KBShimmer Summer 2015 Collection Part 2: Crellies

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Hey guys! I know it's been forever since I last posted on here - but don't worry, I won't be disappearing any time soon. I've been really active on Instagram lately and just haven't had the time to sit down and write blog posts. Anyway, today I finally have part two of the KBShimmer Summer 2015 collection. I absolutely loved the cremes in this collection, and today I'm showing you guys the classic crellies!

Can I just say that these colors look so awesome in a row like this?! Anyway - this part of the review contains six polishes, including four classic crellies with glitter, one linear holo, and one full coverage shimmer. As is usual for KBShimmer, the formulas were easy to work with and the colors were gorgeous! Let's get started:

Il Etait Un Vernis Vegetal Collection Swatches and Review

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Hi guys! Today I've got the recent spring collection from French brand Il Etait Un Vernis, called the Vegetal Collection. Way back in the beginning of the year, I got to review their winter collection, which was so gorgeous - and this new collection has blown me away!

ALIQUID Lacquer Summer of George Collection Swatches + Review

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Hey guys! I'm very excited to share today's swatches with you - I've got the latest collection from ALIQUID Lacquer, inspired by one of my favorite television shows, Seinfeld! The collection is called the "Summer of George" collection and it consists of six gorgeous shades, including four crellies, one glitter packed jelly, and one glitter topper that can build to full coverage. The creator of this brand, Alison, was kind enough to send over some YouTube clips citing the inspiration of these polish names, so I've linked them with the individual shades below!

NCLA Spring 2015 Collection: An LA Fairytale Swatches + Review

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Hi guys! Well, spring has definitely sprung here in New Jersey, and I am loving the warm weather! Today I'm showing you the latest from NCLA, four spring inspired shades that make up the An L.A. Fairytale Collection. This collection features three delicate glitter top coats and one glitter packed crelly.

Live Love Polish: UNT Love Captain Glitter Polishes

Hi guys! Today I'm reviewing eight glitter polishes from the UNT Love Captain Collection which I got from online retailer Live Love Polish. As you may remember, UNT is a very popular brand in France and Japan. Anyway, the glitter polishes I have to show you today have a variety of different effects, are super unique (and gorgeous!), and I think you guys will really like them.

Like I said, there are eight glitters in the Love Captain Collection - four glitter toppers, one full coverage glitter, and three glitter packed crellies. The formulas on all of these were great, and I love the wide, flat brush for easy application. Depending on what you layer these polishes over, I think they could be great for any time of year! Let's start with my favorite:

Lost in Paradise is a stunning full coverage glitter in a bright blue jelly base, packed with holographic sparkle. I absolutely love this one! It reminds me a lot of OPI Get Your Number from their first textured collection a few years ago, but I found that the formula on this was easier to use. It was pretty thin, but fully opaque in two coats (probably three if you have longer nails!), and it dried to a lightly textured finish. I topped it with top coat because I just loved how sparkly it looked in the bottle! Shown above is two easy coats and top coat.

Next we have Fearless, a glitter topper featuring medium blue metallic hexes, small metallic red hexes, and silver holographic microglitters and bar glitters. I'm not usually a big fan of bar glitters, but I actually really liked this topper! I think the variety of glitters is nice, and the color scheme is a bit patriotic - I would love to rock this during the summer months. No fishing or dabbing was required for this glitter, I just painted it on like any other polish! I paired one coat over Color Club Factory Girl, plus top coat.

Mint to Be is a glitter topper featuring pale turquoise satin glitters and a light scattering of bright aqua satin glitters, all packed with light turquoise microglitters. What a pretty, delicate polish! This glitter almost looks mermaid-y to me, and I think the glitters transform over whatever base you choose, since they are so light. Again, no fishing or dabbing required for this glitter. Shown above is one coat over 100% Pure Seafoam, plus top coat.

Sand Castle is a glitter topper featuring metallic pink and matte white hex glitters in various sizes. This is such a beautiful topper, and depending on how you wear it, I think it would look perfect for any season! Over a pale color, it's the perfect winter topper - but over something bright, you can wear this all summer long. It's slightly reminiscent of OPI Let's Do Anything We Want!, but I think this glitter is more wearable because it doesn't have the large square glitters. It does dry to a rough finish, but top coat can easily fix that. Shown above is one easy coat over Essie I Pink I Can with top coat.

Silver Lining is a glitter topper that's packed with bar glitters in silver, pink, and white. I think this is the first time I have ever used a full bar glitter topper - as I mentioned, I'm not a huge fan of bar glitters, but I can totally see how people like these! It almost looks feathered on the nails, and the bars are short enough to lay nice and flat on the nail without poking out. I may like these bar glitters after all! No fishing or dabbing required, as with all of these glitters. Shown above is one easy coat over Essie Urban Jungle, plus top coat.

Onto the crellies! Treasure Trail is a light brown crelly packed with matte black hexes in various sizes for a speckled effect. I totally missed out on the speckled trend when it was big, but I absolutely love this effect! This color almost reminds me of cookie dough. Shown above is three easy coats - although I definitely could have gotten away with two - plus top coat.

Next we have Thrilled to Bits, a chartreuse green crelly packed with matte black hexes in various sizes for a speckled effect. Again, I think this effect is so cool! Personally, I don't think this shade of yellow/green flatters my skin tone as a full manicure, but I think it would make for a cool accent nail to spice up a plain black mani! Shown above is three easy coats plus top coat.

And last but definitely not least, we have Risk Taker, a bright purple crelly packed with matte black hexes in various sizes for a speckled effect. This is my favorite speckled crelly of the bunch because I just love that shade of purple - it looks like an awesome bird egg! Shown above is three easy coats plus top coat.

I really am liking UNT as a brand - they have great formulas and their colors are generally so unique and exciting! You can purchase these polishes from Live Love Polish for $8 USD each - but you can get an extra 10% your entire order off with the code INEEDMORENAILPOLISH!

What do you think of these glitters? Which is your favorite?

These polishes were provided for my honest review.

Fall Vintage Floral Nail Art

Happy Thanksgiving, followers! Today I have a fun fall-toned floral nail art look to show you. I absolutely love colors like this in the fall - and especially in November, since they remind me of all the falling leaves :) I thought they would be perfect to pair together with some simple little roses!

I started this look with OPI You're So Vain-illa, and then I painted on irregular blobs with Essie Dress to Kilt, Essie Roarrrrange, and Essie Fierce, No Fear. I painted little leaves using Essie Fall in Line, and then I outlined my roses with Essie Partner in Crime. I topped everything off with matte top coat for a muted look.

I'm absolutely in love with how these turned out and I couldn't be happier with them. They almost remind me of wallpaper! I can see myself doing this style of floral nail art in a ton of different color schemes.

All of these polishes are from HB Beauty Bar - I reviewed them here (Essie Fall 2014), here (Essie Summer 2014) and here (OPI Coca-Cola Collection). Don't forget to use the code POLISHCHALLENGE at checkout for 15% off your entire order!

On a side note, I just want to express how thankful I am for all of you readers. When I started this blog a few years ago, I never imagined that my passion for nail polish and art would bring so many wonderful people to me! I appreciate every single comment, like, and share on my blog and social media pages. And I LOVE interacting with you guys. It really is a blessing- so thank you for making this holiday special for me!

What do you think of this fun and simple nail art look?

These polishes were provided for my honest review.

LVX Fall 2014 Collection Swatches and Review

Hey guys, I've got another amazing new-to-me brand to show you today - a high end salon brand called LVX! They're vegan, cruelty-free, and 5-free, and their gorgeous creme polishes are inspired by high fashion runway looks so you'll always have access to the latest trends. The collection I'm showing you today is the Fall 2014 Collection, and it consists of six gorgeous creamy polishes that are perfect to rock this season and into winter.

As you can see, these colors are all pretty classic, and I think they can all be worn year round! The formula these was incredibly smooth and self levelling, and the overcap easily pops off so you can paint your nails with the regular bottle cap brush. Let's take an individual look:

Macaroon is a gorgeous light peachy beige creme. As it's so light and sheer, I figured this polish would be patchy and thick, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that it applied smoothly and left an even coat with each brush stroke! This is the perfect work-appropriate neutral shade to wear in the fall. Shown above is three thin coats for full opacity, plus top coat.

Espresso is a rich chocolatey brown creme. Another gorgeous staple for fall! The formula was just perfection on this one, and the color is so rich and smooth. Shown above is two easy coats plus top coat.

Cerise is a bold creme that falls somewhere between red and pink. Red is such a classic fall shade, and this is great take on it! In natural light, it has a really hot pink tone, but in artificial light, you can see the reddish tones come out to play. Shown above is two easy coats plus top coat.

Peony is a light, cool-toned pink creme that can be worn any time of year! I especially like cool toned pale colors like this during the winter for a hint of color. And this one is so creamy and feminine! Shown above is two easy coats plus top coat.

Oyster is a perfect gray creme with just a hint of blue undertone. I absolutely love rocking gray nails, and I can always add a color like this to my stash! But what makes this color unique is that it gives you full coverage in just one coat - that's right, you're looking at one coat plus top coat in the photo above! This is a perfect neutral color to wear at work all through winter.

And finally, we have Anthracity, a deep charcoal gray creme with a jelly-like formula. What a gorgeous shade for fall! This color did apply a bit more sheer than the others, but I achieved full opacity in just two coats. If you have longer nails, you might want to throw on a third coat to cover up any visible nail line. Shown above is two easy coats plus top coat.

Overall, I think LVX is another wonderful brand to add to your collection! The colors are rich and classic, and they are spot on with upcoming and current trends. And of course, the formulas are so easy to work with - you definitely don't have to be an expert to paint a perfect manicure with these polishes. My favorites are Macaroon, Peony, and Oyster.

You can purchase LVX polishes online for $16 USD each. International followers can purchase LVX from retailer Live Love Polish, and use the code INEEDMORENAILPOLISH at checkout for 10% off your entire order.

Which of these polishes do you like best?

These polishes were provided for my honest review.

NCLA Runway Collection Swatches and Review

Hi guys, I'm so excited to share with you the recent Runway Collection from NCLA. I've always drooled over the gorgeous creams that NCLA comes out with - I love a good, high quality salon brand - so I am thrilled to be reviewing some for you today.

This collection is just perfect for fall! It consists of three gorgeous creams (that happen to look beautiful together!), all with lovely formulas. I also got to try out NCLA Gloss It! which is a base/top coat - I used it for all the swatches below.

Call My Agent is a gorgeous cherry red cream. What a classic shade of red! And perfect for fall - for some reason, I always want to rock red nail polish in the fall, it feels so chic! Anyway, the formula was wonderful and you're looking at two coats with top coat.

Catwalk Queen is a warm vanilla cream with yellow undertones. I was so excited about this polish, because it's a perfect base for nail art! (I have to do nail art using all three of these colors together, since they match so perfectly!) The formula on this one is a tad thick, but that's not unusual for such a light color. Shown above is two coats plus top coat.

And finally, we have Model Behavior, a rich dark brown cream with purple undertones. This is such a gorgeous color, and even though I've got a fair amount of brown creams now, I have nothing like this one! It looks to me like the color of a Hershey's bar, not quite brown but not quite purple. I love it! Shown above is two coats with top coat.

My first experience with NCLA? Definitely a pleasant one! I was a tiny bit disappointed with the thickness of Catwalk Queen, but like I said, it's not unusual for lighter colors to be thicker. The base/top coat worked really nicely, and it dried pretty quick to leave a glossy shine. And let's not forget how insanely pretty these three colors are!

These polishes can be purchased from NCLA for $16 USD per bottle, and Gloss It! base/top coat is available here for $11 USD. International readers, you can purchase NCLA from retailer Live Love Polish, and use the discount code INEEDMORENAILPOLISH for 10% off your entire order.

Have you ever tried NCLA? What is your experience with them?

These products were provided for my honest review.

Classy Nude Leopard Print Inspired by Reinovate

I have another inspired nail art look to show you today, this time from the incredibly talented Reinovate. Her abstract leopard print manicure looked so beautiful and classic, I just had to copycat it!

I started off with a base of OPI You're So Vain-illa (I love using this for nail art!) and once that was dry, I used a toothpick and black acrylic paint to dot on the leopard print up the side of my nails. It's almost like a sideways French manicure, isn't it?! I topped everything off with top coat, of course.

I can't get over how elegant this looks. Nude nails and leopard print both feel really classy to me, so pairing them together just feels right! I also love this style of thin leopard print outlines, rather than the big chunky spots I used to make.

And can we talk about how cool this maniure looks from the side?!

The OPI is from HB Beauty Bar. It's such a pretty beige color with a great formula - if you don't own it, you need it!

I am really pleased with this manicure and I just love the design that Rei came up with. You can follow her blog and Instagram to see all of her pretty nail designs! (Fun fact: Rei is the one who I first saw doing the famous "blurred polish bottle in the background" photo that I do all the time now!)

Thanks for stopping by!

Cafe Cuccio Fall/Winter 2014 Swatches and Review

It's finally autumn, and today I have some gorgeous seasonally appropriate polishes to show off from a new-to-me brand called Cuccio Colour, from HB Beauty Bar. Their newest line is the Cafe Cuccio collection, a group of eight gorgeous coffee inspired polishes, seven of which I have to review today! I also used Cuccio dehydrator, base coat, and top coat for all of my swatches, so you'll see a recap of that below, as well as their cuticle oil that I have been using for the past couple of weeks.

As I mentioned, these polishes are coffee inspired shades, and I love the neutral color palette for this collection! This was my first ever experience with Cuccio, and I am extremely impressed with their flawless formulas and their wide, flat brushes for easy application. These polishes definitely feel like a high end brand, but they're definitely less expensive! Anyway, let's have a look at them:

Java Va Voom! is a gorgeous warm beige cream with a flawless formula. This polish instantly reminded me of coffee (with lots of cream!) and I love the way it looks on my nails, even though it has a distinct yellow tone that normally doesn't flatter my skin tone. This neutral is perfect for the office! Shown above is two coats with top coat.

Cream & Sugar is a cool medium taupe loaded with iridescent shimmer. This color is also gorgeous, and also perfect for the office! I love how it has the subtle shimmer to really add to the color. As is usual with shimmery polishes, this formula was a bit thicker, so I decided to use three really thin layers plus top coat for opacity without making the polish too thick on my nails.

Cuppa Cuccio is a full coverage gold based glitter bomb with a ton of sparkle (and some silver shimmer as well!) Wow, this color is super bold and I love it! I know it's early to say, but this polish will be perfect for a holiday party or for New Year's. I'm really impressed at how opaque this glitter is, too. Shown above is two coats with top coat.

Bean There Done That! is another full coverage glitter bomb, but this one is packed with holographic gold microglitters! I didn't think this one would be fully opaque, so I layered it over Cream & Sugar, but I was pleasantly surprised with the coverage of this polish. This color is really a party on the nails, and I love all the colors that the holographic glitters show off. Shown above is two coats layered over Cream & Sugar, with top coat.

Coffee, Tea or Me is a beautiful rust colored polish that features silver and copper shimmer, as well as gold microflakes. This color is so complex and I loved it immediately! It definitely reminds me of fall, and the added golden flakes make it so sparkly and beautiful. Shown above is two easy coats with top coat.

Brew Ha Ha is a deep maroon cream with a super glossy shine. What a classic fall color, and with such an amazing formula! I know I'm repeating myself here, but I just loved applying all of these polishes. And this color is just perfect. Shown above is two coats with top coat.

And finally, we have French Pressed for Time, a dark, warm toned brown cream with the same formula as Brew Ha Ha, super glossy and easy to use. I can almost smell the coffee beans just looking at this polish! It applied just slightly darker on the nails than it looked in the bottle, but I love this vampy color! Shown above is two coats plus top coat.

Clearly, I'm loving this collection - but I've got a few other goodies to share. Let's start with their nail prep:

For all the swatches above, I used the Cuccio Dehydrator, Base Coat, and High Gloss Top Coat. This was my first time ever using a dehydrator, and it was actually really nice! Normally, I moisturize before applying my polish, but then I have to wait five or more minutes for the lotion to soak in before I can start painting, but with the dehydrator, I could just paint it onto my moisturized nails and it dried them up nicely! The base coat was great as well, and the polish adhered nicely to it.

But the real star here is the high gloss top coat - wow! I've been looking for a glossy top coat that isn't really thick like Seche Vite, but still dries glossy and even, and I think I've found it. This top coat applied smoothly and leveled itself out beautifully for all my swatches, and it dried super quickly as well. I will deifnitely be using this top coat more often.

Now, I also have been using the Cuccio Milk and Honey Cuticle Conditioning Oil as well -

Some of you may remember that a few weeks ago, I had a bit of a run-in with a cuticle nipper, and it left my cuticles looking ragged and awful. I immediately began using this cuticle oil every night before bed, and before I knew it, my nails were completely back to normal. This stuff is really a miracle, and it smells incredible. It also moisturizes without leaving you feeling especially oily, which I love in a cuticle product. I actually used this oil on my cuticles right before taking photos for every swatch you see above! This has easily become my favorite cuticle product.

This product is also huge - at 2.5 fl oz, it'll last an extremely long time. I love how it comes with a dropper instead of a brush, so you can just drop a dab onto each nail and control the amount you use.

Overall, I think it's safe to say that I loved my first experience with Cuccio, and I can't wait to see what else they come up with. The polishes I reviewed are $8.50 USD each and can be purchased here. The cuticle oil is $13.95 and comes in a variety of different scents (but trust me, you'll love this one!) and can be purchased here. Don't forget, you can use the code POLISHCHALLENGE at HB Beauty Bar for 15% off your entire order!

You can follow Cuccio Colour on Facebook for news and information, and of course you can follow HB Beauty Bar as well for updates and gorgeous nail art features.

What do you think of this brand? Have you ever tried it? Which polish do you like best?

These products were provided for my honest review.

Essie Haute in the Heat Swatches and Review

Hi all, today I've got swatches of the Essie Haute in the Heat Collection from HB Beauty Bar! It's actually supposed to be a summer collection, but I find that all of these colors scream autumn to me.

This collection consists of six creams in a variety of colors (that are totally appropriate for autumn, haha!) Let's look at them individually:

Urban Jungle is a creamy light beige, almost white, with full coverage. This color is just gorgeous and it's got slightly pink undertones, so it matches my skin great! It'd be perfect for nail art, too (in fact, you might remember my Essie striped manicure using this color as a base.) Shown above is three thin coats with top coat.

Would you believe me if I told you this is the first brown polish I've ever owned? Fierce, No Fear is a gorgeous creamy chocolatey brown color, and yes, it is my first! This color definitely reminds me of chocolate, and I'm stunned at how awesome it looks - I never figured that I could rock brown on my nails, but I'm sold! Shown above is three coats with top coat, but it's fully opaque in two (my lightbox isn't very forgiving, so I added a third!)

Next up we have Roarrrrange, a super bright orange cream with a slightly jelly-like feel. (See, aren't these colors very fall-like so far?) Despite the slightly obnoxious name, I think this polish is gorgeous! I could definitely see some nail art with this one. Shown above is three coats and top coat.

Haute in the Heat is a red-leaning pink cream - I found the bottle for this one to be misleading, because it looked pink in the bottle but distinctly red on my nails. Even so, I think it's gorgeous and classic. Shown above is two coats with top coat.

Ruffles & Feathers is a cool toned, slightly dusty green cream. Another beauty! I absolutely love the cool undertones of this polish, and I love how bold it is. Shown above is two coats plus top coat.

Last, but definitely not least, is Strut Your Stuff, a gorgeous sky blue polish. This bright beauty is admittedly totally perfect for summer, and I love it! Shown above is three thin coats (again, this one could have been opaque in two but I added a third) and top coat.

Overall, I love these colors! I found they all had the same formula - smooth, easy to apply, and exceptionally shiny, even without top coat. My top picks are Urban Jungle and Strut Your Stuff.

These polishes are available from HB Beauty Bar for $7.50 USD per bottle, or $44.44 USD for the entire collection. Don't forget to use the code POLISHCHALLENGE at checkout for 15% off your order!

Which colors do you like best?

These products were provided for my honest review.