NOTD: UberChic Beauty 17-01 + Sugar Flor Ursula (Or, Misty Ivy!)

(Press samples ahead!)

Hello!


Today I have a quick NOTD for you, in keeping with the short week! I started with a base of Sugar Flor Ursula (part of her Enchanted Treasure collection), then stamped the layering ivy image from UberChic Beauty 17-01:

UberChic Beauty 17-01

I stamped the first layer with Messy Mansion Misty Jade, and the second layer with Messy Mansion Soft Gold:

UberChic Beauty 17-01 over Sugar Flor Ursula with Messy Mansion Misty Jade and Soft Gold

UberChic Beauty 17-01 over Sugar Flor Ursula with Messy Mansion Misty Jade and Soft Gold

I stamped the image image across the nails to make it look like ivy crawling up a wall, and I think it came out really soft and pretty! I also love how the gold outlines pick up the glitter in the crelly. What do you think?


Happy stamping!
M. :)

Messy Mansion Crystal 03 plate (Or, Urban Panda!)

(Press samples and affiliate links ahead!)

Hello!


I hope you're having a wonderful long weekend! We're going to barbeque some burgers and spend some time welcoming summer. :)


Today I have a layering plate to show you from Messy Mansion that's a ton of fun if you're into cute animals: Messy Mansion Crystal 03. Here's the video review I did of several of their Crystal layering plates:

Let's take a closer look:

Messy Mansion Crystal 03

These images are all different sizes, so here's a shot with a ruler to help you get a feel for how big they are:

And how does it stamp? Take a look:

Good quality images, and seriously, how adorable are those faces!!!


For my manicure, I wanted to go a different way that full-on cute animal, so I decided to give a my panda a little bit of an urban-graffiti type of feel. I started with a base of Julep Ledi and stamped over it with Messy Mansion Sterling, Carbon, and Chalk, using Messy Mansion Leadlight Lacquer A08 plate for my background:

Messy Mansion Crystal 03 and Leadlight Lacquer A08 over Julep Ledi, stamped with Sterling, Carbon, and Chalk

Messy Mansion Crystal 03 and Leadlight Lacquer A08 over Julep Ledi, stamped with Sterling, Carbon, and Chalk

When I stamped my panda, I first stamped the background in Sterling and then again slightly offset in Chalk to give a shadowed effect and help the panda pop off the black background. Then I stamped my final layer on top in Carbon. I think this is a kicky, fun, happy way to show a little panda love, because I have to admit my little secret--I adore pandas. ;-)


You can find both of these plates and the stamping polishes on Messy Mansion's site, or on Amazon if that's easier for you. And you can follow them around the interwebs here:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/messymansion/

Facebook Fangroup: https://www.facebook.com/groups/messymansion/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/messymansion/

Happy stamping!
M.

NOTD: UberChic Beauty 15-03 + Spellbound Nails Milky Way

(Press samples and affiliate links ahead!)

Hello! Are you guys ready for a fun three-day weekend? Sign me up. :)


Today I have a quick nail of the day to show you! I started with a base of Spellbound Nails Milky Way, and then stamped images from UberChic Beauty 15-03:

I wanted to see if that image with the big negative space flower would look good along with the top layered flower image from the. I stamped using Messy Mansion Red-y Or Not and Soft Gold:

UberChic Beauty 15-03 over Spellbound Nails Milky Way stamped with Messy Mansion Soft Gold and Red-y Or Not

UberChic Beauty 15-03 over Spellbound Nails Milky Way stamped with Messy Mansion Soft Gold and Red-y Or Not

UberChic Beauty 15-03 over Spellbound Nails Milky Way stamped with Messy Mansion Soft Gold and Red-y Or Not

I love how this came out! The intricate pattern reminds me of a beautiful scarf, and you can't go wrong with a combination of white, gold and red. What do you think?


Happy stamping!
M.

Girly Bits Cosmetics May CoTM duo!

(Press samples ahead!)

Hello!


Well, with some polish conventions and whatnot, Girly Bits May Color of The Month duo got a little bit delayed...but it's here now, and it's pretty darn awesome.

The first half of is a blush creme perfect for the mother in your life, since it's called Because I Said So:

Girly Bits Cosmetics Because I Said So

Girly Bits Cosmetics Because I Said So

Coverage: 2 coats.
Formula and application: No fuss, no muss, just pretty results. :)

Blush is such a popular color right now, this is the perfect nude for the season. It's feminine in a classy way that I just love.


The second half of the duo is Shake What Ya Mama Gave Ya, a periwinkle-to-lavender shifting scattered holo with a soft linear flash and lots of shimmer and pink and purple flakes:

Girly Bits Cosmetics Shake What Ya Mama Gave Ya

Girly Bits Cosmetics Shake What Ya Mama Gave Ya

Girly Bits Cosmetics Shake What Ya Mama Gave Ya

Coverage: 2 coats.
Formula and application: Like butter, baby!

I could stare into this polish for hours. The blue-to-purple shift owns my heart, but the flakes and the holo together throw color wherever you look--flashes of pink and mint and gold and silver and...there just aren't words for how pretty this is. If unicorns wore nail polish, it would look like this.


I couldn't help myself--I had to do some nail art with this pair. I added on some stamping with Girly Bits GBC 1-01 plate, using Girly Bits Little Black Dress, Silver Bells and Ker-Minty Frog Here to stamp:

Girly Bits Cosmetics  GBC 1-01 over Because I Said So and Shake What Ya Mama Gave Ya

Girly Bits Cosmetics  GBC 1-01 over Because I Said So and Shake What Ya Mama Gave Ya

Look at all of those colors and tell me you can't get lost in that polish. I love how the blush of Because I Said So play with the golden-peach lights in Shake What Ya Mama Gave Ya. I love how SWYMGY holds up to the black stamping, but also plays so beautifully wit the kind. I'm keeping this lovely on for a few days.


The duo is on sale now in the Girly Bits store, and the early bird discount ($2 off when you buy the set) is good until May 25th. And, you can check out Girly Bits around the interwebs here:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GirlyBits/?fref=ts

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/girlybitscosmetics/

Facebook Fan Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/GirlyBitsLovers/

Happy polishing!
M.

UberChic Beauty Collection 17!

(Press samples ahead!)

Hello!


UberChic Beauty just keeps churning out awesome plates, and today we're going to take a look at collection 17. Here's the video review I made of the plates:

Let's take a closer look:

UberChic Beauty 17-01

What I love most about this plate: I love the geometric flowers in the infinity image, and the lacy medallions you can mix and match that will give any mani a huge dose of class--but my very favorite thing on this plate is the layering ivy images at the top that can double as hearts. :)

UberChic Beauty 17-02

What I love most about this plate: I love the dotted circle images, and the layering columns of dots (they remind me of those zen stones you stack in a zen garden). I love the interlaced Xes, but my favorite thing on this plate are the dot patterns up on the top, especially the one that looks like a peace sign. :)

UberChic Beauty 17-03

What I love most about this plate: I love the line-and-pixel images and the watermarbles, but by far the coolest thing here is the flower infinity image at the bottom that gives you all of that free edge to play with. Use it for half-moon images and French tips, to let the flowers cascade down half of your nails--you have so many options when you aren't forced to use just a rectangular images with straight edges. Take advantage of it!


UberChic Beauty's full-nail images are 17mm X 21mm. Here's a look at the relative size of the other images on the plates:

How do they stamp? Let's take a look:

 

 

These were done with a clear stamper, and even the fine lines are gorgeous. That's top-notch stuff right there.

For my first mani, I started with a base of Penny Bloom Waves On The Ocean (my own creation, made in their design-your-own-polish studio); I stamped mix-and-match images from 17-01 and 17-03 with Messy Mansion Amalfi Coast:

UberChic Beauty 17-01 and 17-03 over Penny Bloom Waves On The Beach

UberChic Beauty 17-01 and 17-03 over Penny Bloom Waves On The Beach

UberChic Beauty 17-01 and 17-03 over Penny Bloom Waves On The Beach

I love how well Amalfi Coast goes with the blue glitters in this, and of course the pizesl really play well with the square glitters. This is fun with a hint of techno edge, and I didn't want to take it off. And check out how easy it is to do something a little different with just one simple stamp per nail when you have the matching images to mix-n-match. :)


For my second mani, I used a base of Penny Bloom Summer Sunshine (another creation of mine!), and then I stamped with Messy Mansion Red-y Or Not, Banana Bender, and Summer Heat: 

UberChic Beauty 17-02 over Penny Bloom Summer Sunshine

UberChic Beauty 17-02 over Penny Bloom Summer Sunshine

UberChic Beauty 17-02 over Penny Bloom Summer Sunshine

I love the scribbly flowers and this time of year I love any mani that combines shades of yellow, orange and red. Also, with this mani I wanted to show an example of what I talk a lot about in my video reviews--the design potential you get from a plate when there are matching images with different scales. Yes, I could have just layered the full nail image in different colors, but having the option to layer a bigger flower over the smaller flowers give the mani depth and variation that's more pleasing to the eye. UberChic Beauty is the absolute leader at giving options like this.


You can find these plates in UberChic Beauty's shop; you can also follow them around the interwebs for inspiration and updates:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/uberchicbeauty/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uberchicbeauty/

Fan group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1150090828353009/

Happy stamping!
M.

Morgan Taylor Selfie Summer 2017 Collection!

(Press samples ahead!)

Hello!


Today I have something new to me to show you--Morgan Taylor's new Selfie Summer 2007 collection, which has summer cremes, shimmers, neons, and even a cute selfie stick to help you capture all your awesome mani moments:

Morgan Taylor Selfie Summer 2017 collection

First up we have Morgan Taylor All About The Pout, a light pinky-peach slightly neon creme:

Morgan Taylor All About The Pout

Morgan Taylor All About The Pout

Coverage: two coats
Formula and application: Great formula, no issues--and I love the brush shapes, which fit the curve of the cuticle perfectly.

This is a gentle neon--it has a hint of the bright, but isn't the kind you can see from across the street. I love this shade--it made me look tan and chic and made me feel romantic. Love.


Next up is Morgan Taylor Best Face Forward, a classic blurple with blue shimmer that favors blue in most lights:

Morgan Taylor Best Face Forward

Morgan Taylor Best Face Forward

Coverage: two coats
Formula and application: Great formula, no issues.


In the bottle this looked more purple than it ended up looking when I wore it. You can see the purple lean in the edge of the bottle in the shot--the polish shows more purple in darker lights. It's rich and the blue shimmer gives it a hint of depth.


Next we have Morgan Taylor Me, My Self-ie, And I, a neon peach shimmer:

Morgan Taylor Me, My Self-ie, And I

Morgan Taylor Me, My Self-ie, And I

Coverage: two coats
Formula and application: Great formula, no issues.


This is my favorite of the collection. The neon isn't overwhelming and the shimmer adds some pretty--it's a refreshing color for those hot summer days.


Next we have Morgan Taylor No Filter Needed, a blue creme that bridges sky blue and cerulean:

Morgan Taylor No Filter Needed

Morgan Taylor No Filter Needed

Coverage: three coats
Formula and application: Great formula, no issues.

This is a bright, fun polish that makes me want to go outside and have a picnic under a beautiful summer sky. I did need three coats to get full coverage on this one, however.


Next is Morgan Taylor Pretty As A Pink-Ture, a hot pink neon creme:

Morgan Taylor Pretty As A Pink-Ture

Morgan Taylor Pretty As A Pink-Ture

Morgan Taylor Pretty As A Pink-Ture

Coverage: two coats
Formula and application: Great formula, no issues.


This is one of those neons that are so bright they freak out my camera! This is a flirty pink, for the days when you want to get noticed.

Next up is Morgan Taylor Woke Up This Way, a fuchsia neon creme so bright it gave my camera fits:

Morgan Taylor Woke Up This Way

Morgan Taylor Woke Up This Way

Morgan Taylor Woke Up This Way

Coverage: two coats
Formula and application: Great formula, no issues.

This is tropical flowers and popsicles on a hot day. It's passionate and fun, and BRIGHT. If you love neons, you'll love this.


In addition to the colors of the collection, Morgan Taylor also sent me their React base and topcoat, which turn the polishes into no-light gel polishes. I'll post separately about how they wear, but can say for now that I'm very impressed by how shiny the topcoat is--it rivals my beloved Seche Vite! So if it really does give long wear as well, I'm going to be very, very impressed. :)


So what do I think of the collection as a whole? There's a solid set of summer colors in neon and not-so-neon finishes. Most of the polishes dried to a semi-matte finish, so if you want them glossy, you'll definitely want topcoat. I love the brush shape of the polishes--they're the best I've used in terms of ease of application. And the quality of the polishes all seem high, although I did need three coats to get full coverage with No Filter Needed.


These polishes are on sale now at J.C. Penny, and you can also buy them through Morgan Taylor's site. And, you can check check them out across the internet here:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mtmorgantaylor/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MorganTaylorLacquer/

Happy polishing!
M.