Friday, May 30, 2014

CrowsToes Minion Swatch And Review


Happy Friday!  Thank goodness this is a short week, it seems to have gone by like a whirlwind for me, and just like a whirlwind, everything is disorganized and haphazard.  Hopefully I can pick up the pieces and get everything back in its place next week!  As for the weekend, I hope to get some much needed relaxation and de-stressing.  Perhaps a spa visit is required!  Do you have any big plans for this weekend?

From CrowsToes Summer 2013 collection, I have Minion, a delightful purple shimmering duochrome that changes from dark navy to royal purple in the slightest shift of light.  Embedded within are sparkling silver flakes that give break the uniformity of the purple shimmer and give the illusion of outer space and its twinkling stars.  The formula was fluid and easy to manipulate, but use a light hand to avoid brushstrokes.  I used three coats here for maximum opacity and finished with a layer of topcoat of shine.

CrowsToes Minion
CrowsToes Minion
CrowsToes Minion
CrowsToes Minion

CrowsToes Minion
CrowsToes Minion

CrowsToes Minion
CrowsToes Minion

CrowsToes Minion
CrowsToes Minion

CrowsToes Minion
CrowsToes Minion
I'm glad that I'm cleaning out my drawers for untrieds, otherwise this would have sat longer in there without getting any much needed appreciation.  I always get weak in the knees at the sight of flakes, and then to put them into a purple duochrome base is a double whammy to my solar plexus.  CrowToes somehow always manages to take polish to another level, beyond what is imagineable.  It's probably her talented artists eyes that helps her create these lovely beauties.  Oh how I wish I had those creative abilities!

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Jindie Nails Femme Fire Swatch And Review

Hello my dears!  I hope you had a nice long weekend!  Did you do anything exciting?  I had some unexpected pitfalls, namely my water heater broke and needed replacement, which cost me a pretty penny.  Not to mention not having hot water for over a day!  No fun!  Monday made up for it though, we went to the pool so LO could splash around, and then had a nice family dinner together.  Isn't that how a holiday should be spent?

I have another untried Jindie for your viewing pleasure today, and that's Femme Fire, a nice pinked out version of a flaming fire.  It's got the colored elements of heat translated into glitters, with matte yellow, orange and red hex glitters.  Hot hot hot!  They're all suspended into a creamy pink base which gives it that feminine vibe.  The crelly formula calls for a semi sheer base, which needed three coats here to achieve opacity.  Accordingly, the density of glitter is not overwhelming and there are no issues with stacking or clumping of glitters.  This is finished with a layer of topcoat for shine.

Jindie Nails Femme Fire
Jindie Nails Femme Fire

Jindie Nails Femme Fire
Jindie Nails Femme Fire

Jindie Nails Femme Fire
Jindie Nails Femme Fire

Jindie Nails Femme Fire
Jindie Nails Femme Fire

Jindie Nails Femme Fire
Jindie Nails Femme Fire

Jindie Nails Femme Fire
Jindie Nails Femme Fire
As you well know, I'm not a huge fan of pink bases, but I really like how the fire colored glitters really transform this into an edgier polish, instead of a Barbie pink girly mani.  Aside from a pinked out version of fire, it also reminds me of a juicy pink grapefruit.  Jindie Nails does it once again, creating attractive glitter polishes that are unique amongst all the indies.  I shouldn't have left this one in my drawer for so long, but now that I've tried it, I'm looking forward to seeing what else is new in the Jindie storefront.  Have you stopped by lately?

Saturday, May 24, 2014

Jindie Nails Tastes Like Snozberries Swatch And Review

Hello my dears!  Whew I've had a crazy week which didn't leave much time for posting.  Work has been kicking my butt again, and next week doesn't promise to be any easier.  In the meantime, I need to get it out of my mind and enjoy the weekend!  Do you have any fun plans for the three day weekend?  A bbq perhaps?

I was going through my drawers recently and pulled out my untrieds to swatch.  A lot of times they end up prematurely in my drawers because of visiting guests, and then I lose track of where I put them.  One of those lost but now found untrieds is Jindie Nails Taste Like Snozberries, a tpf swapbox polish I received.  Jindie Nails is always a good go to indie brand when I need a glitter polish fix, and this one certainly fits that bill.  It's a pepto bismol pink crelly loaded with varying sized pink circles and hexes, as well as other variants of white, purple, blue, and teal glitters.  The first coat was really sheer, but three coats built up easily with very little stacking.  I used a layer of topcoat, but in retrospect I could have used Gelous to smooth out those larger glitters.

Jindie Nails Tastes Like Snozberries
Jindie Nails Tastes Like Snozberries

Jindie Nails Tastes Like Snozberries
Jindie Nails Tastes Like Snozberries

Jindie Nails Tastes Like Snozberries
Jindie Nails Tastes Like Snozberries

Jindie Nails Tastes Like Snozberries
Jindie Nails Tastes Like Snozberries

Jindie Nails Tastes Like Snozberries
Jindie Nails Tastes Like Snozberries

Jindie Nails Tastes Like Snozberries
Jindie Nails Tastes Like Snozberries
 I love how much depth this polish has, especially with three layers worth of generous glitters.  This is a fun, girly polish that reminds me of one of LOs toys that invariably squeak or sound out whenever I'm remotely nearby.  Out of curiosity, I looked up the image of snozberries from Willie Wonka's movie, and yup, I can totally see the inspiration of this polish from the colors in the lickable wallpaper.  I'm not sure I'd ever enjoy such a concept, but I certainly enjoy snozberries on my fingertips!  Luckily Taste Like Snozberries is still available in the Jindie storefront if you're interested.


Tuesday, May 20, 2014

I Love Nail Polish Reminisce Swatch And Review

Purchased

Good morning!  Today's going to be a long day full of meetings and paperwork, but fortunately one of my sales reps is taking me and some of the work crew out for a business expensed "work" dinner at a new highly rated restaurant.  There may or may not be a coincidence that it's a few days after my birthday.  I may not like aging another year, but I sure do like to celebrate my special day as many ways as I can!

I learned a new technique today from Fashion Polish, and that's how to minimize brushstrokes with frosts, metallics, chromes, and foils.  I'm glad to find an easy solution to those unwanted brushstrokes, and that's by using a layer of matte topcoat before the final topcoat.  How easy is that?  My first test subject is I Love Nail Polish Reminisce, a duochrome green shimmer that has that glow within property, shifting from dark forest green to an emerald green.  True to ILNP formula, I used three fluid coats for opacity and it dried with the expected brushstrokes, despite how carefully I applied it.  I used a layer of Wet 'n' Wild matte topcoat and finished with my standard GCS/Poshe mix.  I have to say, there was a visible improvement but if you look hard enough, you can still see some of the marks.

I Love Nail Polish Reminisce
I Love Nail Polish Reminisce

I Love Nail Polish Reminisce
I Love Nail Polish Reminisce

I Love Nail Polish Reminisce
I Love Nail Polish Reminisce

I Love Nail Polish Reminisce
I Love Nail Polish Reminisce

I Love Nail Polish Reminisce
I Love Nail Polish Reminisce

I Love Nail Polish Reminisce
I Love Nail Polish Reminisce
The duochrome effect with Reminisce isn't terribly strong, so some may be disappointed if you were looking for a bold color morph.  In some lights you may catch a hint of teal, but it's elusive and brief.  The gradients of green fortunately create a glowing effect which is enchanting.  And matte topcoat=Winning!  I have another reason to love matte topcoats, and another excuse to stock up.    Whodathunk matte topcoat would clean up frosts so beautifully?  Have you tried this trick yet?  Or do you have another matte topcoat trick that you'd like to pass along?

Purchased

Monday, May 19, 2014

Zoya Tickled Summer 2014 Collection Swatch And Review

Happy Monday!  How did your weekend go?  Did you manage to stay cool and have fun?  DH made sure to let me spend my birthday the way I like, which is shopping, swimming with LO, and having a nice dinner.  I didn't get to do all the shopping I wanted, but hopefully I'll get a chance soon.  I have to prepare for my Nola vacation!

I was fortunate enough to come by a set of Zoya's newest collection for summer, Tickled, which features creams in bold eye catching colors.  The formula on all of these were very similar, and surprisingly, verged on a crelly formula.  You'll see a bit of squishiness in the finish, and not any of that pesky chalkiness that sometimes happens with lighter colors.  Most of these only needed two coats, all except for the lightest shade Kirtridge, which required 3 for full opacity.  These are all finished with topcoat to maximize shine.

The first is Wendy, a medium pink shade that IMO lands smack in neutral territory.  I can't say it leans cool or warm at all, and surprisingly, looks feminine and clean on me.  Pinks usually draw at my sallow undertones and I'm happy to report that this doesn't appear to do that.

Zoya Wendy
Zoya Wendy
Zoya Wendy
Zoya Wendy
Zoya Wendy
Zoya Wendy
Tilda is probably the favorite of mine in this collection.  It's a medium green shade that's got just enough murkiness to border on pretty ugly, but still leans toward a green that is full of life and reminds me of beautiful summer leaves.
Zoya Tilda
Zoya Tilda
Zoya Tilda
Zoya Tilda
Zoya Tilda
Zoya Tilda
Rocha was a surprising favorite for me in this collection as well.  I didn't anticipate it to be such a bright tangerine orange shade from looking at the bottle, but once on the nail the orange really pops.  I don't normally like oranges, but the hint of red takes it out of the pumpkin orange spectrum.
Zoya Rocha
Zoya Rocha
Zoya Rocha
Zoya Rocha
Zoya Rocha
Zoya Rocha
Next is Ling, a delightful denim shade that glides on easily with two easy coats.  There's been a lot of popular dark blue shades and I'm happy to finally see a blue in the medium range.

Zoya Ling
Zoya Ling
Zoya Ling
Zoya Ling
Zoya Ling
Zoya Ling
Lastly is Kirtridge, the lightest shade of the collection.  It's a neon baby pink shade that required three coats for opacity.  It's so bright, I think it borders on the neon color range.
Zoya Kirtridge
Zoya Kirtridge
Zoya Kirtridge
Zoya Kirtridge

Zoya Kirtridge
Zoya Kirtridge
Each and every one of these colors is a lovely addition to the ever expanding rainbow of Zoya lacquers.  My favorites of course are Tilda and Rocha, both of which are exceedingly vibrant and unexpected.  I can see myself using these colors for summer pedis.  If you're looking for some refreshing new colors to add to your collection, head over to Zoya.com and make sure you pick these up!  Hopefully you'll like the crelly formula!
  

Friday, May 16, 2014

I Love Nail Polish Sirene Swatch And Review

TGIF!  I'm excited for today, as I mentioned in my last post I'm off from work and I have the day to myself - well, at least until 3:30pm.  Hey, no complaints here!  I'll take what I can get.  DH keeps asking me where I want to go for my special dinner, but I have not a clue.  It's hard to decide when there's LO in tow because I need something kid friendly but elevated enough for a special occasion dinner.  I'm sure we'll figure something out!

Holy Carp!  I've got a stunner for you tonight, and that's a glorious multichrome from I Love Nail Polish Spring 2014 collection called Sirene.  There's no doubt that this is a multichrome, as it flashes deep saturated colors of green, teal, and purple.  None of the shifting shades are shy either, and you can see all the colors easily at various angles.  It's one of those delightfully distracting polishes that you'll be waving your fingers at yourself all day.  Formula was similar to the last release of ILNP multichromes, and that's a sheer finish that requires 3 layers for opacity and careful application to avoid brushstrokes.  As you can see, I couldn't avoid the dreaded brush strokes either, but the finish is worth it!  No topcoat in these pics.

I Love Nail Polish Sirene
I Love Nail Polish Sirene

I Love Nail Polish Sirene
I Love Nail Polish Sirene

I Love Nail Polish Sirene
I Love Nail Polish Sirene

I Love Nail Polish Sirene
I Love Nail Polish Sirene

I Love Nail Polish Sirene
I Love Nail Polish Sirene

I Love Nail Polish Sirene
I Love Nail Polish Sirene

I Love Nail Polish Sirene
I Love Nail Polish Sirene
If there's a definite must have from ILNP, I would absolutely recommend this one, and that's before I've finished swatching the rest of my ILNP haul.  I don't think there's any other multichrome that could compare to the beautiful shifting colors in Sirene, but maybe that's because I'm a huge fan of purple, teal, and green.  Make sure you snatch this one if you're doing the pre-order this weekend, you won't regret it!

Thursday, May 15, 2014

I Love Nail Polish Princeton Swatch And Review

Happy Thursday!  I'm excited for this week to end, starting with having Friday off and then celebrating my birthday on Saturday.  I'm at the point in my life where I don't like aging another year, but it's always nice to be showered with special attention.  I'm hoping to get some much needed time alone to take care of some errands and some good ole shopping.  Hooray!

I've been lax in swatching the remainder of my I Love Nail Polish from the Spring 2014 collection, and with the summer collection available for pre-order, I realized I'd better get to work!  I was enthralled with Princeton when I first saw that it was a mint colored holo, a color that's been elusive to me within the holographic family.  It's a true mint too, and doesn't lean too blue or green.  Formula was a touch sticky, but possibly that's due to the fact that it was sitting in my drawer for a while.  I used three thin coats here for full opacity, and topped with a layer of topcoat.

I Love Nail Polish Princeton
I Love Nail Polish Princeton

I Love Nail Polish Princeton
I Love Nail Polish Princeton

I Love Nail Polish Princeton
I Love Nail Polish Princeton

I Love Nail Polish Princeton
I Love Nail Polish Princeton

I Love Nail Polish Princeton
I Love Nail Polish Princeton

I Love Nail Polish Princeton
I Love Nail Polish Princeton

I Love Nail Polish Princeton
I Love Nail Polish Princeton
The holo effect on this isn't overwhelming, but it's a gentle rainbow that gives a flare of color whenever in the right lighting.  Indoors, the mint shade is soothing to the eye and is flattering to my skintone.  I don't think I could ever tire of mint, an ever popular color, possibly due to its versatility amongst all skintones.  This fills the mint holo void in my collection nicely.  Which mint holo do you have in your collection?