Star Wars CoverGirl Nail Polish - Golden Opportunity

We have acquired another polish from the Star Wars line from Covergirl. It's #230 Golden Opportunity, a pretty nude metallic. The shade is golden, but not CP30 brassy in shade.



Star Wars CoverGirl Outlast Nail Polish, Golden Opportunity

Two coats covered well. No free edge was visible. We've swatched it on a pale skin tone, but will add photos once we try it on our Hawaiian Glambo Girl. It's a color that should look good with any complexion.

If you haven't picked up any Star Wars cosmetics yet, there's still time to shop and get a rebate. Details are listed in our Revenge Red nail polish post.

May the Force Be With You, Glambo Beauties!

Merry Christmas

We always have good intentions, but this might be our last post of 2015! The hustle and bustle of the holidays is upon us. I snapped a quick pic of my nails (and attempt at Christmas tree nail art) while wrapping presents.

Christmas Tree nail art, Cover Girl Star Wars Revenge Red nail polish

Happy Holidays to all of our Glambo readers! Thanks for following us. May you have a great, joyous holiday season and a Happy New Year.

Star Wars CoverGirl Nail Polish in Revenge Red

It's December 18th, 2015. which means Star Wars: The Force Awakens is officially in the U.S. theaters. This long anticipated movie is accompanied by a themed cosmetic line by CoverGirl.

We were able to find a few items at our local stores. For nail polish, we picked color #180 in Revenge Red. The bottle is .37 fluid ounces of CoverGirl Outlast formula.

A quick, on-the-go photo of
CoverGirl Outlast Star Wars Revenge Red nail polish

We usually use salon brand nail polishes (hence the high number of OPI nail polish posts,) so the bottle was a little different for us. We liked it! The brush is shorter, and the top is square, but it was easily adaptable. Two coats covered well, which is good for a red shade.

We were pleased that the cap lined up after use so that we could swatch the polish with both the Star Wars and CoverGirl logos showing. There is also a CoverGirl Star Wars $5 off $15 rebate right now, AND a Proctor and Gamble $15 off $50 rebate which includes CoverGirl. This made our purchase even better!

Star Wars CoverGirl Outlast color #180 is perfect for the holidays as well as any 'Revenge Red' kind of day. If you are tempted to shop the Star Wars CoverGirl line, click the rebate links above to make the most of your purchases.

May the (Beauty) Force Be With You!

Burt's Bees Gift Sets

We discovered how much we loved Burt's Bees products via a beauty-loving friend and a gift set. It's a great way to try this 100% natural brand at a discount. It also makes a nice little gift for others.

Our favorites so far:

Burt's Bees Almond Milk Beeswax Hand Creme:



Burt's Bees Almond Milk Beeswax Hand Creme

I love this stuff! It has a light almond scent, and is rich, thick, and moisturizing. I keep it in kind of a weird place - my nightstand drawer. The reason is that I like to use this product at night. I'm an avid hand washer, and get dry skin. I would forget to add Burt's Bees Hand Cream to my nightly routine, and then would get out of bed to put it on, or would be too lazy and skip it. (Some nights, it's a lot to get the makeup off, and teeth brushed and flossed, right?) So, it's in my nightstand drawer. I crawl into bed, realize that my hands feel dry, and apply it. The hand cream is emollient, and leans toward a slightly greasy feel when first applied. My skin feels great that night though, and is moisturized when I wake up in the morning. I've used several jars so far, and consider it an essential product.


Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream:

Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream

The cuticle cream definitely has a lemon scent, but it's not overly Pledge smelling and is therefore tolerable. Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream is a soft cuticle balm that I prefer to use in lieu of cuticle oil. This product may not be on your radar, but beauty bloggers love it. If you are doing nail polish posts, this is a must have item. The only draw-back is that it's easy to put this product in a bathroom drawer and forget about it. Try to keep it someplace you will remember to use it on a semi-regular basis. (Mine is near the nail polish remover.) 1-2 uses per week works great!  The cuticle cream lasts a long time and is worth the cost, especially if you buy it as part of a gift set.

Burt's Bees Lip Balm:

 

I may not have tried this product on it's own because I'm not usually a Chapstick-type person unless I'm going skiing. The Burt's Bees Lip Balm ended up in my nightstand drawer along with the hand cream. (I only have theses two beauty products in there, but it works for me!) Again, I feel dry at the end of the day - probably due to my love of long-wearing lipsticks. Add some Burt's Bees Lip Balm at night, and the dryness is gone in the morning. I have the peppermint, but it comes in many flavors and scents. You can feel the mint, so be prepared for that if you buy that type. Whether it's winter dryness, or summer sun, Burt's Bees Lip Balm keeps lips pucker-up moisturized.


If you try these products on their own or find them in a gift set, you won't be disappointed with Burt's Bees.

MockingJay Part 2 - Flashback to The Hunger Games Nail Polishes

The last movie in The Hunger Games franchise hits theaters this week. MockingJay Part 2 is here! It's hard to believe its been several years since the first movie and since we first published the China Glaze Capitol Colours nail polish collection.

If I recall, we got first dibs on the polish in the store, and I literally broke two nails putting the polish on the counter to pay. That's why some of our swatches are on very short nails. Here's a flashback to some of our most used colors:

Hook and Line (full reviews highlighted) topped with Luxe and Lush.

 


Hook and Line with Luxe and Lush overlay
China Glaze, The Hunger Games, Capitol Colours


Next up, Riveting:

Riveting, China Glaze, The Hunger Games, Capitol Colours

Here's a swatch of Harvest Moon:



Harvest Moon,
China Glaze, The Hunger Games, Capitol Colours Collection

 
Luxe and Lush bottle. Color used as a top coat over Harvest Moon.

Harvest Moon with Luxe and Lush overlay.China Glaze, The Hunger Games, Capitol Colours

Thanks for indulging us in our Beauty Flashback! We hope you enjoy the MockingJay movie and have a great week!

XoXo,
The Glambo Girls

Cookie's Empire Fashion and Nails

Attention Empire Fans! The second season starts next Wednesday 9/23.  Sure, the series music is great, and the story lines are good. What we are most looking forward to is Cookie! We can't wait to see her fired up personality paired with her snazzy nails and wardrobe choices. Here's a peek at last season's looks brought to life by actress, Taraji P. Henson.



Cookie in the Boardroom wearing Purple Fur. (Empire on Fox Network.)

(Don't you wish you could dress like that, walk into the office, and tell everyone how it really is?)



Cookie, acting like a boss, in animal print. Empire on Fox.



Cookie meme - Empire, Fox Network Wednesdays 9pm, 8pm Central,

 

Cookie on Empire, black and red nails. #nailart

Cookie's Gotta Gun - and red nails! Empire on Fox.

Cookie Lyon (actress Taraji P. Henson) Empire

And, these are the tame looks! We'll be watching on Wednesday for more.

 





Pac Man Turns 35

Happy Birthday Pac Man!

To celebrate, we've added a pic of our favorite Pac Man nails.

We wish we could read the watermark better to link to their social media. This manicure is so cute!

This short video reminds us why we love Pac Man (and let's not forget Ms. Pac Man.)

 

It also references the upcoming movie, Pixels, which shows Pac Man's creator and a larger than life version of the game.

We can't wait to get out our nail dotter and brushes to add a Pac Man mani of our own!

OPI - Hotter than You Pink

Even short nails look better with polish. That's what I have been telling myself since I have been klutzy lately and keep busting my nails. In honor of a 'Pink Wednesday,' here's OPI Hotter Than You Pink. It's part of the Neon Summer collection.

OPI Hotter Than You Pink - photographed in bright lighting.

The polish goes on a little sheer. It's been applied over a clear base coat on natural nails. One extra coat makes it look darker and brighter.

OPI Hotter Than You Pink - neon collection

Happy Pink Wednesday!

China Glaze The Hunger Games Capitol Colours, Luxe and Lush, District 1

We love this polish as beauty addicts, not so much as a writers. Is it Lux and Lush, or Luxe and Lush? At first, we thought we had made errors - twice. Then, we discovered the discreptancy. The polish bottle says Luxe and the marketing material says Lux. So, if we make a typo, just know that we are confused. ;)

China Glaze, Luxe and Lush, Hunger Games Collection

Regardless, this is our new favorite nail polish and is, in our opinion, the very best one from the The Hunger Games Collection. We are applying it over everything! Luxe and Lush is great for nail art or perking up any color or design.

China Glaze Luxe and Lush over Harvest Moon, Hunger Games Collection

 

Here it is over Harvest Moon shown above, and over Hook and Line, shown below. Each are polishes from the China Glaze Hunger Games collection, Capitol Colours.



China Glaze Luxe and Lush over Hook and Line polishes from the Hunger Games collection.

We'll have more pictures from the Hunger Games China Glaze line coming soon.

Revlon Starry Pink

While wandering through Walgreens one day, I stopped in my tracks to look at his nail polish. I admittedly have a 'nail polish problem,' but usually purchase the pro brands. This Starry Pink color by Revlon struck me, and I immediately went home to try it out. I loved it! Unfortunately, my visitors loved it too, and snagged the bottle! I only got this one photo which does not do the polish justice. I hesitated to post this picture, but decided to go for it since I liked the polish so much. If you see a bottle in the store, buy it! - Then, hide it from your friends! ;)

 

 

Revlon, Starry Pink nail polish



China Glaze Magnetix Polishes - An Overview

Here's the batch of China Glaze Magnetix polishes we were able to acquire.

After applying a base coat and letting it dry, apply the Magnetix polish.You'll want to do this process one nail at a time. Next, carefully, and quickly hold the magnet over the nail.  Hold still, or the design will end up more swirly than anticipated. Also, resist the urge to look before the design has set. Another novice mistake that we made was accidentally touching the magnet to the wet polish. It's probably going to happen to you at first, but you will get the hang of it. Overall, we like the magnetic polishes, and especially the China Glaze magnet.




China Glaze Magnetix in Drawn to You shade with Magnetix magnet.

Here's our first attempt with each color:
(Click title to view photos.)

Drawn to You,  a purplish hue
Pull Me Close, a silverfish blue that reminds of all the shades of denim
You Move Me, a metallic tan accentuated with chocolaty magnetic marks
Cling On, a surprise favorite that is much prettier than it appears in the bottle.


If you are sick of shatter polishes and want something new to try, then China Glaze Magnetix is for you!

China Glaze Magnetix - Drawn to You

More Magnetix colors! This one is in the lavender-purple range of shades and is called, 'Drawn To You.' If you haven't used the China Glaze Magnet yet, it is a fun, easy way to do random nail 'art.' 

 

China Glaze Magnetix, Drawn to You

 

The magnet works on specialized magnetic polishes. Using the China Glaze Magnet, you hold the preferred design over wet polish to give a unique look to your manicure.

 

China Glaze Magnet, Magnetix polish - Drawn to You
 

We are still perfecting our technique. It's a fun process as long as the magnet doesn't touch the polish.

Check out our other Magnetix posts for more China Glaze colors and designs.

 Happy polishing!

 

Harvest Moon - China Glaze Capitol Colours from The Hunger Games

We've tried several shades from the Capitol Colours collection previously. When we were shopping, we were drawn to the bronzy color of Harvest Moon.  This is a rich shade with a metallic finish, but it doesn't look too dark.

The Hunger Games Capitol Colours, Harvest Moon

Our pictures aren't the greatest this time around, but we really like the polish. We added Luxe and Lush to the ring finger as shown below. Luxe and Lush offers a nice accent with the iridescent peachy pieces, don't you think?

China Glaze Harvest Moon with a Luxe and Lush accent.
The Hunger Games Capitol Colours collection.

We decided to add Luxe and Lush all over our manicure.

China Glaze Luxe and Lush over Harvest Moon,
The Hunger Games Capitol Colours

There are still more China Glaze Hunger Games colors for us to share with you, so stay tuned! Thanks beauties!

China Glaze Magnetix - Pull Me Close

We are still having fun with the China Glaze Magnetix collection. Today, we are posting one of our favorite Magnetix colors, Pull Me Close. However, this polish did prove to be the most difficult to photograph. Even imperfect magnetic lines still look good with this lacquer.

China Glaze, Pull Me Close, Magnetix Collection

It reminds us of shiny denim with an added twist of the darker magnetic lines. Here is a picture of the star on the thumb nail.

China Glaze Magnetix, Pull Me Close, Star Magnet

We got a lot of compliments on this polish, which always a good sign. The rest of the China Glaze Magnetix Collection is linked below.

China Glaze You Move Me Magnetix Nail Polish

Magnetix nail polish by China Glaze seems to be our obsession over the last few weeks. We'll start by introducing a shade that appears to be the least popular, but is actually one of our favorites.   

What makes the China Glaze magnetix so cool is their horseshoe shaped magnet. It's easy to use and has three different designs that can be used on any magnetic polish.

China Glaze magnet with three designs. Sells for $10 US.

In the bottle, You Move Me may appear a little blah and similar to other colors you may already have. (Just being honest.) In fact, the ladies at the pro beauty supply store said that this color barely sells compared to the other shades - until we showed them our nails.

What we love about it:

   

The color is perfect to show off the designs created by the magnets. As you can see, the magnetic lines aren't black like you'd expect. They turn a deep brown, and in the right light, the edges get a frosty glow. The combination is really cool. If you have a conservative job, you could still get away with a You Move Me magnetic manicure. When you are out and about, people will still ask to see your nails and give you compliments. 

China Glaze You Move Me magnetic nail polish.
Thank you to our new nail model! First polish pics ever.

So, if you are at the store and see a bottle of China Glaze's You Move Me, don't pass it up! You just may fall in love with the shade and it's magnetic chocolatey swirls.

  

China Glaze The Hunger Games Capitol Colours Riveting, Dist. 3

Another long title / name for The Hunger Games nail polish collection from China Glaze. When we first heard the buzz about the Capitol Colours, we envisioned bright crazy shades based upon our knowledge of Capitol fashion from the books. (They paint themselves green and have surgery to look like a tiger for Pete's sake!) Then, China Glaze changed course and decided to focus on the colors of the Districts. Upon seeing the collection, we were slightly disappointed by the lack of loud shades. So, we were immediately drawn to the orange Riveting.

China Glaze Hunger Games Capitol Colours Riveting

Maybe we were just in 'hater mode' that day, because my next out-loud thought was that the hue was similar to OPI's Animal-istic. I was immediately chastised by the girl in the beauty supply store, and rightfully so. This color has such a great shimmer to it. It's been swatched on pale skin, but we just know it would look even prettier with a tan. Grab a bottle of this color now because you will really want to use it more often come spring and summer. Look at this sparkle! Love it!

If you read our Hook and Line post, then you know that most of my nails snapped when we were getting our Hunger Games nail polish collection. Maybe that's why I wasn't my usual up-beat self. One thing is for certain though, you can't help but be happy when you see this shade of orange on your nails (even if they are shorter than you would prefer.) The color and sparkle are sure to make you smile. And, if you are creating 'Girl on Fire' nails, then this polish is an absolute must-have.

China Glaze Hunger Games Capitol Colours - Hook and Line, District 4

Well, that's a long title and description for a long awaited nail polish! Thousands of people are lining up this evening to see the midnight showing and release of The Hunger Games movie. We, here at Glambo, are wearing our Hunger Games nail polish, specifically Hook and Line, District 4 (fishing.) And, we dressed it up with a polish from District 1 (luxury) Luxe and Lush.



The Hunger Games, Hook and Line, District 1



Before you look at our nail pics, know this: Our swatches were hexed! Just before picking up our entire collection of The Hunger Games colours, my nails snapped and broke (so low that they bled. I know, gross, right?) So, please forgive the stubby nails. Of all the nail polishes that we have tried this year while blogging, it almost seems appropriate that this happened with The Hunger Games collection. It's an imperfect, sometimes violent world.

On to the polish:

Hook and Line might seem a little drab in the bottle, but once applied, the color grew on me. The application color matched the bottle on the first coat, but it was sheer. We normally apply two coats over a base, and with two coats the color was darker, greyer and slightly bluer. At first, I preferred the lighter shade, but once Hook and Line was topped with Luxe and Lush, District 1, it was even prettier.

We are reviewing Luxe and Lush, District 1 separately, but we can tell you that we really liked this polish too. It's sure to be a favorite out of the entire collection, and it sold out quickly in stores. We like that the iridescent flecks are all random, odd shapes, not perfectly round circles like other polishes. Again, it's appropriate for The Hunger Games.

China Glaze Hunger Games Capitol Colours
Luxe and Lush over Hook and Line

For those that read The Hunger Games books, we hope you like the movie and get a chance to enjoy The Hunger Games Capitol Colours collection. We have more swatches coming soon, so stay tuned to Glambo.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Top o' the mornin' to ya! Ok, only one of us is part Irish, and it isn't the girl typing, so bear with me. ;) St. Patrick's Day is always fun here in the U.S. The iconic lore of the holiday always makes us think of a few simple things. Since we aren't indulging in green beer and corned beef & cabbage today, we'll keep this post limited to rainbows, that elusive pot of gold, and a cute little leprechaun.

When it comes to beauty, finding the right gold can be tricky. OPI's Gold Shatter nail polish is sure to delight everyone, regardless of coloring and skin tone. It has a pretty metallic shimmer, and the sparkle is really enhanced by a top coat. It separates well, and looks good over any color of nail lacquer.



OPI Gold Shatter over white nail polish.



OPI Gold Shatter over OPI Animal-istic of the Muppets Collection.

The ultimate rainbow can be found with OPI's Rainbow Connection. This gorgeous polish was part of the Muppets Collection, and was limited edition. If you can find a bottle, make sure you capture it! This varnish is truly unique. It sold out quickly, and is still in high demand.

OPI Rainbow Connection, from the Muppets Collection.

As for leprechauns, we are turning to http://www.bellabits.com/. Bella is a twelve year old food blogger cooking up all kinds of treats. She also is our tween Glambo Girl. She always look great, and we love her nails in this picture featuring her shamrock cookie.

We hope you have a fabulous St. Patty's Day! May the luck of the Irish be with you all year long.
XoXo, Glambo

Chinese New Year Nails

This year, Chinese New Year falls on January 23rd. Red and gold colors symbolize luck and good fortune, and we thought this was the perfect opportunity for a gold shatter manicure. We added the Chinese symbol for 'luck' with a nail art brush and black nail polish. Not too bad for our first free-handed attempt at Chinese lettering.

May the Year of the Dragon bring you good luck, prosperity and happiness.
Love,
The Glambo Girls

Republic Nail - Crackle Nail Polish

While at the local Walgreens, we noticed yet another brand of crackle nail polish. We had never heard of this company before, but since we have tried all others, we decided to put Republic Nail 'Green F' Crackle to the test.

It retails for $5.99, which is the cheapest of the bunch. It also comes packaged, which is different from other shatter nail polish brands. There are basic instructions in English and Spanish: Base color, crackle, top coat. What was interesting is that there was an expiration date. Ours was purchased in August of 2011 and it expires in November of 2012. This makes sense since nail polish thickens as it ages, and crackle polish tends to dry out. Republic Nail also states, "Strongly shake before using."

The style of the brush and the consistency of the polish made it difficult to use thin brush strokes, but that didn't seem to be a problem since the thick coats crackled better. (Every brand and sometimes even color can vary the optimal application technique.) This polish has a very strong paint thinner odor, unlike any nail polish we have ever tried. We would suggest using it in a well ventilated area, but not under a ceiling fan as crackle polishes will dry out in the bottle. This brand thickened some during use.




(Please forgive the short nails. They broke right before trying this polish.)

We used a white nail polish as our base color. The green crackle had a very matte, almost chaulk-like finish to it once applied. A top coat added some shine. Republic Nail crackled okay. We did get some on our skin, which was not easy to remove, and our cuticles seemed dried out. (You can see it in our photo even after we used lotion.) We selected the neon green color since we had not seen that shade before. The polished effect matches the bottle. (It definitely has a bright, day-glo hue in different lighting.)

We would pick a similar green as a base color and top it with a another brand of white shatter to create this combination in the future. If you have the option, our advice is to spend the extra $1-$3 to buy another brand. We're not going to officially give it a Glambo Dis, but we're not raving fans of this brand.