Girly Bits What Really Happened In Vegas 2016 Collection & CPNA Exclusive Swatches & Review

I've got some amazing new shades from Girly Bits Cosmetics to show you today! The 2016 edition of the "What Really Happened in Vegas" collection, which started in 2014, inspired by memorable things that happened in Vegas for the Cosmoprof North America trade show attended by beauty enthusiasts, indie brands, professional brands, and media/bloggers/influencers. There are five shades in the collection, and I've also included their super limited edition exclusive shade created for the CPNA event at the end of the post!

Press Sample

Showgirl Plucker is a mid tone teal/turquoise holo base filled with holographic microflakes, and a sprinkling of purple and blue microglitter. I'll save some time and just tell you now that all of these apply like a dream and cover in just two coats. They are all glittery in some way or another, so I recommend a thick layer of top coat or two.

Anniversary Crashers is a mix of yellow gold, deep blue, and holo gold microglitter, with gold flakes mixed in. So much prettier on the nail than I expected, seriously you need to see this in real life to understand the awesomeness!

I Do What I WANT! is a grape amethyst purple, loaded with silver microflakes, holo microflakes, and silver holo microglitter. I literally say this all the time. This must have been made for me!

How to Find a Naked Man (in Vegas) is a dusty denim blue crelly with iridescent holo microglitter, bronze twinkle and violet shimmer. Seemed a tad understated at first glance, but it's actually quite flashy!

Personal Hotspot is a bright raspberry pink base filled with a variety of fuchsia holo glitter. Another winner! And very Vegas-esque to my brain for some reason!

What Happens In Vegas...Ends Up on Twitter is the exclusive shade created for the CPNA event this year, a denim blue holo that shifts from pink to gold, with an added sprinkling of gorgeous aqua holographic glitter. This is a one time only limited edition numbered batch and is only available for purchase until August 22nd! I am borderline obsessed with this polish, it's incredible!

These are all available now on the Girly Bits website. Purchase the full WRHIV collection before Sunday, August 28th at 11:59pm EDT and save $1 per bottle, sale price $77.50 CAD - regular price $82.50 CAD. Individually they are $16.50 CAD. The limited edition shade What Happens In Vegas...Ends Up on Twitter is also listed at $16.50 CAD, is very limited in stock and again, is only available until August 22nd. Let me know what you think of these pretties! I don't think I could be happier with them, they are serious stunners!

❤ Kellie

The products mentioned were provided for an honest review.

Girly Bits August 2016 Colour of the Month Duo Swatches & Review

Hi there! Today I have the new Colour of the Month shades from Canadian indie brand Girly Bits for the month of August. These shades are limited and only available in their release month. Last month's shades were to die for, so I was super stoked to be able to try out more!

Press Sample

Sun Dog is a light golden copper "shimmolo" (shimmer holographic) with bronze micro flakes and copper shimmer. This applied amazingly well, super buttery easy formula. Opaque in just two coats. Really stunning and sophisticated with a hint of bling!

Dancing In The Moonlight is an über saturated mid tone blue low density holo with a pink flash and green shimmer. This has absolutely gallons of shimmer, which seemed to have sunk to the bottom of my bottle upon arrival. I let it sit upside down for a good half hour before I applied it and that did the trick. Good formula, not too thick or difficult to apply at all. Two coats here. No staining to report, which is lovely. This is much more complex looking in real life, it's a must have!

These two shades launch for pre-order on the Girly Bits website on August 6th through the 10th. They are $16.50 CAD each, or buy both for $31 CAD and save (only during pre-order). Anyone who misses out on the pre-order will have another chance to buy them starting August 24th, then they will be available until stock is gone or until the last day of the month, whichever is first. What do you think of this duo? I'm head over heels!

❤ Kellie

The products mentioned were provided for an honest review.

Girly Bits Cosmetics A Little Madness Collection Swatches & Review

I've got a new collection from Canadian based indie brand Girly Bits Cosmetics to share with you today dear friends! This 6 piece collection was inspired by Alice Through the Looking Glass, and two of them (White Rabbit and Hookah-Smoking Caterpillar) are dedicated to Girly Bits maker Pam's daughter Jen Knight for the release of her music video for White Rabbit. Let's take a look!

Press Sample

Hookah-Smoking Caterpillar is a dark multichrome that shifts from purple to blue and teal, with added gold holographic microglitter.This was thin but applied easily. I used three coats here because my eyes were playing tricks on me, it looks much lighter indoors than outside, so you might only need two for full coverage. A tiny bit gritty with glitter but it became smooth with one layer of top coat.

I took a photo in the shade too so you can see the shifting color a little more. It is much lighter in indirect lighting, as you can see.

White Rabbit is an off-white/nude-ish crelly, filled with silver flakes and sparkling iridescent microglitter that shimmer slightly gold. This was thick, but not difficult. I used three coats here. I used one layer of Girly Bits' thick, plump top coat Glitter Glaze to cover the texture of the glitter.

Go Ask Alice is a mid-tone aqua blue crème. This was nicely pigmented and applied very buttery. I used two coats here, and it dried nice and shiny. This is darker and more blue than Here's Lagoon Atcha, the COTM for June that came out recently if you are interested.

A Little Madness is a summery orange low density holographic, with a subtle red flash and violet shimmer. This is pretty gorgeous, and a unique holo to my collection. Great formula, easy with two coat coverage.

Believe the Impossible is a light lavender intense holographic, filled with stunning gold shimmer. This was a little sheer and the glitter particles seem more prominent than I expected looking at it in the bottle. I only needed two coats though, surprisingly. This was thin but went on easily.

Heads Will Roll is a garnet red jelly filled with gold/green glass fleck shimmer. Insanely beautiful, not really a summer color, but I'm ok with it. Pretty great formula as well. I used two coats here but you may need three if you use thinner coats.

These are available now on the Girly Bits website for $16.50 CAD each, except for Hookah-Smoking Caterpillar which is $18.50 CAD. If you purchase the entire collection before July 19th, you can save a $1 per bottle and get the lot for $108.50 (regular price $115.50). What do you think of these shades? I like them all but A Little Madness and Heads Will Roll have turned my world topsy-turvy and I love it!

❤ Kellie

The products mentioned were provided for an honest review.

Girly Bits Next Door Cafe Duo Mei Mei's Signatures Exclusive Swatches & Review

Hello again to you dear reader! I'm back today with some new Girly Bits Cosmetics polishes! Specifically the Next Door Cafe duo, which are exclusive to Singapore based indie stockist Mei Mei's Signatures.

Press Sample

Mint Chocolate is a mint green linear holographic with pale silver shard flakies. This applied easily and covered completely with two coats. It's a bit hard to see the flakies in direct lighting, like in this photo, but they are quite prominently seen in real life.

Smiling Lavender is a lavender ultra holographic with added light pink holo glitters and violet purple micro flakies. Super sparkly and super rainbow-flamey! This one was a bit thin, but still easy to handle. Two coats here as well.

This duo is available now on the Mei Mei Signatures website for SGD 37.00 or around $27.50 USD. As far as I can tell they are not available individually right now, only as a duo. Let me know what you think of these two shades! I'm head over heels!

❤ Kellie

The products mentioned were provided for an honest review.

Girly Bits June and July 2016 Colour of the Month Series Swatches & Review

Today I have two duos from Canadian indie brand Girly Bits Cosmetics, the June and July editions from their Colour of the Month series. Let's take a look!

Press Sample

First up for June is Here's Lagoon Atcha, a bright aqua turquoise-y crème. This was thin but pretty pigmented. I used three coats here, but I could almost get away with two. This is a great shade for spring and summer. Probably fall and winter too. It's just a good one, trust me.

Peach Slapped is a near neon peach crème. The formula on this was thin too, which I wasn't expecting because most polishes I've tried in this shade are quite thick. Another one I could almost get away with two coats on, but I needed three for 100% coverage. I love this tone of orange!

The June Colour of the Month duo will be for available for a very limited amount of time, from July 5th to July 10th only. The promo price for purchasing the duo is $31 CAD, or $16.50 CAD each.

For July we have Sun's Out Buns Out, a bright dolly fluorescent pink low-density holographic with gallons of gold shimmer and glass fleck. I'm obsessed with glass fleck and gold shimmer is bae, so this polish is insanely great to me! Super easy to apply formula, opaque on two coats. It was hard for me to get my photo to show actually how amazing it is, so you'll just have to take my word for it! (Or look at other, better swatches of it haha.)

No Tan Lines is a medium orange low-medium density holographic with coral undertones filled with red shimmer and gold glass fleck. Well squeeze my oranges, gold glass fleck might even be better than gold shimmer! I'm floored at how much I love this duo. (I'm actually wearing them both right now!) Same great application as the pink, opaque in two coats.

The July Colour of the Month duo first launches on July 5th through the 10th for the promo price of $31 CAD or $16.50 CAD each. The second launch will be on July 24th through July 30th (or until sold out) with limited quantities for $16.50 CAD each.

If you haven't heard, there is a postal issue in Canada right now. So with GB Cosmetics being in Canada, they have figured out a way around that by sending to a third-party shipper for US and international customers. It's a bit more complicated for Canadian buyers, you either can choose to have your order ship after the postal strike is over, or to fetch courier rates to ship sooner. With this issue, turnaround times are a little longer than usual, so let's all cross our fingers for a quick resolution! Regardless, you can order these from the Girly Bits website right now! Let me know what you think of these gorgeous shades!

❤ Kellie

The products mentioned were provided for an honest review.

Girly Bits Sweet Nothings Collection Swatches & Review

Hey folks, today I have the Girly Bits Sweet Nothings collection, a top coat, and one bonus shade to share with you today! I have only tried a few polishes from them in the past so I was really stoked to be able to review a full collection for you on my blog! This 7 piece collection was inspired by sweet French Macarons, and their delicate texture.

Press Sample

Mon Chéri is a mid tone blush pink crelly that leans slightly peach, with peach and gold shimmer and platinum silver shimmer. This applied easily and went on smooth and streak-free. I used two coats here for full opacity.

Mon ChouChou is a mid tone lilac crelly, with pink and blue shimmer, and platinum silver shimmer. This one seemed a bit sheer on one coat so depending on your application you may need three coats, as I did. Even though it was less opaque than Mon Cheri, it flowed onto the nail nicely and was not streaky.

Mon Petit Canard is a pastel yellow crelly, with copper and platinum silver shimmer. This one was a tad streaky, but really minimally. I used three coats on this guy for full coverage. I'm a sucker for soft yellows so this is so cute to me!

Bleu de tes Yeux is a sky blue crelly with blue and platinum silver shimmer. Same formula as Mon Cheri, no streaks and opaque in two coats. I love the little flecks of darker blue in this, it makes it very dimensional!

J’ai Besoin de Toi is a light, almost dusty, sage green crelly with platinum silver shimmer. This was similar to the yellow shade, slightly streaky, but I would still classify this as a having a good formula. I used two layers here, but it you do thinner coats, you may need three.

Bonbon D’Amour is an opaque white crelly with a mix of neon circle glitter, smaller pastel glitter, and purple metallic flakes. The base of this had a lovely consistency, not too thick or thin with good pigmentation. I used two coats and needed some placement to get the glitters to lay in a pleasing way on my nail, which is pretty typical for these type of crelly glitters. You'll want a layer of thick top coat to get a smooth finish, but probably just one.

Tarte au Sucre is a real stunner! It's a lilac microglitter accented with silver holographic, red shimmer and multi colored iridescent glitter pieces. I found this to have excellent coverage, needing only two coats for full opacity. Dries gritty so you will need one or two layers of a thick top coat for smoothness. The iridescent glitters really POP in lower lights, but I didn't get a good picture of it in the shade, unfortunately. Just take my word for it ;)

I used their Glitter Glaze top coat over Tarte au Sucre. This top coat is a quick drying glossy top coat with a slightly thicker viscosity than their regular top coat formula, What A Rush, and is designed for smoothing out glitter or textured polishes. This applied well and dried quickly. Upon full dry down over the glitter, I did still feel minimal "bumps" but they were not rough to the touch, if that makes sense. I would probably still layer one more coat to get a completely smooth surface, at least over the glitter I tried it with.

Image via Girly Bits Cosmetics

And the bonus shade, Razzle Dazzle 2.0, is a re-launch of the original, first release in 2011. It is a raspberry scattered holographic microglitter with pops of copper, blue and deep pink in a sheer fuchsia jelly base. This can be layered or used by itself. I built it up here in three coats. There is still slight "gaps" where you can see the base of your nail, so if that bothers you I would layer it over a similarly colored raspberry polish. This is very blingy!

The Sweet Nothings collection, top coat and Razzle Dazzle 2.0 are available on the Girly Bits website now for $12.91 USD each. Please be aware that they ship from Canada, in case you are located in another country. What do you think of these? My favorites are Mon Cheri, J'ai Besoin des Toi and Tarte au Sucré. But I really enjoyed all of them! Have you tried Girly Bits yet?

❤ Kellie

The products mentioned were provided for an honest review.

My Guest Post on BeautyGeeks: Essie LuxEffects 2015 Collection

Hello there, eh! I say "eh" today because I have an extra special guest post on my Canadian friend's blog BeautyGeeks! Essie Canada sent me the new 2015 LuxEffects polishes to show off and I couldn't be more excited to be featured on the BeautyGeeks site, they have some amazing content! Please head on over there and see the magic!

Press Sample

Of course I couldn't just show them here, this black and white photo is just a teaser :) Here is the link: http://imabeautygeek.com/2015/10/15/essie-luxeffects-2015-swatches-and-review/ - please show the post some love! Their nail blogger Karen has impeccable skills but despises bar glitter and she knows I love it, so this guest post really is a win-win situation for the both of us. See you again soon cookies!

❤ Kellie

The products mentioned were provided for an honest review.

Deborah Lippmann - Raise Your Glass

Howdy folks! I wanted to show off a recently acquired polish love of mine, Deborah Lippmann Raise Your Glass. This was created for Holt Renfrew celebrating their 175th anniversary back in 2012. I didn't know who/what that was at first, but I found out it's a Canadian department store. So this was a Canada exclusive polish, making it double hard to find as it was also very limited edition. I finally was able to get a hold of it by purchasing it on a blog sale a while ago, after trying to get it for almost two years, score!

Raise Your Glass is a deep magenta creme that has glorious small fuchsia hex glitters running through it. Since it's a creme rather than a jelly, I find using a ridge-filling base coat helps make it more even, so the glitter doesn't sink into the color as much. I also find it to be a "thirsty" glitter and dry a little flat so I used two coats of top coat to give it a more glass-like surface. This color is darker indoors, almost murky looking, but with the bright sun shining on it you see through the depths and the suspended glitter just radiates. This is two coats.

This was one of my major lemmings and I am so glad I finally own it. I really love how it looks with my skin tone. It's also an interesting color, leaning cool and warm at the same time and the base & glitter color combo is unique to my collection. Lippmann polish usually retails for $18-20 but like I said, this particular one is a little hard to find haha. Have a great weekend!

facebook ▴ twitter ▴ instagram

Breathing Under Teal Blue Water

A few posts ago I showed you some new Glitter Gal holographic polishes, but I forgot one. Ironic since this one is my favorite of the bunch. It's called Teal Blue. It's a pretty color for a holo and one I didn't have in my collection. Awesome formula, opaque with a strong linear holo. Three coats.

I recently picked up a few polishes from a new-to-me indie brand called Wing Dust Collections that is based in Canada. She threw in a mini with my order and I loved it. It's called Breathing Underwater, a navy blue jelly with different types of glitter in blue, periwinkle, and brown. Love this combo! I might pick up a full size bottle of this.

You can buy Glitter Gal polish from Llarowe for $11 and Wing Dust Collections can be bought from their Etsy store for $8.50 each.

Products provided for review.

Guest Post by Ommorphia Beauty Bar: Butter London - Branwen's Feather

Please enjoy this guest post by my friend Eugenia from Ommorphia Beauty Bar!

When I first saw a lineup of Butter London lacquers, I was immediately drawn to 'Branwen's Feather' - as much for the colour, as for the name....it sounded so gothically romantic to me! This is one of those intricate hues that is hard to pin down; nestled deep within its purple/prune base, is tons of micro glitter in shades of silver, red and even flecks of blue peeking out here and there. Although it can appear like a blackened prune in shaded light, the myriad reflections of its internal glimmer always keep it from looking too deep. Once you take this beauty out in sunlight, however, it's when you begin to appreciate all the varying nuances of colour it has to offer but it is a photo taken with flash, that truly shows off its entire brilliance. One of the more sophisticated varnishes in this colour family that I've tried in a long while, 'Branwen's Feather' is intense without going over the top, vampy without looking too flashy, and so very sophisticated on the nails. All swatches are with Seche Base Ridge Filling Base Coat, three very thin coats of lacquer, and a-england's 'The Shield' top coat.

The formula was in line with others in the Butter London range: excellent. Flowing easily but neither too thick nor thin, the first coat gave an almost sheer coverage, which quickly became opaque by the second coat, although I added a third coat here for photo purposes. Application was very smooth, with Butter London's medium-thin brush that has amazing flexibility, fanning out across the nail with great precision, with the result looking brush-stroke free, and a self-levelling finish. Although it wasn't as naturally glossy as some of this brand's creme shades (I suspect due to the addition of the micro glitter), it still had enough shine that was only intensified by the addition of top coat. Part of Butter London's core collection and thus not a limited edition colour, 'Branwen's Feather' is a must-have for anyone who loves mysteriously deep shades....as well as uniquely romantic-sounding names!

When Kellie first approached me to write a guest post for her amazing blog, I was not only surprised, but so thrilled that I jumped up and down, squealing like a little girl! This was not only so much fun to do, but such an incredible honour...thank you, Kellie! I have been a long time fan of all the work you produce, and love being invited into your corner of the world! Tons of hugs!!

I love this gal! She's in Canada (I LOVE CANADA) and gets some of the pretties that are released sooner than we do in America, so I'm always over at her blog drooling at all the new stuff I don't have yet haha! Thanks so much for contributing Eugenia!