Friday, August 29, 2014

KBShimmer Anniversary Trio


Hey guys! 

KBShimmer is celebrating it's 6th anniversary with this brightly colored trio! 

Beach Please is a purple leaning pink and is SEARINGLY bright! This was two perfect coats of bright bright brightness. Super awesome and I love this! 



Shore Thing is a bright almost neon mint creme. This was two easy coats, as usually. I added some stars using some nail vinyls and Hexy Bikini, which is a textured holographic glitter rainbowy goodness!



I love this trio so much! You can purchase the polishes individually or as a set here.

What's your favorite KBShimmer??  

Talk to you soon! 
Amanda

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Pretty & Polished Guardians of the Galaxy Polishes

Hey guys!

Pretty & Polished recently released a collection based on the Marvel Guardians of the Galaxy movie and I have two of the polishes to share with you today!

First is The Gamorous Life, a lime green with red flakes. This was 2 coats.



This next polish is Draximum Security and I won this polish from a contest on the P&P facebook page, so thank you!

I used 3 coats here, plus a top coat. This blue jelly with blue and red glitters is pretty awesome!



You can purchase Pretty & Polished here!

Have you seen Guardians of the Galaxy??

Talk to you soon!
Amanda

Monday, August 25, 2014

Barielle Sweet Treats Collection

Hey guys!
Press Sample

I have some Barielle polishes and a treatment to share with you today!

The Barielle Hydrating Ridge Filling Base Coat is just what I need. Some of my nails are quite ridgey (ridgey? Sure, we'll go with that!) and it is visible when wearing polish. I don't think my nails are brittle but they definitely have some ridges so I was curious to see how this base coat worked to help mask that problem. This ridge filler has silk protein fibers that help to smooth ridges and moisturize nail beds.

It is a milky color, and dries to what looks like a matte finish on the nails. It dried very quickly and I was able to apply my nail color within no time at all. On my left index finger, I have more ridges than my other nails so I applied two coats to that nail.


Green Apple Chew is the brightest of the bunch. I used 2 easy coats of this lime green polish.


Banana Drop is a creamy banana yellow. This covered very well for a yellow; I did two coats!


Lilac Jelly Bean is a dusty lilac purple. This was my second favorite! So pretty. Perfect for fall but not dark and vampy like so many fall shades.


Blue Cotton Candy is the most pigmented of this group. I could have gotten away with one coat but I did use two, partially out of habit and partially just to be sure it was completely opaque. This was my favorite, that color just screams "Amanda!" This description on the Barielle website calls this a "frosted opalescent sea blue" but I would not call this a frost polish at all. There is definitely shimmer but not at all frosty.



Orange Parfait is an orangey coral. This reminds me of a desert orange. I really liked this!



Overall, these were very lovely polishes to be able to use. They swatched nicely, dried fairly quickly, and the formulas on all of the polishes were very easy to work with. I have several other Barielle shades and I don't use them as often as I should! They are lovely!

You can purchase Barielle nail polish on their website. Individual bottles retail for $4 each (a steal!) or you can purchase color collections for $25. There are also a bunch of hand and foot treatments, creams, and lotions on the website!


Talk to you soon!
Amanda

Saturday, August 23, 2014

Katarina Naturals Nail Polish Remover

Hey guys!
*Products were sent to me for free in exchange for my honest opinion*

Today's post is a little different because it's not really about nails, but about a nail polish remover!

Katarina Naturals is a Michigan company (whoo!) that makes natural, plant based removers with no petroleum and they are cruelty free. I am always looking for more natural products and especially if those products are made in the USA and/or local! And Laurie was a peach to work with so that's just a bonus :-)

I was sent two varieties, an acetone based and a non acetone based remover. The acetone based remover is supposed to smell like a "fresh fruity scent" but I did not think it smelled fruity at all. I can't really pinpoint the scent but it wasn't fruity. The non acetone remover has a lovely mint scent, however!


A note was included on the best way to use the removers. The acetone based remover works well for soaking off gels and shellacs and since I don't use gel or shellac, I have no idea if that's accurate, lol. I soaked a cotton round in the remover and held it on my nail for 10 seconds and rubbed the polish off. I used a similar method with the non acetone remover (and my nails smelled minty fresh! Haha!) but I did have to work a little harder to remove the polish using the non acetone. However, I ALWAYS use acetone removers so I can't compare removal very well since I've never used another non acetone remover. Phew, remover remover remover!

These are effective removers. I don't think they work better than a regular acetone remover (which is what I usually use) but I am okay with using a little more effort to remove my polish considering they are a more natural alternative to the chemical laden products we usually find for removal.

You can purchase Katarina Naturals on Amazon.com and visit their website here. If you have a natural food/health store near you, encourage them to carry Katarina Naturals locally!

Talk to you soon!
Amanda

Friday, August 22, 2014

Wet n Wild Love Me Some Muscles

Hey guys!

This shorty post is a bright little Wet n Wild polish from their summer collection. This is Love Me Some Muscles, and it's a bright coral pink! I used 3 thin coats here.


Kind of a simple color and not terribly unique but still really pretty!

Talk to you soon!
Amanda

Thursday, August 21, 2014

Bestie Twin Nails with The Little Canvas!

Hey guys!

Alaina of The Little Canvas and I are back with another round of Bestie Twin Nails or BTN, for short :-)

This time, we chose to replicate this look that is unfortunately not credited and the link it was pinned from is... well... Pinterest won't let you go to the site because it's been flagged for inappropriate content. SO! If you know you did this manicure, let me know so I can properly credit!!

I chose to use similar colors as the original pin, using Squishy Face Polish Dusty Rose as my base color and then Zoya Tomoko for the gold and OPI My Boyfriend Scales Walls and Wet n Wild Black for the accents. I used some nail vinyls for the lines because I'm terrible at straight lines, lol.




I quite liked these! I need to practice my striping but it's not terrible looking, I don't think. I am definitely enjoying our BTN, as it's helping me to come out of my comfort zone with nail art. Baby steps. Baby steps! LOL

Go look at Alaina's nails because they are really pretty!

Talk to you soon!
Amanda

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

China Glaze Surprise Glitters

Hey guys!

Today's post is all about China Glaze Surprise glitters! I received three of this in a swap and they just sat forever because I have monster sized boxes of untrieds :-/

So here they are today! Better late than never, eh? I will say that I didn't love these like I thought I would, only because they were a much thinner consistency that I was hoping.

Shine-nanigans over Flower What's The Daffodilly-o. This is one coat sort of blobbed on.


Next is Glimmer More over Sally Hansen CSM Barracuda. Again, one blobbed on coat.

Lastly, and my surprise favorite is Don't Be A Flake over Zoya Louise. This has pink holographic hexes in it, which caught the light beautifully! One blobby coat.



Overall, I was a little dissappointed with these. I think if they had less suspension base, and were a more dense glitter I would have loved them. They certainly aren't terrible and make nice glitter toppers, but I don't know... I was left a little underwhelmed by these guys. Awww sad face.

What do you think? Did you buy any of the Surprise collection? What were your thoughts?

Talk to you soon!
Amanda

Monday, August 18, 2014

Pretty & Polished Day In The Park and Pebbles

Hey guys!

Today's post is all about Pretty & Polished! I have two polishes, once came from a Beauty Box and the other... Well, I'm not sure. Maybe also a Beauty Box?? Whoops.

Anyway, the first polish is called Day In The Park. This is a sky blue jelly packed with yellow, green, blue, and pink glitter in assorted sizes and shapes. I used two coats here and a topcoat, as it was a bit lumpy without the topcoat.



And here's Pebbles, a nudeish jelly with a whole mess of different glitters: pink, blue, red, green, purple AND pink hearts! This was 2 thin coats, again with topcoat.

My Pretty & Polished polishes are always some of my favorites. You can purchase at shopprettyandpolished.com

Talk to you soon!
Amanda

Friday, August 15, 2014

Zoya Louise

Hey guys!

So you might think "brown nail polish? Gross." And it's not a color I would normally gravitate towards but ohmygosh Zoya Louise is so pretty. This was two coats of chocolatey dreaminess and just... ugh. Milk chocolate beauty!


DON'T YOU WANT CHOCOLATE NOW?? Ugh! SO PRETTY!

Talk to you soon!
Amanda

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Flower What The Daffodilly-o

Hey guys!

This polish is not anything crazy or terribly unique: I bought it specifically for the name. It's Flower What The Daffodilly-o. I had to buy it! I love puns, and it is a pretty color, even though I probably have 15 like it :-p That's not really fair to compare to because most normal people don't have the amount of nail polish that I do!

Anyway, this was 3 coats, no top coat. Nice formula, no streaking or pooling.



Have you tried the Flower brand before? What colors should I look for?

Talk to you soon!
Amanda

Monday, August 11, 2014

Firecracker Lacquer Penguin Parade

Hey guys!

This polish is from a new to me indie brand called Firecracker Lacquer. I got this polish in a swap and thought I would share :-)

Penguin Parade (cutest name ever) is a scattered holographic black polish, almost a jelly polish. It was pretty sheer on the first coat but built up nicely on the second. The first picture is without flash, the second is with.



So pretty! Have you tried Firecracker Lacquer before??

Talk to you soon!
Amanda

Friday, August 8, 2014

Formula X for Sephora Crash

Hey guys!


Today's polish is from the Formula X by Sephora line and I picked this baby up on super clearance a few weeks ago! $2.99! Hoollllaaa!!

Crash, a bright baby blue with assorted hexes and smaller glitters. This is one coat of Firecracker Lacquer Penguin Parade.


I also layered one coat over OPI's You're So Vain-illa. I liked the blue against the nude!



Talk to you soon!
Amanda

Wednesday, August 6, 2014

Bonita Frosty

Hey guys!

Today I have a newer brand to share with you: Bonita Colors. You can purchase these at Rite Aid and they have a pretty good selection of colors. I think this is a fairly new brand, but I'm seeing a lot of Bonita on Instagram!

I grabbed one polish the last time I was in Rite Aid, this gorgeous mint polish. It it a little bit frosty but that's pretty much to be expected, as it is called Frosty. This was 3 thin coats. I didn't have any issues with the formula, either.



So what do you think? Have you tried Bonita yet?

Talk to you soon!
Amanda

Tuesday, August 5, 2014

Honeybee Gardens Vintage Merlot: Swatch and Review!

Hey guys!
*Polish was provided for free in exchange for my honest opinion*

Today's post is all about a nail polish from Honeybee Gardens! If you are not familiar with this company, let me fill you in! They are cruelty free, vegan, and gluten-free! They offer a wide range of cosmetics, brushes, bath and body and hair products, and more! The makeup is also paraben free, FD & C colors, and petrochemicals (a chemical obtained from refining petroleum or natural gas).

I'm going to copy the polish info directly from the page, so you have the most information possible :-)

"For those who want an alternative to solvent-based nail enamel, we've got the solution for you! Our unique water-based polish is free from harsh chemical odors; no more nasty fumes! But perhaps best of all, there's also no need for toxic smelly nail polish remover - this product removes with rubbing alcohol, vodka/grain alcohol or our Nail Polish Remover! Thanks to our new patented technology, there's nothing else like it on the market!


odorless, non-toxic earth-friendly formula
long wearing fabulous colors
Contains NO:FD&C colors, toluene, dibutyl phthalate, xylene, or formaldehyde"

There is actually a LOT more information on the site but I didn't want this to turn into a novel, lol. But if you would like all the info, please click here.

The color I have for you is called Vintage Merlot and it's gorgeous. It could not be more perfectly named, either! I showed my mom my nails and she said "oh pretty, it looks like wine!" Perfect!

Now, I always use a base coat when wearing nail polish and I used my regular Revlon Gel-Stay base coat for this polish, as well.

I applied one coat to my nails and let it dry for a minute. It was quite thin, but I was expecting that, as a water based product. I ended up using 3 coats to get the opacity I wanted. The polished dried a little uneven; I'm not sure if this is due to ridges in my nails or the thin consistency of the product. I decided to test two nails with top coat and two without and the topcoat did smooth any ridges or unevenness.

One coat:

Two Coats:

Three Coats: 

Three coats with top coat:


I wore the polish for 2.5 days before removing. By the end of the first day, there was a small chip on the index finger of my left hand (where the first chip always starts, which is ironic because I'm right handed) and by the middle of the third day, the entire nail of polish peeled off in one sheet. I never mind this because I hate removing nail polish so if it comes off in one sheet, that's okay with me! LOL Also, this happens on my index finger with just about every single polish I wear. It's the strangest thing. That's one reason that I don't usually mention wear time because it is different for everyone.

The brochure that came with the polish suggested using rubbing alcohol to remove the polish, but I didn't have any of that so I used regular acetone and it worked just fine.

The price of this polish is $12.99, which is maybe a little more than I would expect to pay for a polish, except that natural products do tend to cost a bit more than the chemically laden products we buy.

I would definitely try some other colors. The polish has almost zero odor; I would equate it to a very very faint wall paint smell. The color was beautiful and built up to a nice opacity, and I do love a natural makeup product!

You can purchase Honeybee Gardens directly from their website, but I just discovered that you can also purchase this brand on Drugstore.com, Walgreens.com and starting next week at Target.com. What's great about purchasing from those sites is that you can use Ebates to earn cash back! Whoo!

Talk to you soon!
Amanda

Monday, August 4, 2014

KBShimmer Chick Me Out

Hey guys!

Today's polish is the beautiful KBShimmer Chick Me Out, a bright yellow creme! Ohhh I love yellow nail polish (or yellow anything, really), it's just so happy and cheerful!!

This was 3 coats of this beautiful creamy wonderfulness.


I know yellow is hit or miss for some people but it's definitely a hit for me! Do you love yellow polish like I do??

Talk to you soon!
Amanda

Friday, August 1, 2014

Indigo Bananas Swatches

Hey guys!


Today's polishes are provided for your viewing pleasure via a swap package I received a few weeks ago. These are my first Indigo Bananas polishes so I was very excited to try them out!

First, Wise Up, Janet! An orchid purple polish that is a bit confusing: it's sort of metallic, holo, glitter, and foily all at the same time!! This was two coats.


And second is Do You Have A Flag?, a silver polish with the same confusing base, lol. This was two coats and you can still see some VNL but that doesn't really bother me.


These polishes were a little bit thick, so I would recommend waiting longer in between coats. But I'm Miss Impatient Pants and pretty much never heed my own advice :-p

What are your favorite Indigo Bananas polishes??


Talk to you soon!
Amanda