Barielle Brilliant Colors Summer Collection!

*Product sent for review*

 Today I have for you the Barielle Brilliant Colors Collection! These are a set of 5 creams with opaque coverage.  Many of these polishes cover in one coat, some covered in 2.  Overall i am pleased with this collection!

First up is Straight A Coral .  This polish is a beautiful bright coral polish. it covered in 1 coat.  One coat perfection. The bightness of this color went very well with my skintone, and was very flattering on my nails.  This one was my absolute favorite from the collection! It almost glows on my nails.

High Marks Purple was a great 1 coater as well.  This purple goes well with the collection, and has great opaque coverage. It is a very pretty deep violet.

Head of the Class Green is a really nice green.  It has a bit of a teal undertone, but is still mainly green.  I liked this one alot, and the formula was good. 

Smarty Pants Pink is what i would definitely define as a baby pink. This type of pink is not my favorite, but it looks nice on my nails. The formula is a nice creme. a bit thick, but covered in 2 coats.

Magna Cum Laude Turquoise  this one was my least favorite color in the  collection. It stained my nails blue after 1 coat of basecoat and only 5 minutes on my nails.  This is the second barielle that has stained my nails blue.  There are also other brands of polish this color that stain nails as well, it is something to do with the pigment in this polish.  Just beware of the fact that it stains. The formula was not bad, it covered in 2 coats.

These polishes retail for $8 each, or you can purchase the set for $25 on the Barielle website!

XOX Caitlin

*Product sent for review*

Kiko with GOSH Gasoline

These are some nails from the vault! I am using 2 polishes I got while I was in London this past summer!

 Used in this mani is Kiko 331. It is a gorgeous purple creme polish.  I applied 2 coats of this polish, no topcoat.  On par with every other Kiko polish I own, the formula is fantastic. Smooth and creamy and two coats covered all VNL. 

I added an accent nail of Gosh Gasoline.  Gasoline is a pretty purple glass fleck/shimmer.

XOX Caitlin

In other news.....

I am going to IMATS New York this weekend! I am so excited! I am meeting up with some of my blogger buddies to go to the show, and will definitely have some pics when I return!

I also only have 2 more weeks of classes, and hopefully I can fulfill my promise of blogging more frequently when classes end!

Barielle Sweet Treats Spring 2013 Review

*these products were sent to me for consideration for an honest review*

I have a nice pastel spring collection to review for you all.  The Barielle Sweet Treats collection consists of a shimmery blue, a pastel yellow, pastel purple, a bright chartreuse, and a vibrant coral.

First up is Barielle Blue Cotton Candy.  I was in love with this color in the bottle. It is a gorgeous blue with a silver shimmer.  This is the only shimmer in the collection.  The application was great on this one, two coats covered completely. After I applied it though, I think it washed out my skin tone.

Up next is Barielle Green Apple Chew.  This is probably my second favorite from this collection.  this bright chartreuse green is one of my favorite colors, and the application on this polish was not bad at all.  It was a little on the thick side, and two coats covered with no VNL.

Barielle Orange Parfait is my absolute favorite from this collection.  It is a gorgeous coral that applied well with two coats.I've worn this twice already since receiving the collection to review, and it lasted three days before I removed it to apply another polish.

Barielle Banana Drop is a light yellow.  the formula on this one is a little thick, but like Green Apple Chew applied in two coats with no VNL.

The final polish in this collection is Barielle Lilac Jelly Bean.  This pale lilac purple applied well in two coats, but similarly to Green Apple Chew and Banana Drop was on the thick side. It was not unmanageable though. 

Overall I think this is a great spring collection. My favorite color from this collection would definitely be Orange Parfait, followed by Green Apple Chew. My least favorite would have to be Blue Cotton Candy, because I think that it washes out my skin tone, and that it is the only shimmer in this collection.

XOX Caitlin

*These polishes were sent to me for consideration for an honest review*

Totally Cool with a touch of Fire

As promised, I have for you a gorgeous combo of polish I adore.  It is Milani Totally Cool, and Max factor Fantasy Fire.  This combination is absolutely stunning and has so much depth, it just shines from within.

Below is 4 coats of Totally Cool(I would suggest undies for this one, perhaps a shimmery deep purple) and 1 coat of Fantasy Fire.

just look at that gorgeous shimmer. I am totally in love with this combo. and of course this has the green that shines at different angles. A total win in my book.

XOX Caitlin

Every Month is Oktoberfest with Fantasy Fire

OPI's Every Month is Oktoberfest is my new favorite color for fall.  Of all of the Germany collection photos now, this one spoke to me the most.  It is really hard to even describe this color, because it looks like a purpley-red shimmer in the bottle, and when you apply the first coat it is in a purple jelly base, which is interesting. And when you apply two coats it becomes this amazing deep red purple, and the purple jelly base turns black.  It has a rich deep shimmer that I am in love with.

 Because this is such an interesting color, I thought i would layer MaxFactor Fantasy Fire over it, and it is gorgeous!

The purpley-red shimmer is the perfect base for Fantasy Fire. 

I love this color, and the color shift of Fantasy Fire. I think that this is a great combination, and I wish I had better photos to show the color of Oktoberfest and Fantasy Fire.

XOX Caitlin

Star Gazer 128

I have a new found love for dimensional colors. Colors that just have more to them than a flat color or plain glitter.   This is one I picked up in London on a whim, and I am so glad I did, because it is gorgeous!

This is Star Gazer 128.  I picked this polish up while my boyfriend and I were on our way to Greggs to buy some Yum Yums when I saw nail polish in a little side store. He let me stop in, and I am glad I did, because of the stargazer polishes I have tried, I have been absolutely pleased with the quality and colors.

I would consider this a magenta-y purple with the gold shining through where the light hits it, and i used 3 coats to get the opacity you see here. (it is a duochrome, but I think it has more dimension than a duochrome.)

After posting it in the Polishaholics group, it was brought to my attention that this polish is kind of similar to China Glaze Awakening and Zoya Shevon. I don't have those, but looking up swatches they do look similar.

I love this polish.I wonder what it would look like if it were layered over, say, a purple.

XOX Caitlin

Are there any polishes like this that you think I should check out?  I am totally lemming Every Month is Oktoberfest by OPI Right now!

Magnetic Week: Filthy Gorgeous Got the Blues

Ok, this is my absolute favorite magnetic that I own. It is simply gorgeous, and I think it is very unique in that the magnetic particles pull purple instead of black/grey!

This polish is called Got the Blues and it is from Filthy Gorgeous.  This is a polish purchased in the UK, so I am not sure on how to get it in the US.

This is 2 easy coats of Got the Blues, and I used the magnet from the Nails Inc polishes, because it is stronger than the on that came with this polish. I also did a topcoat of Hong Kong Girl Topcoat, which is just amazing.

My absolute favorite thing about this polish is that the pulled magnetic pigments are purple, in contrast to the blue of the base, instead of pulling black or grey like they do in other magnetic polishes.

Look at the amazing purple shimmer that pops through with the magnet!

And a macro to show the purple shimmer up close!

I love this one!

XOX Caitlin

Don't forget my giveaway ends in 2 days! Check it out in the sidebar, and click through to enter!

Magnetic Week! Nails Inc - Houses of Parliament

Woooo! I have 7 magnetic polishes, so I am kicking off Magnetic Week with Houses of Parliament, an amazing Purple Magnetic Polish that is just glowing on my nails.  The magnet give it an amazing 3D look you have to see yourself, it is just stunning! 

The magnet on this polish is great! It is really strong, so it picks up the iron pigment in it.  I would say don't do super thick coats, because if you do, and you hold the magnet for too long over the nails, the iron particles will begin to pick up off of the nail like they are crawling towards the magnet. Its kind of cool to see, but not what you want to happen on your nails. lol.

This is 1 coat of Nails Inc Houses of Parliament used with the Magnetic bar on the top of the lid, and a top coat of Seche Vite. :)

And a Macro, so I can do a Collective at the end! How gorgeous is this polish??

This polish applies so well and so effortlessly.  The magnet didn't take long to leave the design, maybe 2-5 seconds. I did a topcoat, because I love how shiny it makes it. :)

My Boyfriend got this one for me and brought it to me for my birthday in March, and I have held on to it until now.  He also got me 5 of the others I have to show you during my Magnetic Week! So I look forward to sharing with you the different polishes I have.

This polish I believe can be purchased from Amazon(which is Shipped by Sephora) or Sephora for $16

XOX Caitlin

Guest Post at the Crumpet!

I did a guest post over at The Crumpet! Head on over and check it out!

http://thecrumpet.blogspot.com/2012/06/celebration-500-guest-post-caitlin-from.html

XOX Caitlin

Essie No More Film with Stamping

For these nails I used Essie No More Film as the base.   It is a blurple that leans more purple in real life.  There are hints of blue though, so it is really hard to photograph. I got No More Film with copious credits last week when they gave $10 extra.  I am still waiting on 2 other polishes, and I plan to do a dupe post of the many blues I have now. lol

The formula was really great, it covered in 1 coat, but I did 2 for good measure. I then stamped with Sally Hansen Insta Dri Whirlwind White using Cheeky Ch10 for the stamp.

I really like how this one turned out. It kind of reminds me of cool wallpaper. lol

XOX Caitlin

Striping Tape over Acid Wash Nails

For this mani, I used the previous mani (seen here) and used striping tape and Wet N Wild Black Creme to create the design. I really love using striping tape, you can create so many cool designs.  :)

The colors used in the base are: Illamasqua Poke, Zoya Bevin, and Color Club Sweet Pea

XOX Caitlin

Acid Wash nails!

Acid Wash nails!  I've seen a couple of blogs posting photos of their nails using this technique, and I wanted to try it out. 

The technique to get this effect is to paint different layers of polish, and use remover on top of the layers of polish to remove the top colors and show the colors beneath. 

I used Illamasqua Poke as the base color, then a layer of Zoya Bevin, and a layer of Color Club Sweet Pea from the Blossoming Collection on top.  Then I used Pure Acetone and an ELF makeup brush I got at target and removed some of the layers of polish to achieve this look!

I think this looks so neat! I love it. :)

XOX Caitlin

Subtle Stamping: Essie to Buy or Not to Buy

Sorry I haven't been very active recently! I purchased some new nail foils and I have been experimenting with them, and searching for a top coat that doesn't crinkle it.  

I found this Essie for $2 at my local Rite Aid and I used Sally Hansen InstaDri Whirlwind White for the stamping, which I also found at Rite Aid on clearance. 

Essie To Buy or Not to Buy stamped with Red Angel RA114. 

getting ziggy with it

Sooo I don't have anything really new to show you guys yet, I wore those awesome Union Jack Caviar nails for 4 days. (that's the longest I have been in a few months! lol)

Tomorrow I am moving back home, and moving my stash as well, and so all my pretties are all packed up and ready to move home.  When I get there, I may do a stash post when I get my polish desk all set up. :)

Also, I have an idea for some awesome Michael Jackson nails that I am going to attempt tomorrow.  I went to the Michael Jackson Cirque Du Soleil show tonight, and it was AMAZING.  I am such a huge MJ fan, and the show was so amazingly awesome.  The acrobatics are so amazing, and they are all so flexible and talented! If you ever have an opportunity to see a Cirque show, definitely go!  It is such an amazing experience.

Just so this post has a photo, I have a photo of some stamped nails I did about a week ago, I used China Glaze Traffic Jam as the base and stamped with white using a Red Angel plate, I don't remember which one.

XOX Caitlin

Happy Little Clouds

I have a quick post for you today, some Clouds! These clouds are inspired by Nailside, who does the most amazing clouds.

The base color is China Glaze Concrete Catwalk, The green is China Glaze Electric Pineapple, and the Pink is China Glaze Traffic Jam. The white dots are with Sinful Colors Snow me White.

Just saying happy little clouds reminded me of Bob Ross. lol.

(Image from google)

Who doesn't love Bob Ross?!? ;)

XOX Caitlin

Charlie the Unicorn!

 I am doing this nail art as a submission to Neverland Nail Blog's Nail art contest, which is titled "Do you believe in Magic?" and of course I had to do Unicorns! and how awesome is this nail art??

The unicorns are freehand.  The base is Color Club Twiggie. The pink unicorn is Barry M Strawberry Ice Cream, the purple unicorn is Barry M Berry Ice Cream. The white unicorn is Sinful Colors Snow me White.  The Candy Mountain is Color Club Poptastic, and the black accents are Wet N Wild Black Creme.

Here is a macro of the unicorns. :D

What do you think?

XOX Caitlin

Swatch Sticks + Nubbins + Some news

Hi all!

Warning long post ahead! You can skip down to the pretty pictures if you don't want to read about my life.   :P

First news: I am switching universities next year! I am no longer going to be a student at University of South Carolina, I am moving back home and going to University there. So if I don't post regularly over the next few weeks, its because I am in the process of finishing exams and moving my stuff back home!

I have a few updates for you all, I haven't posted the last few challenge posts because:
1) Classes are beginning to go into exams, and I haven't had alot of time to paint my nails
2) My nails are nubbins now, and it kinda makes me sad. :(
3) My Partner in crime on this challenge, Bec, has not posted either, due to cutting her finger with the fimo slicer. :(

More news: I am soooooooooo excited to get some color morphing pigment from Lori Hill Shadow, she was soo sweet to order some and dispense it to all of us.  The pigment i am getting is called Chalemeon and it is made for car paint.  Lori found out that this pigment will be discontinued, so I snatched it up quickly!  It looks amazing, like CLARINS 230!  When you mix it with topcoat and put it over black it has the same copper red/green that clarins has.  OMG I AM SO EXCITED. I can't wait to mix some up and show you guys!

and even more news! I have reached 300 followers! I am so excited about this guys!

aaaaaaand I am going to London over the summer to see my amazing boyfriend. I got my passport in the mail last week!

I have also been swatching most of my stash. :) I have a Pic for you all of my swatchsicles. (this photo kind of reminds me of a runway.

And one of them attached to the screw thingy:

If you would like the link to the swatch sticks, leave a comment saying so. :)


And to show you guys my nubbins, I have 2 photos from these past few days in which I have not posted.

China Glaze Urban Night - 2 coats.  See how short they are!!

and this is Milani Totally Cool.  I originally wanted this because i is supposed to have a clarins 230 esque apearance, and it does in the bottle.  but on the nail it doesn't translate, which is kinda dissappointing, but it is still a beautiful deep rich color. and I love it! 

XOX Caitlin