NYX Sweet Sin

Today, I have an NYX polish to share with you. NYX polishes are sold on their website or their retail stores only which is unfortunate because they really make some great polishes. I wish they were more readily available!

Sweet Sin

Sweet Sin is a purple-gray mauve with a bronze shimmer.

Collection: NYX Core

Color: Yes! I love this color. This is an awesome neutral purple paired with a gorgeous fiery bronze shimmer. I love this color combination. I don't see colors like this often I appreciate NYX having it in their line up.

Formula: This had a nice a smooth formula. I used 2 coats above.

Price: This is $5 on the NYX website or in a NYX store.

Overall: Excellent polish. I adore this color and that bronze shimmer. The formula was great and the price was awesome too. I just wish they sold NYX polishes in other stores.

My Rating: 5 out of 5 *Golden* Paint Splatters

Happy Tuesday!

Nails Inc. Sparkle Like A Unicorn Duo

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

Nails Inc. recently kindly sent me their new Sparkle Like a Unicorn Duo to review. The whole "unicorn" theme has been very on trend lately. I'm surprised it wasn't a trend before because the nail polish community has been unicorn-ing it up for the past few years! This duo features two sparkly, .magical, and unicorn-riffic shades.

Rainbow Wishes

Rainbow Wishes is a soft lavender base with a strong blue shimmer flash.

Dream Dust

Dream Dust is a soft pink with a fiery golden foil finish.

Collection: Sparkle Like a Unicorn

Colors: These colors are great and fit the unicorn theme. I love the lit-from-within glow in Rainbow Wishes. The shimmer in there is strong and lights up on your nails. Dream Wishes is an amazing foil. You know I love foil polishes and I don't see them done in nail polish in recent years. It looks like liquid metal on your nails. Both of these shades are stunning!

Formula: These both had excellent formulas. I used 2 coats for each. They were opaque and applied smoothly and easily.

Price: This duo is $15.00 and can be purchased at Nails Inc. or Sephora. That's typically the price for one Nails Inc. polish. You get them both for $15.00. That's a steal!

Overall: You need this duo. They're gorgeous shades and beautifully made. The formulas were great and you can't beat that $15.00 price!

My Rating: 5 out of 5 *Golden* Paint Splatters

Happy Tuesday!

KBShimmer Polish Con NYC Exclusives

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

Today, I have the two KBShimmer Polish Exclusives to share with you. Polish Con NYC is next Saturday, April 29th. The only way you can get your hands on these polishes is if you attend Polish Con! If you're not going and want these see if you can find someone who is going who will purchase these for you!

Grand Prospect Holo

Grand Prospect Holo is a truly unique multichrome that we blended with several different pigments to shift from a teal green, to aqua blue, to purple and sometimes even navy.  This spectrum of color is accented by a scattering of holo glitters, similar to our mega flame finish. (3 coats)

We Make Your Dreams Come Blue

We Make Your Dreams Come Blue is an icy blue jelly polish.  We loaded the jelly base with holographic micro flakes and shimmer.  These flakes glow in the light, while turquoise shimmer pops through the flakes for a glowy aqua polish, in other lights, you can almost catch a periwinkle or sky blue color.

Collection: KBShimmer Polish Con NYC 2017 Exclusives

Colors: As you can see from the color descriptions these are very complex colors. There isn't anything plain jane about these two. I love the mulitchrome shift in Grand Prospect Holo and all of those holo sparkly bits really give it a great multi-faceted look. We Make Your Dreams Come blue is a gorgeous lit from within in blue and it glows on the nail.

Formula: These all had a nice formula. I think the glitter bits in both of these keep it from being a perfect formula as they're not the most smooth polishes to apply. That being said, I didn't find them unmanageable. I used 2 coats for We Make Your Dreams Come Blue and 3 coats for Grand Prospect Holo.

Overall: I think these are some unique and multi-layered polishes. I love the colors for each one and the shimmer and multi-chrome effects. They're definitely some of the most embellished polishes I own. The formulas are good, but they're not the best formulas. I think considering what type of colors you're getting it's not really a drawback. I hope if you're going to Polish Con NYC you can get your hands on these!

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Paint Splatters

Happy Tuesday!

Nails Inc. The Mindful Manicure Collection

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

Nails Inc. contacted me recently and asked if I would be interested in reviewing their new The Mindful Manicure collection. I was intrigued by this collection so I took them up on their offer. This Mindful Manicure collection is a set of 5 nail polishes that are infused with real gemstones. According to Nails Inc....

"This polish is inspired by gemstones, which are said to intensify a person’s aura, helping to clarify thoughts, channel energy, and heal. It’s a beautiful, on-trend nail polish with a feel good message. This polish is inspired by gemstones, which are said to intensify a person’s aura, helping to clarify thoughts, channel energy, and heal. It’s a beautiful, on-trend nail polish with a feel good message."

Now, I think these polish enhancing your aura and improving your mood is a bit of a stretch here. I'm not buying into that. I'm not a big believer in things like especially when you put it into nail polish form. I am really intrigued that these are infused with real gemstones and I love the soft and airy feel of these colors so I see where they go the idea for this theme.

Good Vibes (infused with clear quartz)
Wear for aura enhancing
*worn over a nude creme

Good Vibes is a clear top coat filled with rainbow iridescent flakes and glitters.

Better Together (infused with rose quartz)
Wear for friendship and love

Better Together is a pale pink with a silvery shimmer with a blue flash.

Future's Bright (infused with citrine)
Wear for happiness and heart shielding

Future's Bright is a pale peach with a glowing gold/pink shimmer.


And Breathe (infused with tourmaline)
Wear for stress relief and positive energy

And Breathe is a coppery pink frost with sparse iridescent glitter.

Balancing Act (infused with moonstone)
Wear for balance and wisdom
*worn over nude creme

Balancing Act is a pearlescent top coat filled with glowing pink/purple shifting shimmer.

Collection: Nails Inc. The Mindful Manicure 2017

Colors: These colors are soft and airy. I think these colors work for the collection theme. My favorite colors here are Future's Bright and both of the top coats. I think the top coats in this collection are real winners here. They're so versatile and high quality. The only color I'm not really enthused about is And Breathe it's really too frosty and the added glitter doesn't help it much.

Formula: These all had excellent and smooth formulas. I was afraid that Better Together, Future's Bright, and And Breathe would be sheer but they were not. They only needed two coats and the top coats I only needed one coat over a base.

Price: Each of these colors is $15.00 each. You can purchase them either from the Nails Inc. website or Sephora.

Overall: I think this is a nice collection. I love the softness of the shades and the infused gemstones. I don't think this is a collection that will appeal to some nail addicts because they're not as exciting as some indie colors. I would really recommend the top coats. I really think they're beautiful and the highlight of this collection. The price is a bit steep for my tastes on these, but this is a higher end brand of polish.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 Paint Splatters

Happy Tuesday!

a-england Whispering Waves

It's become easy to tell if I'm not really excited about a polish because it sits in my swatch folder for ages. It's usually the polishes that are good just not overly interesting or polishes that didn't really wow me like I had expected. This was the case for this a-england polish which is really unfortunate because this brand always exceeds my expectations. I should say that it's really not a faulty polish. The finish of it just didn't turn out to be a favorite of mine.

Whispering Waves

Whispering Waves is a vibrant aqua polish with subtle prismatic shimmer and a duochrome flash that shifts from blue to pink.

Color: The color isn't the issue here. I love this bright and vibrant aqua I also really love the subtle duochrome and holo. I think the issue here is there a little too much going on. The addition of the shimmer is just a bit heavy handed for my taste so it does end up getting this more frosty and metallic look than I'd prefer.

Formula: The formula was nice and easy to use. I used 2 coats above.

Price: This can be purchased from Color4Nails for $11.

Overall: This isn't a bad polish by any means. The shimmer is just too intense for my liking and I don't feel it was really needed. I really wanted to love this one more as it was a part of my wishlist for awhile but I ended up a bit disappointed in it. Formula wise and everything else is great, so if you like this color you won't be disappointed!

My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Paint Splatters

Happy Thursday!

KBShimmer Nauti by Nature Spring 2017 (6 of 12)

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

I have a few of the colors from the new KBShimmer Nauti by Nature collection for Spring 2017. This collection is truly topical. It was inspired by Christy's trips to the Bahamas. These colors are bold and vibrant. I appreciate that in a spring collection because I've been over the typical spring pastels ages ago. Spring can be bold too! This collection has KBShimmer's perfect mix of holos, shimmers, glitters. This collection along with a new Caribbeans inspired seasonal mani shot called Knotty Girl will be released this Saturday, March 18th on the KBShimmer website.


Latitude Adjustment 

Latitude Adjustment is a periwinkle holographic. (2 coats)

Show Me The Mahi

Show Me The Mahi is a deep aqua blue jelly polish is loaded with scale inspired holo glitters in lime and teal, and color shifting iridescent glitters that morph from golden greens to vibrant red orange colors. (3 coats)

Tropic Like It's Hot

Tropic Like It's Hot is a turquoise blue water holographic. (2 coats)

Macaw Me Maybe

Macaw Me Maybe is a scarlet red holographic. (2 coats)

Saved By The Shell

Saved By The Shell is a soft, sandy peach color is accented by a coppery pink shimmer. (2 coats)

The Girl Is Tiki

The Girl Is Tiki is a rusty coral holographic. (2 coats)

Collection: KBShimmer Nauti By Nature Spring 2017

Colors: I love these vibrant colors. All of these colors are rich and saturated. I really enjoy this take on a spring collection and it's a nice change to have a pop a color. The holographics in this collection are so bright and crisp. You cannot go wrong with holo and this is the most holos in a collection I remember seeing from KBShimmer. I like!

Formula: Most all of these colors had smooth and easy to use formulas. They applied opaques and cleanly in 2 coats. The only trickier one was Show Me The Mahi being it is a jelly glitter. It is thicker but manageable. I recommend waiting a few minutes between each coat so you don't drag the polish from previous coats.

Price: These will be $9.25 on the KBShimmer website and will be available for purchase on Saturday 3/18. Be sure to check out the other colors on there I didn't review!

Overall: I really enjoyed this collection. I love the theming and the use of holo. It's punchy and tropical collection that really catches my eye for this season. I'm thankful for the bright and fun take on a spring collection, not the expected pastels. My favorites from this lot are Latitude Adjustment and This Girl is Tiki. The latter is definitely a unique color to me!

My Rating: 5 out of 5 Paint Splatters

Happy Thursday!

The Color Box: Blue + Giveaway

* I received the following in exchange for my honest review

As I announced a little while back I was one of the bloggers selected to participate in The Color Box this quarter. This box was founded by Manna from Manna's Manis, Jen from xoxo, Jen, Amanda from Amanda Loves Polish, and Julie from Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer. This box is a collaborative effort between 5 bloggers and 5 brands to create polishes based on a color theme. The theme for this round was blue! I was really excited to be asked to join in this collaboration because I love blue! I got to work with the talented and sweet Julie from Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer. This blue box excellent. There are a variety of shades of blue and different finishes.

This box is pre-order only between 3/10-3/17. There will be 20 boxes to purchase at the upcoming Indie Shop in Atlanta on 3/11. After the pre-order boxes have been shipped some makers will make these polishes available individually on their website.

Let's get started!  Stay tuned for a giveaway at the end!

Niagara Sunrise 
Imperfectly Painted + Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer

Niagara Sunrise is a faded denim with copper fine and medium shimmers and gold microflakies.

Color Inspiration: I really wanted to honor the spring season with a color from Pantone 2017's Color Report, so I chose the serene blue Niagara from the lineup.  I came up with the collage above for Julie. She did a spectacular job capturing the inspiration. You know I love copper and gold paired with blue. The shimmer contrasts beautifully while still maintaining the dusty softness of the blue base color.
Formula: This had a very nice and easy to use formula. The formula was a touch on the thicker side, but it applied easily and opaquely in 2 coats. This does dry to a satin finish, so I recommend adding top coat!

Manna's Mystical Masterpiece
Manna's Manis + Tonic Polish

Manna's Mystical Masterpiece a cobalt blue duochrome that shifts to purple with a fine linear holographic finish.

Formula: This had a easy to use formula. It was sheerer on the first coat, but built up to opacity in 3 coats for me.

Texas Treasures
Polish Galore + Supermoon Lacquer

Texas Treasures is a dark navy with holo copper microglitter, metallic copper microglitter, spectraflair and holo clear microglitter.

Formula: This had a very smooth and easy to use formula. It applied perfectly in 2 coats.

Sakura Skies
xoxo, Jen + Baroness X

Sakura Skies is a sky blue base with pink to peach to gold shifting glass fleck/shimmer with a dusting of holo pigment.

Formula: This also had a nice formula. It was a thicker formula but applied easily in 2 coats.

Blue A Fuse
Bruised Up Dollie + BLUSH Lacquers

Blue A Fuse is a deep blue base with blue micro flakies, holo flakies, holo and a hint of black shreds. Great formula and such a shimmery, sparkly shade! I wore two coats with topcoat.

Formula: This had a sheerer formula but built up nicely in 2 coats. The black shreds can move around a bit when painting your nail, but I didn't find this to be a major issue.

The Color Box will be released for preorder 3/10-3/17 on The Color Box site. The cost will be $45 + shipping and this can be shipped internationally. Don't forget 20 boxes will be sold at The Indie Shop Atlanta this Saturday, 3/11! For more information and updates be sure to join The Color Box group on Facebook and follow The Color Box on Instagram!

***GIVEAWAY***

One Color Box will be given away to one of you! This giveaway is sponsored by the brands involved in this Color Box.

Rules:
1. Open internationally.
2. NO giveaway accounts, spam, or empty accounts. Winning entries will be checked and those will be disqualified.
3. You must be 18 years or older.
4. You will have 48 hours to respond to email to claim your prize. After 48 hours another winner will be chosen.
5. The Color Box hold no responsibility once the package has been dropped off at the post office.
6. The only required entry is your email address, all others will then be unlocked and are optional.
7. If you are already following someone, be sure to still put your info. That's basically a free entry!
8. Giveaway runs from March 5th until 11:59 pm EDT March 10th.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Happy Monday!