Happy Valentine's Day!!

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!  I hope you all have a happy, warm, and safe day today!  I was contacted by Brilliant Earth a few weeks ago asking if I would join in their How Do You Say Love? campaign.  Brilliant Earth says, 

"Creativity and Perspective: Valentine's Day is the perfect opportunity to show anyone in your life just how much you care - bit it's also a day to showcase your appreciation, individuality, and creativity.

Friendship and Memories: Love means an array of things to a lot of people.  We love people as well as our passions!  Show us how you creatively spell "LOVE" however it best resonates with you, your life, and/or your loved ones! 

Create: Create your own photo representation of "Love," then give a little insight into your creative expression and what it means to you.

Share: Whether you tell a story, give a quote, express a memory or even jot down a quick blurb, share it with your readers for all to be inspired by!"  *Taken from brochure sent to me by Brilliant Earth.

So, here is my offering!  Since I'm a nail polish blogger and an indie polish maker, I chose to spell out love with glitter!  Glitter makes everything better, am I right?!  The glitter I used came from the little candy full of glitter that I received with my Lynnderella Sweet Art Valentine's Day package that also included All Heart and Heart Spoken.

I can't not show a mani, too.  Here is my Valentine's Day mani.  I used Lynnderella Nail Bed of Roses with accents of Lynnderella All Heart over Elevation Mount Feathertop.  All polishes were purchased by me or given to me as gifts from friends.

Love for me means anything from a warm blanket and a book to spending time with my husband and family.

Love also means spending time doing things that I really enjoy doing, like polish!  Whether it is creating my own unique hand-poured polishes or having fun painting my nails, I always get a sense of peace and restfulness when I'm playing with polish.

Nail Bed of Roses is a clear based polish packed full of red holographic micro glitters and larger red holographic shaped glitters.  This is two coats with one coat of Glitter Tamer and one coat of KBShimmer Clearly on Top.  All photos taken in artificial sunlight.

Mount Feathertop is a sweet pink/peach tinted cream jelly.  It took three coats to get mostly opaque, but you could still see nail line.  Dry time was quick, and application was flawless.

Here's a nice blurry shot of the two glitter polishes so you can see the sparkle.

All Heart is a mix of white glitters with a colorful mix of hearts in blue, pink, orange, red, black, purple, and silver (I'm sure there are more colors that I'm missing) in a shimmered base with pink holographic micro glitters.  The glitters were easy to get out of the bottle, but be careful as the base is not as thick as normal Lynns!  You'll need to make sure you don't get too much polish on the brush, otherwise you may end up having some pooling issues at the cuticles and side walls.  This is one coat with a coat of Glitter Tamer and a coat of KBShimmer Clearly on Top.

You can purchase Elevation Polishes here.  Lulu restocks on the 7th and 22nd of every month, so make sure you follow her blog for news on restocks and new releases!

You can purchase Lynnderella's at their store here.  Follow their fan run Facebook and Instagram pages for lovely swatches, new releases, and fun giveaways!

Brilliant Earth, in their words, provides the highest quality jewelry originating from pure sources and harvested using socially responsible practices.  For more information on Brilliant Earth, take a look here and here!

I hope everyone has a wonderful Valentine's Day!  Whether you spend it with someone else or use the day to pamper yourself, have a wonderful and relaxing day!

Golden Oldie Thursday: Valentine's Day

Wahoo!  I totally am rocking this challenge, and I'm so stoked!  I can almost never keep up with these, even if they're only once a week, but I'm really loving the fact that it isn't all about nail art.  So, let's take a look at tonight's offering - a pretty pink mani with a bit of stamping!

Here is the 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.

All polishes were purchased by me.

Tonight's polishes all fit in the 1 year or older rule, even the polishes I used for stamping! All photos are taken under artificial light with one coat of KBShimmer Clearly on Top and one coat of Alter Ego She Shines to help fix the dull from wearing this mani all day. Here are the polishes I used:

China Glaze LOL, Lynnderella Mon Petit Chou Chou, Essie Pink-a-boo, OPI My Very First Knockwurst, and Nicole by OPI Pink Flower Power.

Pink-a-boo is a dainty as f pink (that's for you Sara) with an assortment of rainbow micro flakies.  I used four thick coats of Pink-a-boo as it is a jelly that takes several coats to get fully opaque.  You could still see my nail line a bit before I stamped, but it wasn't that bad.  Dry time is actually pretty fast despite having to use four layers!

OPI's My Very First Knockwurst is a taupe leaning pink cream, which I've previously reviewed here, but needless to say, my opinion has changed.  This is probably one of the polishes I grab for the most to use as undies.  I've finally figured out the trick to its application, which is thicker coats with sufficient time to dry in between.  I used two coats as undies underneath Mon Petit Chou Chou.

Mon Petit Chou Chou is a very pretty light pink with pink, purple, and silver glitters in hexes, squares, blossoms, butterflies, and hearts.  This is the first Lynn I've ever had an issue with in regards to getting glitter out of the bottle.  It's a super thin base where there is a lot more base than glitter.  It's a super sheer polish as well, which necessitated the use of undies.  While I did have some issues getting the glitters out, I was still able to fill up my nails without overloading my nail with base pooling at the sides and without wasting too much time.

I stamped using China Glaze LOL, NOPI Pink Flower Power, Bundle Monster's Holiday plates and a Red Angel plate on my right hand, which isn't shown.  Pink Flower Power stamped much better than I thought it would, which was a great surprise!  I wasn't sure it would transfer very well, but I think it did well because it's old and a bit thick.  I actually purchased this polish when I was in middle school, which was a long long long time ago.  It was easy to pick up the image from the plate and easy to transfer the image to my nail without having to rush.  Win win in my book!

China Glaze LOL stamped alright.  I was a bit disappointed with the opacity of the image transfer as it's hard to see the word Love on my ring finger.  Also, it required super quick work to apply before it dried.  When I say super quick, I mean you'd better scrape the excess and immediately pick up the image on your stamper and then quickly transfer the image to your nail.  Otherwise, it will dry on the plate...  Yeah...  I wish I'd had Color Club Eternal Beauty for a year because I think that it probably would've transferred better.  Either that or I should've stamped the purple onto Pink-a-boo instead of Mon Petit Chou Chou.

You can purchase NOPI and Essie at drugstores and beauty supply stores.  You can purchase China Glazes and OPIs at beauty supply stores.  Although, note that LOL has been long discontinued, so you'll need to find it at a salon or on a blog sale.  Lastly, you can purchase Lynnderellas at their store here.  So, there you have it!  I'm going to have another special valentine's day challenge post up tomorrow, so definitely check back then!

An InLinkz Link-up

Hare Amethystos

Tonight's going to be a quick one - and I seriously mean super uncharacteristically quick - because 1) Blogger decided to delete half of my review just for fun, and 2) although I was stranded at home today due to ice, I still worked a pretty long day.  So, without further ado, I present Hare Amethystos.

*All items purchased by me.*

I was super surprised with how much I loved this polish.  I don't normally like such glitter packed polishes like this, and this is a legit glitter bomb, but I really did love this polish!  I wore this last summer, so I won't have a full review.  Instead, let's just take a look at the pretty pictures.  Make sure to click on them to see more details.

Amethystos is a purple jelly that is packed so ridiculously full of glitters that it's insane.  The glitter mix includes pink, gold, silver, and iridescent glitters in hexes and squares.

This is two coats alone (without undies) in artificial lighting with one coat of topcoat.  Application was easy but a little thick.  As you can see, no shrinkage and it wasn't lumpy or thick.  

Amethystos was released in the fall of 2012, and it appears that it has been discontinued.  However, you can still find it on blog sales.  Otherwise, you can purchase Hare polishes at her store here.  Follow her on Facebook here.

Pretty Little Liars: Black and White

I'm sort of having a nail identity crisis of late.  I can't decide if I want to nub them, grow them out, round them, squoval them, or what.  Plus, they're starting to peel again, oh joy, and my glass files are simply not cutting it.  I have a bottle of Quimica Alemana Esmalte Endurecedor para Unas (HOLY MOUTHFUL BATMAN) that Amy from @atlcatsmeow recommended I try after the Rejuvacote debacle, but I'm a bit afraid to use strengtheners now.  I'm also afraid because it doesn't appear to be three free, and while I normally don't care about three free, I do wonder if those chemicals have attributed to the overall crappiness of my nails.  Either way, I know something's got to give, so I'll probably try to use that strengthener more than one mani every two weeks to see if it helps.  We'll see, and I'll definitely keep you posted!  I'm still picking at my polish, which has helped me to tear up some of my nails, too, so that isn't helping the peel factor at all...  Meh.  We'll see.  That all being said, you're going to see shorter squarer nails in tonight's post.

So, I'm still doing the Pretty Little Liars challenge despite the fact that I'm pretty much a season behind.  I'm all caught up with what's on Netflix, but I'm woefully behind on this season.  Today's #RedCoatTuesday challenge is to incorporate black and white into your Pretty Little Liars inspired mani.  Why are we adding black and white?  I have no clue, hah!  But, I'm just going along with the rest of the gang.  Eventually it will make sense to me!

For tonight's post, I'm going to let the photos do most of the talking.  I don't tend to do my more in depth reviews when I do nail art, so I hope that's cool.  Click on the photos see them in more detail.  All photos are under artificial daylight with two coats of Blaze over two coats of gradient and one coat of KBShimmer's Clearly on Top and an uber thin coat of Alter Ego She Shines to gloss it up after a day of wear.

I started tonight's mani with a black and white gradient using Cult Nails Nevermore and Tempest.  Apparently, I shouldn't have used my Lemony Flutter to grease up the skin around my nails for better mess removal...  Because it totally absorbed way too quickly, making it next to impossible to clean up!  What's worse?  Nevermore stained the ever living poop out of my skin, so now my fingers look all dirty.  Yuck.  I tried to get it all off with nail polish remover, but waiting to scrape it off under the shower was a better option for removal.

After applying a coat of topcoat to the gradient to ensure it would dry quickly, I taped off each finger using striping tape.  I then applied two thickish coats of Zoya Blaze and topped it with KBShimmer Clearly on Top.

I honestly wanted to do this in the reverse with red on the bottom and gradient on the top, but I was afraid that the red would show up through the white too much.  I'm undecided on whether I like this.  In a way it's pretty and neat, but then it also gets on my nerves because it's not what I had envisioned.

You can buy Cult polishes at their store.  You can buy Zoya polishes at beauty supply stores like Ulta.

Comparison Friday: Olive Green Holos

Today's comparison is all about olive green.  I'm not sure what is wrong with me, but I completely forgot to take macros of these polishes, so you'll just have to click on the photos to see them in more detail.  I'm actually missing two olive greens from this comparison, Dollish Master Chief and a custom from Nailant called Olive Snook, but they are both quite a bit lighter than these, so I thought I'd just hold off on adding them to this comparison.  Also, ignore my crazy dry skin.  I was doing a lot of swatching that day, and apparently I wasn't too Johnny-on-the-spot with my hand cream!  Anyway, let's get down to business!

*All polishes were either purchased or made by me.*

From left to right: China Glaze OMG a UFO, Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer (special edition) Light in the Darkness, Enchanted Polish All Love Garden, and Enchanted Polish March 2013.

All four are linear holographics, and they're all green.  That's where the similarities end, though.  All photos are taken in either direct sunlight or artificial sunlight.

OMG a UFO
UFO is a true olive green linear holo.  The holographic pigment is much smaller than in the others, which is usually a pretty good indicator that it's going to have a tricky application.  And I wasn't wrong.  I needed to use my Aqua Base in order to make application bearable.  The tendency to drag and bald is high, so you'll need to be quick and accurate with your application.  This was two coats with one coat of KBShimmer Clearly on Top.  UFO is a member of the China Glaze Hologlam collection, which came out last year.  My bottle happens to be quite holographic, as you can see, but there are apparently some dud bottles out there.  You can often still find these in beauty supply stores, but they're also all over the place on blog sales, and usually for much cheaper than brand new bottles.

Light in the Darkness
LitD was a special edition polish I created for Depression Awareness week.  It is an olive green based polish with a gold to teal shift.  The holographic pigment is linear and strong without obscuring the shift.  Application was easy, and this is two coats topped with KBShimmer Clearly on Top.  Sadly, this polish is not available for purchase, but I wanted to throw it into the fray as well.  You can purchase other Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquers at my store here.  Follow me on Facebook or via my newsletter for news and updates on releases and restocks.

All Love Garden
ALG is also a true olive green based polish with a gold flash.  The holographic arc is prominent, but you can tell that the size of pigment is on the larger side making ALG a bit on the scattered side.  Application was nice, and this is three coats with one coat of KBShimmer Clearly on Top.  Dry time was a tad long, but not horrible.  I probably could've done two coats, but I wanted to make sure it was nice and opaque in my photos.  This polish is an exclusive made just for Mei Mei's Signatures, which is currently having flash restocks, so make sure you're looking at her page frequently until she gives the all sold out announcement!

March 2013
March is less olive and leans more blue than yellow.  I think forest green is a more accurate description than olive.  Like with ALG, it's on the vampy side versus the bright UFO.  It is probably the least linear of the group, but it is still pretty vibrant in low lighting.  Application was easy in three coats with one coat of KBShimmer Clearly on Top.  March was a limited edition monthly polish that was sold, guess when?, last March only.  It's a pretty rare one to find, and almost rarer to find swatches and reviews of online.  However, if you're looking for other EPs, you can follow Chelsea on Facebook and Instagram for news and information on restocks and releases at her store here.

So, there you have it!  What are your thoughts?  Which is your favorite?  For me, they're all just different enough that I don't really have a favorite.

Golden Oldie Thursday: Green

Yay!  I'm still going strong with this challenge!  It helps that it's relatively easy to do, and that it's only once a week instead of every day.  Tonight's challenge was Green, so I wanted to use one that I've been trying to decide whether I want to keep it or sell it.  You'll know my decision at the end of the post.

Here is the 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.

All polishes were purchased by me.

Ok, let's take a look at NerdLacquer Webinarmy.

Color:  Green with green, blue, and gold glitters.

Finish: Glitter Shimmer – glitter in a base that shimmers in the light from either the use of a certain pigment or micro glitters.

Bottle / Brush:  Round bottle (i.e. Seche Vite) – the brush and wand are the standard width and length.  Easy to control and manipulate.'

Opacity:  High – opaque in two coats!

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:  So, as you can tell from the remarks above, Webinarmy is a fantastic polish when it comes to application.  I used a brand new bottle of Seche, though, and it shrank a bit at the tips.  Not even 24 hours into the mani, I had several chips and pretty severe tip wear.  And, full disclosure here, my index finger chipped all the way off, which is why it's the only nail to escape the shrink (I topped that nail with KBShimmer's Clearly on Top).  I'm not sure if it's just bad chemistry with the Seche or if it's just the way this polish works with my body.  Either way, it was super disappointing.  I was pleasantly surprised with how opaque it is as all photos show only two coats!  I was also pleased that the shimmer didn't come across as frosty, which is a no go in my book.  Either way, I'm still pretty bummed about the wear time, and since I'm working on destashing around 200-300 polishes from my collection, this little guy just didn't make the cut.  

You can purchase NerdLacquers through her store, which restocks super rarely.  Follow her on Google+ for news and updates.  These polishes are pretty rare to buy straight from the maker, but a small resurgence in restocks last year has given the market a little break from the high prices you used to see on the second-hand exchange.  Either way, if you're not buying straight from Amanda, you might be shelling out more than you would on a normal polish.