Color Club Fractured Nail Collection Pictures and Swatches

Another jaunt thru Fred Meyer...I know, right? Sometimes they just have everything!!!! For the second time ever, I found a Color Club nail collection there. This one was, as you can see by the title, the Fractured Collection. Fractured = Shattered = Crackle = Cracked = you get the idea. This is a picture of the display, each piece retailing for $4.99 in my area:



I purchased three; Tattered in Gold, Splitting Image, and Kiss And Break Up, or as you see in the picture, gold, royal blue, and fuchsia pink. I thought these were the most interesting and different from the other shatter/crackle top coats that I already have.





Since I was already wearing my Breast Cancer Angel China Glaze Go Go Pink, it seemed like it would be a good idea to apply Kiss and Break Up over it...love, love, love!! Another manicure that matches my phone case!! (Thanks, Kelsy!) I then did some comparison swatches. I found this brand to begin to fragment immediately, which I was a little unprepared for as you can see by my index finger. I had to be much more careful applying the other fingers and used a three stroke pattern. I can't wait to try the other two colors and see if they apply the same, which I imagine they will.



Kiss and Break Up is the most different from any of the other pinks or purple shatters and crackles that are out and that shows easily in comparison swatches. In the following photo, directly on top of the Color Club is China Glaze, a darker purple. To the far right is LA Splash, a dusty matte purple.



In the next photo, on the top is LA Girl Cracked in Fractured, a darker purple which is still different and lighter than the China Glaze. They're all different purple colors. Ah, crackle/shatter/fracture can be so fun!



In the above photo, you can see the blue, (Splitting Image), compared with Sally Hansen Distressed Denim Crackle Overcoat on the upper left and LA Girl Rupture Cracked on top. The Sally Hansen is darker blue and the LA Girl Cracked is more of an aqua color.

The next shot might be a little confusing. Some of the blues look similar, but in person, they are all visibly different. The Color Club looks so similar to OPI Turqouise Shatter in the pictures but it's really not in person. The turquoise is much more teal while Splitting Image is a true shimmering blue. On the top from left to right are OPI Blue Shatter, OPI Turquoise Shatter, OPI Navy Shatter, and Sally Hansen Crackle Overcoat. Each of these breaks differently into patterns, and have different viscosities but they are all very different colors of blue in person. And I have to say that the Color Club is my favorite of the blues.



The following is the best picture I have of the gold. It kind of got neglected in my over analysis of the other colors. I can't help it, I just love color and the varying nuances of each hue are interesting to me. Truly, the shades differences in life give me great enjoyment. Look at a sunset and see how many shades of blue, purple, orange, red and gold there are and how they morph from one to another. One of my greatest joys is also one of my biggest downfalls...how many blue crackle/shatter/fractures does one person really need? LOL



So for those of you who aren't sick of shatter, or even if you are, which of these are your favorite of the colors? No kidding, I'm dying to know. Do you find the small changes of tint as interesting as I do?

Dior 3 Couleurs Smokey Khaki Eyeshadow Palette Swatches And Review

Dior recently came out with several eyeshadow trios designed to build a smokey eye look in a variety of tone-on-tone color schemes. Today I'm going to review the Dior Smokey Khaki Eyeshadow Trio.



These compacts are in a super cool little set up where you slide the top back to expose the colors and a mirror pops up. They come with a sponge tip applicator and a little double-ended brush. They retail for $48 USD and can be found wherever Dior is sold. I purchased mine at Nordstrom.

Each palette has a shimmery base shade, a shimmery lid shade and an accent shade that has a little bit of sparkle for an ooomph to that smokey eye. The Khaki trio begins with a golden wheat base shade. The lid shade is a satiny green khaki and the accent shade is a sparkling grey khaki. They combine together for a very sophisticated look. The sparkle in the top right shade isn't an over-the-top kind of glitter, but a shimmer with sparkle that really works.



I have a few "on the eye" pictures so you can get an idea of how it works. I lined with Chanel Ebene Waterproof Liner, which is a greyish black. I put the accent shade over the top of the liner and it made it shine green, which was unexpected yet rather cool.









I hope this gives you an idea of what the Smokey Khaki Trio looks like. The swatches were really hard to get as the flash just seemed to really LOVE that base shade!!



Do you have any of the Dior trios? Which is your favorite and how are you using it?

Bobbi Brown Introduces The Pink Ribbon Collection To Support Breast Cancer Research

I got an email from Bobbi Brown Cosmetics announcing their Pink Ribbon Collection in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, (October). The set includes Pink Lip Color and Bellini High Shimmer Lip Gloss. With the purchase of each set, $10 will be donated to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, an organization which funds cinical and translational research thruout the world. At this time until the end of October, with a purchase of this set, you receive free shipping. Beautiful items for a great cause. This set will only be available online. Visit Bobbibrowncosmetics.com or Nordstrom.com for more information.

Madre Labs Review Plus Huge Giveaway From IHerb

Please note, I've experienced a few days delay in announcing a winner. There has been a death in the family. Winner should be announced by Sunday the 16th. I apologize and thank you for your understanding.


You read the title right...it's a HUGE giveaway and it's sponsored by Iherb.com. First I'm going to show you what the winner receives, tell you about the products and then I'll cover how to enter. These items shall be sent to the winner from Iherb.com. :




Madre Labs is one of the many brands sold on Iherb, which specializes in natural products. You'll see that all the Madre Labs items carry the "No No-No's" seal. This means the products have no sulfates, no parabens, no dyes, no animal ingredients and no animal testing. All ingredients are considered gentle, biodegradable and "green" and have received good safety ratings. They are all in eco-friendly packaging. These are things you can feel really good about when you use these products. Read more about it on the Madre Labs website.

One day I was sitting around the house when a very large box arrived at my door. I did the usual song and dance with my husband...you know the one..."I didn't order ANYTHING, I swear". I opened the box and found all the above products for my sampling. I was shocked. When I agreed to sample some products from Madre Labs, I assumed there would be tiny little one use samples, but the products were generous full sizes, allowing me to use them thoroughly to give you an accurate analysis.

As it happens, I had just learned about using sulfate free products on my hair and the benefits of such items. I have coarse curly hair. It's unruly and I'd decided it was time to try suflate free just before these arrived. I chose the Strawberry Oasis scented Moisturizing Shampoo and Conditioner for my testing as it is for dry hair. I gave the Balancing Shampoo and Conditioner to my men because it's for normal hair.





I really want to tell you about the aroma of these. You can tell when using the products that they are all natural, including the scents used. I really love the Pomegranante and Mellow Mist scent of the set I gave my guys. It's fresh and inviting. LOVE it!!! My own set, when I first used it, reminded me of the products in hotels on Maui when we used to go there a lot. The products were made with fresh island oils and ingredients and I got that same fresh clean natural scented feeling from my Strawberry Oasis. I like that. Really like that.

I had been using Fekkai Glossing Shampoo and conditioner prior to this and I just felt like it wasn't doing much for me anymore. I've been using it for many years but it wasn't moisturizing enough. I can honestly tell you that I've never used a better conditioner on my hair than the Madre Labs Moisturizing Conditioner. My normally coarse hair is softer and shinier!!! If you have coarse curly hair, you know how difficult it is to get shiny. My hair is shiny with this product, even when I wear it curly!! That's a FIRST for me!

I use the leave-in hair conditioner after shampooing and each time before I flat iron. I think it performs and protects my hair admirably. And I enjoy the fresh minty scent of the body wash in my shower. No complaints whatsoever.



As it happens, I was also looking for a new body moisturizer.



I keep the hand creme in my purse and use the body moisturizer daily. Neither of these products is scented. For most people, that's really positive as some people are allergic to scents on the skin. Also, if you use perfume, the lotion won't compete or conflict with your scent. I don't use perfume, so I would like a little scent in my lotion but I can appreciate that these products are made without it and how beneficial that is to most people.

Some samples that were in my box also include a trio of baby samples. I confess I put them aside and forgot all about them because I don't have a baby, but I will be passing them to a friend to try. The trio includes Tear Free Shampoo and Body Wash, Unscented Everyday Lotion, and Bitty Bottom Cream. How funny is that name? lol





The three smaller packages in the front of the first picture contain samples of some of Madre Labs superfoods. There is a CocoCeps sample, an organic dark cocoa blended drink; an Immune Punch sample, and a sample of Midori Greens. I haven't sampled these yet, but you can read about them here and here.

So the Madre Labs is given the Polarbelle Seal of Approval. I love that they have No No-No's. I like that they are cruelty-free and all natural. I'd like to thank Iherb.com for providing me the opportunity to try these products and for sponsoring this giveaway to my readers.

And this brings us to the details for the GIVEAWAY!!!! The winner gets a box full of the products mentioned here. This is a value of $88 USD. This giveaway is open to US and International residents. If the winner is outside the US, they are responsible for any duty or customs charges.

(If you are an international entrant, you must make sure your country is eligible for this giveaway,meaning it has to be one of the countries that Iherb ships to. To do this, go to Iherb.com, add a product to the shopping cart, and then click the drop down country menu below the shopping cart to see if your country is in list. Only the countries listed by IHerb are eligible).

TO ENTER:
To win this fabulous prize and to increase your chances, this is all you have to do:

1. You must be a public follower of my blog via GFC. Please leave your GFC name so I can find you. It's very simple to sign up for GFC, and it doesn't send you spam. Just click on "sign in" in the "Members" area and it will walk you thru signing up.

2. You must leave an email address so I can get ahold of you if you win.

3. "Like" my page on Facebook, (Polarbelle), for an extra entry.

4. Follow me on Twitter for another entry. No cheating and unfollowing after the giveaway.

5. Retweet this contest for an extra entry. If possible, please leave the time stamp so I can be sure to verify your tweet, should any tweet glitch happen.

6. An extra entry if you blog about the giveaway. I will need the link to verify your submission.


This contest will run for two weeks, ending Monday October 10, 2011 at 11:59 PM PST. Within 48 hours, the winner will be chosen via Random.org. Once the winner is chosen, they will need to register on Iherb.com in order to claim their prize. The products will be shipped directly from Iherb. Again, if the winner is outside the US and a country Iherb ships to, the winner is responsible for any duty/customs fees/taxes incurred.

Please make sure you've read all the rules. Remember to tell your friends when you enter to refer to you sending them so you get that extra entry. Please note that should you decide to unfollow me after this giveaway is over, you won't be eligible for the future giveaways I have planned. Have fun!!

China Glaze And Seche Vite Support Breast Cancer Angels Set

October is the month that everything turns PINK as it is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This year, Seche Vite and China Glaze have teamed together to offer a sweet little duo that benefits Breast Cancer Angels. Breast Cancer Angels is a group that works with patients and their families. Purchasing this set helps support this needed and appreciated supportive network.



In the set is a bottle of Seche Vite Fast Dry Top Coat, an amazing way to end any manicure, and a China Glaze nail polish in the color Go Go Pink, a soft lovely baby pink. Completing the set is a beaded angel keychain, approximately 4 inches in total length with the angel being approximately one inch long. I apologize that I don't remember what I paid and as it was in cash, I also didn't have a receipt so I can't tell you how much it is.



When I applied the first coat of Go Go Pink, it was streaky. I applied a thicker second coat and it evened most of it out. I had a time deadline or I would have applied three thinner coats and the Seche Vite. It's such a delicate color and it's going to be awesome under some nail art.



If you have, like I, friends and family that you've lost to this awful disease, please support Breast Cancer research. You can do so and have some lovely pretties by purchasing specific items now thru October that specify supporting Breast Cancer Research, The Susan G. Komen For The Cure, (formerly known as the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation), or Breast Cancer Angels. Be sure to look for pink in all the places you shop.

Fred Meyer Is The "Drugstore" Cosmetic Mecca

That's a pretty bold statement in my title, don't you think? Maybe so, but I can totally back it up. Fred Meyer is a wonderland of all sorts for Pacific Northwesterners...Alaska, Washington, and Oregon residents. You may know a similar store named Frye's or Kroeger. Your special customer rewards card will work equally at all three chains as they're affiliated.

I love Fred Meyer. It came to my town when I was a kid, and as soon as I was old enough, I'd walk to it with my allowance and plunk it down for licorice and baseball cards. Times have changed, as have I, and now I drive over to fork over my moolah for clothes and the best of all the drugstore cosmetics. I prefer to grocery shop and buy housewares there too, but I never go without a wander thru the cosmetics and clothing sections and my men keep the electronics department in business.

But let's focus on the cosmetic department. They have all the standard stuff so you can find what you're specifically looking for...but ooooooooh, they have so much more. You know all the neat special edition stuff that comes out for every holiday and every so often as mini-collections? Yeah, they have all that. I can brag on our Fred Meyer stores in Anchorage for being among the first in the nation to have the Wet N Wild Dream Weavers Eyeshadow Palette Collection. Booyah!!

As drugstore cosmetics brands have upped their game with the latest in technologies and items to keep in trend, so has Fred Meyer. And in my area, they are going all out to keep the customer satisfied by bringing in what we want. They totally "get" us.



Look at what I found last week. I was really blown away. I didn't know this existed...





Fred Meyer has this new display of LED Gel polishes and LED lights to cure them. 36 colors!!! Plus LED Prep and Removers!! The colors are just $9.99 each and the portable curing lights are only $19.99. The best part of bringing a previously unreachable way to polish at home to the masses is that they do it WITH coupons!! Seriously!! Buy one LED color and get one half off. Fred Meyer rocks with coupons. There's almost always a buy one get one in cosmetics of one brand or another, and every week there's a 20% off clothing. Super kudos.

I went by today to pick up some office supplies. Of course I had to cruise through cosmetics and was delighted to see how they'd put extra effort into some of the Halloween displays this week. I thought it was cute and inviting. My apologies to the woman who wouldn't move so I could get a picture. >:p







Wet N Wild Cosmetics have become a drugstore favorite in the past couple of years. The pigmentation of the products is superb. And you can't beat the prices. The offerings are varied, interesting and fun. Fred Meyer rocks in bringing in the Wet N Wild. I don't even think our Wal Marts carry the line anymore. They are the cosmetics wasteland. So forlorn. Walgreens came to town last year and is cosmetically disappointing for SURE!! When there's a nationwide Wet N Wild sale at Walgreens, our Walgreens puts a tag over the sale price and charges regular price. Scammers!!!!! Anyway, you won't find these goodies anyplace in my town except Fred Meyer:







Of course, they carry the latest from other brands, too.



And look at the Color Club Fractured that I got there yesterday:



I would have taken pictures of the Loreal and Maybelline special displays but they've been out for a couple of weeks and are shopped out. Gee, I wonder who would have done that? :-0

I have to say I'm not big into Halloween but when Fred Meyer put out the Wet N Wild Halloween stuff a couple weeks ago, I bought a load. And then today, seeing the displays all spider webby, well, that just made me really excited to think about what will be coming from Fred Meyer and drugstore brands for Christmas!! I can't wait to start seeing pictures of the Christmas collections on the web!

Are you as excited to see what the drugstore brings as I am?

Barielle Elle's Spell NOTD Swatches and Review

First of all, I would like to apologize to my readers for my absence of five or so days. My husband had a fall last week and it seems that he's cracked some ribs. I haven't quite waited on him hand and foot but it has kept me a bit busier than usual and for my absence, I apologize. Please don't leave me!! :)

Despite my sudden surge in chores, I have managed a manicure for the week. It is Barielle Elle's Spell. This polish quickly reached cult status and I searched high and low for it for months. I had seen it on many blogs and gazed with longing at the pictures. I searched for so long, I had about given up, but it's always the darkest before dawn, right? One day I happened to find a couple bottles suddenly on a shelf in Ulta. Oh yeah, you bet I bought them both!! This week is my first time wearing it.



The polish is a cranberry colored red jelly with flakies of red suspended within. The flakes of glitter give off different colors and you can see the flash of the camera has made them look orange in the subsequent photograph, but they are decidedly red. I don't see any orange when I look at it on the nail.



I took a blurry photo to show you how you can see the flashes of different colors when you move your hands around as the light hits the flakes.



Who doesn't love a jelly polish? And who doesn't love flakey glitter? It's super fun!

Barielle nail polishes are Big 3 free and I found mine at Ulta for $6.00 USD.

Beauty Blogazons Roundup

Check out some of the best offerings of the week from the Beauty Blogazons:

Cosmetically Challenged Show's you how to become a "Spoiled Brat" Using Wet N Wild and NYX

Royal Beauty Designs 6 Reasons Why I Love My New Cargo Laguna Blush


Midnight Manicures My Second Julep Maven Box


Nailfiled Glitter Galore: Tony Moly Galaxy Collection


Polish Fixation Prevail: Concrete Jungle...Hello Holo!!


Beauty and Fashion Tech: The Best Cheap Mascara and How to Wear it


Girl Gloss: 2011 Fall Fashion Trends


Polish Insomniac has been sucked back into the Cult! Cult Nails Hypnotizing + Cult Nails Awakening = AWESOME SAUCE!


Polarbelle encourages you to store your precious products in a wonderful cosmetic bag embossed with your name 
Nailderella Nails Oops! My nails are on fire thanks to Nfu Oh 45!


Purple Eye Diamond- Eye Of The Day


Red Hair And Black Nailpolish Do you like Candy? :)


Glitter.Gloss.Garbage Evil Eye Quad Swatches From The MAC Me Over Collection


Addicted To All Things Pretty Adele Inspired Nails

Swatches! Review! China Glaze Haunting Collection for Halloween 2011

I promised swatches of the China Glaze Haunting Collection as part of the previous post but I feel a little bit of a review is required so I am creating a *ta da!* new post. As of this writing, I only have half the collection. My local Sally Beauty has it all in but hasn't unpacked it, so maybe by tomorrow, I will have the other half to swatch for you.

The set I have is this one:



It includes, from left to right, It's Alive, Goulish Glow, Black Crackle and China Glaze Fast Forward Top Coat. On the box, it pictures putting It's Alive on a nail, Goulish Glow Top Coat over that, then Black Crackle, and finally Fast Forward Top Coat. I thought I'd try that on a nail wheel since I have already applied my fabulous manicure of the week.

From left to right on the nail wheel, I have two coats of It's Alive, two coats of It's Alive with one coat of Fast Forward Top Coat. Then I have one coat of It's Alive plus two coats of Goulish Glow. Next is one coat of It's Alive plus one coat of Goulish Glow. The first crackle is one coat of It's Alive plus one coat of Goulish Glow and finished with Black Crackle; the next crackle is the same plus one coat of Fast Forward over it. On the far right side of the wheel is one coat of Goulish Glow.





It's Alive is about the coolest green I've seen. It's chocked full of glitters, both regular and hexagonal, and is a medium grassy green that works equally for Frankenstein's brains as it does for Christmas. It's one of the prettiest greens I've seen. I love it. The top coat doesn't affect the glitteriness, it just makes it seem slightly darker. No top coat on left, top coat on right.



When I did the nail wheel, I "charged" it by a light for a moment and then went into a dark room to see the glow. Goulish glow all by itself had radical glow. Awesome!! One coat over It's Alive wasn't really great. I could hardly see it. Two coats over It's Alive had much more glow, but you can't really see the green of It's Alive under it in the light or dark. This portion of the nail wheel has, on the left, two coats of Goulish Glow over one coat of It's Alive and on the right, one coat of Goulish Glow over one coat of It's Alive. You can see that the more coats you use, the milkier the Goulish Glow will look over another color.



I was disappointed in using one coat of each It's Alive and Goulish Glow under Black Crackle. I couldn't see a glow between the cracks. My suggestion would be if you want to crackle the glow, to leave out It's Alive and use probably three coats of Goulish Glow and crackle it. I also like it better with the Fast Forward Top Coat over it. On the left, no top coat and the swatch on the right is with Top Coat. I think Black Crackle over It's Alive without the Goulish Glow will be an awesome manicure.



Hopefully I will have the rest of the colors for you very soon, but in the meantime, here's some other lovely Halloween goodies that look like fun.



I'm not big into Halloween itself. It's cold here during Halloween. It can be 30 degrees or 10 below, but I do love the myriad of special makeup collections that come out at this time. They're fun. I think I'll be a doofus and wear the Glow In The Dark Lipstick to the movies with the girls. How about you? Do you love these fun little collections or are they a total pass for you?

China Glaze Haunting Collection for Halloween 2011

Today I have a press release from China Glaze for their Halloween Collection, entitled Haunting. It features glitters, glow-in-the-dark and crackle. I have the set of four and am hoping to find, (soon), the other set as well. Near the end of the day, I will be adding real life swatches, so come back to see. And on we go..

HAUNTING BEAUTY AT YOUR FINGERTIPS

China Glaze Introduces a Daringly Dark Collection of Purely Pigmented Crèmes and High Coverage Glitters for Halloween 2011


Los Angeles, CA – (July 2011): Halloween is all about over-the-top style and China Glaze has just what every girl and ghoul needs to complete their costume. Put the finishing touches on any look with the new China Glaze HAUNTING collection – a six-piece set of mysterious colors and effects perfect for All Hallows Eve, including a glow-in-the-dark Top Coat and a ‘crackling’ top coat for a cobweb effect.



China Glaze captures the spirits lurking in the dark in six sexy, sophisticated shades that are on trend, exciting and will be on every costume crafter’s “must have” list. Whether a look is dark and mysterious, or bold and dramatic, China Glaze’s HAUNTING collection pulls together any ensemble and will undoubtedly make heads turn – just like China Glaze’s celebrity followers (Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Nicole Ritchie and Dita Von Teese, to name a few)! Colors in this collection include:


· Haunting: Shadowy black with shimmering silver glitter

· Crimson: Deep purple crème with a hint of blood red

· Near Dark: Rich mossy green crème

· It’s Alive: Vibrant green glitter

· Ghoulish Glow: Glow-in-the-Dark top coat

· Black Mesh: Crackle Glaze top coat for a cobweb-like crackle effect



The China Glaze HAUNTING collection will be available as open stock colors, 18 piece counter display, and as part of a special “Buy 3, Get 1 Free” set featuring China Glaze Fast Forward Top Coat.


China Glaze is free of DBP, toluene, and added formaldehyde.

China Glaze nail lacquers are available through salons and professional beauty supply stores nationwide. For more information, visit: www.chinaglaze.com or follow China Glaze on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ChinaGlaze

China Glaze is a division of American International Industries.

About American International Industries

For nearly 40 years, AII has been the leading manufacturer and worldwide distributor of innovative, quality beauty and skin care products for men and women. Our product lines include Ardell, Andrea, Body Drench, Bye Bye Blemish, Checi, China Glaze, Clean + Easy, Clubman/Pinaud, Duo, European Secrets, EzFlow, Fright Night, Gena, GiGi, Gypsy Lash, IBD, Jeris-Lustray, No Tweeze/Micro Tweeze, 'N Rage, Prolinc, RAW, Seche, SuperNail, Surgi-Care, Waterworks, Winning Nails, Woltra, Woody’s, and Youthair. For more information, visit our website: www.aiibeauty.com.

Sephora Jumbo Waterproof Liners & Mac Bloggers Obsession Evolution Revolution Lipglass

One day in June, I was in a Sephora and picked up a couple of their Sephora Collection Jumbo Liner Waterproof 12 hour wear pencils. At only ten dollars each, I thought these could be a real steal if they live up to their name. Well, they do. They are waterproof and easily wear at least 12 hours without creasing. I was so impressed, I went back and got several more.

As you can see in the picture below, they are approximately the length of an iphone. In my picture, from left to right, are: 16 Glitter Black, 03 Grey, 07 Brown, 04 Taupe, 13 Marine, 15 Purple and 09 Kaki.





You can use these as liners, as shadow base or as shadow itself. It's up to you. And let me tell you that the glitter in the Glitter Black liner stays put...it doesn't budge!

I want to show you what I did the first day I tried them out...the day which convinced me to go back and buy more. I wore a very simple look of just two Jumbo Pencils and finished with Mac Bloggers Obsession Evolution Revolution.

Here's some closeups using Taupe and Grey on the eyes. I like these pictures because you can see the reflection of the swimming pool in my eyes. lol. Kinda cracks me up.





A closeup of Mac Evolution Revolution Lipglass is next. If you're still on the fence about whether to get this or not, you need to hurry because it's going to be off the website soon. Last call status!!



The standard couple of full face makeup shots to get an idea of the overall look:





And a picture of a Cosmetic Blogger trying to control her hair in swirling wind with her tools of trade in her hands:



So tell me, what have you tried from Sephora Collection? Have you tried these liners? Aren't the prices wonderful!?!?!