My Stepmom by Zoya

My Stepmom, Laurie, has had a strong influence on my beauty development ever since she met my dad and I when I was 8. She had a much larger make-up stash than my mom and aunts, and I soon started to get all kinds of hand-me-down make-up, from department stores, natch. Hmm maybe that was when my need for high-quality/high-quantity began......
Now we talk about the new products we have found. I like to younger, funky brands (MAC), she likes the more classic, refined ones (Bobbi Brown), so we always discover new things. But we share a deep, mutual love for Chanel and we both loooove Glossimer in Satinette.

So when I saw that Zoya came out with a shade called Laurie, and it had the same pink quality as Satinette - it was kismet. I bought a bottle for each of us.

I was expecting this to have a sheer quality, so I was surprised that it is really more opaque. It is still pretty close to being a nail version of Satinette. I've only tried it on my toes and I think it would look even prettier on my hands. And of course, every time I wear it I will think of my stepmom.

Easy to Love

I finished trying out all of the Essie In The Mood Polishes I bought and I am really excited to share what I thought about the last two with you.

Hard to Get - I was expecting to really like this one and I wasn't disappointed at all. This is a great take on what I refer to as Barbie or Bubblegum Pink. It has all the pop you would expect, but it is toned down wonderfully with a smidge of gray (this season's power player). This subtle tweak makes the color look really grown-up and it also adds a bit of a matte quality, which I think works fantastically to make this girlie color come off as current and chic.

Looking for Love - In my snapshot review of the line, I said this color sucked, was streaky and I was trashing it. Well.. alls fair in love and beauty and I had to give it a chance before casting its fate. And I am so glad I did!!! Yes, there is still the streaky factor to deal with, but I'm in love with the color. It's a great lavender both opaque and translucent at the same time. Total oxymoron, I know, but it really is. I got the best application on my pinkies and ring fingers, and the worst on my thumbs, so I think it needs some TLC to prevent the streaks.

My final verdict on In The Mood for Spring 2008 is an A+. All of the colors I tried were great. The only one that I won't be keeping is Secret Affair. The color is beautiful, it just doesn't work for me. I'm also interested in trying Looking for Love layered over Great Expectations. As far as my favorite goes, it is hands down Hi Maintenance.

My Zoya order is on the way, so in the next few weeks I'll be reviewing Laurie (from the Blissful collection), Sabrina, Loretta, and Rose (from the Purity collection) as well as Heather, Remove+, Intense Hydrating Therapy, Half Time Polish Drying Accelerator, Anchor Base Coat, and the new packaging of Cuticle Repair Balm.

Secret Affair

For my manicure this weekend I used my new Essie Secret Affair and I'm a little sad :(
I really love the way this color looks, but it is a bit too warm for my skin tone. I'll have to console myself with how much I love Hi Maintenance and remember that I also have all of the other new colors from the other salon lines to try out.

Hopefully I can pass this polish on to a friend whose skin tone it will complement.
So Long Secret Affair, I'm sorry it didn't work out.

Sweet Escape

There are a few service businesses that I really want to find. One -a restaurant that is appropriate for anything from an easy dinner, to a romantic evening, to an important celebration. I also need to find a tailor that can I can count on to do all my basic alterations as well as more in-depth changes. And I've been dying to find a local day spa where I can take care of basic nail maintenance and indulge in massages, facials, and interesting treatments.

This weekend I found my spa! I noticed their sign soon after moving to the area last year, but it is in a shopping center that needs a face-lift and the signage just says "skin/nails" - so even though it would always come to mind, I never ventured to try them out. Then my stylist/colorist said that they send the salon's clients there all the time. So I started to think about it even more, and Saturday I decided I was going to finally check it out and have a manicure. Why hadn't I gone sooner?!?!?

The unappealing storefront makes for a very private environment. The spa is small, but well thought out. A short wall keeps clients hidden when someone walks in the door - the front desk right ahead of you. the main room has two manicure stations and a banquette. Two pedicure chairs are tucked behind another half wall. The private rooms are off of the main room, which works for this boutique spa. There was another hallway to the other side of the entrance (i didn't get to check that out).

While the larger, more well-known day spas have their benefits, the one time I went to Red Door, I was a bit disturbed by how impersonal it felt, and the shared locker room gets creepy when there are more than two women in there. The worst are the "serenity rooms". I know they are supposed to be relaxing, but I get stressed waiting for my person to come get me - and I'm sure I'm not the only one.

So, In addition to loving the atmosphere - the prices are great. My manicure, which included a paraffin treatment was $22. A full day (4 hours) of a premier facial, deep tissue massage, spa pedicure, hydrating manicure, and spa lunch and gift - for only $250!!

And the best part is how wonderful the staff is. My manicurist wrapped my neck with one of those warm pillow things, brought me a goblet of water, and actually paid attention when grooming my cuticles(rather than blindly cutting them all off). The manager was super sweet, we chatted a bit and she sent me home with a bag of samples.

I'm looking forward to going back soon and trying out their full menu.

www.belladonnaspa.net

Polish News and Reviews

I had to get my Essie polishes this weekend - the urge for fresh colors was killing me!!
I love the mini-packs that come out with each collection - such a great way to try multiple colors. The pack has 3 of the shades I wanted - Secret Affair, Hi Maintenance, and Hard to Get. The 4th shade included is Lots of Love - the completely crap-tastic lavender that is really streaky and a bit too cool, giving a bit of that "death" color. Into the trash it goes. I also bought Great Expectations in the full size bottle.

I swatched them all - Lots of Love - see above, Hard to Get is a more sophisticated and warmed up Barbie/Bubblegum pink and Secret Affair has a really pretty sheen.

I did all then later on with Great Expectations. The color is such a great new shade - very different from whats out there and extremely chic! I also used Hi Maintenance and I LOVE it! It is one of the prettiest pale pinks and it adds the perfect touch of elegance. I love the name being a hi maintenance gal, but the color is totally lo maintenance - so great!

Being that my nails are in the best state right now, and I also am not the greatest at getting a good application, my nails are bare right now. I want to paint my nails again tonight with Hi Maintenance, using only one coat and no base or top. I think it could be a very simple, easy, and easier to maintain way to achieve a polished look when I don't have time to get or give myself a mani.

While at Ulta, I also got to see the Orly collection - Meringue and Cupcake both stood out to me, they looked like a great creamy white and pink, respectively. I'll wait until I try out all the other polishes on my list before trying these.



An update on the Zoya collection: There are actually two spring collections. The second one is called Purity French Collection. I actually like this one better than Blissful and there are three colors I would like to try: Rose (soft metallic sheer nude), Loretta (pretty super sheer pink), and Sabrina (soft sheer pink). The other three are Purity (french tip white), Jane (natural sheer nude), and Sari (gorgeous semi-sheer pink).

OPI India is now available and the Little Jewels mini collection has my name all over it. It has two of the shades I am into - Black Cheery Chutney and Indi-a Mood for Love, plus Lunch at the Delhi - a coral shade, which I never would have picked for myself but I think will be cool to try, and RapiDry Top Coat.

Nail Varnish 360

When I started this blog 1 1/2 years ago, I was on the tale end of my quest to find the perfect polish. I was working my way through all of Essie's pale colors to find The One. I couldn't settle on just one - but Limo-Scene and It's in The Bag were at the top of my list, along with the classics - Ballet Slippers and Mademoiselle. Shortly after that Black Satin hit the scene and started a frenzy. But I declared that I would not follow the trends, and I was sticking with my white-pinks.

Sometime around Feb/March 2007 I lost a bit of my bravado and became very intrigued by the vampy nail. And then Essie made me cave. The Fall 2007 Glamour Girl Collection came out and i fell in LOVE with Material Girl. And I loved the look! So I went and got both OPI Lincoln Parks and a few other darks so I could experiment.

Of course now that I have fully embraced the dark colors - Spring is all about my first love - the super-pales - AHHH!

After my initial WTF!?!?! I am getting really excited for all the new colors I want to try. And now I'm up for trying brands other than Essie.

The List:
Essie In The Mood...

I want Hi Maintenance, Hard to Get, Great Expectations, and Secret Affair.
Not so into Body Language and Looking for Love.
I'll be buying and trying as soon as I can get my hands on them. Until then, enjoy the fabulous review by All Lacquered Up.




Zoya Sheer Bliss
My fav is Laurie - Sheer Pink
I love how all of their polishes are girl names (I'll have to get Heather at some point) My stepmom is Laurie, and this is the perfect color for her. I'll have to buy two bottles.
**Just a thought - at $6 each, getting someone a gift of their name's color would make a great inexpensive and thoughtful gift**
The other colors are Miley, LuLu, Felicity, Zanna, and Penelope.

Orly Sugar Coated
Rock Candy
Meringue
Taffy
Cupcake
Petit Four
Bon Bon
I need to see the colors in person before picking my favs



Finally, OPI India has a full range of colors, so I'll be getting some deeper hues from this one
Of the 12 colors, I want to try Elephantastic Pink (Bubblegum), Get Me to the Taj On Time (Sheer Pink), I'm Indi-a Mood For Love (hot pink), Black Cherry Chutney (the vamps will be back after the summer and I want this one for then)