Color Club Magic Attraction + China Glaze Black Mesh

       Today, I'm gonna show you guys Color Club Magic Attraction, from the Glitter Vixen Collection. And all the pictures are in sunlight, without flash.

Magic Attraction is made of small multi-sized and multi-shaped silver and holographic glitter pieces, densely packed into a clear base. 

Blurred for sparkliness.

   Magic Attraction is amazing...definitely one of my favorite Color Clubs. It's ridiculously blingtastic in sunlight, and even sparkles in lower lighting conditions. And the size of the glitter gives it this wonderful refined quality. Like, instead of looking childish (some glitters look childish) it just looks really airy and delicate. Throw in the fact that it only costs like $2 or $3 USD, and you have a polish that you really cannot go wrong with.

   Formula-wise, Magic Attraction was a typical glitter bomb. It went on fairly smoothly and dried fast. I used three coats of color and two layers of topcoat in the pictures, and I'm very satisfied with the coverage and smoothness that I ended up with.

After wearing Magic Attraction alone for a day, I put on some China Glaze Black Mesh. 

I know you guys are like omg again?! but don't worry...I won't be using crackle polish again for a while after this. 

  These pictures do not do this look any justice, and the video I made won't upload right, but trust me...this is awesome. Definitely the best crackle combo I have ever done. I love how the sparkles and holo flashes peek through the cracks. I got lots of compliments on it too. ^_^

And that's all I've got today! Thanks for reading!

China Glaze Lighthouse + Crushed Candy

           I was picking out a color to wear today when it hit me that I really need to get rid of some of my children.  I love them, but this is getting out of control. Plus, I have to go home soon. My family hasn't seen my stash in a year, and it's kind of doubled in size. I don't want to hear any concerned speeches or have to deal with Hoarders knocking on my door, so yeah...time to purge. I've gone through my worn polishes, so now I just have to start on my untrieds.
First on the chopping block is China Glaze Lighthouse, from the Anchors Away Collection.

Lighthouse is a sheer lemon yellow base packed with gold glass-fleck shimmer pieces.

Sunlight, no flash.

Sunlight, no flash.

I blurred a little to show off the sparklies.

Natural light, no flash.

Sunlight, no flash.

Sunlight, no flash.

    I went back and forth on Lighthouse, but I'm glad that I bought it. It would look better on someone with a darker skin tone, but I don't think it looks terrible on me. And objectively, Lighthouse is quite pretty. The shimmer keeps me from looking like I have a terrible nail disease, and I love how it sparkles in the sun. 

   But as pretty as Lighthouse is, the formula gave me a headache. It applied smoothly, but it was so sheer and thin. I ended up doing one layer of Barielle Natural Nail Camouflage, another layer of Essie Limo-Scene, three layers of Lighthouse, and one layer of topcoat. It was so hard. Haha that's what she said. But no really, it was alot of work. 

I also added some China Glaze Crushed Candy to the mix. This was a combo that I'd been wanting to try forever, but the results were less than...awesome. 

   It would have been nice, but those damn ripples came along and messed it up. I don't know if they were because of all the layers or what. 

 But anyway, Lighthouse can stay. It is unique in my collection, plus I really do like it.

And that's all for today. Thanks for reading, and have a nice day!

NARS Mash + Egyptian Tortoise

         Like all good things, Earth Week must come to an end. So the last animal we'll be look at will be the Egyptian Tortoise, also known as Kleinmann's Tortoise.

Look at the little legs and toes!

I find this picture particularly amusing because it wasn't photoshopped at all. 

The lying down turtle looks so unconcerned too. 

(Photograph courtesy of Sexecutioner)

    The Egyptian Tortoise is a little desert tortoise native to Egypt and Libya, and is usually yellow, brown, or green. Like the rest of the endangered species we saw this past week, Egyptian Tortoises are largely victims of habitat degradation as a result of development. Also because of their cute tiny-ness, they are very much in demand as pets. So poachers will kidnap them from the wild and illegally sell them, which I guess is better than being killed. But it still sucks. 

I didn't have a color that would perfectly match the Egyptian Tortoise, but when I think of yellow, brown and green, I think olive. And when I think olive, I think NARS Mash. Since I needed to reswatch Mash anyway, here we are. ^_^

Mash features a slightly dark shade of olive green, with small golden, green, and what looks like amber shimmer in it. There's mostly gold though.

Sunlight, no flash.

Natural light, no flash.

Sunlight, no flash.

Sunlight, no flash.

    Mash is so super hot. I don't  think it really looks good on me (olive in general doesn't look so good on me), but I absolutely love it. It's so mossy and sexy, and the shimmer gives it that beautiful effect where it's bright in the middle and blackens towards the edges. I'm happy that NARS brought it back, and I'm even happier that I bit the bullet and bought it. If you've been considering it and get a chance, I would surely recommend that you pick up Mash.

    I also have no complaints about Mash's formula. It took three coats before I was really satisfied with the coverage and was a tad bit brushstrokey, but it went on really smoothly and the shimmer helped cover up the brushstrokes. 

And with that, Earth Week is ovah!! 

I hope that these posts were as informative and fun to read as they were to write, and that they've somewhat inspired everyone to be (or to continue to be) more considerate of our planet and all the life forms that also call it home. 

Thanks for reading, and have a great day! ^_^

Zoya Cheryl + Lower Keys Marsh Rabbit

          Happy Easter everyone!! 
          With today being what it is, I thought it would be fitting to look at an adorable and completely non-creepy little bunny. Meet the Lower Keys Marsh Rabbit:

     

    Although people in the U.S. generally think that we have too many rabbits, this particular one is in some real trouble. It only eats the plants that are found on the mid to high marshlands of the Florida Keys, making it particularly susceptible to environmental pollution and habitat degradation. The Lower Keys Marsh Rabbit also gets into altercations with cats and dogs, with the household pets usually winning. :(

  Based on the Lower Keys Marsh Rabbit's beautiful chocolate brown fur, I chose to wear Zoya Cheryl, from their Wicked Collection.

Cheryl is made of chocolate brown and like...rose-ish? flat and metallic shimmer pieces in a deep mahogany base. 

Sunlight, no flash.

Natural light, no flash.

Sunlight, no flash.

Sunlight, no flash.

Sunlight, no flash.

Sunlight, no flash.

     Cheryl will always be very near and dear to my heart, because it was gifted to me by the wonderful Kris over at My Lucid Bubble. But even if it had been a regular polish, I would still like it. Cheryl is so pretty! The shade of brown is strong and flattering, and it does that beautiful bright in the center, dark at the edges thing that I love so much. The flecks of shimmer also give it some nice sparkle and depth.. I still don't like brown polish, but Cheryl can be the exception to that rule. ^_^

     As far as formula goes, Cheryl's was quite good. I needed three coats for the opacity and depth that I like, and it went on nicely. I also found the dry time to be quite agreeable. 

And that's all from me today. n_n

 Thanks for reading, and I hope that everyone is having a wonderful Easter!! 

Diamond Cosmetics Hue Are You? + Rafflesia Arnoldii

     So up until now, I've been focusing this Earth Week on animals, because they're fun. But there are plenty of plant species in trouble, and they need love too. So today, we're gonna be looking at the very intriguing Rafflesia Arnoldii. 

     The Rafflesia is a giant parasitic flower that grows in Southeast Asia. It lives off another plant and is famous for being the flower that looks okay, but actually smells like rotting meat. Which is kind of awesome, even if gross. Like can you imagine having one of these in your backyard? Ahh so nasty. But anyway, this amazing plant is already quite rare and is becoming even more scarce because the jungles where it lives are being destroyed for agriculture and urban development. 

  Digging through my stash, I spotted Diamond Cosmetics Hue Are You? (their question mark, not mine). It reminded me a bit of the Rafflesia's coloring, so I put it on. 

Hue Are You? is a deep-ish burgundy base speckled with tons of flat golden shimmer particles. 

Sunlight, no flash.

Natural light, no flash.

Sunlight, no flash.

Sunlight, no flash.

    Hue Are You? is such a beautiful color. Between the rusty quality of the base and the color of shimmer, it's very fall-appropriate. It just makes me think of mullberries, spiced apple cider and changing leaves. And I really like how the shimmer sparkles in the sun and gives the polish some nice depth under lower lighting conditions.

    Like all the other Diamond Cosmetics I've tried thus far, Hue Are You? also had a very nice formula. It applied smoothly and only needed two coats to be perfect, although the pictures are with three. I was bored. 

And that's all for today! Thanks for reading, and have an excellent Saturday night! ^_^