LOVE-ly Manicure #1

Trying to find new inspiration for Valentine's Day manicures every year is proving to be a challenge. Inspiration struck when I used SinfulColors Love Sprinkles. I used the heart glitter to create a growing hearts or balloon hearts manicure...however you see it :)

Polishes used: SinfulColors 24/7 and Love Sprinkles, Zoya Purity

SinfulColors Flirt With Hearts Valentine Collection

SinfulColors has released their Flirt with Hearts Collection for Valentine's Day 2015. Most of the polishes are new releases with the exception of Love Sprinkles, a glittery topper.

Dream On a "brilliantly induced boysenberry." This bright purple shade is so lively. It applied smoothly and achieved opacity in two coats.

Rise & Shine is "the perfect teal" cream polish. This teal is bright without being "neon" and covers well in two coats.

24/7 is "our hottest pink" and was opaque in two coats. This is not the hottest pink out there, but it is a bright coral leaning color.

Love Sprinkles is a "bubble gum pink gleaming with white hearts and flecks of glitter." This is the only new polish being released. It is a playful glitter polish (pale pink and white glitter with white heart glitter in a clear base) that can dress up any manicure.




The Verdict:
As always SinfulColors comes through with super affordable, exciting polishes that fit the season. The new glittery "Love Sprinkles" is a great topper for those who love glitter. Perfect for an easy festive manicure. My only gripe with it is that I wish the heart glitter laid flat on my nail.

Available for $1.99 each at Walgreens, Rite Aid and other mass retailers in February 2015

SinfulColors Holiday 2014

This year's holiday collection from SinfulColors, reintroduces some stunning classics, brings back some hard-to-finds, and adds some newbies to create a gigantic dazzling array of holiday polishes.

Ice Dream, a "cerulean glitter with a translucent silver base," shown in one and two coats. This might achieve opacity in 3 coats. This clear base filled with the tiniest silver glitters and small turquoise glitters, is very "Elsa" from Frozen.

Twilight Twinkles is packed with "brilliant flakes of gold." This gold assorted glitter contains mostly irregular gold pieces in a clear base. Shown above in one and two coats.

Out of this World is a "perfect silver with swirls of glimmer." This frosty, whitened silver glistens in the sunlight. Truly lovely for those of you who are drawn to this glowing finish. Shown above in three thin coats.

Endless Blue is a "deep wave of cobalt." This blue is bright and deep all at the same time. This mesmerizing blue is shown in two smooth, very pigmented coats.


The Verdict:
I adore the bright cobalt blue of Endless Blue. Ice Dream is a fun icy topper. I like that many of these are rereleases, like Cinderella (not shown). I also like that they kept the original names of many rather than renaming solely for a holiday collection. I wish Out of this World was less streaky and more opaque.

$1.99 each exclusively at Walgreens for Holiday 2014

SinfulColors Halloween 2014 Wicked Color Collection

Press Samples

I was fortunate enough to be able to try some of the newest polishes released by SinfulColors for their Wicked Color Halloween Collection (all polishes shown in graphic below). They sent me five of these fun polishes to try: Glow In The Dark, Mystery Moonshine, Pumpkin Spice, Cauldron Couture, and Splatter Spell.

Glow In The Dark is described as "Ghoulishly fluorescent." Shown above in indirect light and in complete darkness. I only used one coat of the polish and let the polish and my hands sit in direct sunlight before taking either photograph. In direct sunlight (below) the polish appears to have particles within it and is not completely clear.

 Mystery Moonshine is festively described as "Multi-colored confetti." This polish truly resembles confetti with its irregular foil pieces in copper, emerald, and periwinkle floating in its clear base. Above one and two coats of this MardiGras-esque polish are shown. Below, two coats of Mystery Moonshine are shown over a bright periwinkle polish (SinfulShine Alfresco).

 Pumpkin Spice is a "Twinkling fall orange." This clear polish is full of tiny gold and small copper hexagonal glitters. Shown above you can see its density in one and two coats. Below, two coats of Pumpkin Spice are shown over a black polish (SinfulColors Black on Black).

Splatter Spell, a layering polish with "Gilded black flecks," also shown above as one and two coats. This clear base has tiny, small, and large black hexagonal glitters. It is also contains small and large copper hexagonal glitters as well as irregular foil pieces of the same color. There also appear to be some irregular gold foil pieces as well. Below two coats of Spatter Spell are shown over a peach polish (Essie A Crewed Interest).

Cauldron Couture is a "Wickedly glittery emerald." Shown above in one and two coats of this glittery topcoat. This clear base has tiny, small, and large black hexagonal glitters. It is also contains small and large emerald green hexagonal glitters as well as irregular foil pieces of the same color. Below two coats of Cauldron Couture are shown over a mint green polish (Essie Mint Candy Apple).

The Verdict:

These were fun polishes to try. I enjoyed the variety of glitters and foil particles in Cauldron Couture, Splatter Spell, and Mystery Moonshine. These were also my favorites of the bunch and the most unique. If you love glitter, layering, or "jelly sandwich" manicures you should walk run to your nearest SinfulColors retailer and grab these before they're gone. They are definitely versatile and playful.

Also, if anyone has successfully used a glow-in-the-dark polish, I would love to hear any tips and tricks that you may have!

Available for $1.99 exclusively at Walgreens & Target stores in October 2014

SinfulColors Mirror Metallics--Gold Medal

Press Samples 

The Mirror Metallics nail polish collection from SinfulColors features seven sparkling shades guaranteed to steal the spotlight. Infused with sensuous shimmer, these luminous tints will light up your holiday celebration. 

I was sent 4 of these metallics to try out, Blue Steel, Triple Platinum, Simply Silver, and Gold Medal. All four of these metallics had the same metallic formula. Finally, I have a classic metallic for you in Gold Medal.

Gold Medal is "a  golden, glimmery goddess."

The Verdict:
This, as well as the other Mirror Metallics, dried pretty quickly and applied nicely. As with many metallics, there were visible brush strokes after application and drying. They are not as visible as a frosted finish, and were more visible in some of the polish hues. These also appear as more of a brushed metal rather than a mirrored metal, but they're still lovely:)

Gold Medal is the perfect gold. It is not too yellowed or brassy and will flatter most skin tones. The photo above shows 2 easy coats. This was only slightly streaky, but can be easily overlooked because this golden goddess GLOWS. If you need/want a lovely gold look no further than this affordable neutral gold. This might just be my favorite gold because it is so flattering.

SinfulColors Mirror Metallics, $1.99 exclusively at Walgreens for Holiday 2013.

SinfulColors Mirror Metallics--Simply Silver

Press Samples 

The Mirror Metallics nail polish collection from SinfulColors features seven sparkling shades guaranteed to steal the spotlight. Infused with sensuous shimmer, these luminous tints will light up your holiday celebration. 

I was sent 4 of these metallics to try out, Blue Steel, Triple Platinum, Simply Silver, and Gold Medal. All four of these metallics had the same metallic formula. Today it's the standard silver Simply Silver.

Simply Silver is "a sparkling ornamental shade of silver."

The Verdict:
This, as well as the other Mirror Metallics, dried pretty quickly and applied nicely. As with many metallics, there were visible brush strokes after application and drying. They are not as visible as a frosted finish, and were more visible in some of the polish hues. These also appear as more of a brushed metal rather than a mirrored metal, but they're still lovely:)

Simply Silver is a very white, untarnished silver metallic. It brightens your manicure and gives it just the right amount of flash. This is sure to be a holiday staple and will work beautifully as both a solid manicure or as nail art. The two coats above applied rather smoothly, but brush strokes were still visible. Still a beautiful polish and if you don't have a silver get this one before it's gone!

SinfulColors Mirror Metallics, $1.99 exclusively at Walgreens for Holiday 2013.

SinfulColors Mirror Metallics--Triple Platinum

Press Samples 

The Mirror Metallics nail polish collection from SinfulColors features seven sparkling shades guaranteed to steal the spotlight. Infused with sensuous shimmer, these luminous tints will light up your holiday celebration. 

I was sent 4 of these metallics to try out, Blue Steel, Triple Platinum, Simply Silver, and Gold Medal. All four of these metallics had the same metallic formula. Next up I have the purple-y Triple Platinum.

Triple Platinum is "a light shade of lilac tinted with tinsel." Photo shows 2 coats.

The Verdict:
This, as well as the other Mirror Metallics, dried pretty quickly and applied nicely. As with many metallics, there were visible brush strokes after application and drying. They are not as visible as a frosted finish, and were more visible in some of the polish hues. These also appear as more of a brushed metal rather than a mirrored metal, but they're still lovely:)

Triple Platinum was a touch on the streaky side, but the lovely lilac toned platinum makes up for it. I love the softness of this metallic color, it's just enough to command attention while staying classy. It's a nice twist on a traditional platinum shade. Definitely an excellent, affordable choice for all purple polish lovers!

SinfulColors Mirror Metallics, $1.99 exclusively at Walgreens for Holiday 2013.

SinfulColors Mirror Metallics--Blue Steel

Press Samples

The Mirror Metallics nail polish collection from SinfulColors features seven sparkling shades guaranteed to steal the spotlight. Infused with sensuous shimmer, these luminous tints will light up your holiday celebration. 

I was sent 4 of these metallics to try out, Blue Steel, Triple Platinum, Simply Silver, and Gold Medal. All four of these metallics had the same metallic formula. First up, I have the cool, denim-like Blue Steel.

Blue Steel is "a brilliant blue gush of gift-wrap."

The Verdict:
This, as well as the other Mirror Metallics, dried pretty quickly and applied nicely. As with many metallics, there were visible brush strokes after application and drying. They are not as visible as a frosted finish, and were more visible in some of the polish hues. These also appear as more of a brushed metal rather than a mirrored metal, but they're still lovely:)

I love the pigmentation of Blue Steel, I did 2 coats in the above photo. This color is perfect for the holidays. It would be lovely with a silver or glitter gradient or even some snowflakes painted on top. While it is not the most unique color, it's cheaper than most other polishes that make a similar color. Blue lovers, this one is for you. BONUS: this one had minimal brushstrokes visible, what you see in the photo is what you get:)

SinfulColors Mirror Metallics, $1.99 exclusively at Walgreens for Holiday 2013.

Thanksgiving Manicure--Texture and Typography

The holidays are that time of year when we see family more and want to look our best. Whether your upcoming holiday festivities are casual or formal, I have a few nail art ideas to help you plan that Thanksgiving Manicure!

Today I have a manicure that mixes 3 different textures/finishes to create a fun and festive manicure. I used a combination of metallic, glitter, and matte polishes to create dimension and interest. Once that was done, I added some typography with a sharpie to give a specific nod to the holiday.

 This manicure bridges the gap between a casual and formal affair. And your nails will be the envy of all around. To personalize this you could write specifics of what you are thankful for this year.

Polishes Used: Tuff Scent Wisdom, SinfulColors Leather Loose, Barielle Gold Digger

Playing with Polish-- My First Striping Tape Manicure

So a while back I got striping tape for the first time (crazy, right?). I sat there staring at it trying to decide what to do first. I decided to use it as painting guides for a chevron design on a well-worn manicure. This was simple and ended up turning out pretty well. I am still trying to get the hang of placing striping tape, making sure it sticks well on the edges, and removing it at the perfect time.

Not too shabby for the first try at using striping tape to help with nail art. I would love more ideas or suggestions for using striping tape. Thanks, loves!

Polishes used: SinfulColors SinfulShine Rendezvous (week-old, chipped manicure) and Zoya Purity

SinfulColors Leather Luxe: Leather Loose

Press Samples

One last new release from SinfulColors. I know that many of you may be over both the textured and the matte trend, but remember that you can always add a topcoat! This next polish might even make those of you who are not fans of this trend think twice about writing off this finish. 

Leather Loose is a "safari sinful brown." It took two easy coats of this matte polish for an even, opaque nail. Again, this formula dried quickly, but not so quickly that it impeded application.

The Verdict:

This was ultimately my favorite polish out of the Crystal Crush and Leather Luxe polishes that I tried. I love the richness of the brown base juxtaposed with the glowing, ember-like, bronze shimmer. This polish is gorgeous matte and I am sure is stunning with a topcoat. I love how unique this matte polish is and I wish that more of the polishes from this line contained shimmer. Nonetheless, go pick this one up it is just beautiful!

The Leather Luxe collection is described as "a texture rich, trend-setting collection of stylish matte finish nail polish shades which are richly pigmented to provide a flirtatious way to flaunt your style.  The Leather Luxe Collection features eight weather-warming shades with leather-inspired finishes."

SinfulColors Leather Luxe Collection is available exclusively at Walgreens for Fall 2013. Each polish retails for $1.99.