Swatches: Sally Hansen Utra HD Nail Color in DVD

Congrats to those of you who guessed, after seeing this post, that I purchased the shade DVD from the new Sally Hansen Ultra HD Nail Color Collection. You know me too well!

For those of you who haven't seen the display yet in person, these shades are like the original Sally Hansen HD shades on steroids. The colors are extra sparkly and many of them have an added duochrome effect.

If you would like to see how the new Ultra HDs compare to the Original HDs, I can help you out! Almost a year ago to the day, I posted pics of the original HD collection (click here to see). And of course a few days ago I spotted the Ultra HD collection (click here to see).

Sally Hansen Ultra HD Nail Color in DVD (retail: around $6.50)

So instead of trying to describe DVD in words, I thought I'd just show you this fabulous duochrome in various shades of lighting. One thing I will tell you is that I totally agree with other bloggers: the awesomeness of this shade does not really appear until you see this color in full sunshine. Indoors, this tends to look like just a super glittery, one-dimensional color.

The above pics were taken after three coats, so obviously this is a pretty sheer color. And one problem I had with this polish, which I think you can see in these pics, is that after three coats, I experienced some serious tip wear less than 24 hours after application. For some strange reason, my holy grail combo of Orly Bonder base coat and Sally Hansen Mega Shine top coat simply does NOT work with this polish. It wore down quickly and then started to peel just two days into my mani. If anyone has a tip about how to prevent this from happening (using a different top or base coat?) I would love to hear about it.

Because DVD is so sheer, I felt compelled to see how this color would look layered over another color. Luckily, I have American Apparel Mount Royal, which seemed PERFECT to use because, in real life, Mount Royal is pretty much the exact shade of purplish-blue that is predominant in DVD.

(Note: in real life, American Apparel Mount Royal has a bit more purple in it than what you see in this picture).

So here's what happened when I layered two coats of DVD over two coats of Mount Royal:


Indoors, this combo looks like a foily-blue sparkleball! It's pretty intense when you see it in person, that's for sure!


This pic was taken in full sunlight and I am so bummed that I could not capture the duochrome in DVD when layered over Mount Royal. In person it's definitely there and it's absolutely stunning.

A funny story about DVD: When I was doing my hair yesterday, I had a "WTH??" moment. I have long hair and when I get out of the shower, I use a styling cream that I apply with my hands. I run my fingers through the strands of my hair to apply this product and, since I've been doing this for years, I work rather quickly when I'm doing this. So anyway, I was running the styling product through my hair yesterday and I noticed, out of the corner of my eye, in the reflection of my bathroom mirror, these blue sparks flashing before my eyes. It was almost like little currents of electricity or something, and they were coming from my hair! I seriously was like, "What the HECK was that??" and then I of course realized that it was this nail color. My hands were moving so quickly through my hair that it looked like little sparks were coming out of my hair!

So, do you own any shades from the Sally Hansen Ultra HD Collection? If so, how do you like them? If not, are you planning on picking up any colors when you spot this display at your local drugstore?

Update: Every time I think about the "sparks" coming out of my hair, the song "Blue Spark" by the legendary L.A. band X keeps playing in my head! Unfortunately there is not a good quality recording of this on YouTube (such a shame!) and this was the best I could find.

Awesome lipstick for 50 cents (yeah, you read that right) and more...

If you missed my post from Monday (click here) I mentioned some great deals currently going on at the drugstores and I think some of them are worth repeating!  Also, I have some new information, so please read this entire post before you head out to your local drugstores this weekend--I don't want you to miss out on anything!

1) A HUGE thanks to my wonderful reader Alora, who alerted me to the fact that there is a $2 Sally Hansen Carmindy coupon on the Sally Hansen site right now (all you have to do is fill out a short survey and then you can print the coupon--click here).  If you saw this post, you know that I am LOVING the Carmindy lipsticks (and look at the comments because I'm totally not alone), which happen to be on 75% off clearance right now at CVS. So instead of paying $9.99 for one lipstick, you will pay just 49 CENTS (plus tax)!  Wait, what? Yup! The sale price is currently $2.49, so use that coupon and you're looking at 50-cent lipstick! The crazy thing is that it's like no one's aware of how awesome these are, because I've been to four CVS locations and each one was still fully stocked with these lippies, despite the presence of the 75% off stickers. So this can be our little "Nouveau Cheap readers inside secret" or something. :)

2) Speaking of lipstick, did you print out that $1 Rimmel coupon from Red Plum when I politely asked you to? If not, no worries! It's still up as of today (click here)! As you all probably know, all Rimmel products are 50% off starting tomorrow (Sunday) at Walgreens, so take that coupon with you and you'll snag a Moisture Renew Lipstick for just $2.49 (instead of $6.99).  Yessss!

3) And while you're at RedPlum, be sure to print out the $1 L'Oreal Coupon (good for Telescopic Explosion Mascara or ANY L'Oreal product).  You can use this at the CVS beauty clearance sale and get something for next to nothing (click here to see all of the L'Oreal products readers have spotted on clearance).

4) I want to confirm that the $1.50 Kiss My Face coupon available at Coupons.com (click here) can be used ANYWHERE, not just at Walmart.  The coupon only states "available at Walmart" but this does NOT mean you have to use this coupon at Walmart. I can confirm that I used this coupon at CVS with no problems at all (I bought my beloved KMF Moisture Shave).  So if you're a KMF lover, definitely print this one out and use it at Trader Joe's, CVS, Target or anywhere else that sells KMF goodies. :)

5) As you probably know, I also posted a link to a $3 off Elnett Hairspray coupon on Monday (click here if you missed that). Well I am VERY happy to report that when I was at Target the other day, they had one bottle of Elnett on clearance (I have no idea why) and it was marked down to $6.49.  So thank goodness I had that $3 off coupon in my purse because I got it for just $3.49 (retail price: $13.99). So again, let me remind you to always print out coupons for things that appeal to you (even if there's no current sale to pair it with) and just keep the coupons in your purse! You never know when one of these coupons could come in very handy.

Got any great deals or coupon info you'd like to share with us for the upcoming week? Leave a comment here and let us know! And a huge thanks in advance. :)

Happy (bargain) shopping!

Review: Prestige Color Creation Eye Shadow & Line Creator Kit

I was lucky enough to receive this fun little kit from Prestige last month, and I've been having so much fun playing around with it! I can't wait to show it to you so that you can be on the lookout for it at your local drugstores (here in San Diego, I have only seen this at Rite Aid, but look for it at locations near you that sell Prestige Cosmetics. I also just discovered that you can get this kit on Amazon as well.).

Prestige Cosmetics Color Creation Eye Shadow & Line Creator Kit in Mermaid (retail: around $12)

The coolest thing about the packaging of this product is that the tube of Line Creator Liquid fits snugly into the case, and once the lid is shut, it will not fall out. Speaking of the Line Creator Liquid, let's take a closer look at this product:

I am absolutely intrigued by this applicator! It's not a brush (in other words, there are no bristles) yet it bends and works like a brush. I'm not sure what kind of material this is made of, but it's awesome! The point is as fine as a pin--this is not an exaggeration. The tip is SUPER fine, which will enable you to easily line your eyes and get right into your lash line, no problem.

So the concept of this kit is simple. You have three eyeshadows which you can wear as traditional eyeshadows on your lids. But then, with the help of the Line Creator Liquid, you can transform each of the shadows into eyeliner (and of course you can use the Line Creator Liquid on any powder eyeshadows in your existing stash, making this product an even better value!). The Line Creator Liquid is a clear, odorless liquid with a water-like consistency. You just follow the directions on the kit and swirl the tip of the applicator around on the eyeshadow to pick up color and line your eyes.

Let me talk about the eyeshadows for a second. In a word? WOW. These shadows are highly pigmented, super smooth, and apply like butter. I can honestly say that quality of these shadows is right on par with my Stila eyeshadows. I'm very impressed.

Here are some swatches (the first three lines were swatched dry, while the bottom three lines were swatched when combined with the Line Creator Liquid):

As you can see, the Line Creator Liquid doesn't really intensify the color of these shadows too much. But I didn't find that to be a problem since the shadows are so pigmented to begin with.

Now I want to show you a few looks I did using this kit. The first look is with just the pink and bronze shadows. I used the Line Creator Liquid to line my eyes with the bronze shadow as well:

I love, love love this bronze color! I can't decide if I like it better as a shadow or as a liner, but why decide when I can wear them both ways whenever I want? :)

For this next look, I used all three shades in the Mermaid palette, and I also used the mint green shadow to line my eyes (with the help of the Line Creator Liquid):

I love this mint green shade so much! It makes me happy just looking at it. :)

So here's the big question: how is the staying power when you use the Line Creator Liquid to line your eyes? My friends, it is EXCELLENT. In fact, in the pics above (with the green shade), the day I did this look I was very tired and I actually ended up falling asleep with my makeup on (I know...this is sooooo bad but occasionally it happens, right?). Well, the next morning, I went into the bathroom and I was STUNNED to discover that the liner on both my upper and lower lids was still perfectly intact! Seriously, it didn't budge until I took it off. And the best part? It removed easily with my regular cleanser and water. No makeup remover was needed.

For my fellow oily-skinned girls out there, I think you might want to seriously consider picking up this kit if you can. I have been using it for a few weeks now and each and ever time I use it, I'm amazed at the quality, performance, and especially the staying power. I think it's one of the best products I've come across to help keep my eyeliner in place all day (and night!). If your normal liners smudge or run by day's end, this might be perfect for you.

And actually, even if you don't have a problem with smudging/running eyeliner, I think you might fall in love with this palette. The quality and versatility are amazing for something you can get at the drugstore. Heck, the eyeshadow alone rivals high-end brands, in my opinion.

And one more thing! My contact at Prestige told me that they're going to release another Color Creation Kit for the holidays with different shades of eyeshadow. So if the colors in Mermaid don't appeal to you, keep your eyes peeled later in the year for the next kit to hit the drugstores!

A sample of this product was given to Nouveau Cheap for editorial purposes, either directly from the manufacturer or from the agency that works on behalf of the manufacturer. All reviews on NouveauCheap.blogspot.com are the honest opinion of its author and editorial samples do not, in any way, affect the outcome of product reviews.

Spotted at CVS (New Milani Metallics, Sally Hansen Ultra HD and more...)

I have got lots to show you yet again today, but I want to let you know that I'm not 100% responsible for finding all of these goodies. Today, I had some help from a few of my wonderful readers!

First, a big shout-out to the amazing beautifulmonday, who not only told me about these new Milani polishes, but she also snapped some photos at her local CVS (in Pennsylvania) so that I could share them with all of you! Check this out:

Now, if you saw my post from back in April, you know that Milani released a Liquid Metal display with shades like silver, gold, black, etc. (click here if you missed that). But now they've also got a Liquid Metal display with much more colorful shades of metallics. Beautiful!

And here's a new Milani Nail Art display that I have never seen before (also sent to me from beautifulmonday). The only Milani Nail Art counter display I have ever seen is this one, which I spotted back in February. So thanks again, beautifulmonday, for the awesome pics and info!

Next up, I want to thank my lovely reader Heather for alerting me to the fact that Body Fantasies has a new Twilight/True Blood/Vampire Diaries/etc. inspired fragrance, simply titled "Vampire". I am a sucker (pun intended!) for Body Fantasies products, especially if they're limited edition, so I knew I had to see this one after Heather mentioned it.

And then as luck would have it, I spotted this display at CVS yesterday:

$14.99 seems a bit high for a Body Fantasies fragrance, but it is an EDP, so maybe it's worth it. But of course, as you can see in this display, the tester was missing, so I could not get a whiff of this fragrance. Waaah! I tried to sniff the box but it's sealed tightly shut so I couldn't smell anything. If you have smelled Vampire, I would LOVE to know what you think of it!

Next up, I finally, FINALLY spotted a display with the two-fer packs of Physicians Formula gel liners and shadows:

$14.99 for both the gel liners and shadows? That is a GREAT deal!

And last but certainly not least, I finally spotted the display for the new Ultra HD Sally Hansen nail polishes:

(click images to super-size)

New Sally Hansen Ultra HD Hi-Definition Nail Color Collection

L to Right: Revolution, Spectrum, DVD and Laser

L to R: Byte, LCD, Wavelength and Hue

How gorgeous are these shades? You KNOW I had to get one. Any guesses as to which one I bought? I will definitely post swatches very soon so please check back if you're interested.

In the meantime, are you excited to find any of the goodies I've mentioned in this post? Do you already own any of these products? As always, I'd love to hear from you!

Zoya Ivanka (quite possibly the mother of all green polishes)

If you're a green nail polish lover, then I probably don't need to tell you about Zoya Ivanka. This shade is part of Zoya's Sparkle Collection and it is easily the most gorgeous green polish I own. I've been lusting after this color for weeks now, and I have to say I am one lucky gal because a dear, sweet, awesome friend of mine recently sent this color to me for no reason other than, well, she wanted me to have it. Girlfriends are the BEST, aren't they?

The words "green foil" come to mind when I see this shade...it's even more stunning in person, I assure you.

Zoya Ivanka (retail: $7)

All pics were taken after three coats (I probably could have gotten by with two but three really made this color perfect). No top coat was used in these pics.

Do you own Ivanka, or any other colors from the Zoya Sparkle Collection? If not, remember that the Zoya Polish Exchange is still going on through the end of June, so now's a good time to try some new colors!

Spotted at CVS (new clearance products and more!)

Lots to show you today so let's jump right into it:

OMG OMG OMG, I haven't been this excited about an Essence of Beauty release in a looong time!

Essence of Beauty Limited Edition Fragrances: Pixie Tangerine and Mango Paradise

Citrus lovers, I've got just four words for you: YOU NEED PIXIE TANGERINE. Wait, let me clarify. If you love sweet citrus scents, you NEED this. To my nose, this smells like sugared tangerine. Like tangerine that's been lightly coated with sugar crystals. It's heavenly and I could not stop sniffing my wrist after I tested this. I'm telling you, if you love sweet citrus scents, you need to get your booty on down to CVS and give this one a sniff. But hurry because, as the display indicates, it's limited edition and it won't be around forever.

I also really liked Mango Paradise. To my nose, it's not a pure mango--there are other tropical notes in this fragrance as well. But after smelling Pixie Tangerine, I'm afraid that Mango Paradise didn't stand a chance. Ha! But if you're a mango lover, you definitely need to give this one a sniff.

I also wanted to tell you that the CVS Beauty Sale is still going strong! I actually spotted some new products that have been reduced to 75% off (new as in, these weren't on clearance during the last Beauty Sale in January) and I could not resist picking some things up.

The prices on these were ridiculous, and of course it didn't hurt that I had a few $1 off L'Oreal coupons in my purse (from Red Plum mailers I rec'd in the mail over the past several weeks). This brought my cost down as follows:

L'Oreal HiP Color Presso Gloss in Fashionista
retail: $12.99
75% off sale price: $3.25
minus $1 coupon, total cost: $2.25

L'Oreal HiP Shocking Shadow Pigments in Progressive
retail: $11.99
75% off sale price: $2.99
minus $1 coupon, total cost: $1.99

Sally Hansen Natural Beauty by Carmindy Color Comfort Lip Color in Soft Orchid
retail: $9.99
75% off sale price: $2.49

Total retail price: $34.97
My total price: $6.73

Now of course I want to show you some swatches in case you're interested in any of these goodies:

Sally Hansen Carmindy Color Comfort Lipstick in Soft Orchid

Oh MY, what a beautiful shade. In real life it's truly a soft, muted cool rose type of shade and it's got a lovely creme look to it on the lips. I had actually never tried one of these Carmindy lipsticks before and I've got to say, they're fabulous. Talk about creamy! This is probably one of the creamiest lippies I've ever owned from the drugstore. It's just a total delight to wear this lipstick. LOVE it. Now I want more!

L'Oreal HiP Color Presso Lipgloss in Fashionista

In this swatch, I have shown you both colors side-by-side. If you've never tried a Color Presso, it's a pretty neat package. Both colors are side-by-side and you can either squeeze one at a time, or both at the same time and mix the colors together (please note, in the pic above, the darker shade looks a lot more red than it is in real life. It's actually more of a deep magenta in real life).

And here's what it looks like when you mix the two colors together. So pretty! And surprising not too gritty on the lips considering how much microglitter is in both glosses. Oh, and did I mention that these glosses smell and taste like buttercream frosting? Yeah, they do. :)

L'Oreal HiP Shocking Shadow Pigments in Progressive

Um, WOW. I had heard that these loose pigments were super pigmented but I just didn't expect them to be THIS pigmented. Color me impressed! and I'm happy to report that the accompanying brush is pretty darn decent as well! I'm loving this.

So do you own any of the products mentioned in this post? Are you thinking about hitting up the CVS beauty clearance sale again (assuming you've already done some damage in the past few weeks)? I'd love to hear from you!

Sally Hansen Silver Lining

In cased you missed it, there was a great review of Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure polishes over at WeHeartThis a few days ago. As part of WHT's review team, I was lucky enough to receive Silver Lining several weeks ago for that review (my review is in the comments) and it has been extremely difficult to keep quite on this color until the review posted! So now that the review is up, I'd like to share some pics of Silver Lining with you.

It was hard to capture the beauty of this shade in photos so I'm including several shots taken in different forms of lighting and at different angles.

First, since Silver Lining is pretty sheer (three coats and you will still have visible nail line), I decided to layer it over a few shades:

 L to R: Sally Hansen Silver Lining, NYC Black Lace Creme, Milani Cloud 9

 

Pinky and ring finger: Silver Lining by itself (three coats)

Middle finger: two coats Silver Lining layered over two coats NYC Black Lace Creme

Index finger: two coats Silver Lining layered over two coats Milani Cloud 9

I wanted to show you this blurry pic because it was the best way to capture the beautiful microglitter that's in this polish. Silver Lining is loaded with silver, gold and violet blue (almost holographic) microglitter. I cannot stress how stunning this polish is in person. It's got a foil-like quality to it that you really need to see for yourself. 

I say, if you're a sparkly silver polish fan, you need this one. I personally can't wait to use it for my next pedicure, layered over a deep blue (maybe Wet n Wild Blue Moon?). 

So what do you think? Are you drawn to this shade? Do you already own it? I'd love to hear your thoughts, and please don't forget to check out the Sally Hansen review over at WeHeartThis (thanks again, ladies, for rocking my world and sending me this shade!). And while you're there, leave a comment and let us know if you're on team "love the brush" or team "hate the brush". :)

Disclosure: This product was sent to me by WeHeartThis.com for review on their website.

Spotted at Rite Aid (new Sinful Colors Nail Art, Finesse sale and more)

Yesterday I went to Rite Aid to take advantage of that $5 off Physicians Formula coupon I mentioned a few days ago (of course I stocked up on beloved PF SPF50 Powder Foundation) and when I was there I spotted some things I want to share with you.

First, have you seen this new Sinful Colors display?

Yep, neon nail art!

 But here's the coolest part: all of these shades are cremes EXCEPT for the two on the far right:

I tried SO hard to capture these colors on my blackberry but it just didn't work.  The blue and green shades in this display are duochromes! You've got see them in real life to really appreciate them. They are so pretty!

Also at Rite Aid, I noticed that Psssssst Dry Shampoo is on sale for just $3.49 a can (I believe the retail is $5.99).  That is an awesome deal so if you've been wanting to try this product, now's your chance (click here for my review if you missed it).

And here's the most exciting thing I discovered yesterday while at Rite Aid! As many of you know, this new line by Finesse has been on my wishlist for several weeks now:

The only thing that's been stopping me from purchasing these is the price tag ($4.99 for a 10 oz bottle seems kind of pricey for drugstore).  But, if you got the Sunday paper a few weeks ago, you know that there was a $1 Finesse coupon AND a $3 rebate form in the SmartSource insert.  Well you know I clipped those and I've been hoping for a great sale.  So guess what? This week at Rite Aid, these are just $1.99 each!  So after using my $1 coupon, that brought my total down to $3, which means these will be FREE after rebate. Whoo hoo!  

I will definitely review these once I've tested them out so please check back if you're interested.

Rite Aid rocked my world yesterday! :)