Free beauty tips: Copper

Showing posts with label Copper. Show all posts

CQ Polishes: Silver Taupe & Cosmic Plum

Above & Below: CQ's Silver Taupe is a fantastic taupe with a little bling. I used 2 coats, but it would have looked much better with 3. These photos are taken in natural light (above) and with a flash below.

Below: CQ's Cosmic Plum is a very slight duo chrome. It's got a lot going on, because in addition to the slight duo chrome, it's also a shimmer, yet it has a somewhat foil-type finish. I do like how the shimmer gives it a plush velvet look.

Yes, I'm still working away trying to open up some space on my untried's shelf, and this evening I have 2 CQ brand polishes to show you. CQ is manufactured by Scherer, Inc., also the makers of Petites and Chameleon brands, often found in drugstore chains. This is the first time I've tried this brand and the results are somewhat mixed. I used 2 coats on Silver Taupe and I think I should've used 3. I used 3 coats of Cosmic Plum, which seemed to give me the right amount of coverage. These are 0.4 fl. oz., so a little smaller than average, and they were priced at $2.59 each. I consider them to be fairly reasonably priced, the application and formula were fine (other than the 3 coats!), and the dried quickly. Now for the shades...

Silver Taupe is just gorgeous to me. A medium taupe shade with silver sparkles. The sparkly glitter is subtle, but it is also slightly holographic under more intense lighting. What's not to like? Again, other than the 3 coats! It was similar to China Glaze Stellar, which was one of my favorites from the glitters they released a few months back. Here is my post on Stellar if you'd like to have a look. Cosmic Plum was just alright to me, but nothing special. It looked somewhat like a duo chrome in the bottle, and once applied, it actually is a duo chrome. But it's a very weak duo chrome. It's a rose gold color that flashes to a more gold color in different lighting. It also has hints of copper in darker lighting. The metallic/foil finish is not to my liking either. I don't hate it, but I'm not nearly as attracted to this one as I am to Silver Taupe. I think I was expecting a little more magic from Cosmic Plum, based on how it looked in the bottle.

Revlon Amber Ablaze, You Disappointed Me!

Above & Below: Revlon's Amber Ablaze looks to have great potential in the bottle, but not so much on the nail.

Now wouldn't you think a polish that looked so promising in the bottle, would look nice on the nail? That was not the case unfortunately, with Revlon's Amber Ablaze. I saw this at Walmart a few months ago, and naturally, the gold intertwined with the coppery color caught my eye. I can never pass up a gold-laced color, and am always mesmerized by their veil of golden shimmer over whatever the base color may be. Perhaps there's not enough contrast between the gold and the base color of this one, because it just looks like a copper shimmer, once applied. And it's not even that pretty of a shade of copper. This shade actually photographed better than it looks in real life. So what we have here is a polish that looks stunning in the bottle, but not so much on the nail, and also a polish that photographs well, but is actually quite plain and nothing outstanding color or finish-wise in real life. Amber Ablaze, you are a trickster!

Posted in Copper , Revlon , Shimmer

Orly Bloom 2010: Wild Wisteria, Pure Petunia & Ginger Lilly

Above & Below: L-R Wild Wisteria, Pure Petunia and Ginger Lilly.

Above & Below: The picture shown above is one coat of the cremes and 2 coats of the shimmer taken indoors, with flash. Below is taken outdoors in the rain, no flash.

I received 3 polishes yesterday which are part of Orly's Bloom Collection, due out in February. There are 6 polishes in this collection (you can read my original post about the collection here), and I know many of you were curious about the green shade, as was I. Unfortunately, that was not one of the shades I received, so we'll have to wait until they're available or someone else gets a hold of that one. The other one I really wanted to see was Ginger Lilly, which was included.

First, let me apologize for swatching them on wheels, but I'm trying to get ready for Thanksgiving tomorrow, cooking and cleaning, and you do not want to see my hands right now! I'm also in the midst of some German Shepherd Rescues (my other passion), and that can get very trying the day before a holiday when we're trying to save them and the shelters are trying to clear out what they can before a long weekend. Most of these dogs are in high-kill shelters, so there is always a sense of urgency before a holiday. You do the best you can, but it's difficult arranging and coordinating foster care, transport, and countless other things needed to save a life. It all becomes very political sometimes, which makes it difficult to stay focused on our purpose, but in the end, it's all worth it. Just as I see so many ignorant people mistreating and abusing animals, I thankfully see the opposite in the others I deal with who devote so much love and compassion, by volunteering countless hours of time and donating much-needed money in our German Shepherd community. I'll get off my soapbox now, but needless to say, my nails and hands don't look the greatest right now, and I don't have time to work on them!

Back to the polish...I've got to tell you, I'm not wowed by these. The purple creme, Wild Wisteria, looks like a deep grape purple shade in the bottle. Once I applied a coat to the nail wheel, it becomes quite dark, almost too dark in my opinion. I wanted the color in the bottle... a purple that looks purple. Pure Petunia, the deep lavender mauve creme is pretty, and it maintains the bottle color when transferred to the nail wheel, but surely I have a number of polishes that look very similar (Finger Paints Berry Shiny comes to mind). Ginger Lilly is the only one out of this collection that appears to be unique and different (keeping in mind I haven't seen the other 3 shades in person), other than possibly the green shade, Wandering Vines. Ginger Lilly is the lone shimmer in the collection and looks like a copper color in the bottle, almost. I would classify it as a burnt orange shade, but the shimmer adds a point of interest. If you move the bottle under a light, you can see the slightest element of red iridescence. Once on the nail wheel, it took on almost a deep pink iridescent look at various angles and you can clearly see a blackened base, although I see no trace of black or gray in the polish.

*Products furnished by LaForce-Stevens, for Orly Beauty.

Posted in Copper , Creme , Mauve , Orly , Purple , Shimmer

Art Club Pretty Shiny Things Nail Art Kit

Above & Below: My first real attempt at nail art using Art Club's Pretty Shiny Things kit. The bottle pictures are the 2 shades I used.

Below: Close-up of my handiwork. It's far from perfect, but it was fun to try. I'm sure I'll be practicing using this kit for some different looks.

Below: This is how the kit is packaged. It even has a carrying handle!

Below: The kit includes 2 sheets of nail decals, and although I didn't use any today, I think they're some of the most intricate and beautiful decals I've ever seen.

FedEx delivered a package yesterday and I thought it was my LORAC Cosmetics orders, but I was pleasantly surprised to read the address label from Forsythe/Color Club. They sent me the Pretty Shiny Things Nail Art kit to try out. I was glad they sent it, but I was a little concerned, because I don't know that I've ever tried nail art beyond the occasional Konad or a nail decal. This is my first real attempt, and I am happy to report it wasn't too terrifying! It's certainly not perfect, but it was fun to do and I'm sure now that I've broken through my fear of trying nail art, I'll do it more often.

BeautyJudy did some nice work with her kit recently and she mentioned that she got it at a local beauty supply. I also see that they're available on the Victoria Nail Supply website for $19.95, and she offers a variety of them. It comes with 3 art striper polishes that are easy to work with, 2 sheets of nail decals, 2 jars of sprinkles and a carousel with compartments filled with jewels and gems. According to the brochure, these items can also be purchased separately.

Here's what I did...the instructions show several looks you can try, and they start out by saying to paint your nails with one of the striper polishes. That sounded a little too time consuming to me, given the narrow and long size of the brush, so I opted to paint 2 coats of Color Club's Rule Breaker, a turquoise shimmer with a nearly metallic or foil finish. I then used You're Golden and painted a quick "Lazy S" shape on each nail, beginning at the cuticle. I took the copper art striper, Penny Pincher, and drew a thinner line inside of You're Golden. Taking a drop of clear polish on a piece of paper and a toothpick, I put a small amount of the clear on a toothpick, picked up a "Sprinkle" jewel, and placed it on the nail. I pressed it down for a few seconds using the clean side of the toothpick. It took me less than 10 minutes from start to finish, which delighted me simply because I don't have a lot of time or more importantly, a lot of patience. I think that's one of the reasons I've avoided nail art, because I thought it to be too time consuming. Granted, mine was a simple look, however.

There are endless looks that can be created with this kit and now that I've tried it, I'm sure I'll be ordering a few more. Victoria Nail Supply now has their China Glaze Wizard of Ooh Ahz sets in, so I'll be sure to ad another Art Club Nail Art Kit onto my order. How many of you do nail art on a regular basis? How many of you have been afraid to try it, like I was?!!

*Products furnished by Forsythe Cosmetic Group

Posted in Art Club , Color Club , Copper , Gold , Nail Art , Nail Decals , Turquoise

Orly Metal Chic Metallic Matte: Glam Rock

Above & Below: Glam Rock shown outdoors, no flash in 2 coats. This actually has a copper base with darker coppery red and golden metal flakes.

Below: A clear top coat amplifies the metal flake for added depth.

Below: Close-up of Glam Rock's finish, matte on the left, with a top coat on the right.

Below: Close-up of all 3 shades in their matte state. L-R: Iron Butterfly, Glam Rock, Solid Gold.

Glam Rock, from Orly's Metal Chic collection, is my favorite of the 3. That's not to say I don't like the other 2, because I love them all. Copper is often the less popular alloy when discussing elements, so maybe it's because I always like to route for the underdog. Or maybe it's just a personal preference when it comes to these 3, I don't know. I posted the others just below this one, so check them out and let me know what your favorite one is. Glam Rock is a medium shade of copper that like the other 2, applied nicely in 2 coats. I'm really impressed with these overall, and what I like the most about them, other than the fact that they're metal element shades, is the metal flake detail. They show a definite separation of the darker and lighter shades in each one, giving them an interesting and somewhat dimensional look. With a top coat applied to Glam Rock, the detail seems even more precise, rendering an almost holographic appearance. Orly did an outstanding job with this small, yet versatile collection. Which one do you like the most?

*Products furnished by LaForce-Stevens, for Orly Beauty.

Posted in Copper , Matte or Matte Top Coat , Orly

Coming Soon: Orly Metal Chic Metallic Matte 2010 Collection

I recently received a press release for Orly's new Metallic Matte 2010 Collection called Metal Chic. First, let me apologize for the quality of the photo. It was sent to me in a Word .doc, and I honestly have no clue how to convert it into something that Blogger will recognize, although I did try! So I ended up copying it and photographing the copy. I'm excited about this collection because I've tried matte top coats over metallic or chrome polishes, but it didn't give me the result I was looking for. I ended up with uneven coloration on my nails and a finish that just wasn't the look I was going for. I'm hopeful that these will be more along the lines of the finsih I would like to see when I think of a matte metallic shade. I think they may have a finish somewhat like OPI's Matte collection, but have a bit more of a solid foil look, similar to the reverse side of aluminum foil...but what do I know? I love the metal shades, especially the copper one, Glam Rock. These should arrive to me next week, so I'll share them with you as soon as I can. Here's the description of the collection:

Have a wild side that’s raring to come out? Introducing Metal Chic, ORLY’s NEW Metallic Matte Collection, for the rocker chick in all of us. Expanding upon the popular matte trend, ORLY takes matte nails to the next level with a metallic finish. Wear over ORLY’s Bonder basecoat and brush on two coats of your favorite Metal Chic lacquer for wild child nails in a snap. No topcoat needed.

The three new lacquers in the Metal Chic Collection include:

Let your Iron Butterfly roam free in Metallic Matte Charcoal
Rock 24 karat Solid Gold nails in Metallic Matte Gold
Glam Rock is back with Metallic Matte Copper

The Metal Chic Collection lacquers will be available starting February 2010 for $7.50 each. ORLY Nail Lacquers and Treatment products are available at orlybeauty.com, Sally Beauty, Ulta and other purveyors of beauty throughout the U.S. and in over 66 countries worldwide.

Posted in Chrome/Foil , Copper , Gold , Matte or Matte Top Coat , Orly , Silver/Grey

Wet n Wild Festive Flirt Holiday 2009

Above & Below: Holly is a darker red shimmer with red and gold glitter. Shown with 3 coats.

Below: I topped Holly off with a coat of Gilded, which is a light gold glitter with both small, traditional glitter and hexagonal glitter.

Below: Gilded is shown on it's own in 3 coats and also layered in 2 coats over OPI Midnight in Moscow. I actually like Gilded on it's own, as it gives enough coverage to look substantial.

Below: Gumdrop, a coppery-gold shade with small glitter, is shown using 3 coats and also layered in 2 coats over China Glaze's Gussied Up Green. I don't care for Gumdrop too much on it's own.

Below: 2 coats of Frostbite, a foil finish glitter with great coverage in 2 coats.

I picked these up back in September at Meijer and thought I'd check them out now that's it's a little closer to Christmas! They recently appeared at Rite Aid also. This is a 6 piece collection of shades in red (3), gold (2) and silver (1) and can be found in a tabletop display for $1.99 each. The shades are shimmers and glitters and the bottles are small, at .029 fl. oz. I picked up 4 of the 6 because I didn't need 2 more red shades that look similar to other polishes I have. The 2 I didn't get are Ho, Ho, Ho (a basic medium red shimmer) and Red Velvet (a slightly darker version of Holly, found in this collection). It's a cute little collection and the colors are festive and holiday-like, but it's nothing terribly exciting. I do like Gumdrop and Gilded for the layering possibilities they offer, but Frostbite is very similar to 2 others I already have (Color Club Smoke & Mirrors and Finger Paints Easel Come, Easel Go). Holly is very pretty, as it has a little bit of Ruby Pumps going on, but I have a couple of similar colors in OPI's new Holiday Wishes collection.

Posted in Copper , Glitter , Gold , Polishes as Top Coats , Red , Shimmer , Silver/Grey , Wet n Wild

Sally Hansen HD LE: Opulent Cloud, Disc, Gigabyte & Zip

Above & Below: Opulent Cloud shown with 3 coats. I took so many pictures of this trying to capture the shifting icy violet to gray, but all I seem to have captured was the gray. It's a truly unique shade and the gold shimmer is lovely, but I wasn't thrilled with the formula.

Above & Below: Disc, shown with 3 coats. This is a pretty shade of copper that flashes the slightest hint of rose gold.

Above & Below: Gigabyte is a very frosty shade of baby pink and is shown in 2 coats. For as sheer as this looked in the bottle, it was surprisingly opaque in just 2 coats.

Below: Zip was oddly my favorite of this collection and is shown in 2 coats. It is a bright cherry red shade that has very fine gold shimmer throughout.

Below: Bottle picture left to right: Opulent Cloud, Disc, Zip, Gigabyte.

Sally Hansen recently released a 4 piece collection of more HD polishes which are limited editions. I don't know if any of these will move into their 8 piece permanent line of HD's, but with the popularity of Opulent Cloud, it seems possible. These can be found in various stores such as Walgreen's and Rite-Aid and are in a tabletop display with just 2 slots for each color. The formula on these is nothing special and honestly, Opulent Cloud and Disc were a little disappointing to me, formula-wise. I used 3 coats on both of those and I felt as if every little flaw showed up. Hmmm, it must be because they're HD! I didn't have that problem with the other 2, however. All in all, this is a nice little collection. The finishes are pretty, as they're all shimmers, and for such a small collection, it has a decent range of colors. Opulent Cloud is garnering the most attention and I'll agree that it is a unique shade. If I had to pick a favorite, I'd have to go with Zip simply because it applied so evenly and it's such a plush looking shade of red. The gold shimmer gives it some dimension and for some reason, this is the one that appealed to me most, although I thought Opulent Cloud would have been the one that stood out more.

Posted in Copper , Pink , Red , Sally Hansen , Shimmer , Silver/Grey

OPI Designer Series in Glow

Above & Below: OPI's Designer Series in Glow. Above photos are outdoors in full sun, below are outdoors in shade with no flash. The glitter in this shade is quite intricate in it's componants and adds a definite twist of unique beauty to the overall look.

Yesterday I posted about the new DS Mystery, and how although the polish shade itself was fine (a deep blackened purple with gold to olive gold shimmer), I was terribly disappointed that it didn't have the holo effect that DS polishes are known for. DS Glow doesn't have any holo effect either, but casting aside my hopes for a holo, I do think this too is a beautiful shade. It's a coppery golden shade with an enormous amount of silver and gold glitter. I'll call it glitter rather than shimmer because the pieces are more defined and are different sizes and color, whereas a shimmer to me, is extremely fine, generally the same color as the polish, and all the same size. The glitter in this one lends itself to an extreme amount of sparkle, due to it's color as well as to it's cut. The silver glitter in the formula seems to brighten up the sparkle even more. Both of the new DS shades are fairly unique and most definitely pretty, but if you're hoping for a holo, you won't find it in either one. They are similar in application to the other DS polishes I've tried, in that they have a smooth application and are opaque in 2 coats, with quick drying time.

Posted in Copper , Glitter , OPI

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