Glam Polish Knockout Collection Part 2: Swatches and Review

- PROVIDED FOR REVIEW -

Hey guys! Today I'm back with another review from Australia based indie Glam Polish, with their Knockout Collection Part 2. You might remember me reviewing their original Knockout Collection a couple of months ago - I was in love with the strong holographic finishes! And the second part of the collection is just as stunning. Today I'm reviewing five out of the nine polishes - two ultra holos, and three that are packed with chunky holo glitter.

Wedding Wednesday: Pink Gradient Hearts

- PROVIDED FOR REVIEW -

Hey guys, and happy Wedding Wednesday! Today is actually the last Wednesday before my brother and his fiancee get married (!) and I'm still not sure what I'll wear on my nails. I'll have to look back at all my wedding inspired manicures so far to make a decision!

Anyway, today's manicure is a pretty pink stamped look:

SOUFEEL Charm Bracelet Review + Matching Nail Art

- SPONSORED REVIEW. ALL OPINIONS ARE MY OWN. -

Hey guys! I'm really excited about today's blog post because it's a bit different from my usual content. I received a beautiful charm bracelet from SOUFEEL to review, and I decided to do some matching nail art to go with it.

For those of you who do not know, SOUFEEL is an international jewelry brand known for their customizable sterling silver charm bracelets. I had so much fun picking out my favorite charms for my own bracelet, but there are a ton of different styles to suit anyone. Read on to see my picks and get a 5% discount for your own charms!

Wedding Wednesday: Silver Glitter Gradient

- SOME PRODUCTS PROVIDED FO REVIEW -

Hey guys! Wow, I can't believe I almost forgot to post today's Wedding Wednesday look (I spent the entire day thinking it was Tuesday! Haha.) Anyway, last Wednesday I told you guys about my brother and his fiancee and how they inspired my new series - you can refresh your memory by reading the blog post here. Today's look is another somewhat classic bridal manicure - a pinky nude base with glittery silver tips!

NCLA Spring 2015 Collection: An LA Fairytale Swatches + Review

- PROVIDED FOR REVIEW -

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.

Glam Polish Limited Edition Masters of Illusion Collection Swatches

- PROVIDED FOR REVIEW -

Hey everyone! I hope you all had a great holiday weekend - I got to spend some time with my family, which was a lot of fun. Anyway, I've got more new polishes to show you today! This time it's the latest from Glam Polish, who just released a limited edition collection called Masters of Illusion, which consists of nine sparkly polishes with a multichrome effect. I've got four of them to show you:

Femme Fatale Cosmetics April 2015 Collection Swatches + Review

- PROVIDED FOR REVIEW -

Hey everyone! I'm very excited to share today's swatches with you all - it's the latest release from Femme Fatale Cosmetics, and it consists of seven gorgeous polishes inspired by the Brothers Grimm fairytale, Snow White.

a-England The Blessed Damozel Swatch + Nail Art

- PROVIDED FOR REVIEW -

Hello everyone! Today I have a fun new shade to show you from a-England called The Blessed Damozel, as well as some funky nail art. It's been quite a while since I've used a-England polishes, but here's a fun little fact: they were actually the first indie brand I ever purchased, way back in early 2012 when I was just getting into nail art. (In fact, if you go all the way back to my very first post on Instagram, you'll see a photo of the two shades I purchased!)

Anyway, let's take a look at this new shade:

Live Love Polish x Floss Gloss: Cool Toned Swatch Spam

Hey guys! I recently got the opportunity to swatch some gorgeous best-selling shades by Floss Gloss from international nail polish retailer Live Love Polish. I decided to split the review into two posts, one for the cool tones, and one for the warm - and today I've got five gorgeous cool toned polishes to share with you!

Live Love Polish: Color Club Halo Hues 2012 Swatches

Hi all, today I have an older collection to share with you from Color Club - the first Halo Hues Collection was actually released way back in 2012, but the polishes are coveted by the nail polish community. And international retailer Live Love Polish now has these in stock (as well as the 2013 holographic shades, which I will be reviewing soon!) Read on to see my swatches and for a discount code!!

Il Etait Un Vernis: License to Polish Collection Swatches

Hi guys! I'm finally back in the groove of swatching (thankfully my nails grew back pretty quickly!) and I'm very excited about today's review - I've got the latest collection from popular indie Il Etait Un Vernis! This French brand exploded onto the scene with their debut collection, and now they're releasing the gorgeous "License to Polish" collection, which consists of five beautiful shades that you can rock anytime of year.

Let me start off by gushing about the packaging - besides the adorable logo, these polishes came in the cutest little bag, along with a little "License to Polish" button! I am always impressed by companies that take special care and effort in packaging their products, and this brand really wowed me. The formulas on all of these were incredible - most of them were pretty much opaque in just one coat, and application was smooth and easy. Well, let's get started!

Juggling Glass Balls is actually different from the rest of the polishes in this collection in that it's sheer enough to be worn as a glitter topper over another shade. It's a silver holographic microglitter in a clear base, packed with silver flakies. I thought it was just so gorgeous and delicate that I wanted to show it on its own, and I am not disappointed with the result. It's beautiful! Perfect formula. Shown above is three thin coats with top coat.

We Want You For NPA Army is a beautiful warm forest green holographic shade featuring tiny gold flakies. This shade seriously wowed me, and I'm not usually a huge fan of green polishes. I really am in love! The added gold flakies just bring this polish to another level. Shown above is two coats plus top coat, but it was almost opaque in just one.

Drop Dead Gorgeous is a blackened gold holographic polish that looks brown in some lighting, and gold in others. This is another shade that I normally wouldn't reach for, but I practically drooled over this polish! It seriously is drop dead gorgeous. (Am I gushing? I'm totally gushing. I can't help myself!) Shown above is two coats with top coat, but it was opaque in just one.

In Teal We Trust is a stunning rich teal holographic shade with flashes of blue shimmer and flakies. Now this is a color that I was excited for, and I definitely wasn't disappointed! It's so deep and pretty, and definitely a color that I would wear all year. Shown above is two coats and top coat, but again - it's pretty much opaque in just one coat.

And finally, we have Something to Remember, a pale mauve holographic with flashes of bright fuchsia shimmer. This is one of those shades that you could wear in the office, but its so multi-faceted! The fuchsia shimmer has an almost green duochrome effect to it, which totally surprised me when I applied it. I didn't expect this shade to have so much to it! Shown above is two easy coats with top coat.

Overall, I think it's safe to say I'm pretty much in love with these polishes. Everything about them impressed me - from the incredible formulas, to the beautiful colors, to the great packaging! I would pick favorites but I honestly love them all and could see myself wearing every single one all year long.

These polishes are available from Il Etait Un Vernis for €12.90 EUR each, which is currently about $14.95 USD, or €59.90 EUR for the entire collection, which is currently about $69.44 USD. Il Etait Un Vernis is based in France, so international customers might want to read up on their shipping policy.

What do you think of these shades? Do you own any polishes from Il Etait Un Vernis?



*Some products provided for my honest review.

PRODUCTS USED:
Base: Nailtiques Formula 2 Plus, available here
Polishes: (listed above)
Top: KBShimmer Clearly on Top, available here

Cuccio Colour Winter Basics Swatch Spam

Hi guys, today I've got for you some Cuccio Colour swatches from various collections that I got from HB Beauty Bar - you already know I love the Cuccio formula and these colors are not only perfect for winter, but great basics to have in your collection for use in nail art.

Like I said, this is a great bunch of basic colors for any serious nail artist, and I love that Cuccio has the wide, flat brushes for easy application. I used a new Essie top coat for these swatches which I didn't like at ALL, but I didn't realize that it translated onto the photos until after I was finished. (I probably should have used the Cuccio Top Coat, which has an incredible shine.) But I will let you know that the cremes were very glossy on their own! Let's take a look!

A Kiss in Paris is the perfect cherry red creme. Everyone needs a shade like this in their collection, and the one-coat formula is fabulous, unsurprisingly. Shown above is two coats and top coat.

Shock Value is a sheer, shimmery iridescent white that sparkles gold in direct light. This is a great color for an elegant winter affair! Shown above is two easy coats with top coat.

Verona Lace is a basic white creme. Oh man, how do I describe this polish? In the endless search for the perfect white creme, I think I've stumbled across a gem in this brand! The formula is not too thick or too thin, easy application, and perfect coverage in two coats. I've already used this polish as a base for nail art! (You'll see the end result of that soon!) I think I'm in love. Shown above is two easy coats with top coat.

And with a perfect white creme comes a perfect black creme, 2am In Hollywood. This basic black has a great formula and applies very smoothly. Shown above is two coats with top coat.

Glasgow Nights is a near-black green creme - no, this isn't the same polish as 2am In Hollywood, although in dim lighting they almost look the same. I wasn't totally sold on this bottle, although I love this dark wintery color, because the formula was patchy. It dried in a weird spotty pattern on the first coat, and there were tiny little spots of pigment visible - all of this was solved with a thick second coat, though, and as you can see in the photo above, the issues aren't visible anymore! It's worth purchasing if you like the color, in my opinion. Shown above is two coats with top coat.

Hong Kong Harbor is a silver foil. Another great basic to have in your collection, and it's fully opaque in just one coat! For the photo above, I used two coats with top coat.

And finally we have Russian Opulence. It's a great basic gold shimmer, and although personally I wouldn't wear it as a full mani because it's a bit yellow for my skin tone, I think this polish will be great for nail art accents and stamping. As is usual for this type of polish, it applied streaky, so you might want to paint one thick coat for full opacity, and a second thin coat to smooth out the streaks. Shown above is two coats with top coat.

Overall, these are some great key colors for your collection, and you can definitely rock them alone all winter long! Cuccio Colour is available from HB Beauty Bar for $8.50 USD per bottle. Don't forget, you can use the code POLISHCHALLENGE at checkout for an additional 15% off your order!

These polishes were provided for my honest review.

China Glaze Holiday 2014 Twinkled Collection Swatches

I know, I know - we are cutting it a bit close here, but I've got some amazing holiday swatches to share with you of the new China Glaze Twinkled Collection from HB Beauty Bar! Of course, these polishes all have cutesy names to go with the holiday theme, but a lot of them can be worn well beyond the season because they are just so gorgeous and wintery!

This collection consists of 12 polishes in a variety of finishes, including several glitter toppers. The formulas are typical of China Glaze - easy to work with and great with color payoff. There are a couple of polishes in this collection that aren't too unique, but a few keepers that I will definitely be wearing all winter. Let's get into it:

I'd Melt for You is a bright silver chrome finish polish. This is one of the standouts in the collection for me, although the color isn't too unique, because the formula was wonderfully easy to work with - which is rare for a chrome polish! I'm sure this color is great for stamping. Of course, since it does have the chrome finish, brushstrokes will be pretty visible and you'll want to buff out any imperfections on your nail before you apply. Shown above is two coats with top coat.

Tip Your Hat is a classic winter red creme. Formula was pretty much opaque in one coat, but I used two for the swatch above, along with top coat. Nothing too new or original here, but always a nice polish to have in the collection!

Define Good... is a gorgeous dark red shimmer. I am so attracted to colors like this during the colder months, because they have such incredible depth. This one was incredibly opaque as well - shown above is one thick coat with top coat.

Dancing and Prancing is a glitter topper with a rainbow of metallic hexes. The base of this one looked slightly pink, but it's not visible over polish. Definitely a great color for New Year's! Shown is one coat over Define Good... with top coat.

No Peeking! is another gorgeous shimmer, this time in a warm purple shade. This one was also opaque in one coat, but I added a second to even out the slight streakiness. Shown above is two coats with top coat.

Out Like A Light is a dark gray creme. Nothing too original here, but the formula was fabulous, and opaque in one coat. Shown above is one coat with top coat. (Excuse the bumpiness on my ring finger, my top coat was running out and getting a bit bubbly. No fault of this polish though!)

Meet Me Under the Stars is one of my favorites in the collection, a fully opaque black jelly packed with twinkling silver microglitters. This polish reminds me of a recent vacation I took with my boyfriend - we went to Delaware, and one night we just sat in the middle of acres of farmland and stared out into the starry night sky. I had never seen so many stars before - really as sparkly as this polish! It was stunning, and quite humbling. Looking at my nails with this polish made me think of that very special night, so it's a standout shade for me!  Shown above is two easy coats with top coat.

Feeling Twinkly is a bright blue metallic microglitter. This polish would look great layered over a colored base, but I decided to wear it on it's own, and I love the result. Another great winter shade! Shown above is three easy coats with top coat.

Pine-ing For Glitter is a gorgeous glitter topper featuring green metallic hexes in various sizes. I love the shade of green that these glitters are, and I think they look absolutely gorgeous paired with the dark gray. Shown above is one coat over Out Like a Light with top coat.

De-Light is a sparkly glitter topper packed with holographic gold hexes in various sizes, as well as mini holographic bar glitters. I didn't think I would like this shade too much, but I was pleasantly surprised! I could have packed on the glitter more densely, but I love this subtle glitter look. Shown above is one light coat over No Peeking! with top coat.

December to Remember is a gorgeous icy blue packed with pink and gold shimmer. This is definitely a unique color! I absolutely love all the different flashes of color in this shade, and I think it's perfect for winter. It was a tad streaky, though! Shown above is two coats with top coat.

And finally, we have Chillin' With My Snow-mies, a glitter topper packed with white satin hexes in various larger sizes. I love the end result of this glitter, but application was kind of a pain! I placed some glitters, and then applied a regular coat over them, and it ended up being pretty thick because of the thick glitter base. Either way, it's a pretty funky glitter and it could make for some exciting winter nail art. Shown above over Tip Your Hat, with top coat to smooth everything out.

Overall, there are some serious winners in this collection! I actually ended up really liking most, if not all of these shades, and I definitely want to wear them even after the holidays are over. My top picks are I'd Melt For You, Define Good... , Meet Me Under the Stars, and Pine-ing for Glitter.

These polishes are available from HB Beauty Bar for $5.50 USD each, and you can use the discount code POLISHCHALLENGE at checkout for 15% off your entire order!

Did you purchase any of these shades? Which one do you like best?

These polishes were provided for my honest review.

Delush Polish Nue Collection Swatches and Review

Hi guys! Today I have swatches of the brand new Delush Polish Nue Collection to show you! This collection consists of six gorgeous polishes - four metallic shades and two glitter toppers - that are available for purchase starting today.

Here are all the shades The Nue Collection has to offer. These are some great basic staple colors to add to your collection, especially for winter. I found that the metallics applied streaky (as metallic polishes tend to do!), but a careful hand goes a long way for applying a nice, even coat. Let's take a closer look:

Eat Sleep Chic is a bold blue metallic shade. This is such a pretty color! I could always use another rich blue in my collection, and I think the metallic finish gives this color a classy winter vibe. Shown above is three coats plus top coat - it reached full opacity in two coats, but I added a third to even out the streaks.

Next we have Glam Squad, a bright metallic red shade. Another perfect winter color - I imagine this would be perfect to rock at your office holiday party! Plus, a classic shade like this can be worn all year round. I found that this shade was less streaky than the others in the collection. Shown above is two careful coats with top coat.

Trendsetter is a stunning slate blue metallic polish with a slight silver shimmer. I do love that this shade falls somewhere between blue and silver - the end result is so pretty. Shown above is two careful coats with top coat.

In Nude We Trust is a nude metallic polish with slightly pink undertones. Although this color is lovely, I don't think it suits my skin tone! This shade was the streakiest of the bunch - it was practically opaque in one coat though, so the second coat was mostly just to even out the streaks. Shown above is two coats with top coat.

Nue Girl is holographic silver glitter topper packed with hex glitters in various sizes, as well as triangle glitters. I couldn't resist applying this over a silver polish to show off how fun and bright this topper can be - but it would probably look stunning over black as well. I sponged on this topper to maximize glitter payoff, and topped it with two coats of top coat for a smooth finish.

And finally, we have Gilded Diva, the holographic gold sister to Nue Girl. This glitter topper features tons of holographic gold hexes in various sizes. I paired this topper with a gold polish - again, just to see how bright and bold it could be! - and as with the silver, I sponged it on for maximum glitter payoff, again with two coats of top coat.

Overall, I think this collection is a nice set. The colors aren't too wild or bold - they are nice, basic shades to wear in a professional setting (except for those bold glitters, of course!). My top picks are Eat Sleep Chic and Trendsetter.

The Nue Collection is available from Delush Polish for $8.95 USD each, or $48 for the entire collection. Delush is also hosting a few exciting Black Friday promotions:

- Free shipping on all orders over $50 USD (no code required, US only, 11/26-12/31)
- Two free full size polishes on all orders over $60 USD (after all promotional codes have been applied, does not include shipping. Just leave a note with your two color choices in your order, 11/26-12/1)
- The first 50 orders will receive a free bag of snowflake glitters for use in nail art.

What do you think of this collection? Are you going to be polish shopping this weekend? And if so, what brands/polishes are you going to buy? I would love to know!

These polishes were provided for my honest review.

Cirque Colors Ultimate Luxe Gift Set Review

Holiday season is upon us, and what better gift to give than nail polish?! Today I've got this amazing limited edition Ultimate Luxe Gift Set from Cirque Colors to show you, and it's the perfect holiday gift. It even comes wrapped in a little gift box with a bow - the perfect stocking stuffer!

The set comes with two luxurious polishes in silver and gold. This was actually my first experience with New York based indie brand Cirque, and I was already impressed with the beautiful bottles before I even tried them out! And let me tell you, I was not disappointed with the formulas on these. Let's take a look:

Au is the first polish in the duo. It's a 23 karat gold flake top coat that's absolutely stunning! The gold flakes are surprisingly malleable - it's tough to describe, but they almost melt onto your nail when you paint them. This polish feels ridiculously luxurious! It's perfect for an elegant affair. Shown is one coat painted over black, plus top coat.

Here is a close up in the bottle and on the nail. Isn't it amazing that you can paint gold onto your nails?! I love it! Au is valued at $40 USD.

Mirror Mirror is the aptly named pure silver coated flake polish. It's full coverage, and boy does it sparkle! This polish is so reflective, I feel like I can see myself (and my black camera) reflected in my swatch! These flakes have really unique shapes, almost like shards, and they fit together beautifully - not to mention, it's ridiculously easy to apply, which surprises me for a full coverage glitter. Shown above is two easy coats plus top coat.

Here is a closeup in the bottle and on the nail. You see what I mean with these flake/shards? Again, this is a super elegant polish. I can see why this gift set is named "Ultimate Luxe"! Mirror Mirror is valued at $18 USD.

As you can probably see, I am really impressed with my first Cirque experience. The polishes are so luxurious and elegant, and application was incredible for both polishes. Plus, the colors are perfect for the holiday season!

This gift set is available from Cirque Colors for $45 USD, and will only be available for the holidays!  You can also find Cirque brand in-store and internationally - see their stockists here. Make sure you follow Cirque on Facebook for news and information!

Have you ever tried Cirque? What do you think of this gift set?

These polishes were provided for my honest review.