Cocktails & Colors 2016 Recap

Wednesday, August 24, 2016

One of the things I look forward to during my week in Vegas is the Cocktails & Colors indie event. While I love walking the Cosmoprof North America floor, nothing beats catching up with some of my favorite people. Speaking of favorite people, I got to see this lovely lady for the first time in a year!


Brandy (Polished and Shined) and I became fast friends at last year's Cocktails & Colors. It seemed only fitting that we go through this year's event together.

I'm going to take you through this year's Cocktails & Colors event as though you walked the room with Brandy and I.

Different Dimension

nail polish display

nail polish display

nail polish display

Different Dimension's table showcased her last three collections and previewed the Pretty Nauti collection. If you haven't seen swatched of the Pretty Nauti collection, I have a couple of those here. I still have my eye on the Mythical & Magical collection (second photo, bottom row). If you guys have any recommendations, I'm all ears!

Glisten & Glow

nail polish display

nail polish display

Glisten & Glow's table highlighted her upcoming Pirate's Booty collection. I thought the display was a fun way to show you the theme without labeling each collection. Keep an eye out for a couple of swatches from the Pirate's Booty collection coming this Friday.

Cupcake Polish

nail polish display

nail polish display

Cupcake Polish had a handful of collections on her gorgeous floral tower, but the main feature was her upcoming Luau Collection. The collection will be releasing on August 28th, but I will have swatches for you on Thursday.

Ever After Polish

nail polish display

nail polish display

nail polish display

nail polish display

The Ever After Polish table was loads of fun. They had polish, lip balm, cuticle products, and just about everything you could think of. If you check out the last photo (back left) you can see the Vegas Duo with Anonymous Lacquer.

The Holo Hookup

nail polish display

The Holo Hookup table showed all of the previous boxes in one place. I thought it was a neat way to see the variation between each set. The main brands were placed in the back while the guest brand was showcased in the front.

Joy Lacquer

nail polish display

nail polish display

nail polish display

I've seen swatches of Joy Lacquer, but I never had the pleasure of seeing her products in person. She had quite a few bath and body products out to smell and test. I'm spacing on the names of my favorite scents, but they all smelled wonderful. If you look at the bottom right of the second photo you can see a sneak peek of her upcoming KinderQueen collection. I will have a couple of swatches for that collection in the upcoming weeks.

I Am Custom Color

nail polish display

nail polish display

I Am Custom Color had a wonderfully whimsical display with peacock feathers to match her logo. She had a bunch of products out to smell, which I love since I'm quite particular about scents. The two scents that really stood out for me were: candy concoction and tropical mango.

Baroness X

nail polish display

nail polish display

Baroness X had a fun setup that showcased some of her top shades and scents. I totally loved the test tube style scents displayed on the back of the table. It gave me the opportunity to smell a bunch of things I was previously unsure of. I could sit here and list all of my favorites but we really don't have time for that. Let's just say that you can't go wrong with any of them.

Colors By Llarowe

nail polish display

nail polish display

Colors By Llarowe had just about every color under the sun available on this display. I found quite a few colors that spoke to me. Go check out Dance the Hora and Gemini Rising, and let me know what you think. Keep an eye out for swatches of Vegas 2016 in the near future.

Lou It Yourself

nail polish display

nail polish display

Lou It Yourself had wax melts and body products on display in addition to her Rainbro Connection and Bright Ideas collections. This was a new to me brand at the time, but I'm a total convert now. You can check out a swatch of her LE shade Booze and Bad Decisions if you want to see more.

Anonymous Lacquer

nail polish display

nail polish display

nail polish display

Holy glare, Batman! At this point, my photos dip in quality because the sun was at just the right angle to blind you. Anonymous Lacquer's table was a playful assortment of polishes and swatches wrapped up in a carnival theme. The table had a mixture of customs and standard shades that are currently available in her shop.

Firecracker Lacquer

nail polish display

nail polish display

nail polish display

nail polish swatches

Firecracker Lacquer's table featured an assortment of her current shades, the Drinks on the Beach duo with Girly Bits Cosmetics, and the Happy Birthday Harry box. If you haven't picked up that box, there are still a couple of them in her shop. Let me tell you, the jelly slugs are delicious.

Native War Paints

nail polish display

nail polish display

If you try to tell me that you are sick of neons, we can't be friends. Native War Paints had several collections on display including all of her neons. I love that her neons have a subtle shimmer to them. Shimmers are currently my "thing", and I feel like it's just what I was looking for in a neon collection.

6 Harts

nail polish display

nail polish display

6 Harts was one of the tables I was really looking forward to visiting. Courtney is such a sweetheart, and I love just chatting with her. Her table featured colors that are currently available in her shop. If you missed my swatches of her new shade, you should check out this post for Butterfly Floufs

Alter Ego Nail Enamel

nail polish display

nail polish display

Alter Ego Nail Enamel had a handful of bath and body products on display in addition to her assortment of polish shades. Of all of the polishes on display, I was especially drawn to the pretty pastels in the light box.

Girly Bits Cosmetics

nail polish display

nail polish display

nail polish display

The Girly Bits Cosmetics table was everything I could have ever asked for. The best part of the display is always the upcoming What Really Happened In Vegas collection. I'm definitely going to pick up a couple of those when I get a chance. If you missed this year's Vegas LE, here are swatches of What Happens In Vegas... Ends Up On Twitter.

Powder Perfect

nail polish display

nail polish display

nail polish display

nail polish display

stamping plate

I can't believe that Powder Perfect made the journey to Vegas this year. It was quite a treat to see so many of their collections in person. The best part? They are releasing this gorgeous stamping plate in the future. I'm hoping it's soon, but I don't know the official date yet. I will be sure to keep you guys posted as I learn more.

Darling Diva Polish

nail polish display

Darling Diva Polish's table featured her Vegas Trio, an assortment of current shades, a gorgeous necklace she gave away. I will have swatches of the Vegas Trio for you guys when things settle down. As of right now, they sound like they are Vegas exclusives and will not be available for purchase.

Fair Maiden Polish

nail polish display

nail polish display

nail polish display

nail polish display

My very last stop of the evening was the Fair Maiden Polish table. I love that they carried the Fair Maiden theme across all of their decorations. Most of their current collections were on display that evening, but the one that caught my eye was this pretty cluster on the bottom. I'm not entirely sure what collection these are from, but I think I need them.

After touring the tables I grabbed a cocktail and a cupcake. It was an entirely exhausting day to say the least, but I had a great time visiting with everyone. I hope that this event continues to be a thing for years to come. Thank you to Jill, Missi, and Sara for making this event happen!

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