Urban Decay Zodiac Nail Color

Urban Decay is back in the nail game and better than ever. Limited edition, Zodiac, is a blackened green with mostly green and gold micro glitter, and some bright blue micro glitter. The blue glitter adds extra dimension and makes this polish extra special. I also personally love a micro glitter/sparkle finish. I find this slightly thinner formulation very easy to use, 2 coats is still opaque for me, but depending on how you apply you may need 3 coats. Zodiac is still available on urbandecay.com and from Sephora, which is where I purchased.

 

xx Libby

Nicole by OPI Matte Top Coat Review

I've never tried a matte top coat before, but decided I needed some matte-ness in my life.

This matte top coat is super easy to use, with a nice consistency, and worked lightening fast. My nail polish had a matte effect within seconds, and dried almost instantly. I only needed 1 coat.

 This is my manicure before using the Nicole by OPI Matte Top Coat. 

Here is a quick and dirty swatch comparison before using Nicole by OPI Matte Top Coat is on the left and after is on the right. I tried to use a few different finishes and textures to show how the matte top coat works. Thumb to pinky: A England Princess Sabra, Urban Decay Zodiac, Essie Mind Your Mittens, Sephora Formula X Perfection, Illamasqua Jo'mina.

Overall I am really happy with this matte top coat, available in most drug stores, affordable, and it works as a true matte over most polishes.

xx Libby

Sephora Formula X Brilliants - Freaky Like Freud

Sephora describes this color as a periwinkle iridescent glitter. To me it looks like holographic rainbow glitter with a lilac reflection plus a sandy texture.

I used 2 coats over Revlon Colorstay Gel-Smooth base coat and Revlon Colorstay Gel-Shine Top Coat. This polish ate up the top coat and looks and feels like a textured polish, more so than other glitter polishes I have. The base of the polish is clear and also very thin, if the base was thicker the glitter would be more suspended. I also found it a bit harder to work with to get even coverage and avoid a chunky finish.

Close up to show sparkles

I got five days without chipping or any tip wear, which is pretty good for a glitter.

xx Libby

Deborah Lippmann Spring Reveries Nail Collection - Flowers In Her Hair

 

Deborah Lippmann makes some of my favorite polishes, so when I saw the Spring Reveries Nail Collection display at Sephora I knew I would be walking away with at least one beauty. This collection is perfect for Spring, if not exactly thrilling and unique. I purchased Flowers In Her Hair, a pastel mint green creme with a hint of turquoise. I had my eye on Essie's Fashion Playground for a pastel mint shade for Spring, but that one has a hint of shimmer and I think this color looks best as a true creme, so I'm glad I went with Deborah Lippmann's version.

I used no base coat, 2 coats of Flowers In Her Hair, and 1 coat of of Seche Vite Dry Fast Top coat. Seche Vite plays nice with this particular nail polish, but I've had some shrinkage issues with others. Flowers In Her Hair is a thicker, creamy formula, not chalky or streaky - really excellent to work with.

I went to a VIB Rouge event at Sephora last Sunday, was a fun event and great way to shop and save 15% off. The sale goes until April 11th, using codes ROUGETICKET, VIBTICKET, or TICKET depending on what loyalty program you belong to at Sephora. So far I've picked up 3 nail polishes at 15% off, I may pick up a few more still...I'm definitely tempted.

xx Libby

Update, I got 7 days with no chipping or tip wear, fantastic!

Illamasqua Jo'mina Nail Varnish

Illamasqua Jo'mina is a bold and vibrant lilac purple with a creme finish. This nail varnish is truly opaque in 2 coats and applies evenly and levels smoothly. Perfect for a sunny Spring day. I am excited to try more Illamasqua products as this varnish was a pleasure to use and so lovely to look at.

I used Revlon Colorstay Gel-Shine Top Coat as a base coat (Yes, I know!) and Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat as an actual top coat, haha! My first time using Seche Vite, which was recommended to me by a friend. I really like it, but don't love it as there are very fine vertical lines left in the finish, the kind that only I can see if I look really closely, so I'm not too bothered by them. I am going to experiment and play around a little more with the Seche Vite and see if I can get a better result.

I am on Instagram under the same name as this blog, libbyhenderson, and I posted my manicure and tagged Illamasqua yesterday. This morning I saw Illamasqua had posted my picture on their Instagram and it had over 2400 likes/loves!

This is my first blog post and April 1st seemed as good a day as any to start. I am a nail polish, makeup, and beauty product junkie, and want to share my love of all things beauty. And maybe a vegan recipe or two.

xx Libby