Pahlish El Topo Petit Swatch And Review

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Hey there! How's you week going?  Mine has been interesting to say the least.  My car is in the autobody shop and my in-laws are still in town.  Luckily, I have LO's birthday party to look forward to at the end of the week, so I've got some light at the end of the long tunnel!

I've got a lovely neutral for you today, and that's Pahlish El Topo Petit, a dark taupey cream with a ton of red microglitter.  The formula was smooth and creamy, and applied with easy fluidity across the nail.  I used two lovely coats and had no issues with pooling or streaking and the microglitter dispersed itself equally throughout.  I finished with a layer of topcoat for added shine.

Pahlish El Topo Petit

Pahlish El Topo Petit

Pahlish El Topo Petit

Pahlish El Topo Petit

The microglitter is easily visible and doesn't get swallowed up by the dark base, and comes off as a beautiful red shimmer.  There's something incredibly sexy about a work appropriate neutral with a pop of vibrant red shimmer.   I feel like I can wear this easily at a business meeting and look professional, but then there's that quiet shimmer that hints at my inner vixen.  There's not too many neutrals out there that have qualities like this, and given that it's a product of Pahlish, I'm not surprised.  Shannon is brilliant and her easily wearable polishes can be found in her Big Cartel shop.  Make sure to stop by and give them a gander!

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Pahlish Dance Across The Sea Swatch And Review

Purchased

I'm still doing lots of last minute prep for my trip, and that included some last minute shopping for my DH's tie and a couple dresses for me.  I'm sure I could have used a few more items but it's difficult to concentrate with a toddler wanting to run around and tear everything off hangers.  Oy!  On the bright side, I have an excuse to go shopping while on vacation because hopefully tax will be less than in CA, and also I have the grandparents to watch LO while I shop!

You know how I've been going through my untrieds?  I think I may have found my oldest untried indie polish.  *shameface*  It's Pahlish Dance Across The Sea, one of the original releases of this polish back when the line first debuted.  I don't know why it took me so long to wear it, other than I think I may have been confusing the bottle with another indie brand that I received more recently.  Dance Across The Sea is a azure blue crelly base loaded with tiny silver hexes and larger turquoise blue hexes.  The combination is true to its name and mimics swirling tropical ocean water and sparkling tiny bubbles.  Surprisingly the formula wasn't overly thick from sitting in my drawer too long and it was easily manipulated during application.  As with any thick polish, I had some trouble getting all the way towards the sides of my nailbeds, but nothing a little concentration couldn't fix.  I was too lazy to get up and get any thinner but I'm sure it would have made application quicker.  I used three coats here and experience no dragging, stacking, or streaking of the polish whatsoever.  I finished this with a nice thick layer of Essence Gel Look topcoat.

Pahlish Dance Across The Sea

Pahlish Dance Across The Sea

Pahlish Dance Across The Sea

Pahlish Dance Across The Sea

Pahlish Dance Across The Sea

Pahlish Dance Across The Sea

I'm literally kicking myself for waiting so long to wear such a gorgeous polish that has now become a classic in indie history for polishes.  I love the way the glitters catch the light and spark like water does when hit by sunlight.  I think I may have a few more Pahlish classics sitting around in my drawer, but I'll have to dig them up to swatch them.  Too many polishes, not enough fingers!  Have you been whittling away at your untrieds?

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Pahlish Your Fortress Fades With Northern Star Wild Flowers Swatch And Review

I was intrigued by the gold microsparkle in Pahlish Your Fortress Fades, and gave neutral light taupey grey a try to see if it would work with my skin tone.  The formula was on this was a bit sticky and probably could have used a bit of thinner to make for a smoother application.  I used two coats here except for my pointer which smudged and needed an extra two coats.  No topcoat for the pics below.

Pahlish Your Fortress Fades

Pahlish Your Fortress Fades

Pahlish Your Fortress Fades

Pahlish Your Fortress Fades

Pahlish Your Fortress Fades

I was planning on doing a little skittle nail art, but when I browsing my collection and saw how similar in base color Your Fortress Fades was to Northern Star Wild Flowers, I knew it would be a perfect match.  Both contain gold shimmer, but Wild Flowers has a much sheerer base that would probably make it difficult to wear alone.  With its purple squares, red and gold shards, and black hexes, it brings to mind happy flowers dusted with sunshine.  Despite its thick consistency, I used two coats here and finished with topcoat for shine.

Northern Star Wild Flowers

Northern Star Wild Flowers

Northern Star Wild Flowers

Northern Star Wild Flowers

Northern Star Wild Flowers

Northern Star Wild Flowers

Although I'm not a fan of pastels, I am loving all these lighter color shades of spring, such as this lovely grey leaning taupe accented with a ton of gold shimmer.  The purple squares are of course my favorite, followed by the fun colored shards.  It's been a long while since I used a greyed out taupe and I have to say I miss wearing this color.  I'll have to make sure this color makes more frequent appearances here!  Do you have a shade that you've been amiss in wearing?

Pahlish Winter's Heart Swatch And Review

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Hello m'dears, I hope you enjoyed your weekend!  Yesterday we took LO and Grandma to the LA Zoo.  I've lived here for over ten years and have never gone, so it was a first time experience for me, and as a mom at that.  It's comparable to other zoos that I've been to, which involve a lot of walking and a lot of sleeping hard to see animals.  Overall it was memorable family experience, but I'll probably wait another couple years before we repeat it again!

Today's polish is a remnant of last winter's Pahlish collection, and it's rightfully called Winter's Heart.  It's a deep cerulean blue jelly embedded with tiny matte black glitters and larger silver hex glitters.  The formula was a bit thick and sticky making it difficult to control, making neat application nearly impossible.  There was also quite a bit of glitter drag with the larger hex glitters, but two coats covered up the streaks and allowed even coverage.  It dries a bit matte so topcoat is needed for shine.

Pahlish Winter's Heart

Pahlish Winter's Heart

Pahlish Winter's Heart

Pahlish Winter's Heart

Pahlish Winter's Heart

Pahlish Winter's Heart

This is one of the more unusual polishes that I've tried to date, in that it's a shade of blue that I'm not accustomed to seeing as a jelly.  It's got a bit of a teal edge to it but it's a saturated deep blue, almost like looking into a deepest part of a lagoon.  The tiny matte black glitters are unexpected as well, not something I would think to put into a dark jelly shade.  They seem to get overpowered by the jelly which makes it hard to appreciate them.  It does add a subdued sparkle to the jelly, but to be honest, I think I'd rather just having the jelly by itself in that case.  I think it would have a juicier, squishier effect by itself.  Now I want to go find a jelly in this color... has this ever happened to you?  Is there a jelly out there that would fit this craving?

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Pahlish Moats And Boats And Waterfalls Swatch And Review

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Yay for TGIF!  I'm thinking I want to treat myself to a spa day, and maybe this weekend will be the perfect opportunity.  I'd love to get a nice massage and body scrub.  When you want to pamper yourself, what do you do as a treat?

I've been craving a deep saturated jelly loaded with glitter, and what better polish to satisfy me but Pahlish Moats And Boats And Waterfalls.  With a name like that, I expect something with aqua undertones and this definitely delivers.  The base is a dark sea green with a wonderful squishy jelly quality that envelopes a beautiful medley of blue, green, and holographic purple hex glitters.  The formula consistency was typical of a jelly polish, slightly thick but manageable, and applied with no streaking or stacking.  I did have some trouble getting the brush to maneuver the polish accurately toward the cuticle area, but a little cleanup goes a long way.  It was pigmented enough to provide enough coverage after two coats, but with my longer nails I do an extra coat for good measure.  It dries to a matte finish so topcoat is needed for extra shine.

Pahlish Moats And Boats And Waterfalls

Pahlish Moats And Boats And Waterfalls

Pahlish Moats And Boats And Waterfalls

Pahlish Moats And Boats And Waterfalls

Pahlish Moats And Boats And Waterfalls

Pahlish Moats And Boats And Waterfalls

I think the purple holographic glitters add a touch of magic to an already delightfully beautiful polish.  The ratio of glitter is perfect and three coats allows for plenty of depth.  This polish gives off tons of sparkle while not looking like a glitter bomb from afar, which is perfect for me when it comes to the work environment.  Pahlish never fails to disappoint, my only regret is that I can't keep up with all the new releases.  I saw some new ones get released recently that have me positively drooling.  A girl could weep when it comes to breathtaking new releases - how can anyone keep up with it all?

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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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Pahlish Olea Europea Swatch And Review

Hello! Are you excited for the weekend? Do you have any plans? Every year my family and I travel somewhere for vacation - last year we went to NC and NJ.  We didn't have anything planned yet for this year but I just found out my friend is getting married in New Orleans this June so now I have a destination.  I'm not looking forward to the heat and mosquitos but I can't wait to see my friends!  Have you visited that city yet? Any must see or do recommendations?

I've been missing my murky greens and I realized I haven't swatched for you Pahlish Olea Europea, a gorgeous and mysterious olive green linear holo.  I've actually worn this twice already around the holidays when my family was visiting.  I found it quick to apply and season appropriate, a perfect solution while being exiled from my usual workspace.  The formula is creamy and smooth, with a no streak application and building up to opacity in two coats.  I used no topcoat in these pics to avoid the possibility of dulling the holo.

Pahlish Olea Europea

Pahlish Olea Europea

Pahlish Olea Europea

Pahlish Olea Europea

Pahlish Olea Europea

Pahlish Olea Europea

How incredible is that shade of green? And isa holo to boot, ooh la la! I've not seen any holo in this shade of green and I'm so excited to own this beauty.   Considering that I've worn this now three times means this is a huge winner for me.  Do you like unusual holo shades like this?

Pahlish Armour Falling Down Swatch And Review

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Hello dears, I hope you all are enjoying your last weekend of the year!  I'm in the middle of my longest staycation stretch that I've had all year long, and you best bet that I am doing my best to enjoy it.  Yesterday I took my brother and his entourage on a small tour of LA and so far we've gone to Mann's Chinese Theater to see the handprints, Griffith Park, photos in front of the Hollywood sign, cupcakes at Sprinkles, and finished the day with Korean BBQ.   Today we plan hitting the beach cities and a getting good view of LA from the Getty Museum. Sigh, tourists.

I'm a huge fan of polishes with shimmer and flakes, and when Pahlish had her Black Friday sale, I had to dive in a pick up a few lot, including Armour Falling Down.  This beauty has a ton of gold flakes embedded within a gorgeous dusty eggplant base.  Application was easy enough - the first was thin and streaky so for the second coat I used a generous layer which was enough to get the mani opaque.  I read about a new to me technique on MUA NB about applying polish with the brush parallel to the nail.  I'll have to practice this technique and see if it works for me, but the benefit is that if done properly, you won't need to use as many layers.  I'll keep you posted on my thoughts!  Finally to finish, I used a layer of NYC GCS.

Pahlish Armour Falling Down

Pahlish Armour Falling Down

Pahlish Armour Falling Down

Pahlish Armour Falling Down

Pahlish Armour Falling Down

Pahlish Armour Falling Down

Pahlish made this a standout winner in her winter collection, especially with those gorgeous gold flakes and muted purple cream base.  I love when gold and purple come together, because it reminds me of royalty and decadence.  After swatching this, I'm eager to try the rest of the polishes that I got from my recent haul.  The question is, where to start!