polish insomniac’s Top 10 Posts of 2014

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I always think it’s fun to look back at 2014 to see what my post popular posts are.  I am not surprised by the number of OPI posts!  I am, however, surprised at how many “Top 10” posts made the list.  I am glad you guys love those posts as much as I do – they are so fun to write!

OPI Nordic Collection Swatches and Review

Beauty Room Update

OPI Brazil Swatches and Review

China Glaze City Flourish Swatches and Review

Coca-Cola by OPI Swatches and Review

Must Have Eyeshadow Palettes

OPI Sheer Tints

Top Ten Mascaras

My Top 10 Manicure Items

Top 10 Lip and Nail Colors for Fall

Want more?  Check out what made last year’s list!

Thanks for taking a look back at 2014!  

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–Favorite Foundation of 2014

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For the final week of 2014, the members of Makeup Wars challenged each other to pick just one item out of three categories that was their absolute favorite of 2014.  The first day is Foundation – and I’ve already lost the challenge, because I use two foundations that I mix together to get my perfect color and consistency – IT Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC Cream with SPF 50+ in Light and IT Cosmetics IT-O2 Ultra Repair Liquid Oxygen Foundation in Fair.  I have previously been provided samples from IT Cosmetics for both of these foundations, but I have repurchased them several times in the past year!  I like to pick them up when beauty.com or ULTA does their 20% off coupons.

I’ve always been in-between shades with IT Cosmetics… Light is too dark and Fair is too light.  So I was already mixing Fair and Light in my IT Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC Cream with SPF 50+, so when I ran out of Fair I reached for the  IT Cosmetics IT-O2 Ultra Repair Liquid Oxygen Foundation in Fair instead. 

I loved the result of blending these two foundations together!  The coverage of the CC+ Cream is more like a foundation to me than a real CC Cream, so adding the lighter weight foundation to it made it blend even more seamlessly into my skin, especially when I use my new Velvet Luxe LBD Foundation Brush by IT Cosmetics for ULTA! 

What’s your favorite foundation?  Let me know in the comments, and be sure to check out the rest of the Makeup Wars posts below!

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.

iPhone cases for nail polish lovers!

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While browsing on Amazon for new cases for my iPhone this past weekend, I found a bunch that are designed to look like designer bottles of nail polish - and I just HAD to share!

PLEASE read any Amazon reviews as I have not seen any of these in person (yet)! 

Dior Inspired Nail Polish iPhone 6 case - $11.95 (free shipping!)

Chanel Inspired Nail Polish iPhone 5 case - $11.95 (free shipping!)

Chanel Inspired Nail Polish iPhone 5 case - $4.40, 1.90 shipping 

Chanel/Audrey Hepburn Inspired Nail Polish iPhone 5 case - $21.95, 3.99 shipping 

Chanel/Audrey Hepburn Inspired Nail Polish iPhone 5 case - $21.95, 3.99 shipping 

Lancome Inspired Nail Polish iPhone 5  - $21.95, 3.99 shipping 

Lancome Inspired Nail Polish iPhone 5 case - $21.95, 3.99 shipping 

Lancome Inspired Nail Polish iPhone 5 case - $21.95, 3.99 shipping  

Do you have any super cute iPhone cases I should check out?

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.

The LAST Beauty Spotlight Team Weekend Roundup of 2014!

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DIOR Diorskin Nude Shimmer in Rose 001 is not only a gorgeous luminizer, but Helen from Lola's Secret Beauty Blog thinks that it is also the perfect pink blush!

Prime Beauty discusses Marsala, the 2015 Pantone Color of the Year and shows you a few lipsticks that embrace the shade.

Thinking about picking up the new Kat Von D Innerstellar Palette? Phyrra shows you the pros and cons of this palette!

How are you celebrating New Year's Eve? Have you picked out your manicure yet? Beauty Info Zone has and it's a beauty.

Mr. Tom Ford sure knows how to drive the ladies wild, and this time he's doing it with the help from his boys! Come check out the two fine Mediterranean one Sunny from Mostly Sunny picked up, including Diego and Francesco!

The Pantone Colour of the Year for 2015 has been announced as Marsala and the SEPHORA + PANTONE UNIVERSE Marsala Collection is already available online! Perilously Pale has started reviewing this amazing collection including the Facets of Marsala Multi-Finish Eye Palette.

'Tis the Season of Giveaways continues on Pammy Blogs Beauty with her beautyADDICTS gift set giveaway!

The Painted Rogue is celebrating one year of bloggy adventuring! :-D What better way to do it than with a review of two gorgeous lipsticks from INGLOT - one blue and one purple So stop on by and help a rogue celebrate! ^_^

Do you wander around the drugstore wondering what the best products are? 15 Minute Beauty has some favorite products that she thinks you should consider.

You're in a hurry yet you want a polished eye. What would polish insomniac recommend for that one special eyeshadow to make you look your best?

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: Favorite Shadows for Quick Wash of Color!

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This week the bloggers behind Makeup Wars are sharing our favorite shadows we reach for when we only have time to use one color!  I love to use these kinds of shadows in the summer, especially with a brightly colored eyeliner!  This time of year I reach for a black liquid liner or a smudgy pencil liner to define my eyes. 

• Urban Decay Eyeshadow - Verve • $18.00
• Urban Decay Eyeshadow - Sin • $18.00
• Urban Decay Eyeshadow - Virgin • $18.00
• M·A·C Eye Shadow - Woodwinked • $16.00
• M·A·C Eye Shadow - Retrospeck  • $16.00
• M·A·C Eye Shadow - Jest  • $16.00
• Stila Eye Shadow - Wheat • $18.00
• Stila Eye Shadow - Kitten • $18.00
• NARS Dual-Intensity Eyeshadow - Callisto • $29.00* (swatch)
• NARS Dual-Intensity Eyeshadow -Dione • $29.00 (swatch)*

I am sad to say that when I tried to replace my dearly beloved Stila Wheat, I found the formula had changed.  My original Stila Wheat was part of the Stila Kitten Summer Palette.  When I ordered it’s replacement, I found it was much, much more gold!



*Provided for review – I received one of the Nars shadows when I attended TMS Chicago.  I haven’t worn them since last summer, so finding them when I was shopping my stash for this post was fun!  I can’t wait to wear Callisto and Dione again – and now I am super excited for the new NARSissist Dual-Intensity Eyeshadow Palette AND the Dual-Intensity Blush Palette to come out!

What's your favorite shadow for an all over wash of color?  Let me know in the comments, and be sure to check out the rest of the Makeup Wars posts below!

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 Team Weekend Reading - Last Minute Holiday Gifts!

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15 Minute Beauty asked her beauty blogging friends a few questions, and now she can share their favorite drugstore foundations! Did your favorite make the list?

Tom Ford Lips & Boys Limited Edition Collection of 50 Lipsticks is truly amazing, and Lola's Secret Beauty Blog has swatched the whole collection for you!

Looking for last minute stocking stuffers? Prime Beauty has a great review of the Amopê Pedi Perfect Tool and you can win one for yourself too!

Interested in some "Lush"ious bathing? Join Beauty Info Zone in drooling over these Lush products. Get them while they are available.


The holiday season is about giving, and Sunny from Mostly Sunny is hosting an awesome giveaway open to readers from all over the world! Find out how you can win a prize pack with amazing Burberry, Dior, Guerlain, Givenchy, and Laura Mercier products (value 270+ euros)!

Looking for a new skin saving serum? Phyrra is in love with the Silk Naturals Vitamin C Peptide Serum! It's vegan, too!

'Tis the Season for Giveaways at Pammy Blogs Beauty! Enter to win a fabulous gift basket from RoC plus a $200 Visa Gift card!!! While you are there, check out the other giveaways, too!

polish insomniac shares with us the Top 10 Glitter Nail Polishes of 2014!

Just when you think there's nothing new left, Perilously Pale discovers YSL's new Volupte Tint-In Oil. You'll want to see these beauties.

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.

Guest Post: Christmas Lights Nail Art by Kim!

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With all the Christmas lights strung up on the tree and around our town home, I really wanted something that made my nails shine like the lights. I searched for inspiration and loved the Christmas light nails. I experimented with sharpies, nail pen, drawing the wires myself but I couldn't find a thin enough line to my pleasing. After drawing on my nails a few times, it hit me. I went in to my sewing kit and brought out a black string. Just a simple black sewing string and it worked!! There were some fuzzies when I added a top coat but from a distant it wasn't noticeable.

I put on a coat of my Orly Bonder base coat then added 2 coats of 'Look at my nails' by Etude which is a Korean nail polish I got from Korea. It goes on very smoothly and dries very quick. And it happens to match my skin which I love. While the nail is still semi wet on the second coat, I laid down the strings into positions I desired; loops, straight across, double loops. It sticks on much better while it's semi dry. After finishing the strings I then lay on the multi colored Swarovski crystals I ordered on amazon randomly across the string. The Swarovski crystal in my opinion has a higher shine than acrylic which can look dull. They cost a bit more than acrylic but it's well worth the money for the shine you achieve. I usually order the size 5ss and any smaller than that will look like dust. After I press each one into my nail to make sure it stays I wait about 30 min for it to dry completely. Then I add a layer of Seche Vite topcoat and you can see the crystals shine. After the first layer of top coat dries then you add one more just for added security your crystals will not fall off. After 2 or 3 days I added on another layer of top coat to last me throughout the week.

I absolutely love this nail art look by Kim!  Who would have thought that regular old string would look so good?  I know she wore these nails for over a week, she definitely got her use out of her Swarovski crystals!

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.

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polish insomniac

Pacifica Abalone 7 Free Nail Color

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Pacifica Abalone is a gorgeous duochrome that shifts from purple to grey to silver to green a la Deborah Lippman Wicked Game, but at a fraction of the price!  What’s lovely about this polish (other than the formula) is that it is a Cruelty-Free and 100% Vegan!  Pacifica 7 FREE nail color is formulated without phthalates (dibutyl phthalate), toluene, xylene, parabens, camphor, formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin and animals.

 

I previously reviewed three shades from Pacifica here.

 

 

I have a surprise flash giveaway to go along with this post!  Enter below to enter the Pacifica Holiday Reds Trio pictured above, which includes Blushing Bunnies, Red Red Wine and Cinnamon Girl.

 

Good Luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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.

© copyright 2010-2013 – All rights reserved

polish insomniac

The Top 10 Glitter Nail Polishes of 2014

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Today I have my first “best of” lists for 2014 – my Top 10 Glitter Nail Polishes!  I’ve got a healthy mix of glitter “polishes” (that you wear on their own) and glitter “toppers” (that are meant to be layered).  I’ve also got a few budget picks!  Check them out and tell me what you think!

OPI Comet in the Sky is a stunning mix of holographic glitters.  Shown here with two coats layered over a black crème.  (See my review of the entire Gwen Stefani for OPI Holiday 2014 Collection.)

Snow Globetrotter is an amazing mixture of holographic glitters with pops of two sizes of white hex glitters.  Shown here with two coats layered over a black crème.  (See my review of the entire Gwen Stefani for OPI Holiday 2014 Collection.)

FingerPaints Gilded Chrome was released as part of the limited edition Shredded Chromes collection.  I love the dazzling mix of different sized silver glitters and the dash of gold!

Renaissance Cosmetics Evenstar is technically from Winter 2013, but since I reviewed it in 2014, I’m just gonna go with it!  There are only two left in stock as I’m writing this, hopefully it will be restocked again soon!

Pretty Serious Daphne After Dark is just one of many fabulous glitters from the 2014 Rooftop Soirée Holiday Collection.  I love how much color you can see through the black base!  

China Glaze Meet Me Under the Stars is another glitter polish with a black base that I just adore!  The silver glitters really stands out against the black base.  Wouldn’t this look awesome with a navy base?  This polish is from the China Glaze Twinkle collection, which I have yet to post my review of… it’s coming!

NYC New York Color Queen’s Jewels is a Crystal Couture Topcoat from the limited edition Queen’s Jewels Crystal collection.  It is an amazingly pigmented green jelly with filled with green microglitter.  This is two coats on it’s own, not layered over anything!  I will definitely be pulling it out of my stash to wear this holiday season.

I was tempted to list the entire lineup of Crystal Couture Topcoats from the Queen’s Jewels Collection on here, but I limited myself to just one more.

NYC New York Color Rule the City was the only polish from the collection that didn’’t have a jelly base.  It has is a gunmetal base with matching glitter so small that it’s barely a shimmer, but so densely packed that it only needed one coat.  It also has pops of red microglitter that really makes it stand out!

Pure Ice Winter Blues is a stunning glitter topper that you can pick up at Walmart for $1.99!  Here I layered it over a dark grey crème.  (Check it out over blue in Amber’s Frozen Inspired Manicure.)  I picked up both Winter Blues and Feelin’ Ornamental, which has the same base but green glitter!  I think these are limited edition for Holiday 2014, so pick them up while you can!

Deborah Lippmann Make Someone Happy is the glitter topcoat from the Recipe for Love Set.  Here I have layered it over Let’s Stay Together.  I just love the tiny blue shimmer mixed with the larger pink glitters!

What’s your favorite glitter polish of 2014?  Let me know in the comments, and make sure to check out the rest of the Top 10 Lists below!

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 Mind the Gap

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While cleaning out my drafts folder I came across China Glaze Mind the Gap, which I just had to share with you today.  Isn’t she gorgeous?  Definitely one of those pretty ugly colors!

Mind the Gap is from All Aboard for Fall 2014 and is still available!

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 Team - Weekend Weblinks from your Favorite Beauty Bloggers!

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Lola's Secret Beauty Blog is obsessed with the holiday beauty gifts at Nordstrom, and put together a Holiday Gift Guide Extravaganza to drool over!

Prime Beauty has the low down on the latest and greatest beauty subscription box--L'occiBox from L'Occitane! Take a look at what you can get for just $15, but hurry these boxes are available just once a season!

Phyrra has tried a ton of subscription boxes over the years. She shares her picks for the Best Subscription Boxes, as well as which ones to skip!

What would you think a makeup organizer brought to you by QUIRKY would be like? Check out Beauty Info Zone to see it and why Marcia is in love with it.

15 Minute Beauty is upping her makeup game with new brushes! Here are some of her favorite makeup blending brushes! Did your favorite brush make the list?

An epic pile of loot has landed at Rogue HQ recently - mostly in the form of incredibly adorable lip-product minis! The Painted Rogue needs your help wrangling the Ballet Monster away from it all...and wants to know what you'd like to see reviewed first, as she has a huge number for new brands to try out!

Sunny from Mostly Sunny has a feast for your eyes. See what nail polishes will have you wanting them all.

Find out why Pammy Blogs Beauty is falling head-over-heels for the super whimsy and pretty Winter/Holiday polish collection from KB Shimmer!

Perilously Pale shares with us some great face and hand products to help combat winter dryness.

Still looking for the perfect gift? polish insomniac has the perfect stocking stuffers and gifts under $25.

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.

Holiday Snowflake Nail Art by Kim!

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I have a special treat to share with you today!  I have always wanted to share more nail art on polish insomniac, but my skills are lacking!  Luckily I discovered a self-taught nail artist who has agreed to do a share her pictures of a mani she did this week with us today!  If all goes well you can look forward to seeing her nail art again in upcoming Friday posts!

How she got this look:

“I first used my Orly base coat. Then I used two coats of OPI Cinnamon Sweet (Gwen Stefani for OPI Holiday 2014).  After waiting for them to dry for a few minutes I applied a diluted layer of FingerPaints Silver Bells (Winter Wishes 2014).  I diluted it with a clear coat on a palette so the silver glitter to allow the red to show through better.  After letting that dry I put on a layer of FingerPaints Sugar and Spice (Winter Wishes 2014).  I wait about 20 min for the colors to dry and settle then I began my snowflake designs with my Salon Perfect Nail Art Liner in White Out.  The nail art brush is long and very slim so it was perfect at making intricate designs and strokes.  After drawing each one on each nail I decided it needed more sparkle so I added a Swarovski jewel on the center of the snowflake on my thumb.”

About Kim: 

4 years ago I was the girl that was never interested in polish. I never owned a single one nor have I had my nails done professionally even till this day. It wasn't until I met my boyfriend, who is now my husband, that I became interested in nail art solely because I wanted to look good and polished for our dates. Since then I began purchasing more colors at the cheapest price. Later on having only solid colors bored me and having an art background I used my nails as a canvas and began exploring more options. From then on I began collecting not only colors, but brushes, jewels, nail stickers, nail tape, etc., tools that enhanced the nail polish colors. I love finding inspiration and themes for my nails, especially during the holiday seasons. I do all this purely as a hobby.

What do you guys think?  Isn’t her tip about diluting the silver glitter awesome?

Would you like to see more guest posts from Kim?  I do!

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.