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: Milani Retro Glam Collection

Happy Monday, everyone! Today, I have for you six AWESOME new limited edition shades from Milani, including a really fun glitter topper called Jewel FX. It's named the Retro Glam Collection and my favorite part is that they're all named after ice cream flavors!

Swatch and Review: Zoya Pixie Dust Part 1

Hello, everyone! Today, I have for you three shades in the Zoya Pixie Dust Collection!

I picked Godiva, Dahlia, and Chyna to show you first!

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.

Dupe or No Dupe: Layla Ceramic Effect 52 vs. Nfu Oh 51

Hello, lovelies! I'm so happy to report that finals have officially ended for me and I have a life once more. My last exam was on Wednesday and I'm currently typing from the Queen Mum's apartment in Florida, which is a nice change of pace from the cold, windy, and overall dreary New Jersey weather.

I picked up the Layla Ceramic Effect 52 a week ago after I spotted it at Ulta. It was kind of buried in a corner with the false eyelashes, oddly enough, and I really just stumbled onto it.

I've heard around the internet that CE 52 is a dupe for Nfu Oh 51, so it's time to play...

DUPE OR NO DUPE!

Here are the bottles: Layla Ceramic Effect 52 on the left, Nfu Oh 51 on the right.

Upon a closer inspection, you can see both have a wisteria purple base. Also, the flakies seem to be in the same color spectrum of cranberry red with lime and bright yellow shifts.

CE 52 is on the index and ring fingers, with Nfu Oh 51 on the middle and pinky. With one coat over Cult Nails Flushed, you can see there's a distinct difference. The Layla polish seems to have much finer flakes that can almost be mistaken for microshimmer. They're also kind of sparse. Nfu Oh 51, on the other hand, has much more visible, dense flakes.

With two coats, the distribution of flakes seems a little more dense for CE 52. But still, there is a noticeable difference in flake size and density.

Here's a close up of Nfu Oh 51 (left) and Layla Ceramic Effects 52 (right).

So what's the verdict? Definitely, no dupe. While they are similar for sure, CE 52 isn't a dense and doesn't flash different colors in quite the same way as its Nfu Oh counterpart. They're certainly different enough to allow you to own both, with equally good formulas.

Ultimately, I still prefer Nfu Oh 51.

What do you think?

Swatch and Review: 365 Days of Color Hocus Pocus Collection

Happy Friday! (Unless you're like me... sick and studying for midterms. BLECH)

Now that Halloween is less than two weeks away, I wanted to bring you two polishes from the Hocus Pocus Collection by 365 Days of Color! BUT I had to wait until they were re-stocked so you could enjoy them too!

The Hocus Pocus Collection is named after the famed Disney movie, starring Bette Midler, a pre-SATC Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Naijimi.

So let's take a look!

Nfu Oh 52 and butter LONDON Bluey

It's football Sunday... and I've already changed my mani since yesterday! Well, sort of.

On Saturday, I reviewed butter London Bluey and wasn't blown away by the color. However, not inclined to take off the polish and do it over (and let's be honest, with a research report due Monday morning at 9am), I reached for an effects top coat.

And grabbed Nfu-Oh 52!

Nfu-Oh 52 is a blue jelly base with emerald flakies. They're really multi-dimensional and change based on the shade they're layered over.

I feel like the ocean is literally on my nails.

Are you still aboard the flakie train?
Princess Polish

Announcing: Zoya Gilty Gift Box

Gilty Pleasures 18K Real Gold Flake Topcoat Gift Box by Zoya

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).

Pre-Order Today HERE! 

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!

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

Polished Professionals: Weekday to Weekend

The weekend is nearly upon us, a three-day weekend at that, and I don't know about you, but I'm SO ready! So here's a little weekend-themed post as part of the Polished Professionals series. If you missed last week's post, you can check out my Beauty Survival Kit!

With Labor Day weekend officially here, I'm sure that many of you, like myself, have plans for a party or barbecue. Weekend plans can often throw a little bit of a wrench into things when it comes to your nails.

Maybe you've just gotten a manicure at the start of the week and it's tough to part with your perfect polish job. Or maybe you have gel polish in a neutral color that's just not going to cut it for a party. You could have last minute plans. Or perhaps, as this is often the case for me, you're too lazy/tired to take off your polish, put on new, and wait for it to dry. After all, it's a long process!

Today, I'm going to show you a few weekday to weekend looks that can be accomplished in just fifteen-twenty minutes. And most of that is just drying time. You could really even do this on the way to the party in the car... not that I've done it before or anything...

The best part about the looks to follow is that they're very simple and easy to achieve. All you need is two kinds of top coat: your normal quick-dry brand (I use either Seche Vite or HK Girl) and a special effects top coat.

Special Effects top coats are those that change the look of your polish in some way. They can be your ordinary glitter/sparkle, a flake-filled fiesta, or even a holo top coat. It's totally up to you.

So, let's get started with some transformations!

Swatch and Review: Dazzle Dry 3 Piece Nail System, Cherry Parfait, and Silver Lace

Good morning, all! Thank you for being patient while I moved out of college these past two days. It's a VERY daunting process, though was depressing because it was the last time I will ever do it. I'll be commuting when I do attend law school, so no more moving into dorms for me.

Today, I have a brand that is near and dear to my heart. I initially found them while searching for vegan-friendly nail polishes for my best friend.

And I'm pretty sure that in the end, I fell in love with them even more than she did!