Polish Pickup September 2020 All Hallows Even Swatches and Reviews

*press samples*

Hi folks! I know you're shocked at the amount of posts this week. Tonight I've got 4 of the Polish Pickup items to share with you. 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 (more for international and they just had to increase the pricing to Canada). 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. 4th at 11:00 AM ET and ends on Monday, Sept. 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. Guess what next month is?? PPU Rewind! Each brand gets to bring back a shade (or product) from a previous month for the PPU website, and a different color they can sell on their website if they're interested. 

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

Noodles Nail Polish Jodi's Polish Collab 2 Swatches and Reviews

*press samples*

Hi folks! Not only are we getting my custom with Noodles Nail Polish on Monday, but Natalie's been busy doing a collaboration with the famous Jodi's Polish on YouTube. You may remember Part 1 from last summer, and you can see my swatches here. This 6-piece set has it all: a couple shimmers, 3 glitter crellies, and a glitter topper. These will retail for $9.50 each and will be available Monday, August 31st at 5 PM EST on the Noodles website. And don't think we're close to being done with Noodles Nail Polish for the year, because this is just the beginning. Shall we get to some swatches? 

Vega and Altair: My Collaboration with Noodles Nail Polish!

*press sample*

Hi folks! Yes, the day is finally upon us: my polish collaboration with Natalie from Noodles Nail Polish! I have a lot more to say about Vega and Altair, but first things first. This one will be available for $9.50 on Monday, August 31st at 5 PM EST on the Noodles site. Yup, only a few days away! 

I've mentioned this in passing without going into too much detail, but about 4 years ago I changed jobs from my Research Specialist position to a nib grinder at a local fountain pen company. I am currently one of only 4 women in the US working on nibs (nibs are the metal parts you actually write with on a fountain pen). I've been a pen fanatic my whole life, but more with gel pens and rollerballs than fountain pens. It wasn't until I met my husband that I really started getting into fountain pens. Fast forward a few years, and now I travel the country going to pen shows (well, at least in the pre-covid days) and work on nibs for Franklin-Christoph. I've always wanted a fountain pen-inspired nail polish made, and I was so lucky that Natalie from Noodles Nail Polish kindly agreed to work with me. My next step was to find out exactly what I wanted. It wasn't until I was gifted a very special Christmas gift from a fellow fountain pen lover that I knew what I wanted. 

This is Vega and Altair from the Japanese fountain pen company Sailor. It was released in conjunction with another Japanese stationery company Bungubox as a duo back in 2017 as Milky Way/Vega and Altair shown below. This limited edition set had just 50 pieces sold worldwide. 

Source (and other very beautiful pen photos)

What makes Vega and Altair super special is its raden ends. Raden is an ancient decorative technique that uses thin abalone shells or mother-of-pearl pieces placed on pens, bowls, etc. and are truly pieces of art. This application is done by hand and takes a lot of time and practice through apprenticeships, and, as such, raden work is often very expensive. 

So what the heck is Vega and Altair and why did they make a pen based on it? You can learn more about it here, but I'll give a quick overview here. The Star Festival in Japan has been celebrated on various days in July or August since 755. During the festival, wishes are written on small strips of paper called tanzaku and placed under bamboo trees until the end of the festival where hopefully wishes come true by either burning the tree, or setting it afloat. In this ancient myth, Vega and Altair are Star Crossed lovers. Vega was a goddess of the sky, but was destined to be alone. One day, she met the mortal Altair, who happened to be a cow herder in the Milky Way. They quickly fell in love, but Vega's father did not approve because they started neglecting their work which angered him. He was also upset that Vega promised to bring Altair to the heavens. As punishment for this, Vega's father placed both Vega and Altair in the sky as stars and separated the lovers by the Milky Way. They are allowed to see each other once a year on July 7th, and Altair has to cross the Milky Way to see his love, but only if the skies are clear. If it's raining, the lovers cannot see each other, so people pray for good weather on this special day. This festival is basically a really interesting version of an eastern Valentine's Day. 

Noodles Nail Polish Vega and Altair (3 coats)

Vega and Altair is inspired by the raden ends on the Sailor fountain pen. It's a black jelly base with tons of color-shifting flakes and turquoise, pink, blue, violet, and gunmetal glitters. I also see a strong blue shimmer in the background which ties seamlessly with the shimmer in the white part of the pen. It does dry with texture from the flakes and glitter, so double up on that thicker topcoat to smooth it all out. I used 3 thin coats for my photos to really add more depth and dimension with all those flakes. Natalie only saw photos of my pen, and I was extremely impressed how much she got the essence of Vega and Altair. 

 I am honored that Natalie was so happy with the custom that she would offer it to you all. I can't express how much I love the pen and this polish. Don't forget, this will be available this coming Monday at 5 PM EST in the Noodles store. Please be safe and wear a mask. 💕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*

The Charity Box August 2020 with Noodles Nail Polish Swatches and Review

*press sample* 

Hi everyone! I had a great vacation last week, although we didn't do anything besides watch 90 Day Fiancee and eat a lot of food that was bad for me. Tonight I have swatches for Noodles Nail Polish for The Charity Box. I've never reviewed any products for this box, so here's what they have to say about it: 

We are a monthly indie collaboration box hosted by JReine Cosmetics that donates a portion of each box to charity.  There is a new theme each month that is voted on in our Facebook group – help us shape future boxes and suggest your own favorite charitable organizations to be sponsored!  

Each month, the box contains at least 3 items created by indie makers, and the designated portion of proceeds from sales is donated to that month’s sponsored nonprofit organization.

This month's theme is Creepicute Creatures and actually has a whopping 10 items instead of 3 and my wishlist definitely has a few items on it. The pre-order starts at 10 AM EST on August 13th and goes through 11 PM EST on August 22nd. This month's charity is The Innocence Project and $1 from each bottle sold will go toward exonerating innocent people from prison. Shall we get a close look at some swatches?

Noodles Nail Polish Luna (3 coats)

Inspiration: the luna moth

Price: $10.50

Cap: none

website | Facebook Fan Group | Instagram

Luna is a grape purple jelly base with lime/copper/blue and green/teal/blue color shifting flakes, holo flakes, and gold, violet, blue and lime glitters. Like most Noodles shades, this one dries with texture due to the flakes and glitters, so make sure to use a thicker topcoat and double up those coats to smooth it all out. This one is so squishy-looking, but still fully covers in 3 coats. I had no issues with any rogue flakes sticking up either. I had no issues with the formula, but I'd recommend thin coats for even application. I absolutely love the flakes in this one. 

I'm not going to lie, my wishlist is pretty long, so check out the website for what's available. Make sure to set your alarms for the sale tomorrow morning. What do you think? Which ones are you picking up? 

*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*

Polish Pickup August 2020 Weird Science Swatches & Reviews

*press samples*

Hi everyone! I told you'd I'd be back soon! My parents are here and I am so happy to see them! We are distancing and masking with our HEPA filter going to be on the safe side. Tonight I have a bunch of items from this month's Polish Pickup to share with you. The theme is Weird Science and this is near and dear to my heart as I have a Ph. D in Microbiology and worked in science for over a decade. Despite not being in science anymore, I'm still a science geek in my heart. 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 (more for international and they just had to increase the pricing to Canada). 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, August 7th at 11:00 AM ET and ends on Monday, August 10th 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. Guess what next month is?? PPU Rewind! Each brand gets to bring back a shade (or product) from a previous month for the PPU website, and a different color they can sell on their website if they're interested. 

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