Tuesday, June 28, 2016

Zoya: Seashells Collection for Summer 2016

Press Sample

Happy Tuesday, dear readers! I hope you had a wonderful weekend and your week is off to a great start! Things have been a little crazy around here with both myself and my youngest being sick. Trying to get anything done with a child that insists on being held constantly isn't easy, even when you wrap like I do. I was able to get most things done with him on my back, but I sadly couldn't play with any polish because of the fumes. I'm also still sick, and after a visit to the doctor, I still don't know what's wrong with me. I'll do the best I can with keeping up with my blog, although I may have to limit my postings in favor of resting, especially if my hired help isn't going to show up as planned. That's not the point of this post though, so let me get to far better things!

I received the latest Zoya Seashells Collection of PixieDusts recently, and I wanted to share my swatches with you. While I have very mixed feelings about most textured polishes, I really love the PixieDusts in particular and have always found them to be so well done. Rather than sounding like a broken record, I'll let you know here that I used two coats of each polish, and I did not use any base or top coats for these photos. Ready? Let's do this!

Bay
Bay by Zoya can be best described as a sky blue, textured PixieDust with fine silver and gold glitter creating a dreamy effect.

I'm starting out with one of my favorite shades from this collection. While it is certainly a lovely shade of blue, I am especially drawn to the combination of white and gold glitters added to this polish. Blues can be a little tricky for us olive-toned girls, especially if they are too cool, and the touches of gold make Bay perfect!

Cece
Cece by Zoya can be best described as a full impact green, textured PixieDust with a thin vein of gold creating a fizzy lemon-lime effect.

I know I'm known for my love of orange, but lime greens are arguably my favorite this time of year. This shade is so deliciously vibrant and fits so nicely with a margarita in my hand.

Levi
Levi by Zoya can be best described as a beige gold, textured PixieDust with medium holographic hex glitter. This shade was designed to update a classic neutral pixie with a little more glam!

As much as I love colour, I definitely enjoy a nice neutral hue on my nails from time to time. I fully expected Levi to actually be one of my favorites from this collection, and while the colour did not disappoint, the formula left me wanting. Unlike the other shades in this collection, Levi was kind of goopy for me, and in spite of trying to apply nice even coats, it did not end up that way. The unevenness of the polish detracted from the sexy textured-yet-smooth appearance I love about the PixieDusts.

Linds
Linds by Zoya can be best described as a cherry red, textured PixieDust with red and fuchsia glitter to mimic the look of maraschino cherries dipped in sugar!

Red nails are just sexy, and I adore the pops of fuchsia. There have been a lot of cherries around here lately, and this shade was the perfect accompaniment to my frozen yogurt the other day, topped with a maraschino cherry, of course!

Tilly
Tilly by Zoya can be best described as a starry grey, textured PixieDust with a small holographic glitter interwoven with a darker gunmetal. Perfect for hot nights out on the town!

Even though it is described as silver with gunmetal, the overall appearance of this polish is a soft lilac shade. It is a really lovely polish for when you want something delicate and feminine but with the added edginess of the textured finish. While it isn't the type of colour I'd normally go for, it is still very pretty, and I can definitely see why others would love Tilly.

Zooey
Zooey by Zoya can be best described as a classic pink, textured PixieDust laced with a fine thread of gold and medium sized holographic hexes for an added layer of dimension.

Zooey is the final shade and my favorite in this collection. While the base is technically a classic pink hue, the added gold gives the overall appearance of a pinky-coral reminiscent to watermelon. This is the colour I have found myself wearing the most lately, and I am thrilled to see it in the PixieDust finish!

With the exception of Levi, all the polishes from the Seashells Collection applied really nicely for me with thin even coats. The dry time was a little longer for these than other Zoya polishes, but the wait time was fairly marginal overall. The colours are so vibrant for the summer, and if you like textured polishes, you need these! Heck, even if you DON'T like textured polishes, you need these and can just slap on some top coat for a smooth finish!

The Zoya Seashells Collection is available for purchase at zoya.com in addition to some of your favorite beauty retailers. These and other PixieDust shades retail for $10 each.

Do you have a favorite from this collection? Do you prefer your PixieDusts textured or with top coat? I'd love to hear from you!

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

Monday, June 20, 2016

Born Pretty Store Owl Stamping Plate Review

Press Sample

Good evening, dear readers! I hope your week has been off to a great start! For today's blog post, I have the cutest stamping plate from Born Pretty Store to share with you! I'm going to just jump on in with photos. Ready? Let's do this!
This plate from Born Pretty Store arrived in a sleeve for added protection on top of the blue film (removed for this photo, of course).
Here is a better look at all the images on this plate. While it is predominantly owls, there are other avian etchings for your enjoyment. There are a couple bird cages, a flamingo, a seagull, and a falcon in addition to the various owl images.

Let's check out the look I created with this plate.
I couldn't quite decide on a base shade to use so I ended up starting with a white base and dappled green and blue sharpie in alcohol on my nails. I then stamped my images with Born Pretty Store Stamping Polish #1. I've become obsessed with the depth of images created with just the slightest bit of image shifting so I stamped the same images again with Girly Bits Cosmetics Stamping Polish in British Racing Green slightly off center of the gold. I then added top coat to complete this look.
I really like how this manicure turned out! I had so many people asking me about it while I was out running errands, and everyone loved the owls.

As far as the quality of the stamping plate, I had very mixed results depending on the stamper and polish used. The Born Pretty Store gold Stamping Polish is fantastic, so I had no issue whatsoever with that one. The Girly Bits Stamping Polish, on the other hand, was a little tricky for me.
Here is British Racing Green with my stampers that I grab the most often. I ended up using the Creative Shop Stamper to create my look as I could not get full images to pick up with the transparent frosted stamper I had also picked up from Girly Bits. That being said, I have never had full success with that particular stamper until just this past weekend, after I created the look. In my experience, the Creative Shop Stamper is just a little more forgiving at picking up images if you have the tendency to scrape a touch too hard to get polish out of the etchings (guilty) or if you press to hard to pick up images (also guilty). Based on my experience with this plate and the different polishes and stampers, added to my stamping skill set that is still in need of improvement, I would say that the images are etched reasonably well. The individual owls picked up very easily for me. The set of owls in the single design was a little more difficult, and I am ashamed to admit how many attempts that one took before I was able to get images I was reasonably happy with. That particular image didn't feel etched quite as deeply as the others so it's possible it's not quite deep enough or you just need to use a more practiced hand to stamp that particular image. Overall I was very happy with this plate, and I will definitely be using this again!

You can pick up this particular plate from Born Pretty Store here. While you are there, be sure to check out Born Pretty Store for your nail art needs. As always, you can save 10% on regularly priced items with discount code QWL91.



What do you think of this plate? Do you have another favorite from Born Pretty Store? I'd love to hear from you!

Until next time, dear readers, have a great evening!
XO!




Disclaimer:  The products reviewed above were provided to me for my honest and unbiased opinion. All thoughts stated are entirely my own and are based on my use of said products.  I love receiving feedback from my readers, and any comments left here are the express opinions and/or property of the individual authors.  Therefore, I, the author of this site, cannot be held responsible for the opinions held by others.  I reserve the right to remove any comments that I find to be harmful, unnecessary, or not constructive for other readers.


Wednesday, June 15, 2016

Polish 'M: Beach Walk, Spring Prototype, and a Discount Code, Oh My!

Press Sample

Happy hump day, dear readers! It's been a nice week so far around here! I had planned to get this post up earlier today, but the weather was so perfect I just had to spend the day outdoors playing with my boys. My toddler would live outside if I let him; I'm mentally preparing for some hot summer days in the sun! Now on to today's post...

I was sent a couple lovely polishes by Polish 'M, and they are so perfect for the season. Let's check them out!

Beach Walk
Two coats plus top coat

A baby blue crelly base with a pink shimmer and a mix of purple and blue micro glitters.

I just love this colour! Of course I love anything beach-related, but this blue is phenomenal! I especially love the pink shimmer which adds a little extra flash of colour amongst all the blue; it's definitely more obvious in real life as my camera didn't capture it well. The formula was really fantastic, and Beach Walk applied flawlessly and quickly with the wide brush.

Spring Prototype 26
Three coats plus top coat

I cannot look at this polish without thinking about my beloved Rainbow Chip frosting. It was a sad day in the Jedi household when Betty Crocker decided to retire my favorite frosting, and I was thrilled to see it reinstated back to the frosting lineup! I may be going to the store to pick some up after the littles go to bed tonight....

As for the polish, it applied really nicely for me with three thin coats. The glitters spread quite nicely over my nails, and the depth created by the multiple layers is stunning!

Both of these shades are currently available for purchase on the Polish 'M website here, and you definitely want to pick them up asap! You can also save 30% off your purchase price (NOT including Polish for Pitbulls polishes, please!) with discount code JEDI30. Michelle's polishes are beautiful, and I have been thoroughly impressed with their quality- I'm certainly going to be picking some more up for myself!

Which is your favorite shade of these two? Is there another Polish 'M shade that you love? I'd love to hear from you!

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




Monday, June 13, 2016

Made for Me Monday: Sassy Pants Polish

Happy Monday, dear readers! Another weekend has come and gone and a new week has begun. Another Monday also means another Made for Me Monday post! If you're just now joining me, let me fill you in! I started my Made for Me Monday series as a way to share indie makers' creativity in action. I have provided different brands with either an inspiration photo or a prompt, and they run with it as they see fit with very minimal input from me. Because I don't like keeping these fabulous creations to myself, many of the makers then continue to release the products on their shop, either as part of their core line or as a limited release at their discretion. It has been such a fun project, and I hope you've enjoyed following along!

This week's Made for Me Monday custom was made by Angie of Sassy Pants Polish. This is the photo I provided for her inspiration.

Source: Bored Art

Ready to see what Angie did with this? Let's do this! Presenting.....

She Sells Seashells
Three coats plus top coat

She Sells Seashells is a white crelly sprinkled with pink, purple, orange and yellow glitters and rainbow pearl microflakies for a touch of sparkle.

Angie totally nailed the inspiration photo and how cute is the name! This pretty polish is also perfect for spring and summer! I applied this in three thin coats to get the beautiful depth of glittered crellies. The formula is a little trickier to work with because of the amazing rainbow pearl microflakes, but it was fairly easy to work with as long as I was patient. The finished look is gorgeous!


I picked up another lovely shade from the Sassy Pants Polish shop to wear with my custom. Check it out below!

Tease
with She Sells Seashells accent nail
Two coats plus top coat

Part of the "First Crush" Sassy Pants Valentine's Day 2016 collection, Tease is a bold bright pink polish with blue shimmer. 

This polish pairs so perfectly with She Sells Seashells! I am definitely quite enamored with the blue shimmer against such a bold pink hue. The formula was perfection as it applied flawlessly for me with two thin coats. If you tend to paint with a heavy hand and have short nails, you may find only one coat will suffice.

Both She Sells Seashells and Tease are now available for purchase from Sassy Pants Polish here. You can save 10% off your entire order, including the custom She Sells Seashells, with discount code JEDIW10. Both these shades are stunning, and you may want to pick up both of them along with other lovely shades that suit your fancy! Please note that there is a very limited quantity of She Sells Seashells available so you'll want to pick this up as soon as possible!

What do you think of these polishes? Which is your favorite? Are you enjoying the Made for Me Monday series and have a brand you hope to see featured? I'd love to hear from you!

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








Tuesday, June 7, 2016

Literary Lacquers: I Smell Rain

Happy Tuesday, dear readers! I hope this post finds you well and your week is off to a wonderful start. Sickness has hit the Jedi household AGAIN so this is likely to be a light week on the blog front until my little men are feeling better and letting me sleep. I did want to get a quick post up today so let's jump in and do this!

It is no secret that I adore the creations of Amy of Literary Lacquers. While I may not have the time to read like I used to, I've always enjoyed literature; having it combined with polish is such a great idea! I am a member of the Literary (&) Lacquers Facebook group, and we have a book club complete with discussion. If that wasn't fun enough, members submit inspiration photos and the group votes on the winning photo and polish vision. I participate in them as often as I can, and for today's post, I wanted to share the first book club custom polish.
Two coats plus to coat

I Smell Rain was inspired by the book Divergent, and the winning polish idea and inspiration photo was provided by Cate Cropp. This gorgeous dusty dark blue polish contains gunmetal flakies, black holo microglitter and a touch of silver holo microglitter and iridescent blue microglitter. This polish was only available for a limited time for group members only, but there are other Literary Lacquers beauties available at the Literary Lacquers etsy shop located here. If you want to join in our book club and have the opportunity to design a polish and/or own book club customs, come join us on Facebook here. We're a pretty chill group, and as long as you're nice, we'd love to have you!

I'm off to take care of a few things before I pass out tonight, and I hope you enjoyed tonight's blog post! I'll be back as soon as I can!

Until next time, have a wonderful night!
XO!

Friday, June 3, 2016

Swatches of Indie Shop Exclusives, Pt1

Happy Friday! For today's blog post, I wanted to share some swatches of a few of the Indie Shop exclusives I bought. Rather than one large post, I'm breaking this up because I'm actually wearing these for a full day on my nails so I can enjoy them. Let's check out the first set!

Pasadena
Two coats plus top coat

The base colour is gorgeous, but the best part of this beauty are the subtle rainbow flakes! They are subtle so as to not overload the base, but the extra flashes of colour when the light hits them just so is gorgeous!

La Quinta
Two coats plus top coat

Oh man, this one was not easy to photograph, and I was able to capture the colour shift in my closeup. La Quinta is deliciously complex, and I felt like I was looking at something new every time I looked at my hands.

Anaheim
Two coats plus top coat

This is my first Squishy Face Polish, and I love it! The assortment of flakes against the blue base are perfection!

Beverly Hills
Three coats plus top coat

I needed a little bit of a palette cleanser so I opted to wear Beverly Hills. The peachy pink base is a pretty shade, and I adore the subtle flashes of sparkle.

Calabasas
Two coats plus top coat

I had such a difficult time capturing the shift on camera, but you can see a little of the purple along the side of my nail in the closeup. This is another lovely shade from the Indie Shop event!

SCLA
Two coats plus top coat

Last up for today's blog post is SCLA by Lavish Polish. I am a sucker for black-based polishes, especially when they have hints of colour in them. I'm swooning over this beauty and having this an an option for when I want dark nails.

Because I'm actually attempting to enjoy wearing the polishes from the Indie Shop, I'm not going to have Part 2 of the exclusives up right away. I hope you've enjoyed this first set I'm sharing this morning! Which are your favorites? I'd love to hear from you!

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


Wednesday, June 1, 2016

NVR Enuff Polish: Oh Deer! Baby Shower Duo

Happy hump day, dear readers! I hope this post finds you well and your week has been off to a great start! For tonight's blog post, I wanted to share the new NVR Enuff Polish baby shower duo launching on Saturday. The duo was available for early purchase at The Indie Shop last month, and luck was on my side: I spun the wheel at their booth and happened to win them! I may never win the lottery, but at least I can win some fabulous polish! Let's check them out and I'll add in the details afterwards.

Oh
Three coats plus top coat 

Creamy bright brick red opaque in 2-3 coats

I love red creme polishes, so I am thrilled to add this baby to my collection! The formula is fabulously smooth; this applied like a dream!

Deer!
Two coats plus top coat 

Deep black creamy linear holo with large and small silver holo glitters opaque in 1-2 coats

Deer! is a sexy addition to the red creme! The additional holo glitters make it look so mysterious and alluring! This was quite opaque with one coat, but I still had a hint of visible nail line with the bright lights so I added a second coat here. The formula was perfection and did not disappoint.
Naturally I had to pair these two shades together on my accent nail. While the theme for maker Lynnae's baby shower is Buffalo Plaid, plaid isn't quite my thing so I opted to use the Sexy Wave stencils from Up Your Nail Disturbed Vinyls for this sassy combination. It's so simple and yet I can't get over how awesome this is!

The NVR Enuff Polish baby shower duo will be available for purchase at the NVR Enuff site here this Saturday, June 4th at 2pm EDT. Oh Deer! is only available as a duo, and it will retail for $18.50 for the pair.

What do you think of this duo? Are you more excited about the creme or the holo? I'd love to hear from you!

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


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