Polish Pickup January 2020 Written in the Stars Swatches and Reviews

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Hi guys! Long time, no blog! If you celebrate Christmas, I hope you had a great one. I traveled to my husband's family up in Maryland and it was a great one. I will be visiting my family this week for New Years. We tend to visit my family for Thanksgiving, and the husband's family for Christmas Eve and Day. I say this every month, but I can't believe Polish Pickup is coming up this weekend.
This month's theme is Written in the Stars, and some makers have really thought outside the box this month. Some were inspired by their zodiac signs, so some makers may have the same sign, but they interpreted it in a completely different way. New to PPU? If so, here's how it works:

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 at the polishes that will be available in the coming month. PPU themes are chosen by the people, often a few months in advance (brands need time to find their inspiration and test their polish). Any indie brand that has been around for at least a year can participate and each 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 ($5 for Canada and more for international). Recently they also opened a UK site which you can find here. Since all orders are pre-orders, shipping will take place about 3 weeks after the end of the pre-order.

PPU starts Friday, January 3rd at 11:00 AM ET and ends on Monday, January 6th at 11:59 PM (but if a polish has a cap and sells out before the end of the pre-order, it's gone, unless you get lucky and the cap gets raised...which is rare) on the PPU website.

The website is currently open for wishlisting, so go check out this month's offerings STAT. Time for swatches!

Noodles Nail Polish New Year's Polish Swatches and Review: Roaring 2020s

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Hi guys! Blog things are winding down for the rest of the year, but Noodles Nail Polish has one more shade available for New Years. This one is will be available this Friday, December 13th at 5 PM in the NNP website. If you held off on ordering during the Black Friday sale and missed out on the Black Friday mystery polish, the overpours for that will also be available (I don't have swatches, but there will be bottle shots so it won't be a full mystery). 

Noodles Nail Polish Roaring 2020s (3 coats)

Holy flakies, Batman! I really hope my photos capture the platinum flakes in there. They are really quite striking in person. Roaring 2020s is a grape base with red/gold aurora shimmer, platinum flakies, copper glitters, and orange/pink/gold UCC flakes. I went ahead and used 3 thin coats for my photos, but that was mostly for added depth of flakes. If you use thicker coats or have shorter nails, you'll likely just need 2 coats. It does dry with texture, so use a thicker topcoat, or 2 coats of a thinner one. 

Don't forget to pick this one up on Friday while you check out the Black Friday mystery shade which I hear is gorgeous. You can find out more about Noodles Nail Polish on their website, Instagram page, Facebook page, and Facebook Fan Group.

*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*

Gridlock Lacquer Holiday 2019 Swatches and Reviews

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Hi guys! This week just went by at a snail's pace, right? There's just something about the week after a holiday that makes things go slowly. This weekend we'll be in the town parade with our dog, Scraggles, for her daycare. She loves it and gets so many pets from children. My husband's been sick all week, so hopefully he's up to it. Tonight I have a new brand to the blog, but not new to the nail scene. In total I have 15 polishes to show you, but I'll be breaking it down into smaller sets so it's more manageable. Tonight I have the new 4-piece Holiday collection that features 3 cremes and 1 shimmer. These are available now for purchase for just $9 each in the Gridlock Lacquer website. Gridlock Lacquer was founded in 2012 by Lisa in Buffalo, NY. The original collection of polishes were themed around the people, places, and things that make Buffalo a unique place. It has since expanded to collections including Pittsburgh and Cleveland as well. A fourth city has recently been released, and I'll be showing that to you soon. Shall we get to some swatches?

Polish Pickup December 2019: Winter is Coming Swatches and Reviews

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Hi guys! I hope you had a great Thanksgiving yesterday! It's always nice to be around family this time of year. Have you taken advantage of any Black Friday sales so far? I've definitely made a few purchases, but I'm doing good pacing myself. If you are interested in seeing this year's Black Friday sales, go check this link as you have through Monday for most brands. 

PPU is doing things a little differently for December. Instead of starting on the first Friday of the month, PPU will start Monday, December 2nd at 11:00 AM ET and end on Friday, Dec. 6th at 11:59 PM (but if a polish has a cap and sells out before the end of the pre-order, it's gone, unless you get lucky and the cap gets raised...which is rare) on the PPU website. I believe they are trying to get things out before the holiday break. I have 3 polishes to share with you this month, so make sure to check the site now to start your wishlist. 

Noodles Nail Polish Holiday 2019 Collection Swatches and Reviews & Re-release of Santa's Cookies

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Hi guys! Daylight savings time started this past weekend, and I hate having to leave for work when it's dark and drive home in the dark. I'm going to feel like a vampire for the next few months. Tonight I have the Noodles Nail Polish Holiday Collection which is a 6-piece set featuring crellies and jellies...and if you know anything about Noodles, you know there has to be an abundance of glitter for good measure! It's not in the collage above, but the popular Santa's Cookies will be re-released with the holiday set as a 2.0 version. Unfortunately I don't have the original to compare, but hopefully Jodi from YouTube will be able to help with that. I'm so happy that Natalie posted a reminder that this collection will debut on Thursday, November 7th (instead of the normal Friday restocks) at 5 PM EST on the Noodles Nail Polish website. Each of the polishes will retail for $9.50, including Santa's Cookies 2.0. I couldn't stop taking pictures of these, so you know it's going to be a picture-heavy post. Without further ado, let's do this! 

Polish Pickup November 2019: Fairy Tales Swatches and Reviews

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Hi guys! I've got three PPU shades to share with you tonight. Can you believe it's almost November?! I've been so bad about doing Halloween manicures this year. Does adding glow-in-the-dark topcoat to all polishes count? This month's theme is Fairy Tales, and I think my collage above really demonstrates how diverse the polishes are this month. New to PPU? If so, here's how it works:

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 at the polishes that will be available in the coming month. PPU themes are chosen by the people, often a few months in advance (brands need time to find their inspiration and test their polish). Any indie brand that has been around for at least a year can participate and each 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 ($5 for Canada and more for international). Recently they also opened a UK site which you can find here. Since all orders are pre-orders, shipping will take place about 3 weeks after the end of the pre-order.

PPU starts Friday, November 1st at 11:00 AM ET and ends on Monday, Nov. 4th at 11:59 PM (but if a polish has a cap and sells out before the end of the pre-order, it's gone, unless you get lucky and the cap gets raised...which is rare) on the PPU website.

The website is currently open for wishlisting, so go check out this month's offerings STAT. Time for swatches!

PI Colors Cotton Candy Collection Swatches and Reviews

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Hi guys! I can't believe how the year has flown by. I swear it was just January a couple months ago. This isn't the last you'll see of me this week as I'll be posting the upcoming Polish Pickup shades. Tonight I have a brand I've never featured on the blog, and it's PI Colors. I've really admired other soft shades Trish has featured before, so I was very excited to try her upcoming Cotton Candy Collection. You may be asking yourself, "Wait, it's fall! Cotton candy?" Right now the NC state fair is going on, so it's still fair time in many parts of the US, especially the south. It's way too warm to have the fair during the end of August like we used to have in Ohio. 

This is a 5-piece set that features pastels with iridescent glitters, chameleon shimmers and some occasional flakies. These will be available tomorrow (October 30th) in the PI Colors website for $10 each, or get the whole set for just $42.

Maker's Dozen November 2019 Wine Labels: NeVerMind Polish Raving Red

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Hi guys! I hope things are going well for you. I've been busy as always, but I have a bunch of posts to share with you in the next week. Tonight I have a shade from NeVerMind Polish from the Maker's Dozen group collaboration. This collab is a bit different than others (i.e. Polish Pickup), so give me a few moments to give you an overview. It is indeed a dozen different makers each month with one guest maker each month. It just so happens that this month doesn't have a guest, so it's just the 12. The core brands are as follows: Jior Couture, Sassy Pants Polish, Zombie Claw Polish, PI Colors, Copacetic Cosmetics, Baby Girl Lacquer, LynB Designs, Leesha’s Lacquers, NeVerMind Polish, Alter Ego Nail Enamel, Ms. Sparkle, and Inspurrrations.

There's a different theme each month, and this month is wine labels. Each maker gets a particular color they have to work with every month, and it rotates. For example, if one brand has the color blue in January, then they won't have blue for the next 13 months. They can use any shade or finish as long as they adhere to the core color. Also unlike Polish Pickup, there is no main store from which to shop. Forty bottles of each polish will be available throughout that month in the maker's shop (unless they sell out of those 40 bottles) and any leftovers will be available until they are sold. Tonight I've got NeVerMind Polish's shade to show you, and they had red this month. Shall we get to see some more photos? 

NeVerMind Polish Raving Red (3 coats)

Cap: 40 bottles

Price: $10

Raving Red is a warm red crelly base with loads of copper/pink/purple multichrome flakes, and red to orange aurora shimmer. I used 3 thin coats for my photos, but you may be able to get away with 2 if you use thicker coats, or you have short nails. I had no issues with the formula, and it dried with minimal texture because there was no glitter. You can also use a thinner topcoat with this one because of that lack of glitter. 

Yet another beautiful flake bomb from NeVerMind Polish! This one will be available on November 1st until the 40 bottles are sold. Make sure to join the Maker's Dozen Facebook Group for more information and swatches from other brands. You can find out more about NeVerMind Polish on their website, Facebook Fan Group, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest pages. 

*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*

Pepper Pot Polish Destination: The Desert Collection Swatches and Reviews

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Hi guys! The Fall Collections keep rolling in, and tonight I have a very special collection from Pepper Pot Polish to share with you. If this set doesn't scream "FALL!!!!" in your face, I don't know what to tell you. This 5-piece collection is inspired by all things desert, and features creme finishes with shimmer. Somehow Mackenize was able to give us interesting fall shades in a place that doesn't experience fall in the way that many of us experience it every year! 

These are available now in the Pepper Pot Polish Etsy store for $10 each, or get yourself the whole collection for just $45 with free shipping (you'd be saving so much!). This is going to be another picture-heavy post, so shall we get to some swatches? 

NeVerMind Polish All Hallows Collection 2019 Swatches and Reviews

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Hi guys! Whew, Monday's are always crazy at work. Not much else is going on around here except for working out and having fun with polymer clay. The main issue I have with working out is having enough time in the evenings. After my hour commute home, workout, shower, and dinner, it's time to go to bed. There just aren't enough hours in the day! 

Tonight I have a brand I've never shared on the blog, but I'm not new to wearing their polishes. I've purchased several polishes from NeVerMind Polish through Polish Pickup, but I tend not to show the polishes I purchase through PPU because they are no longer available. I try and keep the blog for polishes people can get their hands on. The All Hallows Collection is a 4-piece set with shimmers, flakies, and an intense glow-in-the-dark topper. These will be available this Friday, October, 11th for $10 each. Also being released this Friday is Mattefy Me, a matte topcoat for $7.50. I added Mattefy Me to each of the polishes so you can see it with different finishes. Without further ado, let's get to swatches!

Polish Pickup October 2019: Urban Legends Swatches and Reviews

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Hi guys! OMG, can you believe it's October already? It feels like yesterday it was July, am I right? Polish Pickup is coming up this weekend, and this month's inspiration is Urban Legends. There are sooo many urban legends out there, so I am super interested in seeing where makers go with this one. In case you're new to PPU, this is how it works: 

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 at the polishes that will be available in the coming month. PPU themes are chosen by the people, often a few months in advance (brands need time to find their inspiration and test their polish). Any indie brand that has been around for at least a year can participate and each 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 ($5 for Canada and more for international). Recently they also opened a UK site which you can find here. Since all orders are pre-orders, shipping will take place about 3 weeks after the end of the pre-order.

PPU starts Friday, Oct. 4th at 11:00 AM ET and ends on Monday, Oct. 7th at 11:59 PM (but if a polish has a cap and sells out before the end of the pre-order, it's gone, unless you get lucky and the cap gets raised...which is rare) on the PPU website. I have a whopping five PPU shades to share with you this month, so I decided to combine these into one post. Go ahead and hit that button to see these beauties. 

Noodles Nail Polish Halloween 2019 Trio Swatches and Reviews

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Hi guys! Oh yes, I'm back 2 days in a row. You may notice a trend that I don't post for a week or 2 and then you get a bunch of posts in a row. It just seems that collections come out around the same time, especially when a holiday is coming up. I have a couple more Halloween Collections to share with you over the next week, and they will all be available with plenty of time before the big day. Tonight I have the Noodles Nail Polish Halloween trio to share with you, and I hope you're ready for lots of glitter and flakes. They will be available:

When: Friday, October 4th at 5 PM EST

Where: Noodles Nail Polish website

Price: $9.50 each

 Shall we get a closer look? 

Seventy Seven Nail Lacquer Falloween 2019 Collection Swatches and Reviews

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Hi guys! I just got back from Dallas where it was the same temperature and less humid than NC. I can't believe it's still 93 degrees here and it's almost October. I'm happy to report this is the last work travel for the year and I'm good with that. Tonight I have a brand I've never reviewed before, Seventy Seven Nail Lacquer. I have the 5-piece Falloween Collection to share with you tonight, and it features shimmers and multichrome shades which are some of my favorites. They are now available as a pre-order until September 9/30 at 11:59 PST.  They retail for $11.50 each, or as a discounted set for $55 which will save you a few bucks. Like most of my posts lately, it is quite picture-heavy, so should we get to some swatches? 

Noodles Nail Polish Fall 2019 Collection Swatches and Reviews

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Hi guys! Apparently fall is in the air, but you'd never guess it from the hot days we've been having in NC. Yeah, nothing feels less like fall than 90 degree days. That said, new fall polish collections can really set the mood! Fall is Natalie from Noodles Nail Polish's favorite season, and it really shows. She has a little bit of everything for this collection: glitter toppers, flakies, holo, and glitter crellies (oh my!). Most collections consist of 6 polishes, but she went ahead and sneaked a 7th one in there just for us. 

When: Friday, September 13th at 5 PM EST

Where: Noodles Nail Polish website

Price: $9.50

This is an extremely picture-heavy post, so you may want to give it a little time to completely load. Without further ado, let's get to some swatches! 

Static Lacquer September 2019 Polish Pickup and Indie Pickup Magic and Alchemy: Dark Mark

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Happy Labor Day! I had a pretty relaxing day all things considering. I was super busy last weekend in San Francisco for work, so a quiet weekend was exactly what I needed. Tonight I have the final PPU shade to share with you, this time from Static Lacquer. PPU starts this Friday, Sept 6th at 11:00 AM ET and ends on Monday, Sept 9th at 11:59 PM on the PPU website. This month's inspiration is Magic and Alchemy, which seems to have quite the variety of themes and shades available. This month Static Lacquer has a polish for PPU and a new product, a cuticle balm, for Indie Pickup. 

Static Lacquer Dark Mark (2 coats)
Price: $12
Cap: US 200 UK 50

Dark Mark is a blackened green base (leans slightly olive) with green microflakes and a holo finish. It's a beautiful shade that is very fall-like. It was very opaque and needed just 2 coats for full opacity. It dried quickly with no texture and applied flawlessly. Another positive is that it is very easy to remove, too.

Static Lacquer Cuticle Balm in Dark Mark
Price: $4
Cap: US 50 UK 25
Scent Notes: Top: Citrus, Sea Salt, Ozone, Saffron, Middle: Plum, Cardamom, Clove, Incense, Sandalwood, Base: Amber, Dark Musk, Patchouli, Smoke

I'm going to be honest with you, when I first saw the scent notes, I had no idea if I'd like it. When you start throwing in things like incense and patchouli, I start to get scared. I'm happy to report that this is delightful! I cannot distinguish individual notes, but it's definitely a warm scent (likely from the amber and musk) with a bit of ozone that hits the back of the throat (in a good way). It's by no means super perfumey, either. The ingredients for the balm are as follows: 

coconut oil, sunflower wax, shea butter, mango butter, coco butter, jojoba oil, avocado oil, argan oil, sunflower oil, vitamin e and fragrance oil

I don't use coconut oil on my face, but I find it great for the body. You can definitely tell from looking at it that it contains coconut oil. It warms up quickly and nicely moisturizes without being overly greasy. I've been using it every night since receiving it, and it's now a go-to before applying lotion. 

Definitely a couple homeruns from Stacy at Static Lacquer. Don't forget, the website is now open for wishlists, so you can quickly order what you're interested in, and not miss out on any items with a low cap. I'll be ready at 11:00 AM EST this Friday to get my order in. Thoughts? You can learn more about Static Lacquer on their website, Facebook, Group, and Instagram pages, while you can find more about PPU on their Facebook page and website.

*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*

Literary Lacquers September 2019 Polish Pickup Magic and Alchemy: Every God and Devil There Ever Was

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Hi guys! I'm back with the second installment of my PPU offerings, this time from Literary Lacquers. If you are new to PPU, please check out my post from the other day where I give the whole rundown. PPU starts Friday, Sept 6th at 11:00 AM ET and ends on Monday, Sept 9th at 11:59 PM on the PPU website. This month's inspiration is Magic and Alchemy, which is quite a broad spectrum. I'm so happy that Amy from Literary Lacquers is participating now as I've always been impressed with her ingenuity and formula. 

Literary Lacquers Every God and Devil There Ever Was (3 coats)
Price: $12
Cap: None
Inspiration: the comic The Invisibles by Scottish writer and chaos magic practitioner Grant Morrison 

I always feel so bad when I haven't read/watched the inspiration for a particular polish. Every God and Devil There Ever Was is a deep indigo jelly base with UCC flakes and holo micro glitters. You may be able to get away with 2 coats, but I used a third because bright lights tend to accentuate any visible nail line. It applied perfectly, and dried with a little bit of texture from the glitters. One coat of topcoat should smooth everything out for you though. Although it's dark, it never appeared black (the jelly base really helped with that). I didn't even think to add a matte topcoat to this, so thankfully you can see how cool this one looks from Jen at Laugh, Love, Contour.

It seems like a lot of brands are lifting caps so you don't have to have ninja fingers to get what you want. Hurray! It's been cooler here in NC for the past few days, and this one is giving me fall vibes. What do you think? To learn more about Literary Lacquers, check out their website, Facebook Group, Facebook page, and Instagram while you can find more about PPU on their Facebook page and website. As always, thanks for reading! 

*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*

Noodles Nail Polish September 2019 Polish Pickup Magic and Alchemy: Three Wishes

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Hola! Summer's almost over, huh? A co-worker went to Starbucks today because the pumpkin spice latte was released today. I mean, on August 27th?! Is it just me, or is that too early? #controversialtopics Anyway, can you believe the September Polish Pickup (PPU) is upon us once more? I just got my August order yesterday, so I'm all ready to go shopping. Not sure how PPU works? Here's a little refresher: 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 at the polishes that will be available in the coming month. PPU themes are chosen by the people, often a few months in advance (brands need time to find their inspiration and test their polish). Any indie brand that has been around for at least a year can participate and each 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 ($5 for Canada and more for international). Recently they also opened a UK site which you can find here. Since all orders are pre-orders, shipping will take place about 3 weeks after the end of the pre-order

PPU starts Friday, Sept 6th at 11:00 AM ET and ends on Monday, Sept 9th at 11:59 PM (but if a polish has a cap and sells out before the end of the pre-order, it's gone, unless you get lucky and the cap gets raised...which is rare) on the PPU website. This month's inspiration is Magic and Alchemy, which is quite a broad spectrum. I've got 3 shades to share with you this month, so should we get into Noodles Nail Polish's contribution? 

Noodles Nail Polish Three Wishes (3 coats)

Price: $11:50

Cap: None

Inspiration: The Genie from Aladdin

I'll always think of the Genie like this:

not this:

And I'll always think of Robin Williams in the role. Anway, Three Wishes is a bright cornflower blue crelly with blue/gold glitter, holo/gold flakes, and blue shimmer. So much blue and gold, just like the genie! I found it be to be on the sheer side, but it built up to full opacity with 3 coats. The formula was smooth and easy, but it dries with texture from the glitter. If you want easy removal, bust out that peel-off basecoat, or use the foil method. 

This one is super sparkly, and I love a good cornflower blue polish.  You can find out more about Noodles Nail Polish on their website, Instagram page, Facebook page, and Facebook Fan Group while you can learn more about PPU on their Facebook page and website. Have a great night! 

*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*