Apology (and a request)

It has come to my attention that there have been some pretty freaky ads being displayed on my blog. I am really, really sorry if you happened to see that last one. It was a surprise to me, too!

In regards to this, I have a request. If you see any more, uh, interesting or objectionable ads being displayed, could you please email me with the details so I can block them from appearing again? I already try to filter out any of the questionable ones I catch, like all those sites that sell counterfeit MAC and stuff, but I don't see all of the ones that get displayed.

Hopefully my blog will be unexpected-wang free from now on...

Nubar Sparkles Collection preview :O

This just came via email... OMG... OMG!!! Glitter!!!! And they're supposed to be opaque in two coats according to the description in the email.

Release date is January 30th.


EDIT: Looks like my pictures are messed up a little- they're tiny! I'm going to see if I can get bigger ones.

Edit again: Here are the nice big pictures! Click to enlarge, these look amazing!

Holy crap, Nubar HOLOS! Prisms Collection 2010!

I just got this in my email and I had to share... omgomgomg HOLO

Release date is January 1, 2010!


Click to enlarge!

Edit: Hit publish too soon! Colors are:

Spark, which appears to be a warm tan gold holo
Jewel, warm chocolate brown looking holo
Gem, light greyed- brown/taupe holo
Essence, warm pink looking holo
Treasure, PURPLE HOLO OMG
Brilliant, different pink holo?
Absolute, blue holo woohooo!
Prize, red holo, finally!

From these promo pics, some look like Kaleidoscope-type holos and some look like they have holographic glitter. Won't know for sure until I see them in person.

Zoya Spring 2010 Teaser

Here's the first little peek at what Zoya has planned for next year... This collection is called Reverie:


All I know about this collection is that it's set for Spring 2010 and it'll be a set of six colors.

First impressions? I love the bright, sunny, hopeful look of this picture. The sun is rising and shining with bright colors. That seems pretty symbolic to me, and I really could use a giant dose of happiness right about now. Really looking forward to seeing the actual shades! Model seems to be wearing a metallic coral or pink.... hmm... We shall see!

Misa Fall 2009 I'm Only Human Collection

The long-awaited fall collection from Misa is finally here! You may remember the interesting promo picture for this collection from this post... The colors that go along with it are quite unexpected!

Pictures first, opinions second.


Can't Nobody Take Me Down. Brown creme. This has a lot of red in it, almost appearing purple in certain lights. It's not quite a chocolate brown... It's too red/purple to be pure chocolate.

Forgive, Forget, For Me I Will. Dark orange creme. This looks more red in the picture than it does in real life. It's a very deep burnt orange creme. Very appropriate for fall!


I'm Going To Love Myself. Bright purple/pink creme. Looks like everyone's doing brights for fall! Flattering cool bright pink, in the same vein as OPI Ate Berries In The Canaries / OPI I'm India Mood For Love. Love these pinks on my skintone.



Sorry, Just Can't Help It. Medium red-purple creme. This, as always, look more blue in the picture than it does in real life. I'm a sucker for purple cremes... Sorry, just can't help it. Hahaha, okay, bad joke. But really, I just can't help but love this color!


That's My Little Secret. Berry creme. Cool-toned version of Today is My Birthday!

Today Is My Birthday! Berry creme. Red/warm-toned version of That's My Little Secret.

The shades are slightly truer to life in the bottle picture at the top of the page.


The formula on these is very, very thick. I had a little difficulty applying these because they didn't want to smooth out nicely due to the thickness. Nothing that can't be fixed with a little polish thinner, though. Misas in general are on the thick side so that's normal, but these are thicker than previous Misa polishes I've used. Opacity is very good, you could probably get away with one coat on these but I did two to cover up bald spots. Drying time is long, but they do dry to a shiny finish even without topcoat. One of my brushes was defective, so be sure to check for stray hairs before applying- a quick trim with very sharp scissors should do the trick.

Okay, deep breath. I hate to criticize a polish collection from a company whose collections usually make me jump for joy, but here goes....

I'm not completely in love with it! I really wanted to be. I'm a big Misa fan and I've been dying to see what kind of fun, fascinating and unique colors they had in store for us this year, and, truthfully, I feel a little bit let down....

There's nothing wrong with the colors at all. They're great colors, beautiful colors, colors I like. It's just that... they're not unique. We've seen these already in everyone else's fall collections. Misa usually does such unique and awesome colors, I wasn't expecting these to be so common. For one, they're all cremes, which is okay because I love cremes, but I would have loved to see a little more variety. And second: Berry cremes. Two out of six are berry cremes. I know a lot of people love them, but I personally think I might scream if I see one more berry creme. All of this year's collections have had multiple berry cremes and they're all near-duplicates of each other. Again, I would have loved to see more variety.

I love brown, I love orange, I love purple and I love Misa polish... But I'm just not feeling head-over-heels for this collection like I usually do with Misa. Remember last year's fall collection from Misa? It's still one of the best collections EVER, even a year after its release.... I suppose I was hoping for another one of those.

Also.... I feel the need to address this gem:

I'm not easily offended and I can't say this image actually *offends* me, but it does make me giggle like a twelve-year-old.

Here are the points I'd like to make on this. I'll keep it a clean and mature as possible.

First, it's shockingly raunchy and suggestive for a nail polish ad. I don't think the target audience for nail polish advertisements would really appreciate this type of image. Normally I'm giving China Glaze a hard time about their pseudo-pornographic promotional images, but I'm shocked to see this from Misa! Does this image really appeal to women? Does it really make women want to buy nail polish? I'm not a marketing expert by any means but this really surprises me. "Hey, does that woman have balls in her mouth?" "Yeah, let's go buy nail polish!!"

I understand that this image is supposed to portray Eve's sin (and that's something to celebrate??) and I'm just glad it didn't include the serpent as well.

Second, the theme of this collection is supposed to be a female-empowerment "You go girl!" type of theme. However, the model in the advertisement seems to be simulating a sexual act that is pretty much the opposite of female empowerment. Pardon my language, but there is nothing 'empowering' about being tea-bagged. This image seems to be very contrary to the 'feminist' embrace-your-flaws theme that was intended.

I really hope I'm not being too harsh! I know that I'm entitled to my own opinion, and hey, this is my blog so it's all about my opinion... I have to be honest, and I know you all come to read my honest opinion on things... But Misa never usually lets me down! Hopefully my criticism comes across as constructive, because that's how it's intended.

So... what do YOU all think? I'd love to hear your opinions!

Preview: Misa Fall/Winter 2009 Only Human Collection

Fabulous, Flawed, Feminine, “I’m Only Human”

July 2009 – Philadelphia, PA. Knock me down, I’ll pick myself up. Ask me about my alluring, bedroom eyes, I’ll coyly wink but won’t give away my secret. Spoil me, today is my birthday—I deserve it! I am fabulous, flawed but most of all, intoxicatingly feminine—forgive me for I’m Only Human.

Introducing “I’m Only Human,” the new sexy and vibrant nail collection for Fall/Winter by Misa Cosmetics. This collection celebrates the power and ambition of women who recognize and embrace their own humanity. It offers a rich palette of colors that signify key elements of being human.

Fall/Winter 2009: I’m Only Human Collection
Can’t Nobody Take Me Down: For centuries women have been praised for their mighty resolve in the face of adversity. Today’s modern woman can exude this same level of confidence and power by wearing this inspiring, brick brown colored hue designed to spice up any look year round.

Forgive, Forget, For Me I Will: Versatility, honesty and authenticity, describe the meaning behind this vibrant red-orange shade. Women possess the ability to relate to others in an honest, real way. This color celebrates the humanity and femininity of women.

That’s My Little Secret: A crush no one knows about, the black dress that accentuates just the right curves, a beauty product that seemingly produces magic results. Women love the thought of keeping those little treasures to themselves—however that last little secret? Apply this salacious cherry shade to accent your favorite little dress and your secret just might escape you!

Sorry, Just Can’t Help It: Okay, we admit it. There are certain things in life we just can’t help. Our chocolate addiction, our love of gossip, our fascination with window shopping. This rich violet purple color signifies those things which women love to apologize for.

Today is my Birthday!: Presents, party time and pizzazz! We may not like turning another year older but we love the attention…even when we say we don’t. Today is my Birthday. Cue the gorgeous pink hue and the celebration!

I’m Going to Love Myself: Brilliantly magenta, this color creates a luster that puts the world on notice, that as women we may devote much of our time to work, family and friends, but above all we are committed to loving ourselves for the fabulous, flawed, and ferociously feminine beings that we are—for after all, We Are Only Human.

Release date is August 1st!

Update: Zoya Truth or Dare Fall 2009

This just in from Zoya! Better images of Truth and Dare!

Again, these are available at Art Of Beauty on July 15th.

Truth


Dare

OPI Colección de España Fall 2009 and OPI Holiday Wishes Winter 2009 at P'ssion!

If you haven't seen them already, the lovely Emelie of P'ssion has posted promo images of OPI's upcoming fall and winter 2009 collections!

Colección de España Fall 2009

OPI Holiday Wishes Winter 2009

They both look amazing, but I'm most excited about España!  There's a GREEN!!!!!

Thanks for posting, Emelie!

New Shades from KO!

I just saw this on KO's facebook page- new colors!  On the top are Calamine and Karen, which we already have.  But on the bottom- Ox, a matte purple and Liberty, a matte mint green!

GREEN!

These look amazing.

They also mentioned two more colors to be released- Pool and Concrete (I'm going to assume they're blue and grey).

Looks like the companies really are listening to us. 

KO polishes can be purchased directly from the company's website, although I have heard some complaints about the customer service.

Ad for China Glaze Kicks Collection

I just saw this ad and I thought I'd snap a quick picture of it to share. It's for the upcoming China Glaze Kicks collection:



You can click it to view full size. I know the picture kinda sucks, I really need to get a scanner!

The colors are:
Entourage
Paper Chasing
Custom Kicks
Sky High Top
Fly
It's Poppin
B-Girlz
Laced Up
Sneaker Head
Oh How Street It Is
Style Wars
Breakin

Looks awesome! They look bright but not quite neon. There also seem to be sets of three nearly-identical pinks and oranges. Hmm... I'll have to see this in person to know for sure!


I love the nails on the model. I think I'll try them for my next manicure!

Essie 'Mystery' Collection -EDITED: Imaginary!!

NEW UPDATE: Essie has let me know that the images received below were an error and do NOT represent actual polishes! I think I may cry, I was really getting my hopes up for this collection! Sorry to say that the collection in this post does not actually exist.

EDIT: I'm still waiting for Essie to confirm or deny the existence of these colors, but I'll be sure to let you know the minute I hear something! This post is currently 100% speculation, so I wouldn't get too excited about this 'collection' just yet! I certainly hope these colors are real and not just a mistake sent in an email :)

I also received these images from Essie with no accompanying information. No names, no release date, no collection information...

My best guess is that this is the Summer 2009 full collection. You know how Essie sometimes releases a mini collection like the Neon Shorts or Cool Click and then does a full collection at the same time? This *might* be it, but I really don't know!

If I get any concrete information on this collection I'll be sure to post it. But, for now, CHECK THIS OUT!!!! IT'S FREAKING AMAZING!!





I can't believe my eyes. Essie... blue, green, yellow??? Maybe they saw how much of a success Mesmerize was and decided to branch out from the usual pale pinks?

I am excited!!!

Essie Summer 2009: The North Fork Collection

Here's a quick look at Essie's upcoming collection of blues, The North Fork Collection.

This is what Essie says about it:

"Within the soft palette of hues that floated down this season's runways, one color stood out among the rest... blue. Dreamy blues reminiscent of bright open skies and deep welcoming waters lead Essie founder Essie Weingarten to create The North Fork Collection - named for the quaint vacation villages perched around the waters of Long Islan's East End.

"The new nail colors remind me of the most beautiful blues that surround The North Fork," says Weingarten.
"Tranquil yet playful, the colors cross over in fashion and nature."

The nail colors in The North Fork Collection capture the essence of blue. The fashion-or azure fingertips lounging under the sun.

Greenport, Sag Harbor and Shelter Island, each named after areas around The North Fork and Long Island Sound, are an homage to the beauty of nature."

GREENPORT - Dreamy aquamarine paradise

SAG HARBOR - Cool silver blue

SHELTER ISLAND - Sky blue radiance

Wow... Essie, is that really you??? A collection of all blues??? Rock on!

Awesome tidbit from Zoya: Midori from the Summer 2009 Ooh-La-La Collection!

OMG you guys, check this out!!!

Zoya Midori from the Ooh-La-La Summer Collection!

How hot is that?!

I am so excited for this collection, I can hardly contain myself! Here's a little more info...

The summer 2009 collection will come in two parts:

La-Di-Da, six bright creams
Ooh-La-La, six bright metallics

These collections will be all about BRIGHT, FUN color! Yessss!!!!

Stay tuned for more info :)

Edit: More colors! It's a scavenger hunt! HOW FUN!!! :D Check out:

Pippa @ CasualLavish
Paz @ The Nailphile
Emme @ VampyVarnish
Goldie @ Clumps of MascaraTallulah @ All Lacquered Up
Dita @ Polish Addict
Ali @ Perfectly Polished Tips
Katy @ The Crystal Files

China Glaze Summer Days Summer 2009 Collection

Still not feeling too good, so this post will be a short one. Just wanted to share a couple swatches of this new collection.






Cherry Pie. Orangey red with glass fleck shimmer.




Grape Juice. Medium soft purple with silvery glass fleck shimmer.



Orange Marmalade. Bright orange with golden glass fleck shimmer.


Raspberry Festival. Pinky-red with dark pink toned glass fleck shimmer.



Strawberry Fields. Medium pink with golden glass fleck shimmer.



Watermelon Rind. Green with hints of blue and silvery glass fleck shimmer.


These are all three coats. They're all pretty sheer. They look okay with two coats, but I'm not comfortable being able to see through them, so I need three. Three coats does tend to ruin the jelly-sparkle effect of these polishes by making them look a little too dense, but they're still pretty.

The formula on these isn't the easiest to work with- it has 3-free syndrome. Thick but runny at the same time. Not horrible, but a bit frustrating if you aren't expecting it. These take a little more patience to apply, that's all.


They're all really sparkly and contain China Glaze's signature glass fleck shimmer. Glass fleck shimmer is really lovely, it lights up and dances in the sunlight. For those of you who are not familiar with glass fleck, comparable collections would be China Glaze's Surf and Tequila Toes collections, just to name a couple.

Sorry about the short review.

Rumors about OPI South Beach Spring 2009...

Someone just sent me this description of OPI's Spring 2009 Collection (South Beach):

Done Out In Deco - Lilac
Clubbing Til Sunrise - Tangerine
Suzi & The Lifeguard - Pink
Conga-Line Coral - Orange-Rose
Overexposed In South Beach - Purple
Bronzed To Perfection - Brown
Party In My Cabana - Pink
Sand In My Suit - Nude
Paint My Moji-Toes Red - Red
Miami Beet - Violet
OPI On Collins Ave. - Red Orange
Feelin’ Hot-Hot-Hot! - Flamingo Pink

Hmmm... Gotta say, it doesn't sound very interesting to me.

EDIT: Pics!!




Aw man.... How lame! I like one of the colors- Done Out In Deco- and that's about it. What the hell, OPI? The crappy 90120 collection was bad enough, but now this? Haven't you released these colors about 50 times already?

*sigh*

Special thanks to the lovely Emelie for letting me use her pictures!

New China Glaze Collections?

Check out these promo pics!




I have no information on these other than the pics, but I'm already excited!

I hope Summer Days is one of those "glass fleck" polish collections like China Glaze used to do... those were the best!

Ahhhhh these look so cool!!!!!

Sneak Preview: Zoya Winter 08/09 Flourish Collection

Just a quick peek at these, they look INCREDIBLE!!!


Thank you, Zoya, for the information and images!

Preview: Essie Winter 2008

From the press release:

August 2008, New York, NY – Shine through the glamorous season with essie’s new winter 2008 nail color collection that is seductive, charming and right on trend!

Tailored jackets, floral prints and structured shapes brought an elegant grown-up look to this season’s runways. From New York to Milan to Paris, designers favored a sophisticated, ladylike silhouette with tweeds and twin sets to full skirts and full collars. Best of all, the little black dress is back with an updated twist and colorful accessories to accompany it! Try sporting a red suede clutch or amethyst ankle boots - and don’t forget the “it” accessory of the season, nail color!

Winter’s divine fashions parallel essie’s new collection of six striking nail colors from classy reds to shimmery violets and a surprising burst of gold, proving that “without color, it wouldn’t be fashion.” - Essie Weingarten

Show off essie’s winter nail colors for an instant chic look - and make sure to use a base and top coat like essie’s first base base coat and good to go! for a flawless manicure and pedicure!

Essie's winter 2008 nail color collection includes:

Bold & Beautiful – Rich, ruby garnet

Damsel in a Dress – Oh-so-deep currant

It’s Genius – A violet quartz shimmer

Rock Star Skinny – Glamorous crimson red

Sexy Divide – Electric Violet Temptation

Shifting Power – Sizzling molten gold

Special thanks to Essie for images and information.

Preview: Misa Fall/Winter 2008- Poisoned Passion

Look at this beauty of a collection! I am so excited about this. It has all the requirements of a good fall collection, and look! Blue! Gunmetal! And, is that a green or am I imagining it?


As always, click the images for more detail.

The colors are:
175. Love Bite
176. Dying Love
177. A Sin Worth Committing
178. Forbidden Lust
179. Toxic Seduction
180. Fatal Affair

The official release date is August 15th. Stay tuned for swatches!

Special thanks to Misa for the images and information!

Zoya Fall 2008 Preview

I got a new Art of Beauty catalogue with my Zoya order today, and it had a preview of the fall polishes!

Excuse the awful picture, I was so excited I had to take a picture of the catalogue in the dark. Yes, I am easily excited. ;-)

Pulse - 6 Glamorous Metallics:

Sloane, Mikka, Blair, Colbie, Rihanna, Jacy


Vibe - 6 Lush Creams
Asia, Nina, Sam, Riley, Alix, Dakota

I can't wait to see these in person! Fall collections are always my favorite, and these look right up my alley. Dark, vampy, glamorous!