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. 

Zoya Loredana with Studs

Hello, everyone! I just picked up some awesome clearance stuff while at Ulta, including backups of the Zoya MatteVelvet Collection and a nail wheel of studs. Both were on clearance for 50% off!

I thought it would be kind of cool to play with the matte silver metallic look of Zoya Loredana with the shiny gold metallic pop of the square studs.

The above is with three coats of Loredana. In order to make the studs stick (because they're concave), I had to apply top coat to my ring finger before applying the studs. After I felt the top coat was dry and the studs were secure, I went back over the polish with a matte top coat. I honestly wouldn't notice the difference.

Will you try the mixed metallic look anytime soon?

Swatch and Review: Alessandro International

 Happy Monday, everybody!

I am fortunate enough to be an Alessandro Ambassador and today, I have for you five new shades from their fall collection!

Get the NYFW Look: Jin Soon for Tess Giberson

Runway Inspiration:

Tess Giberson Fall/Winter 2014 collection is based on the transference of classic rugged American sportswear into contemporary, effortless, luxurious style. Manicurist Jin Soon Choi used this same idea and created a modern interpretation of the classic French manicure.

Jin Soon Nail Products Used:

• Dark gray/metallic black nail polish
• JINsoon Kookie White
• JINsoon Top Gloss
• JINsoon Power Coat 

Get the look:

1. File and clean nails, removing all traces of polish.
2. Apply JINsoon Power Coat base coat.
3. Next, apply two coats of dark gray/metallic black nail polish (the shade Jin used from her upcoming JINsoon Fall/Winter 2014 Tess Giberson Collection), let dry.
4. At the tip of the nail, apply a thin arc of JINsoon Kookie White.
5. Finish by applying a single coat of JINsoon Top Gloss.

Swatch and Review: Ruby White Tips Amethyst

Hi again, everyone! Thanks for continuing to stick by me as I suffer through my last exams as a 1L in law school. After tomorrow's Property exam, I have Civil Procedure to take on Wednesday and then I'm home free. Thankfully, I think my exams are in order from most difficult to least difficult!

Last month, I showed you a beautiful pink foil polish from Ruby White Tips. Laura, the brilliant woman behind RWT, sent me another polish that will soon be listed on her Etsy page: Amethyst.

Amethyst is gray to purple duochrome with frosty shimmer. Above is with three coats on its own.

I really loved the surprise of this polish. I think it would be nice for anyone to wear to work because of the muted neutral of the gray, but with the surprise pop of the purple shimmer!

And here is two coats of Amethyst over one coat of Rimmel Black Satin. It loses the gray to purple duochrome over black and instead, takes on a light purple to dark purple quality. I think I prefer it on its own better, but that's not to say it isn't pretty on its own. I love how metallic it is over black.

It reminds me a little of Deborah Lippmann Wicked Game and Wet n Wild Gray's anatomy. HOWEVER, this shade has a lot more purple to it, especially over black. Also, the brushstrokes are not nearly as noticeable in Amethyst. So I will totally reach for this first!

Amethyst will so be available in the Ruby White Tips Etsy store, along with the existing variety of other amazing colors! It is $8.50 for a full-sized, .45 oz bottle. It's vegan and 3-free, to boot!

And a PRINCESS POLISH EXCLUSIVE: receive 20% off with my blogger code! The code is: DEZINEZ. (Note: the BatWorld charity polish and mystery polishes are ineligible)

So what do you think of Amethyst?

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.  

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...

Swatch and Review: Milani Texture Collection

Hello, my lovelies! I'm typing this from sunny southern Florida and loving it immensely!

Right before I left, I received the Milani Texture Collection in the mail. So I decided that I needed to try out these brights before I left for Florida!

Valentine's Day Lace Nail Art & Tutorial

Hi, everyone! Today, I'm starting my four-part series of Valentine's Day nail art! I'm going to try and bring you some manicures that are fun and funky, along with classic and sweet. For the most part, you'll be able to do all of them at home!

Monday's manicure theme is lace!

This look was accomplished using two coats of OPI You Only Live Twice and and OPI Skull and Glossbones. But obviously, you can replicate this using any shades you like and two different sized dotting tools! (Or a toothpick and a bobby pin. Seriously, that will work too! It's what I used before I knew what dotting tools were.)

This is really easy to replicate!

Step 1: Paint your base color until opaque, as you normally would.

Step 2: Using your second color, paint a French tip. It doesn't have to be perfectly even because you're going to be covering it up anyway!

Step 3: Take your larger dotting tool and dip it in the second color. Make dots along the outline of the French tip, with the top 1/3 of the dot overlapping the tip.

Step 4: Take the smaller dotting tool and dip it in your base color. Place a dot in the center of each of the large dots.

Step 5: Let it dry for about fifteen minutes before applying top coat to avoid dragging.

Step 6: Go rock it and look fabulous!

So what do you all think? Is this something you'd try on your own?

Until tomorrow!

Swatch & Review: My Spirit Fingers Cutie Pie

Happy Saturday! If you live in the Northeast like I do, I hope that you're safely snowed in and stocked up. We only got about 6" or so, but I have friends in Connecticut and Massachusetts whose snow totals are WELL over 30."

Today, I'm bringing you a brand new indie brand called My Spirit Fingers, which makes glitter top coats. The polish I will be showing you is called Cutie Pie.

My Cutie Pie is a clear base with silver bar glitter and varying sizes of hex glitter in magenta, silver, and bright blue. Here, I polished two coats of it over Essie No More film for a fun and playful look.

It applied easily with two coats and wasn't gloopy at all, a common problem with glitter bombs. In fact, I got a large variety of glitter with the first coat, so that was a major plus.

And here it is over SoFlaJo Silverado. I think this was my favorite combination and wore it for three days after I put it on! It has a nice pop to it, but it's a little more subdued and vampy. LOVED this.

Overally, this was a great glitter bomb and I was impressed with the overall formula.

Currently, My Spirit Fingers is taking orders via the invoice method. All polishes, including Cutie Pie, are $8.50 per bottle. For more information, you can email Dona (the mind behind MSF) at MySpiritFingers@gmail.com or visit the MSF Facebook page.

What do you all think of this glitter bomb?

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.   

Swatch & Review: SoFlaJo Silverado

Happy Thursday, my lovelies!

Today's featured polish is by the wonderful brand, SoFlaJo! You may remember this awesome indie for Pendragon, Sunset Grille, and Ghost of a Chance. This shade is from the brand new Matte Love Collection, which features seven shimmers that can be worn as matte (which is how they dry) or with top coat for some big time pop!

The polish I'm showing you today is called Silverado!

 Silverado is a matte charcoal polish with holo glitter. Here, it is with two coats.

You all know me. I'm not exactly a fan of mattes. But this one was a shade I could wear without issue all day, every day.

And bonus...

 Look at how gorgeous it looks with top coat! It's a little blacker with gloss, but you can see how much the shimmer pops in this one. I can't wait to two-tone this with a glossy tip French manicure or stripes. Or some other awesome options!

Overall, this was a BIG winner for me. If you're a fan of mattes, this is totally for you. Even if you're not, this one will definitely surprise you.

All SoFlaJo polishes are available on her website. The full Matte Love Collection consists of a yellow (Going Down), magenta (Pink it Up!), amethyst (Involved), solid black (Black Dagger), Silverado, black shimmer (Black Beauty), and white (White Sensation). They are $5 for a mini bottle (5mL) and $10 for a full sized bottle (15mL). The mini set is $35 with discounted shipping.

I LOVED this shade. How about you?

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.  

Swatch and Review: China Glaze Tranzitions

Happy Saturday, everyone! Today, I have for you three of the new Tranzitions shades from China Glaze!

The Tranzitions are a form of color-changing polish in which the use of top coat triggers the color shift. In all of the swatches with the dual colors, I used China Glaze Fast Forward top coat.

First up is Shape Shifter, a gunmetal metallic polish. This was opaque in just one coat. The color itself was pretty, but very streaky. I did my best to hide the brushstrokes, but I wasn't thrilled with the end result.

Here is Shape Shifter with the top coat. I wanted to do some designs on the nail so you could see the difference with and without top coat. As you can see, the color shifts to a blurple that I'm pretty fond of and would probably wear on its own.

This one is Altered Reality, a teal metallic polish that was opaque in one coat. This was even more streaky than Shape Shifter.

The french tip I did was with two coats of top coat and it barely made a difference. The shift wasn't enough to be noticeable for me. This was by far my least favorite of the three.

Split Perso-nail-ity was my favorite of the three and probably the only one I'd wear again. It's a dusty pink that changes to more of a magenta. This is with two coats to even out the streakiness.

And here is the color with the top coat. I used a dotting tool to create the polka dots and then dotted the original color back on to hollow them out. I thought this was a pretty easy way to do nail art.

The pros: Versatile color. Need only one bottle for multiple looks.

The cons: Slow dry time unless you use a top coat, but you can't if you want any portion to remain pink. These shades also stained my nails. Additionally, the brushstrokes are not really attractive to me in the first two shades and not nearly enough of a color shift.

The Tranzitions collection is currently available at ULTA and other beauty retail stores. For more information, please visit www.chinaglaze.com or follow China Glaze on Facebook (@ChinaGlazeOfficial), Twitter (@ChinaGlaze) and Pinterest (pinterest.com/chinaglaze).

What do you think of the Tranzitions? Do you have a favorite?

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.

Swatch and Review: Zoya Designer Collection

Happy Thursday, everyone! I am SO excited to bring to you the first of the three Fall collections from Zoya! This is the Designer Collection, chock full of gorgeous, luscious cremes!

See? They're to DIE FOR!

Swatch and Review: China Glaze On Safari Collection

The first collection of the fall is here and it's China Glaze On Safari!

Swatch and Review: The New Black Week Day 6 - Typography Manicure

Good morning to you all! Thanks for sticking by me during my sick day yesterday. I still feel a little blah, but at least it's minus the pounding migraine.

Today, I have for you the last set of The New Black for the week. It's more of a nail art set, unlike anything else I have tested out this week, and is called the Times Late Edition set.

Newspaper manicures have become all the rage in the world of nail polish. It's pretty easy and relatively anyone can do it. Unfortunately, there are a few problems.

1) You need to use nail polish remover to do it, leaving an unpleasant smell on your hands or drying out cuticles.

2) The newsprint is from an article of your choosing, but there are bound to be words and phrases you don't want on your nails.

3) Most importantly, THE PRINT IS BACKWARDS! The only way to read your nails is with a mirror!

The typography set, which includes a transfer solution and topcoat, solves this. It includes custom sheets of newsprint with phrases like faith, peace, and believe, printed mirror image style so it comes out readable on your nails. And trust me, if you mess up a few times like I did, it's okay. There are enough sheets in there for at least 40 manicures. I swear.

It also comes with a putty-colored gray that makes your nails look just like a newspaper. I wanted to keep the AWESOME fire gradient from the Runway collection and figured this would be a good opportunity to test out the set on other shades.

It's very simple to do. You cut the print the size of your nail, apply transfer solution all over the nail (don't be stingy with it), place the print on the nail, and apply pressure with a cotton ball so that the print saturates. Thirty seconds later, you're done!

As you can see, the end result was decent. I think with a few more manicures of practice, I could get it perfect. My only issue with the set was that it seemed like I could never get enough transfer solution on my nail to make the full rectangle appear saturated so that the print was dark enough to be visible. I tried to apply the solution over the square when I noticed this, but that was more hurtful than helpful. The harder I pushed with the cotton ball, the more the liquid spread over the paper, so perhaps this takes more practice.

Believe me, I'm going to try this again to get it right because the idea is super smart. That being said, it actually faded with the gradient, so it looked somewhat intentional. Just be sure not to move the print once it's on your nail, as you will wind up with smudged text like on my index finger.

Overall, I think this set has a lot of potential. It just takes a little time to get the hang of.

*SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT*: Be sure to come back to Princess Polish tomorrow, when I'll be giving away a special prize from The New Black. I'm not going to tell you what it is until then, BUT I will say that you should probably go ahead and like TNB's Facebook page to get an early start!

All of The New Black sets are available at Sephora, Nordstrom, and Beauty.com. However, this collection is currently exclusive to Beauty.com. All of the sets, like Graffiti, Haze, Waves, and Runway include five 0.125 fl oz. bottles of polish. Polishes by TNB are 3-free, cruelty-free, and vegan friendly! The sets range from $10 to $32, with the Runway Collection retailing for $32.

Remember to check back in because the fun continues tomorrow with a freebie!
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. Product photos provided by The New Black.

ANNOUNCING: The New Black Week at Princess Polish + a Giveaway

Good morning, everyone! Hope you've had a wonderful weekend so far!

I'm very happy to announce that today kicks of The New Black Week here at Princess Polish!

The New Black is a relatively new presence in the world of nail polish, but I am being entirely honest when I say that their products are incredibly unique. Instead of offering singular polishes, they created specially-themed sets that are highly affordable, yet offer the ability to re-create hot nail trends at home.

So this week, I'm going to be showcasing a different set of nail polishes from The New Black every day, culminating in an awesome giveaway on Saturday. Excited? Me too!

First up is a set that caught my eye right from the start. It's one of the five piece sets from TNB and is an ombré collection.

As you can see, this is definitely an ombré effect at your fingertips. It goes from a black creme all the way to a silver glitter. At first glance, I wasn't sure how this would look on me. The idea of mixing cremes, glitters, and metallics to make the ombré nail effect was a little perplexing. But then I figured... what the heck and tried this one out first.

Holy grail of nail polish... I LOVE it! The colors blended SO well into one another as I progressed from thumb to pinky. In fact, the black on my thumb was a one-coater. When does THAT ever happen? (I apologize for the squishy photo... so hard to get my thumb in there)

Everything dried relatively quickly and I had ombré nails in under 15 minutes. With the polish-mixing technique that is what most of us rely on, it takes me that amount of time to mix two shades. With the Graffiti set, I had five manageable bottles to work with that created an outstanding effect that was not only show-stopping (in one class alone, I had to pass on the polish info at least twenty-five times), but drop dead gorgeous. I honestly felt like a rock star.

All of The New Black sets are available at Sephora, Nordstrom, and Beauty.com. The ombré sets, like Graffiti, include five 0.125 fl oz. bottles of polish. All polishes by TNB are 3-free, cruelty-free, and vegan friendly!

So what do you think of the Graffiti set? Are you excited as I am for The New Black Week?

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. Product photos provided by The New Black.

Hump Day Holo: a-England Ascalon

Thanks to a swap with a lovely fellow blogger of mine, The Nail Files, I snagged this lemming and nearly cried tears of joy when I opened the box!

I mean, how could you not LOVE this color? I loved it so much, I had to take a picture of it immediately. That's the shipping box it arrived in behind the bottle.

Dear GOD, look at that holo!

On the nails, it's just gorgeous. Seriously, a-England Ascalon has a nice linear aspect about it, as well as scattered quality, depending on the light. The base of the actual nail polish is pretty similar to Deborah Lippmann Wicked Game/OPI Not Like the Movies/Wet n Wild Gray's Anatomy in that it's a gray-lavender duochrome. But the holographic quality cranks it up to 11.

Polishes by a-England are 13ml bottles and available from their official website and through Llarowe. They retail for $12.50 each.

Day 25: Zoya Petra

When I received the Smoke and Mirrors collection, there were three polishes in there I figured only my roommate would wear. One of them was Petra. But when I saw the shade on her nails, I could not believe how deceiving the color looked in the bottle.

Petra is a dusky gray creme with heavy purple undertones. In fact, it's a pretty wearable color for me, especially considering she was going into my share pile. The funny thing is that in toying around with my recent discovery that layering OPI DS Shimmer over anything and everything makes great polishes even more amazing, I found out how to make Petra a total showstopper.

How drool-worthy is THAT?

For Day 26, let's have a good 'ol battle of the blues: Kristen v. Breezi. Get to voting!

And don't forget to enter the Peter Som Collection Giveaway. Just three days left!

Happy Thursday!
Princess Polish