Pearl Jammin'

Happy Friday!
This polish, apart of China Glaze's Grunge collection for fall, is such a throwback! There is something unique about Pearl Jammin' that takes me back to those old school Revlon Street Wear polishes. I feel like I had one back in the 90's that was a similar shade of blue. What makes Pearl Jammin' relevant now is the contrasting copper microshimmer.

Pearl Jammin' has a soft, baby blue base with a bright copper/pink, pearlized shimmer running throughout. I have found that similar polishes China Glaze has put out like this are too subtle on the shimmer, where as this one is right-in-your-face! That being said the overall look is very subtle and chic for fall. I found it to be the perfect transition shade to the cooler months ahead. I love fall and the gorgeous polishes associated with it, but I am just not ready to give up my brights just yet! Especially since the weather around here still feel like summer.

The formula was great. I could have built up this shade to full opacity in two thick coats, but I opted for three thinner ones to avoid any strong brushstrokes from the pearl shimmer finish. The pearl finish may not be for everyone, but it really makes this polish. I find it alters the shade depending on your light source.

I am usually not a fan of frost or pearl finishes but I am really digging this one.

Over The Moon!

Summer is still here, and I don't thin it's going anywhere any time soon! Since the sun has been in full force I decided to put on a blindingly gorgeous, bright blue holo.

I purchased Color Club, Over The Moon from a blog sale a while back and this is the first time I have tried it out. I must say, for a linear holo polish, application was fantastic. I forgot to use a special base (usually I use Nfu Oh's Aqua base) and thought I would have problems applying the polish but it was really no big deal. I mean, if I had applied a thicker first coat I would only need one coat. I prefer two so two thin coats it was, and it built up beautifully. 

I typically don't apply a topcoat to holo polishes, however, I tested out my pinky first and it didn't seem to dull the effect, and if it did, I couldn't tell! That being said, the wear of thish shade wth a topcoat is fanominal. Very minimal tip wear with just about a week of wear. 

What I Like About Blue

Today I have another shade from Light Brites, China Glaze's 2016 Summer collection. This beautiful blue is called What I Like About Blue.

What is there not to love about this shade? The creme base is a beautiful sky blue and has a fine, slight duochromatic shimmer running throughout which shifts from gold to pink depending on your light source. To be clear, by duochrome I don't mean that the colour shifts in front of your eyes, its more of a subtle change from various light sources. This is, however,  a very unique shade in my collection.

Application was good, the first coat covered well, but you will definitely need two coats for full coverage. The polish dries fairly quickly to a matte finish, typical of neons, however, I would not classify this polish as a neon in terms of brightness or colour.

Overall I love the shade and the combo of bright blue creme and golden shimmer together. It wore very well with minor tip wear.

Summer Time Haul, Y'all!

I am in full summer mode and atiently awaiting a bunch of fun things in July; my birthday, my wedding and a honeymoon trip! So many exciting things to come in my favorite month and season of the year!

Summer screams brights and neons to me, today I have some of my latest purchases (first and largest in quite a while now). It's so surprise that they are all China Glazes, they manage to put out fun and exciting polishes summer after summer that I actually want!

I'll start off with my picks from the Lite Brights, summer 2016 collection first.

Papa Don't Peach and We got the Beet

Papa Don't Peach is a jelly-like coral shade with gold shimmer and iridescent glitter running throughout. Bright and flashy, I love it!

We Got the Beet is a deep plum jelly with golden shimmer throughout. I honestly like this one more than I thought I would! so pretty!

Two coats of each are shown on the nail wheel below.

Bite Me, What I Like About Blue and Lime after Lime.

Bite Me is a bright pink neon with a golden microshimmer running throughout. Excellent formula on this one! The golden shimmer makes the pink warmer toned.

What I Like About Blue was the must have polish for me! A gorgeous bright blue with a golden and slightly iridescent shimmer running throughout. The shimmer is way more visible in this one compared to Bite Me.

Lime After Lime. I love this name, it makes me think of the choreographed dance sequence from Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion! Light, bright and right on the verge of being a neon green. It has that bleached bright thing going on. Another one with great formula.

One to two coats of each are shown in the nail wheel below.

Next up I have some randoms I picked up for a beauty supply clearance section:

In the Limelight, Daisy Know My Name? and Sun Worshiper.

In the Limelight, an oldie but a goodie! From my research, I have found that this was originally from the Wow Factor collection back in the summer of 2006. This shade a bright green neon with a lightly duochome shimmer, flashing green or blue depending on the light source.

Daisy Know My Name? is from last summers Electric Night Collection. I am actually wearing it right now! Its a bright yellow, but not highlighter yellow. Outside in the sunlight it is close to neon teritory on it's own, but I feel it would really pop with a base of white.

Sun Worshiper is a polish I have admired from afar for way too long. A part of the 2010 Poolside collection, this is a bright, in your face nacho cheese neon! I can't wait to wear this with a tan!

Two to three coats of each are shown in the nail wheel below.

So many exciting new polishes to wear making it hard to decide what to wear next! What is your favorite shade for summer?

At Vase Value

I have a beaut today from China Glaze's 2014 Spring Collection, City Flourish. I picked out At Vase Value to wear for my engagement photos! I wanted something that was a little edgy without being too flashy or tacky. It's safe to say that neons, glitter and nail art of any kind were out, I didn't want too much of a distraction in the photos, and I wanted it to match the venue, outfits, etc seamlessly.

I knew I wanted a soft blue, I think I had the "something blue" tradition in my head. Blue is edgy without being over the top when you pick a pastel or lighter shade. In the end is came down to this or Color Club's Meet Me At Your Chateau.

I chose At Vase Value in the end due to the brighter shade with a hint of green making it more turquoise.

Application was okay, a little streaky on the first coat. As long as you swipe the polish quickly on the nail, it will even it's self out. I'm pretty sure I applied three coats total, the last coat being very thin.

I love this shade and I'm glad I chose it for my photos!

Leslie Love

LOOOOVEE! I love this polish! I purchased Zoya Leslie, apart of 2015's spring Delight collection last year likely during one of Zoya's promos and waited until now to finally try it.

As you can see, Leslie is a pastel lavender creme with an electric blue superfine shimmer running throughout. The formula is actually quite great. I figured that the formula would likely be thin for shimmer visibility on the nail, however, I was able to build up the polish to full opacity in two easy coats.

This is such a perfect shade for spring, and it actually got me excited to try other other polishes I purchased that are apart of the Delight collection. This shade is so unique and the blue shimmer against the pastel lavender base is so delicate and pretty!

Madam Glam Peel Off Base - Review

Today I have a new product from Madam glam to review, their peel off base coat for natural and gel polish.  I have never purchased or used a commercial brand of peel off base coat, I have either, a. used glue, or b. bit the bullet and applied a regular base despite despising glitter polish removal.

Although I have never used a product like this before, I have been doing some research and watched some videos on various brands. The majority had me expecting a thick, white and gluey product. I was surprised when I opened the bottle and the formula was clear.

The formulation of the polish is 3-free (free of Dibutyl Phtalate (DBP), Formaldehyde and toluen) and has absolutely no odor. That's about all I know about the formula, however if you are interested in the full ingredient list you can find it here. There was no actual instruction that came with the bottle in terms of application so a swiped it on. It applied as smooth as butter and just as I finished applied to my nails on both hands, I tapped the pinky on my right hand and it was dry!

In terms of wear I didn't even realize I was wearing any type of special base. There was no lifting during the duration of time it was on my nails. It very firmly adhered to the nail, which I wasn't expecting. For the duration of wear I went about my daily business, showering, washing dishes, food, etc. These are my nails after 5 days of wear and before removal. Final day of wear and removal below.

So here is the tricky part of the review, the product was inconsistent my first time around. A few nails came off fine with no damage to the nail, as seen below. However, it was not really a clean "peel" more of a pry and come off in one sheet kind of thing. Most of my other nails were damaged in removal.

I decided to try the product again (Yikes, right?!) to give it a fair review, I mean, why would I be sent a product for review if it didn't work at all? So I applied the base again, this time thicker, the first go at testing it out I applied thinner coats. I also decided to try it under a gel polish. This time was definitely a success! I found that having your hands in water helps with removal ( after a shower, cleaning dishes, etc). This time the polish peeled right off!

In summary the pros of this product are:

• The formula is excellent
• No scent
• Quick drying
• Sticks on the nail and keeps your polish on with it

The only con I see is inconsistency, however it may have to do with application of the product. In this case I would suggest that Madam Glam clearly explain how to use the base to avoid what happened in my first test. Currently there are no instructions for use of the products on their site or the bottle.

I will definitely try this base again with a regular polish to see if I get the same issues  as before and test whether this works better with a regular or gel polish.

Madam Glam has graciously given a 30% discount to all of my readers! Click here to activate the code and start shopping on their site or use Danielle30 upon checkout.

*This product was sent to me for an honest review, all views expressed are my own honest option.

What Color is the Dress? - Thermal Gel!

Hello out there in blog world!

I have been all over the place for the first month of 2016. You may have already noticed this as this post is only my third of January and it's getting close to February. With my wedding quickly approaching and working full-time with school part time and finding a house all while planning the wedding, it has been a little bit more than hectic! Luckily, everything is starting to fall in to place and I am hoping by February I will be back to posting one to two times a week.

Polishes that are the best during times like these? Gel's of course! Today I have another Madam Glam Chameleon Gel I was sent for review late last year, What Color is the Dress?

What Color is the Dress is shifts from a deep burgundy red (that sometimes looks brown) when cold to a deep indigo blue. There is a sparse sprinkling of shimmer throughout. Application was well. It applied evenly and fully opaque in two easy coats. From what I can remember the first coat was a bit sheer, but it built up well.

As with the last shade I reviewed from Madam Glam, I used my own personal Bio Seaweed Gel Base and Top coats. So far I have been wearing this mani for a week with no wear (the cold/bergundy photos were taken a week after application!). Perfect for those busy days... that turn in to weeks... that turn in to months! My intention was to do some nail art or stamping to mix it up but life gets in the way of getting your nails did sometimes! But this gel isn't going anywhere anytime soon (off my nails I mean). So stay tuned for another mani with this as the base.

*This product was sent to me for an honest review, all views expressed are my own honest option.

December to Remember

Today I have a polish I have been dying to wear, but was waiting for December to wear it, well... because it's a holiday polish with special mention of December lol. This is China Glaze December to Remember.

December to Remember is a very interesting shade, unlike anything I own in my collection. It's a medium metallic blue base with a superfine shimmer of irregular shaped flecks that had a slight duochrome. The duochrome in the shimmer shifts from pink to green to yellow/gold.

Since I didn't have time to remove my previous gel mani (check that out here), I layered this shade over top. The formula was good, thin at first but it built up nicely in two coats. I would assume maybe three would be needed for full opacity on it's own.

I definitely want to try this one again on it's own or layered over a black or deep navy to see if it changes the overall look of the polish. It wore well over the gel for just under a week before I switched it up and removed everything completely. I experienced no wear or chipping while wearing this polish!... Although, I feel that the fact it was layered over a gel helped with longevity.

Sparkle in the Sky

What to do when you are super busy and have no time to do your nails, but you are in MAJOR need to do your nails and have under 10 mins?

TEXTURED POLISH!

I literally took of my previous many on Monday night, applied base coat on Tuesday at some point and FINALLY had the 8 minutes or so to paint my nails on Wednesday. Crazy, right?

Textured polish has saved me many of times and Finger Paints Sparkle in the Sky was the perfect shade to wear given the holiday season! plus it adds just enough sparkly to be a little something extra.

Sparkle in the sky is apart of Finger Paints 2013 Enchanted Winter collection and it was my must have polish that season, and I only decided to wear it now! The base is an inky indigo and the "glittery" texture is made up of what looks like pink and gold shimmer. it really is a stunner.

Application was good, the polish wasn't overly thick like some textured polishes can be. I applied two coats to each nail and touched up about 4 days in for a family event I was headed to (again, no time to do a new, full mani). That is another plus of textured polishes, usually they wear like iron, however should they chip they are super easy to touch up and dry in a snap.

I really hope textures don't go away any time soon! The only negative I can say about this polish in general, is from what I recall this collection was not marketed as a textured collection, meaning there was no indication that they would dry to a matte and textured finish. I only found out online, I can't quite remember if there were swatches in store. Even though I knew, I would appreciate a clear indicator the next time.

Dia De (Los) Muertos

Happy October!

You know in this post when I mentioned that I had worn Sinful Colors, Blue La La for over two weeks? Well this is how I dressed it up in to the second week.

Enter Funky Fingers, Dia De Muertos (although I feel like it should be Dia De Los Muertos?).

Funky Fingers polishes have me soooo hooked, especially their glitters. I can't help but purchase some of them based off of the name alone. I can just picture what they are going for with the name and colour/glitter of the polish. In this case, in my head I see a black light lit sugar skull!

Sinful Color's Blue La La matching the translucent base of Dia De (Los) Meurtos was the perfect combo. DDM has a sheer cornflower base with various sizes of shiny blue glitter and matte, hot pink hex and bar glitter. Did I also mention that it glows in the dark?!

DDM applied so well to the nail, glitters were evenly distributed, what you see is one coat! I blobbed a bit on the nail to move the glitters around with surprisingly little effort. The glow of this polish in the dark is AWE-SOME! Considering I only applied one thin (blobby) layer, the glow factor is  bright, especially over a darker colour! I am super impressed with this polish, I can't wait to try the other I purchased with this, Oggie Boogie.

Blue La La!

I picked up this Sinful Colors polish on a whim and have been wearing it for two weeks straight! If you frequent my blog you'll notice that I haven't posted in a few weeks. So much has happened with the start of September and  (think) I am finally getting in the routine of things now. With that being said, I have not been doing my nails as frequently and this polish was perfect to hold me over the last few weeks.

Blue La La is a dusty blue based periwinkle creme. It applied well, and can be opaque in one thick coat, however I preferred two thinner coats. This was a great transition colour for me from summer to fall, especially since September has continued on with the summer temperatures.

As I mentioned this polish lasted me quite a long time ( I am still wearing it now!) Sure, it did chip a bit after a week, but I decided to chop my nails down a but which disguised most of the wear.

As mentioned above, with September I have taken on some new responsibilities and have not been able to do my nails as often. That being said, moving forward I may be posting once to twice a week, should I have anything to post at all! I do not intend on abandoning this blog any time soon, but life sometimes gets in the way.