Wednesday, May 30, 2018

Girly Bits: Sparrow of the Dawn

Sparrow of the Dawn is the newest addition to the Girly Bits Concert Series, which started a number of years ago as a way to pay tribute to Pam's favourite bands and catalogue the concerts she attends. Pam describes the polishes as "A colourful soundtrack" of her taste in music.

Sparrow of the Dawn is deep navy base, with a strong green-copper-pink multi-chrome shift, and a heavy dose of tiny holo glitters. It is 5 Free, cruelty free, and vegan friendly.

What an amazingly shifty polish! She's not shy, no contortionist poses going on here. I wore two coats with topcoat for photos.

xoxoJen's swatch of Girly Bits: Sparrow of the Dawn
xoxoJen's swatch of Girly Bits: Sparrow of the Dawn
xoxoJen's swatch of Girly Bits: Sparrow of the Dawn
xoxoJen's swatch of Girly Bits: Sparrow of the Dawn
xoxoJen's swatch of Girly Bits: Sparrow of the Dawn

Sparrow Of The Dawn is available now at the Girly Bits website
Below is more information from Pam about the polish's inspiration.

Late spring/early summer of 2017, I started hearing this new song called Highway Tune on a local radio station (WRIF in Detroit) It really grabbed my attention. It was a band that I had never heard of before, but they sounded like well seasoned musicians and I was really digging their vibe. So I started looking into this band called Greta Van Fleet. It turns out, they are a group of young (and I mean YOUNG) guys from Frankenmuth Michigan. The singer is Josh Kiszka, and his twin brother is guitarist Jake Kiszka (22 yrs old). Younger brother Sam Kiszka (18) plays bass, and their friend Danny Wagner (19) is on drums. When I first started following them last year, the two youngest ones were still in high school and they had a mere 13K followers on IG.

They gained a ton of traction last summer/fall, and have been on a whirlwind of a tour since. Their debut tune topped Billboard for 4 weeks. They have had a meteoric rise to fame touring with The Struts, and have opened for many big names artists including Bob Segar and G&R. They have played at numerous festivals like Coachella, and had the honour of receiving a personal invitation to play at Elton John’s Academy Award party. Their tour dates have been non-stop since last summer. When they first began rising in popularity, they didn’t even have an album out. They STILL don’t. They put out their studio debut EP in April of 2017, and then a double EP in Nov 2017 which contains 4 new songs, plus the original 4. We first saw them perform in MI at Pine Knob (DTE Energy Music Theatre) in September at RIFF Fest. I was BLOWN away. I saw them again at St Andrew’s Hall (In MI again) in December. By that time, it was getting hard to get tickets to their shows before they sold out. The first show at St. Andrew’s Hall sold out and they announced a second show which also sold out. I had purchased both CD’s and was mildly obsessed =) We obtained tickets to see them two more times. One at Rock on the Range in Ohio, and one at the Fillmore in Detroit. Both in May. (repeat- mildly obsessed) The show at the Fillmore sold out in seconds. Literally. And fans were NOT happy. They announced two more shows at the Fillmore back to back and they both sold out immediately. I was lucky enough to score 2 tickets to the 2nd show.

Back track to the show at St Andrew’s Hall in December. I already had Sparrow of the Dawn planned, but not a release date. I KNEW I had to honour my new favourite band. The song that really made me fall in love with GVF is Flower Power, and Sparrow of the Dawn is taken from those lyrics.

We had VIP tickets to that show, mostly because that was all that was available when I purchased. VIP has their own level, and their own bar and washroom area. I went to the washroom right before GVF came on stage, and as luck would have it I ran into Josie Wagner, sister of the drummer. We chatted a bit, snapped a selfie, and I told her about my plans for Sparrow of the Dawn. I asked her if she would like to see the samples and help in the choosing of the final colour. She was very excited about that! We exchanged contact info, and chatted about colour and finish etc, and I sent her some samples, from which she chose her favourite. I was heavily inspired by the cover art from their EP From the Fires, and chose to go with a multi-chrome to go with their retro 70’s vibe.

These guys are the next big thing. I guarantee it. They have been featured in Rolling Stone and a bunch of other mags. It's crazy. (mildly obsessed)
Here is a link to an acoustic performance of the song that hooked me. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOi5fFCSoA0&feature=youtu.be
And here is their breakout hit Highway Tune. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJg4OJxp-co


Monday, May 28, 2018

June Polish Pick Up: Video Games (part 2)


The June Polish Pick Up (PPU) features video game inspired products! How fun is that? The pre-order time frame is June 1st - 4th, after that they will not be available.

I am an official blogger for June's Polish Pick Up and I am sharing products from the letters Li through Z. I've reviewed them by order of day received and this is the rest of everything I have received. If you missed part 1, click through to see those!

xoxoJen's swatch collage of June Polish Pick Up Part 2


Starlight Polish
Crystal Forever inspired by Pokemon Crystal
An effect top coat in a blue tinted base with tiny silver flakes and shimmer that shifts from teal to violet, and flashes aqua and purple at the extremes of its color range. The flakes are sterling silver, and the shimmer is an original unicorn pee sibling pigment, not an aurora pigment.
cap 350
$15.00

I wore one coat of Crystal Forever over two coats of Obsidian. It's such a shifty polish, easy to capture with the camera and the tiny silver flakes add to its sparkle.

xoxoJen's swatch of Starlight Polish Crystal Forever
xoxoJen's swatch of Starlight Polish Crystal Forever
xoxoJen's swatch of Starlight Polish Crystal Forever
xoxoJen's swatch of Starlight Polish Crystal Forever


Sweet Heart Polish
Sanctuary of the Void inspired by World of Warcraft
a turquoise to purple to gold linear holo multichrome with platinum silver flakes and a rainbow of UCC flakes.
cap 110
$12.00

Two coats shown with topcoat. Formula was good, love her logo labels.

xoxoJen's swatch of Sweet Heart Polish Sanctuary of the Void
xoxoJen's swatch of Sweet Heart Polish Sanctuary of the Void
xoxoJen's swatch of Sweet Heart Polish Sanctuary of the Void

NeVerMind Polish
To Serve the Light inspired by Assassin's Creed II
a pearly white with a subtle holo, red metallic flakes and red holo shreds
no cap
$11.00

I am showing this polish two different ways. On two nails I painted on two coats with topcoat, in the usual way. On the other two nails where more glitter is showing, I sponged it on with a makeup sponge and then topped with topcoat.

xoxoJen's swatch of NeVerMind Polish To Serve the Light
xoxoJen's swatch of NeVerMind Polish To Serve the Light
xoxoJen's swatch of NeVerMind Polish To Serve the Light


Native War Paints
Lance Vance Dance inspired by Grand Theft Auto Vice City
neon blue with red, green, gold magnetic pull and red/purple/blue aurora pigment.
no cap
$11.50

Three coats shown with topcoat. Formula was good, the magnetic pull is subtle in some lighting and slightly difficult to capture in my photos. When I waggle my fingers the soft gold diagonal shimmers like something 3 dimensional. It's pretty cool and the shade of blue is beautiful.

xoxoJen's swatch of Native War Paints Lance Vance Dance
xoxoJen's swatch of Native War Paints Lance Vance Dance
xoxoJen's swatch of Native War Paints Lance Vance Dance
xoxoJen's swatch of Native War Paints Lance Vance Dance


Moonflower Polish
Hope of the Brave inspired by Skyrim, Sovngarde
neon navy blue with red-copper-orange-gold ucc flakes, purple-red aurora pigment, silver galaxy holo glitter, red/copper shimmer, and scattered holo. (Black light reactive too!)
cap 100
$12.00

I wore two coats with topcoat. This polish is quite pigmented and easy to apply.

xoxoJen's swatch of Moonflower Polish Hope of the Brave
xoxoJen's swatch of Moonflower Polish Hope of the Brave
xoxoJen's swatch of Moonflower Polish Hope of the Brave


Supermoon
Azoth inspired by Capcom’s ‘Haunting Ground’ for PlayStation 2
A pale blue holographic base with bronze-to-green and red-to-green color shifting aurora pigment,
red/bronze/copper chameleon shimmer, red-to-gold and red-to-green color shifting shimmer, red sparks, bronze and red pearl flakies, and iridescent red-to-green color shifting microglitter.
no cap
$12.50

"It was so amazing NO NOTES NEEDED." At least, that is what Mardi said when she saw that I had not included a note. She's right though, it is a spectacular polish. Opaque in one coat, but I wore two out of habit. Formula was creamy and easy to apply.

xoxoJen's swatch of Supermoon Azoth
xoxoJen's swatch of Supermoon Azoth
xoxoJen's swatch of Supermoon Azoth


Rise And Shine
Gussied Up inspired by Red Dead Redemption
Pink crelly base with pink and orange shimmer, pink, orange, gold shifting flakes and yellow microflakes
no cap
$9.95

To my eye, this polish is a golden peach. I wore two coats with topcoat, formula was good.

xoxoJen's swatch of Rise And Shine Gussied Up
xoxoJen's swatch of Rise And Shine Gussied Up
xoxoJen's swatch of Rise And Shine Gussied Up


Sassy Pants Polish
Wakka Wakka inspired by Ms. Pac Man
a violet purple jelly base with violet and magenta and yellow micro flakies and magenta and violet holo shreads with holo and a blue-violet iridescent shimmer.
no cap
$11.00

I like the pops of pink and shimmery finish of this polish. I wore two coats with topcoat, formula was good.

xoxoJen's swatch of Sassy Pants Polish Wakka wakka
xoxoJen's swatch of Sassy Pants Polish Wakka wakka
xoxoJen's swatch of Sassy Pants Polish Wakka wakka


Nailed It
Dark Fan-Tasy inspired by Kitana from Mortal Kombat
a blue to purple duochrome with pink, gold, purple, and blue flakies and topped off with a touch of holographic sparkle.
cap 100
$12.50

I initially thought this was a magnetic polish because using a magnet leaves behind a subtle slate blue line. I wore two coats with topcoat, formula was good.

xoxoJen's swatch of Nailed It Dark Fan-Tasy
xoxoJen's swatch of Nailed It Dark Fan-Tasy
xoxoJen's swatch of Nailed It Dark Fan-Tasy

Moon Shine Mani
You Are Now Prepared! inspired by World of Warcraft Battle for Azeroth expansion
a swampy green base with gold/green/teal multichrome pigment and gold-green shifting micro flakies and purple/teal/green iridescent shifting flakies
no cap
$11

I wore two coats wtih topcoat, formula was good.

xoxoJen's swatch of Moon Shine Mani You Are Now Prepared!
xoxoJen's swatch of Moon Shine Mani You Are Now Prepared!
xoxoJen's swatch of Moon Shine Mani You Are Now Prepared!


Top Shelf
Hunting Ducks inspired by Duck Hunt
a rich chocolate brown for a neutral base, with some gorgeous red shimmer that will shift slightly green in some lighting. The red shimmer will give it a warm coppery feel in most lights. It also has a linear holo effect with tons of multiple color Ultra Chrome Chameleon flakes for gorgeous pops of color sitting on the linear holo rainbow!
no cap
$13.00

Such a milk chocolatey shade, and those flakes! Two coats with topcoat shown, formula was fantastic.

xoxoJen's swatch of Top Shelf Hunting Ducks
xoxoJen's swatch of Top Shelf Hunting Ducks
xoxoJen's swatch of Top Shelf Hunting Ducks


Nine Zero
It's Not The Destination inspired by Journey
Orange/red jelly with gold shimmer and holographic gold glitter
no cap
$11.00

Such a vibrant jelly polish, it reminds me of popsicles in the summer! Two coats shown with topcoat, formula was good.

xoxoJen's swatch of Nine Zero It's Not The Destination
xoxoJen's swatch of Nine Zero It's Not The Destination
xoxoJen's swatch of Nine Zero It's Not The Destination


Rogue Lacquer
It's On Like Donkey Kong inspired by Donkey Kong
copper, gold, silver, cyan, blue, red, rainbow mettalic flake bomb with holo and copper and magenta holo glitters
no cap
$11.00

Glitterbomb is right! This is sparkly and surprisingly, quite smooth to the touch without topcoat! I wore two coats and added a topcoat for a glassy shine. Formula was good.

xoxoJen's swatch of Rogue Lacquer It's On Like Donkey Kong
xoxoJen's swatch of Rogue Lacquer It's On Like Donkey Kong
xoxoJen's swatch of Rogue Lacquer It's On Like Donkey Kong


Scofflaw
You have died of dysentery. inspired by Oregon Trail
a neutral (not quite grey, not quite beige) green-tinged base, filled with tons of scattered holo sparkle, and shifting sparkling flecks of green, silver, lavender, and violet
no cap
$12.50

Creamy, quite opaque and slightly thick, this polish was easy to apply and has a nice sparkle to it.

xoxoJen's swatch of Scofflaw You have died of dysentery.
xoxoJen's swatch of Scofflaw You have died of dysentery.
xoxoJen's swatch of Scofflaw You have died of dysentery.


Night Owl Lacquer
Creepers Gonna Creep inspired by Creeper from Minecraft
neon green with silver sparks and white, silver, black and lime green iridescent shreds
no cap
$9.00

Loving the name of this polish and it's bright neon shade is perfect for summer mani/pedis. Two coats with topcoat shown, formula was good.

xoxoJen's swatch of Night Owl Lacquer Creepers Gonna Creep
xoxoJen's swatch of Night Owl Lacquer Creepers Gonna Creep
xoxoJen's swatch of Night Owl Lacquer Creepers Gonna Creep


Kbshimmer
Insert Coin inspired by video games
a multichrome polish with golden magnetic effect and a dash of holo sparkle.
no cap
$11.50

Holy smokes this polish is pretty! In the bottle it just looks kind of shimmery and taupe, but I magnetized the bottle for my photos because...unnnnf! The colors come out to play like magic! Purple, blue and gold make such a pretty combination! Two coats shown with topcoat.






Polished For Days
Animalese inspired by Animal Crossing
a light purple base packed with orange to green shifting flakes, orange to green shifting micro flakes and holographic flakes.
no cap
$12.50

The perfect polish for both spring and summer! Legit made my jaw drop. Two perfect coats shown with topcoat.

xoxoJen's swatch of Polished For Days Animalese
xoxoJen's swatch of Polished For Days Animalese
xoxoJen's swatch of Polished For Days Animalese


MTK Design
Crap! The Pooping Owl inspired by Castle Crashers Owl
burgundy base with various sized sparkles in gold, violet, and blue with a purple flash.
cap 150
$11.50

Fantastic formula, thin and super easy to apply; just the way I like them! The purple shimmer is intense and totally makes the polish. Two coats with topcoat shown.

xoxoJen's swatch of MTK Design Crap! The Pooping Owl
xoxoJen's swatch of MTK Design Crap! The Pooping Owl
xoxoJen's swatch of MTK Design Crap! The Pooping Owl


Nvr Enuff
Shock The Crowd inspired by Super Smash Bros
a gunmetal silver linear holo with multiple colored micro flakies
no cap
$11.50

Super reflective holo and although lavender isn't mentioned, I see quite a bit of it in the rainbow of holo. Loving it! Two coats with topcoat, formula was good.

xoxoJen's swatch of Nvr Enuff Shock The Crowd
xoxoJen's swatch of Nvr Enuff Shock The Crowd
xoxoJen's swatch of Nvr Enuff Shock The Crowd


Siren of The Sea Vinyls
Pave Festivale inspired by Animal Crossing- Pave
a turquoise blue with holo and ucc flakies. Comes with a holo game controller decal.
no cap
$11.00

Perfect formula, perfect color, flakes just sing and take a look at that aqua shimmer! Two coats with topcoat shown.

xoxoJen's swatch of Siren of The Sea Vinyls Pave Festivale
xoxoJen's swatch of Siren of The Sea Vinyls Pave Festivale
xoxoJen's swatch of Siren of The Sea Vinyls Pave Festivale
xoxoJen's swatch of Siren of The Sea Vinyls Pave Festivale


My Stunning Nails
Resident Evil inspired by Resident Evil
blood red polish with red and silver holographic glitters.
cap 100
$10.95

It is definitely a blood red polish with pops of rainbowy sparkle. The formula was thin like I like it and built nicely in two coats.

xoxoJen's swatch of My Stunning Nails Resident Evil
xoxoJen's swatch of My Stunning Nails Resident Evil
xoxoJen's swatch of My Stunning Nails Resident Evil


Ever After
Beautiful Chaos inspired by Breath Of The Wild
a slate blue holo with navy micro flakes and red metallic flakes
no cap
$10

Two coats shown with topcoat, formula was fantastic.

xoxoJen's swatch of Ever After Beautiful Chaos
xoxoJen's swatch of Ever After Beautiful Chaos
xoxoJen's swatch of Ever After Beautiful Chaos


Ever After
Breath Of The Wild
a citrus soda scent
no cap
$6

Scrummy! Scented like a candied grapefruit. One of my most favorite scents, this is like crack for me. Great for keeping skin happy and mood lifted. :)

xoxoJen's swatch of Ever After Breath of the Wild


Poetry Cowgirl
The Power of Paint
A blue-purple multichrome packed with Bronze-Green, Red-Orange-Gold, and Blue-Teal-Purple UCC flakies, iridescent green micro flakies, and a smattering of Holo pigment
There will be a cap, but at the time of my post it was not yet determined.
$14.00

Super shifty lil wench! Teal, purple, blue, what else can it do? Sparkle and shine with those flakes, that's what! Two coats with topcoat, formula is good.

xoxoJen's swatch of Poetry Cowgirl The Power of Paint
xoxoJen's swatch of Poetry Cowgirl The Power of Paint
xoxoJen's swatch of Poetry Cowgirl The Power of Paint
xoxoJen's swatch of Poetry Cowgirl The Power of Paint

Oh holy cannoli. Is it really the end? Have I made it? Someone pinch me, quick! After all that, plus the two posts that Manna has coming, ya'll are gonna need a day off and a truckload of coffee to prep your lists - or just add them all. That would be much easier. You know you want to.


The June Polish Pick Up (PPU) pre-order is June 1st - 4th, after that they will not be available. Have you made your wishlist yet?