(Late) Weekly Blog Roundup 1/31/12-Drugstore and other new swatches edition!

 I've been battling a cold and napping most afternoons after work, so it hasn't been a very productive week for me, blogwise. However, I did have some interesting stuff I wanted to share with you:

-Good news if you missed out on Wet n Wild's Behind Closed Doors, a dupe of Deborah Lippmann's Ruby Red Slippers. Ants in My Pants, a color in the new Spoiled nail polish line, is apparently the same polish. The I am Definitely Addicted blog did a comparison post about it, where she reveals that AiMP is slightly more glittery than BCD. Since Wet n Wild is the maker of the Spoiled line, I am not surprised.
-Scroll through I am Definitely Addicted and you'll see that she has quite a few swatches of different Spoiled colors up already. It's very exciting for those of us who are stalking our local CVS waiting for the Spoiled line to arrive. Spoiled polishes will retail for about $2, so this new brand will be a great addition for us addicts.
-Speaking of new affordable polishes, Nouveau Cheap has lots of swatches of different Jordana Glitters, which are scheduled to hit Kmarts this February.  G just posted part 3 today, and you'll find links to Parts 1 and 2 of her Jordana Glitter series in that post. Jordana Glitters will retail for $3 a bottle, so it's another exciting addition to the drugstore polish world.
-I continue to be amazed by the hard work so many bloggers do to swatch new collections. A prime example of this is The Polishaholic, who has swatches of the entire China Glaze Magnetix collection, Essie Navigate Her collection, and OPI Holland collection. Jen always does a beautiful and thorough job of swatching and reviewing the newest collections, and these are no exception. It was through her review of the Magnetix collection that I learned that the China Glaze magnet is a problem for other people, not just myself.
 -I received my polishes from the Zoya free offer today! Despite my issues with the processing time, I am thrilled with the colors I received and pleasantly surprised by the shipping time. I'm so excited to be adding these beauties to my collection. They won't be the last. Zoya's Tru collection arrives at my polish place next week, and I'm definitely going to be getting some flakies when I visit. 

Really, Zoya, really?! Late shipment leads to disappointment

Back on January 8th, I told you about how I had placed an order with Zoya to receive 2 free nail polishes as part of their special offer. I knew that the ground shipping was going to take a while, so it wasn't until last week that I started checking the mail every afternoon in hopes of finding my polishes waiting for me. Imagine my surprise when I opened my email this Tuesday the 24th and learned that the polishes had barely shipped out that afternoon! Auuughh! I mean, I totally understand that they're doing me a favor with this offer and that my shipment is going to be a low priority one. I even understand that it may take a long time, even weeks, for them to process the order. But to not even inform me of the fact that they haven't processed the order until 16 days later? WTF? Really?? I'd read on Kayla Shevonne and Rebecca Likes Nails' blogs about their negative experiences with Zoya, but I thought it had to do with the complications of international shipping. After this experience, I'm beginning to think that Zoya may have a problem in general with customer service! Maybe they didn't anticipate the response to their offer would receive and this incident is an anomaly.  Maybe I'm just overreacting. But so far, color me less than impressed with the Zoya experience. :( 


(BTW, as of the 26th, my package was in Ohio so it will still probably be a week or so before it arrives here in California.)

Orly Au Champagne-a holiday polish that's great anytime

Orly Au Champagne, sunlight

Like a lot of nail polish bloggers, I don't own a lot of white. I've never had a white polish "call out my name" the way purples, blues and glitters do. Despite this, I can truly say I adore Orly Au Champagne, a shimmery white polish from the 2011 Holiday Soiree collection. The polish looks good on its own and I think it's invaluable for another reason as well. Find out more after the jump!

??? Days of Blurple-Navy blue(ish) stripes!

I wanted to accentuate the slight blue duochrome in my unnamed Wet n Wild Little Luxuries purple, so I thought layering it over a dark blue was a good idea. Once I actually did it, I was stumped on where to go next with this mani.  Find out how I came up with my final look after the jump.

Nicole by OPI Too Rich for You topped by unnamed Wet n Wild Little Luxuries purple and Essence Space Queen, sunlight

Island Girl Surfer Babe with Cover Girl Fireworks glitter

I was in the mood for some green the other day, so I decided to try out one of my untrieds. I hadn't used it in part because its matte finish had put me off it. I figured adding Cover Girl Fireworks would give it that extra shine and sparkle it needed, so I combined both.  Find out what I thought of this combo after the jump. 

1/22/12 Weekly Blog Roundup: More of Magnetix and Jordana Glitters!

Picture of CG Magnetix Pull Me Close from  Swatches and Whatnot  blog

So I'm keeping this one pretty short, guys. My weekly roundup basically depends on what I see of interest during my week of surfing the nail blogs, and on weeks like this one where I haven't been online as much, I won't have as much to report.  Hopefully what I do report is helpful, though! :)

-See more swatches of the China Glaze Magnetix polishes over at the Swatches and Whatnot's blog post . She has 4 of the 6 colors and has swatched them all on her fingers. It seems that the polishes have different consistencies depending on the bottle.

-I am so jealous of our friends over in the UK. Max Factor has a new polish called Fantasy Fire that is a Clarins 230 dupe! I learned about it on the Pretty Digits blog in this post. Us nail philes in the States will have to cool our heels or try to arrange a swap since Max Factor is only sold abroad. :(

-View a swatch wheel featuring the new Jordana glitters, plus a pretty awesome polish from Butter London called Knackered, at this post from the Polish Pauper.

-This link is so useful, even though it's not new, I think it's time to share. Click on this link at Jeweled Tips to see Fowl Play layered over a lot (and I mean a lot) of colors. It's such a useful post, especially if you own Fowl Play and aren't wowed by it on its own. See how it can be layered and I bet you'll be using your bottle in no time!

China Glaze Electropop collection

Just wanted to do a quick post sharing the swatches I saw of the China Glaze Electropop collection. Join me after the jump for more pics.

??? Days of Blurple-Fowl Play Edition

This is the 3rd look so far of my experimental color.  As you may have guessed, I was not too pleased with my original 4 coat mani and I immediately started playing around with it. One of the things I did was layer a glitter and Orly Fowl Play over the original color, and I was pretty pleased with the results. Learn how I achieved a similar look in way less coats after the jump.

Wet n Wild unnamed blurple, sandwiched between pastel purple and Orly Fowl Play, sunlight

China Glaze Magnetix Instant Attraction

I am the proud owner of a new China Glaze Magnetix polish, a China Glaze magnet and slightly stained fingers. Find out more about China Glaze Magnetix, how the magnet works and my thoughts after the jump!

Today only-some Lippmann polishes 1/2 off!

Across the Universe, Happy Birthday, & Today Was a Fairytale are 1/2 off today only with the code GMA on Deborah Lippmann's website.  She appeared on Good Morning America and this is a promotion that's just for that appearance. Hope I just tried entering the promotional code as of 10:15 PST and it still worked. Check out nouveau cheap's blog  post for more details and the links.

Tips and tricks Tuesdays-Cheap gloves save manicures!

When you are removing a polish from your toes or from one hand but don't want to ruin the manicure you have on, be sure to reach for some gloves. I'll tell you the kind I use and when I use them after the jump.

Dollar Tree finds-haul post

Just wanted to quickly post about all my finds visiting the Dollar Tree and another discount store yesterday.

??? Days of Blurple-Magenta Cascade

If you've read this post, you might know that I've made it my mission to use up this little bottle of polish and figure out exactly how many uses you can get out of a mini. Since I have no intention of ever doing 4 coats again, I will be using it in a variety of ways that always involves using a full coat at a time.

Here's my first nail art with my unnamed blurple:

Savina Purple Confetti sponged over Wet n Wild unnamed purple, with Sinful Colors Frenzy, sunlight

It's definitely one of my favorite manis ever! I totally love this look, and will tell you how I achieved it after the jump.

Wet n Wild Little Luxuries blurple-I did 4 coats and all I got was this lousy mani!

Wet n Wild Little Luxuries unnamed purple, 4 coats over white

Ok, maybe not a lousy manicure. But it's definitely one I feel is not worth it. Learn why, besides the obvious (4 freaking coats, for god's sake!) after the jump.

Tips and tricks Tuesday-Making your own swatch sticks

You may have noticed that I occasionally use what look like lollipop sticks to compare colors. It's something that is cheap and easy to do for yourself. Join me after the jump to learn how.

How many uses does a bottle get?

It's like the query, "how many licks does it take to get to the middle," but much more colorful!

Sorry, guys, I don't actually know the answer to the question...... yet. However, I am working on it, and hope to have an answer for both a mini and a regular bottle eventually. Learn more after the jump.

Zoya offer update!

The Zoya "free nail polish" offer expires tomorrow at 11:59 ET.  I just put through my order for the 2 free nail polishes at Zoya.com and wanted to let you know a couple of things. First, that you enter the promo code "Zoya 2012" on the first page of the process, when you are confirming your color choices. The box is at the bottom left hand corner. Next, I wanted to make sure that everyone knows what the shipping charges are: $6.95 for ground shipment (5-9 days) and $8.95 for expedited ground (3-5 days). It's still a good deal on a great polish, so I hope my post helps you take advantage of this offer. I'll be sure to share when mine come in the mail!

My (late) 2011 Top 10-Part 2

Here are the rest of my top 10 choices for the year. It's an ecclectic mix, and I'll explain it more after the jump.

You'll have to excuse the quality of the pictures, I'll be editing them a bit as I get all my pics together. Also, please note that most of these polishes are more opaque on the nail than they are on my clear nail wheel. 

My (late) 2011 Top 10-part 1

So I'm pretty new to the nail polish world, and most of my nail polishes have been acquired in the last year. Despite this, when I saw all the "top 10" lists, it made me sit down and think about what my favorite colors have been that were released in the last year.  I don't have much time or patience to do a manicure for each, so I swatched them all on a nail wheel instead.  Here are the first 6 colors:

From left, Essie Shine of the Times, OPI I Lily Love You and  OPI Rainbow Connection

From left, Wet n Wild Cost is No Issue, OPI Honk If You Love OPI and Wet n Wild Behind Closed Doors  

What's my reasoning on these choices? Join me after the jump for an explanation!

Zoya giveaway alert!

Zoya is offering 2 free nail polishes when you pay the cost of shipping until 1/9/11! Items from the Spring 2012 collection are excluded, and the offer is limited to residents of the US. According to the comments at Nouveau Cheap, where I read about it, shipping will be around $6. Go to the Zoya blog post for all the details about the offer: http://zoyanailpolish.blogspot.com/2012/01/let-zoya-color-your-world-in-2012.html

Comparison-OPI Rally Pretty Pink vs. Orly Ingenue

OPI Rally Pretty Pink on Left, Orly Ingenue on right, 2 coats, sunlight

My good friend bought OPI's Rally Pretty Pink in an attempt to step out of her red/pink comfort zone. When we saw it at the store, it looked mainly gold. Once she wore it, she ended up falling in love with the way it flashes gold and pink. So much so that she wants a backup.  I got her a polish that's not exactly the same color but definitely seems like a dupe-Orly's Ingenue!

1/3/11 Weekly ads- my attempt

I feel a bit bereft without Nouveau Cheap posting the weekly drug store sales, so I'm going to do my version, a (mainly) polish round up.


-Rite Aid: BOGO 1/2 on ALL nail polishes!
-Walgreens BOGO 1/2 Cover Girl cosmetics
-CVS- BOGO 1/2 Cover Girl, Rimmel and Almay Cosmetics, & Cover Girl Natureluxe Gloss Balm is 2/$12
-Target-not much of note on makeup
-ULTA-$1.99 for Pixel polish, reg. $2.49, B2G2 free Ulta brand cosmetics, BOGO 1/2 off on Cover Girl, Neutrogena, NYX, and Rimmel.

Revlon Whimsical-OK, fine, I like it....

Revlon Whimsical over Color Club Factory Girl, sunlight

So my strong desire to get Revlon's Whimsical, the Deborah Lippmann Glitter in the Air dupe, was not a rational one. Basically, if there's an affordable Lippmann dupe out there, I want it. However, in all the swatches I had seen of Glitter in the Air, I had never been totally into the polish. It was a little too subdued for my taste, I think. I also didn't like how translucent it was, and the idea of having to wear a base color underneath.  I have to say, now that I've worn and swatched Whimsical over a few colors, I can see why the color was such a highly coveted one! Join me after the jump to see Whimsical over a variety of blues and other colors.

New Year's Mani-Color Club Untamed Luxury

Color Club Untamed Luxury, 2 coats, sunlight

I ended up running out of time for doing new manicure for New Year's Eve, but I'm still happy with the nails I had. This is Color Club Untamed Luxury, a teal green jelly polish with holo and green glitter.

1/01/12 Weekly Blog Roundup: more flakies and lists!

-Several blogs have posted the press release for Zoya's Spring 2012 collection, which features 3 flakies! Scrangie has already posted some swatches.
-More bloggers have gotten their hands on the Finger Paints Special Effects collection, including myself. THe master of watermarbling, Colette at My Simple Little pleasures has posted a  video  which has each over black and one color complimentary color apiece.
-There were lots more favorite nail polish lists as the year drew to a close. Everyone did a different format.  Let them Have Polish had a top 10 for major and indie brands, plus and honorable mention post, Swatch and Learn did a top 10 for polishes, nail art, makeup, skincare and cosmetics. Rebecca and Kayla finished their lists, Imperfectly Painted did her top 20 in several separate posts and also had her readers weigh in,  and the The Polishaholic didn't specify exactly how many favorites she chose. 
-Meanwhile, the Manicure Addict and iPolished chose their favorite manicures of the year and Enamel Girl did both a top 11 and a favorite manicure list and The Polish Insomniac reviewed her 5 most visited posts of the year.
-I enjoyed reading all these lists immensely, but I'm sure I'm missing some of them. I'm just doing the best I can based on what I can remember/find best at this time. I"m actually planning to do an uber-lazy version of my top 10 later this week, as well.  
-A final reminder to visit Sally's to check out their clearance section. I visited a location near work on Saturday and found some stuff that my local one didn't have, still at 50% the red tag price. 

NOTD-Sally Girl Back Off with OPI I Lily Love You

After wearing a lot of dark manicures recently, I was really craving a bright pop of color. You can't get more of a pop than neon, so I put on Sally Girl Back Off .   It dried really matte, so I added OPI's I Lily Love You for some flakie goodness.

Sally Girl Back Off with OPI I Lily Love You, sunlight