China Glaze Vntage Vixen Swatches and Review

Posted in Blue, Bronze, China Glaze, Gray, Green, Purple, Red, Shimmer on August 23, 2010 by ainamakeup

I’m probably the last blogger to post swatches of these, but I’ve been crazy busy lately.  Without further delay here are my swatches of the China GlazeThis fall 2010, Vintage Vixen.  The other thing that makes this post special is this is my first attempt at natural daylight swatches!  I do hope you like them.

Overall, I really liked this collection.  The formula on these for the most part was was very nice.  Not too thick or thin.  There was one exception (see below)  Each swatch is 2 coats with no top coat.

China Glaze Classic Camel

I am in love with this color. On first sight in the bottle, I thought it looked a little drab.  I wasn’t sure I was going to like it before I tried it, but once I had it on, I loved it.   It reminds me of dijon mustard in this photo.   Unfortunately I had the most application trouble with this shade.  I’m not sure if I shook it before applying or if I got a faulty bottle or something.  I have no idea why it looks chunky on my nail.

China Glaze Foxy

This is a decent brown toned red.  It’s definitely a fall type of color.  the shimmer in it is nice.  I like it, but it’s probably ot going to be the first color I reach for fall.

China Glaze Ingrid

It’s LOVE!  You all know how I feel about grays and taupes.  this one has something special.  Tiny ribbons of gold shimmer throughout.  This photo doesn’t do it justice.

China Glaze Goin' My Way

Lovely coppery, bronze shimmer.  Definitely works Well for the fall.  Really pretty and earthy.

China Glaze Swing Baby

Sparkly silver foil.  This applied like a dream and is definitely more interesting to look at in person.

China Glaze Riveter Rouge

My favorite thing about this pretty cranberry red is the flecks of gold throughout this polish.  This shade is one of my favorites in this collection.

China Glaze Jitterbug

A darker gray silver shimmer with a foil finish.  Another favorite of mine.  I love gray!

China Glaze Hey Doll

Copper rose shimmer.  I surprised how much I like this color.  I wouldn’t normally gravitate towards this type of shade, but I think this looks nice on my skin tone and is also a work appropriate shade.

China Glaze Bogie

Dark polishes have always been my thing and Bogie is no exception.  This deep egplant shimmer is still light enough that it doesn’t look almost black.  just dark, shimmery and pretty!

China Glaze Emerald Fitzgerald

Lovely Green shimmer.  More yellow based than blue I think.  This is another favorite from this collection.

China Glaze Midnight Mission

Very appropriately names as this shimmer in this reminds me as the night sky!  What a gorgeous deep blue.  Another winner for me!  Absolutely love this!

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Del Sol Nail PolishReview.

Posted in Shimmer, pink with tags , , , on July 27, 2010 by ainamakeup

I’m not sure what rock I’ve been living under, but I don’t think I’ve heard of a nail polish that changes color in sunlight.  In fact I haven’t heard of any color changing product since mood rings made a resurgence in the 80′s.   A co-worker ROAK’d me a bottle of this color changing nail polish by a company called Del Sol.  Del Sol, established in 1994 is a company that makes a variety of color changing products, like clothes, jewelry, and other accessories.  Fascinating!  There is a collection of 24 nail polishes, and each of them changes color in the sun.  Perfect for someone like me who changes her mind about which color to wear.  With these nail polishes, I can wear two!

Del Sol "flirt" indoor color

The color I got was called flirt.  It starts off as a basic pink frost – very old school, nothing to write home about. I applied a base coat and three coats of lacquer with a top coat of Seche Vite.  I wasn’t sure if the top coat would affect the color changing.

Sunlight color as shown on bottle

Hers’s a swatch of what the color is supposed to look like when exposed to sun light.

"flirt" exposed to sunlight

And here is the color exposed to sunlight.  I was extremely skeptical that the color wasn’t going to change.  As you can see, in intense sunlight, it really does change into this rosy pink shimmer.  Luckily the day I tried it was a crazy sunny day.  I took this photo outside on my way to work.  One thing to note is that when you go back indoors, or your hands are not exposed to sunlight, the initial shade comes right back.  I was hoping the sunlight color would last a little longer indoors.  It goes away after about 30 sans sunlight.   And just being outside isn’t really enough, your nails have to be directly in the sun in order to get the full effect.  This would work great in super sunny climates when you’re out on the beach all day. The formula on this polish was really nice.  Not to thick, not too thin.  Application was easy,  and I think two coats would have done the job.  I applied three just to make sure I got complete color payoff.

This shade is just the tip of the iceberg.  There’s a blue that changes to green called “Rockstar”  Most of the colors look like shimmer shades, but I think they have a few cremes as well.  I’d love to see what the cremes look like.  There’s a light pink that changes to deep purple called “Beach Bum”.  I’m now lemming that one as well.

The website claims that the polishes are Formaldehyde and Toluene free.  In the ingredients on the back of the bottle I didn’t see the words dibutyl phthalate included on the list of ingredients.  You can find Del Sol Products at www.delsol.com.  Enjoy!

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Zoya Wonderful Collection Swatches and Review

Posted in Brown, Gray, Green, Purple, Red, Zoya with tags , , , , , , on July 25, 2010 by ainamakeup

I am so excited to have the opportunity to review this collection.  While I like shimmers, cremes are my true passion (vice, addiction..whatever) and the polishes of the Wonderful collection from Zoya for Fall 2010 truly are wonderful.  All of the following photos are two coats of polish with no top coat and the formula was fantastic.  Very easy application, even for a girl like me who never could color inside the lines.

Zoya Kristi

Kristi is a sexy red creme.  It reminds me of “Staggette” by Cheeky Monkey, but Kristi is more of a true red, and slightly less bright.  I’m not the biggest red fan, but I’d definitely wear this.

Zoya Shawn

I am in love with this green.  It’s brighter than an olive, more yellow based.  But it’s different from other greens like RBL No More War.  I was way late on the green bandwagon, but I’m making up for lost time and this green will be among the top of my fall polish rotation.

Zoya Cola

Cola is a reddish-brown creme.  Usually, when I think of reddish-brown I recall… The 80′s and early 90′s (yikes!).  When I was younger I used to dream of the dark, vampy, cool toned brown polishes that are now more available.  No one had really come out with deep browns back in the day.  At best you’d get colors similar to this one.  This shade looks much more modern than the “momish” reddish browns of the past – like Revlon “Toast of NY”.  I like it!

Zoya Burke

This is a nice, muted rose toned red.  If I had to go somewhere where I had to look “appropriate” I’d probably rock this.  I’m not ga ga over this shade.

Zoya Stacy

Nice classic vampy wine.  Really like this one!  It’s got a slightly muted feel to it. Stacy is definitely going in the rotation this fall!

Zoya Kelly

My Precious!  Dark, moody, totally fall appropriate.  I’m in love.  This is definitely my favorite of the collection.  I think gray is such a sophisticated shade to wear – and Kelly is no exception.  At first I thought this was similar to OCC’s “Dangerous” , but Kelly is a bit warmer, and I think a bit darker.  Really love this!

You can snag this collection on Zoya.com.  Happy Shopping!

Disclaimer: These were sent to me for review.

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Zoya Wicked Collection Swatches & Review

Posted in Bronze, Gray, Green, Purple, Red, Shimmer, Zoya with tags , , , , , on July 24, 2010 by ainamakeup

Hurray for Saturday!

Today Bring you the Zoya Wicked Collection!  This is one part of Zoya’s fall 2010 collection.  I’ll be reviewing Zoya’s Wonderful collection in my next post.  Overall, I really liked this collection.  I used two coats for each swatch and that was all I needed.  The formula on these were perfect!

Zoya Edyta

This is a beautiful glittery deep gray that almost reads antique gold/green in certain lights.  I think this one is going to be worn by me quite a bit this fall!  Hands down my favorite of the collection.  I’m in love!

Zoya Julieanne

When I first saw Julieanne, I thought this was just like Zoya Mimi, but upon further inspection it’s actually more blue based and cooler in tone. The shimmer is different as well.  In this photo it looks like a night sky full of stars like I used to marvel at as a child spending time down south for the summer.

Zoya Cheryl

I wasn’t sure I was going to like “Cheryl”, but I think it looks really nice.  The dense copper toned glitter is gorgeous in this polish.  The coppery/bronze/brown base seems pretty unique to me.  This one surprised me the most.

Zoya Kym

I’m not sure how to describe this color.  There are tinges of red, burnt orange, pink, copper.  Definitely a don’t have many colors like this in my collection.  Again, it’s not my typical style, but a perfect color for fall.

Zoya Carrie Ann

The brightest polish of the collection.  A light red leaning towards orange – at least in this pic.  The teeny tiny shimmer particles get a little lost in this pic, but trust me there are there.

Zoya Karina

A medium red shimmer.  I think my toes would like a few coats of this polish! I really like the small shimmer pieces in This as well.  This a great red option for fall. Definitely perfect for a dinner date.  Now I just need a dinner date!

You can get these beauties at Zoya.com.  I wished they sold them in NYC, but I can always dream, cant I?

Disclaimer: These were sent to me for review.

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Dermelect Launchpad Nail Strengthener Review

Posted in Base Coat, Nail Care on July 19, 2010 by ainamakeup

Today I bring you a review of a nail strengthener I had the privilege to test out.  Dermelect Cosmeceuticals Launchpad Nail Strengthener Anti-Aging Base Coat.  What makes this base coat stand out from all the rest?  Peptides infused within the treatment. It promises longer, stronger nails. The peptide is derived from New Zealand wool and is claimed to help add moisture and strength to the nails with Keratin.

Launchpad Nail Strengthener

I’ve been using it as a base coat under polish, and alone as a treatment off and on for the last two weeks. A few things to note:  When I used it alone, applying one coat dried very quickly.  Applying two coats resulted in the polish not drying as fast.  It also felt tacky to the touch even hours later.  Once I applied two coats in the evening before I went to bed, and I woke up the next morning with sheet imprints on a few nails.

As a base coat under nail polish, I found it to work well.  The polish adhered to the base coat and my manicures did last a day or two longer than usual.  As for my nails being stronger and longer?  The jury’s still out on that.  I will say that the biggest nail problem I have is my nails peeling into layers.  I found that when I used the base coat consistently, my nails didn’t peel as much!  And usually they peel constantly.  I intend to keep this treatment up and see how well my nails do in the long run.

You can buy Launchpad Anti Aging Nail Strengthener online at Dermelect.com for $18.00.  Enjoy!

Disclaimer: this was sent to me for review for more info please see my Disclosure Policy.

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Two lovely Orly’s!

Posted in Blue, Orly, Purple with tags , , , on July 18, 2010 by ainamakeup

Hi Everyone!  I was Sally’s Beauty Supply the other day and they had some great polishes on the clearance table.  One of them was the oh-so-coveted shade Enchanted Forrest from last fall’s collection.  I was shocked to see it there.  I remember it being a bit hard to find last fall, but I digress… Two polishes in particular caught my eye and I couldn’t help but pick them up!

Orly Velvet Rope

This is a gorgeous purple with glitter that’s small, but not micro.  What I love is that while the color is rich and vibrant, it’s not vampy or almost black.  I love it!

Orly Royal Navy

I had already made my purchase when I found myself going back to the clearance table to look at this beautiful blue.  It’s different from the other blues in my collection, and I’m so glad I bought it.  This picture does not do it justice!  In true sunlight it looks beautiful!  Scrangie has some amazing pics of it here.

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China Glaze “Fight Like a Woman” Collection for Breast Cancer Awareness!

Posted in China Glaze, pink on July 14, 2010 by ainamakeup

Hi Everyone!

Check out the new China Glaze Collection called “Fight like a Woman” for Breast cancer Awareness month!

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.

China Glaze Fight Like a Woman Collection

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

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.

Go to China Glaze.com for more information.

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Essie Resort and Summer Collection Swatches & Review

Posted in Blue, Essie, Gray, Green on July 7, 2010 by ainamakeup

Good Day, Addicts!

I’m finally back with swatches!  I’ve been dying to pick up these lovely Essie shades from the 2010 Resort and Summer collections.  After looking at both collections, I exercised restraint and only purchased three!

Lapis of Luxury

I’m loving this cool toned, Cornflower/periwinkle kind of blue.  It’s different from any blue I own.  I love how soft and pretty it is.

Playa del Platinum

I’m sure you’ve all heard me discuss my love of Grey polishes and this one is no exception.  Playa Del Platinum has a bit of a glow to it.  Not a shimmer… hust a hint of something in the shade to keep it from looking too pale and chalky.

Pretty Edgy

The name says it all.  This color is pretty edgy by Essie standards.  Actually, the green is so bright, it reminds me of colorful kids clothes.  I’m loving this!

Turquoise & Caicos Turquoise & Caicos

Another fave.  I’d been coveting the shade so much I spotted it on a co-worker immediately.  So glad I have it now; it was a top contender for my Jamaica manicure!  You can get these lovelies on the Essie website.  I get mine at one of my favorite spots in the city, Beauty 35!

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Caribbean Fashion Week Wrap Up

Posted in Fashion Week, Makeup on July 6, 2010 by ainamakeup

I recently returned from Jamaica where I was privileged to be part of the Eve Pearl makeup team for Caribbean Fashion Week! While a trip to Jamaica may appear to the untrained eye to be  fun and glamorous, I must report that it was mostly work, with mere moments of play.   I’m still not 100% convinced that Jamaica actually has beaches since I didn’t see one the entire time I was there., but it was all good as I spent three days doing what I love – Makeup!  Here’s an overview of what went down!

We arrived on a Monday, but the shows did not begin until Friday. There was alot of planning that went on in between.  We had to work at a myriad of pre Fashion Week events.  There was quite a bit of press and attention surrounding our being there for Fashion week as Eve is not only a Celebrity Makeup artist, but a Celebrity in her own right!.  We were even in the paper!

Creating the Look for Caribbean Fashion Week

After a few days of events and some planning meetings we had a meeting with the Jamaica based makeup artists who assisted up to go over the basic look for the shows.  The look was a dramatic smokey eye, mostly black on the lids, accented with a shimmery shade of eyeshadow.  We could choose whatever color we wanted to accent.  Sometimes we’d even let the model choose. We used our shadows wet because the color payoff was more intense.  We mostly do beauty makeup at the studio in NYC, so it was fun to play with colors and do some high fashion looks.  We used black on the brows and extended them for even more drama.

Almost ready for Showtime!

Me Workin' on a model

Me and Supermodel Oraine

No caption necessary

Each show night there was three shows, with 4-5 designers per show and 15-30 models walking each night.  Once things got rolling,our team was in the zone. Everything happened so fast, and I was loving every minute of it.  We had so much fun working with some of the most beautiful models I’ve ever seen – and the Jamaica based makeup team lead by the fantastic Racquel Jenkins, owner of Permanent Cosmetics Studio & Boutiue in Kingston.  Her and her team were fabulous to work with!  She was also our gracious hostess in Jamaica.  Many thanks to my boss and Mentor, Eve and to Racquel for bringing us to Beautiful Jamaica!  Check out more Photos at the Eve Pearl Website.

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Quickie Update

Posted in Uncategorized on June 18, 2010 by ainamakeup

Hey Everyone!

I’ve been away…well, I’m still away with my company’s makeup team for Caribbean Fashionweek. While here I plan on covering the nails backstage…well if I’m not inundated with doing makeup for over 30 models per night and doing my first…and probably last edition of Nails Around the World! I don’t get to travel outside the US much so I’m excited to see what’s nail looks are hot in the Caribbean. See y’all on the flip side!

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