Valentine's Giveaway from Lilypad Bathworks!

The giveaway is now closed.




Congratulations, Jillybean!

The lovely and talented Eva of Lilypad Bathworks is giving one of my readers a gift box of Valentine's Day goodies! The box includes an 8 oz. sugar whip in Sweet and Spicy Caramallow, and 2 oz. sizes of Body Buttercream in Orange Buttercream, Bath Butter in Lemon Loves Coconut, Therapy conditioner in Blue Valentine Cake, and Quench in Vanilla Lust.


How to enter? Simple--be a follower and leave a comment saying so for one entry. No comment, no entry. You can get more entries by referring one or more additional follower(s). Whether you're a longtime fan of Lilypad as I am, or looking to try some marvelous products for free, enter quickly, because this giveaway ends at midnight Ohio time (GST -5 hours) on February 13th, and I'll announce the winner on Valentine's Day!

Steampunk-inspired nails

Since the Cold of Doom has taken over my body, my weekend schedule was pretty much sleep 90 minutes, be awake four hours, repeat. I had zero energy and just barely managed to get the sheets changed and the laundry done. I re-read some of my "comfort books" like Heidi and Hans Brinker, and read every single entry on Epbot. I wasn't really up for any of Jen's amazing projects, but I figured I could manage some steampunk-inspired fingernails.

To get this look, I used:

1 coat Orly Ridgefiller
1 coat Sally Hansen Wet Cement
1 coat Deborah Lippmann Marqee Moon
1 coat Kleancolor Chunky Holo Copper
1 coat CND Copper Shimmer
2 coats Nubar Diamont
1 coat China Glaze Matte Magic

I'm reasonably satisfied by how it turned out, but if my nails were a bit longer, I'd add French tips in China Glaze Unplugged for a wood strip effect.

Here's the finished manicure, inside with flash:



Inside without flash:



And a close-up:

Revlon Copper Penny review and swatches

Revlon Copper Penny is part of the core line and can be found pretty much anywhere Revlon cosmetics are sold. It's a beautiful copper foil, opaque in just two coats, which is what I used for the swatches below. All swatches are without top coat.

Indoors with flash:



Indoors without flash:



In the sun:

OPI Fresh Frog of Bel-Air review and swatches

Fresh Frog of Bel-Air was part of my last haul of 2011, and it's a very pretty layering polish. It has green glitter and silver green hex glitter in a clear base, and it's not opaque in three coats, which is what I used for the swatches below:

In the sunshine:



Indoors without flash:

Barielle Jess' Champagne Toast review and swatches

Jess' Champagne Toast was originally part of the 2010 Holiday collection from Barielle, but is now available year-round on their website. Because all of the reviews I saw of this polish said the pretty pink glitter got drowned in the purple base, I debated about getting it, but succumbed to my love of purple. Instead of using three coats of this polish, I layered one thin coat over two coats of Orly Au Champagne, and I'm pleased with the result. The base color is a grey-purple, slightly frosty, but all the fuchsia glitter is on display.

Indoors with flash:



Indoors without flash:



A couple of hours after I typed this post, the following arrived in my Inbox:

Sally Hansen Blingtastic review and swatches

Blingtastic was part of my last haul of 2011, and it's a very pretty polish I plan to use for layering. It has blue micro bar glitter, which I've never seen before and silver hex glitter in a clear base. It's mostly opaque in three coats, which is what I used for the swatches below, but it still had some bald spots, and since it has the horrible Sally Hansen push-broom brush, I'd rather not do three coats every time I want to wear this!

In the sun:



Indoors with flash:



Indoors without flash:



A bottle shot, which still doesn't show the micro bar glitter:

L.A. Girls Purge: review and swatches

Purge was part of my last haul of 2011, and it's a very pretty polish I plan to use for layering. It has green microglitter and green hex glitter in a clear base, and it's not opaque in three coats, which is what I used for the swatches below:

Indoors with flash:



Indoors without flash:

NE Ohio drugstore sales from 1/22 through 1/28

Here is this week's list of beauty products on sale at Discount Drug Mart and Marc's. For the national stores, I couldn't hope to do better than G's posts, but for the local chains, I thought I'd fill in some info.

Discount Drug Mart:

Nothing--I was surprised by that!

Marc's:

Jergens lotions, 16.8 oz. $4.99
Prell shampoo or conditioner, 13.5 oz. $1.97
Skintimate Shave Gels, 7 oz. $1.99

Ordinarily, I'm a big proponent of "buy local," but since the sales at DDM and Marc's are so lame this week, I'm recommending you spend your fun money at the big Milani clearance at CVS. See this post on Nouveau Cheap for details!

OPI Silver Shatter

This lovely shimmery crackle topcoat came out with the Pirates of the Caribbean collection, and was the only polish I got from that collection. I wore one coat over yesterday's Hot Like Lava manicure. I'm not over crackles yet, and I particularly like this one.

Indoors, with flash:



Indoors, without flash:

Color Club Hot Like Lava

This is a beautiful hot pink foil from the Foiled collection from Color Club, and it's so beautiful I don't care if it emphasizes my ridges! Hot Like Lava was also extremely well-behaved, staying where I put it and covering completely in one coat (I did two, just because I usually do). The Foiled collection is still available at etailers and possibly at stores that carry Color Club.

Indoors, with flash:



Indoors, without flash:



This is the only color I got from the Foiled collection, but I think I might want the bright blue as well.

OPI Warm & Fozzie review and swatches

The lovely JenJenRebecca of Bits and Pieces picked this one up for me, and I promised her I would wear it soon. :) I think everyone knows that Warm & Fozzie was part of OPI's 2011 holiday Muppets collection. It's a cool brown base with gold and copper and fuchsia microglitter (almost a foil). It's thin but not runny and took three coats for opacity. It does tend to bald if you don't wait for each coat to dry, but that wasn't much of a problem. It was just like Pros & Bronze as far as removal--the polish came right off the nail, but the microglitter was everywhere.

Indoors without flash:



Indoors with flash:



This polish is still available from various Ebay sellers at reasonable prices, and if you like soft, glittery browns, DON'T WAIT!

OPI Pros & Bronze review and swatches

This beauty was part of the 2011 Glam Slam collaboration OPI did with Serena Williams, and I'm so glad I got it! It's a warm bronzed peach microglitter (almost a foil) with gold and fuchsia highlights. It's thin but not runny and took three coats for opacity. It does tend to bald if you don't wait for each coat to dry, but that wasn't much of a problem. Removal was interesting--the polish came right off the nail, but the microglitter was so fine it got everywhere.

Indoors without flash:



Indoors without flash:



This polish is still available from various Ebay sellers at reasonable prices.

BPAL Lupercalia!

Lovely new limited edition scents from Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab!

These are really best viewed on the Black Phoenix website, but for anyone who is blocked from seeing them at work, can't look at 200-300 year-old porn or just didn't know they were available, here they are:

The scents that return annually:

SMUT 2012

Three swarthy, smutty musks sweetened with sugar and woozy with dark booze notes.

WOMB FURIE 2012

Snake Oil and three types of honey.

Scents based on love poems:

THE BALCONY

Bourbon vetiver, red patchouli, honey, helichrysum, and black rose.

BODY, REMEMBER

Raw black coconut, ambergris accord, ambrette seed, champaca flower, and sugar cane.

THE DOOM OF BEAUTY

Hungary water, parma violets, and roseated oil.

ELIZABETH of BOHEMIA

The perfect rose oude.

THE FACE OF ALL THE WORLD IS CHANGED, I THINK

Absinthe accord, opoponax, green cardamom, olibanum, honey, prickly juniper, and rockrose.

THE FIRST ENCOUNTER

Candied apricot and orange blossom honey with grandiflorum jasmine, orris C02, tonka, patchouli, quince, and skin musk.

LIAISON

Moroccan black musk, white tea leaf, Indonesian black sandalwood, frankincense, honeycomb, jonquil, and clove.

MY SWEEETEST LESBIA

Osmanthus, hay absolute, ambergris accord, catnip, and Egyptian musk.

ON THE DEATH OF HIS MISTRESS

Plum musk, ambergris accord, matcha tea, oakmoss, patchouli, violet leaf, and cypress.

THE ROSE IN THE DEEPS OF HIS HEART

Golden amber, red rose, frankincense, Egyptian musk, galbanum, and immortelle.

THE SORROW OF LOVE

Stargazer lily, white musk, white gardenia, white rose, stephanotis, delphinium, orris root, white sandalwood, bergamot, and magnolia.

THE VINE

Bradford pear, honey, and vanilla cream.

Scents based on Shunga artwork:

AN OMEN OF GOOD FORTUNE

Black tea, mango blossom, wolfberry, oakmoss, and star anise.

BEFORE THE SNOWY WINDOW

Snow-dusted cherry blossom, passion flower, peach musk, and tuberose.

BLOOMING ROSE

Pink roses, rice flower, peony, lilac, and white honey.

BLOSSOMS IN SPRINGTIME

Vanilla bean and vanilla blossom, golden honey, antiqued amber, beeswax, copal, lotus blossom, and helichrysum.

CALLIGRAPHY PRACTISE

White sandalwood, beeswax, clary sage, olibanum, opoponax, violet leaf, and oudh.

ECSTATIC REVELRY

Blackened amber, cardamom, cumin, labdanum, tobacco tar, patchouli, and raw honey.

ENTANGLED

Kudzu vine, raw honey, ginger cream, and gingergrass.

FOLLOWING INSTRUCTIONS

South Indian sandalwood, amber-encrusted wood, white grains, massoia bark, and hops.

GATHERING WILD MUSHROOMS

Wild mushrooms, hay absolute, ginger root, hiba wood, and ginseng.

GEISHA IN ORANGE KIMONO ADMIRING A SAMURAI

King mandarin, tuberose, white sandalwood, white moss, yerba mate, tangerine, and styrax.

THE HELL OF GREAT HEAT

Indonesian patchouli, tonka bean, red musk, natural hedoine accord, black opium, cassis, styrax, costus, oakmoss, frankincense, and kief accord.

KAGEMA Himalayan cedar, rum absolute, bay leaf, teakwood, orange peel, wooly thyme, and tobacco absolute.

LADY IN SPECKLED PINK KIMONO

Peony blossoms and vanilla orchid.

MEDICAL PROCEDURE

Linen, tobacco flower, white sandalwood, and dragon's blood resin.

MISCHIEVOUS SPIRIT

Chinese peach, bergamot, cranberry, red vegetal musk, carnation, white coconut, and Nepalese amber.

NARROW OPENING

Rum, frankincense, leather accord, bourbon vanilla, champaca flower, and ambrette seed.

PLAYFUL WOODEN MALLETS

Black musk and Ceylon cinnamon.

SAMURAI IN A GRAVEYARD BY NIGHT

Mulberry leaf, juniper berries, cypress, Himalayan cedar, neroli, night-blooming jasmine, galbanum, and wisteria.

SNOWY MOUNTAINS AND KINGFISHER

Crisp ozone-tinged snow, muguet, white moss, sandalwood musk, white amber, honeysuckle, and white pear.

STREET FESTIVAL Plum honey, passion fruit, pomegranate, benzoin, French lavender, blonde tobacco, black currant, vanilla bean, lemon balm, Tunisian opium, violet sugar, clove, and white grapefruit.

SUMAI NO SECHIE

Fig, pink grapefruit, Egyptian white musk, ambergris accord, muguet, ylang ylang, Hawaiian white ginger, jonquil, and khus.

VARIETY OF PLEASING AMUSEMENTS

Honey, leather, tobacco, and myrrh.

NE Ohio drugstore sales from 1/15 through 1/21

Inspired by G at Nouveau Cheap, I will be making a weekly list of beauty products on sale at Discount Drug Mart and Marc's. For the national stores, I couldn't hope to do better than G's posts, but for the local chains, I thought I'd fill in some info.

Discount Drug Mart:


Neutrogena Cosmetics, Buy 1, Get 1 50% OFF
Neutrogena washes and lotions, Buy 1, Get 1 50% OFF
$1 off Clean & Clear facial washes
$1 off Aveeno skin care
All Lubriderm lotions, $5.99

Marc's:

Suave Professionals shampoo and conditioner, 2 for $3.00
Suave lotions, $2.89
Suave deodorants, $1.75
Suave body wash, $1.95
Suave Professionals styling products, $2.75
Garnier Fructis shampoo and conditioner, 2 for $5.00
Aveeno shampoo and conditioner, $5.97
Aveeno lotions, $6.29
Lubriderm lotions, $6.99
Clean & Clear Morning Burst Facial scrub or cleanser, $5.29

So it looks like Suave fans have a lot of chances to stock up this week, even though there aren't much in the way of cosmetics on sale.

OPI Designer...de Better! and Color Club Burgandy Burst

No, I'm not over crackle polishes yet, and I don't see myself being over them any time soon. They're a quick, interesting and pretty way to refresh a manicure, and I love all of the assorted colors and finishes they now come in. Since I have all of the standard colors, I was very excited to see Color Club add a burgundy shimmer to their Fractured Collection, and I grabbed Burgandy Burst the minute it was available.

I bought a four-piece mini OPI Muppets set for $12.99 on Ebay, and the first polish I tried was Designer...de Better! I love foils, and I especially love foils in slightly unexpected colors, like the pink-infused silver of Designer...de Better! (I'm not wild about the name, though, because I feel as if I'm ending every sentence with an exclamation point, and I'm not that excited about this polish).

Here's two coats of Designer...de Better! with one coat of Burgandy Burst and one coat of Nubar Diamont:



And here is two coats of Designer...de Better! on its own with one coat of Diamont:



This is a gorgeous combination, because Designer...de Better! is just enough warmer than a standard silver foil to make the contrast with Burgandy Burst less stark and more warm.

Models Own Aqua Violet review and swatch

Aqua Violet is part of the Beetlejuice Collection from Models Own. I have read various complaints about the names, but all of the Models Own products have simple, descriptive names, and I prefer that to the forced and unfunny puns used by some other companies. *cough*OPI*cough*

Aqua Violet is a beautiful, frustrating duochrome shimmer. It shifts from turquoise to purple and shows every shade in between depending on exactly how the light is hitting your nails. That's the good bit.

The frustrating bit was that it's thin (I used two coats for my swatches and should have used three), is magnetically attracted to cuticles, and it stains. But wow, it's so very worth all the fuss and trouble!

Indoors with flash:





In the sun:





Models Own now takes Paypal and ships internationally, so my fellow US lacqueristas no longer have to rely on helpful friends abroad to get their paws on these pretties!

Revlon Whimsical

Whimsical is supposedly a near-dupe of Deborah Lippman's Glitter in the Air, which is out of my price range. Fortunately, Whimsical is not and I love it for itself! It's a milky base which pretty much shows clear on the nail with pink and blue hex glitters.

I did my pinkie nail in three layers of Whimsical and layered it over two coats of Orly Snocone (ring), Orly Au Champagne (middle) and China Glaze Something Sweet (index).

In the sun:



Indoors with flash:



By itself and over white you can see a tiny hint of blue to the base, but it didn't change the color of the blue or the pink. I think this polish does add a lovely touch of whimsy to a manicure, and I plan to wear it as a full mani as soon as I decide which color I like best underneath it!

China Glaze Blue Year's Eve and Nubar White Polka Dot

Blue Year's Eve was part of the China Glaze Let It Snow 2011 Holiday collection. It's a gorgeous royal blue jelly with blue glass fleck glitter. This picture is with two coats of polish, but after I saw the pictures, I went back and added a third. :)

In sunlight, with my new camera:



After adding another coat of Blue Year's Eve, I added one coat of Nubar White Polka Dot, which I adore as a layering polish. The glitter is a milky white, shimmery but not sparkly, and the glitter is just exactly enough to be visible at one coat while leaving the base color visible as well.

In sunlight:

NE Ohio drugstore sales from 1/8/11 through 1/14/11

Inspired by G at Nouveau Cheap, I will be making a weekly list of beauty products on sale at Discount Drug Mart and Marc's. For the national stores, I couldn't hope to do better than G's posts, but for the local chains, I thought I'd fill in some info.

Discount Drug Mart:

L'Oreal Preference, Feria, and Healthy Look Mousse hair color are all $7.99
L'Oreal Ever Sleek, Ever Pure and Ever Strong shampoo and conditioner are all 1 Buy 1, Get 1 50% OFF
L'Oreal 1 Buy 1, Get 1 50% OFF
All L'Oreal Revitalift products are $11.99
Any Olay Lotion for $6.99
All the rest of the Olay Products are 20% OFF the sticker price (will show at register)
Gold Bond Ultimate Lotion 12-14 oz. pumps are $6.99
Gold Bond body wash is $4.99
Gold Bond Ultimate Lotion in 3.5-5.5 oz. tubes are $4.99
CeraVe products are Buy 1, Get 1 FREE

Marc's:

Olay bar soap are 2 for $3.79
Olay 8.4 oz. lotion is $3.79
Olay 12 oz. body wash is $3.59
Nivea lip care is $2.49

So it looks like Olay fans have a lot of chances to stock up this week!

Three Comparisons

So in my initial review of the True Collection from Zoya, I said that Skylar seemed like a silver-glitter version of Barielle's Falling Star. Ha! I was pretty well wrong in that--the shades are just barely in the same family in the bottle and completely different on the nail! I did some quick swatches, from left to right of Falling Star, Zoya Jo, Zoya Skylar and Orly Snocone.

Two coats of each polish, with flash:



And without flash:



Interesting how the other blues make Skylar look greenish-greyish-blue!

Another comparison that came to mind was Zoya Opal and Sinful Colors Green Ocean. When it first came out and when it was re-released, Green Ocean was all of $1.99, but I just looked on Ebay, and it's currently selling for $12.99, so Opal is definitely a better buy at $8.00. As for the comparison, this is three coats of each polish, Opal on the left and Green Ocean on the right--can you see a difference?





No? Neither can I, so if you've wanted Green Ocean, grab Opal as soon as it's available!

One last comparison, for my lovely friend clowder, Zoya Maisie and Nfu-Oh 52. As you can see, Maisie is a barely-there wash of color, and 52 is a full purple jelly base, so yes, there is reason to own both!



I hope the comparisons have helped or at least entertained you, and if you want to get Jo or any other Zoyas besides True or Fleck Effects polishes, Zoya has a coupon code for you:

In 2012 we want everyone to try Zoya and add some new color to their world.

So from now through 1/9/2012 11:59 PM ET we are going to let you try any* 2 bottles of Zoya Nail Polish for FREE on ZOYA.COM.
All you pay is the standard shipping charges.

As a bonus, you can purchase an additional $25 or more of Zoya or Qtica products and get FREE Shipping Too!..Bonus!

Use Code: ZOYA2012

Please see the complete official instructions and terms & conditions on our blog:
http://zoyanailpolish.blogspot.com/2012/01/let-zoya-color-your-world-in-2012.html

*Promotion Excludes True & Fleck Effect Collection Colors

Last haul of 2011

Quite literally--I bought these on New Year's Eve! I hit Discount Drug Mart for OPI Fresh Frog of Bel Air, Sally Hansen Gem Crush in Bling-tastic, L.A. Girls Glitter Addict in Purge, Kiss Nail Dress in KDS10 and Broadway Nails Stick-On Strips in in DMT286, then Walgreens for Sinful Colors GoGo Girl, San Francisco and Fiji.

A Yule a Day: Sorrowful Affection

BPAL's description: "The reward of my benevolence: boneflower, olive blossom, white sandalwood, clary sage, Himalayan cedar, and oakmoss."

My reaction: A very sugary-sweet sage and oakmoss scent. Interesting, but not really "me".

Zoya Fleck Effects Collection: Chloe

The final (and my favorite!) polish from Zoya's spring collection Fleck Effects, is Chloe, which Zoya describes as "Pink tint with mylar green and gold fleck effect" and I would add that even at three coats, the tint is very pale, and the flakes/flecks shift from reddish pink to green with a tiny flash of gold from time to time.

My index finger is one coat of Chloe over two coats of China Glaze Something Sweet, middle finger is one coat of Chloe over two coats of Marks & Spencer black, ring finger is one coat of Chloe over two coats of Orly Au Champagne, and pinkie is three coats of Chloe alone.

Indoors, with flash:



Indoors without flash:



Like Opal and Maisie, the tint on Chloe is subtle, but it does make a difference in the color of a light polish, and it dries extremely smoothly--I only needed one coat of topcoat to get my nails smooth. In addition, the polish was just slightly thick, and the flakies/flecks were well distributed without me having to shove them around with my brush and dense enough to show in just one coat. Overall, I would say this is my favorite of the three, and the most different. I liked this one so much that I did a full mani over Something Sweet, with accent nails in Au Champagne.



The Fleck Effects Collection will be available at Zoya.Com on January 13, 2012.

A Yule a Day: Sorrowful Affection

BPAL's description: "Sorrowful affection: lily of the valley, tuberose, pink carnation, green tea absolute, orange zest, bourbon geranium, and blue musk."

My reaction: Initially, this is a very light, sweetened lily of the valley scent. Then the musk comes to the forefront, and it's a darker, more sensual lily. It's pretty, but I really wanted the carnation and green tea to come out and play.

Zoya Fleck Effects: Opal swatch and review

The second polish I have for you from Zoya's spring collection Fleck Effects, is Opal, which Zoya describes as "Blue Green tint with mylar green fleck effect" and I would add that even at three coats, the tint is very pale, and the flakes/flecks are exactly like the ones in Maisie.

Of the following combinations, I think I like this best over white. My index finger is one coat of Opal over two coats of Zoya Veruschka (hunter green matte), middle finger is one coat of Opal over two coats of Marks & Spencer black, ring finger is one coat of Opal over two coats of Orly Au Champagne, and pinkie is three coats of Opal alone.

Indoors, with flash:



Indoors without flash:



Like Maisie, the tint on Opal is subtle, but it does make a difference in the color of a light polish, and it dries extremely smoothly--I only needed one coat of topcoat to get my nails smooth. In addition, the polish was just slightly thick, and the flakies/flecks were well distributed without me having to shove them around with my brush and dense enough to show in just one coat. Overall, I would say this is very pretty, but since the glitter is pretty much the same as Maisie's, you don't need both unless you're a die-hard collector. Just grab whichever one of the two tints you like best!

The Fleck Effects Collection will be available at Zoya.Com on January 13, 2012.

A Yule a Day: Inextinguishable Hatred

BPAL's description: "Inextinguishable hatred: red ginger and black opoponax with black pepper, stinging neroli, myrrh, and tobacco absolute."

My reaction: Lots of orange and ginger and a tiny hint of black pepper. It's good, but I like my orange with more clove/cinnamon type spice, like Nanshe.

Zoya Fleck Effects: Maisie swatch and review

Zoya's second spring collection is Fleck Effects, a set of three flaky topcoats. In my opinion, these polishes each deserve their own post.

Zoya describes Maisie as "Blue tint with mylar green fleck effect" and I would add that even at three coats, the tint is very light, and the flakes/flecks shift a little bit from green to blue to gold.

Of the following combinations, I think I like this best over white. My index finger is one coat of Maisie over two coats of Zoya Ibiza (navy), middle finger is
one coat of Maisie over two coats of Marks & Spencer black, ring finger is one coat of Maisie over two coats of Orly Au Champagne, and pinkie is three coats of Maisie alone.

In a tiny bit of NE Ohio sunshine:




In the shade:



The tint on Maisie is subtle, but it does make a difference in the color of a light polish, and it dries extremely smoothly--I only needed one coat of topcoat to get my nails smooth. In addition, the polish was just slightly thick, and the flakies/flecks were well distributed without me having to shove them around with my brush and dense enough to show in just one coat. If you need a flaky topcoat and you want one with a pale turquoise base, I'd say this is the one for you!

Fleck Effects will be available at Zoya starting on January 13th.