UA-26222132-1 Libby's Pink Vanity: May 2011

Monday, May 30, 2011

My Battle of the Turquoise: Winner: Carnation Creation

Posted by Libby's Pink Vanity at 5/30/2011 06:48:00 PM 7 comments
There is another wave of new polishes coming! I better hurry up and show the swatches I've made so I'll have room for more. :)

This is Finger Paint's 'Carnation Creation' and it has been used to compare to China Glaze's 'For Audrey.' I posted about 'For Audrey' here.  'For Audrey' has made it into the core line of China Glaze, surely because of its popularity. But, I like 'Carnation Creation' way better...

Yet, even with the comparisons, I actually like 'Carnation Creation' better. I wish I knew exactly why but, I just prefer this color more...
 
Listen up...I went to get my gel nails filled in. Over the next weekend, I swatched like a mofo. As I removed the polishes to reapply a new one, the fill-in disintegrated. It did it more and more as the swatch-a-thon went on. Well, damn! That salon didn't fill me in with gel; they used acrylic! Grrrrr..... Not trying to make an excuse, though. I'm pointing out how I fell for the ol' switch-a-roo.

Crappy fill-in aside, I now bring your attention to the lovely polish. Not a thing wrong with that! I did three coats and they went on smoothly. I have Seche Vite (did you know that means 'Quick Drying'?) as a top coat. I was attempting to build up the polish enough to hide the divits. That was a 'Fail' too.

Next weekend, I am going to Orlando's Premiere Show. I hope to find a nail gel that works perfectly every time and one I can do myself. (When I was in nail tech school eons ago, we actually had 'gel,' not powder!) And that can bring an end to getting duped at the nail salon.

But, high on my list, is to discover new products and upcoming releases in the beauty and nail industry. Then, share them with my loyal readers. I'm excited!

Which color do you like better: 'Carnation Creation' or 'For Audrey'?

Sunday, May 29, 2011

A Gray 'Totally Fort Worth It' for Brain Tumor Awareness

Posted by Libby's Pink Vanity at 5/29/2011 07:25:00 PM 3 comments
Are you having fun these weekend? Me, just blogging, cleaning up..some, OK...a little...no, just blogging and reading blogs. Yea. That.

I have made a new friend through blogging. My friend's name is Zara. She runs Never Unpolished blog. She just graduated from high school this month. She's getting ready to head off to college. I think she's an awesome woman.  Zara has a brain tumor.

This month marks 'National Brain Tumor Awareness'. The awareness ribbon for this disease is gray. Zara asked if anyone would help spread the word. I readily agreed.

Here is the gray I chose...

This is OPI's 'Totally Fort Worth It' from their recent Texas collection. I actually got this at our blogger swap last April. I don't know who put that into the stack but, I'm happy I got it.

'Totally Fort Worth It' is a very soft, frosty gray. It almost looks like a faint, smoke color. I am sure this color is in Libby's coat! I was very pleased with the color. I used 2 coats and, there is still a bit of visible nail line so, 3 would have done better. I did put on a top coat but, this is what I used...

This is OPI's 'I Juggle...Men' from the Cirque Femme collection. Sort of hard to pick up on camera, this is a thin, milky overlay that has pinkish iridescent glitter.I can't state that it spices things up, but it does add a hint of irresistibility to the look.

This is one coat of 'I Juggle...Men.'

Do excuse the need for a fill-in. My nails grow crazy fast and this is just 8 days of growth!  As you can see from the overlay, it doesn't change it a lot but just a bit.  It makes 'Totally Fort Worth It' just a bit more shimmery with an iridescent glow.

I liked the look quite well. It's a nice match for my very long nails. I'm glad I got to try this look and share with you about Zara and her blog. I'm very happy to have made friends with her and wish her all the best as she goes on into her college years and beyond.  (I hope she keeps blogging; I adore her blog!! Go, check it out!)

Did you get 'Totally Fort Worth It' or 'I Juggle...Men'?

Friday, May 27, 2011

Seriously Dainty - Ulta's 'Steal The Groom'

Posted by Libby's Pink Vanity at 5/27/2011 05:58:00 PM 5 comments
Let's start the weekend!!!

I love Ulta minis. I like the cost (more polish for less money) and the themes.  Here's one I was surprised I would like...
'Always a Bridesmaid' is a set of pastels that all have complimentary-colored micro-glitter.
 Here's the first one I swatched...


This green cutie is 'Steal the Groom,' which in my mind would not be a tasteful thing to do. And, as I think about it, I've never been a bridesmaid. Could there be a...dare say...connection? (Not a confession!)
A pale sea-foam green with lots and lots of tiny iridescent glitter. All of which is not captured in this outdoor lighting. Go back and check the first photo, above, and there you'll see it.
 
I used Sally Hansen's 'Teflon Tuff' as a base coat and then 3 coats of 'Steal The Groom.' There's one coat of Nailene's 'Miracle Maker' to finish it off.
I thought this would be a bit gritty, but it wasn't. And removal was without a hitch.
Rather than a plain pastel, I feel 'Steal The Groom' sets forth a feel of Seriously Dainty. And, as a loyal reader, you'll know that I love irony and oxymorons.

If you picked up this collection, which shade did you like best?

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Go Ahead; Show Us Your Pink

Posted by Libby's Pink Vanity at 5/25/2011 04:19:00 PM 7 comments
Time to wear pink!! It's Wednesday....yeeeaaaaaa!

Ulta has some of the cutest mini collections. This one is called 'Under The Sea.'  And from that collection is 'Mermaid In Heaven'.

A very vivid fuchsia pink with a gob of gold micro-glitter in it.

Here I have on 2 coats and used Nailene's 'Miracle Maker' as a top coat.  This is the shade I love to wear in the summer. It's brighter than a pastel, more vivacious and a lot more spunky than just a regular pink polish.
I have several blouses this color because it gives my skin a healthy, pink glow. There's a feeling of femininity without being a little girl.

There are other nail bloggers that have fun with pink on Wednesdays. Check out my blogger friends here and see what pink they are wearing today.

Monday, May 23, 2011

Kleancolor 'American Eyedols' Baked Shadows

Posted by Libby's Pink Vanity at 5/23/2011 07:29:00 PM 10 comments
What is hot this summer? Baked makeup. Baked shadows, blushes, bronzers, highlighters, you name it.  Baked makeup isn't a new trend, it's just a hot trend right now.

I found a brand new display of Kleancolor's American Eyedol Baked Shadows. I almost squealed but somehow managed to just blurt out 'Oh, Wow!'

 I got these at Abradel Beauty Supply in Orlando, FL. There website is www.abradel.com, however I do not see this makeup available on the site.

The owner said they had just received them in. Brand new!!! And she was more than accommodating to allow me to photo them for my blog.

Here I snapped some of the colors I WILL get next time. In fact, I have, on purpose, scheduled to visit a client out in that area of town so I can swing by Abradel's.





Here are the ones I picked...
Glitter Midnight (a medium gray with silver sparkles), Malt (a dark taupe with a bluish silver tone, my favorite!), Khaki (an antique gilded gold) and Glitter Teal (a medium teal with darker teal and silver sparkles).



I swatched them all, dry and wet. There is a lot of pigment in these, which pleased me. However, when I used it dry, there was fall out. Nothing that my fan brush couldn't whisk away.
At the sunny window. The order here is different. First is Malt, Khaki, Glitter Midnight, and then Glitter Teal.

Same order, out in the sunlight...
How about that pigmentation with the wet swatches? It is awesome as eyeliners. That's a fairly good deal to get a shadow and an eyeliner in one product for $1.99.

I only picked up the four because I wanted to see if they would preform as well as they looked. May I say they passed the 'Libby Test' and I will be purchasing a few more this week. So, look forward to more swatches of Kleancolor's American Eyedols. And, look for them for yourself too.

Pretty, aren't they?

Sunday, May 22, 2011

The Ugly Series: Part 5, Just Plain Ol' Orange

Posted by Libby's Pink Vanity at 5/22/2011 08:44:00 PM 6 comments
This is the last installment of The Uglies.  I'm having a hard time going through my stash finding anything that blatantly is ugly. Even those shades I have chosen to move out of my comfort zone are not out and out ugly. I should have saved that franken I made a month or two ago. Now, that was ugly.

This one is more of a meh...


than an ugly...
I dare say this is more scary than ugly.  Eeps!

Here is Love & Beauty's 'Orange'.  Just 'Orange'. And, almost as exciting as its name...

Three coats with a top coat of China Glaze's 'Fast Forward Top Coat'. I did a review of Revlon's 'Copper Penny' and it is very similar. And I wasn't bowled over by that one either. 'Orange' is a burnt orange hue. It does look brighter in the sunlight, however.
 
 It did have good coverage and it was uber shiny. It's just a bit ugly and is not my favorite color. If it was a lighter shade, it might be a great one for the beach and sandal-wearing. Neither, I'm apt to be doing.

What do you think about copper polishes? Is it one you'd wear?

Saturday, May 21, 2011

The Ugly Series: Part 4, How Could I Mess That Up

Posted by Libby's Pink Vanity at 5/21/2011 07:26:00 AM 9 comments
Why is it ugly...

Well, it's not. However, outside of nail blogland, there are those that find black nail polish just frightful. There are many parents that would not want to see black nail polish on their child's Sunday School teacher.

That said, I wanted to take a black polish and juice it up. For my black, I chose Essence's 'I Love My Jeans'. Take a look at this black polish. This is NOT your regular, plain ol' black.
This black has a low-light silver shimmer to it. And truthfully, I didn't notice it when I picked it up to do an ugly. Here I have on 3 coats. If you notice the pinkie, it is a sneak preview of what I'm going to do here. That's a test run.
Here, you can see those shimmers. I can't even say whether it is silver or whether it is holo. It captured many different colors when held my nails juuuust right in the sunlight.

Now to see if I can massacre it..

This yellow is from a 6 pack of...gasp!!! flaky glitters. Oh, my gosh! I picked out the color I liked least to do the experiment.

One coat, boys and girls. The black took care of any of that yellow 'took vitamins pee' color. And what appeared...swoonafied gemme!! It has no name. Should I call it 'Vitamin Pee'?
 Wow. Now I'm inclined to try this again with the other holo glitters. Do I dare tell you there's a RED one?? One coat...oh, I said that already. I'm sort of dazed by this combo.

I tried to do an ugly and ended up with love. Reminds me of finding love. I had decided I was perfectly happy with being single. And then what happens; I met my husband. Crap! I can't even get 'singlehood' down correctly. (Secretly I'm not bummed about it, though.)
 Can I call this ugly? Nope. I couldn't do ugly this time. May not be everyone's dream mani, but it sure is mine.

Did I give this one a fair shake? Shall we venture to call this a 'pleasant surprise'?
 

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