Alter Ego nail enamel Desert Storm Trigger Puller... swatches and review!!!

I have another one of my favorite indie nail polish brands to share today!

I purchased one of their polishes, Desert Storm Trigger Puller, a few months back with a promotion code (which she also has running again, USE CODE ALTEREGOGRANDOPENING for 20% off your total order at their new Etsy shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/AlterEgoNailEnamel *they were previously at alterego.storenvy.com) and now that Alter Ego has switched to a modified formula (which is still like the old but much easier to shake and doesn't settle as much) they sent me a bottle of the same with the new formula to compare!

As far as texture and application goes, Alter Ego nail enamel still dries to that unique satin matte finish like with the old formula. The formula, as I mentioned previously, is easier to shake within the bottle and applies somewhat easier and more fluid than the last formulation.

Now, onto the polish which has always been my favorite Alter Ego polish... Desert Storm Trigger Puller...

Desert Storm Trigger Puller, is a gorgeous caramel glitter/large shimmer base LOADED with copper, caramel, and bronze holo and shiny glitter bits in varying sizes. It is a bit sheer since it is a glitter base, so I used about 3 decent coats on each nail. If you don't want to use that many, of course you could use this as a tinted glitter topper over another base color.

I used CND Stickey base coat and left the first set of swatches below free of top coat to show it's natural satin matte finish, and on the second set I used SinfulColors Over The Top top coat.

On my ring and little fingernails, i used the old formula and on my index and middle fingernails I used the new formula, you really cannot tell which is which once swatched.

BE SURE TO CHECK OUT THE ALTER EGO NAIL ENAMEL FACEBOOK PAGE AND ENTER THEIR CURRENT GIVEAWAY AND LIKE THEIR PAGE (giveaway link here)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

--Casandra

LEX Tuilleres... swatches and review!!!

I know that I have mentioned before how I am not a fan of bigger glitter nail polish, but I may have found one I love!

A few months ago I picked up a random bottle of LEX cosmetics nail polish from FAB.Com with a wonderful WRAPP coupon! The bottle they sent was one I was afraid I wouldn't ever wear other than to swatch or wear once.

LEX Tuilleres, is a soft pink tinted almost white sorbet (more cloudy jelly finish that isn't quite a "crelly", gotta love all these terms!) finish base with a scattered amount of small and medium sized pink purple orange and silver hex glitters.
The formula was extremely easy to work with, not thick but not runny thin like some jellies or sorbets. I still had visible nail line with 3 coats so if you do not like that I suggest a white or pale pink base color prior to application. I used OPI Natural Nail base coat and 3 coats of Tuilleres for the pictures below, and no top coat.

Overall this polish was great in application and the colors were subtle and looked great together. There wasn't too much glitter so it was scattered nicely and no cluttering on the nail. I also had no problems getting the glitter on the nail from the bottle, so it pulled from the bottle to brush nicely.

--Casandra

Funky Fingers Taffy Town... swatches and review!!!

I apologize for my lack of posting lately. I make it a point to post at least 6 days a week, but this pregnancy is really doing a number on my health. My blood pressure has been up causing headaches and migraines, and my energy level has been at zero. Looking at a screen was NOT at the top of my list, luckily my toddler was awesome and "helped take care of me"... she's such a good girl! She even painted mine and her own toes!
Anyway, I just wanted to give a heads up as to why I haven't been up to posting. I've been swatching a lot now that I have been starting to feel better, so I will be sure to schedule posts in case I feel like this again (and I'm sure I will, gotta love pregnancy agh).

I've got another Funky Fingers polish today, purchased at Five Below from their 3 for $5.00 bins! I love that store!

Funky Fingers Taffy Town is a bright pink-ish coral with yellow and pink shimmer throughout. The formula was awful, it was thick and gooey. Even when trying to apply it in thin coats I got bubbles and stringing like I would when it is thicker. After all this I did try it with thinner added, and it helped with the bubbling but I still had some streaking and stringing. It's been pretty humid so I will try again when it is less so, that can always affect a polish that is already thicker.

The color showed through on the nail like it did in the bottle, that great yellow shimmer really stood out and in sunlight the coral was almost fluorescent! It's a great summer shade so if you can get past the wonky formula and make it work for you, then I say go for it!

Lately it seems all the Funk Fingers polish I have been picking up is not as good a formula as it used to be (and I am not just buying from the same store). Hopefully this issue is just temporary and not a sign that the formulas have permanently changed for the worse, because I am loving the colors they have been putting out!

--Casandra

Ruby Wings solar polish Green Peace... swatches and review!!!

While shopping at my local FIVE Below store I picked up a Ruby Wings color changing solar polish, they only had one so I figured what better way to try it out than to not be picky and just grab it!

Ruby Wings is a solar color changing polish, it starts out one gorgeous color indoors and changes to another in UV light!

Ruby Wings Green Peace, is a lime green crelly indoors and after a few seconds out in the sunlight or under UV light it turns to a dark kelly green cream.

The formula was awful, it was hard to work with and apply to my nail evenly. I had to do very thin coats and that took 4 coats just to cover the nail, then with thicker coats and lots of maneuvering of the polish (which seemed to be clingy and drying too fast) on the brush it still needed about 3 coats total.

Green Peace dried to an almost matte satin finish so for a nice sheen you should apply a top coat, and the top coat will NOT affect the color changing solar effect.

For my swatches below I chose not to apply a top coat to show the polish's actual finish. I did however, use CND Stickey base coat as green polish tends to stain my nails. I did have a slight amount of staining near my cuticles after removal even with base coat.

Overall, I liked the color of the polish indoors and out in UV light, and the finish is nice (I always love a matte or satin finish)... but if that isn't worth a terrible formula, then don't bother with this polish.

These retail for $6.75 on-line and $3.00 at stocked FIVE Below stores.


Here is Green Peace indoors...

Here is MID-transition...

And here is full exposure to outdoor UV light (for 1 full minute)...

I do plan to give the other shades a try even with how wonky this formula was, I hope that I find this was an unusual formula out of the bunch!

--Casandra

Alter Ego nail enamel Plumber... swatches and review!!!

I have one of my all time favorite indie brands today to share, Alter Ego! They are by far the most unique indie brand I have used to date. Their formula is homemade and not one of the marketed bases available. Because of this homemade formula their pigment and additives WILL settle at the bottom of the bottle, but the way her formula is made (and the mixing balls included, guaranteed stainless steel) it is VERY easily mixed again when shaken, which is AWESOME! If you have purchased from Alter Ego prior to last month you most likely have received her old formula, which has been improved upon recently and is even better than before!

I have one of the newest shades to be available from Alter Ego, Plumber. Plumbler is a dusty blue with a purple hue and loaded with bright pink shimmer. Plumber applies very easily, not too thick but is thicker than your average polish. It only needed about 2 coats so I went with 3 just to smooth out and even any strokes I made. The bottle and brush is easy to handle and the brush is wide enough for good coverage. Another great thing about the brand is that there isn't that chemical smell most mainstream and some indie brands have, it's actually got almost a floral scent to it. The owner includes an information page with contact information in each order and as far as communication with customers they have been nothing but fantastic.

Now because Alter Ego uses a unique formula (which is 4-free and camphor free) it dries with a unique satin almost matte finish. Every polish that I have tried from them has had this finish, and it looks awesome without and with top coat. They wear for at least a week (the longest I've had a chance to wear the polish so far is about 6-7 days) without any chipping or major tip wear.

Here is Plumber without top coat (I used OPI Natural Nail base coat prior to application)...

And here is Plumber WITH Nubar Diamont top coat (I also used OPI Natural Nail base coat prior to application)...

That amazing pink shimmer stands out so well with and without top coat so no matter what finish you wish to have, you get that great base shade and shimmer. I'm overly pleased with this polish!

The products in this post were provided to me at no cost by the manufacturer. The compensation received at no cost or for review will never influence the content, topics or posts made, any information on the product is solely my opinion and observation.

--Casandra

L'Oreal Paris Magic Skin Beautifier B.B. Cream... REVIEW!!!

I have a makeup review to share today! This is a product I purchased for myself and have been using for about 30 days, to give an accurate review.

L'Oreal Paris Magic Skin Beautifier B.B. Cream. I am very very very fair skinned so I went with FAIR #810.

The packaging states:
Magic B.B. Cream with Beautifying Beads: encapsulated pigments infused in an ultra-light lotion with antioxidant Vitamin E.

4 Beautifying actions in 1
PRIMES to smooth skin's texture.
CORRECTS skin for a healthy looking, even complexion.
HYDRATES for all day moisture.
PERFECTS to hide imperfections.

Instantly transforms to your perfect shade for a flawless bare skin finish.

Well...

I can definitely say that from nearly a month's use of this I agree with everything that they state! I no longer need to use primer, moisturizer and then foundation. I don't ever get break outs or blemishes on my face, but my second pregnancy is occasionally making my skin break out. This alone hides any of those blemishes or uneven tones in my skin, moisturizes nearly all day (if you have VERY dry skin I suggest a light moisturizer prior to BB cream application), and effectively primes for any eye makeup or blush I apply. The cream leaves a nice matte finish. I have no need for my correcting cover up creams or foundation with how well this cream works. My skin looks more fresh after applying it and a small US dime sized amount is enough for my whole face. If you have a lot of dark blemishes or imperfections you may need a light foundation over it. This is a strictly light coverage B.B. Cream.

The only issue I have found is, at the end of the day my face feels somewhat oily, but that could also be because I have combination skin. Some days it has a slight oily-ness to it and some days it is dry, very rarely do I have in between. However, this is at the VERY end of the day (I apply around 8am and get ready for bed over 12 hours later) when I should be removing my makeup anyway. I highly suggest never sleeping in makeup it is so very bad for your skin!

The cream is light and smooth in application, and evenly spreads. There is a VERY slight scent to it that fades shortly after facial application.

I'd give this product a solid 4 out of 5 rating and I plan to keep using it until I can find anything that may be better!

I purchased this product at my local Target store for $7.99, it is a 1 fluid oz tube.

--Casandra

Illamasqua Pink Raindrops - swatches and review!!!

So if you were/are a fan of Illamasqua on facebook, a while back they had a special LE release of a pink version of their coveted Raindrops nail polish once they hit X number of fan likes. I got my hands on one of the Pink Raindrops bottles and was so excited hoping it would be like Raindrops. Now I don't OWN Raindrops, I had my nails done with it once by a friend and I so badly want to get my hands on it again... and OWN it!

Sadly, Pink Raindrops falls MUCH MUCH shorter than it's counterpart in blue and I am so disappointed.

Pink Raindrops is a frosty shimmery pale pink with light pink almost silvery in the light flakes and flecks. The formula is awful, it is goopey and thick. The brush seems to pull away any coats I previously laid down and the drying time seemed to take forever. I tried so hard to make it work and it just looked like I had thick layers of polish sticking off of my nail bed. Finally my last attempt turned out somewhat okay, it looked decent but it sure took a lot of patience and waiting in between coats... a LOT of waiting. I really love the color and the flakes, of course, but the formula is something that I cannot get past. I ended up with 3-4 coats and a coat of INM Out The Door top coat to finish it off.

I'd love to trade this baby for a bottle of original Raindrops (which is a light blue jelly with magical white flecks and bits).

How do you feel about the Raindrops counterpart, Pink Raindrops?!

--Casandra