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China Glaze Eye Candy Blonde Bombshell and Marry A Millionaire Nail Lacquers Review and Swatches

Phyllis — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 19:48:29 +0000

2011 is no doubt a year for glitter polishes and the latest addition to my growing collection are two gorgeous colors from the China Glaze Eye Candy Collection.

China Glaze Blonde Bombshell and Marry A Millionaire Nail Lacquers
The Eye Candy Collection features 6 gorgeous multi-glitter polishes in 3-D finish, including gold, silver, gray, purple, pink and red. The two colors I have are Blonde Bombshell and Marry A Millionaire.

Blonde Bombshell is a cool-toned gold with fine and chunky glitter. It goes on semi-opaque with great ease. The color is also one of the prettiest golds I have seen and perfect for the holidays.

Marry A Millionaire, on the other hand, is a smoky amethyst with multi-tonal fibers. While I really like the way it looks in the bottle and had high hopes for it, it applies clear with sparse purple glitter and green fibers. I need at least two to three coats to get a solid color.

Blonde Bombshell Swatch

Marry A Millionaire Swatch

See more swatches of the China Glaze Eye Candy Nail Lacquers at Vampy Vanish!

China Glaze Eye Candy Nail Lacquers are now available at salons and beauty supply retailers nationwide.

Disclosure: This entry include products that were provided by the manufacturer for consideration and purchased by me. Please see my Disclaimer for more information on my posting policy.

Julep Winter 2011 Nail Polish Collection Review, Swatches and Photos

Phyllis — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 03:59:57 +0000

Julep is a Seattle-based nail salon turned nail polish brand with a mission to empower women. Its polishes are all named after women and the formula is 4-Free without carcinogens such as formaldehyde or formaldehyde resin, toluene and DBP.

Julep Winter 2011 Nail Polish Collection
The first thing that caught my eye was the design of the bottle. It is taller and slimmer than your ordinary polishes and one side is painted black with a clear cutout in the middle.

The brush works nicely and gives a smooth, even application. Directions say to apply two coats but I find the polishes, especially the cream formulas, to be very opaque. I just use one coat and do not get much bubbling.

The colors I was sent are from the latest Winter Nail Vernis Collection. Zoe is a metallic burnt amber; Alfre, my favorite out of the four, is a metallic silvery bluish-purple; Emilie is a creamy forest green and Olivia is a creamy dark chocolate.

Julep Zoe Nail Vernis

Julep Alfre Nail Vernis

Julep Emilie Nail Vernis

Julep Olivia Nail Vernis

My only complaint is the drying time, which seemed longer than usual. Other than that, Julep makes a nice line of polishes with a great selection of colors.

Want to see more of Julep? Check out these beautiful swatches by Scrangie!

Julep Winter Nail Vernis Collection is available now at www.julep.com for $14. $1 from the sale of every Julep Nail Vernis will be donated to organizations that empower and support women.

Disclosure: The products in this entry were provided by the manufacturer for consideration. Please see my Disclaimer for more information on my posting policy.

Runway Beauty: Harlequin Hardware Manicures at Diego Binetti S/S 2012

Phyllis — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 03:05:51 +0000

Nails have been making quite a statement on the runways of New York Fashion Week Spring 2012 and here’s one of my favorite looks, “Harlequin Hardware” manicures created by CND‘s Candice Manacchio at the Diego Binetti show.

To create these gorgeous looks, Candice stained models’ nails in CND Colour in Raspberry Parfait and Frosting Cream before capping them in gold and silver metal for an artisanal finish. Simple yet so chic!

Photos: Courtesy of CND.

nails inc. Polish and Special Effects 3D Crackle Top Coat Swatches and Photos

Phyllis — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 04:25:31 +0000

More swatches and pictures of London’s coolest nail brand nails inc.! This time we have two Nail Polishes and a Special Effects 3D Crackle Top Coat.

Jermyn Street is a creamy muted pinkish taupe/brown. It goes on very opaque and applies like a dream. If you like cream polishes, definitely check this one out!

Islington Pink Crackle is a flamingo pink crackle top coat. I was hoping for a cooler pink but it showed up more coral and is pretty nonetheless.

Chelsea Square is a clear polish decked with tons of rose glitter. It looks almost identical to my favorite China Glaze 80381 Glitter Nail Polish, only with small glitter particles. Similar to the nails inc. Special Effects 3D Glitter Nail Polishes I loved, you can get full coverage with just two coats.

And the swatches!

nails inc. is available at select Sephora locations and Sephora.com for $9.50.

Disclosure: The products in this entry were provided by the manufacturer for consideration. Please see my Disclaimer for more information on my posting policy.

nails inc. Special Effects 3D Glitter Nail Polish Review, Photos and Swatches

Phyllis — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 23:30:05 +0000

Ever since I came cross Britain’s hippest nail brand nails inc. at Cosmoprof a few years ago, I have been lusting over their polishes and dying to get my hands on more. Now that the brand has officially launched at Sephora this month, the first to catch my eye was the Special Effects 3D Glitter Nail Polish.

nails inc. Special Effects 3D Glitter Nail Polish
Packed with two different particle sizes, the Special Effects 3D Glitter Nail Polish creates a textured 3D effect and full coverage on nails that is bound to make a statement. The polish is also formulated without parabens, sulfates, synthetic fragrances, phthalates, GMOs and triclosan.

There are four glitter-tastic shades available, each named after famous iconic places in the UK (how I miss London!)

• Bloomsbury Square, a clear base with bold purple glitter and chunky magenta glitter.
• Connaught Square, a clear base with royal blue glitter and chunky purple glitter.
• Fitzroy Square, a clear base with green glitter and chunky teal glitter.
• Sloane Square, a clear base with charcoal gray/silver glitter and chunky iridescent glitter.

Bloomsbury Square, Connaught Square, Fitzroy Square and Sloane Square

Bloomsbury Square

Connaught Square

Fitzroy Square

Sloane Square

Like nails inc.’s regular Polishes, these apply smoothly and evenly but with a strong chemical scene that I was not too fond of. With just one coat, it shows up almost clear with a tinge of color and lots of glitter. Add a second coat and voila! Full-on color and glitter that spells glamor.

The polishes dry relatively fast to a matte, gritty finish thanks to the glitter but once you add a top coat like my favorite nails nails inc. Kensington Caviar Top Coat, you will get a glossy finish that is simply stunning.

Two coats of Special Effects 3D Glitter Nail Polish swatches with no top coat

Another thing you gotta love about these polishes is the price. While they go for £11 (~US$18) a pop in the UK, Sephora only sells them for $9.50. Can we just say bargain?!

Overall Rating:

nails inc. Special Effects 3D Glitter Nail Polish is available at select Sephora locations and Sephora.com for $9.50.

Disclosure: The products in this entry were provided by the manufacturer for consideration. Please see my Disclaimer for more information on my posting policy.