ABC Challenge 'M' - Catrice Mint Me Up

Hi all!

Thank you all for your well wishes on my previous post about the new job! I've been working since Monday and it's good so far but getting used to the schedule is killing me. Its definitely an adjustment and I'm working on finding a new rhythm for blogging and doing my nails that doesn't exhaust me too much so posts might be random for a bit but I promise I'll be back to full force soon!

Today I have my first Catrice polish on the blog! I have four of these beauties to show you soon but I couldn't wait to wear this one in particular and, fortuitously, it was also great for a challenge post! This baby is Catrice Mint Me Up and it's like Butter London Two Fingered Salute's long lost sister. Very similar base color (from what I can tell in pictures) and coppery flecks but this has the added golden shimmer. The effect is very subtle and from afar it looks like a dusty minty green with pretty shimmer but I know it's more special than that :D. Many many thanks to Deborah from Love, Varnish for making me need these and then actually helping me get them!! <3

This was just ONE coat! I should have done two since I see the ridges on my nails a bit but time is SO sparse lately that one coat is really all I could do and coverage was fantastic at just one.

Doing this post made me realize I missed blogging more than I thought so I'm going to take another moment to thank you all for reading my blabbering, it really does make me happy to see all your comments (which I'll respond to soon).

Have a great day loves!

ABC Challenge 'H' - Orly High on Hope

Well 'ello there! Forgetting the fact that I suck and missed a post on Monday....

I had something really awesome planned for today. I promise, it was gonna be so boss, you guys. But then I ran out of time and realized one of my new polishes had a name starting with H and this polish is so complex and awesome that I decided just swatches would be good enough. Especially since I had such a hard time picking the pictures for this post, they were all pretty. And that's not a compliment on me, but the polish.

So which is this new and awesome polish (as if you hadn't read the post title)? Orly High on Hope from their spring 2013 collection! This polish is just... nghh (yes, I'm using guttural sounds to describe a polish). It has a slate blue-gray-greenish base with a chunky multichrome shimmer, almost glass flecky but finer than a glass fleck, the overall appearance on the nail is a shimmer. Formula was a little thick but not difficult at all, two coats is all you need for perfect opacity.

At very extreme angles and in low lighting, you can even see a little green shimmer a la Fantasy Fire or Clarins 230. In regular lighting and from afar it looks dark but the pink shimmer is still noticeable though not overpowering like it is in pictures. Still such a great polish in my eyes that I couldn't bring myself to add anything over it.

Also, this is the haul I made last night at Sally's. With coupons, sales and discounts all I paid out of pocket was $12.27!! My jaw dropped at the cash register when the girl said it was just $12. Spring polishes are my weakness :(.

That's it from me today, have a great day!!

White Owl Lacquers Heightened Emotions Collection - Swatches and Review

Hi all! ITS FREAKING FRIDAY. I'm excited about today :D.

Today I have for you the Heightened Emotions collection for Valentine's Day from White Owl Lacquers! While the first collection was inspired by Harry Potter, this is inspired by The Vampire Diaries, of which I know nothing except they inspired some pretty cool polishes. If you missed my first swatches of the brand, do the clicky here.

First up is Come To Me, a milky white jelly base with different shaped matte blue glitter, some iridescent squares and pink ROUND glitter. Application was very straightforward, only the round glitters wanted to move around but if you let each coat dry that won't be a problem. I'm showing 3 coats.

Now, there was an issue with bleeding glitter in some of the bottles so my swatches have the blue-tinged base instead of the milky white base. I actually really like the bluer base as well as the white one but if you received a faulty bottle please contact Mara and she'll take care of it.

Next up is Never Let Me Go, the pinker sister to Come To Me. This is also a milky white jelly base but with MORE round glitter and the iridescent squares. Application was a breeze as well and I used 3 coats.

And finally, A Little Danger. This is a clear based glitter topper featuring ROUND glitters and iridescent glitter. Yes, more roundies! <3. This is the only one that was a little tricky because a lot of the round glitter seemed to have settled at the bottom but turning the bottle upside down for a few minutes before applying took care of it. I've done one 'dabbed on' coat over China Glaze Def Defying.

What do you think of these? I'm especially in love with Come To Me, those bright blue matte glitters are all kinds of pretty. Also, ROUND GLITTER. I need all the round glitter in the world.

You can find White Owl Lacquers on their store here and you should like them on Facebook for important information and special offers (sometimes free shipping with minimum purchase or discounts with a special code!). Mara's also on Twitter and Instagram, yesterday she shared pictures of the new bottles and they are adorable!

Have a great day lovelies!

Disclosure: White Owl Lacquers provided to me for review. All opinions are my own. For more information please refer to my Disclosure Policy* 

White Owl Lacquers Swatches & Review

Hi all!

I am pretty excited to be able to share this brand with you today. White Owl Lacquers is a newish indie brand by Mara of Mara in Polishland! Today I'll be showing 3 of the 6 polishes from the "After All This Time" collection which was inspired by Harry Potter! I flippin' love the Harry Potter movies and books and I completely geeked out with these.

First up is Pumpkin Pasties, inspired by the candies sold on the Hogwarts Express. I don't know about you, but that cart full 'o candies always made me jealous. Application was effortless, the jelly base built up nicely, didn't thicken up during use and I didn't have to fish for glitters. 3 coats by itself.

Next up is Dwelling on Dreams, inspired by the scene in the first book/movie with the mirror of Erised. Very heartbreaking moment for Harry but it gave us an awesome polish. I've shown two coats over Orly Snowcone though you could wear it on its own at three coats.  This is one of my favorites! Formula was great again, no thickening or glooping and the glitters spread easily.

Last but not least, is Kittens and Teacups which was inspired by Professor Umbridge. I hated her so hard, like I legit cheered when she was done as headmaster. This is definitely meant as a delicate polish and not a glitterbomb. I've done 3 thicker coats by itself on most nails but my pinky needed a 4th for some reason. Application was fairly easy, no thickening during use but I did have to be careful while polishing because you could easily swipe off the glitters while polishing.

Sidenote: I have no idea why my ring finger nail is flaring out at the tips like that, I haven't changed my routing or filed it differently and it's downright depressing to see it like that :(.

Any favorites from the ones I've posted here or any other White Owl polishes you've liked? I have my eye on Basilisk Venom and Phoenix Tears as well as the spring collection that's coming soon! 

You can find White Owl Lacquers on their store here and you should like them on Facebook for important information and special offers (sometimes free shipping with minimum purchase or discounts with a special code).

Have a great day lovelies!

Disclosure: White Owl Lacquers provided to me for review. All opinions are my own. For more information please refer to my Disclosure Policy* 

ABC Challenge 'F' - Revlon Facets of Fucshia

Hi all, happy candy day!

Today I'm finally back with day F of the ABC Challenge and I've chosen a semi-untried, Revlon's Facets of Fuchsia! This polished caused a big hooha when it came out due to it being fantastic and glittery in a time when indies were practically non-existent. Thankfully, Revlon heard our cries and it is now a permanent core shade and was renamed 'Scandalous (but since my bottle is Facets of Fuchsia it totally counts for the challenge). 

I'm showing one coat over black undies.

This was a semi untried because I wore it once last Halloween, to a dark nightclub where it got zero love and it hadn't been posted on here yet. Application was super easy and I love the simpleness of the glitters! It harkens back to a time before the 18,000 indie brands and glitter bombs.

Now, if you're at all interested in the crapmess my adviser got me into and why I've been gone for a week, click the Read More button below. Otherwise have a great day doing whatever you're going to do, whether it be celebrating valentine's day with a loved one, friends or not celebrating it at all!

Bitch Glitz Cosmetics - Candy Coated Innocence Swatches and Review

Hi all! Sorry for the late and short post, it's been hell trying to set right what my school adviser did wrong.

Anyway, today I have Bitch Glitz's remaining Valentine's Day polish for you! Candy Coated Innocence is a pearly white with purple shreds, tiny pink and purple holo hexes and pink heart glitter. I am showing one coat over a white creme though it easily reaches opacity on its own with two coats (for reference, check Gini's swatch at Sassy Paints).

I love how white looks against my skin in pictures, makes me look tan :D (well, not that I'm pale to start with lol). Application was the same as the previous two polishes, slightly thick due to all the glitters but not difficult at all.

What do you think? Totally Valentine's appropriate?

Things should be back to normal here soon. I also have to edit the pics for the E day for the ABC Challenge, I completely spaced that yesterday was a Wednesday!

Have a great day lovelies <3

Bitch Glitz Cosmetics - Chocolate Treasure and Strawberry Sunrise Swatches and Review

Hi all!

Sorry for being slightly MIA, I've been pretty busy between work and school and the little free time I have, I just crash.

Today I have 2 of the 3 Valentine's Day collection polishes from Bitch Glitz! The third polish will be up soon, apparently the pictures are still in the memory card or I lost them (sigh). Bitch Glitz is a newer indie brand featuring 3-free polishes with a dash of diamond dust and even coordinating eye shadows!

Formula for these polishes was the same across the board, perfect consistency and jam packed with glitter. I've shown 2 coats of the polish on their own on my ring finger and also layered them to show their versatility.

First up Chocolate Treasure, a brown based polish with various turquoise, gold and blue glitters. One coat over Illamasqua Taint and two coats on its own.

Second is Strawberry Sunrise, a fuschia, filled with silver, purple, pink and holo white glitters. One coat over black and two coats on its own.

Look at that shimmah! Over black you can really see the depth of the shimmery base and the mix of glitters.

I'm seriously loving these two polishes, I can picture different nail art looks with each one and the fact that they're so opaque is wonderful.

You can find Bitch Glitz on Etsy here, all full size bottles are $10 and the set of all 3 Valentine's Day polishes is $26. Make sure to like them on Facebook for new releases and previews. Ketlyn is also on Twitter (here) and Instagram (here).


I sincerely hope you're having a better day than I am!

*BG Cosmetics products were provided for my honest review. For more info, please see my Disclosure policy*

Swatch Watch: China Glaze Bizarre Blurple

Hey all!

This post is officially dedicated to Alaina at The Little Canvas. Days ago I asked for mani suggestions on twitter and she promptly replied with BLURPLE. Blue is awesome, purple is awesome so blurple is awesome² . First I had an idea to do a mani with a blurpley/duochromey shimmer but it was a fail and I remembered I had stored these 'emergency swatches' a while ago! Perfect, it's got blurple in the title.

Application was smooth and I'm showing two coats but you want to use a light hand with this one, I had some pulling at the cuticle line leaving a little bald spot on my middle finger (that I tried to correct with acetone because eff logic).

What do you guys think of this one? When I wore it, I liked it so much that I never added nail art but now I want to wear it again and spruce it up. Sorry for the shortish post, I've got a migraine right now and I can barely think.

Let me know how your weekend was in the comments!

What about you Alaina?! Is begging cat pleased?! 

I Love NP - Purple Stuff Swatches & Review

Hey ladies!

Today I'm showing the 3rd I Love Nail Polish (or I <3 Nail Polish) shade that I have, Purple Stuff. Purple Stuff is"purple, wine, periwinkle, and white glitters along with a dash of white bars" (from I Love NP's etsy shop). I've done two coats over Bettina Camila, though you could get the same coverage from dabbing on a thicker coat instead.

Words cannot explain how much I love this polish. I was actually planning on buying this one (and maybe others) when I got the package from Barbra! I just love purple and I can tell this would look great over lots of different colors. Application was a breeze (as with all I Love NP polishes) and now that I have had them sitting around for a while I can say without a doubt that there is no sinking or bleeding glitter in these. Everything about the brand is high-end quality. Including the packaging!

Each polish comes in their own box with an adorable heart cutout so you can see the label on the front. If that's not your style, both the box and the polish bottle also have labels on the bottom! Also, rubberized handles make everything better. I really can't say enough good things about I <3 Nail Polish.

You can find I Love NP on Etsy and Facebook. Since I found the brand a couple of months ago, her shop is always stocked and she has amazing customer service. She also has a blog where she shares swatches of her polishes as well as regular manis.

Have a great day! (Even though its Monday :P)

*I Love NP polish was sent for review. For more information, please refer to my Disclosure policy*

ABC Challenge Letter A - Orly Androgynie

Hi all!

Today I'm getting a late start on the ABC challenge! You might have already seen some other blogs' posts yesterday but alas, I'm starting up school again and getting all my courses in order so it's been a bit hectic. This semester I'll also be a research assistant so, hopefully, my schedule won't get too crazy and I'll still have time for the blog. If anything changes, I'll let you guys know. I'm not planning to drop off the face of the earth ;).

Back to the challenge, I chose to go with an untried for today, Orly Androgynie. This came out a while ago and it was a disappointment to some people because the glitter would sink and generally not look as fantastic as the bottle. I knew this beforehand so I placed my bottle upside down so that the glitter would redistribute. And then, I bumped the table and this happened:

Sigh. But, because I'm a trooper and I didn't have a backup plan, I grabbed the brush and just painted my nails straight from the puddle. That's also the reason my nails look a little lumpy with a messy cuticle line, since I was just dipping into a puddle and from the bottom of the bottle, I managed to get a LOT of glitter.  I'm showing two coats for the pictures below.

See? SO MUCH GLITTER. It's a shame that I lost this bottle but I've also had it for months and never used it so maybe I don't need to replace it. I kinda want to, but maybe I shouldn't.

Remember to have a look at the other awesome ladies participating! I'm psyched to be doing another challenge with a great group of blogs (some from the 31 Day challenge) and it's gonna be a very mellow schedule, just once a week with no nail art required. Don't get me wrong, I'll definitely include some because I still want this blog to have nail art but it's a relief to know that if I'm swamped with school I can just pick a pretty polish and go back to studying.

Kimber @ Kimber'sLacquerKorner
Gini @ Sassy Paints
Kat @ Hooked On Polish
Lisa @ Lozlosa
Diana @ Nails By Diana
Nicole @ Nicole Gets Nailed
Nailista
Lariesa @ Me, Myself, and Polish
Patty @ Patty And Goldie's Day Off
Meredith@ Perfectly Polished
Joanna @ Sweet Polish of Mine
Sammi @ GlitzNGlammer
Polishaholic
Dionne @ Glittery Fingers
Aly @ Wonderland Beauty
Kate @ Painted Pony Nails
Sarah @ Faithfully Polished
Small Budget Beauty
Brittany @ Pretty, Pink, and Chic
Alaina @ Dont Spill The Acetone
Simona @ Light Your Nails
Elle @ Miss Nail Polish
Holly @ Facebook (blog link coming soon!)
Sonya (link needed)

Have a great day! 

I Love NP - Little Mermaid Swatches and Review

Hi all!

I wanted to lump together the other I <3 Nail Polish brand polishes in one post but I just haven't had time to swatch them and I've been actually *gasp* wearing and enjoying them! Today I'm sharing Little Mermaid. Little Mermaid is an awesome mix of small teal hexes, tiny skinny slivers and short bar glitter with some small holo pink hexes as well as teeny tiny pink squares.

One coat of Little Mermaid over Bettina Orchidea, although I think you may be able to get this opaque on its own in 3 coats.

I'm going to be honest here, I wasn't expecting to love this one as much as I did! I'm usually one for chunkier glitters that you can see from afar but, these nails gave such a nice, sparkly but soft look. Almost princessy, if you wil (see what I did there?). I also have to mention Little Mermaid is one of my favorite Disney movies so I was excited to have this based on the name alone :D. 

As with the previous I Love NP polish, application was like butter, clump free and no dragging. Bonus: this just needs one coat of topcoat to be smooth! I love that Barbra makes such nice glitters but they're not topcoat hungry or gritty. 

You can find I Love NP on Etsy and Facebook. Since I found the brand a couple of months ago, her shop is always stocked and she has amazing customer service. She also has a blog where she shares swatches of her polishes as well as regular manis.

Have a great day! 

*I Love NP polish was sent for review. For more information, please refer to my Disclosure policy*