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

 

 

 

 

New to Me Brand! Blue Eyed Girl Lacquer!

Provided for Honest Review

Now I can’t begin to tell you how over the moon excited I am.  I’ve been reading Julie’s blog for a long time and Blue Eyed Girl Lacquer has definitely been on my radar but unlike Pokemon a girl can’t seem to “catch ’em all” when it comes to nail polish.  So you can imagine my delight (accompanied by some fangirling) when she offered to send me some of her new Summer Holos to review!

Now I like Holos; especially in sun drenched summer shades.  All of these shades were inspired by sunrises and sunsets on the beach, you pick the beach!  But I wanted to kick it up a bit and have a little fun and as I was photographing the teaser photo I put up on Instagram I realized that all of the colors really played well together!  So without further ado…

First up we have Intersecting Lines in the Sand:

Blue Eyed Girl Lacquers - Intersecting Lines in the Sand

Blue Eyed Girl Lacquer – Intersecting Lines in the Sand

This is a lovely soft golden yellow medium density linear holographic with some distinctly green undertones.  In addition there is a blue to pink to purple shifting shimmer throughout.   I’m not the biggest fan of yellow but I found this one to be very wearable and flattering even on me!

Blue Eyed Girl Lacquers - Intersecting Lines in the Sand

Blue Eyed Girl Lacquer – Intersecting Lines in the Sand

Now formula.  Formula is just spectacular in my opinion.  A lot of holos are too thin or sheer and this one is fully opaque in two thin coats.  In fact the maker says that she specifically formulated the holos in this collection for opacity in very few coats so you may actually need to thin yours slightly if you prefer a thinner application.  I didn’t find that I needed to on mine.

Products used:  Glisten & Glow – Stuck on Blu; Blue Eyed Girl Lacquer – Intersecting Lines in the Sand, Dawn Breaks, Fare the Wind, and Ocean Warmed by the Sun; Digital Nails – Ain’t Nobody Got Time for That Topcoat; striping tape.

Next up we have Fare the Wind:

Blue Eyed Girl Lacquers - Fare the Wind

Blue Eyed Girl Lacquer – Fare the Wind

I love this one so hard!  This is a gorgeous blurple medium density linear holographic with a blue shifting micro-shimmer and red micro-flakies. I love that these aren’t just plain holos.  Don’t get me wrong I like holos but I do find that if you’ve seen one plain linear holo you’ve often seen them all, so I love it when makers add some fun shimmers and shifting aspects!

Blue Eyed Girl Lacquers - Fare the Wind

Blue Eyed Girl Lacquer – Fare the Wind

Again formula was delightful on this – pictures show two thin coats with topcoat.  Also even though it is a very pigmented polish I found that it cleaned up very nicely.  Sometimes blues and purples are a little bit of a pain to clean up around the cuticle.

Products used:  Glisten & Glow – Stuck on Blu; Blue Eyed Girl Lacquer – Fare the Wind, Intersecting Lines in the Sand, Dawn Breaks,  and Ocean Warmed by the Sun; Digital Nails – Ain’t Nobody Got Time for That Topcoat; striping tape.

Next up is one of my top two favorites of this grouping.  Now this may surprise you since I’m sure you’ve noticed my penchant for teals and blues but my second favorite of the four is Ocean Warmed by the Sun:

Blue Eyed Girl - Ocean Warmed by the Sun

Blue Eyed Girl Lacquer – Ocean Warmed by the Sun

Aaaaah I just want to run around flailing at how pretty this one is!  This is a light blue-leaning teal linear holographic with a purple to pink shifting micro-shimmer and a slight flash of sea-green.  Again I can’t say enough about how much I appreciate that it’s not just a plain holographic polish.

Blue Eyed Girl Lacquers - Ocean Warmed by the Sun

Blue Eyed Girl Lacquer – Ocean Warmed by the Sun

This one had an impeccable formula as well in fact I will need to sound the alarm:  we have a ONE COAT WONDER right here!  I can’t think of how long it’s been since I was able to swipe on ONE COAT of polish and a topcoat and it be perfect!  Not a hint of VNL in sight!

Products used:  Glisten & Glow – Stuck on Blu; Blue Eyed Girl Lacquer – Ocean Warmed by the Sun, Intersecting Lines in the Sand, Dawn Breaks,  and  Fare the Wind; Digital Nails – Ain’t Nobody Got Time for That Topcoat; striping tape.

Last but certainly not least is my favorite of the bunch.  It’s such a flattering shade on me and I was loathe to take it off (I swatched it first!  That’ll teach me!)  Dawn Breaks:

Blue Eyed Girl Lacquers - Dawn Breaks

Blue Eyed Girl Lacquer – Dawn Breaks

Isn’t she lovely?  Now my daddy always told me that “A red sky at night is a Sailor’s delight, a red sky at morning is a Sailor’s warning”  But I assure you no sailors were harmed by this polish.  Also if this is a warning it can only be a warning of loveliness!  This is a coral-leaning red medium density linear holographic with gold and purple micro-shimmer throughout!

Blue Eyed Girl Lacquers - Dawn Breaks

Blue Eyed Girl Lacquer – Dawn Breaks

Darling readers, we have another ONE COAT WONDER!!!  That’s right.  I can foresee this being a go-to summer shade for me especially when I’m crunched for time!  Not a hint of streakiness or balding and in fact all of these were very nicely leveled.  Also with colors like this (RED) I expect a devil of a time (har har, you see what I did there?) with clean up but this one really didn’t give me any trouble at all!

Products used:  Glisten & Glow – Stuck on Blu; Blue Eyed Girl Lacquer – Dawn Breaks, Ocean Warmed by the Sun, Intersecting Lines in the Sand,  and  Fare the Wind; Digital Nails – Ain’t Nobody Got Time for That Topcoat; striping tape.

As you can see I did a simple color blocked accent nail with all four of the colors.  I loved how they worked together which just shows a lot of thought and cohesion has gone into this collection!

Now you can get these lovelies and the rest of the collection on July 20th and will be available in their Shop.  Make sure that you’re following Blue Eyed Girl on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest to keep up to date on all the news and to see more pictures and swatches of these and the other colors in the collection!

Wednesdays We Wear Pink! Featuring some Nail Stamping!

Nothing to Disclose

This will be a kind of quick post for today’s pink post!  I decided that I wanted to use an amazing polish that I had languishing in my collection for today’s post.  It’s a stunner really!

So let’s get on with it!  For today’s manicure I paired up Dior – Princess with some lime green stamping!

Dior - Princess (stamped with Sally Hansen - Just in Lime)

Dior – Princess (stamped with Sally Hansen – Just in Lime)

Now…as you can see by the bottle, this is a pink polish.  However it is a slightly coral leaning pink and when I layered the Sally Hansen – Just in Lime over it it was far more coral looking than pink!  Dior – Princess is a beautiful coral leaning princess pink polish packed with a silvery shimmer.

Dior - Princess (stamped with Sally Hansen - Just in Lime)

Dior – Princess (stamped with Sally Hansen – Just in Lime)

First I started with two thin coats of Dior – Princess.  There is a reason that these high-end polishes are high-end too.  Easily one of the best formulas I have ever worked with on a nail polish.  Plus the brush is really awesome, kind of squatty but wide and it’s very easy to work with!  I then used stamps from Cheeky and MoYou London to create the stamped design.  I got so many compliments on this mani as I was out and about running errands!

Products used:  Sally Hansen – Complete Care 4-in-1 Treatment; Dior – Princess; Sally Hansen – Just in Lime; Digital Nails – Ain’t Nobody Got Time for That; Cheeky Plate – CH44; MoYou London Plate – Pro 01.

You can find out information about the products at the following sites.  Dior polishes are available in department stores and various online retailers.  Sally Hansen Insta-Dri polishes are available at all kinds of drugstores, big box stores, and grocery stores across the country and are great for stamping!

Dior

Website

Sally Hansen

Website Facebook Instagram

MoYou London

Website Facebook Instagram

Cheeky

Website Facebook

Digital Nails

Store Facebook Instagram

 

New to Me Brand! Indigo Bananas!

Nothing to Disclose

Oh my dearest readers.  I cannot begin to express to you the amazingness that has happened over the weekend.  Perhaps you are not aware of my penchant for flakie polishes and if not then allow me to enlighten you…I get faint at the thought of beautiful flakie polishes!  They are by far and away one of my favorite things about nail polish and I like love just about everything about nail polish.  So when I saw Indigo Banana’s Summer Rains collection, I knew that some of them at the very least would find their way into my collection.  I told my family that when I put the first one on that it was like the heavens opened up and choirs of angels sang in exultation over the loveliness of the polish…too much?  I think not!

Now that your appetite for gorgeousness is whetted I’m going to show you two beautiful Indigo Bananas polishes that will likely send you running to their shop to order your own bottles of angel choir prompting beauty.  First up we have Reign:

Indigo Bananas - Reign

Indigo Bananas – Reign

Reign is a stunning royal burgundy jelly polish with definite purple undertones to the rich deep red.  Packed into that jelly is a golden microshimmer and color-shifting flakies.  It looks like buried flames within the depths of the squishy jelly polish!

Indigo Bananas - Reign

Indigo Bananas – Reign

Indigo Bananas - Reign (matte)

Indigo Bananas – Reign (matte)

The formula on this was perfection.  The jelly is sheer so it did take three thin coats to get this level of rich depth, but I don’t find that excessive and some people could definitely get away with 2 thin coats but the amount of free edge on my nails makes that difficult for jelly polishes particularly.  The flakies and shimmer are very evenly distributed throughout.  Now I’m no huge fan of matted nail polish…but flakies NEED to be matted for you to get an idea of the true beauty that they possess!  So I added a bonus matte shot for you all so that you can bask in the glorious flakiliciousness.

Products used:  Glisten & Glow – Stuck on Blu; Indigo Bananas – Reign; Digital Nails – Ain’t Nobody Got Time for That Topcoat; Julep – Matte Topcoat

Next up is the one that sent me racing to the Indigo Bananas site to make my first purchase…Acid Ocean:

Indigo Bananas - Acid Ocean

Indigo Bananas – Acid Ocean

Now do you see what I mean about the heavens opening up and choirs of angels singing?  Yeah.  This beauty is a deep blackened teal jelly base packed to the brim with a gold to bronze color shifting microshimmer and color shifting flakies!  Seriously beautiful.

Indigo Bananas - Acid Ocean

Indigo Bananas – Acid Ocean

Indigo Bananas - Acid Ocean (matte)

Indigo Bananas – Acid Ocean (matte)

Just look at that (excuse those little white dots, my matte topcoat is about to be replaced ASAP).  I haven’t said it in awhile but this polish is AH-mazing!  The formula is just like Reign – perfection.  In fact I found both of these to be insanely easy to work with and very controllable.  They also cleaned up nicely even though they are highly pigmented.

Products used:   Glisten & Glow – Stuck on Blu; Indigo Bananas – Acid Ocean; Digital Nails – Ain’t Nobody Got Time for That Topcoat; Julep – Matte Topcoat

Now I’m sure that you’re saying “self where can I get some of THAT polish?!”  So here ya go!  You can find Indigo Bananas nail polish on their site right here.  If you want to keep up on all the news about Indigo Bananas you can find them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.