NOTD: UberChic Beauty 16-02 + Sugar Flor Medusa (Or, flowers in Medusa's hair)

(Press samples ahead!)

Hello!


Today I have a NOTD for you using new polishes from Sugar Flor and Moonflower polish. :)


I started with a base of Sugar Flor Medusa, a gorgeous green-and-gold concoction from her Enchanted Treasure collection. Then I stamped the flower layering image and the isolated flower image from UberChic Beauty 16-02:

UberChic Beauty 16-02

I stamped with Moonflower polish stamping polishes in Apple, Lemon, and Mango. Here's how it turned out:

UberChic Beauty 16-02 over Sugar Flor Medusa, stamped with Moonflower Polishes stamping polish in Apple, Lemon, and Mango

UberChic Beauty 16-02 over Sugar Flor Medusa, stamped with Moonflower Polishes stamping polish in Apple, Lemon, and Mango

I love how these colors play with one another and with the green and gold base! I'd love to have a little summer dress with this pattern. What do you think?


Happy stamping!
M.

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. :)

Review: Moonflower Stamping Polishes!

(Press samples ahead!)

Hello!


Moonflower polish has just released some new stamping polishes for spring, and these have some pretty shimmer to their creme, that are also intended to be wearable, and the colors are definitely pretty enough for that!

From left to right, we have Moonflower, a white shimmery creme with a purplish opalescence, Lemon, Mango and Apple, all with a subtle shimmer to them. I love the idea of adding a bit of shimmer, especially to a white polish--stamping with white can be very stark, so if you want as softer more pearl-y look, this is a good option.


Here's the video review I made testing the polishes if you want to see them in action:

She warns that the polishes may come a little thicker than you like, so you may have to thin them a little depending on your stamper and plates. I first tested them out without thinning, to see how the formula worked as is. For my test I used an XL sticky stamper, and an image from UberChic Beauty 17-01. Here are the results:

Moonflower polish in Moonflower, Lemon, Mango, and Apple

Opacity: Good. These all show up over the black, and Lemon, Mango and Apple show up well over the white. The shimmer shows, and also gives coverage that's a little softer than full-coverage cremes.

Stamping quality: Moonflower stamped perfectly, but I had a little bit of difficulty picking up the fine-line details with the other three.

Resistance to smudging: I applied topcoat (Seche Vite) right after stamping these, and had no smudging whatsoever.


Because I had some difficulty with the fine lines, I thinned out the polishes as suggested. Then I tested them a second time using an image with more fine-line detail to make sure they would pick up well. I used three drops of Seche Restore each in Mango, Lemon and Apple, and then tested them again:

Moonflower polish in Moonflower, Mango, Lemon, and Apple, without topcoat

Moonflower polish in Moonflower, Mango, Lemon, and Apple, with topcoat

The first picture shows the stamping before topcoat, the second shows the images with topcoat.


Opacity: Still very good--I was worried that as I thinned the formula the coverage would decrease, but these still cover as well as in my first test.

Stamping quality: This time all of the polishes picked up the fine-line detail much better.

Resistance to smudging: I again applied Seche Vite right after stamping these, and again had no issues with smudging.


So, what do I think overall? I love having a stamping option that gives a softer look with a bit of shimmer--it's super cool to have a soft, romantic option for stamping in white especially. You may need to thin the polishes out a little; if you do, start with just a little bit of thinner and add more as needed. And, as long as you only swipe over the stamped image once with topcoat, you shouldn't get any smudging. And those colors! Soft enough to be called 'spring', but bright enough to take you into summer, too.


Here's a manicure I did with Mango (I'm completely in love with Mango!), over a base of Sugar Flor Calypso, using UberChic Beauty plate 16-02:

Moonflower Mango over Sugar Flor Calypso, with UberChic Beauty 16-02

Moonflower Mango over Sugar Flor Calypso, with UberChic Beauty 16-02

Moonflower Mango over Sugar Flor Calypso, with UberChic Beauty 16-02

I love these colors together, and I love how Mango shows up with a bright, pretty pop of color while still being subtle. Very pretty!!


These flowers are for sale now in Moonflower's shop, and you can also keep up with Moonflower around the internet:

Instagram - http://instagram.com/moonflowerpoli..., 

Facebook page - http://facebook.com/moonflowerpolis..., 

FB fan group (Painted Moonflowers) - https://www.facebook.com/groups/260.... 

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/moonflowe....

Happy polishing! :)

M. 

Review: Sugar Flor Enchanted Treasure Collection!

(Press samples ahead!)

Hello!


Man, have I had a week. Nothing big, but just a ton of little things, like a big nail break on my swatching hand and mixing up 'pause' and 'record' when trying to make a nail video, so I ended up recording when I thought I was paused and paused when I thought I was recording. The kind of week that makes you both simultaneously glad everything turned out okay, but also just leaves you drained, you know what I mean??


Luckily, I finished swatching and playing around with the Enchanted Treasure collection by Sugar Flor (previously known as Windestine) just hours before my nail break! So I have some lovelies to show you today. So let's get to it!

Sugar Flor Enchanted Treasure Collection

Because the concept behind the collection is treasure, the thread that runs through it is gold glitter, representing all that sparkling treasure goodness. We'll start out with Sugar Flor Angelica, a dusty purple-rose mauve crelly with microfine holo and gold glitters:

Sugar Flor Angelica

Sugar Flor Angelica

Sugar Flor Angelica

Coverage: Two coats
Formula and application: Excellent application with no issues

I adore the vintage feel of this polish so much! Is there such a thing as a vintage mermaid? If not, there should be, and this is the polish she would wear. This feels like a summer's afternoon tea party with warm breezes playing with the flowing dresses of pretty girls nibbling their cookies. Love.


Next up is Sugar Flor Calypso, a soft peach crelly with a variety of gold glitter sizes and subtle orange/green iridescent glitter:

Sugar Flor Calypso

Sugar Flor Calypso

Coverage: Two coats
Formula and application: Excellent application with no issues

This is so soft and feminine. It's an excellent neutral on me and a pretty universally flattering color across the board. This makes me think of a field of waving poppies. And/or peach cobbler.


Next we have Sugar Flor Medusa, a lovely grass-green crelly with a variety of gold:

Sugar Flor Medusa

Sugar Flor Medusa

Sugar Flor Medusa

Coverage: Two coats
Formula and application: Excellent application with no issues.

Green and gold play so well together, and this polish is such an excellent example of that. The green makes me think of rolling Irish hills (well, what I imagine they look like, since I've never been there) dotted with wildflowers. It's fresh and summery and I'm entranced by it.


Next up is Sugar Flor Mermaid Treasure, a turquoise crelly with a sprinkle of gold glitters:

Sugar Flor Mermaid Treasure

Sugar Flor Mermaid Treasure

Coverage: Two coats
Formula and application: Excellent application with no issues. Freda warns this may stain your nails, so recommends you use a peel-off base coat with it. I had no issues with staining with a regular basecoat, but that's just me--it's always good to be safe with blues.

Mermaid Treasure is a bonus polish included with purchase of the collection. I'm not normally a huge fan of turquoise, but the way the blue plays with the turquoise in this is stunning--like an incredible piece of jewelry. I adore this.


And finally, there's Sugar Flor Ursula, a lavender crelly with teeny gold glitters:

Sugar Flor Ursula

Sugar Flor Ursula

Coverage: Two coats
Formula and application: Excellent application with no issues

This is spring wildflowers in a bottle. Soft and pretty and girly.


So what do I think of the collection as a whole? I love the idea of having gold glitter be the unifying thread between the polishes, because it adds a touch of magic to each polish. I love the shades--they're a great blend of spring softness with summer fun. Each time I swatched the next one, I thought 'oooooo, this one's my favorite!', and I love them all so much it's hard for me to pick a favorite. At this exact moment, if pushed, I'd probably say Mermaid Treasure by a hair--and that's saying something for someone who isn't normally partial to turquoise!


The collection is on sale NOW in the Sugar Flor boutique. You can get all five polishes for $14 for minis and $30 for full-sized (except the Mermaid Treasure, which is a bonus mini). You can also stalk follow Sugar Flor around the interwebs:

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

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

Happy Stamping!
M.