New Year/111 Follower Giveaway!!

Hi everyone!! Happy New Year!!

I'm so grateful to have seen another year.  I'm also grateful to all of you who have joined me on this endeavor.  Thank you for taking the time to read my posts and comment.  I truly love blogging about my obsession and I"m happy to know that you join me ;0).

As a sign of appreciation to my followers, I'm doing a giveaway.  This giveaway is open to current followers only (near and far).  I really want to give something to those who follow because they actually care about what I've been posting.  This giveaway will be open until Monday, January 2nd at 11:59pm Eastern Time. 

The prizes are three Revlon polishes: Copper Penny, Temptress, and Ruby Ribbon!

To enter, leave a comment below.  It could be anything, including suggestions on how you think my blog could be improved.  Please leave one (1) comment only.  A winner will be randomly chosen after January 2nd.

Please do not tweet or re-post this giveaway.  It is for current followers only!!

Good luck everyone!!

17 Magnetized Nail Polish - Blue

Hi everyone!!! Happy New Year's Eve!!  I cannot believe this year has already come to an end.  I know everyone's been saying this, but it has truly flown by.  I have no idea where all of the time went.  That aside, I'm truly happy to still be here.  It's been a great year and I'm truly blessed.  I'm looking forward to whatever 2012 has in store.

I recently took part in a swap with Liane from Ash-Lilly's Lacquer Lust and she got me some awesome polishes from London which I'm really excited to share with you all.  Here's a pic of everything she sent:

Isn't this stash awesome??  She even threw in a Cadbury treat (which I loved!!) and a ring.  Here's a pic of the ring.

So pretty!!

Today, I decided to share with you a polish I've been wanting for a really long time, 17 Magnetized Nail Polish.  What better post for the end of the year than one of the most popular types of polish in 2011 right?

I was soooo happy to get this polish because though I really wanted to try magnetic polish, I refused to pay $16 for it.  So when Liane said she could get a cheaper version for me, I was really excited about it.  Liane got me the blue magnetic polish.

I am totally in love with this polish and will be using it until I cannot get any more out of the bottle!!  I'm serious!  I love that it is so simple to use and you get this great design without having to do too much.  It's a deep (almost navy) blue creme.  The formula was great!  It went on as smooth as silk. 

As many of you know, there is a magnet that comes in the cap.  So one by one, I used the magnet while the polish was still wet on the nail.  I used Lily as my base, thinking that the purple would show through, but that didn't happen :-/.  Doesn't matter though, because it still came out looking great!!  I used one thick coat of Blue over Lily. Here are the pics:

Flash

Artificial Light

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Natural Light.  It was a rainy day.

Natural Light

Natural Light

Because a little sparkle never hurt anyone, the second day I wore it, I decided to add Pure Pearlfection.  I absolutely loved this combination!!  Check it out:

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Artificial Light

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Thanks so much to Liane for this great polish!!  I'll be sharing all of my other goodies in my next few posts!!  Be on the lookout!

Have you tried magnetic polish yet?  What do you think of this layering combo?

My Favorite Polishes of 2011

Hi nail polish lovers!!

I didn't intend on doing a post like this, but I noticed other bloggers doing their favorite polishes and thought it would be cool to share mine as well.  These polishes are in no particular order and weren't necessarily released in 2011, they're just what I wore and loved this year.

Here we go:

Aldo Chocolate Factory
I just love how this looks just like chocolate, lol.  I also think it goes so well with my skin tone.

Avon Fusion
Beautiful shimmer ;0)

Avon Vintage Boutique
Wonderful grayish brown, perfect for fall.

Avon Vivid Violet
I love how vibrant this purple is!!

Brucci Alexandra's "Hot" Gray
What I consider to be the PERFECT gray!!

China Glaze Exceptionally Gifted
A beautiful frosty pink!!

Essie Miami Nice
A beautiful pink shimmer!

Essie Pure Pearlfection (seen here over Revlon Lily)
A beautiful top coat to add a little sparkle ;0)

Finger Paints Blank Canvas Cream
This is such a great neutral!!  I love how simple it is.

Nicka K Apple
A gorgeous pinkish/red.  Such a beauty ;0)

Nicole by OPI I'm a Belieber
I love a good purple and this is a great purple!!

Nubar Indigo Illusion
Awesome duochrome!!

NYC Prospect Park Pink
One of my favorite pinks.  I have quite a few ;0).

NYC Pier 17
Beautiful electric blue shimmer.

Orly Sapphire Silk
A lovely creme teal

Revlon Lily
A perfect pastel purple cream.

Revlon Spice It Up
Perfect for the holidays!!

Rimmel Rags to Riches
Love this type of green!!

Sally Hansen HD Byte
I don't even know what to say.  Just look at it, it's gorgeous!!

Sinful Colors Courtney Orange
A beautiful burnt orange.  Loved how this looks with my skintone.

Sinful Colors Opal Glitter (seen here over Nicka K Apple)
Such a beautiful and simple glitter.

Sonia Kashuk Fatigued
A lovely army green creme!!

Zoya Neeka
A beautiful deep purple with gold glitter.

Wet n Wild Gray's Anatomy
This was a wonderful duochrome surprise ;0)

I'm sure there could have been lots more to add that may be sitting in my untrieds.  But these were the ones that made the cut.  What do you guys think of these choices?

Indigo Illusion vs. Gray's Anatomy

Hi everyone!! 

I recently shared Indigo Illusion with you all and prior to that, Gray's Anatomy.  When I swatched Indigo Illusion, for some reason I thought that Gray's Anatomy might have been a dupe for this polish, so I decided to do a comparison.

Here are the pics (all pictures are in artificial light):

Flash
Gray's Anatomy on the index and ring fingers.  Indigo Illusion on the middle and pinky fingers.

Gray's Anatomy on the left, Indigo Illusion on the right

Indigo Illusion on top, Gray's Anatomy on the bottom

Clearly, Gray's Anatomy is not a dupe. There are very few similarities, namely that both have green and purple tints to it at certain angles.  Otherwise, they are very different.  Indigo Illusion is a lot darker and required only 2 coats for opacity, while Gray's Anatomy requires at least 3.  Also, Gray's has more of a pinkish tint to it, where Indigo is more of a blue-green.

Here is a shot that shows the similarity in the two:

They look extremely similar here.  Can you tell which is Gray's and which is Indigo?

I think this is what I saw that made me think it could be a dupe :-/.  Anyhoo, it was fun to do the comparison.
I really like both of these polishes!!

Let me know your thoughts.

POP Beauty - Turquoise & Ultraviolet

Hi fellow nail polish lovers!!

As promised, I'm sharing the other two POP polishes I purchased from Harlow & Co. on black Friday.  They are Turquoise and Ultraviolet.  I chose these polishes because I didn't have anything like it in my stash.  Unfortunately, I was very disappointed by the formula of both of these polishes.  Both of them are cremes and they were thick and went on streaky.  It was difficult to level out the polish because of how thick and goopy they were :(. 

Please forgive the darkness of these photos.  I had a really difficult time getting accurate pictures and these are the shots that truly represent the colors.

Turquoise (3 coats, no base or top coat):

Artificial Light

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Ultraviolet (2 coats, no base or top coat):

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I don't plan to use these polishes in the future, so if you like them and are willing to deal with the formula, one can be yours.  Both polishes were used once for these swatches.  Be the first to email me with your preference and I will send it to you.

Any thoughts on these polishes?