Elevation Polish "The Med 2" meets Yeti

Hello there! 

Today I am bringing you a special post. An epic one if you will. I have combined to glorious Elevation Polish to develop a most wonderous manicure. Those of you that know me will probably know that I have a thing for seafoam, teals, turquoise etc. With that being said, the base for this manicure is "The Med 2". 

The shimmer in the base of "The Med 2" is just stunning. Not to mention the amazing turquoise/teal base.  If you're wondering, for the accent fingers I have used "Yeti Wears Givenchy and Versaci" which was a special giveaway polish I won! I loved the way these two elevations layered with each other. Plus, the stars are super cute and tiny (squee!). 

The pictures above show 2 coats of The Med 2 with topcoat and one quick coat of Yeti. Absolutely wonderful formula and application with both of these Elevations as usual! I feel like this mani is the perfect combo of summer and glamour. If you wanna check out Elevation Polish, go to http://www.elevationpolish.bigcartel.com and be prepared to drool heavily!

Carpe Noctem Cosmetics "Kintsukuroi"

Hello there, blog friends! 

I have come to you to show this insanely stunning golden polish that has made even me believe that yellow tones are for all. The glorious polish in question is "Kintsukuroi" by Carpe Noctem Cosmetics. If you're curious about what Kintsukuroi means, let me elaborate. Kintsukuroi is an ancient Japanese art that involves using lacquer resin combined with powdered gold, silver, or platinum to repair broken pottery. It represents the philosophy of "wabi-sabi" which encourages accepting flaws and acknowledging them as part of human life. Rather than tossing a broken thing away, both wabi-sabi and Kintsukuroi encouage re-purposing of the broken and even drawing attention to the flaws. It also ties in with Mushin, or no mind, by accepting the flaws as human fate and embracing them. Pretty stinking cool huh? With all that being said, check out this picture of actual Kintsukuroi. 

(credit to Google images)

I love this! It's amazingly stunning and so poetic. Now for the polish...

 

This one is in my lighting indoors! See how it kinda glows just like the molten golden veining of Kintsukuroi? I love how much Emily can bring a holo to life by infusing it with some sort of magical, warm glow. The holo is definitely not lost in this one either. This is two coats with one coat of topcoat. 

Here it is in indirect sunlight. I couldn't stop staring at the softness of it in this lighting. And look, no lobster hands! You can even see the holo in this lighting as well. 

This last one is in full sunlight, baby. And man does it deliver. Look at the holo, look at the stunning regal feel of the golden color... and that glow! 

I can't say that I own many polishes that are in this color family, and I know for a fact I can't say that any of them look like this. This such a unique color- and I just adore the inspiration behind it. Keep an eye on Emily's shop over at Carpe Noctem Cosmetics on Etsy, or her Facebook page (or both!) for this pretty baby's release and more!

Octopus Party Nail Lacquer "Turk Boys"

*Press sample- this polish was provided to me for my honest opinion and review*

 

 

 

Well, well, well... look who it is! It's me, I'm back. After several bouts of the flu and an almost broken-beyond-repair iPhone I am finally back in swing and have returned with a  doozy. 

 

Now, I'm not sure if I have ever gone into depth but I do love me a good holo. Especially a holo in the blue/green/turquoise family! I'll be showing you just that with "Turk Boys" which is a limited edition polish part of the Summer 2014 collection from the wonderful Octopus Party Nail Lacquer. It's such a glowy, ethereal turquoise color topped off with a lovely touch of holographic goodness. I just can't handle it.

 

 

 Here it is in my lighting indoors. Look at the depth and shimmer this metallic little baby is giving off.  It's like staring into a deep, deep crystal blue pool of water. So intoxicating, almost like a siren song. I can't get enough of this polish!

Here it is in full sunlight. After realizing it reminded me of a nice refreshing swim on a hot day, I decided to take Turk Boys out for a nice dip in the pool. Arizona weather has been rather forgiving lately and it was about 95 yesterday, so it was the perfect temperature for it! In the sun you can see more of the holographic flame, though it's rather hard to capture on camera and is definitely more apparent in real life. Plus, I couldn't stop drooling over the intensity of the color and glow ( I keep saying glow, I know... but that's what the polish does!).

 

As far as formula goes I used 2 coats for the photos above and it applied as smooth as buttah! I'm still wearing this glorious color 2 days later with no chipping or tip wear, which I was super impressed with since I have found that a lot of the metallic type shades chip or wear faster on me. If you want to add this to your collection, head on over to Octopus Party Nail Lacquer on Etsy and purchase it. Plus, if you buy the whole collection you receive $10 off your order with the code SUMMER. Pretty stellar, no? As always, thank you for reading!!

 

Until next time!

Carpe Noctem Cosmetics "Paint Uranus Pink"

Hi hello! Today I have a hilariously dirty named polish from Carpe Noctem Cosmetics called "Paint Uranus Pink" (teehee). It is a magnificently pinkish magenta holo that takes off in the sun! The best part of all? I think I may be a convert. Pink has forever hated me, cursed me, and even mocked me...up until now! The conversion to pink loving is a process, I think. I was super hesitant on this one because it's perfection in the bottle, but sometimes on a pale gal such as myself pink can get a bit, erm... Lobsteresque! Not this baby.

Here is 2 coats (you could get away with a single generous coat, I just always do 2) of "Paint Uranus Pink" with a layer of topcoat. The pink just soars on the vibrancy scale and I can't handle how lovely it glows. The formula is top notch as always with Carpe Noctems stuff.

Here it is being all flirty and shy in the shade! I love the punch this magenta holo packs. Even without the sun you can see how saturated a color this baby is!

Here it is just being a boss in the sunlight. This is by far the glowiest pink holo I have seen and it's such a fun color! Perfect for the spring to summer transition.

Too close for comfort? My B. I just wanted you to bask in the glow with me. Seriously, it feels magical. Keep an eye on Emily over at Carpe Noctem! She's got some excellent stuff just waiting for you to give a loving home to. Until next time! 

Darling Diva Polish- One of a kind Sample #29

Today I have a very special, one of a kind polish from Darling Diva Polish in the form of Sample #29. I don't like to taunt and tease you with unattainable polishes, so I will reveal the silver lining before I talk about how glorious this lovely is. Darling Diva has been offering up OOAK samples on Fridays (with a few gaps in between) for a little while now so you too have a chance to snag a special bottle of polish for yourself, yay!!

 

Now on to the lacquer at hand (hehe, it really is on my hands!). Sample #29 is flecked with violet flakes all suspended in a bright icy blue holographic polish. I loved that the holo was so strong and that the presence of the violet flakes didn't drown out the flame.

 

 

Here is 2 coats topped with one coat of fast dry top coat. You can really see just how holo this baby is, and if you look at the bottle in this photo you can see the violet flecks glinting throughout.

 

 

Once I got this baby in the sunshine the color just came to life. I love what a perfect and unique blue this was, I certainly own nothing like it in my stash!

And while the flakies were coy in the sunshine, I can say they were most definitely present in regular, indoor lighting.

 

See the sparks? Eeee, I love it!

 

 

I just adored the vibrancy of this polish and how the purple flakes just kicked it up to the next level. Application was a breeze and dry time was on spot. Don't forgot that while this is a one of a kind, Darling Diva does restock these on random Friday's so be sure to like them on Facebook and keep your peepers peeled on their Big Cartel site! Until next time!

 

Carpe Noctem Cosmetics "Literary Lady"

*Press sample, this polish was provided to me for my honest opinion and review*

Well hello there readers! I have a delectable little treat for you today in the form of a perfect lacquer from Carpe Noctem Cosmetics called "Literary Lady".  Not only is Literary Lady a super sexy holo, it's also an effortless shifter dancing from a reddish color, sort of pinkish, to a firey orange. I so loved wearing this as I am a sucker for insane shifters plus holo! Let me shut my trap and show you the glory!

 

These first two pictures show 2 coats with a quick dry top coat! I love how you can get the holo and shift to come out and play even without the sun.

This last one is all outdoor lighting directly in the sun. This polish is such a stunner in any lighting you put it in.

 

 

Aaaaaannnnd a bonus shot! This one is obviously not the best lighting or quality, but I wanted to do an underwater picture to show just how shifty Literary Lady truly is.

 

 

As far as application goes, this one was just as great as all my other CNC's. I did experience some bubbling but I re-swatched it and discovered it was my new top coat, so boo on that. All photos show 2 coats with a quick dry top coat. Keep an eye on Emily's shop Carpe Noctem Cosmetics  because I thiiiiiiink she's getting ready to open the flood gates any day now! Thanks for reading. Until next time! 

Octopus Party Nail Lacquer "Plume and Bloom"

*Press sample, this polish was provided to me for my honest review*

Today I have for you another Octopus Party Nail Lacquer. As I mentioned in my last review, you can find all the awesome goodness that Dave has over at his Etsy store! As a relatively new brand, I was impressed by the quality, level of professionalism, and obvious care Dave has put into his lacquers.

 

Now on to the pretty polish! I had the pleasure of reviewing "Plume and Bloom" which is described as "a fine mix of chartreuse, lavender, and rose" on the Etsy listing and is a microglitter. The color mix is fun enough for an exciting manicure, but also tame enough to sport in a professional setting. I'm sensing a theme of versatility in Octopus Party and I really, really like it!

 

PLEASE NOTE: I have used this polish in the following photos as both a glitter topper, and as a micro glitter built to full capacity!

 

Here is Plume and Bloom as a topper on my pointer, middle, and pinky over Essie "Sand Tropez". The ring finger is just 2 coats all on its own. All fingers have 1 coat of top coat. The mix is just so classy I can't stand it.

 

Here's the same manicure in the direct sunlight. I love how you can see the glints of gold really well once you expose them to sunbeams!

 

 

As far as dry time and quality goes, Plume and Bloom is excellent. I didn't need to slather it in a ton of top coat, just one quick layer and my nail was as smooth as glass. It was so jammed packed with glitter so I was pleasantly surprised when it applied like a dream. Keep your peepers open for more fantasticalness (oh yeah!) from Dave over at his store, Octopus Party Nail Lacquer. Until next time!