Deborah Lippmann: Believe

Deborah Lippmann has long been my absolute favorite nail polish brand of all time.  I have always found her lacquers highly pigmented with great consistency and lately she's been wowing me with some fantastic new releases.  Although Believe isn't a new polish by any means, it's still just as relevant as it was when created.  Summer is finally in full force, and warm weather calls for colors that invite light, warmness, and elegance.  Believe is a radiant soft white gold that shimmers brilliantly in direct sunlight while taking on a more muted look in shade.

You can easily see the fine particles that catch every bit of light in the image above.  Something about this looks so much like finely ground up mother of pearl, it a fantastic way.

Consistency of Believe is very similar to many foils, smooth and easy to work with.  Although a thin polish, it applied evenly and provided full coverage in three thin coats.

Direct light is where you'll see this polish's true beauty shine through.  The shine is so bright, I found it very difficult to capture in image form.

Something I would suggest trying with Believe, is the addition of a matte topcoat.  It adds a great velvety softness to the overall look!  I know I'll be reaching for this delicate color all summer long for my more formal events and occasions, what colors will be you wearing this summer?


Deborah Lippmann's Believe can be found here for $17 USD. 

Zoya: Godiva & Chyna

Hey everyone! It's been a long time since I've blogged on here! With exams, recently joining a fraternity, getting an internship, and beginning my process for a study abroad program, I've been either busy or exhausted. Now that Milwaukee is seeing longer, sunny days, I'll have much more day light to swatch!

Both of these polishes are from Zoya's Pixie Dust collection, which came out a few weeks ago. At first, I was a little bit skeptical as I'm a huge fan of glossy tips, but I was very curious as to how a gritty consistency would translate in real life. One thing I must say is that both of these polishes catch the light in a very elegant way and creates an effect that glossy polishes can't. Images can't even show how wonderfully sparkly they are, you'll just have to check them out yourselves!

First, I have Zoya's Godiva, which is my favorite of the two I picked up. Consistency was great, and it dried relatively more quickly than your average, smooth consistency lacquer. Color-wise, this nude is perfect for my skin tone and completely flattering, I have a feeling I'll be wearing this polish a lot this summer! Godiva is really a lovely polish, throughout the day I caught myself staring down at my nails and amazed at how sparkly it is.

Secondly, here's Chyna, which seems to be most bloggers' favorite. Again, consistency was a joy, even better than Godiva, and allowed for precise control, something I was not expecting to get with a gritty polish! The base color is a very rich red, and it's filled with red sparkles that catch the light very glamorously. All I can think of when I see this polish is Marilyn Monroe!

Removal of these polishes is easier than a typical, glitter-packed color, but it's still tougher than removing a creme based color. Also, these polishes wear pretty well, I only had minor tip-wear after five days, and I'm rough on my nails!

Overall, I really like these polishes and would definitely recommend trying them out! 

Essie: Damsel in a Dress

Hi all! I hope all of you are doing well, I have missed writing on this blog! It seems like it's been so long, and I swear I haven't forgotten about you! I have been so busy and I also decided to try to grow my nails long and try out another shape. If you check out my earlier swatch from Valentine's day, you may see that I was shaping my nails a little differently. Unfortunately, as my nails grew longer, I became more and more unhappy at the way they looked, and didn't feel like they were something I wanted to show you guys. Even though I was being stubborn and kept growing them, a few days ago two of my nails broke pretty badly and I was forced to file them down. I was happy with the way they looked again and I've realized clean lines and tastefully short nails is what works best for me!

In celebration of being happy with my nails again, I've painted my nails with an extra special color: Essie's Damsel in a Dress. This color is definitely not new in my collection, it in fact is one of my first Essie polishes, but it's such a nice color I felt it was only fitting. This color is a rich, deep purple base with subtle, warm purple shimmer. Radiant in sunlight, and not dark enough to lose its color in shade.

Damsel in a dress is a great quality polish with an excellent consistency. I was able to completely control how the polish flowed onto the nail and it was wonderfully self leveling. Three, even coats provided full coverage.

So I have a question for you, how do you shape your nails? Do you prefer long or short? What are your thoughts on the new pointed nails that are quite popular recently?

A Red Hot Valentine's Manicure!

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! I hope all of your days are going well, I have been having the oddest morning. Do you ever have those days where it feels like everyone is looking at you as you walk down the street? When everyone you glance at is already looking in your direction? At first I thought that I might have something on my face or in my hair, but nope, no clue!

Anyways, back to business! Today I'm wearing Ciaté's Dangerous Affair on all of my nails, which as I have been running around this week, I noticed is quite a color changer. Dangerous Affair is a red cream/jelly, which is why I believe it has these peculiar properties. These images were taken in direct sunlight, and the polish shows as a bright red, but indoors and with cloudy lighting, the polish is a deep blood red. Either way, this polish is a beautiful, rich color, perfect for Valentines! This is three coats for opaque coverage. Consistency was streaky, but the second and third coats evened it out very well.

On my ring finger, I added a coat of Enchanted Rose to add a little glam to the mani. Enchanted Rose features two sizes of glitter, small, and very fine glitters. It's so shimmery and the different sizes give a really nice depth to the look. I had no problem with consistency at all, it was very smooth. 

Overall I really like both of these polishes I think that they're a fun combination! Have you guys been painting your nails for Valentine's? What colors did you choose?

Estée Lauder Heavy Petals Collection: Narcissist, Dilettante, & Coral Cult (Part 2)

Here's the second part of this gorgeous collection I showed you last week. I think you'll like the last part of this collection, I adore the whole line. These colors turned out much better in photographs than the last two colors, and I had much better light! Yay! I think Estée Lauder was spot on when capturing the essence of their inspiration, Parisian chic. Each and every one of these colors make me feel so fun and fashionable. These colors are perfect for rainy spring days, they definitely brighten my mood!

Narcissist is a light, pink creme polish. Very flattering on my skin tone, and something I can see myself wearing for all occasions. This is a wonderful basic pink, and although it's not the most unique color, it's a welcomed change to the many vampy shades in my collection.

This is two coats to make for full opacity, looking closely you can tell this was a bit streaky. Narcissist is a polish that demands your attention during application, it was not easy to work with!

This is my second favorite color in the collection, Dilettante. This pretty blue reminds me of the famous Tiffany blue, although I haven't compared it to the actual color. A delicate turquoise just in time for spring! Love this color, and I don't own anything remotely like this, so that's a plus!

This was two coats, and it was also pretty hard to work with. Streaky and a weird thin/thick consistency. At least it turned out pretty with a nice coat of Seche Vite on top to even it out!

And last, but not least, Coral Cult. This is a nice coral creme, and a really pretty shade. Wonderfully milky and creamy, I this this could be a really pretty wall color wouldn't it? This is one of only a very few shades of coral I have, so I'm loving it!

This is again, two coats for mostly full opacity. As the days go on I have notices super faint visible nail line, which I probably wouldn't have even noticed if I hadn't been staring at them during lecture. A little streaky, but easier to work with than the others.

So there you have it! So far my favorite collections to come out this spring. I think they're just too pretty. I hope you enjoyed them as well! Will you be sporting any pastels this spring?  

Estee Lauder Heavy Petals Nail Lacquer Collecion: Lilac Leather & Absinth (Part 1)

A few weeks ago, while trying very hard, but failing miserably at concentrating on my econ homework, I stumbled across a press release of a gorgeous collection of polish. It caught my wandering attention span, and brought me straight back to memories I had forgotten. This collection is described as a being reminiscent of the pastoral colors of Paris, France and I couldn't agree more! Today I would like to share with you the first two polishes of Estée Lauder's Heavy Petals collection: Absinthe and Lilac Leather. 

Absinthe, the mysterious and rumoured dangerous elixir is what this polish is named after, but what it reminds me of, is the first time I had ever tried a French macaron. I was wandering around the area around the Sacre Coeur in Paris, when I found myself in a tiny cafe. The glass cases in the front were filled with these little burger shapes sweets, colored in pastel shades. I ordered a bright green one flavored "Pistache" and took my first bite, and that's when I instantly fell in love with Paris.

Absinthe is a beautiful yellow green, definitely one of my new favorite colors! It's one of the oddest greens I've come across in a polish, but it's ridiculously flattering! You can see that it's both bold and soft,  and it reminds me of a color an impressionist painter would love. Consistency was on the thin side, but wasn't streaky or difficult to work with. This is two, careful coats to make full opacity.

Here's another, really beautiful color! Lilac leather is a very warm purple, almost leaning pink in some light. This is now my go-to purple! Sounds weird, but it is so flattering on my skin tone that if I could only choose one polish to wear for the rest of my life, it would be this one! Sooo pretty! When I see this polish, I think of the gorgeous colors in the movie Marie Antoinette, which is one of my favorites!

This is two coats for full opacity. This polish unfortunately gave me some trouble, as it was a bit streaky and took a while to dry.

And there you have it! The first half of the prettiest collection I own! I hope you love it just as much as I do!

Bonne journée mes chers, et j'espere que vos rêves sont belle. 

(Pardon my broken French! Haha)

The End to a Great Winter Break

The last few weeks have been a whirlwind! It's gone so fast I cannot believe that the spring semester is beginning already. Just two days ago I was taking a final macroeconomics exam, life is going by so fast these days. This break has been so productive and busy, that I forgot to take a breather! I've been taking these few off days to relax and rest, as well as getting moved back into my apartment. On my last day off, I want to share with you what's been helping me stay afloat.

[ A new hand-made calendar and some macaron watercolors to brighten up my study space]

[Washi Tapes To Use With My New Russell & Hazel Planner]

[Burning a Light and Freshly Scented Candle]

I hope you enjoyed what's been making me happy! Thanks for reading the post and have a great week, also, for all those students who are starting their new spring semesters, happy studying!

Estée Lauder: Tempestuous

Hey all! I hope your winter weather hasn't been too bitter and brisk! I've been a busy bee with new years celebrations and attending class everyday. It's been stressful and crazy, but I love being busy, it keeps me driven and happy! Here's a new color from one of my favorite brands, Tempestuous, by Estée Lauder. I've been working with a brand new camera, and I'm not quite sure I have it down 100%. The color quality on these photos is a little off, but I do think these show fantastic detail compared to my old photos!

This polish is a black base, with blue and purple shimmer. See the top right corner of the "E" logo in the photo above? That's what the color really looks like in sunlight. This polish is truly sparkly and shiny in person, it's quite pretty. The shimmer is quite obvious, even indoors, so the wonderful color shows through all day! This is two thin coats, and consistency was great. This polish is the perfect balance of fun and classy.

I have been consistently falling in love with Estée Lauder polishes, so expect to see some more in the future! What do you guys think of this color? I'm loving it!