HHC February: CBL & Cupcake

Press Sample

Hella Holo Customs featured guests for February are Colors By Llarowe and Cupcake. Their polish creations are all stunning! These will be available on February 7 through February 21 to HHC Members only. You'll need to join the facebook group to get the sale links.




Turn of the Tide
a sea blue linear holo with intense pink to gold shimmer
Just look at that pink shimmer!! Two coats. Topcoat. Great formula.







Lion, Scarecrow, Tin Man
an intense magenta purple with deep blue micro flake that gives a deep blue flame

Wow! This polish left me speechless as I stroked it onto my nails. It has a bright blue holo flame and is such a vivid purple. It is my favorite purple so far this year, ya'll. Leah Ann has set the bar high for 2018 bests!
Two coats, could have gotten away with one. Topcoat. Great formula.

My name suggestion was chosen for this polish! I firmly believe this is CBH's big sister or maybe CBH all grown up, so I came up with a name in the same family. I'm honored that Leah Ann chose the name I suggested!







I'm Frond of You
lilac purple prism holo flake with various size aqua flake.
Two coats. Topcoat. Great formula, however; this polish contains ultramarine blue and has the skunky odor that pigment causes. I noticed it most when I first opened the bottle of polish, and much less after topcoat and drying. Because I swatched these back to back, I was only able to wear this polish long enough to shoot photos so I can't speak to whether the odor goes away or not.







189 Feet Tall
a silver linear holo with heavy blue shimmers and silver holo microglitters.

My name suggestion was chosen for this polish too! 183 feet is how tall the Cinderella Castle is from water level, but when measured from the bottom of the concrete moat it is 189 feet tall and is Disney's official measurement. Since the castle is what inspired the polish, I thought it only fitting. I'm honored that Sara chose the name I suggested!
Super sparkly and beautiful! Two Coats. Topcoat. Great formula.






Freshwater Magic
a lilac linear holo with blue shimmer and a sprinkling of gold holo microglitter.
Loving this shade of purple, perfect for the upcoming holiday and springtime! Two Coats. Topcoat. Great formula.






Dusty Romance
a rose colored mauve crème based linear holo wih flecks of silver shimmer
One Coat. Topcoat. Yes, you read that correctly, I only used one coat in my photos! Fantastic formula.






All six of these HHC polishes are stunning! My favorites in this collection are Lion, Scarecrow, Tin Man because hnnnng! and Dusty Romance, the one coater!

Literary Lacquers: As You Wish Valentine Trio

Press Sample

Literary Lacquers was inspired this month by the Princess Bride book. Amy, the artisan behind the brand, created two new core shades plus a limited edition glitter topper which will launch on February 2 at 2pm Central. The three polishes are known as the 'As You Wish' valentine trio. While I have not personally read the book or seen the movie, I am definitely a fan of these polishes!




Princess Buttercup
A white matte polish dotted with light pink glitter and shimmer for an overall pinkish effect on the nail. It is a bit sheer, so I used three coats for photos. The formula was fantastic, not streaky or clumpy at all. I've shown it below both ways - in its original matte finish, and with a glossy topcoat.









The Man in Black
A black matte polish dotted with pink glitters, shimmers and coppery flake. The formula was smooth and easy to apply. I wore two coats for the photos and am also showing it with a glossy top coat and heart on each nail from the glitter topper.









Mawage - Limited Edition for sale through Feb.
A clear based glitter topper with holo silver and pink hex glitter and pink heart-shaped glitters. There are plenty of hearts in this polish, but they will settle since they are heavier. A quick fix is to prop the bottle upside down for a few minutes so they settle nearer the top. I had no issues getting hearts out once they were nearer the top. I used four coats because I wanted to see how it looked without a base color. I quite like it, but in hindsight I think I'd sponge it on instead when wearing it without a base color.





You can get yours on Feb 2, at 2pm Central in the Literary Lacquers online store. To stay in the know, join the Literary Lacquers facebook group, where we have fun activities and a book club!

1850 Artisan Polish: Taupe-iary

I stumbled on a new to me brand that launched their first collection January 20th. 1850 Artisan Polish boasts a 5-free and vegan formula that's made in California.

Taupe-iary, just one of Nikki's launch polishes is a beautiful taupe shade filled with shimmers that give a sort of dusty or speckled appearance. I absolutely love that finish and have dreamed of a collection like this, I've just not ever seen another shade besides Misa Grey Matter - yet here it is!





Formula was fantastic, buttery smooth, non-streaky, it did not pull or clump. It does have the plastic/crayon-like odor that some polishes have, use caution if that bothers you. Two coats with her Fast Track topcoat, which is also fantastic! The topcoat does not have any noticeable odor other than what is expected. Shipping was super fast, arriving 2-3 days from the launch date and in cute packaging with a very sweet hand written note.

After wearing it for a bit, I stamped it with an MDU polish and Konad plate m57. A reinvention of a nail art look I did in 2011, but reversed.




Check out all the other shades in the debut collection, and pick a few to try for yourself!