Nail Mail and Review.

Hello Lacquered Lovelies,

I know I haven't posted a lot lately. I missed Tuesday and Wednesday posts but that is alright. I have been very busy with school in all but I promise you on my weekends (Sunday and Monday) that I will post. I may even schedule posts to post through out the week.

A week or so ago Amy from I'm Feeling Nail-Venturous posted a picture on Facebook asking what everyone thought would be a good name for her new nail polish should be. Of course everyone said their input. I just came in at the right time and put my idea of Rustic Remains. 

Well Amy contacted me a few days later and she told me that she chose my name for the nail polish.She then goes on to tell me that she is sending me a bottle of the polish. So here we are. Rustic Remains.

Rustic Remains is clear polish with coppery bronze flakies. There is also a red and green shimmer to the polish. It also has a white shimmer that is less noticeable. Now please note that I am just sitting here looking at the polish. Amy can tell you more about the polish than I can because she is the one who made it. 

I can tell you that this polish looks great over black and definitely over white. I tried it over a silver and orange and it didn't really look that great.on. I think it would look great over reds, bronzes, and golds. I want to try it over blues and greens, maybe even a purple. I used two coats on each nail.

I actually wore this polish to school today. I had all of my nails white except for my ring finger which was black.I used two coats one each nail. I can tell you that on white it looks more red and on black it has more a green tint to it. Very interesting color if you ask me!

Thank You Amy! I love it to death!!!

Enjoy yourself

XOXO

Pam <3

Sigma Complete Kit with Brush Roll Review.

Hello Lacquered Lovelies and Makeup Junkies,

I am reviewing Sigma's Complete Kit with Brush Roll. The kit comes with 7 eye brushes, 5 face brushes, and a free travel sized E25. The price for the kit now is $89 and that is without the brush roll but you can buy the roll or the brush cups for $20. Mine was $105 when I got it because the brush roll was included. I didn't buy my brushes though, they were sent to me through Luuux.com where I would blog about beauty related things and after time I had enough to purchase these through that website. 

Before this set I was using ELF and no name brushes. Cheap brushes that would get the job done. Since using these brushes I will never go back to those brushes. I have tried MAC brushes because of friends and these brushes compare to those very well. I think these ones are just as good as the MAC brushes. The Urban Decay Brush that I have compares very nicely too. Save your money buy these.

The kit includes 7 eye brushes; E05 Eyeliner, E30 Pencil, E40 Tapered Blending, E55 Eye Shading, E60 Large Shader,E65 Small Angle, and E70 Medium Angle Shading. Then there is 5 face brushes; F30 Large Powder, F40 Large Contour, F50 Duo Fibre, F60 Foundation, and F70 Concealer. Of course the free gift which is travel sized E25.

• E05 Eyeliner is a synthetic bristle brush that I actually use for a lip lining brush. I really think that this kit would have benefited from a lip brush.
• E30 Pencil is a natural bristle brush that I use for lining the lower lash line and precision color placement into the crease and other areas.
• E40 Tapered Blending is a natural bristle brush that can be used to blend the crease or colors together.
• E55 Eye Shading is a natural bristle brush that can be used to pack the color onto the lid.
• E60 Large Shader is a natural bristle brush that can be used to create a nice wash of color all over the lid. Very similar to the E55
• E65 Small Angle is a synthetic bristle brush that is great of applying cream eyeliner or a thin line along the lash line or on the water line. I use this to fill in my eye brows.
• E70 Medium Angle Shading is a natural bristle brush that is great for applying color in the crease or blending the crease out a little.
• F30 Large Powder is a natural bristle brush that is great for powder application. You can also use this for body bronzing.
• F40 Large Angle Contour is a natural bristle brush that is used to apply blush and bronzer. I use it to contour all the time.
• F50 Duo Fibre is a synthetic and natural bristle brush that can be used for light application of foundation, blush. bronzers, and highlighters. 
• F60 Foundation is a  synthetic bristle brush that is used to apply foundation.
• F70 Concealer is a synthetic bristle brush that is used to apply concealer. I actually use it to apply cream bases to my eyes.

• E25 Blending is natural bristle brush that is great for blending and applying color. This is the travel sized brush.

I really love having these brushes, I do but I find that I only really grab for a few of them. The E25, E30, E65, F40 and the F70 are the brushes that are used the most. On occasion I will grab for E05 and E30. I think that if you are to buy the set that you make sure you are going to want to use them. Buying the set makes the brushes around $8 each rather than the individual prices of $9-$42 each. I think that it might be cheaper to go the individual way if you are only going to use a couple of the brushes. Or buy the kits that are made for certain parts of the face. There is a way to build your own kit too. 

I really love the quality of these brushes. I have had these brushes for almost 10 months, I got the brushes around my 20th birthday in Feb. There hasn't been any real shedding besides the little fall out here and there, nothing too drastic. My brushes are in the shape that I got them in, some  bristles are bent a little due to travel but nothing cleaning can't fix. (I will be doing a post on home made brush cleanser) 

I store these brushes in a glass container that I got from Big Lots not too long ago. I do have a few products that I use daily in there and a comb. If you read my makeup collection you will see where in my collection these are stored. 

Of course no review would be a Pam Review without the wishlist of products that I would love to get from the said company. I know I won't be able to get these all but it is a nice reminder.

• Mr. Bunny Black Essential Kit
• Sigmax Synthetic Essential Kit
• Make Me Classy TRAVEL kit
• Cleansing and Polishing Tool
• Dry and Shape
• Individual brushes F55, F05, F35, F10, F15, F45, F20, F35, E45, E25, E20,E15, E10, E50, E35,L05, and The Body Brush.
• Heart Mirror in Pink Safari and Wild Pink
• Maxbag in Black
• Bare, Dare, and Flare Makeup Palettes.

Thanks for reading. I hope you have a wonderful day.

Enjoy yourself

XOXO

Pam <3

Seche Vite vs. Out the Door.

Dear Lacquered Lovelies,

This is going to be my post on what top coat I think is better. I am going to compare and contrast each top coat. Find the flaws, the goods, the bads, and the uglies.

I am going to start with drying time then I am going to talk about shrinkage, wear time, shine, and price. Please take into consideration that this is my opinion and everyone is intitled to one. Yours may be different than mine. You may not like any of these top coats if you try them.

Drying time is amazing with both polishes. I notice more with Seche that I can touch it almost instantly without it smudging which is great for me because I like to be able to do things once I have my nails done. With OTD if I touch my nails after I paint it (give it like half of a minute or a minute) it is still wet and will ripple the polish. SV will be completely dry in about 2 to 5 minutes which is great for anyone who is on a time schedule. OTD takes a little longer like 5 to 10 minutes which is still great since there are other top coats that take longer. I also notice little scratches and indents in OTD the next day or a few hours after I apply it. I make sure that I am really careful when wearing it, not to touch my nails on anything or it will retain little marks.

Shrinkage is something that SV is notorious for.shrinking at the tips of the nails or even around the cuticle area. OTD hasn't ever given me problems with shrinkage but I have heard someone say they have. I actually don't mine the shrinkage because it acts as a force field for my nails. I also change my nails within a day or a few.

Wear time with both of these polishes is great. I was able to wear SV for a week straight with very minimal wear, a little chips at the tips. I notice that if I try to peel the nail polish off it will pull the top coat off but leave the polish underneath. With OTD I was able to wear it for 3 to 4 days which is better for a top coat for me since I tend to be tough on my nails and I have a problem with chipping. I also usually change my nails every day or every few days.

SV wins the shine factor here, no doubt about that. OTD is a little more dull and I am not sure if it is because it doesn't dry as fast as SV. I would say that OTD is right behind it. I think it is because SV is a thicker formula than OTD. 

Price for SV can range from $5 to $10, you have to be willing to search for a good deal and when you do I would say stock up when it is under $6 or in a pack. OTD is usually under $7 at all times unless you are buying the Northern Lights which is the same top coat only will small holographic silver or golden glitters. I own the silver NL and have compared it to the regular and it is the same. 

Other things you might want to know. SV has Toluene which is a harmful chemical that can cause birth defects or other reproductive issues, so use with caution. I have no problem using it because I don't plan on having children anytime soon or ever for that matter. OTD's sticker makes it really hard to see how much product you have left, this can be rectified by taking the sticker off, who needs it anyway? The bottles are the same in fact if they didn't have tags I would only know the other one from the other because of the logos on the top. 

For the base color I am wearing Essie's Case Study which is brown taupe-y greige color. I actually don't own this, I painted my nails at WalMart to see if I would like it, I DO!!! I have SV on my pinkie and my middle finger. I have OTD on my ring and index fingers. 

Funny thing is, I actually love both but Seche Vite is a little higher up in ranking. I will continue to wear Out The Door because it is a good top coat. Psst.... Rihanna's Photographs is a really good song been listening to it will I type this out.

Thanks for reading. Please feel free to comment and follow me :) Have a really good day 

Enjoy yourself

XOXO

Pam <3

Salon Express Stamping Review

Hello Lacquered Lovelies,

I have an exciting review for you today. I recently purchased the Salon Express Nail Art Stamping Kit at Sally Beauty Supply. The kit only cost $10 which is great for the stamper, scraper, holder and 5 plates. Each plate has 6/7 images on the plate.

First off I must say that this is very messy. I seriously went through about 5 or 6 cotton balls, I know I should use lint free stuff but at the moment I don't have them. I don't like the idea of having messy things because I hate how it looks. Your hands and work area will look like you split polish a little. This set comes with the holder for the plates while scraping but I personally don't think you need it. A piece of paper will work just as well.

The scraper is a very thin metal strip. I actually don't like metal scrapers but I find they work better than a plastic scraper or a credit card. Also wiping this off after each stamping is necessary because if not the scraper doesn't work as well and will smudge polish all over the image plate and the image will not come out the way you want it. 

As for the plates like I said above there are 5 plates with 6/7 designs on each, 34 images in all. In my kit there was 4 image plates with simple and small images and 1 full nail image designs. On some of the plates there is some discoloration in the engraved image, sometimes this means the image didn't get engraved enough in certain areas or too much in another area.

SE18 includes a spiral heart design, a palm tree, an apple, a star flower design, a scrolled heart, a very cute flower, and a basic monarch butterfly. There was no problem stamping any of these images. I also stamped the last image with two different colors to show how you can design these images more.

SE19 includes a basic dragonfly, a sun type flower, two small flowers, another choppy flower like SE18, another flower, a seahorse, and two butterflies flying together. As you can see there was a problem with dragonfly so I tried stamping it again. I should have just kept these all black with the paper I used.

SE20 includes a swirly sun type design, a star type design, bling highlight type things, a snowflake type flower kind of reminds me of dandelions, a single rose, a intricate butterfly, and hearts with XOXO which I think I have seen on Bundle Monster and Konad. As you can see there was a problem with the first image stamping. 

SE21 includes a bamboo type leafy flower, a few hearts, a cute turtle, a playful dragonfly, a cute flower, a moon and a few stars, and a double heart. The first image is a little iffy and the second image is messed up because of me. Other than that there was no problems. 

SE22 includes full designs of what looks like zebra print, small intricate flowers, larger and smaller stars, polka dots, a burst type design, and checkerboards. The problems here were all my fault because this is actually a good plate. 

My problems with the plates as of right now. The full image plates are actually smaller than the newer Bundle Monster or Konad, I could imagine that they are about as big as the first Bundle Monster. Then the smaller designs are actually really big compared to the "larger" images. I'm not going to complain about the smaller "larger" designs because my nail beds are very narrow and short, so they fit perfectly with the exception of my thumb it barely works. I also notice these designs have a lot of flowers, butterflies, and hearts.

Compared to Bundle Monster 206 (the only other plate I own)

These kits can be found at variously locations, I know CVS, Rite Aid, and Sally's Beauty Supply.Be aware the kit you get may be different from mine though. As you can see mine pick up at SE18 which means there are 17 before mine. I am not sure if  there are any above mine. 

I know I want SE11 which is a Konad dupe with the Zebra, Lace, and Leopard. There is SE12 with Plaid and Dots. I also want SE02 with the interesting Konad french tip design and butterfly. 

For people new to stamping.
Each set is engraved with a design and you apply nail polish into the grooves and take a scraper to remove the excess nail polish that is on the surface of the plate. Taking the stamper you push the rubber part over the image and take it and roll it over your nail. Practice makes perfect. Here is a friend of mine trying Konad for the first time.

Tips for people who are new to stamping.

1. The thicker the polish the better. I have been using cream polishes although some shimmers work. My preferred choice right now is LA Colors Art Deco, they are the polishes with the striping brushes built into them.
2. Make sure you take the blue film off of the front of the plate, you can leave the blue on the back of the plate if you want, it isn't going to hurt it to be there. If not you won't be able to scrape or put polish into the engravings. You will be able to feel the lines of the design.
3. Make sure you are working on a surface that is protected. I suggest paper or paper towels. I used mine on my glass desk so it didn't really matter, clean up was a breeze. If you don't care about the surface more power to you. LOL
4. Roll the stamper with the image over your nails, don't just lay it there. This makes it so the design gets on the nail completely. Just laying it there will only get the image on the round part of your nail unless you push the hardest you can but even then it won't get all of it.
5. Make sure you work quickly or the polish will dry on the stamper and will not transfer onto your nails. 
6. Always clean all of your equipment. Make sure you have your nail polish remover on hand and something to clean with (cotton ball, cotton round, etc...) At first it will take a bit to clean up but you will get better.
7. Practice makes perfect. Don't give up. If at first you don't get the desired look just keep trying because it does take some practice. I have been playing with mine since Tuesday and still have some problems. But I can tell you this, my phone and iPOD both have stamps all over them. (If you are under 18 I would ask your parents for permission before stamping on a phone, etc... you don't want them to get mad.)
8. File down the stamper a tad because this will pick up the image just a little better than if it was smooth.

Nevermind the crappy cellphone.

Overall I recommend this kit to anybody who wants to try stamping or someone who can't achieve nail art by the brush. I love this type of stuff and I plan on purchasing the Bundle Monster and some from Born Pretty Store. 

Here I am wearing Ulta's Lav-ish which is a greyish lavender color. Then over that I have SE18's Butterfly stamped in LA Colors Art Deco in Black. From SE21 I have the Dragonfly stamped in LA Colors Art Deco in Silver. I topped it with Seche Vite and went on with my day. I actually wore this until last night when I broke my middle finger nail, I didn't break it all off but there is little to nothing there. I will still stamp but getting those "small" designs on my fingers is going to be a little harder. 

 Funny story time... I have been thinking about getting Bundle Monster and Konad for some time but have never gotten around to it. I have been talking to my boyfriend about it lately, and when I said Konad he started laughing. Now every time we are around someone he says Konad, just so i have to go into a long discussion about nail art stamping.

Enjoy yourself

XOXO 

Pam <3

Review- Urban Decay Naked Palette & Mini Look Book

Hello Lacquered Lovelies and Makeup Freaks,

This is the first review that I promised you yesterday, I thought I would post it today since I have until Sunday to announce something for this up coming holiday.

Urban Decay's Naked palette was released store wide on August 1st. 2010, I think I had purchased mine somewhere close to August 1st. 2011. This palette comes with 12 neutral shades, a mini eyeshadow primer, and a brush, the original palette came with a double sided eyeliner in Zero and Whiskey. I don't mind that there is a brush instead but I would have rather seen the eyeliners. I think this palette will be great for this up and coming fall.

 I know you have probably seen like 100000 and 1 reviews on this palette but I just thought I would make mine stand out a little more.

The colors are great, perfect for a natural look, a smokey look, or even an evening look.

• Virgin is a satin-y nude color, it's not a shimmer but not a flat matte finish. More frostier than anything but not too overly done. I wouldn't use it as a highlight because of the frostiness but it is a good all over wash.
• Sin is a champagne color with a pull towards pink. This is a frosty finish. It is a part of the permanent line so you can buy it separately. It also makes an appearance in the Book Of Shadows Vol. 4, the Fun Palette, and Ammo Palette.
• Naked is a matte taupe-y brown. I find this is a great color to go all over your lid.
• Sidecar is a jam packed sparkle light brown. This color is really hard to work with. There is a lot of sparkle fall out, my suggestion is to pat the eyeshadow on and not sweep it on. I heard this is from the Book Of Shadows Vol. 1.

• Buck is a matte medium beige-y brown. It is almost a darkened version of Naked. I use it in the crease with Naked.
• Half Baked is a metallic frosty bronze gold color. I actually think this is my favorite of the 12 colors. A permanent color. In the Vegan Palette as well, the Sustainable Palette, .
• Smog is a deepened bronze color with a coppery sheen to it. Again it is a shimmery finish. Also a permanent color. Also in the Vegan Palette, Ammo Palette, the Summer of Love Palette, and the Book Of Shadows Vol.3 .
• Darkhorse is a darker bronze color that pulls a little towards the plum side. it is a shimmer. In the Rollergirl Palette, the Feminine Palette, 

• Toasted is a medium brown with a pull towards pink. It is a frosty finish. It is a permanent color.
• Hustle is a plum chocolate with a shimmery finish. I love this color with Half Baked.
• Creep is a black with multi colored shimmer. Urban Decay said that is was gold shimmer but I don't see any gold. 
• Gunmetal is a dark grey color with a metallic finish. It shows up in the Dangerous Palette and the Book Of Shadows Vol. 4. 

The eyeshadow brush is called the Good Karma Eyeshadow Brush. It is a 100% Vegan brush. Similar in shape to Sigma E60, it is a flat eyeshadow brush with a deep c a the end of the hairs. I actually don't use it very much. That is why I said I was a little disappointed with having a brush rather than a eyeliner. If bought alone this brush would cost you $26 which is comparable to MAC prices. The packaging of this brush when it is alone is really cute.

The Urban Decay Primer Potion, I like this stuff a lot but I think I like Benefits Stay Don't Stray more, I want to try Too Faced Shadow Insurance. The primer is a clear based primer. I notice for me that I still have creases. This is only a mini version of the primer, I think primer usually comes with all of the Urban Decay Palettes. The original size costs $18 but they have the new squeezy tube which is a $1 more. Personally I would rather spend the extra $1 because at the end you will have to dissect the primer bottle to get the rest out. The minis on the Urban Decay Website cost $9 which isn't too bad. They also have the Sin and Original Primer Potion duo for $26, I think this is the best deal.

Overall this palette costs $48 at many places like Sephora and Ulta for 12 Eyeshadows, 1 Mini Primer Potion, and 1 Eyeshadow Brush. Individually this would cost me $239 to purchase. It would have been cheaper if they would have kept the eyeliner. I actually purchased this for $38 because I had a $10 off coupon for standing in line at the Grand Opening here in Idaho. Score right?

Here is my little look book.

Eye look one.

This is Naked all over the lid with Buck in the Crease and Sin as the highlight and inner corner highlight. I applied Buch on the outer half of my lower lash line and Naked on the inner half.

Eye look two.

This is Half Baked all on the inner half of the lid and Smog on the outer half. Darkhorse in the crease and as liner on the bottom half. 

Eye look three.

This is Creep all over the lid. Hustle and Toasted in the Crease. Sin as a brow bone highlight. Half Baked as a inner highlight and bottom lash line liner. Creep is on the waterline. 

Each look was with Maybelline's Colossal mascara in black. 

I have an Urban Decay Wish List.

• Urban Decay Book Of Shadows Alice and Wonderland. Very hard to find, not available on the website or stores.
• Urban Decay Book Of Shadows Vol. 4
• Urban Decay 15th Anniversary Eyeshadow Collection Palette
• Urban Decay Eyeshadows in Baked, Lounge, Maui Wowie, Mildew, Perversion, Polyester Bride, Roach, Strip, Woodstock, and YDK
• Urban Decay Cream Shadows in Moonshine, Mushroom, Rehab, and Whipped.
• Urban Decay Deluxe Eyeshadows in Honey, Ransom, Ruthless, Scratch, Shag, and Underground
• Urban Decay Star Dust Eyeshadows in Space Cowboy
• Urban Decay 24/7 Eyeliner in Bourbon, Mildew, Oil Slick, Ransom, Yeyo, and Zero
• Urban Decay Heavy Metal Eyeliners in Baked, Distortion, Glam Rock, Metal Head, and Stagedive.
• Urban Decay False Lashes in Baby Doll, Vamp, Queen, Plush, Lure, and Black Velvet
• Urban Decay Urban Defense in Halo
• Urban Decay De-Slick Mattifying Powder
• Urban Decay Afterglow in Bang, Crush, Quickie, and Score. 
• Urban Decay Lipstick in Indecent, JailBait, Naked, Peroxide, and Wanted
• Urban Decay Lip Junkie in Naked, Crush, and Peroxide
• Urban Decay Pocket Rocket in Kirk, Max, and Collin
• Urban Decay The Revolution Eyelash Curler
• Urban Decay Good Karma Shading Brush
• Urban Decay Sparkling Lickable Body Powder in Honey

Hahah Huge LIST.

Enjoy yourself

XOXO

Pam <3