Shleee Polish New Shades Swatches & Review

Hi there again! I wanted to thank everyone so much for the incredibly kind sentiments on my last blog post. In case you missed it, it's kind of important and I'd love if everyone gave it a glance. Now on to more polish! Today I wanted to show you some fun shades from indie brand Shleee Polish!

Press Sample

Mean Girl is a sweet baby pink polish loaded with blue/teal glass fleck shimmer. This formula was a touch thick, but that helps with it's opacity. I used three coats here. This reminds me of the movie Clueless, but I'm guessing the name is probably a reference to Mean Girls haha.

Salazar Slytherin 3.0 is a deep green holographic polish accented with silver holographic micro glitters. This applied effortlessly and was opaque in two coats. Named after a character in the Harry Potter universe, the founder of the Slytherin house at Hogwarts. I am a Ravenclaw, but I'm pretty sure I have some Slytherin tendencies, so maybe you could call me a Slytherclaw ;)

Mystic Jadeite is a pale, faded mint shade with purple shimmer, holo flakes, and iridescent glitter pieces. This is kind of a shade shifter, it leans more blue on me but it looks kind of greenish in different lighting. It's a little sheer but not as much as I expected. Three coats.

Jakku is a blend of glitters and mica shimmer in a clear base that creates a gorgeous reflective copper/bronze shade. Nice and opaque in just two coats. A real stunner, I am in love with this! Named for a desert planet featured in Star Wars. This dries flat, the glitter pieces don't stick up which is nice.

Sectumsempra is a blackened polish with strong green shimmer and silver holographic microglitter and shimmer. This was very opaque and goes on like butter. I used two coats here. Another Harry Potter reference, this is the name of a dangerous spell, certainly not to be messed with!

Moon Crystal Power is a mix of ultra holographic flake glitter pieces in purple, blue, and pink in a clear base. I built this up in three coats, but it can also be used as a layering polish. I believe the name is referencing Sailor Moon, one of the maker Ashley's favorites. Dries gritty so you'll want a thick top coat.

Emerald Candy is a vivid emerald green jelly with silver holographic microglitter and flakes. This applies easily, nice and even. It is a jelly so it lends to being a bit transparent. Despite that I was able to get full coverage with just two coats!

Invocation is a blend of purple and dark grey holographic microglitters in a clear base. This is another one that you can build up or layer; I put on three coats here. Dries gritty so I recommend a thick top coat for a smooth finish.

These shades and more can be purchased on the Shleee Polish website for $10-11 each. Let me know what you think of these polishes! Any catch your eye in particular? My favorite has to be Salazar but Jakku is a close second!

❤ Kellie

The products mentioned were provided for an honest review.

Pretty Serious Cosmetics Nail Polish & Treatments Swatches & Review

I've got some awesome polish shades and treatments from Pretty Serious Cosmetics to show you today! These have been available for a while, but I just got them a while ago and wanted to share my thoughts on them with you.

Press Sample

Type 40 is a Dr. Who type shade, specifically a TARDIS inspired blue crème. I've wanted this since it came out so I was stoked to get to try it. This is a 100% one coat wonder, no muss, no fuss, and no staining! I do always wear a stain-blocking base coat with blues but sometimes tricky ones can get through, not the case with this babe!

Breathless is a limited edition kelly green with gorgeous soft flake shimmer. This was created for friend of Pretty Serious, Hannah from Polly Polish to celebrate her wedding. Excellent two coat formula, really a head-turner! Super low quantity available so grab this one while you can!

Mummy Mush is a golden glass fleck multichrome shimmer shade that shifts through green to baby blue and pink in various lighting. I used two coats for a delicate look but you can also built it up more for total opacity or even layer it over colored base shades for a different look! Sadly this is sold out right now, so keep your eyes peeled for restocks.

Cuticle Hero Super Hydrating Cuticle Oil is one of their treatments that I've had my eye on for a while, it's a more heavy duty moisturizing formula than their other oils. It's "created from a blend of spa quality massage oils" and has a robust orange scent. This one does contain a nut oil, which I know some can be sensitive to. I found this mega therapeutic and nicely hydrating for my cuticles. The scent wasn't my favorite, so I don't know if I'd order this again unless they came out with it in another scent. They do have lighters oils in yummy scents like cupcake and bubblegum so I might try those next.

image via Pretty Serious Cosmetics

Plump Up the Volume Gel Effect Top Coat is a glossy, thick gel-like top coat that is perfect for smoothing out bumpy glitters. I have their Aqua Coat top coat which is sort of the same idea, but this is that type of formula "on steroids". It has a lot more body if that makes sense. Dries a bit slower than quick-dry top coats, but it's worth it. I find this works best when I apply quickly and with purpose as it can pull up off the nail if you go over your strokes multiple times.

image via Pretty Serious Cosmetics

These products (except Mummy Mush) are available on the Pretty Serious website now for $8.95-9.95 AUD each. One thing I love about the Pretty Serious website is it automatically detects the currency for your region, so when I log on, it automatically shows me the prices in US dollars which is super helpful. Let me know what you think about these colors and treatments!

❤ Kellie

The products mentioned were provided for an honest review.

ALIQUID Lacquer Adopt a Shelter Dog Charity Polish 2016 Swatch & Review

It's October again! Indie brand ALIQUID Lacquer is celebrating Adopt a Shelter Dog Month with creating another limited edition polish to support the ASPCA. Their previous efforts have raised almost $700 over the past two years! This year they are teaming up with TwinkledT to also release some cute vinyls for doggie themed nail art.

Press Sample

Dog Ate My Homework is a berry-tinted jelly with holographic and iridescent microglitter, gold flakies and blue glass flecks. Since it is a jelly it is pretty sheer, but that allows the gorgeous glitz inside to pop and layer to give a complex look. You could build this up on it's own or layer it on top of an opaque base color for a different look. I used three coats here.

The included TwinkledT vinyl sheet comes with 24 decals and 24 stencils in lots of cute designs. These worked really nicely for me, and being a beginner, I think I did pretty well with them! I used my go-to opaque white crème to fill in the heart-paw and dog stencils. I also put on a coat of matte transforming top coat to give the polish another look.

About the cause: About 3.9 million dogs enter U.S. shelters every year, and 1.2 million dogs are euthanized (800,000 of them pit bulls and pit bull mixes like our dog Trudy). Adopt a Shelter Dog Month seeks to call attention to the plight of these animals and to encourage people to adopt dogs rather than going to a breeder. No matter your preferences, you're bound to find a rescue dog that fits perfectly into your home! Click here to read all about pet adoption!

The vision of the ASPCA is "a humane community in which all animals are treated with respect and kindness." Donations to the ASPCA support a variety of causes, including:
•Grants to shelters nationwide
•Spay/neuter and microchipping programs
•Adoption, fostering and relocation programs
•Investigation and seizure of abused animals
•Lobbying for anti-cruelty legislation

This polish will only be available in the month of October from ALIQUID Lacquer's website. You can purchase it for $13 and $6 of that will go to the ASPCA! Since I received this polish for review, I have donated the $6 that would've been given to the ASPCA had I purchased this.

If you are a dog lover, cat enthusiast, or just want to support a great charity for animals, please consider donating or purchasing this awesome polish!

❤ 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 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.

Color4Nails Spring Break Duo Swatches & Review

I was torn about posting these for you, but I couldn't resist. This duo from indie brands Pahlish and Contrary Polish is themed for Spring Break and is from Color4Nails, an online nail polish stockist, exclusively for the members of their Facebook fan group, C4N Nailistas. There were are only 100 duos available and they were only available to order for two days this past week. So you can see my hesitation. But I'm not one to let any good swatches "go to waste" by not posting them on my blog. I hope you don't mind that much!

Press Sample

Pahlish Sunrise In Monaco is a watermelon red jelly with a mix of metallic silver flakes and red glass fleck shimmer. A little thick, but easy to apply and has surprisingly great coverage in only two coats. I have one or two other Pahlish shades, but I actually haven't tied them yet (crazy, I know), so this shade is my first go with the brand. Not disappointed at all!

Contrary Polish Isla Mujeres is a sea green crelly filled with gold shimmer and scattered holographic microshimmer. This applies really nicely, and is opaque in three coats. Dries a bit satiny so you'll want a top coat for shine. This is also my first shade from Contrary Polish and I am pretty pleased with it. I love the shimmer/glitter type in this because it's smooth on the nail and doesn't make the polish difficult to remove like other glitters can.

Again, I'm sorry if you fall in love with these, but I just couldn't not post the prettiness! And there's always a chance that they could show up on blog sales or destashes in the future. Actually, it might be good for you to join the C4N Nailistas group anyway, as they might be planning to have more exclusive duos in the future, they do lots of sneak peeks to new polishes coming to the Color4Nails store, and sometimes even exclusive early shopping access or discount codes! Plus they ship internationally. Hope your weekend is going well, thanks for coming by today!

❤ Kellie

The products mentioned were provided for an honest review.

Zoya Spring 2016 Petals Collection Swatches & Review

Hi everyone! Today I have the Zoya Spring collection to show you. It's called Petals and the shades are "inspired by the gardens of spring, this fresh and vibrant collection invites you to revel in the beauty of the season!" There's six polishes in the bunch and they're great for the season!

Press Sample

Tulip is a "pure pastel salmon cream with the slightest hint of sheen to mimic a petal soft finish." I found the color delightful, but the formula was a tad streaky and I needed three coats for opacity. The shimmer is subtle but noticeable.

Aster is a "fresh periwinkle with flecks of fuchsia to create a dewy finish, mimicking the look of spring flowers in the morning." This was excellently formulated, fool-proof application and I had full coverage on two coats! What a pretty color too eh? Similar to OPI Show Us Your Tips but more opaque and slightly more purple toned.

Laurel is "a warm pastel pink with the slightest hint of sheen to mimic a petal soft finish." This one was on the streaky side and needed three coats. However, with the slightly crelly-like formula I wasn't surprised. I would choose a formula like this one or Tulip's over something like Zoya Eden which has a chalkier type of feel. I suppose it would come down to personal preference.

Azalea is a "classic spring pink with a captivating white and fuchsia flash". I found the sparkle in this to be so pretty, the same type that Aster has with a similar formula. Very opaque, two coats here. 

Zahara is described as "a brilliant shimmering coral made modern with an opalescent effect." This polish was similar to Aster & Azalea in finish and formula, but was a little less opaque so I needed three coats.This is SO pretty, maybe my favorite in the collection.

Leia is a "sheer, opalescent white with flecks of fuchsia, green and gold". Zoya says this can be worn on it's own or layered over the other shades in the collection. This is it by itself at two coats. I like it but probably wouldn't wear it like this. I bet it would build up a little more with one or two more layers though.

I layered one coat of Leia over the other shades here. You can't tell very well from this photo but there was significant sparkle and a bit of that flash of color. (P.S. my thumbnail is rounded for some unfathomable reason, don't mind her)

These are available right now on the Zoya website for $10 each. I've heard a bunch of people say this collection isn't their favorite because the colors are too similar and they don't like the formulas, but I really enjoyed them! Different strokes for different folks I guess! What do you think? Is this collection a winner for you?

❤ Kellie

The products mentioned were provided for an honest review.

OPI Spring 2016 New Orleans Collection Swatches & Review

Hi everyone! OPI's latest destination collection theme is New Orleans and I've got all twelve shades to show you today! "Sweet, spicy, soulful and vibrant, the palette is perfect for a town where parades pop up everywhere, and dancing in the streets is de rigueur." I really enjoyed this Spring collection and I think you will too!

Press Sample

OPI Let Me Bayou a Drink is a very pale pink blush shade with an icy shimmer. I was expecting this to be difficult but it went on surprisingly easy for me. I did need three coats for full opacity though.

OPI Spare Me a French Quarter? is a mid-tone raspberry crème. Awesome formula, almost a one coater but I did two here. Very shiny!

OPI Humidi-Tea is a nude peach with orangey-pink super fine speckles and silver shimmer. No issues, easy application and opaque in two coats. I've heard this was a problem child for some others who've reviewed this, but it was lovely for me.

OPI Take a Right on Bourbon is a warm, metallic light pewter. The application on this was pretty good for being a thin metallic, but of course it was very brushstrokey. This is very similar to My Silk Tie from the Fifty Shades of Grey collection that came out last February, but that one is more silver while this is a warmer tone. I used two coats here.

OPI I Manicure for Beads is a warm purple crème. Great formula, almost opaque in one coat, but I used two. A sweet shade of grape, my preferred tone of purple.

OPI Crawfishin' for a Compliment is a light dreamy orange crème. This one had a nice formula, but I didn't quite get full coverage on two coats so I needed one more. This color makes me crave sunshine and warm weather!

OPI Show Us Your Tips! is a light periwinkle blue with lots of silvery glass fleck shimmer. This had a sheerer formula, so I needed three coats for opacity. I love this color but I have to admit that I really hate the name, ugh.

OPI Got Myself Into a Jam-balaya is a warm coral pink crelly. This is soooo my type of shade! Pretty nice formula, but since it was more jelly-ish in consistency I needed three coats.

OPI Rich Girls & Po-Boys is a vibrant blue crème. Another almost one coater, I used two here. Applied like butter, and dried incredibly shiny! I'm still swooning over this.

OPI She's a Bad Muffuletta! is a hot red crème with a hint of pink. Really just, WOW! Practically painted itself on and you can definitely get away with just one coat. I used two per usual here. This is going on my toes, stat!

OPI I'm Sooo Swamped! is a lush mossy green crème. I'm really impressed with these formulas because this one also covered in almost one coat. I did use two here. This shade reminds me of my favorite Muppet, Kermit the Frog :)

OPI Suzi Nails New Orleans is a light, bright pink crème. This is the only formula I found to be a tad streaky, but only slightly. I used three coats here, but I've heard a lot of folks say they only needed two. Bubblegum pink at it's finest!

This collection is available now wherever OPI is sold, such as Ulta, Sally Beauty Supply, and professional salons for around $10 per bottle. I'm head over heels for this collection! Although I've heard a few folks say they find the colors too basic and aren't interested in all the crème formulas, I had a great experience with the shades though, and I love a good standard crème so I'm happy! I don't think every shade is necessarily a "must have" though, so you can definitely go through and choose your favorites. Let me know which ones you want to try!

❤ Kellie

The products mentioned were provided for an honest review.