Zoya: Neely (Lovely Collection, Spring 2013)

It's the first Friday of the new year. Congrats, you made it through week one! Today I have another spring green to show you. This is Zoya's Neely from the Lovely Collection.

Instead of a mint or sea foam green I'd call this one celery. It has no real blue under tones like yesterday's feature Nicole by OPI: Alex by the Books. This one is much more of a neutral green, not too yellow toned, not too blue toned, just perfectly balanced. It's quite pale and doesn't quite have the pop that Alex by the Books has, it's much more subdued.

The formula on this was fully opaque in just two coats. I had no issues at all with application. It wasn't too thick or too thin. I had no balding, no streaking and it didn't dry too fast. Great formula once again from Zoya. 

  

Pretty right? As mentioned in yesterday's post, I will do a true comparison of these types of colors so you can really see the subtle differences. Keep your eyes peeled.

What are your plans for the weekend? Tomorrow is my four year wedding anniversary! Where does the time go? Honestly!

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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Nicole by OPI: Alex by the Books

Good morning everyone! Have you noticed anything different about the blog? I bought my own domain! I don't know what took me so long but I finally did it. So I present to you www.primandpolishedblog.com :-)

Today I have a color from the Modern Family collection to show you. This is Alex by the Books, now I don't watch the show so I seriously have no clue what this name even means.

Alex by the Books is a sea foam  green creme color. It's got a nice shine to it which helps it from appearing chalky. Sometimes colors like this, with a lot of white in the base, can be really chalky in their finish. This one is not. I have tons of colors like this and plan to do a comparison plan ASAP. I love colors like this for the spring. They seem to always be on trend.

I used two coats for the opacity shown in the photos but as you can see, I needed three. It was a nice formula so I honestly think it was my application so take it with a grain of salt. I am sure you can see though, especially on the pinky finger, I had a bit of balding going on. I think this can be a two coater with a more careful application though.

Do you have this one? Do you plan to get it? Do you have something in your collection you think is a complete dupe. Be on the look out for a dupe post and we'll see just how close we can dupe 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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Zoya: True Collection Sneek Peek

Happy New Year everyone! I hope 2012 is starting off positive for you all! I just wanted to come on and give you a quick sneek peek of the polishes I will be featuring this week. This is Zoya's True collection. Be on the lookout for full reviews on each color this week. For now enjoy a collage of all the colors. Which is your favorite?

This collection features:

• Cho (ZP585): Full coverage, vanilla shimmer metallic
•  Farah (ZP586): Full coverage, latte beige cream
•  Bevin (ZP587): Full coverage, pale sage green cream
•  Skylar (ZP588): Full coverage, silvered slate blue metallic
•  Tru (ZP589): Full coverage, gilded purple orchid metallic
•  Lotus (ZP590): Full coverage, light lotus purple metallic

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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OPI: Stranger Tides (Pirate of the Caribbean Collection)

Hi everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday! I had a great Christmas with my family and they all spoiled me with the most amazing presents.  I am so grateful to have such amazing people in my life! I hope you all have amazing people in your lives to share the holidays with.

Today I have a color to share from OPI's Pirates of the Caribbean collection. I know this is an older collection but too bad! I love this collection and just got it a few months ago so I am going to share it ;-)

This is Stranger Tides which is a gorgeous dirty sea foam green creme. It's just the perfect green. This is my all time favorite color in general, not just in nail polish. (I actually favor purple nail polish more than green even though I favor green in everything else).  I just adore the color of this polish and I think that while many brands seem to have put out a color like this this year this one is at the top of my list.

The formula is perfection! It's a rich creme that just glides on perfectly with no streaking or balding to be found. It's smooth and shiny at the finish and lasts forever. I never wear polish more than a few days but I rocked this one for 6 whole days with no chips and minimal tip wear. I am impressed! 

  

Beauteous right?! I love it!! What is your favorite green? Do you have this one?

Let me know in the comments what you did for the holidays! I'd love to hear!

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nubar: Baby Sprout

Hi everyone!!! Today I have another green to share with you. This is Baby Sprout by nubar.  This is part of the Spring Garden Collection.  That collection is full of pastels which are the types of colors I usually associate with spring.  This particular pastel green is super light and in some lighting can appear white. The green is subtle. It's not mint green though, it's got some yellow to it IMO.

The formula was easy to work with. Sometimes pastels are chalky and thick but this was neighter which is refreshing. I generally find nubar polishes to be very high quality. I used two coats for full opacity and topped it with Seche Vite which gave it some shine.

I wanted to feature some greens this week for St. Patrick's Day. This is not necessairly a St. Patrick's Day type green but it's green nonetheless so here it is!
 

So what do you think of this green? Would you rock this color or is it something you can live without?

You can purchase this collection at bynubar for $39.95. It comes with 9 polishes, 8 in the pack and a glitter top coat called Dew Drop in separate packaging. I believe Dew Drop does come with the collection but I am not 100% sure. 

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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Yo Ho Yo Ho a Pirate's Life For Me: OPI Pirates of the Caribbean Collection

You all know I am a Disney fanatic so when I saw this press release in my inbox I just about squealed! OPI has created a new collection inspired by Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean  series, specifically the newest movie which comes out this summer, On Stranger Tides.  I am so excited for this collection! All of the colors look fantastic as well! Yay!!!

Please enjoy the press release and promo images: 

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OPI captures the bright colors and breathtaking escapades seen in Disney and Jerry Bruckheimer Films’ Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides with six limited-edition Nail Lacquers and a new Silver Shatter!  Disney’s highly-anticipated fourth installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean film franchise is directed by Rob Marshall and features an all-star cast, including Johnny Depp and Penelope Cruz.

To celebrate the new film, OPI launches its Spring 2011 BRIGHTS Collection, which features a groundbreaking new color addition in the Shatter coat formula– Silver. Inspired by graffiti art, this shade leaves behind a crackled, two-texture silver finish when painted over any dry OPI hue.

“OPI is thrilled to celebrate the latest film in this beloved series,” saidSuzi Weiss-Fischmann, OPI Executive VP & Artistic Director.  “ThePirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides lacquers were inspired by a world filled with mythical mermaids, gleaming treasure, and high-seas adventure. With shades ranging from sage and lavender to khaki gray and pastel pink, these colors are evocative of a warm, tropical setting, with a classic nautical influence.”

The Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides collection includes:

Skull & Glossbones

Best light gray ever, no bones about it.

Mermaid’s Tears

Few have seen this magical green.

Steady as She Rose

This gorgeous pink is your final destination.

Planks a Lot

Dive into style with this lustworthy purple!

Sparrow Me the Drama

This cool, collected pink means business!

 

Stranger Tides

Explore this uncharted sea of sage.

Silver Shatter

A shimmering sea of silver with a two-texture finish.

The Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides-inspired Nail Lacquers by OPI contain no DBP, Toluene, or Formaldehyde, and feature OPI’s exclusive ProWide^™ Brush for the ultimate in application. 

This limited-edition Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides collection will be available beginning May 2011 at Professional Salons, including Beauty Brands, Beauty First, Chatters, Dillard’s, JCPenney, Pure Beauty, Regis, Trade Secret, and ULTA, for  $8.50 ($10.95 CAN) suggested retail for each Nail Lacquer.

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So what do you think!? I am most excited for Stranger Tides, Skill and Glossbones and Mermaid's Tears. 

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A Beautiful Life Natural Lacquer Swatches and Review

Go Green! Last week I talked to you about the nail polish remover by A Beautiful Life and today I want to review two polishes from their line.

These polishes are Big 3 Free, non toxic, soy based and come in recyclable bottles. Like I mentioned when I talked about the polish remover I think this concept is really interesting and really smart. We put so many chemicals on our bodies in order to look beautiful it's refreshing to know a product isn't harming us or the environment!

The company offers a variety of different colors to choose from. Here's an image from their website showing the color selections:

I have Vette and 'Shroom. Vette is a glossy robin's egg blue, similar to For Audrey by China Glaze. 'Shroom is a shimmer champagne gold color which is work appropriate and pretty.

I really like 'Shroom. Now you know I do not typically like shimmery/frost colors but I do really like this one. It's similar to a really OLD Sally Hansen color I used to wear all the time in high school. The color is a clean gold champagne which I would consider a nice work/school appropriate neutral.

I had no issues with application. I found the formula to be easy to work with. I got no streaking and no clumps or anything. It wasn't too thick and wasn't too thin. Here's a swatch:

Next is Vette which is a color I think a lot of you will like. It's a robin's egg blue similar in tone to China Glaze's For Audrey which I know is a huge favorite among lacquer fiends.

This polish is my favorite finish, creme. It's really opaque and if you're careful enough you might get full opacity in one coat but I used two which is fine with me.

The formula was nice, a little thicker than the shimmer but that's usually the case. I had no application problems and it wasn't messy. Overall impressed. Here are some swatches and color comparisons so you can get an idea of the color. Hope these help.

Click images to enlarge:



Overall I am happy with the products I have tried from this company. Like I said it's nice to see a company being eco-responsible and putting out high quality products. If you want to check out A Beautiful Life polishes yourself just head to their website. They retail for $12.

Sound off!!! Is being non-toxic, eco-friendly something you look for in nail products? Do you think we'll see more companies moving in this direction?

Thanks for reading and have a wonderful day.

Disclosure: This product was furnished to me by PR for consideration. All reviews published on this blog are at my own discretion. Please refer to my Disclosure Policy.

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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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My 100th Blog Post Featuring Sinful Colors "Rise and Shine"

Happy Monday readers!!! This is my 100th blog post! (Time flies when you're having fun, eh?) I am so happy that I started this blog. I'd tried blogging before and never really found my voice until Prim and Polished. I am really having so much fun writing this blog so thank you all for following along with me. :-)

I have lots of swatches in the works as always and I also plan to do a post on how I take care of my natural nails. A facebook user suggested that and I haven't forgotten I just have to put some stuff together for that post so look out for that in the next month or two.

Last week Walgreens had Sinful Colors polishes on sale buy one get one 1/2 off, which means they were $3 for two polishes - good deal! So I picked up a few, including this gorgeous shimmery teal "Rise and Shine".

This color is really so pretty but I am not 100% sure I love it on my nails. I am undecided. I think I like it but I don't love it. The finish on this is interesting; it's not a true frost IMO but it's got a really subtle shimmer to it.

The formula on this is not so great. Usually I find Sinful Colors to have a great formula but this was thick and sort of difficult to work with. It cleaned up easily so it's not a big deal but I wouldn't consider this to be as high quality as some of the other Sinful Colors polishes I have tried.

(CLICK ON THE IMAGES TO ENLARGE)

So what do you think of "Rise and Shine"? Do you wear colors like this often?

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