Coat by Coastal Scents: Cosmic

Hi everyone! I hope you all had a nice weekend! Today I have a stunning polish to share with you from Coastal Scent's new line of polishes called "Coat".  These polishes retial for $3.95 at Coastal Scents.  They're a little on the expensive side because they are only .20 oz or 6ml.  So they're about 1/2 the size or normal nail polishes... so they're essentially the price of Essie or OPI if you consider the size.

The color I purchased is called Cosmic and it's beautiful! Cosmic is a black jelly base packed with green and orange flakies. I wish the photos did it justice. I think the most accurate photo is the bottle photo to the right. That shows the amazing green flakies really well. On my nail photos you can only really see the orange flakies but I promise there are plenty of gorgeous emerald green flakies to be found in this one. 

The formula is average and I didn't have much trouble applying it. It's a three coater for sure or else the base is too grayed out and sheer.  The bottle is super small and the handle is fat so it made it a little difficult to grip while applying. The brush is a little stubby too but I had no real issues with that. Flakies disbursed evenly and didn't get hung up on the tips of my nails at all. 

Overall for the uniqueness of the color I really like this. I have had good experiences with Coastal Scents. I always get my products quickly, packaged with care and at a low shipping cost which is appreciated.  I'd order more polishes from the line to try out, I think they'd make nice stocking stuffers!

Have you tried Coat nail polish? What do  you think? Do you dig this color as much as I do? Sound off in the comments!

Have you entered my giveaway yet? There's still time!!! Click here to enter! Good luck!

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Office Polish-tics

Hi everyone!!! I hope all of you here in the US had a fantastic Thanksgiving, mine was awesome and the best part? No work until Tuesday!! 

I thought I'd do something a little different today. At work this week I noticed some of the girls rocking some fun nails designs so I asked them if I could photograph them for the blog. They were good sports so I have two looks to share with you today.  Both girls have their nails done at a salon. Maria has gel and Raquel acrylic.  

First up are Maria's nails. Maria is a part time file clerk at my office. She's 19 and has a fun mod style.  is I wish I had the skill to re-create this look because I was drooling over her nails all week. I love this look and I think it looks so cute on her little itty-bitty nails. So jealous of those of you with teeny tiny fingers!!! 

Next up is Raquel: Raquel is a paralegal in my office. She doesn't work for me, she works for one of the other attorney's in the office.  Raquel's nails are really cute too and completely fit her style. Raquel is tall, thin and rocks a lot of black; nails scream Raquel to me! She always has fun bold designs on her nails.

So which nails suit your style more? Would you rock either of these looks? 

Thanks to Raquel and Maria for letting me feature your looks! Let me know if you would like to see me feature office nail looks more often!

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On Wednesdays We Wear Pink: OPI: Sparrow Me the Drama

Hi there everyone! I hope all of my American readers are getting ready to have a wonderful Thanksgiving! Let me know your plans for Thanksgiving in the comments!

It's another Pink Wednesday and today I have one of my all time favorite pink colors to share with you. This is OPI's Sparrow Me the Drama which was part of the Pirates of the Caribbean collection. It's honestly the type of color I put on my nails and think "Gee, if I wasn't so polish obsessed I could wear this polish only, forever!" so that says a lot! 

I love pink but sometimes it just does not look good on my skin tone. This type of pink, reminiscent of Essie's Splash of Grenadine is so pretty and I think flattering on my skin. I just adore this type of pink! It's just a beautiful mid-toned blue based pink. It's my answer to hot pink. Hot pink is so pretty but too warm for me.  This type of pink looks much nicer on me and I am a huge fan! 

I used two coats and got full opacity as shown. I do spy a slight bit of balding in the photos that I don't see in person so I think it was the lighting.  If you want to be safe you can go with three coats but I think that two was just fine.  The finish is just a perfect creme with a really perfect shine. I just adore this color! 

Here are some colors that are similar to this lovely pink (Essie Splash of Grenadine and Sinful Colors Starfish):

The Essie polish is slightly more purple than the other two but the Sinful Colors polish is essentially the same, maybe ever so slightly darker but nothing too different. 

So do you love pinks like this one as much as I do? What is your favorite pink?

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Revlon: Carbonite

Hello there to all my readers, old and new! Welcome to my blog if you're new here! I hope you enjoy! :-)

Today I have a polish from the drug store to share with you all.  I know we tend to focus our attention on the big brands like OPI and Essie and forget that the drug store has some affordable good quality lacquers readily available.  Revlon is a company that has been stepping up its game across the board putting out higher quality cosmetics in trendy colors.

Remember the Chanel Paradoxal dupe, Perplex? Well Revlon has done it again and they've made their own version of Chanel's highly sought after Graphite.  Many bloggers have done a side by side comparison and I am sorry you won't see one here but I can't drop $25 on a polish I can get a $5 dupe for! Sorry!!! But I can show you Carbonite  and tell you what I think of it:

Carbonite is a dark grey/silver color with an interesting almost suede like finish.  I used a top coat like usual but this polish was smoother than the typical shimmer, it was almost as if the shimmer was infused inside the liquid vs. on top of it. (If that makes any sense).  From what I have seen on other blogs it's a really close dupe for Graphite. To my eye Graphite is just slightly more shimmery than Carbonite but I think if you're craving this color and don't want to cough up the dough this one will do.


Sorry the photos are lackluster, it's been hard for me to get good lighting with it getting dark so early now. I get out of work and it's pitch black so I don't get to use the natural sun as much as I wish I could, not to mention winter in Connecticut is just plain gloomy. 

So what do you think of this one? If you couldn't find the Revlon version would you splurge on the Chanel? 

I found this polish at Ocean State Job lot for $1.50. Yes, $1.50. Insane right? So if you have one nearby check out their stash, they might have some left!

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Dr.'s Remedy: Noble (Navy)

Hi everyone! Today I have a polish from Dr.'s Remedy to share with you. Dr.'s Remedy is a nail polish brand created by doctor's and is supossed to be good for your nails.  You can learn more about that here. It's Big 3 free and enriched with natural antifungal and antibacterial items like  tea tree oil and garlic.

I am not doctor but here's what I think: This product is great!  I have tried several colors from this brand, though I do think this is the first I have featured (more to come I promise). Each polish I tried applied perfectly,  as it should for $17!  Yes, $17! I find the price a little hard to swallow but it's a little easier to deal with when it's a quality product and in my opinion this brand is putting out a high quality lacquer. Can I speak for the healthy qualities? No, not really. I am  not a scientist, not a doctor, I am a consumer like you. I do think I know a good product when I use one though and this has my stamp of approval. 

Noble is a deep blackened navy creme which, as mentioned above, applies perfectly. I find this brand's polishes to be smooth, highly pigmented, shiny and rich. The shape of the handle makes it a little tough to work with, probably just because I am not used to it, but the brush is nice and I find the product goes on really perfectly! There is nothing extraordinarily unique about the color but it is pretty!

Overall I am a big fan of the quality of these polishes. I will show you more colors in the future.  I know they're a splurge but if there's a color you really like I think it's worth the price to try out.  I especially like the grey color called HEALING, it's so pretty! 

I think if you're especially interested in less harsh chemicals then you may want to check out brands like this one. I know so many of us avoid parabens and mineral oil and things like that in makeup products and don't even think of what is on our nails. It's nice that someone does the thinking for us sometimes.

Have you tried anything from Dr.'s Remedy? Do you think you will? Sound off! I want to hear from you! 

You can purchase Dr. Remedy's polish  for $17 here. 

Disclosure: This product was provided by PR for review purposes. All reviews are 100% honest and done at my discretion. For more information please see my Disclosure Policy.

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CLOSED!! GIVEAWAY: Win the OPI Touring America Collection!

I told you all I'd be giving away a complete Touring America collection and now is the time!!! OPI was generous enough to provide me with this set to give to one lucky winner so if you're interested in winning make sure to enter!!!

I am going to run this giveaway Until  December 4, 2011 6:30 pm EST.  That way the winner will have their package before Christmas :-)

Check out the rules below and have fun. Thanks so much for following my blog. I have had so much fun getting to know you all and hope I keep you interested and involved :-) Good luck! 

This giveaway is now CLOSED. Thanks for entering and good luck! If you don't win this time don't worry, there will be more opportunities to win goodies soon!

Prize furnished by OPI

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OPI: Warm & Fozzie and Designer... De Better! (Muppets Collection)

Hi there lovely readers! I hope you had a nice weekend and that your week is going well! Today I have two colors from the OPI Muppets Collection to share with you.  I adore the Muppets! I couldn't resist posting a pic of Mr. Fozzie Bear himself since one of the colors I am sharing is named after him.  As you all know by now, I am a HUGE Disney World fan. One of my favorite areas in MGM Studios (yes, I know it's Hollywood Studios now, but I will not ever really get on board with that) is the Muppet area.  If you have never been there you need to go, stat! It's so fun and festive. Everything is tricked out with Muppet Mania and the Muppet Vision 3D show is so old now that I think I can officially call it a Disney classic and I love it! Okay, okay, enough rambling, on to the polish. 

Warm and Fozzie is one of the prettiest colors in this collection in my opinion.  It's an interesting finish that is not quite a frost, not quite a shimmer and not quite metallic. I am truly at a loss for how to describe the finish but it sure is beautiful.

It's a warm brown colos with copper, bronze, gold and even some silver "particles" throughout. (OPI calls it a metallic copper) It creates the most amazing fallen leaves look on your nails. Being from New England I am used to the incredible fall foliage and this color reminds me of a big ol' pile of raked leaves. It's got all of the warm tones you'd expect to see in that pile.  It's the perfect fall color in my opinion.  It creates so much interest on the nails.

The formula was good. I used two coats for the opacity shown in the photos and while I think you can get away with two coats next time I think I will go for the third because in the sunlight I did feel it was a bit more sheer than it appeared indoors.  (Though you can't tell from the photos).

Next up is Designer...De Better! which to be honest is the weirdest name and I don't quite get it. I mean sure, I can see Miss Piggy saying it for whatever reason but it makes no real sense to me. Oh well! 

This color is really interesting because it's like two colors in one. When I first saw it in the bottle I thought it was a champagne shimmer. You know the color I mean, that light gold yellow champagne color with tons of sparkle. On the nails though this color shocked me.  It's like champagne and silver in one! In some lights it appears totally silver but in most lighting it's like a light silver with bronze particles throughout. It's incredibly interesting and I have nothing in my collection quite like it. OPI calls it a metallic bronze. 

I used two coats of this one and got full opacity. I'd say there is no need for a third with this one. Everything was smooth, no balding or streaking.

I took photos with different lighting to hopefully show you what I mean but how different it can look. Hope it translates properly! 

Aren't these two stunners? I am really happy with them and think they work really well for this time of the year. Thoughts? 

Disclosure: This product was provided by PR for review purposes. All reviews are 100% honest and done at my discretion. For more information please see my Disclosure Policy.

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On Wednesdays We Wear Pink: OPI: Steady as She Rose

Good morning lacquer lovers! It's another Pink Wednesday which I always seem to miss but today I had some pink photos ready to go for you! 


This is OPI's Steady as She Rose from the Pirate's of the Caribbean Collection that came out last spring.  It's a light almost whitened pastel pink creme.  In certain lighting this reads almost completely white. In theory I always like these colors, in reality they never work for me. I am not a huge fan of the color on this one. I feel like it deadens my hands. I don't know how else to explain it, like it sucks the life out of my skin or something.  


The formula was good tough. I didn't have any application issues and it was fully opaque in just two coats.  At least it has a shiny  finish which sort of takes away the drab dead feeling of it but not enough for me to put in on my favorites list. Oh well!

So, do colors like this work for you?

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Get Some Money Back This Holiday with Ebates

This might be old news to most of you but I thought I should share this information with those of you who haven't  signed up yet since I adore the site.  Ebates is a fabulous site that allows you to earn cash back each time you shop online. I signed up about a year ago and I have earned about $70 in cash back just for shopping!  With the holidays coming up I think it's the perfect time to check it out!

Basically you sign up with your email address. Each time you go shopping online go to Ebates first, search for the store you're planning on shopping at and click through to that store. Ebates will track your shopping and if you purchase anything you'll get an Ebates rebate. Every quarter Ebates pays you your rebates either by  check or through PayPal (that's how I do it).  

It's so so easy, and it's perfectly legit! 

I just got my "Big Fat Payment" for the quarter and here's what I earned (I blanked out the order numbers for privacy):

See, so depending on what percent back the stores are offering you earn money when you shop.  

Here's some examples of what stores are offering now, keep in mind these numbers change periodically:

• Sephora is currently offering 4% cash back
• Macy's is currently offering 3% cash back
• ULTA is currently offering 5% cash back
• Barnes and Noble is currently offering 8 % cash back

Those are just a few of the stores, there are literally 100s.  If you shop online it's seriously the best tool.

When you register a new account they put $5 in your account right away!

Let me know if you sign up and what you think of it. I do not work for Ebates I just love earning money to shop! Sign up soon because stores usually do Black Friday offers so you can earn a ton! 

NOTE: I used an affiliate link. I get a referral bonus if you sign up through my link. Just a heads up! 

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OPI: I Brake for Manicures (Touring America Collection)

Hi everyone! Today I have another color from OPI's Touring America collection. This one is called I Brake for Manicures which is a gorgeous vampy eggplant color which is difficult to see in the photos. I think the photos make it look pretty brown but it's so dark I can see why it doesn't translate properly on camera.  I think it's a nice looking manicure but it's not my favorite color of all time, it's just really dark.

The formula on this was great. I got full opacity with two coats and had no streaking or balding.  It wore well and didn't chip for days, which is always a plus to me.

What do you think of this one? Do you own it?

Disclosure: This product was provided by PR for review purposes. All reviews are 100% honest and done at my discretion. For more information please see my Disclosure Policy.

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China Glaze: Holly-Day (Let it Snow Collection)

Hi everyone! My power has been back for a few days and I am getting back into the swing of things and should be posting regularly ASAP.  It was horrible being without power for practically 6 full days but we survived and I guess it could have been worse....

Let's get back to nail polish shall we!!

Today I have a color to share from China Glaze's Let it Snow holiday collection.  This is Holly-Day which is a gorgeous deep green creme shade.  I am a huge fan of these types of greens! I think it's a  wonderful color for the Christmas season but it also works anytime in my opinion. 

I am sure many of you know China Glaze has one of my all time favorite formulas, especially their cremes, and this one is no exception! It went on smoothly with no issues at all and it lasted for several days before chipping.  If you look closely at the photos you can see the crazy shiny finish (you can see the surroundings reflected in my nails LOL).  

So is this gorgeous or what!? I am loving this color and think I will get a lot of use out of it.  Do you love this one as much as I do!?

Stay tuned for a few giveaways I have in store. I have 2 full collections to give away, one from Color Club and one from OPI.  :-)

Disclosure: This product was provided by PR for review purposes. All reviews are 100% honest and done at my discretion. For more information please see my Disclosure Policy.

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