me.

I think Color Club polishes are a great value. They're inexpensive and come in a HUGE range of colors and finishes. What are your favorite Color Club Colors?

Disclosure: "Edie" was furnished to me by Forsythe Cosmetics Group for consideration. All reviews published on this blog are at my own discretion. Please refer to my Disclosure Policy.

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CND: Shellac Hybrid Nail Color

Since yesterday's post featured a CND product I thought I'd take the time today to tell you a bit about their newest venture Shellac. I received this press release and I think it explains the product better than I ever could:

May 2010 - CND (Creative Nail Design), the leader in professional nail, hand and foot beauty, is proud to introduce the first hybrid nail color after nearly five years of development in its state-of-the-art laboratory. Now you can say good-bye to chips, smudges, and dry time and say hello to Shellac™ Hybrid Nail Color! This game-changing product applies like polish, wears flawlessly for 14 days of high gloss shine, and is removed in minutes.

Shellac paints on like polish - base coat, color, top coat - and is cured in a UV light so there is zero dry time. The colors are hypo-allergenic, and "3-Free" - no formaldehyde, toluene or DBP. Shellac will launch in 12 varieties of shades, from pretty French pinks and whites, to siren red and rich darks.

Meet the colors:

The formula is thin and flexible like polish, so it not only looks natural, it provides strong natural nail protection with a resilient mirror finish that resists dullness and chipping, even during the most rigorous activities.

As amazing as Shellac is on, removal is just as satisfying! No soaking, drilling or filing is necessary. Nails are gently swathed in individual Shellac Remover Wraps that limit finger and skin exposure to acetone by keeping it pinpointed on just the nail. Ten minutes of time in exchange for two weeks of perfect color is all it takes. Say good-bye to manicure frustration and hello to pure manicure satisfaction.

"Our chemists invented a modern solution to the normal polish inconveniences that frustrate women. Shellac is fret-free and convenient. Women can finally get their time back," says CND co-founder and style director Jan Arnold.

Like a normal manicure, Shellac application involves a base coat, color coat and top coat. After each step, nails dry briefly under a special CND UV Lamp, which also accommodates feet for perfect, long-lasting pedicures - just in time for beach season! The lamp ensures a dazzling finish for gorgeous, maintenance-free nails.

Shellac is a professional service launching in salons globally May 2010. To locate a Shellac Salon in your region, please click here.

See for yourself! To watch an informational video on Shellac, click here. Short on time? Check out the quick version here.

So, does Shellac interest you? I think it's a really great concept and if I didn't like changing my mani color almost everyday I'd be all over this. I think the color selection is sort of boring but I imagine they will come out with new and exciting colors if this line is successful.

I think this is perfect for vacations. When I was in Disney in February I didn't bring any nail supplies and ended up purchasing some travel sized nail polish remover around day 2 because I had such horrible chipping I couldn't stand looking at. Next time I am going to be away for a week I think I will splurge on one of these Shellac manis. I think that's the perfect time to do it.

Also, I would consider getting a Shellac pedi. I hate doing my own pedicures, I am so lazy about it so I think this is perfect for the tootsies. I found a salon about 30 minutes away that does Shellac pedis so I think at some point this summer I will go an indulge in one. I will report back when I do of course.

Pricing: Just a side note. I am not sure what price other salons are charging for this service but the local salon I found adds $10 charge to their manis and pedis for the service. At this salon standard manis are $20 so Shellac would make it $30 and standard pedis are $45 so Shellac would make it $50. A splurge indeed but if it lasts as long as they say it could be worth it.

Thoughts?

All images and information were provided directly by PR. I am committed to sharing true and accurate information with my readers. I only post direct from the source to avoid rumors.

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CND Colors Eclectic Purple and CND Effects Amethyst Sparkle

Hello readers! Today I have a fantastic polish to share with you, well really two polishes. Excited?

CND has a really interesting product line consisting of 50 polishes and 15 effects which essentially allows consumers to customize their own manicures. This idea is great, I like the thought of wearing a creme one day and freshening up the manicure a day later with an effect. Nice concept.

I tried out Eclectic Purple and Amethyst Sparkle I thought the two would compliment each other well and I think I was right.

First let me talk to you about Eclectic Purple which is a stunning purple creme. I am a sucker for purples, especially cremes so once I laid eyes on this I knew I'd love it. The formula is absolutely incredible. I have not been as impressed with a nail polish in a long time. This polish applied like butter and was opaque in just one coat... ONE COAT! This almost NEVER happens! When I heard the price of the CND Colour line, $9 a bottle, I cringed a little (I am cheap) but I think this product is worth every single penny. I plan to purchase several more polishes from the line and I hope each one lives up to the quality of this one because I am so impressed.

So let's take a look at the color without the Effect:

Isn't that amazing for just one coat? Beautiful!

So to go with the Eclectic Purple I choose the Amethyst Sparkle Effect. I think it compliments the purple creme very well.

It applied well and looked amazing in the sun. It was shiny and added interest to my tired manicure. I liked how this went on vs. just a traditional glitter top coat or polish. When topping polishes with glitters I often get bald spots and need to apply several coats. I only needed one coat of this, I had no streaks and no balding. It's not a glitter but rather a very fine shimmer particle.

I think this color is one I can use with many of the polishes in my collection so it should get a lot of use. The CND Effects retails for $11 a bottle. I think the price is a little high but if you plan to use it often it can be worth the money simply because the Effects can be used to create so many different looks. I wish it was slightly less expensive but the quality is wonderful so you won't feel too bad splurging.

So overall I am very impressed with CND products. I am not totally sold on the Effects for the price but the if all the Colors are like Eclectic Purple then I believe they are worth the $9 SRP. The formula is incredible, I wish all polishes were like that! I have my eye on many colors in the range so be on the lookout for posts about them when I find the money to splurge.

Do you have any CND polishes? What are your favorite colors/effects? Have an interesting and exciting Color/Effect combo? Let me know!

Disclosure: These products were furnished to me by CND for consideration. All reviews published on this blog are at my own discretion. Please refer to my Disclosure Policy.

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OPI: Shim-merry Chic

Happy Friday readers. I want to say a huge thank you to all of you wonderful followers. I have hit 200 followers. I think that means you will see another giveaway in the next couple of weeks. Give me some time to gather some fun gifts and we'll get that underway ASAP. Thank you all so much for reading and commenting!

Today I wanted to share a limited edition but interesting polish with you. I was shopping a couple of weeks ago and saw this in a clearance bin at the salon for $1.95. How could I resist? Most everything else in the clearance bin was sheer but this baby was calling my name!

This is from OPI's Christmas line last year and it is called Shim-merry Chic. It's a really shimmery brown color with some interesting gold FLAKIES, yes, FLAKIES. They're not huge flakies but they are totally cool nonetheless and too big to be called glitter. I think this is an interesting color and though marketed as holiday polish I feel like you can rock this with a deep golden tan in the summer... sort of like a bronze goddess type look. What do you think?

I am not a huge OPI fan but this formula was nice. I didn't have any application problems. The base color is quite sheer so I did require three coats but otherwise it was no problem to apply.

I wish the flakies showed better in the photos. Click the images for larger photos that might help. But trust me, they are there and they are pretty.

So how do you feel about colors like this? Are you a fan of these browns. I think they work well in certain situations. Do you think this is an office appropriate color? Sometimes I cannot decide!

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L.A. Girl Rock Star: "Double Platinum"

Hello everyone! Sorry today's post is so late but better late than never right?

This is L.A. Girl Rock Star in the color Double Platinum. I have really enjoyed the Rock Star line and this is no exception. I purchased this at a store called Amuse in a local mall for $3.99 but I have seen these polishes at other stores for just $1.99 (obviously after I purchased this LOL). You can get it at Cherry Culture for $2.80.

Double Platinum is a great jelly like silver/gunmetal color with tons of small particle holo glitter. It's got a fantastic oil slick quality to it, in the right light it appears rainbow which is so fun. It's quite difficult to capture in the photos but I tried my best.

The formula is quite sheer so next time I think I will layer this over black or silver.

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Icing: Blackout

Happy Monday readers! I hope all of you pampered your mothers for Mother's Day this weekend. I went to visit my mom yesterday and I got her some of her favorite MAC products: Groundwork Paint Pot and a Satin Taupe refill. She loves those!

Today I want to share some gorgeous photos of Icing Blackout with you. I purchased this one the other day. I mean how could I resist a black polish with rainbow/holo glitter? That's simply too much to ask.

The color of this one is simply beautiful. The formula on this one is simply horrid. While the application was not in itself difficult this one wore horribly. I am not kidding when I tell you I painted my nails on Friday night and by Saturday morning they were chipping and by Saturday night they were a horrific mess. If I didn't peel it all off (yes, peel it all off) while I was at the movies on Saturday night I'd have taken a photo to show you just how chipped it was. Trust me, this was awful. I am so annoyed that it chipped so quickly and so completely I am actually upset that I purchased other icing polishes.

Oh well, you live & learn right? On to the photos because at least this one is pretty to look at.

So, my question to you today is - Is the beauty of a polish worth dealing with a horrible formula? I am torn on this. I think my answer would be yes - if the problem is simply application. I can deal with an annoying application to get a gorgeous color (think Essie Lilacism for example) but I cannot deal with a polish that wears so poorly. I change my nail color every 2 days or so, sometimes even every day, HOWEVER I despise a polish that chips before I even leave my house. I literally painted my nails Friday around 7:30, hung around my house, did nothing with my hands, went to sleep, got up around 8 am and BAM polish chipped. Unacceptable.

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A Quick Icing Haul and Starbucks Tip!

Good afternoon everyone! I just wanted to show you some goodies I picked up yesterday. I went shopping with some of my birthday money (I love it, 26 yrs old and still got some b-day cash!). I wanted to get some new clothes but I can never find anything I like. I went to 2 different malls. At the first one I got a cute shirt at New York and Company for 1/2 off but ended up returning it. I loved how it fit but it had this crystal broach thing on it that was sewn on and pinned on so you could technically remove it to wash it... but I know me and I know I'd ruin it. So back to the mall I went, a different one this time, to return the shirt. I wanted to get some basic button down oxford style shirts but I have mega issues with sizing on those. The medium is too small in the chest area, I cannot button them... but the large is HUGE on me. Ugh so annoying!!!

But I digress. I stopped in Trade Secret to look at the OPI Shrek Collection but nothing spoke to me for $8.50 a piece so I passed. Funky Dunkey was sold out but I think if it was there I might have grabbed it, though it is close to China Glaze's Grape Pop from Up & Away. Rumple's Wiggin' is really pretty but so close to China Glaze's Light as Air so I passed. I might go back and get What's with the Cattitude? but I am not sure. I am not a huge OPI fan, that darn brush!

So I went to Icing because I have seen some great blog posts on Icing's polishes and they are usually always buy one get one 1/2 off so I thought I'd see what I could find. So sure enough they were BOGO 1/2 off so I got Blackout and Grape-a-licious then I wandered into the back and couldn't resist the black glitters on clearance, a set of 5 for $8.oo so for $0.50 less than one OPI color I got 5 Icing colors. Not bad!! They're a teeny bit smaller than full size but still a bargain!

So here are the goods (click image for larger size):

So now some good news from Starbucks! If you're a Frappuccino lover like I am rejoice!!! From now until May 17th between the hours of 3 pm and 5 pm daily you can enjoy your favorite Frappuccino for 1/2 off! That's a great deal! Yummmy!!!!!!!

What's your favorite Frap!?! I love the classic Caramel Frappuccino, I also really love the Java Chip Frap. I really really want to try a Chai Frappuccino, I cannot believe I never had one!!! Well now I have to perfect excuse to indulge!

Just thought I'd share the sweet news!








Have a wonderful weekend everyone! Thank you for reading and commenting - I love chatting with you all!

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Upcoming Collections: China Glaze Vintage Vixen (Fall 2010)

This has been rumored for a while but today I received this Press Release from Irene at China Glaze and thought I'd share with you all:

CHINA GLAZE GOES RETRO GLAM FOR FALL 2010 COLLECTION

Sultry Fall Colors Entice The Fashionable Palette

Los Angeles, CA – (April 2010): For Fall 2010, the China Glaze Vintage Vixen Collection captures the vivid and saturated hues of the 1940’s with this seductively complex palette. These classic shades of the season recreate the timeless tableau of movie land mystique, perfect red pouts and steamy nights where swing was the scene!

Step out with these multi-faceted jewel tones, rich reds, titillating taupes and smoldering sands. This collection deliverers a high octane 40’s era glamour with a sophisticated edge! The 12 colors in this collection include:

• Riveter Rouge – Deep red shimmer
• Foxy – Burgundy frost with shimmer
• Goin’ My Way – Brown frost with copper shimmer
• Classic Camel – Khaki crème with gold micro glitter
• Swing Baby – Taupe frost with silver micro glitter
• Ingrid – “Greige” crème with copper micro glitter
• Hey Doll – Rose frost with shimmer
• Bogie – Plum frost with shimmer
• First Class Ticket – Deep purple frost with shimmer
• Midnight Mission – Navy blue frost with silver micro glitter
• Emerald Fitzgerald – Turquoise green frost with shimmer
• Jitterbug – Grey chrome with silver micro glitter

The China Glaze Vintage Vixen collection starts shipping June 6^th internationally and July 6^th, 2010 domestically. China Glaze is free of DBP, toluene, and added formaldehyde.

So anything you're all interested in in this collection? I would like to see Classic Camel, and Ingrid. Those sound pretty nice to me. I am excited to see these colors swatched or at least some bottle shorts or swatches.

All images and information were provided directly by PR. I am committed to sharing true and accurate information with my readers. I only post direct from the source to avoid rumors.Pin It Now!

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Upcoming Collections: Essie Summer 2010 Collection

Who else is super excited to see what Essie has in store for us this summer? I cannot wait to get my hands on Pretty Edgy and I am really excited to see Demure Vixen as well. This whole collection looks like it's going to be popular. Essie has been rocking it lately!!! Check out the colors (click on images for larger photos).


Here's what Essie has to say about this collection:



What do you think? Anything you're excited to try/see?

All images and information were provided directly by PR. I am committed to sharing true and accurate information with my readers. I only post direct from the source to avoid rumors.

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