Juicy Couture TROY SURRATT 24 KARAT COUTURE LIPGLOSS and DEBORAH LIPPMANN HERE COMES THE QUEEN Nail Polish Set Swatches and Review

This is my 1,000 post!!!  EEEE!  *celebratory dance* Okay, now that we have that out of the way.... =D

Over the holidays, Deborah Lippmann got with Juicy Couture and made some festive sets.  I had actually only thought there were trios of nail polish released, but on an after holiday jaunt to the mall I saw a set (hidden, mind you, buwhahahha!) of a flashy golden Deborah Lippmann top coat and some sort of champagne bottle lookin' thing.

Upon further investigation I saw the champagne bottle looking thing was in fact a Troy Surratt 24 Karat Couture Lip Gloss (which the salesgirl told me was totally clear, you'll see later she was wrong).  Seeing as how the name didn't ring a bell, I decided to educate myself by searching the interwebs.
Please enjoy this short bio on Troy Surratt from Teen Vogue:

Troy Surratt spent his childhood dreaming of beauty and fashion—and of getting out of the Midwest. After high school, he picked up and moved to New York City to attend the Fashion Institute of Technology. In between classes and studying, Surratt found time to assist renowned fashion designer Randolph Duke. But the gowns on the runway didn't draw him in as much as the behind-the-scenes creations of the makeup artists, so Surratt shifted gears to focus on beauty. Shortly thereafter, his work caught the attention of makeup legend Kevyn Aucoin, further catapulting Surratt's career. Surratt went on to help launch beauty brand Tarte, act as a spokesperson for online retailer beauty.com, and work with dozens of starlets along the way, from Zooey Deschanel to Charlize Theron. But this fast-paced lifestyle hasn't altered his simple yet fearless philosophy: "At the end of the day, it all washes off. So why not go for it?" —MAURA LYNCH

I assume this is the right bio since the other Troy Surratt I found is working for the U.S. Air Force Academy.

On the the photos and review!

 (outdoors, with flash)

 (outdoors, no flash)

This is such a gorgeous set to look at, it's no wonder that it jumped out at me, even while hidden.

As you can see, the Troy Surratt 24 Karat Couture Lip Gloss is not clear on the swatch, but rather a beautiful, shimmery gold.  On the lips, you can see the shimmer a BIT, but not so much that it's garish.  I found the gloss to be thick and moisturizing, but not sticky.

Deborah Lippmann Here Comes The Queen is likely my favorite polish ever (that I've tried) from her line, and quite possibly in my top 10 polishes of all time.  The base is clear with random sized gold flakies throughout.  It was easy to apply and no flakie maneuvering was necessary.  I used one coat of this polish over top of China Glaze Fuchsia Fanatic for the swatch photos.

The retail on this set was $48.00.  But then it was on sale for $23.99.  And then it was another 40% off I believe (I paid like $15 something with the tax?).... so if you can possibly still find this at Juicy Couture, it's likely to be super cheap, since it's been a bit since I picked it up.

China Glaze DANCE BABY, ELECTRIC BEAT, and FUCHSIA FANATIC Nail Polish Swatches and Review - ElectroPop

China Glaze

ElectroPop

Brightening up a rather bleak Winter season, China Glaze ElectroPop delivers vibrant shades for your tips!   This collection features 12 polishes, and I'm excited to able to share three of them with you - Dance Baby, Electric Beat, and Fuchsia Fanatic!  I am hoping my Sally's gets these SOON so I can bring you a few more.  I checked last night and they weren't there yet and no go at Ulta today either.  I'm keeping my eyes peeled!

Dance Baby

Dance Baby is a bubble gum barbie pink creme.  It was a little patchy in 2 coats, which had me nervous, but a third coat handled that little issue.  The color is bright and fun!

Electric Beat

Electric Beat is a gorgeous periwinkle cream which was opaque in 2 coats.  It applied like a dream and I had no issues what-so-ever!

Fuchsia Fanatic

Fuchsia Fanatic is a lively fuchsia pink creme.  This one was actually opaque in one coat, but I applied two just to make sure it all looked even on camera.  Lately I've been "over" fuchsia just because I've seen so much of it, especially over last Summer, but this particular one is simply stunning!

I can't speak to the whole collection, since I only have three shades right now, but I am really impressed with these three creme shades!

ElectroPop will be available February 2012. Individual shades retail for $7; 6 piece collections retail for $42.

Official Press Release

Top 21 Nail Polishes in my Stash

I thought it would be fun to pick through my stash on a cold, house-bound day and pick out the polishes I could never part with.  There are a lot of polishes that I love, but I narrowed it down to 21 that I couldn't part with come hell or high water.

In no particular order (clicking links will navigate you away from the page, right click and open new window to stick around!):

• Chanel Peridot - It's just a beautiful and fun shade!  My fave Chanel polish ever made! (that I've owned, there are many I lust for, though lol)
• Le Metier de Beaute Kontagious Koral - The perfect Summer hue!  AND a ONE COAT WONDER!
• OPI Pros & Bronze - it's just something different, not your average shimmery peach
• OPI Teenage Dream - Katy Perry made the song famous, OPI matched the polish perfectly
• China Glaze Atlantis - a teal, holo glitter love
• China Glaze Ingrid - who doesn't love a shimmery taupe?
• China Glaze For Audrey - basically because of my Tiffany's obsession (sorry for the truly crappy swatch, I've come a long way in the photo department lol)

• Missha Crystal - from Australia!  I need more of these!
• MAC Endless Night - a nude with attitude!
• Dior Czarina Gold -I searched high and low for this, and by chance found it by calling a Bloomingdales in California.  Hey, whatever you gotta do, right?
• Dior Gold Nugget - this is an oldie... but a cultie!  they should release it again.  You can't tell in the photo, but it's almost half gone!  the most used in my stash! (excuse the crap swatch)
• Dior Merveille - a shimmery, juicy, cherry red... perfect for ANY season!
• Cult Nails Unicorn Puke - this really needs no words... heaven in a bottle
• Zoya Tiffany - Bet you thought I would have thrown in Zoya Brooke ;) I dun like it, but Tiffany stuns!

• Butter London No More Waity, Katie - a lot of people didn't like this, but it's one of my faves!
• Butter London Tart With A Heart - another people weren't too crazy for, but I think it's cool!
• Nicole by OPI Kim-pletely In Love - yeah yeah, it's a Kardashian.. but so unique!
• L'Oreal Owl's Night - one of my fave color polishes to wear, from a collection based off of one of my fave shows, Project Runway.
• Orly Fowl Play - the supposed OPI Merry Midnight dupe is not so much... it's BETTER.
• Orly Androgynie - was so happy to find this, even in a mini... we saw a lot similar in 2011, but Androgynie just has that extra twist!

And, finally, MAC Something About Pink from the Hello Kitty Collection (forgot to put it in the main photo, whoopsie!).  This one is sentimental to me, because I was wearing it the day I gave birth to my daughter almost three years ago!

What are some of your fave polishes?  Are any sentimental to you?

Born Pretty Store Orange Cracking Nail Polish Swatches and Review

Polishes that Shatter, Crackle, Fragment... what have you... were the polish trend of 2011.  This is 2012, but they're still going strong with their cool effects and amazing shades.
Born Pretty Store offers an Orange Cracking Polish that has an awesome cracking effect for overtop of your favorite shades and nail art.

(shown here over top of Funky Fingers Sand & Stilettos)

This particular brand of Cracking Polish needs to be painted on in a medium coat.  Don't worry if it seems too thick, as it sets the gaps will separate more and more.

The Orange Cracking Polish retails for $4.91 and is available at the Born Pretty Store.

If you're interested in purchasing this polish, or any other items from Born Pretty Store - make sure you use this coupon code BNJ61 for 10% off of your purchase!!

Funky Fingers SAND & STILETTOS Nail Polish Swatches and Review

Have you ever heard of the store Five Below?  I'm not sure if these are everywhere in the US, or even International for that matter, but we ran in there yesterday and I was shocked to see a beauty section!  They had Wet N Wild (mostly core products, but a few of the older polishes were there too!) and a ton of random polishes.

A brand they had a lot of shades from is Funky Fingers.  Never heard of it, but there were A LOT of pretty shades.  One that literally SCREAMED at me was Sand & Stilettos.

 (blurred for your pleasure)

 (indoors w/ flash)

 (outdoors, shaded, no flash)

(outdoors, shaded, no flash)

 (outdoors, sun, no flash)

 (outdoors, sun, no flash)

Holy freakin glitter ball of holo.  I prayed it would be as pretty on the nail as it was in the bottle.  And it is.  The swatch below is three coats and I can't stop staring.  I feel like I'm at a disco.  It does feel rather gritty, even with a top coat, but the fact that it is SO gorgeous means you should probably overlook that if it's something that usually bothers you.

Funky Fingers Nail Polish retail at Five Below for $2 each or 3 for $5.  You're welcome.

Zoya FLECK EFFECT Nail Polish Collection Swatches and Review - Spring 2012

2012 SPRING NAIL COLOR by ZOYA

FLECK EFFECT

MYLAR FLECK TOPCOATS

Zoya Nail Polish presents - three new mylar fleck glazes that can be worn alone or layered

over the new ZOYA TRUE collection colors for a unique and beautiful nail look!

 (L-R: Chloe, Opal, Maisie)

All swatches are done with one coat on the pinkie, 2 coats on the ring finger, 3 coats on the middle finger, and 4 coats on the pointer finger and thumb.  The base coat used was Zoya Anchor, and no top coat was used since the Fleck Effect is considered a top coat.  If you're wearing the Fleck Effect alone, 3 coats is perfect... if it's on top of another polish, one is fine!

Chloe

 (with flash)

 (without flash)

 (without flash)

 (without flash)

Chloe (pink tint with mylar green and gold fleck effect) adds fire flecks to the nail.  Super beautiful over top of Cho, Farah, Lotus, and Tru.

Opal

 (with flash)

 (without flash)

  (without flash)

Opal (green tint with mylar green fleck effect) flashes quite randomly with green, pink, blue... it really just depends on what you're layering it over.  Spectacular!

Maisie

 (with flash)

 (without flash)

 (without flash)

Maisie (blue tint with mylar green fleck effect) I found Maisie to look pretty similar to Opal over top of darker polishes such as Tru, Lotus, and Skylar.  The base is different, but the flecks appear the same.

I also swatched the new Zoya TRUE Collection with the Fleck Effect Polishes:

Bevin

 (L-R: Chloe, Opal, Maisie - with flash)

(L-R: Chloe, Opal, Maisie - without flash)

Cho

 (L-R: Maisie, Opal, Chloe - with flash)

  (L-R: Maisie, Opal, Chloe - without flash)

Farah

 (L-R: Chloe, Opal, Maisie - with flash)

(L-R: Chloe, Opal, Maisie - without flash)

Lotus

 (L-R: Chloe, Opal, Maisie - with flash)

(L-R: Chloe, Opal, Maisie - without flash)

Skylar

 (L-R: Maisie, Opal, Chloe - with flash)

(L-R: Maisie, Opal, Chloe - without flash)

Tru

 (L-R: Chloe, Opal, Maisie - with flash)

(L-R: Chloe, Opal, Maisie - without flash)

Overall, I'm loving the Fleck Effects.  I love anything flakie and beautiful.  My surprise fave is Opal!  When I first saw the bottles I thought Chloe would be my fave, but she's at least a very close second.  If you can only get 2 of the three, go for Chloe and Opal, but if you can - BUY THE SET!  I think it's becoming quite clear that for 2012, you can never have enough flakies!

Zoya is the new color of fashion...

Ultra long-wearing, glossy nail lacquers by Zoya are free of harmful industrial

chemicals like toluene, camphor, formaldehyde, resin, dibutyl phthalate (DBP)

that are known to cause cancer and birth defects.

Sug. Retail $8.00 per 0.5 fl.oz. bottle (US)

Available January 13, 2012

 

Find Zoya FLECK EFFECT as well as over 300 other ultra high-fashion Zoya shades at www.zoya.com.

As always, each and every Zoya color is made for women so we name them after women.