Friday, February 28, 2014

SinfulColors Cold Leather

SinfulColors Cold Leather
2 coats
no topcoat- meant to be matte

Cold Leather had GREAT pigmentation- two coats gave me perfect coverage. One reason I love mattes is the dry time! They dry almost immediately and are great if you are in a hurry to do a mani before you go somewhere.

(Excuse my dry hands- I usually apply cuticle oil before swatch pictures, but with dark mattes like this, if you get even a tiny bit on the nail, it ruins the matte effect for the picture.)

Just like with SinfulColors other collection from last fall, Crystal Crushes, I did note that the bottle did not mention that this was meant to be worn without topcoat. I wonder if the display these shades were in will mentioned that? I wish that SinfulColors had noted this feature on the bottles, like OPI did with Liquid Sand and China Glaze did with their Texture Coat. I'm just afraid these will get mixed in my collection and I won't recall that it is meant to be matte until I use it.

LEATHER LUXE
Lustrous Leather Looks that Lure for Fall

Tease, taunt and turn heads this fall with the SinfulColors Leather Luxe Collection. A texture rich, trend-setting collection of stylish matte finish nail polish shades which are richly pigmented to provide a flirtatious way to flaunt your style.  The Leather Luxe Collection features eight weather-warming shades with leather-inspired finishes. The best part: they come in every popular base color so there's a leather-icious look for everyone.   

Laced Upenthralling orange                   
Leather Loosesafari sinful brown
Whippedbeguiling black
Get It On: bravely berry
Strappedscintillating seafoam
My Turnstunning steel
Cold Leatherenchanting night sky             
        
SinfulColors Leather Luxe, $1.99 exclusively at Walgreens for Fall 2013.


You can find SinfulColors online here:
Twitter: @SinfulColorsNP



Pin It!

Thursday, February 27, 2014

Nicka K New York in NY112 Classic Taupe

Nicka K New York in NY112 Classic Taupe
 
I believe I received this nail polish in the December 2013 Ipsy Glam Bag I purchased. Nicka K is a brand I had never heard of. The retail value is $4.99.
The bottle shape is unique and quite pretty. It's taller than your average polish bottle, but can *just barely* still stand up in my Helmer storage unit. Only the shade number is listed on the label on the bottle above the bar code- the actual name is not.
 
I found the formula to be very nice- I got great even coverage in two coats.
 
 
I was a little worried that the cap would be awkward to hold, but it actually wasn't at all. I held it by the bottom rim of the lid and it felt fine in my hand and I had nice control.
 
Here's some more info from their website: (although they have minimal spelled "minmal")
 
Our new and improved professional DBP, Toluene and added formaldehyde free lacquer easily glides across nails for a picture perfect polished finish. Specially formulated to be applied with minimal effort while offering smooth, even coverage, our longwearing, vibrant Nicka K New York Nail colors are available in 44 variations.

Pin It!

Monday, February 24, 2014

Revlon Colorstay in Rich Raspberry

A few weeks ago I started stalking my Big Lots because I heard there were Sephora by OPI shades there. I got lucky and found a few, but I also found two Revlon Colorstay shades, both in their core collection, on sale for just $1.50 each. Today I'll show you Rich Raspberry.
 
Revlon Colorstay in Rich Raspberry
2 coats
 

Isn't this pretty? It applied like a dream! At just $1.50 I think I need to go back and look for some more colors.


Pin It!

Friday, February 21, 2014

Revlon Colorstay in Rain Forest

A few weeks ago I started stalking my Big Lots because I heard there were Sephora by OPI shades there. I got lucky and found a few, but I also found two Revlon Colorstay shades, both in their core collection, on sale for just $1.50 each. Today I'll show you Rain Forest.
 
Revlon Colorstay in Rain Forest
2 coats
 


Isn't this pretty? I really love how it looks in the sun. And just $1.50? I think I need to go back and look for some more!


Pin It!

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

NYC in Chinatown

NYC New York Color in a New York Color Minute Quick Dry Nail Polish in Chinatown
2 coats

This color is so so pretty! It's one of those deep dark bluish purple shade that's almost black inside, but outside in the sun, you can really see the eggplant shimmer come out.

As I usually do with these NYC shades, I got fabulous application in just two coats. I topped it with NYC Grand Central Station as my topcoat, and it dried super-fast.



Pin It!

Monday, February 17, 2014

L’Oreal The Statement Piece

L’Oreal The Statement Piece
2 coats, no topcoat

I was super-tired last night and didn't feel like I'd be able to stay awake to do a full mani with topcoat before I fell asleep, so I went to one of my favorite time-crunched mani answers, texture. Texture is great because it always dries fast and doesn't need a topcoat.

The Statement Piece was part of a nine-shade L'Oreal limited edition collection for the holidays called Gold Dust.  

I got pretty amazing coverage with just one coat, but added a second coat to make sure I had perfect coverage for my swatch pic.



Pin It!

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Sally Hansen Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips in Speed Dating


Yay! The sun finally came out!

Since Friday is Valentine's Day, I thought a heart mani would be perfect. In my stash I had this set of nail polish strips and I applied them this morning while watching last week's Nashville (SO good!). I thought they turned out nice and are so festive!

This pattern is definitely from either last year or the year before, and it's looks like it is no longer available. But there is a really cute one called Heart Breaker that has skull and crossbones and hearts! I need that one for sure.





Pin It!

Sunday, February 9, 2014

Dermelect Cosmeceuticals Nails National Distribution at ULTA Beauty


I was recently browsing thru my local Ulta's nail polish section, and was excited to see a new Dermelect display! I snapped a (very unfocused) pic with my cell because I remember seeing some press release info about this.

Dermelect Cosmeceuticals, the company that introduced the 1st Peptide Infused, Anti-Aging Nail Treatments, announces that their entire Nail, Hand & Foot care range will now be available at ULTA stores nationwide and Ulta.com.  Beginning January 2014, all ULTA locations will feature Dermelect’s collection of Nail Treatments and ME lacquers on end-caps throughout the month of January and then Dermelect can be found amongst ULTA’s professional assortment of products.

“By having a national presence at ULTA Beauty, Dermelect anti-aging nail treatments are now readily available to the woman who has been experiencing changes to the appearance and health of her nails. We’re excited to be able to provide our innovative solutions to help restore naturally long, strong, beautiful nails, while flaunting fashionably forward fingertips,” says Amos Lavian, Founder of Dermelect Cosmeceuticals. 

ULTA will offer a variety of Dermelect’s leading Nail Treatment products, including treatment base coats, a manicure extending top coat, colored treatment lacquers and restorative creams all infused with Protein Keratin Peptide, a pure protein derived from New Zealand sheep’s wool that works to strengthen the nails and nourish the skin. Award-winning Rejuvenail Fortifying Nail & Cuticle Treatment and Timeless Anti-Aging Daily Hand Treatment along withRunway Ready Luxury Foot Treatment are mainstays of the line-up, as well as nail treatment lacquers Launchpad Nail Strengthener, Makeover Ridge Filler and High-Maintenance Instant Nail Thickener. Step-by-step Nail Recovery System provides a complete regimen to restore damaged, hard-to-grow nails in a value set.   24 shades of ME’s peptide-infused, professional-strength lacquers will round out the range combining hydrolyzed keratin with rich pigments in a 3-Free formula.  In March, Dermelect will introduce three new Nail Treatments and seven on-trend spring hues.

In anticipation of Dermelect’s launch at ULTA, the retail packaging has undergone a complete revamp featuring a sophisticated, dual finish texture to better align with the high quality and efficacy of the innovatively advanced treatments. To convey the feel of the luxury treatments, the new packaging features a soft touch technology and is coupled with a high gloss finish to complement the high-shine of the lacquers. The DER ME LECT logo, seen throughout the polish collection has been carried over for brand uniformity. The messaging communicated has also been improved upon to better cater to the educated consumer, not simply listing the product’s feature/benefits but also providing key ingredient definitions.

“We are pleased to launch Dermelect exclusively at ULTA Beauty,” said ULTA Senior Vice President of Merchandising, Janet Taake. “We believe that Dermelect’s technologically advanced line of peptide infused, anti-aging nail treatments and colors will be a perfect fit for ULTA Beauty and our customers.”

To support the launch at ULTA Beauty, Dermelect will be included in ULTA’s circulars and sampling promotions. Online initiatives will include utilizing mass emails and social media Q/A’s, nail maintenance tips, and nail art tutorials to further the brand’s messaging.

The Dermelect Nail Treatments range from $14.00 for the ME Anti-Aging Color Nail Treatments to $59.00 for the Nail Recovery System.

About Dermelect Cosmeceuticals
Dermelect Cosmeceuticals was formed in 2006 to provide targeted, multifunctional treatments to the woman experiencing changes to her appearance. As a complement to invasive procedures or as a stand-alone DIY range, its no-nonsense beauty philosophy is to combine luxurious formulations with innovative technologies to achieve and maintain realistic skincare and beauty goals.  In 2012, Dermelect expanded its heralded Anti-Aging, Nail Treatment category by introducing professional color lacquers, Dermelect ME, the 1st Peptide-Infused, Anti-Aging Color Nail Treatment collection. The Dermelect range covers eight key anti-aging categories including Skin Solutions, Skin Brightening, Décolleté, Hands & Feet, Total Body and Eye Care.  Dermelect Cosmeceuticals is available at high-end apothecaries, beauty boutiques, salons, spas, medi-spas and doctor’s offices as well as www.dermelect.com.  The Nail Treatments andME Lacquers are also available at ULTA Stores Nationwide and www.ulta.com

About ULTA Beauty
ULTA Beauty is the largest beauty retailer that provides one-stop shopping for prestige, mass and salon products and salon services in the United States.  ULTA Beauty provides affordable indulgence to its customers by combining unmatched product breadth, value and convenience with the distinctive environment and experience of a specialty retailer.  ULTA Beauty offers a unique combination of over 20,000 prestige and mass beauty products across the categories of cosmetics, fragrance, haircare, skincare, bath and body products and salon styling tools, as well as salon haircare products.  ULTA Beauty also offers a full-service salon in all of its stores.  As of November 2, 2013, ULTA Beauty operates 664 retail stores across 46 states and also distributes its products through the Company’s website: www.ulta.com.

Pin It!

Saturday, February 1, 2014

Wear Test: L'Oreal Extraordinaire Gel-Lacque

Fresh swatch pic:
mani done Tuesday night before bed, 
pic taken Wednesday afternoon
L'Oreal Extraordinaire Gel-Lacque in Lacqueriste
2 coats
(used all three steps in the system)


Day 5, with 4 full days of wear:
pic taken Saturday afternoon

note: no chipping! (unlike CND Vinylux)

Verdict:

I am *so pleased* with the L'Oreal Extraordinaire Gel-Lacque system! For my nails to still look this good with a non-cured mani on Day 5..... amazing! Although there is some tip wear, the fact that there are no chips makes this a clear winner over my wear test of CND Vinylux.

Have you tried this system yet? I definitely plan on picking up another color to try.





Pin It!