Emerald and Ash - Cuticle oil review and GIVEAWAY!

Hello friends!!! I am here to spread some Emerald and Ash cuticle oil love! As you may or may not know, Emerald and Ash makes some seriously amazing cuticle oil. The reason it's so amazing? It's fast absorbing, and gives major moisture to your dry and thirsty cuticles. It's also incredibly easy to apply, since it has a handy dandy little metal roller ball for application.

E&A uses a unique blend of oils that includes, fractionated coconut oil, grapeseed oil, jojoba oil, meadowfoam seed oil, tea tree oil, vitamin A oil and vitamin E oil.

They offer 85 scents in both essential oils and fragrance oils. Those 85 scents can be blended into an even larger selection of scents.

For a list of all of the scents and their descriptions, click HERE!

Here are all of my oils in their natural habitat.

 ...might be time for a bigger basket...

E&A cuticle oil comes in 3 sizes:

10mL, 7mL, and 4mL which is what makes up their 3 packs.

I am BEYOND thrilled that they've added the 10mL as an option.

These are all of the oils in my collection.

My favorite scents are Pumpkin Apple Butter, Monkey Farts, Glitter and Kulu Bay.

I know you're wondering just WHAT does a monkey fart smell like? It smells like what your childhood memory of tutti frutti bubble gum balls tastes like! You'll be wishing everything smelled like Monkey Farts.

Here are my custom blended oils

My favorite custom blend is Rasperry and Vanilla Bean. I got the idea for that one from Courtney of "Swatcher, polish ranger". Leather Jacket and Tobacco is what some people I know have nicknamed "Daniel Craig"...it has a very distinctly leather scent to it. The chocolate and cinnamon combo was my friend Erin's idea, and I love it. Rose, Eucalyptus and fir needle was inspired by a flower arrangement I had in my home around Christmas. What's really awesome and surprising about it is that it's been helpful with my stuffy nose, because of the eucalyptus!

The other thing I'm sure you're wondering is, do they work? Abso-freaking-lutely! These oils work better than any oil, balm or lotion that I've ever tried. EVER. That's a big statement, I know...but if you are diligent about moisturizing with them, you will see major results.

Here's a little before and after of my own nails.

#1 is post polish removal...dry, peely and VERY scary!

#2 is FIVE minutes after one application of oil

#3 is the next morning, after working in the oil about once every 30-60 minutes.

Sometimes I follow the every 30-60 minute reapplication regimen when I get really dry.

It works so incredibly well.

Here's a bonus pic of my nails last night, I brought down the length and aggressively moisturized my needy cuticles.

Are you still with me??? Are you ready for the good stuff????!!! Emerald and Ash has graciously offered some store credit for three of my lucky followers! I will be running this contest until June 15th at 12:00 AM. 

Check out the Rafflecopter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

What will you be picking out at emeraldandash.com???

Emerald and Ash

SHOP | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM

Emerald and Ash - Trick

  I know I've been pimpin Emerald and Ash lately...but I have very good reason. This is an indie brand that has grown very near and dear to my heart. I am beginning to amass quite a collection of E&A polishes. I have this collection partly because I have a polish hoarding problem, and partly (mostly) because Ashley and her husband and partner in crime have very generously sent me numerous polishes to swatch and review. For that faith in me and my blog, I am so grateful!

Today's polish is a limited edition called Trick. Emerald and Ash released a duo back in October with the names Trick and Treat. From what I understand this limited edition is still around because they happened upon some more of the special pigment that makes up this polish. Thank goodness for that, cuz this polish is GORGEOUS!

Trick is a lovely periwinkle holo that has a super cool violet flash that shows up in certain lights. Make sure you put this color on when it's sunny out, cuz that's when it's at it's best!

(Lightbox)

(Direct Sun)

(Shade)

In my pictures I am wearing three coats of Trick, and one coat of Seche Vite.

Holo, periwinkle and violet-y goodness...all wrapped up in one. What's not to love?

Go pick this up while you still can!

Emerald and Ash

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I'm back, with some MOM nails!

Hello everyone! I SINCERELY apologize for being MIA for almost two weeks. Since the last time I checked in, I have been in major preparation. Lots of gardening, weed pulling and outdoor yard work. I've been spring cleaning like a mad woman. All of that hard work and elbow grease makes for some pretty shabby nails. I have cut my nails down pretty short, because it makes life a little easier when I'm busy like I have been. 

Because my nails are so short, I'd like to introduce you to my MOM's nails! She and my Dad are the reason for all the housework. They came into town the other day, and that night Mom said, "I expect some cool nails while I'm here." 

But of course, Mom.

For Mom's nails I used two of the Cosmoprof exclusive OPI Flamingo chic colors, Flamingo-tini pink and Feel the Mo-heat-oes green.

Wheeeeee! Aren't these the cutest nails you've ever seen?? Mom's got great nails, so I always love doing fun stuff for her! Also, Flamingos are her favorite thing, so this is the PERFECT collection for her!

The OPI Flamingo Chic collection is a Cosmoprof exclusive collection, but it can easily be found with a little digging on Ebay or Amazon, maybe even at a nail salon near you!

Thanks for hangin in there! I won't be gone as long again! 

Hope you are having a wonderful Memorial Weekend.

I'm gonna let my fangirl flag fly for a bit...ok?

I'm on the bad guy's team, ok? I'm going full on fangirl for this post, and then I'll settle down. Deal? I know that I'm not the only one out there that has a strange obsession with Loki...or maybe it's just the actor that plays him :-)  I asked Ashley of Emerald and Ash to find some inspiration from a character and make this crazy fangirl a custom polish. The result? Perfection.

This is Ashley's creation..."Mrs. Loki of Asgard"

AMAZZZZIIIINNNG!

"Mrs Loki" is a blackened green with gold shimmer, and gold, black, and midnight flakies. 

It is everything I had hoped it would be! I love this polish!!!

source

My favorite thing about Emerald and Ash polishes is the "Earthy" feel that a lot of them have. They are very complex and have more to them than you'd think, at first glance.

I was literally giddy when this baby came in the mail. It's my very own polish, made especially for me.

In my pictures I am wearing two coats of polish and one coat of Seche Vite.

Since this polish is inspired by my favorite bad guy, I thought I'd do some Loki inspired nail art to go along with it!

I think ruffian manis are my new favorite!

Thanks for being such a great Baddie, Loki. 

We all love you.

source

Also, check out Emerald and Ash's bitchin cuticle oil sale that's happening the rest of the month of may!

Emerald and Ash

SHOP | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM

Combined forces! ILNP and Enchanted Polish

Hooray! It's Friday! I have a super cool combination to show you today! I got my mitts on "Djinn in a bottle" by Enchanted Polish. Now, I want to Holo EVERYTHING! Djinn is a holo topper, that literally transforms any polish you put it on!

I seriously love holo polish, and I love multichrome polish even more. What happens when you combine a stunning ILNP Ultra Chrome

 and Djinn in a Bottle? 

Magic. Nails.

This is probably the most pigmented and color shifting mani I've ever done.

I have on two coats of a quick dry black polish, one coat of ILNP Nostalgia and one coat of Djinn in a bottle.

Nostalgia is a multichrome polish that shifts from different shades of green to varying shades of burgundy with hints of gold and even blue in just the right light.

I have decided that all multichrome polishes look the best (in my opinion) layered over black. It seems to bring out all of the pigment in the polish. Remember my Enchanted and Picture Polish combo? Take a look back, here. Layering those colors over black was necessary, and it looked great.

The collage is of pictures I took in my car, in the sun. Sunlight is what really makes a holo polish pop. There's something about being in the car that shows a holo's flash really well, too. Seriously, these pictures don't do this combo justice. It's like wearing 5 different colors at one time.

The formula of both the ILNP and the EP are fantastic. Easy and flawless application for sure. 

ILNP has TONS of stunning ultra chrome, shifty polishes. You can find them at www.ILNP.com. They are always coming out with new, exciting things.

Stay tuned, who knows what combo I might come up with next!

Guest Post - Wingdust Wednesday!

Hey guys! I'm over at "Swatcher, Polish Ranger"...filling in for courtney while she's on vacation.

Today is Wingdust wednesday! Go check it out:

Swatcher, Polish-Ranger

Vivid Lacquer - Bettie Sage

Hello, and happy Monday! Today I have something very exciting to show you. Well, it's very exciting to me anyway! Bettie Sage is a color that has been a major lemming of mine that I thought I had missed out on! I first saw it on the Model City Polish blog. Bettie Sage is part of a set of collaboration shades that Vivid Lacquer created with a pinup photographer named Jess W. I didn't realize that the color was still available from the photographer, and not through Vivid Lacquer directly.

Application was a little tough with this color, it got a little streaky with each coat, but it smoothed right out with a coat of Seche Vite. 

Bettie Sage is a bright mint green crelly with a very subtle gold shimmer in it. If you are a mint lover like me, you need to get this color while you still can (if you still can).

I LOVE mint and gold together, so I thought that this ruffian mani was a perfect way to complement the two colors. 

I tried to get a macro shot of the gold shimmer, but I just couldn't capture it!

If you want to pick up this color, head over to the Jess W photography site.

Shipping took quite awhile, as the site owner was on vacation. It took about 3 weeks from the initial order being placed. Totally worth the wait, if you ask me.