Polish Pickup October 2021 Monsters & Mythical Creatures from Noodles Nail Polish: A Very Neat Monster

 *press sample*

Hi everyone! In what world is it almost October? I went ahead and bought our Halloween candy from the store in case the good kinds sell out quickly. Trick-or-Treating was mostly cancelled last year because of a huge storm that came into North Carolina on Halloween. I really hope the children can dress up and get out to get some delicious candy this year. I wish I had more to report on the life front, but Covid has continued to keep us at home. I did make it into an Ulta store this weekend for the first time since 2019! How have you been? 

Tonight I've got the Noodles Nail Polish shade for this month's Polish Pickup. This month's theme is Monsters and Mythical Creatures which I'm pretty sure was done a few years ago, but I guess they thought enough time has passed for another go. 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. *Shipping Price Update 2021* Orders weighing up to 7 oz will still ship to the US for $3 while all other US orders will ship for $5 (more for international and they just had to increase the pricing to Canada). Since all orders are pre-orders, shipping will take place about 3 weeks after the end of the pre-order.

PPU starts Friday, October 1st at 11:00 AM ET and ends on Monday, October 4th at 11:59 PM (but if a polish has a bottle limit 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. Shall we get to some pictures? 

Noodles Nail Polish A Very Neat Monster (3 coats)

Inspiration: my favorite Monster from TV and a self proclaimed “very neat monster,” Dexter Morgan

Price: $12

Bottle Limit: None

I was a huge Dexter fan back in the day, and did you know it's coming back soon? Apparently the release date for season 9 will be November 7, 2021 and I can't wait. Michael C. Hall did a great job with the character, and I'm curious where they they go with this. A Very Neat Monster is a beautiful vampy shade that is a deep red jelly base with red matte and metallic hexagonal glitters and violet/red/orange color-shifting flakes. While this one is dark, it doesn't appear black, even in low light. Natalie does such a great job with polishes that combine glitter and flakes, and this is no exception. I went ahead and used 3 thin coats for my photos and the formula was perfect. It will dry with texture from the glitter, so I recommend a glitter grabber topcoat followed by a QDTC to get the smoothest finish possible. 

There you have it, folks! What are you picking up this month? I hope you have a great rest of the week! 

*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*

Zoya Cosmic Trio 2021 Limited Edition Swatches and Reviews

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Hello hello! Zoya has their seasonal collections as well as a few others like the Naturel line that usually comes around once a year. They also do some limited edition shades, and the trio I have to share with you tonight just so happens to be limited. I'm not sure how long these will be available, so if you find any that catch your eye, please don't wait too long to pick them up. This Cosmic Trio contains "holographic shades that are inspired by the unique star clusters of outer space. These astral shades are created with a blend of metallic glitter, and holographic particles in 5 different sizes to give a dynamic effect creating a soft textured finish, but can be paired with Ultra Glossy Top Coat to create a smooth and shiny surface." These retail for $12 each, but if you purchase the set for $36, you get all 3 polishes, 3 of their Z-wide brushes, and their glossy topcoat as well. Swatch time! 

Zoya Celestia (3 coats)

Shall we start with my favorite of the 3? Celestia is a silver that leans a bit taupe with blue/purple shifting shimmer and a scattered holographic finish. I just love that pop of shimmer that contrasts from the lighter base. These are a bit sheerer, but they are designed to be that way. I didn't try them as toppers, but a few other bloggers did, and they work great as long as you use really thin coats. They dry with a little texture, but not as much as I expected. I do recommend a thick topcoat to smooth it all out though. 

Zoya Eradani (2 coats)

Eradani is a bit different than the other 2. The finish isn't quite the same (the pure holo finish like the others isn't there), but that doesn't mean it isn't beautiful all the same. Eradani is a magenta microglitter with indigo shimmer and a slight holo finish. This one was more opaque, but I found the formula to be a bit gummy, so work slowly. 

Zoya Polaris (3 coats)

Last, but not least we have Polaris which is a rose gold microglitter with pink/purple shimmer and a scattered holo finish. I really wanted to love this one, but I just don't think it looks great with my skintone. It's not the polish's fault...I really think this will look beautiful on lots of other people. The formula was good in 3 coats. 

There you have it, a short and sweet trio. This is why I love Zoya; most mainstream brands don't do holographic polishes, especially ones with contrasting shimmers. Remember, these can go away at any moment, so pick yours up while you can. 

Zoya polishes retail for $12 and you can find out more about them on their website, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram pages. Keep an eye out for them in your local Ulta store if you want to see the bottles in person before you buy. They often have sales, so check their social media pages periodically. 

*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 Fall 2021 Collection Swatches and Reviews

 *press samples*

Hi everyone! I hope you had a great Labor Day weekend! I spent the time resting up since I traveled for the first time in a year and a half. Honestly things have been quiet around here otherwise. My husband teaches college, and he's been doing online classes exclusively since March 2020. Classes just started up again for the fall semester, and some of his colleagues have in-person classes now. I just want things to proceed as safely as possible. In case you didn't know, Natalie from Noodles Nail Polish is also an elementary school teacher, and I have no idea how she juggles it all. I think every teacher deserves the upmost respect and a huge raise for their hard work. 

I know that fall happens to be Natalie's favorite season, so I'm always extra excited to see what she comes up with. This 8-piece collection is full of crellies, jellies, flakies, and toppers so there's something for everyone. This set will be available this Friday, September 10th (my husband's birthday! 🎉) at 5 PM EST. All polishes besides the glitter topper (Crushed Leaves) will retail for $10 each. I'll make sure to mention the price on each set of photos as well. You know this is going to be a long post, so we should get into it. 

Polish Pickup September 2021 Trick or Treat Swatches and Reviews

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Wait, you mean to tell me it's September already? And did I hear recently that I should be buying Christmas presents NOW because things are going to be a mess near the end of the year? I'm just not ready for any of that! Please tell me I'm not the only one. I just got back from San Francisco a couple days ago for work, and I also forgot how hard a 3 hour time change messes with your sleep. I haven't been out of the Eastern Time Zone since 2019! This month's PPU theme is aptly Trick or Treat.  Wishlisting is up now on the website and I'm blown away by the variety of inspirations. 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). Since all orders are pre-orders, shipping will take place about 3 weeks after the end of the pre-order.

PPU starts Friday, September 3rd at 11:00 AM ET and ends on Monday, September 6th at 11:59 PM (but if a polish has a bottle limit 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. Shall we get to some pictures?