China Glaze Tronica - Gamer Glam

China Glaze Gamer Glam is such a pretty holo.... I know a lot of these are reminicent of the OMG collex, but I wasn't around too much for that, so I'm loving that there is another holo collection that I can sink my nails into. I can't compare what this pretty purple holo is against a polish from OMG, but I can't say if you don't have anything like GG... you NEED to own it. I cannot stop checking out my nails!

I found that it was very easy to apply, though it was a tad runny and you have to be careful.

3 coats of CG Gamer Glam and Seche Vite FDTC

(click to enlarge)

Yesterday I reviewed China Glaze High Def, also from the Tronica collection. Who knows what tomorrow will bring ;)

China Glaze Crackle Glaze - Lightning Bolt

For swatching sake I popped China Glaze Crackle Glaze in Lightning Bolt over top of China Glaze High Def.

These crackles take such practice to get the thickness you want. I start painting at the pinky and work toward the thumb, and as you can tell from the pic, I don't hit my desired thickness til about the pointer finger.



Lightning Bolt is like painting your nails with white out, except it's obviously going to crackle as it dries, which is immediate. I'm not sure LB ranks well in my polish stash, but everyone needs a white crackle in their life ;)

Retail on these will vary, it just depends on where you buy your China Glaze!!

China Glaze Tronica - High Def

DH and I had our belated Valentine's dinner last night and I insisted we go into Sally Beauty Supply. We were out in an area we're rarely in and when I see a huge Sally's it's like a pull. The employee was just about to close up for the night and was putting out the China Glaze Tronica Collection! They didn't have ALL of them (does anyone elses Sally's not get entire collections?! My local one doesn't either.) but I managed to snag 3 without DH putting up much of a fight.

The one I'll be showing today will be High Def. Sort of a Periwinkle Blue holographic. I actually grabbed it because it's the color of the walls in my main bathroom which I LOVE.

This is with 3 coats of High Def and Seche Vite top coat.

(click to enlarge)

I was a little worried because I didn't see any sign of holo when I stared at the bottle... but DAMN look how pretty that is! YAY!

The retail on these polishes vary. Sally's has the $1 off on China Glaze until the end of Feb I believe. Keep watching for these to pop up, I doubt they'll last long!

Physicians Formula Happy Booster Glow & Mood Boosting Blush in Rose

Physicians Formula Happy Booster Glow & Mood Boosting Blush in Rose - Geez that's a mouthfull! I don't think the name of the product NEEDED to be that long, but what a fun looking blush!



I've never used anything from this brand before, but when I saw the pics of the blushes and face powders I had to check it out. Um... couldn't.find.anywhere. Any place I went to look for this was sold out. ALL the time. Luckily, I must have hit my local Wal-Mart right when they restocked. I grabbed up the Rose color and ran off to the register.





The Rose shade has a nice pigment to it and is soft and glowy. I don't know if I felt a definate MOOD boost, but I did smile a bit ;) If I can find it again, I will definately purchase the second blush in Natural.

CONS
1. It comes with the most ridiculous brush. IMO, take a buck off the price and nix the brush. It's thin and flimsy and I'm not sure who would actually want to use it to apply ANYthing with.


2. The compact is attached to the packaging. This makes no sense to me. It wasn't attached enough to be a theft deterrant, so I'm not sure of the reason for it. Sadly, when you take it off the box it rips some of the pretty pinkness off of the compact. Boo.



Even with the minor cons of this one product I've tried, Physicians Formula is definately a brand I'll be keeping my eye on!

These are actually available at Ulta.com for $11.99 each (plus Ulta now boasts $3.50 off of any $10 purchase and free shipping when you spend $50). Retail on them varies...I paid $10 something plus tax for this at my local WalMart. I've also heard some of these have coupons attached, so you might want to keep your eye out for those as well.

Guerlain Orange Euphorique Rouge G Lipstick

This lipstick looks super bright in the tube, but it's muted peachy perfection on the lips. Guerlain is ridiculously expensive but well known for a good product and heavy, durable packaging. The Orange Euphorique Lipstick is no exception.



Orange Euphorique is from the Serie Noire and is a collector's edition lipstick. The casing quality and design is like that of a regular Rouge G but it is black instead of silver.

These lipsticks glide on smoothly and feel extremely rich. The mirror in the lipstick casing is especially handy for quick touch ups.






no flash


Guerlain Orange Euphorique "Serie Noire" Rouge G Lipstick is available at Nordstrom.com and retails for $47 plus tax. Yes, I said $47.

What Cha Got? Whad Ya Win?

After a spell of bad weather/oddly warm weather/extremely bad weather I have FINALLY shipped out Bonnie's Giveaway WIN.

What was in there you ask? I'm sure Bonnie wouldn't mind a little teaser photo ;)



Enjoy, Bonnie! Congratulations!!

MAC Wonder Woman FOTD

A few days ago I broke out the MAC Wonder Woman Valiant Quad. I needed to use it before I did my review post and I wasn't going anywhere that day, so I figured if it was ugly or my application sucked it wouldn't be a big deal.

This is seriously one of my favorite looks ever. I went a little higher up on my eye than I usually do to be a bit more dramatic. As a SAHM who basically lives in yoga pants and Victoria's Secret PINK clothes it was really too outlandish for my day to day, but it was FUN and I just LOVED looking at my eye balls all day.



For this look I used:
~ MAC Studio Sculpt Concealer NW25
~ Dior Hydra Life Pro-Youth Skin Tint SPF 20 - 1 Cream
~ Lancome Dual Finish Powder Matte Bisque II
~ Dior DiorShow Brow Styler
~ MAC Brow Set - Clear
~ MAC False Lashes Mascara
~ MAC WW Valiant Eye Shadow Quad
~ Dior Trinidad Black Waterproof Crayon Eye Liner
~ MAC Golden Lariat MSF
~ MAC WW Marquise d' Lipstick
~ MAC WW Emancipation Lipglass

MAC Wonder Woman Valiant Eye Shadow Quad

I was extremely apprehensive about the Quad's for MAC Wonder Woman. The reviews from the bloggers who got items in advance were less than stellar. I haven't used Lady Justice or Defiance, but I'm really pleased with Valiant. It blended well, stayed on all day, and looked great. The success of Valiant actually has me lemming on Defiance!



From the maccosmetics.com website:
"An Eye Shadow quad that reveals Wonder Woman's power to transform! Bold in colour and design. Glossy red/blue/yellow WW compact with comic book-style packaging. The shades: Valiant, Spinning Transformation, Diana Undercover and Manila Paper."

By now I've bored you to death on my love of the packaging, so we'll get right down to the pics and swatches!





The MAC Wonder Woman Valiant Quad retails for $40 and is still available at maccosmetics.com.

Zoya Edyta Nail Polish

FINALLY the last of my Zoya 3 free promotion arrived!! I placed my order January 4 and have had my other polishes for over a month now... FINALLY I sucked it up and messaged customer service on their live chat. Really, I should have done it sooner, but I know they had A LOT going on and were getting a lot of crap from people who weren't getting things fast enough... so I just didn't want to bug. The live chat rep told me that some orders with Edyta on them actually had Edyta drop right off the order! So, if you ordered Edyta, and haven't received it, get ahold of them! I also saw on Facebook the backordered Kelly's are being shipped as well.

In addition to Tiffany, and Cheryl, I ordered a Zoya fan fav Edyta. It did not disappoint! It actually made me think of a few polishes I already own, so I'll need to do a comparison post in the future. I'm not going to name them now, just in case I'm wrong I wouldn't want anyone to NOT order it and kick yourselves later!

This is Zoya Edyta with 3 coats, no top or base, I was too excited to put it on!


Really, it looked good after 2 coats, but I love to put on 3 ;) (Zoya makes a great polish, BTW). Zoya's apply evenly and stay on quite decently. I enjoy using their base coat as well from time to time.

Zoya polishes retail for $7 and can be purchased off of the website or if you're lucky enough to have a salon near you that carries them.

If Zoya did another 3 free deal what polishes would you purchase? I would be all over Bela, Gemma, and Ivanka!

Guerlain d'Un Soupir (187) Eyeshadow Swatches

Normally I do not buy this brand. Financially, I can't make it a habit. They are UBER expensive (though the packaging is divine). I usually am not completely floored by them either. Like if I'm going to pay THAT much I better LOVE it, no questions asked.

Recently I saw some swatches of Guerlain d'Un Soupir Eyeshadow, part of the Spring 2011 line. Fell. In. Love. Exactly the dark brown shade I'd been looking for to use as an all over eye shade. You can just do so much with this shade. It's easily blendable and can be paired with anything. It would also be a beautiful liner. You'll get your money's worth here for sure.



The packaging is Guerlain, so it's gorgeous. Easy to finger print up, but nice and heavy. It looks rich, and classy. Another bonus, it has a mirror! I just love when little compacts have a mirror ;) (you can click any of the pics to enlarge)





The swatch shows just how pigmented and beautiful this shadow is. I didn't have to dig to get it dark, it's just how it is. Love.


Get ready... The Guerlain Eyeshadow in d'Un Soupir retails for $36 (yes, for ONE shadow) at fine retailers. I clicked around online looking for a site that still had it in stock to link back to, but it isn't listed anymore. I'm not sure if it sold out or whats going on, but it isn't LE, as far as I can tell. I bought this one from Bloomingdales.com.

MAC Mighty Aphrodite Blush Rewind

At first I totally was not in love with MAC Wonder Woman Mighty Aphrodite Duo Blush... well, everyone deserves a second chance.

I gave Mighty Aphrodite her second chance on Saturday, the day of my daughers birthday. I tried to go a little lighter, using more of the peachy side, but it still made me uneasy. I took some face pics, to ease my mind that I didn't look so clownish. I still wasn't sure even after looking at the pics, but DH assured me it was ok and there was nothing to worry about. You know I got a TON of compliments?! People thought I had been TANNING. LOL

I don't know... what do you think?


The eyeballs are the NARS 15th Anniversary Everlasting Love Palette. I chose this palette because it reminded me of the MAC Wonder Woman Lady Justice Quad. The lips are the MAC Wonder Woman Marquise d'/Emancipation mix.

And here is a pic from Saturday in Sepia cause it's FUN. ;)

MAC Wonder Woman Lipglass Swatches

The two Wonder Woman Lipglasses that I picked up were Emancipation and Wonder Woman. I'm not gonna lie... the tubes are comical. (Wonder Woman is a comic so that makes sense lol)... comical as in hilarious. When I first saw them in person at Nordstrom I busted out laughing. Then you pull out the oversized doe foot applicator you will laugh even harder. It's just a shock to see the size of it all. I think it's great, but I am definately going to be hiding when I need to reapply lol



In regards to the doe foot applicator, please be careful when your taking the wand out of the tube. The suction is pretty strong and you could end up with sticky lipglass all over your clothes. It's easy to apply, even though the applicator is HUGE, because the color only gets on the end tip. It's not slathered all over. You DO need to be careful, but not as much as I thought before I saw them.

Packaging:



Tubes/Applicator Comparison:




You can see the color really well from the applicators, so I nixed the arm swatches this time and went with Lip Swatches:

Wonder Woman


Emancipation


Emancipation has definately earned a spot in my top 5 Lipglasses. I do hope they'll re-release it in a normal sized tube for a later collection.

The MAC Wonder Woman Lipglasses retail for $20.00 and are still available on maccosmetics.com.

FYI - for those that missed out on Wonder Woman Pink Power MSF - I called MAC Customer Service and they had a box of them there to put on sale on the site, and they sold me one! It's on it's way! Right now, the website says COMING SOON, so if you've been dying for this one make sure you stalk the site. This will likely be the last of them!

MAC Wonder Woman Mighty Aphrodite Powder Blush

Both of the MAC Wonder Woman Powder Blush Duo's are seriously gorgeous to look at, but dang they are pigmented. Which can be good or bad, depending on what you like.

Mighty Aphrodite blush ended up WAY too clownish on me (MAC NW25 but I've been told I can lean both cool and warm). I even went light at first and it was STILL too much. I blended it down with the peachy gold side, but that little coral pink part really packs a punch.



I, of course, love the packaging! It makes me happy that this one comes with a little mirror =)




Here are individual swatches of the 2 shades (fingers one and two) finger three is both of the shades mixed together:


The Blush Duo's retail for $24 plus tax each and are still randomly available. Mighty Aphrodite you may have to do a bit of legwork to find, but Amazon Princess is still available pretty much everywhere I've looked, including maccosmetics.com

**please excuse the figure 8 on the blush pics... it's from my flash and the mirror!

China Glaze Crackle Glaze Broken Hearted

The pink one. Lusttttttt.
Ok, so the color combo I used is pretty gross. It looked better in my head and after I did it I was like... well damn the white crackle would have looked better. But I was DYING to use the pink, so there you have it.

It's REALLY pretty. One of the best crackle finishes that I've tried out so far. (though, at this point, Crushed Candy remains my fav of the crackles) As you can see in the photo, I experimented on my ring finger and did a double layer of crackle. Looks meh... but I need to take off this mani and do something fun for my daughters second birthday party on Saturday anyway!

Swatches are over Essie Hot Coco:


China Glaze Crackle Glaze is out of stock at transdesign.com but you can still visit Victoria Nail Supply to get your hands on a partial set including Lightning Bolt, Black Mesh, and Crushed Candy. Or wait for the March/April release to get it in stores!

Essie Hot Coco Nail Polish Review & Swatches

Ever since I feasted my eyes on swatches of Essie Hot Coco (from Winter 2010, described as tawny sepia) I thought it resembled one of my biggest polish lemmings: Chanel Khaki Rose. I do not have the Chanel polish to compare to, but based off of swatches I'd say they have to be pretty close... maybe the polish gals that follow can give me a confirm on that?

This is Essie Hot Coco with 2 coats. I thought it looked ok but then I did the pics and it's spotty, so I did my other hand with 3 coats and it looked much better. I'll probably put some sort of crackle over it tomorrow to test out one of the other shades ;)


and in this shot if you click to enlarge you can check out the patchiness lol


The pink tinge in this makes it totally wearable for me, I seriously have a hard time finding taupes I like!

Essie retails for $8 USD and is available online at transdesign.com or at Ulta (where I picked up this one).

MAC Wonder Woman Golden Lariat Mineralize Skinfinish

MAC Wonder Woman is seriously the most awesome thing that has released this year. To me, anyway! My daughter was even Wonder Woman this past Halloween! I'm a huge fan of this color story and can only hope there is a Jem and the Holograms one in the future!

To start off my MAC Wonder Woman bevy of posts I give you Golden Lariat Mineralize Skinfinish (MSF).


This item was not on my original list of must have items. Actually, based off of early swatches, I was lemming Pink Power. Once I got to Nordstrom and did my own swatching, I saw that Pink Power was not what I was looking for. Really it would have been more like a highlighter on me. Sad face. I thought that Golden Lariat would be WAY too dark and orange, but it's GORGEOUS. I put the bronzer of the orange part in the hollows of my cheekies and then highlight the cheekbones with the gold part. Literally, I was glowing... and there was no baby in the belly this time!

Packaging:



Yep, it's oversized, but WW was Amazon. So what did you expect?! Personally, I am loving the packaging! I just wish the MSF's would have had a mirror! It looked like it was missing something. Like a mirror SHOULD have been there. The boxes with the comic strip motif are perfect and reflect WW and the brand well.

Swatches:


blended:


My only con is that I wish the orange color of the compact was a little bigger! It's SO pretty.

The MAC Wonder Woman MSF's are $35.00 USD (plus tax) each and while they're no longer stating "sold out" on the MAC Website, you still can't add them to your bag =(