OPI's I Sing in Color

I Sing in Color is a creme polish from the most recent Gwen Stephanie collection.  It is a deep vampy ox-blood and is black in most light.  It is ultra glossy but very difficult to pick up the exact colour in the pics.   I achieved opacity with 3 coats.

I am sure I have many similar polishes, but I don't care I still love this colour.

Orly's Gumdrop

I really needed to pick a pretty and cheery polish on this gloomy and chilly -14 c day.  This is such an underused polish of mine and yet it is so pretty.  It is a close dupe to China Glaze's For Audrey.  Two coats and it was completely opaque.  I really love Orly's brush, just the right size for me.

This is one of my gorgeous go to polish.

Beyond the Nail's Purple Micro Glitter

Here is Purple Micro Glitter from the lovely ladies over at Beyond the Nail.  As the name says it is a purple microglitter.  As with most microglitters I have, I applied 3 coats to achieve opacity and added a top coat...you could go without and get a nice sand like finish.

I am really liking this one, purple (my fav) and glitter, what more can I ask for :x

Look at the 'pink' when the light hits it just right!

You can find Beyond the Nail's Etsy store here.  Also check them out on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

I saw some new polishes from Beyond the Nail on Instagram over the weekend...soon time for some more shopping.

Maybelline's The Rocket or Essence's I Love Extreme Crazy Volume Mascara ?

I haven’t really written about make-up before because I think it is very subjective, so this is only my opinion. Having said that…I have been trying out Maybelline’s The Rocket for months now and comparing it to Essence’s I Love Extreme Crazy Volume Mascara.

My pet peeve with mascara is clumping, I really like definition with my mascara so it looks more natural looking & subtle.  I think The Rocket gives you lots of volume but falls short with not clumping.  When I apply mascara I usually apply one coat then follow up with another coat.  With this mascara I have to go in with another mascara on the second coat to separate the lashes.  I like things simple & I don’t want to have to use 2 different kinds of mascara, so when someone recommended it I picked up Essence’s I Love Extreme Crazy Volume Mascara.  It did the trick for me; I curl my lashes and apply 2 coats.  With both mascaras they were not water-proof but they stayed put all day and were easy to remove, so that wasn't a factor.  Both mascaras have short plastic bristles but the Essence bristles are slightly farther apart, thicker and longer.

If definition and volume is important to you and don’t like clumping, give Essence a try, you might be surprised with the quality!

I picked up Maybelline’s The Rocket at my local Walmart for $6.96 and Essence’s I Love Extreme Crazy Volume Mascara for $4.99 at my local Shopper’s Drug Mart.  I am now testing out Covergirl's Clump Crusher.

Beyond the Nail in Peppy Leopard

Beyond the Nail is a indie polish maker located relatively close to me, yep they are Canadian :)  With the high shipping costs and our dollar tanking internationally (it is up to a whopping .90 US) I try and shop within Canada.  I ordered 4 polishes back in December but only swatched them, as my nails were a mess.   Although I am still trying to rock the nubbins I just had to pull out this polish and wear it.  Most who know me, know that I have a thing for purple, even if it doesn't look great with my skin tone.

Peppy Leopard is a clear based glitter chocked full of purple and silver micro-glitter with pink hex glitter. Two coats and it was completely opaque and to make it more shiny I applied a coat of Seche Vite.

You can find Beyond the Nail's Etsy store here.  Also check them out on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

They are going to be at the One of Kind Spring Show & Sale in Toronto the week of March 26...might have to take a trip west to check the polishes out in person.

Garnier Fructis Damage Eraser Products

This is the Garnier Fructis Damage Eraser collection by L'Oreal Canada.  It includes Damage Eraser Shampoo, Damage Eraser Conditioner, Split Ends Bandage and Strength Reconstructing Butter.  The scent was fabulous, which is always important to me.  I always smell before I buy ;)

It is  described as:

The formula contains Phyto-Keratin® Complex with plant based proteins and fruit concentrate & Cupuaçu Butter, with natural lipids. 

I'm not sure split ends can really be erased, the only thing that erases them is a hair cut!

I tried the products (with the exception of the reconstructing butter) for a full week and I did find that the products definitely made my hair softer and more manageable.  I am pretty gentle on my hair; I only use hair colour every 6-8 weeks and don't normally use heat for styling.  I found the leave in Split Ends Bandage too moisturizing for my hair and will pass that along to someone who will use it. I think the Strength Reconstructing Butter will be great to use after the next time I colour my hair.

I would recommend this line for someone who needs that extra moisturizing either from damage or just someone with dry hair.  This might be too much moisture for someone with normal to oily hair.

More detailed info can be found here.

Wet n' Wild Tickled Pink

I swatched Tickled Pink last Summer and forgot about it.  It makes me think of lazy summer days and because it is so dang cold out this is probably inappropriate but I don't care :-S

I would describe it as a barbie pink, although it looks a little peachy in these picture, it was direct sunlight! Most pinks look horrid on me, but this one is not too bad.  It was slightly streaky, but it was opaque with 3 coats.  It is a pretty darn good polish for around a dollar ;)

Only 40 days until Spring :)  Have a great Friday!!

China Glaze's Charmed, I'm Sure !!

Charmed I'm Sure is part of the Fall 2013 Autumn Nights collection.  It is a beautiful saturated dark purple creme.  It is just the right darkness so that you can actually tell that it is purple not black.  I applied 2 coats, but you could probably get away with one coat.

I know it is another purple, I can't help myself.

China Glaze's Grape Juice

Grape Juice is part of the 2009 Summer Days collection.  It is a purple polish with lots of shimmer or 'glass fleck' effect.  It is somewhat sheer and to achieve opacity I used 3 coats.  

Purple is my favourite colour, so yes I love this.