Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Color Club Halloween Preview~

Click the photo to enlarge!

Hey everyone! Today I have a little teaser for you all on the Color Club Bewitching set for Halloween. It's kind of a create your own nail art type of thing. Swatches ASAP!! What do you all think? Sorry for the lack of posts! I'll get back to blogging more soon!!

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Scrangie Interview!

Hey everyone!! I recently had the awesome oppurtunity of being able to interview the fabulous nail polish blogger, Scrangie!! I really enjoyed hearing about a fellow nail polish blogger, not to mention a FABULOUS one at that! Hope you all enjoy!
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Polish Earthgirl- How do you keep your nails in their best shape? Any specific products or techniques?

Scrangie- The most important thing is a little preventative care. First, a good treatment (which I use as a basecoat)- my holy grail product is Qtica Natural Nail Growth Stimulator, but I've also had good results from Nubar Nu Nail. Second, lots of moisture every day. I love Solar Oil. Last, a good quality glass or crystal file will make a nice sealed edge and prevent splitting to some extent- I use both OPI and Essie brand ones. Other than that, I don't really do much to my nails besides shaping every now and then. It's also important not to have your hands in water for long periods of time and never use your nails as tools. So that's how I keep my nails in their best shape!


P.E.- When did you begin your collection? What made you want to start it in the first place?

S.- I've been collecting nail polish for as long as I remember. I started out on Avon, Maybelline, L'Oreal, Revlon, mostly drugstore brands and then started collecting OPI. Even as a little kid I loved makeup and nail polish and my mom always had fun stuff around.

P.E.- Your manicures in your swatches are always picture perfect! Any tips on creating that perfect, neat mani?

S.- What I do is get a good amount of polish on the brush- it will be too much for the nail, but this allows for a smooth application. I place the brush and the bead of polish just above the cuticle, press down gently to allow the bristles to fan out and make a nice curve and I 'push' the bead of polish down the nail. This prevents polish from pooling in the cuticles and also helps with streaks and uneven application.

P.E.- Which type of polish are you currently into? Creme colors, matte colors, shimmer colors, or anything else?

S.- Right now I'm into cremes and duochromes. I'm currently loving greys, taupes, vampies and greens. The new Orly Space Cadet is on my tips right now and I can't stop looking at it! I'm ready for fall so my mind is on deeper, richer colors.

P.E.- What do you think the standout trends of this year have been? Spring, Summer (maybe the upcoming Fall) ?

S.- Two things stand out to me most- the taupe/grey/putty/greige trend and this new duochrome glass fleck finish that most of the brands are doing this year (like Zoya Sparkle, Orly Cosmic FX, OPI Catch Me In Your Net, Sally Hansen Ultra HD) Both trends are really wearable and flattering but also stylish and fun!

P.E.- What are your favorite brands formula wise and color wise?

S.- This is hard. I like lots of polishes from lots of different brands...I'd have to say OPI first because they are really consistent in their formula and it works well on me. Rescue Beauty Lounge, Nubar and Illamasqua for the colors and formula. China Glaze and Zoya for the amazing color selection and creativity. Sally Hansen has been really good color-wise this year. So many great brands, I like a little of everything!

P.E.- What cool things have you gotten out of having your blog?

The best thing is interacting with polish and makeup lovers all over the world. It's unbelievable. So many great people! I've made lots of polish buddies! How cool is it to know that someone on the other side of the globe is wearing the same nail polish you are? Haha!
Another cool thing is seeing how the blogging and online community can influence nail polish trends. We ask for greens, they give us greens! So amazing to know we all have a voice!

P.E.- Which is your the season of nail polish collections that you look forward to the most?

S.- FALL FALL FALL!! Fall is my favorite season for everything, but nail polish especially. Deep rich colors, glitter, purples and oranges and browns... I look forward to fall every year.

P.E.- I have seen from your blog that you are into makeup as well! Which makeup products can you not live without?

S.- The two things tied for my first place can't-live-without status are mascara and eye primer. Mascara is my most important item, but if I'm going to wear shadow (and I am!) primer is non-negotiable. I love Too Faced Shadow Insurance, Urban Decay Primer Potion and MAC Paint Pots. And I love my Cover Girl Lash Blast and L'Oreal Volume Shocking mascara!
I also can't live without bright sparkly eyeshadow. I'm a MAC lover at heart. Great formulas and color selection. Urban Decay is great. I've been playing around a lot with Make Up For Ever and Fyrinnae lately and having lots of fun!

P.E.- What do you enjoy doing when you are not painting your nails or blogging?

S.- Birdwatching, gaming, cooking, music... Does that sound boring? I spend a lot of time in nature, anything to get me away from the computer! Haha!

P.E.- What color(s) would you consider your signature polish?

S.- Am I allowed to say Rescue Beauty Lounge Scrangie? If not that, it would have to be something like OPI Ink or My Private Jet, maybe Nubar Violet Sparkle. I wear those colors more than anything else... I guess my signature color would be some variation of purple or green and sparkly!

Thanks for giving me the honor to be interviewed by you! :)

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Essie Fall 2010 Preview

Hey everyone!! Here is a quick little sneak peek at Essie's Fall Collection! What are your guys' first impressions of these shades? Tell me in the comments!!

Click the image to enlarge.

Monday, August 16, 2010

OPI Swiss Collection Swatches Part 1: The Cremes

Good afternoon readers! Today, I am going to give you all my thoughts on OPI's newest collection for this Fall/Winter: Swiss! All of these colors are Switzerland themed, which gives us no shortage of funny color names! This is just the first half of the collection (I wanted to divide it up) so expect the other half of the collection up soon, keep on checking back for the post! Enjoy and let me know what you think in the comments below!!


William Tell Me About OPI. This is a super deep, rich eggplant color, which I think is perfect for a Fall/Winter set. I personally love this shade and I can see myself wearing it throughout the rest of the calendar year. Might I add that OPI tends to do "vampy" colors, like this, very well!


Color So Hot It Berns. This bright, pure red seems perfect for the holiday season coming up in a few months! Very pretty and flattering on the nail are the first things that come to mind, however, not too unique. I still like this one--it does look quite good on!


I'm Suzi & I'm a Chocoholic. Okay I have a bit to say about the particular shade of this polish. It seems to be a very very red-toned brown but when I looked at it in the shade, it looked like a very deep maroon red. I stepped into the sun and suddenly it looked a whole lot more brown. Very strange, as cremes usually do not change color like that... this seems to be a mystery to me. Anyway, back to the point, although the color-changing does intrigue me, I do not particularly care for this shade.


Just a Little Rösti At This. I'd describe this color as a soft maroon berry, which to me, is perfect for the season! I like this color quite a bit and I think it looks fabulous once on the nail. This would make a very good Fall pedi color as well.


From A to Z-urich. This is just a muted berry red. I compared this to Zoya Burke and although they may look similar they are not dupes, the OPI is a bit darker. About the color... I'm not so sure that this one is really worth a lot of attention. It's not a bad looking color just quite boring.


Ski Teal We Drop. I love that name!! This is a slightly muted dark teal blue which I absolutely love!!! Please pardon the tipwear in the swatches--I'd been wearing it for a while. This is an awesome color for Fall/Winter and I can't wait to wear it more! This is by far a front runner in the collection which I think everyone should pick up; it's lovely!!

All were two coats with very nice opacity and formula! Full collection thoughts in Part 2... stay tuned!

xoxo
P.E.

Sunday, August 8, 2010

Just for Fun! Beauty Quiz

This little poll has been floating around the internet for a while now, so I thought I'd finally do it. It's a "would you rather beauty quiz" so here are my answers to the questions and I encourage you all to do the same and answer these questions down in the comments! You do not have to go as in depth as I did, unless you want to of course!! Happy quizzing :)

#1. Would you rather go out with messy hair and nice make-up, or nice hair and no make-up?
Nice hair and no makeup. I think that being confident in your natural beauty is important not to forget. You don't need makeup all the time! Plus, that fabulous hair you'll be sporting will bring your appearance up a notch!

#2. Would you rather shave your eyebrows or have your eyelashes fall out?
Have my eyelashes fall out. Wait... am I allowed to wear fake lashes? :)

#3. Would you rather be forced to shop at only MAC or Sephora for the rest of your life?
Sephora because they have a much wider variety of things they carry in the store. I can find anything from eyeshadow to bath products to lash curlers!

#4. Would you rather wear the lipgloss/lipliner look or 80's perm?
Oh boy, neither honestly! Well, I guess I'd have to say a lipgloss/lipliner look because it's less obvious from afar.

#5. Would you rather leave the house with an obvious foundation line or overdone blush?
Overdone blush. An obvious foundation line is pretty scary looking since it looks like you are wearing a different face! With too much blush, I could just say that I got a bit to much sun at the beach! :D

#6. Would you rather wear MC Hammer pants or biker shorts in public?
Biker shorts. What's wrong with being sporty?

#7. Would you rather have a bad orange-y spray tan or really weird tan lines that can't be covered?
Really weird tan lines because it is like my worst fear EVER to look like a human traffic cone!! Yuck! In my opinion, weird tan lines (like from a really strappy swimsuit or something) at least make you look like you have been having a good time at the beach or a pool! Plus, the darker tan color is all natural :)

#8. Would you rather have a bad haircut or bad hair color?
Hmm, this is a tough one. Probably a bad hair cut because I have had one before, like in the past year, and it's a bit easier to hide than a wacko hair color! I just played with bobby pins and new styles. Believe me, it was horrible but I have yet to die my hair--I like my natural color!

#9. Would you rather have youtube or twitter taken away forever?
Twitter because, well, I don't use it. That's a little too easy.

#10. Would you rather give up using makeup brushes or mascara?
I think mascara because a mascara wand is technically a type of makeup brush (sorry for being cheap like that!)

I really want to see what you guys would rather do! Please answer in the comments and I'll talk to you guys soon in a later post!

xoxo
P.E.

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Beauty Faves of the Moment: Featuring MAC


Today for Beauty Faves of the Moment, I am sharing with you my purchases at the MAC counter from a couple of weeks ago. I will let you know right now that I am in no way a MAC collector, these were the first two makeup items I have ever purchased from MAC (I know, don't laugh!) and I am so far really loving them! Let's hope MAC makeup isn't going to become next big collection, for my wallet's sake! I really did enjoy both of the products I tried out, though, and I will surely be stopping by the MAC counter again soon to bring home some more goodies :) So let's get to the products:

First off, I got a mineralize Blush Duo from the "In the Groove" Collection in the color Band of Roses. I love this shade! When the two sides of the duo are blended together, it creates a slightly shimmering deep rosy pink, similar to a natural flush. The sheen in this blush is very nice looking once on the cheeks!

Looking all pretty in the box!

The label on the back.


Artificial light and sunlight photos.

Left: The lighter shade in the duo alone
Center: The darker shade in the duo alone
Right: The two shades mixed

Next, I got a Dazzle Lipstick from the "Digi-Pops" Collection. This is a lipstick infused with large pieces of shimmer, which looks great on! This lipstick went on particularly smooth for something that looks so textured and I like the fact that it wasn't a matte finish. I got the color Baby's on Fire; a coral-y red. Don't let the bright red in the tube scare you! It really goes on much lighter, however, it's easy to build up the intensity if you'd like.

The usual MAC lipstick box.


Dazzle lipstick packaging.


Far away and close-up shots.

Left: Lipstick with a peachy gloss over top
Right: Just the lipstick alone

Hope you guys enjoyed this post! I have a question for you all: What is a MAC product that you can't live without that you think I need to get? Tell me in the comments!

xoxo

Monday, August 2, 2010

Zoya Wicked Collection Swatches & Review

Hey all! Here are my thought on the Zoya Wicked collection. Watch the video for an in depth review and there are also swatches below. Enjoy!



Kym.

Carrie Ann. (Sorry, just the sun photo, the shade pics didn't turn out well.)


Karina.


Julieanne.


Cheryl.


Edyta.

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Zoya Wicked Teaser Alert!!

Hey everyone! I will post my entire Zoya Wicked Collection Review, but here's a sneak peek:


Zoya Edyta. A stunning deep gray-green glass fleck shimmer polish. Me likes!!

Check back soon for the full review and swatches of all the shades in the Wicked Collection for this Fall! xoxo

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Earth Update: Hand Sanitizer

Most of you all probably use things to sanitize your hands like that little "Purell" in a bottle. I did to until I met CleanWell All-Natural Hand Sanitizer at Whole Foods (for a complete list of stores CleanWell is sold at, click here.) This little guy is all natural while doing all of the germ-fighting we want. It's plant based, not alcohol based, which makes it have a yummy scent once you put it on too :) Read more below:

The cute bottle!

Close-up on the label...

...and the spraying cap! That's another thing that's unique, it's not a gel formula--this makes the solution last much longer than traditional Purell hand sani.


More info on the product itself on the back label!

I highly recommend that you all go out and pick up one of these little guys to just pop in your pocket/purse when you are on the run. Not only is the whole product eco-chic, it's also a bang for your buck! It contains enough product for over 225 sprays! Let me know if you have tried anything like this down in the comments (I bet not, right!?)

xoxo and have an earthy day!

Monday, July 19, 2010

Polish Of The Day: OPI Here Today, Aragon Tomorrow Suede

Hey all! Today I have got a treat to show you guys; a new addition to the OPI Suede Family! This is Here Today, Aragon Tomorrow, a dark green (which, in suede form, is much lighter than the original.) I have to say that I like this one much better than the original. You all know that I like my polishes to be obviously green, not the "is it green or black?" sort of thing. Photos below:


2 coats of color. (These pics were in natural and artificial lighting)

Overall if you are the type of green lover/collector like myself, it's worth picking up this one to add to your stash. However, I do think that the matte trend is coming to a close... but remember, with topcoat its a whole other polish! ;)

xoxo

Friday, July 16, 2010

Zoya Wonderful Collection Review

Hey everyone! So for the Zoya Wonderful collection review, I voice my thoughts about the colors and the collection as a whole in a video-review! The video is right below but I also did swatches, which you can see below, so check those out as well. Enjoy and let me know what you think!



Kelly. (My personal favorite! I have only worn this for one day and I have already had tons of people tell me they love it!!)


Stacy.


Burke. (please note, the bumps are not the polish, it's my nails!)


Kristy.


Cola.


Shawn.