Fair Maiden Polish Valentine's Trio The Goddesses Swatches & Review

Hi there and hello! Today I'm bringing you another upcoming Valentine's collection, this time from indie brand Fair Maiden Polish! This trio of holiday appropo shades are named after Greek Goddesses so naturally it's called The Goddesses. I've loved learning about Greek mythology since I was very young so the stories behind the names really make me happy. Let's take a look!

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Aphrodite is "the Goddess of love, desire and beauty! Valentine’s just wouldn’t be complete without her!"  A red jelly holographic that leans a little bit orange, with fuchsia and copper flakies. This applied effortlessly and was opaque in two coats. I love how blingy this is!

Athena "as a Goddess, she is fierce and brave - the goddess of wisdom, courage, inspiration & strength."  This one is a blush/rose pink in a linear holographic finish with micro flakes that shift from orangey gold to green. Very delicate, leans really pink on me but I can see how it would be more of a nude on a different skin tone. This is two coats, but depending on your application you may need one more. Athena is one of my favorite goddesses so I adore this!

Persephone (pronounced per-SEF-uh-nee) is "the Goddess of flowers, she was also brought down to the underworld by Hades." Her polish is a rich purple plum jelly shimmer with gold and color shifting flakes that flip orange to pink. This was a little on the thin side, it took three coats to build up for me. Very sparkly!

The collection will be available tomorrow, January 31st at 8pm CST on the Fair Maiden Polish website. The full size trio will be $28.50, the mini trio (with 7.5 mL bottles) will be $18. Both Aphrodite and Athena will be $10 individually and Persephone will be $9. They usually sell the mini bottles individually too but I don't know a price on those yet. Tell me what you think of these! Have you tried Fair Maiden yet?

❤ Kellie

The products mentioned were provided for an honest review.

Glam Polish Limited Edition Valentine's Trio Swatches & Review

Yay for Friday! We made it cookies, we made it through another week! :) Today I have an awesome new trio from Glam Polish to show you! This is their Valentine's collection, three beautiful shades in different finishes that are perfect for the holiday!

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You'll Be In My Heart is a cerise red intense linear holographic. Very opaque, basically a one coater but I did two here. I love this, kind of a berry type of red, and that holo?? So good!

Love Is An Open Door has a silvery holographic base filled with red, pink, rose, bright pink, gold, and silver microglitter. I'm seriously dying over the Glam glitters lately, swoon! This applies really easily, no fuss. Total coverage in two coats. Dries a little textured so you may want two layers of top coat to smooth it.

Kiss The Girl is a bright fuchsia jelly with shimmering scattered holographic and multicolored holo microglitter bits. Another very pigmented shade and easy to apply. I used two coats. This is such a fun look, it screams girly! It dries a bit gritty with the glitter, so a thick top coat will be necessary for a glassy finish.

These three shades are available on the Glam Polish website now. They are $11.50 each or $34 for the set of three. These are mentioned as being very limited edition, so don't hesitate to pick them up if you like what you see! They will also be available in limited quantities for international buyers on the MeiMei's Signatures website soon. What do you think of this Valentine's trio? What are you planning to wear on your nails on Valentine's?

❤ Kellie

The products mentioned were provided for an honest review.

Moo Moo's Signatures Duo Paris Est Un Enchantement + Snow Bunny Swatches & Review

We've almost made it to the weekend! How is your's shaping up? Got any plans? It's supposed to snow where I live again, so I'll most likely be indoors haha. Today I have three new polishes from Singapore indie brand Moo Moo's Signatures to show you! There are two shades that make up a Valentine's duo called Duo Paris Est Un Enchantment (a.k.a. Enchanting Paris Duo), and a bonus shade from her fall releases!

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Moment Romantique is half of the Valentine's duo, it's a pale grey champagne holographic with just the slightest hint of green, tons of gold shimmer and real silver flakies. Great formula, no trouble with application, opaque in two coats. I was told that this formula was being tweaked a bit to reduce the slight brushstrokes that show up in the finish, which is great.

Des Roses Pour Toi is the second polish of the Paris duo, it's a rosey baby pink holographic with metallic shimmer and tiny sparkle bits that shift a bit in different lights. This applied very nicely, a little thick but in a good way, covering in two coats. This one will also get a formula tweak though to reduce brushstrokes.

Snow Bunny is from their Bunny collection; it's a light cornflower blue holo with tiny pink flakies and delicate pink shimmer. A little thinner than the other two but easy to apply and covered well in just two coats. I actually love the blue and pink together, they are perfect for the Pantone colors of the year, Rose Quartz and Serenity!

These shades are available now on the Moo Moo's Signatures website for 18.00 SGD each in a 12 mL bottle. The website ships worldwide so everyone has a chance to get these babies! Let me know what you think about these shades and we'll see you again soon! :)

❤ Kellie

The products mentioned were provided for an honest review.

Powder Perfect Insomnia Trio + Widow's Watch Swatches & Review

Hi there friends! I've got some polishes from a new-to-me brand today, Australian indie Powder Perfect! They have been around for a while but I hadn't tried them yet, and I'm happy to report that my first experience has been quite positive! I'll be showing you their new soon-to-be released Insomnia Trio and a retired shade that has been rebooted and brought back to life. On to the swatches!

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First up in the Insomnia Trio is I Can't Sleep, a bright, brilliant orchid purple crelly. It's very pigmented for a crelly and is super easy to apply. Surprisingly opaque in just two coats! I love that this is so easy to apply, because I have similar shades in my collection that don't have as good of a formula. Also dries very shiny.

Late At Night is a lush emerald microshimmer. Pretty glitzy for a shimmer shade, really bordering on being a metallic. Kind of a cool teal-ish tone to the green. Another great formula and covers totally in one coat, but turns slightly deeper with two layers. I really enjoy this color!

And last in the trio is Thinking Of You, a reddish bright pink with a finely milled soft holographic finish and strong magenta shimmer. It's very opaque, basically in one coat but I could still see a hint of a nail line, so I used two. I really enjoy this shade, and it's kind of got a different looking finish that I don't feel like I really have in my collection.

And the returning shade is called Widow's Watch, a very dark eggplant purple scattered holographic. The press material says it was inspired by "the parapet walk that graced Victorian era mansions, where women would look out to sea, waiting for their husbands to return". It originally came out in their Abandoned Mansion Collection released in February 2014, called Widow's Walk then. It was a big hit so they brought it back, slightly revamped. Super easy formula to polish with, opaque in just one coat, but I did two like always. Dries very shiny as well! The holo isn't super strong, but sometimes you don't always want a sparkle bomb.

These will launch on their new US based website www.powder-perfect.com on Jan. 27 at 7pm EST time, and on their Australian site www.powderperfect.com.au on Jan. 28 at 10am QLD time. I Can't Sleep will cost $10.50 AUD/$11 USD and the other shades will be $12.50 AUD/$12.50 USD for an 11 ml bottle. Let me know if you've tried this brand before! I'm looking forward to trying more from Powder Perfect, because these were all lovely. Are you thinking of picking up any of these shades?

**EDIT: There has been a coupon code created for my readers to get 10% off any purchase on www.powder-perfect.com! Valid until 7/31/2016 - enter KELLIE when prompted at checkout! (Not an affiliate code, I won't know if you use it, just a help to get you save some money!)

❤ Kellie

The products mentioned were provided for an honest review.

Takko Lacquer Valentine's 2016 Collection Swatches & Review

Hi there and happy Monday! :) I've got new polishes from Takko Lacquer to show you today! There are four polishes in their Valentine's collection and they will go on sale tonight, so let's take a look!

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Salient has a clear base filled with actual silver dust, platinum and silver multi-sized flakies. You can definitely use this as a topper, but I wanted to show you what it looks like built up by itself. This is five coats. You could also use the sponging technique to get it even more opaque. I wanted to show it build up because it's actually Takko Lacquer creator Sheryl's wedding polish, and that's how she's planning on wearing it! Congrats girl!

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Sweet Cheeks is a soft pink crème thermal that turns into a nude beige when warm. I don't seek out thermal polishes normally, considering I usually keep my nails relatively short and they don't seem to change color for me very well. This one is lovely though, I adore both shades and for someone with longer nails, or shorter nail beds, it will work great. (I realize now that it would've been helpful to show a picture of the shade when cold, my apologies.) Applies pretty well, a little streaking, but leveled out in three coats.

HUG LIFE is a cobalt blue jelly with pink shimmer, holographic flakies and holo shimmer sparks. Very easy to apply and opaque in two coats, but if you use thin coats you may need one more. This color seems unexpected in a V-Day collection, and I like that!

Mad Love is a mix of metallic gold, matte white and baby pink glitter and golden shimmer. I layered one coat of this over Sweet Cheeks and I love the look! You could also build it up by itself though because it's quite dense, you'd probably only need two or three coats. I love this so much!

You will be able to purchase these on the Takko Lacquer website today, Jan. 25th at 8pm EST! They retail for $12 each. Takkitos have been known to be a little hard to get in the past, they sell out pretty quickly, so be sure to set a reminder for yourself so you can pick these up! They have also set a one per person rule for each shade to be able to help with availability. Let me know what you think about these! My favorite is hands down Mad Love, but they're all great shades!

❤ Kellie

The products mentioned were provided for an honest review.

Glam Polish Purple Predicament Trio Swatches & Review

Hey there! I'm back today with a trio from Glam Polish called the Purple Predicament Trio, with names inspired by the polish addict life! This actually came out on January 1st, the same time as the Alphabet City collection. I find it hard to resist any Glams, but this trio definitely had to come home with me so I purchased it as soon as it went on sale.

Daily Dilemma is a violet linear holographic with added dark pink microglitter and a slight lighter purple shimmer. The name harkens to the constant battle we polish enthusiasts have deciding on what shade to wear every day. This had an excellent formula, basically opaque in one coat, but I used two like I always do. One layer of top coat will smooth the slight glitter texture it has.

Secret Stash has an amethyst lavender creamy jelly base and holographic sparks and soft flakes. This name makes me think of all the special lacquers we polishaholics have tucked away, our own treasure trove of color! This shade is what pushed me over the edge to buy this trio, I don't think I've seen holo like this before. It applied a little chunk-ily, not difficult, but not as smooth of an application as most Glams. Opaque in two coats, dries a tad dull so I recommend a top coat.

Hidden Gem is a holographic full coverage microglitter that is overall a lovely soft holo silver with a few shades of purple glitter and holo sparks. Amazing formula, no fuss at all, opaque in two coats. This is surprisingly my favorite of the three. I love glitters, but usually prefer the other finishes more in these mixed trios. I think this one stood out to me because it seems extra delicate, not as chunky or loud.

This trio is still available for purchase on the Glam Polish website for $33, or you can purchase them individually for $11 each. I'm glad I picked them up, I almost only got Secret Stash, but I'm so happy to have bought them all. What do you think of these three purple pretties?

❤ Kellie

The Trouble With Valentine's 2016 Collaboration Trio - Cirque Colors, Lacquer Lust and Serum No. 5

Awesome indie brands Serum No. 5, Cirque Colors and Lacquer Lust have gotten together again to collaborate for a trio of polishes in a box with an "anti-Valentine's Day" theme, called The Trouble With Valentine's! This box features three limited edition luxury shades "brimming with anti-Valentine's Day sentiments". I can't stand Valentine's Day so I was stoked to hear about this theme idea!

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I wasn't able to get sun swatches on my nails for the post this time, but I did get a rare moment of sun (on a work day haha) to snap this photo of the shades on a nail wheel in the sun so you can see how they look in full light.

The swatches below are taken indoors with artificial light.

Serum No. 5 Single’s Awareness Day is a dusty plum purple with copper holographic sparks and subtle iridescent flake shimmer bits. And bonus, like a lot of Serum No. 5's polish, it glows in the dark (it glows a lovely blue shade, but sadly I couldn't capture it). Opaque in two coats, easy formula to apply. Dries on the matte side and slightly gritty, so a top coat is a must.

Lacquer Lust Unloved Unicorn features their signature silver holographic microglitter with an added mix of larger red, purple and black glitter in hexes and squares. This is stunning and a polish I can see myself wearing a lot! Fabulous coverage in only two coats. Top coat really brings out the fire in the holo and smooths the glitter.

Cirque Colors Karma Sutra is a sparkling burgundy made with pure-silver coated micro flakes. I'm loving all the metal flakies we've had in the last year from indie brands, so this is already ahead of the pack for me, but that sexy deep color just sends it over the edge! A little thicker but not difficult to apply, basically opaque in one coat, but I did two. Dries slightly dull, so I recommend a top coat here too.

This box will go on sale for $32 on Friday, January 22nd on all three brands' websites - 12 pm EST on www.cirquecolors.com, and 12 pm PST at www.lacquer-lust.com and www.serumno5.com. The box always includes lovely wrapping and an extra treat, this time it's heart shaped lollipops! Be sure to let me know if you're planning on picking this collaboration box up! It's a fun and cheeky theme and the polishes are all excellent. :)

❤ Kellie

The products mentioned were provided for an honest review.

All About Nail Polish Tag

Hello there! Today I wanted to do a tag that was started by a few of my favorite YouTube ladies, Lindsay, Holly, Zenorah, Jess, and Amy. I haven't done one of these in forever and my friend Paola did it on her blog & youtube and tagged me, so I decided it would be fun to do finally! Plus, I've had almost zero sun lately so it's been hard for me to swatch new polish :P

Press Sample | Purchased by Me

1. What is your favorite nail polish finish (eg. Crème, crelly, glitter, etc.)?
This is a hard question for me because while I like them all, my affection for them usually comes in phases haha. Like for a while I'll be into holographics exclusively, then I only want to wear jellies, then it's all about the glitters. It seems like I'm wearing crème shades more often than the other finishes lately though, so I'll go with that haha. But it seriously varies all the time.

2. What is your favorite “ugly pretty” shade?
I have a great fondness for polish colors that people say are "ugly pretty". I love things that are not typically beautiful. Hands down, my favorite of these has to be China Glaze Zombie Zest. It came out in the China Glaze Awakening collection for Halloween in 2010 (best Halloween trio ever?) and I've loved and worn it every year since. I even managed to score a back-up bottle from my friend who went to IMATS this year, yay! It's a swampy olivey green jelly with gallons of golden shimmer/glass flecks that shift to a turquoise blue in certain lights. Insane. (I'm pretty sure this made it on a few of the original tag creators' lists too!)

sunlight

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3. Which polish in your collection is the most sentimental to you?
It has to be Rescue Beauty Lounge Kellie Gonzo. This is the polish I created with the, now retired, Rescue Beauty brand. It was such an exciting event and milestone in my blogging career to create a polish, especially with such a prestige brand. This is a bright sunny coral with orange and silver glitter bits. It's also the polish I've gone through the most of, luckily I have a back-up bottle or three!

4. If you could go back in time to buy any collection, what would it be?
If we're going for a full collection, hands down has to be China Glaze OMG. These were kind of the first ultra linear holographic collection seen from a mainstream brand and boy do they impress! I have managed to track down a lot of them, but I don't have the full collection (or full bottles of the ones I do have!). But my all time biggest polish lemming has to be Urban Decay ID. It's a sheer jelly polish that shifts from orange to pink fire. I don't know if I'll ever get a hold of it, but if I do I would cherish it forever! Also, Chanel Jade because I can't pick just one thing.

image via china glaze

Image via Scrangie.com

Image via Lextard @ Flickr.com

5. What is your go-to “all occasion” polish?
Sally Hansen Pacific Blue original. This polish is a bright but slightly dusty cobalt blue crème with a perfect one-coat formula. I love this color and think it's very wearable, but the biggest reason it's my all occasion polish is because it's so damn easy and fast to put on! I will never understand why Sally Hansen chose to reformulate this polish and completely change it. I know some might think a blue isn't appropriate for "all occasions", but since I'm a simple kind of girl, there aren't many times I would feel inappropriate wearing a blue nail polish.

6. What items are essential to your nail care routine?
The most important part of my nail care routine is cuticle oil. I am NEVER without it. I've spoken at length about my cuticle woes before, if you're interested you can read some of the posts here, here, and here. Next is a great base coat, I basically always have a base coat on. Keeping my nails "sealed" with some kind of polish, especially when my hands are in water, has just about 95% fixed my peeling edges. Top coat is also a necessity, I don't remember the last time I wore a full manicure without it.

7. What is your favorite “newly discovered” brand (indie or mainstream)?
This was also a tough question because I have found so many great ones recently, but I have to choose Nine Zero Lacquer. This is the brand created by Jess of JessFACE90 (one of the collaborators of this tag too). I have been lucky enough to be able to swatch for her and I haven't disliked one of her shades yet! Being a nail vlogger/swatcher herself, she knows what's good so she uses that experience to create beautiful shades with great formulas.

8. What is your go-to “bad ass” color (the color that makes you feel sexiest or most badass)?
I love a mega bright, in your face, unapologetic neon shade. It makes me feel like I'm a tough betch who can wear whatever I want, damn all who might be offended haha. Maybe that seems silly, but it's seriously how I feel when I wear neons. An example is Formula X Danger Zone. How hot is that??

9. Indie or mainstream?
Usually I have a good mix of both that I pick to wear from, but these days I've been wearing (and blogging about) waaay more indies. I just find their selection to be so much more varied and unique than mainstream, which is kind of understandable, but still. And with the sheer number of indie brands out there that are producing such good products, it's hard not to want to buy everything in sight!

10. Which brand’s collections do you look forward to the most?
It has always been China Glaze for me. Out of the mainstream world, they have always been the ones to take chances instead of playing it safe when it comes to color and finish. They don't always get it 100% perfect, but who does? I've loved them since I started blogging and I don't see that changing any time soon.

Please please do this tag if you want, it's so fun! And if you don't have a blog or YouTube channel, let me know your answers in the comments! See ya again soon!

❤ Kellie

Some of the products mentioned were provided for an honest review.

The Holo Hookup February 2016 Indie Collaboration Box Swatches & Review

Hi cookies! Today I have the upcoming box for The Holo Hookup to show you! This is a monthly collaboration box of holographic polishes between indie brands Different Dimension, Cupcake Polish, and Glisten & Glow with a surprise guest brand. This month the theme for the quartet is Elements and the guest brand is Takko Lacquer! Details on the pre-sale for this box will be down below, but first let's look at the colors!

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First is Different Dimension Earth, a rich brown linear holographic with added multichrome flakies, as well as blue and green holo microglitters. This is incredibly beautiful, like pictures cannot do it justice, it's just like sunshine on harvest fields or something. And the application? Literally applied like butter! This is two coats. Earth signs are Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn.

Cupcake Polish Air is a periwinkle linear holographic with strong pink shimmers that make it kind of a shapeshifter between soft blue and a purple. Another excellent formula, though a little on the thick side. Covered in just two coats. Air signs are Libra, Aquarius and Gemini. I'm an Air sign (Gemini!) so I totally love this shade the most!

Fire by Glisten & Glow is a glowy red linear holographic with orange undertones with slight pink shift with scattered silver and red holo microglitters. The formula on this was thinner than the others, but very easy to apply. This is two coats. A little lighter in person, it was a difficult one to capture accurately. Fire signs are Aries, Leo and Sagittarius.

And last we have Takko Lacquer Water, a light aqua linear holographic with intense gold shimmer. I found this formula to also be really effortless to apply, with a slightly thicker feel than the others due to the shimmer. The first coat looks a little light, but only one more is needed for full opacity. I recommend top coat with all Takkos due to the vegan pigments and vitamin e that they use, which can make the lacquers dry more matte. Water signs are Pisces, Cancer and Scorpio.

I love the theme of the box, I've always been interested in Astrology and elemental signs! This box will be up for pre-sale on The Holo Hookup website from January 21st at 9pm EST through January 28th at 9pm EST. The box costs $40 plus shipping. Let me know what you think about this month's colors & theme! And check out The Holo Hookup on Facebook and Instagram. See ya again soon!

❤ Kellie

The products mentioned were provided for an honest review.

OPI Holiday 2015 Starlight Collection Swatches & Review

Hey how are you today? I've finally got the OPI Holiday collection from 2015 to show you today! The Starlight collection features 18 lacquers inspired by the stars, the sky, space itself, and love that rockets into the heavens. Let's get to star gazing!

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images via OPI

See my swatches after the jump!

NWP Classic Essentials Mrs. White's Winter Essentials Collection Swatches & Review

Hi there! Today's blog post is featuring a product line by indie brand Native War Paints called the NWP Classic Essentials, "work appropriate essential colors in classic cream and shimmer finishes". This collection, called Mrs. White's Winter Essentials, came out in December 2015 and is a collaboration with Instagrammer @mrswhite8907. Tiffany named each polish in the collection after one of her nail besties, which is adorable. On to the pretties!

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Alicia is a lilac purple polish with copper/pink shimmer. This polish was named for Instagrammer @de.lish.ious.nails. It has a slightly thick formula, but it was completely opaque in one coat! Very easy to apply. I used two coats here because I almost always do.

Alison is a blue toned silvery polish with silver shimmer. This polish was named for Instagrammer @apolishedcolleen. This is so loaded with fine shimmer that it almost borders on being a frost, but not quite. There are super slight brush strokes, but nothing to get upset about. Applied easily with great coverage in two coats.

Christy is a dark navy blue polish with pink shimmer. This polish was named for Instagrammer @hospitalhands. It has a great formula, not too thick, and is completely opaque in one coat. I used two here. The shimmer in this is more subtle but it's not hidden, like other shades I've seen in this same combination.

Claire is a rosy pink polish with gold shimmer. This polish was named for Instagrammer @clairestelle8. It has a lovely formula, very easy and smooth. Completely opaque in two coats.

Jenn is a deep brown-y plum polish with flashes of green shimmer. In person, the green bits pop out at you like baby twinkle lights! Very cute. This polish was named for IG @jennpaddict1. Easy formula with great coverage, almost a one coater. This is two coats.

Tiffany is tan/nude polish with gold shimmer. The collection collaborator, @mrswhite8907, named this polish for herself. This shade covered pretty well for such a light color but I needed three coats to cover completely. There are some brushstrokes left behind, but because of the heavy shimmer they aren't as noticeable in person.

These are all available now on the Native War Paints website for $6 per bottle or you can get the collection all together for a discounted price of $30. They also have a really cool Mix & Match option where you can pick any six of the NWP Classic Essentials for $30 (they put out a Fall collection of six as well).

Let me know what you think of these classic cuties! My favorite has to be Alicia, though they are all great! I have consistently been impressed by the NWP formulas on shimmers, I can't wait to try some of their other finishes, especially their glitters and crellies.

❤ Kellie

The products mentioned were provided for an honest review.

Nine Zero Lacquer January 2016 Polish of the Month Swatch & Review

Hey everyone! Today I have the Nine Zero Lacquer polish of the month, January 2016. The owner/creator of the burgeoning indie brand Jess is starting a new thing for this year by producing a polish shade that will only be available for that particular month, then will be discontinued. Let's see what her first color will be!

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This polish is a rich berry holographic shade with added glitters for extra pop and bling. I found this to be incredibly smooth and easy to apply. It was almost opaque in one coat, with two hitting the perfect amount of opacity and pigmentation.

This is available on the Nine Zero Lacquer website now for $9.50. It will only be around for this month, then it will be gone forever! So don't give yourself another unattainable lemming and make sure to pick it up in time! What do you think about the monthly shade idea? Have you tried Nine Zero Lacquer yet??

Talk to you again soon!

❤ Kellie

The product mentioned was provided for an honest review.