Wednesday, August 26, 2015

Literary Lacquers: The Ultimate Answer

Amy of Literary Lacquers creates a special polish each year to celebrate her birthday. The numbered limited edition polish this year features tiny stars and holographic glittery goodness in a sea foamy green jelly-ish base. The literary inspiration comes from the book Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams and is named: The Ultimate Answer. If you've read the book, you'll know what the "answer" is which just happens to match Amy's birthday. Clever, eh?

xoxoJen's swatch of Literary Lacquers: The Ultimate Answer
xoxoJen's swatch of Literary Lacquers: The Ultimate Answer
xoxoJen's swatch of Literary Lacquers: The Ultimate Answer

Absolutely beautiful polish which is quite reminiscent of a previous Disney LE duo she did, maybe they're cousins?!
Application is smooth and easy to control as with all other LitLaqs I've worn. I used two coats with topcoat, and I tend to be a little heavy handed. If using thinner coats, three may be necessary. The stars are both silver and green and are subtle and few on purpose - those on my nails are what I got without any fancy dipping. To get more stars, check this helpful guide on glitter fishing for various techniques.

The Ultimate Answer will be available for preorder at the Etsy shop at 1pm central Friday August 28th - 1am central Monday August 31st.

Thursday, August 13, 2015

Crème à la Mode: Fall Box

xoxoJen's swatch collage of Creme a la Mode August Box

One Coat (check!)
Cream finish (check!)
Smooth easy formula (check!)
High Shine (check!)

This collection is the first of its kind in that it's a seasonal box of all creams made by four different brands!
I'm rather excited to see indie artisans create and promote polishes with a cream finish! And to have the opportunity to introduce the box to you!

Literary Lacquers
Bluestocking Romance
Navy

xoxoJen's swatch of Literary Lacquers Bluestocking Romance
xoxoJen's swatch of Literary Lacquers Bluestocking Romance


Octopus Party Nail Lacquer
Universal Loner
True Red

xoxoJen's swatch of Octopus Party Nail Lacquer Universal Loner
xoxoJen's swatch of Octopus Party Nail Lacquer Universal Loner

Digital Nails
Tauping Mechanism
Taupe

xoxoJen's swatch of 
Digital Nails Tauping Mechanism
xoxoJen's swatch of 
Digital Nails Tauping Mechanism

Indigo Bananas
Dark Side of Maroon
Dark Juicy Berry

xoxoJen's swatch of Indigo Bananas Dark Side of Maroon
xoxoJen's swatch of Indigo Bananas Dark Side of Maroon

Each polish has a great formula, in fact all my photos show only one coat with topcoat. (I tend to use thick coats, so you may need two for thinner style polishing.)

Bonus! They all stamp fairly well, although I'd suggest using them over a light color such as Tauping Mechanism, a pastel, or white so that they show their own colors off the best.
I went with a French theme to follow along with the box's language!

xoxoJen's stamping nail art with Creme a la Mode August Box


The Crème à la Mode Fall Box launches on August 17 and will be available for a full week through August 23. The retail cost is $26 + shipping.

Each quarterly box will contain four cream polishes made by four different artisans - Digital Nails, Indigo Bananas, Literary Lacquers, and Octopus Nail Lacquer.
The boxes are on trend with each season's colors and available not only for pre-order but after the boxes are all shipped out each polish will be offered individually in the artisan's shops.

Shopping: http://cremealamode.bigcartel.com/
Connect: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1386204558344706/

Thursday, August 6, 2015

Addicted to Holos: August Box

The Addicted to Holos box for August has arrived and I'm excited to share these pretty polishes with you!
The descriptions were provided to me, and I've added my own comments beneath those. Enjoy!



Sweet Heart Polish Hot August Nights
True green linear holo with gold and green micro glitter.

Lovely shade, buttery formula, opaque in two coats and just look at that sparkle! Cassandra is our host this month for the box and I think she created a fantastic polish!

xoxoJen's swatch of Sweet Heart Polish Hot August Nights
xoxoJen's swatch of Sweet Heart Polish Hot August Nights
xoxoJen's swatch of Sweet Heart Polish Hot August Nights

Philly Loves Lacquer Fallen Ember
Deep brownish red holo filled with purple and blue flecks

I enjoy seeing what PLL will think of next! Her color / shimmer / glitter combinations are unnique and this one is beautiful - but the formula of PLLs are always a challenge for me to use. It is thicker than most indies I've tried and seems to dry really quickly so I end up with thicker coats. The polish is a great concept, and looks lovely in spite of its challenging application.

xoxoJen's swatch of Philly Loves Lacquer Fallen Ember
xoxoJen's swatch of Philly Loves Lacquer Fallen Ember
xoxoJen's swatch of Philly Loves Lacquer Fallen Ember


The Polish Bar Surf Blue
Light aqua linear holo

I feel like I'm cheating on purple with this polish - it had me at hello holo. I am falling deep in love with aqua and turquoise shades of everything! So. Much. Love. Perfect formula, opaque in two coats.

xoxoJen's swatch of The Polish Bar Surf Blue
xoxoJen's swatch of The Polish Bar Surf Blue
xoxoJen's swatch of The Polish Bar Surf Blue

Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer Heat Lightning
Steel grey linear holo with pink and royal blue glass flecks.

Totally looks like stainless steel but much more sparkly! Opaque in one coat and a little on the thick side but still easy to work with.

xoxoJen's swatch of Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer Heat Lightning
xoxoJen's swatch of Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer Heat Lightning
xoxoJen's swatch of Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer Heat Lightning

Literary Lacquers Can't Work By Lime Light
Electric lime mega glitter linear holo, inspired by the poem Lime Light by Kay Ryan

I really like bright lime shades, they go perfect with purple or aqua and this one delivers! It's bright and sparkly and a pleasure to apply and wear. Opaque in two coats and super blingy in sunlight! Cate, in case you're reading this, you need this polish!

xoxoJen's swatch of Literary Lacquers Can't Work By Lime Light
xoxoJen's swatch of Literary Lacquers Can't Work By Lime Light
xoxoJen's swatch of Literary Lacquers Can't Work By Lime Light

The boxes will be available for preorder at the shop from 8/10/2015 through 8/17/2015. All polishes in the box will be limited edition and only available for the month they are offered.

Connect with the Addicted to Holos box at the following links:
Shop | Facebook | Instagram

You can see my previous reviews of the Addicted to Holos boxes at the following links:
February | April | June