Claw Candy: Sonia Kashuk's Nail Color in Fairy Princess

For whatever reason, when I wear Fairy Princess by Sonia Kashuk on my nail I feel so damn classy.  It's this subdued mint green with blue shimmer that shows up when the light hits it.  You can see that effect in the bottle in the photo above.  The formula is great too!  It dries reasonably quick and not streaky at all.  

You can find this shade on the Target website!  It retails for $4.79.  

Claw Candy: Color Club Peppermint Twist

I'm going to make this simple:  I LOVE THIS COLOR!

Peppermint Twist by Color Club is a creamy cool bubblegum pink with a teensy bit of a lilac-y undertone and it's absolutely lovely.  I'm not sure how the name pertains to the color however.  When I think of Peppermint I think of red and white stripes, so maybe it's what you get when you mix the 2 colors?  I don't know, and frankly I don't care.

In terms of application, it did go on a bit streaky at first, but nothing a 2nd coat and Seche Vite couldn't fix.

I just love staring at it *sigh*

You can find more information about this polish at the Color Club website.  I got mine in a mini size at Bed Bath and Beyond.

Claw Candy: Sally Hansen's Magnetic Nail Polish

One of the goodies that I got in my Summer Vox Box from Influenster was this gem from Sally Hansen.  It's the new Magnetic Nail Polish in Red-y Response!  Right now the big nail trend on the block is magnetic nails, and now these polishes are finally making their way to the drugstore.  

Red-y Response is a metallic burgundy color.  I'm glad I received this particular color because I already have 3 magnetic polishes from Nails Inc. and was afraid they'd give me a nail color that I already had.  

As far as application and performance it performed just as well as the Nails Inc. magnetic polish that was almost double the price.  It was just as easy to put on and lasted the same amount of time.  And as an extra cherry on top, Sally Hansen has a much larger range of colors.

You can find more information about this polish at the Sally Hansen website.  It retails for $9-10.

Disclaimer:  I received this product complimentary from Influenster.  I received no compensation for my review nor was I required to do a review at all.  As always, all personal views and experiences expressed are my honest opinions and in no way influenced by any other party or circumstance. 

Claw Candy: OPI Pink Friday from the Nicki Minaj Collection

Trying to spend the last of my coupon at Bloom.com (a online shop which I will posting about soon), I made the best decision of my life when I chose OPI's Pink Friday to round out my shopping cart!  Aside from the fact that this color is absolutely gorgeous and a shade that I've been looking for forever, the formula is also a dream to work with.

Pink Friday is from the Nicki Minaj Collection, so even if I didn't show a picture of the polish, you can probably guess what kind of pink this color is going to be.  Granted, it's not as neon as I think of when I hear the name Nicki Minaj, but it's still a bright, fun, and opaque light pink.  Simply put, I heart this color!

And as I said before, the formula is great.  It went on smooth and was completely opaque with 2 coats.  There was no bubbling nor was there any dulling of the finish once dry, 2 issues I experience with a lot of different polishes.  It also lasted an eternity without chipping.  It seriously looked as fresh as the first day I applied it to the day I removed the polish (which was about a full week later).  

You can purchase this shade and the rest of the Nicki Minaj collection at the Bloom website for $8.50

Claw Candy: Color Club Polish in Mrs. Robinson

I was so happy to find mini versions of Color Club polishes at Bed Bath and Beyond because I truly never go through an entire bottle of any nail polish.  This color is in Mrs. Robinson, and I love it because to me it seems like a full coverage jelly finish.  I usually stray away from jelly polishes because they tend to be sheer, but Mrs. Robinson was opaque in 2 coats!  Color-wise, it's a bright magenta that without a top coat, dries to a kind of dull finish so I strongly recommend using a shiny top coat if that's the look you're going for :)  FYI, I'm wearing a thick coat of Seche Vite in the photo above.

Claw Candy: Deborah Lippmann Mermaid's Dreams

I CAN'T. STOP. STARING. AT MY NAILS.

I have never seen as beautiful a nail polish as Deborah Lippmann's Mermaid's Dreams.  It's absolutely mesmerizing and there's no picture I could have taken to do it any type of justice.  To me, it looks like a shimmery aqua blue base with a heavy teal green sheen when it hits the light.  And in the mix of it all are some chunky dark teal glitter.  You have to see it on your own nails to fully appreciate it's splendor.  It really does remind you of mermaids.  And one more great thing:  For it being such a shimmery/glittery polish it wasn't all that hard to remove with just plain ol' cotton balls and acetone!  


If you remember a past edition of "I NEED THIS", you may recall that I once coveted this polishin a bad way.  What was keeping me away was its $18 price tag, but I found a killer deal that I also mentioned you guys a few weeks ago from Beauty.com.  Not only did I snag this for 20% off, but I also got 13% cash back from Ebates on it!  With all that I couldn't justify not getting this polish, and I'm so glad I did!


You can find more info about this polish from LippmannCollection.com and I highly recommend purchasing from Beauty.com, as they have frequent deals on the site!


Just a note on application:  I did find this to be a bit weird in application.  It wasn't bad, just not what I was used to.  I found that I didn't really need to wipe some of the excess off of the brush like I typically do with other polishes as it seems a little actually does not go a long way.  So I recommend just dipping the brush in the bottle and putting it directly on your nail with the excess and all.  Not a big deal though.

Claw Candy: Revlon Colorstay Polish in Coastal Surf!

And so continues my love affair with Revlon's Colorstay Nail Polish line.  This time we have Coastal Surf, a drop dead gorgeous medium sky blue.  It's vibrant without verging into neon territory (it's not quite as loud in real life as it is in the photo).  Perfect for the summer!  One thing I've really been appreciating about these polishes are the kind of unique shades Revlon's injected.  When you have as large of a nail polish collection as I've accumulated over the years, it's hard not to duplicate colors eventually, but fortunately all the polishes I've tried from Revlon Colorstay have been nice, new additions to my own polishes.  Check out this shade and others at Revlon.com

Claw Candy: Maybelline Express Finish Polish in Peachy Petal

Maybelline Express Finish Nail Color in Peachy Petal caught my eye a few weeks ago at Rite Aid when I saw a nice, big clearance sticker lying next to it, along with the rest of this limited edition polish collection  I can't remember what collection this was a part of but I'm going to go out on the limb here and say it was a spring collection for this year...just a guess.  Anywho, I've been looking for a polish this exact color for quite some time now and didn't twice about it.


The color did not disappoint in the least and was opaque in 2 coats, which makes me happy.  However, remember when I mentioned that although I loved Revlon's new Colorstay polish line except application was a bit of a pain?  This polish from Maybelline made Revlon's applications seem like a dream.  Good God was this an asshole to deal with!  It was supposed to dry in 50 seconds......50 seconds my arse!  And the streakage going on was more than I could deal with.  It also didn't take but a few days for this to start chipping something crazy.  


I did love the color though....just definitely not worth the effort.  Don't know if all the polishes are like this, but I did pick up another shade so I'll let you know how that goes.  *fingers crossed*  You can check out more shades at maybelline.com

Claw Candy: Essence Polish in Lime Up!

Essence Lime Up! (sorry for the slight blur going on)

Just wanted to put up a quick photo of the new Essence polish I got in Lime Up!.  While it is indeed a lime shade, I detected an undertone of a mustard-y yellow.  Expect a lot of these polishes by Essence coming up here on Amber Likes Beauty for the next few weeks, I bought quite a few of them.

Butter LONDON at Sephora! Am I the last to know this?

I'm pretty sure everyone knew this but me as there are already reviews up on the page, but while digging through Sephora today I noticed Butter LONDON listed in the brand list.  Sure enough Sephora then listed the polishes available for purchases.  It's always a bit more convenient for me to shop at Sephora than Ulta, so this is great for me, although I'm not planning on grabbing them any time soon as I just had a few giant nail polish hauls.  Just a heads up for those of you who are the lasts ones to know everything like me :)


If you interested, you can click here to go to the brand's page on Sephora!

I NEED THIS!!! Deborah Lippmann Mermaid's Dream

I have never found myself so in love with a nail polish shade before as I am with Deborah Lippmann's Mermaid's Dream.  I caught a glimpse of this over at Vampy Varnish (click here for swatches) and it was love at first site.  It's a gorgeous seafoam green (which is slowly but surely becoming my favorite color) jam packed with glittery goodness.  The catch?  It's $18.  Is it worth it?  With it's unique nature, I think yes.  Can I afford it?  Sadly no.  Grad school is promising to put me in never ending poverty.  Will I be scrounging my house for loose change to pay for it?   Hells yeah!


You can snag this at NeimanMarcus.com (they have a free shipping code at the moment), Nordstrom.com (also promising free shipping), and Zappos.com (yep, you guessed it - they have free shipping too <3)  So at least if you decide to splurge you don't have to factor in shipping :)

Claw Candy: WnW Spoiled + LA Girl Glitter Addict

Today's Claw Candy features Spoiled by Wet N Wild in Show Me Some Skin and L.A. Girl's Glitter Addict in Nostalgic.  I wasn't too keen on WnW's Mega Last Salon nail polish so I was a bit weary about Spoiled but I think I like it.  It was opaque in 2 coats and the formula was sans the goopiness I experience with Mega Last.


I'm normally sporting brighter, bolder colors on my nails than Show Me Some Skin, which is a beige with an almost terracotta base.  Despite it being a nice color I did find myself a bit bored so I slapped on glitter topcoat in nostalgic, which is a teal chunky glitter with a clear base, to spice it up a bit.


WnW Spoiled polishes are CVS store exclusive for $2 and L.A. Girl Glitter Addicts can be found at Rite Aid and lagirlusa.com for $4.

Revlon Colorstay Nail Polish Review! They're Pretty Awesome :)

Rarely do I give formal reviews for nail polishes.  If I use a color that particularly catches my eye or has a unique effect I'll include it in my Claw Candy series, as I've already done with Revlon Colorstay in Spanish Moss, but I don't normally dedicate more than a paragraph to it.  Well today, I think Revlon's new Colorstay line of nail polishes does warrant it's own review post.  It really is a phenomenal polish that sets itself apart from other drugstore nail enamels.  However, it also presents a unique problem that, although the awesome formula overshadows this, I still feel it's well worth mentioning.  Find out more info and swatches after the jump!

Claw Candy: Revlon Colorstay Nail Polish in Spanish Moss

I originally wasn't interested in Revlon's new Colorstay Nail Polish, but then I saw some beautiful swatches of the shade in Spanish Moss and knew I had to get at least that one.  I don't have any other shade like it, and to be honest I don't think if someone said to me, "You know what you need?  A mossy green nail polish!", I would believe them.  But to actually see it on the nails is a whole different experience.  


Spanish Moss is a mossy, almost muted army green color.  It has a creme finish, which is my favorite.  Formula-wise, this is...interesting.  I'll probably get into that more when I do a formal review on this product, (I have another shade, Buttercup, that I want to try out first), but I'll just say it's unlike any other polish I've ever tried.  In general terms though, this particular shade is almost completely opaque with the first coat, dry time is average, and I've been wearing it for about 4 days now and it hasn't chipped yet :)  More to come after I've tested the other shade, but for now you can view the product features and shades at Revlon.com.

Claw Candy: St. Patrick's Day 2012 Edition

Sinful Colors Happy Ending (with flash)

Whether you're celebrating today by watching a parade or hitting up your local bars, you're gonna need the perfect green for your nails.  For me, this is Sinful Colors polish in Happy Ending (available at drugstores & Cherry Culture for no more than $2).  What makes this color special is surprisingly not it's gorgeous lime green base, but instead its flash of gold when it hits the light.  It's not a duo-chrome effect, it's more of a gold dazzling effect that still lets the green shine through.  I love it!  

Sinful Colors Happy Ending (no flash)

Tip:  As gorgeous as this color is by itself, try adding a matte top coat to it.  It makes the green even more intense!

Claw Candy: Nails Inc. Magnetic Polish in Whitehall Teal & Trafalgar Square

After reviewing the Nails Inc. Magnetic Polish in Houses of Parliament I rushed to get the other two shades on my Christmas list and was lucky enough to get Whitehall Teal and Trafalgar Square (silver).  Formula-wise Whitehall Teal was just as opaque and beautiful as Houses of Parliament upon the 1st coat while Trafalgar Square definitely requires 2 coats to obtains opacity.  I applied 2 coats of both colors though to get the best out of the magnetic effect.  One thing I did notice, however, was that Whitehall Teal didn't magnetize as well as House of Parliament or Tragalgar Square did.  I had to take extra special care with this shade to make sure the magnetic effect was even whereas I didn't have to worry about it as much with the other two shades.  Not sure yet if it was really the shade or user error.

Claw Candy: Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Fairy Teal

I picked up Sally Hansen's Complete Salon Manicure in Fairy Teal during CVS's clearance sale.  It's a lovely dark teal nail polish that goes on opaque in one coat.  In person, the polish has much more green in it than the above photo suggests.  In my opinion, it's a true teal with an equal balance of blue & green, not leaning more blue as in the picture.  And the name 'Fairy Teal' is just adorable.  It was one of those polishes that I bought mostly because of the name, although I'm definitely glad to introduce this shade into my arsenal!  I don't have anything like it.

E.L.F. Nail Polish (New and Improved Formula) Review

E.L.F. Nail Polish L-R:  Smoky Brown, Mint, Lilac

As part of my cyber Monday E.L.F. haul, I decided to pick up 3 of their polishes.  I've purchased E.L.F.'s polishes in the past and thought they were okay for $1.  I wasn't thrilled though and didn't have a real desire to get more.  However, a few months ago the company upped the price from $1 to $2 and claimed a new and improved formula, so I figured I'd give them another try.  Find out if the new formula is worth the doubling of the price after the jump!

Sephora V.I.B. Sale Part 2: Nails Inc. Magnetic Polish & Kensington Caviar Top Coat

I'm not even going to keep you guys in suspense with this....I love this stuff.  I'm haven't been too keen on some of the nail trends that have been popping up - and by that I mean crackle polish.  I don't know why but I just couldn't get down with that stuff.  However, I stand completely behind these magnetic polishes.  With only 3 steps you've manicured an optical illusion right on your nails.  Full review of this and Nails Inc.'s Kensington Caviar Top Coat after the jump!

Sephora V.I.B. 20% Off Sale Haul Preview

After ping-ponging back and forth during the Sephora Family & Friend's Sale, (trying to figure out what to get instead of the out-of-stock Tarte LipSurgence Set, grrrr!), I finally decided to give up and wait for the upcoming V.I.B. sale to take advantage of.  I was hoping the Tarte set would be in stock by then but, alas, it wasn't meant to be I guess.  However I did snatch up some goodies that I'm currently swatching for you :)  Joining my overpopulated vanity are:

• Urban Decay 24/7 Liner Travel Size Set - Electric
• Urban Decay Mariposa Palette
• Nails, Inc. Kensington Caviar Top Coat
• Nails, Inc. Magnetic Polish - Houses of Parliament
• Buxom Lash Hurrah Set - Full Size Buxom Lash & Mini Amplified Lash Mascara
• Sephora False Lashes - Elegant
• Deluxe Sample of KP Duty Moisturizing Therapy

So did you take advantage of any of Sephora's sales?  Family/Friends or V.I.B.?