EOS Smooth Sphere Lip Balm Review

Hey everybody! Today I have a non-nail-related (but still awesome!) review for you. I am a lip balm freak and I absolutely love cool little lip balms so I was super happy that EOS agreed to send me some to review on my blog. EOS Smooth Spheres are gluten, paraben, petrolatum, and phthalate-free, in addition to being 95% organic and 100% natural. And they're so dang cute!

I received the Honeysuckle Honeydew, Lemon Drop (SPF 15), and Sweet Mint scents to review. All of these scents were awesome! I love anything lemon, so that was an obvious win, but Honeysuckle Honeydew was my surprise favorite. While these lip balms smell awesome, they aren't overly-scented; they have a fairly strong scent when you first apply them, but it fades quickly and isn't overpowering.

These little spheres also have a great consistency. They are so smooth on your lips and they last a long time! Plus, Lemon Drop has an SPF of 15 to protect your lips from the sun.  I also love that they don't come in the typical tube packaging. I've noticed that the spheres really grab people's attention and interest whenever I use them in public. They can, however, be a bit difficult or uncomfortable to fit in your pocket. This isn't an issue for me though because I always carry a purse, so I just toss them in there!

You can buy these Smooth Spheres and other EOS products on their online store, or in stores such as CVS, Walmart, Target, Walgreen's and Rite Aid. They retail for 3.29 and are SO worth it! Do you own any of these already? What are your favorite scents?

*The product(s) in this post were provided by the company for a completely honest review.*

China Glaze Riveting

I had a request to review China Glaze Riveting from the Hunger Games collection, so here it is! I also finally got around to swatching the rest of the Hunger Games polishes that I bought, so I'll be posting those soon! 

I knew when I did my Girl On Fire mani that Riveting was an awesome polish, but I seriously cannot believe I waited so long to wear it on it's own! Riveting is a gorgeous sunset orange shade that is absolutely packed with gold shimmer. I did three quick and easy coats here just to make sure that my nail line wasn't visible. You're going to want to do your eyeballs a favor and click to enlarge these photos! ;)

I also wanted to mention this: if you are interested in the earrings I am giving away for my 1,000 follower giveaway, I can make you a custom pair with any of the polishes in my stash list (located under the Polish List tab above). Just shoot me an e-mail at thenailnetwork@hotmail.com and let me know what color(s) you'd like and I will set up a reserved Etsy listing for you!!

1,000 Follower Giveaway!!!

WOW, you guys are awesome! Seriously, I cannot believe 1,000 followers came so fast! In honor of The Nail Network reaching 1,000 followers today, I have put together a little giveaway to show my appreciation of all my readers, old and new! There will be two different prizes and therefore two different winners for this giveaway. Please make sure to check out the terms and conditions at the bottom of the Rafflecopter widget! Thank you again and may the odds be ever in your favor!

Prize #1 is a brand new bottle of the hard-to-find OPI Catch Me In Your Net and a pair of handmade (by me!) stud earrings using OPI DS Original and a dark purple.

Prize #2 is a brand new bottle of the limited edition Cult Nails Toxic Seaweed and a pair of handmade (by me!) stud earrings using OPI DS Shimmer and Zoya Ali (neon pink holo FTW!).

Zoya Beach Water Marble

So have you figured out yet that I'm obsessed with water marbling? I don't even mind cleaning up the mess anymore! For this mani, I used four of the new colors from the Zoya Beach collection, Lara, Arizona, Tracie, and Wednesday. I am so in love with these colors that it's not even funny. They look so tropical together and are absolutely perfect for summer!

Here's a photo of my right hand for you... Oddly enough, it's very hard to me to pose my dominant hand nicely. Weird, huh? Anyway, I think I'm getting much better at getting a similar design on every finger. I was very, very happy with how these turned out and even more happy that Zoyas are so great for water marbling!

 Edited to add a video tutorial, please enjoy!!

OPI The Amazing Spiderman Press Release

OPI Celebrates Sony Pictures’ “The Amazing Spider-Man” with Limited Edition Nail Lacquers

            OPI announces the launch of six limited edition nail lacquers and a new Shatter, inspired by Sony Pictures’ The Amazing Spider-Man.  With an all-star cast including Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone, this highly-anticipated series reboot opens in theaters nationwide in 3D on July 3, 2012. 

 “OPI is so excited to work with Sony Pictures in welcoming Spider-Man back on the big screen,” explains Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, OPI Executive VP & Artistic Director.  “This film explores a new chapter in the Spider-Man legacy that’s going to be both dark and sexy. The colors created for this promotion capture the movie’s exciting atmosphere, with standout shades like the deep shimmering blue Into the Night and the metallic golden green Just Spotted the Lizard.”

The film villain’s reptilian look can be replicated with a high-fashion twist by using the new deep green shimmer Shatter coat.  Shatter the Scales is inspired by graffiti art and works when painted over any dry OPI hue. Adding top coat takes Shatter the Scales from matte to glossy in seconds.

The line features six nail lacquers in addition to Shatter the Scales, ranging from white, coral and pink to mood-setting hues of blue, nickel and yellow-green:

Your Web or Mine?
The perfect pink for sticky situations.

Into the Night
This perfect midnight blue was made for prowling.  

Call Me Gwen-ever
Girlfriend, be sure to pick up when this urgent coral calls.

Just Spotted the Lizard
Be seen in this reptilian yellow-green.

My Boyfriend Scales Walls
Climb new heights with this cityscape white.

Number One Nemesis
Show your metal in this sparkling nickel.

As with all OPI nail lacquers, these shades inspired by The Amazing Spider-Man contain no DBP, Toluene, or Formaldehyde, and feature OPI’s exclusive ProWide^™ Brush for the ultimate in application.

This limited edition promotion will be available beginning May 2012 at Professional Salons, including Beauty Brands, Beauty First, Chatters, Dillard’s, JCPenney, Pure Beauty, Regis, Trade Secret, and ULTA, for  $8.50 ($9.95 CAN) suggested retail for each Nail Lacquer.

For more information, please call 800-341-9999 or visit www.opi.com. Follow OPI on Twitter @OPI_PRODUCTS and become a Facebook fan!

ABOUT OPI

As the world leader in the professional nail care industry, OPI is committed to providing high-quality products and services to both salons and their customers, along with a focus on industry safety and innovation. Known for its exceptional formula, fashionable colors and iconic names, OPI’s heavily-pigmented lacquers are super rich, long-lasting and chip-resistant – offering an affordable luxury to consumers. OPI nail lacquer is available in over 200 shades and contains no DBP, Toluene, or Formaldehyde. Each lacquer features OPI’s exclusive ProWide^™ Brush for the ultimate in application. Currently, OPI is available in over 100 countries and retails a full line of professional items, including nail treatments, finishing products, lotions, manicure/pedicure products, files, tools, gels and acrylics.

OPI Vintage Minnie Mouse Press Release

OPI Announces New Limited Edition Minnie Mouse-Inspired, Nail Lacquers

            OPI launches Vintage Minnie Mouse, including four limited edition nail lacquers, for summer. Created in honor of Disney’s beloved character, the colors encapsulate Minnie Mouse’s irresistible charm in playful, pretty shades of pink and red. 

 “OPI is so excited to collaborate with Disney and draw inspiration from one of the world’s most popular characters,” explains Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, OPI Executive VP & Artistic Director.  “This collection brings together the expertise of OPI and the iconic style of Minnie Mouse to inspire the distinct palette of vibrant, feminine shades for summer Nails will pop against summer skin in these classic, saturated hues – holding their own alongside the bold prints of the season.”

The line features a pink crème lacquer, one frosted red shade, a shimmery fuchsia, and a heart glitter confetti:

Nothin’ Mousie ‘bout It
Don’t squeak it – SHOUT IT! This confetti light pink is tops!

I’m All Ears
Tell me how much you love this magenta shimmer.

If You Moust You Moust
You gotta pink what you gotta pink.

The Color of Minnie
You had this little mouse at “red.”

As with all OPI nail lacquers, Vintage Minnie Mouse by OPI contains no DBP, Toluene, or Formaldehyde, and features OPI’s exclusive ProWide^™ Brush for the ultimate in application.

This limited edition promotion will be available beginning June 2012 at professional salons, including Beauty Brands, Beauty First, Chatters, Dillard’s, JCPenney, Pure Beauty, Regis, Trade Secret, and ULTA, for  $8.50 ($9.95 CAN) suggested retail for each Nail Lacquer.

For more information, please call 800-341-9999 or visit www.opi.com. Follow OPI on Twitter @OPI_PRODUCTS and become a Facebook fan!

ABOUT OPI

As the world leader in the professional nail care industry, OPI is committed to providing high-quality products and services to both salons and their customers, along with a focus on industry safety and innovation. Known for its exceptional formula, fashionable colors and iconic names, OPI’s heavily-pigmented lacquers are super rich, long-lasting and chip-resistant – offering an affordable luxury to consumers. OPI nail lacquer is available in over 200 shades and contains no DBP, Toluene, or Formaldehyde. Each lacquer features OPI’s exclusive ProWide^™ Brush for the ultimate in application. Currently, OPI is available in over 100 countries and retails a full line of professional items, including nail treatments, finishing products, lotions, manicure/pedicure products, files, tools, gels and acrylics.

Zoya Surf Collection Review

I just want to give you all a fair warning: get out your wallets and open up a tab with Zoya's website because this collection is amazing and you are going to want it! The formula on all of these was absolutely perfect; they all required two easy coats for complete opacity and I was really surprised at how fast they dried.

Myrta was one of the colors that I was most excited for. A coral/orange foil? How could I not love that? I'm happy to say that it did not disappoint! It's more of a red-toned orange/coral and would look incredible as a summer pedi. 

Meg has a really strong foil effect, as opposed to just looking like it's packed with shimmer. It's a bit of a lighter tone than it photographed, think more along the lines of Zoya Apple, but with small instead of large shimmer particles. I like Meg much better than I liked Tracie in the Beach collection. 

Up next is Rory, a light pink foil metallic. Rory has a lot of silver shimmer in it; you can see in the bottle that it really competes with the pink. Not one of my favorites of the collection, but still very pretty and appropriate for summer.

Kimber is one of my sleeper favorites! I had no idea that it was going to be so gorgeous! Kimber has a strawberry/raspberry colored base with golden shimmer in it. I wouldn't consider this one a foil metallic, just a shimmer, but man, it's just so beautiful! Reminds me of China Glaze Strawberry Fields, but the formula was a million times better. 

Carly is another one that totally blew me away when I started applying it. For once, you can even see in the photo just how sparkly and glowing it is! Purple is my weakness and I have no doubt in my mind that I will be wearing Carly often. I thought from the preview pics that Carly would end up being way too dark for a summer collection, but seeing it in person, I totally accept it as a summer color.

Lastly, we have Zuza. I swatched Zuza last because I planned on wearing it as a full mani and I was so happy with it. This was the other color from Surf that I was most excited to see in person and just like Myrta, it did not disappoint. I even made a set of earrings and a ring out of it before I even wore it! Zuza is a gorgeous faded turquoise foil metallic shade with what appears to be silver and slightly green shimmer. If I had to pick one color to epitomize Surf, it would be Zuza.

So, which shades from Surf will you be picking up? My top picks are Zuza, Kimber, Carly, and Myrta.

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