Swatch: Orly Coachella Dweller

Hi everyone! With warm weather fast approaching, I’d like to show you a great polish that transitions easily from spring into summer – Orly’s Coachella Dweller!

Coachella Dweller is a pistachio green creme. I applied two coats without top coat.

The formula on this was sub-par, especially for Orly. It was very thick and prone to streaking and balding. One thin coat, followed by a thicker second coat, covered the nail sufficiently without any obvious streaking. I think the color is worth the bad formula, though, because I can’t come up with any dupes. And, it’s pretty

What do you think of Coachella Dweller? Do you think it’s worth the less than desirable formula?

Note: this product was given to me as gift.

Camouflage

Hi everyone! I found this super cute camo tutorial from Cutepolish, and I knew I had to recreate it!

For my base polish, I used Coachella Dweller by Orly. After that, I made irregular shapes using the polish brushes. The colors I used were Don’t Mess With OPI, Essie Mojito Madness, Finger Paints It Baroque, and OPI Here Today…Aragon Tomorrow. Then I finished the look by applying Essie’s Matte About You.

I love this look – it’s a perfect way to wear camouflage without going overboard!

What do you think? Would you wear camo on your nails?

Note: all products used on this post were purchased by me, excluding Orly Coachella Dweller, which was a gift.

The Nail Challenge Collaborative – Neon Week 3

Hi everyone! Recently, I joined the Nail Challenge Collaborative on Facebook, which is a group of ladies that posts four manicures a month based off of a designated theme.  Since I joined half-way through the month, I am only doing two manicures for week 3 and 4. This month’s theme is Neon.

I decided to use Color Club’s London Calling, along with NYC Sidewalkers, to create an interlocking dot look.

This look is really easy to do, but hard for me to explain. Check out this tutorial from Polishpedia!

Check out what the other ladies are coming up with!

Note: all the products used in this post were purchased by me.

Step into Summer Challenge – Neon

Hi everyone! Today I’ve got another nail art look for the Step into Summer Challenge to share with you! Today’s theme is Neon.

I decided to use my favorite neon polish, Jackie Oh! from Color Club. I spiced up the manicure by adding a striped accent nail.

The formula on Jackie Oh! was fantastic; I barely needed a second coat for full coverage! To help the stripes pop, I applied a coat of My Boyfriend Scales Walls by OPI on my ring finger. I used a Kiss striper in Yellow and an It’s So Easy striper in Neon Orange.

I really like this manicure – it reminds me of a beach towel!

Check out what the other ladies have been doing!

Note: all the products mentioned in this post were purchased by me.

Review: Ageless Derma Daily Mineral Guard Sunscreen SPF 25

Hi everyone! Recently I was contacted by Ageless Derma (affiliate link) to review their Daily Mineral Guard Sunscreen SPF 25!

Daily Mineral Guard Sunscreen is paraben free and contains 8% titanium dioxide, which is great for sensitive skin. In addition to guarding your skin from the sun’s damaging rays, it also contains ingredients that soothe, protect, moisturize, fight off free radicals, reduce inflammation as well as puffiness. It retails for $32 for 4oz.

The sunscreen itself is tinted slightly yellow and (to me) appears to have no scent. It has a thick texture and takes a long time to rub in, most likely due to the high amount of titanium dioxide in it. You need to be sure to really rub this in, as it can leave a slight white cast if you aren’t careful.

My skin has a tendency to burn when I apply sunscreen, but that didn’t happen with this. It felt slightly thick going on, but once it was completely rubbed in, it felt like a heavy moisturizer. It was not uncomfortable at all; I could feel it on my skin but not in an unpleasant way.

I would recommend this for daily wear; however, like I stated earlier, you need to be sure to rub it in completely in order to avoid a white cast on your face. Despite that, it wears well with other makeup and doesn’t cause it break down. I would caution those with oily skin to keep blotting sheets with them, as it does leave that slightly oily covering on the face that most sunscreens do.

Bonus: this doesn’t remove shine from nail polish, which I find to be a huge plus!

I would definitely recommend this to anyone who looking for a sunscreen that doesn’t irritate skin or feel heavy and sticky. My only complaints are the long(er) application time and the price, which I believe to be a little high.

You can find Ageless Derma on Facebook here (affiliate link) and Twitter here (affiliate link).

Please note that these products were sent for my honest review and that this post contains affiliate links.

Swatch: Color Club London Calling

Hi ladies! Today I want to show you a polish perfect for summer – London Calling by Color Club!

London Calling is a neon mint creme. I applied one coat with top coat.

The formula on this was great; it was on the thicker side but not unmanageable. It covered perfectly in one coat, with no streaks. It was also self-leveling.

This is a Birchbox exclusive, but I highly recommend checking it out. It’s a great neon shade with an equally great formula.

Note: this was purchased by me.

June 2013 Birchbox

Hi ladies! Guess what arrived in the mail yesterday? My Birchbox!

This month’s theme is Wanderlust.

In addition to the samples, Birchbox included some fold-out postcards inspired by their favorite cities.

Now, on to the good stuff:

The first product I received was a Birchbox and Color Club collaboration. They created a set of four polishes inspired by four cities. I got the shade London Calling, which is a neon mint color. The pigmentation is fantastic; what you see is one coat! I would repurchase this but the sample size is so generous that I won’t need to for a long time!

Polish is Baker Street by Nails Inc.

Then I received Juicy Couture Couture La La perfume ($19-90). I’m not a fan of this scent. It smells very “old-lady” to me. It’s just too heavy and over-powering for my taste. I will not be repurchasing.

Then I got Kerastase Fondant Chroma Captive – Treat ($41). This is a moisturizing hair mask designed to lock in color. I don’t color treat my hair, so I can’t tell you if it helps with that or not. I can tell you, however, that I’m not a fan of this. It smells too heady and old for my tastes. It’s pretty runny, too, and I don’t think the results justify the high price tag.

The final product I received was Mirenesse Glossy Kiss Lipstick in Quick Kiss ($26.55). Quick Kiss is a bold orange color. This claims to be glossy, but it looked like a satin finish on my lips. The pigmentation blew me away! One swipe completely covered by lips in a bold orange color. Even after it rubbed off, I was left with a orange-pink stain on my lips. I probably won’t repurchase this. as I have a ton of lip products already. Plus, I love the color, but it isn’t something I would wear day after day, so I can’t justify spending that much money for a color I will only wear occasionally.

I was supposed to receive a Wash and Satin Bar from the Laundress as my lifestyle extra, but it did not get put into my box. Luckily, the Customer Service person was really nice. They are sending me another bar, and I will update this as soon as I get it.

What did you get this month?

Note: this was purchased by me.

Polish Days – To Boldy Go

Hello ladies! Today I’m participating in my first ever Polish Days post! This month’s theme is To Boldly Go. Naturally, I chose to do a galaxy look!

I followed this tutorial from MissJenFABULOUS. I started out by applying Knockout by Revlon. Then, I sponged on Unfor-Greta-Bly Blue by OPI, followed by Bikini So Teeny by Essie, and another coat of Unfor-Greta-Bly Blue. Then, I sponged on some of Elephantastic Pink by OPI and let the layers dry. I topped all of the sponging off with Orly’s Shine On Crazy Diamond. To make the larger stars, I fished out some of the hex glitters from Pirouette My Whistle by OPI and randomly placed them on the nail.

This is my first galaxy look, and I love it! Jen’s tutorial was really easy to follow, and the results look great!

Note: all the products used in this post were purchased by me, with the exception of OPI Elephantastic Pink and OPI Pirouette My Whistle, both of which were gifts.

Essie Beach Bum Blu

Hi ladies! Today I’ve got a great polish to share with you – Essie’s Beach Bum Blu!

Beach Bum Blu is a metallic blue-green. I applied two coats with top coat.

The formula on this was nice. Due to its metallic nature, it has a tendency to show brushstrokes. This personally doesn’t bother me, but it’s something to keep in mind.

The color reminds me of the ocean before a storm: churning and slightly ominous. I think it’s a great year-round polish. It’s light enough to work in the summer, but the metallic finish looks great against winter skin!

Note: this was given to me as a gift from my mom.

Zoya Belle

Hi ladies! Today I’ve got a swatch of Belle by Zoya to share with you!

Belle is a sheer coral with golden shimmer. I applied three coats with top coat. This is part of a trio exclusive to Birchbox. It was created by Capitol Hill Style.

The formula was nice; on the thicker side but nothing unmanageable. The dry time was a little slower than usual, though.

I like this color a lot, but I think I’ll like it more as a pedicure shade. I have a feeling it will look nice and summery on my toes!

Note: this product was purchased by me.