Another Quick Post: Essie A-List

 

Now, this isn't the greatest photo, but it is the greatest red nail polish-- Essie's A-List. I adore this beautiful, true red and it is almost always on my toes. 

I have to apologize for my absence. In about one week I am graduating from college! I have to get all my papers done and turned in. For some reason, all of my finals this semester are papers, nothing in class. I'm not sure how I feel about that but I've counted the total pages I have to write before my graduation ceremony and it is a staggering 50+! 

Wish me luck and I'll be back soon with beautiful posts of all the lovely beauty products I plan to buy as a graduation treat to myself!

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Finger Paints in Shades of Dark

 

Like most dark polish shades, Shades of Dark was extremely hard to photograph! The nuances of the color's purple-y blackness don't show through the camera lens very well. The formula is very shiny and wearable with one coat but not totally opaque. One coat shows more of the polish's reddish-purple undertones but stays a little too streaky for my liking.  With two coats the polish is dark and edgy without being high school goth black.

Revlon Nail Enamel: Flirt

 

Can I just say that I'm in love with this color? Flirt is Barbie pink meets a very pastel Easter lavender. Like the Revlon Colorstay Polish in Pale Cashmere the drying time leaves a little to be desired. I kept smudging my nails just by touching them to see how dry they were. Compared to my OPI and Essie polishes these Revlon formulas take AGES to dry. However, beauty is a pain and if you like a color you just have to stick it out. 

 I think the picture below shows a little better how this polish has a slight pastel lavender tone to it. I would love to do some kind of pastel nail art with it. Maybe a moon manicure with white? Or even a pastel green like Essie Navigate Her?

Also, next time I have any free cash I'm going to order this NARS Sea of Love set or the NARS Beach Lover set both from Sephora. I've never owned a NARS product and this would be a great starter set.  

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Revlon Colorstay: Pale Cashmere

 

Yesterday, I celebrated my birthday and as a treat to myself, I decided I could go buy $20 worth of drugstore makeup. I posted my small haul yesterday on the blog. I painted my nails with Revlon Colorstay's Pale Cashmere last night and I'm loving the pinky-creamy color. 

The application itself was a little rough. I'm so used to the drying time of Essie colors that I kept smudging my nails thinking they'd be dry already. It took forever, I swear. Also, the brush itself is a little wide and stubby. It isn't bad, just different than Revlon's regular polish which is thinner and lengthy. 

I'm too much of a polish addict to test Revlon's claim that this polish can stay on up to 11 days continuously. Maybe next time I'm on vacation I'll see if it really does. Which, for my sake, I hope a vacation comes a long real quick! I'm drowning in homework! 

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Quick Drugstore Makeup Trip

 

I ran to the local grocery store and ended up grabbing around $20 worth of products. First, I snatched up three Revlon polishes which is a brand I've never picked polishes from. I'm usually an Essie or OPI kinda girl, so I'm excited to try these babies out! Pictured left to right-- Revlon Colorstay in Pale Cashmere, Revlon Whimsical, and Revlon Flirt. 

I'm absolutely in love with all three colors and Pale Cashmere is currently on my fingers. Whimsical maybe be the hardest to apply but it is definitely a funky color. I've noticed a lot of Revlon's polishes with glitter in the creme colors mimic a few Deborah Lippmann ones, just FYI. I can't name a Deborah Lippmann polish off the top of my head that Whimsical is a dupe for, nor can I attest to their formula being similar. However, they look really similar in the bottle. My DL polish Bad Romance looks just like Revlon Facets of Fuchsia .

 

My next grab was Maybelline's new bronzer. Bronzer isn't a product I'm super familiar with, so I'm excited to start contouring and bronzing my pale little face. 

Glitter Wave!!

A quick swatch of Julep's Sofia

Since I liked Julep Maven's Natasha polish, I decided to do a quick swatch of their varnish Sofia. The polish is a springy green with fine, blue glitter. From looking at the bottle, I wished I would of had it on St. Patrick's Day.

But, I'm sad to be the bearer of bad news. I really disliked this polish. The formula was very thin. My swatch is three coats and you can still see through the polish. For those who don't mind translucent polishes this probably won't bother you. Just make sure to apply a topcoat, after I let the varnish dry the color was a little dull. 

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Julep Maven Varnish in Natasha

 

I've got two different kinds of pictures taken by my iPhone (DSLR was dead! I hadn't noticed till I went to go use it!) of Julep Maven Varnish in Natasha. The top photo is in indoor light with a little sunlight filtered through a window. The lower photo is out in direct sunlight. 

Natasha is very similar to Essie's Meet Me at Sunset. It is very opaque, even with just one coat of polish and has a fairly good sheen to it. The color didn't chip at all during the three days I was wearing it. Really, the only reason I took it off was because I painted my toe nails with Essie's Ole Caliente and ruined my Natasha manicure in the process! 

My only minor gripe was the formula was a little drippy! When I would take the brush and dip it into the bottle and pull it out polish would drip every where! Even when I tried to regulate the amount of polish that got on the brush and the stick it would still run and drip down from the plastic stem. I accidentally dripped a few dots of orange onto my carpet! Oops!

In non-Julep Natasha news, I have got a major sunburn on my chest. Which, for me, is my number one burn spot other than the part of my hair. I need to be a little more vigilant about applying sunscreen if I don't want to age my skin so much! For some reason the burn is just absolutely itchy and it is driving me insane!

 

 

 

 

Essie and Julep Show down!

L to R- Essie Ole Caliente, Julep Maven Natasha, and Essie Meet Me at Sunset

I decided to swatch my three orange-y polishes. Obviously, Essie Ole Caliente is much more of a reddish pink than the others who are a little more "true" orange. I haven't tried out my Julep Maven Nail Varnishes just yet, so I'm not sure what their wear time is like. The Natasha shade was pretty opaque with one layer and went on smoothly. 

In the picture below, Natasha is a little lighter than Meet Me at Sunset. Natasha is more like the color of an orange traffic cone.They are very, very similar shades, almost dupes, but I'm not sure I would categorize them as dupes for sure. I think that Meet Me at Sunset has a little more depth and shine and Natasha might be redder, but only by the tiniest amount.

 Soon, I'll do a long wear test on Julep's Natasha, then we'll see who the winner is! Since, Ole Caliente is much different than the others, it already wins for being a gorgeous orange red. 

L to R: Ole Caliente, Natasha, Meet Me at Sunset

  

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Essie Pink-A-Boo

 

So, I don't think my camera really captured the shimmer in this polish all that well and truthfully, it seems a little more pink in real life. Not sure why all my photos look so washed out! Essie's Pink-a-Boo is a glittery, sheer baby pink that isn't too sheer. In the photos, I only used two layers, I thought about doing three but my laziness overtook me. I think three would probably look about the same as two.

The micro glitter in the formula catches the light easily. I see mostly pinks, but occasionally catch a cool blue from the glitter. This nail polish is great for those who like baby pink colors. I'm not usually one of those folks, but I could see myself wearing the color again. It is classy without being too "old". The shimmer and the tone of the pink really bring out a young girl vibe. I think my niece will enjoy it.

Essie To Buy Or Not To Buy

 

In contrast to my lost post in which I very much disliked Tour de Finance, I adore To Buy or Not To Buy. The pastel lilac color is perfect for an Easter manicure. If I had a steadier hand I might trying drawing a little yellow baby chick on my ring finger. 

In my swatch above I used three thin layers, although two thicker ones would probably suffice. Also, in real life this manicure is much shinier and maybe a little bit more saturated than my camera let on. 

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Essie Tour De Finance

Okay, I have to admit, I'm a huge Essie fan. However, I'm not the biggest fan of Tour de Finance. The pink reminds me of an 80s themed Barbie color (which by its self is just fine, don't get me wrong). The application was smooth and two coats did the job just fine. 

Skip to this afternoon, not even a full 24 hours after the application and my right hand's pointer finger already has a massive chip. Luckily, I usually take a photo of my left hand, which is above, but you can still see small chips on my middle finger. Other Essie Spring 2012 and Resort 2012 polishes seemed to last forever. And, I mean annoyingly forever. I would be rubbing away at full manicures six days after I painted it. 

I should give Tour de Finance some credit. The color is great, the application is smooth and it fits well into a summer polish collection. I can also see my little nieces and cousins wanting the polish applied to all their little toes and fingers. Which, truthfully, is probably what I'll save it for. 

 

My Introductory Julep Maven Box

 

I recently signed up for Julep Maven, which is a company similar to Birchbox, where you get a monthly subscription to beauty products. In addition to the subscription, Julep Maven also has their own range of products you can buy individually. Once you are signed up and officially become a "Maven" you'll receive 20% off those orders among other benefits.

 

First thing I opened in my box was the hand-scrub and nail file. I've been needing a nail file lately, so that is a nice little addition to the box. I haven't tried the glycolic acid hand-scrub yet, so we'll see how it works. I've never been one to use scrubs anywhere other than my face, but I'm willing to give this product a shot!

 

Now, the real meat of the package, two Julep nail varnishes. When you signup for Julep Maven they have you take a quick little personality test to cater to your orders. According to them I was a "Bombshell", so the company added the two colors you see above into the box. The orange creme is Natasha and the green with light blue sparkles is Sofia.

 Just for a little reference, I compared Natasha to Essie's Meet Me At Sunset. I'm not going to say they are dupes till I compare them side by side on the nail. But in their bottles they seem very similar. Meet Me At Sunset may be a tad darker than Natasha, but we'll see how they hold up when I swatch the two next to each other!

 

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Essie Navigate Her - Just in time for St. Paddy's Day!

I just barely got my nails done for St. Paddy's! A little late and with a little less flair than I was going to do but Essie's Navigate Her fits the American-Irish holiday quite nicely. The soft pastel green isn't so obnoxiously green that I would feel weird wearing for the next few days. It is a perfect creamy Spring pastel.  No wonder Essie put it in their Spring 2012 collection.

Normally, I'm pretty hard on pastel colors. They are not my favorite. I tire of "baby" colors, like baby pink or baby blue very easily. But, not this pastel green. I keep thinking up combos to pair this shade with . . . maybe a lovely lilac for some geometric color blocking? 

Well, enough of the holiday crap, when it comes down to it, Essie's Navigate Her fits right in with my nail polish collection. I have no other pastel greens and, of course, like other Essie formulas, this polish goes on streak free and only needs two coats to reach full opacity. Safe to say, I'm a little in love with this color. 

My Birchbox Arrived!

 

This month was my first official Birchbox box! I opted to be sent the Teen Vogue editor's beauty picks and I was not disappointed (Although read on for one little hiccup)

 

First up, I received a green Twistband hairband that I'm excited to try out and a mini bottle of Kerastase Elixir Ultime. I've never really tried hair serums or treatments, so I'm very excited to try this little product out. Plus, I always hear wonderful things about Kerastase so I'm sure it can't be bad! 

  

Now, on to the product I am already wearing on my lips! Tarte's LipSurgence natural matte lip tint in Lucky. Its a little chubby crayon that goes on very matte and exactly the shade of pink the product is in. It is very Nicki Minaj Barbie and definitely much different than any lip color I currently own. I've found that I need to exfoliate my lips well before I apply this; the matte tends to highlight any flakey spots on my dry winter-worn lips.  

   

Last, but not least, there was a sample of Kate Spade's Twirl perfume which is floral and sweet, very spring-y to me. 

I absolutely adore I received a full size Essie LuxeEffects nail polish in As Gold As It Gets, but due to my uncontrollable spending habits I already own this shade! Too bad I didn't get the Set In Stones silver glitter because I've been lusting over it for awhile now. But, all is not lost, my mom will be happy to take one of the polishes from me! 

Now the countdown begins for April's Birchbox! I can't wait!

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-T

Essie Sure Shot

 

I'm loving Sure Shot by Essie. The pinky fuchsia color harkens back to the decade of my birth (the 80s). If I was rockin' some eighties throw-back looks I would pair this polish, with its subtle blueish/cool-toned  shimmer with this Revlon lip butter for some matchy lips and nails. 

 

The formula itself was classic Essie; Dries fairly fast, settles down to dry without streaks, and takes a few days to chip off. In fact, I'm still wearing the remnants of the shade right now. This shade is from the Resort mini collection I mentioned previously. For sure, this lacquer will be slapped upon my toes multiple times this summer for those sunny beach days.

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Essie She's Picture Perfect

I'm really loving wearing Essie's She's Picture Perfect from their mini Resort Collection. It is a lovely lilac-y shade with the right amount of darker shimmer in it. The opaline shimmer isn't over-done. I don't feel like I'm wearing a disco ball on my nails at all. Essie did a great job creating a pastel color that isn't too chalky looking.  

I can't wait to try the next color in the Resort collection, then move on to their Spring 2012 mini set!

The mini bottle

Essie No More Film

 

Here are some swatches of Essie's 'No More Film' from their Resort Collection. Luckily, I've got my DSLR going, so the picture quality is much, much, much better than my iPhone for close-ups. 

I really love this color due to my lack of a non-shimmering navy blue in my polish collection. This particular polish has a hint of purple in its formula, but when on the nails it comes across and a dark, almost black, blue. Like most Essie products, the application is easy and with this color, one coat is really all you need. 

I'm wondering what Essie's Luxe Effects in 'As Gold As It Gets' would look like on top. I bet the Luxe Effect topcoat 'Set in Stones' would be very striking.

Essie Resort and Spring 2012 Swatches

This picture makes me long for my Nikon DSLR! Soon, I will have that bad boy back and the quality of my photos will be much better!

So, the picture of above shows the swatches from the Resort Collection. From top to bottom it goes: She's Picture Perfect, Pink-A-Boo, No More Film, and Sure Shot. I thought this not so great iPhone shot of the colors really did not do No More Film justice. It is much more of a dark navy than is shown on my ring finger. My shoddy photography skills also seemed to miss the shimmery sparkles in Pink-A-Boo!

Below is a shot of just the bottle. Imagine those two colors mixed when you apply the color in real life. It isn't black, but it isn't a purple-y navy either. However, I can say that I absolutely adore the color and have now painted all ten of my digits with it. Better shots will be taken, I promise!

Below this text are the swatches for the Essie Spring 2012 collection, minus two colors that do not come with the minibox foursome. From top to bottom: Navigate Her, Tour De Finance, Ole Caliente, and To Buy or Not To Buy. 

All of these colors are great additions to my polish collection. Once again, I'd say my iPhone's camera distorted Tour De Finance, like it did to No More Film, it has much more shimmer and is not as flat as it seems in this photo. It reminds me of a color you'd wear on a tropical vacation. I can't wait to paint my toes with it this summer. Ole Caliente is similar to my previously mentioned Meet Me at Sunset. However, I'd say it is more of pinky tangerine, versus the reddish orange of Meet Me at Sunset. 

Essie Minis: Resort and Spring 2012 Collection

(From left to right) Resort: Sure Shot, No More Film, Pink-A-Boo, and She's Picture Perfect.                                   
Spring: Navigate Her, Ole Caliente, Tour De Finance, and To Buy or Not To Buy

 My mother just dropped off some mini nail polishes for me to try out! How nice is she? She picked up the mini box versions of Essie's Resort Collection and their minibox of the 2012 Spring Collection. The full collection for Spring actually has two more nail polishes in the set. The colors missing A Crewed Interest and Orange, It's Obvious! 

I'm excited to eventually swatch them for Laptops and Lipgloss! But, for now, I must finish some homework.

Essie Meet Me At Sunset

Excuse the rough application :)

I recently realized I was desperately lacking a reddish orange polish in my collection when I saw Pantone's color for 2012. This color isn't exactly Tangerine Tango, but it definitely fits my reddish orange criteria. 

The color's formula is similar to Essie's Chinchilly. It takes three coats to get to opacity and even then, if your coats get too thin you might see through the layers just a little. In some lights I can see through my ring finger's layers just a bit.

All in all, this color will be great on my fingers and toes during the summer. I can't wait to try out some contrasting color nail art designs, maybe Essie's Mint Candy Apple?