REVIEW + SKITTLE SWATCHES: Blue Cross Holiday Lights Polishes & Candy Shop Polish Set

I stopped at Rite Aid at the end of my Black Friday run and while I was there, I noticed that they had put out a new Holiday Lights nail polish display and it had the two colors I couldn't find before (I had previously picked up the 3 Nouveau Cheap posted about here).  So I picked up those two colors and it turned out they were buy 1 get 1 50% off!  That was pretty cool.  Always nice to save money unexpectedly, haha.  And in addition, I also found the Candy Shop set also mentioned in that Nouveau Cheap post, and I decided to get that too because I'm loving milky glitter polishes a lot lately and I wanted to compare them for you.  Warning: picture heavy post ahead!  :)

bought the middle polish and right end polish this time around!

So as you can see the five full size polishes I have look almost exactly like the set, with the exception of the last polish on the right and the fact that the glitter in the full size hot pink polish (middle) is not multi-colored.  Now for some comparisons of the three that do look like dupes!

this is the one that's supposed to be a dupe of Deborah Lippmann's Candy Shop, I think

The pinks are the same for the most part, but I did feel like the glitter was denser in Lollipop than in its full size counterpart.  Now the blue is a different story.  They're not the exact same polish, at least in my set the blues are different.  I feel like Blueberry Swirl leans more green than its full-size counterpart, and the glitter is denser and easier to apply, though still quite sparse compared to the pinks.  As you can see in the swatch below, the glitter from the full-size blue polish did not want to come out at all.

I used 3 coats for the colored glitters and 2 coats for the holo and flakie

some close ups:

You can better see what I mean about Blueberry Swirl (left) being more green in this swatch!

I wonder why they decided to make this smell like a chocolate cupcake?

I did not have the same problem with the flakie eating my base color, like Nouveau Cheap did here.  I wonder if it could be that there are batches that were mixed differently? Or maybe it could be the polish used as a base.  Who knows?  I used 2 coats of the flakie over 2 coats of China Glaze VIII.  The flakies are sparse, but the small multi-chrome round glitter still gives it a pretty effect.  I think this is best layered over dark polish, so that the colors in the flakie and glitter can show up more.  The holographic glitter on the other hand looks good over light or dark polish.

The brushes are not much different.  The handle on the mini polishes are obviously smaller, but the brush is a little longer and a little thinner.  That difference didn't really affect application for me, though.

Overall, these applied pretty well and had nice glitter payoff, with the exception of the blue.  I've only seen these at Rite Aid, with the full-size polishes priced at $4.99 each and the Candy Shop set, which is scented, retailing for $5.99.  The Candy Shop ones kinda do smell like what they are labeled as...very sweet smelling!  I definitely recommend the Candy Shop set over the full-size polishes because you get more colors for less and Blueberry Swirl performs better than full-size blue (I wish the full-size ones had names!  It would sound less awkward when writing about them, lol.)  Blueberry Swirl is actually probably one of my faves from the set!  As for that flakie, I think you could pass due to the sparseness of the flakes.  You really have to fish them out and dab them on the nail if you want more coverage.  I think there are better ones out there!

HAUL: Indie Fun! ~ Cult Nails, Lovely Lacquer, Darling Diva

I've discovered the world of Indie Nail Polish! Oh, my poor wallet.  Hahah

It all started with Cult Nails!  Back in October, I saw a post on a blog I follow about a sale Cult Nails was having.  I had been wanting to try their polishes for a while and decided to take the plunge.

Look at the pretty that is Seduction!!!

It's been quite a plunge!  After that purchase, I started browsing a bunch of other indie polish makers.  There are so many out there!  All with beautiful polish!  I wish I could by all the pretty polishes!  But for now, I started with 3 from Lovely Lacquer:

And 6 from Darling Diva Polish.  I got her 5 for $25 deal, which I think is an amazing deal, and also her Ringer polish, which is supposed to be a dupe for Max Factor Fantasy Fire dupe.  Ringer is the polish that caught my eye, and her other polishes kept me glued to her etsy store! :)

 

That's my recent haul.  I've got some polish on the way from Pahlish and also from Daily Lacquer.  Can't wait to get them and show you!  And of course, stay tuned for swatches!  I will probably do swatches for Lovely Lacquer first, because I think she's restocking again soon and that way you can see how beautiful these polishes are!   Also, let me know what some of your favorite Indie polish brands are~! :)

Wishlist Wednesdays (04)

Can you believe how the year is flying by?  Only 5 Wednesdays left (not counting today) before Christmas!  That means a bunch of holiday sets are popping up all around at beauty retailers.  It also means it's time to start a wishlist for Christmas, haha!  Here are some things I've started adding to my list:

L: Deborah Lippmann Ray of Light, $18 @ Beauty.com / Barneys

R: Cleopatra in New York, $18 @ Nordstrom / Beauty.com / Barneys

(note: these are sold individually)

I have been lemming Deborah Lippmann polishes lately!  I was so tempted to buy them during beauty.com's F&F sale, but I had just placed a major Sephora order using a code from one of my VIB friends.  Now I'm regretting not doing it, because when else can you DL polishes on sale?!  I really love the look of Ray of Light and Cleopatra in New York.  Hoping I can own them someday...

Deborah Lippman She's Always a Woman Gift Set, $25 @ Beauty.com / Bloomingdale's / Barneys

I also really like this DL gift set because of Raspberry Beret (middle color).  That's pretty much the only polish I want this set for, though the other two colors are nice too.  They're just not very unique.  These are minis, so I hope DL comes out with a full-size version of Raspberry Beret.  I looked up swatches and it looks to be a darker version of Sweet Dreams and you can see the flakies much better.  I definitely like this version better!

Laura Mercier Artist's Palette for Eyes, $48 @ Sephora

I had wanted the Lorac Pro Palette and wanted to buy that during the VIB sale, but it kept getting sold out before I could place my purchase!  So I looked for alternatives and found this Laura Mercier palette.  Even though I really like the look of the colors from the picture, I didn't end up getting it.  I wasn't completely sold.  It's a bit pricier than the Lorac Pro Palette, and you also get less colors (though each shadow is bigger in this palette).  My sights are set on the Lorac Pro Palette for now.  But maybe in the future I'll be able to get this palette too, since I do quite like it.

Slatkin & Co. 3-wick Candles, $19.50 @ Bath & Body Works

Bath & Body Works needs to bring back their 2 for $20 3-wick candle sale!  I have been loving their candles, having just stocked up on some Fall scents.  Now it's time for winter/holiday scents!!  Pictured above are a few of my faves for this season.  In addition to these, I also like the traditional scents like Evergreen, Fresh Balsam, Twisted Peppermint, and Peach Bellini, to name a few.  They all smell really good!  I'm hoping there's a sale soon, so I'll be able to stock up.  Maybe Black Friday?? :D

That's it for today's Wishlist Wednesday!  I think I might make this a regular weekly feature, at least until Christmas.  I've still got a lot on my wishlist that I want to show, so I think I'm just going to break it up over the weeks.  Maybe it will help you with ideas for gifts! :)

FIRST IMPRESSION: Glossybox USA - October 2012

A little behind with these subscription box/bag posts, but I'm trying to get caught up before my November ones come!  Today I have my Glossybox USA for October.  The theme for this one was "Spa Luxe" and included several items to pamper yourself.

This month, Glossybox had at least 2 different boxes (that I know of).  The only things that were the same were the soap, but in a different scent, and the lipstick/gloss duo.  I was a little bummed when I found out the other box got a blush from Kryolan and my box didn't, but I'm still pretty happy with what I got!  It's stuff I probably wouldn't normally get, so I think these will be more interesting to try.  Overall, I think this is a pretty good box!  I'm especially interested in the loofa soap!  It has a piece of loofa in it and I love citrus scents!  I'll definitely post a review when I use it, and same goes for the other products too. :)

SWATCH+REVIEW: Avon Suede Nail Enamel in Blue Royale

Happy Election Day!  With the outcome of the Presidential election, I thought it would be appropriate to post a swatch of a polish that correlates with the color that is tied to the winning party.  And if you didn't know by now, Obama has been re-elected!  

Blue is the color tied to the Democratic party here in the U.S., so here is Avon's Suede Nail Enamel in Blue Royale.  I got this polish recently and couldn't wait to try it! I'm not really sure how to describe this blue.  It's navy blue in some lighting, but more of a royal blue (as its name suggests) in other lighting...as you can see from the pictures:

shade

sun

shade

sun

I thought this was a really pretty polish!  I missed out on the suedes that OPI did a while back, so I'm glad that other companies are doing them now!  Avon came out with 6 colors, so in addition to this one, I bought 3 other colors to add to my collection.  I also have suede polishes coming in my Julep Maven box for November, so I think I'm good on suedes now, haha!

Anyway, this applied a little streaky at first, but evened out.  I think suede polishes are pretty forgiving in application, though I did have some small bald spots.  I used two coats for the picture above, with no top coat.  A glossy top coat kind of ruins the suede effect, I think.  And the color is gorgeous how it is!  It's a nice deep color for fall!

What do you think of Suede polishes?  Like 'em?  Hate 'em?  Let me know! :)

SPOTTED @ Target: 2-Pack Mascaras and More Holiday Sets!

So, usually around this time (i.e. the start of holiday shopping season), Target has these 2-packs of mascara, eyeliners, etc. for practically the price of one.  I love to get these because they're such good deals! Well, guess what I saw in one of my recent trips to Target??

I'm sorry, I forgot to make note of all the prices.  But I do remember that the Baby Lips sets are $5.99 and the mascara sets are all $9 something (I want to say $9.99, but I'm not 100% on that).  I'm thinking of getting one of the Maybelline Plush mascara set, because I want to try it.  The only problem is, if I don't like it...I'm stuck with two!  Has anyone tried it before?  Would you recommend it?  

Then, I spotted another ELF nail polish set, at the bottom of the above display.  I don't know why it was separated from the other ELF holiday stuff...but this one is 14 mini nail polishes for $10.

And lastly, I also spotted some Burt's Bees holiday gift sets:

I think these are packaged really nicely, and quite affordable.  I don't remember all the pricing but I do remember the sets on the top shelf, which include soap, loofa, lip balm, sugar scrub, and lotion, are $19.99 (I think).  The lip balm + cuticle balm sets (2nd shelf) and the 3-pack shimmer balm sets (3rd row, right side) are $4.99.  And the set on the far left side of the 4th shelf is a "Head to Toe" set and is $12.99.  

Lots of options!  I personally haven't started Christmas shopping, but seeing all these holiday sets coming out is making me excited for the season!  This is probably my most favorite time of the year. xD

♪ It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas~ ♪

REVIEW: NYC New York Color IndividualEyes Custom Compact in Dark Shadows

I received this NYC New York Color IndividualEyes Custom Compact in Dark Shadows from my Influenster Beauty Bloggers Vox Box 2012.  This was my first time trying a palette from NYC, which is:

"Straight from the city that never sleeps, NYC New York Color offers products with uptown style at down-to-earth prices, from $.99 - $4.99. The energy, style, and color of New York City shines through the wide range of shades, textures and innovative products. NYC always delivers the most on-trend products & shades hot off the runway!"

The colors were very pigmented when swatched, both with the primer and without.  It applied to the eye well and was easy to blend, with little to no fall out.  I used it with the primer in the palette and didn't get any creasing, but then again, I don't have oily eyelids and usually don't experience creasing with use of a primer.  I did experience fading after a few hours though.

I thought the primer was creamy and had a nice consistency.  Same with the illuminator, but I only swatched the illuminator.  I didn't actually use it on my eye because it's basically the same color as the lightest eyeshadow in this palette, but in cream form, so I just opted to use the shadow for my inner corner.  I wish they had included a matte highlight color instead of the lighter shade, since it already comes with that cream illuminator.

Overall, I am quite happy with this palette.  It makes a nice smoky eye and is great for nights out!  But you can also make subtle day looks, if you use just the lighter grays.  It's quite versatile, which surprised me, because when I first saw it, all I thought was SMOKY EYE.  But I actually was able to make a "day" look.  And at $4.99, I think it's a great deal!  Also, it is widely available, since most drugstores, Target, and Wal-Mart carry NYC.  I will definitely be on the lookout for other palettes to try!

DISCLAIMER: I received this mini candle to test and review courtesy of Influenster's Vox Box program.