Polished Lifting

I am guilty of playing favorites from time to time. I've had these photos since before Easter. Between reviewing colors and sharing some of my favorites, I've severely neglected some perfectly good colors.




Make A Spectacle is an iridescent glitter topper composed of iridescent hexagons and micro dots. Pictured above is one coat of Make A Spectacle over Ulta Mint Condition. The formula is a little thinner than the average glitter topper, and was incredibly easy to work with. I found that the consistency made it easier to spread out the glitter evenly without applying too much in one area.  I didn't expect the color combo to look quite the way it did, but I like it. It reminds me of fish scales.

Polishes used: China Glaze- Make A Spectacle, Ulta- Mint Condition, Poshe- Top Coat, Orly- Bonder

I haven't seen very many iridescent glitter based colors. Do you have a favorite?

I recently picked up a few MoYou plates during their last restock, and couldn't wait to do a mani when they arrived. Instead of doing a simple mani I decided to go crazy with things and try my first gradient.

In celebration of Model City Polish's 2 year anniversary I thought it was time to bust out the LE color from last years celebration. I had discovered Model City right before her one year celebration because of all the hype in the polish groups I belong to. Seeing all the excitement from my fellow polish lovers made me dive in and purchase my first indies. I couldn't think of a better first indie!



MCP Thanks You is a bright red jelly with silver circle glitter, black holo glitter and micro holographic dots. Shown above is two coats with no base color. The formula on this jelly allows you to build up as many layers as you like. I decided to stop with two coats, but even with one coat the color is even and not at all streaky. The consistency is a bit thick for a jelly, but it does an excellent job of suspending the circle glitter. Many circles came out willingly, and I only had to swirl my brush around once if I wanted additional circles.

This is one of those colors that you couldn't pay me enough to give away. If you love this color as much as I do, I would stalk every blog sale you come across. There were only 29 bottles of this beauty when it was released around this time last year.

Polishes used: Model City Polish- MCP Thanks You, Orly- Bonder, Poshe- Top Coat

Model City Polish is coming up on her 2 year anniversary and will be holding a large sale if she can reach 5,000 followers on Facebook. Please give her a like and let her know I sent you!

I'm back with four fab colors from Baroness X. Bling On the Night is a collection of neon jellies that glow in the dark. The colors are ultra bright during the day and equally as attractive in the evening. These four shades are perfect for summer because glow in the dark pigments glow best after they have been exposed to sunlight.

The formulas were all standard thickness for jellies, so I will not repeat that information throughout the review. All glow in the dark photos were taken in the same location with the same camera settings to make a direct comparison easier.

Totes MaVolts

Watt's Up

Bright On

YOgLOw

If you have been paying attention these last six months you have seen some amazing multi-chromes from I Love Nail Polish. They may be a little more pricey than your average indie, but the stunning shift is incredibly worth it. Today I have Nostalgia to share with you.



Nostalgia is a gold, green, orange and red multi-chrome with a smooth mirror like finish. Just like the website description indicates, you can get full coverage with no base color and just two coats of polish. The formula was thinner like a cream and very easy to work with. Because of the pigmentation it is best if you work your way from the cuticle to the tip to avoid brush lines. I highly recommend working at least one of these into your budget!

Polishes used: I Love Nail Polish- Nostalgia, Poshe- Top Coat

I added the studs as a little accent thanks to Shelby's encouragement and gift. Please check her blog out when you have a moment!

Today I have five brand new thermals from Baroness X's Hot Mess Happy Hour collection. The collection consists of five thermals. Baroness X is a fairly new indie, but she is cranking out new collections like crazy. If you are a fan on neons or anything shiny you definitely need to check out the rest of her colors. 

I did have a minor hiccup when receiving the first batch of colors to swatch. It appeared as though they had evaporated in transit. When I contacted Demi she was replied quickly and sent out replacements immediately after. Excellent customer service is a big deal to me, so I appreciate Demi's rapid response.

Blushing Bellini

Blushing Bellini is a coral to translucent white polish with two sizes of coral glitter and iridescent micro glitter. Pictured above is three coats with no basecoat. The consistency was a little thicker than the average jelly, but it wasn't hard to work with. The formula suspended glitter nicely, so I didn't have to fish for glitter. The iridescent micro glitter is to die for! This color quickly worked its way into my favorites.

Polishes used: Baroness X- Blushing Bellini, Revlon- Quick Dry Top Coat

Muddled Maraschino

Muddled Maraschino is a dark pink to light pink polish with two sizes of light pink glitter and hot pink micro flakies. The consistency was average for a jelly, and required three coats for near full coverage. I did not have to fish for any glitter. The thermal shift is subtle, but creates a pretty gradient because it isn't as dramatic as other thermals out there.

Polishes used: Baroness X- Muddled Maraschino, Revlon- Quick Dry Top Coat

Fish Bowl For One

Fish Bowl For One is a turquoise to lighter turquoise polish with two sizes of translucent white glitter and iridescent micro flakies. Shown above is three coats with no base color. The formula was a little thicker than an average jelly, but it was workable. The thickness helped suspend the glitter so that I didn't have to fish. Like Muddled Maraschino, the shift is a subtle one. I personally enjoy the subtle change because it looks like I created a smooth gradient without all the work.

Polishes used: Baroness X- Fish Bowl For One, Revlon- Quick Dry Top Coat

Blue Kami-Krazi

Blue Kami-Krazi is a blue to light blue polish with mini hot pink holographic stars and purple/blue micro flakies. This color does require fishing for stars, so if you choose to purchase it, Demi will send you an extra bag of stars for easier placement. Pictured above is three coats with no base color. The application was smooth, but it was difficult to get stars out of the bottle. Most of the stars pictured were hand placed from the extra glitter that came with it.

Polishes used: Baroness X- Blue Kami-Krazi, Revlon- Quick Dry Top Coat

Lemon Dropped

Lemon Dropped is a bright yellow to light yellow polish with yellow micro glitter, mini yellow stars and iridescent micro glitter. This color does require fishing for stars, so if you choose to purchase it, Demi will send you an extra bag of stars for easier placement. The formula was a bit thicker than an average jelly, but it wasn't difficult to work with. I don't know that the thickness helped or hurt the ability to find stars, but you definitely have to fish if you want to see them. Most of the stars were hand placed, which is nice if you are particular about placement.

Polishes used: Baroness X- Lemon Dropped, Revlon- Quick Dry Top Coat

Conclusion

I have to say despite my huge love of thermals, it wasn't hard to pick a favorite. Blushing Bellini had that something extra that made me fall in love. I think it was a combo of the matching glitter that blended in while cold and really popped out when it transitioned to the lighter shade. Be sure to check out Baroness X and her lovely assortment of colors.

A few weeks ago Sweet Heart Polish announced that she was going to sell a few prototypes in her shop. They were holographic jellies, and for $5 each I knew I couldn't pass them up. I am wearing them in between swatching, so it may be a while before I am able to share the other three with you. Anything I am sent to swatch takes priority, so my untried drawer will have to wait.

OOAK #21

A few months ago Brian convinced me that we should celebrate our "half-iversary" because we didn't have enough holidays to enjoy together. The idea is that it is half way to the date of our anniversary, kind of like a "unbirthday."

The day before our celebration Brian told me to be ready to leave the house as soon as he got home from work. I thought the request was strange, but I made sure I was ready to go. Once we got going he told me that we were headed to the Vista House. It was warm and sunny for once, so I was happy to go. The Vista House was packed when we got there despite it being a weekday. We toured the house before heading out to the upper observation deck.

It is my pleasure to bring you another installment from Octopus Party Nail Lacquer. The summer collection contains eight brand new shades that are perfect to heat up your spring and help you transition into the warmer months.

Shore Fire

Laguna Bleach

Sizzler

Model City Polish released Ghost Stories and a ton of other gorgeous holos last autumn. I wanted them so badly that I had to practically sit on my hands to keep myself from buying them all. I had planned on picking a few of them up in October, but we had a break in and decided to replace a few of the stolen items first. It took Model City's Easter egg sale to remind me that there were holos I needed! I'm really glad I picked this one up.




Ghost Stories is a black scattered holographic polish. It has a subtle shimmer indoors, but really sparkles out in the sunshine. I used two coats to achieve full coverage, but you could definitely get away with one coat if you are careful. I was rather impressed with the color composition overall. Ghost Stories is truly a black holo polish.

Over time I have discovered that many black holos appear more silver because of the amount of holographic glitter added. For me, that silver tone takes away from the polish because I'm looking for a solid black. Another frequent issue I've come across with black holos is that they contain such a small amount of holographic glitter it may as well not exist. Ghost Stories is the perfect balance between solid black and sparkly holo goodness.

Polishes used: Model City Polish- Ghost Stories, Orly- Bonder, Poshe- Top Coat



What must have holographic colors do you own?

Last week I had the opportunity to see my brother for the first time since Christmas. We don't get to see each other often because of his crazy work schedule, so I wanted to make the most out of this trip. After settling on hiking we couldn't make up our mind on which hike to try. After much debate we agreed upon Angel's Rest.

The hike certainly wasn't easy for a novice hiker like myself. On average the trail grade was 10-15% which resulted in an elevation gain of 1450 feet. I stand at a measly 5' 4" while my brother is over 6'. He was practically racing up the trail most of the way while I was scrambling behind.



Our hike started off with an immediate climb and a great view after only five minutes.


About .6 miles into the hike we reached the top of Coopey Falls. You could see the falls earlier on in the hike, but I wasn't willing to get close enough to the edge for a photo.



This was probably my favorite hike so far because the view from the top made the difficult hike entirely worth it. If I were to hike this again, I would do it on a cooler day and after I had broken in my hiking shoes more.


We ended our day at McMenamins Edgefield so that we could refuel and get our passports stamped. The passport program is a $20 purchase that rewards you for visiting different McMenamins locations. Brian and I both have passports, so when we completed our Edgefield pages we each got to choose a prize. If you are local I recommend checking it out!

Hey guys! I'm back with part two of the Family Don't End With Blood collection by Finger Lickin' Lacquer. The collection was inspired by the tv show Supernatural. The colors I reviewed are scented, but you have the option to order them unscented. If you missed part one of the collection you can find it here.

Oh, Baby

Hello Boys

Knight of Hell

Moose

Call Me Meg