Orly Foil FX

I was so excited when I got an email from Orly telling me that they were following up on their Metallic Matte collection with the Foil FX collection!

According to Orly:

“In step with the metallics that ruled the runway during the Spring 2010 fashion shows in New York, Paris and Milan, ORLY introduces the FOIL FX Collection. Delivering a uniquely texturized foil effect, the FOIL FX Collection extends fashion all the way to fingertips and toes, offering the sought-after “Minx-look” in an easy-to-use and affordable Lacquer formula that won’t damage nails or break the bank. Great news, since bold and “blinged-out” nails are THE must-have accessory this spring!”

And when they say bling, they do mean bling!

To show you what the texture of the finish is like, I did a comparison with China Glaze Millenium, from the Khrome collection:

While I think the finish and the bling is fantastic, I don’t see the Minx comparison. That’s what excited me at first about these polishes. I think the Khrome collection is more Minx-like than the Foil FX collection (if Minx is more reflective than chrome polish), but I’m not as well-versed in Minx to firmly stand by that opinion. Does anyone in the know have a thought?

Onto the swatches!

Luxe:

Luxe is described as gold with a metallic foil finish. This is gorgeous. I soooo wanted to wear this to my Valentine’s dinner with Mike on Saturday night (which is when I swatched it) but unfortunately, something like two feet of snow got in the way of that happening. So we improvised by making our own dinner and watching tv

Shine:

Shine is described as a silver with a metallic foil finish. Isn’t she’s lovely?!

Rage:

Rage is described as a rose with metallic foil finish. It’s my second favorite of the collection (with Luxe as my first!). I really love the shine of these polishes!

I didn’t really have a problem with formula on these. On first coat, they look like very fine glitters that build up in two coats to opaqueness.

What do you think of these? I love that Orly is taking chances with trends as well as putting out fun spring collections like Sweet and Bloom!

The Foil FX collection will be available in March, and retail for $7.50. Of course you can always find Orly at discounted prices online and in Sally’s.

Disclaimer: These polishes were sent to me for review by the company’s PR firm.

Color Club Spring 2010: Rebel Debutante

Rebel Debutante is one of Color Club’s spring 2010 offerings! Here’s a shot of the collection:

According to the Color Club press release on the collection:

“Rebel Debutante a new spin on classic color! Rebel Debutante, the latest collection from Color Club, is made for the girl who likes the finer things! 

Rebellious shades that go from Classic to Trendy and break all the rules! Who are you Wearing?, High Society, Best Dressed List, Charity Ball, Uptown Girl, She’s So Glam, Ms. Socialite, Rebel Debutante and Gossip Column; high-quality enduring shades are perfect for every public appearance! ”

Ok, I have to admit. Nothing about this collection – except for Rebel Debutante and Gossip Column – scream “BE A REBEL!” It screams, “BE WORK APPROPRIATE!” Let’s move onto swatches and then talk about it after!

Who Are You Wearing?

Who Are You Wearing? is a soft slightly greyed white. It’s a very plain color that can be used alone, sure, but if you want to spice it up it’d look great with Konad or striper art!

High Society:

High Society is a very light brown that has a hint of lavendar to it.

Best Dressed List:

Best Dressed List is a nice nude. It’s a very flattering color, and very classy.

Charity Ball:

Charity Ball is not quite a brick color, more on the orange side. It’s more like a darker burnt orange. I thought maybe it looked like a couple OPIs I have – Crepes Suzi-ette from fall 2008’s France collection and Can You Tapas This? from fall 2009 collection:

Charity Ball is more unique than I thought!

Uptown Girl:

Uptown Girl is a dusty lavendar color that looks like Sephora by OPI Metro Chic and OPI Parlez-vouz-OPI? (I hope I spelled that right!) I don’t have OPI Metro Chic, and I DID do a comparison with the OPI color and yet another color just like this, but I can’t remember which nail is what color! So I’ll skip the comparison shot. Just know this: This color is dupable!

She’s So Glam:

And a shot of my hand in front of our Valentine’s Day front-door wreath:

She’s So Glam is a soft, bubble gum pink. Hubba Bubba!

Ms. Socialite:

Ms. Socialite is a nice, bright purple creme. Actually, all of these Color Clubs are cremes. We’ve been seeing a lot more purple cremes in general over the last several months. Nice!

Gossip Column:

Gossip Column is an awesome mostly-blue teal. This is where the collection starts getting interesting!!!! This kinda reminds me of BeautyJudy blue, if I could name such a color, because it matches the font color I use for my photo identifiers LOL.

Rebel Debutante:

Rebel Debutante seems to be a neon mint green. I really think this is the best part of the collection – the name is perfect! Any debutante would probably wear any of the colors already shown (maybe with the exception of Gossip Column) but Rebel Debutante? A rebel socialite, indeed!

Overall, I had no application problems with this collection. I had no wear issues with one day of wear.

I did have a problem with the idea that the colors looked a little boring in the box, and all of them seemed dupable (I didn’t even bother with comparing She’s So Glam, High Society, Best Dressed List or Ms. Socialite) although I am sure they have their individual differences about them. I told my contact at Color Club that I loved the collection, and I do. Because I wear a lot more work-appropriate colors now than I did before. So, if I had not been given this to review, I would have purchased it. But still. This feels more like a fall collection from 2008 than a spring 2010.

I’m also confused about the 7 pc offering. Why, if the two best polishes are not included, would they offer a 7 pc pack? Why not a 9 pack, or at least include the two hot colors? It’s almost as if looking at the package, you don’t “get” Rebel Debutante as the collection name. Not until you see the green and blue teal. So if you are at Ross buying this collection, and you don’t know these two others are with the collection, you are getting shafted from knowing the cleverness of the name. Perhaps I am putting too much stock into the name! And most of you know what’s up, anyway, because you love polish, and you are in the know!

What do you think? Will you be picking up this collection, or any of the polishes individually?

Disclaimer: This collection was sent to me for review by the company/PR firm for the company.

Nubar Nu Nails

To help my nails grow and bounce back from having acrylics on them (I took them off August 2009) I’ve tried a number of different products, all of which have helped in their own way to get my nails healthy.

My latest product is Nubar’s Nu Nails, which I’ve been using for a month now.

Here’s a product shot:

Nu Nails is described on its box as a  growth formula for soft, peeling, bitten, weak or thin nails. My nails have traditionally been weak, soft and peel. So I was eager to try this product. Prior to starting to use this base coat, I noticed that my nails were starting to peel with the current product I was using. That’s when I switched.

My nails did great on the product! Look at them:

Sorry for my orange stained nails! You can also see some of the staining on my index finger from Hard Candy Frenzy!

Anyway, despite the fact that I broke about three nails after two weeks, and many of them started peeling again after two or three weeks, my nails are still strong, and are still growing really well. Right now they’re all growing at relatively the same length, which makes me happy. I’ve always had such craptacular nails! 

We’ll see how long this lasts – literally, because my blog is like a journal of the state of my nails as I post pictures of them all the time LOL!

Nu Nails works great for me despite the fact that I do not use it as directed. I change my polish everyday. So I use a fresh coat, everyday.

The directions on the packaging advise you put one coat of Nu Nails on clean nails, then reapply daily for one week without removing any of the treatment or cleaning nails, until the nails feel strong and healthy. After one week, you clean your nails and improvement should be visible, the packaging says. As your nail condition improves, the box advises that you apply every third day on nonpolished nails. For polished nails, you use Nu Nails as a base coat. So that’s what I’ve been doing.

Nu Nails works for me! You can see that it works in the swatches here and here. What works for you? Have you tried Nu Nails?

Disclaimer: Nubar/Nubar’s PR company sent this product to me for review.

China Glaze Up & Away: The Bright Cremes!

Yesterday the pastels…today the China Glaze Up & Away brights! Cause it’s Friday, and we’re getting a foot or so of snow between today and tomorrow night, and I need some brightness to get me through LOL! I will be very disappointed if the snow means that Mike and I have to reschedule our Valentine’s dinner reservations (we like to go before or after the holiday to avoid the crowds!) but it’s always better to be safe than sorry.

I got the first package of goodies for one of the giveaways during my bloggiversary week, and it is PACKED! Part of me wants to tell you what it is but I think it will be a cool surprise to reveal the giveaways each morning!!

I am also excited that I will review for you soon the new Konad plates! The plates (M75-M81 AND S10) are arriving on WowSoCool (remember, discount code beautyjudy gets you 30% off!)  next week – the web site says they should be able to ship on Tuesday! They are limited quantity!

Back to the matter at hand! Brights!

Four-Leaf Clover:

Four-Leaf Clover is incredibly hard to capture! It’s definitely more green than this picture shows!

Heli-Yum:

Heli-Yum is a bright, happy pink!

Happy Go Lucky:

Even brighter than Lemon Fizz, Happy Go Lucky makes me smile !

Flyin’ High:

Flyin’ High is a great creamy blue.

A Flyin’ High comparison (remember you can click to enlarge!):

Flyin’ High really is no dupe for any of these three other colors, but they were the ones in my collection I thought it might compare with. I think Laura’s Fave is the closest, with the difference being the shimmer and more sheerness to Laura’s Fave!

Sugar High:

Sugar High is a

Here’s a comparison with last year’s China Glaze polish, Laced Up:

There’s a subtle difference between the two!

Grape Pop:

Grape Pop is a gorgeous purple creme!

High Hopes:

I love this name. High Hopes. You gotta have High Hopes. If you don’t, you’ll always expect the worst and that’s just no happy way to live! Oh – and the color is pretty too

What do you think of the brights? Have you ordered/bought any of these?!

China Glaze Up & Away: The Pastels!

China Glaze’s Up & Away collection is a real hit for spring with its mix of pastel and bright cremes! I’ve seen a lot of buzz and there’s already been quite a few blog reviews. So I’m going to keep mine simple

I couldn’t resist picking up the whole collection. Today I have to share with you the pastels of the collection – there are five. Which means tomorrow there will be seven brights!

Light As Air:

Light as Air is a soft lavendar-kissed polish.

Re-Fresh Mint:

Another mint to add to my collection! Re-Fresh Mint is creamy goodness.

Peachy Keen:

Peachy Keen is a pop of color in the pastels, so I’m not sure if it’s a true pastel.

Lemon Fizz:

Lemon Fizz is a pale bright yellow.

Something Sweet:

Something Sweet is a nice pale pink. It’s a color I was torn about getting, but I’m glad I did. I’m sure the possible dupes in my collection are endless, but I must like pink if I have that many comparators, huh? So it’s a perfect match

I did comparisons of Something Sweet, Peachy Keen and Light as Air in my Essie Spring Collection review, which you can find here.

Have you gotten any of these?!

MAC Seasonal Peach

I know there is still a lot of buzz about MAC Seasonal Peach nail polish, and I just did a search for it on eBay – it’s going for $34.68 Buy It Now.

WOW.

Folks, I recently went to the Philadelphia Premium Outlets, and there’s a Cosmetics Company Store there. I got Seasonal Peach for $8.50 and there were at least three to five other bottles there!

So if you live in the PA/NJ area, GO! LOL

The Cosmetics Company Store is awesome for finding discontinued and discounted MAC makeup, along with other brands like Bobbi Brown, Clinique and Estee Lauder. I also picked up a pigment for $13.75 in Lark About and a couple 3D lipglasses for $10.

But Seasonal Peach was the winner for me. I told the sales clerk about how I’d bid on eBay for Seasonal Peach a while back - but I stopped when it got to $29!

I’m glad I didn’t get the polish off eBay, especially because the formula is particularly streaky!

Can you see the streaks? It was a pain to work with, but it had pretty end-results.

So have you ever been to a Cosmetics Company Store? (That link will show you what outlets have it!) I go to the ones in the Orlando outlets when I visit Orlando, but didn’t realize there was one so close - I know it’s probably a hit-or-miss type of store, but I’ve been twice, and it’s been HIT!

Happy Bloggiversary to me!!!!

Folks, I had no idea on Feb. 19, 2009, that I was embarking on a hell of a wonderful journey through blogging!

Yes, friends! Feb. 19 will be my one-year bloggiversary!

I started my blog because I worked part time in beauty retail, and friends and family would ask, “How do you apply…?” “What do you think about…?” “Which … do you recommend?” I thought my blog would be a place to post beauty looks and review products.

I had no idea that in addition to this, I’d meet so many wonderful people – all of you who comment and have become a friend – that’s the BEST surprise outcome of starting a blog!

I want to celebrate by making a lot of noise!! Which means… A LOT OF GIVEAWAYS! 

My bloggiversary is on a Friday, but starting that Monday, I’ll be hosting a surprise giveaway EVERY DAY! I haven’t decided whether it’ll end on Friday or Saturday the 20!

I’m in the early stages of working with various companies who have generously agreed to sponsor these giveaways! I’ll also be giving away my own giveaway package!!

I’m telling you – I’ve got some awesome prizes lined up!!

STAY TUNED and THANK YOU for making blogging one of the best experiences I could have ever had!

Blush: 7 pc Swirl Lip Gloss and Must Have Nail Wear kits

Last week, I showed you the first of three makeup sets that The Beauty Group LLC sent me to review. Today I’m showing you the other two. I put some of the background information on the company, availability and pricing in that first post, so I’ll refer you back to that and keep this one about the products and color!

I was going to make a third post of the lip glosses with the idea of showing you lip swatches but who needs to see my set of lips that many times?! LOL So lip glosses and polishes are joined in this post.

Blush 7 pc Swirl Lip Gloss set:

They’re pretty and glittery, and smell fruity. The yellow smells especially lemony!

I wouldn’t just go out wearing green or blue lip gloss, so I figured I’d try these two colors over a couple of my Inglot lip crayons:

On the left is the blue gloss over #32 and on the right is the green gloss over #31.

These glosses are a cute little set that I’d tack onto a present as maybe the bow/ribbon,  if I were giving a tween a present. 

I love lip gloss more than nail polish (I was collecting gloss longer – my collection would be bigger than my nail polish collection if the stuff had a longer shelf life LOL) but I’d have to honestly say that I’d probably not pick this up in the store if I were shopping.

I can tell you that because I’ve had the opportunity to review/play with these glosses, I’ve found that I like to put a layer of one of the glosses over my lip color even if my lip color is another gloss – just for that burst of fruity scent. But the scent doesn’t last long, and I doubt my infatuation with these little guys will, either.

So eh. This is a cute little gift for a kid who doesn’t know makeup yet, but it’s not for women who will still pay $15 for a tube of lip gloss in these economic times (self included) - but keep in mind (and read my first post and see!), it’s not meant to be!

Blush 7 pc Must Have Nail Wear:

These polishes are cute little bottles with surprisingly good formulas!

None of the colors have names, so I’ll just call them by their colors.

Red:

Black:

Light pink:

Pink:

White:

Purple:

My favorites of these seven are the purple and white ones! I was so surprised by how evenly the white creme (and the black as well)  finished – it looks awesome. And the purple is a pretty color.

There was a small little base/top coat included that I used as a base coat for my swatching.

Whereas with the lip glosses I might have passed them by, these nail polishes would have caught my attention like the ones I originally bought from Blush (read about them here!). While I think a couple of them will be great for frankening (which is another reason why this set is a great idea for polish lovers!) they also can stand on their own.

Despite small handles/brushes, I didn’t have major application issues with these polishes.

So what do you think?

Disclaimer: These sets were sent to me for review by Beauty Group LLC.

Diamond Cosmetics: January 2010 bonus colors and new top coats!

Diamond Cosmetics wants to celebrate January with three new topcoats and two “bonus colors.”

Diamond now has a Matte Topcoat, Extended Wear Topcoat, Nail Shine Topcoat, and two new nail colors – Concrete Jungle and Starry Night.

“We focused on topcoats because along with a good base, which we have, the longevity and quality of a manicure is dependent on the topcoat,” Diamond rep Marissa said in materials accompanying the company samples.

New top coats

Matte Topcoat:

This is Matte Topcoat over two coats of American Apparel Palm Springs and one coat of Inglot flakies.

(Matte Topcoat over Starry Night)

The finish of this matte topcoat is velvet to the touch. The flakies looked awesome matte! When you use Matte Topcoat over already dried polish, the  topcoat is dry within minutes – I forgot I’d put the topcoat on, went to the bathroom and found that I had no indents from tugging my pants back on. Over fresh polish, it does require a bit more drying time.

Nail Shine and Extender:

My first go at Nail Shine top coat sucked. I put it on over Zoya Anastasia. When my mani was done, I closed my carry-case with my “mani must-haves” and messed up a nail. I had to redo it. Then, 20 minutes later, I messed up another nail. Hitting it against the zipper edge of a sleeping bag not just dented it, it took the polish off. I fixed the nail. Fed up, I threw a coat of Poshe over my manicure and within minutes, I was able to grab at my sleeping bag without mess-up.

(And yes, Mike put a sleeping bag on our couch that I like to cuddle under to watch TV because I get cold easy. I never said I was normal! LOL)

I don’t have the patience for top coats that are not quick-dry, and I don’t know why I didn’t think to grab my OPI drops.

So I DID grab those drops when I used the Extended Wear  top coat. And I still ended up using a quick-dry top coat over the whole she-bang.

Bottom line? Now that I’ve gone quick-dry, I am having trouble going back.

Diamond addressed the fact that none of their new topcoats are quick dry: “Although none of our topcoats are ‘quick drying,’ they are designed to enhance and extend the life of your manicure.”

This may be true, but unfortunately I honestly can’t tell you what I think of these top coats. I tried them, but I just couldn’t commit to letting them dry and wear-testing them. I will make more of an effort, find the time to do it but for the purposes of this post, I can’t say much about them!

These topcoats are  available on the Diamond Cosmetics web site for $2.50 each.

The bonus colors!

Concrete Jungle:

Concrete Jungle is described by Diamond as “a light grey creme; subtle and chic. A must-have for every Jane looking for her Tarzan in a big city.” My first reaction to this color was, “ hmm. this color is very last season.” But no complaints here. It looks great on my light complexion!

Starry Night:

Starry Night is described as “a black polish with silver glitter. This is a fun variation on a black polish and it looks extraordinary accompanied with our new Matte Topcoat.” I’ve seen a lot of “Starry Night” polishes that are a blue base with silver glitter. And I think THIS Starry Night is a Starry Night to me! I can almost imagine a meteor shower when I look at my nails Of all the items, this is my favorite!

The nail polishes are $2.25 a piece.

Diamond also has 1 oz bottles of nail thinner ($3.25), cuticle oil with ginseng extract and cuticle remover with green tea extract (both $4.25) for sale now, as well.

For those of you who love their polishes (including me!!!), stay tuned, because Diamond is planning a six-color spring collection soon!

Disclaimer: Diamond Cosmetics sent me these products to review.

Zoya Adina comparisons

I was asked by a couple of you if Zoya was a doppleganger for a couple different polishes. So I decided to try it out and share!

Lucy asked if Adina was just like Nubar Peacock Feathers, while Amabile wanted to know if it looked like Sally Hansen Opulent Cloud. I myself thought maybe it looked a bit like OPI Significant Other Color. So here we go!

They’re all very different! Peacock Feathers has a very blurple base. Opulent Cloud is more dusty, and Significant Other Color is too light. It actually looks like a watered-down version of Adina in the bottle.

Here’s an inside comparison shot:

I’d definitely say they’re all worth owning!!!

Thanks for stopping by and happy Sunday! Hope your weekend was a nice as mine was. Mike was camping in the Pine Barrens all weekend – it was so cold! But he made out OK! While he was gone I had a wonderful weekend – I shopped all day yesterday, buying a bunch of stuff for my best friend Cat’s baby shower I had dinner with my other best friend, Linda, on Friday night. I hadn’t seen her in a while and I was going through BFF withdrawal LOL. Last night I was supposed to go out with Linda and some of her friends but I wussed out and had a quiet night in. Watched the chick flick “All About Steve” and ordered Chinese food. Today I swatched, and here I am! Posting! Mike is home, too, so we’re going to cook breakfast for dinner and relax and catch up

Hope this is the start of a great week for you!