NYC Big City Dazzle and Matte Me Crazy Topcoat

Hey Everyone!  I hope you're enjoying your week thus far.  I have a quick post to share with you.. two polishes from NYC...A Sparkle Topcoat and a Matte Topcoat..

Big City Dazzle

First up is NYC Big City Dazzle over a black creme.  Big City Dazzle is a densely packed glitter topcoat containing blue, magenta, and white/silver micro-glitter in a clear base.  Pictured above is two coats.  Big City Dazzle is a fun, girly glitter that would go well with many colors..

NYC Matte Me Crazy

I love a good matte topcoat and this one is fabulous ..especially for the price of $1.99!!  Matte Me Crazy took a while to dry, but I just love the effect!  My nails look like the night sky with rainbow stars!!  

**NYC polishes can be found at drug stores nationwide for $1.99 ea.**

--NYC products were sent to me for review--

Press Release--Nicole by OPI 5 NEW Fall Shades exclusive to Target

Accessorize with Lacquer!

Nicole by OPI Launches Five NEW Fall Shades, Exclusively at Target

Nicole by OPI announces five new nail lacquers to be sold exclusively at Target this fall. With richly pigmented formulas in shimmering shades of deep blue, gold, purple, mauve and green, these five hues can be worn as the ultimate accessory to the season’s hottest styles, from military-inspired jackets and heavier brocades to micro floral prints and leather.

“Nicole by OPI is excited to bring the fashion-forward Target guest new lacquers for the fall season,” remarks Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, Nicole by OPI Executive VP & Artistic Director.  “Not only do the shades add the final touch to runway trends, the shimmery finish adds elegance and depth to these trendy colors.

The five new lacquers include:

For Gold Times Sake
Go on and try on this gold…

Iris My Case
Because this purple is amazing...

Just Busta Mauve
You will want to put on your dancing shoes to wear this one...

If the Blue Fits…
This blue fits all!...

Mer-Maid for Each Other
This green is so hot it was made just for you!...

Nicole by OPI nail lacquers and Nail Treatments contain no DBP, Toluene, or Formaldehyde. Nicole by OPI formulas are long-lasting, fast-drying, and salon-quality. These new Target exclusive shades will be available August 2012 for $7.04 each at select Target locations nationwide and online at Target.com.

For more information, visit nicolebyopi.com. Follow Nicole by OPI on Twitter @NicoleByOPI and become a Facebook fan!

Some beauties from Sonoma Nail Art!

Happy Monday Everyone!!  Let me start out by saying I originally wrote this post last night and scheduled it for this morning.  Freaking blogger didn't save it and I lost the whole damn thing!!  Urgh!!  I was livid!  So, I'm re-writing it now, hoping I do as well as the one I wrote last night..

I love every polish Michelle from Sonoma Nail Art has ever made.  I know Michelle from a few facebook groups and she is truly passionate about her polish creations!!  I highly recommend any and all of her polishes as they are about the best quality of any "indies" I've tried, and believe me... I've tried tons.  :)

Sonoma Nail Art 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea:

Hello, Gorgeous! I just wanna put on my bathing suit and dive in to this one! 20,000 Leagues contains blue, white and green glitters of various shapes and sizes.  What I love most about all of Sonoma Nail Art's polishes is.. the perfect ratio of each glitter.  Michelle really has a special talent when mixing her creations!!  Pictured above is one coat of 20,000 Leagues over Orly Snowcone, followed by one coat of Sally Hansen Insta-Dri.  PERFECTION!

Sonoma Nail Art Clockwork:

I adore Clockwork and I'm usually not a fan of golds.  Clockwork contains various shades of metallic glitters in a clear base.  This is one coat of Clockwork over Zoya Farrah, followed by once coat of Sally Hansen Insta-Dri.  These glitters have barely any grittiness.. which is yet another aspect I love about them!!  Clockwork is a perfect autumn glitter with an adorable label!

Sonoma Nail Art Mustard Fields:

Ahhh... the elusive Mustard Fields... you are FINALLY mine!!  I have wanted this beauty since I first laid eyes on it!!  It's the perfect mix of green and yellow glitters with a fantastic formula!!  Pictured is one coat of Mustard Fields over OPI Gargantuan Green Grape, followed by two coats of Insta-Dri.  This one is my favorite Sonoma!!  It's also one of my favorite polishes ever!!  I love it!! :)

**You have to act super fast when Michelle opens her etsy store because her polishes will sell out within minutes, but they're so worth it... trust me!!**

**You can also like Sonoma Nail Art's facebook page to keep updated with shop openings and new releases**

Beauty Blogazons Weekly Round-Up 7/27/12

• Pinked Polish: Wanna see a fabulous Glitter Gradient look no further!!!!
• Makeup Chronicles:Take advantage of some great deals that ULTA has on Chi Irons, Philosophy, and Bare Minerals...oh and you can save 20% on your entire order!
• Baking Beauty:Does Maybelline's SuperStay Stain gloss really last 10 hours? Click to find out!
• Mama Fashionista: Mama Fashionista shares some great lines from Sally Hansen that will make your nails and your wallet happy!
• Shades Of Beauty, Inc.: PREVIEW: Dickinson's Witch Hazel Skin Care Line
• adore-a-polish: A neat little trick to get more out of your next bath bomb purchase.
• My Newest Addiction Beauty Blog: Laura talks about another one of her favorite products on Taupe-tastic Tuesdays. Cargo Yukon is the definition of taupe.
• GlitterPukee: Glitterpukee reviews one of the more interestingly named hair care brands. The sexually charged name of LAID hair care uses Phero-attract technology to keep you on the top of your game and seem more attractive to men. Six pheronomes are at work but..does it work?
• Midnight Manicures
• Join Midnight Manicures as Jeanie brings you the latest collections and products through the Tweezerman Ambassador program!
• A Little Polish: Stephanie shows off her Thirst Quenching Pink Lemonade inspried Mani, a great way to cool off this summer!
• Beauty Product Review: Getting tired of having a messy looking Makeup/skincare area? Clean it up with some beauty do-it-yourself tricks and beautify your beauty counter!
• A Frugal Beauty: A Frugal Beauty shows you just how BOLD the I *heart* matte palette from Wet N Wild can be in her The Bold and Beautiful Series: The Bold Look
• Sincerely Stephanie: Wanting to get your hands on Clarins 230 but don't want to pay the price? Check out Darling Diva Polish Ringer instead!
• Très Beau Glamour: Did you know that Piña Coladas are great way to obtain beautiful skin? Nay Denise shares a new beauty secret of hers that will give your complexion a glow, give you a boost of energy and deliver a ton of hydration.
• Confessions of a Sarcastic Mom: Want a sneak peak of Color Club's upcoming collections? Confessions of a Sarcastic Mom has a preview from Cosmoprof North America 2012!
• Beauty Info Zone: Here's a chance to win two of the great products from Reviva Labs - Light Skin Peel and Seaweed Soap. Learn all about them and enter to win if you are in the US.
• Mani Curiously: Dom tries to go On Safari with China Glaze's newest collection with these beautiful swatches and review!
• Spontaneous Chick: If you're looking for a fuller pout check out my Jane Iredale review to see if her plumper is right for you.
• Lola's Secret Beauty Blog: Lola's Secret Beauty Blog has finally found the perfect must-have nude lipstick! True Love from Susan Thompson Cosmetics is gorgeous with a remarkable formula, and it's Cruelty Free.
• Beauty by Miss L: Miss L from Beauty by Miss L has reached to 1000+ followers on her blog and to celebrate that she did a small "Thank you giveaway" to all her lovely old & new followers.
• Beauty Binge: Beauty Binge Highlights her Top 5 Drugstore Skincare Buys!
• Beauty Professor: The Beauty Professor tries Illamasqua's Skin Base Foundation...will it pass the test?
• The Glossy Pages: A Beautiful World, Changemakers in Beauty | Meet Joshua Onysko, Founder of Pangea Organics
• Emily Hudspeth, hair design and makeup artist: So grateful to have been chosen to receive the Influenster's Summer Beauty Voxbox. Check out what I got!
• Captivating Claws: Captivating Claws has some gorgeous polishes from Enkelini to share with you.. plus a sweet GIVEAWAY!
• Lacquered Lover: Lacquered Lover had the chance to check out Layla's ENTIRE new line of polishes including Hologram, Magnetic, Soft Touch and a Christmas Collection!
• Lisa's Nail Obsession: I love the new Robin's Egg Nail Design. You will to...come and see it!
• Gorgeousskin: Loving Giorgio Armani's Rusted Gold #25. See it in action here on my FOTD!
• Cosmetics Aficionado: Cling wrap isn't just for the kitchen. Try this cute cling wrap manicure with my step by step tutorial.
• Geniabeme Beauty Blog: Gradient nails are so pretty and easy! Take a look at Genia's pink and blue graident nails!

Get a beautiful weekly nail fixation fromJust Plain Delirious. Here Joline has a lovely Essence and The Face Shop Nail Fixation that will get your nails looking like a beautiful night sky - perfect for a night out!

Nail Inc. Sprinkles Pudding Lane

Happy Friday!!!  Today I have my very first Nails Inc. polish to share with you.  When this Sprinkle Collection was released, I knew I had to get my hands on at least one.  I chose Pudding Lane and I love it!!

Nails Inc. Pudding Lane:

Pudding Lane has a light blue milky base.  Before application, I thought this formula may be problematic (thick and goopy).. but.. I was wrong.  The formula is really great.  Pictured above is two coats.  The finish wasn't too gritty.  I only applied one coat of topcoat, then applied another after wearing Pudding Lane for a day.  Pudding Lane is packed full of navy blue, golden brown and silver glitter.  I'm excited to finally own a Nails Inc. polish and plan on purchasing many more at Sephora :)

**Enjoy your weekend and don't forget to enter my Enkelini Giveaway!!**

A Few Enkelini Polishes and a Giveaway!!

Hey  Everyone!!  Hope your week is going well.  I'm excited about today's post because I've discovered some really beautiful indie polishes and a very generous indie seller!!  The name of the shop is Enkelini and it's pronounced En-kel-eenie.  I have three polishes to share with you made by Pat at Enkelini and a sweeet giveaway too!!

Enkelini Very Nice to Meet You:

Very Nice to Meet You has tons of magenta, purple and silver glitter in a clear base.  Pictured above is one coat over China Glaze Beach Cruise-r.  I'm in love with this combo!!  These two polishes were meant for each other.  Very Nice to Meet You applied flawlessly in one coat and was completely smooth after one coat of Sally Hansen Insta-Dri!  It simply gorgeous!!

Enkelini Shifty Minx:

Shifty Minx is absolutely stunning!!!  I chose to wear it over China Glaze Man Hunt, but it can be worn alone with a few coats.  Shifty Minx has a bright teal jelly base packed with holographic and iridescent hex and small glitters. Above is two coats of Shifty Minx (you do have to "dab" this one a bit for proper placement), followed by a coat of Gelous, then a coat of Inst-Dri top coat...So beautiful!!

Enkelini Pimp My Pink:

indoors-natural light

outdoors-direct sunlight

Holy Holo!!!!  Gah...I couldn't stop staring at this one!  Even indoors this gorgeous fluro linear holo shines so bright!!  I'm a sucker for pink and this one is an absolute beauty!!  The formula is nicely pigmented for a holo.  Pictured above is three coats of Pimp My Pink.  I wore this one for a day and so many people complimented me on how stunning it was!!  Pimp My Pink is, hands down, my absolute favorite pink holo!!

**You can purchase each of these beautiful polishes plus many others here on Etsy.**

**Be sure to like Enkelini here on facebook.**

-These polishes were sent to me for review--

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Now on to the giveaway--

How do you enter?? Please allow the rafflecopter widget load below.  You must "like" Enkelini on facebook and provide a valid email address. (to contact the winner).  This giveaway is only open to the 48 Contiguous United States.  You must be at least 18 to enter. Please only enter once --duplicate entries will be eliminated. Winner will have 48 hours to respond, or a new winner will be chosen.

The winner of this giveaway will receive their choice of:

--Any 2 Full Sized bottles from Enkelini

OR

--Any 3 Minis from Enkelini

There will be ONE winner...this winner will be chosen by random.org and I will forward their mailing address to Pat at Enkelini and she will send you your choices...(please remember, Pat will only mail polishes to the Contiguous United States).

-A huge thank-you to Pat from Enkelini for offering to sponsor this giveaway-

This giveaway will end on Aug 6 at 12:01 am EST.  Please check the time remaining on rafflecopter widget below..

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Lime Crime Les Desserts d'Antoinette

Hey Everyone.. Happy Wednesday!!  I have a brand, new to me, called Lime Crime to share with you today.  They've recently released their first collection of nail polish called Les Desserts d'Antoinette and it's packed full of luscious, highly pigmented, creamy pastels.  Let's take a look..

Crema De Limon:

Crema De Limon is a pretty light lemon yellow creme with a nice, smooth formula and shiny finish.  Pictured above is three coats.  (Most of the other polishes in this collection required two coats, but this one is lighter and required an extra coat)

Parfait Day:

Parfait Day is so pretty.  This color really does remind me of a strawberry milkshake.  Even though it's pastel, it's still dark enough for my liking (I'm not usually a fan of really light pastel pinks).  There were no issues with application.. This is two coats of Parfait Day.

Peaches <3 Cream

I think the name of this one is Peaches <3 Cream, not Peaches & Cream..  Regardless the name, I love it!!  It's a creamy neon peach!  It's really different than other neon oranges..  I like how the neon effect is subtle.  Pictured is two coats.

Lavendairy:

I love the name Lavendairy.. it's so cute!  lol Lavendairy is a smooth lilac color that dries somewhat matte, which makes it different from the other colors.  I really like Lavendairy.  Formula-wise, this one is great.  Pictured above is two coats.

Once in a Blue Mousse:

Once in a Blue Mousse is my favorite out of this collection!!  I love it!  It's the perfect smooth and creamy "Tiffany Blue".  The formula was perfect, everything about this one is perfection.  If you were only going to buy one of these, I'd pick Once in a Blue Mousse!! :)

Pastelchio:

Pastelchio is a pastel lime green.  Another one that's pastel yet neon.. kind of an oxymoron lol, but I really like this one also. Each of these polishes is highly pigmented..  Two coats and you're good to go..

Milky Ways:

Milky Ways is the only one that's kinda "meh" for me.. but that's just because it's white-ish and kinda boring, but it will work great when doing nail art or french tips.  I did use three coats with this one for full opacity.

**I really like Lime Crime's first nail polish collection, Les Dessert d'Antoinette.  I like the formula, the colors, the finish and even the shape of the bottle!!  Good stuff! :)**

**You can purchase these polishes online at limecrimemakeup.com for $5.99 each.  The polishes are 3 FREE and only available to the Continental US**

**Be sure to like Lime Crime on facebook here.**

--Polishes in this post were sent to me for review--

Tutorial Tuesday!!!

It's time for another group post.. this one is called "Tutorial Tuesday."  Here's how it works.. You pick your favorite manicure tutorial and try your best to follow each step to achieve an awesome mani..  Some great gals and I voted on this theme and I'm excited to give it a go..

Ahh, the dreaded "Braided Fishtail"...  I've seen this one done mani times and decided to try it for Tutorial Tuesday..  I found two tutorials to base this mani on..  I followed this simple blog post from rebecca likes nails...and for a more detailed tutorial I found this one from MissJenFABULOUS on youtube:

Here's MY Braided Fishtail Mani:

OMG-- it looks so easy, but it wasn't.. not for me anyway.  It gets confusing and really thick toward the end of the nail.  I'm glad I chose to only try this on two nails.  I like my middle finger better than my ring finger.. (you can see where I screwed it up a bit with the pink about halfway up the nail on the left).  I like this mani, but I definitely need more practice!

**For this mani, I used OPI DS Radiance, Lex Cosmetics Atlantic, and Hello Kitty nail polish in Pink Summer**

Zoya NYFW 2012 Gloss Collection

Happy Monday!!  Today I have the three jelly polishes from Zoya's new Gloss Collection to share with you... along with three fun jelly sandwiches!! :)

Zoya Paloma:

Paloma

Zoya describes Paloma as: "A sheer deep fuchsia-berry with a buildable jelly gloss finish."  I love Paloma!  She's my favorite of the three jellies I'm posting today.  Pictured is four coats.  If you're not familiar with a "jelly formula", four coats is typical.  This type of finish is meant to mix and match OR wear alone.

A Jelly Sandwich with Paloma and Kleancolor Starry Night:

I topped off Paloma with one coat of a glitter (Kleancolor Starry Night), waited for that to dry, then applied another coat of Paloma.  Isn't it gorgeous??  The possibilities are endless with jelly sandwiches!! :)

Zoya Katherine:

Katherine

Zoya describes Katherine (A Peter Som Custom Shade) as: "A sheer dark, red-toned aubergine with a buildable jelly gloss finish."  I like Katherine too.  When I wear her again, I'll definitely do a jelly sandwich because I'm not a huge fan of Katherine alone against my skintone.  This is four coats.

A Jelly Sandwich with Katherine and OPI Rainbow Connection:

Ahh.. I like this combo much better than wearing Katherine alone... so sparkly!!

Zoya Frida:

Frida

Zoya describes Frida as: "A sheer dark, warm-toned teal blue with a builable jelly formula."  Frida looks much darker in the bottle and for some reason, even with four coats, visible nail line is much more noticeable with Frida.  I really like this teal jelly, but again, I like it better with a glitter..

A Jelly Sandwich with Frida and Nubar Star Sparkle:

This is my favorite combo!  I love how prominent the holo effect is even through a coat of Frida!!  I just wanna mix and match with these jellies all day!!

I'm really glad Zoya added these jellies to their fall collection!  Jellies finishes are so versatile and fun to play with :)  I'll admit, when new lines are scheduled to be released, I'm most excited to see what Zoya will come up with.. they never seem to disappoint!!

**You can purchase Zoya polishes online at zoya.com for $8 each**

**Be sure to like Zoya on facebook here.**

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.

--The polishes in this post were sent to me for review from Zoya--