NYC Pink Promenade Re-swatch & abataba Ring

One of my first posts was a swatch of NYC Pink Paradise Creme.  This is definitely one of my favorite polishes.  It's also one of the cheapest and *gasp* oldest.  I'm hoping that Zoya LC is a color match of this lovely polish so I can recycle this most likely not 3 free polish.  I will provide that comparison swatch when my Zoya Earth Day Promo arrives.

I was wearing this beautiful polish on the same day that a SWEET little treat arrived in the mail.  The treat was this beautiful and delicious chocolate bonbon ring from abataba.  It is part of their SWEET collection which features creative, whimsical jewelry.  Here is a picture of my beautiful ring:

My favorite shot is this last one with some delicious German chocolate...yum!  Here are some of my other favorite abataba pieces.

abataba jewelry and accessories can be purchased here.

Limited Edition Zoya Blogger Collection by Birchbox Preview

Look what I came home to today...

This made my day:)  I was so excited to see the little birchbox package waiting for me!  Inside was the Zoya Blogger Collection by Birchbox.  This is a limited edition collection which was created by 4 lovely bloggers. Meet Coraline, Kate, and Belle.

Coraline, a warm juicy tangerine jelly by the girls from Eleventh Gorgeous.

Kate is a pinkish grapefruit jelly by The Small Things. 

Belle, a coppery pink which features microscopic bits of iridescent glitter by Capitol Hill Style.

 Belle, Coraline, and Kate in indirect sunlight. (2 coats each)

Belle, Coraline, and Kate in direct sunlight. (2 coats each)


A more thorough post/review/swatch party of these lovelies will come soon.  I just HAD to try them as soon as I opened the little package of goodness.  The possibilities with these beauties are endless!  I cannot wait to layer Belle on top of Coraline and Kate.  I'm also wondering how it will look sandwiching Belle between a layer of one or BOTH of these lovelies.  They look so great as skittles too!  I'm in love to say the least.


If you're interested in purchasing this collection head over to birchbox now!  It's $22 with free shipping:)

Rimmel London Sunset Orange

I've got another bright coral-like color for you again!  Today is pretty straight forward and it Rimmel London Sunset Orange.

This is a beautiful orangey coral jelly!  LOVE.

The Verdict:

I cannot get enough of these brights this season! This squishy oranged coral is beautiful.  It is exactly that color orange you see as the sun sets over the horizon.  It's so stunning.  The application of this polish was typical for a jelly (this was 2 coats).  It took slightly longer to dry and it has to dry completely between coats to avoid pooling and dragging.  A perfect reasonable option for anyone wanting to follow the "tangerine" trend who loves jellies.

Rimmel London polishes can be found at many pharmacies and retails for about $5.00.

NYC Classic Coral Creme

I do not know about you, but I'm loving the brights right now.  With this influx of chilly weather, the bright bold polishes are definitely making it seem like spring again!  

WARNING: I LOVE coral polishes!  SO if you dislike coral, I apologize for the insane amount of coral polishes I own:-\

*phew* Now that, that's over;)

Today's polish is weird.  I cannot wrap my mind around it.  It's NYC New York Color Classic Coral Creme. #1 This polish is not exactly coral.  It's more of a HOT molten pink that looks coral in some lighting (like in my photos).  #2 This polish is NOT a creme/cream.  #3 It's weird, so I would never say it's "classic."

BASICALLY, it's name is a lie.  See for yourself...

 Here is a shot so you can get a better look at the foil in this bright polish.

The Verdict:
This polish is GORGEOUS.  It's best described as a hot pink, jelly-like, foil polish.  Yes it is a jelly and a foil (hence the visible nail line after 3 coats).  This lovely is very on-trend with a lot of the brights we've been seeing this season.  The application was very easy.  I would recommend wearing this polish with a topcoat (I did not and had a bit of tip wear-nothing too significant-after 1 day).

NYC New York Color polishes can be found at most pharmacies.  These lovelies retail for about $0.99 each!  So go get this beauty;)

Words of Wisdom Wednesday

Source: Uploaded by user via Jill on Pinterest

Watercolor Manicure

I recently entered the spring nail art competition by beautystat.  I chose to do a watercolor manicure to showcase some beautiful polishes and this great technique.  Take a look at my entry and what I said on the site: 

"My watercolor manicure was inspired by pastels and light, airy spring and summer fabrics.  Watercolor nails look gorgeous against the spring trends and can be done in various hues of one color or in a variety of colors. I painted all of my nails with Lumos Instant Impact Bottom Coat topped with two coats of Sally Hansen in Pure White.  I applied Lumos High Speed Top Coat and waited for the polish to dry.  I chose a series of colors that I wanted to watercolor with.  My colors of choice were: PritiNYC in California Bluebell (a dark periwinkle), Essie in Barefoot in Blue (a light periwinkle), Diamond Cosmetics in Don’t Teal My Heart Away (a medium teal), Rimmel London in Sunset Orange (a bright, orange-y coral), and China Glaze in Champagne Bubbles (a warm, yellow gold). Starting with the first polish mentioned, I placed a few small drips of polish on a nail, one nail at a time.  With a nail art (or small paint) brush that was dipped in nail polish remover, I smeared the polish around the nail.  I continued this process with each color on every nail.  When completed, I topped my nails with one last coat ofLumos High Speed Top Coat to set the polish."

I made it as a finalist and I am super surprised!  I would LOVE your support/votes.  It's super easy you just have to comment on this post. You're more than welcome to vote for someone else too:) 

Thank you so much! (Mine is the watercolor manicure by Kate).

Zoya LE Blogger Collection

This limited edition collection by Zoya for Birchbox has 3 colors custom-designed by bloggers.  It includes: 

Belle, a coppery pink which features microscopic bits of iridescent glitter by Capitol Hill Style.

Kate is a pinkish grapefruit jelly by The Small Things. 

Coraline, a warm juicy tangerine jelly by Eleventh Gorgeous. 

Exclusive - Zoya BirchBox Blogger Collection by Birchbox - now available exclusively on BirchBox.com for $22 with FREE SHIPPING! Three custom Zoya Nail Polish shades designed exclusively for Birchbox.

Bonus offer...

You will receive 200 Share the Love Points from Zoya.com! 

To get your 200 Share the Love points, forward a copy of your Zoya Blogger Birchbox Trio proof of purchase (confirmation email showing the purchase) with your Art of Beauty Customer Number (which is listed in your Zoya/Qtica account--you can create a new account here) to sharethelove@artofbeauty.com. Zoya will then deposit 200 "Love Points" into your account, which you can then redeem for free items!

Playing with Polish--Peacock

I've had this edited for a while and I've just been waiting for the right time to publish this.  Due to my lack of posts this week (*cough* grad school *cough*), I figured the least I could do would be to show you some lovely nail art:)

Here is my peacock feather accent nail:

Polishes used: 
base color: Pro 10 Moonlight
feather nail art: Diamond Cosmetics Don't Teal My Heart Away, Barielle Gold Digger, NOPI Turquoise Shatter, and (I think) essie Bobbing for Baubles

Thanks for checking it out:)

Words of Wisdom Wednesday

THIS was going through my head ALL week...

Source: newenglandprepster.tumblr.com via Letizia Bacchetta on Pinterest

I LOVE Finding Nemo:)

Sharing the RED Love: Zoya Vanessa

I LOVE red polishes.  I know that many people do not.  I love how reds can lean orangey, purple, and pink.  I love the variety of finishes from creams to jellies and even glitters and flakies.  I have 3 lovely reds to share with you this week.  Each is different in its own right and I have unfortunately not conveyed my love for these lovelies enough.

Today's post is brought to you by the letter "v," the number "13," any the color RED.  Meet the red that I wore for Thanksgiving:

Zoya Vanessa is described as "Soft but saturated dark pink berry creme with red undertones. A delicious berry shade that looks very polished."  This color is exactly that an irresistible red berry color.  So irresistable in fact, that I have used it in some of my favorite manicures including my v-gap manicure and tutorial.

The Verdict:

This lovely color applied so smoothly. It was love at first stroke;)  This is my current favorite red (I have Zoya America but still haven't worn her *gasp*).  Out of every brand I have ever tried, Zoya does red the best.  The reds are always saturated but never stain, they are buttery to apply, AND they're always interesting.  I have yet to find a company that rivals Zoya's reds.  I just wish Zoya would agree to let me swatch & compare ALL of their reds;)  hahahaha, I can dream:P

This polish can be purchased from zoya.com for $8.00.

Sharing the RED Love: Barielle Wool You Marry Me?

Press Samples

I LOVE red polishes.  I know that many people do not.  I love how reds can lean orangey, purple, and pink.  I love the variety of finishes from creams to jellies and even glitters and flakies.  I have 3 lovely reds to share with you this week.  Each is different in its own right and I have unfortunately not conveyed my love for these lovelies enough.

This red was picked for personal reasons.  I have a connection to the name, so I felt the need to have it in my collection.  I often joke that my husband should have proposed with this polish & Zoya Kate.  He could have handed them to me in a lovely box neatly tied with a satin ribbon.  Then I could have unwrapped them and read the names "Kate" "Wool You Marry Me?"  *squeal*  Wouldn't that have been just the cutest proposal EVER?!?!

Well, my rekindled love for nail polish started after our proposal & wedding (unfortunately).  His proposal was dynamic anyway;)  Check her out, before I go off on another tangent;)

Barielle Wool You Marry Me? is described as a "plum brown creme."  This deep, browned plummy "red" is beautiful!  It applies like butter.  In the picture it is 2 thin coats of this lovely polish.

The Verdict:

Eventhough this was picked for sentimental reasons, it's a keeper!  I'm completely in love with this color!  I cannot wait to see how lovely this fits in with my autumn wardrobe.  I'm thrilled that I picked this lovely shade to grace my collection with its beauty.  Some sentimental buys don't go over well, but this AND Zoya Kate have been perfection.  I'm thinking that I may wear Kate on my toes & Wool You Marry Me? on my tips this fall...

You can also purchase this polish from the Barielle website for $8.00.

Disclosure: The product(s) in this post were provided to me by the manufacturer or their PR company for consideration.  For more information please visit the tabs below the header.

Disclosure: The product(s) in this post were provided to me by the manufacturer or their PR company for consideration.  For more information please visit the tabs below the header.

Words of Wisdom Wednesday

Source: thebeautydepartment.com via Kristin on Pinterest

...but we all need a good sense of humor:)

Sharing the RED Love: Sinful Colors Ruby Ruby

I LOVE red polishes.  I know that many people do not.  I love how reds can lean orangey, purple, and pink.  I love the variety of finishes from creams to jellies and even glitters and flakies.  I have 3 lovely reds to share with you this week.  Each is different in its own right and I have unfortunately not conveyed my love for these lovelies enough.

Today is actually a color that I have swatched & blogged about in the past.  However, my past swatch did not do Sinful Colors Ruby Ruby justice.  Here she is AGAIN:

What do you look for in a RED?

Smokey Nail

Thunder is an older Revlon polish and I love the weird grey/purple/taupe/gunmetal color a lot...I just wish it was less frosty and more metallic/foil.  I posted a (not-so-great) swatch of Revlon Thunder before (it was one of my first posts).

A while back I came upon the most wondrous realization that polishes that are frosty are streak-free when they are sponged (duh!).  Like so...

Yup, that's it.  My smokey-nail manicure created with the lovely, mysterious Revlon Thunder:)

Are there any frosty/streaky polishes that you have used in alternative ways?

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Pink Week

This week has been deemed "Pink Week."  My posts will feature a pink-ish polish that has not yet gained its due recognition:)  This is the LAST of my current "Pink Week" posts.  


On Wednesday I featured Sinful Colors Easy Going as my pink polish.  Today I'm going to share my all time favorite mani that I have done with this beauty.  Behold the chic. girly, elegance...

Glitter + Pink = <3


Yes, you may say "pink manicure with an accent nail, big deal."  It WAS a big deal.  I could not stop oogling my beautiful fingers.  The bonus was that this manicure lasted a whole week and there was barely any tip wear!  Words cannot describe how stunning this was in person!

Pink Week: Sparrow Me The Drama

This week has been deemed "Pink Week."  My posts will feature a pink-ish polish that has not yet gained its due recognition:)  


This is the last of my under-recognized pink polishes.  Today I present to you an itty bitty baby (mini) polish.  I received this polish as a set with 4 other mini friends from the OPI Pirates of the Caribbean on Stranger Tides Collection (2011).  This polish was given to me graciously by Danielle of PrincessPolish.  Without further adieu, OPI Sparrow Me The Drama:

Sparrow Me the Drama is a dusty medium pink cream polish.  It had a very glossy finish but took 3 coats for full, even coverage.  This pretty springy pink has hints of grey and lavender in certain lighting.  


The Verdict:
Sparrow Me the Drama is a lovely pink.  It is a versatile pink that can probably hold its own during any season.  I found this tiny beauty to be easy to apply, but I just wished it took fewer coats.  It is very flattering against my pale wintery skin.  If you need an ageless pretty pink that will flatter nearly everyone check this little lovely out!


You may still be able to locate this mini collection on Amazon, eBay, or at a local beauty supply store that doesn't get rid of inventory quickly or ever.  This polish can be bought here, prices vary.

Pink Week: Zoya Kate

This week has been deemed "Pink Week."  My posts will feature a pink-ish polish that has not yet gained its due recognition:)  


Today's lovely polish is my namesake Zoya polish:

Zoya describes Kate as a "Soft medium dusty mauve with hints of rose-pink and brown."  Once again Zoya perfectly describes another lovely polish.  While many polish lovers complain about hating their namesake polish by Zoya, I enjoy mine.  I am not really a mauve lover, however choosing this polish (for its name of course) made me realize that it isn't "old lady-ish" or "matronly."


The Verdict:
I love Zoya's nail polish, that is no secret.  Kate does not disappoint.  The application is so buttery smooth, the pigmentation is perfect, and the finish is so glossy.  This is one of my favorite polishes to wear in the autumn, and mauve is only matronly if you wear it with matronly clothing;)  


That aside, this is my mom's ALL TIME FAVORITE polish (my mom is a far cry from matronly, but she is sophisticated).  The first time she tried it (last summer) as a pedi, she fell in love.  It was soft enough to not wash out her skin, warm enough to not give her zombie feet, and pigmented enough to showcase her feet in sandals.  When she had her next pedi, she raved about the polish but the salon could not match this color with its "other" brands.  Alas, my mom and I each have our lovely little bottle of Kate and have our favorite purpose for her in our lives:)


You can purchase Zoya Nail polish from their website for $8 each.

Pink Week: Sinful Colors Easy Going

This week has been deemed "Pink Week."  My posts will feature a pink-ish polish that has not yet gained its due recognition:) 


The truth is, this polish has not been neglected.  Although it has not received its recognition in its own post, I have used it in other manicures.  Meet Sinful Colors Easy Going...

Easy Going is a milky whitened peachy pink.  In this picture she looks like a pale pink-toned white.  In different lighting (and against different skin tones) the presence of the pink and it's orangey/peachy undertones changes.  One of my favorite manicures (which I will share with you later this week was done with this beauty!).  


The Verdict:
This polish builds up nicely, although it is very streaky in its first coat.  At times I have a love-hate relationship with this beauty.  As my skintone changes with seasons, I have found certain times when I do not like how this color looks on me.  But I do LOVE it in the spring (as you will see on Friday!).


Sinful Colors nail polishes can be found at pharmacies such as Walgreens, RiteAid, etc. and sell for $1.99.

Words of Wisdom Wednesday

Very fitting for "Pink Week"...

Source: laurenconrad.com via Lauren on Pinterest

A Classic Audrey Hepburn quote taken from Classy LC's Pinterest:)

Pink Week: Rimmel London Pink Zinfandel

This week has been deemed "Pink Week."  My posts will feature a pink-ish polish that has not yet gained its due recognition:)

Today I will feature Pink Zinfandel of Rimmel London's nail polish line:

Pink Zinfandel is a frosted light glowing mauve.  This polish is beautiful and the color tends to shift.  It can seem very pink at times and at other times it takes on more of a shimmery beige.  Initially, I had a strong dislike to this polish on my nails, however it grew on me after wearing it for a while.

The Verdict:
While I love a great glass of wine, this polish did not satisfy my appetite.  The pigmenting was lovely and it only needed 2 coats to reach full opacity.  Additionally, the brush was wonderous!  This polish is great for occasions when you don't want you tips to stand out too much.  My main reason for not falling in love with this lovely was the frosted finish (which only left minimal brush strokes).  My mom LOVES this polish.  It fits her taste much better, maybe it's more refined than mine like an aged wine;)

Rimmel London polishes can be found at any pharmacy or drug store location where Rimmel London cosmetics are sold.

Pink Week: Sinful Colors Social Ladder

This week has been deemed "Pink Week."  My posts will feature a pink-ish polish that has not yet gained its due recognition:)

Today's post will feature Sinful Colors Social Ladder:

Social Ladder is a shimmery whitened pink with white, light pink, and green glass flecks.  This polish builds up nicely and is work appropriate.  This beauty almost glows when you wear her!

The Verdict:
For people who need to watch what's on their tips for work, Social Ladder is perfect.  The polish just screams elegance.  The wear on this polish is great.

Sinful Colors nail polishes can be found at pharmacies such as Walgreens, RiteAid, etc. and sell for $1.99.