What’s in my December Glossybox?

Happy New Year's Eve!  I received this box shortly before Christmas, so I apologize it took me so long to get this post up!  What better day than the last day of the month (year), right?!?

The theme of this Glossybox may have been called Glamour Glitz & Glossy, but it should have been Box ‘O Perfumed Items!  Three of the items were scented - a perfume, bath salts and a bath oil…  Makes me wish I had a bathtub!  It came wrapped in very cute, very festive paper that I will be saving for next year!  Yes I am that person who saves tissue paper - that stuff's EXPENSIVE!



HEARTLAND FRAGRANCE CO. BATH SALTS - Indulge in healing aromatherapy with these 100% pure Epsom bath salts. Treat yourself to a full body boost with these herb-infused accents in your bathing routine.  I don’t have a bath tube, but these actually smelled rather pleasant so I opened the package up and put the contents in a short drinking glass and set it on my vanity.  It looks surprisingly nice!

FOREST ESSENTIALS LUXURIOUS AYURVEDA MOISTURE REPLENISHING BATH & SHOWER OIL in MADURAI JASMINE & MOGRA - These moisturizing bath & shower oils are made according to the principles of Ayurveda with water soluble oils and naturally distilled pure essential oils of organically grown Ayurvedic herbs and a base of cold-pressed oils made from diverse vegetables, fruits, and nuts.  This sounds wonderful but I have the world’s most over sensitive nose, plus I generally hate all perfumes… I tried.  I took the lid off and sniffed.  Just not for me!

MARK. LIPCLICK LUXE LIPSTICK - Luxe up for the holidays with this limited edition creamy lipstick in shade Petal. Apply, close then "click" with the magnetic pink metallic case that "clicks" every time you close it.  I really really really wanted to like this one.  The color is beautiful!  It looks good on too… but I couldn’t get over the scent.  Which is a shame, since the lid is magnetic and it is quite fun to snap it on and off.  This is a full size item which normally retails for $12.00.



ZOYA NAIL LACQUER in ZIV - These uniquely ornate nail lacquers will transform your nails into jewels. The long-wearing and toxin-free formula will keep your nails sparkling all season, and looking their glossy-best. Enjoy this 5-Free healthy nail lacquer formula this holiday season!  I love Zoya polish, but haven’t purchased any lately, so I am happy to receive this one!  This is a full size bottle which normally retails for $8.00.

PLEATS PLEASE BY ISSEY MIYAKE - A fashion forward fragrance inspired by world renowned designer Issey Miyake‘s iconic Pleats Please ready-to-wear line. Enjoy the effervescent, sensual, and addictive notes which embody the essence of joy, feminity, and elegance. Discover Pleats Please by Issey Miyake, an invitation to have fun.  I haven’t had the chance to try this yet.  I like the men’s scents by Issey Miyake, so I will give this one a shot. 

WELLA VELVET AMPLIFIER - Prepare your hair for virtually any look with this velvety soft styling primer. Named by Marie Claire Magazine’s beauty experts as one of “25 New Products Thatʼll Change Your Life”, this concentrated serum improves manageability and amplifies control for smooth, responsive styling.  I am really excited to try this one out, as I have heard really great things about it.  I just need to finish testing some other hair products first!

JEWELRY, AS A SPECIAL GIFT THIS HOLIDAY SEASON... Inspired by the runway, vintage jewelry and on-trend celebrity style, JewelMint.com offers a versatile jewelry collection each month and recommends pieces that match your personal style. As I am not into statement pieces, I passed this along to my sister-in-law.  She can pull it off way better than I could any day!
Overall, there were more misses than hits for me… but the value was definitely there!  If you haven’t signed up yet but are thinking about, my referral links are below.  There are a few different subscription options:

• Monthly for $21
• 3 Months for $60
• 6 Months for $115
• 12 Months for $220

Disclosures: polish insomniac at times reviews products provided by a representative of the company. When we do so, we specifically state so. We also use affiliate links. For more, please see the disclosure page.

Nicole by OPI Modern Family ♥ Swatches and Review

I finally have my swatches of the highly anticipated Nicole by OPI Modern Family Collection ready to show you!  I am a big fan of this show, so I was more than excited to swatch these polishes.  I actually swatched them a few days ago but it took me awhile to get around to editing them…

Good news is that I can safely say these are available now!  I have seen them in person at three different places:  Kmart, Target, and ULTA!  They are also available on ULTA’s website!  So grab a pen and take some notes, because there is literally a polish here for everyone!

As always, you can click on each picture to enlarge it!



She’s Lily Something - This polish is obviously designed for layering but I wanted to see what it looked like on it’s own… and more importantly would the stars lay flat, and would they stay on?  I flipped my bottle upside down for several hours before applying it so that the stars would be easy to get out of the bottle.  Once on the brush I just kind of plunked them on the nail where I wanted them to land.  I applied three coats and finished with one coat of top coat.  I am happy to say that the stars did lay flat, and they did stay on for three whole days!

I Do De-Claire! - Wow.  This one is really NOT my color!  Good finish, for a frost.  That’s about the nicest thing I can say about it!



Basking in Gloria - gorgeous raspberry shimmer with a flawless formula in just two coats.  Just like Gloria, it’s flashy without being trashy.

Haley Good Lookin’… (over Basking in Gloria) - this is a soft pink glitter with larger holographic hex glitter.



My Jay or the Highway - I really love this greige cream.  Some may even call it taupe, but it’s more grey-green-beige to me!  Another great crème formula in just two coats.

Am I Making Myself Claire? - Thank goodness the other polish named after Claire is a pretty lilac crème!  It’s soft and understated, but utterly attractive.  I was drawn to this polish the very first time I saw the bottle.  Again only two coats were needed.



Alex by the Books - Oh!  I love this color even though this color gives me the dreaded “lobster hands” (meaning it makes my skin look pink in comparison).  The first coat went one very thin, almost watery, but it smoothed out nicely after the third coat.   I love this color and immediately wore it as a mani as soon as I finished swatching these polishes.  In fact, I am still wearing it now, topped off with Sephora by OPI It’s Real 18K Top Coat.  (You can see the combo in action on my Instagram.)  I was asked how this polished compared to OPI Mermaids Tears, so I did a quick comparison swatch, which you can check out here.

Stand by your Manny - Another stunner for me!  Baby blue crème base with silver shimmer.  If you click to enlarge the picture,  you will see that this polish has a lot of depth.  It should - it took four coats!  But were they worth it?  HELL YES!  Just make sure to leave enough time in between coats.



A Like-Haley Story…  This is such a fun, bright color!  Bright fuchsia crème with not-so-hidden shimmer - though the shimmer was hiding from my camera!  Even thought the world didn’t end on 12/21 the universe must have shifted because I found ANOTHER pink polish I like.  So weird.  This one was three coats.

What’s the Mitch-uation? - This polish looks like its just a standard blue shimmer, but it’s really a grey base with blue and very scare purple micro glitter particles.  Very blurple!



Back in my Gloria Days…  Another fun Gloria polish!  This one is AMAZING in person - a pink micro glitter in a purple base.  Shown here with three coats.  Love it!

Candid Cameron - Duochrome alert!  Although the shift on the nail is not as strong as the shift in the bottle, it’s definitely there! 



A Phil’s Paradise - Although from a distance this looks like a dirty pewter, this polish is actually made up of silver micro glitter with a small amount of purple and gold microliter spread throughout!  It’s such an awesome polish, I had no idea I would fall in love with it the way I have!

Luke of the Draw - This glitter polish is a grey-black base with silver glitter and large hex glitter which I thought was silver, but looking at the pictures after the fact I wonder if they are holographic?  I won’t be sad to wear this again to find out!

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I really loved this collection.  It’s not often when, with such large collections, I find myself liking 75% of the polishes.  The only ones I really don’t care for were She’s Lily Something, Haley Good Looking… and I Do De-Claire!  Nothing wrong with those polishes, I just don’t do pink much.  A Like-Haley Story is pink but I loved how bright and fun it was!

Modern Family lacquers will be available beginning January 2013 for $7.99 each at retailers including select Walmart, Target, CVS, Rite Aid, Kmart, Kroger, ULTA, H-E-B, Meijer and Duane Reade locations. In Canada, this line will be available for $10.99 each at Shoppers Drug Mart, Walmart Canada, Jean Coutu, Loblaw, and London Drug.

Will you be picking up any polishes from this collection?  Which are your favorites?

  

Disclosures: polish insomniac at times reviews products provided by a representative of the company. When we do so, we specifically state so. We also use affiliate links. For more, please see the disclosure page.

Nicole by OPI Nail Lacquers and Nail Treatments contain no DBP, Toluene, or Formaldehyde. Nicole by OPI formulas are long-lasting, fast-drying, and salon-quality.  For more information, visit nicolebyopi.com. Follow Nicole by OPI on Twitter @NicoleByOPI and become a Facebook fan!

China Glaze Tranzitions ♥ Swatches and Review

China Glaze Tranzitions is a new collection that I was very interested in as soon as I heard about it.  I know that you are too, because when I shared on Instagram and Facebook that I was debating whether to swatch these today or the Nicole by OPI Modern Family collection, most of you wanted this one!

What is Tranzitions?  Basically its two colors in one bottle - the color that comes out of the bottle and the color the polish changes to after top coat is applied!  For all my swatches below, I used two coats of polish followed by one coat of China Glaze Fast Forward Top Coat.

Split Perso-nail-ity - this one doesn’t look as smooth as it should be because I usually skip base coat when I am swatching.  It starts as a dusty rose crème with shimmer and tranzitions to a dusty raspberry.

Modify Me - starts of as periwinkle blue crème with shimmer and tranzitions to a bright medium blue crème.  Fabulous colors!

Duplicity - starts off as a sea foam green crème with shimmer and tranzitions to teal.  I love both of these colors as well!  You can see that the top coat on my index finger created a smooth surface.  However on my ring finger I tried several times, always ensuring that I waited long enough in between coats, but no matter what I did it was a streaky mess.

Altered Reality - this is a teal green metallic that tranzitions to a deeper blue teal metallic.  Out of all of the Tranzitions shade, this one changed the least.

Metallic Metamorphosis - this one is truly awesome!  It starts as a deep blue-grey shimmer that tranzitions to a gorgeous metallic blue.

Shape Shifter - this one had the best formula of the bunch!  It starts as a grey metallic and tranzitions to a gunmetal metallic.

China Glaze was nice enough to provide me with a cool double-ended nail art tool from It’s So Easy called the Double Up Nail Art Detailing Brush. One end was a brush and the other end a dotting tool.  I really tried to pull of my creative side for you, but that didn’t go so well!  I have never used a dotting tool before, and when I tried it out today the results were not pretty.  (It doesn’t help that my hands have been really shaky since my car accident). 

I think these would be really cool polishes to use as a base for stamping - the crèmes would look awesome as would Metallic Metamorphosis!  Again, my hands were to shaky to try today but I plan on trying it soon!

These polishes did not have the best formula.  The crèmes were thick and difficult to work with - they did not level out.  The metallics were much easier to work with, but Metallic Metamorphosis definitely showed brushstrokes. 

Even with all of the trouble with the formula, whether or not you purchase these polishes will come down to one factor - do you love gimmicks?  I do!  I think all the trouble with the formula is well worth the fun factor!

The China Glaze® Tranzitions collection will be available in January 2013 at fine salons and beauty supply stores nationwide.  For nail design ideas, click here to view the China Glaze® Tranzitions video. 

Disclosures: polish insomniac at times reviews products provided by a representative of the company. When we do so, we specifically state so. We also use affiliate links. For more, please see the disclosure page.

 

China Glaze nail lacquers are available through salons and professional beauty supply stores nationwide. For more information, please visit www.chinaglaze.com or follow China Glaze on Facebook (@ChinaGlaze), Twitter (@ChinaGlazeOfficial) and Pinterest (pinterest.com/chinaglaze).

Top 3 Products for Curly Hair (aka How I Bring Out My Curl!)

1. Not Your Mother's Kinky Moves Curl Defining Cream
2. L'Oreal EverCreme Cleansing Conditioner
3. Bumble and bumble Does it All Styling Spray

UPDATE!  I finally found a drugstore alternative to my Bb Does It All!

Disclosures: polish insomniac at times reviews products provided by a representative of the company. When we do so, we specifically state so. We also use affiliate links. For more, please see the disclosure page.

Lancome Holiday 2012 Vernis in Love ♥ Flirty Red, Ginger Swing and Rouge in Love

Hello all!  Merry Christmas Eve!  Sorry I haven't been around much.  I was in a car accident recently and I have had some serious motivational issues!  I am okay but my poor Jetta isn't.  However when I received these Lancome polishes on Saturday, it picked up my spirits a little bit!

I have wanted to try the new Vernis in Love polishes for a long time.  The formula on all of them was great, and you have to check out Ginger Swing in person - it is amazing!  I also love that the wide flat brush has rounded edges - very easy to get close to your cuticle!  The brush actually reminds me of the Dior brush, but easier to use!

These polishes are a part of The Petit Trésor Holiday 2012 Color Collection available now at  your local Lancome counter.  I will definitely be picking up a few more!  Do you have any favorites?

Disclosures: polish insomniac at times reviews products provided by a representative of the company. When we do so, we specifically state so. We also use affiliate links. For more, please see the disclosure page.

Coming Soon: China Glaze Tranzitions

China Glaze Tranzitions’ revolutionary new nail lacquer reacts when a clear top coat is applied, changing the color from one shade to another for a stunning effect. Wear any of the six beautiful, color-shifting shades alone, or allow your creativity to run wild and create intricate nail designs by applying a top coat in specific places. Try different looks using nail art brushes, free-hand designs or nail guides. Because each shade changes color, you get two lacquers in one, creating an entirely new look with just one swipe.

The China Glaze® Tranzitions collection features six shades, though with the color transition, you get 12 unique shades including:

Split Perso-NAIL-ity – Dusty pink shifts to fuchsia

Duplicityy – Mint green shifts to vibrant teal

Modify Me – Periwinkle blue shifts to indigo blue

Altered Reality – Teal blue shifts to turquoise

Metallic Metamorphosis – Silvery grey shifts to bluish-charcoal grey

Shape Shifter – Smokey violet shifts to dark purple

How It Works:Step 1: Apply a base coat.
Step 2: Apply two coats of China Glaze® Tranzitions shade of choice. Allow to completely dry.
Step 3: Lastly, apply one coat of clear top coat such as China Glaze® Fast Forward and watch the color change right before your eyes.

For more nail design ideas, click here to view the China Glaze® Tranzitions video.

The China Glaze® Tranzitions collection will be available in January 2013 at fine salons and beauty supply stores nationwide.

Disclosures: polish insomniac at times reviews products provided by a representative of the company. When we do so, we specifically state so. We also use affiliate links. For more, please see the disclosure page.


China Glaze is free of DBP, toluene, and added formaldehyde, and is never tested on animals.

China Glaze nail lacquers are available through salons and professional beauty supply stores nationwide. For more information, please visit www.chinaglaze.com or follow China Glaze on Facebook (@ChinaGlazeOfficial), Twitter (@ChinaGlaze) and Pinterest (pinterest.com/chinaglaze).
China Glaze® is a division of American International Industries.