Indie Spotlight: Paint Shop Polish, May Flowers & In Bloom

Hello there!  Yes, I know it's been ages and ages since I've posted.  There are tons of excuses I could make, but what it boils down to is just feeling burnt out on blogging.  There just came a point where all the swatching, photo editing, and writing just wasn't fun for a bit and I was all like "Blogging is hard!" so I took a break.  But I'm dipping my toes back in the water, just to test it out.  I can't promise regularity with posting but be sure to follow me on Facebook and Instagram (user name is @vashtiaa).  I tend to post quick shots of current manicures on those accounts.

Alright, back to the point of today's post!  Paint Shop Polish has a new spring collection coming out on Monday, March 23 and I was lucky enough to get to swatch a couple of pretties and I have some photos of those to show you today! 

First up is In Bloom, an appropriately named floral glitter topper.  Large iridescent lavender flower-shaped glitter swim in a clear base with smaller petal pink,  daffodil yellow, and violet hexes, lilac squares, and a healthy sprinkle of holographic micro glitter.  This is just a perfectly pretty spring mix!

I applied In Bloom first in one thin coat to spread out the holographic sparkle and then by dabbing the larger glitters on.  The gradient underneath was created using Sinful Colors Unicorn and Out of Bounds.  In Bloom was fairly easy to work with, the base is a good consistency; not too thick or gloppy.  I did have to fish a bit for the larger flower glitters, but that's pretty much par for the course when it comes to big glitters.  You'll also want a good top coat to smooth out any bumpiness from the glitter.

If you're a glitter topper fan, In Bloom is definitely worth a look.  So pretty!

May Flowers is the second polish I have to show you today.  We all know what a sucker I am for a good crelly and this one fits the bill!  Icy blue iridescent flower glitters are accompanied by small hexes in the same shade and periwinkle hexes in a squishy white crelly base.  This was my favorite of these two polishes...love the glitter mix and the base is beautiful!

No application issues to report, beyond the necessity to fish a bit for the larger glitters.  I'm showing 3 coats here with one coat of Seche Vite on top.  Really just a lovely polish!

May Flowers and In Bloom will both be available this Monday, March 23 on the Paint Shop Polish Etsy site.  A 5ml mini bottle retails for $5.50 and a full size 15ml bottle is $10.  Also, Candi is currently offering 15% off $15 with code PADDYS15 or free US shipping with a $25 order with code FREESHIP25. Both codes will expire on March 31st so don't wait!. Be sure to follow PSP on Facebook to keep updated on new products, sales, and other important info!

Thanks so much for reading!  I hope you enjoyed this post and I'd love to hear from you in the comments section below!

Barielle Gondola Ride & Midnight in Paris

 *Barielle products provided for honest and unbiased review*

Good morning, afternoon, evening or whatever time it may be in your neck of the woods!  We're well into autumn weather here in Chicago and the shorter days and brisk temperatures have me setting aside my bright polishes for deeper and more muted tones.  Today's post is all about two such polishes.  Barielle is a brand I've loved for awhile now.  As if dependable quality and great selection were not enough, Barielle's low prices and great sales endeared me to the brand long before they approached me to review for them.  Both of the polishes I have to show you today are from their Fall 2014 Jetsetter collection and they're definitely right on trend for the season!

Gondola Ride is a sage creme with a touch of grey.  This is definitely more of an earthy, fall color than a spring green and I can see it being a great neutral for a semi-progressive work environment.  I'm fortunate to have a job that doesn't dictate my nail color, but I'd feel comfortable wearing Gondola Ride just about anywhere.

Gondola Ride is opaque in 2-3 coats and I'm showing 3 coats here with one coat of Barielle's No Chip Speed Dry top coat (review to follow in a few days).  Easy application with no dragging.  It was a touch streaky for the first coat, but evened out nicely with the second and third coats.

 If you're looking for a great way to transition green polish into the fall season, Gondola Ride is a perfect way to start!
 

Midnight in Paris is pretty much just as beautiful as its name.  A deep blurple metallic with a subtl shimmer, Midnight in Paris adds a touch of dramatic sophistication to your mani.  I had a hard time photographing this one, and it actually has quite a bit more purple in than is shown.  It will also vary depending on the light.

Midnight in Paris is opaque in 1-2 coats and I'm wearing 2 coats here with one coat of the No Chip Speed Dry on top.  This is almost a one coater, but the formula is not overly thick.  I have no application issues to report. 
 

If you're a blurple fanatic or just looking for a dramatic fall color, Midnight in Paris is a great addition to your collection!

Both Gondola Ride and Midnight in Paris are currently available on Barielle's website for $8 for a full size 13.3 ml bottle.  To keep up with special offers and new releases, you can sign up for Barielle's emails on their website or follow them on Facebook.

Thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed the post!

Indie Spotlight: Paint Shop Polish Fall 2014 Matte Collection

*Paint Shop Polish products provided for honest and unbiased review*

Hello, everyone!  I hope you're all having a great weekend so far!  Any baseball fans out there?  There's a heck of a World Series going on and, though I'm much more of a football fan, I'm pretty excited that the Royals are in it.  I'm from Kansas and this is the first time they've made it to the WS in 29 years!  That's something to be excited about, right?  Anyway, on to the polish!!

Paint Shop Polish is an indie brand based out of Pittsburgh who's been making polish for about a year and a half.  I was lucky enough to swatch for Candi in the past (here's a link to that post) so when she asked me to swatch a few polishes from her Fall 2014 LE collection, I was thrilled to accept.  I've got 4 polishes from that collection to show you today, so let's get to it!

Cherry Berry is first up.  A raspberry colored jelly with a satin, semi-matte finish, Cherry Berry is a great fall color!  And since it's a jelly, the squishy factor is high and would be fun to play with in a jelly sandwich.
 

This is a fairly sheer polish and I'm showing 5 (!) coats to get the opacity you see in these photos.  Of course, it could be easily layered over another polish if you don't want to deal with that many coats.   The formula was smooth and easy to apply, no real issues to report.

As I said before, Cherry Berry has a semi-matte finish, as do all of the polishes I'll be showing you today.  You can choose to keep that finish or add a matte top coat to bump up the effect or even a regular top coat to make everything all shiny.  Be careful if you choose to leave the natural finish of the polish, as they do take a while to dry without top coat.

Next up is Bad Romance.  This is a hard color to describe and it's showing up much more neutral in these photos than it actually is...my camera fails yet again :(  A heather grey base with pink to lavender shimmer, Bad Romance is just plain pretty.  It's one of my favorite colors of the 4 and I don't think I have anything else quite like it.

Bad Romance is opaque in 2-3 coats and I'm showing 3 with no top coat here.  Another nice formula with no streaking or dragging issues.  I wish I would have used a matte top coat on this because I think it would have looked spectacular, but I'll have to save that for another time.
 

Bad Romance is a great, soft polish that would transition well from work to whatever you have planned after.  The color is unique but not in-your-face...I think you'll catch yourself staring at your nails a lot with this one ;)

No Plain Jane is an orchid metallic with a bit of blue shimmer.  You know I love a purple polish, so this one is a bit of a no-brainer for me.  

Opaque in 3-4 coats (I'm showing 4 here), No Plain Jane has a smooth application and I experienced no issues at all with the formula.   Of the 4, NPJ has the least satin finish I thought so I'd definitely recommend a matte top coat if you want to emphasize that.

 A pretty color and a good formula, what more could you ask for?

Last but not least (especially since it's my favorite of this post) is Blue Steel.  The name of this polish makes me giggle because all I can think about is Zoolander...I'm not sure if that's what Candi intended when she named it, but there it is nonetheless.  Blue Steel is a gunmetal grey with shimmery bits throughout...love, love, love this color!  Especially for fall!

This is the most opaque polish of the bunch, almost a one coater though I'm showing 2 coats in these photos.  The formula was near perfect with no streaking or dragging and a beautiful finish.  If you're tempted to pick up only one of these polishes, Blue Steel is a must-have!

All of these polishes are currently available on the Paint Shop Polish Etsy site for $5.50 for a 5ml mini bottle and $10 for a full size 15ml bottle.  This is a Limited Edition collection so don't wait to grab any you may like, they won't be around forever!  Be sure to follow Paint Shop Polish on Facebook to keep updated on new releases and other important info!

Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed this post!

Indie Spotlight: LynBDesigns Spark of Madness Collection, Part 2

*LynBDesigns products provided for honest and unbiased review. All other products mentioned were purchased by me.*

 Happy Tuesday everyone!  I've got the second half of the Spark of Madness collection from LynBDesigns to show you today.  You can see my swatches of the first half of the set here, if you missed it.  This entire collection was inspired by Robin Williams and some of his many beloved films.  Without further ado, let's get going!

Nanu Nanu is up first today.  While technically not a film, Mork was the role that kind of rocketed Mr. Williams to stardom and I think it's completely right for a nod to that to be in this collection.  Nanu Nanu is a creamy, peachy creme base with multicolored small glitters, mostly in red, green, and orange.  If this sounds like a strange combination to you, I'll admit it is.  But it works!  It's definitely a polish that will draw the eye because of its unusual colors.

The formula is great here, with a smooth and creamy consistency.  I'm showing 3 coats here with one coat of Seche Vite to smooth out any bumpiness from the glitters.  I'd also like to note that my camera insisted this polish was more orange than it actually is and no amount of color-correcting could fix it to my satisfaction.  Nanu Nanu is much more of peach shade than an orange, so please keep that in mind if you decide to order.

 If you like unusual color combos, I think Nanu Nanu might just be for you!

Seize the Day, Boys is one of 2 polishes in this collections that pay tribute to Dead Poets Society.  And, rightly so, it's a great movie!  StDB is a lovely teal with a bit of a golden shimmer and a linear holographic finish.  The holo on this one is a little more subtle than others, but no less beautiful for it.

Gosh, isn't that lovely??  I'm wearing 3 coats here with one coat of Seche Vite on top.  The formula is practically flawless here and I had no issues with application whatsoever.

Seize the Day, Boys is a must if you love teals and especially if you love holos.  As I mentioned, it's not an in-your-face holo, but it just adds a little extra to the beautiful color that's already there.

Inspired by Jumanji, Keep Your Chin Up is a shifty bronze that leans towards golden peach and pink depending on the light.  It also has little blue flecks and a subtle holographic effect.  I love the little blue bits in this!  Another great Fall color here as well.

Beautiful formula here, I'm showing 3 coats with one coat of Seche Vite.  I had no streaking, dragging, or other issues at all with KYCU.  

Keep Your Chin Up is definitely one of my favorites of this collection.  The color is lovely and it's kept from being a straight up neutral by the holographic sparkle.

Make Your Life Spectacular is inspired by Jack...such a sweet little movie with a sweet little polish to match.  MYLS is a lovely soft lavender base with a pink shimmer and it has a strong linear holographic effect.  My first thought when I put this on was that it was a bit of a bait and switch.  You grab this pretty lavender bottle and you're thinking it's just a pretty, girly polish and don't get me wrong, it is.  But then the sunlight hits it and you realize that while it's also pretty and girly, it's also pretty damn kickass as well!  Love it!

MYLS is a little on the sheer side and may take 3-4 coats for full opacity.  I'm showing 3 in these photos and you can still see a bit of nail line.  You could, of course, layer it over white or a light color to cut down on layers.  The formula is smooth and easy to apply and I had no problems with it at all.

Another favorite of mine, Make Your Life Spectacular is a gem.  It's definitely one you'll want to snag for your own collection!

Finally we come to my top favorite of this set.  Oh Captain, My Captain is the second polish inspired by Dead Poets Society and Jenna has really outdone herself with this one!  OCMC is a multichrome base that shifts from green to gold to plum with a scattered holographic effect as well.  This very well may be the most perfect Fall polish ever!  It strongly reminds me of the leaves changing color on the trees...so beautiful!

And the sparkle!  The formula is, again, near perfect with no dragging or streaking.  I'm showing 3 coats here with one coat of Seche Vite on top.  Seriously, get ya a bottle of this!  Trust me, you NEED it!

The Spark of Madness collection goes on sale today at noon EST and will be available for purchase on LynBDesigns Etsy site.  Nanu Nanu retails for $8: Oh Captain, My Captain is $12; and all the others in this post are $10 for full size bottles. Be sure to follow LynBDesigns on Facebook for updates on new releases, swatch photos, and other important information!

Thanks you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed this post!

Indie Spotlight: LynBDesigns Spark of Madness Collection, Part 1

*LynBDesigns products supplied for honest and unbiased review.  All other products mentioned were purchased by me.*
 
Hi there!  It feels like it's been forever since I've blogged and I know I've been a bit MIA lately.  Work has really picked up (in fact, I had to work all weekend...boo!) and my weekends have been packed full of football!  But, I have today off and some beautiful polishes to show you so let's get to it!

LynBDesigns is, as you might have guessed, one of my favorite indie brands.  Jenna creates beautiful colors with a great formula so it's hard not to love them!  This collection is a 10-polish set created in honor of Robin Williams.  Some of my favorite movies are included as inspiration in this collection and I was just thrilled to get the chance to swatch it.  I'll be showing the Spark of Madness collection in two parts as 10 polishes is quite a lot for any post ;)  Here we go!

Oh, There You Are, Peter is inspired by the movie Hook.  Oddly enough, Hook is not only one of my favorite movies, but my Dad loves it as well so I'm a big fan of this polish!  OTYAP consists of a spring-y light green shimmer base with a hint of gold and little grass green and sheer yellow gold glitters.
 

Isn't it pretty?  The formula was easy to apply and I'm showing 3 coats here with one coat of Seche Vite as a topper.  Because of the little glitters in this one, you'll probably definitely want a good top coat to smooth things out a bit.  The glitters came out of the bottle easily and there was not gloppiness or clumping.
 

I know not everyone is a fan of green polishes, but it's hard not to love the lighthearted feeling of Oh, There You Are, Peter.  
 

Friends Come In All Sizes is up next.  Death to Smoochy, the inspiration for this polish, is not your typical Robin Williams comedy, but it's still pretty hilarious.  FCIAS is a deep purple jelly base packed with golden and fuchsia glass flecks.  Of course, since it's purple, I'm pretty much in love with it!
 

My bottle of FCIAS was a little on the thicker side, but it wasn't an issue for application.  This was opaque in just 2 coats (which I'm showing here) and was really almost a one-coater.  The formula was smooth and I didn't have any issues with it.  The glass flecks really add a nice depth and shine to FCIAS...it reminds me of granite or marble!
 

Friends Come In All Sizes is great fall color!  And I really think it fits the inspiration perfectly; purple, shiny, and just a little bit dark!
 

Fosse, Fosse, Fosse derives its inspiration from the scene in The Birdcage where Armand is trying to help Albert with some dance moves.  A pale blue creme with a hint of mint and a lovely blue to pink shimmer, FFF had me at "Hello!".  I'm a firm believer that you can never have to many minty polishes in your stash, and more's the better if they have a little extra sumthin-sumthin in the mix ;)

The formula is great here, opaque in 2-3 coats (I'm wearing 3 in these photos).  I'm pleased to report that the shimmer in this polish does not lose its punch when applied...bonus! 
 

 
 Even if you own umpteen minty polishes, the shimmer in Fosse, Fosse, Fosse sets it apart from the rest so I'd definitely recommend grabbing a bottle ;)

Next up is Fight Fire With Marshmallows, a reference to the movie Toys.  I'm not too familiar with this movie, having only seen it once, but this polish is just gorgeous!  A warm brown jelly base filled with golden hexes in two sizes, black and white triangles, with lavender hexes and iridescent squares, FFWM is stunning!

*Sigh* I just can't get over how much I love this one!  The color, the glitter, everything!  The formula is great, I'm showing 4 coats here to get a good level of opacity, but you could definitely layer this over a nude or light colored polish if you're not in the mood for so many coats.  I didn't have any issue with getting the glitters out of the bottle and just used the brush to place the triangles and larger glitters how I wanted them.
 

Fight Fire With Marshmallows is definitely a unique polish, which is all the more reason that you might NEED to own it!
 

Lastly, but definitely not least,  is Phenomenal Cosmic Powers; an obvious nod to Genie in Aladdin.  I'm a sucker for a good animated flick and Robin Williams certainly made this movie.  PCP is a stunner of a teal metallic with a golden blue-green shimmer.  This polish simply glows and I had a hard time choosing which swatch photos to show as every one was practically perfect!

Easy breezy formula on PCP for sure.  Opaque in 2-3 coats (I'm wearing 3 cuz that's how I roll) and super smooth, I had no issues at all with this one either!  The color is definitely phenomenal and I love, love, love the shimmer!
 

The Spark of Madness collection will be available for purchase on the LynBDesigns Etsy site beginning tomorrow, Tues. Oct. 21 at noon EST.  Each of the polishes in this post will retail for $8 for a full size bottle.  Be sure to follow LynBDesigns on Facebook for release dates, new polishes, and other important info! 

Be sure to check back tomorrow for swatches of the second half of the Spark of Madness collection.  Thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed this post!