Sinful Colors Cinderella + Revlon Whimsical

Sinful Colors Cinderella and Revlon Whimsical are both polishes I've long admired- finally, after searching high and low and waiting patiently for them to show up in stores near me, I broke down and ordered them via eBay. Predictably, I saw them the following week at a local store, but isn't that the way it always goes? 

First I applied two coats of Cinderella; it really could have used a third, but I was in a rush and wanted to layer Whimsical overtop anyways. The pink shimmer in this is really gorgeous, albeit subtle. 

I think Cinderella makes a nice base for Revlon Whimsical. Whimsical consists of a mixture of metallic pale blue and pink hexagonal glitters and smaller glitter flecks in a pale milky blue jelly. I love how soft and pretty this looks! I've been lemming Whimsical (a dupe of Deborah Lippmann's Glitter In The Air), for a long time, so it was satisfying to finally get this on my nails.

I always associate particular lacquers with notable events that occurred when I was wearing them- in the case of this manicure, I wore it when I went to see my favourite Canadian band play a concert recently. I'll leave you with one of their songs- enjoy! 

Revlon Moon Candy - Galactic

I was pretty excited about the Revlon Moon Candy (such a fun name!) duos when they first came out, and immediately picked up "Galactic", a very dark navy paired with bright blue-green flakes. The packaging is really interesting: a slim glass cylinder which unscrews on each side to reveal a brush for each shade. It was rather unwieldy, though, and tended to tip over while painting. Despite that, I still like it... it's like a little magic wand. 

This is two coats of the base colour all by itself; it's a very dark, mostly black looking navy blue. 

The flakey glitter side of the polish is really something special- huge blue/green glitter shards. I really love how this looks layered over the deep navy shade. It's gorgeous, although the formula was an absolute pain. It was hard to get the flakes out (mainly because the base was very thick and gel-like), and you really have to dab them on otherwise they won't spread out nicely on the nail. Despite that, the end effect if quite stunning:

You'll also want to load up on topcoat in order to smooth those giant flakies out. They feel really jagged without topcoat, and you'll need at least 2-3 coats of Seche Vite to make it manageable. Even with all the hassle, I still say this manicure was worth it! I couldn't stop staring at my nails when I wore this.

What do you think of Revlon's "Moon Candy" collection? Did you pick any of the colours up? 

Revlon Royal and Revlon Copper Penny

I finally picked up Revlon Royal after a year of waffling over it (on sale, no less!), and I'm so glad I did. This is a beautiful deep jelly blue, good in two coats. A little visible nail line is apparent here, but I found that didn't really bother me for a change.

I probably should have left well enough alone, but I decided to attempt a polka-dot manicure using Revlon Copper Penny. I don't have a dotting tool, so I improvised with a bobby pin. This was the result:

I like the colour combination, but my execution was a bit lacking. I couldn't get the dots to be uniform, so some ended up being quite globby and irregular. What do you think of my rarely witnessed attempt at nail art?

I'm pretty crazy about Revlon Royal- what do you think of it?

Kind of random, but for some odd reason Revlon Royal reminded me of this:

I have no idea what "Ube" jam is, but in my imagination I picture it to be roughly the same colour as Revlon Royal. FYI, I picked these "Stik-O" wafter stick snacks up at a Filipino grocery store on a whim, so if anyone can enlighten me as to what Ube jam actually is, please do (in this instance I choose to believe simply googling it would take all the fun out of wondering about it...).

Doesn't the Stik-O boy look super evil?! That's a creepy and menacing grin if I ever saw one, and I'm pretty sure that's what sold me on buying these things in the first place. They're not half bad actually!

So there you have it. Nail art, Ube jam, and menacing grins. Hope you enjoyed!

Jessica Smokey Feather / Revlon Carbonite Comparison

When Chanel's Illusions d’Ombres nail lacquer collection came out last year, it was extremely popular- especially the elusive multichromatic Peridot. Graphite, a very sparkly metallic dark grey was pretty sought after, too. A year later I have neither of those polishes, but I do have two similar colours: Jessica Smokey Feather and Revlon Carbonite. 

Revlon Carbonite came out shortly after Chanel Graphite, and is one in an ever-expanding list of Revlon attempts at replicating popular Chanel nail colours. This particular attempt was not so successful; while it does look almost exactly like the graphite in a pencil, it falls short on depth and the gold sparkle that made the Chanel version so popular. It does make me think of this, though: 

Now that the obvious Star Wars reference has been made, we can move onto Jessica Smokey Feather. While I don't have the original Chanel to compare it to, by all accounts this seems to be a much better dupe. It has tonnes of depth, and plenty of lovely gold sparkle. Here is a side by side comparison:

Jessica Smokey Feather is on the index and ring fingers, Revlon Carbonite is on middle and pinky.

Overall, I'm very happy with the Jessica version- it's a mere fraction of the price of Chanel Graphite, and is beautiful in its own right. It's very sparkly, and next to it the Revlon seems to fall flat. That said, Revlon clearly has the better name. ;)


What do you think of these lacquers? Do you have the original Chanel version, or did you end up tracking down one of these substitutes? 


Oh, and just a reminder- my Claire's Candy Shop giveaway will end tomorrow night. If you haven't entered yet and are interested in doing so, check out this post to find out if you're eligible and how to enter. Thanks!

Revlon Colorburst Lip Butters

Okay, so I promise that my next post will be a nail lacquer post, but right now I kind of wanted to continue the Revlon Colorburst theme by talking about the Lip Butters. Chances are you've heard about them, because there has been an incredible amount of buzz around them. And it's definitely warranted. Revlon Lip Butters are an extremely moisturizing balm-like lipstick with great colour payoff. That's pretty unheard of. Usually you get to choose between intense colour payoff that comes with a drying formula, or you get something like a moisturizing balm that has very little in the way of pigmentation. This is the best of both worlds. They are extremely comfortable on the lips, never drying, and can be worn as a sheer wash of colour or be built up to be opaque. 

Left to Right: Pink Truffle, Peach Parfait, Creme Brûlée, Creamsicle, Gumdrop, Cotton Candy, Cherry Tart, Candy Apple, Tutti Frutti, Lollipop, Sweet Tart

As you can see, I own quite a few of them- I find them to be pretty irresistible. They are so infinitely wearable and versatile, they've become a daily staple in my makeup routine. These are now part of the core Revlon line, so you can find them pretty much anywhere that sells Revlon cosmetics. I love that the colour of the packaging approximates the colour you'll find inside; I also appreciate the "window" on the top of the lid, which lets you have a look at the actual product inside:

L-R: Lollipop, Tutti Frutti, Gumdrop

I've attempted a few swatches of these- please excuse my ineptitude at capturing lipstick in photographs! I find I've finally gotten the hang of nail polish, but this is still a trial and error process. 

L-R: Pink Truffle, Peach Parfait, Creme Brûlée, Creamsicle. 

Top to Bottom: Creamsicle, Creme Brûlée, Peach Parfait, Pink Truffle

Out of this group, I think Pink Truffle photographed a little too red. It's more of a brown-toned neutral pink in reality. I find it's a good every-day colour, and goes with everything. Peach Parfait is a pinky-peach, with lots of gold shimmer in it. Creme Brûlée and Creamsicle are both very pale shades, and you would have to apply with a heavier hand to get them to show up on the lips. They both photographed a little too orangey here; Creme Brûlée is more of a shimmery light tan, and Creamsicle looks almost exactly as the name would suggest (a pale and very creamy peach-orange). 

Top to Bottom: Candy Apple, Cherry Tart, Cotton Candy, Gumdrop

Here you can really see the difference between Candy Apple and Cherry Tart. Both are red, but Candy Apple leans far warmer, whereas Cherry Tart is very cool and blue-toned. Cotton Candy and Gumdrop are very pale "barely there" shades, with the former being a light pink, and the latter being pale purple. I adore Candy Apple as an every day red. It always seems perfect, and it wears beautifully as a sheer wash of colour, or can be built up to a very vibrant red (I applied it heavier on the right side of the swatch for you to see this). Cotton Candy is a very close to my natural lip colour, and just adds a nice pinky sheen overtop, and Gumdrop is a subtle lavender colour. Gumdrop is pale enough that it might not work for everyone, but for me it's purple perfection. I've always been drawn to purple lipstick, but usually it ends up looking kind of corpse-ish on the lips. This doesn't give me zombie lips. I adore it! It's perfect, dreamy lavender. 

Top to Bottom: Gumdrop, Sweet Tart, Lollipop, Tutti Frutti 

Right to Left: Tutti Frutti, Lollipop, Sweet Tart, Gumdrop

I swatched Gumdrop again in this set because it was pretty hard to see in the previous one... not sure that this one is better, but perhaps? Sweet Tart is a bright hot pink that can be built up to be quite intense. Lollipop is perhaps my favourite shade, it's an amazing purple-leaning pink, and is super pigmented. The formula is incredible. And the last shade is Tutti Frutti, a very bright and pigmented orange. I'm an orange lipstick fan, and this one is great. 

Whew. That was a lot of lip butter. Out of these, my favourites are Candy Apple (perfect red!), Gumdrop (creamy lavender lips!), Cotton Candy (a "my lips but better" shade for me) and Lollipop (incredibly pigmented and eye-catching deep pink). 

Have you jumped on the Revlon Lip Butter bandwagon? What are your favourite shades? If you haven't tried them yet, did this post convince you to give it a try? 

Revlon Colorburst Lipgloss in Crystal Water

I usually just have eyes for nail lacquer when browsing the drug store, but last week a lipgloss in a new Revlon display caught my eye. I think the new collection is called "Escapism". I'm not sure how I feel about that as a collection title, by the way. I feel like there is a snide comment to be made about the psychology of consumerism there...

Anyways, Revlon Colorburst Lipglass in Crystal Water caught my eye. Mainly, it caught my eye because it was giving off some seriously unbelievable glow under the bright drug store lighting. All kinds of crazy purple and blue shimmer was reflecting and making it look like the lipgloss itself was wildly luminous. I'm talking light sabre worthy glow, here. I immediately stopped. I gawked. I picked up the lipgloss. I made sure no one was looking. I waved it around like a light sabre. And I promptly carried it to the check out and brought it home with me. 

Now, that said, it took a hit on the luminosity scale once out of the bright fluorescent lighting of the drug store. It was no longer a light sabre when I pulled it out at home, but it was still pretty sparkly. Lots of visible purple and blue shimmer in the tube, and once I put it on I polled my significant other for his reaction to visible sparkly-ness on the lips. After an extensive examination in various lighting situations, I received this carefully thought out response: "There are lots of them. The sparkles."  So, while perhaps not immediately visible, this gloss does retain some of its sparkly attributes. 

Now, bear with me, because I've never tried swatching any lip product before, and it was a trial and error kind of process. I abandoned any attempt of a non-awkward looking lip picture, but here is an acceptable swatch of Crystal Water on my arm. 

Yes, from a distance it's probably just going to look like a clear gloss. Closer up, you'll see the sparkle. I'm a bit disappointed it's not more obvious, but I am very happy with the formula. It has a very smooth and non-sticky texture, which I like. It doesn't act as a magnet for any stray wisp of hair to stick to. The applicator is a doe-foot applicator (that is, an oblong sponge sort of thing, as opposed to a brush), which I'm also satisfied with. Overall, I'm not sure I would have purchased this if I'd known it would be mostly clear looking once wearing it, but I was utterly bewitched by the light sabre voodoo happening in the store. 

What do you think of Crystal Water? Have you come across the Revlon "Escapism" display yet? Did you pick anything up? And if you did pick anything up, did you first wave it around like a light sabre? 

Revlon - Not So Blueberry (featuring Space Guerrillas: The Thrilling Conclusion!)

At the drugstore yesterday I came across Revlon "Not So Blueberry", a scented lacquer that I recall being released some time last year. I guess I wasn't in the mood for nails that smell like blueberries at that time, but apparently I am now, because I picked it up. In the bottle it looks deliciously duochrome, but not so much on the nail. Regardless, it's a very pretty shimmery purple-blue. This is two coats of Revlon Not So Blueberry:

And it really, really, smells like blueberries. Kind of in the fake candy fruit scent way, which is very sweet. If you're sensitive to scents, this might not be the lacquer for you, but I rather like the novelty of it. A word of caution though- you might want to avoid smelling your nails in public. Because that's pretty weird looking. I mentioned that my nails smell like blueberries to a friend when we were out tonight, and extended my hand as proof. The response? "Maybe... somewhere not so public?" Good call. 

So you're all probably wondering about the fate of our tiny Domo heroes from yesterday. Well, I won't keep you waiting! As you'll recall, this was the rather sticky situation in which our Domos, captured by ray gun-toting Space Guerrillas, found themselves in: 

Trapped! And at the mercy of space-suited brigands, along with several innocent lacquers. Not, however, our scented polish from above... apparently Space Guerrillas don't like blueberries. Who knew?

Anyways, with our heroes in a rather tight spot, who could possibly come to their aid? 

Wait, what's that?!

Look up!!

It's a gigantic Domo! And he doesn't look very happy.

In fact, he looks pretty angry.

And... maybe a bit hungry...

Well, that solves the problem!

No more will malevolent Space Guerrillas abduct innocent lacquers and detain adorable tiny Domos! Thankfully giant Domo has set everything right!

Domos and lacquers rejoice! Feel free to imagine their celebratory festivities to be something like the Ewok celebration at the end of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. You know, something like this:

Definitely NOT like the re-mastered abomination ending with the new Ewok song and Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker.