Jade Holographics: Sedução Rosa

Jade: Sedução Rosa

So...if you hadn't heard, I like nail polish. But in particular my latest fiending has been for holographic polishes. As a latecomer to the polish party I missed out on the infamous China Glaze OMG collection and had to resort to stalking e(vil)Bay in order to attain a bottle from that collection. Well after spending hours poring over the internet attempting to find amazing linear holographics from collections past it occured to me that somewhere...somehow....someone might be currently producing holographic polishes that I could simply buy without them being "VHTF". Duh! Why didn't I think of that earlier...

My searches led me to Llarowe where I found gems from Glitter Gal, Ludurana, Jade and more. Also if you're looking for currently in production holo's Layla has a line out that's pretty bad-ass that you can get at Ulta or Zappos, but I digress. This post is about Jade. Every review I came across seemed to be translated from portuguese but that's because these polishes are from Brazil. The first time I wore this I was so pumped to be able to tell people that it was from Brazil and they'd have to order it online (hehe not sure why that made me feel so special but it did). You will feel special too, watch!

 Sedução Rosa

My first impressions were that it was a small bottle. 8mls so it's a bit smaller than the 15 ml OPI or China Glaze bottle I'm used to wielding. It also has a slim handle which you might find more or less convenient. For me, less...but only because the handle is tapered and I felt it a little awkward. The brush itself is relatively standard. Not soft or stiff...or particularly wide or narrow. Ordinary brush. 

On to the good stuff. The holo rainbows on this polish are just gorgeous. Right from the first coat I was getting excited but two coats seemed to be enough for full opacity. The holographic effect can be seen in low lighting but is particularly intense outside in the sun. These pictures don't do the holo effect justice, which is my fault because I was so stoked to swatch this one I couldn't wait for sun (it rained for 4 days straight maybe) and I took these pictures indoors with flash.

As a comparison I own OPI DS Signature, and China Glaze BFF which are also pink holos (gotta stop buying those).  Without swatching them I can say CG BFF is more salmon colored than Jade Seducao Rosa and doesn't show up as strongly in low light. DS Signature is more plum by comparison and not as linear in it's hologram effect but still very strong. Swatches to come!

L-R China Glaze BFF, OPI DS Signature, Jade Sedução Rosa
(On nails CG Ride the Waves, of course the sun comes out when you take your holo polish OFF)

I didn't have a problem with patchiness or balding as some people complain of with holographic polishes however I wear acrylics so my nails are not as porous. Natural nails might need an aqua base of some sort..not sure. My manicure started to chip after 3 days but not badly or in huge chips, just tip wear had gotten troublesome at this point. I did not use a top coat because the one I tried (Sally Hansen Insta Dry) dulled the holo effect to the point that I took off that polish and repainted that nail.

So yeah, good experience with Llarowe and will definitely be purchasing with them again. Also I was happy with my Jade polish and will be trying not to use up the whole bottle before the summer is over. I love pink, and I love holos so naturally this was a match made in heaven (or Brazil)!

Rimmel: Lasting Finish Lipstick by Kate Moss

Rimmel London: Lasting Finish Lipstick by Kate Moss

I am a Kate Moss fan. Damn she makes waifishly thin look chic. I'm one of those tiny girls anyways (no bulimia or cocaine kthanks) and I've just always loved the way she wore her clothes. That said I was drawn to this lipstick display in Walgreens where I ordinarily wouldn't be. That's right Kate Moss totally sold me on lipstick. I hardly ever wear it. Ok, more like never with my heap of glosses cluttering my purses and bathroom sink...until now! 

 

Bam! It's so red and sexy :) 

Kate Moss for Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick #11

Something about lipstick has always felt far more sophisticated and ladylike than me, but in my old age of 25 I find I'm starting to like that. The tube is plastic but doesn't feel cheap. I love that it has her signature on the shell, cute! I hate that the barcode is a huge white sticker though so I peel that off. 

The display had several shades of red a few pinks, and then a purple that was interesting but red #11 stuck out to me. It's like fire-engine bombshell red. That's how I feel when I put it on, like I'm back in some old-school pinup movie glamour shoot or something. The color is rich and intensifies which each layer that you apply. Even after blotting it lasts for hours. It's such an awesome classic red lipstick and it made my lips feel soft and not waxy. I hate that cheap crayon-lipstick taste. I ended up going back and purchasing a backup just in case. At first I didn't think I had many places to wear red lipstick but then I decided "Hell, why not wear it everywhere!". So I do. 

I'm not overdressed, I'm extra-classy!

The Essie "Clambake" Mystery

The Essie "Clambake" Mystery

Today I have for you an unusual post. Polishes I have yet to even swatch. I came across these polishes at Job Lot and immediately noticed the trademark Essie bottles amongst the other polishes in the discount bin. Two dollar Essie? I sure will! It wasn't until I started looking at the colors at the bottom that I realized many of them were labeled the same. "Clambake". Well obviously someone F-d up. I pulled out my phone and googled what Clambake was supposed to look like and still I'm not sure any of these are Clambake.

(L-R) Clambake, Clambake, Clambake, Clambake and Clambake....just kidding

Pretty, if not Perfect

 Every single one of these is labeled the same Clambake #476. Each one has a white Essie cap with an E and no label. Except the furthest one to the right which is labeled on the top "Damsel in a Dress". This seems to be the accurate color labeling. None of these bottles have the clear/white Essie label on the side of the bottle leading me to believe they are all slip-ups that were never fully rendered. It appears though that the only problem was that they had Clambake printed on the bottom. If Damsel is one of the slipups however, I'm not sure what the others are because they don't match up with any of the other Winter 2008 Collection.

(L-R) Aruba Blue, Downtown Brown, Bordeaux

Here we have a few more that I found in the discount bin. Aruba Blue which is missing its clear/white side stickers but seems to be color-accurate. Downtown Brown, and Bordeaux which are similar but definitely not the same. I also found Angora Cardi but I already had that one at home (damn, kicking myself for paying full price). 

Anyways, it was very curious but I'm glad someones screw up led to more polish landing cheaply in my collection. For this my badly-labeling-factory-worker-friend you WIN!

So any guess on what these mystery colors really are? I saw a bottle of Geranium correctly labeled in the bin right next to the reddest of the "Clambake" colors and it seemed in bottle to be a perfect dupe....

L'Oreal Amazon's Flare

 L'Oreal Amazon's Flare feat Essie A Cut Above

 

Today's nail of the day is L'Oreal Amazon's Flare in a jelly "sammich" with Essie A Cut above. I used 1 coat of Amazon's Flare followed by one coat of A Cut Above followed by an additional coat of AF, all topped with Borghese Presto Top Coat for shine. 

L'Oreal Amazon Flare

I picked up Amazon's Flare in the discount bin at Ocean State Job Lot (which is for those of you who don't know a discount store in New England that carries lots of random stuff that changes on a weekly basis). Only 2 dollars, so I didn't feel bad adding to my ever growing collection of polish and it was such a pretty pink how could I resist?

L-R: L'Oreal Amazon's Flare, Essie A Cut Above, Borghese Presto

 The formula was fine for a jelly. I knew what I was getting myself into. Very buildable coverage that makes me want to use this polish again for a "syrup nails" type manicure. This was my first jelly sandwich mani but it came out so cute I want to try it again with different colors. Because I used pink glitter and a pink jelly polish it is kind of reminiscent of a flaky top coat manicure but with only pink tones. Really pretty, like a pink Koi fish or something.

Indoors with natural lighting

This was my first time using Essie A Cut Above. I feel that there is a liberal amount of glitter allowing you to only use one coat and still get glamorous coverage. In fact, I'll probably pick up Set In Stones (the silver equivalent) when I get a chance. I used Borghese Presto Top coat to help dry the layers faster and add some luster. This is my all time favorite top coat. No shrinkage, no bald spots just quick deep drying clear top coat. I also found this in the bin at Ocean State Job Lot. I heard Borghese is actually discontinued so I made sure to grab like 5 of those top coats (which actually come free with the purchase of a Borghese Rapido color)... don't wanna run out you know ;) 

Amazon's Flare was part of L'Oreals Fall 2011 collection that all seems to be named after birds. Of the collection I found Amazon's Flare and Cockatoo Mystery and was happy with just those two as the rest of the collection seemed to be mostly golds and reds which are not my favorite. Cockatoo's Mystery is a cool toned grey which in bottle appears to maybe be a dupe of Orly Faint of Heart, but we'll see when I get around to swatching it!

Happy Painting Friends :)

Derek Cardigan 7004 Wayfarers

Derek Cardigan 7004 Wayfarers via Coastal.com

God I'm so pissed. I wrote this whole post and scheduled it, then noticed on my phone it was still a "draft", discarded it and lost my scheduled post. Damn you Blogger. Anyways, now that I can't remember WTF I said in the first place the point was that I got these awesome glasses FREE from Coastal.com! And by free I mean the coupon code I used completely took off the actual cost of the glasses which were originally $98. I only had to pay Shipping & Handling.

I had been wanting to try the "nerd glasses" look for some time but hadn't wanted to invest a lot of money in a look I might not like. Funny too because as a child of the 80s I remember laughing and making fun of my moms silly huge-ass glasses. I guess I was behind the times and she was probably super-trendy LOL. I chose these glasses by Derek Cardigan the 7004 Wayfarer style in color Blackout after checking out some of the reviews on the site. These were listed as unisex and I definitely feel like girls or guys could get away with wearing them. I've gotten lots of compliments on them on my FB so far so I'm feeling confident they're as cute as I think they are!

 

The glasses came within 3 days! Seriously, the standard shipping was 3 day courier shipping but I wasn't expecting them to be at my door within three days of ordering. I was expecting them to have to manufacture the glasses taking a few days and THEN ship them. Fabulous. And I have astigmatism so I doubt they just have my prescription just lying around. I ordered on Tuesday and was wearing my glasses by Friday afternoon!

They come in a box with a carrying case, lens cleaning cloth, lens cleaning solution and a eyeglasses repair tool. Anyone who wears glasses knows these items are in high demand and always super convenient to have an extra set around. It's a nice touch especially since many people ordering these are probably skeptical of the quality since they're getting them free. Not to worry though because these are totally legit! They might be the best glasses I own and I have some from the eye-doctor I waited weeks and paid way more for. 

Long story short, I totally recommend these glasses and this company! They have a great return policy which luckily I did not have to take advantage of but it's nice to know just in case. Also it seems like they're always running their "First Pair Free" promotion so check them out on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Coastal

Revlon: Colorstay Foundation

Revlon Colorstay Foundation: Cappucino

So people ask me frequently what kind of makeup I use. I think they're expecting me to say something expensive or magical, but I actually only use drugstore foundation. Why? Because they happen to work perfectly for me so why spend more. As a disclaimer in this photograph I'm wearing Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse in Cocoa 3 as a base and just used the Revlon under my eyes...but I'll get to that.

No I didn't go back to short hair, it's just up in a bun ;)

When I first started wearing makeup I found the same dilemma as many women of color (and 

probably white girls too). I couldn't find a selection in the drugstore that matched my complexion perfectly. Everything I tried was too chalky, too yellowy, too pancakey or powdery. I thought I was spending too little for a good product and tried Clinique. Fail. Bare Minerals...ashy. The problem was I was looking for a single product to essentially "paint" my face and expect perfection. The average person has more than one tone to their skin so how could I expect to use only one product and get the results I wanted. That's when I started experimenting.

Maybelline dream matte mousse has always been my old standby. It's almost the perfect color for me, widely available, only 9 dollars and has a cyclopentasiloxane base! For those of you who don't pore over your ingredient lists this is essentially the same ingredient in most smoothing primers. The little silicone molecules land in your fine lines and smooth everything out visually from the surface. This makes Dream Matte Mousse the perfect tinted primer for me. My only complaint about it as a foundation is that the perfection doesn't last long.... Enter Colorstay!

 

I apply Revlon over the Maybelline using a standard foundation brush. I don't have fancy brushes because I haven't invested in that yet...but one day, probably. Maybe not because I don't seem to have a problem with the cheap ones I use. I start under my eyes and then just touch up any areas I feel need a little more coverage. Any acne scars, and my T-zone. Then I top the whole thing with a dusting of Iman pressed powder. What really makes it last is the Colorstay. It alleges to last 16 hours, and I believe it does even when I'm using it over a silicone based foundation. I've done everything from picking apples with my kids, to roller derby to working a double and had my makeup remain perfect even at the end of the day. The photo above was taken late at night after a long shift waitressing so I feel it holds up really well. 

I walked into Macy's the other day looking for a new concealer. I still can't seem to find a good drugstore concealer in my color. I stopped at the MAC counter and the salesgirl couldn't even sell me foundation she was like "Wow... what do you use for foundation it looks great! I can't even recommend anything.". I wanted to be like "Hell yeah! 9.99 drugstore foundation girlfriend!" but I didn't LOL.

Revlon Colorstay Foundation comes in Normal/Dry and Combination/Oily options as well as a relatively wide range of colors. I didn't realize there was a Combination/Oily option until I had been using it for almost a year but now I always look for that bottle specifically. I do feel like that one leaves my skin less shiny although both of them are useable if you have combination skin especially if you're going to use powder anyways.  Best of all it doesn't break me out, and my face is sensitive! So pick this up if you're on the fence about drugstore foundation. It's as good as anything you'll get at Sephora.

Essie: Cascade Cool

Essie Cascade Cool

Alright so first up from my collection of unposted manicures: (as I've decided I mostly like reviewing polish) Essie Cascade Cool.

Cascade Cool is a bright pale pink that leans blue. It is a cream from Essie's Summer 2012 Bikini So Teeny line. I know it was meant for summer but once all the hot summer neon colors came out these pretty cremes just seemed to fall by the wayside in my collection. I haven't even gotten around to wearing Bikini So Teeny and the summer is half over :gasp:

 

Formula was the usual for Essie. Visible nail line with two coats and slightly streaky which evens out by the third coat. I really enjoyed this color as I was finished but was skeptical during coat 1 & 2. By the third coat I was feeling the Barbie Pink and decided to throw on a few gemstones for good measure!

 

I will definitely reach for this color again. I am a fiend for a good pink (as you will soon find out) and this one is super cute and goes with my skin (cool undertones). 

What do you think?

MIA

Missing In Action.... yes that's me. I know I don't have many readers but even I think it's lame when I start to click around a blog only to notice it's been abandoned. 

This one hasn't been abandoned! I've just been extremely busy moving my family into a great new house (no more apartment living) and it's been sucking up all my time. Now that we're settled in I'm back at it and will be updating this blog soon. 

Here it comes, ready?