Hella Holo Customs; Vapid Lacquer One Love & Smitten Polish One Heart

Good morning beauties!  I have a beautiful duo to share with you today.  I can't recall exactly when I picked this up, but it definitely wasn't a Valentine's Day set, but it should be because it's totally perfect - colors, names, finishes!  So beautiful and romantic.  So I'm a member of this secret club called Hella Holo Customs.  The first rule is you don't talk about Hella Holo Customs.  Haha, just kidding.  Though I have no idea if they are adding members or not at the moment...if they are you want to join.  It's essentially this group that has makers come up with fantastic holos and each month there are new group customs.  Well whenever Smitten was involved you know I was in line!  I figured I love red and hadn't tried Vapid Lacquer (and the nail world is all a fuss over this brand at the moment) so I got it too.  I mean hey, they were created as a duo.  So let's go ahead and delve in and check out One Love and One Heart.  And just because the names are so perfect - here's the Bob Marley song that immediately comes to mind...One Love.  Enjoy the tunes while you look at my swatches!  Let's get together and feel alright! <3  

*nothing to disclose*

Dreamland Lacquer (formerly known as Smitten Polish): Shop, Facebook, Instagram

Vapid Lacquer: Shop, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter

Smitten Polish 2016 Color of the Year Duo; Of Quartz It Is & Serenity NOW

Good evening dears!  Hope you had a fabulous weekend.  Mine was full of soccer and running and bad weather.  Now that I look back at it all jeesh, I'm exhausted!  But tomorrow there is a launch that you'll definitely want to know about so I'm here to share that now!  I'm sure you've seen the announcement of the 2016 Pantone Color of the Year and that it's not 1 color but 2!  If you haven't seen yet HERE it is - Rose Quartz and Serenity.  A pink and a blue.  Both are lovely alone (albeit a bit baby shower-ish) but together they make a showstopper!  Anywho, Smitten Polish came up with these beautiful holo micro glitters in the 2 Pantone shades.  The Color of the Year Duo will be available as a duo and individually on Monday 12/14 at 2pm Central.  The Christmas In Stars Hollow Collection will also be available again tomorrow (you can see my post for that collection HERE).  Set your clocks people!   Now let's jump in and check these beauties out.

*press sample*

Smitten Polish: Shop, Edgy Polish, Femme Fatale Cosmetics, Hypnotic Polish, Rainbow Connection, Facebook, Instagram 

source: Pantone

Smitten Polish Hella Holo Customs; Bengal Tiger, Kenyan Sunset & Cecil the Lion

Hey Hey!  Happy Monday.  A couple months back I picked up a few beautiful custom polishes from one of my favorite brands...Smitten Polish.  Noelie created these for the Hella Holo Customs group on Facebook and she really knocked them out of the park!  I've mentioned this group before but if you want to get in on these beautiful custom holos that aren't available to the public request to join!  So back to the Smittens, they are inspired colors and also extremely perfect for the Fall season.  You ready to jump in and check out this stunning trio?  Then let's go!

*nothing to disclose*

Smitten Polish: Shop, Edgy Polish, Femme Fatale Cosmetics, Hypnotic Polish, Rainbow Connection, Facebook, Instagram

Up first I have Bengal Tiger.  This is a rusty orange linear holo.  And when I say holo I mean super holo.  It's gorgeous!  The formula and application were both purrrrrfect.  Smooth and creamy, so very buttery.  I used 2 coats of Bengal Tiger and a layer of topcoat.  

Next is Kenyan Sunset.  Hot damn this is a gorgeous polish!  Such a perfect magenta holo.  This baby had fabulous formula that applied like a dream.  Kenyan Sunset could easily be a one coater, but I used 2 (because I have weird OCD like that).  I finished with a layer of topcoat.  

I'm sure you all know the tragic story of Cecil the Lion by now.  Noelie created this polish in his memory and the tawny light brown holo micro glitter shade is amazing.  A potion of the proceeds from the sales of this polish were donated to the Big Cat Initiative.  Cecil the Lion had a great formula, just like all the other micro glitters I've tried from Smitten before.  I used 3 coats for full coverage.  1 layer of topcoat left me with a smooth to the touch finish.  

Smitten Polish Gradient: In October, We Wear Pink & Cart Hold!

Good afternoon!  Popping in with a quickie post!  I wanted to get this beautiful mani shared this month, as it's breast cancer awareness month and one of these is a breast cancer awareness polish.  If you've been following me for any length of time you'll know that I have a major obsession with Smitten Polish.  I am always hunting down old colors and have quite a large collection of this brand. Why you ask?  Because Noelie never ceases to amaze me with the colors and finished she puts out.  I was rifling through my Smitten drawer and realized these two pinks were made for each other so I did what any pink polish fan would do - I used them together in a gradient!  Sadly neither of these polishes are available but trust me when I say that no matter what you buy, you will not be disappointed!  Head over to the shop I bet there'll be something there you'll just have to have.  Let's jump in and check it out!

*nothing to disclose*

Smitten Polish: Shop, Edgy Polish, Femme Fatale Cosmetics, Hypnotic Polish, Rainbow Connection, Facebook, Instagram 

This mani is a gradient of 2 pink holo micro glitter Smittens.  They are Cart Hold! and In October, We Wear Pink.  Cart Hold! was an exclusive that wasn't available to the public.  In October, We Wear Pink is from the October 2014 Sweet Addictions box.  I layered them both on a makeup sponge and applied a few layers to each nail.  The coverage was really great, the gradient built up to opacity pretty quickly (I can't recall if I used 2 or 3 coats).  I love that the gradient is subtle but noticeable.  And both shades of pink are really gorgeous.  I finished this up with 2 layers of topcoat.   

Smitten Polish What A Punny Autumn, Fall 2015 & Black Mamba Anti-Poaching Unit LE Duo

Good evening! Hope your day was fabulous.  Mine was pretty packed but it was also pretty great.  My middle child received an award today for being honest at school, I'm pretty proud of that kid.  Other than that I just tried to stay home and avoid the light sprinkle we got here in the Bay Area today - you know the rain makes Californians forget how to drive, right?  I saw 2 accidents within 5 minutes of each other on an errand run.  Needless to say I rushed fight back home.  But the good news (aside from the much needed rain) is that I have a totally fantastic collection to share with you tonight.  Smitten Polish will be releasing What A Punny Autumn for the Fall season as well as 2 limited edition polishes to benefit the Black Mamba Anti-Poaching Unit.  These 2 polishes will only be available in October and $3 from each bottle sold will be donated to Black Mamba APU.  All in all these 6 polishes are exactly what fans have grown to expect and love about Smitten polish.  Spot on colors, formulas and application.  Both the A Punny Autumn and the Black Mamba Anti-Poaching Unit LE Duo will be available tonight (9/30) at 11pm CST.  Now let's talk polish!

*press sample*

Smitten Polish: Shop, Edgy Polish, Femme Fatale Cosmetics, Hypnotic Polish, Rainbow Connection, Facebook, Instagram 

Oh The Hue-Manatee is a pewter grey holo full of holo micro glitter.  This is a gorgeous color - totally unique in my collection.  I have black, and light grey but nothing in a shade like this!  I like the subtleness, the grey-gloomy day vibe.  The formula and application were both stellar.  I used 2 coats of Oh The Hue-Manatee and 1 layer of topcoat.  

I'm so glad Noelie made an orange, I love orange.  This is Orange You Glad It's Pun-kin Season?  If you're like me you are in full "buy all the pumpkin things" mode!  And this deep reddish-orange holo full of holo micro glitter is the perfect pumpkin shade!  Orange You Glad It's Pun-kin Season? has a   great jelly formula that is very easy to apply and it built up great in 2 coats.  I finished with 1 layer of topcoat.  

I've got a comparison of Orange You Glad It's Pun-Kin Season? for you.  OYGIPS? is on my index and ring fingers, Fire Burn is on my middle and pinky.  2 coats of each. You can see Fire Burn is definitely more orange, while OYGIPS? definitely has that red-orange tone.  Both fabulous, if you love orange you want both.  

Way for a beautiful brown!  This is Can You BeLeaf These Puns? and it's a reddish brown jelly full of fine holo micro glitter.  Pretteh!  The color reminds me of that cinnamon mixture that you put in cinnamon rolls.  Again, formula and application were both top notch.  I used 2 coats of Can You BeLeaf These Puns? and 1 layer of topcoat.  

Here's another comparison for you.  This time I have Can You BeLeaf These Puns? on my index and ring fingers, Candle Reflections on my middle finger and Penny Dreadful on my pinky.  Candle Reflections is 3 coats while the others are 2 coats.  All totally different colors and varying levels of sparkly-ness.  

Psssst, purple lovers...get ready to drool.  This is Something Wicked This Way Plums, a plummy purple linear holo with fine holo glitter.  Beautiful and a unique finish for Smitten!  I actually see lots of red in flame of this polish as well.  The formula was so creamy and smooth.  The application was prefect.  I used 2 coats of Something Wicked This Way Plums and a layer of topcoat.  

Something Wicked This Way Comes is a totally unique finish amongst my Smitten collection.  I have no other with that fine holo glitter added to the holo base.  So I pulled other purple shades of different finish just so you could see how the colors compare. I've got Sparkling Orchid on my index, Something Wicked This Way Plums on my middle, Jellyfish Rave on my ring and Smitten By Your Beauty on my pinky.  3 coats of Jellyfish Rave, 2 coats of all the others.  Absolutely no dupes here.  But aren't all those purples gorgeous?!

Now we are looking at the LE Duo created for the Black Mamba Anti-Poaching Unit.  As I mentioned before, $3 of each bottle sold (Black Mamba and Poach-Busters) will be donated to the Black Mamba APU.  You can learn more about this kick-ass, wildlife protecting organization HERE. This is Poach-Busters, a bright green is full of 2 sizes of holo glitters.  It looks like tall grass on the savannah.  I love the color and the formula was fabulous.  Poach-Busters applied perfectly in 2 coats. I finished with 1 layer of topcoat.  

Here's a green comparison for you!  Poach-Busters is on my index and ring fingers.  Not Your Mama's Easter Grass is on my middle and Peppermint Patty is on my pinky.  2 coats of Poach-Busters, 3 coats of the others.  These all have very different colors and finishes.  

We've come to the last polish in this post (tear).  Black Mamba is the other part of the LE charity duo and it's a stunna.  Black Mamba is described as a black jelly polish but I found it very opaque and creamy!  I mean seriously - it have full coverage in 1 coat.  Just like Poach-Busters, there are 2 sized of holo glitters in here, I'll take the extra bling anywhere I can get it!  Formula and application, well come on, 1 fabulous coat for perfect coverage!  I finished with a layer of topcoat.  

One more comparison for you.  I've got Black Mamba on my index and ring, What's The Hue-Manatee on my middle and Cauldron Bubble on my pinky.  Black Mamba and WTH-M have the same type of finish while Cauldron Bubble is a purple-ish black holo.  Love them all!