Get into a state of zen with Kat Von D pigment in Meditation

Ok, can I make a confession?  I have zero experience with pigments.  Seriously.  I have no idea how I'm supposed to use them.  Pigments are just a big, scary realm of the makeup world that I haven't entered yet...

Until now.  That's right - I picked up a Kat Von D True Romance pigment in Meditation on Black Friday.  It was on super-duper clearance for only $7.  I check Sephora's website and I don't see them posted anymore.  Boo.  I imagine you might can still scoop some up in stores or you can find them on Amazon HERE.

Why haven't I used pigments before?  Well, for one thing, what should I apply them with?  Brushes?  Sponge-tip applicators?  Wet or dry?  Do I need a bonding or mixing agent?  

Seriously, I had no idea.  So I figured I would bite the bullet and try this one since this color makes me do grabby hands every time I see it.  Seriously, bronzy rose gold?  Yeah, I'm on it.  Alllllll over it.

This pigment comes in a hefty 0.17 oz jar with a sifter top.  The beautiful packaging is part of the allure of Kat Von D for me.

Ahh, perfection!  I dove right in and just used a sponge-tip applicator to apply dry to my lids.  I applied over Urban Decay Primer Potion (UDPP) but I always use UDPP because of my oily lids.

This stayed put with zero creasing or fading.  After nine hours it was still packing a punch!  Love it!
  

I tried to compare this to other colors in my stash and even though I have similar ones I definitely don't have an exact dupe.  From left to right this is:  

Kat Von D Meditation, 2nd shade in the Lorac Satisfying Toffee Crunch palette, Urban Decay Sin, Urban Decay Toasted (probably the closest dupe), Wet n Wild Walking on Eggshells eyelid shade, Wet n Wild Comfort Zone left eyelid shade, Prestige Cosmetics Knockout

I suppose you should check your stash before purchasing to see if you have anything similar.  For $7 this is a great addition; however, I wouldn't be comfortable paying the almost $20 I'm seeing in other places.  Yes, this is a nice shade but you could put $20 toward a much larger set that contains lots of shades.

XOXO

-Kaitlin

Email me at orangelipstickblog@gmail.com

Tweet me at OrangeLipstickK

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All items were purchased by Orange Lipstick for personal use and review purposes.

The Nailtiques I won are so pretty!

So, last week on Orange Lipstick's Facebook page I told y'all that I had won a prize in the big giveaway that Samarium's Swatches did.  I can't even tell y'all how excited that made me!  I've never won a blogger giveaway!  You should check out Samarium's Swatches HERE - this girl has amazing nails and her swatches are beautiful!  (I'm actually kind of embarrassed to direct you to Sarah and then show you my raggedy nails.  Oh well!)

Here's what I won:

Four Nailtiques duos!  These are $20/each so I ended up with a prize worth $80!  Pretty incredible!  Each duo comes with a lacquer color (0.33 oz) and a Formula 2 treatment (0.5 oz) for brittle, peeling, bitten, damaged, etc. nails.  This is perfect for me since my nails like to peel in sheets.  Eww.

 L-R

Formula 2, 308 Rio, 304 St. Croix, 311 Shanghai, 315 Milan

 L-R

Formula 2, 308 Rio, 304 St. Croix, 311 Shanghai, 315 Milan

 L-R

Formula 2, 308 Rio, 304 St. Croix, 311 Shanghai, 315 Milan

As you can see, these formulas are named after various locations.  I'm really loving Shanghai!  

Thumb - 308 Rio

L-R 304 St. Croix, 311 Shanghai, 315 Milan, Formula 2 (colorless)

These swatches show two coats.  There aren't any color descriptions on Nailtiques' website so I'll do my best here LOL!  Rio is a hot, bright pink.  In fact, it's a dupe for OPI Kiss Me On My Tulips but more on that in a minute.  

St. Croix is a pale, milky pink.  It reminds me a lot of my mom's favorite polish - OPI Bubble Bath.  

Shanghai was the most unique one and the one I liked the most - very orangy, reddish.  I can't quite describe it but it was lovely.  Click on the picture to make it bigger so you can see better!  

Milan was also really pretty and reminded me of wine.  It wasn't a cream but there was very little shimmer to it...almost more like a sheen.  The Formula 2 is colorless but does make my nails shiny.  I'm going to try the treatment like they prescribe (once a day) to see if it does improve my nails.

Here's what I was saying about Rio v. OPI Kiss Me On My Tulips:

Thumb, middle finger, and pinky are painted with 308 Rio

Pointer finger and index finger are painted with OPI Kiss Me On My Tulips

The formula is quite nice, although a little thick for my liking.  (But remember I'm weird and like my polishes quite thin.)  I found that Formula 2 can cover all five nails on one hand with just one dip in the bottle.  Of course, you'll need more than that for the polish colors!

All in all, I'm THRILLED!  I'll gift 308 Rio to my mom since I already have this exact color.  Shanghai is definitely the winner of this group and I'll be rocking it often!  I can also see Milan being great for the fall season.

You can purchase Nailtiques HERE and don't forget to check out Samarium's Swatches HERE.  I so appreciate the wonderful giveaway she did!  

XOXO

-K

Email me at orangelipstickblog@gmail.com

Tweet me at OrangeLipstickK

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All items were won from a Samarium's Swatches's giveaway.

Reader Question: Milani Orange Gina in polish form

After my post about Milani Orange Gina yesterday, a dear friend sent me this question:

"Is there a nail polish in this color?" -P.M.

This got me lacquer hunting (always a dangerous thing) and led me straight to Temptalia’s swatch gallery.  

I take no credit for actually discovering these dupes – I found them all by looking through the swatch gallery and various other Temptalia posts.  If you can believe it, I didn't have ANY dupes in my own stash.  Boo-hoo!

Perhaps it is no surprise that Milani has a color that coordinates beautifully with Orange Gina.  That would be Metal Gear ($4.49) which has beautiful orange and gold-ish shimmer.  I think this is the best possible dupe and it has a friendly price tag, to boot.  Plus, I love the formula on Milani polishes!  (I can’t find this polish on Milani’s website but I believe you can pick it up in select CVS stores.) UPDATE:  I can't find this polish to purchase ANYWHERE!

Next is Zoya Tanzy ($8).  It seems to have a similar color but much more shimmer.  I think this is a BEAUTIFUL color!  It's bright and eye-catching.  You can purchase Tanzy HERE.

Zoya Tanzy
Photo taken from Zoya's website

The next option is Nubar Arencia ($8) which is absolutely gorgeous.  I haven’t gotten any Nubar polishes yet but I’ve only ever heard raves.  I think Arencia is a little darker than Orange Gina but it definitely has the same je ne sais quoi.  It is absolutely lovely and you can purchase it HERE.

Nubar Arencia

Photo taken from Nubar's website

Another nice pick is China Glaze Riveting ($2.81 + $1.99 shipping on Amazon; price varies by location, but this is a great deal).  This came out with the Hunger Games collection and represents District 3 for technology.  I wanted to adore this collection, but something about it was off.  Maybe it was because there was a bunch of drama over the names or because the idea of people worrying about polish in ANY of the Districts was absurd.  (Except of course, for The Capital.)  Anyway, this color is wonderful put side-by-side with Orange Gina and I think it's my favorite one.  It's for sale on Amazon HERE.

China Glaze Riveting

Photo taken from Amazon.com

So there you have it!  Four beautiful polishes that really evoke Orange Gina and that I think would match really nicely.  Be sure to check out Temptalia’s swatch gallery – it is really incredible!

XOXO

-K

P.S.

Feel free to email me at orangelipstickblog@gmail.com or tweet me at OrangeLipstickK