Zoya 18K Gold Flake Topcoat- Gilty Pleasures

[Click pics to enlarge to see detail]

Received my limited edition Zoya Gilty Nailpolish Trio ($30, www.zoya.com), which includes an all white polish in "Purity" and an all black polish in "Raven". The center of all the attention, is the beautiful polish "Gilty", which features real 18K gold flakes. It's a top coat that can be used in conjunction with other nailpolish colors, but looks great with "Raven" or "Purity".

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OPI: Serena Glam Slam (White Shatter)

My girlfriend and I went to get a manicure at a salon and they were selling a lot of the OPI Shatter nailpolishes and they had the Serena Glam Slam Kit! I was hunting this one down and was so happy they had it and avoided having to pay shipping. It has the "White Shatter" nailpolish and "Spark De Triomphe" which is a gorgeous chunky gold glitter nailpolish that looks good even by itself.

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NOTD: "One Less Lonely Glitter" Nicole by OPI

Found this gorgeous purple glitter nailpolish called "One Less Lonely Glitter" at Target (around $7), and turns out it's part of Justin Bieber's collaboration with OPI- where he has his own collection! (Bieber fact, he has a song called "One Less Lonely Girl" so I was loving this shade name!)

It's very opaque and you get a lot with just one or two coats. I paired it with China Glaze's "Coconut Kiss" and man oh man did it blow me away! It's such a gorgeous combination (and my favorite color is purple), and I am just loving these two together. I already got tons of compliments on it too, so you know it's a winner!

One thing I like is that it doesn't feel like that obnoxious chunky glitter on the nail, once I applied my Seche Vite top coat, it was pretty smooth. It has just the right amount of glitter and sparkle and it's actually the only one I really liked out of the collection. It also looks awesome with OPI's Black Shater on top.

What are your favorite nailpolishes or nail combos?

Here are some pics:

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Review: Sally Hansen Crackle Nailpolishes

Product: 2 out of 5

Packaging: 3 out of 5

Quality: 1 out of 5

Overall: 2 out of 5

Where I bought it:Walmart

Price: $8.49

 Would I buy again? No

I went to Walmart last week and saw the crackle nailpolishes by Sally Hansen and since the crackle polishes are all the rage right now, I thought i'd try them out. They come in other colors as well such as black, purple, pink and more, but I only nabbed three of them, silver (Fractured Foil), white (Snow Blast), and gold (Antiqued Gold). They are around $7-8.50 depending on where you go.

I was excited to try these because all the crackle polishes I was interested in were always sold out, and I wasn't about to pay a pretty penny on eBay just to own one. However, I found these to be way too streaky in the sense they didn't "crack" the way I wanted them to, or rather the way the OPI Black Shatter crackled, (and I did let the base coat completely dry).

"Snow Blast" was the worst out of the bunch, it's a matte finish and no matter what I did, it never came out right, always came out streaky. The metallic ones fare a little better than the white one, and crackled a little bit but not as much as the OPI Black Shatter. I experimented with different base coats and colors, applying one coat, applying two, and they just never came out the way I wanted

Overall: I was so disappointed in the quality of these, considering Sally Hansen has always been known for their nail products. You bet I quickly returned these. :( I am glad there are a lot more brands coming out with their version of crackle polishes, the competition should be interesting!

The dark plum purple polish used as a base in these photos are Sally Hansen Insta-Dry nailpolish in "Uptempo Plum". And the pink nailpolish is OCC's nailpolish in "Rhythm Box".

Snow Blast (L) & Fractured Foil (R)

OPI's Black Shatter nailpolish:

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Sally Hansen "Laced Up" & How-To Tutorial

 

Stephanie requested that I show the Sally Hansen Salon Effects Nail Strips in "Laced Up", so I thought i'd also do a quick video on how-to apply them as they can be tricky for people who aren't used to nailstrips. I used Seche Vite as my top coat, which I noticed helps it stay on longer. I like that these nailstrips are 'movable' as in if you placed them wrong or it suddenly sticks to your nail, you can still carefully peel them off and start over; as some other brands I have tried (Forever 21's version of nailstrips for example) are a waste of money even though they are only $2.80 for each one I believe, they stuck to my nail and stayed there. If I tried to carefully peel it off to start over it would rip into shreds.

So the Sally Hansen ones are good quality in comparison to other nailstrips out there; I find that the solid colors and some of the designs are great (even the solid colored glitters), while others don't work that well (I hated "Frock Star", it was hard to work with, it felt gritty, and it was a pain to come off!). Anyway, enjoy!

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Borghese Rapido Fast Dry Nailpolish

 Product: 4 out of 

Packaging: 4 out of 5

Quality: 5 out of 5

Brush: 3 out of 5

Overall: 4 out of 5

Price: $8

What it is: Quick drying formula nailpolish in long-lasting colors. They contain nail-strengthening laquers which contain Borghese's Aqua de Vita complex to help restore moisture and balance, while Micronized Gemstones add strength and brilliance.

Each shade comes with a special Dual Curve Tip Brush custom designed to hug the shape of you nail for smooth flawless application that lasts up to 7 days. These nailpolishes are free of Toluene, Formadehyde, and DBP's.

I received the color in "Maraschino" which is like a deep dark pinkish red, it's a nice creamy color. They sell for $8 each at www.ulta.com, as well as in salons, and Rite-Aid.

PROS:
- Vibrant color, really pigmented, one coat looked like two coats
- Quick drying, dries in about a minute

CONS:
- I didn't really like the nailpolish brush, it's sorta like the Sally Hansen Quick Dry nailpolish brush except not really or as flat, but it just feels weird, like there's no weight on the brush so it's kinda hard to control the brush and get the sides if you have tiny nail beds.

Overall: I have not had it on long enough to test out its wear. It's very pigmented and one coat already looks like you put on two coats of polish. I love the colors in this collection (Anemone looks like another great color!), definitely recommend checking them out.

Colors:

- Vigneto

- Marino

- Mochaccino

- Chroma

- Lira

- Menta

- Violetto

- Maraschino

- Siena

- Rosso

- Anemone

- Limoncello

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MAC Haul

Dropped by the MAC store after work and ended up nabbing a few things, and noticed they changed their bags! They are super cute! It's paper bags made out of recycled paper and inside of the bags, they are each colored differently. (***sidenote: I will be announcing the winner of the Sigma Make Me Up Brush Kit later today!)

I also wanted to try their 'Sheen Supreme' lipsticks because I LOVED their slimshine lipsticks from way back in the day (a glossy lipstick), and since it was rumored these were similar, I was curious because I was sad the slimshines were limited edition. I will do a comparison post later on the two, but right off the bat they aren't as glossy and shiny as the original slimshines which is disappointing but they still are nice (at least some colors are such as the one I got in "Bare Again"). And oddly enough one of the Slimshines I have is "Bare" and this one is "Bare Again", love how they tied that in!

I didn't get much, just the Penultimate Eyeliner Pen in "Rapidblack", 4 eyeshadow palette (I love the new design! I wish their 15 eyeshadow palette was see-thru too so you can see the eyeshadows from the outside), e/s pan refill in "Shale", the Sheen Supreme lippie in "Bare Again" and their moisture cover concealer in NC20.

 And the nails I was rocking last week:

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OPI Black Shatter

Finally got my hands on OPI's most anticipated crackling nailpolish "Black Shatter" from the Katy Perry Collection (I didn't care too much for the other shades in the collection) but wanted to test drive this baby!

I already had Color Club's "Pink Flame" on my nails so I just rushed to test it and put the black shatter over it, sealed it with Seche Vite top coat, and I am loving it. Jon said "Why would you want your nails to look like that?!" LOL. Oh boys, they just don't understand haha.

***Note: Apply one coat, and apply it quick as it will start to crackle in a matter of seconds and let it dry then apply clear top coat.

Can't wait to post later about kkcenterhk.com, testing out some lashes and a hair piece! :)

Anyway here are some pics:

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Review: Sally Hansen Salon Effects Nail Strips

L to R: Frock Star, Bling It On, Wild Child, and Laced Up

Product: 4.5 out of 5

Packaging: 5 out of 5

Quality: 5 out of 5

Overall: 5 out of 5

Price: $8.99 each

Shade I am wearing in pics below is: "Bling It On"

Available at most drugstores

I went to Target last week and came across these Sally Hansen Salon Effects Nail Strips which claim to last up to 10 days, since I am challenged when it comes to putting on nailpolish on my right hand and have no patience for waiting for it to dry, I thought these would be perfect to try out. They are pretty new to the market, they aren't even on the Sally Hansen website yet and they were hard to find (not all Target stores had them or drugstores for that matter). But I think they should be rolling out to more places in due time within the next couple of months if not sooner.

Each box comes with 16 nail strips (extras in case you make a mistake) and of course different sizes so you can find ones that fit your nail bed, a cuticle pusher, detailed instructions, and a nail file. I recommend that you have warm hands or fingertips when you apply these so that when you smooth out the nail strip it sorts seals it onto your natural nail and helps it adhere.

PROS:

-I noticed they have remarkable staying power when used with a top coat. I used Seche Vite top coat to help seal and make it last longer and didn't experience any chipping so far and have had it for about 6 days now; and usually with regular polish I do on Day 2 or 3. Without a top coat it's more prone to peeling or getting etches quicker.

- They have a variety of cool designs and colors, from lace, zebra, high-impact glitter, neon, matte, shimmer, etc. to choose from.

- They are $8.99 each which is relatively cheaper than a manicure you get at a salon.

- Super easy to apply and remove, and very natural looking. It only took me 10 minutes or less to do both hands, and you can remove it with regular nail polish remover.

- Great if you are pressed for time and need to do a quick manicure, no need to wait for them to dry!

CONS:

- Not all of the nail strips will fit all nail beds, but it's not too noticeable, just gotta find the one that fits you the best.

Overall: I love, love, love these! I honestly wanna just get these from now on as oppose to regular nail polish because they are just so easy to do lol! I like that I don't have to wait for these to dry, and that they last a long time. They also come in many fun designs as well as more normal nail polish shades and finishes. I had people even say "I love your nailpolish color what brand/shade is it?" and they are shocked when I say they are nail polish strips, because they look that natural.

The shade "Bling It On" was hard to capture its true color, it's a really pretty medium bright rose pink in person, not as dark as it is in some of the pictures.

Used a different camera, but color is closer to the pic above, and is still as vibrant as Day 1:

Minimal chipping on index fingernail near cuticle, but still in tact for the most part

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ORLY Bonder & No Chip Nailpolish Coats

I know I hardly write about nailpolishes, but trust me I have a good reason LOL. See, nailpolish and I, we have a love/hate relationship. I love them the first day I have them, and after that I hate them! They chip like crazy no matter what base or top coat I use (I know some of you ladies are nail goddesses so please feel free to give me some suggestions, techniques, or some good base/top coats you recommend!). I also find that I have no patience for doing my nails, I often get frustrated because I can't manage to stay 'in the lines' at times or they smudge and then my nails end up looking like a hot mess, but I am learning to get better at it. I envy those ladies that have nail blogs and their nails and hands look amazing- utter perfection!

Anyway, I went to Sally's the other day to buy a few small gifts for my best friend, and thought i'd make another futile attempt to put some nailpolish on and TRY to get them to last at least close to a week, so I bought ORLY Bonder (base coat) which claims to help nailpolish adhere to the base coat so it lasts longer and ORLY "Won't Chip" Top Coat w/ a protective polymer shield (both $6.99 each), they both suggested of course that for ideal results, it's best to use them together, hence why I ended up getting both.

They both say that they "prevent nail lacquer from wearing off for up to two weeks".

So Day 1, was last Thursday, I used the Bonder as a base, then Color Club nailpolish in "Pink Flame", and then Wet N' Wild's Craze Nail Color in "Glitz" (pink and purple glitter nailpolish with a clear base, it's so pretty in person!),  followed by the no chip top coat. [I used one coat of the pink flame and one coat of the glitter after the base coat, then one coat of the top coat.] For the sake of testing, I didn't bother to really clean up around my cuticles so I apologize!

On the second day, there was no chipping, and on the third day there was minimal chipping near the tips of the nail.

And on Day 5 (today), it looked like this:

Overall? Compared to other base and top coats I have used, these Orly base and top coats do not chip as much, but I was still a bit disappointed because I was hoping for minimal to no chipping until at least maybe Day 7. Especially because they say it prevents (as it's a fact, not help prevents...) nailpolish from wearing off for up to two weeks. Even around Day 3 I already started to see a bit of chipping near the tips on my right hand. However, I am giving it another shot by using it on flat nailpolish (no glitter) just to see if that makes any difference, so we'll see by the end of this week how it holds up. But at the moment, for $6.99 a pop, I'd like to believe there is something better that does the job at the same price; even if there is one that's a tad bit pricier, it might be worth it if it actually prevents them from chipping. We'll see!

On another note, the bestie (the boy BFF,  I have a girl BFF and a boy BFF haha) gave me a cute HK keychain (for some reason it reminds me of Tupac), he is doing the 12 days of Christmas so one small gift everyday, and it's all HK stuff, it's pretty funny. He has such a big heart! I have to do a post on that soon because I was amazed he found some of these things (such as an ice pop mold !)

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