China Glaze - Pink Plumeria

GOOOORRRRGEOUS!  This color is stunning.  Pink Plumeria is another gem from the Summer Neons collection from China Glaze.  So many of them are wonderful!  I would describe this color as the perfect pink highlighter color.  Literally, if you pick up a pink highlighter, this is most likely the color you will see.  This is two coats of Pink Plumeria over two coats of OPI's Alpine Snow.  The trick of putting neon polishes over white polish to get the color to pop holds true!  I also put a top coat over it since this is a neon polish and it has that semi-matte finish.

Seriously, look how it sparkles in the sunlight!  *drools*

What is your favorite neon color?

-polish. impress. repeat.

Comparison of Ulta 'Island Hopper' and Julep 'Miranda'

First off, apologies for my dry cuticles.  I didn't even think about it before snapping these pictures.  Since I've started this blog, I've tried to get in a variety of colors from week to week.  I was about to paint my nails and was picking through my collection when I came across Ulta Professional's 'Island Hopper'.  I thought it would be a great color and then Julep's 'Miranda' which I had already done a post on.  They look nearly identical in the bottle, so I decided to compare them to see if they are dupes or not.  ****Note:  in the pictures of my nails, from left to right it is 'Miranda', 'Island Hopper', 'Miranda', 'Island Hopper'.

 Miranda, Island Hopper, Miranda, Island Hopper

 Miranda, Island Hopper, Miranda, Island Hopper

left:  Miranda          right:  Island Hopper

Conclusion, it the direct sunlight, they look almost identical.  In natural lighting, the slight differences are a little more apparent.  'Miranda' is more jelly-like while 'Island Hopper' is more creamy and opaque.  They are both a light teal/turquoise color, but Island hopper is a little more blue-ish.

Dupes?  Not quite.

-polish. impress. repeat.

Essie - Penny Talk

Here's my two cents on Essie's Penny Talk.  Get it?  See what I did there?  'Two cents".  "Penny Talk".  :)  This is one of the new metallics from Essie's Mirror Metallics collection.  I love metallics, and this one caught my eye because I am in LOVE with rose gold and have been for quite some time.  Since Penny talk is obviously a rose gold, I couldn't resist.  How gorgeous is this?!

Since it is a metallic, it is a little streaky, but I will say it is one of the least streaky metallic polishes I've ever worked with.  It has amazing coverage, but it is a little on the thick side.  I had heard that clean-up was a pain with this collection, but this cleaned up better than most other metallic polishes.

Overall, I'm happy with this purchase.  You can get Essie polishes at Target and Ulta.

What do you think about metallic polishes?  What is your favorite one?

-polish. impress. repeat.

China Glaze - Chiaroscuro

After going crazy with bright bold colors for the last few months, I decided to take a break and put on a more subtle color.  This is Chiaroscuro (weird name!) from China Glaze.  I picked it up of the clearance rack at Ulta a few months back.  It is a very sheer light pink with gold and MINT green shimmer!  The mint green shimmer is what intrigued me about this color. You usually don't see that.  The colors work well together and I think this is a pretty color.  I mentioned that this is very sheer.  This is 3 coats and you can still see my nail line.  I wonder how this would look over a more opaque baby pink color.

 The very first picture in this blog was in direct sunlight.  These two are in the shade with natural lighting.

 This is the polish in the direct sunlight.

This is the polish in the shade with natural lighting.

I have a big announcement coming up soon once I get more followers!  Stay tuned for details.

-polish. impress. repeat.

Batman's "The Dark Knight Rises" Inspired Nails

 With Batman's The Dark Knight Rises going into theaters on Friday, I decided to try my hand at a little 'Batman' nail art.  I used Zoya's Dovima which is a black matte color.  For my accent nail, I painted Finger Paint's Silver Crackle on top and then used Sally Girl's Poser to paint on the bat.  The bat was a pain in the neck.  I practiced on paper a bunch of times and it still didn't turn out as well as I thought, but I still like it.  I hope you guys enjoy!  Let me know if you like more nail are things and I'll try my best.  My right hand always ends up looking terrible! 

-polish. impress. repeat.

July 2012 Birchbox

My July Birchbox has arrived!  It's always fun to see what new products I get to try out!  There were some really fun items out there in July's boxes like Eyeko eyeliners and Stila lip glazes.  I was excited that I got Laura Geller's lip stick!  If you're not sure what Birchbox is, it is a monthly beauty subscription where you get to try out deluxe size (some times full sized) products.  I have a previous post here that you can check out that tells you all about Birchbox.  Here is more information about what I got in this month's box:

 This month, Birchbox teamed up with Glamour magazine.  The theme is based off of the 5 senses.  While I think it is an incredibly clever theme, I wish each box would have contained something from each sense.  I got two 'see' products, but no 'taste' item.  The little icon next to the product on the info card shows what sense the item goes with.

 Ahava is a brand that I have become familiar with through Birchbox.  I have received lotions and facial cleansers through other boxes.  I really like the brand and I am excited to try out this mud mask!  Who doesn't like to pamper their face?! 

I was looking forward to this item the most!  Not very many boxes had this lip stick and I have never gotten a lip stick through Birchbox before.  This is Laura Geller's Double Dipped Lipstick in the color Carribean Kiss.  Laura Geller is another brand that Birchbox has introduced me to.  I really like her products and I think I'm going to really like this lipstick too.  The neat thing is that it is double sided.  You can use one color, or both!  I swatched it on my hand.  The top color is the two colors combined.  The center color is the bronze color by itself and the bottom is the pink color by itself.

 Next is Manna Kadar's Sheer Glo Shimmer Lotion.  I really like this, it will make for a great highlighter.  Birchbox suggests mixing it into foundation, but I'm not a fan of having my entire face shimmer. 

Birchbox is usually VERY good with their shipping.  I have only had ONE issue with a product being damaged in my box in over a year of being subscribed.  When my box arrived this month and I opened it, I thought, wow, my box smells really good.  Come to find out, it was because my sample of Oscar de la Renta's Live In Love perfume had spilled.  I don't know if you can tell that there is nothing in the vile and there is some liquid remains on the lid.  I'm not too torn up about it.  It did smell nice, but it wasn't a perfume I'd probably wear, so no loss there.  I'm sure if I contacted Birchbox, they'd straighten it out (they have GREAT customer service), but I think I'll be fine without a new sample.

For the "lifestyle extra" this month, most subscribers got these adorable headphones in neon colors.  They also created a fun playlist on Spotify.

Overall, this wasn't one of my favorite boxes.  I like the theme and I like the products that I got, but I'm not sure if there is anything here that I would re-purchase just at first glance.  After using them for a little while, maybe I'll change my mind though.  If you are thinking about signing up for Birchbox, I highly suggest it!  It is only $10 a month and the boxes are well worth it!  Use my referral link here to sign up:  https://www.birchbox.com?raf=gafkf

If you are a Birchbox subscriber, what did you all get in your box this month?

-polish. impress. repeat.

Essie - Swept Off My Feet

This is 'Swept Off My Feet' by Essie.  It is a dusty rose color that wears beautifully!  I think this is a great color to wear in the Fall.  It is still a bright color, but it is a little darker which is nice for the Fall season.  This is two coats.

For my accent nail, I used Color Club's 'Disco Nap' which I got in one of my Birchboxes a while back.  I LOVE IT!  I might have to paint all my nails with this color.  It is a bright white gold color.  Like true metallics, it is a little difficult to remove when you are ready to take it off.

You can find Essie polishes at Target and Ulta.  Color Club nail polishes are for sale on Birchbox's website.

What colors are you excited to wear in the Fall season?

-polish. impress. repeat.