Thursday, September 26, 2013

My Ten Friends: Multipass and Mr. Universe


Multipass is a new My Ten Friends polish color that's launching Friday Sept. 27th. Its a beautiful bright, almost neon tangerine color packed with glitter in pinks, greens and golds. My camera has a certain disdain for shooting bright orange so just take my word for it! Its a really gorgeous shade! I'm told that this polish glows under a black light! Wouldn't that be fun to wear during a glow-bowl event?
The other special thing about Multipass is that it was made to celebrate the Ida Nails It blog's 1-year anniversary, congrats Ida!




I wore two coats with a little extra around the nail line to make sure I had good coverage for the brightly lit photos.


The next polish is Mr. Universe which is an Overall Beauty exclusive polish created by My Ten Friends. This polish is made with the same pigment in Overall Beauty Minerals Black Knight eyeshadow. Its smokey with a pinky/purpley shimmer. Add that to an MTF polish full of beautiful holo glitter and its marvelous! I really loved this one a lot and did not want to take it off! I wore two coats in these photos.




Visit the Overall Beauty Shop and follow her on facebook as well as the My Ten Friends shop and facebook page.


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Monday, September 23, 2013

Four Day Weekend!

For me, that is! I celebrated my birthday on Thursday September 19th in part by taking a mini vacation from work and online things. I did however; have a special birthday mani that I wore for the whole week last week!
I chose to use Nerd Lacquer Götterdämmerung and Lynderella Bibbity Bobbity Boo Blue, a glitter topper for the accent nail. They're both combinations of my very favorite color, purple, and my birthstone, a sapphire!



The Nerd Lacquer is a dark purple that leans blue and has blue hexes and blue shimmer in it that can be seen near the middle of the nail when the light hits it. The shimmer gives the polish a sort of shifting effect that's absolutely beautiful. Everyone needs this polish, amirite?!




The Lynnderella is one of the older originals in the fat round bottle. It has a mixture of varying shades of blue glitter and purple glitter in a sort of smokey blue jelly base. Though its not holo, the glitter twinkles in the sun! I felt quite lucky to have found this polish, as it seems pretty rare. How could I not wear it for my birthday?




I hope you've enjoyed my quick post today, have a great week!

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Northern Star Cuticle Oil

Enclosed gift with press sample

Kristin from Northern Star included this oil as a gift with the review samples of polish that she sent to me. She wasn't expecting a review of it at all, but this stuff is so good how could I not?

The tube is compact, no larger than a lippy tube and the applicator is soft and makes it easier to get the oil where I want it. The ingredients are good for skin and include olive oil, glycerin, almond oil, and grapeseed oil. Each of those oils has different skin benefits so I've linked the words to a source if you want to read more about them. I've used this oil for about three weeks, and always reach for it right before I do my swatch photo shoots. It absorbs fast, moisturizes well, and smells great!

The photo below is after three weeks of use! Look how much is still in the tube! A single dip does all five fingers and then I dip it again for the other hand. Rub it in, and in a few minutes its absorbed and I'm ready to shoot the photos!



The scent of the oil I received is Ginger Lime which is delicious! However; the oil comes in a variety of yummy scents which can be found in this listing at her shop. She also has some really fun scents available for the fall season like Candy Corn, Absinthe, and Pumpkin Spice!

Right now she's doing a promotion so you can pick up all the fall polishes and a set of cuticle oils and save on shipping if you spend over $50. Just fill your cart and then use the discount code FREESHIP50 at checkout. This code is good for worldwide orders! How cool is that?

Thanks so much Kristin, for the awesome gift! I will continue to use it often!

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Monday, September 16, 2013

Soho Disney Villian Bags and Kiss Nail Art kits at Walgreen's

I love Disney and my friend Anni loves the villians. She collects the palettes and such each year so when I saw these I had to share them!
There are four bags and each one is a little differently shaped. They are all made of a satiny material and trimmed with purple to a tealish color shifting vinyl.
The Maleficant is two bags, a large clear vinyl and a smaller satin bag. The bag display says $10 but they rang up $9.99 at my store.




Each bag is lined with a print specific to the character on the outside of the bag.
Evil Queen:


Maleficent:


Ursula:


Cruella


I took a photo of the bottom of two Evil Queen bags to show the color shift in the vinyl trim they've used. This trim is present on all bags, this one just happened to have the most of it.


I also saw some Kiss Nail Art kits featuring the same villains, along with some nail art ideas to do with each kit.
Pretty cute! These are also priced at 9.99 for each kit.



I don't usually post cell phone photos, but I just had to share these with you all!
They're popping up in Walgreen's stores along with themed eyeshadow palettes and lashes done by e.l.f.
Which ones will you get? What is your favorite?

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Friday, September 13, 2013

Northern Star: Halloween Collection


My birthday is right around the corner and after that comes the Fall season. I love how the leaves all turn different shades on the trees, how the weather is milder, the smell of rain and the extra hour of sleep I get after Halloween! I'm so ready for it, how about you?

With thoughts of Halloween in mind, I'm sharing some polishes today that Kristin from Northern Star Polish sent to me for review. I think they're a great mix of finishes and colors so there is surely something for everyone! Lets have a look!

Phantasmagoric is an absolutely stunning teal polish with a pink, purple, and blue color shifting shimmer. It is a very sheer polish so I wore about five coats on its own. This would also be great over a dark teal or navy blue base.




Bella Morte is a deep red jelly with purple and red glitters/shimmers. I used two coats over one coat of Essie Fishnet Stockings. Bella Morte is the perfect slightly vampy slightly sparkly red for halloween!




Macabre Delight is a blue leaning purple jelly with green and purple glitter in various shapes and sizes. Love those squares! And do you see the teeny shimmer in it? I love that! This one is my favorite of the four, it has that jelly squish to it and my two favorite colors. :)
I wore two coats over Revlon Modern Grace which was a perfect undie for it.




This shimmery chocolate looking delight is called Twisted Treat. It's a black crelly with teeny orange shimmer but my sweet tooth thinks it looks like sparkly treats! All that shimmer and sparkle is only one coat of Twisted Treat which I layered over WnW black cream.




There is at least one other polish in her collection called Pumpkinlicious which you can see a swatch of at The Lazy Laquerista's blog. Its a green and orange glitter topper in a clear base.

The application and formula for this whole set was really smooth and easy and I also really like the bottle shape. Its wider at the bottom, so I didn't worry about tipping it at all. The brushes are the flat style which I have really been liking because it gives me a nice corner to make the line near the cuticle easily.

Speaking of cuticles, Kristin also sent a tube of her cuticle oil to me as a gift for doing the review but I have to mention it. I've been using the oil since August and I can see the difference in how moisturized my cuticle area is staying as compared to how it was before I started using it.
I found myself reaching for it every time I polished my nails. It absorbs fairly quick and is not shiny or greasy which is perfect because I like to shoot my photos after I moisturize. I have the Lime Ginger scent which smells great and she has several other scents.

I didn't think to take before and after photos, so I am sorry I don't have those for you. But if you haven't found a cuticle moisturizer you love yet, give hers a try. I'm sure you'll like the results!

The whole Halloween set launches on Sunday, September 15th at noon central at the Northern Star Polish Etsy Shop in both full-size or mini bottles. You can follow the brand on facebook for future updates and restocks.


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Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Literary Lacquers: Literary Liquors Collection


Amy from Literary Lacquer creates in the moment by allowing the literature to color itself. The creative process she utilizes is almost like unwrapping the layers of a present to reveal what's inside. Her process is quite similar to how I blog, gathering bits and pieces of thoughts and inspiration to create something whole for others to enjoy. I never know what the end result will be, as each entry kind of takes on a life of its own. I thought that similarity between Amy and I was awesome and I was super excited when she asked me to review some of her creations.

At one point in Amy's career, she managed three small businesses, while working on an accounting degree. Amazing right? Her focus now is Literary Lacquers but she is still able to take the occasional client from her other businesses as a hobby. If you'd like to know more about Amy, there are a couple of awesome interviews at the Mani Curiously and Betty Nails blogs.


Upon opening the brown shipping box, I found that not only are her polishes beautiful, but they are beautifully wrapped in 100% recycled materials which can then be recycled! She also ships to countries outside the United States.
I love that the tissue chosen for my package is purple and hey look at that, no plastic! :)


Left to right with her descriptions are:
Strawberry Ice Cream Soma - Warm pink crelly holo - I call this one of my "office holos." Indoors, it's a shimmery pink with a touch of purple shimmer, in the sun or bright light a full linear holo rainbow emerges. Inspired by Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

Two At the Very Most - Martini top coat - Black hexes, white squares, gunmetal hexes, silver chrome hexes so shiny that they reflect light like a disco ball, a touch of holographic microglitter and added green circle glitters (for the olives, of course!) This polish is inspired by the martini, literature's most beloved cocktail. The name refers to the quatrain attributed to Dorothy Parker: I like to have a martini, Two at the very most. At three I'm under the table, At four I'm under the host!

Dandelion Wine - Mustard golden yellow holo with orangey-pinky color shift, I'm describing this as the color that you remember summer as when you look back after the weather has gotten cold. Inspired by Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury

Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster - Hmmm... I'm just not really sure how to describe this specific shade of blue. It's a rich blue (that's also a little on the warm side but not so much that I'd call it teal) holo with added holo glitter. Inspired by The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

I'm Drinking Stars - Champagne linear holo, opaque at 3 coats or a fabulous holo top coat at one coat over pretty much anything, this is not a golden champagne, but a neutral pale taupe. Inspired by Still Life With Woodpecker by Tom Robbins

Jack Rose - Warm coppery brown holo, kind of the color of magical apple cider. Inspired by The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway



Strawberry Ice Cream Soma is a really pretty strawberry smoothie pink. In fact, I kept trying to call it that when I was doing the swatch! The photos show three coats and it definitely has a linear holo rainbow but its difficult to see in my photos.




Two at the Very Most is such a flexible glitter topper. It can be used over neutral or bright bases. Below I'm showing it over Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster and then over I'm Drinking Stars. I used one dabbed coat of the glittler topper and was pleased with the coverage.




I used a kitty silhouette nail art piece on the accent nail in these photos.



Dandelion Wine is holo and has a pink shifty shimmer in it. The holo was difficult for me to capture without using a flash (4th photo), but I was able to get the shifty shimmer to show itself in my other photos! I used three coats for these photos.






Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster is the rockstar in this set.
You definitely don't want to miss it, and I'll show you why!
The first three photos were taken with my regular lighting set up. The teal color is very vibrant and rich, and if you look closely at the nail you can see the tiny holo glitter pieces and gorgeous shimmer that make it fun and pretty.
xoxoJen's swatch of Literary Lacquers Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster
xoxoJen's swatch of Literary Lacquers Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster
xoxoJen's swatch of Literary Lacquers Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster

The next four images were taken near my lighting set up, but not directly under it. Which is a trick that I learned during the process of doing these swatches. Its amazing how much I learn just doing one blog entry! Anywho! Take a look and you'll find a linear holo rainbow, a really rich/dark teal color and a cool blue shift! How in the world did she get all that in this polish?
xoxoJen's swatch of Literary Lacquers Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster
xoxoJen's swatch of Literary Lacquers Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster
xoxoJen's swatch of Literary Lacquers Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster
The blue shift is shown best in the photo above, nearest the free edge of the nail.
xoxoJen's swatch of Literary Lacquers Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster

I'm Drinking Stars is a beautiful champagne nude linear holo. No special lighting tricks here, the holo in this is super strong and vibrant. It can be used as a top coat since its sheer, but I've used about five thin coats to show off its true color.




Jack Rose is a beautifully strong and vibrant copper holographic polish. I wore about three coats of it alone to show its color off but it could be layered over black or a dark brown for a neat effect.





Bonus pix! When I saw the beautiful coppery goodness, I couldn't stop myself from topping it with turquoise glitter from Elevation. Copper and blue are just gorgeous together so I had to share this combo with you too!




Literary Lacquer can be found on facebook and their polishes are available at the Literary Lacquers shop.

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