Cult Nails Annalicious

So let me say a little something about Cult Nails.  I love this brand.  Not only does the creator, Maria, work hard to have fantastic formula, new colors not available by every single other company out there, and a story behind each color but she also makes things a family affair.  Her newest collection is called Coco's Untamed Collection, and it was created by her daughter Coco and launched on Coco's 13th birthday (July 11th).  Seriously, how cool is that?  And seriously, I mean this teenager actually hand mixed the colors herself and had her own marketing team (which was her BFF Anna) create the names & descriptions behind each one.

Today I have Annalicious from said collection.  It is being discontinued so get it from their shop ASAP.  The description is a "shimmery red with an orange influence packed full of red and gold glitter."  I used a base of Poshe, 2 coats of polish and a top of Seche Vite. My experience with Cult Nails is that the first coat goes on thin but the second coat evens everything out and makes for a beautiful manicure!  Cult Nails is big 4 free to include Camphor.

I was having a conversation with a certain Queen of Nails who mentioned that she doesn't understand why people don't polish their nails all the way to the cuticle.  My answer? I'm lazy and bad at it.  But I'm trying now.  You can see I still need help in clean-up, and yes I do have a bad spot on my middle finger in the middle of the cuticle but it's healing.  Meanwhile, LOOK AT THIS COLOR!  The perfect red with some orange and yes it has shimmer.

You can really see the shimmer in the bottle here in the shade and while it looks like it's lost on the nail, it's just hiding from the camera.

I even had to go for an indirect sun picture because I love this color so much.

And one happy picture with the flash.  Lovely.

I seriously need to post more of my Cult Nails polishes.  Maria just had a birthday sale where I ended up buying 3 more polishes and her "Get It On" base coat.  I already have her top coat "Wicked Fast" but I like to match my brands from time to time.

Cult Nails [Website | Facebook | Twitter | Blog | Instagram: CultNails] is available in their shop for $12 a 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.

Epsom Salt - Inexpensive Beauty Tips

Photo Courtesy of EMA

Randomly I get press releases from time to time that may, or may not, be relevant to PolishGalore.  I've gotten pitches about the "faulty nature of the TSA" and "how to tip" and while I didn't go Bloggess on them and Wil Wheaten their pitch, it did make me laugh a bit.  However, when I got this email about Epsom salt, I giggled at first, but then I actually read it.  My family has used Epsom salt in the bathtub for years but only for sore muscles (my dad was a college football star back in the day).  I've also used some of it in my son's bath that was scented with lavender to help him sleep.  Granted, it kind of backfired on me when he decided to DRINK his bathwater... Epsom salt can help constipation - I'll leave it at that.

Anyway - here are a few quick down and not-so-dirty (hah) tips on how you can use Epsom salt in your beauty routine.  I really want to test out the first one - my face has been crazy this past month.  Please enjoy.

Some people may remember Epsom salt only as something their grandparents kept in the medicine cabinet, but many experts use Epsom salt to look and feel better (http://www.goop.com/newsletter/33/en), it leaves your skin radiant and glowing and you can find some in your local pharmacy or supermarket for just a few dollars.

You can learn more at www.facebook.com/epsomsalt or www.epsomsaltcouncil.org.

Tips include:

• Glowing skin exfoliating treatment: Mix 2 cups of Epsom Salt with 1/4 cup of petroleum jelly and a few drops of lavender essential oil. Use the mixture to gently scrub away dry skin patches.
• Microdermabrasion Facial: Mix 1/2 TSP of Epsom Salt into cleansing cream for a deep-pore cleansing. Massage on skin. Rinse with cool water. Pat dry.
• Bathtime Bliss: Add two cups of Epsom Salt to the water in a standard-sized bathtub; soak for at least 12 minutes, three times weekly. For an extra treat, add a few drops of eucalyptus oil for a refreshing scent.
• Pedicure Perfection: Dissolve a half cup of Epsom Salt into two quarts of warm water. Pour the water into a container and soak your bare feet for fifteen to twenty minutes. For an extra treat, add a few drops of eucalyptus oil for a refreshing scent. Massage the entire foot with Epsom Salt concentrating on the heels and ankles to remove any dry, rough spots. Then, rinse your feet off with clean tap water and dry them thoroughly.
•  Stress relieving soak: Add two cups of Epsom Salt to the water in a standard-sized bathtub; soak for at least 12 minutes, three times weekly. For an extra treat, add a few drops of eucalyptus oil for a refreshing scent.

Revlon Orbit

So I had heard through the grapevine that Revlon came out with some "dual ended flakies" but had yet to see them in my local stores.  The other day, I was feeling down, so the fiancé took me down to my local Walgreens, and there they were - very picked over, but they were there.  I grabbed one of each and went to the register and paid before really even paying attention to what happened.

Obviously.  Note the black in the center?  That's from someone putting this brush into the purple side (which is a very dark purple, despite what the picture shows) and THEN putting it back into the flakies side.  Also, notice how EMPTY my bottle is?  I'm really kicking myself that I didn't walk back in and say "Take this back."  Revlon did not have any kind of tamper resistant seal (what nail polish company does?), but let's just say my sails were deflating fast on the "Moon Candy" train.

So the concept is simple.  Paint your nails with the side marked "1", which is the solid creme color.  Let it dry and them paint your nail with the side marked "2" - the flakie.  This is Orbit which is a dark purple creme on one side and a shredded blue and purple flakie in a light purple base.  To be honest, it looks like the flakie shreds bled off into the base, but I don't know that for sure.

I used a base of Poshe, 1 coat of polish from each side, and topped with Seche Vite.  After doing my pinkie and ring finger with the purple, I decided to switch to Sephora black for my middle and pointer fingers.

Can you tell the difference in the black and the purple?  Yes, I can but barely.  I was NOT impressed with the purple creme at all, and that's saying something considering how much I LOVE purple.  It was way too dark for me, but did cover well.

In the shade, you can see the shredded flakie a bit better.  I wasn't too thrilled that the flakie was so hard to apply.  The base that it sits in was very thick, like a suspension base, and globbed a bit on my nail.  Now, I'm not sure if this is typical of the product or if someone messed mine up when they were obviously painting their nails in the store and used up 25% of the bottle.

Indirect sun shows that again, the flakie isn't that strong but does have a green/blue/purple shift and you might be able to tell that it's definitely not smooth either.  Considering what I've seen from companies like Nfu-Oh, Nails Inc and even China Glaze, this product does NOT fit the bill.

I paid $8 for this "Nail Art" which is about $4 a side.  There is no way I can justify paying $8 for this.  I'm so mad that I want to take the others back and say "Never mind."  However, I can't find my receipt so I guess this is one that I get to eat the cost of.

PS: None of this review is related to what's been going on with the Revlon/Sinful Colors picture debacle.  I just feel this is a crappy product.  I can't even find it listed on Revlon's website.

Revlon [Website | Facebook | Twitter] can be found in several grocery and drug stores - price may vary from $3-5 but the Moon Candy polishes were $8.

Layla & The Bloggers: A Cocktail Party

Tonight's posting is more for fun.  While at Cosmoprof North America, the lovely ladies behind Layla Cosmetics threw a cocktail party for this awesome group of bloggers who attended.

We met up at the eyecandy sound lounge at Mandalay Bay, drank, shared stories, and got to see the new Layla goodies coming up for the rest of 2012 (and heard some secrets of things to come as well!)

Many many many thanks to the ladies of Layla Cosmetics, LUXCON, and Y! PR for the opportunity to relax and get to know each other!  Now it's time for just some fun loving pictures!

Our amazing hosts - Babila and Tatiana from Layla Cosmetics

More beautiful hosts - April from Y! PR and Paula from LUXCON

Claudia from Chromatic Misadventures, Gia from Bottles & Bottles of Polish & Connie from LUXCON

Lindsey from Neverland Nail Blog & Yasmin from Zadidoll 

Maria from Cult Nails, Claudia and Kimberly from Libby's Pink Vanity

Ria from Ria Loves Pawlish, Shelley from Polarbelle and Destany from Confessions of a Sarcastic Mom

This is how we roll.

Kelly and Drew from SparkleCore

Stephanie from Aquaheart, Bren from OMG! Bren and Alyson from The Gloss Menagerie

Ria, Shelley, Sinead from Self Tanning Queen, Destany, Carly, Babila, Colleen from Y! PR (front), Romy from RomyRaves, Lindsey and Yasmin

Judy from BeautyJudy, Destany, Carly from Lacquered Lover and the ladies behind Ninja Polish

Kimberly, Maria, Yasmin, Bren, Claudia, & Gia

Alyson, Shelley, Ria, Lindsey, Kelly & Drew

Please click to enlarge - photo courtesy of SparkleCore

So yes, there are pictures of me, I promise.

You have no idea how much I've missed Judy from BeautyJudy.  Like, if we lived anywhere near each other, she'd have to kick me out of her house because I just want to talk to her for hours.  She's been a rock for me, someone I can vent to, cry with, be angry with, gossip about polish.  She's the sister I always wanted.  And I had no idea she was making that face in the second picture.  Rock on Judy.

Romy from Romy Raves.  I really didn't get to talk to Romy much which is a dang shame because she is freaking fantastic.  I really hope to cross paths with her again because she was amazingly awesome.

(Same goes for Sinead who I got to share a cab with and it was probably the most hilarious cab ride I've ever taken.  PS: I want a "Put It Back Together" fund too.)

This is Brianna from Makeup Minutes.  She came up to me in the Press Room and introduced herself and I was so intrigued by her look and her presence that we exchanged business cards and I invited her to our party.  Do go check out her blog - she has some great posts going on.  Plus she has a fantastic middle name even if she does spell it with 2 L's.  (Michele for LIFE yo.)

Okay, so you may be asking what's up with my lashes.  Long story short, they are Ardell Wild Lashes and are actually feathers.  I'll write more about them later, I promise.

Photo Courtesy of @Ardell_Lashes

nubar Romance

From the upcoming fall nubar collection called "Simplicity Meets Elegance", this is the lovely Romance, a light purple creme.  I decided to play matchy-matchy and used a base of nubar Foundation, 2 coats of polish and a top of nubar Diamont.  I thought (while in my house) that this applied quite beautifully.  It didn't drag or pull, didn't pool into my cuticles, wasn't thick and wasn't too thin.

When I walked out in the sun, I saw a bit of patchiness.  I probably should have used 3 coats.  Oops.  I really love this purple - it's so elegant (hah!)

Same story in the shade - lovely, simple, elegant.  ROMANTIC.  (Yes, I went there.)

Finally indoors with the flash and again, a bit of patchiness on my pinkie, and a tiny bit on my ring finger but otherwise quite pretty.  I'm having some slight issues with my middle finger cuticle, so while that's mending I'm trying to keep one color on for awhile (yeah right).  Time for Neosporin!  

This collection was debuted at Cosmoprof North America Las Vegas last month but I don't see it on their website just yet.  If I get more information, I'll update this posting.

Edit: The collection is now available on their website.

nubar [Website | Facebook | Twitter] can be purchased on their website for $8.00 a bottle in the US.  They do have international retailers in Russia, Sweden and the UK.  

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