Funky Abstract Nail Art with Cirque Colors + Tutorial

- PRESS SAMPLE -

Hey guys! Today I've got a funky nail art look to share with you. When I got Cirque Hustle in the mail, I knew I wanted to do something wild and abstract to match this funky chartreuse creme. I don't know exactly what I was going for, but I tried an unusual technique to get the finished look:

KBShimmer Pastel Neon Tie Dye Nail Art

- PRESS SAMPLE -

Hey guys! I am so excited about this warm weather - it's inspiring me to do all sorts of summery nail art. When I saw this super bright tie dye look from @lifeisbetterpolished on Instagram, I knew I had to recreate it. And since I have been dying to use my new KBShimmer pastel neon cremes in nail art, I decided to combine the two!

I Scream Nails: New Polishes for 2015

- PROVIDED FOR REVIEW -

Hi guys! I am finally back from Las Vegas and definitely feeling jet lagged - but luckily I have these pretty new shades to share with you from I Scream Nails, an Australian brand I was first introduced to in the beginning of the year with their original collection. I totally loved their adorable bottles and the incredible formulas, and I was so thrilled to try out their four new colors!

KBShimmer Summer 2015 Collection Part 1: Neon Cremes and Glitters

- PRODUCTS PROVIDED FOR REVIEW - 

 

Hey everyone! I hope you are all having a great week. I'm currently on a mini vacation to Las Vegas to celebrate my brother's upcoming wedding, but as promised, I've got some fun nail polish to show you! I'm actually really excited about today's post, because I've been dying to share the new KBShimmer Summer 2015 collection with you guys, and today I've got the first of three parts to show you! The full collection consists of 28 (!!) polishes in a variety of finishes - most notably pastel neon cremes, multichrome flakes, and full coverage silver flakes - and of course, some classic crellies, jellies, and glitter toppers. Today I'll be showing you the 7 cremes and 3 glitter toppers.

Easter Nail Art: Chevron Chicks

- PROVIDED FOR REVIEW -

Hey guys! Hope you are all having a great weekend so far. I have a quick and easy nail art look to show you today for Easter - something I've seen a lot of artists do, but just had to try for myself as well because they are so cute!

Zoya Spring 2015 Collection: Delight Swatches + Review

- PROVIDED FOR REVIEW -

Hello everyone! Today I am sharing swatches of the gorgeous new Spring 2015 shades from Zoya, called the Delight collection. This collection features six gorgeous spring polishes - three classic cremes and three subtle shimmers.

Glam Polish Cast a Spell Part III: The White Witch Collection Swatches and Review

- PROVIDED FOR REVIEW -

Hello guys! I can't believe it's finally the first day of spring - this winter seemed to last forever! But we are expecting a few inches of snow here in New Jersey, so I won't get too excited yet. Anyway, today I have for review five out of the nine latest shades from Glam Polish, their Cast a Spell Part III Collection. If you recall, I was pretty in love with the Cast a Spell Part II shades, and this third installment doesn't disappoint. These super sparkly pastel holos are perfect for spring, and yet they totally tie in to the style of the collection!

Nubar POP Collection Spring 2015 Swatches and Review

- PROVIDED FOR REVIEW -

Hello everyone! I hope you all had a nice weekend. Today I've got more swatches for you, this time from a new-to-me brand called Nubar. I'd heard of them before, but this was my first experience trying them out! A few fun facts about Nubar - they're 5-free and vegan, and their collections come in adorable little carrying cases. The collection I have today is their new Spring 2015 shades, the POP Collection, which consists of eight bright cremes - four warm tones, and four cool tones.

HB Beauty Bar: OPI Spring/Summer 2015 Hawaii Collection Swatches and Review

- PROVIDED FOR REVIEW -

Hi guys! I'm so excited about today's post - I have swatches of the new OPI Spring/Summer 2015 collection, the Hawaii Collection, which is available from HB Beauty Bar. Read on to see my opinions of all 12 shades, and a discount code for your purchase!

(PS: I got bored of my bottle shot preview pics, so I decided to try out this Wondrously Polished inspired collage image - what do you guys think of it?)

As I mentioned, this collection consists of 12 bright shades in a variety of finishes, all with a glorious spring/summer feel - perfect to wear in hopes of warmer weather! It feels like it's been forever since I've swatched OPI shades, and I missed how easy they were to apply, with their incredible formulas and wide brushes. Anyway, keep reading to see individual swatches!

China Glaze Road Trip Collection, Part 2: Destination Unknown

Earlier this week, I showed you guys swatches of the first half of the China Glaze Road Trip Collection, and today I've got the second half to share with you - this set is called Destination Unknown, and it consists of six more bright colors. These ones actually scream summer to me, but you can definitely rock them in the spring too.

Like the last half of the collection, this set of six contains a mix of jelly like finishes, creme finishes, and one shade with a rosegold shimmer. All of the formulas were easy to work with, and they all had a lovely glossy finish. Let's take a closer look:

Neon Rainbow Watermarble Nail Art with I Scream Nails

With several inches of snow on the ground in New Jersey today, a snow day at the office for me, I figured it was the perfect time to do a neon water marble on my nails! I decided to try out the I Scream Nails collection for today's water marble, since the colors look so nice together, and I think it turned out really well.

I Scream Nails: Collection Swatches + Review

I am so excited about today's swatches! I Scream Nails is actually group of nail artists based in Australia, who work not only in salons but also paint nails at various events (they actually do some amazing nail art) - and now, they've got their own line of gorgeous polishes! Today I'm showing you their line of six bright, beautiful shades that come in adorable ice cream cone shaped bottles.

I know, I know - I can't get over how cute these are, either. When I first got these in the mail, I figured they were such an exciting novelty item with the bright colors and the funky shape that the polish inside had to be pretty lame, right? WRONG! I was shocked at how impressive these polishes were! Application was a breeze, and these neons applied like any other high quality creme - not to mention, they were all practically opaque in just one coat. I am finding myself completely obsessed with not only the packaging and adorable bottles, but the colors and the formulas as well. Let's take a closer look:

Bold Dotticure with Glam Polish Hairspray Collection

Hi guys! We interrupt this week of Digit-al Dozen nail art for.. well, more nail art! (I don't know about you guys, but I'm starting to miss swatching! Don't worry though, I've got a ton of swatches to show you guys soon.) The lovely Cristine of Simply Nailogical and I decided to come up with a "bestie twin" manicure using our gorgeous new Glam Polish Hairspray polishes!

And here is what we came up with! To achieve this look, I started with a base of Cuccio 2am in Hollywood, and once that was dry, I dotted on an X with Glam Polish Ladies Choice, Glam Polish Big Blonde & Beautiful, and Glam Polish Hey Mama, randomly on my nails. Then I outlined those dots with more dots, in varying colors! I topped everything off with matte top coat.

The more I do dotticures, the more I'm finding myself liking them! I guess it's true what they say about practice - because I definitely see improvement, although my dots are still not perfect.

I also really loved the look of this nail art with glossy top coat:

With glossy top coat, you get to see all the fun holo shimmer in these gorgeous polishes! (And of course, you can see full swatches here.) I honestly can't decide which way I prefer it - how about you?

I definitely love the contrast between the black creme and the shimmery Glam Polishes (not unlike my recent mermaid dotticure!). I should start mixing finishes more!

Here are the polishes I used. The Cuccio Colour polish is from HB Beauty Bar - don't forget to use the discount code POLISHCHALLENGE at checkout for 15% off your order - and the Glam Polish shades are available on their online shop.

Make sure you check out Cristine's version of this manicure too!

PRODUCTS USED:
Base: Duri Rejuvacote, purchase here

Polish: 
Cuccio Colour 2am in Hollywood, review here
Glam Polish Hey Mama, Glam Polish Ladies Choic, Glam Polish Big Blonde & Beautiful, review here


Top: Glam Polish Magic Shine Top Coat (reviewed here); OPI Matte Top Coat, purchase here

Live Love Polish + Mint Polish: Swatch Spam

So, I mentioned earlier this week that I had an awful nail break at work - well, I figured it was about time to embrace my shorties and paint them! I've got to warn you, they are very short and they are -gasp- rounded! Yes, my signature square nails are sadly oval shaped now. But don't fret, I will be growing them back to their regular square length as soon as I can! In the meantime, I just couldn't stay away from my polishes, so I figured I would show off a couple of swatches on my new nubbins.

That's right, Mint Polish is now officially carried by retailer Live Love Polish! I've got two gorgeous cremes to share with you today. The formulas on these are great and the bottles are nice and thin for easy storage. Let's take a look:

Shorties! Ahh! Here's Tart, a gorgeous pale yellow creme. I actually reviewed this color a little over a year ago (if you're feeling especially bold, you can check that review out here - I dare say I've improved a lot since then!), and I am still loving this color. It's so creamy and bright - perfect for spring! Shown above is three coats plus top coat.

I also have this gorgeous royal purple creme, Esmeralda. I absolutely love this shade because of the cool undertones - it feels so elegant! Again, application on this one was so easy and creamy, and it was perfectly opaque in two coats. Shown above is two coats with top coat.

Both of these polishes, along with a ton of other gorgeous shades, are available at Live Love Polish for $12 USD each. As always, you can use the code INEEDMORENAILPOLISH at checkout for an additional 10% off your entire order!

Let me know what you think of these polishes!


* Some products were provided for my honest review.

PRODUCTS USED:
Base: Duri Rejuvacote, purchase here
Polish: (listed above)
Top: KBShimmer Clearly on Top, $5.50 USD here

Glam Polish Hairspray Collection Swatches

So, I suffered an AWFUL nail break yesterday at work - my nails are the shortest they've ever been, and I'll have to take a break for a week or so. Luckily I have a post planned for today, and a few posts for next week too (you'll learn soon why I planned those so far in advance, hehe). In the meantime, I'll be giving my nails some TLC and will hopefully be coming out with more nail art and swatches soon!

Anyway, today I've got six shades from the upcoming Glam Polish Hairspray Collection to show you. I've never seen the broadway show but I have seen the 2007 film (of course I had to watch again while I swatched these!), and whether you love or don't even know of Hairspray, you're bound to love these shades.

The collection features a wide variety of holographic shades and a few microglitters - I have five holos and one microglitter to share with you all today. As usual, the formula on these was thick but easy to manage. Let's get started!

Ladies Choice is a favorite in this collection - a bright aqua linear holo with a stunning fuchsia shimmer. The shimmer isn't as present in my photo because I am using indirect light, but you can see some of it in the bottle! Great formula, gorgeous polish. Shown above is two easy coats with top coat.

Hey Mama is a bubblegum pink holo packed with iridescent pink and rainbow glass flecks. The color isn't especially original, but the flecks add something unique to this shade. Shown above is two easy coats with top coat.

Timeless To Me is a ruby red linear holo with a peachy shimmer. Great name choice for this polish, as I find sparkly red shades to be timeless! Shown above is two easy coats with top coat.

New Girl in Town is a peachy coral linear holo with pink glass flecks. This shade reminds me of their December release, Frost Flower, but this color is much brighter. A very pretty shade - I think this one will look lovely in the summer! Shown above is two easy coats with top coat.

Big Blonde & Beautiful is a bright lemon yellow linear holo. Personally, I don't think this shade works on me as a full manicure, but I imagine it looks gorgeous on those of you with a darker skin tone. Shown above is two easy coats with top coat.

Last but definitely not least, we have the microglitter of the collection, Welcome to the 60's. This super sparkly holographic gold microglitter is packed with white and metallic pink microglitters as well, and it really is so glittery! I love how it sparkles in the light. Shown above is two easy coats with top coat, although you can skip the top coat for a slightly textured finish.

Overall, we've got some really nice shades here. Some are a bit basic, but I'm loving Ladies Choice and Welcome to the 60's. All of these shades are available now on the Glam Polish website. Prices for this brand have changed - new shades are $11 USD each, and international shipping costs have changed as well (you can read about those here).

What do you think of these colors? Will you be picking any of them up?



*Some products were provided for my honest review.

PRODUCTS USED:
Base: Duri Rejuvacote, purchase here
Polish: (listed above)
Top: Glam Polish Magic Shine Top Coat (reviewed here)

Color Club Ticket To Paradise Collection

If you're tired of the cold winter weather and gray skies here in (most of) the US, then you'll love today's blog post - I've got the new Color Club Ticket To Paradise Collection to show you from HB Beauty Bar! This collection features seven colorful shades that will have you thinking you're in the tropics.

Now, most of you know I don't have much experience with Color Club, but I'm definitely intrigued by the fact that they're releasing such bright colors so early in the year! Although I'll admit, I think most of these will actually be really nice for spring, and most of them have a really unique shimmer. Anyway, the formula these were very jelly-like, even though most of them achieved full opacity in just two coats. You'll see - they're very squishy! Anyway, let's get into it:

Bermuda Beaches is a very soft, pastel pink with a vibrant pink shimmer. The added shimmer really brings this polish to another level, and I definitely didn't expect it! Like I said above, this shade will be great for spring. Shown above is two coats with top coat.

Sea-ing Blue is a soft aqua with a bright turquoise shimmer throughout. Again, the shimmer really makes this shade pop, and I absolutely love this shade. Shown above is two coats with top coat.

The Islands is a soft lime green shade with a hint of bright green shimmer. The shimmer in this was much less pronounced than the rest of the shades, but I love the subtle sparkle. This color is gorgeous as well, another perfect spring polish. Unlike the other shades, this polish was extremely sheer, and required four coats (and top coat) for the photo above. It didn't feel too thick on my nails though!

All Inclusive is a banana yellow that has just the slightest green undertone. This shade didn't have any shimmer that I could see, which sets it apart from the collection. I think this color will come in handy for nail art. Shown above is two coats with top coat.

Tiny Umbrella is a peach shade with a vibrant orange shimmer. Although this isn't a shade I would normally reach for, I found myself absolutely in love with this color! It's subtle enough to be appropriate for the office, but it's also bright and pretty. Plus, that shimmer is so enchanting! Shown above is two coats with top coat.

Next we have With the Cabana Boy, a bright orange polish with a bright orange shimmer throughout. This color doesn't feel like it belongs in the collection, since it's rather bold, but the shimmer ties it together nicely. I don't know if I'd wear it as a full manicure, but it seems useful for nail art. The formula on this one was especially smooth! Shown above is two easy coats with top coat.

And finally, we have Frozen Daiquiri, a bright candy apple red creme. This one didn't have the jelly-like formula of the others, nor did it feature a shimmer, and it was incredibly easy to apply. I was super impressed with this shade, and I will definitely be adding it to my list of go-to red polishes. Shown above is just ONE coat with top coat.

Overall, there are some really great colors in this collection. My top picks are Sea-ing Blue, The Islands, Tiny Umbrella, and Frozen Daiquiri. These shades are available from HB Beauty Bar for just $4.95 USD each. And don't forget, you can use the code POLISHCHALLENGE at checkout for 15% off your order.

What do you think of these shades?

*Some products were provided for my honest review.

Base: Duri Rejuvacote
Polish: (listed above)
Top: Seche Vite

China Glaze Neon Swatch Spam and Nail Art

Hi guys! I hope you all enjoyed the holidays this past week - I took a couple days off from blogging to spend time with loved ones, but I'm back in action today with swatches and nail art using some China Glaze neon polishes from Live Love Polish. I've been pretty obsessed with gradients lately, and triangle cutouts, so I figured I'd combine them for today's nail art look:

I started with a base of Cuccio Verona Lace, a white creme, to make the neon colors pop. Once that was dry I sponged on a gradient of China Glaze Yellow Polka Dot Bikini, China Glaze Son of A Peach, and China Glaze Pink Voltage, all from Live Love Polish. Once that was dry, I applied triangle nail vinyls from Vinyl Boutique and painted on Cirque Memento Mori before peeling off the vinyls.. I finished everything off with matte top coat.

Even though this style is nothing new, I have to say, I am digging the gradient with black! I did wait a long time for the gradient to dry before using the vinyls, though, since there were several layers of nail polish - I believe I waited about an hour - and I think I probably should have waited a little bit longer so I could get cleaner lines, but I am still satisfied with the result.

And I know, this totally isn't seasonally appropriate, but I decided to just run with it! I do love seasonal nail polishes, but I don't think our nails necessarily NEED to be defined by the weather. And hey, it's summer in Australia, right? ;)

Here are swatches of the polishes I used:

Pink Voltage is a neon pink with a cool toned shimmer throughout. As is usual for neons, this one dried to a slightly matte finish, but I loved how easy it was to apply! Not chalky or difficult at all. Shown above is two easy coats with top coat.

Son of a Peach is a neon peachy orange creme. It is slightly peachier and brighter than in the photo above, but of course, my camera doesn't like neons! Formula on this one was surprisingly thin, but easy enough to use, and again, it dried to a slightly matte finish. I'm glad I finally got my hands on this popular color, because it's absolutely gorgeous. Shown above is three coats with top coat.

And finally, we have Yellow Polka Dot Bikini. Yes, it is that bright! Think "tennis ball" color, only more eye searing! This polish on it's own was too sheer to build to full opacity, so I layered two coats over white for the photo above, along with top coat to shine up the slightly matte finish. Are your eyes burning yet? Haha! This color is perfect for the summer, or if you need to brighten up dull winter days.

The China Glaze polishes are available from Live Love Polish for $7.50 USD each, and you can use the code "INEEDMORENAILPOLISH" at checkout for 10% off your entire order. The triangle nail vinyls are available from the Vinyl Boutique for $5 USD for a sheet of 100.

What do you think of this nail art look? Do you own any of these polishes?

Some products provided for my honest review.

Gucci Floral Nail Art with Live Love Polish

Hi guys! I'm really excited about today's nail art look - I was inspired by the gorgeous packaging from a perfume by Gucci called Flora. I got a free sample of it from Sephora with a recent purchase, and I just loved the design (bonus: it smells incredible too, but it is a bit pricey!) Anyway, here's a comparison of my nails and the perfume packaging:

Isn't the design just too cute? I was partially inspired by this gorgeous new Color Club polish that I got from retailer Live Love Polish. It's the perfect creamy pastel yellow, and it matched the floral design perfectly!

Here's the gorgeous polish in question - Color Club Macaroon Swoon. I am usually not a fan of yellow polishes, I'll admit. But I immediately fell in love with this color. It's so creamy and light, and I thought it would make a perfect base for nail art. The formula was great, and the color was surprisingly opaque! Shown above is two easy coats with top coat.

And here's a full photo of the nail art I did inspired by the Gucci perfume! I started with a base of Cirque Carpe Diem, and then swiped on some Color Club Macaroon Swoon. Once that was dry, I taped off neat lines and filled them in with Cirque Memento Mori. Then, with acrylic paint and a trimmed nail art brush, I sketched on these floral patterns. I topped everything with matte top coat!

I absolutely fell in love with this manicure as soon as I finished it. I know I always say it, but it's true that I usually stick to simple nail art - and I think it's especially awesome when I succeed at the more difficult freehand designs.

Here's another shot of me holding my inspiration! I just can't get over how perfectly Macaroon Swoon matches this packaging. I'm so glad I got it! For anyone who's interested in seeing how I created this look, you can find a quick 15 second tutorial for this manicure on my Instagram.

I do wish I could pose with the full sized bottle, but it's just a tad out of my price range, haha! I will have to make this sample last as long as possible! (But it smells so delicious, I'm not sure I can do that!) If you're interested, you can purchase Flora by Gucci here.

Here are the polishes I used. The star of the show, Macaroon Swoon, can be purchased here from Live Love Polish (and you can use the code INEEDMORENAILPOLISH for 10% off your entire polish order!). And of course, my new favorite staples for any polish addict's collection, both Cirque polishes are available here.

What do you think of this nail art look? Have you ever been inspired by another beauty product? I'd love to hear about it!

Polishes were provided for my honest review. I am in no way affiliated with Gucci (wishful thinking, ha!) 

Live Love Polish: Neon Color Club Polish Swatch Spam

Hi guys! Today I have a ton of neon Color Club polishes to show you (just in time for winter, right? Haha!) from Live Love Polish. I misspoke a couple of weeks ago in my fishtail mani post - I thought that the polishes I used were all from one collection, titled the Poptastic Collection, but when I did a bit of research, I found that these polishes might be from multiple collections. It's actually pretty confusing, really - googling any of these polishes on their own will bring up results of the Poptastic Collection, but if you google the collection itself, several different collections pop up. Maybe that is just the name that Color Club has for their neon releases? I'm not sure! (If you know, please tell me in the comments.) Either way, they're all neons, and they're all available from Live Love Polish - and I've got them all swatched for you!

Anyway, as the title of my post suggests, these polishes all have a neon vibe, so naturally they were difficult to capture on my camera. Most of them are much brighter and more neon in person! I should also mention that the formulas on all of these were incredibly easy, and none of them gave me the typical neon polish issues (like chalkiness or thickness.) Let's take a look:

Factory Girl is a super creamy soft pastel blue - the only one that might not be considered a neon in this swatch-fest, but it's so beautiful and bright! I used this polish in my recent snowflake gradient manicure, and I think this is one of those polishes that you can wear during any season. Shown above is two easy coats top coat.

Chelsea Girl is a bright primary blue creme that really pops on the nails. (I also used this in my snowflake gradient manicure!) Again, I think this is a color that you can wear all year round, because it's so versatile! Plus, I absolutely love blue polish any time of year. Shown above is two easy coats plus top coat.

Edie falls into the category of what I would consider a "pale neon" creme  - super bright like a neon, but pale like a pastel shade. I absolutely love colors like this because they're the best of both worlds! This has to be one of my favorite green polishes. Shown above is two easy coats with top coat.

Psychedelic Scene is a super bright, orangey yellow neon creme. This one is definitely eye searing! It has a slightly jelly formula, which makes me think it would pop even more over white, but you're looking at two coats alone plus top coat, which was fully opaque on the nail! If you need a tropical escape this winter but can't afford a vacation, this polish will surely brighten up your day.

Lava Lamp is another eye-searing neon, this time in traffic-cone orange! I was shocked at how opaque this polish was, and based on the formula alone, I think this one is a must have - I am generally not a fan of orange nails, but I don't know any other orange polishes like this that can reach full opacity, without a base, in just two coats. Shown above is two coats with top coat.

Warhol is one of my favorites in this bunch - a hot neon pink creme. This is such a classic polish color, and I feel so girly wearing it! It also helps that wearing colors like this make me look super tan! Shown above is two easy coats with top coat.

Mrs. Robinson is a beautiful bright fuchsia creme. This was one of the most difficult colors to capture with my camera, and I found that it was much brighter in person. (Actually, the color of the bottle is more accurate to what the polish looks like on the nails - but it did make my camera freak out a bit!) This is a beautiful color and I think it's a great shade for fall, despite it's neon qualities. Shown above is two easy coats with top coat.

And last but certainly not least, we have Disco Dress, a bright purple creme. Again, my camera struggled to capture this color accurately - see that super bright purple on the edges of the bottle? That's the color this polish appears on the nails! It's absolutely gorgeous! I think this is a great winter color because it is dark but it still has a warm feel to it. Shown above is two coats with top coat.

These polishes are all available from Live Love Polish for $8.50 USD each. My favorites are Factory Girl, Edie, Warhol, and Disco Dress! Don't forget, you can use the code INEEDMORENAILPOLISH at checkout for 10% off your entire order. Live Love Polish also has ridiculously cheap shipping (and they're international!) - you can read up on their shipping policies here.

Which of these polishes is your favorite? Care to shed some light on the "poptastic" mystery?!

These polishes were provided for my honest review.