Light Pinks Swatch Comparison

A reader asked me for a swatch comparison of OPI's Suzi and the Lifeguard (from the 2009 summer south beach collection) and OPI's Italian Love Affair.  I personally like Italian Love Affair better, the formula was much better.  These are both three coats and topcoat.  With Suzi and the Lifeguard, I experienced a bit of cuticle drag, which I hate but I do not know if my bottle was just a dud.  Italian Love Affair has a much more creme finish that Suzi, click on the picture to see the closeup (pardon my awful cuticles!!)  Hoped that this helped!

Shelter Island

Essie Shelter Island is a bright sky blue color with a jelly-like texture.  I personally do not think that pictures do this color justice, in person, it almost glows!  Out of the North Fork collection colors, this is easily the brightest.  What you see now is three coats of color and topcoat. Application was fabulous, plain and simple, as I had no cuticle drag or goopy, thick polish. To be honest, this color really surprised me. Sky blue lacquers can be found almost anywhere, what makes this one unique is the finish: It's not an average creme, if it's a creme at all! After putting it on, I noticed that it takes on a jelly finish. Is this only my bottle??  I don't really mind if it's intentional or not because I love it!!! This little gem will just brighten your day!

Earth Update: Balloons

Today I have a tip so that you can keep your parties safer and "greener".  A very popular party decoration is balloons, they're festive, colorful, and fun! An important thing you need to know, though, is that letting your balloons just float up into the sky may be harder on the environment than you think. Once the balloons float up high enough, they pop and of course, what goes up must come down.  Many of the popped latex remains land in the ocean to later be choked on by dolphins and other sea life. Who knew a party decoration could be so... harsh? Be more aware of you balloons at parties, like not untying them or letting them go.

Thanks a bunch, and have an "earthy" day!

Essie Summer 2009 Preview

I received this picture recently in an email from Essie cosmetics, a picture of their summer collection which is coming soon! I'm actually really excited for this!! Well I think that even though these colors aren't too unique, they're pretty! Namely, Cute as a Button. I can't wait to see it!! Enjoy this picture!

Brights or Not?

This season has been fun in terms of nail polish, of course! There have been tons of neons which scream summer and fun! Luckily, super-neon colors are not your only options if you want your nails be trendy for summer. Bright colors like the new Bright Pair collection by OPI and Kicks by China Glaze are a good way to still get an awesome splash of color without going over the top. But, if you love bringing that funky and daring vibe to your nails, neons are a fun way to go! Try the Neons by Essie limited edition collection to get brightest nails of the summer, plus fabulous eye catching colors.

I want to hear from you, what are your favorites (colors, collections, etc.) from this season?

OPI Italian Love Affair

Light pinks are usually not my favorite but this certain one stands out.  Italian Love Affair by OPI is soft and delicate yet very pigmented and fun. What makes the polish special is the shimmer in it.  You might just think this is a creme but think again!!  There are some tiny particles of white shimmer in it that catch the light just perfectly when on the nail.  In real life, the color is more... pink-y.  The sun was setting so that kind of explains the bad picture. This is three coats of color and topcoat. The formula flowed onto the nail well, no cuticle drag.  Please excuse the tipwear, I've been sporting this color for a few days!  

Earth Update: Nail Polish

Animal testing does not usually cross most people's minds when shopping for nail polish, but get the real scoop here. Some animals spend their entire lives cooped up in the dank, smelly cage of a lab only to know that their life will end as a careless experiment. I'm not telling you to stop buying nail polish altogether (no way!) but be conscious of who you buy it from. Details follow:

Nail polish companies that DO NOT test on animals: China Glaze, E.L.F, Seche, Color Club, Essie, Hard Candy, OPI, Orly, Revlon, MAC, Rimmel, Sally Hansen, NYC, Spa Ritual, Avon, Man Glaze, BB Couture For Nails, Barielle, Butter London, Chanel

Nail Polish Companies that DO test on animals: L'Oreal, Covergirl, Max Factor, Lancome, Maybelline

Well, there are a lot of companies that have given up this cruel practice, so it's a start! I hope that other manufacturers take into account how bad what they are doing truly is. You can definitely help too by buying only from the companies that do not test on animals!!! It will help a lot, thanks!

***The information about many of the companies was found at peta.org. The rest I got by emailing the companies themselves.***