NOTD & Tutorial: Jeweled Icicles (Dixie Plates Nail Gems 01 + Shinespark Polish Snowfall)

(Press samples and affiliate links ahead!)

Hello!


Today I have a NOTD that features a little bit of 3D nail art featuring Dixie Plates Nail Gems 01, which as I showed you here is a plate designed to help create fun 3D art.


I wanted to do something wintery and snowy, so I started with Shinespark Polish Snowfall, a thermal polish that goes from looking like a day snowy sky to an evening snowy sky. Then I stamped my image with Messy Mansion Sterling, and then added my gems on top. Finally, I drew on my other icicles with Sterling.


Here's how the icicles look during the day:

Dixie Plates Nail Gems 01 over Shinespark Polish Snowfall--cold look 

Dixie Plates Nail Gems 01 over Shinespark Polish Snowfall--cold look 

Here's how it looks when the polish is changing:

Dixie Plates Nail Gems 01 over Shinespark Polish Snowfall--transition look

Dixie Plates Nail Gems 01 over Shinespark Polish Snowfall--transition look

And here's how the sky looks at night!

Dixie Plates Nail Gems 01 over Shinespark Polish Snowfall--hot look

I made a tutorial illustrating how to make this mani, including a tip for keeping all of the gems in place if you don't want to use nail glue:

I love how this look came out--it has a little bit of the blingy 3D look, but isn't too over the top, and I love how the glitters in the polish make it look like there's a gentle snowfall in the background.


Happy stamping!
M. xoxo

Three Shinespark Polishes and a Cuticle Oil!

(Press samples ahead!)

Hello!


I'm back today to show you three more awesome polishes from Shinespark Polish, two thermals and the most amazing black holo glitter...

Shinespark Polish Snowfall, O Christmas Tree, Black Opal, and Candy Cane Cuticle Oil

 First let's take a look at Shinespark Polish O Christmas Tree, a festive thermal that shifts from a granny-smith green apple when cold to clear with a whisper of green when it's hot, all the while showcasing red, green, gold, and holo glitters: 

Shinespark Polish O Christmas Tree

 

Shinespark Polish O Christmas Tree when hot

Shinespark Polish O Christmas Tree when hot

Shinespark Polish O Christmas Tree when changing

Shinespark Polish O Christmas Tree when cold

Coverage: 2 coats
Formula: Excellent

This is an instant Christmas tree for your nails--the glitters look like the lights and the ornaments on the tree, and I can't help but feel in the spirit when I look at it. Even when it turns clear, the combination of red, green, and gold still feels bright and happy. This is great to wear on its own, and perfect for Christmas nail art--I've already done a mani with it that I'll be showing you soon. :)

And, don't forget that when you have a thermal that turns clear, that's a great opportunity to put hidden nail art under it...


Next is Shinespark Polish Snowfall, a navy-slate blue jelly with holo glitters and holo stars that turns to nearly clear with a hint of gray when hot: 

Shinespark Polish Snowfall

Shinespark Polish Snowfall when hot

Shinespark Polish Snowfall when hot

Shinespark Polish Snowfall when changing

Shinespark Polish Snowfall when changing

Shinespark Polish Snowfall when cool

Shinespark Polish Snowfall when cool

Coverage: 2-3 coats
Formula: Good--as jellies will sometimes do, this will pull if you keep going over it when you apply, so I recommend fast, light coats.

I am obsessed with this polish--it's a gorgeous snowy night sky that, when warm, turns into a gorgeous snowy day sky. Something about the dark and the light together when it's shifting keeps me staring for ages. As you can see, there are holo stars in this, but she purposefully made them sparse so they're easy to avoid if you don't want them in your mani, an option I really like, since I'm not always in the mood for specialty glitters, but I can't imagine ever NOT being in the mood for this holo gorgeousness. I placed my stars low on the nail for some nail art I wanted to do with this (stay tuned!) and I love the effect. The jelly in this polish gives such depth to the glitter--I absolutely adore it.


Finally, we have Shinespark Polish Black Opal, Molly's entry into January's Polish Pickup. This is a black crelly filled with multichrome glitters and holo flakies:

Shinespark Polish Black Opal

Shinespark Polish Black Opal

 

Shinespark Polish Black Opal

Coverage: 1-2 coats
Formula: This is almost a one-coater, and accordingly, it's a bit thick, but still user-friendly. I suggest two thin coats to prevent pulling, and you'll be thrilled with the result. :)

OMG you guys. Molly went for a galaxy theme with this winter's collection and the thermals, and she hit a perfect finale note for that theme with this polish. Yes, the multichrome glitters and the holo make this flash with fire like a black opal. But if you're looking for complex night-sky manis, especially those that look like magical storms, this polish is to amazing. Even if you think you don't like black polishes, I have a feeling this might just change your mind.


I mentioned that she also sent a cuticle oil for me to review--the scent on mine was Candy Cane, which is perfect because I'd bathe in peppermint this time of year if I could! Instead, this gives nice, subtle whiffs of peppermint that are a wonderful replacement for the much more calorie-heavy peppermint mochas I crave. The oil absorbs quickly and keeps my skin looking great, not an easy achievement since I'm pretty much changing my mani daily this time of year.


You can find all of these awesome goodies on sale now in Shinespark Polish's shop. And you can follow her around the interwebs here:

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

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

Happy polishing!
M. xoxo

NOTD: Thermal Gradient with Mid West Lacquer Solstice and Messy Mansion's Symetrika 02

(Press samples and affiliate links ahead!)

Hello!

Okay, so. I was playing around with some nail art, and discovered a couple of things. First of all, I discovered that thermal polishes can make quick-and-clean gradient looks when you stamp over them. Second, I learned how not to do a stamping sandwich accent nail.


Let's take a look at what I mean. I started with Mid West Lacquer Solstice, a thermal polish that looks purple with blue flecks in the bottle, but when on is predominantly periwinkle with gorgeous blue flakie flecks where your fingers are warm. After one coat, I stamped on the accent nail with Messy Mansion's Symetrika 02, using Sally Hansen Sand Storm:

Messy Mansion's Symetrika 02

Then I finished my polishing, and stamped over the top of the rest of the fingers with the same image:

Mid West Lacquer Solstice + Messy Mansion Symetrika 02

Mid West Lacquer Solstice + Messy Mansion Symetrika 02

So, I LOVE the way that the thermal polish makes it look like I took forever doing a messy gradient manicure--very cool effect in nothing flat.

However, in my mind, I thought that having the accent nail stamped on a lower level of polish than the other nails would look cool, it sort of looks like I just messed up somehow, forgot a nail or something. Or maybe I'm just my own worst critic, I don't know. I do know that I love the way Sand Storm stamped over these colors to give a more subtle effect than standard stark white.

Hope you're having a great day, and happy stamping!
M.

Review: InDecisive Green Ichor and a bonus!

Hello!!

I'm back today with a review of the new Ichor from InDecisive Nail Lacquer's thermal Ichor line.

If you've never seen them, Aleksandra's Ichors aren't like other thermal polishes that change from one color to a different color--what makes them so much more fun is that they change from no color to color, so you can put them over any base polish you like, for whatever effect you like.

Her newest addition turns to a gorgeous grass green that's the very epitome of summer. When the polish is warm, it's clear, and when it's cool, it's green; when the air and body temperature meet, you get a French-tip effect. Here I show it over Barielle Panama Pina Colada:

InDecisive Green Ichor over Barielle Panama Pina Colada

InDecisive Green Ichor over Barielle Panama Pina Colada

InDecisive Green Ichor over Barielle Panama Pina Colada

InDecisive Green Ichor over Barielle Panama Pina Colada

For the most part, with the difference between my body temperature and the air around me, I either get the gradient you see above, or a bigger shift to almost entirely green. If I go outside and it's warm out, my nails will go completely yellow.

The most fun part of these polishes for me is looking down and being surprised by what I see; say I'm doing dishes or washing a piece of fruit, I might see something like the last picture above. And I'll stand there and go 'oooo' while it changes, and Mr. LOLH thinks I'm going completely insane. Ah well, good to keep him on his toes. ;)

I also love the potential in this for nail art. Shortly after the polish arrived, I was wearing a coral polish with pink glitter on it; holding the bottle in my hand, I thought, how cool would this look if I put some Green Ichor 'leaves' on the bottom? They'll disappear when I'm out in the heat (it's been close to 100 a few days out here lately!), and they'll reappear when I'm inside! I put on two coats at the tips, with an irregular edge coming up over the 'bud' of the flower:

I love how the thinner part of the petals going up the nail took on a bluish green color, while the bottom part stayed more true green. Which reminds me--I think the best way to wear this polish is with two coats over your base color, unless you do want more of a color blend with your base coat as I've done here. Also, this polish does dry quickly, so you don't want to take forever applying it--normal application is fine, but don't get too engrossed in that awesome scene from Game Of Thrones, you know, the one where Tyrion--wait, nevermind. The point is, don't dawdle too much, and you'll get a nice even coverage.

In terms of pure, simple fun and happy, awesome polish times, the Ichor line gives it to you in spades. :)

Also, I couldn't resist showing you another very happy, very fun polish today...Aleksandra mentioned to me that she has some triangle glitters (triangle!!! Must...have...triangle glitter polish!), I squeed an intense fan girl squee that is still circling around the ionosphere at hyperspeed, and she quickly made up an awesome polish to show me. This is a prototype, it doesn't even have an official name yet, but I love it so much I'm trying to convince her she should sell it--what do you think??

InDecisive no-name-as-yet

InDecisive no-name-as-yet

InDecisive no-name-as-yet

InDecisive no-name-as-yet

This is two coats of what I have been referring to in my head as 'Disco Unicorn'. Aleksandra said that the name 'Planetarium' has been running through her head for it, and I love that one too. It's a melange of teeny and not-so-teeny holo squares, silver circles, hot pink and silver mini-stars, and hot pink and silver triangles, all in a purple jelly. My camera has deep-seated purple issues, and so decided to have blue areas in the picture above--the purple parts are the true color. I love the crazy amount of depth you get even with just two coats, and in the sunshine--OMG.

Oh, btw? Since these stars are mini and not full size, they are immersed completely and don't catch on anything. Not one single catch! Now I can actually enjoy star glitter in my polish.

For some reason I can't explain and am not rich enough to explore through therapy, this reminds me of the fun I used to have at the roller rink when I was a little girl...it's just packed with happy, sparkly energy. It makes me want to get up and dance around the house while my cats and my dog look at me like I'm insane. Seriously, if you can't find something to smile about when you have this polish on, well, I don't think any polish can help you. ;-).

I will be asking her to make me up a full-sized bottle of this. The only question is...will it be a custom made only for me, or are you guys going to grab up this beauty too? I'm not sure how much triangle glitter she has, so if you want her to put it in her regular line, let her know. You can find her Etsy shop by clicking here, and you can also check out her Facebook page.

Polish is fun, that's why we love it. And these two polishes are some of the funnest I've seen in a long time. Wait...is 'funnest' a word??

Hugs,
M.