Friday, September 28, 2012

Falling Forward Nail Art Challenge: Day 5 - Fall Gradient/Ombre

TGIF, everyone! WOO! I'm headed on a cruise for the weekend (literally, to nowhere), so I'll be MIA through Sunday. But I hope you all are excited for two days off!


The final task of the challenge was the Fall Gradient/Ombre nails! I wanted to do something a little less traditional, so I went searching through my polish drawers and was inspired by my various Zoya reds and purples.


I decided to do almost a fish scale gradient using Zoya Julianne, Jem, Sarah, and Reva. Reva is the base color and Julianne is the the tip. Originally, I had used Valerie as the tip but it's so hard to distinguish it from Jem that it didn't make enough of a difference. This is the mani in sunlight.


I found it to be very interesting when seen in indoor light because Reva and Sarah blend into each other nicely and Julianne sticks out significantly more. It has a nice warm glow to it!


LOVE IT!

Would this be something you try?
Princess Polish

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Falling Forward Nail Art Challenge: Day 5 - Leaves


Sorry that I'm a day late on this one... I'm swamped with work while trying to get ahead of my syllabus in order to be able to be work-free for my vacation this weekend. I'm heading out on a cruise for my grandmother's birthday and while it's only Friday to Sunday, those are my key catch up days!

I'll be relegated to only a few light reading assignments while on the ship and I can very easily do that late at night. So I'm happy about that.

Oh! And don't forget about the ongoing blockbuster Halloween Giveaway!

Now, without further adieu, here's my nail art!


For the above, I used Zoya Song and gold glitter Stripe Rite nail paints.

Rather than go with the traditional idea of falling or turning leaves, I wanted to do something different. This is a little more on the holiday side of things with the glitter, I realize that. BUT, I think the gold makes it autumn appropriate.


I love the idea of blue and gold as complimentary colors and this REALLY pops in the sunlight. You can see it above in artificial light and how much it sparkles.

So what do you think of my interpretation?
Princess Polish

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Announcing: The Happy Halloween Trick or Treat Giveaway!


Exciting news, everyone! I'm participating in a MASSIVE Halloween giveaway with a bunch of my lovely blogger buddies. It's a big mystery giveaway, filled with tons of awesome tricks and treats, but you won't know what you win until the winners are announced.

But I happen to know there are some incredible prizes, including indies, LE Halloween polishes, fall collections, nail art supplies, and a ton of other stuff!

I will hint that my polishes (there are THREE) are not entirely what you're going to expect! So there!

Here's a list of the bloggers taking part:

ME!
DIY Polish
The Jedi Wife
Jilltastic Nail Design
Love for Lacquer
Taneja's Bride
XO Noelle
Nails by Ms. Lizard
Polished Paradise Nails
Lacquerologist
Munchy's Nails
Nail Polish Anonymous
Demi's Nails
Set in Lacquer
College Polished
SoFlaJo
Beyond Beauty Lounge
Princess Polish
Polished Cousins
Cosmetic Sanctuary
Sweet Surcee
Mandie's Manicures
Tall Girl in Heels
You Had Me At Makeup
365 Days of Color
Manicurator
Beauty Gnome
Peace Love Lacquer

Be sure to enter via the Rafflecopter widget below!
Princess Polish

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Announcing: Zoya Ornate Collection (Winter 2012/13)



It’s time to celebrate... so make sure you celebrate in style!


The NEW Zoya Ornate Collection is the perfect to decorate your nails with stunning jewel tone colors and special effect pigments this season. Featuring six stunning, glittering, crystal shades in our new Power Pigment Full Coverage Formula. Superior coverage and dynamic color in one. All in the long-wearing, toxin free (BIG5FREE) formula you love... Each one is as beautiful as the next.

Zoya WINTER/HOLIDAY 2012/13: ORNATE Collection
·       Blaze (ZP641) - Cranberry Glitter Glam Crystal - Featuring Power Pigment Full Coverage
·       Electra (ZP642) -  Holographic Tinsel Special Effect- wear it alone or layer it for extra drama
·       Ziv (ZP644) - Gold Foil Glitter Crystal - Featuring Power Pigment Full Coverage
·       Storm (ZP645) - Black with Multi Color Crystal Shimmer - Featuring Power Pigment Full Coverage
·       Aurora (ZP646) - Plum with Multi Color Crystal Shimmer - Featuring Power Pigment Full Coverage
·       Logan (ZP647) - Green Foil Glitter Crystal - Featuring Power Pigment Full Coverage

ZOYA IS THE NEW COLOR OF FASHION!

Ultra long-wearing, glossy nail lacquers by Zoya are BIG5FREE - all formulas are completely free of harmful industrial chemicals such as toluene, camphor, formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin and dibutyl phthalate (DBP) that are known to cause cancer and birth defects.

Find over 300 other Zoya shades at www.zoya.com. Each and every name has a color as unique as the women who inspired it.

$8.00 ea. US. Shipping October 15, 2012.
Find Zoya Ornate on Zoya.com


Announcing: Zoya Gilty Gift Box




Just in time for party season!

The Gilty Pleasures velvet gift box features Zoya Gilty*, the 18k Real Gold Flake Topcoat  (0.5oz) Plus, two long wearing, full-size (0.5oz), colors to cover in gold as a bonus... Zoya Raven (black) and Zoya Purity (white).
Official Ship Date 10/15/2012 - Due to extreme demand and scarcity of the gold material, we are asking everyone to pre-order the Gilty Pleasures Trio Box in advance. Once pre-sell is sold out, there will be no more product available (that means when it's gone it's gone). You will not be charged until for the Gilty Pleasures Trio Box actually ships. 

Want more?

Try Zoya Gilty over your favorite nail polish shade to create your own signature 18K Gold look - click here for a few of our suggestions.




ZOYA IS THE NEW COLOR OF FASHION!

Ultra long-wearing, glossy nail lacquers by Zoya are BIG5FREE - all formulas are completely free of harmful industrial chemicals such as toluene, camphor, formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin and dibutyl phthalate (DBP) that are known to cause cancer and birth defects.

Find over 300 other Zoya shades at www.zoya.com. Each and every name has a color as unique as the women who inspired it.

$30.00 US. Shipping October 15, 2012.
Order Zoya Gilty Pleasure on Zoya.com today!




Monday, September 24, 2012

Falling Forward Nail Art Challenge: Day 4 - Back to School


Happy Football Sunday, everyone! It has been a crazy week in sports for this Jersey girl. My alma mater, Rutgers, smashed Arkansas yesterday to bring their record to 4-0! Mets starting knuckleball and CY Young candidate R.A. Dickey notched his 19th win of the season over the Miami Marlins in dramatic fashion. (Read: I was tearing my hair out as it got to 4-3 in the top of the 9th). And the Jets will be playing the Dolphins in a little over 30 minutes from the time I start this post. 


Today, I'm bringing you Day 4 of the Nail Art challenge with a Back to School theme!


For those of you who have been following the blog from the early days of a crappy point and shoot camera, you may remember this mani. I've updated it slightly with a few new colors, but it's comparable. The biggest improvement in general is the picture quality!

For the locker (pinky), I used Revlon Silver Dollar, the Chalkboard (ring) features Sally Hansen Emerald Express, the ruler (middle) is Piggy Polish It's All About Blue, the books and apple feature NOPI Yellow... It's Me, and lastly is Sally Hansen White On with Funky Fingers black crackle. The detailing was all done with nail art paints (Stripe Rite and Art Club) and a striper brush.

So what do you all think? I'm dying to know!
Princess Polish

Friday, September 21, 2012

Falling Forward Nail Art Challenge: Day 3 - Rainy Days




 Hi again, everyone! Sorry for the delay in posting. I was really NOT happy with the original mani I did for this, so I re-did it tonight after I finished up some case reading and am much happier with the end result. It reminds me of rain drops on leaves after a storm.


To achieve this look, I used butter LONDON in British Racing Green with a coat of butter LONDON Matte Finish that I recently received from my Coterie order. After two coats of BRG and one coat of Matte Finish, I took my dotting tool and dipped it into my Hardwear Top Coat and made dots like I would do for a normal design.

HOWEVER, I made sure there was enough top coat to create what looked like a bubble that would be raised significantly on my nail. The point was to make it thick, unlike in most nail art dotting.

I really LOVE the end result to a point that might be a tad unhealthy. I'm not normally a proponent of the matte trend because I think it's a little too muted for my liking. Yet, I think this is just the perfect amount of pop and subtlety mixed together. And it's really easy to recreate on your nails!

So would this be something you would try at home? Would you rock this mani?
Princess Polish

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Falling Forward Nail Art Challenge: Day 2 - Beachy/Tropical

Happy Hump Day!


Today's post features Day 2 of the Falling Forward Nail Art Challenging. I struggled a bit with the idea for my mani because I kept taking the theme very literally.

And then looking through my stash, I landed on Maisie Shine Aquarium and came up with an idea that I wound up adoring: a blue glitter gradient with just TWO different polishes and NO mixing!
 

I used two coats of Piggy Polish It's All About Blue, a pale blue creme polish, as a base. Then, starting slightly above the half moons of my nails, I brushed on a thin coat of Aquarium. I repeated the process, starting closer to the tip each time. 


This created a light to dark blue gradient, as well as a glitter gradient with a greater concentration of glitter at the tips. I love how this glimmers in the light, reminding me of seaweed and bubbles and fish swimming around the ocean. I'm kind of obsessed with this right now.

The best part of all is that I didn't need cosmetic sponges or color mixing or a crazy amount of clean up. This literally took me all of twenty-five minutes to paint on. Seriously.

So what do you think? Have any jelly glitters you might want to try this out with?
Princess Polish

Monday, September 17, 2012

Falling Forward Challenge: Day 1 - Neons


Good morning, polishaholics! Today, I'm beginning the Falling Forward Nail Art Challenge and am very excited. This is my first nail art challenge!

As you can see above, today's theme is neons!

I'm not a big fan of neons, so I had to do something that I would be willing to rock on a daily basis.


I went with a pale green base in Julep Courteney and used It's So Easy Stripe Rite paints in neon colors to make a stringy French manicure.

I really like how it turned out. The stripes remind me a bit of ocean ripples. And the muted green of Julep Courteney makes it a little less in-your-face.

Before we bid farewell, to summer neons, be sure to check out the posts of my fellow bloggers who are undertaking the challenge!

College Polished
Tall Girl in Heels
Nail Polish Anonymous
Peace Love Lacquer
DIY Polish
XO, Noelle
Galactic Lacquer
Princess Polish
Munchy's Nails
Pishposh and Polish
Beyond Beauty Lounge
Beauty Dish
Jilltastic Nail Design

Have a great rest of your Monday!
Princess Polish

Saturday, September 15, 2012

The 411 on Coterie



Good afternoon, everyone! A lot of people have been asking me about this new site launching in a few days, Monday to be precise, called Coterie. Well, I have done some investigating and have not only gotten a ton of information, but have also gotten you a special VIP code!

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Swatch and Review: R. Hobby Cosmetics

Happy Tuesday!

I have another indie brand on tap for today, R. Hobby Cosmetics!

Please note that while the bottles below are labeled Black Cat Lacquers, Rachel changed the name of her company to prevent confusion. All you need to know is that she is now making polishes under the name R. Hobby Cosmetics! :-)

Today, I have three lovely shades from R. Hobby... and I'm really excited to bring them to you!

Monday, September 10, 2012

Swatch and Review: SoFlaJo Ghost of a Chance


Happy Monday! (Yeah, I know.)

I'm going to post a little more on NYFW and Fashion's Night Out in a few days, but today, I have for you a wonderful creation from SoFlaJo.

Halloween is a little over a month and a half away, but Jody's Terrified Collection is bringing the scary spirit to your nails!


Here is the full collection above... STUNNERS!


I had the opportunity to try out Ghost of a Chance, a crystalline shimmer polish that doubles as a blue-green top coat!


Here, you can see the ghostly-presence of the green and blue shimmer.


Because of the undertones of the glitter, I chose to layer Ghost of a Chance over a range of dark blues and black. From left to right, there are two coats over Zoya Indigo, Zoya Ibiza, Zoya Song, and Zoya Tart.

I think it gives them all a gorgeous depth that a plain creme or frost just can't portray on its own. Though, I think it looks the BEST over the black because it gives the green the most pop!

While this definitely has the look of fall, I think this will be amazing for an icy winter look too!

Like all of SoFlaJo's polishes, the application was outstanding. She really knows how to do awesome, transformative top coats!

Handcrafted, all polishes are made from natural pigments and glitters with bases free of the chemicals Toluene, Formaldehyde and Dibutyl Phthalate and Formaldehyde. You can purchase any and all of the Terrified Collection now at the SoFlaJo Etsy Shop. Mini bottles are available for $5 (7mL) and the full size bottles are available for $10 (15mL). The 5-piece Terrified Collections (available in mini or full size) have deep shipping discounts too. BONUS!

What do you think of Ghost of a Chance?
Princess Polish

Disclaimer: The product(s) in this post were provided to me by the manufacturer or their PR company for consideration. For more information please visit my Disclaimer page.  

Thursday, September 6, 2012

Swatch and Review: Hot Ticket Call Me Iridescent and Candy Apple a Day


Happy Fashion Night out, everyone! I'll be attending FNO here in NYC, for the first time, so I'm very excited. For those of you who can't make it, I'll be taking tons of pictures while I'm there and will do a post later in the week.

But... let's get back to the nail polish!

Today's brand is Hot Ticket by the Balm!


This is Call Me Iridescent, a beautiful champagne polish with gold sparkle and a hint of violet flash. This was only with two coats and surprisingly, it was entirely opaque. 

Application aside, I loved this polish. I can definitely wear it during the day or the night. It has the base of a neutral that makes it office appropriate and subdued, but a flash and sparkle to it in the light that makes it perfect for a night out too.


Candy Apple a Day is EXACTLY as gorgeous as it sounds... a beautiful rich magenta and gold shimmer that looks like I just coated my nails in berry juice. It's hard to capture, but it's actually slightly pinkier than above. Definitely a stunner in just two coats.

Overall, these shades are perfect. Call Me Iridescent would be a great Monday-Friday color, with Candy Apple a Day making its appearance on Friday night, Saturday, and Sunday. This is actually a perfect pairing!

Hot Ticket is available through the Balm's website. Their polishes are available in 31 different shades and retail for $10 a bottle.

Until next time!
Princess Polish

Disclaimer: The product(s) in this post were provided to me by the manufacturer or their PR company for consideration. For more information please visit my Disclaimer page.  

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Swatch and Review: Zoya Diva Collection

Happy hump day, everyone! You're halfway through the work week... celebrate!!! 


Today, I'm going to show you the Zoya Diva Collection, the last of the three fall collections and honestly, my favorite. The other two fall sets are the Designer and Gloss collections.

So without further adieu, let's take a look!


First up is Daul, an amethyst polish with gold foil glitter. I LOVED how rich and dimensional this shade looked on my nails. I think this one is great with any skin tone. I used three coats to ensure maximum opacity.

When the collection was first released, I think everyone wondered if this was a dupe for Zoya Faye, or at least a close relative a la Tart and Tallulah.

Well, let's take a look...


The index and middle fingers have three coats of Daul and the ring and pinky fingers have three coats of Faye. As you can see, the difference is STARK. Faye has much more of a rose-tone, though the gold glitter is admittedly the same. That doesn't make much of a difference in terms of similarity... both are gorgeous.


Elisa is a tomato red metallic shade with a gorgeous luster. This is without any top coat and it absolutely shines. It's really a tie between this and Rekha for my favorite true red of all time. Don't make me choose!


Fei Fei is a very unique shade of nail polish. It has a sort of bruise-like blue-purple base with blue and gold foil glitter mixed in. It's really unique and very pretty, for sure. I think this is the most unique of the collection. This was three coats, just to make sure its vibrancy and opacity were top notch.


Suri (yes, like Suri Cruise) is a drop dead gorgeous grape polish with blue shimmer. This was two coats of awesomeness!


Above, you can see the blue flash of Suri much better. I wore this one for a week.


Ray is a forest green with hints of frost and shimmer mixed in. It's actually quite different from any other greens I own and I own quite a few. I think it's that combo that real does it.


Last, but certainly not least, is Song, a royal blue foil polish. I DEFINITELY do not own anything like this. DYING for it! I also wore this one for a while and you may remember it from my Five Shades of TARDIS mani on Saturday.


Look at that pop! This was with two coats of polish. BUT I used two coats of base underneath, just to make removal easier. I honestly have bad luck with blues and staining, so this was a precaution. But I'd rather not know if a polish stains than know if it does.

So there you have it... the Diva Collection. I LOVED them all, even Ray and Fei Fei were stellar. I didn't originally think I'd like either. But I loved them all and have worn them all to law school already. The application, per usual, was stellar. I only used three coats for the glitters to be safe.

What ones were your favorite?

The Zoya Diva Collection, along with all other Zoya polishes, are available at Zoya.com for $8.

Until tomorrow!
Princess Polish

Disclaimer: The product(s) in this post were provided to me by the manufacturer or their PR company for consideration. For more information please visit my Disclaimer page.   


Saturday, September 1, 2012

Doctor Who Nails: 5 Shades of TARDIS and NerdLacquer I Think You Call Me...Sexy


Hello out there, Whovians! And non-Whovians, too! With Series 7 of Doctor Who premiering tonight after a near year-long hiatus, what better way to celebrate than decking out my nails?

If you recall, I started law school roughly two weeks ago and could NOT figure out what to wear on my nails. But considering the fact that I was channeling the 10th Doctor (David Tennant) in wearing my black Converse Chuck Taylor All Star high tops as my travel shoes (heels are too painful to walk the streets of NYC in), I thought that I needed to do SOMETHING to bring the good luck of the 11th Doctor (Matt Smith), as well.

It was then that I realized I had been saving a bunch of NerdLacquers, which are no longer available, for a special occasion. And this was pretty special.


So I reached for I Think You Call Me... Sexy, a rich cerulean blue with small to medium light blue, dark blue, and silver chunks of hex glitter in in. Now, it's pretty. And I can see how it reminded me of the TARDIS. But I wasn't head over heels for it enough to keep it for tonight.

So instead, this week...


I rocked Five Shades of TARDIS! I liked this one much better because it was funky for school and had a much richer finish, even as a simple ombre.

For this mani, I used (thumb to pinky) Zoya Indigo, Zoya Ibiza, the new Zoya Song, Zoya Tart, and Zoya Tallulah. Each was two coats, except for Tart and that was only because I used a third coat to really make sure there was a noticeable difference between that and Tallulah.

Overall, I'm really happy with Five Shades of TARDIS. I feel like having Zoya Song now completes my ability to do a full blue ombre from the brand. I am obsessed with it.

Also, check out a group of fellow bloggers who have also been posting their Doctor Who-inspired manicures!





So what do you Earthlings think? Are these manicures Time Lord-approved?

Feel free to check Facebook tonight to see my reaction to the premiere. We'll discuss I promise!
Princess Polish

PS: Check out what I just splurged on and bought myself last night. It's a functional Sonic Screwdriver that can be programmed as a Universal Remote Control. I'm dying inside.