Zoya Summer Collections 2015!

press release

Introducing two new Zoya Nail Polish collections for Summer 2015, Island Fun & Paradise Sun. All in the Big5Free* formula Zoya is famous for.

ISLAND FUN (creams)

Ready for an island vacation, these playful creams embody a tropical getaway! They are strong in color to balance the brilliance of the summer sun, with a flawless cream formula.

• Jace (ZP796) - Modern tropical green in a full coverage and densely pigmented cream formula. A green that is more muted than lime and surprisingly wearable!

• Cecilia (ZP797) - Classic teal in a full coverage and densely pigmented cream formula.

• Talia (ZP798) - True turquoise in full coverage and densely pigmented cream formula.

• Serenity (ZP799) - Summer purple in a full coverage and densely pigmented cream formula. Reminiscent of beautiful blooming irises, a harbinger of summer!

• Nana (ZP800) - Deep summer fuchsia in a full coverage and densely pigmented cream formula.

• Demetria (ZP801) - A vibrant poppy red in a full coverage and densely pigmented cream formula.

PARADISE SUN (metallics)

Fully saturated with a gorgeous micronized metallic sheen, these shimmering beauties are much like sunshine sparkling on water. Meant to be used as an independent color, these shades feature a full-coverage, densely pigmented formula.

• Genesis (ZP790) - Crystalline white with a micronized metallic pearl finish. Designed to look like micro-fine diamond dust!

• Selene (ZP791) - True teal with a micronized metallic pearl finish. A unique shade with an aqua fleck that resembles deeper

layers of ocean water.

• Oceane (ZP792) - True turquoise with a micronized metallic pearl finish that reflects the clearest blue ocean waters.

• Isa (ZP793) - Deep blue-based purple with a micronized metallic pearl finish and an aqua flash that embodies the beauty of exotic island flowers.

• Mae (ZP794) - Warm magenta pink with a micronized metallic pearl finish, reminiscent of vibrant Mediterranean flowers.

• Aphrodite (ZP795) - Vibrant summer red with a micronized pearl metallic finish and multi-hued flash that brings it to life.

AVAILABLE 05/05/15!

Orly Fireball

purchased by me

For summer, Orly brings us Adrenaline Rush, a collection of six brilliant brights.  I got two of the six, the first of which is Fireball.  Fireball is a blue-toned neon red with a great formula--perfect consistency, vibrant color and opaque in two thin coats or one thick one.  It dries satin-matte and fairly quickly, like most neons.  There is some violet shimmer faintly visible in the bottle, but it doesn't show up on the nail.  Unfortunately, Fireball freaked out both my camera and my photo editing software, so all I can do is post the pictures which come closest and say that it's brighter in real life!

Indoors with flash:

Indoors without flash:

The Adrenaline Rush collection is available wherever Orly polishes are sold.  I got Fireball at Head2Toe Beauty.

BPAL Seraglio

purchased and reviewed by ThoraSTooth

BPAL Seraglio (Ars Amatoria):  Sweet almond and Mysor sandalwood enveloped by a heady veil of Bulgarian Rose, neroli, nutmeg, clove and orange peel.

I can't explain it rationally, but it's like this.  Of all the BPAL scents I have tried (and it's over 2000 now), Seraglio is the only one I have picked up and felt completely at home with every single time I've opened it.  It's not how I want to smell most of the time, and there are others I enjoy wearing more than this one.  But if I had to choose only one BPAL scent to represent me for the rest of my life, this would be the one.

In the vial, Seraglio reads a little bit like the sweets portion of a Middle Eastern store.  Wafts of almond, rose, orange, and spices manage to make it smell good enough to eat without smelling exactly like candy, a baked good, or a tray ofbaklava.

On my skin, it's more almond and sandalwood at first.  After it dries down, a nice Old Rose scent blends with the sandalwood.  The almond just barely registers, while the orange and spices stay in the background but are noticeable.  Throughout, the neroli contributes a sort of high floral note that is a little strong at first but calms down quickly.  And since I enjoy neroli, I'm willing to sit through those first moments.

This scent doesn't last on me as long as some others do, but it's not fugitive either.  It has about a four- or five-hour effective life on my skin.

Newer, better fragrance reviews!

I adore the perfumes of Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab, but while I've written reviews, I'm never really satisfied with them.  My skill at communicating what a scent smells like and why pales in comparison to that of my friend ThoraSTooth, which is why I am excited to tell you that she's agreed to let me post her Black Phoenix reviews here on Bubbles & Baubles!

Whether it's general catalog or limited edition, Thora does comprehensive and comprehensible reviews.  Even when a scent has death notes for me and I know it, a review from Thora can make me dream of what could be if my skin got along with rose or my nose with coconut!  So with that in mind, here is her review of Kumiho, a general catalog scent from the Diabolus category:

In the vial this smells bright and citrusy, with a floral overtone. It reminds me somewhat of Embalming Fluid, only less overtly lemony.  On my skin, it starts off bright, all right, with a spike of floral above that tea note.  It reminds me of Iambe and Vampire Tears also.
On drydown/maturity, it becomes much softer.  I love the tea note, but it tends to be fugitive on me.  The soft floral of white ginger lily, though, is one of my favorite notes and I had forgotten until I was frimped it that Kumiho has that note.  It's not as pronounced as in some other blends, but it's there.  There's also a slightly woody note, and the lemon overtones of the tea note have gone away.  The overall effect is a delicate mist of slightly spicy floral wafting around me, the sort of scent you notice more when the wind stirs than when everything is at rest.
I would love to have Kumiho flavored bath products, because it establishes a beautiful but short-lived atmosphere of awesome.

EcoTools Earth Day sale--30% off everything!

press release

EcoTools^®, a leader in eco-conscious
beauty products, LOVES EARTH DAY!

We’re known for our renewable, recycled and cruelty-free
materials and we’re celebrating Earth Day with 30% off our
entire site. Enter code EARTHDAY30 at checkout.

*Offer valid 4/22/15 only.

Zoya Earth Day promotion starts tomorrow!

press release

ZOYA EARTH DAY NAIL POLISH EXCHANGE 2015 – STARTS TUESDAY - APRIL 21, 2015!

With over 300 shades rooted in a healthy philosophy, it’s no surprise that Zoya is committed to helping you green your beauty routine! That’s why each year we give you the opportunity to exchange any old nail polish bottles that you may have laying around your house collecting dust, or that are not BIG5FREE* formulas, for brand new toxin-free** Zoya Nail Polish shades. You can rest assured that your unwanted polishes will be disposed of in an environmentally friendly manner. Helping the earth is easy… all you have to do to get started is pick out your NEW Zoya colors at zoya.com, follow the instructions below and checkout. Let us do the rest!

How the ZOYA EARTH DAY NAIL POLISH EXCHANGE works...

1.     Visit www.zoya.com and add a minimum of 6 bottles of Zoya Nail Polish (no more than 24 bottles) to your cart. Minimum 12, maximum 48 for professional accounts.
 

2.     Apply Code: EARTHLUV and a 50% credit will be added to your exchange order - free shipping included!
 

3.     Complete checkout and you're all set! If you need further instructions (including info for our professional program) on sending back your unwanted polish click HERE.

The exchange runs on the honor system, which means you are not obligated to send in your unwanted polish - we assume you're going to do the right thing! Many people donate the polish to a local cause instead, which we fully support. If you choose to send back your polishes, please check with your carrier of choice for shipping guidelines and restrictions for nail polish. For full promotion terms & conditions and instructions on how to send in your polish, click HERE.

USE CODE: EARTHLUV
Offer valid 4/21/15 - 4/28/15 (11:59pm EST)

* **BIG5FREE, TOXIN FREE: Zoya Nail Polish Formula contains no formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, dibutyl phthalate, toluene or camphor.

Sinful Colors Flight to See

purchased by me

As I said on Monday, your best guide to all of the Sinful Colors displays this spring is this post at Nouveau Cheap.  My second layering polish from the new colors is Flight to See, a purple jelly with pink shimmer and hints of blue duochrome.  Swatches are one coat over one coat of Cult Nails Fetish.

Indoors with flash:

Indoors without flash:

Like Sheer Flight, Flight to See is most likely limited edition, and can be found in either the Flight Patterns or Color Burst counter displays at drugstores, or in the large corner end-cap display.  Sinful Colors polishes retail for about $2 plus tax.

Ohio Wears Blue April 8, 2015

Wear Blue is a statewide awareness campaign that takes place on the second Wednesday of every April, Child Abuse Prevention Month. Ohioans are encouraged to wear blue that day - to work, to school, to a community event - to show support for preventing child abuse and neglect.

Since my outfit tomorrow will be a navy blue & white tweed jacket and navy pants, I thought I'd also post some blue nail polishes!

Tons more after the jump!

Sinful Colors Sheer Flight

purchased by me

Sinful Colors seems to believe that for spring, more is more!  To see what I mean, check out this post at Nouveau Cheap.  Then come on back here for a quick review and swatch of Sheer Flight.

Sheer Flight is a green jelly with a boatload of gold shimmer, and I used one coat over the disappointing Butter London Right as Rain.  Sheer Flight added a depth I thought was absolutely entrancing!

Indoors with flash:

In the sun:

Sheer Flight is probably limited edition, and can be found in either the Flight Patterns or Color Burst counter displays at drugstores, or in the large corner end-cap display.  Sinful Colors polishes retail for about $2 plus tax.

Happy Easter!

purchased by me

Nyx Cosmetics Prismatic Eyeshadows

purchased by me

Over the last year or so, I've come to a bigger appreciation for Nyx products, so when they came out with their Prismatic eyeshadows, I bought nine of the twelve.  I love eight of the nine, because they are reasonably priced, smooth, pigmented, soft and long-wearing.  The only failure is Frostbite, which is less because of the shadow itself than that it's just too close to my skin color!

All swatches are one swipe over bare skin.

Left to right: Punk Heart, Blue Jeans, Bedroom Eyes, Girl Talk

Punk Heart is a deep plummy brown.

Blue Jeans is a denim blue.

Bedroom Eyes is a medium brown.

Girl Talk is a pale beige.

Left to right: Frostbite, Smoke & Mirrors, Liquid Gold, Mermaid, Golden Peach.

Frostbite is a very soft white.

Smoke & Mirrors is a dark grey.

Liquid Gold is a medium copper.

Mermaid is a mint green.

Golden Peach is a pink-peach.

If you'd like to indulge in one or a dozen, the Prismatic shadows can be found on the Nyx website for $6.00 each (told you they're reasonably priced!) plus shipping.

Sinful Colors Sail La Vie

purchased by me

There was a day last week when I could hold my hands up to the sky and my fingernails disappeared, a rare spring day in Ohio when the sky was a perfect cloudless blue.

That blue is matched only by Sinful Colors Sail La Vie, originally a limited edition color in its namesake 2013 collection.  It's available now where Sinful Colors polishes are sold, but I don't know if it's still LE or now part of the core collection.  The formula is surprisingly unfussy for such a pastel color--opaque in two coats, self-leveling, quick to dry, quite shiny and with nice viscosity.

I'll be wearing this frequently, especially next winter when I'm desperate for blue skies!  Sail La Vie can be found right now at drugstores, in either the Bloomblast counter display or in the Color is the New Black corner end cap.