Girly Bits No Such Thing as a Purple Problem

*Press Sample*

Hi everyone! Today I have Girly Bits No Such Thing as a Purple Problem to share with you! This was released at the same time as the 80's Girl Bands collection and it is a purple jelly filled with silver and purple microglitters. There is also some difficult to capture shimmer going on in the polish as well and I think this aids in its opacity. Unlike a lot of jellies with microglitters, this one was completely opaque in 2 coats and it applied wonderfully. I found this SO HARD to take pictures of! The sparkle just overwhelmed my camera. I can usually get pretty decent shots of microglitters, but this one just was being difficult. It's so nice though...perfect for those of you WITH a purple problem.

Girly Bits Cosmetics' polishes are available from creator Pam's online shop as well as from e-tailers around the world including: Llarowe (US), Overall Beauty (US), Mei Mei's Signatures (Singapore),Harlow and Co. (Canada), Femme Fatale Cosmetics (Australia), Foxy Fingertips (Denmark), and Maria Gastadeira (Brazil). Be sure to follow Girly Bits on Facebook and Instagram for news about restocks and new collections.

Chaos & Crocodiles Echos, Reflections, and Shadows

*Press Samples*

Hi everyone! Today I have a gorgeous trio for you from Chaos & Crocodiles that is going to be available for pre-order this Saturday (August 30). This pre-order will also include the beautiful Secret Agent Collection and the special polish that was created specifically for CosmoProf in Vegas called Operation Vegas. Now let's have a closer look at this brand new trio!

Falling Into Fall: Revisiting Some CrowsToes

Hi everyone! I'm going to have some posts throughout the fall revisiting past polishes/collections from brands that, to me, scream fall. Does that mean these were fall releases? Not necessarily. All it means is that they seem like perfect colors to wear in the fall. I'm going to have indies and mainstream brands represented. Sometimes it will be one polish, sometimes it will be several polishes. I'm not treating these posts as formal review posts, but more to just show you pretties for fall (so don't expect thorough notes on consistency/formula/topcoat/etc unless there is something glaring that I feel the need to point out). Hopefully this little bit of throwback spam will include some things that you might already have in your collection!

Today I'm starting off with a few CrowsToes pretties for you. I actually don't think any of these were part of fall collections, but to me they are all great polishes for fall! Luckily, all of these polishes (despite being older releases) are still available (I know that I did see them all in stock at Llarowe, at least).

CrowsToes Tiki Torch (2 coats over OPI Viking in a Vinter Vonderland). The colors in Tiki Torch are just amazing for fall. It has a jelly base, so layering it over the wonderfully vampy eggplant color of Vinter Vonderland really made the colors pop and it is just a treat for the eyes. I mean, check out the blurry shot with all of that holo sparkle!

 
CrowsToes Umm, No...He Went to the Pawn Shop (1 dabbed coat over OPI Amazon, Amazoff). First of all, I never really thought that Amazon Amazoff was a summer color even though it was released with this past summer's Brazil Collection for OPI, so I just saved it. I thought the beautiful golds, coppers, and blues in Pawn Shop looked so perfect for fall against the teal base. Do note that Amazon, Amazoff will stain your cuticles, so be careful (since this is my first time ever wearing it, I would point out that finding). Also, a special thanks to Dani from From Polish, With Love for sending me Pawn Shop which has been on my CrowsToes wishlist for ages!

CrowsToes A Christmas Crow (2 coats over black). Now as the name implies, this was part of a Christmas Collection, but I've always thought it looked amazing for fall. There is a red/green shimmer going in combination with the tiny golden color shifting glitters really makes me think of changing leaves!

 

CrowsToes polishes are available at Llarowe (US), Overall Beauty (US), Atouts Charme (France),Maria Gastadeira (Brazil), Norway Nails (Norway), Femme Fatale Cosmetics (Australia), and Rainbow Connnection (UK). Be sure to follow CrowsToes on Facebook and Instagram as well as on creator Lauri's Blog for all updates and details about new collections.

2 Fall-Inspired Nail Designs featuring Zoya Ignite and Entice and a Born Pretty Store Stamping Plate

*Press Samples*

Hi everyone! I'm totally switched into fall mode now and I'm craving darker colors, duo/multichromes, and glitters, so don't be surprised if you see a good bit of these things worked into my upcoming posts. I'm sure I will have a small summer relapse before it's all said and done, but fall is on my brain!

I was really inspired when Zoya's Ignite and Entice Collections hit my doorstep because all of the colors were so harmonious. Around the same time, I received a stamping plate in the mail from Born Pretty Store with this wonderful brocade design, and I knew immediately what I was going to do with it. For this first mani, I started with skittles of Zoya's Ignite Collection (thumb-pinky I used India, Sansa, Autumn, Remy, and Teigen). Then I used a gold metallic polish (Face It Platinum Nails GL111) and Born Pretty Store stamping plate QA90 for the design. I thought this mani was totally lush and decadent!

 

Here is a closer look at the Born Pretty Store stamping plate QA90. As you can see it has some brocade and arabesque looking patterns that are very elegant. I found that it stamped very crisp/clean images and appears to be well etched all around. A lovely addition to my plate collection!

A really easy nail art look that you can do without fancy tools is a dotticure. I really like random dotticures with a mixture of large and small dots because they are easy to do and I love the look of them. For this mani I used Zoya Nyssa from the Entice Collection as my base and then used larger and smaller ends of my dotting tools to makes the random dots using Zoya Sansa, India, Teigen, and Autumn from the Ignite Collection. Note that you could also use a bobby pin for the small dots and a pearl headed pin for the large dots if you don't have dotting tools. These colors together make me think of fall leaves and I love the sparkle against the creme base.

 

The Zoya Entice and Ingnite Collections are now available for pre-order on Zoya's website (they retail for $9 each), and they will soon be available where Zoya is sold in your area (I always find them at Ulta locally). Also be sure to follow Zoya on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Be sure to check out Born Pretty Store for all of your nail art supply needs (you can use my coupon code JCX31 for 10% off your order).  I've always had great experiences with ordering from them at very reasonable prices. Also, you can't beat free worldwide shipping! You can also follow Born Pretty Store on Facebook and Instagram.

So what do you think of these designs? Are you ready to dive into fall like me? Thanks for looking everyone!

Pahlish Bespoke Batch Spam! And a Special Bespoke Batch Event!

*Purchased by Me*

Hi everyone! For my third and final "Pahlishes you must have in August" post of the month, I give you an EXTRA SPECIAL edition! I'm sure you Pahlish fans out there know that for the past few months, Shannon has been putting out limited batches at each Friday restock called Bespoke Batches. I've been actively purchasing these babies since she started, and I have quite a collection of them now. I even jokingly told Shannon once that I wanted to do a blog post about them, but I felt so terrible about doing it because it would be like "Oh look how amazing these are...but too bad, you can't haz!" Well, by popular demand, Shannon has decided to have a special Bespoke Batch event this Friday and Saturday where she has brought back some of the most popular ones that have been released and she is offering them for pre-order! In edition, she is also including her Cosmoprof Vegas exclusive for pre-order! Isn't that exciting news? So naturally, I have ALL of the ones that she is offering except for the Vegas exclusive, so I'm going to share them with you today!

Wish of a Golden Fish is a goldfish orange linear holo with red metallic flakes. I looooove orange holos and the flakes in this one make it super special. They don't show up well in photographs, but in real life they add a ton of dimension and interest to this polish that make it look fab in all lights. 

Sarey's Berry is a %*#ng impossible purple to photograph! To say that these swatches are not color accurate is the understatement of the year! The color of it reminds of of China Glaze Flying Dragon (original). It is a neon purple (so it leans more warm pink than these colors show - the middle picture gets the closest) with translucent white flakies and blue flake shimmer. It is stunning, just stunning. Sarah from Samarium's Swatches has some pictures that are more close to the real color, but I would say it is just a touch darker than hers (but she got MUCH closer than me...it's impossible, I tell you!)

Over the Rhone is a midnight blue jelly with silver flakes and shimmer. Pretty much every other "starry night" polish just totally pales in comparison to this one. It is amazing. The silver flakes here really set it apart from all of the others and make it truly spectacular.

 

Moment in Amber consists of a metallic copper flakes in a holo base. This is probably my favorite Bespoke Batch ever (so far). It is so sparkly and gorgeous! I actually wore it yesterday and I just couldn't take it off so I'm still wearing it.

Lambrusco is a deep berry holo with violet and red flake shimmer. Such a sexy polish! The flakes are insane in this polish too and really flash in real life. I mean...who doesn't need a polish like this in their life? And it's perfect for fall too!

 

 

According to Pahlish's Facebook post, there will be two preorder windows for these Bespoke Batches:
-Friday August 22nd from 7pm central to 8pm central
-Saturday August 23rd from 10am central to 11am central

They also note that since these are pre-order polishes, they will take up to 2 weeks to ship. 

Pahlish is available from Pahlish's Big Cartel Shop. Be sure to follow Pahlish on Facebook and on their blog for details about restocks (they are Fridays at 7 pm CST) and new polishes. Pahlish is also available from Llarowe, Rainbow Connection, and Edgy Polish. Thanks for looking everyone!

Press Release: Zoya Nail Polish Twitter Party

*Press Release*

You and your stylish friends are invited to talk all things Fall with ZOYA! 

Join us on Twitter Wednesday, August 27th from 8-9pm EST (5-6pm PST). We'll cover the hottest nail colors for Fall, trends from the NYFW (New York Fashion Week) runways and much more (ahem, giveaways)!

In addition, there will be a special Q&A session with the woman behind our 300+ color assortment - ZOYA's Creative Director, Rebecca Isa. So get your questions ready!

How it Works:

·         Follow @ZoyaNailPolish on Twitter.

·         Zoya will release a series of questions marked Q1, Q2, Q3, etc.

·         Reply to these questions with the corresponding A1, A2, A3, etc.

·         Use the hashtag #FALLingForZoya so Zoya (and everyone else) can find your tweets easily!

Did someone say PRIZES?! Join in on the fun and you could WIN*! Followers that participate and answer questions throughout the Twitter Party will automatically be entered to win special prizes from the Naturel 2 and Entice & Ignite Collection at random.

PLUS - Enter to win a full Fall Zoya Nail Polish Wardrobe! All you have to do is upload a picture of your ZOYA manicure at any time during the Twitter Chat (8-9pm EST) and tell us which shade(s) you're wearing to the party. Don't forget to include#FALLingForZoya. The grand prize winner will be announced at the end of the event following the Q&A session.

*Terms & Conditions: No purchase necessary to participate or win. Promotion begins Wednesday, August 27, 2014 at 8pm EST. Entry via Twitter ONLY - Twitter account must be on public setting and must follow @ZoyaNailPolish to be eligible to win. Giveaway winners will be DM'd codes - codes are not valid in conjunction with other coupons, codes or promotions. Continental US only. Art of Beauty is not responsible for incorrect addresses, credit card entry errors, web related issues or any errors associated with declined credit cards. Returns or exchanges of promotional items not permitted. This Twitter party is in no way sponsored, endorsed, or administered by, or associated with Twitter, Inc.

Zoya Nail Polish and Treatments | zoya.com

Pahlish August "First Day of My Life" Duo

*Purchased by me*

Hi everyone! Ready to see more Pahlish that you need to buy before the end of the month? Well ready or not, it's happening! The Pahlish August Duo has to be one of my favorite duos yet (maybe only second to the March Duo from earlier this year). Don't forget, this set is only available for the month of August, so be sure to grab it while you can! I mean...just look at it...

Meet Me in the Morning is a turquoise/tiffany blue creme with copper flake shimmer. This is another one of those Pahlish flecked shimmers that I just can't get enough of! Formula on this was terrific and it was completely opaque in 2 coats. It's just stunning on its own...but wait until you add the glitter!

Blankets on the Beach (2 coats over Meet Me in the Morning) is a mixture of gold, aqua, and copper glitters in a clear base, including hexes, squares, and dots. It is the perfect pairing with the base color. I just love this combination of colors SO MUCH! Formula was fantastic with good spread and glitter distribution (and not a topcoat hungry glittter).

And then you must matte it...yes you must!

Pahlish is available from Pahlish's Big Cartel Shop. Be sure to follow Pahlish on Facebook and on their blog for details about restocks (they are Fridays at 7 pm CST) and new polishes. Shannon has started adding one or two Bespoke Batches to each restock (she usually posts previews on Thursdays...but stay tuned for a special Bespoke event this week!), so if you want to grab some of those, keep and eye on her Facebook and Instagram. Pahlish is also available from Llarowe, Rainbow Connection, and Edgy Polish. Thanks for looking everyone!

Zoya Entice Collection Swatch and Review

*Press Samples*

Hi everyone! Today I have the second part of Zoya's fall offerings, the Entice Collection. This collection consists of 6 warm and cozy cremes that scream autumn (and of course, having Zoya's fantastic creme formula). These polishes are the perfect compliment to the shimmery Ignite Collection which I have already reviewed here.  

 

Veronica is described as a brilliant wine full-coverage creme. This is a very classic color which I can see being adored by women of all ages. It so chic and I love it!

Ryan is described as a classic indigo full-coverage creme. This color is very inky blue and almost looks black in some lights. I actually don't think (despite having a million blue cremes) that I have one quite this dark. I can see myself using this a lot as a base for glitters because it would really make them pop.

Claire is described as a rich burgundy, full-coverage creme. I would say that this is more of a red-based brown. It makes me think of cherry chocolate (if that makes any sense at all..it's just what I think of when I look at it!) I definitely don't have anything like this in my collection and I really like it.

Margo is described as a red plum full-coverage creme. Oh this is one of my favorites for sure. It is a very wearable shade that I can even see myself convincing my mom to wear, but it's a bit funky at the same time. It's so rich and decadent!

Genevive is described as a leather grey full-coverage creme. This one had just a little hint of silver shimmer running throughout that gave it a bit of a different look than the other cremes. I would say this had a slightly thinner formula than the others, but it was still perfect in 2 coats.

Nyssa is described as a milk chocolate brown full-coverage creme. I can't believe that I like this one so much! I expected to hate it because I thought it would look awful on my skintone but it DOESN'T! Milk chocolate is exactly how I would describe this one, so Zoya has the description dead on. Another good addition to my collection because I have nothing else like it (I have VERY few brown cremes). This one seemed to dry down darker on the nail than how it looks in the bottle.

The formulas of these cremes were pretty consistent across the board. They were all nice and opaque and had a good spreading consistency which didn't run or cause pooling. I used 2 coats for all of my swatches, but I used thin coats. If you used thicker coats, some of these could be careful one-coaters. I will caution you, be careful with application as these colors (especially the darker, more saturated ones like Veronica, Ryan, and Claire) can be a beast to do clean-up with because they tend to stain the cuticles a bit (it also helps to have your cuticles well moisturized ahead of time). Luckily, as I already said, the formulas are such that if you are careful, that won't be a problem.

Overall, Zoya's Entice Collection, like the Ignite Collection, delivers fantastic fall colors that will be perfect to wear when the weather starts cooling off. These polishes are now available for pre-order on Zoya's website (they retail for $9 each), and they will soon be available where Zoya is sold in your area (I always find them at Ulta locally).