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Pretty & Polished Summer Collection – Review and Swatches!

May28

Provided for Honest Review

I’m very excited to show you three of the upcoming shades from the Pretty & Polished Summer Collection.  I can’t wait…so I won’t!

First up is a patriotic offering, Wham Bam Thank Ya Sam!:

Pretty & Polished - Wham Bam Thank Ya Sam!

Pretty & Polished – Wham Bam Thank Ya Sam!

LOVE!  I love patriotic polishes, I love tiny star glitter, I love crelly-based glitter polishes.  So all of that in one polish spells instant LOVE for me!  This is a squish white crelly base packed with red and blue matte and metallic glitters and especially tiny blue stars!  Looooove.

Pretty & Polished - Wham Bam Thank Ya Sam!

Pretty & Polished – Wham Bam Thank Ya Sam!

Honestly application on this was awesome.  Sometimes crelly-based glitter polishes have a bit of a learning curve but I had no problems with this one, I didn’t have to fish for glitter, and I achieved opacity in two coats.  I couldn’t have asked for better application of this type of polish.  It is a bit chunky so I recommend an extra layer of topcoat to smooth out the glitter a bit this is pretty normal and what I would expect from any glitter polish.

Pretty & Polished - Wham Bam Thank Ya Sam!

Pretty & Polished – Wham Bam Thank Ya Sam!

Polishes used:  Barielle – Nail Rebuilding Protein; Pretty & Polished – Wham Bam Thank Ya Sam!; Digital Nails – Ain’t Nobody Got Time for That Topcoat.

Next up is The Seaglass is Half Full:

Pretty & Polished - The Seaglass is Half Full

Pretty & Polished – The Seaglass is Half Full

The Seaglass is Half Full is a fun polish!  Some magic must have been put in the bottle though because it really looks like seaglass tossed in the sand.  It brought back fond memories that I have of living in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba back in the 80’s.  My friends and I would look for seaglass and one of my friend’s mother made jewelry out of the frosty smooth seaglass.  This is a sand colored crelly polish with semi-translucent matte hexes in green, pink, blue, and lavender.  There is also a smattering of metallic green micro-glitter.

Pretty & Polished - The Seaglass is Half Full

Pretty & Polished – The Seaglass is Half Full

The application was just as magic as the appearance!  No glitter fishing, no glitter placement, just easy peasy swipes of the brush!  Pictures show two coats plus topcoat.

Pretty & Polished - The Seaglass is Half Full

Pretty & Polished – The Seaglass is Half Full

Polishes used:  Barielle – Nail Rebuilding Protein; Pretty & Polished – The Seaglass is Half Full; Digital Nails – Ain’t Nobody Got Time for That Topcoat.

Last but certainly not least is my favorite of the three, Come on Baby Light my Firecracker!:

Pretty & Polished - Come On Baby Light My Firecracker!

Pretty & Polished – Come On Baby Light My Firecracker!

I cannot wait to wear this one again.  I love this color, this polish and everything about it!  Come on Baby Light My Firecracker is a hot magenta linear holo.  As if that weren’t enough it is packed with teensie tiny metallic red micro-glitter.  It is a really unique combination and it’s a color that I will wear a lot!

Pretty & Polished - Come On Baby Light My Firecracker!

Pretty & Polished – Come On Baby Light My Firecracker!

So much shimmer.  Application was flawless on this polish and it sparkles in all lights because of the glitter/holo combination.  I had exactly zero problems with this polish and pictures show two coats plus topcoat.

Pretty & Polished - Come On Baby Light My Firecracker!

Pretty & Polished – Come On Baby Light My Firecracker!

Polishes Used:  Barielle – Nail Rebuilding Protein; Pretty & Polished – Come On Baby Light My Firecracker; Digital Nails Ain’t Nobody Got Time for That Topcoat.

There you have it – three more gorgeous shades from Pretty & Polished.  I’ve been consistently impressed with polishes that I have received from them.  That doesn’t surprise me though they are one of the indies that has been around for a long long time and with good reason!  I also am a diehard fan of their sugar scrubs and can’t wait to try some of their mani-bombs as well!  You can buy Pretty & Polished products on their Web Store.  For sneak peaks, fun stuff, and contests be sure to check out their Facebook Page and Instagram Feed!

Indigo Bananas Review and Swatches – Mei Mei’s Signatures Exclusive Trio

May6

Nothing to Disclose

Hello my lovelies!  I am officially a college graduate!  It’s kind of a surreal feeling and also bittersweet as I happened to make a lot of good friends this semester.  Now that I’m done with school now, for awhile, I will have some more free time so you will see some more posts and reviews.  I’m also thinking up some other features and things that I might be able to incorporate, would ya’ll like to see a return of Wednesdays We Wear Pink?  Do ya’ll have anything else you’d like to see more of?  Tell me in the comments and I’ll definitely see what I’m capable of pulling off for you!

Today I have a beautiful trio of Indigo Bananas polishes to show you.  They are exclusive to Mei Mei’s Signatures, an international stockist that is based in Singapore.  Trust me they are worth a little international shipping!

First up we have Liang Shanbo is in Doubt!

Indigo Bananas - Liang Shanbo is in Doubt

Indigo Bananas – Liang Shanbo is in Doubt

Liang Shanbo is in Doubt is a beautiful golden champagne colored linear holographic polish that has some additional ice blue flakies and shimmer.  I’ve said before, and I’m sure you’ll hear me say it again, I like holographic polishes most when they have something else going on, a fun shimmer, some flakies, glitter, or anything like that.  This one fulfills that desire for me!  It’s a perfect neutral work-friendly shade that is not boring or dull in the least!

Indigo Bananas - Liang Shanbo is in Doubt

Indigo Bananas – Liang Shanbo is in Doubt

The formula on this polish was lucsious.  I had no troubles with dragging or streaking.  It also self-leveled beautifully and despite being a light color did not take a lot to build to opacity!  These pictures show two coats plus topcoat!

Polishes used:  Barielle – Nail Rebuilding Protein; Indigo Bananas – Liang Shanbo is in Doubt; Digital Nails – Ain’t Nobody Got Time for That Topcoat

Next up is Zhu Yingtai is a Lady!

Indigo Bananas - Zhu Yingtai is a Lady

Indigo Bananas – Zhu Yingtai is a Lady

So little known fact about me…up until just recently I disliked the color purple with a passion that would fuel a thousand burning suns.  However, something has changed and I can’t.get.enough.purple!  I bought this trio mainly for this one polish and because I liked the other two as well but it was this one that made me look at it to start with.  This is a gorgeous medium purple linear holographic with a golden shimmer and gold flakies!  I just love it.  Love.love.love.  I also really like the way it looks on me as well.

Indigo Bananas - Zhu Yingtai is a Lady

Indigo Bananas – Zhu Yingtai is a Lady

Another fantastic formula here.  No issues to report.  Again the opacity is good as well as the self-leveling.  Pictures show two coats plus topcoat!

Polishes used:  Barielle – Nail Rebuilding Protein; Indigo Bananas – Zhu Yingtai is a Lady; Digital Nails – Ain’t Nobody Got Time for That Topcoat

Last but not least is a fun glitter topper that works with either of the other two polishes in the trio.  Love Like Butterflies:

Indigo Bananas - Love Like Butterflies (over Zhu Yingtai is a Lady)

Indigo Bananas – Love Like Butterflies (over Zhu Yingtai is a Lady)

Indigo Bananas - Love Like Butterflies (over Liang Shanbo is in Doubt)

Indigo Bananas – Love Like Butterflies (over Liang Shanbo is in Doubt)

Love Like Butterflies is a clear-based glitter topper with a wide variety of satin pastel glitters.  In addition there is scattered holographic pigment, iridescent flakies, and some of the glitters are shaped like butterflies and flowers!  I love this because, while I’m not really the biggest fan of shaped glitter, butterflies are special to me.  Plus it’s so pretty and springy over the other two colors!

Indigo Bananas - Love Like Butterflies (over Liang Shanbo is in Doubt)

Indigo Bananas – Love Like Butterflies (over Liang Shanbo is in Doubt)

Indigo Bananas - Love Like Butterflies (over Zhu Yingtai is a Lady)

Indigo Bananas – Love Like Butterflies (over Zhu Yingtai is a Lady)

This one is a chunky glitter and you may find it to be a little topcoat-hungry.  Also, I found that dabbing this one on worked far better than attempting to apply via brushstrokes.  The glitter does tend to settle a bit because the larger shaped glitters naturally are a bit heavier.  I just flipped the bottle upside down for a bit and as you can see I got plenty of goodie glitters on my nails and I didn’t have to fish for them once it had redistributed through the base.  Pictures show one dabbed coat over undies and two coats of topcoat.

Polishes used:  Barielle – Nail Rebuilding Protein; Indigo Bananas – Liang Shanbo is in Doubt, Zhu Yingtai is a Lady, Love Like Butterflies; Digital Nails – Ain’t Nobody Got Time for That Topcoat

As I mentioned before this trio is exclusively sold at Mei Mei’s Signatures.  I have to say they provide excellent customer service and while I was expecting a long shipping time because she was having a huge sale at the time I placed my order and because, well, she’s based in Singapore!  I actually got my shipment within 10 days.  Not bad at all.  Do expect however that it can take more time than that if you order.  You can get these and other Indigo Bananas polishes.  If you are looking for other non-exclusive Indigo Bananas polish you can visit the Indigo Bananas Webpage, Facebook, or Instagram!  Don’t forget to follow Mei Mei’s on Facebook and Instagram as well!

 

Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquers Review and Swatches

Mar30

Nothing to Disclose

Hello my lovely readers!  I’m delighted to share a quick review and post of a recent release of Blue Eyed Girl Lacquers.  A couple of weeks ago there was a huge collaboration box available that had a bunch of different makers involved.  I was able to snag a couple of the items that were in the box and since not all of the polishes were exclusive to the box one of the ones I snagged has also been released for everyone by Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquers!  Since it is available now I decided to share it with you so you can plan your Spring Polish Budget accordingly (Pro-tip:  Throw away the budget).  Enough of my rambling onto the polish!

This lovely lady is Kaffir Lily:

Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquers - Kaffir Lily

Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquers – Kaffir Lily

 

Kaffir Lily is a perfect creamy pastel, lavender-leaning, pink linear holographic polish.  As if that weren’t enough there is a strong pink glassfleck shimmer throughout.  The holographic arc is perfectly balanced to the creme base and gives you plenty of bang without getting overwhelming the way that some mega-holos can.  There’s a time and place for all of them but for Spring I like something a little more subtle, a little fresher, and yet still interesting.  The glassfleck shimmer adds a lot of depth and dimension.

Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquers - Kaffir Lily

Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquers – Kaffir Lily

I really can’t say enough about the formula on this.  I expected a pastel holographic polish to be a bit tricky.  Sometimes pastels can be streaky, holographic polishes tend to dry a bit faster on me, not to mention lighter colors for me tends to mean that I’ll be doing no less than two coats and usually three.  Yeah, so, I was worried for NOTHING.  This polish was a dream to apply, I got excellent coverage, and it didn’t streak or drag.  Wait until I tell you this because you’re NOT going to believe it…ONE COAT WONDER!  I haven’t used that phrase in a long time it seems.  These photos show ONE coat plus topcoat.

Polishes used:  Barielle – Nail Rebuilding Protein; Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquers – Kaffir Lily; Digital Nails – Ain’t Nobody Got Time for That Topcoat.

You know the drill this isn’t the only great thing available at the Blue-Eyed Girl Website so you should definitely go and check it out.  While you’re there snag a bottle of Kaffir Lily, you won’t regret it.  You can also follow Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquers on Facebook and Instagram.

Pretty & Polished – Swatches and Review

Mar21

Nothing to Disclose

A couple of weeks ago, or last week, it’s so hard to keep track Pretty & Polished had a pretty awesome sale to “celebrate” Daylight Savings Time.  I chose this opportunity to snag up a couple of polishes I’ve been eyeing!  It’s been awhile since I had some Pretty & Polished polishes so I was definitely due to add some more to my collection!  I wanted to share them with you as they are both still available at Pretty & Polished along with a whole host of other amazing polishes as well as some hand care items!  Not to keep you waiting any longer allow me to start this review!

First up is Maleficium:

Pretty & Polished - Maleficium

Pretty & Polished – Maleficium

Palest gray – check!  Flakies – check!  Wait…Multi-Chrome Flakies??? – check…Check…CHECK!  Oh I’m sorry I was just checking off all the ways that you could tell that this was an amazing polish!  This stunner is a super pale gray crelly (I initially thought it was white but I really think it’s super pale gray, either that or the flakies are shifting the white a bit gray) with a slew of multi-chrome flakies in all different color shifting colors.

Pretty & Polished - Maleficium

Pretty & Polished – Maleficium

The formula on this is really impeccable.  It is a crelly so it is sheer but it builds up to opacity quite nicely.  It’s squishy and packed to the brim with the color-shifting flakies.  I didn’t have any problems with application such as streaking or dragging and the pictures show three thin coats plus topcoat!

Pretty & Polished - Maleficium

Pretty & Polished – Maleficium

Bonus Macro Shot!  I’m working on getting better at these you’ll have to tell me if you like them – I might make it part of my repertoire.

Polishes used:  Barielle – Nail Rebuilding Protein; Pretty & Polished – Maleficium; Digital Nails – Ain’t Nobody Got Time for That Topcoat

Next up is May Flowers:

Pretty & Polished - May Flowers (Cold)

Pretty & Polished – May Flowers (Cold)

Now ya’ll know me and how I’m surprised to find polishes to be thermal when I’m not expecting it well..it happened again!  I bought this because of the pretty turquoise color and all the fun springy glitter.  So I start swiping it on and realized that the tips were staying turquoise but the polish over the nailbeds was getting decidedly lighter!  May Flowers is a turquoise to white thermal crelly polish filled with raspberry and peach metallic dots, lavender matte hexes, green and gold microglitter, and light pink flower glitter.  Whew that’s a lot of glitter!

Pretty & Polished - May Flowers (Warm)

Pretty & Polished – May Flowers (Warm)

Pretty & Polished - May Flowers (Transition)

Pretty & Polished – May Flowers (Transition)

Here are some pictures of it in the warm and transitional states.

Pretty & Polished - May Flowers (Transition)

Pretty & Polished – May Flowers (Transition)

Application was really nice…I’ve been pleased with the Pretty & Polished crelly polishes that I’ve tried in the past.  Even the jumbo flowers didn’t need a lot of work to come out of the bottle or get on the nail.  The glitter spread is very nice and I didn’t have to fish, manipulate, stand on my head, or employ any other drastic measures to get a good coverage of glitter!  Pictures show three thin coats plus topcoat!

Polishes used:  Barielle – Nail Rebuilding Protein; Pretty & Polished – May Flowers; Digital Nails – Ain’t Nobody Got Time for That Topcoat

Pretty & Polished actually just launched their 2015 Spring Line as well as a limited run of some of their most popular retired polishes.  You’ll definitely want to get in on the action of those because who knows when they might come back again…if EVER!  You can follow Pretty & Polished on Facebook and Instagram and make sure to head on over to their Shop to pick up some gorgeous polishes and lovely handcare products!