Polish Pickup April 2018 Swatches and Reviews: Polished for Days Solar Flare and Alter Ego Altarf aka Beta Cancri

Hi guys! I hope the start of the week is off to a bang. I did exactly what I said I'd do this past weekend except I forgot to mention I was heading to Penzey's Spices to buy approximately 1 ton of spices I don't necessarily need. Oops, no regrets. Tonight I have 2 of the 3 April Polish Pickup colors I received last week. Don't worry, I'll have the Scofflaw Nail Polish up as soon as I can. If you haven't heard about Polish Pickup, let me give you a quick recap. First, definitely join the Polish Pickup Facebook Group. You don't necessarily need to actively participate in the group, but it will give you a look into the polishes coming that month. Do you hate it when a new indie box comes out with multiple brands and you only really love one of the colors? What do you do then? Destash the ones you don't want? Just suck it up and buy it and keep them all because you're too lazy to destash? Well, there's now a group and website called Polish Pickup that will open for suggestions for box themes for the upcoming month. Everyone votes, and the winner becomes the theme for a future box. Indie  brands that have been around for at least a year are welcome to apply and each brand has their own specific inspiration picture and polish for that month. All you need to do is go to the Polish Pickup site during the pre-order window (the first Friday-Monday of the month) to make all of your purchases of these exclusive polishes. There's no need to pay for multiple shipping charges; since this is a pre-order, all polishes get sent to Polish Pickup and they send you the polishes you ordered. Yup, it's that simple. Oh, and shipping is a flat-rate of $3 to the US (more for Canada and international). With that out of the way, shall we look at these beauties? 

Contrary Polish Playing With Fire Collection Swatches and Reviews: Flames and Sparks

Hi guys! TGIF! It's supposed to be nice this weekend, so my husband and I are planning on getting some plants at this really nice commercial nursery that is open to the public only a handful of weekends. Other than that, I plan on seeing the Avengers (I haven't been spoiled yet) and take a couple naps. What are your plans? Tonight I have 2 polishes from the Contrary Polish Playing With Fire Collection. Carrie is the queen of shimmers, and you guys know how I feel about shimmers. Well, shimmers and flakies. Hit that button to see more. 

Lucky 13 Lacquer Majora's Mash-up Swatches & Review: Octarine-a of Time

Lucky 13 Lacquer Octarine-a of Time (3 coats)

Hi guys! I had a really tough day at work. We had a customer call and be extremely rude to 2 employees, so that definitely put a dampener on things. Otherwise this week has been flying by, and I can't wait to go see the new Avenger's movie this weekend. Confession: I have a new favorite topcoat and it's by Lucky 13 Lacquer. It's called Elemental Ward Quick-dry Top Coat and it's 4-Free (it contains Toluene), but it is nothing like the other QDTPs I've tried. I would often get a little bubbling or streaking with the ones I've used previously, but I can usually get away with it on more complex polishes. It's when you start photographing cremes that it starts to get more apparent. Elemental Ward from Lucky 13 is thick, but it never gets unmanageable, even when you have a quarter of it left. It has a glassy finish, almost like a gel topcoat and it doesn't bubble or cause any streaking. It doesn't dry as fast as say Seche Vite, but this is far easier to work with. I learned about Elemental Ward from Polish Pickup, and now I pick one up basically every month it's available. Oh, did I mention that it can be scented?! It's a nice bonus that isn't too "in your face" about it. 

Ok, now I've gone on way too long about Elemental Ward, I want to talk about the polish I bought a few weeks ago. Octarine-a of Time is a jelly duochrome that flashes between violet and green with green/blue/gold flakes. It's apparently a mix of Zelda's Ocarina of Time and Discworld's "octarine." To be honest, I know nothing about Discworld, but Ocarina of Time was my jam! For the life of me, I can't remember if I played in on the Nintendo 64 or the GameCube. Either way, I loved it so much. We have Breath of the Wild, but we haven't finished the main quest. It's just there's so much to do that we always get side-tracked! The polish was a bit sheer, being a jelly, so I ended up using 3 coats for full coverage. You can always use a black creme as a base and layer it on top. This is flakie-heavy, so it dries with a bit of texture. May I recommend a coat of Elemental Ward? 

You can get this now on the Lucky 13 Lacquer website for $12. Oh, and Elemental Ward is only $5. Yup, you heard me right. Go ahead and check them out on their website, Instagram, or Facebook pages. 

My Polish Pickup Picks From April 2018: Space

Hi guys! Tonight I'm doing something a little different. I made this little video about my Polish Pickup colors from this month. I don't have any swatches yet, but I went through each color and did a little description and video here. I wasn't planning on putting it on the blog, but I figured there's no reason not to. Oh, and please don't make fun of me for not knowing what scofflaw meant. Make sure to check out the Polish Pickup Pack Facebook Group for more information (May's theme is the 90s and I can't wait!). 

Bees Knees Lacquer Swatches & Reviews: Blorange and #whysocatty

Hi guys! TGIF! One polish reviewed this week is just not enough. I don't have any grand plans this weekend, but it's supposed to rain anyway. I think I'm going to try and catch up on some sleep. Tonight I have my final polishes from Bees Knees Lacquer to show you. Actually, I bought one more, but it was Limited Edition for the Fantasmic Flakies Facebook Goup and no longer available. I do my best not to tempt anyone with polishes that are discontinued. 

Bees Knees Lacquer Blorange (3 coats)

Up first is Blorange ($12) which is one of the best names for a polish ever. My husband even has this one on his toes right now (partly due to the name). It's a deep navy base with strong orange shimmer and iridescent flakes in the background. The navy and orange combination is so unexpected and I'm loving it! By this time I was finally getting used to the long brush so I had no issues with the formula or application. I used 3 thin coats for my photos, but you may be able to get away with 2. It dried with no texture as well. Sorry for missing one picture angle; none of the pictures turned out well for some reason. 

Bees Knees Lacquer #whysocatty (3 coats)

We've got another Anon polish I forgot to post with NaCl and Salty Anon a couple weeks ago. #whysocatty ($9) is named after an anonymous post on Acetone Alley stating they didn't like Bees Knees Black Panther set. Because yeah, that was a productive post *eyeroll* The polish is a black base with rainbow flakes. At some angles it shines a bit gold. I went ahead and used 3 coats, but you could likely get away with 2. While I hate that Sarah keeps getting these negative posts, I do love the polishes she puts out in response. I'm so conflicted! 

There you have it! It looks like Blorange is currently out-of-stock, but it should be restocked shortly as far as I know. Make sure to check out Bees Knees Lacquer in this month's Polish Pickup as well. For more information, make sure to stop by the Bees Knees website, Instagram, or Facebook Group! 

Bees Knees Lacquer The Deadra Collection Swatches and Review: Nocturnal

Bees Knees Lacquer Nocturnal (3 coats)

Hi guys! I was in Atlanta working all weekend, and I'm still recovering. It's about a 6-7 hr drive from my house, and of course it decided to pour down rain on our way back on Sunday. I spent my birthday driving to Atlanta, and then had to set up some equipment until 10:30 PM. Yeah. Needless to say, I'm excited to rest up this weekend. Tonight I have another Bees Knees Lacquer polish, this time from the Deadra Collection. 

When I heard about Nocturnal, I immediately thought it was going to be a black base. I was delighted to find that it was a grey crelly base with blue undertones. Maybe the blue comes out from the turquoise shimmer and blue flakes. Add to that a healthy dose of rose gold flakes and you've got Nocturnal. This was the first polish I put in my cart, and I'm sure you're not surprised. I used 3 thin coats for the photos, and as I mentioned last week, I had a little bit of trouble applying these with the long brush in the bottle. Once I finally caught on, I had no issues. It dried with a little bit of texture, but a thick topcoat smooths everything out. 

This is a really unique color, and I'm becoming a big fan of Bees Knees Lacquer! This one is still available for $12, but I bought it with a discount code found in their Facebook Group. For more information, make sure to stop by the Bees Knees website, Instagram, or Facebook Group! 

Noodles Nail Polish Spring 2018 Collection Swatches & Reviews

*press samples*

Hi guys! Tomorrow is my birthday, so I don't plan on doing any blogging. I do, however, have to work all weekend which sort of ruins any plans of fun shenanigans. On the bright side, I do have an impressive spring collection to show you from Noodles Nail Polish. In case you don't remember my thoughts for Natalie's winter collection, let's recap. It was the best. No, seriously, hear me out. She was able to have a cohesive set with polishes that were all very different. It sort of sounds like something Tim Gunn would say on Project Runway, right? But if you think about it, that's sort of what every indie brand has to do constantly. This 6-piece set is releasing this Saturday, April 14th, at 5 PM EST on the Noodles Nail Polish website. Shall we see if Natalie has outdone herself? (*spoiler* she does)

Bees Knees Lacquer Anon Polish Swatches and Reviews: NaCl and Salty Anon

Hi guys! It's another busy week at work, and it just so happens to be my birthday week. Let's not talk about how old I'm turning. On the bright side, I still feel 25! Later this week I'll be showing you Noodles Nail Polish spring offerings, so check back soon. Remember how much I loved their winter collection? Well, I think I love this one even more. Tonight I have a newish brand that has insanely popular, especially after a couple critical anonymous posts on the Acetone Alley Facebook Group. If you're looking for a light and fuzzy Facebook Group, this one isn't for you. I'm not even immune to the drama as I was on the receiving end of some of the comments once, and it was not fun. When Bees Knees Lacquer was new on the scene, a couple anonymous posts were made, but lo and behold, this criticism actually made many people (including myself) check out this brand. Sarah, the owner, was polite and and up-front, which I think drew many to the brand. Now every time an anonymous poster tries to bring drama to Bees Knees, Sarah releases a new "Anon" polish. Whew, that was a lot of backstory. Shall we see these warlocks? 

Quixotic Polish Mystery Bag: Proto OOAK Polish 2 & 3

Hi guys! I know, I'm coming at you on a Saturday! It is ridiculously rainy and cold right now, so my whole family has decided to sit at home and watch movies and the new Trading Spaces. Anyone else watching that tonight? Anyway, I have the other 2 mystery polishes from the Quixotic Polish Mystery Bag to show you tonight. As you can see from the collage, we've got some attractive polishes coming up. Don't forget that Polish Pickup is this weekend, and Mary has another beauty up for grabs. 

Quixotic Polish Mystery Trio: Proto OOAK Polish 1

Quixotic Polish Proto OOAK 1 (3 coats)

Hi guys! My family just got in town so this is going to be a quick little post. You all know my love for Mary from Quixotic Polish. Last month I was able to snag a mystery trio which may contain collaboration overpours or other prototype colors. Mary, being the kind soul she is, is even willing to take color/finish requests as much as possible. I like a good mystery, so I didn't even give her any suggestions (and I haven't met one I didn't like, so I felt safe). 

All three polishes I received were Proto OOAK colors, and all three are very different. The first one I have to show is a slightly off-white crelly base with red and black (I think?) holographic microglitter, iridescent flakes, and a strong blue shimmer flash. Wow, this one is so unique. My dad looked over at my photos and said, "Hey, that looks like an Easter egg!" I'm not exactly sure why, but it does remind me bit of an Easter egg. I'd love it if Mary released something like this in the future. The formula was perfect in 3 coats, but it does dry with texture from the glitter. I recommend a thick topcoat to smooth everything out. Removal took a little extra elbow grease, so break out that foil or peel-off basecoat. Don't worry, it's totally worth it! 

The Mystery Bags ($25) are usually available during the first-of-the-month releases, but make sure to check out the Facebook Fan Group for full information. If you haven't done so, come join us in the Quixotic Polish Facebook Fan Group for fun discussion and giveaways. Stop by the Quixotic Polish website, Facebook page, or Instagram pages to find out more. 

Zoya Spring 2018 Thrive Collection Swatches and Reviews Part II

*press samples*

Hi guys! I was meaning to post this all weekend, but then I ended up just not doing it. I had all the photos edited, but I couldn't get myself to write the post. I think we all already know I'm a bad blogger. We finished our taxes this weekend, and went to our friend's wedding reception which was fun (the taxes, not so much). Oh, and Happy Easter if you celebrate! You know we went to the grocery store to get that 50% off candy! Also, from what I hear, Easter baskets today have other gifts besides candy in them. Is this a new trend? Like Halloween, it was purely a candy holiday in my day. Anyway, I know you guys have been patiently waiting for the second half of the Thrive Collection. If you like any of the colors, make sure to sign up for this year's Earth Day Exchange going on now (info here) for 50% off and free shipping with code HEALTHY.