Morgan Taylor Ella Of A Girl

Press Sample 

Continuing with the Cinderella Collaboration collection is Ella of a Girl, a light pink creme that I wasn't too sure about in the bottle but just you wait!

I used a base coat of Duri Rejuvacoat, 2 coats of polish and finished with Digital Nails Ain't Nobody Got Time For That. The formula on this polish was a little thinner than the previous two but I only needed two thin coats for total coverage. I was extremely impressed with it!


I'm actually quite in love with this color! Normally I kind of shy away from pinks and go more towards corals and reds but this color is so me right now. I know I'm having a baby boy in May, but man I wish I was having a girl so I could wear this more often and play with it!  Who am I kidding, I'm going to wear it regardless!


Now I think I have to do an actual gradient with this and Watch Your Step, Sister! They just compliment each other so well! I also love that it doesn't lean to Barbie pink or Pepto Bismol pink either.


This is definitely a stand out color for me, interestingly enough. It's "simple" but beautiful and just overall lovely.

A reader asked me for a comparison of this with Morgan Taylor Lip Service which I also happen to have. A review on Lip Service will be up this week because hey, since I had it out, I might as well review it too! Lip Service is originally from the Morgan Taylor core line but it was also available in the Breast Cancer Awareness 2014 Trio called "Fight Like A Lady".
Crazy huh? Just wait until you see the review or check my Instagram for a sneak peek of the swatch sticks. Anyway, if I had to buy just one polish from this collection, I'm saying it's going to be this one.

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.

Morgan Taylor Watch Your Step, Sister!

Press Sample 

Also from the Cinderella collaboration collection from Morgan Taylor is Watch Your Step, Sister! a beautiful coral creme. I was really excited about this color because I have been on a coral kick for awhile but I always worry if they are going to give me lobster red hands or not.

For this manicure, 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. I liked the formula on this and almost considered using one more thin coat for opacity but decided that 2 was enough.


Here in the sun, you can see just how pretty it is - and no lobster hands for me! My only downside is that this isn't a unique coral so it didn't make my ABSOLUTELY MUST HAVE list since I do have other corals in my collection.


Likewise here in the shade, the color absolutely pops with my skin which makes me so happy. I do love it.


Even in indirect light this polish is just bam, in your face. Formula was great and I will definitely be wearing this again. In fact, I think I may even fairy dust this sometime soon! (If you don't own China Glaze Fairy Dust, I'm not sure we can be friends.)

This collaboration collection will be available next month so be watching!

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.

Morgan Taylor Party At The Palace

 
Press Sample

This March Disney is taking Cinderella to the next level with their all new, live action adaptation of Cinderella. Morgan Taylor (and its parent gel company Gelish) is releasing a joint nail color collaboration launching in February. Today I have Party At The Palace, a light turquoise blue with golden shimmer.

I used a base coat of Seche Natural, 3 thin coats of polish and finished with Digital Nails Ain't Nobody Got Time For That top coat. The formula was good and I could have probably gotten away with only 2 coats but I decided to add a third to make sure I had total opacity on all nails.


When I wore this polish, the sun decided to run away for the day so I had to use my Mystudio light kit instead. As you can see the shimmer isn't nearly as pronounced but does give the polish a light glow about it.


Outside in the shade it basically the same story - a very ethereal look with the blue base.


Indirect light gives you a tiny glimpse of that shimmer but I don't think this polish was decided to be a pronounced shimmer polish, rather the golden shimmer enhances the base color. Almost reminds me of the "mermaid" fabric that was popular in the early 2000s (think prom dress overlays). Quite lovely a great add to my collection.

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.

Liquid Palisade by Kiesque

Press Sample 

Full disclosure - I am not the person to come to for nail art. I have very little patience, I have very little creativity. Anything I can use to make it easier, I am ALL for. That being said, when I first heard about Liquid Palisade by Kiesque back in 2013, I wanted to get some pretty badly. 

Think of it as painter's tape for nails. You brush on the purple liquid where you don't want polish, polish your nails, then remove the now dried protective barrier. Sounds great for gradients and water marbles, right?! However, as always, people smarter than I have even used it IN their nail art, painting designs on the nails with the Liquid Palisade, and painting, then removing the design. Think nail vinyls before we had nail vinyls.

Thankfully, this product is super easy to use - really doesn't take much effort or thought. I'm wearing Morgan Taylor Party At The Palace from the upcoming Cinderella collaboration collection and thought that I'd sponge over Morgan Taylor Watch Your Step, Sister! Now this is maybe the third gradient I've ever done so I'm still learning what colors go well together, how far up to sponge your gradient blah blah blah. My color theory isn't quite there yet - sorry art majors!

Krystal's mistake #1, not getting the Liquid Palisade isn't close enough to the cuticle. This winter I finally put together my new computer desk and monitor stand and then I had to replace my lamp. The lamp I replaced it with, is terrible. I simply do not have enough lighting anymore - and with a gloomy day outside, I don't have my natural light streaming in. I needed to get the Liquid Palisade a little closer to ensure that no polish was on the cuticles. As you can see, it paints on in a light purple and turns a darker purple (on the edges) as it dries. You should let it dry for about 30 seconds before starting your gradient or other nail art so that you don't get paint in your Liquid Palisade.

Now go crazy! I sponged my colors a total of three times and as you can see I got a little messy - should have probably added a bit more Liquid Palisade or been more careful around the edges.

Then just grab a corner of the dried purple Liquid Palisade using tweezers and peel cleanly off!

Enjoy your nail art!

So the bottle looks a little big, right? It's a 10 g/0.35 oz bottle of Liquid Palisade. To compare, Morgan Taylor has 0.50 fl oz in its bottle.
Basically it's tall but much skinnier. Think more of a striping brush. However, Kiesque says that you can get 50 manicures out of this one bottle. I'm not sure how they are measuring a manicure, but considering it's a little more than half of the Morgan Taylor bottle and I have never emptied a bottle of polish in my life from use, I'd say you have some wear time with this product.

The brush itself is quite thin, which is great for getting precise lines but less fun if you want to cover an entire area (like your entire first knuckle if you're doing a water marble. It is flexible enough to get into that little space between your nail and your cuticle but not so flexible that you're all over the place.
Additionally, the product is a bit stinky, being latex based. Make sure you use in a well ventilated area. Keep away from eyes and DO NOT USE if you have a latex allergy.

Now, I am fully aware that other bloggers have used Elmer's Glue, Liquid Latex (available online or at party supply stores) and even Sally's Hair Glue in place of Liquid Palisade. Indies are even getting into the mix like ellagee who is using a re-packaged material but in a familiar nail polish bottle and with a larger brush. Unfortunately, I have not tried any of them, so I can't confirm or deny any of the claims that they work just as well.

You can purchase Liquid Palisade directly from Kiesque on their website here for $22.00. It is also available on Gloss48 as well as a few international stockists too. Please see the Kiesque website for more. Join in the conversation with Liquid Palisade on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Google+.

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

butter LONDON Glitter Scrubbers Textured Remover Wipes

I love glitter. I love textured polish. I hate removing both.