New to me: PeaceKeeper Cause-Metics

Today I am very excited to introduce you to a brand that is new to me and I am guessing it might be new to you too: PeaceKeeper Cause-Metics.

At the grocery store, I am all about everything organic. But when it comes to beauty products, I am not one to seek out organic, natural or vegan products. I don't know why, but I have been operating under the assumption that these products would lack in quality; that there was a trade off for the organic ingredients. These nail polishes from PeaceKeeper, or should I say nail paints as they call them, has really changed my mind about that.

These nail polishes had a beautiful consistency, flowed nicely onto the nail and dried quickly. Absolutely no complaints about the formula of these nail polishes! Here are the colors that I tried:

PeaceKeeper Paint Me Luminous:

Love this one! Frosty white base with iridescent multi-color glitter. This one is serious bling yet subtle at the same time.

PeaceKeeper Paint Me Forgiving:

Pinkish nude with silver shimmer. I love this color because it is really natural looking and chic, yet it has a little something extra. I think this is one of my favorite nude colors to wear right now. My picture really does not do it justice.

PeaceKeeper Paint Me Stunning:

I am not that into pinks but this is one of the prettiest ones in my collection. This color has a very luminous and almost etherial quality about it.

PeaceKeeper Paint Me Patient:

Brownish nude shimmer. Another very chic, gorgeous color.

As I said before, I am super impressed with everything about these nail polishes - beautiful colors, flawless application and relatively quick dry time. The line does not make any crazy colors, but these are nice, wearable, and practical colors for everyday.

PeaceKeeper Nail Paints are made without Toluene, Formaldehyde, Acetone, Phthalates, Parabens, or FD&C/Lake Coloring and PeaceKeeper does absolulely NO ANIMAL TESTING! For more information on the ingredients here is a direct link to the section of PeaceKeeper's website that discusses the ingredients. This is actually very interesting information, I really recommend checking it out.

PeaceKeeper also makes a nail polish remover that is eco-friendly. It is made from sugar beets, rosemary and spearmint. I will be reviewing this product for you very soon.

One more fabulous thing about PeaceKeeper Cause-Metics: they are the first cosmetics line to give all of its after-tax distributable profits to women’s health advocacy and urgent human rights issues.

PeaceKeeper Nail Paint retails for $10 and can be purchased online by clicking here. PeaceKeeper offers free shipping on all orders.

OPI South Beach Collection Spring/Summer 2009 - Swatches Part 1

Good day, dear readers! 

Today I have for you the first look (other than promo pics) at OPI's new South Beach Collection for Spring/Summer 2009. I am sharing six of the colors with you today and will share the other six colors in the coming days. The OPI South Beach Collection will be available February 4, 2009. For those of you that love pinks, corals and reds, you will *love* this collection. There are also a few oddballs in this collection, for those of us with different tastes in nail polish. Now, on to the swatches! And as always, you can click on any of the pictures to enlarge them.

OPI Party In My Cabana:

Pink creme that has a slightly muted appearance. I do not usually wear colors like this but I know that mom, sister and best friend would LOVE this one. I expect emails from at least two of them wanting to steal it from me hahaha.

OPI Bronzed To Perfection:

Caramel brown base loaded with gold shimmer that is large enough to be considered a glitter. This color was one of the surprises for me. When I saw the promo pictures of this color, I did not think I would like it. But now that I am wearing it, I know that I'll love it in the summer when I have a tan. I can also see my friends with darker skin than moi being able to successfully rock this color. I think this would look *awesome* on my friend Brittany from Clumps of Mascara. B, what do you think?

OPI Overexposed In South Beach:

Dark magenta purple with violet shimmer. I really like this color a lot! Probably one of my favorites in this collection. I will wear this on both my fingers and toes. Again, I also think this color will look better on me when I have a little more color. *edited to add* This is a distant 2nd cousin to OPI Louvre Me, Louvre Me Not, but not a dupe. LMLMN is more violet purple than Overexposed. Overexposed is more magenta toned. I would definitely suggest owning both if you like colors like this!

OPI Feelin' Hot-Hot-Hot!:

Very pretty bright pink creme. It looks much more vivid and brighter in person. This is very similar to OPI's Elephantastic Pink but is brighter and cooler than EP. Probably not a color that I would wear on my fingers but I will definitely be sporting this as pedicure as soon as it gets warmer outside. 

OPI Sand In My Suit:

Golden beige-y nude base with serious shimmer. I think this shade is just stunning! This is a great go-to nude for the spring.

OPI OPI On Collins Ave:

Bright coral orange creme. This is another HOT shade. It is bold but I think I will be brave enough to sport this on my fingers this summer. Of course, it would rock for a pedicure too, no question about that. This color is so bright, it glows!

Application on all of these was fine, just like all OPI's that I have used. The only ones that required three coats were OPI Party In My Cabana and OPI OPI On Collins Ave. Other than those two, they were all totally opaque with no streaks at two coats. I will share with you my overall thoughts and feelings on this collection when I post the rest of the swatches in the next week or so.

Again, the OPI South Beach Collection will be available February 4, 2009. From what you have seen so far, let me know which colors you will be getting! Tell me in the comments.

That is all for now, dear reader.

xoxo,

Katee 

CND Spring/Summer 2009 Nail Polish News and Swatches

Good day, dear readers!

The new year is officially in full swing and so are the 2009 Spring nail polish collections! The first one I have to share with you is from Creative Nail Design aka CND.

CND is currently in the process of a major color relaunch. They have paired down their current nail color offerings to their top 40 polishes and will begin to create seasonal color collections outside of their top 40 colors starting spring 2010. In the meantime, CND will select colors from their core collection that they feel best represent the seasonal trends from Fashion Week.

For Spring/Summer 2009, CND has selected the following shades:

CND Bisou De Lulu:

CND Bisou De Lulu is a sheer white that is build-able to almost opaque. This swatch is three coats, two coats was a little too sheer for me. This is one of the few whites that is not a streaky mess to apply. When my nails were longer I would never wear colors like this because I thought they made my nails look like acrylics. Now with shorter nails, I think a white nail color like this looks very chic and gorgeous for spring. My boyfriend rarely notices or comments on my nail polish, unless it is a green or something else he hates. But he really liked Bisou De Lulu.

CND Moonlight & Roses:

CND Moonlight & Roses is a sheer color that has a white base and tons of pink and violet toned iridescent shimmer. This swatch is two coats. This is a very pretty color, I think I'll try this one on my toes for my next pedicure.

CND Fedora:

CND Fedora is a gorgeous, red toned brown creme. Inside it looks like dark coffee and outdoors in the sun it almost has a bit of a plum tone to it. If your collection is missing a nice dark brown, pick this one up! 

CND Cocoa:

CND's Cocoa was seen on the runway at spring 09 shows for Giambattista Valli, Nina Ricci, Max Azria, Halston, Thakoon, & Peter Som... to list a few. This is a super chic, fleshy nude creme. This was the #1 requested nail color requested at fashion week by designers. 

CND Wildfire:

CND's Wildfire, a red-violet, raged on both tips and toes at Tibi's spring 09 show. Red is one of those nail polish colors that is very difficult to photograph. This picture does not do this gorgeous red justice. This is a super blue toned red, it is SO HOT in person! I do not normally wear reds, but this color is so sexy, I'll definitely wear it as a mani soon. If you are a red lover, Wildfire is a must.

CND Iced Cappuccino:

CND Iced Cappuccino is a light brown metallic. It is a very pretty color but I am not big into metallic polishes. Application was flawless though, no brush stroke issues here.

CND Decadence:

CND Decadence is a dark red that I might also classify as a jelly. Again, another photographic problem child. This red is much deeper in person. 

Application of all of these polishes was flawless, with a capital F! The lacquer flowed onto my nails perfectly. The finish of all of the cremes in this collection was super glossy. These did dry slower than average for me though. At first I used Orly Bonder and Seche Vite when I did a mani with one of these, and it seemed like they would never dry. But then I did another mani with CND's Stickey base coat and CND's Speedey top coat and they dried much faster. So if you don't have luck with your normal base/top coat combo, give CND's a try.

Overall, I am quite pleased with the shades that CND has selected for Spring/Summer 2009. I get tired of seeing the same old boring pinks and pastels. Here we have gorgeous nudes, a vampy brown and two fabulous reds. I think all of these colors are versatile, wearable, and in my opinion, much more chic than easter egg colored polishes (just my opinion!).

CND products are available at Head2Toe Beauty and 8ty8 Beauty - links are under the "where to haul" section of my blog.

That is all for now, dear readers. Stay tuned for more Spring 2009 nail polish swatches coming soon!

xoxo,

Katee

Lippmann Collection - Limited Edition Holiday Nail Polishes

Hello everyone!

Today I have some lovely swatches for you from the Lippmann Collection. These are limited edition for Holiday 2008. Click on the pictures if you would like to see larger images.

First up, Lippmann Collection Icing on the Cake:

Frosty light pink. This nail color is beautiful, delicate and uber feminine. I do not usually sport light colors on my tips but I will definitely reach for this one when light colors are more appropriate. 

Next, Lippmann Collection Superstar:

Dark brown base that is absolutely loaded with coppery glitter. This color is SO HOT! Something about this color says Thanksgiving to me, and I will be sporting this for the upcoming holiday. 

As always, the application of Lippmann Collection nail polishes are nearly flawless; the formula is perfect. I also just love looking at the Lippmann Collection bottles. They are the prettiest bottles on the market as far as I am concerned! So fancy and pretty, my Lippmann Collection polishes are like little treasures to me.

Lipmann Collection nail polish is available online at lippmanncollection.com, nordstrom.com and bathandbodyworks.com.

As of posting this article now, Superstar is SOLD OUT on the Lippmann Collection website but it is still available online at Nordstrom. So if you want it, get it NOW. It is limited edition and once they are gone, well, they are gone.

That is all for today, polish lovers. As always, I hope to see you back here soon.

xoxo,

Katee

China Glaze Romantique Spring 2009 Swatches - Part 2 - Warm Colors

Hello, dear readers!

Today I am excited to share with you the warm colors from the China Glaze Romantique Spring 2009 Collection! As you will see, I photographed the swatches in a variety of lighting scenarios to give you accurate color depiction. 

(l-r, Poetic, Magical, Emotion, Admire, Delight, Passion)

China Glaze Poetic:

This nail color kind of looks like a mix between rose gold and copper.

Indoor, natural light:

Outdoor, full sun:

China Glaze Magical:

Brownish pink? Pinkish brown? Taupey? Sorry, my descriptive powers end here.

Indoor, natural light:

Outdoor, full sun:

China Glaze Emotion:

Bright pink, almost magenta base with silver shimmer.

Indoor, natural light:

Outdoor, full sun:

China Glaze Admire:

Light pink with a purplish hue. 

Indoor, natural light:

Outdoor, partial sun (the fog started to roll in big time at this point during the swatching):

China Glaze Delight:

Coppery brown - my favorite from the warm shades!

Indoor, artificial light:

Outdoor, full sun:

China Glaze Passion:

Dirty metallic gold - very unexpected for Spring!

Indoor, artificial light:

Outdoor, partial sun:

As with the cool colors from China Glaze Romantique that I posted the other day, all of these are almost completely opaque at one coat. Excellent coverage! All swatches here are 2 coats, no top coat. They also go on very smoothly, brush strokes are not a big issue.

Also, the finish is more metallic indoors and then shimmery outdoors. The colors in the Romantique collection are so chameleon like! The finish really gives these nail polishes different personalities under different lighting. 

I also noticed that the metallic finish of these polishes tend to emphasize any unevenness in the texture of my nails. I swatched a few of these with the China Glaze Ridge Filler Base Coat and that effectively camouflaged any ridges and gave a nice smooth base for these polishes. I really recommend it! 

I think that Delight is my hands down favorite from the warm colors. What are your favorites? Which ones are you going to get? Let me know in the comments! Again, these will be available January 2009.

That is all for today, hope to see you back soon. You know I always have more goodies to share with you :)

xoxo,

Katee

More BB Couture for Nails Swatches For You!

Hello, my lovely readers!

Today I have more BB Couture for Nails polishes to share with you. Click any of the photos to enlarge! I always try to remember to add this little tidbit of info for you but sadly I forget sometimes. 

First, BB Couture for Nails Hound Dog:

Dark, chocolaty brown creme. This swatch is 2 coats. This is a true, pure brown; no hint of red here!

Next, BB Couture for Nails La Bamba:

Burnt orangey red type of color that has a nice jelly finish with small glitter. This swatch is 3 coats.

BB Couture for Nails Tangerine Scream:

I love this hot, bright orange! This will be on my toes next summer for sure. This swatch is 3 coats.

BB Couture Poison Apple:

Nice red with a jelly finish. I really like this one too. This swatch is 3 coats. I think that this also has excellent potential for a pedicure color.

BB Couture for Nails Prince Charming Blue:

Gorgeous royal blue with a nice, shimmery finish. This looks electric in person! Super bold, I love it. This swatch is 2 coats.

BB Couture for Nails Erotic Night:

This is my absolute favorite of the bunch. Dark plum with a jelly finish and the slightest shimmer that can only be detected in full on sun. This swatch is 3 coats. I will get a ton of wear out of this color. Can't stop staring at my nails with this color on them.

All of these applied beautifully with the exception of Tangerine Scream which was a bit streaky. I don't know what it is with orange nail polishes but I find that most of them are streaky. This one was not bad as far as oranges go, it just wasn't a dream like the others. If you like Tangerine Scream don't let this stop you from buying it.

I will also mention again, that I love BB's brushes and handles, and that these babies wear like IRON!! If you are looking for something long wearing then I would definitely give BB Couture for Nails a try! Buy them online at bbnailpolish.com and overallbeauty.com.

If you missed my other BB swatches, scroll down to my entry from November 6th to see six more!

Ta ta for now! Thanks for reading and hope to see you back here soon.

xoxo
Katee

Behold, the Most Perfect Brown: Zoya Kalista

Hello and good morning!

Today I am sharing with you a color that I was really excited to get my tips on! Why? I have been on a search for a perfect, wearable, brown shimmer. After the most sought after, shall we say "hautest" (you know which one) color of the Holiday 2008 releases left me disappointed with flat, muddy looking tips, Zoya Kalista delivers the most perfect, wearable brown.

Zoya Kalista in the sun:

Zoya Kalista (from the Flourish collection) is a gorgeous mahogany nail color that is so shimmery, so intense and so gorgeous. If you have also been looking for a go-to brown for this upcoming holiday season, get Zoya Kalista. Before you order, make sure you check out my post from this past Saturday for a wonderful November promo code from Art of Beauty, the makers of Zoya.

Have a great day!

xoxo

Katee

NOTD: Zoya Nina Nail Polish

Hello!  I am back to blogging today after having two friends visit for a long weekend.  My boyfriend and I moved to San Diego about four months ago and we do not know very many people here yet so it is nice having visitors. It is also a great excuse to do some of the wonderful "touristy" things that our area has to offer, like kayaking through the La Jolla Coves. We even did manicures Thursday night which was really fun. My friend liked Zoya Yasmeen so much that I sent it home with her. 

Today's NOTD Is Zoya Nina which is from the Fall 2008 Vibe Collection. Nina is a rich, dark brown cream that is a red based brown. You can really see the red tone come out in the sun but there is still no question that this is a brown nail polish. Even though I am a habitual three coater when it comes to nail polish I only needed two coats with Nina. It went on a bit thick but was still easy to control and applied nicely. I don't know if I have mentioned this before but I am also a big fan of Zoya's brushes. 

Zoya Nina (indoors, artificial light):

Zoya Nina (outdoors, sun):

I am really digging Zoya Nina. This is another great color for fall. It also looks like it might be a dupe to Revlon Hot for Chocolate, another one of my favorite browns. I will definitely be testing that to see and posting my comparison swatches soon.

Just a quick reminder - it isn't too late to take "The Polish Poll" and receive a coupon code for THREE FREE Zoya polishes!! Just visit my October 15th post for more info. This promo ends 10/31.

Well that is all for today. What will I wear tomorrow? You'll have to come back and see! Thanks for stopping by and see you again soon :)

Two Stunning Colors for Fall from Essie

Hello!

Today I am sharing with you two stunners from Essie that I think are FABULOUS FOR FALL! I live in southern California and we are just starting to see the leafs change colors and that is really putting me in the mood for these colors.

First, Essie Decadent Diva - this was a Fall 2007 release but I think it is still fabulous and I am not tired of seeing it at all. Let me just say that I love the name Decadent Diva and I could not imagine not loving a color with that name. It is a gorgeous dark brown with red shimmer. I had a hard time capturing the true color of this polish. I think my pictures make the polish a little more redder than it is in person. You must see this on to truly appreciate how gorgeous it is. 

Essie Decadent Diva Indoors:

Essie Decadent Diva Outdoors:

Next, the insanely gorgeous Essie Groovy Grape, my current NOTD. When I say insanely gorgeous, I mean insanely gorgeous. When I saw this in the sun I almost *dropped dead*. Stunning. Groovy Grape is a gorgeous deep vampy grape with tons of red shimmer. It is simply amazing in the sun. This polish is a Fall 2008 release available exclusively at Ulta.

Essie Groovy Grape Indoors:

Essie Groovy Grape Outdoors:

Both of these Essie polishes are available at Ulta but like I said that is actually the only place Groovy Grape is even available.

OK now time to stop blogging and get outside! We are having amazing weather here in Cardiff by the Sea and I am going to get out there and enjoy it. While staring at my Groovy Grape nails in the sun. 

Welcome

Hi my name is Katee and welcome to my blog! This blog is dedicated to my newly found love of nail polish. I will share tips and products that I love as well as my "Nail of the Day" (NOTD). 

I am a bit of a newbie to this nail polish love so I don't have a huge collection (yet) but I am working on it. So most of my NOTD posts probably won't be anything color wise that you have not seen yet. But rather I'll be sharing with you my FAVORITE colors. 

Thanks for looking! 

And now on to my NOTD, Revlon - Hot For Chocolate. This is the first Revlon Polish that I have tried and I must say that I really like their formula and brush. The polish went on smoothly with no clumps or anything bad. It flowed onto the nail perfectly. I am really LOVING this color! I am a big fan of dark and vampy polishes. I love polishes that look dark and almost black indoors but then show their true colors in the sun.

This first swatch was taken indoors. I used 3 coats of polish and one coat of Seche Vite top coat (best top coat ever). 

The next swatch is a sunlight shot so you could see this color and all of its chocolaty goodness.

Thanks for checking me out and hope you visit soon and often!