SUPER BLACK Lacquers Dusted Swatches

Hey, guys!  Today I have another SBL to show you, and it's absolutely gorgeous.  I've had my eye on this for a while and was lucky enough to snag it in an order earlier this month.

FingerPaints Amethyst Accent + Jamberry Pocket of Posies Swatches

Today I've got another purple shade and a Jamberry nail wrap to share with you!

Update - That Lacquer Girl is on Bloglovin'!

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Safety Issues Surrounding Neon Pigments

Hi, guys! Today I'm going to talk some more about a pretty serious issue: neon pigments in cosmetics.  Neon pigments (that is, colors that are UV-responsive) are NOT approved for use in the eye area. The dyes used to create UV-responsive colors can cause adverse reactions when used in the eye area, even sometimes negatively affecting the wearer's eyesight. There are many sellers out there, large- and small-scale that create and sell neon products and, appropriately, advising consumers that the colorants are not FDA-approved for eye use and not to apply them on or around the eye area. There are other sellers out there, however, that have no such warning.  It is all too easy to buy some jars, slap a handwritten "100% Natural" label on them, and dump soap dyes in them for resale.  I wrote about this a few years back, in regard to a specific company, when this seemed to be happening fairly frequently.  I noticed yesterday that I got a significant amount of hits from a Reddit thread last year questioning a newer company that appeared to be selling soap dyes as eyeshadow.  That company is still operating and selling neon pigments as eyeshadows, so I thought it was an important topic to bring up again.  Always do your research.  I wouldn't want anybody out there unwittingly causing themselves harm just to glow under a blacklight for a few hours.  You can view my list of brands I do not support to see a handful of companies doing this, and other sketchy stuff.  Always be wary of thing like this - especially when it comes to things you wear on or around the eye area - and research everything that seems too good to be true.  Stay safe out there!

OPI My Voice Is A Little Norse + Do You Have This Color In Stock-Holm? Swatches

Hey, guys!  Today I've got two more colors from the OPI Nordic collection for you!  I had swatched these around the same time as the other Nordic collection colors I have, which I posted back in August.  For some reason, though, I put these swatches on Tumblr and not here.  Whoops!

Ginger + Liz I'm So Over Him + Kicking & Screaming Swatches

Hey, guys!  Today I've got another color that I've had for a while and hadn't swatched (and one that I posted on Tumblr that didn't make it over here for some reason).  The 100 day no-buy is going well, and giving me a chance to swatch some of the colors that I've had just sitting around.  I'll admit, there are a few things that have tempted me, but I'm actually feeling pretty good about it.  Without further ado, go ahead and click through for the swatch!

Sinful Colors Ice Dream Swatches

Hey, guys!  Today I was inspired to finally swatch Sinful Colors Ice Dream!

Rainbow Honey January 2015 Mini Mystery Bag Swatches

Today I've got a lot of stuff to talk about!  I recently subscribed to the Rainbow Honey Mini Mystery Bag, which is the sole exception to my 100 day no-buy.  Not wanting to miss out, I also purchased the January bag separately from my subscription.  I received the January bag on Saturday, and today I'm going to talk about everything that was in it.

KBShimmer Flannel Surfing + Rust No One Swatches

Hello, everybody!  Today I've got two polishes to show you from the KBShimmer Fall 2014 collection.  Right away when I saw the promo shots for this collection, I thought that these two colors would go beautifully together.

SUPER BLACK Lacquers HBIC Swatches

Hey, guys!  Today I'm really excited to show you another shade from SUPER BLACK Lacquer!  I have had my eye on this one for a long time, but seeing as how I don't have infinite disposable income and Natalie has SO many beautiful selections, this one had to wait.

Butter London Scouse Swatches

Hey, guys!  Today I'm swatching another Butter London shade.  This one was really tricky to photograph, so you're going to find several pictures behind the cut!

Revlon Parfumerie Wintermint Swatch

Hey, guys!  Today I'm swatching a color that I've actually worn several times but never gotten around to photographing until now.

Update - Lots of New Stuff on the Way!

First of all, I want to let you guys know I signed up for Rainbow Honey's mini mysetery bag subscription.  After mulling over various beauty bag subscription services for awhile, I found myself swayed by Phyrra's Fails and Holy Grails of 2014 video and went with Rainbow Honey.  I received an E-mail yesterday telling me my first mystery bag was being processed for shipping (I didn't want to miss a month so I purchased the January mystery bag separately from my subscription), and I'm really excited for it to arrive!

 Next, I'm pleased to say that I ordered five more colors from Super Black Lacquers: Bruiser, Dusted, Rinse + Repeat, Blitz, and HBIC.  I always try to order five SBLs at a time because Natalie offers a discount of $1 per bottle when you order 3 or more, and $2 per bottle when you order 5 or more.  She also packages the bottles in a really cute, foil embossed box when you get five.  If you haven't tried Super Black Lacquers yet, there's a mystery gift box option that includes five assorted colors for just $45.  I have seven colors from SBL and they are all gorgeous.

And last but not least, I'd like to mention that there are only two days left in Zoya's New Year New Hue promotion.  You can get any three polishes plus a limited edition set of three minis for $15 shipping.  Plus when you select an additional $25 in merchandise your shipping is free.  I ended up taking advantage of this offer twice, so I'll essentially be getting 12 shades at half price plus six free minis.  What a steal!

And now that I've told you about all of the stuff I've bought lately, I'm going to tell you that I'm enacting a no-buy (the only exception being the Rainbow Honey mystery bags, which I hope will be enough to tide me over).  I've seen several bloggers talking about doing a 100 day no-buy, and I felt like that would be a really good idea for me.  My hope is that I can make it even longer than 100 days, but I have a feeling some Summer collections will be calling my name by then.  Only time will tell!

Editing to add: I just remembered I also picked up Clearly on Top, Jack, and Flannel Surfing from KBShimmer! Even more reason for me to be on a no-buy... -_-' But Jack is a LE color and I wanted to snag that while it was still in stock, so I feel pretty justified in that purchase.

Formula X for Sephora Vortex Swatches

 I've got another Formula X for Sephora swatch to show you today!  This color reminded me of a Zoya that I absolutely love.  Click through to find out which one!

Formula X for Sephora Infamous Swatches

Our desktop is back up and running (for now)!  I've had these photos for a while now and just haven't gotten around to editing them, so I apologize in advance since I know I won't remember some of the details for this particular nail of the day...

Update: I'm Still Here!

I can't believe I haven't posted a swatch since October! I am so sorry, guys! There have been a number of reasons, but I don't want to make excuses. I have taken some pictures, and I plan to update more in 2015. Unfortunately, that's on hold at the moment, as our desktop has broken down again.  I still have my phone and my little laptop, but my editing software is on the desktop, so I have to wait until it's operational again to post new swatches. I will say that I just took advantage of Zoya's current New Year New Hue promotion, so I have nail mail on the way! If you haven't seen anything about this promo yet, it's awesome. You can pick any three colors and Zoya will include three limited edition minis, and you only pay $15 shipping. If you break that down in terms of what you're actually paying for, your full size bottles are essentially 45% off and you get the three minis for free. But on top of that, they're offering free shipping on orders with an additional $25 purchase. So I just got the entire Bubbly collection for half price, plus the minis. If you have $27 to spend and you want to add some Zoya to your collection, this deal is really great and I highly recommend checking it out.  I hope to be posting swatches again soon so I can show you my new goodies!