KBShimmer Totally Tubular Inspired Nail Art

(**Press Samples**)

Hello everyone and happy Thursday! 

  Today I have a crazy busy manicure haha! I'm kind of calling this my "kitchen sink mani". I just couldn't stop doing things to my nails. The whole idea originated from my bottle of KBShimmer's Totally Tubular. I kept swirling it in my hands and being hypnotized by the amazing blend of colors and shapes. And so this mani was born, inspired by the beautiful colors in Totally Tubular. I will be sharing swatches of KBShimmer's full Summer collection very soon! 

 On my middle nail is Totally Tubular by KBShimmer. I will be reviewing the polish itself soon. For now, I really want to focus on this colorful nail art that got me through my days at the Mayo Clinic.

  So, as I mentioned above, the nail art itself was inspired by the colors in Totally Tubular. I loved the mix of Teals, Magentas and Blues. So, on all my nails but my middle nail I did a White base of Cult Nails Tempest. For my water marbled nails I used Bettina Aqua, Pink Bikini and Premium Wash. I then topped off my marbled nails with O.P.I Polka.com.

 For my gradient nails I used Bettina Picnic, Sparkle and Glitter Jean. I topped off my gradient nails in Aphrodite Lacquers V.I.P Room. I finished off the entire manicure by topping all of my nails off with some KBShimmer Clearly on Top and then some INM Northern Lights sparkle top coat.

 I CANNOT believe I forgot to take pics of my thumbs! I really loved how the marble pattern turned out on them. I had never been able to get a full flower design on my nails before! So, I'm so sorry, but here are some crappy cell pics of my thumb marbles. I think they were about Four days old at this point. 

 I loved wearing these nails. My days at the Mayo Clinic were really intensive, exhausting and not entirely successful.. But my nails were looking FIERCE the whole time. I got so many compliments from  people while I was there. It was nice to have the distraction of my colorful nails and hair while I was going through all that stuff. 

  Oh and some cool stuff happened right before the Mayo trip. I got to meet the awesome Kelly of vampyvarnish.com!! It was an awesome lunch meeting with my Florida beauties and Kelly. Thank you Courtney for the lovely photo!! From L to R: Steph of Imperfectly Painted, myself (goodness I need to do my roots soon!!), Maria of Cult Nails, Kelly of Vampy Varnish, Kari of Once Bitten and Courtney of Phyrra. 

Thank you all for stopping by today!! If you have any questions about Mayo, feel free to ask in the comments, I will try my best to answer them. I just didn't want to get into all that in the post itself. 

XO!

More about → KBShimmer Totally Tubular Inspired Nail Art

O.P.I Couture de Minnie Collection Swatches

(**press sample**)

Hello my darlings and happy Friday! 

  I am so very sorry about the minor posting hiatus. We had some MAJOR personal stuff go wrong last week. Basically, I was "ready to jump"... It was absolutely nothing blog related. Just life... doing it's thing... being a beyotch. But, things are settling down and falling in place so I'm feeling positive and keeping my head up. 

 Then yesterday, I was trying to get these photos edited and I was having all kinds of issues with the editor I use. I was pretty hissy... Full Moon maybe? Luckily I found an alternative in Photobucket, which I had not used in YEARS. I was bummed, because I've been desperate to share my swatches of O.P.I's new Couture de Minnie collection for Summer. If you are going "Whit a minute, didn't O.P.I do a Minnie themed collection for Summer last year?" Why yes, yes they did, and apparently they had a really positive response. This year they gave Minnie a high-fashion look, and Five new adorable shades for the Summer months. 

 All of these swatches, with the exception of Magazine Cover Mouse, are shown with a top coat. 

O.P.I Liquid Sand in Magazine Cover Mouse

 Magazine Cover Mouse is a light, Red based sparkling texture laced with strong Golden, Silver and Pink micro shimmer. I LOVED the (almost) duochrome look to this liquid sand. I really must admit that this was a heavy and instant favorite for me. I love the hints of Pink sparkle and the overall "Minnie-ness" of it all. I used Three thin coats for my swatch. This texture dried fairly fast. If I had to pick just ONE color to get from this collection, it would be this beauty!

One hour after application

O.P.I Innie Minnie Mighty Bow

 This shade is your classic Candy Apple red with strong Red and Golden micro shimmer for added dimension. This color has a very saturated formula and could well be a one coater. I used Two thin coats for my swatch. This color will be fantastic during Holidays. 

O.P.I A Definite Moust Have

 This shade is described by O.P.I as a Fuchsia.... I saw hot Coral. It was hard shade to capture because it is SO vibrant. This shade is very similar to Come to Poppy from the Nice Stems Collection. This shade is a bit more vibrant and extremely saturated. I did Two easy coats for my swatch. 

O.P.I Minnie Style over O.P.I Chic Comes Ears to Tail 

 OMG I LOVE THIS GLITTER. Ok, now that THAT is out of my system haha.. This cute confetti- style glitter is a simple blend of White, Pink and Red hexes packed in a clear base. I was impressed with how easy it was to work with. I only did one coat of glitter over my base color. 

O.P.I Chic from Ears to Tail

 What would a Summer/Minnie- themed collection be without your classic Bubblegum Pink creme? This shade is adorable. There is the slightest hint of Silver micro sparkle. It is SO barely there, can barely be seen in Sunlight even. I do think that the shimmer did wonders for the formula on this shade. I used Three easy coats for my swatch. 

I like this collection a lot more than I thought I would. They really got me in my soft spot with the fantastic Liquid Sand Shade Magazine Cover Mouse and the adorable glitter in Minnie Style. In last year's Minnie collection they went with the more retro-cutesy side of Minnie. This collection is Minnie all grown up. For that, I love these colors.

Are any of the shades in this release speaking to you? Which Minnie Couture would you rock?

(**Press Sample**)

More about → O.P.I Couture de Minnie Collection Swatches

Hard Candy- Candy Sprinkles Skittle Nails

(**Press Sample**)

Good afternoon! 

  Today I have a sweet skittle mani I did using some of my new Hard Candy nail polish shades. These are all from the Candy Sprinkles collection. As you can see, these cuties are heavily inspired by the "glitter sammich" concept. This group is made up of Nine creamy-glitter polishes. Today I am sharing a cute skittle mani with Five of these pretties. 

From thumb to Pinkie:
Gummy Green: A creamy-jelly, muted Mint-colored base, with Silver and Black small hexagonal glitter. This particular shade had one of the better formulas. I used Three thin coats for full coverage and to get a really good "mint-chip ice cream" effect going on.
Pixie Pink: A creamy-jelly, light milky Blue-Based Pink. The small hexagonal glitters in this one are Teal, Silver and Pink. I used Three thin coats. The formula on this shade was nice and easy to work with.
Sweet Tooth: A jelly, almost White pink packed with Blue, Pink and Silver glitter. This was the most sheer of all the colors I tried. I used Three decent coats but the formula was great and easy to work with.
Jelly Bean Blue: A creamy base, Powdery Blue packed with Blue and Black glitter. I found the  formula on this shade to be patchy and a little problematic. A light and patient hand is key with shades like this one. I used Three coats.
Sugar Rush: A white creamy base packed full of Black and Silver glitter. I had the same formula issues with this shade as I did with Jelly Bean Blue. Three coats as well.

 Below are some macros of these yummy looking polishes.

 Even though the formulas are kind of.. all over the place... I really am not bothered by that and really ended up loving these polishes. I'm glad that an affordable polish line came out with these "speckled/ sprinkled" polishes. These all seemed to even out well at Three coats and they all wore really well. I think I had these on for about Four days, no chips, no shirnkage. Before application it is best to give these polishes a good shake, they like to settle a bit. These babies to require a good top coat to bring out the shine and smooth the surface. I used Two coats of KBShimmer Clearly on Top top coat and I had absolutely ZERO shrinkage (YAYAYAYAY Praise the polish gods).

Have you tried any of these new Hard Candy polishes? They are available at Wal-Mart and Online as well. For the price, these are adorable little polishes and I really love what hard Candy did with the glitter-sammich looks. I like all of these quite a lot ♥. 

Any faves?

(**Press Samples**)

More about → Hard Candy- Candy Sprinkles Skittle Nails

Indie Spammy- Spam!!

(**Press Sample**)

Good afternoon my darlings! 

  Look at me getting a post up!!! I hope you guys have missed me as I have missed you. A few days ago I asked you guys on Facebook if you were interested in seeing some indie spam and the answer was a big 'ol Yes. SO spam you I shall.

Lac Attack Hogwarts over OCC Power Plant 

  Hogwarts is an awesome mix of small Blue, Silver, Orange and Green glitters suspended in a clear base. I love the unique blend of colors and the pretty, sparkling effect it creates when layered.

Colores de Carol Hero in Disguise 

 Hero in Disguise is a muted Grey jelly with very subtle Blue-Violet shimmer accented by Marigold and Coral hex particles as well as Black stars. This is a really cute polish, and I loved wearing it, But it was not the easiest to work with, and I had to do quite a lot of fishing to get the glitter pieces on the nail. I used Three coats for my mani.  

R. Hobby Cosmetics Holo Berry over SindiePOP White Gold 

  Holo-Berry is a blend of small Raspberry and Black glitter suspended in a clear base.

Twee & Honey Glittertits over Picture Polish Kryptonite

  Glittertits (LOLOLOLOL) is a mix of chunky Silver holo hexes and smaller Silver holo particles suspended in a clear base. This is a fantastic topper for just about any shade.

KBShimmer Where my Peeps At?

 Where my Peeps At? is an adorable, soft Yellow jelly with small Pink, yellow and green glitter accented by Circle glitters in Gold, Green, red and Pink. This polish is just TOO CUTE!!! I am really liking the Circle glitters, they add something new and unexpected.

  I am still working on getting better on my end. I have not been extremely well, but I am staying as positive as possible. I have many beauties to play with and I am really wanting to feel better so I can dive back into my stash. Truth is I can no longer downplay how unwell I've been feeling. I had been working really hard at "mind over matter" but lately my body is winning. On a positive note, I am keeping track of my ideas in a notebook and when I feel well again there will be SO much awesome happening!!!

 Do you adore any of these?

More about → Indie Spammy- Spam!!

Indie Mania! KBShimmer Swatches

Monday Monday... 

  So when this indie brand contacted me I pretty much did a little dance, squeed and promptly replied with a big YES, I will feature you. The brand I am talking about is KBShimmer. Christy has been in the bath and beauty game for some time but just recently got into the polish- making game. KBShimmer nail polish first caught my eye when the brand was featured in this Beautylish article. I loved the uniqueness of her polishes, and the fact that they did not need undies (A base color). 

  There was no way I could narrow down which polishes to review so I asked Christy to send me some of her personal favorite polishes. I could not be more thrilled with the pretties if I had picked them myself. These are some of the most unique and beautiful polishes I've ever seen/ am happy to own!

To see swatches of these amazing indie beauties continue reading! 

 I don't want to repeat myself over and over so let me just say that the formula on every single one of these polishes is just incredible. First, the colored bases on these are the perfect balance between opaque and translucent. None of these polishes required a base color. All of these swatches of just Two coats of polish, except for Witch Way? for which I used Three coats. I don't know what kind of sorcery is in these polishes but the glitters have a perfect spread, there is absolutely no fishing and the larger chunks don't seem to do that think where they all want to clump at the free edge of the nail. They.Are.Perfect. Like jelly sammiches in a bottle.... These practically apply themselves, I didn't even have to do any clean-up! All swatches shown with a top coat to smooth out and bring out shine.

KBSHimmer Watercolor

 Watercolor is a beautiful crelly Sky Blue base accented with small Lavender glitter and  varying Hex glitter sizes in Holo Silver, Magenta, Purple, Fuchsia and Blue. This is delicate yet eye catching at the same time. I did Two coats of Watercolor. Cannot rave enough about the formula.

KBShimmer All Decked Out

 All Decked Out is part of the upcoming Holiday collection. This is an interesting Hunter Green crelly base accented by small Golden glitter and varying hex glitter sizes in Gold, Orange, Red, Green, Purple, Blue and sneaky Gold stars. This is probably my new favorite Holiday polish and the most interesting. I love the daring base color in this polish and how interesting the glitter looks suspended in it.

KBShimmer in No Whine Left

 No Whine Left is a beautiful light Red toned Plum Purple crelly base with smalle Purple and Blue glitter as well as larger varying size hex glitters in Purple and Blue. The Blue glitter in this is a really nice touch. There is something grown up about this glitter polish.

KBShimmer Hex Appeal

 Hex Appeal is mind blowing! This pretty is an Indigo jelly base packed with varying size hexes in Silver, Blue, Lavender, Magenta, Blue and then there are these teeny-tiny holo bars and twinkly glitters in the base. This is really just an outstanding nail polish. I love how perfectly the glitter spread, and the great balance of different sizes of glitter on the nail. 

KBShimmer Cocoa Nut

 This is so delicious! Cocoa Nut is a yummy Chocolate Brown crelly base packed with micro- twinkly Golden glitter and smaller hexes in Raspberry and Red glitter. I was immediately craving chocolate-covered strawberries the second I saw this polish. This an insanely flattering color. This is a more subtle blend of glitter and creamy base. I'm a big fan of the little berry-toned twinkles my eye would catch with this one.

KBShimmer Witch Way?

Witch Way? is a deep Inky Purple jelly base packed full of smaller hexes and twinkly glitter all in Silver Holo. The glitter in this one is all the same color. I really liked the effect that building up the layers in this color created, a true jelly sammich in a bottle. For this one I used Three coats of the polish.

 I really cannot rave enough about these amazing and unique polishes. She has a great range of shades and blends in her shop. There is something for everyone. KBShimmer polishes definitely have a big spot in my top 2012 releases as of right MEOW! Check out the KBShimmer Site to see the full range of polishes, soaps, balms, scrubs, etc! With the holidays coming up, Christy's shop is a great one-stop-site!

  I WILL be back later with a Muffin Monday! She refused to cooperate yesterday so I am trying again later! I LOVE all of these. Do you have a fave?

(**KBSHimmer products provided for review**)

More about → Indie Mania! KBShimmer Swatches

KBShimmer - Shattered Heart & Lilac Dreams

KBShimmers can be purchased from KBShimmer.com and HarlowandCo.org. for $.8.50 - $9.00 each.

Shattered Heart is a beautiful neon pink with a variety of black glitter. Hearts, bars, shreds, & hexes. Pictured is 3 thin coats. It applied evenly and is so gorgeous and unique! I just love it!

Lilac Dreams is difficult to describe. It's pink, it's purple, it's got glitter, it's got holographic sparkles. It's just amazing. Pictured is 2 coats. Applied easily and evenly.

More about → KBShimmer - Shattered Heart & Lilac Dreams

KBShimmer Winter Line Up

I have 2 polishes from KBShimmer's newest winter collection to review today.

Snow Way! & We Three Blings

First up is Snow Way!

This is 3 coats topped off with 1 coat of Seche Vite. 

It's a nice pale blue with several different white glitters. I felt like it was a little difficult to get the polish to cover evenly. The blue seemed streaky and patchy in some places. Perhaps it might have been different if I had waited longer between coats?

Then this is We Three Blings, which is meant to be worn as a glitter topcoat. 

It's not going to be opaque, no matter how many coats you use. Here I layered 2 coats of We Three Blings over Color Club Red-ical Gypsy.

It applied evenly and the glitter glides on without trouble.

KBShimmers can be purchased from KBShimmer.com and HarlowandCo.org. for $.8.50 each. This winter collection will not be available until November 15th, so mark your calendar if you're interested!

More about → KBShimmer Winter Line Up