Better Late Than Never: SpaRitual Sacred Ground

I know SpaRitual Sacred Ground is a polish you saw all fall, as it was released with SpaRitual's Fall 2011 Wilde collection, but I'm posting it anyway. If you haven't gotten around to picking it up yet, you really should! I don't know why I didn't order it right away, but I'm glad I finally did get it. Sacred Ground is an interesting lavender gray shimmer polish. The shimmer looks like it's all different colors. There is some definite gold shimmer in there, and a good hint of pink when the polish hits direct light. Unfortunately, there wasn't any sun when I took these pictures. I think it would looks spectacular in sunlight.

You can see in the macro shot below that the yellow gold shimmer looks a bit larger than the rest of the shimmer particles. This doesn't really add a gold tone to the polish though, it looks more like yellow flecks. Very cool!

I used three coats of Sacred Ground for these swatches and it was nicely opaque. The first coat didn't go on too evenly and I was a bit concerned, but it smoothed out in the second coat.

SpaRitual Sacred Ground is available in both the full size and a mini size on Apothica.com.

I purchased my bottle of Sacred Ground with funds given to me by my sponsor, Apothica.com. For more information, please see my Disclosure Policy. 

NOTD: Orly Rock Solid

Today's Nail of the Day is Orly Rock Solid, a lovely little gem that has been sitting in my untrieds drawer for awhile now!! Rock Solid is from Orly's Mineral FX collection, which came out this past fall. I am not sure why I let this beauty sit untried for a few months. I really love it!

Orly Rock Solid is a gunmetal gray metallic base with small silver glitter and medium sized holographic glitter pieces. The holo glitter is what makes this polish awesome. Now, I have seen some swatches of this polish that don't contain as much holo glitter. I gave my bottle a really good shake before application. I also kind of swirl the brush towards the sides of the bottle before applying some glitter polishes. You know how all of the glitter kind of gets stuck on the sides? If you angle the brush towards the sides while it's still in the bottle, you can pick up some extra pieces of glitter.

blurry holo goodness!

I did three coats of Rock Solid for these pictures, but two was nicely opaque for wearing this polish. The formula was excellent, really nice to apply! It also dried quite quickly, if that's a factor for you. I used top coat in these pictures, and Rock Solid seemed pretty smooth after just one coat of clear top coat.

I am really loving this beautiful polish and can't believe I left it sitting in the lonely untrieds drawer all this time!! Orly Rock Solid and the other Mineral FX polishes are available online at nailsupplies.us.

Zoya Neeka- Gorgeous Year 'Round!

I have to say, sometimes I like picking up polishes a while after they are released. I am slowly adding the Zoya Fall 2011 Smoke & Mirrors polishes to my collection, and it's nice to post them without 57 other people posting them on exactly the same day. I know that also means that you've probably seen them 100 times, but maybe you didn't have money at the time to buy them all, and you need a little reminder of how awesome they are! For example, Zoya Neeka. Awesome.

Zoya describes Neeka as: "A greyed amethyst with subtle red duochrome shimmer and bright gold glitter accents. A fascinating, unique shade that manages to be glittery but not too flashy."  I copied their whole description because I actually think it's a good one. I definitely agree that Neeka is a greyed amethyst and that it is fascinating, unique and glittery without being flashy. I don't really see the bright gold glitter accents, but there is some very subtle red duochrome shimmer. I think you can see the red/gold flash in the shimmer in this picture below.

Indoors or in the shade, Neeka has that speckled egg look to it. It's not sparkly glitter, it's speckle-y glitter!

This is two coats, the formula was great. Maybe a little streaky on the first coat, but it all smoothed out with a second.

Zoya's seasonal collections are always available long after their release, which I love. I can easily get polishes later on. Sometimes it's hard to purchase a whole collection at once when you have other collections to buy as well as make-up LOL. 

Zoya Neeka is available on zoya.com now. One of my goals this coming year is to try more Qtica products, by the way, so expect some reviews. Any ideas on what I should try first? Also, Zoya hinted that we might hear some news about their spring collection this week, YAYYYY!

Illamasqua Corset Nails!!

The other day I received a tempting email from Sephora and Illamasqua's PR agent. It said: "Illamasqua urges you to be daring this holiday season by embracing your alter ego with corset inspired nails. Taking a lead from the 1920s Berlin Boot Girls use the hottest nail shades of the season in this easy 4 step guide to get kinky corset nails that will be sure to turn heads at any holiday party."

Did I want to turn heads at a holiday party? YES! Kinky corset nails?? DOUBLE YES!!!! So, I gave it a go, following the instructions included in the email:

"Steps:

·         Start off with a base coat of Illamasqua’s Nail Varnish in Vice (burgundy). The Nail Varnishes are hardwearing, chip-resistant and one coat should give you that unique rubbery finish just like a boot.

·         Once the base coat is dry use Nail Varnish in Faux Pas (blue/violet) along both sides of the nail.

·         Using a Black Nail Pen create a lace up effect from one side of the Faux Pas color to the other. Depending on nail size three crosses should be enough.

·         When the nail has dried use Nail Rhinestones at each point of the criss-cross to give the nail a lace up corset look.

Products Needed:

·         Nail Varnish in Vice ($14, Sephora)

·         Nail Varnish in Faux Pas ($14, Sephora)

·         Black Nail Pen

·         Nail Rhinestones"

Above, you can see their very professionally done version of these corset nails. Below, you can see my version! I am usually a complete failure at nail art of any sort, so this actually looks pretty good for me!! I did mess up the ring finger. I got overconfident, went too quickly, and started to draw a line to the wrong place. Dumb!

I also decided to skip the rhinestones because the ones I have around are too large, and would have ruined/hidden the corset look. I followed Illamasqua's directions, although I used scotch tape to make the lines on the sides come out straight. If I had done those freehand, this would be a hot mess.

I used Sally Hansen's Nail Art Pen. I have never really loved that pen, as you can see it kind of bleeds, instead of making crisp lines. Any recommendations for a better nail art pen?

My pinkie nail was my favorite! Look at how crisp the lines look! I don't know how I managed that, but if I did it once, I'm sure that with practice, I could do it again!

Overall, this look was not super hard for a nail art noob like me. If you are more skilled with nail art, I bet you will rock this look out! If you are just starting with nail art, give this design a try. It's really not that difficult, and looks very cool!

Illamasqua Vice and Faux Pas are available now at Sephora.com and at a Sephora store near you.

Illamasqua Vice and Faux Pas were sent to me for review by a PR agent for Sephora. For more information, please read my Disclosure Policy.

Illamasqua Kink Makes My Heart Beat Faster!!!

I definitely saved the BEST (in my opinion) for last in the Illamasqua Theatre of the Nameless nail polish collection. Illamasqua Kink is a forest green polish with a rubberized finish. This is a perfect forest green in my opinion, not too dark or too bright, but bright enough to be obviously green. Kink also has a touch of blue to it, instead a yellow undertone that some greens tend to have.

I think the rubberized finish looks the best in this color. It's so smooth looking and really looks like rubber! This is three coats. I was a little nervous on the first coat, as it looked a bit sheer, but three coats really covered nicely and looks great. Application was very easy. I do find that it's best to put a bit more polish on your brush than you're used to for all four of these Illamasqua rubber-finish polishes. It helps the finish look smooth, not lumpy.

 I don't know if it's due to the holiday season, but I am REALLY feeling this color right now. I want to wear it all the time! And if you decide you want more of a true creme/glossy finish, just add a layer of shiny top coat. I do like the rubber look though for a change now and then!

Illamasqua Kink is available now on Sephora.com and at a Sephora near you.

This polish was sent to me for review by a PR agent for Sephora. For more information, please read my Disclosure Policy.

Illamasqua Faux Pas is NOT a Faux Pas!

How could wearing anything this pretty be a Faux Pas?? Only if it's Illamasqua Faux Pas from the Theatre of the Nameless collection!! This is such a pretty and unique shade of purple in my vast collection of purples. I actually have nothing exactly like this! It's nice and bright, without veering towards neon territory. It's brighter and more blue than China Glaze Grape Pop, more blue than Zoya Kieko and lighter/dustier than Zoya Mira. Plus, it has that cool rubber finish!

Faux Pas was the most pigmented of the four Illamasqua Theatre of the Nameless polishes. It only required two coats for complete coverage and opacity. The formula was excellent to work with, no streaks or lumps. If you've used matte polishes and found them hard to use, don't fear these, they are much MUCH more user-friendly. For one thing, they don't dry as instantly as mattes, so that gives you more time to apply three solid strokes to the nail.

Purple is my favorite colors and I never get tired of purple polish. Illamasqua Faux Pas is an excellent purple polish with a different look than many purples out there. If you love the color, but aren't feeling the rubber finish, just add a coat of shiny or matte top coat. The rubber finish is growing on me, especially with Faux Pas. I think this finish looks best on Faux Pas and the polish I'll be showing you tomorrow, Kink.

Illamasqua Faux Pas is available now online at Sephora and at a Sephora store near you.

This polish was sent to me for review by a PR agent for Sephora. For more information, please read my Disclosure Policy.

Illamasqua Taint

Illamasqua Taint is a really neat shade of putty/mushroom brown. It's appearance is made cooler by the rubberized finish Illamasqua chose for the four polishes from the Theatre of the Nameless collection. I think Taint looks even more rubbery than Vice and in this particular shade, I really like it. Today's weather is a disgusting foggy gray sky and it looks like it's 4 p.m. at 11 a.m., so these pictures are not the sharpest. The first one is pretty color accurate though.

When I took this picture, I was standing under a very bright cloud. I hate cloudy weather for nail pictures. The clouds make the colors weird. But, I guess this is what Taint would look like if you were in brighter light. I think the formula of Taint was about the same as Vice. These really require three coats for evenness. Just to show you this, I did three coats on my pointer and middle finger and two on the ring and pinkie. See the difference? Three coats doesn't really bother me, especially since these dry relatively fast. BUT, the press release did say "you only need one coat until you're ready to try your next favorite in the collection". So, that's not so accurate. Otherwise, I really am enjoying these polishes!!

Illamasqua Taint and the rest of the Theatre of the Nameless collections is available now on Sephora.com or at a Sephora near you.

Speaking of Sephora, I have yet to spend my $20 VIB gift card. I always have a long list of things to order from Sephora, but I seem to be having trouble deciding this time. Any suggestions??

This polish was sent to me for review by a PR agent for Sephora. For more information, please read my Disclosure Policy.

Illamasqua Theatre of the Nameless Vice

Today's beautiful polish comes from Illamasqua's fall Theatre of the Nameless collection. Illamasqua Vice is a gorgeous deep cranberry red polish with a different finish. For the Theatre of the Nameless polishes, Illamasqua went with a rubber finish for all four polishes. The rubber finish is something kind of in between a matte and a glossy finish. It's not all the way matte, but it is not a usual shiny creme finish either. This is my first experience with this finish, although we've seen it before in the Orly Plastix collection. I didn't like the Plastix colors, so I skipped those.

I do LOVE the colors Illamasqua picked for this collection, however. This deep red berry looks amazing in the rubber finish. I quite enjoyed wearing this. It was kinda sexy-feeling really. A vampy red in a rubberized texture, oh my!!

Vice applied easily, although I did use three coats. It dried quickly, but not as quickly as a traditional matte polish. Obviously, with this special finish, you do not use a top coat. I did use a matte top coat as a base coat though, as I was afraid of staining from the deep color. The rubber finish also lessens the wear time a bit, but I got a solid two days from this with one tiny chip. I most likely would have gotten more, but I removed it to review something else.

I have the three other lovely polishes in this collection to show you shortly. I can't decide if I am most excited about the green or the purple!!! I guess we'll see!

Illamasqua Vice and the Theatre of the Nameless collection is available now on Sephora.com and in Sephora stores.

This polish was sent to me for review by a PR agent for Sephora. For more information, please see my Disclosure Policy.

What I'm Wearing, Vol. I- butter LONDON Wallis

I thought it would be fun to start a new series of posts called "What I'm Wearing". These posts will show you what nail polishes I'm actually wearing as full manis. Nail bloggers review collections so early and I sometimes wonder if the other nail bloggers of the world are really wearing holiday colors in September. Personally, I like to stick to the current season a bit more. I refuse to wear "holiday" colors until at least December 1. Which brings me to my fall-appropriate mani, butter LONDON Wallis!

butter LONDON Wallis is an antique golden olive polish that has an old feel to it. This color reminds me of something you'd find when diving for treasure in an underwater sea cave off the coast of Greece. Not that I've ever done that, but my dad has!

I did this mani at night, in a darkened room, so I thought two coats was enough. I guess I could have used a third coat!!! You can only see that in bright light though, so that's fine. Inside, Wallis looks more antique golden brass color, but outdoors it looks very olive green. Either way, I love the color, and this metallic shimmer/sparkle finish is excellent.

butter LONDON is having their Friends and Family sale right now, and with 30% off all orders, Wallis is looking like a good deal! Just enter celebrate11 at checkout. I'm contemplating ordering The Black Knight from the holiday collection.

butter LONDON Wallis is available now at butterlondon.com

Illamasqua Fall 2011 Preview Pictures!

Have you seen these cool Fall 2011 polishes from Illamasqua?? I'll be getting them all soon, so I thought I'd share pictures!!

lllamasqua invites you to indulge in darker, bolder nail colors this holiday season.

Dare to be noticed with the new Theatre of the Nameless Nail Varnish Collection inspired by the sensuality of Wittenberg Platz’s domineering Boot Girls.

Illamasqua’s AW11 Nail Varnishes are rich and mysterious, with a unique rubbery finish, unlike any other varnish.

Hardwearing and chip-resistant, you only need one coat until you’re ready to try your next favorite in the collection.

Zoya Cynthia Is Smokin'!

I finally have pictures of Zoya Cynthia from the Fall 2011 Smoke and Mirrors collection!!! I used this under my OPI Man of La Mancha mani the other day, but it really deserves it's own post. Zoya describes Cynthia as a "smoky Prussian blue creme" and I completely agree. There is a definite smoky look to this polish that is very cool.

The smoky feel sets Cynthia apart from other deep blue cremes I own. I am a total sucker for colors like this. They look really bold against my super pale skin and I love it! I hate reading those magazine articles where the famous manicurist tells pale people not to wear colors like this. That's ridiculous!! Vampy colors look stunning on pale and dark skin alike!!!

The formula on this beauty was good. This is two coats and it was nice and opaque at two coats. The first coat looked a bit streaky, but no worries, as the second coat smoothed it right out! All in all, an excellent fall/winter polish. I wore it as a full mani right after taking these pictures!!

Zoya Cynthia is available now on Zoya.com.

Zoya Yara NOTD

                           

I love how I posted the Zoya holiday collection before I finished Zoya fall!! Oh well, that's how it goes sometimes, right? This gorgeous treat is Zoya Yara, from Zoya's fall Smoke and Mirrors collection, and I think it's pretty in any season. Yara is an olive drab green with awesome yellow glitter flecks!

Look at that macro shot, aren't the glitter flecks a really unique color? They really make Yara stand out in the sea of army green polishes that were released this fall. It's not quite gold glitter, it's really yellow! Very cool.

I did three coats for these pictures, but you could most likely achieve the same look with two thicker coats. The formula on this was nice, no problems to speak of! Yara is the polish I wanted the most from Zoya Smoke and Mirrors and it definitely does not disappoint!

I still have two more of the Zoya fall colors to swatch, but I know this one will be my favorite of the collection! Zoya Yara is such a "me" color! Weird army green with unique yellow glitter flecks? MUST HAVE!!

Ugh! It's just so dang cool, isn't it????

Zoya Yara and the rest of the Smoke and Mirrors collection is available now at zoya.com. Also, Zoya polishes are BUY 2 GET 2 FREE until November 5!!!! Just sign in to your account at zoya.com, go to "my account", "my coupons and promotions", and get your one-time use code!