Essence Walk on the Wild Side

   Recently, Essence has given there polishes a new look and come out with some new colors.  Today I'm showing you Walk on the Wild Side, a greyed forest green with green micro-flecks.

   Formula was good and application was smooth.  I only needed 2 coats for full coverage.  I think this would be a good color for fall and the holidays.  I used Finger Paints base coat and no top coat for these photos.

Direct Sun

Indoor Natural Light

Indoor with Flash

   The flecks show up more in person.  Walk on the Wild Side does dry just a bit darker than the bottle.

   I really like the new bottles, especially the caps.  When you twist the caps, there's now a nice snap/lock to let you know that your polish is fully closed.  What I don't like is the new brush.  Sadly Essence has joined in on the paddle brush craze with the new look.  On the plus side the brushes are slightly smaller than other brands because the bottles are only approximately .27 ounces.  They retail for $1.99 and can usually be found at Ulta.  The old bottles were only .17 ounces, so the new ones are a bit bigger.  Even though the bottles hold less polish than a standard .5 ounce polish, I like these a lot don't really notice the size difference.  Usually I have issues trying to use mini polishes, but these don't feel like a mini polish in my hand.

   Have any of you tried any of the new Essence Colour & Go polishes?  If so what did you think?  If not, do you think you will try them in the future?

Nicole by OPI Just Busta Mauve

   Nicole by OPI released 4 new colors for Fall 2012 exclusively for Target.  So far I've only picked up one of them, but I might grab one or two of the others later.  The one I did get, in fact stalked my Targets for, is Just Busta Mauve.

   Please click to enlarge the bottle photo so you can see all of the lovely colors.  This is a hard polish to describe.  The best I can come up with is the Just Busta Mauve has a smoky brown base with gold, blue, and mauve glitter/micro-flecks.  The flecks are fairly densely packed.  I used 3 coats for full coverage and didn't feel the need for an under color.  Formula was good and application was smooth, aside from the paddle-like brush that I hate.  I used Finger Paints base coat and no top coat for these photos.

Direct Sun

Indoor Natural Light

Indoor with Flash

   Again, please enlarge these photos to see the detail of the polish.  Once dry, the texture of Just Busta Mauve is actually smooth and not gritty, even without top coat.  I love this polish.  If you haven't seen these yet, or haven't picked any up, I highly recommend Just Busta Mauve. 

China Glaze Rare & Radiant

   Rare & Radiant is another polish from the China Glaze New Bohemian collection.  

R&R is a green gold duochrome.  The formula was good, but because it's a bit foil like you will have to be careful with your application to avoid too many brushstrokes.  It will also show any flaws in your nails.  I only needed 2 coats for full coverage over a base of Finger Paints base coat.  I did not use top coat in these photos.

Direct Sun

Indoor Natural Light

Indoor with Flash

   The duo-ness is much more evident in Rare & Radiant than Want My Bawdy.  It's a good color, but very over done at this point.  As I'm sure you know by now, or have guessed from my pictures, this is yet another dupe of Chanel Peridot.  I don't have any on nail comparisons, but I do have a bottle shot comparison for you.

   The color shift shows a bit more on the edges of the China Glaze bottle because it's a more rounded shape bottle, but if you look at the middle colors you can see they're the same.  I didn't swatch Peridot for you because I wanted to return my bottle.  The $26 price tag was a little more than I really wanted to pay and once so many dupes started showing up, I just couldn't justify keeping an unused bottle.  By the way, if you've never shopped at Nordstrom's you should just for how easy returns are.  I was extremely impressed with my experience, and I work retail.

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

Halloween Nail Art Ideas from CND

   Show of hands, who has their Halloween costume picked out?  *Looks around and at own hand that is still down*  Yeah I have no ideas this year.  Or if I will even need a costume.  Then there's the question of how to do your nails to match your costume, but still be ok the next day.  Jan Arnold, founder of CND, has shared some fashion-forward nail art ideas to match some popular costumes without being too reminiscent of Halloween the next day.  

Princess/Crown Jewels

Vampire

Witch

Pirate

Cat 1

Ghost

Wonder Woman

Cat 2

Queen

   So what do all of you think?  Getting any inspiration?  I'm rather fond of the Witch and Cat 1 designs, and think that even with my limited nail art skills I might be able to pull something similar off.  But, if you like some of the fancier designs, or want Shellac nails, here is a link to help you find a CND certified salon near you: http://www.cnd.com/find-salon

   I've never tried Shellac, or any other gel nail, but I've heard good things and have been thinking of trying them.  Maybe around the holidays when I'll be super busy with work and won't have much time to do my nails.  

   I'd love to see all of your Halloween nails, whether inspired by this post or not, so please share your ideas/photos in the comments below. 

China Glaze Want My Bawdy

   Happy Monday everyone.  I hope you all had a good weekend.  Mine was a mixed bag of good and bad.  I had an early morning meeting on Sat, but that was followed by a trip to a new nail salon in town, which I'll tell you about in a couple of days.  So that evened out, but then I had a migraine hit Saturday night and the remains are still sticking around.  
   Today I'm bringing you Want My Bawdy from the China Glaze New Bohemian collection.

   This is a deep blue shimmer polish with a subtle purple shift/flash around the edges.  The purple is hard to capture on camera, but you should be able to see it in person.  The 1st coat went on a little sheer, but the color builds nicely and I only needed 2 coats for full coverage.  I didn't have any issues with formula or application.  Want My Bawdy dries to a satin finish without top coat and will show any flaws in your nails, so you might want to use a ridge filling base coat.  I used Finger Paints base coat and no top coat in these photos.

Direct Sun

Indoor Natural Light

Indoor with Flash

   The duochrome properties of Want My Body are very subtle, but I do really like the base color and inner glow feel I get from the polish.  I wish the purple shift was more obvious though.  

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

TRIsocialization by Alex M. Bright

   Happy weekend everyone.  I hope you're all having a good one.  This is not going to be a true book review.  Why?  Because the author is a good friend of mine so I might be a little biased.  But I want to help her out and bring a little more attention to the book.  

The human race is dying out.

The government is calling it a crisis.

As society and individuals adapt to survive in this new reality, the government tries to control how it happens. Every detail of every life is catalogued, numbered and directed onto a path to win a population war being waged around the world. Directed onto a path of manipulated evolution. When those in power begin to slowly take away the basic rights and freedoms of the very citizens they are meant to protect, shaping our destiny to their whims, will they succeed? Or will nature have its way?

The Church Organ is a small, lonely, hole-in-the-wall club in New York City. If you didn't know about it, chances are you'd probably pass it by. There's nothing remarkable about it at all. It's just one more place in a city filled with strangers -- strangers struggling to know each other, and to know themselves. Here, two generations of people will strive to change the world around them while attempting to keep their loved ones safe. Chris Medina, an indie musician looking for his place in the world. Wren Parker, a lawyer trying to fight for change from within a broken system. They will find others, and themelves, making the The Church Organ ground zero for the next stage of human evolution.

This is how it begins.

Adult-content rating: This book contains content considered unsuitable for young readers 17 and under, and which may be offensive to some readers of all ages.


   TRIsocialization is a very political novel.  The themes are controversial and could be offensive to some people as the content rating mentions.  If you have issues with homosexuality you might not want to read this book.  But the issues brought to attention in TRIsocialization- trust, love, being who you are, and acceptance among them- are very real and important, especially this year.  
   I loved the book.  Anytime I had to put it down I felt a bit resentful to whatever was taking me away from the story.  Yes it's written by a friend, but I would have felt that pull no matter who wrote the book.  The story hit a lot of emotional points for me.
   TRIsocialization is currently available for purchase on Smashwords here, on Diesel here, or on iBook for iPad.  I believe it will also be available for Kindle and Nook in the coming weeks. 

Maybelline Color Show November Releases

   Maybelline has some very limited edition new Color Show polishes and Fashion Print Nail Stickers for us.  These 8 polishes and 8 sticker prints will be available for the month of November only.  Please enjoy the following press release:

Introducing

Color Show Fashion Prints Nail Stickers and Sequins

by Maybelline New York

NEW YORK, NY, October 10, 2012 - No surprise Maybelline New York, official Makeup Sponsor of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, knows its way around the runway.  Widely regarded as the cosmetic color authority, Maybelline New York mixes fashion forward runway style with beauty savvy, taking it from the catwalk to the sidewalk and bringing the latest colors, textures and trends to cutting edge cosmetics from head-to-toe. Now, just in time for the holidays, Maybelline New York introduces Fashion Prints Nail Stickers by Color Show and Sequins by Color Show, two limited edition mini-collections that no nail diva will want to miss!  Here’s the deal…


Fashion Prints Nail Stickers by Color Show - the ultimate fashion fix for fingertips!
These runway-ready, handcrafted designs are the ultimate fashion accessory.  And thanks to UV cured technology that lasts, these fashionable prints are made to stick around.
Eight on-trend patterns include Fierce N Fuchsia, Midnight Lace, Wild Reptile, Metal Prisms, Cheetah Chic, Sapphire Jewels, Divine Crocodile and Resort Couture.

Easy to apply in three simple steps: 1.Select a sticker that best fits each nail. 2. Lay the sticker over the bare nail and apply a little pressure over the entire surface of the nail using the cuticle stick 3. Fold the spare top of sticker over nail tip and file away the extra length of sticker in a downward motion.

 Sapphire Jewels

 

Sequins by Color Show – a show-stopping nail effect that will have fingers party perfect!
Get your nails ready for the holidays with show-stopping nail candy that dazzles with non-stop runway sparkle and fierce sequin effects.

A unique transparent suspension gel holds these concentrated pigments in their truest form for crisper color and ultra high shine.  A flexible resin resists chipping and allows for a smooth, controlled application.  The Easy Flow brush makes application virtually mistake proof.  Try all eight glam-tacular sequin-laden shades: Ruby Rhinestones, Lavender Sparks, Silver Gleam,  Gold’s Night Out, Sea-Quins, Rose Bling, Sapphire Masquerade and Cocktail Dress.


New Fashion Prints Nail Stickers and Sequins by Color Show will be available in mass market retailers nationwide as special limited-edition collections.  Suggested retail prices are $7.99 for the Fashion Prints Nail Stickers and $3.99 for Sequins. Hurry fast because this is ONLY available during the month of November!
 

Candie's Launches New Beauty Collection

   How many of you are familiar with the shoe and clothing line by Candie's?  It's available only at Kohl's.  They are now expanding the line and this week have launched their first beauty collection.  The signature scent, Candie’s, is a light floral aroma, Luscious, is a flirty warmer scent and Candie’s Coated which offers five fruity flavors: Vanilla Bon-Bon, Strawberry Crème, Sparkling Pear, Sugarplum Blossom and Cotton Candy.  Also included in the collection is a range of glamorous lip gloss and a variety of nail polish is the season’s hottest colors.

Please continue reading for more details and pictures....

Finger Paints Plum Startled

   The final polish I'm going to show you from the Finger Paints Fall of Surprises collection is Plum Startled.

   Plum Startled is a red based purple plum with blue and purple/fuchsia shimmer.  I love this polish.  My photos do it absolutely no justice.  It's one of those polishes that make my camera freak out.  The shimmer gives a really nice depth to the polish.  Formula is good and the application was mostly smooth.  I used 2 coats over Finger Paints base coat and no top coat in these photos, but I would recommend 3 coats if you like using thinner coats.  You can see a little patchiness on my ring and pinky fingers where I used thinner coats.

Direct Sun

Indoor Natural Light

Indoor with Flash

   If you only get one polish from this collection, it should be Plum Startled.  In person, there is so much more going on than what my camera could capture. 

Finger Paints Fall-ing For You

   Happy Monday everyone.  Today for you I have Fall-ing For You from the Finger Paints Fall of Surprises Fall 2012 collection.  

   Fall-ing is a blue foil polish that teeters between sapphire and teal depending on the light.  The formula is a little runny and shows any flaws in your nails.  Because this is a foil polish, it is a bit brush-strokey.  Fall-ing is very pigmented and only needed 1 coat for full coverage.  I recommend doubling up on the base coat with this one, blues like this do have a tendency to stain.  I used Finger Paints base coat and no top coat for these photos.

Direct Sun

Indoor Natural Light

Indoor with Flash

   

   Fall-ing For You is very vibrant.  I don't know that I would expect a color like this in a fall collection, but I really like it.