China Glaze Sugar High

Sooo... I am continuing my pink trend with this polish from China Glaze's recent Up and Away Collection.

China Glaze Sugar High




I'm not sure how I feel about this one. On the one hand, it's a cute color for Spring, and I can totally see it as a pedicure color for me. On the other hand, the application was a little streaky, took three coats, and I think the color may be a little too pink for my tastes (reminds me of cotton candy and Pepto Bismol). Blah! Hmm... it is a cute color, but on other people. Definitely not on me :-(

I hope everyone is enjoying their Memorial Day weekend! I do believe this is the unofficial kick-off of Summer!! :-) I am spending a lovely weekend away with my boyfriend and cousins. We have lots planned this weekend, and I'm glad I can spend it with my loved ones :-)

China Glaze Tickle My Triangle

I have a lot of polishes from China Glaze's Kaleidescope Collection. Honestly, I don't know why I haven't tried all of them yet -- they're all deliciously gorgeous! This one is no exception!

China Glaze Tickle My Triangle




How do you say no to pink and holographic and sparklies? I don't think I can!!! This polish has all three, in addition to a great formula that applied very easily and was opaque in just two coats. I seriously love this color!!! Can you guys tell that I've been on a pink kick lately?? I think maybe it's because of the weather and my eagerly anticipating summer!

China Glaze Flirt

I like the name of this polish-- Flirt!

China Glaze Flirt




The formula on this was kind of sheer, so I am wearing about three coats here. You can also see the visible brush strokes in the polish, so make sure you aren't too sloppy during application :-) I like the color -- I can see it being good for something like a wedding, or a baby shower -- something light and fun. It's a great, neutral seashell/rose-pink with a hint of shimmer. If you look closely enough, you can also see a lavender and silver sheen to it. Love it!

Coach Rose Sandal

When gladiator-style sandals first came out a few years ago, I hated them. Hated, hated, hated! Like, with a deep-seeded passion. However, since then, I've come around since then and have found a few pairs that I like. Granted, these aren't "true" gladiator-style sandals, but in the summer time, I wear mostly flip flops and open-toed wedges and heels, so to me, these are really outside my comfort zone.

These are the Rose sandal from Coach. I think what ultimately won me over was... well, the roses. The sandal has black roses and silver metallic leather straps. They are pretty low to the ground, and do not have a platform or a lot of padding on the inside, so that took a little getting used to. Every time I walked, I felt like I was barefoot! But, walking aside, these sandals are great!! The bottoms are rubber (unlike the other two pairs of gladiators I have, which have smooth bottoms), so they grip well to the sidewalk. The roses also have little studs in them, which help jazz them up. I also like that they are black AND silver, so I can wear them with either color outfit!

These also come in an all-silver version as well (not a dark silver like this, but a white silver color). I got these because I don't trust myself with light-colored shoes -- they always end up getting incredibly dirty! These sandals originally retailed for $158, but have since been marked down and are now available for only $79!!! They are available to order in both colors and a variety of colors on the Coach website. They run a little big, so you can probably size down by a half-size.

Aaaaaaand the WINNER is......

SARAH!!!

Congratulations Sarah!! I just sent you an email to request your polish selection and address. Thank you to everyone who entered the giveaway. I promise to have more giveaways coming up soon!

China Glaze Ginger

Here's another sparkler from China Glaze's Specialty Collection. I love this one <3

China Glaze Ginger




The formula on this one was surprisingly good. So far with most of the glitters I've seen, the formula was sheer but thick and goopy. This one was easy to work with and only required two coats. I think "Ginger" is the perfect name for this one! It is a hodge podge of colors -- orange, gold, and brown. There's also multi-colored microglitter and large hexagonal glitter in there. This baby's got it all!!

Also, just a quick reminder that today is the LAST day to enter my giveaway! I'll be picking a winner in exactly TWELVE hours so what are you waiting for?? :-)

Zoya Persiphony

I like the name of this polish -- I am assuming they somewhat-named it after Persiphone, the character from Greek mythology. Her story is one of my favorites. If you've never read it, you should (it's the story about how her kidnapping led to the changing of the seasons).

Zoya Persiphony




This one was a two-coater for me -- great formula, nice and even. It is a shimmery medium rose color with a hint of silver sheen to it. Though it's not incredibly original, I do like it and the fact that it didn't require a million coats makes this one a winner for me. After I wore it, I put it in my "keep for future use" pile.

There's only a few more days left to enter my giveaway, guys!!! Have you already entered? If not, click here to read instructions on how to enter! I am so pleased and happy with all the "new" followers, as well as the numbers of entries I've already received. You guys are awesome!! I am thinking of doing giveaways every time I hit a "milestone" of followers, so keep on following and I promise to have more goodies to give away in the near future! :-)

China Glaze QT

I am hardcore in love with China Glaze's OMG! Collection. It's a collection of twelve holographic polishes that pretty much blows any other polish out of the water. They're all insanely gorgeous, and this one has got to be one of my favorites that I've tried so far!

China Glaze QT




Even though there are three pinks in the collection, I think I can say with confidence that this one is my favorite. It's a gorgeous medium-to-dark pink that has a blue/green/purple holo effect. I love it!! The application was also great, and it only took two coats to reach opacity. My one gripe is that all of these dry somewhat matte -- however, a coat of Seche Vite helped solve that issue and make them all look incredibly shiny. I wore this as both a mani and pedi and it's so cool that even my manly-man boyfriend made a comment about how much he liked the color :-) Granted, the reason he liked it had more to do with cars (there's a word along the same lines of "holographic" in the car world that they use to describe a paint color that looks different shades depending on lighting). Kinda corny yes, but I'll take it!!

Oh, and also a quick plug and reminder for my giveaway! Please enter!! Only a few days left before a lucky winner is chosen :-D

China Glaze Carnival Lights

I got the majority of China Glaze's Glitters, Shimmers, and Cremes collection MONTHS ago when it first came out. So... why am I so slow with posting them? Well, pretty much pure laziness!! lol

China Glaze Carnival Lights




(outdoors, direct sunlight)




This polish was a little too sheer and goopy for my liking. It's a cotton-candy light pink with rainbow-colored microglitter as well as larger pieces of hexagonal glitter. I am wearing three coats here, and as you can see, it is still not completely opaque. I definitely think the color and glitter are super pretty, but the effort expended wasn't completely worth it. As I mentioned, the formula is think and incredibly hard to work with. As I was eyeing the rest of the glitters in this collection, I noticed that the majority of them are thick and goopy. That may be another factor deterring me from trying them all out right away. Oh, boo :-(

But, onto more positive things -- have y'all noticed my post from last night about my first giveaway?? I am now officially accepting entries, and you only have SIX more days to enter!! Please see my previous post for directions as well as pictures of the prizes :-) I didn't mention this yesterday, but obviously, the winner would get their choice of five polishes from the selection posted. I'm really excited and I can't wait to select a winner and ship out the gifts! I have a BE Foiled Eye kit of my own, and I'm wearing it today, and I must say, I love it! :-D

It's Here!!! My First Giveaway/Contest! ENTER HERE!!

Okay, enough procrastinating!!! I'm *finally* ready to do my first giveaway. Woo hoo! First, here's the booty :-)


(l-r): CVS Salon Rounds, Bare Escentuals Foiled Eye Tutorial Kit, Lush Lemony Flutter, Coach Heritage Stripe large coin purse, Flirt nail stickers, Fing'rs Edge pink/black argyle acrylic nails

The winner also gets to select FIVE polishes from the following:

(l-r): China Glazes -- Preppy Pink, Sugar High, Flirt, Eyes Like Sapphires, Sunrise, Indian Ocean


(l-r): OPI Designer Series -- Dazzle, Glamour, Perfection, Shimmer, Jewel, Sensation, Treasure


(l-r): OPI Here Today... Aragon Tomorrow, OPI Over the Taupe, OPI Sea? I Told You!, NYX burgundy color (don't know the name), Del Sol Heartbreaker, Essie Bordeaux, and LA Flare polishes in red/silver glitter and silver glitter

Okay, here is how to enter:

1) Leave a COMMENT on this post with your EMAIL address. I need your email in order to contact you and let you know that you won :-)

2) Only *one* comment per entry, and you MUST be a follower of my blog in order to enter

3) Contest is open for ONE WEEK. I will stop taking entries next TUESDAY at midnight EST. After that time, I will use a random number generator to select a winner and will contact that person ASAP

Good luck to everyone! :-)

ETA -- Sorry, just wanted to add that this contest is open to followers worldwide. I will ship to any country via USPS Priority International Mail or USPS Priority Mail within the U.S. :-)

Orly Rage

Hmm... Orly is not a brand that I've posted regularly about, but I actually do like it, so I'm surprised I don't wear it that often! I particularly like this polish :-)

Orly Rage




This polish is part of their Foil FX collection, which consists of three polishes - a gold, a silver, and this stunning rosegold. The color is a little hard to describe, but it's a neutral, metallic (but with a flat/satin finish) light nude rose. Whew, that was a mouthful! Here are some pics of it under direct sunlight (ignore my beaten-up cuticles -- they have been incredibly rough-looking lately).



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The formula on this was thick and quite fast-drying. I didn't use a top coat, since I wanted to keep the flat finish of the polish.

China Glaze Heli-Yum + Konad m35

This is the first polish I'm trying out from China Glaze's spring Up and Away collection!

China Glaze Heli-Yum




The best way I can describe this is a dark, light pink. I know I just contradicted myself, but that's all I could come up with. The pink is dark, but it's not bright, like a fuchsia. It's light enough to make it work-appropriate and not blindingly annoying. I like it. A good way to spice it up is by Konad-ing over it! Here it is with another floral pattern from Konad plate m35 using Konad special stamping polish:







I like this pattern -- but then again, I'm a sucker for florals. I buy all my Konad plates based on whether or not there are any floral patterns and whether or not I like them. I'm not usually super-girly, but I am when it comes to flowers :-)

Again, I apologize for the delay in getting contest details up, but I finally have all my giveaway items together. I'm not collecting entries yet, because I want to get pics of the prize up on my 'blog, but the winner will receive the following:

• Their choice from a selection of polishes
  
• Bare Escentuals Foiled Eye Tutorial Kit
• A package of CVS Salon Rounds (see previous post)
• Lush Lemony Flutter
• Cover Girl Lash Blast Mascara in black
• A package of Finger's Edge pink/black plaid acrylic nails (like this)

I think I'm missing an item or two, but I'll check over the weekend and try to get pics up :-) I hope everyone has a great weekend!! <3

My Favorite Things: CVS Salon Rounds

Have you ever wanted to change the polish color of your pedicure, but you knew that in the process of removing your pedicure polish, you'd end up ruining your manicure?? I can't tell you how many times that's happened to me, and luckily, CVS has a nifty little product that eliminates that predicament! They're called Salon Rounds:

At first glance, they look like regular cotton rounds:

However, turn them over, and you'll see that the other side has a cool grip handle and is paper, so the polish remover doesn't soak through the cotton round, and your manicure is safe!

Isn't that awesome?? Seriously, why hasn't anyone ever thought of this before??

China Glaze Cowardly Lyin'

I've been itchin' for some glittery polishes lately, and this one fit the bill!

China Glaze Cowardly Lyin'




This beauty is from The Wizard of Ooh Ahz Returns Collection. It is a re-release of the original collection from China Glaze. I already had Emerald Sparkle and Ruby Pumps, so I bought the remaining polishes from the collection so that I would own them all :-) This one applied pretty well -- I'm wearing three coats, and one coat of top coat to smooth it out. The polish is actually smoother than it looks in these pics. The color reminds me of Goldilocks or something -- a nice "blonde" yellow/gold with a hint of rainbow sparkle. Removal was also easier than most glitter polishes. I definitely recommend this polish! :-)

Essie Chocolate Kisses + Konad m35

G'afternoon everyone :-) I have a Konadicure to show off today! First off, here's the base polish:

Essie Chocolate Kisses




This color applied somewhat sheer, so I am wearing three coats here. It is a deep, warm chocolate brown with a hint of dark red in it. I decided that I wanted to spice it up a little more, so I added some flowers from Konad plate m35 using China Glaze's Robotika polish (I *love* this polish for stamping over dark polishes - it's great!).





So what do you guys think? Do you like it? I like the contrast of the dark polish and the light, shimmery flowers.

OPI Designer Series Royal

I am closing out my Designer Series posts with a real BANG!

OPI Designer Series Royal




Is this one a beauty or what?? The polish was quite sheer and I am wearing four coats here, plus a top coat, but trust me, it was all worth it. This is an absolutely amazing and gorgeous color! It is a bright purple with a blue and pink holo effect. It's simply stunning! I absolutely LOVE this color! If you can find it anywhere, you need to snatch it up ASAP!

I will resume my non-DS posts tomorrow :-) I've been trying to perfect my Konad skills, so I've got a few of those coming up, as well as some other spring and summer-appropriate shades. Oh, and of course, my giveaway details! I got a Bare Escentuals eye kit yesterday that will be part of the giveaway :-D Deets coming up soon! xoxo