Lilypad Lacquer Pinks & Color4Nails Exclusives Swatches & Review

Howdy there! I don't know about the weather where you're at, but we've had snow all week and it's Spring Break! How crazy is that? I'm glad for the moisture but I'm a little over it by now because it's been such a tough winter! Anyway, how are you doing? I've got my first polishes from Lilypad Lacquer to show you today. They are based in Australia and are sold at US based stockist Color4Nails, who provided these to me for review. Let's take a look!

Press Sample

Cheeky is a salmon pink jelly bordering on a crelly. It's pretty sheer and I found it to be pretty streaky. This is four coats, only because I wanted to see it as opaque as possible. You could probably get away with three, or leave it at two coats for a more translucent look.

Flirt is a light pink crelly. I found this to be a little more opaque than Cheeky but still streaky, it didn't really want to self-level. I used three coats here. Cherubic!

Dollface is a light pink with a slight magenta tone. This was my favorite of the pinks I tried, but still a little streaky. Three coats.

Peachface is a light peachy pink crelly. Same formula as Flirt and Dollface, three coats. All of the pinks seemed to dry really quickly despite having to use multiple coats. And I thought I detected some hidden shimmer in them when I was putting them on, but didn't see any once on my nail.

Break The Rules is one of the Color4Nails exclusive shades. It has a violet/teal color shifting base with multichrome and colorshifting flakies. This was super easy to apply, but not as opaque as I'd prefer. I chose to build it up in three coats for maximum depth.

Love Me Or Leave Me is another exclusive color. It has a brown/red color shifting base with multichrome and shifting flakies. Same formula as Break The Rules but I only needed two coats here.

Guilty Pleasures has a green/copper color shifting base with multichrome and colorshifting flakies. Also a great formula, very easy to polish with. I used three coats on this guy. This is another exclusive polish shade to Color4Nails and is my favorite of the three flakies because it reminds me of a crocodile!

Fresh is kind of the odd man out of the group, but a great kind of odd. Cloudy sky blue with brighter blue microglitter and a soft subtle holographic shimmer. Applies as if by magic, opaque in two coats. Dries satiny though, so you'll want a shiny top coat to make that holo pop.

I've got the mini bottles of all of these, and I found them to be pretty nice to work with. Some minis are difficult due to smaller brushes but these have longer handles and normal sized brushes which make application easier. However, they are only sold as full size bottles on the Color4Nails website right now. All the pinks and the blue are $13 each for a 15 mL bottle and the flakie exclusives are $14 each for a full size. Let me know what you think of these! Have you ever tried Lilypad Lacquer before? Talk to you again soon!

❤ Kellie

The products mentioned were provided for an honest review.

Glam Polish Truly Outrageous Collection [Partial] Swatches & Review

Hey there and happy Mani Monday :) I have a new Glam Polish collection to share with you, the Truly Outrageous collection inspired by Jem & the Holograms! I never watched Jem when I was younger but my older sisters did so I know what it's about and these colors are seriously perfectly in line with that theme! There are nine shades in the collection and I have six for review.

Press Sample

Truly Outrageous is a bright purple scattered holographic with frosty blue shimmer and a sprinkling of ultra holo glitter. Amazing application like most Glams I've tried. This base is substantial so it covers in one coat, but you'll want another to get more depth and sparkle.

Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! is a highlighter yellow scattered holographic with green shimmer and a sprinkling of ultra holo glitter. Same amazing formula, but you'll definitely need two coats for this guy.

Everyone Has a Secret Identity is a super bright pink scattered holographic with fuchsia shimmer and a sprinkling of ultra holo glitter. This one is opaque in one coat, but you see two here in my swatch.

I Got My Eye on You is a bright blue scattered holographic with fuchsia shimmer and a sprinkling of ultra holo glitter. Another fab formula, opaque in two coats.

Without Us, You’re Nothing is a bright orange scattered holographic with gold shimmer and a sprinkling of ultra holo glitter. Another one that is opaque in one coat but I used two.

Showtime Synergy has a silver holographic base filled with a mix of ultra holo and neon blue, pink and chartreuse glitter. Effortless formula and opaque in just two coats, but depending on how long your nails are/how white your free edge is you may need one more.

The three other shades that complete the collection are: Starlight Music - bright watermelon scattered holo with gold shimmer and a sprinkling of ultra holographic glitter, She’s Got The Power - bright green scattered holo with blue shimmer and a sprinkling of ultra holographic glitter, and Music is Magic - bright fuchsia scattered holo with blue shimmer and a sprinkling of ultra holographic glitter. You can see these on my friend Lisa's blog, Cosmetic Sanctuary. All of these dry a bit dull and will require a thick top coat to smooth completely due to the glitter. I had success with just one layer of Seche Vite top coat.

These colors will launch on April 1st 2pm EDT (USA), 4am AEST (AUS) on the Glam Polish website. They expect this collection to be in high demand so there will be a limit of one bottle per shade per person for all orders until April 14th, after that they will remove the limit if you wish to order extra bottles. These shades are all priced at $11.50 per bottle.

Let me know what you think about these! Did you watch Jem & The Holograms?? I love these colors, they seem super 80's and a little bit Lisa Frank too, whose stuff I loved of course. My favorites from the collection are Truly Outrageous and Gimmie! Gimmie! Gimmie!, and I know I'm going to have to pick up Starlight Music!

❤ Kellie

The products mentioned were provided for an honest review.

KBShimmer Spring 2016 and Mega Flame Collections Swatches & Review

Hey cookies! This has been another crazy week! Can a sista get a break or what? Hope your week has been well! I have the two new KBShimmer collections to show off today, the Spring 2016 collection and the Mega Flame collection.

Press Sample

KBShimmer Prints Charming is the first in the Spring collection. She has a white crelly base with multisized glitters in deep fuchsia, turquoise, and sapphire. Applies easily and I got this opaque in only two coats.

KBShimmer Purr-fectly Paw-some is part of their Ultra Flair line up, which means it's crazy holographic! This is a pale, dusty moody blue linear holographic polish with steel gray and lavender undertones. It's a twist on a traditional periwinkle shade, created based on the Pantone 2016 Spring/Summer shade Serenity. Great application, but it's easy to overload your brush so be sure to watch that so you don't get pooling. Two coats.

KBShimmer Hello Dahlia is a dusty orangey peach crelly with sparkly holographic microdust and golden micro flakes. This shade is based on the Pantone 2016 Spring/Summer shade Peach Echo. I found this lady to be a little thick but not overwhelming or difficult to apply. This is two coats.

KBShimmer Pools Paradise is a lightened aqua crelly with little pops of neon pink, periwinkle and aqua glitters. This shade is based on the Pantone 2016 Spring/Summer shade Limpet Shell. I found the application on this to be lovely. I got nice coverage on two coats but if you tend to do thinner ones, you may need three.

KBShimmer Peony Pincher is another Ultra Flair, this time in a linear holographic pastel lavender. This had the same application as Purr-fectly Pawsome, except this covers completely one coat! I used two here anyway.

KBShimmer I Wet My Plants has a pastel muted periwinkle crelly base featuring a "garden full" of colorful glitters in dark pink, sapphire, silver and purple. This color is based on the Pantone 2016 Spring/Summer shade Serenity. This seemed a bit runny to me, so I would recommend not getting too much polish on your brush for easier application. Only two coats here!

KBShimmer Upside Round is a special one! This is a glitter topper, filled with neon circle glitters in a rainbow of bright shades and tiny circles in red in a clear base. I used one coat, with some glitter placement, over Hello Dahlia. This combination reminds me of a clown at a summer birthday party!

Now on to the Mega Flame holo collection! These are the same type of formula as fan favorites Alloy Matey, I Feel Gourd-geous, and Sun and Games, featuring holographic microglitters in tinted bases. I found them to give full coverage in just 2 coats. They all apply really nice and evenly, not chunky like some ultra microglitters can get. I found them all to dry a bit textured, and they are very thirsty. They might appear smooth on one coat of top coat, but they suck it in fast so you'll need at least one more for a glassy, shiny finish.

KBShimmer Stalk Market is a near celery green yellow. I adore this soft citrine shade!

KBShimmer Night Bright has a deep black base that makes the glitter look like stars in a faraway galaxy!

KBShimmer Ripe For The Pink-ing is a raspberry pink, a berry color with blue undertones. This makes me crave fruity desserts for some reason!

KBShimmer Smells Like Green Spirit is a "twisted citrus" green, a shade of deep lime. We all know I'm crazy for greens, so yes I like this one too!

KBShimmer Things That Make You Go Bloom is a kind of soft greyed out lilac purple. The softest of the glitter shades, very demure while maintaining crazy sparkle!

KBShimmer So Flamous is a copper leaning peach, a muted orange tone. I find this is too close to my skin tone to look super flattering but I do like the color.

KBShimmer Set In Ocean is a sparkling deep aqua blue. Very sea worthy and possibly my favorite of the mega flames!

All of these polishes are available on the KBShimmer website now for $9.25 each. Let me know which collection you like best of the two! I can't pick a favorite really, basically everything KBShimmer does fascinates me! Have a great Friday y'all!

❤ Kellie

The products mentioned were provided for an honest review.

Different Dimension Let Them Eat Glitter Collection Swatches & Review

Hey kids! I'm back again for a brand new adventure. Today's nail polish collection is called Let Them Eat Glitter by indie brand Different Dimension in collaboration with youtuber Nicole of Young, Wild and Polished! This collection consists of six glittery, sparkly, insanely blingy polishes. They are so fun!

Press Sample

Different Dimension Mrs. Rabbit is a purpley magenta jelly with intense blue shimmers, filled with chunky pink holographic glitters. This one seems pretty sheer on the first coat, but builds up a lot on the second. I still added another coat because I felt the base was still slightly translucent, but two is probably fine. I don't love this color, but it's pretty unique to my collection!

Different Dimension YWPimpin is a gunmetal linear holographic polish with added gold flakies, sterling silver plated flakies and gold holographic microglitters. This polish is epic! One of my favorite types of polishes from DD, so glad to have one in this color. Applies like a dream, two coats for opacity.

shade

Different Dimension Champagne Rain is made up of uber fine holographic gold and silver microglitters in a holographic base. Insanely beautiful, that awesome fine glitter is so smooooth! This is almost a one coater but I used two to completely cover every tiny crevice. Real thirsty though, my first coat of top coat was all sucked up and basically disappeared by the time I walked outside to get a picture so I put another on.

Different Dimension Topaz 2.0 is a lightened rose gold glitter bomb. Full of pink and gold holographic glitters and gold flakies in a rose gold tinted base. I found the base to be a little watery and I didn't get a ton of glitter out on the first coat, however on the second coat it was perfect! The second stuck to the first really well and I was able to get great coverage with the glitter. I love anything rose gold, so this is dear to my heart.

Different Dimension Banjo Bling is a gold holographic glitter bomb, filled with gold holographic glitters in hexes and squares, and sterling silver plated and gold flakies. Same formula as Topaz 2.0, also two coats here.

Different Dimension Glitter Bug is basically the silver version of Banjo Bling. It has silver holographic glitters in different size hexes and squares as well as sterling silver plated flakies. Same formula as the other two glitter bombs, two coats for coverage.

They put a disclaimer on the listing of this collection saying "some of these polishes may require an extra coat of top coat to smooth out the glitters" and I find that to be very accurate. But only one extra coat should be necessary, so they're not much different than any other chunky glitter. You can purchase these now on the Different Dimension website for $50. Most of them are available individually for $8.75 except YWPimpin, which is $11. So you definitely save some moola by buying this as a set. Let me know what you think about these blingtastic glittahs!

❤ Kellie

The products mentioned were provided for an honest review.

Nine Zero Lacquer Spring 2016 Collection Swatches & Review

I have some more awesome indie polishes to show you today! Nine Zero Lacquer's Spring collection has five soft spring glittery shades perfect for the season! They all have the same basic formula and finish, they're in a colored jelly base and are packed with silver holographic square-shaped microglitter. They apply easily but can get thick upon subsequent coats so I recommend a little bit of dry time in between layers. I was able to get a smooth surface with just my regular quick-dry top coat, which is nice for a microglitter. Let's take a look!

Press Sample

Nine Zero Lacquer Iris is in a deep purple base. This is the darkest in the bunch and the most opaque. I used two coats.

Nine Zero Lacquer Let It Rain has a light turquoise/teal jelly base and is a little more on the sheer side. I still only used two coats because the glitter is so dense your eye doesn't really detect any spaces, but you could use three if you wanted.

Nine Zero Lacquer Full Bloom is a light pink. This might be my favorite of the bunch, but we all know I'm a pink kinda girl! Two coats.

Nine Zero Lacquer Annual March Blizzard has a muted blue jelly base. "This is named after the blizzard that always comes to the midwest in mid-March, right when you start to think that Spring has sprung." We have that in northern Nevada too haha! This one is also a bit more sheer, but I still only needed two coats.

Nine Zero Lacquer New Growth has a light spring green jelly base. This shade was inspired by the color of freshly budding leaves on trees. I used two coats here as well.

This collection is available now on the Nine Zero Lacquer website for $11 per bottle or you can get the five piece collection for $45. What do you think of this collection? I think they are much more impressive in real life, photos can't quite capture their fabulosity or bling. If you want to see them in action, check out Jess's (the creator of Nine Zero) live swatch video on YouTube! What shade is your favorite?

❤ Kellie

The products mentioned were provided for an honest review.

The Holo Hookup April 2016 Indie Collaboration Box Swatches & Review

Happy freakin' Friday everyone! This week has felt simultaneously short and extremely long for me. It's very odd, but at least it's over! Today I've got the shades from the April box of The Holo Hookup to show you! The Holo Hookup is a monthly pre-order box of four holographic shades from a collaboration of indie brands. Different Dimension, Cupcake Polish and Glisten & Glow are the main indies who put together the box each month, and they always have a great theme and a guest brand join in. This month the theme is Autism Awareness and the guest brand is Bliss Polish. The Holo Hookup is donating $4 from every April box sold to the National Autism Association, making this month extra great!

Press Sample

Cupcake Polish Light Of My Life is a dark pink linear holographic with blue shimmer. This was almost a one-coater because it's a little thick, but the application was a breeze. I used two coats here.

Different Dimension I ♡ Someone With Autism is a black linear holographic with added blue shimmer and flakies and navy blue holographic microglitters. This one is completely opaque in one coat! I did two here because I always do. Takes a bit longer to dry down, so it might get gummy if you apply a second coat over the first too fast though. But you really can get away with just one if you want!

Glisten & Glow Accept, Understand, Love is a light springy grass green linear holographic with blue shimmer, and blue and silver galaxy holographic microglitters. Thinner consistency, but I noticed it was a little draggy upon application for me. Two coats for full opacity. I wasn't super in love with this at first glance, but when I saw it on my nails I really fell in love with it.

Bliss Polish Different Not Less is a slightly dusty, but somehow vibrant, bold blue linear holographic with added blue micro flakes. This is my first ever Bliss Polish and I am pretty pleased with it. It was on the thinner side but easy to apply with no pooling. Opaque in two coats.

This box will be up for pre-sale on The Holo Hookup website starting on Monday, March 21st at 9pm EST through Monday, March 28th at 9pm EST. The box is $40 plus shipping, and is available worldwide. They usually ship by the 12th of the following month, so this box will start shipping on 4/12/16. Let me know what you think of the April box! I'm so on board with the theme and love that part of the proceeds will be going to a great cause. Are you thinking about getting this box?

❤ Kellie

The products mentioned were provided for an honest review.

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

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone! I thought it befitting to show you a green polish today, so here is the new Nine Zero Lacquer Polish Of The Month! Each month this year Nine Zero is putting out a new limited edition shade only available for a short time. I have heard inklings that they all might come out in a set at the end of the year, but that's not confirmed yet. (If you want to see the previous month's shades, click here.)

Press Sample

Nine Zero Lacquer March 2016 is a "shamrock green" linear holographic with holographic silver microglitter. The glitter looks super gold to me, but the creator Jess says it's silver so it must just be the reflection of the green? IDK, but I like it! Effortless formula, two coats for full opacity.

This polish is available right now on the Nine Zero Lacquer website for $11. It will be available until midnight on the 2nd of the following month, and there will be a 48 hour period (last and first of the month) where the incoming and outgoing Polish Of The Month will both be available for purchase. Let me know what you think about this green stunner! What are you wearing on your tips today? Farewell and may the luck of the Irish be with you!

❤ Kellie

The products mentioned were provided for an honest review.

More Glam Polish Swatches & Review

Hey there, good morning beautiful! I hope you're doing well so far today. I had kind of a rough few days, but I think things are looking up a little. I have some random Glam Polish shades to show you today that I picked up a while ago. I just love Glam Polish, I cannot stop myself from buying them!

Glam Polish Totally Buggin' is one of the Clueless trio polishes that came out about a month ago. This has an almost-black linear holographic base with a bunch of glitters in charcoal, black, white and holographic silver mixed in. This has a great formula despite it being very glitter-dense. I used two coats here. Due to all the glitter I'd recommend a thick top coat for smoothness.

Glam Polish Take A Bow is from the Gleek collection released last summer. I used to be way into the show Glee when it first started, but I dropped off after the story line went a little too wacky for me haha. This is a cornflower blue linear holographic with subtle pink shimmer. In different lighting it can appear more purple because of the shimmer combination but it's definitely a blue. This was a little more sheer than I expected, but I still only needed two coats.

Glam Polish Glam Batch #22 was released as a one-off special batch in Fall of 2015. This is a navy blue with gallons of gold glitter and holo bits. It's almost a textured polish there's so much glitter in here, but two coats of top coat make it smooth. Great formula, albeit a little thick, and opaque in two coats. Dries pretty slow, I smeared a few nails even using quick dry top coat when I wore this as a full manicure. And I noticed I had some staining on my nails after removal, so I definitely need to double up on the base coat next time I wear this.

Both Take A Bow and Totally Buggin' are still available on the Glam Polish website now for $11 each. Sadly Glam Batch #22 is sold out, sorry for showing you something you can't get! Let me know what you think of these three pretties! Have you bought any new Glam's lately?

❤ Kellie

KBShimmer New Nail Care Products Review

KBShimmer has come out with a few new nail care products alongside their Spring collection, and I've got them to review for you today! I will have the Spring polishes up next week, I didn't get enough sun to swatch them this past weekend unfortunately. Plus then my nails will be grown out a little more, so that'll be good. They're super nubs right now, you'll see them in some posts later this week haha. Now, nail care ahoy!

Press Sample

KBShimmer Fillin’ Groovy Ridge Filling Base Coat (left) is a sticky base coat that gives a slightly plumped finish for smooth polish application. The stickiness helps to keep polish on your nails longer and also resists staining. It has a milky color and a medium consistency, a little thicker than clear bases so it takes a little longer to dry. This seems to fill ridges nicely and seems to help my polish adhere easily. I'm not the best judge of longevity with nail products as I change my manicure very often, usually before I ever get chips, so I can't speak to how well this keeps polish on. However, it did seem to prevent staining as I tried it with a shade I know tends to stain and didn't notice any.

KBShimmer Love You Strong Time Nail Strengthener (middle) "contains calcium pantothenate and Vitamin A to help strengthen natural nails without the use of Formaldehyde". The website says it helps weak, thin, splitting or peeling nails because it is a rehydrating formula. I find this very thin, almost watery, but it's not as runny on the nail as I imagined. Dries very quickly and leaves a nice finish. Some nail strengtheners/treatments can leave a less than desirable finish on the nail so I don't like wearing them on their own but this one is fine. You can also use it under nail polish, but I don't know how it would be at preventing staining, but it doesn't claim to be stain blocking. Most strengtheners aren't. I can't speak to how effective it is yet because I haven't had it long enough to form an opinion on that yet.

KBShimmer Oh Matte! Matte Top Coat (right) is a cloudy top coat meant to leave behind a matte finish. They advise to use this over dry polish only, or over quick-dry topcoat-ed polish, in thin coats with as few brushstrokes as possible. I've tried lots of matte top coats and this is probably among the top three. It's easy to apply, leaves a super matte finish, and doesn't get chalky on the neck of the bottle. They do tend to thicken up a lot over time so I'm interested to see if this guy does as well.

image via KBShimmer.com

The last product I have to show you is a new addition to their lotion family, the new KBShimmer Picture Perfect Matte Cuticle Cream. I was among a select few to actually be a tester for this product before its release and I'm really happy with it. (My bottle is a tester so I'm featuring a stock photo from their website.) You know how I prefer a moisturized but matte look to my skin and cuticles when I take photos so this is a perfect solution to that. I've tried a similar product from another brand and still love it, but it's a balm and this is a lotion so there's some variety in this product category now. This comes in a variety of scents as well as unscented. Pink Sugar still has my heart though!

These three polishes and the lotion are all available now on the KBShimmer website. The treatments sell for $6 each and the lotion is $4.50 for a 15ml bottle. Do you use any of these kind of nail care products? Have you tried any of KBShimmer's nail care yet? Let me know in the comments! Talk to you again soon!

❤ Kellie

The products mentioned were provided for an honest review.