Rainbow Honey Nail Lacquer in Hoof Wrassle, A Little Kindness - Photos, Review, Swatches

I'm drawn to shiny things like the very most flamboyant of magpies so it was only a matter of time before my instinct to hoard sparkly objects made me succumb to placing an order from Rainbow Honey, an indie brand that can be found here. The inspiration behind the line (nostalgic video games and kids' TV shows, according the the website) is easy to spot in the bright, fun colors and shimmering glitters. Today I have photos of two nail polishes for you (the packaging pictures have four polishes because I meant to review four, but I'm unsatisfied with some of the photos. Those will be retaken and posted soon!). Both lacquers are from the Equestria collection.

L to R: Hoof Wrassle, A Little Kindness, 20% Cooler, Mare of the Moon

Each polish comes in a pretty white box with a heart cut-out. The packaging is lovely and crisp, totally my style. Packaging is simply an additional (but sometimes forgotten) medium through which the creator may express him or herself; of course what's inside is most important, but these unique, extra features can really set a seller apart. I appreciate the attention to detail!

First is Hoof Wrassle, which is described as a "shimmery copper orange base studded with gold, copper, and orange hex and square glitter, and a sprinkling of iridescent and holographic glitters":

A Little Kindness, described as "rose, white, gold, and soft green glitters float in a delicate and sheer yellow base with an iridescent pink shimmer" -

Two coats

L to R: One coat of RH Kindness over the following: Nicole Kim-pletely in Love, Spoiled Let's Get Sushi, China Glaze Hang Ten-Toes

Do you see A Little Kindness?! Do you?? AMAZING. AWESOME. MARVELOUS. It's sweet on its own but positively SINGS as a topcoat. So complex and gorgeous, this is one of my favorite glitters ever. Very, very cool and special. Hoof Wrassle is great too - the base is an interesting subdued/burnt orange for which I have no dupe.

The texture of these is... different. Not 'bad' different. Firstly, the bottles are so packed with glitter that in opening the tops I almost fear letting out an explosion of sparkles, a Mount Vesuvius of glitter and shininess. No fishing needed here! The polish itself is super thick, but not goopy. With polishes I'm used to them moving a bit after a brushstroke, receding back from the tip slightly and evening out. That's not the case here - where you apply is where the lacquer stays. Again, this isn't bad; just takes a bit of getting used to and might be a little surprising. Overall, though, Rainbow Honey has some truly excellent shades that are worth any application issues, if it's awkward at first try. Unique, unusual, and pretty darn cool.

You can purchase Rainbow Honey polishes here. The are priced $10 each.

Thank you for reading! I also noticed a few new followers - thanks so much! It means a lot :)

Nails Inc Special Effects Sprinkles in Pudding Lane, Sweets Way - Photos, Swatches, Review

I've been waiting and waiting and eyeing swatches longingly and waiting for the Nails Inc Sprinkles Special Effects collection to hit US shelves - and a couple of weeks ago, I finally spotted these new lacquers on the Sephora site! Hooray! I adore glitter in opaque bases, and bonus points for the yummy dessert tie-in. I'm  still (despite being well into my twenties, sadly) a sucker for colorful, sprinkled pastries that are decorated as if they are meant for 4-year-olds, and this Nails Inc. series brings out that sort of irreverent, childish fun!

Here's Pudding Lane, a bright blue with blue/green/gold glitter:

This is Sweets Way, a soft white base with pink/blue/silver glitter:

Photos were taken with two coats. I am pleasantly surprised at how opaque and jam-packed with glitter these lacquers are - each dip of the brush brings forth a treasure-trove of sprinkles so there's no worry over fishing or uneven distribution, though you need a layer or two of topcoat to achieve smoothness. They are lovely and fun and perfect for the beach-y summer weather. I see more Nails Inc Sprinkles in my future...

Nails Inc Special Effects Sprinkles are available at Sephora for $9.50 each.

Maybelline Color Show Nail Polish in Green With Envy, Go-Go Green - Swatches, Photos, Reviews

You may have seen a display at your drugstore of the new Maybelline Color Show Nail Lacquers. I picked up a few the other day, and swatched my two greens so far:

Maybelline Color Show in Green With Envy, a pale sea-green creme:

Go-Go Green, a bright yellow-tinged grass green:

Both were swatched with two coats. Color me ultra-impressed with the formula! These were super creamy and pigmented, very nearly one-coaters. The consistency is fantastic - neither runny nor goopy, streak-free (the blemish you see on my pointer finger is an unfortunate tear in my nail and nothing to do with the polish itself), and easy to control with the brush. I'm not exaggerating when I say this is probably the best drug-store formula I have tried. The colors are gorgeous, and I particularly love Go-Go Green for the summer. Especially for the $4.99 price tag, these new Maybelline polishes are an excellent buy!

I have a couple more shades to show you in the near future (one which has a funky matte-/rubberiness going on), and I have high expectations based on these two colors. Can't wait!

Maybelline Color Show Nail Lacquers are available at drugstores for $4.99 each.

Thanks for reading! :)

Once Upon A Polish Scuttle - Review, Photos, Swatches

I have another indie brand for you today! Once Upon a Polish offers unique colors inspired by fairy tales.  The first shade I tried of the order I placed was Scuttle, named after the seagull from Disney's 'The Little Mermaid'. (I am reminded of the cute little scene where Scuttle tries to check an unconscious Eric's pulse by pressing Eric's foot to his ear!) Scuttle is a light gray jelly with black and white multi-sized hexagonal glitter. Lovely. 

Three Coats

Two coats over one coat Zoya Dove

Macro!

Obviously I can offer nothing but the highest praise for Scuttle. Such a classic, chic combination (black, gray, white) that stays fun and youthful with the addition of glitter. I kept this manicure on for a full week, which is astounding considering how many polishes I own! Further proof that Scuttle is absolute love and gorgeousness. You should scuttle on over (see what I did there? 8D) to the Once Upon a Polish's Etsy shop and check out the current offerings!

July 2012 Allure Beauty Bar Sample Society Box - Review, Photos, Swatches

I love the concept of monthly beauty packages, mostly for the surprise element and not out of any particular need to test products to fill holes in my daily routine (I'm happy with my regular products, but always willing to give new samples a shot!). Embarrassingly enough, my current subscription number stands at 5! In an attempt to streamline and cut out unnecessary/uninspiring/not cost-effective subscriptions, I'm hoping to review some of my monthly boxes.

Today I have July's Allure Beauty Bar Sample Society box, which arrived at my doorstep this past Friday!

Clockwise from top: Vincent Longo Duo Lip Pencil in Sangria and White Glimmer, Sisley Paris Intense Anti-Aging Hydration, Borghese Body Creme, jouer Illuminizing Moisture Tint in Pearl

The packaging is a sleek black heavy cardboard, with the samples nestled in standard black crinkly paper shreds. Also included but not pictured is a booklet of beauty tips and tricks. These are actually pretty neat as they aren't specific to the products in the box, so you can carry the tips to your own stash. The downside is that there is no written list of products in the box; while many of the samples are self-explanatory, it would perhaps be useful to have a description of the Sisley cream (is it undereye? Is it for your face?).

Swatches of the lip liner and jouer tint:

L to R: Lip liner in White Glimmer, Sangria; jouer tint in Pearl blended out

The lip liner seems nice - it applied smoothly with no tugging and was quite pigmented. I don't often wear lip liners but I'll gladly keep this in my stash for a special night out, and from what I know Vincent Longo is a solid brand. The jouer tint is a pretty good match for my skin tone and, as a bonus, has SPF 20. I love the fresh, glowy tinge it has to it, and I'm excited to try it out! I'll probably keep the Borghese cream in my bag or at work, and I'm sure I'll eventually use it up - I love getting these travel-sized moisturizers to keep around. The Sisley anti-aging cream I'm not too interested in and will most likely give to my mother. Still, a decent variety of samples were included in this box.

Also included is a $15 off gift code when you spend at least $50 on the Beauty Bar website, BUT you have to be purchasing at least one item from one of the BRANDS in your box (it doesn't have to be exact item in your box, though).

Here is a list of this month's products, along with size and value:
Sisley Paris Hydra-Global Intense Anti-Aging Hydration: Full-size 1.4 oz. sells for $250.00; the sample contains 0.14 oz, making it worth $25.00.

Vincent Longo Duo Lip Pencil in Sangria and White Glimmer: This is a full-size product at 0.06 oz., which retails for $26.00.

Borghese Tono Body Creme: Full size is 7 oz. and retails for about $46.50. The sample is 1 oz. and worth $6.64.

jouer Illuminizing moisture tint in Pearl: The full size is 1.7 oz. at $38.00. The sample is 0.17 oz., which is worth $3.80.

Total value: $61.44

This is a pretty good selection and value for the $15 per month cost. I'm trying to get rid of some of my subscriptions, however, and while this Allure box is good, I'm not wholly convinced to subscribe long term. I will probably give this box another two months before making any decisions, but I don't regret my purchase and will definitely try most of the samples I received!

The Allure Beauty Bar Sample Society box costs $15 per month and may be purchased here.

What do you think? Have you gone subscription box crazy like I have?

Fanservice Nails Happy Frog - Photos, Swatches, Review

Lately I've been eating up indie nail polishes like they're the best chocolate cake ever and, in some ways, they are! Indie companies frequently feature fun and sparkly colors that are hard to dupe. Because of the relatively small quantities made and relative unfamiliarity among the public when compared with the major drug store brands, you can be quite certain that what you purchase will be a unique color among your friends and consequently a major source of polish envy :P

Most recently, I have bought a few shades from Fanservice Nails, an indie brand that can be purchased here on Etsy. I couldn't have asked for a smoother transaction, and got some lovely colors to boot. Here is Happy Frog, a pale grass green creme with green and holographic glitter. 

Pretty, no? I used three coats for the swatches above and it came out perfectly. A topcoat would have smoothed out the roughness, but it's still not very noticeable at all. I can't wait to show you more of Fanservice Nails' polishes! I can guarantee that they are at least as beautiful ;)

Fourth of July Manicure (Oh, and I'm back!)

Back from a hiatus! Thanks for your patience - Life took a hectic turn a couple months back, but I feel I'm in the position to get back to providing you with all things pretty and shiny (hopefully!). Let's kick things off with my Fourth of July manicure:

It's looking rough because A.  it's nearly a week old, and B. I put my hands through the grinder (figuratively) daily at work and because of rock climbing. The accent nail is one coat of Zoya's Delilah under two coats of Julep's America, a gorgeously patriotic red, blue, and silver glitter. The rest of my nails feature nail wraps from Incoco. They are super easy to apply and I've experienced them lasting two weeks with minimal wear.

Hope everyone has a happy and safe holiday!