Barielle Do Unto Others

   Barielle is a line I haven't really talked about on here before.  Except for the Manicure Extender top coat I use regularly.  So today I'm going to feature a polish from Barielle's new Karma Kollection.  Do Unto Others is a nice medium light teal creme polish.

   The formula on Do Unto Others was really nice and it is well pigmented.  I used one coat in these pictures, but would probably use 2 next time as there is still just a hint of visible nail line in bright light.  Application was smooth and easy as well.  My base coat consisted of 1 coat Seche Rebuild and 1 coat China Glaze Strong Adhesion base.  I then topped everything off with 1 coat Manicure Extender.  Sadly it was overcast when I wore this so I don't have any direct sun photos for you.

Outdoors

Indoor

   Do Unto Others really is a lovely rich teal.  If you've never tried any Barielle polishes you should check them out.  The Barielle website runs sales fairly often or you can find them at Ulta and other beauty supply locations.

Purple Ombre Manicure

   If you don't know, an Ombre is a gradation of color.  It can be different shades of the same color or different colors blending together.  Originally I thought it was pronounced ahm-bur, but David informed me it's actually pronounced ahm-bray.  And yes I trust him on this, much as it pains me sometimes, because he learned it from the girls in the costume area of his graduate theatre department.  Plus Tim Gunn said it that way in one of the first episodes of this season of Project Runway.

   The first part of this manicure is finding 5 polishes to use.  They need to be the same finish and the same base tone.  In the case of purple for instance, they should all be either blue-based or red-based shades.  For my manicure I went with creme finish and chose: Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Lavender Cloud, Revlon Top Speed Lily, OPI Planks A Lot, China Glaze Grape Pop, and Zoya Pinta.

   Yes the bottles are sitting on top of my printer.  I was not brave enough to venture outside, even into my parking lot, earlier when I realized I forgot to take a bottle picture.  There was a home football game at UGA today and I live about a mile from the stadium.  

   I started with a coat of Seche Rebuild, I'm trying to get rid of a peeling problem, then a coat of China Glaze Strong Adhesion base coat, 2 coats of each color, and topped it all with a coat of Barielle Manicure Extender.  I decided to go light to dark starting with my pinkie on each hand, but you could do it the other direction as well.

Direct Sun

Indoor next to window

   I think this is a fun look and a good way to bring some interest to your nails if you aren't very good at art, like me, or don't have time for any.

Petites Hazel

   With all the salon and high end polish brands it's easy to overlook some of the smaller, lower cost polishes available.  This is a shame though because sometimes these smaller brands have some amazing colors.  Today I'm going to show you a coppery plum duochrome from Petites.  Petites can be found at Walmart and Rite Aid and is usually under $2.

   I do apologize for the quality of these pictures.  They were all taken from my cell phone in various indoor lighting.  But I think you can still get the idea of how beautiful the polish is.  Also please ignore the state of my cuticles in some of the close up photos.  

   I used one coat of China Glaze Strong Adhesion base coat, 2 coats of Hazel, and 1 coat of Barielle Manicure Extender on top.  Application was very smooth and pigmentation was nice.  I almost could have gotten away with just 1 thicker coat of polish instead of 2.

   So what do you girls think?  Want to try out some of the cheaper polishes now?  Wearing Hazel the last couple days reminded me that just because something doesn't cost a lot doesn't mean it isn't just as good.  I'm going to try to keep this lesson in mind.  I know my wallet will appreciate it.

China Glaze Haunting Collection Press Release

   Please enjoy the following press release from China Glaze for their upcoming Halloween Collection:

  

HAUNTING BEAUTY AT YOUR FINGERTIPS

China Glaze Introduces a Daringly Dark Collection of Purely Pigmented Crèmes and High Coverage Glitters for Halloween 2011

Los Angeles, CA – (July 2011): Halloween is all about over-the-top style and China Glaze has just what every girl and ghoul needs to complete their costume.  Put the finishing touches on any look with the new China Glaze HAUNTING collection – a six-piece set of mysterious colors and effects perfect for All Hallows Eve, including a glow-in-the-dark Top Coat and a ‘crackling’ top coat for a cobweb effect.

China Glaze captures the spirits lurking in the dark in six sexy, sophisticated shades that are on trend, exciting and will be on every costume crafter’s “must have” list.  Whether a look is dark and mysterious, or bold and dramatic, China Glaze’s HAUNTING collection pulls together any ensemble and will undoubtedly make heads turn – just like China Glaze’s celebrity followers (Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Nicole Ritchie and Dita Von Teese, to name a few)!  Colors in this collection include:

·        Haunting:  Shadowy black with shimmering silver glitter
·        Crimson: Deep purple crème with a hint of blood red
·        Near Dark: Rich mossy green crème
·        It’s Alive: Vibrant green glitter
·        Ghoulish Glow: Glow-in-the-Dark top coat
·        Black Mesh: Crackle Glaze top coat for a cobweb-like crackle effect

The China Glaze HAUNTING collection will be available as open stock colors, 18 piece counter display, and as part of a special “Buy 3, Get 1 Free” set featuring China Glaze Fast Forward Top Coat. 

  

China Glaze is free of DBP, toluene, and added formaldehyde.

China Glaze nail lacquers are available through salons and professional beauty supply stores nationwide. For more information, visit: www.chinaglaze.com or follow China Glaze on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ChinaGlaze

China Glaze is a division of American International Industries.

About American International Industries

For nearly 40 years, AII has been the leading manufacturer and worldwide distributor of innovative, quality beauty and skin care products for men and women.  Our product lines include Ardell, Andrea, Body Drench, Bye Bye Blemish, Checi, China Glaze, Clean + Easy, Clubman/Pinaud, Duo, European Secrets, EzFlow, Fright Night, Gena, GiGi, Gypsy Lash, IBD, Jeris-Lustray, No Tweeze/Micro Tweeze, 'N Rage, Prolinc, RAW, Seche, SuperNail, Surgi-Care, Waterworks, Winning Nails, Woltra, Woody’s, and Youthair. For more information, visit our website: www.aiibeauty.com.

Zoya Gems and Jewels Press Release

   Please enjoy the following press release from Zoya for their upcoming Holiday collection:

Zoya Nail Polish presents 3 new jewel toned metallic shimmer polishes
and 3 glitzy, glitter glazes (featuring unique bar glitter) for an extra special holiday and winter 2011 season!

Zoya Gems and Jewels Collection

Rina (ZP576): Full coverage, rich green metallic shimmer.Holly (ZP577): Gorgeous green glitzy, glitter glaze (with unique bar glitter).Kissy (ZP578): Full coverage, party pink metallic shimmer.Izzy (ZP579): Vivid pink glitzy, glitter glaze (with unique bar glitter).Twila (ZP580): Full coverage, icy blue metallic shimmer.Noel (ZP581): Bold blue glitzy, glitter glaze! (with unique bar glitter).

Mix it up... The Zoya Gems and Jewels color assortment allows
for multiple layered nail polish looks! Have fun…

• Wear the full coverage, jewel toned shades alone for a classic metallic shimmer look!
• Wear the glitzy, glitter glazes alone for a hint of glitz.
• Wear several layers of the glitzy, glitter glazes for a unique textured glitz nail look.
• Layer the glazes over the shimmers to a totally glam nail jewelry look.
• Layer the glitzy, glitter glazes over other colors to create a totally unique look that is
all your own (hint - hint: silver, gold, white and black totally rock under the glazes!).

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.

Find Zoya Gems and Jewels as well as over 400 other 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.

Zoya is the new color of fashion...

Shipping September 15, 2011
Sug. Retail $8.00 ea.

China Glaze Oxidized Aqua

   Lately I've been going through a blue polish phase.  Not sure why, but more often than not I'm finding myself reaching for a blue over any other color.  So China Glaze Metallic Crackle in Oxidized Aqua is perfect right now when I do put something else on and still want that blue fix. 

   Metallic crackle works just like the non-metallic ones.  I added Oxidized Aqua to my Icing Blackout mani after a couple days of wear.  I like the way the aqua contrasts with the  black.  I was a bit sad that the lovely multi-color glitter in Blackout didn't show through very well however.  Application was good over completely dry polish.  I did not add a top coat over the crackle.

Direct Sun

   

   Notice the difference in the cracks on my thumb versus the rest of my fingers?  There's a reason for it.  On my index through pinkie fingers I used one smooth stroke down the entire length of the nail, making sure not to go back over any crackle polish I had already put on the nail.  On my thumb though I tried something a little different.  Instead of one smooth stroke I started the stroke for a few millimeters then pushed the brush backwards just a bit into the area I'd just polished.  Continue this down the length of your nail.  I really like this look and will probably use this technique more often.

Shade

Indoor

Disclaimer: The product(s) in this post were sent to me by the company for consideration.