CND Anchor Blue and Sally Hansen Effect in Girl Flower

Where do I start?  CND polish in general is a dream to use for me.  The formula is so thick and creamy it applies like a dream.  Anchor Blue is a bright blue creme that really comes to life on the nails. Wearing the color actually put me in a good mood.  Weird.  I had no complaints about this color or the formula. 




CND Anchor Blue #544


I decided to pair my manicure with Sally Hansen Effects in Girl Flower.  These nail effects are very cutesy and I've collected quite a few since they first came out.  This was the first one that I actually wore and hey are said to last up to 10 days, although I didn't wear them that long.  It was easy to apply and really looked like actual nail polish once applied the nail.  Just be sure to push your cuticles back and apply it as close as possible so there is not a gap between the pattern and the actual nail.  I applied this mani in a hurry and didn't wrap the tips so apologies for the messy nails

I chose to only use on on each hand as an accent. Using them on all 10 nails at a time is a bit much (for me).  But I tend to lean toward the conservative side when it comes to nail art so 2 accent nails is a lot for me.  Those of you are are more into nail art will probably love these effects as a full mani.  I say so for it!

I pulled out some other blues to compare and I couldn't find and exact dupe for there are some that come very close.  The closest one being OPI Orge The Top Blue (which I love to pieces).

SH Blue Me Away, Zoya Robyn, OPI Orge the Top Blue, CND Anchor Blue, Orly Calypso Breeze

CND nail colours are available for purchase at beautybrands.com. Also at other various retail locations.

What CND colors do you currently have or want to try?

Operation: Use Your Stash

It's hard to believe that even though I am a beauty products junkie, I often buy and buy without using.  I think that half of the fun of being a collector is the hunt.

But if I'm going to continue to buy and not use then it makes no sense.  It has to stop.  So I'm forcing myself to start using my beauty products more often.  I've been doing this for nail polish for quite some time.  I have only been wearing new colors and trying to repeat until I've made it through all of my untrieds (which will take a million years).

From time to time I will post here about the products that I've tried and give you a mini review.  I'll get to work my way through my stash and review for you guys at the same time.  Win-win! :)

This look was fairly simple.  I really didn't feel like wearing a lot of product on my face.  Temperatures have been holding steady at 100degrees and above where I live.  For the past few months I'm lip gloss and maybe blush if I'm lucky.   

Eyes:  I used MAC Saddle (brown) and MAC Neutral Pink.  I believe neutral pink is from the discontinued MAC N Collection unless it has been re-released recently.  Scott Barnes mascara and MAC fluidline in Dipdown

Neutral pink is so neutral that I have to use a base ( I used Urban Decay primer potion) and pack the color on like crazy or it barely shows up on me. It kind of annoys me actually.  But for the sake of "using my stash:, I went with it.
Saddle is a staple color for me.  I don't wear eyeshadow daily, but when I do I almost always incorporate this color
The Scott Barnes mascara pretty much sucks and doesn't do anything for me. Not sure if its dried out or just an all around dud.  Will probably throw it out soon.
MAC Dipdown fluidline is a beautiful dark brown that I wore on my waterline.  I know people tend to use liner on their upper lid but I prefer my lower lashline or waterline.  MAC fluidlines stay put on my waterline and don't budge. 

Lips:  Bobbi Brown Honeysuckle creamy lip color and MAC Cultured lip glass. 

BB creamy lip colors are super super creamy.  One does not necessarily need a gloss on top with this but I always wear gloss with my lipsticks out of habit. 
Cultured lip glass is a color I've had for too long.  I probably need to throw it out or recycle back to MAC.  But I feel like I need to wear it a few more times...just cuz.  :)  It's a nice lighter pink that leans a teeny tad towards the thin side which I prefer.

Face:  MAC Warm Blend mineralize skinfinish.  Perfection.  I love this thing.  Why don't I pull it out everyday?  I don't know.  It bronzes, blushes and highlights me at the same time.  Love.  i don't remember what collection this came out with.  Someone please put it in the comments section if you remember

Verdict:  I need to use my MSF more, throw out the Scott Barnes mascara and recyle the Cultured lipglass to back to mac program.  See!  Using your stash does payoff.  haha!

NARS Vestale Nail Polish

I am lucky to have met a fabulous NARS SA who lets me play with the displays until I'm blue in the face.  Oh how I have longed for an SA who was patient enough to let me try before I buy without making me rush.  Let's face it, I'm a beauty product junkie so I always come back and buy.  I just like to play and sample first when I can. It keeps me from having too many... Impulsive Beauty Escpades.  Womp womp! (cheesy joke) LOL.

I was able to paint my entire hand on this particular day.  My SA (sales associate) was helping some other ladies who wanted feedback and opinions on everything they touched (unlike me, I like to swatch first and ask talk later).  So she told me to have fun trying on colors and even gave me polish remover.

I was really curious about was Vestale.  They were all sold out but I knew that I could order it elsewhere.  So I took the opportunity to try the tester to see if this polish would be worth ordering.  I was able to do two coats in the store with top coat.  You didn't believe me when I told you that this SA is awesome did you?  LOL!!

The formula applied nicely.  The first coat was a little streaky so I proceeded with a second coat.  Perfect!  It was a good thing that I had time because if I just stopped at the first coat I would have been disappointed.

The color is not a huge standout.  It's conservative and understated.  A nice neutral but perfect for a business setting or for those who don't like to bother with overstated nails.  On the other hand it could be a bit boring for those that like attention grabbing colors.

I liked it a lot but kept thinking that it may not be original enough to justify purchasing.  Rescue Beauty Lounge Plie and CND Perfectly Bare come to mind.  They are not exact dupes but still in that same color family.  I'm on the fence about this one because it seems a tad bit more warm and complementary to my skin tone than the above mentioned colors.

Vestale was originally released as a Nordstrom exclusive but can now be found on the NARS website. NARS online currently has free 2 day shipping.

Thoughts?