Black and White Gradient

It's the end of the month so it's time for another Proud Beauty Bloggers of Color post!  This months theme was black and white, so I decided to go for a gradient.

I used OPI My Boyfriend Scales Walls and OPI Black Onyx.  I then topped it all off with Sephora X Chaotic.  I actually found Chaotic at Big Lots for only $2.50  They had several others there too, so check that out if you like the Sephora X line.

Make sure you check out Fairly Charming for her black and white nails!  Her blog also has tons of gorgeous nail art!

Check out these other Beauty Bloggers of Colors!

An InLinkz Link-up

Maybelline Plum As You Are

Hope ya'll had a great weekend!  Today I have another fall polish for you from Maybelline.  This one is from their Fashion Rocks collection.  I first saw this swatched on Amanda from Pretty Girl Science and thought I have to have this.

I was browsing the polish section at my CVS the other day and found it!  It was pretty much a miracle because none of them were in a display.  Actually, there wasn't even a display for Fashion Rocks any where to be seen.  They were just sitting haphazardly on a corner of some wooden display.  Some one tell me why I still patronize this CVS.

Plum As You Are is a dark gray with subtle fine pink shimmer.  The way the shimmer just peeks through the gray base reminds me of a few polishes: Rescue Beauty Lounge Piu Mosso, Revlon Perplex, and Essie Armed and Ready.  The shimmer in this is so subtle that it's not noticeably apparent in light that isn't bright.

I didn't have any issues with the formula.  I'm not a fan of tiny brushes since I have wide nails, but such is life.

This is 2 coats.  Again, the shimmer isn't this apparent in most lights.

Bonita Dying to Party

Hope everyone is having a great weekend so far!  I've just been plain lazy today and haven't done anything productive.  Damn you Netflix!

My nail also broke the other day.  It's been torn for a while and I've been letting it grow out for about a month (it was torn all the way beyond the quick).  I finally tore off all the way while washing my hair.  I swear my hair has it out for my nails!  They're always catching on it.  I'm enjoying my short nails though so I can't complain too much.

So today I have a polish brand that I haven't tried before.  I've been seeing displays at Rite Aid for a few months, but never bought any.  I few weeks I saw their Halloween display and picked Dying to Party and another up.  Dying to Party is a white that comes off slightly gray with silver shimmer/micro glitter (I can't decide which . . . more of a large particle shimmer though).

The application on this wasn't what I expect from a white, but it wasn't great either.  It dragged a bit on the first and second coats and didn't smooth out, but Seche fixed that.  Also, this polish dries to a slight matte finish.  Overall, I liked this polish.  I love the silver shimmer in it!

This is 3 coats.

Closed: Hobby Polish Bloggers' Cash Giveaway!

The Hobby Polish Bloggers group on Facebook have decided to do a great giveaway!  The prizes are:

1st Place: $165 USD
2nd Place: $90 USD
3rd Place: $75 USD

This giveaway will be starting September 17th (today!) and ending September 30th.  This giveaway is worldwide, so all my international readers, please feel free to enter!  You must be 18 or over to enter.  For all other terms and conditions, please see the rafflecopter.

This giveaway is sponsored by these lovely bloggers!  Make sure to show them some love!

A Little Polish http://alittlepolish.blogspot.com
acidicice http://www.acidicice.co.za
Addicted to Polish http://addictedtopolish.blogspot.com
BeginNails: Every Journey Has A Beginning http://www.beginnails.blogspot.com
B'Nails http://boomernails.blogspot.com/
Canadian Nail Fanatic http://canadiannailfanatic.blogspot.ca/
Carinae L'etoile's polish stash http://www.carinaeletoile.com
Copycat Claws http://www.copycatclaws.blogspot.ca
Doctor Crafty https://doctorcrafty.wordpress.com
Fashion Footing http://fashionfooting.blogspot.com
I Feel Polished http://www.ifeelpolished.com
Imperfectly Painted http://www.imperfectlypainted.com/
LacqueredGeek http://www.facebook.com/lacqueredgeek
Lavish Layerings http://www.lavishlayerings.blogspot.com/
Les essais beauté de Schette http://schette08.free.fr/essaisbeaute/
Lit From Within http://beautylitfromwithin.blogspot.com/
Lustrous Lacquer http://www.lustrouslacquer.blogspot.com
Manic Talons http://www.manictalons.com
Manicure Addict http://www.manicureaddict.com
Pamper with Polish http://www.pamperwithpolish.com
Peer Pressure Polish http://www.peerpressurepolish.com
Plump and Polished http://www.plumpandpolished.com
Polish Galore http://www.polishgalore.com
Polished and Glittered http://www.polishedandglittered.com
ProcrastiNails http://www.ProcrastiNails.com
Sammy Gail's Nails http://sammygailsnails.blogspot.com
Sassy Shelly http://www.sassyshelly.com
Shelby Lou Nails http://shelbylounails.blogspot.com
The Dalai Lama's Nails http://www.thedalailamasnails.com
The Polished Hippy http://thepolishedhippy.blogspot.com/
The Polished Mommy http://www.thepolishedmommy.com/
The Sparkling Hoard http://www.thesparklinghoard.com/
xoxo, Jen http://xoxojen.com


a Rafflecopter giveaway


If you win, how would you spend the money?

Smitten Polish You Saucy Minx

Press Sample


Today I have another gorgeous lacquer from Smitten Polish.  I believe all the others have been holos, but this one is a jelly with duochrome pigment.

You Saucy Minx has a blue/purple jelly base and with lots of duochrome shimmer that shifts from a reddish copper to green.  The coppery color is the most dominant under bright lights while the green peaks out at certain angles and in certain lighting, especially the shade.

Since this is a jelly base, it is a bit sheer and can be layered, but it does build up to a nice opacity.  Other than that, it applies perfectly.

This is 3 coats.

Saucy Minx and others can be purchased from the Smitten Polish website.
Press Sample

Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Ever Green

So keeping along with the fall theme, today I have Ever Green from the new Sally Hansen New York Fashion Week Runway Collection for Fall 2014.  I always look forward to these collections, but I can never find them and by the time I do they've been picked over and the CVS store closest to me has a terrible beauty section.  Nothing is ever in place, polish is put out on random shelves without the display and they almost never get anything new that's of interest.  But on to this lovely polish.

Ever Green is well, green.  It's one of my favorite types of green polish, a little murky, a little dark, and of the army green range.  I wouldn't put it in the pretty-ugly category though.

This one applied really nicely.  I forgot how much I love the brush on the Complete Salon Manicure polishes.

This is 2 coats.

Essie The Perfect Cover Up

Today I have a quick NOTD (nails of the day) post for you.  The Perfect Cover Up is a part of Essie's Dress to Kilt Collection for Fall 2014.  I'm not sure how to describe this color.  We'll call it a grayed dark teal.  Definitely a fall/wintery color.  My brain keeps telling me I have something like it in my stash, but nothing quite matches.

Application on this was absolutely perfect and all I needed was one coat!

At this point I'm tired of summer and I'm ready for fall to come.  Now if only it weren't still 80 degrees out.

This is 1 coat.

Smitten Polish Seasonal Lattes

Press Sample

Hey everyone!

Today I have another lacquer from Smitten Polish today!  This one is from the Fall 2014 collection, and is aptly named Seasonal Lattes.  It's a dark chocolate brown linear holo that almost looks a little bronze.  Now I have shied away from brown in the past, but this gorgeousness here?  I may love it more than my pumpkin spice latte and that's saying something.

This applied nicely and was just slightly thicker than some other holos I have from Smitten Polish, but not in a bad way.

This is 2 coats.

Seasonal Lattes and others from the Smitten Polish fall collection will be available for pre-order on September 5, 2014 at 2:00pm central time for 24 hours via the Smitten Polish website.  For more information and updates, please visit the Smitten Polish Facebook page.

Press Sample

And We Have a Winner!

Congratulations to Valencia for winning the Perfect Barielle Manicure Giveaway!  Your items will be arriving soon and I hope you enjoy them!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thank you to all those who participated and thank you Barielle for the prizes!

Zoya Entice Collection for Fall 2014 Swatches and Review

Press Sample

I hope everyone had a great Labor Day, and if you aren't from the US, a great Monday!  Today I have for you the first part of Zoya's Fall offering for 2014: Entice.  It consists of 5 creams and 1 subtle frost.

On to the swatches!

Claire is a dark vampy burgundy cream.  Such a classic color to me.  No application complaints.  This is 2 coats.

Nyssa is a medium milk chocolate brown cream.  Brown seems to be the it color for fall this year.  It's been showing up everywhere!  The formula was a little thin, but otherwise perfect.  This is 2 coats.

Veronica.  Zoya calls it a wine color, but it's a bit lighter than that.  This had a great application.  This is 1 coat.

Margo is a "red plum" color.  Definitly a favorite.  A little thiner than the others but great application.  This is 2 coats.

Ryan is a dark navy blue.  Everyone needs a color like this in their collection.  This applied really well.  This is 2 coats, but you can definitely get away with 1.

And last but not least is Genevieve, a dark gray with hints of frosty shimmer.  This one was the most sheer of the bunch.  This is 2 coats.

Overall this is a nice little collection of classic creams and are perfect for fall.  My favorites are Margo, Ryan and Genevieve.  Do you plan on getting anything from this collection?

The Entice collection can be purchased from the Zoya website and retail for $9 USD.

Press Sample

Proud Beauty Bloggers of Color in Green: Smitten Polish Girl Sprouts

Hi everyone!

Today the Proud Beauty Bloggers of color have decided to show off in green!  I have another green holo from Smitten Polish (I showed you Electric Lime earlier last month).  Just like with Electric Lime, I'm in love.  Girl Sprouts is a gorgeous midtone green linear holo.  What's not to love?

Girl Sprouts applied really well, so no complaints there.

This is 2 lovely coats.

Smitten Polish can be purchased from their website here.  Girl Sprouts retails for $11.00 USD.


Check out the rest of the Beauty Bloggers of Color below!

An InLinkz Link-up