Takko Lacquer Fall 2016 Collection [Partial] Swatches & Review

Hello dear friend of mine! How was/has been your holiday season this year so far? I literally cannot fathom how this is the last week of the year, it's so nutty to me. But out with the old, in with new I guess! Today I have some shimmers and glitters from indie brand Takko Lacquer's Fall 2016 collection to show you. I got these a bit late so pardon my tardiness, however there are a few restocks coming up if you're itching to get some. Let's take a look!

Press Sample

Winter Succulents is a cool, dusty sage green crème filled with gold micro flecks and actual silver dust. This leaves me breathless, so gorgeous and dainty and perfect for any time of year. Great, easy to apply formula, very opaque. I used two coats here.

Boyfriend Jeans is just like a deep dark pair of denim blue jeans, complimented with coppery red iridescent shimmer. Stunning and striking! This is two coats. Dries dull so you'll want a shiny top coat.

Stoned was created to look like crushed marble quartz, it has a very light beige-grey base filled with black and gold micro flakies and a ton of golden shimmer flecks. This is another excellent polish, goes on like a dream and I got full coverage in two coats. The finish is dull and just the teensiest bit gritty upon dry down, but a top coat gives it a jolt of shine and smoothness.

Queen Of Hearts is a cherry red jelly filled with a generous helping of different sizes of translucent gold flakies. Surprisingly not difficult, sometimes jellies like this filled with chunky accents can be, well...chunky, but this was just fine. A touch thick maybe, but very easy to handle. I used two coats. This looks darker indoors, but the sun kinda shines through the jelly to give it an inner glow.

Starships is a greyed silver duochrome polish that flips to bright green and then to warm brownish copper, filled with holographic flakes to give a galaxy-esque look. Another great formula, went on effortlessly and opaque in two coats.

I had to give you a shade photo too, to show the duochrome better. I really love this!

Mariposa is a hearty pumpkin orange filled with golden shimmer and gold and pink glimmering flecks. This totally reminds me of Rescue Beauty Lounge NailsandNoms, only that one has blue shimmer and is a slightly more vibrant orange. Really nice formula, glides on the nail with ease. Very good coverage, you could almost get away with one coat, but I used two.

Narwhals is an icy periwinkle blue crème filled with tiny silver micro flakies. This was super buttery and crazy opaque! A one coater, but I did two like usual. The name of this makes me happy, so cute!

Merbunny is a sweet porcelain baby pink jelly filled with iridescent green and gold flakies. This can be built up on it's own or layered over darker colors for a different look. This one was on the thicker side but sheer. It was a touch streaky on two coats and my nail line was still visible, so I did three. I adore the look of the finished color, very princess-like.

You can purchase their products on the Takko Lacquer website; these are sold out now but will be restocked sometime in January. They range in price from $12-13 each. They will also be restocked at Color4Nails in January, no exact date yet. Let me know what you think of these shades! My favorite has to be Winter Succulents, but I really enjoyed them all! This may be my favorite group of Takkos I've tried from them yet!

❤ Kellie

The products mentioned were provided for an honest review.

My Picks from the Essie Fall 2016 Collection Swatches & Review

So I showed you the Essie Winter 2016 collection a little while ago and today I thought I'd share my picks from the Essie Fall 2016 collection. This is a six piece collection inspired by Japan, though I'm not sure the exact name. I've seen it called the Fall Into Japanese collection and also Kimono-Over. Either way, I bought four of the shades that tickled my fancy.

Udon Know Me is a dusty stone blue crème. This is thick but nice to apply. I did end up using three coats, it still looked a tad streaky to me on two. I'm obsessed with this color.

Go Go Geisha is a pale muted pink crème. This was just as thick as Udon, but covered evenly on two coats. I realized after I bought this it's a dupe for Zoya's Brittany, one of my favorite shades from 2015, but that one has a "satin" finish while this dries shiny.

Now And Zen is a subdued grey crème. Another thick formula, but easy to apply and opaque in two coats. I can't resist colors like this, they are must haves for me.

Playing Koi is a medium/deep rust orange. This has more of a jelly crème formula, it took me three coats to get a non-streaky, opaque finish but I didn't mind because it ends up looking so juicy! Dries a bit darker than it looks in the bottle. A great pumpkin-y fall color.

The two colors I didn't pick up from the collection are Kimono-Over, a purple jelly crème, and Maki Me Happy, a deep crimson berry jelly crème. This collection should probably still be in most stores still. Essie is sold in Ulta and in most drugstores like CVS and Walmart and on Essie.com. I purchased mine from Transdesign.com. Did you pick any colors up from the Fall collection?

❤ Kellie

Pahlish Fall Picks Swatches & Review

Hi friends, today I have two polishes from the newish-to-me indie brand Pahlish to show you. This is only the second time I've reviewed this brand on my blog, but I have a few lacquers from them in my collection. I've come to admire a lot from them lately, their stuff has been really catching my eye. I had to purchase some from their fall collections!

Pumpkin Patch is from one of their most recent collections, Ode to Fall. It's a warm espresso brown jelly with a mix of orange iridescent glitters and a scattered holographic finish. This was a bit sheer because of the jelly finish so I built it up in three coats. I love the deep look of the glitter suspended in the base. The scattered holo seems a bit flat in the photo, but it really pops in person.

Yellow Brick Road is from their early fall collection Out of Oz. It is a vibrant, sunshine yellow filled with metallic silver flakes with a strong scattered holographic finish. This applied easily, the blingy flakes lay nice and smooth. I used three coats but you might be able to get away with two.

You can find their products on the Pahlish website. Pumpkin Patch is available for $10, but unfortunately Yellow Brick Road is not in stock right now. I purchased it a while ago on clearance for $5. Have you tried this brand yet? I'm definitely going to be paying more attention to them now, I have fallen hard!

❤ Kellie

The Holo Hookup November 2016 Swatches & Review

The Holo Hookup is flying into our hearts again for another collaboration box! The November quartet is inspired by beautiful, colorful birds, themed as "Birds Of A Feather". The box always features unique, exclusive polishes from indie brands Cupcake Polish, DIFFERENT dimension and Glisten & Glow, with a fourth shade from a special guest brand. This month they are joined by Nine Zero Lacquer.

Press Sample

color inspiration

Cupcake Polish Flamingo is a bright orangey pink linear holographic. The first adjective I could think of when I first saw this was juicy! Can lean more orange in different lighting. Excellent formula, two coats for full opacity.

Glisten & Glow Purple Grenadier is a medium purple linear holographic with added shimmers and cherry red galaxy glitters. I found this to have a creamier formula than the others, a little thin but not difficult to apply. This is two coats. The red glitters really shine in person, giving this a unique pop.

DIFFERENT dimension Pygmy Kingfisher is a stunning gold linear holographic with a chrome red/orange/yellow multichrome effect. You have to see this to believe it, it's breathtaking! A touch thicker than the others, two coats here.

Nine Zero Lacquer Masked Flowerpiercer is a cerulean blue linear holographic. I've been fortunate to know the Nine Zero brand from their beginnings, they are a great brand. This applied effortlessly and covered in two coats, with slight brushstrokes.

The November box pre-order is open from Friday, October 21 9PM EDT through Friday, October 28 9PM EDT on The Holo Hookup website. The cost for the box is $40 plus shipping, domestic and international. I hope you enjoyed seeing these swatches, I really loved the colors this round. What do you think?

❤ Kellie

The products mentioned were provided for an honest review.

Moo Moo's Signatures It's All About Spooky Collection Swatches & Review

I'm back with more Halloween polishes! Singapore based indie brand Moo Moo's Signatures has four new polishes that positively scream Halloween, the It's All About Spooky collection! I am stoked with all the good seasonal polishes this year, and these are right up there. Let's have a peek!

Press Sample

The Curse of Dracula has a dark maroon base filled with blue shimmer, which gives it a purple look overall. There is also holographic dust, tiny blue and red flakies added in for sparkle. This has a good formula, but was a little uneven in some spots on two coats so I used three. I like that this shimmer isn't super metallic, it blends into the color nicely.

Jack-O-Lantern is a light pumpkin skin orange crelly with color-shifting micro flakies and gold sparkles. Lovely formula, easy to apply. The crelly base lends itself to being a tad sheer, so I used three coats for full coverage, but it was pretty close on two.

Frankenstein's Monster is a dark forest green with a slight teal tinge, sparkles with red shimmer, red micro flakies, holo sparkles, silver flakie shards and pink & purple iridescent glitters. This is a little thin, take care not to overload your brush or it can run to the sides a bit. This is three coats. A unique polish, I love how the silver shards look like broken mirror or something.

Dangerous Werewolves has a dark brown metallic base with sparks of blue microglitter, green micro flakies and caramel, red and gold glitters. Nice, easy formula, opaque in two coats. I didn't think I'd like this one as much as I do. Even though metallics aren't my favorite, but this one just works somehow!

These will be available on the Moo Moo's Signatures website on October 10th at 12am (SGT) for SGD16 (about $11.65 USD right now). How do you fancy these shades? Any pop out and grab your attention? Talk to you again soon dolls!

❤ Kellie

The products mentioned were provided for an honest review.

Potion Polish Fall 2016 Hoodies & Hayrides Collection Swatches & Review

I'm back with another fall/halloween-ish collection, this time from indie brand Potion Polish! The Hoodies & Hayrides collection for fall 2016 is a seven piece set featuring some shades from their last year's fall and Halloween collections, revamped with updated formulas. Let's have a look! And please stay tuned until the end of the post for a special surprise!

Press Sample

First Frost is a warm grey crelly with red/copper duochrome shimmer. This applied nicely, it was a bit sheer on the first coat, which necessitated three layers. I'm in love with this, reminds me of sunset on a grey, cloudy day.

Costume Party is a witchy black jelly with purple shimmer and a pinch of green-gold glitter. This is a returning shade from last year's Halloween quartet. Sure to be a hit again, this is very Halloween-esque. I also needed three coats for this guy for full coverage.

Pumpkin All The Things is a smoldering red-orange holographic with a sprinkle of gold holo glitter added. This guy practically applied itself, such a great formula. Two coats.

Dark Magic is an ultra vampy midnight purple packed with delicate holographic flakes. A more opaque jelly, this one covered in just two coats. I love that we're seeing more polishes made with holo flakes, which I am head over heels for!

Harvest Moon is a multichrome that shifts between red, copper, gold and olive green and is packed with gold holo microglitter. Another excellent formula, opaque in two coats.

I included an indirect light shot to show how dramatically this one shifts.

Poltergeist Heist is another returning shade from last year's Halloween set, a violet purple jelly with iridescent orange and purple glitter, scattered holo and a blue/red shifty shimmer. I used my bottle from last year for this swatch, but I am told the new formula is better and opaque in 2-3 coats. I used three here.

Marvelous Maple is a rich autumnal gold holographic with gold glitter and gold micro flakes. This was super close to being opaque in two but I layered on one more. Great, easy to use formula.

These are available now on the Potion Polish website for $10.00-$11.50 each. What do you think about this sparkly fall collection?

As a special treat, I wanted to give away two new bottles of Costume Party and Poltergeist Heist, as these are the colors from this collection that I already had last year's versions of. Please enter to win by filling out the form below. Ages 18 and up only, US only (sorry international folks!), ends on Oct. 17th. Please read all the rules and regulations before entering.

Win Potion Polish Costume Party & Poltergeist Heist!
Happy Friday and good luck!

❤ Kellie

The products mentioned were provided for an honest review.

Nine Zero Lacquer October 2016 Polish of the Month + Halloween 2016 Collection Swatches & Review

Hello friends! I've got the latest Polish of the Month from Nine Zero Lacquer to show you today, along with their six piece Halloween collection. Nine Zero just passed their year anniversary, so join me in congratulating maker Jess's success! I've been incredibly impressed with her polishes since she started and I know her dedication to creativity and quality will only continue. Cheers!

Press Sample

October 2016 is a light nudey brown linear holographic with added holographic silver microglitter. This formula was great, a breeze to paint with. This is two coats. It dries a bit dull so you'll want a glossy top coat for shine. If you want to check out all the 2016: A Year in Review colors that I've reviewed, click here!

And now for the Halloween shades!

Tricks No Treats is a white crelly with shredded glitter in metallic orange, green, and purple. This applied really nicely, nice and opaque. I found it required no manipulation of the glitters to get them to lay nicely, just don't put too much pressure on your brush or you may push them off the nail. This is two coats.

The Witching Hour is an orange, purple, green and black microglitter. This was a bit stingy on the first coat so you can definitely layer this. I built it up in three coats. It of course was a bit chunky but if you wait for it to dry down a bit between coats it layers easier. Dries gritty like glitters do, so use a layer of thick top coat or two for a smoother finish.

Spooky Lights has a silver holographic base with orange, purple, green, and black hex glitters. Lovely application, a bit sheer on the first layer, builds up in three coats. This is the third variation of this type of polish that Nine Zero has done, the first was in the Holiday 2015 collection and the second was limited edition for July 4th this year.

Jack-O-Lantern Juice is a pumpkin orange crelly with black shredded glitter. Nice formula, easy and covers in two coats. This reminds me of the tunic Fred Flintstone wears haha.

Black Cat Optional has a clear base with silver holographic microglitter punctuated with medium black hexes, large orange hexes, and white circle glitters. This has the same as Witching Hour but doesn't get quite as opaque, as you can see tiny bits of my nail in some spots. Another one you could layer over an opaque base color for another look if you want.

Cauldron Fire has a black jelly base filled with orange holographic microglitter. The formula is excellent, no issues and full opacity at two coats. This is the epitome of a Halloween polish and I am head over broom for it!

The polish of the month is available now on the Nine Zero Lacquer website for $11. The Halloween collection is available for pre-order through tomorrow 10/5 at 11:59 EST, priced at $54 as a set and $9-$11 individually. After the pre-orders ship, then they will be available for regular purchase. I noticed last year's Swamp Thing is also available for pre-order for $10, I loved that one! Let me know what you think about these new colors :)

❤ Kellie

The products mentioned were provided for an honest review.

Different Dimension Halloween 2016 Poe. Collection Swatch & Review

Hey there folks! I have an awesome quartet of polishes from indie brand Different Dimension to show you today. It's the Poe. collection, inspired by the gothic literary stylings of Edgar Allan Poe, someone who I've been a fan of since I was a wee lass.

Press Sample

Once Upon a Midnight Dreary is a black jelly polish with hex glitters in orange, blue, purple, and green. I love the formula of these type of polishes from Different Dimension, they all apply easily, not too thin or thick. This is three coats. Perfect shade for the Halloween season!

...Dream Within a Dream is a full coverage Halloween glitterbomb! Holographic silver microglitter with added tones of orange and black glitter in various shades and sizes. This is loaded UP with glitter, a little chunky but surprisingly easy to handle. I used three coats here to make it opaque, but you could also layer this one over a silver, orange, or black for an equally cool look. May require extra layer of top coat for a smooth finish.

Nevermore is a charcoal black linear holographic with added orange shimmers and orange microglitter bits. This was incredible, easy to apply and super opaque. The microglitter pieces can poke through a bit so I used two layers of top coat on this one. I've worn this twice since I got it!

And All I Loved, I Loved Alone is an orange jelly with holographic flakes. Love this type of formula, even, opaque and sparkly finish in a jelly! Such a great pumpkin-y shade for the season!

New cuticle oil scents coming soon too! They will come in both pen (2.7 mL) and dropper (15mL) sizes, as well as new sample sizes, which are great for testing scent/fragrance sensitivities. This is the first time I've tried Different Dimension's cuticle oil and I am really pleased with them! I'm totally diggin the long lasting moisturizing qualities and scents.

Image via Different Dimension website

New cuticle oil scents are: Explore - Fresh pumpkin blended with orange peel, sweet carrot, ground cinnamon, clove bud, nutmeg and vanilla cream; Discover - A fresh and feminine fruity blend of mango and strawberries with grapefruit, freesia and amber and tonka bean; Journey - Notes of pink amber and vanilla wrap around blushed orchid and jasmine petals; and Drift - Ripe black raspberries are mixed with dark plum and warm vanilla.

The polishes and oils will be available on Friday 9/23 at 9pm EST on the Different Dimension website. Polishes will be priced at $12 each, except for Once Upon a Midnight Dreary which is specially priced at $5. There will be special discount pricing on the full collection for the first 24 hours of release, so mark your calendar! Let me know what you think of these new shades! I've got more Different Dimension for you very soon so keep your eyes peeled for them!

❤ Kellie

The products mentioned were provided for an honest review.

KBShimmer Fall 2016 Collection Swatches & Review

Fall is my favorite season BY FAR. In terms of weather, holidays and polish colors. And one of the things I look forward to the most when fall is near is the reveal of KBShimmer's new collection! This year we get twelve beautiful shades in various finishes, holos, glitters, crellies, and crèmes. Let's look shall we?

Press Sample

Orchidding Me? is a warm purple linear holographic that leans a bit fuchsia. A fabulous holo formula, fantastic rainbowy fire! Two coats, dries pretty shiny but I'd still recommend a top coat. This is my favorite shade of purple, super pretty.

Little Boy Hue is a soft baby blue inspired by the 2016 Pantone color of the year Serenity. Amazing formula, super close to being a one coater! With such a light color, that's really impressive. I used two coats here.

Tiers Of Joy is described as a "cake batter" color, a crelly filled with pops of gold holographic and pink glitters, along with nutmeg and holo microglitter that "add a hint of spice." I always swoon for the KBShimmer crellies, and this is no exception. Easy formula, three coats. You could get away with two if you want a slightly more translucent look.

Grin And Gerbera It is a warm deep pink crème. A very wearable shade, ideal for fall or spring, or any season really! Incredible one coat formula, but I used two like usual.

The Best Mum Ever is a deepened lavender loaded with a pinky red micro flakies. The flakes rise and sink in the base to give it crazy awesome dimension and depth, so pretty! This is on the thinner side, but was surprisingly completely opaque in two coats.

Poppy Kisses is a bright, orange toned red linear holographic. This applied really easily, great formula and opaque in two coats. Makes me think of apple and pumpkin harvest time!

Sage It Ain't So is a soft sage green crelly accented with copper, lavender and silver glitter, and a sprinkling of holographic dust. Lovely and easy to polish with, I used three coats for full coverage on my nails, but you may only need two.

Turning Pointe is a new addition to the KBShimmer Mega Flame line, a soft peachy pink jelly base filled to the brim with super holographic microglitter. Excellent application, two coats gives complete opacity. I recommend a thick top coat for all of the mega flames as they dry very glittery. This is super blingy in real life, my photo unfortunately doesn't do it justice.

Flake Me Home Tonight is a minty silver metallic flake polish with holographic sparkle. The same formula as their Birthstone collection, no fuss formula and covers in two coats. No texture with this, as the flakes lay flat, but I'd wear a top coat anyway.

Oh My Ganache is a rich dark chocolate linear holographic. Creamier than the other holos, and not quite as linear, but still has lots of glistening rainbow-yness. Two coats here!

Sweet Devotion is a candy inspired white crelly bursting with hex glitters in blue, red, yellow, orange, green and brown, with a dash of micro slice glitters. Another great crelly formula, three coats here. You could also layer one coat of this over a white crème.

Fright This Way is Halloween inspired, it has a deep black jelly base with a scattering of holo dust and loads of purple glitter. This was a little chunky, some of the larger glitter pieces had begun to curl a bit which left the surface pretty bumpy. I used two layers of thick top coat to get a smooth surface over three layers of polish.

Included with the collection (free with fall collection orders while supplies last), are some metallic purple bat glitters, which were begging to be paired with Fright This Way! I placed a few on each nail and covered them with another two layers of thick top coat. It looks awesome, but I don't know how wearable this is with all those layers haha. If I wore this combo again, I'd wait to put on top coat until after I put on the glitter pieces.

This collection is available now on the KBShimmer website for $9.25 each. They are also running some promos for a while to celebrate their 8th year in business, check out their Facebook page for details! What do you think of these twelve fall beauties? My favorites are the crellies of course, but all of them are winners for me.

❤ Kellie

The products mentioned were provided for an honest review.