Rainbow Honey 20% Cooler

It's been a loooooong time since I took these photos, but they sort of go with last week's blue creme comparison since I actually just put it over those five polishes.  So, because it's been a long time since I did this mani, and my brain doesn't remember things very well anymore, this will be a predominantly picture heavy post.  Enjoy Madame Righty as she shows you 20% Cooler!

[I purchased all polishes myself.]

Just as a memory refresher, my undies are (from thumb to pinkie): Deborah Lippman Let's Hear it For the Boy, Elevation Alphubel, OPI What's with the Cattitude, BarryM Blueberry Ice Cream, and China Glaze Electric Beat.  I really liked the look of this glitter on top of the blues.  It reminded me of a rainbow in a clear blue sky.

20% Cooler is a clear based polish with a rainbow of glitters ranging from matte to metallic in varying sizes.

I did one coat of 20% Cooler over the blue ombre.  Application wasn't too bad, but it was definitely thick like most of my Rainbow Honeys.  So, you may need to get some thinner.

I really like how bright and happy this looks.  In the bottle, it looks like the base has a bit of a grey tinge, but it's actually clear with some micro glitters that muddy the base in the bottle.  It doesn't come across as grey or muddy on the nail, though.

I love the look of glitters matted, so I'm not sure why I don't do it more often.  Here, I've topped my mani with NYC's matte topcoat.

And then, just because I wanted to show how versatile this little guy can be, I used OPI Don't Touch My Tutu, my go-to white jelly, to do a jelly sandwich!

You can purchase Rainbow Honey polishes at their store.  Follow them on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for news and updates.

So, what do you think?  Do you like rainbow glitters?  Which is your favorite rainbow glitter?

[I purchased all polishes myself.]

Comparison Thursday: Light Blue Cremes

Tonight's post will be a bit... spotty...  I took these photos forever ago, and I'm a bit fuzzy on all of the application details.  Also, the pics are a bit dark and my skin is a bit dry, soooo just keep in mind that these are from almost two years ago now.  Ok, let's get to it!

All polishes were purchased by me.

Tonight's post consists of a few of my light blue cremes and one shimmer (I'm not sure why I put it in this comparison).  None of them are or near the same shade, so I guess let's get to the differences.

Deborah Lippmann Let's Hear it for the Boy, Elevation Polish Alphubel, OPI What's With the Cattitude, BarryM Blueberry Ice Cream, and China Glaze Electric Beat

Let's Hear it For the Boy

Let's Hear it For the Boy is a super pale blue almost periwinkle creme.  As you can see, application isn't flawless and the formula isn't self-leveling.  It took three coats for full opacity, and the first coat or two are still quite streaky.  This was a limited edition, but you can purchase other Deborah Lippmann polishes at Sephora.

Alphubel

Alphubel is a light blue with a strong icy blue shimmer.  It's got a bit of a grey undertone, but the shimmer is prominent on the nail.  The application was relatively easy, like with most Elevations, and took three coats for full opacity.  You can purchase Elevation Polishes at her store here.

What's With the Cattitude

WWtC is probably the most difficult with application in the whole set.  No matter how many times I try to wear this polish, it goes on in a streaky mess that refuses to dry.  I use about four coats, and you can still see some balding and streaking.  I really want to love this polish because the color is just so pretty and unique (it's the most teal of the group), but the application leaves much to be desired.  Again, this one has been long since discontinued, but I found it dusty hunting, which is why my bottle is almost dead.

Blueberry Ice Cream

I kind of really love BarryM polishes.  Application on this guy was fantastic and has a bit of a squishy look to it even though it's not a jelly.  This is the most blue of the five polishes in this set.  This is three coats to hit full opacity.  I received this bottle from a friend in the UK, but you can purchase BarryM polishes at Color4Nails.

Electric Beat

This is another one that I'm not sure why I added into this comparison as it's the most periwinkle of the group.  It's also not very light, either.  Electric Beat has a great formula like most China Glaze cremes, and only needed two coats for full opacity.  This is a core line polish, so you can find it at most beauty supply shops.

I have more light blues I could add to this comparison now, but that'll have to wait for another week.  I'll definitely let you know when I have more to add to the comparison!  Which is your favorite?

All polishes were purchased by me.

Golden Oldies Thursday: Pastels

A week late, but here I am!  I'm not overly fond of this combination, but I didn't have time to redo it, so it'll have to do.  I should've gone with either a lighter blue or maybe even a pale pink or green.  Oh well!  I'll have to try a new base color next time I wear this topper!  Let's take a look!

Here is the GOT Polish schedule of events if you would like to follow along or participate.

Remember the rules:

• The polish you use must be at least a year old.
• If you haven't been a polishaholic for that long, you can use the oldest polishes you have.
• The polish should be previously used, but if you're stuck, you can use a polish from your untrieds stack.
• You can use more than one polish as long as it fits the rules.

I purchased or received as gifts all polishes in this post.

For this challenge, I used Deborah Lippmann's Let's Hear it For the Boys and By Dany Vianna's Soft Pastels - yes it has my name on it!  I topped the look using Cult Nails Wax This...

Let's Hear it for the Boys is a pastel baby blue creme.  This is three difficult coats.  Unfortunately, LHIFTB doesn't self level, which caused some issues when it came to application.  There were some bunching issues as well as balding and clumping.  I used thicker coats to try and make it even, which made it almost impossible to dry despite the fact that I used a coat of KBShimmer's Clearly on Top before I applied the wax coat.

LHIFTB was also a mess to apply.  I got it all over myself, and the milkiness of it made it very difficult to remove from the skin.  If I had Zoya Blu for over a year, I would've much rather have used it instead.  While Blu is paler than LHIFTB, it's definitely got a much better application.  Dry time for LHIFTB took forever to dry, too, so it's definitely not in my list of top favorites.

Soft Pastels is a lovely and delicate glitter topcoat made up of mint green, lavender, and baby pink matte glitters in varying sizes.  The glitter to base ratio is light on the glitter and heavy on the base, so if you want a more dense look than what I have here, you'll need more than one coat.  Due to the glitter payoff being a bit light, you may have to fish some for the glitters.

Otherwise, application and dry time were pretty average.  The top handle and wand are a bit different, and the brush is a little more pliant than I'm used to, but I've noticed that about other Brazilian polishes as well.  It's not a bad thing by any means, but it's just a bit different.  Lastly, it's important to note that Dany's polishes are not billed as 3-free, so make sure you know this before you purchase!

You can get Deborah Lippmann's at beauty supply stores.  You can purchase By Dany Vianna polishes at Mei Mei's Signatures!

Happy Halloween Everyone!!!

If you didn't know, my store is having a sale right now, and since I'm a dumb dumb that doesn't understand that technology stuff, the fixed code will be up until midnight tomorrow night.  All orders will receive 13% off with the promo code "Halloween" - so click here to order!  Also, there are only a few more hours to get your donations in to I Need a Lighthouse (or you can send them to me via paypal if you'd rather).  More information on that is located here, here, and here.

Ok, we won't be doing a Comparison Thursday today since it's Halloween, which is my FAVORITE holiday of the year.  Instead, I'm going to show you some of the Halloween looks I've been rocking this month.  Bear with me as these photos were taken with my iPhone and might not be the best quality coupled with the fact that my nails are a right mess. Without further ado, and in no particular order, my Halloween manis!

**All polishes were purchased by me.**

Lynnderella Are You a Good Witch over Rescue Beauty Lounge Piu Mosso.

Witch is a clear based polish with a blue shimmer and glitters in all sorts of shapes and sizes but that focus more on the darker side of the spectrum.  Part 1 of the Lynnderella Halloween inspired Twin Set.  Piu Mosso is a deep navy creme with a strong copper shimmer.  

Lynnderella Ghouls Just Want to Have Fun over Wet 'n Wild Fantasy Makers Darkest Hour, Once Upon a Time, and Ghouls Rush In.

Ghouls Just Want to Have Fun is a clear based polish with a pink to blue shimmer and multicolored glitters.  Part 2 of the Lynnderella Halloween inspired Twin Set.  Darkest Hour is a plain black creme.  Once Upon a Time is a silver foil.  Ghouls Rust In is a really nice bright orange jelly.  

Lynnderella Gotta Love Brains with Illamasqua Raindrops.

Raindrops is a grey based polish with silver-grey flakies.  Gotta Love Brains is a pale grey base with a pink shimmer and hexes and squares in silver, purple, pink, and blue.  This is two coats of Raindrops and three coats of GLB without undies.  I wasn't sure how I'd like either of these, but this may be my favorite non-art mani this year.

Lynnderella All Hallows Eve over Elevation Torres del Paine.

All Hallows Eve is a green polish with various shades and sizes of green and black glitters.  Torres del Paine is an amazingly luscious green creme that is opaque in one coat.  Flawless application!  I took it to the next level by using NYC Matte me Crazy.

Orange Gradient

I used 5 different polishes following this technique to get this look.  I was absolutely IN LOVE with this mani.  It's just sooo pretty.  I used (from cuticle to free-edge): Elevation Matsuda, Deborah Lippmann Footloose, China Glaze Riveting, Elevation Sarychev, and Elevation SBP Llulluillaco.

Candy Corn Holo Gradient

I used the same technique as the one above for the gradient (from cuticle to free-edge): Model City Polish Corn Maze, OPI Coral Reef, and Indigo Bananas Do You Have a Flag?  I then stamped on my accents with Konad Special Black using my new Bundle Monster Holiday plates (BM-H07, BM-H06).

So, if you celebrate it, what did you do for Halloween?  If not, what was your Thursday mani?  I'll be doing something a bit different next month, so check back tomorrow for that.  Also, please be aware that the Depression Awareness Giveaway will take time to verify as I will be awaiting the information from the charity, so please be patient as I get all of the verification information in.

**All polishes purchased by me.**

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.*