Showing posts with label Creme. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Creme. Show all posts

Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure: Yellow Kitty

Above & Below: Yellow Kitty shown indoors with an Ott light, no flash. I used 3 coats and still had some streakiness, so I added a thin fourth coat. Surprisingly, it dried quickly even with that many coats.
Yellow Kitty is from Sally Hansen's newly re-formulated polish line called Complete Salon Manicure. I picked several of these up at Walmart a few weeks back, and although I'm not too impressed with the formula on Yellow Kitty (this is 3-4 coats!), the color range is excellent. I did add a few drops of thinner to this after trying it once and ending up with quite a mess. I'm not entirely happy with this manicure either, but trust me, had you seen my first attempt, you'd think this one looked perfect! I posted a few of the other shades here, and found the formula to be much less problematic on these, than I did with Yellow Kitty. The brush in Yellow Kitty was cut better than the one I previously had issues with, so that was a relief. I do love this shade of yellow, because it's the perfect Butter yellow shade that I've always been attracted to. I have one more to show you later today from this line called Gilty Pleasure. I'm not discouraged with these, but I do find the combination of the handle/brush a bit difficult to work with. And of course the $6.50 price tag seems high, but as I mentioned, many of the shades are quite unique and different.


5 Finger Paints, 5 Less On My Untried Shelf!

Above & Below: Please disregard my cuticles. I used a different product (Avon) instead of my usual Sally Hansen cuticle remover and it was very hard on my skin and cuticles. Turquoise Tile is a perfect turquoise shimmer. Lilac Lagoon is also a favorite, with it's delicate color and subtle gold shimmer.
Below: Butterscotch Cookie is an eye-catching gold shimmer. It's bright and shiny, just as gold should be!
Below: Yellow Bikini and Ripe Peach are both nice creme-type shades that have the slightest hint of shimmer to them. My only complaint was that I needed 3 coats, instead of the usual 2.
With so many untried's, a problem I know many of us have, I decided to swatch some Finger Paints that have been patiently awaiting their turn! Finger Paints makes a great quality product, but because they're only available at Sally Beauty, I think they go unnoticed by a large percentage of people. The first two I swatched, Ripe Peach and Yellow Bikini, appear to be cremes. If you look closely, you can see the slightest hint of a shimmery sheen. I liked the shades very much, but I had to use 3 coats to get total coverage. They performed more like pastel creme shades do, which often cause me problems upon the application. The other 3, Butterscotch Cookie, Turquoise Tile, and Lilac Lagoon, applied in typical Finger Paints fashion: perfectly, in 2 coats. I'm not very helpful on when these came out and which ones may still be available, because I've had them for quite a while. I believe Butterscotch Cookie is from last year's holiday collection, likely making it hard to find. The other 4 I believe came out in their Spring 2009 collection, so they may still be available here and there. If anyone else knows any more information about their availability, feel free to mention it in the comments.


Sally Hansen's New Complete Salon Swatches

Above & Below: Midnight in NY is a black creme base with very subtle multi-colored microfine glitter. The black is one shade away from black in my opinion, and could be considered the deepest shade of charcoal grey. All of these polishes are shown indoors using 2 coats.
Below: Gray on Gray is a blue gray shade that I would say doesn't lean more toward blue or gray, but rather a true blue gray shade.

Below: A bottle picture comparison alongside Barielle's Slate of Affairs. As you can see, Slate of Affairs is much more blue.
Below: Fairy Teal is a true teal, although it does have a slight 'dusty' look to it in real life.

Below: Bottle comparison picture of Fairy Teal with Misa's Dirty Sexy Money. They are in the same color family, but not all that similar.
Below: Look at the inconsistency in the brush cut on Midnight in NY (L) and Gray on Gray (R). The one on the left is tapered (and has some stray hairs!), while the one on the right is much less tapered and straighter along the end. Quality Control was obviously not involved in the production of these!
I wanted to try out some of the new Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicures I picked up earlier this week (click here for original post), so today I have swatches of Midnight in NY, Gray by Gray, and Fairy Teal to show you. This new line has quite a few shades in it and they retail for about $6.50. I found mine in an end cap display at Walmart. These have the flat stem and tapered brush, much like their Insta-Dri line. I don't dislike the brush/stem structure, but it does take a bit of getting used to. As you'll notice above, the brushes are inconsistent in their cut from bottle to bottle, even though these are all from the same line. My biggest complaint with these, as with the Insta-Dri line, is that it seems to me that the bottle opening should be a little wider. The bottles themselves are also a new shape and are quite heavy and substantial. Otherwise, the polishes all applied nicely in 2 coats, dried quickly, and although they all seemed somewhat thick, the formula caused me no application problems. All in all, I think Sally Hansen's formulas and color range are improving with every new collection.


FFF Preview: China Glaze Dripping Wet & Crystal Ball

Above & Below: China Glaze Crystal Ball shown with a flash indoors, above. Below is outdoors in the rain, no flash. I used 2 coats and no top coat.
Below: Blurred photo of the finish to show you how the micro-glitter changes colors.
Below: This is one coat of Dripping Wet over Crystal Ball. It darkens the colors without hiding the micro-glitter in Crystal Ball for a glowing effect.
Below: Dripping Wet is a jelly finish in a very deep burgundy or blood red. I normally use 3-4 thinner coats, as the color initially goes on as almost a raspberry shade, but builds deeper upon each coat.
Tomorrow is the start of Body & Soul's Friday Follower Freebie (details on entering are in the upper right side column), so I thought it might be a good idea to show you the 2 China Glaze polishes that are going to be won by 2 lucky followers. As I mentioned earlier this week, Dripping Wet and Crystal Ball are some of my favorite discontinued China Glaze Shades. My reasons for loving them are varied, but I actually like these for two for quite opposite reasons. They are both in the burgundy family, but still very different. Dripping Wet makes a bold statement. It's dark and vampy, most definitely a jelly finish, dark enough, but still light enough that it looks like a very deep, blood red without ever looking black. Crystal Ball on the other hand, is a more demure shade, a much lighter burgundy than Dripping Wet, but the ever changing micro-glitter fancies it up just enough to make it a definite eye-catcher without looking like a full-blown glitter.


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.


NOTN: Tip Toe (Old Navy) Cheers

Above & Below: Tip Toe Cheers is a bright cherry red creme that is shown outdoors in full sun. The coverage was great during the application, with no streaking. This is 2 coats.
Below: These pictures were also taken outdoors with no flash, and were taken in the shade. The finish is a very high gloss.


Below: Be warned if you have an aversion to short handles and stems! It still worked fine for me even though it's significantly smaller than the China Glaze one shown next to it. The brush itself is actually a bit wider and fuller.
My 'Nail of the Night' is another one from Old Navy's brand of polishes called Tip Toe. So far, I'm fairly impressed by these for a relatively ($3.50) inexpensive polish. If you missed my previous posts on this brand, scroll down and you can see a post on Gold Rush, and below that post, bottle pictures of the 6 shades I picked up. Cheers is a creme that looked to have a hint of fuchsia in the bottle, but once on the nail, it's actually a perfect shade of cherry red. I used 2 coats and the coverage was fantastic. It's not a shade that's anything unique, but I'm happy with it anyway.

I wanted to mention that the brush stem and cap/handle is very short on these, so if that bothers you, you'll want to pass on buying these. Surprisingly, the application was not hindered in any way. When I first saw it, I thought it may pose a problem, but it worked fine for me. The brush itself is somewhat wider than many other brands, and it splays out nicely, giving good coverage in just a couple of strokes.


Tip Toe Polishes from Old Navy

Above & Below: L-R-Midnight, Memory, After Party, Pop, Gold Rush, Cheers. The bottles are sealed in plastic in the photos, so their color is slightly muted from that.

Above & Below: Close ups of Gold Rush (above) and Memory (below).
I stopped at Old Navy today and picked up some of their Tip Toe brand polishes for $3.50 each. I'll be trying them out later this week, and not surprisingly, Gold Rush (olive gold) caught my eye immediately. They're located in a canister at the check-out lane and they're all sealed with plastic, which I like. They're still sealed in the pictures, so if you see any odd reflection, that's why. There were probably another 6 or so shades that I didn't get, including a black creme, a red shimmer, and a frosty pink. The size of the bottle, which is square...another plus for me, is 4.5 fl. oz., so they're just a bit smaller than a traditional bottle. Here's a quick description of my shades:

Cheers-a red creme with a hint of fuchsia

Gold Rush-an olive gold shimmer with tiny gold and olive glitter

Pop-a tangerine orange shimmer with micro gold glitter

After Party-a purple shimmer with tiny red and blue glitter

Memory-an eggplant purple creme with slight brown undertones

Midnight-a deep royal blue shimmer with tiny red and purple glitter


Maybelline Poptimistic: Exu-Blue-Rant & Grape Times (with CND Limelight)

Above & Below: Exu-Blue-Rant shown in 2 coats, outdoors with no flash.

Above & Below: Grape Times shown with 3 coats, outdoors with no flash.
Below: Grape Times with 2 coats of CND's Limelight.

Here are the last 2 shades, both cremes, from Maybelline's recently released Winter Trend Poptimistic collection. I posted the other 4 colors over the last couple of days, so scroll down if you're interested in checking them out. Exu-Blue-Rant is a deep Cadet blue creme that covered very nicely in 2 coats. Indoors, it seems to have a slight dark teal hue, while outdoors and under brighter lighting it shows more of a Cadet blue color. It dried to a high gloss shine and the application of the formula was very nice. Grape Times, although a lovely Royal purple shade, took 3 coats to get even coverage. The color builds quite a bit darker with each coat and it dried to an almost jelly-type finish, which I love. I added 2 coats of Creative Nail Design's Limelight over it, and it reminds me of an Nfu-Oh polish with the glowing flakies. While I'm a big fan of CND's new Color & Effects line, I still treasure all of my older CND's.


Happy Halloween NOTD & Some VNS Updates

Above & Below: My Halloween NOTD using China Glaze Liquid Leather, Spellbound and Fortune Teller with a Joby nail art sticker.
Below: A close-up of the glitter configuration in China Glaze Fortune Teller.
Happy Halloween to all of you! I hope you have a safe and enjoyable time today. Here's my quick NOTD using China Glaze Fortune Teller on 4 nails and China Glaze Liquid Leather on my ring finger. I also added a freehand french tip with China Glaze Spellbound and a Joby nail art sticker. Here's a link to the China Glaze Exclusive Halloween Glitter for Victoria Nail Supply, and I realize it's a little late for this year, but there's always next year. I ordered one because they're exclusive to VNS and I wanted to add it to my collection, although I won't have it until Monday or Tuesday. The reason they received this from China Glaze is because their shipment of the 4 piece Spellbound set was inadvertently sent to another nail supply store. Mistakes do happen, so this was China Glaze's way of making it up to them. Yen also mentioned that OPI has yet another new collection coming out around January 2010 called Hong Kong. I don't know anything about it as yet, but I'll be sure to pass along any additional information to you as soon as I do.


OPI Holiday Wishes: Holiday Glow & All A-Bordeaux the Sled!

Above & Below: OPI's Holiday Glow is a shade that is called Charcoal by OPI, but it can take on brown and purple tones as well.
Below: All A-Bordeaux the Sled is a red/brown creme.

Below: The last 6 of this collection are pictured here. If you're interested in the first 6 I swatched, you'll find them a few posts down.
Here we have it, finally...the last two shades from this collection. I find it much easier to swatch an entire collection when they're smaller, say the size of Essie's Sweet Time of the Year! All in all, OPI's Holiday Wishes is a very nice collection because it has some unique colors and finishes, some more than others. I would have preferred to see a few less reds and a few more additional colors, perhaps a deep blue or emerald green with the flakies and glitters that are found in Merry Midnight, for example, but maybe next year.

Holiday Glow, described by OPI as "Charcoal grey glowing with a touch of silver", is an interesting shade, in that I do see charcoal when I look at it, but I also see purple or brown also, depending on the angle and the lighting. It's filled with very small silver glitter that seems to reflect in the light and turn from silver to red. This one is quite different in terms of color, so I'm happy to have it. All A-Bordeaux the Sled, classified as a "wine" shade by OPI, is a deep, rich shade of what I would term as raisin, or deep mahogany red. It's a little more brown-toned than what I consider Bordeaux to be. This one is a creme and I ended up going with 3 coats because I still had a few mild "bald" areas after 2 coats. A nice shade, but nothing really stands out to me about this one that makes it exceptional.


OPI Holiday Wishes: Sapphire in the Snow & Merry Midnight

Above & Below: OPI's Sapphire in the Snow is a violet blue creme that looks more purple (above) in brighter lighting and more deep blue in less lighting.

Below: If you're going to get just one polish from this collection, my vote goes to Merry Midnight. So many character traits this one has!

Below: My skin isn't really this yellow! I held my hand under my desk light for this picture and as you can see, this polish has a lot going on...glitters, flakies, colors, shine, sparkle...all-around prettiness!



These two shades from OPI's Holiday Wishes Collection are both different and unique. It's nice to know I don't have any more reds to try out! Not that I don't like the reds, they just get a little redundant sometimes when 50% of the shades in this collection are reds. Sapphire in the Snow is "a deep, jewel-toned violet-blue", according to the official description. It applied oh so nicely in 2 coats, as have all of the cremes in this collection thus far. Depending on your lighting, the deep blue is sometimes more evident, and other times, it appears to be more of a purple shade. Whatever shade you want to call it, it's lovely.

Merry Midnight...what can I say about this stunner that hasn't already been mentioned by others? This one definitely lives up to the hype because not only is it a "Blue-violet with a starry, multi-hued shimmer", it also makes for a great layering polish. I tried it over several polishes, both dark and light, and it never disappointed me. I can only imagine what this would look like matted. It has an inky purple base that takes 3 coats to give you the full impact of it's beauty, but it's worth every one of them. It has tiny glitter, it has larger flakies, and it has a multi-faceted personality going on. The red flakies are the most evident to me, and the way the color shifts in the light against them, causes the polish to look both purple and red. I have 2 more colors to show you from this collection later today, but if this is one you've been considering buying, I'd highly recommend it.


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