Monday, October 31, 2011

A 'Weenie a Day: The Golden Apple Of The Sun

BPAL's description: "Golden apple with amber, hibiscus, carnation, frankincense, golden spiced tea, ginger, and champaca flower."

My reaction: Definitely golden apple, it's very crisp and juicy and fresh. I also get a strong whiff of ginger, the tiniest hint of clove from the carnation and a sugary sweetness which is probably the hibiscus.

I have a confession to make. Beth makes so many delicious apple scents, and I love apples (although I don't like Honey Crisps), that I tend to forget that even though I love BPAL's apple variations, I don't want to smell like apples all day long. Oops!

Sally Hansen Salon Effects polish strips: Spun For You

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Oh, wow, I really love these. Craptastic pics for now, more tomorrow to show off the pretty, pretty pattern!


Sunday, October 30, 2011

Sally Hansen Salon Effects Nail Strips: Ghoulie Girl

My application of these was nowhere near perfect, and my nails are still nubbins, but I got two unsolicited compliments on these, one from my mother and one from the cashier at the grocery store this morning. Btw, I am ticked that said grocery store must have put the Christmas versions of these out days ago, because the whole display was empty! Sheesh.

Oh, and removal was harder than I would have thought, based on the thinness of the strips. I had to do a full-on foil method removal, and the bits of polish got everywhere the way a fine glitter does!

Anyway, pictures:

Indoors:



Outdoors:



And one more outdoor picture, because it shows off the adorable little batty I got on clearance last year:

A 'Weenie a Day: Ghosts in Love

BPAL's description: "White sandalwood, tobacco flower, lily of the valley, white carnation, and magnolia blossom with tea rose, labdanum, and oudh."

My reaction: I was really hoping for the carnation in this one to be strong, but no luck. The sandalwood predominated, but while this is not the same musk as The Zoom, which makes me think of clean baby skin, this also dries down to a soft musk on me, very dry and powdery.

Saturday, October 29, 2011

New blog!

My friend JenJenRebecca, who made the beautiful Glitzy Blizzard for me, now has her own blog.

A 'Weenie a Day: Garden of Death

BPAL's description: "A harvest of plants that symbolize death in myriad cultures: belladonna accord, iris petals, red poppy, acanthus, manioc, parsley, yam, urd bean, chrysanthemum, acacia, and cypress wood rooted in dark, rich loam."

My reaction: No dirt this time, just a really dark, rich, well-blended green scent. On me, it's more forest than garden, a forest full of trees in full leaf, a few shy blossoms near the ground, and a sharpness from autumn chill. The first Halloweenie this year that I'm pretty sure I'm going to buy a bottle of.

Friday, October 28, 2011

A 'Weenie a Day: Post Mortem Laureatus

BPAL's description: "White sandalwood and twining ivy."

My reaction: At first there was a hint of fruity greenery plus sandalwood, then just sandalwood. Another happy-with-my-decant scent for me.

Orly Stone Cold

So, did anyone happen to notice anything intriguing in the picture of my BPAL decants? You go look, I'll wait. ;)















Back?

Okay, here's a bigger hint:



The lovely and amazing JenJenRebecca made me a white polish with scattered holo glitter, and named it "Jammies' Glitzy Blizzard"! I fell instantly in love and just had to wear it. This is two coats, and while there appear to be bare spots in the pictures, none were visible to the naked eye.

And I had to take pictures, of course!

Inside, with flash:



Out in the sunshine:



The back of the bottle, just to show off the polish some more:



One small problem--I had promised Steph an entire week of blue polish! Plus I'd just gotten Orly's Stone Cold, and I wanted to wear it almost as much as I wanted to wear Glitzy Blizzard.

Much pondering ensued.

I decided to try something brand new, so I present to you, my very first half-moon mani! I used Avery 5408 round labels, which I keep on hand for labeling the tops of my BPAL bottles, and I was pretty impressed. It looks very good for a first try! This is two coats of Stone Cold over two coats of Glitzy Blizzard.

Inside, no flash:



Inside, with flash:



No outside pictures because the sun has deserted NE Ohio. :(

Thursday, October 27, 2011

A 'Weenie a Day: The Zoom

BPAL's description: "Lime juice, bergamot, Himalayan cedarwood, helichrysum, and dragon’s blood resin."

My reaction: I was hoping for a pop of lime and some woody notes, but what I got was soft skin musk. Not unwearable, but since I have other musks I reach for, not something I'll buy a bottle of. At least it isn't the type of dragon's blood that makes me sneeze.

Orly Lunar Eclipse

Orly polishes have rocked my world since I first came across them a couple of years ago. The formula is a dream, the semi-annual collections are well-thought out and usually have at least one unique color, and they're not hard to find. Lunar Eclipse is a gorgeous dark royal base that never comes close to looking black, with extremely fine royal and purple glitter. All pictures are three coats of polish and no topcoat, and my left ring finger is atrociously short because it finally grew out to the point where the break was past the nail bed, hooray!

Indoors, no flash:



Indoors, flash:



Outdoors in the sun:

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Liebster Blog Award

The Liebster Blog Award goes to newer blogs with less than 200 followers.

KW over at Haul of Fame was sweet enough to nominate me for a Liebster blog award! She was my first follower, and in addition to having good taste in blogs, she likes animals and has short nails!

Here are the "rules" for winning this award:
-Copy and paste the award on your blog.
-Thank the giver and link back to the blogger who gave it to you.
-Reveal your top 5 picks and let them know by leaving a comment on their blog.
-Hope that your followers will spread the love to other bloggers.

My picks:

Haul of Fame


Ali's Nail News

Emily's Nail Files

The Fingernail Files

Wildflower Beauty

A 'Weenie a Day: Autumn Cider

BPAL's description: "Fermented apple juice, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, clove, lemon zest, butterscotch liquor, and orange slices."

My reaction: Initially, a blast of boozy apple, then a waft of cinnamon, and then the brown sugar takes over and that's all I smell. Damn my sugar-amping skin. Clearly, I won't be needing a bottle of this.

Zoya Jo

Zoya makes some of the prettiest blues and greens anywhere, and Jo is one of my many favorites from them. It's a soft, dusty blue with a tiny bit of grey, but not so much that it looks like a blue-grey. The shimmer is subtle and beautiful, and the polish applies like a dream. My only complaint, as always, is that Zoya doesn't work well with other companies' top- and basecoats. All pictures are two coats of polish, no topcoat.

Inside, no flash:



Inside, with flash:



Outside, no flash of course:

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

A 'Weenie a Day: Askalaphos

BPAL's description: "The daimon that tends the orchards of the Underworld: pomegranate, wonder-flowers, asphodel, and black soil."

My reaction: I get a wisp of pomegranate, a wisp of a heavy floral like rose and a big strong punch of high-quality dirt. In fact, this reminds me of Ace Hardware's store brand of topsoil, which is the best I've found in 15 years of gardening. It's certainly evocative, but since I can smell like this by rolling in one of my flowerbeds, I won't be buying a bottle!

DelSol Superhero

Of the two DelSol polishes Mom bought for me, I liked Trick or Treat a great deal better than Superhero! Superhero is a pale blue frost, slow to dry and showed every brushstroke. I loved the colors--icy blue and purple? Gorgeous! I just didn't like the finish or the drying time.

Please forgive the banged-up middle finger, I figured I wasn't going to wear this for long. Pictures are with three coats of polish, no topcoat.

Indoors, without flash:



Indoors with flash:



In the sunshine:

Monday, October 24, 2011

A Weenie a Day: October

BPAL's description: "Dry, cold autumn wind. A rustle of red leaves, a touch of smoke and sap in the air."

My reaction: Mostly dried leaves, no smoke, but a strong hit of bitterness, like when romaine or endive starts to go bad but before it actually rots. Very evocative of fall, but I'm not sure how often I'll reach for it, due to the bitterness.

Revlon Blue Mosaic

My wonderful friend Steph loves blue nail polish, so I promised her a whole week of blue nails on my blog!

First up is Revlon's Blue Mosaic, the final polish from the Expressionists collection. I love this polish--the color, the different sizes and colors of glitter (silver, blue, green). I also hate it because the removal was tricky! I didn't have to scrub at the glitter, but the superfine glitter got everywhere and would not leave until after two showers. It's also fairly difficult to get opaque. Unlike the two other colors in the collection, Facets of Fuschia and Starry Pink, I will probably wear this one as a topcoat rather than on its own. All pictures are three coats, and please forgive the stained nails!

Indoors, no flash:



Indoors, flash:



And at its very best, sparkling in the sunshine:

Sunday, October 23, 2011

A 'Weenie a Day

Until I get all of my decants tried. BPAL's Halloween scents come down on November 13th, and I've got 19 perfumes to test so I can see what, if anything, I need a whole bottle of!

Friday, October 21, 2011

No, I'm not over crackles!

The final step in the evolution of my Falling Star manicure--a coat of Cherimoya 2012 Sinner. This had thickened considerably, and I'm not sure if it was the thickening or that I'm more sensitive today than I was the last time I wore it, but this time I got a headache from the smell. It smelled even worse than KleanColor polishes do!

No topcoat, no flash:



No topcoat, with flash:



With Orly Glosser topcoat, no flash:



With Orly Glosser topcoat, with flash:

Thursday, October 20, 2011

'Weeeeeeeeeeeeeenies! Squeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

I got my paws on a bottle of Wet n Wild Tangled in My Web today AND when I came home, my BPAL decants from JenJenRebecca were in the mailbox! Decants, which were not covered in my BPAL 101 post, are a means whereby customers can try limited-edition scents without purchasing entire bottles.

The decantor or decantrix buys the bottles, then divides them into imps and ships them to the members of the decant circle who have prepaid and helped cover the cost of the bottle order. There are decant circles on the BPAL forum, on LiveJournal, and on the Swappers forum. I got my decants from JenJenRebecca, who is an amazing decantrix!

JJR divides up the "frimps" (free imps) that the Lab sends out with every package, and adds candy and other themed goodies into all of her decant packages.



I got:

Autumn Cider
Fermented apple juice, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, clove, lemon zest, butterscotch liquor, and orange slices.

Ghosts In Love
White sandalwood, tobacco flower, lily of the valley, white carnation, and magnolia blossom with tea rose, labdanum, and oudh.

La Calavera Catrina
The Lady of the Graveyard! Autumn leaves, wild roses, bourbon vanilla, dry chamomile, and a bouquet of bright chrysanthemums and Mexican marigolds.

October 2011
Dry, cold autumn wind. A rustle of red leaves, a touch of smoke and sap in the air.

Regina Erebi
The Queen of Hell: pomegranate, spear mint, black mulberry, and myrrh.

Askalaphos
The daimon that tends the orchards of the Underworld: pomegranate, wonder-flowers, asphodel, and black soil.

The Golden Apple Of The Sun
Golden apple with amber, hibiscus, carnation, frankincense, golden spiced tea, ginger, and champaca flower.

The Black Apple Of Saturn
Dried Arkansas black apple, opoponax, cypress, myrrh, tobacco absolute, quince, black musk, and galbanum.

The Green Apple Of Venus
Sweet green apple, apple blossom, sweet strawberry, pink pomegranate, violet leaf, tea rose, and red sandalwood.

The Glittering Apple Of The Stars
Heirloom Malus, ylang ylang, white and blue musks, crystallized vanilla, tiare, frangipani, and bergamot.

Expressive Head
Teakwood, patchouli, green pepper, clove, white cognac, vetiver, and champaca absolute.

Garden Of Death
A harvest of plants that symbolize death in myriad cultures: belladonna accord, iris petals, red poppy, acanthus, manioc, parsley, yam, urd bean, chrysanthemum, acacia, and cypress wood rooted in dark, rich loam.

The Mandrake Charm
Mandrake root, olibanum, myrrh, hyssop, basil linalool, and lemongrass.

Nightmare
Vanilla-soaked linen accord with lavender, opium poppy, Moroccan jasmine, golden amber, white honey, and blackened fruit gums.

Post-Mortem Laureatus
White sandalwood and twining ivy.

The Ta-Ta
Boiled leather, carnation blossom, coffee absolute, and tobacco.

The Two-Tailed Sogg
Pink grapefruit, swamp moss, green musk, orris root, cypress, and honey.

The Wiley Grasser
Pine needles, wildflowers, and cotton candy.

The Zoom
Lime juice, bergamot, Himalayan cedarwood, helichrysum, and dragon’s blood resin.


More copper, please!

While I loved the blue and copper color combo of Falling Star, I wanted some more copper. First I tried a coat of KleanColor Chunky Holo Copper, but that only gave me a few large sequins, so I added a coat of Del Sol Trick or Treat!

Artificial light, no flash:



Artificial light, with flash:



UV light, no sun:



I love this combo, and I love it even more when it darkens the base color of the polish outdoors. Of course, this time of year I'm not outdoors much, but when I am, I like looking at my nails!

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Barielle Falling Star review and swatches

This is my second Barielle polish, and it's a bit more successful than the first. I love the color combination of blue and copper. Truthfully, I love copper with blue, green, black, brown, and white, so this was a natural for me. However, whether I got a bad bottle or they're all like this, this stuff was thick bordering on unmanageable. I persisted, and got it to look decent if not neat in two coats, but I won't be wearing it again until I add some thinner. Pre-cleanup pics, all in artificial light since the sun has deserted NE Ohio:

Without flash:



With flash:

Finger Paints Merry & Bright (Holiday 2011)

A new holiday collection coming in November from Finger Paints (exclusive to Sally Beauty):



Left to right:

Frosty Night, Winter Sky, Yule Be Merry, Comet's Collar, Santa Kisses, Drummer Boy

I have to say that none of these fill me with longing, but hey, when the swatches start coming out, I'll probably fall for at least one!

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

BornPrettyStore 1 Year Anniversary Celebration


BornPrettyStore.com was set up on last October, now, it's the 1 Year's Birthday of BornPrettyStore.com!

Thank you all for accompanying BornPrettyStore's growth, we'll offer the following specials for you all!

1, BornPrettyStore 1 Year Anniversary Celebration will be lasted from 16th, Oct. to 30th, Oct., and there will be many kinds of Celebration Activities !

2, During the period., you can use the 12% off coupon code to purchase all the items in BornPrettyStore.com apart from special area. The 12% off coupon code is: BPS12.

3, All the people register during the period can get 100 BPS points (equal $1), the points can use to checkout, no minimum order limit.

4, During the period, everyday we offer 2 items with discount 50% OFF in the Specials area.



5, In the Anniversary Celebration period, we still offer free shipping, for the order amount is larger than $45, we offer tracking number for free!

6, During the period, anyone orders from us can get a special gift from us. ( everyone can get only one free gift).

7, BornPrettyStore.com will host giveaways/contest on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Blog, everyone have chance to join in, we will update the news on both our website and Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Blog.





Monday, October 17, 2011

Lilypad Bathworks Autumn Scents!

It's no secret that I adore Lilypad Bathworks! The Tiki bar section has a tremendous selection of products and scents, and I love to be able to layer all my products in one scent. My autumn/winter dry skin favorits are the Coffee Butter scrub, the Dry Oil Spray, the Silky Soy Whip and the Whipped Bath Butter.

With that said, here are the new fall scents from Lilypad:

Autumn Favorites:

Apple Brandy Cake
Moist apple cake flecked with bits of fig and candied ginger and drizzled with a caramelized sugar-brandy sauce.

Autumn Bliss
Warm cozy scent that captures the essence of Fall. Freshly pressed, un-spiced apple cider, sweet pumpkin flesh, and sugar maple candy.

Autumn Stroll
All the scents of strolling through an apple orchard on a chilly Fall afternoon. Crisp red and green apples, falling leaves, hay, and a touch of woodsmoke from a distant bonfire.

Bonfire Hayride
A ride through the pumpkin patch on a crisp Autumn afternoon. Freshly mown hay and fallen leaves top notes are followed by hints of pumpkin and squash and, lastly, the base of a comforting, crackling bonfire.

Caramel Pecan Cake
Brown sugar-glazed pecans adorn a moist, rich cake drenched in caramel. Starts out heavy on the pecan note, then mellows in to the delicious caramel cake notes.

Cafe Vienna
Silky smooth blend of coffee, cream, hazelnut, cocoa, a dash of cinnamon and an orange peel.

Coconut Cardamom Custard
A tropical version of creme brulee. Sweet coconut, cardamom, cane sugar and warm vanilla.

Crimson Pirate
Crimson red blood orange, sweet buttercream, pumpkin, and a splash of pirate rum.

Equinox
A celebration of the Autumnal Equinox. Warm and comforting scent for cold, dreary days. Lemon, apple, cinnamon, ginger, anise, woods, musk, and vanilla.

Harvest Festival
An uplifting and multi-layered scent which combines notes of fresh Autumn air, fallen leaves, sweet red apples, tart green apples, and delicious spiced fruit pies.

Harvest Moon
An orange spice scent with sweet wild orange, cardamom, coriander, vanilla, golden honey, and just a drop of patchouli.

Hot Apple Cider
Warm, sweet, and comforting apple cider with a touch of cinnamon and an orange rind garnish.

Indian Summer
Refreshing, fruity fragrance with notes of late summer strawberries and peaches, Autumn apples and pears and just a hint of woodsy greens in the background.

Marshmallow Bonfire
An unusual scent for the adventurous. Sugary, sweet marshmallows toasting over a crackling bonfire on a cold Autumn night. Very smokey and very sweet!

Oatmeal Cookies
Warm, chewy oatmeal cookies right out of the oven.

Pistachio Cake
Moist yellow cake with a layer of pistachio custard, creamy white chocolate frosting and slivered almonds.

Sugar Skull
A companion scent to the best-selling Screaming Skull fragrance, Sugar Skull is sweet, creamy and fruity. Ripe blackberries, juicy plum, vanilla, marshmallow fluff, cotton candy, and sugared musk.

Screaming Skull
Sweet and fruity with a wicked side. Raspberry, plum, vanilla, blackberry, cassis, bergamot, and amber.

Vanilla Pudding
Old-fashioned, slow cooked pudding with vanilla bean, sugar and a drop of butter. Not too sweet, this is a warm, creamy, comforting scent.

The Great Pumpkin:

Coconut Pumpkin Cream
Sweet pumpkin and coconut cream pie, marshmallow fluff, and vanilla sugar.

Pumpkin Bread
Rich, warm and lightly spiced pumpkin bread with notes or pumpkin puree, creamy vanilla, sweet orange, clove bud, nutmeg, and cinnamon.

Pumpkin Fluff
Pounds of fresh, sugary marshmallows meet creamy, lightly spiced pumpkin.

Pumpkin Fudge
Rich milk and dark chocolate pumpkin.

Pumpkin Sandalwood
Creamy vanilla, soft sandalwood, and pumpkin.

Purple Pumpkin
Pumpkin pie pie, herbal lavender, and a splash of vanilla.

Sweet Pumpkin Sugar
Our best-selling Sugar Fluff scent combined with pumpkin.

Vanilla Pumpkin Custard
Rich, creamy vanilla custard swirled with nutmeg-spiced pumpkin puree.

Mystery and Magic:

The Count
The Count lives alone in his vast, ruined castle only venturing outside under the light of the moon to wander the dense, dark, ancient forest.A trickle of blood orange merges with a dark and spicy blend of black amber, cardamom, clove, nutmeg, and musk. Unisex.

Enchantress
She will lure you in with her rich, warm scent of soft amber, creamy vanilla, cedarwood, sandalwood, and a hint of white flowers.

The Green Fairy
Absinthe, which achieved great popularity among late nineteenth-century Parisian artists, poets, and writers, is said to have had a mysterious effect that heightened the senses. It was often called "la fee verte", or "the green fairy" due to its green color and intoxicating, magical effects.Herbal, sweet, green scent. Star anise, fennel, cassia, melissa, lemon balm, wormwood, nutmeg, black pepper, juniper, and a cube of sugar.

Gypsy Fortune Teller
Earthy, smokey, exotic scent with smoke from ancient incense, mystical herbs, spices, and resins, dried flowers, and a touch of forest. Sandalwood, patchouli, labdanum, amber, ylang ylang, violet, orange blossom, cinnamon, and clove.

The Illusionist
Illusion, mentalism, and conjuring meet, through a looking glass darkly. Nothing is as it seems when the illusionist takes the stage.Warrm, complex, and sexy. Fresh citrus top notes blend with exotic woods, spices and amber. Lemon, bitter orange, neroli, sandalwood, vetiver, patchouli, vanilla, amber. Unisex.

Magickal Elixir
Warm, soothing fragrance that promotes a sense of calm and well-being. Calming lavender oil, sweet, comforting vanilla, and warming golden amber.

Magician's Assistant
He may be the master of misdirection and slight of hand, but her magic is real. She hides her supernatural powers beneath a sweet, glamorous exterior. Fluffy marshmallows and sweet cotton candy belie the darker mysterious notes hidden on the bottom. A drop of patchouli, a petal from a scarlet velvet rose, and the merest hint of golden amber give this scent a warmth and depth as it dries down on the skin.

Mysteries of the East
Transport yourself to an exotic and far away land where the scent of spice markets and fresh flower stalls invite you to linger. Carnation, soft, warm spices, creamy sandalwood, white musk, ylang, and a drop of rose absolute.

Tea Reader
What does the future hold? The tea reader lifts up the cup, peers deeply inside and asks, "What would you like to know?".Hot fragrant chai scent with notes of black tea, creamy milk, fresh cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, peppercorns, and sugar.

Friday, October 14, 2011

Mint chocolate chip fudge sundae!

On Tuesday, I had to wear beige nail polish because I had a job interview. A day with e.l.f. Desert Haze on my fingers had me dying for something colorful and creative, so I put on two coats of OPI Zom-Body To Love, which went from a vivid springy-yellow green to a soft army green over the beige:



Then, because green wasn't wild enough to make up for a day of beige, I added a coat of Nubar Black Polka Dot:



And all day, I kept looking at my nails and thinking they looked like mint chocolate chip ice cream. So of course they needed some fudge topping, aka China Glaze Unplugged:



So now I have mint chocolate chip fudge sundae nails and I adore them! And I still startle myself when I see my nails glowing after I turn out the bedroom light. :D

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Revlon Starry Pink

This is a really lovely pale pink crème with small square silver glitter and larger hex silver glitter. The base color is practically identical with yesterday's Encouragement, but the silver gives it a grey tinge that puts it closer to OPI Steady as She Rose.

The line on my ring finger is a patch, not a polish fault. On to the pics:



Wednesday, October 12, 2011

China Glaze Encouragement

Encouragement is just a thought lighter than China Glaze Something Sweet, and it's a lovely glass-flecked polish. My only problem with girly sweet colors is that while they look pretty, they make me want to go do something extremely un-innocent. }:-)

This is three coats, and the polish could have used a fourth, but VNL doesn't bother me all that much!

In the shade:



In the sunshine:

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Not another haul post!?

From Victoria Nail Supply, fast and easy and highly recommended:



L-R China Glaze Endurance, Encouragement, 108 Degrees, Treasure Chest and Sugar Plums.



L-R Color Club Hot Like Lava, Nouveau Vintage and Covered in Diamonds.

From Big Lots, 80¢ each! o.O :



L-R Lilac Pastelle, Star

From a local discount chain called Marc's, both 99¢ each:





Fantasy Makers If Looks Could Kill palette and glow in the dark nail polish.

Look at how cute the palette is when you open it up!