Mamma Mia! Sinful Colors Sinful Shine Prosecco

Hey everybody!  Isn't it interesting to watch the rise of a humble polish that suddenly finds itself to be the beloved flavor of the month?  Tonight's polish is one of those lucky colors.  I had heard some buzz about Sinful Colors Sinful Shine Prosecco and happened up on some in Walgreens over the weekend with Mr. Sweets.

One look at the bottle told me exactly why this polish has ascended to fame.

Um.  YIKES!  Named for an Italian white wine (I had to look that up, as I don't drink alcohol :D), Prosecco is a taupe-colored crelly with a boat load of gold shimmer.  It's quite thin, and I'm sporting FOUR (4) coats in the photos.  Amazingly though, it dried very quickly between coats, which surprised me, as my former experience with a Sinful Shine was a more arduous path to dryness. :)

Application of Prosecco was fabulous.  And as you can see, it's very shiny too.  Prosecco has my absolute favorite quality in a polish:  it's dirt cheap and looks expensive.  YAY for fooling everybody!! 

Have you been fortunate enough to snag Prosecco?  When I told Mr. Sweets about its current status as an "it" polish, he suggested I buy all 3 from the display.  See ladies, there ARE men out there who actually encourage the insanity.  How lucky am I?? :)

Thanks for stopping by, and have a lovely evening! <3

Vintage Beautiful: butter LONDON Wallis

Hey everybody!  I hope you all have been doing well. :)  

Well, as you know it's prom season.  I have...uh...definite opinions about what girls wear to prom these days. It's like they're trying to see who can get more naked. :/  However, my lovely stepdaughter Hannah *really* outdid herself this year at her senior prom, and I wanted to show you what polish she wore...butter LONDON Wallis!  

butter LONDON Wallis???!!!!

You read that right, folks.  Hannah chose the famous (or infamous) butter LONDON Wallis for her senior prom.  Why, you might inquire, would an 18-year-old girl be wearing this color to her PROM?  Well...Hannah, being the awesome young lady she is, chose as her prom dress a vintage 1950's debutante gown.  And it happened to be the same color as Wallis. :)

Once you get over the shock of Wallis' being...well...so very Wallis...you realize it's supremely elegant.  It really is.  It's the perfect metallic mesh of olive green and gold.  (We had some curtains in the 70's this color!  They were fancy too!)  If you think about the woman for whom Wallis is named, the polarizing Wallis Simpson, you may remember all of the elegant images of her from the 1930's.  So vintage is quite the appropriate adjective here.  And I'm not kidding...you simply CANNOT get a more photogenic polish.

Hannah wore Wallis in a funky French tip, and she looked BEAUTIFUL!  I've known Hannah since she was 8, and she has always had a kind of "antique" look about her heart-shaped face...just something about her.  And she's an old soul, too.  So, this vintage ensemble was so perfect for her that she could have walked right out of 1952.  She truly had a showstopping look on prom night. :)

I'm so proud of Miss Hannah and the exemplary young lady she has become. <3

Thanks for stopping by, and have a lovely day! :)

L'Oreal Collection Privee Nudes: Frieda's Nude and Doutzen's Nude

Hey everybody!  I hope your week is going fantastically well. :) 

Sooo...we all know Zoya has everybody in love with their Naturel collection.  But did you know that L'Oreal has come out with a limited edition Collection Privee of nudes as well?  I decided to give a couple of them a try!  I picked up Frieda's Nude and Doutzen's Nude at Rite Aid for buy one, get one half off. ;)

As with most times I polish shop at Rite Aid, my hubby was with me.  He absolutely turned his nose up at nude/natural shades.  You see, there was no red in the display, and that was just plain unacceptable. :)  But he did tell me that Frieda's Nude was "the only one that looked halfway decent", so I took that as his endorsement to pick it up.

Frieda's Nude is a beige-gold shimmer that leans frosty...the brushstrokes weren't too terrible though.  The polish applied pretty well, and I had no cleanup issues.  I'm wearing 3 coats in the photos.

This polish would look dated if not for the very strong shimmer, which is beautiful.

And before I show you Doutzen's Nude, which was my pick of the collection, I must tell you that I had just gone outside and picked ice off the central unit (during our wintry weather) and came in and stupidly took pics.  So my hands were just getting warm and look like balls of flame. :/

Doutzen's Nude is a mauve-tinged creme that is really lovely.  I did have some streaking issues with two coats, but a third one evened it all out.  

The above photo is the best representation of the color of Doutzen's Nude...so ignore my lobster flambé phalanges and enjoy the lovely color. :D  I really loved wearing this one.

So...what do you think of L'Oreal's nudes?  There are 6 shades in the collection, some coral/rose-tinged, some yellow-hued.  I haven't gotten a Zoya Naturel yet, so I don't know how the formula would compare.  Oh, and I have no idea who Frieda and Doutzen are.  So there it is. :D

I don't know...COULD red be considered a nude?  I mean...look at my hands!! :P

Thanks for stopping by, and have a lovely day! <3

The Cheapskate Files: Milani 3D Holographics

Hey everybody!  It's been a while since I got all cheap on you, hasn't it?  We all spent too much money at Christmas, so we're in the mood for something cheap, right?  RIGHT!  You might remember that I told you about a store in NC that I love to visit when I'm there that sells perfume, tobacco, and discontinued cosmetics (go ahead and chuckle...it IS rather funny).  Well last summer, I had the pleasure of visiting said store...and there is was, bathed in sunbeams...a huge bin of Milani 3D Holographics for $1.50 each.  I wiped the drool off my chin and snagged the entire collection!  YAY! :)

I won't tire you with loads of pesky details after every picture.  Let me just say that the 3D Holographics collection are jellies with a wonderful, mistake-free formula.  I used 3 coats of each polish due to my persistent friend stalker, Mr. VaNeLi.  These holos twinkle in every kind of lighting!

First up is Digital, a rosy pink.

Next is HD.  This polish is silver in the bottle...but see how not-so-silver it is on me?  I thought, "Ugh, are my nails THAT discolored?"  Of course, they ARE, but it made me wonder why this one looked so gold-ish...well, the blurred bottle shot shows quite a lot of gold holo particles!  So it sort of looks in-between gold and silver.

Next is Hi-Res, a medium purple.  Looks good enough to eat!!

Now this one is as gold as it gets:  3D.  This one looks like liquid gold on the nail.

And I saved my favorite for last...a light blue beauty called Cyberspace. <3  Look at all the colors peeking through in this one...

There was one more polish in this collection, a yellow-green called Hi-Tech, but I gave that one to my stepdaughter, who was helping me scoop all these up from the magic bin. :D

You may have read about these before...the holo effect is different from other polishes because there is something about the particles that looks slightly irregular, almost like tiny shards.  They are like a linear/scattered hybrid, with the linear effect being strongest on Cyberspace and HD.  Another bonus is that you don't need sunlight to watch them glow. 

I was so pleased with this Cheapskates Files score...not only are these awesome, but they're antiques too...these came out over 4 years ago! :)

I hope you've enjoyed today's attempt at making you feel better about your out of control hobby.  Have a lovely day! <3

Julie G Holiday Frosted Gum Drops: Gift of Gold and Mistletoe

Hey everybody!  You can probably tell by the names of today's polishes that I am perhaps a wee bit behind in showing them. :D  The Julie G Frosted Gum Drops Holiday 2013 collection was arguably cooler than the original Frosted Gum Drops, with jewel tones that made you think of that expensive Christmas wrapping paper you couldn't possibly afford.

Of course, the Frosted Gum Drops polishes are textured, and Julie G's take on texture is like L'Oreal's, a bit gritty, but pure sparkle.  The first one I have today is Gift of Gold.

Gift of Gold is not a gold for the weak.  This gold is GOLD and it wants you to KNOW IT'S GOLD!  It's deep and rich and slightly burnished.  I used two coats for this decadent glitterfest.  Very, very pretty.

The other Gum Drop from the Holiday collection I picked up is Mistletoe...this one was actually my hubby's pick of the collection.  He chose really well.  Mistletoe is a beauty, probably THE prettiest green I own, textured or not.

Again, I used two coats.  UGH, look how pretty this is!!  It's such a true green, like if you looked up "green" in the encyclopedia (do you whippersnappers even remember those??), it would show a picture of this polish.

I highly recommend Julie G polishes.  They wear very well and are inexpensive at $3.99 a bottle.  The entire line of Holiday Frosted Gum Drops is gorgeous (hubby loved the red one, Ho Ho Ho), so IF you can still find them, check them out!  And for that matter, maybe you can still snag some of that pricey wrapping paper at 75% off??

Thanks for stopping by, and have a lovely day! <3

Zoyas I Love: Crystal, Perrie, and Edyta

Hey everybody!  Have you heard about the serious epidemic going around this week?  It's called Zoya Fever! :)  Zoya is running their buy 3 for $12 promo, and I'm telling you...it's really hard to decide what you want...isn't it??  I love Zoya to bits, and when I look at their colors, it's a bit overwhelming when you know you get 3 and they have about 867 that you love. :P

So...here am I...donning my public servant cap to *maybe* help you arrive at a decision!  Isn't that nice of me? :)  First up is, without a doubt, one of Zoya's loveliest polishes, Crystal.

I LOVE Crystal.  It's a beautiful ice blue metallic foil with a very heavy gold shimmer.  The gold is so highly visible in Crystal that on the nail, this polish looks mottled...almost like a Saran wrap mani.  Just gorgeous!!

I think I am one of the 6 people on the planet who doesn't own Zoya Charla. :)  For me, Crystal has that magical feel that everybody ascribes to Charla...it's ethereal and flawless.  And of course, just the fact that it's a Zoya foil should tell you how fantastic it is!  The application is wonderful and the formula perfect.

Another of my Zoya faves is a polish that I don't think has gotten much airtime...Perrie.  Perrie is sort of like the creme version of the my shimmery love Dannii. 

Perrie is a cool-toned medium orchid purple....YES there's that very popular word again!  Zoya describes this color as lavender, but it just doesn't look very lavender on me.  Don't get me wrong, it looks FABULOUS...just a bit deeper than lavender. :D

Perrie's formula is a little thin, but it's easy to work with and levels out pretty well.  I didn't have any flooding with it.  I like this color better and better each time I wear it...and I predict a lot of gals will pick this one up this week. :)

Last up, I have a Zoya that's textbook me:  strange!!  Meet the complex and incomparable Edyta.

Oh myyyyy.  My own photos are renewing my amour for Edyta.  This is the perfect non-shade to confuse and delight all your friends!  Is it brown?  Maybe.  Is it green?  Possibly.  Is it AWESOME??  Oh yes.  It's a delicious metallic shimmer multiple personality in a bottle! :)

Look at that sparkle!  And what color IS said sparkle?  Who knows??  Yes, Edyta is that confusing.  And how I LOVE it!!  Let's see what Zoya has to say about this color:  "A complex mixture of gold, olive, blue-green and smoky grey with a sparkling metallic finish."  Clear as mud!  Hey!  It kinda does look like mud!  An oh-so-glamorous mud. :)

You love this one, don't you? :)  If you love crazy shimmery, and if you love weird, Edyta is your girl.  You will be in love with the bizarre elegance and cock your head to the side more than once as you try to figure her out...

Have I assisted you with any choices?  I doubt it, but I flatter myself to think I could *possibly* sway somebody to choose my recommendations... :)

Thanks for stopping by, and have a lovely day! 

A Very Popular Post of 2013, Version 2.0: L'Oreal Color Riche Gold Dust

Hey everybody!  I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas.  I had a lovely time with my family, and now I'm back to the blogosphere as 2013 winds down.  I contemplated doing a year end "best of" post like a lot of other bloggers are doing, but I decided against that because 1) I didn't start blogging until April, and 2) I don't get press samples and don't have nearly the choices that others do.  So what I am doing is a big ol' continuation of one of my most popular posts of 2013, L'Oreal Too Dimensional? from the textured Gold Dust collection.  I loved Too Dimensional? so much that I purchased 4 more Gold Dust polishes.  And now seems to be the perfect time to show them off.  So, without further ado...my swan song of 2013! :D

I will keep my introductions to each of these succinct and say up front that all 4 had terrific formulas, zero cleanup, and a major glitter wow factor.  I used two coats of each for the photos.  The texture of the L'Oreal Gold Dust collection is just like Julie G Gumdrops textures, which I love as well. 

First off is the lovely lavender called The Reign of Studs.  I confess, I have no idea what that name means.  It sounds like some weird play on Game of Thrones.  Or The King of Queens.  I don't know.  It looks a bit similar to Too Dimensional?, but it's more of a true purple hue with silver glitter instead of gold.

Next is a *really* elegant gold texture...I mean, this is one pretty color.  It's not an out there, in your face gold...it's muted and delicate and ohhhh so pretty, the appropriately named The Statement Piece.

Did you catch that reference to being "appropriately named"?  There's a reason for that.  Next up is possibly the worst named polish of 2013...and frankly, I thought nothing could top Wharf! Wharf! Wharf!  And it's a shame too, because I Like It Chunky (???) is one of the most gorgeous textured numbers ever invented.  The pink glitter in the coppery base creates an overall look of rose gold.  I guess it likes its glitter chunky.  I hope so anyway...I Like It Chunky looks really, really rotten on me, but I don't care.  It's soooo pretty.

And you all know me by now...I'm gonna save the vamptastic shade for last!  Feast your eyes on Sexy in Sequins, a blackish-purple with lots of pink, lavender and gold glitter.  This one has it all.  I was worried that its dark base would made it troublesome to work with, but nope...another winner. :)

I have resisted (thus far) the temptation to just go ahead and finish purchasing this collection.  But who knows what tomorrow may bring?? :D  There is something about the L'Oreal Gold Dust polishes that really connected with people.  They are all exceptionally pretty, long-wearing, and inexpensive...and something tells me that when this limited edition sells out, the polishes will be the sought-after prizes of tomorrow.  I got all of mine at Rite Aid.

For those of you curious about my Top 5 Popular Posts of 2013, here they are:

1)  Comparison:  butter LONDON The Black Knight vs. Hard Candy Bite of Black
2)  How Bloggers Influence Me:  Sinful Shine Yours Truly
3)  Sally Hansen Sugar Coat Comparison:  Bubble Plum and Red Velvet
4)  Maybelline Color Show Brocades:  Gilded Rose
5)  L'Oreal Does Texture:  Color Riche Gold Dust Too Dimensional? 

Notice anything in particular about all these?  Girls love drugstore brands. :)

Thanks for stopping by, and have a lovely day! <3

Simply Elegant: Sally Hansen Satin Glam Go Gold

Hey everybody!  Has your weekend been a good one? :)  After church today, I went to Ulta to redeem my Level *cough* 6 rewards certificate, and of course I had to wander around and look at the polish displays.  And what has happened this week with all these crazy new mainstream polish collections??  I saw a 3-part Sally Hansen display that read "texture three ways" and included nail polish strips, Sugar Shimmers (a shimmery, modified version of the Sugar Coat texture line), and a collection called Satin Glam.  When I read that Satin Glam's description was "a satin ribbon on your nails", I was sold. :D

This is the very elegant Go Gold.  Simple name, much like the polish...simply elegant.

 

Isn't this pretty?  Satin Glam Go Gold is a soft, muted gold.  Sally Hansen's website says that Satin Glam polishes are infused with pearl particles, so this gives the color a lovely glow.

Application was exceptionally easy and mistake-proof.  The polish applies very shimmery and dries to a smooth sheen.  It was completely opaque with two thin coats.  The dry time was pretty long...it probably took an hour for the polish to not dent on me.

The Satin Glam finish is unlike other suede finishes I've seen because of the pearly base...so fancy! :)

Well, color me astonished...this makes three (3) mainstream/drugstore collections  THIS WEEK that have totally impressed me.  There are eight colors in the Satin Glam line...not very unusual colors, but given the unique finish, I'm sure they would be a gorgeous twist on any color. :)

Have you seen the Sally Hansen Satin Glams yet?  And more importantly, what Ulta rewards level are YOU this quarter?? :P

Thanks for stopping by, and have a lovely day!