Throwback Thursday: BB Couture Dragon's Breath

Time for Throwback Thursday! I have another somewhat ancient polish to show you this week. Ancient, as in it's older than 5 years. I think in nail polish years that's pretty old! This one is from the brand BB Couture which I don't hear much from these days. I know they still make nail polish, but they've been pretty quiet on blogs.

Dragon's Breath

Dragon's Breath is a red-toned purple jelly with reda and silver micro glitter.

Collection: No sure? Does anyone know? I believe this came out in 2008 or 09 though.

Color: This color makes me miss old school nail polish. I don't see many jelly micro-glitters anymore. This is a beautifu jelly base and that glitter is just perfect.

Formula: This formula was easy to use, but is sheer on the first coat. I used 3 coats above.

Price: This is sadly long discontinued. I did a search on it, and I can't find it anywhere anymore.

Overall: This is a great blast from nail polish past. This is a beautiful nail polish that if you have you should use again! I just love that micro-glitter. Nail polish companies, please bring this back!

My Rating 5 out of 5 Paint Splatters

Happy Thursday!

BB Couture Man Bug

I officially declare it to be spring! It is definitely warm enough here. I know it's not the same way everywhere else, but who cares it's time for spring polish. I got this BB Couture color in winter, and now is the time to break it out!

Man Bug

Man Bug is a aquarmarine jelly base with iridescent microglitter that flashes gold/green/yellow.

Just like Zoya has their trademark golden shimmer, BB Couture has this trademark iridescent microglitter. I've found the same glitter in colors like Hermosa Surfer Girl, Sex on the Beach, & Horned Devil. I know this same glitter is in many other colors I just don't own them..yet! I love this color, it's perfect for spring.

You can buy BB Couture from OverallBeauty.

Happy Monday!

BB Couture Sex on the Beach

Hehe, what a name! Last night, I survived a migraine from hell, but I'm thankfully SO much better than yesterday. I could use a little bit more sleep though. I love BB Couture polish even though I have very few. They definitely have a unique and attractive variety of polish including this one.

Sex on the Beach

 Sex on the Beach is a red-orange jelly with golden/green iridescent micro glitter.

Just like Zoya has their signature gold shimmer, BB Couture has this signature iridescent glitter I've seen throughout many of their polishes...Hermosa Surfer Girl, Horned Devil, & Man Bug..to name a few. This is from last summer's Cantina Collection. Beautiful summery shimmer shade!

You can find BB Couture polishes at OverallBeauty.

Happy Friday!

2010 Top 20 Part 1

This was nearly impossible. It's so difficult to pick my favorite polishes this year. This is my Top 20 for this year of all time, so this includes polishes from other years. I realized after I selected my 20, I saw some other great contenders, but I had to narrow it down! Here are 10 of 20 I selected. These are in no particular order. :)

Color Club Pucci-licious

 China Glaze Grape Pop

China Glaze Strawberry Fields

China Glaze Tickle My Triangle

Deborah Lippmann Across the Universe

BB Couture Hermosa Surfer Girl

MAC Bad Fairy

Milani Gems over white

Milani Red Sparkle

OPI Catch Me In Your Net

There are my first 10. Stay tuned tomorrow for the rest!

Happy Wednesday!

BB Couture Napa Valley Red

Sorry for the late post today. I woke up early and started studying for finals which are next week..the next thing I know I fell asleep and woke up at 1pm. Oh well. I still don't feel awake. I hate that feeling! Anyways, on to pretty polish!

Napa Valley Red

Napa Valley Red is a deep wine red jelly with red glitter.

This is gorgeous. This darker than China Glaze Ruby Pumps, but has a similar effect. The sparkle is less dense in this, but it just as gorgeous. I find BB Couture formula funny. I think the BB Couture formula is too good. I know that sounds crazy. I always expect when applying polish I'll need a substantial amount of polish on the brush, but this is not the case with these. You do not need a lot on your brush, and this applies like butter. If you're not careful you can put on too much and get it on your cuticles. This isn't bad at all. I'm just used to a lesser quality polish!

BB Couture polishes are $9 on OverallBeauty. This brand is pricey in my book, but they are totally worth it. I will splurge on these on occasion. The color selection is unique and the formula is great!

Happy Wednesday!

BB Couture Dragon's Breath

I think I have a BB Couture lemming list that is at least 15 polishes long. I love this brand, but it's not my favorite as far as price goes. They're around $9 a bottle. I have 4 colors, but I hope to expand that! These are great polishes and the colors are very unique! Here is one of my favorites...

Dragon's Breath

Dragon's Breath is a red-toned purple jelly with red, blue, and silver glitter.

This is a great color. I love the red and blue glitter in the purple base. You do not get different color glitters in jelly polishes often. I think these are definitely worth the $9 price tag. Their polishes are some of my all time favorites as far as color selection and originality.

Update: You can find BB Couture polishes on OverallBeauty!

Happy Tuesday!

BB Couture Hermosa Surfer Girl

I had swatched this polish as one of my first posts, and to be quite honest the swatch was awful. It did not do this polish the justice it deserves, so I am re-visiting it!

Hermosa Surfer Girl was a color on my lemming list for over year. It costs around $9 on Overall Beauty. As you might now from me spending that much on nail polish is very rare and it would have to be extra special. Hermosa Surfer Girl is that extra special polish. I searched high and low for possible dupes or similar colors with no avail. It wasn't going to happen. So, I took the plunge and bought these beauty, and I have no guilt!

Hermosa Surfer Girl

Indoors


Outdoors 1


Outdoors 2

Hermosa Surfer Girl is a deep pink jelly with an explosion of iridescent (gold,silver, blue, gren) glitter throughout. It is a beautiful gold medal winning polish, I wish I had purchased sooner. If you are on the fence about this one or it's been on your list for awhile. I highly suggest you just go ahead and purchase this one. It is worth the price and you will not be disappointed!


Now on to everyone's best buys this week!

Jessica of Polished Lyrics:
-She got 3 Art Deco Stipers (2 pink, 1 green) on clearance with an additional 40% off
-She thinks ended up spending $.94 on each one
-She purchased these from Fred Meyers

I didn't do much nail polish shopping this week, but I do suggest checking out CVS many of their products are still 50%-75% off. They also have many brands BOGO 50% off. Also, if you have a CVS card you are bound to get great coupons. I got one for $3 Borghese & $5 off $15 purchase, so I'll be using those!

Enjoy your day!

I Won't Spend More Than 10! Part Three

Remidner!! This is the LAST day to enter my giveaway! I will be randomly selecting a winner and emailing them tomorrow morning!

This is my final part of my US under 10 posts. Tomorrow, I'll make post of the international under $10 products along with my giveaway winner!

Note: If I haven't reviewed a certain brand it's either because I haven't tried the brand or do not have enough of their product to give them a review.

High End $7-$10

Zoya

Featured Colors: Zara, Suvi, Elke, Evangeline
Price: $7
Where to buy: some salons, some beauty supply stores, and Zoya website
Pros:
-Vast selection of stunning colors and finishes
-Unique shades
-Great application
-Usually have AMAZING deals (ex. Green Friday & now Polish Exchange)
-Great trendy/unique collections
Cons:
-Some of their colors can be very similar to each other which can make it difficult since you are purchasing online
-I haven't experienced this personally, but I have heard that their polishes don't hold up as well unless you are using their top coat

Essie

Featured Colors: Bermuda Shorts, Mod Squad
Price: $8
Where to buy: some salons, Target, Head2Toe Beauty, Trans Design, Essie website

Pros:
-Come out with seasonal collections with trendy colors
Cons:
-Pricey for the budget buyer
-Personally for their prices I don't find their polishes that unique
-Many of their colors have cheaper dupes

OPI

Featured Colors: Red Dazzle, Mad as a Hatter
Price: $8.50
Where to buy: some salons, Ulta, Target, & some grocery stores
Pros:
-Great application
-Fun and unique location inspired collections
-Polishes have catchy and fun names
-I find the brushes on OPIs my favorite and easiest to use
Cons:
-Price is bit high for the budget buyer
-Many of their colors have cheaper dupes

BB Couture

Featured Colors: Hermosa Surfer Girl, Horned Devil, Napa Valley Red
Price: $9-$9.95
Where to buy: Overall Beauty, BB Couture Website
Pros:
-One of kind shades
-Great unique collections
-Excellent application
Cons:
-Pricey for the budget buyer
-Maybe this is just me but before I purchased their brand I saw bottles pics and thought they were a lot bigger than they actual are. You get the standard .5fl oz
-A few of their colors you can find cheaper dupes

There ya go! I hope you enjoyed these posts as much as I did and I definitely hope you find them useful.

Have a great day!

Red Glitter Comparison Swatches

There are lots of glittery reds out there and many of them could be considered dupes and others are clearly unique. I figured I'd compare the ones I have for you guys. I also will try and give you some detailed descriptions for each one. I did these on a nail wheel because my camera was having a hard time capturing these on my nails.
Here are the ones I'll be comparing..

L-R: Milani-Garnet Gems, OPI-Red Dazzle, BB Couture-Napa Valley Red, Orly-Glam, China Glaze-Ruby Pumps, Maybelline-Red Comet, Milani-Ruby Jewels, Finger Paints-Candy Cane Shimmer, Hardy Candy-Lava


Here are the swatches.
1.Milani-Garnet Gems 2.OPI-Red Dazzle 3.BBCouture-Napa Valley Red 4.Orly-Glam 5.China Glaze-Ruby Pumps 6.Maybelline-Red Comet 7.Milani-Ruby Jewels 8.Finger Paints-Candy Cane Shimmer 9.Hardy Candy-Lava



1. Milani Garnet Gems is a blackened jelly base with red glitter. The glitter in this is little more subdued. You can see it, but it is more noticeable in light or sunlight.
2. OPI Red Dazzle is warm toned red jelly base with gold and red glitter mixed in. This glitter is more noticeable than Garnet Gems.
3. BB Couture Napa Valley Red is deep red/violet jelly base with red glitter. The glitter in here is more subdued on the nail but it really pops in the light.
4. Orly Glam is a medium red-violet jelly base with sparse red,magenta, and silver glitter. The jelly finish in this polish is more of a prominent factor than the glitter. The glitter still does make statement and add dimension to this polish.
5,6, & 7. China Glaze Ruby Pumps, Maybelline Red Comet, & Milani Ruby Jewels by my best judgment are dupes of each other. These are all cooler toned red jelly bases with red glitter mixed in. The glitter in these stands out and really makes for a beautiful polish. If you have one of these I really don't think you need either of the other 2.
8. Finger Paints Candy Cane Shimmer is pink toned red with chunky gold, silver, and pinkish shimmer.
9. Hard Candy Lava is a bright red-orange with red and gold glitter flecks mixed in.

All of these should be easy to find with the exception of OPI Red Dazzle and Finger Paints Candy Cane Shimmer. I have seen OPI Red Dazzle minis being sold on Ebay for under $10. I know I have seen some Finger Paints Candy Cane Shimmer in various Sally's Beauty Supply in their Clearance sections.

BB Couture Napa Valley Red can be found on Overall Beauty. Hard Candy Lava can be found Walmart. The rest can be found at various drugstores, Dollar Tree, Sally's, or different e-tailers.

That is all for now. What are your favorite red glitters?

BBCouture Haul/Swatches

Today I wanted to show you the BBCoutures I received recently. I got these from Overall Beauty at $9 each. I have to admit this is probably the most I'd spend on a nail polish and it definitely will be a once in a blue moon thing. In most cases if I see a color I like that is more on the pricey side I look for a dupe. However, these colors are so unique I knew I wouldn't be able to find something similar. I especially had been wanting Hermosa Surfer Girl for a long time, so I finally convinced myself to get it.

The reason I was so attracted to Horned Devil & Hermosa Surfer girl was because when I was probably around 4 or 5 I went over to my best friend's house and she had this nail polish very similar to Hermosa Surfer Girl made by Tinkerbell Cosmetics. I don't know if you anyone remembers Tinkerbell Cosmetics but it was a company I think from the 70's up until the 90's (I'm not sure if they're still around?) who made cosmetics,bags, compacts for little girls. If you had a play purse full of Tinkerbell Cosmetics you were definitely pretty cool. I was so envious of those girls with all that makeup! Anyways back on topic that color of nail polishe had been burned into my brain for the past 20 years, and I'm happy I finally have it..or well something very close to it!

Hermosa Surfer Girl:



This is part of the California Beaches Collection. I think I am in love with this polish now. It's the perfect shade of medium reddish pink. It reminds me of hibiscus flowers in Hawaii. It has iridescent glitter that isn't overpowering, but compliments the polish nicely. In fact this polish makes me want to check out of life for awhile and go on vacation. The name of the polish sure doesn't help matters either. Overall this polish just brings back memories and lots of happy and carefree times. I used 3 coats and it applied beautifully. I am over the moon over this one. I am so glad I ended up getting this.


Horned Devil



I believe this is part of the new Hailey's Butterfly collection. This is a orange jelly with iridescent glitter. It is pretty much a cousin to Hermosa Surfer Girl, which is probably why I was instantly drawn to it. A great summer/vacation color! I also used 3 coats with this one.


Napa Valley Red



This beauty is part of the Vampy Varnish Collection, which I'm sure most of you know was developed by Kelly, of Vampy Varnish. I love reds. I hear a lot of people get bored by reds, but not me. I especially love reds with sparkle. I can't get enough. This is no exception. Napa Valley Red is a rich and deep jelly red with light red sparkles. I have to apologize for my sloppy application. I blame this on myself. This was the first one I swatched and a little goes a long way with BBCouture polishes. This was a pleasant surprise because I know this will polish will last me awhile. I didn't have to load up my brush with a lot of color to cover my nail like I have to with other brands. My messiness aside, this a luxurious color that I adore.

That's it for today. I want to leave off with a question though. Is there polish in your collection that reminds you of a great time in your life or makes think about a special place? If so, tell me what it is and what memories or places it makes you think of. :)

Have a great evening!
Steph

My Favorite Layering Polishes

As an off shoot of my last post I wanted to show you all my favorite layering polishes. Before that though I'd like to make note that when typing out the title of my blog I put in in "My Favorite Laying Polishes" not layering. That's a good idea for a post, but I don't think we'll be doing that today. :P

I decided to swatch these on nail wheel because I wanted to show you how they look on 2 different color polishes. I'll be layering these over Essie's Mod Squad (a standard bubble gum pink creme) and N.Y.C. Black Lace Creme.

To enlarge any picture just click on it. :)



Here are the layering polishes I'll be using..
L-R: Cover Girl- City Lights, Sally Hansen- In the Spotlight, Cover Girl-Crystal Mist, Milani-Disco Lights, Pure Ice- Spit Fire, Tropez-Sassy, Sinful Colors- Frenzy, Pure Ice- Busted, & Pure Ice- Heartbreaker



and here is how they look on these polishes..




As I kind of touched on in my last post these are great options for adding some depth and life to some plain colors or even great colors you just want to spice up a bit. There are endless combinations too, so if you ever need to hold off on purchasing polishes for awhile you have many different options for creating your own custom colors. All of these polishes cost under $10 and most all you can find either at Walmart, Target, and various drug stores.

On that note I will bid you adieu!

Preview for next time I got these BBCouture pretties in the mail today. Swatches & Reviews tomorrow
L-R:
Napa Valley Red, Hermosa Surfer Girl, Horned Devil



--Steph