Swatched: Stardust Polish Lavender Dream, SuperNova, and Sweet Pea Review!

Hello lacquer ladies,

I have some very pretty polish for you all today.  I don't know who is whispering in the ears of these creative geniuses but thank you!  I got the opportunity to swatch a few polishes for the indie brand Stardust Polish, and I am beyond honored.  If you've never heard of the brand is it run by the highly professional and sweet Drema.  When she sent me the package it contained a card and the polishes laid out professionally.  This is clearly someone who values the impact of presentation.  I do as well that's why I can appreciate it when I see it done well! I know this brand for a red holo by the name of Yes Your Majesty inspired by the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland.  For some reason I can't get the timing of this one so I have yet to attain it as it's quite popular so it sells out pretty quickly.  So now that I've told you a little about the brand let's get swatching!

Lavender Dream
A lavender weak scattered holo with a blue shimmer throughout.  It's very difficult to capture the holo component indoors but easier to see in flashes of direct sunlight.  The formula on this one is one of my favorite kind a medium thin consistency.  It applied a little streaky in the first coat but leveled out evenly by the second.  I used 3 coats for opacity here but could have gotten away with 2 coats easily.   I will say this is a color that plays very well with my skintone and I don't believe I have a lavender polish with a shimmer like this in my collection.  I will say though that the holographic  component is very subtle even in direct sunlight, and takes a backseat to the shimmer which in my opinion isn't a bad thing when the shimmer is so gorgeous! I thought of at least 5 ways to wear this polish after I got it laid down on my nails and when that happens I know I've got a hold of something good!

Outdoors

 Artificial Light - holo becomes more silvery

 Outdoors again - subtle holo shimmer here and blueish sheen

Sweet Pea
Easily my favorite of the bunch and not just because of my problematic holo hussy ways.  Sweet Pea, a deep rich raspberry toned polish with a linear holographic finish, has utterly stolen my heart!  It's so flattering on my skintone I never want to take it off.  While I was going about my business at home occasionally I'd get a glimpse of fire flash from this mani and immediately stop to stare and angle my hands to catch the best light.  Yup it's a winner!  This polish is extremely thin which means you have to build it up.  At three coats I still had visible nail line, but at 4 everything was perfect with no drag in between coats.  Here's another bonus of this shade - I felt with every coat the berry colored became richer and deeper.  I was worried about putting down so many coats to reach opacity because I felt it might take forever to dry, but as with every well done holo I've encountered this was dry at a speed that made me blink!

Sweet Baby J this polish is gorgeous!

Supernova
Be. Still. My. Heart.  This polish is genius! I wanted to swatch it first the minute I opened the package.  I went ooooohhhh and ahhhhh and squeeeee.  Hey don't judge a lady has to have her little pleasures in life you know!  You all know I love me some blue polish, but what I like the most about this one are the pops of reddish pink, white, and yellow in the canary blue base.  This is a bold and happy polish and with the winter plaguing me by the day I could use a little burst of cheer.  This polish is a also on the thin side in the most perfect way!  I'm really surprised because usually cream based glitter filled polishes tend to be a bit thicker, You do however need to be careful of drag from the matte glitter and not rush between coats.  Supernova is pictured here in 2 self-leveling coats.

I had to adjust the color here so my skin looks jaundiced but this blue is what it's like in real life.  Fantastic!!!

The 411:

Scoop these little pretties here

Follow Drema and stay updated on the latest on Facebook

Polishes retail between $8-11 USD

So thoughts?  These polishes are all unique and pretty in different ways and I like that!  I think Drema did a good job of showing me and and as such you what her brand is all about,  namely presentation and eye-catching elements in the vein of shimmer, holo, and bold glitters.  I can honestly say it's been a while since I have been sent polishes to review and found I loved each one equally in different ways!   That said because I liked them all so much I took the time to create nail art for all three polishes!  So come back tomorrow and check out my Startdust Polish nail art.  I want to say thanks for reading and I'll see you next post!

Clearly as I already stated these polishes were sent to me for review but like everything else on this blog I give you my true opinion 110% of the time!

Halloween 2013: Liquid Sky Lacquer Candy Corn Inspired Nail Art

Polished Prisoners,

It's that time of year again.  Yay for Halloween because it means I can go all out in my nail art!  I'm also looking forward to showing you all the awesome halloween inspired polish collections I got!  I don't know if a month is long enough!  I have so many amazing plates too.  It's really gonna be a push but let's try to do a lot shall we?  Today I have one of my favorite new brands to show you to kick things off Liquid Sky Lacquer which I spoke about in my floral appeal post.  I have a LOT of Carolyn's polishes.  I ended up going for the whole Halloween collection as well as it was seriously gorgeous.  To start things off I thought I show you some simple candy corn inspired nail art.

Mani-log

Base/Topcoat:  Glitter Removal Base (testing) & Poshe Fast Drying Topcoat

Base Color: Essie Bouncier It's Me

Glitter Topper:  Liquid Sky Lacquer Candy Corn

Accent:  Wet in Wild A Blank Canvas, China Glaze Happy Go Lucky, OPI A Good Mandarin Is Hard To Find

Candy Corn (the polish) is pretty much exactly what it sounds like matte white, yellow and orange hexes of varying sizes with yellow microglitter in a clear base.  It took me a while to figure out how I wanted to wear this and ultimately I found myself reaching for my tried and true brand - Essie.  Lol hardly surprising, but I chose one of the jellies from the summer collection, Bouncier It's Me because it provided a nice contrast for the glitter.

Bouncier It's Me! Perfect blue jelly.

I created a simple candy corn image across one nail as the accent and there you have it!  My first Halloween mani of the season.  I am not sure if Carolyn will be restocking the Halloween set again but the store reopens on October 8th so you can check it out to see if they will be available my guess is likely yes since she's very good about keeping her shop stocked.  I hope you enjoyed this simple mani cause it's only going to rev up from here!  Thanks for reading and see you next post!

Green Thing feat CrowsToes I Make The Path and Leo Dreams of Spring

Hey polished prisoners,

Happy Saturday!  I hope everyone had a good week.  It's been hectic on my end but fun! I am a very blessed lady.    I have to keep this in mind when times get tough or I feel like things are spinning out of hand.   Well living the dream and dreaming the dream are certainly two different things lol!  I would be wise to remember that.  Nevertheless I am still blessed.  Blessed in the friends I have and the gifts I have been given.  One friend in particular Lauri of CrowsToes I have been very blessed to make.  I've learned a lot from her sense of humor, and strength and dedication to working hard for herself and her family.  She's a bit of a role model on top of being an amazing soul!  In any case I told her about some types of polishes I was dreaming of and the lovely lady whipped them up for me!  Totally unexpected and totally amazing!  One of which is featured here.

The Leo Dreams of Spring...lol I named it.  It's supposed to be a polish based around my birthday month August.  It features bits of green to represent the peridot birthstone, purples for royalty, and gold cause I likes to bling bling  in a clear base ;)  When I first saw this I just stared at it and stared at it.  Shall I embarrass myself a bit and tell you a secret? I keep my CTs right on a shelf by my bed. They are my absolute favorite brand of polish and the only ones I treat this way (weirdo). Eh but you have to do what makes you happy.  I paired TLDOS with I Make The Path (this is probably undoubtedly one of my favorite CT colors of all time!) for this mani.

Mani-logue (in order of layering)

Base color:  Essie Mojito

Gradient:  Orly Satin Hues Satin Hope

Subtle sheen:  Lilacquer Selkie

Glitter:  CrowsToes I Make The Path and The Leo Dreams of Spring

Stamping polish:  Konad Special Polish in Black

Stamping plate:  Dash 3

So basically this mani is a feast of my favorites!  Y'all know I don't have anything but hype to say when it comes to my Essie's.  Mojito in particular from last spring was like crack to me.  Orly's Satin Hues will always have my undying love and I believe I have finally got them all I'm not even close to getting all of them but I'm still stalking like a mofo.    Lilacquer is a new brand on the blog, but I have adored this brand from the start because of the initial Japanese themed collection - did you know that a Selkie is a mythical sea creature in Japan? Yeah reading way to much manga.  And of course I love my Dashica plates.  The plate I'm using today is from the Dash set I won in the recent like and share FB contest.  I was thrilled and will talk more about these plates later.  And clearly I have already gushed above about CT's.    I know some ladies think that CTs are on the thicker spectrum of things, but I've never had a problem with them nor have I had to thin them down.  Personally I feel handing all polishes, particularly glitters, require a certain lightness of hand in order to not overwhelm your base color unless that's your goal.

 In any case I hope you enjoyed my little mani! You can find CrowsToes in all of their feathered glory either at Llarowe or Overall Beauty.  Lilacquer can also be found on Etsy and finally Dashica plates can be found here.  Happy polishing lacqueristas!

Making CrowsMas I Mean Christmas...

Hello polished prisoners,

I have been gone far too long I know it!  Life has been kicking my ass! Yup literally and figuratively I suddenly very poignantly understand the phrase "everything that matters just breaks in two".  Well I can only push forward the same as ever polishing my nails and hoping for the best.  Well striving for my best...so it's basically almost Christmas around these parts.  I wanted to do a 7 days of  CrowsToes Christmas but I'm thinking of doing something a more gurilla style to pay homage instead.  So let's start the show...

Mani-louge 

Base coat/topcoat: CND Stickey & Poshe Fast Drying Topcoat

Base color: OPI Big Apple Red and IMN Northern Lights in Silver

Glitter accents: CrowsToes Making Christmas

Stamping polishes: China Glaze Passion and Millennium and Konad Special White

Stamping plates: Sugar Bubbles Special 01 & Special 02

CrowsToes Making Christmas is a sinful mix of green, red, and silver microglitters.  It spreads like a mother..ahem it spreads awesomely ;) Let me tell you something.  I am in a lusty like relationship with my CrowsToes polishes.  People who complain about the formula or the density of these polishes have surely not let their beauty touch their souls, aside from which I have never had any such problems, but oh well maybe I'm biased by all the the brilliance.  Lauri is a freaking genius! There hasn't been a single polish that I've seen by her that hasn't sparked a covetous grinch like desire within me.  Also for the sake of full disclosure I purchased all of these polishes myself so I have zip to gain from singing their praises.

Sugar Bubbles.  Tamira why have you not mentioned this brand before? Eh cause its a new and happening Brazilian indie plate maker who recently stole all of my freaking heart.  Love at first stamp? You betcha.  I will throw a quick review together tomorrow of what I got from her so far but for now you can check my nail art supplies tab for the downlow.

So here we are Making Christmas with Crowstoes.  I love everything about this mani but all good things must end as I have so much more to show you.  CrowsToes polishes can be purchased at either Llarowe or Overall Beauty, and Sugar Bubble can be found here.  Thanks for reading and toodles!

Syrup Nails feat Hit Polish Noel

Who's got a case of the Mondays polished prisoners?

Lol! Not me in particular but I have another holiday styled mani today that may lift your spirits! I actually plan to do nothing but winter/x-mas/holiday mani's for the entire month :) This is my favorite season so I am really excited and I also have a lot of great plates and polishes and no time for excuses so I need to bust them out! There may also be some double post days as I really rev it up for the holidays - yay!

Mani-louge

Base color: Chameleon Polish Calypso

Syrup: Colorama Gota

Glitter topper: Hit Polish Noel

Has anyone else tried syrup nails before? This was my first time trying them out and I really like the overall effect - almost like an instant made gradient! This came out super pretty and it was so easy this is why I freaking love glitter toppers. Instant art no muss no fuss ;). Hit polish can be found here on Esty. As a cool bonus my order came with a free magnet :). Hehe.  Thanks for reading and see you next post!  Toodles...

Elevated: Emily de Molly Flutterby Garden

Happy Saturday polished prisoners!

I hope you had a great week and some fun plans for the weekend!  I myself will be cleaning and resting ;)  I'm back with more Elevation Polish's Mt Yu in a reincarnated form.  Honestly I had to ask myself how one might improve upon something that is already damn near perfect?  Well perhaps with a little gradient nail art and the addition of another polish from a maker that gives me chills every time I see her brand mentioned?  Oh Hayley of Emily de Molly I've waited months for your polishes to arrive to my grasping greedy paws via seamail from the land down under, and I've spent even more time fantasizing and drooling over the possibilities of playing with your beautiful creations.  Yeah I know I sound like a sick puppy but hey whatever floats your boat right?  Enter Flutterby Garden...

Did you know Austrailia's seasons are reversed from the US? While we are hunkering down for winter they are idling in the land of spring and honey and this polish is perfect for that season.  Flutterby Garden is packed with green, lime. lavender and pink hexes along with pink squares, tiny bar glitters and silver holo butterflies.  Isn't this description incendiary?  My nails feel springtime pretty lol if a tad out of season.  I will say however I could care less when my nails look this pretty.  I love how Mt Yu and OPI's Pedal Faster Suzi blended for this gradient as well.

The ever morphing Mt. Yu shifting colors again.

What do you ladies think about rocking mani's "out of season" - yay or nay?  In any case if you are interested in Emily de Molly her polishes can be purchased by US consumers at Llarowe or Shoppe Eclecticco.  Elevation polishes can be purchased here.  Thanks so much for reading and see you next post! Toodles!

Thanksgiving KBShimmer Style

Happy Thanksgiving polished prisoners!

Is the stuffing flowing, gravy sensational, and turkey flavorful or are you partaking in the local football game and fun with friends? Lol hopefully you aren't like my good friends on call with only half a shift and bed to look forward to rather than the comforts of good eats! My favorite thing about T day besides the food? Fall weather perfect for frolicking outside oh and of course the nail art ;)

Mani-louge

Base and topcoat: CND Stickey and Poshe Fast Drying Top Coat

Base color: OPI Somoan Sand and Orly Satin Inspiration

Accents: KBShimmer Quantum Leaf

Stamping polishes: Nars King Kong, China Glaze Passion, Color Club Hot Like Lava and Ho Ho Holly, and Konad Special Polish in Red and Yellow

Stamping plates: Bunny Nails HD 06

I had so much fun creating this mani! Mainly for two reasons - my KBShimmer Quantum Leaf polish and Bunny Nails HD plates. Quantum Leaf is like fall in a nail polish in a bottle all golden and red and oranges with yellow deliciousness crammed in for good measure.  If you don't have this polish you should!  No excuses it's just brilliant! Get them here and stalk her upcoming creations on Facebook.  Now onto the other amazing part of this mani -  Bunny Nails, girl you are killing me.  Shall I say it again? Bunny Nails girl you are KILLING ME!!! Her plates are awesome awesome awesome and the recently released HD holiday series are breath taking.  Prepare to see more of her stuff around here plus a review on these plates.  If you want to order from her go to her blog here or her ecrater store. 

Well here we are another fun holiday mani down.  Thoughts, ideas, gushing compliments ;) ? Stay tuned for some upcoming things on this blog including the seven days of Crowstoes Christmas featuring the new holiday collection polishes! I'm excited about this one! Ok I'm off to enjoy some macaroni and cheese and Cajun style turkey (yeah my family is awesome) and after I've glutted myself I will be watching the Redskins tear the Dallas Cowboys apart  - ugh I wish I had tickets to this game!  Thanks so much for reading and happy Thanksgiving to all my readers where ever you may be.  Oh and before I forget today I am most most thankful for the gift of life something that I was so close to losing only a scant 4 months ago!  I have a lot to be appreciative for this year! Thanks again and see you next post :)

Charm Your Nails Instant Gratification Glitter Gradient

Hey polished prisoners,

Did you know I have an obsession with black white mix combo polishes and it's many variations?   It's to the point that even when something looks extremely similar to something I already own I still want its delicious doppelganger.  So believe me when I say when I found a black, white, purple, and more purple combo it was "buy it now" at first site.  I'm talking about Charm Your Nails Instant Gratification which is pretty much exactly how I described it above - black, white, purple, purple, love.  Hehe.  I wanted to make a gradient and work this polish into it so that's exactly what I did ;)

Matte heaven right?  So freaking pretty!

I chose Orly Satin Hues Satin Reflection as the base.  It's a delicious matte silvery white polish that lives in my dreams and is unbelievably decadent.  I almost used this one for my AIS something matte challenge on Sunday and so I needed to use it once it was out floating around my field of vision.  By the by I'm stalking the Satin Hues and I really need the others to complete my collection if you have a source do let me know!  Anyhoo I created a gradient over this using Orly Velvet Rope and Essie Nothing Else Metals.  Finally, I put a coat of Instant Gratification on top for the final effect.

So good right? Someone please help me find the rest of these especially Gala!!!

Loving all the little squares in various shapes and colors!

More notes on Instant Gratification: This polish is dense and requires a very delicate hand otherwise you will overwhelm your base.  Using the dab method or removing most of the polish from the brush before running it over your nails is advised.  On the plus you won't have to dig for glitters they are readily available.  I'm loving this polish!  It's beautiful and oddly complex for the simple color mix :)  So thoughts? Love it or leave it?  Interested in owing it? Find Charm Your Nails here.  Thank you for reading and see you next post!  Toodles...

Gray Matter or Grey Matters...???

Hiya polished prisoners,

It's another foray into my endless box of untrieds! Today I have a polish for you that filled my lacquer loving soul with pure incendiary lust from the moment I set eyes on it.  It was everything I ever dreamed of - the beauty of a medium grey tone combined with pink, green, blue, and silver hex glitters with holographic and multi-colored micro glitter, and lord even more brilliant it's named after one of physiology's greatest wonders - the brain (yeah I'm a geek I know).  Holy moly ladies and gents I almost fell off my chair!  I immediately started stalking the polish makers shop waiting for a restock and then eagerly scooped it up.  Man I'm hyping it up aren't I?  Hehe.  I'm referring to none other than Pound of Glitters Gray Matter or what I like to call lust in a bottle.

Have you ever owned a polish you couldn't bare to open?  I stared at this polish for the last 4 months, never swatching it just drooling over the bottle and giggling to myself (yeah creepy).  Today I finally let it out to play and I'm so glad I did!  For the record gray is one of my favorite shades of polish of all time.  I want to own all the gray polishes in a manner which I know is completely insane.  If it's holo I want it and if its a jelly why isn't it already in my stash?  Well this one is just phenomenal!  This is three thin coats but I probably could have done it in two however I wanted the glitter placement on the nails "just so".  I didn't have to do any real fishing for the glitter either.  It came out of the bottle perfectly on the brush and the finish itself was very smooth despite the glitter.  This one is a 10/10 for me.

Check out all that microglitter and holo goodness!

Alas if you are looking for Gray Matter, you may be in the words of my mama, be SOL (interpret as you will).  Pound of Glitter has closed her shop for now so I don't have a source for her though you may still be able to reach her via email if you search for Pound of Glitter under Etsy.  Please stay tuned for my nail art with this polish after I wipe up all my drool.  Thanks so much for reading and see you next post! Toodles...

Essie Wicked & Leading Lady

Hiyah polished prisoners,

Long time no swatch eh? Between that hussy Sandy and my job I've been neglecting my poor nails.  They have been crying out for a manicure, some nail art, something... Luckily, I was strolling by the polish aisle and some sweet Essie's from the holiday collection called out to me.   I decided to combine them to give a bit of pre-holiday cheer, and get back into the swing of things.

Essie's Wicked is described by the Essie website as a deep and dark creamy sinister red and I agree.  Dark, decadent, and so damn luscious.  Well I do adore vampy colors especially when they are so rich. Wicked is a must have if you love colors like this!  It's perfectly opaque in 2 coats and self leveling.  Now onto Essie's Leading Lady described as a supreme deep red glitter according to the Essie website.  I sponged Leading Lady over Wicked to create a glitter gradient and I really like  how this turned out.

So thoughts? If you are interested in picking up either of these check the links below or swing by your nearest Target, CVS, or Walgreens or at various online shops.  The links below are to the Essie website.  Thanks for reading and see you next post!  Toodles...

Halloween 2012: Devils Ahead...

Hello polished prisoners,

Mwhahaha another Halloween installment here!  It's been a bit dead these days I apologize for it its a combination of wi-fi loss, my own icky cold, and now a hurricane (Sandy) hitting DC.  Seriously it's crazy! Everything has been ripped off of the shelves and the schools are closed even the metro shut down!  Well its great for polishing up my nails so here we are.  This is another Bundle Monster one.  I've been wanting to use this plate since I got them but held off until now.

Mani-louge

Base/Topcoat: CND Stickey & Poshe

Thumb, middle, & ring: Sephora Pantone Universe Tangerine Tango Creme & CrowsToes Hell Hath No Fury (find it here or here)

Index & Pinkie: Sinful Colors Cloud 9 & Sephora Pantone Universe Tangerine Tango Glitter

Detailing: Wet N' Wild Black Creme

Stamping polish: Konad Special Polish in Black Pearl

Stamping Plate: Bundle Monster BM305

So let's talk about a few things here - CrowsToes Halloween collection is seriously giving me chills!  HHNF - first of all did any of you see Rosanne in She-Devil that late 80's movie?  Oh lawd I think about it every time I see devils.  So funny!  HHNF is so perfect and just the right combo of purple and orange-red yumminess for this mani.  I also have to say thank you to Lauri who sent them to me as a ROAK.  Seriously YOU rock lady!  Kindness has always been my weak point and this lady has continued to maintain her kindness and grace even when her family has been going through such difficult times.  She is a treasure and her polishes make me drool!  My friends in the blog-o-sphere can attest to that! But hey when you're working it you're working it and Lauri is always fierce!

Sephora's Pantone Universe 2012 - I've had these for a while and I have no idea why I never used them they've just been hanging out.  Opaque in three coats for the creme and drying to a near squishy like jelly finish. What's not to love?  I'm not sure of the availability of these anymore but the determined lacquerista should be able to make it happen if she wants them.

So thoughts, comments, mindless adoration? Lol kidding!  I'm having fun with these Halloween mani's.  I wish I had been able to do more curse the luck!  Oh well there is always next year ;)  Let me also take this time to say thank you thank you thank you to everyone who voted for me in the Bundle Monster Contest!!!  I didn't make it into the top 15 but it was really fun creating the look.  Also for those that didn't know it I won that inaugural entry for Leah Anne's new website and blog LLarrowe! Woot! Thank you for those too who always encourage me and give me the faith to continue on!  Perhaps they really do like me??? **Gazes into the distance with a faint look of surprise** Okay enough sillies.  See you next post and thanks for reading!

Skulls and Crossbones Oh My...On Sundays I Stamp!

Hey polished prisoners,

Omo you thought I stopped stamping on Sundays huh?  Well truth be told sometimes AIS was hard to do when I had to get my Time Warp challenges up, but the warp has ended and here I am reunited and it feels so good ;)  But I will say this now yesterday's mani made me want to go very simple today in terms of stamping.  The theme for this weeks challenge was to do an invasion of...whatever our hearts desired.   I chose skulls and crossbones because I wanted to stay on theme for Halloween and because I have lots of plates with skulls and crossbones.  So let's get onto the art yes?

This is more color accurate than the outdoor photo. Hmmm...

 Mani-louge

Base color: Revlon Zealous

Gradient: Revlon Zealous , Essie To Buy or Not To Buy?, and Sinful Colors Daddy's Girl

Glitter Accent: Sonnetarium Samurai Princess

Stamping polishes: Konad Special Polish in Black

Stamping plate: Vivid Lacquer VL001

I wanted to use lots of different stamps to create this mani unfortunately it didn't quite work out the way I wanted it to when I was stamping so I chose to stick with one plate.  However I have to say I love the overall results!  Notice how once again I snuck in some of my beloved black and white glitter? Hehe this time the lucky winner is Samurai Princess by Sonnetarium.  She's quite the talented little medhead eh?  You can find her polishes here and keep updated  on her Facebook page.  And as always you know I love my Vivid Lacquer plates! They can be found here.

So spooking of Halloween if you haven't already or even if you have since voting is daily please vote for my entry for the Bundle Monster Fright Night Contest here!  Public voting is open till October 19th and I could use your votes!  I really worked hard on this mani and perhaps as an incentive for you to vote (as if my miraculous stamping wasn't enough kidding ;) ) I plan on giving away the plates if I win.  I mean I do already have them so I don't need a backup and really sharing is caring.  Stay tuned for a not so Halloweenish mani tomorrow - whaaa? I know but no worries you'll still be able to get your fix.  In any case thanks for reading and see you next post!  Toodles...

Stamped: Loreal The Perfect Trench

Hey lacquer ladies,

Today I have a Loreal polish from the new London Fall Collection.  My first reaction when I saw this polish was - this is truly hideous.  If I had a trench coat this color I'd throw it right in the trash or burn it, and that's saying a lot for a coat loving lady like myself!  It reminds me of old dried out putty or mustard that lost its pizazz.  Ew, ancient mustard?!? Hahaha so why the hell am I putting it up on my blog or better yet what on Earth possessed me to buy such a color? Well because for me this is the type of polish that falls into the realm of ugly-pretty.  It's neutral, a great base for creating something unique, and because even though it looks like 10 year old putty even putty has its place in my world.

If you follow my instagram you recognize this from my sneak peak ;)

Plus let's face it I knew I had a secret agent up my sleeve.  A hidden ace in the pocket, if you will, by the name of Sonoma Nail Art Bubble Room.  Omo (basically Korean for OMG)! Suddenly ugly pretty was just pretty...

Suddenly gorgeous right? TBH I felt The Perfect Trench should have originally had a golden microshimmer.

And because I gotta do me I decided this mani was in dire need of arting up and a pretty paisley patterned stamp was calling my name.

Mani-louge

Base color: Loreal The Perfect Trench Coat

Glitter topcoat: Sonoma Nail Art Bubble Room

Stamping polishes: Sally Hansen Hard As Nails Haute Chocolate & Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Fast Fuschia

Stamping plate: BM-315

Suddenly this manicure became so gorgeous to me!  I'm in love with the monster I created how about you?  Hehe this just goes to show you an ugly, albeit pretty, polish can't keep a good laquerista down.  Thanks so much for reading and see you next post! Toodles...

Pahlish: End Of Days

Hey polished prisoners!

It's a rare Monday posting ;)  Today I'm sharing one of my penultimate indie brands with you.  Honestly, I am seriously considering doing an indie top ten posting but I wonder if there would be any interest in this? Do let me know.  In any case Shannon the maker behind the brand Pahlish is absolutely one of my favorite indie companies.  I have ordered from her almost religiously perhaps a touch fanatically.  The minute she releases a new color I go into high alert.  I must have it or die trying!!  There are probably only about three other brands that I'm as fanatical about, but let's save that for later.  For now let's get to the polish...

The base colors here are China Glaze Harvest Moon and Sally Hansen Haute Chocolate.

What can I say about End of Days?  The name alone leaves me slightly drooling.  Then I take a look at it - a deliciously packed glitterbomb of orange and blue hexes with gold microglitter in a clear base.  I think by now you know how much I love orange so this one just kills me!  In a word everything about End of Days is sexy.  On a side note, I clearly can hear the voice of Dale Gribble aka Rusty Shackleford from King of the Hill screaming out "It's the end of days!" Lol!

Isn't this such a pretty baby? You like it don't you? Well luckily for you Shannon just restocked; she usually does every Friday in any case.  You can get your little paws on this baby for $9 + s/h.  Try to hold back because almost everything else is in stock too.  Ugh! You can find her store on Etsy and you can also keep track of her latest updates via her Facebook.  Welp thanks for reading and I'll see you next post! Toodles...

Dollish Polish The Hero of Time

Hey polished prisoners,

Happy Saturday!  I've been a little bit M.IA. this week running willy nilly with errands that kept distracting me from a solid posting.  TodayI've got a pretty simple glitter gradient nail art for you.  I decided to break out the greens again - hey I gotta go with what I love ;) This time I chose Hero of Time by Dollish Polish.  I haven't featured any Dollish Polish on my blog before, but let me tell you I love what this lady does! I have quite a few of these polishes and the formula is always flawless and packed full of glittery goodness.  Hero of Time is a clear jelly loaded with varying shades of green, brown and gold glitter.  It's inspired by Link's clothing from The Legend of Zelda.  Dolly definitely scores major pointage with me for releasing her Gamer Series as I was/still am a pretty hardcore video game fanatic.

So bright!

Mani-louge

Base color: China Glaze Paper Chasing

Glitter: Dollish Polish The Hero of Time (one coat)
Gradient: Orly Liquid Vinyl

I decided to add a gradient to the look and also ended up placing nail art tape sporadically over my nails to create a laser cut-out like pattern.

This is so pretty, but definitely halloweenish ;)

 Pretty cool eh?  I've been seeing this effect around a lot late and wanted to try my hand at it too!

Intentionally blurred for all that sparkly goodness to pop through.

What do you think? I'm happy with the final effect here and I'm totally in love with Hero of Time! Do you have a favorite Dollish Polish?  If you are interested in trying to pick up HoT DP is carried by three locations: Ilarowe, Overall Beauty, and Dolly's Big Cartel shop.  Restocking of all of these stores varies and it's best to check each individual site respectively for updates.  Thanks for reading and I'll see you next post! Toodles...

Red Hot Harlot: NailsIT Angelique + Giveaway

Hey polished prisoners (wink),

I've got a hot hussy for you today! Her name is Angelique and she packs a real punch.  Angelique is a red jelly polish filled with black squares small white hexagons, medium gold hexagons and hot pink microglitter.  It's part of six piece collection inspired by the Dark Shadows movie that released earlier this summer, and made by a lady who I feel is a good friend and fellow blogger - NailsIT.  On top of being a real dollface her polishes are stunning, and this one is no exception!  

This is two coats of Angelique over one thin coat of Sally Hansen Red-dy To Mingle.

The minute I saw Angelique I knew she had to be mine.  I am a sucker for jellies, but particularly well done red ones.

Perfect candy apple red - I love this color so much!

The only polish in my stash that's close to this kind of delicious depth and finish currently is Smitten Polish's Fire and Blood.  However, it's still a very different red compared to Angelique and has a venous blood hue while Angelique reminds me of very fresh raspberries or apples. 

Suddenly in the shade you can see those gold hexagons and pink microglitter popping.

 I was so enamored with this swatch I left it alone...for now ;)

I did have to use two layers of Poshe to get a smooth finish because of the square shaped glitters, but it was totally worth it! 

Well, isn't this pretty baby too gorgeous for words? I love it so much I may have to get a backup when her shop reopens.  If you are interested in purchasing Angelique of any of the other yummy mouthwatering shades by NailsIT you can find info on that here on her blog.  While your over there you should enter her giveaway because she's giving out five of her gorgeous polishes along with Nfu-Oh 61!  You should also check out her nail art as well because this lady also has some seriously banging skills.  Thanks so much for reading and see you next post! Toodles...

Jellied and Holo'ed: Sonoma Nail Art Steampunk

Hey polished prisoners,

Happy Saturday! I planned to do a haul post today but the weather fairies conspired against me for the last several days and decided to bring the rain (and with it bad lighting).  So instead I'm doing a easy breezy swatch.  Eh? Say what! I know I know.  I did plan on doing a little "more" but again the lighting situation wasn't good.  In fact, I'm so annoyed that I'm already trying to either build or buy my own lightbox so that I won't be quite so limited in the future.  That said let's talk about a brand that I absolutely freaking love - Sonoma Nail Art!

Sparkles all around.  I really wish I had been able to get a few photos in sunlight to show off the holographic topcoat a bit more.  These were all taken in indirect sunlight/rainy weather.

First, you need to check out her blog - start there because her nail art is SICKENING! Ok have you recovered yet? Now check out her polishes.  I know you almost died of a polish-gasm didn't you? Flawless flawless glitterbombs with formula that makes it totally worth your while.  I want them all! But for today let's settle for Steampunk.  Steampunk is a glitter polish with black diamonds and an assortment of magenta and rust colored glitter in a dusty pink base. Translation - purrty!

Two coats of Care To Danse? + one coat of SNA Steampunk +one coat of CTD?+  one coat of Fairy Dust = yummy jelly.

I decided to wear it as a glitter gradient layered in a jelly sandwich using OPI's Care To Danse? from their NYC Ballet Collection.  I also added a single swipe of China Glaze Fairy Dust to the entire nail.  For accents I painted my nails using OPI's We'll Always Have Paris (Suede).  I found the final effect to be stare inducing.

Gooey looking in the best way - this is why I love jellies!

So what do you think? I love jelly sandwiches like this because they are easy to put together and have that instant pretty factor without spending oodles of time nail-arting it up.  Of course I'm also extremely biased when it comes to anything jelly finish so course I love it.  If you are interested in acquiring Steampunk or any other Sonoma pretties you can get them here on her Etsy shop.  She restocks every two weeks.  Word of fair warning though - the polishes move quickly and the restocks are fairly small.   Thanks for reading and see you next post! Toodles...