New Beauty Releases & Blog Hop Giveaway!

Today I've joined up with 16 other beauty bloggers to do a fun blog hop GIVEAWAY! If you are unfamiliar what a blog hop is, it's pretty simple. Each lady in the hop is giving away something (beauty-related) on their own blog and you can click through from one blog to another, entering the giveaways as you go, until you end up back where you started -- right here at my blog. Once you do that, you've completed the loop!

The best part is -- besides having a chance to win 17 different beauty products -- after the giveaway has ended and we've all selected winners....ONE very lucky person among the winners will get the GRAND PRIZE of a $300 gift card to either Sephora or Ulta (winner's choice!). Just in time for limited edition holiday releases! *wink wink*

So if you want to up your chance of winning that sweet shopping spree, be sure to jump to each blog in the loop and enter the giveaways. Make sure you follow ALL the rules of each giveaway so you won't be disqualified! This giveaway loop will run for 2 weeks, ending on September 14th at 11:59pm EST and is only open to those within the USA and Canada.

Ready to start hopping? Well, first things first -- you've gotta enter my giveaway!

So I'm super excited about new beauty releases that have come out in the last few months - some of my absolute favorites include:

Holographic Pigment

#prism by @socialclaws on my fingers. Pure #spectraflair on my thumb.

A video posted by PolishGalore (@polishgalore) on Aug 26, 2016 at 12:06pm PDT

There are many shops currently selling Holographic Pigment but I decided to purchase from Social Claws who at press time was selling her 2 grams for $29 + shipping. It was a learning curve for me as my first attempt was difficult because I fully cured my gel top coat instead of flash curing as suggested. The second time was amazing as seen above and I've been wearing it for almost a week now and can't stop staring at my nails.

Clear Squishy Stampers

I did the nails for the birthday girl @the_shalack_pack - we used @juliegbeauty for the base and @cndworld for the stamp - stamp was from @uberchicbeauty.

A photo posted by PolishGalore (@polishgalore) on Aug 27, 2016 at 8:19pm PDT

So while stamping isn't new, the concept of the clear stampers is still new to me, and I actually worked really hard on the above nails for my friend Tiffinie. I'm excited to try new things with this clear stamper that are every day looks for people like us that work in an office every day.

Fall Polishes

Image courtesy of ILNP - "Alexander", "Mon Amour" & The Harpist"

FALL IS COMING! I'm obsessed with fall polishes as a general rule. I love wearing dark, vampy colors that scream sweater weather, and crisp air and FOOTBALL. Okay, maybe not football, but I am super excited about that. Above, you see 3 of the new ILNP that are coming out for Fall 2016. ILNP has been a favorite brand of mine for years, so it was only fitting that my giveaway was going to be a $25 e-gift card to the ILNP website!

Please use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter my giveaway. The only MANDATORY entry is to list your email which will ONLY be used if you win this giveaway. Your email addresses will not be kept, sold, or used for any type of solicitation by PolishGalore. All the other options in the widget are OPTIONAL.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

You're all set, the next blog to hop to is MY BEAUTY BUNNY.

KBShimmer x Color4Nails Polishes

Press Sample
So I'm still getting my a/c fixed ... turns out I had a ton of wood rot and it's a miracle that the unit didn't fall through the cabinet and onto the floor. Because I'm literally stuck at home, I figured today was a great day to review the KBShimmer x Color4Nails exclusive polishes that I received from Color4Nails. These two beauties are What the Shell, a tan polish with micro pink glitter and micro rainbow glitter (which gives is a scattered holo look), and Berried In The Sand, a holographic fuchsia with blue shimmer.

First up is What the Shell. 

So this color was so my jam in the bottle. I love the tan base, the pink shimmer, the scattered rainbow glitter. The rainbow glitter is what's throwing the orange and yellows you see in the bottle. I used a base coat of Duri Rejuvacote, 2 coats of polish and finished with KBShimmer Clearly On Top. I wasn't sure if 2 coats was enough and almost added a third, but KBShimmers are normally always opaque in two.

So on the nail was a different story. Even my husband, who's normally very disinterested in polish, said said "Eh, I don't like that." It just seemed to go too much into my skin tone and the rainbow glitter is pretty hidden on the nail. I mostly just saw pink shimmer. I think it's a pretty polish and VERY unique, but may look better on a different skin tone.

Next up is Berried In The Sand.

This is a holographic fuchsia polish with blue shimmer. I originally wore this on my nails before I nubbinized them, but didn't take an official photos. Then I made the big chop and decided to take photos. I used a base coat of Duri Rejuvacote, ONE COAT of polish and finished with KBShimmer Clearly On Top. 

I was shocked that it was one coat. Absolutely shocked. So in love. I'm using this for my pedicure as well. This photo was taken outside in the sun so you can see the holographic vs the blue shimmer but in the shade the blue shimmer is apparent. I love it all. Definitely my pick to be worn again and again.

These two polishes are exclusive to Color4Nails and can be purchased for $10 each.

• What The Shell
• Berried In The Sand

Be sure to check out Color4Nails's social media on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

KBShimmer [website] can be purchased through their website for those in the United States and through Harlow and Co for international sales. Prices range from $5.50 to $8.75. Connect with KBShimmer through their social media networks: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.

Disclosure: The product[s] in this post was [were] provided to me by the company for consideration. For more information, please read this post.

Dermelect Explosive

Nothing To Disclose
While at Cosmoprof North America, they had their Boutique again. Think real life sample box time. You were able to pick 7 items from the wall for a $10 donation. I picked up Dermelect Explosive from the 2016 Spring Outburst collection. This melon/coral creme offers great things for those who are looking for peptide-infused color treatment for fragile, weak nails. It's big 4-free (to include toulene) and is cruelty free. I picked it because I thought it would look great with some nail art.

I used a base of Duri Rejuvacote, 2 coats of polish and finished with Love Angeline Topped with Love top coat. Formula was good - not streaky and no flooding.

Happy little creme - nothing crazy to write home about. If you want to use Dermelect to rebuild your nails, be sure to try their whole system - Launchpad Nail Strengthener base coat and Memento Manicure extender top coat. 

You can purchase Dermelect on their website and now at Ulta Beauty. Join the social conversation on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

Glisten & Glow Snorkel in St. Thomas

Press Sample
It's been 83 days since we were hit by a tornado and I'm finally getting my a/c fixed in the main part of my house today. It's been a very frustrating experience. Since I am required to be home for the install, I'm going through my box of items I received at the Cocktails and Colors party in Las Vegas last month. One that immediately caught my eye was Glisten & Glow Snorkel in St. Thomas - a vibrant cyan creme. I used this as a base for some nail art last week but I wanted to wear it entirely on its own as well.

I used a base coat of Duri Rejuvacote, 2 coats of polish and finished it with Love Angeline Topped With Love top coat. The first coat was a little thin looking but the second coat self-leveled to a beautiful opaque creme.

Look how beautiful this is! While blue isn't normally a color I reach for, this one is such a happy creme. I really miss cremes sometimes - it's easy to wear, it's easy to come off, you can dress it up with glitter or stamping. It's great. This is one in the 4 part collection called Experience the Islands and is currently listed for $7.50.

Glisten & Glow is available on their website. Join the social conversation with Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. 

Disclosure: The product[s] in this post was [were] provided to me by the company for consideration. For more information, please read this post.

Color Club Stamping Plates

Press Sample

At Cosmoprof North America, I found out that Color Club was going into the stamping business - and boy were they ever! Launching over 40 plates out of the gate, they mean business. Also while at Cosmoprof, I was blessed to meet the husband and wife duo behind the stockist site Color4Nails. This posting will be about the Color Club Stamping Plates but they were provided to me via Color4Nails.

Side note, Color4Nails is a small home business that was founded in 2011. Their goal is to offer unique polish from different counties as well as from independent polish makers. What I really love is that they have some amazing collaboration polishes only available on their website but we will talk more about that later.

The above 3 plates are the ones I received from Color4Nails. Since they were a press sample, I cannot speak to the ease of purchasing through the website, but I was happy that they were well packaged. I had received 2 bottles of nail polish as well and they were also well packaged. If you've been reading PolishGalore for some time, you may recall another stockist/beauty website that sent me a horribly "wrapped" package, so it's important to me that things are properly packaged.

The first plate I used was the Color Club Sixties plate. First, take off the protective plastic from the plate. Apply your desired polish to the plate, remove excess with a scraper, use your stamper, and apply it to your nail. Since this was my first try, I decided to use 4 different designs.

The plates are gold in color and the outer white area is a plastic attachment that keeps you from banging the plate's edge. To keep it clean, I scraped towards the plate instead of off the edge.

For reference, I used a base manicure of LVX "Vanilla". I used Digital Nails "Questionable Browser History" which is a liquid latex masking fluid to cover around my cuticles so I didn't have to clean up as much. For stamping, I used CND Creative Play in "Red-Y To Roll", "Royalista" and "Isn't She Grape". For top coat, I used CND Creative Play top coat. My scraper and clear stamper were from UberChic.

So I'm pretty impressed with the pick up of each stamp. The designs are all well etched inside. The smearing you see is from my top coat. I have to now rummage through my box to find one that doesn't smear. I had also attempted Digital Nails "Ain't Nobody Got Time For That" top coat (smeared) and Anonymous Lacquer "With A Quickness" top coat (smeared) and this was a good 5 minutes after stamping. There's also the possibility that CND Creative Play isn't a great stamping polish. It's made to be a lacquer, and is not branded as a stamping polish.

The second plate I used was called Illusion. I used a base manicure of Glisten & Glow "Snorkel in St. Thomas". I used Digital Nails "Questionable Browser History" for my cuticles. For stamping, I used M Polish "I Need A Vacation" and LVX "Crimson". For top coat, I used Love Angeline "Topped With Love". My scraper and clear stamper were from UberChic.

LVX is used on my index and pinkie, M Polish is on my ring and middle fingers. M Polish is an actual stamping polish and you can see how it works beautifully. LVX also works but it's not as crisp. I actually had a really hard time with this plate picking up images the first time. I don't know if it's a combination of my stamper and polish or what. It looks etched just as well as the Sixties plate, so I'm not sure what's going on but I really love the different designs available.

The final plate I received was Food and this was the one that I felt was the most detailed by far. Sadly, it's also the one I had the absolute hardest with. Granted, I'm still very novice when it comes to stamping, so it may just be all that. I also want to try another stamper in the future.  I used a base manicure of Dermelect Explosive. I used Digital Nails Questionable Browser History for my cuticles. For stamping, I used M Polish "Pish Plashin' Around", CND Creative Play "Red-Y To Roll" and "Isn't She Grape?" and LVX "Mink". For top coat, I used Love Angeline "Topped With Love". My scraper and clear stamper were from UberChic.

Not going to lie, I feel like a major failure right now with this last plate. I tried a double stamp on my ring finger and that just looks like mud. My index refused to take up the image. The words are a mess on my middle finger. The only one that came out half decent is my pinkie. I think my base manicure probably wasn't the best idea either. I should have gone with something more neutral. 

Overall I think these plates are really nice - well etched, durable and lots to choose from. I don't feel totally defeated and want to look at picking up some more stamping polishes. M Polish is currently closed so I can't grab any more of hers but there are a couple more indie companies popping up and there's always Konad as well. I'm hoping Color Club comes out with a line as well.

You can purchase the Color Club Stamping Plates directly from Color4Nails here. Be sure to check out Color4Nails's social media on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Disclosure: The product[s] in this post was [were] provided to me by the company for consideration. For more information, please read this post.

LVX Vanille

Press Sample
This week, LVX released their first joint Fall/Winter collection which included Vanille, a buttery beige. I wasn't really sure what to think of this color the first time. It reminds me a little of cake batter but we all know that whites and yellows can be notoriously hard to apply, so I was a bit scared.

I started with a base coat of Duri Rejuvacote, 3 coats of polish and finished with Digital Nails Ain't Nobody Got Time For That top coat. The first coat of polish was a disaster - nothing but streaks and I was worried. The second coat self-leveled quite a bit but I still felt like it was a little patchy in a few places. The third coat of polish leveled the polish out perfectly and had the right level of opacity so I felt confident to top coat. The best part is that the thin coats of polish used dry fast with LVX, so you don't have to worry about smearing or smudging.

I keep starting at my nails and I'm still not sure if this is a ME color or not. On the one hand, I like how it's a stark contrast from my normal purples or pinks but on the other hand, it's not the most flattering look to my eye. Reminds me a little of yellow snow heh. I am very pleased with the formula in the end though.

LVX [Website | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Instagram] is available on their website. It is 10-free to include Toluene and Camphor, vegan and cruelty free. Use promo code POLISHGALORE for 20% off your purchase!

Disclosure: The product[s] in this post was [were] provided to me by the company for consideration.  For more information, please read this post.

Native War Paints Shy Violet

Press Sample
I'm still working my way through all my Cosmoprof footage which includes items from the 2016 Cocktails and Colors indie event. While there, I chatted a little with the owners of Native War Paints. This husband and wife duo were HILARIOUS. As we were winding down the night, Mr. NWP pointed to the display of polishes and said "Take one." It was like the angels were singing. I immediately went for a purple... which I was wearing a purple shirt with purple nail polish on and oh yes, my purple hair. If you have any doubt if I like purple... What I couldn't tell at the time is that this beauty, aptly named Shy Violet has a gorgeous gold shimmer running through it.

I used a base coat of Duri Rejuvacote, 2 coats of polish and finished with Digital Nails Ain't Nobody Got Time For That top coat. The formula was very nice - I was worried at first because the shimmer almost had a pearl-like effect with the first coat and I was afraid this would be a brush stroke mess. Instead, the second coat and drying erased the look of any brush strokes which was great come top coat time. Being a neon, this does dry matte and top coat brings out the best in the shimmer. Additionally, this polish is from the Mrs. White Neon Brites and so I'm told that they watermarble beautifully.

I absolutely love this color. Now you can just barely see some VNL on a few nails but for the most part, it's opaque. In person, the shimmer hides any VNL so I'm a happy camper. I feel like I've had some crazy nails lately but the purple makes me smile.

Native War Paints may be purchased through their website. Join the conversation on social media on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Use #nativewarpaints to find other fans!

Disclosure: The product[s] in this post was [were] provided to me by the company for consideration. For more information, please read this post.

LVX Oasis

Press Sample
Yesterday the Fall-Winter 2016/17 collection launched at LVX. After I played with stamps last week, I decided that I needed to go out of my comfort zone and wear a green on my longer nails. I mean, they aren't LONG but they aren't as short as I'm used to. LVX Oasis is a classic hunter green creme with blue undertones.

I used a base of Duri Rejuvacote, 2 coats of polish and finished with Digital Nails Ain't Nobody Got Time For That top coat. The formula was a little thin with the first coat but self-leveled to a perfect opacity with the second coat.

What do you think? I'm pretty happy with it and it kind of freaks me out in a good way. I feel like a model, haha. While I'm not sure how much I will wear this polish out, I do want to play with it more on shorter nails. I am getting rather long here!

LVX [Website | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Instagram] is available on their website. It is 10-free to include Toluene and Camphor, vegan and cruelty free. Use promo code POLISHGALORE for 20% off your purchase!

Disclosure: The product[s] in this post was [were] provided to me by the company for consideration.  For more information, please read this post.

Morgan Taylor Rule the Runway

Press Sample
Does it feel like fall to you? It really doesn't here. We STILL don't have the damage fixed from the tornado that came through at the end of May. But I had been eyeing this color since it showed up at my house so today I'm wearing Morgan Taylor Rule the Runway from the Fall 2016 Sweetheart Squadron collection. This is dusty grey creme with just a touch of purple/lavender in it. I felt it was super elegant and beautiful for my nails.

I went with a base coat of Duri Rejuvacote, 2 coats of polish and finished with Digital Nails Ain't Nobody Got Time For That top coat. The formula was excellent, no pooling or flooding and full coverage in just two coats.

I know that Morgan Taylor was going for a slate gray but the hint of purple just makes me swoon. I also really like the whole concept of the collection - stepping away from jewel tones like other companies do for fall and moving towards a more muted palette.

Morgan Taylor [Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest | YouTube] is available at CosmoProf for $8.50 a bottle. Online, non-professionals can purchase Morgan Taylor at Ulta Beauty. 

Disclosure: The product[s] in this post was [were] provided to me by the company for consideration. For more information, please read this post.

FingerPaints Holographic Top Coat

Nothing To Disclose
So yesterday was all about a decent lavender creme. Today is all about making it holographic. I know that holographic powder is all the rage right now, but that requires a gel top coat and I don't feel like removing gel polish right now. Granted, my SteamOff machine from Katie Cazorla makes quick work of it, but still. Instead, I busted out the FingerPaints Holographic Top Coat that came out in 2016.

I used just one coat of this over my existing manicure and didn't top coat it. Normally I would but I knew that I wanted to see the holo for now.

Even though you can see a pretty definitely flame pattern in the bottle, this is really more of a scattered holo on the nail. I was surprised because I thought I'd see more of a flame, but overall, I'm happy with it.

FingerPaints [Facebook] [Twitter] [Blog]  is found exclusively at Sally Beauty Supply. Cost is $5.99 per bottle or $5.49 for Beauty Club Card holders.

Mineral Fusion Bubble

Press Sample
I love purple nail polishes - doesn't matter if it's a creme, a holo, has some shimmer. I like lavenders, deep plums, all of them. So when Mineral Fusion sent me Bubble, a lavender creme, I was down.

I used a base coat of Duri Rejuvacote, 2 coats of polish and finished with Digital Nails Ain't Nobody Got Time For That top coat. The formula was very rich and opaque and I may have been able to do one coat but I did 2 thin coats and it leveled itself out. Mineral Fusion is 100% vegan, 5-free and cruelty free. I have one other Mineral Fusion polish and the cap refuses to align back but this polish aligned back onto its base without issue.

Nice and simple! Nothing too crazy with this polish. It's a great office staple or base for some nail art. As of press time, you can purchase this from the Mineral Fusion website for $7.99.

Mineral Fusion can be purchased on their website or search the store locator. Join the social conversation on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.

Disclosure: The product[s] in this post was [were] provided to me by the company for consideration. For more information, please read this post.

China Glaze Carnival Lights

Nothing To Disclose
I started my blog back in 2009 after falling in love with China Glaze polishes. That year, China Glaze put out a "Specialty" collection of 50 polishes. Now, the rumor was that it was originally supposed to be for the overseas/Europe market, but I was able to buy them all here in the USA through a stockist. And buy them I did. As I was moving my polishes into a cabinet over the weekend, I thought I was going to have to throw the above bottle, Carnival Lights away because it was pretty thick and gloopy in its bottle. But I decided to try some thinner and added a few BB balls and shook like crazy.

I started with a base coat of Duri Rejuvacote and used 3 coats of polish. Finally I topped it with Digital Nails Ain't Nobody Got Time For That. The polish definitely needs more thinner and shaking because it was still a little gloopy and the top coat failed to dry through the layers. After I did my photographs, I had to wash my hands, and my polish was able to come right off because it didn't dry through. Boo.

Carnival Lights is a baby pink tinted base with pink microglitter and rainbow reflective small circular glitter. It's a fun color - something pretty definitely as an accent nail but wasn't too overpowering as a full manicure.

I took this photo in the sun. As you can see, a base color coat would probably work best under here so you don't have to use as many coats of polish, and because it was still gloopy, it didn't dry smooth either. You can see the bumps on all nails. But I still adore it because well, rainbow reflective glitter.

This polish is long gone but you might find it here or there in supply stores gathering a little dust. Always make sure to store your polishes with tightly closed caps to keep evaporation down.

China Glaze [Website] [Facebook] [Twitter] [Instagram] can be found online through several etailers, including my favorite Head2Toe Beauty, Sally's Beauty Supply as well as TransDesign.

LVX Brique

Press Sample
When I think luxury polish, I think of LVX. I love how the line is focused on fashion, I love that the glass bottles look great with the black caps. I love that the font used is a custom font with custom kerning so you're not going to find it on a website for sale. While meeting with creative director and co-founder Branka Tomic at Cosmoprof Las Vegas last month, I had to congratulate her on over 100 colors being launched so far. She let me in that starting with their Fall-Winter Collection, LVX was going to move to two seasonal collections per year. This keeps their colors more in line with current fashion and keeps the colors both fresh and concise.

My package originally arrived with this beautiful brick red being smashed, however, LVX immediately sent out a replacement and I knew I just had to wear it to work today. Brique is a bit of a plum undertoned red creme that reminds me of the brick on my own house. I love how sophisticed it looks against my skin tone. I used a base of Duri Rejuvacote, 2 coats of polish and finished with Digital Nails Ain't Nobody Got Time For That. The formula was fantastic and I might have gotten away with one coat but went with two to self-level into my nails.

I love this color. I feel like I should be drinking coffee in Chicago during a brisk morning. Speaking of, I will be a PolishCon in September! More on that later.

Brique and the rest of the Fall-Winter 2016/17 collection launches on August 15th on their website. This is definitely my stand out of the collection but stay tuned because the other 5 are all beautiful as well!

LVX [Website | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Instagram] is available on their website. It is 10-free to include Toluene and Camphor, vegan and cruelty free. Use promo code POLISHGALORE for 20% off your purchase!

Disclosure: The product[s] in this post was [were] provided to me by the company for consideration.  For more information, please read this post.

Seche Gifted

Press Sample
About three years ago, Seche came out with a line of colors, all tailored to the "Seche Girl" - whether she was "Bright & Bold" or "Clever & Confident", the brand created a story through their collections. However, the line failed to sell, so Seche went back and created an entire system called Seche Premier Colour - different bottle shape, new formula for longer lasting wear, and a three-step system to make it easier for professionals and enthusiasts to enjoy Seche together. Basically, the quality you expect from Seche Vite but in a lacquer line.

The first step is the Base - an advanced formula contains adhesives to secure lacquer to the nail for a long lasting finish. Be sure to cleanse your nails properly, removing all oils and old polish. I found my brush to be very stiff but it may be due to improper closing. When I shipped this bottle home and unwrapped it a week later, I noticed that it was slightly sticky and I think maybe the bottle wasn't tightly closed and product may have leaked out.

The second step is your lacquer. The new line rolled out with 24 shades, rich in color and quality. It was designed to effortlessly suit all styles and skin tones. I received Gifted, a berry pink creme. I find it to be a little darker than Barbie pink but still very office appropriate. Unlike the old line, Seche recommends two coats for full coverage. I found the formula to be very pigmented and the wide flat brush was very easy to work with, unlike my brush in Base.

Finally, finish with Sealant. Sealant is in a powder coated silver bottle because it will harden in natural light inside. This top coat seals and shines to provide a flawless finish. Unfortunately, I think this bottle wasn't sealed properly in my bag either because the second I went to open it, it was gummy around the neck. The brush was completely thick and unusable and the first attempt at putting on top coat ended up in a big blob on my nail. The good news is that you CAN use Seche Vite or Seche Vive (the gel like top coat that Seche came out with that does not need a UV/LED light to cure) with this system which is what I will probably do in the future. Please do not judge my experience with Base and Sealant because I do fully believe my bottles leaked in transit.

Let's get back to the color. I always find that these types of finishes are a great staple in any collection. The formula on Gifted was super nice - no globs running down my brush, it wasn't too thin, and I like the color in general.

You can find Seche Premier Colour now at Sally Beauty Supply stores for around $10.50. For more information, you can check out their website or follow them on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest. Use #SechePremierColour to see more followers of this brand.

Disclosure: The product[s] in this post was [were] provided to me by the company for consideration. For more information, please read this post.

Anchor & Heart The Vivacious

Nothing To Disclose

I'm back! Last week I was at Cosmoprof North America 2016 and if you checked my Instagram or Facebook, I saw a LOT of things. I'm still working through to decompress through all the paperwork and photos I took but today I wanted to show off an indie brand that I stumbled upon through Facebook.

Anchor & Heart Lacquer is based out of Portland, Maine, which you know is a bit dear to my heart. My husband was born and still has family just south of Portland so I feel like I'm being a bit of fan girl when I buy from a Maine company. Owner Taryn Jade has a wide range of colors and during a recent sale on her Etsy site, I picked up The Vivacious, a berry shade with a subtle holo and gold shimmer. This shade is from the My Friends, My Anchors collection.

I used a base coat of OPI Nail Envy in Hawaiian Orchid. If you recall, last summer OPI decided to tint their strengthening treatment. You can wear the base alone with 2 coats, but I just used one because I was originally going to wear a different color altogether today. While Hawaiian Orchid is a bit of a dusty rose shade, it did not affect my wear for The Vivacious. I used 2 coats of The Vivacious over and then topped using Anonymous Lacquer's Fast Dry Top Coat called With A Quickness that I received at the Cocktails and Colors 2016 event in Las Vegas. I was super happy that the formula on The Vivacious was smooth, didn't run or pool, and spread evenly with the flat brush.

This shade can lean pink or berry depending on your skin tone and lighting. As you can see in the bottle, there's a scattered holo and gold shimmer running throughout the formula. In the shade, I could see the strong shimmer. In the sun, it was just enough holo to make me stare at my nails while flexing my fingers. Come on, we've all done it. One thing I have noticed is that the top coat I'm using, while making the polish shiny, did not completely cover all the properties of this polish. My thumb isn't glass smooth like I prefer - it's not bumpy like a texture polish and I'm not catching lint on it or anything, but there's just a very small grit to the polish that I've noticed. I'm not sure if it's the formula itself or the combination of me trying a new top coat. It's not enough to bother me by any means though.

Also I'm trying a new nail shape! I changed to squoval in summer 2011 after having a more rounded look prior to that. While I was in Las Vegas, I received an essie gel coutour manicure by Jolene Canzoneri Brodeur [website | instagram] and she asked if she could file my nails to a different shape. Since Jolene is a celebrity/entertainment/editorial/commerical nail artist, I was going to take her advice and she gave me this soft almond look. I cannot tell you how many compliments I've received from my fellow bloggers on the new nail shape. It's growing on me as it does elongate my nail beds and give me a very feminine look. On the practical side, I didn't break one nail in Vegas, coming home, or my first week back at work and that's saying something!

So back to Anchor & Heart - so far, I'm happy!I have one other shade that I purchased which seems super office appropriate and I may wear to my next big meeting. The Vivacious may be purchased in her Etsy shop for $9.50. I purchased during her 4th of July sale for a 15% discount.

Anchor & Heart may be purchased on Etsy. Join the social conversation on Facebook and Instagram. Use #anchorheartlacquer or #AHLnailmail to share with other AHL lovers!