Two Gypsies Nail Lacquer Spring 2014 Collection: Tide Pools

Two Gypsies Tide Pools (3 coats)

*press sample*

Oh Mondays, how you kill me. I guess I should really say, oh science, how you kill me because that's the truth. Wouldn't it be nice if some things actually worked right the first time? I gloomily digress. 

On the bright side, I have a happy color from the Two Gypsies Nail Lacquer spring collection (which is the last I have to show, but it's a 5-piece collection that comes out on April 4th). Tide pool is an open sea blue jelly with both circular and hexagonal glitter. The colors range from green, blue, gold and copper with large white stars. You might be wondering, "How long did she have to fish in there to get that many stars out?" Well, not too much, fortunately. I felt there was a fair amount of all glitter in there and it is well represented on the nail. You'd think there would be a problem with application with all that glitter, but no, no issues at all. Overall, I'm extremely happy with this collection. I love the mix of springtime themes and names and how there are some opaque jelly glitters included. Check out their Etsy website to pick these up, and follow up with a look at their Facebook page for pictures and more information.

*This polish was provided by the company or PR representative. All reviews are based solely on my opinion. For more information, please see my full disclosure at the bottom of the site*

Two Gypsies Nail Lacquer Spring 2014 Collection: Secret Garden

Two Gypsies Secret Garden (3 coats)

*press sample*

Oh.my.gosh. I am in love. Love at first site! As soon as I opened my package, I knew this was going to be a favorite. I think I might actually buy a full bottle of this when it comes out April 4th. Don't forget to set your calendars for this restock. It's a murky forest green jelly with both large and small circular, hexagonal and square glitter with tiny gold microglitter. This one has pretty much every color of the rainbow, but the base color keeps the colors a bit more muted, but also adds a ton of depth. I used 3 coats, but it was smooth and easy to work with even with all the glitter in there. You can find Two Gypsies Nail Lacquer on Etsy and Facebook.

*This polish was provided by the company or PR representative. All reviews are based solely on my opinion. For more information, please see my full disclosure at the bottom of the site*

Two Gypsies Nail Lacquer Spring 2014 Collection: Cloud Burst

Two Gypsies Cloud Burst (3 coats)

*press sample*

Oh man, it's finally Friday! I'm so excited for this weekend because on Sunday we get to go see an animal conservator center nearby. You can find out more here. Needless to say, I am ecstatic to go!  

When indie brands first came out, I was totally into them. Then I got a little disheartened when it was so hard to get some of my favorite brands, and some of the prices went through the roof. I'm happy to say that there are some great new brands to me, one of them being Two Gypsies Nail Lacquer on Etsy. Their full size bottles run $8 and their minis are $4 which is quite affordable for handmande polish. I'm also really excited that they have mini polishes because I don't have the room or need for a full bottle most of the time. The first polish from their upcoming spring collection that comes out April 4th is Cloud Burst which is a light grey holo polish. Unfortunately it's been extremely cloudy so I only have inside photos, but the holo finish is so pretty. In regular light, it looks like a normal grey creme, which is fine, but it really shines outside. The formula was very nice, but needed 3 thin coats for full coverage. We're off to a good start with these polishes. Check out their Facebook page for more information and swatches.

*This polish was provided by the company or PR representative. All reviews are based solely on my opinion. For more information, please see my full disclosure at the bottom of the site*

Sally Hansen Spring 2014 Satin Glam Collection Swatch: Go Gold

Sally Hansen Go Gold (2 coats)

*press sample*

How did I get so far behind in swatching? I swear, I haven't gone a day without changing my polish in so long, so why am I so far behind? I actually wear 99% of the polishes I blog about for at least a day to see about the wear, and if my feelings towards the polish changes over time. I could never just take a polish and put it on my 4 nails, take pictures, and take it off. I feel like anyone who does it that way is really missing out. Opinions?

The final Satin Glam polish I have to show is called Go Gold and is actually a dark gold with tons of silver shimmer. I think that's what makes this polish a bit unique, even though I'm not the biggest fan of golds (except for during the holidays...I'll make an exception then). Please see my first post on the Satin Glam polishes to find out more about the formula and application issues I had with this collection. Overall, I like the colors, but I didn't like how I couldn't really use them as intended.

*This polish was provided by the company or PR representative. All reviews are based solely on my opinion. For more information, please see my full disclosure at the bottom of the site*

Wordless Wednesday: Nails & Nibs with Zoya Cheryl and Sheaffer VFM

Polish: Zoya Cheryl (2 coats)

Pen: Sheaffer VFM

So what is Wordless Wednesday's Nails & Nibs? 
My husband and I both have blogs, so we decided to join forces and be a part of Wordless Wednesday where I'll show an old polish that I had terrible pictures of, or new polishes I don't have much to talk about. The pens will vary depending on what my husband has on hand, but we will try to make sure they sort of go together. Enjoy!

Sally Hansen 2014 Spring Satin Glam Swatches:

Sally Hansen Taffeta (2 coats)

Sally Hansen Metal Iced (2 coats)

*press samples*

Whoa, I'm not sure who linked to me, but I got like thousands more views than usual today. Well, thanks mystery person, and hello new people! Please keep in mind what I said yesterday about the downfall to these polishes as they apply to the ones shown today as well. 

Up first is Taffeta which is a medium purple with pink and blue shimmer. Please excuse the last photo; I know it's a bit fuzzy, but I said screw it. Metal Iced is a blue-toned silver polish that looks more blue in some angles and lights and more silver in others. I think both of these were beautiful, and also looked good with topcoat because that's what I had to do to finally make them dry.

*These polishes were provided by the company or PR representative. All reviews are based solely on my opinion. For more information, please see my full disclosure at the bottom of the site*

Sally Hansen Spring 2014 Satin Glam Swatches: Chic Pink and Crystalline

Sally Hansen Chic Pink (2 coats no topcoat)

Sally Hansen Crystalline (3 coats no topcoat)

*press sample*

Remember when I posted the Satin Glam polish Teal Tulle from Sally Hansen awhile back? Well, they were kind enough to send me more to review for you! All of these polishes dry to a satin finish which is not quite matte, but pretty close. All of these are unique in that they have a beautiful shimmer in them which would also make them look good with topcoat. While I like these, I do have some major issues with them. 1. They will not dry for me. I've tried different basecoats (I have to have a basecoat because of ridges in my nails, otherwise they will show) but none of them truly dries, even well after a half hour on me. I end up having to put topcoat on them to make them dry. This goes across the board for all the polishes I have to review, so I figured I'd mention it before I get into individual colors. 2. The bottles have a long neck, so they have to have a long brush. The opening in the top is quite small, so I found myself sometimes getting the brush jammed in the top, or having polish from the top of the brush slowly flow down onto my nail, giving me too much polish. Now this sounds like a negative review, but I haven't read anywhere that others have had this problem, so maybe it's just me. 

Up first is Chic Pink which is a bubblegum pink that has identical shimmer. My mom wore this one, and it lasted days on her. Thinking of it, I should just give it to her. It's a nice color, but nothing too earth shattering. It wouldn't dry on me after trying about 3 different basecoats. 

Now Crystalline is more of an interesting polish. It is a white satin with pink, blue, and gold shimmer which is absolutely stunning. Being a white, it was a bit sheer and needed 3 coats and you can still see a little of my nail line. Nevertheless, this one is a keeper (sorry mom!).

*These polishes were provided by the company or PR representative. All reviews are based solely on my opinion. For more information, please see my full disclosure at the bottom of the site*

JINsoon 2014 Fashion Week Polish: Kookie White

JINsoon Kookie White (2 coats)

*press sample*

Let me start out by saying that I really liked the Veronica Mars movie and you should definitely go see it. I also stopped at Bath and Body Works and hoarded the $3 Wallflowers they had on sale (Garden Strawberry is my husband's favorite scent ever right now). I hope you had a nice weekend as well. 

If you're looking for a mod polish, look no further than Kookie White from JINsoon's Fashion Week collection. Is it a white? A grey? A blue? Well, it's a bit of all of those in creme form. As I keep reiterating, the application and formula was great. They also sent on their basecoat and topcoat to try out, and I was very impressed. I wore this manicure for a few days and had no chipping. I also used it on other brands and they also seemed to stand up well. The basecoat is very quick to dry to a matte finish while the topcoat is quite thick like Seche Vite and just as shiny while also being a quick dry formula. While reminding me of Seche, I did not have any shrinking or whole nails of polish popping off randomly like Seche. Well, that's all I have from JINsoon. What did you think? If you liked what you saw, you can get them from their online website or from your local Sephora store.

*This polish was provided by the company or PR representative. All reviews are based solely on my opinion. For more information, please see my full disclosure at the bottom of the site*

JINsoon Fall 2013 Tibi Collection Swatch: Azurite

JINsoon Azurite (2 coats)

*press sample*

How has your weekend been going so far? Today was a beautiful day so my husband and I went for a bike ride. Tomorrow it's supposed to drop around 20 degrees and rain so we're going to drive to Durham to try and see the Veronica Mars movie. Yay! 

The second Fall Tibi collection polish I have to show might be my favorite JINsoon polish out of all that I own. It's a deep sapphire blue with silver and scattered holographic shimmer. It's not Essie's Starry Starry Night, but it's in the same realm if you want something similar. Seriously, I think that this color is worth every penny of the $18, do you not agree? The color is a little bit darker in real life due to the lighting necessary to capture the shimmer. As always, the formula and application was flawless. This one is Right on the Nail Approved for purchase!

*This polish was provided by the company or PR representative. All reviews are based solely on my opinion. For more information, please see my full disclosure at the bottom of the site*

JINsoon Fall 2013 Tibi Collection Swatch: Mica

JINsoon Mica (2 coats)

*press sample*

Now you know that since I'm a soil scientist I was going to love the names of this collection, right? My professors have brought in pure mica, and it does indeed look a lot like this polish from JINsoon (you should Google Image some black mica to find some pretty pictures). When I first looked at it, I thought to myself, "This is a nice graphite shimmer polish." Well, to my surprise, I found out it was a scattered holo polish! Holo lovers rejoice. I've found that JINsoon polishes are extremely pigmented and have only needed 2 coats for full coverage. They are also extremely easy to work with and forgiving. I've said it before and I'll say it again, the only downfall to these polishes are their price point at $18 each for 0.33 fl oz of product. You can purchase this now online or at your local Sephora store.

*This polish was provided by the company or PR representative. All reviews are based solely on my opinion. For more information, please see my full disclosure at the bottom of the site*

OPI 2014 Muppets Most Wanted Collection Swatch: Kermit Me To Speak

OPI OPI Kermit Me To Speak (3 coats)

Is this week over yet? It just seems to keep going! I've been doing a lot of spring cleaning in my lab this week, which is nice (now I just need to do my house!). OPI Kermit Me To Speak is the last Muppets polish I have to show, and I must admit I was on the fence about this one until others started to show swatches. I thought it was going to be a bit pedestrian, but it turns out I'm really happy with it. In most angles it's a dusty purple shimmer, but shift your hand a bit and you can see the green/gold really stand out. The shift was much stronger than I was expecting as well. It was a bit sheer, but evened out in the 3rd coat. Also, you can see a little bit of streaking, so be careful of that as well. Despite not thinking these as Muppets colors, I do like all the ones I got. Did you get any?

Wordless Wednesday: Nails & Nibs with China Glaze C-C-Courage and Wahl-Eversharp Skyliner 50

Polish: China Glaze C-C-Courage (2 coats)

Pen: Wahl-Eversharp Skyliner 50

So what is Wordless Wednesday's Nails & Nibs? 
My husband and I both have blogs, so we decided to join forces and be a part of Wordless Wednesday where I'll show an old polish that I had terrible pictures of, or new polishes I don't have much to talk about. The pens will vary depending on what my husband has on hand, but we will try to make sure they sort of go together. Enjoy!