Native War Paints Valentine's Day 2016 Goodbye, Good Riddance, Good Night Collection Swatches & Review

Another Valentine's collection! This one is more themed to my sensibilities though, Native War Paints' six piece V-Day offering is called Goodbye, Good Riddance, Good Night and it's inspired by breakup songs! I've never been a romantic-type so I can dig these babies more than if they were named after love songs haha.

Press Sample

Native War Paints Love Hurts is a vibrant orchid purple filled with red shimmer. This formula was on the thin side but not difficult to work with at all. I've been impressed with all of the NWP shimmers I've tried because of their easy of application! Complete coverage in two coats.

Native War Paints You Oughta Know is a robust blue-toned red with gold and red shimmer. Another thin but easy formula, no issues. Two coats. Dries a little dull so you'll want a top coat for shine. This is my favorite song out of the bunch, love Alanis Morissette!

Native War Paints Go Your Own Way is a pinky lavender polish with gold and red shimmer. The shimmer in this was very sunken so I had to shake it really well and leave it upside down for a while before I applied it to get the true color. This one also seemed to have a heavier smell than the other polishes, not sure why. Covered well in two coats, dries matte.

Native War Paints Falling in Love (is Hard on the Knees) is a vibrant pink with a coral tone paired with red shimmer. This applied like a dream and was opaque in two coats. This might be my favorite in the collection! Also dries on the matte side.

Native War Paints Since U Been Gone is a medium rosy pink with red and gold shimmer. Another excellent formula, applied smooth and easy and covered in two coats.

Native War Paints Love Stinks is a dark polish that is a red but leans towards brown, a mahogany type of shade. The red shimmer in this is subtle, but it's there giving the vampy color a hint of sparkle. Great to apply, almost a one coater but I used two here. Dries with a dull finish, but not quite as matte as the others.

These shades are all available now on the Native War Paints website for $8.50 each or $45 for the full collection. There also mini bottles available for $5 each. (Side note: the bottle pictured is not permanent, the shape/cap will still be the normal one on the polishes purchased on their website.) Do you like this type of collection? I think it's great to have a cohesive element to each shade! Which is your favorite? What are you planning on wearing on your nails for Valentine's Day?

❤ Kellie

The products mentioned were provided for an honest review.

Different Dimension Valentine's 2016 Serendipity Collection Swatches & Review

Ready for another Valentine's day collection? Well whether you are or not, I've got another to show you haha! This is a quartet of polishes from indie brand Different Dimension, inspired by the movie "Serendipity". I've never seen the film, but I love that creator Missi made this cute collection based on a movie that means a lot to her and her significant other. Adorbs!

Press Sample

Different Dimension Have Faith In Destiny is a pale silvery nude linear holographic. This formula was thin but easy to apply and dried very fast. I'm head over heels with this shade, so classy but still slightly edgy! This is two coats.

Different Dimension Serendipity is a hot pink jelly with a slight magenta tone filled with scattered holo sparks, flake shimmer, and blue/violet iridescent shimmer. This is crazy bright, almost a neon! Excellent formula, no fuss. You could get away with two coats if you wanted, but I used three to completely cover the shadow of my nail line. Dries a bit bumpy so you'll want a thick top coat.

Different Dimension They Should Make Pills For This is a white based crelly with different shapes and sizes of shimmers and glitters in hot pink and silver. This one felt a tiny bit thick, but covers the nail completely with no streaks in two coats. There's a bit of a texture with the glitters, so again you'll want a thick top coat for smoothness. I like this a lot, so cute but not too cutesy ya know?

Different Dimension Maybe The Absence of Signs is a Sign is a blood red jelly with the same scattered holo sparks that are in Serendipity. The darkness and slight dirtiness of the red shade takes it in a whole different direction (dimension?) than the pink though. This one was more sheer, I definitely needed the three coats on this one for full coverage. You could also layer this over an opaque color for a different look, but I love the depth the jelly gives with the holo bits, swoon!

These are available now at the Different Dimension website, individually priced at $12, except for They Should Make Pills For This which is specially priced at $5! You can get a discount if you purchase the entire set, it's being sold for $38. Let me know what you think of these pretties for V-day! Have you seen the movie Serendipity?

❤ Kellie

The products mentioned were provided for an honest review.

Valentine's Day Blog Hop Giveaway

Hi there! I have a treat for you today, it's a Valentine's Day blog hop giveaway! 38 fabulous bloggers have teamed up to give away some epic beauty-related prizes! You have a chance to win makeup, nail polish, skin care, gift cards and more!

Purchased/Gifted Prizes

Here’s How it Works: Each of the blogs participating are giving away their own prize on their blog. Yes, you heard that right — this blog hop has 38 separate giveaways that you have a chance to win! So after you’ve entered my giveaway, make sure you hop to all the other blogs (linked below) for more awesome beauty prizes that you could win!

GRAND PRIZE GIVEAWAY: We didn't stop at 38 giveaways...we wanted to make this even better by giving you a chance to win an epic grand prize! So, if you go around the blog hop and enter all the giveaways, you’re eligible to enter to win a $400 eGiftcard to Sephora or Ulta (winners choice!). If you live in a country that Sephora or Ulta doesn’t ship to, no worries! You’ll be given the money via PayPal to use at whatever beauty store you have nearby!

International Readers: There are some blogs who do not have their giveaway open worldwide, but you can still enter to win the grand prize giveaway! Here's how that will work -- for all the blogs in this hop that do not have their giveaway open worldwide, all you have to do is check out their giveaway, complete the ONE required entry, and leave them a comment on their giveaway post letting them know you’re international but still did the required entry so that you can have a chance to win the grand prize! Then click the link below that will take you directly to where you can fill out the form to enter the grand prize giveaway.

You got all that? Any questions, just ask!

My giveaway prize is a $50 gift certificate to nail polish e-tailer Color4Nails.com! Enter via the Rafflecopter widget below. Starts February 3rd at 8:00am EST and ends on February 17th at 11:59pm EST. Open internationally to those age 18 and older. No "giveaway only" accounts, winner will be verified.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Please click HERE if the widget doesn't load. Again, if you have any questions, please let me know! You can also email me at kg(at)kelliegonzo.com and I'll be happy to help. Good luck everyone!

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In the event that you get an ERROR message when clicking on any of the links below, try clicking on the HOME page of that blog. Or come back later and try again. There are often hiccups that happen in the beginning of a pre-scheduled blog hop such as this. Thank you for your patience!

From My Vanity // Cosmetish // XO, Noelle // All Things Beautiful, XO // Geniabeme // Colorsutraa // Painted Ladies // Vanity Rouge // Beyond Beauty Lounge // My Highest Self

Nail Polish Society // Beauty Info Zone // Notes from My Dressing Table // Norah Loves Makeup // Collective Beauty // NikMakeupJunkie // Beauty by Miss L // Color Me So Crazy // Makeup Obsessed Mom // Style, Decor & More

Lit From Within // Glamorable // Olive & Ivy // KellieGonzo // TheFabZilla // Clumps of Mascara // PolishGalore // Polarbelle // Belleza Kisses // Grow It Girl

Beauty in the Geek // Mina Slater // LVMAKEUP // Cybelesays.com // SheearGlamLife // Casual Contrast // Everyday Beauty Blog // Prime Beauty

GRAND PRIZE: $400 GIFT CARD to ULTA, SEPHORA, (OR PAYPAL)

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REMEMBER: You MUST visit each blog and enter their giveaway (at least their one mandatory entry) before entering the grand prize giveaway — we will be verifying ALL entries!

❤ Kellie

My giveaway prize is not sponsored. Half of the amount of the gift card is being gifted by Color4Nails.

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

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

Press Sample

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

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

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

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

❤ Kellie

The products mentioned were provided for an honest review.

Glam Polish Limited Edition Valentine's Trio Swatches & Review

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

Press Sample

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

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

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

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

❤ Kellie

The products mentioned were provided for an honest review.

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

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

Press Sample

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

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

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

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

❤ Kellie

The products mentioned were provided for an honest review.

Takko Lacquer Valentine's 2016 Collection Swatches & Review

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

Press Sample

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

shade

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

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

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

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

❤ Kellie

The products mentioned were provided for an honest review.

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

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

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

The swatches below are taken indoors with artificial light.

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

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

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

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

❤ Kellie

The products mentioned were provided for an honest review.