A Guide to Spring 2012 Nail Polish: Part II - Trends and the Best

Trend Alerts, and the Best Thereof

Bright Red to Corals

Red was in, and the brighter the better. The reds really tended to lean coral, too -- some of these I honestly wasn't sure whether to call red or dark pink!

Duri - "Every Day is a Valentine" (Scrangie)
Duri - "Sweetheart" (Scrangie)
Essie - "Ole Caliente" (Scrangie)
OPI - "Red Lights Ahead... Where?" (Fashion Police)

Tangerine

It isn't 2012's Pantone color for nothing.

Essie - "Orange, It's Obvious!" (Scrangie)

Pale Oranges/Melon

I think any pastels are definite spring go-tos, but so many companies had these pale orange tone, it really was stand-out. Some are so pale they almost verge on pink, too..

Chanel - "June" (Nail Polish Nonsense)
FingerPaints - "Circus Peanuts" (Love for Lacquer)
Essie - "A Crewed Interest" (Scrangie)

Pale Greens - Assorted Shades

Greens were all over the spectrum, but they stayed paler than what I would consider medium green overall.

Essie - "Navigate Her" (Scrangie)
Zoya - "Bevin" (Vampy Varnish)
Nubar - "Kiwi" (PolishAholic)

OPI - "Thanks a Windmillion" (Fashion Police)

Bright Blue-Greens/Teals

While not the biggest trend, this was one of my favorites. I LOVE these kinds of colors, as most of you know. :)

Butter London - "Slapper" (Lacquered Lover)
OPI - "Fly" (Scrangie) 

Mint and Pale Blue-Greens

There were SO many of these colors! I barely know where to start! They really ranged from just barely-tinted-green to full out mint and aqua colors, similar to the teal trend.

FingerPaints - "Choco Mint" (Love for Lacquer)
Color Club - "Blue-Ming" (Enamel Girl)

Pale Lilac/Lavendar

Typical springtime fare. Nothing too earthshattering, but some of these look like they apply really nicely.

Essie - "To Buy or Not to Buy" (Scrangie)

Medium Purple

These were with and without shimmer. A little edgier for spring, but not by much. I didn't find any of the non-shimmers particularly compelling, but I threw in one for people who might not already have a few in their stash.

OPI - "Dutch 'Ya Just Love OPI?" (Fashion Police)
Zoya - "Tru" (Vampy Varnish)
Color Club - "Lavendarling" (Enamel Girl)

Vampy Purples

Probably the least expected trend, lots of lines threw in some truly vampy stuff!

Nicole by OPI (CVS Exclusives) "Smile for the Glam-era" (PolishAholic)

Medium Pinks

Another totally not-a-shock, lots of companies went the flower pink route.

Essie - "Tour de Finance" (Scrangie)
Duri - "Forget Me Never" (Scrangie)
OPI - Kiss Me On My Tulips (Fashion Police)

Pale Pinks

Even less of a shock are the lighter-toned pinks.

Duri - "Breakfast in Bed" (Scrangie)
OPI - "Pink Friday" (Scrangie)

Nudes

For as much hype as nude polishes have been getting lately, there haven't really been that many, and most range in undertones substantially.

OPI - "Did You 'ear About Van Gogh" (Fashion Police)

Zoya - "Cho" (Vampy Varnish)

Glitter Topcoats

Lots of variation, but there are some really nice glittery polishes that could get layered and stand alone or serve as topcoats, depending on how dense they are. We also had a couple of flakie collections!

Nicole by OPI (Wal-Mart Exclusives) - "Fabulous is My Middle Name" (Dori Davis)
OPI - "Save Me" (Scrangie)
Nicole by OPI - "A Million Sparkles" (Never Enough Nails)

FingerPaints - "Flashy" (Scrangie)
Zoya - "Maisie" (PolishAholic)
FingerPaints - "Flecked" (Scrangie)
FingerPaints - "Motley" (Scrangie)
FingerPaints - "Asylum" (Scrangie)
FingerPaints - "Twisted" (Scrangie)

Assorted Pretties - Not Trends

And as with fall, there are always a few polishes that fall outside of the trends that are too good-looking to miss!

Duri - "Cranberry Crush" (Scrangie)
Nicole by OPI (CVS Exclusives) - "Ladies in the Limelight" (PolishAholic)
Deborah Lippmann - "Mermaid's Dream" (Ommorphia Beauty Bar)
OPI - "I Have a Herring Problem" (Fashion Police)
OPI - "Did It On 'Em" (Scrangie)
OPI - "Gouda Gouda Two Shoes" (Fashion Police)
OPI - "Wooden Shoe Like to Know" (Fashion Police)
Nubar - "Toasted Marshmallow" (PolishAholic)
OPI - "Metallic For Life" (Scrangie)

A Guide to Spring 2012 Nail Polish: Part I - The Polishes

So, similar to my fall post, here are the collections I will use to compare the different nail polish colors for spring:

Barielle - Gem Stone Earth
Butter London - Spring/Summer 2012
Chanel - Harmonie de Printemps
China Glaze - Electropop
Color Club - Blossoming
CND - Spring Shades 
Deborah Lippmann - Spring 2012 [Possibly missing colors?]
Dior - Garden Party
Duri - Valentine's Day
Essie - Navigate Her
FingerPaints - Gumdrops and Lollipops
Misa - Precious Moments
NARS - Spring 2012
Nicole by OPI (CVS Exclusives) - Kardashian Kolors CVS Additions
Nicole by OPI (Target Exclusives) - Spring 2012
Nicole by OPI (Wal-Mart Exclusives) - Spring 2012
Nubar - Jellybeans
OPI - Holland
OPI - New York City Ballet
OPI - Nicki Minaj
Orly - Cool Romance
Sephora by OPI - Betsey Johnson
SpaRitual - Water
Zoya - True
Zoya - Fleck Effects

As with the last post of this nature, thank you to all the wonderful bloggers out there who have posted the beautiful swatches you see below. Please visit their sites -- I could NEVER do this rundown without their hard work!

Reds
Duri - "Every Day is a Valentine" (Scrangie)
Duri - "Sweetheart" (Scrangie)
Essie - "Ole Caliente" (Scrangie)
CND - "Poppyfield" (Live. Laugh. Love. Lacquer.)
OPI - "Red Lights Ahead... Where?" (Fashion Police)
Sephora by OPI - "Pushing Your Luck" (Rebecca Likes Nails)
Nubar - "Cherry" (PolishAholic)
Nicole by OPI - "That's Totally Red-ical" (Beautezine)

China Glaze - "Make Some Noise" (PolishAholic)
Nicole by OPI (CVS Exclusives) - "Strike a Pose" (PolishAholic)

Duri - "Cranberry Crush" (Scrangie)
Duri - "Hot Date" (Scrangie)

Nicole by OPI - "Vio-let's Talk About Red" (Never Enough Nails)

Orange
Essie - "Orange, It's Obvious!" (Scrangie)
OPI - "A Roll in the Hague" (Fashion Police)
CND - "Electric Orange" (Live. Laugh. Love. Lacquer.)

Chanel - "June" (Nail Polish Nonsense)
FingerPaints - "Circus Peanuts" (Love for Lacquer)
Butter London - "Trout Pout" (Lacquered Lover)
Orly - "Prelude to a Kiss" (PolishAholic)
Essie - "A Crewed Interest" (Scrangie)

Yellows

China Glaze - "Sunshine Pop" (PolishAholic)
Nubar - "Lemon" (PolishAholic)
Sephora by OPI - "Yellow My Name is Betsey" (Rebecca Likes Nails)

FingerPaints - "Lemon Sour" (Love for Lacquer)

Nicole by OPI (CVS Exclusives) - "Ladies in the Limelight" (PolishAholic)
 
Greens
Butter London - "Bossy Boots" (Lacquered Lover)
Essie - "Navigate Her" (Scrangie)
Zoya - "Bevin" (Vampy Varnish)
Nubar - "Kiwi" (PolishAholic)

OPI - "Thanks a Windmillion" (Fashion Police)
Dior - "Waterlily" (The Beauty is a Geek)

Deborah Lippmann - "Mermaid's Dream" (Ommorphia Beauty Bar)

Barielle - "Green Opal" (Lacquered Lover)

OPI - "Did It On 'Em" (Scrangie)
China Glaze - "Gaga for Green" (PolishAholic)

Blues
OPI - "I Don't Give a Rotterdam!" (Fashion Police)
Zoya - "Skylar" (Vampy Varnish)

China Glaze - "Electric Beat" (PolishAholic)

OPI - "I Have a Herring Problem" (Fashion Police)

Nubar - "Blueberry" (PolishAholic)
SpaRitual - "Undercurrent" (Love for Lacquer)


Nicole by OPI - "A Lit-Teal Bit of Love" (Never Enough Nails)
Butter London - "Slapper" (Lacquered Lover)
Sephora by OPI - "Too Too Turq" (Rebecca Likes Nails)
OPI - "Fly" (Scrangie) 
SpaRitual - "Ebb and Flow" (Love for Lacquer)

Deborah Lippmann - "On the Beach" (Colour is Magic)
FingerPaints - "Blue Raspberry Taffy" (Love for Lacquer)

Color Club - "Blue-Ming" (Enamel Girl)
China Glaze - "Aquadelic" (PolishAholic)
Nubar - "Blue Raspberry" (PolishAholic)
FingerPaints - "Choco Mint" (Love for Lacquer)
China Glaze - "Kinetic Candy" (PolishAholic)
Misa - "Little Hands" (All You Desire)
Orly - "Jealous, Much?" (PolishAholic)

OPI - "My Pointe Exactly" (Ommorphia Beuaty Bar)


Purples/Lilacs
Orly - "You're Blushing" (PolishAholic)
Nicole by OPI (CVS Exclusives) - "One Big Happy Fame-ily" (PolishAholic)
Essie - "To Buy or Not to Buy" (Scrangie)
SpaRitual - "Lucid" (Love for Lacquer)

Misa - "Sweet Thing" (All You Desire)
China Glaze - "Sweet Hook" (PolishAholic)

OPI - "Dutch 'Ya Just Love OPI?" (Fashion Police)
Zoya - "Tru" (Vampy Varnish)
Zoya - "Lotus" (Vampy Varnish)
China Glaze - "Gothic Lolita" (PolishAholic)
FingerPaints - "Grape Gumball" (Love for Lacquer)

Nicole by OPI (CVS Exclusives) - "Back to Reality" (PolishAholic)
Nicole by OPI -"Purple Yourself Together" (Swatch and Learn)
Color Club - "Hydrangea Kiss" (Enamel Girl)
Nubar - "Grape" (PolishAholic)
Color Club - "Lavendarling" (Enamel Girl)
Dior - "Forget-Me-Not" (Frazzle and Aniploish)
SpaRitual - "Ripple Effect" (Love for Lacquer)

OPI - "Vampsterdam" (Fashion Police)
NARS - "Diamond Life" (Vampy Varnish)
Nicole by OPI (CVS Exclusives) "Smile for the Glam-era" (PolishAholic)
Nicole by OPI - "Shoot for the Maroon" (Never Enough Nails)

Pinks
Essie - "Tour de Finance" (Scrangie)
Nicole by OPI (CVS Exclusives) "Our Fuschia's Lookin' Bright" (PolishAholic)
CND - "Raspberry Parfait" (Live. Laugh. Love. Lacquer.)
Butter London - "Disco Biscuit" (Lacquered Lover)
Nicole by OPI (Wal-Mart Exclusives) - "Best Pink Ever" (Dori Davis)
Sephora by OPI - "Alley Cat" (Rebecca Likes Nails)
China Glaze - "Fuschia Fanatic" (PolishAholic)
Duri - "Forget Me Never" (Scrangie)
China Glaze - "Wicked Style" (PolishAholic)
OPI - Kiss Me On My Tulips (Fashion Police)

Sephora by OPI - "XOX Betsey" (Rebecca Likes Nails)
Misa - "Pinky Promise" (All You Desire)
Duri - "Breakfast in Bed" (Scrangie)
Barielle - "Pink Quartz" (Lacquered Lover)
Nubar - "Strawberry" (PolishAholic)
Color Club - "Blushing Rose" (Enamel Girl)
OPI - "Pink Friday" (Scrangie)

Chanel - "May" (Polish Police)

China Glaze - "Dance Baby" (PolishAholic)
Color Club - "Sweetpea" (Enamel Girl)
Misa - "Bed of Roses" (All You Desire)

FingerPaints - "Pop Rock Pink" (Love for Lacquer)
SpaRitual - "Hidden Reef" (Love for Lacquer)


OPI - "Gouda Gouda Two Shoes" (Fashion Police)
Nicole by OPI - "Great Minds Pink Alike" (Swatch and Learn)

OPI - "Pedal Faster Suzi!" (Fashion Police)
Orly - "Artificial Sweetener" (PolishAholic)

Chanel - "April" (TheBeautyFemme)

Taupes/Nudes/Browns
OPI - "Wooden Shoe Like to Know" (Fashion Police)

OPI - "Did You 'ear About Van Gogh" (Fashion Police)
Zoya - "Farah" (Vampy Varnish)
Zoya - "Cho" (Vampy Varnish)

Misa - "Someone Like You" (All You Desire)
OPI - "You Callin' Me a Lyre?" (Ommorphia Beauty Bar)
OPI - "Don't Touch My Tutu" (Ommorphia Beauty Bar)
OPI - "Barre My Soul' (Ommorphia Beauty Bar)
OPI - "Care to Danse?" (Ommorphia Beauty Bar)

Barielle - "Back to Nature" (Lacquered Lover)
Nicole by OPI (CVS Exclusives) - "Paparazzi Don't Preach" (PolishAholic)

Nubar - "Toasted Marshmallow" (PolishAholic)

Barielle - "Amber Sparkler" (Lacquered Lover)

Greys/Silvers



Misa - "Deep Breath" (All You Desire)

Orly - "Faint of Heart" (PolishAholic)

SpaRitual - "Deep" (Love for Lacquer)

Nicole by OPI (Wal-Mart Exclusives) - "The Gold Shoulder" (Dori Davis)
Nicole by OPI - "Look at Me, Look at Me" (BeauteZine)
Butter London - "Knackered" (Lacquered Lover)

Sephora by OPI - "Son of a Gun" (Rebecca Likes Nails)
Barielle - "Granite Glitter" (Lacquered Lover)
Orly - "Steel Your Heart" (PolishAholic)
OPI - "Metallic For Life" (Scrangie)

Multicolor Glitters and Topcoats
China Glaze - "Techno" (PolishAholic)
OPI - "Pirouette My Whistle" (Ommorphia Beauty Bar)
Color Club - "Diamond Drops" [Over "Hydrangea Kiss"] (Enamel Girl)
Nicole by OPI (Wal-Mart Exclusives) - "Fabulous is My Middle Name" (Dori Davis)
OPI - "Save Me" (Scrangie)
Nicole by OPI - "A Million Sparkles" (Never Enough Nails)

OPI - "Super Bass Shatter" (Scrangie)

Zoya - "Chloe" (PolishAholic)
FingerPaints - "Flashy" (Scrangie)
Zoya - "Maisie" (PolishAholic)
FingerPaints - "Flecked" (Scrangie)
Zoya - "Opal" (PolishAholic)
FingerPaints - "Motley" (Scrangie)
FingerPaints - "Asylum" (Scrangie)
FingerPaints - "Twisted" (Scrangie)

Not yet done; waiting on swatches:

Catrice "Million Styles"

Conscious Box - February 2012

Hey guys!

I have one more box to share with you guys today. I know I need to get a lot of things reviewed, but I haven't been using many of my products lately because I've been so busy and it's been a rough month or so now, so I apologize. :(

 

I hope you can see all of these goodies! I received:

Good Clean Love Personal Lubricant - $1.40

Blossom Organics Arousal Gel - $8.00
Blossom Organic Natural Moisturizing Lubricant - $5.50
Dr. Cleangreen's Instant Hand Purifier - $7.95
C3* for Stress Drink - $3.58
NatureCrops Quinoa & Prunes Bar - $0.24
Natural Vitality Natural Calm Drink - $0.30
Resveratrol Winetime Chocolate-Raspberry Bar - $3.19
Olba's Pastilles - $0.48
Nutcase Crunch - $2.38
HimalaSalt Dhaker - $2.00
SoapBox Soaps - $3.00

As well as some things I couldn't price:

Mayron's Baby Goods Diaper Cream
Bloomin Wildflower Seeds
Simply Oats Granola
Treehouse Herbs - Vitality and Energy Tea
Agape Oils Frankincense Moisturizing Serum
Scientific Organics - Kombucha Cleanser
Badger Lip Tint Butter

So this was at least worth $38.02, without the extra products. :)

I loved this box! I was sent this to review and it just about made my month. I thought the selection was really cute, including the "Adults Only" packet. I thought it was funny that they packaged it separately -- I can't imagine a child actually figuring out what the samples were for, lol.

I'll try to get some product reviews up soon, and thank you to Conscious Box for sending me this box!

Beauty Army - February 2012

Hey guys! Today I have my Beauty Army box from this February, 2012. :) 

I requested and received:

1. Control Corrective Clear Med 5% - 0.1 oz - $0.96
2. Cellceuticals Cellgenesis - 0.33 oz - $28.05
3. Mad Skincare Youth Transformation Age Corrective Serum - 0.13 oz - $7.02
4. StriVectin-SD Intensive Concentrate for Stretch Marks & Wrinkles - 0.75 oz - $20.25
5. Joico K-Pak Revitaluxe - 1.7 oz - $6.13
6. MyFace Cosmetics Blingtone Eyeshadow "Bellbottom Blues" - Fullsized - $20.00

= $82.41 worth of products. :)

This is one subscription I will definitely be keeping!

Julep Valentine's Mystery Box

After seeing all of the awesome holiday mystery boxes that Julep had over the break, I couldn't help but pick up one of the Valentine's mystery boxes they had on sale late last month.

I would have liked to have had one of the ginormous boxes, of course, but I was quite happy with what I received. :) In my box were:

1. Julep Demi
2. Julep Holly
3. Essential Cuticle Oil
4. Topcoat for Hair
5. Glitter Pot
6. Gold Heart Chocolate

I do already have Demi, though I really like the color so I don't mind having a spare. I also was really happy to get the topcoat, because I wanted it in my February Maven box, but liked the color picks for Boho Glam, which had cuticle oil instead -- I lost my first cuticle oil, so I needed another. :)

All in all, amazing deal for $19.99!

I can't wait for the next one. I recommend the mystery boxes to everyone. :)

My Platinum Box - February 2012

Another subscription box for you guys!

I tried out a $0.01 introductory box special on My Platinum Box, a new monthly subscription coming on the market.

So I end up with a pretty small box, but all of the products inside seem pretty nice. I wish there had been a few more, but since I paid a penny, I am not disappointed at all except in that I won't want to pay $10 a month for similar boxes. Too bad -- I have it down in my planner for tomorrow that I'll want to decide on a subscription, though I already know I'm a no-go on this one unless I see some awesome boxes starting next month. They do have excellent and polite customer service and canceled my account with no issues whatsoever. :)

Still, I'm very grateful to My Platinum Box for letting me try their product, and I'm happy with what I did get:

1. The Cool Fix Targeted Gel Lotion (x2)
2. Earthly Body Dreamsicle Hand & Body Lotion
3. Skinnyskinny Tea Tree & Mint Lip Balm
4. Professional Makeup Eyebrow/Eyeliner in Black

Nice little selection of products, as you can see. The only one that I'm not sure about as a product is the eyeliner pencil. One of the vloggers I like said it was pretty hard to apply, so I'm hoping mine is a little softer. :)

If you can try this for a penny, go for it! I'm hoping that the next box retempts me over to the dark side on My Platinum Box. For now, I will be enjoying the products, but I am a no-go on the subscription.

GoGoGirlfriend - January 2012

So, after much ado, much threatening of legal action, and having to literally order the company to refund my (improperly billed, canceled account's) payment, I actually managed to get my January GoGoGirlfriend box! ZOMGx0rs. Hell, this company is so much of a joke that I can't help but to almost wish I'd kept my subscription, just so I can keep track of their shenanigans! :D

So I got my December box. It could have been a lot worse, given how poorly the company treated me, but... for $12.99, it sure could have been a lot better.

So... I got...

1. Floating candle
2. Blossoms Lip Gloss
3. Terry velcro headband
4. Renuderma Creamy Cleansing Lotion
5. Crayon de Levre in "Current"
6. Blum's Naturals Cleansing Towelette in "Organic Orange Peel" and "Organic Grape"
7. Comodyne Self-Tanning Towelette

What to make of this? I actually liked it more when I pulled it out of the box than I did typing it up. The two cleaning towelettes I'll definitely use. I might use the floating candle sometime when I'm feeling decadent, I can always use another lipgloss... maybe the headband will come in handy someday, too. I will absolutely never have any use for a tanning product, so that will be going into a swap/blogsale pile fo sho.

So I'll use the "crayon de levre" as an eyeliner, but... I kind of have a sneaking suspicion that it's a misspelling of "currant" given the color. LOL @ Blossoms (if that's actually who is selling this).

In short, I'm pretty sure GoGoGirlfriend still owes me one more box, but their incomprehensible and moronic customer service department isn't worth the hassle of emailing even one more time to try and figure things out. I'm looking forward to seeing them go belly-up soon, and I hope that there's a legal investigation into this one. It's a hell of a scam, but hey, at least the box is entertaining...

... and I have one giantass floating candle to use someday. Give me a few decades and maybe I'll even feature it in a blog post.

Julep Maven - February 2012 "Boho Glam"

I realized that I have yet to have skipped a month of my Julep subscription, or have even been tempted to skip! This month's was no exception. I do, however, tend to switch out my usual "Bombshell" boxes based on the colors of the polish, and I did so this month.

For February, I received the "Boho Glam" Maven box, which included Oscar, Marisa, a chocolate Oscar statuette, and a bottle of the Essential Cuticle Oil. My cuticle oil had gone missing for a long time, though I love the product and had hardly seemed to have used any of it. So, while I was really tempted by and curious about the Topcoat for Hair, I also recognized that my cuticles are torn up again -- and that I had been wanting to buy some of the oil anyway, so this was a better investment. :)

I thought the Oscar was really cute. The statuette design shows up a lot better in this picture than in real life, though!

Who got this box this month? Who got something different?

Redraw - Essie Color Cube Giveaway Winner!

Since our first winner still hasn't replied back or commented yet, I have selected a new winner!

The new winner is...

April F.

Please check your email and send me your mailing address STAT!

Chanel Giveaway!

A really nice new blog I found is giving away a bottle of Peridot!

http://www.yourfashionmoment.com/2012/01/chanel-international-giveaway.html

Polish Review - Julep "Leah"

I just received my new Julep box, which means it's time for me to kick myself in the rear end and finish up last month's polishes!

Today for you, my darlings, I have Julep's "Leah", the last of the It-Girl January 2012 Maven polishes. This is the grass green, with a strong lacing of shimmer.

 

Grass green with a hint of shimmer describes this color well. It's surprisingly unique in my collection, and it is going to be a great color for summer. I'm not such a fan of it in winter, but hey, worse things have been worn out of season, right?

The color actually did last pretty nicely. Application was a little difficult; it did not want to dry, and it did not want to go on evenly after two coats, even though it definitely was a three-coater. In spite of this, I was glad that I got it, and it filled a hole in my colors. :)

Product Review - Larabar "Peanut Butter Cookie"

Good evening, everyone!

I had a yummy in my last Birchbox. I know that this isn't that big of a deal to most of you, but I actually like it when I get to try food samples in my subscriptions. I'm always really surprised when people are upset about them! Remember, loves, that beauty isn't always just a product you slather on... 

So I have a Larabar mini (100 calorie!) to share with you guys today. This was a timely and awesome present, because up until Monday I had been dieting really well, and I am becoming a big fan of these kinds of small bars. They get you to satiation really quickly, which is awesome.

I liked this one; I had it as a breakfast bar and it was really good. I think that these are some of the better bars on the market; I will probably be picking up a set of these to mix with my RawRev variety pack of minis.

Thank you Birchbox!

Pick Your Olympian Giveaway!

I have a new giveaway for you! I am giving away one of the Hits no Olimpo collection, for you to pick if you win!

I will do my best to obtain it from Llarowe, but if for some reason they are out, I may have to ask to substitute another color. :) This giveaway will run until February 27, at 11:59p Mountain ime. Please note that this is two hours before Eastern time.

As before, I am not opening this contest up internationally, but if you are in Italy or Croatia and don't mind waiting until the summer to receive your prize, I would be willing to mail it to you then.:) So, you guys can enter if you don't mind a big delay!

So who's your Olympian? I'll tell you a secret. My choice of "Olympian" actually does not live on Olympus at all, but in the depths of the Underworld. Too bad there isn't a dark-toned Hit with reddish undertones for my Hades. ;)