China Glaze First Class Ticket + Essie Shine of The Times

Friday yayyyy!

I am so looking foward to this weekend. I had quite a busy week. I'm not complaining. It was actually very productive though and I feel happy about that. Sorry I don't have enought time to be blogging but I am always on my facebook page as soon as I can. Also check my LM email often and am busy answering you guys' emails. I had tons feedback from my last post about Jordana's new collection. I do like that glitter collection too: price, quality and variety. Answering again what everybody asks "Where can I find them?" You will be able to find Jordana polishes at Kmart and/or on their website (all of them).

For today I have a combo that I can't stop staring at. Flakies have been quite popular and lots of companies have been releasing them here and there. For the Holidays last year Essie came up with a fun collection including Essie Shine of the Times. When I saw press releases of it and a picture from the beauty event in Las Vegas last summer I knew I had to have that one. And here it is. It's a beautiful flake. Looks like Nubar 2010 but it's a bit chunkier and fuller. A bit thicker if that means more flakies, I am on board. If you have a nail polish collection you have to have at least one bottle of flakie. That gives a whole different look to any boring polish you might have. 

 Essie Shine of the Times

 A macro shot. That way you can see what I am talking about.

 And this is China Glaze First Class Ticket. That is what I have under Essie. That is a pretty violet ink purple full of super fine shimmer. You kinda have to move your fingernails to be able to see that. Pretty cool!

Remember that you still can submit your Valentine Manicure Photo to the Nail Art Contest until this Sunday. You're not gonna miss out on that, are you? To see details on how to submit your entry please CLICK HERE.

Jordana Glitter Specialty 2012 Collection Swatches and Review - !! BE AWARE, Super Long Post!! Lots of pics :)

Hello you all!!

Today I have a very very very long post ... full of great swatches just for you. I have 18 out of the 24 glitters from the Jordana Glitter Specialty Collection 2012.

NET WT 0.20 FL oz / 6 mL and DBP, Toluene & Formaldehyde Free. The other 6 colors are still coming soon. I have been so so super excited to swatch these pretties. They are super blingly pretty and much more in real life.

These polishes are already available at Jordana's website and will be available at Kmart begin of February. however, I've heard some people have found some of them already. Retail price: $2.99. For that little price it's hard to believe you can get such a variety of great polishes in that collection for every taste. I have to take  my hat to Jordana. Great job!! You will find diversity in colors and glitter size, fine, chuncky, graceful, bold, funcky, elegant. It's a collection to be put in your wishlist.

Be prepared to scroll down as you will find lotsss of pictures. You are about to have 18 swatches before your eyes right now! In my opnion, I believe this will be fun to look at them though. Some polishes I used by themselves and some of them I layered over other cream/jelly color to better show its effect. These are just my choices but you can feel free to layer those glitters over any color that would better suit your taste. Another note: the pictures are not posted in any specific order. Now, let's get to the swatches and details on the colors of this collection. Hope you all have fun :)

 FAIRY DUST ****- a fine and super fine holografic silver glitter imersed in a graceful fairy pink jelly (but thick) base. I used 2 coats of that over 1 coat of Milani Fashionable to make that glitter pop and sow its beauty. Fairy Dust was a little too thick and I used a couple drops of nail polish thinner to make it manageable. It worked great. It's a really pretty polish. I kinda felt like a princess wearing it.

 CELEBRATION****- a very infused fine lilac glitter that I managed to make full coverage by itself. What you see above is a result of 2 coats. Very good application, except it was a bit thick and I also had to add a couple of drops of nail polish thinner on this bottle too. But other than that the polish is just fine.

 MAGENTA MAGIC**** - hexa and fine fuschia glitter in a clear base. Not thick. Just perfect formula. Again I used 1 coat of Magenta Magic over 2 coats of Milani Fashionable. I love the way it looks!

 PIXIE PINK**** - hexa and fine copper pink in a clear base. I used 1 coat of that one over Jordana White. I wish I could have apply two coats of the glitter instead. I wish I could be able to have full coverage with that glitter but I don't think I can. However, it's a very pretty polish in real life and probably will remind you of some polish that just came out during the past holidays. Jordana Pixie Pink is a great choice for its quality and price.

 RHINESTONES***** - Very fine and hexagones silver glitter + a super fine gold glitter (that one you won't be able to see on the picture or not even in real life unless you really look up close - it's super subtle, yet pretty). I know this one looks ordinary but it is one of my favorite one. The formula is so dense with the fine glitter that I could have full coverage with just 2 coats of it. It's super classy in my opnion. I love that one!

 GREEN GLITZ***** - Another favorite of mine. Beautiful emerald fine glitter in a clear base. I used 2 coats of Green Glitz over 2 coats of  Milani Antique. The name of that glitter makes me giggle as I write this. When i was a kid I used to call glitter -> "glitz". Oh, how I love childhood sweet memories. Thanks Jordana Cosmetics for that :)

 GOLD GLAM ** - I can not tell you how anxious I was to try this one. I had high expections for Gold Glam. That is a fine gold glitter in a clear base with some specs of holografic losange/diamond pieces in it. Those beautiful little diamonds are really hard to apply on the nails. I had to pick one by one to apply them. I was dissapointed on this polish. It seems like those funky shapes are too heavy for the formula and most of them are just sitting on the bottom of the bottle. I tried to shake as much as I could until I gave up. I like the concept though.

 COPPER BLAZE ***** - Wowww so chic and elegant. I feel like a diva wearing that. Who in the world will tell me that I am wearing a $2.99 polish? Tell me? Who? Jordana did such a great job on this collection I have no words to say. Copper Blaze is a fine and hexagone coppery orange glitter in a clear base. It's beautiful! I used 1 coat of  that over 2 coats of Milani Antique.

BRONZE FEAST *** - When I grabbed that bottle I was like "uhmm it kinda looks like Copper Blaze doesn't it?" But looking at them side by side you will see that bronze Feast is fuller in its formula that Copper Blaze. Bronze Feast has more of a spicy pumpkin fine and hexa glitter with some fine and hexa gold glitter in a clear base. It looks very sofisticated!

 COSMIC ***** - Stop the traffic lights! Do you see what I see? Is that really $2.99 polish? Yes, it is. Thanks to Jordana we have access to feel like a million dollars. Cosmic was on my list to "being anxious to see it". That one made me a happy girl! It's a fine blue glitter with hexa blue, silver and green glitter in a clear base. I know what yu are all thinking right now and yes, it looks like a high end kinda polish DL Across the Universe. To achieve the color above I used 2 coats of Cosmic over one coat of a non labeled sheer navy polish I have. Any sheer or cream navy polish you have will do the work for you. Just lay it with Cosmic and there you have it. "That is gorgeous! " our waitress said to me while taking our orders. She couldn't stop staring at my nails and writing our orders on her notepad and all of a sudden she stopped and asked: "Is that a polish? That is gorgeous!!" I love when I get compliments on my nails. That means it is beautiful indeed. Cosmic, I love you!!

 LUNAR LIGHTS***** - ohhh pretty you are. When I got these polishes that bottle was one of them that I was looking at it and turning the bottle up and down and examining and all. It's a gorgeous holografic hexagon and super fine glitter suspended in this kinda milky but super magic formula I can't even explain. Immmediately I thought laying that over black. And yes, it looks fantastic!

 SEQUINS ***** - I know some people wearing asking me on my fb page about that one. So here you have it. I was also excited for that one and I do like it. It's super fun! Sequins is a gold, blue and fuschia hexagone glitter infused with lots of fine red glitter in a clear base. Very cute! I wasn't over it just looking at the bottle but I loved when I layered 2 coats of that over black.

 BLUE BASH **** - ocean blue fine and heaxagone glitter in a clear base. To better incorporate the color I used a coat of Wet n' Wild Bleu Bijou and used 2 coats of Blue Bash. Such a pretty vibrant blue but it's not in your face type of color either.

 LA CITY NIGHTS **** - A fine blue and purple glitter in a clear base. I used 2 coats of LA City Nights over 2 coats of black Milani Antique.

CELESTIAL**** - it's an aqua green fine and hexa glitter in a almost jelly aqua green colored base. I wanted to use some base color and ended up using Petites 473- Tahitian Green to achieve the look of the picture above. I'm also pretty sure Celestial would look great over black, white, silver and gold. Very pretty glitter :)

 GEMSTONES***** - A multicolored hexa glitter. I bet you have seen that before somewhere but yet it's not a "I will pass type of polish". It's a must have it!! Gemstones over black or white would be very pretty too :) As I swatched that collection I was thinking how happy I am for Jordana's work coming up with all of those pretty sparklies.

 MY SUPERSTAR ***** - Oh that one brings a smile to my face. Another one I was so excited for it and I'm happy to have it. My Superstar is a fine gold glitter with gold, blue and red hexa glitters in a clear base. I layered 2 coats of that over Milani Antique. Love it a lot!!

 FUNKY GOLD TOWN **** -  and last but not least a gold hexa glitter to add chuncks of bling to your nails. everybody should have something like that in their nail polish collection. That one screams to me "Let's parteeeee!!!" I heart that one.

If you wanna see a video of those bottles here it is:

Phewwwwww! Are you tired yet? Or you look now at your white door/wall and see everything sparkling? LOL. Hope you guys enjoyed watching those swatches and reading my review. What are your favorite ones? Which ones are you gonna pick?

PS:The stars by the polish names are my grade to them from 1 to 5 stars showing my preference as far as application, color and my own taste/preference.

To buy the featured polishes on this post go to Jordana's Website. Also visit them at their facebook page and give them your LIKE at http://www.facebook.com/jordanacosmetics.

Do you have pinterest? Liked the swatches and want to pin them to your board? Click on the PIN IT button that you see right there --> 

" The products in this post were sent to me for unbiased review purpose."

Sally Hansen Lapis Amethyst over Love & Beauty by Forever 21

Oh how I love lavender, blue tones. It kinda brings me a peacefull feeling to my soul. I had two polishes I wanted to use so I decided to play with both of them together and see what I would get. Just apologize for my cuticles. I have been really really busy and I have been slacking on taking take of my cuticles. But oh well, I can also blame the dry and cold weather. Let me stop babbling and get to the pictures.

 On the picture above I have Beauty & Love by Forever 21 Dusty Blue. The I grabbed my bottle of an old one from Sally Hansen, Lapiz Amethyst. I am not a big fan of frosty, pearls finish but this one is an exception for sure.

What do you think? Like that somple combination?

And remember, I'm hosting again another nail art contest. If you want to participate you've got this week to get your mani done or one that you have done already in the past time and submit it. It just needs to follow the Valentine theme. CLICK HERE for details!!

Now you can Pin from here Yayy!!

I'm playing around right now to see how you can can easily pin my pictures to your pinterest account.
I really hope this work!
I'll be back with more pictures soon :)
For now click on the Pin It button and see if you can pin anything from this blog ok? I'd really appreciate your help. That way i can see if that is really working.
See ya soon :)

Talk Tuesdays - " Nail color is an affordable indulgence. It's an easy way to be on-trend and to make a statement "

Did you guys miss my Talk Tuesdays? Or not at all?
Well, today I have a very interesting thing to share with you guys. I don't remember how I got on reading this article. You know when you are online browsing here and there and from here you go there and there and there and so on. Internet can really catch you LOL
The article is super short and you can read it pretty fast. If you like polish and everything related you are gonna want to read this.

In tough economic times, women buy nail polish

By Andrea Burzynski, Reuters

Posted at 12/20/2011 11:16 AM

 

For the first ten months of 2011, sales of nail polish and products were up 59% from the same period in 2010, according to market research firm NPD Group, which also showed sales have grown since the onset of the economic downturn.
"Nail color is an affordable indulgence," said Karen Grant, vice president and global beauty industry analyst at NPD. "It's an easy way to be on-trend and to make a statement."
Although NPD's research focused on department stores, Grant said the trend extends to the mass market as well.
Demitrius Simpkins, manager of New York salon Lali Lali in New York, agreed.
"Beauty is one thing women never forget about," he said. "Manicures are a way to lift spirits."
NPD's research showed that both colored nail polish and base coats were selling well, which suggests that more women may be skipping the salon manicures and doing their own nails.
"With so many looks that you can play with for relatively little expense or commitment, it lends itself to being a DIY treatment," Grant explained.
Simpkins said that although the salon's nail services are popular, he has noticed some customers are looking for ways to save money and opting for long-lasting gel manicures to reduce salon visits.
"Some women who used to come every Monday now come maybe every other Monday," he said.
Grant and Simpkins also think women are aiming for value.
"A bottle of nail polish can last a month or two at least," said Grant. "If you go out to dinner, you only get one night."
Grant also noted the capacity for growth in the nail cosmetics market, which she said is larger than for other color cosmetics.
In 2001, when lipstick sales shot up former Estee Lauder chairman Leonard Lauder coined the term "lipstick index" to describe the increase in demand for lipstick after the late 1990s tech bubble burst.
"The size of the market is burgeoning, and there's a huge opportunity for doubling or even tripling growth," Grant said of nail cosmetics. "It's like lipstick ten years ago."

---

 

I enjoyed a lot reading that. If you want to read the original artical from its original source here it is the link CLICK HERE.

Be My Valentine Nail Art Contest

I absolutely love nail art contests. Do you?
I thought of opening another one to celebrate Valentine's Day. I love the month of February because of that. The love is literally in the air. Again I'll be missing a lot to live in Arizona where my MIL lives. She always decorates her house for Valentine's Day, bake and decorate heart shaped cookies with the grandkids, send us Be My Valentine cards ... All of those sweet little things that make you believe love exists. "All you need is LOVE ..."

So, here is my way to celebrate with you the month of February. Another nail art contest where you can show all your lovely pinks, passion reds and all heart shaped stuff on your nails. Keep scrolling down to find more details on this contest.

Want to be part of it this time? Keep reading:

---> If you want to submmit your Valentine's Day manicure photo just send me an email to contact.lacqueredme@gmail.com with your:
* Name
* Location where you're at ( just state/country)
* Follower name and FB fan name
* Your blog/fb link
* Your picture attached (ONLY ONE please). Don't give me the hard task to choose among 3 or 5.
ONLY ONE picture - you need to watermark your photo (optional) with your name or blog name/address. I won't be watermarking pictures this time . In case you send more than one I'll be posting on the contest board the first picture attached to your email.

---> It's FREE to enter this contest. You just need to submit your picture via email.

--->  It's open internationally.

---> I'll be responding back to your email so you know that I received it. In case you don't get an email back in 24hrs please, re-send your picture. That means I didn't get your email.

---> You can just do a simple mani or nail art, stamping, nail stickers or any other technique you would like to do. Be creative!

---> Only Valentine's Day themed manicures will be accepted to this contest.

---> Only photos with focus will be published this time.

---> Send your own picture. Please DO NOT send me a manicure picture if it's not yours. I do not take any responsability for stolen pictures entering this contest. If someone sent me your picture and I have posted into the contest album on fb, please address to the person who claims to be the owner of the picture, not me. I only take responsability for those pictures that I watermark with the name of Lacquered Me on it which are mine indeed.

---> Can I submit a picture if I have participated/won the previous contests? YES, you can.

---> To participate you have to be a Lacquered Me follower here on this blog and a fan on Facebook. You also need to be over 18. If you are under age please consult your parents or tutor responsable for you.

---> You can start sending your picture NOW . Last day to submit your picture is January 29th, 2012 (Sunday). After that date, submissions will be closed and you won't be able to participate because it will be time to vote from January 30th through February 14th, 2012. Results will be disclosed as soon as possible.

*  There will be just ONE winner.

* Result - The result will be the sum of LIKES on your manicure picture on Lacquered Me Facebook page(from friends and fans that liked your picture) +  votes from 4 judges ( a 10 year old - my niece who loves nail polish, a 3D art designer guy from Learn2Make app company,  a nail polish blogger and me). Each vote from each judge will add 25 points to the number of LIKEs you already have under you picture on fb. The max points you can get from the judges all together is 100 ( 25 points from each one of the 4 judges). Those points will be added at the end of the day of February 14th, 2011. The picture that will have more points will be the winner.

If you guys have any questions just leave me a comment or email me at contact.lacqueredme@gmail.com

Hope to see you there!! Can't wait to get to share great manis done by you all.
PS: I'll let you guys know the prize later down the road like I did for the other contests. It's always something simple but a sweet surprise.This way everybody gets to participate more for fun than for the reward. Do you agree with me? This is just a great way to connect with other people and make my blog and fb page followers be aware of your own page :) Thanks for participating!!!

Sinful Colors Savage

Back on posting ...

 I actually did this manis everal weeks ago. I was organizing my files and realized I hadn't posted this one.

For this mani I revisited my Sinful Colors Savage. At my first try I didn't like it at all cause it dries matte. I have a hard time applying matte polishes but this time I guess I got the hang of it. I absolutely love the color.

Then I applied top coat cause I really like the glossy finish rather than matte. I think it's pretty interesting the difference between the two finishes. It kinda looks like they are different colors. Don't you think?

Once I was playing around I went flipping over my nail plates pages and got BM 224 to stamp over Sinful Colors. I thought that turquoise teal could go well with some brown and golod together.

What do you think? I remember I had that mani for a week cause I liked it so much.

BC: OPI

Base Color: Sinful Colors Savage

Design: BM224

Stamping: Risqué Chocolate Quente

Dots: ULTA  Lotsa Luxe

TC: SV

Finally ... BLOG SALE

My stash was overflowing and I had to clean it up. I'm sorry to see some of them of for sale but oh well, I need space and also I need the money. So my lost your gain.
If you are interested on taking a peak on what's for sale please feel free to browse around. You will probably finds omething interesting that might catch your eyes.
Thank you in advance for your time. I will appreciate your purchase ;)
To check the blog sale CLICK HERE.

PS: I know it's been a while I have posted here on my blog. The holidays kept me busy. But I'll be back with post soon. For now I wish you all a great 2012 :) Happy New Year!!

Jordana Glitters Specialty 2012

Do you like all the glitter sparkly things?

So, I believe you are gonna love to hear this. Jordana just released a new collection of 24 glitter polishes. These are now available through their website, and 12 shades will launch at Kmart this February. Take a pick  on the picture below. 

Jordana Glitters Specialty Nail Polish

(retail: $2.99 each)

This new 2012 launch is now available on the Jordana website, however the colors above with a dot next to them are "coming soon". If you're interested in knowing more about these shades, I encourage you to click here and then let your cursor hover over each swatch because a description will pop up that will let you know which ones have holo glitter, etc. I LOVE that most of these polishes contain both FINE and CHUNKY glitter.

TWELVE OF THE 24 SHADES IN THIS COLLECTION WILL LAUNCH AT KMART THIS FEBRUARY. The 12 shades that will be available at Kmart are: 01 Magenta Magic, 02 Celebration, 06 Fairy Dust, 08 Sequins, 10 Gemstones, 11 Cosmic, 12 Celestial, 14 LA City Nights, 15 Blue Bash, 17 Copper Blaze, 21 Funky Gold Town, and 23 Rhinestones.

Looking at the descriptions on the Jordana website (again, hover over each swatch for a better description), there seem to be some unique color combinations here with a nice mix of fine and chunky glitter. Exciting!

Glitter gals: are you excited to see some of these polishes in person when they hit Kmart next month? Thoughts? I'm super excited to try Gemstones. Outer Space, Bronze Beast and My Superstar look fun as well.