Ellagee 1985 Collection-Neons!

Ellagee: Swatches and Review

 *Disclaimer-Polishes sent for review*

Happy Wednesday everyone!  Today's post will be short on words but not on amazing polish :)  Laura from Ellagee was kind enough to send me samples from her newest polish line, 1985 Collection.  This collection features bright neons with a hint of shimmer.  At the risk of sounding redundant, I will say here that the formula on all three polishes was FANTASTIC...and I truly would not say that if I didn't mean it.  I liked these polishes so much that I stopped swatching just so I could wear a full mani for the next day.  Multiple coats were needed to build up the opacity of the polish but each coat dried super quick.  By super quick, I mean that by the time I got to my pinkie, my thumb and pointer fingers were fully dry.  I will describe each polish after the pictures.  Now for the pretties...

First I have to note the cute packaging, although the smarties didn't make it to the photo :)

First up is Way Orange.  This is the beauty that I had to wear as a full mani for a day because I loved the color so much.  I never gravitate towards orange but there is something about this neon orange with a hint of shimmer that literally glowed.  I used four thin coats above and the polish dried to a semi-matte finish.

Below is Way Orange with one coat of topcoat.

Next is Lime-O-Rama.  This is a neon lime green polish with a hint of shimmer.  Another winner, plain and simple.  I used four thin coats for the above photos.  The polish was not streaky, it wasn't runny, and there was no pulling on any of the three polishes.

Below is four thin coats with one coat of topcoat.

Last but not least is Totally Blue-bular.  The polish is a medium blue neon with a hint of white shimmer.  I found this one to be the frostiest of the three but this did not take away from its neon quality.  I used three thin coats above.

Below is three thin coats with one coat of topcoat.

Overall I loved every single one of these polishes, they were seriously amazing.  Ellagee polish is 3-free as well as cruelty free.  

I had no problems with streaking, pulling, or staining.  The neon pigments were will mixed, and I had no problems at all with any of the formulas.  If you love neon polishes, these are a must have!

These polishes can be purchased on etsy here.  I've already been checking out her page because I'm not sure if I can resist the other gorgeous polishes :)

*Polishes sent for review in exchange for my honest opinion*

My Spirit Fingers Swatches

My Spirit Fingers: Zazzle and Star Dust

 *Disclaimer-Polishes Sent for Review*

Happy Tuesday everyone!  Dona from My Spirit Fingers was kind enough to send me two polishes for review.  This is my very first indie polish review, I hope I do it justice!  My Spirit Fingers is a 3-free and cruelty free brand that specializes in polishes made in school colors, how cool is that?  Pretty cool!  I received Zazzle and Star Dust for review.  Let's begin!

First up, bottle shots and descriptions.  

On the left is Zazzle: a glitter polish with a clear base; glitter includes pink and white bar glitter and hexes and circle glitters in colors of pink. black, bright blue, and black

On the right is Star Dust: a glitter polish with a clear base; glitter includes bright blue stars, silver moons, square black glitter, silver glitter, and small silver hex holographic glitter

First up is Zazzle.  I wanted to show Zazzle over a light background as well as a dark background.  For the light color I used OPI It's Totally Fort Worth It and for the dark background I used OPI Mrs. O'Leary's BBQ.  For these swatches I used one coat of polish.  The formula of this polish was good.  I didn't dig for glitter, just used what I got on the brush in one swipe.  All glitters laid flat and the polish dried quickly.  I really liked this combination!  I am a fan of bar glitter and the pink bar glitter was so fun.  I also liked the addition of the small blue glitter, I think it transformed the polish from girly to a little bit funky.  Photos are without topcoat.

I preferred this polish over the light color, it was so girly and delicate with a little bit of edge.

Second is Star Dust.  I really liked this combination as well.  The formula was good, although I did have to do some polish digging as the black glitters tended to stick to the side of the bottle.  I placed the stars and moons as I found them, which is pretty typical for specialty glitters.  The photos below are without topcoat, one coat with some glitter placement.  I used this glitter over Essie Maximillion Strasse Her and just for fun, did one coat over the textured polished Zoya Liberty (loved this outcome)!

And over Zoya Liberty...

Overall, really great glitter topcoats!  I can't pick a favorite because I like both.  For me, they both have that funky element that I really like.  For Zazzle it is the pink bar glitter and the flashes of blue glitter (plus the name!).  For Star Dust it is the stars and moons.  

You can find My Spirit Fingers polish for sale here.  Also check it out on Facebook here.

Which one is your favorite?

*Disclaimer: Polishes sent for review in exchange for my honest opinion*

Zoya PixieDust Summer 2013

Zoya Pixiedust Collection!

 *Disclaimer-Polishes sent for review*

Hi everyone, happy Monday!  I had the privilege of receiving the new Zoya Pixiedust collection for summer.  I have to say that previously I was on the fence about textured polish but this collection has made me a believer!  These polishes are seriously so bright and amazing :)  The collection consists of six new textured colors that dry to a matte finish and are oh so sparkly.  Zoya recommends no base or top coat with this collection so that is what I did.  Here we go, the photos speak for themselves...

Solange is described as "a gold metal foil sparkle".  I think that pretty much sums it up.  From the bottle I thought it would be more yellow but on the nail it is very gold.  I used three thin coats for this polish and at the risk of sounding like a broken record, all of these polishes dried very quickly.

Beatrix, first off, has an awesome name in my opinion.  Zoya describes it as "tangerine metal sparkle".  I'd say the citrus description is very true!  This polish reminded me so much of a juicy orange.  I loved it!  This is three thin coats of this polish.  Great formula, color, and no problems.

Destiny is my second favorite out of the entire collection.  Zoya describes it as "a coral metal sparkle".  This polish was a spot-on coral color and was slightly pinky towards the cuticle.  I wore this polish for two days and kept staring at it the entire time.  I don't normally like red colors, but this one was fantastic.  If you combined a strawberry and a watermelon I think this would be the color.  This again is three thin coats.

 

Miranda is described as a "rose sparkle" but to me this reminded me of the color of raspberries.  This swatch was three thin coats and had another great formula.

Oh the elusive right hand...haha.  I wanted to swatch two colors at once so I took a chance and tried to contort my right hand into an acceptable picture pose :)  Hopefully it isn't too bad!  Stevie is described as a "violet sparkle".  I'm not sure what color violet is but I would describe it as a light to medium purple sparkle.  This swatch was two coats and reminded me of a super delicious sugar cookie with colorful sugar.  Yum!  This was also one of my favorites.

  

And now to my favorite of the collection...Liberty.  This is described as a "blue sugary sparkle".  I LOVED this color.  I expected this polish to lean to a more royal blue but I found that it had a teal quality to it.  The truest color is the swatch that was taken in the sun.  I'm wearing this now on both hands and when I showed it to my husband he said it reminded him of the cerulean crayon in the crayola box.  I completely agree with him (and that was always my favorite blue to use).  The first two photos are in artificial light and the third is in sunlight.  I literally can't stop staring at my nails.  This was three coats.

Overall, I am thrilled with this collection!  The formula was fantastic on all of them and the colors were bright, sparkly, and so summery.  If you are up in the air on textured polish like I was, I would recommend at least trying one of these polishes.  They really changed my mind.  If I had to pick, my favorites would be Liberty, Destiny, and Stevie.  Liberty is a must-have for me.  What do you think?  Will you be picking up any of these?

*Disclaimer-Polishes sent for review*

Nail Art for April 15th

Autism Awareness Puzzle Pieces and Disney The Little Mermaid

At the risk of being ridiculous and posting three posts for today (you know I couldn't wait to post those pixiedusts) I decided to combine my nail art for today into one post.  Since I just finished writing up my review of the pixiedusts, I will make this post short and sweet :)

First up is my Autism Awareness manicure.  The theme was puzzle pieces.  This is my first time attempting this technique but I didn't have any trouble with it.  As I'm sure it is obvious, I skipped the tape and opted to free hand it.  

I started with three coats of OPI Cuckoo For This Color, which I picked up on clearance at Ulta on Saturday.  I then took Essie In The Cab-ana and layered it vertically over half of my nail.  Third was Essie Maximillian Strasse Her and fourth was Essie No Place Like Chrome.  I finished off the dots with a bobby pin.  What do you think at my first attempt at a puzzle piece mani?

Check out these other lovely ladies:

Alicia from Makeup and Nails, Not War

ChiChi from I’m Just Me... ChiChi

Cordia from Seriously Swatched

Erin from Paint Those Piggies!

Jessica from Nail Polish Anonymous

Jillian from Jilltastic Nail Design

Kelly from Peace Love Lacquer

Laura from Little Laura Loves

Lisa from Glittery Fingers & Sparkling Toes

Nicole from Dipped in Lacquer

Paulina from Paulina’s Passions

Rachael from Rachos Nail Love

Roxana from Beautylicious

Tina from Light of the Moon Nails

Last but not least is my Little Mermaid mani for a Disney Challenge.  

  

My pointer was inspired by the vibrant red of Ariel's hair, where I used Essie Snap Happy and stamped seashells with Essie Penny Talk.  I wanted one finger to look like the ocean so I used both Essie In The Cab-ana and Essie Maximillion Strasse Her to create some movement like the ocean.  I stamped a tiny crab using Essie Snap Happy to represent Sebastian.  My ring finger was Zoya Godiva to represent sand and I stamped a mermaid with OPI Mrs. O'Leary's BBQ.  My pinkie was inspired by Ariel's purple seashell top.  I used OPI Plugged-In Plum and stamped with Essie Nothing Else Metals.  The Little Mermaid was always one of my favorite Disney movies.  Do you think I did it justice?

 

China Glaze Avant Garden Swatches Part 2

China Glaze Avant Garden Swatches: Part 2

Today I also have my top picks from the China Glaze Avant Garden collection.  These two polishes are Budding Romance and Sunday Funday.  I have to say that I loved both of these polishes a lot so let's get right to the pictures.

First up is Budding Romance.  I hate to say it but I'm not sure what the difference between a jelly and a crelly (creme jelly) is so I'm just going to call this one an olive green crelly :)  I actually only have one other jelly polish in my collection, OPI Do You Think I'm Tex-y and I really don't like it.  I had never experienced a jelly polish so I was completely caught off guard.  I knew from other bloggers that this was a jelly polish so at least I kept that in mind.  That being said, I really really love this polish.  I used two coats with no top or base coat in the photos.  The formula was perfect and it built up nicely.  It's not a color everyone will love but I think it's really funky and cool.

 

Last, but certainly not least, is a bright neon blue called Sunday Funday.  I loved the color and formula of this polish and I keep reaching for it since I bought it.  I really like blue polishes and this one is a winner.  This photo is two coats with no base or top coat.  Love this one!

Julep Maven Box: April

Julep Maven It Girl: April 2013

Happy Sunday everyone!  Today I have my Julep Maven subscription for April.  I chose It Girl this month because I wasn't sure if I wanted the cuticle product.  Last month I chose Boho Glam and was really happy with it.   I will say that I was really torn about this box, two successful polishes, one disaster.  Read below...

 

I will start with my favorite from the collection, Mackenzie.  Mackenzie to me is a granny smith apple green with a hint of shimmer.  I really liked the color of this polish.  It was a little on the thick side but offered good coverage in two coats.  Very pretty for spring and summer.  Above pictures have not topcoat.

 

Next up is Eden.  I again liked this one.  It's a bluish purple color that dried to a semi-matte finish.  I used two coats in the above photos.  I chose to show the semi-matte finish.  This color reminded me of a purple jelly bean.

Last up is the dud in my opinion.  Let me start off by saying that I love yellow, so I was really excited about this polish.  The color was really good, a bright cheery yellow.  The formula was awful.  I used three coats with no topcoat for this polish.  First, it was really thick and streaky.  Second, I could not for the life of me get it to dry.  I've tried it twice now, used Seche Vite topcoat and still ended up smudging an entire hand and having to take it all off.  Ugh, I really wanted to love it but I can't.  

I hope everyone is having a great weekend.  I will be swatching like a fiend today haha.

Ruffian-First Attempt

Challenge: Ruffian Manicure

Happy Saturday!  I hope everyone is having a good day.  I will be swatching and catching up on work today.  I hope you have better plans than me :)  We are almost halfway through the challenge created by Short and Sweet in Texas.  For today's challenge, the theme was a ruffian manicure.  This is my first attempt at this design and I found it to be pretty easy.  I started with a base of OPI Plugged-In Plum, which is my favorite purple.  It is so bright and neon looking.  I then layered OPI My Paprika Is Hotter than Yours!  Overall, I'm glad I tried this design but it reminds me of grown out nails so it's not something that I would probably wear.  What are your thoughts?