Jessica: Standing Ovation & Prima Donna

Hello beautiful readers. Today I have two colors that were sent to me from Jessica Cosmetics.

First up is Standing Ovation. Which is a peridot green frost color. I think the color is really pretty, and would be nice for winter, but I do not love the finish. This is extremely frosty and, as you can see from my photos, every brush stroke shows. If it didn't show the streaks it would be just beautiful. I used two coats for full opacity. 

Next up is Prima Donna which is a really pretty royal purple frost/shimmer.  This one is slightly less frosty than Standing Ovation but still what I could consider a frost. I had less of an issue with streaks than I did with Standing Ovation.

I really love the color of this one. It's got such a pretty shimmer too. When applying just use some extra care and you can avoid a real streaky mess. This is two coats and fully opaque.

Overall these are really pretty colors but I am not a fan of the finish of Standing Ovation. What do you think of these? Do you have any tips for avoiding brush strokes on a frost?

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. 

Pin It Now!

Read More

GG Couture Nail Lacquer

Good morning polish lovers. I hope you're all having a wonderful week! Today I have some indie polish to show you made by the lovely Gabrielle of GG Couture Nail Lacquer. Here's a little information about the company:

GGCouture Nail Lacquer, is a hand made, 5 free polish. There is no formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, camphor, toluene, or DBP. The base is high quality and long lasting. They are colored with mineral colorants, and all glitter used are solvent resistant and not glass. GGCouture Nail Lacquer has the option to be scented with 1 of 2 essential oils: plumeria and crisp apple rose. After the formula is finished, the bottles are dressed up, complete with a bow and rhinestone. Made in California.

I ship worldwide, and package accordingly, to withstand normal abuse that shipping brings. (This entails nail polishes being wrapped in tissue paper, followed by bubble wrap, backed in a bubble mailer, and folded for added padding).

No sample or small bottles offered, as I feel it takes away from the charm of my polish. (Can't do rhinestones and bows on a mini bottle!)

Full size (15ml) is $8.

Store: ggcouturenaillacquer.etsy.comEmail: ggcouture@me.com.

IG, Vine, Tumblr: ggouture

Facebook: GG Couture Nail Lacquer. 

My polishes arrived packaged as described. I received two colors, I am Yours and Body Electric. Let's take a look at  I am Yours first:

I am Yours is an emerald/teal jelly.  Mine appears to have some flecks of black in it, and while I am not sure this is an intentional addition, I quite like the look of it that way. The formula  as mentioned above, is a jelly so it's very sheer but can be built up for a more opaque look. I used two coats for the photos.  Application was lovely on this. It was so smooth and just simply glided on the nail.  I am sure that has a lot to do with the mineral colorants. Removal was a piece of cake, no staining at all.

Next up is Body Electric which is a bronze-y brown with a silver micro-shimmer. This one is quite frosty and while I can see brush strokes I can't help but say I am in love with it. There's something about it, when you see it in person the micro-shimmer will win you over. It's stunning. This is a great fall/winter color. 

As I mentioned, I do see some minor brushstrokes but nothing atrocious and they don't bother me at all. In fact, this went on just as smoothly as I am Yours and I really enjoyed the application. These really do just glide right on. This was fully opaque with just two coats.

Both of these polishes were scented in the Apple Rose scent. I found the scent to be pleasant but not perfume-y  Just slightly more bearable than traditional nail polish. Don't go sniffing these, it's just designed to make application more pleasant, and it did. 

Overall these are great indie offerings available on Etsy for $8 each.  Go check them out! Have you tried anything from GG Couture? I would love to hear your thoughts? If you haven't tried the brand yet, which colors attract you the most?

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. 

Pin It Now!

Read More

Idalmi St. Barth

Hi everyone! Today I have some colors to show you from an Indie Brand called Idalmi St. Barth. Yup, these polishes came all the way from the beautiful island of St. Barth, and with the way the snow came down here in CT I'd give anything to be there basking in the sun right now... but I digress...

You can find the Idalmi colors here.

First up I have Coco, which is a pink with silver shimmer. It's a frost / metallic finish. I needed two coats for the opacity shown in the photos. I had to be careful with this one so as to avoid the inevitable streaking that comes with a finish like this. I think the end result was good.

  

Next up is Tortue which is a gorgeous dark teal green/blue color with a green shimmer. The shimmer on this one is absolutely gorgeous. I love this color!

I had no issues with application with this one. No streaking or balding and it only required two coats for full opacity. 

Next up is Chevreau which is a silver frost. This one was the troublesome one of the bunch. It's quite sheer and also applied really streaky for me. Color is nice but application was lacking here. I just can't get past the streaking.

The photos show two coats but I think you need to go for three or more for full opacity. 

Next up is one of my favorites of the bunch, Les Saintes.  This one is a really pretty royal blue jelly with tons of green microshimmer throughout.  Now this one is sheer, but I like it. It's a shiny jelly finish and the shimmer adds interest.

I used two coats for the opacity below. There is visible nail line which is sure to drive some of you nuts but I give it a pass because it's just such a pretty color combination. I love it! 

Last but not least is Fregate which is a standard shimmery maroon red. This is a classic color so it's not entirely unique but it's a staple for sure.

The formula on this is a cross between a frost and a shimmer. I didn't have any real issues with streaking and it was opaque in two coats.

Overall this is a nice Indie Brand. I don't think the colors are exceptionally unique but it's hard to be completely unique these days, we have seen it all, haven't we?  Everything except for the frosty one had a nice, cooperative formula.

If I ever am lucky enough to find myself in St. Barth I will be sure to seek out some more colors. 

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. 

Pin It Now!

Read More

Zoya: Julie

Good morning beautiful readers. I hope you're all doing well!

Today I have a polish from Zoya's Lovely Collection, this one is called Julie (finally, a normal name!). This is a soft wisteria purple metallic. It's actually pretty unique in my collection in terms of color.  I think what makes it so different from the 1000 other purples I own is that metallic element. It's quite pretty, almost icy looking. In bright sunlight that metallic sheen is barely visible but in interior lighting it's more prominent. 

I used two coats for the opacity shown but I think this one needs three. I think you'll be able to see from the photos that two just doesn't cut it. There's a bit of VNL with two and some balding. Go with three and I think you'll do just fine with this one.

So what do you think of Julie? 

Random thoughts for the day: 

• It's soooo cold out in Connecticut I can't take it. 
• I am excited for dinner tonight as I have Picadillo from Skinny Taste simmering in the crock pot. Have you checked out Skinny Taste? That blog is amazing. Everything I have made has been just wonderful.
• Speaking of food blogs, a friend of mine, Kristen, just started one. Check it out at www.smashed-garlic.com she's really talented at both cooking and writing. You won't be disappointed. 

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

Pin It Now!

Read More

Nicole by OPI: Candid Cameron with Maybelline Color Show: Sea-Quins

Hi everyone! I hope you're all doing well. Today I have two colors to show you.  Apologies for the photos because I was having trouble with lighting when I took these. I took these when it was gloomy out, which is was for WEEKS here. It's much sunnier now, knock on wood, but these were taken in less than ideal lighting. 

This manicure uses Nicole by OPI's Candid Cameron, which is part of the Modern Family Collection. It's a dark teal/turquoise shimmer. It's absolutely stunning.  The formula only required two coats for opacity and went on perfectly. 

As I was applying it I eyed a gorgeous glitter of a similar shade on my desk so I decided to do an accent nail with it. That glitter is Maybelline Color Show in the color Sea-Quins from the limited edition Sequins line. This glitter is absolutely stunning and matches Candid Cameron perfectly! Sea-Quins is a teal and blue glitter suspended in a teal jelly base. I love how it looked over that color. I only did an accent nail because I hate removing glitter but I loved the combo so much I think I will probably do an entire manicure with the two  polishes at some point. I love it when a plan comes together LOL. 

This is the first Maybelline polish I have tried and I really love it. I will have to go to CVS and pick some other colors up to share with you all and see how the non glitters are. This one is absolutely beautiful though!

What do you think of these two colors and the combo? Have you tried any Maybelline Color Show polishes? Which are your favorites?

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. 

Pin It Now!

Read More

mmmm! Nails Review

Hi everyone! Today I have three polishes from an indie brand to show you. There are many excellent indie polish brands popping up online, especially on Etsy, there brands are not to be overlooked in favor of all the more well known commercial brands. mmmm! Nails is a really nice indie brand I urge you to check out. Their polishes are unique and fun, especially the glitters, best of all, they are affordable! 

First up is Voodoo which is a glitter with fuchsia  silver, black and white particles of varying sizes and shapes. The glitter is suspended in a clear base so this would work best, in my opinion, as a top coat. The glitter is all different fun shapes but it may take a bit of work to get them all represented on the nail. The photos below show two coats on naked nails. I think this would look gorgeous over black, or even white.

Next up is It's Monday Again which is a blue and red glitter. This color would be perfect for July 4th, especially over white. This is made up of tiny blue glitter particles and larger red particles. This glitter is also suspended in a clear base but the blue is pretty dense so it appears to be slightly tinted blue.

Last up is UR my BFF, my label came off because I had to run this one under hot water to get it open. This is a purple toned pink with tons of teal microshimmer. This is really gorgeous but I am not sure it works on my skin tone. I love the shimmer in this though and I think these two colors really compliment each other well. 

The finish on this one is nice. I had no issues with application, no streaking and no balding. 

mmmm! Nail polishes are available on Etsy. Etsy is such a fun place to shop and I really should explore it more. Have you discovered this brand yet, if so,  what polishes have you tried? Which polishes in their line appeal most to you?

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. 

Pin It Now!

Read More