Saturday, 18 September 2010

Quiet in the Peanut Gallery!


Yesterday's cookies got me thinking about other cookies... namely, Nutter Butters. Then, thinking about Nutter Butters (besides getting me hungry) made me think of actual peanuts... which, in turn, got me thinking, hey- that might be a fun nail design! So, I bring you- peanut nails! :-D Don't mind the shimmer, apparently nail polish manufacturers can't seem to make a simple golden/tan/beige creme with no shimmer. (or I just don't know about one yet- so if you know of one that is similar to Classic Camel without shimmer, LET ME KNOW!


I used China Glaze Classic Camel as a base, then mixed with MAC Rich, Dark, Delicious for the darker lines, and with American Apparel California Trooper to highlight. Topped everything off with Essie Matte About You.

My left eye is twitching, that can't be good, right?

Friday, 17 September 2010

Not So Double Stuffed


Dunno, I've never liked Double Stuf Oreos. I could never get behind the ratio of sugary filling to chocolate cookie. It's an unbalanced scale, and will never win a place in my heart. I know, I'm probably one of the few that hates them, but what's new, I'm the odd one in the group...nothing wrong with that! :-D However, I DO love regular OREOs. Seriously, I swear they're the cure for insomnia, for hunger, for a sweet tooth, for everything. The bad thing is, once I start eating OREOs, I find it hard to stop, and before I know it, 1/3 of the package is gone. :) Oops. (They're SO GOOD) Today's manicure idea was a suggestion of Chris'. (apparently the OREO commercial was on at his house when I texted, contemplating what to do for today's nails) I did the OREO logo on my thumb, and close-ups of the printed side of the cookie on the index, middle, and pinky, with a stack of OREOs on the ring finger. Nom Nom Nom. (you know I did 'research' for this manicure)


I used MAC Rich, Dark, Delicious as a base for the cookie nails, mixed with American Apparel California Trooper to make the design/highlight, and mixed MAC Rich, Dark, Delicious with American Apparel Hassid to shade. On the ring finger, I used Essie Bone Chilling White as a base, with the same colors as above for the cookie parts. For the logo nail, I used ALDO Sea You in Ibiza as a base, with Sally Hansen Professional Lavender Cloud for the logo, and China Glaze Flyin' High for the teal outline. Topped it all off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat.

I think I'm going to go bite my nails. :-9

Misa Winter Collection 2010/2011: Spark My Interest - swatches & review

Misa Winter 2010 Spark my interest

Misa Spark My Interest

"Whether you’re hitting the clubs in South Beach or sipping martinis in a Manhattan high-rise, you’ll need nails that glimmer as bright as the surrounding lights. Misa Cosmetics’ latest collection, Spark My Interest, pays homage to the glitz and glamour of nightlife and romantic intrigue—because nighttime nails should never fade into the background. The six brilliant hues are saturated with shine, thanks to the thousands of glittering particles packed into each polish, guaranteeing that nails remain the center of attention all summer long."


Hi guys! Today I have a review for you on Misa's latest 6-piece collection for winter called Spark My Interest. With polish names including a lot of "spark", "bling" and "glitz", I suspected a lot of shimmer and glitter, but were my high expectations met? Read on to find out!

Misa Date nights to the twilight

Date Nights to the Twilight

Let's kick this off with my favorite of the collection, I really do love purple and it's the least conventional color in this collection. Date Nights to the Twilight is a foily shimmery medium purple, not too blue, not too red, somewhere in the middle. Very pretty.


Misa Red pumps at the Nordstrom

Red Pumps at the Nordstrom

A metallic red. My camera didn't really pick up the detail in this polish, because it's a lot more interesting in real life. I threw in a macro shot so you'll get the idea. I don't really like metallic reds, especially in this particular shade. According to the press release this would be a sparkly ruby red, and it isn't. I hate to say it.. but this one looks a bit.. cheap?

Misa Red pumps at the Nordstrom

Misa Wink Blink Let's Get a drink

Wink, Blink, Let's get a Drink

Wink, Blink, Let's get a Drink is a very pretty dark berry, plum-y color that does remind me of a good wine. I love the shimmer in this one, it's not as flat looking, not as glowy as I wished it would be, but still pretty nice and very fit for a sophisticated look.


Misa Glitz Glamour Smile for the Camera

Glitz, Glamour, Smile for the Camera

Just like Date Nights to the Twilight, this is more of a foil than anything. The press release said glam glitter, but hmmmm. This one is a pretty fuchsia, quite a fun color, and probably flattering to a lot of skintones! Foils tend to have great application so that's a huge plus.


Misa Spark My Heart That's A Start

Spark My Heart, that's a Start

This isn't just a pink, Spark My Heart, That's a Start, is more of a coral pink with a pink flash. This one is where a foil meats the metallic finish I think. I'd say pretty interesting for a pink. Somehow I can't remember the name of this polish correctly, in my head I keep naming it "Kickstart My Heart" like the Mötley Crüe song, ha!


Misa Pink Bling On My Ring

Pink Bling On My Ring

According to the press release Pink Bling On My Ring is a shocking hot-pink glitter. And again... it's not. It's not very shocking, definitely not a glitter either. I wish it was though, because this almost looks a bit frosty? Definitely a nice shade of pink though, not too boring.

Overall

This is a difficult review for me, I absolutely love Misa, I fell madly in love with their latest fall collection, Toxic Seduction is one of my all time favorites! I love their bottles and their awesome application. And all of these polishes are no exception to this rule, they're all top notch quality. ALL of these were near one-coaters. I applied two layers for the pictures though, but if you're careful enough you can get away with one. They apply so well. They glide on, dry fast and smooth, it's really bordering perfection.

But! I don't know if it's just me, this doesn't look much like winter. Have you noticed this line in the press release: "remain the center of attention all summer long.". All summer long? ....Mhmm. These do look pretty to me, especially Date Nights to the Twilight and Wink, Blink, Let's get a Drink, but they indeed look like fun, playful summer colors.
After Misa's fall collection - What I Like About You - everyone's expectations immediately sky rocketed. For winter I would have expected more drama, more glitter, more depth, more variety. Winter/Holiday collections are often the most extravagant show stoppers of the year. If colors like these are your thing, I'd definitely buy these, they're pure quality. But for me, this isn't really cutting it..

Boozyshop

The products in this post were provided to me for review by Boozyshop. Boozyshop is an awesome Dutch webshop, that sells a lot of great brands like Diamond Cosmetics, Cheeky Monkey Cosmetics, Misa, Color Club, Orly and a whole lot more! (makeup too). They carry the entire Misa line and they cost 6.95 EUR each for a bottle of 15ml. Boozyshop ships throughout most of Europe, if you're not sure they ship to your country, don't hesitate to contact the owner Maaike, because she's incredibly helpful! Misa is also available on eBay and other etailers like TD or Head2Toe.

Thursday, 16 September 2010

Meep! Meep!


Guess whose birthday it is today?! I'll give you a hint... one of them preferred ACME brand products! :) If you guessed Wile E. Coyote and The Road Runner, You're correct! Today marks their 61st birthday! :) The first time they aired was September 16, 1949 with a cartoon named Fast and Furry-ous. :) Today's manicure is dedicated to those silly characters that make us laugh!


I used OPI What's With the Cattitude? as a base, with OPI Ginger Bells for the landscape, mixed with American Apparel Palm Springs to highlight, and then I used Essie Alligator Purse to shade, then used L.A. Girl Army Green for the cacti. For Wile E. Coyote, I used American Apparel California Trooper as a base, then Barielle Unraveled Rust for his fur, then outlined with American Apparel Hassid. For Road Runner, I used Orly Snowcone as a base, with ALDO Sea You in Ibiza for the wings, and head feathers, and Sally Hanson Hard As Nails Xtreme Wear in 06 Sun Kissed for the beak and legs. For the eyes I used Sally Hansen Professional Lavender Cloud, with American Apparel Hassid for the pupils and to outline. For the sign, I used Sally Hansen Professional Lavender Cloud, Barielle Unraveled Rust for the post, and A Beautiful Life Poison for the words. The crate was a combination of Barielle Unraveled Rust, American Apparel California Trooper and American Apparel Palm Springs, then the same combination with more Barielle Unraveled Rust to shade, American Apparel Hassid to outline and for the ACME stencil, Nubar Sexy Red for the rocket, and A Beautiful Life Poison for the dynamite. Topped everything off with two coats of Seche Vite top coat.

Meep! Meep! (Fun fact: It's actually Beep! Beep!, it just sounds like Meep! Meep!)

OPI Merry Midnight

Since OPI Merry Midnight def needs to be layered over something, I decided to try it over Forever 21's Love & Beauty, Lavender. Merry Midnight is from the 2009 OPI Holiday Wishes Collection. So it was LE, and may be hard to find. If you do come across it, I suggest you grab it.





Look at the rainbow flakies in the bottle!!!!!! I just wish it showed up that well on the actual nail.



It's still very pretty though!




2010 Color Club Halloween Collection - Bewitching

Lets start off by saying I LOVE Halloween. It is my favorite holiday. This is my husband and I's first Halloween in our very own home, and we are already buying and planning for the fun. This is the set of minis from Color Club. The Collection is called Bewitching.

First is Bewitching, a classic solid black. This was 2 coats.




Charmed I'm Sure (2 coats)is a beautiful purple, I know it appears blue in some photos, but it really is purple, with teeny tiny hot pink sparkles in it.





Hocus Pocus (2 coats)An AMAZING glitter. Words can't even describe the beauty of this polish! Packed full of every color glitter! This is my favorite from this collection!





Spellbound (2 coats)A VERY bright neon orange, perfect halloween color!

Bridal gel nails!

These are some of the bridal nails done over the past few weeks. And yes, it's the wedding season again!



This is one set that I really love. It's done using a mixture of star dust and pink glitter *super glittery I swear* and with all the puffy white flowers... how can you not like them??? ;D


*glowing pink glitter*



Pretty eh?


I've done this design before and now this is a shorter version and it's a gel overlay set. The classic french twist!


Still looking pretty!


Sugar pink glitter tips with crystals and flower design on the ring finger and thumb.





Light pink glitter french tips with crystals and simple petal flowers. And I love her nails! Super long nail bed! *mad envy*



It's simple and pretty~


Classic french nails with crystal design. Oh yes and I guess I'd have a hard time digging the crystals out when my customer returns cos the crystals hardly drop. Yes, even after a month. ;)


The closeup with no 'special bling effect' added.

Bridal gel nails!

These are some of the bridal nails done over the past few weeks. And yes, it's the wedding season again!



This is one set that I really love. It's done using a mixture of star dust and pink glitter *super glittery I swear* and with all the puffy white flowers... how can you not like them??? ;D


*glowing pink glitter*



Pretty eh?


I've done this design before and now this is a shorter version and it's a gel overlay set. The classic french twist!


Still looking pretty!


Sugar pink glitter tips with crystals and flower design on the ring finger and thumb.





Light pink glitter french tips with crystals and simple petal flowers. And I love her nails! Super long nail bed! *mad envy*



It's simple and pretty~


Classic french nails with crystal design. Oh yes and I guess I'd have a hard time digging the crystals out when my customer returns cos the crystals hardly drop. Yes, even after a month. ;)


The closeup with no 'special bling effect' added.