Takko Lacquer Fall 2015 Collection

Hey y'all! So I have a big swatch post for you guys today! Takko Lacquer is restocking the fall collection this week as well as a few new colors. When the fall collection released, my package was stuck at a USPS processioning facility and I wasn't able to get them swatched before hand.

Since they are being restocked, I figured now would be a great time to share them and we can all ogle over them together!

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

Takko Lacquer Paper Cuts, Filthy Rich, Coquettish, Matcha Latte, Pony, Rise & Grind, Rhinestone Eyes

Halloween(ish) Water Marble

Hi friends! OMG I cannot believe it is just a few days until Halloween. And then a month later Thanks Giving and so on until the end of the year. Holy crap time flies when you are an adult.

Anyway, if you follow me on IG, you may have seen a sneak peek at a water marble I was desperately trying to not eff up, and guess what? It was a success! By that I mean I managed to get a water marble design on all of my nails (except my thumb - but we're not gonna talk about that).

Neon Green Waves

Hi friends! Well I actually did it. I pulled out my brushes and did some intricate free hand nail art! I had this mani from Sarah at Chalkboard Nails pinned for ever and since I have all the awesome neons (except the blue) from KBShimmer sitting on my desk, I figured I might as well play!

Twinsie Tuesday: Splatter

Hiiiii!!!! I didn't forget about you guys, I promise. Sometimes, life catches up with me and I have to put my focus elsewhere. But I am still around, just working on other things, or taking some time off to de-stress and spend the day outside with my family. I hope you all understand, and know that I love my blog and I love sharing awesome nail polish and nail art with you guys!

And in that spirit, I have a fun design for today's Twinsie Tuesday post! The theme this week is Splatter! I and really excited for it, especially since I haven't done a splatter mani in ages!

Takko Lacquer Summer 2015 Collection Part 1

Hey guys and gals! So if you have come to my blog looking for the new Takko Lacquer summer release, you are in for a treat! Today I have part 1 of 2 posts for the new summer colors to be released June 18th at 8pm EST.

The entire collection is flat out gorgeous, as always. It has a variety of different finished, neon, jelly, flakie, shimmer, holo and glitter, so there is something for everyone. And now all Takko Lacquer polishes are infused with Vitamin E (on top of being 5-free and vegan) to help promote strong, healthy nails. The only noticeable change is that the polishes are slightly thicker and dry to a satin finish. They all still apply fantastic and now have the added bonus of actually making your nails better from the inside too! How cool is that? I don't think I have ever heard or seen a polish that does that. 

One more thing before we get to the swatches. Along with the seven new polishes in the summer release, Takko Lacquer is introducing a new high shine scented top coat called Sugar High. I will post a full review along with the other three polishes on Wednesday but  I used the new top coat for all the swatches in both posts. 

And now, sit back and enjoy all the drool-worthy goodies I have for you all today!

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

Takko Lacquer Electric Flamingo, El Nopal, Floridazed & Afternoon Delight

Twinsie Tuesday: Oldest Untried

Hi friends! This week's Twinsie theme is our "oldest untried" and well, I usually don't have a big pile of untrieds laying around! I tend to immediately use a polish, either on a swatch wheel or wear it as soon as I get it, lol! I am definitely one for instant gratification. But I did manage to find one that I have yet to wear that is actually pretty old. 

I am a huge Pahlish fan, if you haven't figured that out yet, so having a Pahlish polish that I haven't actually worn is really strange. Jardim Botanico came out last summer and all I ever did was swatch it on a swatch stick for my collection catalog. So this may actually be a first!

Mint Green and Gold Saran Wrap Skittlette NOTD

Hi friends! So I meant to post this last week, I even had all the pictures edited! But I didn't and then I forgot about until Monday when I was figuring out my post schedule for the week, I realized that it never happened. Oops! Anyway, I have been in a serious skittlette mood as of late and I was craving something that would be perfect for summer! I went with one of my favorite color combos, mint green and gold, added a little bling and a nice textural element and viola!

Fair Maiden Polish Mint Succulent

Hey y'all, happy Monday! Today I have a polish from a newer indie brand, Fair Maiden Polish. You may remember me posting about them during the launch of their first collection and how excited I was about Fair Maiden (you can read that post, here). Well I have been on a super strict no-buy for a while and haven't had the chance to grab any more of their gorgeous polishes. But For Mother's Day, I picked out a color from the newest collection, Garden Party, called Mint Succulent. It was a toss up between this one and Sweet Honeysuckle. But, let's be honest, I will have Sweet Honeysuckle one day as well.

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

Fair Maiden Polish Mint Succulent

Twinsie Tuesday: Pinterest Inspiration

Hi everyone! I am finally back to posting with the Twinsies after a two-week mini hiatus. This week, the Twinsies are looking to Pintrest for our weekly inspiration. I don't know about you, but I loooooove Pintrest for just about everything - cooking, crochet/knitting project, make up and nail art. It's awesome. It took me no time to find an inspiration pic, this one from the awesome Marta of Chit Chat Nails. 

Takko Lacquer Absinthe

Hey y'all! Man what a whirl-wind week and weekend this has been! The kiddo was sick again, I finished an amazing book, spent a lovely day with my husband, played with some awesome nail polish, drank copious amounts of coffee, went bowling and tried to take a nap. I feel dizzy just thinking about all of that! I am very much a homebody, so it doesn't take a whole lot to overwhelm me, lol!

Today I have a (sort of) new Takkito to share. Absinthe was launched in December along with several other polishes, but it was mistakenly left out of my swatch package. And since Sheryl is super fantastic and so awesome, she sent it to me along with Heart Shaped Box and a few goodies for Valentine's Day. So now I get to do a proper review of this beauty for you guys!

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

Takko Lacquer Absinthe

Indigo Bananas Swatch Spam

Hi friends! How was your weekend? It was so frickin cold and wet the whole time! I don't mind cold weather, but when it is cold and rainy, I get whiny, lol!

Today I have some swatches from the indie brand, Indigo Bananas! This is a long post with a lot of pictures, so be prepared! I selected four different polishes to swatch from the current offerings that, I think, best represent the brand. And not to spoil the post or anything, they are all really great!

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

 Indigo Bananas Enchanted Lake, Gods & Monsters, 2% Butterscotch Ripple & Chill Out

China Glaze Don't Get Derailed Fall/Winter 2014 Color Trend

Hey guys and gals, another week has come and gone! Today's Color Trend post is the last one of the season. We have made it through the entire fall/winter palette with only one exception (Misted Yellow) and I couldn't find a single polish to match. Not that I am complaining, the color is not very polish friendly!

The last color is the muted warm green, Cypress. A lot of people have a hard with this color, but I actually really like it - clothing or makeup. China Glaze Don't Get Derailed from the most awesome All Aboard fall collection nails this earthy tone perfectly!

Oh, and sadly no, my nails did not magically grow back over night into my lovely rounds I had previously. I took these pics before my nail broke. Sigh...

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

China Glaze Don't Get Derailed (All Aboard Fall 2014)

Fall Hued Saran Wrap Mani Plus Tutorial

Hey guys and gals! Hope your week is going well, mine is great so far, but I am ready for the weekend! So at the beginning of September, I was asked by Nailpolis to create a tutorial for their new e-zine. They wanted me to re-create one of my more popular looks, the Saran Wrap mani I did over the summer. I have wanted to do more tutorials lately and this is by far one of my favorite/easy techniques, so naturally I said yes!

Twinsie Tuesday: Polish Roulette

Hey all! Hope your week started off well yesterday! I am muddling through with a bad case of allergies. Fall weather gets me every time! This week, the Twinsies are taking chances with our manis and doing a polish roulette! We had to grab two polishes at random and make them work. This is definitely not how I do things, lol! I am way to much of a control freak!

So instead of going through my whole stash, I picked two random polishes from my untrieds and came up with these two - O.P.I. Suzi's Got A Swede Tooth and China Glaze Don't Get Derailed.

Austin Pride 2014

Hey y'all! This weekend is Austin Pride and every year I do a little nail art to celebrate. I love the LGBTQ community here and this is my little way of showing support.

Zoya Threedom Promo Haul

Hey friends! Hope you all are having a great week! We have been stuck at home all week due to my husband's car malfunctioning and needing to use my car for his commute to work. It hasn't been too bad, but the limit of our outings has been a bit tiresome. It has given me more time to swatch my way through the ridiculous pile of polish I have acquired from birthday spending/gifts. 

Today I have my picks from the recent Zoya "Threedom" promo. Every so often, Zoya has a three free (just pay shipping) sale, and I usually use the opportunity to check a few Zoya's off my wish list. Cause the Zoya wish list is never ending!

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

Zoya Wendy (Tickled Summer 2014 collection)

Wendy is a bright, almost neon, pink coral cream. Apparently I am still in love with coral polishes because I just can't help myself when I see one! This color is probably my favorite for summertime. It is bright and fun and perfect for manis or pedis. The formula was good, a little more thick than what I am used to from Zoya, but easy to work with. This is two coats for total coverage followed up with KB Shimmer COT top coat.

Zoya Cole (Awaken Spring 2014 collection)

Cole is a soft peach cream. It is such a fun and unexpected shade. I am all over these bright pastel shades, especially the peachy toned ones, and this one is just perfect! The formula was standard Zoya cream. It was a little patchy, but evened out after three coats. I used KB Shimmer COT top coat for the swatch photos.

Zoya Bevin (True Spring 2012 collection)

Bevin is a dusty sage green cream. I just love dusty shades lately! This one is a great color too. Edgy yet sophisticated. The formula was consistent with Zoya creams, creamy and smooth. This is two easy coats followed up with KB Shimmer COT top coat.

The Zoya promos like this are always such great deals and I try to take advantage of them whenever there is one. I am never disappointed with the polishes either. Zoya has proven to be a strong mainstream brand with excellent products and always fantastic color pallets! 

So did you guys grab any from the Threedom event? What were your picks?

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

Zoya nail polish is available on line. Products retail from $9 to $10 a piece.

Twinsie Tuesday: Stripes

Hey guys & gals! Time for another Twinsie Tuesday post! Today's theme is stripes, something I love but never ever do.

Used:

O.P.I. - MBSW

Maybelline Color Show Bleached Neons - Son Of A Peach

Maybelline Color Show Bleached Neons - Day Glow Teal

Striping tape

Yep, still lovin' the bleached neons. Perfect for nail art and summer manis. I have seen some displays floating around, so if you are looking for them, don't give up!

Well that's all from me today. We're off to swim class! Don't forget to check out the stripes of my fellow TT ladies. And have a great Tuesday!

Alaina at The Little Canvas

Amanda at Amandalandish

Amber at Nails Like Lace
Anna at Going to the Showing
Bridget at A Painted Nail

Casey at CaseyLane Loves Polish

Chelsea at Nailed Blog

ChiChi at I'm Just Me...ChiChi

Cordia at Seriously Swatched

Elizabeth at Did My Nails

Erin at Paint Those Piggies

Jessica at Blue Velvet Lacquer

Kelly at Tuxarina

Lakeisha at Refined and Polished

​Lisa at The Polish Playground

​

  Marisa at Polish Obsession

Róisín at Cuti-CLUE-les

Stephanie at A Little Polish

Tiffany at Polished To Precision​

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).

KB Shimmer Sea You Around

Hey everyone! Today I have one of the new polishes from the KB Shimmer second summer collection. Both collections (early summer and late summer releases) include some fantastic colors and glitters, it was soooo hard to choose just a couple and not spend my entire bank account balance!

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

KB Shimmer Sea You Around

Sea You Around is a vivid green jelly with teal undertones and loaded with silver, fuchsia, and light blue circle and hex glitters in various sizes, light blue square glitters, and holo micro glitters. It is probably one of the most epic jelly glitters in my stash. Formula was good, considering the amount of glitter in the bottle. This is two coats with a little glitter dabbing for better placement. And as always with this type of polish, finish with a good thick and shiny top coat to smooth out all the glitter and give it a high shine. I used the KB Shimmer Clearly On Top for these pictures.

(Macro)

The rest of the KB Shimmer late summer release is just as impressive and drool worthy and I can guarantee that several more will be making their way to my helmer in the very near future!

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

KB Shimmer nail polish is available on line. Products retail from $7.50 to $8.75 a piece.

Delush Polish Spring Collection Medusa's Verde

Hey friends! I have another Delush Polish to share with you all today! Along with Fleur De Peche, I also grabbed Medusa's Verde from the Spring Awakening collection.

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

Delush Polish Medusa's Verde

Medusa's Verde is a spring green with green, gold and copper hex glitters, gold circle glitters (love!!) and green shimmer. Dead. This is everything I love about Indie polish. It is fun and unique and seriously gorgeous. The glitter mix is the perfect contrast to the shimmery base. I've worn it twice now, and have gotten loads of compliments both times. Formula was pure awesomeness. Two smooth coats with perfect glitter distribution. You can't really get better than that!

(Macro)

It's such a great polish and it just makes me happy whenever I wear it! There is nothing else like it out there and that's what makes Indie polish so much fun and worth spending a couple of extra bucks on. And with brands like Delush, the Indie market is seriously killing it and I am totally okay with that!

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

Medusa's Verde and the rest of the Delush Polish Spring Awakening collection is available on line. Products retails for $4.50 (for minis) and $8.95 (for full size) a piece.