Barielle Soul-er Powered

 Hey, all! Another quickie post tonight. In celebration of releasing NINETY new shades of polish, I've got a Barielle favorite. Soul-er Powered is a bright, sunny yellow. I can't say it's the most flattering on my pink-toned skin, but I love the glowy look of this shimmer, and the formula is a dream. I'm still trying to figure out how to make it more flattering on me, but the color itself is beautiful.

Whitney Eve - Zoya NY Fashion Week

 Continuing coverage of the New York Fashion Week nail looks from Zoya, today's post features the look worn by models in the Whitney Eve show. The following is information directly from Zoya.com about how the look came to fruition:

This look is really fun and youthful AND easy to recreate. Unlike a lot of the NYFW looks, these colors are not limited edition, so you can still get them.

 Kristen is a pale blue cream polish, and is easily opaque in two coats. It's actually close in one, so if you're layering, a thick coat may actually do the trick if applied carefully.

Maisie is pretty blue/green shifting flakie glitter suspended in a pale aqua jelly polish. Maisie will make a subtle change in the color of your base polish, and can be made opaque on its own, thought it takes a few coats.

For the photos, I used one coat of Maisie over two coats of Kristen.

Zoya Sparkle Gloss Top Coat vs. Essie Pure Pearlfection

 Good day! I have a very sparkly comparison post for you today. Along with my Bibhu Mohapatra Color Box from Zoya was included the lovely Sparkle Gloss Top Coat you see below.

Pure Pearlfection & Sparkle Gloss Top Coat

 My first thought was "This has been done, but a nice freebie." I also thought it looked a lot about Pure Pearlfection from Essie's Luxe Effects collection. And so the comparison began...

Zoya Sparkle Gloss Top Coat over Zoya Evvie, Pure Pearlfection over Evvie and Evvie by herself.

 While the shimmer particles in both polishes are nearly identical, the density of the particles is another story. Pure Pearlfection is a lot more opaque and adds a different effect to the color. I layered one coat of each polish over Zoya Evvie, which is a nice green cream. The Sparkle Gloss Top Coat doesn't alter the base color at all, just adds some additional sparkle, which is really cool. I like that the shimmer particles are very small, too. There's no real texture added, so a layer of clear top coat is all you need. Pure Pearlfection applies very evenly, as well.

Zoya Sparkle Gloss Top Coat over Zoya Evvie, Pure Pearlfection over Evvie and Evvie by herself.

Evvie, Pure Pearlfection over Evvie and Sparkle Gloss Top Coat over Evvie

 I think these last two shots show the difference in opacity really well, even if they're not very well-focused. The bottles in the last shot show the similarity in color better than the first shot, too.

I REALLY hope Zoya decides to keep this top coat around. It's really pretty, and I can see myself using it a lot. The good news is, though, if you missed the NY Fashion Week Limited Edition collections, you could probably mix Pure Pearlfection with some clear top coat and get a similar effect.

Zoya - Bibhu Mohapatra Color Box from NY Fashion Week

 If you read regularly or follow me on twitter (@MWGirlieGirl), you MAY have seen my approximately 6,000 tweets about how jazzed I was to get my hands on Zoya's New York Fashion Week color boxes. I may not be able to afford the clothes, I can afford the nails. I posted pictures of the Peter Som color box here and here. Today, we'll be checking out the collection for Bibhu Mohapatra.

I have to admit, the color palette didn't thrill me initially. Red creme, a shimmery nude and a light shimmery gray. Not very unique, right? About that...

 Parveen is a sheer shimmery nude. It offers more coverage than the gel-like colors from the Peter Som box, but seems to have a similar quality. I honestly didn't think this one would look very good on me, but the pictures make it look warmer than it is on the nail. The subtle shimmer stops it from being just like every nude out there. It's a very sparkly shimmer. I like it.

 Zeenat is a shimmery pale pewter. This is by far my favorite color of all the NY Fashion Week collections. The color is so delicate and the shimmer is absolutely beautiful. I pray Zoya brings this one back as a permanent add, or I'm going to have to ration this one very carefully. It takes a few coats to build up, and I didn't take the time to completely cover the nail line. I don't mind it, but it would probably take five coats to cover. The pictures are three coats. 

 Rehka was described by many Twitterers as the most beautiful red they've ever seen. I can't say I can really argue that. It's a red cream with perfect application and is easily opaque in two coats. I compared it to every red in my collection and couldn't find an exact match. My camera can't seem to figure reds and pinks out very well. It's a little darker than the pictures show. If you've seen Sooki, think a shade darker and a hair more blue-toned. I think this one could be universally flattering, and it actually has a cool story to go with it. Here is some information from Zoya.com about how this color collection came to be:

 And a few shots of the box and the limited edition booklets.

Zeenat, Parveen and Rehka

 This picture probably shows the colors the most accurately, Rehka for sure.

The Bibhu Mohapatra collection also came with a free bottle of Zoya's Sparkle Gloss Topcoat. I actually have another post on the way especially for that beauty.

Nicole by OPI - It's All About the Glam

 Today's post is a quickie. As much as I don't like the idea of the Kardashians, I have to say that those girls have style,and Nicole by OPI did a great job capturing them in a lacquer form. You're looking at It's All About the Glam today, which is a pretty bright white with a slight silvery pink shimmer. I couldn't bear to muck this one up with additional glitter or stamping yet. I like that it's not at all frosty the way some white shimmers end up.

It's All About the Glam applied beautifully for a white polish, which means there was a little streaking, and it requires more coats than a dark red would. These pictures are after four coats. The brush is great. It's nice and wide, so you don't need too many strokes to cover your nails. I really like this polish, and I've been a fan of Nicole by OPI for awhile, but this collection has turned out some great shades. I've seen comparisons showing some dupes (a lot of times from OPI colors), but if you don't already own them, or have a hard time finding OPI shades locally (like me), these are a great substitute.

Zoya Evvie & Katharine (Peter Som Color Box, Continued)

Now that the giddy has worn off a bit, I've got a little more detail for you on my Peter Som Color Box from Zoya's New York Fashion Week sets. To start, a screen shot from the website with a little more about the box:

Courtesy of Zoya.com

If you missed the last post, here is a picture of the bottles in their pretty velvety box.

Evvie, Audrey and Katharine

 I posted pictures of Audrey a few days ago (see here), but I hadn't had a chance to swatch the other two.

 Evvie is a very pretty green. I know it was the fall/winter 2012 show, but the color is a good transition to spring. Dark enough not to look premature in February, but light enough I'll be able to wear it in April. I'm really excited to have a green that actually flatters me. Usually, they take a bit more of an olive tone, but this eucalyptus is a little cleaner and brighter, which works well on me. Application was a dream, as usual with Zoya cream polishes. I'm wearing it on my toes, so I'll let you know how it holds up.

 Katharine is a really interesting color. My initial impression was that it looked just like Anja from Smoke and Mirrors, until I looked a little closer. It's a jelly. Not even a normal semi-opaque jelly. It's even more sheer. It took me 4 coats to get the bottle color. You can see the bubbles. Application was interesting. This was my first attempt, I didn't practice at all before taking pictures.

Katharine is really sheer like Audrey, but unlike her lighter sister, Katharine is dark enough to show brushstrokes if you're not careful. I found the best way to get a somewhat even-looking coat was to fan the brush on the edge of the bottle so it would cover as much space as possible and to use thick coats with light strokes. Make sure that each coat is dry before you start the next to avoid some of the dragging and bubbling. Even at 4 coats, you can still see a little streaking under lights, but frankly, no one looks THAT close at my hands. Except my boyfriend who felt the urge to make grape Kool Aid when he saw the color. I probably would have thought black cherry, myself, but to each his own.

 

The first shot shows the sheerness and the glossy look. The second gives a pretty accurate color representation when you're not squinting up close.

Overall, I'm really glad I bought the color box. These colors are really unique, and I pray Zoya makes more of these super sheer colors. I can see a cobalt blue or a bright orange being really awesome.

Zoya Audrey - Peter Som Color Box

 I have been DYING to post these! I got myself both of the limited edition color boxes from Zoya during New York Fashion Week. I've only worn one so far, but I may be in love, and I'm super anxious to wear the rest. Today, I've got pictures of the Peter Som box, and pictures of Audrey on my nails.

Evvie, Audrey and Katherine

 For anyone who hasn't gotten a color box yet, the packaging is really classy. These would make excellent gifts. I was too anxious to check out the goods to photograph the unwrapping, but they come wrapped in Zoya printed tissue paper. There's a nice, glossy black box which contains the velvety box shown here. The inside has a nice foam holder keeping your pretty polishes in place.

 There's a booklet with information about the designer's colors inside.

 These are shots of Audrey on me. No streaking, which is unbelievable for a sheer pink. This would be an awesome french manicure color. My boyfriend saw my hands and said they look great without polish. Not quite, but close, honey. :)

Valentine's Day! (A Week Later...)

 I finally got around to shooting my Valentine's Day Nails. These babies lasted me almost the whole week. Honestly, I'd still be wearing them if I hadn't gotten bored and wanted to try new goodies.

For the nails, I used two coats of Nubar Fire Sparkle for glitz and opacity, then I added a layer of China Glaze Love, Marilyn for some whimsy. The result was very sparkly and lots of fun.

Also, as you may recall from past posts, my camera hates all things red and pink, so photographing these was a nightmare. I added the last two shots to show how sparkly the nails were, even though they're horribly out of focus.

For anyone who wants to know how I celebrated, the boy sent me these pretty flowers while I was home all day:

I put on a little black dress and he took me to a nice, swanky restaurant for dinner. Chocolate was had, and it was delicious.

Giveaway Winners!

Well, not the turnout I'd hoped for, but there were at least more people than prizes, so that's good, I guess. And now for the winners...

(Re)Viva La Manicure!

 Ever get bored with wearing the same manicure before the polish starts chipping? If you're anything like me, you have a whole lot of polish that needs to be worn, and waiting more than two to three days to wear new polish is a special form of torture. Luckily for those of us who like to switch it up, an array of fantastic new topcoats have hit the streets and are a great way to change up your mani.

 Among the oodles of new polish I've gotten recently was Sparitual Deep. It's a gorgeous purple-toned gray with an amazing pink shimmer. The shimmer hides on the nail, but the right lighting brings it out. It's a really pretty, glossy finish.

 The bottle shot shows the shimmer better. So pretty.

 Then this happens. A chip. Tipwear, too, but the chip bugs me most.

 Not to fear. Nail polish remover + cotton swab = smooth edges.

 Two coats of polish an its barely noticeable. If you're stopping here, add a top coat and you're done.

 I've had something of a busy week and the idea of removing and repainting was a little daunting. I used a coat of Deborah Lippman Lady Sings the Blues over Deep to change the color up. Lady has a sheer jelly base, so she would normally require 2-3 coats, but by applying over Deep, I got a nice solid blue base in one coat and disguised some of the tip wear. Top coat and you're done.

After a couple of days, I got the urge for more glitter. I get that urge sometimes. And the only cure is more cowbell...er...glitter. Enter China Glaze Techno. Holographic glitter. Big pieces and tiny pieces. Very sparkly. More top coat and two more days without having to remove clean and polish. This little trick is a great time saver for us busy girls, and layering is a fun way to create new looks with your nails. This carried me all the way to Valentine's Day. Stay tuned for that one...

What tricks do you ladies have for extending the life of your manicures?