LEX Cosmetics: Beauty Is By You.

I recently received my VERY FIRST polish to review. I'm so excited! This gorgeous polish comes to you courtesy of LEX Cosmetics. LEX Cosmetics is a relatively new company based out of Seattle, Washington. It was founded by Alexa Barron (Lex), a self-described "fun-loving twenty-something who loves cosmetics and nail polish." 


There are two major factors that set LEX Cosmetics apart from the rest. The first of these is that LEX allows you to fulfill your wildest polish fantasies by creating your own colors! The possibilities are truly endless. You can take your inspiration from anywhere - nature, pop culture, your own unique story (maybe the color of a favorite blanket or stuffed animal you had as a child)  ... or perhaps you just can't find that *perfect* shade. With LEX, you are a part of the creation process! 

The second - and perhaps most important - detail that sets LEX Cosmetics apart is that they will donate a percentage of their profits to various causes and organizations that are important to each individual polish creator. If your polish creation is chosen (via online voting), you get to choose the organization you'd like to see receive a portion of the profits. One example of this is LEX's polish Lucky Girls. From their website, "LEX Cosmetics and Lucky Girls teamed up to create this pinky pink, perfect to cheer up the mood of any girl. Proceeds from this color will be donated to the Greek Orthodox Orphanage in Kolkata, India." You can learn more about Lucky Girls and the movie that was created about this great cause here. 
Another example is LEX's Seashell, a black scattered holo polish created by Sarah, who wanted to capture the beauty of a seashells and nature in general with this high-impact polish. A portion of the proceeds from this polish are donated toward fighting sexual assault. 


I had the privilege of reviewing LEX's PeaBow, a gorgeous & unique shimmery blue that's nearly purple. Created by Rhonda, this beautiful shade was inspired by peacocks. "When I look at a beautiful peacock it reminds me of my creator looking at how artistic the world is, and as I look up into the sky, seeing a colorful rainbow is a reassuring promise," says Rhonda of her amazing polish. $1 of each bottle of PeaBow purchased will be donated toward animal protection. 

It was difficult to capture on camera just how shimmery and eye-catching this shade is. From afar, it just looks purpley-blue, but up close you can see the flecks of pink and teal with the polish. The formula is excellent, with very little visible brushstrokes or bubbling. The application is also very smooth - this is three coats with no topcoat. 

I love everything about this polish, even down to the shape of the bottle and the unique design on the cap. I'm even more excited to support a small local company! LEX Cosmetics polish retails for $10 via their website, www.lexcosmetics.com. Do yourself a favor and grab a bottle today. You'll be supporting a great cause of your choice, and you'll get a fantastic polish to boot. It's a win-win! 

(This product was provided to me for review.) 

Painting Rainbows 300 Follower Giveaway!!

Megan at Painting Rainbows is having a "Because I love you" giveaway! Here's what you can win! 

Head on over and check it out! 

Holy Blue Dupes, Batman - Part Deux!

My earlier post had me inspired to check out a few other possible dupes in my collection. In a recent swap, from very generous ladies in the Facebook nail polish group I belong to (Nail Polish and Gossip) I recently received Wet N Wild Fast Dry Blue Wants To Be A Millionaire and KleanColor Holo Blue. I already had Milani 3D Holo in Cyberspace, but in the bottle these three looked pretty close so I decided to swatch them and break it down.

 Top: Milani 3D Cyberspace, Middle: KleanColor Holo Blue, Bottom: Wet N Wild Fast Dry Blue Wants To Be A Millionaire

I live in Washington State, where the sun doesn't exist (at least not this summer). This is 3 coats of each shade. The holo on Milani's Cyberspace is more scattered and subtle, even in direct sunlight, but it's still beautiful and definitely more rainbow-y than BWTBAM. Out of the three, the KleanColor has the most noticeable holo effect - super sparkly in the sun! - but again, this is a scattered holo so you don't get the same results you'd get from the linear holos out there. It is gorgeous though! The application on the Milani is the best, with great coverage and less coats needed for true opacity. KleanColor's application is second; the polish is thick but also a little goopy - it might need to be thinned. The WnW is very sheer and didn't produce a very holo-y result. It's also just slightly darker in color than the other two. 

So there you have it! Three very similar polishes, each with their own unique attributes ... depending on what you're looking for! Personally I am happy to own all three. I can find uses for all of them! :) 

Special thanks to Jacqueline Do and Kayelyn Kiethley for swapping me these great polishes! 

In The Life of a MILF!

Neeka over at In The Life of a MILF is having a 100 follower giveaway - her first!! Click here to enter and show her some love!!

Here and Glowing In Las Vegas!

At the end of June I headed to Las Vegas for a business/pleasure trip. I needed my nails to be glitzy, glam, and over the top - just like Vegas is! I started with Zoya Charla as a base. She is absolutely stunning by herself, no question - one of my top 5 favorite polishes! Nothing compares to the subtle glass-fleck shimmer Charla has to offer. But I decided I needed a little more GLITZ!!

I made my first attempt at a gradient glitter mani using Funky Fingers Sand & Stilettos on top of Charla. I very lightly applied gradually less polish as I made my way from the tips to about the middle of each nail. I really like the result! It reminds me a bit of falling snow, and since Vegas was 108 degrees every day I was there, it was very cooling to look at :) Plus, the sun glinting off Sand & Stilettos definitely drew attention! 

I loved this mani so much I didn't want to take it off! But, alas, variety is the spice of life ... and what would I post about if I left it on? :)

June is LGBT Pride Month!

As some of you may know, June was LGBT Pride Month (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender). To show our support, many nail bloggers like myself decided to do a rainbow skittle mani in honor of this occasion. I try not to wax political here often, but I believe that the homosexual community should receive the same rights as any straight person would, in areas such as marriage, health care, employment, and ... well, anything else. Equality for all!

To achieve this look, I used WnW Fast Dry polish in (thumb to pinky): Everbody Loves REDMond, The Wonder Yellows, Sage In The City, Saved by the Blue, and Sea Witch for the tips. I then added a stripe of Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Celeb City with a very think nail art brush. I finished this look with matching rhinestones. I hadn't intended for them to look like smiley faces, but I think it turned out kind of cute that way! 

I gave my daughter a matching mani, as I am often wont to do :) I hope you all enjoy! 

Holy Blue Dupes, Batman!

These are Wet N Wild NERDS Need Love Too and Sinful Colors Paradise. Similar, no? Let's see just how similar...

Thumb, middle, and pinky are Sinful Colors Paradise. Pointer and ring finger are Wet N Wild NERDS Need Love Too. Barely noticeable! The difference is in the application. WnW NERDS is very thin and sheer and doesn't apply as nicely or as opaque as SC Paradise. Also, NERDS has a very slight shimmer that doesn't show well on the nail or in the pics but is definitely noticeable in the bottle.

 For giggles, I added a coat of Sinful Colors Hottie on top ...

And then at the suggestion of someone in my nail group on Facebook, I matted them:

I love these colors! They're *very* close, but application on the Sinful Colors polish is definitely preferable.