China Glaze - Whirled Away

As you saw in my last review, I recently picked up "It's A Trap-eze" and "Whirled Away" by China Glaze. These polishes are from their Cirque du Soleil collection.

"Whirled Away" is very similar to Cover Band Lacquer's polish "Sticks 'n Stones." Again, I'm glad that a big league company is taking cues from indie brands, which also makes the polish more affordable and easily accessible, but I dislike taking business away from indie companies. It's a catch-22, for certain.

"Whirled Away" has a clear base with large, white, hex glitter. Then there are the little black strips and medium-sized, black, hex glitter. I found the application to be pretty tricky. Because the brush is black, it's difficult to gauge how much black glitter is on it. And because the glitters are so large, you have to think strategically when placing them. As you can see on my middle finger, when I simply brushed the polish on the way I usually would, all the glitter got hung up on the middle of my nail. Part of me thinks it would be easier to have loose glitter and manually apply it.

Overall, I like the look. As soon as I saw it, I thought of the Formica tabletops from the '50s, so I decided aqua and pink would be awesome as base colors. I used NYX Girls "Kinky Pink" on my pinky and thumb. Then I used Sleek's "Turquoise" on my ring finger. Barry M's "Bright Pink" on my middle finger and Barry M's "Flamingo Pink" on my pointer finger. On my thumb, I sandwiched the two polishes. I kinda like that effect, but I think I prefer "Whirled Away" as a topcoat.

Last but not least, it took around 3 coats of Seche Vite to create a nice, smooth finish...which, in turn, made the polish like a tiny piece of armor that came off in one sheet a few days later. :/ Darn that Seche Vite!

It's A Trap-eze, Baby!

This blog is not a cut and dry nail polish review, a few factors came to mind when writing this. (Just so you know.)

First of all, I've been wanting to try a polish like this ever since Nails Inc came out with their "Sprinkle" collection. And there are many indie sellers who have created similar polishes. This is where my internal struggle comes into play.

As an artist, I want to support small, indie sellers. But it's a struggle when there is not enough supply to meet the demand and a lot of these sellers burn out from the rush of business and then fall off the radar for a while. It's tricky, at best.

I can appreciate that China Glaze is taking notice of the indie trends and came up with two polishes that reflect those trends in their new Cirque du Soleil collection. In this review, I'm only reviewing "It's a Trap-eze", but I will be writing a review for "Whirled Away" too.

The polish is lovely. It has a milky white base and is PACKED with glitter. The glitter is made up of a rainbow of colors and various sizes. I was surprised to see it was a shiny glitter and not matte. I've heard this polish described as thick and chunky, but I think that's only as a result of all that glitter!! I really had no problems with application.

I decided to swatch this polish three different ways: on my pinky there was no base color, my ring finger had a link base and my middle finger had a baby blue base. In my opinion, I like the pinky the best. I like the layered look, where the glitter isn't so sparkly and metallic. I also found that the other two fingers did not get a smooth finish, even with multiple coats of Seche Vite...

which brings me to my next dilemma.

For the first time ever, the SV shrank my polish. The middle and ring fingers were the worst, but you can see it on the pinky too. It made the polish look think and awful around all edges. And of course, a day or so later, the whole thing peeled off in one piece. :/

Despite my various difficulties, I think the polish is quite pretty. I only plan on using it over the regular color of my nails and work in light, thinner layers. If you've wanted to try a translucent polish with glitter, but haven't or can't afford to get your hands on an indie polish, this is an alternative.

Saucebox is Awesomesauce

I always keep an eye out for cool, new make-up. Factors I like to consider are: quality, uniqueness, packaging and most importantly, value. As a freelancer, I live the "feast or famine" lifestyle. When times are good, they are amazing! When times are slow, it's beyond sad.

Anyone who knows me knows I LOVE color! I love great pigmentation. I've really enjoyed bright eyeshadows by Sugarpill and Sleek. But I've had my eye on a company I've never tried before...Saucebox.

I came across Saucebox via Facebook. The colors looked amazing. The prices are more reasonable than Sugarpill and easier to get your hands on than Sleek, the first chance I could, I placed a small order with Saucebox. I ordered their classic, neutral, Creme de la Creme palette. I also picked up a single shadow they have a hard time keeping in stock. It's a fantastically bright, neon pink called Oh La-La.

The package arrived very quickly via first class USPS. From California, it took 3 days! The box was a very lovely pink and once I opened it, I found my items carefully wrapped in pink tissue paper. Sure enough, there was my CdlC palette and screaming pink shadow. But wait, there's more! I also got a mascara! Very cool! I love extras!

But before I get to the actual review of the products, I want to touch base on something that I take very seriously when it comes to my dealings with companies: customer service. In my eyes, customer service can make or break a business. I bet you think I'm about to go off on one of my rants, but no. I was so pleased to find that the people at Saucebox were so welcoming and helpful. I had questions that were answered thoroughly and in a timely fashion. I established a great rapport with the company representative I was communicating with. It was a top-notch experience...from before the order took place until I received my order. I cannot praise them enough.

Now, for the good stuff!!

The awesome contents of my order!

Creme de la Creme Palette

I found the eye shadows in the Creme de la Creme palette to be very smooth and velvety.  There is GREAT coverage and pigmentation.  The black is probably the blackest black I have ever used.  It goes on evenly and does not require layering, like other black shadows do.  The rest of the colors in the CdlC palette are beautifully shimmery.  There is a gorgeous light color that is not a cool white and is perfect for a natural highlight under the brow bone.  You can see in my swatches that the next to the lightest color almost blends perfectly in with my skin tone.  I love that.  Not only can I use it on my eyes, I can use it as a natural-looking face highlighter too.  The browns are very easy to blend and I love the gray because it is not too cool.  It won't be turning blue on anyone.  I have to say, I think that the CdlC palette is an essential neutral set that every woman needs to have.  It is $35 and can be found here.

Oh my...Oh La-La!

Now, I was SO happy to get my hands on Oh La-La!  This is a color that is frequently out of stock.  It is a brilliant pink.  So very pink, that it is hard to photograph because the camera goes all loopy trying to capture all of the awesomeness.  The color is matte and glides over the skin.  The coverage is great and is not chalky at all.  While it's not for the faint of heart, it is a lot of fun.  And don't forget that it is possible to mix a flash of an ultra-bright color in with a basic neutral eye look and not have the color be overbearing.  Don't be afraid of color, ladies...it's too much fun!!  The single shadows are only $8 and can be found here.

Surprise!  Mascara!

I have not tried out the mascara yet, but as soon as I do (most likely the next time I do my make-up), I will tell you all about it.

Swatches!

More swatches and the look I did with the shadows for Halloween!

In conclusion, what else can I say about Saucebox?   Well, I really really want everything else they make.  I need to possess every eye shadow in BOTH my own personal stash and in my professional kit.  In their collection of single eye shadows, there are many that can also double as blush.  I haven't wanted to gush about a company so much in a LONG time and I really can't wait to get my hands on more products.

So, yes, fine powers that be at Saucebox, should you ever feel the need to sponsor a working make-up artist, then I'm your girl!  I'm not just a blogger, I'm out there working events:  doing commercial work, editorial work, work that gets published, anything I can to get get my hands on faces and make transformations happen!   :)

New Work

Here's some very recent make-up work of mine. The model's name is Megan Scott. The hair guru is Larry Webb. And the photographer is Michael Church.

Jewel Box Eyeshadows by Kleancolor

I recently made a quick visit to a local, independent beauty supply store. I came across a treasure trove of pretty eyeshadow palettes that were inexpensive too!

One of the ones that caught my eye was this sparkly palette by Kleancolor. I got palette 01, which has lovely greens and purples. The color pigmentation isn't the best I've seen, but the shimmer is gorgeous. And for $1.99, I think it's a great find.

My Wicked-Awesome Nail Art Kit

After looking at so many cool photos of nail art, I decided it's time I put together a collection of supplies to play around with.  And I did so for under $20!  I'm going to tell you how.

First, you have to decide what you want?  What kind of nail art do you like to see?  What's your skill level?  I really fell in love with the Konad stamping sets about 2 years ago, but honestly, I stink when it comes to using them.  This is frustrating since SO many people use them and they look great.  I don't know if I don't have the patience or if I simply don't have the knack for it.  And while I would like to invest in some of the awesome, HUGE plates I've seen, it's just not worth it for me.

I knew I wanted to get some brushes.  Since I tend to complain about a lot about some of the cheapie brushes that come in the lids of some nail polishes, it seemed like a logical choice.  I also picked up some striping brushes.  That seems like something I can do.  I've been coveting the dotting tools that have the acrylic handles with swirly colors in them.

I decided I wanted to get some striping tapes.  I don't know that I'll actually use them for striping, but I like the idea of using them to make patterns, paint over and peel off.   But that didn't stop me from getting them in almost 20 colors!

Then I began to think of other things to stick on nails.  The options are endless.  There's glitter, teeny steel balls, dried flowers, rhinestones, fimo slices, stickers, stencils, you name it!  Anyone who knows me knows I am a sucker for sparkly, so glitter and rhinestones?  Yes, please!  I also picked up some wheels with dried flowers, teeny steel balls (like you see in the "caviar" photos), rhinestones, pearls and some adorable pearl bows!  The glitter I got is AWESOME!  I got two sets.  One has fine glitter, the other one has large, hex glitter.

One thing I learned while shopping on eBay is that there are a LOT of companies that sell these things!  All are from China.  I got MANY items for under $1, including shipping!  I think the most expensive thing I got was the wheel with the pearly bows.  BUT definitely keep an eye on the things on your watch list or in your cart.  I had a couple of sets of glitter go from $1.40 to $25.00 overnight!  Fortunately, it only takes one search to find more listings!

Here are just a couple of photos.  I'm on vacation at the moment, but when I get back home, I will add a photoblog of the rest of my stash!!

Nostalgic Nail Lacquers

There has been a lot of buzz about artisan nail polishes for some time now! Some people call them indie, but since they are hand-blended and do vary, I prefer the word artisan.

I managed to snag a couple of new polishes from Nostalgic Nail Lacquers. I have been wanting to try some matte glitter polishes and I found a couple I really liked from their "Clueless"-inspired collection. I got "Rollin' With The Homies" and "Way Harsh."

RWTH has a clear base with white and blue matte glitter. It applies easily and the glitter distribution is pretty good. I found two coats to be sufficient for good coverage. I played with the color over some sparkly blues, cream colors and even a matte polish. I like the idea of mixing up textures, finishes and colors.

WH has a clear base, with really fine pink and black, matte glitter. This polish took a little more work to get an even distribution of glitter, but it's pretty!  I really love the mix of it and the turquoise nail polish.  Reminds me of the '50s formica countertops.

Both of these polishes dry down to a matte finish.  I had to use a couple of layers of Seche Vite to get a good smooth shine.  

These polishes are fun and creative.  There are not a lot of companies that make polishes with matte glitter.  I have seen quite a few artisans start a business, then get overwhelmed by the high demand for such products, thus creating the need for a hiatus.  It's a shame because once polishes like these do go on sale, they usually get bought up right away!

As for Nostalgic Nail Lacquers, I would definitely use more of their polishes.  The shipping was fast, the items were packed well.  Everything went off without a hitch and you can't beat that!