Color Club: Halo Hues in Blue Heaven

Holy Halo Batman! This polish is amazing! As I finally get my hands on one of the polishes from the 2012 Halo Hues Collection, Color Club has already come out with their 2013 collection! Oops.

I've been eyeing this collection since it came out last year, but for some reason I never got around to purchasing it until a month ago. I really wanted Harp On It or Cherubic but the place I go to was sold out, so I picked up my third choice: Blue Heaven. Let me just say, no regrets on this purchase! I love this color because it has the hint of blue that I like but in other lighting it also looks like silver halo.

The formula is thin which is nice because you can layer coats without a problem. I found that it was a little streaky so about 3 light coats was perfect for me. I absolutely love the holographic effect! It looks exactly the same on your nails as it does in the bottle! But I'm sure you could care less about what I have to say about the polish, let's let the photo do the talking!

*3 coats applied, no top coat. Taken in direct sunlight, no filter on photo.*

Can we just all take a moment to awe over how effing amazing this polish is?! Ugh, I can't. Seriously, speechless.  In love. The end.

Maybelline: Colorsensational Vivids in Vivid Rose

Oh Em Gee...I freakin love this lipstick! Bright Magenta goodness is Vivid Rose in a nutshell. The color is super pigmented, bright, but very wearable and not garish at all. The formula of these lipsticks are also great. They aren't drying, have great staying power, and no off putting scent. There is a great color range and although some of the pinks are not exact dupes, if you were ever interested in MAC's Pink Pigeon or Candy Yum Yum, this line is a great affordable alternative. I found at regular price, these lipsticks were cheaper at Walmart (where I purchased mine) and Target compared to all the other drugstores. Of course drugstores usually have some deal going on, so you should definitely take advantage when Maybelline is on sale and pick up some of these vivid amazingnesses.  I definitely need more of these in my life!

Now bask in the glory of that which is called Vivid Rose!

NYC: Smooch Proof 16HR Lip Stain

Wow, I just noticed this is my 3rd post about lip stains in less than a week! So I raved in my previous two posts: Revlon Balm Stain and L'OREAL Wet Shine Stain about how much I really liked those products, so let's see how this product faired.

As I mentioned before, I'm not a big fan of marker type lip stains. I've tried affordable and high end ones and I've never been impressed to the point that I wanted to try more. About a month ago, I was at Rite Aid and noticed that NYC was buy one get one free (aka a deal you should never pass up). NYC is one of the drugstore brands that I'm least familiar with as I've only tried one.. maybe  two products from the brand. I saw that the lip stains were running scarce and figured people must like them if there aren't that many left.

They retail for $4.99 and with the promo going on, even if I hate them, I was only out $5. I picked up two colors: Forever Fuchsia and Forever Freesia.

These marker type lip stains claim the following (taken from NYC's website):

• Color lasts up to 16 hours
• Will not transfer, rub off or smear, even when eating or drinking
• Lightweight formula, bare lip feel, matte finish
• Precise and even application
• Allows you to build color

So let me break it down real quick about the claims and my experience with the product.

L'OREAL: Colour Caresse Wet Shine Stain

I finally got around to trying the notorious dupe for the YSL Glossy Stains that I have been hearing about for months now! I don't own any YSL Glossy Stains and the most I have had in contact with them is swatching them on my hand a long time ago at Sephora, so I'll have to take everyone's word for it. What did intrigue me though, was the fact that a lip product that costs $10 rivals a high end product going for $34! (I mean let's face it, those are always the best finds!)

I remembered seeing these when they first came out and thought the packaging was really nice, the applicator looked interesting, and there was a nice selection of pinks (my fave!). Months went by and I never purchased them because I just thought they were a lip gloss...nothing special and I have so many already, I don't need anymore.

Then a coupon popped up in my email I think, $2 off a L'OREAL lip product. So I did what any responsible shopper would do. I bought something I didn't need, and told myself the coupon justifies the purchase. Right?! No?! Whatever.

So I picked up Pink Rebellion which from the package looked like a hot magenta color. Totally right up my alley. I have to admit though, I was not a big fan that these do not come sealed...who knows what people do with them or where their hands have been. Hello, germ fest! Anyways, I picked the one that looked the least tampered with and I'm happy to report no herpes...yet.

Polka Dots & Floral Print Nails

Spring has arrived! Polka Dots & Floral Print are definitely on trend this Spring so I thought I'd combine the two for an easy but very cute nail look. Instead of using all pastel colors which would also look great, I decided to make it a little retro by using the good ol' black and white combo. Enjoy!

Polishes Used

Black: Wet n Wild Ebony Hates Chris 

White: Circus Reverso

Darker Pink: Sinful Colors Beautiful Girl

Lighter Pink: Spoiled My Button Fell Off

Green: Mixed Julie G Gelato in Venice with Color Club Age of Aquarius

Fergalicious Cheetah Nails

I entered a Facebook contest in the beginning of March that Wet n Wild is hosting featuring the Fergie line of polishes. You can vote here: Fergie Polish Contest by clicking that link and hitting 'like' (voting ends April 27th).  I decided to do 2 fun looks and I have been asked what colors I used. For the first look, I did a "rainbow" gradient with cheetah spots. Again, I used all Wet n Wild polishes from the Fergie line to achieve this look. I'll post part 2 by tomorrow. Hope you like it!

Polishes Used

Gradient from cuticle to tip of nail:

Glowstick

Miami Spirit

Fergalicious

Layered 'New Years Kiss' on top of the gradient for some sparkle

For the cheetah spots:

Going Platinum

Blue Eyed Soul

Revlon: Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain

Let's just cut to the chase, Revlon you've done did it again in the lip department! I am lovin' the Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains! I purchased Honey and Cherish and it's the only lip products I have been wearing since I purchased them!

In general I'm a fan of lip stains in theory, but I've tried numerous marker type lip stains (including Revlon's Just Bitten Lipstain + Balm) and I'm still not big on them. For me, the formula of the marker type stains always fade in the most random places on my lips. They also go on weird on me: either really streaky or leave my lips looking like I've used red food coloring to stain my lips. I don't know if any of that makes sense but my point is, I don't like it. What makes this stain nice is the formula; the fact that they are a creamy "balm" consistency allows them to apply more evenly to the lips than most of the marker type stains I have tried. These balm stains remind me a lot of Revlon's beloved Lip Butters but in chubby stick form which makes them even easier to use. They have a mint scent which is not overpowering so I actually find it quite nice and refreshing. They also require no sharpening which is great! The two I tried had a surprising amount of pigmentation which again is reminiscent of the Lip Butters. As far as lasting power, I can get a good 3 hours of wear before I reapply again and that's with drinking and eating. Again, the chubby stick makes it so easy to apply that I never use a mirror when reapplying. Bonus points for major convenience!