*Nothing to Disclose*

     Do you ever buy nail polish, love it in the store and then forget about it once you get home? That happens to me all the time. When I actually buy in a brick and mortar store these days I tend to buy a few polishes at a time, especially when it comes to Sinful Colors. That is exactly what happened with Acapella Ella. I rushed out at the beginning of 2018 to purchase all the new core colors that were released and then let them sit on my desk for months. I actually swatched Acapella Ella last June but am just getting around to sharing it on my blog now. So I hope you enjoy this little blast from the past with me for today's post. 

     Acapella Ella is a pale blue creme nail polish. In fact, you could almost say it's a blueish tinted white with how pale it is. A great color to use as a base for nail art in my opinion.

     The formula is what I have pretty much come to expect from Sinful Colors. The first coat applied nicely, but not perfectly. The opacity is nice but I did have a few streaks. Thankfully they self-level and are gone when the polish dries. 

     The second coat applied much nicer with no streaking and even coverage allowing for full opacity. My photos are shown as two coats plus glossy topcoat. 

*Press Sample*

     Who's excited for Polish Pickup on Friday? Well, I hope you haven't finished those wish lists yet because I've got a versatile polish to share with you today from Northern Star Polish.  Be Excellent is inspired by Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure. Am I aging myself if I tell you I remember seeing this in theaters when it first came out?

     Be Excellent is a dusty dark blue creme nail polish. The formula is smooth and creamy, truly a dream to work with. I had even heavily opaque coverage on the first coat but not quite 100% full coverage. 

     Now I only wore this for about an hour but I had no discoloration on my nails or evidence of staining. I did use a base coat for swatching and recommend always wearing one under your polish. Not only will it help your polish apply nicer but it will protect your nails from staining. 

     Remember I mentioned this polish was very opaque on the first coat?  This got me wondering if it would work well for stamping and guess what? It does!

      I used Sinful Colors White Lies as my base and image plate UR-21 from UR Beautiful for this manicure. 

     Be Excellent is a lighter version when stamped but I really like the look. And it was so easy to work with, I was able to pick up a clean image each and every time. 

     Along with offering Be Excellent for Polish Pickup, Kristin is offering a cuticle oil set for Indie Pickup.  The Bodacious ‘80s snacks are inspired by the convenience store snack runs every Friday night: cherry slushie, taffy, lemon sour candy, and pink bubblegum.

     Polish Pickup opens on Friday, May 3rd at 11 am Eastern time and runs through Monday, May 6th. For those of you unfamiliar with Polish Pickup here's the breakdown. The Polish Pickup is a new take on the polish collaboration boxes, run by Fair Maiden Polish creators Adrienne and Sarah. Instead of buying one set box, polish lovers have the option to create their own box by selecting from a variety of polishes available each month. Thanks for stopping by and Happy Polishing! 

*Press Sample*

    Hey everyone, I've got a different kind of post to share with you today. And to be honest it's not an easy one to write. I have been given the opportunity to test out a product that really piqued my interest and I was hoping would boost my confidence a bit. But writing this review makes me very vulnerable to my readers. We all try to put our best selves forward on social media. I mean who hasn't seen that meme floating around about "if only your life was as good as it seems on FB"   I have to share with you something that makes me extremely self-conscious and that I try to hide from the rest of the world.

    

      The issue that I have is bad teeth and the Instant Smile comfort fit flex has been a temporary fix for that. When the company reached out looking for people to review their product I actually jumped at the chance. I wanted to see what I looked like with nice teeth again. I wanted to know what it felt like to smile a real smile and not worry about what people were thinking. Now, this is not a permanent solution to my problem, but it is a place for me to start.

     Time for a little backstory. As many of you don't know I'm a smoker, have been for many years and back in my early 20's, my teeth became very yellow. In an effort to combat that I began brushing my teeth extremely hard with whitening toothpaste. I did not succeed in removing the yellow stains, but what I did do was brush so hard that I damaged and removed some of the enamel. Over time this has lead to my teeth darkening and wearing away at the edges. 

     It's not a fear of the dentist that has prevented me from getting them fixed or a lack of time since I have summers off from work. They don't bother me physically, I'm not sensitive to hot or cold and they don't hurt. They just look bad and bother me in a physical appearance kind of way. I no longer really smile in pictures because I'm embarrassed. 

     So what has prevented me from getting them fixed? It's the cost. I'm terrified that I won't be able to afford it even with having insurance. Let me tell you that is an awful feeling and one I hope you never have to experience. 

     That's where the Instant Smile Comfort Fit Flex comes into my life. It's an affordable, temporary solution to my problem. And has allowed me the opportunity to see just what I look like with a real smile. It has helped me make the decision to get to the dentist and finally do something about my smile, and it has given me a small amount of my confidence back.  No, I don't wear them all the time in case you were wondering, but I have worn them on a few occasions and have gotten compliments from my friends. 

     The Instant Smile Comfort Fit Flex is actually pretty easy to use. All you need to do is place the set of teeth in boiling water for a minute and then mold to your mouth. It might take a few attempts to get it right but the nice thing is they can be molded again and again. My mouth is on the smaller side so for me I had to remove some of the molding form from the back of the teeth to get a proper fit. But once I did that, I was pleased with the results. 

     

     I honestly don't think they look too bad. I am able to talk normally with them in and they stay perfectly in place. It did take a bit to get used to having them in my mouth and I'm not able to eat with them in but I can live with that.  Especially since for now anyway I've got my smile back.

     The Instant Smile Comfort Fit Flex can be purchased online for $21.95 before shipping. They also offer a variety of products to help with things like a missing tooth or holding your dentures in place. Do they offer permanent solutions, no but for me, this was 100% worth it. Thank you for stopping by and Happy Smiling! 😀

*Press Sample*

     Today I have a very special treat for all of you! Literary Lacquers is back! *insert round of applause* Not only is she back with a stunning new collection she is also having a sale on all of the older collections. Let's get some of the details out of the way before we get to the polish, shall we? 

     Literary Lacquers is back with a collection of 7 new polishes (Plus a special limited edition gift with purchase polish) inspired by the Sarah J. Maas series A Court of Thorns and Roses. This collection will take you on a journey through the 7 courts of the High Fae of Prythian. The full collection will be available at a slight discount for $70. The Launch Date is 4/22/19, noon Mountain time. And I can't forget about the Sale: 4/22/19 – 5/1/19, 25% off all older collections, Plus you can receive Starfall, a Limited Edition polish as a free gift with $50 pre-shipping purchase

     Veiled in Roses – Rosy pink packed with holographic and opalescent microglitter - $10
Inspired by the Spring Court’s beautiful manor house, an alabaster estate covered in roses and ivy, surrounded by meadows and forests in perpetual springtime.

     The formula on this is simply wonderful with a smooth application and even coverage. You get a ton of sparkle in each layer. There was a slight VNL after the first coat but as you can see it builds up nicely. Full opacity was achieved with the application of a second coat. Shown here as two coats plus glossy topcoat. 

     Adriata – Aqua opal, this polish is loaded with blue, green, and white opalescent flakies and microglitter $10. 
The Summer Court is home to the beautiful city of Adriata nestled in its half moon bay.

     The formula on this one gave me just a little trouble. The first few strokes were a tad splotchy. Almost like the flakes were all clumped together and needed to be separated on the nail. Which is exactly what happened after a few strokes of the brush. Once again I had a slight VNL after the first coat with full opacity after the second coat. Shown here as two coats plus glossy topcoat.

     Autumn Fire – Deep coppery red holo with microglitter - $12
Fire is the power of the High Fae that reside in the Autumn Court.

     High Lady of Winter – Soft grey holo with white, silver, and blue flakies - $12
This polish inspired by the frozen Winter Court is a little shout out to the fandom and my girl Vivianne, may her voice be heard

     This polish has a formula that has a smooth consistency and even coverage. While it was more opaque on the first coat than I was expecting, I still had a slight VNL. The addition of a second coat will give you full opacity. Shown here as two coats plus glossy topcoat.

     Sunstone Palace – Delicate metallic that shifts from copper to rose - $10
The books’ action only visits the Dawn court for a short period of time, but the description of the breathtaking palace inspired this lacquer

     The application is smooth and even with a nice dispersion of flakes on the nail. Again this was slightly more opaque than I was expecting but you're still left with a small amount of VNL after the first coat. Full opacity can be reached after two coats. Shown here as two coats plus glossy topcoat.

     Cursebreaker – Bright white gold metallic with a subtle green iridescence - $10
The mysterious Day Court is home to Helion Spell-Cleaver, his power of Cursebreaking is vital to something I can’t tell you about because it’s a spoiler. 

     The formula on this was surprising. I was honestly expecting it to be more of a topper than a regular nail polish. With its smooth consistency and even coverage, this polish is easy to work with and leaves only a slight VNL on the first coat. Curse Breaker builds up quite nicely to achieve full opacity after to easy coats. Shown here as two coats plus glossy topcoat.

     Court of Dreams – Black base with holo microflakes, silver flakes, and shimmer that shifts from blue through indigo to violet - $12
The Night Court is home to the mysterious and dark Rhysand and his hot muscular Illyrian warriors (ahem). No spoilers but fans self anyway.

     With a smooth consistency and even coverage, this polish is a winner in my book. I did have a slight VNL after the first coat but, it builds up nicely to reach full opacity after two effortless coats. Shown here as two coats plus glossy topcoat. 

     Starfall - Deep navy holo with microglitter and opalescent green flakes
Amy really wanted to call this polish My Other Ride is an Illyrian Warrior but decided to go with the more sedate Starfall. Starfall is a holiday celebrated in the Winter Court on a night where star spirits migrate across the sky.