PPU Alert! The Lady Varnishes That's A Killer Album!

(Press samples ahead!)

Hello!


I hope you managed to survive your hump day and are sliding on in to a gentle, happy Thursday!


You might remember that this month's Polish Pickup theme is Album Covers, and The Lady Varnishes was inspired this month by The Killers' Hot Full album...I give you The Lady Varnishes That's a Killer Album!, a jelly-based periwinkle-urple (instead of just a regular blurple, lol!) packed with multichrome flakes and glitters, iridescent shimmer, and a splash of holo goodness:

The Lady Varnishes That's a Killer Album

The Lady Varnishes That's a Killer Album

The Lady Varnishes That's a Killer Album

The Lady Varnishes That's a Killer Album

The Lady Varnishes That's a Killer Album

Coverage: 2-3 coats. I had a little more VNL than I normally like at two coats, so I went for three.
Formula: Easy peasy lemon squeezy! This dries quickly, and you'll probably want top coat on it. I'm wearing a coat of Seche Vite.


This is packed with goodness that flashes subtly with every turn of the light. It has a sci-fi, ethereal beauty to it that feels girly but adult at the same time. I absolutely adore it.


I wanted to play up the flashes of color, so I did a little stamping on it...

The Lady Varnishes That's a Killer Album stamped with Lantern & Wren's All Things Spring

Base Polish(es): The Lady Varnishes That's A Killer Album!
Stamping Plate(s): Lantern & Wren All Things Spring
Stamping Polish(es): Kaleidoscope by El Corazon Pink and Mint, Girly Bits Saffron, Saffroff, and Lantern & Wren Illuminate (also a PPU polish!!)

I call this 'Spring Rain', because I wanted to play with some spring colors 'raining' over the nails, but still let that gorgeous polish shine through. :)

The Lady Varnishes That's a Killer Album

You can get That's A Killer Album! during the PPU sale from March 1-4th. This lovely will be capped at 95 bottles only, so if you want to get it, set that alarm and jump on it! And in the meantime, you can check out Kirsten's other gorgeous creations here.

Big hugs,
M. xoxo

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PPU Alert! Lantern & Wren Illuminate, for February 2019

(Press samples and affiliate links ahead!)

Hello!


For obvious reasons, I love it when stamping polishes make their way into the PPU offerings! This month Lantern & Wren has made up a beautiful one, which is very cool because she recently introduced her own line of stamping plates...


This month's Polish Pickup theme is Albums, and Carleigh was inspired by the Aladdin soundtrack album cover, particularly by the Genie on the cover. To celebrate it, she came up with Lantern & Wren's Illuminate, a light periwinkle with a splash of pink shimmer:

Lantern & Wren's Illuminate

Lantern & Wren's Illuminate

Lantern & Wren's Illuminate

Lantern & Wren's Illuminate

Coverage: This is meant to be a stamping polish, but should you want to wear it as a regular polish, it's a one-coat shimmer!
Formula: Again, meant to be a stamping polish, so this is a little thicker than a typical shimmer, but not to a degree that it's difficult or even unpleasant to use. It worked just fine for me. :)


Okay. So. We all know that pretty colors that show up well over black aren't exactly common or easy. But Illuminate shows beautifully over both white and black...AND, it keeps that gorgeous shimmer!! There are tons of stamping polishes out there with pretty shimmers that disappear once you stamp with them, but check out how beautifully that pink shines through. I am very impressed, and I really, really hope Carleigh comes out with more beauties like this.


(BTW, I stamped this using the roses pattern from Lantern & Wren's All Things Spring plate.)

Lantern & Wren's Illuminate

You can buy this during March's Polish Pickup from March 1st-4th for $12. There will be a cap of 100, so if you love it, run!

Big hugs,
M. xoxo

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Zoya Innocence Spring 2019 Collection

(Press samples ahead!)

Hello!


Happy Monday, everybody! I have something sweet to show you to jump-start the week: Zoya's Innocence Spring 2019 collection, packed with one-coat cremes and a lovely specialty glitter.


Let's jump right in with Zoya Agnes, a neutral creme with a warm peach blush:

Zoya Agnes

Zoya Agnes

Zoya Agnes

Coverage: 1-2 coats, depending on whether you have ridge issues like I do! I'm wearing two coats, with a coat of Seche Vite.
Formula & application: Even coverage with easy application. Dries well and shiny.

Zoya Agnes is a lovely warm-toned neutral that feels elegant and sophisticated. It's also a great base for nail art!


Next up we have Zoya Aire, a deep smoky periwinkle creme:

Zoya Aire

Zoya Aire

Zoya Aire

Coverage:  One coat!
Formula & application: Even coverage with easy application. Dries well and shiny, although I'm wearing Seche Vite in these pictures.

Zoya Aire has a rich, deep feel to it that makes me think of nautical patterns, and makes me want to head out to the beach...since that's at least a few months off, at least I can enjoy the polish in the meantime.


Then there's Zoya Birch, a soft gray with a lavender blush:

Zoya Birch

Zoya Birch

Zoya Birch

Coverage: 1-2 coats, depending on whether you have ridge issues like I do! I'm wearing two coats, with a coat of Seche Vite.
Formula & application: Even coverage with easy application. Dries well and shiny.

Zoya Birch is the type of pastel I can get behind. It has a smoky feel that gives it a more adult feel, like your favorite Easter dress all grown up.


Next up is Zoya Evette, a smoky plum-grape creme:

Zoya Evette

Zoya Evette

Zoya Evette

Coverage: One coat!
Formula & application: Even coverage with easy application. Dries well and shiny, although I'm wearing Seche Vite here.

Zoya Evette is wildflowers in a huge meadow and grapes hanging in the vineyard. It's bright and sassy and saturated, and will bring a pop of gorgeous color to the rainiest spring day. :)


Next is Zoya Fern, a rich sage with a greenish-golden shimmer:

Zoya Fern

Zoya Fern

Zoya Fern

Coverage: 2 coats
Formula & application: Even coverage with easy application. Dries well and shiny, although I'm wearing a coat of Seche Vite.

I love Zoya Fern so hard...this makes me think of a glade of mossy trees on a rainy day. So peaceful and rich.


And finally, we have Zoya Theo, a pewter crelly with silver shards and dark blue glitter:

Zoya Theo

Zoya Theo

Zoya Theo

Coverage: 2 coats.
Formula & application: Even coverage with easy application. I'm wearing a coat of Seche Vite, but you might need a second coat if you want a completely smooth finish.

I love myself a good crelly, and this one looks like a thunderstorm in a bottle. No really, look at it! Those shards are like little flashes of lightning, and the dark glitters are like raindrops against a stormy sky. I love it!


So what do I think overall? Zoya continues their mastery of the one-coat creme, and I love knowing I can pick any of them up and get by with an easy single coat. I never get too excited about neutrals, but the other colors in this one are saturated and rich! I think this is an excellent collection for those of us who don't flock to pastels.

Zoya Innocence Spring 2019 Collection

You can find the Innocence collection on sale now on Zoya's website, or in any brick-and-mortar store that sells Zoya.


Big hugs,
M. xoxo

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My Mani Box review: September 2018

(Press samples and affiliate links ahead!)

Hello!


I'm back today with a look at another My Mani Box, this time the September 2018 box...If you don't already know,  My Mani Box is a subscription box service through Beautometry, where they curate nail stamping supplies around a theme each month for nail art fans. To be clear, you can't buy this box anymore (although you can buy some of the contents through Beautometry), but this will give you a look at the type of contents you get, and some ideas for manis. :)


Let's take a look at what was inside:

Beautometry's September My Mani Box

Here's what's all in the contents:

• 2 pouches pumpkin spice sugar scrub
• water decals
• 2 nail art leaves
• MoYou London Festive Collection 61 plate
• MoYou London Festive Collection 62 plate
• Dixie Plates Thanksgiving 01 plate

Here's a closer look at the stamping plates:

MoYou London Festive Collection 62

MoYou London Festive Collection 61

Dixie Plates Thanksgiving 

Okay, on to the manis! I love nail art challenges, so this became a little mini-challenge of how to use fall, Thanksgiving, and Halloween-themed images during spring/Valentine's season, so let's take a look at what I came up with...

I call this first one "Wednesday Addams is so OVER Valentine's Day...":

MoYou London Festive 61 and 62 over Zoya Brighton and Everly

MoYou London Festive 61 and 62 over Zoya Brighton and Everly

Base Polish(es): Zoya Brighton and Zoya Everly
Stamping Plate(s): MoYou London Festive 61 and 62
Stamping Polish(es): Girly Bits Cosmetics Little Black Dress and White Wedding

Can I just say how much I adore those little hearts with the scary jack-o-lantern faces and the bones?!


In a similar vein, I can the next one "Love Potion #9"...:

MoYou London Festive 61 and 62 over Zoya Everly

MoYou London Festive 61 and 62 over Zoya Everly

Base Polish(es): Zoya Everly
Stamping Plate(s): MoYou London Festive 61 and 62
Stamping Polish(es): Girly Bits Cosmetics Little Black Dress and White Wedding

Nothing wrong with a little love potion to get your Valentine's night going right...;-)


Next I did a simple manicure that I have to admit I'd wear all year 'round:

MoYou London Festive 62 over Zoya Brighton

MoYou London Festive 62 over Zoya Brighton

Base Polish(es): Zoya Brighton
Stamping Plate(s): MoYou London Festive 62
Stamping Polish(es): Girly Bits Cosmetics Little Black Dress

Simple, fun, and pretty. :)

The next mani is pretty fall-ish, but I do think these images could work for spring or summer to:

Dixie Plates Thanksgiving 01 over Girly Bits You Can't Handle The Spruce and Irreplaceable

Base Polish(es): Girly Bits Irreplaceable and You Can't Handle The Spruce
Stamping Plate(s): Dixie Plates Thanksgiving 01
Stamping Polish(es): Girly Bits You Can't Handle The Spuce
Other: Nail art skeleton leaves


And for the last mani, I went with a timeless manicure, a mermaid!:

MoYou London Festive 62 over The Lady Varnishes Sky Reflections

MoYou London Festive 62 over The Lady Varnishes Sky Reflections

Base Polish(es): Sally Hansen Creme De La Creme and The Lady Varnishes Sky Reflections
Stamping Plate(s): MoYou London Festive 62
Stamping Polish(es): Girly Bits White Wedding & Silver Bells, and Moonflower Amatista
Other: Loose glitter diamonds from the August My Mani Box.


So what do I think? For $35, I think this box again is a good value for your money, and as always, I just love the fun of opening up a box like this and playing! If you'd like to see a few other boxes to judge if this is something you'd like, you can find my review of the August box here, the June box here, and the May box here.


You can sign up or future My Mani Boxes on their site, here.

Big hugs,
M. xoxo

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