Zoya Gradient

Hi lovelies! Today I am wearing three gorgeous shades from Zoya. I started with a base of Song and the gradient is using Charla and Ivanka. The gradient polishes are categorized as metallic but they have visible particles rather than a smooth finish. It also seems to me like these both have a hint of duo-chrome to them.

Song, Charla, Ivanka

Song is from the 2012 NYFW Diva Collection and is described as a 'vibrant primary blue with silver and blue glittery metallic sparkle'. Charla is described as 'tropical blue' while Ivanka is described as 'mermaid green'. They both seem to have hints of blue and green in them which is why they look so freakin amazing together.

 

This is two coats of Song which applied nice with no streaking. I used a makeup sponge with a stripe of Ivanka at the very tip then Charla and then Song. Having all three colors on the sponge helps the gradient to be quite smooth rather than distinct lines of each color.

Thanks for stopping by!

~Linda

Zoya Gilty Pleasures Gift Set - Back in Stock! Limited Time Offer

Zoya Gilty Pleasures Gift Set - Back in Stock! Limited Time Offer!

The Golden Zoya Fairy made a special delivery for another round of the 18K Gold Gilty Pleasures Trio. If you didn't get your hands on it the first time around, don't miss out on it now! Once these sell out they will be gone forever. Unless you have $80 to buy it on Ebay.

The price has gone up to $35 from the pre-order price of $30 but that's the price you pay (no pun intended) for limited offer awesome sauce! 

Check out this cute post on the Zoya Blog or run straight over to the Zoya website and add this Trio to your shopping cart.  

~Linda

*Picture is courtsey of the Zoya Blog

Layla Hologram Effect - Cloudy Violet & Ocean Rush

Happy Friday!! Today I'm wearing two of my new Layla Hologram polishes that I ordered from Hautelook a few weeks back. The Hologram polishes were on sale for $9 each which is pretty amazing since they are usually $15 bucks. Plus each polish came with the Base File that is supposed to prep your nails for a better holographic effect. If memory serves correctly, I believe these files were $5 at Ulta and I passed since I already have Nfu-Oh Aqua Base.

Today I have on Cloudy Violet and Ocean Rush!

I started with a coat of Aqua Base and then one coat of Cloudy Violet. I then layered on the Aqua Base again before a second coat of Cloudy Violet. I find that this gives an extra kick of holo! Once the second coat was completely dry I used some striping tape to place some off centered and geometric tips. This is one coat of Ocean Rush on my tips. I was impressed with the color quality in only one coat. It might not be as deep if it weren't already over another color...but still.

I did add a coat of Seche Vite since without it my mani wouldn't have lasted a day. I don't find that the holo is diminished enough to not use it when I want my mani to last.

I can never get enough of the Layla polishes. They dry super fast, have a great formula and a really great holographic effect. What's your favorite Hologram polish?

~Linda

Spooktastic Mani

Hello lovelies, today I'm rockin a simple Halloween mani using my new spooktastic orange polish that I received in my Julep Trick or Treat Mystery Box.

This is Julep Parker and it's a tangerine orange creme polish that was made for Halloween! Parker was thin so it took 4 coats for an even opaque finish. I taped off my tips and used Orly Liquid Vinyl.

Using Konad black stamping polish I stamped the creepy trees and bats using Bundle Monster plates #224 and 213. The spider was stamped with Mash plate #38. 

Thanks for stopping by!

~Linda

Julep Mystery Box

Hi Ladies! I ended up jumping at the Julep Trick or Treat Mystery Box and it has arrived at my doorstep (and rather quickly I might add). The Mystery Box mentioned that you'd get at least two polishes and another special item which were all Halloween related. Wanna see what I got?

 

Upon opening my box I saw the iconic Halloween treat, Candy Corn, smiling up at me. I don't eat them but they always scream Halloween to me! I received two glitter pots, in red and pink. Pink seemed a bit odd...it's not what I think of when someone says Halloween. I also received the nail water decals and a skull bracelet. Unfortunately the bracelet was snapped in half. I couldn't tell you what the material is, but it's definitely cheap costume jewelry. Not to mention it looks as though it will only fit someone with small wrists. I did send an email to Julep mentioning the broken bracelet and they responded promptly that they would send me another bracelet or a polish of my choice. I have so say that is some amazing customer service! Julep never lets me down! I will be choosing another polish since I didn't get what I was hoping for in my mystery box....any suggestions?

So here are the two polishes I received in my box: Parker and Morgan. 

Parker is a flat looking orange in the bottle but I've used it for my Halloween mani and it's much brighter and a touch more neon out of the bottle. Julep describes it as a golden tangerine creme. I would say that description is good for what it looks like in the bottle but it's not golden at all on my nails and I'm happy it's not. It's a good orange for all your spooky manis.

Morgan is a bright purple with blue and pink micro-shimmer particles. It looks much like the zillion other purples with micro-shimmer. I will probably try to swap this polish for something else on the Julep Swap Facebook page. If you haven't heard of it you can check it out here.

I had been hoping to get the orange/pinkish shimmer polish they had in their Mystery Box email, or possibly the glow in the dark Sofia, but I'm happy with Parker since I can't say I have many orange creme polishes.

What did you get in your Mystery Box?

~Linda

Julep Trick or Treat Mystery Box

Trick or Treat Mystery Boxes are available until October 19th with Free Shipping and delivery for U.S customers by Halloween!

Seems like you could get a variety of different items in this mystery box from accessories to nail decals and at least two polishes! Boxes have a $46 value and cost $19.99.


Make sure you stop by Julep.com and grab your mystery box before they are all gone. If you could kindly use my link I'd love you forever!!

I hope I get whatever that orange/pink polish shown is and the skull bracelet! Hey, maybe they will even include Sophia, the glow in the dark nail polish that so many people missed out on with the October upgrades.

Are you hoping on this Mystery Box or passing?

~Linda

Fall Inspired Mani

Today I have a fall inspired mani with some colors that I really love. To me fall means colorful leaves, cool air and rich desserts. I love snuggling up on a cold night with a blanket and a cup of coffee or a delicious piece of pumpkin chocolate chip cake. YUM.

Anywho, this is my take on a fall mani. I used a base of China Glaze Instant Chemistry from the Magnetix Collection. This color is deep and rich and I love it! I didn't use the magnet so I just applied two coats and let it dry. The two accent colors are Kleancolor Metallic Orange and Color Club Put a Pin In It.

This first picture was taken indoors under artificial lighting but it shows the true purple-mahogany color of Instant Chemistry.

This is my final mani. On my thumb and ring finger I applied Put A Pin In It (PAPII) on a diagonal and then stamped some fern leaves from RA-115 using Metallic Orange. On my index and pinky finger I simply added some more fern leaves.  PAPII is a foil described as a 'gilded rose gold' and looks like a washed out rosey gold color. Not something I would wear on it's own, but good for an accent color. 

It was a major pain to photograph the beauty of Instant Chemistry. It mostly looks brown in these pics rather than the rich purple-ish mahogany color it truly is. The first picture shows the true color pretty well but still looks just a hair too purple. It's a gorgeous color though. I prefer using this polish without the magnetic effects.

What are your favorite things about fall?

~Linda

Anise Urban Angels (Part 2)

It's been quite a while since I've had a sunny day to show you the last three Anise polishes that I have from the Urban Angels collection. I wanted sunlight rather than artificial light since all three of these have micro glitter and I always think you get to see them the best in sunlight.

Wee Hours is a rich purple loaded with blue and purple micro shimmer.  The shimmer is everywhere! It definitely shows on the nail and makes is seem as though the shimmer makes the color, rather than a shimmer within a purple polish.

This is Smokeshow and it was a pain in the A$$ to photograph. There is silver micro shimmer that sometimes looks blue. I've realized that I don't really wear grey at all but this is a pretty nice color that I would wear alone or with some nail art. This is two coats with top coat.

Total Temptress is a grayed out purple with a reddish pink micro shimmer. This is two coats with top coat. This polish applied very smooth and had a good dry time. I love the contrast of the purple and red/pink. It pops more so than just a plain silver micro shimmer.  Plus look how shiny it is!!

As I mentioned in my last Anise post, these are the first polishes I have from this brand and I didn't know what to expect. They wear all pretty good in consistency and application. The Urban Angel Collection consists of 12 polishes and can be purchased at your local DSW shoe store. 

Any thoughts on these polishes? 

~Linda