Northern Star Polish – Harry Potter Gift Set

Provided for Honest Review

Oh.Em.Gee. Two of my favorite things! Harry Potter and Nail Polish! Really could it get any better? Plus I get to bring you a new brand that I haven’t featured before. Oh happy day! Hold onto your seats, darling readers, because this is going to be awesome!

Yes this is exactly how it comes! How stinking adorable is that? In this beautiful well composed gift set you will receive the following items:

Northern Star Polish – Protego Totalum

Northern Star Cuticle Oil – Butter Brew

(2) Reuseable Owl Charms

Gold Holographic Lightning Glitter

Vial of Red and Gold Glitter Mix with a Deathly Hallows Charm

First and foremost let’s talk about the cuticle oil. I was so excited to try this. The oil soaked in very well and left my cuticles looking supple and healthy! The scent is just heavenly. I wanted to nibble on my fingernails. Please folks, do not nibble on your fingernails or try to eat the cuticle oil I’m sure that it won’t taste as delicious as it smells! It’s a rich butterscotch scent and I can’t get enough!

Now up to the polish. This is a perfect polish for the holidays in my opinion and I’m sure you’ll be seeing it on me again in future nail art posts!

Northern Star Polish – Protego Totalum

‘Tis the season for red polish! Also look at that owl charm! I heart owls so much I literally squealed when I saw them. Protego Totalum is a regal cranberry red linear holographic polish with a golden shimmer (You know red and gold are Gryffindor colors…). It’s absolutely beautiful. The holographic effect is hiding here due to weather but I do have a flash photo to give you an idea a bit later on!

Northern Star Polish – Protego Totalum

The application and formula on this is absolutely lovely. I had no problems applying this and it went on very smoothly without any issue. I think that this is almost a one coat polish. I tend to use somewhat generous coats but even still these pictures show two coats plus topcoat. Just like with ALL red or dark polishes this will cling to dry cuticles. However, I didn’t find the clean up to be all that bad. I recommend using a heavy duty moisturizer (Or, you know, the Butter Brew cuticle oil like I did!) before polishing and wiping JUST the nail plate with acetone to help keep the polish from grabbing onto your skin. It did make the clean up easier. This is not a polish problem it’s just the way deep beautiful pigments are!

Northern Star Polish – Protego Totalum (Flash)

I tried to get some of the holo to come out and play. Even with flash it was very camera-shy. Silly fall dreary weather!

You want one of these adorable gift sets for yourself or a loved one? Well you’re in luck they will be available on Friday November 30, 2015 at Noon CST. The cost of the set is a ridiculously low (in my opinion) $17.50. Seriously, these will make awesome stocking stuffers, Holiday gift swap presents, or personal indulgence! You can order yours at Northern Star Polish’s Store. Be sure to follow Northern Star on Facebook and Instagram!

P.S. Don’t forget that Boom Shaka Lacquer’s Two-Year Blogiversary Giveaway is going on until December 1, 2015 and there are some FANTASTIC prizes. You definitely don’t want to miss out. Click Here to find out more!

40 Great Nail Art Ideas – Halloween

Oct30

Some products may have been provided for earlier review

Twas the night before Halloween and all through lands

Crumpet’s Nail Tarts came together to show off the art on their hands…

Hello my most fabulous readers! Ok, ok so I’m not really a poet of any merit, but, it IS the night before Halloween and yes Crumpet’s Nail Tarts are celebrating this holiday in force! I’m going to show you my Halloween-themed nail art and guess what it wasn’t that hard! Anyone can do it!

40 Great Nail Art Ideas – Halloween

Ooooh yeah! I’m actually having a lot of fun with freehand nail art these days. This is a combination of freehand art and stamped art and I thought it turned out pretty cute! And yes (except for the black and white) it’s all indies!

I started with a base of Pretty & Polished Thyme and Time Again. On my two middle fingers I hand-painted Frankenstein and his bride (I was inspired by a nail art video I saw but it was randomly on my facebook feed and I couldn’t find it again to credit where my inspiration came from). My Frank is a little weird but I’m still fantastically happy with this considering my novice-level skill! I used Octopus Party Nail Lacquer – Universal Loner for the touches of red.

40 Great Nail Art Ideas – Halloween

On the other fingers I added a gradient to the Thyme and Time again base using Pretty & Polished – Amethyst or Am I That? and Bohemian Polish – Long Gone. I then stamped over the gradient nails with an image from Vivid Lacquer – VL041.

All in all I’m calling this a win! Do you like this too? Do you think you might give something like this a shot? I definitely suggest that everyone branch out of their comfort zone now and then, which is why I joined this nail art challenge. I hope ya’ll are enjoying it as much as I have been. Sound off in the comments I love to hear from you.

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40 Great Nail Art Ideas – Geek Week!

Oct16

Some Products May Have Been Provided for Earlier Review

Yes my dear readers. This is by far and away one of the weeks I was looking forward to the most! We all know where it’s going to go right? I have a love for so many pop culture things but by far and away I like the geeky shows and books the most. Sherlock, The Walking Dead, Firefly, Dr. Horrible’s Sing-along Blog, Lord of the Rings, Supernatural, The Hunger Games (books not movies), Harry Potter (books not movies), Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Arrow… Do I really need to continue? I think you get the idea! Anyway I did not mention the one that has the biggest piece of my heart and that’s Doctor Who of COURSE! So today you’ll get to see a homage to the 11th Doctor (I’ve been wanting to do this one for awhile but never had a good time or reason to).

Now, the 11th Doctor (played by Matt Smith) was not necessarily my favorite Doctor. But, I grew to love him despite a rocky beginning. By the end I was just as sad and cried just as hard to see him regenerate as with earlier Doctors. *sniffles* Ah the feels. Ok enough of that! Onto the nail art!

Geek Week – Homage to the 11th Doctor

Bow ties are cool! I knew the minute I saw this stamp that it would become part of an 11th Doctor nail art look! I’m sure that it’s not meant to be bow ties (it comes from a Christmas-themed plate) but it’s so very like the red bow ties that the 11th Doctor wore so well that I could not resist.

Geek Week – Homage to the 11th Doctor

To get this look I started by painting my fore and middle fingernails in a plain white (I used Sinful Colors – Snow Me White, I know I know it’s not indie but I do use mainstream white and a few other plain colors for stamping and such right now). I then painted my ring and pinkie fingernails with A Study in Polish – Not Our Division. I let that dry a bit then I came back in and on the first two fingers I stamped the “bow tie” design from the Cici & Sisi – Christmas 2014 plate using Octopus Party Nail Lacquer – Universal Loner. On the last two I stamped a star design from Bundle Monster – BM20 in silver (Sally Hansen – Silver Sweep, don’t judge!). Of course I couldn’t stop there. I needed to add an awesome 11th Doctor profile and a TARDIS vinyl from YouPolish! Top coat the whole thing and voila, a fitting homage to the 11th if I do say so myself!

I was really happy with how this one turned out. Don’t forget to check out the InLinkz below to see the rest of the amazing nail art that is turning up for Geek Week!

Until next time may your days be filled with Glitter and Flakies!

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Digital Nails – “The Walking Dad” Trio!

Oct6

Nothing to Disclose

I have such a fun collection for you today readers! We all know my love of Digital Nails, The Walking Dead, and nail polish. What you may not know is that I love a good corny pun/joke as well. There is a well-established internet meme phenomenon wherein Rick from The Walking Dead is featured in meme’s telling an apparently long-suffering “Coral” (seriously listen to the show sometime, when Rick is hollering for Carl it totally sounds like Coral!) some horrible and yet somehow hilarious “dad” jokes.

So, Digital Nails apparently also enjoys these because she released a gorgeous trio of coral (hahaha) polishes based on “The Walking Dad.” When I saw them I knew I had to have them because of all of the reasons above. Plus, they are just downright gorgeous. You ready? Let’s get started!

First up is Ten Tickles:

Digital Nails – Ten Tickles

I know that you know it’s coming, an octopus joke! The name of this polish is the punchline to the following “Walking Dad” joke: “How many tickles does it take to make an octopus laugh, Coral? Ten, Coral! Ten tickles.”

Ten Tickles is a hot coral holographic polish with gorgeous rose-gold microflakies. I am totally in love with this color and I wore it (with some nail art which I will show you later) and it was very well-received by my friends and family!

Digital Nails – Ten Tickles

In this lighting you can see the flakies, so even if the sun isn’t out to play with all the holographic goodness there is still some stuff going on. Plus, you all know that the more interesting and complex the holo, the better I like it!

Digital Nails – Ten Tickles

The formula on this was perfection. It went on very easily without any mishaps or issues whatsoever. This is definitely a must-have for any collection. Pictures show two coats plus topcoat.

Next up is He Doesn’t Carrot All:

Digital Nails – He Doesn’t Carrot All

This polish was originally debuted in an Easter-themed mega box of indies that came out around Easter time this year. The joke for this polish is: “How does emo bunny feel about Easter, Coral? He doesn’t care, Coral. He doesn’t carrot all.”

I’ll admit this one made me giggle but not as much as the next one! He Doesn’t Carrot All is a pale coral creme with a lovely green flash of shimmer.

Digital Nails – He Doesn’t Carrot All

Formula on this one was utterly perfect. I mean it’s everything I would expect from a creme-based polish. No leveling issues, did not drag or streak. Pictures show two coats plus topcoat.

Last but not least is my favorite of this trio. They Can’t Even:

Digital Nails – They Can’t Even

Just…oh.em.gee. This polish is so stunning. It’s my favorite because of the color and the name though! This is more of an orangey-coral base packed to the brim with silver flakies. The joke for this polish is: “Why do teenaged girls walk in groups of three, Coral? Because they can’t even! They can’t even, Coral!” I’m right there with those teenaged girls because I can’t even with this color! I’m telling you this color has moved up into my top echelon of all time favorite polishes.

Digital Nails – They Can’t Even

It just gets prettier and prettier every time I look at it! I had no problems with application at all. The only thing I will say is that those gorgeous flakies are very tenacious if they get on your cuticles so you’ll want to apply carefully to avoid too much clean up. Pictures show two coats plus topcoat.

Digital Nails – They Can’t Even

Seriously, look at that! I can’t even. I just can’t even!

OH I promised nail art didn’t I…well ok!

Digital Nails – Ten Tickles with He Doesn’t Carrot All accents

I started with Ten Tickles then did a little reverse stamping. I used MoYou London – Pro 13 for the image and filled in the flowers with He Doesn’t Carrot All.

Digital Nails – They Can’t Even

This is just simply They Can’t Even stamped with a cute swirly image from the Cici & Sisi Christmas 2015 plate.

There you have it a gorgeous collection! You can check out Digital Nails at the links below. I highly recommend following them on Facebook and Instagram.

Store – Facebook – Instagram

Boom Shaka Lacquer

For Indie Nail Polish Addicts, by an Indie Nail Polish Addict

Archives

Northern Star Polish – Harry Potter Gift Set

40 Great Nail Art Ideas – Halloween

40 Great Nail Art Ideas – Geek Week!

Digital Nails – “The Walking Dad” Trio!