piCture pOlish Blog Fest 2012

Press Samples

It's piCture pOlish's blog fest!! 

They are launching 11 brand new shades!!

There are many bloggers world wide participating in Blog Fest 2012
 
I am beyond honored to be a part of this year's piCture pOlish Blog Fest!

Here is a little story to get you started...

Once upon a time, in a beautiful place called Austraila...

          Two exquisite ladies had a dream of creating something more beautiful than a clear night sky and more addicting and satisfying than the best chocolate.  The problem was that many others were on a similar quest. They tried to capture special occasions, memories, and aspirations in a little square bottle.  
          This was working wonderfully until one day a jealous creature came to steal their secret.  While in the act, the creature was spotted by one of the girls.  This upset the creepy little wizard so he captured her.  He then sent word to the other girl, threatening not to giver the other back until his demands were met. 
          First he challenged her to contact the wonderful Sara Hassan who is a mysterious, beautiful woman who has the ability to forecast beauty trends.  The girl contacted her and was so proud that she wrote back to the creature boasting of this feat.  The wizard was surprised that the girl was able to contact her so quickly so he challenged her to create one of her little bottles full of anything Sara Hassan wanted.  Sara was put under a spell by the wizard and was forced to ask the impossible.  Sara asked the girl to create a vision or fantasy, an illusion. The girl worked tirelessly until she created a mirage in a bottle.

           The wizard was upset by her ability to conquer this challenge from an innovative, creative mind like Sara's that in a moment of furry, he asked her to put all of the wonder of a night sky in a little bottle.  The girl was stumped.  She had succumb to bottle block!  She thought she was defeated. Inspiration struck as she decided to try to trick the wizard.  She confronted him and asked if she could have her friend back.  The wizard said no so the girl motioned and asked if she completed the given challenge AND created the perfect travel partner for the wizard if he would give her back.  He agreed.  The girl worked all night to create something out of this world.  
           She finally met the challenge and sought the jealous creature out.  He was mystified by the bottle in front of him so much that it immediately sent him out into orbit where he is to this day, traveling with the intoxicating bottle she created for him.

            The girls were united and continue to puzzle all with their unique creations. 

Here are some swatches of Mirage...

Mirage is a bluey grey with slight violet & turquoise duochrome, depending on the light.  This is one coat of Mirage over one coat of a dark, blackened purple.  The polish was a tad on the thick side and I had a bit of trouble with streaking & balding near my cuticle & tips.  I think I need to get the hang of applying this & possibly use some thinner. Overall this one is a stunner, I have never seen anything like it.  I could not wait to see how gorgeous this looked over different colors so I put it alone then also over bright white, a dusty yet bright periwinkle, a dusty dark navy, and black (thumb to pinkie respectively).  I'm still excited to try out more combos.

Mirage is a new and very special polish from the new ‘Collaboration Collection.’ This lovely polish was jointly created by Sara Hassan.  Sara was asked about her shade, she sent  piCture pOlish  the most beautiful picture of a bird with magical plumage and said 'a grey shade with a blue hue.' piCture pOlish recommends that you use a dark base coat (black or dark blue) with this polish as it will truly makes the shade shine!!

& Orbit...

Orbit is simply put, gorgeous!  This polish is made up of millions of tiny, ultra fine "mesh" silver & bright indigo glitter suspended in an indigo base.  This is such a beautiful unique polish that I struggled finding appropriate words to describe its beauty.  This polish is PERFECT for those who are dying to have galaxy nails, but don't want to take the time to do nail art.  Orbit is my favorite of the two polishes.  The swatches all show ONE spectacular coat of orbit.  Orbit is a little gritty without a topcoat and would look amazing matte.

Orbit is a new ‘Mesh’ shade from piCture pOlish. 

Both nail polishes will be available from piCture pOlish on-line and from all Network members! 

The new piCture pOlish collaboration shades are available here

and the mesh shades can be found here.

Like them on facebook,

follow them on twitter,

and check out their Pinterest boards.

FUN FACT: piCture pOlish has added nifty QR labels on each shade so consumers can scan the label and it will take them straight to piCture pOlish on-line or a Network member (depending where the shade was purchased)!

Disclosure: The product(s) in this post were provided to me by  piCture pOlish  for a 100% honest review.  For additional information please visit the tabs below the header.

My Whimsical Blue Frankenbeauty

I recently wore my franken light bluey polish and decided to top it with Revlon Whimsical.  Here is the result...

I think it's rather pretty.  It's just enough glitter and the perfect coloring too.  I kind of wish my franken was a tad more turquoise...I'll have to work on that I guess:)

OPI Skull & Glossbones

This is the last polish that I own from OPIs spring 2011 Stranger Tides Collection.  I only own the minis and I have showed you all but this one...Skull and Glossbones.

 

(indirect and direct lighting)

Skull and Glossbones is a lightened grey cream with a touch of yellow.  In some lighting it appears grey and in others more taupe.

The Verdict:
As was the case with the other 3 minis, I found application difficult due to the watery formula, stiff brush, and teeny handle.  Other than application, I enjoyed the color.  This was a pretty neutral and it paired nice;y with anything and everything.  Due to my fair skin tone, I find some grey polishes to appear very dark on me so I really loved having a grey this pale.  Perfect for spring and summer due to the touch of yellow that makes this grey warm toned.

OPI nail polish retails for around $8 and can be found in many beauty retailers.  This collection is no longer available, although Ulta's summer collection contains many polishes from this collection.

Words of Wisdom Wednesday

Source: google.com via Kate on Pinterest

OPI Stranger Tides

This is my last week at the beach:-\

While digging through swacthes & past manicures to post about, I realized that I had only shared 2 of the 4 OPI Stranger Tides minis I own!  This is the perfect week to share the other 2.  Today I'm sharing Stranger Tides, the namesake of the 2011 spring collection.

 

This color is a greyed-out dusty, dingy sage.  This cream polish required 3 coats to even out & reach opacity.

The Verdict:
I love the color but hate the application.  ALL of my mini OPIs are a pain to apply because of the dinky brush with stiff plastic bristles.  I think if I had a full size of this it would have been a different application.  This color is kind of ugly, but it's so ugly it's pretty.  I found myself staring at this color all day at work when I wore it.  I guess I'll have to track down the full-size:)

OPI nail polish retails for around $8 and can be found in many beauty retailers.  This collection is no longer available, although Ulta's summer collection contains many polishes from this collection.

Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Parchment

So I mentioned that I purchased this polish with L'Oreal Sweet Nothings, which I loved.  I bought Parchment because it LOOKED like an off-white polish with a soft, subtle shimmer.  Well, that's not what I got.  This is what I ended up with after 1 bubbly coat...

The Verdict:

I wanted to LOVE this polish.  I was excited to see this in their spring 2012 collection (Alexander Wang collection) but I ended up kind of indifferent.  I was frustrated that it bubbled, but in all honesty I know that if I'm going to have bubbly polish it's going to be in the heat of the summer, which it was.    I was disappointed that it was rather frosty.  BUT later I added 2 more coats and it looked like creamy frosting.  It was much prettier with more coats.  If I wear it again I will definitely apply 3 coats (& take another picture for you).  

I only own 2 Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure nail polishes.  I also own Lagoon.  I think I need to try a cream one, both are frosty/shimmery.  I am not impressed with either.  I REALLY want to love them.  The very first nail polish I owned was a Sally Hansen polish, so they're near and dear to my heart.  Does any one have any suggestions of great Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure polishes?  I really want to love them!

You can purchase Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure polishes for about $8 at many pharmacies.

Summer Fun Challenge--Day 8 (last day)

Lindsey at the Neverland Nail Blog is so incredibly creative.  I love her blog so very much and about 3 weeks ago she announced The Summer Fun Challenge.

Sadly this is the LAST day of the Summer Fun Challenge:(  What will inspire me to do crazy things to my nails???  I guess I'll have to wait until I come across a new doable, fun, inspiring challenge.  Alas, here is the final challenge-inspired manicure...


Day 6: Fun in the Sun!
Lindsey describes "Fun in the sun!" as follows, " bust out those bright colors and crazy patterns, anything goes today!"  So I thought, why not do a pretty, elegant, classic pattern but juxtaposed in bright, neon, summery colors?  I took this idea and ran with it to create...

 (nearly) NEON lace!

This fun manicure was created by painting my nails with Zoya Purity after they were appropriately prepped with a base coat.  Then I did a variation of my hand-painted lace pattern (tutorial here) to make it  have a scalloped edge.  The lace was painted using a fine paintbrush and Zoya Paz.  I really love this.  While I was painting I decided to leave my ring finger as an accent nail to create a little balance and to prevent an overwhelming manicure.  


There you have it.  Last one, and among my favorites.  My favorite manicures I created were... 

Grill Master

Pool Party

Are We There Yet?

The Big Blue

and today's manicure.

Check out what some other polish lovers created: 

Words of Wisdom Wednesday

Source: google.com via Kate on Pinterest

Summer Fun Challenge--Day 7

Lindsey at the Neverland Nail Blog is so incredibly creative.  I love her blog so very much and about 3 weeks ago she announced The Summer Fun Challenge.

Day 6: Summer Stylin'
Everyone knows that neon was a HUGE trend this summer.  I love to use neon accessories, in moderation of course.  What do you get when you cross a classic nude flat, a touch of neon, and the vintage appeal of cap toe shoes?  My favorite summer flats: Ann Taylor Elizabeth Pointy flats in Shocking Pink!

My manicure to match was simple, a nude nail with a bright, nearly neon french tip.  Here it is...

These colors actually resemble the Kate Spade cap toe flats more than my Ann Taylor flats.  This manicure was created using a base of Zoya Minka and Zoya Ali for the tips.

Check out more awesome summer style inspired manicures:

L'Oreal Sweet Nothings

I love peach and coral shades.

I have a problem though, peach shades tend to make my hands look ghastly.

I have been on the hunt for a peachy color that flatters my skin tone.  I have been tempted to pick up essie's A Crewed Interest, but I have never purchased it because of its bi-polar reviews.  So while I was in Target using my coupons from my summer beauty bag I picked up 3 clearance polishes, two of which I could use coupons for.  I picked up Revlon ColorStay in Delicious, Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Parchment, and L'Oreal Sweet Nothings.

I had picked up and compared Sweet Nothings to A Crewed Interest and noted their similar peachy toned hue.  The main difference appeared to be their opacity (which made A Crewed Interest look a tad chalky).  Here is a peek at Sweet Nothings...

The Verdict:
This is a rather sheer, but buildable polish (picture shows three coats with no top coat).  I like the color, it is peachy but flattering.  I wish it would have had better coverage.  A few days later I added another coat and it was even more opaque and a slightly brighter peach.  I still need to find my perfect peach, although this was flattering and applied like butter.  It's very pretty and I plan on wearing it again.  It would look great with glitters and I'm wondering if I can sandwich with it...only time will tell:)

L'Oreal nail polish can be purchased at pharmacies and retails for around $5 each.

Summer Fun Challenge--Day 6

Lindsey at the Neverland Nail Blog is so incredibly creative.  I love her blog so very much and about 3 weeks ago she announced The Summer Fun Challenge.

Day 6: The Big Blue
I had all intentions of creating a manicure based on Finding Nemo.  Those intentions fell to the wayside based on the amount of time I had to dedicate to this manicure.  Instead I opted for a turquoise and dark cobalt gradient slathered with glitter:) Very ocean-like yet simple.

This manicure was created by painting all nails with Diamond Cosmetics Don't Teal My Heart Away.  Next I sponged Barielle Berry Blue on the tips followed by a generous coat of Sinful Colors Nail Junkie.  There you have it!


Take a peek at the other lovelies:

Words of Wisdom Wednesday

Source: countryraisedcityfound.tumblr.com via Kate on Pinterest

SINFULCOLORS SUMMER 2012 POPTASTIC Press Release

SinfulColors POPtastic press release:

A Seriously POPtastic Summer Collection from SINFULCOLORS

Iconic imagery. Bold brights. That's the message this season as the SinfulColorsPOPTastic Summer 2012 collection pops up everywhere, from pointers to pinkies. These eight eye-popping, jaw-dropping, tip-delighting, pop culture hues take pop beyond an artistic style to a lifestyle that's all the rage. Envision lots of pizazz with super-shiny polish, a whole new way to express yourself, compliments ofSinfulColors. The POPtastic collection of 8 shockingly rich color meets serious shine fromSinfulColors includes: Citrine: A bold, but wonderfully wearable, slice of juicy delight Why Not: A matte turquoise that pops Let's Meet: Sunshine at its finest Outrageous: A poppy, fresh bubble-gum shade Energetic Red: A classic fire engine red Exotic Green: Move over Grover, a take on the classic tree & plant inspired shade Dressed To Kill: Hello Kitty never had it so good with this shade of pink Clementine: Everything a citrus fruit should be: juicy, bright and zesty    SinfulColors surpasses the masses with more than 150 amazing shades of nail polish, including the above-mentioned shades. All hues are available for $1.99 at major drug and mass-market stores nationwide such as Target & Walgreens, by calling 1-800-448-0763 or online at www.walgreens.com.

Summer Fun Challenge--Day 5

Lindsey at the Neverland Nail Blog is so incredibly creative.  I love her blog so very much and about 3 weeks ago she announced The Summer Fun Challenge.

Day 5: ARE WE THERE YET?

I have been traveling quite a bit this summer so this phrase hits rather close to home.  I'm actually at the point that I'm sick of traveling & all I want is to stay at home.  Unfortunately that is not going to happen...yet.  So to celebrate this mantra what could be better than MAPS:)  First you should be impressed that I even own an atlas, even if it is an old German atlas:)  

 I'm rather directionally challenged so my husband thought it was hilarious that I painted maps on my nails.  I always have some sort of GPS in my car at all times!
This manicure began as a base of some Sally Hansen white polish.  The beige looking squiggles (mountain tops) were actually created with OPI Skull & Glossbones, but my brush was a little dirty for some reason from a crazy pigmented red and made it look a tad pink.  The green parks/forests were made with OPI Stranger Tides.  Then I squiggled Barielle Berry Blue for rivers & lakes, made dots for cities out of Sinful Colors Black on Black, and finally connected the cities with Sinful Colors Ruby Ruby roads.


I like how this turned out, especially since it was created while I had a migraine.  Yay for maps!

Take a peek at the other Are We There Yet? manicures:

Zoya NYFW 2012 Designer, Diva, & Gloss Press Release

NYFW 2012

DESIGNER, DIVA & GLOSS

three new couture nail color collections ZOYA for Fall 2012

Inspired by backstage beauties, talented designers, runways and VIP fashion events, the NYFW 2012 Color Collections by Zoya for Fall 2012 are simply stunning. Choose from full-coverage creams and metallics or incredibly shiny jellies. If it’s in style this season - Zoya has it!

Each New Fall Collection (Designer, Diva and Gloss) features color that is beautiful, long-wearing and “haute” off the New York Fashion Week (NYFW) Fall 2012 runway!

Zoya NYFW 2012: Designer Collection

• Rekha (ZP626) - Blood red cream (Bibhu Mohapatra custom shade)

• Toni (ZP627) - Dark maroon red cream

• Monica (ZP628) - Dark mulberry purple cream

• Natty (ZP629) - Smoked navy blue cream

• Evvie (ZP630) - Evergreen green cream (Peter Som custom shade)

• Noot (ZP631) - Charcoal green gray cream

Zoya NYFW 2012: Diva Collection

• Elisa (ZP632) - Crimson red metallic

• Suri (ZP633) - Royal purple metallic

• Song (ZP634) - Egyptian blue metallic with a subtle sparkle

• Ray (ZP635) - Pine green metallic

• FeiFei (ZP636) - Magic blue foil sparkle metallic

• Daul (ZP637) - Magic violet foil sparkle metallic

Zoya NYFW 2012: Gloss Collection

• Katherine (ZP638) - Sheer eggplant jelly gloss, buildable formula (Peter Som custom shade)

• Paloma (ZP639) - Sheer berry red jelly gloss, buildable formula

• Frida (ZP640) - Sheer teal blue jelly gloss, buildable formula

ZOYA IS THE NEW COLOR OF FASHION!

Ultra long-wearing, glossy nail lacquers by Zoya are BIG5FREE - all formulas are completely free of harmful industrial chemicals such as toluene, camphor, formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin and dibutyl phthalate (DBP) that are known to cause cancer and birth defects.

Find over 300 other Zoya shades at www.zoya.com. Each and every name has a color as unique as the women who inspired it.

The Prettiest, Most Wearable Orange...

...is Zoya Elise.

Upon discovering Zoya I looked up the names of family & friends to see how closely the colors fit their personality.  I'm not sure too many seemed to, but the contrast between my namesake and my sister's was spot on.  The colors don't really "represent" us well but medium mauve vs. shimmery coral orange describes us well (careful, safe, classic vs. adventurous, stylish, sophisticated).

My sister and I are best friends.  I could not have been blessed with a more prefect sister and friend.  So naturally I ordered our namesake polishes as my first Zoya nail polishes.  Unfortunately I have never worn Elise, despite owning her for a while.

After spending this week with family, I decided that I need to try this polish.  Am I glad I did or what?  This polish is lovely.  I'm currently kicking myself for waiting so long!

Here she is:

 Zoya describes her as "Smooth medium coral-orange with fine-textured gold duochrome shimmer."  As usual this is a spot-on description.

The Verdict:
This is the prettiest orange I have ever worn.  Anyone who is petrified of wearing an orange polish MUST try this one.  It is extremely flattering against my pale skin, and I can imagine that it is wearable against most skin tones.  It is so summery and it's so glowy, it made my nails look longer and very sophisticated.  This is my FAVORITE orange polish that I own.  Check it out:)

Zoya nail polishes retail $8 from their website.  Set up a Zoya account to receive LOVE points and promo codes.

Win a Lifetime Supply of CND Shellac

...from Nail Polish Canada!  It is a $1,266 value & really easy to enter, just tell them how winning will change your life!

 

CND Shellac is a cross between nail polish and gel which is cured under a UV lamp and lasts up to 14 days without chipping.  Chipped nails are an important issue that affect lives in many ways. “We’ve invented substantial research and the reason women slap or bite in a cat fight is fear of chipping their nails. Hopefully, together, we can build a world where a woman can throw a punch at the bitch who kissed her boyfriend without worrying about chips” said Ms. Smith.

The prize will go to whomever can show that their life will be most impacted by winning Shellac for life.

Be it better, or worse. 

Maybe it stops your polish addiction long enough that you can save money, go to school, become a doctor, go to Africa and start saving lives. Did we say that this contest saves lives? Now we did. 

Or maybe you’re just looking for a little understanding, “My husband will finally understand that other people take polish as seriously as me...” - Sarah P.”

Or perhaps the result won’t be as positive, “I’ll probably spend all my time painting my nails, not go to work, get fired, now I’m homeless, damn you NPC.” - Beth C”

If you or a loved one is still stuck in a world of chips, smudges and wasting countless hours re-doing nails we urge you to take a stand. Enter at http://www.nailpolishcanada.com/categories/cnd-shellac.html

Grand prize will go to the best description of how winning a lifetime supply of Shellac will change their life.  Top entrants will be selected by Nail Polish Canada and then voted on by the public. 

Grand Prize:

• 33 Bottles of CND Shellac

• 36-Watt UV Lamp

• 5 Shellac Topcoat

• 5 Shellac Basecoat

• Scrub Fresh

Winner selected August 7th, 2012.

“To be fair, it’s actually only a 25 year supply, so we can only hope the winner dies early to keep me an honest woman” 

- Nikki Smith, VP of Glitter, Nail Polish Canada.

How much Shellac do I need to last 25 years?
CND Shellac is a cross between nail polish and gel which is cured under a UV lamp and lasts up to 14 days without chipping. SO...

1300 (weeks in 25 years) / 2 (weeks application lasts) / 20 (applications per bottle) 

= 33 bottles of Shellac color

Open to Canadian and United States residents only. 
Full rules and entry at: http://www.nailpolishcanada.com/categories/cnd-shellac.html 
For further info please contact rachael@nailpolishcanada.com

Trademark Disclaimer: This contest is not sponsored, endorsed, or affiliated with Creative Nail Design Inc. Product names and other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. 

Summer Fun Challenge--Day 4

Lindsey at the Neverland Nail Blog is so incredibly creative.  I love her blog so very much and about 3 weeks ago she announced The Summer Fun Challenge.

Day 4: WE LIKE IT HOT, HOT, HOT!

I thought about taking out some of my nearly neon nail polishes for this one, but decided on a glittery/jelly gradient instead.  Summer of course reminds us of the squelching heat.  I was instantly drawn to use Essie Fear or Desire so I painted all of my nails wit this beauty.  Then I sat there admiring my small polish collection, waiting for inspiration to strike.  I decided that Sinful Colors I Miss Yuo could make a beautiful gradient because of its purple jelly base and holographic glitter.  I think this turned out pretty well, even if it isn't as great of a gradient as I had hoped (another thing I need to work on).

Other HOT manicures:

Words of Wisdom Wednesday

Source: google.com via Kate on Pinterest

4th of July Manicure!

Here is my festive manicure for the 4th of July.

Last year I was so embarrassed by my sloppy nail art and the horrid manicure that it created so I refused to post.  This year I must say that I am more pleased with my manicure, although my nail art still has a long way to go (especially my stripes)!

This year's patriotic manicure used Zoya America (very appropriate) and Zoya Purity.  The stars on the accent nail are from an AL Cosmetics Mix Styles Glitter Rhinestone Wheel #5.