CrowsToes Nitty Gritty Collection

*Press Samples*

Hi everyone! I have a brand new collection from CrowsToes called the Nitty Gritty Collection and they are TEXTURES! Like...real textures. I'm so excited that Lauri has figured out the secret to making amazing texture polishes using the real texture bits (a la the original Zoya Pixies) instead of just glitter. She released the amazing neon pink Hooker at Heart for Valentine's Day and there are now 3 more neon textures as well as 3 new black-based textures that all have color shifting glassflecks in them (or glitter bits...I'm not sure, but they shift colors!). There is also a gorgeous shimmery polish that is not textured, so it's definitely the oddball of the bunch, but totally gorgeous and you need it! Okay? Keep watch on Llarowe's Facebook page for exact launch dates and times for the Nitty Gritty Collection (it should be soon!)

First up we have the 3 neon textures. These all dry down to a sugary finish, but it does take a little longer for them to reach their fully dried down/textured state than the black-based textures. Now they are dry to the touch within 10-15 minutes, so they are easy to slap on and go (which is what I love about textures) but I would say they take on their full textured glory after an hour or two. I found that they photographed best after I let them dry down for awhile, so these pics are all either taken the next day or I applied them before work and took pictures after work.

Bulls#!t Detector is a neon coral textured creme with scattered silver holo glitter. Formula was really easy to work with and I achieved full opacity in 2 easy coats. This color is AH-MAZING! This is a flaming bright coral, which is one of my favorite summer colors, and the texture makes it extra fun.

Overkill is Underrated is a neon yellow textured creme with scattered silver holo glitter. Formula was very nice to work with but a touch more sheer than the other two (it is a yellow, so I was expecting this) so I used 3 coats for full opacity. It honestly probably would have been ok at 2 coats, but I just liked the way that 3 looked better. Highlighter. Yellow. Texture. Need I say more?

The Bottom Line is a neon light orange creme with scattered silver holo glitter. Formula was again, really easy to work with and I used 2 coats for full opacity. This orange reminds me of Tang (gah, when was the last time I drank Tang!?) It's a fun and funky orange for summer and it's actually more bright than pictures even show.

The next 3 polishes are all of the black-based textures. These are not your average black texture polishes because they all have color-shifting glassflecks running through them, so they sparkle different colors when you move your fingers. It makes me think of jewels embedded in the wall of a mine that sparkle when a flashlight shines across them. Now as you can imagine, this was NOT the easiest effect to capture on camera, so just know that the colored bits are more obvious/vibrant in real life. These all had identical formulas that dried down quickly, and I took photos after about 20 minutes.

If I Had a Nickel... is a black-based texture polish with blue/violet color shifting glass flecks. Formula was excellent with full coverage in 2 easy coats. This had the most vibrant color shift of the three and I was able to capture it the best in some photos. You can actually see the colors a bit better in the slightly blurry photos.

Epitome of Stupidity is a black-based texture polish with pink/gold color shifting glassflecks. Again, this formula was very easy to work with and I achieved full opacity in 2 coats. I'm really not sure if the color of these glass-flecks is pink or purple, but it's a much warmer and lighter purple than the purple of If I Had a Nickel...

1:21 AM on a Tuesday is a black-based texture polish that has green/blue color shifting glass-fleck. The formula was just like the other two black-based textures with full opacity in 2 coats. The color shift was the most subtle with this polish with green being the predominant color that you see. The colors ended up looking very green/teal. Eeeee! I love that all of these blacks had a twist, because it's just a genius idea to put the color shifting bits in there!

Ingrounded is an aqua-blue jelly FILLED with blue shimmer, blue/violet color shifting glassflecks, iridescent glitters, and scattered silver holo microglitters. Formula was slightly thick, but in a good way that makes it easy to spread without being runny. Ingrounded starts off pretty sheer, but builds up nicely to opacity in 3 coats. There is so much going on in this polish! The final effect of it is very ethereal and gorgeous! There is a slight violet shift that you can see at extreme angles, but mostly you see blue/green shimmery goodness. It's the only non-texture of the bunch, but it's so pretty it HAD to be included!

CrowsToes Nail Color polishes are available at Llarowe (US), 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. 

So what do you think of these textures? I can never get enough of textures if they are done well! Thanks for looking everyone!