1700k (hopefully) Facebook Followers Giveaway

Hi there! If you follow me on Facebook, you know that I've been working on a giveaway to celebrate the almost 1700 likes I've gained since starting the page.  Most of the newer "likers" have found their way to my page via the "Share the Love" links that have been mobbing Facebook feeds over the last several weeks.  It doesn't matter how you found me, I'm just thrilled that that many folks have liked me and have stuck around...it means I must be doing something right!

I'm also lucky enough to have additional sponsors for this giveaway!  Several indie makers and fellow bloggers have donated some fantastic prizes so let's check them out!

Glitzy Glazes- One bottle each of Foolish Mortals, Van Gogh to Bed, and In Your Dreams, Sleigh Boy along with some cute glow in the dark nail decals.

Shirley Ann Nail Lacquer- One bottle each of Wedded Bliss and Tattle Teal.

Black Sheep Lacquer (International)- One bottle of each of Lips Like Sugar and Fire and Ice.

Philly Loves Lacquer- Winner's choice of two bottles from the Fancy Winter Wench Collection

LynBDesigns- One bottle each of Am I Ginger? and Old-Fashioned Villain.

My Nail Polish Is Poppin'- One bottle each of Wet n Wild I Need a Refresh-Mint and On a Trip, Nicole by O.P.I. Pixie Glitter, and a mini bottle of L.A. Colors Energy Source.

Vegan Nail Art, Baby- One bottle each of Incidental Twin in Spectre, Ooky, and Devil's Own.

Sunshine Nails- 4 bottles of Julep nail polish and a mini Zoya Color Lock System.


And I'm throwing in 3 prizes!

Over the Top Coat #1- One bottle each of Wet n Wild Mega Rocks in Stick it to the Man and Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Green Rocket, Strobe Flash, and Rosey Shooter.

Over the Top Coat #2- One bottle each of KBShimmer Teal Another Tale and China Glaze in Bells Will Be Blinging and Mingle With Kringle.

Over the Top Coat #3 (International)- One $10 Gift Certificate to Llarowe.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

Now for the rules! 

1. Must be 18 or have a parent/guardian's permission to enter.
2. Each prize will be shipped from each sponsor.  Once the prizes are shipped, the sponsor accepts no responsibility for lost or damaged packages.
3. The giveaway starts now and will run through 2/24/2014 at 12 A.M.  One winner will be drawn for each prize and notified via email.  Each winner will have 48 hours to respond or will forfeit their prize.

Pretty simple rules, I hope!  Alright everyone, feel free to enter at will!  Thanks so much and good luck!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Indie Spotlight: Glitzy Glazes A Glitzty Christmastime Collection Part 2

*All products provided for unbiased and honest review*

Hey there!  I've got the second part of Glitzy Glazes' holiday collection up for review today, plus a bonus polish.  I'm going to start with the bonus and then talk about the rest of the A Glitzy Christmastime Collection.  Let's get a move on, shall we?

The Castle Started Spinning is the bonus polish today.  It's not actually part of the holiday collection, but it's just so pretty I had to talk about it a bit!

TCSS is a dusky purple jelly base packed with holographic bars and teeny glitters.  The sparkle here is so pretty...truly a celebration!  Purple is my favorite color, so it wasn't hard to convince me about this polish.

 The formula is smooth but sheer.  I'm showing 4 coats in these photos which doesn't bother me, but you may want to use undies.  I think TCSS would look lovely layered over white, so I may have to give that a shot soon!

Next up, Hickory Honey Ham and what a honey she is!  A cherry red metallic base with a bright red glass-fleck glitter, HHH screams "Happy Holidays!"  It's cheery and warm and pretty...quite lovely all over.

I love this red!  The formula was smooth and opaque in 2 coats, no balding or dragging.  Just a nice, pretty red that is perfect for all sorts of holiday nail art!

If you're looking for a gorgeous, shiny red for holiday, or any occasion,  HHH is your girl!

Tree Tops Glisten is the second glitter topper in this collection and features those adorable snowflakes again.  This time, Kathi has paired them with gold holographic hexes for a sophisticated sparkle.

I chose a darker base to go with TTG because I wanted to show off the glitter as much as possible.  The macro photo shows 2 coats of TTG over 2 coats of Sinful Colors Last Chance, while the other two photos show 2 coats of TTG over 2 coats of I Love Nail Polish Absolute Zero.  This topper would look gorgeous over any base and I can't wait to try it over white and silver!

The formula was good, not gloppy or too thick.  There will be a bit of fishing for the snowflakes, but that's par for the course with chunky glitter.  Turning the bottle upside down a few minutes before application helps.  This is a nice winter glitter topper that will work past the holidays to add glitz to your mani!

And now, for my absolute favorite of this collection (and maybe of all of Kathi's polishes ever), Deck the Halls!  DTH is an evergreen jelly packed with hexes, dots, and square glitters in every color of the rainbow.  This polish nails (excuse the pun) the feel of a lit Christmas tree with bunches of presents underneath.  It. Is. Gorgeous.

I mean, look at that macro....LOOK AT IT!!!  So many colors, textures, and shapes...I can't stand how much I love this polish!  That said, I have a distinct feeling that this is one of those that you love or hate on sight...well, judging from my bf's reaction.  But what do boys know about polish anyway?

The formula was lovely; I'm showing 3 coats of DTH with no undies here.  The larger blue squares were the only glitters I had to fish for even a little, most of them popped right onto the brush with no issue.  I hope Kathi will run with this idea and do a few more like this for future collections.


*All products provided for unbiased and honest review*

 All of these polishes plus the first half of the collection (you can see my review here) are currently available on Glitzy Glazes' Storenvy site.  All full size bottles (15ml) retail for $7.50 and this time around, Kathi is offering A Glitzy Christmastime polishes in a 5ml mini size for $3 as well.  My personal favorites of the collection are In Your Dreams, Sleigh Boy, King of the Chill, and Deck the Halls but you really can't go wrong with any of the A Glitzy Christmastime polishes.

I've now swatched Kathi's whole collection including all her core polishes and, I have to say, she's knocked it out of the park here.  This collection has the best formulas, finishes, and creativity I've seen from her yet.  The coolest part about getting to swatch for a newer indie brand like Glitzy Glazes is watching the evolution of the brand.  I can't wait to see what she comes up with next!  Be sure to swing by her Facebook page and give her a "like" to keep up with new releases and other important info. 

Thanks so much for reading!

Indie Spotlight: Glitzy Glazes A Glitzy Christmastime Collection

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!

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!

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!