Sinful Colors apPEAsing

Tis the season for mint green! I definitely consider this time of year mint green season. I know you can wear any color any time of year, but I'm someone who gravitates toward seasonal colors so mint greens are really appealing and "apPEAsing" for me right now. I have new Sinful Colors for 2017 mint green to share with you today that's called "apPEAsing". I see they were trying to get some green thing in the name, but it is rather silly don't you think?

apPEAsing

apPEAsing is a bright mint green creme.

Collection: Sinful Colors Core 2017

Color: I know mint greens are a dime a dozen, but it's one of those colors I just can't get enough of. I like this one because it has a brightness to it and it veers more to the green side than blue. I know those are harder to come by. This is a great mint!

Formula: This had a fairly nice formula. It was streaky on the first coat and was opaque by the second. I do find I still see some streakiness and unevennesses on some nails even with 2 coats, but it's not the big of a deal.

Price: I purchased this for $1.99 at Walgreens.

Overall: This is an all around great mint green creme. It's bright and refreshing. The formula isn't perfect, but it's $1.99. I can't complain too much.

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Paint Splatters

Happy Thursday!

Kokie All The Envy

I have new to me brand to share with you today. I spotted this brand recently at the Christmas Tree Shop (which is owned by Bed Bath & Beyond). What I've learned is this brand was created by the founder of Sinful Colors. The name "Kokie" derives from the Korean word for elephant, hence the logo. The display was pretty impressive and I think they probably had around 100 colors. This color caught my eye!

All The Envy

All The Envy is a jade green creme.

Collection: Kokie Cosmetics Core

Color: I'm not normally green polish person, but I love this color. This is a true rich jade green. It's a really chic green that I think is very flattering. I love the saturation and creaminess of this color.

Formula: This had an excellent formula. I used 2 coats above and it applied very smoothly. I really liked everything from the formula to the brush.

Price: This was $5.99 at the Christmas Tree Shop this is also available at select Bed Bath & Beyond stores with the expanded cosmetics section and on their website. I'm not sure how I feel on the price. It's clearly more affordable than mainstream brands, but I wish it were just a little cheaper. They're better quality and a better shade range than Sinful Colors, but I don't think it is very competitive at the $5.99 price. I wish they were $3.99. I'd haul more at that price!

Overall: I really was impressed and enjoyed this polish by Kokie Cosmetics. I think the shade range and this color, in particular, were excellent. The formula was on point. I'd shop this brand again. I wish the price was just a teeny bit cheaper but other than that I have no complaints.

My Rating: 5 out of 5 Paint Splatters

Happy Tuesday!

Heather's Hues Jingle All The Way

How about a Christmas glitter to kick off the Christmas weekend? This one is from Heather's Hues. This is actually a polish I purchased myself not one of the ones I won. I love glittery shades when Christmas comes around. Glitter and Christmas are two peas in a pod. If you're someone who is hesitant about bling, Christmas is the time to not shy away. This glitter isn't shy!

Jingle All The Way (over Heather's Hues O' Christmas Tree)

Jingle All The Way (over a silver metallic)

Jingle All The Way is a clear base packed with silver holo glitters, red and green glitters, platinum silver flakes, and a mix of multichrome flakes in red, green, and gold.

Collection: Heather's Hues Holiday 2016

Color: This is jam packed glittery goodness. I love all the glitter elements in this polish and it's definitely over the top but in an amazing way.

Formula: The formula was easy to use and apply. I used 2 coats over a base. You could wear this on its own, but it won't be 100% opaque but close enough.

Price: This mini 7.5ml size is $6.00 while the larger 15ml size is $10 on Heather's Hues etsy site.

Overall: This is a great Christmas glitter. I love all of the glitter elements, the colors, and the multichrome flakes. This is a blingtastic polish that won't disappoint the glitter fanatics out there. I wish this was just teensy bit more opaque for my liking so I didn't have to layer it. It may be opaque enough for many, though.

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Paint Splatters

Happy Friday!

Heather's Hues O' Christmas Tree

Another brand I shopped during Black Friday was Heather's Hues. I actually only purchased one nail polish and mostly bought wax melts. During her Black Friday sale, she posted there would be 7 random winners of a surprise gift during the sale period. I happened to be one of the winners and was very excited because I received some of the polishes I had my eye on but decided not to purchase during the sale to try and keep my Black Friday spending guilt at bay. This is one of the colors I won.

O' Christmas Tree

O' Christmas Tree is Christmas green sprinkled with iridescent green microflakes and shimmer as well as lime and emerald holo dust and microglitters.

Collection: Heather's Hues Holiday 2016

Color: I don't post a lot of green polishes because it's really not my most favorite color, however, I do love a rich deep green. This is a beautiful traditional shiny Christmas wrapping paper green. At least, that's what it reminds me of most. I love this richness of this green.

Formula: This had a great and easy to use formula. I used 2 coats above.

Price: This mini 7.5ml version which I have is $5.75. There is a larger 15ml version for $9.75 as well on Heather's Hues etsy site.

Overall: This is beautiful Christmas green shade. I love the shine and shimmer in this polish. It's such a rich and luxurious color.

My Rating: 5 out of 5 *Golden* Paint Splatters

Happy Monday!

Zoya Olivera

Zoya holiday collections tend to be let downs for me. I'm not into Pixie Dusts and usually, the other shades don't entice me either. This was pretty much this case this year except for one shade. If you're into polish I'm sure you know which shade I'm talking about. If not, you'll soon find out!

Olivera

Olivera is an indigo base with and intense green shifty shimmer.

Collection: Zoya Enchanted Holiday 2016

Color: This is fantastic. I love to see a mainstream brand dabbling into shimmer and duochrome territory. I haven't seen that in awhile. This color is so pigmented and rich. You can see some green-purple shifts in the bottle, but I didn't find that translated on the nail. That's NO problem to me because even without that it's a stunning color.

Formula: This is where this shocked me. This was a one-coater. I am floored. I've never had a Zoya polish much less a shimmery polish like this be a one-coater. The formula was surprisingly excellent.

Price: This is $10 on Zoya's website.

Overall: This is all kinds of win from the color to the formula. This is one of the best polishes I've come across this year which means I'm sure you'll be spotting it on a list of mine very soon 😉. You need this polish. Need I say more?

My Rating: 5 out of 5 *Golden* Paint Splatters

Happy Friday!

KBShimmer Winter 2016 Collection (8 of 16)

* I received the following products in exchange for my honest review.

I have some of the polishes from the KBShimmer Winter Collection to share with you. Today is release day for this collection so these pretties are all available for you to purchase now! This is a great collection in true KBShimmer fashion. There is a great mix of cremes, glitters, holos, crellies, and more. There are also some new holiday scents for their body care line as well as some holiday promos. I'll get to those later in the post. First, is nail polish. I have 8 of the 16 polishes in this collection.

 Bling In The New Year

Bling In The New Year is a silver holo glitter and metallic flakes featuring pink, green, gold, and blue flakes. (2 coats)

Chai-huahua

Chai-huahua is a warm brick-toned red creme. (2 coats).

Just Duvet It

Just Duvet It is a rich grape shade with a hint of sparkle and some pink shimmery flakes. (2 coats)

Soot And Ladders

Soot And Ladders is a soot black jelly filled with micro flakes in a rainbow of colors. (2 coats)

A Walk In the Park-A

A Walk In The Park-A is a lush orchid creme. (2 coats)

Yeti or Not

Yeti Or Not is a textured pale gray polish loaded with iridescent glitter and holographic glitters. (3 coats plus topcoat)

Spruce Things Up

Spruce Things Up is a Christmas green jelly with micro holo and silver glitters. (2 coats)

Haute Mess

Haute Mess is clear base filled with silver, copper, rose gold, and holographic glitters. (1 coat of A Walk In The Park-A)

Holiday Scents

There will be three new scents (Gingerbread Men, Very Merry Cranberry, and Cocoa & Cookies) added for the holiday season. These scents will be available for a limited time in Mani Shots, Mega Shots, Sugar Scrubs, Picture Perfect Cuticle Creams, and Lotions.

Collection: KBShimmer Winter 2016

Colors: I think KBShimmer nailed it with this collection. I really like a traditional holiday collection and this collection really has awesome traditional holiday colors that are still fresh and relevant for this upcoming season. The colors in this collection are rich and saturated and the variety of finishes offered is always appreciated.

Formulas: I thought 7 of the 8 polishes I tried had a superb formula. The cremes were excellent and smooth. A Walk In The Park-A could easily be one coat, I just did two for the sake of photography. The glitters and shimmers also had great formulas. The only troublesome one of the bunch was Yeti Or Not which had a textured and chunky formula. It was not smooth to apply and I really wish it was created just as a normal nail polish because the color is beautiful and would have been my favorite otherwise.

Price: The polishes in this collection are $9.25 each and are available now on the KBShimmer website. KBShimmer will also be offering holidays promos with orders placed between 11/01-12/31 or while supplies lasts.

Promos

Spend $25 or more – receive a chrome nail polish charm with the KBShimmer logo ($2.95 retail value)
Spend $50 or more – receive a KBShimmer branded Mont Bleu purse sized crystal nail file ($4.95 retail value) and charm.  Plus free shipping on your order!
Spend $75 or more – receive a faux leather KBShimmer holographic cosmetic case ($12.95 retail value), nail file, and charm.  Plus free shipping!
**Purchase amount after any discounts or coupon codes

Overall: This is a wonderful holiday collection. I love the selection of colors and it's the perfect collection for those of you who love traditional holiday colors but have KBShimmer's magical touch. The formulas are great and I'm really excited bout the promos and new holiday scents. My favorite colors from this lot are Bling In The New Year, Chai-huahua, A Walk In The Park-A, and Spruce Things Up.

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Paint Splatters

Happy Tuesday!

Throwbacks Week: Milani Gracious Green

It's time for another week of throwbacks! I came across this Milani texture polish while rearranging my nail polish stash this past weekend. I'd say the texture trend has come and gone, but I know Zoya is still making PixieDusts for the upcoming holiday season? I don't think textures are really on trend now, but they're still out there. I never really got into the trend myself, outside of a handful of colors. This Milani one is really interesting. I'm not sure I love it, but I'm intrigued by it enough to give it a second go.

Gracious Green

Gracious Green is a sage textured green creme.

Collection: Milani Fall Textured Cremes 2013

Color: I like the color of this polish. I love sage greens in fall and this color is really flattering for me. It actually makes me wish I had more sage green polishes! The texture I'm not so sure about. It has that stucco wall type texture. It's certainly unusual and I kind of like, but kind of don't at the same time? I don't make sense!

Formula: I used 2 coats for this polish and it applied nicely.

Price: N/A. This is no longer available.

Overall: I'm so on the fence on this polish. I really don't hate it, and I kind of love it, but still not sure about it either! It's a great color I think that's why I love about it most, but that texture is just odd. It's definitely a unique polish in my collection that's for sure.

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Paint Splatters

Happy Monday!

Throwbacks Week: Wet n' Wild Poison Ivy

I'm not the biggest green polish wearer. I used to not wear green polish at all, but I've grown out of that. I do love greens. They're just not colors I wear frequently. I think it's just hard for me to work with the color. It's not my best color, it has to be the right shade of green. I have found that darker greens tend to be better and this one from Wet n' Wild has to be one of my all time favorite greens.

Poison Ivy

Poison Ivy is a blackened emerald green shimmer.

Collection: Wet n' Wild Pick Your Poison Halloween 2012

Color: I love the richness of this shade. Jewel-toned blackened colors have to be some of my favorite. This is such a great green and that shimmer just brings it life and allows this polish to just glow on your nails.

Formula: The formula on this is pretty good application wise. It's smooth and easy to apply. It is pretty sheer on the first coat and I needed 3 for full coverage.

Price: I think this one can be found on eBay if you catch it in the $5-$8 price range.

Overall: Splendid and magical green! I can't enough of this rich color! I need to wear this one more.

My Rating: 5 of 5 *Golden* Paint Splatters

Happy Thursday!

Alter Ego Vegas Showgirl

* I received the following product in exchange for my honest review.

I have another Cocktails & Colors via Cosmoprof polish to share with you today. This one is from the brand Alter Ego. I need to be honest, I received some polishes from this brand last year at Cosmoprof and was really unimpressed with the formulation and wasn't comfortable reviewing them. I heard that Alter Ego recently formulated their polishes and I am very pleased with what I received this year.

Vegas Showgirl

Vegas Showgirl is a mix of blue, green, gold, and holo glitters in a clear base.

Color: This is really an all-star glitter polish. This is a complete 180 turn around from what I was expecting from this brand after last year. I love the dimension of this polish with the varying color and types of glitter. It's also an opaque glitter.

Formula: Excellent formula! I'm very happy to report this. This only needed 2 coats for opacity and was very easy to apply.

Price: You can purchase this on Alter Ego's site for either $4.50 for a 8.5ml bottle or $9.00 for a 17ml bottle.

Overall: This was a brand I really had completely written off based on what I received last year. I'm happy that formulation changes were made and it really made a massive difference. This brand went from off my radar to a brand I'm really interested in now. I like when a brand can change my mind.

My Rating: 5 out of 5 *Golden* Paint Splatters

Happy Thursday!

Powder Perfect Scarab & Osiris

* I received the following products in exchange for my honest review.

I have new to me brand to show you today. I have been familiar with Powder Perfect for a little while but had not had the opportunity to try the brand until now. Powder Perfect was at the Cocktails & Colors party at Cosmoprof this past year and I was really happy to meet Jacinta the owner. I was also really impressed she made the trek all the way from Australia to be there!

I have two of the polishes from recently released Part III of th Egyptology Series to share with you today. This series has a unique formula that is a mixture of micro glitter polish and holographic polish. Let's get started.

Scarab

Scarab is a a darkened teal with shades of a blue glitter and holographic sparkle.

Osiris

Osiris is an emerald green holo with various shades of micro-glitters.

Collection: Powder Perfect Egyptology Series Part III 2016

Colors: I really like these two colors. What I like best about them is that they're not flat holos or glitters. They're a mix of both and that really adds some dimension to these polishes. Scarab is my favorite of the two. Just look at the blue!

Formula: I used 2 coats for both of these. I really like this formula because of the smoothness. The formula sheer on the first coat but builds up completely in the second. I appreciate this because I'd much rather have a sheerer thinner formula than a thick one. I find have more control over the application and formula when it is sheerer with glitters like these. When they're thicker they tend to clump up and drag. I did not have any issues like that with these polishes.

Price: These are $13.00 on the Powder Perfect website.

Overall: These are beautiful polishes with a great formula. I'm really happy I had the opportunity to try this brand because Powder Perfect definitely has a new customer! These colors are great and I appreciate the thoughtful formula done with glitters such as these.

My Rating: 5 out of 5 Paint Splatters

Happy Wednesday!