Easter Nails with Zoya Awaken

*press sample

  Hi everyone!!  I decided, on this Easter weekend, to play with some spring colors and do another saran wrap manicure (which is pretty much the only "art" I know how to do, lol).  I paired up all six of the Zoya Awaken colors and topped them off with Zoya Monet.

  On index and middle, I used Cole as my base and paired it with Dillon; on ring, I used Brooklyn as the base and paired it with Hudson; on pinkie and thumb, I used Dot as a base and paired it with Rebel.  Monet is the iridescent glitter on top.  

Milani Spring Lips & Tips

  

  Hi friends!!  Do you ever feel like there are some brands that absolutely would not show up on your radar, were it not for beauty blogs?  Milani is one of those for me, despite its fairly prolific drugstore status.  I've used a couple of their core nail polishes and I adore their holos from a couple summers ago but I've never really delved into their full lineup.  My friend Dani of From Polish, With Love convinced me that I need some of Milani's Spring 2014 polish collection in my life (check out her full collection review HERE; it's seriously THE prettiest set of the season).  I decided I'd try out one of their highly regarded blogger-darling lipsticks, too.

Accessories Challenge-- Fred Meyer Apparel

  Hi everyone!!  I've gotten the Wantable subscription service accessories box twice now, and I consider myself a fan.  I love the idea of someone else shopping for me based on a list of my tastes, I love the element of surprise, and I love how the addition of a new piece encourages some thinking outside the box in terms of my own style.  The last time I got the box (reviewed HERE) had me a little curious about the monetary value the service actually provides, though, especially since I saw the very same scarf I'd received on sale at Fred Meyer.  This month, I decided, rather than buy the box, to make myself a challenge-- to find three comparable quality pieces for at or under Wantable's subscriber price of $36 per box.

  I decided to shop Fred Meyer because they do have a nice accessories section, and if you know anything about the chain, you know that there is always a sale happening and often a coupon to supplement.  I lucked out and got both.  In the spirit of spring, I decided to go a little delicate and chose a sheer, silky scarf, a silver plated chain clasp bracelet, and a pair of tortoiseshell wraparound sunglasses.

Spring Polish Picks and Happy Caturday Poll!

*contains press samples

  Hi all!!  Well, my famous hand is completely roached at the moment.  Not only am I back to short squares after an unfortunate couple of breaks (note to self-- just remove the polish with remover at home and make due with chipping in public.  It'll work out for the best), a hang nail/cat claw ordeal, and then another break on my pinky that's left that nail completely uneven.  This hand is a little thrashed so no nail blogging for me for a while.  So, that means more makeup type posts (and maybe another Wantable accessories; I haven't decided if I want the April box yet), and maybe for a few of you, that's a good, thing, lol.  

  I used to see seasonal picks posts all the time but I haven't for over a year.  Maybe they're not a "thing" anymore, or maybe I'm just not paying attention to them (which would be odd, because I love lists).  Anyhoo, I decided to round up my favorite polishes for this spring, my favorites from new collections and the colors I've felt most drawn to.  There are lots of cremes.  Celebrate what you like, I say!

L'Oreal Les Blancs Spring 2014-- Le Pastille

  Hi everyone!!  I don't think I've ever gone this long between posts (five days, if you're wondering), and every time I see someone mention this kind of thing on their own blog I feel like it's totally self-gratuitous so I'll spare the apologies I don't mean and the "DIDJA MISS ME????" sentiments.  The fact is, my lighting was really irritating me and I only yesterday evening had some free time to go to Lowe's and rectify my situation.  Maybe you can tell a difference, maybe you can't, but little tweaks like that can actually do wonders for one's outlook and I'm feeling a bit revitalized :) In my running around, I picked up one of the new L'Oreal polishes from their Spring 2014 Les Blancs collection.

  Les Blancs is a set of six polishes, four pale, whited out pastel cremes and two "speckles" (this from Nouveau Cheap; I would've just called them glitters).  The set as a whole is nothing particularly new, especially the cremes (does anyone else feel like this spring has been largely uninspired, polish wise?) but the speckles are fun to see in a drugstore line, and somehow the name L'Oreal gives them a classic little French twist.  I picked up the pale pink speckle, called Le Pastille.

Zoya Awaken Collection

*press sample

  Hi friends!!  FINALLY, after so much waiting and inclement weather holdups around the country, the Zoya Awaken Spring 2014 collection has landed, and when they started showing up in our mailboxes, whether as a set or with our spring promos, weren't we all just pretty much stoked to pieces?!  I know I was.  Awaken is a gorgeous and vibrant set of pastel metallic, shimmer, and creme polishes with one iridescent glitter topper that complements each solid color in a unique and lovely way.

LVX Spring 2014 Collection

*press sample

  Hi everyone!!  LVX's spring collection is a gorgeous as usual but completely incongruent set of six creme lacquers.  It's a hodgepodge of something for everybody, from a basic putty grey to a slightly out of its season coral to a dark and juicy berry.  Each color is uniquely beautiful, but taken in as a whole, the set is a little challenging; even so, if I came across a dress or blouse in a print of these colors, I wouldn't hesitate to buy it.  The difficulty of this combination is part of what makes it so lovely.

  First up is Truffle, the earthy, putty grey that bears no resemblance to its prolific taupe cousins because there isn't a trace of purple here.  It's a pretty straightforward muddy cement shade and, while it's my least favorite, surprisingly chic.  Why don't I own a pair of slacks or cargos in this shade?  I used two coats and one layer of topcoat.

Zoya Magical PixieDusts

*press sample

   Happy Sunday, all!!  So most of you've probably at least heard about Zoya's spring collection of PixieDust textured polishes.  The set of three have been touted as holo and I'll just say right off the bat that that's not exactly true.  What these are are three of the standard PixieDust bases filled with holographic hex glitters, sort of like Essie Belugaria, minus the encrusted in stone look.  Apparently these three are pretty hit and miss with people on account of how thick they look on (also not unlike Belugaria).  Rest assured, though, that while the aforementioned and much maligned Essie rulebreaker is as thick and high maintenance as every swatch photo suggests, these three are as easy to wear and to apply as any preceding Pixie.  The formula is wonderful as always and the hex glitters do little to add thickness but a lot in adding a sparkly new dimension.  I used two coats of each polish.

  Cosmo is a crystalline silver polish and because of the very nature of silver, the holo hexes show up most prominently.  It's quite beautiful and indeed magical, despite the fact that I nearly threw my camera and lightbox out the window trying to get a decent shot of it.  In the end, I went with a couple outdoor shots.

Zoya Naturel Collection

*press sample

Hi everyone!!  It's a fun and exciting start to a new year when every new collection I've swatched has yielded at least one polish I'm certain will go on my best of lists come December.  Zoya's Naturel collection, a transitional set of cremes released at the very end of 2013, is many things-- a perfect palette cleanser after the drama of the holidays, a breath of new life into the rose-mauve family, and a perfect component in the current rose and orchid trends.  It's the prettiest set of neutrals since 2012's OPI NYC Ballet collection, full of six individually lovely shades and just as beautiful in its set cohesiveness.  These colors are pure eye candy.  Let's get started!