Thursday, February 26, 2015

Hare Polish The Abduction of Persephone Collection

*Press Samples*

Hi everyone! Today I have one of Hare Polish's Winter 2014 collections to share with you, The Abduction of Persephone Collection. This Greek mythology-inspired collection contains 3 deep, vampy jellies filled with all sorts of glitter, shimmer, and flakes. Per usual, Nikole has managed to create wonderful depth in these polishes that it is even more gorgeous in person!



Wednesday, February 25, 2015

#TBT: Deborah Lippmann Across the Universe

*Purchased by Me*

Hi everyone! Here's my first edition of #TBT! I'm trying to go through my stash and pick out colors I've had untried for ages or wore ages ago. I don't know if I will do it every Thursday, but there will be some #TBT here and there going forward! Original? No. Fun? Well, yeah!

Today's polish was one of my first high-end polish experiences. Deborah Lippmann Across the Universe was such a lemming after I saw it featured on Chloe's Nails in one of her cool patchwork manis. At the time, I had super short nails and zero polishing skills (this was circa fall 2010), so when it finally arrived and I tried it out for the first time, I HATED IT on me. I still oohed and ahhed at it on other people, but not me. I have not put it on since then, but I haven't gotten rid of it for nostalgic reasons. I figured AtU deserved another chance now that I'm a little more advanced in my polishing skills and my nails have improved a bit, so here are the results!

Deborah Lippmann Across the Universe is a deep blue jelly base with green, silver, and blue glitters. Formula is ok to to work with, but I find that it gets a bit clumpy doing multiple coats, so I decided to layer 2 coats over a deep blue base (Elevation Polish Definition: The Vivid Unknown). I think that I realized years ago that I liked the way this polish looked better layered than by itself, so I went that route straight away. It does still need a thicker topcoat to smooth it out. I must say that I'm still not in love with it. I think after being hit over the head with amazing glitter after glitter from indie brands, AtU is just lacking some oomph for me. I think maybe if it had a splash of holo glitter in it it might even improve it a bit. I actually think I have a random Hits polish (Blue Jazz) that is very similar but has holo glitters and I like it MUCH better.




And just in case you were interested...here was my first mani with it. I think that this time is it was a bit better (is it sad that I still have this picture?).


All of that being said, this polish was really innovative and awesome in its time. It's still a really pretty polish, but it just doesn't wow me as much as it used to. I really applaud Deborah Lippmann for her out-of-the-box thinking that I think really helped to kickstart the trend of amazing glittery polishes that we see now in the commercial and indie world. I feel like this polish really does deserve its place in nail polish history (or at least in mine!)

Deborah Lippmann Across the Universe is still available from her website as well as other retailers that carry Deborah Lippmann products (Nordstrom and Sephora are two that I've shopped with before).

So what are your thoughts on Across the Universe? Own it/love it/hate it? Do you have any polishes that used to wow you that seem to have lost their pizzazz? Thanks for looking everyone!

Glam Polish Run and Tell That

*Purchased by Me*

Hi everyone! Today I have a beautiful Glam Polish to share with you from their recently released Hairspray Collection. I  purchased 2 polishes from this collection and I was initially more excited about the other polish (Welcome to the 60's), but for some reason I gravitated towards wearing this one first. I reallly need to wear Welcome to the 60's soon because it is also amazing! 

Run and Tell That has a charcoal linear holo base packed with silver holo, black, and white glitters. Formula was very glitter-packed, but it still applied pretty easily in 3 thin coats. This one is topcoat hungry, so I used 2 coats of a thicker topcoat to smooth it out. This sparkle of this polish is INSANE! If you like charcoal holos, this is certainly a unique twist on one and I highly recommend it!





Glam Polish is available from their Big Cartel shop (ships to Australia and the US only) as well as from these international stockists. Follow them on Facebook and Instagram for updates on new collections and restocks as well as to see lots of beautiful swatches! Thanks for looking everyone!

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

A V-Day Mani? Why Yes, I DID Do ONE!

*Nothing to Disclose*

Hi everyone! I keep forgetting to share the mani I actually wore on Valentine's Day. I don't know why, but this year I have been uninspired to do Valentine's nail art for the most part. I wanted to wear some hearts on the actual day, so here is what I came up with! It wasn't anything all that spectacular, so I guess that's why I've taken forever to share it!

For my V-Day mani, I started off with a base of OPI Kiss Me I'm Brazilian, one of my favorite bright pink cremes. Then I decided to do a bit of layered stamping. The heart design is from Bundle Monster H-18 and the white lattice design is from Pueen's Buffet set #71. I first stamped on the lattice design using Konad White and then stamped on the hearts using OPI Coca-Cola Red. As you can see, the red wasn't as opaque as I was hoping for, so you can see a bit of the white through it (but this really wasn't all that noticeable in real life). I dunno, I actually enjoyed these nails in real life and wore them for 2 days. I guess they didn't translate that well in pictures, but they were ok. Definitely not my most inspired holiday work!





Did you all get inspired by Valentine's this year? I've really enjoyed everyone elses manis, but just couldn't come up with anything fun to do for myself! I'm hoping St. Patrick's Day will bring more inspiration since green is my favorite color! Thanks for looking everyone!

Monday, February 23, 2015

ILNP Ultra Chrome Flakies

*Purchased by Me*

Hi everyone! I purchased 4 of the ILNP Ultra Chrome Flakies when they were first released, and I've used them for several different looks since then. I decided to collect my looks and combine them into one post for you guys. I think I've decided I mostly like them layered over lighter colors, but they look pretty over dark colors too (they just don't pop as much). Formula is consistent with these across the board. They spread easily with good coverage in 1 coat and they don't require a lot of topcoat to smooth out because they lay perfectly flat. I've seen people wear them on their own in several coats or by sponging them on, but I really don't care for the way they look when applied like that...I like them layered over a base. Now I really want to pick up some more of the ultra chrome flake toppers! Which are your favorites?


Saturday, February 21, 2015

Pahlish Snow Over the Rhone

*Purchased by Me*

Hi everyone! I'm trying to reach back in the vault this weekend and prepare some posts of manis that got left behind! This is for no other reason except I got really busy in December/January doing collections and some of these beauties were buried pages and pages back in my Photobucket arsenal. Today I'm going to show you a beauty from Pahlish that I did post on my Instagram back when I wore it in December, and it is being restocked tomorrow (Sunday, 2/22 at 7 PM CST) in Pahlish's shop. This is different from her usual restock day, so I wanted to be sure and point that out!

Pahlish Snow Over the Rhone is a deep royal blue holo filled with silver flakes. Formula was good with complete coverage in 2 easy coats. This polish is beyond stunning and I can't believe that I waited so long to share it here! It came very close to making my top polishes of 2014 list! This is from Pahlish's Winter 2014 Collection, and I'm guessing this will be one of the last restocks that includes it (if not the last restock) so grab it while you can. If you are a blue lover, you definitely need it!  And if you need more convincing (since the light box didn't bring out the best of this beauty) check out Pointless Cafe's pictures of it! You can really see how well the silver flakes pop in her photos!





Pahlish is available from Pahlish's Big Cartel ShopBe 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 LlaroweRainbow Connection, and Edgy Polish

Friday, February 20, 2015

OPI Hawaii Collection (My Picks)

*Purchased by Me*

Hi everyone! Today I have my picks from OPI's new Hawaii Collection for Spring. I'm sure after my stamping post yesterday, you knew this post was coming! I wasn't really drawn to the shimmery shades in this collection (or the glitter...but was anyone?), but the cremes looked lovely so I picked up most of them. The other pink and purple cremes in the collection (Suzi Shops & Island Hops and Hello Hawaii Ya?) look really nice, but I felt I might have something close in my collection already so I decided to pass on them for now. As usual, I was very pleased overall with my picks because I typically love OPI's creme formula and their brushes. These weren't quite as awesome as the slam dunk that was last year's Brazil Collection (in my opinion), but they are still winners! I can definitely see myself reaching for them again and again like I do with the Brazil polishes.

Thursday, February 19, 2015

Born Pretty Store Flowers & Leaves XL Plate Review

*Press Sample*

Hi everyone! I recently received a new stamping plate to review from Born Pretty Store and it's part of their new line which now includes some XL stamping plates. This plate is the Flowers & Leaves plate BP-L001. Overall, I really loved the images on this plate. They were large enough for my nails (length and width-wise) and although they were all flower and leaf themed, there was a variety of images for tons of different looks. They were etched well and the images stamped pretty crisply when I used polishes suited for stamping (I will admit that some of these I used because I thought they were pretty color combos and they turned out to not be the best stampers, so it's no fault of the plates). I've got 5 different looks using the plate to share with you guys. It is perfect for creating springy and tropical looks (and there are 18 different designs to choose from)!

Another thing I forgot to mention is, look at these groovy cardboard covers that they are using now! I really like this attention to detail and this looks really nice and professional!


Wednesday, February 18, 2015

FingerPaints Picnic in the Park Collection

*Press Samples*

Hi everyone! Today I have FingerPaints Picnic in the Park Collection to share with you! This is a collection of 4 fun springy cremes as well as 2 glitter toppers. I think the theme of this collection is so adorable, and I'm hoping to use these polishes in some fun picnic/park themed nail art soon! This is a limited edition collection that will be available during the months of March and April at Sally Beauty Supply.

Monday, February 16, 2015

Hare Polish A Surreal New Year Collection

*Press Samples*

Hi everyone! Today I have Hare Polish's A Surreal New Year Collection to share with you! This collection was inspired by the works of Salvador Dali of the same names and they all contain gorgeous multichrome flakies in jelly bases. I'm obsessed with those at the moment, so of course I'm in love with this collection!

Friday, February 13, 2015

Darling Diva Polish St. Patty's Limerick Collection

*Press Samples*

Hi everyone! Today I have Darling Diva Polish's St. Patty's Limerick Collection to share with you! I'm obsessed with green, so obviously I was jumping up and down over a collection made up entirely of greens. This collection was officially released tonight in Darling Diva's shop, so go check them out if you are a green lover like me!

Smitten Polish Valentine's 2015 Collection

*Press Samples*

Hi everyone! Today I have Smitten Polish's Valentine's 2015 Collection to share with you! This collection consists of 2 holos and 2 shimmery mattes in beautiful Valentine appropriate shades. This collection launched this past week in Smitten Polish's shop so go check them out!

Thursday, February 12, 2015

Pahlish You Give Love! February 2015 Duo

*Press Samples*

Hi everyone! Today I have Pahlish's new February 2015 Duo to share with you! This duo, called You Give Love!, is inspired by the ever amazing Bon Jovi. It consists of a lovely flecked creme base with a holo/flakie topper. The February 2015 Duo will be released tomorrow night (Feb 13th) at 7 PM CST along with a restock of the Sweethearts Collection and a special release for Friday the 13th!


Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Press Release: Girly Bits Upcoming Releases and News

*Press Release*

Product Release date: Monday, February 16th, 2015 at 12 noon EST

Girly Bits Cosmetics Announces Lots Of New And Exciting Releases!

Introducing Three New Blogger Collab Shades!

Winter Sanctuary ~ a medium to dark cobalt blue shimmolo, with a hint of purple with a scattering of holo microglitter within it. Created in collaboration with Lisa at Cosmetic Sanctuary.
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Snafu ~ an ivory nude linear holographic, with soft gold shimmer, teal flakies and iridescent turquoise flecks. Created in collaboration with Nicole at Nail Polish Wars.
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 Let's Do This! ~ a rusty orange subtle shimmolo with red to yellow shifting flakes, tiny purple flakies, gold flakies,  and red micro glitter. Created in collaboration with Jen at The Jedi Wife.
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Just In Time For St. Patty's Day!

Is That A Shillelagh In Your Pocket? ~ a medium brown linear holo, with green to gold shifting shimmer.
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I'm Not As Think As You Drunk I Am ~ a warm chamois creme with gold to green shimmer.
girly-bits-cosmetics-i-m-not-a-think-as-you-drunk-i-am.jpg

 

Check Out Polish Matte'rs!

Give your mani a matte finish with our Polish Matte'rs Top Coat.
girly-bits-cosmetics-polish-matters-top-coat.jpg

 

Nail Vinyls™ And Stuck On Love Are Coming To Girly Bits!

We will be carrying a variety of Nail Vinyls™ and Stuck On Love Nail Shields.
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girly-bits-cosmetics-stuck-on-love-coming-soon.png

 

Ermahgerd The Flerkers Are Back!

You asked, we listened! Our Ermahgerd Flerkers collection will be restocked!
girly-bits-cosmetics-ermahgerd-the-flerkers-are-back.jpg

 

On The Way Out

Get them while you still can! The following shades will be moved to our On The Way Out category and will be retired once existing stock has sold out:
  • Bawitdaba
  • Elephant Shoe
  • Fathomless
  • Howl At The Moon
  • Neutron Dance
  • OVbunEN
  • Private Dancer
  • Save Your Scissors
     
Girly Bits Cosmetics is a Canadian company that has been handcrafting quality nail polish since 2011 in a dazzling array of colours and finishes. As a brand dedicated to providing cruelty free, on-trend and unique products, Girly Bits Cosmetics is well known for outstanding customer service, charitable donations and custom nail polishes dedicated to lost loved ones. Available at 9 on-line retailers around the globe, and a growing number of brick and mortar stores, you can be sure to easily find the season’s hottest new shades, as well as timeless customer favourites.
For more information visit us at www.girlybitscosmetics.com or contact us directly at info@girlybitspolish.com.
Girly Bits Cosmetics can be found on a variety of social media outlets. Be sure to Follow Us!
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Our newsletter is a great way to keep up-to-date about new product releases, promotions and important Girly Bits Cosmetics information. 
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REMINDER TO OUR CANADIAN AND US CUSTOMERS:

FREE SHIPPING ON ORDERS OVER $80 (NO COUPON CODE REQUIRED)

Zoya Delight Collection

*Press Samples*

Hi everyone! Today I have Zoya's Delight Collection for Spring 2015 to share with you. This is a collection of 3 cremes and 3 shimmers in lovely spring colors. This is a beautiful palette of colors that I think everyone will enjoy, so let's take a closer look at them!

Sunday, February 8, 2015

Illamasqua Melange and Born Pretty Store Feather Water Decals

*Purchased by Me*

Hi everyone! Today I have a lemming that I was very fortunate to fulfill to show you. Since Illamasqua stopped being stocked in the US, it has become increasingly difficult to get your hands on them, especially their new releases! Illamasqua Melange was released in 2014 and I wanted it from the moment I saw it. There aren't many high-end brands that I will shell out the bucks for anymore, but Illamasqua is one of the rare exceptions because they make extremely beautiful and high quality polishes and I adore their formula. Thanks again to my dear friend who was able to get it to the US for me! <3

For this mani, I started off with a base of Illamasqua Melange and then added some gold foil peacock feather water decals from Born Pretty Store (item C045). I found that these decals were a little bit stiffer than some that I've worked with in the past, but still not problematic, I just smoothed them down to the curve of my nail with my finger really well and they behaved beautifully. I really like having some water decals in my stash that are cute designs in plain colors like gold, silver, black, and white that will look great over a variety of base colors so you can easily jazz up any mani without having to worry about color-matching. I think these would look great over pretty much any base color for a full mani or for an accent.



Let's get a look at Melange on its own. Gah, it's so fabulous! My camera wasn't doing so hot this night at picking up all of the detail in the base, but it has a dusty green base with heavy gold and red shimmer flecks. Formula is a breeze in true Illamasqua style and this is 2 easy coats. So much love for this polish!




As I said, Illamasqua does not have any US-based stockists anymore (and I've heard ordering direct from them is now EXTREMELY expensive), so tracking this one down is not an easy task. If you have the opportunity to get it though...DO IT! 

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. 

Saturday, February 7, 2015

Pahlish Fields of Gold: Exclusive for March's A Box, Indied

*Press Sample*

Hi everyone! Today I have Pahlish's contribution to March's A Box, Indied. The theme for March's box is "Lucky Charms", and in addition to Pahlish there are also contributions from Contrary Polish, Girly Bits, Colors by Llarowe, and Glisten & Glow. This box will go on sale on February 26th on Llarowe's website at noon and 7 PM MST. Be sure to follow Llarowe on Facebook to see previews of the other polishes in the box.

Pahlish Fields of Gold is burnished gold metallic shimmer PACKED with metallic flakes in golds and bronzes as well as holographic sparkle. Formula was nice and spread easily. It looked like it was going to be sheer on the first coat, but provided complete coverage with the second coat. I also love that this polish was very easy to control and not runny so I had to do almost zero clean-up. That is super important with polishes with metallic shimmer like this because you DO NOT want it getting on your skin because it will get everywhere. This is a gold lover's dream polish! I sometimes don't care for warm golds like this on me, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Pair this with your favorite green polish, and you will have the perfect St. Patrick's Day mani!

*Light Box*





*Natural Sunlight* Gosh...I really wish I could take more pictures outside! My work schedule this time of year though...I leave before the sun comes up and don't get home until dark. It stinks!





A Box, Indied is available from Llarowe for $50 each. Each box contains 5 polishes and/or products that are exclusive to that box and will not be available individually. You can sign up to receive a box each month or you can purchase the boxes individually when they are released. Follow Llarowe's Facebook page for announcements of exact dates and times of releases (the box for the next month is usually released around the end of the previous month.) She will also give previews of the products and makers that will be in the box (there is a rotation of makers that are included, it isn't always the same). Thanks for looking everyone!