Essie All Tied Up

Ah, my productivity from earlier this week has totally petered out. I haven't gotten much done since Wednesday, and I'm even later than I wanted to be with this post! I am consoling myself with the fact that it's Friday (which is the weekend), and no one is really productive on the weekends anyways... right? :-)

Today, I've got the last of the three polishes I have tried from Essie's summer collection to show you. All Tied Up is a burnt and browned rose color with plenty of golden shimmer scattered throughout.

The gold shimmers in All Tied Up drew me in immediately. It is such an unexpected pairing with the brownish-rose base. I wouldn't say this is a particularly summer color, and in fact, it feels more autumn-ly to me. But the gold shimmers help to brighten it up and to add a level of interest. Of the three Essie summer polishes I have, I think this is the most unique and interesting one.

Just like the other Essies from this collection that I have tried, this one has a great formula which makes application a breeze. Consistency is spot-on and color payoff is great, so just slap on two coats and it is good to go. :-)

You can find All Tied Up on Essie.com, at your local nail salons and drug stores, and at big name retailers like Target and Macy's for $8 for 0.46 oz.

** This post contains a product that was provided to me by the company for honest consideration. How I obtain the products does not influence my opinion. For more info, please view my Disclosure Policy.

Zoya Mini Trio Giveaway!

Hi, wonderful readers! <3

The time has come for another giveaway! I'm so thankful to everyone who follows this blog, and I have another set of fun polishes up for grabs to show my appreciation! A while back, I gave away the entire Zoya Surf Collection, and I know so many of you were disappointed that you did not win. When I saw the limited edition mini trio on Zoya's website, I snatched a set up so everyone can have another chance to try these lovely colors! The set contains 3 mini (half-size) bottles of Kimber, Zuza, and Myrta (linked are my swatches of them).

a Rafflecopter giveaway
This giveaway is open to US and international residents, so everyone can participate! :D The only requirement is that you are a follower of this blog. There will be one lucky winner who will receive the trio. I am super excited to be able to bring you this giveaway, and I hope you enjoy the prizes! <3

Please allow the widget to load in full; it may take a moment. Feel free to email me if you have any questions: thepolishhideout@gmail.com.

Essie Off The Shoulder

Hi everyone! It's Wednesday and I'm just trudging along through my week. This has turned out to be a fairly productive week for me so far. I have managed to get through the pile of monthly bills sitting on my desk at home, and I'm not too far behind at work. If I can just keep the momentum going, I'll be a happy productive camper by the end of the week! :-)

Today, I'm continuing with Essie's summer collection. I have Off The Shoulder to show you; it's a medium hot pink with a creme finish.

This is a tough color to capture on camera. Depending on the lighting, the undertones in the pink shift from a cooler fuchsia to a warmer coral. For some reason, my camera seems to think this color is very saturated, but it is a little less so in person and is a bit softer. Of the two pinks in this collection, I think Off The Shoulder's more balanced warm/cool tones make it the more universally appealing one and it should work well with a variety of skin tones.

The consistency is not too thick or too thin, and it goes on smoothly without any issues. Color payoff is great, and it is fully opaque in two coats. Just like the other pink in the collection, Off The Shoulder isn't a very unique color, but it is a bright and girly pink that is lovely for the summer time.

You can find Off The Shoulder on Essie.com, at your local nail salons and drug stores, and at big name retailers like Target and Macy's for $8 for 0.46 oz.

** This post contains a product that was provided to me by the company for honest consideration. How I obtain the products does not influence my opinion. For more info, please view my Disclosure Policy.

Essie Cascade Cool

Hello hello and happy Monday, everyone! Just four more days until the weekend teehee! :D

As I was writing this, my husband came over and promised to take me to my favorite restaurant for dinner as soon as I finish this post, so I am writing this up in a jiffy! ;-)

Essie came out with their summer collection earlier this month. It is a series of six cheerful colors, and I have been excited to try them out ever since I saw the collection preview. I have three of the six colors to share with you. Today, I'll start off with Cascade Cool. It is a light, carnation pink that leans to the cool side of the pink spectrum.

You can see that this pink is quite cool. In certain lightings, it even takes on a slightly lilac hue. It also has a muted and dusty quality to the pink, so that it looks soft—though not quite pastel—when it is on the nails. Essie describes this color as frosty and shimmery, but I could not see any shimmer at all. To my eyes, it looks to be a creme finish. The first coat can be a little streaky, but it evens out nicely on the second coat. The formula is smooth and easy to apply, without any issues of pooling, lumping or dragging.

Looking through my collection, I see a few similar shades. Zoya Shelby is the closest I have, with Cascade Cool being two shades lighter and a bit cooler than Shelby. Although this isn't the most original shade, it is a pretty pink for the summer and worth getting if you don't have a similar shade already. :-)

You can find Cascade Cool on Essie.com, at your local nail salons and drug stores, and at big name retailers like Target and Macy's for $8 for 0.46 oz.

** This post contains a product that was provided to me by the company for honest consideration. How I obtain the products does not influence my opinion. For more info, please view my Disclosure Policy.

Essie 2012 Summer Collection Preview

Hi, lovely readers! Hope everyone is in the midst of a wonderful weekend! :D

I wanted to share with you a preview of Essie's Bikini So Teeny 2012 Summer Collection. (All info and images are courtesy of Essie.)

bikini so teeny – provocative lustrous sky blue

cascade cool – frosty, shimmery carnation pink

all tied up – naughty molten bronze

off the shoulder – daring, scorching hot pink

fear or desire – obsession-worthy bright orange

mojito madness – fun-loving party lime

essie's Summer Collection will be available in June 2012 for a suggested retail price of $8.00 per bottle in salons and beauty destinations worldwide.

I'll have swatches of three of the six colors for you coming up this week! :-)

Zoya's Summer GMA 50% Off Promo

I'm always getting questions about when Zoya is having another promo, so here it is! :D

Designed by the Color Experts at Zoya Nail Polish exclusively for Good Morning America Viewers. Each GMA full-sized Summer Trio is available for a limited time for just $12 each (a 50% discount) when used with special GMA50 code.

Shipping is $4. If you are interested, do jump on this, as it looks like some of the items on the page are already sold out! Offer ends Sunday night. 

If you are new to Zoya, you can use my referral link when you sign up for an account to get a coupon for a free polish and free shipping with purchase for next time. More info HERE. Otherwise, you can access the page directly HERE. :-)

Zoya Elise

Recently, I think the weather has been conspiring against me. During the weekdays when I have to work, it's been warm and sunny outside. But then as soon as Friday comes around, so does the cold and the rain. Boo!

Today I have for you Elise, another lovely Zoya polish. Elise is a citrus-y orange with soft shimmers in a metallic finish.

I think of Elise as a mellow orange because it is a welcome departure from the usual bright and neon oranges we see in the summer time. But that certainly doesn't mean Elise is not interesting or vibrant. It is a rich, juicy orange with lovely undertones of peach and coral. The shimmers in the polish are fine and subtle, so on the nails, it has a pearly-metallic finish.

This is a more sheer polish, so what you see in my pictures is three coats. There are still some visible nail lines, which is at the level of opacity that I prefer to wear Elise. The sheerness definitely contributes to the mellowness and juiciness of its orange base. If you are looking for a change from the loud summer oranges, Elise is an elegant alternative that would definitely hit the spot. :-)

You can find Elise on Zoya.com for $8 for 0.5oz. If you are new to Zoya, you can get your first two bottles of Zoya for $8 total and free shipping! Info is HERE.

Winner Announced for Barielle Giveaway!

Congratulations to Sarah B. for winning the Barielle prize pack, featuring three of my favorite polishes (Sky's The Limit, Polished Princess, and Elle's Spell), along with the Barielle base coat, top coat, and nail strengthener cream.

Thank you so much to everyone for participating, and for your support of me and my blog. Stay tuned; I will have another giveaway starting in just a few days (I am currently waiting on the prizes to get to me). In the meantime, keep doing what you love and keep polishing! ♥

Barielle Giveaway - One Day Left to Enter!

Just a reminder that my Barielle Giveaway is ending soon. I won't be around tonight, so I moved the end date out one day until tomorrow. I apologize for the delay. If you haven't entered yet, you have one more day to do so! :-) 

To enter, just click HERE! Good luck everyone! :D

Zoya Reva - Guest Post at Confessions of a Sarcastic Mom

Hi, lovely readers!

My post today is being featured over at my lovely friend Destany's blog Confessions of a Sarcastic Mom! I'm sharing one of my favorite polishes, Zoya's Reva, so head on over and let me know what you think! :-)

Thank you so much for having me, Destany! <3

Last chance! One day left to enter my current giveaway for a chance to win three Barielle polishes, plus their speed dry top coat, nail protein base coat, and nail strengthener cream!

Zoya Bijou

It has been quite a while since I have featured any Zoya polishes on here, so I will make up for it this week with some Zoya polishes that are perfect for the summer. :-)

Today I have for you Bijou, a bright, almost neon pink with tons of silver and blue sparkles in a squishy, jelly-like finish.

This is such a bright pink in person. The pink base leans slight blue, which combined with the cool-toned silver and blue micro-glitters, just make my hands look super tan when I wear it. Brights and neons are so popular right now for the summer time, so Bijou is quite on-trend.

Because of its jelly-like texture, Bijou is more on the sheer side. What you see is three coats, and some nail line is still visible, which is how I prefer to wear this color. You can play around with the sheerness vs. brightness of this color to suit your personal preferences, with each coat adding more brightness and less sheerness.

You can find Bijou on Zoya.com for $8 for 0.5oz. If you are new to Zoya, you can get your first two bottles of Zoya for $8 total and free shipping! Info is HERE.

Don't forget to enter my current giveaway for a chance to win three Barielle polishes, plus their speed dry top coat, nail protein base coat, and nail strengthener cream! Just two days left to enter! <3

Anise Yummy Sorbet

Today, I have the second of the Anise polishes that I recently picked up my local DSW store. Yes, DSW sells not only shoes, but nail polish as well! :-) Every once in a while, I find a color that makes me think "where have you been all my life?" and Yummy Sorbet is just that. It is a vibrant watermelon pink with lots of fine shimmers in a pearly, metallic finish.

Yummy Sorbet appeals to me because it is the perfect mix of red and pink, two of my favorite colors. This color is not shy; it is the most vibrant shade possible without going into neon territory. The shimmers in here are pink and silver, and are small enough so that they add a subtle shine to the color. The end result is a memorable color that is intense and cheerful, perfect for the summer.

Thankfully, I didn't have any application issues as I did with Beach Goddess. The brush, while thin, does fan out without trouble. Color payoff is really good. The first coat almost achieves opacity, although I prefer and swatched with a second coat to even everything out. You can see that it dries to a satiny finish, so I recommend a top coat if you want the glossy look.

You can find Yummy Sorbet at your local DSW store for $6 for 0.5oz, but there is an ongoing sale for buy one get one 50% off.

Don't forget to enter my current giveaway for a chance to win three Barielle polishes, plus their speed dry top coat, nail protein base coat, and nail strengthener cream! <3

Anise Beach Goddess

Hi, lovely readers! <3

Recently I picked up two Anise polishes from my local DSW store, and today I'll show you the first of the two. Beach Goddess is a rose-gold-tinged neutral with loads of shimmers in a metallic finish.

This is such a lovely color. I usually find neutrals to be a tad bland, but there is enough going on in this one to keep me interested. The pinkish influence of the rose gold color works nicely with my slightly warm skintone. In the bottle, you will see shimmers of gold, silver, and pink, with the gold shimmers take over once the polish is on the nails. This is a neutral with character, exactly what I enjoy when I am taking a break from summer neons and brights.

It's a bummer that Beach Goddess is so pretty, because I had some application issues. It is very streaky, an issue exacerbated by its thin and floppy brush. Since I couldn't get the brush to fan out, I had to do more strokes per naill. For some of my wider fingers, I had to use 8 or 9 strokes to cover one nail (yikes!). I stopped after two coats, and you can see that it's still a bit sheer. A third coat should make it opaque and perhaps help with the streakiness.

You can find Beach Goddess at your local DSW store for $6 for 0.5oz, but there is an ongoing sale for buy one get one 50% off.

Don't forget to enter my current giveaway for a chance to win three Barielle polishes, plus their speed dry top coat, nail protein base coat, and nail strengthener cream! <3