HPB Presents NEON!

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It's so true... For my husband and I, Saturday's are usually more like Fridays, because that's when the free babysitters (a.k.a. Grandma and Grandpa) already had their Friday night (because they don't have kids at home anymore and can do those fun things like going out again...dammit) and are available to watch the munchkins so we can go do an adult thing.  Like go grocery shopping WITHOUT the kidlets.  Or clean the house WITHOUT children uncleaning as we go.

My God, we are so lame...

ANYWHO, I've got a fun post for you today!  I belong to an awesome group on Facebook called Hobby Polish Bloggers.  It's a great hub for all us polish bloggers to talk about the hobby and ask for advice and such.  And it's just a fantastic gathering of amazing gals ^_^  I'm very happy to be a part of it, and that group has helped me many, many times in this little polish blog journey of mine.

Every month, Steph, the admin of the group, puts together a link-up for all of us to join (if we so choose) and we all create a mani inspired by a specific theme.  I've been trying for months to get a mani done for these link-ups, but either press samples or life got in the way.  I *finally* was able to participate in this round, and at the same time was also finally able to use the new Jior Couture Summer collection I ordered when it launched!!

I was inspired to do a design based off one of my favorite games - Gummy Drop!  All those neon fruit candies in those appealing patterns called to me.  They said, "MAKE US INTO A MANI" in creepy little candy voices.  So I did a random pattern dotticure - I was originally trying to make a neon "wave" pattern, but it didn't really turn out too well :P

Oh!  OH!  But here's the best part - it gloooooooooooooows!!!

Aw yeah!!  That purple though - what a brat.  She did NOT want to glow.  At all.  Had to leave my camera shutter open for 5.5 seconds.  What a snob.

I used all the colors in the summer collections sans Geek in the PINK and GOLD rush, and topped the mani off with Jior's topcoat, which they included as a freebie in my order ^_^  I'll definitely be revisiting this collection again soon with more neon goodness :D
 
What do you think of this design?  Did you get any of the new summer colors by Jior?  Be sure to check out the other manis in the inlinkz below! <3

An InLinkz Link-up

The Polish Bar Late Summer 2015 Collection

***Press Sample***

It's Friiiiiiiiday!!!  W00T!  Every Friday I think of the same meme that I seem to see in my Facebook feed on a bi-weekly basis:

But is just sums up the feels of Friday so well!

This Friday I've got four of the seven polishes from The Polish Bar's new Late Summer 2015 Collection to show you!

And I finally had an excuse to use the pretty flower hair clips my mom got me last year on her vacation to Hawaii ^_^  On to the polish!

First up is Hanalei Bay:

Hanalei Bay is a white creme polish with various purple, pink, blue, and turquoise colored glitters throughout in different shapes and sizes.  I applied two thick coats in the photos above and the polish applied super smoothly and evenly, which I honestly didn't expect because of the fact the glitters are on the larger end of the spectrum.  It was a very pleasant surprise!  Dried to a shiny finish, but I added a layer of KBShimmer's Clearly On Top to help smooth out those glitters.

Next is Lanikai:

Sun shot!!  Ohhhhhh the holo goodness!!!

Lanikai is a pretty, bright neon pink with a scattered holographic shimmer throughout.  I am wearing two thick coats in the photos above, though I tells ya, you may be able to get away with it as a one-coater, especially if you have shorter nails that don't tend to have visible nail line.  Dried in good time, too, to a shiny finish.  Again, I added Clearly On Top to make that holo POP!

Here we have Waikiki:

Waikiki is a fun off white glitterbomb packed and packed and PACKED with lots of tiny neon glitters!  This one was more on the thin side - I applied three coats in the photos above (thinner than the previous two polishes) and you can still see nail line.  If you apply it thicker, most likely it will be opaque in three coats.  This one dried to a textured finish (due to the glitter) so I added Clearly On Top to smooth it out.

And last but not least we have Seychelles:

Sun Shot!!

Seychelles is a gorgeously bright neon green with a scattered holographic and gold shimmer.  This one was the biggest stunner of the four I received - I mean WOWZERS, what a looker!  Same application as Lanikai, though a tad thinner, so two thick coats should bring it to opacity.  And as the others, there is one coat of Clearly On Top, because I'm an adult, and I do what I want.

These four beauties and their three beautiful friends are all available today at 4pm PST in The Polish Bar shop!  You can also follow the Facebook page and Instagram for updates on new collections and release dates :)

What do you think of these polishes?  Do any of them strike your fancy?

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Polish was sent to me by the maker for swatches and a review.  All opinions and experiences with the polish are my own and my review remains 100% honest.

Parrot Polish Neons

***Press Sample***

Warning you now - it's gonna be a neon-filled week on this blog!  They just happened to all fall in this week :P  We'll start with three blindingly awesome neons by Parrot Polish.  I'll preclude these swatches in saying these polishes are all a little on the thicker side, so you probably won't need to do too many layers before the polish is opaque - all but Limon were two coats for me.  Also want to point out that the colors of these polishes vary depending on lighting.

First up- Limon:

Limon is a highlighter yellow/chartreuse neon.  It is thinner and required a base coat of white in order to make that yellow really pop.  Dried to a satin finish in about 5 minutes.  Takes a little longer for these because they are on the thick side.

Next is Orange Surprise:

Orange Surprise is a light orange neon.  Also dried to a satin finish in about 5 minutes.  No undies with this one!

Last is Burst:

Burst is a magenta pink neon.  The pictures on their site look lighter than mine due to different lighting - mine are all in natural light, making them look a little darker than under artificial lighting.  The color may also have looked lighter with a white base, but the polish was thick as it was, I really didn't want another added layer of polish.  Burst is opaque in two coats, as shown in the photos above.  Dried to a satin finish in about 5 minutes.

Overall these are very colorful!  I love a good neon, though I would have been a little happier if these were a bit thinner.  There are 12 neons available on their website currently - I've got my eye on Mini Mint!!  You can follow them on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for updates on new polishes and collections.

Are you a neon fan?  Any of the neons above tickle your fancy?

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Polish sent by maker for photography purposes.  Opinions are 100% honest.

Polish Post: Model City's Neon Collection - Swatches, Review, and Art

A few weeks ago, the indie brand Model City Polish released a gorgeous line of neons, and I got my hands on a set the moment they became available!  No really, the actual moment - I was sitting in my kids' room, waiting for them to fall completely asleep for their nap, with my phone hidden under their bed, constantly hitting the "refresh" button until the set showed "available" on her site. :P  What can I say, the colors are amazing!!  I had to have them!

I want to warn you all - this post is quite picture heavy.  I swatched each of the 5 colors, and created some awesome nail art using all of them.  Be prepared for some neon goodness!  Let's start with "Sparks:"

Outdoors

Indoors

Sparks has a beautiful golden shimmer to it in the sunlight, and is such a stunning orange.  It makes a neon statement without being obnoxious :)

I'll go ahead and tell you that every one of her neons went on like a dream!  Smooth, no goopyness, dried incredibly fast to a satin finish.  Some of the colors are a little thicker, so make sure the first coat is completely dry before applying the next, and give it a little time after you are done before you do anything that could damage the polish.  There's really nothing negative I could find about the polish.  The colors that are thinner than the others will require more coats to achieve opacity, or a solid base color underneath.  I am wearing 3 coats for each polish with a topcoat to make it shine.  

Next we have "Hot Pink Barbie:"

Outdoors

Inside

I think I've mentioned before that, in general, I do not care for most shades of pink, especially hot pinks.  That being said, when I saw this color, I immediately fell in love, and even shocked myself when I found I wanted to purchase it!  I love it because it's not just your average hot pink - this hot pink has a beautiful bluish/purple shimmer in the sunlight.  It is lovely!!! Perfect for summer!

Then we have my absolute favorite of the 5 - "Electric Lemonade:"

Outdoors

Indoors

I don't really think I need to say much about this polish.  I mean, just look at it!!!  *Drools*  The most beautiful of the bunch.  Love love love it!

Next up is "Purple Dragon:"

Outdoors

Indoors

Purple Dragon is a very unique neon in that it seems to shift colors in the sun from a gorgeous grape purple to an almost aqua blue.  The shimmer adds a great effect to this color.  It is most assuredly one of the best purple neons I have seen yet!

And last, but most certainly not least, is "Green Monster:"

Outdoors

Indoors

Green Monster is a jaw-dropping green with a gold/light green sparkly shimmer in the sunlight.  This color is so eye catching!  Green is already one of my favorite colors, and now I love it even more ^_^

I know it sounds like a gushy post, but truth be told, it is hard to find anything negative about Model City Polish.  Her brand is one of the best quality brands I've come across in the world of indie nail polish.  It's not just her nail polish that has me sold, it is also her fantastic customer service, as well as her lightning fast shipping!  I believe I got a shipping confirmation and tracking number the same evening I placed this order.  She is GOOD!

Here are some links for you of her site and social pages:

Facebook:  Here

Shop: Here

Instagram:  Here

She has a Limited Edition red wine colored holographic polish in her shop currently called "Pour Me Another" that I snagged and will have a swatch of in the near future on my own Facebook Page.  It is a stunner!  I suggest grabbing one before they are all gone!

Now as I stated earlier, I have some nail art for you!  Green Monster took me back to my childhood, and I felt I needed to re-create that memory using these awesome neons.  Behold!

Eh?  Eh?  Who here's an old-school TMNT fan??  My brother was a much bigger one than me, but I still remember the show, and the cool toys my brother had that he let me play with.  LOVE Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - we will just pretend that terrible recently-released film claiming to be TMNT doesn't exist :P

Hope you enjoyed this polish post!  Stay tuned - on Monday I will have the second You-Pick-My-Art up on the blog!  Have a great weekend :)