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Friday, August 30, 2013

The Great Pumpkin Massacre!!!

Every time I think of this polish's name, all I can think about is Charlie Brown...  But like, evil Charlie Brown.

(Source | Source | Source | all frankensteined together by yours truly)

Yeah, don't you wish your photo splicing skills were as L337 mine.  I'm dying over here...  Beyond ridiculous.  Ahhhhh, must focus!!!  Tonight's polish is anything but ridiculous - Model City Polish The Great Pumpkin Massacre.  TGPM will be available TOMORROW HERE at 12:00 pm cst.  SO BUY IT, guys.  Seriously.  It's fantastically amazing.  Want to see why?  Good:


*I was not financially compensated for this post. I received a sample of The Great Pumpkin Massacre 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.* 


Color: Clear base with orange and black hexes that are both metallic and holographic!


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: 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.  However, if you want a busier look, you'll need to use the dab method.  Otherwise, it'll be sparse, which is also really pretty.


Stampability: Not designed for stamping.
Dry Time: Quick – dry to the touch without smudging in under 3 minutes.


Overall Thoughts:  I have loved every single one of Nina's blends that I have tried.  She truly makes an amazing product, and I hope every single one of you will go and buy her stuff.  TGPM is from her fall trio that will be available tomorrow.  Like the rest, it is scented, but you can request unscented if you'd like.  This one smells like pumpkin bread!  I'm really digging her scents.  They aren't so overpowering and chemically that they make you want to rip your hands off (*cough cough color club winter affair cough cough*).  Instead, it's a delightful scent that you catch only when you have your hands near your nose.  Application for TGPM is great!  It can be worn sparse or dense depending on your mood and will be perfect for Halloween - my personal favorite holiday!  Here, I've worn it over Liquid Lacquer's Stick a Fork in Me, a nude holo with orange flash, and China Glaze Riveting, an orange shimmer.  I think I like it better over the nude, but I bet it would look even better over white, which is how I plan to wear it at Halloween!

And now, let's take a look at the freebie!  If you purchase the entire fall trio, you will receive a 5ml cuticle oil!  You can choose between candy corn scented or unscented.  


I love this oil!  In the top photo, you see my poor hands and nails after removing my soak off gels.  Completely ravaged by my acetone (no, I will not stop using it), hey look so dehydrated and sad.  Then, in the middle picture, you can see where I applied the oil oh so sparingly, hah!  Yes, I drenched my hands in oil.  I'm not ashamed...  In the final pic, I took a pic of my phone stop watch to show you exactly how long the oil takes to be absorbed into your skin.  10 mintues is about average for my crazy dry skin.  The oil leaves my cuticles feeling soft and happy while having a killer scent that makes me want to nom my fingers!  (You may need to click on the photo to enlarge it.)



You can purchase Model City Polishes at Nina's Etsy store.  Follow Nina and Model City on Facebook and Instagram for news and updates on her collections.  Don't forget, the restock is tomorrow at 12 pm cst, and if you order the trio, you get the cuticle oil for free!

*I was not financially compensated for this post. I received a sample of The Great Pumpkin Massacre 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.*

Thursday, August 29, 2013

Comparison Thursday: White creme with blue/grey/silver glitters

Tonight's Comparison Thursday will focus on white crelly polishes with blue, silver, and grey glitters.  The two polishes I have for you tonight are Pretty & Polished Wherever You Go, I Virgo and Rainbow Honey Spirit of Wonder.


*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.*


Wherever You Go, I Virgo



Virgo is a gorgeous white crelly chock full of  sky blue glitters in both matte and holographic.  Application was super easy taking only two coats for full opacity.   I used three coats, though, to ensure there weren't any bald spots that are only captured by the camera.  There wasn't any balding, bubbling, shrinking, or pooling to be had, which makes me happy.   Dry time was quick.  I've mentioned this before, but Virgo is one of my all time favorite polishes.  As a Virgo, I'm stoked to have this bad boy in my collection!


Spirit of Wonder



Spirit of Wonder is a white creme that's denser in pigmentation but a little more sparse in the glitter department.  Plus, it includes darker blues than Virgo.  Like many of the Rainbow Honeys I own, it was quite thick requiring the use of thinner.  Because of the thickness and their old mini bottles, application wasn't as easy.  There was some pooling that needed to be cleaned up after I had finished my mani.  The glitters were also a little more difficult to get out of the bottle, most likely because there aren't as many in the polish as in Virgo.  Dry time was on the long side, also due to the thickness.  Because it's less busy than Virgo, it gives this crisp look that is definitely reminiscent of a snow covered field, which is why I like it.  While I do like Virgo better, Spirit of Wonder is still a fantastically pretty polish.


You can purchase Pretty & Polished at their online store. Follow Chels on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for news and updates on new lines. You can purchase Rainbow Honey's at their store! Follow Dee and the gang on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for news and updates.


*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.*

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Witch's Brew

Tonight, I have another Model City Polish from Nina's fall trio to show you!  But first, I have a giveaway to tend to!  Check the facebook page here for the announcement of the winners!  Thanks to everyone for participating and making my birthday that much nicer.

*I was not financially compensated for this post. I received a sample of Witch's Brew 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.* 


Color: Clear base with blue, green, silver, and black micro glitters.


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.  HOWEVER, I do believe that this could achieve full opacity in 3-4 coats.  Granted, it would be a lot harder to remove than having just one layer over undies.


Glitter Application: Medium – requires the dab method, but glitters are easy to extract and spread evenly.


Consistency: Thick – slightly thick, but is easily remedied with some polish thinner.
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.

Ignore the errant fuzz if you can...
Overall Thoughts:  Witch's Brew is a fruit punch scented polish that is just simply to die for.  It's also very fitting for any time of year without being pigeonholed to just one season.  Here, I wore it over 2 coats of Barry M Indigo, which is the perfect match for Witch's Brew.  The scent is perfect because it's faint enough to not drive you crazy but also strong enough that you know it's there.  Again, you can purchase all of Model City Polish's fall collection unscented if you'd like.  Application was super easy, despite being a little on the thicker side.  I do wonder if the scented aspect makes the base a little thicker than normal.  The thickness here, however, is not really a problem.  I didn't even add thinner, and it applied easily with the dab method.  It definitely needs the dab method, though, in order to get it even across the nail.  Remember, this trio is available starting this Saturday, 8/31.  All polishes come in scented or unscented, and those who purchase the trio will receive a bottle of Model City's cuticle oil in candy corn or unscented!

You can purchase Model City Polishes at Nina's Etsy store.  Follow Nina and Model City on Facebook and Instagram for news and updates on her collections.

*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.*

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Bobbing for Apples?

It's only fitting that I hit my 200th post on my birthday!  If you follow me on Facebook or Twitter, you'd know that 1) I'm hosting a small quick giveaway for 4 prizes to celebrate my birthday.  I'll have an announcement for those in the morning!  and 2) this year's birthday wasn't awesome...  Car troubles meant I missed my chance to renew my license and plate before the deadline.  Womp womp.  Anyway, let's check out the first of three polishes from Model City Polish's fall collection that is set for release this Saturday!

*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.* 

Bobbing for Apples


Color: Clear base with red glitters hexes and dots and green to orange iridescent glitters.


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 – requires the dab method, but glitters are easy to extract and spread evenly.


Consistency: Thick – slightly thick, but is easily remedied with a roll between the palms or some polish thinner.


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:  Bobbing for Apples is a super fun polish that is very versatile.  Here, I've worn it over China Glaze Prey Tell, a vampy dark red, and Deborah Lippmann's Footloose, a bright tomato red crelly.  I tried to do a jelly sandwich with the DL, but it was more of a crelly than jelly, so I added another layer of glitter on top.  I really like Bobbing for Apples over both light and darker colors.  It's a clear based polish with red dots that are reminiscent of apples and chock full of fine iridescent glitters.  When asked if I wanted to try it scented or unscented, I knew that I had to have it scented.  The last time I had scented polish was the Winter Affair collection from Color Club, which wasn't a win for me.  This time, however, the apple scent is delightful without the chemical smell that the Color Clubs have.  It lasted faintly for the two days I wore Bobbing.  If you don't like scented polishes, though, there is an unscented option.  Bobbing is in a set of three polishes that will be available this Saturday, August 31st.  For those who order the entire set, Nina will throw in a mini bottle of her new cuticle oil, that I looooove, in candy corn or unscented.  It's a great little trio, so you guys should jump on it!

You can purchase Model City Polishes at Nina's Etsy store.  Follow Nina and Model City on Facebook and Instagram for news and updates on her collections.

*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.*

Friday, August 23, 2013

KBShimmer Teal Another Tail and Totally Tubular

Tonight's post is all about the water.  At least, to me it is.  Teal Another Tail and Totally Tubular both bring the water and ocean to mind - one because it's based off of the tail of a mermaid and the other because it reminds me of of a pool with floats in it.  Totally Tubular is currently available, but Teal Another Tail won't be out until September 1st.

*I was not financially compensated for this post. I received a sample of Teal Another Tail and Totally Tubular 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.* 

Teal Another Tail


Color: Green with gold to pink shift.



Finish: Matte – flat finish, no shine.  Also a multichrome with shifts to pink and gold.  Almost textured due to the larger shifting particles.



Bottle / Brush: Round bottle – the wand is the standard length, but the brush is much thicker.  This made the polish easier to control and manipulate than even the normal brushes for this bottle type.



Opacity: High – opaque at two coats!

Glitter Application: N/A



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

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



Stampability: Not tested for stamping.

Dry Time: Long – dry to the touch with minimal smudging in over 8 minutes.



Overall Thoughts: Of all of the polishes Christy sent to me for review, this one is my absolute all time favorite.  It ranks up there in top favorites out of my whole collection, too.  The shift is so prominent in both the bottle and on the nail, which is fantastic.  The shift from green to gold to pink is best seen in the refrigerator photo above, but it's very noticeable in most other lights.  Dry time was long, which Christy mentioned in her notes, because it's a matte.  However, I'm sure if you wore a quick dry topcoat it would dry a lot faster.  I chose to wear it matte, so I don't have any photos of it with a glossy coat.  Teal Another Tail won't be available until September 1st when the rest of the new fall collection.

Totally Tubular


I'm not going to lie.  Whenever I hear tubular, I chuckle a little...

(Source)

And it always makes me think of Jay and Ernie (aka Ice) from Hocus Pocus...

(Source = me via makeagif.com)

Color: Blue leaning teal with fuchsia, teal, and purple hexes, dots, and bars.

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


Bottle / Brush: Mini round 8ml bottle - KBShimmer exclusively uses the mini bottle that has the same proportions as the larger bottle, but just smaller. This means that the cap and wand are a little shorter than the full size bottle, but not nearly as short as the normal mini bottle that's prevalent among indie makers. It's easy to grip and has a decently long wand and thick brush making it easier to grab glitters.


Opacity: Medium – achieves opacity at three coats.

Glitter Application: Medium – requires the dab method, but spreads evenly.  I did have to flip the bottle upside down and dig a little to get the larger fuchsia dots.



Consistency: Medium – applies easily and doesn’t flood the cuticles.
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: Medium – dry to the touch with minimal smudging in 3-8 minutes.



Overall Thoughts:  I wore one coat of Tubular over Zoya Robyn, which was a great pairing.  However, holy crap did Robyn stain.  I mean, I couldn't get it off of my cuticles at all.  Admittedly, though, I didn't use my normal cuticle remover gel trick.  The round glitters in this remind me of inner tubes floating on a pool.  The glitters, other than the large fuchsia dots, were relatively easy to get out of the bottle even though it's a mini bottle.  The KBShimmer mini bottles are my FAVORITE minis ever.  They're super easy to use because they're just big enough for me to hold and the wand is just long enough for me to dig around if I need to to get the tougher glitters out.  Tubular is currently available for sale, and honestly, it's probably my second favorite KBShimmer, so you should totally get it!

You can purchase KBShimmers at their online store for US customers and Harlow and Co for international customers.  Follow Christy Rose and the gang on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.  Remember, they're going to have a MASSIVE giveaway once they hit 10,000 FB followers, and they are SOOOOO close!  Make sure to get to liking!

*I was not financially compensated for this post. I received a sample of Teal Another Tail and Totally Tubular 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.*