Friday, December 18, 2015

Gettin' Festive with KBShimmer sELFie!

*Polishes provided for an honest review*

I'm back with another KBShimmer polish that reminds me of everything Christmas in a bottle.  Things are getting festive and this polish is most appropriate! 
When I put on sELFie from KBShimmer's winter 2015 collection, it reminded me of garland and Christmas lights on my nails.  The name is adorable too...it also reminds me of "Selfie" the sitcom that was on ABC last year. I am still so sad that it got cancelled, so let's just admire this polish!


sELFie is a crazy holiday glitterbomb of light and dark holo green glitter mixed with holographic silver, gold and red glitter in a clear base.  I see blue flashes too, but it might be the holo.  I decided to wear 3 coats of sELFie on its own (in all its glory) with a coat of Clearly on Top topcoat.  Swatches were taken outdoors.
Coverage was good and easy to control even with a thicker suspension needed for all that glitter.  You will just need 1 coat of sELFie if you wear it over another polish.


Indoors
If you want to check out the full KBShimmer winter collection (there are 14 polishes in total and you can see 2 more here) they are available on Amazon and at www.kbshimmer.com 

To keep up with all new things from KBShimmer, check their social media sites below. 
KBShimmer Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Let me know what you think of sELFie!  For me, it was out of my comfort zone at first, but my coworkers and friends loved it when they saw it so I've been rocking it!  I wish you all a most wonderful weekend and thanks for stopping by!

xoxo
~ Hayley ~


Wednesday, December 16, 2015

KBShimmer Winter - Yule Worthy and Owl Miss You

* Contains PR samples for review *

Hello sweet friends!  I have 2 stunning polishes from the current KBShimmer Winter/Holiday collection today.  There are some serious beauties in this collection and a few others made it on my wish list, but these two are going to be great to wear all throughout fall and winter.

First up is Yule Worthy and all its sparkly goodness!  KBShimmer describes it as: a warm burgundy leaning, chocolate brown polish with micro metallic flakes.  The description is spot on to the polish because I couldn't decide if this was a brown polish or a burgundy polish. 


I also see some very, very sparse scattered holo in Yule Worthy too.  Coverage-wise Yule Worth is fantastic!  I used 2 coats but was opaque in one careful coat.  The formula is thick, but not too thick, it just lends to good opacity.  I also used 1 coat of KBShimmer's Clearly On Top topcoat.  Love!


Next is Owl Miss You and it's another neutral but with something special to make it unique.  Owl Miss You is a beige/taupe filled with golden and copper flakes and shimmer. I see a few sage green flakes every so often too which I LOVE (you can see in the bottle shot).  Reminds me of a cozy cable knit sweater.  2 easy coats + topcoat and it's perfection.





In all the KBShimmer polishes I've tried, I have nothing but good things to say!  They really are a wonderful polish and I hear their Mani Shots and water decals are amazing too!  If you're interested in any of the other colors from KBShimmer's winter collection both present and past, you can find them on Amazon and on www.kbshimmer.com 

To keep up with all the new collections from KBShimmer, check their social media sites below. 
KBShimmer Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Let me know if you picked up any KBshimmers from this collection and what you love from it!  Thanks for stopping by this little corner!

~ Hayley ~

Monday, December 14, 2015

Blue Christmas

**Polishes were provided for an honest review**

Today I have a few polishes from KBShimmer's Fall lineup that I have deemed holiday appropriate. This year for me will be very different since I lost my Gram in August this year. The first Christmas without someone you love can be a tough experience and I think some of us are still going through the grieving process. 

I decided that Breaking Blues and Carpe Denim were gorgeous blues for a Blue Christmas mani.

Outside; In natural light
Carpe Denim is a the squishy navy jelly on my pointer and middle fingers. It is packed with holographic silver glitters that make it look like the night sky. It applied easily and I decided to use 3 coats only because I didn't get my edges evenly in the first 2 coats. If I wasn't taking photos, I would have only used 2. The creme on my ring and pinky fingers is Breaking Blues. This is a terrific one coater, though I am wearing 2 coats here for photo purposes. I was really impressed with this one! It leans periwinkle to me and I love it!

Indoors; with flash
This little angel was in the flower arrangement I had made for my Gramma. I keep her on the mantle to remind me that she is always in my heart. I know she is spending Christmas with Jesus this year but that doesn't make me miss her any less. If you are missing a loved one this year know that you are not alone and that I am sending a big hug your way!

xoxo
Jackie

Monday, November 9, 2015

Pahlish Drops of Fire (Bespoke Batch)

*Purchased*

Hello!  I hope that everyone's week is off to a good start.  The weather here finally feels like fall, and so happy I can wear my boots, scarves and not sweat while drinking a hot PSL or Chestnut Praline latte! 
Today I have gorgeous indie brand, Pahlish, to share with you!  I've been wearing this type of color on my nails a lot lately,   but this one is probably my favorite of that deep red family.  Drops of Fire is a deep brick red/sometimes raspberry jelly with flakes and shimmer.  It also has an occasional flash of blue that makes it really unique when you catch it.  This was released in March 2015 and I totally passed it by, but so happy I ended up with it months later (I'll explain how).




Drops of Fire is almost a one coater....yes a jelly one coater!  The formula was impeccable and my swatches show 2 coats which deepened the color and was opaque.


When Pahlish releases new collections, colors, and bespoke batches (small limited 1-2 release batches) - they also offer mystery polishes.  Seasonally, they will also do clearance mystery sales where you could end up with prototypes, sample batches, a normal released Pahlish, or a Bespoke.  During the summer clearance mystery sale I grabbed 2 bottles (they were only $5 each!)  Drops of Fire was one of the 2 I received and the other was equally as gorgeous (Sample batch: Tiptoe Through the Tulips).


Pahlish releases and restocks happen on Sundays, if you are new to this brand.  If you don't own any yet, I highly recommend taking the plunge! The quality is fantastic and her polishes are a work of art!

If you do own some, I would LOVE to know your favorite Pahlish or top few in the comments!  Thanks for stopping by!

Monday, November 2, 2015

China Glaze Cabin Fever

 *I won this!*

Hello my sweet friends!  I'm going to preface this post with, YOU NEED THIS POLISH (I feel like I say that a lot).  I really don't even need to write anything else about it, but if you are a fan of duochrome polishes, Cabin Fever is AHHH-MAZING! 



China Glaze Cabin Fever is part of the 2015 The Great Outdoors collection.  This has been my favorite collection from China Glaze this year.  It's also probably my favorite Fall collection released this year.  It includes creams, foil shimmers, duochromes, vampy shades, etc...

Shown is 3 thin coats of Cabin Fever and a coat of Out The Door.  Two would have been adequate but I wanted to make sure there were no sheer spots.  In the sun, shade, or indoors the color shift from a deep rose to orange to coppery gold is perfect.  I'll just let the pictures do the talking... 



This was a pretty popular collection from China Glaze, so I think it's vanished from most stores by now. You will still be able to find Cabin Fever online on Amazon, or other beauty retailers like HeadtoToe Beauty, and HB Beauty Bar.


I was lucky enough to win this beauty on a bi-monthly twitter chat called Nail Glossip (#NailGlossip).  It's a great community of bloggers and polish fanatics who chat about a specific topic designated for the week.  There are often giveaways, and you even get to chat with big brands like China Glaze and OPI!  
Nail Glossip is run by Jen from The Polishaholic (you might have heard of her ;-) JK, of course you have!) and All Lacquered Up.

 Nail Glossip is on Sunday nights, so check it out if you're on Twitter!  Let me know if you do and what you think about Cabin Fever.  Have a great day!

~ Hayley ~

Thursday, October 29, 2015

Simple Halloween NOTD: OPI It's a Piazza Cake


I really tried, you guys!  I tried to do an adorable placement glitter spider mani, I saw here on Instagram.  "I can totally do glitter placement," she says.  "I finally have a use for bar glitter and it will be adorable," she says.  
Um no, it won't.  Your spiders will turn into circles with hair, and you'll have bar glitter everywhere but on your nails.  Sigh....
I will keep trying, because in theory it can't be that difficult, right? Practice makes perfect...or at least acceptable!  I'll meet you back here next year!


In the meantime, I decided to use the only polish I picked up from the OPI Venice collection, It's a Piazza Cake.  I am not the biggest fan of orange, but this burnt orange color just spoke to me.  I love it and I'm still wearing it! It's very subdued and flattering with the brown undertone it has.



Shown is 2 perfect, creamy coats of It's a Piazza Cake that dried quickly but I added topcoat for extra shine.  I also really wanted to try the gold leaf topper from NYC I picked up at Target, Top of the Gold.  The flakies seemed a bit more 'gold' and vibrant than some of my other flakie topcoats.  This was just 1 coat and it's really lovely, especially for under $2.00!!



Both polishes are still available and will be easy to find.  I'd love to know what's on your nails this Halloween!  Let me know and link your Instagram posts for me to see!  
Happy Halloween! :)

~ Hayley ~

Saturday, October 24, 2015

KBShimmer Fall 2015: I've Seen Sweater Days & Soul Deep

 *Provided for review*

Hello my sweet friends!  I have a couple of shades from the newest KBShimmer collection, Give Thanks For Glitter, to share today.  KBShimmer has wonderful quality polishes that are reasonably priced, and is a queen of crellies.  These two polishes coordinate so well together that it seemed a shame to not wear them both.  I'm in awe of the combinations she comes up with, so lets get right to the polishes!


First is I've Seen Sweater Days, a muted aqua crelly. KBShimmer describes it as such: A muted teal crelly, pops of cobalt blue glitter, lime green holo glitters and sliver glitters accent this polish. 3 Coats are recommended for full coverage.


You can see in this shot the holo glitters shine (there is no pink glitter, that's holo).  So gorgeous....I love the muted tone that makes this wearable any time of year.  I've Seen Sweater Days started sheer, but was fully opaque in 3 easy coats.


Soul Deep is the deep inky, indigo cream.  This is definitely a one coater polish!  I used 2 coats in my swatch but only because I didn't know what to expect.  The second coat darkened it to almost black, so I'll stick with 1 from now on.  Very good formula. No staining after a few days either, but I did use a base coat.


Outdoors - shade
I also got to try KBShimmer's quick dry topcoat Clearly On Top which I am loving - so shiny and great consistency!  I have been on the hunt for a new topcoat that was not too thick and this is my new go to.  All swatches have 1 coat of Clearly On Top.

In all the KBShimmer polishes I've tried, I have nothing but good things to say!  They really are a top notch polish and I hear their Mani Shots are amazing!  If you're interested in I've Seen Sweater Days or any of the other colors from KBShimmer's fall collection, you can find them on Amazon and on www.kbshimmer.com 

To keep up with all the new collections from KBShimmer, check their social media sites below. 
KBShimmer Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
 
I have to know...what is your favorite KBShimmer crelly?  Let me know in the comments, so I can add to my collection! :)

~ Hayley ~
 

Friday, September 25, 2015

HPB presents/ Autumn Mani: OPI Kermit Me To Speak

Happy Friday!  I just love going hunting for polishes at TJ Maxx and Marshalls!  I don't always find something that will come home with me, but my most recent trip was a success.  I found Kermit Me To Speak from OPI's 2014 Muppets Most Wanted (soft shades) collection for $3.99 and since I have been duochrome crazed lately I had to wear it right away.  It's totally appropriate for fall, and reminds me of changing leaves. Take a look...



Wednesday, September 16, 2015

SinfulColors Fig and Maroon Fine

 *Provided for review*

Hi all!   We made it to Wednesday...I hope the rest of this week goes faster than it has been!  At least we always have pretty polishes to look at and make us smile. :-)

Speaking of, I have two more beauties from SinfulColors that I love for Fall: Fig and Maroon Fine.


Fig is a deep plum purple with a hidden shimmer.  Fig seemed to dry a shade or two darker on my nails than in the bottle, so I think that had to do with why the shimmer was less visible on the nail. Very pretty and a very opaque formula. This was 2 coats of Fig and topcoat.  Fig is in the core collection and easy to find!


I mentioned a few posts ago, that there was a Sinful Colors from the summer Street Fusion collection that screamed fall to me.  Maroon Fine is a shimmer that leans sometimes rust orange, sometimes brick red depending on the lighting.  I love the glass flecks in the polish!  They glimmer red, but I wish they also had thrown some gold in there like Prosecco.  Either way, this reddish-orange color is great when you're not crazy about an orange polish!

Thursday, September 10, 2015

Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer & Emerald and Ash Destination Duo

I'm late posting this beautiful duo from Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquers and Emerald & Ash, so I apologize in advance. I don't think you can find this set anywhere now, but I still needed to share the gorgeous polishes with you. Maybe you'll get lucky and see them in a destash somewhere or the makers will create something similar (perhaps with a bit of persuasion)?


The lovely Julie aka the genius behind BEGL has been teaming up with other equally lovely indie makers to create a monthly Destination Duo. Each duo is created based on a vacation photo from the partner that month. For this duo (which released in July) the destination was Sugar Beach in St. Thomas. First up is Sunset at Sugar Beach from Emerald & Ash.


Emerald & Ash is a new-to-me indie and it didn't disappoint. This aqua-blue creme has shimmers of pink and copper along with brown flakes and just a teensy touch of holo. Application was easy and smooth.

blue-eyed-girl-lacquer pink-sugar-sunsets

I used 2 thin/medium coats of Sunset at Sugar Beach topped with a glossy topcoat. I didn't notice the VNL as much until I started taking photos, but it doesn't bother me too much. Another thin coat would eliminate the VNL in my opinion.


Macro shot to show the speckled effect created by the flakes.


Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer's take for this duo was a lovely bubblegum pink with iridescent rainbow micro-glitters and a strong aqua shimmers.


For the accent nail in the photos above I used 3 thin coats and topped with glossy topcoat. For the others, I used 2 thicker coats. I had no application issues either time.

Macro shot!

  Can a polish be adorable? I think so!

This pink is adorable and dainty with just the right amount of sparkle. I'm not normally a dainty pink polish person, but since my Gramma passed a few weeks ago, I've come to love her favorite color. Maybe I'm holding on to her through my polish, but I don't think that is a problem. I apologize for taking so long to get this up. I've been struggling lately and the passing of my Gramma has made that even more complicated. Luckily Hayley has been more consistent with her posts and I appreciate her for that! (Thanks sis!)

As usual here are links to the makers' sites:
Emerald and Ash Store
BEGL Store
Emerald and Ash on FB
BEGL on FB
BEGLove Group on FB (for those of you who can't get enough BEGL - we'd love it if your joined us!)

Now go hug someone you love because no amount of time is enough when you love someone...

xoxo
Jackie



Tuesday, September 8, 2015

Essie Chillato & My Favorite Seafoam

 *Purchased by me*

I hope you had a fabulous weekend, whether it was a long 3 day weekend or not!  Labor Day marked the unofficial end of summer in the US, but before we transition into darker Fall polishes I have two more favorites to post.

I've made it no secret that seafoam is my favorite color. This polish made its debut in one of my original posts.  I thought it was time to break it out again!  I've worn it many times since then, and I love it just as much every time.  So first up is an oldie by Forever 21 Love & Beauty Seafoam.


I love how soft and subtle this is, and the glass flecks make it easy to work with.  It is sheer, this is 4 coats but dry time was very fast. 


Sadly, Forever 21 changed their polish line so you won't be able to find this exact Seafoam anymore.  One of my very favorite indie brands, Pahlish, just released a subtle holo seafoam polish (Laughter of the Stars) so if you are looking for something in the same family check that out when she restocks!  Once I receive the bottle I purchased from her release on Sunday, I will be posting it....my fingers are crossed!

I also wanted to throw in a swatch of Essie Chillato. It's a very paled out chartreuse - way more so than any of the other similar colors (think Color Club Under the Blacklight and Orly Key Lime Twist).  I have been wearing this color a lot this summer, and I have worn Chillato twice but never posted it.  This one needs 3 coats but wasn't terribly difficult to work with and leveled nicely.  You can still find this one anywhere and it's unique enough that I don't think you will have a color quite the same.


I think both of these colors could transition into fall.  I can see both going well with grey sweaters and boots.  Besides if you really love a color, and it makes you feel good to wear it, that's all the reason you need!  Thanks for stopping by!

~ Hayley ~

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

SinfulColors Whiteboard

 *Provided for review*

September marks the start of fall and all things I love!  I'm sure back to school was one of them, but it's been so long now that it seems like a distant memory.  I'm excited to see what SinfulColors has planned for later this fall; but they recently released a Back to School collection and they are on sale at Walgreens again for .99 this week!  I've posted quite a few from this collection of demi-mattes and glitters already:  Hazed, Truth or Lavendare and Night Owl for example.  These are all still available at Walgreens and on sale right now!!


My picks from SinfulColors A Class Act collection

Today I have one more from the Chalkboard Diaries collection, Whiteboard.  This is a demi-matte finish white polish and is one of the 3 Walgreens exclusive shades.  I love a white mani in the summer, because it's so fresh and looks great with bright clothes and accessories.  I wanted to squeeze this in while the weather is still summer-like, but as a base for art it will be great any time. 

matte white polish
SinfulColors Whiteboard

This is 3 coats of Whiteboard without any topcoat.  I had a bit of leveling issues so the 3rd coat helped to even things out, but I still couldn't get it perfect.  I love the soft finish on this one, with being a semi matte, and grabbed a back up bottle to try out the formula of that one. Aside from the leveling issues, the wear was great and had no chipping issues at all!

sinful colors white

sinful colors white

Full collection: Photo courtesy of SinfulColors

Make sure to check the bottle so you get Whiteboard and don't end up with a Snow Me White.  :-)
What colors/ finishes would you like to see SinfulColors do later this fall?  
To keep up with all things from SinfulColors, check their social media sites below.  Thanks for stopping by!

SinfulColors Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Website
 
~ Hayley ~