Showing posts with label Anna Sui. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Anna Sui. Show all posts

Monday, April 20, 2015

Nails: Spring In Pink

Pink enamel shades always make the nails look good. At this time of the year,  they very much relate to the flowers which are blooming here and there. If you have no garden to look at and enjoy, you can simply make your nails bloom with a (more or less affordable) nail polish.
1. New York Color Long Wearing Nail Enamel #156 (Target $0.94)
The nail polish is really great - a shimmery and vivid color. It gives a rather sheer coverage on the nails though. I like it anyway. It gets dry on the nails fast and makes them look pretty.
My rating
Packaging and brush: 5/5
Durability*: 5/5
Overall appearance on nails: 5/5
Price:5/5

2. Vernice Brillance Nail Lacquer #61 Rose Pastel by Yves Rocher ($9 - often available with 50% discount)
Another shiny polish. Although the Rose Pastel is a bright shade, it covers the nails well because it is well pigmented. The brush is rather flat which makes the application easy.
From the manufacturer: Tested under dermatological supervision.
My rating
Packaging and brush: 5/5
Durability*: 5/5
Overall appearance on nails: 5/5
Price:3.5/5 


3. Cutie Girl Nail Polish (Dollar Tree $1)
I came across it by accident and I am glad I decided to buy the nail color. A good brush, makes the application even, with no problems. The nail polish dries quickly and lasts on the nails quite long. I love the color which is more purple than pink of course. 
My rating
Packaging and brush: 5/5
Durability*: 4.5/5 
Overall appearance on nails: 5/5
Price:5/5
Great brush - makes even application really easy

4. Anna Sui Nail Color #305
The Nail Color is part of Dave Lackie's sweepstake prizes which I have won at the beginning of this year (I wrote about it here). It is a very delicate nude-like, pink shade with some shimmery accent which looks really elegant on the nails. The bottle is cute. However,  I need to get used to the shape of the upper, black part. Since it is rather flat, it makes the nail polish application a bit more difficult. But if you can manage dealing with it, the results are quite pleasing.
My rating
Packaging: 4/5 (esthetic impression 6/5)
Brush: 5/5
Durability*: 5/5
Overall appearance on nails: 5/5
 
5. Scented Nail Enamel Grapefruit Fizz by Revlon
It contains brocade-like, shiny particles. The scent, which is quite nice, appears when the nail polish gets dry. The brush allows an easy and flawless application. Although this kind of nail polish has been discontinued by Revlon, many shades of the Scented Nail Enamel series are still available at some online stores. I purchased mine in Poland some time ago. I cannot recall how much it cost there but the price was certainly quite resonable.
My rating
Packaging and brush: 5/5
Durability*: 3.5/5
Overall appearance on nails: 5/5

* My hands/nails & nail polish are 'exposed' to all the housework (including washing/dish-washing) I do every day


Whenever I decorate your nails with an enamel, I also use some base coat to protect the nail plates. This Quick Dry Coat by Revlon is one of the best I have ever tried.
From the manufacturer: DBP, toluene, and formaldehyde-free.


To make the nail polish last longer, prevent it from chipping, and add some extra shine to the nails, I also apply the Strengthening Top Coat by Sally Hansen at the end of my mani session. It was transparent when I bought it, it got some color due to the enamel shades used. Although the Top Coat dries quickly on the nail polish, I still have to be careful for an hour or so, not to mess up my nails which I most often do anyway. I simply have no time to sit doing nothing and wait till all the layers on my nails get totally dry.

Happy Spring nail coloring!


Thursday, February 5, 2015

Anna Sui Cosmetics from Dave Lackie

In January I was the lucky winner of one of the Luxury Giveaways by Dave Lackie, beauty editor and Cityline expert. I came across his Beauty The Guide a few months ago and since then, I have been enjoying reading his articles on the news from the makeup and beauty world. I am really glad I found Dave's website, not only because I won, but also because I had missed that kind of good reading/magazine after moving to this part of the world.
I learnt about Anna Sui from Dave Lackie and his online posts. Having spent most of my life in Europe, I am more familiar with all the bigger and some smaller European brands/names. That is why - when I won this set - I thought I would look for Anna Sui cosmetics in local stores, to see what they looked like. Well, I did not succeed as they simply did not have any items by her.
Now, when I have already received my lucky set, I am glad I was not able to see the products before. It made the happiness of winning them even greater. When the package arrived, I was so amazed (and happy of course) how cute the little things are! And the shades are so pretty too! They are the cutest cosmetics I have ever had and each of them is special in its own way.
Thank you Dave! Thank you Beth!

1. Nail Polish No.305 - shimmery and lovely - and the little bottle! Of course I am going to use it soon.

2. Rose Cheek Color No. 602 - more and less shimmery (which I love) and wonderful shades. And the box - so girly...

3. Lipstick V 303 - the shape of the little container and the lipstick itself are truly original.  Shall I start using it and destroy the cute star or keep it as it is, to look at it and enjoy the art? :)

4. Glittery Lip Gloss No. 601 - I love glittery shades/cosmetics. The lip gloss looks great on the lips and smooths them nicely.