Piggy Polish: I and Love and Blue

Piggy Polish I and Love and Blue (4 coats)

Oh how I love and hate Piggy Polish's I and Love and Blue. In the bottle it is the most beautiful light blue with green shimmer. Did I happen to mention how sheer and thick is it? I tried to get thin coats, but it was a challenge. I ended up needing 4 coats for full opacity, which is a bit of a pain, but that's ok. I put a quick dry topcoat on it (NYC Grand Central Station which I love) and waited for it to dry. And waited. And waited some more. I waited a good 2 hours before trying to do anything at all, and at least 2 or 3 of my nails got ruined immediately. Off it went. Too bad, it looks so nice in the bottle. Perhaps I'll give it a try again with loads of thinner. You can find Piggy Polish online or at Ulta. 

New Hard Candy Candy Sprinkles Nail Lacquer Collection: Gummy Green

Hard Candy Gummy Green (2 coats)

Yup, Hard Candy joined the opaque color with mixed glitter trend and released 8 new sprinkled colors. I've reviewed a few Nails Inc. polishes that look like these, and I know Deborah Lippmann released some as well, so this isn't new territory. That doesn't mean I don't love how these look (especially for the $4 price tag). Gummy Green is a mint green color with black and silver hexagonal glitter, and if you look really close, you can see some black micro glitter as well. 

1. I don't really like the new bottles with no cheap ring. I really wanted the ring. Just me? 

2. The formula on this one was extremely thick. It only needed 2 coats, but it was glooping up so bad in the opening it was hard to get the polish out. Thinner city if you ask me.

Other than these complaints, I plan on getting a few more of the new Hard Candy polishes. 

Sinful Colors Winter 2012 Collection: Winter Wonder

Sinful Colors: Winter Wonder (3 coats)

Sinful Color's winter collection had some great gems, one of them being Winter Wonder. It's a blue/grey base with some pink, green, gold and silver (who knows, maybe even more colors thrown in there!) that is just gorgeous. I've heard it's a dupe for Zoya FeiFei, but I haven't checked it out yet. I found this at Walgreens back in the day, but who knows, they may bring it back. The formula was slightly thick, but I believe I still needed 3 coats for full coverage. Sorry, it's hard to remember since it's been so long since I've applied this one :( I need to keep a spreadsheet. I hope your weekend went well, and I'm so happy some of you are still sticking with my blog. 

Bondi New York Nail Polish: Blue Skies

 Bondi New York: Blue Skies (2 coats)

*This polish was provided by the company or PR representative. All reviews are based solely on my opinion. For more information, please see my full disclosure at the bottom of the site*

Have you heard of Bondi New York? Perhaps not because they are a brand new company that has 20 colors that are 5 free (formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, camphor, toluene, and DBP). The polishes are also made in the USA with all net profits going to their non-profit organization which goes to charitable causes. Now onto the polish: the 20 colors aren't the most unique ones, but you've got to start somewhere, right? Once I see more swatches from blogs I'll get a better idea about the formula and color saturation. I got Blue Skies which is a cornflower blue creme that doesn't seem too sky blue to me. The bottles are exactly like the Dr.'s Remedy bottles which are square with a black rubber top which I like. The formula was great on the polish. It had a not to thin-not too thick formula that only needed 2 coats. The only reservation I have is the price which is $15 for a 0.5 oz bottle. At the same time, the net profits go to a non-profit so I can't feel too bad about buying a few. You can find Bondi on Facebook and Twitter.

*This polish was provided by the company or PR representative. All reviews are based solely on my opinion. For more information, please see my full disclosure at the bottom of the site*

Barielle Spring 2011 Karma Collection in Positive ZEN-ergy

Barielle Positive ZEN-ergy (2 coats)

Hola! I hope your weekend is going well. Mine started off a little crappy, but it has started to pick up thankfully. 

I have another blast from the past from Barielle called Positive ZEN-ergy which is a grassy green color with a strong silver shimmer finish. I find this one very refreshing. I used to buy these from the Barielle website, but lately I've been getting them from Transdesign since they are so much cheaper. I hope you enjoy it!

Finger Paints Sparkle Topcoat 2012

Finger Paints Sparkle Topcoat (1 coat) over 2 coats Fall-ing For You

Yesterday I showed you Fall-in For you, so I decided to add a layer of an intense iridescent bar glitter with some finer glitter pieces. I think this would have worked better with a creme finish, so my apologies for the not-so-great combination. I know people either love or hate bar glitter, but I tend to love it. If you can still find this and love bar glitter, pick it up ASAP. Oh, and I found the glitter density to be great with 1 coat and great consistency.

Finger Paints Fall 2012 Fall of Surprises Collection: Fall-ing For You

Finger Paints Fall-ing For You (2 coats)

Having a house really eats up your weekend time! We spent most of yesterday doing yard work and putting in new shrubs and flowers which is really exciting (and exhausting). I hope your week went well. I ended up getting 6 polishes for the Zoya exchange (Hazel, Rikki, Piaf, Kimber, Rory, and Marina). Did you get any? 

I know, I know, this polish is from a Fall 2012 collection, but I got it on clearance so I had to pick it up. Fall-ing for you is a teal metallic polish with a bit of a frost finish. Don't worry, I don't find this to be crazy frosty or anything, but be wary of brushstrokes. The formula was pretty much perfect since it was a little thick and extremely pigmented. I didn't think I'd like this one as much as I do. If you can find this in the clearance section of your Sally's, I'd recommend it. 

The Zoya Earth Day Exchange is Back!

Announcing the 2013 Zoya Nail Polish Exchange*

Hooray for Earth Day! Once again, Zoya is helping you do a little spring cleaning with the return of the Earth Day Zoya Nail Polish Exchange* for 2013. Clean out your nail polish wardrobe and get rid of old nail polish that may not be BIG5FREE (Free of Formaldehyde, Formaldehyde Resin, Toluene, DBP and Camphor) and exchange it for a greener alternative - long lasting, award winning, healthy Zoya Nail Polish bottles!

Now's the perfect time to make the switch to an eco-chic beauty routine! From April 19, 2013 - April 26, 2013 (11:59pm EST), exchange your old, unwanted nail color for toxin-free ZOYA Nail Polish for only $4 per bottle plus shipping and handling fees. Rest assured - ZOYA will properly dispose of your old polish. 

Here's all you need to do!

1. Go to www.zoya.com and pick out the polishes you would like (excludes ALL Zoya PixieDustTM Collection shades) and add them to your cart. You must select at least 6 bottles and no more than 24 bottles of polish (Salon accounts minimum 12 maximum 48 bottles.)
2. Apply the code: ZOYAEARTH2013
3. Your order value will be adjusted to reflect a 50% discount (we use these funds to properly dispose of the old nail polish).
4. SUBMIT your order!

Once you get your order 
Here's where the exchanging* happens...

1. Ship back the equivalent number of bottles you received to the return address below (ie. If you ordered 6 bottles of Zoya – you would send us 6 NON-ZOYA polishes). Please check with your carrier on the proper way to ship nail polish.
2. Include a copy of your order. 
   

To clarify the exchange: You do not have to send us the exact amount of bottles that you are ordering. You can send any quantity up to that amount. You can also donate. If you decide you don't want to do either, it's ok "Offer is not contingent on customer returning polish" we will still love you and will send the Zoya polishes... we'll just send you on a guilt trip for a while :)

Ship Your Old Nail Polish To: 
Art of Beauty, Inc.
c/o Polish Exchange
5060 Taylor Rd, Unit D
Cleveland, Ohio, 44128, USA 

Once we receive your polish we do the rest! It’s that simple! 

IMPORTANT!
The bottles you send in cannot be Zoya, Qtica or Nocti polishes (but they can be any other brand). We are using the honor code here folks! We want to make sure you get your Zoya Nail Polish! We send you the polish first then you send your old polish back to us! If you do choose to send us your old polish we promise to properly dispose of it according to EPA guidelines. This offer is only good for 1 week so hurry – Don’t Wait!
*Offer valid online at www.zoya.com only. Offer expires on 4/26/2013 at 11:59PM EST. Continental US ONLY. Excludes ALL Zoya PixieDust Collection shades. Not valid with any other codes, coupons or promotions. Shipping and handling fees apply. Consumer accounts must exchange a minimum of 6 polishes with a 24 bottle maximum. Salon accounts must exchange at least 12 with a maximum of 48 bottles. Polish can be from any brand EXCEPT Zoya, Qtica or Nocti and can be exchanged for in-stock .5oz Zoya Nail Polish. Offer is not contingent on customer returning polish. Zoya Exchange code is unique and non-transferable. One code per account. Art of Beauty is not responsible for incorrect addresses, credit card entry errors or errors associated with declined credit cards. Please allow standard time for processing and shipping, however if volume is higher than expected please allow up to 6 weeks for shipping and processing. Art of Beauty, Inc. reserves the right to remove any polish that is out of stock from your order. You will not be charged for this polish. Backordered polish is not included in this promotion.

*This information was provided by the Zoya blog*

Nails Inc. Sprinkles Collection: Sugar House Lane

Nails Inc. Sugar House Lane (2+ coats)

Happy Saturday! I hope your week went well. I got to go to a few little towns around North Carolina that had some cute antique shops. 

I got this Nails Inc. polish during the Sephora JC Penny sale a few months ago and I was happy to make this addition to my collection. These polishes do remind me of the new Hard Candy polishes that are popping up at Walmarts for only $4, so I'm not really sure these Nails Inc. polishes are worth it anymore. Sugar House Lane is a taupe nude base with black and white glitter throughout. I used two coats for the most part, but the glitter tends to stay near the base of my nail, so I added a little extra glitter to the ends of a few nails if it was necessary. Other than that, the formula was perfect for this glitter polish. 

Pure Ice Nail Color in Viva Las Vegas

Pure Ice Viva Las Vegas (3 coats)

*This polish was provided by the company or PR representative. All reviews are based solely on my opinion. For more information, please see my full disclosure at the bottom of the site* 

I know, it's been awhile. Yesterday was my birthday and I spent it relaxing with my husband. To be honest, I haven't been feeling well lately, and I am just starting to get around now. Of course I'll be back to blogging, but if it takes me a few days, please bear with me. I have such great readers. 

I was given Viva Las Vegas from Pure Ice for review, and it's a neutral taupe with a strong golden shimmer. You know me and shimmer, so I just loved how this one looked. It's definitely work appropriate, but with a twist. The price is always on point at only $1.99 exclusively to Walmart stores. The formula was fine, but still needed 3 coats for full coverage. I hope you enjoy this one as much as I did.

*This polish was provided by the company or PR representative. All reviews are based solely on my opinion. For more information, please see my full disclosure at the bottom of the site* 

Illamasqua Nail Color: Radium

Illamasqua Radium (3 coats)

I hope your week is off to a great start. Mine wasn't so great, but that's ok. My family is still in town which has been really nice (and I've had some great food to eat). 

Radium is the other Illamasqua polish I bought for 50% from the Sephora in JC Penny. It's a bright lime green with lots of shimmer. While I like it, I don't think it's my favorite from the brand. It will definitely make you stand out though. The formula was slightly thick, but still needed 3 coats for full coverage. Is it worth the full price? Probably not, but for $7 (I think) it was definitely worth it. 

Illamasqua Nail Lacquer: Bacterium

Illamasqua Bacterium (3 coats)

Sorry again for the lack of posts, but things haven't been great here lately. I'll try my best to get back into blogging. 

I bought Illamasqua Bacterium at the Sephora in my local JC Penny where they had a few polishes for 50% off. Score! Bacterium is a really interesting color. It's a dark taupe/brown color with a strong blue/silver flash.   The formula was a bit runny and sheer, but it built up with 3 coats. I love this one, partly because I'm a microbiologist. 

I'll Be Back as Soon as I Can

Hi guys, I just wanted to tell you sorry for the delay in writing the blog. Some personal things came up and my uncle passed away which made for a really sad weekend. I hope to get back to the blog as soon as I can. Thanks, and I hope things are better on your end.

Julep March It Girl Maven Box: Simone

Julep Simone (2 coats)

Hola, happy Hump Day! I'm taking the day off on Friday so today is my Thursday. Whoop! I hope your week is going well so far. My family will be here tomorrow and I am really excited! 

The last March Julep box polish I have to show is Simone which is a lilac color with blue opalescent shimmer that is really subtle. What is it with the subtle shimmer this spring? Give me shimmer! In your face shimmer! Again, like the rest of the set, the formula was pretty craptastic (thick and really streaky) so proceed with caution. 

Julep March 2013 It Girl Maven Box: Teri

Julep Teri (2 coats)

How was your Monday? It was my boss' birthday so I took him out to lunch. Oh, and the lab next door was having work done on the pipes so the maintenance workers spent the day loudly drilling next to my office. Needless to say, I spent half the day trying to be productive at the library. 

I really wish these Julep polishes applied better because they are really pretty. Tonight I have Teri which is a coral creme. I think this is my favorite out of the trio, but not in terms of application. This one actually had the worst application out of the 3. Definitely get out the thinner because this one is really thick. I know it doesn't look like it from the pictures, but trust me. 

As a side note from last month's box, I've now had the Julep Oxygen Nail Treatment for awhile, and this thing is like glue. I haven't used it in a few weeks, but when I pulled it out last night, it didn't want to budge at all. Not impressed, Julep.