China Glaze Wicked for Halloween 2012 - Make a Spectacle, Immortal, Cast a Spell, Glitter Goblin - Review, Swatches, Photos

Halloween nail lacquer collections are the ones I look forward to most, I suspect. They usually feature the ugly, grotesque (yet undoubtedly appealing and beautiful) colors that seem out of place the rest of the year but so fitting for this time of little ghoulies and goblins and midnight enchantments. That was an unnecessarily long and convoluted way to say... this post is ULTRA pic-heavy 8D I can't help myself! I think you'll see what I mean when you feast on these amazingly lovely China Glaze Halloween 2012 polishes! It's hard not to get carried away -

L to R: Cast A Spell, Make A Spectacle, Immortal, Glitter Goblin

First is Immortal (which I keep wanting to call 'Immortal Beloved'...), a concrete gray creme with ah-mazing iridescent blue shimmer (two coats) -

Immortal layered with Glitter Goblin (middle) and Make a Spectacle (pointer and ring)

 Cast a Spell, a deep browned green with gold shimmer (two coats):

Cast a Spell layered with Make a Spectacle

Cast a Spell layered with Crows Toes Frog's Breath

What else to say but that these are so very spectacular? Immortal is stunningly gorgeous, a unique addition to my collection of grays and unlike any I already have. The formula was buttery smooth, heavily pigmented, and yielded perfect application in two coats. Cast a Spell was similarly flawless - very nearly a one-coater! It's such an interesting and complex shade; I suspect it will satisfy all spectra of nail polish fans, whether casual collectors or hardcore obsessives. I can't see why this dark green couldn't be appropriate for work - it's just on the side of neutral, though the gold shimmer adds a dash of spice. Make a Spectacle is a lovely translucent glitter topcoat that I think would look so chic atop soft whites and grays, if you are looking for something subtle. Sorry for the lack of photos featuring Glitter Goblin; I wasn't very inspired by it today, but it is a fun and densely packed glitter. Overall, superb collection.

These are available at Ulta and Sally Beauty Supply (around $7), and through online e-tailers like Head2Toe Beauty (about $3).

What do you think? Do you LOVE Halloween makeup collections like I do?

Thanks for reading! :)

L'Oreal Colour Riche in So Chic!; Sally Lustre Shine in Lava; Maybelline Color Show in Downtown Brown - Swatches, Review, Photos

Some of the new drugstore fall nail polishes have been catching my eye (calling to me, if you will) every time I've strolled past the displays. Here are some of my recent purchases!

L'Oreal Colour Riche Nail Polish in So Chic!, a peachy nude with gold shimmer (two coats). $5.99 in drugstores:

Sally Hansen Lustre Shine in Lava, a shimmery red/gold/pink/fuchsia/orange multichrome (two coats). $7.99 in drugstores:

Maybelline Color Show Nail Color in Downtown Brown, a frosty, shimmery warm brown with blue/green duochrome flashes (two coats). $3.99 in drugstores:

All of these ROCK, my favorite being Maybelline's fun and unexpected Downtown Brown. The formula on all of these was super awesome, more or less, smooth and buttery and easy to manipulate. I'm pleased to note that drugstore brands have recently been presenting us with increasingly interesting and complex shades, guaranteed to intrigue most nailphiles regardless of their budget. With the nail lacquer market as tight as it is, companies are forced to develop more creative and unique shades without sacrificing quality. The results of this heightened competition, such as the shades featured in this post, are lovely!

e.l.f. Disney Villains Sets in Maleficent, Evil Queen - Swatches, Photos, Review

I get so very nostalgic whenever I see products referencing Disney! While I haven't seen Snow White or Sleeping Beauty (I was more of an Aladdin and The Little Mermaid girl) I of course recognize the iconic characters featured in these little e.l.f Disney Villains makeup sets. I'm sure these will appeal to the women, like myself, who grew up on a steady diet of Disney cartoons and sparkling princess costume gowns!

e.l.f offers three different makeup sets, all limited edition and currently available at Walgreens stores for $9.99 each: Maleficent Sinister Smoky Eye, Cruella Evil Everyday Eye, and Evil Queen Devious Dramatic Eye. Each set contains eight eyeshadows (four for a 'day' look, four for a 'night' look), two lip/cheek pencils, a pair of false lashes with glue, eye primer, and a liquid liner. The inside packaging also contains instructions for creating a night and day look using the products provided.

Evil Queen:

Top to Bottom, L to R (day to night): One Bite, Vanity, Narcissistic, Potion, Fairest of the Land, Majesty, Peddler's Cloak, Poison Apple

The two lip/cheek pencils:

Maleficent:

Top to Bottom, L to R (day to night): Spindle, Sceptre, Fog of Doom, Fauna, Misfortune, Forest of Thorns, Deep Sleep, Diablo

The two lip/cheek pencils:

Some nice things going on here! Maleficent blew me away - most of the eyeshadows were super soft, decently pigmented (just look at Diablo!), and the only disappointing colors were Fog of Doom and Fauna, the matte purple and green; they were somewhat powdery, patchy, and difficult to apply evenly. However, I can't really bring myself to care as the rest of the palette is so, so disgustingly awesome. Evil Queen's eye shades were a tad lighter and subtler, but not too bad. Quality-wise, I wholeheartedly recommend Maleficent. Evil Queen is okay, but perhaps not worth purchasing if you already have a decent makeup collection unless you are a Disney collector lured by the limited edition-ness of these sets. 

I'll post Cruella soon!

Again, these sets are available from Walgreens in-stores at $9.99 each.

Are you a fan of these Disney-inspired sets? Thanks for reading, I really appreciate it! Please follow me if you like the contents of this blog :)

NYX Round Lipstick in B52, Chloe, Snow White, Stella - Review, Photos, Swatches

B52, a neutral nude with a hint of pink:

Chloe, a frosty (but not obnoxiously so) fuchsia with an iridescent violet sheen:

Snow White, a deep, deep red with brown undertones:

Stella, a glossy light to medium pink:

L to R: Stella, B52, Chloe, Snow White

What's beautiful about NYX lipsticks is that, because of the low price, I can experiment with shades I most certainly would never regularly wear (Snow White, I'm lookin' at you!) and stash them in case of a costume party, etc. All of these colors were smooth and easy to apply, though Stella was a bit drying. Most B52 swatches I have seen show the pink-ness of this lipstick, which I believe is more true to life; unfortunately it pulls way more nude on my skin tone! Similarly, Snow White looks a little more brick/brown on me than I have seen on other sites. Ah well, such is life!

Overall, these are a great value with a solid formula. See my previous review here for a more in-depth analysis and more swatches! NYX Round Lipsticks are available at Ulta and at various e-tailers such as Cherry Culture.

Thanks for Reading!

Lush Lacquer Peace Love Polish, Oopsie Daisy - Review, Photos, Swatches

A couple of beautiful and fun indies from Lush Lacquer! These bright, colorful lacquers are a tribute to the passing of summer and the last vestiges of warm, sunny weather. (Boo!) I'm not looking forward to winter, but at least I'll have these to remind me of cozier, sunnier days. Both are swatched with three coats.

Peace Love Polish, a warm pink jelly with multi-colored hex and square glitter -

Oopsie Daisy (cute name!), a shimmery baby blue base with multi-color and holo hex glitter, along with yellow flower pieces!

Peace Love Polish is so... squishy! The base is a perfect vibrant pink, just a stitch from being neon but not quite crossing that line. I had no application issues and the formula was smooth, distributing glitter fairly evenly. Oopsie Daisy is a stunning garden of colorful glitter in a shimmery light blue base. I did have to fish out the yellow flowers, but is wasn't hard. I love both of these.

Lush Lacquers are available on their etsy store here for $8.75 each. Mini sets are also available. Which indie brands do you love?

Nostalgic Nail Lacquer The Brain - Review, Photos, Swatches

Today I have for you a lovely polish, The Brain, by an equally lovely brand, Nostalgic Lacquer.

(Also, randomly, this is my first time testing out my new jellyish silicon keyboard cover; it's SQUISHY! Squishysquishysquishy :D )

On an actual relevant note, this is part of Nostalgic Lacquers Saturday Detention collection, inspired by the movie 'The Breakfast Club'. While I've never seen the film (I know, sacrilege in some circles), I can appreciate a beautiful nail color when I see it. And The Brain truly is one. Swatches are two coats, I believe, but possibly three; I sometimes have the attention and memory of a gerbil...

I adore the sunshine yellow base and the bright cerulean glitter - what a spectacular combo! No application issues, nice formula.

This polish and others from Nostalgic Nail Lacquer are available at their shop here for $9.75 each. What do you think?