My latest manicure is brought to you by NARS Space Odyssey. This polish was originally released in celebration of Fashion's Night Out 2011 in New York City this past fall. NARS released Silver Odyssey, a coupling of two limited edition products, both unique, richly pigmented, metallic silvery hues- Crispi Larger Than Life Long-Wear Eyeliner and this polish, Space Odyssey. After it's fast sell out it was rereleased in NARS 2011 Holiday Collection, although it still remains a limited edition shade. Yes, it is rather expensive for a nail polish but the color is well worth it!
This polish is like pouring liquid metal across your nails. Space Odyssey is a super-gleaming tinsel silver hue, filled with ultra-fine metallic shimmer that levels to a smooth finish and leaves behind a mirror bright shine. I LOVE this polish for all year around and for all skin tones. It would be beautiful for the holiday months or the perfect accessory for any summer look. After applying I looked at it and thought this would be a stunning shade for a Bride on her wedding day. It's just the perfect amount of glitz. GORGEOUS! I am wearing Essie's base coat, 3 coats of NARS Space Odyssey, and Essie's top coat. PRICE: $18.00
My latest manicure is brought to you by two of my favorite Spring shades. Essie's A Crewed Interest and Sally Hansen's Mint Sorbet. I have been loving a color blocking manicure this season & following with the pastel trend for inspiration. A Crewed Interest has been one of my all time faves this season and is from Essie's Spring 2012 Navigate Her Collection. Mint Sorbet is from Sally Hansen's Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear line.
A Crewed Interest is a luminous peach creme polish. It is the perfect pastel shade for the "night out" manicure or the "work" manicure. The first coat goes on sheer so for an opaque finish you need 2 to 3 coats. The polish is super shiny and finish is gorgeous. I am wearing Essie's base coat, 3 coats of polish & finishing with Essie's topcoat. PRICE: $8.00
Mint Sorbet is a mint green pastel creme polish. It is simply stunning. This polish, not only represents the pastel trend but the popular green trend for Spring. The formula for this brand is incredible for being so inexpensive. The first coat goes on super smooth and the second coat creates a flawless finish. I am wearing Essie's base coat, 2 coats of Mint Sorbet & finishing with Essie's topcoat. PRICE: $2.50
My latest manicure is brought to you by Essie's No More Film. ($8.00) This shade was produced in Essie's recent 2012 Resort Collection. I have had my eye on this color since Essie mentioned it's possibility. At first glance, it reminded me of one of my favorite Essie releases of the year, Bobbing for Baubles. It was difficult to photograph, every picture came out too blue. It is one of those shades you have to see in person to witness the beauty of it. Essie is NAILING IT this year and releasing hits!
No More Film is blurple. No not violet. Blurple. Blue Purple. Purple Blue. LOVE IT! It is a highly pigmented, deep, creamy blurple with an exceptionally glossy finish. It covers beautifully and the formula is spot on. In my photo, I did finish with Essie's topcoat, but I didn't even need it. The finish was so impressive without it. You can definitely get away with wearing one coat, but I am wearing two below.
Spring is in the air & we are so close to Summer! I love this time of year because I can pull my favorite colors to wear into the most fun beauty season. I have been buying new product like crazy. I'm just an addict. But here are my favorites for the month of April. ENJOY!
I love me some Yankee Candle! I am absolutely LOVING this new summer scent from Yankee Candle. Beach Walk is incredible; a mix of refreshing salt water & sea musk warmed with sunny notes of tangerine and orange blossom. Again, it comes in 3 sizes (small, medium & large jars.) It is super yummy and the perfect scent to bring in the Summer!
PRICE: $27.99
www.YankeeCandle.com
My latest obsession has been concealers! I have been obsessing over finding the perfect concealer formula & this is one of my favorites I have come across. Kat Von D Tattoo Concealer is a heavy duty, highly pigmented, water resistant, multitasking concealer that comes in 8 shades. It is great quality. The formula is very creamy and easily blend-able. It is super heavy duty and provides ultimate coverage. The coverage is so durable it is proven that it can cover tattoos. I haven't used it to cover my tattoos but I have read reviews on other's success. It does work wonders on dark under eye circles and blemishes. After application, applying a setting powder, gives perfect flawless coverage. This is absolutely ranked in my top 3 all time favorite concealers!
PRICE: $25.00
www.sephora.comkat-von-d
I have wanted this bronzer forever and I finally purchased it making my dreams come true! Hoola by Benefit Bronzer is cult favorite amongst bronzer lovers. It's pure color, no sparkle, no shine, just an incredible matte bronzer. Benefit has incredible products and their packaging is super cute. It comes with a soft, natural bristle cheek brush for contouring and/or blending application. This is just an incredible must have buy for any bronzer lover and the perfect shade for all year round.
PRICE: $28
www.benefitcosmetics.com
What will Skinny Girl come up with next? Sangria to vitamins to beauty products. I love me some Bethenny Frankel and was so excited to find her entire cosmetics line at Walmart. I decided to try the Skinny Girl Lip Scrub first and I am LOVING IT! This is a gentle sugar scrub that is the perfect exfoliant while maintaining soft and moisturized lips. The main ingredients amongst the amazingness of this formula are Cocoa Seed Butter, Sweet Almond Oil, Mango Seed Butter, Sunflower Oil and Peppermint Oil. (Doesn't the sound of that make your mouth water???) It is perfect to use for every season and extremely inexpensive for what it does. Bravo to Skinny Girl for not testing on animals. You can purchase the entire Skinny Girl cosmetics line at Walmart.
PRICE: $5.49
www.bethenny.com
2 words instantly come to mind. MIRACLE PRODUCT! Origins Drink Up is a 10 minute mask that quenches skin's thirst. Origins is a natural skin care line that provides organic ingredients that bring out the best in your skin. I am so happy I came across this product because it is the perfect cure for dry skin and/or combo skin. When your skin is clean and free of makeup you put a layer of Drink Up on your skin. It's a clear that smells like oranges that is super refreshing. Algae extracts deliver an extra helping of hydration and apricot kernel oil acts like a "fountain of youth". You actually feel your skin drink in the softness and moisture. Another plus is Origins is animal friendly and cruelty free. It's the perfect product for dry skin. The greatest part is how wonderful your skin goes on the next day. You can find Origins products at Sephora.
PRICE: $22.00
www.origins.com
A less inexpensive favorite of the month comes from ELF! ELF's quality for being so inexpensive is incredible. ELF Mineral Infused Mascara is a great mascara. It creates fuller, healthy looking lashes. It enhances lashes for a naturally thicker and more voluminous look. I love the unique silicone brush which helps create a clump free look. And I mean c'mon, YOU CAN'T BEAT THIS PRICE!
PRICE: $3.00
www.eyeslipface.com
Super trend of the moment, printed sunglasses. I recently bought these super cute, printed shades that have been the perfect accessory for any outfit. It adds Spring and Summer flair to any look. I recently came across these at Forever 21.
PRICE: $5.50
I can't do a favorites list without adding a favorite from my ultimate, MAC! MAC Kissable Lip Colour is a newer formula that was recently re-released in MAC's Limited Edition Shop MAC, Cook MAC Collection that evolved earlier this year. I am loving this MAC Kissable Lip Colour in the shade Scan-Delicious; a pink-red with fuchsia shimmer (adding to my fuchsia kick). It is a super unique formula that applies like a lip gloss and looks creamy & rich like a lipstick. Scan-Delicious is super pigmented, glossy & shiny. It is long wearing and very light weight. They are vanilla scented with a doe-foot applicator. I can't wait for MAC to release more shades of this product.
PRICE: $19
www.MACCOSMETICS.COM
In April 2012, MAC released the In Extra Dimension Collection. Within the collection, MAC released a new product, an Extra Dimension Highlighter. I purchased the medium shade, SUPERB, out of the 3 shades released. This product is amazing. MAC describes this as a liquid-powder highlighter with prismatic reflections that sculpts, highlights and models face. The cool, creamy, near-fluid formula creates a luminous finish that wears all day long. Superb is a soft, peachy nude. It's a champagne beige with a little hint of rosiness and a champagne metallic sheen. It has a soft, dry texture thats really smooth. There is a high shine metallic finish that reflects light really smoothly. Its the most gorgeous finish that gives you a dewy, glowy look. My absolute new favorite invention of the season!
My latest manicure is brought to you by Essie's Instant Hot. ($8.00) Instant Hot is also a new shade from Essie's Wedding Collection, released Spring 2012. I have been obsessing over this collection and loving these subtle shades. I was very eager to try out this color because I am loving a white manicure this season. The bad news is, I was extremely disappointed in the formula. First coat was very patchy and streaky. Second coat was just as streaky. I had to apply a third coat for any sort of full coverage. I almost wanted to apply a fourth coat to gain an opaque finish. I have read that other people have been dissatisfied with this formula so I don't think it was just a faulty bottle. It is very disappointing because I was really hoping this would be a pure, creme polish.
Instant Hot is a muted white with a hint of pink color with a subtle shimmer. This subtle shimmer is obvious in the bottle but barely there after application. (In the left photo, you can see this slight shimmer inside.) Besides the invisible shimmer and the bogus formula, I like the final look. I'd mush rather prefer the vibrancy of my favorite white Essie polish, Blanc, but this worked. In the picture, I am wearing Essie's base coat, 3 coats of Instant Hot & finished with Essie's topcoat.
(24 hours later after writing this post.) Okay. I am beginning to catch myself looking at this color on my nails and loving it more. When you look at the finished product, their is a pretty pink finish that comes off the nail making it super unique. Absolutely worth seeing in person.
My latest manicure is brought to you by Essie's Who Is The Boss. ($8.00) This shade was produced in Essie's 2012 Wedding Collection which was released this Spring. This collection is gorgeous. The colors are perfect for a subtle look or work manicure. Out of the 4 shades in this collection, this one was the most visually appealing to me and it didn't disappoint.
Who Is The Boss is a dusty blue grey shade. STUNNING! The formula is flawless and applies wonderfully. I haven't seen this collection in drugstores, Walmart or Target yet-but I have seen in some beauty supplies or beauty sites online. In the picture, I am wearing a base coat, 2 coats of Who Is The Boss & Essie Topcoat over top.
