Reader Requests: Comparison Swatches Part 2

Happy Saturday!

I have more comparison swatches for you today. If you don't see your request here, do not worry, I still have more in the works.

First, OPI Miami Beet (pinky and middle fingers) and Zoya Moxie (ring and index fingers):

It was so sunny yesterday that photographing these colors was nearly impossible outside. The bright sun was really distorting the colors for me. So this pic was taken in my laundry room where I get really nice natural light from the huge window. As you can see, these two colors are extremely similar. OPI Miami Beet has a brighter appearance and Zoya Moxie is slightly dusty or muted. Both are great colors! Do you need both? That is your choice.

Essie Eternal Optimist (pinky and middle fingers) and OPI Tickle My France-Y (ring and index fingers):

Two totally different colors. The only thing they have in common is that they are nudeish shades with a creme finish. I personally prefer Tickle My France-Y but I also like Eternal Optimist and will definitely wear it. But if you already have Tickle My France-Y, and were wondering if it was a dupe for Eternal Optimist so that you did not have to buy it, well clearly it is not a dupe. Sorry ;) 

Sorry that I only have two comparisons for you today! Our weather here in the greater San Diego area has been freaking amazing for the last week or so. We have been having high temps in the low to mid 80's and it has been super sunny. When we get a streak of weather like this in January, as much as I like playing with my nail polish, I just can't bring myself to sit in the house and swatch. Our 2nd floor deck overlooks a lagoon and the ocean, and I just love to sit out there and catch some rays. My cats Cleo and Vincent usually join me outside and sit under the chairs for some shade. As I have mentioned before, we moved to California from Michigan back in July. I am not used to living in such a beautiful climate, especially in the dead of winter!

I'll have more comparison swatches soon in the next few days. Feel free to comment or email me if you have any special requests! I will also have more spring 2009 new releases to share with you.

Hope that all of you have a fab weekend and if you are in the mid-west or somewhere else chilly, stay warm! I know my fam back in MI has been getting some ugly weather. Junk.

xoxo,

Katee

Zoya Twist Collection Spring 2009 Swatches

Hello, dear readers!

Today I have for you my swatches of the Zoya Twist collection for Spring 2009. These are so pretty! As always, click my pics to enlarge them. Enjoy!

Zoya Cassi:

Peachy pink with awesome shimmer. For some reason this reminds me of sherbert! I don't know why, but it looks good enough to eat. Call me crazy. The shimmer in this is totally insane, it is like Zoya chopped up little golden diamonds and put them in the polish. Amazing! You could definitely get away with two coats of this nail color but I used three because I was really digging it.

Zoya Malia:

Gorgeous lavender creme. This applied super smooth like butter. Actually, all of these did. This swatch is two coats. I am a habitual three coater but there was absolutely no need for a third coat, that would have been wasteful. 

Zoya Barbie:

Cutsey pink with magenta shimmer. For me, this is a perfect summer pedicure color. When you enlarge the picture you can see the shimmer much better.

Zoya Harley:

Flawless shimmering grey. I knew I would be in love with this one from the second I saw the promo pics. Oh Harley, where have you been all my life?

Zoya Moxie:

Vibrant red plum creme. This is one that I was not excited about when I saw the promo pics but as soon as I put it on I was in love. What was I thinking? This color rocks!

Zoya Jo:

Fabulous shimmering blue that falls somewhere between cornflower and periwinkle. Funny thing about this color, I love blue nail polish and my boyfriend hates blue nail polish. But when he saw me wearing this one, he actually liked it. Not that I really care what he thinks, I wear what I want! Thank you Zoya for putting a blue in your Spring collection!

Overall, I have nothing but compliments for Zoya on this collection. Flawless application? Check. Fabulous, vibrant colors? Check. Pause from typical Spring colors? Double check. I don't know what else to say. The colors speak for themselves. 

The Zoya Twist collection is available now at www.zoya.com.

Also, don't forget about the awesome nail polish exchange that Zoya has going on right now. In a nutshell, you send Zoya your old, crappy polishes (non Zoya polishes of course) and then they send you brand new the brand new Zoya polishes of your choice in return. All you have to pay is $3 per bottle processing plus your end of the shipping to send them your old stuff. But basically this offer amounts to a 50% discount, which rocks. I believe there is a 6 bottle minimum and 200 bottle maximum limit. Thanks again Zoya for a fabulous offer. Check out full details on their program at www.zoya.com/exchange.

Ok guys, I mean gals, let me know what you are getting! Guys reading, if you are out there, you can let me know what you want too :)

That is all for today!

xoxo,

Katee

Lippmann Collection - Party Like A Rockstar Set

Hello readers! 

Today I have a real treat for you: the Lippmann Collection Party Like A Rockstar Set. I love love love this little set. This is the perfect size and price for an awesome stocking stuffer for you or another nail polish addict in your life. 

The Lippmann Collection Party Like A Rockstar Set includes two gorgeous nail colors and the fabulous Lippmann Collection Addicted to Speed top coat, in an adorable, sparkly little bag. The sizes of these are .3 oz. 

Lippmann Colllection Good Girl Gone Bad:

Gorgeous jelly plum that is packed with very fine silver and hot pink glitter. I could seriously wear this color every day. I love it that much. 

Lippmann Collection Devil In A Blue Dress:

2 coats.

3 coats.

Super dark blue cream. It is almost black indoors but outdoors you can definitely tell it is a dark blue. I just love these blackened blues and this has got to be one of my favorites. I swatched this color with both 2 and 3 coats to show you that you can go either dark blue at 2 coats or more black-blue at 3 coats with this color. 

Both of these nail colors are limited edition and are only available in the Party Like A Rockstar set. I love both of these so much and would love to see these added to the Lippmann Collection permanent line. The formula and application of these colors was flawless, I did not have any issues with either of these nail polishes. 

Lippmann Collection Addicted To Speed: Amazing fast dry top coat. This dries as fast as my beloved Seche Vite top coat but does not have the same thick consistency that many people find difficult to work with. So if you have been looking for a quick dry top coat that is easier to work with than Seche Vite, you must pick this up. The Party Like A Rockstar set is a great excuse to try this. 

The Lippmann Collection Party Like a Rockstar set retails for $24.00 and is available online at the Lippmann Collection website, Nordstrom or Bath and Body Works. 

The Lippmann Collection website is offering FREE SHIPPING right now on all orders, for a limited time (no end date has been published for this offer). Lippmann Collection is also offering some fabulous free gifts with purchase, also for a limited time. With your purchase of $69 or more, you will receive a free "I Will Survive" treatment set ($24 value). With your purchase of $99 or more, you will also receive a free "Helping Hand" hand warmer set ($39.50). So basically what I am telling you is that I cannot think of a better time or opportunity to head to the Lippmann Collection website now and start shopping!

That is all I have for you today. I hope that everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving! I'll see you back here soon.

xoxo,

Katee

Superstar Nail Lacquer

Good afternoon!

I am always super excited when I get to try a new brand of nail polish. I just got done swatching three nail polishes from Superstar Nail Lacquer and I am impressed! The colors are vibrant and the formula is perfect. 

First, Superstar Nail Lacquer Silver Screen:

I love this! I do not own another silver like this one. This is a shimmery silver with a foil like finish. I think this would be an awesome color for New Year's Eve! This color just screams PAR-TAY!! This swatch is 2 coats. 

Next, Superstar Nail Lacquer Walk the Red Carpet:

Nice red with a jelly finish that is loaded with small red glitter. Another fabulous color for the holidays! This swatch is 3 coats. 

Finally, Superstar Nail Lacquer Posh Plum:

Gorgeous vampy plum cream. Went on smooth and looks fabulous on! This is my current NOTD and I really like it. This swatch is 3 coats. 

Superstar Nail Lacquer is available at the Style Shoppe and retails for $8.50 per bottle.

If you would like to see more swatches, check out Vampy Varnish and Scrangie's swatches. 

That is all for today! See you again soon.

xoxo,

Katee

Essie Fall 2008 Ulta Exclusives

Hello, lovely readers! 

If your Ulta is anything like mine, they have a tendency to bring out products really late. For instance, they just put out Essie Winter 2008 about a week ago at my local store and these Essie Ulta exclusives for Fall are still readily available there too. I usually do not buy nail polish at Ulta because they are full price; but what I do look for there are the Ulta exclusives, the colors that you can only buy at Ulta. 

This year Essie teamed up with Ulta to release three exclusive shades for the fall: Groovy Grape, Retro Red and Plumski. Everyone has been talking about Groovy Grape but I have not heard much buzz about Retro Red or Plumski, so I thought I would share them with you. 

Essie Groovy Grape:

Ok, everyone already knows about this one. Gorgeous vampy purple shimmer on a blackened base. This color is absolutely flawless.

Essie Retro Red:

Classic red with a jelly finish. Nothing special but if your collection is missing a red jelly, then this is a good one. 

Essie Plumski:

Plum color that is very vibrant and bright. This one was the big surprise for me. I thought it only looked OK in the bottle, but on my nails I AM IN LOVE!! I don't know what it is, but this color has depth, and it complimented my skin tone perfectly. I usually only wear colors once, because I have so many and I am always getting more, but this will be one of those that I reach for more often. 

Depending on how your Ulta is, these might be readily available, or they might not be. If there are any of these that you really want, maybe call a few Ulta stores on the phone before driving around. Essie/Ulta also released three exclusive shades for Winter but I skipped those because they are all red colors and I have enough of those. But if you really like reds, check those out too! Good luck polish hunting!

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

Zoya Casey - Vampy Love!

I saw Zoya Casey over on the Polish Addict's site the other day and instantly fell in love. It is vampy, jelly like, glossy and gorgeous! I instantly *ran* (ok, drove) to pick it up the moment I saw it, seriously. I just put it on and I cannot stop staring at my nails! Admiring this color on my nails is like a Rachel Zoe *die* moment. I am even more in love with it now than when I first saw it on PA's site. The only thing I'll warn you about though is that this was a 4 coater for me. Most jelly like polishes are because they tend to be thin and need to be built up to achieve bottle color. I enjoy the act of polishing my nails so I don't mind 4 coaters but they probably aren't for everyone. I also had cuticle drag issues, which can happen with the jellies, which is why I really needed the 4th coat to even everything out. On to the swatches!!

This first swatch is indoors, natural lighting, and please excuse my cuticle ouchie. I had a hang nail and got a little overzealous with the nippers :( Indoors, Casey is almost black, which I love.

The second swatch is in the amazing California sun. When you take Casey outside you can see the gorgeous plum color:

I hope you enjoyed today's swatches and hope to see you back soon!