The Jedi Wife Celebrates 4 Years with Fair Maiden Polish!

Good morning, dear readers and Happy Friday! I am so glad the weekend is upon us, and I hope to sneak in a nap! It would be so glorious!

As the title of this post suggests, my blog is now celebrating its 4th blogiversary! WOW! Time sure does fly, and I almost can't believe that I've managed to stick with blogging  after having two babies, moving to another state, and buying a house (which obviously included another move). While I do occasionally take a little break away, it is generally due to the needs of my family rather than for myself. I enjoy the swatching, creating nail art, and writing far too much to be gone for long, and I hope to still be here doing this four years from now! 

To celebrate my 4th blogiversary, I had a whopping four custom polishes created, each with a different indie brand that I love and adore. For today's blog post, I wanted to share the first custom shade created in collaboration with Fair Maiden Polish. I remember the first email I received from Sarah and Adrienne when they were about to launch their brand and first collection, and it has been a pleasure seeing their brand grow. They make beautiful polishes, and I was delighted when they agreed to collaborate with me on a blogiversary shade. It was through this collaboration that I Believe in Blue was born.

Even though I gave Adrienne and Sarah an inspiration photo and worked closely with them to design this colour, I still was not prepared for the beauty of this blue. I Believe in Blue is near and dear to my heart, not only because it is a blogiversary shade, but because I chose to start with the colour blue in honor of my boys. My husband is my biggest supporter with blogging, and my toddler is always eager to check the mail and bring all packages inside to my swatching area. My baby likes to stare at the pretty colours on my nails and shows his love by wanting to chew on my fingers (yay for teething). This polish is also sentimental to me because there have been times I've thought about giving up blogging because I've had someone in my ear telling me I wasn't good enough and I've kept up with it after my husband would tell me that he believed in me. I Believe in Blue is just as much a tribute to them as it is a shade to celebrate my blog's 4th birthday. Now that I've gotten all mushy on you, let's get into the details!

This blue has it all! An upturned linear holo iron blue with glass flecks, sea foam green sparkle and navy blue flakes.

One of the reasons I chose to collaborate with Fair Maiden Polish is that their polish formulas are fantastic. In true Fair Maiden Polish fashion, I Believe in Blue applied so perfectly for me and I had no issues whatsoever with the formula. I used two easy coats plus top coat for these swatch photos.

While I Believe in Blue may have been created for my blogiversary, you can still get your hands on a bottle. A large batch was made and will be available for purchase in addition to the Valentine trio launching this weekend on the Fair Maiden Polish website. The launch is scheduled for January 31st at 8PM CST; you don't want to miss it!

A special thank you to Adrienne and Sarah for working with me to create this stunning shade, and a special thank you to you, my dear readers for dropping in and reading my rambles and for tolerating my nuttiness! Until next time, have a wonderful day and a fabulous weekend!

XO!

Fair Maiden Polish: Valentine's Collection Trio

Press Sample

Good morning, dear readers! It has been such a busy week around here, and I am so eager to get this post published and share a gorgeous trio of polishes with you! I have been very impressed with the creative genius behind Fair Maiden Polish since the very first collection was released. Sarah and Adrienne, the proprietors behind the brand, have a skill for mixing up dazzling shades and knocking it out of the park every time. Once again, they have shown off their polish making skills with a new three piece collection being released this weekend for Valentine's Day. This trio of delectable shades were inspired by Greek goddesses, and I love every one!

Our 3 piece Valentine collection, based on Greek Goddesses, is vibrantly lush.  Each color is strong and bold, yet still delicate in its components.

Enticed? I'm sure you are! Let's get a closer look at each of the polishes from this trio.

Athena

Three coats

Athena - as a Goddess, she is fierce and brave - the goddess of wisdom, courage, inspiration & strength.  This polish is a blush/rosy toned nude linear holo with micro flakes that shift from gold to green.  Opaque in 2-3 coats.

Be still, my beating heart! I already like nude-esque nail polish shades, but I was surprised at how much this blushing beauty took my breath away. Upon first glance she may appear unassuming, but look a little further and those micro flakes draw you in. I just stared at my nails admiring the beauty of this polish, and I plan to put on Athena again once I can really enjoy wearing her for a couple days. The formula was fantastic as well- not too thick or thin, and it applied beautifully for me.

Persephone

Three coats

Persephone  - the Goddess of flowers, she was also brought down to the underworld by Hades. As a polish, a rich plum with gold flakes and color shifting flakes orange to pink.  Opaque in 2-3 coats.

This is the wonderful goddess to blame for winter; if only she resisted those pomegranate seeds! I suppose I can survive the winter season with a polish as stunning as Persephone on my nails! I love a good holographic nail polish, but there is something about a well done flake-filled polish that just makes me weak at the knees. Persephone may be my favorite shade from this trio for that reason alone. There is so much depth to this polish, and the formula was sublime; I had no issues whatsoever with this stunner.

Aphrodite

Three coats

Aphrodite -  the Goddess of love, desire and beauty!  Valentine’s just wouldn’t be complete without her!  A juicy, orange-leaning red jelly holo with fuchsia and copper flakes.  Opaque in 2-3 coats.

That's it; I quit! I keep thinking I've found my favorite shade from the trio and then I am reminded of another incredible shade. I'm sure it doesn't help that I love so many colours and finishes; this explains my need to own all the polish! Ha! Several years ago I never really understood the allure of red nail polish, but now I can't seem to get enough of the colour. Aphrodite is a vision in red, especially with the addition of those flakes! Like the others in this collection, the formula was absolute perfection and I was very happy with this gorgeous polish.

The Valentine's collection trio will launch on January 31st at 8PM CST on the Fair Maiden website located here. I strongly encourage setting a timer and a reminder for yourself since I suspect these will sell fast. Each polish is truly a masterpiece, and you're going to want every one. There may or may not be a special shade made with yours truly that will be releasing at the same time. *hint hint* I will have that post up with all the photos and details soon!

Until next time, dear readers, have a wonderful day!
XO!

Ellagee: The Valentine Glitz Duo

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Good afternoon, dear readers! I hope you are having a great week! It's definitely been a crazy one around here now that my toddler has decided he doesn't need to sleep. My husband is out of town this week for a conference, and I am SO GLAD my mother-in-law came to visit to help out. I was able to take a little nap yesterday and we're tag-teaming the graveyard shift. That being said, please pardon any typos or glaring mistakes in this post. I still try to catch them and not let them slip through, but I am more than a little sleep deprived at the moment. Now on to some polish!

It is all things Valentine's Day around here right now with nail polish collections and nail art, and for today's post, I have The Valentine Glitz Duo by ellagee to share with you. If you like your nails with a little bit of bling, these flashy shades are for you! They can be worn as either a fairly dense glitter topper or carefully layered to opacity for glitzy nails for Valentine's Day. I opted to wearing these alone for swatch photos, and I must say, my nails be bangin'!

Je T'aime

Three coats plus top coat

Shades of pink and fuchsia small and micro glitters

Wowza! I am definitely digging this pink shade! I'm not as fond of pale, delicate shades of pink, especially on my nails, and Je T'aime is more my style. There is just so must sparkle to dazzle you with this polish, and you really can't go wrong with it whether you wear it alone or layered over a base shade. It applied easily for me, and I was as strategic as possible with glitter placement so that my nails would be covered, and I found that three coats did the job nicely. Because it is filled with so much glitter, it does dry to a textured finish so you'll want to add a couple coats of top coat. I actually used a coat of Gelish and then top coat here.

Galentine's Day 

Three coats plus top coat

Shades of purple, navy, and turquoise small and micro glitters

It's the day before Valentine's Day, and hopefully you are spending the day doing something that celebrates your favorite gal pals! If you're not familiar with this holiday, it was coined by the television series Parks and Recreation as a day for honoring friendships between women. I think it is really sweet that this is the other half of the duo especially since I personally have forged several friendships with others due to our shared love of polish. I do find it interesting that the main shade of this polish is purple given how many people I know love the colour; it's so perfect! The formula of Galentine's Day is like Je T'aime in that it applied easily and the glitters spread easily where I needed them to. Again, this does have a textured finish; top coat is your friend!

The Valentine's Glitz Duo launches on the ellagee website here this Saturday, January 30th at 3pm CST. Polishes can be purchased separately for $11 each or you can buy the duo at a discount of $19.80. They are both really pretty shades, and I am looking forward to trying out layering them over different base colours next.

Until next time, dear readers, have a wonderful day!
XO!

Made for Me Monday: You Polish

Good afternoon, dear readers, and happy Monday! I hope you had a wonderful weekend and have a great week ahead of you! I am eager to introduce you to a project I just started working on, so I'm going to jump right on in. Let's do this!

If you've been following my blog for a little while, you probably have noticed that I feature a lot of independent brands. Many of these brands do custom work for their customers, and I wanted to share the process with my readers. It was from this idea that my new series, Made for Me Monday, was born. I won't be posting for this series every Monday, but you will be seeing posts over the next few months. I am hoping to carry this project on until the end of the year, and I suppose my major limitation will be myself. We shall see how long this goes on! Now to my inaugural Made for Me Monday post!

You've seen me share different stencils and decals by You Polish, and I couldn't think of a brand more fitting to start this series. Lauren is the creative mastermind behind this fun vinyl brand, and we have collaborated in the past with the You Polish Mommy & Me line. I was delighted when she said she would like to work on another collaborative project with me! I decided that I wanted the theme of my stencils to be ladybugs, and Lauren certainly did deliver! Check these out! 

This sheet as an assortment of ladybug-inspired stencils and decals. It comes with 12 stencils that make up the line dividing the ladybug elytra, or the red dome shell to protect their wings and spots on them. There are also 8 stencils with ladybugs wandering across your nails, 6 French tip stencils, and 6 ladybug with a heart trail decal. This sheet has so much adorable going on, and I love the variety on the sheet! I had fun using these for a nail art look! Check it out!

I'm totally loving this mani! I think the ladybugs in my neighborhood approve as well because I have seen several today alone.

The elytra/spot pattern is on the short side for my nails, but it's definitely still cute!

I used the wandering ladybugs stencil across my nail, and the fourth ladybug wouldn't fit across horizontally. I added that one going off to do her own thing!

While I'm not a super huge heart fan, I adore this decal with the heart shaped trail.

Naturally, I needed to add spots to my French nail!

I had a lot of fun collaborating with Lauren on this sheet, and she is such a delight to work with! If you are looking to have custom work done, either creating vinyls for your nails or stickers for on your phone, laptop, or on your car, I definitely recommend contacting Lauren at You Polish! She is very helpful at giving tips on what will and will not work with the vinyls, and her turn around time is very fast, pending a major sale, of course. While these stencils may have been made for me, they are now available on the You Polish site here for purchase! Each sheet is only $5, and you can even use the little ladybugs in the wandering ladybug design for your nail art if you choose. You can save 10% off your order with discount code jediwife10. Now how is that for Made for Me, but available for you?!? I hope you love these as much as I do!

Other products used

China Glaze: Liquid Leather

Fair Maiden Polish: Holiday 2015

KBShimmer Nail Polish: Stark Raven Mad

What do you think of these stencils? Is it something you would wear? Is there anything you would like to see on my Made for Me Monday Series? I'd love to hear from you!

Until next time, dear readers, have a wonderful day!

XO!

You Polish Zig Diamond Zag Stencils

TGIF, dear readers! It has been quite a busy week around here, and I am thrilled the weekend is almost here! My mother-in-law will be coming in to visit next week, and she is always so helpful around the house and the boys adore her. Hopefully the rain stays away for several days as predicted so we can get quality outdoor playtime! I'll still be posting here as I have quite a few things in the pipeline; you won't have to worry about missing me! Ha! Now on to today's post...

As you probably already know by now, I love to use vinyl stencils and decals in my nail art. One of the brands I use frequently is You Polish. Lauren's vinyls always work so well for me, and she is constantly releasing new designs to play with. She recently released a new "zig diamond zag" stencil pattern, and I'm eager to share it with you this afternoon. Check it out!

The pattern is exactly how I would expect it based on the name; no surprises here! To the nails!

I had to play with my light settings so I could get a few photos that you could see the pattern easily enough. I wanted the look to be subtle on my nails, but hopefully you can see the pattern easily enough here. On my pinky, middle, and index finger, I used the stencils in a horizontal pattern. These stencils aren't quite wide enough to cover the entire length of my nails, but if you keep your nails shorter or get creative with placement, you can easily use them in this orientation. I chose to use the stencils closer to my nail tips and added a matching diamond stud at my eponychium to complete the look on those nails. You can see the pattern more easily on my ring finger, and I used the stencils vertically. I only had two columns of zig zags on the sides of my nails, so if your nails are wider than mine, you'll have an extra set of zig zags with these.

These stencils are currently available for purchase at the You Polish website here. You can also save 10% off your order with discount code jediwife10.

Other products used:

Cadillacquer: The Woods

Gunpowder Lacquer: Spruce Springsteen

Revlon: Black Lingerie

Born Pretty Store: Diamond studs

Until next time, dear readers, have a great day and a fabulous weekend!

XO!

Baroness X Valentine's Polish, Sugared Baubles, and Matte Cuticle Balm

Press Sample

Happy almost Friday, dear readers! I hope you are having a wonderful day! It seems crazy to me that this month is quickly approaching the end already and I'm spending so much time thinking about Valentine's Day already. I got my husband a REALLY nice coffee roaster for this past Christmas, and because of the expense, it's his Christmas, Valentine's Day, birthday, and anniversary present. Even though we don't typically do anything big for Valentine's Day, I still like to get him something small; guess I don't have to worry about figuring out gifts for him for a little while! Yes!!!

For today's blog post, I wanted to share with you the Valentine's Day offerings by Demi from Baroness X. Let me entice you with my favorite staging photo ever and then get into the details, shall we? Let's do this!

The Baroness X Valentine's Day is all about wine and roses!

Vino y Rosas

Three coats plus top coat

A mauve holo polish with violet and blue glass micro flakies that shift to red and bronze also twinkling about like little bubbles are thin gold holo microglitters.

Go ahead and take a moment to stare at this gorgeous colour. I can wait...

One of the blogs that I enjoy reading is My Lacquer Cabinet, and the bloggers have a really cool series on the blog called Polish from a Picture. Vino y Rosas is the polish created by Baroness X from Terra's inspiration photo, and because the shade and the name were so appropriate for the holiday, Demi chose to release it for Valentine's Day. I am glad she decided this polish needed to be shared because it is gorgeous! The base colour is lovely, and I am having so much fun staring at the colour shift of the micro flakies. They are small (hence the name) and it is practically impossible to capture the shift in a single photo, but it is there.

The formula of the polish is perfection! It is on the sheerer side so you'll need three coats to hide the dreaded visible nail line, but the formula is sublime and this polish practically applies itself.

In addition to the polish, the first 40 people that purchase Vino y Rosas will also receive a sample size of Wine & Roses scented Matte Cuticle Balm and Sugared Baubles (1 large and 2 small). Sugared Baubles are solid sugar scrubs containing various butters, oils, soap and sugar. The mini size was created for your hands and large size is to be used in the shower. I get those ugly bumps on the back of my upper arms occasionally, and I even used one of the mini Sugared Baubles on them to smooth my arms this morning. While they seem quite firm, they are a lot of fun to squish with some pressure. The butters and oils work their magic along with the gentle sugar exfoliation to leave your skin smooth with a nice scent afterwards.

Wine and Roses is a custom blended Baroness X scent described as sweet muscat wine, reminiscent of lychee fruit with a touch of english tea roses, a truly addictive floral and fruit scent. I was a little hesitant when I first saw the description as I'm not fond of overly floral scents, but this one is lovely. I didn't find it to be too floral, and the scent left on my skin overall is light and far from overpowering. 

The cost of this polish will be $12 plus S&H. 

Also available in the store will be the full size versions of Wine & Roses scented balm, Royal Oil, and Sugared Baubles.

These selections are all a win for me. Vino y Rosas is gorgeous, and I am really taken with the flashes of colour as I move my nails. The Sugared Baubles remove dead, flaky skin leaving a silky finish behind, and they are just fun to smoosh! I picked up a few containers of Baroness X Matte Cuticle Balm recently, so you know I am in love with this product! It's nice to see a new scent option because if you're like me, you have to have options!

These products will launch on the Baroness X website here on January 24th. You definitely don't want to miss out on these!

Until next time, dear readers, have a wonderful evening!

XO!

Darling Diva Polish: The Force Part 2 Collection

Press Sample

Happy hump day, dear readers! My sweet, adorable boys have been a little trying over the past couple of days, so I'm going to spare the chit chat and jump right in to today's post rather than ramble a moment. I'm sure you won't mind too much, right? ;) Let's do this!

In December, I shared The Force Collection by Darling Diva Polish. It was an awesome collection, and I am happy to share that there is a PART 2! This second collection is just as phenomenal as the first, and your bank accounts are going to be hating me after this. We all need MOAR Star Wars, right? Check out these babies!

Cloud City

Three coats plus top coat

A beautiful bright sky blue that is swimming with scattered holo, glass like iridescent flakies and a purple/pink shifty shimmer.

Have the clouds opened to reveal angels singing? I don't know about you, but this is the colour I've been waiting to see for a long time! Other have been come pretty close, but Cloud City nailed the polish of my dreams. The colour is a little on the sheerer side so I needed three coats for opacity, but you can always layer it over a similar base shade. That being said, the depth with the multiple coats is amazing so just skip that idea and go straight to three coats. The formula was superb, and I had no issues whatsoever with Cloud City.

Do or Do Not, There Is No Try

Two coats plus top coat

A dirty green apple base full of holo, metallic flakies of assorted colors and sizes and rose gold shimmer.

Wowza! This polish nails Yoda so perfectly! Green polishes don't seem to get a whole lot of love, but Yoda is using the Force to convince you otherwise. The formula was fantastic, and all those flakies are to die for!

Let The Wookiee Win

Two coats plus top coat

A warm brown that is full of golden flakies. The linear holo takes on so many colors and compliments the flakies.

Darn straight! If you want to leave with all your limbs intact, you will not upset the Wookiee! Even if Wookiees aren't always known for being so warm and cozy, this beautiful brown polish certainly is! Browns don't always cross my mind when I am choosing polish, but I love them so much when they are on my nails. Let The Wookiee Win is beautiful and the formula was fantastic.

These Aren't The Droids You're Looking For

Three coats plus top coat

A white crelly with assorted glitters. From blue, red, golds, there are hex, squares, and microfine. Pairing the dynamic duo R2-D2 and C-3PO.

I love just about all polish colours and finishes, but white crellies have never really been my jam. White always looks so harsh against my skin tone, and these usually give me a little trouble with application. That being said, this polish may have finally converted me. TATDYLF went on so smoothly and the glitters spread nicely over my nails. The blue glitters are a little more limited and I had to fish a little for them to make sure I had some on my nails for swatch photos. I dig this polish, and I may end up wearing it for the 4th of July. Gold for fireworks or something....

Come To The Dark Side

Three coats plus top coat

Black jelly jammed FULL of metallic silver flakies with red microglitter and a soft linear holo effect.

I may be married to a Jedi with Jedi spawn, but I will always go to the Dark Side if I am tempted with black polishes like this! I've always been a fan of the red and black combination, but it's the additional silver flakies that turn this polish into pretty to wow! Why yes, I will join you on the Dark Side. I also hear you usually have cookies.... The formula was fantastic and I had no issues with all the flakies or microglitters at all.

Rey

Two coats plus top coat

This is my perfect nude. Warm with golden soft shimmer, packed full of gold flakies and also a linear holo.

I love a good nude! It's been years since I've had to limit my colour choice on my nails, but I still am drawn to these nude colours just as often as as the vibrant jewel tones. That being said, it can be a little tricky for me to find one that is flattering against my olive skin tone. Most are a little too cool-toned for me, so I am thrilled to see a warm one in this collection! I also love the subtle flashes from the golden flakies; they add a little something extra without taking over the polish. Like the rest of the collection, the formula is fantastic and I have no issues to report.

My M'Effen Lightsaber is Purple

Two coats plus top coat

Linear holo, purple shimmer, loaded with metallic purple and silver flakies. Afterall when Samuel L Jackson plays a Jedi you better MOFO listen right? lol

I might have died laughing when I saw the name of this polish. As Samuel Jackson put it in this interview regarding the colour of his lightsaber, he is "the second baddest Jedi in the universe next to Yoda"; pretty tough to argue against that logic! After seeing this polish, I want MY lightsaber to be purple too! These photos just do not do this polish justice. The assortment of flakies make it quite complex and oh so fabulous! In spite of all the flakies, application was a dream; I had no issues with this baby!

Blood Is Thicker...

Two coats plus top coat

Deep dark red jelly loaded with golden micro glitter.

*Swoon* I definitely have a love affair with red jelly polishes; I can't seem to get enough of them! This blood red shade is glorious, and I love the pops of sparkle from the micro glitters. If you are searching for the perfect red for Valentine's Day, this should be a serious contender. After all, blood red nails are rather appropriate for The Walking Dead. ;) The formula was smooth and easy to work with, an impressive feat given all that sparkle!

The Force Part 2 Collection launches on the Darling Diva Polish website here January 22nd at 7PM Central time. That's this Friday! There are a limited number of sets available and they sell out fast so be sure to be there early! These are all gorgeous shades; nobody can fault you for grabbing them all!

Now that I have spent the entire day off and on writing this post thanks to my little angels, I am out. Let me know which shades are grabbing your attention in the comments below!

Until next time, dear readers, have a wonderful night!

XO!