China Glaze Rest in Pieces

Happy Halloween! I'm not doing anything this year, nor do I ever really? I am excited though. When we moved last year, we moved to a neighborhood literally on Disney World's back doorstep. We have lots of neighbors who work for Disney. Disney cast members love to decorate and are very festive. We also have lots of kids in our neighborhood. We're all decked out with Halloween decor and stocked up on candy to give out to trick or treaters. We had tons last year, so I'm looking forward to a repeat!

Anyways, I have a China Glaze Halloween polish to show you today from their recent Apocalypse of Color collection. This was one of those polishes that in the bottle looked stunning. It was so eye-catching I had to buy it. I had this sinking feeling though this was going to be one those polishes that would be prettier in the bottle than on the nail. Wrong! I was so pleasantly surprised!

Rest in Pieces over Cult Nails Nevermore

Rest in Pieces is a mix of copper holo, gold holo, and black matte mixed glitters in a clear base.

Color: This is a blingy eye-catching glitter. I like the use of copper instead of orange for a Halloween polish. I admit, orange isn't really my favorite color, but I like to keep things festive. Copper is a nice alternative and it still looks very fitting for the holiday. 

Formula: This formula rocked! I was afraid I'd be fishing glitters out of here, but these went so easily on my nail and built up nicely. I did do a bit of dabbing with this, but nothing overly fussy at all. I am also normally not a fan of bar glitters as all, but really like them . This is the right balance when it comes to glitter shapes and sizes, where it really meshes well together. I used 2 coats over a base here.

Price: I paid around $6-$7 for this at Sally's, but I'm sure you can find it cheaper online. 

Overall: I'm really impressed with this polish. I was expecting to be disappointed, but I ended up being surprised. I like the color and the mixture of glitter. The formula was on point. Win-win!

My Rating: 5 out of 5 Paint Splatters

Happy Halloween! 

Throwback Thursday: a-england Tristam

I seem to keep revisiting old favorites on Throwback Thrusday, but I suppose that makes sense. I'm not going to waste my TBT posts on average oldies. This next one was one of the first releases by a-england in 2011. a-england was definitely one of those brands that made its mark in nail polish world instantly with this beauty. 

Tristam

Tristam is a rich navy blue scattered holo.

Collection: The Mythicals 2011

Color: This is a beautiful shade of blue unlike other ones I have. I almost wanted to call it indigo, but I didn't want to misspeak. It has a hint of purple tones to it, but not enough where I'd call it a blue-violet, but it is definitely different than most navy blues. 

Formula: Beautiful 2 coat easy formula.

Price: This is available on Llarowe for $10.00

Overall: Gorgeous timeless shade. The color is beautiful, the scattered holo is awesome. The polish is well made as well as other a-englands. I say this is a must have for any nail polish addict!

My Rating: 5 out of 5 Paint Splatters

Happy Thursday! 

My Kinda Color- Party Pink, Emily, and Isabella

About 2 weeks ago I went to the Southern Women's Show in Orlando. This was a show that featured a wide variety of different things from health, food, home decor, crafts, and beauty. I had never been to this show before, and was curious about what it had to offer. 

To be honest, I was disappointed. Majority of the stuff there were gimmicky items or booths with incredibly pushy sales people. Not my scene, however, I did find something cool. I found a booth that had nail polish racks and indie polish! The brand is called My Kinda Color and of course I had to purchase some of the pretties. Best part of the show. 

Today, I'm showing 3 of my favorite colors I picked up. 

Party Pink

Party Pink is a hot pink jelly packed with holographic silver glitter. 

Emily

Emily is a bright sky blue shimmer with holographic silver glitter.

Isabella

Isabella is a soft orchid jelly with a pale blue shimmer and holographic silver glitter.

Colors: These are all three beautiful colors. I love the variation of finishes used with the holographic glitter. Isabella is really cool with that addition of a blue shimmer. 

Formula: The formula on all of these was nice and easy to use. Party Pink and Emily I used 2 coats. Isabella was on the sheer side, so I used 4 coats to get this level of opacity. 

Price: These polishes can be found on My Kinda Color/Nail Polish Fack Factory website for $5.00. 

Overall: I really liked these polishes. The formula on them was really nice and the colors are beautiful. On top of all that, they're $5 a piece. That's a steal in indie world! 

My Rating: 5 out of 5 Paint Splatters

Happy Tuesday! 

KBShimmer Winter 2014 (8 of 17)

* I received the following to review in exchange for my honest review.

I have some of the KBShimmer Winter 2014 collection to share with you today. This collection features 17 colors. There are 12 new colors for this season as well as 5 returning holiday polishes from seasons past. There are also new cuticle oil scents and a holiday themed nail vinyl sheet. I have 8 of thee polishes to share with you today as well as 2 of the new cuticle oils. These will be available for purchase this Saturday 11/1. 

Stay tuned at the end of my post because I'll also be sharing some special offers KBShimmer will have starting 11/1.

Dressed to Gild 

Dressed to Gild is a gold cousin to Hexy Bikini, this textured polish is rich with holographic gold glitters.  Hints of lavender and lime glitters add depth and extra shine.  (2 coats)

Fallen Angle

Fallen Angle is a vibrant royal blue jelly, this a-cute polish features holographic blue triangles, sliver holo hexes, and blue hex glitters with micro sparkles. (3 coats)

Flake Dance

Flake Dance is sliver holographic snowflakes among a scattering of smaller silver holographic glitters.  Use over your favorite cream color for an instant wintery manicure.  1 dabbed on Coat Recommended, Glitter Placement may be needed. (2 coats over base)

Mauve On Over

Mauve On Over is a pale mauve creally base sets off a explosion of colored hexes in orange, navy and aqua. (3 coats)

Merry Pinkmas

Merry Pinkmas is a light cotton candy pink polish featuring red, green and neon glitters in a variety of shapes. (3 coats).

Spot Sign

Spot Sign is a black leopard spot shaped glitters are accented by black dots, small black hexes and micro holographic sparkle.  1 dabbed on Coat Recommended, Glitter Placement may be needed. (2 coats over base)

Too Cold to Hold

Too Cold to Hold is a rich sapphire blue base is filled with holographic sliver, blue, and green holographic glitters for a bejeweled textured look. (2 coats)

Turnip the Beet

Turnip the Beet is a rich sangria colored base accents holographic glitters in magenta, purple and red making this a super sparkly textured polish. (2 coats)

Colors: Keep in mind I only have 8 of the 17 shades offered, so check out other blogs for all of them. What I like about the colors I have and the collection as a whole is the variation. I say this every single time with KBShimmer. There is something for everyone, and this collection isn't a literal translation of Christmas, which I love.  I love the mix of festive shades, blingy shades, and unconventional shades for the season. There are colors and finishes for every taste.

Formula: I'm going to be break down these polishes in the section because there are some notable things I'd like to mention on a few. 

Dressed to Gild, Too Cold to Hold, and Turnip the Beet- All 3 of these are very easy to use and opaque 2 coat polishes. These are chunkier and thickier polishes, but apply easily. I would caution you to not go beyond 2 coats (you won't need to anyway), because they will get way too thick on the nail. 

Fallen Angle, Merry Pinkmas, and Mauve on Over- All great formulas here. They are easy to apply, and I used 3 coats for each of these. 

*Note the polishes I discuss below in their description say glitter placement and dabbing maybe needed/recommended. This is an expected result from both, but below I'm further describing my experience based on my skill level that may help direct your purchasing decision. 

Spot Sign- This one was a teensy bit out of my comfort zone, but I came up with a good result. Keep in mind, I'm a casual polisher. I'm not someone who is comfortable dabbing and placing glitters on my nail. Dabbing here is a must, but was doable. I didn't have problems getting the leopard spot glitters out at all, but placing them was a bit of challenge for me personally. Not a deal breaker here at all, but figured I'd mention it for those of you who may have similar challenges. That being said, this beats out trying to figure out how to paint them on your nail! 

Flake Dance- I did struggle with this one. This is a beautiful glitter, but for review purposes I was trying to get the snowflake glitters out to show. This one required dabbing as well, and fishing the snowflakes out. I did have trouble getting the snowflakes out, and my dabbing ending up being really heavy handed and messy. I'm to blame here with my lack of dabbing skill. I don't see other bloggers who reviewed this having the same issue as me. However, if you're not someone comfortable with dabbing glitters, you may find this one challenging. I do really like this one though, but I don't *need* to have the snowflakes, so I'll just paint this one on the nail from now on. 

Price: These will be $8.75 each and available to purchase on the KBShimmer website on Sat. 11/1. The polish Pine-ing for You will have $4 donated to Toys for Tots for each sale. The cuticle oil pens will be $6.00 each and the nail vinyl sheet will be $5.00.

Overall: Beautiful collection of polishes for the holiday season. I love the variation of colors and finishes. These are all very well made and meet my expectations for KBShimmer as always. Spot Sign is a must if you're like me and nail art challenged!

Chai Tea and Raspberry Vanilla Cuticle Oil Pens

These are both great scents and oils. Chai Tea is very a nice spicy and warm scent. Raspberry Vanilla is a fruity and sugar scent. These are both very hydrating and so easy to use. 

KBShimmer Winter Offers:

-Free Shipping For All Orders over $40 on KBShimmer.com No code needed.  Runs from 11/01-12/31

-Free With a $70+ Purchase, Holly Back Girl, a white Christmas crelly polish with red and green glitters.  Use code HBGFREE to receive free polish and free shipping with $70+ purchase. Runs from 11/01-12/31

-Free samples!  While supplies last, we will be sending out a sample in each order.  Samples may include scrubs, lotions, vinyl nail decals, soaps, etc.  Orders will also include a branded emery board.

-Free Snowman Glitter!  The first 400 orders will receive a bag of 1000 snowmen glitters perfect for winter nail art.

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Paint Splatters

Happy Monday! 

HPB Oct. Halloween Mani Link-Up

I have a new monthly feature on my blog brought to buy the Hobby Polish Bloggers. Hobby Polish Bloggers is a group I manage on Facebook, for non-professional and "just for fun" nail bloggers. Our group exists as a place for feedback, support, and to get to know fellow bloggers.

We recently decided we will have a monthly feature on our blogs. We will switch between a themed mani and a group question pertaining to nails/blogging month to month. This month is a themed mani, being October why not a Halloween mani! I have mine below. Check out the other bloggers linked below with their Halloween manis too.

Manicure Description: I did a double accent mani. I used Milani Purple Gleam for my thumb, index, and pink finger. I then used Cult Nails Nevermore topped with China Glaze Rest in Pieces on my middle and ring finger.

An InLinkz Link-up

Revlon Confident

I have another one of the nail colors from the Revlon Boho Chic Gucci Westman collection to show you today. I reviewed the color Artsy a few weeks ago. This is a limited edition collection for fall/winter. The fact that winter is tagged in there makes me think this collection should hang around some stores for a little bit.

Confident

Confident is a bright red jelly base with red hex and bar glitters.

Color: This is a bright in your face cherry popping red. I'm red girl. I love red polish, and if you want a in your face red, this is it. I can't say this my favorite shade of red as I find it a little too warm-toned for my taste, but it is a nice color.

Formula: The formula on this was A LOT better than on Artsy. I think this is the case because there is more a of balance between the base color and the glitter. That being said, the formula wasn't a win either. It can be a bit tricky, but it was so much easier to apply than Artsy. I used 3 coats here.

Price: I paid around $5-$6 for this at CVS.

Overall: This is beautiful blingy red polish. It is different from red glitters and jelly red glitters I own, so it stands out as original. I can't say it's a huge hit for me though. I would of preferred a more cooler shade of red, and the formula was just OK. Nice polish, can't really knock it, just not all I would of wanted it to be.

My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Paint Splatters

Happy Friday!

Throwback Thursday: OPI Every Month is Oktoberfest

I have another all time favorite nail polish to share with you for Throwback Thursday. I'm pretty sure it's safe to say this one would probably be on many people's all time favorite lists! Does this OPI even really need an introduction?

Every Month is Oktoberfest 

 Every Month is Oktoberfest is a blackened red-toned purple base with a magical shimmer.

Collection: OPI Germany Fall 2012

Color: This color is to die for. The richness of this base with this glowing and fiery shimmer light within it is stunning. Gorgeous.

Formula: Nice 2 coat formula.

Price: This can be found easily online in the $7-$9.50 range.

Overall: Definite must have polish for everyone. This is stunner 2 years later, and I still love it just the same.

My Rating: 5 out of 5 Paint Splatters

Happy Thursday!

Way-Cool Mani Wednesday: Autumn Sea

One color family and I guess finish family(?) I gravitate towards in fall are steely metallic grays. I love colors like this because they really can match with anything you wear. I realize that I do try to at least coordinate my nails to my clothing. I don't match them nor am I too particular, but I like to make sure the colors go together or at least compliment each other. That's why neutral colors are great they go with everything!

What are even better are neutral colors with some pizzazz, and that's what I had with this mani. I'm calling this mani "Autumn Sea" because the colors remind me of the ocean, but fall in line with more fall and winter tones.

Polishes Used: Pacifica Abalone and OPI My Voice is a Little Norse

The more I look at this mani the more I fall in love with it. I typically don't do repeat manis, but I think I'll be wearing this one again soon!

Happy Wednesday!

Silly Bee's Chickadees Glitter For Good Duo

*The following products were received in exchange for an honest review.

I have a beautiful nail polish duo the share with you today by Silly Bee's Chickadees. Silly Bee's Chickadees has come up with an excellent quarterly campaign called Glitter for Good. Every quarter Silly Bee's Chickadees will choose a different organization to benefit from Glitter for Good.

This quarter the organization is Tumaini Children's Village. Tumaini Children's Village is an orphanage in Nairobi, Kenya. Melissa, the founder of Silly Bee's Chickadees found out about it through a sorority sister whose daughter, Grace , volunteers there. Every bottle sold of this quarterly collection, $1 will be donated to Tumaini Children's Village.

This collection has 2 polishes which can be purchased in full sized bottles for $10 each or a trio set that includes 2 minis of the polishes and a mini bottle of gold caviar beads. These will all be available November 1st.

On to the polishes! After my review I'll posting more information on Glitter for Good and Tumaini Children's Village.

Grace, Faith & Hope

Grace, Faith, & Hope is a dark blue violet matte polish with gold shimmer.

Glitter for Good over Grace, Faith, & Hope

Glitter for Good is a clear top coat with yellow gold flakes.

Color: These are beautiful colors. I love the shade of purple in Grace, Faith, & Hope. I also adore cool-toned colors paired with warm metals. I absolutely adore the gold shimmer added, and the golden flakes in Glitter for Good are beautiful too.

Formula: Excellent formula on each of these. They were very easy to apply and I did not have any issues. I used 2 coats of Grace, Faith, & Hope and 1 coat over the base of Glitter for Good.

Price: Full size bottles will be $10 each. The mini trio set I mentioned above will be $15. These will be available November 1st on Silly Bee's Chickadees etsy shop.

Overall: Beautiful mini collection here. These are standout colors and very well made. The icing on the cake though is Silly Bee's Chickadees absolute charitable and giving nature. I admire not only for her beautiful polishes but generous heart. It means a lot to me when others donate money or time to charitable causes.

My Rating: 5 out of 5 Paint Splatters

**************

ABOUT GLITTER FOR GOOD

Glitter for Good is the driving force behind Silly Bee's Chickadees. I believe that everyone, regardless of race, creed, gender or sexual orientation deserves to sparkle and it is my hope that we will inspire others to do just that. 

Silly Bee's Chickadees pledges to donate a portion of all sales to organizations with a special focus on empowering and improving the lives of women, children and youth.

Since its inception, Silly Bee's has supported several worthy organizations including Ronald McDonald House, Cancer Research Institute, Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, SPCA of Central Florida, Vested Interest in K9s, and most recently Free Hill Primary and Infant School in Jamaica.

Each quarter, a different organization will be selected to benefit from Glitter for Good. There may also be limited edition polishes which will benefit special events.

As always, Silly Bee's Chickadees will continue to create the highest quality product while striving to bring joy to its customers.

I hope you will support us as we launch this new initiative and vision.

Glitter for Good. Because everyone deserves to sparkle.

Thank you for your support,
Melissa

**************

ABOUT TUMAINI

The 2014 Glitter for Good nonprofit: Tumaini Children’s Village

Through the rest of 2014, $1 from every bottle sold will go directly to support the good work of Tumaini.

Tumaini, which means "hope" in Swahili, provides just that for children who may otherwise be living on the street and turning to crime and drug abuse to survive. The home is a safe environment where children can grow and learn to become productive members of society.

Founded in 2010, Tumaini is located in Soy, northwest of Nairobi, Kenya’s capital. Currently, the orphanage is home to approximately 70 children, ages 6 to 13 in six houses, each watched over by houseparents.

I learned about Tumaini through my sorority sister, whose teenage daughter volunteers there during the summer. I am continuously inspired by young people who serve to make our world a better place. Grace is one of those amazing, selfless young people.

Of her experiences, Grace says, "I love helping out at the orphanage in Kenya and it makes me realize how blessed I really am and to never take anything for granted. These kids are so well behaved and so appreciative of what they have been given and I am lucky enough to get the chance to meet them. I see the smiles on these faces and I know they are in the right place and are grateful for what little they have."

Thank you, Grace, for being an awesome human and sharing your love of children with us!

Glitter for Good and Tumaini Children's Village.
Because every child deserves to sparkle.

Happy Monday! 

Pacifcia Unicorn Horn

I have a polish from a new brand to share with you today. The brand is Pacifica. Pacficia isn't a new brand at all, but the nail polish is. I love the Pacficia band. I have many of their body butters and spray fragrances. My favorites are California Star Jasmine and Malibu Lemon Blossom in case your curious. Pacifcia is known for being 100% vegan and cruelty free. They recently released a line of nail polish that is 7-Free which means it has no phthalates, toluene, xylene, parabens, camphor, formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, and animals. This is one of the colors I picked up.

Unicorn Horn over OPI My Dogsled is a Hybrid

Unicorn Horn is a sheer opalescent pink shimmer.

Color: This is a sheer shimmer topper. I know these are not really popular in nail polish world these days, but this is a beautiful polish. The shimmer is in this is perfect, it's not too subtle where you can barely see it, nor is it overwhelming where it ruins your base color.

Formula: This was a very nice and easy to use formula. I used 2 coats over a base.

Price: I paid $9.00 for this on the Pacifica website.

Overall: Beautiful shimmer topper. This is the type of polish that has endless combinations and can look different dependent on what you layer it over. I love the contrasting color of shimmer I used with OPI My Dogsled is a Hybrid, but you can create more subtle looks with light complimentary colors or even more dramatic with dark colors. I'm liking Unicorn Horn!

My Rating: 5 out of 5 Paint Splatters

Happy Friday!

Throwback Thursday: Essie Smooth Sailing

I have one of my favorite polishes of all time to share with you today for Throwback Thursday. You heard right, favorite of all time. This Essie polish would easily go on top 10 list easily from all nail polishes I own even though it's 3 years old. I would have a heard time picking others on this top 10 list, but this definitely has a reserved spot.

Smooth Sailing

 Smooth Sailing is a cornflower blue shimmer.

Collection: Essie Braziliant Summer 2011

Color: This shade of blue is what sells me on this polish. I love this soft muted cornflower color. I find this color to be very flattering, and it looks great on a variety of skin tones. The shimmer in this takes this polish from being great to being perfect.

Formula: This formula on this is great. I used 2 coats above.

Price: You can find this on various e-tailers in the $5-$8.50 range.

Overall: This is a staple polish in my collection. It never goes out of style for me, and I continue to love it as much as I did 3 years ago. This is a must have in my book, and I think everyone would be happy to own Smooth Sailing.

My Rating: 5 out of 5 Paint Splatters

Happy Thursday!