Nothing To Disclose
Happy Wednesday! Today I pulled out Different Dimension Reflection from a box of polish by my desk. This is a bright berry polish that has color shifting pigment which looks gold in the bottle and comes out red to purple on the nail. This polish is from the Someday We'll All Be Memories Too collection.
Press Sample
Hello dear friends! I cannot believe we are already in March - where did the first two months go? I was doing really well with pre-planning posts and then time just got away from me, and so did my polish. I have boxes all over my living room and all over my desk so I'm determined to get it handled, especially with my in-laws coming at the end of the month!
Press Sample
In my day job with the Navy, I end up interacting with some really amazing people - one of them being the editor of our local newspaper. He has a great dry wit and there was a time where we were talking about something that he said "What is happening" in a really dry sarcastic way and it really stuck with me. Well today is a "What is happening" with the polish that I decided to pull out of a box that's been sitting next to my desk.
Nothing To Disclose
So for now, I think I'm going to be showcasing 2 indies and 2 mainstream polishes a week. I think that's a pretty decent balance as I'm going through my Purge and just my collection in general. It also helps keep me motivated because I have so many pros and cons when it comes to indies and when it comes to mainstreams. Mondays are still currently a toss up. I have #MakeupMonday or sometimes I just want to throw in another polish or nail treatment... What are your thoughts on that?
Nothing To Disclose
2017 was a huge year of travel for me going across the country to be at different conventions including Indie Expo Canada, hosted by Girly Bits Cosmetics. It was my first time to Canada and I was very pleased by the polite people and clean atmosphere. I even took a public train and didn't get lost!
Nothing To Disclose
In 2017, I went to Canada for the first time to go to Indie Expo Canada, hosted by Girly Bits Cosmetics. One of the brands that was participating in the VIP bags was Bliss Polish and today I grabbed this coral shimmer to wear. It's sweetly named VIP @ IEC.
Press Sample
I love wearing dark colors on short nails so today I reached for the Spain inspired collection from the Fall 2017 Morgan Taylor collection.
Press Sample
One of the more interesting things when cleaning out my nail polish is realizing 1: how many indies I have acquired in the past several years and 2: how many polishes I have that are AMAZING. Tonight I was cleaning out a box that's been sitting by my desk for over a year (sad, I know) when I realized I had this great Glisten & Glow beauty sitting here.
Press Sample
If you've been following my Facebook, you know that I'm in purge mode. I'm finally going through my polishes and getting real about what I'm keeping because there are so many polishes I love and almost forget I own and I want to wear what I own. Especially when they are as beautiful as today's polish - Gelish Mini Plum-thing Magical.
Nothing To Disclose
Happy Wednesday! I'm getting ready for my upcoming trip to PolishCon and realized I haven't really shown off my goodies from Indie Expo Canada that I went to this past summer! The event, held by Girly Bits Cosmetics, had some of the best brands from Canada and the US in attendance, and I was so happy with the turnout.
Press Sample
Happy Monday! My #MakeupMonday is taking a break right now because honestly, I have so much polish here that I have lots to share. On top of all the indies I have floating around, I also have some great fall collections and today is Deremelect Kiss 'ME' from the Completely Classic collection.
Press Sample
Today from the 1950s Collection by Glisten & Glow, I have Rock n Roll & Route 66 which is a great robin egg blue with teeny green shimmer. This polish also is great for water marbling and stamping and self levels on the second coat. If you watched my Nail It Instagram Live "Indie Spotlight", you saw that my first coat had a bit of pulling and I think it's from the shimmer in my first coat but it was perfect in two.
Nothing To Disclose
Did you catch my Indie Spotlight on Nail It this past Saturday? So far I've only been using polishes that are readily available for purchase - nothing that is sold out or was only available in a past collection box or subscription service. Do you like that format? Let me know in the comments.
Press Sample
Well I don't know about you, but my Facebook News Feed is FILLED with comment after comment about HOW GOOD the new live action Beauty and the Beast is. Last month, an Alamo Drafthouse opened in a nearby city, and since it's pretty much the best theater ever, I rounded up some friends and we're having a Friends Night Out tomorrow to go see the movie in 3D.
Press Sample
Happy March! I cannot believe how fast this year is going. I will be headed to NYC soon for PolishCon NYC and hope to see some old friends and make new ones as well! Today I am happy to bring you The Color Box: March 2017 "Blue". This is a color-coordinated collaboration box that was started by Manna's Manis & More, xoxo, Jen, Amanda Loves Polish and the first indie brand to sign on was Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer.
Press Sample
It's cold in South Texas (below 40!) which is really rare so I wanted an icy blue to wear today! I decided to grab Colors by Llarowe Summer Skies which was the Polish of the Month for May 2016. This is a icy blue that is both holographic and has pink shimmer.
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.
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.
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.
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!
Press Sample
I recently received a few Trust Fund Beauty polishes to try and I grabbed for Flirty & Dirty first. This deep dusty rose has a hint of shimmer to jazz it up. While not visible on the nail, it does give the polish an extra oomph over a creme.
I used a base coat of Duri Rejuvacote, 2 coats of polish and finished with Love, Angelina Topped With Love top coat. As you can semi-tell from the bottle shot, this polish has a long brush (think the old American Apparel bottles), so take the time to wipe a little extra off the brush. The formula was good, I almost got away with a one coat manicure but added a second coat to make sure I didn't have any visible nail lines before using my top coat.
I have a soft spot for dusty rose polishes. I love that they are office appropriate and almost a neutral for me but at the same time it's just very feminine and pretty. I can easily see myself grabbing for this polish over and over, no matter what the season is. It's a great palette cleanser as well against all the neons that the summer brings.
Flirty & Dirty is available for $15 on the Trust Fund Beauty website.
Trust Fund Beauty is available on their website. Join the conversation 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.
