Monday, December 22, 2014

Blog Issue :(

It's come to my attention that many of my prior post images are missing from their source folders and have disappeared from the blog. I guess that's a good reason for a new challenge in January. I'm so sorry about this error and very sad that so many of my images are missing. I hope to recover what I can, but new posts to come will make up for the loss.

WillowStore Product Review

A few weeks ago I recieved a few sampler products from www.willowstore.ca for review. They included a handful of sample packets each of their Donkey Milk Body Lotion and Face Cream, a Donkey Milk & Olive Oil soap and an olive oil lip balm. The shop itself is based in Toronto, Ontario and is a newly budding Canadian business that I was very excited to hear about and was so happy to get to try out these products! They carry both the Donkey Milk and Olive Oil products online in their shop.

*I apologize in advance for the photos this time around, I didn't think to take them right away and it was late night when I finally did. Poor planning on my part. :( *

The Donkey Milk is provided by a traditional family farm in Belgium where the donkeys are hand milked three times per day! The products themselves are made up of 95% or higher organic ingredients and have some amazing qualities. The Donkey Milk provides several benefits to your skin including the potential to reduce sun damage and wrinkles (thanks to antioxidants, vitamins and minerals), as well as offering amazing moisture and continuing protection from dry skin. Donkey Milk is superior in nutrients for our skin to cows milk, but because the process is very labor intensive and the donkeys can only produce a fraction of what a cow can, it's very difficult to get our hands on these products.

The first product I tested out was the Handmade Olive Oil soap in which I chose the Donkey Milk & Silk variety. I found it was what I would consider to be unscented. It lathered well and left me feeling clean, however I found it left my skin feeling a bit tight in the body. I have this issue commonly with soaps, however, so please don't let this discourage you from trying it. Even extremely moisturizing soap varieties often leave my skin feeling tight. I did however find that for my combination skin on my face, this was a perfect choice and I have been using it to wash my face since then.
The bars retail on the website starting at $3 and vary by size.

The Donkey Milk Body Lotion was quite possibly my favorite product of the bunch. I used one packet after a shower for several days on my legs, arms, and some of my body and found it left my skin feeling soft and silky and relieved some of the dry itchiness of winter. It's definitely a scented product, it has a clean soapy perfumey sort of smell that I associate with higher end facial and body creams.

A 400ml bottle of Body Lotion retails for $34 on the website.

The Donkey Milk Care Cream (face cream) was a close second favorite for me. I used it as a night cream after reading some of my friends thoughts on the product as I expected it might be greasy and need some time to sink in. I put about half of a packet on before brushing my teeth and by the time my teeth were brushed, all of the cream had absorbed into my skin. I put on another layer on for good measure but it wasn't necessary as I learned through the next few days using it just once. My skin was super soft and my dry spots seriously reduced for the days that I've been using this cream. As soon as it's in my budget, I'll be buying this in a second. A jar will last a long time. I got 2-3 uses out of each of my 3ml sample packets, so I expect one jar would last 35-50 applications depending on how you use it.
A 50ml jar of Care Cream retails for $36.

And finally I recieved the Vanilla Olive Oil Lip Balm which was a soft scent of vanilla and had no real flavor. It was moisturizing and melted nicely in a similar fashion to the handmade lipbalms I usually use. It is not waxy like a traditional lipbalm and can take some getting used to, but I love them.
It retails for $4.75 on the website in Vanilla, Natural and Rose.

Willow is the only store in Ontario at the moment carrying these products and they are amazing! Some of the gift sets available on the website right now are amazing deals, if you're interested, I would run over and check it out! What better time than the holidays to treat yourself or a friend to some great gifts to de-stress and remember to love ourselves with!

I hope you enjoyed my review! Let me know if you plan on trying out these products!

Friday, November 28, 2014

A Busy Few Days of Swatching!

While writing out full length posts for my blog has been a bit difficult for me lately, I have been keeping up with my nails. The last couple of days I've started working on swatching my polishes for my pinterest collection. I thought I would share them with you all here and remind you that if you like my swatches, you can find them regularly on my Instagram. Once I've completed the projects I owe for Christmas (crochet requests from my Etsy shop - details in the future) I will get back into my normal programming for blogging.

So without further adieu, some of my swatches this week.

Eat Sleep Polish - You Can't Sit With Us

Eat Sleep Polish - Great Sexpectations

Eat Sleep Polish - The Turtle and the Hare
Aly's Dream Polish - Hottest Pink

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

It has been a month.

You know one of those ones where life intervenes and everything you want to do is sidelined for the important and super un-fun stuff? Yeah, one of those.

I miss blogging. I miss writing. I miss having time to do my nails every day. But I have been working on some fun stuff.

A scarf for a friend, nicely tied in a bow here:

A few pairs of slippers, some fingerless gloves and several bathroom oragnizers have also been keeping me quite busy.

I know this isn't my usual nail related post, but here are a couple of mani's I have done recently to tide you over:

Carpe Noctem Cosmetics - South Haven Sunset
I know I've shown this one before but it's just so gorgeous! I needed to wear it again. Look at that gold shimmer come through, it really does look like a sunset doesn't it?

I have high hopes that in the coming week I will be finishing up many of my near-complete projects which should open up some free time to get back to my nails and my blog. I hope you're all doing well, tell me in the comments how has the past month been going for you?

Sunday, October 26, 2014

What? October is almost over?

What a terrible host I've been for the October mani challenge. I'm -still- sick! I can't believe this nonsense, but regardless, sick or not, I'm going to upload all of my photos so far tonight and update by week. Back to regular programming after that, I'm done letting this cold win!

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Benefit 2014 Advent Calendar "Candy Coated Countdown"

Quick post, not back from my little break, but this one was an easy one.

I've noticed a lot of people talking about the Benefit 2014 Advent Calendar already. Last year's calendar was great and came with a price tag of $79. This year's advent calendar has a whopping $40 markup coming in at a massive $119. What's with the markup? Is it really worth it?

So here's what it looks like in the package, quite pretty, as usual for Benefit.

Now for the good stuff. The contents. Spoilers, my dears, if you don't want to know what's in there, don't read any further.

All of the products are sample sizes.

Day 1: Heart Paper Clips
Day 2: Ultra Plush Lipgloss "A-Lister"
Day 3: They're Real Mascara
Day 4: Stay Don't Stray (lt/med)
Day 5: It's Potent
Day 6: Porefessional
Day 7: Silver Hair Tie
Day 8: Holiday Post It Notes
Day 9: Ultra Plush Lipgloss "Dandelion"
Day 10: Stay Flawless
Day 11: Benetint
Day 12: Total Moisture
Day 13: Posietint
Day 14: Hair Tie w/ bow
Day 15: Ooh La Lift
Day 16: High Beam
Day 17: Holiday Notepad
Day 18: That Gal
Day 19: Pink Polkadot Hair Tie
Day 20: Ultra Plush Lipgloss "Fauxmance"
Day 21: Watt's Up?
Day 22: Bad Gal lash
Day 23: ChaChaTint
Day 24: Fake Up Concealer in 02 Medium

So what's different from last year? Not much, honestly. Here are the differences:

2013 contained the following products that 2014 does not:
Girl Meets Pearl
Hoola
Dandelion
Coralista
BadGal Liner in Black
Ultra Plush Lipgloss in Coralista 
Ultraplush Lipgloss in Sugarbomb

2014 new products:
They're Real Mascara
Ultra Plush Lipgloss in Fauxmance
Stay Flawless
Watt's Up
Fake Up Concealer

You might notice that this advent calendar has actually lost products. In 2013's Advent Calender there were three days containing non Benefit products (a bracelet, a necklace and a barette). In the 2014 Advent Calendar we see six days without Benefit products (paperclips, post it notes, 3 hair ties, notepad).

Is it worth the price hike? Well, that's up to you, but I think I'll be investing in a David's Tea Advent Calender this year instead. Which holiday products are you excited for?

Quick Update

I'm so sorry I haven't been posting my daily swatches like I planned to, I have literally been sick since the first of October and still am not quite well. Hopefully I will be able to play catch up soon and get back to regular posting. In the meantime I have still be uploading daily mani's on my Instagram. I'll be back soon!

Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Amazing Autumn Mani Challenge Day 1 - Moss


Day 1 of the October Amazing Autumn Mani Challenge! Today's theme was "Moss" (green).

I've used two coats of Colors by Llarowe Army of One and a tiny bi of saran wrap stamping using A England Dragon.

I apologize for the lack of great quality content today, I have a really nasty cold and this was all I could muster. I promise more fun in future.







Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Amazing Autumn Mani Challenge! - Participants

As promised, before we begin our month of fun, I have a list of those participating and where you can find them.

Myself, here on the blog as well as on Instagram.

Tina with We Didn't Miss It, and Instagram.


I will edit this post if others decide to join in. 

I'm looking forward to getting started tomorrow!!

Monday, September 22, 2014

October's Mani Challenge - Amazing Autumn!

In continuation of the mani challenges that the wonderful Tina over at We Didn't Miss It has been coming up with, this month she asked me if I wanted to create the challenge 'chart' since October's idea of autumn colors was my suggestion. The ladies loved this idea and Tina and I have been chittering about our excitement to get started since then. So about a week ago I finally caved to the desire and wrote out the color chart. Who doesn't love Autumn colors?! I can't wait to get started!

Previous Monthly challenges I have participated in are August Is Indie Month and the first portion of September is Stamping Month. Unfortunately I've had some nail casualties and am working with shorties for the time being, so I've ducked out of stamping. Stamping is difficult enough working with nails the images actually fit on! Haha.

In the meantime if you'd like to see what I've been up to with my shorties, I'm still posting some of my manis on my Instagram, follow me there!

Now, for the good stuff.

This is October's suggested guide for the daily mani challenge. Participate on the days that you are able or want to, there's no requirement to do it daily, though I will be trying to. I will be following this guide the best I can (I'm still missing a few colors and they may not arrive in time!). The first 18 days are guided in color choice and the last 13 days are open to your interpretation for color or design, just follow the theme! Show us what color your favorite teacup and lap blanket are. ;)

Some guidelines I want to remember which you may choose to follow (or are welcome to ignore):
  • Follow the color guidelines when you can and substitute something when you must
  • Blog and/or post nails to instagram every day
  • Try choosing an untried polish first or showing a favorite
  • Write a quick (but honest) review of each polish that you choose to blog about
  • Pick indies before big brands #supportindie !!
  • Link back to the maker where possible on IG or FB
  • HAVE FUN!*
If you want to participate, let me know! Drop me a message or leave me a note with links to where you'll be posting your Amazing Autumn manis. I'll be posting a Participant list soon. I will be sharing my manis here on the blog and daily on my Instagram (#amazingautumnmanis and  #octobermanichallenge). Let us know where you'll be posting yours so we can check it out!

I cannot wait to get started!

*You're not allowed to ignore this guideline. It's a must!

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Final Stamping Month Update & Upcoming Blogs!

It pains me to inform you that I am out of the stamping challenge for this month as my nails started breaking at the quick and I was forced to file down to the nubbiest of nubbins. However I am planning a challenge for October and will participate in that one whether my nubs are nubby or not. Hopefully a couple of weeks will be enough time for them to grow out so I can make them look at least half decent. It happens to all of us. :(

So this means that instead of daily nails, I'll be working on some other reviews instead. 

Stay tuned! I have lots of exciting things in store even if it's not my nails.

And as a last update, this was Day 12 of Stamping Month - Bugs

Sunday, September 14, 2014

Nails of the Week! Girly Bits #islandtime!

A brand I very recently discovered a love for but which has quickly found a place in my heart is Girly Bits. Today I've got #islandtime to show you which I fell in love with as soon as I saw the bottle. It looks even better on somehow, if that's even possible. It is a teal holographic with some hints of green and some hints of blue depending on the lighting. I think I've covered the faces pretty well.
I hope you enjoy! This polish is absolutely gorgeous! I couldn't bear to take it off for three whole days, almost unheard of for me!
This is three thin coats with HK Girl top coat. This polish dried lightning fast on my nails and application was amazingly smooth. Can't wait to try some more of my Girly Bits!
Indoors, bright sunlight.
Indoors with flash.




Thursday, September 11, 2014

Setepmber is Stamping Month Update!

Stamping month update number two! This stamping guide has proven to be a little challenging. I only have two large plates and a handful of small circular ones so I have only a select number of images to work with. I've had to get creative and make up some of my own themes for a few of the days. Here's my update to today and for daily updates along with swatches and random mani attempts please follow me on Instagram here!

Day 7 - Hearts
KBShimmer A Touch of Glass stamped with A England's Dancing With Nureyev

Day 8 - Dragons
KBShimmer Plum Tuckered Out stamped with A England's Princess Tears

Day 9 - Fish.
I didn't like my first attempt at underwater creatures, so I went for a new theme. Travelling with a view.
Cadillacquer Crystal with Mundo De Unas #16 stamping.

Day 10 - Trees
I went with a beachy theme using Girly Bits #islandtime as a base with Mundo De Unas #6 stamping

Day 11 - Books
Today is supposed to be a book theme. I don't have any book stamps, so instead I decided to tell a story with my stamps.
A handsome Prince Charming, an adoring Princess, they fall in love, and live happily ever after in their castle. (So cheesy.)
This is Lilypad Lacquer Vixens Wear Violet with Mundo De Unas #1 stamping.




Saturday, September 6, 2014

September Stamping Update!

I don't think my stamping is wonderful yet and I haven't been taking a significant number of pictures of it, just enough for one each day on Instagram. I'll try to post every so often with a quick update of pictures.

Day 2 was Lace

Day 3 was Cat/Dog/Pet


Day 4 was Food


Day 5 was Birds, but since I don't have any bird plates I went with a Fashion theme.

Day 6 is Travel


Monday, September 1, 2014

September is Stamping Month Day 1!


Day 1 of Stamping Month is Flowers, so I did a quick little accent of flowers on my existing Picture Polish Tiffany manicure using A England's Dragon. All of my A England polishes will be great for stamping with but I do have a few specifically made for stamping too. I'll try to encorporate a variety of colors/polishes into the stamping that I do, though I don't think I will be doing it daily like August.




The hashtags on Instagram are: #septemberisstampingmonth #septemberstamping #stampingchallenge

Participants:

Sunday, August 31, 2014

August Is Indie Month Wrap-Up!



Well, that's it for this month's challenge. I've collected my list in the order that I used each brand (and reused a handful) for reference. Don't forget that I wasn't the only one who completed the challenge, I've got links to the other participants down below once again so you can check out what they were up to this past month.

I had a lot of fun, I used a lot of nail polishes I probably wouldn't have otherwise. I'm looking forward to a new daily color challenge for September as well as joining the stamping challenge which I will be posting about later today.

I've got some makeup reviews and other things to blog about now that I can take a little breath from nail polish posts for a few days. September will be a bit less regular than August just to give myself and my nails a little break. Come October I will definitely be breaking out the fall colors and doing dailies again.

I hope you enjoyed this month of Indie polish as much as I did! Until next time!

Find me on Twitter and Instagram!

Other Participants

We Didn't Miss It (blog), miss_tina (insta)
Nailing It (blog)
Mercy123 (twitter)
Kitties and Polish Forever (blog), Taymoorby (insta), Taymoorby (twitter)
Rianneeff (twitter)
LoveThisLacquer (tumblr), LoveThisLacquer (insta), LoveThisLacquer (twitter)

August is Indie Month Day 31!

The final day of August is Indie Month! One of my favorite indie brands make a come back (since I'm out of new ones again). A England's Sleeping Palace is a gorgeous purpley burgundy color. It's a one coater just like the rest of my A Englands. You can really see the rainbow come out in this polish since I finally got a little bit of sunshine to take photos.

A Englands are great quality polish and they last on the nail for several days with just tip wear. If you don't have any, I definitely recommend it! Great quality for the price, they work well for stamping too!

*I could not recover an image of this polish, but I will 



Saturday, August 30, 2014

August is Indie Month Day 30!

Only one more day of daily manis after this. Can you believe it? I think for September I'm going to do a color challenge (not daily, just whenever I do my nails) and try to do the September Stamping challenge once or twice a week.

On to the main event! This is an absolutely gorgeous polish from Eat Sleep Polish. This is Elvis Is My Homeboy, which is a gold sort of color with lots of holo packed in. Not quite your typical gold, but this is really pretty, sort of a silvered gold if that makes sense. Check it out!

This is three coats of Elvis Is My Homeboy for full coverage, two was just a little bit sheer still, but you could easily get away with it if you don't mind a little VNL. No top coat here. Absolutely gorgeous! I can't wait to wear it again.





Garnier Fructis Color Shield VoxBox Review!


Meet Garnier Fructis Color Shield, a shampoo, consitioner and leave in spray set that I recieved from Influenster a couple of weeks ago. I've been using it since and am really loving what it's done to my hair.

Since the first wash my hair has been softer and shinier with less frizz. I think that may mostly be related to the spray but overall I really like the scent and what this has accomplished with my hair. 

My highlights and lowlights are a little bit more obvious than they were before so I do believe that it has helped add something to the color as well, it's quite nice and if you have dyed hair I would recommend giving this product a shot!

I got it for free from Influester for review!

Friday, August 29, 2014

August is Indie Month Day 29!

Day 29! What I really am wearing today.

This is three coats (one relatively thick) of Hare Polish Electric Flame, a neon coral polish filled with small circular blue flakies. It was *extremely* difficult to capture the true nature of this polish and I know other bloggers out there have done a much better job, but this polish is absolutely gorgeous!

There is no top coat in these photos and I have included several to try to show the differet parts of this polish.

Next time I wear this polish I want to try it with a pinky coral creme for undies and see how that affects the application. I'll be sure to post again when I do.

Despite being packed full of flakies the application was quite good, a bit thick but it works since the polish is quite sheer.

Summer brights aren't finished yet! Enjoy!


August is Indie Month Day 28!

For Day 28 I'd like to present Cadillaquer's Crystal, a polish I've been after for quite some time now! I finally decided to order it and I'm quite glad that I did. This blue shimmery-glittery polish really does remind me of 'that blue stuff' from Breaking Bad.

Two coats here created great coverage, very easy application and there is no topcoat making it shiny. I can't wait to wear this for more than a swatch, it's gorgeous!

My only qualm is the lid. I don't like those textured lids, they're a bit uncomfortable to hold.




August is Indie Month Day 27!

Once again I have to play a little bit of catch up. The last week has been a crazy one, travelling sure does take the wind out of me. However, as a result of being a little late, I have some more new brands for you! While I was away I recieved a few packages.

For Day 26 I have Carpe Noctem Cosmetics South Haven Sunset, which is a blue polish with a bright gold shimmer. It really does remind me of a sunset when the light hits it.

This polish is gorgeous and has a great application. Two thin coats was all it took, though I found in direct light it was a little sheer so a third coat would have made it opaque. On my ring finger you can see Deborah Lippman's Happy Birthday done for a travelling birthday box group I am a member of.

This is two coats of South Haven Sunset with Duri 2 as top coat. Gorgeous polish, unfortunately this mani didn't last long because so many glitters just don't dry nicely. I look forward to using South Haven Sunset on it's own.





Tuesday, August 26, 2014

August is Indie Month Day 26!

Another amazing ILNP (I Love Nail Polish) linear holographic for you today!

This is two coats of Summer Stargazing with no top coat. These are great quality polishes that last several days on the nail. The vibrancy is what drew me to this color, it's such a very pretty blue.

Pictures taken in a few different lights, on this day I actually had sunlight with which to get some good shots!

Enjoy!



Monday, August 25, 2014

August is Indie Month Day 25!


 I've finally reached the end of my stash of different brands and will have to start repeating a few.

Cult Nails Charming is a gorgeous princess purple creme with light shimmer in a pink/cooper sort of tone.

This is two coats with no top coat. I didn't get to take a photo of this one under halogen lights but it is relatively the same, all you're missing out on is the blue tinge that my halogen pictures tend to get.

I love Cult Nails! Check out their website and join the Cult! These polishes are great quality and long lasting, I have quite a few and always look forward to finding more colors I will want from new collections.






Sunday, August 24, 2014

August is Indie Month Day 24!

The very last day that I have a new brand for you (well, I might get a few in before the end of the month,but so far as I can tell right now). Day 24, I can't believe it's almost over already.

Today I have a brand of polish I can't believe I completely forgot that I had.

This is one coat of piCture pOlish Aurora - a limited edition shade that I absolutely love - over black undies, with no top coat.

Aurora is a multichrome polish that shifts from teal-green to blue to purple to pink and even sometimes a little hint of burgundy. It is lightly scattered with holo pieces and glitters that reflect the same teal-purple shift that is most commonly seen in Aurora.

I have included a handful of pictures that I found best represented the different faces of this polish, rather than showing it in specific types of lighting.

piCture pOlish is one of my favorite indie brands, I have some more on the way and can't wait to try out their cremes (something sort of new for me if you couldn't tell from this month of indies - the majority of my polish is holo). They have amazing coverage, go on smooth and last a long time on the nail.

They come from Australia and can be purchased directly from the company as well as several stockists including Nail Polish Canada, Llarowe and Harlow & Co.









Friday, August 22, 2014

August is Indie Month Day 23!

Day 23 of Indie Month, I can't believe it's almost over! Don't worry though, we have another monthly challenge on the way.

For today I'd like to present you with the absolutely *gorgeous* Lilypad Lacquer Vixens Wear Violet. I absolutely love this polish. It's one of those *_* holos that is entirely distracting and keeps you staring at your nails and flashing a light on them for the entire time you're wearing it.

I've worn this one a couple of times before and got good wear out of it. I change my nails every 3 or 4 days so it lasted about that long with no major chipping or other issues. The application is perfect every time. 

This is two coats, no top coat. If you don't have this polish, you should!



August is Indie Month Day 22!

Indie Month Day 22 already. And somehow I've managed to keep up for the most part (a couple of double post days). I'm looking forward to doing this again next month as well as a few cosmetic reviews and swatches that should be coming closer to the end of this month.

As for the main event...

This is Barry M Princess, a textured effect nail polish. Here I have two coats with no top coat because that would ruin the texture. This polish is sort of like liquid sand, but pink and sparkly. Exactly what I would expect for a polish named Princess.

I didn't wear this for long, but I'll tell you it was a pain in the you-know-what to remove, so I get the feeling that it would last a while and stick fairly well on the nail. Since the coverage isn't quite perfect (you can see some nail line on my index finger for example) you could probably get away with a fair bit of tip wear without even noticing. I look forward to wearing it again for a longer period of time.




Thursday, August 21, 2014

August is Indie Month Day 21!

Day 21, F.U.N Lacquer's TGIF.

This is a gorgeous gold linear holo with lots of extra sparkle because of it's color. In some lights it can lean a little bit pink and become a sort of rose gold (my favorite way to see it). 

I didn't get to wear this one very long so I can't really talk about lasting power but WOW! It's sooo sparkly. One of those polishes you put on and then don't stop looking at your fingers until you take it off.

I can't wait to wear this one again. I have a feeling it's going to be a great accent for the several Tiffany blues I have coming my way!





Wednesday, August 20, 2014

August Is Indie Month Day -- It's My Birthday, I'll Wear What I Want To!

Only a sort of half indie today! It's my damn birthday and I'm gonna wear the colors I want! Lol!!

China Glaze For Audrey with Colors by Llarowe Leather & Lace as an accent for the thumb and ring finger.
This is two coats of For Audrey, one coat of Leather & Lace on the nails applicable and Duri 2 as top coat (I smell another Duri review coming).

For Audrey was unfortunately a little thick and goopy - I discussed with the company I purchased from and they believe I may have gotten a bad bottle and are sending me a new one. Leather and Lace was gorgeous as always, though it did alter the color just a little bit.

For Audrey is a perfect Tiffany blue, it is exactly that shade and I absolutely love it!





Tuesday, August 19, 2014

August is Indie Month Day 19!

And day 19 to catch up! Glisten & Glow You've been HAZED! Two coats with HK Girl top coat.

This polish is GORGEOUS. Now that may just be because I have a love for blue holo polish, but I absolutely love this beauty. The formula was perfect, smooth and so easy to work with and that holo! Damn! Just look at that holo! I included two separate flash photos for better shots of the rainbow and the blue color itself with the rainbow.

I wore this polish for a couple of days with minimal tip wear, that's the first time I've ever worn it though. Glisten & Glow is also the brand of top coat I use and I absolutely love it, so if I had to guess, their polish should be just as good. Two thumbs (or ten fingers) up!

*I was unable to recover photos of this polish from the December 2014 issue, but will post new swatches in the near future.

August is Indie Month Day 18!

Another quicky two day catch up! I completely forgot to do this yesterday!!

Girly Bits Food Fight up here today! This is a grey-blue jellyish polish with lots of glitters and scattered holo packed in. Quite pretty, but not the glitter for me. I think a third coat would have evened it out nicely. No top coat here. 

I didn't wear this long enough to discuss the lasting power, but I have heard lots of good things about Girly Bits. Check them out!

*I was unable to recover photos of this polish from the issue in December 2014 and no longer have this polish unfortunately.




Sunday, August 17, 2014

August is Indie Month Day 17!

Day 17! More than halfway through the month and it's flying by. I have ordered some more indies that should be arriving soon so I won't have quite so many repeats of brands at the end of the month.

Today I've got Different Dimension's 7 Years of College Down the Drain from the August A Box Indied.
This is a hot pink, I want to say jelly, filled with gold flakies and shimmer. You can see the flakies a bit better in the third photo (closeup in the sun).

This is two coats, no topcoat. It seemed even in real life but the photos have made it look a bit bumpy and patchy unfortunately. It went on smooth and was quite nice for what it is, it actually matched my skin tone quite nicely, but I am not really a pink wearing type of girl.

There is some visible nail line with two coats, it probably would have been better with three but this was fine for the short time I would be wearing it. This is my first Different Dimension polish and I only wore it for a short time so I cannot speak to the durability of these polishes.

It is a gorgeous color though, if you're into hot pink I would definitely recommend picking this one up if you can find it.






Saturday, August 16, 2014

August is Indie Month Day 16!

 Picture heavy post incoming!!
 It was quite difficult to catch all of the different aspects of CrowsToes That Boy Is a P-I-G Pig!
This is four coats with HK Girl top coat. I apologize for the lump on my pinky, we had a mishap and I didn't quite file the glue down enough. This is the only swatch that I didn't get to correct the problem for.

I took photos in several different lighting situations, in different hand positions, trying to catch the teal shimmer flash and the flakies that fill this sheer soft pink.

I experienced a fair amount of shrinkage with this polish which is the first time it has happened to me with HK Girl top coat. It may be because there were so many coats of polish - they may not have dried fully. Other than that it wore well for two days before I changed my mani.




August is Indie Month Day 15!

I know it's day 16 now, I had a terrible sort of day yesterday and didn't get to blog. So I'll do two today to make up for it. They'll be a bit shorter.

This is Cult Nails Intriguing. Two coats, no topcoat. This is a gorgeous soft blue hinting purple, (maybe periwinkle?) gently holographic polish. I have a few similar colors to this but none of them quite get that tiny hint of purple like this one. The subtler holo is also a nice change of pace from the intense linear holos that I usually wear.

Cult Nails is a brand I love, probably the brand that first introduced me to the indie nail polish world and I haven't looked back. These are long wearing polishes that tended to last me a week before I started doing my nails more regularly. There are often great deals on them too! Check out Maria's store here and Join the Cult!

Indoors - direct sunlight.
Indoors with flash.


Thursday, August 14, 2014

August is Indie Month Day 14!

Day 14! HITS Polish Art Lover, a holographic multichrome that is a duplicate for Enchanted Polish Across the Universe. It shifts from blue to purple mainly, but also can show red/yellow in certain light situations.

This is one coat over a black base. I really love the many colors and the bright holographics of these polishes, I have several and the quality is no different than EP in my opinion. They last several days on the nail, wear very well and have great color pay off. I purchased mine from llarowe.

There are several HITS polishes that dupe EPs, so if you're looking for some of those multichromes take a look! Great prices, cute bottles.

Indoors with flash.
Indoors, indirect sunlight.
Indoors under halogen lights with flash.
Indoors, indirect sunlight, to show some of the color shift.