My Picks from the China Glaze Crinkled Chrome Collection

Today I've got three polishes from the China Glaze Crinkled Chrome collection to show you! I saw some swatches on a nail wheel online somewhere last year before they came out and before I even heard about the collection, and I was almost disgusted. Textured, wrinkly, bumpy chromes?! Wtf, right? But then I saw some better swatches from some bloggers and I changed my mind. I still am not sure if I am in love with them, but I definitely don't hate them.

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All of these had the same formula/consistency so I'll tell you about them collectively. I had heard that these work best when using only one coat so that's what I did for all of the swatches. Two coats would make them too thick and chunky, therefore it's convenient (and probably planned) that they are so opaque in one. They have nice metallic chrome bases and are filled with the little sand-like bits that are usual for texture polishes and some string glitter that beefs up the coarseness even more. They are thick but easy to paint with. They dried quickly and were nicely reflective once dry.

Aluminate is a chrome silver. I kind of adore this one.

Crush, Crush, Baby is a gorgeous lavender. My favorite of the three.

I'm a Chromantic is a rose pink. I thought I would like this one more but I don't care for it with my skin tone.

I think most people have a strong reaction to this collection, either love or hate, but my verdict is that they are pretty cute. The other colors in the collection include a sea foam green, a light blue and a light teal. I might want to get the green but I can live without the others.

Tell me what you think about this crazy texture collection! Do you love them or hate them? You can buy China Glaze polishes from Sally Beauty Supply and Ulta as well as from etailers like Transdesign.

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Product samples were provided for consideration.

BB Couture Lady Pirates Collection Swatches & Review

Hi my lovely friends :) Today I have the sister collection to BB Couture The Pirates for you, these are the Lady Pirates! I liked the men's collection very much so I was anxiously anticipating what would be in store for the ladies collection and here they are!

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First is Anne Bonny, a red toned purple shimmer with lots of small multicolor glittery bits. The shimmer in this is very iridescent blue, giving this purple a pretty blue flash, which is pretty cool. It reminds me of Lisa Frank haha! It has a pretty thin formula, I used four coats here.

Next is Mary Read, a medium strawberry shake pink with sporadic itsy bitsy red glitters.The formula was pretty normal. I love the red glitters in this, but the sparseness of them leaves me wishing for more. This is three coats.

This one is called Rachel Wall, a shimmery goldish beige with teeny green glitter bits. The formula on this wasn't easy to get even, I used three coats and had to be careful with my brush strokes so it wouldn't look streaky. I think this is almost a "mannequin hands" color on me, but with some shimmer which is nice.

Back from the Dead Red is a sexy, beautiful medium-deep magenta shimmer with tons of red microglitter. The glitters aren't super apparent in this picture but they are in person. This is sooo gorgeous. I used three coats.

This beauty is Awilda, a blue toned medium-light purple shimmer with the same multicolored microglitter that Anne Bonny has but without her blue shimmer. This isn't a color I'd usually go for but I ended up liking it a lot. It is one of those glittery shades that looks good indoors or out. This picture doesn't do it justice, it's really lovely. This is three coats.

Here is Ching Shih, a bright juicy orange jelly cream. Very nice formula and super shiny! I really love oranges so 'natch I adore this polish. Three coats.

So I did like most of these polishes, although the men's Pirate collection was more my style. I did use three coats for most of these because they have thinner formulas, but honestly that doesn't bother me. Over the almost five years that I've been a nail blogger, I have heard from a lot of folks that having to do more than two coats is a deal breaker. I don't really understand that. Having to do one or two more coats to make a polish as opaque as I prefer doesn't automatically equal a bad formula to me. Some of my favorite polishes ever take more than two coats! To each their own, I suppose :)

My favorites from this collection are Ching Shih and Mary Read. You can buy these polishes and other BB Couture lacquers from their website www.bbnailpolish.com for $10.95 each. What do you think of these Lady Pirates?

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Product samples were provided for consideration.

GlitterDaze Birthday Duo Swatches & Review

The folks over at GlitterDaze are celebrating their 2nd year in business so they have put out a limited edition duo of lacquers dubbed the Birthday duo for the festivities! Check them out :)

Press Sample

The solid color from the duo is Terrific Twos, a light bubblegum pink creme. The formula on this was a little streaky and not super self-leveling. I used three coats. This is a really pretty girly pink that I liked more than I expected to.

And this is Birthday Bow-nanza, a clear base with a mix of gold, holographic gold, pink, and white glitters with stars, diamonds, circles, hearts, bars and bows! It's a super fun topper and I really love it. I used two coats over Terrific Twos, covered with a top coat.

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These polishes are available now, but they are limited editions so hurry and snag yours right away! They are $10 each or you can get both for $18 on their website. Do you like the combo of these two polishes? How do you feel about shape glitter and what is your favorite? I LOVE the little bow shapes in this one!

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Product samples were provided for consideration.

Formula X - Danger Zone

Hi friends! Today I wanted to show you a Formula X for Sephora polish from their Electrics group called Danger Zone. It's a crazy cool neon coral with pink sparkles. It has a very slight hint of a blueish-pink flash to it. Two coats were enough for full coverage. It dries to a satiny matte finish so I used top coat to make it shiny.

I think this is a bit more pink in photos, in person it's more orange and looks a tad lighter. Neons are hard to photograph haha! I really love this polish, it's right up my alley! You can get this and other Formula X polishes from Sephora for $10.50-$12.50 each. I love this brand and can't wait to try more! What do you think of this neon stunner?

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Pretty Serious Cosmetics - Seriously Random

Hi there friends! I have a few polishes from a very cool Australian brand to show you today, Pretty Serious Cosmetics. It is run by a fellow blogger, Kaz from Pretty Random. They make cruelty free vegan nail polish and eyeshadow. I have been a fan of her blog since basically I started blogging so it is a great thrill for me to review her products!

Press Sample

First up is The Pink One, from the collection Seriously Random. It's an uber bright neon pink with tons of shimmery particles and a blue flash. It's hard to capture the blue flash in photos, but it's fully apparent in person. This polish has an excellent formula and is opaque in two coats.

This one is called Cybernetic, also from Seriously Random, is a thin indigo jelly base with a mix of blue, purple, and green microglitters. This is a jewel toned stunner! The glitter is quite dense so I didn't have to do as many coats as I expected to get full coverage, only three. It looks like I might've gone a little light on my pinky, but maybe it's just the angle of the sunlight.

I am quite impressed with these two polishes, they're a great introduction to the brand! I have a few more polishes to show you from Pretty Serious soon, so keep an eye out for them. You can buy Pretty Serious from their website for 9.95 (AUD) each, or from their stockists. Have you tried anything from Pretty Serious yet?

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Product samples were provided for consideration.

Comparison: RBLs vs. BBCs

When I posted my review of the new BB Couture collection The Pirates the other day, I got a few comments asking me to compare some of them with some Rescue Beauty Lounge polishes. So here ya go!

Press Sample

First up is Rescue Beauty Lounge Aqua Lily vs. BB Couture Calico Jack. Aqua Lily is from the Fan Collection from Spring 2012. Aqua Lily is on the left and Calico Jack is on the right. You can see that while similar, they are not dupes. AL is brighter and more vivid. CJ is a lighter and more muted shade of turquoise and includes lots of whitish glass fleck type glitters in with the pink shimmer. This is more visible in the shade photo below. Both have excellent formulas.

Shade

And the other comparison is Rescue Beauty Lounge Réveillon vs. BB Couture La Buse. Réveillon came out just this past fall/winter in the Fan 2.0 Collection. Réveillon is on the left and La Buse is on the right. Again, they are definitely similar but not dupes. The RBL is a silvery, more crisp blue and has more shimmer particles. La Buse has a more grayed tone and mixes in a few whitish glass flecks with a more subtle shimmer. I love both of these and couldn't choose between them.

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There you have it! You can purchase Rescue Beauty Lounge nail polish from their website for $20 each. You can get BB Couture lacquers from their website for $10.95 each. Do you prefer one over the other in these comparisons? I am glad I own all four, I like things about each of them!

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Product samples were provided for consideration.

Rescue Beauty Lounge A Poem Collection Swatches & Review

Press Sample

It's that time again folks, it's RESCUE BEAUTY LOUNGE time! The newest collection is called A Poem and it's based on the poem "Ghost House" by Robert Frost. Please enjoy the press release from creator Ji Baek, swatches and my review below the jump: (FYI, this is a long post)

My Nail & Hand Care Essentials

Hey guys and gals! Today I wanted to put together a post with all my essentials that I use to keep my nails and hands in tip top shape. These are my favorites right now but I seem to add or take something out every few months as I find new things that work better. This is just what is working for me at the moment.

Duri Rejuvacote - This has been my favorite nail treatment for a little over a year. I use it on bare nails for every manicure. I like this better than any other treatment I've tried. I still get peels on a few of my nails occasionally but no where near what I used to. And my nails grow faster and longer using this than ever before!

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Orly Primetime - I use this as a primer for my nails before I put on my base coat, it removes all traces of oil and residue so my products can adhere to my nail cleanly and completely.

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Orly Bonder - I have used this base coat for years and no matter what others I try, I always come back to this one. It is rubberized which helps the polish adhere to it better. It helps my polish go on well and resists chips. I believe everyone's body chemistry is different and what works for me might not work for you, you just have to experiment with different base and top coats to figure out the best combo.

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Glisten & Glow HK Topcoat - I wrote a review for this top coat not too long ago, you can see this post if you haven't read it. This is my favorite because it dries super fast and shiny. It also doesn't have any of the unfortunate side effects of other quick dry top coats, it doesn't get thick and goopey, it doesn't shrink the polish when it dries, and the surface doesn't get scratchy looking over time.

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Bliss Kiss Pure Nail Oil - This stuff is so amazing, it is practically liquid gold to me! I mentioned above how I occasionally have peeling nails and I have always had issues with dry and overgrown cuticles. I have been searching for something to supplement my nail care routine to hopefully help these concerns outside of my usual products. I found rave reviews of this nail oil, how it hydrates your nails and makes them more flexible, so I decided to try some and have fallen in love. I use this multiple times daily and it's made my cuticles nicer than ever! I'll do a more in depth review on this soon, it deserves it!

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Acetone and  Acetone/Glycerin/Water Mix - I have a hard time tolerating most scents and a lot of the nail polish removers out there have some kind of scent I can't handle. So I use pure acetone, it works the best and has no added scent. It can be drying though, so I add glycerin and water to make it more moisturizing. You can learn about this from Loodie Loodie Loodie, she explains it better than I could. I do use straight acetone to do clean up around the edges of my nail after painting. You can read about that process here from Lacquerized.

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Dappen Dish - I use this small glass dish to pour the acetone in that I use to clean up around my nails. It's super cheap and really helps my manicure routine.

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Small brush - This is my preferred brush to use for clean up with acetone around the edges of my nail. It's the e.l.f. concealer brush that I got for $1 at Kmart. It works well and is easy to replace when needed.

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Sally Hansen Instant Cuticle Remover - This is my most used cuticle remover, though I have a few kinds. It's a gel formula that is easy to apply with the squeeze bottle. I used it at least weekly.

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Julep Hand & Cuticle Stick - This product is newer to my routine. I tried it on recommendation from Young, Wild & Polished (she's hilarious in her videos!). It is a balm that melts with the warmth of your skin. It smells amazing, like clean laundry, and it is easy to carry in my purse for quick applications on the go. It doesn't make my skin shiny either, which is helpful for taking photos of my nails.

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Hempz Original Herbal Body Moisturizer - This has to be my favorite lotion ever, hands down (hehe). I used to use it in high school after I went tanning, which I don't do anymore, but I always loved the clean scent and moisturizing effects. I recently got another bottle for a gift and it's quickly become my favorite and most used lotion. It is a little on the pricey side but I just love it.

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I'd love to hear about your nail care essentials! Tell me about your favorites in the comments :) Also let me know if you have any questions about my nail routine, I'd be happy to answer!

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