HPB Presents: April Showers Manicure Link-Up

It's time for another monthly Hobby Polish Bloggers link-up post. This month's theme was "April Showers".

"Drip, drip, drop, little April showers....."

Since I'm pretty much incompetent when it comes to nail art I decided to do a little abstract interpretation of the theme.

 I did a glitter gradient using Essie Bikini So Teeny as a base and Essie Stroke of Brilliance as the glitter. I then topped it off with Essie Shine of the Times for a little rainbow effect. My thinking was that the glitter represented the "showers" and the flakies where the rainbow after the rain. That works in my head! I had fun with this theme and I really love my result!

For your entertainment...


Check out my fellow HPB friends manis below!

An InLinkz Link-up

Essie Summit of Style

I have one of the new Essie Luxeffects released for the holiday season to share with you today. I haven't been all too enthused with drugstore offerings lately. In fact, I'm downright depressed. I do not see really any notable holiday nail polish collections at all. I did spot some holiday Essie polishes though. I must say Essie's holiday offerings don't really read holiday to me, but this glitter stood out.

Summit of Style over OPI Steady As She Rose

 Summit of Style is a mix of bronze glitters in a clear base.

Color: What made this stand out to me was the color. I have plenty of gold and silver glitter toppers. I even have copper glitter toppers, but bronze? Nope! This is new to me glitter topper color. I like it!

Formula: Excellent formula. I used 2 coats above. The glitter apply easily and evenly.

Price: I paid $8.50 for this at Walgreens.

Overall: Beautiful bronze glitter topper. No, this isn't the most spectacular creation in nail polish as far as innovation, but it's good. The color is different from other glitter toppers out there, and the formula is really nice. I like Summit of Style a lot.

My Rating: 5 out of 5 Paint Splatters

Happy Tuesday!

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!

Way-Cool Mani Wednesday: Summer Before Spring

I was having an epic mani fail day this past Sunday. I put on probably 5 or 6 colors, and was unsatisfied with everything. I was putting on a lot of medium purples. I then put on a purple holo, thinking a holo would do me wrong. Nope, wasn't thrilled. I decided to go in the opposite direction, and go for something blindly bright and some what obnoxious. That did the trick, and I found my mani for the week.

Polishes Used: Jesse's Girl Carolina Beach, Julie G Cabana Boy, and Essie Shine of the Times.

I think I may of been in a polish rut. I was painting my nails similar colors a lot lately and all in medium tones. This bright neon coral brought me out of the funk, and maybe into summer before spring even has begun. Oh well! This mani makes me happy, and ready to break out the more fun colors again!

Happy Wednesday!

Essie Peak of Chic

I was really excited when I saw the Essie Encrusted Treasures line released. I will say with the exception of Bulguaria (oy vey, sorry I don't care for it), I really liked this entire collection. One of the colors that stood out to me was Peak of Chic. I've never been a fan of bar glitter, but I'm finding I like small bar glitter. I love how Peak of Chic looked like snow in a bottle, so I had to get it.

This polish took some testing to find a right base for it. You could layer this on your own, but it won't fully cover. I can't stand even the slightest mico sliver of my nail showing through a glitter polish. I found a great base to pair it with which I think really highlights this polish.

Peak of Chic over Zoya Trixie

Now, I'll show you my previous attempt using a different base color.

Peak of Chic over Essie Parka Perfect

Peak of Chic is a mix of matte white and silver holographic bar glitters in a clear base.

See the difference? I feel like over a plain creme the cool snowy textured look is lost. It's certainly not bad, but it's not as striking. The metallic silver base really brought out the best in Peak of Chic. This base gave Peak of Chic that snowy/icicle effect.

Color: The color combination is pretty self explanatory here. The white and silver are pretty combo, but I think ti's the bar glitter, the mix of matte, and shiny holo, that give this polish its greatness.

Formula: This isn't the easiest of formulas. The bar glitters do somewhat clump together and want to hang off your nail. I used 2 coats in both swatches above. I was able to make it work without too much effort though. Not a deal breaker.

Price: I paid $8.50 for Peak of Chic. I've seen this available at drugstores and Target.

Overall: I love the effect I got with this over the silver base. I think it looks awesome, however, this one of those polishes where the base can make or break you. This isn't one I think you can just layer on anything and it would look good. I'm betting this would look pretty cool over holographic shades and other metallics though. I personally love it even if it's somewhat of a one-trick pony.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 Paint Splatters

Happy Thursday!

Essie Sparkle on Top

"Well, it was pretty in the bottle."

We've all been there, sorely disappointed by a beautiful nail polish in the bottle, that looks entirely lackluster on the nail. This is a sad situation, and a common one. This the story of Essie Sparkle on Top.

Sparkle On Top looked like some China Glaze Snow Gobe-esque  icy iridescent rainbow fantasy in the bottle, but it's all just a bottle of sorry and sad lies.

Sparkle on Top over Essie No More Film

Sparkle on Top is a mix of blue-green iridescent flakes in a clear base.

Color: Lies. Lies. Lies. This isn't some strong iridescent pretty multi-dimensional flakie situation. No, this is a sorry and sad flakie situation. These flakies/flakes have a faint blue-green shift, but mainly just look completely transparent on the nail. This looks so much better in the bottle.

Formula: The formula is fine. The flakes spread evenly and easily on the nail.

Price: I paid $8.50 for this CVS.

Overall: This is not worth your money. There are much better iridescent glitters and flakies out there that you will be happier with. I recommend China Glaze Snow Globe, China Glaze Make A Spectacle, China Glaze Luxe and Lush, or Essie Shine of the Times. Sparkle on Top is a Whompasaurus Rex.

My Rating: 1.5 out of 5 Paint Splatters

Happy Monday!

Essie Parka Perfect

I have a lovely polish from the Essie Winter collection to share with you today. I think this is a great year round color, but it definitely fits for winter!

Parka Perfect

Parka Perfect is a soft sea blue with a subtle white shimmer.

Color: Beautiful creamy soft blue. I love colors like this, they really work well with anything you'd wear. The shimmer though is non-existent to me in person, I can barely see it in the photo too. 

Formula: This would of 100% been a must have from me if it weren't for this formula. I found the formula tricky to apply, and did not self level very well. I've had this issue with Essie's in the past, and I'm disappointed that this one was like this too. 

Price: I paid $8.50 for this at CVS. 

Overall: Lovely shade of blue that is soft and flattering. The formula is the stinker here and really ruins it for me. 

My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Paint Splatters

Happy Monday! 

Essie On a Silver Platter

Who else is going to see The Hobbit this afternoon? Wee!

I have another one of those stunners from the Essie Encrusted Treasures collection. This is the sister/cousin/whatever relative to Hors D'oeuvres with that awesome sparkly-glitter-gasm of pure ecstasy finish I fail at describing.

On a Silver Platter

On A Silver Platter is a white golden silver shimmer base with blue glitters mixed in.

Color: We have the exact same thing going here as we did with Hors D'oeuvres, the only difference is instead of silver glitter we have blue. Awesome. Blue and gold is my favorite color combination and that's definitely represented here.

Formula: Good formula. Like I mentioned with the last one like this, I recommend only wearing 2-3 coats of this on its own. The sparkle is so reflective you won't see your nail underneath. The 2-3 coats will limit the base from overpowering the glitter which will happen if add more coats.

Price: I paid $8.50 for this at Target.

Overall: Beautiful! This is another stunner and must have in my book. Even though Hors D'oeuvres is similar, I think they're both beautiful in their own right.

My Rating: 5 out of 5 Paint Splatters

Happy Friday!

Essie Hors D'oeuvres

I have another one of the polishes from the Essie Encrusted Treasures that stunned me today. I really can't get over this finish in nail polish. I'm not sure what you call it, but I've seen in the Sephora X line, Maybelline Color Show Brocade collection, a-england, and now Essie. The finish is like this shimmer-glitter-gasm of pure ecstasy. Yes, I will describe nail polish with sexual terms.

Hor D'oeuvres (please don't make me try to spell that again)

Hors D'oeurves (crap I had to spell that again) is a multi-faceted shimmering white golden silvery base with silver glitters.

Color: I seriously can't describe this finish, it is beyond my the skills of my nail polish brain to understand. I can say it's magnificent. The shimmer and sparkle in this is dazzling, blingy, and glitzy. The silver tones pair nicely with the gold in the shimmer. This is just an epic nail polish creation.

Formula: I used 3 coats above. Yes, in the photo you can kind of see my nail underneath, but it's not this way in person at all. This polish is so shiny and reflective all you see is sparkle happiness. This is an odd recommendation, but I do not recommend using more than 3 coats. The shimmer will start to overwhelm the glitter and it does ruin the look. 2-3 coats only!

Price: I got this for $8.50 at Target.

Overall: Insanely stunning. Must have. Go get this!

My Rating: 5 out of 5 Paint Splatters

Happy Friday!

Essie Lots of Lux

When I first heard about the Essie Encrusted Treasures collection, I was intrigued. Some of the polishes scared me, and some flat out stunned me. I couldn't resist this next one because, it's blue and sparkly. That's a good enough reason...right?

Lots of Lux

Essie Lots of Lux is a textured royal blue glitter.

Color: This is one of those polishes that looks better on the nail than in the bottle. This looks awesome in the bottle though, and even better on the nail. The blue is rich and saturated, and it has little tiny specs of gold on there too, that make it really pop.

Formula: Awesome formula here. You could probably get away with one coat if you wanted, but I went with two for good measure. I will warn you though, good luck making this one shiny. This eats top coat in milliseconds. I tried to take pics of it with top coat, but it completely ate my top coat before I could get a photo!

Price: I got this for $8.50 at CVS.

Overall: Great royal blue textured glitter polish. The color is rich and the formula is great. I do wish I could of tried it with top coat, but it probably would of taken 3-4 coats!

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Paint Splatters

Happy Monday! 

Way-Cool Mani Wednesday: Shimmering Mermaid

*Today is the last day to enter my Cult Nails All Access giveaway! 

I think this might be one of my all time fave way-cool manis for Wednesdays so far. I love this color combination. You know, the one I always talk about? Blues and greens paired with warm metals like gold and copper. Heavenly combo!!! I can't get enough. I'm calling these shimmering mermaid nails because I can.

Psssst! Nail polish companies and indies please make more blues, aquas, and greens with gold shimmers or glitters. Please, please, please, please, please!!!!

Polishes Used: 

KBShimmer Teal Another Tail, OCC Copperhead, and Essie Penny Talk.

Manicure Description: Painted all nails excluded ring finger with KBShimmer Teal Another Tail and did an accent nail of Essie Penny Talk with OCC Copperhead layered on top.

Easy peasy, but super gorgeous! I am in love!

Happy Wednesday!

Essie Naughty Nautical

One of my favorite colors in general are of the teal/aqua/turquoise variety. I say color that reminds me of the ocean color in tropical places is going to be my favorite. What's interesting though, is while this is one of my favorite colors I don't always like how it translates on my nail. I guess you could say I'm very picky about my teals! This next polish is a teal from the Essie Summer 2013 collection. It's a pretty teal, but it's not my favorite teal either.

Naughty Nautical

 

Naughty Nautical is a medium teal with a subtle shimmer.

Color: I like this shade of teal, I think it's right on the verge of not working for me though. This has a bit more green in it than blue, and if it were to go a hint more green, I'm not sure it would work. This is just me though and my observation. The shimmer in this is very very subtle. It is barely noticeable up close, and non-existent at a distance. This also doesn't feel entirely original.

Formula: The formula on this was good. I used 3 coats, you could away with 2 if you used thicker coats.

Price: I paid $8 for this one at Target.

Overall: There is nothing wrong with this one. I do like it, but I'm not overly excited about it. My only assumption as to why I feel this way is I guess I was hoping for something a little more unique?  There are lots of teals out there in this same shade range. Milani Fresh Teal and Sally Hansen Mint Sprint both come to mind. I think they could of pushed it with the shimmer and this could of been more special.

My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Paint Splatters

Happy Tuesday!

My Mint Birthday Mani in Honor of Talia

*Lengthy post ahead*

It's my birthday today! Woo hoo! I turn 27 today, and while I'm happy it's my birthday, I think the older you get the less eventful birthdays become. Birthdays are a little more exciting when you're little, now it's just another day, but a day I choose to spoil myself rotten. Nevermind, it's kind of exciting!

Today is also the day many bloggers and I have chosen to post mint manis in honor of Talia Castellano. Talia was a 13 year old girl and beauty Youtuber who bravely fought cancer for 6 years of her life. Sadly, we lost Talia this past Tuesday, but she certainly impacted many of our lives.

I want to talk about what Talia has meant to me in my life. 2013 has been a very difficult year for me. Earlier this year, I faced the scariest moment of my life. Since then, things have been tough for me emotionally. My anxiety, depression, and emotions have been on high. I have found it difficult to live outside of my head and truly enjoy the moment.

This is where Talia comes in. I discovered Talia's videos in early March and I watched her segment on the Ellen DeGeneres Show. I immediately became inspired by Talia. Talia had faced unimaginable challenges at her age, yet she remained positive, energetic, and full of an absolute love for life and every moment. Talia became a tangible reminder to me to stop and smell the roses. Talia helped me to realize just because bad things may happen in life it doesn't mean your life stops. I couldn't allow negativity and fear to take away the joy I could experience.

What I also love about Talia is she was able to express herself , connect with others, and fulfill herself through her passion with makeup. There is so much more to beauty bloggers/youtbers than what we swatch or what we review. Our passion goes deeper because it allows us the platform to connect and share a part of ourselves with the world. The things we share with the world can potentially help, encourage, and inspire others. That is exactly what Talia did for me, and I know she touched many of us in the same way as well.

This is the mint mani I've done for my birthday in honor of Talia.

I started with Essie Mint Candy Apple and topped that off with Krafty Gurl Totally Neon and China Glaze Make A Spectacle. I wanted to make it lively because it is my birthday, and Talia was fun-spirited and full of life!

 

I think this is very fitting mani. It's a great start to 27 with Talia as my reminder to start living and enjoying my life. Talia's life, while unfairly cut short, was certainly not wasted. She positively touched my life in ways I will always be grateful for. Thank you Talia.

To see other bloggers sporting mint manis for Talia or want to add your blog to the list check out below!


Happy Friday!

Essie The Girls Are Out

This next polish is from Essie's Summer 2013 collection. The more I look at the name of this polish the more I start to feel like an idiot. I first thought this was just like a cute little the girls are out. You know, like a bunch of girls going out of for a girls night? Now, I think they're referring to you know the "girls" are out. Geez, girl cover up! I never get simple concepts.

The Girls Are Out

The Girls Are Out is a fuchsia jelly-like polish with silver micro glass-fleck shimmer.

Color: This is a great universally flattering color. This is the type of color that you really cannot go wrong with. The base color is certainly not the most out there color, but it really is a great classic nail polish shade. The glass fleck shimmer adds a nice touch that makes it unique and hip.

Formula: I wouldn't call this a full on jelly, but it has jelly-like qualities. This formula was easy to use and apply.

Price: I paid around $8 for this at Target.

Overall: I like this polish. I really do. I know it's not a standout color, but it's really a great color for summer, and the glass-fleck shimmer is something I have not really seen Essie do before. I love how they've paired it with this bright and flattering shade.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 Paint Splatters

Happy Tuesday!

Essie Come Here

I have to say Essie is probably my favorite brand right now. I don't think Essie has ever been my favorite brand, but lately they are knocking it out of the park with their collections. I am loving all of the great colors colors they're releasing! This next color is form the Resort 2013 collection.

Come Here

Come Here is a bright coral-red creme.

Color: Gorgeous pigmented bright shade coral red! I love colors like this! I wouldn't call this neon, but it is very close to one. I think this color is great, but I'm sure there are colors similar to this out there. I am very happy to have this though.

Formula: This was easy to use. I did not have any problems with application. I used 2 coats for the swatch above. I'd say the formula is pretty standard, it was good, not bad in the slightest, but not the best formula in the world either.

Price: I paid $8 for this one at Walgreens. $8 is starting to become pretty average nail polish price, so I'm ok with it. I wouldn't be sad if Essie's were $5 or $6 though!

Overall: Beautiful bright and lively color. I really enjoy this polish personally. If you're fan of bright warm shades I'd recommend this if you don't have something like it already.

My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Paint Splatters

Happy Friday! 

Essie Braziliant

One of my favorite things about meeting up with other nail polish bloggers is our swaps. There are so many swap boxes I go through, see a polish, and think "OMG Why would someone not want this one?!?!". I know many of the girls in our blog group have said the same about some of the polishes I wanted to do away with. It's funny to see how my "trash" (ok not really trash, but you get the point), is someone else's treasure and vice versa. I found this Essie beauty in a swap box, and I couldn't believe someone would not want this! That's ok though, it found a good home!

Essie Braziliant

Braziliant is a bright orange-cral with a subtle pink shimmer.

This polish came out in the Essie Braziliant summer collection in 2011. This was the same collection one of my hands down favorite of all time polishes, Smooth Sailing came out in. I've always had my eye on this one, but never got around to purchasing it. I was glad I found it at the swap. This gorgeous color. Braziliant is bright without being a neon, and it has a creative edge with the pink shimmer. The formula was nice and easy to work with. This is definitely a cheerful and fun shade for spring and summer. No complaints here!

Happy Friday!

Essie Maximillian Strasse-her

I'm sure many of you are familiar with Pantone and their fashion color reports. If not, be sure to check out their color picks for Spring 2013. Emerald was chosen as the color of the year. I think Emerald is a great choice, but I must admit it's not my favorite color of the bunch. The color that stood out to me most was Grayed Jade. I love this cool, soft, and muted gray green shade. I knew then that my next mission would to be find a nail polish just like that. Thanks to Essie's Spring 2013 collection I found it!

Essie Maximillian Strasse-her

Maximillian Strasse-her is a cool soft gray green creme.

That is what I'm talking about! This is a gorgeous color and is definitely similar to grayed jade. This applied easily and nicely. I can't get enough of how great this color is. I have nothing else to say, this is polish perfection for spring. I'm very happy with this one! I'd call this one a must have.

I purchased this at Ulta for $8.00. I also saw this at Walgreens, and I'm sure many places online are selling to too.

What is your favorite Pantone Spring 2013 color? Answer in the poll below! Check out the colors here. 

Happy Wednesday!

Essie Stroke of Brilliance

I must thank Klout and Essie for helping my nail stash grow. I think I've had around 4 Essie Klout perks in the past few months. That's 4 Essie polishes for free. Woo hoo! This next polish is new addition to their LuxeEffects line.

Stroke of Brilliance over OPI I Have a Herring Problem

Stroke of Brilliance is a mixture varying sizes of steel blue hex glitters in a clear base.

This is an unusual glitter color. You do not see gray-blue metallic glitters often. I really love it, and I hope they add more colors to this line. The formula on this was great. It was easy to apply, and you won't be fishing for any glitters. I approve!

Happy Monday!

Essie Mojito Madness

As many of you have know, the color green and I have become good friends this year. I used to avoid green at all costs. What's funny is I really haven't told you why.

Storytime.....

When I first started getting into nail polish I got this color called Milani Green Glow (I suggest you google it). I believe I got this in January 2009. I painted my nails with this, and went to one of my classes. The girl sitting next me to kept staring at my nails and said "Eww, why would you paint your nails green?!? That was it I was done with green."

That is why I avoided green for so long. Sad isn't it? Truth is Milani Green Glow was an atrocious color on me, but still I avoided a whole color family based on some snotty girl's comments. Don't do this ladies. Don't listen to nay-sayers and icky people. They suck.

I warmed up to green in the past year, and to answer that mean girl's question from 3 years ago..I wear green nail polish because it's cool, different, and I like to. So there! On that note, I have a cool Essie green for you today.

Mojito Madness

Mojito Madness is a medium mint green creme.

This is part of the Bikini So Teeny collection. I actually got this in a Klout Perk. I was really hoping I'd get this color because it was the one I really wanted. I got it! It's not too light and it's not to dark. It's just right. The formula on this was easy to use too. I love this green. It's a different shade of green I'm used to seeing in nail polish, and based one what I'm seeing on blogs it looks like this color would flatter most skin tones .

Be confident with the polish you wear!

Happy Wednesday!