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Silly Bee’s Chickadees – Glitter for Good

Provided for Honest Review

Alrighty folks, I am making my comeback with something truly spectacular and awesome!  Not only are you gonna want to see these polishes, because hello nail polish is awesome, but because these polishes are going to do good things in this world.  I think that everyone should try to leave the world a little better than they found it and Silly Bee’s Chickadees is doing just that!  Today I’m just so honored to show you their upcoming Glitter for Good Duo!

Silly Bees Glitter for Good Logo

So let me share what Silly Bee’s Chickadees says about their Glitter for Good program:

Glitter for Good is the driving force behind Silly Bee’s Chickadees. I believe that everyone, regardless of race, creed, gender or sexual orientation deserves to sparkle and it is my hope that we will inspire others to do just that. 

Silly Bee’s Chickadees pledges to donate a portion of all sales to organizations with a special focus on empowering and improving the lives of women, children and youth.

Since its inception, Silly Bee’s has supported several worthy organizations including Ronald McDonald House, Cancer Research Institute, Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, SPCA of Central Florida, Vested Interest in K9s, and most recently Free Hill Primary and Infant School in Jamaica.

Each quarter, a different organization will be selected to benefit from Glitter for Good. There may also be limited edition polishes which will benefit special events.

As always, Silly Bee’s Chickadees will continue to create the highest quality product while striving to bring joy to its customers. 

I hope you will support us as we launch this new initiative and vision. 

Glitter for Good. Because everyone deserves to sparkle.

For the remainder of the year Silly Bee’s Chickadees has adopted the Tumaini Children’s Village in Kenya, Africa.  One dollar from every bottle spent will go directly to the Tumaini Children’s Village to help support the good work that they do.  See, I told you that this nail polish was going to do good things.

So here is what Silly Bee’s Chickadees shared with me about why they chose Tumaini Children’s Village as their Glitter for Good non-profit for 2014:

Tumaini Children's Village

Tumaini, which means “hope” in Swahili, provides just that for children who may otherwise be living on the street and turning to crime and drug abuse to survive. The home is a safe environment where children can grow and learn to become productive members of society.

Founded in 2010, Tumaini is located in Soy, northwest of Nairobi, Kenya’s capital. Currently, the orphanage is home to approximately 70 children, ages 6 to 13 in six houses, each watched over by houseparents.

I learned about Tumaini through my sorority sister, whose teenage daughter volunteers there during the summer. I am continuously inspired by young people who serve to make our world a better place. Grace is one of those amazing, selfless young people. 

Of her experiences, Grace says, “I love helping out at the orphanage in Kenya and it makes me realize how blessed I really am and to never take anything for granted. These kids are so well behaved and so appreciative of what they have been given and I am lucky enough to get the chance to meet them. I see the smiles on these faces and I know they are in the right place and are grateful for what little they have.”

So let’s talk about the polish shall we?!  I know that you’re excited to see it!  First up we have Grace, Faith, and Hope.  Naturally this polish is full of inspiration.  It is inspired by Grace the wonderful young woman who spends her summers doing such good work, her friend Faith who is one of the children at the Tumaini Children’s Village, and Hope which is what Tumaini stands for in Swahili:

Silly Bees Chickadees - Faith, Grace, & Hope

Silly Bees Chickadees – Faith, Grace, & Hope (no topcoat)

Faith, Grace, & Hope is a beautiful rich violet matte creme polish with a golden shimmer.  Even this lovely creme sparkles on its own.  It does dry to this waxy matte finish.

Silly Bees Chickadees - Grace, Faith, & Hope (no topcoat)

Silly Bees Chickadees – Grace, Faith, & Hope (no topcoat)

Silly Bees Chickadees - Grace, Faith, & Hope (no topcoat)

Silly Bees Chickadees – Grace, Faith, & Hope (no topcoat)

I’m going to show you it with topcoat in a minute but I’d like to talk about the formula.  I really think that this is a beautiful creme formula.  It self-levels like a dream.  Because of the golden shimmer it does dry with a very slight textured finish, not really textured but not flat smooth either.

Silly Bees Chickadees - Grace, Faith, & Hope (with topcoat)

Silly Bees Chickadees – Grace, Faith, & Hope (with topcoat)

Topcoat smoothed out the fine texture from the finish and I really love the way it looks shiny and while I’m not normally the largest fan of mattes because this polish is not a flat matte but more of a waxy matte finish I really enjoyed the way it looked without topcoat as well.  Pictures show one coat (yes really!) with and without topcoat.

Silly Bees Chickadees - Grace, Faith, & Hope (with topcoat)

Silly Bees Chickadees – Grace, Faith, & Hope (with topcoat)

The second part of the Duo is called Glitter for Good and it pairs wonderfully with Grace, Faith, & Hope:

Silly Bees Chickadees - Glitter for Good

Silly Bees Chickadees – Glitter for Good

Glitter for Good is a yellow gold flakie topcoat.  I love everything about this topcoat.  I can already tell I’ll be using it again and again.  Of course ya’ll know my predilection for all things flakie anyway but wowzers this one really knocks my socks off!

Silly Bees Chickadees - Glitter for Good

Silly Bees Chickadees – Glitter for Good

The formula on this is really great.  The flakies come out in a perfect coating, not too much or too little.  It also dries quite smooth as well!  When Silly Bees Chickadees sent out the blogger packages they included these little golden caviar beads.  I did a little half-moon accent and I think it turned out pretty cute!

Silly Bees Chickadees - Glitter for Good

Silly Bees Chickadees – Glitter for Good

Just look at that macro!  That is just one coat and no hassle or fuss whatsoever!

Polishes used:  Glisten & Glow – Stuck on Blu; Silly Bees Chickadees – Grace, Faith, & Hope and Glitter for Good; Digital Nails – Ain’t Nobody Got Time for That Topcoat.

This wonderful duo will be available on November 1st.  Individual full sized bottles will be $10 each and it will also be sold as a mini trio with a mini of each of the polishes and a mini bottle of the golden caviar beads.

You can get this duo and a bunch of other great polishes over at Silly Bees Chickadees’ Etsy Store.  You can keep up with all the news and see some amazing pictures and learn more about Glitter for Good over at the Silly Bees’ Website, Facebook, and Instagram!  If you’d like to learn more about the Tumaini Children’s Village and other ways that you can help be sure to visit their website here.

 

Doctor Who Day Preparation – Featuring YouPolish Vinyl Nail Decals!!

Provided for Honest Review

My dearest readers, please allow me a moment of flailing as I get ready to write this post….

Ok I’m good now.  So, Lauren from YouPolish approached some bloggers she had worked with in the past and said “Hey, what kind of vinyl nail decals would ya’ll like to see?”  Well surely you know what I asked for, even if the title HADN’T tipped you off you should have known what I would ask for!

You got it… Doctor Who themed nail decals.  Be still my hearts.

So YouPolish got some amazing iconic Doctor Who images ready for you to dress up your digits on August 23rd!  Who else is counting the minutes?  What about seconds?  Just me?  Alrighty then…well let’s get onto the pictures!  Since I wanted to show you the variety of decals I opted to pair them with some appropriate Doctor Who themed polishes from my collection!

YouPolish Decals (Shown on Lucky 13 Lacquer - Life is Short and You Are Hot)

YouPolish Decals (Shown on Lucky 13 Lacquer – Life is Short and You Are Hot)

First up are the TARDIS and The Tenth Doctor’s profile!  Of course as you Whovians all know, Life is Short and You Are Hot is a line uttered to Sally Sparrow in the episode Don’t Blink and that the Angels had the TARDIS!  This was during the Tenth Doctor’s run as well.

YouPolish Decal (Shown over Lucky 13 Lacquer - Softening the Bad Things)

YouPolish Decal (Shown over Lucky 13 Lacquer – Softening the Bad Things)

Oh the feels.  This is the Eleventh Doctor’s profile and I put it on with Softening the Bad Things by L13L.  This polish is based on the episode Vincent and The Doctor and is when I finally fell in love with Eleven.  It took me awhile to get over losing Ten but Eleven really won me over in this episode.  While I’m eager for the New Doctor I am still very emotional over losing Eleven!

YouPolish Decals (over Blue Eyed Girl Lacquers - Ocean Warmed by the Sun with a reverse glitter gradient of Digital Nails - Wibbly Wobbly)

YouPolish Decals (Shown over Blue Eyed Girl Lacquers – Ocean Warmed by the Sun with a reverse glitter gradient of Digital Nails – Wibbly Wobbly)

Well we just couldn’t have Doctor Who themed decals without a DALEK!  This is probably my favorite of the decals because Daleks really are the penultimate bad guy in Doctor Who.

These decals are awesome.  They are easy to apply, stick well, and come in a host of colors!  The only one I didn’t show here was Nine’s profile which is just as awesome as all the rest.  I really like the variety of images and I can’t wait to do my mani for the Series 8 Premiere on August 23rd!   You can get these decals (and so many others!!!) from YouPolish and they should be available today!

To get your own decals you can visit YouPolish’s Shop!  To keep up with all the news and pictures you can follow them on Facebook and Instagram!

 

Wednesdays We Wear Pink – Featuring Alchemy Lacquers

Nothing to Disclose

This is going to be a quickie Wednesdays We Wear Pink post!  I didn’t want to leave ya’ll wishing for a manicure revolving around one of the most awesome colors on the planet!  I also have some exciting stuff coming up in the next few days so keep your eyes peeled for that!

Today I’m showing you a manicure I did using some Alchemy Lacquers, stamping, and jelly polishes!  How much fun is that?  Oh yes and some polymer clay slices because I clearly don’t know how to leave things alone!

Alchemy Lacquers with China Glaze You Drive me Coconuts (Stamped with MoYou London Pro - 13)

Alchemy Lacquers – Sea Sparkle with China Glaze – You Drive me Coconuts

So here’s what I started with – a little mani with a jelly stampwich with China Glaze – You Drive me Coconuts and a double accent nail of the gorgeous Alchemy Lacquers – Sea Sparkle.   I used MoYou London Pro – 13 for the stamp.  So I looked at this and I though “Oh Yay!  I love this…let me add MORE!”

Alchemy Lacquers – Sea Sparkle with China Glaze – You Drive Me Coconuts

 

Alchemy Lacquers - Sea Sparkle with China Glaze - You Drive Me Coconuts

Alchemy Lacquers – Sea Sparkle with China Glaze – You Drive Me Coconuts

So here I added another stamp on the top of the jelly stampwich off of the Pro – 13 plate and a cute little polymer clay heart!  I loved everything about this mani – it’s over the top, it’s girly, and it’s PINK!

Alchemy Lacquers - Sea Sparkle with China Glaze - You Drive Me Coconuts

Alchemy Lacquers – Sea Sparkle with China Glaze – You Drive Me Coconuts

Here’s another shot of the finished mani!  I really liked the China Glaze for the jelly stampwich though I wish I had a more opaque white so that it showed through a bit better!

Products used:  Sally Hansen – Complete Care 4-in-1 Treatment; Alchemy Lacquers – Sea Sparkle; China Glaze – You Drive Me Coconuts; Sally Hansen – White On; Digital Nails – Ain’t Nobody Got Time for That Topcoat; Polymer Clay Heart

 

 

Emerald & Ash – Life in Color! (Plus a giveaway!)

Provided for Honest Review

Readers I have some very cool polishes to show you today!  And a review on Cuticle Oil as well!  Emerald & Ash make some really unique and beautiful polishes and I was lucky enough to be chosen as a blogger for this collection!  I have three of the polishes from their upcoming Life in Color collection which is an enormous collection of 13 polishes!  There’s something for EVERYONE in that collection I’m telling you!

Let’s get right down to it then!  First up I have Elevendy Seven.

Emerald & Ash - Elevendy Seven

Emerald & Ash – Elevendy Seven

Elevendy Seven is a beautiful grass green satin finish polish with a strong golden shimmer throughout as well as a smattering of iridescent micro-flakies.  E&A’s description says there’s also a touch of holo as well but unfortunately I live on the Eastern Seaboard so… well…the weather has been pretty dreary the past couple of days therefore I wasn’t able to see the holo but I’m pretty excited to get this one out in the sun and check it out!

Emerald & Ash - Elevendy Seven

Emerald & Ash – Elevendy Seven

The formula on this was lovely.  Two easy coats.  The first coat is slightly sheer but it layer’s up very nicely and is fully opaque at two coats.  I decided that Elevendy Seven and Bees? played really nicely together plus they make me nostalgic as together they are *almost* my high school colors!  I decided to do an accent with the two  of intersecting dots (love this technique it looks so cool but is insanely easy). Products used:  Glisten & Glow – Stuck on Blu; Emerald & Ash – Elevendy Seven, Bees?; Digital Nails – Ain’t Nobody Got Time for That Topcoat; Dotting Tools; Striping Tape

So let’s segue right on into Bees?

Emerald & Ash - Bees?

Emerald & Ash – Bees?

Were you knocked off your seat?  I know I was because Bees? is a OMG KNOCK YOUR SOCKS OFF Neon Highlighter Yellow crelly with a fun fuchsia shimmer!  I’ll be honest and say it’s not normally a color that I would have chosen for myself but I think it will be a nice addition to my collection because doesn’t everyone need a neon highlighter yellow polish?  I didn’t think I did but now that I have it I think I do!

Emerald & Ash - Bees?

Emerald & Ash – Bees?

The formula is good for a neon polish in my opinion.  Generally neons are hard to work with and hard to photograph just by nature.  While this one is naturally sheer it does build up and the pictures show three coats plus topcoat.  You could layer it over white and it will pop even more but I found it wasn’t necessary in the same way that it is with other neons.

I will say that before I even swatched it Emerald & Ash had identified an issue with the batch that they send out to bloggers and immediately notified us that there was an issue with some tiny bits of pigment and they are sending out a new bottle.  While mine was very minorly affected I didn’t find it off-putting or an issue at all because topcoat fixed all.  However my respect for the brand doubled because they not only identified a problem but proactively corrected it before everyone even had a chance to test out the polishes.  Anyone who works or deals with indies recognizes that sometimes there are little snafus that happen because these are handmade polishes!  What’s important to me as a consumer is how the brands handle these kinds of little problems that come up.  They are clearly dedicated to quality in their line!  The issue has been identified and future batches will not have this issue.

Products used:  Glisten & Glow – Stuck on Blu; Emerald & Ash – Elevendy Seven, Bees?; Digital Nails – Ain’t Nobody Got Time for That Topcoat; Dotting Tools; Striping Tape

Next up is my favorite of the lot – maybe a little just because of the name…Titty Sprinkles!!

Emerald & Ash - Titty Sprinkles

Emerald & Ash – Titty Sprinkles

This polish is so changeable.  Every time I look at it it seems a little different.  At first I thought it was a lavender base filled with silver and multi-colored micro-flakies but now I’m not so sure about the base!  Anyway it’s so packed with micro-flakies that it gives a sort of foiled effect and it’s so sparkly!  E&A says that it’s got bright blue, pink, yellow, and white micro-flakies!  You all know how I feel about flakies in general…so yeah loving this one!

Emerald & Ash - Titty Sprinkles

Emerald & Ash – Titty Sprinkles

The formula is amazing.  I could have almost gotten away with one coat but I did two coats plus topcoat for the pictures.  It’s so sparkly and filled with flakies that I thought it might have a slight gritty texture but not at all.

Products used:  Glisten & Glow – Stuck on Blu; Emerald & Ash – Titty Sprinkles; Digital Nails – Ain’t Nobody Got Time for That Topcoat

So in the blogger package that I received was a small bottle of their fabulous cuticle oil.  It’s in the Scent of the Month for July – Fresh Cut Grass!  Seriously a wonderful scent that I honestly wasn’t too sure about but it quickly won me over with its fresh clean scent!  I already loved their oils and I took a couple of pictures to show you how nicely it absorbs.  Emerald & Ash have 85 scents but they can be custom blended so the possibilities are truly endless!  Also each one is mixed to order so the scent oils are not sitting in the cuticle oil over time and it always guarantees that you’re going to get a nice fresh bottle.  They’ve specially formulated the oil so that it absorbs quickly without a heavy greasy feeling and I keep a bottle of it at my desk where I apply it obsessively!

Just after application of Emerald & Ash Cuticle Oil.

Just after application of Emerald & Ash Cuticle Oil.

Five minutes after application of Emerald & Ash Cuticle Oil

Five minutes after application of Emerald & Ash Cuticle Oil

As you can see while it’s not yet fully absorbed it’s definitely absorbing quickly and moisturizing my cuticles!  I’m in total love with these and I will probably be expanding my collection of E&A oils extensively.

Now the Life in Color collection will be up for pre-order on July 10th.  You can get your own Emerald & Ash polishes and cuticle oils at their Website.  You can keep up to date on all the happenings and news by following them on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Instagram!

But you have a chance to win your OWN bottle of Bees? from me!  Since Emerald & Ash sent out a replacement and I was not fussed with my bottle I decided to go ahead and give one of my lovely readers a chance to win their own bottle of sunshine!  Please enter through the Rafflecopter below.

This contest will end on July 13th.  Prize can only be shipped to a US address, but anyone can win as long as you provide a US address for me to ship to.  Once prize has been shipped I cannot be responsible for any lost or damaged packages.  You must be 18 or Older or have proof that a parent has given you permission to enter.  I will verify entries.

a Rafflecopter giveaway