Manicure Mondays-Wet N Wild Gray's Anatomy

I must admit, I've only seen one episode of Gray's Anatomy.  But that didn't stop me for picking up it's name sake polish.  Wet N Wild Gray's Anatomy is a duo chrome polish that flashes silver, purple, and green.  You can kind of see it on the ring and pinkie fingers in the picture.  It was very hard to photograph.  The formula was really thin and watery, needing 3 coats for opacity.  The lasting power was great, lasting 5 days before chipping.  I used a base coat of Creative Nail Design (CND) Sticky Base Coat and a top coat of China Glaze Fast Forward.  The best part is the price.  It was only $1.39.  What are you wearing this week?

Look For Less-Christian Louboutin Mad Marta

How awesome are these Christian Louboutin Mad Marta peep-toe booties?  They are screaming my name!  However, the $1300 price tag is not agreeing with me.   But I was able to find a similar shoe at Aldo for $31.49!  I like the originals better, but for the frugal fashionista, these are a good substitute. 

Aldo has great shoes for the price.  They even had a similar version of my lusted after Burberry Aviator Shearling boot featured here. 

Manicure Mondays-Hard Candy Mr. Wrong

Hard Candy Mr. Wrong is a hard color to describe.  I'd describe it has a silvery purple base with tons of purple and gold microglitter.  You can really see the gold glitter in the bottle in this picture.  It definitely has that bling factor.  This was actually my Valentine's Day manicure.  Ironically, I wore Mr. Wrong and the day Mr. Right sent me flowers (I know that was corny).  This was two coats with China Glaze Fast Forward top coat.  The formula was nice and it lasted for 4 days.  The only gripe I have about this polish is that it is exclusively sold at Wal-Mart.  Anyone who knows me, knows I can't stand Wal-Mart.  I actually sent my husband to get this for me.  I would like to try other polishes from this line, as long as he is willing to go get them for me.

MAC Quite Cute Collection for Spring 2011






“CUTE!” The most fanciful, fun and flattering compliment and young, modern trendsetter could ever want! Our version is the girliest kind of international glam possible, a style ride that combines postage-stamp-sized puppies with pixie swizzle-stick fashion and butterfly kisses for cute boys and even cuter shoes! Cupcake icing colors, vintage romance, an ATM card with Hello Kitty on it – and a way of life that says “yes!” to everything adorable!

Come on, get happy, with the multi-culti cutie, from Tokyo to Toronto to Paris with love! Pastel shades for Eye Quads, Lipstick, Plushglass, and Nail Lacquer…And due to popular demand, we’re completely cute-ifying three favourite Lip Pencil shades from last season that will join the fun and frolic. Flash! You’ll ♥ the Mineralize Blush with the sweet heart baked right into it. If it shines, shimmers and pops it’s completely, contagiously, cute!

U.S./Canada Launch Date: April 7th, 2011

International Launch Date: April 2011



Lipstick ($14.50 U.S. / $17.50 CDN)

Playing Koi Creamy white peach pink (Satin) (Limited Edition)

Saint Germain Pastel pink (Amplified) (Permanent)

Candy Yum-Yum Neon pink (Matte) (Limited Edition)

Quite Cute Bright white lavender (Cremesheen) (Limited Edition)

Play Time Intense violet (Cremesheen) (Limited Edition)

Plushglass ($18.50 U.S. / $22.00 CDN)

Fashion Fanatic Creamy pale pink (Limited Edition)

Bubble Tea Creamy pale nude (Limited Edition)

Girl ♥ Boy Bright light blue pink (Limited Edition)

I ♥ U Creamy mid-tone purple (Limited Edition)

Lip Pencil ($13.00 U.S. / $15.50 CDN)


In Synch Bright yellow pink (Limited Edition) (Repromote)

Naked Light neutral (Limited Edition) (Repromote)

Boldly Bare Mid-tone red brown (Limited Edition) (Repromote)

Cutie Eyeshadow Quad ($36.00 U.S. / $43.00 CDN)


Moshi! Moshi! Pale white green gold (Frost) (Limited Edition)

Goody Goody Gum Drop Light white pink (Satin) (Limited Edition)

Boycrazy Pale lavender with silver pearl pigments (Lustre) (Limited Edition)

Azuki Bean Mid-tone violet (Frost) (Limited Edition)

Mineralize Blush ($23.00 U.S. / $27.50 CDN)


Giggly Light pink with pearly plum heart (Frost) (Limited Edition)

Sakura Lavender with pearly deep magenta heart (Frost) (Limited Edition)

Miss Behave Light beige with pearly mint green heart (Frost) (Limited Edition)

Nail Lacquer ($14.00 U.S. / $17.00 CDN)


Ice Cream Cake Creamy blue pink (Cream) (Limited Edition)

Little Girl Type Creamy pale lavender (Cream) (Limited Edition)

Mischievous Creamy pale blue mint (Cream) (Limited Edition)
 
False Lashes ($14.00 U.S. / $17.00 CDN)


#7 Lash Spiky, slightly separated, high glam lash (Permanent)

Penultimate Eyeliner ($17.50 U.S. / $21.00 CDN)


Rapidblack True black (Permanent)

Zoom Lash ($14.00 U.S. / $17.00 CDN)

Zoomblack Rich black (Permanent)

source
 
Though I think the colors are cute and I love the names of the products, I'm only interested in maybe the nude lipstick and the neutral blush.  I think the nail lacquers are nice, though I probably have similar colors in my collection already.  Do you think you will get something from this collection?

My Favorite Spring 2011 Trends

Spring is just around the corner.  Soon it will be time to trade in our sweaters for tanks and our boots for sandals.  I for one love the few months of cold/cool weather we get in Houston.  But alas, it will soon come to an end.  Here are the Spring 2011 trends I am digging at the moment:

1.  Bold Color



Prabal Gurung, Photo Credit: Dan & Corina Lecca

2.   Prints


Derek Lam, Photo Credit: Dan & Corina Lecca

3.  White

Calvin Klein, Photo Credit: Dan & Corina Lecca

4.  Wide-leg pants

Derek Lam, Photo Credit: Dan & Corina Lecca

What are some of your favorite Spring 2011 trends?

Manicure Mondays-Essie Smokin Hot

Happy Valentines Day!  Today I have for you Essie Smokin Hot.  It is from their Winter 2010 collection.  It is a grey cream with purple undertones.  I love it!  I found it to be very flattering to my skin tone.  The application was flawless, only needing 2 coats for opacity.  As always, it lasted well, going 5 days without chipping.  I only took it off because I wanted to put on a new color.  Oh, and if you haven't heard, Essie is now sold at Wal-mart, Walgreens, and CVS.  What is your Valentine's mani?

MAC Wonder Woman-A Small Haul

The MAC Wonder Woman collection appeared online about 10 days early.  I was only interested in the two blush duos (go figure) and knew that they were likely to sell out.  So I quickly placed my order and I received them this past Monday (thanks to the ice storm we had here).  These blushes are super sized coming in at 11 grams/.38 US oz. That is twice the size of a regular MAC blush.  They were also priced slightly higher at $24.  They are housed in a red and blue compact, with the MAC WW logo and a mirror.  There were some mixed feelings regarding the packaging, some felt it was tacky.  I personally feel that it was appropriate given that it was a comic book themed collection.  It is what it is.


Mighty Aphrodite blush duo



light side, dark side, both blended together

Mighty Aphrodite blush duo is a warm peach coral with gold pearl and bright coral pink with gold pearl.  The texture was more silky than their normal blushes and it was very pigmented.

Amazon Princess blush duo



light side, dark side, both blended together

 Amazon Princess blush duo is a bright yellow pink and a deep blue pink with gold pearl.  Again, the texture on this was very silky and it was very pigmented, even more pigmented than the Mighty Aphrodite duo.

The lipsticks and glosses looked nice but I passed as they were dupeable.  The mineralize skin finishes looked nice also, I may pick those up later.  The eyeshadow quads weren't colors that I felt I needed in my collection, nor were the polishes.

Overall the blush duos were the stand out products of this collection.  The packaging didn't bother me like it bothered some.  If you can get past the packaging, I highly recommend these blushes!  The collection hits counters and stores February 10.  Are you planning on picking up anything from this collection?

Manicure Mondays-Orly Rage

Orly Rage is a rose gold metallic foil.  It is very bling-y when the sun hits it.  Indoors, it is more subtle, but beautiful none the less.  It was opaque in 2 coats and wore chip free for about 4 days.  This was with a top coat of China Glaze Fast Forward.  I can see this making a beautiful pedicure this Spring and Summer.  What do you think?

My Top 5 Drugstore Products

As much as I love my high end brands, I also hold a special place in my heart for drugstore gems.  Here are my top five favorite drugstore products.

In no particular order:

L'Oreal Studio Secrets Magic Perfecting Base-it has a mousse like consistency that blends nicely onto the skin, creating a smooth canvas for your foundation.  This is my second jar of this primer.  The price...$10.99!

Revlon Nude Lustre Super Lustrous Lipgloss-a great peachy nude with subtle shimmer.  This gloss glides on smooth and is not at all sticky.  Love this gloss!  The price...$5.99!

NYX Lip Liners-they are creamy, pigmented, and long lasting.  This one is the color Burgundy.  I have two other colors not featured.  Great lip liners for the price at $2!

Milani Liquif'eye Metallic eyeliner pencil-this liner is super black!  It is the most pigmented, creamy, BLACK, drugstore pencil eyeliner I have ever found!  The price...$6.99!

Wet N Wild eyeshadow in Nutty-this shadow is a taupe with purple and silver undertones.  Wet N Wild shadows are surprisingly great quality.  The pigmentation and texture are superb!  And the price...$1.99!  Can't beat that!

Tom Ford Black Orchid-The Ultimate Fragrance

While on my most recent trip to Neiman Marcus, I finally broke down and smelled Tom Ford's Black Orchid.  From the first whiff, I was encapsulated with its intoxicating fragrance.  Quite frankly, it smells like sex in a bottle.  I left it at the store, as I had hit my spending limit for that day.  Fast forward to this past weekend, this time in Nordstrom.  I asked for a sample of Black Orchid to make sure it went well with my body chemistry as I had a terrible experience with his White Patchouli fragrance (great in the bottle, horrible on me).  I am happy to report that Black Orchid works well with my chemistry and I will be picking up a bottle.  It's notes are: Bergamot, Citrus, Mandarin, Black Gardenia, Jasmine, Ylang-Ylang, Lotus Wood, Orchid, Spicy Floral Accord, Black Accord, Patchouli, Sandalwood, Incense, and Vanilla.  It is a wonderfully complicated fragrance and not for the faint at heart.  Be prepared for both men and women asking what you are wearing.  It lasts all day and that is without doing my fragrance trick.

It retails for $95 USD for a 1.7 ounce bottle but Sephora exclusively offers a 1.0 ounce bottle for $62 USD.
Have you tried this fragrance?