Ciate Nails Caviar Manicure Review & Swatches

Ciate nails caviar manicure is still a hot nail trend and I finally got my nails on them. Photos swatches after the jump!

ZOYA Launches Beach + Surf Collections for Summer 2012 Review + Swatches

The nail trend for Summer 2012 is all about COLOR. Bold, gorgeous and eye-catching colors are all over the streets. ZOYA never fails to deliver the best color options. I eagerly await to hear about their next collections. This summer they have provided gorgeous bright creams and foils.

Essie Navigate Her Spring 2012 Collection Review + Swatches

Nail launches are getting more and more exciting each year. I'm loving all the color this Spring. Bring on the bold and bright colors. From pastel to neon, Essie has you covered. They recently launched their Navigate Her Spring collection which include six shades -- Navigate Her, A Crewed Interest, To Buy Or Not To Buy, Tour De Finance, Ole Caliente + Orange, It's Obvious. Gorgeous finish and colors to swoon over.

Zoya Launches True And Fleck Effects For Spring 2012 Review & Swatches

Get excited. It's Zoya launch time -- Spring 2012 that is. 

TRUE

HONESTLY, BEAUTIFUL COLOR

A fresh bloom of dewy color. Inspired by the runway looks of top designers this collection features slightly muted and unexpected spring shades in six easy to wear, full-coverage creams and metallics.

Beauty in Puerto Rico Part 3: Sinful Colors Nail Polish

In fear of losing power in Puerto Rico, we decided to paint our nails. Since I had just made a large purchase of polishes, we had an array to choose from. My girlfriend, Kristal, opted for a more neutral shade seen here. Carly wanted to be bright & bold in pink and I decided to channel my inner fall nail lover and go with a true black.

(Left: Bettina French Beige, Sinful Colors Black on Black & Sinful Colors 24/7)

Seen above is three coats of polish + Essie's top coat.

The polish, 24/7, looked much better once the top coat was applied. Overall, it applied really uneven and was difficult to work with. It also chipped on Carly right away. A no-go for this pink shade.

I wasn't too crazy with Sinful Colors, Black on Black, either. It was pretty messy and a pain to work with. Seen above is two coats of polish + Essie's top coat.

I already featured Kristal's nails in the previous post. Here are swatches of the other colors:

Retail: $1 at Walgreens

All and all, I wasn't impressed with these shades. The best one was Amethyst. It applied smoothly and was easy to work with. The rest were not the best and I probably won't be using them again.

Have you ever used Sinful Colors nail polish?

Beauty in Puerto Rico Part 2: Bettina Cosmetics Haul

I didn't make a huge haul in Puerto Rico except for a few key products. I went with the intention of picking up a few Bettina products and it was an added bonus that Sinful Colors was on sale at the local Walgreens. Here's what I picked up:

We'll start with Bettina Cosmetics. Let me give you a little background information. Bettina Cosmetics was founded in 1963 in Puerto Rico. The company was founded with a vision of beautifying Puerto Rican woman and giving them products that were of high quality. It's not limited to Puerto Rican woman, but that's just where it began. The brand descends from Puerto Rico, but can also be purchased in Miami. You can find the product all over the island of Puerto Rico as it is one of their top sellers brands. The nail enamel line is actually extremely popular in the nail blogger world.

I went with the intention of only picking up their nail products, but opted to try their makeup as well. I picked up their long wear gel eyeliner in dark brown. I found the eyeliner to wear fairly long and the brush to be of good quality.

Retail: I can't quite remember what I paid. It was around $8.

Next, I picked up Bettina's eyeshadow in "Fire Opal." I'm not sure what drew me to this particular color. I wanted something bold, but also wearable. The shadow is very pigmented and evenly applies. It's actually funny that I picked this up, because this week backstage at New York Fashion Week, one of the trends were burnt orange eyeshadow. Apparently...I'm psychic.

Retail: Around $8.

I ended up choosing two Bettina nail enamels: 74 & French Beige. I was going to get more bold colors, but then I realized I had no neutral polishes.

This polish applied evenly and lasted the average polish life (about a week.) My girlfriend really like the color. See above is two coats of polish & Essie's top coat.

Retail: Around $7

Another lovely color. Perfect for french manicures. See above is two coats and Essie's top coat.

Retail: Around $7

Have you ever tried Bettina Cosmetics?

Nail Love for Her: Nails Inc. "Porchester Square"

I didn't realize how LARGE my nail polish collection was getting until the other day when my girlfriend asked me to paint her nails. I rarely ever paint my own nails (always get them done) but I always paint hers. Usually she opts for a nude color or clear. This time she decided to try some new colors. I've never in our almost six years together seen my girlfriend with a dark or bold colored polish. She choose one of my Zoya colors. Then she actually wore it all week. Since it's time for a new mani, we sorted through my collection and decided on one of my new colors: Nails Inc's Porchester Square, which is described as a "dove gray." It reminds me a lot of my Essie Chin Chilly and it looks awesome on my girlfriend. Once her mani was complete, she said, "Are you gonna take a picture for your blog?" That gave me an idea! I asked her if she'd like to be part of my blog and I titled it: Nail Love for Her. Once a week, I will be giving her a new mani with different colors.  Woo hoo. Now onto the swatches...

She could have been a hand model SERIOUSLY. Doesn't she have pretty hands? Haha. 

Nails Inc. nail polish just launched at Sephora and is currently available on their website. I have a few of their polishes that I will be getting swatched very soon. They have some gorgeous colors. 

Retail: $9.50 at Sephora

Have you purchased any nail polishes you love lately?