Firecracker Lacquer Everyone I Love is Dead (partial review)

Good afternoon!  I have a new to me brand to share today - Firecracker Lacquer!  I perused her shop and was really impressed with the array of different colors and finishes I saw.  Definitely more than a few I am adding to my wish list!  The 3 I received from the new collection, Everyone I Love is Dead were all lovely in appearance and on my nails.  Everyone I Love Is Dead is set to launch on 4/2 at 6pm MST.  There are 7 polishes total in the collection and each will be $9-$10.  Kendahl also has tons of nail gems and rhinestones in her shop in addition to previously released polish.  Be sure to check it out.  So, are you ready to jump in and find out about the inspiration behind these polishes and see loads of pictures?  Ok then let's go!

*press sample*

Firecracker Lacquer: Shop, Facebook, Instagram

First up is Can Your Sword Cut Cold?, a "milky blue creme with bright blue glitters, and it glows blue in the dark."  Inspired by a "creature who is stuck somewhere between life and death; traversing the mountainside capturing souls as it goes, and turning them into zombie-like creatures with ice cold stares."  Creepy right?  Can Your Sword Cut Cold? is truly a stunning but delicate icy blue color with a shimmer that can stop you in your tracks.  But it definitely makes gives you the feeling of being frozen to the bone!  The formula was sheer but it was easy to work with and applied nicely.  It built up ok on it's own in 4 coats.  I still have some visible nail line so if that bothers you I'd suggest starting with a similar colored base coat.   Can Your Sword Cut Cold? did dry matte and a but gritty from the glow in the dark pigment so I finished with a layer of topcoat and everything was nice and smooth to the touch.

*direct sun*

Look how amazing Can Your Sword Cut Cold? is in the dark!  It glows so bright and lasts for a good while!  I was staring at my nails in awe at the gorgeous blue glow. 

Next up is Water Black As Night, a "bright green crelly scattered with different types of green glitters, and it glows in the dark."  This one is inspired by "an incredible potion; extremely dangerous and absolutely terrible, but incredible."  Sounds like a very interesting potion and one that I definitely don't want to find in my own cup of beer/wine.  Water Black As Night really stood out to me because I am drawn to brighter colors.  I love wearing them and this one was really a perfect neon green shade!  The formula was easy to work with, applied nice and almost full coverage in 3 coats.  Water Black As Night did dry matte and with a gritty texture.  You'll need a thick topcoat or Gelous to smooth it out.  

*direct sun*

Here is another totally awesome glow in the dark polish!  Water Black As Night has a fabulous green glow that lasted a long time.  It didn't take much light to charge this baby up either!  I'd suggest if your drink is glowing like this, don't drink it!  

The last polish I received from this collection is A Crown Well Deserved.  This is a "sparkly gold holo glitter topper...varying sizes of glitter."  It's inspired by "a character who doesn't know when to shut his mouth and gets gilded because of it."  Ouch.  Not the way I want to wear my gold.  But I do want to wear this gold polish on my nails!  A Crown Well Deserved is indeed sparkly and blingy, just how I want it to be.  The formula was good, nice base/glitter suspension, plenty of glitter came out with each brush dip.  You can wear this alone or over a base color but I wanted you to see A Crown Well Deserved on it's own so this is 3 coats.  You can see there is still a bit of my nail line showing but direct sunlight over exaggerates things a bit, it wasn't that noticeable to my naked eye.  1 layer of topcoat and my nails were smooth to the touch.  

*direct sun*

*indirect sun*

Barielle Bling It On, Spring 2015

Good afternoon!   Hope your weekend has been nice and relaxing.  I am definitely enjoying the weather.  So sunny and warm here in NorCal.  It's also so much nicer to do swatching in the Spring and Summer months - I can depend on direct sunlight to really show off all types of polish in natural lighting settings and with pretty green and flowery backgrounds!  Today's post features a new glitter topper collection from Barielle called Bling It On.  The Bling it On collection is currently available and each glitter topper will be $8.  So let's jump in and see what all this glitter is about!

*press sample*

Barielle: Website/Shop, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter   

All pictures in this post are direct sunlight unless otherwise noted.  

Angel Dust is a "sheer iridescent glitter" that gives a whimsical effect to any base color.  This is definitely a topper though, it would be very sheer alone.  While I don't think it's particularly unique it is very pretty.  I went with a soft pastel pink base and 1 coat of Angel Dust was plenty to achieve the desired look.  The glitter came out easily and spread well on each nail.  I used 1 layer of topcoat.  

Worn over Jessica Soho in Love

*shade*

Sea Urchin was the one I was most interested in trying on.  This "sea foam green glitter" is full of shimmer.  The shimmer and glitter actually cause a strange wrinkled/textured effect that I wasn't fond of.  I used a similar base color to start with, but I think with 4 coats you could build Sea Urchin up to almost full coverage.  The formula was a little streaky, probably because of the shimmer, but it applied easily enough.  I did like how mermaidy my nails felt with this glitter!  I used 1-2 coats of Sea Urchin and 1 layer of topcoat.  

Worn over KBShimmer Shore Thing

*shade*

Shooting Star turned out to be my favorite in the collection.  I don't have nor have I seen a similar glitter topper.  It's full of "metallic blue/purple glitter" and a pretty shift blue/purple shimmer.  The formula was really lovely and it applied perfectly.  I have on 1 layer of Shooting Star and 1 layer of topcoat.  

Worn over KBShimmer Beach Please

*shade*

Golden Halo is a beautiful "gold with pink glitter".  I see it as a heavy gold shimmer with metallic pink glitters.  This is a really pretty color but I feel we have seen something similar from a few other mainstream and boutique brands.  I think Golden Halo would have a good chance of building up well on it's own but I chose to layer it over a soft shimmery pink.  Golden Halo had a nice formula that applied easily.  I used 1 coat and 1 layer of topcoat.  

Worn over Zoya Gie Gie

Amethyst is a metallic "purple glitter".  This was my least favorite of the group.  I do not care for these large glitters because bore me and they aren't easy to work with.  They tend to have that taco'd look even if they aren't curling.  I used 1-2 coats of Amethyst and found the coverage sparse and inconsistent.  The glitter clumps together and the base to glitter ratio caused streaks and heavy piling of base in some spots - you can see this in my macro.  I finished with 1 layer of topcoat. 

Worn over China Glaze Wanderlust

*shade*

Addicted to Holos Indie Box, April 2015

Good evening!  I am very excited to share the upcoming Addicted to Holos Indie Box!  I love this new box for several reasons.  It's made up of popular makers, it's bi-monthly, it's all holo!  Like the February release, the box consists of 5 polishes from Blue Eyed Girl Lacquer, Literary Lacquers, Philly Loves Lacquer, Sweet Heart Polish and The Polish Bar.  The theme does seem to revolve around rainy Spring days and I have my fingers crossed that over here in California we get some of that grey skied, sprinkly weather!  The April Addicted to Holos Indie Box will be available for pre-order from 4/1 to 4/8.  Boxes will ship 2 weeks after the pre-order closes.  The box is $60 plus shipping to US and international locations.  

*press sample*

Addicted to Holos Indie Box: Shop, Facebook, Instagram

All my pictures are in direct sunlight

I went from lightest to darkest (because I always have to have some rhyme or reason to my blog post order) so first up is Literary Lacquers Little Sleep Song.  Amy describes this polish as a "creamy light grey linear holo with silver glass fleck and white flakies, inspired by the poem April Rain Song by Langston Hughes."  You want to know what this polish reminds ME of?  This Disney song from Bambi.  I loved the shimmery grey color, it had more depth than a straight up holo.  The formula and application of Little Sleep Song were both fabulous.  I used 3 easy coats for full coverage and no topcoat.  

Cotton Candy Clouds from Blue Eyed Girl Lacquer is a real beauty!  Julie describes this as a "pinky-lilac creamy holo with strong green shimmer."  I love the coolness of this purple.  I did a poor job capturing the green shimmer but you can see it slightly in a few pictures.  The formula and application were both great.  Creamy formula that applied smoothly.  Cotton Candy Clouds is dang near a one coater.  I have a light hand so a regular painter could easily achieve full opacity with 1 coat.  I ended up using 2 and no topcoat.  

The Polish Bar End of The Rainbow is a stunning contribution to the April box.  Janice says it's a "light periwinkle blue holo with silver glass flecks."  While I loved loved LOVED this color, it was a very sheer and thin polish.  I ended up using 5 coats of End of The Rainbow and I can still see my nail line.  But I do think it's worth it, just look at that holo and that gorgeous magenta shimmer!  I don't think shorter nails will have the same issue as I did with visible nail line.  But to be on the safe side I'd recommend using a similar base color to start with.  No topcoat.  

Esther from Philly Loves Lacquer brings us Rain Boots and Puddles, a "blueish teal linear holo with blue flecks and shimmer."  This is such a pretty teal, so bright and happy for a polish inspired by rainy days!  I actually think this will be a great teal for days out at the beach this summer.  Rain Boots and Puddles is full of glinting holo particles and blue sparkles.  The formula was lovely and full bodied.  It applied nicely too.  I used 2 coats and no topcoat.  

And last but not least by a long shot is Sweet Heart Polish April Showers.  Cassandra describes this holo beauty as a "juicy deep blue jelly linear holographic with tons of shifty flakes."  Hullo gorgeous!   April Showers is such a vibrant color it's sure to brighten any one's day during a gloomy Spring rain storm.  The formula was great, while it is a squishy jelly it's expected to have some visible nail line but it did build up well in 3 coats.  Application was nice and easy.  No topcoat.