That’s S’more Like It

Here’s another one of those super fun tri-thermal polishes from KB Shimmer, this time That’s S’more Like It, a brown-to-red-to-berry-to-pink colour-changer shot through with golden shimmer (and yes, I realize that’s more than three hues, but that’s just what these polishes do – the three “base” colours are just a jumping off point for half a dozen or more different looks depending on the temperature of your hands.)

Like its collection mate, Best Buds, That’s S’more Like It changes from one colour to another, and then one more colour beyond that, in hot and cold temperatures.  With Best Buds, a blue-to-purple-to-mint green colour-shifter, I found the polish most often showed on my nails as the warm-leaning mint green, with streaks of just-starting-to-cool-off plum.

But That’s S’more Like It was alllll over the place, in the very best kind of way.  For those of you who polish seasonally, this is a nice seasons-bridger, with That’s S’more Like It showing on my hands as everything from an almost frosty bubblegum pink, to blushing peach, to strawberry, to fiery cinnamon hearts (oh cripes, I’m getting hungry here!)  My nails were also a tiny bit longer when I swatched That’s S’more Like It than when I swatched Best Buds, so I really got a lot of that edge-of-the-nail, French mani-type action with this one.

Right after completing this manicure last week, I fell sick.  Just a cold, but it pretty well took me out for the week.  But one thing it did not take out was this mani – a week and a half on, it was still wearing like iron, with virtually no chips, dings or pulls.  Very impressive!

As always, I purchased this KB Shimmer polish through Harlow & Co.  For a little while there they were out of stock – of these tri-thermals, and just about everything else as well – but everything is back in stock now, so go get you some.  This is a good one. 🙂

Regal-ize It

It has been an absolute donkey’s age since I’ve purchased a treat for myself (been lean this spring and summer as we recover from all this reno business) and even longer since that treat was nail polish.  I think the last new shades I purchased were these Polished For Days lovelies in April of 2018.

But in the aftermath of the renos, I binned a ton of cruddy, dried-out old polishes, some duds I never quite found a use for, but also a few discontinued favourites that simply couldn’t be salvaged.  The kind of glitter-intensive polishes I favour don’t hold up very well to the rigors of time and use (and BOY, have I used the heck out of those polishes!)  I was sad to see them go, but excited to re-organize my polish collection in this sweet little rolling cart my mom nabbed from IKEA.

Anyhow, it was time to call in some reinforcements on a couple of fallen comrades (been watching Stranger Things much?), so I placed an order with Kitchener company Harlow & Co. for a trio of KB Shimmer polishes, including this indigo blue stunner, Regal-ize It.

Pretty, isn’t she?  This polish is Finger Candy catnip, from the lush jelly base, to the rich violet hue, to the smattering of golden holographic glitter that glimmers within its squishy, jewel-toned depths.  Brings out in the romantic in me, too. 😉  I also just like KB Shimmer polishes.  They’re of really great quality (I tossed just one KB in The Great De-Polishing, and that’s because it was five years old and a dried-out quarter full) and they’re always trying something just a little bit different.  Which includes an update to their branding and packaging.

Regal-ize it is just lovely, and a lot more subtle than I was expecting from a golden glitter-studded purple jelly polish.  A bit of a chameleon, too, changing from a clear, indigo blue to a velvety purple depending on the lighting conditions and the time of day.  So more bang for your buck, and another winner from KB for me. 🙂  Looking forward to sharing the other two with you soon.

Nail Polish For Days

If you’re standing there gobsmacked, jaw hanging open in amazement and bewildered confusion, no, wonders have not ceased and your eyes are NOT deceiving you – this is an actual nail art-related post on this nail art blog!  I’d even go a step further and say it’s A post, period – I’ve been so remiss in providing any blogging updates that don’t involve D Who Shall Not Be Named, and for that I’m deeply sorry.  I aim to do better (#bloggoals.)

And so what pretties do we have here?  Well, three polishes – Polished For Days’ purple Fireflies, turquoise Willow and pink Unicorn – that broke my no buy fast, albeit via parentally-provided birthday funds.  So from a financial perspective, we’re still ahead of the game, although can I tell you how odd it was to actually spend money on something as seemingly frivolous as nail polish?  It felt weirdly illicit!  Also totally unfamiliar, perhaps because these three polishes represent the first lacquer I’ve purchased in over a year.  But heck of a way to break the fast, because this trio of polishes is stunning.  I nabbed these lacquers at Harlow & Co., where you’ll find a number of other gorgeous Polished For Days products, including some collection mates of Fireflies, Willow and Unicorn that are just itching to join their sisters in this good and loving home. 😉

First, a quick word about my selections – they are all wildly different polishes!  And that’s what I love about them, variety being the spice of life and all that.  Typically nail polish collections feature just one or two types of polish (creme, holographic, glitter, etc.) in a range of different colours.  In this case, the three polishes I chose are all completely different types that produce completely different effects.  The end result is I feel like I’ve gotten a lot more bang for my beauty buck far beyond a trio of beautifully unique polishes.

Starting things off with my favourite of the lot, we have Fireflies, a soft, almost dusky periwinkle-to-rose-to-green multi-chrome holo laden with iridescent, colour-changing flakies.  Phew, that was a mouthful, non?  But what a wonderful polish, completely worthy of the overly long description.  I’m particularly smitten with the iridescent flakies that flash in the heathered purple depths of this lovely lacquer.

Also – and this is a complete rarity with purple, blue and purple-blue anything – Fireflies as photographed presents exactly as it does in real life, so the colour you’re seeing right now – that lush, gorgeous grape – is exactly as it looks on your hand.  The random colour-changing flakies also lend this polish a nebula-ish, intergalactic kind of look, perfect for those days when you’d like to rock a Guardians of the Galaxy manicure without two hours of prior toil with a dinky little detail brush.

Next up we have my least favourite of the bunch – one had to be in third place, right? – Unicorn, a shimmery pink holo glitter sprinkled with iridescent, colour-changing flakies.  My issue with this polish is primarily one of consistency, in that I didn’t care for it – it applied thickly (though not unmanageably) and dried down to an almost textured-looking finish that, in combination with the not-so-flattering pink hue, reminds me of cheap polyester baby dresses, all crinkly sateen and crunchy lace trim.  On the nail, it regrettably doesn’t look as it does in the bottle – there it displays as a fuchsia-leaning pink shot through with warm, golden orange shimmer.  It was that unexpected (and unexpectedly gorgeous) colour combination that drew me to this polish in the first place, so it’s a shame that it all but disappeared once applied.

Unicorn is a nice enough polish and it will see some nail art use, but this one kind of annoys me – I’m loathe to spend money on stupid things these days, and this impulsive, not particularly inexpensive last minute choice (initially I was just going to go with Fireflies and Willow) has proven to be a poor one.  Lessons learned while I’m sitting here with nails that look like an electrified pink poodle?

Finally, we have the showiest polish of the bunch, and a serious challenger to the Fireflies throne, turquoise-to-purple holographic micro-glitter, Willow.  Wowza, this polish is absolutely gorgeous, and photos are definitely not doing it the least bit of justice.  There is so much depth to this polish – streaks of purest ultraviolet and aquamarine flash with every twist of your hand.  It’s dazzling.  Definitely one of those “Don’t stare at it too long or you’ll go blind” kind of polishes. 😉

And so there we have it, a trio of beautiful birthday treats that should keep me in well-polished spirits until next year!  Although hopefully I can manage another nail post before then, yes?  Absolutely!

So Boo-tyful

As the saying goes, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.  Or if the last photos you took of a nail polish are better than anything you could take today, use them again.  I think the first one is a little more concise, don’t you?

This is Painted Polish’s Brains & Boo-ty, a Halloween polish I received last Christmas and first swatched in the new year.  As its time with me has always been just a tiny little bit out of seasonal step with its intended holiday, I thought it would fun to revisit this Halloween glitter bomb during the actual spooktacular season.  Except the photos I took in the winter still look pretty great.  It seemed a shame not to reuse them…and so I did!  Gotta recycle where you can; we all need to do our part to fight climate change.

Brains & Boo-ty was released some years ago; as such, it’s unfortunately no longer available from any of the usual stocklist suspects, although Harlow & Co. carry a number of other Painted Polish glitters that look like Brains & Boo-ty in composition, if not in colour (love these perfect Halloweenie hues.)  And hey look, so glittery all up close – it’s kind of hypnotizing, like a Halloween disco ball.

 

Lipstick Love

Feeling impulsive, I recently picked up a little treat for myself in the form of this gorgeous gold flake-sprinkled lipstick from Kalijumei, a Chinese beauty brand completely off my radar until Harlow & Co. began carrying them some weeks back.  That’s when I jumped on this beauty, Kalijumei’s Flower Jelly Lipstick in Flame Red, a way upmarket mood lipstick that changes colour based on your body temperature.

I’m actually making this all sound a LOT less glamorous than it actually is, which is quite – this luxurious lipstick, with its real gold flakes, gorgeous floral core and elevated price tag ($28.99 Canadian, eh) bears this one out as a very special purchase.  Even the scent of this light pink gloss feels lush and plush – the intoxicating, but ever elusive, fragrance of vintage, high end cosmetics.  I can’t deny that I feel undeniably glamorous when I swipe on Flame Red’s sheer pink wash, like a movie star from the golden age of Hollywood.

A tiny footnote regarding the Inspector Gadget-like tube, however: The lipstick is released from its mirrored case by depressing the inlaid button on the top of the tube (very ninja; I love the spy work aspect to its design.) But if you’re not careful, as I was, and you don’t roll the lipstick all the way down before putting it back in the tube, it WILL bump up against the top of the case the next time you depress the release.  Which affects the lipstick itself not one iota, I know, I know!  But a blogging and photography bummer all the same.

Texture-wise, Red Flame applies and wears like an ultra light lipgloss, imparting a sheer wash of colour that morphed from a light pink to a medium berry depending on my temperature.  I didn’t find the colour change hugely noticeable, although there was some visible difference in tone.  In this photo, which I took outdoors, you can really see the rosy tinge to this lipstick, in addition to that gorgeous little floral core.

Speaking of those little floral centrepieces, having used this lipstick for only the briefest of moments, I can’t speak to how well they’re going to hold up over the long run.  I suspect things are going to get somewhat dicey when I reach the halfway mark.  But until then, let’s just enjoy the gorgeous, luxe design of a unique beauty product done so very right. Such a lovely treat; I’m so glad I splurged.

If you also feel like treating yourself, these Kalijumei lipsticks are still in stock over at Harlow & Co.  There are four shades on offer, including a tantalizing coral and a perfect purple and a…you know what?  I think they’d all be pretty fantastic.  Go get it, girl. 🙂

Who’s a Naughty Girl Then?

This polish, that’s who, Different Dimension’s holographic Naughty.  Or should I say “Differen Dimensio”? That’s how my bottle is labelled, owing to what looks like a printing error.  I kind of like it; it sounds like a spell from Harry Potter.  Accio manicuris!

Nomenclature notwithstanding, Naughty is actually a very nice polish, applying smoothly, if a touch thickly, in two coats.  This one requires a fast, steady hand.  But oh my, that colour, and the gorgeous holographic flare (technical term that, flare, meaning the deeply saturated, shimmery bit running down the middle of the bottle.)  I nabbed my bottle at Harlow & Co., who has recently begun dealing in Different Dimension’s beautiful polishes.  It was $17.50 Canadian a bottle and worth every Loonie.

Brains & Boo-ty

Hey look, just in time for Winterween, the cold weather Halloween holiday I just made up, here’s a festive lacquer from Painted Polish to keep your nails looking their spookiest. This is Brains & Boo-ty, and it presumably belongs to last year’s Halloween collection, although it caught my eye this Christmas.

This is actually the third Painted Polish lacquer I received this holiday, and just like its gift mates, Aurora and Chasing Rainbows, Brains & Boo-ty is fantastically fun, super well made and easy to apply.  It’s the trifecta of polish awesomeness!  But really, I’m terrifically impressed with Painted Polish’s offerings, and I’ll be keeping my eye out for more fabulous lacquers going forward.

Brains & Boo-ty’s neat-o mix of purple, orange and lime green holographic glitter (which applied so nicely in just three lump-free coats) was just begging for the macro treatment, which I happily obliged.  Winterween looks pretty great up close and personal, doesn’t it?

Finger Candy Claus outsourced the acquisition of these Painted Polish lacquers to Harlow & Co., should you feel moved enough by the Winterween spirit to also covet this gorgeous polish. 😉

Grin and Gerbera It

It’s not very often that I feature a straight-up nail polish on this blog.  It’s almost like I have something against gorgeously hued, well made, regular polishes, such is my affection for lacquers that glow in the dark or contain more glitter than the aftermath of a Pride parade.

Sometimes, though, I like the palette-cleansing nature of a not-so-basic basic polish, like this beautiful lacquer, KB Shimmer’s Grin and Gerbera It.  Regrettably, raspberry red is one of those shades that never translates particularly well in photographs (indeed, these photos lean a touch more coral than this polish’s actual berry pink) so you’re not getting the full, gorgeous picture here, but oh my, this polish is stupendous. Slight issues in colour presentation aside, this is a deep, sensual pink – very sexy, very grown-up, and a scampy, playful alternative to vampy reds.  It’s so, so pretty and tremendously flattering.

As always, KB Shimmer’s polishes are fantastic.  I’ve actually yet to encounter one that’s not at the very least just a really, really great polish.  But KB’s cremes are next level lacquers – deep and rich, beautifully glossy and super easy to apply.  I love to wear them as everyday polishes, but they’re also fantastic for use in nail art detail work.  I’d recommend checking them – along with Grin and Gerbera – out.  I nabbed my bottle from Harlow & Co., as I have all of my KB Shimmer lovelies.

Turning Pointe

I danced for a long, long time in my younger days, and I can confirm that toe shoes – the inspiration for this polish, KB Shimmer’s ballet pink glitter, Turning Pointe – are an absolute nightmare.  I was no slouch in my dance classes (actually won a couple of awards for my efforts throughout the years) but I never felt less graceful and daintily light-footed than when I strapped on my toe shoes.  And “strapped” is just the right word, too – rose pink satin ribbons slicing into my ankles, murderous little toe boxes squeezing the life out of my piggies…it always felt like the shoes were working against me, like I had to heave myself up and en pointe around them.  Professional ballerinas do themselves a great disservice by making it all look so effortlessly light, but I know better!

Turning Pointe, another lovely Christmas gift, is one of KB Shimmer’s mega flame holographic lacquers.  In layman’s terms, that means it’s a big old sparkle-a-palooza. And what a shimmering beauty she is, too, stuffed to the brim with holographic micro glitter in a super flattering ballet pink base.  Just gorgeous.  Also opaque in three light coats, and available (along with a number of its equally beautiful collection mates) through Harlow & Co.

Viva Las Vegas

Saving the best for last, here is the fourth lacquer I recently purchased from Glam Polish, Viva Las Vegas.  The other three polishes I’ve featured from Aussie indie Glam Polish have all been from an Alice in Wonderland-themed collection, whereas this stunning metallic glitter comes from their springtime The King Collection, a lacquered nod to all things Vegas and its patron musical saint, Elvis Presley.

Viva Las Vegas is beyond gorgeous, with a gaudy mix of iridescent glitter nestled in a champagne-hued micro-glitter base.  It’s Vegas in a bottle, all slot machines and stainy, rum-based drinks, white leather jumpsuits and golden pyramids, poker chips and all-you-can-eat buffets (of which there had better damned well be some fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches on offer for the King.)

Here we have three light coats of Viva Las Vegas.  These micro-glitter polishes tend to dry down with a bit of texture; use a layer of topcoat like I did if you’d prefer to smooth things out (which I always do, because high gloss topcoats pull out all sorts of fun colours and hidden dimension.)  I purchased my Glam Polishes, including Viva Las Vegas, from indie stocklist Harlow & Co., because I also always do.  Ka-ching, I’m all shook up!