What's Your Polish, Peeps?

Hey all, Polish Earthgirl here! Check out this new themed post and tell me what you think!

Hey everyone! This is a special post all about what my friends, and anyone around, are currently sporting as their mani! Let's check 'em out.

First off, this stylish gal is currently wearing a "skittles combo" of polishes by wet n' wild, essie, and OPI. This cool mix of colors is inspired by spring, and super creative at that!

Next, this fun girl is sporting China Glaze Adore from their romantique collection last year. It never gets old!! And she loves the fact that this is a one coater polish, perfect for anybody's busy lifestyle!

Last, well, what happened here? This super-busy chica obviously has a lot on her plate right now! And it's totally okay if you are too busy doing stuff in the real world to keep up on your mani. We understand!

So did you enjoy this special post or is it something to, well, never attempt again. Let me know!! :)

Zoya Polish Exchange = Your Life Greener in Style!

Yes! This totally brightened my Monday when I found out that the Zoya polish exchange is back in action! If you have never done a Zoya polish exchange before, it's a great thing to do. So what you do is send in at least 6 of your old polishes (but not Zoyas) and you get brand new Zoya colors for only $3.50 a pop to cover shipping! More info on that here.

Yet another reason that Zoya is such a green company, I love it! I'll show you all my colors soon :)

Essie + Loreal = What?!

Hey everyone! Now I know that you may have already heard this but just to be sure you have, Essie cosmetics has been bought by Loreal! Just letting you know, I contacted Essie, and everything is going to remain as-is with the polishes themselves (phew!) Here is the document letting you in on all of the details here.

If you did not already see the swatches of Loreal's newest collection, passport to paradise, check it out on Steph's Closet. They are all dead on dupes of Essie's North Fork collection last year--wowza!

This is just a kind of checking in/heads up post, not my usual, I know! I'll have more goodies for you all soon! <3

Happy Earth Day!

Hello everyone and Happy Earth Day! From reading this blog, you know I'm quite passionate about the environment. I read some amazing tips for a greener lifestyle here so click if you'd like to read more. I'm going to do a special post for the occasion, so here we go!

Eco-polish award: Dazzle Dry and Zoya!

Not only is Dazzle Dry big 3 free, it's also nitrocellulose free (a chemical) and the only polish that is, currently! And Zoya, being big 3 free as well, is also free of camphor and it's vegan! Woot, woot! Not to mention the original creator of the polish exchange, a super-green practice!

Laziness vs. Green!

Well, I wanted to tell you guys quickly that being green is not as easy as some make it out to be, I know. But, if we all are passionate about it and know how much our planet REALLY needs it right now!! I know it can be tiring composting away, as well as walking downstairs to the recycle bin! This is just a little blurb saying, WE CAN DO IT!

Green tips!

1) Reduce your general intake of, well, stuff! Reducing is much of the equation. Here's an example, buy not purchasing that pack of makeup brushes online (that you may not really need) you are saving: gas emissions being created from shipping, extra gas emissions from the factory, a large box, tons and tons of styrofoam pacing peanuts, plastic that it's wrapped in, etc!

2) Bring your own tupperware to restaurants! If you want to take your meal home, just put it in that instead of using a styrofoam box, yuck!

3) Garage sale! Instead of throwing out your old things, they may become somebody else's treasure! Or, ahem, not wind up in a landfill...

4) Eat in, not take out! Think of all the extra trash created, just from getting a take-out meal as opposed to eating at the place. Well, plastic utensils, plastic boxes, extra napkins you probably don't need, and a big paper bag! Well, that's an awful lot if you ask me.

5) Unplug, unplug, unplug! Anything that's not in use, unplug, or shut down as opposed to "sleep" mode. I'm quite bad at this one, my laptop always is on sleep mode, but I'll try to stop! And those chargers hanging out off the wall, without a cell phone attached? Got to go!

So everyone, I hope you embrace Earth Day and not just think of it as a single day, but a reminder to all of us that this is what we should be conscious of EVERY day. Until next time, have an earthy day <3

Zoya Flash Collection

Hi everyone! I'm here and excited to show you the Zoya Flash Collection, the other half (with sparkle) of Zoya's Summer 2010 showing.

Robyn. This bright turquoise creme is definitely a summer shade! It's a standout color and a gorgeous one too. I like this shade because it's bright but not too bright (I don't know about you but I am a bit tired of neons.) Oh, and did I mention that this shade looks good any skin tone?! If you are looking for a fun color that's still flattering, Robyn's your gal!

Perrie. This soft lavender creme is nothing short of stunning. This color is light yet saturated enough to pop on anyone's skin. It kind of reminds me of a shade of the typical "perfect" flower--so pretty!! Lot's of lavenders exist in the world of polish but something about this one, possibly the undertone, just makes it stand out in a huge way. If you even remotely like purples, you need this baby!!

Dana. A bright, cool-toned berry creme, Dana is also ranked high on the flattering scale. It's not totally unique but not even close to ugly! I will definitely be wearing this one, as well as Robyn and Perrie. To better describe this shade, it's either a super-saturated watermelon or a slightly pinker raspberry. This would also make for a standout pedicure!

Jolene. This slightly-brighter-than-bubblegum-pink creme is a fun color and waayy cute! I didn't care for the appearance as much on myself as I would on another skin tone, but I actually ended up loving it on me! When you see this color, the first thing that probably comes to mind is candy, or for me, those colorful stripes on beach umbrellas! Just summer all around!

Maura. A bright tomato creme, and totally fabulous! I love this type of shade in particular on my toes and in all fairness, if this isn't a summer color, honey, I don't know what is! This shade would look stellar on anyone, in my humble opinion.

Jancyn. This soft tangerine creme has a bit of brightness to it--a tangerine scream!! Haha get it, tangerine creme, tangerine scream, hah hah. It, well, rhymes.... *cue crickets* Back to reality, this is an alright color. Orange cremes and I don't get along too well, they just don't look good on me, that's all! This is an okay shade on it's own but it leans dangerously close to mac 'n cheese territory. Although, this is an easy to like color if you have the skin tone to pull it off.

To hear more what I think of this collection, please watch my video above! Thanks!

Dazzle Dry Wear Test

Here is the post about how long the Dazzle Dry system holds up, that I promised in the video. Check it out!

This is right after I did my manicure so obviously no tipwear or any issues.

Okay, as you all can see, I do have some tipwear around the edges of my polish, boo! You can see it better in the second pic.

Here's the status at day 3. I have some extreme tipwear at this point but no chipping at all, so that's good. The second pic shows the status on the nail that was holding up the worst. Yuck.

And a side view... tipwear city!

Overall, this system holds up okay, but just okay. I change my manicures pretty often so this would not be an issue for me, but I don't know how much this would affect your guys' "nail painting routines."

All About Dazzle-Dry!

So I recently received some goodies from Dazzle Dry (a nail polish company), A 3pc Kit including Nail Prep, Base Coat, and Top Coat. I review the whole system and walk you through how it works from start to finish in the video below. I also put more info and pictures below taken of this cute kit! Enjoy!

One thing that's super cool about this company is that it's eco-friendly and vegan! Always a super-big plus in my book!! It's also the only polish currently on the market thats Nitrocellulose free, which is a big chemical. Cool or what?! Pictures below...

The super-cute packaging!

What the system promises (WOW!)

The easy-to-follow instructions on the back of the box

And a video on how to use the system! I went through the whole thing for the first time on camera, and I'm sharing it with you guys!

Zoya Sparkle Collection

Hello everybody and today I am here to show you all the fabulous Zoya Sparkle collection for summer 2010. It is one in a two-part collection (Flash and Sparkle) so Flash will be coming up soon. I did a short, short video which gives a more accurate depiction of the colors but I still wrote a normal extensive review. You can watch it if you like right here below. Enjoy!
PLUS, CHARLA IS THE ONLY COLOR I SWATCHED BECAUSE THEY ARE ALL SO HARD TO CAPTURE ON MY CAMERA, THIS WAS THE ONLY ONE THAT WAS EVEN REMOTELY ACCURATE.

Now the normal review:

Ivanka. This sparkling glass fleck is chock full of gorgeous multi-dimensional "flakie" shimmer, as is every color in the collection. I'd describe this shade as a light-ish emerald green with hints of deep blue, although that doesn't show up on the nail--just the green. This color is so amazingly pretty and very wearable for a green I'd say. I'm glad that the super dark greens have begun to fade out of season, I love it when people can actually tell I'm wearing green and not black!

Charla. When I see this color, one word comes to mind. MERMAID!! Isn't it though? A mermaid blue sparkling glass fleck that slightly resembles that absolute perfect tropical ocean you see on a photoshopped postcard. Aaahh, I can feel the sand in my toes already. Back to what I was saying, I love this color too! The mixture of shades within the bottle of polish is simply mind boggling and you would have to see it in person. Outstanding!

Mimi. This shade is a deep royal purple sparkling glass fleck and boy, is this a rich shade or what!? The flaky shimmer in it is a somewhat light purple and that just gives the "grape-syrupy" colored polish all the more depth. Don't get grossed out by that description, if you did I apologize, but this is a fantastic color!! It's so unique too and a color for all you purple lovers to definitely go gaga for!

Alegra. A rich fuchsia candy-like sparkling glass fleck like this just completes this collection, in my opinion. Even if you are tired of berry like shades, the sparkles and flakes definitely re-vamp the trend. Oh, wait, did I see a few silver flakies in there too? Yes, yes, this polish is full of fun little pieces that you normally wouldn't think to find in a pink. A unique pink!! Thank you Zoya.

Nidhi. This tomato paste red with minimal silver flakies has me scratching my head a bit. It does not seem to me to fit in with the rest of this collection's "chock-full-o-sparkles-and-depth" bio. The sparkles in this one seem to be hiding, or like somebody just sprinkled some on top instead of mixing them in at full throttle. Anyway, not my taste but I just feel like something is missing.

Gilda. This sassy hot pink sparkling glass fleck is super summery! I love the fact that Zoya put a new spin on a classic neon hue. I really like this color as well and this is a type of polish perfect for a fun party or a day at the beach! The hue almost reminds me of a super-bright tropical flower... ahh the thought won't escape my mind, summertime vacation :)

Onto formula, all of these were 3 coaters except for Nidhi, which was 2 coats. Signature Zoya application, FLAW-LESS *said in a sing-songy voice*! Anyway, the type of simmer in these polishes really impressed me both by it's unique feel and combination of glass flecked shimmer and metallic shine. Color me a HUGE fan! Zoya has been knocking it out of the park for the past few seasons, and with a huge smash at that!

Flash Collection will be reviewed soon!

China Glaze Up, Up, and Away (3 colors)

Hello all! Today I have some super-cute polishes to show you from China Glaze's Up, Up, and Away collection! I really liked these colors, they are my fave 3 from the whole bunch, so here they are, without further ado. (Formula and other ramblings after)

Something Sweet. I wore this delicate mod baby pink in my "Day at the Beach" post recently. It's a stunning pink and very flattering too. It gives your nails that "perfect" look especially from afar without the time and hassle of doing a french mani. I love this little one!

Lemon Fizz. The name fits this shade of polish PERFECTLY! It's a pale lemon yellow color, like the typical pale yellow that one orients with Spring. I was very surprised at how bright this color was once it's on the nail! A bit more so than in the bottle!

Grape Pop. This blue purple creme is very much like the color of grape soda. I'm surprised that this was released in a spring collection, it looks a bit more summer/fall like to me but it does balance out the other pale cremes nicely, I'll admit!!

Onto formula... All of the polishes were two coats except for Lemon Fizz, which was three. There were no formula troubles on any except for Grape Pop. Okay, if you can't already tell from the swatch above, I had some major issues. It was super thick and runny and I had some serious pooling of polish at my cuticles. Major frown. For the most part though, all top notch!!

These colors are already available. What were your faves from the collection??

Earth Update: My Day at the Beach

So, pretty recently, I was walking along the beach not too far from my home, having a good relaxing day with my brother. The weather was great and the day was a beautiful one. Almost as soon as I was starting to float off to daydream-land, I spotted something out of the corner of my eye. No slower than the time it took me to turn my head, I was slapped back into reality with the cold, unwelcoming sight of...

...this.

Really? How lazy can people be? Well, I sure saw it for myself. Suddenly the trip had taken a more serious turn. I looked at my brother and promptly decided that we were going to pick up all of the trash. Yup, you heard me, every single piece of trash we found on the beach. Almost as soon as I had taken another step in the sand, my eyes begin to feast on, well...

this,

this,

and even this. Although it's nasty and covered with algae, I picked it up and threw it into our pile, which we carried to a nearby trash can.

This little assortment of some of the garbage we found on the beach may be pretty, or even dubbed "artsy" if it wasn't made up solely of gross scum that lazy people refuse to pick up. What on earth makes people think that they are so beyond important that they have no place *gasp* picking up their own trash! I have yet to think of one good reason that littering is okay and is acceptable, to do. Well feel free to open my eyes if there's something that I'm, well, missing.

"Well, it's the animal's fault if it eats the trash and chokes. Yeah! I mean, umm, it should know better not to get near it!"

"Well, umm, it won't stay there forever right? Pssh, yea seriously, it will find its way into the trashcan. Or better yet the ocean, yeahh! I will never have to see it again if it just floats on away, I mean..."

"Come on. Like one piece of trash will ruin the ENTIRE beach. Um, yea, I didn't think so either."

"Somebody who is into that type of thing... umm, cleaning, and umm... caring for the earth and whatever, will pick it up for me, like they have no life anyways... so, yeaa."

Well, I picked up all of this trash. And there I am, putting handful one into the trash can! No, I do not do this to make the litterers feel like picking up their own stuff isn't their job. I do it for one simple reason. To help our earth. I encourage you all to do the same. (And in style too! Check out my China Glaze polish in Something Sweet!)

Thanks so much for reading and have an "earthy"day. <3

Essie Resort 2010 Collection

Hello everyone! Today I have some swatches for you all of the Essie Resort for Summer 2010 collection. It's full of four gorgeous cremes that totally scream out "summer here we come!" if you ask me. Now, to the pics! We'll talk formula after.

Turqoise and Caicos. The star of the collection in my book. This beautiful seafoam green creme has a slightly sheer and jelly like consistency. My swatch is three smooth coats. I love colors like this! It's kind of like Essie Greenport and China Glaze For Audrey but a greener, less creamy version. Simply stunning and very unique! This resembles like the typical "perfect tropical waters" color, which makes me go all googly-eyed. I cannot think of a single thing that I even remotely dislike about this color. It is a work of fabulous genius! :) BTW, sorry for the slightly funky looking swatch, this was so hard to capture accurately on camera!

Lapis of Luxury. This cornflower blue creme has a similar texture and consistency to Turquoise and Caicos. I absolutely adore this color too, actually it's my current pedi! Anyway, this color is absolutely fab and a very unique blue I might add. Wow, this collection even already is taking me over by storm, I love it!

Playa Del Platinum. This muted sandy creme is not very fitting with the rest of the colors we see in the collection. However, it does balance the fabulous colorful polishes out, and in a very good way at that! This color is a nice alternative to the traditional sheer pink or muted pale gray and it looks surprisingly lovely on nails. Color me amazed!

Splash of Grenadine. This light berry magenta creme is lovely indeed for a summer collection! This color is a bright-ish shade but not very overwhelming, which is a nice change from all of the blazing neons we have been seeing lately. A very pretty polish and I think that this will flatter any type of skin tone equally nicely!

These shades are extremely wearable as well and for the most part, I loved 'em! I have been wearing Turquoise and Caicos on my nails for about 4 days and I got tons of compliments, whether from my friends or random sales clerks when I went shopping! Anyway, needless to say that one was my favorite but closely followed by... well that's too hard to choose right now, I like 'em all! The formula on these was semi-sheer but fabulous. Super smooth and easy to apply, perfection in 3 coats. I like what Essie has been doing lately in terms of collections. The Spring collection was gorgeous and last summer's, and the north fork were no exception. Essie, I love your pinks and other signature colors, but when you go for fun shades like this, there's no way you'll get it wrong!! Bravo, resort collection, you are here to stay.

What do you all think of these colors? (They will be released in late April/early May)

Earth Update: Meat

Hello everyone, now I know I have not done an earth update in a while but I'm going to try to get back in the habit. Anyway, I read this article recently and it seriously changed my life, or at least the way I look at things. I'd really appreciate it if you guys would click the link below and at least skim the article.

Is your lunch causing global warming?

Here's my brief recap: eating meat is a massive cause of global warming and one that we can seriously control with ease! You can't just give up your car, but you can cut down on meat consumption. Please please spread the word!!! Thank you everybody and have an earthy day.

Color Club Rebel Debutante Collection

Here is the Color Club Spring 2010 Collection- Rebel Debutante. I can't really pinpoint any common theme throughout this collection except that they are all cremes of some sort. Sorry that my swatches are not the best right now, my current rainy weather forbids me to swatch outside! So sad... Please please cope with me though, this is the last of bad indoor swatches, I will be fixing my indoor situation soon *cue "yayyy" sound effects!* To the swatches! Colors first, formula after.

Uptown Girl: Muted purple creme. A bit more purple then my swatch shows, sorry!! This is very reminiscent of OPI's Parlez Vous OPI? from a few season back. A pretty shade, but not so...

unique if you know what I mean. Pretty and wearable but not fresh or exciting really.

Best Dressed List: I surprisingly like this sandy medium tan creme on me, although I hate most colors of this type! It must have different undertones but I can't quite put a finger on what they are. Anyway, this is a nice neutral shade for Spring, perfect for paring with a floral dress or a fun super-accessorized outfit.

Gossip Column: This shade is a dark teal blue that looks a touch lighter in person. It reminds me of China Glaze Shower Together from AGES ago! Remember that one? Very similar but I'm afraid better than this version. Back to the post, this is not an ugly color, but not unique or pretty enough for me to go drooling all over myself. Just a "meh" color.

Charity Ball: Okay, this color is not true to life AT ALL here. It's much less of a diseased poop shade and more of a deep burgundy chocolate. I just had to throw that out there. Anyway, even in real life it's kind of a "huh" color. Dark browns in spring, you said what?? Yea, and it's not the most flattering of all colors either. Sorry, not a winner.

She's Soooo Glam: A mod-like easter egg pink, only vamped up a notch in brightness! This sure is one blazing polish, girl! Super bright on nails, although it doesn't look it in the bottle. A unique snowflake for a pink polish, and I like it!

Ms. Socialite- I like this one. It doesn't look totally stellar in the bottle but on nails it just brightens up and comes to life, baby! Super pretty and totally fitting for Spring's bright and fun vibe. A keeper for sure!!

Rebel Debutante: The namesake color of the collection. A very soft and sweet spring green creme, yet extremely neon at the same time! This one is a very unique color but I am not so sure I am in love with the color... not yet anyways. What do you all think of it? I either love it or really hate it, I can't decide. Weird, but true!

Okay just realized I forgot to swatch two colors! Aaaahh, my fault, so sorry! They will be up in the next Polish of the Day post, so don't fret!!

On formula. Okay, I am assuming that I got a bad batch because mine were very thick, but also really like to pool at my cuticles. Not cool or fun for me, just a pain. These were all three coaters, or else they were not even or opaque completely. The formula kind of ended up making me a little mad during swatching, it was so hard to get on even remotely normal looking for most of 'em! All I can assume is that I got a bad bunch. And a heads up, I experienced some extreme chipping on these, after 1 day of wear! (see first swatch)

Anyways, there are a few colors worth picking up, but I'm not sure if it's really worth all that much fuss.