Review: Girly Bits Cosmetics Codename: Duchess Collection

(Press samples ahead!)

Hello!


Do you watch the show Archer? I don't, but it's the inspiration for Girly Bits Cosmetics' newest collection, and based on how awesome these polishes are, I may just have to start.


The name of the collection is Codename: Duchess, and take a look at the happy, fun jewels perfect to warm up your winter:

Girly Bits Cosmetics Codename: Duchess Collection

First up is Girly Bits Cosmetics Danger Zone, a berry red that shows a little orange shift and has a pink shimmer:

Girly Bits Cosmetics Danger Zone

Girly Bits Cosmetics Danger Zone

Girly Bits Cosmetics Danger Zone

Formula: Excellent; no application issues whatsoever.
Coverage: Two coats gives full coverage.

All of the shimmers in this collection seem to glow from within--I'm not sure how Pam accomplished this, but it's gorgeous. This one is strawberry rhubarb pie and bright tulips popping out at the first sign of spring. It's also summer dresses strolling along the beach. In terms of season, this polish will carry you through winter into spring and summer without any issue at all.


Next we have Just The Tip, a milky crelly with multicolored glitters (gold, copper, red, purple, fuschia, and teal):

Girly Bits Cosmetics Just The Tip

Girly Bits Cosmetics Just The Tip

Girly Bits Cosmetics Just The Tip

Formula: Excellent; no application issues whatsoever--this smooths on with even glitter dispersal.
Coverage: Two coats gives full coverage.


This is confetti at a birthday party. It's bubble gum ice cream and fruit loops on Saturday morning. It's fun and happy, and best of all--the glitters match perfectly with the other polishes in the collection, which makes mixing at matching as easy as can be. In fact, as soon as I saw this collection I couldn't resist making a skittle manicure (you can see it here).


And then there's That's How You Get Ants, a fuchsia polish with purple shimmer:

Girly Bits Cosmetics That's How You Get Ants

Girly Bits Cosmetics That's How You Get Ants

Girly Bits Cosmetics That's How You Get Ants

Formula: Excellent; no application issues whatsoever.
Coverage: Two coats gives full coverage.

This is fairytale princesses and iridescent unicorns. It's snapdragons and bougainvilleas and wildflowers. I adore it.


Next up is Holy Sh!tsnacks! is a holo glitter bomb with gold, copper, red, purple, and fuchsia glitters:

Girly Bits Cosmetics Holy Sh!tsnacks

Girly Bits Cosmetics Holy Sh!tsnacks

Girly Bits Cosmetics Holy Sh!tsnacks

Formula: Excellent; no application issues whatsoever--this smooths on with even glitter dispersal.
Coverage: Three coats gave me full coverage; you may be fine with two.

Pam again mixed up a gorgeous blend of glitters that perfectly match the other polishes in the collection, making mixing and matching easy-peasy. And this glitter just screams Mardi Gras for me--I'll definitely be wearing it for that when the time rolls around.


Next we have Lanaaaaaa!, a deep royal purple with a lighter purple shimmer:

Girly Bits Cosmetics Lanaaaaaa!

Girly Bits Cosmetics Lanaaaaaa!

Girly Bits Cosmetics Lanaaaaaa!

Formula: Excellent; no application issues.
Coverage: Two coats gives full coverage.

Just, wow. This is such a rich purple, and the shine is so lush. This is vampy and a little bit goth, while being regal and posh. Love, love, love.


And then we have my favorite of the collection: Phrasing is a teal shimmer that shifts from navy to deep-sea green:

Girly Bits Cosmetics Phrasing

Girly Bits Cosmetics Phrasing

Girly Bits Cosmetics Phrasing

Formula: Excellent; no application issues.
Coverage: Two coats gives full coverage.

Oh, my. I'm a sucker for a teal, especially one that leans blue. Add to that a glow that makes me feel like light is gently pulsing out of my fingertips, and I'm sold.


And finally, we have Sploosh, a deep sapphire blue with a lighter blue shimmer and a slight purple shift:

Girly Bits Cosmetics Sploosh

Girly Bits Cosmetics Sploosh

Girly Bits Cosmetics Sploosh

Formula: Excellent; no application issues whatsoever.
Coverage: Two coats gives full coverage.

Oh, yes, the glow from this one is strong. I see crystal blue lagoons during magic hour, and winter skies at dusk. This is about as jewel-toned a blue as you can get, and I highly approve.


What do I think of the collection as a whole? I love a creme as much as the next girl, but shimmers are where my heart lives, especially those that have a hint of duochrome shift, and know how to play with the light. I love the jewel-toned polishes in this, but there's enough of a bright edge here to keep away the winter blues. And it's not surprise that Girly Bits delivers excellent quality.

Girly Bits Cosmetics Codename: Duchess Collection

This collection is on sale now in the Girly Bits Cosmetics shop; you can get the entire collection for $87.26 USD, or you can pick your favorites separately for $12.47 each. And don't forget to follow them on Facebook and Instagram!


Happy polishing!
M.

Review: Zoya Naturel(3) collection

(Press samples ahead!)

Hello!

Every girl needs a good neutral in her wardrobe, right? Today we're gonna take at a bunch of them, from Zoya's newest transitional collection, Naturel(3), along with three complementary lipsticks.

Zoya Naturel (3) Collection

Zoya Naturel (3) Collection

And I just have to mention that this collection came in some snazzy new boxes (yep, that's right, I said the word 'snazzy'):

Normally I go alphabetically, but today we're going to go from light to dark--so let's kick things off with Zoya Tatum, a creamy beige:

Zoya Tatum

 

Zoya Tatum

Formula: Excellent; no application issues. I was very impressed, since light colors like this can be problematic.
Coverage: Two coats for full coverage.

Tatum has a very sophisticated feel to me--it makes me think of posh tennis outfits or the sort of things you'd wear for summers at the cape. Also, this is a very versatile base for nail art, particularly if you're not a fan of white.


Next is Zoya Cathy, a light tan creme:

Zoya Cathy

Zoya Cathy

Formula: Excellent; no application issues.
Coverage: Two coats for full coverage.

As you can see in the picture, this is a near-perfect nude for me, an almost ideal match for my skin. This is a versatile shade that will look good on just about everybody, and gives a very understated feel to your manicure.


Next we have Zoya Jill, a pale rose-mauve neutral:

Zoya Jill

Zoya Jill

Formula: Excellent; no application issues.
Coverage: Two coats for full coverage.


Jill is my favorite of the lighter neutrals; I like that it has a blush of color, but still has the understated versatility of a neutral. I can see myself wearing this all year round, with any season's colors. Subtle and elegant.


Next is Zoya Mary, a hot-cocoa brown creme:

 Zoya Mary

 Zoya Mary

Formula: Excellent; no application issues.
Coverage: Two coats for full coverage.

Seriously, doesn't this make you want to bust out the mini marshmallows? The creamy tone to this is soothing and soft.


Next we have Zoya Gina, a milk chocolate creme:

Zoya Gina

Zoya Gina

 Formula: Excellent; no application issues.
Coverage: Two coats for full coverage.


Gina has a little bit of an edge that I like--she's not just chocolate, she's chocolate with a dash of chili powder in it.  In terms of neutrals, I see this as a more fall/winter color, but there's no reason why you can't rock it all year long.


Finally, we have Zoya Debbie, a smoked plummy brown:

Zoya Debbie

Zoya Debbie

Formula: Excellent; no application issues.
Coverage: Two coats for full coverage.


Is there such a thing as a vampy neutral? Well, there certainly is now. This is sexy without being over the top, the kind of vamp that'll get you noticed in a good way. That girl with the fingernails that shines like justice, who uses a machete to cut through red tape? She wears this color, I guarantee it.


Zoya also sent me three lipsticks to review, Cameron, Paisley, and Maxwell:

Zoya Cameron, Paisley, and Maxwell

There's a reason why this is a nail blog and not a lipstick blog, and that's because pictures of my lips up close are NOT cute, hehe. I promise you, you don't need to see that. So here are swatches on my arm:

Zoya Cameron, Paisley, and Maxwell

 Zoya Cameron isn't just a neutral, it's a nude for me--when I put this color on, my lips disappear, and that's just not a good look. For people with either lighter or darker skin than me, this will probably be beautiful on you. Paisley is a mauve with a kick, and Maxwell is a deep, vampy berry--and I ADORE both of them on me, Paisley for everyday wear, and Maxwell for a more dramatic look.

Zoya makes several claims about their lipsticks, so let's see how they hold up:

"Classic cream formula keeps lips moist for hours without the mess." I found this to be true. I wore Maxwell to a dinner party, and could easily have ended up with dark lipstick all over my pale face. That didn't happen--the lipstick didn't bleed the way a lot of cremes to on me, and my lips never felt dry (which they often do).

"Unflavored." I didn't notice any flavor.

"Lasts 4 to 6 hours without drying or cracking." I found this to be true, at least for the 4 hours end--I rarely go more than 4 hours wearing lipstick without eating. I've worn Paisley and Maxwell several times now, and even at the dinner party where I ate and wiped my lips, Maxwell didn't disappear. She did lighten a bit after I ate, but the color that remained stayed true (I absolutely hate it when a lipstick changes color on me) and I wasn't left with a case of the disappearing lips.

"Perfect balance between pigment and base creates a lightweight yet well-pigmented formula." I also found this to be true. As I say, the color didn't change, and that means a lot to me--I also didn't feel like I had Goopy McGooperson on my lips.

"Perfect color palette for any skintone." I can only speak for mine, and two out of three of these worked well for me. But I'm not sure it's reasonable to expect every color in a line to appeal to everyone, and from what I can tell, there seems to be a selection of versatile colors in their line.


You can find all of these on Zoya's website, and you can also find the polishes anywhere Zoya is sold. Don't forget to follow them on Facebook and Instagram, and check out #EveryDayZoya for tons of swatches and art done with Zoya polishes.


Happy polishing!
M.

Review: Charlie's Nail Art Star Charms (over Sassy Pants Polish To All A Good Night + Born Pretty Store BP-L056!)

(Press samples ahead!)

Hello!


Today we're gonna take a look at some star charms that were sent to me for review by Charlie's Nail Art:

Charlie's Nail Art Star Charms

The moment I saw these, I thought they'd make the most adorable mani with the stars and constellation mani from Born Pretty Store BP-L056 (you can see my video review of this plate here):

Born Pretty Store BP-L056

I started with a base of Sassy Pants Polish To All A Good Night, and stamped first the stars-in-circles image on the upper left with Hit The Bottle Polishes Amethyst Sizzle, then the constellations image with Messy Mansion Chalk, then I put on the star charms:

Charlie's Nail Art star charms over Sassy Pants Polish To All A Good Night + Born Pretty Store BP-L056

Charlie's Nail Art star charms over Sassy Pants Polish To All A Good Night + Born Pretty Store BP-L056

So first, let me say that I love so much about this mani--I love the way the base polish and the Amethyst Sizzle work together to creat a great night sky--even though the white stamping over the top obscures the pattern, the colors are lovely together, and I'm in love with that constellations image.


That said, the stars are just not right for my nails. I actually think they look cute, but they're just too big for someone like me that has curvy nails, they just stick out way too far:

Even with industrial strength nail glue, these are gonna pop right off, or destroy some article of clothing I love. If you have large, flat nail beds they may work for you, but even on my thumb, which is broader and flatter, they were problematic:

Definitely less so, but still too much pointy stick-outage to make this a viable look for me. Like I say, though, if you have broad flat nails, these might work for you--I'll be wearing the rest of mine on my big toes come summer sandal time.


You can find these in Charlie's Nail Art's store, and you can use my code, LOLAM10, for 10% off your order. You can also follow them on Facebook and Instagram for tons of inspiration and news updates!


You can find BP-L056 in Born Pretty Store's store, and you can use my code, MCL91, for 10% off there.  And, of course, you can follow them on Facebook and Instagram, too!


Happy Stamping,
M.

Review: Hit The Bottle holographic stamping polishes, and more!

(Press samples ahead!)

Hello!


You all know I love Hit The Bottle Polishes' stamping polishes--Michelle makes great colors that stamp perfectly and show up over dark colors like a boss. So when I found out she had introduced holographic stamping polishes to her line--that's right, you heard me, holographic stamping polishes--I did a little happy dance. Sign. Me. Up.


Today we're going to take a look at four polishes from her holographics, one official duochrome stamping polish, one that I personally think should qualify as a duochrome stamping polish, and eight other beauties from her line:

Stamping polishes from Hit The Bottle Polishes 

I did a video to show all of the polishes in action, including a topcoat test:

Let's take a look at the beauties, first the holographic polishes:

Hit The Bottle holographic stamping polishes in Lucky Spark, Holo There Beautiful, A Glint Of Gold, Amethyst Sizzle

Hit The Bottle stamping polishes in Champagne Shifter, Let's Go To The Peach, Midnight Pumpkin, Drop Red Gorgeous

Hit The Bottle stamping polishes in It Mossed Be Love, See What I Green, and Peacock Shimmer

Hit The Bottle stamping polishes in Aubergine, My Suitor Wears Pewter, and Shadows Of Darkness

In addition to the four holographic polishes, Champagne Shifter is a duochrome polish, and while it isn't officially listed as a duochrome, I also get a duochrome flash from Peacock Shimmer.


To test them out, I stamped them over both black and white:

Hit The Bottle Polishes Champagne Shifter, A Glint Of Gold, and Holo There Beautiful

This picture shows the duochrome of Champagne Shifter beautifully; you can see also that it shows up over both black and white, but it does show the duochrome a bit more dramatically over White. A Glint Of Gold Shows up over both white and black, and while it doesn't look as fully opaque in the picture as Champagne Shifter, that's because of the holographic effect with the light--same thing with Holo There Beautiful. Check out the video to see what I mean.

Hit The Bottle stamping polishes in Drop Red Gorgeous, Let's Go To The Peach, and Midnight Pumpkin

Check out how beautifully these three show up over black! That's just amazing--really, really impressive.

Hit The Bottle stamping polishes in See What I Green, It Mossed Be Green, and Lucky Spark

Again, I'm amazed at how well these show up over black. And, to get the full effect of Lucky Spark, check out the video to see that  holographic flash.

Hit The Bottle stamping polishes in Peacock Shimmer, My Suitor Wears Pewter, and Shadows of Darkness

See what I mean about Peacock Shimmer? She doesn't list it as a duochrome, but that sure looks subtly duochrome to me. And check it out--My Suitor Wears Pewter shows up clearly over black! Seriously??!! Even Shadows of Darkness shows up a bit--it's very, very subtle, but it's there. If you want a subtle black-on-black effect, give this a shot.

Hit The Bottle stamping polishes in Aubergine and Amethyst Sizzle

Aubergine does show up over black, but it's a subtle look, not a dramatic one like the others above. And in this picture you can see a bit better what I mean about the lighting effect of the holo when it's stamped over black--it's there, but the light plays tricks with it. Again check out the video for the full effect of how the holos look.


Finally, I tested each of these with topcoat--check out the video to see in real time how I suggest you apply topcoat to any stamping you do, and do see how these refuse to smudge even when I go over the same spot twice. And even when I dropped one of them on the napkin when the topcoat was wet. Yep, that's me, the epitome of grace. I mean--I did it on purpose to test it out! Yeah! That's it!


Michelle does recommend that you wait half an hour when stamping with the holographic polishes before applying topcoat, or you may dull the holographic effect. This varies with different topcoats and personal chemistry. However, that said...I covered with Seche Vite right away and had no problem. BUT, test this beforehand to be sure how your topcoat and your personal chemistry react to the combination, and no matter what, if you wait that half hour, you should be fine.


Yesterday I showed you a manicure stamped with these polishes that you can see here, and today I have a manicure done entirely to show off the holo. I started with a base of Zoya Merida, a scattered holo I chose to complement the holographic stamping polish, and Zoya Olivera. Then I stamped the binary and the circuit board images from Lina Nail Art Supplies Hipster, Chic, or Geek Plate:

I stamped with Holo There Beautiful:

Hit The Bottle Polish Holo There Beautiful over Zoya Merida and Olivera, stamped with Lina Nail Art Supplies Hipster, Chic, or Geek? plate

Hit The Bottle Polish Holo There Beautiful over Zoya Merida and Olivera, stamped with Lina Nail Art Supplies Hipster, Chic, or Geek? plate

Hit The Bottle Polish Holo There Beautiful over Zoya Merida and Olivera, stamped with Lina Nail Art Supplies Hipster, Chic, or Geek? plate

These are fairly fine-line images I chose because I wanted to show you how this holds up with fine lines--to get a sense of the holo glash, check out the pinky--see the gold band in the center? Yep, holo flash, baby! Now imagine using this for a large image or even a negative space image that covers most of your nail--actually, don't worry about imagining it, 'cause you know I'll show you soon, lol


I mentioned above that Michelle recommends waiting half an hour after stamping before you apply topcoat; I also mentioned that in my tests with Seche Vite, I didn't have any problem will dulling even when I covered immediately. So, in the manicure above, I waited half an hour to topcoat one of the two binary nails, and the other one I immediately covered with topcoat, about 30 seconds after stamping. Can you tell which is which? Yeah, neither can I. Still, make sure you test out your topcoat with the holographics before counting on them to stay pretty. :)


So, to sum up:

(1) Crisp, clean stamping.
(2) Vibrance over black in most cases, except for the dark purple and the soft black--and even those do show up subtly, they don't just disappear into the black.
(3) Absolutely no smuding.
(4) Beautiful holographic flash from the holos. To maximize the impact of these, I personally recommend using images with larger areas or at least thick lines with these or any holographic stamping polishes--when the light plays with holos it can make it hard to see fine-line images. Try it, of course! But if you don't like the effect, try something a bit bolder before deciding how you feel about them.

You can buy these lovelies directly from Hit The Bottle Polishes, and of course you should check out Michelle's Facebook page and Instagram account for news and inspiration. Depending on where you're located, you might prefer to get them from Beautometry, especially if you're in the US.


Happy stamping!
M
*PS: The middle finger is the one I topcoated immediately. :)

Review: Lina Nail Art Supplies Hipster, Geek, Or Chic? plate (plus sample manicure!)

(Press samples ahead!) 

Hello!


Today we're gonna take a look at Lina Nail Art Supplies' Hipster, Geek, Or Chic? plate. I love this plate--it makes me smile, and there is soooo much you can do with it. Here's the video review I did:

And let's take a closer look at the plate:

Lina Nail Art Supplies Hipster, Geek, Or Chic?

What I love about this plate:

• Great mix-and-match potential--there are enough similar elements across images to combine images without even having to think.
• Excellent variety of versatile images.
• Love the mix of the three themes, hipster, geek, and chic--you can play up geek chic or hipster chic, go ironic, or get three serious with a different theme each day. 
• My favorite images on the plate: I adore the 'call me' lips, I love the owl/penguins with the single one in glasses; I live for those eyes, and the phone images call to me. 

With respect to size, the images are 1.7 cm x 2.2 cm, and here's a look at inches:

How do they stamp? Very nicely:

 Love, love, love the quality. :)


For my sample mani, I started with a base of Zoya Tatum and a single accent nail of Zoya Gina for emphasis. Then I stamped my images with Hit The Bottle Drop Red Gorgeous and Champagne Shifter (also available at Beautometry; stay tuned next time for a review of these and other of her stamping polishes!):

Lina Nail Art Supplies Hipster, Chic, or Geek? over Zoya Tatum and Gina, stamped with Hit The Bottle polishes

Lina Nail Art Supplies Hipster, Chic, or Geek? over Zoya Tatum and Gina, stamped with Hit The Bottle polishes

This mani just makes me smile--I love the shabby chic "Be Style, Be Chic" images that look like a T-shirt that's been through the wash a hundred times, and I love them together with that little owl guy who's bold enough to go for a different look. So. Adorable!


You can find this plate in Lina's store; here are all the details for following them:

Website: www.linanailartsupplies.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/linanailartsupplies/

Twitter: www.twitter.com/LinaNailArtSupp

Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/linanailartsupp/

Instagram: www.instagram.com/linanailartsupplies/ 

Happy stamping, and Happy New Year!!
M.