14 Days Of Valentines - Day 13 - The Hungry Asian Strawberry

*Won in a giveaway*

We're almost there! For my next to last day of the challenge I have a really fun polish for you: Strawberry by The Hungry Asian. I won a giveaway a few years ago and the prize was 4 full-size polishes. As soon as I saw Strawberry I knew I had to have it. It's a bright red with tiny black glitters that look like strawberry seeds.

Isn't it adorable? I really love it! What do you think?

'Til We Meet Again...

Rebecca  :)

An InLinkz Link-up

Chinovi Cosmetics The Tasting Menu Collection

*I received these products as a gift*

Hi guys! Today I have an amazing collection from one of my favorite indie companies; Chinovi Cosmetics. I don't know why it has taken me so long to write a post about them but it has. And unfortunately they are going out of business. But there is still time to purchase some pretties so without further ado... feast your eyes on The Tasting Menu!

This first pic is taken outdoors in sunlight and the second is under my Ott light.

Top Row L-R: Macarons a la Rose, Coteaux Bourguignons, L'Entrecote

Bottom Row L-R: Bisque de Citrouille, Creme de Marron, L'Escargot

I had been wanting this collection for ages but just couldn't spend the money on it. Then my friend Sam from the Kiss My Sparkle blog (who was the co-creator of the collection) sent it to me in a package. I was so excited to try these colors because they looked so gorgeous in pics I had seen. And let me tell you, they did not disappoint. The formula is amazingly soft, blendable and pigmented. And the colors are amazing! My camera couldn't pick up all of the sparkle and color shift but believe me they look amazeballs in the sun. You could do so many different kinds of looks with these and I intend to do just that really soon.

So if you love these colors head on over to Chinovi Cosmetics (here). And while you are there check out here other awesome collections. Everything is on sale (at 50% off I believe) until she sells everything so don't waste any time. Happy Shopping!

'Til We Meet Again...

Rebecca :)

Geek Chic Cosmetics Go Boldly Collection

*I purchased these products myself*

My hubby and I have been on a major Star Trek kick lately. We've been watching the TV shows Voyager and The Next Generation as well as random movies here and there. So I had to bust out my Geek Chic Cosmetics Go Boldly collection which is based on Star Trek.

I don't know why I've never posted about Geek Chic before; it is one of my absolute favorite indie brands. The collections are nerdtastic, the colors are amazing and the owner is an absolute sweetheart. So without further ado... the Go Boldly Collection.

I love that the artwork looks like the control panels on the starships. So cool!

L-R: Sleeping Bucket, Continuum, Mind Meld

(over Urban Decay Primer Potion)

L-R: Galactically Banned Ale, Naked Wedding, Blood Wine

The colors all have such great shimmer and shift to them and are just so damn pretty. Once you turn the jars over you come to one of my favorite things about the packaging... Tribbles!!

I remember watching the Tribble episode as a kid and I've loved them ever since so I was super excited when I saw this awesome little detail.

Unfortunately, the Go Boldly collection isn't available anymore but there are plenty of other amazing goodies on the website here. Definitely check out this amazing company if you haven't already.

'Til We Meet Again...
Rebecca  :)

*Edit - I just found out from Geek Chic that Naked Wedding is still available in the Single Player section of the website; so if you like that color it's still available! *

Once Upon A Time From Darling Girl Cosmetics

Hi again! So yesterday I came home to a package from Darling Girl Cosmetics. At first I thought it was the small birthday order that I recently placed but as I was opening it I realized that it was a bit too soon for that to be coming in the mail. Then I read the postcard that came with it and realized that it was a care package from the Susan (the creator of Darling Girl Cosmetics). She knows that I have been down a lot lately and sent me a package to help cheer me up. She is such a sweetheart and I love her to death; she's like my sister from another mister and we share an (un)healthy obsession with Duran Duran. We've never met in person but I hope someday to get the opportunity so I can give her a giant hug

There were 3 eyeshadows in the package that I quickly realized weren't from any collection that is out now; they are from an upcoming Once Upon A Time collection and haven't been released yet! Of course I quickly ran to Facebook to message Susan and thank her from the bottom of my heart. She told me that she will be doing mini collections for Once Upon A Time. The 3 shadows I have will be joined by a gloss and she will also be doing a villains collection to go along with it. On to the swatches...

 L-R:  If I Only Had A Heart, Hot As Baelfire, Let's Hook Up

Natural Light

 Ott Light

Sunlight

These colors are amazing! I have yet to watch Once Upon A Time (it is in my Netflix queue) so these names don't mean much to me but that doesn't keep me from loving the colors. If I Only Had A Heart has a light greyed-taupe base that turns into a crazy golden shimmer at the right angle. Hot As Baelfire is a matte, purply taupe that is gorgeous. And Let's Hook Up is a blackened olive with crazy gold sparkle.

These shadows, as well as a gloss and the villains to go along with them, should be released some time in February so definitely keep an eye out for them. Darling Girl Cosmetics is one of my all-time favorite indie companies and you could not be supporting a nicer person when you buy there. Susan's colors are all crazy beautiful and complex and her collection ideas are awesome. I have a ton of her pretties so maybe I'll just start doing some swatch posts. 

Head on over to Darling Girl Cosmetics and check out the sparkle!

'Til We Meet Again...

Rebecca :)

BFTE Cosmetics Pumpkin EVERYTHING!!

I was very excited to open up my mailbox yesterday and see my order from BFTE Cosmetics. A few weeks ago the owner Kim posted on Facebook that she was going to have a pumpkin-themed Fall collection and as soon as I saw the swatch pics I knew I had to have it. Fall is my absolute favorite season and I love that everything pumpkin is released everywhere. Appropriately, the collection is called Pumpkin EVERYTHING!! I also ordered the COTM (color of the month) and she threw in a few samples as well. This was my first BFTE order and I have to say that I really like the packaging. It is very sleek and simple and pretty.

I swatched everything over Urban Decay Primer Potion.

Pumpkin EVERYTHING collection

Top Row L-R: Pumpkin Glow, Pumpkin EVERYTHING!!, Pumpkin Patch, Pumpkin Spice

Bottom Row: Pumpkin blush (not blended out)

In short, these colors are amazing! They are soft and blendable and the sparkle to all of them is just gorgeous. I also ordered the COTM shadow (Grape Leaves) and received a few samples as well. 

L-R: Amityville, Harvest, Chocolate, Grape Leaves

Again, the sparkle and color shift to these colors is just gorgeous and I can't recommend this company enough. You can order the Pumpkin EVERYTHING!! eyeshadows here and the Pumpkin blush here. It is limited edition so if you want it don't wait!

'Til We Meet Again...

Rebecca 

Glitter Guilty Cloudy With A Chance Of Neon

Hi! Today I have a polish for you from a new-to-me indie brand: Glitter Guilty. A little while back I won a Facebook giveaway for a $10 gift certificate for the brand. Her polishes run around $8/bottle so I was able to cover one fully with the certificate and then I went ahead and spent some of my money for a second bottle (I couldn't just buy one you know). Anyway, one of the colors I chose is called Cloudy With A Chance Of Neon. It is a gray crelly base jam-packed with neon hex glitters. Now, I love a good white crelly with glitter but I also love a good gray nail polish. So when I saw polishes with a gray crelly base it was kinda hard to contain my excitement. The other polish I bought is also a gray crelly.

I used 2 thin layers for this and it applied perfectly. The glitters came out easily without fishing and as long as I used thin coats and waited for it to dry in between, there was no dragging of the glitter on the nail. I then applied a coat of Gelous to even it out a bit (it was a tad bit bumpy because of the glitter) and a quick dry topcoat.

And then, because I couldn't leave well enough alone, I applied a matte topcoat (NYC Matte Me Crazy). And I love the polish even more this way!

I really love the combination of the gray and the neon. It is super pretty and a bit more edgy than the usual white crelly base. You can buy Glitter Guilty polishes here. She has some very pretty polishes and I definitely suggest you check them out.

'Til We Meet Again...

Rebecca  :)

LynBDesigns Nightmare Revisited

Hi! I just wanted to write a quick little post to show you an awesome polish: Nightmare Revisited from the Nightmare Begins collection by LynBDesigns. I won this in a giveaway a few weeks ago from Accio Lacquer and Gothic Gala Lacquers. It was quite a coincidence because I am a HUGE Nightmare Before Christmas fan and this is the second polish from that collection that I have won in a giveaway.

Anyway, Nightmare Revisited is an insanely gorgeous polish described by the maker as "fuchsia raspberry jelly linear holographic polish". She also said that it "doesn't just stun you, it kills you dead" and I would have to say that is a pretty apt description. My jaw literally dropped when I saw this baby in the sun. When I was living in Washington I got out of the habit of wearing holo polishes because the sun was so scarce and I didn't want to waste the pretties. Well, let me tell you, now that I am back in the sunshine state I will be busting out the holos! But that's enough talking... on to the pictures.

Is that gorgeous or what? My pictures don't even begin to do it justice (and please ignore the nastiness on my ring finger, the door of my refrigerator tried to eat my finger). I literally could not stop staring at my nails whenever I was in the sun. 

This polish is still available here and it looks like the rest of the colors from the collection are still available as well...which is good because I have the urge to complete the collection now.

Have a great weekend!

'Til We Meet Again...

Rebecca  :)

Some BFTE Swatches

So, a few months ago my friend Kim (who writes the Libby's Pink Vanity blog) started hinting that she had something big in the works. A few weeks later she dropped the bombshell that she had bought BFTE Cosmetics! How awesome is that? She gets to play with makeup for a living now and I have to say that I'm a bit jealous. Anywho, when she found out that I had never tried the brand before she sent me some samples to play with...she's kinda awesome like that.

So, of course I had to swatch them and share with you all. They are all swatched over Urban Decay Primer Potion. In all pics:

Top Row L-R: Flirt, Within Reason, Emerald City

Bottom Row L-R: Diva, Peacock, Dirty Deals

 Ottlite

 Natural light

 Flash

Sunlight

I literally gasped when I saw these in the sunlight. The colors are very pretty indoors in regular light but they absolutely come alive in the sunlight! I couldn't quite catch the amazing sparkle in Dirty Deals but believe me, it's gorgeous. They have so much shimmer and sparkle. And they were a dream to apply; buttery, blendable, just the perfect consistency.

So, if you haven't tried BFTE Cosmetics yet run, don't walk, to her website here. Tell her I sent you!

'Til We Meet Again...

Rebecca  :)

Sugar Skull Minerals Spam

A few weeks ago I won a giveaway from a brand that I've been wanting to try but haven't had the money to: Sugar Skull Minerals. I received 6 sample baggies as well as a larger blush and eyeshadow.

And now for the swatches (done over Urban Decay Primer Potion).

Top Row L-R: Conundrum, Bikini, Penny Pincher

Middle Row L-R: Sweet Dreams, Marco Polo, Cannon Ball

Bottom Row L-R: Mermaid, Heart Throb (blush)

Bikini, Marco Polo and Cannon Ball are from the brand new Pool Party Collection.

 Ott Lite

 Natural light

 With flash

Sunlight

I LOVE these shadows! They applied like a dream and the colors are so pretty; especially in the sunlight. The shimmer and sparkle are gorgeous. And as pretty as they are over regular primer I bet they would be absolutely amazeballs over a sticky base (which I don't have yet). 

You can buy Sugar Skull Minerals here. She sells small sample bags for $1.25, large sample bags for $2.25, small jars for $6.00 and large jars for $14.00. Right now through July 9th there is a special for 6 small jars used in an awesome rainbow eye look for $25.00 which is a great deal. And there is also a sale for 25% off of any size order using the code SSM25 until July 11th. This is a perfect time to try this company so go check it out!

I hope everyone is having a fantastic weekend.

'Til We Meet Again...

Rebecca :)

A Paris Sparkles Spring Mani

Hi all! Happy Easter to those of you who celebrate and Happy Sunday to those of you who don't.

A while back the owner of the Etsy shop Paris Sparkles Facebook page posted that anyone who posted about her business on their Facebook page would receive a free polish of their choosing from her shop. I chose Celery Stalker.

Celery Stalker has a light green base, almost mint green, but a bit more yellow. It has a faint shimmer running throughout and a great combination of glitter (from dark blue, to pink, to magenta) in all different sizes. The glitter came out of the bottle easily in all different combos and I didn't have to fish for it at all. I did 2 coats and there is no VNL. My only recommendation is to wait for the polish to dry between coats; otherwise it can be a draggy, streaky mess. But if you wait between coats it is a dream to apply.

I thought this was another absolutely perfect shade for Spring; it reminds me of grass and flowers. 

You can purchase this or any of her other pretty polishes on her Etsy shop here. They sell for $8/bottle and there are quite a few that I would love to try. I hope you all have had a great weekend!

'Til We Meet Again...

Rebecca  :)

A Daring Digits St. Patrick's Day Mani

Hi all! I have been so completely exhausted and unmotivated this week but I knew I had to get on it before St. Patrick's Day was over since I have a few things to show you. I won this polish in a giveaway a while back and as soon as March hit and I started thinking about the holiday I knew it was the perfect polish to use. It's called Kelly and it is gorgeous!

I has a light tan crelly base with different sizes of green and white glitter with a scattering of tiny reddish/orange glitter throughout. 

It really feels like St. Patrick's Day in a bottle to me! The colors of the large glitters are perfect and the tiny red glitter makes me think of red haired lads and lasses.  I love that the base isn't clear so you don't have to worry about undies that complement the colors. The glitters all show up amazingly well within the base and it was a breeze to apply. I am absolutely in love with this polish.

I hadn't realized until I went to the Daring Digits Facebook page here that the shop had been closed up for a little while. I don't have the money to buy indie polishes very often and don't often go on their pages to taunt myself with what I can't have. But I do remember drooling over the polishes whenever I would see them. But from the looks of it the shop will be re-opening with a brand new perspective very soon and after trying this amazing polish I will definitely keep an eye out for that.

Have you done any manis for St. Patrick's Day? I would love to see them!

'Til We Meet Again...

Rebecca  :)

A Quick Winter Manicure With The Hungry Asian

*I won this polish in a giveaway*

So, a few months ago I won a giveaway from The Hungry Asian blog. I was super stoked because I have always drooled over her polishes on other blogs and her website but had only ever ordered a mini for one or another reason. I got to choose 5 full size polishes and a set of nails in whatever polish I wanted. She has so many awesome polishes that it was difficult to choose but somehow I managed. :) Here's a pic of my prize:

We've had snow the past few days (which being a lifelong coastal California native I've been super stoked about, even had my first snow day!) I decided that Snow Sprinkles would be the perfect polish to use.

 How cute is that label?

Snow Sprinkles is a white crelly base packed with blue and pink glitter with some pink star glitters mixed in. I absolutely love crelly based glitters and this one is no exception. I used 3 thin coats but you could use a white base if you wanted to use less coats with no VNL. It applied really easily and there was no fishing for the star glitter at all. I probably should have used a coat of Gelous to make it a bit smoother but I was a bit impatient; as it was I managed to totally screw up one of the nails on my other hand because I didn't wait long enough to start doing things.

I would highly recommend her polishes; great colors, great application, cute packaging. You can purchase from her shop here. I'll post pics of the other polishes as I use them.

'Til We Meet Again...

Rebecca  :)

Fall Nails With Not Too Polished

Hey there! A month or so ago I was on a roll for some reason and won a few blog giveaways back to back. It was pretty surprising...I don't have the best of luck a lot of the time. But then again, I was entering giveaways left and right like a mad-woman: I guess it had to pay off sometime right?

One of the giveaways was from Liz at the Not Too Polished blog. She has her own line of polishes that she sells on Etsy and part of my prize was the polish of my choice from her shop. I chose a polish called Headless Horseman. I've been on a bit of an indie glitter polish kick lately and this one caught my eye right off the bat. It is a gorgeous mix of black, yellow-gold and burnt orange micro-glitter; small yellow-gold and burnt orange shiny hex glitter and random large black hex glitters thrown in here and there. I chose to do it over a semi-light base color so the micro-glitter would really stand out. For that I chose OPI Wooden Shoe Like To Know; one of the few polishes I was able to get from the Spring 2012 Holland Collection. I only got 4 from that collection but there are still a few more that are on my wishlist. Anyway, on to the nails! First the polishes...

 I love the pink shimmer in this polish! It's such an unexpected color with the brown but looks so amazing with it. And now the finished product.

I absolutely loved this manicure! It looks so Fall-ish. This is only one coat of Headless Horseman; it applied effortlessly with no dragging or fishing for glitters. I didn't even have to fish for the big black glitter pieces which was really great. I followed it up with 2 coats of Gelous and it was still a bit gritty; for some reason I can never get glitter polishes smooth now matter how many coats of Gelous or Posh I put on it. It must be something with my body chemistry or something. And this manicure wore like iron! I applied it on Sunday and by Thursday I had a miniscule amount of chipping and a bit of tipwear. I only took it off because I wanted a change. And of course I had to make a pair of earrings to match. I wore these puppies all week I love them so much.

So there you have my first Fall manicure of the year. This is my absolute favorite time of the year. I love everything about it...the smells, the light, the decorations, pumpkin everything! If you want to follow Liz on her awesome blog you can find it here. You can find her amazing polishes in her Etsy shop here. I'm in the process of opening up my own little Etsy shop for my jewelry creations; I'll keep you posted. But in the meantime if you are interested in seeing some of my stuff I have a Facebook page here.

Hope you all are having a fantastic weekend. I'm working on another Fall manicure today so I'll post that sometime this week.

'Til We Meet Again...

Rebecca  :)

*I purchased some of these products and won others in a giveaway*

Election Day Nails

Hi! This is going to be a super quick little post; hubby and I are glued to MSNBC watching all of the election coverage. But I did want to show you my election day nails since I thought they were super cute. I even got a compliment on them from one of the ladies running the polling place!

I used Orly Blue Suede topped by Vivid Lacquer Paint Me Patriotic.

I LOVE this glitter! It is so chock-full of so many sizes and colors. It definitely needs to be used as a topcoat; I don't think it could be used by itself but it really pops over this blue color. I was able to get a star glitter on almost every nail without fishing too much for it. And you can't really see it in these pictures but there is a fine, teeny-tiny red glitter that is dispersed throughout that makes it even more amazing. I also made a pair of earrings (duh!) that I did over a silver base rather than the blue.

So, that's it for today. If you are in the States I hope you got out and voted. This is a terribly important election for so many reasons.

"Til We Meet Again...
Rebecca  :)

* I bought some of these products and received some of them for my honest opinion*