Holographic Houndstooth with Sinful Colors and Colors by Llarowe

Hello, everyone! I hope you had a great Super Bowl Sunday!

I've really become a huge fan of stamping as of late and have been finding myself experimenting with a lot of different finishes and patterns. This is a fairly simple one that I wore to work last week, which everyone seemed to love.

This look was created by stamping the houndstooth pattern from the BP L-006 plate by Born Pretty in Sinful Colors Black on Black over Colors by Llarowe Chillin' in Paradise. It wasn't too overly sparkly and had a nice muted look when indoors, but a nice pop outside!

Zoya Stamped Paisley Flowers

Hello, everyone!

As you may have noticed on Facebook, I've finally gotten the hang of stamping now that I've found my ideal stamper, the Creative Shop Stamper! So now, I'm a stamp-a-holic!

Today's look features an early plate from when I purchased the Salon Express kit, which basically was an epic fail. However, the plates were still decent quality and featured replicas of Konad plates. This was one of those plates, so I'm not sure what the corresponding Konad plate is. If anyone knows, please comment and I'll update this post.

My favorite color is purple, so I wanted to do something monochromatic for work this week. I wound up using Zoya Julie as the base and Zoya Belinda for the design. I think I would have liked the design to be a bit darker, but I really attribute that more to the thinness of the lines in the pattern, rather than the polish itself.

What do you think of this color and design combo?

Everyone at the office went crazy over it this morning!

Swatch and Review: Elemis Pro Radiance Illuminating Flash Balm (Pink Ediion)

Greetings, all! Today's post is a little different than normal because not only will you read the insights of Princess Polish, but Queen Polish (aka: my mom) will be chiming in, as well!

In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness, Elemis has released a special pink edition of their Pro Radiance Illuminating Flash Balm. According to Elemis, this product helps skin glow and is a hybrid moisturizer packed with vitamins to protect, hydrate, and add radiance, allowing you to look and feel good at the same time. They also suggest using it as a primer.

I put it to a one-week wear test, mainly using it as a primer, but occasionally as a moisturizer after washing my face at night.

The balm was packaged in what's billed as a pink tablet case, but also functions rather nicely as a makeup kit!

 

The tube IS rather small (no smaller than the average tube of foundation), but you're only using a pea-sized amount at a time, so a little goes an exceptionally long way.

 That is roughly the amount I used each time I applied the Flash Balm to my face. It isn't as thin as my regular primer, but I found that while it's definitely thicker, it isn't greasy. I do feel like it gets better coverage.

At 25, anti-aging isn't much of an issue for me, but I can say that we're at the season where dry skin is becoming a problem here in the northeast. Not only did this keep my skin hydrated, but over the course of a week, my makeup lasted longer than usual. 

I also was good and sick with a bad cold at the start of this past weekend and dabbing a little bit on my nose kept the skin from flaking like it does when I sneeze a lot or blow my nose. A tad gross I know (sorry!), but nobody wants to look like their nose is shedding at work!

Queen Polish's take: Mom has always used a tinted moisturizer for as long as I can remember, so this was applied underneath. She LOVED IT. It was nice and thick for her and she found that her skin didn't dry out by 2pm. Plus, her skin still looked fresh and hydrated when she took off her makeup at the end of the day.

Elemis Pro Radiance Illuminating Flash Balm is part of Elemis's £10,000 donation to Breast Cancer Care, a registered charity in England, Wales, and Scotland. The price is £60 via Elemis.com for UK sales or $50 in the US via Dermstore.com (where you can currently use the code OCT20 for 20% off your purchase!).

Will you be picking up this awesome product?

 

What's in My Travel Bag

For a beauty blogger, narrowing down what I bring on vacation to just the essentials is a chore. After all, I have over ten deep drawers full of polish, blushes, foundations, and other bath and body products.

When I went to London, the struggle was real. I was going to be spending many days in another country and while I was certain that if I was missing anything, one of their drug stores would have me covered, I didn't want to have to go hunting down any stores or figuring out which brands were comparable. Plus, the exchange rate from USD to GBP is not favorable, so I wanted to avoid spending money unnecessarily. (AKA: have more money to bring back British cosmetics!)

So here is everything I packed below:

The Hawaii lotion, Pantene root boster bottle, dry shampoo, and face wipes were packed in a gallon bag in my suitcase on their own. However, everything else fit into my Victoria's Secret double-sided cosmetics case.

So what exactly did I bring?

Let's break it down!

Swatch and Review: Zoya Naked Manicure System

Long time, no see, everyone! I'm ten days away from taking the NY and NJ Bar Exams (AHHHH!), so hopefully, I'll have more time to get back to swatching and my nail art once that stupid test is over!

In other news, as you may have seen on Facebook, I received the Zoya Naked Manicure System a little under a month ago. Since then, I have been testing the various shades of the collection, as well as the wear of both matte and glossy looks.

Here is what Zoya says about the Naked Manicure System: "The Naked Manicure System is a simple, highly effective system that gives clients instant, gorgeous natural looking nails. It also provides the intense therapeutic, long term benefits for stronger, healthier nails."

Because of what was posted on their website, I approached product testing with three goals in mind:

1) How natural does it look?
2) How long does it last?
3) Does it make my nails stronger or healthier?

Sometimes, from all the swatching, my nails can be a little yellow and I have issues with ridges. I'm also going to be starting a new job in the fall and I wanted a few more professional-looking options that I could wear every day and know they're appropriate for both day and night work events.

You can also layer different Perfector shades to get a more customized color based on your skin tone and condition of your nails, as demonstrated below:

I'm happy to report that I've now gotten the whole collection swatched and tested for wear!

How Natural Does it Look (The Perfector Shades):

Below, you'll find a comparison between my natural nail, the satin (matte) look, and the glossy look.

DEAL ALERT: Full Zoya Naked Manicure System for $77 (Reg: $96)

Like many of you, I've found myself intrigued by the following from Zoya:

According to Zoya, the system will:

The only downside to the system thus far has been the price. The full kit and caboodle consists of five colors, one white tip shade, two different top coats, and a base coat for a total of $96.

They also offer one color (Pink Perfecter), the white tip, the base coat, and satin top coat for $25 as a set.

Yet, when I started to do the math, I quickly realized something didn't add up.

And I was right.

As I previously mentioned, the price of the full starter kit with a stand for the nine bottles is $96.

But then this happened:

However, it turns out, you can merely purchase the Women's Starter Kit and add on the Mauve, Lavender, Nude, and Buff Perfecters... and get the collection and all the free gifts that Zoya has to offer for $77.

The only thing you don't seem to get is the little stand meant for salon display, which I don't think is quite worth the $19 upcharge. Information on application, blending, etc. is available on the NakedManicure.com website, as well, so it isn't exclusive to the kit.

So if you've been eying the full collection, or even just a few, the best bet is to buy the Women's Starter Kit for $25 (since just the base coat and satin top coat alone are $12 each) and then individually purchase any other shades you might want.

Just picked up the full set for $77 myself, so expect a full review in the future. As someone who sometimes likes to go "naked" (when it comes to my nails... get your minds out of the gutter!), I'm interested to see how these look and function.

Thoughts on this interesting discovery?

An Update!

Hello, everyone! I'm sorry that I've been absent for the better part of the past two months or so. As many of you know, I started this blog as a senior in college and continued it through law school. I'm very happy to say that I graduated in May and am now preparing to take the NY and NJ state bar exams. Consequently, my free time is at a minimum.

However, I will try to continue to post at least once a week from here out.

That being said, if anyone would like to write a guest post for this blog, please contact me at PrincessPolishBlog@gmail.com. I have plenty of room for those posts, as I don't take the exams until July 28-30th.

Thanks for sticking with me and keeping up with me on Instagram!

xoxo

Easter Chevrons

Happy Easter, my lovelies!

For my Easter nails, I used two different sized Chevron nail vinyls over a base of OPI Skull and Glossbones, plus Colors by Llarowe Good Fortune and Smooth Criminal.

I really loved how this came out. It's sparkly and pretty and very springy!

Nail Rehab: Get Your Nails in Shape for Spring!

With temperatures FINALLY starting to break the fifties in New York City and grass FINALLY visible again, it's official: spring is upon us!

So now that your fingers won't be tucked away in gloves, it's time to get them back into shape to be on display. (Plus, you'll be well ahead of the game by the time summer comes around!)

There are three major steps I recommend to fix up your nails:

Barielle Gentle Breeze Watercolor Water Marble

I haven't done a water marble in what seems like FOREVER, so I decided when I received the Barielle Gentle Breeze collection for spring 2015, I would have to give it a shot!

According to Barielle, the Spring collection "reflects the soft, gentle, eclectic hues of this most welcome and delightful season." It is definitely atypical of other brands' spring collections, but that's not really a bad thing.

Under the Sea - A rich, sea scuba blue shimmer

Champagne and Bubbles - A creamy tangerine

Pink Parasol - A creamy strawberry ice

Gray Sky - A rich, creamy glacier gray

Heaven Sent - A soft creamy aquamarine

Prior to starting the water marbling process, I painted on two coats of Under the Sea as the base.

I initially didn't intend for this to have a very soft, watercolor look, but a few of these shades (Champagne and Bubbles, Under the Sea, and Heaven Sent) are on the sheerer side.

I really loved how this came out, even though the colors bled together. It actually made a pretty watercolor effect!

I am TOTALLY in love with this water marble. I wore it for a full week before I managed to take it off!

The Gentle Breeze collection is available from Barielle as a set for $25 USD.

What do you think of this watercolor look?


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. 

Parks and Recreation Sunflower Painting Nail Art

Tonight is the final episode of Parks and Recreation, a show I started watching two years ago and fell in LOVE with. In honor of the series finale, I am following the trend set by Emily over at The Lacquerologist and showing my love for Ben, Leslie, and the rest of the Parks and Rec crew with my nail art!

One of my hands down favorite episodes is actually a two-partner in which Ben and Leslie get married. The final shot of them after they actually tie the knot is them in front of their favorite painting in the building:

So I tried to do a little take on sunflowers of my own, incorporating the golden tones, as well as the purplish flowers that pepper the painting, as well.

I used acrylic paints for this flowers in yellow, peach, and orange, as well as purple. The base is Colors by Llarowe Beam Me Up Scotty.

If you're a Parks and Rec fan, are you as devastated by the end of the series as I am?

Swatch and Review: Colors by Llarowe Beam Me Up Scotty

I hope that Monday is treating you all well!

I'm unfortunately STILL sick and can't take virtually any sort of medication post-surgery. *Sighs heavily* I hate this weather.

What I don't hate, however, are holo polishes and Star Trek. In fact, when I found out that Colors by Llarowe named a polish Beam Me Up Scotty, I knew I just had to have it!

(In case you've forgotten, I totally fangirled over Karl Urban, who plays Leonard "Bones" McCoy in the reboot movies, at NY Comic Con)

Beam Me Up Scotty is an icy blue linear holo polish, with tiny flecks of turquoise glitter sprinkled throughout. The glitter was a bit of a surprise, but I really like the extra pop it adds!

All Colors by Llarowe polishes are available at Llarowe.com for between $6 and $12 dollars. (The holos tend to run on the higher end of the price range).

Are you ready to be beamed aboard the Enterprise?

NJ Pet Expo and 101 Dalmatians Nail Art

Two weekends ago was the New Jersey Pet Expo and I attended for the second time. Last year, I had just adopted Pebbles (read all about her story here) the week before, so I stocked up on some goodies for her.

This go around, we now have Dakota, Pebbles, and Brynn (who we permanently adopted last March), so I stocked up on some toys, treats, and a couple of new collars. Those collars are so pretty... I'm sure I'll be using them as inspiration for some manicures

So in honor of Pet Expo, I did a little 101 Dalmatians nail art!

I used Revlon Gold Coin, Milani Spotlight White, Zoya Breezi, Zoya Rehka, and Zoya Raven to make this nail art, along with gray striping paint.

This was extremely labor-intensive, but I'm happy with how it came out. What do you think?

Valentine's Day and Anti-Valentine's Day Nail Art

Happy Valentine's Day, everybody!

Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it), I'm still recovering from both my surgery and the flu, so I can't stomach any chocolate or other candy. However, that doesn't mean I can't celebrate the holiday with a little sparkle!

When I asked over on the Princess Polish Facebook page what you all wanted to see from my Valentine's Day manicure this year, it seemed lots of you wanted something non-traditional, possibly holographic. So I came up with something that could be both in celebration or opposition of the holiday, depending on how you look at it!

The base color is Colors by Llarowe Dirty Diana with Sinful Colors Black on Black on top.

I thought that the slash of magenta could be something sassy and fierce for a night out with a special someone, but also could be anti-Valentine's Day because it reminds me of a broken heart.

I was really happy to rock this look at least for a day around school and work. Unfortunately, being sick meant I basically was the only one who got to stare at it this week. But oh well! Now you all can see it too!

Would you wear this non-traditional mani?

Swatch and Review: Colors by Llarowe Dirty Diana

Here's some swatches of a lemming I squashed last week when I picked it up in a swap. This shade comes from the Michael Jackson Collection from Colors by Llarowe and it's absolutely stunning!

Dirty Diana is a magenta linear holo that is honestly one of the most vivid holo polishes I have ever seen!

Dirty Diana is currently in stock over at Llarowe for $12! Scoop it up while you can!

Swatch and Review: Milani Spotlight White

Okay, I get it. You're probably wondering why the heck I'm dedicating an entire post to a plain white nail polish. I don't blame you. I'd have probably thought the same.

But you see, white nail polish isn't as simple as it should be. I'll admit to trying at least 20 different brands and shades. They're either too runny and streaky or so thick and gloopy that they never dry. So to find the perfect white polish is a pretty big accomplishment.

And guess what? I did. For only $3.99.

Milani Spotlight White is shown here with two coats and no top coat. It's entirely opaque and streak free, but didn't take hours to dry. It's the PERFECT base for neons or nail art. Really, I LOVE it.

And at $3.99 at your local CVS or other retailer, it's a steal.

Spotlight White is my go-to... what's yours?

Review: Beejuvenate Body Balm

I have a new body product in today's post called Beejuvenate! Beejuvenate is an all natural skin balm made from beeswax and a variety of other natural ingredients. There is no alcohol in these products, which makes them even more gentle on skin!

Beejuvenate was founded by a pair of beekeeping brothers in Utah who are doing their part to combat the decrease in the bee population, while also creating skin care products for people with a variety of skin issues, including eczema.

Milani Fierce Foil Nail Lacquer Snowflake Nail Art

While swatching the brand new Milani Fierce Foil collection, I found my snowflake nail vinyls and thought that the colors would lend themselves nicely to a little winter nail art.

For this look, I used Milani Venice and Rome:

Milani Venice is a cobalt blue metallic polish that I used for the snowflakes and Milani Rome is a metallic orchid that I used as the base.

I really liked how wintery these came out with the combination of colors, but also the metallic shimmer. It's still colorful, but icy in a way. I really loved it.

And even though these are metallic, I had no issues with staining or removal. These came off really easily.

Stay tuned for a full review of the entire Milani Fierce Foil Nail Lacquer collection later this week! In the meantime, you can find these two shades at your local CVS for $3.99. But act fast! These are limited edition!

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. 

Seahawks Blue and Green Nail Art

Last night on Facebook, I asked whether everyone was rooting for the Seahawks or the Patriots and the results were overwhelming. It seemed like most people were on the Russell Wilson train!

I, too, am rooting for the Seattle Seahawks, so I decided to do a little nail art with a few of the holo polishes I recently received in a swap.

I used Milani Spotlight White for the base with Colors by Llarowe Bronco Blue (ironic, I know) and Young Grasshoppa.

All of these were made using nail vinyls from Up Your Nail. The thumb and ring finger were with vinyls, the other three were made using their nail guides. The only one I struggled with a little was the teardrop guide, but I figured it out a little better after a redo.

Please let me know what you think of my Super Bowl nail art and feel free to post your nail art to my Facebook page. I'll be sharing some of my favorites throughout the game!

Swatch and Review: Jade Mystic Gold

TGIF! And to celebrate, I wanted a little sparkle on my nails. So what better choice than a little linear holo in what I affectionately call Command Gold (after Star Trek)!?!

Jade Mystic Gold is a gold linear holo polish. The above is with three coats, but you can still see some visible nail line. It's just as visible in person as in the photo. Here, it has a marigold sort of tint indoors, but you can see below that it has a much truer gold look in sunlight.

I actually wore Mystic Gold last weekend when, as many of you saw on Facebook, I underwent surgery. I was only allowed to wear nail polish if they could still see my nails underneath and I thought this was a good compromise. The doctors and nurses LOVED it, actually. It was kind of funny.

I have a bunch of different Jade polishes in my stash, though this is the first one I've swatched. Jade is a Brazilian company that makes a ton of different finishes, but my favorite are the holos in the Holografica collection. They're also reasonably priced at a price of $7-$8, which is right on par with a lot of salon brands. 

The only downside is that you can't purchase them in stores, but can purchase them from stockists such as Llarowe. (Link will take you to the Jade Holograficas collection). I know that Llarowe offers free shipping on orders over $50, so with six or seven polishes, you'll get them shipped for free.

What do you think of Mystic Gold? Would you like to see other Jade holos on the blog?