Showing posts with label Silver/Grey. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Silver/Grey. Show all posts

GOSH Polishes: Golden Dragon & Black Passion

Above & Below: GOSH Golden Dragon shown outdoors with no flash. It's very cold and snowing outside, but try as I might to capture the beauty of this one indoors or outdoors, it's true beauty is not coming through in the photos.
Below: Look at the gold in the bottle!
Below: Indoors, using an Ott light.
Below: Black Passion shown indoors, with and without a flash. This is a very deep charcoal shade with fine silver shimmer. This one has silver veining in the bottle.
Oh. My. GOSH! Andrea, one of my followers from Great Britain, sent me my first GOSH polishes last month in an exchange we had arranged. This allowed us both to get some brands that we can't typically get in our own countries. I am thrilled that she chose these, but what I'm not happy about, is that I now want any and all polishes made by this brand! Golden Dragon is unbelievable. It's a cross between turquoise and teal, with beautiful gold veining in the bottle. On the nail, it has almost a duo chrome effect and fine gold shimmer. I have absolutely nothing even remotely close to this in my collection. Black Passion is another stunning shade, although I do have some similar shades. One can never have too many shades of charcoal grey, so I'm happy to have this one also. What I loved about Black Passion was the extreme high gloss finish it has. It really helps to define the silver shimmer. Both of these were nearly opaque in 1 coat, although I did use 2 coats for good measure. I don't know of anywhere to purchase these in the U.S., and their web site seems a bit off to me, because it doesn't even show the prices. Thank you Andrea for choosing these for me. You are an excellent personal shopper!


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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.


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Grey Day, Grey Polishes! BB Couture Caliber, Widow Maker, Blue Steel

Above: BB Couture's Caliber is a bright silver with a chrome/foil finish. I apologize for the glare, but we're trapped in the the house today because of a blizzard, so a flash was the only option.
Below: Widow Maker, a light grey shimmer, is a very nice shade. It's my favorite out of these 3 because of the finish type.
Below: Blue Steel, despite it's name, does not show a trace of blue to me! It's a dark Charcoal grey with a chrome/foil finish. All 3 covered nicely in 2 coats.
These 3 shades are all from BB Couture's men's polish line and were released a few months back. Their latest men's releases can be found in my posts earlier this week, if you'd like to scroll down. We're having our first snow day today and it's extremely cold, windy, and of course, snowing. So I'm busy trying to keep my daughter entertained and our newest dog distracted from the cats! I have been very frustrated with the lack of sun and bitter cold temperatures, because that means I'm forced to shoot only indoor photos, which always have lighting issues. I wanted to mention that Joann Fabrics has their Ott Lighting 50% off this week, which is a fabulous deal. I need to get mine out, because it definitely helps with indoor shots.

Back to the polishes...there were 3 greys in this first collection, which seems a bit much to me. I'll have the other 3 shades for you later in the day. They all covered exceptionally well in 2 coats, and dried quickly to a high shine. Caliber and Blue Steel have a chrome, and somewhat frosty finish, which I'm not fond of, but the brush strokes were minimal compared to many other brands with this finish. Widow Maker is a lighter shade, with shimmer. I would call this a Dove grey. All in all, they're nice shades, and I'd have to say that of these 3, Widow Maker would be my first choice, simply because I'm not a fan of chrome finishes. Just a reminder that Overall Beauty is offering free shipping through 12/11 on all of their orders.


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BB Couture Impact Driver, Wire Stripper & Pipe Bender

Above: BB Couture's Impact Driver is a smoky blue/grey tone with silver/blue shimmer. I only used one coat on this one and that gave me total coverage. All photos are indoors with a flash because we're under a winter storm warning and there is no sun and 50 mph wind gusts!
Above: BB Couture's Wire Stripper is shown using 2 coats. This is an interesting shade, because it looks like a Charcoal grey shimmer with light-changing shimmer in several colors. In real life, there is also a touch of an olive green tone, especially in darker lighting.
Below: BB Couture's Pipe Bender looks to be a darker Emerald green shimmer in the bottle, but once on the nail, a veil of iridescent blue/green/violet/silver shimmer appears as a shifting focal point around the center of the nail.
Today I've got the last 3 shades from BB Couture's latest men's polish releases. If you scroll down to yesterday's post and Sunday's post, you can see the first 3 I swatched. Pipe Bender and Impact Driver were the two that initially caught my eye, given the fact that they're a green and a blue. They did not disappoint me in the slightest, but I'd find it difficult to pick a favorite from any of the 6. They're all different and unique shades, they all covered wonderfully in one (Impact Driver) or 2 coats, and honestly, I love all of them. I had a hard time describing the colors of them, because they don't seem to fit into just one specific shade/color category. Overall Beauty is still having their free shipping offer through the 11th, and 2 lucky winners will each receive one of these polishes on Friday as part of the prize offering for the 12/11/09 Friday Follower Freebie.


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Orly Metal Chic Metallic Matte: Iron Butterfly

Above & Below: Iron Butterfly shown outdoors with no flash. I used 2 coats and the application was easy and quick to dry.

Below: One coat of a clear top coat enhances the already evident metal flake. The finish has such dimension, whether it's clear-coated or matte.

Below: A close-up of the finish. On the left is matte, while the right shows Iron Butterfly with one coat of clear.
Here is the second shade I swatched from Orly's Metal Chic collection, Iron Butterfly. You can see Solid Gold in the post below this one. On the press release I received, it says that this collection is "for the rocker chick in all of us." In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida, honey, don't you know that I love you? Oops, where was I? For those of you too young to remember, check out Iron Butterfly's epic 60's rock tune...this song totally makes no sense, but it's a classic! Iron Butterfly (the polish!) is a deep, dark charcoal shade that totally rocks my world. All 3 of these shades are just what I'd hoped they would be. So far so good on the application and drying time, using 2 coats. Again, the detail of the metal flake in these polishes, plus the fact that they are the basic metal shades, make them extremely appealing to me...and to the rocker chick inside of me. Iron butterfly reminds me of asphalt with silver slivers mixed in. Apply a clear top coat and you end up with a shimmery dark charcoal with a sprinkling of silver. What's not to love? Rock on.

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

I'm so happy with all of these, but my favorite is probably the copper one, Glam Rock. I'll have that for you in just a while, and I want to remind everyone about the post I did this morning reviewing Skin MD Natural Shielding Lotion. You'll find it if you scroll down a bit, and it includes a giveaway for a set of 2 full-sized bottles, one regular and one with SPF 15.


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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.


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Del Sol Color-Changing Polishes: Electrick, Ruby Slipper & Peek-A-Boo

Above & Below: Electrick, a blue to green foil finish shade shown in it's "normal state" above, and below outside in partial sun. The brush strokes were minimal, which is unusual for a foil finish, but definitely a good thing. I think this would be an interesting one to use as a Konad stamping color, and the color-change effect would be an added bonus.
Below: Electrick in full sun after about 30-45 seconds in the sun.
Below: Ruby Slipper in it's "normal state" is a fairly sheer silver glitter shade. I also used a coat as a top coat over Misa's Can't Nobody Take Me Down to see how that would work.
Below: Ruby Slipper shown outdoors in full sunlight. This one is a silver glitter to a deep rose glitter shade. The ring finger where I used a coat as a top coat didn't change the base color, but the glitter does change color.
Below: Ruby Slipper shown in the shade about 1 minute after being in the full sun.
Below: Peek-A-Boo is not to my liking, simpy because I enjoy more color on my nail. In it's "normal" state it is little more than a clear polish.
Below: Here is Peek-A-Boo outdoors in the shade and you can see the pink coming through.
Below: Fully processed in the sun, Peek-A-Boo is a sheer red veil of color.
I am having too much fun with these polishes! I have to move quickly because they change color very fast once outside in the sun, so I tried to take several pictures of each one ranging from indoors to outdoors. I used 2 or 3 coats on all of these, depending on how well they covered after each coat, but the drying time is quick. I also put a clear top coat on a couple of nails to see if that would weaken the color-changing ability, and it did not seem to alter it at all. The mission statement for Del Sol is "Create Fun, Joy, Smiles and Memories for Everyone under the Sun!", and I am definitely having some fun under the sun with these polishes. The quality of the formula is nicer than I expected, in that it applies smoothly, dries quickly, and the brush is cut well. I don't have any complaints about these, other than the fact that Peek-A-Boo is not really a shade I am crazy about, but that's just a personal preference.

Here are a few more interesting facts about Del Sol that I thought you might enjoy...they sold 508,136 bottles of nail polish this post year and with the growth they're experiencing, I'm sure that will continue to increase. They printed 1.5 million shirts in 2008, using 1,213 gallons of their organically-made Spectrachrome® ink. Spectrachrome® is their "secret" ingredient found in all of their products, including their nail polish, which causes them to change color. Del Sol’s exclusive Spectrachrome® crystals open and unfold upon exposure to sunlight, revealing their hidden colors. Del Sol’s special formula for color-change technology was developed from a concept originally explored by NASA. After years of research, Del Sol has made revolutionary enhancements to the color-changing technology by engineering its proprietary Spectrachrome® Crystal Dye, which is identified as the most vibrant color-change technology on the planet. Their products all have a 100% money-back WOW Guarantee, which promises that their products will make you say, “Wow”, and the color-change vibrancy will last for the life of the product.
I've got 3 more shades to share with you coming up later today, and I'll also tell you about some of their community involvement, which is a big part of their mission. It's always nice to know that a company can make a great product and give a little something back to those in need. If you missed my first post earlier today, you can scroll down and see bottle pictures as well as additional information on this product, including a coupon code.

*Sponsored review, products furnished by Del Sol.


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Del Sol Color-Changing Nail Polish

Above & Below: Del Sol's Color-Changing nail polishes that I'll be posting about later in the day. L-R: Pretty in Pink, Electrick, Peek-A-Boo, Girls Night Out, Ruby Slipper, First Kiss. The label on top shows the color it changes to.
Del Sol contacted me last month and asked if I'd be interested in trying out some of their color-changing polishes, and we finally have a full day of bright sunshine so I can review them properly. There is more to this company than meets the eye, and rather than do one post, I'd like to split it into 3, in order to share not only their polish with you, but also some interesting facts and highlights about their technology and some of the other good deeds that they are involved with. Here's a brief summary from the company about their polish line:

"Capture the power of the sun on your fingers and toes! Take your pick from 23 different shades of nail polish that all change color in the sun. It’s like two bottles of nail polish in one! Each Italian glass bottle contains two stainless steel mixing balls. Polish is Toluene, DBP and Formaldehyde free. No animal testing."

Established in 1994, Del Sol combined science and sunshine to create the world’s first T-shirt that changes color in sunlight. Since then, Del Sol has grown to become the world’s largest retailer of merchandise that changes color in the sun, and the Caribbean’s largest clothing retailer. The company began selling its color-changing products out of a small cart in a Utah mall. After expanding its product line to over 20,000 SKUs; including hats, toys, nail polish, jewelry, and sunglasses, Del Sol opened its first, full store in St. Thomas, USVI in 1997. Del Sol quickly became one of the most highly promoted merchants on board Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Princess, Disney, Celebrity and Norwegian Cruise Lines. Today, thanks to Del Sol’s worldwide fans, the company is soaking up the sun and sharing the fun in over 100 Del Sol stores in 12 countries.

You can visit their web site if you're interested in their polishes and other products, including a clothing line, sun glasses, and much more. There's also a $5.00 off coupon code over in the right hand column of my blog under "Tip Jar" for online orders (use code GIVEME5). They do not ship Internationally yet, although they are working on that. Their retail stores can be found throughout the US as well as Canada, the Caribbean and Mexico. They also have airport terminal shops worldwide, as well as port stores on cruise ships and in various ports of call. Scott, my contact at Del Sol, tells me that some of the retail stores will ship to customers within the same country. I didn't realize that we had one of their stores about 20 miles away in New Buffalo, MI, so I'll have to check that out sometime. I'll be posting polish pictures and additional information later in the day, so be sure to check back in.
*Sponsored review, products furnished by Del Sol.


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Maybelline Poptimistic: Charcoal Cheer & Opti-Mist-Ic

Above & Below: Charcoal Cheer is a beautiful shade of several different shades! I can see blue, teal and grey, depending on the lighting.


Below: Close up of the finish.

Above & Below: Opti-Mist-Ic is very appealing to me, and the gold shimmer makes it even more appealing.


Below: Close-up of the finish.
Today I'm starting in on Maybelline's Winter Trend 2009 Poptimistic collection, but it's 60 degrees and sunny outside, so I've only taken the time to swatch 2 of them. It's been a long time since we've had weather this nice, so I need to get out and do some yard work. I'll hopefully get a chance to swatch the other 4 tomorrow. I found this collection at Rite-Aid a couple of weeks ago and they retail for $4.99 each. They were buy one get one free and I picked up all 6 of them because I thought it was a nice range of colors and finishes. The two I have for today are my favorites from a "bottle look" perspective, but once I actually use the other 4, my opinion could change on that.

Charcoal Cheer is a shimmer (4 are shimmers, 2 are cremes in this collection) and although the name implies that it's a grey shade, it's more of a grayed out dark teal to me. The shimmer is very fine and is basically the same color as the polish, although it is light reflecting and changes colors in various lighting. I used 2 coats and it applied nicely. It does take on a more grey appearance in darker lighting, bit I wouldn't classify it as a true grey shade. I am really at a loss to define the color of this, because I see cadet blue, grey and teal. It reminds me of Creative Nail Design's NFS, only more grey-toned.
Opti-Mist-Ic, also a shimmer, is a lovely shade of pale taupe. I would almost call it a light beige, but it seems to have hints of dove grey in there also, pushing it more toward a taupe shade. The shimmer is very small and fine, but what I love about this one, is that the shimmer is gold. This is a really different shade and the shimmer makes it all the more unique. I ended up going with 3 coats on this one, because there were a few streaks. I'm certain the streaks were caused by the less than perfect brush, however.


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