Dr.'s REMEDY Hot Hot Hot Summer Shades Collection (Review and Swatches)

I was recently sent the Dr's REMEDY Hot Hot Hot Summer Shades collection. If that brand sounds familiar, I reviewed their Winter collection here. The premise behind the brand is that they have "clean, hypo-allergenic, anti-fungal ingredients" and are meant to be beneficial for your nails. Their polishes have a smooth formula overall and have Tea Tree Oil, Vitamins and Wheat Protein in them. This summer collection includes 5 gorgeous shades PERFECT for summer. 

left to right: Nurture, Glee, Tranquil, Bold, Lovely

Nurture- This color is described as a nude pink and I would have to agree. It's a great nude for those of you obsessed with the nude polish trend for spring and summer! This is on the sheer side and was 3 coats.

Glee- This is a gorgeous champagney-gold. It's not a typical "yellow gold" type of color but is more of a champagne. This took 3 coats.

Tranquil- It is described as tangerine and that's one of the first things I thought of when I first saw it! It has a great brightness for summer and is a nice bold color. This was 3 coats.

Bold- I had to include a picture of just the bottle, look at it! It's so gorgeous!! It's like looking in a pool =]

Bold is described as a baby blue, but it has so much more depth than that! It's like an electric light blue. It's a truly beautiful color and my favorite from the whole collection. It also has a great formula, this was 2 coats.

On a little side note, I think the names of this and Tranquil should have been switched. Tranquil is more bold and Bold is more tranquil lol!

Lovely- this is described as a lavender, I think it's like a deep grey toned purple. This would be nicer in the fall/winter months for me but I know there are people that love wearing dark colors even in the summer. This applied nicely and took 2 coats.

This collection has a little bit of everything; nudes, bolds, darks. I think a lot of people can find something they like from this collection! My favorite would have to be Bold, for sure. I can't get over it's depth and stunning electricity.  Also, the formula has great ingredients to helps improve the strength of your nails, a great added bonus!

Dr.’s REMEDY is sold online for $17 at www.remedynails.com. 

What do you think of the Dr.'s REMEDY Hot Hot Hot Summer Shades Collection? Will you be picking any of these up?

Sally Hansen Barracuda Nail Polish (Swatch and Comparisons)

Light blue nail polish seems to be everywhere for spring and summer. My Essie Borrowed and Blue post is one of my most popular blogposts! I found another popular light blue polish: Sally Hansen's Barracuda. This polish is part of the Tracy Reese collection, and seems to be quite hard to find. In this collection is also Delphinium (click here for my post). Below is my video comparing three baby blues: Essie Borrowed and Blue, Color Club Take Me To Your Chateau, and Sally Hansen Barracuda. I am also having a giveaway on the Barracuda polish in the video. If you would like to enter, please do so in the comments of that video only.

Sally Hansen Barracuda 

This color is a light blue, but as you will see it has a green undertone compared to the other polishes I will be comparing it to. The formula is a little finicky, watery yet thick. This swatch was 3 coats to get it opaque. Despite the effort to apply, the color is gorgeous and worth it.

Comparison:

left to right: Essie Borrowed and Blue, Color Club Take Me To Your Chateau, Sally Hansen Barracuda

Swatches: (left to right) Essie Borrowed and Blue, Color Club Take Me To Your Chateau, Sally Hansen Barracuda

As you can see, these polishes are all in the same family but are each different in their own way. Essie Borrowed and Blue is the lightest of the three, having a more white base. Color Club Take Me To Your Chateau is a darker, more vivid sky blue. Sally Hansen Barracuda is still a light blue but has more of a green undertone compared to the other two. 

Do you own Sally Hansen Barracuda Nail Polish or the other polishes? What do you think of them? Will you be picking any of them up?

Wet n Wild Gilded Age Eyeshadow Trio (Swatches and Comparisons)

Wet n Wild is quickly becoming one of my favorite drugstore brands. At such a low price point, their products sometimes beat higher end ones out of the water! They recently released a new eyeshadow trio, called Gilded Age. This trio has been hard to find so I thought I'd post some comparisons to help you all decide if you really do need to search for it, or if this is similar to what you already have!

Wet n Wild Gilded Age Eyeshadow Trio- The shades of this trio are the same quality as the other trios: smooth, creamy, pigmented, in a word...HEAVEN!

Swatches: (left to right) Browbone, Crease, Eyelid

Comparisons:

left to right: Gilded Age Browbone, Urban Decay Sin, Too Faced Silk Teddy, Stila Kitten

left to right: Gilded Age Crease, MAC Tempting, MAC Mulch, Milani Java Bean

left to right: Gilded Age Eyelid, Too Faced Honey Pot, Urban Decay Half Baked

If you do find this trio, I highly recommend picking it up! I believe people have been finding it at CVS and it retails for around $3.

Do you have the Wet n Wild Gilded Age Eyeshadow Trio? What do you think of  it? Will you be picking it up?

July Birchbox

I'm sure a lot of you have heard of Birchbox. If you haven't, it's basically a monthly makeup subscription service. You pay $10 and every month receive 4-5 deluxe makeup samples! I always find it exciting to see what's in everyone's box and open mine on camera. I have decided to do accompanying blog post to give a closer look into the box as the video is more of a first impression. Let me know if you guys like this idea!

Here is my video opening the box:

This month's box was curated by Cynthia Rowley. It came with a special sleeve around it with a gorgeous pattern.

Here is what the regular box looks like once you take off the sleeve.

The tissue in it is usually pink but this month it was light blue.

In every box, there is a card explaining the theme of the month. In this one they explain that Cynthia Rowley curated the box and talk more about her style.

On the back of the card is always a list of the products included, a little description, and how much the full size is. 

Here is what was in my box: (clockwise, left to right) Zoya Polish in Shay, Redken Shine Flash, Ahava Mineral Hand Cream, Philosophy Purity Made Simple One Step Facial Cleanser, Kind Almond & Apricot Bar.

My thoughts:

• Zoya Polish in Shay- We all know I'm a nail polish fanatic so seeing this polish in my Birchbox made me happy! This is one of their polishes from their nude collection. It's a gorgeous nude with a slight shimmer to it, making it unique from the other cream nudes we usually see.
• Redken Shine Flash- I haven't tried this yet but it's an interesting product. It claims to be a finishing, shine spray. All I can tell you is that it smells like hairspray, but doesn't feel sticky on my hand.
• Ahava Mineral Hand Cream- I have previously received another Ahava hand cream in one of my Birchboxes. It's a nice size cream to keep in your purse. It smells nice but not the BEST hand cream I've ever tried.
• Philosophy Purity Made Simple One Step Facial Cleanser- I hear rave reviews about this product! People love using it, especially with the Clairosonic! (can that come in my Birchbox??) I haven't tried it yet but don't believe the claim that it will take off all your makeup AND cleanse your skin. I never use a cleanser to remove my makeup. I take off my makeup with a makeup remover (recently have been using the Bioderma one) and then cleanse my skin; that way I know all of the traces, dirt, etc. have been removed.
• Kind Almond & Apricot Bar- This was the extra in the box. I was pleased to see something a little different in the box, other than makeup. I am currently on a health kick so I was happy to try this. It is DELICIOUS! It has the crunch from the almonds, sweetness from the apricot and honey, and has pieces of coconut that add an interesting texture/flavor to it. It was also filling, which is great for something to take on the go. It has 5g of fiber and 3g of protein, so very nutritious! It does have 12g of sugar, so be careful with these but overall, it was yummy and one of my favorites of the box.

You can subscribe to Birchbox at http://www.birchbox.com/.

Do you subscribe to Birchbox? If so, what did you think of your box this month? If not, will you be checking it out?

Bath & Body Works Coconut Mango Smoothing Body Scrub Review

I have officially found my holy grail summer scrub! It was love at first smell with Bath & Body Works Coconut Mango Smoothing Body Scrub. The smell is just as it might sound: mostly coconut with a hint of mango. The scent is perfect for summer and I'm sure that even in the winter, it will make me think of wonderful beaches!

Even the packaging is so summery and beachy. The scrub itself is great. It isn't too harsh and exfoliates the dead or dry skin wonderfully. I have had a few dry spots and the scrub got rid of them effortlessly!

Here is the actual texture of it, I hope you can see in the cap. I love that it's a squeeze tube so it is not messy and easily controllable.

Here is the scrub "swatched". The granules aren't too big and do a great job exfoliating my skin. 

I highly recommend this scrub! It may be sold out in store after the sale but it is still available online for 50% off. You can purchase this scrub at Bath and Body Works online.

Have you tried the Bath & Body Works Coconut Mango Smoothing Body Scrub? What do you think of it? Will you be picking this scrub up?

MAC Styledriven Collection (Info and Wishlist)

Did we really think MAC is just coming out with one HUGE Fall collection and that's it?? HAH! The Styledriven is filled with "Pro Longwear" products, a lot of which are new formulation. However, it is a big relief that all of these will be part of the Permanent collection. That means no rushing, scrambling, or panicking. We can safely wait for reviews and then get the items we want later.

My wishlist is in bold and pink, but it all depends on swatches, quality, etc.

MAC Styledriven Collection for Fall 2011

Launch Date: September 22nd, 2011 for U.S./Canada, October 2011 for International

Pro Longwear Lipcreme ($16.00 U.S. / $19.00 CDN) (Permanent)

• To the Future! Mid-tone neutral pink with pearlized pigments (Frost)
• So Very Good Mid-tone plum with pearlized pigments (Frost)
• Dress It Up Light blue-pink (Cream)
• Positively Dashing Mid-tone berry blue red (Cream)
• Endless Drama Deep berry blue red (Frost)
• Soulfully Rich Deep mid-tone purple with red pearlized pigments (Frost)
• Soft Sell Light yellow-pink (Cream) (New & Permanent)
• Till Tomorrow Mid-tone mauve (Cream) (Repromote)
• Prolong True red with blue undertone and pearlized pigments (Frost) (Repromote)
• Good to Go Loudmouth orange (Cream) (Repromote)
• Love Forever Bright blue pink (Cream) (Repromote)
• Extended Play Mid-tone red with yellow undertone (Cream) (Repromote)

Pro Longwear Lipglass ($TBA) (Permanent)

• Ready or Not! Neutral light coral with slight pearlized pigments (Cream)
• Driven by Love Red-blue with slight pearlized pigments
• Dark as Night Deep mid-tone purple with slight pearlized pigments (Cream)
• Lasting Achievement Mid-tone purple with slight pearlized pigments (Cream)
• Infinitely Likeable Light pink (Cream)
• Patience, Please Light pink-blue (Cream)
• Whoops! Bright coral (Cream)
• Full Speed Ahead Bright pink-magenta (Cream)
• Show Me! Mid-tone neutral plum (Cream)

Pro Longwear Lip Pencil ($TBA) (Permanent)

• Nice ‘n’ Spicy Pink cinnamon stick
• Bittersweet Intense brown
• Absolutely It Soft burgundy
• Morning Coffee Mid-tone rose
• What a Blast! Bright orange
• Etcetera Creamy beige
• Kiss Me Quick Yellow red
• Staunchly Stylish Pinky beige
• More to Love Intense bluish pink
• In Anticipation Soft yellow pink

Pro Longwear Eyeshadow ($TBA) (Permanent)

• Carefree Pale white gold (Frost)
• Pink Frontier Soft golden pink (Frost)
• Sunny Outlook Bright golden yellow (Satin)
• Sweet Satisfaction Soft neutral beige (Frost)
• One to Watch Light warm brown (Satin)
• Lie Low Dark frosted golden brown (Frost)
• Plush Vivid purple (Satin)
• Thru the Night Deep navy (Frost)
• Fresh Flare Bright kelly green (Frost)
• Hot Paprika Mid-tone burnt red (Frost)
• Tease with Ease Bright fuchsia (Frost)
• Make Your Mark Dark chocolate (Satin)
• Keep Your Cool Dark grey brown (Satin)
• Legendary Black Warm almost black (Satin)
• Weathered Dirty blue grey (Frost)
• Styledriven Pale white blue (Frost)

Source

Are you excited for the MAC Styledriven Collection? What's on your wishlist?

MAC MAC Me Over Collection (Info and Wishlist)

MAC has some pretty exciting things coming out for their Fall collections! I wanted to start out with the BIGGEST one! The MAC Me Over Collection is going to borken up into 3 displays, and will honestly require some saving! I have put my wish list in pink and bold. Of course, my final list will depend on swatches, quality, budget, etc.

MAC MAC Me Over Collection for Fall 2011

Launch Date: August/September 2011, TBA

Lipstick ($14.50 U.S. / $17.00 CDN)

Secret Lover Pale pink with yellow pearlized pigments (Lustre) (Limited Edition)
Peachstock Neutral peach (Satin) (Permanent at PRO)
Offshoot Mid-tone neutral pink (Cremesheen) (Limited Edition)
Oh, Oh, Oh Plum bronze with pearlized pigments (Lustre) (Limited Edition)
Rebel Vivid pinkish purple (Satin) (Permanent)
Prince Noir Deep blue-purple (Matte) (Limited Edition)
Smoked Purple Deep eggplant purple (Matte) (Permanent at PRO)
Runaway Red Rich red-blue (Satin) (Limited Edition)

Lipglass ($14.50 U.S. / $17.00 CDN)

Illicit Creamy neutral pink (Repromote) (Limited Edition)
Social Light Neutral pink with pearlized pigments (Limited Edition)
Curvaceous Light grey pink (Limited Edition)
Plum Fun Neutral plum with purple pearlized pigments (Limited Edition)
The Wee Coquette Naked neutral pink (Repromote) (Limited Edition)
Good Times Pale mauve (Limited Edition)
Spite Muted plum taupe brown (Permanent)

Lip Pencil ($13.00 U.S. / $15.00 CDN)

Spice Pink cinnamon stick (Permanent)
Chestnut Intense brown (Permanent)


Evil Eye Eyeshadow Quad (Limited Edition)

Evil Eye Deep yellow grey (Matte)
Palace Pedigreed Deep berry with soft pink () (Repromote)
Spellcaster Blackened violet (Matte)
Moody Blackened green (Veluxe Pearl)

Lady Grey Eyeshadow Quad (Limited Edition)


All Races Cool light taupe mauve (Matte) (Repromote) (Limited Edition)
TendersmokeMuted silver lilac (Frost) (Repromote) (Limited Edition)
Lady Grey Light frosted green-grey (Satin) (Limited Edition)
Hazy DayMid-tone grey (Veluxe Pearl) (Limited Edition)

Eyeshadow ($14.50 U.S. / $17.00 CDN)

Creamy Bisque Mid-tone ivory with pearlized pigments (Frost) (Limited Edition)
Moleskin Nude brown (Matte) (Limited Edition)
Outre Mid-tone mustard (Matte) (Limited Edition)
Satin Taupe Taupe with silver shimmer (Frost) (Permanent)
Mythical Frosty copper red (Veluxe Pearl) (Limited Edition)
Carbonized Frosty dark brown (Veluxe Pearl) (Limited Edition)

Eye Kohl ($14.50 U.S. / $17.00 CDN)

Teddy Intense bronze (Permanent)
Smolder Intense black (Permanent)

Shadesticks ($17.00 U.S. / $21.00 CDN)

Butternutty Frosted light neutral (Repromote) (Limited Edition)
Cakeshop Frosted pewter (Repromote) (Limited Edition)
Tundra Icy silver (Limited Edition)
Heirloom Light icy pink (Limited Edition)
Street Cool Mid-tone grey violet taupe (Limited Edition)

Fluidline ($15.00 U.S. / $18.00 CDN)

Dark Diversion Darkened plum (Repromote) (Limited Edition)
Avenue Charcoal black with gold pearlized pigments (Limited Edition)
Midnight Blues Blackened blue (Limited Edition)
Dark Envy Blackened green (Limited Edition)

Nail Lacquer ($14.00 U.S. / $17.00 CDN)

Purple Majesty Deep purple (Cream) (Limited Edition)
Deep Sea Deep teal (Cream) (Limited Edition)
Quiet Time Beige nude (Cream) (Limited Edition)
Fatigues Army green (Cream) (Limited Edition)

Blush ($19.50 U.S. / $23.50 CDN)

Equilibrium Light bronze (Satin) (Limited Edition)
Stunner Light coral pink (Satin) (Limited Edition)

Cream Colour Base ($16.50 U.S. / $20.00 CDN)

Take Root Rich red brown (Limited Edition)
Seaside Soft peach rose (Limited Edition)

Brushes

211 Pointed Liner Brush ($TBA) (Permanent)
214 Short Shader Brush ($24.50 U.S. / $29.50 CDN) (Permanent)
226 Small Tapered Blending Brush ($TBA) (Limited Edition)

Source
 
PHEW! That's one big collection and one big wishlist! It has lots of exciting repromotes: shadesticks, the 226 brush, new neutral shadows... I was drooling reading through it all. =]

Are you guys as excited as I am for the MAC MAC Me Over Collection? What is on your wishlist?

Urban Decay Friends and Family Sale (25% OFF!)

I wanted to let you guys know that Urban Decay is having a sale! It is 25% off everything EXCEPT the Naked Palette. It's kind of a bummer that you can't apply it to that palette but it is in stock for those that want to get it. The code for the sale is FFSUMMER11 and it ends Sunday, July 10th.
 

 

You can take advantage of this sale on http://www.urbandecay.com/. Happy Shopping!

Will you be participating in the Urban Decay Friends and Family Sale? What will you purchase?

Current Nail Polish: ORLY Flirty

I recently received a belated birthday gift from my good friend Rita and of course it included a nail polish (what can I say, my friends know my addiction well!). The polish was ORLY Flirty. It is from a recent collection, Happy Go Lucky (love the name!) Flirty is perfect for summer, and is a nice twist on a hot pink. It is a hot pink, but has some purple/magenta undertones. Another thing that stands out from Flirty is the fine, silver shimmer in it. The camera doesn't quite pick it up but it gives a nice depth to the polish.

ORLY Flirty- It applies very well, 2 coats!

Do you own ORLY Flirty? What do you think of it? What's on your nails?