Showing posts with label Red. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Red. Show all posts

Sunday, April 9, 2023

Believe: Sound the Alarm

What? Jen is reviewing something that's not indie? Yes, indeed! I have loads of mainstream polishes, it's what my collection started with in 2008; way back when indies did not exist.

This mainstream polish from Believe is more modern though. I swatched it last year, within about week of having purchased it. I saw it in a nail group and had to have it! The reason I needed that shade is because it reminds me of a custom tailored suit my mother made for me. The fabric I chose for it was a huge floral with golds, yellows, oranges, and greens. The lining and skirt that she made to go with the coat were this bright shade of orange.

Although the polish may look more red on some devices, it is definitely orange. I'd call it a bright red-orange, kind of like the crayola. Shown below is two coats with topcoat and a photo of it with matte topcoat. The formula was very fluid, not streaky at all but I had to take care with loading the brush and application as it would easily flood near the skin.

After about four days of wear, it began chipping. This is about half the wear time I usually get from other polishes. I'm still super happy about being able to add the shade to my collection. It's a bit nostalgic, as I no longer have the suit my mom made. It's also great color for summer time which is just around the corner!

xoxoJen's swatch of Believe: Sound the Alarm xoxoJen's swatch of Believe: Sound the Alarm xoxoJen's swatch of Believe: Sound the Alarm

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Monday, March 15, 2021

Daveen Lacquer: Blood Oath


I got this polish, Astral and Instant Karma in November last year when Daveen first opened. I just got to wear it last week and thought I'd share some pictures and my thoughts on this new brand, Daveen! The polishes are handmade in Michigan by Felecia. The brand is inspired by and named after her late mother, Daveen.

Blood Oath has a dark cherry base with a red-gold shimmer and subtle green shift which looks orangey/coppery. I wish I could capture the depth of this polish, it looks like it's bottomless. The way the center glows and the edges are darkened drew me to this polish!

xoxoJen's swatch of Daveen: Blood Oath xoxoJen's swatch of Daveen: Blood Oath xoxoJen's swatch of Daveen: Blood Oath

Daveen polishes are 5 free, this means all of their polishes are free of the following five ingredients: toluene, formaldehyde, dibutyl phthalate, camphor, and formaldehyde resin.

xoxoJen's swatch of Daveen: Blood Oath xoxoJen's swatch of Daveen: Blood Oath xoxoJen's swatch of Daveen: Blood Oath

The formula was buttery and so easy to apply. I love the 15ml cube bottles, the holographic label and the brush! I have spoken with Daveen's owner, Felecia, a few times now and she is a delight to chat with! I had originally had a concern about the shipping packaging, which I asked her about. She quickly resolved the issue and as a gesture of good faith, she sent a replacement to me! It wasn't necessary, but she really cares a lot about taking care of her customers and being transparent. I would definitely purchase again from her company.

If you haven't tried Daveen yet, you should!
There is an email subscription option at the bottom of their shop page, be sure to sign up for launch announcements!
They also have a facebook fan group and instagram page!

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Sunday, February 2, 2020

Ethereal: Fruity Juicy (3 of 6)

I received three of the six polishes in the Fruity Juicy collection to share with you. The whole collection will be available on Ethereallacquer.com February 4th 9pm eastern until February 11th at 9pm eastern for pre order!

xoxoJen's swatches of Ethereal Fruity Juicy collage


Dragon Fruit- A cool brightened pink with purpley undertones in a juicy jelly like formula.

Definitely the same shade as the Starbuck's Dragon Fruit drink that I love so much! Absolutely loving this polish. Shown is two coats with topcoat.

xoxoJen's swatch of Ethereal Dragonfruit
xoxoJen's swatch of Ethereal Dragonfruit
xoxoJen's swatch of Ethereal Dragonfruit


Blood Orange- A magenta almost red base full of red to orange multichrome shimmer.

The bright magenta base coupled with the shifting shimmer keeps me guessing at whether this is a warm or cool shade. Loving it! Shown in two coats with topcoat.

xoxoJen's swatch of Ethereal Blood Orange
xoxoJen's swatch of Ethereal Blood Orange
xoxoJen's swatch of Ethereal Blood Orange
xoxoJen's swatch of Ethereal Blood Orange


Guava- A bright cool pink with a sheer formula and an intense red to green shifting shimmer.

My favorite of the bunch for its flexibility. It can be worn alone like shown in three coats with topcoat, or over other shades. I love how shifty this is, it even looks like strawberry milk at some angles. Such a pretty shade!

xoxoJen's swatch of Ethereal Guava
xoxoJen's swatch of Ethereal Guava
xoxoJen's swatch of Ethereal Guava
xoxoJen's swatch of Ethereal Guava


These polishes pair up so well, that I had to show you Guava over the other two. So many different looks with just three polishes!

Guava over Dragon Fruit

xoxoJen's swatch of Ethereal Guava over Dragon Fruit


Guava over Blood Orange

xoxoJen's swatch of Ethereal Guava over Blood Orange


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Saturday, February 1, 2020

Tonic: Creams

Tonic has created some new creams in four rich shades as well as a white! These are all available at https://www.tonicpolish.com/

xoxoJen's swatch of Tonic Creams


Clover is a deep, cool toned green cream.
Fantastic shade for St. Patrick's Day coming up soon - imagine this with gold or multichrome flake on top!

xoxoJen's swatch of Tonic Clover
xoxoJen's swatch of Tonic Clover
xoxoJen's swatch of Tonic Clover


Crimson is a true cool toned red cream.
Beautiful shade, perfect for Valentine's and all of the patriotic holidays, as well as Christmas. I love a good blue-leaning red and this one fits the bill!

xoxoJen's swatch of Tonic Crimson
xoxoJen's swatch of Tonic Crimson
xoxoJen's swatch of Tonic Crimson


Ocean Eyes is a perfect cerulean blue cream.
Paired with the red and white would make for a patriotic look!

xoxoJen's swatch of Tonic Ocean Eyes
xoxoJen's swatch of Tonic Ocean Eyes
xoxoJen's swatch of Tonic Ocean Eyes


Optic is a pure, solid white cream.
A staple in most polish fanatics' stashes, great worn alone, as a base for a topper or nail art or paired up for a festive holiday look.

xoxoJen's swatch of Tonic Optic
xoxoJen's swatch of Tonic Optic
xoxoJen's swatch of Tonic Optic


Water Marble is done with all four shades, using Optic as the base and in the marble. I was able to get 10 rings in a small glass cup for the marble. I did two different patterns for this look, one was dragged a little more than the other so you can see how it can be done with a sort of blended effect and a more crisp effect.

xoxoJen's swatch of Tonic Water Marble
xoxoJen's swatch of Tonic Water Marble


The formula for all of these was good. The white is quite opaque however; I used three coats to get it smoothed out. For all the other shades I used two coats. I really enjoyed the rich tones of each of these and hope that Lindsey will continue to make creams, I think she has a knack for it!

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Friday, January 11, 2019

Bee's Knees: Throne of Glass series


Bringing you three flakie polishes today, of which I was unfamiliar with their names so I did a bit of research. These are derived from the Throne of Glass series written by Sarah J. Maas.
These launched today and are available right now at https://beeskneeslacquer.com/

xoxoJen's swatch of Bee's Knees: Throne of Glass series

-Manon Blackbeak-a deep red with ghost flakes, the larger flakes that shift red to gold to green, similar to UP.

Such a squishy, deep, dark, true red. In person, it was actually slightly darker than the photos show. It looks like candy - and those flakes!
Two coats/topcoat.

xoxoJen's swatch of Manon Blackbeak
xoxoJen's swatch of Manon Blackbeak
xoxoJen's swatch of Manon Blackbeak


-Abraxos-inspired by Manon's wyvern Titus, this is a charcoal polish with ghost flakes, the larger flakes that shift red to gold to green, similar to UP.

I love me a grey crelly with flash! The flakes in this are subtle until the light hits them, then blam! There they are.
Two coats/topcoat.

xoxoJen's swatch of Abraxos
xoxoJen's swatch of Abraxos
xoxoJen's swatch of Abraxos


-The Thirteen-a blackened blue loaded with UP and ghost flakes, the larger flakes that shift red to gold to green, similar to UP.

Woo! What a vampy UP polish! It is definitely teal. Shown in two coats really darkens it. This would be a bit lighter if layered over a lighter shade of teal. Quite versatile, and look at the green flash!

xoxoJen's swatch of The Thirteen
xoxoJen's swatch of The Thirteen
xoxoJen's swatch of The Thirteen
xoxoJen's swatch of The Thirteen

The formula for each of these was good - smooth and easy to apply. I especially enjoyed Abraxos from this set!


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Sunday, December 30, 2018

Girly Bits COTM: January 2019


Great News!! Girly Bits decided to continue with her Colors of the Month polishes for 2019!
Available with special pricing from Jan 01- Jan 10, in the Early Bird Promo Listing. After that, they will continue to be available for purchase individually until February 1st, at full price.

xoxoJen's swatch of Girly Bits COTM: January 2019

After Midnight
a black crelly filled with reflective silver micro glitter

Who doesn't love an elegant black that shimmers and sparkles? Perfect for many occasions!

xoxoJen's swatch of Girly Bits COTM: January 2019 After Midnight
xoxoJen's swatch of Girly Bits COTM: January 2019 After Midnight
xoxoJen's swatch of Girly Bits COTM: January 2019 After Midnight

Red Velvet
a blackened red jelly filled with reflective metallic red micro flakes

Such a vampy, sexy, mysterious shade. Perfect for a night out and that little black dress. ;)

xoxoJen's swatch of Girly Bits COTM: January 2019 Red Velvet
xoxoJen's swatch of Girly Bits COTM: January 2019 Red Velvet
xoxoJen's swatch of Girly Bits COTM: January 2019 Red Velvet

Both of these polishes are 5 Free, cruelty free, and vegan. I found the formulas to be smooth with very nice application and self leveling. Both polishes are shown in two coats, with KBShimmer Clearly On Top topcoat.

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