The Kracked Kat

Just Chillin' Giveaway

2013-05-19T19:00:00.000-04:00

Summer is coming and we are starting to see more and more neon polishes. Don't have enough neons in your stash? How would you like the chance to win the entire Models Own Iced Neon Collection (a $40 value) from Harlow and Co.? Included in the collection are Toxic Apple, Bubble Gum, Pukka Purple, Pink Punch and Luis Lemon. Don't they sound yummy? I wish I could enter too!

This giveaway is open to US and international residents, so everyone can participate! One person will win all five of the Models Own Neon Ice Collection. Just fill in the Rafflecopter widget below. Good Luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

CONGRATULATIONS!!! Glimmer By Erica Spectral, Twilight Sky & Muy Caliente

2013-05-18T22:47:00.001-04:00

I have been saving this post ever since I found out that Llarowe would be carrying Glimmer By Erica Polishes. Don't ask me how I knew these polishes would be part of the launch. My gut just told me they would. And before you say that Leah Ann or Erica could have told me, you'd be wrong. Erica vanished into her polish hideout when it was announced Llarowe would be carrying the line and Leah Ann, no matter how much I pressed her, wasn't giving up any information.

Spectral

First up, Spectral. Originally part of the fall line, it became so popular it was added to the core line of Glimmer By Erica polishes. Erica says, " [Spectral is] meant to convey a feeling of deep mysteries and supernatural beauty. It is a stunning blend of blue, purple, silver, burgundy, and garnet glitters, all in a clear base."

I applied two coats of Spectral over two coats of Essie No Place Like Chrome. I won't bore you with how flawlessly it applied or how it is a stunning combination of glitter. I won't say how it would be beautiful over any of the cooler colored creme polishes or even a metallic polish as I have done here. Nope, not gonna say it.

Twilight Sky

Imagine sunset, just before the sun touches the horizon. The sky becomes a deep blue merging with the orange of the sun creating a violet only nature could create. That is Twilight Sky. Twilight Sky has a sparkling purple, blue, fuchsia, and orange micro glitter coupled with larger purple and dark navy blue hexagonal glitter, all in a clear lacquer base.

I decided on another metallic polish for the base of Twilight Sky. I used Hits Speciallita Mica for these photos. I really think it made the glitter pop off the nail. Two coats of Twilight sky over two coats of Mica and a coat of Sally Hansen Diamond Flash seen here.

And now for the polish that started my obsession with Glimmer By Erica polishes, Muy Caliente. This is without a doubt the most versatile glitter polish out there. It contains all my favorite colors, can be layered over just about any color and it just shines. It is one of two glitter polishes I have almost used up (the other just happens to be a Glimmer By Erica polish also). Erica if you are reading this, you must never, ever, discontinue this polish!!!

Muy Caliente

I have layered Muy Caliente over orange polish and red polish and copper polish, but for this post I really wanted to make this sucker shine. So, I layered Muy over OPI Goldeneye. It's like my nails are on fire!

Erica describes Muy Caliente as "a super sparkly mix of red, orange, and yellow glitters in a clear base and it is hot hot hot!! It literally glows on the nail!" If you look really really close you might even seen some fuchsia glitters in there too. I think it is time I got a back up bottle of this baby.

Glimmer By Erica is now available at Llarowe and can also be purchased from her Etsy site. You can also follow Erica and her musings on her Facebook page.

Pink Me Up: OPI If You Pink So

2013-05-17T19:07:00.002-04:00

Today I am wearing OPI If You Pink So, mostly because I needed a "pink me up" color. Reds and pinks always seem to do the trick when I need a boost in my mood, especially if they are OPI. I could probably do a whole month of OPI red and pink polish blog posts and still not cover all of them in my collection. Maybe one of these days I will put together a comparison post of all my red and pinks. At least you would see the difference in shades even if Mr. Kat doesn't. His response to all things nail polish is "What do I know? I'm not a girl. I don't know anything about nail polish."

I applied two coats of If You Pink So and topped it with a light coat of Seche Vite. I love the blue undertones in this shade. Ooooh and the shimmer! So subtle yet so pretty. This is definitely a year round color.

OPI If You Pink So was a Beauty Brand exclusive polish last spring. A friend just happened upon and picked a bottle up for me. She knew it was a color that I would love and she was right! Don't you love friends like that?

Do you have a favorite polish color or colors? How about a polish that you wear when you need a little pick me up?

Painting it Forward: OPI Taylor's Blue

2013-05-16T00:01:00.000-04:00

I literally have a huge tub of polish, not to mention several drawers and two smaller tubs, of polish I need to try. Just picking a color to wear can be a bit overwhelming. As was the case today. So I took to my Facebook page and asked for suggestions. One of the suggestions was teal. BINGO!

This is OPI Taylor's Blue. OPI and Taylor's Gift teamed up to create a tribute polish to bring awareness to organ donation. Taylor's Blue's namesake, Taylor, was a beautiful young girl who's life was cut short by a tragic skiing accident. Taylor's parents made a tough decision to allow her organs to save other's lives when hers could not. Taylor’s Gift Foundation was founded with a mission to regift life, renew health and restore families by raising awareness about organ donation.

Taylor's Blue is a beautiful teal blue creme polish that applied flawlessly (I have yet to find an OPI polish that doesn't). I applied two coats and a topper of Seche Vite. Taylor's Blue is a fantastic teal blue polish that can easily be worn in any season. This is definitely a plus seeing as some polishes are better suited for a particular season or time of year. It could be used as undies for a glitter polish, topped with a holographic top coat or used for endless nail art ideas. This is a definite must have for any polish collector's stash.

If you are interested in purchasing a bottle of Taylor's Blue and "Painting it Forward" to help increase awareness of organ donation you can do so by visiting the Taylor's Gift website. While you are vistiting the website make sure to poke around the site to learn more about organ donation. Individual bottles of OPI Taylor's Blue can be purchased for $10 or you can purchase a bottle of Taylor's Blue and contribute to a worthy cause.

Due Date: Butter London Pitter Patter

2013-05-14T23:15:00.001-04:00

We will be hearing the pitter patter of little royal feel on or around July 13th. To honor to new Royal, Butter London created Pitter Patter, an aubergine (royal purple) shimmer polish.

I do not have a whole lot of purple polishes in my collection. I'm not sure why, but I tend to gravitate towards reds, pinks and oranges. Nor do I have a lot of Butter London polishes in my collection. When I received the email announcing the release of Pitter Patter, I knew it had to be mine! Some of the girls in a nail polish group I am in suggested a group buy and the damage to my wallet was done. It was sooooo worth it.

Butter London Pitter Patter looks like royal purple velvet in a bottle. I applied two coats of Pitter Patter along with a coat of Seche Vite to my nails flawlessly, but disappointment set in. Where was the pretty purple shimmer? Apparently, I was sitting in the wrong light.

When I went out to take the pictures the shimmer revealed itself. Sadly, it decided to be shy in the pictures. The shimmer in this polish is beautiful. I do wish I had tried a matte top coat over Pitter Patter just to see how it looked before I removed the polish. I bet it looks just as stunning in a matte finish.

Butter London's Pitter Patter did not disappoint and I am very excited to have added it to my polish collection. Be warned though, I did get quite a bit of tip wear while wearing Pitter Patter. Yo will want to make sure to wrap your nails both when polishing with Pitter Patter and when applying a top coat. You will want to apply a good top coat to this polish too. I do not recommend using Seche Vite as you will incur a tad bit of shrinkage, as you can see in my pictures.

Butter London's Pitter Patter is a limited edition polish available to US customers only on the Butter London website and retails for $15 USD.

New To Me: OPI Calendar Girl

2013-05-13T23:25:00.002-04:00

I think it is time to switch things up a little. I have been showing a lot of glitter polishes lately and I thought it was time to show something that is a little more shimmery and a little less glittery.

I recently received a huge box of goodies from a polish loving friend who also has a special place in her heart for OPI polish, just like me. Included in the box of goodies was a little gem from the 2008 OPI Retro Fun In The Sun collection, Calendar Girl.

Calendar Girl is a lovely hot pink, with blue undertones. In certain lighting situations Calendar Girl looks almost like a shimmery salmon color. Unfortunately, I was unable to capture the shift to salmon in my photos. I applied three coats of Calendar Girl, as it is a fairly sheer polish, and topped it with a coat of Seche Vite.

I really liked Calendar Girl and I was thrilled to have received it to add to my growing OPI collection. I am unsure if this is still available as one of OPI's regular line or if this a discontinued color. If you are able to locate a bottle of this polish I would suggest snatching it up for your collection. This is a great summer color that I will be wearing frequently.

Dollish Polish Cartoon Series: It's So Fluffy I'm Gonna Die & Crystal Empire

2013-05-11T22:34:00.001-04:00

By popular request, I have for you two polishes from the Cartoon Collection by Dollish Polish. As fate would have it, Despicable Me was on TV last night so I think it fitting that I begin with swatches of It's So Fluffy, I'm Gonna Die from the Cartoon Collection.

It's So Fluffy, I'm Gonna Die is a very pale pink, almost white, crelly, loaded with pink glass flecks and a variety of pink glitters in circles, hexagons and squares. Oh my!

Love, love, love this polish! It is one of my favorite colors, pink, with pretty pink glitters (bonus points!) and the application was impeccable! I applied three thin coats with no undies, but you could probably get away with two. I tried really hard to fish some of the larger glitters out of the bottle to show you on my swatches but I didn't have a whole lot of luck.

When I bought It's So Fluffy I'm Gonna Die from Dolly, I also splurged and picked up Crystal Empire from the same Cartoon Collection, and not because I watch My Little Pony with my kids on Saturday mornings. Nope, not me.

Dolly calls Crystal Empire as a "magical polish is chunk full of Stars, Moons circle & square glitters in shades of pink, purple, fuchsia, turquoise, and white all in a clear base that can be layered over a variety of shades to make one bewitching manicure!" I felt like a polish with the word crystal in the name needed to be layered over something sparkly. I wore two coats of Crystal Empire over Girly Bits Twitterpated. Someone get me my shades!

I did find that some of the larger pieces of glitter in Crystal Empire liked to migrate to the bottom of the polish bottle. To make sure that I got a good variety of all the different pieces of glitter on my nails I would set the bottle upside down for a little bit to get the glitters to float closer to the top of the bottle. Thanks to the new square bottles Dolly is using this was very easy to do. Don't you just love the new bottles?

My only regret? Not getting more of the polishes from the Cartoon Collection. Even my children gave me a hard time for not getting some of the other polishes in this collection. And to make matters worse, Dolly is releasing even more polishes in the Cartoon Collection! It's times like these that I wish I had a money tree.

You can follow Dollish Polish on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for updates on her creations. You can purchase her polishes on her website, and at Llarowe.

I Said A Hip Hop, Hippie To The Hippie: Dollish Polish Peter Cottontail

2013-05-09T19:56:00.000-04:00

Uhm...not real sure why the Sugarhill Gang's song, Rapper's Delight comes to mind when I think of Dollish Polish's Peter Cottontail, but it does. I would post the video of the song for those who are not familiar with it but it is 14 minutes long. Way too long for those of us who are more interested in nail polish anyway. So let's get on with it.

I started with a base of Peach Beauty 02 from the Essence Fruity collection released in April 2012. Then, I applied two coats of Peter Cottontail. You could opt to wear Peter Cottontail alone, but it is a very sheer polish. Three or more coats might be necessary for opacity.

The formula of Peter Cottontail is impeccable. Typically, you would expect any polish with glitter to dry somewhat bumpy. Not this one. It dried smooth to the touch and really didn't require a top coat. Since I feel like a manicure isn't complete until you put on a top coat, I added a thin coat of Sally Hansen Diamond Flash.

Dollish Polish Peter Cottontail is another one of those stunner polishes that just did not want to be photographed. I knew it would be difficult to photograph so I searched for some shade so the pretty iridescent glitters would show up. I really hope I did it justice with the photos.

By the way, I am currently hosting a giveaway for a bottle of Dollish Polish Peter Cottontail on my Facebook page. You should try your luck at a chance to win a full sized bottle for yourself. Good luck!

Taking the Mystery Out: Delush Polish Mystique Collection Swatches and Review Part Deux

2013-05-08T16:32:00.002-04:00

In my last post I shared three of the six polishes in the Delush Polish Mystique collection. If you missed it you can find it here. And rather than go into a long drawn out introduction, I am going to just jump in and start showing you swatches of the final three polishes from the Mystique Collection.

I am a sucker for all things pink and red (it takes red to make a pink, you know). This is Glamazon. It was the color of this polish that drew me into the Mystique Collection in the first place. Glamazon is a bright hot pink chocked full of lots of shiny pink and silver micro glitters. It dries a bit gritty and matte so I slapped on a heavy dose of Seche Vite to make it shine!

Next up is Ocean Sapphire, a ocean blue jelly blend with shimmers of holographic and iridescent glitters through out. Here you you see two coats topped with a heavy topping of Seche Vite. It looks lovely alone but could be layered too. I bet a white base coat would probably make this beauty POP!

Last but not least is is Opalesque. This was a sweet surprise for me. I adore the color of this polish. Adrianna calls it a "creamy, delicate minty blend with iridescent glitters that provide an effortless shimmer." Opalesque is a beautiful polish but I did have some problems applying it. It seemed to dry too fast, causing the polish to be thicker in some places. I added a bit of thinner and that seemed to rectify the issue.

Taking pictures of Opalesque was a different matter all together. I took my first batch of pictures in bright sunlight. The sunlight managed to blur out the iridescent glitters scattered throughout. Fortunately, we had a slightly overcast day while I was still wearing Opalesque and I was able to capture the opal effect of the polish. Who would have thought a overcast day would be a lifesaver?

Delush Polish is a new indie polish brand that I really think is going to be hugely popular. If you want to know more of what Adrianna of Delush Polish has in the works then head over to the Delush Polish Facebook page, follow Delush Polish on Twiter - @DelushPolish, or on Instagram - @DelushPolish.

Make sure to check out Crystal's Crazy Combos for your chance to win one of three special Delush Polishes created especially for Autism Awareness and some other nail goodies. While you are at it you can head over to my Facebook page where I am currently hosting a giveaway for a bottle of Dollish Polish Peter Cottontail. (Swatches and review to come) Good luck!

Taking the Mystery Out: Delush Polish Mystique Collection Swatches and Review

2013-05-06T22:41:00.001-04:00

I am very selective when purchasing indie brand polishes. I have a few bottles of polish from the "pioneers" of indie polish, like Dollish Polish, Girly Bits, and Enchanted Polish. I even have a Lynderella or two tossed into my collection for good measure. I peruse Etsy and Facebook all the time looking at all unique indie brands. Sometimes a polish or a polish collection will catch my eye and my gut tells me I must have it. When I saw the Delush Polish Mystique Collection my gut told me I had to have the whole collection.

There are six polishes in the Mystique collection; Luscious Plum, Midas Touch, Pinata Confetti, Opalesque, Ocean Sapphire, and Glamazon. I thought it would be best to share the polishes in the Mystique collection in two posts so that you can truly appreciate the hard work Adrianna put into each one. Adrianna, bless her heart, lives near Boston and got caught up in the Boston Marathon Bombing mess a few weeks past. She sent me the sweetest email saying the shipment of my order would be delayed and to please forgive her. Naturally, I was more concerned for her and her family's safety than my polish order. A few days later the bombers were caught and my polish arrived. All was right in the world again!

But I digress....let's get to the swatches.

First up is Luscious Plum. Adrianna calls Luscious Plum gorgeous purple goodness featuring teal diamonds coupled with white and holographic glitter.

Here you see two coats of Luscious Plum with a double dose of Sally Hansen Diamond Flash. The polish seemed a bit thick with pigment, almost chalky. As a result the nail coverage was bare in some places and too heavy in other places and the glitters seems to "sink" into the color on the nails. I love the color combination of the purple base with the teal diamonds though. I am hoping a little polish thinner will even out the pigment so I can wear it again.

Next up is Midas Touch, another pigmented based polish in golden yellow. I will tell you right now that you will not see a lot of golden or yellow polishes on my nails. It is just not a color I am comfortable wearing. Midas Touch is a different story all together.

Midas Touch is a golden yellow pigmented base filled with fine orange, aqua, and gold glitters. This polish really surprised me because I just knew I was gonna hate it on my nails. Boy, was I wrong. The pigmentation was right on and application was a dream. The contrast of the orange and aqua glitters with the golden yellow polish base was so unique. I applied two coats of Midas Touch in these pictures and topped it off with a double dose of Sally Hansen Diamond Flash.

Our last polish is Pinata Confetti. Pinata Confetti is a clear based polish with multi-colored glitters in various shapes and sizes and silver holographic diamond shaped glitters. Muy bonito!

I layered just one coat of Pinata Confetti over a black polish so that all the different colors of glitter would show up but it could be layered over any polish and look fantastic. I topped that with a heavy dose of Sally Hansen Diamond Flash to smooth out the glitters. Application was flawless. This would be a great polish to wear during lazy summer days at the pool.

So what are your thoughts about the first three polishes in the Delush Polish Mystique Collection? Are you interested in seeing more of what Delush Polish has to offer? Head over to the Delush Polish Facebook page, follow Delush Polish on Twiter - @DelushPolish, or on Instagram - @DelushPolish.

Included with each order is a "scratch your heart out" card! "Each order comes with the opportunity to scratch your heart out by revealing if you are one of the lucky few that have the opportunity to get anywhere from 10% to 50% off, buy one get one free, or free shipping on your next order. You may even get the chance to name the next collection or polish!" Sadly, I didn't win with my scratch off card or I would have shared it with you.

Would you like a chance to win some special limited edition Delush Polishes? Check out Crystal's Crazy Combos for your chance to win one of three special Delush Polishes created especially for Autism Awareness and some other nail goodies. While you are at it you can head over to my Facebook page where I am currently hosting a giveaway for a bottle of Dollish Polish Peter Cottontail. (Swatches and review to come) Good luck!

Notoriously Neon!: Nicole by OPI Announces Two New Limited Edition Neon Mini Kits

2013-05-03T14:01:00.000-04:00

Nicole by OPI Announces Two New Limited Edition Neon Mini Kits, the Brand’s First Neon Lacquer

Nicole by OPI launches its first neon nail lacquer with two limited edition mini kits. Scandalous! Neons includes vivid shades of blue, purple and pink while the Notorious! Neons includes vibrant shades of green, fuchsia and orange.

Each Neons kit includes a special white base coat, to be applied before adding color, allowing true neon pigments to pop. “These kits offer the hottest hues in a mini size to complement summer styles,” explains Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, Nicole by OPI Executive VP & Artistic Director. “Think of your nails as a blank canvas. With these color combinations, there are endless options for creating works of art.”

In addition to the white base, Scandalous! Neons includes: Blue Neon (this blatant blue is deliberately belligerent), Purple Neon (this attention-seeking purple is a real publicity hound), and Pink Neon (this pink's purpose is to provoke your senses).

Along with white base, Notorious! Neons includes: Green Neon (this gossip-stirring green is the talk of the town), Fuchsia Neon (this fuchsia is famous for being unabashedly bold), and Orange Neon (this outrageous orange doesn't know the meaning of meek).

“The shades included in both sets are perfect for accessorizing fingers and toes with bright pops of color,” adds Weiss-Fischmann. “The first step is to apply the white base coat followed by the desired neon shade; finish with one coat of Nicole by OPI Top Coat Plus to achieve intense neon color with a glossy finish.”

Nicole by OPI formulas are long-lasting, fast-drying, and salon-quality. Scandalous! Neons and Notorious! Neons mini packs will be available in stores beginning May 2013 for $10 each at retailers including Meijer, CVS, Duane Reade, H-E-B, Kroger, and ShopKo. Top Coat Plus will be sold alongside the kits for $7.99. In Canada, the kits will be available for $12.50 each and Top Coat Plus for $10.99 at Loblaw, Jean Coutu, Rexall, London Drugs, and Shoppers Drug Mart.

For more information, visit nicolebyopi.com. Follow Nicole by OPI on Twitter @NicoleByOPI and become a Facebook fan!

About Nicole by OPI:

Nicole by OPI offers a salon-quality range of bold, fashion-forward nail lacquers. The brand’s heritage is based in OPI’s well-established foundation of excellence in both color and technology, providing premium products to a broad range of consumers looking for trendsetting nail lacquers.

Like No One Is Watching: Jindie Nails Live Out Loud

2013-04-13T19:00:00.000-04:00

I saw Jindie Nails Live Out Loud on another blog some time back and immediately knew I had to have it. Everything about it said "FUN!" I loved the bright metallic circle glitters in the white jelly base.

It is like a party on my nails. I layered two coats of Live Out Loud over two coats of OPI Don't Touch My Tutu to give it a more opaque look. My dislike for a visible nail line borders on OCD. Hehe! Just the same, this is going to be my "go-to" polish when I am in the mood for a little giggle!

Pink Lady: Enchanted Polish Spinkled

2013-04-12T23:00:00.000-04:00

Today I have a great pink polish to share with you from Enchanted Polish. I have had this polish in my stash for a while and I had never worn it, until now. This polish is H-O-T, hot and perfect for summer. It reminds me of a polish that the Pink Ladies from the movie Grease might have worn.

Spinkled is a hot neon pink polish with a hint of holo and black glitters. This is two coats topped with a coat of Sally Hansen Diamond Flash. Application was flawless and talk about tough! I actually broke a nail while wearing this polish and I kid you not the polish remained in shape. Under the nail you could tell it was broken but on top it still looked perfect!

I'm afraid my pictures do little to show off the holo in this beautiful polish. Spinkled shines in the sun!

Spinkled is not currently available on the Enchanted Polish website but she does promise to bring it back soon. I know that she is working feverishly to bring out some new polishes too. Enchanted Polishes are also available for purchase at Llarowe, Harlow & Co., Femme Fatale Cosmetics, Mei Mei's Signatures. This is a must have for any Enchanted Polish fan!

Laundry Day: A Custom Polish From a Dear Friend

2013-04-12T12:00:00.000-04:00

I used to think it was lame to live with your parents after college.
Now, I see the true value of not paying rent & free laundry.
~ Unknown

With two growing children and a husband who works in the food and beverage industry I do a lot of laundry. I always tell them that I do not check pockets and anything found in the washing machine or dryer, especially money, is mine. I am not responsible for damage to favorite clothing items due to items left in pockets. You can just imagine the things I find in the lint trap. As I was cleaning the lint trap one day, I noticed that one of my crafty children had gotten into my supply of craft glitter. I should have been annoyed,but my immediate thought was nail polish. I started thinking to myself what would a gray jelly with oodles of holographic glitters look like. I mentioned my vision to a friend who is tinkering with the idea of making her own line of polishes and this is what she came up with...

This is two coats of "Dryer Lint" with a top coat of Sally Hansen Diamond Flash. I absolutely love this polish, and not just because it was made special for me. It makes laundry day a little more fun...okay not really but my nails look good while I do the laundry.

Unfortunately, I hesitate to mention who made this for me, as it was a gift. I know she has mentioned online that she will be introducing a polish line in the near future but I have no idea if this will be part of her collection or not. Maybe if there is enough buzz we can convince her to add it to her upcoming collection. Please comment here or on my Facebook page if you would be interested in owning this polish and I will be sure to pass it on.

Press Release Girly Bits Spring It On Me!

2013-04-11T22:39:00.001-04:00

Press Release: Girly Bits Cosmetics
"Spring It On Me!"

Press release date: for immediate release
Collection release date: Saturday April 13th, 2013

Announcing "Spring It On Me!", the latest collection available from Girly Bits Cosmetics. A Collection of five spring themed lacquers.

From left to right:

Spring It On Me! ~ a lightly tinted, lavender leaning milky base, with pink, pink holo, green, white, silver, and purple holo glitters. It's meant to be layered, and looks best over light pastel colours, or white or grey.
Going Bananas ~ a yellow crelly with multiple shades of green, chartreuse, pink, lavender, purple, fuchsia, and a hint of aqua shimmer.
Bachelor's Button ~ a cornflower/periwinkle blue holo.
This beauty is SO hard to photograph.
Emerald City Lights ~ a shimmer top coat. A nod to the love of the Columbian Emerald and it's deep green and the subtle blueish glow from within. Energizing and calming all at the same time.
Emerald City ~ a creme/jelly that gets full coverage in three coats.

Swatches

From left to right:

Going Bananas
Spring It On Me!
Bachelor's Button
Emerald City Lights
Emerald City

Where to find "Spring It On Me!":

Spring It On Me! will be available Saturday, April 13th, 2013 at Girly Bits store. Retail pricing on Girly Bits is as follows:

Going Bananas ~ $10.00
Spring It On Me ~ $10.00
Bachelor's Button ~ $10.00
Emerald City ~ $10.00
Emerald City Lights ~ $11.50
Spring It On Me! (Bundle of All 5) ~ $50.00
Emerald City Duo (Bundle of 2 - Emerald City & Emerald City Lights) ~ $18.50

Please check with our Authorized Distributors for release dates and pricing.

I Got Schooled!:Literary Lacquers - Laters, Baby

2013-04-06T20:34:00.000-04:00

“My inner goddess is jumping up and down, clapping her hands like a five year old.”

~ E.L. James, Fifty Shades of Grey

I must confess that I am probably the only woman around that has not read Fifty Shades of Grey. That doesn't mean that I can't wear nail polish inspired by the book though. Today I am wearing Laters, Baby from the Literary Lacquers Good Parts collection. But I did manage to find a quote that expressed my feelings about this polish.

Amy, of Literary Lacquers, describes Laters, Baby as "a deep charcoal linear holographic nail polish with added fine holographic glitter for extra sparkle love." I'm not sure if I got a mislabeled bottle or a bad mix but it looked more of a deep taupe color than charcoal.

direct sunlight

Shade

Whether it is charcoal in color or taupe, this is a pretty polish. The holo effect is outstanding and I love the added touch of glitter that makes it sparkle even in the shade.

I applied two coats fairly easily over a regular base coat. The next time I wear this I am going to use a water based top coat for a more even finish. Because there is glitter in the polish I would highly recommend a top coat to smooth it just a bit. I topped Laters, Baby with a coat of Sally Hansen Diamond Flash Top Coat in these pictures and as you can see it did not dull the holo finish at all.

This was my first purchase from Literary Lacquers. I kind of wish I had gotten the other holos from The Good Parts collection I also love that her polishes are inspired by book collections. I have read a few book collections that would translate well into nail polish. But please...I beg of you...no vampire novel or movie inspired polish collections!

Laters, Baby!

Red, Red Wine

2013-04-05T17:10:00.000-04:00

"Red is the great clarifier - bright and revealing.

I can't imagine becoming bored with red - it would be like becoming bored with the person you love."

~ Diana Vreeland

I love red polish. All colors of red polish. It has been ages since I wore a red polish, but I couldn't decide on just one. So I choose three gorgeous reds from OPI, The Color of Minnie, Danke-Shiny Red and Royal Rajah Ruby and threw together another gradient manicure.

This gradient turned out much better than I expected. I started with one coat of The Color of Minnie as a base to work off. Then I layered my three polishes onto a makeup sponge making sure to overlap the colors so they would blend on the nail. Using a light pouncing motion I sponged the polish on, making sure to allow it the opportunity to dry between coats. Then I applied a double dose of top coat to make it shine!

Red is such a happy color. Red is my happy color. What is yours?

Absolutely Nothing Compares: CrowsToes Absolum - Your Polish Master

2013-04-04T17:12:00.000-04:00

I had a friend request a tape manicure for my next manicure. I had just received CrowsToes Absolum - Your Polish Master in the mail from Llarowe so I knew I would use it for the manicure. I also knew I wanted to layer Absolum over something different, more unique, rather than the normal black creme or a coordinating polish color. While looking through my ever increasing stash, I discovered a bottle of Nails Inc. Swiss Cottage that I had never worn. What you see above and in the pictures to follow is the manicure I came up with to honor my friend's tape manicure request.

Nails Inc. Swiss Cottage was part of last year's Mirror Metallics collection. Swiss Cottage is a metallic finish duochrome polish that shifts from golden green to teal blue. It shows some brush marks when dry but not enough to distract from the beauty of the polish.

CrowsToes Absolum-Your Polish Master is a mixture of blue, green, orange and black glitters in a variety of sizes and shapes in a clear base with a little bit of sparkle thrown in for good measure. I love a good glitter bomb, however I found Absolum to be a bit goopy and difficult to get a good even single coat of glitter on the accent nail. This is probably nothing a drop or two of nail polish thinner wouldn't fix.

I really liked this combination and I really like how the taped off tips turned out. What do you think? Do you have an idea for a manicure you would like to see me do? Leave me a message in the comments and I will do my best to create your ideas for a future blog post. I can't wait to hear your ideas!

Absolum - Your Polish Master is available on Llarowe for $13 (USD) and you can still purchase Nails Inc. Swiss cottage on their website (I'd tell you how much it is but I don't know how to make the English pound squiggly-doohickie).

Pretty In Pink

2013-03-29T19:41:00.000-04:00

“Despite the forecast, live like it's spring.”

― Lilly Pulitzer

I am soooooo ready for spring! In an effort to bring on that spring feeling I decided to wear a pink gradient. Would you believe that the day I took the photos of this manicure it snowed, again!

I donned two coats of OPI Pedal Faster Suzi and then using an almost dry brush I lightly applied several light coats of OPI I Lily Love You slowly building up the polish for a deeper pink look at the tip of the nails.

I love the way this turned out and I cannot wait to try more flakie gradients. I have quite a few flakies in my collection that would work great as a gradient.

Thanks for looking and I would love to hear your thoughts on this manicure!

Sing a Happy Song: Girly Bits Smurf Dance

2013-03-28T15:16:00.002-04:00

It has been a long time since I shared a Girly Bits polish. Naturally, I would have to share one that is no longer in production. The good news is that Pam, of Girly Bits, hinted at the possibility of some color variations of the original Smurf Dance. This summer we will see the release of a new Smurf sequel that introduces two new Smurfs that are actually kind of gray in color. What? I just thought I would toss the idea out there just in case Pam is reading.

Meanwhile, how about we take a look back at the smurfiness (yes, it is a word, if you are a smurf.) of Smurf Dance.

Smurf Dance is a clear base that is smurffed full of holographic micro-glitter with some medium and large matte white hex glitter, small matte white bar glitter, large matte white squares, small and medium blue and dark blue hexes and bar glitters and small light and dark blue squares glitters. Wow! That is a lot of glitter!

Even with all that glitter packed in the tiny bottle, application was smooth. I layered Smurf Dance over Orly Skinny Dip from last summer's neon collection. A smurfilicious combination if I do say so myself.

Girly Bits polishes are available on Pam's Big Cartel site, Llarowe, and Harlow & Co. For more updates about future collections make sure to follow Pam on her Facebook page and on her blog.

I've Got Butterflies: Enchanted Polish Tummy Time

2013-03-25T23:25:00.001-04:00

If you follow me on Facebook you may have seen the teaser picture to the left. Today I reveal what this little gem is; this is Enchanted Polish Tummy Time. Tummy Time was gifted to me by a a fellow lacquer lover and is part of the Love A Lot Of Glitter collection.

Tummy Time is a glitter soup full of gold and holographic bar glitter, jagged black shards of glitter, gold and blue hex glitters, a few star and heart shaped glitters surrounded by a plethora of sparkly micro glitters all suspended in a clear base.

I really wanted to showcase all the little bits and pieces of glitter in this polish so I decided on using a darker polish, OPI Vampsterdam. I have since seen pictures of Tummy Time layered over duo chrome polishes and I cannot wait to try this myself. The versatility of this polish is limitless.

Do you own any Enchanted Polishes? What are your favorites? I have a couple other oldies but goodies I cannot wait to share with you. In the meantime, Enchanted Polish is available for purchase at Llarowe, Harlow & Co., Femme Fatale Cosmetics, Mei Mei's Signatures, as well as on her own website, Enchanted Polish. Be on the look out for this as well as some new polishes in the very near future.

Spring is in the Air: Glimmer By Erica Springtime Polish Swatches

2013-03-21T20:46:00.000-04:00

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My love affair with Glimmer By Erica polishes continues as I bring to you swatches from some of her earlier spring releases. There is something in these polishes that will appeal to every glitter polish lover; colorful mixes of shapes and colors, versatility and even some holographic goodness.

First is a revamped version of last summer's hit Ethereal, Ethereal v. 2. Ethereal was released last summer as a limited edition polish but it's huge popularity with polish fans that it was re-released, but due to the unavailability of some of the glitters the polish has been reformulated into what you see here, a stunning mixture of blue holographic and smaller green hex glitters. I layered two coats of Ethereal v. 2 over Girly Bits Gentle Ginger.

Next, imagine a spring morning, rays of yellow sun dotting the sky over a water color of shades of pink and orange and you have Spring Dawn. Spring Dawn is a breath taking mixture of various shapes of glitter in pink orange and yellow. I layered Spring Dawn over China Glaze Gothic Lolita in these pictures.

Here in the south some of the first signs of spring come in the blooming of the trees. The Carolina's have their azaleas, in Virginia the dogwood's blooms are the first sign of spring and in the District of Columbia an entire week is dedicated to the cherry blossoms. The colors in Glimmer By Erica's Cherry Blossom are a glorious tribute to Mother Nature at her finest. This is Cherry Blossom layered over OPI If You Moust, You Moust.

Finally I have for you a feast for the eyes. Eye Candy is a rainbow of holographic hexagonal glitters in a clear base. As Erica describes it in the product description on her etsy site, "It will light up any manicure and make it shine like Eye Candy!" To capture the holographic goodness of the glitters I layered Eye Candy over a black polish. Yummy!

I cannot begin to say enough about Glimmer by Erica polishes. I truly love the color combinations, the shape combinations and the formula. Don't just take my word for it. All of the polishes shown here are available on the Gllimmer By Erica etsy website and you can stay tuned to her Facebook page for new releases.

The products in this post were supplied to me in exchange for my honest review. For more information please see my Disclosure and Copyright Information page.

Summer In The Light: Anna Sui 608

2013-03-16T22:08:00.000-04:00

It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold:

when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade.

-Charles Dickens

I was at a loss for words when I put on Anna Sui 608. Then I found the quote above that expressed my feelings about this polish perfectly.

Anna Sui 608 is a squishy orange jelly filled with tiny iridescent square glitters. The glitters are so iridescent they look like flakies in the bottle. I love the flashes of orange, yellow and pink.

I layered two coats Anna Sui 608 over Spa Ritual Hijinks mainly because I have this weird thing about VNL. Maybe I will try it on it's own the next time I wear it.

A unique thing about Anna Sui polish is it has a lovely rose scent that lingers on your nails even after applying a topcoat.

I have a couple more Anna Sui polishes I cannot wait to share with you. Hope you like Anna Sui 608 as much as I do.

Anna Sui polishes are available for purchase on the Urban Outfitters website.

Is This Love?

2013-03-06T19:35:00.000-05:00

Shhhh! Don't tell Mr. Kat, but I am in love! A few months ago I discovered this new indie polish and we have been seeing each other pretty regularly. Maybe you have heard of it? Does the name Glimmer By Erica ring any bells? If it does then you probably know what I am talking about. If the name is foreign to you, you are in for quite a treat! Introducing Glimmer By Erica...

First up is Heart's Desire, one of two limited edition Valentine's Day polishes. Heart's Desire is an aphrodisiac for the eyes. It is a show stopping mixture of holographic micro glitter, shiny purple hex glitter, and matte purple hex and pink heart glitters surrounded by a clear base.

I layered Heart's Desire over two coats of Zoya Caitlin, a smoky grayed out purple creme polish. I wanted something that matched the polish but still allowed Heart's Desire to really pop off the nail. Absolutely lovely!

Next up is Passion's Flame. This hot little number is a mixture of red, crimson and holographic micro glitters peppered with red holographic hearts in a clear base. My only complaint about this polish was that the hearts were a bit sparse and it took some fishing to get them on the nail. I'm a sucker for anything red, so when I first saw this I knew I had to have it for my growing Glimmer by Erica collection.

For this combination I layered one coat of Passion's Flame over two coats of OPI In Her Majesty's Secret Service. Smokin!

So what do you think of these Glimmer By Erica polishes? Ready to see more? Like I said earlier, this love affair has been going on for a while. I have quite a few more polishes to share with you. Sadly, these polishes are no longer available for sale but if you are interested in seeing more of what Glimmer By Erica has to offer make sure you stop by her Etsy shop and while you are at it, give her a "like" on her FaceBook page.

Chasing Rainbows: Layla Ultra Violet

2012-08-30T21:37:00.000-04:00

Some people love cream polishes, others like shimmer polishes. If you haven’t realized by now, I am a glitter and flakie polish person. But there is one category of polishes that seems to appeal to all polish collectors. That polish is the hologram effect polish.

A friend of mine raved about the Layla Hologram Effects polishes. She was so convinced that I would love the Layla Hologram polish she gave me one for my birthday. I chose Layla Ultra Violet Hologram Effect, a lovely lavender shade of purple polish with a strong linear hologram effect.

Apparently hologram polishes are tricky to apply. I obviously got it wrong. I tried to apply the polish to a basecoat I had used in the past with some of my OPI DS polishes. It didn’t work. If you look really closely at the picture above you can see bald spots where the polish didn’t grab the nail. Hologram polish needs “teeth” to grab onto to make the polish adhere to the surface of the finger nail. To create the “teeth” on your nails, buff the nail real well before applying the polish.

I managed to get two coats of polish on my nails but not without some issues. As I understand it, it is necessary to “sandwich” your holo polish when applying. I’m not real sure what that means, but I am pretty sure it doesn’t mean to make and eat a turkey club on white toast between coats. So, uhm, if you know what sandwiching means could you explain it to me?

To topcoat or not….that is the ultimate question when it comes to hologram polishes. I have heard it said that applying a topcoat to a hologram polish will dull the effect of the polish. On the other hand I have heard that applying a coat of Sally Hansen’s Diamond Coat Topcoat will not dull the holo effect. Since I did not have any of the Sally Hansen topcoat I opted for no top coat and although I prefer my nail polish to have a smooth glassy feel to it I went without a top coat. Needless to say tip wear was evident after wearing it for only one day, but because it was so pretty I left on to enjoy the pretty rainbows.