Swatch: Three new Femme Fatales

The products in this post were purchased by me. All opinions are my own.

Happy Monday everyone!

So after being in the nail polish game for a while now, it takes a lot for a new polish to really wow me, much less an entire collection. But lately I've been absolutely drooling over everything Femme Fatale has released! That's why I had to break my no-buy for Color4Nails' latest restock and grab some of Femme Fatale's newest polishes. I've managed to get three swatched for you, go me!

All of these had a great formula and stayed exactly where you put them. The only negative was that, since they have sheer bases, I got some bald spots on my tips. But honestly I didn't care!

First up is Lantern Waste. This has a dark slate grey base with orange-to-green flakies and red-to-gold shifting shimmer!

Femme Fatale Lantern Waste. Two coats with Out the Door topcoat.

This has such a creepy vibe! Despite the strong shimmer, it wasn't brush-strokey at all.


Next is Heart's Desires. It has a dusty rose base with green-to-blue flakies and lots of copper holo microglitter.

Femme Fatale Heart's Desires. Three coats with Out the Door topcoat.

I love the way this polish takes a "grandma" color and makes it exciting again!


Last but not least, I have Mirror, Mirror, On the Wall... I was so happy to get this one because I missed the first two restocks and was terrified that I'd missed it forever. When I first saw the swatches, I wrote that it looked like a polish a unicorn would wear, and I still think that's true! It has a very pale turquoise base with pink-to-gold shifting shimmer and lots of silver holo glitter.

The shimmer was so strong in my normal lighting that it freaked out my camera, so I got some natural light shots. I love how different it looks at various angles!

Femme Fatale Mirror, Mirror, On the Wall... Three coats with Out the Door topcoat.

There's definitely a touch of magic in that bottle, don't you think? The polish was pretty smooth after one coat of topcoat.


Well, are you as in love with these Femme Fatales as I am? If you want to grab one, keep a close eye on the Femme Fatale shop and/or their stockists, because I'm sure they've been selling out really quickly!

The products in this post were purchased by me. All opinions are my own.

Swatch: Indigo Bananas Twice as Bright

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

Happy Memorial Day weekend to my fellow USians! I hope you're spending the time with your favorite people! We made some amazing lamb burgers that I posted on Instagram--definitely a fun alternative to the typical cheeseburger!

This weekend I'm wearing a very fun summery color from one of my favorite brands, Indigo Bananas! Twice as Bright is a hot pink crelly with intense glassfleck shimmer that shifts cyan-blue-purple-magenta. Seriously, this shimmer is so bright that it glows even in indoor lighting! The name of the polish is definitely fitting! To me, this is classic Indigo Bananas.

Indigo Bananas Twice as Bright. Two coats with Out the Door topcoat.

The formula was great, as usual--it stays exactly where you put it. It's also pretty chip-resistant compared to most other polish (I usually lose chips off the corners of my nails after a day or so). It was still a little sheer at two coats, but I was too busy staring at that shimmer to notice!

Here I tried to get a pic of the color shift in the shimmer, but I couldn't get it all the way to magenta. I definitely noticed it a lot in real life though!

Seriously, if you like pink--or even if you don't--you need this polish. I got a compliment from a stranger on it yesterday! (It's available here in full and mini sizes.)

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

ALIQUID's Second Bloggiversary (& GIVEAWAY!)

Hi everyone! Today I suddenly realized that this is my second bloggiversary! (Good thing I decided to check the date today!) Can you believe it? This is the definitely the longest I've ever kept up a blog. I've made it through 334 posts, the 31-Day Challenge, a marriage, an interstate move, and the start of my own indie brand!

I've really come a long way, especially in my swatching abilities. Just look at a swatch from my very first blog post (that's Indigo Bananas Anansi):

I really had no idea how to pose consistently back then (or how to crop photos!). For comparison, here's the mani I did today. I decided to try a blobbicure for the first time. I obviously need more practice!

The base polish is Femme Fatale Fatal Attraction, and the blobs are Sephora by OPI What Aura Gonna Wear? I thought this color combo would look nice and festive!


Thank you to everyone who reads and comments on this blog! I feel honored that anyone would want to read my ramblings. :-D

And of course I am giving something back to you with a giveaway! Obviously I was too disorganized to get multiple people to contribute, so I'm giving away a gift certificate to ALIQUID Lacquer. This giveaway is open internationally until 11:59 PM EST on April 21. Only the first entry is mandatory. The winner will have 48 hours to claim their prize.

Good luck!!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Swatch: Girly Bits Save Your Scissors

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

Hi gang! Happy Monday! Today I have a polish from my very first Girly Bits purchase! I had this one on my wishlist for a while, then I learned recently that it's been discontinued, so I jumped on it. (It's still available right now!)

Save Your Scissors is a lavender crelly with pink, purple, teal, aqua and white glitter, plus a sprinkling of holo dust. I think this polish is a perfect winter/spring transitional shade--it's overwhelmingly cool-toned, but with floral pops of pink!

Girly Bits Save Your Scissors. Two coats with Out the Door topcoat.

The formula was a bit on the runny side, and I got some pooling in my cuticles, but I had no problem getting even the biggest glitters out. The base color was nicely opaque in two coats. As with most glitter polishes, I had to place some of the glitters on the second coat to get an even distribution. Probably the only real disappointment to me was that the holo dust wasn't as prominent on the nail as it looked in the bottle.

As I said, this polish has been discontinued, but right now it's still available for purchase at the Girly Bits shop ($10.33 USD for 15 ml). Get it while you can! Girly Bits is based in Canada, but I found the shipping process affordable and hassle-free.

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

Swatch: Picture Polish Unicorn

The product in this post was given to me as a gift. All opinions are my own.

Hi gang! Just a quick swatch for you today! I recently got a bottle of Picture Polish Unicorn as a Secret Santa gift, and it is just as pretty as I was hoping! It has a minty blue base with small pink and silver glitters and purple shimmer. My pic doesn't really do it justice.

Picture Polish Unicorn. Two coats with Out the Door topcoat.

I have literally nothing bad to say about the formula. It was basically perfect, not too thick or too runny! I did have to use two coats of topcoat to smooth out the glitter. My nail line is just barely visible with two coats.

Enjoy your evening!

The product in this post was given to me as a gift. All opinions are my own.

Swatch: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer Spark in the Dark collection & Siren LE

The products in this post were sent to me for review. All opinions are my own.

Happy Friday! Today I'm excited to show off an upcoming collection from a new-to-me indie brand, Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer! I was so honored that Julie asked me to review for her!

The Spark in the Dark collection is perfect for winter because it's full of different shades of blue, which made me really happy! Of course, blues are the hardest shades to photograph, so I had to color-correct some of these, and the colors still might not be 100% accurate. So I would definitely look for multiple swatches before purchasing if that concerns you!

A note on the formula: the brand states that their polishes are "designed to be opaque in one to two coats, so they may need to be thinned to your desired consistency." I found that they were definitely on the thicker side but still perfectly workable, so long as I was careful to wipe a lot of excess polish off the brush. I didn't feel the need to add thinner to any of them, but that's just my preference!

OK, let's start with an LE polish called Hypothermia! This polish will ONLY be available if you purchase the entire collection. It's described as a purple holo with purple shimmers, although to me the base color is more like faded indigo.

Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer Hypothermia. One coat with Out the Door topcoat.

The purple shimmers were hard to catch on camera, but they're definitely there in real life. The holo effect is nice and strong. This polish was a great one-coater!


Next is Bound to the City Life, a dark teal jelly with multicolored holo microglitter. It has great depth and sparkle!

Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer Bound to the City Life. Two coats with Out the Door topcoat.

Since this is a jelly, it was thicker than the others and took a little more finesse to apply evenly. I didn't find it unpleasantly goopy or sticky though. 


This is Counting Down Until I See You, which has a clear base packed with pink microglitter, as well as some larger pink glitter, gunmetal grey glitter, and silver reflective beads. Definitely the blingiest member of the collection!

Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer Counting Down Until I See You. Two coats with Out the Door topcoat (left) and Revlon matte topcoat (right).

  

Since this one's very sparkly, I added matte topcoat to my ring and pinky nails so you can see the details a little better. (Plus I think it looks great matte!) The glitter applied very evenly, and two coats was sufficiently opaque for my taste. 


Next up is It's Almost After Midnight, a smoky dark grey with strong blue shimmer. This is definitely one of my favorites in the collection--it's so moody!

Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer It's Almost After Midnight. Two coats with Out the Door topcoat.

  

This polish was sheer on the first coat but built up well on the second. I couldn't stop staring at my nails. :-D 


Here's Never Danced Like This Before, a navy holo with teal shimmer. It's gorgeous, with a jeweltone-like quality to it.

Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer Never Danced Like This Before. One coat with Out the Door topcoat.

This was another one-coater. I'm really impressed with how she manages to get such depth and opacity in a polish at the same time! The holo particles here are a little bigger and less dense than in Hypothermia.


Next is She's Electricity, a hot pink holo with pink and aqua shimmers and purple-blue iridescent microglitter. This one feels like a splash of summer in amongst all the blues!

Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer She's Electricity. Two coats with Out the Door topcoat.

The extra shimmers and glitter are visible, but they don't pop out quite as much as I was hoping. Maybe if I added some thinner? The holo effect here is the weakest of the three holos in the collection. 


Next up is The Years Have Been Short, which is a slightly white-tinted base with blue, white and iridescent microglitters, blue shimmer, and silver reflective beads. This polish just screams "snowstorm" to me!

Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer The Years Have Been Short. Two coats with Out the Door topcoat.

  

Again, the glitter applied very evenly and I was happy with the opacity at two coats. I think this would also look nice layered! 


Finally, here's Wanna Fall in Love Tonight, a red-toned purple with golden red shimmer. This dries to a semi-matte finish, so I've left it au naturale on the two left fingers and added topcoat on the two right fingers. (Pardon my huge nail ridges!)

Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer Wanna Fall in Love Tonight. One coat with Out the Door topcoat (ring and pinky fingers).

Although my nail line is visible here, I couldn't really see it in normal lighting. I probably could've gone for two coats though. As you can see, the shimmer is very fine and adds a luminous quality to the polish. 


In addition to the Spark in the Dark collection, I also received a limited edition polish in the Siren Series, which will only be restocked once. Sirens Are Made For Water, Not Snow is a blue creme with a purple flash that dries semi-matte. As above, I added topcoat only to the ring and pinky nails.

Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer Sirens Are Made For Water, Not Snow. One coat with Out the Door topcoat (ring and pinky fingers).

  

I was a bit disappointed to find that the purple shimmer is much weaker on the nail than in the bottle. (My camera couldn't pick it up at all because it was confused by all the blue.) This might be another case where adding thinner could help.


Overall, I think this is a really solid collection, especially with all those gorgeous blue polishes! My favorites would have to be It's Almost After Midnight, Never Danced Like This Before, and The Years Have Been Short. Which do you like best?

All these polishes will be released on January 12 at Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer's shop! You can get the entire eight-piece Spark in the Dark collection for just $67 (13 ml size) or $37 for minis.

Be sure to follow Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest to stay up-to-date!  

The products in this post were sent to me for review. All opinions are my own. 

ALIQUID Lacquer's First Fantastiversary + Giveaway!!

Hi kids!!

Can you believe it...one year ago today I opened my Etsy shop and started selling ALIQUID Lacquer! That means today is my anniversary...no, my FANTASTIVERSARY!! There is going to be so much fun stuff happening in the next week and a half, so keep reading!

First off, I want to say thanks to everyone who has bought my polish. It's been amazing to see people get excited about something I made! That really hasn't happened much before in my life, since I've always been a "thinker" rather than a "doer". And a giant thank-you to the awesome bloggers I've gotten to work with over the past year!

I've learned a lot owning a business, but one unexpected thing that I realized is how each person has their own way of using nail polish. I was genuinely surprised at first that a polish that is opaque in two coats for me might need three coats for someone else, or that someone added thinner to a polish that I thought was the perfect consistency. I've really had to look at my polishes with an objective eye, which can be difficult when dealing with something that is so personal. But I think that has made me a better indie!


Anyway, on to the fun stuff! Anniversaries are the perfect time to reflect on the past year and make resolutions for the coming year. I thought about my struggles as a new indie brand and created three polishes to remind me of the qualities I'd like to foster in myself!

Artsy: A coral crelly with various shades of turquoise, yellow, purple and grey matte hexes.

It can be tough sometimes to stay creative when inventing new polish shades. In the next year, I want to broaden my horizons and approach polish making from a fresh perspective!

Dogged: A brown scattered holographic polish with coppery red flecks and a blue sheen.

Being a new indie can be discouraging, especially if you compare yourself to older, more successful brands. In the next year, I will keep believing in my own talents!

Gregarious: A lime green jelly filled with holographic and iridescent green, yellow and gold glitter in multiple shapes and sizes, plus magenta flecks.

Running any business requires one skill I'm not great at: talking to people! I have had to leave my comfort zone many times this year. In the next year, I promise to stay open and approachable to customers and the nail community at large!


I also have a delicious new lip balm scent: champagne frosting! I seriously love this one, you guys.

Fantastiversary Events!

So there will be tons of stuff happening now through Cyber Monday (Dec. 1)! Most importantly, lots of sales!!

• the Fantastiversary trio is 30% off through Dec. 1
• every day there will be a different sale at the shop--check back each day!
• there will be an even BIGGER Black Friday/Cyber Monday sale!
• occasional flash giveaways on our Facebook page!
• you can enter my nail art contest on Instagram to win a $50 gift certificate!

And oh yes, here's a giveaway for you right now!!

Giveaway Rules

This giveaway is for one set of the Fantastiversary trio, and it's open internationally!

• You must provide your email address to enter. All other entries are optional.
• One of the entries asks you to fill out a customer survey. You can do this even if you haven't bought anything from ALIQUID Lacquer. At the end of the survey, you'll get a password to enter into the Rafflecopter for verification.
• Giveaway ends Dec. 1 at 11:59 PM EST.
• Winner will be notified by email and must respond within 48 hours, or a new winner will be chosen.

Good luck!!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Today's mani: Sunset gradient

Hi all! Boy, I've been a bad blogger lately, haven't I? The truth is, I've barely done my nails at all lately. I sometimes feel like it's not worth it, because my mani will be ruined by either 1) making nail polish or 2) packing up orders. Yesterday I decided I had to do something because I had a tutoring job to go to. So I threw something together which I'm not 100% happy with.

First I did a gradient using Picture Polish Citrus, L'Oreal Orange You Jealous?, Revlon Passionate Pink and Zoya Audrina. I can't remember the last time I did a 4-color gradient (have I ever??) and it turned out nicely. I just keep forgetting that orange looks better in the bottle than on me!

The stamp is what really annoys me. I first wanted to do a cloud stamp, but after I finished the gradient I realized the stamp I picked wasn't going to work (it stamps the sky, not the clouds themselves). So I switched to this sun stamp (Winstonia plate W111), and of course I didn't manage to center it properly. Bleh. Plus I have shrinkage on my tips.

Today I've been grouchy too (lip balm making is giving me trouble, plus the endless stress of trying to find a job). But I'm going to try to perk up and do my nails more regularly. He Picks My Polish is coming up in a few days, and Mr. ALIQUID already knows what colors he wants!

Today's mani: nubby watermelons

Hi all! Tomorrow hubby and I are off on vacation for a couple weeks. First we're visiting his family and seeing my favorite band, Barenaked Ladies! Ahhh can't wait! Then we're going to my family in Michigan and taking a little trip up north. We're going to some of the places that inspired my polish collection, which will be awesome.

Since we're driving, I'm going to be able to bring some polish with me, so I'll try to post my manis as usual. I'll also post a lot of vacation pics on Instagram! So you guys hopefully won't miss me too much.

I decided to cut my nails down to nubs just so I won't have to worry about them breaking on our trip. I dunno how you folks with nubby nails manage! I can't wrap my tips properly! Also my fingertips hurt when I type...I guess they're not used to being pushed on!

I knew I would need a fun mani to cheer up my tiny little nails. What's more summery than watermelon nails??

I started with Zoya Kate, which is the perfect watermelon-colored jelly in my opinion. The seeds are Revlon Stiletto, and the rind is Maybelline Porcelain Party and OPI You Are So Outta Lime!

I love watermelon manis, but I'm actually not that big of a melon fan in real life. Cantaloupe is especially gross!

Review: Influenster Surf's Up VoxBox!

The products in this post were sent to me for review. All opinions are my own.

Hey there! I was really excited to get my first box of products to review from Influenster. The Surf's Up VoxBox is full of items that are perfect for a fun summer! Read on...

1. Sinful Colors Sage Rose

Sinful Colors Sage Rose. One coat with Out the Door topcoat.

Yep, I got a nail polish to review! It's like they read my mind! Sage Rose is a metallic fuchsia that was opaque in one coat. Buuuut...holy brushstrokes, Batman. My photo makes the brushstrokes look worse than they are, but this still isn't my favorite finish. The color is pretty though!

2. First Aid Shot Therapy Pain Relief

First Aid Shot Therapy would be great for the morning after a big party! The bottle contains one dose of choline salicylate (an NSAID) with caffeine in liquid form. It's berry-flavored, but it still tasted kind of medicinal to me. I took it when I had a headache. It definitely got rid of the pain, but it didn't seem to be any faster than taking a pill would be.

3. Hawaiian Tropic Silk Hydration

Hawaiian Tropic Silk Hydration after-sun lotion soothes and hydrates your skin and is also supposed to help preserve your tan. Although I feel I have to point out that tanning is NOT healthy (it's a sign your skin has been damaged) and you should always wear sunscreen outdoors! Maybe a better use for this lotion would be after you go swimming, since chlorine makes your skin feel icky.

The lotion is very light and non-greasy and definitely made my skin feel soft. It's sticky for a few minutes after you apply it, but that feeling goes away. The coconut-papaya scent isn't very strong, so it probably won't bother those with sensitive noses. This lotion contains some natural ingredients, like shea and mango butter, but they're waaay down the list of ingredients.

I think I'll take this stuff with me on vacation!

4. Not Your Mother's Beach Babe Texturizing Shampoo and Conditioner

I was disappointed to get these in my box, since I've tried a texturizing product before and it definitely didn't work. My hair is just too fine and straight for this kind of product--it does NOT want to be wavy! But of course I had to try these two anyway.

Not Your Mother's Beach Babe shampoo and conditioner are supposed to give your hair beach waves and volume. You use them like regular shampoo and conditioner, then towel-dry your hair. It seems to be a trend that you aren't supposed to blow-dry when using texturizing products...too bad, because my hair looks like crap unless I blow-dry it. Flat and frizzy, yuck! So I didn't look great when I tried this shampoo and conditioner. Plus I didn't really see any extra waves.

On the bright side, they worked perfectly well as a shampoo and conditioner; my hair felt clean and soft afterwards. They also make your hair smell like coconuts, if you like that sort of thing (I do!). And they're sulfate-free, which is great! So if you've had success with other texturizing products, you might have good luck here.

5. Jamba All-Natural Smoothies in Orange Dream Machine

I saved my favorite product for last! I got a coupon for a free package of Jamba All Natural Smoothies, which contains chunks of frozen fruit and yogurt. All you have to do is add a cup of apple juice and blend everything together. The Orange Dream Machine flavor has peaches, orange and vanilla yogurt.

One package makes about sixteen ounces of smoothie--enough for me and my husband! This flavor is reminiscent of creamsicles, but with extra peachy flavor. The smoothie was nice and thick, with a perfect amount of sweetness! We were both big fans! I'd like to see this sold in bigger packages that you can use more than once.


That's that! I loved the smoothies and the lotion best, although I'm always happy to get a new nail polish too! Have you tried any of these products? Which would you take on vacation with you?

The products in this post were sent to me for review. All opinions are my own.

The Neverending Pile Challenge: Grandma nails

Hi folks! I hope those of you in the US had a safe and fun holiday weekend! It's very hot and humid here today, and we have no A/C, so I'm a little grumpy. The heat is also doing weird things to my bottle of Out the Door, so in case you're wondering why my mani looks a bit bumpy and bubbly...that's why.

Anyway, this is my last week doing the Neverending Pile Challenge! I can't believe I've kept it up for three months now! I think I only skipped two prompts. And I've tried a LOT of untried polish.

Today's prompt is your best granny color. What's more granny-like than dusty rose? I have two shades of dusty rose/pink that I thought would go well together: China Glaze Fifth Avenue and Julep Joy. I didn't have a lot of time (you'll see why very soon!) so I just did kind of a messy dotticure.

Despite its fuddy-duddyness, I actually really like this kind of color, since it's closer to a neutral than your average pink. And it looks way better on me than true pink does.

Total untrieds tried: 71 + chevron decals + 3 stamping plates


 

FingerFood's Theme Buffet: Gradient cartoon nails

Happy Summer Solstice! The sun woke us up around 5 AM today (the downside of living on the eastern side of the time zone), so yeah, it's definitely summer! Make sure to enjoy the sun before the days get short again (don't forget your sunscreen)!

For this week's FingerFood challenge, we did cartoon/comic manis. I knew I had to try out the famous cartoon look--it's one of those classics that every nail artist should do at least once! I made it a little more exciting by starting with a neon gradient using China Glaze Flip Flop Fantasy and Orly Tropical Pop. As usual, my camera couldn't really capture the neons accurately, but they are definitely eye-searing in real life!

For the black outline I used a Sally Hansen nail art pen, which was much easier than using a brush, although the paint tends to crack when it dries, so I had to go over some spots several times. I added the "glare" with Maybelline Porcelain Party. Then I mattified everything using Revlon matte topcoat. I'm really happy with how this turned out!

The Neverending Pile Challenge: KBShimmer Sugar Plum Faerie

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

Good morning kiddies! I'm super excited because today's Neverending Pile Challenge prompt is my favorite color, PURPLE!! I had a bunch of fun untried purples to choose from; in the end I went for KBShimmer Sugar Plum Faerie. This color isn't showing up on their site, so I'm guessing it's been discontinued. That means I'm gonna be hoarding this bottle like crazy!

KBShimmer Sugar Plum Faerie. Three coats with Out the Door topcoat.

Sugar Plum Faerie is a red-toned purple jelly with various sizes of pink, purple and green glitter. This is, of course, right up my alley! It was thin for a jelly and very easy to apply, with only a little dabbing needed to keep the larger glitters in place. I used three coats for even coverage.

The girl I tutor likes to look at my nails, and I'm betting on some compliments with this mani! (Her final Latin exam is this week, so wish her luck!)


Total untrieds tried: 61 + chevron decals + 3 stamping plates

The Neverending Pile Challenge: Barry M Birthday

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

Happy Hump Day! Today's Neverending Pile Challenge theme is pink. Now, if you've been reading my blog for a while, you might have noticed that I'm not really a pink person. Around age 14 I stopped liking pink and started wearing moodier colors, and I'm still basically the same way. So my collection of pink polish isn't huge. But I do have a couple fabulous untried pink glitter jellies, and here's one of them!

Barry M Birthday was made to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the UK drugstore Superdrug. It's pretty hard to get Barry M in the US thanks to the UK's draconian shipping rules, but luckily I got a British friend to smuggle a bottle out for me! It's a vivid pink jelly with a purple shimmer (less blue than it appears here) and white and silver glitter. Very in-your-face!

Barry M Birthday. Two coats with Out the Door topcoat.

This is my first time trying Barry M, but I already understand why they're so popular! This is an awesome summer polish. The formula was great too--thin and easily spreadable, without much need for dabbing to get the glitter in place.

I have no idea if this guy is still available, so you UK folks will have to check your local Superdrug!


Total untrieds tried: 58 + chevron decals + 3 stamping plates

The Neverending Pile Challenge: A thermal nail fail (plus a special announcement)

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

Hi everyone! Before I get to the Neverending Pile Challenge, I want to tell you about a special event that is starting today. 

Last month, four-year-old Lily Quintus was killed in a tragic accident in Florida. Over fifty indie polish makers have teamed up to raise money for Lily's family and the other children affected.

Each of us has created a one-of-a-kind polish in Lily's memory, and they will be auctioned off in lots. All proceeds will be donated to the families. Here's my contribution:

The auction will take place on Facebook; it starts TODAY at noon and runs until Monday. Please join this group to participate. Thanks!


OK, on to the nail fail! The Neverending Pile Challenge prompt for today is solar/thermal. I have never actually bought a thermal polish before, because, first, the thermal pigment degrades after about a year, so your polish essentially has a shelf life; second, it just seems kind of gimmicky to me. Plus you need long nails for the effect to really work! Or not, as we shall see...

In one of the Pretty & Polished subscription boxes I got Good Vibrations, which is a thermal that changes from a dark magenta when cool to a brighter purple-pink when warm. It also has a scattered holo shimmer. I made sure to let my nails grow nice and long before I swatched this in order to get that French tip effect. But, as you can see, I was sorely disappointed.

Pretty & Polished Good Vibrations. Two(?) coats with Out the Door topcoat.

You can see my free edges through the polish--look how long they are! Yet I only got the "warm" shade. Very weird. I decided to resort to some trickery to show off the cool color. This is the best I could do:

You see the slight darkening at the tips? That's from holding my nails against an ice pack. (Cold water had no effect.)

OK, so maybe the polish itself is a dud? Nope, check it out on the swatch wheel:

It's quite happy to show off its cool shade here (I squeezed the tip with my fingers to show the warm color too). I have seen swatches of this on other people where the thermal effect works quite well. So I can only conclude that I'm just too hot for thermals (awww yeah!!).

In all other respects the formula was fine. If other thermals have worked for you, I imagine Good Vibrations will too. It can be purchased here ($9 for 15 ml).

Total untrieds tried: 49 + chevron decals + 1 stamping plate

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

FingerFood's Theme Buffet: Yet another galaxy mani

Good morning! For this week's FingerFood's Theme Buffet we're doing galaxies. I think this is my third attempt at a galaxy mani. My previous efforts were mediocre; I think this one is the best I've managed so far.

I'm actually most proud of the fact that my star placement is pretty random--I really have to struggle not to make everything symmetric! I used Zoya Storm for the base (because really, how could I not?) and Maybelline Porcelain Party, Color Club Age of Aquarius, Julep Bea and Revlon Passionate Pink for the rest.

This mani reminds me--have you been watching Cosmos? I think it's great to have some real science on TV again, since all the "educational" channels have switched to reality shows now. I think the show does a great job communicating the mindblowing-ness of nature! If you like it, you should definitely read some of Carl Sagan's books--he was an all-around amazing human being.

Today's mani: deconstructed Easter egg

Happy Easter! I hope everyone celebrating has a great time and some great food! Sadly I haven't had a real Easter dinner in seven years, and since it's still Passover there's a lot of stuff my husband can't eat. So I celebrated today by doing my nails (of course)!

I decided to do a mani that was reminiscent of Easter eggs but not full-on pastel. I'm calling it the deconstructed Easter egg. :-D

On my index and pinky fingers, I used a base of Julep Kimberly from their most recent mystery box. I still can't get over those speckled polishes! This one reminds me of those Easter candies that are egg-shaped and taste like malted milk balls. Anyone know what I'm talking about?

On my index finger I painted a chick using a small brush and the corner of a makeup sponge (because what comes out of a deconstructed egg? A chick!). I used Julep Bea, China Glaze Peachy Keen, and Revlon Stiletto. Mr. ALIQUID loved the chick and named him Frankie!

On my other two nails I used a base of Revlon Trade Winds and added some Easter-egg-style patterns. (Middle finger: Essie Neo Whimsical, Julep Bea, Zoya Blu; ring finger: China Glaze Peachy Keen, Maybelline Green With Envy, Essie Play Date.)

I finished everything with Revlon matte topcoat since eggs are matte!

What's your favorite thing to eat on Easter? Mine is lamb and mint jelly, followed by Jelly Bellys!

FingerFood's Theme Buffet / Neverending Pile Challenge: Indie holo fishtail

TGIF everyone! I'm knocking out two challenges at once again with today's mani. This week's FingerFood's Theme Buffet prompt is fishtail, and the Neverending Pile Challenge theme is indie. Sooo I did an indie fishtail!

I chose three scattered holographic polishes: Different Dimension Ditz (pink) and Homeboy (blue) and Ellagee Like a Sleepy Blue Ocean (teal). I wish I hadn't had to use two similar shades of blue, but I don't actually have many untried indies that would work here! (Someone buy me some more indies!)

This is my first attempt at a fishtail mani, and let me tell you, I have a newfound admiration for people who can do fishtails with perfectly straight and consistent lines...it's not easy!

I think for my first try, this turned out decent. From a distance it looks nice at least! The polish at my tips is so thick I don't think it's ever going to dry...

Total # untrieds tried: 14 

Swatch: Alchemy Lacquers Spring Ahead Collection

The products in this post were sent to me for review. All opinions are my own.

Good evening everyone! Today I'm excited to show you the new Spring Ahead collection of polishes from indie brand Alchemy Lacquers! This collection consists of six shimmery glitter crellies inspired by flowers--perfect for spring! Let's get started...

The formula on all these polishes was the same, so I'll talk about it first. They were all on the thinner side for glitter polishes and very easy to spread--not too thick but not too runny. I barely had to dab at all to get the glitters to distribute evenly! 

I used three coats of each polish and they were all still a little sheer; this may be partly due to the fact that I was using mini bottles with smaller brushes. Occasionally the polish didn't want to self-level, which is more apparent with sheer polishes. Dry time was on the slower side. I used a coat of Out the Door over each.

Now let's take a look at each polish!

Lavendula

Alchemy Lacquers Lavendula is a lavender crelly with silver and purple shimmer and purple, blue and white glitter.

Borage

Alchemy Lacquers Borage is a pastel blue crelly with blue and silver shimmer and blue, purple and white glitter.

Nasturtium

Alchemy Lacquers Nasturtium is a pastel orange crelly with silver and yellow shimmer and red, orange and yellow glitter.

Hyacinthus

Alchemy Lacquers Hyacinthus is a light purple crelly with silver and purple shimmer and purple, blue and grey glitter. This one was a little more sheer than the others.

Daffodil

Alchemy Lacquers Daffodil is a pastel yellow crelly with silver and yellow shimmer and yellow and white glitter.

Crocus

Alchemy Lacquers Crocus is a light purple-pink crelly with silver and purple shimmer and purple, white and yellow glitter.

I think this is a cute collection! The polishes really capture the beauty of spring flowers! I would have liked them to be slightly more opaque, but obviously that's a personal preference. If you like pastels and/or glitter crellies, this collection would be perfect for you!

The Alchemy Lacquers Spring Ahead polishes are available at the Etsy shop ($8.50 for 12 ml), or you can buy the entire collection at once for a $4.50 discount! Alchemy Lacquers are 5-free! You can also like the brand on Facebook.

The products in this post were sent to me for review. All opinions are my own.