Swatch: KBShimmer Mauve On Over

The product in this post was purchased by me. All opinions are my own.

Happy Hump Day! Recently I grabbed a few glitter crellies from KBShimmer when they were having a sale. KBShimmer does crellies like no other brand, in my opinion--perfect color combos and glitter density! Mauve On Over is no exception. It's a pale warm purple base with dark blue, turquoise and red-orange glitter (some holographic).

KBShimmer Mauve On Over. Three coats with Out the Door topcoat.

Doesn't this have the most amazing speckled-egg-like appearance? I didn't mind needing three coats; since the base is pretty sheer, there is a lot of depth from the lower layers of glitter. Some dabbing was required to get the biggest glitter in place, but as you can see, I got very even glitter coverage. The formula was thin but not too runny.

And of course, it looks great matte too!

KBShimmer Mauve On Over. Three coats with Revlon matte topcoat.

This polish was a winter release, but I think it's totally perfect for spring! It's available here for $8.75!

The product in this post was purchased by me. All opinions are my own.

Swatch: MDJ Creations Lilies of the Field

The product in this post was purchased by me. All opinions are my own.

Hi gang! So it's officially spring now, although it definitely doesn't feel like it here (it snowed yesterday!). In any case, I celebrated by wearing a pretty polish with a flowery theme. Melissa of MDJ Creations kindly suggested we swap polishes, and one of the ones I picked up was Lilies of the Field.

This is a light red (watermelon?) jelly polish with strong holo shimmer and a variety of holo glitter. (It also glows in the dark, but I didn't capture that.) Definitely put me in the mood for warm weather!

MDJ Creations Lilies of the Field. Two coats with Out the Door topcoat.

The formula was on the thick side, but still spread pretty nicely and self-leveled, and I didn't have to dab at all to get the glitter in place. Definitely a good first impression of the brand for me!

I actually would have posted this yesterday, but I ended up spending the whole day binge-rewatching Once Upon a Time, probably my favorite TV show since Buffy. Any other OUAT fans out there?

(Lilies of the Field is available here for $8.75/15 ml!)

The product in this post was purchased by me. All opinions are my own.

Today's mani: Quick and dirty St. Patrick's chevrons

Happy St. Patrick's Day! I just realized I'm not wearing any green today...oops. I am 1/8 Irish, but I'm also 1/8 English, and I think those two cancel each other out. Oh well, I don't need an excuse to wear a green mani!

I started out with two coats of OPI Goldeneye, added quick-dry topcoat, and let that dry. Then I stuck down chevron decals (actually French tip guides, but I'm a rebel), painted two coats of Revlon Rain Forest on top, and immediately removed the decals. Simple!

If you're celebrating tonight, stay safe!

Quick swatch: Zoya Chita

The product in this post was purchased by me. All opinions are my own.

Happy Sunday! Today I just have a quick pic of what I'm wearing right now! We went to visit my in-laws for a few days this weekend, so I decided to wear a Zoya PixieDust because they tend to last longer on me. I picked Chita, which is a classic PixieDust in dark green. Love it!

Zoya Chita. Two coats.

During our visit, we went to a restaurant in NYC that does a family-style prime rib dinner, and it was AMAZING. Here is our waiter helpfully posing with our giant hunk-o-meat:

I also finally picked up Helmer #2, so I once again have room for my whole collection (for now)! Quite an eventful weekend!

The product in this post was purchased by me. All opinions are my own.

Swatch: Smitten Polish Figgy Pudding

The product in this post was purchased by me. All opinions are my own.

Hey gang! My nails finally got long enough that I could reshape them into squares again, which makes me very happy! I tried out one of the new polishes I bought myself as a reward for getting into grad school. I am absolutely in LOVE with this shade...check it out!

Smitten Polish Figgy Pudding is a bold indigo jelly with shifty gold-copper-orange flakies and shimmer. I honestly can't keep my eyes off my nails...they are so sparkly and the base color is gorgeous--dark, vibrant and sexy! (It looks a little brighter here than IRL due to my lighting.)

Smitten Polish Figgy Pudding. Three coats with Out the Door topcoat.

Amazing, right? Sort of like fireflies or sparks from a bonfire!

The formula was on the thin and runny side for a jelly, and I still had some visible nail line after three coats (it looks worse in the photo than it actually is). It went on very smoothly and evenly.

Seriously, guys, if you're a purple/indigo lover, you have to go buy this one ASAP! It's available here for $11.50! This was definitely a good introduction to Smitten Polish for me!

The product in this post was purchased by me. All opinions are my own.

February's Museum-Worthy Manis!

 Hey gang! I'm on my game today, getting these posts out! Here are my favorite manis from my Pinterest board for last month. Please go visit the artists' original posts and give them some love!

1. Color-Blocking Chevrons by Simply Nailogical

These are just amazingly well-done chevrons/stripes. I like that each nail has a different pattern, which you don't immediately notice, but it makes the whole mani more interesting!

2. Heart to Heart by The Daily Nail

I had to have one Valentine's mani in here, didn't I? This is one of the best uses of nail vinyls I've seen. I love the brush-strokey appearance of the gradient--it looks more rustic than a standard gradient!

3. Floral Over Wood Grain by Wondrously Polished

Not surprising that I have a floral from Wondrously Polished! This is a great contrast of patterns and color.

4. Over the Tree Tops by Piggie Luv

Narmai is just the best at landscape manis! I like that this is an alternative way to go with the galaxy mani technique. Did I mention it glows in the dark?

5. Watercolor Florals by Lacquerstyle

I was kind of surprised that I ended up with two florals on the list this month, but these are a quite different style than the ones above--very delicate and pretty. I love that she painted them over a thermal, which gives you tons of different looks throughout the day!


Honorable mention: Teal & Chevron by Pshiiit

February's Gimme That Polish!

Yes, I realize February has been over for several days now...I guess I inadvertently took a little blogging break! I have an excuse though...over the weekend I found out I got accepted into a Master's program, so I'll be going back to school (again) next fall! Woohoo!!

Anyway, here are my top five lemmings from my Pinterest board last month. As always, click the links to visit the original bloggers' posts!

1. KBShimmer Funky Cold Patina

KBShimmer really hit it out of the park with glitter crellies in their spring collection, and this one's my favorite. Mostly because of that gorgeous aqua base! (KBShimmer shop | swatch by The Nail Polish Challenge)

2.  Glam Polish Leilani (Heavenly Flower)

I couldn't NOT pick this one because a) it's a delicious shade of purple and b) look at those flakies pop! A terrific mix of textures here. (Glam Polish shop | swatch by Lacquerstyle)

3. Spell Polish Friendly Omens

Another lovely crelly! I think the grey base prevents this one from looking too carnival-esque, and the opacity looks perfect. (Spell Polish shop | swatch by Very Emily)

4. Dance Legend Bereginya

I am constantly in awe over Dance Legend's stuff. I love the delicate, natural base color of this one--it makes me think of jade. (Dance Legend shop | swatch by Very Emily)

5. CrowsToes The Terminal Engagement

I suppose this polish isn't super original, but there's something about dark colors with super strong shimmer that just calls to me... (CrowsToes site | swatch by Pointless Cafe)


Honorable Mention: Lacquer Lust Ultraviolet