The battle of the multi-colored glitters!

Ok, I admit it. You got me addicted to nail wheels. LOL This is fun, quick and easy! I am really enjoying doing these comparisons for you!

Today I want to show you a comparison of the multi-colored glitters I currently have. I did at one point have Wet N Wild Party of Five Glitters as well, but I sent it to Canada (along with a few extras) for Rebecca to make more Rebecca Likes Cupcakes.

L-R: Sephora by OPI Spark-tacular Top Coat, Ulta Pinata Yada Yada, Milani Gems

L-R: Sephora by OPI Spark-tacular Top Coat 1 coat then 2, Ulta Pinata Yada Yada 1 coat then 2, Milani Gems 1 coat then 2

ONE coat **Sephora by OPI Spark-tacular Top Coat** TWO coats

ONE coat **Ulta Pinata Yada Yada** TWO coats

ONE coat **Milani Gems** TWO coats

Sephora by OPI Spark-tacular Top Coat (two on left), Ulta Pinata Yada Yada (two on right)

Ulta Pinata Yada Yada (two on left), Milani Gems (two on right)

FINAL VERDICT:

These 3 are NOT dupes! While Ulta PYY and Milani Gems are very close, they still are not identical. Sephora Spark-tacular is completely different. It has three different sized glitters while PYY and Gems only have two. Gems seems to cover better and have a thicker clear coat, while PYY seems runny IMO. It is hard to make out ALL of the colors in these glitters, but I see more blue/green/cool colors in Gems and more red/pink/warm colors in PYY.

Which is my favorite? Sephora Spark-tacular of course! ;-)

Gold OPI Swatches!

My friend Rhonni found an OPI gold glitter without a label at a salon today. Several of us have been trying to figure out what it could be. She was thinking it might be OPI Simply Smash-ing, but I think that polish is too "green" to be a gold. So I pulled out some of my gold-ish OPI colors to compare to it.

See her post with photos of the mystery polish HERE.

(click the photos to enlarge)

L-R: Spark De Triomphe, Glitzerland, Simply Smash-ing, Dazzled by Gold, Bring on the Bling, Glow Up Already

Sparke de Triompe, Glitzerland, Simply Smash-ing

Simply Smash-ing, Dazzled by Gold, Bring on the Bling, Glow Up Already

Glitzerland, Simply Smash-ing, Dazzled by Gold

L-R: Spark De Triomphe, Glitzerland, Simply Smash-ing, Dazzled by Gold, Bring on the Bling, Glow Up Already

L-R: Spark De Triomphe, Glitzerland, Simply Smash-ing, Dazzled by Gold, Bring on the Bling, Glow Up Already

Spark De Triomphe, Glitzerland, Simply Smash-ing

Glitzerland, Simply Smash-ing, Dazzled by Gold

Simply Smash-ing, Dazzled by Gold, Bring on the Bling, Glow Up Already

I wanted to share this with you as well, just in case you were wondering how any of these polishes compare to each other! :-)


EDIT: Alas, I found MORE gold-ish OPI in my stash!
(click to enlarge)
L-R: Extra-va-ganza, Shim-merry Chic, Goldilocks Rocks, Rising Star, Bling Dynasty, Charmed by a Snake

Extra-va-ganza, Shim-merry Chic, Goldilocks Rocks

Rising Star, Bling Dynasty, Charmed by a Snake

L-R: Extra-va-ganza, Shim-merry Chic, Goldilocks Rocks, Rising Star, Bling Dynasty, Charmed by a Snake

Extra-va-ganza, Shim-merry Chic, Goldilocks Rocks

Rising Star, Bling Dynasty, Charmed by a Snake

The mystery continues...

Orange Zoya Comparison! PART THREE!

Many of you asked me to swatch these to do a true comparison. I have to admit, this is my first time using nail wheels. I bought a pack many months ago but never used them. I originally was going to swatch my entire collection, but the way I am selling/swapping and buying there's no way to keep up or keep track! LOL

At first it felt almost SINFUL to apply perfectly good nail polish to plastic, but then I started to like it. I thought HEY THIS IS FUN! There is no cuticle or skin to clean up LOL. I also see now why others use nail wheels, its much quicker and easier. Thank you everyone for the suggestion!

Onto the results! I am really surprised actually at how this turned out. I thought for sure I had some possible twins/triplets on my hands. See for yourself below!

(2 coats each)

WOW they all actually look different now, huh?!

L-R: Goldie, Jancyn, Elise, Tanzy, OC Cooler, Sienna, Gabrielle, Rica, Soho Punch, Paz

Goldie, Jancyn, Elise

Elise, Tanzy, OC Cooler

Tanzy, OC Cooler, Sienna

Sienna, Gabrielle, Rica

Rica, Soho Punch, Paz

Well now we know. Mystery solved. No twins/triplets here!

Thanks for reading!

Orange Zoya Comparison! PART TWO!

OK, so I guess I should have pulled out ALL of my orange Zoya's last night. Turns out I have YET ANOTHER close match to Zoya Sienna..... Zoya OC Cooler!! 

WOW, these 3 look like triplets!

L-R: OC Cooler, Sienna, Gabrielle

L-R: Goldie, Jancyn, Elise, Tanzy, Gabrielle, Soho Punch, Rica, Paz

OC Cooler, Sienna

Goldie, Jancyn, Elise

Elise, Tanzy OC Cooler

OC Cooler, Sienna, Gabrielle

Gabrielle, Soho Punch, Rica

Soho Punch, Rica, Paz

Twins perhaps?

OC Cooler and Sienna

L-R: Goldie, Jancyn, Elise, Tanzy, Gabrielle, Soho Punch

OC Cooler, Sienna

L-R: Elise, Tanzy, Gabrielle, Soho Punch, Rica, Paz

OC Cooler, Sienna

What do you think NOW of these possible twins/triplets and all of my orange Zoyas?

Orange Zoya Comparison!

Just a quick bottle comparison of some of my orange Zoyas. I posted this in my Facebook group Polish-aholics Anonymous earlier today, and I thought I should share it with you as well. 

 My friend Kati and I got to talking about orange Zoyas and Zoya Sienna in particular. I went through my stash and discovered I had 4 very similar colors. I took some photos for her to see how close they are to Sienna.

L-R: Zoya Tanzy, Sienna, Gabrielle, Rica

Zoya Tanzy on left, Sienna on right.

Zoya Sienna on left, Gabrielle on right.

Zoya Rica on left, Sienna on right.

Do you have any of these colors in your collection? Were you aware how similar they are to one another? Sienna and Gabrielle are almost exactly the same IMO, but Gabriella is a bit more shimmery.

Review & Swatches: Physician's Formula Happy Booster Powder & Blush

Physician's Formula Happy Booster Line

Claims: 

- Ultra-smooth, perfecting powder in a complementary palette of color blends together to even out skin tone with a flawless radiance.
- Multi-reflective pearls provide a soft iridescence to highlight contour and add radiance to cheeks.
- Infused with our Happy Boost Blend, featuring Happy Skin and Euphoryl, natural plant extracts which have been shown to promote a feeling of happiness by mimicking the effect of Endorphins and helping protect the skin from environmental stress.
- The sweet scent of Violet provides a feeling of joy each time you apply.

Pros: 

- Smooth and finely milled.

- Easy to blend.

- Color is buildable for light to medium coverage.
- Looks shimmery in the pan but leaves a nice satin finish on my skin.

- Paraben-free and noncomedogenic (hasn't broken me out)
- Smells nice but I know that not everyone will agree with me. Personally, I like the smell of flowers ;)

- Cute embossed different colored hearts. Something really unique and eye-catching!

Cons: 

- This is quite expensive being that it is a drugstore product.

- Unnecessary sales gimmick. If I'm having a crappy day, I highly doubt that applying this bronzer/blush will "promote feelings happiness" and cheer me up. Unless I get a lot of compliments on how radiant I look, I might change my mind. LOL

- The package is cute, no doubt, but it's way too bulky. I can do without the flimsy brush and the mirror.
- This also claims to be hypoallergenic yet it possesses a strong floral scent? Last time I checked, scent/fragrance is a no-no for hypoallergenic products.

Happy Booster Glow & Mood Boosting Powder in Bronzer 

Overall: 4 out of 5
Packaging: 3 out of 5 (a little bulky)
Price: $13.95 in the states and $18.97 in Canada! (Wait for the 40% OFF in-store sales)
Size/Weight: 0.4 Oz / 11g
Would you buy this again? Yes

Although this bronzer is shimmery, it's very subtle and not overwhelming. I love to apply this in the hollows of my cheeks and on my temples for a nice bronze glow. This bronzer looks dark in the pan but fear not, it's actually light and buildable. I use the little pink heart in the pan as a highlight because it looks like a pearly cream color on my tanned skin.

Happy Booster Glow & Mood Boosting Blush in Natural

Overall: 4 out of 5

Packaging: 3 out of 5 (a little bulky)

Price: $11.95 in the states and $16.97 in Canada! (Wait for the 40% OFF in-store sales)

Size/Weight: 0.24 Oz / 7g

Would you buy this again? Yes

The Happy Booster line consists of two blushes: Rose which is a rosy red color and Natural (pictured above) which has red, pink, and coral hearts. I love this blush because it gives my cheeks a pretty rosy glow. I've seen swatches of Rose and Natural online and they look nearly identical. The only difference is that Natural is a tad lighter which I prefer. I can see this color looking great on light and dark skin tones.

Happy Booster Glow & Mood Boosting Powder in Translucent 

Overall: 2 out of 5

Packaging: 3 out of 5 (a little bulky)

Price: $13.95 in the states and $18.97 in Canada! (Wait for the 40% OFF in-store sales)

Size/Weight: 0.4 Oz / 11g

Would you buy this again? No

This is marketed as an all-over translucent face powder but it's way too shimmery to serve that purpose. It's a light pale pink that looks white against my skin tone so this product will be better suited for lighter skin tones. The shimmer particles are bigger than that of the bronzer so it looks more like chunky sparkles. This might be a nice highlighter but against my tanned skin, the silver sparkles make me look frosty. Needless to say, this was my least favourite from the Happy Booster line. Pass!

I gave it 2/5 because it is satin smooth and pigmented.

Swatches above: Translucent, Bronzer, Natural

Compact.

Pressed powder on top, mirror glued underneath, and a fancy brush in the bottom compartment...

This brush looks cute, yeah? But it's scratchy and unforgiving! I tried applying blush with it but the shape of the bristles makes the application streaky and blotchy. Now I use it to clean my keyboards! I'm just so innovative that way you know?

If I could only pick one product out of the three, it would be the Blush in Natural. It's  such a pretty color that looks nice on most skin tones. However, I think that Physician's formula can do without the gimmicky stuff and the faulty brush.

Physician's Formula products are quite expensive in Canada so always wait for the 40% off sales! :)

Review & Swatches: NYX Rouge Cream Blushes

NYX Rouge Cream Blush

The Claim: "NYX Rouge cream blush offers radiant, long-lasting color in the form of velvety smooth cream. Infused with mineral oils, this blush is creamy in texture and provides a dewy glow for natural, fresh color."

Overall: 4 out of 5
Packaging: 5 out of 5
Price: $4.75 - $6.99 (cheapest I've seen on beautyjoint.com)
Size/Weight: .19 OZ 5.3 g
Would you buy this again? only some shades.

Pros: These cream blushes are buttery smooth, very pigmented, non-sticky, easy to blend, and long lasting. The formula is wet upon application but dries to a matte finish. You could even wear this underneath your desired powder blush to increase the staying power.

Cons: Unfortunately, the main ingredient is mineral oil so this is not something I'd wear everyday. I have normal to dry skin and this hasn't caused me to break out. I'm not sure if this will be good for people with oily skin as it might clog pores.

Hot Pink

Color: Bright Barbie pink. Cool-toned. Matte.

Thoughts: This color is intensely pigmented. You only need to stipple a little on your cheeks to give yourself a bubblegum pink flush. I wore it once and it lasted all day! However, when I tried washing it off, it left a stain on my cheeks (I wore it on top of my moisturizer, sans foundation). This is the only color that left a stain. The others came off with soap and water.

Glow

Color: Rosy pink with a hint of coral. Matte.

Thoughts: Out of all the blushes, glow left the most natural pink flush on my cheeks. This color is also bright so a little bit goes a long way.

Natural

Color: Neutral pale pink. Matte.

Thoughts: Natural, as the name suggests, is quite natural. On my medium olive-toned skin, this color is really subtle and definitely not as bright as the colors above. When I wear this blush, it makes me look kind of pale. I think this is a nice color for fairer skin tones.

Golden

Color: Muted Beige, almost peachy. Golden shimmers.

Thoughts: I was contemplating whether to get this or Boho Chic. I ended up picking Golden because Boho chic had silver shimmers in it which would clash with my warm skin tone. The shimmer in this blush is obvious on my cheeks so if you don't like shimmer, stay away! I love the color when swatched but when blended, all I see are shimmers with a tiny hint of peach. This one would be good if I was going for the beachy bronze makeup look.

Color comparison: Hot Pink and Glow

Color comparison: Natural and Golden

Swatches (once blended, they look more natural)

From left to right: Hot Pink, Glow, Natural, Golden

I recommend applying your cream blushes with a duo fibre brush because they are really pigmented and wet. I used my fingers the first time around and it was a bit messy and blotchy.

Above: Applying NYX cream blush in Natural with my Sigma Duo Fibre Blush Brush F15

 Stipple it on and I blend away!

All in all, I'm quite pleased with these cream blushes and I actually like them better than my NYC Blushable Creme Sticks.  My favourites out of the bunch are Glow and Natural. Have you tried NYX cream blushes? What are your favourite shades? Let me know!

Until later, ciao bellas!