*Spellbound Nails nail polish provided for honest and unbiased review. All other products mentioned were purchase by me*
Hello, hello! I'm so, so sorry to have been away for so long! I hope I still have a few of you reading after such an absence. Last week was absolutely insane and I'm thrilled that it's over. The One of a Kind Show was fantastic but very time-consuming and tiring and I'm just glad it's all over. Because now I can get back to painting my nails...yay! Of course, I'm still working with my nubbin middle nail after a really bad break last week. It's growing out, but so, so slowly! I scaled back the rest of my nails, but my quicks have grown out so far I wasn't able to get all of them even so I apologize for that.
Today I have 2 polishes from Spellbound Nails' 12-polish 'Twas the Night Before Christmas collection. Ashley has come up with some beautiful polishes for this collection which consists entirely of glitter toppers, jelly glitter bombs and crelly glitter bombs. You had me at sparkly!
And To All A Good-Night is a deep navy blue jelly with navy hexes, holographic micro glitters, and baby blue holographic moons (the Etsy listing states that there are also stars in this glitter mix, but I didn't seem to find any in my bottle. I have a mini bottle though so it's possible that the pour just missed them).
This polish is just lovely, dark and deep...which is completely the wrong poem, I know, but that's what I thought of whilst applying it. The formula is opaque in 2-3 coats, with a little extra fishing for the larger glitters. I used 2 coats of Seche Vite on this and had no issues with any glitters sticking up or causing bumps. I also had no staining issues upon removal, which is always good with a darker polish.
ATAAG-N is a beautiful addition to your holiday polish stash, especially if you're a fan of jellies in general. Gotta love the squishy!
Ashes and Soot was a hard polish to photograph! A black jelly base packed with navy blue and lavender holographic glitters, AAS has sparkle to spare! The base is photographing with a brown tone, which I did not notice in person. If anything, the base has more of a purple tone than brown, but that's most likely because of all the glitter in it.
Another good formula, this was opaque in 2 coats and the glitters flowed evenly over the nail. You will want a top coat on this polish because it dries to a semi-matte finish. A good top coat will help all that squishy jelliness shine, shine, shine! I used Seche Vite again here.
There are several other polishes from this collection that I can't wait to get my hands on, particularly Eight Tiny Reindeer and Happy Christmas To All, but the entire collection is gorgeous! They are currently listed on Etsy and Storenvy for $8 for a full-size 15ml bottle AND Ashley offers them in several yummy scents! If you don't dig the smells, you can always opt for unscented. You'll want to follow Spellbound Nails on Facebook to keep up with new releases and other important info (for instance, the several giveaways Ashley is currently involved in).
*Spellbound Nails nail polish provided for honest and unbiased review. All other products mentioned were purchase by me*
Thanks so much for reading!
*All Shirley Ann Nail Lacquer products provided for honest and unbiased review. All other products purchased by me*
Happy Thanksgiving! As this post will end up going out after midnight CST, it's technically the day of thanks here in the States. I hope everyone has a fantastic time with family and friends today :) I've got a few more lovely polishes from Shirley Ann Nail Lacquer to show you this evening. Each of these polishes are from Cherish's holiday collection and they are certainly festive.
When the Ball Drops is a glitter topper chock full of pink and blue micro glitters, gold hexes, and a colorful holographic sparkle. I've layered WtBD over 2 coats of Deborah Lippman's Edge of Glory. I did a glitter gradient on all but my accent nail, which is showing 3 coats of WtBD. This polish is nearly full-coverage at 3 coats because the glitter is so densely packed in. Even with that, the formula was great! Not too thick and no gloppiness or pooling weirdness.
I did use a coat of Sally Hansen's Insta-Dri to smooth out the glitters, but it probably wasn't necessary as this topper is pretty smooth all on its own.
WtBD definitely speaks of late night fireworks, kisses at midnight and champagne toasts...a perfect party polish!
Fluffy Stuff is a clear based topper with silver holographic and bright blue micro glitters, icy silver hexes and snow white bar glitters. This is another one of those holiday polishes that will serve you long after Christmas has come and gone. The combination of glitters and the color do lean toward the winter season, but definitely don't scream "Happy Holidays!"
I've layered 2 coats of FS over 3 coats of Essie's Bouncer, It's Me. This turned out to be a pretty pairing, I was worried the blue glitters in FS would get lost in the blue of the Essie, but it actually made them pop right out.
I love the colors and the formula is great on this topper (again, you'll possibly want a top coat; Sally Hansen Insta-Dri in one coat shown here). My only issue is the bar glitter. I just don't like bars. They never want to play nice with me for some reason...most likely operator error lol Overall though, FS is a pretty topper and has so much sparkle, I can look past the bars.
Not Your Mama's Cranberry Sauce is my favorite of this bunch. A glitter jelly sandwich in a bottle! NYMCS has a deep red (cranberry, if you will) jelly base packed with gold and holographic hexes in several sizes. Definitely nothing ordinary here...squishy and yummy!
I've used 3 coats of NYMCS all by its lonesome, this lady does not need anything but herself to shine! You could use a base polish if you like a more opaque look, but she's definitely opaque enough for me at 3 coats. NYMCS is super shiny on its own, but I did top it with a coat of Sally Hansen Insta-Dri for extra durability.
I love everything about this polish, from the name to the squishiness to the finish! Gorgeous and a must have as far as I'm concerned!
Finally we come to Rudolph Ralphed (feel free to giggle, I did!). RR is another glitter topper, this time with bright red and gold hexes in various sizes and Christmas tree green squares. I'm not sure you could wear this without thinking of the holiday season, but it's very festive for that occassion.
I've layered one coat of RR over 2 coats of Julep's Rebel...I thought the silver would add a little more holiday cheer, as if that was necessary! I had no issues with fishing and the formula was fantastic! I did use a coat of Sally Hansen Insta-Dri, but everything was pretty flat on my nails without it.
All of these polishes are listed on Etsy for $6 for a full size bottle. If you have not tried out Shirley Ann Nail Lacquer, this Black Friday weekend is a perfect time to do so! Cherish is having an awesome sale, BOGO on up to 3 polishes with free shipping on orders over $15! I *think* she's also planning some flash sales and other fun stuff, so be sure to like her Facebook page to keep updated.
Thanks so much for reading!
Hiya folks! How excited are we all about the fantastical holiday collections all the indie brands are coming out with this season? I always love the Halloween collections, but there's something about the glistening, sparkling glitters and rich colors of the holiday collections that just gets me in the mood to wrap presents and light the tree! That's figurative, of course, my small apartment does not have room for a tree but, fortunately my polish shelves always have room for a few more bottles ;)
Anyway, the latest holiday collection I have to show you is from Glitzy Glazes, a New Jersey-based brand concocted by Kathi. A Glitzy Christmastime Collection (inspired by Kathi's favorite holiday movies) contains 7 polishes (2 glitter toppers, 2 crelly glitters, 2 jelly glitters, and 1 metallic) and will release on Sat. Nov. 23rd. I'll be showing you 4 of the collection in this post and the other 3 (plus a bonus polish!) in a couple of days. Let's get to it, shall we?
Bumble is a white crelly polish with silver holographic hexes, iridescent hexes and white bar glitters. This is going to be a kind of difficult review because Kathi is currently running a contest to guess the movie inspiration for each polish. So, while I don't know the exact inspiration, guessing kind of messes up the game and I don't wanna be a spoiler! However, you should all give it a go and enter the contest (rules and such can be found here) because the prize is getting to pick 3 full size bottles from this collection! Ok, back to the polish!
Bumble is pretty and soft, fairly sheer so you may want to use undies if you full coverage. I personally like the subtle gradation effect you get without undies...and, of course, the depth of the glitter is always nice.
Bumble reminds me of sunlight hitting freshly fallen snow on a clear winter's day. The sparkle is understated but lovely...perfect for a winter polish!
King of the Chill is one of the 2 glitter toppers in this collection. Packed with silvery blue hexes, large white snowflakes, and large translucent light blue hexes, KotC has a sheer blue base that will build up to opacity in 4-5 coats. You can always layer it over a base polish if you're not into that many layers of polish. I'm showing it here with no undies and I like the look!
Brrr! Doesn't KotC just give you a wintertime chill? All that icy blue and the cuter than cute snowflakes...I love it! This is a polish that you can wear all winter long, not just for the holidays, which is nice. Red and green are great but sometimes I like the option to wear a polish longer than just a few weeks :)
The formula on KotC was good, there will be a bit of fishing for the larger glitters, but that's just the nature of these kinds of polishes. You'll also need a good top coat to smooth out the glitters, some of the larger glitters may want to stick up a bit, but everything laid pretty flat on my nails. If you're looking for a glitter topper that says "holiday" but doesn't scream it, King of the Chill is a great option!
Next we have In Your Dreams, Sleigh Boy. A candy cane-themed crelly, IYDSB is a sheer white crelly with red and holographic micro glitters, red and white diamond glitter, red squares and red dots. This is one of my personal favorites of the collection. The colors are perfect for holiday and the glitter mix is just so much fun!
Again, you could definitely layer this over a base polish if you like a more opaque look, but I think that kind of defeats the purpose of a crelly. All that squishy depth! I didn't have any fishing issues with this one, even though there are some larger glitters. Overall, the formula was good. I'm wearing 3 coats of IYDSB here with one coat of Sally Hansen Insta-Dri as a top coat to smooth things out a bit.
Peppermint-y, candy-swirled goodness here, folks!
The last polish for today is Cindy Lou Who. Like her namesake, this polish is sweet and girly with a little bit of sparkle. Large pink holographic dots, pink and white bar glitters, and iridescent hexes float serenely in a baby pink jelly base.
I'm showing 3 coats of CLW with one coat of Sally Hansen Insta-Dri here, so you can see she's more opaque than she looks in the bottle. And those dots! We all know I'm a sucker for the circles and CLW is no exception! There is a bit of fishing involved for the dots, but turning the bottle upside down for a few minutes before application helps with that issue. No other application issues to report.
Alrighty, that's it for the first part of A Glitzy Christmastime Collection! I'd love to hear what you guys think of it so far and I'm excited to show you the rest of the polishes! As I mentioned earlier, the release date for this collection is Sat., Nov. 23rd. They will all be available on Glitzy Glazes' Storenvey site and will retail for $7.50 for a full size bottle.
Thanks so much for reading!
*All products provided for honest and unbiased review*
Hello and welcome! I've got the second half of Philly Loves Lacquer's holiday collection, Holo-Day on Broad, for you all to check out today! I kinda just want to get straight to it tonight, so let's do this!
Fancy Brigade is a teal to green holographic polish. I'm so impressed with PhLL's holos, across the board they're just lovely and FB is no exception. The color is gorgeous and the holographic finish in sunlight is wowza!
Named after a division of the annual New Year's Day Mummer's Parade in Philadelphia, FB does create a joyous feel reminiscent of New Year's poppers and firecrackers. In all truth, I don't really understand how the Fancy Brigade functions within the parade, but after checking out the photos I'm pretty sure it's something I'd love to see!
FB has a smooth formula, opaque in 2-3 coats. I had no issues with anything on this one, all around fabulousness!
River Rink is a light blue holographic polish. Out of the whole collection, RR is the only one I had any issues with as my bottle was a little on the thick side. The first time I swatched, it looked kind of lumpy which was a bumper because the color is so pretty. However, I added a few drops of nail polish thinner and had no further issues. Despite its thickness, I needed 3 coats of RR for full coverage because of its light, delicate blue color.
See? Isn't that a gorgeous color?? Sigh-worthy, indeed. The inspiration for this polish is the Blue Cross Riverrink in Philadelphia. This ice-skating attraction is the only Olympic-sized rink in Philly and is located on the Delaware Riverfront. It makes the color of this polish all the more fitting; you can almost feel the icy chill of the air and see the lights reflecting off of the ice!
As I mentioned before, all of PhLL's holos in this collection are gorgeous. The colors are lovely and the finish is beautiful. I'd highly recommend any of them for anyone who loves holos!
Chag Urim Sameach! is the only crelly in this bunch. The name means something like "Happy Holiday of Lights" in Hebrew (as near as I can tell from Google...if there are any Jewish readers who could enlighten me, I'd be most appreciative!) and is, obviously, in reference to the Jewish religious holiday of Hanukkah. The symbolic colors for this holiday are traditionally blue and white, so you can see CUS! has really fit the bill here.
Large white dots, hexes in bright blue and white, tiny blue squares, shreds in both white and blue, and little bits of silver are suspended in a sheer white crelly base. You know I love these types of polishes because of the depth they create on the nail. It's simply magical to see through the layers of polish to all the glitters underneath. I'm showing 4 coats in these photos, with a topper of Seche Vite, but you could definitely layer this over a white polish if you wanted a faster opaqueness.
CUS! was definitely a favorite for me from this collection.
Finally, we come to the last polish and last glitter topper of the bunch. "Meet Me at the Eagle" is a reference to a large bronze eagle statue located at Wannamaker's department store in Philadelphia. Though Wannamaker's is no longer in business, Macy's has taken over the annual holiday light show that attracts many visitors each year. As a polish, MMatE is a clear-based topper packed with red and green glitters in all sorts of shapes and sizes.
This is the most "Christmas" polish of the whole collection, in my opinion. You don't get much more Christmas-y than red and green and sparkly ;) I've chosen to show it here in 2 coats over Essie's Blanc to show off the different glitters. This was a surprise favorite for me, I ended up loving the combination of glitters and am stoked to use MMatE in a few holiday manis this season!
As with the other 2 toppers in this collection, the base was great...not too thick or gloppy. The glitters applied smoothly and were easy to get out of the bottle. In short, an all around nice holiday polish!
*All products provided for honest and unbiased review*
This was my first experience with Philly Loves Lacquer and I have to say, I'm pretty much in love! The smoothness of the formulas and just the prettiness of everything...yeah, my budget is gonna take another hit with this brand lol If you're interested in purchasing any of these polishes, they go on pre-order on Nov. 15th and are available then for full purchase on Dec. 1st over on PhLL's Etsy site. Full sized holos are $12 and the full size glitters are $11. If you just love the whole collection (and who could blame you?), a full sized set can be purchased for $85 and a mini set for $42.50. Keep abreast of future collections, updates and everything else of import over at PhLL's facebook page...trust me, you'll want to keep an eye on this one, folks!
If you're interested in seeing the other half of the collection, my review can be found here. As always, thank you so much for reading!
*All products provided for honest and unbiased review*
Howdy everyone! OMG, I am so excited about today's post I can hardly stand it! I was lucky enough to be selected to review Philly Loves Lacquer's holiday collection, Holo-Day on Broad. This collection is a real stunner made up of four holographics, three glitter toppers, and one glitter crelly. Esther, the creative genius behind PhLL, looks to the city of Philadelphia for inspiration in creating her polishes and this collection is no different. She's done a wonderful job with this collection and I'm genuinely honored that I was given the chance to review them. Since there are 8 polishes in the collection, I'm going to show them in 2 posts. Let's get going with the first half!
Christmas Village is a yummy, berry-hued holographic. It's hard to define the exact shade as it looks more like a cranberry color in certain lights and more raspberry in others. Either way, the color is as bright and joyous as the season its meant to represent.
The inspiration for this polish comes from Philadelphia's annual Christmas Village market. Based on the traditional Christkindlmarket in Nuremberg, Germany, the Christmas Village is a place for people to shop for unique gifts, meet neighbors and friends, and enjoy the holiday season together.
As you can see from the above macro, CV's holographic is subtle indoors. It'll knock your socks right off in direct sunlight though! I tried to snap a photo of it outdoors, but my camera was uncooperative. Trust me, it's glorious!
The formula of CV was great, opaque in 2-3 coats and smooth as silk. Christmas Village would be a beautiful addition to your holiday stash and the color is so pretty, I can see it being worn for other occasions as well.
The second holographic polish I have to show you today is Festivus For the Rest of Us. With its gorgeous lilac base and holographic flash, Festivus is definitely a celebration. Defined by wikipedia as, "a well-celebrated parody, [Festivus] has become a secular holiday celebrated on December 23 which serves as an alternative to participating in the pressures and commercialism of the Christmas and holiday season." Fun, right?
I love this polish. There, I've said it. It's just so beautiful! The color, the holographic, the smooth as butter finish...all of it! There is nothing to complain about here. It is easily the least "Christmas" or "holiday" of the collection, as I wouldn't consider lavender a traditional holiday color, but given its inspiration that seems fitting. And, again, it's just so pretty...who cares??
Festivus is opaque in about 3 coats and I am showing it here with a top coat for extra shine. If you do not own a light purple holographic, or heck! even if you do, you should definitely consider Festivus For the Rest of Us!
Now it's time for some glitter toppers! Snow on Broad St. (shown here over Festivus For the Rest of Us) is a clear-based topper with iridescent flakies, iridescent glitters in several sizes and adorable white snowflakes. Broad St. is a major thoroughfare in Philadelphia, home to several cultural and historical landmarks and gives us the inspiration for this polish.
Oh! the flakies! Oh! the iridescence! SoBS definitely captures the feeling of falling snow, and the iridescent bits remind me of the sunlight reflecting off of the snow on the ground after the storm has passed.
Great formula here! Not too thick and no gloppiness at all. You will want a good top coat to smooth out the edges of those snowflakes, but they do lay fairly flat on the nail. Initially I was worried the snowflakes would be too large and catch on things but I didn't have any trouble with that. I do have a feeling we'll probably be seeing these snowflakes in a few holiday collections this season, they're just so cute! But I love what Esther has done here pairing them with the iridescent flakies and glitters...it's a lovely polish.
Lastly for today, we have Star Barn. This one was by far my favorite of the glitter toppers, I hope you can see why! I'm showing SB here over Wet 'n' Wild Megalast 2% Milk because I just wanted a nude base to show of all this gorgeous gold glitter! Aside from the gold holo and white stars, SB has gold dots, gold and holographic hexes in a few sizes, and gold micro flakies. This is luxe, folks!
I keep gazing adoringly at this macro shot...I can't help myself! All that sparkly! The Star Barn is an actual barn located in Middleton, PA, decorated with a large, five-pointed star on each side. It's a beautiful building and worthy of this gorgeous homage of a polish!
Again, a beautiful formula. Neither SB nor SoBS required an excessive amount of fishing for the larger glitters, which is always a plus. I did use a top coat here as well, just to smooth things out a bit. You really want to consider grabbing this one, folks!
*All products provided for honest and unbiased review*
The Holo-Day on Broad Collection will be available for pre-order on November 15th and then for regular sale on December 1st over on Etsy. Full size holos will be $12 and full size glitters are $11. If you're interested in purchasing the whole collection, a full size set will be $85 and a mini set is $42.50. You can keep up with release dates, new polishes, and other pertinent info on PhLL's facebook page.
I'll have the second half of the collection review up tomorrow so be sure to check back, there's more pretty pretties on the way! Thanks so much for reading!
