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.*

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

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

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

OPI AmazON AmazOFF

Hello fellow junkies! Today I have one of OPIs Spring/Summer 2014 Brazil Collection; AmazON...AmazOFF.  This is a deep teal polish with a very subtle shimmer hiding in there. The formula was pretty good giving full coverage with 2 coats.

Since the shimmer is very subtle, I didn't have any issues with streaking. This has a coat of Sally Hansen Big Shiny Top Coat giving a nice shine and smoothed out even the smallest imperfections.

I was wearing this the days leading up to Valentines Day, so I decided to add some little hearts with Layla Mercury Twilight and a small rhinestone. Since me and my better half don't necessarily make a big deal of Valentines Day and I'm not a pink chick I decided this would be my homage to the 'holiday'.

Hopefully you ladies were showered with love...or at least gave yourself something purdy!

Thanks for stopping by!

~Linda

Pretty Jelly Diamond S-teal-er

Today I have a polish from the indie polish maker Pretty Jelly. I found them on Etsy while browsing for some new homemade polish and instantly knew I had to buy some of their vivid holographics. I picked up Diamond S-teal-er for it's beautiful blue/teal color and linear holographic.

They promote that their polishes are opaque in 2-3 coats and they don't lie. I had full coverage with 2 thin coats.

Sunlight (through window)

The consistency was thin but easy to work with since it doesn't drag the way Layla sometimes does. Some of the thinner holographics dry too fast and then it drags, or too slow and it's in line with normal polish. I absolutely love that the dry time for holos is much much shorter, so Diamond S-teal-er was perfect in my opinion!

My sunlight is scarce since it's been snowing since I can remember but I tried to get a photo through the window to show a better idea of the holo. My pictures don't do it justice. While it's not the most intense holo (like Lyla) it's definitely a stronger holo than a-england. I'd call it a medium holo, but again, the color pay-off is great!

These holographic polishes are 5 Free and cruelty free. I had to limit myself but there are there 2 other beauties I will hopefully get my hands on soon. Stop by and see what you're missing!  Diamond S-teal-er is a 15ml bottle for $10 and can be picked up here at their Etsy Shop.

Thanks for stopping by!

~Linda

Holo Hearts

Hello ladies! Life has been crazy to say the least but I'm getting back into a steady stream of free time to spend as I please.  That means more nail polish!

I've got a quick post today sharing some lovely holographic polish I bought for cheap off Amazon. Nabi Hologram is the brand but their names are not very original...at all. Teal is the name of the base color with lime green hearts in Green. The polish didn't drag and two coats of the teal provided full coverage. 

I'll have some new fun polish to show you soon. I'd really love it if you could leave some comments as to what you would like to see!

Thanks for stopping by

~Linda

Maybelline Urban Utopia + Holo Topcoat

Holographics are always at the top of my list when I'm looking for a polish that will actually make me happy. I bought some Spectraflair a while back and made myself a linear holographic topcoat. I recently saw some of the new Maybelline Color Show polishes and obviously I gravitated towards the teal creme.

This is two coats of LE Maybelline Urban Utopia and one coat of my homemade holographic topcoat.

Two coats would have made the linear holographic much more prevalent however the topcoat does tend to change the base color a bit, adding a silver tint or rather mutes or dulls the color a shade. I was loving the color so I decided to stay with one coat. What's great about having a holographic topcoat is that I can basically revamp any of my current polishes.

Thanks for stopping by!

~Linda

Sweet Heart Polish Glamorous

Hello Lovelies! I'm back with another Sweet Heart Polish review. Today is my favorite polish that the lovely Cassandra has shared with me. Glamorous is a mix of gold glitter, iridescent glitter, purple stars and squares & large holographic pink dots in a clear suspension base.

I loved everything about this glitter! The gold is beautiful, the pink holographic dots are large enough to pack a punch, the bits of multi colors holo glitter allow for a little bit of something all over the nail, but the purple stars are my favorite. The glitter lays pretty flat once you've added some topcoat and it definitely helps to bring out the shine.

This is two coats of Julep Shenae with one coat of Glamorous and topcoat.

I had no problems at all getting the larger stars or pink dots to come out of the bottle. The consistency was perfect....not clumpy or thick and not too much suspension base. Pretty much a flawless application!

Final words....You Have To Own This!

Stop by Sweet Heart Polish Etsy Shop where you can get a full sized 13.5 ml bottle for $7. Also make sure to check out her Facebook page to get the heads up on any new releases and upcoming lines.

Sweet Heart Polish is always custom handmade 5-Free Vegan and Cruelty Free polish.

Thanks for stopping by!

~Linda

This product was provided for my honest review and all opinions are my own. This post contains links to third party sites which should be considered before clicking.  

Aly's Dream Polish + Nail Art

Hello Hello!

Today I've got a quick upgrade to the Aly's Dream Polish holographic polishes I showed you the other day. I created some triangle designs using striping tape and added Intense Blurple over the base color of Blue Lapis. Next I used the turquoise Kiss Nail Art Paint I received in this past months Nail Art Society Box to add a pop of color in outlining those triangles.

Imagine riding a tractor through through a pumpkin patch...full of pumpkins...and trying to draw a straight line. That's how steady my hand is when sitting at a desk (doh!) That being said, my lines didn't come out all that bad but enough so to almost drive me nuts. At least I accept my limitations..lol

Thanks for stopping by!

~Linda