FingerPaints Enchanted Mermaid Collection

Hi, you guys! I'm writing this as I'm watching The Strain (on FX) with my husband. It's a gory vampire tv show, and I'm totally chicken when it comes to anything scary, so I'm half hiding behind my laptop as it's on lol.

Today, I've got a collection with an interesting concept to show you. The FingerPaints Enchanted Mermaid Collection is made up of four shimmery shades with fish scale textures. When I first heard of this, I was so excited. The idea sounded amazing and I'm always up for trying a new texture, especially one with a novel concept. But it didn't quite turn out the way I had thought. You can see for yourself...

Priti NYC Australia Summer 2014 Collection

Ah ha, so I haven't been imagining it! This summer has indeed been hotter than usual. On average, we've been running about five degrees warmer every day for the month of July. Yikes! And the trend's continuing so far for August. You can be sure I am counting down the days to fall. :P

In the meantime, I'm taking full advantage by wearing tons of brights and neons, which is one of my favorite nail polish trends. And today, I've got one such collection I've really been enjoying to show you. Priti NYC's Australia Summer Collection is comprised of four intense, bright colors, perfect for this sweltering weather. :)

OPI Ford Mustang Collection

When I was in high school, I loved reading Nancy Drew mysteries. Here was this super cool girl who solves crimes and helps people, all the while remaining witty, unflappable, and likable. And Nancy drives a Ford Mustang! As an impressionable youth, that fact seared itself into my mind and throughout the entirety of my teen years, the Mustang remained my dream car.

Needless to say, I was pretty excited when I saw the collaboration between OPI and Ford to celebrate the Mustang's 50th anniversary, and I've now got the six-piece collection in my paws to show you. :)

Nails Inc Royal Botanical Gardens

Hi, you guys! Happy Sunday! :) It's been really hot here for the last week and I hope the heat wave breaks soon. It's been making me so lethargic and grumpy lol.

Today, I've got a shade I picked up a while back on sale from Sephora to show you. Nails Inc Royal Botanical Gardens is a fresh, blue-leaning turquoise with a creme finish.

The formula's great for the most part: smooth and self-leveling. It's a tad runny, so be sure to keep a little distance away from the cuticles during application so they don't flood. Each coat builds up coverage and it achieves opacity in two quick coats. With blue/green colors, it's always hard to capture exactly where they fall in the color spectrum. In person, I think this color is a little more green than it's showing in my pictures.

I love this color because there's a crispness to it that's refreshing. It's not muted and there's no gray in here, unlike a lot of similar shades. I had been eyeing this shade for a while, and I'm glad I snatched it up. I can never resist a turquoise (it's one of my weaknesses), and this one's just stunning! :)

Let me know what you think of this color in the comments below. And is there a color that you can never resist picking up more of?

FingerPaints Poolside Paradise Collection

Happy Saturday, you guys! This week has been super busy, and I'm glad it's finally the weekend. I look forward to much relaxation and the time to read J. K. Rowling's new mystery The Silkworm. I loved the first book in her mystery series and have been eagerly awaiting this second one. Nothing makes me happier than curling up with a great book. :)

Today, I've got a fantastic collection to show you. FingerPaints' Poolside Paradise Collection is comprised of six bright shades in shimmery, glass fleck finishes. (Glass fleck, I say!) As soon as I saw this collection, I knew it was made for me, and it does not disappoint!

Zoya Tickled Collection - Summer 2014

Hi, you guys! Happy weekend! This week has been really busy, so I'm glad to finally have some time for relaxation. There's this new Chinese restaurant that opened near us last week, and it's so good! The hubby and I have been there five times already haha. More and more, I've realized that the quality of my life correlates directly to my access to yummy food. Food is definitely most important in my life lol. :D

Today, I've got Zoya's summer creme collection to share with you. The Zoya Tickled Collection features six new cremes in a variety of colorful, exuberant summer hues.

Zoya Bubbly Collection - Summer 2014

Hi, you guys! Hope your weekend's fantastic and full of sunshine! :)

Zoya has some of my favorite summer-time collections with their bright shades and interesting finishes, so I was really looking forward to what they have up their sleeves this year, and they did not disappoint. This year's Bubbly Collection features six dazzling shades with tons of shimmers and holographic glitter particles in squishy, jelly-like, glass fleck finishes.

Zoya Awaken Collection & Monet - Spring 2014

Hi, you guys! Hope your week is going well. :) Is it me or is this month just flying by so fast? I love this time of the year, with all the flowers and trees blooming, and the extended amount of day light every day. I think my hubby, who does all the mowing, disagrees with my love of spring. We get just the perfect mixture of rain and sun so that the grass is growing like crazy weeds this time of the year lol.

Today, I've got Zoya's Spring 2014 offerings—the Awaken Collection and Monet special effects topper—to share with you. I always look forward to Zoya's spring collections with their fresh, understated colors and soft finishes, so I was super excited for this.

KBShimmer Spring 2014 Collection - My Picks!

Hi, you guys! Hope your week is going well! :) It's finally starting to feel like spring over here. It was actually sunny yesterday, with blue skies! Of course I was stuck inside at work because it was a weekday, but beggars can't be choosers. I'm just getting over a pretty miserable cold. It had me good for two weeks and I'm still coughing a little, but I'm thankful to be back to feeling mostly normal and sleeping through the night again. :)

Today, I've got my picks from the new KBShimmer Spring 2014 Collection. It's a large collection of 16 polishes consisting of a variety of finishes—glitters, holos, and cremes. It's a fun set of colors and finishes, sure to have something to satisfy whatever you love. For me, four totally stood out and made my heart sing, so I wanted to share those with you.

Nicole by OPI Roughles Collection

Hi, you guys! Hope your week is going well. We had a few days of sunshine, so I totally soaked up the vitamin D. But now it's back to rain and clouds... gotta love the Pacific Northwest. :P

Today, I have the Nicole by OPI Roughles (pronounced "ruffles") Collection to show you. These speckled pastels caught my attention from the moment I first saw the promo pictures. They look so fun and unique, I was just chomping at the bit to try them out. Without any further delay, here they are. :)

Zoya Magical Pixie - PixieDust for Spring 2014

Hi, you guys! Is it spring yet? I can't wait for sunshine and warmer temperatures. I'm pretty much over all the rain and the cold lol. Thankfully in the polish world, spring has arrived!

When I first heard about the new spring Zoya Magical Pixie Collection—a trio of polishes promising to have the pixiedust's traditional gritty texture plus plenty of bigger sparkly glitters—I admit I was totally intrigued. And Zoya really kept us in suspense this time, with the weather unavoidably delaying the shipment of these polishes for a few extra weeks. But the wait is over. I've finally got my paws on these and I'm so excited to show them to you. :)

China Glaze All Wrapped Up

Hi, you guys! Hope your week is going well. :)

I wanted to close out the China Glaze Happy HoliGlaze Collection today with the last, but definitely not least, of the set. All Wrapped Up is filled with small indigo blurple shimmers and glitters in a sheer base.

The formula is the same as the other two similar glitters in the collection (Put A Bow On It and This Is Tree-mendous). The first coat is a little sheer and patchy, but it builds up nicely to opaque coverage in three coats. I thought this one had an easier application than the other two, but I could just be getting used to the formula. :)

Now that I've tried the whole collection, I must say that I really enjoyed this set. There are colors for everyone, from those who enjoy traditional shades to those who want something a little more original. If I had to pick favorites, I'd say I really love the bright foils, especially So Blue Without You and Elfin' Around. What do you guys think? Which are your must-haves from this collection?

You can find All Wrapped Up at your local nail salons and at beauty stores such as Ulta and Sally Beauty for a retail price of $7.50 for 0.5 fl oz.

** This post contains product(s) provided for honest consideration.

China Glaze Bells Will Be Blinging

Hi, you guys! Hope you're having a fantastic week! :)

Today, I've got another interesting glitter from the China Glaze Happy HoliGlaze Collection to share with you. Bells Will Be Blinging is a mix of blue and silver holographic round and short bar glitters all in a sheer base.

This is such a fun and unique combination of glitters. I'm usually not a fan of bar glitters, but I really like the ones in here. I think it's because the bars are wider and shorter, so they don't look hairy lol. And the holographic nature of the silver makes it look like little rainbows slices. Application for this is super easy. The glitter density is great, so I just did one coat over So Blue Without You for the swatches.

You can find Bells Will Be Blinging at your local nail salons and at beauty stores such as Ulta and Sally Beauty for a retail price of $7.50 for 0.5 fl oz.

** This post contains product(s) provided for honest consideration.

China Glaze So Blue Without You

Hi, you guys! I am so happy because I am officially on vacation from now until the end of the year. :) I've been looking forward to this since the same time last year, and it's finally here! 26 whole days of no work and no stress. I can't wait to catch up on my sleep and just have a lot of me-time. :D

Today, I have another favorite of mine from the China Glaze Happy HoliGlaze Collection to share with you. So Blue Without You is an intense saturated medium aqua blue with a shimmery foil metallic finish.

I just love bright, intense shades like this. Wearing such colors always cheers me up on a dreary winter's day, and this one's no different. Because of the aqua tint, you can see a slight green to the shimmer, most noticeable under artificial lights. The formula is pigmented and easy to apply. It's a little uneven on the first coat, but the second coat fills in everything and achieves complete coverage.

You can find So Blue Without You at your local nail salons and at beauty stores such as Ulta and Sally Beauty for a retail price of $7.50 for 0.5 fl oz.

** This post contains product(s) provided for honest consideration.

China Glaze Your Present Required

Hi, you guys! Happy weekend! We've been having a string of sunny days here (really unusual for this time of the year when it's usually rainy), so I've been out and about soaking up the sun. :D

Today, I've got a fun glitter from the China Glaze Happy HoliGlaze Collection to share with you. Your Present Required is a colorful mix of small to medium hex glitters in the colors blue, purple, peach, white, and gold all in a sheer base.

I really like the combination of colors in this glitters. It's a little unusual, but they look really great together. The application is a little odd. It's hard to get the glitters to stay in place on the nails as you stroke from cuticle to free edge. They kind of clump together and have a tendency to get dragged along with the brush. I ended up using short dabbling motions, which really helped in getting the glitters to stay in place. I did one coat over Mingle With Kringle, and I just love the way they look together. The gold base really sets off the colors in this glitter. :)

You can find Your Present Required at your local nail salons and at beauty stores such as Ulta and Sally Beauty for a retail price of $7.50 for 0.5 fl oz.

** This post contains product(s) provided for honest consideration.

KBShimmer Maybe Navy

Hi, you guys! :-)

Today, I wanted to close out what I have to show you from the KBShimmer Winter Collection with another favorite of mine! Maybe Navy is a teal navy blue with tons of blue and purple shimmers and a scattering of small teal glitters.

Isn't this polish just totally amazing?! I wish I could describe it better, but it's like a mixture of different colors that flash all at once, kind of like fish scales. It's so gorgeous in the bottle, and it does not disappoint at all once on the nails. I love that the shimmers are a little bigger, so they give off a slightly chunky look on the nails. Two medium coats on the nails gets you total coverage, or three thin ones if you are more patient than me. :-)

You can find Maybe Navy at KBShimmer.com for $8.75 and HarlowandCo.org for $9 for 0.5 fl oz.

** This post contains product(s) provided for honest consideration.

KBShimmer Snow Much Fun

Hi, you guys! Happy Thursday! :D

Today, I've got another cute polish from the KBShimmer Winter Collection to share with you. Snow Much Fun—a blogger collaboration with The Manicurator—is a light blue jelly filled with blue holographic and white glitters in a variety of sizes ranging from small shimmers to large white snowflakes.

Ah, this is wintry and super cute on the nails, especially with those big white snowflakes. :) Due to its jelly finish, I did three coats by itself, but you can wear this over a complementary base as well. The polish is easy to apply and self-leveling, and it has great glitter density. The large snowflakes are a little tricky to find and place on the nails, but it wasn't too bad overall.

You can find Snow Much Fun at KBShimmer.com for $8.75 and HarlowandCo.org for $9 for 0.5 fl oz.

** This post contains product(s) provided for honest consideration.

KBShimmer I'd Rather Be With Blue

Hi, you guys! :-)

KBShimmer recently announced their 22-polish winter collection, which includes 11 blogger collaboration shades, and I'm really excited to have a few from the collection to show you. Let's start off today with a favorite of mine from the collection. I'd Rather Be With Blue—a blogger collaboration with Cosmetic Sanctuary—is a bright sky blue with softly iridescent shimmers that dries to a beautiful matte finish.

I always love soft vibrant blues, and this one's no different. It's very sweet and charming, made even more so by the shimmers and the matte finish. :-) I think my pictures came out just a little bright; it's a tad more subdued in real life than what you see in the swatches. The formula is smooth and easy to apply, and each coat dries a little faster due to the matte finish. It was still a little uneven at two coats, so I did three coats for perfect coverage.

You can find I'd Rather Be With Blue at KBShimmer.com for $8.75 and HarlowandCo.org for $9 for 0.5 fl oz.

** This post contains product(s) provided for honest consideration.

OPI Kiss Me At Midnight

Hi, you guys! Hope your week is off to a fantastic start! :-)

Today, I wanted to wrap up my selection from the OPI Mariah Carey Holiday Collection with another favorite of mine! Kiss Me At Midnight is a medium blue that leans slightly periwinkle with lots of shimmers and larger silver glitters that dries down to a textured matte glitter finish. 

I think this is such a gorgeous blue! It's bright and saturated, and the sparkly silver glitters stand out so well against the base. The formula is great, just like the other liquid sands in the collection. It's a little thinner on the first coat, but it still builds up nicely to opacity by the second coat. 

Now that I've shown you my picks from this collection, I have to say that while there are quite a few stunners, it's really the liquid sands from this collection that have captured my heart. OPI has done a fantastic job with them. They are all sparkly and festive, totally appropriate for the season. If I had to narrow down my choices to just one or two from this collection, my must-haves are Make Him Mine and Kiss Me At Midnight. 

I'd love to know what you think of this collection. Which ones stand out to you and will be making their way into your stash? :-)

You can find Kiss Me At Midnight at your local nail salons and beauty stores such as Ulta and Dillard's for a retail price of $9 for 0.5 fl oz.

** This post contains product(s) provided for honest consideration.