Northern Star Polish Part 2

I have two more Northern Star Polishes that will be in the Friday restock for you today.  So far, I've been in love with pretty much all of the polishes Kristin has sent me for review.  I have three more to show you, but they aren't new for Friday's restock, so that will happen a little later.  Let's take a look at Hey Big Spender and Trust No 1.

*I was not financially compensated for this post. I received samples of Hey Big Spender and Trust No. 1 for review purposes.  All other polishes in this review were purchased by me for my own use.  The opinions are completely my own based on my experience.  For more information, please see my Disclosure Policy in the tab above.*

Hey Big Spender

Color: Clear base with a greyish tint, blue/purple/green iridescent shimmers, white squares, white, grey, periwinkle, and light green hexes.

Finish: Glitter Top Coat – glitter in a clear base to be worn as a top coat.

Bottle / Brush: Round bottle – the brush and wand are the standard width and length.  Easy to control and manipulate.

Opacity: Glitter topcoat – not designed for full opacity.

Glitter Application: Medium – spreads evenly, but I suggest flipping the bottle over for a few minutes before you use it to make sure you can get the big hexes out easily.

Consistency: Fluid – thin but flows easily from the brush. This had the perfect consistency for my finicky butt.

Overall Ease of Application: Easy – applies well without pooling, dragging, streaking, or balding.  Spreads evenly and smoothly.

Stampability: Not designed for stamping.

Dry Time: Quick – dry to the touch without smudging in under 3 minutes.

Overall Thoughts: I chose to wear Hey Big Spender over a newly acquired Dior, Graphic Berry, to showcase both the shimmer in the topper and the blue leanings in the base color. I'm super happy with this combo. They work well together without being over the top or competing for attention. Application was super easy, but I did have to flip the bottle over for a minute to get the larger hexes out. It wasn't super difficult, but I did dig a little to make sure I got a good smattering of the different types of glitters on each nail. Definitely a very pretty topper that could be combined with so many different types of base color that you'd get something unique each time you wore it.

Trust No. 1

Color: Electric blue jelly with blue flakies.

Finish: Shimmer – a polish that shimmers in the light from flakies.

Bottle / Brush: Round bottle – the brush and wand are the standard width and length.  Easy to control and manipulate.

Opacity: High – opaque at two coats!  I used three to ensure that my photos wouldn't show any patchiness.

Glitter Application: Easy – Spreads evenly without much manipulation.  These are flakies, so they're very easy to get out of the bottle and spread.

Consistency: Fluid – thin but flows easily from the brush.

Overall Ease of Application: Easy – applies well without pooling, dragging, streaking, or balding.  Spreads evenly and smoothly.

Stampability: Not tested for stamping.

Dry Time: Quick – dry to the touch without smudging in under 3 minutes.

Overall Thoughts: Yeah, this is my favorite Northern Star Polish... Application was FLAWLESS. Do you hear me, people?! FLAWLESS. PERFECT. AMAZING. The first layer is a bit streaky, but as soon as you add the second coat, BAM. Perfection. I also only had minimal cleanup, which is never the case with me. I have shaky hands, so I tend to make a little bit of a mess when I polish. But Trust No. 1 was amazingly easy to work with. Plus, just look at that color. So unique and so pretty. It's the perfect vivid polish that you need to have in your collection for summer. I just love how the base is actually purple, but it leans blue because of the blue flakies. It's so complex and yet so simple at the same time. It's love, people. Love, I tell you.

Both of these polishes will be available this Friday, noon cst, at the Northern Star Polish store on Etsy. Follow Kristin on Facebook and Instagram for news and updates. And if you haven't planned to buy any from this week's restock, you should. I'm serious. All of these polishes are well made, well thought out, and very unique. I can't wait to show you the three I have left for review!

*I was not financially compensated for this post. I received samples of Hey Big Spender and Trust No. 1 for review purposes.  All other polishes in this review were purchased by me for my own use.  The opinions are completely my own based on my experience.  For more information, please see my Disclosure Policy in the tab above.*

Northern Star Polish Part 1

I have some perfectly summer polishes to show you tonight!  When Kristin from Northern Star polish contacted me to review some of her new polishes that are about to be released on Friday, I just knew I had to do it.  So, without further ado, here are two polishes that will be released on June 28th.  Let's take a look see.

*I was not financially compensated for this post. I received a sample for review purposes. The opinions are completely my own based on my experience.  For more information, please see my Disclosure Policy in the tab above.*

Celestial Lullaby

Color: Pale purple base with purple, lavender, and iridescent hexes, white squares and moons, and lavender stars.

Finish: Glitter Jelly – glitter in a colored jelly base.

Bottle / Brush: Round bottle – the brush and wand are the standard width and length.  Easy to control and manipulate.

Opacity: Medium – achieves opacity at three to four coats.

Glitter Application: Difficult – difficult to dig the glitters out of the bottle, but spreads evenly once you get them out. It's not supposed to be a glitter bomb, though, so it's ok if there aren't a ton of glitters on your nail with this one. It's meant to be a soft and delicate, so no need to go hog wild with the glitter.

Consistency: Thick – thick, but is easily remedied with some polish thinner. I only added about 3 or 4 drops and that's because I'm weird and very picky about the consistency of my polishes. Most people would probably be ok with the thickness, though.

Overall Ease of Application: Hard – applies with some pooling or balding.  Spreads well with manipulation.  

Stampability: Not designed for stamping.

Dry Time: Quick – dry to the touch without smudging in under 3 minutes. I've been giving Nubar Diamont another shot. I'm not sure what was up with my original mani I used it on, but I'm really in love. It dries as quickly as SV, but without the bubbles, shrinking, or weird stringiness you get with SV once the bottle has gotten to the halfway point. I may be a convert... I need to test it on more cremes, though, and then I'll know. It could've been that I waited too long and the cremes were already almost dry. I'm not sure, so I'll make sure to get back to you guys on that!

Overall Thoughts: This isn't really a glitter bomb kind of polish. It's a crelly base with a smattering of very pretty glitters. Application was a bit thick, but a few drops of thinner cleared that right up. The glitters were a little harder to get out of the bottle, but flipping it upside down for about 20 minutes before I used it seemed to help. Once you get the glitters on the brush, though, they are easy to spread with the dab method. It's such a unique and pretty polish that I truly loved wearing.

Poppy Refreshed

Color: Coral with gold shimmer, gold hexes, gold holo hexes, and hot pink and light pink blossoms.

Finish: Glitter Jelly – glitter in a colored jelly base.

Bottle / Brush: Round bottle – the brush and wand are the standard width and length.  Easy to control and manipulate.

Opacity: High – opaque at two coats! I actually did 3 coats to ensure my photos didn't show anything patchy that I couldn't see with my naked eye.

Glitter Application: Easy – Spreads evenly without much manipulation. The blossoms came out easily, but I wish I could've gotten more gold holo hexes on my nails. Either way, though, it all applied evenly and easily without the need for the dab method.

Consistency: Thick – thick, but is easily remedied with some polish thinner. Again, I only added a few drops because I'm persnickety about my consistency.

Overall Ease of Application: Medium – applies well with minimal pooling, dragging, streaking, or balding.  Spreads well without much manipulation.

Stampability: Not designed for stamping.

Dry Time: Quick – dry to the touch without smudging in under 3 minutes.

Overall Thoughts: Again, I'm very weird about my polishes and their consistency. I felt that Poppy was a bit too thick for me, but honestly, it applied easily even before the thinner. The consistency was a bit thick, but it didn't run, pool, or bubble, which is nice. However, I like to add a little bit of thinner to give me more control. I guess I'm a control freak... The glitters were so easy to get out, with the exception of the gold holos, which were a little more stingy. The coral is just soft enough to not turn my hands crazy red. It's a nice summery polish that, if you like corals, you should definitely get.

Both of these polishes will be available this Friday at her store, but I'm not certain what time. Follow Kristin on Facebook and Instagram for news and updates. I'll have two more from the upcoming restock later this week! I won't be posting tomorrow as it's my 8 year wedding anniversary, so we're celebrating! Have a great couple of nights, y'all!

What's your favorite summer color?

*I was not financially compensated for this post. I received a sample for review purposes. The opinions are completely my own based on my experience.  For more information, please see my Disclosure Policy in the tab above.*

Sunday Hair Day: Rock Your Hair Bombshell Big Hair Powder

*I was not financially compensated for this post.  I received a sample for review purposes.*

Yup.  Big hair is pretty much what you get from this miracle powder.  This little bottle packs a HUGE punch that works well on both my straight and curly hair - even curly hair the day after a wash.  That's saying something because my hair usually looks all matted down and sad if I wear it curly the day after a wash.  Add this powder, and BAM.  Volume added and curls restored.  So, let's take a look at some befores and afters!  **Let me apologize for my crazy red eyes and giant bags.  The majority of these photos were taken in the morning before I went to work at around 6 am after a crappy night's sleep.**

*I was not financially compensated for this post.  I received a sample for review purposes.  The opinions are completely my own based on my experience.  For more information, please see my Disclosure Policy in the tab above.*

The products they sent me for review were their Big Hair Rocks Shampoo and Conditioner, Spray it Hard Big Volume Hairspray, Size Matters Big Volume Root Lift, Miracle Leave in Conditioner and Weightless Detangler, and Bombshell Big Hair Powder.

The powder comes in a shaker bottle with holes that aren't so large that you dump the product all over yourself.  

Shake it over your roots for big volume or over your ends for texture.  The smell is amazing.  I mean, it's really really really nice.  Not all of the Rock Your Hair products smell the same, which is a bit annoying if you decide to use multiple products at once.  But for all of the products I reviewed, the Bombshell Powder smelled the best to me.

I have no idea how this stuff works, but it goes from being a powder to almost feeling like a hairspray, pomade, paste, or hair wax once you've worked it into your hair.  Here's my straight hair before I used the powder.

Here it is after I used the powder and fluffed it up at the roots with my fingers.  I look exhausted...  It makes me giggle looking back at these photos.  Hah!

You have options when you use this product.  You can let your hair go flat with a little bit of body at the roots and texture at the ends, or you can really play it up and tease the roots for huge lift.  Here is my straight hair at the end of the day.  I flipped it upside down, shook it out, and flipped back up to get this look.  Also, I almost forgot to take this pic, so you guys get a pic of me in a t-shirt.  Woohoo!

Remember how I said it worked on curly, too?  Yeah, well, let's take a look at my crappy just slept on curls.

Now, take a look at my slept on curls vamped up with the Bombshell Powder.  It not only revitalized the roots, but it also gave some texture to the curls and helped them re-curl.  LOVE IT!

Lastly, I have a photo of my new 'do, a nice asymmetrical look with choppy layers.  I used the Bombshell Powder at the beginning of a long day of shopping, and it still looked fantastic by the evening.  If you follow my Facebook page, you've seen this photo already.  I went to the Mac store with my friend Jessica from Polished 10 and got a new nighttime look, which I seriously love.  The Bombshell Powder makes this style pop by showcasing all of the layers.  It's like my new style and the Bombshell Powder were made for one another!

Do you like big hair, or is it too much for you?  I used to want my hair to be as flat as possible, but I've been really liking the volume lately.  I also love the texture and definition the Bombshell Powder provides my new haircut!  You can purchase Rock Your Hair products at salons and Ulta.  Follow the Rock Your Hair team on Facebook for news and promos.

*I was not financially compensated for this post.  I received a sample for review purposes.*

Comparison Thursday: Purple Holos

Today's Comparison Thursday may look like one I've done before, but it's not...  If you're interested in checking out my comparison of lavender/lilac/light purple holos, you can do so here.  Tonight's purples, however, are more pigmented and true purples than the pale almost silver holos I compared before.  So, let's get to it!

Dollish Polish Waiting for my Mr. Big, Color Club Wild at Heart, China Glaze LOL, Color Club Eternal Beauty, Layla Ultra Violet, and Kelara I Love Lamp.

All six polishes are very pretty in their own right, but I wouldn't say that there are any exact duplicates in the bunch.  Eternal Beauty and Ultra Violet are close, but not exact duplicates.

Waiting for my Mr. Big

I don't really know why I added this one to the comparison.  It's pretty clear in the bottle that it's not a dupe of any of the rest of them.  It's much more pink than blue on the scale of purple compared to the rest.  And while it's pretty and unique, it also isn't super holoy.  The rainbow effect just doesn't live up to the standards of the rest.  Mr. Big has been discontinued, but you can find other Dollish Polishes on her site here, as well as multiple etailers.

Wild at Heart

Wild at Heart is definitely the deepest purple holo I own.  It's absolutely gorgeous with such deep pigmentation that it only requires a couple of coats for full opacity.  Application was alright with a slight bit of dragging and balding.  I didn't use my Nfu Oh Aqua Base because I wanted to see how these would all work over regular base coats.  The rainbow takes on a more red, pink, and purple vibe while not showcasing the other colors as much.  It's also a bit more scattered than the other holos in this comparison.  I found my Wild at Heart at a Salon, but I've also seen it at the Bed Bath and Beyond near me.

LOL

Ahhh, the much coveted LOL...  Application for LOL, as with all of the OMGs I own, was atrocious.  Second in horribleness only to Ultra Violet, which we'll get to in a moment.  You have to work hella fast and you can't go over spots you've already painted, otherwise you'll drag and bald in a big way.  The holo for LOL is probably the most linear of the bunch as China Glaze used a smaller holo particle than is used in any of the other purples I'm comparing tonight.  However, it definitely isn't the most in your face.  It's very pretty and the depth is nice, but it's not really my favorite.  If you're a collector, by all means, see if you can dusty yourself a bottle.  However, I don't think that they're worth the price tag some people have placed on them in sales groups and blog sales.

Eternal Beauty

So now we've finally come to my favorite.  The Color Club Halo Hues collection has got to be my absolute favorite collection ever made.  Ever.  And that's saying something!  The holo is the most in your face of the six polishes, and it's also quite linear.  The best part?  Application was amazing.  Not only did it go on smoothly despite the lack of an aqua base, but it also was easy to manage while I was applying.  It didn't drag, clump, or bald, which is a huge improvement over their old formula.  I purchased my bottle on Amazon, but some people are finding them in stores and even in the clearance bins of stores.  I've never seen one in the wild near me, so that's why I went the online route.

Ultra Violet

Hands down the worst polish of the bunch.  The holo is beautiful and almost as vibrant as Eternal Beauty, but the application was a nightmare.  Again, I didn't use an aqua base, so it's probably my fault, but this polish definitely isn't made for someone who is just starting out in the polish world.  It balds as easily as George Costanza loses his toupee after pissing off Elaine!

(Source)

But really, it's a massive pain in the butt to work with.  As you can see, the color is almost the same shade as Eternal Beauty, but it's just a hair lighter.  They both have majorly intense holo pigmentation, but I can't help but come back to the application issues.  If I had to choose between the two, hands down the choice is Eternal Beauty.  I purchased this bottle from a friend at the request of a reader to compare it to Eternal Beauty, but you can purchase Layla holos at Ulta.

I Love Lamp

The last holo in this sextuplet of purple holos is Kelara's I Love Lamp.  It's on the lighter side, but still much darker than the pale purples I compared before.  It has a purple shimmer to it on top of the holo, which made it more difficult to capture the rainbow in my photos.  The rainbow is bright, but not nearly as bright as UV or Eternal Beauty.  Its application is also quite nice without any dragging, streaking, clumping, or balding.  You can purchase Kelara Lacquers at their online store.

My final verdict?  For the darks, I think I like LOL better than Wild at Heart, but it's not worth the cost.  For the lights, Eternal Beauty wins hands down.  I need to get a couple of backup bottles of that guy, stat!

So, what do you think?  Do you own any of these purple holos?  Which is your favorite and which could you do without?

*I was not financially compensated for this post.  All items in this review were purchased by me for my own use.  The opinions are completely my own based on my experience.  For more information, please see my Disclosure Policy in the tab above.*

Maybe my favorite mani to date?

Can I just say, the polishes I'm going to show you guys tonight are simply amazing. I mean, I was actually really sad when this mani chipped! The polishes that I'm going to show you tonight that I absolutely love love love are Zoya Blu and Pretty & Polished Wherever You Go, I Virgo. I'll do two separate reviews for each polish. Ready? Let's go!

*I was not financially compensated for this post.  All items in this review were purchased by me for my own use.  The opinions are completely my own based on my experience.  For more information, please see my Disclosure Policy in the tab above.*

Blu

Color: Pale powder blue

Finish: Crème – a flat polish that finishes smooth with full opacity.

Bottle / Brush: Tapered bottle and cap - bottle tapers from a fat top to a smaller bottom making it a little harder to hold if you hold your bottles while you paint. The tapered cap actually makes for easier application as it's shorter than most caps, but provides enough length to help guide application without being too wide where you grip it. The wand and brush are a little short, but they have average application.

Opacity: Medium – achieves opacity at three coats.

Glitter Application: N/A

Consistency: Medium – applies easily and doesn’t flood the cuticles.

Overall Ease of Application: Easy – applies well without pooling, dragging, streaking, or balding.  Spreads evenly and smoothly.

Stampability: Not tested for stamping, but I need to!

Dry Time: Medium – dry to the touch with minimal smudging in 3-8 minutes.

Overall Thoughts: Yeah. Yesterday I mentioned that most Zoya cremes don't tend to work well with me or my body chemistry, but Blu, like Yana, was perfect. Application was flawless. The look was smooth and perfect upon drying. I wanted to wear that mani forever. This is legit one of my favorite polishes ever.

Wherever You Go, I Virgo

Color: White with various shades, sizes, and cuts of blue and gunmetal glitters.

Finish: Glitter Crème – glitter in a crème base.

Bottle / Brush: Round bottle – the brush and wand are the standard width and length.  Easy to control and manipulate.

Opacity: Medium – achieves opacity at three coats. Can I just add, too, that this was a STREAK FREE opacity at three coats - without undies. Yup. The perfect white crelly, ladies and gents!

Glitter Application: Easy – Spreads evenly without much manipulation.

Consistency: Medium – applies easily and doesn’t flood the cuticles.

Overall Ease of Application: Easy – applies well without pooling, dragging, streaking, or balding.  Spreads evenly and smoothly.

Stampability: Not designed for stamping.

Dry Time: Medium – dry to the touch with minimal smudging in 3-8 minutes.

Overall Thoughts: The minute I saw that Chels had come out with this polish in her Zodiac collection, I just knew I had to have it. I'm so glad I got it, too, because not only was it the perfect partner for Blu, but it's also a stunning polish in its own right. I probably could've gotten away with just two coats, which is unheard of for a white based polish, at least for me, but I went ahead and added another to beef up the opacity and add depth. Application was amazing. As I said above, it was STREAK FREE. Really?! Yes. Gorgeous. Another favorite added to the list. Although, I'm not surprised as Pretty & Polished is one of the best at making white crelly glitters.

You can purchase Zoya polishes at salons or other beauty supply stores where they are sold, i.e. Ulta. You can purchase Pretty & Polished at their online store. Follow Chels and the gang on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for news and updates on new lines.

What's your favorite white crelly glitter?

*I was not financially compensated for this post.  All items in this review were purchased by me for my own use.*