Archive for category Glitter
Holiday Color Pairings
Posted by Latoya in a-england, Black, Bobbi Brown, Chanel, Essie, Eyeshadow, Glitter, Gold, Green, Holiday, Illamasqua, Lips, MAC, Make Up For Ever, Make-up, Metallic, Nail Polish, Red, Sephora Brand, Sparitual on December 12, 2012
When I start to think about it, it’s not really a surprise to me that I love makeup. When I was a kid, I use to spend hours pairing my crayons together in color combinations I thought looked good together (which was also a great indication of my obsessive tendencies toward organization, but that’s a whole OTHER topic in itself!). While I don’t feel societal pressures to follow trends in shades (woohoo, Emerald for 2013!), nor feel like I ‘should’ wear darker colors in winter and brighter colors in summer, I choose to follow these paths often because it just makes sense to me. I love the idea of changing the shades I wear according to seasons – heck, I even do it with the change in weather! Rain means somber shades of grey or blue; sun means warm tones of gold, or brights like aqua and orange; and snow equals icy silvers and cool pinks and purples. Its just how I roll, ya’ll!
As it’s the holidays, of course I imagined an array of festive shades to represent the season, and since the work was already done, I thought I’d share them with you! On the weekend for the first time I matched my lips to my tips, and it was a lot of fun. I’m not entirely sure I’d do the same with eyeshadow, but the colors below all complimented a polish I own so well I figured what the heck. I hope you enjoy!
Bobbi Brown Chrome Eye Shadow in Pewter; Chanel Le Vernis in 529 Graphite
Chanel Graphite; Bobbi Brown Pewter
Both of these silvers are so much more than plain ol’ silver. They both veer into a warmer tone rather than stark icy shades, which means they’re quite wearable for all skin tones. Pewter is currently unavailable as this was an LE shade, but at times Bobbi Brown brings it back in palettes and such, so keep your eyes peeled! Graphite has had a ton of reincarnations over the past year since it was released (though I don’t believe it’s LE anyway) – the best being Sally Hansen’s Shoot the Moon which was just featured on All Lacquered Up.
Essie Limited Addiction; Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Natural in #46
Essie Limited Addiction; MUFE #46
MUFE’s #46 Rouge Artist lippie was the red shade I wore on the weekend to compliment my red manicure (done with China Glaze Ruby Pumps). I ADORE this lipstick; it is by far my favorite red that I own. It’s more of a true red I think, and looks so darn good on! The moistness of the lipstick keeps it looking so juicy and festive without being overwhelming in the least. It feels amazing on and I just can’t get enough! The only downside is that it’s only available at MUFE Pro stores and kiosks, but well worth the effort.
Essie Limited Addiction was, unfortunately, limited edition, but there are a billion reds out there I’m sure that are similar – just a bit deeper than your typical shade and neither warm nor cool.
MAC Jealousy Wakes; a-England Saint George
a-England Saint George; MAC Jealousy Wakes
Hot DAMN Saint George is beautiful! I don’t wear this polish nearly as much as I should, mainly because when I bought it last year, I wore it about three times in a few weeks – obsessed, I was! I’m wearing this to my work Christmas party this week and I’m super excited! Its one of the few greenish hues I own, and one of the few of that color palette I like. In truth it’s more teal than green but whatever – evergreen, shall we say? I LOVE IT and all it’s prismatic shimmer.
Jealousy Wakes is also another shade I rarely wear, probably because I don’t wear color in my shadows nearly as much as I used to, but I still enjoy it from time to time when I do pull it out. I dislike the texture of the shadow immensely – it’s so stiff and rough! – but it IS a lovely shade.
Sephora Brand She Sparkles; SpaRitual Aurum
SpaRitual Aurum; Sephora Brand She Sparkles
Oooh, sparkly indeed! Though Aurum is sort of a crap color on me – probably on most people, it’s so damn blingy I’m going to HAVE to pull it out for the holidays! Look at that sparkle! It’s a bit more greenish-gold than the orange-y gold of She Sparkles, but they both shimmer prettily together, don’t you think? I wore She Sparkles like crazy the last holiday season (when I purchased it), but haven’t given it much love since. I’ll surely be pulling it out again this month!
MAC Dark Soul Pigment; Illamasqua Creator
Illamasqua Creator; MAC Dark Soul
Though I’m not a huge lover of black nail polish, Creator has won me over with its glittery goodness, and looks both elegant and edgy at the same time. It compliments Dark Soul so perfectly! I could totally see rocking these two shades together, it’s like they were made for each other. I rarely wear Dark Soul for sort of obvious reasons (its a shimmery charcoal shadow – the rockstar look doesn’t exactly work at the office), but I’m trying to find ways to implement it more when I can. It’s definitely a perfect shadow for the holidays!
It was fun making these pairings and a huge throwback to my formative years 
It’s also scary to see that I happen to have enough polish and makeup that I can actually make pairings that coordinate so well… ~shrugs~ I’m a collector, what can I say?
Have you gotten into the matching trend? Would you be willing to try it, or do you avoid it at all costs? What colors say ‘holiday’ to you?
Illamasqua’s Generation Q: Creator Nail Varnish, Opulent Sheer Lipgloss, and Wisdom Precision Ink Review & Swatches
Posted by Latoya in Nail Polish, Make-up, Lips, Eye Liner, Illamasqua, Glitter, Black, Fall 2012 on September 4, 2012
Even though the weather is still warm (though by no means as hot and humid as it has been!), and fall doesn’t officially start for like, 3 weeks, I’ve still jumped the gun and switched around all my makeup and nail polish to reflect cooler-weather shades. What can I say – I love change! 
Illamasqua Opulent Sheer Lipgloss
Helping me kickstart my shift into fall beauty are a few great key pieces from Illamasqua’s new fall/winter collection, Generation Q. I love the idea behind the collection, that beauty is ageless – particularly for someone who is just moving out of the ‘downtown party’ stage, I like to think that even though I’m not out every night dancing it up, that I can still wear fabulous makeup without feeling I’m now ‘too old’. Truth be told, it’s not something I think of too much – my mom is a perfect model of someone who still absolutely loves to have fun with makeup and manages to still look fabulous doing it!
Illamasqua Creator Nail Varnish
The three pieces I have to show you today pretty much cover the bases for a great transition between seasons: an antiqued gold liquid liner (Precision Ink in Wisdom); a rainbow beige gloss (Sheer Lipgloss in Opulent); and a magical sparkling black nail polish (Nail Varnish in Creator). All three are crazy-wearable yet still edgy, which is my kind of makeup!
First, the glittering goodness that is Creator ($18CAD).
Creator is a black polish with small glitter particles heavily dispersed throughout. It dries with slight texture that is totally eradicated with topcoat – the addition of which brings out the shimmer that much more. As expected with Illamaqua polishes, this was easy-peasy to apply – easy flowing with good consistency, and you can almost get away with just one coat!
Just a quick comparison between this shade and Orly’s Goth as I’m sure some of you are wondering – and as you’ll see, they’re really apples to oranges.
Index and middle finger – Goth; ring and pinky fingers – Creator
Obviously, Creator is far superior!! While Goth is nice and shiny without topcoat, it doesn’t make up for the fact that it lacks the density of Creator’s glitter – which helps give the latter it’s fabulous sparkling quality. Add a topcoat to smooth it out and you’re good to go!
Next, we have the ultra-pretty Opulent gloss ($20CAD).
Opulent is a lovely sheer beige lipgloss with pearly multicolored shimmer. It’s wearable on it’s own, imparting a beautiful amped-up nude look to the lip, but it would also be fabulous layered over pretty much any other shade of lippie.
The texture of the shimmer is slightly gritty but only just so. It’s comfortable to wear with a touch of stickiness that helps it wear well for several hours. The only drawback I found to this gloss was the applicator, the bristles of which are somewhat stiff and don’t allow the brush to easily lay the gloss down on the lip. The brush was also slightly splayed from the get-go, so my technique is to use it merely to dab the gloss on my lip then blend with my finger or separate lip brush. Not ideal, but not a deal-breaker either!
I left my favorite product for last – the liquid liner in Wisdom ($34CAD)!
I have another Precision Ink liner, Havoc, which I also adore – liquid liner is my favorite style of liner, and these are some of the best. I find the pointed, sponge-tipped applicator terribly easy to use; if I’m having a particularly challenging day, I can even just hold the wand parallel to my lash line and dab it on and still get a great effect. These liners are also uber-waterproof, and won’t come off ’till you wash them off with remover or cleanser.
On top of the fabulosity of the formula, I mean – check out this shade, dudes! It’s soooo good 
I love that it’s the perfect mix of khaki and gold, which means it’s pretty much wearable all year round, seasonally speaking. And I’m pretty sure it’ll look terrific with every single eye color of life! Gah…I absolutely Love Love LOVE this liner!!!
Here’s a quick face I did using both the liner and lipgloss, and then just adding a touch of Estee Lauder’s Illuminating Gelee in Shimmering Sands on cheekbones:
What I love about these three products is how well they go together; and looking at the entire Generation Q collection, I find it exceptionally cohesive. I also enjoy that while the promotional images for the collection showcase vastly different and sometimes outrageous looks, the actual shades used aren’t hard to use and work for all skintones (and ages!). I feel that this is one of the most enticing fall collections for me – I want to pick up each and every single product in the launch! And I just might do so….but this is a good start, for now 
What pieces from Generation Q are you lemming?
*Products were provided by the PR company/brand for my unbiased consideration.
Breaking Out of My Comfort Zone: China Glaze Crackle Glitters!
Posted by Latoya in China Glaze, Glitter, Nail Polish on April 17, 2012
I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not a big follower of trends – not because I’m too cool for them, but because sadly, I’m just not that trendy LOL! I often favor classic and simple over original and eye-catching – though from time to time I’ll branch out and try something new and exciting. This week, I was able to check out for the very first time, a trend that blew up in the nail polish world this past year – crackle polish. China Glaze has come up with several adaptations to the crackle phenomenon, and this time around it’s meshing with another popular nail technology, glitter! The China Glaze Crackle Glitters feature four shimmering shades:
- Glam-More: a bold fuchsia
- Luminous Lavender: a luscious light purple
- Gleam Me Up: a bright sky blue
- Jade-d: a radiant bright chartreuse green
As it’s my first run-in with crackle polish, I made sure to understand how to use them properly. A lighter coat creates a fine crackle, and a thicker coat will offer a deep shatter effect. Apparently, you can brush it sideways or at an angle to also create different looks. I suspect the technology has improved since the first slew of these polishes as it really wasn’t that challenging – the main point is to be sure that the coat(s) of whatever base polish you use is fully dry before applying any of the crackle polish, or the effect won’t come out as well. I found out the hard way, and the crackle pulled apart my base coat as well and left bald spots (as evidenced by my pinkie).
I began my experimentation using OPI’s I Brake for Manicures, a deep dark eggplant, as the base shade. I think black would’ve look best, but shamefully I don’t own one (something I must remedy IMMEDIATELY). After a little trial and error, here’s the results (first picture, natural light; second picture, with flash):
Top to bottom: Glam-More, Luminous Lavender, Gleam Me Up, Jade-d
My first go around didn’t fully produce the results I wanted – Luminous Lavender is the sheerest of the bunch, and as such, the crackle effect was nearly negligible. As well, I wasn’t pleased with how Glam-More, my favorite of the four, turned out. Re-done, here’s my second try (first picture, natural light; second picture, with flash):
MUCH better!! (Note that I didn’t use top coat in any of these shots) With the ‘effects’ properly showcased, I was able to analyze just how I felt about the crackle trend. Sorry to say, it’s still not my cup of tea – I guess my anal nature likes things to be a bit more precise, and the crackle effect just looks haphazard and messy to me. But, if I were feeling particularly ‘adventurous’ shall we say, I’d certainly give Glam-More and Gleam Me Up another shot – the color of these two shades is simply luminous and would look absolutely stunning against a true black base. Partially because of it’s sheerness, and also because of it’s pale tone, Luminous Lavender left me cold – and Jade-d, while quite funky, just isn’t my bag either.
For those of you who DO love a good crackle to spice up your manicure, China Glaze’s Crackle Glitters will be available at salons and beauty supply stores nationwide in May. As always, China Glaze polishes are free of DBP, toluene, and added formaldehyde!
What do you think about crackle polishes? Do they rock your world, or can you take ‘em or leave ‘em? Any of these pique your interest?
*These products were provided for my unbiased consideration by the PR company/brand.
Party Nails! OPI’s DS Temptation
Posted by Latoya in Glitter, Nail Polish, OPI, Purple on April 2, 2012
Well, hello my lovelies!! I’ve missed you all terribly – I feel like I’ve been away for ages! It’s been quite busy lately, and not necessarily in a fun, social way 
We’re way busy at my office as we’re just wrapping up our fiscal year-end, and while it’s manageable, staring hard at a computer screen all day does not entice one to come home and do it all night as well. That, combined with my skincare woes and cosmetic funk (which I think I’m coming out of!), did not make for an inspiring nor productive blogging week last week at all. I’m sorry I’ve been sort of absent around these here parts! 
There have been some highlights the past few days however – on Friday night we went to see Rob Schneider at the casino for a stand-up show (part of my birthday gift to my bf), which was pretty good. After shopping all day Saturday in preparation for Jamaica (we leave this Saturday!), I went to a Murder Mystery party for a friends birthday. It was quite fun, and a great change of pace from the regular get-together’s we usually have. It was an excellent way to get people talking – I spent most of the night talking to complete strangers, and I loved that it got me out of my comfort zone.
At the party, everyone played a particular character assigned by the host. My character was a jewelry designer, and in honor of all things sparkly, I wore OPI’s DS Temptation polish – a stunning jewel-toned purple glitter with a touch of blue. 
I have been meaning to show you this polish since last October, when I bought it, but the first time I wore it I forgot to take pictures, and then it started to chip and was too late. I love the way glitters look, but like everyone else, I abhor having to take them off, so I haven’t worn it since. It’s pretty blingy (do people still even say that anymore?) so it really needs an event to wear it to, and my chance finally came with the past weekend’s party!
The base shade of the polish sheer purple, and glitter an electric violet, but throughout is also vibrant blue glitter that gives it some depth and extra interest. In some light I can even see a hint of pink as well. Two coats give you almost total opacity, but I actually applied a base shade of Illamasqua’s Baptiste first in an effort to fully fill any gaps and also in the hope that the glitter would last longer (I find they chip so easily!). Though the bottle is almost full, its already gotten a bit thicker (like I find most glitters do) and care is needed when applying. 
I happened to be in Best Buy on the weekend when I had this on, and I went to test out some cameras (I think I found the winner! Can’t WAIT to get it – the pictures on the blog should improve exponentially). I explained to the sales associate what I wanted to use the camera for and we snapped a few shots of my polish. Even with the excellency of the camera (and her knowledge of how to use it), every single shot ended up coming out far too blue. The moral of this story – it’s not my fault that I couldn’t capture this polish as it is in real life!!! It’s a chameleon and I think because of the blue particles the camera just picks up on that and alters the shade a bit in photos. I can tell you that it’s much more sparkly and a bit warmer than it shows in these shots.
Above photos with flash
As is typical with glitters, the finished product is fairly rough, so I applied one coat of OPI’s Top Coat and then one coat of Revlon’s Quick Dry Top Coat on top of the lacquer for a relatively smooth finish. While the polish still started to chip by day three, it held up mostly well, and was the requisite P.I.T.A. to remove ~sigh~ But, for a once in a while situation, I’ll definitely return back to this polish, as it is one of the most striking shades I own.
OPI’s DS Series polishes retail for about $14.95CAD. I haven’t seen this shade kickin’ around my usual haunts, but you might be able to still get it online. It also looks similar to Nails Inc. Bloomsbury Square, though that has red glitter accents rather than blue.
How was everyone’s weekend?? Have you ever been to a Murder Mystery party? And, what are your thoughts on DS Temptation – worth the hassle?
Festive Glitter Nails: Color Club Beyond the Mistletoe
Posted by Latoya in Aqua/Teal, Color Club, Glitter, Nail Polish on December 26, 2011
I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and are having a great holiday! I am having a wonderful holiday filled with family fun, and actually quite a bit of rest as well, which is a nice change. So much time in fact, that I blew through re-reading the first and second Harry Potter books in a matter of hours – they’re impossible to put down once you start! Tonight I’m tearing myself away from starting the third book, and heading out to my friend’s annual Boxing Day party. As such, I needed party nails!!
What I love about this color is that despite the holiday name, it’s a non-traditional holiday shade which makes it wearable for just about any time of year. The aqua and silver glitter contains multicolored holographic particles which make is stand out beautifully. In any lighting, you can see the holo sparkle, though it doesn’t show as well in the photos as I’d like. In the daytime tomorrow I’m going to try and capture it in natural sunlight (if we have any!).
Here I’m wearing Witchcraft Durable Base Coat (which I’m going to soon review), one coat of Zoya’s Crystal – a shimmering icy blue polish – and two coats of Color Club. I used the Zoya polish because the glitter is a touch sheer and I didn’t want any gaps showing. Lastly, I have one coat of OPI’s Top Coat and one coat of Sally Hansen’s Insta-Dri Top Coat to finish ‘er off. Sounds like a lot when I write it all out!! I was reading in between the process so it didn’t seem so bad
The polish itself applied fairly easily, though it is thicker as glitters tend to be to keep the particles suspended. Despite my precautions with multiple top coats, this will likely start chipping in a few days – I think this happens because glitter polishes are notoriously gritty and can catch on your clothing as the top coat starts to wear down, of if you don’t have enough coats in the first place. If this polish is any different, I’ll be sure to update you! For now, I have to go get ready for the party, as I’m a bit behind (I blame Harry Potter!).
I hope to show you a couple neat things I got for Christmas tomorrow, so keep an eye out!
Ooh, Sparkly: Icing’s Blackout
Posted by Latoya in Black, Glitter, Holographic, Nail Polish on December 6, 2011
I’ve been diversifying a bit with the topics of my posts, but I still have a handful of nail polish swatches to show you, so I gotta get on it! I should be receiving my package from Nail Polish Canada any day now, so I’ll be on a swatchapalooza then! I can’t wait!!
Without further ado (because really…I think I ramble too much), please let me present to you the polish ‘Blackout’ from Icing’s nail polish line (Icing being Claire’s little sister I think):
I layered two coats of Blackout over OPI’s Diva of Geneva , as this polish is fairly thin and really needs some underwear first. You could get enough coverage after three coats, but not the same depth. I saw a post once where they layered this over China Glaze Ruby Slippers, and is was awesome. However, I was wearing a specific outfit with pink and wanted it layered over pink to coordinate. You can’t really tell but I would know. And I’m anal like that.
Cheap-y polish, $5.49 or something at Icing (sad that $5.49 seems like a steal now, after the price I’ve paid for some polishes!), and applies well with no real issues aside from the sheerness – which is sort of a given as this polish is pretty much a jelly. The holo shimmer in this is actually fairly apparent without any particular lighting (though it was tough to capture in photos), which is a plus. This isn’t a polish I wear often, but it doesn’t mean that I don’t appreciate it or or that it’ll go up for swap; sometimes there are *those* polishes that you really like but you just need the right occasion – this is one of those. Just the way it is, folks
I hope everyone is getting into the holiday spirit and enjoying all that the season brings! Don’t let all the hulabaloo get to you – remember what it’s all about – the rum ‘n eggnog! LOL ~kidding!~ Really though, I hope no one is stressing themselves out, it’s not worth it and it taints the beauty of this time of year!
I’m Baa-aack! But Not Quite In Full Effect
Posted by Latoya in Aqua/Teal, Glitter, Holographic, Nail Polish, Nicole by OPI, Sally Hansen on November 24, 2011
After spending the entire evening trying to fix my computer/internet, my genius boyfriend did it! Woohoo!! That’s what I call serious tenacity – I told him to give up like, three times and still he persevered. Awesome
Anyway, after all that, I’M tired, so another quickie post for you – sorry! I promise to do better soon! In the meantime, check out Nicole by OPI’s Khloe Had a Little Lam Lam, from the Kardashian collection:
After seeing stunning shots of this polish on my friend Eugenia’s blog, I knew I had to scoop up this polish, regardless of the fact that I’m really not into the whole Kardashian media-circus-hoopla-whatever you wanna call it. A gorgeous teal creme cannot be passed up, for whatever reason. This is my first Nicole polish, and I have to say, I’m not a huge fan – of the bottle, which looks cute but is a bitch to maneuver with – and also, the brush, which was just a bit too short and therefore I found it a bit tricky to use. But, I’ll give it the benefit of the doubt since it’s my first and maybe I’ll get used to it. Otherwise, it was A-OK – good formula, pigmentation (two coats shown), and glorious glossy color. I’ll try not to pick on it too much for its shortcomings.
Just playing around, here’s a shot of Sally Hansen’s Urban Chic, a holographic sparkle top coat I bought ages ago:
I did NOT have the best lighting for this shot, I couldn’t capture the holo at all. You really need proper sunlight for it to be apparent, in most light it just looks like shimmer. However, the sun came out later, and this is what I got:
You can see the rainbow so much better here, especially in the bottle!! It’s actually a pretty nice effect top coat, if you’re into that kind of thing…which, generally, I’m not LOL. I don’t know why I picked this up when I did, I think it was on a mega-sale of some sort. I have two other effect top coats – CND Copper Shimmer, and SH’s elusive Hidden Treasure, and I never use either. If I want shimmer or whatever on my polish, I just buy it with it IN the polish already. Just my preference.
Anyway, that’s it for today! Tomorrow is Friday, which is excellent; also, Monday is my day off too, so that makes this gal super happy!! Ciao for now everyone!
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