Color Club's Gala's Gems Collection Swatches and Review

Blogger, DJ, and designer Gala Gonzalez collaborated with Color Club and Birchbox to create a new mini collection (http://www.amlul.com/2014/04/gala-gonzalez-birchbox-galas-gems.html) .  I recently got my Gala's Gems collection and I have to say I am very impressed.  This collection includes four pearl essence pastels that apply in just one coat.  Yes you heard me right, just one coat.  I'm in heaven!

This is a beautiful off‐white shade that is very elegant and pretty.

This shade of blue is a very eye catching.  I love blues!

This shade is very interesting because it is slightly gold but in more of a champagne tone.

This cute shade of green is very fun, inviting, and easy to wear.

I love this cute collection for its color; for its dreamy creamy one coat application; for its girly shimmery.  The only thing I would change about this collection is that I would have made them full size instead of minis (.25 fl oz.) because I have a felling I am going to be wearing this collection a lot.

I would like to add that this is the second full collection I have purchased from Color Club (the first full collection was Safari Garden) and they have quickly become my favorite brand.  Color Club's formulas are phenomenal and their colors are awesome!  I have yet to be disappointed by any of my Color Club purchases yet.

Remember this collection is exclusively sold through Birchbox, so place your order while supplies last.  I hope you enjoyed this review and swatches.  See you next time.

Your Fellow Plebe

"Glam" Challenge

For those of you who are not familiar there is a Facebook Fan Page out there called "The Lacquer Legion" https://www.facebook.com/thelacquerlegion.  Each month they present a challenge for nail artist (or nail art fanatics) to complete and present on their Fan Page.

April's challenge is "Glam".  When I think of glamorous nail art, I think of golds, shimmer, simple, and sleek designs.  That is how I came up with my "Glam" design.  Here is a little tutorial on how to achieve my glamorous chevron manicure.

Materials
Base and top coat
Two colors of polish
Striping tape

After applying a base coat apply your base color and let it dry completely.  For my base color I used China Glaze's ‐ Swing Baby.

Once your base color has dried completely tape a v‐shape at your cuticle and outline with a second v‐shape a little wider than that.  If you want to do an accent nail apply v‐shapes down the length of your nail.  This is what I came up with…

With your second color paint your entire  nail except the very center v‐shape.  For my second color I used OPI's ‐ Yodel Me on My Cell.   On the accent nail I painted the entire nail.  Be sure to do one nail at a time, paint it and then remove the tape before it dries too much.  Add a top coat to give it that extra shine.

I hope you enjoyed my "Glam" nails.  Checkout The Lacquer Legion and join in all the nail art fun for next months challenge if you haven't already.  See you next time.

Your Fellow Plebe,

#LLGlam

China Glaze's City Flourish Collection Swatches and Review

This is a very large spring collection with 12 new polishes in all.  This collection offers 4 shades of pink, a shade that I consider to be orangish (though some might feel it to be more of a pink shade), three shades of purple, a beige, a yellow, a blue, and a green.  This collection offers the full spectrum of spring colors.  So, lets get to the review.

First up the pinks...

This is the lightest shade of pink in the collection. I was very disappointed with this formula, it took me four coats to get full coverage.  I would recommend priming with a white polish before applying this color. Though the formula is disappointing the color is not.  This color is a very pretty nude‐ish pink cream, that is soft, and elegant.

This polish has a good formula with two coat complete coverage.  This is an interesting color, it is a medium hot pink tone.  It is surprisingly easy to wear, and it is very eye catching without being too overpowering.

This is a polish with another good formula only needing two coats to get  full coverage.  This color is a very nice medium shade of pink that has just a touch of pearl shimmer in it.  This is one of my favorite colors in this collection.  Unfortunately I couldn't get the really beauty of this color on camera.  This color is very elegant, and mature. 

Another good formula with this polish applying very easy with two coats full coverage.  This color is a very bright neon pink.  This color reminds me of the 80's for some reason, fun and energetic.  I believe this is the brightest shade of pink of any polish I own right know.

I'm including this color in the pink section of this review but this color could also be considered an orage shade.  This polish also had a good formula with two coats application.  This color is a neon hot pink with a slightly orange hue.  It is bold and bright like Peonies & Park Ave.

Well that wraps up the pretty pinks on next to the purple shades.

This polish has a great formula.  I almost had full coverage with one coat but had to do a second because of a few thin spots. This is the lightest of the three purple shades.  This pale purple is beautiful, and is perfectly named. 

Another good formula polish with a two coat application. This color is a very bright but soft medium shade of purple. I don't often choose shades of purple but this is a good color to add to any polish collection.

Of the three purple shades this is my favorite shade.  This polish has a fantastic formula with a one coat application. This is the darkest shade of the three purple shades. It is a blueberry‐ish purple that I really like.  Oh, and did I mention I really like this color.  

So that finishes up the purples, all that is left is all those other colors that are not pink or purple.

This polish has a very good formula with a two coat application though I probably could have gotten away with one coat.  This is a very interesting color and is very unique compared to the rest of the colors in this collection.  It is a nice earthy, sandy, brown with a pearl‐essence shimmer (unfortunately you can't see that in the pictures, but it is really pretty).  I'm having a hard time determining if this is my favorite color in this collection or not. 

This polish had an okay formula, it took two coats to get full coverage on most of my nails but I had to do a third coat on a couple because of thin spots. This is a gorgeous robin egg‐like blue. It is very reminiscent of a signature color of a certain well‐known jewelry company.  I think this is my favorite color in this collection, however, blue is my favorite color and this is the only blue color in it.

Another polish with a fantastic formula with one coat coverage. This color is awesome! It is a very bright yellowy green.   

This polish also had a good formula with a two coat application.  This is a very unique color. It kind of reminds me of a taxi cab, or a school bus, but macaroni and cheese also comes to mind.

What I really like about this collection is that the colors are very bright and energetic.  The multiple tones in one color makes it easy to do gradiated designs like ombre sponging.  This is a very peppy spring collection that I feel will also work well during the summer months.  Need some inspiration for your City Flourish collection, try on one of these designs:

Dotted daisies using What a Pansy, Lotus Begin, In a Lily Bit, and Metro Pollen-Tin.

Random scotch tape stripes using Thistle do Nicely, Grass is Lime Greener, and At Vase Value.

Various heart designs using Spring in My Step, Petal to the Metal, and Strike a Rose.

Water marbling using Peonies & Park Ave, Metro Pollen-Tin, and Dont' Honk Your Thorn.

I hope you enjoyed this review.  What designs will you be doing with your City Flourish Collection? See you all next time.

Your Fellow Plebe,

#China Glaze City Flourish Collection #Spring 2014

Water Decal Tutorial

Water decals are probably one of the easiest ways to get a cute design without needing to be extra creative.  For those that have never applied water decals here is a quick tutorial on how to apply them and a couple little things you may not find on the directions.

Materials
Base and top coat
Polish
Water Decals
Scissors
Tweezers
Cup or small bowl of water

After applying your base coat, apply your color polish and let dry.  For this tutorial I used Nabi's Plum Wine, a very pretty bright metallic pink.  The polish doesn't need to be completely dry (cured) but you do need to be able to touch it without leaving an impression.

Determine where you are going to apply your decal and cut the decal out to fit that area of the nail.  I have very short nails and the way I want to apply the decal means that I have to cut part of the design off.  If you are using a full nail decal just trim it to the size of your nail.  If you are using a small accent decal just trim the extra paper to make it easier to work with.

Remove the plastic covering.  Dip the decal in room temperature water (cold water does not work as well, room temperature or slightly warmer is better) for about 10 ‐20 seconds.  I use a pair of tweezers to hold the decal because I found it a little easier plus it allowed me to submerge the decal without getting it stuck to my fingers.

Dip your finger in the water as well.

With your finger and decal moist lay the decal face down on the nail.  Press slightly and slide the backing off the nail and decal.  I found it was better to slide the backing then it was to lift it.  If you lift the backing and the decal is not quit stuck it will peal the decal up.  Sliding it just seemed to work better.

If you failed to trim your decal properly and it hangs off the nail use a pair of scissors or nail clippers to trim the edges.

Apply a top coat to seal the decal.  This will help it stay on longer and keep it from pealing up.

Water decals are pretty easy to apply the only real problem that I had was get the placement exactly where I wanted it (in fact, on my left hand I placed the decal to close to the cuticle and on my right hand I placed it too far from the cuticle).  There are so many different water decals out there and they are fairly inexpensive.  I purchased these water decals I used in this tutorial from bornprettystore.com, these are item #6197 - T302 pattern.  They have water decals starting at $0.88 and they have a massive selection.  You can also find water decals in drugstores and department stores too.  

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial on apply water decals.  I'd love to see some of your water decal manis.  See you next time.

Your Fellow Plebe,

Dove Chocolate Inspired Nicole by OPI Polish Swatches and Review

Back in February Nicole by OPI and Dove Chocolate teamed up and offered a giveaway for two yummy polishes and a coupon for a free Dove Chocolate bar.  I didn't even realize that I had won until my polishes arrived in the mail.  These polishes are very indulgent and I really wanted to share them with you.

Better After Dark XPTA57A

This is the slightly lighter shade of the two polish.  The formula was great, it took two coats to get the desired coverage.  This color is absolutely delicious!

Promises in the Dark XPTA57B

This darker shade of polish is very decadent.  With another great formula, again only needing two coats to get the desired coverage.  This color is very rich.

  

This pair of polishes is a great way to indulge without the extra calories.  If you want to get your hands on these colors but weren't lucky enough to win them they are available to purchase through Amazon.com.  I hope all you chocolate lovers out there enjoyed this review.  See you next time.

Your Fellow Plebe,

#Nicole by OPI #Dove Chocolate

Easter Nail Art

Easter is right around the corner so I did a tutorial that involves four different designs that you can use together or independently. 

Materials
Base coat and top coat
A variety of pastel and bright polishes
Fan brush
Detail brushes
Dotting tools

Eggs in the Grass

Start with a pale blue or sky blue shade.

Then using a fan brush and green polish, brush the green polish to look like grass on the tip of your nail.

Using a medium dotting tool and various shades of polishes to draw egg shapes sitting in the grass.

Decorate your Easter eggs using a toothpick by dotting and striping them.

If your nails are longer or you have a large area open on the top of your nail use a dotting tool and white polish to draw in some clouds.

To make your eggs look like they are hiding in the grass use your fan brush and green polish and brush over the bottom of the eggs.  Don't brush too high and cover your eggs completely though.  And there you have Easter Eggs ready for discovery in the grass.

Easter Chick

Start with a white base color.

Then paint about 2/3 of your nail with yellow polish down to the tip.

Using white polish and a brush or a toothpick draw a zigzag across the top of the yellow section.  Then fill in the top section of the nail above the zigzag.

With an orange polish and a small brush or toothpick draw a triangle at the center tip of the nail for the chick's beak.

Lastly, use a black polish and a dotting tool to dot a pair of eyes on either side of the chick's beak.  There you have a cute little easter chick who has just hatched.

Painted Easter Egg

Start with a white base, I wanted mine to have a little  shimmer so I added a coat of OPI's I Juggle…Men.  

Add a horizontal stripe across the middle of the nail.

Then draw a stripe along the edge of the nail.

Fill in the top of the nail with a third color, I felt this helped create the egg shape.

With a fourth color and a small brush (you could use a nail art striper if you prefer)  draw a chevron pattern between the bottom and the middle stripe.

Then with a small dotting tool dot between the middle stripe and top section.  Creating a pretty painted egg.

Easter Bunny Ears

Start with your pale blue color.

Using a pink shade of polish create a slightly rounded french tip.

With the same color create a pair of bunny ears.

With a white polish fill in the ears.

I decided my bunny should be a girl, so I added a bow.  Using a purple polish and a small and a medium dotting tool, dot three dots. A small dot in the middle and two medium dots on either side overlapping  the middle dot.

To give the bow a little more dimension use a darker (or lighter) shade of purple and a size smaller dotting tool and dot over each of the dots that make up the bow.

To complete my Easter mani I repeated the  Painted Easter Egg design on my pinky.  This design is fun and can be modified in numerous ways.  Using brights and pastels makes this a perfect way to spring in to the Holiday.  Hoppy Easter to all you Polish Plebes out there!  Oh and don't forget to enter the Polish Plebe Starter Kit Giveaway.

Your Fellow Plebe,

#Easter Nail Art