Review - Ellagee Trio

Today I have some amazing Ellagee polishes to share with you! Creator of Ellagee, Laura, asked me to review some of her polishes and I was giddy with excitement. (The puppy who pees on the floor when excited....that was me lol)

She sent one polish from three of her collections, White Lace and Promises, Dolphins! What? and Bejeweled. Dolphins! What? is one of her newest collections and made a huge splash in the indie world. (pun intended) If you missed out on seeing some of these great memes check them out here, here, here.

Life Is De Bubbles is from the Dolphins! What? Collection. Pink, blue, purple and iridescent "bubbles" float inside this baby blue jelly base. Silver holographic dolphins make this a super special polish! This polish is quite sheer so the following pictures have 3 coats with topcoat.

The following picture has one coat of Essie Matte About You along with a solid blue accent nail.

A Kiss for Luck is from the White Lace and Promises Collection. This is a clear base with white and iridescent glitters of different sizes. This glitter topper was jam packed with glitter without being overbearing. The base wasn't thick or gloopy and gave the perfect amount of coverage with one coat. This is one coat, plus Essie Matte About You, over a maroon and black base. The colors coming off these flakies is absolutely gorgeous!

Ocean Jewels is from the Bejeweled Collection. This textured glitter is technically in a clear base (but you don't see it at all). It's completely filled with blue, turquoise, aqua, purple, violet and golden glitter pieces. There are holographic glitters mixed in to provide the perfect amount of sparkle! With 2 coats you get almost full coverage. I've decided to use this glitter on my tips for a glitter gradient over an aqua base coat. My ring finger has two medium coats of Ocean Jewels. Dry time was a bit long on this considering the amount of glitter but that's to be expected. The polish was quite thick but not difficult to apply.

These polishes give you an idea of the range provided by indie brand Ellagee. From special glitter polishes to holographic shimmers there's definitely something for everyone. I was extremely impressed by the quality of the polishes, the sweet little packaging and the label. Little things like a professional bottles/labels, etc. make it seem that much more special to me.

You can pick up polishes from many different collections on the Ellagee website for roughly $9.50 USD. All polish is vegan friendly, cruelty free and free of toluene, formaldehyde, dibutyl phthalate and camphor.

Make sure to follow Ellagee on Facebook and Instagram to keep up with her most recent creations!

~Linda


*Products were provided for review. This review includes only my honest opinions.*

Dandelions

I pulled out my stamper because I feel like I haven't touched it in months. I bought a new one a while back and it doesn't even transfer the image so after quite a bit of frustration I went back to my Konad stamper.

Below is two coats of Julep Hope, a stark white polish with a satin finish. I really liked this finish because it was matte-ish and looked really great on the white. I used Julep Eden and NOPI Teal Me Something New on the MoYou London plate #04 from the Pro Collection for the dandelions and the cursive writing. 

It felt really good to have some pretty art on my nails! I've been doing quick mani's with minimal nail art lately so it was nice having a gorgeous mani I kept finding myself looking at and showing off. 

Hopefully you all have on a mani that makes you smile! 

Thanks for stopping by!

~Linda

Julep Felicia

You may have noticed that I haven't had many posts for my monthly Julep subscriptions. Well...that's because I haven't really been getting them. I've skipped 10 of the last 12 months *cringe* because there wasn't anything new or exciting about the boxes. But, I will say that the 2 boxes I've taken have been as of late because of some special products. 

Anywho....one of the add-on polishes for April was a mint green creme with black speckles. This is such an unusual polish for Julep and it was gorgeous in their swatches. I'm happy to say that it didn't disappoint in person.

This is two swatches of China Glaze Concrete Catwalk with Julep Felicia and Essie Matte About You.

I love that the dark grey matted looks like a chalkboard!

I wore this for a few days, adding another topcoat after 1 or 2 days since they tend to get a little shiny due to oils, etc. Loved this look and I hope to see a lot more special polishes coming from Julep. 

Thanks for stopping by!

~Linda

China Glace Ombre Chevron

Hello my dearest addicts...today I have a quickie post showing you a simple little ombe chevron I did the other night. I recently picked up China Glaze To Yacht to Handle and about died on the spot. It's the perfect bright blue turquoise polish. It's got a neon aspect to it that is simply fantastic. I decided to pull out CG Four Leaf Clover, Turned Up Turqouise, For Audrey and NOPI Teal Me Something New and play around. (To Yacht to Handle is on my index and pinky fingers at the tip of my nails)

This resulted in a semi ombre chevron mani where I tried to make the chevron sections bigger on each nail. It kinda seems like my ring finger and pinky are the same size, but you can definitely see the size difference from my index to middle to ring fingers.

Anywho...nothing special but it was nice and bright and did the trick.

Thanks for stopping by!

~Linda

Fandom Cosmetics - Expelliarmus

A sunset....I've got a sunset on my hands! Fandom Cosmetics released some limited edition Harry Potter polishes with their 'The Battle of the Seven Potters' Collection and I was lame enough to only get one. I am however also fabulous enough to have gotten one. Guess it depends on which way you want to look at it. Lets go with fabulous :)

Expelliarmus is a beautiful red/pink/orange multichrome that is sheer with one or two coats but has nice buildability. This is one of the most amazing multichromes I've been able to photograph. As you know, I go picture happy when the polish decides to put on a good show, so grab a glass of wine, sit back and enjoy the sunset.

These pictures were taken outside in the shade on a sunny day, with 4 four coats of Expelliarmus and top coat.

The color shifts between pink, orange and sometimes yellow is so strong that it almost appears as there is color blocking on my nails.

Okay so I mentioned that it's very sheer with only 1 or 2 coats, so I layered Expelliarmus over black, and it brought the colors to a whole other level. It resulted in providing more of a purple base versus a red base. It's amazing!

These pics have 4 coats of Expelliarmus on my index and middle fingers and then one coat of black undies with 2 thin coats of Expelliarmus on my ring finger and pinky. They also have top coat.

So, pick up a towel and wipe down the puddle of drool that has certainly formed on the floor beneath you. If you were lucky enough to get Fandom Cosmetics Expelliarmus thank your lucky stars! By far, the best mutichrome I've ever seen.

I also think their bottles are amazing. Often times you buy a polish as part of a collection and until you look at the name (on the bottom), you might not know what collection it's part of. These bottles have the Deathly Hallows symbol on the front and I love it. I'm a total HP nerd so I'm all around in heaven!

Thanks for stopping by!

~Linda

Emily de Molly - Land of Confusion

I must start with OH MY GOD!

I recently bought my first ever Emily de Molly holographic (Land of Confusion) and I immediately needed to get it on my fingertips. Maybe I'm a freak but you know that feeling when something is soo amazing, or cute, or precious, (like the cutest kitten you've ever seen) and you just want to squeeze it and never let go? That is this polish! Every stinkin thing about this polish is absolutely mindblowing.

It glowed! It shined! It cured world hunger!

I have officially stated for the whole wide interweb to hear......That this is my favorite holographic polish I have ever owned!

Enough Enough...you want pics right? Well here you go.

This was 2 coats of Land of Confusion with no top coat. Pictures were taken outside in natural sun. No flash was used to strengthen the look of these holographic prisms.

This lovely turquoise green holo had fantastic coverage. One coat could easily spice up some undies however with only two coats you have a bright polish with full opacity. I didn't have an visible nail lines. The formula was fantastic. I didn't have a single drag and it went on thin and smooth.

I honestly just cannot rave about this polish enough. The strength of this holo pretty much matches Layla or the Color Club Halo Hues however the brightness in the polish is what is truly amazing to me. A lot of the time there seems to be a dulled silvery color in the shade and even in normal indoor lighting, however this polish was gorgeously bright. The most successful result of a bright turquoise green I've ever seen.

Even my dull work lights allowed the holo to show but about 90% of my holographic polishes don't have enough Umph to put there best foot forward under those awful lights. I wore this polish for over a week with no chipping, just a little tip wear. Without topcoat...that's a feat in itself!

Well, you better believe that I'm probably going to go broke buying up these lovely Emily de Molly polishes. Do you have any EDMs...what's your favorite?

~Linda

Rainbow Honey Magic Cake

Hello lacquer lovers!

If March is your birthday month, then Happy Birthday! Let's have some Birthday Cake...or maybe some Magic Cake!

This is one of Rainbow Honey's glitter toppers that was part of The Summer of 199X Collection (Part 2). It's designed to make you a feel like a wild child. It's filled with pink, blue, yellow and lime green neon glitter pieces that could be considered matte since it's not super shiny or reflective at all. There are also some little iridescent flakes mixed into the clear base to compliment the square and hexagon glitter.

This polish was my gateway into Spring. I'm ready...bring it on!

This is two coats of RH Magic Cake over NOPI Teal Me Something New and Essie Matte About You.

I had no problem getting the glitter out of the bottle and didn't notice excess base causing a long dry time (which is sometimes one of the things I hate most about glitters). The glitter laid nice and flat and didn't seem to bunch up on the nail. Overall, my kind of glitter :)

You can still pick up Magic Cake here and the full sized bottle runs you $10 USD.

Be sure to follow Rainbow Honey's social media sites to keep up with some of their new releases. Or even some old ones you might not have known about.

Twitter: @Rainbow_Honey
Facebook: Rainbow Honey
Instagram: Rainbowhoney

Thanks for stopping by!

~Linda

(Product was provided for review but all opinions are my own)

SuperChic Euphoria Meets Texture

Today's post features both holographic and textured polishes. Not two finishes I would normally put together but this totally works for me.

I recently acquired Euphoria, a deep plum holographic made by indie polish maker SuperChic Lacquer. The polish was a very thin consistency so I had to put on 4 coats for full opacity in the pictures below. Fortunately, similar to many other holos the polish dried quickly so it wasn't a long wait between coats.

The textured polish on my middle, ring and pinky fingers is Julep Cameron. This polish is described as having a Stardust Finish and is a silver lilac. This texture is what I would consider medium grade grit. There aren't large particles to give that scratchy feel, but it's not exactly smooth. I do feel that the glitter pieces add a nice shine to the polish which without them the polish might have looked a little one note.

After laying down some nail striping tape, I used a makeup sponge to dab Cameron at the end of my nails. Since I did want the texture feel on my nails, I didn't topcoat the nails with Cameron, but my index and thumb was top coated to keep Euphoria from chipping.

I always feel hesitant to cover up a holo because they are just so freakin brilliant, but I was totally loving this mani. What do you think about these two finishes together?

~Linda

Black Sheep Lacquer Review

Hello lovelies, today I have two polishes from a new-to-me Indie maker: Black Sheep Lacquer. They are a Canadian Indie brand that is Leaping Bunny certified meaning they do not test on animals nor do any of their suppliers. Their polish is also big 3 free.

After browsing their glitter, thermal and duochrome varieties I spotted Hitman and just had to try it! Hitman is described as a very dark grey (almost black) linear holographic with small silver holographic glitter mixed in. Since these are handmade in batches there is no surprise to me when you get a bottle that looks different than the photos online. My bottle would not be described as grey, but truly black which was totally fine by me.

In the bottle, there is a strong linear holo. The following picture was taken with flash however it's almost this visible without it.

This is two coats of Hitman with topcoat. Pictures are taken indoors since the sunshine has still been lacking. While the linear holo is strong in the bottle, it appears more as a scattered holo on the nail. In the sunlight it's much more visible however indoor it reminds me a lot of Zoya Storm.

BSL also sent me Siren, a multi shaped glitter topper in a clear base. The glitter pieces include holographic hexagons in about 5 different sizes in teal, green, blue, pink, and magenta. There is also white and golden glitter pieces however there is much less mixed in. Overall, there is a green/blue look to the polish however the other colors add a nice pop.

This is one coat of Siren over Hitman with topcoat.

I also layered Siren over OPI Gargantuan Green Grape. This is 2 coats of Siren and topcoat.

You can pick up a variety of unisex polish at either their Etsy Shop or their BigCartel shop. Average price for a full sized 15ml polish is $10 USD and mini bottles are $5 USD.

I love that Black Sheep Lacquer markets themselves as a unisex polish maker. They don't have many feminine colored polishes and that appeals to me. It's kinda badass to see these intentionally made for use by men and women.

Thanks for stopping by!

~Linda

(Products were provided at discount for review but this post includes only my honest opinions.)

Holo Stripes

Today's post includes holographic stripes using 10 different nail polish brands. I guess you could call it a patchwork mani...maybe. The stripes on each nail are in a random order therefore no two nails were the same.

The brands used include:

Nabi

Dance Legend

Layla

Liquid Lacquer

Color Club

Aly's Dream Polish

Pretty Bitch

CBL

ILNP

SuperChic Lacquer

Because I can never leave enough alone, I ended up stamping over the stripes with a shattered stamp. I used Konad Black stamping polish and it's topped with one coat of Sally Hansen Big Shiny Top Coat.

The stamping hid a lot of the detail in the stripes, but it did show different colors peaking through different areas on the nails.

Thanks for stopping by!

~Linda

Kelvin Bleu Upgrade

Hello fellow junkies!! I recently showed you Polished by KPT Kelvin Bleu, a scattered holographic thermal that knocked my socks off and kept me entertained for hours. Well, as promised, I revamped my mani after a couple of days because I really didn't want to take it off but wanted to do my nails. lol

It's pretty basic but it did the trick. Also, there was a small amount of sunlight peaking through that day, so I got the holographic sparkle to appear for a brief debut. While it's not a super intense holo it's definitely evident and these pictures do not do it justice.

Gosh I cannot wait for Spring to show you how beautiful some of these recent holos actually are! Let's hope it comes sooner than later since I can't deal with negative degrees any longer.

Thanks for stopping by

~Linda

Silver & Studs

Today I have a quickie post featuring OPI Crown Me Already from the Miss Universe Collection. This silver glitter has both small round silver glitter as well as large hex glitter all in a clear base. This polish is packed and is easily buildable for full coverage. 

I have 3 coats of Crown Me Already (CMA) on my ringer finger and Essence Black is Back on the rest of my nails. My middle finger has two coats of CMA over the black base. Black and clear rhinestones add a little extra bling which is never a bad thing! 

 

Thanks for stopping by!

~Linda

Polished by KPT Holographic Thermal - Kelvin Bleu

Today I have my very first thermal polish to share with you. I've been seeing some amazing holographic thermals out there lately which all led back to a new-to-me indie brand; Polished by KPT. Soo many choices! Well, I fell in love with this gorgeous blurple shade named Kelvin Bleu that shifts from a light pale blue when warm to rich blue with gorgeous purple undertones when cold. This color is AmaZing!

The rich blue on the left is Kelvin Bleu in it's cold state and the pale blue on the right is in it's warm state. When running your hands under hot water the tips almost go white, but I couldn't seem to get that photographed since once you pull your hands out it changes back to the pale blue very quickly.

There are multiple shades of blue between the warm and cold states and it's very cool to see your hands at various stages of warm to cold throughout the day. I've tried to take as many pictures as possible to show you the variety. Either way.....all shades are gorgeous. Lots of pictures below...enjoy!

This animated picture show the color change after dipping my cold hands into some warm water (for my thumb, index and middle finger). The shots show the natural color change of the warm water wearing off and my hands returning to their natural cold state.

For these pictures, I was using water to change the temperature of the tips of my nails from cold to warm or vice versa. (I actually started to get prune hands at one point..lol)

So my very first holographic thermal did not disappoint and neither did the quality of Polished by KPT nail lacquer. The consistency was nice and thick, but no where near gloopy, so it was pretty much opaque in 2 normal coats. There was no obnoxious scent and surprisingly I noticed that the holographic prisms were more visible with top coat. As you can notice my pictures do not show the holo very much but in the sun they are much much more prevalent! A medium grade holographic effect in my opinion. I will have some nail art coming up very soon with this polish and in those pictures you will see the holo much better!

I picked up Kelvin Bleu on Polished by KPTs BigCartel site here. It was $12 plus very reasonable shipping. Make sure to stop by and see some of her other gorgeous creations.

Thanks for stopping by!

~Linda