Thursday, October 31, 2013

Stash Swatch Initiative: Polished by KPT Nightcrawler

Hello! Happy Halloween!!

Polished by KPT Nightcrawler. Cold. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

Today I have a new-to-me brand. This is Polished by KPT's Nightcrawler!

Polished by KPT Nightcrawler. Cold. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

I saw swatches of this collection over at MakeupWithdrawal about a week or so ago, and I was smitten! I immediately followed her link and purchased this polish. A completely impulsive polish buy! This is my first thermal polish, and I'm super excited to wear it. It's a reason to keep my nails long like this!

Polished by KPT Nightcrawler. Warm with cold tips. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

Anyway, Nightcrawler is a gorgeously complicated, color-changing polish packed with purple, pink, and blue shimmer. When warm, Nightcrawler is a soft, shimmery grey. When cold, it is a deep, mysterious purple/blue. The shimmer is predominantly purple, but you can see the other two colors flash a bit at different angles. It reminds me of what OPI Russian Navy looks like up close. It also has a duochrome effect from purple to blue. So. Awesome. I wore this for a full day, and it was interesting to see how often the color changed. The thermal effect is very sensitive. There were plenty of times when the polish was in transition and made the perfect gradient. I wasn't able to catch it on camera, but, seriously, my pictures just do not do this pretty justice.

Polished by KPT Nightcrawler. Cold. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.
Swatches today are a base coat of Duri Rejuvacote, two coats of Nightcrawler, and one coat of Seche Vite. The formula on this polish is a little weird -- it's thick but also almost sticky. I suppose that's what color-changing pigment does, but it didn't cause me any serious problems. I found application to be easy, but deceptive. The polish changed immediately for me when I brushed it on from the deep, dark blue to the light grey, so it was difficult to see where I had polished and where I needed a bit more. Once my hands got cold, it was easy to see the spots I missed a little (most noticeably, the bare patch on my middle finger). Now I know what to expect, I think I can manage this better next time around.

Polished by KPT Nightcrawler. Cold. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.
I purchased it from here! I just started following KPT's Facebook page, but I expect restock info will be announced over there.

Polished by KPT Nightcrawler. Cold. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

More soon! ^_^








Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Stash Swatch Initiative: KBShimmer Quantum Leaf

Hello!

The last of the KBShimmer in my stash is up for swatching today. This is Quantum Leaf!

KBShimmer Quantum Leaf. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.
Quantum Leaf is a mustard-yellow based polish with multiple types of glitter swimming within. I see extra-large, red hexes. Large red, orange, and yellow hexes. Small and tiny, red hexes. Along with the glitter, I can see both holographic shimmer and a red shimmer. Hellooooo, Autumn!

KBShimmer Quantum Leaf. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.
Swatches today are a base coat of Seche Clear, two coats of Quantum Leaf, one coat of Gelous, and one coat of NYC In a New York Minute. This polish, like the others I own, has a great formula. This is surprisingly opaque and brushed on easily.

KBShimmer Quantum Leaf. Indoors, filtered sunlight (window), no flash.
This color is one of those ugly/pretty polishes. You love it or hate it. I ended up loving it! It's like nothing else I have... but that would make sense, since I tend to steer clear of yellows, especially those of the mustard variety! This one drew me in!

KBShimmer Quantum Leaf. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

Once again, this was purchased by me from KBShimmer.

More soon! ^_^





Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Stash Swatch Initiative: KBShimmer Don't Teal Anyone

Hello!

Another KBShimmer for today! This is Don't Teal Anyone!

KBShimmer Don't Teal Anyone. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.
Don't Teal Anyone has large, satin hexes in yellow and blue; small, satin hexes in pink and teal; tiny teal hexes; and small, thin, pink bars in a lovely teal, jelly base. I love this mix of colors -- it's exotic and tropical.

KBShimmer Don't Teal Anyone. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.
Swatches today are a base coat of Seche Clear, two thick coats of Don't Teal Anyone, one coat of Gelous, and one coat of NYC In a New York Minute. Formula was not problematic, and this brushed on easily.

KBShimmer Don't Teal Anyone. Indoors, filtered sunlight (window), no flash.

Along with yesterday's polish, I purchased this bottle from KBShimmer's website. It is gorgeous!

KBShimmer Don't Teal Anyone. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.
More soon! ^_^







Monday, October 28, 2013

Stash Swatch Initiative: KBShimmer No Whine Left

Hello!

Monday, we meet again. So soon, far too soon. Today’s polish is from KBShimmer’s fall collection from last year. Poor thing has been sitting untried too long, so here it is: KBShimmer No Whine Left!




KBShimmer No Whine Left. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

No Whine Left has a deep, wine-colored jelly base packed with glitter. I see satiny, blue and holographic, teal hexes. There are also small, purple hexes and micro glitter in blue and pink.


KBShimmer No Whine Left. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.
Swatches today are a base coat of Seche Clear, three coats of No Whine Left, one coat of Gelous, and one coat of NYC In a New York Minute. Formula on this is very good. It brushed on easily, and was not problematic.
KBShimmer No Whine Left. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.
This was a fairly popular polish last year. I remember seeing it on many blogs, and it deserves the exposure – it’s beautiful! It gives an almost-galaxy nail type effect all on it’s own. I purchased my bottle directly from KBShimmer.


More soon! ^_^







Friday, October 25, 2013

Stash Swatch Initiative: Trelly's MISC Hocus Pocus

Hello!

No nail art this week! I was too happy with this pairing to take it off. So, today I have a cute, Halloween glitter to show you: Trelly's MISC Hocus Pocus!

Trelly's MISC Hocus Pocus. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.
Hocus Pocus is a fun mix of matte glitters in a clear base. There are large circle glitter in light orange/yellow, light purple, and dark purple. There are also satin, purple stars, and matte, purple hearts. Small, light orange/yellow and micro, purple hexes round out this unique glitter topper.

Trelly's MISC Hocus Pocus. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.
For swatches today, I've dabbed one coat of Hocus Pocus over yesterday's Nevermore swatch and added a generous coat of Gelous and finished it all off with one coat of Seche Vite. I didn't have any real problems with this polish, just a few things to note. First, these glitters are thicker than their non-matte cousins, so expect to use a few coats of topcoat to get somewhere close to a smooth finish. Secondly, the glitters do like to stick together, so have a toothpick or something handy to gently shove them over to where you want them.

Trelly's MISC Hocus Pocus. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.
I purchased this polish recently from Trelly's Big Cartel store. Keep an eye out on her Facebook page for restock information -- this one was popular, so it might come and go a few times yet!

Trelly's MISC Hocus Pocus. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.
And, if the Vikings ever make it to a Superbowl, I know what polish I can wear to show of my team spirit!! Trelly's is based in Minnesota... coincidence? Hahaha!

More soon! ^_^





Thursday, October 24, 2013

Stash Swatch Initiative: Cult Nails Nevermore

Hello!

A quick post today for Cult Nails Nevermore!

Cult Nails Nevermore. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.
Nevermore is a basic, black creme, but it is a fantastic black creme. The formula on this is superb. It self-levels perfectly. Swatches today are a base of Duri Rejuvacote, one coat of Nevermore, and one coat of Seche Vite. One coat! This is by far the best black polish I've tried. It is opaque and creamy and applies without streaking. I'd have to say the exact opposite of my other black polish, Sally Hansen Black Out.

Cult Nails Nevermore. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.
We all need a black creme, and Cult Nails Nevermore is THE black polish to have. I purchased mine recently from their store.

Cult Nails Nevermore. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.
More soon! ^_^



Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Stash Swatch Initiative: Trelly's MISC Hopeful

Hello!

Trelly's MISC Hopeful. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.
This here polish has been sitting in my Melmer untried for a whole year! This is Trelly's MISC Hopeful!

Trelly's MISC Hopeful. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.
Hopeful is a sweet mix of pink glitter in a clear base. There are shiny, holo, matte, and satin glitters in the mix. I see large, shiny hexes in fuchsia and holographic, light pink. There are smaller and micro versions of the light pink, holographic hexes as well. I also see small, matte pink hexes; satin, light pink hearts; matte, pink hearts; and satin, light pink squares. Pink, pink, and more pink! This was released last October for a reason - BCA!

Trelly's MISC Hopeful. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.
Swatches today are one dabbed on coat of Hopeful over Zoya Shelby, plus one coat of Gelous and one of NYC In a New York Minute. I didn't have any troubles with this polish. I did find myself digging for more hearts than came out of the bottle on their own, but I don't think that is a problem with the polish. There are just so many glitters in there, and this polish has a fairly light coverage, so I just wanted more than was coming up on the brush.

Trelly's MISC Hopeful. Window-filtered sunlight, no flash.
Like I said, I purchased this polish last year, and I have seen no mention of it returning this year. Trelly did just release some amazing fall polishes, though, so check out the store here or Facebook here.

Trelly's MISC Hopeful. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.
More soon! ^_^





Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Stash Swatch Initiative: Trelly's MISC Scruff Bunnies

Hello!

I have a recent Trelly's MISC polish swatched for today. This is Scruff Bunnies!

Trelly's MISC Scruff Bunnies. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.
Scruff Bunnies is a cute, matte glitter topper in a clear base. I see big circles in white, grey, black, and light and dark pink. There are also small hexes in grey and light and dark pink, along with tiny and micro black hexes.
Trelly's MISC Scruff Bunnies. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.
Swatches today are one coat of Scruff Bunnies over yesterday's Sally Hansen Wet Cement swatch, plus a coat of Gelous and NYC In a New York Minute. I found this polish easy to work with -- I brushed on the one coat with just a little bit of manipulation to place the big circles strategically. No issues to report.

Trelly's MISC Scruff Bunnies. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.
I purchased this bottle from Trelly's Big Cartel store. It looks like it is currently sold out (because it's AWESOME), so keep any eye out on her Facebook page for restock announcements.

Trelly's MISC Scruff Bunnies. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.
More soon! ^_^







Monday, October 21, 2013

Stash Swatch Initiative: Sally Hansen Wet Cement

Hello!

Quick post today on Sally Hansen's Wet Cement.

Wet Cement is the perfect, light grey creme. It's a nice, clean grey that I really enjoyed wearing.

Sally Hansen Wet Cement. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.
Swatches today are a base coat of Seche Clear, two coats of Wet Cement, and one coat of NYC In a New York Minute. The polish has a good formula. It glides on smoothly with only minor streaking on the first coat that was completed evened out with the second.

Sally Hansen Wet Cement. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.
I purchased this bottle in the early stages of my addiction, most likely from CVS. It's a great, basic color.

Sally Hansen Wet Cement. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.
More soon! ^_^




Friday, October 18, 2013

NOTW: Spooky Skittles!

Hello!

I am really excited to share these nails with you today! This was one of those mani's that turned out better than the vision I had of it in my head when I went to create it. It rarely happens, but I love it when it does!

Happy Halloween!
So, as I said yesterday, I started with the swatch of China Glaze Riveting. Once that was dry, I used the Nailasaurus' gradient technique to create my gradient with Riveting, China Glaze Stone Cold, and a tiny bit of Sally Hansen Black Out at the very tip. A coat of China Glaze Ghoulish Glow plus one of Seche Vite followed that up.

Indoors, artificial light, no flash.
One it was dry, I went to work stamping. There are so many great images on the Bundle Monster stamping plate sets that I have, that I couldn't pick just one -- or even a few! So, I went for skittles to show case as many as possible. I used images from plates BM-224, BM-225, BM-213, BM-H07, and BM-H06 with Konad Special Polish in Black. I also added a few nail art decals I picked up at Sally Beauty this past weekend. The skull on my pinky (below) and the ghost next to the haunted house are decals; the rest of the images are stamps from the various Bundle Monster sets.

Indoors, artificial light, no flash.
I sealed in my stamped images and decals with a quick coat of NYC In a New York Minute, which is my go-to topcoat after stamping because it has yet to smudge an image for me. Once that was all dry, I finished the look with one coat of Butter London's Matte topcoat.

Indoors, artificial light, no flash.
I am beyond thrilled with how these turned out! The stamps are clean, the decals incorporated into the design perfectly, and the gradient looks great as the base for the images! It's glowy, and spooky, and it glows in the dark! Love it!

Indoors, artificial light, no flash.
Happy weekend, everybody! More soon! ^_^





Thursday, October 17, 2013

Stash Swatch Initiative: China Glaze Riveting

Hello!

I can't believe how long it's taken me to swatch this beauty! It is China Glaze Riveting all the way back from 2012's Capitol Colours collection.

China Glaze Riveting. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.
Riveting is a saturated orange polish full of orange and gold glass flecks. It is fiery and gorgeous!

China Glaze Riveting. Indoors, artificial light, with flash.
Swatches today are a base of Duri Rejuvacote, two coats of Riveting, and one coat of Seche Vite. This polish has a great formula. It flows smoothly on the nail for a perfect mani. One coat is nearly enough. No issues to report.

China Glaze Riveting. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.
It's been quite awhile, but I think I picked this up at Sally Beauty when the collection was newly released. Head2Toe Beauty still has the collection available if you missed out!

China Glaze Riveting. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.
I've got some super Halloween nail art using this swatch as a base for my Nail of the Week post tomorrow--see you then! So, more soon! ^_^







Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Stash Swatch Initiative: Lush Lacquer TGIF

Hello!

Allow me to introduce Lush Lacquer's TGIF!

Lush Lacquer TGIF. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.
TGIF is a neon glitter topper with black and white accent glitter. I see small, medium and large hex glitters in neon orange, pink, purple, and blue. There are also short black and white bars, black rectangles, along with tiny white squares. The neon glitters are translucent, which makes this polish really interesting on the nail.

Lush Lacquer TGIF. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.
Swatches today are two swiped on coats of TGIF over yesterday's Zoya Trixie swatch. I finished this off with one coat of Gelous, then one of NYC In a New York Minute. This polish was pretty easy to work with -- it swiped on easily with only minimal manipulation of the larger glitters.

Lush Lacquer TGIF. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.
I purchased this bottle from Lush Lacquer's store. Right now, it looks like they're having some technical difficulties, so their Facebook page might be the best place to keep an eye out for updates and available polishes.
Lush Lacquer TGIF. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.

More soon! ^_^





Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Stash Swatch Initiative: Zoya Trixie

Hello!

Today I have the fantastic Zoya Trixie swatched up for you!

Zoya Trixie. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.
Trixie is a silver, metallic foil -- it looks like liquid metal! It is very bright and shiny. It's amazing!

Zoya Trixie. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.
For swatches today, I've used a base coat of Seche Clear, one coat of Trixie, and one coat of NYC In a New York Minute. This is wonderfully pigmented and covered perfectly with one coat.

Zoya Trixie. Indoors, artificial light, no flash.
I purchased this super polish directly from Zoya's website. They often run flash sales and give promo codes, and the best way to catch those is to follow their Facebook page.

More soon! ^_^