Cover Girl Fuchsia Fatale + Award

I'm starting to think that Cover Girl polishes are very underrated. I know they are not a brand that even pops into your head when you think of drugstore nail polish. They don't release seasonal collections and they're not the easiest polishes to find. However, I've always had good experiences with their polishes and they sell for a reasonable price. They have a selection of standard colors, but they also have a few standout colors and amazing glittery top coats. I don't expect they'll ever be a brand we'll be reaching for, but it's a good brand of polish that I recommend. I think it retails around the same as Maybelline, but less than Revlon around the $3-$3.50 range.

Fuchsia Fatale

A few weeks ago I was looking for a the perfect plum/berry creme. I was at Target and couldn't find this shade at price I wanted to pay within other brands and then I spotted this one. This went on smoothly with 2-3 coats and held up nicely! I really like this type of shade. I think it would fit into any season as it's not too bright nor is it too dark. It's a great type of shade to have whether it be from Cover Girl, or another brand. :)

*******

I received the Sunshine Award from the very lovely Girly's Beauty . She has a great blog that features nail polish, makeup, and other beauty products!

Here are the rules:
1. Save the image above and post it on your own blog.
2. Pass the award on to 12 fellow bloggers.
3. Link the nominees
4. Let nominees know they have won this award by commenting on their blog.
5. Share the love and link to the person you received this award from.

I'm not going to follow the rules here. I'm going to tag more than 12 blogs. I'm going to tag some recent blogs I've discovered along with new bloggers in the nail/beauty world.


Budget Beauty Goddess
For the Love of Lacquer
For Your Nails Only
Lacquer Lounge 
Lately I'm Obsessed With...
Laynie Fingers
Makeup CRAZIE!
Makeup Withdrawal 
Nails in my Coffin
NAILYORKCITY
Paillette: a little nail polish journal
PaintAwayGirls
Peep Dee's Polish
Polish This!
The Girl With A Bow
Twisted Nails
Willa's Shiny Tips

Whew! That was a lot I know. Many of these are newer bloggers with great blogs to view. You can never look at enough nail polish! :)

Happy Sunday!

Cover Girl Pink Twinkle

My boyfriend and I took a spontaneous trip to Target yesterday to buy tomatoes,zucchini, and an alarm clock. I know incredibly random. We were on the way to the front to check out when my boyfriend spotted the clearence section. I spotted nail polish there and he immediately went "Oh no why did I have to find this?" and jokingly rolled his eyes. I think he tolerates my nail polish addiction :P. I spotted this really pretty glittery top coat by Cover Girl called Pink Twinkle. It was originally $4.42, but it was on clearance for $2.12.


Pink Twinkle layered over Milani Pink Pop

 Pink Twinkle layered over Savina Coy

I am SO excited about this find! I'm so used to seeing polishes with iridescent glitter that is on the cool side. The glitters flash blue or green. I haven't been able to find polishes were the iridescent glitter is warm and flashes pink and gold. All that being said, Pink Twinkle is a sheer pink with pink and gold iridescent glitter. It's so pretty. It looks like a sparkling sunset in a bottle! I think I like it better over the neon pink than the coral color. I'm thinking this would look great over a lighter orange too. You could layer it over anything you wanted really!

This is a great little find. I have to thank the boyfriend for even though he probably wishes he kept his mouth shut in the first place. No worries, I paid for it. I don't subject him to buying my polish! :P

Happy Wednesday!

Blast from the Past!

Current Song: All Star- Smash Mouth

Today I wanted to share with you some of the oldest polishes I have. These are all polishes I've managed to somehow keep in my collection over the past possibly 10/11 years? I wasn't into nail polish growing up, yet they seemed to have traveled with me through my stages in life.

As I'm writing this post I'm listening to all the tunes from late 90's-early 00's to get in the spirit of things. I must admit my taste in music back then was pretty stereotypical preteen-teenage junk. There was a lot of NSYNC, Britney, Mariah Carey, and etc. I'll update you on each song I'm on while I'm posting these polishes. You have every freedom to cringe and rag on my terrible taste in music!

Note: Songs are in no related to the polishes just what is randomly playing on my iTunes!

Cover Girl Nailslicks- Very Berry

Current Song: Genie in a Bottle- Christina Aguilera
Very Berry is probably the oldest polish in my collection. I think I've had this since 1998 or 1999 when I was 12-13 years old. The awkward years. Words cannot describe the horror of those preteen years. Very Berry is a fuchsia with silver and blue shimmer throughout. It's a very pretty color. I'm surprised the formula hasn't changed since I first purchased it. Unfortunately, there is no genie in this bottle of polish, but I'll live.

Maybelline Wetshine Diamonds- Peach Glimmer


Current Song: You Oughta Know- Alanis Morissette
I think Wetshine Diamonds came out around 2000-2001, so I was around 14-15. I LOVE this color and I still adore it after all these years. It is a beautiful sheer peachy-coral with gold iridescent color mixed in. The formula of this one definitely took a turn for the worst. It was a chunky mess, but I revived it with some nail thinner and I couldn't be happier. I think this is a very happy color obviously not in tune with this Alanis song, but that's what you get with shuffle on iTunes!

Sally Hansen Nail Prisms- Pink Rose Diamond

Current Song: Pop- NSYNC
Feel free to laugh at my NSYNC song. NSYNC had a significant impact on my teen years. I was in love with them. They were my first love and will always have that little special place in my heart LOL. I believe the Nail Prisms came out in the early 00's. I MISS THESE SO MUCH! These were gorgeous. I know I had more but lost track of some. This is a nude-pink holographic. It's very blingy. I love holos and these were great! The formula on this went very thin. It's still usable but it's very watery.

Sally Hansen Nail Prisms- Ruby Sapphire

Current Song: Blue-Eiffel 65
Well this definitely isn't blue, but it does have blue shimmer throughout it! This like the previous one was released probably in the early 00's. I don't see much Ruby in this. I'd say it's more a of purple with blue/green shimmer. I don't find this holographic, but more of a duochrome. A very unique shade. I miss this Sally Hansen! The HD's are pretty cool, but I remember they used to have more unique collections more frequently?

Sally Hansen Chrome- Burmese Ruby

Current Song: I Wanna Know- Joe
I pretty sure the Chromes came out around 2003-2004? I remember buying this one on purpose. My high school colors were blue & red and in Texas where I grew up like the saying goes everything is bigger. Pep rallies, football games, and etc were HUGE events in high school. I got this polish to match my red & blue attire for a school pep rally. I was in marching band in high school and played the flute. I remember flute section always dressed up extra school spirited on Friday football game days. Shoot me. I didn't really like being band and wasn't into school spirit, but I went along with it all :P. Anyways! Burmese Ruby is a true red chrome. It has that mirror finish. This color is OK. I'm not too fond of it now. I haven't worn it in years and I remember why, it chipped like crazy!!!

Current Song: Iris- Goo Goo Dolls
That's all I hope you all enjoyed my trip down nail polish and music memory lane. You definitely have the freedom to make fun of my music tastes from back in the day!

What are some of the oldest polishes in your collection?

Happy Friday!

I Won't Spend More Than 10! Part Two

Reminder! You only have 2 more days to enter my giveaway!

In continuation from yesterday's post I will be featuring moderately priced drugstore brands today $3-%6.

Moderate end $3-$6
Cover Girl

Featured Colors: Ruby Dust, City Lights, Crystal Mist, Rhythmic Blue, & Gold Rush
Price: $3-$4
Where to buy: various drugstores, Target, Walmart, some grocery stores
Pros:
-Amazing selection of glittery/shimmery top coats for layering that I personally use often
-Usually have sales, coupons, and BOGOs in drugstores
Cons:
-Don't have wide selection of colors
-Color range is limited and not very imaginative

Maybelline

Featured Colors: Beach Plum, Banana Bamba, & Coral Cabana
Price: $3.50-$4
Where to buy: various drugstores, Target, Walmart, some grocery stores
Pros:
-Usually come out with seasonal collections with trendy colors
-Fast drying
-Usually have sales, coupons, and BOGOs in drugstores
Cons:
-In general they don't have a wide color selection

Milani

Featured Colors: Dot Com, Gold Lame, Disco Lights, Pink Pop, Garnet Gems
Price: $3.50-$5
Where to buy: various drugstores, Target, Cherry Culture, and some grocery stores
Pros:
-Wide selection of colors and finishes
-Come out with various collections throughout the year
-Colors are trendy and funky
-I find Milani similar to China Glaze as far as the types of polish colors they make
Cons:
-Not widely available in certain parts of the country
-Only get 0.45fl oz of polish which is a smaller amount compared to other brands

Revlon

Featured Colors: Midnight Affair, Plum Seduction, Raven Red, & Steel-her Heart
Price: $4-$5
Where to buy: various drugstores, Target, Walmart, some grocery stores
Pros:
-Has a good selection of wearable mainstream colors
-Usually comes out with seasonal collections
-Has a nice selection of basecoats and topcoats
Cons:
-Some may find their colors not very imaginative or unique

China Glaze

Featured Colors: Ruby Pumps, DV8, Nova, Strawberry Fields
Price: $3-$6 (cheaper from e-tailers pricier at Sallys)
Where to buy: Etailers- (8ty8 Beauty, Head2Toe Beauty, Trans Design) or Sally's Beauty Supply
Pros:
-Vast and I mean vast selection of colors and finishes
-Colors are trendy,funky, and unique
-Come out with amazing seasonal collections that tend to be very popular
Cons:
-Personally I'm not found of their brushes I find them too small and difficult to use

Orly

Featured Colors: Oh Cabana Boy, Pixy Stix, Passion Fruit, & Glam
Price: $3.20-$6 (cheaper from e-tailers pricier at Sallys)
Where to buy: CVS, Etailers (8ty8 Beauty, Head2Toe Beauty, Trans Design) or Sally's Beauty Supply
Pros:
-Have a nice selection of wearable mainstream colors
-Come out with seasonal collections that are trendy
-Great application
-You get 0.6fl oz of polish which is more than most brands
Cons:
-They don't have the most unique variety of colors

Claire's/Icing

Featured Colors: Blackout, Roger That, Goldmine, Yel
Price: $3.50-$5.50
Where to buy: Claire's & Icing stores
Pros:
-Unique colors including mood, neon, and glitter types of polishes
-Typically can be found on sale (ex. BOGO 1/2 off)
Cons:
-Limited selection of colors
-Can only be found in Claire's or Icing stores

Finger Paints

Featured Colors: Signed by the Artist, Maroon Macaroon, Decked with Dazzle, & Coral Collage
Price: $4-$5
Where to buy: Sally's Beauty Supply
Pros:
-Great application
-Wide range of mainstream colors
-Usually come out with seasonal collections with trendy colors
-Usually can be found on sale at Sally's
Cons:
-As far as I know it's only found at Sally's
-Some my find their colors not to be as unique as other brands

Sally Hansen

Featured Colors: Hidden Treasure, Zip, Antique Bronze, Purple Pizazz, In the Spotlight
Price: $3-$8
Where to buy: various drugstores, Target, Walmart, some grocery stores
Pros:
-Have various lines that cater to different peoples preferences,style, price range,and taste
-Usually come out with seasonal collections for some of their lines
-Have a wide range of nail products not just polish
-Usually have sales, coupons, and BOGOs in drugstores
Cons:
-Products can be inconsistent
-Some of their lines can be pricey
-Some seasonal collections are hard to find

Phew! That's a lot! Stay tuned for the high end under 10 brands tomorrow!
International readers remember to post your under 10 products and their info so I can add it to my international affordable nail polish post for Saturday!

Have a great Thursday!

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

Welcome to my blog!

Welcome to Imperfectly Painted. Before I get started I'd like to introduce myself and why I created this blog. My name is Stephanie and I'm 23 yr old Hospitality Management student in Florida. I live with my boyfriend and our diva cat who goes by various names Chara/Kitty/Francis, but mainly "Kitty". Poor cat is probably going through an identity crisis.

The reason behind the name of my blog "Imperfectly Painted" is that to be quite honest I don't do the best job at painting my own nails. I see lots of blogs with women whose nails look PERFECT, well I'm not one of them. I clean them up and make them look nice, but overall I'd like to think that most of us are not that great a painting our nails!

Things to expect form this blog:

-Sense of Humor (I know it's just nail polish, but I find some of my experiences with it to be rather humorous.)
-Affordable products ( Thanks to the blogger Nouveau Cheap I have discovered the beauty and wonders of drugstore products so I will not review/mention nail products over $10.)
-Tips,tricks, and ideas (Share different ideas for layering nail polishes, holiday nail ideas, and etc.)
-Reviews (I will do reviews of newer products I find. Now, I can't get my hands on full collections or every new collection, but I try to sample a few new products I can find in stores.)
-Reader involvement (I want my readers to have a place in my blog. I will read comments and reply to them. If I find some comment interesting or relevant to something I want to blog about I will incorporate your comments,ideas, suggestions into the blog.
-Favorites/Not so favorites
-Future giveaways
-Miscellaneous (I may bring up some non-nail related products or information I may think everyone may find useful.)

And on that note I'd like to show you my nail of the weekend. I did this look using Icing's Blackout & Cover Girl City Lights





I used 3 coats Icing Blackout and 1 coat Cover Girl City Lights. Blackout already has holographic glitter in it, but I wanted more! If you don't have Blackout you can use any Black Creme and put 2 coats of City Lights on top or China Glaze Fairy Dust they are very similar.

Tip: Try not to do your nails late at night because you may get tired and fall asleep. I say this especially to those of you with furry friends who like to sleep on you. You will end up with smudged nail polish with bits of cat or dog hair in it and last time I checked that isn't a current fashion trend. :-/

That's all for now. I expect my next few posts will be about my favorite polishes for each color family. I think I'll start with pink? Does that sound good?

Have a great Saturday and thanks for viewing,
Steph