UberChic Beauty Collection 25 + Shinespark Polish Radical Flakes Collection = Awesome!

(Press samples and affiliate links ahead!)

Hello!


Hey, how was your weekend? Mine was pretty cool...I got a tattoo I've been thinking about getting for a while, and am pretty excited about that. You can see it here if you're interested in that kind of thing...


But on to the nail art for today! I've been bitten by the drip marble bug, and had to play around with the neons in Shinespark Polish's Radical Flakes collection (you can see my review of the collection here)...I drip, drip, dripped and I swirl, swirl, swirled, and here's how it all came out:

Drip marble featuring Shinepark Polish's Radical Flakes Collection

You guys!! I've always loved the look of watermarbles but have never been able to make them work. But this--this I can do! How awesome is this?! I'm in absolute love with this technique.


And because I have to stamp anything that stands still, I stamped with UberChic Beauty plate 25-02, using Kaleidoscope St-02 White:

UberChic Beauty 25-02 over Drip marble featuring Shinepark Polish's Radical Flakes Collection

This is like tie-dye stained glass--I love it! This is one of those manis I didn't want to take off, the colors were just so beautiful.


Don't you just hate it when you drip polish on your perfect mani? For my final mani today, I went a little Dali-esque...There were a bunch of little drip parts from my drip marble that were super pretty, and I just had to find a way to do a mani with them. So, I did a gradient with the polishes, stamped little flowers from UberChic Beauty 25-02 with Kaleidoscope St-02. Then I added my drips on top, for extra surreal rainbow power:

UberChic Beauty 25-02 over gradient of Shinepark Polish's Radical Flakes Collection

Hey, drips like this can ruin my mani anytime. :)  But seriously, I was really impressed with how well these polishes worked together to make gradients and drip marbles, and I'll definitely be pulling them out for similar looks in the future. :)


Now I'm off to stare at my tattoo...;-)


Big hugs,
M. xoxo

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Shinespark Polish Radical Flakes Collection!

(Press samples and affiliate links ahead!)

Hello!


Are you ready for some summer neons? Because today we're going to take a look at Shinespark Polish's Radical Flakes collection, which features six neon jellies with--that's right--scattered holo glakes and glitter.

Shinespark Polish Radical Flake Collection

These polishes are buildable jellies, which allow you to get massive depth with those flakes, and awesome neon squishiness. Or, if you want to ramp up the neon factor, you can put them over undies. I'll show you both below.


Let's jump right in with Shinespark Polish Day Glo Pink, a neon hot-pink with scattered holo goodness:

Shinespark Polish Day Glo Pink

Shinespark Polish Day Glo Pink with white undies

 Coverage: 2-3 coats without undies, 1-2 coats with. Here I have three coats without undies, and two coats with undies.

Formula: Excellent. No pulling or weirdness; everything applies easily and evenly.

Neon pinks are one of the exceptions to my personal pink-is-meh rule. I love the way neon pink pops and makes my hands look tan and amazing! This pink is bright and fun and sassy, and it tried its best to break my camera, which is always an excellent sign from a neon. ;-)


Next we have Shinespark Polish Fanny Pack Green, a lime neon with that scatter of holo:

Shinespark Polish Fanny Pack Green

Shinespark Polish Fanny Pack Green with undies

 Coverage: 2-3 coats without undies, 1-2 coats with. Here I have two coats without undies so you can contrast with the others, and two coats with undies.

Formula: Excellent. No pulling or weirdness; everything applies easily and evenly.

Pass the salt because this polish is filled with lime-a-rita goodness! Of all the polishes in the collection, this is the one that takes me right back with that 80's-90's retro vibe, especially over those undies. Without undies, this flirts with the line of grass green, which makes my nails feel like summer fun on the lawn is right on my nails.


Next we have Shinespark Polish Hypercolor Purple, a grape scattered holo wonder:

Shinespark Polish Hypercolor Purple

Shinespark Polish Hypercolor Purple with undies

Coverage: 2-3 coats without undies, 1-2 coats with. Here I have three coats without undies, and two coats with.

Formula: Application was excellent, although this one was slightly patchier over white than the others were, I think because it's on the darker side. But it still evens out well and will do you fine.

The squishiness of this one without undies makes me want to reach out and touch this--the grape is rich but still vibrant. This changes the most over the undies, and turns the brightness on high!


Then we have Shinespark Polish Koosh Ball Blue, medium-royal blue packed with holo:

Shinespark Polish Koosh Ball Blue

Shinespark Polish Koosh Ball Blue with undies

Coverage: 2-3 coats without undies, 1-2 coats with. Here I have three coats without undies, and two coats with.

Formula: Excellent. No pulling or weirdness; everything applies easily and evenly.

This is my favorite name and color in the collection--not only is this a bright, happy blue over undies, it's an instant night sky without. I'm obsessed with it, and know I'm going to come back to it again and again.


Then there's Shinespark Polish Scrunchie Tangerine, a tangerine holo delight:

Shinespark Polish Scrunchie Tangerine

Shinespark Polish Scrunchie Tangerine with undies

Coverage: 2-3 coats without undies, 1-2 coats with. Here I have three coats without undies, and two coats with.

Formula: Excellent. No pulling or weirdness; everything applies easily and evenly.

This is squishy and juicy and makes me want an Orange Julius (do they still have those??) I love how saturated this orange is, the holo points of light pop out it like crazy. Gorgeous for summer, this will be a great fall color too, especially without undies.


And finally, we have Shinespark Polish Slap Bracelet Orange, a yellow-orange scattered holo jelly:

Shinespark Polish Slap Bracelet Orange

Shinespark Polish Slap Bracelet Orange with undies

Coverage: 2-3 coats without undies, 1-2 coats with. Here I have three coats without undies, and two coats with.

Formula: Excellent. No pulling or weirdness; everything applies easily and evenly.

This beauty shifts from saturated saffron yellow to a sherbert-y orange depending on how much you build it up. Basically, it's like a lemon and an orange had little babies. That keeps this from being a standard highlighter yellow, and gives it a little more richness. It's daisies and orangeade and smiling faces.


So what do I think overall? The colors capture the retro vibe promised by the names, and collections don't get much more fun than this. The formula is consistently good, the drying time is super-fast, and let's face it--holo makes everything better. If this doesn't brighten up your summer mani wardrobe, I don't know what will.


Shinespark Polish's Radical Flakes collection will go on sale April 20th, so set your reminder, because I predict these are going to be popular! And in the meantime, you can follow Shinespark Polish here:

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

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

Big hugs,
M. xoxo

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The Digit-al Dozen Does Indie Love Day 4: An indie polish maker, plate maker, and retailer walk into a bar...

(Press samples and affiliate links ahead!)

Hello!


So, if you wondering why my Digit-al Dozen week goes from Day 2 to Day 4, you're not losing your mind--I wasn't able to get a Day 3 post up, but I will make it up at the end of the week! And, to make up for it, I'm going to pack a LOT into this post for you. So fasten your seatbelt...;-)


You know this month the Digit-al Dozen is giving our favorite indies some love. For my first two posts, I showed you an indie plate maker and an indie polish maker (and an indie stamping polish). Today I'm going to feature an indie polish maker, plate maker, and a stamper from an indie retailer.


So let's start with the plate: today we're going to be looking at Moyra 46 Scrabble, a plate with all sorts of cool fonts on it. Here's a video review I did of the plate:

And here's a look at the plate:

Moyra 46 Scrabble

Here are shots with a ruler so you can judge the size of the fonts--click to enlarge:

And here are some swatches/examples:

I decided to create my manis for this review using the Seriously Slim stamper from Lantern & Wren (an indie retailer!), because it's super small, so it's easier to pull of the individual letters off the plate, but it's still pretty darn easy to position your images even though it's not a clear stamper. I also did a video reviewing the stamper:

And here's a closer look:

Lantern & Wren's Seriously Slim Stamper

Here's a close-up of the stamping head, which is sticky and squishy:

And here's the very first four times I tried to stamp with it (the messed up heart is my fault, as you'll see in the video, lol):

For both of my manis, I used polishes by Shinespark Polish, another indie polish maker that I love. For my first mani, I used Scrunchie Tangerine, from her upcoming Radical Flake summer 2018 collection (releasing on April 20th, watch this space for my review!). I stamped using Messy Mansion polishes in Red-y Or Not, Banana Bender, and Carbon--and since Messy Mansion is also an indie, that means I packed FOUR indies into this post!!):

Moyra 46 Scrabble over Shinespark Polish Scrunchie Tangerine

Moyra 46 Scrabble over Shinespark Polish Scrunchie Tangerine

The little wing-dings in the center of the plate made me want to do a comic-book look, and I think this came out pretty cute! Next time I'll add in some comic-book images from some other plates I have, but I love this one just as it is, too.


For my next manicure, I used Shinespark Polish Circinus Galaxy, from her winter 2017 Galaxy Holo Flake collection: 

Moyra 46 Scrabble over Shinespark Polish Circinus Galaxy

Moyra 46 Scrabble over Shinespark Polish Circinus Galaxy

To make this mani, I used a masking technique so my constellations would be in the background, but not behind the actual hearts. I started by stamping my hearts in black, and then using mani defender latex barrier to mask off the heart shape. Then I stamped my constellations with Moyra Galactica using Moyra SP-08 Silver. Then I pulled off the latex, stamped my hearts again with Kaleidoscope St-02 White, and then stamped my letters also in white. Here's a video tutorial showing you how to do it: 

And in case you're wondering why you should bother with the masking, here's what it looks like if you don't mask it off--everything is muddled and the letters are harder to pick out. That's what inspired me to try to mask it: 

So there you have it! Four indies, three videos, two manis, and a partridge in a pear tree very tired blogger! I hope that makes up for missing yesterday.


You can find all of these products (except the Shinespark Polishes) at Lantern & Wren, and you can also follow L&W around the interwebs here:

Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/allaboutthatstamp/

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/lanternandwren/

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

I'll be back tomorrow with more indie love; in the meantime, check out the other manis linked below! :)


Big hugs,
M. xoxo

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An InLinkz Link-up

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.