*Nothing to Disclose*

     Today I have for you a polish that has been in my collection for quite some time but only found it's way to my nails over the holiday season when I needed a great base for my glitter/chevron manicure. Cult Nails Blaze was released as part of their Second Anniversary collection back in 2013. For those of you who haven't heard at the end of last year, Cult Nails made the hard decision to close up shop once all inventory was sold. At the moment the shop is set to maintenance mode with a message saying they will open on January 25th. That date has come and gone and I'm not sure if they will reopen.  I actually own quite a few polishes that never made it to the blog and I will be showcasing them from time to time because they are just too pretty not to be shared.

     Blaze is described as a  "Glowing gold and copper glitter"  mixed together in a clear base. This sparkly mixture seemed to dance on my fingertips.


     Shown here is 2 coats of Blaze layered over a thin coat of Orly Luxe plus top coat. Blaze is a little on the sheer side due to the clear base but builds up nicely. Full coverage can be achieved in 3 or 4 coats depending on how thickly you apply it.

     Thankfully the sheerness didn't affect the glitter coverage. I was able to get a lot of glitter on the brush each time I pulled it out of the bottle. The glitters are so fine that getting them to cover the nail was my biggest issue, which is why up to 4 coats could be needed for full opacity. I did end up doing a little glitter dabbing on the second coat to ensure full coverage.


     I really like the way Blaze looks layered over Luxe and would recommend using it on top of another color instead of on its own, just because it's easier. However, you choose to wear it it will look amazing. Don't believe me? Check out this macro shot.

 
    Or how about this glittery chevron manicure I did for the Christmas nail art challenge? Which is still one of my top 5 favorite nail art looks from last year.


     I'm sad to see Cult Nails say goodbye but I'm thankful that I got to try a few of their polishes. I have yet to use one that gave me issues. I  look forward to trying out the remaining untrieds that I own and would love to hear which polishes are your favorites. Thanks for stopping by and Happy Polishing!

*Press Release*

     It has finally arrived - the Pamella Roland SS15 nail lacquer, appropriately named, “Cherry Blossom!”

*Nothing to Disclose*

     How many of you are over the textured polish trend and are glad Zoya discontinued their Pixie Dust line? Well to those of you who feel that way I'm sorry because today's post is in fact about a Pixie Dust Polish, Zoya London to be exact. But good news for those of you still craving those textured tips, as I write this post, London is still available for purchase. 

     I have to admit when these textured polishes first came out I was not impressed. The thought of textured nails kind of made my skin crawl, not gonna lie. But swatches kept popping up everywhere I looked and people were talking about how much they liked them and so on and so forth. So one day at Ulta I found Vespa in the clearance bin and thought why not. Nyx followed soon after along with Dahlia. I was kind of hooked. 

     London, as described by the Zoya website is " a fog gray with a sugared sparkle, in the exclusive Pixie Dust matte sparkle formula."  I would call it a dark Grey with just enough sparkle mixed in to keep it interesting. 

  

     Like my other Pixie Dust polishes, the application is a breeze. There's no patchiness and I tend to get good coverage with the first coat. I always apply 2 to make sure I've covered the entire nail. I've chosen to show London here without top coat to show off the texture and because I used it as a base for my Ugly Christmas Sweater manicure.  I know people will wear it both ways, depending on what kind of look they are going for. 

  

     As you can see in this picture that the sparkles cause the shade to change slightly depending on how the light hits your nails. Shifting from lighter to darker adding, even more, interest to the finish. And as for the texture? The best way I can describe it is the finest grit sandpaper imaginable, but without the worry of snagging your clothes.

     Of course, no blog post would be complete without a killer macro shot. Here is London in all its textured glory.

  

     What are your thoughts on the textured polish? Should it stick around for another year or go the way of the crackle finish and just disappear? Thanks for stopping by and Happy Polishing!

*Press Release*

     This Friday MoYou London is releasing the second set of plates in the Holy Collection. These 5 plates carry over the fun geometric style of the first set. I think everyone will be able to find at least one image they like here. 

     Plates 8 and 10 have caught my eye this time around. 

*Press Sample*

     January is almost over and that means it's time to start thinking about Valentine's day! Ahh Valentines, the holiday that has always ended up being a disappointment for me. Is it really too much to ask for a card or some flowers delivered to work? At least this year I can have some pretty tips thanks to the Valentine's Trio from Northern Star Polish.  This post is going to be very picture heavy, so sit back, relax and get ready to look at some pretty polish.

      Sweet Treat, Pucker Up, and Kiss This will be available for purchase on Jan 30th for $9 each. This trio has something for everyone. It's got Holo, flakies, pink and berry wine color, crelly and Jelly finishes. Let's start things off with Pucker Up.

    The darkest of the bunch, Pucker Up is a deep burgundy red with micro flakies. Shown here is 2 coats plus top coat. The application is easy with a lot of pigmentation in this little bottle. You could possibly get away with 1 thick coat for full coverage, but I had some uneven coverage when I tried it that way. Your best bet for nice even coverage is with 2 thin coats. The finish is best described as a crelly leaning slighter more to the creme side. 

  

     Even without the top coat, Pucker Up has a glossy finish, add the top coat and your nails end up with a high shine. In fact, they are so shiny that I couldn't avoid capturing reflections in the pictures.

     The one slightly disappointing part of Pucker Up is that there is a lot of flakies noticeable in the bottle but they get a little lost on the nail. I tried adding a matte top coat to see if that would bring them out more but it had the opposite effect. 

     Next up is Sweet Treat a fuchsia jelly with multi-colored flakies. This pop of pink is sure to make you smile.

*Nothing to Disclose*

     Welcome to my first post as the proud owner of my own .com!!! That's right no more blogspot for me. Woohoo!  I decided that if I really wanted to get serious about blogging that I needed to make that leap. I'm probably way more excited about it than a grown woman should be but I can't help it. I was jumping up and down and all giddy like a school girl that just got asked out by her biggest crush last night. And to start this party off I've got Orly Luxe to share with you. So let's get to the polish, shall we...

     Orly released Luxe in the spring of  2010 as part of the Foil Fx collection. The finish on this one is pretty unique. Instead of being all one color, Luxe is made up of tiny gold and silver particles giving more depth to the finished look than your typical gold polish. 

   

     Shown here as 2 easy coats plus top coat. Application of Luxe is smooth with even coverage on each coat.  And would you look at that, no real brushstrokes! You don't see that very often with a metallic finish. 

     

*Nothing to Disclose*

     Today I have for you the dazzling Literary Lady from Carpe Noctem. A complex multi-chrome with scattered holographic accents. This polish shifts effortlessly from red to pink to orange all while maintaining a subtle holo effect.

     The application was pretty good with this one. I did notice that if I did multiple strokes on the same nail there was some slight dragging. But I'm talking 5 or 6 strokes, not your typical 3. 

     

     Just look at that color shift, I mean seriously check it out! It's exquisite. Looking at it here makes me want to put it back on my nails.  This is 2 easy coats plus top coat.

     As you can see I really meant it when I said there was a subtle holo effect. It's not so subtle that you can't see it with the naked eye. In fact, like most holographic polishes it was easier to see than to capture with the camera.  

     It was way too cold to try and get pictures outside to capture the holographic effect. Sorry, I'm a wimp when it comes to the cold. My hands tighten up and I can't hold the bottle let alone work my camera, however, I was able to snap a quick one with my cell phone. 

     Why my cell phone takes better pictures than my camera is a mystery to me. But it has saved me a few times with hard to photograph polishes. I'm actually in the market for a new camera. If you've got one that's great at capturing holo I'd love to hear your suggestions!  And please check out my previous post where I used Literary Lady as the base for my snowman manicure.

     Currently, Carpe Noctem's shop is on vacation mode but a little birdie told me she's set to open back up again on Jan 30th. There will be a restock and new releases that day. To see what's in store and find out about upcoming collection be sure to check them out on Facebook. 

     Because the shop is in vacation mode I am not sure if Literary Lady is still available for purchase. If it is, make sure to grab yours on the 30th. If it's not, I'm sorry to dangle this unattainable beauty in front of you. If it helps you can all wish me dry cuticles and chipped manicures. Just kidding please don't wish that upon me. I have enough cuticle challenges already.  Thanks for stopping by and Happy Polishing!

*Press Release*

      This Friday MoYou is releasing a completely new collection. The Holy collection consists of 5 plates with images reminiscent of the 90's. You'll find tribal art,  graphic shapes, as well as a few art deco patterns. Check them out below.

     I'm actually really excited about plate 4 in this collection. Some of the images remind me of a few tape manicures I've wanted to recreate. Plate 2 is also peeking my interest. Are there any that are catching your eye?

     MoYou plates can be purchased in their shop. As mentioned above these plates will be available Friday, Jan. 23rd. Plates are L4.99 each or about $8 U.S. Thanks for stopping by and Happy Polishing!

*Nothing to Disclose*

     Happy Hump day everyone. My post today was hand picked by my 8-year-old son, Conner. I gave him a choice of  3 polish types and he chose "The green polish with glitter" which is LynBDesigns Lost Without my Blogger. When I told him the name of the polish he said: "Mom I picked the one with the right name because you're a blogger!" You might be wondering why I'm telling you this but trust me it's big news in this household. Normally I get eye rolls and groans from my boys at the mere mention of polish.

    Lost Without my Blogger from the Baker Street collection, has a green base containing circle glitters in light and regular green and hex glitters in a multitude of camo colors along with small squares in a dark green.

     And of course here's a macro shot with a matte top coat, so you can see all the details Lost Without my Blogger, has to offer. Do you like it better glossy or matte?



     Lost without my Blogger is still available on Etsy where a full sized bottle will cost you $8. Be sure to check out my previous reviews of Mind Palace which is also available from the Baker Street Collection and Nightmare Revisited from the Nightmare Begins collection.

      I'd also like to hear your thoughts on my new share buttons floating over there on the left. Are they a distraction, have you ever noticed the other set I have way down there at the very bottom? Your feedback is greatly appreciated. Thanks for stopping by and Happy Polishing!