Free beauty tips: Purple

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Theons Nail Polish: Not Bad For $1.99

Above & Below: Theons #72 is definitely worth $1.99! It has that 'lit from within' glow, multi-colored fine shimmer, and an almost iridescent finish. Scroll down for a comparison to Essie's Viva La Vespa.

Below: Shown with a coat of Essie's Matte About You.

Below: Bottle comparison with Essie's Viva La Vespa. It's a bit lighter and with more red tones than the Essie...at least in the bottle.

Below: Theon's is shown on the left, while Essie's is on the left. They're very close in color, but you can see that Essie's has a better quality and looks richer.

Below: Theons #11 wasn't as impressive on my nails as it was in the bottle. I should have studied it a bit more, because it does look more foily in the bottle, but I was attracted to the fact that it looked like it may have a black base to it. It really doesn't, although in darker lighting, it does tend to show a darker base.

Theons is a little-known brand that's often found at independent beauty supply stores for around $1.99. They don't have a huge color range, although I did spot a green one while doing some Google research about the brand. They're manufactured by a company called Granvill Cosmetics in Miami, Florida, but there isn't a whole lot of information about them online. The quality of these is actually quite good, much better than what I expected based on the price. They both applied perfectly in 2 coats and dried quickly, although I wasn't crazy about the almost foil or metallic finish of the red one, simply named #11. The purple one however, #72, was very impressive. It has tiny multi-colored micro-glitter, a somewhat iridescent reflection, and reminds me very much of Essie's Viva La Vespa. I spotted these over the summer at a local oriental beauty supply, that also carries Ruby Kisses, Wild and Crazy and old Sinful brand polishes.

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.

Posted in Creme , Finger Paints , Gold , Peach , Purple , Shimmer , Turquoise , Yellow

Tip Toe (Old Navy) After Party & A Purple Snowman Polish

Above & Below: Top Toe After Party shown outdoors in partial sun (above) and shade (below). No flash was used.

Below: In full sun, the micro glitter becomes more noticeable.

Below: Close-up of the finish. You can see some blue in there along with the red.

Below: After Party topped with a coat of one of the Blue Cross Snowman polishes, shown in full sun and shade. These have some great glitter in them in various shapes and colors, and can be found at Rite-Aid for $1.99. The bottles are difficult to hold when taking pictures though!

After Party is a dark purple shimmer that isn't as interesting as I thought it might be. The micro glitter is most notably red, but only comes out in brighter lighting or sunshine. It's not a bad shade, but I'm sure I have others that are similar. The Tip Toe polishes have excellent coverage though, and they're only $3.50 at Old Navy. Some of the colors are unique, while others are clearly dupeable. If you scroll down, you can see several of the other polishes I've swatched from their line. I used 2 coats with After Party, and then decided to top it off with the Blue Cross Snowman polish in the red-based purple shade. These don't have color names, but they're cute as can be because of the bottle. I have tried them all by themselves, and they're really too sheer to use alone, unless you take the time to do multiple (3-4) coats. They make excellent top coats though, because the glitter is densely packed and it distributes itself very evenly on the nail.

Posted in Blue Cross Beauty , Glitter , Purple , Shimmer , Tip Toe (Old Navy)

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

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

Posted in Blue , Creme , Glitter , Gold , Green , Orange , Purple , Red , Shimmer , Tip Toe (Old Navy)

China Glaze Doll House & Pure Ice Cheatin=Glitter Overload

Above & Below: China Glaze Doll House shown indoors with a flash above, and outdoors under cloudy skies with no flash, below. How many coats? Too many.

Below: Close-up of the glitter. It looks like fish scales, doesn't it?

Below: As long as I was applying multiple coats of glitter, I added a coat of Pure Ice Cheatin over Doll House.

Below: Close-up of the glitter detail. Fish scales topped with confetti.

What was I thinking? I wanted to check out my China Glaze Doll House from the untried's shelf and WoW. China Glaze is probably my favorite brand of polish and this is the first time I've been somewhat disappointed in one of their polishes. This is not really to my liking, but maybe one of you can enlighten me as to how you wear it and like it! I lost track of how many coats I finally ended up with to get even coverage, but maybe it works better as a topcoat over a darker shade. The glitter is massive, both in size and density within the polish, and the formula is clear and a little jelly/gummy-like. I had to keep wiping the ends of my nails with my other hand to get the overhang cleaned up, so now my other fingers are covered with glitter. I do like how the glitter appears as a muted carnation pink and then turns both silver and red with any movement of my hand, but that's about all that I liked. I thought I'd have nothing to lose by putting a coat of Pure Ice Cheatin (that omission of the apostrophe really bothers me, but that's how it's labeled!) over Doll House...nothing to lose but the next hour trying to remove it all! Oh well, now I know what Doll House looks like.

Posted in China Glaze , Glitter , Pink , Pure Ice , Purple

Del Sol Color-Changing Polishes: Girls Night Out, Pretty in Pink & First Kiss

Above & Below: My personal favorite, Girls Night Out. Here it is shown indoors and you can see just a hint of gold shimmer in the picture below, although it appears more as a creme finish.

Below: Now you can see why it's my favorite, as I have a weakness for gold shimmer, especially in purples. This is how it looks after about 30 seconds in the sunlight.

Below: Pretty in Pink has a milky white iridescent finish in the shade. It's very delicate looking and reminds me of the inside of a sea shell with it's pearl-like sheen.

Below: Heading into the sunshine, it begins to transform.

Below: Full sun brings it to a Rose pink shade with a hint of flash still evident from the iridescent finish.

Below: First Kiss begins as a frosty pale pink shade indoors.

Below: It begins to deepen and take on a foil-like finish once outside.

Below: Once fully exposed to the sun's rays, it takes on a medium pink shade with a chrome or foil-like finish.

I did a couple of posts yesterday about the Del Sol color-changing polishes I was recently sent to review, and today I have the last 3 shades. If you're interested in these, there's a coupon code available over in the right hand column under "Tip Jar" for $5.00 off any online order (code: GIVEME5). I've really enjoyed sampling these polishes for a couple of reasons...they're nice polishes as far as the quality and application go, they come in a fairly wide range of colors and finishes, and they are very entertaining with their color-changing ability. My personal favorite of the 6 I received is definitely Girls Night Out. It's a lovely shade of Carnation pink that although a shimmer, appears more as a creme before being exposed to sunlight. Once in the sun, it turns into a rich plum-purple shade laced with gold shimmer. Those of you who know me, know that I love polishes with gold shimmer, so it's no surprise that this is my favorite. Pretty in Pink is an iridescent white shimmer indoors with the slightest hint of pink. The iridescent finish caught my eye right away, even though white shimmers are not my favorite look. It flashes pink, blue and lilac and once the color changes to a bright shade of Rose pink, almost a fuchsia tone, you can still catch a hint of iridescence (mainly light blue) on the nail. First Kiss is a very lady-like light pink shade that's not quite a frost, not quite a shimmer. Outdoors, it takes on a more foil-like finish, much like Electrick that I showed you yesterday. All of these covered nicely in 2 to 3 coats and dried quickly. After using these, it made me wonder what other things Del Sol could make besides the multitude of products they already carry with color-changing abilities...how about eye shadow, mascara, highlights for hair, body lotion (not that would be interesting!)...the possibilities are endless. Check out this 5 O'Clock Somewhere Tee-Shirt and hold your mouse over the picture to change the colors. How cool is that?

Yesterday I told you some information about Del Sol and their products, and today I wanted to point out how involved they are in helping those in need. I'm always impressed by people and businesses who "share the wealth", so to speak. They have contributed greatly to such efforts as the Tsunami Relief in South Asia, Hurricane Katrina, mission trips to Costa Rica, well drilling projects in Kenya, and many other worthwhile causes to help those who need it the most. To quote an article in Salt Lake Magazine (Del Sol is based in Salt Lake City, Utah), "Each year, throughout the world, whether it’s in our stores directly or through our humanitarian efforts, Del Sol brightens millions of people’s lives through its products and Del Sol experience. Del Sol’s mission, to create fun, joy, smiles and memories for everyone under the sun, isn’t trite. It’s noble and necessary. We stand for all that is good. For sunshine. For fun in the sun. For memory-filled vacations. For laughter. For joy. We do it for young and old alike. For the smiles that it brings. We know who we are, and we’re proud to bring a little sunshine to so many people every day."

*Sponsored review, products furnished by Del Sol.

Posted in Chrome/Foil , Del Sol , Frost-type Finish , Iridescent , Pink , Product Reviews , Purple , Shimmer , White/Off-White

Wet n Wild Sparked & Wild Orchid

Above & Below: Wild Orchid is more purple than it looks in the photos and the glitter really comes to life in brighter lighting.

Below: Sparked is a medium-toned mauve/pink shade with a high concentration of glitter.

These are a couple of Wet n Wild polishes I picked up at Walmart not too long ago, and for 97 cents each, you really can't go wrong. Sparked is a mauvey pink tone with tons of glitter and sparkle in a clear base. I used three coats, but it dried quickly and surprised me with how smooth the finish was. It would work well as a top coat over a darker shade, also. Wild Orchid covered nicely in 2 coats and try as I might, I couldn't get the true color to photograph. It's actually a purple shade, but it's showing blue or violet blue in the pictures. This reminds me very much of Color Club's Wild at Heart because it's very close in color and it has the same type of small, almost holographic glitter.

Posted in Glitter , Mauve , Pink , Purple , Shimmer , Wet n Wild

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.

Posted in Blue , Creative Nail Design , Creme , Flaky Glitter , Maybelline , Purple , White/Off-White

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