Zoya: Beach & Surf Collections for Summer 2012 Review & Swatches (picture heavyyy)

Good morning, everyone!

Sorry I've been MIA for the past couple of days. I'm still trying to recover from a cold and you all know that feeling! -_- LOL

Anyway, if you missed my FB post yesterday, I posted the picture below and promised that swatches would be on their way. Well, my lovelies, behold the Zoya Beach/Surf Collection for Summer 2012! 

There's a lot to cover, so let's get started! :)

Zoya Beach Collection

Shelby

What better way to start of this review than with one of my top 3 colors from the Beach Collection! Shelby is a beautiful, blue toned pink that dries to a creme finish. I'm not sure if it's an exact dupe of OPI Pink Friday, but it is def. close. Application was a bit streaky, but evened out after the next coat. 

Lara

A vibrant, medium fuchsia that dries to a creme finish. Pigmentation was amazing and only required one coat for opacity. 

Reagan

Another favorite from the beach collection! Reagan is a dark fuchsia that dries to a creme finish. Now, many of you know that I'm not a huge fan of deep berry nail polishes, but this is by far the only exception! Not only that, but it is insanely pigmented and only required one coat. Love!

Arizona

If you love in your face oranges, I really think you may love this. Arizona is a light, tangerine creme that required 2 coats for opacity. Another beauty from this collection. ;)

Tracie

This has definitely made my top 3 from this collection! Tracie is a split pea soup green with a pearlescent finish. This was the only non-creme from this collection, but is a beautiful addition! This was 2 easy coats.

Wednesday

An aqua, blue creme. It looks a bit more dusty in person and makes a great addition to my aqua creme collection. This was 2 coats.

Zoya Surf Collection

Rory

A pinky, mauve infused with tons of silver foil specks that is apparent on the nails. This was probably my least favorite color from the Surf Collection. This was 2 coats.

Kimber

A coral, red infused with golden/orange shimmers. This color is an absolute beauty and has definitely made my top 3 from the Surf Collection. This was 2 coats. 

Carly

A deep, eggplant purple foil infused with violet, magenta, and blue shimmers. Like Tracie from the Beach collection, Carly was definitely an unexpected color. Nonetheless, it's a stunner! This was 1 easy coat.

Myrta

A red, orange foil. This would probably be my second least favorite from this collection. I know that Kimber and Myrta are two different colors, but if I had to choose one, it would definitely be Kimber. This was 2 coats.

Meg

A yellow, green with chartreuse shimmers. This has also made my top 3 from the Surf collection! This is my perfect summer green! This was 2 easy coats.

Zuza

An aqua, blue foil. This is absolute perfection in a bottle! This is so much more vibrant and stunning in person. Definitely my first pick from the Surf collection! This was 2 coats!

This is determined by half of the nail polishes I personally enjoyed the most in each collection(s). Ex. If there are 6 nail polishes in 1 collection, 3 nail polishes will be chosen etc. DB Top Picks have passed the following 4 requirements: formula, application, pigmentation, and overall quality of the product.

Beach Collection: Shelby, Reagan, and Tracie

Surf Collection: Kimber, Meg, and Zuza

The Good

-Fun Summer colors

-Vibrant pigmentation

-Effortless application

-Smooth formula

-Most can be 1 coaters if you are careful

-Average dry time for Beach Collection

-Quick dry time for Surf Collection

The Not So Good

N/A

Final thoughts: Personally, I thought that both collections were winners in my book. If you're looking for nail polishes to help transition into Spring/Summer, I really recommend both collections! I love how you can keep it simple with the cremes from the Beach collection and how you can "spice" it up with the foils from the Surf collection. 

This collection will be available on April 1, 2012!

As always, hope this helps & happy shopping!

 Which colors have striked your fancy? Which will you be picking up? Thoughts? I'd love to know down below!

A sample of these products were kindly sent to me for review purposes. I am not being compensated in anyway, shape, or form. The reviews on Deuce Beauties my are honest opinions, based on my experience/knowledge with each product mentioned.

~Carla

Review: Batiste Dry Shampoo Fresh & Blush

Good evening, everyone! 

I usually don't like to post this late, but  I was so excited to share this review with you all. 

I've heard many sides on the issue of daily hair washing and personally, washing my hair each day is a MUST, but sometimes, I like to venture into the wonderful world of dry shampoos. A few weeks ago, I received two bottles of Batiste Dry Shampoos to test out, let's get to it!

Fresh & Blush

 

Directions 

 I have natural, long black hair and which makes oil very noticeable. Since my hair tends to get a little oily throughout the day, my hair requires being washed on an everyday basis. 

When using this products, I like to split my hair into sections and spray where needed. Then, I massage the product on my scalp work the product into my roots. Lastly, I brush out my hair and style accordingly. This step is a must for dark hair gals like myself, in order to avoid a build up of product and to avoid a white cast.

On bad hair days, achieving volume is a pain, but I found that not only does this absorb any excess oil from my hair, but also doubles as a volumizing agent. 

I personally prefer Fresh as opposed to Blush. In my opinion, Fresh offers a more crisp, clean scent, while Blush offers a much more heavy, floral feminine scent. They pretty much worked the same and had the same concept, the only difference was the scent. 

Overall, I'm glad to introduce this product in my normal hair care routine. Like I said, I like to wash my hair on a daily basis, but this also works as a volumzing product that adds a bit of "bounce", if you will, to my hair. After using this product for a few weeks now, I can honestly say that this products works wonders for my hair. It's super easy to use and is effective if you follow the directions. 

Availability:

 I have seen Batiste products being sold at Sally's Beauty Supply Store and Bed Bath & Beyond,  Ulta. 

Pricing:

$6-8 depending where you purchase from

As always, hope this helps & happy shopping!

Do you use any Dry Shampoos? If so, what is your go-to brand? If not, would you ever consider trying them out? Thoughts?! I'd love to know down below!

LECHAT: Dare to Wear Love Dream Collection Review & Swatches (Picture Heavyyy)

Good morning, everyone!

Today I have the new 6 piece LECHAT Love Dream Collection for Spring/Summer 2012. You know the drill, there's quite a bit to cover, so let's jump right into it! ;)

I am a HUGE sucker for periwinkles and Angel from Above does not disappoint! For a long time now, Catrice Up in the Air has been my go to periwinkle, but I think this may have taken its place! This has hands down, landed onto my top three picks from this collection. Application was effortless needing 2 coats for complete opacity. I will def. be enjoying this all Spring/Summer long! LOVE!

Moon River is another beauty in this collection. It's a beautiful aqua creme that dries to an ultra glossy finish. Application was a bit streaky on the first coat, but completely smoothed out after the second coat. If it looks familiar/similar, you may be thinking of China Glaze Aquadellic. 

Always and forever is a toned down mauve that dries opaque after 2 easy coats. It's my least favorite from the collection, but still serves a good purpose for being the "neutral" color from this collection. Neutrals, neons, and brights have made their way onto this seasons nail trends. 

My Sweet Desire, you are! :) Ahhh, another color that has easily fallen into my top three picks. Isn't it just lovely?! ;) My Sweet Desire is a bright, coral red infused with a bronze/orange iridescent shimmer. For this and the next two colors down below, the bottle shots are exactly what you would get on your nails. It was a bit tricky to capture, but it reminds me of flames! This was 2 easy coats. 

Shangri-La is a combination of teal/turquoise infused with a beautiful, light gold shimmer. This applied perfectly in 2 coats. Again, the bottle shot is a more accurate description of its color. Nothing but good vibes with this color. ;) 

Last, but most certainly not the least is this beauty! Our Secret Eden is beautiful blurple infused with pink/violet shimmers. This is absolutely stunning and is first on my list from this collection! As usual, my camera has this love/hate relationship with blues and purples, but again, the bottle shot is pretty accurate and true to color. This was 2 coats!

 

Our Secret Eden, Angel from Above, and My Sweet Desire

The Good:

-Beautiful formulation 

-Effortless Application

-Opaque in 2 easy coats

-Perfect Spring/Summer colors

-3-5 days before any major chipping 

-Standard brush 

-DOES NOT CONTAIN DBP, TOLUENE, OR FORMALDEHYDE 

The Not So Good:

-May be hard to find since they can only be found at some e-tailers, salons, spas, and beauty supply stores

Here are some e-tailers that carry this brand:

http://www.nailsupplyhouse.com/category-s/467.htm 

http://www.head2toebeauty.com/nail_gel_polishes/ngp_lechat1.htm 

Overall, this collection is an all around winner in my book! If you like creme and shimmer finishes, you may just love these. 

LECHAT offers 72 colors of color matching Perfect Match LED&UV Cured Soak Off Gel Polishes. Each set of Perfect Match comes with one bottle of one bottle of Gel Polish and one bottle of free color matching nail lacquer. Please stay tuned for my review in the near future as I am still trying out the products!

Click here to be directed to their website and here to be directed to their Facebook page!

As always, hope this helps & happy shopping!

Do you own any LECHAT nail polishes? Which colors have caught your attention? Thoughts?! I'd love to know down below!

A sample of these products were kindly sent to me for review purposes. I am not being compensated in anyway, shape, or form. The reviews on Deuce Beauties my are honest opinions, based on my experience/knowledge with each product mentioned.

~Carla