Lacquered Lover Nail Art Extravaganza!

Good morning my fellow lacquered lovers!  Happy Wednesday to you all!  I'm in a fantastic mood today because thanks to all of you, my Lacquered Lover Facebook page his over 5,000 likes yesterday!  Thank you to everyone for all of your continued support!  So, to celebrate, I thought it would be fun to go back and post up some of my nail art over the last few months while I was on hiatus from the blog but still posting on social media in case you missed it!  

There are dotticures, penguins, gold leaf, gradients, and more! Now, without further ado, on to the polish!

 Above - American Apparel Neon Gradient

 Above:  China Glaze Neon Rainbow Gradient

I did this manicure twice, in two different ways, over the course of 2 weeks last summer!  The first one I did for Pride in NYC and did it as I usually do a gradient.  Then for the Color Run, I decided to try a sideways gradient and absolutely fell in love with it!  Just adore these bright shades!

 Above:  Ciate Feather Manicure Kit

Yes, I put actual feathers on my nails.  I actually loved this manicure, it was a lot easier than I expected!  You paint your nails, put on a clear coat, gently place the feather on the nail, top coat again, and then just file off the excess!  Pretty neat idea!

Above:  CND Nail Art

I was lucky enough during NYFW last September to be invited up to the CND Design Lab to have one of their master manicurists do a nail art look on me!  On my thumbs, she used shellac to recreate the Red Rum look from the Blondes AW2013 show and the rest was the silver foil manicure from the Michael Van Der Ham London shows!  Such a fun look!

 Above:  Deborah Lippmann Mermaid Gradient

 Above:  Illamasqua Textured Dotticure

 Above:  Jesse's  Girl Julie G Frosted Gumdrops Gradient

 Above:  Jin Soon Epidote and Gold Flake Nail Art

Above:  Nails Inc. Leather and Denim

 Above:  Nails Inc Nail Wraps in Fowl Play and Emerald Bay nail polish

 Above:  Nails Inc. My Dad Invented That and Clueless Nail Wrap

 Above:  OPI James Bond Gradiant

 Above:  OPI Alcatraz Rocks and Solitaire Gradiant

 Above:  Penguin Nail Art

 Above:  Zoya Casey and Gilty

 Above:  Zoya Hunter and Gilty

 Above:  Zoya Fall Gradiant

Above:  Zoya Texture Dotticure

So there you have it!  A LOT of nail art!  This is making me want to do an epic manicure coming up this weekend!


What did you think of these manicures?  Which is your favorite?

Some of the products in this post were sent to me for my unbiased review. Please see my disclosure policy for more information.

OPI Gwen Stefani Instagram Giveaway!!!

Good morning my fellow lacquered lovers!  Happy Monday to you all!  I hope everyone had a lovely weekend!  I have some really exciting things coming up on the blog soon (including a full review of the OPI Gwen Stefani collection) but first, I wanted to share a fun giveaway I'm having on Instagram with you!

I'm giving away both Push and Shove, a gorgeous silver chrome with a base coat, as well as Over and Over A-Gwen, which includes the gorgeous red nail polish as well as nail art elements from Swarovski!  To enter, you need to follow @lacqueredlover on Instagram and repost this picture on your instagram account with #LLOPIGiveaway !  This giveaway is open until Feb. 5th, 2014 so hurry up and enter today!

Good luck!

Milani Gold Label Nail Polish Collection for Spring 2014 Swatches and Review!

Good afternoon my fellow lacquered lovers!  Happy Friday to you all!  I hope you all had a lovely week so far and are looking forward to the weekend!  Today, I have 12 gorgeous nail polishes from Milani that they sent me to review to show you!

This Spring Milani is releasing 6 vibrant creme polishes and 6 different glitter toppers!  Now, without further ado, on to the polish!

 Above:  2 coats Colorful Coral

Colorful Coral is a very orange leaning coral.  This polish is super bright but has just enough pink to it to not be a true orange.  The formula was very smooth, completely opaque in 2 coats.

Above:  1 coat of Sugar Cane over 2 coats of Colorful Coral

Sugar Cane consists of pink and purple metallic bar glitter and multiple sized white hexagonal matte glitters in a clear base.  I'm not a huge fan of bar glitter so this was probably my least favorite.  I can't even imagine how many coats you would need to make this opaque but the glitter did come out easily.

 Above:  2 coats of Popping Pink

Popping Pink is a slightly lighter bright pink creme nail polish.  There is a hit of blue base to this but not overpoweringly so.  The formula was good, very smooth and opaque in 2 coats.

 Above:  1 coat of Sugar Rim over 2 coats of Popping Pink

Sugar Rim was one of my favorites from this collection!  All matte glitters in black, red, light blue and yellow in slightly varying sizes, I can honestly say I don't own anything like this.  All of these glitters are suspended in a clear base and apply really easily to the nail.

 Above:  2 coats of Splendid Strawberry

Splendid Strawberry is a more medium, red based bright pink creme.  This is a classic pink for spring and I'm sure there are dupes out there for this.  The formula was great, very smooth and opaque in 2 coats.

Above:  1 coat of Sugar High over 2 coats of Splendid Strawberry

The first time I saw the name Sugar High, all I could think of was Empire Records and Renee Zellweger singing on top of a roof.  That being said, this is another super unique glitter topper!  This polish consists of peach, yellow, light blue, cobalt, red and gold small hexagonal glitters in a clear base.  I love how different this is!  It reminds me of Easter.  The application was very easy to get the glitters out.

 Above:  2 coats of Vivid Violet

I think Vivid Violet is my favorite of the cremes.  This is a medium blue based violet and it's stunning!  It's very vibrant without being neon.  The formula was great, opaque in 2 coats and very easy to apply.

Above: 1 coat of Sugar Coated over 2 coats of Vivid Violet

Sugar Coated is a glitter topper full of multiple sized and shaped lime green matte glitters and a tiny bit of holographic glitters sprinkled in.  Usually I hate bar glitter but it's sparse enough here that I kind of like it!  The formula was very easy to work with and get the glitter out.

 Above:  2 coats of Showy Sea-Green

Showy Sea-Green is a muted bright green polish.  I guess I would call this a grassy green?  It's actually a really pretty shade because it's not yellow leaning.  The formula was great, opaque in 2 coats and very smooth.

Above:  1 coat of Sugar Burst over 2 coats of Showy Sea-Green

Sugar Burst is the light pink version of Sugar Coated.  All matte light pink glitters and tiny holographic glitters in a clear base.  It's actually very pretty and dainty, not as stark as a white would be but looks really cool over bright colors!  The glitters came out really easily and smoothly.

 Above:  2 coats of Power Periwinkle

Power Periwinkle is, as you might guess, a really pretty periwinkle!  This shade is a bit violet leaning and just super gorgeous on the nails.  The formula was a bit streaky on this one but was mostly leveled out in 2 coats.

Above:  2 coats of Sugar Rush over 2 coats of Power Periwinkle

Sugar Rush is a glitter topper with light pink, light green, peach, white and silver hexagonal glitters.  This was the only glitter that gave me a problem.  I found I had to fish to get the glitters out and had to just put a glob of polish on the nail and manually spread it out to get any sort of glitter coverage.  I had to use two coats for the coverage you see above and it was rather thick.

All in all, I think Milani did a great job with these.  The cremes were virtually all 2 coaters, very smooth, very opaque and easy to work with.  The glitters were unique, fun, and different!  These polishes will be out in February wherever Milani is sold and retail for $4.69 each.

What did you think of these polishes? Must have? Any dupes?

The products in this post were sent to me for my unbiased review. Please see my disclosure policy for more information.

Lime Crime Velvetine Lipstick Swatches and Review!

Good afternoon my fellow lacquered lovers!  Happy Thursday!  Hope everyone on the east coast survived the snow this week!  I was up taking care of my parents dog and got a TON of swatching done so be prepared for a bunch of new posts!  Now, if you follow my Instagram or Facebook pages (@lacqueredlover) then you know of my love for makeup.  Today, I'm going to share with you some of my favorites from the past year:

These lipsticks from Lime Crime are a liquid lipstick that within a few minutes dries to a super matte finish.  I can easily get 8 hours of wear out of each lipstick, including meals, without really having to reapply.  The great thing about each of these is that they literally do NOT come off on anything, not cups, not utensils, not even with smooching!  They can be a bit runny when applying, so I always use a clear lip liner when wearing these to help prevent feathering.

Above:  Suedeberry, Pink Velvet and Red Velvet within 1 minute of application.

Now, without further ado, on to the lippies!!!

 Above:  Lime Crime Pink Velvet

 Above:  Lime Crime Pink Velvet with makeup

Pink Velvet is a bright, vibrant, HOT pink lippie!  It's brighter on the lip than it looks even in the bottle but it's the perfect hot pink shade.  I find it's light and bright enough to wear either day or night!

Above:  Lime Crime Red Velvet

 Above:  Lime Crime Red Velvet with makeup

Red Velvet was the original Velvtine lipstick and is a true bright red.  This shade definitely isn't blue or pink leaning and just gives you a retro, 1940's matte red lip.  It might be my favorite red.

 Above:  Lime Crime Suedeberry

Above:  Lime Crime Suedeberry with makeup

Suedeberry is somewhere between an orange, red and coral lip color.  It's really bright and fun but you need a bit of spunk to pull this shade off!


All in all, I'm kind of obsessed with these lipsticks.  I've bought all three in the last year and can't wait for more shades!  They last longer than any other lipstick I own and I can't think of anything that has the same matte finish that doesn't transfer on ANYTHING!  These are all available on the Lime Crime website for $20 each and are definitely worth it in my opinion!

What do you think of these lipsticks?  Any must haves?  Any dupes?

Neutrogena Makeup Giveaway for Night at the W!

Good afternoon my fellow lacquered lovers!  Happy Friday to you all!  What better way to kick off the weekend than with a giveaway?

Neutrogena is launching a new line of makeup and is having a special celebration at Walgreens on January 23rd, 2014 to celebrate!  Stop by your local Walgreens between 4-9 PM for the following:

·         Complimentary samples
·         A chat with Walgreens chic Beauty Advisors
·         Buy 1 Get 50% off all Neutrogena® products (excluding Sun Care and Trial Sizes)
·         A chance to win an unforgettable trip for two to Nashville, TN to visit some of Hayden Panettiere’s favorite hot spots, and even get a makeover from a leading makeup artist!
·         50 lucky winners will also receive a Walgreens gift card worth $50

To celebrate, they are going to give away to ONE lucky winner in the US 1 Healthy Volume Mascara, 1 Crease Proof Eye Shadow and 1 MoistureSmooth Color Stick!  

Just fill out the form below to enter and don't forget to stop by Walgreens on the 23rd to check out the great deals!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Textured Nail Polish - Nail Art, Manicures, & The Difference in Finishes!

Good morning my fellow lacquered lovers!  Happy Friday to you all!  As we start off 2014 together, I have SO many fun things to share with you!  Now if you've been following my social media over the last year, you've kept up with some of my favorite trends and products but sadly I've neglected my blog for a bit.  That's all changing now and I'm back!  I figured I would start off with one of my favorite trends from 2013 that I see continuing this year (and am VERY happy about!)

Textured polish!  Now there are many different types of textures and different brands that make them so here is a brief overview for you of all those polishes that don't require a top coat and dry quickly!  Now, without further ado, on to the polish!

Above:  Deborah Lippmann I Fought The Law

Deborah Lippmann has created the Punk Rock Collection which consists of 3 polishes.  Each of these has a definite texture like sand granules, however it's not overly glittery.  I Fought The Law is the only one with a shimmer to it and it's not really too evident on the nails unless in direct light.  You can see the texture as soon as you apply the polish and it dries within a few minutes.  This collection retails for $19 each and has a very pronounced texture to it.

Above:  Illamsqua Paranormal Collection

The Paranormal Collection by Illamasqua's main feature is that it glows under a blacklight.  However another feature to it is that it has a satin finish when left without a top coat.  A satin finish is very smooth and shimmery and feels soft to the touch, rather than slick like a top coated polish would.  I did this nail art also using the rubber finishes from Illamasqua which I've reviewed before that are more like a matte satin finish and look rubbery.  The Paranormal Collection retails for $17 each and comes in 3 shades.

Above:  Jesse's Girl Julie G Frosted Gumdrops Gradient

Jesse's Girl Cosmetics Frosted Gumdrops are now in their second 6 piece collection with the Holiday collection.  The first textured polishes we saw last year are like this, fine glitters that dry to a sandpaper like finish.  The Julie G are a bit thick to work with but for $3.99 per bottle, it's a great price.  They are really fast drying and have a nice glitter payoff, and as you can see above, work easily for nail art!

Above:  Jin Soon Mica and Obsidian

Jin Soon released a matte top coat that gives a satin like finish which I love.  I showed it above over Mica and it gives a super smooth, fast drying finish to any polish.  I find this is more smooth and sleek than most matte top coats and doesn't leave a chalky residue like many can.  This top coat is from the Tibi PR collaboration and retails for $18 and is great to give any shade you already have a different finish.

Above:  L'Oreal Hidden Gems and Sexy in Sequins

Last fall, L'Oreal came out with the Colour Riche Gold Dust Textured Collection which has 2 different types of textured polishes, those with finely cut glitter and then 3 with these, a mixtures of fine glitter and larger glitters.  I like the combination of the two as it makes this more sparkly.  They dried very quickly and retail for $6.99 each and have 9 different shades so far.

Above:  unnamed ManGlaze

Ok I just threw this one in for fun but ManGlaze made me this custom blue glitter and has a slightly rough texture and I love it!  Here's hoping they release it for real!

 Above:  Nails Inc Concrete Effect in Stonehenge

 Above:  Nails Inc Leather Effect in NoHo and Denim Effect

Above:  Nails Inc. Leather Effect 

Nails Inc. has 3 different effects I'm showing here.  First is the Concrete effect which weirdly enough actually feels like pebbled concrete!  This is more smooth than the Deborah Lippmann with larger particles but definitely has a "chunky" finish.  The Denim Effect has a more rough finish and feels like unrefined denim and has a bit of a sparkle to it.  The leather effect feels like leather and dries to a more shiny finish.  The Denim Effect definitely dries the fastest of these three while the leather and concrete effects take about a half an hour to set.  All of these retail between $7 and $11 when they are still available.

 Above:  OPI Alcatraz Rocks

 Above:  OPI Alcatraz Rocks and Solitaire Gradient

Above:  OPI Mariah Carey Liquid Sand

OPI has the Liquid Sand line that retail for $9 each.  The Liquid Sands were one of the first textured polishes and started off with all fine glitters and has moved into a mixture of fine and chunky with their holiday collection this year.  The formulas on these are great, easy to work with and super fast drying, plus the colors are really sparkly and multi-dimensional.  

 Above:  Zoya Chita

 Above:  Zoya Dahlia and Chita

 Above:  Zoya Sunshine and Dahlia

Above:  Zoya Pixie Dust Nail Art

Last but not least is the Zoya Pixie Dusts, the first textured polishes I ever knew about!  I remember seeing these at NYFW in September 2012 and being amazed by them!  They are up to 18 shades now, all fine glitters, most of them containing at least 2 different shades to give them a lot of dimension!  I'm in love with these, so fast drying, great for a manicure on the go!  These are available to $10 a piece and are well worth it.

Whew!  There you have it, lots of glitter, leather, denim, concrete, satin, and more!  I really do love textured polishes and hope they aren't going anywhere.  More and more brands like Jordana and Sally Hansen are now releasing them and I think it's only a matter of time before the high end brands jump on board!  Let me know what you think below!

What do you think of these polishes?  Any must haves?  What are your favorite textures?

Some of the products in this post were sent to me for my unbiased review. Please see my disclosure policy for more information.