KBShimmer Winter 2015 Collection (Partial)

Hi friends, happy Moday! I am trying to get a few things posted before the holiday weekend. I will be in East Texas visiting my family.

So today, I have three polishes from the new KBShimmer Winter Collection. It is a huge release with 14 shades in all. There are a few glitter toppers, holographic finishes, creams, crellies and more! 

Please Note: Products shown were provided by the company/creator for review purposes.

KBShimmer Yule Worthy, Toying Around & Coal In One

Takko Lacquer Fall Collection Part 2

Hi friends! How are you all doing, this fine Wednesday? I am happy to say that my cold is all but gone and I am feeling great! No stress, no illness for once and it is a welcome change. The last two months have been a roller coaster and my poor blog has really been neglected. But such is life. We all have highs and lows and sometimes our priorities shift. So I, once again, thank you all for your patience and encouraging words. It really does mean a lot to me! Okay, enough sap, lol! 

Today is the second part of the new Takko Lacquer fall release. If you missed the first two - the Gloss48 duo - you can see them here. 

Please Note: Products shown were provided by the company/creator for review purposes.

Takko Lacquer Maneater & Alchemist

Twinsie Tuesday: Summer To Fall Transition

Hi friends! Holy crap, it's September! My kiddo started back to school today, and I am pretty much a hot mess. Time is just flying by waaay too fast for my taste, and this year feels like warp speed. Since it is the first Tuesday of September and the first day of fall is just a few weeks away (the 23rd to be exact), we are going with transitional shades for this week's theme!

When talking about colors that walks the line between summer and fall, I immediately think of teal and peach tones. And since I have been gravitating more towards peach this year, that was the color I went with.

Zoya Tiffany (Fire and Ice collection Winter 2010)

Emerald & Ash Life In Color Collection

Hello friends! It's Monday and things are finally getting back to normal. After a crazy three day weekend, filled with fireworks, a birthday party and colds (we all got sick late Saturday night, it was so not fun), I am back with a newer Indie polish to share!

Please Note: Products were provided by the company/creator for review purposes.

The 14 polishes in Life in Color were created because we absolutely love color and sometimes the colors we wanted to make just didn't fit into a collection. This was our chance to play and make things we've been thinking of for the past year, as well as allowing us to to play with different finishes we haven’t used before. Seeing as this was our chance to play with color, we decided to take this opportunity to give names to the polish that make us laugh while mixing in some that have personal meaning to us - Emerald & Ash

Emerald & Ash Magic Bananas

Who doesn’t like magic bananas!? We sure love them around here, especially when used as an exclamation! It’s a phrase used so much around here that we had to make this yellow and green all flakie polish that has a hint of gun metal flakies - you know...for those bruises that pop up on your bananas, no matter how magical they are. This can easily be a full coverage flakie in 2-3 coats, but you can always uses it as a topper if that tickles your fancy.

Magic Bananas is a chartreuse foil finish polish loaded with green, yellow and golden micro flakies and a smattering of gunmetal grey micro flakies. This is one of my favorite shades of green! The foil-like finish makes this incredibly sparkly and so pretty! The addition of the gunmetal flakies gives the polish an interesting, almost textured, look. Because it is comprised of micro flakies, the formula is thicker than a normal polish. It is not unmanageable, but some patience is required. I added a a couple of drops of thinner to mine and it applied much more smooth afterwards. I used 2 coats for full coverage and topped it off with KB Shimmer Clearly On Top.

(Macro)

Emerald & Ash Sunshower

Based in the idea of rainstorms when it’s still sunny out. Crazy little storms. A cloudy grey crelly that shows off a beautiful blue shimmer when in the sun. An added touch of rainbow flakies mimics the rain as the sun is hitting it. Perfect for a rainy mood that needs a little pick me up! Full coverage in two to three coats depending on application. 

Sunshower is a cool toned grey crelly with a subtle blue shimmer and iridescent micro flakies scattered through out. I love grey polish, but more often than not, it gives me horrid lobster hands. I'm not sure if it is the shimmer or the flakies, but Sunshower is very wearable on me! I am a happy polish addict to have found a grey polish than I can wear!! I love the addition of the flakies. They peak out and sparkle adding just the right amount color. It is such a unique polish and I think it captures the idea of a sun shower just perfectly. Formula was really good, no dragging or streaking. 2 medium coats for full coverage.

(Macro)

Emerald & Ash Confushion With A K over O.P.I. Don't Bossa Nova Me Around

Once upon a time we found an ottoman that had beautiful bright colors and it needed to come home with us. It also needed to be made into a polish. After many trials and errors it decided to be a fun, festive glitter topper. Because it said so. And so, Confusion with a K was born. A glitter topper full of neon pink, neon green, metallic navy blue, grey and white glitters of all sizes. It wants to go on top of ALL of your polishes and maybe even be sandwiched between them as well. You’re good to go with one to two coats, depending on how glitter-hungry you are.

Confusion With A K is a glitter topper filled with neon pink, neon green, dark blue, grey, black and white glitters in various shapes and sizes in a clear base. This is seriously a fun glitter mix! I love the unusual combination of glitters and the inspiration behind it just awesome. You can see a pic here posted to the Emerald & Ash instagram. The amount of glitter was perfect. This is one coat using the dab and spread method. No glitter fishing required.

(Macro)

This being my first experience with Emerald & Ash, I was very pleased with not only the creativity behind the polishes, but the products themselves. This is definitely not a boring polish brand! I really love the concept behind the Life In Color collection, and all 14 colors look fantastic! I'm excited to see the rest of the collection swatched. Out of the three I received, Sunshower is an unexpected favorite, but all of them are so great that I don't think I could choose just one.

Emerald & Ash also carries a line of scented cuticle oils loaded with lots of skin friendly ingredients: Jojoba oil, grapeseed oil, meadowfoam seed oil, fractionated coconut oil, tea tree oil, vitamin A oil and vitamin E oil. The oil blend was created specifically to be very moisturizing, while absorbing quickly and not feeling greasy. Scents are blended into the cuticle oil upon order, which means they do not sit for prolonged periods of time before getting to the customer. The scent of the month for July is "Fresh Cut Grass" and it smells fantastic! I haven't tried the oil myself since I am particularly sensitive to most oils, but I gave it to my hubby for his "man Hands" and he really likes it.

The Life In Color collection pre-sale begins July 10, 9am MDT.

Please Note: Products were provided by the company/creator for review purposes. All opinions are my own. For more info, please read my disclaimer.

Emerald & Ash products are available on line. Polishes retail for $7.50 (11ml) & $9.50 (16ml). Cuticle Oils retail for $3.25 (7ml) & $4.25 (10ml).

Julep Tatiana - Fall/Winter Color Trend

Hey guys! Happy Friday! This weekend is a big deal for me. I have a super special announcement to make later today, so be sure to keep an eye on my blog! But before that, I have the next color for Pantone's Fall 2013 color guide for this installment of Fashion Friday - Color Trend Edition!

 

This fiery orange is dubbed Koi by Pantone. Out of all the fall collections this year, I think Julep did it best. And this color was even an accidental purchase!

 

Please Note: Products shown were purchased by me for my personal use.

 

 

 

Julep - Tatiana

 

Since I have already reviewed Tatiana, I'm not going to rehash the awesome formula. But it is really a perfect color for fall. And even though I am contemplating canceling my maven account, I am super happy to have this gorgeous color in my stash!

 

Please Note: Products shown were purchased by me for my personal use. All opinions are my own. For more info, please read my disclaimer.

 If you are interested in signing up for your own Maven box, click here. Don't forget to use the code "FREEBOX" to get your first box for free

China Glaze Rendezvous With You - Fall/Winter Color Trend

Hey friends! Happy Friday! After a crazy week, I am ready for some relaxing time with my family! And maybe a little nail art on the side.

 

Since it's Friday, I am continuing the Fashion Friday posts with a seasonal twist - Fall/Winter color trends! A popular color in many collections this season has been a deep rich purple. Pantone calls this color Acai and I am really loving it!

 

Please Note: Products shown were purchased by me for my personal use.

 

 

 

China Glaze - Rendezvous With You

 

Rendezvous With You is a deep purple (Acai) with a silvery foil look. I was totally expecting it to be too dark and not like it on me at all, but man was I ever wrong! It is gorgeous!!! The silvery foil shimmery bits add such an amazing depth. Seriously stunning and so elegant. It is a perfect polish choice for holiday parties. Formula was flawless. One smooth coat for all this loveliness. Nice dry time too. It dries to a more silver toned metallic finish, but after adding a top coat, the rich purple depths came out more.

 

Jewel Tones are usually a big trend during the colder months, but this is definitely an unexpected color, and polish. I can see myself using this a lot through out the season.

 

Please Note: Products shown were purchased by me for my personal use. All opinions are my own. For more info, please read my disclaimer.

New 2013 Hard Candy Polish (Pic Heavey)

Hello everyone, happy Wednesday! Today's post is full of sparkly, shiny goodness! Hard Candy has recently reinvented themselves and released a whole slew of new products, including 45 new nail polish colors. While the old vintage Hard Candy bottles with the cool little heart shaped ring are gone, the essence of the bright and fun polish is still there. I stumbled across a display at my local Wal-Mart and promptly snagged a few bottles!

Please Note: All products in this post were purchased by me for my own personal use.

 

Hard Candy - Piece of Papaya (Itzy Glitzy)

 

Piece of Papaya, from the Itzy Glitzy finish, is a bright fuchsia pink and golden glass fleck polish. It is almost a foil, but the particles are smaller than a traditional foil. It is SO shiny and I love it. I am not a pink person, but throw in a golden shimmer, and I am done. Perfect for summer, or any time you want something shiny and sparkly! Formula was spot on. Smooth and flowy, perfect consistency. 2 coats, great dry time. Seriously great.

 

 

 

Hard Candy - Bitty Blue (Itzy Gltizy)

 

Bitty Blue, another one from the Itzy Glitzy finish, is more of what a glass fleck typically looks like. Bright, shiny blue. OMG, hello gorgeous! Same formula as before, and I was just as amazed!

 

 

Hard Candy - Peach Pop (Candy Sprinkles)

 

Peach Pop, from the Candy Sprinkles finish, is a milky peach base with tiny red, pink and silver glitter pieces. The look is identical to the Nails Inc Sprinkles collection from last year, but with quite a few more color options (as well as some dupes). Perfect color, and I do like it a lot more than the Nails Inc ones. Formula was, again, great. Smooth, 2 coats, dried quickly. No issues with all that glitter either.

 

 

Hard Candy - Crush On Lava (Crushed Chrome)

 

Crush on Lava, from the Crushed Chrome finish, is a violet and copper foil. This has the bigger foil pieces, as opposed to the Itzy Glitzy polishes, and is simply brilliant. Once again, great formula. Just as good as the previous ones.

 

 

If you are wondering whether or not Crushed On Lava is a re-promote of the beloved Beetle, it almost is. The overall look is nearly identical, but the base color of the polish is just slightly different.

 

Beetle has a bit of green in the base that gives a duo chrome look, unfortunately Crush On Lava is missing it. The formula is way better in the new version. Beetle is a bit thin, and requires more coats and takes longer to dry. So, that makes up for the color change, at least for me. I do think it is pretty great of Hard Candy to give us one of the best colors they have ever made, in the new line, even if it slightly off.

 

 

I am completely blown away with the polishes I picked up. Great formula, great colors, great price. $4 a bottle, is pretty dang awesome. A lot of the colors are very similar to what other brands have been putting out lately, so nothing is terribly unique, but it is a good thing to have options. Dupes happen, and I'm not complaining!

 

Hard Candy nail polish is sold exclusively at Wal-Mart and Wal-Mart.com. Bottles are $4 a piece. Products shown were purchased by me for my personal use. All opinions are my own.

Fashion Friday #2

Hey guys! Sorry today's post is later than normal. I fell and bruised up my knee a couple of days ago, and have since been reduced to keeping it iced, and motionless. So I am running behind on quite a few things!

 

Inspiration Look

 

Used:

Maybelline Color Show - Green with Envy

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear - Sun Kissed

Zoya - Ziv

 

This mani is inspired by one of my fav local designers. Melissa from Katastrophic Designs has an aesthetic similar to my own. She uses non traditional color combinations in interesting ways. She is super talented and a really cool chic! She also makes the cutest Teddy Bear aviator hats ever! The mani is simple enough to create, using tape or nail stickers for the angled tip and a gold accent nail to complete the look!

 

 

 

Inspiration Look

 

Used:

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear - Black Out

DIFFERENTdimension - Ditz

 

A simple Valentine's look using a dotting tool to make little hearts. I kinda wish I had done this yesterday for my V-day mani!

 

More nail art & fashion inspiration next week!

New Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure - Shoot The Moon

Hello everyone! It feels so nice to be blogging on a regular basis again! I really do love my little space of the giant interwebs & all the pretty polish I can share.

Today I have a new color from the newly reformulated Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure nail polish line. If you aren't familiar (and you can read all about it here from Nouveau Cheap) with the re-release, it has a lot of the old favorites, along with new and previously limited edition colors added to the mix. I have yet to find a full display, but I came across a small sample display at my local Walgreens, and picked up this lovely polish.

 

Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure - Shoot the Moon

 

Shoot the Moon is a pewter colored foil and it's super pretty. Even though it is primarily silver, it does have sparse flecks of green, gold a copper twinkling in the mix. In some lighting, it has a very distinct greyed out silver tone, others it almost looks gold. Formulas was very nice and smooth, no dragging, streaking or the like. I did use a top coat, because it dried too dull for my taste, foils need to be shiny! 2 coats will get a nice coverage. Good dry time as well.

 

 

I never really paid too much attention to the old line, nothing stood out or grabbed my attention (except the LE golden lily that I missed! ::sobs::), but I am glad I picked this one up and will be on the look out for some of the new shades!

Nail of the Day: Holly Jolly

Hi guys! Happy Christmas Eve (if you celebrate)!!!! I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday full of love & cookies! We are spending the day with my husband's family for dinner & gift exchanging. I decided to do another little holiday/winter inspired nail design for the festivities.

 

 This pic on OPI's FB page really inspired me to do a little nail art. I really want to give it a try, especially since I am seriously considering doing the 31 day challenge sometime soon (eep!).

 

 

I used Zoya Ornate polishes for this mani, since it is a holiday look & Ornate is my fav holiday colletion this year! Ziv for the main color, Logan and Blaze for the holly leaves and berries. I used a small liner brush to creat the leaf shape & my dotting tools for the berries. I then, outlined and detailed the leaves with a black nail art pen and highlighted the berries with a white pen.

 

 

 

I am so proud of how it turned out! I really love it and can't wait to do some more stuff. Yay! ::happy dance::

 

Anyway, happy holidays everyone! Until next time!

Julep December Add Ons

Hey all! Yesterday I showed you the awesome goodies from my December Julep Maven BoHo Glam Box. Today, I have the only add on polish I picked, to share.

 

Julep - Julia

 

Julia is a sheer orchid purple loaded with gold, green, copper and pink flecks. Yay foils! I got this because the screen shot looked like a pretty shimmer, but I was pleasantly surprised that it is a foil! It is a really pretty combo, reminds me of Zoya Daul. I don't have it to compare, tho (I know, what's wrong with me?!?). Formula was really great, smooth, no drag. 2 coats, longer dry time. Not as bad as the Julep creams.

 

I am really liking the Julep polishes so far, especially this one. Definitely my fav so far!

A England Holy Grail (revamped) & Dragon

Hello everyone, hope you are all having a great day! I have the wonderful A England to share on the blog. A England is an independent brand from England created by the incredibly talented Adina & inspired by the rich history of the nation. I have been dying to try out A England polishes for quite a while now (I blame Kimber of Kimber's Lacquer Korner and all her gorgeous swatches) and finally broke down when Adina re-released Holy Grail.

 

A England - Holy Grail (revamped)

 

The new Holy Grail is an amazing antique gold foil. There is no picture out there that can do this polish justice. I have seen some stunning swatches, but the real thing is breathtaking. It is a cool toned gold with olive green undertones, and flecks of green and copper mixed through out. A England polishes are known for they're outstanding formulas & this did not disappoint! Perfection with every stroke. The only thing I have to compare is the Rescue Beauty formula, very similar in quality. 2 coats for full coverage, average dry time for a foil, which is on the longer side. I have quite a few gold foils & I think this one may be my favorite.

 

 

 

A England - Dragon

 

Dragon is a deep sage green with a subtle linear holo effect. Before I saw the new Holy Grail, this and Order of the Blue Garter were at the top of my A England wish list. I love how Dragon is so unique. a good green polish is hard to come by, but a dark green holo is even harder. Sadly, I think this one brings out the yellow tones in my skin. But that's not gonna stop me from wearing it! Formula was identical to Holy Grail, except I only needed one coat with Dragon & it dried lightning quick.

 

 

 

Natural Daylight

 

I am dying over these two, and will definitely be back for more. I think I just need to sell my soul to pay for polish!

 

A England is available on line.

Pretty Serious: They Came from Beyond Space (Pic Heavy)

Hey everyone! Today I have swatches from the newest (mini) collection from the awesome Aussie brand, Pretty Serious. A couple of weeks ago, I posted the press release for this collection & have been waiting for the bottles to arrive in my mail box since then. When they were delivered yesterday, I swatched them as soon as I got them, and all three are as gorgeous and as multichrome as the bottle shots.

Formula was identical on all three, so I'll go over that after all the pretty pictures.

 

Atomic Brain, Galaxy Invader, Phantom Planet

 

 

Pretty Serious - Atomic Brain

 

Atomic Brain is a vivid purple foil with a strong bronze/rose color shift. This was the first one I swatched (with some help of some twitter friends) & I instantly fell in love. Foils are my absolute fav finish & to have such a strong multichrome foil makes me weak in the knees.

 

 

 

 

Pretty Serious - Galaxy Invader

 

Galaxy Invader is a bright royal blue with a serious pink/purple/aqua color shift. This one was the strongest shift out of the three with the most color range and it was the hardest to capture on camera. It is so much more incredible in person.

 

 

 

 

Pretty Serious - Phantom Planet

 

Phantom Planet is a lime green foil with a more subdued blue/gold color shift. It is the weakest one out of the three, but still visible. It's actually my favorite!

 

 

This is my first experience with Pretty Serious, and I was incredibly pleased. Multichromes are very much sought after and this collection is a must for anyone who loves the color shifting polishes. Formula was perfect, smooth and flowy, not too thick and not too thin. I used two coats for all swatches, and had great coverage all on their own, no need for black undercoat with these lovelies. Dry time was a little longer, but they are foils, and foils tend to be slower than other finishes. Overall, they are great polishes and I can now add Pretty Serious to my list of favorite brands!

 

Pretty Serious polishes can be purchased on line, here. 10% off when you order all three!

Color Club Winter Affair Collection Swatches

Hey all! I have a few polishes from the Color Club Winter Affair holiday collection. Apparently, there are two versions of this collection out, one exclusive at Sally's Beauty Supply that is scented, and another unscented available everywhere else that Color Club is sold. I actually ordered these three polishes from Haute Look, so I got one scented and two unscented. Weird, huh.

 

Color CLub - Ho Ho Holly

 

Ho Ho Holly is a warm green and gold foil similar to Zoya's Logan. I haven't done a swatch comparison yet, but bottle comparisons, Ho Ho Holly is a warmer green with a bit more gold. Formula was excellent. 2 coats for coverage. No dragging or clumping either. I love foils & I love green polish, so this one was instant like, for me.

 

I got the scented version of Ho Ho Holly, and it smells a bit like pine scented Men's aftershave. I felt the smell was a bit strong, especially at first. I am rather sensitive to powerful scents, so I would have preferred an unscented color.

 

 

 

Color Club - Winter Affair

 

Winter Affair is a gorgeous shimmery red wine polish, perfect for the holidays. Same great formula as before, though I did need a top coat for this one as it dried a bit dull.

 

This polish is the unscented version, also, the Sally's version is a different color - a gold foil with a vanilla scent. Not sure why there are different colors, but I'm glad I have this one.

 

 

 

Color Club - Snow Flakes over Winter Affair

 

Snow Flakes is a red/green flakie polish, a la Essie Shine of the Times and such. Not too original, but it's nice to have a back up, love me some flakies!

 

This one seems to be unscented, but I can't tell & I haven't found any other info saying otherwise.

 

 

If you're a fan of scented polish, check out the collection exclusive to Sally's, if not Color Club is available at a variety of places on line!