BB Couture for Men The Pirates Collection Swatches & Review

Hey folks! Today I have an awesome new collection from BB Couture called The Pirates! I am super impressed with all six of these colors, all very beautiful and nice to apply. I always look forward to BB Couture's new collections, they are always so fun and out of the box! This collection is from their "For Men" line, but of course anyone can wear them. I hope you like them as much as I do!

Press Sample

This is Calico Jack, a turquoisey blue with pink shimmer and subtle silvery turquoise microglitter. Super pretty and unique to my collection, although along the same lines of Rescue Beauty Lounge Aqua Lily. I can see myself wearing this over and over. The formula was great, two coats.

Next is Captain Kidd, a mid-tone taupe with pink shimmer. I adore that this company makes "ugly pretty" colors like this, maybe not conventionally beautiful but undeniably intriguing and attractive. This one was a tad thick but not terribly so. This is two coats.

Here is Blackbeard, a violet grape shimmer that almost seems metallic to me. The shimmer in this one is a mix of blue, pink and silver. I wouldn't call this one particularly unique but still very appealing. I used three coats here because the formula was a bit thin.

This beauty is called Long Ben, a fabulous pale pistachio green with pink shimmer. The pink shimmer in this might not translate in my photo but it's there and it's gorgeous. This one has a buttery smooth formula. I used two coats.

Bloody Black Bart is a stunner and sure to be a favorite with any purple lover. I am not usually, but I'm head over heels with this red toned sexy purple with red glitter bits. I love this. Two coats with a fabulous formula.

And last of the six is La Buse, a super demure and lovely light greyed blue with heavy pink shimmer and subtle silver microglitter bits. This is really beautiful and the formula was thin but easy to work with. Two coats.

You can purchase BB Couture on their website www.bbnailpolish.com for $10.95 each. There is a "For Ladies" Pirates collection coming very soon, so keep an eye out for it! What do you think of these swashbuckling swatches? Any colors catch your eye?

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Product samples were provided for consideration.

For Gold Times Lizard

Hi everyone! This manicure is inspired by the one actress Lupita Nyong'o wore to the SAG Awards done by Deborah Lippmann in her colors Swagga Like Us and Chain Reaction. I have two similar polishes in my collection, almost dupes but not quite. I used two coats of gold/green duochrome OPI Just Spotted the Lizard from the Spiderman collection and two coats of michroshimmery Nicole by OPI For Gold Times Sake over it to create this blingy gold look.

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I'm quite pleased with the result although I think it looks better against Lupita's gorgeous skin tone than mine haha. The OPI I used is more green and less gold than Swagga Like Us and the NOPI is darker and more green than Chain Reaction, but I think it definitely works.

What do you think of this manicure? Do you pay attention to celebrity nails or red carpet looks? I'm totally into them and if you are interested, please participate in the #NailGlossip chat on Twitter during the Grammy's tonight at 9pm EST! Just use that hashtag and you can chat with me and other nail lovers talk about celeb nails during the show, hosted by Chalkboard Nails, All Lacquered Up, and The Polishaholic. Hope to see ya there!

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Product samples were provided for consideration.

China Glaze Safari Skittles

Hi everyone! I was inspired to try this manicure from a friend's blog post, Polish Chest, who used two out of the three colors I used here for a "skittles" look. These polishes are all from the China Glaze On Safari collection from Fall 2012. I used dusty deep subtley shimmered purple Jungle Queen on my pointer and pinky fingers.  Pale mustard Kalahari Kiss is on my middle finger. And the stunner shade, champagne glitter bomb I'm Not Lion is on my thumb and ring finger.

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I like this type of skittle manicure a lot, it's like wearing nail art without having to do any! I love mixing different finishes. If you were going to do a recreation of this mani, what colors would you use? You can find these polishes on Head2ToeBeauty or Transdesign. Have a great day dolls!

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Product samples were provided for consideration.

Formula X for Sephora - Illustrious

Hi everyone! I hope you're keeping warm out there, I hear it's pretty cold in most of the US right now! I live in northern Nevada so it's very cold in the winter and very hot in the summer. This year actually hasn't been that bad winter-wise, but I almost shouldn't say that because it can always get worse haha.

Purchased by Me

I have a gorgeous color that feels perfectly suited to the chilly weather, Formula X for Sephora Illustrious. This is the first polish I have tried from this new brand, which was brought in after they phased out Sephora by OPI nail lacquers (but I believe they still sell gel polish under this brand name). Formula X colors are more expensive at $10.50 for 12 mL than the SOPI's were at $9-$9.50 for 15 mL. Right out of the gate they have a zillion colors and finishes to choose from and I have to say I'm in love with the bottle design.

Illustrious is an ice green shade with subtle metallic glaze of shimmer. On their website it's described as "pistachio pearl" and their bottle shot is way more yellow toned than it actually is.  I find it to be a beautiful pale and crisp green. It was really not a pleasant formula to work with for me. It was thick, streaky, and difficult to level out. I topped it with my favorite top coat of the minute, Glisten & Glow HK Girl, and luckily it smoothed everything over and gave it a fab shine. I love how this looks against my skin tone! This is two coats.

You can purchase Formula X from Sephora.com and Sephora stores. Have you tried this brand yet? I picked up one other color from them when I got this one that I'm excited to try out. I have high hopes for this new brand, I think I need more of them already!

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OPI Miss Universe 2013 Collection Swatches & Review

Hi friends! How is your 2014 treating you?? I'm hoping to blog a lot more this year than last year. My daily life has settled down and life isn't as crazy as it was there for a while (knock on wood!) so I'm hoping to devote a lot more time to things on here!

Press Sample

I have the OPI Miss Universe collection from 2013 to show you today, it came out in October of last year in celebration of the pageant that was held November 9. It is a trio of two purple cremes and a satiny silver shimmer that included a cute little crown ring on a clear band.

I'm Feeling Sashy is a mediumish dusty purple mauvey color. Very pretty and I liked how it looked against my skin tone more than I anticipated which was nice. The formula was thin but creamy and it covered in two coats.

Miss You-niverse is a dark purple creme with blue undertones. I don't love this but I usually don't favor blue-toned purples so I figured. It's a nice even formula and it's opaque in two coats.

And last is This Gown Needs a Crown, a silver foil that dries down to a matte satin finish. This is borderline holographic, an interesting shade and finish. I think the gold color that's coming out soon in the OPI Gwen Stefani collection is just like this only in gold. This had a lovely formula, it looks almost like it's going to be sheer on the first coat, but two coats covered my nails just fine.

These shades were made available on October 2013, at Professional Salons, including Beauty Brands, Beauty First, Chatters, Dillard’s, jcp Salons, Pure Beauty, Regis, Trade Secret, ULTA and ulta.com for $9.00 ($10.95 CAN) suggested retail for each bottle. I believe you might be able to still pick up this collection in some stores or you can probably find them online. Oh and did you know you can get OPI at Sally Beauty Supply and even Walmart now?!

What do you think of this trio? I personally love small collections like this, easier for me to swatch haha! Do you watch the Miss Universe pageant? I don't think I ever have, really. I did see the costume Miss USA wore at the last one though, she dressed up as a Transformer! Have a great day!

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Product samples were provided for consideration.