OPI You're Such a Budapest

How about a little spring color from last spring? One thing I dislike about blogging world is once a season has past that collection is hardly ever mentioned again. Many of these polishes from these collections are still available long after their release, and are still awesome! I need to make a note on this blog to hold some polishes to review later on or re-visit some old favorites. OPI Euro Centrale 2013 spring collection was one of my faves, and so was this color.

You're Such a Budapest

You're Such a Budapest is pale and soft blue-toned lavender shimmer.

Color: This is the prettiest color, it reminds me of clean laundry for some reason? That's weird, since not all clean laundry is this color, but maybe you get what I mean? I hope. This does have a very subtle shimmer to it, but I don't really find it noticeable at a distance.

Formula: Meh. I found this formula to be streaky and uneven. Whomp whomp.

Price: This is $8.50-$9.00? I don't know what they're pricing OPIs these days. I still see this one around at Ulta.

Overall: I adore this color, it is beautiful. The formula is a disappointment though. I expect OPI to be pretty top notch when it comes nail polish, so I wanted better. I made it work though.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 Paint Splatters

Happy Friday!

Sally Hansen Berried Under

I buy too much texture polish and all I want to do is put top coat over it. I'm sorry. I've tried. I see some textures in peoples photos and I'm like "ooooooo!", but when I put them on me I don't like how they can look so dull. Again, I feel guilty. I've tried. There are few metallic ones and sparkly ones, I do like as they are, but that's a rarity. I like my shine. I'm sorry. Why am I apologizing? Here is a textured polish from Sally Hansen,  I thought I might not need to top coat, but I like it better top coated.

Berried Under

 Berried Under w/ top coat

Berried Under is a cool-toned pink shimmer texture.

Color: I actually love this color. I love purple-toned pinks. I love the shimmer in this, but it's totally lost in the textured part. The shimmer really pops with top coat, and I think that's the best part.

Formula: Good formula. I used 2 coats above.

Price: I have no idea what I paid for this. I forgot! I got this at Ulta though, so I'm assuming it was in the $4-$7 range.

Overall: I love this color. I love the shimmer. I just don't like how the shimmer gets lost in the texture. The polish preforms well, but it's not 100% there for me.

My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Paint Splatters

Happy Thursday!

Way-Cool Mani Wednesday: Opulent Raspberry

I've been craving cremes lately, but of course with a touch of sparkle. I really outdid myself on glitter this past fall and holiday season, but I can never glitter myself out completely. The glittery accent nail has reappeared for me since the beginning of the year. This is a combination I particularly loved. 

Polishes Used: Revlon Colorstay Rich Raspberry and Hare Polish Own Your Opulence

Happy Wednesday! 

Cult Nails Wack Slacks

Where did the bold blue go? 2011-2013 were all about the bold blues, now I haven't seen a bold blue in a collection in 2014. I guess they assume the bold blue has been covered. A bold blue at least to me never goes out of style. I have a Cult Nails bold blue to share with you today.

Wack Slacks

 Wack Slacks is a saturated violet-leaning blue creme.

Color: What I like about Wack Slacks is while it is a bold blue, it doesn't copy the others. This leans slightly the purple side and is touch muted. I don't have a blue quite like this in my stash.

Formula: Excellent formula. I used 2 coats above.

Price: This is $12.00 on the Cult Nails website.

Overall: Great bold blue with it's own unique touch. The color is saturated, the formula and the formula is great. The name is pretty awesome too!

My Rating 5 out of 5 Paint Splatters

Happy Tuesday!

Maybeline Pink Splatter

I have another one of the Maybelline Color Show Street Art polishes to share with you today. This one is called Pink Splatter. I have swatches of Blue Beats and Wild at Heart already on previous blog posts. 

Pink Splatter over Sinful Colors Energetic Red

Pink Splatter is a pale pink and black glitter mix in a clear base.

Color: Pink schmink. This barely constitutes as pink. This is 0.2 shades away from white. There is no way if you're looking at this from any farther than 1ft away would you think this was pink. This looks white from any distance unless it's a few inches from your face. 

Formula: Great formula. I used 2 coats above.

Price: I paid around $3-$4 for this at CVS.

Overall: I wish this was more pink than it really is, because there are lots of white & black glitter toppers out there, and this pretty much looks the same except for a very faint pink-hue. It's not a bad polish at all, but being so pale in color it doesn't make it very unique. 

My Rating: 3 out of 5 Paint Splatters

Happy Friday! 

OPI Alcatraz...Rocks

Better late than never. You all voted OPI Alcatraz...Rocks as one of your favorite polishes in 2013 on my poll late last year. I had never tried it at that point! I just recently tried it a few weeks ago, and I get the hype now, it is pretty awesome.

OPI Alcatraz...Rocks

OPI Alcatraz...Rocks w/ top coat

OPI Alcatraz...Rocks is deep blue texture shimmer with flecks of gold and pink.

Color: Isn't this great? I love this rich blue with the gold mixed in. This color is striking an elegent.

Formula: Good formula I used 2 coats above.

Price: This polish is $9.00.

Overall: Gorgeous textured polish. I love the richness of the color. This is one of those that speaks for itself. I can't really add much to its greatness!

My Rating 5 out of 5 Paint Splatters

Happy Thursday!

Way-Cool Mani Wednesday: Purple Elegance

I've been craving purple a lot lately. I'm in a purple mood. I even kind of want to dye my hair purple, well more like an eggplant shade, not crayola purple. When in a purple mood, why not paint my nails purple?

Polishes Used: I used OPI Vant To Bite My Neck on my index, middle, and pinky. I used Maybelline Amethyst Couture from the Brocades collection as an accent on my ring finger.

Perfectly purple nails to match my purple mood!

Happy Wednesday! 

Hare Polish Own Your Opulence

I'm a sucker for art history. I love some of the grandiose art movements of the past. One of my favorites is Rococo, which was prominent in 18th century France. I love the whimsical and flowing style and the strong use of pastel tones.  Rococo art for lack of a better word was all very pretty, and pleasing to the eye. 

I was excited when Hare Polish released The Last Queen of France collection inspired by Marie Antoinette who was a part of this time period. I have Own Your Opulence to share with you today, a glitter topper that is highly representative of the Rococo opulent style and color scheme. 

Own Your Opulence over Revlon Modern Grace

 Own Your Opulence is a mix of pastel glitters, black glitters, gold glitters, gunmetal glitters, and a gold shimmer in a clear base.

Color: This is an amazing color combination, and in entirely unique to anything I own. I love the mix of black and gold with pastel, it is so luxurious, and so Rococo! I'm geeking out a bit. Love!

Formula: Good formula! I used 2 coats in the swatch above. 

Price: This is $10.00 on Hare Polish's etsy site. 

Overall: I absolutely 100% adore this. I know it's partially the theme that I adore,  but the polish is great! I love the inspiration. I think it represents the theme excellently and is truly a unique glitter topper in the indie world. 

My Rating: 5 out of 5 Paint Splatters

Happy Tuesday! 

China Glaze Fang-tastic

Is February too late for Halloween polish? Probably, but I think this Halloween polish isn't very Halloween-y, so that makes it acceptable. The name just throws it all off! This polish is from China Glaze's Monsters Ball collections from this past Halloween.

Fang-tastic over China Glaze Grape Pop

 Fang-tastic is a mix of blue, fuchsia, and green glitter in a clear base.

Color: I like the mix of blue, green, and fuchsia here. I love jewel-toned colors. I will say, this does not really make me think of Halloween. That is good though, because I really think you could wear this year round. I never wear exclusively Christmas or Halloween polishes outside the holidays, so this will get more use out of me!

Formula: Great formula. I used 2 coats above. The glitters applied easily and smoothly.

Price: I received this as a gift from a friend, but it can be found on Amazon currently for $4.90.

Overall: Nice jewel-toned glitter topper with a great formula. This isn't the most exciting glitter out there though. I kind of wish it just had a bit more depth to it with maybe some square glitters or micro glitters, but I've been spoiled by indie glitters!

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Paint Splatters

Happy Monday!

Glitt-A-Licia Guest Post: Lucid Dreams

Dear Reader,

If you have been following my little guest posts, you know 2013 was a tough year for me. I went through many trials to test my resolution, and yet I am still here.

This means one of two things:
1-God is proving to me that I am stronger than I give myself credit for.
2-I am just too stubborn to give up! Think about it. If I give up on myself, who is going to fight for me??

One thing that has become a problem is, my OCD has been acting up. Dealing with insurance companies over my wrecks, getting the flu which led to pneumonia, missing my family over the holidays, working a very stressful job, and trying to be super mommy has wiped me out! A big reason I have spent the past two blog posts going down memory lane is, my nails and cuticles are hot messes. I have been picking at them again. I am ashamed. They look horrible.

I decided to go to my doctor and ask to change up my antidepressants. He put me on a new medication that seems to be working fairly well, however there is a very unusual side effect. I have always had lucid dreams due to me having narcolepsy, but this medication has stirred up some really insane dreams!

Lucid dreams are very vivid dreams where the dreamer slowly realizes they are awake inside the dream, but your body is paralyzed. You can't make your body wake up, yet you are awake inside a very real freakshow in your mind. They are so real that I thought I was actually going insane before I realized I was awake in a nightmare.

So, what do I do?? I make a nail polish based on these lucid dreams! These pics show two dabbed coats of Lucid Dreams over a basic black creme, with a coat of Sally's Gelous as a top coat.

Description from the maker (aka me): Lucid Dreams is a dark yet colorful totally insane combination of glitter that it could only be described as a beautiful nightmare.

(As said earlier, please ignore any messy clean up or dry cuticles. Be kind. Lol)

(Intentionally blurred to show sparkle.)

Shine On Reader,
Licia

Loaded Lacquer Fade to Pink

Happy Valentine's Day!

I think Valentine's day was so much cooler when I was a kid. I'm not even single, so that's not why I'm complaining. It just was more fun then. We used to have these awesome Valentine's parties at school. I had so much fun picking out the coolest Valentine's for my classmates. They were Scooby Doo 90% of the time.

I remember I had a crush on this guy in 6th grade named Geoff. I tried to make his Valentine PERFECT. I picked out the coolest Scooby Doo valentine, used the nicest pen, and wrote in the nicest handwriting "To: Geoff From:Stephanie". Romantic eh? I went to school the next day to put the everyone's valentines in their valentine's bag, and realized I left Geoff's at home!!! ARGH!!!

I lived. I never found that valentine though.

On to polish! I'm wearing Fade to Pink from Loaded Lacquer this Valentine's Day.

Fade to Pink over Sally Hansen Pinch of Punch

Fade to Pink is a mix of gunmetal, gunmetal holo, medium pink, and pale pink glitters in a clear base.

Color: This is such a great and unexpected color combination. I love the mix of hard and soft colors with the gunmetal and the pink. This is Valentine's with edge!

Formula: Easy to apply, no difficulties. I used 2 thin coats above.

Price: This is $10.00 on Loaded Lacquer's website.

Overall: Fade to Pink is awesome. I love the non traditional mix of colors and the formula is great. Great polish!

My Rating: 5 out of 5 Paint Splatters

Happy Friday!

Zoya Kara

I realized at least from September-December, I had no purchased a single warm toned color polish. I have been wearing predominantly blues and purples for months. I guess the seasons do dictate my polish choices, it is really out of habit. I did feel deprived of the brighter colors, when Zoya had their recent promo, I decided to bring some sunshine into polish purchases.

Kara

Kara is a bright orangey-red coral creme.

Color: This is the type of color I don't think anyone could go wrong with. Kara is bright, punchy, and fun. This is definitely a color that will brighten your spirits in this icky winter.

Formula: Easy breezy. 2 coats.

Price: This is $9.00 on Zoya's website.

Overall: I love Kara! She's a cheerful color, universally flattering, and a great formula!

My Rating: 5 out of 5 Paint Splatters

Happy Thursday!

Way-Cool Mani Wednesday: Pretty in Pink

I have for you today a pink-inspired mani. I've been craving the color pink a lot lately. I needed some pink in my life!

Polishes Used:

CoverGirl Pink-finity, Butter London Tart With A Heart, and CoverGirl Everbloom

Manicure Description: I did the saran wrap technique with CoverGirl Pink-finity topped with Everbloom on all nails except my ring finger. On the ring finger I inverted the saran wrap technique with Everbloom topped with Pink-finity, topped off with 2 coats of Butter London Tart With A Heart.

Happy Wednesday!

Maybelline Blue Beats

The catch of the day today is Maybelline Blue Beats. This is part of the Color Show Street Art line that was released the beginning of this year. 

Blue Beats over Sinful Colors Endless Blue

Blue Beats is a mix of light blue and black matte glitters in a clear base.

Color: I like the mix of the light blue and black. I love matte color glitter mixed with black anyways!

Formula: Easy to apply. I used 2 coats above.

Price: I paid around $3-$4 for this at CVS.

Overall: Fun glitter topper. I love the color combination and the drugstore price. 

My Rating 5 out of 5 Paint Splatters

Happy Tuesday! 

a-england Her Rose Adagio

I'm not lacking in the holo department, but there is one type of holo I was on the hunt for recently. I really wanted a soft pinky-nude holo, very specific. Nudes that compliment my skin tone are challenge, so I was concerned this being a nude and holo would be a bigger challenge!  I came across a-england's Her Rose Adagio, and hesitated. It can be difficult to determine through photos if I a color will work for you. I decided to take the plunge anyway, and it payed off!

Her Rose Adagio

 Her Rose Adagio is a soft pinky nude holo.

Color: You know that excited satisfaction you get when you find a color is exactly what you were looking for? This is what happened with Her Rose Adagio. I love the softness of this color paired with a holo. Beautiful color.

Formula: Excellent. I used 2 coats above. The formula was so easy to apply and I didn't any difficulty.

Price: This is $10.00 on Color4Nails.

Overall: I love Her Rose Adagio, she is perfectly lovely. I don't think it needs more description than that. I only wish I had purchased it sooner, because it definitely would of been a pick for my top 25 of 2013.

My Rating: 5 out of 5 Paint Splatters

Happy Monday!

SPCA Sunday: Meet Chester

Today, I would like to introduce you to the SPCA of Central Florida cat of week for Imperfectly Painted, Chester!

Chester

Age: 7 yrs
About Chester: Chester is a cool cat. He has the coolest coat. You might think from afar his coat is thinning. This isn't the case at all. Chester's undercoat is actually white, and the top of his coat is black! I've never seen coat like his before. He's a very sweet and affection cat. He loves getting cuddles and pets. Chester always gets excited when I come over to his cage to pet him. He's been at the SPCA since November, and is patiently waiting to find his furever home.

Volunteer Duties: This was a fun volunteer week. We were asked by one of the SPCA staff to make some Valentine's decorations for the cat room. I hear decorations, and I get excited. I love to decorate, make things colorful and sparkly (ya, think? I'm sure all of us nail addicts are like that). We were limited on supplies so we had to improvise. No construction paper? No problem, I found mini red paper plates in the storage closet and cut hearts of those. We also used pipe cleaners, cupcake papers, and foam heart stickers. We hung up the decorations in the cat room, so it all looks every loved now. I'll take a picture for next week!

Adoption Special: The SPCA has an adoption special going on from now through Valentine's Feb 14th. All adoptions will get $14 off, and there is $5 off coupon for heartworm preventive. 

Adoption Price: Cats 4 months and  under-$100 Cats 4 months and older- $75

If you'd like to find more information out about Chester or learn more about the SPCA of Central Florida, check out their website. 

Happy Sunday!

New Milani 2014 Nail Lacquer (Pic Heavy)

*I received these products in exchange for my honest review.

I'm rounding out my posts on the new polishes for Milani in 2014. I believe these are extensions/new additions to their core line. These polishes are mix of nudes, neutrals, and conservative colors.

Canyon Country

Canyon Country is a warm red-orange creme.

Cupid's Touch

Cupid's Touch is a medium pink creme.

Golden Romance

Golden Romance is an intense rose gold shimmer base with golden glitters.

Heather

Heather is a muted purple mauve creme.

Iced Mango

Iced Mango is a red-orange shimmer.

Mauve Medley

Mauve Medley is a deep mauve creme.

Peach Innocence

Peach Innocence is a peachy nude creme.

Mulberry Sugar

Mulberry Sugar is a red-brown shimmer.

Vanilla Almond

Vanilla Almond is a pale nude creme.

White

White is a white creme.

Colors: These are definitely more understated colors. I do like Golden Romance and Heather. The rest I do feel are not really my personal style. That being said, they do cater to people who are not crazy nail polish addicts like me who want to wear blue, neons, and glitter bombs. If you're going for understated and conservative colors at a drugstore price, these will fit wonderfully.

Formula: I thought the formula on these was easy to use and all applied well. I used 2 coats in all swatches above except for White and Golden Romance where I used 3.

Price: These are $3.99 and will be available at CVS.

Overall: Not really my cup of tea as far as colors, but they are well made and will appeal to people who prefer more nude and neutral nail looks.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 Paint Splatters

Happy Friday!