New essence colour 3 nail polish duos! (swatches!)

YES, more essence!!!  I just can't help myself!  Everything I've tried so far, I have loved and I couldn't pass these new nail polish duos for $2!  At first I thought it was a crackle polish duo, but it's not!  They are duos that you can either wear alone or layered to "create your own shade".  I was really surprised at how pretty these were combined.  The duo in number 01 Midnight Date reminds me of Deborah Lippmann's Across the Universe.  I own Across the Universe, but sadly it is packed away due to us moving in 2 weeks.  I hope you enjoy the swatches!

03 Kiss on top of the Rock duo

04 A Walk in the Park duo

01 Midnight Date duo

06 Ticket to the Show duo

Rescue Beauty Lounge IKB: 2012 vs. Revlon Royal #730 (swatch/comparison)

Rescue Beauty Lounge recently released their fan inspired collection which included 4 new limited edition (and very limited supply) polishes.  I was super excited about the color IKB: 2012 because it was described as a SUPER electric blue.  I can never pass up an electric blue polish, so I had to try this.  My favorite electric blue polish is Revlon's Top Speed polish in the shade Royal.  Royal is so bright blue it's almost neon.  I was hoping that IKB: 2012 would be even brighter, but sadly it's not.  Honestly, I am bummed I paid $20 for it.  I will grab Revlon's Royal 10 out of 10 times over it because it is brighter.  IKB: 2012 is a touch more purple as well compared to Revlon Royal.  IKB: 2012 is sold out, so if you missed it and are  bummed, grab Revlon Royal.  It is a permanent color!  Enjoy the swatches!

(L to R) Rescue Beauty Lounge IKB: 2012, Revlon Royal #730

(L to R) Revlon Royal #730, Rescue Beauty Lounge IKB: 2012

Revlon Royal #730

NARS Amchoor vs Color Club Almost Famous (swatch/comparison)

I was super excited for the new NARS Thakoon Collection to be to released!  The bright yellow shade called Amchoor stood out the most to me.  After going through my collection, I realized it is similar to Color Club's Almost Famous.  I actually prefer Almost Famous on my skin tone.  I would say that Amchoor is more of a sunflower yellow, while Almost Famous is more of a sunshine yellow.  They are both very bright and beautiful!  If you are on the fence, Color Club polishes are only a few dollars!  Enjoy the swatch!


(L to R) Color Club Almost Famous, NARS Amchoor



(L to R) Color Club Almost Famous, NARS Amchoor
**sorry it is slightly blurry**

Quick update

I will be taking a short break while my friend is visiting me! I will be back to posting on April 29th!!! Xoxo Heather

MAC Modern Mandarin Blush & Drugstore Alternative! (swatch/comparison)

Essence has a limited edition display out that includes an eyeshadow palette, nail polish, 2 lipsticks, some eye pencils and a blush for $2.49.  The collection is called Legends of the Sky.  I wasn't impressed by anything other than the blush!  The actual name of the blush is "Better way to Sky" and it is described as an apricot.   When swatched side by side, Modern Mandarin looks a bit more red toned.  I find Better way to Sky a bit more wearable on my skin.   Both blushes have the same satin sheen/finish, which I love.  They are both very creamy and pigmented, although Modern Mandarin stained my hand more than the Essence blush did.   Enjoy the swatches!

(L to R) MAC Modern Mandarin, Essence Better Way to Sky

*indoor light*
(L to R) MAC Modern Mandarin, Essence Better Way to Sky

*natural sunlight*
(L to R) MAC Modern Mandarin, Essence Better Way to Sky

**Natural sunlight/Blended out**
(L to R) MAC Modern Mandarin, Essence Better Way to Sky

Perfume Fail: Diane Von Furstenberg!

I received a sample of this perfume from Sephora and I'm actually choking right now trying to write this review.  My husband is gagging and my son won't come near me since I sprayed this on.  All I can say is that it smells like three things......1) cheap bathroom spray 2) Grandma 3) Toilet paper.  Wow.  I need to go shower this off. 

Notes:Frangipani, Violet, Patchouli, Musks, Myrrh.

NOTD: Cult Nails Captivated (swatch)

There is nothing I love more than a glitter polish that has a fairly opaque base!  Captivated was opaque in two coats and it just screams Summer!  This would look even better with a tan!  It does dry slightly gritty, but a top coat will fix that!  Enjoy the swatch!

Cult Nails Captivated

MAC Pink Popcorn Lipstick (Swatch/Comparison)

Here is the new MAC Pink Popcorn lipstick compared to other pinky/lavender MAC lipsticks that I own!  I find it is most similar to MAC Budding Love from the Chen Man Collection and Bubblegum.  Pink Popcorn and Budding Love both appear more lavender on my lips than it appears in the swatch.  My lips aren't very pigmented.  I hope this is helpful!  Enjoy the swatch!

**ALL MAC**
Top (L to R) Asian Flower Sheen Supreme, Pink Popcorn, Budding Love
Bottom: (L to R) Fashion Mews, Bubblegum, Lavender Whip, Playtime

NOTD: China Glaze Aquadelic (Swatch/comparison)

This color puts me in a good mood!  China Glaze Aquadelic is similar to Sally Hansen Barely Blue Bell.  Indoors, they look very similar, but in the sunlight, Aquadelic is a bit bluer.  You can't go wrong with either one, but I prefer the slightly bluer tones in Aquadelic!  They both go on opaque in 2 coats, however, Barely Blue Bell was slightly streaky on the first coat.  Enjoy the swatch!

NEW Dior Addict Ultra Gloss Flash Swatches! (Rose Croisette & Orange Pareo)

I have become a huge fan of the Dior Addict Ultra Glosses in the past year.  I used to love MAC Dazzleglasses, but after trying the Dior Addict glosses, I don't think I will ever look back.  These have a beautiful sparkle and have great staying power for a gloss without being sticky.  The formula is actually very smooth and silky and not gritty whatsoever.  My favorite of the two shades is the Orange Pareo!  It looks quite orange on my hand, but on my lips it is the perfect sparkling peach!  I love it so much.  I will probably use this up so fast this summer!  These glosses contain 0.21oz of product for $29 compared to the MAC Dazzleglass which is 0.06oz for $19.50.  You get so much more product in the Dior gloss!  Enjoy the swatches!!

(L to R) Rose Croisette #464, Orange Pareo #542

(L to R) Rose Croisette, Orange Pareo

MAC Extra Dimension Eyeshadow Swatches!

When the MAC Extra Dimension collection released, I told myself I would only buy one of the eyeshadows and see if it was special or not.  I wanted to try one because the formula is new and they claimed to be super creamy and pigmented....AND THEY ARE!  As you can see, I ended up going back to get four more!  These are my favorite MAC eyeshadows that I've tried yet!  They are all absolutely gorgeous and all very wearable colors!  I am honestly not a huge MAC eyeshadow fan unless it's the veluxe pearl formula, but these are amazing!!  I have been wearing them everyday this week!  Enjoy the swatches!

(L to R) Modern Pewter, Grand Galaxy, Blue Orbit, Havana, Rich Core

(L to R) Modern Pewter, Grand Galaxy, Blue Orbit

(L to R) Havana, Rich Core

NOTD: Cult Nails Scandalous (Swatch!)

I recently purchased the new Divas and Drama Collection from Cult Nails and the color Scandalous was the one I was most excited about trying!  It is a sheer jelly polish that was designed to look similar to a creamsicle.  It is sort of pastel and sort of bright at the same time!  It is really beautiful and unique!  I love polishes with a jelly finish!  I used 3 coats in the swatch below!  Enjoy the swatch!

Cult Nails Scandalous (3 coats)

Essence Sun Club "All Over Shimmer" for eyes, face & body (blondes & brunettes swatches!)

I picked up these two Essence Sun Club all over shimmer palettes for $4 each and bought them for the sole purpose of using them as an eyeshadow.  I am not a fan of shimmer bronzers on my skin, but these looked right up my alley for eyeshadows!  I am once again impressed with Essence!  The formula on these are super creamy and pigmented.  I barely touched the product to do those swatches!   If you're in the market for an inexpensive neutral eyeshadow palette, I would check these out!  You can't go wrong with either one!  Enjoy the swatches!

(L to R) Blondes, Brunettes

Blondes

Brunettes

Sally Hansen Loves Me Not Nail Polish! (Swatch)

I am obsessed with this nail polish!  It was in a new seperate display, so I'm guessing it's a new shade.  I might have something similar, but 95% of my polishes are packed away because we are moving in a month!  I will be back to doing comparison swatches ASAP!  This is such a gorgeous purple with an amazing blue and fuschia microshimmer!!  I have such a soft spot for sparkly purple polishes, so in my opinion this is a must have!!  The formula for this polish was A+!  Enjoy the swatch!!

Sally Hansen Loves Me Not (2 coats)

MAC Extra Dimension Highlighter (Superb & Whisper of Gilt)!

When I heard MAC was coming out with highlighters that were very similar to the Estee Lauder Modern Mercury, I knew I had to have it.  I never got my hands on the Modern Mercury and have been dying to try it.  At first, I only thought I would get MAC Whisper of Gilt, but I am so glad I grabbed Superb as well because it is the most gorgeous highlighter OF LIFE!  It is so gorgeous on the cheekbones and down the nose.  You barely need any product and when you take the time to really blend it in your skin, it gives you the most amazing glow!  I was afraid these might be too metallic, but they aren't!  They are both still available for $29 on the MAC website if you are interested!  I highly recommend Superb!  Enjoy the swatches!

Superb

Whisper of Gilt

(L to R) Whisper of Gilt, Superb

NOTD: Essence Wake up! (swatch)

Essence Wake up! is a really bright and fun red/orange polish with an excellent formula!  Like I always say, you can't beat the quality and price of any Essence polish for $0.99!!  This nail polish made me think of my MAC Hibiscus lipstick, so I am wearing that today as well!  My outfit is just a plain white v-neck shirt and jeans!  Love it!  Enjoy the swatch!

Essence Wake Up!

Revlon Break-up Nail Art (Swatch/Review/Fail)

I saw a large display of new Revlon nail art that caught my eye.  It is a double ended tube (one side is a cream polish and the other side is a shatter polish).  I've never been a big fan of the shatter polish look, but they display made the color combinations in these duos look really cool.  The combo that stood out to me was called "Killer Instincts".  One end is a bright orange cream and the other is a super sparkly copper/rose gold!  Application was easy.  I just applied one coat of the orange and one coat of the shatter on top.  It crackled nicely, but the reason I call this a fail is because once I combined these on my nails, it is really UGLY.  I thought maybe it was just me, but my husband told me to take it off because he thought it was a really ugly combination as well.   There just isn't enough contrast between the 2 colors.  Maybe it would look better over a black rather than the orange.  Here are the photos!  

Killer Instincts

Not a fan of this combo at all!  Sorry, Revlon!

NOTD: Sephora by OPI What's your sign? (swatch)

Happy Easter! 



Sephora by OPI What's your sign? (2 coats)



Butter London Nail Foundation Base Coat (Before/After Photo)

The reason I am so into nail polish is because I'm always trying to hide my nails that are weak, brittle and peel.  I have tried numerous base coats that claim to fill in the ridges, but they never work.  Butter London's Nail Foundation is the only base coat that I can actually say works.  This is a recent discovery for me and I will be using this everytime I paint my nails from now on!  I'm embarrassed to post this, but I can't be the only one with nails that peel.  Here are the before and after pictures! 

before

after

Revlon Runway Pearl Limited Edition Polish! Swatch!

I saw a new Revlon display that only had this limited edition nail polish in it!  I am not typically a sheer nail polish girl, but the red shimmer in this is to die for!  Runway Pearl has an amazing red microshimmer that glows like lava.  It is so unexpected and I love it!  The formula is great and you could even do just one coat because it doesn't streak at all!  (My thumb looks streaky in the photo, but not in real life).  Enjoy the swatch!  **ps.  This is a dupe for Chanel's Pearl Drop nail polish**

Revlon Runway Pearl

Revlon Runway Pearl (2 coats)

NYC Sunny Bronzer vs Essence Sun Club Blonde Bronzer (swatch/comparison)

NYC Sunny Bronzer has been my go-to matte bronzer for a while.  It works on my pale winter skin without looking too harsh or orange.  I have been exploring the brand Essence lately and saw they had 2 new matte bronzers (blonde and brunette).  I grabbed the blonde shade for less than $4 and thought I'd give it a try.  It is 15g of product versus 9.4g in the NYC Sunny.  After wearing the Essence blonde bronzer for a week I have concluded that I prefer it over NYC Sunny.  Essence bronzer has a much smoother consistency and it easier to blend into the skin.  I like to use it as a contour or with a big fluffy brush for an all over bronzer to warm up my skin a bit.   I find that the Essence bronzer looks more natural in general.   Even if you have really pale skin, you could use the Essence bronzer with a light hand to contour and it would look great.   What is your favorite matte bronzer?  Enjoy the swatches! 

(L to R) Essence blondes bronzer, NYC Sunny bronzer

NOTD: OPI Metallic 4 Life (swatch)

This is one of my favorite glitter polishes!  Metallic 4 Life was part of the recent Nicki Minaj Collection with OPI.  It is opaque in 2 coats and it is jammed packed with silver micro glitter and chunky glitter!  The black base really makes the silver glitter pop and it is really eye catching.....even indoors!  Enjoy the swatch!

OPI Metallic 4 Life

NOTD: Essie Armed & Ready! (swatch)

Armed & Ready is a brownish grey and has a really unique coppery microshimmer.  It is gorgeous in the sunlight, but indoors it looks pretty blah to me.  Without the copper shimmer, it just does nothing for me.  I wish the sparkle was more noticeable.  The formula was opaque in 2 coasts.  Enjoy the swatch!

Essie Armed & Ready