Thursday, July 29, 2010

Zoya Edyta


Zoya Edyta immediately jumped right into my top five favorites! It's a dark pine green loaded with glass-flecked, gold and green shimmer. Super sexy and gorgeous and I only needed ONE, easily applied coat! The formula was superb and a little strange. I felt like I was applying liquid crushed velvet to my nails! The first three pictures were taken in full sunlight and the last two in the shade. This is a must have in my opinion!!!!

Here are my overall thoughts on both of Zoya's fall collections, Wicked & Wonderful.

Thanks for reading!
April

All opinions are my own & were not influenced by Zoya! For more information you can read my disclosure policy.

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Zoya Shawn


Zoya Shawn is a drop dead grogeous green creme with slight yellow undertones. Only 2 coats need and an excellent formula. Definitely one of my favorite greens ever! This is from Zoya's Wonderful Collection and you can read my thoughts on the collection here.

Thanks for reading!
April

All opinions are my own & were not influenced by Zoya! For more information you can read my disclosure policy.

Monday, July 26, 2010

Weekly Giveaway Roundup


I love giveaways. Each week I'll post giveaways that I think are awesome! I'm trying to catch any giveaway that has nail polish & I always post them on the Monday before they close. I figure some publicity towards the end of the entry period is a good idea, so don't worry that I've forgotten yours if I don't post it immediately! On the other hand, I know that I will occasionally miss a giveaway or two. If I miss yours, please know that it was accidental and nothing personal!

NAIL POLISH & MORE
MAKEUP & SKINCARE
CLOTHES, SHOES, BAGS & JEWELRY
MISCELLANEOUS
  • Nail Addicts Anonymous is giving away a $60 CSN Stores gift card! Ends 7/30.
  • Freebie Spot is giving away a $50 CSN Stores gift card! Ends 7/31.
  • I'm giving away a $70 CSN Stores gift card! Ends 7/31.

Please feel free to post your giveaways in the comments of the Weekly Giveaway Roundup posts! Let's keep them all on these posts and not on regular posts.
Thanks for reading!
April

Zoya Cheryl


This is 2 coats of Zoya Cheryl from their Wicked Collection for fall. I almost got away with just one coat and the formula is truly spectacular. I can't describe this color any better than Zoya does on their own website,
A smoky brown base completely packed with metallic copper, gold and mahogany metallic microglitter.
Here are my overall thoughts on both of Zoya's fall collections. I'll be posting more swatches soon.

Thanks for reading!
April

All opinions are my own & were not influenced by Zoya! For more information you can read my disclosure policy.

Thursday, July 22, 2010

My Overall Thoughts On Zoya Wicked & Wonderful Collections


Zoya surprised me with both of these collections in the mail! I try to keep my collection on the small side and avoid dupes, so I kept 8 of the 12 and passed on Cola, Burke, Karina & Carrie Ann to friends. I'll be posting pictures of the ones that I kept over the next several days.

The formula on the eight (Cheryl, Shawn, Edyta, Kelly, Julieanne, Stacy, Kym & Kristi) that I tried is super impressive with a couple of one coat wonders! Only 2 coats needed for the rest. Edyta jumped right into my top 5 polishes ever; Shawn & Kelly are drop dead gorgeous AND unique. The rest are all lovely and work great for nail art because of their high pigmentation, but not new loves.

I'm not a red polish lover so I would never have purchased either collection for myself since each is at least half red. I would love to have seen a nice creamy pumpkin or a yellow squash color in the Wonderful (creme) collection. And a gorgeous warm toned yellow with the gorgeous glass-flecked and gold shimmer found in some of the Wicked Collection would have been amazing and unique. I know many polish wearers are more conservative though and companies have to appeal to the masses when putting together a complete collection.

At the end of the day, both sets would be great purchases for someone new to the polish world this fall. They would come away with some unique shades and a nice fall polish wardrobe. If you love green polish, you MUST get Edyta!

Thanks for reading!
April

All opinions are my own & were not influenced by Zoya! For more information you can read my disclosure policy.

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Wet N Wild Eggplant Frost


Wet N Wild Eggplant Frost is yet another Wet N Wild that looks amazing in the sunshine! It's a gorgeous plum with shimmer that sometimes looks silver and sometimes blue. It's a fabulous polish for your money if you like dark polishes. I'm not a big fan of polishes that look black most the time indoors though and this one falls into this category. Thanks to Beautopia for sending me this one when I won a giveaway a while back!

Thanks for reading!
April

Monday, July 19, 2010

Weekly Giveaway Roundup


I love giveaways. Each week I'll post giveaways that I think are awesome! I'm trying to catch any giveaway that has nail polish & I always post them on the Monday before they close. I figure some publicity towards the end of the entry period is a good idea, so don't worry that I've forgotten yours if I don't post it immediately! On the other hand, I know that I will occasionally miss a giveaway or two. If I miss yours, please know that it was accidental and nothing personal!

I recently discovered Giveaway Scout which is a great place to list your own giveaways and find TONS more. Their facebook page shoes you giveaways with high value prizes and their twitter feed lets you know about the Giveaway Scout's hand-picked favorites.

NAIL POLISH & MORE
  • Nail Fairy is having 3 giveaways! Check out her site for more details.
  • Joysauce is giving away 8 nail polishes and lots more! Ends 7/20, open internationally.
  • Frazzle and Aniploish is giving away 3 sets of 4 Blue Cross Mood polishes! Ends 7/22, open internationally.
  • Inside of My Purse is giving away a China Glaze Goodie Box! Ends 7/23.
  • Nails, Etc is giving away 9 nail polishes and more! Ends 7/25, open internationally.
  • Fleur's Nails & Stuff is giving away 8 nail polishes! Ends 7/25, open internationally.
MAKEUP & SKINCARE
  • The Hungry Asian is giving away Lancome mascara and bronzer! Ends 7/26, open internationally.
CLOTHES, JEWELRY, BAGS & SHOES
  • 365 Days of Style is giving away a pair of shoes that you get to design yourself from Shoes of Prey! Ends 7/20.
  • Homemaker Honey is giving away a $25 gift card to Tulle, my favorite online clothing shop! Ends 7/21, US only.
  • Celebrity Dress 4 Less is giving away a two-toned chain necklace! Ends 7/23, US only.
  • Nuvonova is giving away your choice of super cool charm necklace! Ends 7/24.
MISCELLANEOUS
Please feel free to post your giveaways in the comments of the Weekly Giveaway Roundup posts! Let's keep them all on these posts and not on regular posts.
Thanks for reading!
April

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Wet N Wild Night Prowl


Here's another Wet N Wild that looks amazing in the sunshine! Wet N Wild Night Prowl is a black jelly with purple glitter. It's a fabulous polish for your money if you like dark polishes. I'm not a big fan of polishes that look black most the time indoors though and this one falls into this category. Thanks to Beautopia for sending me this one when I won a giveaway a while back!

Thanks for reading!
April

Friday, July 16, 2010

CSN Stores $70 Shopping Spree Giveaway! (Closed)

CSN Stores has offered a $70 gift certificate to one of my readers from the U.S. or Canada! They have over 200 individual stores that you can choose from. I really can't believe the variety of products offered at the many CSN Stores. You can get dining room sets, fountains, toys, pet accessories, lighting, even shoes! My sisters and I have thought about purchasing things from their store allmodern.com in the past. This store is filed with amazing designers like our personal favorite Toord Boontje!
Here are some of my favorite picks for around $70.

I've been thinking about buying these Bronx shoes from Shoes Got Sole for $71.95. Shoes Got Sole always offers free shipping and free return shipping!



AllModernPet has a huge selection of pet clothes, toys and beds like this one for $64.95.


I love this gorgeous Le Creuset utensil set for $69.95!


This is a TINY glimpse of the things you could get if you win this giveaway!

RULES:
PLEASE READ ALL OF THE RULES BEFORE ENTERING.
  • Winner will receive a $70 gift certificate good at any CSN Store. Shipping charges are not included unless otherwise stated in the item description. In the case of Canadian addresses, international fees for certain products may apply.
  • This giveaway is open to residents of the U.S. & Canada only.
  • This giveaway starts today, July 16th, and will end Saturday, July 31st, 2010 at 11:59PM Central Time.
  • We'll select the winner with random.org's random number generator and notify the winner by email on Sunday, August 1st.
  • The winner will have 24 hours to respond. If the winner doesn't reply within 24 hours, that winner will forfeit the prize and an alternate winner will be selected via random.org.
HOW TO ENTER:
Each person is allowed to enter up to four (4) times as follows:
  • Mandatory Entry. Just leave your name and email in the form below.
  • Earn an optional entry if you "Like" CSN Stores on facebook. Leave your facebook name for verification.
  • Earn an optional entry by following CSN Stores on twitter. Leave your twitter name for verification.
  • Earn an optional entry by following our blog with GFC. Leave your Google Friend Account (follower name) in the entry.
  • You only need to fill out the form once. This works MUCH better than comments, so I've turned them off for this post to avoid confusion.


Thanks to CSN Stores for sponsoring this giveaway! I did not receive compensation for this giveaway in the form of product or payment of any kind.

We had 306 valid entries for this giveaway! Random.org chose entry #46, posted 7/16/2010 21:53:45 by Robin who follows my blog with the username astraea1976.

Congratulations and thanks to everyone who entered!

Thanks for reading!
April

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Wet N Wild Blue Moon


This is 3 coats of easily applied Wet N Wild Blue Moon. I won this one from Beautopia a while back. It's lovely in the sun but just looks black most of the time. I'm still looking for a great navy polish that looks navy most of the time if anyone has any suggestions.


Thanks for reading!
April

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Weekly Giveaway Roundup


I love giveaways. Each week I'll post giveaways that I think are awesome! I'm trying to catch any giveaway that has nail polish & I always post them on the Monday before they close. I figure some publicity towards the end of the entry period is a good idea, so don't worry that I've forgotten yours if I don't post it immediately! On the other hand, I know that I will occasionally miss a giveaway or two. If I miss yours, please know that it was accidental and nothing personal!

NAIL POLISH & MORE
  • Nail-ing Life Online is buying the winner of her giveaway some polishes! Happy Birthday Samantha! I think this one ends tonight!
  • Babbling Brooke's FREAKING HUGE giveaway ends tomorrow. Check in all day tomorrow for even more prizes every other hour!
  • Nails Beautiqued is giving away 2 BB Coutures! Ends 7/14.
  • The Hungry Asian is giving away 17 polishes and more! Ends 7/14.
  • PureBeauty is giving away 4 China Glaze polishes & more! Ends 7/15.
  • Kitty Loves Color is giving away 17 polishes! Ends 7/16.
  • Nail Talez & More is giving away all 21 Bundle Monster fauxnad plates! Ends 7/16.
  • Parokeets is giving away more polishes than I can count! Ends 7/18.
  • Beauty Judy is giving away 11 polishes and lots more! Ends 7/18.
  • Pimp My Nails is giving away 2 Hello Kitty polishes and lots more Hello Kitty goodies! Ends 7/20.
CLOTHES, BAGS, SHOES & JEWELRY
  • Beatknits is giving away a lovely pair of fingerless gloves! Ends 7/15.
MISCELLANEOUS
  • Wee Waldorf is giving away a gorgeous set of Rainbow Twig Pencils! Ends 7/15.
  • The Zhush is giving away a $60 CSN Stores gift card! Ends 7/16.
  • Body & Soul is giving away a Misiko Hana Ceramic Flat Iron! Ends 7/17.
  • Classy & Fabulous is giving away a $60 CSN Stores gift card! Ends 7/18.
Please feel free to post your giveaways in the comments of the Weekly Giveaway Roundup posts! Let's keep them all on these posts and not on regular posts.
Thanks for reading!
April

Charlotte Russe Jade and Some Nail Art


I LOVE this color! I got tons of compliments on it. Easy application, three coats. This is my current favorite mint green. If any of you are still looking for the perfect mint, please check out this amazing post from Little Music Boxes!

This is the first manicure that I did with the fantastic smART Nails sticker stencils that I've been using lately. Not bad for my first try, but I didn't end up liking the color combo as much as I thought I would. I was going for a sort of art deco look. Maybe a coral would have been better than the berry, but I don't actually have any corals!

Thanks for reading!
April

Monday, July 12, 2010

Winner of the Reader Appreciation Giveaway!


We had 678 entries for this giveaway and random.org chose #364, Priscilla of Nail Scrapbook.

My Point Blank Design Nails pictured above were mentioned more than any others as people's favorite from my blog.

Thanks for all of the comments! I'll be starting another giveaway soon.
April

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

World Cup Germany vs Spain


I didn't really care who won yesterday's World Cup match. Both teams are good but I never developed any strong feelings for either team. I had a good idea for German nails so I just went with that. This is my tribute to the German Machine, as people have been calling them during this tournament. I love how this one turned out!

I used American Apparel Hassid as a base for all of my nails except for the flag. I used a Tic Tac Red for that one. The next morning I cut a piece of painter's tape to block off the red stripe and painted the rest of the flag with Hassid and American Apparel Manila. Then I used more of my awesome smART Nails sticker stencils & China Glaze Millennium for all of the chrome machine parts.

I'm actually excited that both Spain & the Netherlands are going through to the finals. I liked all four teams but neither Spain nor Holland have ever won the World Cup. Now we'll have a new World Cup Champion no matter the outcome of Sunday's final!

A couple of my friends have been loyal Spain supporters and they painted their nails for Spain during the quarter finals. Here's Kim's Spain nails with a number 9 for Fernando Torres.

And here's Regan's Spanish flag nails on the left and Kim on the right showing their support for La Furia Rojas. I love this picture! Thanks for letting me steal your photos ladies.


Thanks for reading!
April

American Apparel Hassid


American Apparel Hassid is a black creme polish. Nothing fancy, no sparkles or matte effects. I would never wear this alone but it is an amazing polish if you like to do nail art! Hassid is opaque in one easily applied, quick-drying, thin coat! Woohoo! It also works great with water marbling and Konad! If you haven't found a great black creme, I strongly suggest you try American Apparel Hassid.

Disclosure: I was provided a product sample by American Apparel. This in no way affects my opinions of the product. For more information read my Disclosure Policy.

Thanks for reading!
April

Monday, July 5, 2010

Weekly Giveaway Roundup


I love giveaways. Each week I'll post giveaways that I think are awesome! I'm trying to catch any giveaway that has nail polish & I always post them on the Monday before they close. I figure some publicity towards the end of the entry period is a good idea, so don't worry that I've forgotten yours if I don't post it immediately! On the other hand, I know that I will occasionally miss a giveaway or two. If I miss yours, please know that it was accidental and nothing personal!

NAIL POLISH & MORE
NAIL ART CONTESTS
CLOTHES, JEWELRY, BAGS & SHOES
MISCELLANEOUS
Please feel free to post your giveaways in the comments of the Weekly Giveaway Roundup posts! Let's keep them all on these posts and not on regular posts.
Thanks for reading!
April

Saturday, July 3, 2010

World Cup 2010 Argentina


Another exciting team out of the World Cup! I painted my nails this morning to match the lovely sky blue and white jerseys of Argentina. Sally Hansen White Out for the base and Color Club Blue Light for the stripes. I hate the Sally Hansen White Out and could use a recommendation for an easily applied white cream polish. Anybody have a favorite?
I guess I'm rooting for the German machine now.

Thanks for reading!
April

Friday, July 2, 2010

Soccer Nail Art


I did these for a nail art contest over at Linnie's Favorites. I used BB Couture Poison Ivy for the grass, Konad plate M57 and Sally Hansen White Out for the net, and Migi Nail Art pens for the goal posts and the balls.
I decided to go with the traditional soccer ball pattern instead of the official World Cup 2010 Jabulani ball. The Jabulani just isn't very recognizable or interesting compared with the traditional pattern.
I love how these turned out! You can check out the other great entries and vote for your favorite here. I voted for Claudia!

Thanks for reading!
April