GIrly Bits: Hearts In Bloom

Press Sample

Girly Bits released the six piece Bridal Bliss collection of pastel creams last summer and in it is Hearts In Bloom, a pastel pink cream.

The formula was creamy and nearly opaque in one coat, shown is two topped with topcoat.




The shades in the whole collection make me crave macraons and other assorted sweets, so I couldn't resist stamping cupcakes when I came across this design!
I used Joss stamping in Crimson Shimmer and plate xy-t29 from aliexpress.



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Girly Bits Bridal Bliss: Old, New, Borrowed, and Blue

Press Sample

Girly Bits released the six piece Bridal Bliss collection of pastel creams this summer and in it is Old, New, Borrowed, and Blue a pastel sky cream. Pam describes it as a soft blue.

The formula was creamy and nearly opaque in one coat, shown is two.




I tried out an idea I had by layering a stamp that had a stair step like edge on it. I think I need a bit more practice, but I love the effect!
For this I used Girly Bits Old, New, Borrowed, and Blue as base and as a stamp, Girly Bits Denim and Diamonds, and MDU Blue Gray. The plate is xy-z28 from Aliexpress.




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Colors By Llarowe for Hella Handmade Creations: 24k Magic

Press Sample

Colors By Llarowe has created a silvery holo for the for Hella Handmade Creations (HHC) April launch which will be available on the Hella Handmade Creations website April 14th - 21st.

24k Magic
teal prismatic holo with purple and pink shift with a strong gold flame.

Three multichrome shifting shades I love plus it is holo! Can't go wrong with that! I wore two coats with topcoat, the formula was fantastic. The shift in color was difficult to capture on camera, but it definitely has many colors!





Is this on your wishlist?
Available on the Hella Handmade Creations website April 14th - 21st. See more swatches and join in the fun at the HHC facebook fan group!

Leesha's Lacquer: Geodes & Gemstones

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Each of the polishes in Leesha's geode/gemstone collection is inspired by and named after gorgeous gemstones and geodes! The collection launches on January 26th at Leesha's Lacquer.



The thermals definitely change as they should, I tend to have hot hands that heat up super fast even when dunked in ice water for 5 minutes. I've shown the polishes the best that I can and have reached out to the blogging community to learn new ways of photographing thermals. So I am going to do the thing people tell bloggers not to do and that is point it out and apologize for lack of perfect contrast for these shades. That said, I hope that you enjoy the review while keeping in mind that the tips in my photos are not quite as dark as they are when they're super cold.

Tourmaline - A pastel pink to dark grey thermal with green shift and holo glitters.






Serpentine - An apple green to dark grey thermal with a green to blue shift and holo glitters.






Azurite - A baby blue to dark grey thermal with a green to purple shift and holo glitters.





Amethyst - A lavender purple to dark grey thermal with a purple to gold shift and holo glitters.
This is my favorite of this collection. There's just something awesome about purple and grey together. -swoon-






Labradorite - A light grey to dark grey thermal with a blue to gold shift and holo glitters.





I wore two coats of each color, I recommend using few brush strokes on the second coat and floating the brush with each. Formula was good, clean up minimal as the brush and polish are easy to control. I hope you've enjoyed my review, and I promise I'm not yet giving up on swatching and shooting thermals. I will figure this out!

Get your own set of thermals on January 26th at Leesha's Lacquer.

The Color Box: Purple Edition

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Introducing the very first blogger collaboration box with a single color theme, The Color Box!
The first box's color theme is purple and will be available for pre-order opens at 2:30pm CDT April 15th for one week. The first 25 boxes ordered will come with a special coloring sheet of our mascat, the Craycorn!

After all pre-orders are shipped out, each brand has the option to stock their own shade in their own shop. Be sure to join the facebook group to vote on the next color and keep up on box related news.




Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer and Manna's Manis created Manna's Majestic Masterpiece, a light lilac crelly packed with blue/purple iridescent and silver holo microglitter. Inspired by this photo.
The polish has a clean and fresh look, perfect for any occasion. I wore two coats and topcoat, the formula was fluid and easy to apply, no streaking or clumping.




Ever After and Naked Without Polish created Vivid Violet Voyage, a violet jelly base filled with linear holo, purple holo and metallic glitter in multiple sizes, royal blue glitter, and silver shards.
The formula on this was fantastic and after drying was practically smooth on it's own, although I did add topcoat for a glassy shine. Three coats used for an opaque look, but could possibly be used as a topper in one coat.




Turtle Tootsie Polishes and Amanda Loves Polish created Amanda's Unicorn With A Donut Horn, a pastel purple holo with different size magenta, blue and pink flakies. I really love how this polish has everything going on, yet is subtle from a distance. It's like having secret bling on your nails that only you can see close up! I wore two coats with topcoat and this had an easy smooth formula.




Sweet Heart Polish and Addicted to Polish created Addicted to Purple, a purple jelly with green shimmer & glass flakes with micro holo glitters. Inspired by this photo. I absolutely a-FREAKING-dore this polish! My two favorite colors all in one! The shimmer was being camera shy but is very visible in person. I wore three coats to insure opacity because I tend to paint thin coats when the polish is slightly thicker in formula.




I collaborated with Literary Lacquers to create Soul Within Me Burning, a deep vampy purple holo with flaming copper sparkle and shift. My inspiration for the polish color came from this photo and a poem, The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe. The coppery sparks and name come from the section of the poem where he is flaming mad about the noise outside:

Back into the chamber turning, all my soul within me burning,
Soon again I heard a tapping somewhat louder than before.
“Surely,” said I, “surely that is something at my window lattice;
Let me see, then, what thereat is, and this mystery explore—
Let my heart be still a moment and this mystery explore;—
’Tis the wind and nothing more!”

I wore two coats with topcoat and the formula was fantastic, as we have come to expect with any LitLaq polish.






I also wanted to see if Soul Within Me Burning would stamp, since it is so opaque. I used Amanda's polish as the base color and then stamped stars from VL002 and a unicorn from VL019 with my clear stamper. Then I topped the accent nail with a coat of Vapid Hollow for an extra sparkly unicorn.




I absolutely love all the polishes offered in this box, and I am certain that you will too!

Be sure to enter the giveaway if you haven't already, there's only a couple of days left!
Best of luck on the giveaway - and if you aren't the winner, rest assured, you can still get these beautiful polishes at the pre-order launch!

Octopus Party Nail Lacquer: Le Bon Marché

Press Sample

Le Bon Marché means "the good market", or "the good deal" in French and is a well-known department store in Paris, France. The building is quite beautiful outside as well as inside.

The polish that Dave, of Octopus Party Nail Lacquer, created is creamy and delicious looking. It is described as a pastel violet cream with purple and gold flakies. I would say that the shade has a touch of grey to it because it is not the typical purple you see in a pastel color range.

I am not sure where he drew his inspiration so I'm going to guess that it's name has something to do with the store in France. Going with that assumption, the polish seems to represent the subtly colored walls inside the store and the flakies represent the soft lights on them.

Whether the store was his inspiration or not, I love the polish. It's unique in my stash and I've enjoyed wearing it!
I used two coats with topcoat but may have been able to use just one coat had I been more careful applying it - the polish is quite opaque!





This polish is part of a duo that is currently out of stock but will be relaunched on at the Octopus Party Nail Lacquer Etsy shop on Saturday March 14 at noon central time. This color will not be restocked on 3/14, but has changed and will be stocked at a later date.