Three Milani Holo Nail Polishes

I think Milani has the only holographic polishes that are available at the drugstore.  Sure there are a few others with holo glitter, but that doesn't count.  While these may not have the strongest holo effect, they are still holo, and of course that means that I had to have them.  I have three right now, but plan on picking up the rest when I get the chance.
Sorry for not much chatter today, I have an exam on Friday that I need to study for!

These are all swatched with no base or tops coats.  This was 2 coats of each color.

Milani Cyberspace in the sun

Milani Cyberspace in the shade

Milani 3D in the sun

This one probably had the least holo effect.  It still was more than this picture shows.

Milani 3D in the shade

Milani Hi-Tech in the sun

Milani Hi-Tech in the shade

Available:

• These retail for $4.99 and are available in drugstores where Milani is sold or on Milani's website.

Thank you for reading and have a great day/night/whatever!

elf's $1 Essential Lipsticks- Swatches and Review

I originally bought 2 of the $1 essential lipsticks from my local grocery store that carries elf.  I liked the formula, so the next time I placed an order on elf's website I ordered 2 of their newer lipstick colors.
It's strange, the newer colors seem to have a completely different formula than the older shades I bought in store.  I've already shown you in my review of elf' mineral eyeshadows how elf isn't very consistent in their products- the two mineral eyeshadow brushes I got were completely different from eachother.  I guess when selling things for so cheap, quality control isn't as stringent.  But Wet n Wild also has products in the same price range as elf's and I haven't seen the same consistency issues.  Sure there are Wet n Wild products I don't like, but at least I can be more sure the reason is not just because I got an off product.

Because of the differences between the 2 sets of lipsticks I swatched them separately.

elf Lipstick in Seductive and Gypsy

The first two lipsticks I bought- Seductive and Gypsy, I really liked.  They were a little more sheer than the second set I bought, but still left a good amount of color on my lips.  The lipsticks themselves were a little dry, but not drying on my lips, if that makes sense.  I don't feel like I need to put on lip balm before wearing the lipstick.  These lipsticks dragged a bit across my lips when I applied them, but they didn't apply streaky and I didn't have to apply a bunch of layers to get the color payoff I wanted.

elf Lipstick in Seductive and Gypsy

elf Lipstick in Seductive and Gypsy

elf Lipstick in Seductive and Gypsy

elf Lipstick in Seductive

elf Lipstick in Gypsy

elf Lipstick in Flirtatious and Sociable

The second two lipsticks, the ones I bought off elf's website, were quite different.  Both are very pigmented and look pretty in pictures, but that about as far as I can go in giving praise.  These were very creamy and soft.  TOO creamy and soft as both lipstick bullets have pretty much dislodged from the tube.  I have to be very careful when applying them as they tend to squish down.  I had this problem more with the color Flirtatious (the bubblegum pink color).  But Sociable had it's own problems.  You can't tell in the picture, but Sociable is incredible gritty.  I couldn't figure out why this was as it looks like a cream finish lipstick.  When I removed it I discovered that the grittiness was tons of huge flaky silver glitter.  The lipstick is so pigmented that you can't see the glitter at all, it just looks like gross chunks of gross.  Yes, gross chunks of gross.

I'm not really sure if these last two lipsticks were just a fluke, but I emailed elf and they are sending me new ones.  If they are any different I will update the review.

elf Lipstick in Flirtatious and Sociable

elf Lipstick in Flirtatious and Sociable

I'm frustrated you can't see the chunkiness of Sociable in the swatch.  But trust me it's there, and it looks really ugly.

elf Lipstick in Flirtatious

elf Lipstick in Sociable

The ingredients

Overall, I would recommend the first two shades, Seductive and Gypsy.  I like the color of Flirtatious, but it was way too soft.  And Sociable just felt gross because of the grit.  Luckily elf is really good about sending out new products if the ones you bought were defective.  But this has happened to me several time already.  It seems like it would be easier for them just to have better quality control to begin with...


Available:

• These lipsticks retail for $1 and are available on elf's website (I'm not going to link to them because every time I go to their website they send me an annoying email).  You can also find these at stores that carry the $1 elf essential line.

Thank you for reading and have a great day/night/whatever!

Sally Hansen Crackle Polish in Fractured Foil Swatches and Review

I was hoping to get pictures of a few more manis with this crackle polish before making a post about it, but I'm still lamenting the loss of my nail on my swatching hand and refuse to take pictures of it.
I had heard that the Sally Hansen crackle polishes didn't "crack" as well as other brands, but I was actually impressed with it. I have the black OPI crackle and the formula is disgusting- it's like tar.  I still wasn't sold on the whole crackle thing even after I bought the black one, but the silver has finally pulled me in.

When I bought the crackle polish I was wearing Orly Luxe, a pale cool gold.  I was worried that there wouldn't be enough contrast for the crackle to show up, but I had to use it anyway.

Sally Hansen Fractured Foil over Orly Luxe in the sun

Next time I will use a darker gold, but I still think the effect is pretty cool.

Sally Hansen Fractured Foil over Orly Luxe in the shade

in the sun

For this mani I used two different blue cremes from Models Own.  The darker blue is called Betty Blue and the lighter one is called Top Turquoise.I think I messed up with my index finger because i don't think the polish was dry enough when I painted the crackle over it.

in the shade

Thank you for reading and have a great day/night/whatever!

e.l.f.'s Mineral Eyeshadows Swatches and Review

I was really skeptical of  e.l.f.'s loose mineral eye shadows before I bought them.  Eyeshadows from indie companies are some the most nuanced and pigmented out of any shadows I have ever used, so these e.l.f. shadows had a high bar to reach.  I bought these on a whim because they after the sale the sets were $2.50 each and came with 2 eye shadows and a brush.  I love the eyeshadow brush from e.l.f.'s $1 line and wanted to try these. Since I bought 2 sets I got 2 eyeshadow brushes.  I discovered something... interesting that I never would have if i only bought 1.  I'll show you at the end.

These sets of 2 shadows and an eyeshadow brush were $5 each.  I think I got them for half off though as elf is always having sales.

Eyeshadow ingredients

It's hard to tell in the pictures but the jars are like 1/3 full.  I don't mind really as I would never use up a full jar anyway.

From left- Beachy, Dreamy, Outdoorsy, Earthy

The top row is swatched dry and the bottom row is swatched over a sticky base.

I am actually really impressed with these.  These are some of favorite products from elf.  I like that they don't contain talc. Also look how pigmented and sparkly they are!  I didn't experience any fallout either. The colors are just complex enough for my tastes and I especially love Outdoorsy.  If you didn't know there came from elf, you would think they were from a really good mineral makeup seller.  They aren't chalky at all, but apply smoothly and I didn't have any problems with fading either.

Here are the mineral eyeshadow brushes compared to the eyeshadow brush from elf's $1 essentials line.

Compared to the $1 brush, the bristles are stiffer,more coarse, and not nearly as soft.  I've had that $1 brush for over 5 years and have never had any issues with shedding or anything. for me, the mineral brushes work best for patting color on my lid while the essentials brush I can pat or sweep and even buff the color on.

I never would have known this if I hadn't bought two of the brushes, but look how different they are.  You can also see how different in the side view in the picture above this one.  They are like totally different brushes.  The one on the left has longer, flopper bristles and feels less dense.  The one on the right has shorter stiff bristles of varying lengths.

I am using the same pressure to push down on the bristles of each brush.  You can see how the one on the left is a lot floppier than the one on the right.  Quality control for the loss!

elf's products tend to be hit or miss for me.  I tend to only buy the ones that have gotten good reviews.  Sometimes I branch out from that and am pleasently surprised, like with these eyeshadows.  But far too many times I am disappointed.  Also, I'm a little turned off by how elf is run.  I get tons of emails from them and because of cookies, I get a "We miss you!" email every time I visit their site, which I don't like at all.  They have been pretty good about replacing items that were faulty or broken, but they never let me know that they are going to after I email them.  Not until I get a random notice that my order is shipped and I realize it's the replacement when I go and check!

Available:

• These sets retail for $5 each on elf's website but I have also seen them at Target in store.

Thank you for reading and have a great day/night/whatever!

Week 12: Shopping my Stash for Untried Polish- Holographic Glitter Frankenpolish

Here is a polish I made and then promptly forgot about.  I actually wore it on my toes after I made it, but never on my fingers.  Glitter is such a PITA, but I've been wearing it a lot lately because I don't have time to change my nail polish every other day like I used to, and glitter stays on my nails forever without chipping. I've been resorting to peeling it off when I get tired of it, which isn't doing my nails any favors, but it is rather satisfying.
This franken was incredibly easy.  I have a little glass vial of holographic glitter from Wet n Wild (I think it was from one of their seasonal collections- maybe Halloween?) and I just dumped a bunch in some clear nail polish and added some metal balls to help with mixing.  It's gorgeous but it dries as gritty as sandpaper.  I think I used 3 coats of top coat to get it smooth enough to satisfy me. I've been wearing the polish for over a week now and I only have the tiniest bit of tip wear.  This glitter sticks to my nails like cement.  I am not looking forward to removal!  Although I'll probably give in and try to peel it off.  I actually took a picture of my non-swatching hand.  It was awkward, but I managed to sacrifice my comfort in the name of the blog! Oh, and click here to see untrieds from previous weeks.

This is two coats with base and top coat. 

Frankenpolish- Holographic Glitter in the sun

Frankenpolish- Holographic Glitter in the sun

Thank you for reading and have a great day/night/whatever!

A Few Items From MAC's Bloggers' Obsessions Collection

I'm sure you and the rest of the world already know about MAC's Bloggers' Obsessions collection.  MAC had a contest with 60 bloggers or so for them to submit ideas for a lipglass or an eyeshadow.  Out of all the entries they picked 9 bloggers.  These bloggers got to go to MAC's laboratories and create their dream shade.
I'm not big on MAC's eyeshadows, before this I only owned two mineralized ones from the Venemous Villains collection.  The colors seem mostly one-note and not pigmented enough for my tastes.  I don't really care for lipglasses either. I only have 3 and rarely wear them (Cremesheens are my favorite glosses).  But I was excited to see what some of my favorite bloggers would create.  After seeing swatches I decided on Jealousy Wakes, Parisian Skies, and Hocus Pocus eyeshadows and Evolution Revolution lipglass.  Jealousy Wakes and Evolution Revolution are by two of my favorite bloggers- Christine from Temptalia and Karen from Makeup and Beauty Blog.

I'll show you pictures and give my thoughts after each one.

From left- Jealousy Wakes, Hocus Pocus, and Parisian Skies

From left- Parisian Skies, Hocus Pocus, and Jealousy Wakes

I know some people are grossed out my eyeshadows swatched on fingers, and I agree that it isn't the most appealing, but I thought this picture showed off the colors and their finishes pretty well.

From left- Jealousy Wakes, Hocus Pocus, and Parisian Skies

I first swatched these dry over bare skin and the second swatch for each color is over a sticky base.  There is a huge difference between the two, right?  Used dry these are pretty sheer (which is precisely why I don't like MAC shadows), but they look amazing over a sticky base.  Straight out of the pan and dry, Jealousy Wakes is the most pigmented and actually provides pretty good coverage without being put over a base.  While Hocus Pocus and Parisian Skies were really smooth while Jealousy Wakes is a tad gritty.  Not anything major, I think it's just  because it is the most sparkly of the three.

I really like the colors, though.  They seem pretty unique and I'm glad I bought them.  Sadly, at the time of me writing this, both Jealousy Wakes and Hocus Pocus are sold out. :(

MAC Evolution Revolution lipglass

This one is gorgeous!  I love it so much.  Yes it is pretty sheer (it's meant to be), but it's so beautiful layered and even by itself with an intense eye look.

Here are my bare lips just for reference.

MAC Evolution Revolution

MAC Evolution Revolution over Ever Hip lipstick

Available:

• You can buy the Bloggers' Obsessions eyeshadows and lipglasses from MAC's website for $14.50 each. (At the time of this writing, Jealousy Wakes and Hocus Pocus are sold out).

Thank you for reading and have a have a great day/night/whatever!

My Summer Giveaway! Open Internationally! *CLOSED*

The giveaway is now closed! Thank you to everyone who entered!

Yay, it's giveaway time again!

So now that summer is officially here, I wanted to have a giveaway of some fun summery items and colors.

Here is what you can win:

• Finger Paints nail polish in Add & Abstract
• Finger Paints nail polish in Rose Patina
• Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear nail polish in Mellow Yellow
• Travel size Lorac TANtalizer
• Revlon ColorStay Mineral Finishing Powder in Sunkiss
• Sephora lip gloss in Summer Crush
• Stila Collectible Beach Palette #2- Haute in the Hamptons

How to Enter:

• You MUST be a follower of my blog through Google Friend Connect and I have to be able to find your name. (This is one entry)

Bonus Entries:

• (+1 additional entry) Follow me on Twitter (@JessiLPP) and retweet this EXACT message- RT @JessiLPP for a chance to win some fun summer makeup! How to enter- http://tinyurl.com/LPPSummerGiveaway
• (+1 additional entry) Post about my giveaway on your blog's sidebar. Feel free to use the top picture.
• (+1 additional entry) Make an entire blog post about my giveaway. Feel free to use the top picture. 
• (+1 additional entry) "Like" my blog on Facebook- Lacquered, Painted, Polished

The Rules (Cuz ya ALWAYS gotta have rules):

• The giveaway is open from the instant this posts until Friday July 8th at 11:59 pm CST (2 weeks).
• You MUST leave your email address in the comment.  Feel free to obscure it so spam bots don't find it.
• Leave a link (URL) to your tweet, blog, blog post, etc so I can check.  If you don't link to it in the comment, I will not be able to count that entry.
• If you are a minor, please get your parent's permission before entering.
• I will email the winner after the contest ends.  The winner has 48 hours to respond to the email or I will pick a new winner.
• There will be 1 winner and they will be chosen randomly.
• This giveaway is open internationally. 
• Please don't use more than one email address to enter yourself multiple times.  It isn't fair to those who play by the rules.
• Please try to put all your entries in one comment.  If you later decide you want to do a bonus entry you can leave another comment.

Please structure your comment like this:
1. (email address)
2. Google Friend Connect name
3. Link to tweet.
4. Link to blog so I can see your sidebar.
5. Link to blog post about the giveaway.
6. Your Facebook name.

If you have an questions at all please email me at lacqueredpaintedpolished@gmail.com.


Thank you guys for everything and good luck!

Recent Purchases and An Upcoming Giveaway

Hey guys!  Here is a rare double post from me.  Some days I don't feel like even thinking about writing blog posts and some days I feel like writing 500.  Today is one of those 500 days, but I'm going to restrain myself and settle for 2!

Oh, I made a Facebook page for the blog.  There isn't much going on over there at the moment, but if you want, you can head over and "Like" me- Lacquered, Painted, Polished on Facebook.

You may have guessed from "hint" in the title, but I have a giveaway coming up soon!  Soon as in, I'll be posting it in the morning!  I know I just had one a month ago, but I had a few things left to give away and I had such a fun time doing it last time I had to do another.  My boyfriend told me I shouldn't do one so soon after the last one. But I told him that I already had the stuff for it. He eventually just said, "Well, tell your friends that they can't be expecting a giveaway every month because I already have one woman (meaning me) spending all my money and I don't think I can afford any more."  He makes me laugh.  He pretends to be all crotchety, but he's really just a huge goofball.

Anyway, here are a few things I've bought recently.  Some of it may look a little familiar tomorrow when you see the giveaway, as a few things are meant for it.

These are mostly Finger Paints polishes I bought from Sally Beauty Supply.  Most of them were on clearance for $1.99.  I also couldn't resist picking up the turquoise China Glaze Crackle. The Sally Girl mini polish is for frankening.

I've had several cards with store credit for Sephora for the longest time.  I was saving them to buy the new MUFE liquid eyeliners but I got tired of waiting for my Sephora to stock them so I just bought other stuff.  I've been wanting the Lorac palette for the longest time but I knew that I would never use the bronzing luminizer tube.  So that is going in the giveaway.

So there ya go!  Keep an eye out for my giveaway in the morning!

Thank you for reading and have a great day/night/whatever!

I'm Really Loving These $1 Shimmer Eyeliner Pencils From elf

I have a lot of eyeliners.  And while most of my makeup is drugstore, the majority of my eyeliners are not.  About 75% of them are Urban Decay.  I love Urban Decay's eyeliners for their staying power and range of colors.  I won't claim that these $1 eyeliners from elf are just as good as Urban Decay's, but I find them pretty damn good.    A little disclaimer about me first- my skin is pretty average, not too dry or too oily so while things will crease or smudge on my eyelids, my eyes are super finicky and pretty much anything will last on my upper lash line as long as i wear a primer.  My only issue is that I have super watery eyes and this always eat up my eye makeup in the inner corners of my eyes, no matter which primer I use.

Even with my watery eyes I had good wear time with these liners.  They lasted all day (12 hours) until I removed them.  They are rather creamy and soft so those with oily lids may experience so smudging.  I was surprised at how pigmented these are. With other cheaper liners it usually takes a few swipes to build up the color on my lid, but not so with these.  They are a good inch shorter than Urban Decay's pencil, but claim to hold more product- 0.05 oz vs 0.04 for Urban Decay.  Good thing these liners are only $1 because it feels like you lose a lot of product when you sharpen them.  And speaking of sharpening, they have a sharpener built in the lid.  While this may seem convenient, I find it more annoying.  Also due to the sharpener there is a big open space in the cap.  I'm worried that this will cause the liners to dry out faster.  Overall I'm really glad I purchased these and now wish I had bought more.  For $1 they are worth a try.

Here you can see the big gap in the lid due to the sharpener.

From left- Precious Pink, Grassy Green, and Twinkle Teal

This is Twinkle Teal on my upper lash line and Precious Pink below my bottom lashes.

Here I used Grassy Green on my upper lash line and Precious Pink below my lower lashes.

Ingredients

Available:

• These retail for $1 and are available on elf's website.

Thank you for reading and have a great day/night/whatever!