Sinful Colors So Daupe + Chit Chat

I find myself more and more drawn to the drugstore and mainstream polishes these days. That's the opposite of what everyone else I know into nail polish is drawn to. I'm in the process of putting all of my energy into a new career path which has a blogging aspect (are you following The Fulfilled Feline?). I don't really have the time or energy anymore to be on top of the indie world, it was hard enough in the first place! I have the desire to simplify my nail polish hobby.

I find myself lately going back to my original nail polish roots and enjoying shopping the drugstore for nail polish. That's how I fell in love with polish was through leisurely shopping trips to the drugstore or Ulta. It was stress-free and easy going. I need more of that now especially as I put a majority of my energy into something else. Nail polish needs to be a 100% leisurely outlet for me at this time in my life. That doesn't mean I'll never post an indie again. If I see some that strike my fancy, of course, I'm game and I know I'll never go off KBShimmer. Right now, I really just want to enjoy nail polish at my pace and work it around my life which means I'll probably be posting more mainstreams and drugstore polishes.

Thankfully, I'm really into what mainstreams and drugstores are producing these days. It's very limited in the drugstore, but Sinful Colors has been great at putting out new colors on a seasonal basis. I came across this early 2017 release the other day and I needed it. It's a neutral, of course, I needed it. I love neutrals!

So Daupe

So Daupe is a soft grayish-brownish-purplish creme.

Collection: Sinful Colors Core 2017

Color: You know I love colors like this and I think it's the first time in my nail polish history that I really stuck to a color family for so long. I'm probably wearing a color like this a few times a month and have been for several months. A color like this is so clean and chic and I love how it goes with everything.

Formula: This had a nice and easy to use formula. I used 2 coats above.

Price: This was $1.99 at Walgreens.

Overall: This is a great everyday elegant taupe-y shade. It's so wearable and I think it would be flattering on a variety of skin tones. The formula is great and you can't beat that $1.99 price!

My Rating: 5 out of 5 Paint Splatters

Happy Thursday!

Zoya Normani

You know I've been on a nude-neutral kick for the past several months. I think I'm going to say it's officially dissipating. I still love these colors, but I'm starting to branch out and want a more variety of colors now. I was wearing nudes probably 90% of the same since late summer. I was in it hardcore. Whilst in my hardcore nude-neutral kick I did manage to pick up some more colors from Zoya and I have one of those to share with you today. 

Normani

Normani is a sable mauve cream.

Collection: Zoya Naturel Collection 2014

Color: I used to want nothing to do with taupe-y colors like this one. I thought they all looked terrible me, but like any color, it's about finding the right tone. This one is flattering on me I think. It has more purple to it than brown which is why I think it works better. I also like that it's a medium shade so it's not too nude-y.

Formula: This had a nice and easy to use formula. I used 2 coats above.

Price: This is $10 on the Zoya website. 

Overall: This a solid great neutral color. It's pretty and flattering color. The formula was nice, and it's just all around nice. There isn't much more to say about it. 

My Rating: 5 out of 5 Paint Splatters

Happy Thursday! 

Sinful Colors Prosecco

I think I may be the last nail polish addict to actually get this Sinful Colors polish. I know this polish was on everyone's radar well over a year ago. I liked the color but never got around to really getting it. I finally got it last week. I spotted it at Walgreens recently and decided to take the plunge.

Prosecco

Processo is a soft taupe filled with a golden shimmer.

Collection: Sinful Colors SinfulShine

Color: This is definitely my kind of color. As many of you know I've been on a nude/neutral polish kick and have been accumulating many colors like Processo. This one is a nice addition. I love this soft shade and we all know it's about that gorgeous shimmer!

Formula: This had an excellent and smooth formula. I used 2 coats.

Price: I purchased this from Walgreens for $2.98.

Overall: This is a great neutral color that has a beautiful shimmer. I get why everyone loved this shade. It's very flattering, unique for a drugstore color, and with a drugstore price! I don't have complaints.

My Rating: 5 out of 5 Paint Splatters

Happy Tuesday!

Native War Paints Stripped Stephanie

I have new to me indie brand polish to share with you today. Native War Paints has been on my radar since last fall. There is one type of polish finish I don't see in the indie market that much and that's shimmers. Native War Paints seems to have taken on the shimmer category and frankly I haven't seen shimmers this incredible ever. The Nude Collection recently caught my eye and inspired me to try this brand. Yes, this polish having my name it in provided a certain pull, but the color is also incredible.

Stripped Stephanie

Stripped Stephanie is smokey mauve base with an intense coppery golden shimmer.

Collection: Native War Paints The Nudes Collection Winter 2016

Color: Now we're talking! This is a stunning color especially for a neutral. I love nudes/neutral colors that have some special quality to them that makes them unique. I love the base color of this as it's flattering color on me which can be hard with colors in this category. The shimmer in this is absolutely stunning and I rarely if not ever have seen an indie with incredible shimmer like this. Wow!

Formula: This had an excellent and easy to use formula. I used 2 coats above.

Price: What's even better is the price? This is $6 on the Native War Paints site. I can't tell you the last time I saw an indie polish especially one with shimmer that was $6.

Overall: I love Stripped Stephanie. This is a beautiful neutral color with a magical shimmer for the indie record books in my opinion. I'm very impressed with this brand and how they offer something unique in a market that can get somewhat repetitive these days. This is a must have!

My Rating: 5 out of 5 *Golden* Paint Splatters

Happy Wednesday!

Fresh Paint Olivia

Orlando finally got a Five Below and I'm really excited. Honestly, I thought I'd just love the nail polish there, but I've found so many other great finds. I did come across a Fresh Paint color that caught my eye recently. You know why? Well, it's a neutral. I'm all about the neutrals this winter and this one is a winner.

Olivia

Olivia is a grey/taupe creme.

Color: I'm having a hard time describing this grey. I don't think it's a straight up pure grey, it does have hint of taupe to it. I love this color! If you asked me this 5  years ago I would of said I hated this color. Taupes were not my thing, but now. I love it! It's a great neutral shade.

Formula: Wow! This formula surprised me. It was PERFECT. I used 2 coats, but I could imagine if you used thick coats you could get away with one. It was smooth, buttery ,and so easy to apply.

Price: I got this at Five Below in a 3 for $5 deal. I believe they're $2 individually.

Overall: I love Olivia. The color is beautiful and formula is great. This fits perfectly in my little neutral winter color obsession I have going on. I approve!

My Rating: 5 out of 5 *Golden* Paint Splatters

Happy Friday!

Ella + Mila Cup O'Latte

*I received the following product in exchange for my honest review.

I came across the Ella + Mila booth this summer at Cosmoprof. This was a brand I had heard of, but never tried myself. This brand is really recognizable to me because of their absolutely adorable logo with that cute elephant. They kindly gave me a sample of one of their polishes to try and I wanted to let you know what I thought. This one is part of their "Mommy + Me" set which come with 2 colors. I only have the "Mommy" color, but you can buy it individually.

Cup O'Latte

Cup O'Latte is a taupe gray-brown creme.

Collection: Mommy + Me

Color: This is a color family I always steer clear of because they tend to look terrible on me. This one I think looks alright though. This is one of those gray, brown, with a hint of purple muted colors. I like colors like this because they're chic and sophisticated and perfect neutral for fall. I'm happy this one looks OK on me!

Formula: I thought this formula on this was average. The first coat was pretty sheer and jelly-like, but the second coat was opaque. I didn't have any issues with it, but I've had much better creme formulas.

Price: This is $10.50 on the Ella + Mila website.

Overall: I like this color, and I love the logo of the brand. I think they really have it together. That being said, I wasn't blown away with the formula. Also, at $10.50 a bottle for a creme it's a stretch in my opinion. . I do think this is a really cute boutique brand, and I would like to try more from them. I'm just not sold on them based on this one bottle.

My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Paint Splatters

Happy Monday!

L'Oreal Brit Invasion

When I first heard about L'Oreal's London Fall collection I knew I had to find it. Anything relating to London/England/British/UK sparks my interest. When I saw the collection in person I was a bit disappointed. They had cute enticing names, but a lot of the colors were not new to me. I ended up passing on all of them except one Brit Invasion.

Brit Invasion

Brit Invasion is a taupe (that leans towards purple) with a golden shimmer.

I really like this color on its own, but maybe not so much on me. I have issues with taupes, they don't tend to look great on my skin tone. This one is a little more forgiving as it leans towards purple versus browns unlike other taupes I've tried. That being said, the formula and brush on this polish were not my favorite. I'm not sure if it's the brush that's the problem or the formula, maybe it's both!  I've had this issue with other L'Oreal polishes too. I don't know how to describe it other than the brush seems to have way too many bristles and it soaks it up too much polish. It makes the polish apply dry and streaky. I'm sure that made no sense. I'm sure a not great brush and formula would of sufficed, but I had to try to explain! Nice color, not so nice everything else sadly.

Happy Tuesday!

Guest Post: squared nails- Essie Mochacino

Mochacino is a light brown taupe with loads of silver shimmer. I know think I have any taupes like this. Mochacino reminds me of milk chocolate or even a latte. I read somewhere it looks like it has been coated in sugar - and that's very accurate. Most shimmers just have a small amount - this polish is loaded with silver shimmer.

Application was beautiful - Essie's have a smaller brush but I like that sometimes because I can be more precise. I did three coats - but you could easily get away with two coats. Essie polishes retail for around $8, but some stores are selling Essie's for around $7.75. Mochacino is a retail exclusive, and can be found at retail stores such as Walgreen's, Target, and Walmart.

You can find more awesome posts on squared nails blog!

Confetti Moonstruck

Reminder: Today is the last day to enter my holiday giveaway (US only)!


 I've been a little glitter obsessed lately, so time for a little break from glitter. I've heard some people reporting that Confetti has been disappearing entirely from CVS. It's probably a good idea to go and stock up if they're still around at your CVS. I have a love/hate relationship with this brand. They're OK. My biggest complaint is their brushes can be wonky. They do have a handful of colors that unique and a great selection of colors to fill holes in your collection.


Moonstruck

Moonstruck is a medium taupey-grey creme.

This is a great color for autumn. This reminds me a lot of one of my favorites Sephora by OPI Metro Chic only a lot cheaper!

Happy Wednesday!

Tres Risk Some Like It Rich Collection

This is the second set of Tres Risk polishes I got. I reviewed the "Glamorous Life" collection yesterday. This is a set of foil neutrals. These are great colors. I love the shades and foil finish of these. This set was $4.99 at Ross.

Buy Gold

 Buy Gold is a warm deeper toned gold foil. Great gold shade. It's nice change from bright golds I'm used too.


Sequins of Events

Sequins of Events is grey-taupe foil. I love that this has a hint of brown to it.

You're a Gem

You're a Gem is a warm deep pink silvery foil. This reminds me of China Glaze Hey Doll. I actually prefer this one better it has more pink to it. I love fall-like pinks. I think they are few and far between.


This Bronze's For You

This Bronze's For You is a rich chocolate brown shimmer. This is very pigmented and has hint of red in it.

That's it for the Tres Risk collections. I hope you enjoyed these. I think they're great polishes for a great price!

Happy Wednesday!

Fall Favorites Part 1:

I got a request from BudgetBeautyGoddess to do a post on my fall favorite polishes! This post is going to be in 2 parts. I'm going to organize these by color families. I've combined some color families, simply to save time. I also tried to use my best judgment on some colors, considering some colors could lean more purple, more brown, more pink etc. I just threw them into what category I felt fit. In addition besides for listing my favorites I'm going to list other recommended colors that are in the same family. These colors I all own, so of course there are many unmentioned that are great too, I just don't own them. All of these colors I list are easily available either in drugstores, beauty supply stores, or online, and of course they are all under $10! Obviously, these are just recommendations, and you can wear whatever colors you want in fall!

Greys/Taupes/Silvers/Greiges
Sephora by OPI- Metro Chic

Color Description: A taupe/purple grey creme.
Price: $9
Where to buy: Sephora or Sephora online
Other Color Recommendations: Confetti Moonstruck, Color Club High Society, OPI Lucerne-tainly Look Marvelous, & China Glaze Ingrid

Blacks/Blackened colors
China Glaze- Wagon Trail

Color Description: A deep blackened base with gold/olive shimmer.
Price: Varies on E-tailers, but around $3
Where to buy: E-tailers- Head2ToeBeauty, Victoria's Nail Supply, TransDesign
Other Color Recommendations: Wet N' Wild Blackmail, Sephora by OPI  212, & Orly Goth

Purples
China Glaze- VII

Color Description: A deep plum/aubergine creme.
Price: Varies on E-tailers more expensive at Sally's
Where to buy: Sally's & e-tailers
Other Color Recommendations: Orly Galaxy Girl, China Glaze Bogie, Color Club Uptown Girl, Pure Ice Purple Reign, & Zoya Anastasia


Blues
Zoya-Kotori

Color Description: A deep blackened blue base with with medium steely blue shimmer
Price: $7
Where to buy: Zoya website
Other Color Recommendations: Sinful Colors See You Soon, Color Club Naughtycal Navy, Confetti Smitten, Revlon Midnight Affair, OPI Suzi Says Feng Shui, & Finger Paints Easel-y Entertained

Greens/Teals
OPI-Ski Teal We Drop

Color Description: A deep teal creme.
Price: $5.24 on Transdesign & $8.50 at Ulta and salons
Where to buy: Transdesign, Ulta, some salons, and some beauty supply stores (not Sallys)
Other Color Recommendations: Zoya Irene, Confetti My Favorite Martian, Sinful Colors San Francisco, & Zoya Envy

I hope you enjoyed this post! In the comments please leave some of your fall recommendations for these color families! :) Part 2 will be posted tomorrow!

Happy Thursday!

Sephora by OPI Metro Chic & On Stage

Note: I've added a formspring box on my sidebar. You can use that to ask me any questions you like..nail polish related or not.

You know what I've noticed? Many nail polish addicts seem to be a season ahead when it comes to color choices or eager to be in the next season. I read many posts on nail boards, twitter, and other blogs about how even though it's summer people are wanting to wear more fall-like colors or vampy shades.

I do this too. Of course, I put on my share of bright colors, but I always am craving the more deep, muted, and rich shades. In winter, I was ready to go with bright pastel. I think it maybe because we wear out the season too soon. We get all excited about the new season of colors sport them regularly and then we're ready for change. Also, it doesn't help to get promo pics from nail brands of their upcoming seasons colors! I don't think anyone needs to wear shades appropriate for the season. You can wear whatever you want when you want, I'm just making an observation. :P

Speaking of more muted and fall-like colors I'm going to share with you the rest of the Sephora by OPI shades I purchased recently.

On Stage

On Stage is what I would describe as a medium muted lavender/plum creme. I'd consider it a neutral where it could go with anything. I don't know what it is, but this color seems very hip to me. I'm not a trendy person. Instead of "That's so last season!" I'm more like "That's so 10 years ago". I am clueless, but this color seems trendy to me.

Metro Chic

Metro Chic is a medium purple-toned grey taupe. This color got a ton of buzz last fall, so I knew I wanted to purchase it when I had the gift card. I think this and On Stage a very similar as far as being a neutral muted shade. I really like this one.

I'm very proud of myself. I have to admit before I started blogging I was very close minded about colors. I stuck to what I thought looked good on me and didn't venture elsewhere. Lately, I've been interested in trying out colors I dismissed before. The shades above are great examples. Muted shades and taupes never appealed to me before, but after trying these out I'm in love!

Do you find yourself craving fall colors even though it's summer (or the opposite for my S. Hemisphere friends)?

Are there colors or finishes you've dismissed before, but are now interested in trying or have found out you love?

Have a great Saturday!

Ulta3 Polish Swatches (pic heavy)

Today I'm going to show you swatches of these amazing polishes from Australia I won from More Nail Polish's Giveaway!

These polishes are great. These are some amazing colors and great foils. Overall, the formula of these polishes is great. The application is smooth and not too think or thin. Ok, today less talk more pictures!

Enjoy these pretties and thank you Cathy from More Nail Polish for this giveaway!

Antique Copper- a champagne colored foil. Gorgeous :)


Bo Peep-a med-dark pink creme. This went on great!


Envy-a taupe-silver foil. My camera didn't want to cooperate with this one :(.


Fruit Tingle-a bright neon pink! :D


Hollywood-a dark blue shimmer. This in one of those that is lit from within!


Lollipop Lilac-a lilac silvery foil. This has to be my favorite! <3


Precious-a yellow-toned gold foil. My camera didn't want to cooperate with this one either. :(


Snazzle-a silver foil. Ooo very pretty!


Spring Shower-a robin's egg blue creme.


Sweet Violet-a purple toned grey metallic



That's all of them. These are all great and I love all the colors!!! What do you all think?

Have a great Saturday!