El Cap + My Stardust Melody

I have an absolutely heavenly combination to share with you today.  I love it - I love is so much that when I when to change my mani I put it on AGAIN!  It's all the qualities that I love in polish: glowy, ethereal, glitter, holo, sparkle, iridescent.  
I started with Elevation Polish El Cap.  El Cap is a gorgeous blue-purple (blurple) with red shimmer.  It's slightly sheer, but builds up nicely.  I was honestly shocked that I fell so hard for this color.  It's so not me.  But it was so gorgeous I just couldn't resist it!  I used 2 coats for full coverage.  In the pictures you will see a little sheerness on the nail tips, but in real life it wasn't noticeable.  I have never wanted a backup bottle of anything before, and El Cap is the first one that makes me feel like I need a second bottle.   
I then used a new polish, made just for me, by Gina at Red Dog Designs, My Stardust Melody.  It's fabulous and I absolutely adore it!  I am looking forward to trying it over silver next (and think it will be soon since I'm obsessed with this glitter combination). MSM is made up of light silvery-sage green, white and lavender hexs.  There are also some iridescent, color changing squares.  And if that isn't enough to blow your mind there is also some holo micro glitter for that extra bling effect.  My pictures just don't capture the bling very well - trust, my nails were super sparkly and flashy!  But not in an over the top way, in a just perfect amount of bling kind of way.  I used 2 coats of MSM and got a good amount of glitter out without digging.  MSM applied well with no application issues.  The nice this is that I didn't need to use Gelous - the glitter lay flat and smooth enough that 2 layers of topcoat was perfect for smooth and glossy coverage.
You can keep up with Elevation Polish on the blog and store.  You can receive Red Dog Design updates by following the facebook page and store.  

Bury the Hatchetfish + Kiko 322

I recently saw a post for the new collection by Hare, The Illuminated Life.  I had to wipe drool from my mouth with the back of my sleeve.  True story.  I knew I needed them, but I hadn't tried the brand before so picked 2 of the 4 to start with.  A few days passed and the Hares popped into my head again.  I thought to myself, hmmm, I wonder when that opening was scheduled for and checked the store, all polishes were there but out of stock.  Bummer.  Then I saw a post from a friend saying 4 minutes until the Hare restock!  WHAT!?  I scurried back over to that site and waited…waited…waited…and it was live!  And I got the 2 I wanted.  Another true story.  Nut now, well let's just say now I'm angry with myself for not just buying the entire set.  All 4 polishes from the Luminous Life set: Bury the Hatchetfish, Electric Flame, Atolla, and Medusa Luminosa are packed full of a gorgeous glowing purple iridescent glitter.  I think this has become my absolute favorite type of glitter polish.

So here are my pictures of Bury the Hatchetfish.  Please excuse the tip wear…I did my nails at night and must have been doing dishes in my sleep.  I started with 2 layers of Kiko 322, a gorgeous mushroom taupe that applied like a dream.  322 was so smooth and creamy.  Everything you want in a stellar creme polish.

  I layered 2 coats of BtH on top.  BtH is a very sheer polish and I think it would take 3 or 4 coats to build up on it's own.  It's a very unique polish - a brown base with purple, blue, fuchsia and iridescent glitters.  Plenty of glitter came out with each dip of the brush and it applied to the nail well.  It was on the smelly side but I didn't mind so much since it applied well and is a really beautiful polish.  It was a topcoat eater though - I used 2 coats to get a smooth to the touch finish.  

You can purchase Kiko from their website.  Hare Polish is available on esty and Llarowe.  And be sure to follow the Hare Polish blog and facebook page for swatches and new products!

Sprout

Last weekend I co-hosted a baby shower for my dear friend Millessa.  When the party planning brainstorming began we had ideas all over the place.  But what we knew was that Millessa called the baby Sprout, Sprout is a he, and the party was going to be pumpkin themed.  With those details I went to Gina at Red Dog Designs and we started chatting about a polish as a favor.  What Gina came up with was absolutely perfect!  
Sprout is a light blue polish with green shimmer, flecks and holo microglitter that is so lovely and soft it reminds me of a baby's blanket.  I used 3 coats of Sprout to get full opaqueness.  Sprout applies with a crelly-ish (creme-jelly) formula, but after the 3 coats it was quite creamy.  I had no application issues with Sprout.  I wore Sprout to the shower and received many compliments on how pretty it was!  And the favors came out so sweet!  Gina created adorable labels and my co-hostesses and I presented the bottles wrapped in tulle with a shower tag attached to each.  It was the perfect little parting gift.  
If you are interested in a custom I'd highly recommend Red Dog Designs!  Fast production and shipping and high quality product from a creator who really listens to what you want!  You can contact Gina at the Red Dog Designs Facebook Page if you are interested in a special, custom made nail polish.

BB Couture Hangover Blues

I have a new to me brand to share today.  It's by no means a new brand, but I haven't had the pleasure of using any of BB Couture For Nails polishes yet.  What I like most about the brand is that they release 2 sets with each collection - one set for women, one set for men.  Fun concept.   Of course you are not limited to buying from only one set or the other.  I'm not sure if this is true for every collection they put out but I have seen it with several collections recently.

Now on to the polish!  Hangover Blues is a dusty Tiffany blue (my opinion).  It has a very subtle shimmer that flashes silver, blue and pink sparkles.  I think the subtlety is very lovely and makes the blue stand out if you were to compare it to other similar blues.  The formula is described as 4-in-1: base coat, top coat, nail strengthener and color in one bottle.  But since I have OCD issues with my application routine I used a base and top coat (it just wouldn't feel right to skip those steps).  I figured an additional topcoat layer would make the polish even more glossy!  I used 2 coats of HB and 1 layer of topcoat.  The polish went on smooth and even, no dragging or bald spots.  I really found this polish lovely and look forward to trying out more from the brand!  

If you are interested in trying out BB Couture For Nails, you can purchase a wide range of their polish at Overall Beauty.  Follow Overall Beauty on Facebook for updates on incoming stock and new product availability.  

*this polish was provided for my honest opinion and review

Ozotic Beam 906

I have a versatile and gorgeous new Ozotic to show you!  It's Ozotic Beam 906.  On the piCture pOlish site, Beam 906 is described as being "inspired by 'reflecting luminous light beams' hence the moonlight colors with sparks!  906 is jam-packed with pink and purple sparks!"  I attest this to be true!  
So piCture pOlish suggests wearing Beam 906 on it's own or over black.  Well I've seen it both ways so I wanted to try it over some other colors.  After some discussion with Kim at Overall Beauty we came the the conclusion that pinks would be fun undies to try!  So I have 3 different shades of pink to show you with Beam 906 over them.  For each combination I used 1 coat of Beam 906.  This is a densley packed multi-colored fleck polish.  Beam is not lacking in the sparkle department.  A lot of polish goes on the nail with each brush stroke and spreads well.  I had no application problems with this polish.  906 is indeed full of pink, purple and some blue!  I had no application issues.  Each mani combination has 1 layer of topcoat. 
You can get the Ozotic Sugar & Beam collection from Overall Beauty.  Be sure to follow the facebook page to see updates about current and incoming stock and new product releases.  And keep a lookout because I will be giving away a brand new bottle of Ozotic Beam 906 very soon!  This giveaway is hosted by the lovely Kim at Overall Beauty!
Let's go lightest to darkest undies, shall we?  I started with Essie Recessionista, which is a deep raspberry creme.  I found this polish thick and hard to work with.  It applied with ridges and stained the skin around my nails.  I used 2 coats for full coverage.  

shade

Next up is OPI Be A Dhalia Won't You?  BADWY is a shimmery glass fleck fuschia polish.  The formula was wonderful and I had no application issues.  I used 2 coats for absolutely perfect coverage.  On it's own BADWY is a gorgeous polish, but with Beam 906 over it - well watch out!  Hot pink goodness!

shade

And finally I layered Beam 906 over a light bubblegum pink.  I used OPI Pink Friday and this combo came out sugary sweet!  Pink Friday was slightly thick to apply and chalky in formula.  On it's own I feel like it gives my hands a fake look - not mannequin hands, but something else.   But with Beam 906 on top the combination shows off a golden-yellow fleck color that I hadn't seen in the other two combinations.  So that made it a fun pair for me because I thought the colors really worked together!  I used 2 coats of Pink Friday for full coverage.

*Ozotic Beam 906 was provided for my honest opinion and review