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the Rite of Aging…early

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the Rite of Aging…early

Tag Archives: swatches

Blue Rhythm de Chanel Vibrato and Fortissimo | Les Vernis Review

04 Sunday Oct 2015

Posted by MonicawithRA in Nail Art, Reviews

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

beauty, Chanel, Chanel Les Vernis, Fortissimo, nails, review, swatches, Vibrato

Purchased.

I first saw an advertisement for this collection in June. I couldn’t find it anywhere and thought it had already launched. I was devastated. Chanel made unique, beautiful nail polishes but there was something extraordinary about their blues. Remember Les Jeans collection from 2011? In August, I noticed a resurgence of Blue Rhythm reviews and my excitement boiled over. I hadn’t missed these two beauties after all!

I wanted to be financially conscious and only purchase Fortissimo but when I saw Vibrato in person I had to have it as well. So, without further ado, let’s jump into the swatches!

 

Chanel Les Vernis - Fortissimo and Vibrato | The Rite of Aging

(Chanel Les Vernis @ Macy’s)

 

2 coats, top coat

Chanel Les Vernis Swatch - Vibrato | The Rite of AgingVibrato is an extremely vibrant cobalt blue. I was skeptical that the photos were highly saturated but no, Vibrato is that just that intense. The formula is good. It is thin but not streaky. It applies easily without pulling and levels well. The polish dries quickly which can sometimes an issue with Chanel polishes.

 

2 coats, top coat

Chanel Les Vernis Swatch - Fortissimo | The Rite of AgingFortissimo is a bright navy with cobalt shimmer running through it. The gorgeous shimmer is prominent both in the bottle and on the nail. This dimension elevates the color from a traditional deep navy to a dynamic midnight blue.

Funny story: I wore this to class and all my students, even the little boys, complimented me on my nails because they were painted their favorite color!

On first application, Fortissimo‘s formula is sheer and streaky and quickly pools into the cuticles. The second coat evens out the color nicely making it an easy two-coater polish. It dries quickly and levels nicely.

I love both polishes and cannot recommend one over the other. They are both extremely unique and gorgeous. If you are like me and love collecting limited edition, one-of-a-kind shades I wouldn’t wait to purchase these. Nordstrom online is already sold out (a sales rep, at the counter, tried purchasing them online and the order was cancelled a couple of days later) but the Macy’s website still has them in stock.

 

Do you own one or both of these nail colors? What do you think? Love them or leave them?

 

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

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#31DC2015 – Simple Floral Decals Nail Art

14 Monday Sep 2015

Posted by MonicawithRA in Nail Art

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

31DC2015, blogging community, Nail Art, Pueen Cosmetics, swatches, water decals, Zoya

I had this glorious look in mind for today’s nail art, I practiced it on paper but when I transferred the design to my nails it looked wrong. I was so disappointed. Then my dog smeared poop all over her butt and I had to shave her and then I lost all interest in my nails.

Unfortunately, I heard some really bad news today that put me in the worst mood ever and I couldn’t bring myself to try anything that required any sort of work. Thankfully I have a hoard of flower water decals I could fall back on.

I decided on a nice Zoya polish as my base (which also serves for purple day with 30 Days of Colour) and voila! I hope you like the simple look!

 

#31DC2015 - Simple Floral Decals #nailart | The Rite of AgingBase: Zoya Haven

Decals: Pueen Cosmetics

 

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

Follow me on Bloglovin’ | Twitter | or Facebook to keep up with me during the challenge!

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#31DC2015 – Marbled Stripes Nail Art

12 Saturday Sep 2015

Posted by MonicawithRA in Community, Nail Art

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

31DC2015, Barry M, blogging community, China Glaze, Julie G, marble, Nail Art, Pahlish, Sally Hansen, swatches

This design was inspired by yet another one of Robin Moses’ nail videos (linked here)! I’ve been trying out her techniques and have to say they make my nail art life a whole lot easier!

My forte is definitely abstract so I decided to go with a “marble without water” look. Yes, anything to avoid that dratted striping tape!

I hope you like it..I have to say this came out quite nicely! Below is a quick photo of the base color — which I gushed about on Instagram and serves as my pink for the 30 Days of Colour Challenge!

 

Swatch - Sally Hansen "Petal Pusher" | The Rite of Aging

 

#31DC2015 - Marbled Stripes Nail Art | The Rite of AgingBase: Sally Hansen Petal Pusher

Marble: artist’s brush, acetone, Barry M Grapefruit, Cancun, Pahlish Sunless Sea, Julie G Peep Toe Pumps, China Glaze Purple Panic

 

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

Follow me on Bloglovin’ | Twitter | or Facebook to keep up with me during the challenge!

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#31DC2015 – Metallic Flower Stamping

08 Tuesday Sep 2015

Posted by MonicawithRA in Community, Nail Art

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

31DC2015, Bundle Monster, Nail Art, Pueen Cosmetics, stamping, swatches, water decals, Zoya

I am so proud of myself! I killed THREE birds with one stone. I recently joined the 30 Days of Color group on Facebook and want to take part in the September 30 Days of Color challenge. Of course, I will not be able to do all the prompts but I hope to dip my toes, so to speak!

Not only that, I combined the #clairestelle8sept flowers and #31DC2015 metallic challenges on Instagram! I am on a roll today!

I hope you like both the swatch and nail art photos…I took them inside because I could not pick up the gold shimmer in the sunlight!

 

Zoya - "Yara" Swatch | The Rite of AgingZoya Yara

 

#31DC2015 - Metallic Floral #nailart | The Rite of AgingDecals: Pueen Cosmetics

Gold Stamping: Zoya Goldie, Bundle Monster plate BM311

 

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

 

31 Day Challenge

30 Days of Color Challenge

Follow me on Bloglovin’ | Twitter | or Facebook to keep up with me during the challenge!

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Green Dottilism Dotticure Nail Art

09 Sunday Aug 2015

Posted by MonicawithRA in Nail Art

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

acrylic paint, dotillism, dotticure, Girly Bits, Nail Art, neon, swatches

I don’t have a lot to say on today’s manicure except that I cannot stop dotting on paper! Why not continue the trend on my nails?

I hope you like it!

 

Girly Bits Swatch - Supersonic | The Rite of Aging

 

I took a quick swatch photo of the base color. I really should wear this on it’s own much more often. It looks great against my skin and it’s the perfect neon without screaming “HI! I’M HERE!”

 

Green #Dotillism Nail Art | The Rite of AgingBase: Girly Bits Supersonic

Dots: acrylic paints

 

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

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SinfulColors – A Class Act Collection (Partial Review): Part Two

03 Monday Aug 2015

Posted by MonicawithRA in Reviews

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Tags

nails, press sample, review, SinfulColors, swatches

Press sample: items were provided for honest review.

Here is the second part of the new SinfulColors A Class Act collection review.

A Class Act hits the shelves of Walgreens and Rite Aid in August. The collection consists of 27 polishes whose formulas range from cremes to glitters and demi-mattes. I chose polishes in every formula to get a good idea of the collection as a whole.

There are three Walgreens exclusive shades I will mark with an asterisk. Are they worth tracking down? Let’s find out!

 

V.I.Peach – 3 or 4 coats, no top coat

SinfulColors Swatch - V.I.Peach | The Rite of AgingV.I.Peach is a pastel canary yellow demi-matte creme. The consistency is thin and streaky and can take up to three or four coats to reach full opacity. The streaks dry down well but they are still visible if I look closely enough. The formula is closer to Whiteboard than to Hazed (two demi-mattes I reviewed in the first post) which makes it more favorable to me. For a yellow, this one is awesome!

 

Fig – 3 coats, top coat

SinfulColors Swatch - Fig | The Rite of AgingFig is a dark violet with red shimmer that does not transfer to the actual nail. It is very similar to Zoya’s Haven which I prefer. Fig has a decent formula, a little on the thicker side which pools quickly into the cuticles. The polish dries to a dull finish, not matte, just dull.

 

Rebel Rose – 3 coats, top coat

SinfulColors Swatch - Rebel Rose | The Rite of Aging

When I first saw Fig and Rebel Rose in the bottles I thought they mistakenly sent me two of the same color. It was a welcome surprise to see they are completely different on the nail. Rebel Rose is a cool-leaning dusty bright purple with an almost duochrome shimmer. The color is very similar to China Glaze’s Caribbean Temptation. The duochrome fades with top coat but the shimmer remains. The formula is good and does not pool into the cuticles. The polish self-levels nicely so if I want to wear it without top coat I definitely can!

 

Energetic Red – 3 coats, top coat

SinfulColors Swatch - Energetic Red | The Rite of Aging

Energetic Red is a bright, borderline neon coral creme. The color is IDENTICAL to Sephora by OPI Cover Me in Petals and a more pastel version of my favorite OPI Red Lights Ahead…Where? It has a decent formula which is comparable to the OPI polish. I definitely recommend wearing three coats as I still saw minor bald spots after two. Energetic Red does not self-level well so top coat is a must and it does stain a little which is typical for any coral polish. If you are looking for a replacement to the now discontinued SOPI polish or a less expensive version of the OPI one, this SinfulColors is the way to go!

 

*Blackboard – 3 coats, no top coat

SinfulColors Swatch - Blackboard | The Rite of Aging

Blackboard is a demi-matte black. It is not a true black but more of a dark charcoal. The formula is consistent with the other demi-mattes I tried (V.I.Peach, Whiteboard and Hazed). It is streaky at first but builds up nicely after three or four coats. After the polish dries brushstrokes are barely visible and the finish really resembles a blackboard! This is definitely the most interesting polish of the lot.

 

Final Thoughts

Overall, I really like the polishes I tried (with the exception of Hazed and Fig). I especially like the demi-mattes and cremes. The cremes all have great formulas and while the demi-mattes are streaky, they build up nicely. The shimmers are alright if not a little thick and if I had to choose only one polish from this roundup it would most certainly be Whiteboard (which so happens to be a Walgreens exclusive)!

I think there are a good range of polishes for the back to school season. Some hang on to the days of summers while other gladly welcome the fall. Some I would prefer on my toes for the last of the sandal season while others I would definitely save for the fingertips. And, for $1.99 it is definitely worth picking up more than one!

 

I will be feature a few nail art looks with the Class Act collection over the next month so definitely look out for those!

And, don’t forget to check out SinfulColors’ social media pages:

Website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

 

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

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SinfulColors – A Class Act Back to School Collection (Partial Review)

30 Thursday Jul 2015

Posted by MonicawithRA in Reviews

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Tags

nails, review, SinfulColors, swatches

Items were provided for honest review.

I am so excited to share with you a partial review of the new SinfulColors A Class Act collection. I will split it up into two posts with five polishes each.

A Class Act hits the shelves of Walgreens and Rite Aid in August. The full collection has 27 polishes ranging from cremes to glitters and demi-mattes. I picked some in each finish to get a good idea of the collection as a whole. So, let’s dive right in, shall we?

*Two of the shades in this review are Walgreens exclusives and will be marked with an asterisk. Are they worth tracking down? Find out!

 

Why Not – 2 coats, top coat

Sinful Colors - Why Not | The Rite of AgingWhy Not is a deep sky blue creme. It has an average formula and applies easily. It does not pool into the cuticles so it is easier to push the color closer to them and it self-levels nicely. It is a fun polish to wear until it is time to take it off. Why Not is a major stainer; a worse than normal type of stainer! I would suggest two different base coats and removing this polish before bed! Honestly, that is a lot of hard work for a typical sky blue but this is a really great polish which I know I will wear a lot!

 

Feel the Vibe – 3 coats, top coat

SinfulColors Swatch - Feel the Vibe | The Rite of AgingI expected a neon tangerine but Feel the Vibe is more of a muted tangerine orange leaning red. In some lighting it does glow like a neon which is definitely nice! I feel like I have a perpetual tan when wearing this! It self-levels nicely and the consistency is similar to Why Not, if not a little thinner. I can get away with two coats but for the sake of pictures I play it safe with three.

 

Hazed – 2 coats, top coat

SinfulColors Swatch - Hazed | The Rite of AgingHazed is a muted violet and one of the collection’s demi-matte polishes. It dries to an almost wax finish. If you are familiar with Cult Nails Wax That top coat the look is identical. This is a difficult polish. It is streaky and thin and it takes four coats to reach full opacity. It’s a nice enough color, nothing special and appears more muddy than muted. Given the formula it is a definite miss for me. However, its one redeeming quality is once dry I cannot see brush strokes which is very rare for a demi-matte polish!

 

*Whiteboard – 2 coats, no topcoat

SinfulColors Swatch - Whiteboard | The Rite of AgingWhiteboard is another of the demi-matte polishes in this collection. It is pure white and it is AMAZING. Seriously. I went in with this polish with skepticism mixed with high hopes. You may have noticed Snow Me White is one of my favorite and most used polishes. I wanted Whiteboard to perform like Snow Me White but was cautious since it is very difficult to find a good (read: not awful) white. I am not kidding when I say this polish is amazing. The formula is thin for a white but it does not pool into the cuticles. It shows minor streaks after it dries but they are nearly undetectable from far away! Because of its demi-matte finish I know it will be perfect as an acrylic paints base. This polish is the front-running gem in the collection.

 

 Ice Dream – 1 generous coat, top coat

SinfulColors Swatch - Ice Dream | The Rite of Aging

Ice Dream is a awesome blue and silver glitter topper. The light blue hexagonal glitters are nearly identical in color to Why Not and are suspended in a silver micro glitter base. This has a great formula. It is thicker than the other polishes but applies smoothly and levels nicely. It is slight gritty but easily smooths out with top coat.

 

Stay tuned for the next five polishes and my final thoughts! And, if I’ve peaked your interest check out the SinfulColors social media pages:

Website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

 

Hi, my name is Monica and I have RA.

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