Blue Cross Beauty: Summer Brights Nail Polish.

Hi everybody!! How is your weekend going. I am most definitely soaking up the sun on my end. Its in the 70's here at least until Tuesday before it rains.

Today I have for you a nail polish that is super appropriate for the upcoming warm weather!

On a recent trip to Rite Aid ( my holy grail for everything drugstore) I saw that Blue Cross Beauty, a brand I've only seen at Rite Aid came out with some bright fun colored polishes for the Spring.

Out of the five or six colors I saw I picked up the brightest blue that they had. I've been really into wearing bright colors the last few weeks, I think its just with the way I've been feeling at the moment plus I'm excited for warm weather.

Lets get down to it shall we? This polish a neon mid tone blue that has a slightly darker blue shimmer running through it, plus it has very tiny bits of silver glitter mixed in. They look great in the bottle but I don't think they transfer to the nail well, unless I just applied it too quickly, not giving enough time in between coats. In my case that's probably what happened, I'm so impatient.

I like this polish more with a top coat then matte. Hence there are no photos of it matte. The formula is a bit on the sheer side and it takes at least 3-4 to make it opaque enough for my liking so I don't see any visible nail line. The one bright side of the formula is its not to thick or watery so you don't have to worry about flooding or it getting gloopy.

Another highlight of this polish is the bottle. I absolutely love the chunky square bottle! It makes for the perfect hand position. All the Summer Bright polishes are a full 15ml so you are definitely getting your bang for your buck. If I recall these polishes are about $3.99. They had some other nice colors, like a mint green and a pastel pink and I think even a lighter blue, but this one called out to me.

I hope you guys enjoyed this post and I will see you next time! Don't forget to follow on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook for other beauty/nail polish stuff!

<3 Nicole

Rimmel Sweetie Crush Texture Polish: Candy Floss Cutie and Sherbert Sweethearte

Good evening lovelies! How are you all? I am doing great I am proud to say that I have been made an honorary aunt twice in the last two weeks! One of my best girl friends, (well I only have like 3 anyway) just had her first daughter who is named Sophia, and my bestest friend Stephanie, her sister just had her second daughter TODAY! Her name is also Sofia but spelt differently. Both babies are happy and healthy and the most precious ever! I can't wait to meet both of them soon!!


Today I have for you swatches of two new polishes that have popped up at the drugstore, or in my case at lease Rite Aid. (That's where I got them from.)

So let me ask you all this? Are you guys done with the whole textured polish craze? If not then Rimmel London  may have the next set of polishes you want!

I love the texture polishes I own with the exception of the China Glaze ones, I like them but I don't like the way they texturize, if that makes sense. However so far of all the texture polishes Rimmel is definitely one of my favorite brands by far.

This line is called Sweetie Crush and includes five colors I believe, a light purple, a pastel green, a sky blue and the two colors I picked up, a pastel pink called Candy Floss Cutie and a pastel yellow called Sherbert Sweetheart.

I picked colors that I thought I didn't have from any other brand.

Lets take a look at Candy Floss Cutie. The pastel pink color kind definitely makes me think of Easter and coloring Easter eggs and having that fake Easter grass in the bottom of your Easter basket.

The formula on this was sheer but very buildable, it took about three coats to get to opacity, where as with other texture polishes like the Julie G ones sometimes you can get away with one coat. Although those textures I find to be thicker and a little gloopy. These Rimmel London ones are not.

What I love the most about these polishes is the feeling they have once they have dried. There not super texture-y, these feel more of a soft texture, even with three coats.  Oh and to top it all off there sparkly!!! Who doesn't love shimmer and sparkle???

Now lets take a look at Sherbert Sweetheart. I definitely feel the name fits the polish on this one. Its a pastel yellow that makes me think of lemons and sherbert but also those marshmallow Peeps! I haven't had a Peep in forever! Did you know they even make birthday cake peeps???

Anyhow, this texture just doesn't do it for me. I used three coats like with Candy Floss Cutie, but the yellow is more sheer, so my visible nail line is still slightly visible.

I think I might use this over a yellow polish so the texture pops more like how its concentrated in the bottle. I so wish that it transferred to the nail that way.

The formula on Sherbert Sweetheart is the same as CFC its thin and the texture finish is the same. I'm thinking if I can go back to Rite Aid I might just pick up the rest of the collection to see how the rest fair.

If you want to get your little nails on these affordable textures they retail for $2.25 at local Rite Aid stores!

Thats it for today! I'll catch you guys on Wednsday!! <3 Nicole

Don't forget you can follow me on social media to find out about everything on the blog or just to come and see my randomness on twitter and so forth! Links are up in the top right corner! Hope to see you all there! <3

Maybelline Baby Skin Review.

Hi guys! I hope you all had an awesome weekend. I worked mine as usual, what else is new!

Today I bring you a beauty review on a product that made a huge splash in the drugstore market back in January/February.

What I'm talking about is the Maybelline Baby Skin Pore Eraser. Why is it that drugstore  and high end products are becoming more mouthfuls to say?

Free For All Beauty Friday: Almay Smart Shade Skintone Matching Makeup.

Hi guys happy Friday!!! Who is ready for the weekend?? I am, even though mine will be filled with working, school work and blogging. Although I do NOT mind the blogging part!

Today I have another edition of Free For All Beauty Friday for you! I have only done a handful of these over the last year but hopefully there will many more in the future!

There are lots of new amazing beauty products out at the drugstore right now. I have definitely been sucked into buying quite a few of them and loving them! This being one of them.

Almay has always been a cosmetic company that my mom mentioned to me when I first started getting into makeup. She informed it was makeup she used because she has sensitive skin and Almay was one of the only brands she didn't have a problem wearing!

I don't always get to purchase Almay at the drugstore, I always ogle at it but its a little too expensive where I live. However, I have owned a couple of pieces of Almay makeup in the past, eye shadows, a mascara, a blush and now a foundation I am completely in love with.

Let me introduce you to Almay Smart Shade Skintone Matching Makeup.

I first saw this at my local Rite Aid, you know as I do. I saw the display and that they had a tester out. I thought that this was tinted moisturizer at first, the tester was my shade so I tested it on the back of my hand. As I rubbed it in I realized this was something different and really cool and I would need it my life.

This skintone matching make up comes in three shades, light, light/medium, and medium.
Almay according to their website says that this: 

• instantly transforms to your perfect shade 
• Lightweight coverage with a soft satin finish 
• broad spectrum SPF 15 
• Hypoallergenic and Dermatologist tested. 

You can see I am shade #200 Light/Medium. You get one fluid ounce of product which is standard for liquid foundations.

What I like about this foundation is that it is light weight, has an SPF that is broad spectrum, is hypoallergenic, and has pretty decent coverage for being classified as a light coverage foundation.

Your probably thinking how does the smart shade technology work? Well here is a quote directly from Almay's website " it adjusts to the natural tones and nuances of your skin with breakthrough new almay tonemimic™ shade-sensing bead technology which intuitively transforms to your skintone for all day natural looking coverage in your perfect shade." 


That "tonemimic" technology is what made me want to try this stuff out. Take a look.

This is what the foundation looks like when it comes right out of the tube. It looks kind of grayish and you can see tiny flecks of the skintone matching beads throughout.

As you start to rub it into your skin with your fingers you can see that the beads break and start to release color and somehow starts to match my skintone.

I found this foundation to be really great at evening out my skintone, and moisturizing. I also found the best way to apply this foundation is to use your hands. Usually I am a brush using girl. I just don't normally like the feeling of having foundation on my hands, but this foundation I feel with a brush you do not get the best application and most of it gets caught inside the brush. I also think the heat of my hands helps burst the skintone matching beads.

As you can see or hardly see for that matter that this matches fairly well. I do set it with a setting powder just to get the shine off my face since I have naturally oily/combo skin. But I do notice the satin almost matte finish before I set it and if I didn't get oily I wouldn't use a setting powder.

Overall I love this foundation and have been using every day since I bought it. I will definitely be repurchasing this foundation sooner than later. If you want to try out the Almay Smart Shade Skintone Matching Makeup, you can find it at your local drugstore, Walmart, etc. I got mine from Walmart for $9.99 instead of the $14.99 price tag I saw at Rite aid.

I hope you enjoyed this review and I'll talk to you all soon!
<3 Nicole 

Wet 'n' Wild Megalast Nail Color: Heat Wave.

Good morning guys!!!

Today's post is of a nail polish that I received for Christmas! My mom is very hesitant when it comes to buying me any makeup or nail polish because she thinks that she will either A: get me something I already own, or B: get me something I won't like. So I told her this past Christmas that I would love anything she picks out, and that trust me there are a lot of make up and nail polishes I don't own yet.

So she picked out this really awesome Wet 'n' Wild gift set that had 10 mini Megalast colors inside. Five of the best and three limited edition colors. I will have swatches of all the colors from the set on the blog in the coming month!

Today begins the first one its called Heat Wave. Who doesn't love a red nail polish? I know I do. This one is kind of a crelly type, where its a creme color but has a jelly like finish. I say this because after three coats I could still see VNL.

But that doesn't take away from beauty that is this polish.

I think at some point I want to attempt to do a jelly sandwich with this. It reminds me a lot of Ruby Ruby from Sinful Colors which I have used for a jelly sandwich but its a tad more dark than Heat Wave. 

Like I said above three coats of this polish and I could still see my nail line on my middle finger. But what I love even more is how shiny this polish got with the addition of top coat. I used Orly's Sec 'n' Dry in these photos.

Out of the set of ten minis I think that I will definitely pick up the full size of this polish. That's what I love about mini polishes so much, you get to try a color and if you like it you can go and get the full size! If you want any of the Meglast Colors all you need to do is find in your town wherever Wet 'n' Wild is so, although its probably at most drugstores and get some of these colors! I think they only run $1.99!

I can't wait to show you guys more of the minis in this set! Mom sure did pick out an amazing gift! Love you mom!

Till tomorrow <3 Nicole

Sally Hansen Insta Dry: Currant Trend.

Happy Friday lovelies!! I hope you all are going to have an amazing weekend. I will be working, as per usual. If you are snowed in like me I hope that you are safe and warm as well!

Today's polish is going to be one I picked up back in the mid fall, but is still available today. I saw them at Rite Aid not too long ago.

Sally Hansen really stepped up their game with polish last year. They put out some amazing glitters and  Insta Drys! Today I have one of those Insta Drys to show you. Its called Currant Trend. I have never seen a currant but I am hoping its similar to this color.

Correction: I just Googled what a Currant is and its more red and burgundy then this polish color but this is still a beautiful polish.

Its such a vibrant purple!! I gravitate towards towards purple polishes and probably have way too many in my collection. You know the deal with the Insta Dry polishes, they dry fairly quickly, hence the name, and they come in these nifty bottles that are triangular shaped. They also have a large flat brush as well. The only thing I don't really like about the Insta Dry bottles is the neck of the bottle its so narrow and the wand and brush always come out full of polish so if you don't wipe it off well you still get a running flow of polish from the stem to the brush and you risk flooding your cuticles. As you can see I had that problem and my cuticles are slightly stained.

However with that one defect aside this color is beautiful. If look close you can see the individual blue and purple flecks that make this polish what it is. In real life in bottle it looks like a glass fleck but doesn't finish that way.

You can find Insta Dry polishes at your local drugstore, Wal-Mart, Target, etc.

Until next time.
<3 Nicole

Happy New Year!! Maybelline Color Show: Pretty In Peach.

Happy 2014 you guys!!

I hope your new years eve rocked. I spent mine at home watching Netflix, eating good food, and definitely reflecting on the year. But its a new year now and time for new beginnings!

So today's polish is by Maybelline, they release some new Color Show Polishes back in December and they just hit my Rite Aid just before New Years. I picked out one color from the display that caught my eye. It was one of the brighter colors.

Its called Pretty In Peach, and the color is exactly as the title says. I love me a peach colored polish. I think though that this is only maybe my third in my collection ha ha.

I have quite a few of the Color Show polishes, mostly of the limited edition ones but none the less I overall really quite like them. The quality is good and the collections that Maybelline puts out always gets me to get at least one, otherwise if I got all of them every time I would be broke!

This polish looks florescent in the light but is not a neon, its just a beautifully bright color. You can achieve opacity in two coats with this polish. The first coat isn't nearly as streaky as some creme polishes are. The formula is not thick but thick enough that if you had a pretty steady hand and could balance the right amount of polish on the brush you could maybe get a thin one coater!

I took so many photos of this polish, that it was hard to narrow it down to just four, usually I only get two-three good shots.

I feel like that these Color Show Polish bottles are a little bit heavier than the limited edition ones. It might just be me but who knows. I am definitely looking forward to seeing other colors in 2014 from Maybelline.

So if there is one polish to pick up from the new Color Show's to help brighten up your new year and winter, this is a winner!

Till next time
<3 Nicole

45 Days Of Untrieds Day 9 Sally Hansen Lava.

Good Saturday evening polish friends! Hope your weekend is starting off wonderful! The heat wave has finally broke here in NY and its so nice not to be sweating like a fiend.

Today's Polish I think fits the bill of a heat wave, its Sally Hansen's Lava!

I purchased this polish when it first hit drugstores back I think sometime last year I think, but don't quote me.

This polish was part of a duo chrome collection and the only one I saw that I though would have potential. When buying duo chromes sometimes they can be very hit and miss. Lava however is a very big hit!

This polish upon first application is fairly sheer. If you are someone who just wants a wash of sparkle and color one coat should satisfy you. My mom is that way, but if you are like me and need to not see your VNL then it takes about three coats to make it the beautiful metallic color you see in the photo above.

With my hand in this position you see one of the color of this polish which is a bright hot pink. In the next photo below you see it shifts to a bright golden orange color.

Primarily when I look at the polish in real life it looks pink until you wiggle your fingers in the sun they they gorgeous  orange shines through.

I believe this color is still available if you haven't picked it up yet or are considering it. Or maybe this post will sway you if you keep eyeing it when you go to the drugstore.

Do you like duo-chromes, do you own any?? 

Don't forget to check out Shaylads and Adrianna's untrieds today!!

<3 Nicole

45 Days Of Untrieds, Day 6: Julie G: Crushed Candy

Good evening everyone, I apologize for how late this post is going up, I was at work all day and then came home and napped out. Plus its been really hot lately and the heat is not fun when you don't have air conditioning.

Anyway today's post is is the final Julie G. Frosted Gumdrop Polish I own. It is called Crushed Candy. 

This polish is a pretty mix of of light pink and light purple glitter that have tiny bits of even lighter pink mixed it. Out of the rainbow of colors that this line has to offer this is the most girly, so if you are a lover of pinks and purples this is right up your ally. 

Two coats will get you opacity but I did three just because thats usually what I do. I'm not so sure if its so flattering with my skin tone but I still like it.

Don't forget to check out Adrianna's Untried today its a fantastic OPI Polish and Shaylad's on Instagram!

Do you think the texture craze is here to stay or is it going to go away like crackle and magnetics slowly did??

<3 Nicole

45 Days of Untireds Day 5 L'Oreal Paris Royally Yours.

Good Monday morning! Is anyone not a fan of Mondays? I don't have an opinion because sometimes I work and sometimes I don't. But as a blogger everyday can be a work day ha ha.

Today for Day 5 of the Untried Challenge, I have a pretty pastel to show you. L'Oreal Paris released a spring romance collection earlier this year. I don't remember the exact name as I write this but when I do I will insert it here somewhere.

Today's polish is called Royally Yours, it is a pretty pastel blue color that almost reminds me of Hard Candy's Sky. If you want to see a comparison post then let me know below!

So I had seen this polish in its original display for a while, and they were all priced $5.99 which I believe is standard for a Rite Aid display, but I never had the urge to buy any at that price. I had other pastels that I could definitely find for much less.

When I stopped in Rite Aid last week I saw they had a ton of polishes on clearance, as they do when new displays and new stock comes in, at only $2.99 on clearance I couldn't resist picking up a couple of colors.

 I have to say the formula on this was a bit iffy for me. Even though it wasn't terribly humid out or anything like that, I found it to be really thick and even if you didn't wipe off the brush too much you still didn't have enough polish to do at least one coat across the nail. Then it would get streaky and you would have brush drag if you tried to even it out too many times.

The photos in today's post are three coats with top coat to even everything out.

Even after three coats and top coat you can still see a little unevenness on the end of my pinkie finger.

I'm glad I didn't pay full price for this polish. It is a lovely color and I would definitely use it for nail art but not so sure about a full on manicure again.

Don't forget to check out Adrianna's untried and Shaylad's on Instagram!
Do you own any of the L'Oreal Paris polishes from their spring romance collection? 

<3 Nicole

45 Days of Untireds, Day 4 Julie G: Hot Cinnamon.

Good morning! Hows everyone's weekend going? Today is work night number 3 for me. I don't mind working at night but back to back to back sure can drive you nuts!

So today's untried is probably one of my ultimate favorite textured polishes. Textured polishes are kind of all the rage ever since OPI released their Liquid Sand.

Jesse's Girl and Julie G. teamed up to help Julie create her own texture polishes called Frosted Gumdrops. I have featured two of them already on here but I have two more that I haven't tried yet. Today's is called Hot Cinnamon.

Hot Cinnamon is a bright red sparkly full of glittery goodness polish. It reminds me of Dorothy's Ruby Slippers from the Wizard Of Oz. If they were matte of course.

You can even see the little bit of golden shimmer that is in the bottle. I wish it transferred to the nail more, but even in the bottle its still pretty to look at.

Two to three coats brings it to perfect opacity. I think this is the perfect color to wear on my toes for the summer! I swear every single Julie G polish I have tried I have been in love with so I apologize if I get repetitive.

I think I said these with the other two Frosted Gumdrop polishes I have featured, but the removal process of these are super easy. No scrubbing of the nail required. I hope that more nail polish companies come out with glitter polishes that remove as easily as the textured ones do.

Be sure to check out Adri's untried today and Shaylads on Instagram!

Out of all the textured polishes out there which are your favorites?? 

 <3 Nicole

Julie G: Cabana Boy.

*Nothing to disclose, this polish was purchased by me and my own money.*

Hi guys! How are you all? I hope you had a good weekend, I went to a BBQ at my best friends house and ate way too much food and laughed a ton!

Today's post is a polish that has made its way into my favorites. I've showcased Julie G. polishes here on the blog before and this one is no exception.

I seriously hope Julie keeps making new polishes for her line because they are amazing. Cabana Boy is the name of the polish in today's post, and it is a bright cerulean blue creme, that reminds me a lot of Sally Hansen Pacific Blue and Nails Inc. Baker St.

This polish was released earlier this year as a part of the Julie G core collection.

The application of this polish is pretty much perfection. Two coats creates the perfect opacity, and the polish has a nice shine to it without top coat. This polish is too thin or too thick, it literally flows on to the nail and has easy control so you won't flood your cuticles. The only thing I found that I don't like but I think you will find this with any highly pigmented nail color is the fact it can stain your cuticles just a little.

Tell me what you guys think about the pictures! These were taken with my new camera! I got a Canon Rebel T3i for my birthday, all thanks to my parental units whom I love with all my heart and how they support my addiction to polish.

The three photos above were taken in natural cloudy light and all nails have top coat.

So tell me what is your favorite Julie G. Polish if you own any!

If you are looking for this amazing color its available at Rite Aid Pharmacies, and Jesse's Girl Cosmetics Website. Jesse's Girl helps create the Julie G. line!

Julie G. Frosted Gumdrop Polish: Rock Candy.

Hello!!!

How are you all on this fine humid Thursday? Well ok maybe its not humid where you are but its  pretty humid here in the Hudson Valley. Yesterday we had some pretty wicked thunderstorms roll through because of the humidity, I happened to be at work when they hit, there is just something about watching a thunderstorm outside the grocery store with your fellow coworkers that just makes it interesting. If I was at home I probably would of been freaking out while staring out the window from a distance.

Anyway its been way too long since I posted, almost two weeks, I seriously need to get back on my schedule of every other day instead of being a lazy bum.

Today's post is going to be fairly short since if you saw by the title that I am showcasing another Frosted Gumdrop Polish from the fabulous Julie G Beauty! If you like the Liquid Sand polishes from OPI these are similar but a bit more glittery and way more affordable!

Rock Candy is the name of the polish and it doesn't remind me of rock candy at all really. To be honest I never like rock candy as a kid, I thought it was really cool looking but never liked the flavors. But the name of this polish did not put me off it, Rock Candy is a Teal polish that has a metallic look to it, but its not your normal teal color that we think of when we think teal polish. The metallic finish makes it a lot dustier and a few shades darker and it leans more toward s the green end of the teal spectrum.

The top photo was taken with the flash and you can really see the larger pieces of glitter that make this polish sparkle. The other two photos were taken in natural light. The one thing I have yet to try with these texture polishes is putting top coat over them. I hear from other bloggers that they actually look really pretty with a top coat. I am definitely going to have to try it sometime, I did try it once with one of the Liquid Sand Polishes I own and it totally ruined the polish. Maybe that's why I haven't tried it with these.

The Julie G. Frosted Gumdrop Polishes are available at your local Rite Aid for $3.99 or you can find them on Jesse's Girl Cosmetics website!

Hope you enjoyed todays post, tomorrow I am going to post my second volume of Free For All Beauty Friday, I think I am going to write about my May Favorites. I see favorite videos on YouTube all the time and since I don't do YouTube the blog is the next best place!

So Talk to you all then!
<3 Nicole  

Julie G. Frosted Gumdrop: Blueberry Fizz

Hi guys!

Hope you all are well. My allergies have been attacking me for the last week and a half and they have finally decided to let me breathe again! I love the nice weather but we seriously jumped straight to summer here in good ole NY! Every flower and tree bloomed early and sent pollen on an all out assault on us allergy sufferers!

To celebrate being back from allergy hell I bring you today Julie G. Frosted Gumdrop textured polish in Blueberry Fizz! I was so excited when I first heard that Julie G. and Jesse's Girl Cosmetics were going to bring out this limited edition summer line, I was staking my Rite Aid as soon as I saw people on Instagram posting pictures of sightings around the states! Finally on a Monday night when my mom and I had to go to Rite Aid for some things there I found them full display and all!

I only purchased four out of the six, the two I left behind were the orange shades, I'm not huge on orange on my nails but I like it fashion styles.

So I chose Blueberry Fizz to try first since it was the one that stood out the most to me! These textured polishes remind me a lot of the OPI Liquid Sand Polishes but a bit more sparkly. These dry to a matte finish but leave the small bits of glitter sparkling through!

I would describe Blueberry Fizz's color as a pale blue but not a sky pale blue its much more dusty then that, its not the exact color of a blueberry, you know that dark blue with the bluish-purple center when they get squished. If the scent blueberry had a color this would be it. Do you follow that? I'm not sure if I do either but that's how my brain wants to describe it. In other words the name fits the color perfectly. But another way to describe it just popped in my head while writing this; this polish reminds me of the color of Cinderella's gown in the Disney movie when she goes to the ball!

Blueberry Fizz is opaque in two coats, the polish isn't too thick but thick enough that you definitely do not have to worry about flooding your cuticles. The frist picture is a more color accurate photo of the polish. I couldn't get a photo that showcased how pretty the silver glitter bits are but trust me they are amazing!

The wear time is pretty good too! I got through three-four successful days of wearing this color and only had minor chips on the corners of my nails. I find that they also remove better with polish remover than most glitter polishes!

Overall I really liked this polish from Julie, All her polishes are awesome and I need to buy more of her core collection! I hope to show case the three other Gumdrop polishes soon her on the blog!

If you want to get your hands on these polishes definitely check your local Rite Aid if you have one, if you don't have access to one you can also get them online at Jesse's Girl Cosmetics website!

Do YOU own any of the new textured polishes out there, not just Julies? If so leave a comment below and tell me what you think of them!

That's all for this post! See you next time !
<3 Nicole

Free For All Beauty Friday! Physicians Formula Super BB Cream!

I have nothing to disclose, any and all products mentioned are purchased by me.
Happy Friday!

Congrats to all of you who have the weekend off! As you are reading this I will be at work and praying for 4 o' clock to come quickly! I have Saturday off and its my dads 60th birthday! It is a very special birthday since he is finally home from his stay in the hospital!

So HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!!!

Okay on to my very first volume of Free For All Beauty Friday! I have been putting this off since I first mentioned it because I have been so nervous to write up this post! As much as I love nail polish I love make up and beauty products equally as much although the size of either collections vary.


Today I will be giving my thoughts on the Physicians Formula Super BB Cream. I have always used liquid foundation when applying my makeup, so when I heard about BB Creams I didn't really know who or what they were. I had heard of Japanese BB Creams and how amazing they are. Sadly I know I would probably never get my hands on one so I would have to give the American counterparts a try.
After watching many reviews on YouTube, I decided to give it ago and see what I could find. I also wanted to try a BB Cream for when I go on vacation this summer so I don't have to pack a glass bottle of foundation in my suitcase.

I chose Physicians Formula because well I'll be honest, it was partially the brilliant white packaging with the holographic design on it. But I did choose it because it supposedly had 10 plus benefits, an SPF of 30 broad-spectrum and was recommended by the Skin Cancer Foundation for daily use to help protect your skin from the sun.

Here is what the packaging looks like. Plus a close up of the 10 plus benefits.

 

As you can see after you open the box you get 1.2 fluid ounces of product. Now I purchased mine back just around Valentines Day, and its now the almost of end of April and is sill have just about under a third of product left. So its lasted me about two and half months. It will most likely make it to the middle of May before I have break in to the back up that I purchased.

As for the 10 plus benefits I could go through them individually but then this post would be super long. So I'm going to break them in to sections. The first three are  smoothing, moisturizing, and protecting, I have to say these benefits prevail to be true, the BB cream goes on smooth and blends really well, I do feel like I put on moisturizer with this, my face doesn't get dry or cakey, I still put on a separate moisturizer before putting this on though, its just in my routine. As for protecting well duh it has SPF broad-spectrum 30 in it so its going to help. Obviously you wouldn't use this as regular sunscreen but for being out and about on a girls day or just sitting outside its really good for that, if your going to be in the water or on the beach in direct sun clearly you want a higher SPF sunscreen!

The next 3 Firming, Priming and Filling, and Perfecting, I would say for I don't really notice a difference, I don't like primers but this doesn't feel like one, I definitely don't get that silicone feeling when applying it. Since I'm still young I don't have to worry about firming if it does firm anything I don't see it. Perfecting, I don't think it does that, I still have to spot conceal and conceal my under eyes.

As for the last four Concealing, Brightening, Line Softening, and Long Wearing, I feel it does even out my skin tone well. The only downside is that this product only comes in two different shades. Light/Medium which is what I wear and Medium/Dark. So if you fall outside the two shades or stuck in the middle you might like this product. Some say Light/Medium is too light and Medium/Dark is too dark, and its sad there is no in-between color. For brightening I think it does lighten my face a little but that goes with evening out my skin tone. For Line-Softening and Long Wearing, once again I'm on the younger demographic for this so I can't tell if it works for that, as for long wearing I think it last well up to about the 6-7 hour mark. I have worn this to work and come home and still have a nice face but not as nice as when I first applied everything, When I wear this on a regular day and not really doing much it can last much longer as long as I'm not touching my face which is a bad habit of mine.

So here is what the product looks like.

 

 

 

I get about light to medium coverage out of this BB cream, if I don't have many blemishes (which is a rare day) it makes my skin look nice, but like I said above I do have to use separate concealers to finish the covering up when I want to wear a full face of make up. If I have a lazy day and just I am just running to the store and don't have to put a lot of make up on then this can actually work well by itself and I just set it with powder and be on my way.

 

 I do like this BB Cream, I think it will be good for Florida because it is light weight on the skin and with the humid weather down there I think it will be an excellent choice to a heavy liquid foundation.

 

For price point it is on the expensive side of the drugstore makeup lines. If you want to purchase this it will run you about $10-$13. But there is a brighter side to it. I have seen a lot of these in stores with $3.00 coupons on them and drugstores like CVS and Rite Aid are always having sales on Physicians Formula. When I bought mine I got it for 40% off which brought it down to $7-$8 and then with the $3 dollars off it was brought down to $4-$5! Not bad at all if you ask me.

 

So if you want to give it a go wait for it to be on sale and then you won't feel like you are investing large amounts of money on a drugstore product.

 

I hope you guys enjoyed this first FFABF post and I'll see you next time !

 

<3 Nicole

 

If you guys have any comments or questions or even suggestions on what you would like to see for any future Friday post please leave it in the comments below! I would LOVE to know! Thanks!

 

 

 

L.A. Girl 3D Effect Teal Dimension

Hello lovely readers!

So we are back to Monday, how blah. I'm kind of glad I work in retail only for this one point I am going to make, I enjoy having days off during the week. I think if I had a Monday through Friday job that I didn't like (like retail) I would go nuts. I'm not saying I love being a part time associate but I do love getting three days off every so often.

Today I bring you one of the new L.A. Girl 3D Effects! I purchased this at Rite Aid as soon as I heard they were out. I love the color teal, its just one of those colors that for polish next to pinks and purples I am drawn to buy. Although I don't have many teals in my collection, I think every time I see one I just think I have three at home, unless its absolutely unique then I don't need it.

Well this was definitely a unique polish, I don't have a teal scattered holographic polish!

Application of Teal Dimension was nice two coats and its opaque. These L.A. Girl polishes like the Milani 3D holographic's have a jelly type formula which I like but some of the darker jelly polishes in this collection are a biotch to clean up! These don't stain or anything but if you miss a spot during clean up and then take your photos you will notice it when editing.

I love the sparkle that this polish has! I wish I had gotten better pictures in the sun, but it didn't want to cooperate that day! I feel like this is polish I am definitely going to rock on my toes this summer when I hit the beach in Florida in June or if I go to the lake with friends back home here in NY. I know it will definitely distract my niece, she is getting to that age now ( 7 months) that she is noticing things on the person who is holding her. The other day she couldn't stop touching my watch! I think between her mom's love for makeup, hair and hockey and my love for makeup and nails she is going to be  girly girl who wields a hockey stick!

So if you want to get your hands on this pretty polish then they should be available at Rite Aid or Online! I paid $3.99 for mine. These sold like hot cakes too because when I went back to Rite Aid to look for new stuff the display was and still is practically empty!

So I hope you enjoyed this post!
Until next time! <3 Nicole

Nicole By OPI Still into Pink.

Well hello again! Hope everyone is enjoying there weekend!

Today I bring you yet another neon-ish pink polish. Today I have Nicole By OPI Still Into Pink. Still Into Pink is a part of NOPI's core line so you should be able to find it wherever it is sold in your area! I go mine at Rite Aid for $7.99

I first saw this color when another nail blog had swatched it and I knew I needed it. When it finally showed up in my Rite Aid I kept picking it up and ogling it and then I would put it back down because I didn't want to pay $8 bucks for it, but then one day I just said to hell with it and bought it. I'm glad I did too, out of all the neon pinks I have this one is one of my favorites, right next to all the pinks that China Glaze did in there Summer Neon collection last summer.

This polish only takes the usual three coats to be opaque. It does have some fine shimmer to it but it isn't like the CG ones where its visible when its matte.

I have to apologize for the following  swatch photos, first off none of the cameras I had like this color, when I did get good picks they look so much darker and super bright at the same time. So in real life Still Into Pink is a nice bright medium baby pink that has shimmer to it.

This second photo is closer to what it looks like without the camera freaking out but it still makes it darker than it actually is. I have to say though I think the fist photo is kinda cool looking. :)

So there you have it, if I can get better swatch photos I will update this post, so please don't let my swatch photos discourage you from buying this polish.

Until next time!
<3Nicole

Zoya VS. L.A Girl

Well hello there! Wow its nice to be back writing here at the blog! As you know things have been crazy over the last month but now that they are al settled down for the most part I hope to get back into a routine and start Free For All Beauty Fridays, like I had mentioned in my post a couple weeks ago.

Today's post is going to my very first dupe post! Back at Christmas time Zoya released their Ornate collection which held highly sought after holographic polishes! I know that I was on the look out for them when they were released, and even though they were not linear holographic polishes, none the less I wanted them for my ever growing collection!

Just before Christmas I was lucky and found them at the Beauty Plus Salon, I also had yet to swatch them or wear them for the blog. Such a fail I know! But now almost five months after Christmas L.A. Girl released a scattered holographic collection. L.A. Girl can be found in some Rite Aids (that's where I got mine) and I believe on Cherry Culture's Website.

When looking at the L.A. Girl collection I had remember someone said that three of the polishes looked like dupes of the Zoya Xmas polishes, and to my surprise I had bought one and didn't realize it. The L.A. Girl Purple Effect was the first one I had purchased and thought that it was actually darker than its counter part Aurora from Zoya. But when I compare the two bottles side by side, there was no denying that they were sisters, identical twin sisters. I even posted a picture on Instagram about it. That became the deciding point that I wanted to purchase the other two to do an official dupe post!

**NOTE: In all pictures I am holding the Zoya bottle since it was easier to get a better picture with it.
Except for the last one... so much for continuity.

**On my middle and pinky fingers I am wearing the L.A. Girl 3D Effect and on my pointer and ring fingers I am wearing the corresponding Zoya polish. Goes for all pictures***

So we shall start with the polish that began my dupe adventure. Zoya Aurora Versus L.A. Girl 3D Effects: Purple Effect.

When wearing both polishes on your hands you really cannot tell a difference at all. The sparkle is the same on the nail so neither polish has more scattered holo than the other.  So if you don't own the Zoya or don't have access to it, then the L.A. Girl might be a nice alternative for availability  and price point. Zoya sells for a bout $8 and L.A. Girl was $3.99

If your a nail blogger you will notice the subtle differences, such as L.A. girl is a bit thicker than the Zoya and applies to the nail thicker as well. Even though L.A. Girl is thicker drying time is not affected.

Next up is Zoya Blaze Versus L.A. Girl Sparkling Ruby.

I noticed that the names of the L.A. Girl Polishes were not very unique at all where as some had fitting names. Some just said the name of the color and then 'effect' after and some have names like this one.

With Blaze and Sparkling Ruby once again identical twins, even formula wise they were the same not thick but not watery either. The holo effect is nice in person and most difficult to capture on camera. One detail I did notice is that in the bottle Zoya Blaze looks like it has more chunky pieces of holo than L.A. Girl but it doesn't translate on to the nail that way.


Finally we have Zoya Storm Versus L.A. Girl Black Illusion.

Who doesn't love a black holo? I have to say I do not like black polish on me unless its being used to stamp with. It makes my fingers look stubby and overall its just a hard color to clean up. I think I had black polish on my cuticles for days and still a little bit on my thumbs.

Anyway Storm and Black Illusion conclude as the identical twins, once again formula wise they are the same, a bit sheer on the first coat but by the second its opaque and ready to go. The holographic bits are no different; as like I said with Blaze; Storm also looked more holo in the bottle than Black Illusion.

So all in all if you have the Zoya you don't need the L.A. Girl or vice versa, unless you want back ups of course. If your a polish addict who doesn't need a back up of a polish once in a while.

Going toe to toe, Zoya is slightly more expensive at $8 a bottle and L.A. Girl at $3.99 a bottle. Please also remember prices may differ where you live due to location. I believe the $8 price tag for Zoya is always the same on their website, as for purchasing Zoya polishes in beauty supply stores like Ulta or Beauty Plus Salon the prices may vary.

 That's all for today! Hope you enjoyed and I will talk to you all soon!
<3 Nicole