China Glaze: Pink Plumeria

Neons have been all over the place this summer. Although I love bright colors, they've gotten a little bit redundant. The new colors coming out for fall have been a welcomed change and I can't wait until I can get my hands on some of them! As I was losing hope that I would ever find a unique neon, I found China Glaze's Summer Neons collection, which has shimmer in the colors, making these different from the countless other neons everywhere. Pink Plumeria is the polish I chose to get from this collection, because, well, look at it!

Pink Plumeria is a beautiful orange based pink. Leaning towards coral, but also a super Barbie pink in some lights. The superfine gold and pink shimmer makes this more unique than the other neons floating around, and also just give this such a beautiful depth and sheen.

I don't know if it was just the fact that I was painting my nails at three in the morning or that it was 90 degrees with a humidity of 98 percent outside, but I found the consistency of the polish a little bit thick and hard to work with, which is something I've come to expect from China Glaze neons. Also as a note, this dries matte so a top coat is necessary. Overall, I love this, what a gorgeous color!

Did anyone else decide to pick up this color, or any other colors from the China Glaze Neons collection? 

YSL: The Black Collection

Hi everyone! It feels so good to get back into the swing of things again with blogging and getting set for school. I've finally found an apartment with two very sweet girls and I'm now on the hunt for a job! It has been blazing hot this summer (last weekend it was a record breaking 110!), so today at only 90 is a great breather. For someone who moved up north to get away from hot temperatures, this sure hasn't been my favorite summer, but it has brought some great nail polish trends and collections. Today though, I'll be reviewing a trio that reminds me of cooler days: The Yves Saint Laurent Holiday Set, which includes Black Bronze 126, Black Lapis 127, and Black Indigo 128. I received this set from my mom as a random gift this January, how lucky am I, right?

Here's Black Bronze 126, a black based polish with subtle yellow bronze shimmer. Along with the bronze, you can see some red, green, and nuances of blue/silver added to create its beautiful complexity. This color is very dark, but it has enough that even in artificial lighting the brown shows through. It reminds me of rich Turkish espresso. 

close up

On the nails the micro-glitter becomes much less obvious than in the bottle. Of the trio, the shimmer is the most visible in this polish. Still lovely indoors, but sunshine really brings out its beauty.

My favorite of this trio is definitely Black Lapis 128. This one, like the others has a black base. Blue micro glitter and trace amounts of gold, red, and green shimmer make this a stunner!

This color reminds me of octopus ink, or when you get the ink of a pen wet and it bleeds into paper. On the nail the blue shines through brilliantly and is truly gorgeous in direct sunlight. Indoors it's a very dark blue/black. Again, my favorite.

Black Indigo 127 is the next color featured in this trio; a black base filled with rich warm purple, red, and blue. 

On the nails this shimmer is the least noticeable of the three. In direct sunlight only hints of color show through, making this color the subtlest. This is the darkest of the three, and in artificial light and shade it looks black. Pretty, but not a very unique color.

What I like about these YSL nail lacquers is that they are very opaque. All of these colors were perfect in two coats. Although not very unique, they're all very nice colors with fabulous consistency. What do you guys think of this collection?  Anyone else ready for winter too?

Father's Day!

Today, or techinically yesterday, was Father's day, one of those great holidays that I just love. Why? Because it's one of those days that you get to share your appreciation for one of your loved ones, and they can't give you anything back! Unlike Christmas and Valentine's, if you're giving, you're most likely expecting a little something as well, but not with Father's day. Above is what I made for mine: carrot cake with cream cheese frosting topped with candied carrots. Cupcakes are my favorite things to bake, and carrot cake is my dad's favorite, so I figured it would be the perfect gift. I definitely wouldn't consider myself a master baker, but I think these look pretty darned good!

 How about you guys, did you get anything special for your dads? 

Zoya: Rica

My days as of late have been full of beaches and bonfires, which has been great, but sometimes you just need a good day to yourself. Today I've been busy watching loads of  Supernatural and eating junk food. Once in a while, the best feeling is that of being lazy! Something I love to do while watching my programs is nail painting of course, and today I chose this gorgeous little number: Zoya Rica.

Rica is a sheer hot pink based laquer filled with orange-gold, glas fleck shimmer that catches the light in every kind of atmosphere. These photographs really don't show how dazzling this color is. If there was ever a polish designed to depict the tones of a beautiful tropical sunset, this would be it!

two coats in direct sunlight, Seche Vite top coat 

two coats indoors with flash, Seche Vite top coat

Overall I love this color for summer. It's one of my older polishes and I haven't found another color like it. With its wonderful formula, two coats is just enough to be opaque. I've never had a problem with Zoya polishes, and it continues to be one of my most favorite brands at only $8 a bottle. Gorgeous color and such a steal! Hope your summers are all going wonderfully! 

Chanel: Distraction 549

Hey everyone! I've been so busy going back and forth to the city trying to find an apartment, a job, and make a smooth transition to my new university. So far it's been a lot more time consuming and frustrating than I had ever imagined. Apartment searching is not my favorite thing to do, but I can't wait to be all settled into my first apartment! Oh the decorating possibilities! Anyways, I wanted to show you guys a new polish I've been sporting for the last couple days. Summer is here, and to me that means bright happy colors that shine at the beach!

Chanel Distraction is by far my favorite coral for this summer. Corals have been popping up everywhere in department store nail polishes. What sets this lacquer apart from the rest is the fuchsia shimmer, which makes nails look like they have that "glowing from within" look. The base leans more orange-y, but is balanced out by the pink shimmer. Application was a dream, an easy two-coater with even coverage throughout, no touch-ups needed!

two coats with Seche Vite top coat in direct sunlight

So far, I'm LOVING this color. What did you think about the Chanel Spring 2012 collection?  

I'm Back!

I've had a busy and stressfull semester this past spring but I'm home! I will be transitioning to a new city in the next couple of weeks and I can't wait to move into my very first apartment. New post are coming up, I have so much to show you! I hope everyone's enjoying the warmer weather, I sure am!

~Rachael Michelle

Le Métier De Beauté: Ken Downing Holiday Collection

This past Christmas I decided I would treat myself with a little Le Métier de Beauté. I had spotted the set on one of my numerous online “window-shopping” trips and instantly fell in love. The set contains four festive holiday colors: Plum Puddin’, Tarnished Silver, Lamé Entertain You, and Red-E & Waiting. Also, this set came with a gorgeous little silver leaf ornament, which I found a welcome surprise. I loved how these colors didn’t seem to be the typical holiday reds and golds, so I snatched them up as soon as I could! 

From Left to Right: Plum Puddin', Lamé Entertain You, Red-E and Waiting, Tarnished Silver

First off we have Plum Puddin’(shown below) which would have to be my favorite of the set, and the color that originally drew me to the quad in the first place. This is a gorgeous deep, warm purple filled with rainbow holographic micro-glitter. I love how in the sunlight the glitter really pops, making this one my all time favorites. 

You can really see all the holo-glitter in this pic!

Lamé Entertain You is a stunning champagne color, another one of my favorites in the set, leaning towards a pale gold. This reminds me of a gold filled snow globe I got in Las Vegas years ago, but I can definitely imagine this looking pretty beautiful on one’s nails during a toast of bubbly. 

Red-E and Waiting is an attractive red with a hint of orange, and seems a little muted/ dusty in the bottle. Extremely fine yellow gold glitter can also be found in abundance when looking at the bottle. On the nail the sparkle become less obvious, but add a richness and depth that cannot be found when looking at the bottle. 

Tarnished Silver is a blue/gunmetal grey silver. When looking at the bottle I can say I see little hints of green in there as well. I wore this one to a concert, and found it to be a little bit sheer to my taste. Definitely a beautiful color though. 

I found all four of these colors to be great additions to my growing collection. The only thing I would have liked differently would have been the option to buy full sizes of these colors, as I would have definitely gotten Plum Puddin' and Lamé Entertain You. The polishes are so small I’m a little hesitant to use these up!

I will hopefully be able to put up some swatches of these colors on my nails ASAP, once I get access to a camera other than the one on my iPhone! Hope you love these colors as much as I do!

~Rachael Michelle