Essie Absolutely Shore

This is Essie Absolutely Shore from the new Summer collection. It's the palest pale green shade eva. The formula isn't the greatest but it's not the worst I've ever used either. Believe me, there are some doozy pale pastel crèmes out there and this doesn't even rank a 7 on the suck-o-meter (with 10 being the suckiest). It's more like a 5. This is three coats.

I rather like this. It is the only one I picked up from the collection, the rest didn't really speak to me. At least not yet. We'll see where the summer takes us ;)

The Hungry Asian's Originals: Charity Trio

My wonderfully talented friend Kae from The Hungry Asian blog recently started selling some franken polishes she mixes up herself. She decided to give the proceeds from the profits of her mini sets to Red Cross Japan to help rebuild after the devastation earlier this year. The mini sets all include her two most popular polishes, Strawberry and Cookies n' Cream plus another polish. There are currently three or four different mini sets to choose from on sale now I believe. I got the one that included Watermelon.

Strawberry is a red crème with a black glitter speckles. The exact thing I think of when I hear Strawberry in the context of a nail polish. This is two coats.

Cookies n' Cream is a super awesome white crème polish with black glitter speckles. Totally reminds me of the ice cream, yummmm :) This is three coats.

Watermelon is a juicy pink jelly crème with tons of icy green crystal micro glitter pieces. This is so pretty and fun and perfect for summer, I love this! Two coats.

You can buy this set from The Hungry Asian blog shop for $15, and remember all proceeds from the mini sets go to Red Cross Japan :D

Mattese Elite Nail Polish

I have a new-to-me brand to show you called Mattese Elite. I was happy to find some shades that were really beautiful and wanted to show them to you!

Turks Blue is a green tinted turquoise blue crème that borders on neon, I love it! It's seriously beautiful. It's not super unique but who cares, I love colors like this :D This is three coats with topcoat.

This is Power Pink, a beautiful neon pink. This pink is a little softer and lighter than the other neon pinks that I have which makes it uncommon. These photos make it look a little brighter/more fluorescent than it actually is, but we all know cameras like to screw with neons. This is three coats with topcoat.

And finally today we have Attitude from their Ballet Colors collection. The color is so dreamy, a greyed out sky blue that reminds me of silky bedsheets. The formula is thin and squishy like Essie's jelly crèmes. This is three coats.

These polishes are sold for $5.99 each online at http://www.matteseelite.com/ or from http://www.rickysnyc.com.  They are of great quality and have a fabulous range of colors. I have a few more to show you soon so stay tuned!

Products provided for review.

Deborah Lippmann Glitter In the Air

I'm not even joking when I tell you that the song that came on shuffle on my iTunes when I started writing this blog post was "Glitter in the Air" by Pink. Whoa, talk about fate eh? Haha, that song was the muse for this gossamer glitter shade by Deborah Lippmann. I received this as a gift from my lovely and beautiful friend Landa, thanks so much L-Doodle, it's so ga ga gorgeous!! (P.S. my girl not only does fab nails, she also makes awesome cookies!) Now on to this stunning polish...

“My inspiration for ‘Glitter In The Air’ was part customer request and part Pink’s magical performance at the (2010) Grammy Awards – floating through the air, wrapped in a sheer body suit with sparkles. I wanted to capture that ethereal moment in a bottle"

I love this polish. Even though it's very sheer, I personally adore it. It's angelic and heavenly. It reminds me of Princess Aurora dancing on the clouds with Prince Phillip in the last scene of Sleeping Beauty where her dress keeps changing colors from pink to blue. I layered two coats here over Icing's baby blue crème J'adore to give it an opaque base.

This video of Pink makes my jaw drop every time. The performance is so beautiful on a level I cannot put into words. The song, her athleticism, the stunning grace and poise she shows is unbelievable.

H&M Creme de la Creme

This is a delicate gold holographic polish from H&M that I got from a swap with Miss Roz in the Netherlands called Creme de la Creme. It is very swanky and only took two coats to get opaque. Thanks girl!

I am super excited because Salt Lake City, which is my closest metropolis, is getting our first H&M along with our first Crate & Barrel store soon. This is very good news for me and especially my sister, who is a shopping fiend. Yay! I hope H&M comes out with more pretty polishes like this in the future.

Essie Greenport

This is Essie Greenport from the North Fork collection of 2009. It sold out pretty quickly, faster than the other two shades from that collection Sag Harbor and Shelter Island. Some dupes have come on the scene since then, most notably the L'oreal collection that basically copied the collection exactly...not too surprising since they acquired Essie in 2010 but the formula on those wasn't quite what I have come to know and love from ol' Ms. Weingarten. My point is that I've always wanted the original and I recently got it in a swap, needless to say, I am very happy about this :)

It is everything I dreamed it would be. Lovely turquoise tinted green crème with that slightly squishy feeling, bright but not too bright. Très lovely, no?

This is some nail art I am daring show you, which I rarely do, as I'm ridiculously un-talented at it. I found this chicky on YouTube that makes super easy tutorials so I thought I'd give one a go. This was a perfect background color for this vintagey wallpaper-esque design I thought. You like?

Please ignore the dent/divot in my pointer finger. Of COURSE I do some nail art I actually like and I screw it up. Typical ;)

Nicole by OPI Texture Coat Sneak Peek

Create Instant Nail Art!

Nicole by OPI Introduces Texture Coat

Nicole by OPI announces the launch of Texture Coat, a line of graffiti-style nail art products inspired by OPI’s bestselling Shatter. Available in six chic shades – Gold, Silver, Red, White, Turquoise and Black – Texture Coat offers a simple way to create unique, unpredictable patterns on nails with a quick, at-home application. 

“Fans of Nicole by OPI are fun, fashion-forward women who love experimenting with trends and using nail lacquer as a form of self-expression,” explains Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, Nicole by OPI Executive VP & Artistic Director.  “Texture Coat offers an easy way to create your own completely customized nail art. Whether you choose pastels, darks, glitters, shimmers, or sheers to pair with Texture Coat, the endless options will accessorize every look.”

To use this product, start with Base Coat Plus, followed by two coats of any Nicole by OPI nail lacquer. Let the lacquer dry completely before applying Texture Coat. Complete the manicure with Top Coat Plus for a high-shine finish.

Nicole by OPI Nail Lacquers and Nail Treatments contain no DBP, Toluene, or Formaldehyde.  Nicole by OPI formulas are long-lasting, fast-drying, and salon-quality, with products featuring the Perfect Stroke brush for streak-free, even coverage. Texture Coat will be available July 2011 for $7.99 each at ULTA, Target, Meijer, Harmon, Wegmans, Sears, and H-E-B. Texture Coat will be available in Canada at Shoppers Drug Mart, Walmart and Loblaw.

For more information, visit nicolebyopi.com. Follow Nicole by OPI on Twitter @NicoleByOPI and become a Facebook fan!

Information provided by the manufacturer.

Zoya Touch Collection Sneak Peek & Pre-Order

2011 limited edition, full coverage nude nail colors

TOUCH

soft  sensual  sexy

Zoya Nail Polish presents 3 new, full coverage nude nail polish shades designed to coordinate with a variety of skin tones ranging from light to dark. Each softly kissed with a bit of metallic to make them ultra wearable.

Zoya TOUCH Collection

Minka (ZP561) - latte beige cream with a metallic kiss

Shay (ZP562) - desert rose sand beige cream with a metallic kiss

Pandora (ZP563) - mauve beige cream with a metallic kiss

Zoya is the new color of fashion...

The Zoya TOUCH collection was designed to recreate the custom looks developed for and inspired by the runways of New York Fashion Week.

Ultra long-wearing, glossy nail lacquers by Zoya are free of harmful industrial chemicals like toluene, camphor, formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, dibutyl phthalate (DBP) that are known to cause cancer and birth defects.

Find Zoya TOUCH as well as over 300 other ultra high-fashion Zoya shades at www.zoya.com. As always, each and every Zoya color is made for women so we name them after women.

TOUCH by Zoya

PRE-ORDER May 25 - May 31, 2011

shipping JUNE 1, 2011

Information provided by the manufacturer.

OPI Glam Slam! England Sneak Peek

Get "Unbeatable" Sparkle!

OPI Unveils Three New Shades from Serena Williams' Glam Slam! Series

OPI joins tennis superstar Serena Williams in announcing the latest three lacquers in the Glam Slam! collection. To celebrate the world's oldest, most prestigious tennis tournament, Glam Slam! England features two duo-packs filled with sparkle.

The first lacquer set includes Your Royal Shine-ness, a metallic silver shade, paired with Servin' Up Sparkle, a shimmer-packed silver glitter. The second lacquer set also features Servin' Up Sparkle, along with Grape...Set...Match, a metallic purple.

"For stand-out nails, I love experimenting with different glitter shades," explains Serena Williams. "The new Glam Slam! England lacquers can be worn alone for a bright pop of color, or layered with Servin' Up Sparkle to create a textured effect."

Serena Williams has received the World Number One in singles ranking by the Women's Tennis Association on five separate occasions, along with being listed as sixth on the all-time greatest champions list. Additionally, she has won two Olympic gold medals in women's doubles and has earned 27 Grand Slam titles to date. Serena is the most recent player to have held all four Grand Slam singles titles simultaneously and only the fifth woman in history to do so.

New shades in the Glam Slam! collection will be introduced to coincide with each of the four major tournaments, beginning with the Australian Open in January 2011, followed by the launches in may 2011 for the French Open, June 2011 for Wimbledon and August 2011 for the US Open. As with all OPI Nail Lacquers, the Glam Slam! collection contains no DBP, Toulene, or Formaldehyde, and each includes OPI's exclusive ProWide™ Brush for the ultimate in application.

Glam Slam! England will be available beginning June 2011 at Professional Salons, including Beauty Brands, Beauty First, Chatters, Dillard's, JCPenney, Pure Beauty, Regis, Trade Secret, and ULTA, for $14.95 ($20.95 CAN) suggested retail for each duo pack.

For more information please call 800-341-9999 or visit www.opi.com. Follow OPI on Twitter @OPI_PRODUCTS and become a Facebook fan!

Information provided by the manufacturer.

Deborah Lippmann P.Y.T.

This is a Deborah Lippmann nail polish I got from Apothica. It's one that I've been wanting for a long time, but for whatever reason I put off getting it until now. P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing) a fabulous light creamsicle pink jelly with an equally awesome name, I can't help but sing along to the Michael Jackson song whenever I see/where it. The Glee version sung by Artie (Kevin McHale) is equally if not more dope. This is three coats.

Misa Wishes Collection

Misa came out with the Wishes collection this Spring, a seemingly typical pastel set of polishes. However, these have a special satin finish that mimics frosted glass. Very ethereal, they almost look matte but it's easily discernible that they're shiny. Très interesting. I blogged about a few of them previously but recently got the entire collection so I figured I'd review them as a whole.

Touch the Rainbow is the palest sky blue with white iridescent shimmer glaze. This is one of my favorites in the collection, super angelic. Two coats.

Whimsical Wish is a pale peach with pink iridescent shimmer glaze. I wasn't sure if I'd love this one but I ended up really liking how clean and fresh it makes my skin look. This is two coats.

Never Say Never has a bit more shimmer and almost a metallic grain look to the finish. It's a frosted glass granite grey color that is very striking while keeping in tone with the other demure colors. This is two coats.

Genie In this Bottle is a soft pinky lavender polish with a slight grey undertone and tiny flakes of red, but they're very subtle, almost undetectable. I love the pink shimmer in this one, super gorgeous. This is also two coats.

Fountain of Youth is a pale celadon green with silver shimmer. I love how spring worthy these colors are! They look like they could be colors of bridesmaid dresses *giggle* and I love it! Two coats here as well.

Last is Pixie Princess, a darker peach than Whimsical Wish with a more subtle pink shimmer. This is very pretty and even though I don't think it looks the best on me, it will definitely flatter some lighter and darker skin tones out there. Two coats here. I love the thickness of these polishes, just enough to get perfectly opaque in two coats.

What do you think of this collection? I think it's lovely to see such a different style of finish once in a while.

Products provided for review.

Cult Nails A Day at the Races Collection

Cult Nails has come out with 5 new colors to add to their growing line of nail lacquers with the release of their newest collection, A Day at the Races. This collection is seriously star-studded, and I have no doubt that you polish addicts out there will be drooling over them.

Let Me Fly is a dusty teal toned turquoise with large particle silver shimmer encased within. I used two coats here though I barely needed the second coat. The formula on this one is AMAZING. I love the name, it comes from the catch phrase by Mark Wahlberg in the movie "The Other Guys".

Captivated is my second favorite from the collection, it's a firey coral based jelly polish with simply TONS of gold and coral glitter. This one is a tad bit thick but not so much that you cannot control it, which was nice. I love that a fellow blogger and polish lover like Maria is making these polishes, because she really knows what makes a one great! This lacquer reminds me of the fire crabs in Harry Potter, hahaha :P I am totally in love with this polish! This is two coats.

Cruisin' Nude is my absolute favorite from the collection and the one polish I pre-ordered. It is a SERIOUSLY perfect nude with amazing hot pink shimmer laced throughout. I am at a loss, this one rivals Deborah Lippmann's Naked as my favorite nude of all time! This is two coats.

Always Winning is a sheerish metallic olive green with gold and holographic glitter. The metallic base on this one comes off a little frosty to me. I used it over Crusin' Nude as a base, as it is marketed as a layering polish. Unfortunately, I have to say this isn't my cup of tea. I don't care for the color and the smell of the polish was super caustic.

Devious Nature is a berry tinged pink crème that almost has a squishy jelly texture, very lovely and still a statement color. I really love this against my skin tone and can't think of a dupe. This is three coats. Another great formula!

Cult Nails lacquers are available for sale online at www.cultnails.com for $10 each. What do you think of these 5 bombshell polishes? Give a hand to Maria, she makes a truly excellent product!

Products provided for review.