Orly Hope & Freedom Fest Spring 2013

Happy Easter Everyone!!  I really wanted to do some nail art for today, but I haven't had the time. I've been busy working more lately and don't have the time I want for my nails :(  

I was going back and forth about ordering Orly's Hope & Freedom Fest Collection, but ultimately decided to just get them.. lol.  The colors looked pretty interesting in pictures, so I wanted to grab all six so I could post the entire collection (Oh, I'm not digging the new bottle design at all)...

Melodious Utopia:

direct sunlight

Melodious Utopia reminds me of lemonade.  It's a pretty yellow (that looks much brighter in the sun) with a subtle shimmer.  As with most yellows, the formula wasn't that great.  It was a bit streaky and clumpy.  I used three generous coats in the above photos.

Peaceful Opposition:

Peaceful Opposition was a pleasant surprise for me.  I REALLY like it!!  It has a milky white base packed with silver glitter in squares and hexes.  The formula was great for a densely packed glitter and there is NO curling at all.  I used two coats in the above three pics... I'm loving this one!!

Elation Generation:

Elation Generation is a gorgeous watermelon pink jelly packed full of holo micro-glitter!!  Ahhh... it's amazing!!!  All three pics above are in direct sun, but my camera didn't do the holo shine justice.  For a jelly, the formula is perfection!!  (Someone on my instagram commented their formula was thick-- but mine was great).  This polish will get much use this summer!!  I can already see it on my toes while sitting by the pool!! :)

Boho Bonnet:

Boho Bonnet is a pretty slate blue.  It reminds me of Zoya Kristen.  Zoya's formula is better though.. this one was a bit thin.  I held the two bottles side-by-side and Kristen is a bit bluer.  Boho Bonnet is pretty, but I'm sure I'll grab my Zoya if I'm looking for this color.

Coachella Dweller:

direct sunlight

direct sunlight

Coachella Dweller is an apple green creme.  Actually, it looks more apple green in sunlight and mint green in natural light.  The formula wasn't the greatest with Coachella Dweller.  I used three coats and still have some streaking on my pinkie finger.

High on Hope:

High on Hope is a deep indigo (almost navy) creme with a pretty micro-chrome shimmer.  All three pics were taken in the sun, so you can really see how beautiful the shimmer is!  The shimmer isn't as noticeable indoors, but you can still see it (it looks almost goldish pink).  The formula was nice.  Only two coats were required for full opacity.

**Overall, I like the collection.  I'm usually a bigger fan of cremes, but my favorites from Orly's Hope & Freedom Fest are: High On Hope, Elation Generation and Peaceful Opposition.  Do you have any from this collection?  Which are your favorites?

--PS--  Happy Birthday to my step-son, Matt!!  :)

NOPI and Kellogg's Special K-- Trio Review

--Polishes in this post were sent for review

Pros & Confidence, Challenge Red-y, and Be Ama-Zing!

Three custom shades available with the purchase of eligible Special K products

Nicole by OPI announces that the brand will be producing three custom nail lacquer shades for Kellogg’s^® Special K^®beginning in April to pair with a campaign encouraging women to “show off your confidence with color.” Shoppers will have the opportunity to receive free full-size bottles of Nicole by OPI nail lacquer by signing up for the Kellogg’s Family Rewards program and entering codes from specially marked boxes of Special K products, while supplies last.

With the purchase of three eligible Special K products, consumers will receive the shade Challenge Red-y. After submitting the purchase codes from eight eligible Special K products, consumers will receive all three lacquers – Challenge Red-y, Pros & Confidence and Be Ama-Zing!

Pros & Confidence:

Pros & Confidence is my favorite of the three I'm sharing with you today.  It's a gorgeous hot (but not too hot) pink creme with an amazingly shiny finish!!  The formula is amazing too.. I used two coats in the above photos.  Pink cremes are my favorite, so I knew I'd love this one right away.  I'm not a huge fan of NOPI's wonky bottles, though.

Challenge Red-y:

Challenge Red-y is a blue-toned red with the same amazing shine as Pros & Confidence.  I did use three coats of this as there was still visible nail line after two coats.  I was comparing this with other reds I have and it's a dead-on-dupe of OPI Double Decker Red.  Every woman should own a red this color (and I'm sure most do).. it's classic and beautiful.

Be Ama-Zing!

Wow! It was really hard for me to capture the true color of Be Ama-Zing!  It's actually about a shade darker than the above photos.  Regardless, it's a gorgeous creamy turquoise that reaches full opacity with two coats.  The formula was nice and Be Ama-Zing left minimal staining.. which is rare for blues this highly pigmented.  I was pleasantly surprised with how much I really like Be Ama-Zing. :)

”This promotion will be available in the US where Special K products are sold."

--These polishes were sent for review

Incoco Real Nail Polish Appliques

**Products in this post were sent for review

Today I have two nail polish appliques from Incoco's Freshly Picked Florals Spring 2013 Collection to share with you.  The two designs sent to me for review were April Showers and In Bloom.

In Bloom:

Each shade contains two sheets of 8 double-ended strips-- good for one application.  In Bloom are cherry blossoms on a frosted pink finish..

Ok, so this is my 2nd time trying nail polish appliques.  I tried to line them up evenly with the size/length of my nail, but they're far from perfect. LOL.  You can see I "stretched" the design a bit and it was hard for me to get them to lay completely smooth, but I really like the concept of Incoco Nail Appliques.  They're supposed to last up to 14 days and that's great if you don't change your polish every other day like I do.  I wore this design for two days with no problems.  They come off with regular nail polish remover with no problem at all.

April Showers:

April Showers is a soft baby blue..

"Incoco is offering each design shade from the Freshly Picked Florals for $8.99 and each solid color for $7.99.  Also for purchase are four separate bundles of four differing shades priced between $28-$31, and a full collection set at $100."

**You can see/purchase the complete Freshly Picked Florals Collection here at incoco.com.

**Like Incoco on Facebook here.

**Follow incoco on twitter @incoco.

--Products in this post were sent for review

Guest Post at ChrissyAi!!

Hey All!!  Check out my guest post over at ChrissyAi!!  I used all the colors from LVX's Spring Collection in this mani...

A big thanks to Christa at ChrissyAi for posting my work!!!

Follower Appreciation Giveaway!!!

Hey Again Everyone!!  I have an awesome giveaway for my wonderful followers.  Recently, I reached 2,500 followers on facebook and 1,500 followers on INSTAGRAM and I wanted to show my deep appreciation with this giveaway..

One lucky winner will receive all four Liquid Sand Polishes from OPI's Mariah Carey Collection!!! (Get Your Number, The Impossible, Can't Let Go, and Stay the Night)

How do you enter?? Please allow the rafflecopter widget load below.  You must follow Captivating Claws via at least one option provided on the rafflecopter widget and provide a valid email address (to contact the winner). This giveaway is open INTERNATIONALLY!  You must be at least 18 to enter. Please only enter once --duplicate entries will be eliminated. The winner will have 48 hours to respond, or a new winner will be chosen.

This giveaway will end on 4/5/2013 at 12:00 am EST.  Please check the time remaining on the rafflecopter widget below..

--Each polish is brand new and was purchased by me :)

--Good luck and thanks for following!! :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Mentality- The Good, the Bad, and the Microglitters

Happy Weekend Everyone!!  I have another post of Mentality Nail Polishes today.  This one contains four polishes from their collection entitled The Good, the Bad, and the Microglitters.  I love each of these polishes.. they're simple, yet complex and they each have such an amazing formula and glitter ratio... take a look..

Cantankerous:

Cantankerous contains micro glitters in red, neon yellow, black and white.  With each of these four polishes, I chose to wear them on their own.  This is two coats followed by top coat.  I love the depth of Cantankerous!

Splenetic:

Splenetic contains pink, blue, turquoise, white and black micro glitters.  I can barely see the pink.. can you?  I do love the combo of the blues, black and white though.  Each of these polishes would be great to wear if you're looking for colors to support your favorite sport's team.  I have two coats with top coat in the above pics.

Belligerent:

Belligerent contains dark red, white and black micro glitter.  This one takes me back (way back lol) to my high school days because these were our colors! ;)  Again, I love the depth and the the formula.. two coats plus top coat!

Caustic:

direct sunlight

Caustic contains pastel blue, purple and green glitters plus white and black.  When you look at Caustic in the bottle, you mainly see just the black and white.  Once on the nail, the pastel glitters appear faintly (the purple seems to be the most noticeable).

**Mentality is running a buy 4, get one free throughout this month (March).  Also, they're offering wholesale pricing to nail techs and salons..  Check them out on bigcartel HERE!!!

**Like them on facebook HERE!!

**Follow Mentality on instagram HERE!!

--These polishes were sent for review

More from LVX for Spring 2013

Happy Friday!!  Yay, the weekend's here!!  The first weekend in spring!!  I have a very fitting post for this weekend...the remaining four polishes from LVX's Spring Collection 2013.  I shared Cerulean and Fantom in this post last month.  Now I have the rest to post...

Azalea:

Azalea is my personal favorite from this collection.  It's a gorgeous lilac creme with an amazing shine!  The formula is flawless.  Full opacity is reached with two coats.  Gorgeous!!

Citrine:

Citrine is a gorgeous yellow-orange.  One of my instagram followers commented "this reminds me of mac and cheese."  I agree.  This color is unique to any I own.  The formula was a bit thinner with Citrine.  I used three coats for full opacity.  LVX describes this as: "a golden citrus."  That description is very accurate too!

Indigo Bleu:

Indigo Bleu is a deep red-toned navy blue cream.  The finish of this isn't as shiny as the others, but I still love the color.  It's almost violet.  I used two coats in the above 2 pictures.

Viridian:

Viridian is striking!  It photographs much more blue than it actually is.  In real life, this polish is a bit darker and greener.  LVX describes it as "Emerald Green", but it's not quite that deep of a green.  Regardless, it's amazing!  The finish is so shiny and the formula is perfect!!  I used two coats once again.

**I'm in love with LVX polishes!  They are my new favorite brand!  Watch out butter LONDON, Dior, Chanel etc.. there's a new luxury brand in town!!  Seriously, try any LVX polish today!  You won't be disappointed!!!

The long lasting, chip resistant and non-streak formula is free of harsh and toxic chemicals. LVX products are VEGAN and formulated without the use of Formaldehyde, Formaldehyde Resin, DBP, Toluene, and Camphor. LVX is a no compromise nail lacquer that has superior formulation, is socially responsible and eco friendly. LVX nail lacquer is cruelty free. All products are produced in the U.S.A. This collection is available now at www.shoplvx.com.

-These polishes were provided for review