Essie Cashmere Mattes-- Spun In Luxe

  I've not been overly excited about nail polish lately, and have found myself settling happily and comfortably into a rotation of neutrals, reds, berries, and greys.  One of the reasons Essie's Cashmere Matte collection caught my eye is because they are classic, sophisticated colors in a fun and edgy finish.  I'll admit that I initially had four of the set of six pegged as must-haves but when it came down to it, I chose the colors I knew I'd actually wear.  This one is Spun In Luxe.

Essie Cashmere Mattes-- Spun In Luxe

Ashley Bridget Accessories

  Facebook generally does a terrible job of pinpointing my interests, let alone selling me things, but a few weeks ago, they got it spot-on.  New York City based accessories designer Ashley Bridget apparently took out some fb ad space and her black and silver Lord of the Rings inspired Baggins bracelet caught my eye, which led to a sweet little discount code and a necklace purchase.

Ashley Bridget accessories

Color4Nails Crystalline Nail Veil Review

*press sample

  The other day I received a new product in the mail-- a bottle of Color4Nails Crystalline Nail Veil, one of a new generation of nail art cleanup products.  I admit to having a fairly elongated "Oooookaaaay....." moment as I realized what I was being asked to review because these products are primarily used to make water marbling and stamping cleanup a whole lot easier.  If you check out my label cloud in my lower right sidebar, you might note my experience and interest in such art... and, well, art in general.  

Color4Nails Crystalline Nail Veil

Milani Moisture Matte Lipstick-- Matte Confident

  It's really hard for me to turn down a matte red lipstick, especially one by a brand as fabulous as Milani.  I've yet to meet a Milani product I didn't like and their lipsticks are particularly stunning.

  The new Moisture Matte spring 2015 lipstick collection is a set of eight matte finish shades.  There's a nice cross section of nudes and pinks, a fuschia, purple and orange, but only one bona fide red.  I found this rather odd, and initially disappointing, because it's a dark, dramatic ruby shade, cool and remote, not so easily accessible.  I would have, given the option, gone for a truer, more classic shade, but curiosity and the always fantastic price point ($5.99 retail) got the better of me.

Matte Confident-- Milani Moisture Mattes

Zoya Naturel Satins

*press sample

Zoya Naturel Satins

  When Zoya announced a new Naturels collection for winter 2015, and in a brand new Satin finish, I was super stoked at the spills and bottle shots.  The palette is soft and delicate, and the finish looked to be something similar to the Essie Cashmere Mattes (are these ever going to land in stores?!?).  The Naturel Satins (not to be confused with The Satins) left a little to be desired once I actually got them on my nails.