China Glaze LOL

Hello there!

Good news- my summer class is OVER!!! You know what that means!?!? Do ya? DO YA?! It means I'll FINALLY have more time to do some more blogging =D! HOORAAAAY! I know you guys are so excited you just can't stand it, right =P? Haha =P Any who...to celebrate, I did a mani with one of my newest beauties, China Glaze LOL. I was absolutely thrilled to find this one and I didn't have to buy it for a million dollars off of Ebay, cool right? Seriously...you never know what awesome pretties are waiting for you at local salons, give it a try =]! Here are the lovely pictures!

The bottle is deceiving, let me tell you...when I first brought this out into the sun and it didn't show me rainbows, I was quite sad. I even thought I had bought a fake!

There are those rainbows coming out to play =]!

DOUBLE RAINBOW...what does this mean?!?!

(I really hope all of you have seen that youtube video...seriously hilarious!)

Close up =]

Once again, the blurry picture shows the holo-ness the best!

Whooooole mani!

Final Verdict- This deep purple, almost grape soda colored holo was a BEAUTY! These pictures are without a top coat (due to my prior top coat experiment with Sexagon), but I ended up adding one afterwards and I got it to last me a solid 3-4 days. The application wasn't bad, but as most of you know, holographics tend to drag quite a bit. That being said, I was able to fix it easily by dotting on a little glob of polish and smoothing it out with the brush. I loved that this holo was reeeeally linear and clear. Scattered holos are nice too, but this is my first true linear holo polish. I love it! What do you guys think? Do any of you have other favorites from the OMG collection?

<3,

Lindsey

P.S.- If you guys haven't seen this yet....you need to. Now. Enjoy =]

Courtesy of Hungrybear9562 =]

China Glaze Sexagon experiment- Does a top coat actually affect the holo?

Hi pretties!

If you guys saw my post from yesterday, you know how excited I was to get three brand new holographic polishes from China Glaze. I decided to try CG Sexagon out first =]! Also, I've always heard that a top coat isn't recommended for holographic polishes because it messes with the brightness of the holo, so I decided to swatch and photograph both ways to see if it truly makes a difference. Heeeeere we go!!! (when I typed that, I imagined myself saying it just like Peter Pan as they took off for Neverland...oooooh Disney....=P)

These first few are without a top coat, just so you guys know =]

This is my first true holo...and I'm loving it!

*gasp* The rainbow goodness! It's beeeeeautifullllllll! =D

Blurry pictures ALWAYS show the holo the best =P

These pictures are WITH a top coat- Specifically OPI Top Coat

Holo is still there, that's a good sign...but it doesn't seem as bright as before to me.

You can definitely see the rainbows, but its a little more diffused.

Final Verdict- Sexagon is a beautiful, glittery, scattered/kinda linear holographic that really does shine best WITHOUT a top coat. That being said, I imagine it doesn't last too long without a top coat unless you treat your hands like royalty and don't use them for much of anything....most of us nail polish addicts know that a simple chore of doing the dishes can ruin a mani =/ However, the prettiness of this polish is WORTH it, even if it doesn't last more than a couple days! 1 holo down, 2 more to go....which one should I wear next, ladies =]?

<3,

Lindsey

Lookie what I found! =]

Hi!

I randomly stopped by a local salon on the search for any pretty polishes I could get my hands on, and take a look at what I found =]!



Thats right, you guys! I found a THREE holo polishes and didn't pay an arm and a leg for them! I felt like I won the lotto walking out of that salon with CG Sexagon, LOL, and He's Going In Circles =P I will be posting pics and reviews of these really soon! I hope you all are excited to see! =]

<3,

Lindsey

Tape Mani with OPI Catch Me In Your Net and Dim Sum Plum!

Hey girlies!

Hope everyone had a great weekend =]! Last week, I went hunting for rare polishes in Scottsdale and found one I've been searching for for quite a while- OPI Catch Me In Your Net! Naturally, I HAD to put it on that night to see if it is as pretty as I imagined. It wasn't....IT WAS EVEN BETTER!!! CMIYN is a super sparkly tropical blue-green that absolutely screams summer at the top of it's lungs! With my love for randomness and bright colors, I figured I would try a little ray design with tape using OPI Dim Sum Plum would make it just a little more fun =] I'll stop my yapping now and let you all see for yourselves!

Bottle shot! Please, pay no attention to the reflection of my camera and part of my backyard =P

Haha, the little rock is there because Brandon (the boyfriend) suggested I try that to keep the bottles from rolling....it worked! =]

I loved the color combo of this mani =]

O_O SPAAAAARKLES!

MOOOOORE SPARKLES! =]

SPAAAR....oh forget it. You guys KNOW it's sparkly. =P

Claw shot =P

Final Verdict- CMIYN applied almost as beautifully as it looks! It was -almost- perfectly opaque in 2 coats, but I gave it a 3rd for good measure and I'm glad I did! It certainly made a difference. Dim Sum Plum is a super pretty cream color, but I had to apply it pretty thick so it would be opaque over CMIYN. However, it dried pretty well and only ended up with a small ding in my non-model hand =P

Talk to you guys soon =]!

<3,

Lindsey

June Birchbox has arrived!

Hi pretties!

Since I live on the west coast, my Birchbox normally comes later than most peoples...so today, I FINALLY have my June Birchbox to share with you guys! I was pleasantly surprised by this box. I felt it had a whole lot more in it than May's did (if you are curious as to how Birchbox works or what was in the last one, you should be able to find my last Birchbox post in the May archives). Well, here it is, ladies!

This is the little card explaining the theme of this month's box. It's all about travel this time! How cute for summer =]!

When I opened my box, this is exactly how I found it. I've always liked how much care Birchbox puts into their packaging.

Here is the first product I received this month. It's a small perfume sample of Kate Spade Twirl. It's described as a "flirty scent" and "carefree and joyful". I would have to agree! This stuff smells sooooo pretty and sweet- this one's a keeper!

The next product I received was this full size Laura Geller Baked Blush n' Brighten in Honey Dipped. This thing is worth $30 all by itself! Wowzers!

Here is the first swatch I made for you guys. I would describe the color as honey-brown with swirls of a deeper brown and copper shimmer.

Can you see a bit of the shimmer =]? I love shimmery things! I can't wait to use this stuff on my face!

This product is really cool! It's called Sircuit Cosmeceuticals Molecular Mist. It's basically a hydration spray that can be used to set makeup or just give you a little wake up call, haha =]. It smells a little heavier than I normally would like for this sort of thing, but it is really refreshing and perfect for my hot, dry, miserable Arizona summer days! I think I'll stash this little guy in my purse =]

The next product that I got is Blow NY Blow Up Daily Volumizing Shampoo. I haven't given it a try on my hair yet (I'm pretty picky about what I use in my hair...so it might take me a few days before I decide to try it haha =P), but it smells nice. It's a good size at 2 oz., so I might end up saving it for my next vacation.

Yay! NAIL STUFF =D! These are Deborah Lippmann Stripper To Go Lacquer Removers. I haven't used them yet (I plan to tonight when I redo my mani), but it's my understanding that they are kind of like little mitts. Supposedly only one mitt will clean polish off of all ten fingers...we shall see. I'll let you know how well these worked later on =]

Group shot...say cheeeeeeeese! =]

So there it is, my June Birchbox! Overall I am more impressed than I was last month...I hope each month is better than the last =]! Can't wait for July's! Maybe it will be patriotic or something =P?

<3,

Lindsey

My visit to the Too Faced Glam Factory!

Hi there, pretties!

If you guys are fans of Too Faced Cosmetics on Facebook, you may recall them asking for models to participate in Artistry Day...and guess who was lucky enough to be chosen =]? ME! I was so thrilled to be able to visit the famous Glam Factory in Southern California! For Artistry Day, they chose several girls to visit the Glam Factory and have their makeup done by some FABULOUS Too Faced makeup artists. A dream come true if you ask me, I LOVE having my makeup done =]! The coolest thing about this event was it was run by the lovely Kalina Fernandez, the Director of Global Artistry for Too Faced! Us girls had the BEST of the BEST makeup artists that day and I was so honored to be a part of it! I took some pictures of the Glam Factory because it was just SOOO gorgeous and girly inside, I thought you would all love to see. So without further ado, here is the Too Face Glam Factory!

Here is the entrance...notice the cute little knick knacks on the bookshelf? The words above the door read, "Why be pretty when you can be gorgeous?" =]

Here is the area where all the models were beautified =]! Behind us was literally a wall of almost all of the amazing Too Faced products!

Just a shot of one of the end tables in our little waiting area. The Glam Factory had girly items ALL over the place! How adorable!

The makeup area once again =]

Part of the cute little waiting area. I liked the pink chairs and disco balls =]!

Here is the entrance again. I loved the giant art work and chandeliers everywhere!

I had an absolute blast at this event! If any of you ever have the chance to go to the Glam Factory, gooooo! You'll love it! Thanks again, Too Faced!

<3,
Lindsey

Stamping Magic! Zoya Kieko, Pure Ice Black Rage, and BM-208

Hey there!

Hope your day is going fabulously! Today for your viewing pleasure I have a Stamped Mani using Zoya Kieko, Pure Ice Black Rage, and Bundle Monster 208. I'd like to make a shout-out to Aisha who was so incredibly generous; she had extra stamping plates and sent them to me for free! Thanks again, sweetheart =]! Without her, this mani wouldn't have existed, haha! I decided to try a fishnet pattern, I guess I was feeling fishy that day =P. Here are the pictures!

Bottle shot! When I originally bought Kieko, I though she would be a tad more on the purple side, but she has quite a bit of pink in her. She's still very pretty, though! =] 

Ta da!

Not my best stamping job, I'm still fairly new to it....but I'm getting better!

The whole mani!

Final Verdict- I had never tried BM plates before this (I only had the expensive Konad ones), and I love them! For some reason, it is a whole lot easier for the stamper to pick up the image on these plates. I think it's because they are shallower than Konad. As far as the polishes, Kieko is a great magenta-ish cream color that goes on fairly easily. It doesn't dry to quickly, but I've always though creams require more drying time. Black rage is just like the other Pure Ice colors I've tried, they're cheap polishes...buuuuut they dry fast and last pretty long!

Any stamping requests or tips? My ears are ALWAYS open to you guys! =]

<3,

Lindsey

Funky French with Zoya Rea and Zoya Trixie!

Hello everyone!

I want to apologize for the lack of posts lately...I had a summer class start at the beginning of June, and since it's only for 4 weeks, the work load is pretty heavy. I had a few free hours today, so I decided to catch up on my bloggin =]! I took these pictures a while ago and am just now getting around to posting them. So here it is- my funky french manicure using Zoya Rea and Zoya Trixie!

I freehanded the tips, Trixie is really easy to work with!

Oooh...shiny....

Close-up. Can you see how Rea has a pretty, almost foil-like finish?

The whole mani!

The "I'm about to claw your eyes out" hand pose. Haha =]

Final Verdict- Trixie and Rea are both really easy to work with and quite opaque. I think I used about 2 coats of Rea and only one of Trixie! These are great colors! You will looooove these pretty polishes =]!

Have an awesome day beauties! =]

<3,

Lindsey