Indie Spotlight: Spellbound Nails Unholy Holo

*I have to preface this whole review with the sad news that Ashley, the owner of Spellbound Nails, has had a death in her family recently and has had to close her stores for an uncertain period of time. My sympathies are with her and her loved ones during this sad time.  I had already planned this post before I heard the news, so I'm continuing forward with it, but just be aware that currently her polishes are unavailable.  Be sure to follow her Facebook page for updates.*


Happy Halloween everyone!  I wish everybody a fun and safe holiday, even those who don't celebrate it.  I have a lovely polish to share with you all this evening.  A few weeks ago when I was shopping around for my giveaway, I discovered Spellbound Nails' Halloween Collection and just knew I had to have at least one!  I ended up getting 3 minis, 2 of which ended up in the giveaway (congrats to the lucky ladies who won them, I had a hard time letting them go!), and the third I kept for me!  I think you'll see why here in a second...

Ta Da!  I give you Unholy Holo, a thermal color-changing polish with a lovely scattered holographic effect.  Oh yeah, ALL of that in one polish!  I decided to display the photos as a sort of time-lapse, transitional way.  At room temp, UH is a gorgeous caramel-toned orange which shifts to a pistachio green when it warms up (and yes, I realize that my photos are going the wrong direction, but I'm too tired to fix it now!). The color shift is very reminiscent of a caramel apple for me, which is a nice touch for a fall polish.

This is my first thermal polish so, understandably, I was skeptical.  I tried to warm the bottle enough to get the polish to change in the bottle which didn't work.  So, I was all like "damn!  it's broken!...guess I better try it on my nails."  I wore it for 2 days and played with it the whole time lol  Seriously, any chance I got to stick my hand in cold water, I was there!  I took about 400 pics of this I think, because it's just so nifty!  Anyway, color me impressed ;)
 

I don't think I can stress enough how beautiful this polish is!  The macros don't hardly do it justice and, as the sun refuses to shine in Chicago, I couldn't get sunlight shots but I hope you get an idea of the pretty.  Formula-wise, UH was great.  Opaque in 3 coats, dries to a semi-matte finish but shines right up with a top coat (I used Seche Vite here).  If you get a chance to snag this one, you definitely should!  Ashley has several affordable mini bottle options (my set of 3 cost $13.50) as well as offering the polishes in full-size on their own or in collections. 

Thanks so much for reading!

Barielle Halloween Manicure Contest Entry

Heya folks!  Hope everyone is ready for Halloween!  I've got one last spooky manicure for the season.  I've entered this one into Barielle's Halloween Manicure contest so you all know what's coming next lol  If you'd like to vote for my version of Frankenstein and his bride, you can click here and "like" the photo.   If you'd rather not vote, that's totally fine as well :)  I hope you enjoy the manicure just the same!

I used all Barielle polishes for this one and, as I don't have very many and none in very "Halloween-y" colors, this was a bit difficult.  I used Lemondrops, Purple Hearts, and Sweet Addiction.  I'm quite proud of Franky, but I wish I'd have gotten more of the Bride's hair in there so you could tell better who she is.  The rest of my nails are water marbled in different colors.

Voting is only open through Oct. 31st at noon, so I'm running pretty late with this one but I wanted to give it a shot nonetheless.  Again, you can vote here by "liking" the photo...pretty easy, peasy!

Thanks so much for reading!

Indie Spotlight: Down the Bayou Lacquer Bleed Purple & Voodoo Queen

I swear, I don't know where the time goes during the week!  I meant to have about 3 posts already this week and this is my first one!  One of these days, I'll get my time management down.  Anyway, I've got a couple of polishes from a new-to-me brand called Down the Bayou Lacquer.  I was lucky enough to win both of these in one of Jodi's giveaways...seriously, enter ALL the giveaways you see!  The more you enter the better chance you have of winning!  Ok, on to the polish!

All of Jodi's polishes are all inspired, as you may have guessed from her company name, by living in the South.  The first one I have to show you today, Bleed Purple, is no exception.  LSU's colors are purple and gold, thus the inspiration behind this polish.  Now, for me, being the avid Kansas State fan that I am, I'm choosing it to represent my team's purple and white ;)  Either way, Bleed Purple is a pretty lavender polish with a turquoise shimmer and silver hex glitter.  

Bleed Purple is quite sheer, I'm wearing 4-5 coats in these photos, so I'd probably suggest layering it over a base polish.   The formula was nice and dried quickly, which is a good thing for sheers.  Overall, I like the color and the shimmer here.

Next up, and just in time for Halloween, is Voodoo Queen.  This glitter topper is packed with black glitters in several shapes and sizes, bright purple metallic shreds, and a silvery sprinkle of holographic dust to round it out.  Voodoo Queen's clear base makes it perfect for topping.  I'm showing it here in 2 coats over 2 coats of Sinful Colors' Jungle Trail with one coat of Seche Vite to smooth things out.

I love the glitter mix here and that holographic sparkle...sigh.  Jodi's inspiration for this polish is the legendary Marie Laveau, a famous voodoo priestess from New Orleans, and I think she's done her credit with this creation (I cannot say the same for American Horror Story this season, bleh).

The formula was, again, good; no balding, dragging, or weirdness.  Voodoo Queen is definitely worthy of the title and is my favorite of these two.

Down the Bayou Lacquers can be found on Etsy and retail for $9.75 for a 13.2ml bottle.  You can also follow her over on Facebook to keep up with the latest news and updates...I know she's been throwing out sneak peaks of her newest polishes on Instagram so you may want to check her out there as well ;)

Thanks so much for reading!

Indie Spotlight: Glitzy Glazes The Mansion is Haunted Collection Part 2

Hi everyone! I hope you're all enjoying the second half of your respective weeks :) Continuing with the countdown to Halloween, I've got the second half of Glitzy Glazes' The Mansion is Haunted Collection!  In case you missed it, you can read my review of the first 3 polishes here.  These last 4 polishes are excellent colors not only for Halloween but for the whole autumn season!  Rather than blather on for too long, let's just get down to some photos, shall we?

999 Happy Haunts is deep burgundy base with a fair sprinkling of holographic glitter.  The glitter adds a little bit of sparkle which is always nice and the color here is just lovely.  That wine-inspired tone is reminiscent of warm mulled cider sipped in front of a wood-burning stove...so pretty!

The formula was nice as well and I'm showing it here in 3 coats without a topcoat, so you can see it's got a nice shiny finish all on its own.
 

999 Happy Haunts is a beautiful color for fall, even if you're not into the spooky name and I'd highly suggest snagging a bottle.  You won't regret it!

Doom Buggies may be my favorite named polish of the collection, it just rolls off the tongue so nicely!  A charcoal grey base with a silver shimmer, Doom Buggies has a bit of holographic glitter for sparkle.  This polish may be great for you if you're looking for a dark neutral with a bit of extra pizazz.  The combination of holographic sparkle and not-quite-black grey creates an understated drama that verges on not safe for work, but really skims the line.
 

Once again, the formula was nice; 3 coats shown here with no top coat.  I'm impressed with the finish of Glitzy Glazes' polishes.  They have a beautiful shine all on their own.
 

Doom Buggies was a surprise favorite for me...it kind of snuck up from behind and grabbed my eyeballs when I wasn't looking lol  Definitely worth a second look!
 

Dying To Meet You is my favorite of this half of the collection.  A steely teal base with a silvery shimmer and holographic glitter?  What's not to love?!  You'll be able to see from my photos that the color does seem to shift a bit in different lights from a deeper, more royal blue to a grey-undertoned teal, maybe my eyes are playing tricks but I love it!
 

Broken record, but the formula was also good.  As with the previous two, 3 coats with no top coat in these photos. 
 

DTMY is another crossover polish that I could see being paired with an icy glitter topper for a holiday look.  You know I love versatility in a polish!
 

I'm closing with Foolish Mortals, the cheeriest polish of this collection.  A bright, purple-toned fuchsia, FM also boasts a silvery shimmer and teeny holographic bar glitter.  I've made my distaste for bar glitter known, I believe, but it really works here owing to the fact that it's small.  I actually thought it was regular hex glitter until I got a closer look.  The base color has just enough purple to deepen from a summery fuchsia.

Finish and application was the same as the other three in this post...easy, breezy! 
 

I'm not sure if you could tell, but I'm a pretty big fan of the whole The Mansion is Haunted collection.  I like the versatility of each polish and I think there's a nice selection of colors and finishes.  There's a little something here for everyone!  Kathi, the mastermind behind Glitzy Glazes, offers her creations on her Storenvy site for $7.50 for a full size bottle.  Additionally, she's currently hosting a giveaway on her Facebook page so you have the chance to win some of her lovelies!  Go enter if you haven't already!

Thank you so much for reading!

Halloween Slashers, Monsters, Serial Killers, Etc. Manicure

Hello everyone!  As we edge closer and closer to Halloween, I'm seeing some fantastic nail art and manicures out there!  I decided to try my hand at another Halloween nail art contest, this one sponsored by FancyDawn, You Polish, and Lace and Lacquers.  The contest is accepting entries until Friday, Oct. 25th and there are 3 categories; Halloween manicure, Halloween makeup, and Overall Most "Liked".  So, I've got two chances to win, the first in the Manicure category based on judging and the second chance in the Overall category by asking everyone I know to go to FancyDawn's facebook page and "like" my entry...ahem, ahem...hint, hint.  :)  I do hope you guys will vote for me if you like my work!  If you'd like to vote by "liking" this photo here, you'll be my very bestest friend, ever!.  And, after all that, here's what I did!

I hope these guys are all pretty recognizable to you!  I went with a Halloween bad guy theme, covering some of my favorite villains from horror movies.

I'll do a quick lineup for you, in case you can't tell who some of these guys are (I'm also linking to the source photos, so you can see how far off I am lol).  On my thumb and affectionately termed "Pinhead" is the chief Cenobite from the Hellraiser franchise. Pinhead has always had a "good guy" persona lurking underneath his evil facade for me, owing to his letting the girl go in the first movie...that said, I still wouldn't go messing with suspicious puzzle boxes, just in case!

My index finger has become the host for my all-time favorite dream-invading psychopath, Freddy Krueger!  Nightmare on Elm Street made everyone who saw it afraid to sleep and validated my suspicion that little blond pigtailed girls in white dresses are a bad omen.  Freddy has always been a favorite of mine because I love camp and Krueger's dry humor sticks it straight to my funny bone. As you might suspect, given his ornery nature, Freddy gave me the most trouble.  I believe I spent a total of 2 hours on that nail alone, what with starting over 3 times!  He's still not perfect here, but I did manage to get his sneer and his knives down and, overall, I'm proud of him.

Michael Myers, of Halloween fame, has taken up residence on my middle fingernail.  While he has the least amount of personality as a character in this group (imho), this is my favorite design of the 5. That stark black and white contrast is hard to beat.  I mean, I know he's scary what with the whole "never dying" thing, but his soul is just as blank as that Will Shatner mask and throughout TEN movies, the man never says a word.

My next favorite design is Mr. Vorhees from Friday the 13th, who has set up shop on my ring finger.  The archetypical "Momma's Boy",  Jason's iconic hockey mask was originally worn by his Mommy Dearest as she hacked her way through the campers she believed responsible for her sweet baby boy's drowning.  The first Friday the 13th can boast one of the first "twist" endings in horror cinema history, though Jason wins second place in the non-verbosity category.

This brings us to my pinky, a.k.a. "Ghostface" from the Scream movies.  The only killer on this list that is actually an inanimate object, the mask from Scream was worn by many different crazed murderers and won Wes Craven acclaim for "reinventing" the genre; although killing off your top-billed star (Drew Barrymore) in the first scene is definitely a nod to the all-time horror master, Alfred Hitchcock (Psycho, with Janet Leigh).  Scream proved that will all the high-tech nonsense horror creates these days (Shark Night 3D, anyone?), a simple masked maniac with a knife and no apparent motive is still pretty friggin' scary!

Alright, after all that, I hope you all enjoy the manicure!  Everything was painted with polish directly on the nail.  I'd include a list, but I used so many colors I'm not even sure anymore which ones lol  If you do have a moment and feel like it, I'd love it if you went and voted for my entry, by "liking" this photo on FancyDawn's Facebook page.  I appreciate you taking the time to read, though, even if you don't vote!

Thanks so much!

Mish Mash Challenge: Rainbow Nails

It's Hump Day!  That means it's Wednesday!  That means it's Mish Mash Challenge day!  I skipped last week's challenge because I spent so much time on my Sanderson Sisters manicure, then I almost skipped this week because of another Halloween manicure I've been working on (which will also hopefully be posted tonight!), but I didn't want to skip two weeks in a row...especially on the Rainbow Challenge!  I know there are going to be some stunning designs this week and I can't wait to see them!  After all the nail art I've done lately, I just stuck with some simple skittles for this week's Challenge.

I did dress these up a bit by using linear holographic polishes so you get rainbows with your rainbows!  Like I said, they're pretty simple but I like 'em!  I'll list the polishes at the end of the post so you can check 'em out if you'd like to.  Though I think a lot of folks were unimpressed with the China Glaze Holographics collection, the ones I've purchased (on half off of clearance at Sally's...woot!) are really pretty in my opinion.  They aren't in-your-face crazy holos, but the linear IS there and it's quite nice.

I apologize for the lack of sunlight in these photos but that's been in short supply lately here in Chicago.  If Apollo manages to drag his chariot into the sky tomorrow, I'll snap a quick one to show you the linear rainbows.

Polish List:
LynBDesigns~Am I Ginger?
DifferentDimensions~Tubular 
China Glaze Holographic~Not In This Galaxy, OMG A UFO, Strap On Your Moonboots 

Please take a minute to peruse the other Mish Mashers' work this week...I'm betting it'll be pretty!  You can find them via the thumbnails below.  Thanks so much for reading!

Indie Spotlight: Glitzy Glazes The Mansion is Haunted Collection Part 1

Hey there!  Again, I must apologize for being a bit M.I.A. on the blog.  I took on a big job over the weekend and it took a lot longer than I thought!  As you might know from my Facebook page, Kathi from Glitzy Glazes has asked me to swatch and photograph her entire collection!  I started with her Halloween collection, The Mansion is Haunted, inspired by Disney's Haunted Mansion.  There are seven polishes in this collection and I thought I'd show them to you guys in two posts.  So let's get going with the first set, shall we?

Grim Grinning Ghosts is a lime green glitter topper reminiscent of ectoplasm...think Slimer in Ghostbusters ;)  This topper is one of my favorites of the collection because of the color and the little holographic sparkly bits.

GGG will build up to a mostly opaque finish in 3-4 coats, as shown in the first and third photos here, but I think it looks best over a darker color like Deborah Lippmann's Edge of Glory shown in the macro above.  I only used one coat as a topper in this photo so you can see how packed with glitter this beauty is!

The formula here was good, although Kathi warned me that it might be thick, I had no trouble with my bottle.  You'll want a top coat to smooth things out, pretty standard for a glitter topper.  I can also see this as a holiday polish paired with a red or a darker green...it's just so sparkly!

Next up is Crypt Doors Creak, another glitter topper.  CDC has a clear base with a purple to green duochrome finish.  I wasn't able to capture the purple shift in my photos, but trust me, it's there!  I like the glitter mix here (matte black hexes, grey dots and white diamonds) but they are heavy and will sink, so be prepared to fish a bit.

Crypt Doors Creak looks best over another color as it doesn't really build up color so well on a bare nail, which is why I'm showing it over Edge of Glory again in the macro shot.  You can see that green/gold shimmer better that way as well.

As I said before, you'll have to fish a bit, but the base formula is a nice consistency and it's got a lovely shiny finish.  I almost didn't need a top coat because of that, but I'm showing this with one coat of Seche Vite anyway.  If you're looking for a black and white topper with larger glitters, instead of tiny ones, Crypt Doors Creak is a great option!

Cadaverous Pallor is possibly my most favorite of the whole The Mansion is Haunted Collection!  The name is fabulous and perfectly captures the color and glitter mix!  I'm just a sucker for a great Halloween polish and I think this one is a must have!

 CP is a beige-y nude base with maroon and gold hexes, orange bars and a touch of golden shimmer.  You all know I love crellies and the depth in this one is fantastic!

CP built up nicely in 3 coats for me and I used one coat of Seche Vite to smooth it out.  Seriously, this is one of my favorite Halloween polishes ever!  You really need this one, folks!

Kathi's creations can be found on her Storenvy site and retail for $7.50 for a full size bottle.  She'll be updating photos of the rest of her collection as I get them swatched and photographed, so be on the lookout for some new things!  You can also follow her on Facebook to keep updated on the newest news!

It's Just a Bunch of Hocus Pocus!

Hiya, folks!  I'm a bad blogger this week and for that I apologize.  Life just gets in the way sometimes!  But I have a little treat for you all!  Instead of my Mish Mash Challenge this week (sorry, Mish Mashers!  I'll be back next week!), I wanted to show you some Halloween-themed nail art I've done for a contest over at Neffy's Nail Corner.  The challenge was to be inspired by a Halloween movie and I could think of none better than Hocus Pocus!  I love this movie!  I can't even really tell you why.  Bette Midler is just so fantastic in it and I love the makeup and the costumes and there's a zombie and everything!  lol  If you haven't seen it, and I'm really not sure how that's possible, treat yourself and Netflix it this Halloween season!  Ok, on to the nails!

As you can see, I've highlighted each of the Sanderson sisters here.  Sarah is on my index finger, munching happily on her "pretty spider", Winifred adorns my middle finger with her buck teeth barely visible, and Mary, with her hilariously crooked mouth and crazy hairdo, sits atop my ring finger.  Winifred's Book decorates my pinky and I've done a full moon with Hocus Pocus written on it for my thumbnail. 

 

I'm pretty thrilled with how these turned out, especially the Book.  I did my best with the portraits of the ladies, but it's so difficult to do in polish!  Winnie and Mary are pretty awesome, if I do say so myself, but poor Sarah is a bit messy.  Oh well, you guys get the idea, right?  :)  Be on the lookout for more Halloween manis this month.  I've really neglected them so far and that just ain't gonna fly around here!

Thanks so much for reading!

Indie Spotlight: Shirley Ann Nail Lacquer Lucy in the Sky, Shot Gun Wedding & Wedded Bliss

I tell you guys what, I'm swatchin' my fingers off these days!  Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining.  I've had some really great opportunities lately to swatch some fantastic polishes and I'm thrilled about that.  But, it is hard work, yo!  I've gotten a hangnail (fortunately on my non-photo hand) for the first time in month and I think it's because of all the nail polish remover.  Gotta get on the moisturizing!

Anyway, back to swatching!  Cherish, of Shirley Ann Nail Lacquer, drew my name out of her virtual hat this month to swatch a few of her lovely creations and I was only too happy to comply.  Especially when I saw the glittery awesomeness that showed up in my mailbox a few days ago!  Let's get down to it!

Imma start you all off with Lucy in the Sky.  This glitter topper is full of girly pinkness, but this girl is spunky!  A clear base chock full of tiny bright pink glitter with holographic hot pink dots and blue holographic stars, Lucy is far from demure.  I couldn't resist layering her over basic black (Deborah Lippmann's Edge of Glory) to show her off in the best light.

As you might expect from such a peppy young lady, application was a bit tricky.  The base and small pink glitters are fine, but you're going to want to turn the bottle upside down or get a paper clip/bobby pin to get to those colorful dots and stars.  The payoff is totally worth it, but just be aware that there is some sinking.  

Lucy in the Sky is just one of those polishes that make you say "Wow!" the first time you unwrap her and when that holographic glitter catches the light, she'll make you'll fall in love all over again.
 

Next up, let's take a look at Shot Gun Wedding.  This beautiful glitter topper is full of hexes, micro glitter and shreds in several shades of blue.  At first glance, I thought perhaps SGW was a little too monochromatic for me, but once I got it on my nails I really liked it.  I've shown here over O.P.I.'s My Vampire Is Buff so you can easily see the shapes of glitter present.

I was most surprised at the shred glitter in this.  I normally dislike shreds because often, for me anyway, they don't want to lay down flat on the nail.  I had no issues like that with SGW which was great.  Application was a breeze and these photos show one coat of SGW, so you can see it's pretty saturated with glitter.

Overall, Shot Gun Wedding was a pleasant surprise.  If you're looking for a blue glitter topper with some interesting visual texture, this one might be right up your alley.

I've saved my favorite of the three for last.  Wedded Bliss is a clear-based topper packed with silver micro glitter, grey dots, white bars and squares, and yellow hexes in two sizes.  I can't definitively tell you what I love so much about this polish, but I think the color combination and the glitter mix are just so spot on!  And I'm someone who does not love bar glitter, but it just works so well here, I can't hate on it.
 

I did a quick gradient with Sinful Colors' Jungle Trail and Deborah Lippmann's Edge of Glory to showcase WB's colors and shapes.  That pale yellow is so perfect with grey or black!  I had no issues with application and I'm showing one coat of WB over the gradient.  I did dip the brush back in to get a few more dots and squares on my nails.  I do wish there were a few more of those larger glitters in the mix, but that's my only complaint.
 

Cherish has done a bang up job with these polishes and I'm excited to try a few more I've been eying on Etsy!  She's also been kind enough to make a discount code for my readers so if you'd like to try some of her beautiful polishes, just enter code OCT2013 through November 1st to save 20% on your purchase!  Shirley Ann Nail Lacquers retail for $3 for mini bottles and $6 for full size, which makes them a great bargain even before the 20% off.   Keep updated on Shirley Ann news via Facebook.

Thanks so much for reading!

Try It On Tuesday: Sally Hansen Diamond Strength Private I

Hi, guys!  I can't believe we're back around to Tuesday already!  But, since we are, I've got a new Try It on Tuesday post for you all.  Let's get right to it, shall we?

I must have been living under a rock when Sally Hansen released their Diamond Strength LE Summer 2013 collection because I don't remember seeing swatches of this lovely, lovely at all!  This polish is Private I from that collection and I'm so thrilled I found it on clearance at Ulta!  A deep magenta/plum jelly base filled with fuchsia and gold glass flecks, PI is a vampy beauty perfect for the season.  I'm actually quite surprised that this was a summer release polish as it's almost black in certain lights.

Look at all that fleck-y goodness!  If you didn't grab this over the summer and are loving it, do check out your local Ulta.  They had all the SH DS Summer 2013 polishes on clearance a couple of weeks ago.  This polish was the only color left at mine, so I bought two lol  The other bottle is currently up for grabs in my Fall Hallow's Eve giveaway, so be sure to enter for a chance to win it and other goodies!

If you're interested in joining up with the Try It On Tuesday groups, all you need to do is "Like" SassyPaints Facebook page.  Then, every Tuesday, simply post a photo of your chosen TIOT polish to her Wall.  Super easy, right?  The best part is that you don't have to have a blog to join!  You can post using Istagram, Tumblr, Flickr, Pinterest, or whatever...the more the merrier so stop on by!

Thanks so much for reading!