Tuesday, February 26, 2013

New Milani Products for 2013!

Hi Peeps! In case you haven't heard, Milani has launched some exciting new products for 2013! I haven't got my hands on any of their new stuff yet, but I want, no i NEED to get their new eyeshadow primer. For those unfamiliar with Milani, they're a reasonably priced brand sold at CVS, Walgreens, Walmart, Target, Kmart, Meijer, Fred Meyer, HEB & Kroger. You can also order online directly from Milani's website. I personally love all the Milani products I have tried so far. I've been looking all over for their HD polish collection and haven't found any yet, now that I know you can order direct from them I am so getting the HD polishes, and of course that eyeshadow primer! Click on the images below to learn more and/or purchase  the new stuff for 2013!


The eyeshadow primer is the one I'm really excited to try. It intensifies shadow pigmentation and extends wear time, suppose to prevent creasing too. I've tried other, more expensive primers and I can't wait to get this one. It retails for $6.49 on their site!


 The felt tip liner is intriguing too...


6 new shades of High Speed Fast Dry nail lacquer! Quick Teal, Flaming Race, Rapid Orchid, Instant Pearl, Pink Express, & Move on Mauve


2 new Liquid Eye Liquid-Like Eye Liner Pencil shades...Graphite &  Perfect Purple (sharpenable), Black & Brown (propel)


I'll most likely post a review on the eyeshadow primer, I am definitely going to try it. I may grab a couple of their new polish shades too, I'm not really wowed by the photo. Maybe they're prettier in person :) Anywhos, there's Milani's new products for 2013. Have you found any of them yet? Tried them? Like 'em, hate 'em? Oh, btw...my giveaway is still going! Click here to be directed to it. Good luck peeps!
 




Monday, February 25, 2013

Of Life and Lacquer Celebrate Good Times Giveaway!

Hi peeps! She's at it again! Another awesome giveaway from Of Life and Lacquer. Open internationally, some lucky lady will win 6 bottles from the new China Glaze Avant Garden Collection! Entry is super easy, only requirement is to subscribe to the blog via email. Click the giveaway image below to be directed to the blog post. Good luck!


Monday, February 18, 2013

*More prizes added!* 'Because We're Awesome' Mini Giveaway

*UPDATE* I've added 2 more items to the prize pack...OPI 'Last Friday Night' and SH polish strips in 'Lust-Rous'. I've also extended the giveaway 1 more week in hopes of getting some more entries :) The giveaway will now close at 12am CST on March 4. Good luck!


Hey peeps. Sorry it's taken me so long to get this thing going. I've been super busy, but I didn't forget ya! As promised, I'm doing a little mini giveaway to say Thank You to my awesome blog stalkers and polish pals. I am relatively new to the nail and cosmetics communities, and I've managed to converse with some really awesome people. So yesterday when I spotted 2 bottles of Revlon Girly I thought of you guys too! Today I scored another Seche Vite mini and a pink zebra print Sally Hansen nail file to add to it :) It's not much, but a little token of my appreciation for cyber stalking me and actually reading what I have to say. So that's why this is a 'Because We're Awesome' mini-giveaway...You chicks are awesome and you make me feel awesome by reading my blog and being my friends. The only mandatory entry is to follow my blog via GFC. I suppose I should mention the giveaway prizes were purchased by me, and this giveaway is in no way affiliated with Facebook or any of that crap. The winner will be emailed after entries are verified. They will have 48 hours to respond or another winner will be chosen. Obviously I will take extra care to package the stuff safely, but I can't be responsible for lost or damaged prizes. Sorry to my international blog buddies :( I feel really bad about it but I can't afford to ship outside of the US :( Maybe some time in the future I'll be able to do some kind of e-giftcard giveaway open internationally. Anyway, good luck ladies. I can't wait to see who wins! a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Galactic Lacquer's 1500 FB Likes Giveaway ends Feb. 18

Hey peeps! If you haven't done so yet, you should enter Galactic Lacquer's giveaway :) There's 2 winners, sweet indies from KBShimmer and Pretty & Polished up for grabs! Click The image below to be directed to Galatic Lacquer's Giveaway post. Good Luck!

Monday, February 11, 2013

*Special Edition Post* A Girl Obsessed+The Walking Dead=Seriously Sweet Swatches!

And so the time has come...Finally AMC's The Walking Dead is back!  I'm super stoked :) I actually planned on having this post done after the show last night but I got sidetracked. Here's the dealio though... when I realized that Sam aka A Girl Obsessed had created a polish inspired by and appropriately named after my fave tv show and comic, I had to order a bottle! I totally rocked it for the mid-season premiere too ;) This is my second polish from AGO. If you're interested, you can check out my review and swatches on AGO's Faerie Farts here. So I was thinking it's the perfect time for a "special edition" post. My favorite show is back and I've got an awesome polish to commemorate...Why not dig Fartsey Faye up from her grave for the occasion? If this is your first time reading my blog, I'm sure your starting to hear those alarm bells go off in your head that warn you away from crazies. Well, ignore them. I've got some sick swatches to show ya mmmkay?


A Girl Obsessed 'The Walking Dead' is so awesome in a creepy kinda way. I love it! The jelly base is that sick green zombie skin color. There's also a fun mix of glitter suspended in the "zombie green" jelly that totally makes me think zombie apocalypse. Check out this bottle shot of TWD...
 You've got large matte red hex glitters to represent blood I'm assuming. Then there's large matte white hex glitters. These make me think of bones and teeth. I visualize a zombie munching on someone, ripping off chunks of flesh and exposing bone. Yeah, maybe I put too much thought into that. Oh well...You also have medium matte black hex glitters. They remind me of the overall grotesqueness of the undead, rotting corpses and all that good stuff. And then there's  medium brown/copper hex glitters. They make me think of the dirty grubbiness associated with a zombie apocalypse. No electric, soap makers, or running water means your gonna get dirty right? Now on with the review...



Once again I am very impressed by AGO's formula. It's a great consistency to work with, making it really easy to spread the glitters out, putting the large pieces where I wanted them. I didn't have to do any fishing either! I'm really happy with that. Seriously, the large glitters don't sink and there's the perfect amount of them. Half way through I did decide to close the lid and shake the bottle up a bit, but I was able to get large pieces without a problem. I used 3 coats of TWD with one coat of OTD topcoat for this swatch. Whatcha think?


And a closeup...



Of course I had to try The Walking Dead over another polish. So I figured a white base would really make it pop. It totally did too :) I'm a glitter glutton, it would have been completely fine with just 2 coats, but I wanted more glitter and more zombie green. Here's 3 coats of TWD over 2 coats of Pure Ice Superstar (white) with 1 coat of OTD topcoat...


Another shot, thumb included :)  Sorry, got my thumb a bit close but it's ridiculously hard for me to bend it enough to get it in the swatch photos.

The verdict on A Girl Obsessed 'The Walking Dead'...
An easy-to-spread formula and no fishing for large glitters makes it a fun and creative polish to add to any polish and/or zombie obsessed girl's collection! The awesome part is it's versatile. It's just random and unique enough I don't have to wait till Sundays to rock it :) If you're interested in purchasing TWD or any of the other AGO creations you're in luck! A Girl Obsessed is now live on Etsy! Just click here. Prices are very reasonable for the uniqueness and quality. I'll definitely be making more purchases in the future. Soooo, what do you think? Are you going to purchase TWD or some of the other AGO polishes? Do you have some already? Let me know, I'd love to hear (or read) your opinions!


And now it's time I close this post with a couple Fartsey Faye mutilations for your viewing pleasure!


My zombie hubby...

Here's my zombie kiddo...


Saturday, February 9, 2013

Holly and Polish - China Glaze Avant Garden Collection Giveaway!

Have you got your hands on any of China Glaze's colors from their new Avant Garden collection? Well, if you head over to the Holly and Polish blog you can enter to win the ENTIRE COLLECTION! Sweet right? You can click the image below to be directed to the giveaway post, BTW that photo is property of Holly and Polish blog-I'm just adding it to the post so you can see what the prizes are. Giveaway ends March 15, and it is open internationally! You must be a follower of the Holly and Polish blog via Google Friend Connect or Bloglovin. So, head over, follow, and enter, mmmkay? Good luck!



Thursday, February 7, 2013

AGO Faerie Farts - My First Indie Swatch & Review Post

Hey hey! This post is a special one for me. Samantha aka A Girl Obsessed sent me one of her new creations to try! I feel privileged to be one of the first to try her stuff out. She has just started creating AGO polish and, get this...she's a jet engine mechanic! How awesome is that? Being a former machinist, I feel like we are destined to be great polish friends. Any chick that can do a so-called "man's job" is awesome right? :) Anywhos, besides her regular job and her new polish venture, she also makes and sells some really cute jewelry.  I'll provide you with links to check out Sam's awesome stuff at the end of my post :) I'm so excited to share my swatches and opinions with you gals. This polish is extra special to me because I even got to suggest colors to use! She happened to name this awesome glitter child o' mine Faerie Farts :) Friggin' adorable, right? Well, as not many of you know I used to have a photography & Photoshop obsession, still do if time permits it just doesn't usually. I made zombies and other creepy stuff with the photos I've taken of friends and family for laughs. Yes, I'm a weirdo. My "creative process" was to tap into my alter ego, and that alter ego's name was Fartsey Faye! So, obviously this collaboration was meant to be ;) Ok now I shall stop the gushing and get on with the show!


 A Girl Obsessed Faerie Farts is a nude crelly with small mint green matte glitter, medium gold (or pastel green) matte hex glitters, and medium pink matte hex glitters :) The gold (or pastel green) hex glitters are really neat, they seem to shift from pastel green to gold so I'm not real sure which color they are but they're pretty! Here's a swatch showing 3 coats of Faery Farts, no undies, with a coat of Seche Vite topcoat...


 I must tell you ladies, being my first indie polish ever - I am seriously impressed with the formula of AGO's polish. This is my first, but will definitely not be the last! I'm hooked now, and I'm going to focus on adding to my indie collection now so be on the lookout for lots of indie swatches in the future!


 Unfortunately, the camera didn't really show the true awesomeness of Faerie Farts without undies. But I promise you in person it is friggin gorgeous! I decided to swatch it with some undies so you can get a better look though. Here's 2 coats of AGO Faerie Farts over 2 coats of MP Sation 3 Free-Dom with a coat of Seche Vite topcoat...


Now how 'bout a closeup...


Pretty huh? I'm really diggin it! It is the perfect polish for spring, reminds me of Easter :) I'm excited to see how Faerie Farts looks over other colors, but for now I'll show you how it looks over 3 Free-Dom mattified...


And another closeup...


So there it is. A Girl Obsessed Faerie Farts is friggin sweet! It screams "Spring Time" and I totally love it. I should also add that Faerie Farts is a prototype, a creative collaboration. Not everyone likes a nude crelly, and luckily Sam thought of that. That's why she also created Fae. Yeppers, that chick is a genius! Faye is the same glitter formula in a clear base, which makes it easier to layer it over those pretty spring-time pastels :) Sweet right? It's currently for sale, check out AGO's photo of Faye here. I'm really interested to see how it looks over yellow, purple, dark pink...aaahhh. I think I have Spring fever. Anyway, my opinion on AGO Faery Farts is pretty clear if you've been reading the review...I love it! Sam really impressed me with this stuff. The formula is so easy to work with. It's the perfect consistency, which kinda surprised me since it's so glittery. It dried pretty quickly too, that's always a huge bonus.


So, are you ready to try out some AGO creations yourself? Well, since A Girl Obsessed is just starting out, she doesn't have a shop setup just yet. But don't fret! She accepts Paypal payments :) It's as simple as sending her a pm on Facebook. Click here to be directed to the AGO Facebook page, be sure & give her a "like" while you're at it. Check out her Polishes For Sale album to see what's currently available. Good luck picking just one though!  The AGO polishes are reasonably priced, $9 for full size and $4.50 for minis. Shipping aint bad either. And if handmade jewelry is your fancy, you can check out her FB page Cooley Jooelry here. She'll be happy to take your order, even customized pieces! Right now you can also purchase V-Day grab bags in 3 sizes, each containing AGO polish and Cooley Jooelry pieces! Be sure to check that out or drop the hint to your significant other ;) I hope you've enjoyed my review on my first ever indie polish. I just got a macro lens & still don't quite have the art of photographing swatches down yet. Bare with me ladies, I'll get better, and I am so buying a new camera soon! Regardless, I was so excited to be given one of AGO's creations for review, I feel like I've entered a whole new world...The world of sweet ass indies! How did I manage to stay satisfied with just main-stream polishes all these years? Sam has created a monster, no doubt and I can't wait to bring you more indie reviews in the future! P.S. I'll be working on a very special post for ya next week, featuring another AGO polish ;) Fans of The Walking Dead wont want to miss this MWAHAHAH! Ok, I have to ask before I close this post...Have you tried any AGO polish yet? Are you going to? Well you friggin better! Just kidding, but if you're an indie lover I recommend it :) Do you own any Cooley Jooelry yet? Plan on it? Gimme your thoughts and opinions, I'd love to hear!

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Of Life And Lacquer OPI Euro Centrale Collection & Giveaway

Hey guys! You really need to check out the Of Life And Lacquer blog post on the OPI Euro Centrale Collection, She has some amazing swatches AND a giveaway! Her blog is awesome, so check it out & follow if you aren't already. If you're interested, you can check out my swatch and review post on the polishes I won in one of her previous giveaways here. So, yeah not only does she always give us awesome swatch posts, she has some really awesome giveaways too! Yeppers, enter to win a set of 4 OPI Euro Centrale minis! Sweet right? Click the image below to go directly to the giveaway post. Good luck!


Sunday, February 3, 2013

Julep Cocktail Glam Winter Collection Swatch & Review

HEY PEEPS! I was hoping to do an indie swatch post today, but my mailman hates me (the feeling's mutual right now). So, since I don't have any indies to swatch , how bout some long over-due Julep swatches to tide us over till then? Well, let's get to it! Here's Julep's Cocktail Glam Winter Collection, yeah a little late in the year but I still really dig this set. I won it in the Fashion Bug From Florida's Facebook flash giveaway about a month ago, pretty sweet right? I've been wanting to write a post on this collection since I got it, but really didn't feel comfortable doing so till I got some photographing advise.


First up is Sharon. Julep describes it as a "dark, bold red shimmer". It reminds me of garnets, I love it! There's 2 polishes in this collection I was dying to have, and this is one of them :)  Besides Julep's Cocktail Glam Winter Collection, Sharon can be bought separately here. The formula is nice, not too thick or too thin. Coverage is good, it's opaque after one coat but I used two for complete coverage. Julep's brushes are on the slender side, which I find a little harder to work with. I like the wide brushes, makes shimmer application smoother in my opinion. The swatch below I used two coats of Sharon with 1 coat of Out The Door Top Coat...




Next up is Melissa. Besides being included in Julep's Winter Glam Collection, you can purchase Melissa separately on Julep's website here. If you're interested in becoming a Maven, it's also included in their It Girl Maven intro box. You can check it out here. Julep's description of Melissa is a "sheer opalescent shimmer adds a soft glow when used alone and a high-fashion holographic effect when used over another color". Again, the formula was nice, not too thin or too thick. Julep's polish doesn't seem to have a strong smell to it, and dry time is okay. I just hate that damn brush, and the skinny bottles are easy to tip over if you're a tard like me ;)   My photo below shows 3 coats of Melissa with a coat of Out The Door Top Coat...Love the green shimmer!




This is Kathleen. Julep describes it as a "honey-gold flecked, champagne shimmer". I am not a fan of anything bright yellow or gold, I don't think they work well with my skin tone. The one thing about Kathleen that makes me like it is the gold shimmer, I guess micro-fine gold glitter would be the accurate description. It is gorgeous, and I caught myself staring at my nails quite a bit while I rocked Kathleen. Again, the formula of this one is awesome, I just hate Julep's slim brush :(  Am I the only one that hates their brushes? Seems to make application a pain in the ass for me, maybe it works better applying cremes? Kathleen is still an awesome shade, but I do think it would look better on someone with a darker, less yellowish skin tone. If you're interested in trying Kathleen, it can be purchased separately on their site here, or get it with the Julep Maven Bombshell intro box by signing up here.




And now I'm gonna tell you other reason I wanted to win this collection so bad...O' Canada! It was released back in July along with America. Maven's received one or the other as a bonus depending on their location. If you're interested in purchasing it separately you can do so here. I love the small iridescent glitter and the medium red hex glitters. It's the perfect addition to Julep's Winter Glam Collection! Unfortunately it was the hardest of all to get decent swatches of. Also, the formula is extremely thick and goopy which made it rather difficult to smooth out, but it did make it a bit easier to place the red hexes where I wanted them. When I use this polish, I find myself letting it dry just enough it's not sticky, then smoothing out the lumpy stuff with the tip of my finger. Then I have to add at least 2 coats of top coat to get it as smooth and shiny as I want it. I'm a little OCD-ish about the smoothness of my nails, so that adds to my frustration. But, it's so pretty I can't help but love it! Here's a swatch of O' Canada! over 2 coats of Sharon...


Like I said, I had a horrible time trying to get a decent photo to show y'all :(  So, I got frustrated and decided to try O' Canada! over a lighter shade. The photo shows 2 coats of O' Canada! over 2 coats of Maybelline Color Show Green With Envy in natural light (please ignore my silly accent nail)...




Now here's the last polish in the collection. Hilary is described by Julep as a "full-coverage copper multidimensional glitter". If you're interested, Hilary can be purchased separately here, or if you're a Maven you can get it with the December Bombshell box here. The base isn't clear, more like a brown jelly, and the multidimensional glitters are gorgeous! I decided to try it over Kathleen. I'm glad this came in the set, it transformed Kathleen into something semi-wearable for me :) To be so packed with glitter, this one is not as thick as O' Canada, which made it a lot easier to work with. I used 2 coats of Hilary and 2 coats of topcoat for the swatch below...




So there you have it. Julep's Cocktail Glam Winter Collection is a pretty awesome set. I love all of them except Kathleen, but I decided I do like it under Hilary and I may implement it in some future nail art. Regularly $70, this set is a great buy right now at $34. If you're interested in trying it out yourself you can do that here. Julep's 4-free formula is okay, some are harder to work with than others but beauty is pain right? Overall I'm pleased with this collection, but I do have some gripes...That damn skinny brush! I read a lot of reviews, and opinions always vary when it comes to wide brushes vs. slim brushes. It's all a matter of personal opinion, and mine is the damn skinny brushes need to go! It wont keep me from purchasing Julep in the future though. Another thing that I dislike is the skinny bottles. I'm a clumsy oaf who's known to tip bottles over and the slender design of Julep's bottles make it even more precarious than normal. You don't get much polish for the price either. Julep's bottles are .27 fl oz, versus the .5 fl oz bottles I'm used to. In all fairness though, it doesn't take much to achieve the desired opaqueness. Now I don't feel good about closing my post on a gripe session, so here's some of the things I loved about getting Julep's Cocktail Glam Winter Collection...The packaging. It's a little pricey, but Julep packages are always adorable from what I've seen. Gives each Julep package a little personal touch, I like that. Here's how this box was packaged...



Cute huh? I like the shreds of colored paper and the Pedi Cream sample is really good, just wish they would've stuck 2 packs in there. Did anyone else who got the Pedi Creme sample notice there's only enough to do one foot? Lmao, I guess that's why it's a sample but still...I'd rather had enough to do both feet or none at all. So, what's your opinions on Julep? Are you a Maven? Like 'em, love 'em, or hate 'em? Let me know in the comment section if ya want to...mmmkay?