Archive | January 2014

Ruby White Tips – American Horror Story Collection

Provided for Honest Review

Hello my fellow polish addicts.  I am here again to enable your addictions, nay, not to just enable them but to encourage and inflame them!

I’m really pleased to say that I have a couple of just lovely Ruby White Tips polishes for your viewing pleasure today!  They are part of her new American Horror Story Collection that will be debuting TOMORROW, January 26!  You really will need some of these polishes I’m telling you!

First up we have Constance…

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Constance is a lovely nude/mauve creme polish with a sneaky red microshimmer.  I think that this is extremely appropriate if you will allow me to explain.  Constance on AHS is on the surface very genteel and sophisticated but she has a dangerous and nasty side!  As all Doctor Who fans know, mauve is the universally accepted highest level of danger alert!  She’s MAUVE and DANGEROUS!  Yes I just crossed fandoms.  No I’m not sorry.

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You can see a bit of that shimmer here, the formula on the polish is amazing.  The picture shows ONE COAT – that’s right folks it’s a ONE COAT nude-esque polish.  It looks thick and opaque without any problems and without the actual polish being thick and hard to work with.

Polishes used:  Glisten & Glow – Stuck on Blu; Ruby White Tips – Constance; Glisten & Glow – HK Girl

Next up we have my favorite of the two I was sent.  Murder House!

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Murder House is a ominous dusty metallic purple polish with a suprise pink shimmer.   Just like the Murder House itself this polish is murky and ominous but impossibly beautiful.  I am really loving this trend of purple polishes right now!

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Again the formula on this is just lovely.  It did take two coats, but as you can see even though it’s shimmery it is not brustrokey and it went on extremely smoothly.  Picture shows two coats plus topcoat.

Polishes used:  Glisten & Glow – Stuck on Blu; Ruby White Tips – Murder House; Glisten & Glow – HK Girl Topcoat

As usual I’m pleased as punch over the delightful quality of the RWT polishes!  You should definitely get down to her shop and find you some!  You can keep up to date and sign up for the newsletter at the Ruby White Tips site, you can purchase RWT polishes in their Etsy Shop.  You can also get all the latest news plus flash giveaways and sales at their Facebook page!

Lemmings Abound! Scofflaw – Whiskey Tango Foxtrot

Nothing to Disclose

Let me just say hello quickly and then get quickly into this post because I’m so excited!

Over the years I have frequented message boards and forums and chatrooms.  Usually these forums related to scrapbooking or gaming although nowadays it seems that most of my internet activity revolves around nail polish.  However, I digress, the important thing is that I became very fluent in netspeak, OMG, WTH, KWIM, and the ever popular WTF.  Then one day I was scrolling along (har!) and I saw someone say Whiskey Tango Foxtrot.  Now, I’m very familiar with the military phonetic alphabet I use it at work daily (you know:  alpha, bravo, charlie, delta, echo, foxtrot…) and I immediately commandeered it and started using it myself.  Fast forward to several months ago when I became *really* serious about nail polish, first I saw Scofflaw’s David Bowie’s Bulge and I thought wow that’s an awesome polish so I went to check out more of their stuff and LO and BEHOLD…

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot which my nail bestie (GlamourGranny) sent me for Christmas!

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Whiskey Tango Foxtrot is a beautiful turquoise crelly base filled with small metallic red hexes, medium matte white hexes, small matte brown and white hexes, and a gold micro-glitter.   I find this to be a refreshing and unique color combination that just works well together.  I’ve always been a fan of turquoise and red together but I never would have thought of the brown or the gold micro-glitter!  Those choices really modernized a palette that has been done before!

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Application was good on this one.  It does seem sheer at first but it built up nicely in two coats without overpowering the glitter or losing that slightly jelly-like effect.  The glitter spread nicely and isn’t overpowering, it’s a lovely balance.  I didn’t have to fish or dab the glitter at all.

It makes me happy when I manage to fulfill a long time lemming and I hope that you will go out and grab you one of these.  It’s actually currently in stock at Llarowe.  You can also keep up to date on all things Scofflaw by following their Facebook and visiting their Site.  You can also buy Scofflaw on their  Big Cartel Siteas well.

 

My new gig…Lab assistant?

 Provided for Honest Review

My lovely readers welcome!  I bet you’re thinking, “huh she got a new job, so what, show us polish grr!”  But no I have not!  I also have no background in science or medicine whatsoever unless you count freshman biology!  So what could I possibly be talking about?

I’m talking about nail polish, natch!  Recently I became a Lab Assistant for Alchemy Lacquers.  The head alchemist over there was recently looking for Lab Assistants to test and swatch polishes, report  on how they wear, the formulas, and also to review them!  SO you know I had to jump on board for that.  I’m going to share three polishes with you today but there will be more in the future as well!

Let’s start with my favorite today…who doesn’t like to shake things up now and then?   The reason it’s my favorite is because it is probably one of the most versatile polishes I own and I will be snagging a backup bottle I can tell you that!

Without anymore fanfare…Unicorn Horn!

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So now you’re probably saying to yourself…huh that’s one funny looking polish it’s all different colors.  But NO what Unicorn Horn brings to the table is amazing!  It is a micro glitter topper that will take your mani right over the top!  I wanted to show how it will work over a variety of bases.  There is an insane amount of multi-colored metallic micro-glitter packed into a clear base…SO MUCH SPARKLE.  I cannot express this enough.  I have micro glitter top coats…but they are not multi-colored and that really sets this one apart in my opinion!

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I showed it over a nude/mauve color (upcoming review look for that!), navy blue (I don’t own a black polish, don’t judge me), white, and an amazing purple (another upcoming review!).  You can see that Unicorn Horn works with all of them!  You can also see some of the colors in this picture since the sun came out to peek at me through the window!

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Here’s another shot.  I really wanted to show what kind of sparkle factor you can expect with this polish!  I had zero issues with formula and I actually did wear test this polish along with another one so the wear on it is great! This polish also did not dry to the consistency of sandpaper that you might expect…it really was quite nice and a nice topcoat was all that was needed to smooth out the glitter a little.  These pictures show ONE coat over undies.  Yes, there is that much glitter in ONE coat!

Polishes used:  Glisten & Glow – Stuck on Blu; Sally Hansen – White On; Essie – Midnight Cami; Carpe Noctem – Sapphire Abyss; Ruby White Tips – Constance; Alchemy Lacquers – Unicorn Horn; Glisten & Glow – HK Girl Top Coat

Next up is the amazing Hydra Venom!

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Hydra Venom is a seafoam green shimmery polish with what the maker describes as a blue interference.  What that means is that it gives it a slight duochrome effect and in some lights it may look more blue than green.  In fact these pictures were taken with indirect sunlight, but when I went into other rooms where the only light source was incandescent lights it looked almost baby blue at some angles.

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The polish went on a bit sheer at first, but reached full opacity in two coats.  It wore like iron.   I wore this mani for almost a week and I had little to no tip wear.  For me this is impressive because I type for a living and I’m not exactly the easiest on my hands at all and I often do things like wash dishes…by hand…without gloves *GASP*.   Yes that is Unicorn Horn on the middle two fingers…I did a double accent with it to see how that worked and it worked beautifully!

Polishes used:  Sally Hansen Complete Care – 4-in-1 Treatment; Alchemy Lacquers – Hydra Venom; Alchemy Lacquers – Unicorn Horn; Glisten & Glow – HK Girl

Last but certainly not least is Quicksilver!

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This is a wonderful full coverage (and I really mean full coverage) glitter polish.  It’s full of glitz and glam while retaining a sophisticated air and style.  I could totally see this one being worn with a spectacular red or black dress for a formal event.  I will not let this stop me from wearing it to school with jeans and t-shirt though!

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Excuse the weird shadow – I was trying to catch some of the detail of the glitter and well…the polish still looks great that’s what matters!  It’s blingy like crazy!  It’s different sizes of metallic silver glitter, micro-glitter and small hex glitters.  All in a clear base.  There is no base color it’s all glitter!  The picture shows two coats with NO undies!  When it’s on it gives this kind of disco-ball effect and the coverage is amazing!  I’ve had full coverage glitters…but they don’t really always live up to the name…this one does!

Polishes used:  Glisten & Glow – Stuck on Blu; Alchemy Lacquers – Quicksilver; Glisten & Glow – HK Girl

Overall I am super impressed, Alchemy Lacquers is really showing that she has the chops even though she is still up and coming!  I absolutely love that she has a theme and she holds to that theme beautifully, right down to having her tester/swatchers called Lab Assistants!

Unicorn Horn and Quicksilver are both currently available at Alchemy Lacquers’ Etsy store!  Hydra Venom will be added to the Alchemical Imaginarium collection in an upcoming release!

You can keep up to date on all things Alchemy Lacquers at the website or their Facebook page!  You can also see swatches, works in progress, and other nail goodies on their Instagram feed.

Another Squashed Lemming! Aly’s Dream Polishes

Nothing to Disclose

That’s right I’m squashing lemmings and taking names my lovely lacqueristas!  For as long as I have been actually collecting polish and using it and not just drooling over blogs for like two years before picking up a nail brush (Let Them Have Polish, I’m looking at you!) I have wanted to acquire a bottle of Aly’s Dream Polish…not just ANY bottle you understand but a bottle of Tiffanytea.  Allow me to show you why…

I give you (well not give, it’s MINE, but I’ll show it to you) Tiffanytea:

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*sighs happily* Look at it!  Isn’t it stunning?  I’m so in love with it I can hardly stand it.  Tiffanytea is a perfect creamy robin’s egg blue/teal creme base with a sort of golden holo shimmer.  Words really can’t do it justice.

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Application was just lovely for this polish.  It went on as smooth and creamy as it looks.  I didn’t have any issues with streakiness or dragging.  This is the kind of color that I gravitate to and it did not disappoint!  Pictures show two coats plus topcoat.

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The scattered holo is very gentle in this polish and I really like the subtlety as it gives it a more delicate feel.

Polishes used:  Glisten & Glow – Stuck on Blu; Aly’s Dream Polishes – Tiffanytea; Glisten & Glow – HK Girl Topcoat

Aly generally works on a pre-order basis but you can keep up to date on when the next pre-order will be active so that you can make grabby hands at all of her lovely polishes!  Just follow her on Facebook to get all the deets and you can actually place your orders at her shop.   She also is on Instagram if you just want to drool over all the pretty polish!