Tuesday, July 2, 2019

PPU alert: The Lady Varnishes She Lavas Me, She Lavas Me Not & That's a Killer Album

(Press samples and affiliate links ahead!)



Hello!


This month's Polish Pickup collection is a 'rewind', where makers bring back one (or more) of their favorite polishes from the past year. The Lady Varnishes decided to bring back She Lavas Me, She Lavas Me Not for the sale, and That's A Killer Album on her website. So here's a little refresher to help you decide if you need to snap one of these up while they're available this week!


The Lady Varnishes She Lavas Me, She Lavas Me Not



The Lady Varnishes She Lavas Me, She Lavas Me Not

The Lady Varnishes She Lavas Me, She Lavas Me Not

The Lady Varnishes She Lavas Me, She Lavas Me Not

The Lady Varnishes She Lavas Me, She Lavas Me Not

The Lady Varnishes She Lavas Me, She Lavas Me Not

The Lady Varnishes She Lavas Me, She Lavas Me Not



This is two coats of perfection. It's one of my favorite polishes of all time, and it was an extremely popular polish back in the January sale--so if you want it, snap it up! It'll be available for sale only from July 5th through 8th from the Polish Pickup site, for $13; only 150 bottles will be available, so if you missed it the first time, snap it up!


Here's some nail art I did with this polish (full details here):


The Lady Varnishes She Lavas Me, She Lavas Me Not



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

The Lady Varnishes That's A Killer Album


I have three coats on for this one. I love how the pink shimmers through and the glitter just seems to dance! Here's a little nail art I did to play up the colors (full details here):


The Lady Varnishes That's A Killer Album


This one will be available directly from The Lady Varnishes' website.


So, will you be grabbing one of these? Both?


Big hugs,
M. xoxo

Follow me all the places! 

Monday, July 1, 2019

PPU Alert! Supernatural Lacquer Poppy Fields of Emerald City

(Press samples and affiliate links ahead!)





Hello!


July's Polish Pickup collection is a 'rewind' collection--contributors pick polishes to bring back for another month that have been part of PPU before. Today we're going to take a look at Supernatural Lacquer Poppy Fields of Emerald City, their rewind for the month:


Supernatural Lacquer Poppy Fields of Emerald City 


Supernatural Lacquer Poppy Fields of Emerald City



Supernatural Lacquer Poppy Fields of Emerald City

Supernatural Lacquer Poppy Fields of Emerald City

Supernatural Lacquer Poppy Fields of Emerald City


Supernatural Lacquer Poppy Fields of Emerald City

Supernatural Lacquer Poppy Fields of Emerald City

Supernatural Lacquer Poppy Fields of Emerald City


Supernatural Lacquer Poppy Fields of Emerald City

Coverage: 2-3 coats; I'm wearing three, but you'll probably be good with two
Formula: Excellent--no application issues, and good dry time.

Poppy Fields of Emerald City is a stunner of a polish, with all the magical things: Emerald-teal-gold multichrome that even hits purple, holo flash, and pink-purple-orange UCC flakes. Everywhere you look, you find something mesmerizing! Except, unlike in The Wizard of Oz, this field of poppies won't drug you into an eternal sleep, lol...


Supernatural Lacquer Poppy Fields of Emerald City will be available again from July 5-July 8th during the Polish Pickup sale, for $12.50, with a cap of 115 bottles. If you purchased this the first time, be aware this is a slight reformulation--there's a picture on the website of the old vs. the new version, so you can be sure you want a bottle of the new if you fell in love with the old. I can barely tell a difference, other than the new version is a titch darker. And if you want to see what other Supernatural Lacquers you'll fall in love with, you can check out their store, here. 


Big hugs,
M. xoxo

Follow me all the places! 

Sunday, June 30, 2019

UberChic Beauty Take Me Out To The Ball Game

(Press samples and affiliate links ahead!)

Hello!


Can you believe 4th of July is this week? I'm not ready. Nope, time needs to slow down, now!


Today we're gonna take a look at UberChic Beauty's Take Me Out To The Ball Game plate, which is all about baseball, which I think is perfect for 4th of July week, because baseball is considered to be such a symbol of America!


UberChic Beauty Take Me Out To The Ballgame


I did a quickie video on the plate, which you can find here:



And here are some test looks I did:




(You guys--how cute is that heart-shaped baseball image?!?!!!!)


I've loved baseball my whole life, it was one of the ways I was able to spend time with and connect with my step-father. I was lucky enough to grow up in an area with two baseball teams, the Oakland A's and the San Francisco Giants, so I decided to do two manis, each featuring the colors of one teams. First up, the San Francisco Giants colors:


UberChic Beauty Take Me Out To The Ball Game over Stella Chroma Hug The Road
Base Polish(es): Stella Chroma Hug The Road
Stamping Plate(s): UberChic Beauty Take Me Out To The Ball Game
Stamping Polish(es): Kaliedoscope White and Black


And here's the mani featuring Oakland A's colors:


UberChic Beauty Take Me Out To The Ball Game over Girly Bits Saffron, Saffroff
Base Polish(es): Girly Bits Saffron, Saffroff, Sally Hansen Get Mod, Moonflower Polish El Yunque
Stamping Plate(s): UberChic Beauty Take Me Out To The Ball Game
Stamping Polish(es): Moonflower Polish El Yunque, Girly Bits White Wedding and Saffron, Saffroff


What about you? Are you a baseball fan? Is there another sport you prefer, and would love to see in a plate?


You can find this plate on sale now in UberChic Beauty's store.


Big hugs,
M. xoxo

Follow me all the places! 

Friday, June 28, 2019

Dixie Plates Summer 03 and Boho 01

(Press samples and affiliate links ahead!)

Hello!


How are you guys? This week has flown by--I've been trying to catch up on everything I let slip while I met my deadline and I feel like I've only accomplished half of it, and it's already Friday! So much to do, so little time...But, I vacuumed, and that's the main thing, lol.


Anyway. Today we're going to take a look at two new plates from Dixie Plates, Summer 03 and Boho 01: 





Summer 03 is a fun blend of images to get you through all your summer and vacation fun, and Boho 01 has a ton of lovely henna type images that make it easy to create jewelry for your nails.


Let's jump right in to the manicures, 'cause we all know that's the best part!


For my first mani, I wanted to do something bright and fun and summery. I first sponged coordinating colors over white, then stamped my images in a range of citrus colors:


Dixie Plates Summer 03 over Sally Hansen Get Mod

Base Polish(es): Sally Hansen Get Mod
Stamping Plate(s): Dixie Plates Summer 03
Stamping Polish(es): Sally Hansen I-Rush Luck, Lightening, Orange Impulse, sponged with Zoya Bee, Tiana, and Sawyer



For the next mani, I went for Miami Vice meets Hawaii Five-O:

Dixie Plates Summer 03 over Sally Hansen Persis-Tint
Base Polish(es): Sally Hansen Persis-Tint
Stamping Plate(s): Dixie Plates Summer 03
Stamping Polish(es): Kaleidoscope Pink & Mint


For my third mani with the Summer 03 plate, I wanted to go a more elegant direction:

Dixie Plates Summer 03 over Sally Hansen Molten Mauve

Base Polish(es): Sally Hansen Molten Mauve
Stamping Plate(s): Dixie Plates Summer 03
Stamping Polish(es): Colour Alike Grenadine


I also had to see how this looked glossy, since that would bring out the holo of the stamping:


Dixie Plates Summer 03 over Sally Hansen Molten Mauve



For my first Boho 01 mani, I wanted something dramatic to really give a 'nail jewelry' feel:


Dixie Plates Boho 01 over Stella Chroma Hey, Sailor
Base Polish(es): Stella Chroma Hey, Sailor
Stamping Plate(s): Dixie Plates Boho 01
Stamping Polish(es): Colour Alike Hot Sand


I loved these colors and images together so much I did a second version, this one with an image from Summer 03:


Dixie Plates Boho 01 and Summer 03 over Stella Chroma Hey, Sailor
Base Polish(es): Stella Chroma Hey, Sailor
Stamping Plate(s): Dixie Plates Boho 01 and Summer 03
Stamping Polish(es): Colour Alike Hot Sand


For my final look I wanted to go a little softer:

Dixie Plates Boho 01 over The Lady Varnishes Make It Rain

Base Polish(es): The Lady Varnishes Make It Rain
Stamping Plate(s): Dixie Plates Boho 01
Stamping Polish(es): Moonflower Polish El Yunque


What do you think? I love how easy Boho 01 makes elegant looks, and Summer 03 is surprisingly versatile for a plate dedicated to a summer theme, which is always a good thing. :)

Both plates are available now in Dixie Plates' store, and anyplace Dixie Plates are sold. :)

Big hugs,
M. xoxo

Follow me all the places! 

Wednesday, June 26, 2019

Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Matte Metallics

(Press samples and affiliate links ahead!)

Hello!


So I met my deadline Friday for the next book in my series--it's safely with my editor and I have time to breathe!


Today we're gonna take a look at some new Sally Hansen Insta-Dri polishes, this time matte metallics! I'm super excited about these because I love matte polishes, and because Insta-Dris tend to stamp really well (because they're often one-coat polishes). So let's take a look at how these hold up:




Sally Hansen Burnished Wine

Sally Hansen Burnished Wine

Sally Hansen Burnished Wine
 Coverage: 1-2 coats (I'm wearing 2)
Application: Like butter! Fast drying!

OMG you guys!! Burnished Wine is a multichrome purple-copper-pink scattered holo! It has all the awesome things--and it's matte! The color is sexy and vampy, like a yummy glass of wine in an atmospheric bistro. This is a must have, as far as I'm concerned.




Sally Hansen Gold Rush

Sally Hansen Gold Rush

Sally Hansen Gold Rush
 Coverage: 1-2 coats (I'm wearing 2)
Application: Excellent and fast drying!

Gold Rush is a rich gold with plenty of metallic sparkle. Bright and fun, perfect for summer, and goes with everything.




Sally Hansen Molten Mauve

Sally Hansen Molten Mauve

Sally Hansen Molten Mauve
 Coverage: One coat
Application: Like slipping into satin bedsheets, and dries fast!

Molten Mauve is a sexy berry that make me want raspberry-blackberry gelato right NOW. I've been wearing this on my toenails since I got this non-stop and I've had it on my hands three times now. Can you tell I adore it?




Sally Hansen Rose Flush

Sally Hansen Rose Flush

Sally Hansen Rose Flush

Sally Hansen Rose Flush
 Coverage: 1-2 coats (I'm wearing 2)
Application: Gorgeous and fast drying!

Rose Flush is another multichrome--this one a peach-coral-gold-pink. I didn't expect to love this one, but I fell head over heels--this is another must-have. It's soft and romantic and reminds me of a summer sunset. Gorgeous.



Sally Hansen Smokey Silver

Sally Hansen Smokey Silver

Sally Hansen Smokey Silver

Sally Hansen Smokey Silver
 Coverage: 1-2 coats (I'm wearing 2, but you'll likely just need one)
Application: Excellent and fast drying!

Smokey Silver leans a little toward a pewter, but not all the way--it's strong and steely and super versatile. A great neutral!


Sally Hansen Smouldering Teal

Sally Hansen Smouldering Teal

Sally Hansen Smouldering Teal

Sally Hansen Smouldering Teal
Coverage: One coat
Application: Fast-drying perfection!

Smouldering Teal is like the bright waters of the Caribbean, or the rich, mid-afternoon sky of a hot summer day. I'm always up for a good teal, and this one is fast, easy, and perfect for summer.


All of these polishes had lovely, fast-drying finishes, and the little extra surprises were very cool! I don't expect duochromes and scattered holos in Insta-Dris, and I'm very glad they're here.


So how do they stamp? Well, unfortunately, their success as stamping polishes were limited, both because they're matte polishes (and dry so quickly), and because of their specialty nature. They did stamp to a degree, but not as brilliantly as many other Insta-Dris:


From left to right we have: Burnished Wine, Smokey Silver, Smoldering Teal, Molten Mauve, Gold Rush, and Rose Flush. As you can see, Smokey Silver, Smoldering Teal, Molten Mauve, and Gold Rush all stamped visibly (Molten Mauve also did show over black, but my camera didn't want to capture it for some reason) and if you're going to by them anyway, you might get some use here depending on the look you're going for. But I wouldn't call them an overwhelming success. Of course, stamping isn't what they're designed for! They work beautifully as specialty matte metallics, well enough I don't care if they stamp or not. :)

You can find all of these polishes on sale wherever Sally Hansen polishes are sold. Or, if you don't like to drive around to a bunch of stores because you have to have ALL of them (nope, I'd never do anything like that), can find them on Amazon.


Big hugs,
M. xoxo

Follow me all the places!