OPI: A Butterfly Moment

Hello hello! I hope you're all having a lovely day! Thanks for taking the time to check in and see what I have on my nails! Today I am going to show you a polish I received for consideration from the Mariah Carey collection that came out a while back.

This is A Butterfly Moment, what a totally Mariah name! I am not sure the name can get more Mariah than that! LOL. This is a really subtle pink/tan color with some beautiful gold microshimmer.  This is such a pretty neutral, work appropriate, conservative but fun polish. I like it a lot more than I thought I would.  I think it's extremely versatile; it's pink but it's nude, it's gold, but it's not... The gold microshimmer makes it for me. Without it it would be super boring but with it, it's just lovely. The gold adds a warmth that will look awesome with darker skin tones or if you're rocking a summer glow.   This is like a shimmering sands look. It's Gina approved.

The formula is ok, but beware, it can be streaky. Take your time applying this one to avoid brush strokes. It's on the frosty side so you know how those can be. Otherwise, I used two coats for full opacity and I think it looks great! 

So, do you dig it? I want to know what you think of this one! Let me know in the comments below! Have a beautiful day! 

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: When Monkeys Fly! Over Glints of Glinda

Hiya! I hope you all survived Monday! LOL! Since I showed you Glints of Glinda yesterday I thought i would show you When Monkeys Fly!  which I swatched over Glints of Glinda. (These were sent to me for consideration). When I saw this collection I really thought I would love the glitters, unfortunately they look 100X better in the bottle than they do on the nail. Major bummer!

When Monkeys Fly! is a bronze gold glitter with holo glitter suspended in a clear base. Unfortunately it does not transfer to the nail as nice as it looks in the bottle. The glitter particles are few and far between and difficult to disburse onto the nail. I hate when glitters require a million coats to show up because the clear base gets gunky and gross. It makes me sad that this did not work for me because the color in the bottle is really pretty. I even tried shaking, putting it upside down, putting it on its side... nada. Also, the large gold/bronze pieces that DO make it to the nail have a tendency to curl up and make a mess. Sad day for me.

Meh... it just disappointed me. Oh well! Have you had better luck with this glitter?

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: My Vampire is Buff

Hello beautiful people! Thanks for stopping by today! Today I have a fun nude to share with you from OPI. I love nudes, especially nude cremes, it's nice to wear a clean neutral color every so often.

This is My Vampire is Buff and it's a bone/ivory creme. It's a really neutral nude, not too pink toned, not too yellow toned. I have a feeling many skin tones will be able to pull this one off. I love when a polish is so universal!

The formula is okay but it's on the thin side. I used two coats for the opacity shown but it really does require three. I think you'll be able to see why from the photos: it looks okay in my photos but there's a bit of visible balding and streaking. Next time I will just do three coats and then I think it will be perfect.

What do you think of this nude? Do you NEED another nude? I personally can never have enough nudes.

Random Thoughts:

• Seriously, the snow needs to go away!
• Who's been watching The Walking Dead? I enjoyed this week's episode, even though we didn't see all characters, someone I have been dying to see showed up! What a great episode and the ending was great - it really showed how people have changed over time. 
• I cannot wait to see Oz: The Great and Powerful. I love all things Oz related, I hope this does not dissappoint!

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: Godiva

Happy Monday! Let's prepare for a great week! What are you all up to this week?

Today I have one of the Zoya Pixie Dust colors to show you. I have been waiting for these for a while and am so excited they are finally here. Pixie Dust polishes are textured matte sparkles and come in six colors. Zoya is retailing these for $9.00 each, which is $1.00 more than their standard polishes.

This is Godiva is a nude with white sparkles. It reminds me of a sugar cookie topped  with that really pretty shimmery sugar! It's just stunning!

The formula is a textured matte, like the OPI Liquid Sand Polishes. I used two coats for full opacity and skipped the top coat on this one to keep that texture and flat look. It's super easy to apply and dries quickly. I sit for a minute before applying the second coat, to make sure it all dries in a reasonable time - you don't want to end up with wet layer upon wet layer because then it will never dry.  I really did not think I was going to like this finish but I really do. It's so interesting and beautiful! 

Isn't she lovely? I am really a fan of this new trend. I am usually not a fan of the trendy nail polish that comes out (crackle, caviar) but this is a movement I can get behind. I really love the complexity of the polishes in this finish. Stay tuned this week for the rest of the Pixie Dust polishes! I am currently wearing Dahlia and loving it!

Have you tried any of the Pixie Dust polishes? What do you think of this trend? Which is your favorite? What do you think of this one!?

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

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Jesse's Girl Cosmetics: Julie G Collection in Chic Cipro

Hi everyone! It's Monday again! I swear even the pets dread Mondays. I hope you all had a nice weekend. Today I have a color to share from the Julie G Collection by Jesse's Girl Cosmetics. If you don't know who JulieG is, she's a makeup guru on YouTube with tons of fans. Jesse's Girl has teamed up with her to create a line of polishes with her name. Very cool! I watch her videos all the time and she seems like a genuinely nice girl. I am so happy to see all of the success she has achieved with her videos. Can you believe some of these makeup gurus on youtube do this for a living? I wish I could make that my job! But I digress...

This is Chic Cipro which is an odd name. I looked up "cipro" but could not find any meaning beyond prescription medication, LOL, anyone know what it means? *EDIT: SEE BELOW FOR WHAT IT MEANS!  It's a peachy nude cream color that's sort of ugly chic if you ask me. I love these kind of colors. Sometimes peachy colors do not work with my skin tone but this one is really pretty.

I used two coats for the opacity shown but may have been better off with a third looking at the photos now. However, I think that was just my application. I need to be more careful sometimes. The formula was nice and super shiny, which you know I love.

Have you tried any of the Julie G polishes? I have only seen Jesse's Girl, and this collection, at select Rite Aid stores near me, not all of them. So this is a little tough to come by. Jesse's Girl does make great cosmetics though so check them out if you do have access. They are affordable and great quality, in my opinion.

EDIT: I heard from the PR representative who from Jesse's Girl who explained what Cipro meant. I think this information is really cool and really speaks to the creativity behind the line. I am so glad I wrote that I was wondering. Very cool!

"[...]saw that you were wondering what “Cipro” meant, and it’s actually the subway stop in Italy that Julie would go to everyday when she was studying abroad in Italy. What’s so cool about the JulieG Collection is that Julie not only helps design the colors, but then gives them names that go along with the shade, but also ones that relate to special memories or experiences from her life!"

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: Piaf and Jacqueline (Lovely Collection Spring 2013)

Today I have two colors from the Zoya Lovely Collection for Spring 2013. But first I must vent:

Now, I have said it before, but find myself saying it a lot more lately, COME ON ZOYA, what is with these names?! Seriously, I am all for unique, but until you have Gina, which is relatively common, can you spare us the PIAF? Seriously, no offense if it's your name but I have never even heard it before. Weird!!! I looked up Piaf and apparently it is French and means "sparrow" and is a famous French singer. 

So here she is, Piaf. Piaf is a metallic spring yellow. At first I thought it was ugly but now, looking at my photos of it, I actually sort of like it. It's a really pretty color for spring, it's light and subtle. This reminds me of a little chick at Easter time.

The formula on this is a bit strange. Zoya calls it a metallic but to me, while it looks slightly metallic, it's more just textured. It's like it's got a ton of microshimmers embedded in the color. I think it makes for a pretty cool look.

The formula on this one is on the thick side. It goes on without problems though. I only needed two coats for full opacity, which is always a plus in my book. It dries really really fast, not that it matters when you use Seche Vite, but it's something to be mindful of when applying so it does not goop up on you. 

Next up is Jacqueline (a real name!!). This is a really nice, fully opaque creme nude. I love this one!!! I am a sucker for cremes, and nudes, so it's only natural I'd love this one.

This is a really nice and flattering nude, it's a beige/putty colored nude that I think works on a variety of skin tones. It's got no real pink undertones so it doesn't give us pale/olive toned girls lobster hands. This is the perfect wear to work color if you're in a highly conservative office environment.

The formula on this is a dream. I love it. It's the perfect creme consistency. I love cremes that are super shiny and this one fits the bill for me. I only needed two coats for opacity. The first coat was a bit streaky, but as you can see the second just made it perfect, and these photos are without the help of a topcoat so you can see it really applied just beautifully. 

So what do you think of these two? I am shocked by how much Piaf grew on me, well, not the name LOL. I love Jacqueline and I think she'll be in my normal rotation of polishes for sure.

Happy New Year to everyone around the World! I hope 2013 is a fantastic year for all of you. I hope to make the blog even better and more fun for all, stay tuned and thanks for making 2012 a great year. Love you all !

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

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Pretty & Polished: It Gets Better and Mannequin Hands

Hello everyone! So sorry I haven't posted in a while. Sometimes life catches up to me and I get lazy LOL. No excuses. I apologize! 

Today I want to feature two polishes from the indie brand Pretty & Polished. Pretty & Polished is an Etsy store run by the lovely Chels Marie. I love supporting small businesses and this is a great one to check out if you're into nail polish, especially unique and fun glitters. I am going to show you two today, but I have a few more to swatch for the future as well. 

First up is the gorgeous It Gets Better. Here's a blurb from Chels' store about the inspiration behind this color which I think is worth reading if you have the chance:

This polish was made for the "It Gets Better Project". The It Gets Better Project was created to show young LGBT people the levels of happiness, potential, and positivity their lives will reach – if they can just get through their teen years. The It Gets Better Project wants to remind teenagers in the LGBT community that they are not alone — and it WILL get better.I created this polish for all of the people I have lost to bullying. I understand not everyone agrees with my views on human rights and that is ok. I made this polish so that I could donate 50% of the profits to an organization that I appreciate. The It Gets Better pledge: "Everyone deserves to be respected for who they are. I pledge to spread this message to my friends, family and neighbors. I'll speak up against hate and intolerance whenever I see it, at school and at work. I'll provide hope for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and other bullied teens by letting them know that it gets better."
This polish is a mint green crelly (creme/jelly base) packed full of multicolor holo hexes. 

Cool right?! You can feel great about supporting this cause and the color is absolutely stunning! 

Chels has been working hard on the brands new printed bottles and I think they look fantastic! Take a look for yourself:

Love that color and the bottles are awesome! The photos shown are two coats. I think you can get away with two but you might want to use three since the base is pretty sheer. I love the underlying mint green color, it's just beautiful and squishy looking! Squee!!

Next up is Mannequin Hands a name which all you polish loves will understand and love. This takes the concept of Mannequin Hands and fancies it up a little. Chels describes this color as: "a very light skin tone base and is packed with pastel pink hex glitters." I think one is a great color for work! Below is the old style full sized bottle, I believe Chels is moving away from those and onto the new printed bottles I showed above.  This is two coats. 

What do you think of these two beauties? I love them both but It Gets Better is just stunning to me!

Be sure to check out Chels' store on Etsy, I think you'll find tons of unique colors to add to your collections. You can catch up with Chels on Instgram under the name prettyandpolishd too! While you're at it, follow me on there, I'm primandpolishedblog.

Let me know if you have tried Pretty & Polished lacquers and what you think of them! 

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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