*Press Release*: Gothic Gala Lacquers 5th of November Collection Swatches & Review

***PRESS RELEASE***

"Remember, remember the 5th of November
of gunpowder treason and plot.
I know of no reason why the Gunpowder Treason
Should ever be Forgot..."
     - Alan Moore

One of my all-time favorite films is V for Vendetta.  When the movie came out, I saw it four times in theatres (I used to work at one, which meant free movies!!).  I just loved everything about the movie, from the characters to the storyline, to the overall message behind it.  It is a terrific and very well done film.

That being said, when I saw that Samantha over at Gothic Gala Lacquers had created a collection based on the film, I was ecstatic, and may or may not have squealed and clapped my hands together like a giddy school girl.  I was even more excited when she asked *me* to swatch the collection for her!!  I'm no fool - I happily, and very eagerly accepted - again, possibly squealing and clapping with more vigor...

So without further ado, let me show you the gorgeous colors of this collection!  There are four polishes in total.  Brace yourself for some photo porn - I've got 10 pictures for each polish AND art!

We will start with The 5th of November:

Outdoors

Indoors

5th of November is a beautiful color-shifting chrome packed with gold, purple, and the occasional blue micro glitter.  This polish applied very smoothly, was dry in under 5 minutes, and was opaque in two coats, though I put on three because I felt it added more depth to the color.  The polish dried to a shiny finish, as seen in the photos above.

Next up is Vendetta:

Outdoors

Indoors

Vendetta is a black jelly with a gold shimmer and packed to the brim with red and purple micro glitters.  This polish was also very easy to applicate, and was opaque in three coats for me, drying in under five minutes to a shiny finish, as seen in the photos above, with a very, very light texture from the glitter.  One coating of topcoat will get rid of that.

Third up is E-V:

Outdoors

Indoors

E-V is a grey crelly polish with large and small matte white and shiny pink round glitters, as well as a subtle purple shimmer.  This color applied very smoothly and dried in under 5 minutes to a shiny finish, as seen in the photos above, and took two coats to be opaque.

And lastly we have Remember, Remember:

Outdoors

Indoors

Remember, remember is a gorgeous fuchsia pink jelly with a subtle blue shimmer in direct sunlight.  Also very smooth application, dried in under 5 minutes to a shiny finish, and mostly opaque after three coats (you could still see the whites of the fingernails at certain angles).

The Ups:  All of these polishes have a great formula.  They all dried quickly, none of them stained my nails or the surrounding skin, application was very smooth, and the colors are just gorgeous!!  If you are familiar with the movie and remember it well, you can definitely see where Samantha drew her inspiration for these polishes, and she did a fabulous job!!

The Downs:  To be honest, the only "down" I had with these polishes came with E-V and the fact the larger pieces of glitter seemed to fall to the bottom of the bottle.  However, a minute or two of holding the bottle upside-down and rubbing it back and forth solved that problem completely!

Overall:  These polishes are fantastic!!!  I highly recommend each and every one of them! Samantha did an excellent job creating a polish for everyone - each polish is so unique and stands apart from the rest, but they all flow together in this collection.  You would be very wise to snag these up!!

The 5th of November collection launched today (for obvious reasons), and can be purchased as a set for $33.00!  Here are some links for you where you can purchase the polishes from this collection, as well as keep up-to-date with the company:

Shop: Here

Facebook: Here

Facebook Fan Group: Here

Instagram: Here

I hope you all enjoyed this post, and that you have a wonderful Wednesday!!  See you soon! <3

*NOTE: While these polishes were sent to me as a press release, my review is 100% honest and not skewed in any way.  The links I provide are NOT affiliate (i.e. I get no kickback when you click on them through my blog).  I simply provide them for your convenience :)

*Press Release* (Part 1) - Teadora Body Polish

***PRESS RELEASE***

Up until now, I have only ever posted about nail polish, but never really any other types of products, such as lotions, sugar scrubs, etc.  I was recently given the opportunity to review an exfoliation product (body, not face), and I took it, because I believe it is important to take care of your skin!  As a polish blogger, I'm always putting polish on, taking it off, messing with my cuticles, etc., and as a mother, my hands go through even more abuse.  So, it's very important that I take care of my hands and keep them smooth, healthy, and exfoliated.

The product I will be reviewing once it arrives is the Rainforest at Dusk body polish by the brand Teadora Beauty.  Here's the excerpt sent to me about the product:

"Winter and dry, dull skin go together like peanut butter and jelly, right? Think again! With a little exfoliation and the skin-loving ingredients found in Teadora’s Nourishing Body Polish, you can have summer time’s hydrated, gorgeously glowing skin all year round! Teadora’s Nourishing Body Polish is loaded with powerful, sustainably harvested natural and organic ingredients from the Amazon rainforest. The formula includes Teadora’s Icons of the Rainforest (Buriti, Pitanga, Cupuaçu, Andiroba and Açaí) and Rainforest Hydration Elixir (Babassu, Brazil Nut, Rose Hip Seed and Passion Fruit oils), plus a potent combo of Açaí Seeds for deep exfoliation and Amazonian Clay to help reduce blemishes for brighter, healthier, smoother skin.

Why should you exfoliate 2 to 3 times a week?
·Removing layer(s) of dead skin gets the blood flowing and helps revive skin’s radiance and glow
·When skin gets extra dry, it can start to flake - exfoliating keeps flakes and rough patches in check
·Allows lotions to penetrate and moisturize more effectively
·Unclogs pores of oil and dirt which means less breakouts
·When you remove surface dry skin, skin looks smoother, which means you look younger!

Teadora’s Nourishing Body Polish is available in two 100% natural fragrances, RAINFOREST AT DUSK and RAINFOREST AT DAWN.

RAINFOREST AT DAWN // Wake up in the rainforest. A bright and sparkling citrusy burst of bergamot and lemon swirls with woods, fresh florals, basil, and eucalyptus to awaken your senses and ready you for the day ahead. Hear the calls of colorful birds. Smell the lush, exotic flowers and juicy black currants. Feel the dark, fertile soil under your toes.

RAINFOREST AT DUSK // Relax in the rainforest. Smooth, floral notes of Rose Absolute and Geranium blend with hints of orange and coconut to soothe and revitalize your senses after a long day. Feel the cooling air against your skin. Hear the patter of rain on the leaves overhead. Smell the luscious Ylang, night blooming flowers and the rich warmth of cedarwood. Listen to the calls of night monkeys."

Image: Rainforest at Dawn

I'm pretty excited to receive this product to review!!  Having only ever used homemade sugar scrubs, it will be interesting to see the difference between that and something a bit more professional.  I'll have a second post for you soon after I've received and tried this body polish out :).  Until then, I'll see you tomorrow with a post featuring the new V for Vendetta collection by Gothic Gala Lacquers!! 

*NOTE: Links in this post are NOT affiliate (i.e. I get no kickback if you click on them through my blog).  I simply provide them for your convenience :)

November Challenge - Geometrics

Happy Tuesday, lovelies!!

I have recently stumbled upon another nail art challenge for the month of November, hosted by the Instagram user CaliforNails.  I had so much fun with the October challenges that I wanted to continue with these new ones!!

Now when I found this challenge, I had already missed out on the November 1st theme of "Movember" (which I fully intend to make up in the next few days), but was able to complete the second theme of "Geometrics."  Here is the design I came up with:

I've never done any kind of geometric design before, so this was indeed a challenge for me.  I used nail tape to create triangular patterns over my bare nail, rather than putting down a color as a base.  I then painted in the sections with "Strawberry Fields" by Black Dahlia lacquer (pinky and thumb), "Dahlia" by Sweet Heart Polish (ring finger), and "Wuyi Mountain" by Elevation Polish (middle finger).  I think the colors complement each other really well and help to set off that geometric look nicely :)  I am pleased!

The next theme is "plaid" for November 7th - another design I have never done!  Send good vibes my way - I'm gonna need them for this one!! :P

Tomorrow I will have a mega post for you featuring the brand new "V for Vendetta" collection that releases tomorrow, so keep an eye out for it!  See you soon <3

*Press Release* (Part 2): Brooke Anderson & Gabriel Cosmetics "Hush, Hush" & "Shine Y'all" Swatches & Review

***PRESS RELEASE***

You may remember the post I wrote introducing a new line of polishes designed by Brooke Anderson in collaboration with Gabriel Cosmetics.  Well, two of those six lovely polishes were sent to me, and they're quite lovely!  Let's dive right in and start with "Hush, Hush."  Check out my swatches below:

Outdoors

Indoors

Hush, Hush is a lovely metallic black/gunmetal color.  This polish dried to a shiny finish in under five minutes and was opaque in one coat.

The second polish is "Shine Y'all:"

Outdoors

Indoors

Shine Y'all is a glitter bomb polish that dried in under five minutes to a semi-textured finished (shown in the pictures above with an added layer of clear topcoat to even out the texture and make the sparkle/holographic effect stand out).

The Ups:  For Hush, Hush, the polish was rather easy to work with.  The color was technically opaque in one coat, but I felt one more added a little more depth and brought out that shine very well.  I love that it dried so quickly, and I actually really like that it looked pretty much the same indoors and outdoors - so no feature of the polish was "lost" when indoors.  

For Shine Y'all, it was a gorgeous eye-catching glitter in the sunlight!  The multi-shaped and sized glitters did indeed shine :D  This polish is a perfect topper over any color.

The Downs: For Hush Hush, to be perfectly honest, this polish was a little bit of a hassle in the clean-up department.  The black stuck into every crease on my finger around my nails, even after using 100% acetone.  It is also a metallic that shows brush directions, meaning if you don't apply the polish in the same direction, you will see brush strokes going in every which way.

For Shine Y'all, it didn't apply as well as I'd hoped for a glitter.  I found I had to dab it on to make sure the entire surface was coated.  Had I simply brushed it on, it would have applied very thin and would have a considerably smaller amount of glitter.

Overall: The two polishes I received are nice!  For the price ($8.50 each), you get a good quality polish that also happens to be pretty beautiful :)  I absolutely love that they are vegan, cruelty free, and gluten free - all natural products are fantastic to me!  Now, while I would personally head to indies first before choosing this brand of polish, because I am partial to indies over mainstream, this brand is still great, and I would not put it on a blacklist of never-to-buy-again.  If you're someone who likes Gabriel Cosmetics, and/or Brooke Anderson, these polishes are definitely right for you!

You can purchase these polishes through Gabriel Cosmetics at this link, and they are a limited edition available now through the holidays - so get while the gettin' is good!

Hope you all have a wonderful Monday!  I will see you soon <3

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*NOTE: While these polishes were sent to me as a press release, my opinion is 100% honest and not swayed in any way.  Links I provide are NOT affiliate (i.e. I get no kickback when you click on them through my blog).  I simply provide them for your convenience :)