OPI The Show Must Go On! from Burlesque vs. MAC Bad Fairy from Venomous Villains

**The following manicure has been approved by a 5 year old girl that approached me at the yogurt shop to tell me she "loved my nails."** :)

Here is a side by side comparison of MAC's Bad Fairy and OPI's The Show Must Go On! Both are in the family of red/pink super duochrome shimmer foil, but as you can see, they are pretty different and not really dupes (imo).


MAC Bad Fairy (Index, Middle) and OPI The Show Must Go On! (Ring, Pinkie)


MAC Bad Fairy (Index, Middle) and OPI The Show Must Go On! (Ring, Pinkie)



MAC Bad Fairy (Index, Middle) and OPI The Show Must Go On! (Ring, Pinkie
Please excuse the tippage!


The bottles side by side.

Bad Fairy has more of a rust quality in the bottle, but it translates on the nail as a dusty copper rose with magenta. The Show Must Go On! is more of a bright raspberry with fuchsia shimmer/duochrome. I think that they are definitely different enough to have both.

I purchased The Show Must Go On! from TransDesign and Bad Fairy from the MAC site. If you missed out on Bad Fairy, enter my giveaway! Click here to enter.

Thanks for looking!

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Mystic Lilac

Oh the ever so mythical... Mystic Lilac. Someone had posted about you months ago on MakeupAlley. I waited and waited for you to show up to my local drug store... checking week after week to see if you had arrived. Just when I'm about to give up, there you are.. and at BOGO no less. Miracles do happen people.


The display.
Previous post click here for Fireberry Red.
I will do a roundup on the colors I've purchased from this collection.

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear - Mystic Lilac - a muted lilac with teal shimmer.
Very subtle and very pretty. Can definitely be worn to work.


Beautyburg's FIRST Giveaway! MAC Venomous Villains All Three Could Be Yours!

Bad Fairy, Formidable! and Mean & Green

Win us!!! Follow Beautyburg!


Did you miss out on Bad Fairy? That's ok because maybe your fairy godmother is looking over you! Enter our giveaway. It's easy.

  • Leave a comment below and follow Beautyburg! (Make sure to leave your email so we can reach you!)

  • Tweet this giveaway for extra brownie points! (Please include the link for the tweet in your comment below)

  • Link this giveaway on your blog for even more points!!! (Please also include the link in your comment below - sidebar is good with us!)

Thanks and good luck! This giveaway will be closed Monday October 18th, 2010 at 11:59pm PST. It is open to International friends! Value of the giveaway is $39.


Make sure to keep checking in. We are planning some future giveaways including Urban Decay Book of Shadows III, Orly Space Cadet and Nars Zulu!

About Beautyburg - Contact Us!

ApplePark, Robin in real life, is NYC enthusiast now living the San Francisco area.  She has been obsessed with beauty forever, and she can't ever seem to get enough.  Follow her on Twitter.


    Marlowe is a French bulldog and contributor to this blog.  He likes to find natural and organic products whenever possible.  Outside of beauty products, his passions include sticks and tennis balls.  Idols: John McEnroe, Lady Gaga and Francois Nars.


Contact ApplePark and Marlowe at beautyburg@gmail.com

Press inquiries also should be directed to beautyburg@gmail.com 

All photos and content, unless otherwise noted, are the property of Robin and Beautyburg.  Please do not take content or photos without permission.  Thank you. 







Halloween Nail Polishes - China Glaze Ick A Body and Jordana Wicked

Halloween is definitely my favorite holiday of the year. People take time to think about their looks... including details like hair, makeup and of course nails. Nail color is a great way to be festive in an everyday way (for Halloween or any holiday).

Two fun polishes from this year's Halloween offerings are: China Glaze Ick A Body - a pumpkin orange chunky glitter with a thin black base; and Jordana Wicked - a black jelly with orange micro glitter suspended.

China Glaze Ick A Body (Index, Ring), Jordana Wicked (Middle, Pinkie)



China Glaze Ick A Body (Index, Ring), Jordana Wicked (Middle, Pinkie)


China Glaze Ick A Body (Index, Ring), Jordana Wicked (Middle, Pinkie)
I almost like wearing this alternating combination.

China Glaze Ick A Body (Index, Ring), Jordana Wicked (Middle, Pinkie)'
Are you jelly of this jelly? hehe


I purchased my China Glaze Ick A Body at TransDesign and my Jordana Wicked at Cherry Culture.

More Holiday Offerings from Orly

Glitz and Glamour, Rockin' Rockette

Rockin' Rockette, Glitz and Glamour

Here are two more holiday offerings from Orly. Glitz and Glamour is a rich, opulent, gilded coppery gold. Rockin' Rockette is a mauve-raspberry with silver. These aren't as literal of translations on holiday/Christmas as some of their other offerings, and I think that's why I like them. These colors are rich and capture a sense of warmth and richness that are perfect for fall and will work through the holiday season. I would like to do a French mani with these, but I just don't believe I look good in French manis.

Click here to see the rest of Orly's holiday collection.

I purchased mine from Victoria's Nail Supply.

Borghese - Fall 2010 - Vigneto Berry and Scintilla Magic

Below are two polishes from Borghese's Scintillare Fall 2010 collection. This collection consists of 6 colors all with glitter. It's also a mix of Matte and normal, but it's not explained what's matte or regular? Fortunately and also unknowingly, I purchased one of each type from the collection.

Vigneto Berry - is a magenta matte with chunky pink fuchsia glitter. I know people have mixed feelings about Matte, but generally I like them. This however was an epic fail as matte. It just looked chunky and lumpy... honestly, just plain ugly. But, two coats of Poshe later and it's stunning.

Scintilla Magic - is a thinnish jelly real red with micro red glitter. I love the name. It's really like a flash of magic. The shade radiates. There are a lot of colors like this (China Glaze Ruby Pumps comes to mind), but I was really impressed by the formula and application. I liked that it was slightly thinner and easier to build up. On my nails below is three coats with 1 coat top coat.


Normally, I think Borghese to be slightly overpriced, but I purchased these with a coupon and at RiteAid on BOGO (score!). I actually only owned 1 Borghese before I purchased these two. I think I might try to get some others from this collection. These polishes are limited edition.



Ewww.. so do not like the texture of this. Matte + glitter = chunky dried vomit

Just not pretty. Makes me sad. :(

2 coats of top coat to the rescue! I used Poshe here. Seriously, what a lifesaver.


Ka-pow! Look at the dimension and complexity.

Matte, I couldn't wait to take it off, but now with glassy top coat, I don't want to take it off.

If you follow me on Twitter, you may recall me mentioning that I dressed as Jem and the Holograms for Halloween a couple years back. This color strikes me as a Jem shade. Truly outrageous!

Scintilla Magic - not matte
Not unique, but it's done so well. The application is perfection. The formula is thin, but there is tons of teeny micro glitter in each stroke.

I will definitely be wearing this over the holidays. Colors like this make me happy.

This color just seems to glow!


Thanks for looking and Happy Friday!

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear - Fireberry Red - Fall 2010

You know until very recently, I never paid much attention to Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear. I want to blame it on the bottle, but I think it just had to do with availability... meaning that it's always available. So with endless LEs, new collections, etc Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear was low on my priority list.

That was until I met Purple Pizazz. It's funny that it took a LE to grab my attention on the Xtreme Wear line. Shortly after trying Purple Pizazz, I thought to myself, "Hey these have amazing wear, nice pigmentation and are $2.99!" There was really nothing to not like.

Below is the display for the Fall Collection of Xtreme Wear. This collection consists of 8 gorgeous colors, 4 of which I picked up. The first one I will be posting is Fireberry Red. Fireberry Red is a gorgeous crimson shade with ruby and golden duochrome. It's jelly-ish and rich. I almost didn't get this one initially. To add to reasons why I may have looked past Xtreme Wear previously is that you can't get a good sense of the color from the bottle. The bottle is narrow and doesn't offer much "free" space (area where the label isn't visible). I'm really glad I did pick this up. It's a stunning, rich red that I'm going to have fun wearing this fall.


The display. This collection also contains Purple Gala and the ever so mystical Mystic Lilac.
I picked those up as well and will be swatching them soon.


Index, Middle - 4 coats; Ring, Pinkie - 3 coats
I think 4 is the better application. Just gives the color more depth.

I have been wearing this color for 4 days. Just barely getting tippage now.

BB Couture Eve from Infamous Lovers The Ladies Collection


Eve is a pewter and military green with emerald, kelly and gold glitters. I'm never that great at describing colors, but there is something about Eve (ever see that movie?). From the bottle, I knew that it was going to be a favorite from my order. I love to wear army green shades in my clothing, and it only seems natural that I am so drawn to this color.

Kim at Overall Beauty is such a pleasure to deal with. As a business owner, she has really taken steps to get in touch with her consumers and listen to them. I love ordering from her because you actually feel like a human in putting care into your package and really, really hoping that you are pleased.

Look at how excited we are about our order!! :)
Marlowe says "Which one first?"


Doesn't this say fall?

There is almost a jelliness to this.

You can see emerald, kelly, gold and pewter.


Eve and the entire collection of Infamous Lovers are available at Overall Beauty. I will be posting more from my haul.

Thanks for looking!

Models Own Haul - Bottle Shots

I love setting goals and reaching them. Models Own had posted on their Facebook that they would do a 50% sale if they reached 10,000 Likes. Well, they reached that goal (now at over 12,000) and I hauled!

My previous post on Models Own, shows my Models Own stash which were purchased by a friend who had moved to London. Ever since, I had been craving to purchase.

After ordering, I realized that they have specials on their website (Buy 3 save £3, Buy 5 save £7) everyday! So I won't have to rely on visitors or a once in a lifetime sale for my next haul.

Here are the bottle shots of my haul. I will swatch them on the nail soon. I'm the most excited about the foils. Which colors are your Models Own favorites?




Dusty Mauve, Purple Grey, Lilac Fantasy


Dusty Mauve, Purple Grey, Lilac Fantasy


Dusty Mauve, Purple Grey, Lilac Fantasy


Green Flash, Blue Moon
These look beautiful. I want to try Konading with these.

Green Flash, Blue Moon


Green Flash, Blue Moon



Blue Lagoon, Orangeade
I can't wait to try Orangeade on the nail! This looks fun!

Blue Lagoon, Orangeade
I wish I had these shades in summer. Good thing I live in CA now vs. NYC!


Blue Lagoon, Orangeade

Milani Gaudy Yellow



The name is right on the money. I found this at a local CVS just recently, but I believe it's from a collection launched last year called "Welcome Back Color." Gaudy Yellow (144) is a ka-pow warm welcome. Mustard, bright yellow jelly with holo tiny square and strip glitter. It is definitely attention getting. I wish I had more from this collection, but I'm really happy with this.

Picture above with 3 coats and no topcoat.

Franken Free for All - Blue Monday


Happy Monday everyone! Didn't Monday just happen? Here is a franken I made a couple weeks ago . I wore it to the farmers market, and a girl selling peaches gave me a compliment on it and asked what brand it was. I told her that I mixed it myself, and she wanted to know what I used. Do you guys ever get the feeling when you feel like you know a stranger is a nailaholic? I brought this franken to the farmers market this weekend to give to her, but she wasn't there. Maybe next week!

Peach girl - here is the recipe if you reading and for anyone else interested:
  • China Glaze 2Nite 1/3
  • Sephora by OPI Teal We Meet Again few drops
  • Sinful Colors Call You Later 1/6
  • Sinful Colors Nail Junkie 1/6
  • NYX Blue Ave (for the flakies) 1/3




Orly It's Not Rocket Science with Comparisons

China Glaze Zombie Zest, SpaRitual Optical Illusion, Orly It's Not Rocket Science

Left to right: Orly, SpaRitual, China Glaze, China Glaze

Left to right: Orly, SpaRitual, China Glaze

Left to right: Orly, SpaRitual, China Glaze, China Glaze

From the photos would you call these dupes? I guess it all comes down to what micro level do you want to get down to. To the plain eye, and possibly a non-nail polish lover, they may all seem to be exact matches. But to those that are probably taking the time to look at a blog devoted to nail polish, they probably want to get to the nitty gritt. So that said, let's discuss the differences.

Orly - It's Not Rocket Science
  • Most opaque
  • Most shimmer and duochrome
  • Best application (two coats does it, three coats for *wow*)
SpaRitual - Optical Illusion
  • More olive, moss colored than the other three
  • Least concentration of shimmer, duochrome
  • Thinnest formula
China Glaze - Zombie Zest
  • Cheapest of the three
  • Finest shimmer, duochrome (more concentration than SpaRitual)
  • Thinner than Orly, better application than SpaRitual
I hope that this is helpful! My pick is the Orly and I think the China Glaze over black would look very pretty.

Rescue Beauty Lounge - "The Real Housewives of the Tudor Dynasty" Collection

I love Ji Baek. She just takes the idea of nail polish collection to a whole new level. It impresses me that RBL puts as much insight into the a seasonal collection as fashion designers do. "The Real Housewives of the Tudor Dynasty" Collection, according to the press release, is referencing the beauty of extravagant, opulent brocade fabrics. Nothing says Fall to me more than rich fabrics, and these nail polishes definitely capture the idea of shimmer and capturing light against a lush, dense background of creamy color.

Here are the photos of the four colors. Each applied gorgeously with 2 coats. I do recommend letting the coats dry completely before applying the second. I found with the shimmer-rich shades, it helped create a smoother looking canvas. (*note to self: probably good advice for all nail polish but I'm impatient. hehe These are worth the wait.).


Jane - bottle shot. Notice the shimmer in the bottle. It's barely noticeable on the nail, but the shimmer gives the shade a depth.

Jane on the nail.

Catherine H. - a beautiful peacock blue with purple shimmer.

Catherine H. - bottle shot. I got the most compliments while wearing this.

Catherine - a rich eggplant purple with pewter shimmer.

Catherine - don't they say that purple is the color of royalty? (or at least that's what I remember from my Sweet Valley High novels).

Anne - gunmetal pewter with green undertone and bronze, gold shimmer.

More Anne - slightly more golden in this photo.

Anne - bottle shot.

In this shot, you can see hints of purple in the shimmer. A really complex and decadent color. My pick for the collection.

The Real Housewives are available on Rescue Beauty Lounge's site for $18 in limited quantities. All dynasties fall at some point I guess, so I would buy now if you are interested in any of these shades.

Orly Cosmic FX - Space Cadet

I have been in a love affair with Orly recently. Cosmic FX has seriously blown my mind on a brand, that I always assumed was more conservative in colors. Space Cadet is a galaxy of so many colors. In some lights it's just a deep purple, violet. At other times, it looks olive green and gold.

I had so much fun photographing this shade. When reviewing the photos, it was surprising to see the spectrum of shades that came in different lightings. Sorry if I went overboard on the photos, but Space Cadet seriously has no "bad side." It's so beautiful from every angle. Very, very back-up worthy.



In sunny shade, gold and purple are dominant.


Detail of the bottle and the texture on the nail.

Seriously mesmerizing!

Direct sunlight, very purple in this shot.

Daylight: green to purple with gold caught in between.

Daylight, at this angle the green seems more dominant.

The different shimmering effects are highlighted here. I cannot stop photographing this polish.


The spectrum of green, gold, purple. Can you believe this is all 1 polish?

Thanks for looking! :)

OPI Unripened vs. Sinful Colors What's Your Name

OPI Unripened from their Halloween collection for 2010 is an inky black blue with sapphire, turquoise and purple shimmer. It is available in full size bottles as well as in the Go Goth set of minis, but I haven't seen many full size bottles in stores or at e-tailers. So... if you thought that Unripened was the best out of the mini set (which I do) and are having a hard time fining a full size, here is a a good alternative for you.

Sinful Colors What's Your Name(#813) is almost an exact dupe. I think the OPI has a slightly nicer formula and coverage, but at $2, why not? OPI Unripened looks more shimmery and like it has more duochromes, especially in the bottle. But as I said in my review, Unripened doesn't translate on the nail as it looks in the bottle.

Sinful Colors What's Your Name is available at Cherry Culture .

OPI Unripened (left) vs. Sinful Colors What's Your Name (right)

OPI Unripened (left) vs. Sinful Colors What's Your Name (right)




Maybelline - Express Finish - Grand in Green and Chic Chocolate

Here are two limited edition colors for fall for Maybelline's Express Finish 50 Second Nail Color line. I am loving these two shades. Working in finance, I am always looking for subtly interesting shades that I can wear in the work place. The formula was on the thinner side but not watery. Applications below are with two coats and 1 coat top coat. I purchased both at a local CVS, and there were displays with $1 off coupons.

Grand in Green - deep grey army green teal with shimmer

Chic Chocolate - a cherry chocolate with raspberry shimmer


What do you think about these shades for the work place? Has Maybelline been surprising you with nice LEs? I know I'm impressed.