Alchemy Lacquers - Nightshade

Hi friends! I have another lovely shade by Alchemy Lacquers for you today.

 As with every other Alchemy Lacquer I have, this one is beautiful too.
Nightshade is a "Very dark purple jelly nail lacquer with a very strong green shimmer."

Gorgeous, as always! I love this color, the polish itself however didn't level out until I put a topcoat on it. To me, that's not an issue at all, because I would never go without topcoat. This was just something that I noticed. 

In my pictures I have on three coats of Nightshade and one coat of Seche Vite.

Alchemy Lacquers just released four new polishes just for Christmas and Hanukkah. With any luck, they are waiting for me at my house right now! 

Stay tuned for more awesomeness from Alchemy Lacquers.

ALCHEMY LACQUERS

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Northern Star Polish - Immortal Kiss and Be Merry, Bish!

How was Thanksgiving? Ours was pretty cold, and it's still cold now. Frigid, in fact. When I bundled up my kiddo for the bus stop she kind of resembled the little brother in A Christmas Story.

Today is "Cyber Monday". Not only are there great deals from all of your favorite retailers, there are TONS of deals to be had from just about every artisan polish maker there is! I'll give you a rundown of the sales after I show you a couple colors from Northern Star Polish!

My favorite thing about ordering from indie polish creators is seeing the packaging when it comes in the mail. The package I received from Northern Star not only came super fast (yay for local shipping!) it's also SUPER ADORABLE.

The first of the two colors I got is called "Immortal Kiss". 

This color is "a dark burgundy that can lean purple or brown depending on skin tone with a light holographic finish."

I feel like there is more to this polish than the description can convey. It's a very "dusty" cool purple that has a slight shimmer of violet that is hard to catch on my camera. It starts out very sheer, but builds up to a lovely finish with three easy coats. 

IMMORTAL KISS

The next color I have to show you, is "Be Merry, Bish!"

This color is a bright red that leans a little pink because of the pink shimmer throughout.

I also used three coats for this one, and one coat of topcoat.

The texture of both of these colors is very smooth. When applying, I had to be careful to not load up the brush too much, or I would have had polish all up in my cuticles.

I picked these up along with a cuticle oil and also received a couple sample sizes of oil as well.

The verdict? Super cute packaging, super fast shipping, cute names and of course, quality polish with great color payoff. Win, in my book. 

NORTHERN STAR POLISH

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Elevation Polish - Sunset Among the Palms

Oh how hard it is to be selective when ordering from Elevation Polish. As you may or may not know, Lulu just released her Hawaiian collection. There are many, MANY beautiful colors to be had. I, however limited myself to two colors. I took a much appreciated recommendation from my friend Jenne at Polished Pathology. She told me for sure that one of my colors had to be Sunset Among the Palms. I was leaning towards something different, but I'm glad she recommended this one, because it's beautiful.

Sunset Among the Palms is a gorgeous purple/pink filled with gunmetal flakies and a scattered holo effect. Application went on smooth as silk, I have on two coats of color and one coat of Seche Vite.

Look at those pretty flakies that are coming through in this pic!

Unfortunately the sun hasn't been coming out to play, here in Minnesota, so the holo won't make an appearance today.

These pictures are very color accurate, in my opinion. Pink/purples can be a brat to capture in pictures sometimes. The only inaccuracy is that my pictures don't do this color it's justice. I am so glad I listened to Jenne and got this color. You should get it too.

As I've told you before, Elevation restocks happen on the 7th and the 22nd of each month. The 7th at 9pm and the 22nd at 9am. At the moment this shade is sold out. This is part of a regularly stocked collection, but can sell out fairly quickly. If you want to grab this, or any of the other Hawaiian beauties get on over to Elevation's online store and grab some for yourself!

ELEVATION POLISH

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A England - Sleeping Palace

It's Friday, people! Woo hoo! Actually I'm not all that excited because I work Saturdays, so Friday isn't Friday to me.

I've been on a cleaning spree today, and decided to take a break and post my mani from the other day.

I finally used A England's "Sleeping Palace" which is part of the Burne - Jones dream collection. The website is listing it as sold out, but with a little googling I'm sure you could get your hands on it.

Sleeping palace is a lovely dusty plum with a subtle golden shimmer. It also has a soft holographic effect as well. 

In my photos I have on ONE coat of Sleeping Palace and one coat of Seche Vite.

I've never experienced my topcoat dulling the holo in a polish, until it happened with this one. You can still see the holo, it just isn't as strong. Still beautiful though, right? 

I added some nail stamping to this color, because it seemed appropriate.

"Crown your hands and feet". 

Don't mind if I do,

I stamped this mani with Sally Hansen's gold color foil shade and used the Cheeky Jumbo Princess Charming plate. The crowns are the perfect addition, aren't they?

Have an amazing weekend!

Alchemy Lacquers - Hemlock

Good morning friends! I am going to start by saying that this is one out of many Alchemy Lacquers that I am obsessing over. Simply put, I want every single color that she offers...

I had to be VERY good and choose only one of the colors that spoke to me the most. 

Hemlock is one of five colors in the "Witches Weeds" collection by Alchemy Lacquers. You can see all five [here].

I am so excited about this color. I just love it when I put on a polish and am in awe of it. In all of my photos I have on two coats of Hemlock and one coat of Seche Vite.

Magical.....it's just magical. 

Hemlock is, "A blue-purple linear holographic nail lacquer with purple, red, orange, yellow and green multichrome shift." 

This is another multi-chrome stunner that feels like a million different colors in one bottle.

Like I said, I think that pretty much every single color in their shop are colors that I would love to own, and I don't usually feel that way.

Head over to Alchemy Lacquers and get some goodies for yourself!

ALCHEMY LACQUERS

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Wondering what I've been up to?

Yep, I'm still around. I haven't abandoned you. I will spare you the excuses and just tell you that I have been a Slacker McSlackerton. I have let the stresses of life get the better of me and neglected my blog.

I'm still here, and am getting my ducks in a row.

Want to see what I've been wearing on my nails? I only took pictures of 3 of them, and I'm happy to show them to you!

OPI Do you have this color in Stock-Holm?

This is a true purple for purple lovers. In every single picture, it wants to go a little blue...but it is definitely purple. On top of it, I stamped Mentality's "Moe".

Elevation Polish: Tre Cime di Lavaredo

This. This is GOLD that I actually like. It's a cool gold that almost leans green and has a strong linear holo. You must get your hands on this polish...I just checked earlier and it was still in stock. Usually that isn't the case for long...you should probably go get it right now :-)

The Holo Unicorn

Ok, please pardon my very red looking hands. I have a little bit of everything going on in this mani. The colors I used are:

Indigo Bananas : Maui Wowee

Digital Nails: Wow

Stamped with Mentality black, and two Sally hansen color foils

Topped everything with Enchanted Polish "Djinn in a bottle

It's fun, and crazy and super holographic magic!

I'm back friends...and I'm feelin good about all the fun things I have in store!

Thanks for reading!!!

Man Glaze - Mink Mitten

Today's polish was a little bit of a surprise...one of those that I ordered, and I totally forgot about it til it showed up! I got it for $6.66 and free shipping which is a ridiculously good deal! 

Today, I'd like to show you Mink Mitten by ManGlaze!

"What woman could resist a guy wearing a metallic lavender nail colour named 

after furry love gloves? Probably a bunch but those chicks are no fun anyway."

Mink Mitten is a matte, metallic "Plavendurple". 

In my opinion, it's a little more on the satin-ey side of matte...

In my pictures I'm wearing one coat of Nail Envy and two coats of Mink Mitten.

This label was designed by punk rock artist Joe Simko. It was inspired by actress Pam Grier. To check out more of Joe Simko's work head over HERE.

This polish has a fabulous formula. I found it very easy to work with. My guess is because it's not SUPER DUPER matte, it doesn't dry as fast as some other matte polishes do.

Really, I love everything about this polish, the color, the metallic, the satin texture, the bottle...everything!

For a company that strives to create "tough" polishes, this one is pretty sweet. 

Pick up this and some other "Manly" polishes over at MANGLAZE.COM.

ManGlaze

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Polish Me Silly - Clownin' Around

I'm so ready for spring and summer! I have so many fun, bright colors that have been stashed away all winter. I picked up a set of OPI minis from the Euro Centrale collection just before Christmas and I forgot that I had them...until last night!

This color is "You're such a buda-pest!"

This color is so pretty, I was having a hard time deciding what to put over it. You simply cannot have plain colored nails...right? 

First, I tried stamping and the black that I used just wasn't what I was looking for. It took away from the cute springiness of this color. I stood in front of my stash of polish, trying to decide what to use and I spotted this Polish Me Silly color that I've had since Christmas!

Here's "Clowning Around" by Polish me Silly.

Doesn't that look cute! It reminds me of a malted milk Easter egg!

I'm so excited to use this one, now that it's neon season again!! I didn't expect it to still be so bright, considering I didn't layer it over white!

In my pictures I have three coats of "You're such a buda-pest" and one coat of "Clowning Around". 

I did one coat of Seche Vite last night, and I could still feel the glitter pieces a little bit. This morning, I put a coat of Gelous over it and then another coat of Seche Vite, and it seemed to smooth it out a bit. 

There's a bit of bubbling in there, as you can see. I think it's because of all the clear coats on the nail.

You can find TONS of amazing stuff on Polish Me Silly's Etsy Page!

Thanks for reading! See you next time!

HARE Polish - Bury the Hatchetfish

FINALLY!!!! I got my hands on a bottle of "Bury the Hatchetfish" by HARE Polish!! This is one of those so called "lemmings" you may or may not have heard some of the polish obsessed speak of. I had been looking for this color for awhile, and there were many out there...but I wasn't willing to pay full price for a used bottle of polish. I found one on Storenvy.com for a great price and I'm so excited to show you my first bottle of HARE Polish!

Bury the Hatchetfish is a "Greige" (grey+beige) crelly with all kinds of sparkly luminescent glitters in it. There's purple, blue, and green swimming (ha!) together in this polish. Hatchetfish was one of four colors released in the Fall 2012 collection that was inspired by marine bioluminescence.

At first I started with two coats, topcoated it quickly and ran out the door...but as I was looking at it in natural light, I decided it needed another coat. I maybe could have even done 4. So, anyway, this is 3 coats with a coat of Seche Vite too.

I feel like this polish actually looks like a fish! A beautiful, magical lemming hatchetfish.

Thanks for reading and sharing in my excitement of my newly acquired lemming!

Model City Polish - October Sunset

Today I have a quick swatch of a lovely shade by Model City Polish. October Sunset was released with a bunch of other beauties in a collection called "Ode to a Southern Holo". This is another color, that for some reason, I kept putting off buying. Don't ask me why...this color is amazing!

October Sunset is a beautiful color somewhere between periwinkle and lavender. This shade also has an amazing scattered holo in certain lights! In my pictures I have two coats with one coat of topcoat, but if you applied carefully, you could get away with one coat.

See how the color changes a little when you light it up more? I just love it!

As always, you can find all kinds of goodies at:

shop.modelcitypolish.com

When you go, check out all of the new shades that will be released THIS SATURDAY, at 12pm CST!

Model City Polish - PB&J

I am using this post to kick off a WHOLE bunch of Model City excitement that's coming your way! I got in touch with the lovely Nina of Model City Polish via a polish swap group on Facebook. Long story short, I acquired some AMAZING polishes! PB&J is one of those said polishes!

This polish is a rich purple jelly with two sizes of gold hex glitter. The glitter in this color is spread very evenly, so it was really nice to apply. Just like with any other Jelly, you have to be light handed. More than two thin coats look best. In my pictures I have three coats of PB&J, a layer of Gelous and a coat of Seche Vite.

Another thing that I love about MCP polishes is the brush! I have large nail beds, so I get great coverage and ease of application. My nails tend to look streaky and sloppy if I'm using a teeny brush.

Look at how yummy and squishy it is!

PB&J is a color that I highly recommend you add to your collection!

So, like I said...I've got 5 more things from Model City to show you. Some of those things will be released very soon! I can't wait to show them to you! 

You can check out all of the AWESOMENESS that is Model City Polish at:

shop.modelcitypolish.com 

Emerald and Ash - The Photometry Collection

Hello friends! I have something MAJOR to share with you today. I am so excited to be able to share with you, the Photometry Collection by Emerald and Ash. I was approached by Ashley, and she was wondering if I would swatch and review this new collection to share with all of you. I'm sure you can imagine my response. I had just two Emerald and Ash polishes in my collection to begin with, so I couldn't wait to get my mitts on some more! 

Before I show you the goods, I want to tell you a little bit about what inspired them! This collection is super cool to me because part of my job (my actual job) is to teach new stylists about color theory and about how all of the colors in the spectrum relate to coloring hair. When I heard that this collection was called the "Photometry" collection, I was super excited! It's scientific...and I UNDERSTAND it!!! Wheeeeee!

Photometry is the science of the measurement of light, in terms of its perceived brightness to the human eye.

Cool, huh? Ashley's husband, Nate is a Quantum Physics major (WHOA) and is currently teaching core physics at a University. I think it is super cool that this husband and wife team are both so totally immersed in this brand! So...lets check out the colors, huh???

Mie Scattering

Mie Scattering is a pure white crelly with white shimmer that is filled with micro flakies and a slight touch of holo. Can be worn alone with coverage in 3 coats or layered over a white base.

I opted not to layer this color over any undies, because I wanted you to see what the actual color looks like on the nail? I just LOVE that shimmer...don't you?

I used 4 thin coats in my pictures.

Sodium FASOR

Sodium FASOR is a yellow-orange shimmering stunner with copper flashes and a surprise red color shift once on the nail. It is filled with micro flakies and a slight touch of holo. Full coverage at 2-3 coats depending on your application.

Can you see all the colors in there? I don't usually go for orangey polishes...but this one, I LOVE!

I think that the fact that this color is so flashy, is making my camera go a little goofy. My skin tone looks a little cooler than it normally does. In person, this color is a beautiful, beautiful thing.

Spark Gap

Spark Gap is a lovely lighter, yet vivid, purple crelly with violet flashes and a lot of shimmer that is filled with micro flakies and a slight touch of holo. Full coverage at 2-3 coats, depending on your application.

The shimmer and flash that these polishes have is unbelievable! 

I used 3 coats of Spark Gap for these pictures.

Cherenkov Radiation

Cherenkov Radiation is a brilliant, bright blue jelly with aqua undertones and shimmer that is filled with glass flakes and a slight touch of holo. Full coverage at 2-3 coats depending on your application.

Look at that aqua shift! Look at it! Its amazing!!!!

Instead of a bottle shot, I'm including a sun-lit pic. In this pic you can really see the sparkle and holo in this polish. I think this one might just be my favorite. You know how I love my blue polish!

Aurora

Aurora is a charming, softened green shimmer with pops of red and green micro flakies and a slight touch of holo.  Full coverage at 2-3 coats, depending on your application.

Hellooooooooo gorgeous! Look at dem flakies!

I used three coats of aurora in my pictures.

Well? What do you think of the Photometry collection? I think that this collection is beautiful and delicate...with a bit of an edge. When it comes to application, you have to have a light hand. These polishes can get thick very easily, if you don't apply them with thin coats.

Kudos to Emerald and Ash! You've created an AMAZING collection. Stay tuned for my next post...I'll be showing you the special, one year anniversary polishes by E&A!

These polishes will be available for purchase March 14th at 6pm MDT.

Look for them at emeraldandash.com