Coming Soon: New polishes from Hard Candy!

If you are a fan of Hard Candy polishes, I am sure you were as sad as I was to hear that they were being discontinued!  Not to fear, they are not really going away, just being reformulated!   And the best part?  They are bringing out 45 new polishes and they are only $3.95 each at your local Walmart and walmart.com!

Which ones are you most excited about?

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.

OPI Don't Burst My Bubble and Lights of Emerald City Jelly Sandwich

I haven’t had a chance to swatch the OPI Great and Powerful Oz Collection yet, but I wanted to share today’s mani with you.  I used one coat of Lights of Emerald City sandwiched between two coats of Don’t Burst My Bubble.

Have you done any jelly sandwiches lately?

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.

butter LONDON Stag Do ♥ Review and Swatches

butter LONDON Stag Do is a Nordstrom Exclusive polish that was featured during New York Fashion Week.  It’s a deep teal with green hidden shimmer.  This shimmer truly is hidden.  In flat light you cannot see it at all, but in bright sunshine (or under an Ott light!) it does peak through.  Check out more pictures below!

In addition to Nordstrom,  Stag Do is also available on the butter LONDON website and retails for $15.00.

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.

 

About butter LONDON:  butter LONDON is a 3 Free company. Our nail lacquer and lip gloss contain NO Formaldehyde, NO Toluene, NO DBP, and NEVER have.  LIPPY products do not contain parabens, petroleum, phthalates, sulphates or bismuth.  Visit http://www.butterlondon.com/locations to find a retailer near you.

Barielle Sweet Treats ♥ Swatches and Review

Just in time for Spring, Barielle brings us their Sweet Treats collection.  From Green Apples to Lilac Jelly Beans, these sugary inspired polishes are indeed good enough to eat!  So that I don’t have to repeat myself, I enjoyed the formula in all of the polishes.  I used two coats of polish for each swatch, except Banana Drop, where I used three.

Green Apple Chew is a yellow-green crème… that didn’t stain!  If you love “weird” polishes, you will love this.  It’s definitely a fun color that I see myself wearing again this spring and summer.  I can’t think of any dupes of this right off the bat, so let me know if you want me to compare it to anything!

Banana Drop is the yellow I have been looking for FOREVER!  I have always wanted Maybelline Banana Puddin, but it is VHTF.  Even though it was a pastel yellow, the formula was great.  Streaky on the first coat, even on the second, and I did a third just to be sure.  From what I have read on Kelliegonzo and The Polishaholic, the formula of Banana Puddin’ is horrible so I am glad I have Banana Drop instead!

I love love love love love Lilac Jelly Bean.  It a greige-leaning lilac crème.  It’s so gorgeous!  I am sure there are polishes out there that are similar but whenever I feel like wearing this color I will be reaching for Lilac Jelly Bean.  Let me know if you have any comparisons you want to see!

Blue Cotton Candy is the only non-crème of the bunch.  It’s a blue-leaning teal filled with silver shimmer.  It reminds me of a bluer butter LONDON Victoriana, which you can see here.  Please excuse those horrible pictures!  I swapped Victoriana away because I didn’t love the formula, but Blue Cotton Candy’s formula was a breeze to apply.

Orange Parfait is the only shade of the bunch I wasn’t in love with.  I thought it would be more of a orange push-up-stick orange, but on me it reads much more… muddy?  Is that a word?  It simply doesn’t go well with my skin tone, but that doesn’t mean it won’t work with yours!

I don’t yet see Barielle Sweet Treats on their website, but it should be available soon!  Their five color sets normally retail for around $25.  You can also buy the polishes individually for $8, they always have a BOGO 50% off deal too!  Follow them on Facebook for even more special offers.

 

Are these colors calling you name?  Which of them will satisfy your sweet tooth?

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.

Beauty Spotlight: London MakeUp Girl's Desert Island Must Haves

It's London MakeUp Girl's turn to visit the Beauty Spotlight Desert Island, and she thought this would be easy peasy lemon squeezy as she likes a minimalist routine. 

It actually turned out to be difficult difficult lemon difficult. Read on to find out what made the trip..

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.

butter LONDON at London Fashion Week

Designer: Louise Gray

Lead Manicurist: Katie Hughes, butter LONDON Global Colour Ambassador

The Scoop: Newspaper chic nails

The Look: butter LONDON Nail foundation, butter LONDON Nail Lacquer in Kerfuffle, butter LONDON Nail Lacquer in Cheeky Chops and butter LONDON P.D Quick Top Coat

How to: Katie began by applying butter LONDON Nail Foundation, followed by two coats of butter LONDON Kerfuffle to nail enhancements. Nails were then left to dry completely before Katie dipped the nails in alcohol and pressed newspaper onto the nail. She laid the paper onto the nail in different directions in order to create a 3D look. Finally, Katie stamped butter LONDON Cheeky Chops onto random spots of the nail for an urban effect. The nail enhancements were placed on all of the models.

Designer: Preen

Lead Manicurist: Katie Hughes, butter LONDON Global Colour Ambassador

The Scoop: Fresh, dreamy looking nails, evoking the idea of a young woman who is daydreaming

The Look: butter LONDON Nail Foundation, butter LONDON Tea With The Queen with butter LONDON Pink Ribbon layered on top. The look was finished with butter LONDON P.D Quick Top Coat

Designer: Erdem

Lead Manicurist: Katie Hughes, butter LONDON Global Colour Ambassador

The Scoop: Soft ethereal mother of pearl nails. Katie used a layering technique to create a soft bespoke look to compliment the predominantly black collection

The Look: butter LONDON Nail Foundation, butter LONDON Pink Ribbon with butter LONDON Hen Party layered on top. The look was finished with butter LONDON P.D Quick Top Coat

Designer: Meadham Kirchhoff

Lead Manicurist: Katie Hughes, butter LONDON Global Colour Ambassador

The Scoop: Vintage Glamour – powerful and perfect

The Look: butter LONDON Nail Foundation, butter LONDON Come to Bed Red, butter LONDON P.D Quick Top Coat

Designer: Antipodium

Lead Manicurist: Katie Hughes, butter LONDON Global Colour Ambassador

The Scoop: Metallic nails added a sci-fi revival edge to this modern take on classic shapes, complimenting the use of PVC leather and colour within the collection

The Look: For the hands and toes, Katie used butter LONDON Nail Foundation, butter LONDON Bobby Dazzler (available in Summer 2013), and butter LONDON P.D Quick Top Coat

Designer: J JS Lee

Lead Manicurist: Katie Hughes, butter LONDON Global Colour Ambassador

The Scoop: Katie utilized the metallic elements of the lacquer to reflect the neutral colour palette of the collection

The Look: For the hands and toes, Katie used butter LONDON Nail Foundation, butter LONDON Bobby Dazzler (available in Summer 2013), and butter LONDON P.D Quick Top Coat

 

 

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.

Photo Credits:  butter LONDON

Wordless Wednesday - Layla Gold Idol

Layla Gold Idol.  I purchased mine from Hautelook, but it is still available on Zappos.

 

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.

Illamasqua Speckled Polishes - Mottle and Speckle

I recently picked up two Speckled polishes at my local Sephora, Mottle and Speckle.  The Speckled polishes are part of the Spring 2013 I’mperfection Collection.

I absolutely adore the play on words that Illamasqua is using with the name of this collection!  The idea behind this collection is that you are perfect the way you are- freckles and all.   Isn’t the promo image gorgeous?

Just as the promo images suggest, the milky glitter polishes do resemble robins eggs - if robins eggs were green, blue, pink, purple, etc!  The glitters were a breeze to apply and dried quickly.  I did one layer of base coat (Nail Tek Hydration Therapy), two coats of polish, and one coat of top coat (CND Air Dry).  Unfortunately about six hours after I applied the polishes, I had one nail completely “pop” off!  It came off in one whole sheet, like a press-on nail. 

I have had this problem with milky glitters in the past (Nails Ink Sprinkles collection comes to mind), so I am not sure if this is a problem with all milky glitters, or if I am just using the wrong base coat/top coat combination?  Have any of you successfully overcome this problem?  I really want to know because I absolutely love the look of these polishes!

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.

Makeup Wars - Beauty Travel ESSENTIALS

Welcome to the latest installment of Makeup Wars, where we are breaking down just how high maintenance each and every one of us is!  So, you might think that my "essentials" are way overboard.  Or, you might think I didn't possibly pack enough!  For those of you worried that I only have 1 lip product, do not despair   I always have between 5 and 10 lip products in my purse at all times!

This edition of Makeup Wars was inspired by a few of our members scheduled trips... to Disney World!  Unfortunately for me I am not going ANYWHERE so my trip is a hypothetical one.  If I travel by car I tend to over pack.  I can have a complete overnight bag devoted to personal care - makeup, skincare, shower necessities, hair tools, etc.  But for this hypothetical trip I can going on an airplane - so these are my "true" essentials - I have pared it down as much as possible!

So lets start with the bags.  They are the most crucial decision one has to make when it comes to packing your makeup, because they dictate how much you can bring!  I started with my favorite Missoni for Target bag by filling the bottom with products (which you can see below) and topping it off with my adorable Tarte cosmetics bag that I purchased from one of their holiday sets last year.  

I don't like to fill this bag up - that is why the Tarte one was placed inside of it.  Where I live we don't have access to a lot of good shopping, so I am always prepared to fill my bag with new goodies from Sephora or Nordstroms.  While we do have a Sephora here in Iowa is it literally the world's smallest Sephora and they only carry the "big" brands, not the cool new brands that Sephora has been picking up lately.  

Let's take a look at what I have in the bottom of my Missoni Bag:

AmorePacific Moisture Bound Rejuvenating Essentials Set - I love this skincare line, and this set has everything I need to keep my skin looking fab.

Degree Deodorant - Enough said.

Living Proof Prime Style Extender - I recenlty recieved this in a Glossybox and immediately fell in love with it.  It can be used on it's own or under another styling product.  For the sake of simplicity when traveling I would use it on its own.

Travel Brush holder - My brush holder is from this set at Sephora but I use different brushes than it came with.  Mostly eye brushes.  I would say 75% of the brushes I own are eye brushes.  I love eye brushes.

Shampoo and Conditoner - If I was traveling by car I would bring full sized bottles, but since my hypothetical trip is by plane I will bring sample sizes sachets from my favorite brands:  It Factor (which I have raved about here and here) and L'Oreal EverCreme.  Be sure to "Like" L'Oreal on Facebook because they are constantly giving away free product samples.

Sunscreen - Can't forget sunscreen, especially on vacation!  I like this travel size sachets that you can keep in your purse and makeup bag for emergencies.  This one is (of course) from AmorePacific.

Clip and Ponytail holders - I often remember to bring ponytail holders but forget to bring a clip for sectioning off my hair when I dry it, so now I just leave one in my travel bag at all time.

This cosmetics bag from Tarte is truly amazing.  YOU CAN FIT SO MUCH STUFF INTO IT!  And a full size palette lives behind the mirror!  I have broken the products down to the "left" and "right" sides.

.

Eyeliners - My eyes are my best feature so I like to bring a lot of options with me to play them up!  I have a Holika Holika Wonder Drawing Dot Liner I picked up from eBay.  (There is a Too Faced version of this now.)  I also have Tarina Tarantino Hyperliner in Ultraviolet, Bed Head Big Fat Fun Black Smudgie (which is apparently discontinued), a random dark brown eyeliner from a Physician's Formula Custom Eye Enhancing Eyeliner Trio for Hazel Eyes, and Tarte EmphasEYES Inner Rim Brightener.

Laura Geller Double Ended Face and Blush Brush - I got this as part of a set when Laura Geller was pulled from Sephora several years ago.  While it is not the softest brush, it's very sturdy and has held up very well through the years.  I love using the smaller end for highlighters. 

Palettes - I like to bring at least two palettes whenever I can, because I hate having to rely on just one.  I get easily bored!  I really love the Stila Sensational in Syndey palette.  I bought it on a whim from Sephora (just $10) and I really like the neutral colors in it.  I especially love the Convertible Color shade!  The Tarte palette came with the gift set I already mentioned.  It has a ton of choices from cool to warm, so it's great to have on hand.

Shiseido Eyelash Curler - this is my "old" curler, I have a newer one exactly the same but in a different color. I am always afraid that my eyelash curler is going to get destroyed when I travel!  Am I the only one?

Eye-Scrub Sterile Makeup Remover & Eyelid Cleansing Pads - I stumbled upon these on drugstore.com one day when I was trying to use up all of my FSA dollars.  They are great for a few reasons - they are sterile, they come in individual packs, they smell good (like almond extract, strangely), they can take off eye makeup very quickly, and they soothe my allergy eyes.

Maybelline Color Tattoo Metal in Barely Branded - I haven't found any of the original Color Tattoo's that I like (gasp!) but I did fall in love with Barely Branded.  It's a great base for eyeshadow, or I can wear it on its own - if I put primer on first.

Skin79 VIP Gold Super Plus - This is a travel sized tube of my favorite BB cream (you can find my detailed review here).

Heroine Make Long and Curl Mascara and Mascara Remover - This mascara is truly magic, and worth all the effort I have to go through purchasing it from eBay. However it is such an intense formula that it does not come off with regular makeup remover!  It's actually really easy to use - you just brush it on, wait a minute or two, and wipe it off.  For traveling, it's actually very convenient. 

Concealer - Right now I haven't found the "perfect" concealer so I just grab whatever I have lying around.

Nars Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base - I received this as part of a 500 point gift from Sephora.  Whenever my UDPP gets to be to drying to for the skin around my eyes, I turn to this.  I do think it makes your shadows last, but it doesn't make the color "pop" as much as UDPP.

Nars Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil in New Lover - Another Nars product I received from my 500 point gift.  I didn't really like it at first - I thought it was frosty - but I am warming up to it.

Tweezers - Because you can always see those annoying stray hairs in harsh hotel lighting.

Check out what the other members of Makeup Wars consider to be their Travel Essentials!  

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.