Birthday Haul

My birthday week (haha) is off to a great start! I have a really funny story to share... I have a co-worker, who is the most amazing co-worker in the history of co-workers. And this fabulous person has an equally fabulous 5-year old granddaughter. This little girl is the type of kid who is 5-going on-25. She is a smart little lady who knows exactly what she wants, and apparently what she wanted this week was to pick out some nail polish for me for my birthday. How adorable, right? But the super exciting part is that somehow this tiny little person, who hasn't even made it to grade school yet, somehow managed to pick out the absolute PERFECT polishes for me, including three specific shades I have been wanting, and two bottles from a brand that I have been wanting to try. I have no explanation for this, other than that she just might be my soul sister. 

So, with the exception of these first 3 polishes (which I bought), everything else was a birthday gift from my co-worker's darling granddaughter. 

Lust For Lilac, Dust Rose, and Sail La Vie

1). Maybelline Color Show: Lust For Lilac. I saw a student wearing this shade at work and it was GORGEOUS. I immediately went home and ordered it from Target online (which, by the way, if you have their Debit RedCard you'll get 5% off of everything you buy AND free shipping on all orders online. It's amazing and I highly recommend taking advantage of this). I wore this color last week and the formula was terrific. The only thing I don't like is that it's a 0.23 fl.oz. bottle, but I only paid $3, so whatever. 

Indoor natural lighting

It can also pull a little bit more lilac in certain light 

2). Sinful Colors: Dust Rose. I was at Target with my Mom and it seemed like the Sinful Colors display got re-vamped. As you may know, these polishes are only $1.99 and they are great quality, so I basically just grabbed for colors that caught my eye. This shade seems to be just your basic creme polish with the tiniest bit of silver shimmer running through it. The formula is pretty good, kind of thick, but it's a nice sort of muted neutral-esque color. 

3). Sinful Colors: Sail La Vie. I had actually been on the lookout for this shade after my favorite YouTuber mentioned that it was one of her favorite blues. So when I was in Target that day I noticed it on the shelf and immediately grabbed it. The formula is just okay... it's a little bit watery and had a tendency to pool around the sides of my nail, but it was nothing that couldn't be corrected. I was curious if it was a dupe for Essie's Bikini So Teeny, but it is darker. I did come across a dupe for BST in this haul, so stay tuned...

4 & 5). Nuance, by Salma Hayek: White Jasmine and Red Ginger. I've been wanting to try this line after hearing good things about it, but I hadn't purchased any yet. How did she know?! I believe they retail for about $5.99 at CVS, and how cute are these bottles?! White Jasmine is a bit streaky, but by three coats I got full opacity. Red Ginger, on the other hand, had a BOMB formula. Like, absolute perfection to apply. Two coats and you're good to go. I am in love. 

Sally Hansen's (L-R) Shimmy Shimmy, Babe Blue, and All Bright

6). Sally Hansen, Xtreme Wear: Shimmy Shimmy. This polish hadn't been on my radar only because I don't gravitate toward or usually purchase glitter polish, but it's actually really pretty. It's a fun teal color, and when I put this on I had the thought that I really should try glitter more often. 

7). Sally Hansen, Xtreme Wear: Babe Blue. This is one of the shades that I have been wanting to own, and to be honest I'm not really sure why I didn't already have it in my collection. I really like the Xtreme Wear line and I've been happy with all of their products I already own. When I got home I went to compare it to Essie's Bikini So Teeny, and low and behold, they are essentially (in my opinion) perfect dupes! The formulas are ver similar, too, although I liked the Essie formula a tad more. But let's be honest, a $3 bottle vs. $8.50? If you want to save a few bucks, buy Babe Blue. 

Bikini So Teeny = pointer & ring finger. Babe Blue = middle & pinky; two coats each

8). Sally Hansen, Xtreme Wear: All Bright. This is really cute pink color. It's bright and vibrant, perfect for summer or spring. The formula is good and it's a great addition to my collection. The color is very similar to Wet N Wild's Candylicious. 

9). Essie: Tart Deco. This is the shade that I literally couldn't believe she picked out. I have been wanting this color for the longest time! I do own Resort Fling, which is very similar, but the formula on Resort Fling is sort of a pain in the butt to work with. I guess Resort Fling is a jelly polish, and apparently I do not like jelly formulas, lol. But Tart Deco is a standard creme polish, and I love it. The color is bold and gorgeous and did I mention that I love it?

10). Essie: Flowerista. The namesake of their Spring 2015 collection, Flowerista is so pretty, and the formula is A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. The color is very saturated, and you could probably getting away with one coat. Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous!


The last exciting birthday-related thing is that my hubby bought me my first nail polish wall rack from Amazon and I cannot wait to get it (which will be tomorrow, on my actual birthday) and put it up. So, more on that to come. Until then...