Sally Hansen Pacific Blue vs. Maybelline Color Show Pacific Blues Showdown

I was shocked to recently find the Maybelline Color Show Limited Edition Polish in a color called Pacific Blues.  This seemed like a serious stab at the ever popular Sally Hansen Extreme Wear Polish in Pacific Blue.  The names are nearly identical with exception to the addition of a simple "s", and the colors look eerily similar as well.  I thought was this an accident?  NO WAY!  This had to have been purposeful with how identical these colors are. 

Here are my nails after one coat.  The pointer and ring fingers are Sally Hansen, and the middle and pinky fingers are Maybelline.  You can see they are pretty darn comparable in color, but overall the Sally Hansen was a bit more opaque and certainly more shiny in person.  

Here were the polishes after two coats, each next to their corresponding bottle.  Sally Hansen has a better shiny finish and is still more opaque than the Maybelline polish. 

 Here were all of the polish items that were used .  Julep basecoat, each of the respective pacific blue polishes and a topcoat of Seche Vite fast dry.

 Here was a photo of the polishes 24 hours after they were firs applied.  This is my left hand, so the index and ring fingers are Maybelline Color Show and the middle and pinky fingers are the Sally Hansen polish.  So far 24 hours in there was no chipping.

This was day two!  The top row of nails is my right hand and the index or first finger is the Maybelline Color Show Polish and man the chips were really starting to set in just 48 hours after application.  The Sally Hansen extremewear polish looked great and showed no chipping. 

This was day three, and wowza welcome to Chip-City.  The top row is my right hand, and the most chipped nail is the Maybelline color show, the middle finger in the top row is Sally Hansen, and then the  ring finger is the Maybelline color show again.  The bottom row is my opposite hand and the thumb nail that is horribly chipped is maybelline color show.  The index or pointer finger on this hand looks perfect!  Like it has just been polished LOL  After three days I took off this polish and could no longer wear it.  

I am happy to say that Sally Hansen Extreme Wear held in there much better than the Maybelline!  I have tried the color show polishes in several colors and they all chip on my within a very very short time frame.  I would suggest if you love this bright color that you stick with the tried and true classic Sally Hansen Extreme Wear in Pacific Blue.  There's a reason everyone loves this color and formula!

XOXOXO

Melissa

New Julie G Frosted Gumdrops Collection Nail Polishes

I recently spotted the new Julie G Frosted Gumdrops Nail Polish Collection at my local Rite Aid.  The display is just plain adorable, and the polishes look to be stunning colors.  I would be interested to see swatches of how the finish on these dry. Each polish sells for a really reasonable $3.99!

From left to right the colors are as follows: Crushed Candy (purple), Hot Cinnamon (red), Sugar Rush (reddish orange), Tangerine Dream (orange), Blueberry Fizz (blue), and lastly Rock Candy (teal)

Is the finish on these supposed to replicate the whole Liquid Sand texture that OPI has recently been putting out?  Do they dry sparkly like a real gumdrop with that sugary like texture?  Is it best to apply a top coat on these or do you wear them alone?

If I had to choose a color from the collection to purchase it would probably be Crushed Candy or the Blueberry Fizz.  All of the shades look amazing!  What do you think of the Julie G Polishes?

XOXOXO,
Melissa

Nail Rock Nail Caviar Sets

While at Walgreens recently I came across these Nail Rock Nail Caviar Sets.  If you were interested in rocking the 3D Manicure look at a reasonable price.  Each set is priced at $6.99, which is far less expensive than the original Caviar Manicure set which sold for over $20.00 in Sephora.

These sets are available in Pink, Gold/Multi Color, Turquoise, and Red. I believe that Nail Rock is the same company that designs the Eye Rock eyeliner temporary tattoos. 

The instructions seem super simple.  Apply the base coat, roll your finger in the caviar beads, press them into the basecoat, wait 15-20 Minutes and Voila!  Your nails are complete.

This is a trend I have not yet tried but would be interested to hear or see photos if you have.  

XOXOXO

Melissa

Lime Crime Nail Polish Review and Swatches

In my recent Lime Crime Haul, I ordered two nail polishes.  One in the color Milky Ways, and the other in Lavendairy, each polish sells for $5.99 on the Lime Crime Website.

The packaging is supremely adorable, with the iconic Lime Crime Unicorn.  Lavendairy is a milky beautiful lavender color and Milky Ways is a creamy off white with a peachy yellowish undertone. 

Here are photos of the swatches of each of the two colors on the nails.  

Here is a photo of my nails on the fourth day, not too shabby right?  

And here is a photo of what happened the very next day.  Holy Chip City Batman!  Wowza.  Those chips and flakes came out of no where.  One day the polish was fine, the next huge chunks were flying off of my nails.  The lesson here is that Lime Crime is a four day polish :-) And the fifth day the polish will attempt to abort mission, and jump ship off of your nails. LOL 

Pros: This polish applied very smoothly, it was not streaky and had great staying power compared to other higher end polishes like OPI or Essie.  For me Essie almost always chips the next day after polishing, and certianly two days in there are numerous chips.  This polish remained largely chip-free for 4 days. 

Cons: This polish is difficult to come by, and can only be ordered from the Lime Crime website or from a very select few retailers.  There is a limited color selection and stock always seems to be out of numerous colors all at once.  

Have a Beautiful Day,

XOXOXO Melissa

IPSY Unbagging with Swatches April 2013

IPSY has done it yet again!  I am loving my choice to switch subscriptions, and this month again tops the charts for a $10 a month service.  I hope you enjoy the photo-fest below.  

This month I received four items, three of which were FULL SIZED makeup/beauty products in really lovely colors.  

The Big, Sexy, Hair POW Powder Play is supposed to give hair volume and texture.  I haven't yet played with this, but I am thrilled to try this out. May hair could certainly use some OOMPH or lift at the roots. 

The MICA Beauty Cosmetics shimmer in Earth is totally up my alley.  The shade is that beautiful mixture of slightly pinkish, earthy brown with a lovely shimmery finish.  This item isn't really labeled as an eyeshadow directly on the packaging, however that is the only way that I will be using this loose powder product.  

Be a Bombshell Blush in Sweet Cheeks!  Wowza, this is a really beautiful shade.  If I was on the website I would have hands down chosen this color, so I am quite impressed that this is the shade that I received in my bag.  It has a lovely rosey pinky hue about it, and in the pan it looks like it has a satin sheen.  It is identical in size to a MAC blush, and the black container seems oddly similar if not identical.

I wanted to insert two swatch photos of this blush because although it does have a nice rosey color at one angle, if you turn just a bit it has an incredibly shimmery aspect to it.  Almost to the point of being un-wearable as a blush and more wearable as a highlighter.  Bummer.  I wonder if all of their blushes are this shimmery?

Lastly we have the Sation, not STATION as I called it in my video (Whoopsie) nail lacquer for IPSY in the shade Love at First Byte.  It is a very lovely naturally pink shade that seems very complimentary and subtle with my skin tone.  The polish went on very smoohtly, no issues with application or streaky strokes.  

This is after one coat, no top coat applied. 

Here is the brush, very standard sized nail polish brush.  You can sort of see the semi opaque-ish, not quite clear-ish consistency with this color. 

This was after two coats and no top coat.  I actually really like this color!  To me this color almost says Bridal Natural Nails.  I will absolutely be wearing this shade very soon, and I will be interested to see how this wears over the course of several days.  

Here is the bags value breakdown:

MICA Shadow- $14.95 

Website: http://www.micabeauty.com/mineral-eye-shadow-earth-colors.html

Be A Bombshell Blush- $16.00

Website: http://beabombshellcosmetics.com/product/blush/sweet-cheeks/

Sation for IPSY Nail Lacquer- $5.00
Website: This was the only place I could find selling their products online http://store.misspn.com/

BigSexyHair POW Powder- Full Sized is .53oz for $15.95, this sample was .07 oz and was worth about $2.15
Website: http://www.ulta.com/ulta/browse/productDetail.jsp?skuId=2215478&productId=xlsImpprod4270041&navAction=push&navCount=1&subdoc=487stylersb2g1wk49&categoryId=cat190008

Total Value of this months bag was: $38.10  

Have a beautiful day everyone,
XOXOXO
Melissa