BSB: Beauty news, makeup swatches and pictures, nail polish articles, makeup tutorials, product reviews, and how-to's from a MAC-trained makeup artist.

Summer Whites - China Glaze Snow (nail polish review, pictures, swatches)

I love a fab white manicure! It's super chic in the Winter, of course, but just as stunning (maybe more!?) in the heat of Summer. White hot heat! White nails remind me of the 60's. Tres mod!

This particular polish is from China Glaze's Winter '11 collection. It's called Snow!  I loved that this went on nice and opaque, and this is only 2 coats, girls. Two coats!

I placed the first coat on fairly slowly and thin. The second coat was thicker, and it self-leveled nicely (I had my doubts for a few minutes, though).

I wore this bright white for 4 days before I started seeing minor tip-wear, and no chips. And guess what? It stayed nice and bright white. Can you believe it?

Do you do white manis? Pedis? What is your favorite Summer polish look?

I decided to finally foot the bill and get a pedicure. And just in time for flip flop weather!

How long has it been since you treated yourself to a manicure or pedicure?

I believe it's been an embarrassing TWO YEARS since my last professional pedi! Before you cringe away in disgust, it's not like I've been ignoring my tootsies. It's just that since I had Baby #2, time and finances have been directed elsewhere and all of my pampering has been self-administered!

Anyway, I finally submitted to the capable hands of someone else, and my feet are thrilled. Hooray for taking time for ME! Gotta do this more often...

I admit, I skipped the salon mani and did my own. I'm incredibly picky with my nails and I've gotten fairly good at doing my own. Besides, for whatever reason, I don't find salon manicures relaxing. I'd rather save the money and time and do it myself. I chose a cool grey with a hint of purple simply because it contrasts so beautifully with the eye-searing coral neon on my toes! Why be predictable?

Colors used: China Glaze Flip Flop Fantasy (Summer '10) on feet; Essie Smokin' Hot (Holiday/Winter '10) on fingers

(see my favorite pedi prods here & here)

So how long has it been for you? Do you go for mani-pedis regularly? Are you a do-it-yourselfer? Do you prefer to treat yourself with massages? Facials? What's your go-to pamper pleasure? What do you scrimp on?

China Glaze: Crackle Glaze ~ Fault Line, Lightening Bolt, Broken Hearted (nail polish review, swatches, images)

In case you didn't know, crackle topcoats are the new nail polish trend.

 I tested three shades of China Glaze's new crackle topcoat called Crackle Glaze.

I have gone on record before saying I am not a fan of this trend. I did say I would give it a shot -  I've been known to be wrong on occasion.

It's not that this cracked, contrasting colors lacquer look isn't cute.*  It's not that it reminds me of the 80's.** It's not that I consider it too "young" of a look for me.***

It's just busier than I think is attractive. And it looks sloppy (hello, chips!).

That said, it's not as ugly as I thought it would be. You've gotta pick your colors well, and I think the white crackle looks too much like a Wite-Out Top Coat (read: yuck). But I kind of liked the pink over the black. And the purple over a shimmery teal looked great in person (but was a b*tch to photograph).

In all, kinda neat - on the right person.****

Of course, since it's China Glaze, the three shades of Crackle Glaze that I tested (Lightening Bolt, white; Fault Line, purple; Broken Hearted, pink) were easy to apply and wore fairly well (4 days).

What are your feeling about the crackled polish look?

_{*it's not
**it does
***it really is
****not me}

China Glaze: Anchors Away - Starboard (nail polish swatches, pictures, review)

I don't wear green nail polish. It's Over The Top.

Um...

Except for this one...

It's called Starboard, and it's part of the Anchors Away collection from China Glaze.

As with most other CG polishes, Starboard applied smoothly, wears well, and looks great. It's a pretty midtone green cream with a touch of blue in it (but not at all a "teal").

Even if you aren't looking for The Perfect St. Pat's polish (and this should surely be a contender!), it's a great shot of Spring for the tips or toes.

More pics after the cut...

_{Note: shown with an Nfu-Oh glitter on the ring finger.}

Nail polish review and swatches: China Glaze - Anchors Away collection - Below Deck

With all due respect, I thinks it's time to let the putty/mushroom polish thing go. Everyone has made at least one now, right? Don't get me wrong: it's one of my favorite colors to wear on my nails, but damn! It's everywhere.

This one is a good one, though. Below Deck. It's part of China Glaze's Anchors Away collection. It reminds me of driftwood.

It's different from others I own in similar colors thanks to miniscule blue shimmer that isn't at all apparent once topped with topcoat, but helps give the polish a nice glow.

Wear is fantastic (it's China Glaze, after all) and while just a tad on the thick side, it applied smoothly.

Now, can we all stock up on these shades and give the new mushroom releases a rest, please? At least for a little while?

In case you were wondering how similar Below Deck is to other putty polishes, I have some comparisons after the cut. To summarize, though: they're all pretty damn similar unless you're a collector, in which case none are dupes.

China Glaze: Anchors Away collection - Life Preserver & Sunset Sail

Remember "Mannequin Hands"? That was last year's trend of polish that matched your skintone. I still say I can only carry this off if my polish has a bit of peach to it. Enter China Glaze's Sunset Sail (from their Anchors Away collection). It's the prettiest peachy-nude I've seen in ages. Just a tiny bit of shimmer keeps it lively, though it's so subtle it only serves to prevent a chalky look (I can only see it in the sun). Lovely! Warning: the first coat is a streaky mess. I found one thin coat followed by a second thicker coat is ideal. The result is smooth and even. _{(shown above left)}

I have a weakness for orange, even though it's not always flattering on my pale, pinkish skin. Life Preserver is a particularly Fall-like shade, which sounds weird for Spring but is actually spot-on trend and a refreshing change from pastels! It's a pumpkiny rusted shade China Glaze calls "poppy". Amazingly pretty, perfectly wonderful to apply. _{(shown above right)}

These shades make me feel like this:

PS: I'm so stuck in the accent nail rut at the moment! I did one mani with Sunset Sail + Life Preserver as the accent, and another with Life Preserver + Sea Spray as the accent. A full display & review of Sea Spray is coming soon.

 

<sub>These products were furnished for consideration by the manufacturer or a representative thereof.
Please read our review policy on our About tab for more information.

Rudolph Carl Gorman-Woman With Poppies via</sub>

 

China Glaze: Anchors Away collection - Ahoy!

How pretty is Ahoy! From China Glaze's Anchor's Away collection? I love this raspberry color. Ahoy! is going to be in constant rotation around here. The glass flecks are incredible and really catch the light nicely. This was my Valentine's Day manicure. I love China Glaze!

China Glaze: Anchors Away collection - images

OooooooOOOOooooh! AaaaaAAAAAAaaaaaahhh!!!!!

Swatches on the way.

 

The Nail Ninja: Holiday sanity check.

Shopping for the gifts. Cooking the food. Wrapping the gifts. Caroling the... carols. Roasting the chestnuts. Shoveling the snow. Admiring the lights. Stuffing the stockings. Ninjaing the missions.

Whew! The Ninja is overwhelmed!

Complete and utter sensory overload.

The last thing she needs is a loud & busy mani this week. She opted for ManGlaze's signature shade of matte charcoal, Fuggen Ugly. It has the most amazing multi-color minimicroshimmer that makes the polish look alive and not at all fuggin' ugly.

Wooed by the cheerful spirit of the season, The Ninja did elect an accent nail (all the rage with the kids these days) in China Glaze's glorious Sugar Plums from their "Tis the Season" collection (which is phenomenal).

What about you? Are you already rocking a holiday mani, or are you taking some kind of nail sanity check or downtime?

The Nail Ninja: Little Drummer Boy (by China Glaze) {nail polish review, pictures, swatches}

The Nail Ninja says: while deep blue isn't what one automatically thinks of for a holiday nail lacquer collection, it's kind of genius. This China Glaze blue, Little Drummer Boy, is just shy of leaning green, and it has a very pretty lighter blue microshimmer. Maybe you have similar blues, but a blue collector will enjoy the unique spin this shade brings to the table.

The only downside: what a pain to clean up. Medium-to-dark blue varnishes always stain The Ninja's cuticles and skin during removal. Were she not so distracted, she'd have remembered to slick on some cuticle oil before carefully sliding the remover-saturated cotton away from the nailbed. Whoops. Instead, she had to resort to a hearty scrubbing then a full manicure including cuticle remover. Sigh. She'd lile to say she'll do better next time, but it's doubtful...

The Nail Ninja: Sugar Plums - more than it appears (by China Glaze) {nail polish pictures, reviews, swatches}

The Nail Ninja says: It's a matter of record that The Ninja adores a plum polish. This one, Sugar Plums,  is sneaky, though. What appears to be a fairly typical, unassuming plum with miniscule silver shimmer is actually a radiant shade with a bit of holiday mystery. The secret? A resplendant multi-colored mini sparkle that comes out only when the time is right... sorta like Santa.

The wear and application are stellar, as always. Thanks, China Glaze! Swatches are 2 coats.

The Nail Ninja: Frosty {by China Glaze} (nail polish swatch, review)

The Nail Ninja says: Don't disregard Frosty, one of the holiday selections from China Glaze. It's ethereal and sheer with one coat, gloriously shimmery with two, and pristinely chic in three. Easy to apply, this pretty white polish glides on and wears well. Look closely and you'll note its resemblance to shimmering snow with a thin layer of ice on top.
_{Shown here with an overlay of Nfu-oh GS-7 as an accent nail.}

The Nail Ninja: Cheers to You {China Glaze Holiday '10} nail polish swatch & review

China Glaze holiday...

Like, whoa.

The Nail Ninja spotted...

...this pretty mani by China Glaze's amazing PR Rep, Irene. Take a look!


Irene used China Glaze Recycle and Liquid Leather. Love it. Going to try it!

What do you think abotu this mani? Are you following China Glaze on Facebook? How 'bout following them on Twitter?

And are you following me on Facebook and on Twitter?!  ;)

China Glaze Holiday sneak peek...

Have you seen this? I can't wait to see that red-green glitter bomb in person!

 

China Glaze posts pictures on their official Facebook page often. I would expect we'll see some more holiday images sneaking out over the next week or two, but that's just a guess.

 

On the right we have what looks to be a silver foil as the base; it's called Cheers to You.  The red, silver, and green glitter pictured in the bottle and as a mani top coat is called Party Hearty.

 

Whatcha think?

China Glaze Vintage Vixen Re-cap (Fall '10)

So we've come to the end of the China Glaze nail swatches for Fall's Vintage Vixen. In all, a great collection! Aside from any problems with colors and your skintone, there are no clunkers in the whole set. That's why The Ninja loves China Glaze! She'll be sporting these colors this Fall and for a long time to come.

Review:  Each color is incredibly well-done. The Ninja gives every color a ★★★★★ FIVE STAR rating for quality! Below, each color is rated just in the parameters of this collection (meaning- a few of the colors are stand-outs), but one must keep in mind that as far as the big picture these colors are all streak-free, easy to apply, and well-wearing with no major application problems.

The collection: 

• Riveter Rouge – Deep red shimmer ★★★★☆
• Foxy – Burgundy frost with shimmer ★★★★★
• Goin’ My Way – Brown frost with copper shimmer ★★★★★
• Classic Camel – Khaki crème with gold micro glitter ★★★★★
• Swing Baby –  Taupe frost with silver micro glitter ★★★★☆
• Ingrid – “Greige” crème with copper micro glitter ★★★★★
• Hey Doll – Rose frost with shimmer ★★★★☆
• Bogie – Plum frost with shimmer ★★★★☆
• First Class Ticket – Deep purple frost with shimmer ★★★★☆
• Midnight Mission – Navy blue frost with silver micro glitter ★★★★☆
• Emerald Fitzgerald – Turquoise green frost with shimmer ★★★★★
• Jitterbug – Grey chrome with silver micro glitter ★★★★☆

Back-up worthy:
Foxy is an incredibly beautiful wine-red base with a warm shimmer. The color is probably close to universally flattering, and a real winner in The Ninja's book. Ingrid is a winner not just for being another mushroom shade, but because it brings something original to the table: a bit of a green undertone and a lovely copper shimmer. Goin' My Way is a lovely coppper-loaded brown that's perfect for Fall. It really sings when well-lit but doesn't lose it's charm in regular lighting, either, which is no mean feat. Emerald Fitzgerald is a deep blue-green (not emerald!) with just the right amount of shimmer and should be a big hit this Fall. The Ninja bets that wil be the first color to sell out on most China Glaze displays. And then there's Classic Camel - a stellar shade that is very, very unique. The only downside is that aside from nail collectors and the rare person who finds this a match to their skintone, this cool color will probably be overlooked. A shame, because it's really unusual and pretty!

Swing Baby:

Ingrid:



Goin' My Way:
Riveter Rouge:
Jitterbug:

Bogie:

Hey Doll:

Midnight Mission:

First Class Ticket:

Foxy Lady:

  Classic Camel:

Emerald Fitzgerald:

In which The Ninja gets drunk on champagne! (China Glaze: Swing Baby from Vintage Vixen)

Did The Ninja save the best for last with the China Glaze Vintage Vixen collection? She just might have...

Swing Baby is a taupe frost with silver microglitter, according to China Glaze, but The Ninja would call it a champagne shade with a foil finish.

The application was smooth, but the coverage may drive some of you nuts as there's slight VNL after the third coat.

 Read more about the Vintage Vixen collection here!

It may not be The Ninja's absolute favorite from the collection, but it's in the top 4!

Take a look...

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In which The Ninja sees a Ghost (China Glaze: Ingrid from Vintage Vixen)

What more need be said? Ingrid, a gorgeous mushroomy shade that leans brown compared to many of the other taupe-stone-mushroom-greiges in recent history, is one of the stunners of the China Glaze Vintage Vixen collection. That is, if you like the whole taupe-stone-mushroom-greige thing. If you don't, you won't like this.

The Ninja is especially enamored with the stunning coppery shimmer that is coy in indirect light but really becomes apparent when seen in stronger light. 

This reminds The Ninja of the clay spinning on a potter's wheel, but with eensey glimmer bits. C'mon now!

Read more about the Vintage Vixen collection here!

It applied like buttah, with no pooling or clumpy behavior. Stunning from bottle to nail!

Take a look at the swatches, some of which look a little milky but that's a trick of the eye or maybe the camera. It's by no means a milky color.

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_{This polish was provided by the company for consideration for review.
Please feel free to read about my review policies by clicking the About tab at the top of the page.}

In which The Ninja pictured herself as a statue (China Glaze: Goin’ My Way from Vintage Vixen)

Sexy molten bronze. Just a hint of shimmer from the copper within. That's how The Ninja needs to be immortalized! Marble is for chumps. Ninjas are warriors and warriors are made of molten sexiness.

China Glaze's Goin' My Way looked like a really good brown in the bottle.

The second it hit The Ninja's nails, she realized it was something more. Something special!

Granted, The Ninja has been feeling the browns lately, but even if that weren't the case she'd still realize that this shade is her destiny.

 Read more about the Vintage Vixen collection here!

The Ninja doesn't want to take this one off. Ever.

Opaque in two even coats, this was easy to apply with no issues to speak of. No glitter here, unless the shimmer is actually eensey copper reflects glitters.

CG describes this shade as "brown frost with copper shimmer." Accurate. What they don't tell you, though, is that inside, out of direct light, this polish looks like a metallic bronze. And then when you take it outside, step back! "Lit from within" has nothing on the burning embers of shimmer!

Take a look:

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_{This polish was provided for consideration by the company's pr firm.
Please feel free to read about my review policies by clicking the About tab at the top of the page}