Seize the Sparkle

Polishes Used: 1 Coat Beauty Secrets Ridge Filler 3 Coats Orly Mysterious Curse 1 Coat Hard Candy Beetle 1 Coat NYC Shimmer Blast 1 Coat Orly Mysterious Curse 2 Coats Hard Candy Beetle (Gradient) 1 Coat Borghese Clear Coat 1 Coat Seche Vite So, you might be saying... whoa, that's a lot of polish. And... you would be right. But look how preeeeetty it is! Seriously... is there anything better than layering duochromes with duochromes and adding sparkles for a completely unique look? Everything about this layering changes depending on your viewing angle. Mysterious Curse is a gorgeous purple packed with blue shimmer. Beetle from Hard Candy is a fuchsia/red/copper/yellow duochrome. It's actually quite complex. I even noticed a little flash of yellow-green. NYC Shimmer Blast is a super-fine multi-color shimmer that added a lot of cloudiness to the layering. So much so, that I had to cover it up with a coat of Mysterious Curse, and was kinda glad w

When I picked up my Revlon Parfumerie polishes, I spotted another Holiday Display from SinfulColors. Not Glitz & Glittered... Not Decorate Decadently... Not the Crystal Crushes... Naughty or Nice! That's the one!!! Anyway. The Display had the nail art stripers AND polish, and one looked VERY similar to Revlon Bordeaux. Considering that SinfulColors is owned by Revlon... TOTAL possibility! These two are close... and while my pics don't do a great job of showing it... they're NAWT identical. Bordeaux from Revlon leans a smidge more blue than Aubergine, and it slightly darker. Aubergine is lighter and its plumminess leans more red than blue. Could you justify owning both? Sure. I can always justify that for you! But seriously... I think they're different enough that you can warrant owning both. Just from the fact that Bordeaux is scented, and Aubergine is not. Plus... the Revlon Parfumerie bottles are just soooo pretty! (Like, leave out on your vanity or dres

Polishes Used: 1 Coat Beauty Secrets Ridge Filler 2 Coats Revlon Bordeaux 1 Coat Borghese Clear Coat 1 Coat Seche Vite Revlon Bordeaux is a gorgeous plummy red that's not only perfect for Fall, but year round. Definitely a classic shade. This is one that would probably suit a wide range of skin tones. As you can see from the pics, this is another polish from the Revlon Parfumerie collection. This particular one falls REALLY flat in the scent department. I got a slight whiff of fruitiness after I got ready this morning, but I'm honestly not sure if it was Bordeaux or one of the various scented products I use while getting ready. Body wash, lotion, hair product... It didn't last long, and it wasn't that memorable. Overall, I like this shade a lot. It's not a groundbreaking shade or super original, but I'm glad I have it in my stash. I can see getting a lot of use out of it for manis during the Holidays. HoHoHo and all that... :) Have you picke

Every Holiday season, I fall into the same trap. I'm supposed to be thinking of others, not shopping for myself. But what do I do? I end up buying a ton of stuff for myself too, and it's soooooo nawt always stuff I need. I've been thinking about doing a longer No Buy for a while, but now I'm really ready to commit. No Buy July wasn't that bad. It wasn't even that hard. (And this is me saying that!) But this time around is a little different. THIS No Buy isn't just for one month. It's not just for AFTER Black Friday. It's MORE than 3 months. It's 70 Days. SEVENTY! Yep. You read that correctly!!! It's a HoHoHo No Buy! Yesterday marked the beginning of my 2013 Holiday No Buy. 70 (seventy!) entire days of not purchasing anything other than the essentials.* *With a few exceptions. The Official Rules... 1. I won't by anything but the essentials. Essentials = Coffee, Soda, snacks, other beverages, body wash, shampoo, conditi

Currently loving my NOTD... Natural Light Natural Light Sunlight Natural Light Polishes Used: 1 Coat Beauty Secrets Ridge Filler 2 Coats Spoiled 2 Weeks Sober 2 Coats Jesse's Girl Confetti 1 Coat Borghese Clear Coat 1 Coat Seche Vite When I first bought Confetti, it was because I was lemming hard for Rescue Beauty Lounge Scrangie . It may have fulfilled my craving, but it's definitely not a dupe. Vampy Varnish did a comparison to prove it. On its own, I don't particularly like Confetti. It's very sheer, and it just doesn't build up to the shade I'd like it to become. It's not Scrangie , and I can't make it be. *sniffles* BUT.  Layer it over 2 Weeks Sober, a pretty shade in the same family of purple, and it completely transforms. Seriously. This mani just GLOWS when it's in the sun. It's also WAY more budget-friendly than a bottle of RBL polish. Spoiled polishes retail for as little as $

These FINALLY popped up at my CVS over the weekend. Honestly, I had almost given up on them completely. Behold the glittery goodness... Sally Hansen Limited Edition Xtreme Wear Glitter Polishes Sally Hansen Strobe Flash, Rosey Shooter, Green Rocket Sally Hansen Glitter Gun, Frazzle Dazzle, Confetti Punch, Sea-ly String These are 7 out of 10 Xtreme Wear Rent the Runway Limited Edition Glitters, although, it seems CVS isn't marketing them that way. Their signage just says Dazzling Colors, nothing about Rent the Runway... perhaps because they don't have all 10 colors? In my CVS, they were on the Nail Bar... not sure if there will also be displays? Either way, CVS had Confetti Punch, Frazzle Dazze, Glitter Gun, Green Rocket, Rosey Shooter, Sea-ly String, and Strobe Flash. I picked up Confetti Punch and 2 bottles of Glitter Gun. Not because I'm really into gold glitter or anything. Those rumors about 2 different versions G said Emily reported? Totally true. O

Woooooow is it ever rainy outside! What a Friday, huh? NOW it's starting to feel like Fall! This kind of weather is what coffee, hot cocoa, good books, blankets, and chili were made for. :) c/o piCture pOlish 1. Meet imperial by piCture pOlish . First of all, piCture pOlish is an Aussie brand. With a ton upon a ton upon a TON of just gorgeous shades. Recently, they did a collabo with a couple of bloggers, and my fave... Jeanette from The Swatchaholic was one of the lucky ones chosen. imperial is her creation, and if you've seen any of her manis , you'll appreciate that this shade is just as complex as one of her incredibly gorgeous layerings. You can find piCture pOlish online at Harlow & Co . Unfortunately for me, imperial is currently Out of Stock. Totally wishlisted .   c/o Cirque Colors 2.  Coronation is described by Cirque as, "a royal purple with multi-dimensional copper shimmer in a translucent (jelly) base." Translation? Coronation jo

So I made a completely random stop by Rite Aid the other day, and FINALLY found the Parfumerie Collection from Revlon! I picked up a couple of shades, and this one screams pumpkinsautumnnutmeg... Polishes Used: 1 Coat Beauty Secrets Ridge Filler 2 Coats Revlon Parfumerie Autumn Spice 1 Coat Borghese Clear Coat 1 Coat Seche Vite This is a GREAT shade for fall. Autumn Spice is a warm, rich, brown with glass flecks that flash gold and a little bit of pink. You get more of the pink flash in the bottle, but it is slightly noticeable at certain angles on my nails. There's a lot of richness, depth, and shimmer going on here. And then there's the scent. Each Revlon Parfumerie shade is scented. The names of the polish describe not just the color, but the scent packed in each of those adorable square bottles. I mean... just LOOK at them. I want a wall full of them in every color of the rainbow! (Revlon, can you hear me?!?) Autumn Spice is actually just what you

Natural Light: CoverGirl Black Heat Sunlight: CoverGirl Black Heat Natural Light: CoverGirl Black Heat Polishes Used: 1 Coat Beauty Secrets Ridge Filler 3 Coats CoverGirl Black Heat 1 Coat Borghese Clear Coat 1 Coat Seche Vite Black Heat is at the moment, my fave from the Capitol Collection! It's a dirty blackened green that looks blacker as you add more coats. I only noticed the greenish tinge with the first coat. CoverGirl added some green, gold, and amber colored glass flecks in on the fun, and that's what makes Black Heat super pretty. But does it make it unique? Possibly. But I'm not quite sure. Pretty Girl Science swatched Maybelline Twilight Rays , and it looks like it could be a dead-on dupe. I haven't seen it in any in my local stores, so I can't say for sure. If I find it, I'll definitely do a comparison. I already want a backup bottle of Black Heat, so if Twilight Rays is comparable AND full size... well... that just makes my

So, FINALLY, I found one of the collections I've been stalking the drug stores for... finally.Finally.FINALLY! Since this is a rarity of late, I wasn't quite sure what to do, but I had coupons and they were having a sale, and 5 minutes later... the entire collection (plus one) and I were happily bounding out to my little Fit. Self restraint, you say? What's that?!? Scalding Emerald, Rogue Red, Sulfur Blaze, Black Heat, Flamed Out, Pyro Pink, Inferno, Seared Bronze, Violet Flicker Natural Light/Shade: CoverGirl Capitol Collection l to r: Violet Flicker, Sulfur Blaze, Seared Bronze, Scalding Emerald, Rogue Red, Pyro Pink, Inferno, Flamed Out, Black Heat Sunlight: CoverGirl Capitol Collection l to r: Violet Flicker, Sulfur Blaze, Seared Bronze, Scalding Emerald, Rogue Red, Pyro Pink, Inferno, Flamed Out, Black Heat Natural Light : CoverGirl Black Heat, Flamed Out, Inferno Natural Light: CoverGirl Pyro Pink, Rogue Red, Scalding Emerald Natur

It's Friday, and can I just say that I can't BELIEVE it's October? I mean... Peanut is almost 1. One whole year old! Forget where did September go... Where'd the last YEAR go? This face was an early fave. :) 1. Peanut's first OFFICIAL word... She says Apple! She can sort of say down, and sort of Da for yes. Some mornings, she's in her crib chatting up a storm with all the stuffed animals who will listen. And yes, that includes the friends on her mobile. I just love her little voice... and the snuggles. :) c/o Cult Nails 2. Cult Nails Disillusion and Feedback. They're both from the Cult Nails Fall 2013 All Access Collection and they're so pretty. So very pretty indeed. Wishlisted ! Lush Bath Bombs in Lord of Misrule, Space Girl, The Enchanter, and Twilight 3. I'm soooo overdue for a snuggle date with hot water, a Lush Bath Bomb, and a good book. Thatisall. (And wishlisted .) What have you been loving lately?

Polishes Used: 3 Coats Essie Vanity Fairest 1 Coat China Glaze Snow Globe 2 Coats Sally Girl In Love 1 Coat China Glaze Snow Globe 1 Coat Essie Vanity Fairest 1 Coat Borghese Clear Coat 1 Coat Seche Vite This is a very twinkly, pink, uber-girly manicure! That being said, there's something missing, I just can't figure out what. Maybe I'm finally over Vanity Fairest? China Glaze Snow Globe is a pastel multi-glitter with a lot of flash. Sally Girl In Love is your typical sized hex glitter topper polish in pink. Sandwich that in between layers of Vanity Fairest and you get the pretty crelly sandwich layering that is Fairest Snow! I was definitely thinking light and sparkly when I painted this, but I'm ready to go back to brights and darks with some glitter on the side. Is it something in the water, or just that time of year? I'm thinking it's the time of year... some cranberry relish and a Dickens over here, please! What do you think of F