Friday, July 8, 2016

Gothic Gala Lacquers "Tropical Sunsets" Collection

***Press Sample***

I've got a gorgeous collection from Gothic Gala Lacquers to show you today!!  This is the "Tropical Sunsets" collection and it is gawgeous!  Each polish is themed off a famous beach.  So let's get to the swatches!

First up: Bondi Beach





Bondi Beach is a purple with pink undertones and a subtle holographic effect.  Opaque in 2 coats.

Next: Eleuthera





Eleuthera is a gorgeous emerald green with a subtle holographic effect.  Opaque in 2 coats.

Here we have: Jobson's Cove





Jobson's Cove is a neon pink with pinky/orange flakies.  Opaque in 2-3 coats, depending on how thick you apply.

Next: Matira Beach





Matira is a lovely deep royal/midnight blue with blue flakies.  Opaque in 2-3 coats depending on how thick you apply.  And it looks divine with a matte topcoat, as shown in the last photo :D

Here is: Navio Beach





Navio Beach is a neon orange reminiscent of orange soda :D  It has golden/orange flakies throughout and is opaque in 2-3 coats, depending on how you apply.

And lastly we have: Punalu'u Beach





Punalu'u Beach is a black jelly packed with black holographic micro glitter.  Opaque in 2-3 coats, depending on application.

Overall I really appreciated the variety in this collection.  I love that they are colors of the rainbow, as seems to be the trend this year, but that they are a mix of holos, jellies, flakies, neons, etc.  It's always nice to see multiple choices!!

This collection is available TODAY at 12pm PST - use the code MOMMRSANDME25 to get 25% off your order, because I love you ;)

Here are some linkages for you:

So what do you think??  Have you ever been to one of the beaches used as inspiration above?  Let me know in the comments!

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Polish sent to me for photography purposes and an honest review, as provided above with full disclosure.

ALL beach images were found using google image search - I do not own any of those images.

Monday, July 4, 2016

Happy 4th of July!!

***Nothing to Disclose***

It's Independence Day here in the United States!!  No...no, there's no Will Smith and a bunch of aliens (dammit) :P


I created 3 different manis in celebration of the 4th - I'm pretty stoked that I made myself sit down and do these.  I rarely ever make myself use polish I purchase right when I purchase it, and most of it ends up sitting, neglected in a drawer :( 

But not this time!!  Bwahaha!!

Here's the first mani:






I used Laquered Up's "Liberty Belle" over all my nails and did a glitter placement accent nail using "Star Gazer" on my ring finger.  Those took me FOREVER - but worth it, I'm so happy!!  These stars were holo, too, so they stood out a lot outdoors :D

Next mani:






I used Envy Lacquer's "Bang," "Sparkle," and "Grand Finale" for this mani, as well as vinyls from Vibrant Vinyls to make the curved lines - there's no way I could do that freehand and it would look okay :P  This trio sparkles like nobody's business, and I'll have a video of it up on my Instagram later today, so keep an eye out!

And my final (and favorite) mani:







I used Frenzy Polish's 4th of July Trio for this mani.  I did glitter placement on the pointer nail to represent the stars in the American Flag, and straight line vinyls from somewhere (it's not marked on the back so I have no idea where I got them) to make the stripes pattern on the remaining nails.  The holo in this one was incredible!!  I left this mani on the longest ^_^

I'm on my own this year with the kidlets while the hubs is out of town, so we won't be doing much by way of fun activities for the holiday.  They're a bit young yet, anyway.  What are your plans for the 4th (if you celebrate it)?  

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All polish purchased by me for funsies.  

Friday, July 1, 2016

Model City Polish Summer Collection

***Press Sample***

I feel like this year has been treating me well so far with regards to opportunities to work with indies I've wanted to work with since finding them.  Today, I get to check another favorite indie off my Indie Swatcher Bucket List, and that is Model City Polish!

Model City Polish is a brand I've been following since almost the beginning of my blogging adventures.  I think I've purchased at least 1 color from every collection/release she's produced in the last 2+ years.  She has some seriously amazing polish!!

So it's no surprise I squealed so hardcore that the neighbor's dogs went nuts when I got a message from the creator asking if I'd like to swatch her upcoming Summer collection :D  Hell to the yes!!  And I am happy to share it with you today!!!

For this year's summer collection, she took the "neon" craze in a more sparkly/shimmery/holographic direction so that these beauties would sparkle both indoors and outdoors.  All of them are named after some of her favorite poolside tunes - and they happen to be some of my favorite driving songs :P  Let's get right to them!

*Note: All of the swatches are shown in 2 coats with topcoat, shot in indirect evening sunlight.

First up: Boys of Summer





Boys of Summer is a bright sky blue blend with holographic pigment and ultra holo glitter.  This one is my second favorite in the collection - the blue is really much brighter in person than any camera could capture.

Next up: California Girls





California Girls is a bright bubblegum pink holographic with holo glitters throughout.  This shade is one of the few of pink that I like, and I actually think it looks alright with my skintone.

Next: Cruel Summer





Cruel Summer is a nice bright nude orange holographic with holographic glitters.  This polish was such a unique blending, it's one of the better oranges I've seen on the market!

Next: Sunglasses at Night





Sunglasses at Night is a nice black holo with ultra holographic glitters throughout.  It's so tough to find a black holographic that stands out from the many others, but I feel she absolutely made one with this polish!  It's my favorite of the collection :)

Next: Surfer Girl





Surfer Girl is a beautiful bright purple holo with ultra holo glitter throughout.  This one is definitely a must for all the purple polish lovers out there :D

And lastly we have: Working for the Weekend





Working for the Weekend is a fantastic bright money green holo with ultra holo glitter throughout - my third favorite in the whole collection, because it's such a perfect bright green without being too lime-like in color.

Overall this collection is fabulous!!  The formula is super smooth, dry time is very quick, and the colors are all spot-on!

And...

THEY WATERMARBLE!


How freakin' awesome is that?!!  The watermarbling detail was lost in this photo since I decided to do it over the dark Sunglasses at Night as opposed to a lighter/white color, but it still stood out, just more in person :D

Each of these polishes will be available today at 7pm CST!!  Here are some links for you:


So what do you think of this collection??  Which one strikes your fancy most?  Let me know in the comments! 

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Polish was sent to me by the maker for photography purposes and an honest review, as provided above with full disclosure.