Woah, is it December? Time flies when you're incredibly busy. So, you know how I planned on swatching all my Lippmanns? I'm almost done! Now I just need to focus on posting them. Anyway, onto this fun mani.

2 coats

Deborah Lippmann Lilac Wine is a pastel lavender creme. First, I love this shade of purple. I'd wear it everyday if I didn't have so many polishes. Second, the formula on this is delicious. I stamped Color Club Eternal Beauty over top with an image from BM-404.



Lila Wine retails for $17 and is available (exclusively?) at Sephora.

So, the Lavish Set is an amazing value. For only $38, you get a 10 shadow palette, full sized tweezers, a mini brow pencil, a mini eye liner, and a mini double-ended brush. No wonder it's pretty much sold out everywhere!



Anyway, I was mainly interested in only two shades (Rum Cake and Sienna) from the palette. I didn't even know there was more to the kit until I got home.









I ended up really liking Truffle and Black Diamond as well. The glitter in Black Diamond sticks pretty well, too. All of the shades are pretty smooth and pigmented, but the mattes are a bit chalky. It's kind of crazy how nice these shadows are! My main gripe with this set is the packaging, but I'll get over it.



Here's a look I did using Orange Soda, Rum Cake, Sienna, and Truffle:










The Lavish set is still in stock at one of the Sephoras near me and online at Ulta.

This will be more of a rave than a review because I have absolutely nothing bad to say about these lipsticks. Obsessed! I have my top 3 picks from the line to share with you today.

Risk it All, Lead the Way, Stand Out

Risk it All, Lead the Way, Stand Out

The main reason I love these lipsticks is because they are incredibly comfortable to wear. It's rare that I find a highly pigmented lipstick that doesn't feel drying at some point in the wear time. So the fact that these Marvelous Moxies are probably the most hydrating lipsticks I own is a pretty big deal. Actually, they're the most hydrating lipsticks I own in this price point, which is $18. Such a great price for truly amazing lipsticks. Also, the satin finish is perfect for this formula.








Definitely check these out if you haven't yet!

Thanks to everyone who entered!





a Rafflecopter giveaway



a Rafflecopter giveaway



Please contact me by Monday 12/02. Congrats!

Beauty Envy Bag - Winter Edition

It's that time of year again, and the bloggers behind the Beauty Envy Bag are bringing you our winter favorites in our winter edition of the Beauty Envy Bag Giveaway! In case you are a new reader, here is a quick look at who is behind the giveaway.

So, I've probably made it clear that Deborah Lippmann is my favorite polish brand. I have a habit of buying everything she releases, even if it's not a color I'd typically wear. Well, I decided to reorganize my stash and get rid of some colors that absolutely will not work for me, and this is what I was left with:








I know, it's kind o funny that this is how many I have left AFTER a purge. Of these 95, I've swatched roughly half. My goal for this Lippmann Swatchathon is to have them all swatched by the end of December. That means I'll be posting tons of DL and will sometimes post more than once a day if there's something else I'd like to share. I'm excited and think this will be a lot of fun. Hopefully I don't bore you all too much.



Wish me luck!

2 coats over Ameican Apparel Manhattan Beach

SpaRitual Improvisation is a sheer pink base with blue/purple flecked shimmer. These types of shades are always so difficult to photograph! I don't love it on me, but it's a very pretty polish. I swatched this over a coral base because I thought it would be as sheer as some of the others in the Illuminate collection, but I think this could be worn on it own in 3 coats. The formula is nice. No complaints on that front.



A small selection of SpaRituals, including Improvisation, is now available at Ulta. I believe the retail prices is $12, and you can use coupons on these.

2 coats

Finger Paints Snow Crystals is a silver base with tiny silver hexes. By far my favorite from the collection, it's the first "snowy" texture that I like. You must see this one in person because no photos will do the sparkle justice. The formula was nice, and this one actually dried much quicker than the others in this collection.



Finger Paints is available at Sally Beauty, and I believe they are $3.99 right now.

2 coats

OPI Silent Stars Go By is a light pink liquid sand. It pulls sort of beige on me, which I actually really like. It ends up looking like a really interesting, neutral shade. The formula was great, super easy to apply. I love how quickly these liquid sands dry. They're the perfect polishes to grab when you're in a rush.

Swatching this collection was a very confusing experience for me because I had no idea they were textured polishes!

2 coats with 1 coat Dior Gel tc

Finger Paints Spell Binding is a deep red base with mainly red and blue glitter, maybe some holo glitter too. I added top coat because I thought it was just a gritty glitter. I'll have to re-swatch this at some point. Anyway, it's really pretty!

2 coats

Finger Paints Enchanted Winter is a complex copper base with pink sparkle. It dawned on me that these were textured when I was photographing this swatch, so I changed my approach.

2 coats

Finger Paints Sparkle in the Sky is a blue base with gold, purple, and green sparkle. Pretty close to OPI Alcatraz Rocks.

2 coats

Finger Paints Midas Touch is a gold base with silver sparkle. The silver glitter sort of gets buried under the opaque gold, so this one is borderline popcorn ceiling texture.





Because I had to wait a bit to let these dry (I mean, once I found realized the finish), I ran out of time and couldn't swatch the other two, Snow Crystals and Winter Chill. I'll have swatches of those up as soon as I can.



UPDATE: Click here for a Snow Crystals swatch

 



The formula on these was fine. I didn't have any majore application issues. They were a bit slower to dry than other textured polishes I've used.



Finger Paints is available at Sally Beauty

2 coats with 1 coat SOPI Traffic Stopper Copper

Givenchy Grenat Initie is an orange red creme. I want to call it burnt orange, but there's just a little too much red for it to qualify, in my opinion. This is a perfect fall color, but I'm not even sure if it's season appropriate anymore, since we just got our first snowfall yesterday. :( Anyway, it's a gorgeous color and an unexpected love for me.



The formula is absolutely perfect. I was swatching a bunch of other polishes prior to putting this one on, and it just made me appreciate the formula that much more.



Givenchy Grenat Initie retails for $20 and is available at Sephora

I did it! I posted every day for an entire month. I didn't announce that I had set a goal to do so, but it was something I wanted to achieve. I neglect this blog too often, and I wanted to show it some love. And now, it's time to show my readers some love.



I'm going to be giving away 12 polishes from my favorite brand, Deborah Lippmann. DL was one of the first polish brands I started collecting, and I just love her stuff. I'm rarely disappointed with her releases, and the formula is pretty consistent throughout the brand.

Stronger, Across the Universe, Va Va Voom, Let's Go Crazy, Ruby Red Slippers, Cleopatra in New York  Naked, Careless Whisper,Girls Just Want to Have Fun, Supermodel, On the Beach, Call Me Irresponsible

Here's what you need to know:

• This giveaway is open to current  GFC and Bloglovin followers only. If you currently follow me via different means, send me an email


• To enter, leave a comment and tell me what your favorite polish brand is and why


• Open to U.S. and Canada residents

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 



Because shipping polish overseas has become more difficult as of late, I wanted to also give something away that will be easier to ship internationally.

Urban Decay Vice 2 palette

More things to know:

• You're welcome to enter both giveaways, but you do not need to leave two comments


• Only the palette giveaway is open internationally


• Both giveaways will close in two weeks

a Rafflecopter giveaway




I think that's it! If you have any questions, please contact me via email.



Good luck!

 My friend Lakeisha of Refined and Polished is in the running to become a
reviewer for Rescue Beauty Lounge, and I'd love it if you would vote
for her. Her swatches are awesome, and I think she'd be an awesome
addition to the group.






 Voting ends tomorrow (11/9) at noon EST, so please take a second to vote here before then!

2 coats

Deborah Lippmann Through the Fire is deep red shimmer. It glow like nobody's business! It's kind of lame of me that I waited a full year to wear this, but I made up for it by wearing this for a full week. My photo is day 3. The wear was awesome. No chips, just tipwear.



The formula was to die for. I had to do this mani on my lap, so I didn't have a steady surface to paint on. I still managed to get a decent manicure, even though my gaps are kind of messy.



Deborah Lippmann Through the Fire retails for $19 and is available at Beauty.com

2 coats

OPI Baby Please Come Home is a greyed out lilac liquid sand. I'm a fan, but there's not  much else to say about this. If you like liquid sands, you'll probably like this. The color's really pretty, and it applied very easily.

3 coats

Gap Bright Pool is a turquoise with a pink flash. The pink is visible n direct light and at certain angles. The color's pretty enough, but I'm glad I never bought RBL Aqua Lily because I would have been disappointed in the hidden shimmer.



The formula was thick and streaky. If it had a better formula, Bright Pool could have been opaque in two coats. A third coat was needed to hide the streaks, 



Gap Bright Pool retails for $6 and is available at Gap.

I was instantly drawn to the Blue Sepia palette because I'm a neutral hoor. Plus, half the shades are matte, so it obviously had to come home with me. I've been using it for a couple weeks now, so I think I know how I feel about it.

128 (satin), 28 (matte), 152 (shimmer), Petrol Blue, 04 (matte), 17 (matte), 127 (satin)

Petrol Blue is supposed to be the star of the palette, but I actually haven't used it on my eyes yet. I think it would make a nice pop of color on the lower lash line, but I wouldn't wear on my lid because it's a bit too garish. Anyway, onto the swatches.

swatched on bare skin

I already owned 28 and 128 before purchasing this palette, so it's no surprise that those two are my favorites out of the bunch.. I've used all the shades except for Petrol Blue more than once, and they all blend really nicely and last all day over my NARS primer. The texture on these is pretty decent. Soft and a little powdery, but no fall out. 04 swatches kind of patchy, but it's actually a nice, buildable black.



Overall, I don't regret the purchase but would probably just repurchase my favorites individually rather than buying the whole palette again.



Here's a super simple look I did with this palette.

2 coats Rolling in the Deep, 2 coats Catalyst

Deborah Lippmann Rolling in the Deep is a deep navy with fine blue shimmer. The shimmer is mostly hidden but shows up in direct light.



Formula X Catalyst is part of the Lusters line. Talk about a stunning glitter! The navy jelly base is sheer enough to let the brilliant blue glitter shine through, but pigmented enough to add depth.



Both of these applied with no issues.

I love Wicked. I love Deborah Lippmann. Obviously, this is a match made in heaven...right?

2 coats

Deborah Lippmann Defying Gravity is a green creme. This could have been so much more!

lost count at 5 coats

Deborah Lippmann Popular is a pink jelly with a blue flash.

2 coats

Deborah Lippmann One Short Day is an emerald jelly packed with emerald glitter.





Defying Gravity and One Short Day applied really well. Popular also has a great formula, but it's just too sheer for my liking. I read a review that said Popular could be opaque in 3 coats, but there is no way! I don't even mind VNL, but I had to pile on the coats in order to make Popular look presentable on me. I will definitely layer this if I choose to wear it again in the future.



Overall, I don't love this set. I barely like it, to be honest. Maybe my hopes were too high because I'm such a big Wicked/DL fan.



The Dbeorah Lippmann Wicked set retails for $29 and is available at Sephora.

2 coats

OPI All Sparkly and Gold is a dense, gold microglitter. I don't often love golds, but this is stunning! The gold isn't too warm, which is why I think I like it so much. The formula is great, applied with no issues. All Sparkly and Gold also dries with a smooth finish, so that's a bonus.



The OPI Mariah Carey Holiday 2013 collection retails for $9 each and is available at Ulta.

3 coats

Gap Sunset Shimmer is a pinky peach packed with gold shimmer. I initially went into Gap for Bright Pool, but Sunset Shimmer look way more interesting to me. It's totally my kind of color! At first glance, it reminded me of Paul & Joe Beaute Splendor, but Splendor is more pink and has a subtler shimmer.



Sunset Shimmer's formula is just okay. It's a bit thick and prone to streaking, but it's definitely manageable.



Gap Sunset Shimmer retails for $6 and is available at Gap (go figure!)

2 coats

Marc Jacobs Gatsby is a rose gold chrome. I love looking at shades like this way more than I like wearing them, if that makes sense. The formula was pretty horrific. If any of you have any experience with Essie Penny Talks, then you'll know exactly what you're up against with Gatsby.





Marc Jacobs Gatsby retails for $18 and is available at Sephora

Happy Halloween, everyone! I wanted to do a Halloween mani but didn't have enough to do any nail art, so here's my extremely loose interpretation of candy corn.

I mean, all the colors are there...

I used 3 coats of Melodious Utopia for the base, sponged Lara's Theme on top, and then dabbed on Wham. It took all of 5 minutes or so, but I don't mind the result.



I'll let you all know how many people get the candy corn reference. My guess is zero. :)

This is what happens when I have literally two minutes of free time to make a new post.

3 coats

OPI Underneath the Mistletoe looks like this ^^^. It's pretty! Great formula.





Buy it at Ulta for $9!

2 coats Emotions

OPI Emotions is a black liquid sand. There is black texture glitter and black hexes in a black base.I don't hate Emotions as much as I thought I would; it's more of a strong dislike. I still very much prefer glittery textureds. Emotions was opaque in two easy coats.



OPI I Snow You Love Me is faceted holo circle glitter in a clear base. This glitter is gorgeous but very sparse. The super thick, globby base doesn't help keep the glitter suspended, so it all just sinks to the bottom. I got the glitter to cover my nail with a little patience and a lot of crazy. I won't be doing that again. Pretty effect, though!



The OPI Mariah Carey Holiday 2013 collection retails for $9 each and is available at Ulta.

I'm quite disappointed with OPI's holiday collection. Typically, this is the collection that excites me the most, but there were just too many freakin' reds! Anyway, here's one of the more interesting (at least to me) polishes from the collection.

2 coats

OPI Sleigh Ride for Two is a plum red with a fine red shimmer. I really like the finish - smooth and glowy. This applied quite nicely with no major issues.

2 coats

YSL Bleu Majorelle is a cobalt creme. I seem to be developing a serious thing for cobalt because I've been wanting to wear this shade non-stop for a while now. Bleu Majorelle is a tad darker than Baker Street, so of course it's okay that I own both. The formula is amazing! It is super pigmented (I would've stopped at one coat, but you know...macro and stuff), and it applies like a dream. The perfect formula plus a really great brush made application around my cuticles a piece of cake.



I need more cobalt polish in my life. Any recs?



YSL Blue Majorelle retails for $25 and is available at Nordstrom.

The last polish I have to show you from Big Bang is Sunshine Superman.

3 coats

Deborah Lippmann Sunshine Superman is a super shimmery golden orange. It's really pretty, but I hate it on me. The color plus the finish are a little too garish. The application was a piece of cake with this one. No formula issues at all.



Deborah Lippmann Big Bang retails for $78 and is available at Sephora.com

I know I said I was only going to get Petrol from Butter London's Holiday 2013 offerings, but this polish was just too pretty to pass up.

2 coats

Butter London Bluecoat is a royal blue with blue-green shimmer. It is such a stunning color! The real star is the formula, though. It applied like a dream and was very pigmented. Also, no staining at all with this one, and I wore it for a couple days without a base coat. The only downside to this polish is it's only available in a duo with a less than desirable glitter topcoat. Hopefully Butter London will offer Bluecoat on its own someday.





Butter London Double Take retails for $24 and is available at Ulta

3 coats

Givenchy Beige Mousseline is a pinky beige creme. I love nudes like this because they work so much better with my skin tone than nudes with grey tones. The color is beautiful, but Beige Mousseline has an awful formula. This is surprising and
disappointing, since I've loved all the Givenchys I've tried until this
one. It's stringy, streaky, and really thick. Thinning didn't help much with application.



One thing I will say it that it self-levels quite well. I managed to get it to look normal by floating the brush and using very thick coats. If you like this color, please look elsewhere. Wet n Wild Private Viewing and Dior Incognito are along the same vein.



Onto Beaded Couture. So pretty, right?? I suck at applying nail apps, so I can't say whether these were easy to apply or not. I think if you like a design enough, they're worth looking into. The best thing about them is they're not nail polish based, so you can use them for accents and not worry about them drying out.





Givenchy 02 Beige Mousseline retails for $20 and is available at Sephora.

Revlon by Marchesa Beaded Couture retails for $9.99 and is available at most drugstores.

3 coats

Deborah Lippmann Sweet Life is a mauvey nude creme. It instantly reminded me of Modern Love, so here's that comp.

3 coats Sweet Life, 2 coats Modern Love

They're close, but Modern Love is a bit darker and warmer than Sweet Life. I don't prefer one over the other, but if I was forced to pick, I'd choose Modern Love. It has a better formula, and it's a bit more flattering on me.





Deborah Lippmann Big Bang retails for $78 and is available at Sephora.com

2 coats

Zoya Stevie is a gorgeous purple that everyone should own. Not much else to say! The formula on all the Pixie Dusts I've tried so far has been really great. They dry quickly and are easy to remove. Pixie Dusts are still the only textureds I like.

2 coats

OPI Miss You-niverse is a dusty eggplant creme that is perfect for the season. It is almost a one-coater, and the finish is so shiny and smooth. It's been a while since I've been impressed with an OPI shade, so I'm extra pleased with Miss You-niverse.



It stamps pretty well, too.

OPI Miss You-niverse stamped over Nails Inc. Porchester Square

OPI Miss You-niverse retails for $9 and is available at Ulta.