Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Floral Nail Art Tutorial


Happy Hump Day! I promised a few weeks ago in my birthday manicure that this would be coming and it's finally here!

I wanted to make this a color-themed floral manicure, so I went with my favorite color of all: purple! Although, I did mix in a little pink and green for accents and highlights. But it's mostly purple. And all OPI.

The colors that I used: OPI You're Such a Budapest (base), OPI Suzi and the 7 Dusseldorfs, OPI Gift Cards for Everyone, OPI Skip the Gift Wrap, OPI Strawberry Margarita, and OPI Alpine Snow.

I have a few tips for color selection:

Saturday, April 20, 2013

Swatch and Review: OPI You're Such a Budapest

Happy weekend, my friends! I was in a bit of a purple mood today, so I thought I'd show you the beautiful periwinkle from the OPI Euro Centrale Collection: You're Such a Budapest!


OPI You're Such a Budapest is a periwinkle creme with subtle silver shimmer. The above is with two coats.


The formula was fairly watery, but it applied well anyway. However, you can't see any of the silver shimmer. Like, at all.

So while this made a pretty purple, it didn't have the pop or uniqueness I was really looking for.

What's your opinion of You're Such a Budapest?

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Swatch and Review: Zoya Stunning Collection


Hump day has arrived and I have for you one of the brand new collections from Zoya. I was sent the Stunning Collection from Zoya HQ, which consists of all bright creme polishes, and immediately went to work swatching!


Continue on for the full swatch and review...

Announcing: The Comment of the Month Giveaway!

Hello, everyone! Due to the overwhelming support you all have shown me this past quarter (!!) of the year, I wanted to do something fun that would help spark some more interaction with you all.





(Image credit: beautyheaven.com.au)

So every month, one random commenter on my blog will be chosen to win a mystery prize. I'll use random.org to pick a number blog post out of how many are made that month, then use it again to pick the number comment that wins! I'll announce the winner on Facebook at the beginning of the following month, as well as reply to the winning comment.

The Rules:

1) You MUST be 18 years or older to participate.

2) You can ONLY comment once per blog post. Any posts after your original will not be counted on that day's post.

3) This is open internationally. However, if you are outside of North America, there has been an unfortunate amount of occasions in which nail polish has been flagged and destroyed by an international postal service, such as the Royal Mail. As a result, I'm not responsible for any destroyed packages. Sorry, lovelies.

4) Winners have 48 hours to respond to my Facebook post and blog comment via email. After which, a new winner will be selected.



5) Failure to follow any of the rules may result in disqualification.

6) HAVE FUN!

Alright... I'll give you a little hint as to what the prize is that is up for grabs this month. It's from OPI!

Are you excited for this new monthly giveaway? I am!

Swatch and Review: Ruby Wing


Good day, all! I was sent these polishes from Ruby Wing and with the weather here in NYC turning warm and sunny, the time to test them out finally arrived.

Two of the shades are from the Spring Garden Collection, which is scented, and two are from the core collection!

First up are the scented shades!


Here's Cut Grass, which smells like... guess what? Cut grass! It starts out as a light moss indoors...

Monday, April 15, 2013

Swatch and Review: Dermelect ME Collection


Happy Monday, lovelies! Today, I'm going to show you three polishes I was sent from Dermelect's ME Collection.

Dermelect color treatments are peptide infused, which helps to strengthen weak, brittle nails, restore flexibility, and resist chipping and splitting. In addition to being 3-free (DBP, Toluene, and Formaldehyde free), it is also cruelty free!


First up is Pretentious, a fuchsia creme polish. The above is with two coats.

Saturday, April 13, 2013

Swatch and Review: Zoya Summer PixieDust Collection


Happy Saturday, lovelies! As I teased last night on Facebook, I received some amazing blogger nail mail yesterday afternoon from Zoya and I immediately went into swatch mode! Despite the rain!


Warning: THIS WILL BE PICTURE HEAVY!

Friday, April 12, 2013

DEAL ALERT: 46% off Julie G Frosted Gumdrops



Happy, Friday! A new swatch and review will be up in a little while, but there are some killer deals out there today and here is one of them!


Groupon is currently offering the hard-to-find Julie G Frosted Gumdrops Collection for $12.99, instead of the $23.94 retail value! And considering I haven't found these polishes in a single store near me, this is a STEAL! Note: Shipping costs $2.50, but that's a pretty reasonable shipping price.

How do you get this amazing deal? First off, sign up for Groupon here if you haven't already. Then go to the Julie G Sale Page to purchase your collection!

So what are you waiting for? Go get your gumdrop on!

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Birthday Floral Nails


Happy Hump Day! The week is halfway over... don't stress yourself too much!

Today's manicure is actually my birthday nails. I painted them late Wednesday night and am still wearing them. Seriously. I LOVE them!

I never had the confidence to try the shabby-chic floral look. But after seeing a manicure from The Crumpet, I changed my mind and took a stab at it. (Also, after failing miserable in trying to do a water marble featuring Cult Nails Time Traveler, which left my hands stained navy blue for a night after it went terribly wrong. Oops.)


Monday, April 8, 2013

Swatch and Review: Julep Joan


Happy Tuesday, lovelies!

Today's post is a quick one, as my schedule is jam-packed from 6am to 9pm today.

I received Julep Joan, named for Academy Award winning actress, Joan Crawford, in my February Box! Right now, you can receive your first Julep Maven box for FREE by clicking here and entering the code FREEBOX. All you pay is $3.50 for shipping. A $20 box for just $3.50? Sounds like a steal to me!


Julep Joan is a deep magenta polish with gold flake shimmer. The above is with two coats.

I like the flakey effect, but the glitter seems to sink into the polish a bit too much for my liking. That being said, I still think it's a very pretty color. But the pop of the gold flake would have made it spectacular.

So what do you think of Julep Joan? Are you a maven? Are you planning on becoming one?

Have a great rest of the day!

Swatch and Review: Ruby White Tips Gracelyn


Good morning, lovelies! For those of you who spent the last week adjusting from Spring Break to the work week or school, I am just as sad as you are. Except, maybe I've already had my morning coffee and you have not.

But on the plus side, I'm the only one I've seen at school so far who has returned with a tan AND it is warm enough to wear my FAVORITE open-toed wedges. So there could be worse ways for break to end.

Today, I'm bringing you a polish sent to me by Laura of Ruby White Tips. Girl must know me well because she sent me them in my favorite color: purple! Also, read on for an exclusive discount code just for readers of Princess Polish!

So without further adieu, Gracelyn...

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

2nd Annual Cosmetics for a Cure - Raffle to Benefit Autism New Jersey





After the immense success of last year's Cosmetics for a Cure, thanks to the support and the generous prize donations of fellow bloggers, nail polish companies, beauty e-tailers, and polishaholics alike, I decided to bring it back for a second year! I am a strong believer in paying it forward and since you have all given me so much love and support in the past year, I thought that it would be wonderful if I could pass that on to as many people as possible.

I chose to launch the raffle in April because it is Autism Awareness Month and this year's charity is Autism New Jersey, the beneficiary of the Ride 4 Autism.

Why the Ride 4 Autism?

I became a volunteer for this ride in its first year in 2001, having grown up with a cousin diagnosed with Autism. The diagnosis was made at 18 months, which was incredibly early back in 1993. While great strides have been made in early intervention, education, and awareness, Autism spectrum disorders still affect approximately 1 in 150 individuals and the financial burden on families of individuals with autism can create extreme hardship. The beneficiary of the Ride 4 Autism, Autism New Jersey, is a non-profit agency providing information and advocacy, services, family and professional education and consultation. They encourage responsible basic and applied research that may lessen the effects of, and potentially prevent, autism. They are also dedicated to ensuring that all people with autism receive appropriate, effective services to maximize their growth potential and to enhancing the general public’s overall awareness of autism.

How Does Cosmetics for a Cure Work?

Entries in this raffle correspond to donations made via my fundraising page. Please visit my DONATION PAGE to donate however much you'd like. $5 for 5 entries is the minimum, but certainly not a maximum. From $5 to $99, it is the same $1 an entry. (Ex: 15 entries are $15, 50 entries are $50, etc.) All donations of $100 or more will receive 2X entries. (Ex: $100 = 200 entries, $200 = 400 entries, etc.)

DO NOT check the box that will list your name as anonymous, as I will be unable to validate your entries!

I will record your name in an Excel sheet, with the number of entries equaling the number of times your name is listed. When the raffle ends, I will use my Excel sheet and Random.org to select the winners and announce them on this page. Winners will have 48 hours to respond via email.

The raffle starts today and ends on May 1st at 12:01 am. OPEN INTERNATIONALLY ! 


Please note: Princess Polish is NOT responsible for a third party's failure to deliver a donated prize or mishandling/loss of packages by any postal service. You must be 18 years or older to enter this raffle.

For every monetary milestone reached, a new prize will be added to the pot! And believe me, they're awesome. If you would like to donate a prize, please contact me via email at PrincessPolishBlog@gmail.com

Check out what's up for grabs (so far!) below! More prizes will be listed, so keep your eyes peeled here, on Facebook, and on Twitter!!!


Here's the list of the monetary milestones and the corresponding prizes: