Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Sonnetarium Demonized

Here is another lovely Sonnetarium polish for you guys to add to your wish list! This is Sonnetarium Demonized, a mix of color-shifting glitter that changes between teal, green, blue, purple, and gold.


It was hard to capture the gold shift, but you can see it here on the left sides of my index and middle finger nails. This is two coats of Demonized over a black creme.


This is a bottle comparison of the now-discontinued Ozotic Elytra 528 and Demonized. As you can see, my bottle of 528 has had a lot of love recently (mostly for jewlery-making), so I'm really thrilled that there is a great dupe out there (for a much lower price!).



You can visit Sonnetarium on Etsy to sign up for e-mail notifications when the shop opens up again!

*Product(s) in this post were provided for my honest review.*

Monday, July 30, 2012

Rescue Beauty Lounge Coral

Happy Monday again everyone! I thought I'd start this week off with my new favorite polish ever, Rescue Beauty Lounge Coral. I used three coats of this buttery smooth perfection, though two probably would have been fine. I wanted to make sure that I got maximum color payoff though. Coral is part of the RBL core line and will supposedly be back in stock at some point, though no one is quite sure when. It's pretty hard to find right now, but thankfully, the lovely Amber at GlamTrotter came to my rescue and agreed to swap her bottle to me! Head on over and give her some love for me! <3

Saturday, July 28, 2012

Maybelline Emerald Smokes Eye Shadow Quad

Hey everyone! Hope you're all enjoying your weekends... I'm sitting at work freezing ;( Buuut I have another eye look for you today! This time I used a Maybelline quad calling Emerald Smokes. I didn't use the all of the shades the way that they are labeled in the quad, but I will be referring to them as Base, Lid (the upper right shade in the compact), Crease, and Liner.


I started out with Urban Decay Primer Potion and once that was applied and dry, I applied the Base shade over my entire lid and up on my browbone. Then, I used the Lid shade on the outer two-thirds of my upper lids.


I blended the Crease shade into the Lid shade on the outer corner of my lids and brought the Base color down into the inner corner of my eye.


I finished up by using the Liner shade as an eyeliner along the top and bottom lash lines. I love the little gold flecks in the dark green Liner, it's so pretty! I completed this look with a coat of Bare Minerals Flawless Definition Volumizing mascara and some Urban Decay Zero eye liner on my upper and lower water lines.

Friday, July 27, 2012

Paint Box Polish Gryffindor & Slytherin

When Pam from Paint Box Polish contacted me about reviewing some of her handmade polish, all she had to do was mention that they were Harry Potter-themed and I was totally in! Pam created four nail polishes that correspond to the four houses of Hogwarts. She sent Gryffindor and Slytherin for my consideration.

I swatched Gryffindor first and seriously, my jaw dropped when I got finished. Gryffindor is a stunning metallic crimson red with gold shimmer.


Look at that shimmer! AHHHH I DIE. I am thrilled that an indie maker has finally made HP polish and done it so well at that.


Slytherin is a deep metallic green with silver shimmer. The silver shimmer doesn't photograph as well as the gold in Gryffindor does, but it is definitely still there. This would look insane with a foily silver accent nail!


You can faintly see the silver shimmer around the edges of my nail in this macro shot. So pretty!


I was really impressed with the formula on these polishes too; they applied perfectly in two coats and I didn't experience any streaking or dragging. If you are a total book nerd like me and love anything Harry Potter, you need to pick these up! And luckily for you, I have a special code for my readers :) Use code NAILNETWORK20 to get 20% off your order at Paint Box Polish on Etsy for 30 days from today.

*Product(s) in this post were provided for my honest review.*

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Zoya Diva Collection

Today is the final installment of the Fall 2012 Zoya collections, Diva. In my opinion, this collection is definitely the winner of the three. These six shimmery shades are absolutely stunning!

This is Elisa, a gorgeous, festive shimmery red metallic. I don't have very many reds in my collection and this one feels perfect for the winter holidays!


My hands down favorite in the Diva collection, Suri. Suri is the most perfect shade of royal purple with beautiful shimmer. 


Song blew me away when I started applying it. Blue is one of my favorite colors so I knew I'd like it, but I didn't realize that it was so packed with gorgeous shimmer!


Ray is a kind-of frosty dark evergreen with tiny silver shimmer particles. I would have loved this more, but it showed brushstrokes just a bit too much.


FeiFei is really unique, both in name and color. It's a blue-based foily metallic with tons of multi-colored shimmer particles in it that make it super sparkly!


Daul is similar in finish to FeiFei, but it's base is a medium shade of purple with gold shimmer. These last two just simply glow. They are so beautiful.


In typical Zoya fashion, the formula for this collection was fabulous. I used two coats for every color. My top picks here are Suri, Song, and Daul. Don't forget to check out the Gloss and Designer collections as well if you haven't already!

Found at: www.zoya.com
Price: 0.5 oz bottle, $8.00 (US)

*Product(s) in this post were provided for my honest review.*

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Zoya Designer Collection

Good morning! I have the Zoya Designer Collection swatches for you today. This collection is composed of six gorgeous, dusty cremes that couldn't be more perfect for fall!

This is Rekha, originally released in the Bibhu Mohapatra NYFW trio. Rekha is a beautiful shade of blood red.


Toni is a dark maroon creme, so perfect for fall!


This is Monica, a dark purple eggplant creme.


Natty is a fantastic, dusty, smoky navy blue creme. I was about to say that Natty is my favorite from this collection, but I honestly don't think I could choose a favorite.


Evvie is another shade that was previously released in a NYFW set (Peter Som) and another one that I absolutely love. I'm not usually a fan of green polish, but this dusty evergreen shade has got my number!


And lastly for today is Noot, a greenish smoky charcoal polish. Love, love, love.


These are all AWESOME! If I had to pick a top three, I'd probably choose Evvie, Natty, and Toni. The formula on all of these was very consistent. A little on the thin side, but applied perfectly in two coats. I've said it before and I'll say it again, Zoya's cremes are the absolute best and cannot be beat.

Found at: www.zoya.com
Price: 0.5 oz bottle, $8.00 (US)

*Product(s) in this post were provided for my honest review.*

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Zoya Gloss Collection

For the next three days, I have the three fall collections from Zoya to share with you. Up first is the Gloss collection, composed of three jelly gloss polishes.

First is Katherine, an eggplant purple jelly shade. Katherine was previously released in the Peter Som box for New York Fashion Week.


This is Paloma, a berry pink jelly shade.


And lastly is Frida, a teal-ish green jelly.


I'm not a huge fan of these. I used three coats for each swatch and they were still kind of patchy and too sheer for my liking. I've been hearing a lot about layering them on top of glitter polishes to make a "jelly sandwich," so maybe they will be good for that.

Found at: www.zoya.com
Price: 0.5 oz bottle, $8.00 (US)

*Product(s) in this post were provided for my honest review.*

Monday, July 23, 2012

GlitterDaze Bad Girl Collection

Hey everybody, happy Monday! I hope you all had a great weekend! I wish I could have been at Cosmoprof Las Vegas over the weekend, but I can't wait to hear all about it from the bloggers that could go. Today I have some pretty glitter polish to show you from Sana at GlitterDaze.

Firstly is Hot Shot; I have two coats layered over Zoya Reagan. Hot Shot is a mix of red, gold, purple, and pink glitter in a clear base.


This is two coats of Prima Donna over Zoya Kennedy. I love this combination, it's so dainty and ladylike. It reminds me of ballerinas!


Up next is two coats of Socialite over Nicole by OPI Kim-pletely in Love. Socialite is a beautiful mixture of small multi-colored glitter. I love how it pops over the shimmer of my base color.


This is two coats of Showstoppin, a mix of silver, pink, and purple glitter, over Zoya Shelby.


EDITED TO ADD: Omg I cannot believe I forgot one! This is Queen Bee, a mix of gold and black glitter (with shards!). Two coats here over CND Asphalt.


B.A.M.F. is an awesome mix of silver, blue, and purple glitter in a clear base. I have it layered here over China Glaze Splish Splash. I love the cool glitter shards that are in most of these polishes!


Last but not least is Girl Gone Wild, two coats over Zoya Jana. This was my second favorite combination (behind Prima Donna and Kennedy). The purple and gold mix works so well with Jana.


So what do you think? I love the combinations of glitter that these have; I haven't experienced the "shard" glitter very much and I think it's really neat! Be aware though, sometimes they get bent and stick up at odd angles, so you might need some extra topcoat or a pair of tweezers to pull them off if they annoy you. The GlitterDaze stores will be closed for a week starting on 7/27, so plan accordingly if you intend to order!
*Product(s) in this post were provided for my honest review.*

Sunday, July 22, 2012

Cover Girl Tropical Fusion Eye Shadow Quad

Good morning everybody! If you've been around The Nail Network for a while, you know that I normally don't post on the weekends, but I have something a little special that I'm trying out today: my very first eye post! I hope you guys like this because I'm really excited to share it with you! :)


I used all four shades in the Cover Girl Tropical Fusion eye shadow quad for this look. I started with Urban Decay Primer Potion and blended the two blue shades, with the turquoise on the inner lid and royal blue on the outer lid. I was really surprised at the color payoff for these shadows; they were pretty good for how cheap they were!


I used the yellow-green shade on the inner corner of my eye and above the two blue shades, though it's hard to tell. I applied the orange with a wet angled brush as liner underneath my eye. I finished this look off with a coat of Maybelline Great Lash mascara. The photo below is focused on my lashes so you can see the sparkle in the blue shadows.


And here's a better shot of the blending... I definitely need to find a new mascara and get something to fill in my brows, but other than that, I'm very happy with how this first look turned out! I hope you enjoyed it and please feel free to give me some feedback in the comments below! :D

Friday, July 20, 2012

Sonnetarium Never Glow Up

Yay for more Sonnetarium polishes! I seriously can't get enough of Michelle's polish. She blows my mind with every new one I try. Today I have a swatch of Never Glow Up to share with you. Never Glow Up is the most unique glow-in-the-dark polish I've ever seen. This has all my favorite things in it: turquoise, shimmer, and glitter!


This is one coat of Never Glow Up over three coats of Rescue Beauty Lounge Bikini Bottom. I honestly don't think I'd ever get sick of this combo. Sonnetarium polishes can be purchased on Etsy. You can sign up to be notified by e-mail next time Michelle restocks! :)


*Product(s) in this post were provided for my honest review.*

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Rescue Beauty Lounge Bikini Bottom

A while ago, Rescue Beauty Lounge created a collection of Spongebob Squarepants-themed nail polishes consisting of this squishy turquoise beauty, Bikini Bottom, Square Pants, and Starfish Patrick (which I'm still trying to find, btw!). Since I just discovered RBL relatively recently, I've been scrambling trying to snatch all these gorgeous polishes up.


Now, I'm normally not a fan of sheer-ish polishes like this, but how could you not love this color? It's so fresh and calming! This is three easy coats of Bikini Bottom. Luckily, this polish is still available on the Rescue Beauty Lounge website.


Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Fresh Sugar Lip Treatments

I got these little babies from Sephora as a freebie for my birthday and I'm absolutely in love with them so I had to write a post about them! These are Sugar lip treatments from the brand Fresh and they are the softest, most moisturizing lip products I've ever used.


I got two mini-sized tubes as part of the birthday package and haven't been able to find the mini size anywhere else, so I assume they are made just for Sephora. The regular size is substantially bigger and should last a good long while (which is good considering they retail at $22.50). I definitely planning on buying a full size at least of the clear one when I run out.


Here they are swatched quickly on my wrist. The rose tinted one is on the left and the clear on the right. I don't typically wear color on my lip, but these are nice and sheer and easy to build up. I want to get my hands on the coral one too! Oh, and they have SPF 15 as well!

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Mont Bleu Review

Hey guys! I recently review a couple gorgeous products from a company called Mont Bleu to review for you, so here they are. The first is a glass nail file, which is just like most other glass files, except that it's embellished with beautiful rhinestones at the base. It comes with a black cloth sleeve that you can store it in. It's also smaller than a normal-sized file, so it's easy to travel with.


The second product I received was a business card holder for my fancy grown-up business cards! Isn't this gorgeous? It's a shiny silver holder with silver, grey, and black rhinestones placed in a wavy design on the front. It has plenty of room for cards inside and is perfect to slip into a pocket or purse. 


I'm very pleased with these products and will definitely be putting them to good use. I also think they would make fabulous gifts! If you would like to check out the other products that Mont Bleu offers, you can browse their website here. Please be aware though that they ship from Europe, so it may be an international purchase for many of you.

*The product(s) in this post were provided for my honest review.*

Monday, July 16, 2012

Sation Swatches

Hey everyone! I have a brand I've never used before to show you today, Sation. I had never heard of this brand before they contacted me to review some of their polishes, but I am so impressed with them! The colors are absolutely gorgeous and the formula is awesome.

The first polish I have to show you is called Hot 4 Teacher. This is a stunning (!!!) juicy pink neon. At first when I was applying this, I was all, "eh boring berry color, whatever" but when I finished up and went over to my lamp to take photos, I was shocked! This was three coats.


Two-Faced Tint is a beautiful silver glitter topcoat made up of bar, shredded, hex, and small holographic silver pieces. I have one coat of it layered here over Hot 4 Teacher.


Up next is a beautiful baby pink creme, Teacher's Pet. This is three coats, as it wasn't leveling out very well at two. The formula on this one was a bit thick and could probably benefit from some thinner, but the color is awesome.


Here is Teacher's Pet topped with Prettiest Player, a purple and silver glitter.


Miss Emo Shun All is no where near as bright in the photo as it is in person. This is truly as close to a neon purple as you can get! Very awesome color.


And lastly we have Oh My Oceania, a gorgeous turquoise shimmer polish. Two easy coats needed here for total coverage.


Some people were wondering if Oh My Oceania was a dupe for RBL Aqua Lily, so I compared them below. OMO is on my ring nail and AL is on my pinky. As you can see, OMO is much greener and doesn't have the pink shimmer that AL has.


You can view the other colors that are available and purchase Sation polishes here. What did you think of these colors that I had to show you? Will you be picking any up?

*The product(s) in this post were provided for my honest review.*