Color Changing Gel Polish

Hello friends - 
As you may have noticed I haven't posted for awhile. I returned to work full time after having baby Max and life has been hectic! But, I'm going to start posting again a few times a week. It's a great way for me to de-stress since I truly love blogging. I may start talking more about motherhood or do more posts around kids, so I hope you still enjoy them! Don't worry, I'll still mainly be blogging beauty.

Speaking of beauty...I'm totally obsessed with mood color changing gel nail polish. Have you heard of this? This is my 3rd manicure with LeChat Perfect Match Mood gel polish. The first two manicures lasted so well I couldn't resist a third. Plus, it's so much fun to watch the shades change!

The color changes based on body temperature. When my hands were warm, 70% of the time, the polish was a light pink, slightly sheer. When my hands were cold (after washing them or even sitting in an air conditioned room), the color got darker. When the color would change between the two it would take on an ombre effect. It was worried about it looking unprofessional for work meetings, but very rarely would I have all different colors on one hand. 

This shade is LeChat Perfect Match Mood in Angel's Breeze. It's definitely a conversation piece! 

Quick Beauty Favorites

I've always been a fan of products that make my beauty routine easier and faster, but since becoming a mom, I worship these products! Here are a few that I have been hooked on...

OPI Avoplex Cuticle Oil To Go
The key word is 'to go.' I love this stuff. I've always been a huge fan of OPI Avoplex Cuticle Oil but the 'to go' version is genius. Who wants to carry around a far of this in their purse, just waiting to leak or spill? This makes it easy to keep my cuticles moisturized during this miserable Michigan winter. I like to apply it before I put my winter gloves on, letting it soak in real good while I'm driving with my gloves on.

Benefit Cosmetics Lollitint
I can feel confident and get out the door really quick with this stuff. A swipe on both my cheeks gives me great color that makes me look ready to conquer the day (even though I'm probably running on limited sleep). The purple undertones mask redness in my face. I also use this on my lips as well, with a gloss over it. 

Nuxe Reve de Miel Lip Balm
Michigan winters are harsh on faces! We're currently in the middle of Snowmagedden and I'm pretty much snowed in for the next few days. My poor lips have been so dry being outside in the cold and inside the house with heat on. I recently received a sample of Nuxe Reve de Miel Ultra-Nourishing Lip Balm and fell in love. I normally prefer petroleum based balms but this one contains beeswax and I love how it feels on my lips. It's not drying at all. Goes on smooth and has lasting power. 


*This post contains affiliate links

OPI Sheer Tint in Be Magentale with Me

I'm always keeping my eyes open for pretty, light nail polish shades for every day wear for work. I spotted the new OPI Sheer Tints Top Coats and had to buy the pinkish-red Be Magentale with Me shade. In the bottle, it reminded me so much of a fun nail polish I had when I was younger.

I LOVE this polish as a quick go-to polish that will go with every outfit. I've seen other bloggers put 3-4 coats on it to make it more opaque, but I like the sheer look with my white tips coming through (this is right after I had my son, and the prenatal vitamins were still working overtime...such long nails!). Pictured is just two coats over my natural nail. It's such a elegant, clean look. I use this polish all the time! 

What do you think? Do you like the look of this sheer polish? Or would you be more likely to wear it over a color coat?

Updated post: I can't find this color online any longer! Here's a close duplicate I found.

NUBAR Nail Lacquer 'Fall in Love' Collection

Now that I'm a mom, it's a lot harder to find time to paint my nails and allow them to dry properly, so when I get the chance, I want to find a polish that will last. I'm a huge fan of gel manicures, but they're not practical to have all the time. I recently tried out Nubar Nail Lacquer for the first time and was really happy with the wear time.

Nubar Nail Lacquer is formaldehyde, toluene and DBP free. They pride themselves in being a 'healthy' nail polish, which is something I look for now since I have a newborn at home and my hands are constantly around him.

Normally I only get 2 days wear out of regular nail polish, but I had a really good run with Nubar polish. Love American Style is a creamy red that goes well with every season, especially Fall. This lasted, chip free, about 5 days on my nails. After 5 days I had minor signs of wear, but the manicure still looked good. 

Nubar Love American Style

Lush is a pretty blue that is perfect for fall and blue jean and jean jacket weather. This manicure also lasted about 5 days on me (credit to my BFF Tina for giving me this manicure). 

Nubar Lush

Sweet Hue is a bright pop of color for your hands. It's a pinkish-coral with a slight gold shimmer. I really liked this shade. It took 3 coats to achieve complete coverage, but was worth it! This color will transition nicely into Spring and Summer.

Nubar Sweet Hue

Check out the full 'Fall in Love' collection on the ByNubar.com site. What's your go-to Fall nail color this season? Please share in the comments below! 

Note: This review includes products that I received as samples, provided by the brand company or a PR rep. Please click here for more information regarding my disclaimer.

CND Shellac Pink Bikini & Lobster Roll

I recently got a CND Shellac manicure for my last work and personal trips. I just didn't want to worry about nail polish chipping and packing polish. I love Shellac for this reason. It stays! Check out my other CND Shellac posts. I was really excited to try out their new colors, Pink Bikini and Lobster Roll.

I chose Pink Bikini for my vacation manicure. I thought it was bold and summery and it matched my bathing suit. This manicure lasted 2 whole weeks. No chips or sign of wear on the tips, just growth which showed after the first week. Since I'm taking prenatal vitamins the new growth showed a bit sooner than normal.

For my last work trip and for the 4th of July, I chose Lobster Roll. It has a little bit of orange in it, but definitely considered a 'red.' I don't wear red nail polish often, but I like to when I'm wearing beige, blue or black outfits and I know it will act as a pop of color. I'm still rocking this manicure 10 days later. No chips or wear, just new growth.

Have you tried a gel manicure yet? If so, what's your favorite brand and color? Check out my other CND Shellac reviews!

*Post contains affiliate links

MAC Nail Transformations

MAC is releasing a collection of nail lacquers and transformative topcoats designed to give nails a stylish twist. The light peach beige of Skin, deep plum of Rebel and sheer nude of Quiet Time undergo a unique transformation when combined with one of six glowing topcoats.

I love the creativity of this line and being able to style your nail polish to fit your mood. 

Available online now and in store July 3rd.

Butter London Cut Up Collection

Introducing Butter London Cut Up Collection. These are so fun! The colors are...

Anorak - Black, white and silver chunky glitter overcoat suspended in a clear base
Dust-Up - Gold, silver and bronze chunky & fine glitter overcoat suspended in a clear base
Titchy - Multi-color chunky and fine glitter overcoat suspended in a clear base


These retail at $15 a piece or $25 for a Fashion Size Set of 3.

Zoya Color Your World Promotion

Zoya has the best promotions...Get any 3 Zoya nail polishes FREE! All you have to do is pay shipping and handling. Use the code: COLOR2014 

Promotion runs from January 7 - 13th. I highly recommend the Neutral line. My review will be posted soon!

Layered Blue Nail Polish

Feeling like blues now that it's getting so cold here in Michigan. This is Jessica Cosmetics nail polish in Blue Aria with Julep Ivy nail polish layered over my index figured.

Purple Nail Polish 'Dupes'

This is probably my 5th time saying  this...but I love Fall for the change up in nail polish colors! I love deep, dark hues on my fingers, and it just doesn't feel right unless it's chilly outside!

I was organzing my polishes over the weekend and found several very similar bottles, so I'm going to start swatching and posting the duplicates, or 'dupes.' Here's the first set!

Both brands are a beautiful purplish magenta color, nice and rich for Fall. It's a bright color that  pops, but definitely not too loud. I think it's work appropriate - I wore it to a client meeting today!

Zoya in Mason had slightly more shimmer to it, but once I put a top coat on each, they both looked the same. I had to keep reminding myself which brand I used on each hand! 

Do you have any dupes in your collection? If so, which ones?

Giveaway Break - SinfulColors Leather Luxe Collection

I've done several posts and sent several tweets about my love for dark nail polish in the Fall. So you can only imagine my excitement when I laid eyes on SinfulColors new line, Leather Luxe Collection, with tons of rich, bold colors!

This line dries to a matte finish, which is fun and different. Below is a swatch of Cold Leather, which is a deep blue matte, kind of like a deep blue jean color. Pictured is a base with two coats (no top coat because I wanted to keep it matte).

The full line includes:
Laced Up: enthralling orange
Leather Loose: safari sinful brown
Whipped: beguiling black
Get It On: bravely berry
Strapped: scintillating seafoam
My Turn: stunning steel
Cold Leather: enchanting night sky

Best part? These polishes are only $1.99, exclusively at Walgreens. The only thing better is winning a full collection from Lipgloss Break!

***Giveaway***

Enter to win a full set of SinfulColors Leather Luxe Collection. SinfulColors is offering a full set to 2 winners!
Fill out the form below to win! There are also several different ways you can get extra entries: sign up for my mailing list, post a link to this giveaway on your blog, follow my blog, follow me & retweet on Twitter , follow me on Pinterest, add me to one of your Google+ circles, follow me on Instagram or become a fan on Facebook. Also be sure to follow SinfulColors on both Facebook and Twitter. Make sure to list the number of extra entries in the form below. Enter up to once a day!
 
This giveaway is open to US residents only. The contest will end on Friday, November 22nd. I will randomly select TWO winners and announce them on Lipgloss Break, so keep checking to see if you're a winner - Good Luck! 

Sally Hansen Magnetic nail polish = Amazing!

Sally Hansen Magnetic in Electric Emerald

Happy St. Patty's Day weekend! I was told I had to wear green to work on Friday, so of course, my nails had to be green too! I saw Sally Hansen Magnetic at CVS and was intrigued. I'm so glad I took a chance on this polish. It's great quality and so easy to use! I can't believe how easy it was to create this nail design.

I first applied a clear base coat and then one thin coat of color. For the third coat I put on a THICK coat of color on one nail, and then held the magnetic cap over the nail for 10 seconds. Voila! Waves magically appeared (okay, I know it's not magic, it's science!). The picture doesn't do this nail polish justice. It's kind of like a hologram when you look at it in person. I did each nail one at a time and used the magnet immediately after I painted each nail.

The magnetic cap comes off separately from the brush, and has a 'guide' on it so you know how to place it on your nail. I can not stress enough how easy this was to do. The KEY is for the third coat to be thick, so the magnet can move the polish. I applied a quick dry top coat so the thick coat wasn't too much of a pain to dry.

I was out the door in 30 minutes after applying this nail polish + quick dry top coat. I definitely want this in more colors. Love it! 

CND Shellac Cityscape & Negligee

This is CND Shellac in Cityscape with a layer of Negligee. I wanted a light color for work travel that would go with most of my outfits. I tried Silver VIP Status over my pinky (if you can see the sparkles) but decided to opt out of shimmer for a work trip. I'll try the shimmer again when I don't have to meet with clients. I can see the shimmer being cute on toes for the summer. Here are some more CND Shellac swatches. 

Maybelline NY Nail Polish Goes Electric

Maybelline New York Color Show Nail Polish goes electric! These limited edition colors will definitely stand out on your finger nails and toes. They are only available for the month of March so make sure you grab the ones you want while they are available. I have my eye on Orange Extreme for spring!

Limited Edition shades include:
 - Alluring rose
 - Blast of blue
 - Coral glow
 - Flash of purple
 - Intense teal
 - Lustrous lime
 - Mesmerizing magenta
 - Orange extreme
 - Passionate plum
 - Shock wave

CND Shellac Layering Gotcha & Romantique

This past weekend I joined my husband on a work trip to Orlando. The last thing I want to worry about on a relaxing vacation is chipping nail polish, so of course, Wednesday night before my trip I had to get Shellac.

I wanted a light pink that would go with most outfits I brought, but wanted to try something new with the colors I have, so opted for layering. Pictured is one coat of Gotcha, and two coats of Romantique (with the normal base and top coat). I love the way it turned out. It's a creamy light pink, and looks great with a tan (I used a Dr. Gross Alpha Beta Glow self tanning towel before I left).  Going on day #7 and still no chips!

Check out my other CND Shellac swatches!

KISS Nail Dress Nail Stickers

Nail stickers are all the rage right now, especially for girls on the go who don’t have time to paint their nails and let them dry. A smudged manicure is the worst! 

Kiss Nails came out with a line of nail decals that are wild and fun. I was tried the Chemise stickers, which come with two different designs. One is a black background with gold and silver studs and the other is a gold and silver design. Since these contain a lot of ‘bling,’ I was hesitant to do an entire set on a workweek, so instead did just my right hand ring finger and paired it with a deep green (almost black) nail polish. 

The stickers are extremely easy to put on. Just match up the sticker size to the right finger, peel back the backing, and apply (slowly!). You can then use the nail file included to file off the access sticker. Voila, instant manicure with no dry time!

Each kit comes with 28 stickers, so I still have a full manicure left in my kit. I’m waiting for a girls night out to use a full bling set :)

Note: This review includes products that I received as samples, provided by the brand company or a PR rep. Please click here for more information regarding my disclaimer.

CND Shellac in Cityscape

This was my Thanksgiving Day manicure. I would normally go a bit darker for Fall but because it was a bit warmer, I thought I'd do a lighter color.

This is from CND Shellac's newest line of colors. It's called Cityscape, and it's a light, creamy gray. I love colors like this...they go with practically everything, and I don't have to spend extra time planning my outfits around my manicure (yes, sometimes I do this!). 

Patriotic Reds for Election Day

Looking for a new fiery red? Below are some Splurge and Steal options!


SPLURGE

CND Shellac in Hollywood is a bold red with light gold specs in it. Make sure that the salon you choose for CND Shellac applications is a certified CND salon. If not, you will not be getting your money's worth out of your Shellac mani!

SEMI-STEAL

Jessica Nails nail colour in Scarlett. I am a huge fan of Jessica polish. The colors are always rich and it wears really well.

MAJOR STEAL

Essence Colour & Go in Fame Fatale is a bright and shiny red and super affordable. Available at Ulta stores and Ulta.com for only $1.99.

Now go out and VOTE!

Essie School of Hard Rocks

This is Essie School of Hard Rocks. Depending on the color of clothing you wear, this shade will change on you. It ranges from a stone gray to an army green. 

Essie in Stylenomics

I received Essie in Stylenomics last week from Klout.com. This is a great Fall color. It's a deep green, but can easily be mistaken for a dark blue or black.

If you're not already a Klout.com member, I would highly suggest signing up! Klout measures your social influence and gives you some fun rewards along the way!












I was given a free product or sample because I'm a Klout influencer. I was under no obligation to receive the sample or talk about this company. I get no additional benefits for talking about the product or company.