Expressie by Essie: Taxi Hopping Swatches & Review

*Purchased by me*

Hi! 

I've made it a goal to share some nail polish swatches, reviews, and little slices of joy again. I don't have an elaborate coming-of-age story, so I'll just get into it!

Essie released a line of fast-dry polishes, Expressie. I have been loving those I've tried so far, and want to share Taxi Hopping (and some prickly pears) with you.

Give me all the mustards, and 'ugly' wasabi, chartreuse colors. I will wear them all. Taxi Hopping (which is by no means 'ugly' in my book), had a fantastic formula and did dry quickly! This was 2 easy coats. The Expressie line also boasts a wide, angled brush that makes polishing so nice and I do prefer this brush to Essie's other brushes.

Taxi Hopping is part of the core Expressie lineup, I purchased mine from Ulta. 

I'd love to hear what colors you're into, that others might consider quirky. I know mustards and olives have been popular for a while now, and I'm still in love with them. There are so many great polishes and brands that have popped up and they're all doing special things! 

Till next time, stay well!

~ Hayley ~ 

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 ~

KBShimmer: I'm So Sweet Pea Spring 2015 Collection

 *Press Sample*

Happy Friday!  I hate to admit that I am in the one place where the weather is pretty stellar right now, and no snow.  I am ready for Spring and it's no secret that Spring pastels are my favorite for everything!  Today I have a KBShimmer polish from the Spring 2015 collection to show you!  This delicate beauty is I'm So Sweet Pea:

KBShimmer's I'm So Sweet Pea has teal, purple, pale mint and light pink matte glitters in the palest lavender-almost-white crelly base. I used 3 coats on my middle and ring finger and just 1 coat over Essie Lilacism on my thumb.  Three coats of Essie Lilacism are also on my index and pinky fingers. The formula on I'm So Sweet Pea was great, the base was not thick at all and no fishing for any glitter. 

The entire KBShimmer Spring 2015 collection is available right now.  This collection has 7 (seven!!) amazing looking crellies all with very unique pastel color combinations, like I'm So Sweet Pea.  There are also 4 pastel holo polishes, for all you holo addicts out there (aka most of the nail community).  If that's not enough, there's also a white cream polish that I hear is great, and Spring nail vinyls too!  The description of this collection is beyond perfect: "Say goodbye to winter's dark hues, embrace sunny skies and open toe shoes."  Um, yes please!  Have you grabbed any KBShimmers yet?  I'd love to know which is your favorite!

KBShimmer products can be found on their website or on Amazon.
Connect with KBShimmer on their Facebook and Instagram to see all the gorgeous creations.

 

Endless Summer Extend-a-Mani

Hopefully you have seen my first "Endless Summer" post where I used Cult Nails Intriguing. I decided after looking at it for a day that I wanted to brighten it up a bit. So I tried my hand at stamping! This was my very first attempt and I don't think it went too bad. Now I have this desire to collect all of the buy a few more plates so that I can do some more nail art!

Outside, Full Sun

Indoors, natural light

For this, I stamped a lovely leopard print on my middle finger and jazzed up my ring finger by changing the polish to match the stamp. For this I used Essie's Tart Deco. I have to say that while this is a bright polish, I love the color for summer and especially the beach. My poor bottle needs a little thinner though since the formula was thick and a bit streaky. It didn't self-level very well either. Admittedly it has been sitting in a drawer unused for a year, so it makes sense that it needs a little TLC. You can really see the unevenness in the picture above.

Outside, Full Sun

Macro shot of the stamped finger

Almost forgot to say that I used a Konad stamper and stamping plate that I received last Christmas (yes, it has taken me this long to muster the courage to stamp!) I'm not sure it has a number but it was in a mini set that had a picture of Santa on it.

Have you ever tried stamping? What are your favorite plates and designs? Please let me know in the comments!

Thanks for reading!

~Jackie~

Taupe Skittle: China Glaze Release and Essie Chinchilly

I was looking through my collection to come up with some inspiration.  I lined up my taupe polishes and couldn't decide on one to use, so why not try them all?!  This was the result:

This skittle was such a chameleon (and that's putting it lightly!) These pictures are the most color accurate of the individual shades but in most lighting situations they were very close...only a shade or two off and fluctuated between looking grey or purplish.  I'm sure I don't have to explain the personality of taupe polishes for that to make sense!  But I will tell you the polishes I used (from thumb to pinky):  L'Oreal Liya's Nude, Essie Chinchilly, China Glaze Release, L'Oreal Sparklicious, and L'Oreal Eiffel For You. 

These polishes are all available currently, with the exception of Sparklicious (which is amazing...think Beyond Cozy but with different size glitters).
- All polishes were 2 coats and a topcoat and the formula was fantastic on every one! These are pretty much the only Loreals I own and the first time I used any of their creams. I was totally impressed!  Release (the most purple of the bunch) is from the new China Glaze limited edition collection, The Giver. After I purchased Release, I suspected it would be a dupe for something in my collection but I haven't found that to be the case by bottle comparison.

Outdoors - shade

Indoors

Natural light - shade

I'm going to have a really tough time picking just one of these to wear...but Eiffel For You (on my pinky) is one of my favorites.  I am in love with these neutrals and the promise that fall might show up in Arizona!  If you have a taupe or fall color that you can't live without...please let me know in the comments!:)

~ Hayley

*These pretty polishes were purchased by me 

Pretty In Beach Peach: Sally Hansen Floaties

This is a little gem from the limited edition summer Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear collection, Electric Summer.  In Canada the collection is called Sea Bloom and based on the pastel-like shades and adorable beachy names, I think Sea Bloom is a better name.  There are 8 colors total in the collection; I scooped up 3 and am seriously considering tracking down a few more before they're gone!

Today I have Floaties to show you; a light peach cream polish: 

The formula on Floaties was nice, thicker than some of the polishes I've used lately.  This was 2 coats of Floaties and a topcoat.  For the accent I used Essie's Beyond Cozy, which I love, love, love!  Beyond Cozy is a pale, antiqued looking gold micro-glitter.  It is awesome because it's not quite silver and it's not quite gold...and it goes with everything!  Additionally, Beyond Cozy is almost a one coater, but I used two to be sure I had full coverage.  Definitely one of my favorite polishes to date. It has an 'oxidized' quality that will be perfect for fall.

I know I talked up Beyond Cozy a little more than Floaties.  So, if I haven't convinced you enough that you should find this Sally Hansen Electric Summer collection...I'll be posting the other shades I picked up in the near future! 
Also, Kelp Yourself (I bought it for the name!) from the same collection is a near, if not perfect, match for Sally Hansen's Green Tea.

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you liked!

~ Hayley

Essie Mint Candy Apple...Take Two!

You may remember in a post awhile ago (longer than I'd like), I used Essie Mint Candy Apple for an accent nail and commented on how bright and blue it looked.  I just couldn't let it go.  

So I went searching for a different looking bottle of Mint Candy Apple and found one, so this post is using the new bottle.  I know there are a few colors from Essie that, unfortunately, tend to change over time and thought my bottle might have been on of the unlucky ones.  As you can see the color is quite different than it was here.

Direct Sunlight

Outdoors -shade

This was 3 coats of Mint Candy Apple.  The formula in this bottle was a little more streaky than my last, so I needed the 3rd coat to even things out.  I also chose an untried of mine, China Glaze Luxe and Lush from last year's Hunger Games collection.  It's not so much a flakie as it is iridescent shards, but I love it!!  It looks like shards of sea glass on the nails. The last I noticed, Sally's had a spot for Luxe and Lush in their core China Glaze line.  I haven't actually seen a bottle there just yet. 

Indoors

I know this post isn't anything new, exciting or a unique polish...but I really missed you all!  I've been so busy and just haven't had enough time in my day.  Thanks for sticking around!  There will be more exciting polishes to come!

~Hayley

Join the Blogger Linkup!  Open to everyone:)

Spring Fling Challenge Day 5: Watermarble or Gradient

We made it to the last day of the challenge!  I chose to do a subtle glitter gradient for today's theme.  I used a few long time nail polish favorites that are still readily available at Ulta or Walgreens.

I chose Essie Turquoise and Caicos as the base for this manicure.  It's a slightly squishy, jelly finish and this was 3 coats on my nails.  Next I layered a coat of OPI Pirouette My Whistle, which I am still loving as a glitter top coat.  To finish the gradient, I dabbed Essie Set in Stones around the base of my nails in a curved fashion.  What do you think?

Maybe it's just me, but I feel like this sort of is reminiscent of a Tiffany look.  My bottle of Turquoise and Caicos ends up looking almost exactly the same as a Tiffany & Co. bag when it's on my nails. 

Outdoors - sun

Right hand! What?!?

I'm sorry this is a slightly picture heavy and not very descriptive post, but I'm writing this later than normal! So, I'll just let you decide what (if any) pictures you like! 

I've had fun with this challenge and a big thanks to Elena and Kelly for coordinating this!  It has been wonderful getting to know the other ladies that participated in this and I looked forward to checking their posts everyday!

Have a great weekend and I hope Spring weather is finally here for you!  Thanks for stopping by!

~ Hayley ~

Spring Fling Challenge Day 4: Bunnies!!

 
 Time for cute overload. I'm just gearing you all up so you are smiling when you see my attempt at nail art. And I'm going to apologize now for the state of my cuticles. I need to do something, just haven't had the time! Without further ado CUTE BUNNIES!!

 

Source

OMG This bunny is so fluffy I could die!

Source for the 4 above

Are you smiling yet? I hope so! Well on to what you came for, my bunny mani! For this day of the challenge I just kept thinking about those fluffy little bunny tails for some reason, so that is what I decided to try! I give you: Bunny Bums....

For this look I used Essie St. Lucia Lilac as the underwear and then I used my new Lynnderella Sugar Bunny on top. To create the Bunny Bums I used Essie Chinchilly and Sinful Colors Snow Me White. To create the shapes I used my dotting tools. I also used a coat of Seche to smooth the glittered nails a bit. I've never used it before and I've heard it is the quickest drying top coat so I thought I'd give it a try. Patience is not one of my virtues!

Remember to check out the other bunny manis at:
ecklipsedbycolor
tuxarina
lovelylacqueredlife
nailsnoob
Pink & Purple Dots

And to top off the cuteness I leave you all with bunny hugs :) Thanks for hopping by!

~ Jackie ~

Bunnies even hug adorably!

Disclaimer: All polish was purchased by me EXCEPT the Lynderella which I was lucky enough to win in a giveaway from OhThreeOhFour. Look for some bottle shots of my epic win soon!

Spring Fling Challenge Day 1: Indie Skittle

Well, for the first day of this challenge I have learned two things:
 1.  My indies don't skittle well together.

I find that odd because I generally stick to a core color comfort zone when I buy polishes. In this case, I can get 2 possibly 3 to look okay together, but not 5.  Also, I don't have that many indies in my collection yet...so maybe that means I just need to buy more polishes!

Direct Sun

The best I could come up was this skittle, which is really only one indie polish.  (I'm sorry EcklipsedByColor and Tuxarina! - This is my first challenge; be gentle!) 
I originally wanted Tryst Lacquer's Fluer-y of Flowers, to replace the void I have for not owning Illamasqua Speckle.  I love the idea of this polish...a light lavender with tiny black speckle and light blue glitter. 
Unfortunately, most of the light blue glitter has fallen out of suspension in my bottle so I don't think I get the intended effect. :(  Needless to say, I still absolutely need the Illamasqua!

This leads me to the next thing I learned with this skittle...

 2.  Essie Mint Candy Apple looks so bright on me, I don't even recognize it compared to other swatches I've seen.

I don't know why it leans this way on me.  It's just...different than I thought it would be and I'm fairly sure it's not my bottle.  The other color I used is Kiss Me Here by Pure Ice, a pretty grey cream.

Anyway...I still intend to have some fun with this challenge!  Thanks again to ECKlipsed by Color and Tuxarina for hosting this.  Here are the themes going forward, so join in!

An Inspired Manicure

This manicure was truly made up of inspiration from a few sources.  I recreated this awhile back when the idea of a blog was more whimsy than anything and it was the first one that I was really proud of.  I was perusing a few nail blogs and came across this post from Polished Cousins.  It took me all of 10 seconds to decide I HAD to try and recreate it!  I had a few grey cream polishes already thanks to iHeartPrettyPolish (including Essie Chinchilly that was originally used, but wanted to try a different grey).  I did not have the glitter, so I promptly ran to Walgreens to purchase Essie Luxeffects Set In Stones.
See? Inspiration was abound!

 For my recreation of this grey sparkle manicure I chose Wet n Wild  Megalast polish in Wet Cement; also in the greige cream family of polishes.  This was two coats of Wet Cement with no top coat because it dried pretty shiny on its own. Then I dabbed Set in Stones around the base of my nails just using the Essie bottle brush since it's already pretty small.  I think the Polished Cousins version is way more gorgeous than mine, but for a first try I was pretty happy with the result!  Please excuse the skin around my cuticles, I had no idea I'd ever be posting pictures of this on a blog! :)

 

Both Wet n Wild Megalast Wet Cement and Essie Set in Stones are widely available at Walgreens, Rite Aid and Ulta.

Thanks for stopping by! 

Disclaimer: Since we are just getting started we are learning about lighting and such. Please bear with us as we get better at the photography. Thanks! 
These pretty polishes were purchased by me and I am in no way affiliated with either company.