Zoya Jana

When Zoya's fall Smoke and Mirrors collection arrived at my house, I decided that instead of swatching my favorites first, I'd attempt to go in order.  Then I realized how many other polishes I had first, haha.  Well, not FIRST, but I still have to show you Zoya Touch!  Jana is from the "Smoke" collection and is a "smoky mauve quartz creme."  I used a base coat of Zoya Get Even, one coat of polish (instead of 2) and a top coat of Zoya Armor.

In the sun you can see it's kind of a mushroom purple taupe - but without any of the shimmer in it.  Definitely a good fall color (even though I'm totally not ready for fall!)

Random, I know, but I love how this polish looks smokey in the bottle.  It's a new texture!  Overall I'm iffy on this color.  I like it for fall, but it's not a good staple for me.  I'm still new to the whole "other side" of nail polish - dark colors that aren't red (or purple!).  It's pretty but I don't know that I'd buy it alone.

Zoya can be purchased on their website for $8/bottle.

Disclosure: The product[s] in this post was [were] provided to me by the company for consideration.  For more information, please read this post.

Jesse's Girl Ultra Violet

Decided to get a few more of these swatched.  I decided to list all my pigments on another spreadsheet here and now I feel like I need to swatch them ALL.  One day, one day.  So Jesse's Girl Cosmetics Ultra Violet is a light purple eye dust with almost a pink lavender hue.

It looks so much darker in the pot than on the arm.  Again, this is one swipe of product, no primer.

Here's a side shot in the sun, and you can see how it's not opaque.

Here it is in the shade, and I don't know what on earth happened haha.  It almost looks chalky?  I think it's just bad lighting.  I'm obsessed with purple, so you better believe I'll be using this a LOT.

Jesse's Girl sells for $4.99 a piece online or at Rite Aid stores. You can visit Jesse's Girl on their website, Like them on Facebook and Follow them on Twitter.

Disclosure: The product[s] in this post was [were] provided to me using store credit for external work I provided.  For more information, please read this post.

Karmin G3 Review

Image from Hair Products Pro

Back in November of last year, I was given the opportunity to review a Karmin G3 Salon Pro.  I was flat ironing my hair quite a bit at the time - several times a week to almost every day, and I was just using one that I had purchased at either Sally's Beauty Supply or Wal-Mart... definitely didn't know much about them.  

Now, I don't know how to do anything special with flat irons - I can just straighten my hair.  The Karmin has 1" pure tourmaline ceramic plates and reaches a max temp of 450 degrees (minimum of 180).  I didn't love that the on/off switch and the temperature dial are located on the inside of the plates, because I figured I'd burn myself, but knock on wood - I haven't so far.

As for the actual straightener, it did do a great job at leaving my hair smooth and shiny after just the first use, and has continued to perform without any fail.  It's listed as one of the best straighteners on Hair Products Pro's website and I do see why.  Compared to my much cheaper version, it did work after the first pass through my hair - I don't have to go over it several times.  I have not noticed any real damage from the flat iron (I do use a hair serum before hand) which was also key because I don't want to fry my hair.

For fun, here are two pictures of my hair before and after.

Okay, so I added a little makeup to my face too (but not in Photoshop!).  Now for the big question... would I buy it?  I do love how this works and while I don't know that I could fork over full price, for $130, I would definitely consider purchasing it again.  I really do love how well it works, how fast the iron heats up and how my hair has not had damage.  I do wish the on/off switch & dial were on the outside (as I mentioned above) but it's not a deal breaker.

The Karmin sells for $300.00 but you can purchase it from the link in the first paragraph for $129.95.

Disclosure: The product[s] in this post was [were] provided to me by the company for consideration.  For more information, please read this post.

OPI Too Hot Pink To Hold 'Em

So, now that I'm done with the first half of the Texas collection, it's time for the second half.  I had previously mentioned that there was a LOT of online chatter about how nail techs/cosmetologists did NOT like this half of the collection, called "sorbets" but also known to bloggers as a "jelly".  The formula is not (and will not become) fully opaque, as you will see below.  Like a neon, you can layer this over a white (like OPI Alpine Snow) in order to achieve opaque color.  I decided to show these colors as is, no white base, so you can see what I'm talking about.


I used a base of OPI Natural Nail, 2 coats of Too Hot Pink To Hold 'Em, and a top of OPI Top Coat.  This is a very bright pink, almost neon, but just very red.

Here in the sun, the color looks pretty awesome!  If you look on my index though, you can see a bit of black on the tip.  That's not dirt under my nails, it's the cap of the bottle showing through the sheerness of this polish.

In the shade, this color doesn't look half bad either.  I actually like it a lot.

Finally here indoors with the flash can you see the true problems with this polish.  As you can see, it has a lot of bald spots on my fingers.  Not kidding when I say this is not and will not be an opaque color.  I've seen some bloggers do some neat things with sorbet polishes - layering, using them with French manicures...  I think it might even work well in a water marble!  I have 5 more to debut so you'll get to see why people have been more frustrated than in love with this collection, but again - just add a coat of white polish underneath to make it pop!

OPI is available at Professional Salons, including Beauty Brands, Beauty First, Chatters, Dillard’s, JCPenney, Pure Beauty, Regis, Trade Secret, and Ulta, for $8.50 ($10.95 CAN) suggested retail for each Nail Lacquer. Please visit their website for details [official website].  

Disclosure: The product[s] in this post was [were] provided to me by the company for consideration.  For more information, please read this post.

Cult Nails Hypnotic Collection

Please enjoy the following press release from Cult Nails!  (I purchased all 9 colors during the Cult Convert sale, and I get the privilege of meeting owner Maria at the end of this month for Cosmoprof North America in Las Vegas!)

Fall 2011 - Hypnotic Collection


The Hypnotic Collection includes 4 new shades by Cult Nails. 'In a Trance' shifts from olive green to a muted gold and has an enchanting shimmer that brings it to life. 'Enigmatic' is a purple base with silver shimmer that draws flashes of red, blue, purple, and pink sparkle in the sunlight. 'Awakening' is a muted teal that has a rich creme finish that dries to the perfect Cult Nails shine and is perfect for any skin tone and age group. Finally, 'Hypnotize Me' lives up to it's name as an ice green sheer jelly with vibrant blue and green glitter that is marvelous on its own or layered over any color in this collection!


Cult Nails polishes retail for $10 (USD) for each 0.5 fl oz bottle; pre-sales for this collection will cost $30 (USD) for the set of 4 (plus the cost of shipping).


It's time to get HYPNOTIZED...  Shop now