Lots o' Lipsticks #BHCosmetics #HoneyBeeGardens #Catrice #Clinique

Hello, Fireflies!

Nail polish may have been my gateway drug to the cosmetics world, but lippies have given me some of my best buzzes.  I love lipsticks the most, and today I want to show you some swatches of lipsticks I've bought that I haven't really blogged about yet.

Inspired by a Green Dress

Hello, Fireflies!

I guess I've always been a matchy-matchy kinda gal.  I remember in high school, I was chastised by a friend for matching my socks to my shirt while wearing my Chuck Taylor sneakers - because no rebel would match their socks to their shirt, right?  Well, this rebel does what she wants - and this dress called for some green and blue eyes and nails!

"Golden Rose" Makeup & Nails with Catrice, Becca, and Dance Legend

Hello, Fireflies!

I was so excited to hear that Ulta was now carrying Catrice makeup, I placed a little order for a few of their things!  I put together a makeup and nails look using some of them, and a few other things.  I hope you like lots of pictures and swatches!

Two Old Purples A New Way

Hello, Fireflies!

I took one look at this horizonal gradient framed nailart by @nadeekim and I knew I had to try something like it, too.  I've never tried a horizontal gradient, and I loved the two-toned frame, too.

I started with a purple I knew needed some love - Catrice Dirty Berry.  I lusted after this scattered holo, and scoured the internet for it! Pretty sure I got it from a Bulgarian web site.  I was a little cray-cray, but it was totally worth it.

I put some A-England Lady Of The Lake on the right side of the nails.  Trust me, it looked darker in person.

Framing half the nail with white and the other half in black also made the two sides look lighter and darker because of the optical illusion.  So cool.  I'm a freakin' nail magician, that's what.

Lots of transitions here, so don't forget the topcoat to smooth everything out!

 You can maybe see the transitions clearer in this picture. Or, is it an illusion? A trick of the light?

Bottle shot:  Catrice Dirty Berry, A-England Lady Of The Lake, and stripers in white and black.

Does this make you see these two old polishes in a new light?

An InLinkz Link-up

Grey-Green Comparison

Hi, Fireflies!

I have a special, awesome polish to show you today.  This is Sally Hansen Salon Pumice.

Why is it special?  Is it because it's beautiful? it is beautiful, but nope.  It's a Target exclusive? it is, but nope.

It's because I really wanted it, and someone decided that even though they liked it, they'd swap with me because they saw I wanted it more.  And it was a good swap.  That's the beauty of the NP community sometimes.  And that's special.

I know that once I have a thing for a color, I tend to collect lots of similar ones.  I picked 4 that I thought would be close.

In Real Life, I couldn't tell the difference between the Pumice and the Essie.  Only close up and under a light could I see that Max leans blue, and Pumice is more green.  The OPI is an Ulta exclusive, but apparently is a dupe for OPI Stranger Tides.

Here's the bottle shot:  Sally Hansen Salon Pumice, Essie Maximillian Strasse Her, OPI Where's My Bikini Top?, L'Oreal Safari Chic, and Catrice It's Rambo No.5.

No exact dupes here!  The Essie is *really* close though, and still available, whereas Pumice was a Target exclusive in 2012.  Which is your fave?  Is there another one that you think would be a dupe that I didn't compare?

Sunday Stamping - Pulsating Purple

I love holos. I love purple.  Thus, my lemming for Catrice Dirty Berry was inevitable. 

I know it's not a very strong holo, but it's still SO PRETTY.  It's really hard to get Catrice in the US unless you have a swap buddy.  I went to Beauty Cosmetic and jumped through some hoops and waited a month for it to arrive from Bulgaria.  So I may be a little biased as to how DARN AWESOME this polish is.

It's so awesome, in fact, that some of the stamping wouldn't even stick to it.  That's my reasoning, and I'm sticking to it.

It worked a little better on my right hand, but my pinkies repel stamps, apparently.

So, now you know - don't stamp over truly awesome polishes, because they will just not be hidden.

And, knowing is half the battle.