Friday, May 30, 2014

Aly's Dream Polish Review and Swatches!

**Press Sample**

Hello everyone and Happy Friday! Today I have some pretty awesome polishes to show you, and best of all, they are ALL holos! I haven't posted very many holographic polishes here on the blog so I am very excited about today's post.

I'm going to be showing you three polishes from Aly's Dream Polish. This is a new indie brand to me, I discovered their instagram a few months ago and kept scrolling through all the spectacular polishes! 95% of the polishes that are carried in the shop are holo, which I love me some but I could never capture the true holo. These ones will blow your mind, so grab your coffee and let's get going!



First up, we have TiffanyTea. Exactly as the name says, is a Tiffany blue polish loaded with holographic pigment. I recommend enlarging each photo to see the full effect.



TiffanyTea is nothing but a breeze to work with. I applied two easy buttery coats over Glisten and Glow Stuck on Blu!, no topcoat added!



Isn't she dreamy? Ha-ha catch that one? No really, this was even more beautiful in person. With two coats you can see a bit of VNL but that doesn't bother me, and my nails are longer. If you don't like you can add a third coat and it would be perfection!





The next polish I have for you is, 8. Sky Blue. Most of the polish in the store is numbered so it is much easier to find, especially when your looking for a specific polish.



This is the perfect blue polish. It actually reminds me a lot of Layla Holographic in Ocean Rush. Hmmm comparison possibly?



Again, this was another easy to work with holo. Two easy coats applied over Glisten and Glow Stuck on Blu!, no topcoat.





Last, but not least is the pack of the punch of the group. Holy Holo Sweet Polish, this is 71. Sweet Orange. You. Guys. I almost died when this popped out of my mail packet. This is the polish I've been wanting my whole life. This. Exact. One!



Sweet Orange in the bottle almost, almost, looks neon. Then when you get it on it's this beautiful burnt orange color and it is so beautiful. The holographic pigment in this is JUST right and gives that gorgeous base color to really pop.



This one, again, two easy coats applied over Glisten and Glow Stuck On Blu! no topcoat added.



What do you think of Aly's Dream Polish? Aren't they beautiful? You can find these and MANY more at their store here and you can stay informed at their facebook page here.


Until Next Time!
-Sammi


**Polishes in this post were provided to me for my honest review. All opinions are my own.**

Saturday, May 24, 2014

Elysian Lacquer Midsummer Night's Dream Collection Swatches and Review!

**Press Sample**

Good Morning and Happy Saturday my loves! I hope you all have a joyful weekend spread with lots of cheer!




Today I am going to be showing you a brand new indie called Elysian Lacquer created by the sweetest girl, Lauren. I'm so excited to show you this today because everything about her brand, and this collection is nothing but creative.



First up, is Pretty Soul. This is much like a hot coral crelly with loads of shimmer throught out it. The shimmer in person is so ridiculously beautiful, and the color equally matches.


The real stunner in this one is when you hit it at a certain angle, it's got a golden sheen, to me it's like the perfect sunset. It's so gorgeous and this one I didn't want to take off. I'm a huge coral nut and this really hit the spot.


This is two coats topped with seche vite. In the photo's you can see some VNL but in person it's less visible.



Next up, we have Appearing Daylight. This is a matte yellow again, loaded with shimmer, which you can't really tell when it's matte. Just wait a few moments...



BAM beautiful shimmer. I am so in love with this one, and I didn't think I would. I topped this with one coat of Seche Vite.



This is three coats with no topcoat shown. It is a little streaky so you need to be careful with application.


Next up, we have Queen of the Amazons. A beautiful bright orange creme. This one also really surprised me. It is a little brighter on the nail than in the bottle and I love the color outcome.


I had a little trouble getting this one color accurate because it was so bright my camera wonked it a bit. The photo on top is the most color accurate. This is two coats followed by Seche Vite.


Next, we have Night with No Moon. Just look at it, how beautiful is this? It's not really metallic but not really a frost either, it has that perfect combination of being absolutely stunning.


Please excuse my middle finger, the topcoat kind of messed it up:( Let's just embrace this stunner. Originally I thought there would be a slight shift on the nail like in the bottle but there isn't. It still does not bother me, I'm not a huge blue fan but I could definitely see myself wearing this a lot over the summer.



This is three coats of Night with No Moon topped with Seche Vite.



Next up, we have Forest Fairy. WOW. I'm so impressed with this color. Again, not really a frost, but not a metallic either. The perfect blend of.. well.. perfection. This screams grass green to me in which I think goes great with the name.


This one I had a hard time getting to "even out" so you can see a few brush strokes. This isn't something that bothers me unless its a true metallic or frost, which this is not. The color that shoots off of this one when it hits the light is incredible.


This is three coats of Forest Fairy topped with, you guessed it, Seche Vite.

Last, but finally not least we have Misapplied Magic. This is a beautiful shredded gold glitter topper that you do not want to miss out on. I've swatched it over each color so you can see how it transforms them.








What do you think of this collection? I love everything about it. I love that for a first collection Lauren added a creme, a frost/metallic, a shimmer, and a glitter. She didn't go all out and create a ton of glitter bombs to throw into the world. This is a pure perfect collection.

The formula on each of these polishes was also OUTSTANDING! I was so impressed with the formula.

Overall? I think that you need this collection. It will be available June 1st but she is going to start a preorder TOMORROW! They will be $9 a bottle. May 25th on her shop which you can find here. You can also follow her on instagram for giveaway and sales as well @elysianlacquer

Will you be purchasing any? The whole collection? Let me know which ones you loved!


Until Next Time!
-Sammi


*Products in this post were provided to me for my honest review. All opinions are my own.*

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Daring Digits Life 2.0 Collection Review and Swatches!

**Press Sample**

WOW! Long time no talk. I sincerely apologize for this, a lot has been going on around here. Some of you may know that I was in the hospital for quit a while because of pneumonia. PNEUMONIA! Who gets that, in the spring, in Arizona? Of course it would be me. Then my kids have been sick on and off and it's just been a whirlwind of things.

I owe Ashley, the creator behind Daring Digits a huge apology for not having these up sooner. *gets on one knee* Ashley, please forgive me, I give you my undying love. No, in all reality, I love Ashley and she has become a great friend of mine over the past year even during her own rough times. Most of you know last year Ashley decided that she needed to retire Daring Digits due to some things in her life that she needed to take care of. She has been through so much and I applaud her for keeping her head held high, and the best part, the return of Daring Digits, which in turns brings us to Life 2.0.



First, I'll be showing you Clarity. Ashley's description is " It's a shimmer/clear base with blue/purple highlights. It has iridescent glitters matte clear and white glitters in many different sizes. It dried Matte/Semi Matte. It's a play on words polish. It's supposed to represent the clarity I gained by getting a divorce and putting that part of my life behind me, but as the polish represents...that clarity isn't all that clear...lots of unanswered questions, and things are still a little foggy. " 



Clarity is so beautiful in person, the rainbow of colors that dance around with each little movement you make. The iridescent glitters will change differently depending on the color base coat you use, and you could even wear it on it's own.



I layered one coat of Clarity over OPI- Vant to Bite Your Neck which is a deep wine color. I love the way this turned out and this is definitely one of my favorites from the collection. I followed it with a coat of Seche Vite.



Next up, is The Sum. Ashley's description is "A light grey crelly base with a TON of neon glitter in it. best layered over itself.. 2 maybe 3 coats and several coats of a good topcoat since it has so much glitter in it!  I have been going through a lot of counseling, and group ACA meetings (Adult Children of Alcoholic and Dysfunctional Families) When I was in an ACA meeting one Sunday I had this epiphany...that I was The Sum of all my decisions....and I am happy with who I am today, so I have no regrets about the decisions I have made to get me here." 




This polish is absolutely outstanding. I love the neon glitters surrounded by the grey base. Ashley did perfect, like seeing color through gloomy days. 




The formula was spectacular, two easy coats followed by a coat of Seche Vite. Ashley, you blew me away with this one my dear!




Next, we have Lollipop. Ashley describes this as "A white Crelly polish with Matte and Neon Glitters also it has some dots and little silver squares. Layered over itself or white looks best! This one I named after my Baby Girl. My Boxer who died a couple days after I moved out of my ex's house. She was a rescue. She had been heavily abused when she was a puppy. She was so afraid to eat that I had to feed her by hand for a while after I got her. She was my girl! I loved her sooooo much. Her name was lollipop, so this polish is dedicated to her, she was so sweet. Sweet as a lollipop :)"




The meaning of this polish runs deep in my heart. I won't get into detail but I have a love for my angel baby Raina, and dedicating something to her special fur baby is incredible.



This is two easy coats, the formula was GREAT. Followed by Seche Vite.



Next, Insomnia. Ashley describes this one as "This is a thermal polish. The color change is muted. Grey to black, it's got a purple shimmer and black and iridescent glitters in it.  Insomnia is my newest foe. I have slept in the same bed, with the same person, for 8 years. So being in a new place is unfamiliar to me sometimes. I woke up every night for a month confused. Didn't know where I was. It's getting better now, but I still have a hard time staying asleep for a whole night. Sometimes I even feel better when I don't sleep....it's very odd...but it's part of my life now...I wanted to make this a thermal to represent the restlessness of my insomnia, how it shifts and changes....and how sleep is somehow always out of reach."




The thermal in this is very subtle and it was quit hard for me to catch the correct shift, but when I got it, boy is it beautiful. On the picture above if you look at my pointer and middle finger you can see the darker shift. Of the whole collection, this is my favorite. The thermal, the iridescent glitters, the black glitters. Oh my oh my. 




For this swatch I did use three coats plus a coat of Seche Vite. Just look at that glitter! UGH! Beautiful!



Last, but not least, is A New U. Described as "This is a heavy dark purple cream with a light holo effect in the base (very mild). It has fine glitter and larger glitter. 2 coats should be plenty for good coverage. Because of the combo of small and large glitter 2 coats of Seche or another heavy topcoat will be needed to smooth this baby out. There is one reason I made this polish. I like purple nail polish. I have more purples than any other color (in my personal collection)...it's a reminder to myself really...although i am a "new me" it's still ok to like the things I did when I was married. Part of that person is still me, and I can still be that person. For the longest time I felt guilty liking the things I used to like when I was married. I just felt like I HAD to have an all new life...but I realize now it's ok to still like what made me...me!"




This is my kind of jam. I love purple as well, and the different variations of glitter make this polish so much different than any other indie I own. I love the almost, duochrome purple/blue glitters that peak through here and there. 



For this I did one coat of A New U over Illamasqua Baptiste, followed by one coat of Seche Vite.

My overall thoughts? This collection is one of the best collections I think could have been created. Ashley put her heart and thought into each and every shade and that shows truly just how much she missed making polish. I relate to Ashley in so many ways, this last year has been so rough on me and the boys and many times I've wanted to just, give up. But here I am, truckin on and to be around for this was even better. Thank you Ashley, for letting me share this part of your life with my readers. I know many of you will be able to relate to one of these polishes in one way or another as well.

You can purchase any Daring Digits Polish at her shop here, follow her on Facebook here and also follow her on instagram @daringdigits. Each polish retails for $9.00 except for Insomnia which is $9.50 because it is a thermal.

What do you think of the new Daring Digits? Do you love them as much as I do? Please show tons of love to Ashley as she ventures her journey back into the polish world and I can't wait to see what's next!

Until Next Time!
-Sammi

*Polishes in this post were provided to me for my honest review. All opinions are my own*