Sunday, July 28, 2013

Enchanted Polish Purple Roses

Hey guys! Today I have another one of the more recent Enchanted Polish pretties to share with you. Purple Roses is a holo silvery purple foil. I have Austin Powers but have yet to wear it; it is said to be the same formula and consistency though. This polish was actually created to raise awareness for cystic fibrosis -- purple is the official awareness color for CF -- and part of the proceeds went to the Greater Illinois Chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. I think it is wonderful when polish makers donate part of their proceeds to charity, something that Chelsea actually does quite frequently. :) As for the polish itself, it is so, so sparkly in the sunlight, so beautiful! Take a look~

outdoors, sun
outdoors, shade
indoors, natural light
On my nails:
1 coat Innisfree Eco Peel-off Base coat
3 coats Enchanted Polish Purple Roses
1 coat HK Girl Topcoat

Application was pretty good, it was a little sheer but layered well in three coats, and one coat of topcoat was plenty to smooth it out, even though it is a little textured. I think it is interesting how different Purple Roses looks in different lighting, it is almost like a completely different polish! I confess when I saw the first pictures of this I wasn't a fan of the strong foil appearance (like in my natural light picture) but in the right lighting the foil+holo is so sparkly, it's absolutely dazzling :) Definitely glad I grabbed this one -- and for a good cause, too!

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You can find Enchanted Polish at their website, Llarowe, Harlow and Co, Mei Mei's Signatures, Nail Polish Canada, Norway Nails, and Pshiiit Boutique and be sure to check out their Facebook~


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 Have a wonderful day! ♥

Friday, July 26, 2013

Sweetheart Polish Swatches & Review

Hello hello! Today I have another new indie brand on the blog. Sweetheart Polish is a fairly new Etsy shop, and the creator, Cassandra, was nice enough to send me a couple pretties to share with you guys :)

from left to right, up to down: 9ers, Disco Mike, Mermaid's Magic

Disco Mike is a clear base with silver and pale green dots and tons of silver shimmer. According to Cassandra this one can actually reach opacity, but I chose to layer it over Essie Mojito Madness, a grassy green creme instead. Application was nice, I didn't have any trouble spreading a good amount of glitter over the nail in one coat. I love the intense shimmer here! And super-love that it was inspired by Mike Wazowski from Monsters Inc., one of my favorites :) Dying to see Monsters U when I get a chance!

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On my nails:
2 coats Essie Mojito Madness
1 coat Sweetheart Polish Disco Mike
1 coat OPI Topcoat

9ers is a clear base full of tiny gold flakes, tiny holo gold squares, red satin tiny squares/microglitter, and red and white matte hearts. I layered it over Cult Nails Nevermore, a black creme, to show all the glitters off. I really like the warmer, yellow tone to the gold, which I find more flattering than a cooler more metallic shade. Application was pretty good like Disco Mike, though I did have to fish quite a bit to get those hearts out, but that is to be expected, especially in a mini.

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 On my nails:
1 coat Cult Nails Nevermore
1 coat Sweetheart Polish 9ers
1 coat OPI Topcoat

Lastly, Mermaid's Magic is a sheer silvery blue base with a green shift and a subtle scattered holo effect, with assorted blue large and small dots, small squares, and microglitter. A lot going on here! This goes on really sheer (the official description mentions it can actually be layered as a shimmery glitter topper) but builds quite well, and even though there is a lot of glitter in there I didn't have much trouble applying it - the large circles actually came out very easily even. The pictures are fairly accurate in terms of how it appears in person -- it looks more sheer and silvery in sun, but in lower light it reads a mostly-opaque slightly frosty pale teal. Very pretty color! I don't have anything like it at all, very unique :)

outdoors, sun
outdoors, shade - love this pic!
 On my nails:
1 coat Innisfree Eco Peel-off Base coat
3 coats Sweetheart Polish Mermaid Magic
1 coat Seche Vite

Overall, I really enjoyed trying out Sweetheart Polish! Application was really nice on all of them, and they have a nice mix of glittery toppers and polishes that reach opacity on their own, which I appreciate - I love that several can function as either a topper or reach opacity on their own, it's like two polishes in one! :)

To check out Sweetheart Polish be sure to visit their Etsy shop and Facebook~

Have a fabulous day!♥

~This polish was provided by Sweetheart Polish  for an honest review~

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Enchanted Polish Britney Spearmint

Hey guys! Today I have a lovely Enchanted Polish that I've had for awhile to share with you. I got Britney Spearmint earlier this spring (same time as Halo and Spinkled, if I recall correctly) but for some reason put off wearing it until recently -- and now I can't imagine why! Britney Spearmint is a pale minty green shimmer with a subtle holo. Take a look!

outdoors, sun
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 On my nails:
1 coat Orly Nail Defense
3 coats Enchanted Polish Britney Spearmint
1 coat HK Girl Topcoat

Such a pretty color! I think the reason I wasn't totally jumping to wear this was because of the very subtle holo (and fear of lobster hands... but actually that didn't really turn out to be an issue surprisingly). However, while the holo isn't in-your-face like some other Enchanteds, the crazy glowing shimmer is what makes this one special - very hard to stop staring at it! Definitely glad I finally got around to wearing it :)

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You can find Enchanted Polish at their website, Llarowe, Harlow and Co, Mei Mei's Signatures, Nail Polish Canada and Pshiiit Boutique and be sure to check out their Facebook~


Have a wonderful day! ♥

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Carpe Noctem Cosmetics Swatches & Review

Hey guys! Today I have another new brand to share with you! Carpe Noctem Cosmetics is a fairly new Etsy shop with a variety of polish types, including fun glitters and gorgeous shimmers. I have two of them to review for you today!

left to right: Magic Tidepool, Bubblegum Blues

Fae is a shimmery deep fuschia with a blue shift. This is such a lovely color! I have to say, this shade of pink is not usually my favorite, but the blue duochrome effect really transforms it into something special, and totally unique within my collection. Application was decent, though this slightly chrome-y finish can lend itself to brushstrokes if you aren't careful, but it wasn't too bad. Very pretty!

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On my nails:
1 coat Orly Nail Defense
3 coats Carpe Nocte Cosmetics Fae
1 coat Seche Vite

Magic Tidepool is a clear base full of small green, red and blue matte hexes and squares, as well as tiny iridescent blue hexes that seem to shift purple in the right light. I layered it over Zoya Robyn, a bright robin's egg blue creme. The iridescent glitters played perfectly with Robyn, to create a really amazing shimmery sparkly effect! Application was very nice; I used three coats because I wanted a lot of the glitter on the nail, but there was a nice even spread of glitter in each coat, and one coat of topcoat was plenty to smooth it out. Very pretty color combo, and the iridescent glitters make it really special!

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On my nails:
1 coat Innisfree Eco Peel-off Base coat
2 coats Zoya Robyn
3 coats Carpe Nocte Cosmetics Magic Tidepool
1 coat Seche Vite

Overall I was very impressed with these polishes from Carpe Noctem Cosmetics. I appreciate that they carry both glitter toppers and shimmers, and do such a lovely job with both of them! I know I definitely would like to try out some more of their duochrome shimmers :)

To check out Carpe Noctem Cosmetics be sure to visit their Etsy shop and Facebook~

Have a great day! ♥

Monday, July 22, 2013

Layla Hologram Effect Emerald Divine

Hey guys! Today I have another amazing holo to share with you! I have had Layla Hologram Effect Emerald Divine for awhile now - and now that I've worn it I can't imagine what took me so long, it is absurdly gorgeous! As the name suggests, it is an emerald green holo. On to the pictures!

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 On my nails:
1 coat Nfu Oh Aqua Base
2 coats Layla Hologram Effect Emerald Divine
1 coat HK Girl Topcoat

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So by all accounts Layla holos usually have sub-par wear (chipping, tipwear, etc.) and the holo is diminished by topcoat. Luckily, with the combo of aqua base and HK Girl Topcoat, I dont' believe I had either of those problems! The polish went on really easily and was almost opaque in just one coat, and with the topcoat (which I highly recommend!) was still extremely holo and with virtually no wear after about 15 hours wear. I personally remember past Layla holos having poor wear, so it really is all thanks to this topcoat I think! Overall I was really pleased with how this mani held up, especially for such a gorgeous polish in such a pretty (and unique, for a holo) green shade -definitely motivated to wear the rest of my Layla holos now :)

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You can find Layla Hologram Effect polishes on Amazon~
You can find Nfu Oh Aqua base at Fabulous Street~
You can find HK Girl Topcoat at Glisten & Glow's website~

indoors, natural light

Have a wonderful day! ♥

Sunday, July 21, 2013

Polish Punch Swatches & Review

Hi guys! Brand new Etsy shop Polish Punch's Brittany was nice enough to send me a couple polishes to review, and I have them to share with you today!

left to right: Domino Effect, Hollywood Treasure

Hollywood Treasure is a clear base full of shredded gold glitter. I always think gold pops best with black, so I layered it over Cult Nails Nevermore, my trusty black creme. Hollywood Treasure applied nicely for the most part, and didn't require a whole lot of placement to look nice on the nail. Most glitters played nicely and laid flat against the nail, but there were some poky ones that wouldn't behave (see ring finger) due to major curling. A nice gold glitter though, I really like the overall look of this, especially over black!

outdoors, sun
outdoors, shade

On my nails:
1 coat Cult Nails Nevermore
1 coat Polish Punch Hollywood Treasure
1 coat OPI Topcoat

Domino Effect is a clear base with matte black and white diamonds and bars. Pink, black, and white together is one of my favoritest color combos, so I layered it over China Glaze Love's a Beach, a hot pink neon shimmer. Application was a little rough here - the glitter settled at the bottom of the bottle a fair amount, so I barely could get a few glitters on each dip and ended up with just the suspension base. This meant I had to do several careful coats to get an adequate glitter coverage (and of course this can easily lead to bubbles galore, though I managed to do okay mostly in that department). I am no polish-making expert, but maybe there simply isn't enough glitter in the bottle? I really don't know. But I do know that I do like the glitter combo, the bars and diamonds alone make for a really modern, clean look - if it was a little easier to apply, it would be great :)

outdoors, sun
outdoors, shade

On my nails:
2 coats China Glaze Love's a Beach
3 coats Polish Punch Domino Effect
1 coat OPI Topcoat

Overall I think Polish Punch has a lot of potential as a new brand! I think the glitter combos are quite nice (she has some cute ones in her shop), which is definitely very important. With just some tweaking in a few areas, they would be great! :)

To find out more about Polish Punch be sure to check out their Etsy shop and Facebook~

Have a great day! ♥

~This polish was provided by Polish Punch  for an honest review~

Saturday, July 20, 2013

Born Pretty Store Holo #8 - Bright Blue

Hi guys! I was lucky enough to be sent one of the gorgeous Born Pretty Store holos for review, and I have it to share with you today! #8 is a bright blue holo shade. So gorgeous! As with most holos, I'll let the pictures do the talking :)

outdoors, sun
outdoors, shade
 On my nails:
1 coat Nfu Oh Aqua Base
3 coats Born Pretty Store #8
1 coat HK Girl Topcoat

So beautiful! I am fairly certain upon reading a few other reviews that the aqua base was unnecessary, but I was in a little bit of a rush when doing this mani and didn't want to take chances :) Application was really nice all around! This was more of a jelly consistency vs., say the Nfu Oh holos (metallic and foil-y) which I am sure helps a lot with application -- it also dries pretty shiny on its own. Wear is great also - in the 12 or so hours I wore this there was absolutely no tipwear even (this is unusual for me, I am rather rough on my nails). Overall I was incredibly pleased with this beautiful polish, and I'm definitely interested in trying more of the Born Pretty Store holos!

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You can find the Born Pretty Store holos in their store~
and don't forget to use a coupon! I don't have my own coupon code to share, but please do a search for one -- there are a lot floating around out there :)

Have a great day! ♥

~This polish was provided by Born Pretty Store  for an honest review~

Friday, July 19, 2013

Mint Mani for Talia Joy♥

Hello! Today I have for you a very special mani, in memory and honor of Talia Joy. As I'm sure you all already know, Talia was a wonderfully positive, talented beauty vlogger, who recently lost her long battle to childhood cancer. I confess I did not learn of Talia until fairly recently, but I found her fighting spirit to be very inspirational, and I was very sad to hear of her passing. The beauty blogging community has come together to post mint manicures in honor of Talia's last Instagram post, and I am happy to participate in this wonderful tribute

As for the mani itself, I wanted to do a heart leopard print, which is something I've wanted to try for awhile but didn't know if it would turn out nicely. I started off with China Glaze Highlight of My Summer, a bright neon-ish minty creme, as my base. I then used Cult Nails Tempest, a white creme, to create the spots, and then Essie Mojito Madness, a grassy green creme, to do the heart outline -- all with my dotting tool. I finally topped it all off with Enchanted Polish Djinn in a Bottle, a holo topcoat, because a little extra holo sparkle is always good :) Take a look!

outdoors, sun - RIGHT
outdoors, shade
 On my nails:
1 coat Innisfree Eco Peel-off Base coat
3 coats China Glaze Highlight of My Summer
-dotted- Cult Nails Tempest/Essie Mojito Madness
1 coat Seche Vite
1 coat Enchanted Polish Djinn in a Bottle
1 coat Seche Vite

Overall I really like this mani! Although I wish the hearts looked a little more heart-like -- I actually included a shot of my right hand below, I like how it turned out a bit better -- the overall effect is really nice and eye-catching. Mostly I am just happy I could participate in a tribute to Talia -- if you would like to as well, please add your blog link to the list below! The more people the better :)

outdoors, sun - LEFT

 Have a wonderful day!

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Color Club Halo Hues Swatches & Review

Hey guys! Today I have something that I'm sure you've all seen dozens of times by this point -- but honestly, the Color Club Halo Hues are all so beautiful, I was dying to swatch them! And I figured I might as well share them -- if you guys are like me, you never get tired of gorgeous holos :)

I won't get much into each color, since the blinding holo speaks for itself, and to avoid repeating myself over and over again I will say right now that each applied very nicely in two thin coats (don't try to go too thick or it might streak) without base or topcoat :) Now, on to the pretties!



Over The Moon is a bright sky blue holo. This is so vibrant and colorful! I adore this one.

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Blue Heaven is a pale silvery blue holo. Very pretty and delicate.

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Harp On It is a silver holo. I have a weakness for amazing strong silver holos (they just show the different colors so well) and this one definitely is amazing! Rainbows galore.

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Kismet is a lime green holo. I don't think I have any holos quite this color, so it's definitely special! It almost looks gold at times, which is cool -- definitely a different kind of gold than most gold holos.

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Angel Kiss is a hard one to describe -- maybe just blue-green holo? Teal/turquoise/aqua don't quite seem to fit right... regardless of the name, this is one gorgeous color! So vibrant. Might be my favorite of the whole collection!

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outdoors, shade

Eternal Beauty is a violet holo. This color is fantastic, so bright like a few of the others, and such a vibrant color! I feel like I'm using the word vibrant over and over again, but really, this colors are so strong, they are simply dazzling in the right light.

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Miss Bliss is a reddish pink holo. This one is pretty vibrant for a pink holo also -- very pretty (looks a little more warm-toned/reddish in person).

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Cloud Nine is a pale lilac holo. Not as bright as the others but very pretty!

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Halo-graphic is a pale rosy pink holo. Less red-toned and vibrant than Miss Bliss.

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 Cherubic is a sandy-colored neutral holo. I don't have any other holos quite this shade either. Neutrals are always good!

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 Beyond is a black holo. I love this! It does not pull charcoal very much at all, and still manages to throw rainbows like nobody's business (it is more holo in person than the photo suggests).

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 Cosmic Fate is a tan/coppery holo. I really, really like this one -- it's my favorite way to do neutral, but still have a little pop of color, since it is pretty vibrant also. Very pretty!

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And that's that! I hope you enjoyed taking another look at all these gorgeous polishes, Halo Hues is such a fantastic collection with such a strong effect for all of us holo addicts :) Definitely glad I have all of them; if you are a holo lover and don't then I promise you you need these in your life -- look at all the rainbows!

Have a great day! ♥