NOTD: Dark Plum

I honestly didn't think I would find anything in the new OPI collection 'Touring America' that was worth buying - but I was wrong!

While out shopping yesterday, I fell in love with the new shade I Break for Manicures, a gorgeous dark plum-burgundy. I also picked up a fun shade called Its My Year (not from the Touring America collection); in the bottle it's a duo-chome grape purple with gold and grape shimmers.

It was no surprise to me when I picked both shades as the colors I would paint my nails this week! I did all of my nails in the I Break for Manicures color, and then used Its My Year as my accent nail color for my ring finger.

I love the look of dark nail polish on short nails - it makes them 'pop'. I also love the shade because it is very fall appropriate - and fall is my favorite season!

Two coats of I Break for Manicures was all I needed to get a completely opaque finish on my nails. I only used one coat of Its My Year on my accent nails.

I'm really hoping that when I go to take this color off, I don't end up with burgundy staining on my skin - but we'll see!

Here are some better pictures of my nails:

NOTD: Wrapped up in Rubies

I mentioned this polish in my haul post from the weekend. This week's nail polish is Essie's Wrapped in Rubies. This shade of polish is a deep burgundy red with gold and bronze shimmer. In the bottle, the polish looks like a very bronze/gold red. However, once you apply the polish to your nails, the burgundy really comes out and the bronze/shimmer just seems to act as a highlight.



Here is what it looks like on my fingers:









I had to apply two coats of this polish in order to get the finish you see in these pictures. The polish applies fairly well - it streaks a bit if you don't quite have enough product on your brush. I've applied a top coat to keep the polish from chipping as fast - it seems (at least in my experience) that Essie polishes with shimmer in them tend to chip much faster than their matte or glossy polishes do.



I'm happy with this color. Because of its burgundy tone, this red is perfect to wear at the office. It would also be great for a fancy night out.



Do you own this polish? What do you think about it?



Happy Monday!

HAUL: A Tiny Friday Haul

On Friday afternoon I was in my local Wal-Mart and couldn't pass up an opportunity to take a stroll through the makeup section. I am resisting picking up big-ticket items in favor of saving some money, but I did pick up a few cheap items that I thought I would share with you all.



Essie Nail Laquer in Shade 408 Wrapped in Rubies - I spotted this the last time I was in Wal-Mart, and fell in love with it. But, I was picking up some items for a swap I am doing so resisted picking this up then. I quickly snatched it up when I was back in the store on Friday! This nail color is a deep burgundy red with lots of gold/bronze shimmer. I love it! You will see it in the NOTD post I do on Monday!



Annabelle Cosmetics Annabelle Studio 4Show Eyeshadow in Eye-Candy - This is a quad eye shadow palette yellow, orange, pink and purple shades in it. All four are shimmery. I have not seen this color in the display before, so it must have always been sold out. I can see why! The colors are gorgeous!



Wet 'n' Wild Color Icon Blusher in Shade 834E Berry Shimmer - This is my first Wet 'n' Wild blush. I picked this shade because it's a lovely strawberry pinky-red with gold shimmer. It's very pretty. I've swatched it on my hand and it's very pigmented and soft; the shimmer is not glittery either - it will create a nice warm glow, not a disco-ball look! I am looking forward to using this with my work makeup this week.



Wet 'n' Wild Color Icon Eye Shadow Trio in Shade 380B Walking on Eggshells - I don't own this Trio yet, but have seen it in a lot of blog posts, swap videos, and tutorials. I think it's a pretty neutral palette that will see a lot of use. The Browbone color is a shimmery bone-white color, the crease is a soft brown shimmer, and the lid color is a gorgeous warm taupe (more red in the base than blue). This will also likely get worn this week to work!



Annabelle Cosmetics Smudge Liner Eye Liner Pencils in Electric Sapphire and Rich Chocolate - I LOVE these eye pencils. Next to Urban Decay 24/7 pencils, they are my faves! The fact that they are a little less than half the price is a bonus too! These are super creamy, very blend-able pencils that I use primarly as a quick and easy way of doing my crease (just line the crease area and blind with a brush, et voila - easy peasy crease definition without all the fussy brush work! A trick I learned by watching a video by Cami of Camiloveskiwi), and as an under-eye liner for a pop of color. My favorite pencil is Armour, a purple-taupe. I'm going to be greedy and say I want all of the pencils in this line, lol :)



As I mentioned earlier in the post, I bought everything in this post from Wal-Mart. Do you own any of these items? If so, what do you think of them all?



Have a wonderful close to your weekend!

NOTD: Sandy Beaches

This week's NOTD is decidedly more demure than what my nails have looked like the past two weeks.

I decided to go simple rather than bright or crackled.

My nails are currently painted with Essie's Buy Me A Cameo, a very pretty metallic, shimmery, sandy brown. The shade is very pretty - it reminds me of a Maybelline nail polish that I wore once or twice before accidentally dumping it all over a pair of new capris. I ruined them, and consequently had wasted the bottle of polish.

It's a bit too neutral for toenails - so I will stick to wearing this on my fingernails.

Anyway, Buy Me A Cameo is very basic - very neutral. Here is what it looks like on my hands:




This polish will compliment a bronzed or neutral makeup look very nicely!

What do you guys think of this color? Is this something you would wear?

Have a great day!

NOTD: Back to Black & White

I do not know why I call these 'Nail of the Day' (NOTD) posts, when it is very rare that I wear my nail polish for just one day. Typically it's on for a week (Sunday to Sunday), so it should really be NOTW.

Anyway, I originally had wanted to have white nails this week with a super shimmery white glitter accent nail. After two coats of white polish I decided it was not going to look very nice, so I put black crackle over top of it. I didn't want to waste the white.

This is what I ended up with:





The simplicity of this, as well as the awesome contrast between the black and white, makes me love it. This is what crackle polish shoud look like, lol! I find I don't have as much luck with applying the shimmery crackle shades as I do with the solid crackle shades. The shimmery ones tend to be thinner in consistency and apply pretty sheer over your base color.

I did decide to give the accent nail another try...I put the glitter polish I had wanted to use on my ring finger nail - you can barely tell in these photos, though!

For this nail look, I used:

- Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear Nail Color in Shade 4860-21 White Out
- OPI Nail Lacquer in Black Shatter

What do you think of this NOTD? Do you like the look of white polish - or does it scream 1980's a bit too loudly?

Have a great day!

NOTD - Ivy Green

If you follow me on Twitter, you will likely have seen a recent tweet from me about how I am not sure I like my current nail color. Really, I think it has more to do with my 'accent nail' - I don't like one nail on each hand being different from the rest.

This Sunday, I decided to paint my nails with Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear Nail Color in shade 4860-17 Ivy League - which is a bright metallic ivy green. I chose to paint my accent nail (ring finger nail) with OPI's Turquoise Shatter.

Here's what the nail colors look like:



and here's what my hand ended up looking like:



and here is a close up of my accent nail:


I think this attempt at my nails was an epic fail. I wanted to try something new, thought my color combination would work, and I think I ended up with a hot mess. I will keep it on my nails for the rest of the week, but I won't be wearing this combination again. Who would've thought that blue and green would look bad together?

TAG: Summer Nail Color Picks

When I first decided to do the 'Summer Picks' tag, I didn't think I would bother posting about nail polish. I decided to tonight because I cannot make up my mind about which face/cheek makeup products to share with you!

I have a large collection of nail polishes, amassed over the years. My collection is no comparison to the one I had in 7th/8th grades though. Back in the day, nail polish was the business. I had every color imaginable and loved loved loved to wear it. In high school and college I got tired of it, and usually only wore clear polish or a shimmery white or pink. Gradually as I got more and more into makeup and cosmetics, I began to grow a brand new nail polish collection.

It was hard for me to pick just a handful of favorite polishes for the summer months - so I didn't. I picked several handfuls!

I've divided them into categories to make looking at them a bit easier.

Glitters:


- OPI Nail Lacquer in Simmer & Shimmer (Burlesque Collection)
- OPI Nail Lacquer in Teenage Dream (Katy Perry Collection)
- Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear Nail Color in 4860-24 Shooting Star
- Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear Nail Color in 4860-05 Rockstar Pink

Why pick just plain old silver or gold glitter when you can pick color? These are my faves, alone or on top of other polishes!

Shatters:


- OPI Nail Lacquer in Black Shatter
- OPI Nail Lacquer in Turquoise Shatter
- OPI Nail Lacquer in Blue Shatter
- Barry M Nail Paint Nail Effects in 316 White

Shatters look phenomenal over top of complementary or contrasting colors. You can really create some awesome mixes - my favorite being the white shatter overtop of a blue.

In the picture above it looks like the Blue and Turquoise shatters by OPI are very similar in color - they're not! I just just the lighting!

Regular Polish:


- Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear Nail Color in 4830-17 Hot Magenta
- Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear Nail Color in 4830-10 Strawberry Icing
- Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear Nail Color in 4860-06 Sun Kissed
- Wet 'n' Wild Fast Dry Nail Color in 224C The Wonder Yellows
- Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear Nail Color in 4860-02 Green With Envy
- Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear Nail Color in 4830-22 Lime Lights
- Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear Nail Color in 6213-07 Turquoise
- Essie Nail Lacquer in 752 Turquoise & Caicos
- Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear Nail Color in 4830-11 Lavender Envy

I am a huge fan of color, especially bright color, so it's no surprise that all of the polish colors I picked in this category are really bright and crisp!

I love Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear Nail Color. It is extremely affordable and comes in a huge array of colors. Wet 'n' Wild is another brand of cheap polishes that I'm starting to get in to.

While I like high end polishes, I really can't afford to buy them all of the time. Essie is almost $12.00 per bottle where I live - which is even more expensive than OPI! I only pick up Essie when it goes on sale.

What are your summer nail polish picks? Did you pick any of the same colors as me?

I hope you guys all have a great week!

Don't forget to enter my First Annual Blog Birthday Giveaway!

Top 5 Most Re-Purchased Items

5. Clinique 3-Step Skincare System
Soap (bar), Toner & Moisturizer - Number 2

I use this system every morning - sometimes just the toner and moisturizer, sometimes all 3 products. I shower in the evenings to save time in the morning when I'm getting ready for work, so I don't always need to re-wash my face when I wake up. I use to use the cream moisturizer, but recently switched to the gel. I find the gel helps reduce oil production on my face, and it isn't as heavy. For awhile, I had stopped using the system because it's expensive, but my skin loves it. I buy the bar soap (you get three in a package) because I feel I'm getting more bang for my buck (the liquid soap runs out very fast). The toner is the item I go through the fastest, followed by the moisturizer. I always have one of each of those on standby for when the bottle I'm using runs out.

4. Non-Acetone Nail Polish Remover

I love to paint my nails, but the damage that polish does can be harsh. Using a Non-Acetone (Acetone Free) remover helps reduce the chemical wear-and-tear on my nails, and the smell isn't as intense. I don't favor a particular brand...I just buy what's cheapest (usually generic drugstore or Wal-Mart brand).

3. Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser

This is my go-to everyday skin cleanser that I use in the shower. It's a very gentle (as the name states) cleanser, and it does a wonderful job of removing eye makeup (yes, I use this on my eyes!). It comes in a pump bottle or a squeeze bottle (the pump bottle is larger) and it usually between $12 and $18. Sometimes it goes on sale for $9.99, which is usually when I scoop up a bottle. I have never had a reaction to this cleanser; my sensitive skin (I also have periodic breakouts of eczema) loves it.

2. Cover Girl LashBlast Fusion Mascara

This is the Cover Girl mascara in the chubby purple tube, and I LOVE it. It's my favorite mascara. I use to buy it in black-brown, but have recently switched to black. It does a great job of defining my lashes without flaking away on me. I also love the price!

1. Rosebud Salve Lip Balm

This is a pink-tinted, rose-scented vaseline type product that can be used on lips as well as dry or irritated skin. I typically use it on my lips at night before I go to bed and while I put my makeup on to prime/moisturize my lips before I put on lipstick or gloss. I'm actually trying to get away from using it now, because I can only get it from Sephora (which is a pain in the butt for me, as I either have to travel or order it online and pay exchange on it).

What are your Top 5 most re-purchased products? Do you share any with me?

Combinations: Pink & Orange Nails

Well, I've had a brainwave for another type of post I can do!

I'm going to start something called 'Combinations' - where I blog about two products that I like to use in combination with one another. It's a pretty simple idea, but I thought it would be fun! In the very least, it's something to add some variation to my blog.

Here's my first combination!

I adore the color combination of pink and orange - especially if they are bright pinks and oranges.

In a recent Barry M haul, I bought the much talked about Barry M Nail Paint in Peach Melba (shade 318). In the bottle, the shade comes off as a pretty pale coral orange with pink undertones. My skin is very pale with pink undertones, so when I applied Peach Melba all of the pink disappeared and I was left with day-glo orange nails. I was disappointed, but determined to salvage my nails by doing something else with them.

So I hauled out my Barry M Nail Effects Nail Paint in Pink (shade 314) and put that on over top of Peach Melba.

The result? This awesomeness!



My nails had a faux-crocodile print look to them; both of the colors had enough 'pop' to them to show up with contrast on my nails, and I LOVED the way it looked! I even got a couple compliments about this polish look! I have a feeling I will be wearing this combination a few more times over the summer - I'm even going to try it out on my toes when we get closer to sandal weather!

I have another combination to share with you this weekend, so stay tuned! I also have a very special post that I will be putting up later this afternoon/evening. I'm getting a haircut, and it's going to be drastic. I'm excited to see how it will look and share the change with you all.

Have a wonderful Friday!

REVIEW: Barry M Nail Paint in Indigo

Product Brand and Name, Price (CDN), Where Purchased

Barry M Nail Paint in Shade 312 Indigo, 3.33 (GBP), BarryM.com

Reason for Purchase

A discount was available, and I have been wanting to try out Barry M products for a few years now.

Notable Features

While I usually write notable features about the product here, I thought I would write something about the brand instead, as the product itself doesn’t really have any special features.

The Barry M website ships internationally and PayPal is available as a payment method. While product shade swatches are not the best, I really appreciate the fact that for the most part they do not name their shades - they just leave them as numbers and that’s that!

Packaging

The nail polish comes in a rectangular (upright) glass bottle with a white twist-off cap. The font on the bottle is in their special typeface. The shade name and number is on a sticker on the bottom of the bottle.

Experience Using Product

I really like this shade, to start with. It’s a very deep blue with purple undertones. This shade is opaque with no shimmer - just a glossy finish.


The polish had pretty decent lasting power. It made it through about 5 days without major chipping - and then I put white crackle on top of it to extend the lasting power.

I applied wo coats of this polish to my nails and that landed me with a finish I was happy with. The color really pops against my fair skin. This color will look awesome on toes, too!

Would I Re-Purchase, Recommend, or Reject

I am very happy with this nail polish. I would buy another bottle if anything bad ever happens to this one (I dropped it on a tile floor recently and I am relieved that it didn’t smash!).

I would recommend this polish to you if you don’t already have a color like it in your collection. Barry M’s prices for nail polish (while in British Pounds) are very reasonable, and are still cheaper than Essie and OPI once you factor in the exchange rate.

If you are at all interested in Barry M and their nail paints, check out their website by clicking here.

HAUL: Barry M

I recently put in an order with Barry M, as part of the Get Barry M into Canada movement on Facebook. Once the Fan Page reached 500 Followers, Barry M gave us 25% off of our next purchase. I thought this was a perfect opportunity to put in an order for products that I've seen on a great number of other beauty blogs and in YouTube videos.

The things that I was most interested in trying were the Nail Paints and Dazzle Dusts - so that's all I ordered. Here's a picture of the haul, and a rundown of what I ordered:



- Nail Paint in 318 Peach Melba
- Nail Paint in 312 Indigo
- Nail Paint in 291 Cobalt Blue
- Nail Paint 314 Instant Nail Effect Pink
- Nail Paint 316 Instant Nail Effect White
- Nail Paint 315 Instant Nail Effect Blue
- Dazzle Dust No. 51 Mushroom
- Dazzle Dust No. 89 Oyster Grey

I bought the nail polishes because I have heard wonderful things about the color range. Peach Melba and Indigo have appeared in a number of videos on YouTube, and I've seen positive reviews of them on blogs. I picked out Cobalt Blue because I don't have a blue like it in my collection. I bought the crackle polishes because I think they will be more day-friendly than the black shade that I have from OPI.

Here is a closer look a the Nail Paints:



There were sooo many Dazzle Dusts to pick from, I decided to only get two. I went with Mushroom - a pretty mauve-taupe color that will be something I can wear every day, and Oyster Grey, another neutral I can wear every day. Both have a pretty multi-dimensional shimmer on them; I am looking forward to using them. Hopefully they will not be too messy to apply!

Here is a closer look at the Dazzle Dusts (Mushroom on right, Oyster Grey on left):



I can easily see myself buying from Barry M again; even with the exchange and shipping factored in, the products are very affordable and were delivered in a very reasonable space of time. My package shipped from the UK on April 18th and I received it on April 28th - that's only 8 business days for an International delivery - very good!

If you want to learn more about Barry M or perhaps purchase some of their products, visit their website by clicking here.

REVIEW: Essie Nail Lacquer in Turquoise and Caicos

Product Brand and Name, Price (CDN), Where Purchased

Essie Nail Lacquer in Turquoise and Caicos, $9.99 CDN @ Shoppers Drug Mart

Reason for Purchase

The polish was on sale and I love the shade.

Notable Features

The only special information I could find about this polish is that the brand has been ‘America’s nail salon expert since 1981’.

Packaging

Essie polishes are packaged in a rectangular glass bottle with rounded edges, and a white cap. The labelling is very sparse - it just says ‘Essie’ in white font on the front. The bottle also has ‘Essie’ stamped into the bottle on both sides (the text is raised on the outside of the bottle). The brush is skinny.

Experience Using Product

I’m beginning to think that the more expensive the polish, the worse it applies. I am probably being pessimistic, but I am experiencing this a LOT with expensive polishes from companies like OPI and Essie.

This polish took three coats before it got to a complete opaque finish. The first two coats apply very streaky. Additionally, the longer the bottle was open, the more gloopy and gloppy it got - like it was clotting. I was not impressed with that!

I have worn the polish for a full week and it just started to chip on Friday. I took it off yesterday night (Sunday).

I am happy with the lasting power of this polish. The shade is also lovely - very happy and spring-themed. The shade is a more green-based turquoise than blue. I think I would like the polish more if it had more of a blue tint to it. This is another polish that will make a great pedicure color!

Would I Re-Purchase, Recommend, or Reject

For me, I feel like when I buy an Essie polish I am paying for the brand name and not necessary the quality of the product. Additionally, you don’t get much product in the bottle: compare Essie’s 13.5 milliliters per bottle versus OPI’s 15 milliliters per bottle. They retail for the same price - but you are getting 1.5 milliliters more product for the price if you buy OPI! Personally, I am more inclined to buy OPI full price and Essie only when it is on sale.

Turquoise and Caicos is a lovely color; a number of more cheaply sold brands have similar shades out now. This color was very trendy last year! Save your money and buy a good dupe from China Glaze or Revlon. I don’t recommend this particular polish to you.

You can visit the Essie webpage and learn more about their polishes here.

Don't forget to enter my Seven Deadly Sins Makeup Contest! The Contest closes at 8:00 p.m. on April 9th, so get your entries in soon!

HAUL: Wal-Mart & Shoppers

I love hauls, in theory. I love the idea of doing them, I like buying everything, but I really don’t like having to haul everything out and jot down tiles/shades etc.

This haul was done on Saturday March 26th 2011 at both Wal-Mart and Shoppers Drug Mart - we’ll call it a drugstore haul. There is not one item on this list that was over $10.00 CDN.

Anyway, enough with the jibba jabba - here’s the haul!



Spa Resource Pro Series Foundation Kabuki Brush

This line of makeup brushes is new to my local Wal-Mart; I was going to buy a Bronzer brush when I saw this one. I decided to give it a try. The bristles are synthetic, but they are really soft and densely packed. I am looking forward to giving this brush a try. I love kabuki brushes, but usually find the bristles are too stiff/scratchy for my liking.

NYC 16 Hour Smooch Proof Lip Stain (x2)
Rock on Ruby & Endless Spice

I’ve used these stains once each and so far I am impressed. My reviews of lip stains are usually less than stellar, but I think I may have found something I like. A review will go up soon.

NYC Extreme Lip Glider Lip Gloss in Carnegie Melon

I own one of these already, and wanted to try a new shade; this one is more natural and less obvious than the other one that I have got (a bright red). There is a fruity scent to these glosses that is refreshing but not too sweet. There is no flavor at all (yay!).

Wet n Wild Wild Shine Nail Color in Rain Check (Ciel Suprise en Français)

I decided to pick up another one of these polishes after my experience with Night Prowl. This color looked odd to me - I haven’t seen one quite like it before. The polish is a metallic sky blue with a silver base. I think this will be my toe color this week!

Wet n Wild Fast Dry Nail Color in Shade 224C The Wonder Yellows

Strangely enough, I didn’t already have a color like this in my nail polish collection. So, into my shopping basket this bottle went. I actually restrained myself from buying the whole collection - they are in very bright rainbow shades, which is what I was attracted to. I am glad I didn’t, because I already have every other color in the collection except this one!

Wet n Wild Megalast Lip Color (x3)
Rose Bud, Mauve Outta Here, Think Pink

I was inspired by a post by Everyday Makeup Blog and decided to pick up some colors. I’ll be wearing these shades this week and a review will go up next week! I have 904B Rose Bud, 907C Mauve Outta Here and 901B Think Pink.

Maybelline Volum’Express Mascara in Black Brown

I go through a tube of mascara in less than two months...I wear it every day. I’ve been using Cover Girl religiously for awhile now and decided to buy a comparable formulation from another company. This seemed to be the closest match. I have used this once (today) and was not terribly happy...we’ll see if things change.

GOSH Eye Pigment (x2)
Satin & Meringue

The only reason I picked these two little containers up is because they were on sale. Normally, I don’t like working with pigments and loose shadows. I am hoping these will be nice go-to colors for simple days where I just want a smidge of shimmer on my eyes.

Wet n Wild Eye Shadow Trio (x3)
Spoiled Brat, Silent Treatment, I Dream of Greenie

Yay trios! I have four now....love them!

Essie Nail Lacquer (x2)
Buy Me a Cameo & Turquoise and Caicos

Essie was on sale at Shoppers this weekend, so I picked up two bottles. Turquoise and Caicos came out last year, and I don’t know when Buy Me a Cameo came out - I just know it reminds me of a color I use to have and wear a lot in high school (which met its end when I accidentally dumped the whole bottle on a new pair of capris...which were ruined...).

I hope you enjoyed this post! Reviews will be coming soon for most of these products - one will actually go up later this week!

Happy Monday!

Have you entered my Seven Deadly Sins makeup contest yet? Click here for details!

REVIEW: Wet n Wild Wild Shine Nail Color in Night Prowl

Product Brand and Name, Price (CDN), Where Purchased

Wet-n-Wild Wild Shine Nail Color in Night Prowl (c’est Boisé en Français), $1.57 CDN @ Wal-Mart

Reason for Purchase

I was attracted to the odd shade.

Notable Features

This is a no bells and whistles product - it’s just a regular old nail polish.

Packaging

The nail polish comes in a rectangular shaped (it’s tapered at the bottom) 12.7 mL glass bottle (that’s 0.43 fl. oz.) with a silver twist off brush-cap. There is also a black sticker with pink font that says ‘New Shade’ on the cap to let you know this color was released very recently.

Experience Using Product

When I first looked at this bottle of polish in the store, I had a really hard time telling if the polish was a dark murky purple with fine purple glitter, or if it was something else. To me, it looked like a blackberry shade with fine purple glitters - an awesome addition to my collection. Either way, I was interested enough in the color that I decided to buy it.

I applied this polish to my nails on Sunday. I was quite surprised to find that the base shade of the polish is actually black! The first coat of polish applied very streaky, even on a clear base of polish. The second coat helped to make the black color stronger, and the third coat gave me the finish I was looking for:



The polish looks wonderful on my nails; right now it looks exactly like it does in the bottle - on first glance you can’t tell that it’s black with fine purple glitter; there is so much glitter that it really does look like the base shade is purple!

Had I known that the base shade of this polish was black, I would have saved myself some time and just applied my favorite black nail polish as my base and then just done one coat of this polish on top of it.

This polish is definitely going to see a lot of use! I love it!

Would I Re-Purchase, Recommend, or Reject

I am always a little peeved when I have to apply more than two coats of polish to my nails in order to get a finish I am happy with. But, with that being said, I really love this polish - so my peeved-ness disappeared quickly.

I would recommend this nail polish to you if you are looking for something a bit funkier and fun to try. The glitters are not massive and chunky, so it doesn’t look horrendous to wear to the office. I actually got compliments when I wore this into work today! The price of this polish is also extremely reasonable; it’s one of the cheaper brands that you can get at Wal-Mart.

I will happily try out some of the other Wet-n-Wild Wild Shine Nail Colors. Wet-n-Wild has been releasing a lot of great stuff as of late - I am keen to buy a few more of their products!

If you want to learn more about this or any of the other Wet-n-Wild products, check out their website.

Have you entered my contest yet? Click here for details!

HAUL: Random Haul

Yay! Time for another Haul post!

I picked up the lion’s share of these products over the last 4 days. I had two Sears orders arrive, went shopping in PharmaPlus, and got one (ONE!) item from Wal-Mart.

Here is a shot of the haul:



And here is the run-down of what I bought. There is quite a lot, so bear with me!

I will be reviewing everything I bought in due time. Some of the reviews will actually go up later this week.

I’ve decided to add a new feature to my Haul posts; I am going to state which store I bought each item from. This way, if you’re interested in picking up an item I’ve listed, you know where to go.

CARGO BeachBlush in Sunset Beach - This product was too pretty to pass up. It’s a product with a dual purpose; it is both a blusher and a bronzer. I think it could also be used as eyeshadow. I know this will see a lot of use! Purchased from Sears.ca

CARGO Bronzer in Light - CARGO is a brand that has quite a reputation for their bronzers. They have several formulations available and a variety of shades to choose from. I have never used a CARGO bronzer before, so I am really excited to give this one a try. It is always nice to use products produced by a Canadian company! Purchased from Sears.ca

Maybelline Fit Me! Pressed Powder - I am very intrigued by Maybelline’s entire Fit Me! line; so I bought all of the products available, minus the bronzer (since I bought the CARGO bronzer). This is going to be one of the first tinted powders that I have used, so I hope it works well and does not make my skin look chalky. Purchased from PharmaPlus

Maybelline Fit Me! Blush in Light Mauve - When I saw the display of the Fit Me! blushes that are available for Light skin tones, this was the one that I thought was the prettiest. Purchased from PharmaPlus

Clinique Chubby Stick - Its a crayon for your lips! Fun! I bought a nice bright shade, Woppin’ Watermelon. Purchased from Sears.ca

Cover Girl Lip Perfection Lipstick - This is the latest of Cover Girls new lipstick formulations. It is the one that both Drew Barrymore and Taylor Swift are spokeswomen for; additionally, they both wear the same shade in the adverts - shade 290 Burn, which is also what I picked up! Burn is a shimmery orange-based red. It will look great with bronzed skin this summer! Purchased from PharmaPlus

Sally Hansen Nail Effects Real Nail Polish Strips - I saw the print ad for this product in last month’s In Style magazine, and new right away that I wanted to try this out. I was very excited to see them when I was out shopping on Saturday. I picked up the design number 340 Girl Flower, that has lots of hippie flowers on it. I wanted the pink camouflage print or the white and black houndstooth, but they were out of those ones! Purchased from Wal-Mart

Maybelline Fit Me! Foundation - All hail drugstore foundation! There such a plethora of them to choose from, and now there is one more! I bought the Fit Me foundation shade 115 Ivory - the lightest shade available. I love to try out new drugstore foundations; it’s handy to have one or two in your supply. I am interested to see how my skin looks with this foundation on, and if there is any allergic reaction. Purchased from PharmaPlus

Clinique Even Better Makeup with SPF 15 - As you may recall, my favorite Clinique foundation has been discontinued. I decided to give a new formulation a try, and thought that the Even Better Makeup would be the best fit for my skin type. We’ll see how this goes! Purchased from Sears.ca

Clinique All About Eyes Concealer - I LOVE this under eye concealer. It works wonders to cover dark circles and hide blue veins. I use the tiniest amount of this product and mix it with Benefit High Beam to add some luminosity; I then apply it to my under eye area with a concealer brush and blend it out with my ring-finger. This is my second tube of All About Eyes. Purchased from Sears.ca

Maybelline Fit Me! Concealer - As you can see in the paragraph above this one, I love All About Eyes, so I don’t know if this Fit Me! Concealer will be able to live up to it. I’ll still give it an honest try, though. I bought this concealer in shade 15 Fair. Purchased from PharmaPlus

Rexall Foot Brush - I didn’t buy this so much for looking after my feet, but more for scrubbing my fingers and under my nails. The brush will work great at removing excess nail polish that I may get on my cuticles, and will certainly help me get paint out from underneath my nails. Purchased from PharmaPlus

Rexall Bath Eye Gel Mask - I bought this simply for the fact that I have always wanted one, but could never find one that was at a reasonable price point. This one was cheap, so I snapped it up! Purchased from PharmaPlus

Physicians Formula Powder Palette Mineral Glow Pearls - This powder is so pretty in the pan, and very pretty when applied! I bought the shade Translucent. When you apply this powder, you end up with a very nice light shimmer on your skin. I am looking forward to using it! Purchased from PharmaPlus

I also bought a few other items that I am setting aside as prizes for a contest I am working on. It will be my first contest, so I’m getting excited about it! I don’t expect to be ready for another couple of weeks yet, so hold tight for more details!

REVIEW: OPI Nail Lacquer in Do You Think I'm Tex-y

Product Brand and Name, Price (CDN), Where Purchased

OPI Nail Lacquer in Do You Think I’m Tex-y from the Texas Collection, $10.00 CDN @ Enviro Trends

Reason for Purchase

I went into the salon to pick up some polishes from the Katy Perry collection. I took a look at the Texas collection while I was there, and this shade interested me.

Notable Features

The polishes are salon quality, and are formulated without formaldehyde, toluene, or dibutyl phthalate (DBPs).

Packaging

OPI polishes come in glass bottles with a black twist off brush cap. They are easy to recognize in a crowd, as their bottles are round and chubby - as are the brush caps.

Experience Using Product

The majority of the polishes in the Texas collection are matte with a glossy finish. They look great in the bottle and great on your nails; Additionally, the majority of the shades in the line are pink or coral based, to go with the spring/summer color trend of coral. Do You Think I’m Tex-y is a deep magenta color; it will look great with Wing It! on top of it. I thought the color may have been a bit to ‘bright’ for work, but I was surprised at how good it looks with professional attire. This color is going to look phenomenal on toenails this summer!

This particular polish shade is deceiving; it looks very opaque and thick, and it’s not! The polish is very thin, and once again I had to apply three coats to get a finish I was satisfied with. I applied Sally Hansen 30 Seconds to Set Insta-Dri Top Coat to the polish, and it has held up remarkably well. I did my nails this Monday, and as of today (Friday) I have no chipping or wear to the polish. This is a first for me, with an OPI polish! Normally I have chips within the first 2 days of wear, regardless of whether or not I apply a top coat.



Would I Re-Purchase, Recommend, or Reject

I would recommend this polish to someone who doesn’t already have a matte magenta polish; if you do, you can skip this one. I won’t be re-purchasing this shade.

REVIEW: OPI Nail Lacquer in Not Like The Movies

It's a horrible picture, I know! This is the best one I could get...I tried 3 times and gave up!

Product Brand and Name, Price (CDN), Where Purchased

OPI Nail Lacquer in Not Like The Movies from the Katy Perry Collection, $10.00 CDN @ Enviro Trends

Reason for Purchase

I went into the store as I knew they had finally gotten in the Katy Perry collection. I was specifically looking for the shade Teenage Dream, found it, and picked this one up too.

Notable Features

The polishes are salon quality, and are formulated without formaldehyde, toluene, or dibutyl phthalate (DBPs).

Packaging

Polishes come in glass bottles with a black twist off brush cap. OPI polishes are easy to recognize in a crowd, as their bottles are round and chubby - as are the brush caps.

Experience Using Product

I was not attracted to this polish shade at all when I saw the print ad campaigns for the collection in magazines like Glamour and In Style. Once I saw the polish in person, I was drawn to it.

Not Like The Movies seriously reminds me of the MAC eyeshadow shade Vex. It looks like it’s a duo-chrome shade - the main color is a light steel grey, but in different lights the grey takes on a pinky-purple or green-blue sheen. The polish is also loaded with tiny silvery-white glitter particles.

The applied the polish very slowly, very sheerly - I have super short nails at the moment and didn’t want to end up with cuticles covered in polish. For that reason, it took 3 sheer coats for me to get a finish I was happy with. Had I applied the polish ‘normally’, I would have only needed to apply two coats of polish.

Here is what it looks like on my fingers; I put it against two different colored backgrounds so you could see how the light picks up the different colors:





Would I Re-Purchase, Recommend, or Reject

I would recommend this polish to someone interested in trying something a bit different. I have worn the polish all week for work, and love it. It is colorful, but not too inappropriately flashy for the office. Because of how much I like the color, I would likely re-purchase this shade. I am thinking about buying a ‘backup’ bottle.

You can find more information about this polish and many more of OPI's available shades by visiting their website.

REVIEW: OPI Nail Lacquer in Wing It!

I swear, I have never felt more self conscious buying a product (not even tampons!) than when I bought this nail polish. I walked into the the salon I buy OPI from, and the girl at the till and her co-worker would chat - pause to stare at me - and then chat again. This went on for the duration of my time in the salon; when they got at the till, they made small talk with me but made me feel like I was out of place by being there. The manager of the salon, an older gentleman, is usually the one who works the tills on weekends but I guess he was busy. Next time he is there when I am, I will talk to him about this.



Product Brand and Name, Price (CDN), Where Purchased

OPI Nail Lacquer in Wing It!, $10.00 CDN @ Enviro Trends

Reason for Purchase

I like the nail polishes that OPI produces, and I really liked the look of this color in the bottle.

I went into the store to check out whether or not they have gotten in the Katy Perry collection yet, and they have not. So, I picked up this polish and another glitter polish from the Burlesque collection.

Notable Features

The polishes are salon quality, and are formulated without formaldehyde, toluene, or dibutyl phthalate (DBPs).

Packaging

Polishes come in glass bottles with a black twist off brush cap. OPI polishes are easy to recognize in a crowd, as their bottles are round and chubby - as are the brush caps.

Experience Using Product

Wing It! is an interesting color. It is a shade of pink, but it’s got shimmers in it that change the color a bit when light hits it. In the bottle, you can pick up hints of gold, orange, magenta, silver and blue. On my nails, all I have been able to pick up is the silver and blue. I really like colors like this, because they transform depending on what you are wearing with it, or the light you are around.

One thing I am not too happy about is that this color never goes opaque. You will pretty much always be able to see your nail through the polish. It goes on very streaky for the first coat, but applies much more smoothly on the second and third coats. I had to use three coats in order to get a finish I was happy with.

Would I Re-Purchase, Recommend, or Reject

While I like this color a lot, I am sure that you can find shades similar to this one by drugstore brands that are less expensive. Additionally, I am not really impressed with the streaky application and the number of coats required to get a good finish on my nails. Price for this product is also a negative - $10 is a lot for a nail polish (I know I have said this twice now, yet I keep buying them...). For the reasons above, I would not recommend this product.

REVIEW: OPI - Burlesque Collection

Only recently did I discover a local (relatively local...45 minutes away) store that sells OPI nail polish. Lucky enough for me, they keep up with the latest collections, so they had the recently released Burlesque collection available for purchase.

I've bought 6 polishes out of the collection, so I thought I would share a review with you all.



Product Brand and Name, Price (CDN), Where Purchased

OPI Nail Lacquer, @ $10.00 per polish, purchased at Enviro Trends.

Here are the shades that I have: Simmer and Shimmer (blue glitter), Rising Star (gold shimmer), Let Me Entertain You (fuschia shimmer), Tease-y Does It (Burgundy Shimmer), and Bring on the Bling (gold glitter).

Reason for Purchase

I liked the colors and wanted to try out the brand.

Notable Features

The collection was created as part of the theatrical release of the movie Burlesque starring Cher and Christina Aguilera.

The polishes are salon quality, and are formulated without formaldehyde, toluene, or dibutyl phthalate (DBPs).

Packaging

Polishes come in class bottles with a black twist off brush cap. OPI polishes are easy to recognize in a crowd, as their bottles are round and chubby - as are the brush caps.

Sometimes you can buy 'value' packs that have two or three full-size polishes in them, usually with a coin purse or makeup bag attached as a bonus gift with purchase.

You can also usually get 'sampler' packs of new releases in a collection; they are mini bottles packed in a box typically 4 mini polishes. Depending on your store, you can also usually get the mini-bottles of permanent collection shades in singles. They're handy if you are planning on traveling and don't want to risk carrying a full-size bottle that may break or take up too much room.

Experience Using Product

Pigmentation in Let Me Entertain You is poor. I had to do three coats to get a completely opaque finish. Tease-y Does It on the other hand was perfect - becoming completely opaque in two coats. The two glitter polishes I have are great - I love them for a low-key weekend manicure. I have not yet tried Rising Star.

Would I Re-Purchase, Recommend, or Reject

I would definitely recommend the glitter shades from this collection. The shimmer shades are all gold/orange/red based - so if you're not into those colors, you probably won't find much that you like in this collection.

I am also not a fan of the price-point of these nail polishes. I wish they were $5 instead of $10. The good thing is, when the store I go to wants to clear the polishes to make room for a new collection, they go on sale for $4.99 (that's how much the Shrek polishes were going for).

If you want to learn more about OPI and their range of nail products, check out their webpage by clicking here.

To learn more about Enviro Trends salons, click here.

REVIEW: Sally Hansen 30 Seconds to Set Insta-Dri Top Coat

When you shell out a lot of cash for top-of-the-line nail polishes (Essie, OPI, etc), you want to make sure your nails dry nicely and don't get scratched or smudged.

I know that searching for a bottle of 'Seche Vite' in my town will be a fruitless effort. So, I decided to search for the next best thing. This lead me to buy the product I am reviewing for you today.



Product Brand and Name, Price (CDN), Where Purchased

Sally Hansen 30 Seconds to Set Insta-Dri Top Coat
Purchased at PharmaPlus at half price, $5.24

Reason for Purchase

I wanted to find something that would quickly dry/set my nail polish.

Notable Features

- Product promises to dry ANY BRAND of nailpolish in 30 seconds. Polish is suppose to be dry to the touch 30 seconds after application.
- Product also promises no chipping for up to 10 days.
- Product also contains 'Double UV filters' that help 'shield manicure from fading and discolouring'.

Packaging

The easiest way I recommend looking for this product is to hunt for a box with a bright-red bottle inside it. My picture above is exactly how you will see it on the shelf.

Experience Using Product

The first promise of drying any brand of nail polish in 30 seconds is true. I applied some OPI to my nails last night (3 coats), leaving my nails little time to dry between each coat - and then applied this top coat right away (normal coat, not thick or thin). After 30 seconds, my nails were dry to the touch.

One of the things that I think should be noted is that on the application instructions, it states you have to wait 2 minutes after your last coat of polish before applying this top coat. This instruction is not on the box - it is on the bottle.

So far I have no chipping at all - but I only applied the polish and top coat yesterday. I will have to get back to you on how long the top coat kept my nails from chipping.

Would I Re-Purchase, Recommend, or Reject

The product does what I wanted it to - dried my nails quickly. For this reason, I would recommend it.

I would not purchase this product at full price - $10 seems a little ridiculous. But, I am sure 'Seche Vite' is more expensive than that - so perhaps I would be saving money anyway!

You can find more information about this and other Sally Hansen products by going to their website, here.