(Press samples ahead!)
Hello!
So I mentioned there were two reasons I've been a little quieter than normal the last week or so...the first reason is that I got a publishing contract, and the other is: I'm co-blogger of the month for Polish Pickup this month!!
If you don't know the drill already, Polish Pickup is a Facebook group where members (come be one if you aren't already!) vote for a theme each month, and participating indie polish makers each create a polish that fits the theme. Unlike a subscription box, you don't have to buy all of the polishes (there are nearly 100!), you just snap up the ones you like once they're released. And, of course, you don't have to buy any if you don't want to--but who are we kidding here? You're gonna want to. ;-)
Today I'm going to be showing you the polishes from makers with names between Li and Z, and tomorrow Kiersten of Ramblings of a Subscription Addict will show you A-Le (she has A-Em here, and Et-Le here). Why the second half of the alphabet first? PPU is mixing up the orders to make sure people who were last get to be first, etc.
Okay, let's get down to the nitty gritty! This month's theme is Bad-Ass Women, and the makers picked someone who inspires them--and the choices ran the gamut from superheroes to family members. For all the pictures you're about to see, I'm wearing two coats with shiny topcoat, unless otherwise specified. Formula was good on all these babies, so no worries there. And while I'll add it at the bottom of the post too, for ease of scrolling, you can buy these polishes between November 2 and 5th, from the Polish Pickup website.
Let the games begin!
Lilly Anne's Garden The Dark Angel
Maker's description: Blackberry Scone Lotion. Notes of fresh blackberries are complimented by hints of boysenberry & raspberries, and nuances of buttery, warm crust. The scent is more fruity than bakery, so the sweetness doesn't overpower the fruit.
Inspiration: Bettie Page
Price: $5.50
Cap: none
Kicking off the post is Lilly Anne's Garden's Blackberry Scone lotion, which smells just as yummy as you think it will. After all of this swatching, my skin definitely needed some help (see the before & after pics), and I loved how easily this lotion soaked in without leaving my hands feeling even a little bit greasy (you can see how creamy it is). The scent was pleasant--definitely there when I was putting it on, but not so strong that it was overwhelming--just little hints of berry now and then.
Lucky 13 Lacquer Warrior Princess
Maker's description: In a time of ancient gods....warlords...and kings... Hands in turmoil cried out for a hero; for a Warrior Princess, forged in the heat of battle. Are you ready to be that princess? Platinum silver to gunmetal thermal with golden flakes and plenty of green and copper shimmer for Gabrielle. Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi-yi!
Inspiration: Xena: Warrior Princess
Inspiration: Xena: Warrior Princess
Price: $11.00
Cap: 125
LynBDesigns I Don't Flirt
Maker's description: Black base with holo flakies, hint of purple shimmer, and a mix of 2 UCC flakies that shift from copper to bronze to gold and red to copper to gold to orange
Inspiration: Jessica Jones
Price: $12.00
Cap: none
Mckfresh Nail Attire Fear Cuts Deeper Than Swords
Maker's description: Muddy Black to Green thermal, gold/bronze/brown/green flakies and glitters
Inspiration: Arya Stark, Game of Thones
Price: $14.00
Cap: 130
Moon Shine Mani I Am Different, Not Less
Maker's description: bright azure blue glowing with red to green shimmer, holo micro flakies, and violet/red/orange shifting chameleon flakies
Inspiration: Temple Grandin
Price: $11.00
Cap: TBD
There are a several polishes in this theme that made me emotional, and this was one of them. If you don't know, Temple Grandin is autistic, and sees the world very differently from 'neurotypical' individuals. But rather than treat that as a disability, she used those differences to make systematic--and empathetic--changes to how cattle are treated.
Moonflower Polish The General
Maker's description: Bluish gray with red-gold auroras and scattered holo
Inspiration: Carrie Fischer as Leia Organa from Star Wars
Price: $12.50
Cap: 150
MTK Design Metal Goddess
Maker's description: Black to 'blonde' holo thermal w/ blue/purple/pink shifting shimmer
Inspiration: Lita Ford
Price: $12.00
Cap: 100
Music City Beauty The People's Princess
Maker's description: Purple crelly base with purple shimmer, subtle holo and pink and green iridescent flakies
Inspiration: Princess Diana
Price: $12.00
Cap: 75
My Indie Shop Miss Piggy
Maker's description: Pink crelly with glitter
Inspiration: Miss Piggy
Price: TBD; check website
Cap: TBD; check website
Nail Hoot Trinity
My Description: Linear holo with a lavendar base in most lights, with holo glitter. This one shifts and shifts and shifts...next time there's a solar eclipse, blame this polish, 'cause it stole all the light and all the colors.
Inspiration: Trinity from The Matrix
Price: TBD; check website
Cap: TBD; check website
Nailed It! Bad Reputation
Maker's description: A deep sapphire blue with pink, red, and blue crystal chameleon flakies, iridescent rainbow flakies, and a subtle hint of purple sparks.
Inspiration: Joan Jett
Price: $12.75
Cap: 150
Native War Paints Audrey
Maker's description: Purple to dark blue to light blue shifting tri-thermal with green to copper unicorn pee and copper shimmer
Inspiration: Audrey Hepburn
Price: $13.00
Cap: 250
Necessary Evil Polish Jubilee and Greybeard
Maker's description: A grey base with a dollop of red and scattered holo. $1.00 for every polish sold with go to the Jane Goodall Foundation that supports nature, wildlife and women in science.
Inspiration: Jane Goodall
Price: $11.00
Cap: None
Oh, and, by the way? This is a one-coater! I'm wearing two coats for the purpose of the pictures, but you'll be fine with one.
NeVerMind Polish Bluestocking Tendencies
Maker's description: Metallic blue with pink/purple/blue UCC flakes
Inspiration: Alexia Tarabotti
Price: $12.00
Cap: 250
This one needs a little explanation, because the flakies were a bit camera shy. In some lights, the flakies will appear dark blue, but in other lights, they show clearly, the colors in the second-to-last picture, but more of them at once than show there. And, by the way, if you like steampunk and bad-ass women and you haven't read the Parasol Protectorate books, go introduce yourself to Alexia Tarabotti...They're awesome and fun.
Night Owl Lacquer Holding On & Letting Go
Maker's description: Smoky plum base w/a fuschia/red/copper/green multichrome shift & silver flakies
Inspiration: Women who struggle with mental health issues
Price: $12.50
Cap: None
This is another one that has meaning for me, since quite a number of women in my life, including me, have struggled with depression.
Noodles Nail Polish Goddess of Pawnee
Maker's description: Grape crelly packed with lavender and gold flakies, purple shimmer, and gold and purple metallic and holo glitters
Inspiration: Leslie Knope, from Parks and Recreation
Price: $11.00
Cap: 150
Northern Star True Leader
Maker's description: Creamy fern green with red to green color shifting aurora pigment, gold shimmer, and purple/blue color shifting UCC flakes.
Inspiration: Pharaoh Hatshepsut
Price: $12.00
Cap: 75
This also is a one-coater--I'm wearing two for the photos, but you'll most likely be fine with one. Gotta love that!
Pahlish Swiss Army Sonic
Maker's description: Deep olive cream with a coppery bronze to green multichrome with holo flakes/pigments
Inspiration: The 13th Doctor
Price: $12:50
Cap: None
Paint It Pretty Polish If I Don't Invest in Myself, No One Will
Maker's description: Magnetic blue with a purple shift, ultra chameleon chrome flakies and a sprinkling of blue and red micro glitters
Inspiration: Fiona Gallager
Price: $11.00
Cap: 75
Painted Polish Badass Beauty
Maker's description: White crelly featuring gold, bronze, and silver color-shifting flakies.
Inspiration: Emma Watson
Price: $11.50
Cap: None
Pampered Polishes Kahleesi
Maker's description: Off-white crelly base with 8 different ultrachrome chameleon flakies, holo things, iridescent things, gold flakies, and a copper shimmer
Inspiration: Daenerys Targaryen, Game of Thrones
Price: $12.00
Cap: None
Peachtree Polish Hands Up!
Maker's description: Gray crelly with a green shimmer and black, white and gun metal glitters
Inspiration: Bonnie Parker
Price: $10.50
Cap: 75
This one has a funny story I have to share with you...Peachtree Polish is made by Bonny Parker, which is just a teeny spelling difference from Bonnie Parker, and her classmates used to tease her about "Where's Clyde?" And while I'm not sure anyone would claim she's an inspirational paragon, nobody can deny she was bad-ass!
Pepper Pot Polish This Grrrl's Gonna Start A Riot
Maker's description: Barbie pink jelly with multiple shades of pink glitter
Inspiration: Kathleen Hanna, lead singer of the Riot Grrrl band Bikini Kill
Price: $11.00
Cap: TBD; check website
Poetry Cowgirl Nail Polish Coat of Many Colors
Maker's description: A full coverage glitter bomb packed with gold micro flakies and a variety of holo and metallic glitters. Renders pink/rose gold.
Inspiration: Dolly Parton (duo w/Wildflower Lacquer)
Price: $11.00
Cap: None
Polished For Days Felt With The Heart
Maker's description: A bronze-based linear holo with a red-copper-green shifting chrome shimmer and orange-to-green shifting micro flakes.
Inspiration: Hellen Keller
Price: $12.50
Cap: None
Pretty Beautiful Unlimited The Chosen One
Maker's description: A silver holographic base with purple to red to copper multichrome pigment, silver holographic micro flakies and glitters and 3 types of UCC flakies.
Inspiration: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Price: $12.00
Cap: 250
Pretty Jelly Liberté
Maker's description: deep red jelly with holographic flakies and ucc flakies
Inspiration: Noor Inayat Khan
Price: $12.50
Cap: None
I'd never heard of Noor Inaya Khan before I saw the inspiration for this polish, but she's my new hero.
Quixotic Polish Unlimited Drive
Maker's description: A grey to pale white shimmer thermal accented with light blue iridescent flakes and holo sparkles
Inspiration: Venus and Serena Williams
Price: $11.50
Cap: None
Rise and Shine Nail Polish Across The Ocean
Maker's description: Grey base with turquoise and green shifting pigment, with turquoise and crystal turquoise/green flakes.
Inspiration: My cousin Sara
Price: $9.95
Cap: None
This is another one with a very cool story behind it. The maker's mother was adopted, and shortly after they found a connection to her biological family in Germany, her father passed away. The cousin they'd found, Sara, was a strong anchor during that time, and has continued to be an inspiration. I think we could all use a cousin like that...
Rogue Lacquer Turn on the Light
Maker's description: Creamy off-white (book page inspired) packed with rainbow UCC flakes and holo
Inspiration: JK Rowling
Price: $12.00
Cap: None
Sassy Cats Lacquer The Evolution of Carol
Maker's description: Cobalt blue Magnetic polish with ultra chrome chameleon flakes blue, purple, pink, green, & iridescent flakes blue, green with purple shimmer
Inspiration: Carol from The Walking Dead
Price: $13.00
Cap: 75
Sassy Pants Polish #GirlBoss
Sassy Pants Polish #GirlBoss
Maker's description: A greige (gray/beige) crelly base with multiple ultra chameleon chrome flakies, holo and a subtle green shimmer
Inspiration: Sophia Amoruso, who at age 22 started an online vintage clothing store on ebay called Nasty Gal. 2016 Forbes named her one of the richest self-made women in the world
Price: $12.00
Cap: None
Savannah Lacquer Tiny But Mighty
Maker's description: Nude base filled with red shimmer & a sprinkling of holo flakes (opaque in 2-3 coats)
Inspiration: Kitten Lady (Hannah Shaw)
Price: $12.00
Cap: 150
This is another bad-ass woman I wasn't familiar with until I read the inspiration for this--I quickly Googled Hannah Shaw, and was blown away by the work she does saving neonatal kittens. Did you know that they're the highest at-risk group for being anesthetized? I didn't, and I'm very glad to know Hannah is out there educating people and fighting for them. Have your pets spayed/neutered!!
Sayuri Nail Lacquer The Right Way, The Wrong Way, And The Janeway
Maker's description: A rich, shimmering garnet jelly packed with red-bronze-copper UCC flakies and pops of gold holographic glitter.
Inspiration: Captain Kathryn Janeway
Price: $13.50
Cap: 180
Serum No.5 Notorious RBG
Maker's description: Inspired by Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Notorious RBG is a sheer black thermal (to resemble her robe) with a mix of pink and blue flakes and shimmer (for her work in equality), some holographic shimmer mixed in and glows green (for her earrings).
Inspiration: Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Price: $14.00
Cap: None
Seventy Seven Nail Lacquer F*ck & Run
Maker's description: A shimmery nude base with red/gold/orange flakies, copper sparks & orange shimmer
Inspiration: Liz Phair
Price: $12.50
Cap: 75
I'm wearing three coats in these pictures, but you may be fine with two--this is designed to be buildable. The polish is named for the song (of the same name) from her Exile in Guyville album.
Spell Polish Aretha
Maker's description: Purple/Gold Multichrome w/multichrome flakes & holo bits
Inspiration: Aretha Franklin
Price: $14.00
Cap: None
Starlight Polish There Are Many Ways To Be A Hero
Maker's description: Unicorn pee topper with holographic pigment and microflakes, and clear holographic glitter
Inspiration: Tamora Pierce's books
Price: $15.00
Cap: 300
I'm wearing one coat of There Are Many Ways To Be A Hero over black undies, with topcoat. This one's inspiration also comes with a bit of explanation...Issa loves Tamora Pierce's books because they taught her that she didn't have to compromise on aspects of herself to be strong, and that heroes come in all different shapes and sizes--from those dressed in chainmail and wielding a sword, to those in expensive dresses armed with manners and a determined commitment to justice. I'm paraphrasing her words here--because they, and the beauty of this polish, inspired me to begin reading Wild Magic.
Static Lacquer I Am No Man
Maker's description: A pale pink with flashes of purple and blue, micro holo flakies, and purple to copper ucc flakies.
Inspiration: Eowyn, from Lord of the Rings
Price: $12.00
Cap: 200
Stella Chroma Badass Beekeeper
Maker's description: Chocolate brown holo
Inspiration: Courtney Hartman
Price: $12.00
Cap: noneThis is another one that brought tears to my eyes. Courtney is owner-operator of 6 Harts Polish, and is fighting breast cancer with more strength, humor, and courage than I've ever witnessed. I love the choice of an espresso holo for her, because to me it symbolizes light coming out of the darkness.
Supernatural Lacquer In Search Of Ourselves
Maker's description: Pink/mauve crelly with contrasting green/purple aurora shimmer, blue/purple color shift flakes, peridot green metallic micro flecks and baby blue holo micro shards
Inspiration: Karen Horney
Price: $12.50
Cap: None
As a psychologist and a scientist, I just have to say how much I love seeing Karen Horney in this collection!
Sweet Heart Polish Hey, Catnip
Maker's description: Warm golden brown with gold and copper holo micro glitters
Inspiration: Katniss Everdeen
Price: $10.00
Cap: 100
The Lady Varnishes Kiss Me, Kill Me
Maker's description: Dusty plum base with red to gold ucc flakes and glitter and holo microflakes
Inspiration: Alice Morgan
Price: $12.50
Cap: 100
Top Shelf Lacquer Madge-The Queen of Pop
Maker's description: Navy base with shift from reddish purple to green with GLOWING blue and pink flakes
Inspiration: Madonna
Price: $13.00
Cap: None
Turtle Tootsie Polish Be Kind To One Another
Maker's description: A pale aqua blue crelly loaded with multiple shades of blue flakies, ucc flakies and aqua shimmer
Inspiration: Ellen Degeneres
Price: $11.00
Cap: None
You may need three coats for full coverage on this one, especially if you have nail staining (like I do!)
Vibrant Vinyls Royals
Maker's description: 'Royals' Scented Fast & Hard Quick Dry Glossy Top Coat. Decadent, rich chocolate fudge meets classic, cool peppermint in this royal blend; scent will appear once fully dry.
Inspiration: Lorde
Price: $7
Cap: 250
Royals smells like a tootsie roll filled with mint. I show one coat of it here over some stamping, to show that the topcoat doesn't smudge.
Wildflower Lacquer Cups Of Ambition
Maker's description: A medium orchid pink with pink and copper shimmer, gold and silver flakies, UCC flakies that shift from red to gold, pink to gold, blue to violet and copper to green
Inspiration: Dolly Parton
Price: $13.00
Cap: 200
So there you have it, the Li-Z polishes for the Bad-Ass Women November PPU! I'm so glad I got assigned to this month--not only were there a ton of inspirations here that either made me tear up or smile while I was swatching, but two polishes introduced me to amazing women that I'm glad I got to Know (Kitten Lady--Hannah Shaw, and Noor Inayat Khan). It's never a bad thing to have a reason to celebrate how bad-ass women are, I think.
These polishes will be on sale from November 2nd through the 5th, in the Polish Pickup Store. In the meantime, join the Facebook group for updates and sneak peeks, and to get involved in future themes. And check in tomorrow with Kiersten for the second half of the polishes!
M. xoxo
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