Revlon Nail Polish in Girly, Heavenly - Swatches, Photos, Review

Still reeling and recovering and rebalancing from vacation, but trying very hard to slip back into the blogging routine (Blogger Act II: Back in the Habit? 8D).

I have surprisingly few Revlon polishes, but when I saw the new display I decided to pick up these two beauties -

L to R: Heavenly, Girly

Girly is a bubblegum pink with blue, purple, silver, and holographic hex glitter (two coats):

 Heavenly is a clear topcoat with translucent square and hex glitter. Shown is one coat over Zoya Wednesday:

These two lacquers are a fun departure from Revlon's usual classic hues, and I'm glad to see them diversifying their collection. Girly's texture is a bit thick and it dries gritty, requiring a generous layer of topcoat, but it's very much workable. Heavenly is pretty solid; the glitter density is neither too heavy or too light, and the particles disperse evenly. Not bad for one of Revlon's first outings into the wonderful world of unique glitters and colors!

Girly and Heavenly are available in many drugstores for about $4.99 each, and also online at drugstore.com.

Bonus - I'm so pleased with my vacation that I can't help siccing photos on unsuspecting bystanders whenever I get half the chance. It's my equivalent of sitting guests down for a slideshow ;) Anyway, here you go, enjoy (or.. something 8D), and thanks for reading, following, and commenting!!

View from the top

Monkeh! :D

New Year's Eve Celebratory Manicure Ideas!

Today I have for you a few New Year's Eve nail ideas! Note that there are no reds or golds featured here; I know some of you ladies love those colors for ringing in the new year, and that's totally cool, but my interest in them fizzled after three or so weeks of Christmas manicures! The shades I gravitate to this time of year are silvers, blues, blacks, and, of course, glitter (which is definitely a color, in my highly esteemed opinion ;).

I'll start with a classic: a shiny silver foil. My favorite, pictured below, is Zoya's Trixie. This is a flashy silver that doesn't veer to 'blindingly bright', and will match most outfits well. Unfortunately, it freaks my camera out a bit, but hopefully you can still make out its beauty -

If Trixie on its own is lacking in shine for you, never fear! Here it is layered with various silver and holographic glitter topcoats:

Pointer to pinkie: OPI Save Me, KB Shimmer Ice Queen, Nail Pattern Boldness Tin Man, Color Club Platinum Record

And if Trixie is too flashy for you (perhaps it's overkill to an already flashy outfit), you can try overlaying the silver with a half-moon manicure using circular binder tape. Shown below is my most favorite, most pigmented, smoothest black, CND's Blackjack. One coat is sufficient for full coverage -

I love deep, vibrant blues, and New Year's Eve is a perfect time to wear them! I picked two from my collection which offered a bit of sparkle in addition to lovely, dark pigmentation. Feast your eyes on these beauts! If I did not love the enough already, the Dr. Who reference is a sure-fire way to steal my heart ;)

Pointer and ring: Nail Pattern Boldness Bigger on the Inside; Middle and pinkie: Revlon Sparkling Midnight  

Another great hue for NYE is a black lacquer with holographic glitter. Here is Zoya Storm, which is stupidly, stupendously gorgeous -

Lastly, you can try the simple but elegant glitter gradient manicure, offering just the right amount of bling for a night out. For the photos below, I used Hungry Asian's Mumbling over one coat of OPI Don't Touch My Tutu -

Of course, this barely scratches a tip of the endless possibilities for a fun New Year's manicure! How are you doing your nails on the 31st? Let me know so that I can live vicariously through you - my nails are currently on a self-imposed detox to repair and restore length, so no nail polish for me for a few weeks. (Sad, but necessary).

Thanks for reading, and I wish you all a happy, healthy, and fun New Year's!

Revlon Colorstay Nail Enamel in Provence, Rain Forest - Swatches, Photos, Review

Back, after a short hiatus! As a sign of my remorse I offer you a couple of Revlon's new nail polishes! I've seen the shiny, new displays front and center at every every every drugstore, and there's only so much temptation a girl-who-is-somewhat-really-obsessed-with-makeup can take before yielding.

This is Provence, a dusty, pale lavender gray creme. Reminds me of sailing on a murky, breezy summer afternoon, just before a thunderstorm. Not all that unique, but a pleasant color nonetheless. I used two coats.

Rainforest, a dark forest green jelly with glitter. Two coats.

What do you think? Have you too been tempted by these new Revlon lacquers? The formula was solid and smooth, with no notable issues. Unfortunately I've not worn a full manicure with this polish so I can't attest to the wear time. Overall, while nothing outlandishly revolutionary, you can find many decent classic shades in this new Revlon repertoire to fill the gaps in your collection (and Rain Forest is truly gorgeous!). They are available at drugstores for $7.99 each.

Revlon Lip Butters in Lollipop, Berry Smoothie - Review, Swatches, Photos

More Revlon Lip Butters!


L to R: Lollipop, Berry Smoothie



Lollipop

Lollipop

Berry Smoothie

Berry Smoothie

L to R: Lollipop, Berry Smoothie

For a more detailed review on these lipsticks, you can view my original post here. General thoughts on the two shades photographed above - Lollipop is absolutely gorgeous, bright, and a fun reminder that warmer seasons will soon settle upon us! This shade, along with Gumdrop, receives more rotation in my makeup bag than the other butters. Berry Smoothie provides a nice sweep of color, but is quite subtle; given the moniker I expected a vibrant blast of pigment and was slightly disillusioned when it was not so. It is, however, one of the closest matches I've come across for my natural lip color, and it is a perfectly adequate everyday hue.

To reiterate, I love the soft, moisturizing formula on Revlon's Lip Butters, and massive props for the fact that the accompanying color selection is fresh, young, and merry - one of my favorite drugstore products! You can find them in CVS, Walgreens, etc. for about $7.49 each.

Revlon Lip Butters in Gumdrop, Raspberry Pie, Sweet Tart - Review, Swatches, Photos

Lately, it seems, drugstore brands have been churning out the hits faster than The Beatles! I'm in no way complaining; the more quality drugstore makeup made available, the less money I spend on the luxury brands! This time, the product I'm head over heels for is Revlon's new lip butters.

Fairly ordinary packaging for a fairly extraordinary lipstick :) The three shades I purchased were Gumdrop, Raspberry Pie, and Sweet Tart.

Here's Gumdrop, a cool, light lavender pink -

This is Raspberry Pie, and raspberry pinkish red -

Finally, Sweet Tart, a bright rosey pink with the barest hint of coral -

Swatches -

L to R: Gumdrop, Raspberry Pie, Sweet Tart

Gumdrop is simply the perfect everyday lipstick for me - a cool wash of color that is neither overwhelming nor boring, and effortless enough for my ultra-casual workplace. Onto observations more useful to you, ha - I would categorize most of these as semi-opaque, high-shine finishes with no shimmer/glitter/frost to them. The resulting look then is young, fresh, and playful, as are the color selections - no blah, nondescript shades as far as I can see! The lip butters overall are smooth, non-fussy, and low-maintenance - not difficult to apply in the least, and very forgiving to my frequent hasty car applications. They are moderately moisturizing (a great compliment for a lipstick) and will work as a balm if you're in a pinch. Wonderful texture. Wear-time is only about three hours, but longevity is something I'm willing to sacrifice for the truly epic amount of moisture this lipstick provides. Revlon's Lip Butters are available at drugstores for $7.50-9 (ish? I've seen prices vary wildly...).

Are you a fan of drugstore makeup? I must admit, I've become more of a fan in the last few months than I have ever been. Budget brands certainly are stepping up their game!