Physicians Formula Baked Bronzer in Baked Tan

This is the first bronzer I've tried actually, and so far I've been quite pleased with it. I'm rather fair-skinned and didn't think I'd find a bronzer that would suit my complexion. Lately I've been really into mineral powders (and "baked" blushes and such) for my face; I like the subtle, dewy glow they give, especially for the summer. This can be used wet or dry, and blends very nicely, with a nice little shimmer in it to give a touch more summer glow.

I'm still learning what the best application is, but I like to lightly sweep it across my cheeks to give them a bit more depth. It's suggested to apply it where the sun would naturally give your face more color.

Blended, Unblended

I picked this up at WalMart for ~$10, and I believe I saw it at Target as well. They also carry a slightly darker shade called Baked Bronze.

Zoya Zara

One of my favorite Zoya polishes, which combines my love of purple and gold shimmer. Zara goes on a little sheer but looks lovely after three coats.

I think it has a very "Spring" feel to it, but I'll definitely being wearing her all year round. The gold and purple compliment each other so nicely. I've been a bit obsessed with gold shimmer recently, in my polishes, lipsticks, and even blushes. I love the warmth and sparkle it adds in the Summertime.

I also made my first attempt at striping with tape, but I don't think the color I chose (Nubar's Indigo Illusion) contrasted enough with the orchid-plum purple. And as you can see I didn't clean up around my nail much either! There are some pretty cool designs you can create with just tape, although I'd really like to try nail stamping, too.

Skittle Mani?

The other week my indecisiveness led me to try a "skittle" mani with a spring-inspired palette and lots of flakey goodness. I just can't get enough of Nubar 2010 and am always surprised and very pleased with how it looks over different colors.

From thumb to pinky I have Nubar 2010 layered over Nubar Wildlife, Zoya Pru, Nubar Indigo Illusion, OPI It's Totally Fort Worth It, and Zoya Dannii.

I still need to learn and perfect a good nail clean-up method. I've tried using both a cotton swab and also a paintbrush dipped in acetone to clean around the edges. Maybe I have the wrong type of brush because that was painfully difficult and took forever! For now I am in the bad habit of simply waiting until it is dried, washing my hands and trying to peel off the excess. >.>;;

New Fall Collections from Zoya and Rescue Beauty Lounge!

This week, Zoya and Rescue Beauty Lounge have announced their new colors for Fall 2011. Zoya's Smoke and Mirrors collection includes 12 beautiful shades, from cremes to metallics to incredible gold sparkles.

Smoke
· Jana - Smoky mauve quartz cream
· Petra - Smoky eggplant mauve cream
· Codie - Smoky brown taupe cream
· Anja - Smoky palatinate purple cream
· Cynthia - Smoky Prussian blue cream
· Dree - Smoky camouflage green cream

Mirrors
· Nimue - Smoky rich thistle metallic
· Marina - Smoky steel blue metallic
· Tao - Smoky slate gray metallic
· Yara - Sparkly olive green metallic
· Neeka - Sparkly amethyst purple metallic
· Jem - Sparkly fandango pink metallic

Here are some beautiful swatches from some of the lucky bloggers who were able to preview these:

Smoke & Mirrors
Temptalia: Smoke & Mirrors
Scrangie
Vampy Varnish: Smoke & Mirrors

Pre-order is available on Zoya's website now and will ship July 15th.

This afternoon, Ji from Rescue Beauty Lounge previewed her Pre-Fall collection, L’Oiseau de Feu. She describes the colors and how they were inspired by "the metamorphosis of colors brought on by Hurricane Earl." In her blog, she writes:

“I envisioned my first color—Pizzicato—inspired by the gentle tiny taps of rain droplets as they hit the tin roof, reminiscent of plucked strings. A misty white with the faintest hint of lavender, Pizzicato has a shimmer that acts like prisms of light in a sun shower.”

“When the wind picked up, I saw Poco a poco, “little by little.” This is a shade that changes from moment to moment. It’s the stunning, sparkling pink of a fanning cloud when the red and orange rays of the sun are trying to burst through.”

“Later, the ominous dark clouds bled into the sky with a fast-moving wind. Piú Mosso is an inky, blue-black that shoots through a flash of orange, the last glow of sunlight.”

"At last, when the light left the sky and the wind started to roar, the sky turned into a shade beyond description—a dark greenish, blackish, brown, leading to a powerful Fortissimo, the finale chord of The Fire Bird.”

Such a moving and vivid idea behind these! A few select bloggers were given samples to preview.

L’Oiseau de Feu
All Lacquered Up
Scrangie
Kellie Gonzo

Ji has said that the pre-order for her new shades should be available around the end of July.