Friday, November 28, 2014

The Polish Bar: Winter 2014 Collection Release


Tonight, I have some pretty fantastic polishes for you.  I pretty much love everything that The Polish Bar sends me, and that's for good reason!  Her holos are the glossiest and shiniest holos around.  I have no idea how she does it, but they are all as shiny as glass.  Her Winter Collection is no exception!  It will be available December 1 at her shop.  So, instead of wasting your time, let's get to the pics and reviews!  There are tons of photos, so make sure you click on the pics to enlarge them!

Press Sample


Starlight





Seriously, that name pretty much sums it up!  It's a lovely white-silver holographic with a rainbow of iridescent microflakies that give this baby more depth.  The flakies are very apparent in person, but I just couldn't get my camera to cooperate!  I used four coats for my photos, but I probably could have used just three for full opacity.  The maker suggests using it on its own as well as over other polishes as a holo topcoat.  Dry time is average, and I needed only a little bit of cleanup, probably due to the little brush from the mini bottle.  




Without topcoat, it does have a nice shine, but it's not nearly as glossy as the other holos from this collection.  Actually, all of my Polish Bar holos have a gorgeous glassy shine without topcoat!  I do end up adding a quick dry topper, though, since I have very little patience.  Here, I've added one coat of Alter Ego She Shines.


Mystic Sky




Mystic Sky is a navy blue holo with silver microshimmers.  It's a tad thicker than Starlight, but it still had pretty good application.  The tiny brush did make it a little more difficult to get an even application, but her full size brushes are AMAZING.  




Dry time is fairly quick, so you'll need to work quickly to get this stuff on your nails, otherwise it will drag a little.  Also, you should wait until the previous coat is dry before applying the next one, which will ensure that you don't have any clumping or dragging.  I used three coats for full opacity.  If you can only get one from this collection, this would be my first choice - followed closely by Starlight.


Star Voyage




Star Voyage is a lovely berry red holographic with a gold microshimmer.   Much like with Mystic Sky, it is on the thicker side.  The mini brush made evening it out a little difficult, but I know (and love) her full size brushes will make application smooth and easy.  I was in a bit of a hurry, so I did have to do some minimal cleanup.  




I used three coats for full opacity, but I left the topcoat off of this one so you can see the shine.  Although, it is a bit difficult to see how glossy it is in full sun.  Dry time is about average without a quick dry topcoat.


Cosmic Sea




Cosmic Sea is a green holographic polish with green, pink, purple, and blue holographic glitters.  If you're still looking for a Christmas mani, I would seriously recommend Cosmic Sea!  It looks like a Christmas tree with lights and ornaments on it.  It's a sheer almost jelly polish, so you can see the depth of glitter and holo together very easily.  



Although it is a sheerer and thinner formula, I was easily able to build it up in three coats.  I used one coat of She Shines, and everything was smooth and glossy.  I probably could have forgone the topcoat, but I was in a rush and didn't want it to smudge while I was taking photos.


Dream Galaxy



Dream Galaxy is a lovely indigo linear holographic base with green, blue, pink, purple, and burgundy metallic and holographic glitters.  Much like with Cosmic Sea, it is a thinner and sheerer formula than the other holos. 



I was able to build it up easily in three coats.  Cleanup was easy and didn't stain my skin like a lot of blues tend to do.  Dry time is average.

As I stated above, these lovely polishes will be available at her shop starting Monday, December 1st.  Make sure you follow The Polish Bar's Facebook and Instagram for news and updates!  Which are you most excited to grab?

Thursday, November 27, 2014

Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer Release News: Doctor Who

Wow. The past 3 months have been... insane? Yes, I think insane would be the right word. Between the million and one Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer releases and my crazy schedule at work, I have been a busy busy bee. I've seriously missed my blogging, so I'm hoping that I'll be able to pick it back up in December. I have a million and one photos edited and ready to go, so hopefully, I can jump back in without any issues! Also, I hope everyone who celebrates has had a happy and safe Thanksgiving!

Tonight's post is all about the next BEGL release. These will include 5 polishes from the Doctor Who collection, It Got Away From Me, Yeah..., and a new Siren.  This month’s release includes a collaboration with Monster Polish, as she has provided 2 polishes and nail vinyls for the Doctors portion of the IGAFMY collection.  The release is set for November 30 at 3:30 pm est over at my shop and at Monster Polish’s shop.  Please remember, Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquers were designed to be opaque in one to two coats, so they may need to be thinned to your desired consistency.


Let's take a look at these new polishes! Get prepared for a ton of photos, so make sure you click on them to see them in greater detail.


Monster Polish - What’s Wrong With This Jumper? 







Black holographic with purple shimmer and a satin finish. Here, I've worn it in on its on in three coats. I probably could've only done two coats, but I wanted to make sure it was all covered in my photos. Application was so easy, and I had only very little cleanup when I was done. Even though it has a black base, it didn't stain my skin when I removed it.






In the first photo, I've worn it without a topcoat so you can see the natural finish. In the remaining photos, I've worn it with one coat of Alter Ego's She Shines Topcoat. I'm also wearing the banana vinyl from the package of vinyls that come with the full collection or that you can purchase directly from Monster Polish.


Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer - Void Stuff






A deep teal/green linear holographic with blue to red shifting glass flecks. I've worn it here in two coats, but I probably could've gotten away with only one coat. I was frustrated that I wasn't able to get the glass flecks in my photos, but they are definitely there in person. Application is smooth and easy without much need for cleanup. It's definitely a thicker formula, so you may need to add some thinner if you like thinner bottles.





On my accent nail, I attempted to do some nail art using the vinyl 3-D glasses that you receive in the full collection set. However, I didn't exactly do a great job. I tried to paint in a nose, but my artistic abilities are seriously lacking. It looked like a giant black blob on his face. Oops! For the base color, I used BEGL Flash Forward Fantasy as a base color and OPI You Don't Know Jacques as the hair. For the glasses colors, I used BEGLs Fire in Your Eyes and A Long Time Ago Tomorrow. I used a layer of Peita's Polish Glitter Glaze and another layer of Alter Ego She Shines Topcoat. I used one coat of She Shines on the rest.


Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer - Zero Balance Dwarf Star Alloy





Black linear holographic with a rainbow of additional shimmers. I used two coats, but again, I could've done one coat for normal wear. The shimmers in this polish is really noticeable in person, but it's hard to get them in the photos, much like the holo that hid from my pics. I swear, this polish is pretty holographic, but I didn't have great lighting conditions to work with since the sun went on strike...





Application was easy, and it was a bit on the thicker side like Void Stuff. On my accent nail, I used Grandpa with OPI You Don't Know Jacques for the coat and shirt and one of the vinyl bow ties from the set. I then topped the whole mani with She Shines.

Monster Polish - I Was Hoping for Minimalism, But I Think I Came Out With Magician





Deep navy blue jelly with red shimmer. I used three coats on four of my nails and two coats over three coats of Emerald and Ash Kissing Camels. Application was super easy, and the glitters came out and spread easily. Dry time was on the average side, but wasn't too long with a topper of She Shines.





For my accent nail, I used three coats of Kissing Camels by Emerald and Ash as a base, waited for it to dry, and then added the T-Rex vinyl from the collection. I then added two coats of Magician and quickly removed the decal to create the copper T-Rex. I topped it with a coat of Peita's Polish Glitter Glaze and then a coat of She Shines.


Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer - Grandpa





Off white creme with gold and rose microflakies. I used three coats with one coat of She Shines.




Application is a little thick and gritty at first, but it builds up easily in three coats. The flakies are really hard to see in my photos, but they are noticeable in person. Dry time was quick, and it dries smoothly even without the topcoat.


Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer Siren Scales





While Siren Scales isn't a part of the Doctor Who Collection, it will be coming out on Sunday with the rest. It is a lightly tinted blue jelly base packed with reflective beads, silver holo microglitters, pink and teal shimmers, blue/green iridescent shreds, and purple, teal, and blue microflakies.  This is a numbered limited edition polish and will only be restocked on the 30th.




I used three coats with one coat of She Shines. I could have done just two coats, but I didn't want there to be any bald spots in my photos. Even though there are a ton of flakies and microshimmers and glitters, this polish dries smooth with only one coat of topcoat. Again, it's on the thicker side, so you may need to add in some thinner.
Both Monster Polish and I will be selling the full set, which will cost $50 and include all five bottles of polish as well as a sample set of Dr Who inspired vinyl decals.  I will have individual bottles of the BEGL Doctors at my shop, and Monster Polish will have individual bottles of the MP Doctors at her shop, as well as additional vinyl decals that can be purchased as $1 for a set of 10 decals.  The BEGL linear holographics and shifters will be $12, the Siren will be $10, and the cremes, shimmers, glitters, and microglitters will be $8.50.  The Monster Polish glitter will be $8 and the holographic will be $9.  This will be the final time that the Doctor Who polishes will be restocked, so once they are gone, they won’t be back again for a while.

Lastly, I will be having a pretty awesome Cyber Monday sale this coming Monday! Please note that the release of these polishes will be a day BEFORE the sale. I do plan to hold back some of the Doctor Who stock for Monday so that they won't be sold out before the sale. However, if you're looking to grab the Siren, you'll need to make sure you grab it on Sunday! Please read the graphic as well as all of the fine print for more information on this sale! I CANNOT give you a discount on anything purchased PRIOR to the date of the sale or if you forget to add the code!!!



Happy Thanksgiving!!!