CrowsToes Me And This Army Swatch And Review

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Happy Thursday!  Have you done your taxes yet?  We got ours done this past Sunday and we're expecting a decent return.  I haven't decided what to do with it, but most likely it will go towards our New Orleans trip this summer.  Are you getting a return, and if so, what are you planning on doing with it?

Today's polish is what I consider and oldie but goodie, or possibly even an indie classic.  This is CrowsToes Me And This Army, a gorgeous green tinged grey jelly loaded with purple shimmer.  I love it when a polish has tons of shimmer so that it's apparent from any angle, versus hidden shimmers where you have to search for the glow.  The purple easily shines through the jelly base, making it a pleasure to watch all day long.  The jelly base itself was sheer, and I needed four coats to build up opacity with some VNL still peeking though.  I finished this with topcoat for added shine.

CrowsToes Me And This Army Swatch

CrowsToes Me And This Army Swatch

CrowsToes Me And This Army Swatch

CrowsToes Me And This Army Swatch

CrowsToes Me And This Army Swatch

CrowsToes Me And This Army Swatch

 This polishes really shimmers like crazy because of that jelly base.... Here it is again in low light.  Look at all that glimmering purple!

CrowsToes Me And This Army Swatch

CrowsToes Me And This Army Swatch

I think aside from the stunning shimmer, the combination of murky greyish green against the contrast of purple is brilliant.  I love when two unlikely colors are combined to make a beautiful package.  It really takes a trained artist eye to create polishes like that, and CrowsToes always succeeds.  Is there a polish line that continuously surprises you with beautiful combinations?

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Revlon Leather Effect Downtown Swatch And Review

Purchased

Ok, I impulse bought a new point and shoot camera.  My rational self knows that I don't need a new camera, but the sales goggles were on and I couldn't stop myself.  I need to convince myself that rather than buying a new camera, I should work on my photography skills and improve my lighting set up.  Does anyone have any suggestions?  I would love to know what lighting you use for your photos!

The other day after I received an email from CVS for $3 off a Revlon purchase, I headed over to my local store with the intent of getting some of the Revlon Parfumerie polishes.  Instead, I spied a new display for Revlon Leather Effect polishes and was immediately drawn to the dark eggplant purple shade called Downtown.  There was a black, blue, and I believe a grey shade as well, but purple being my favorite was the obvious choice.  The formula on these are spectacular, especially consider that it's a texture polish.  I was expecting some resistance with the formula, particularly around the cuticle area, but the formula was so silky smooth and applied exceptionally well.  It was a near one coater but I did two out of habit.  No topcoat so you can see the natural textured finish.

Revlon Leather Effect Downtown

Revlon Leather Effect Downtown

Revlon Leather Effect Downtown

Revlon Leather Effect Downtown

Revlon Leather Effect Downtown

Revlon Leather Effect Downtown

It indeed has a leather effect, which is a texture that is between a sand and a matte.  I don't know the chemistry behind it, but it seems that the polish glides on smooth like a cream but then begins to dry and form little bumps, almost like a coagulating effect.  The blank canvas begged to be decorated, so I broke out my Winstonia W113 plate and used the beehive image and Color Club Angel Kiss to stamp.

Revlon Leather Effect Downtown Stamping

Revlon Leather Effect Downtown Stamping

Revlon Leather Effect Downtown Stamping

Revlon Leather Effect Downtown Stamping

I like this image because the stamp isn't too busy and allows the base color to shine through.  I gravitate toward geometric patterns in general, so this particular pattern is a favorite for me.  Out of the plates I own, the Winstonia ones are my favorite because the image always seems to transfer over cleanly and easily.  I wish I could do it more often but with the LO around, it's hard to find that extra time to do nail art.  I like quick and easy accents and I'm always on the lookout for new techniques.  What's your go to nail art?

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Different Dimensions Orion Nebula Swatch And Review

Have you ever obsessed over something that was out of stock?  What am I talking about, if you're a female, then yes you have.  Currently I'm obsessing over a pair of shoes that I saw on instagram and that are currently out of stock online... I'm waiting for the first minute the store is open to call and ask if they can do a sku search for the item.  Hopefully they'll have it available for order!  What's the last thing you obsessed about that was possibly unattainable?

I've been wanting to try a circle glitter jelly ender since I first discovered swatches of them and I finally took the plunge with Different Dimensions version called Orion Nebula.  It's got a black jelly base and fuchsia circles in various sizes.  The base is sheer and the circles are few, and I needed for coats until I was satisfied with opacity. I turned the bottle upside down between costs so I could grab more glitters on the brush but I still had to fish for the larger circle glitters.  When I did manage to get one, of course it had to be one that had another clinging onto it and stacked upon the nail.  I finished with topcoat to add shine.

Different Dimensions Orion Nebula

Different Dimensions Orion Nebula

Different Dimensions Orion Nebula

Different Dimensions Orion Nebula

Different Dimensions Orion Nebula

Different Dimensions Orion Nebula

I noticed that I had quite a bit of bubbling, and I chalked it up to the me agitating the bottle too much to get those elusive large circles.  The bubbling is worth it though, look at that beautiful holo effect on those circles!  I like the overall spacey effect but I wish there were more of those holo circles.  Have you tried circle glitter jelly polishes before?

Pahlish Drink The Sea Swatch And Review

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Another Monday, another dollar.  At least I had a nice weekend catching up with friends, and I got to do my taxes as well.  I'm looking forward to getting a decent sized refund, which will probably go straight into daycare expenses.  I also watched a ton of Freaks And Geeks, a show that I never knew existed while it aired.  I can't get enough of it, and I love seeing how young the show characters are compared to what they look like now.  Have you ever seen this show before?

I realized that I haven't used a Pahlish in a little while, so I pulled out Drink The Sea, a lovely mint green cream with accents of gold circles and green hex glitters.  The only downside was that application wasn't easy - it was streaky and didn't self level well.  I had to use four coats to cover up the patchiness, and once dry, you can see some of the pooled areas.  Meh.  I tried adding topcoat to smooth it out but it didn't hide all the flaws.  I had similar experiences with other white cream based Pahlishes, which makes me think it's a formula issue when it comes to the lighter creams.

Pahlish Drink The Sea

Pahlish Drink The Sea

Pahlish Drink The Sea

Pahlish Drink The Sea

Pahlish Drink The Sea

Pahlish Drink The Sea

I think the base color of this is amazing, but it's a shame it's so hard to apply.  I know I've definitely had other brands with similar color that applied beautifully.  The gold and green hexes add to the subtle tonality of this polish, giving me a hint of what to expect when spring finally arrives. With winter coming to a slow end, I can't wait to see more uplifting spring shades.  Are you already wearing pastels, or are you still enjoying the dark vampy colors of winter?

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Piper Polish Confetti Confusion Swatch And Review

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Happy Sunday Funday my dears!  Have you been enjoying your weekend?  Yesterday I was cleaning out my closet and found a pair of expensive sunglasses that I thought I lost a few years ago.    I was really sad about losing them, especially because they fit really well on me and cost a pretty penny. Can you imagine how happy I was to see them after so many years?  I'd been meaning to buy some new sunglasses too, and these came back just in time!  When's the last time you found something that you thought you'd long lost?

 Today I thought I'd show you another Piper Polish that picked up called Confetti Confusion.  It's a purple jelly based glitter polish loaded with iridescent microglitter and copper multisized hexes and squares.  The jelly base was once again sheer like my previous Piper Polish and difficult to build up so instead I used a coat of L'Oreal Berry Nice first.  I followed that with two coats of Confetti Confusion.  Aside from being sheer, it applied easily with no streaking or stacking of glitter.  I finished with a layer of topcoat to smooth down the glitters and add shine.

Piper Polish Confetti Confusion

Piper Polish Confetti Confusion

Piper Polish Confetti Confusion

Piper Polish Confetti Confusion

Piper Polish Confetti Confusion

Piper Polish Confetti Confusion

What is it about copper glitter that makes any polish look ten times more amazing?  I think the iridescent microglitter compliments the copper beautifully, and the combination would probably work well in any colored base.  I suppose the positive note would be that Confetti Confusion is sheer enough to go over different base colors and look just as deliciously squishy.  Fuchsia or navy maybe?  There's a lot of fun possibilities to be had!

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Hare Polish Love You To Pieces Swatch And Review

Purchased

TGIF!  I have to say, Fridays are so much more sweeter when you've got a kid.  With no time during the week to do anything, Fridays give me hope that I'll be able to actually get something done for myself over the weekend.  Here's hoping that I get a moment to myself!

Who likes a good polish loaded with flakes?  This girl!  I'm totally loving Hare Polish's newest release called Love You To Pieces, a plum jelly with flakes in gold, silver, and purple.  Application was good and I used three coats here.  As with any jelly, there some streaking if you don't take extra care to make sure the layers are applied evenly.  The flakes were easy to control and didn't protrude once on the nail.  I finished with topcoat for extra gloss.

Hare Polish Love You To Pieces

Hare Polish Love You To Pieces

Hare Polish Love You To Pieces

Hare Polish Love You To Pieces

Hare Polish Love You To Pieces

Hare Polish Love You To Pieces

What is it about flakes that make me drool uncontrollably?  The multitude of colors blend together harmoniously into gorgeous pool of purple on the nail.  The individual flakes glint when hit by light, giving off flashes of different colors.  I must say, I'm mighty pleased by this polish.

Purchased

Kunimitsu Nail Potions Red Empress Swatch And Review

Purchased

Hello lovelies!  Have you ever heard of #ooiaj?  It's the acronym of Overnight Oatmeal In A Jar, one of my favorite breakfast standbys.  I'm not a huge fan of oatmeal, but when I discovered ooiaj I was hooked.  I love the ease and quickness this takes to prepare - all you do is throw some oatmeal, greek yogurt, and your choice of milk into a glass jar and let it sit in the fridge overnight.  Voila, you've got a filling and healthy breakfast for the next day that's portable and easy to eat.  I love adding extras to mine, like berries, nuts, peanut butter, honey, chia seeds, cocoa powder, bananas, and granola.  The combinations are endless!  What's your favorite breakfast on the go?

Today's polish is brought to you by Kunimitsu Nail Potions, and it's named after a fish called the Red Empress.  It's a purple fish with red scales, which inspired this light purple polish with red and rose gold multisized glitters.  It has a beautiful purple shimmer that glows just like the fish too!  I was mesmerized by the bottle and equally mesmerized once it was upon my nails.  The hidden shimmer comes out to play when light hits it at the right angle.  I used two easy coats here, and I had no trouble with clumping or pooling, and the polish had a fluid consistency that leaned perfectly on the thick side. I finished with a layer of topcoat for extra smoothness and shine.

Kunimitsu Nail Potions Red Empress

Kunimitsu Nail Potions Red Empress

Kunimitsu Nail Potions Red Empress

Kunimitsu Nail Potions Red Empress

Kunimitsu Nail Potions Red Empress

Kunimitsu Nail Potions Red Empress

Look at that shimmer!  I adore the duo tone shades of glitter too, and the total effect comes together as an grown up, sophisticated version of glitter polish.  Unlike a glitter bomb, I can wear this to work and feel like I'm dressing my age, which these days aren't as young as I use to be!   Kunimitsu has several polishes over at her Etsy shop that are equally as fabulous and enchanting as Red Empress.  I dare say you check them out!

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Hare Polish For Margaret Tenenbaum Swatch And Review

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Hello my dears! How is your week going? I'm counting down the days until my new assistant starts at work.  I can really use the extra help! It's time like these that makes me slow down and remember the simple things in life.  Like how to poach an egg properly.  I never took the time to figure it out until recently and boy, was it worth it! I can eat one of those for every meal.  If you don't know how, I recommend googling it asap!

For your eyes today I have another Jackalope by Hare Polish called For Margaret Tenenbaum. I saw The Tenenbaums years and years ago but the humor was too dry for me at the time. I wonder if I'd enjoy it more now. If it's as fantastic as the polish I'm about to show you now, I should be kicking myself for not seeing it sooner. For Margaret Tenenbaum is an sea glass green crelly with gold circles and microglitter.  A simple combination but oh so delicious to feast thy eyes upon!  Two medium coats are recommended, but here I used three thin coats.  I didn't have any trouble except for some slight stacking of glitter on my ring finger and the subsequent bald spot from the brush skipping after said stack. Bah.  I finished with a layer of GlitterDaze Super Smooth topcoat.

Hare Polish For Margaret Tenenbaum

Hare Polish For Margaret Tenenbaum

Hare Polish For Margaret Tenenbaum

Hare Polish For Margaret Tenenbaum

Hare Polish For Margaret Tenenbaum

Hare Polish For Margaret Tenenbaum

I love staring at that gorgeous shade of soft green. It's a very calming and peaceful shade, and the gold compliments it incredibly well. If I could find kitchen tile in this shade I would be ecstatic.  Has a polish ever inspired you to redecorate?

Now go google how to poach an egg already!

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