Skulda's Claws

Detoxify Your Make-up Kit!

2011-07-20T10:52:00.000-07:00

I recently found this great article from treehugger.com that helps inform people about the toxic chemicals that are in our favourite "Natural" cosmetics.
Check out Detox Your Make-Up Kit: 10 Ways to Avoid Cosmetic Chemicals then look at http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/ to see how your favourite brands measure up. The scale is from 0 - 10, 0 being the best and 10 being the worst.

My favourite brand Tarte rates from 1 to a horrific 9! Luckily most of their products that I use are a 1-4. Yikes!
Bare Escentuals rate 1-7!

Another awesome site that helps me choose my make-up and bath products is DavidSuzuki.org. The article that I am refering to is "Dirty Dozen", Cosmetic Chemicals to Avoid. I keep this one on my iPod so I can look at it when I'm shopping.

How do your favourite brands measure up? Are chemicals in your cosmetics an issue to you?

UPDATE: Zillah1199 (http://midnightpoesy.blogspot.com/) has made a good point. In my comments she has shared the site personalcaretruth.com that posts articles about ingredients from a different perspective. Personally I prefer to continue to avoid the "Dirty Dozen" ingredients for more simple ingredients. Less is more. Please keep in mind that I do favour more natural alternatives in my life so my option will most likely differ from most people. I am delighted that Zillah commented with this link because it gives people another side of the story and gets people to think about this subject. What we put in our bodies and our environment matters and everyone should research these things and form their own opinions. :D

Thank you for coming by and feel free to comment.

Spreading the Solstice Scents Love!

2011-03-22T11:11:00.000-07:00

My favourite soap company Solstice Scents has graduated from their lovely little Etsy Shop to an even lovelier shop at http://www.solsticescents.com/.

Image is from Solstice Scents.com

My favourite items from them are Spellbound Woods perfume, Enchanted Forest Soap, and Cocoa Mallow Body Ganache. Enchanted Forest soap must be sold out so that is why there is no link, but it is such a lovely scent. I think I have photos of one of the bars I have at home so I'll post it later. I love it so much I've ordered it twice and have used that bar until it was a tiny chip of soap and got lost and probably fell down the drain. Love it.

Another soap that I have tried of theirs is Dragon's Blood. It was originally set in a mold with a 3d dragon on top, but as the business grew it just wasn't the best mold to stack and store the soaps. So now it is back in a standard soap form! Yay! This soap is wonderful too. I love the smell of musky incense so this one is an automatic favourite of mine.

I highly recommend Solstice Scents, so if you're curious about trying them out I suggest ordering some samples. :)

Every product I spoke about was purchased by ME. I have posted this to help Solstice Scents promote their new site because *I* love their company and wanted to share them with you. I won't post anything I don't want to.

Eyes like death and Freckles!

2011-03-17T16:20:00.000-07:00

I tried to take a photo of my eyeshadow today to share on my blog, but my iPod4 made me look like Hel.
My eyes have dark yellow-ish circles, and my freckles... I had no idea I had so many freckles!!
The photo looked terrible.
I sat around wondering, "Do I actually look like that?" This revelation is making me consider a high-coverage foundation. I've always been a minimal makeup person. Until this past year I never wore any makeup unless it was a special occasion. I think the most I ever wore was some pressed powder from The Body Shop, and it's pretty sheer.

I find a growing jealousy of these makeup bloggers that appear to have FLAWLESS skin. Maybe it's because they are younger. Maybe it's because I'm lacking vitamins and sleep... I'm only 28 but the camera is saying much older.

Does anyone have any suggestions for cruelty-free foundation? I dislike parabens as well (ie: Methylparaben, Propyl Paraben, Butylparaben, etc). I've heard good things about NARS.

What do you use?

Ugh...

2011-03-09T16:11:00.000-08:00

So here I go again making another update that isn't a real update.
My nails are Winter-worn nubs and are naked right now. They are naked and loving it. Some times you just have to let them run wild through the meadows... erm. Never mind.

I've been acquiring Aromaleigh eyeshadows via the Aromaleigh Anonymous group on Facebook. Lovely bunch of ladies, Wendi from Makeup Zombie put me onto it. If you are looking for Aromaleigh and haven't been able to get in on their Grab Bags, head on over! All swaps and available colours are on the 'Discussions' tab. There are also reference discussions so that everyone who has done business with a person on the page writes a review on them so you can check people out before doing swaps if you want.

I made my first orders on Fyrinnae, Sugarpill, Moi Minerals, Evil Shades... probably a few more but I can't remember because I'm going crazy. I will certainly post about them when I receive them. They are either in packing, shipped, or in customs right now... so I'm sitting around all *where are my packages!!*

There are a few things I really want to order asap as well. Cult Nails!! Lost in Makeupland to name a few.

Things are slowly shaping up at home. We are discovering that we don't have much storage space at all. We must have had 5 huge closets in our old place including a large storage shed. In the new place we have two closets and... a sort-of closet. So we have tons of crap that need places to go. I've set up some shelves and that has helped, but we need more storage solutions. Oh. We also have a solid cedar rectangular table that weights about... 400lbs that has no legs, seats 8 comfortably. We are going to head over to Home Depot this weekend to try and find some saw horses that can carry the load. Once that table is set up I will be soooo happy. I will have work space!

So? Tell me about your experiences with the brands I've spoken about! Go ahead and link to blog entries if you have written reviews or done looks. I'll allow it this time. ;) Ta-ta for now!

Moved! And now for the hard part.

2011-02-01T11:54:00.000-08:00

Hello boils and ghouls!

I've moved into the new place with Mr. Skulda and are happy with it. The most difficult part is the chaos we are now trying to sort out. Unpacking sucks. I must be a terrible packer. I managed to label most of the boxes but in the rush to get it done in the POURING RAIN we pretty much just dumped everything into the second bedroom. Now we must climb over the boxes trying to find the things we need and manage to unpack. Lots of "where is the dish soap?!", "I don't know, I thought you packed it" and plenty of frustrated bickering.
Ahhhh moving.

Some good new in the makeup world. I was wanting to buy "Mistress" vegan lipstick by Morgana Cryptoria and asked Melissa if it was possible to to formulate it without the paraben coated mica. Guess what? A week later she emailed me back saying that she was successful! Mistress is now paraben free. :) I'll be grabbing it next payday for sure!

And remember Jizz? Well it's now on s ale for $2.99!!! But unfortunately for this Canadian, they do not ship to Canada. I has a sad. :(

More to come when our place is less chaotic! <3

UPDATE!

2011-01-18T10:42:00.000-08:00

Hello boils and ghouls! Long time no see!
It's been a highly stressful time for me so there are plenty of depressed and lethargic reasons why I didn't keep up with blogging. But there is a light at the end of the dark tunnel.

- My husband finally got his work permit and is now working close to full-time hours every week! YAY!
- We are moving from our crappy over-priced apartment into a nice basement suit that will save us $$$!!! Best part? Huge kitchen!! WEEEE!!
- I have started playing more with make-up and experimenting. I will do some swatching and maybe.... if I don't scare the shit out of myself with a camera showing parts of my face! *cower*

Some products will include Evil Shades, Face Candy Couture, Aromaleigh, Meow Cosmetics, and more.

So please be patient as we pack (and pack, and pack...) and move and un-pack! I will be back. :)

~Skulda

Coty Response

2010-12-04T19:01:00.000-08:00

Dear Skulda:

Thank you for your recent inquiry on Coty products regarding the use of animals in product safety testing. We at Coty Inc. share your respect for life, and we are committed to maintaining the highest possible standards of human safety while eliminating the need for testing on animals.

Coty Inc. does not conduct animal testing. This is accomplished by selecting raw materials of the highest quality with well-established safety records and using extensive ingredient databases, in-vitro testing, computer modeling and studies with human volunteers. In fact, to ensure human safety all our products are clinically tested as needed on humans before they are sold in the marketplace.

Our research and development team has pioneered safety tests and alternative testing methods in order to eliminate the need for animal testing. However, there may be rare occurrences when a government or regulatory agency may indicate to the Cosmetic Industry that an animal study is necessary, where no validated alternative exists, to ensure consumer protection for a component of our products. In such cases, the need for testing is carefully examined by our Industry and if the test must be performed, it is strictly controlled.

Coty Inc. has been actively involved in the search for alternative testing methods for many years and we support industry research programs such as those conducted by the Johns Hopkins University Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing, the European Chemical Industry Ecology and Toxicology Centre (ECETOC), the European Cosmetic, Toiletry and Perfumery Association (COLIPA) and the Personal Care Products Council (PCPC).

Thank you for taking the time to write to us.

Amanda Perez
Product Care Specialist
Coty Inc Global Consumer Affairs
1-866-675-3845 (Canada only)
WWW.COTY.COM
Reference Number 010092591A

So basically, we don't, but we do.
There are many companies who don't test on animals at all. I don't know which governments or agencies would require animal testing, but if there are companies that manage to get along without putting harm to animals, surely they could find a way too?

Regardless of their strictly controlled animal testing, I choose to no longer buy OPI products. :(
...that doesn't mean I'm throwing out my current ones.

Bye Bye, OPI

2010-12-01T09:48:00.000-08:00

I'm sure most of you have heard that OPI has been purchased by Coty. Coty is the same company that owns Sally Hansen and Rimmel cosmetics. They also use products that test on animals.

I have contacted Coty's customer service with an inquiry on their current status on animal cruelty.

OPI is a huge part of my collection and I would hate to have to stop purchasing it like I have for Essie after L'Oreal bought it out.

I will keep you all posted.

Link to Coty's News Page. Philosophy might be another brand for me to be cautious of. :(

Need Make up Help!! (please?)

2010-11-12T23:12:00.000-08:00

Hey guys. I'm a total noob with make up. I've only ever used pressed eye shadows from the drug store. I've never used loose eye shadows or pigments. I just got my first order from Evil Shades and got so excited that I washed my face in my PJs and started putting it on my eyes. I read somewhere that you should pat loose shadow. I kind of patted and dragged and rubbed the brush over my eyelid to move the colour around.
It was freaking amazing.

Unfortunately I quickly discovers that I got a good amount of that beautiful shadow on my eyeballs.
OUCHIE!
The swelling is going down but my eyeballs are still red.

How do you ladies prevent your shadow from getting in your eyes? I can't imagine people getting used to that. I know you have tips!

please help. :(

P.S. I'll show my Evil Shades goodies this weekend. I only got a few things but they are super nice! :D

Black Phoenix Alchemy Labs - Embalming Fluid

2010-11-08T11:13:00.000-08:00

Here I am! Sorry about the delay; I've been sick on an off and couldn't stand the smell of polish and remover. Today I present to you one of the coolest Glow-in-the-Dark polishes ever.

BPAL - Embalming Fluid!

It glows!!

Single coat in Sunlight.

Embalming Fluid over NYC Frightful Fingers - Franken Slime

Embalming Fluid over white.

This combination is my favourite. I put a couple coats of Embalming Fluid over a white polish and it had the lovely "glowy" look that it has in the bottle.

Embalming Fluid over the other BPAL colours.

Embalming Fluid on it's own, Destroying Angel, Morgause, MME Moriarty, Bordello, Opium Poppy, Croquet. The picture should be clickable to expand.

When you click on a picture you can see that Embalming Fluid is loaded with blue, green, purple, and orange iridescent glitter. Not only does this glowing polish glow like the dickens when 'charged' but it has a unique sparkle to it as well. Charging is just exposing your glow-in-the-dark polish to light before it can glow.

So far my favourite combination for Embalming Fluid is a few coats over white. I really like the colour of the polish in the bottle and hope to find a base colour to match it one day.

Have you tried Embalming Fluid? If so, what is your favourite combination?

You can get Embalming Fluid at http://www.blackphoenixalchemylab.com/ or directly here.

For more swatches of BPAL polishes check out my review here.

Thank you, Puddin', for letting me try out these gems!

[This product was sent to me by the company for review]

Twisted Panties Test Drive Polishes!

2010-10-21T10:25:00.000-07:00

The gals Sarah Rowland and Stephanie Mattis give nail polish a whirl in their product testing article for 24hrs News. The 24hrs is a free newspaper that they hand out near the Skytrain stations in Metro Vancouver. Sarah Rowland has been writing 'how-to dating' articles for women for a while now. Her articles are honest, gutsy, and sometimes offend or attract negative feedback by prudish women and pigheaded males. I like her, I think she is hilarious. "Twisted Panties" is basically Sarah and her BFF going out and trying out products and give their opinions.
Check it out! Tell me what you think of their picks! (BOOO Essie, animal testing Booo!!) :P

P.S. I have never seen Bourjois in Shoppers! I'll have to keep looking.

Black Phoenix Alchemy Labs [Pic Heavy]

2010-10-13T12:26:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! I've been wanting to post these for a while now but so many things got in the way. Most dismal weather that prevented me from getting any good lighting. I'm going to break down and buy a light box set soon.

This is the last collection I tried with my "claws". They unfortunately couldn't last for the entire collection. I thought it was suiting since this is called Claw Polish! ;)

All photos *should* be clickable.

Bordello - dark pink/silver foil. ONE COAT!!

I'll say it again. ONE COAT!!1one

MME Moriarty - blood red jelly! 2 coats.

This looks more translucent in the photos than it did in real life. Three coats might be required.

Morgause - burgandy with a slight pearl shimmer.

I have trouble describing this one because it's so different in real life. The colour is so rich and the pearl shimmer is very faint on the nail but you can tell it's there in the luster. You can see it in the darker photo in the upper right. You can stick with 2 coats just fine but I did three coats to get the same richness that I see in the bottle.

Destroying Angel - dark chocolate brown creme. 2 coats

So glossy!

Maiden - sheer light pink 2 coats.

I honestly never get sheers right. I would have loved this if it were a creme.

Croquet - medium pink creme, 2 coats.

I can't believe I'm going to rave about a pastel pink polish. This was the perfect consistency. I have NEVER tried a pink cream in this colour range that wasn't streaky and difficult to manage. Croquet was a little watery, but completely manageable. I didn't once flood my cuticles or even fear it happening. Not at all streaky. If you like pink, this one is GOLD.

Opium Poppy - hot pink creme. 2 coats

Unfortunately I lost the photos for this one in a sea of pink polish pics that I was clearing out of my polish folder. If this isn't enough I'll re-swatch this one! It was as perfect in the application as Croquet. Unfortunately is was clashing with my skin tone a lot in the photos which is why I might have accidentally deleted them.

Overall these polishes were pretty amazing to me for such an "unknown" brand. I know BPAL has been surfacing pretty successfully in the nail polish blogging world but otherwise people I've spoken to don't really know about it. The polish always applied well, dried well, and held up well with wear and tear. I seriously hope they expand their colour selection because this can easily be one of my favourite brands of polish ever. That is saying a lot.

The site can be a little tricky to navigate. http://www.blackphoenixalchemylab.com/ You want to go to Trading Post, then nail polish. As you can see they offer quite a bit from their site.

The direct link to their polishes is here.

I will be showing you more of another colour from Black Phoenix Alchemy Labs in a post of it's own.

Embalming Fluid. So check back next week!

If you have any questions about this brand or any of these polishes leave a comment!

[These polishes were provided to me by the company for an honest review]

China Glaze Awakening Collection

2010-10-08T16:25:00.000-07:00

Happy Freaky-Friday, Darlings!

I'm just going to jump right to it since I cannot contain myself.

Ick-A-Bod-Y - Natural Light

Ick-A-Bod-Y is an orange glitter polish with an olive green jelly base. I used 4 coats in these pictures to get as much coverage as possible. You might need to play with gently pushing the glitter around for even coverage.

Some suggestions for different looks might be to try a creme olive green base under Ick-A-Bod-Y for a more sparse green/orange glitter look. I will try this closer to Halloween and show you. I think you have correctly guessed that this is my favourite of the collection. ;)

Zombie Zest - Natural Light

Flash

As a lot of you may know, Zombie Zest is very similar to a couple other polishes recently released. It is a delightful dark green jelly base with micro glitter that looks gold or green depending on the light or angle that you hold your hand at. The only down part of this polish for me is that it is a very sheer formula. This required 4 coats. (I find that it is completely worth the trouble)

...the name is awesome too.

Mummy May I - Natural (overcast) Light Ahhhh nubbins!!

With Flash

Mummy May I is a dark purple base with purple chunky glitter. It is probably my least favourite of the collection, but still an excellent Halloween polish.

Did my nubbins frighten you? Good. This is a Halloween collection, you know.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o!!

Thank you China Glaze for another lovely collection!

[This collection was provided to me by the PR company for an honest review... my opinions are always honest. kkthxbai]

Justin Beiber collection from Nicole by OPI.

2010-10-07T10:42:00.000-07:00

I'm probably going to lose some fans here, but I have to vent.
I just read the comments on Scrangie's post about Justin Beiber's polish collection and just about vomited in my mouth.

How you HATE a little boy who has done nothing negative. He hasn't harmed anyone. His music might annoy you, but you can easily ignore it. I'm not a JB fan but I find the pure hatred towards this kid disgusting! IT'S A NAIL POLISH COLLECTION FOR HIS FANS... OH NO!! HE IS HURTING THE WORLD OF NAIL POLISH. /sarcasm

Another example:

WTF? Who throws a solid object at a person's head? This guy isn't preaching hatred to the masses... he isn't having unprotected sex with your daughters... He is singing age appropriate music for young girls.

I think the worse part of all this is that harming someone you don't know is considered hilarious to people. They get off on hurting and insulting others. Look at the comedy on Fox TV, most of the funny parts are based on insulting and hurting someone. I wish people realised how much this sort of attitude is hurting society. People are afraid of each other and what people think and look what it is doing to us a society. Just look at the news.

/hops off her soapbox and has a Friday doughnut

Fight like a Woman Collection

2010-10-06T09:00:00.000-07:00

Today I'm showing you the Fight Like a Woman collection from China Glaze. (And yes, I'm late.)

Encouragment - Natural Light, Two Coats

A baby pink how *I* image a baby pink would be. Nice and pale. Encouragment has a very pretty shimmer to it but I cannot nail down if it is a glass fleck or just a pale pink micro glitter. Regardless it is very pretty.

Did anyone else get a bottle that was spelled wrong? Isn't it spelled Encouragement? Oh well.

Empowerment - Natural Light, Three Coats

Pastel pink creme.

Endurance - Natural Light. One Coat

Medium-dark pink with glass fleck shimmer.

So here it is. My first review for a while! These polishes were of good consistency that I have come to expect from China Glaze. I'm a little stunned that I got a one-coater out of these! I have never had a once coater from China Glaze before. Bravo! The pastel was pretty typical of pastels, slightly streaky but I managed. You might have noticed a slight bubbling in Encouragment and Empowerment, well, that was my fault. I didn't realise it until I was editing these photos and I know why it bubbled too. I was helping my friends move that day so my blood was pumping a little harder and it heated my otherwise corpse-like cold hands. So FYI, the bubbles are not from China Glaze, they are from *gasp* exercise!

I've gotta talk about the names now. You've noticed the theme. Was I the only person who thought that calling the Pepto-pink "Empowerment" was totally weird? Personally I would have swapped the names for Empowerment and Endurance. It just seems like a better fit to me.

And now I come to the part where I talk about how breast cancer has touched my life. Fortunately breast cancer doesn't run in my family. Cysts and lumps in the breasts yes, breast cancer, no. My Grandpa's second wife, "Grandma Jean" was hit by breast cancer pretty hard. She had a double mastectomy when I was younger. It had either spread to both breasts or she was high risk for getting it in the second breast so they removed them both in one go. My Grandma was so brave. I remember her joking about getting a Dolly Parton mastectomy bra for when she went out for parties. She wanted "variety". :P
I had my own little scare with breast cancer, thankfully it was just a big benign cyst and I had it removed because it felt like the size of a walnut on the upper side of my right breast. I don't care about the visible scar at all, but now I'm feeling scar tissue develop on the inside of my breast and it makes me paranoid because I can't tell if there is a real lump there. (I'm a bit paranoid)

ANYWAYS... heres to the woman and men who who continue to fight for their lives against breast cancer.

Wassail!

[The collection was sent to me for an honest review by the PR company]

HAI!! (Update)

2010-09-28T10:25:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone. I'm dropping in to let you know that I'm still alive.
I have a few collections to show you from China Glaze, and Black Phoenix Alchemy Labs, and possibly more!
And guess what? I chopped my claws off. It was a mutual break up. I was tired of not being able to use my finger tips and was always paranoid I'd bend a nail and rip my fingers off, and my nails just started ripping little hooks into my nail bed! YAY! It was a long run, but I have faith that I can grow them back.

I'm fighting a chest cold and the weather has been horrid. It's been so cloudy and rainy that I can't seem to get any good photos so I hope I can finish up my pictures and start posting them ASAP!!

xoxo
Skulda

WTF SPOONS?!

2010-09-01T14:11:00.000-07:00

I know your feeds are all clogged up with Zoya Spoons... but I see nothing but landfills full of garbage. : /
These spoons are a fantastic idea. The perfect way to find your colours! BUT WTF... what a waste of materials and plastic!! I bet most of these chicks getting spoons that don't keep them for reference are going to throw them in the trash!

image from letsgetgreen.files.wordpress.com

What do I want to see? Spoon recycling plan. 50cents off your next order? Fuck that. You get your 50 cents back when you mail them back to Zoya for other customers to use.

WHAT SAY YOU??

Spread the word if you are at all concerned about this.

I'm sorry... imagining all that waste is depressing the Hel out of me.

Real posts to commence soon.

UPDATE: After I pretty much spammed Zoya's Facebook with my concern about a recycling program they responded with a hint of something positive to come in the future regarding spoons! *glee* Being annoying pays off.

Happy 101 Tag

2010-08-27T22:00:00.000-07:00

I received this blog award from BoonDY. Thank you!

The Rules:
1. Post who gave you this award
2. State 10 things you like
3. Give this award to 10 other bloggers and notify them with a comment

10 things I like(random):
1. My husband
2. My cats
3. My friends
4. World of Warcraft
5. Nail polish/art
6. Nature
7. Being away from the city
8. Comfortable clothing
9. Music (metal, folk metal, classical, medieval)
10. Reading

I'm breaking the rules like a bad girl and not tagging anyone! (I always feel weird about tagging people). If this looks like something you want to do, pretend I tagged you. ;)

RIP Sophie

2010-08-24T09:05:00.000-07:00

http://www.sophielancasterfoundation.com/

Note...

2010-08-16T10:48:00.000-07:00

Note to Self:
Only apply nail polish in the evening during a heat wave. Mushy, cracking and pulling polish is not the desired effect.

Orly Bloom Collection Review

2010-08-16T09:00:00.000-07:00

Hello Ladies!
Writing this blog Sunday night so you can see it tomorrow morning. (good morning!)
I wanted to try this collection out last weekend, but it was raining and overcast with clouds.
Anyways, this collection was released in the Spring 2010 so chances are you may have already seen it. :P

I started out with pink because I am rarely a fan of the colour. Reminds me of Pepto and Barbie dolls. Unfortunately this pink wasn't doing me any favours. Sorry pink lovers!

This is Blushing Bud. It's a hot-pink creme with decent application. This was 3 coats.

Pure Petunia is a pinky-purple creme. The application was good, I still needed three coats though. But It's not unusual for me to use three coats on a manicure.

Now this is an interesting colour. In the bottle it looks like rust with a pink shimmer, and the only shimmer in this collection. Strange, no? On the nail Ginger Lily's pink shimmer isn't as obvious and the rich colour of the rusty red comes to life. This is very unique. Three coats.

I wore Thorned Rose for 5 days straight during the workweek. In the bottle it looked like a dark berry colour, but on my skin it looked more like a dark red. Only in some lights did it take on it's berry self. I love this one. Orly describes it as a Red Wine Creme, I agree... somewhat. I thought this one was more like a jelly. It didn't apply or even look like creme on the brush, and it took 3 coats. The fact that I wore this colour for 5 days straight with minimal tip-wear is pretty amazing.

Oh, well hello there, green polish. Don't you look charming! Wandering Vine looked more subdued in the bottle, but on my nails it became a rich forest green. Two coats!!

Wild Wisteria is so wild it made my camera go bonkers. It's not a navy, rather it is a royal purple creme. This applied like butter and required only two coats. Below is a block of what I consider the "true" colour for reference since my photos didn't work out too well.

So what are your favourite colours in this collection? Mine are Thorned Rose, Wandering Vine, and Wild Wisteria.

Essence - In the Jungle

2010-08-15T09:00:00.000-07:00

Please ignore the dry skin! :o My bad.

This was actually a manicure from over a month ago. I lost the photos in my "to do" file.

Natural Light.

Flash.

This polish was such a pleasure to apply! Two coats and it was perfect. Thanks girls!!

I LOVE ME SOME GREEN!! :D

Swap From Rainbows and Blues and more!

2010-08-14T22:44:00.000-07:00

Here is the swap from Anček and Kvacka from Rainbows and Blues in Slovenia!

Essence (Show Your Feet) 10 In the Jungle, 53 All Access, 39 Spicy.

Essence (Moonlight Collection) 02 Into The Night, Nail Art Twins in Thelma and Louise!

Magnetic Shimmering Bronze, Spect Stone, and Stripe It in holographic silver glitter.

My first striper ever!

Catrice - London's Weather Forecast, and I Sea You! S-he in 466, and 500. Miss Sporty - 60.

Kvacka designs fimo jewellery and she made me a beautiful bracelet!

(wearing China Glaze - Swing Baby)

Check out the cool designs in the beads, not my arm hair.

They put together such a wonderful package for me, I hope they get the one I sent them soon! :D

__________________________________________________________________

I won OPI - Mad as a Hatter from Spa Boutique's Facebook page! It's pretty awesome because MaaH was sold out and I wasn't able to buy it with Absolutely Alice. They included some face cream samples. :)

_____________________________________________________________

Random picture of the silk wrap kit I bought. It was the only one I could find and I couldn't find any silk wraps sold separately. : /

Nubar Really Wants to Get the Point Across...

2010-08-05T11:31:00.000-07:00

Is anyone else receiving mail from Nubar? I've received 5 of the same news letters within 20minutes, and counting!! This has never happened to me before, wonder if it is a glitch.
Anyways, since they are really hammering it in:

"Nubar offers our retail customers 20% off retail orders of $30 or more with code AUG2030 August 6 through August 7, with free shipping on orders of $75 or more after the discount is applied. Visit us at www.bynubar.com to take advantage of this offer!
Nubar"

Crackle Polish

2010-08-03T21:09:00.000-07:00

These are freakin' awesome!!! Karianne makes me so jealous.
Do you have a favourite crackle polish brand? If you do, link it! :D
If it is from another blog, don't forget to credit the blogger.

Freya's Feast

2010-08-03T09:00:00.000-07:00

Fehu

Gebo

Orly - Sweet Collection [Picture Heavy]

2010-08-02T17:44:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! I hope everyone had a great weekend. It was the perfect weather to try out these babies, the Sweet Collection by Orly. It was released in April of 2010 but was sent to me to review recently. As always my opinions are my own.

Lemonade - pastel yellow creme. 3 coats.

Lollipop - Light purple creme. 3 coats.

Cotton Candy - Pink creme. It looks to me like there is a slight orange tone to it, but not enough to be noticeable. I used 3 coats.

Pixy Stix - Medium pink creme. This one had some orange tone to it too. I'd say it was just shy of a coral. It reminded me of the pink a flamingo can get with plenty of shrimp in it's diet. But I'm weird. 2 coats.

Gumdrop - Light turquoise creme. It had enough blue in it to not be a mint green, but it was close. Great application, 2 perfect coats.

Snowcone - Light blue creme. Orly describes it as a baby blue, but I feel like it is richer that a baby blue. 2 coats.

My favourites in this collection were Pixy Stix, Gumdrop, and Snowcone. They weren't your typical pastel colours that we have all seen a million times and they applied wonderfully. The others were your staple pastels and had some minor streaks that were remedied by applying the polish with the brush as parallel to the nail as possible.

The free lip gloss that came with each bottle.

Lemonade, Lollipop, Cotton Candy, Pixy Stix, Gumdrop, and Snowcone.

The lip gloss had the fuzzy brush that reminds me of a pussy willow.

RIP little fly that got stuck in my polish outside. A rare casualty of swatching outdoors. I tried to save it, but I won't go into details about it... :(

[These polishes were sent to me by the PR company to review.]

Miss Sporty - 60

2010-07-27T11:36:00.000-07:00

Today I will be showing you Miss Sporty #60.

The lovely Anček and Kvacka from Rainbows and Blues sent me this beauty along with quite a few others from Slovenia. I'll show the entire bundle soon!

Natural Light

Flash

Direct Sun. (clicky for close-up)

LOOK AT THE CUTE BOTTLE!!

I'm still wearing this polish. It's a beautiful blue-turquoise with a green shimmer. It even had a wide brush in the little bottle for better application. *glee* It was a little sheer but 4 thin coats later it's magic. So worth it! I love this polish and the cute little gumball bottle is comes in!

Now for a little whine session.

I trimmed my nails down (as you can see) because my index and thumb nails tend to warp when they get longer. I'm not sure why, maybe I clench my fists in my sleep and it shapes them weird... but anyways. I trimmed and filed them down. It wouldn't be so bad if I didn't do such a poor job on my right hand. I cut my index finger and thumb too short. :( Guess I'm all whiny because I loved the length I had going for me and now it will take longer to grow my nails out because of my blunder. I wish I was ambidextrous.

world's smallest violin

I think I'm going to put silk wraps on my problem fingers to see if that reinforcement prevents them from warping. Anyone have trouble with this?

China Glaze - Jitterbug

2010-07-26T09:08:00.000-07:00

Time for another Vintage Vixen, Jitterbug!

Flash

Direct Sun (click to expand).

Jitterbug is a nice sparkly foil polish with a steel grey base and silver flecks. It's was great to apply just like Swing Baby, but it also required 3-4 thin coats for full coverage. The coats dried faster than your typical China Glaze polish and it allowed for the additional coats nicely.

I also found that in some lights the polish had a mild blue tint to it. It made me think of blue steel with a thin layer of frost over top. Very cool. (pun?!)

[This polish was provided to me by the PR company to review.]

China Glaze - Hey Doll

2010-07-23T09:00:00.000-07:00

Yeah I know I've been slacking in the post department but this 'real life' business is draining me dry. I'm up at 11:20pm doing this post (past bedtime) and I'll hook it up for tomorrow morning when all you people are awake.

I present to you.... Hey Doll!
Hey Doll is yet another polish from the Vintage Vixen collection and it really surprised me.
Originally I thought, "oh, this one is nice... kinda girly... pinkish." And when I was applying it in my computer room/second bedroom it grossed me out. It looked like I was applying pink bile on my nails and contemplated taking it off and starting over with another colour. I weighed out the pros and cons and decided it was too much work and that I'd continue with the mani and take it off the next day. Glad I kept it on. The minute I stepped out of my poorly lit computer room the colour became beautiful. This goes to show just how much lighting can effect colours. So ALWAYS bring paint swatches HOME when you are choosing colours to paint your walls.

ANYWAYS....

Natural Light

Flash

Direct Sun. (click for close-up of the shimmer)

Butt.

As you can see this isn't pink bile. It's a rose pink with a slight warm brown tone with tiny silver flecks. In some lights it looks closer to purple and others it radiates with the warm tones of Autumn mixed in there with what I consider an antique pink. You can see in the photos just how much a simple change of light makes this polish morph into a different colour.

Random: When I saw the colour in the bottle it reminded me of vintage silk undergarments.

While I don't see me wearing this much in the summer months, I know I'll be sporting it in the Fall.

*Slides off her computer chair and crawls to bed*

[This polish was sent to me by the PR company for review]

Misa Collection Preview - What I Like About You

2010-07-21T10:09:00.000-07:00

Fall in Love This Fall With Misa Cosmetics’ What I Like About You Collection

July 19, 2010 – Philadelphia, PA. Sometimes it’s easy to know just what you want, but you’ll immediately know what you need when you lay your eyes on the Misa Cosmetics What I Like About You Collection, six new shades for fall that plumb the depths of color intensity. You’ve explored the dark side of romance with the Poisoned Passion Collection; now fall in love with the ecstasy that love can provide through these dare-you-to-look-away glimmering hues. Just like a budding affair, these colors will spark inexplicable emotions and near-obsessive thoughts. Go ahead—indulge your deepest desires!

Fall 2010: What I Like About You Collection

Quirky Smile: Something about his lilted smile lets you know he’s interested…and this shimmering Prussian blue is no less attention-grabbing. However, this rich shade invites you into deeper territory—what’s lurking beneath? In this case, you’ll discover a polish that evokes stormy skies and churning seas, a perfect metaphor for love’s mixed emotions.

Like It Like That: You can’t avoid feeling upbeat when a relationship is going just right, or when gazing at nails that are the perfect shade. Just try to block this candy apple green out of your mind; when you like it like that, why deny yourself the pleasure?

Spinning Out of Control: Sometimes you just can’t control yourself—and you wouldn’t have it any other way. Embrace that euphoric feeling with a brooding cobalt blue-violet that says, “Don’t stop this merry-go-round; I’m enjoying the ride!”

It’s You!: Searching for the perfect mate is like searching for the perfect nail polish shade: When you find it, you know right away. Like a perfect-match partner, this multilayered iridescent hue offers the best of both worlds: a smoldering forest green shot through with copper ribbons that glimmer and twinkle perfectly in candlelight.

Perfect Kiss: Don’t blush! When you recognize a good moment, grab what’s yours: the perfect kiss. A well-planted smooch can provide material for days of daydreaming, and this vibrant fuchsia is equally fantasy-inspiring. An eye-catching color like this one will have any man’s lips quivering uncontrollably.

When U Say My Name: Chances are, your man has plenty to say, but nothing is sweeter than when he whispers your name while in a sweet embrace. Blissfully sink into the moment while donning this sultry rust, and don’t be afraid to demand, “Say it again!”

About Misa Cosmetics

Misa offers more than 230 nail lacquers that provide the richest and most intense coverage possible in nail color. An exceptionally high concentration of pigment, as well as mica, in a professional-grade formulation ensures that Misa colors last and last without chipping, wearing or fading. And unlike many polishes that can thicken with age, Misa nail lacquers stay perfectly mixed for a smooth, streak-free and even finish—even years after first use.

Misa Cosmetics’ Technology

Misa continues to upgrade products, including the use of revolutionary nanotechnology. This nanotechnology helps Misa develop polishes that are smoother, resulting in a surface that allows light to reflect evenly. Nail polish performance is enhanced through ease of application and removal, high gloss, higher abrasion resistance and better stability. Better adhesion allows for longer-lasting results.

Safety is also a prime objective; therefore, Misa no longer uses DBP, toluene or formaldehyde chemicals in any of its nail lacquers. A unique 230-strand polish brush fits in the hand—just right for a steady polishing job—while the elegant and sturdy base ensures the bottle won’t tip. Discriminating nail professionals and colorful people everywhere have requested Misa since 1996. Beyond seasonal collections, Misa offers an impressive array of frosts, sheers, French manicure and nail art colors for year-round indulgence.

SpaRitual - Flashback

2010-07-19T09:00:00.000-07:00

Here is one of my new Summer favourites, SpaRitual - Flashback!

Honestly, I hate the name. Flashback? To what? Lighting forrest fires? Something like 'Electric Orange' seems a little more suiting IMO.

Natural Light

Butt

Direct Sun

I didn't include a flash picture because the flash pulled out too much yellow and made it look wrong. This neon is really awesome and really draws attention! I will say that this took 4 coats and still has minor VNL. Though you can only really notice the VNL if you are staring straight at it long enough to get over the shock of how incredible this polish is. I am still on a search for my perfect nude polish to match my skin to put under semi-sheer polishes and in this case, neons! This is my current mani and pedi. ;)

China Glaze - Atlantis

2010-07-15T13:00:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!

This is the manicure I wore on Mister and Misses Skulda had their first wedding anniversary!

We were married June 26th, Frigga's Day 2009.

Atlantis was a lemming of mine for a while and I finally broke down and bought it last month.

Natural Light

Even in natural light is it so full of win!

Direct Sun

Pardon the "lobster hand" and slight blurriness, but look at the chunky holo glitter!!

Bottle Butt!

Ahhhh... more blingy goodness. Sooooo worth the money.

The hubby and I went out for delicious sushi and I tried hot sake for the first time. Yeow! It's good stuff! When we got married I wore China Glaze DV8 on my toes. I wore the same pedi with Atlanis for our anniversary and they matched pretty good. My Mom bought the DV8 never hearing of China Glaze before to match my wedding dress. I had never heard of China Glaze either, it it remained my first China Glaze for a long time until I finally came across all you lovely bloggers.

Random Awesome song:

I love Agalloch. They are easily one of my favourite bands.
The name of the song is kind of related to the polish. ;P

China Glaze - Swing Baby

2010-07-15T09:00:00.000-07:00

*Thunder Claps*

Good evening, boils and ghouls and welcome to my third installment of China Glaze's Vintage Vixen Collection! I am your Hostess, Skulda Blackheart and I am here today to show you Swing Baby!

Natural Light

Flash! Lightning!! (j/k)

Direct Sun! So much sun it burns your eyeballs!

Butt.

You got it, ladies.

This is one of my favourite polishes in this collection. A light rose gold foil IMO. It's not a yellow gold, it has more silver and a touch of... rose? It reminded me of rose gold. (ok, I'll stop rambling)

This foil is amazing. Have you noticed how some foils magnify every imperfection on your nails, including ridges even if you use ridge filler? This one doesn't. It looks FLAWLESS! It applied so smoothly I was able to get the polish so close to my cuticles without flooding them. Swing Baby also dried fast, which was great because I needed 3-4 coats to hide my VNL. I'm not bitching, this polish was a pleasure to apply, and wear.

Hope you enjoyed!

[This polish was supplied to me by the PR company for review]

China Glaze "Awakening" Promo for Halloween!

2010-07-14T13:00:00.000-07:00

AWAKEN YOUR HALLOWEEN SPIRITS WITH GLAMOURISHLY GOULISH NAILS

China Glaze Introduces Three Limited Edition Halloween Polishes

Los Angeles, CA – (July 2010): Sink your claws into these three ghoulish glitters from China Glaze, perfect for a night of fright! Uniquely alluring and unlike any other Halloween colors before them, this collection is sure to entice. Colors in the promotion include:

· Zombie Zest: A mossy green shade with gold flecks of micro glitter.

· Ick-A-Body: A dark green base chock full of orange glitter.

· Mummy May I: Vampy, wine colored purple with flecks of hot pink glitter.

The 18 piece display will be available at Sally’s Beauty Supply Stores only and the 4 piece with free Fast Forward Top Coat will be available at all other beauty and nail supply outlets, stores and e-tailers.
China Glaze (www.chinaglaze.com ) is a division of American International Industries.

About American International Industries

For 35 years, AII has been the leading manufacturer and worldwide distributor of innovative, quality beauty and skin care products for men and women. Our product lines include 5 Second Nail, Ardell, Andrea, Body Drench, Bye Bye Blemish, China Glaze, Clean + Easy, Clubman/Pinaud, Correctionist, Duo, European Secrets, EzFlow, Fright Night, Gena, GiGi, Gypsy Lash, IBD, Jeris-Lustray, No Tweeze/Micro Tweeze, 'N Rage, One Touch, RAW, Seche, SuperNail, Surgi-Care, Sweet Mary Jane, Waterworks, Winning Nails, Woltra and Youthair. For more information about our full line, visit our new website: http://www.aiibeauty.com/

_____________________________________________________

I really hope I can get my hands on these! I couldn't get any from last year and I don't live near a Sally's!

China Glaze "Fight Like a Woman" Collection Promo!

2010-07-14T09:51:00.000-07:00

Find Strength in the Power of Pink

China Glaze Nail Lacquer Gets the Gloves Ready to Join in the

Fight Against Breast Cancer

Los Angeles, Calif. (July 2010) – Join China Glaze Nail Lacquer this October in the battle against breast cancer, one nail at a time! The professional line of nail lacquers brings on the fight with three powerful pinks. Inspired by the women who fight everyday and those that support them in their battle, these fabulous shades are sure to help you defeat the toughest opponents with style and class. China Glaze representative Rachel Schafer voiced that “in an industry dominated by women, for women, it is important that we strive to work together towards finding a cure.”

The three colors in “Fight Like A Woman” include:

Encouragement – A baby pink shimmer that brings on the cheer

Endurance – Power through the punches with this raspberry shimmer

Empowerment – Stand up tall with this cotton-candy crème on your nails

A portion of the proceeds will benefit the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), an agency of the World Health Organization dedicated to the science of cancer and promoting international collaboration in cancer research.

The “Fight Like A Woman” Collection will be available at professional beauty supply stores and select salons this September. Availability will be very limited internationally.

China Glaze colors may change from season to season, but our formula remains the same amazing longwearing lacquer with hardeners. Designed with the professional in mind, our 220-strand brush is great for ease of application. Best of all, our non-thickening formula provides great coverage. For more information, please visit www.chinaglaze.com.

About American International Industries

For nearly 40 years, AII has been the leading manufacturer and worldwide distributor of innovative, quality beauty and skin care products for men and women. Our product lines include Ardell, Andrea, Body Drench, Bye Bye Blemish, Checi, China Glaze, Clean + Easy, Clubman/Pinaud, Duo, European Secrets, EzFlow, Fright Night, Gena, GiGi, Gypsy Lash, IBD, Jeris-Lustray, No Tweeze/Micro Tweeze, 'N Rage, Prolinc, RAW, Seche, SuperNail, Surgi-Care, Waterworks, Winning Nails, Woltra, Woody’s, and Youthair. For more information, visit our website: http://www.aiibeauty.com/

_____________________________________________________

So what do you think of this collection?

My Grandmother lost both breasts to breast cancer when I was younger, so pink always reminds me of her strength. :)

China Glaze - Foxy

2010-07-13T09:00:00.000-07:00

Ok, polish number two in the Vintage Vixen collection! Say it with me now...

FOXY!

Natural Light

Flash

I hope these images expand. They're supposed to!

This polish is a very cool rusty red shimmer. MMM!! It just glows with that gorgeous orange-red tone. I have seen at least one other blogger that has said that it appeared to be a red with a bronze shimmer, but I didn't see that at all in my bottle. Maybe my formula was a bit different. I don't have my "bottle butt" image for this one because the camera died but it's the same format of label in my last post. I've also noticed that a lot of girls have a VV collection that has the sale stickers on the bottoms with bar-codes. Mine do not, they look like they are strictly for promotion. Maybe they ran out of promotional bottles and dipped into stock?

I unno.

[This polish was provided to me by the PR company to review]

China Glaze - Riveter Rouge

2010-07-12T09:00:00.000-07:00

So here is my first contribution of many for the Vintage Vixen collection by China Glaze. To avoid being a photo spammer I'll be doing these by the bottle and not all at once either.

All photos can be clicked to see the full-sized image.

Riveter Rouge:

Natural Light

Flash

Bottle Butt

This polish is a cherry red shimmer with silver micro-glitter scattered throughout. It had a wonderful formula and I used 3 thin coats. Drying time was good, as is with all China Glaze polishes.

[This polish was provided to me by the PR company for review]

Tra-la-la!

2010-07-05T11:37:00.000-07:00

It's Monday morning and now that I have my wonderful green tea energy drink, all is right with the world!
I have a tonne of photo editing to do tonight including the BB Couture Saints of Ruin collection and a few others. I hope the photos turned out ok because yesterday it was kind of cloudy. If the effects of the polish don't show up I'll redo the collection on a sunny weekend. I am also a few bottles into the Vintage Vixen collection and so far I am very happy with the results. I won't be posting them in a huge glob, maybe polish by polish so people aren't overwhelmed. I think I'll do a collection posting with all of them closer to the public release date for reference. :) Sound ok?

In health news my doctor doesn't have a solid reason why I've been weak, etc. She thinks it's from depression and my "brain isn't getting enough 'good stuff'" meaning serotonin. So she has doubled my Effexor XR dosage (for my anxiety attacks) which makes me a little unhappy since the side effects of the drug are irritating. (Restless leg syndrome, ultra vivid dreams, sweats, weight gain UGGHH) I was actually attempting to get off the stuff a few months ago but the withdrawls were too hardcore to handle. Wonder why I want off it... hmmm...Regardless, I think it might be working. I didn't sleep all weekend like I have in weekends past and I didn't feel *as* weak as I normally did. So dispite the fact that I hate this drug it's helping me so I'll deal with it a bit longer until life gets a bit easier and go from there.

In swap news! I have sent off all parcels minus one headed for Slovinea and the wonderful girls of Rainbows and Blues. One polish that I really want to include in their package is out of stock in all stores in my area and I've been hounding the HELL out of the beauty clerks to get their shippment in. I mean serious, over a month? Give me a break! I also need to get a larger box for their phat lewts because all the goodies I have for them cannot fit in any of the little boxes that I have from previous swaps and orders. So that is saying something. *glee*

AND!! I will be having a giveaway to my readers. I am collecting odds and ends and will announce it soon. But there is a catch....
I'm not making my giveaway public and it will not say "Giveaway!" in the subject line to attract new followers nu-uh. It is meant for my loyal readers and it isn't going to be blogged about or advertised in any way. In fact, that is going to be one of my very strict rules. I'm doing this for YOU! Not for people who join blogs for giveaways, and not to get more followers. I plan to have it open for a week so people who don't check blogs out every day can read my entries and see it and get a chance to enter.
Sound fair? Am I a big fat meanie?
Keep checking in to see when it starts!

Canada Day

2010-07-01T14:53:00.000-07:00

Got a little dose of truth on Facebook regarding the G20 summit.
http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/note.php?note_id=397205503638&id=511491565
Read if you dare, it's pretty sickening. This is how they treated hundreds of peaceful Canadians.
I wonder if people will continue to make fun of us or pity us for having such disgusting people in charge.

I removed my Canada Day manicure in disgust.

HAPPY CANADA DAY!

2010-07-01T09:00:00.000-07:00

HAPPY CANADA DAY!!!

Well.... the mani looked better in my head... but not bad for painting with a cuticle stick!

I used China Glaze - Paint The Town Red for the flag, and Sally Hansen - White On for the white parts.

I threw Klean Kolors - Firework on my pinkie and thumb for fun. You need fireworks on your country's birthday! :D

Flash Natural Light

Some close-ups of Firework.

Photos Soon, Quick Update & Suggestion Wanting Now

2010-06-27T22:57:00.000-07:00

Hello ladies,

Tomorrow is my doctor's appointment to see about what is wrong with me. I'm feeling a bit down because my blood test was clean (yay & confusion) and I'm worried this might be one of those "wait it out" types of things. I'd rather not wait it out. It's been nearly a month since I've been having problems with my voice and I've been feeling extremely weak/lethargic. I hope that we can find a solution and I can get back into the groove of things.

Last week I received my order from Overall Beauty containing the Saints of Ruin collection and Horny Devil from the Butterfly collection. Yippee!!! The Saints of Ruin collection is so deliciously dark and juicy looking.
Colours: Fairytale, Dark Tommy, Ashes, Nightmare, Ruby Ruin, Dying Time.
I can't wait to swatch it. I was hoping to do it this weekend but it was my first anniversary with my husband (pics of that mani tomorrow, maybe?) and today was really dull outside and I passed out for the entire day. Zzzzzz. I think I spend most of my non-working hours in bed. x.x;

I also received the entire Vintage Vixen collection from China Glaze for review. I was pretty stunned to receive the entire thing -12 polishes. I was thinking I'd just get a couple since my blog isn't one of those 1,000+ follower blogs. I'm really grateful. I hope to get started swatching those this weekend as well. I'm sure it won't be a tragedy if they aren't posted right away since I'm seeing tonnes of blogs posting the swatches. ;)

Do you girls have any tips for swatching a huge amount of polishes in a small amount of time? I don't know if I'm a snail or something, but when I've swatched polishes I remember it took me a whole afternoon and it was only for a handful. Do you skip base and top? Build it up fast and just take pics before it dries? *boggles*

Now.... what to change my polish to tomorrow night. DUN-DUN-DUN!

Quick Update

2010-06-23T14:52:00.000-07:00

Still feeling ill. Throat still getting sore on and off and I'm feeling really weak.
Guess what? My blood results came back NORMAL. WTF?!
I hate it when I know something is wrong but science won't back me up. I'm going back on Monday to try other tests.
*flops*

Jessica Alba Wears China Glaze Scared Heart

2010-06-21T14:25:00.000-07:00

JESSICA ALBA WEARS CHINA GLAZE SCARED HEART FOR PHOTOSHOOT

Marsha Bialo Works Her Manicurist Magic For Genlux Magazine(Los Angeles, CA) – June 2010: Celebrity manicurist Marsha Bialo recently gave the gorgeous Jessica Alba a manicure with China Glaze Sacred Heart for the cover of the summer 2010 issue of Genlux Magazine. The neon red polish which launched in 2008 as part of the Ink Collection, complimented Jessica’s olive skin tone perfectly!
Marsha and the stylist were working hard trying to find the perfect color that would represent a good transition of summer nail trends into fall. They finally agreed that China Glaze Scared Heart would be an excellent choice because of its neon base combined with the richness of red. Not one to give so quickly on the importance of a well-done manicure, Marsha was also campaigning for Jessica’s hands to be shown in the shot and succeeded! Not only are her hands prominently displayed though out the editorial, but they even made the front cover. Poised with her hands and fingers grazing her collar bone, the photo chosen for the cover came out absolutely perfect. A China Glaze beauty shot indeed!

Info Provided by Irene Chao at AII Beauty

My First RAOK, and me stuff.

2010-06-18T15:21:00.000-07:00

Last week I received my first RAOK (random act of kindness) from Elizabeth. I actually felt a little silly because she emailed me asking for my mailing address and I didn't really understand why. She eventually said is was for a "RAOK".... and I was all... "WTF is a RAOK?". I didn't really figure it out until a package arrived. DUH! And I was shunned to see that every bottle was on my lemming list. *swoon*

The spread!

Chameleon - Blue Sky, and Calypso, China Glaze - Metallic Muse, and For Audrey

Color Club - High Society, and Ms. Socialite, Del Sol - Ruby Slippers (look!! It's changing colour! when I wore it the sun never came out and not that I'm taking a bottle pic it's changing!)

Elizabeth - Thank you so very much for sending these polishes. It made me feel so warm and fuzzy I almost cried. @.@ BTW your new blog lay out looks awesome. Toxin did a very good job.

_________________________________________________

Me news.

Bleh. So I've probably mentioned that I haven't been feeling so hot lately. For the past couple of weeks I've had a very sore throat- but only when I spoke too much. I'm a receptionist so it's sort of my job to talk. And my desk is all alone away from other workers so I get lonely and talk people's faces off when they come to use the copier.

I went to the doctor today and she discovered that my thyroid glands are swollen and I'd have to go for blood work today when I get off work. Joy. Surprisingly I'm not upset by having a tiny needle put in my arm and my life fluids drained from me. No. I'm irritated that I am a public transit person and I'm going to have to take the bus out of the way to the blood-draining clinic and get home late. HA!

Giveaway news!

Babbling Brooke is having her blog's 2nd anniversary with a huge giveaway. Head on over and check it out, it's pretty amazing. Happy Blog Birthday, Brooke!

SpaRitual - Optical Illusion

2010-06-17T13:48:00.000-07:00

Prepare yourself for .....

SpaRitual's Optical Illusion! This is one of my favourite polishes already. And yeah, it's green. No kidding.

Direct Sun

o0oo0o0o0o! Ahhhhhh! Dark olive green base with olive green and gold micro glitter!

Showing off the glitter in the sun.

Ahhh! Blurry! Natural Light.

Sorry about the blurry. I didn't realise how much my hands were shaking. I hate it when that happens.
Also- your eyes aren't fooling you, the cap is a little on the red side. Weird.

First Spa Boutique Haul

2010-06-16T22:40:00.000-07:00

This is my first haul from SpaBoutique.ca, a Canadian nail polish distributor that sells some difficult-for-Canadians-to-find polishes. It's the "Canadian Head to Toe Beauty Store". *hehe* Free shipping (in Canada) over $75 and they include free samples with every order.

Seche Base (ridge filler), Seche Restore (BEHIND), SpaRitual - Flashback, SpaRitual - Optical Illusion

Orly - Goth, China Glaze - Atlantis, China Glaze - Emerald Sparkle, China Glaze - Meteor Shower

Mmmmm Sparkly!

It is Hump Day! Prepare for Manfred!

2010-06-16T15:52:00.000-07:00

Manfred is my Maine Coon, sired by an unknown Maine Coon and mothered by Tirion (asimple brown tabby with more sass in her pinkie toe than anyone I know!). For years Manfred has suffered from mats in his fur. I have suffered for trying to comb them out. The gentle giant becomes quite ferocious when I try and comb around his hips. His large size and breed make his hips sore most of the time and grooming isn't the easiest for him. I decided enough was enough. I had him taken to the vet and transformed from grizzly bear... to MANFRED, LION KING!!

BEHOLD! Manfred in all his glory!

They even groomed the tip of his tail into a perfect paint brush.

Ok.. he is starting to get annoyed with me following him around with the camera. LOOK AT HIS BOOTS!

This is Manny before the cut:

Demonic, no?

Yes... I can tell you have already fallen prey to his cuteness.

Now I will give you an example of his many, many names. Manfred, Manny, Mindingo, Mandingus, Mr. Man, Manfred J. (when he is in trouble), Mannius, and Fred. He has more but... I should get back to work.

Diamond Cosmetics - Cherry Tobacco

2010-06-16T10:04:00.000-07:00

Here is another Diamond Cosmetics gem!

I put this colour on because I was in a vampy mood this past weekend *snicker* because it was True Blood's 3rd season premier! (HA!! Pun)

This colour appears to be a brown that is so dark that can almost be mistaken for black (or is it just an off-black?). Mixed inside is a GORGEOUS black cherry shimmer. It glows.

I think if the base was closer to brown it would remind me of my favourite pop - Dr. Pepper.

Mmmmm.

Chameleon - Calypso

2010-06-15T12:44:00.000-07:00

Hey! This was part of my first ever RAOK (random act of kindness) from the lovely Elizabeth, Lacquered Lizard. I'll post the rest of her ROAK later.

I've been lemming this one a while.

Natural Light

Flash

Can you see the colour change?

It's so difficult to capture it on camera. I wish I could pull the images out of my eyeballs.

Look! It matches my book. I'm addicted to Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse novels!
Mmmmm True Blood!

And you might have noticed that these photos were taken of my right hand, I'll explain.
This duochrome acts like a foil or metallic polish.... IT SHOWS EVERY TINY IMPERFECTION! I used two coats of ridge filler and I thought I was safe, but I wasn't. So since my right hand had the least noticable imperfections I used it. Don't get used to it. ;)

Diamond Cosmetics - Hue Are You?

2010-06-14T21:49:00.000-07:00

I know it's been a long time since I've posted. I've been having a bit of a rough time. [Insert whining and self pity here]. I'll be going to the doctor this week to ask why my vocal chords hurt so damn much. My throat isn't sore unless I speak. Sometimes it doesn't hurt so much, others I can barely make a squeak. And since I'm a receptionist that has to pronounce Greek and Croatian names all day, I need to talk.

Cough drops, anyone?

I apologise for how dark a couple of these are. It was getting late in the evening when this was taken and it really showed in the photos. This polish is a maroon or... well it looks like drying blood to me but I've been watching a lot of "True Blood".... with a lovely golden shimmer.

Natural (evening?) light

Flash

Bottom

Tiffany from Yardsticks 4 Lunatics was sweet enough to get me this from her last order. Diamond Cosmetics doesn't ship to Canada unless you spend $250. Or was it $500? I don't know. But it was a lot.
they also wouldn't email me back about their current crappy 'Canadian Distributor' and what it takes to become a distributor. Nice customer services, DS. /end sarcasm.

Katy Perry Wearing Yellow Polka Dot Bikini

2010-06-08T10:33:00.000-07:00

KATY PERRY ROCKS NEON YELLOW NAILS AT MTV AWARDS

China Glaze Yellow Polka Dot Bikini Makes It’s Debut On The Red Carpet
Los Angeles, CA – (June 2010): Dazzling in her Zuhair Murad mini dress and Rock & Republic grey platform heels, Katy Perry was definitely a stand out at the 2010 MTV Movie Awards. With so much sparkle, shimmer, sequins and shiny fabric going on, Katy nixed the accessories and instead went with a wild royal blue coif and neon yellow nails!

Katy Perry, who is known for her love of manicures and nails, went with her favorite celebrity manicurist Kimmie Kyees for this event. Kimmie, who is totally aware of the fact that Katy likes to stray as far away from the norm as possible, chose China Glaze Yellow Polka Dot Bikini as her first manicure color for the night. To make the neon yellow polish pop, Kimmie used a well-known manicurist trick by first applying a couple coats of China Glaze White on White underneath the Yellow Polka Dot Bikini. This insured that everyone was able to see Katy’s nails from a mile away! To achieve the desired nail length that Katy wanted, Kimmie also used ibd Natural Nail Tips. Kimmie says that she goes through so many of these nail tips that she can never have enough in her manicurist kit.

China Glaze colors may change from season to season, but our longwearing formula continues to provide consumers with the highest quality nail lacquers. Designed with the professional in mind, our 220-strand brush is great for ease of application. Best of all, our non-thickening formula provides perfectly even coverage. China Glaze nail lacquers are available through salons and professional beauty supply stores nationwide. For more information, visit: www.chinaglaze.com .China Glaze is a division of American International Industries.

IBD is committed to supporting today's salon professional and promotes excellence in nail care by offering comprehensive education and training to nail artists. Our educational program is a hands-on training program that enlightens nail professionals with up-to-date techniques, explains the science behind the products and describes ways to build business and profits. Taught by a highly trained ibd educator, each attendee will experience the incredible benefits of using ibd products. No odor and no dust - nail professionals discover the future of nail care in IBD's light activated systems, for a healthier and safer salon environment.

Info care of Irene Chao from AII Beauty.

ICING - Dark & Stormy and Nfu-Oh 52 - 100 Followers

2010-06-01T22:52:00.000-07:00

All fingers are painted with Icing's Dark & Stormy 3 coats and my ring fingers have 2 coats D&S and two coats of Nfu-Oh 52. Please forgive the wear 'n' tear and... lack of cuticle moisturizing. This mani was 3 days old.

Natural Light

Flash

My attempt at showing the Nfu-Oh 52 on my ring finger. Matches well, don't you think?

P.S. I now have 100 followers. I never thought I could ever have that many. Due to financial strain my first giveaway will have to wait a bit longer as I have several wonderful ladies to complete swaps with. I'm trying to be as thoughtful with my lack of funds as possible.

Thank you for reading. <3

Susie's Giveaway!

2010-06-01T10:38:00.000-07:00

Go check out her blog and enter!

Anxiety

2010-05-25T15:27:00.000-07:00

Fighting an anxiety attack at my desk at work right now. Trying to breathe.
Reading your blogs (not always commenting but I read them)...
Husband is coming with pills to help me.

Such a random post.

I don't have any nail picks because I'm broke until payday (still waiting on tax return). My Seche Vite is goop and I can't find any Restore (sold out) and I'm broke! (lulz)
My mani is gloppy and bubbly but it's keeping my nails from breaking and the colour is gorgeous.
Diamond Cosmetics - Dirty & Firty

Do any of you fight anxiety?

Happy Friday!

2010-05-21T15:50:00.001-07:00

I'm still wearing the hell out of this BB Couture that I posted last night. Yeahhhhhhh no tip wear!

Evil Angel's 666 Giveaway!

2010-05-20T20:05:00.000-07:00

Check it out girls! Evil Angel has reached 666 followers and if giving away goodies including a custom make-up product of your choice. (She makes beautiful cosmetics)

GO NAO!

BB Couture - Impact Driver [Picture Heavy]

2010-05-20T19:56:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I won a little giveaway from Kim at Overall Beauty's Facebook page. She wanted to give away a bottle of Impact Driver and I was more than happy to be the fastest commenter. ^.^

I finally tried it on today and I must say that this was the exact polish I needed on my fingers. I've been craving a colour like this for a few days now and it only just occurred to me that I had it in my stash.

Flash & Natural Light

Sun Set

Look at the light pink sheen in the bottle!!!

I'm just fawning over it now...

Shade

Bottom Shot!

I can't tell you guys how much I needed this polish right now. I've been a little depressed all week- not sure if it was the weather or what. I had one some sort of false 'happy' colours that just weren't working for me. I can't wear something that doesn't suit my mood. When I put this on not only did I think 'well it's kind of drab like me' but as it was gliding across my nail it started making me happy. This polish was a dream to apply. If I wasn't such a thin coater it would have been flawless in two coats. I did three for good measure.

It's a grey- blue with glass fleck and a very subtle pink shimmer. (don't worry guys, it's virtually invisible on the nail)

No base coat. No top coat. Thats right girls, I'm going (mostly) naked with this polish. BB Couture boosts a 4 in 1 (base, colour, strengthener, topcoat) a in one and I'm using it to it's full advantage. It dried to a lovely stain sheen (between matte and gloss) but if I ever get a matte TC I want to try it on this too.

So ladies... the above polish is why I haven't shown you Who the Shrek Are You? yet.

Na-na-na-na-naaaaa-na!

Get your bottle here!

OPI - My Private Jet (but which one?)

2010-05-14T21:55:00.000-07:00

This is my first bottle of OPI's My Private Jet. I know it's not the first release but I'm having trouble figuring out which version it is. I know of at least three releases of this colour. It's brown... has a slightly bronze shimmer and has sparse holo flecks. It's not what I would consider a true holographic, but it has some bling.

I'll post some swatches another time... but it's giving me something ponder. I'm far too happy sporting my Diamond Cosmetics - Chainmail Charm ATM to put this on. Pics tomorrow.
(THANK YOU, TIFFANY!)

OPI - Ogre the Top Blue

2010-05-14T21:49:00.000-07:00

Flash

Natural Light

Bottom Shot

I'm sorry, ladies. I had trouble capturing this colour. It's actually slightly darker than it is showing here. In fact... indoors in some lights it even looks like a medium teal. This blue looks more light blue and it's actually closer to a medium blue.

It's application was fine. Three coats and no problems.

Again, my apologies for not being able to capture it properly.

Betty White from SNL

2010-05-14T19:03:00.001-07:00

I ♥ Betty White.

The Best Price Is Right Contestant

2010-05-13T16:37:00.000-07:00

Milani - Cyberspace (Holographic)

2010-05-13T10:28:00.000-07:00

Flash

Natural Light

Sun

Closer

(I hope the pictures expand!)

OPI - Funky Dunkey

2010-05-13T09:23:00.000-07:00

With flash. It was the only way I could get it true to life. Natural light made it look blue.

Funky Dunkey applied well! I'm relieved to start the non-pastels for ease of use!

China Glaze Vintage Vixen Collection 2010

2010-05-10T11:28:00.000-07:00

CHINA GLAZE VINTAGE VIXEN
Fall 2010 Collection

Los Angeles, CA – (April 2010): For Fall 2010, the China Glaze Vintage Vixen Collection captures the vivid and saturated hues of the 1940’s with this seductively complex palette. These classic shades of the season recreate the timeless tableau of movie land mystique, perfected red pouts and steamy nights where swing was the scene!

Step out with these multi-faceted jewel tones, rich reds, titillating taupes and smoldering sands. This collection deliverers a high octane 40’s era glamour with a sophisticated edge! The 12 colors in this collection include:

• Riveter Rouge – Deep red shimmer
• Foxy – Burgundy shimmer
• Goin’ My Way – Brown shimmer
• Classic Camel – Khaki shimmer
• Swing Baby – Silver and gold micro-glitter
• Ingrid – “Greige” shimmer
• Hey Doll – Rose shimmer glitter
• Bogie – Plum shimmer glitter
• First Class Tocket – Purple shimmer
• Midnight Mission – Navy blue glitter
• Emerald Fitzgerald – Emerald and turquoise shimmer
• Jitterbug – Blue/grey glitter
The China Glaze Vintage Vixen collection starts shipping June 6th internationally and July 6th, 2010 domestically. All 12 colors will be available as open stock, in 6 piece box collections, a 12 piece counter display and a 36 piece rack. China Glaze is free of DBP, toluene, and added formaldehyde.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So which VV polishes are you looking forward to?
I think I'm in love with them all, but if I could only choose a few I'd go with Foxy, Ingrid, Midnight Mission, Emerald Fitzgerald and Jitterbug.

Where in the World is Paper Chasing?

2010-05-09T00:07:00.000-07:00

Well, it's in Vancouver B.C. Canada right now!

With Flash

Without Flash

The Sacred Scroll!

The scroll is included with this bottle of Paper Chasing to record the recipients blog name/alas, date, and location. The idea behind this swap started with NAILSTAH. This bottle sits in your swap pile and is shipped off with your next shipment, or whoever would like to be apart of this bottle's epic adventure! You swatch it (or full mani) take photos to record it, fill out your information on the scroll and pass it along.

Along with Paper Chasing, Annie swapped a few polishes with me.

Jessica - Grecian Touch

China Glaze - Medallion

Sinful Colors - Show Me The Way

And a Choco Pie!! Om nom nom nom!! I ate it within a minute of taking this picture. I couldn't hold out any longer!

SO! I want to know who would be interested in taking on this bottle of Paper Chasing and being apart of it's journey. The recipient must be willing to eventually pass the bottle along. I can't stop you from keeping it but I think it would defeat the purpose of the game. The first person to email me with a genuine request will be person #3 on the scroll.

OPI - Fiercely Fiona

2010-05-08T23:51:00.000-07:00

Here she is! This is picture heavy because I was having trouble capturing the colour.

With Flash

Natural Light - I was worried it looked too much like Banana Bandanna

Indoors with Flash

Indoors without Flash

Comparing the pastel yellow of my moiturizer bottle with the slightly green yellow of Fiercely Fiona.

Hope I was able to capture it ok!

OPI - What's With the Cattitude?

2010-05-08T00:41:00.000-07:00

Good morning ladies!

Above: With Flash

Below: Natural Light

Bottom shot!

I have good and bad things to say about this polish.

Application was a PITA. It took 4 coats and epic cure time under Seche Vite. If it wasn't for the protective coat of Seche Vite I would have dents and sheet marks in this beauty.

Now for the GOOD.

This polish wear was amazing. By morning it was solid. 4 mornings later... NO TIP WEAR... no chips... no cracks... perfect like the first day I wore it.

Now as someone who has not really owned a real pastel other than Banana Bandanna *cough* I'm totally happy I bought these.

Tomorrow I will be snapping pics of the Paper Chasing that will (hopefully) be traveling the world thanks to the genius idea by Annie of NAILSTAH!

OPI - Rumple's Wigglin'

2010-05-07T10:07:00.000-07:00

Above: With Flash

Below: Natural Light

I don't have much to say about this one right now. It's a pretty colour and took 3ish coats to get a good solid look to it. It was mildly streaky. Wear isn't as good as What's With the Cattitude?, it had some little chips after about a day.

I'll post What's With the Cattitude tonight. I had the photos sitting in the entry but when I went back to it to post only one photo was there.

My First Helmer

2010-05-07T09:57:00.000-07:00

Here are the pics of my hubby putting my first Helmer polish cabinet from Ikea together. Don't worry I didn't make him do it, he just sort of started putting it together in the hallway last weekend. Or was it the weekend before? Oh well... stress makes the weeks blend together.

Hubby loves ranting about Ikea instruction booklets. "WTF why can't they just put WORDS in there?!"

This is Gizmo. He saw that Mr. Skulda was having some trouble.

Manfred wanted to come help too.

*sniff sniff*

Gizmo: "Looks like Daddy has it under control"

I don't have any photos of the finished product because I had to go put a turkey in the oven.

So here is the link to Ikea.

Joe Fresh - Grape

2010-05-06T23:17:00.000-07:00

So here is a look at Joe Fresh - Grape.

It's a medium purple/blue, or "blurple".

In the bottle it appears to have a nice pearl sheen to it.

On the nail a bright plum frost appears! It's quite a pleasant surprise since there is NOT TRACE of the plum frost in the bottle. I had difficulties capturing the colours as with most purples. I know I didn't do it justice.

This is as close as I could get to showing you how the colour transforms. It's really a "you gotta see it" sort of polish.

The brush on the Joe polishes is AWESOME. It's a flat/wide brush with even bristles and it applies the polish like a dream. If you are not happy with wide brushes, try using the brush on it's thinner side. The one thing I wish they would change is the size of the bottle. Since it's a stubby 6mL bottle, the brush wand ends up being short. The handle is bulky you have to get used to holding the brush at an angle so you can see what you're doing. That is my only complaint. Joe Fresh polish is great in my books.

P.S. I cannot for the life of me figure out why some of my pictures are not clickable, and why when they are clickable they don't expand to their original size. *grumble*

Weekend Update and a Giveaway

2010-05-02T22:35:00.000-07:00

Hello!
I have a few polishes to post this week but I was feeling a little "bleh" this weekend so I never got around to posting them. I've put myself on a no-buy for a little bit (except polishes I promised to buy for swaps! Don't worry, I have NOT forgotten.) I dropped $50 on the Shrek collection and I'll post those as I try 'em. I'm wearing What's With the Cattitude right now and it's awesome. It needed about 4 coats and it will probably need a little while longer to cure but I think it's worth it. Seche Vite has the top layer dry but it's still dentable.

Anyways, some good news! Konad-licious is having her first giveaway so I wanted to let you all know. Go on at take a peek!

ATTENTION CANUCKS!!

2010-04-29T21:17:00.000-07:00

Perry Pie is having a giveaway sponsored by Spa Boutique! Go on over to her blog and check it out!!! NOW, I SAY! The prizes are SpaRitual polishes, 2 of your choice for the first prize winner, and Optical Illusion for the second prize.

Sorry, Babes. This giveaway is for Canadians only.

Jizz by BleachBlack

2010-04-29T09:59:00.000-07:00

So... Jizz is the new colour. Some of you might be familiar with "Dickweed", it's a very beautiful rich dark green... shimmer I think. I don't know I still need to get it to make a good observation.

"Jizz is the newest nail paint from Kristin at BLEACHBLACK -- one of our favorites. It’s a pearly/shiny white that was inspired by her own hair color." - LOL... riiiight.

If you're interested in buying it, it's available at Needsuppy.com

What are your thoughts on this?

I for one cannot help but smirk as I imagine myself gently swishing jizz in the bottle and brushing it on my fingers. (Yeah... not very mature this morning, sorry.)
_______________________________________________________
While reading the comments to this post this came into my head:
WARNING: NOT SAFE FOR WORK!! Well... they only really say "Jizz"... but if someone hears it they might get upset. And Rebecca mentioned the song before I could press "Publish". So, enjoy!

Random - Magnetic Polish?

2010-04-28T11:31:00.000-07:00

I wanted to show you guys the Joe Fresh polish in Fig (medium purple creme) but after the removal of China Glaze - In the Lime Light my cuticles and nails were sort of fried by the polish remover. I had to apply quite a few layers to eliminate the VNL for the neon green and when it came time to remove the polish *sigh* it was a bit of a chore. Not a "glitter" chore, but it took me at least 3 cotton pads to get it off all my nails. At the end my cuticles are still fried two days later. All dried up and pathetic looking (more than normal ;P).
Any suggestions? I've been massaging Vaseline dry skin with vitamins E & A several times through the day, and putting a rich body butter on at night (by Wicked Soaps) and I'm pretty sure all the yummy moisture is washed back down the drain when I wash my hands. I still haven't found "the one" hand cream for me.
I demand suggestions and tips! (politely and with respect ;) )

Oh my GODS... have you guys seen magnetic nail polish! Go to this blog now and look. Sat here like a deer in the headlights staring at this for a good 5 minutes. I have unfortunately added this to my "wishlist"... oh that horrifyingly long list...

Anyways...
Have a great day everyone! I'll post pics when my hands are acceptable to my non-perfect standards.

I Love Your Blog Award

2010-04-27T15:14:00.000-07:00

Inge from PolishSis tagged me for the I Love Your Blog award.

Like every tag this one has a few simple rules:

1. Copy and paste the above award into your own blog.
2. Link the person who awarded you the award in the first sentence.
3. Pass this award on to blogs that you follow that have not been awarded as of yet
4. Send a thank you back to the person that sent you the award.

Leah from Wheatless

Brooke from Babbling Brooke

Sasa from Nihrida's Blog

Again, Thank you Inge for the lovely award, it made my day.

China Glaze - In the Lime Light (Neon)

2010-04-26T09:36:00.000-07:00

Hey Ladies! I hope everyone had a good weekend.

My nails had a good weekend, check out China Glaze - In the Lime Light!! Unfortunately it looks a tad washed out in the photos. Does anyone else have trouble capturing neons? What you cannot see in the photos is the delicate blue-green shimmer that adds to the glowing effect. This is definitely one of my favourite colours right now!!

I finally got to the Superstore and got to grab a few of the Joe Fresh nail polishes.

From left to right: Peacock, Fig, Grape

Bottle size comparison. :( I think if I swap these I'm doubling up the bottles. It's half the size of your typical bottle of polish.

This little kitty is Ashley, or "Beanie". I was trying to get my polish in a different light and she decided to take a closer peek. ;)

Rescue Beauty Lounge Giveaway at R3 Daily

2010-04-25T18:24:00.000-07:00

R3 Daily is showcasing Rescue Beauty Lounge polish all week and she is kicking it off with a giveaway! So go take a peek and tune in to her blog for the RBL posts!

OPI - Banana Bandanna

2010-04-24T14:38:00.000-07:00

This is what I wore on Friday after removing Brisbane Bronze. I found it ironic that the day I wear a nice sunny colour the weather was crap. The application on this was horrible. It was streaky and chalky and took 5-6 coats to get it somewhat even. It ended up looking like tool handle dip. :( The colour is really nice though. It had a really fine yellow shimmer to it that was almost naked to the eye. I wish it applied nicer.

With Flash

Sunlight.

OPI - Brisbane Bronze

2010-04-24T14:32:00.000-07:00

Brisbane Bronze is a really pretty bronze with a nice shimmer to it. It applied well and I only used two coats. No tip-wear after one day. I removed it after wearing it one day though, it was too sunny and I wanted something bright to go with the weather.

Boston Terrier Rescue Fundraiser/Giveaway

2010-04-23T15:53:00.000-07:00

Manatee Momma is hosting a fundraiser for Boston Terrier Rescue shelters. Donations are accepted at any B.T. Shelter in your area. Visit her blog for details on the Fund Raiser and Giveaway prizes.
This is probably one of the best giveaway idea's I have seen yet. You receive entries based on your donations, and you don't even have to be a follower of her blog. This is purely for the doggies.

Peter Steele Tribute

2010-04-21T21:28:00.001-07:00

The husband was finally able to get the camera working to get the photos on the computer that I took on Saturday.

I just did my fingers in China Glaze Liquid Leather and the ring finger was Icing Lucky Luis. The photos are supre dark because I was trying to get into the Type O Negative mood and do it via candlelight. You get the idea. Unfortunately I didn't have the special skinny brushes to pain the O Negative logo on the green nail.

R.I.P. Peter, you died too young.

________________________________________

Now for a 'funny' picture from the same day. This is what we had for dinner. We thought Pete would approve.

Hard Candy Giveaway

2010-04-18T18:25:00.001-07:00

Hey Ladies!

Diana from Painted Lady Fingers is having a giveaway sponsored by Hard Candy. Go check it out!

Cruelty Free

2010-04-17T18:17:00.001-07:00

I just saw this post at Lacquerized Blog. It's a great thing to do. I have a couple products in my nail polish collection and I'll never look at them the same again. I feel VERY strongly against animal testing and feel that it IS NOT NECESSARY.
I avoid anything made by Johnson & Johnson. Everything.
I avoid Febreeze - they test on Animals, so instead I use Airwick.
I look at every bottle of any cleaner and beauty product for the little bunny logo and if it's not there, I try and find a bottle that does.

Do you?

Looking for SWAP!

2010-04-16T10:33:00.000-07:00

Ok.

I was holding back doing a post like this but... here I go.
I'm looking to swap with someone who has access to Collistar - Viola Glitter.
I just saw it on Laquerized's blog and I just about died.
I still need Nfu-Oh flakies too.

If anyone has access to this, please email me! I'd like to set up a swap.

RIP Peter Steele

2010-04-15T09:47:00.001-07:00

Last night Peter Steele of Type O Negative died of heart failure at the age of 48.
The teenaged goth in me mourns today. :(

Catch Up

2010-04-13T22:50:00.001-07:00

Hello!

I'm having a heck of a time typing this stuff out right now because my "o" and my "p" keys have randomly decided not to work... again. *huff* Thank you, copy and paste.

I would like to thank a few ladies!
Jessica from Polished Lyrics - I received her package this week from her shop!
Inge from PolishSiS - I got her package today from the giveaway I won. :D
Arie from Catch The Beauty With Arie - She nminated me fr tw blg awards!
Romika from Romika's Nails - for nominating me for an award too!

Nominated by Arie and Romika!

Nominated by Arie.

These are the rules:

1. Post the logo within your blog or post.
2. Pass the award on to several other bloggers.
3. Link the nominees within your post.
4. Let the nominees know they have received the award by commenting on their blog.
5. Share the love and link to the person whom you have received this award from.

Now I realise these things work kind of like tags, but I've waited so long it seems like they have already made their rounds. If they *cough*haven't*cough* give me a poke. ;) kk?

P.S. My lemming list is getting REALLY long. Can anyone help me out with a swap?

New Comment... Thinger...

2010-04-09T19:20:00.000-07:00

Testis... testis... one... two... three?
Checking out a new blog comment template.

Oh here we go... JOE FRESH.... Nail Polish.

2010-04-09T15:32:00.001-07:00

"Polish your spring look with new Joe Fresh™ nail colours? Find the whole collection of 27 shades in stores next week. Great shades for only $4 each."

Yep, for those Canadians who have the Superstore, you are familiar with Joe Fresh. A brand of neat (most of the time) clothing that is affordable! Recently Joe Fresh has added a beauty line of affordable cosmetics and neat bath and body products. Sans nail polish. I just got an email that Joe Fresh is adding nail polish to their stock! I didn't see it on their site *yet* but I have the photo to prove it.

You know I'll be grabbing these and swatching them here and there. I'm not rich, quite the opposite. I'm usually dirt poor all the time wondering WTF my hubby and I are going to eat.
BUT... I'll grab some every time I go to the grocery store. I'll take lots of pics and notes when I see the displays soo..... I'll be interested in SWAPS! Or... should you just want me to buy them for you, I'll do that too. I'd be pleased to help! NEW NAIL POLISH!!

P.S. You might wonder why I buy nail polish when we are kinda poor. I'm addicted and it's my only creative outlit right now. Just little by little... no mega hauls. :s

Monthly Blarghness

2010-04-06T21:43:00.000-07:00

Hello ladies (and gents?).

I'm in a bit of a funk lately, most likely because it's around time for Mother Nature to give me her monthly gift. *eye roll* My skin is driving me crazy, my nails are peeling and super short because they seem to be effected by the weather and my constant hand washing. I don't even know what to put on my nails so they have been naked for the past couple of days.

I'm also frustrated with the stupid mail system. I know I have packages floating around somewhere and I want to know where they are and why they are taking so long! My main concern is CUSTOMS! Did they take my shinies away?! Not to mention that Friday and Monday where holidays so I bet that would have an effect on them.... but I want them nooowwwww!! *whine* I've been waiting on my Konad package from OC Nail Art for over a month (including PayPal echeck clearance) so I'm waiting on Kathleen's reply to see what is goin' on with that. Shame it's the french nail kit, my nails are stubs and I couldn't pull off a french right now if my life depended on it.

Arie!! I saw the lovely award you nominated me for! I'll get to that in a few days, I promise.

Oh... The husband and I finally saw Alice in Wonderland last night. What a neat movie! Did any of you see it?

Cheeky Monkey Polish Review

2010-04-03T19:45:00.000-07:00

The other week I received a box in the mail from Cheeky Monkey Cosmetics. When I opened the box it contained a lovely gift bag (shown by Gizmo here) Inside was a cute pink emery board with "cheeky monkey" printed on it. (sorry I failed to take a photo today), a funny sticker that says "You are F'n Fantastic" with the Cheeky Monkey logo... and yes... I forgot to include a photo of the sticker too. I suck, I know. at the bottom of the bag was three polishes and a topcoat.

This is "One Night Stand". It is a pink pastel with a light pearl shimer.

"Staggette", a creme medium toned red. I like to describe it as a strawberry red. It was really hard to capture it, it is showing up a little more orange than it is in red life.

The best bottle tag of the bunch! :)

And the best for last (IMO), "Romp". A beautiful dark purple with a vibrant blue shimmer.

"I Like It On Top", clear topcoat. It has a light pink tone to it, but it is clear on the nail.

All of these polishes formulas were watery. The most difficult one I think was One Night Stand. It took about 5 coats to get it as even as possible. The thin brush on all of the bottles made the thin formula really difficult to handle. I'm used to the pro-wide brushes a lot of polishes have converted to. I think if they had a wider brush, it would have been easier to handle the formula.
Staggette was the easiest to handle. It evened out in about three coats, which is great for a thinner formula polish. Romp was in the middle. It covered better, but was still a little on the difficult side.

One thing I didn't like was the drying time. All of them took a long time to dry, and with thin formula I expected it to dry a lot faster. The multiple coats didn't help. The topcoat could have saved this but it was a slow dryer as well. You might notice a smudge on the index finger for the pink polish (One Night Stand). I thought the polish was dry, but I smeared it when was trying to take photos. I think it was at least 10-15 minutes after I applied the topcoat.

The colours on these were awesome, I really loved them. Romp was definitely my favourite!

Dispite my beef with the drying time and the brush I am pretty sure I'm going to get a few colours from their website. I'm thinking Hangover will be one of them. :) So next time I'll use a pro-wide brush and some sort of quick-dry product. Any suggestions?

[These products were sent to me by Cheeky Monkey for review.]

Easter Mani Fails [Picture Heavy]

2010-03-31T22:35:00.001-07:00

Ok, this isn't going to be a pretty posting. Not fishing for complements, I guess I'm looking for some advice. I attempted my first water marble mani tonight and it was all going great until I put on my topcoat. What I thought were just water droplets on the tops of my nails were actually little tiny bubbles under my marble. When I applied my Seche Vite the bubbles popped exposing the undercoat and basically ruining what I thought was a great first try, and an okay Easter mani. (I don't have many pastels)

You can kind of see the little holes in the colouring exposing a pale undercoat.
I used "Sheer" Your Toys by OPI as my undercoat since I don't have a good white base. I used OPI's Plugged-In Plum, Suzi Says Feng Shui, and Jade is the New Black as my marbling colours.

Close-ups of the bubbling on my thumbs.

(NOTE: The bubbles were not in the water before I dipped my fingers in. I was watching out for that. These bubbles happened after the marble pattern was already on my nail.)

So I stripped it all off and thought. "Hey, I'll use those Milani Holos I won from Euridice's giveaway and just skittle them." Well, it turned out better in my head.

It doesn't look terrible, but I just wasn't that into it. Maybe the colour order was off... I don't know. Maybe I was just too disappointed in my water marble. So I stripped it all off and I'm going naked tomorrow. *big sigh*

Any tips on the water marbling would be awesome. Has anyone had trouble marbling? Any colours you enjoy marbling or doing skittles with?

And yes... I'm still doing polish reviews this weekend. u.u

Sneek Peek

2010-03-29T18:08:00.001-07:00

Hmmm... I wonder what I'll be reviewing this weekend...

What has Happened to my Luck?

2010-03-29T14:26:00.000-07:00

I seem to have won 3 giveaways in the past couple months including today. To prevent empty polish bottles from being thrown at me by my fellow bloggers I'm going to stop entering them for a while. I will still throw the good word out to you guys here and there regarding the ones I see so you guys can enter them. Maybe I'll make a contest bar on the side of my page. Any suggestions?

I feel a little weird about my blog having more giveaway advertisment than actual posts!

These are the giveaways I have won:
- Holla for Holos from Travels With Euridice. A blog updated by Liz from the US.
- Friday Follower Freebie from Body ad Soul Beauty. A blog by Mary in Michigan US. (I hope this one didn't get lost in the mail! That would be sad.)
- Foil Giveaway from PolishedSis, a blog contributed by two sisters, Inge and Sharon who live in HOLLAND! Awesome.

If you don't follow these blogs already go take a look. I enjoy reading them all. :)
And I want you know know I didn't cheat, or do anything special to win any of these. It looks like I just had luck on my side.

Earth Hour 2010

2010-03-27T17:16:00.000-07:00

I hope you all participate.

What will do be doing for Earth Hour?

Cookies N Nails

2010-03-23T20:41:00.000-07:00

The other week Brooke from Polishing Off posted about making cake mix cookies. I gave it a try. They look and taste awesome. Thanks Brooke, you have a baking fan. :P

These are made with lemon cake mix, but you can use any cake mix!

Two weeks ago I won a giveaway from Travels With Euridice and the package arrived yesterday! *eee!* One of the prizes was China Glaze - Spin Me Round (pictured above).
I also received the Milani 3D Holographic collection! I will swatch the prizes this weekend! :D
Thanks again, Liz!

Oh NOES!! HELP A FELLOW BLOGGER

2010-03-21T12:21:00.001-07:00

UPDATE: Romika was able to locate an email address off the blog and contacted the blogger and the comment issue has been resolved. Thank you to everyone who helped out. :)

_____________________
Polish Serenity is going to have her first giveaway soon and no one can comment! I wish she knew her comments are broken! This is bad. :(

We need more people to blog about it and hopefully she will see it to be able to fix it! Thess from The Nail Farm has already blogged about it and the word needs to be spread. We need to help a fellow blogger out! She doesn't read my blog so she won't see my entry. :(

Salley Hansen FAIL

2010-03-20T23:13:00.000-07:00

Sally Hansen, I got beef with you!

Picture taken by Corey Williams.

This is the SECOND Xtreme Wear polish that has been gloppy and messy and streaky and just plain nasty. I used "White On" for a base colour for my awesome Rescue Beauty Lounge - "Square Pants" that Brooke from Getcha Nails Did was sweet enough to send me as a swap. (Which I still need to choose some colours for her! I have not forgotten!)

NOTE: I am not angry about the yellow colour on top, I'm PI$$ED about the yucky white underneath. It applied like year old white-out. It looks like I applied while drunk. It was so hard to handle and the brush was flimsy, thin, uneven.

The yellow on top is RBL - Square Pants. It applied very nicely. The brush was nice. It wasn't streaky. No complaints. I put the white underneath because Square Pants is a sheer, and I wanted it opaque. The White by Sally Hansen = fail. I didn't even bother cleaning it up before snapping photos. Nope, I wanted to show it in all it's gooey glory.

And yes, the pictures are dark I took them in my bathroom because it's 11:30pm and there is no sunlight to be had. And yes, my fingers look like they have a major case of lobster hands. I was steam cleaning the carpets today and doing some WoW raiding so the blood was flowin' and my skin is pale and transparent so when the blood is pumping you can actually SEE the veins. Makes for a lovely photo, no?

So it brings me to this: I want suggestions for sheer undercoats. What do you use to make a sheer opaque? I don't want "white" or "nude". Tell me what you like to use. What brand and colour? Last time someone told me "white" I stupidly chose Sally Lameson Xtreme Fail and came out with the above.

Dita Von Tease Teams up with Kiss Nails

2010-03-20T10:08:00.000-07:00

Fashionable Gal just spilled some awesome beans. Dita Von Tease is working with Kiss nails to create her famous red and white half-moon manicure. *dies* I'll be getting these sexy nails...

St. Patty's Mani - OPI - Jade is the New Black

2010-03-18T20:35:00.000-07:00

Ok, don't click on the images because they look horribly blurry blown up. I sincerely apologise for that. I've been sick all week and apparently using your own body as a tripod as you are sniffling and sneezing isn't a good idea. ;) I swear my photography will improve along side my polishing skills as I blog more and more. I am improving on my application, slowly but surely.

Above: with flash, below: no flash.
So everyone under the sun (and in the shade) has blogged about Jade is the New Black. I can see why. the colour is a lovely creme dusty green colour. I love green so I am no exception to the JitNB love fest. The application was a little on the thin side as I have noticed with most of OPI's formulas. This took three coats to get it nice and opaque, but I think it's totally worth it. I will take more pictures when I figure this 'I'm taking photos of my own hand' thing out.

Thanks for reading everyone!

Skulda's Claws

Detoxify Your Make-up Kit!

Spreading the Solstice Scents Love!

Eyes like death and Freckles!

Ugh...

Moved! And now for the hard part.

UPDATE!

Coty Response

Bye Bye, OPI

Need Make up Help!! (please?)

Black Phoenix Alchemy Labs - Embalming Fluid

Twisted Panties Test Drive Polishes!

Black Phoenix Alchemy Labs [Pic Heavy]

China Glaze Awakening Collection

Justin Beiber collection from Nicole by OPI.

Fight like a Woman Collection

HAI!! (Update)

WTF SPOONS?!

Happy 101 Tag

RIP Sophie

Note...

Orly Bloom Collection Review

Essence - In the Jungle

Swap From Rainbows and Blues and more!

Nubar *Really* Wants to Get the Point Across...

Crackle Polish

Freya's Feast

Orly - Sweet Collection [Picture Heavy]

Miss Sporty - 60

China Glaze - Jitterbug

China Glaze - Hey Doll

Misa Collection Preview - What I Like About You

SpaRitual - Flashback

China Glaze - Atlantis

China Glaze - Swing Baby

China Glaze "Awakening" Promo for Halloween!

China Glaze "Fight Like a Woman" Collection Promo!

China Glaze - Foxy

China Glaze - Riveter Rouge

Tra-la-la!

Canada Day

HAPPY CANADA DAY!

Photos Soon, Quick Update & Suggestion Wanting Now

Quick Update

Jessica Alba Wears China Glaze Scared Heart

My First RAOK, and me stuff.

SpaRitual - Optical Illusion

First Spa Boutique Haul

It is Hump Day! Prepare for Manfred!

Diamond Cosmetics - Cherry Tobacco

Chameleon - Calypso

Diamond Cosmetics - Hue Are You?

Katy Perry Wearing Yellow Polka Dot Bikini

ICING - Dark & Stormy and Nfu-Oh 52 - 100 Followers

Susie's Giveaway!

Anxiety

Happy Friday!

Evil Angel's 666 Giveaway!

BB Couture - Impact Driver [Picture Heavy]

OPI - My Private Jet (but which one?)

OPI - Ogre the Top Blue

Betty White from SNL

The Best Price Is Right Contestant

Milani - Cyberspace (Holographic)

OPI - Funky Dunkey

China Glaze Vintage Vixen Collection 2010

Where in the World is Paper Chasing?

OPI - Fiercely Fiona

OPI - What's With the Cattitude?

OPI - Rumple's Wigglin'

My First Helmer

Joe Fresh - Grape

Weekend Update and a Giveaway

ATTENTION CANUCKS!!

Jizz by BleachBlack

Random - Magnetic Polish?

I Love Your Blog Award

China Glaze - In the Lime Light (Neon)

Rescue Beauty Lounge Giveaway at R3 Daily

OPI - Banana Bandanna

Nubar Really Wants to Get the Point Across...