Pink Tinsel Mani

If you read my last post, you will see my review and my nails done in the Sally Hansen Sugar Coat "#700 Cotton Candies". - I just wanted to show you my finished look with that mani. While, I didn't put a top coat on it, I did put a tinsel finish on it!

Using SinfulColors' "#1394 Pink Icicles", I made a cascade effect on my nails from the top. This polish was part of the limited edition holiday polishes released last year (2013). This polish looks just like a reddish-pink tinsel combined with black and white tinsel. 

I quite like how it turned out. Not necessarily a holiday-only look in my opinion. If anything, someone might associate more with Valentine's Day than Christmas. The tinsel polish is pretty easy to apply and dries fairly fast.

Beauty Battle: SinfulColors Crystal Crush vs Sally Hansen Sugar Coat

Today I bring you Beautiful Details' first ever Beauty Battle, where I put 2 similar products up against one another and compare to see who the winner is.

First, I bring you- SinfulColors Crystal Crushes in "#1365 Ruby Mine". This is a ruby red and dries to a textured finish that is pretty fine; feels like a very mild sandpaper finish. The "crystal" part of the title holds quite true. From a distance you cannot even tell it is textured. Many people asked to feel my nail, because it does not appear that textured. It applies very easily and this picture is sporting only 1 coat on each nail! The one thing that the picture does not capture well is that there is sparkle to it. I did a blog post about these limited edition crushes when they first came out and after trying out this gem here, I would highly recommend them if you can still get your hands on them or have not yet used them. This also dried quite fast. I did not use a topcoat here, because I didn't want to ruin the texture finish. I did have decent wear time with this polish. It was about 3 days before serious chipping and I wore it for 4 days before removing.

Next, I bring you the competitor: Sally Hansen's Sugar Coat in "#700 Cotton Candies". This is also a limited edition polish, but I still find these available at quite a few drug stores around here.

As for the performance- This polish was much more difficult to apply then the the SinfulColors one. It's not as smooth going on and I had to kind of blob it on at some parts to get the full nail to have complete coverage. This polish took 2-3 coats on each nail. Once dry, the polish is very textured and you can tell from the picture. It finishes to a strong sandpaper finish or kind of like spackle you would see on a ceiling. I quite like the texture and don't get scared by my descriptions, it is not rough and does not hurt anyone, however, it is much more of a texture than the Crystal Crushes. The dry time on this polish is quite fast so it does make for fast application and the coats aren't too bothersome. I did not wear a top coat with this, so I would not ruin the finish. I also had decent wear time with this polish. About 4 days before serious chipping and I went 5 days before removing.

The winner is......SinfulColors Crystal Crush in "Ruby Mine". While, I don't mind the work it takes to get the Sally Hansen Sugar Coat to be opaque, I have to hand it to SinfulColors. The major factor to me that makes the Crystal Crushes an overall winner is that fact that it took me only 1 coat! When you combine that with the fast dry time, it's a clear winner. I do like that the texture on the Sugar Coat shows up much better than the Crystal Crushes, I feel the overall performance, while similar, is edged out by the Crystal Crush. 

Review: MAC Viva Glam Rihanna

In case you didn't know, MAC Cosmetics has a line of lipsticks entitled "Viva Glam" that supports Aids. Every cent goes towards support and research for the disease. This year the spokesperson and color concept collaborator was none other than singer Rihanna, who also launched her limited edition line through MAC in 2013. 

The lipstick along with it's lipglass companion was released online January-21, 2014 and I bought mine that day for $16. It was released in stores January-23, 2014 for the same price, but I wanted to make sure I received one and so I purchased online. Unfortunately, I was not home when it arrived; I was on the other side of the country visiting family. When I did come home my fiance handed me a black shipping box from MAC and inside was a beautiful, small, black box with Rihanna's signature on it. (FYI: I did not buy the lipglass. I was on the fence about it and in the end decided not to buy it.)

"Viva Glam Rihanna", as it is entitled on the website, is described as a "blue-red with a frost finish". So, the tube being both red and having that frost-like look to it suites the whole campaign well. When you feel the tube it has that rubber and frost-like finish to it, similar to NARS makeup packaging.

A MAC Frost is described as having "great color payoff with a frost/shimmer finish". In other words it is suppose to be intensely colored and have sheen to it. My first thoughts when I saw the lipstick itself were that it did not look all that blue and it did have shimmer in it. It also delivered that signature vanilla scent that MAC lipsticks have.

Here is a swatch of the lipstick. In the picture you can see the shimmer and shine to it, which keeps it separate and unique from Rihanna's previous lipsticks released with MAC that were Retro Matte finishes. The "blue" part is up for debate. Obviously, no one thought this lipstick would come out being the actual color blue or have noticeable blue coloring in it, however the tone is just not all the blue/cool to me. I actually feel it is more of a neutral red. Many people have said the same thing or have even stated that it seems more on the warm side. I've heard lighting and one's own skin tone also play a role in how it looks on someone. All I know is that for me it seems neutral.

Here is what Viva Glam Rihanna looks like on the lips. It is quite red, but definitely has shimmer to it which gives it that sheen finish or "frosted look". I like it and I feel it wears very well. You'll get about a good 6 hours out of it without touch-ups. It is not drying, but does not really offer much moisture either. If you have dry lips you'll want to add the lipglass or some gloss to it. I really do feel that this looks neutral on me, even in this picture, and does not look cool or blue-toned.

Final Verdict: This is a 9/10 only because it does not deliver that blue, cool-toned look as advertised. Other than that it is a typical MAC lipstick and I mean that in the highest regard! It performs great, looks great, and most people will find this a useful shade with the bright/red lip trend going on now! "Viva Glam Rihanna" is available in stores and online now. Both the lipstick and lipglass have not come up with shortages, so you will easily be able to get your hands on either or both if you want them.

Leave questions, comments, and links to your own reviews below! Thanks for stopping by!

Review: MAC Punk Couture Lipsticks

The Punk Couture collection by MAC was released at the end of December of last year (2013). Most of the collection were re-promotes, which is a good thing if you wanted something you ran out of; missed; or was damaged/lost. 

I'm still behind, but originally I was never going to post anything on these lipsticks. I feel that just about everyone in the beauty community who wanted these did indeed buy them and they all posted their swatches and selfies with them. So, I didn't really feel the need, but since I have had time to use them, I thought I'd give my review on them. So, this is more informative than just swatches and pictures. All but 1 of the lipsticks were new and on the day they were released I bought 3 of the 4 lipsticks at $15 a piece. The one lipstick I could not come to buy was "Punk Couture" which MAC described as a "deep blackened grape". It was really purple to me and I enjoy light purples, but not dark ones.

The 3 lipsticks I bought from the Punk Couture collection:

• Hautecore
• Instigator
• Studded Kiss

The lipsticks came in black tubes that are shaped similar to bullets and have the MAC logo printed on it. 

Here are the lipsticks before they were ever used. They do look quite beautiful if I do say so to myself. In the same order as the boxes- Hautecore, Instigator, Studded Kiss. All 3 lipsticks are Retro Mattes. (In case you don't know, "Retro Matte" is a super matte formula from MAC. This is a step above a regular matte.)

Here are the lipstick swatches. I only swiped the lipstick down my hand once each and that is amazing! You can see how pigmented they are and how nice they apply. From left to right- Hautecore, Instigator, Studded Kiss. The only issue I had with these lipsticks were with Hautecore and you can see on the swatch that it has patchy spots. Hautecore just does not apply completely smooth.

Here is what Hautecore looks like on. It is described as a "true matte black" and this was the only lipstick that was not new to MAC. This was released on Black Friday of the same year (2013) as a special. Although it was said by MAC that this was an early release and that those who did not get it on Black Friday would be able to buy it later when the Punk Couture collection was released, so the plan was always to release Hautecore in this collection -it's just technically a re-promote. As for the lipstick itself- it is matte and it does look nice on. It wears decently, but the application is not smooth. It takes work and multiple layers to build up the smooth and opaque look you see here. Though a lot of people have said the same thing I have about this lipstick, overall it is loved and I assume that is because there are not a lot of matte blacks in the cosmetic world and especially in the major market. This one takes a bit to set as well and in my opinion does not appear as "retro" as the other retro mattes I own. You can see in the picture it does not look as flat as most retro mattes and is almost more like a regular matte. It wears nice though once you actually get the lipstick to your liking.

This is Instigator. This is described as a "deep blackened plum". Well, in the swatches that were released before the collection were released made it look almost black and to me that seemed too close to Hautecore and wasn't worth purchasing. This lipstick is a very nice color and even though it is quite dark, it's still light enough to be worn on quite a few occasions. This lipstick takes a bit to set. The retro matte of this lipstick will show once it has dried and set on your lips, until then it is more like a regular matte. For the most part this lipstick applies nice, but if you have lips that are more on the pigmented side you'll need a few more layers to make it opaque. It wears very nice though. I've not worn it for more than about 5 hours or so at a time, but it has lasted me nicely every time I've worn it.

Finally, here is Instigator as worn. It is described as a "dark oxblood red". This is the one lipstick most people passed on for being "ordinary" or "too similar to others". I understand to an extent, with RiRi Woo just released before and that's a similar (but not exact) retro matte red, but I like it. It is darker than RiRi Woo. Of course me being the odd duck, I choose this one over Punk Couture, which Punk Couture was more sought after. This lipstick applies the smoothest of all 3 and the most opaque. It wears very nicely and I enjoy it. This lipstick sets fast too and the retro matte effect shows through nicely.

Overall, all of these lipsticks are very nice and have that vanilla scent that MAC lipsticks do. They wear nice and I personally did not experience any drying from these formulas on my lips. As with most mattes and especially retro mattes, your lips should be prepped and smoothed before applying for best performance and appearance. You cannot buy these lipsticks anymore in stores, but there are a lot still available for sale by individuals and the prices are around $30-$45 depending on which lipstick and who is selling it. If you don't feel like overpaying you can wait for a re-release. I have a good feeling all of these lipsticks will be available again at some point.

Leave all questions and comments below, and if you have your own review of any of these lipsticks then please feel free to leave your link below!

Pink Mani

This is a quick post about a recent mani I did myself. I was really surprised how much I liked the combo of the colors and even more surprised at how many compliments I received. I decided to share, because so many people liked it.

Alright, so I'm not a great nail artist, but I'm getting there. I'm actually proud at the progress I've made so far in the past year. Anyway, I'm a simple person who does simple nail combos. I just alternated colors on the my fingers, but it turned out to be cute.

Polishes:

• "Pink Friday" by OPI from the Nicki Minaj collection. (This is a limited edition color you cannot get anymore and is the lighter pink.)
• "Make An Entrance" by China Glaze (This is the darker pink.)

Both polishes only took 2 coats for full opacity and went on fairly easily. If you're familiar with OPI for China Glaze then you know their formulas are pretty good and easy to work with.

Leave comments below and let me know if you want to see more nail posts.