786 Cosmetics; Jakarta, Isfahan & Pretoria

Sigh.  I'm sitting over here equally looking forward to and dreading tomorrow.  First day back to school.  I am happy to get some quiet time, but I will miss having the kids at home to hang out with.  I'm also not looking forward to early wake up times.  Even though they do drive me a bit nuts, they are good company and we have plenty of good times together.  I am nervous because 2/3 are starting a new school.  I hope they find people to sit with for lunch, find people to talk to in class, play with on the playground.  I know they will be find and I am just being a worrisome Mama Bear.  I'm currently prepping the requested luncheon menu for next week - musubi.  I am not sure how long they will last but at least they don't take too much work to prepare.  While I wait for the spam to marinate in the sauce I figured I'd share my latest swatches.  These hail from 786 Cosmetics.  I have reviewed this brand before and I am impressed with their formula, color line up and message - being inclusive to all cultures and celebrating all beauty.  786 Cosmetics makes nail polish that is vegan, breathable and halal friendly. You can see my previous post HERE.  Tonights post features 3 gorgeous purples; Jakarta, Isfahan and Pretoria. You can pick them all up now for $12.95.  

*press sample*

786 Cosmetics: Website, Facebook, Instagram

Londontown Lakur; Summer 2018

Good morning dears!  Sorry for radio silence but I'm off on vacation and have found little time to sit down at the laptop and get posts written up.  My days are all about pool, beach, family excursions, going out for amazing meals.  Between the heat, being on my feet and being pregnant I basically barely make it into my pjs before I crash each night.  Anyways, what I am getting at is that I have about a zillion posts to share with you now and will be trying to catch up, possibly double posting once I return home mid-week next week.  Let's get this party started with a beautiful collection from Londontown.  I first came into contact with the brand at CPNA 2016.  I was fully impressed with the brand, colors and especially the Instant Smudge Fix.  I came home with samples and have purchased from the brand multiple times since then.  I was pretty stoked when they contacted me to do a review!  I was sent nail care and a few polishes from the Summer 2018 collection to try out.  If you mosey on over to the Londontown site before 7/29 at 11:59pm EST you can save 30% off your order. Alright, you ready to jump in?  Then let's go!

*press sample*

Londontown: Shop, Facebook, Instagram

Alter Ego May Polish Pick Up Exclusive: Macarena! AAAY!

Buenos dias! Today I have another a fun polish that will be featured in the Polish Pickup.  As I've mentioned in my previous May PPU posts, the theme is the 90's and people really spanned all the aspects of the 90's, I can totally relate to 99% of them.  But this polish was inspired by a song that is a classic at all parties that have a dance floor.  I think it's sure to give you an ear worm!  Alter Ego took direct inspiration from the video for Macarena.  You know the song, you know the dance.  Macarena! AAAY! will be available from 5/4 - 5/7 and will be $8.  No cap.  Let's jump in, come and dance beside me...

*press sample* 

Polish Pickup: Shop, Facebook

Alter Ego: Shop, Facebook, Instagram  

Girly Bits Cosmetics; Crystals Charity Lacquers - Fox Trot & Keep Calm, Terry On

Evening beauties!  I've got a pair of gorgeous polishes that help a good cause.  These are being sold in conjunction with @crystalscharitylacquers participation in the Terry Fox Run.  Terry Fox is a Canadian Icon who was diagnosed with bone cancer in 1977, when he was 18 years old.  Terry wanted to raise money to help children who were also fighting cancer and in 1980 did his first Marathon of Hope which entailed running across Canada.  Mind you he his own cancer took one of his legs, yet he preserved to help others by raising awareness and funds.  Sadly he lost his own battle on 9/1/81, he had gone 3,339 miles in 143 days.  He was only 22.  The Terry Fox Foundation was created to continue his desire to raise awareness and money for cancer research.  Crystal chose this charity because she is a cancer survivor and a proud member of Terry's Team.  I feel honored to share the charity polishes that Pam created to raise money for this organization.  You can learn more about the Terry Fox Foundation HERE and you can make a donation to Crystal's fundraising page HERE.  You can pre-order the charity polishes now.   

*press sample*

Girly Bits: Shop, Harlow & Co, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter 

ellagee; Group RAOK Another Little Piece of My Heart

Afternoon dears!  The weather played a trick on eye today.  It was murky out until just now (12pm) and now I'm dying from wearing too much clothing.  Hey now!  It's not like I'm naked, but I'm wearing a t-shirt instead of a tank top and UGH, what was I thinking?!  Anyways, I'm sitting at the pool watching my kids swim, and then we're headed to the fair to check it out.  So my fat will be crying today.  But today I was popping in with a shorty post for you.  ellagee Another Little Piece of My Heart was originally created as a RAOK polish.  Everyone loved it so much it became a group custom.  And now you can purchase it for yourself, if you're a member of the group!  This is a true beauty and you'll be happy to snag one for yourself.  Another Little Piece of My Heart is $12.  Let's jump in and check out the pics.  

*press sample*

ellagee: Shop, Girly Bits, Facebook, Instagram

Gee I Love ellagee: Facebook Group

Orly La La Land Partial Review

Good afternoon beauties!  Yes, I've got another post for you today!  I was doing so great while I was on vacation, probably becuase once we are back in the hotel room I didn't have any distractions like cooking, laundry, dishes, practices, games, etc, etc.... So I fell behind again, womp.  Anyhoodle, here's a couple shade from the Orly Spring 2017 Collection, La La Land.  This is a collection of 5 pastel cremes and a glittery topper to add a little pizazz!  La La Land is available in beauty supply stores now for $8.50.  

*press sample*

Orly: Shop, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter

ellagee Petal Pushers, Spring 2016

Good evening dears!  I told you I'd have a post to share tonight...and while it's up a bit later than I hoped for because other things got in the way I am getting it up now!  I am quite happy that I was able to get sunshine pics of these gorgeous crellies from ellagee today!  So let's jump in to the down low.  This is ellagee's Spring trio called petal Pushers.  They are pastel crellies with matching, shifty shimmer and contrasting ultra chrome flakies.  They are fantastic!  You will be able to pick up the Petal Pushers tomorrow (Friday 2/26) at 6pm Central in the ellagee shop.  You can pick up individual bottles for $10.50 each or the trio for $28.  Alright, let's see pictures!  

*press sample*

ellagee: Shop, Facebook, Instagram

Gabriel Cosmetics, Inc. Lilac Blossom

Good morning dears!  Just another short post to share with you today.  If you can believe it I am still working through my pile of samples I received at CosmoProf back in July.  By the time I get them all done it will be July again and I'll start all over.  What I really loved about the convention is that there are so many brands I hadn't heard of before and I get to learn all about them!  Gabriel Cosmetics, Inc. is one of those brands that I got to learn more about.  Founded in 1992, Gabriel is a gluten-free, cruelty-free, organic and made in the USA.  They have a wide range of products including nail polish, makeup, skin care and even kids items.  Their polish range looks really nice, but I have to day my eyes can't stop checking out that Zuzu Luxe line!  So I have 1 polish to share with you, let's jump in!

*press sample*

Gabriel Cosmetics, Inc.; Shop/Website, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest

Sweet Heart Polish Oct 21 2015, Limited Edition Polish

Good morning!  I am so happy that we are finally getting some Fall weather over here in NorCal.  We got a nice dose of rain yesterday - which was awesome except that I forgot about my clothes hanging out to dry so those got a second rinse cycle.  And hopefully there'll be a break in the heat now too!  Well I wanted to share a beautiful, limited edition polish from Sweet Heart Polish that I picked up last month.  Cassandra created this beauty in limited supply and as a nod to Back to the Future.  Oct 21 2015 is $11 USD and there are still a few bottles available!  So read my post and look at my pictures real quick like and go get yours ASAP!  

*nothing to disclose*

Sweet Heart Polish: Shop, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter

source: Weekends in Paradelle

Oct 21 2015 is a "frosty lilac ultra linear holographic polish with blue to violet to gold shifting UCC flakes."  This is quite possibly one of my favorite Sweet Heart Polishes to date!  Cassandra really pulled out all the stops and I am huge on adding extras to a holo so the flakes really make my day.  In fact I do believe she was going for that Delorean look with these colors.  Oct 21 2015 had a great formula that applied easily.  I was pleased with the amount of flakes I got on each nail and the different sizes of the flakes added a lot of interest.  I used 3 coats of Oct 21 2015 and finished with a layer of topcoat.  

Cupcake Polish Hot Chicks & Bunny Butts

Ugh Monday, why you so awful?  I wish the weekend were longer but then we'd all just hate poor Tuesday.  And what did Tuesday ever do to us?  Well I am actually resting up this week for race day on Saturday.  It's nothing major, but I do want to be able to run it without any leg pain since I'm nursing shin splints right now.  Now in April not only did I run an insane amount of miles, I also bought a crap ton of polish.  Today's post features 2 of those purchases.  Last month Cupcake Polish had some mystery polishes available for Easter and since I just couldn't decide which to buy I got all 3.  Totally glad I did because they are all gorgeous.  It was also a cute touch that they all came in Easter eggs so it felt like a little revealing party when I opened each one.  While these particular polishes aren't available there are many others that are, including the new In Bloom collection (see my post HERE)!  Alright - let's check these 2 polishes out, shall we?  

*nothing to disclose*

Cupcake Polish: Shop, Facebook, Instagram, Color 4 Nails, Harlow & Co.,  Femme Fatale, Live Love Polish, Mei Mei's Signatures, Norway Nails, Polishinail, Rainbow Connection 

As I'd said before, these 2 polishes were mystery polishes.  I bought them blindly, having no clue what I was going to get.  I opened the eggs and was excited with each one.  My favorite was Hot Chicks though.  Hot Chicks is a beautiful rose-pink holo full of ultra chrome flakies.  So pretty!  I totally dig the combo here.  I did find the formula a touch thick, but is wasn't difficult to manage.  I used 2 coats of Hot Chicks and no topcoat.  

My accent nail is Bunny Butts.  Cute name as it gives me a mental image of adorable, fluffy baby bunny tails.  This is a deep lilac, scattered holo.  Another gorgeous polish and a really beautiful color.  The formula and application were both perfect.  I used 2 coats of Bunny Butts and no topcoat.  

Addicted to Holos Indie Box, February 2015 (partial review)

Good evening.  Sorry for the late post.  I am actually typing it up to help me unwind from some late exercise.  Sometimes it's calming to type and zone out to the sound of the tv in the background.  Tonight's post features the inaugural Addicted To Holos Indie Box that was released back in February.  I only have 4 of the 5 to share with you because a friend wanted 1 of them so we shared.  I love that this is a box full of great indies and their take on holos.  You'll see different types of holo; jelly, metallic, with holo glitter, linear holo, etc...I can't wait to see what fabulous holos the other boxes bring!  The pre-order for the April box just closed so you'll have to wait for the upcoming June box (I'm guessing there are going to be some amazing summer-brights and neons in there!)  Let's jump in and check out the February box!  

*nothing to disclose*

Addicted to Holos Indie Box: Shop, Facebook, Instagram

I'm going in no particular order so up first is Philly Loves Lacquer Fortunate Rainbow, a metallic mint with a loose linear holo finish.  I thought this was a very pretty color and liked the metallic finish but I found the formula a little difficult to work with.  It was streaky and built up on itself in a few places.  I used 3 coats to reach full opacity.  No topcoat.  

Sweet Heart Polish contributed Candied Violets to the February Box.  It's a beautiful soft lilac linear holo full of holo microglitters.  The formula was really lovely and it applied easily.  I found the mixture of linear holo with the square holo microglitters a perfect combination.  The holo microglitters were added with a very light hand so they don't over power the polish, just give it a little something extra.  Candied Violets was one of my favorites from this box.  I used 3 coats to reach full opacity and no topcoat.  

Blue Eyed Girl Lacquer added Cuts In My Heart to the Box.  This is a absolutely gorgeous color, deep maroon with a "glowy" type holo.  The color was very opaque and I had full coverage in almost 1 coat, a heavy handed painter easily could use 1, but I ended up using 2.  The formula was nice, and it applied with ease.  But it dried to a dull and gritty finish that required more than 1 layer of topcoat to smooth out.  

And finally we have Literary Lacquers Laughs in Flowers.  This was my other favorite from the February Box.  How could it not be?  It's such a classic Literary Lacquer, gorgeous jelly holo full of glinting holo microglitters.  This is a linear petal pink holo with a mixture of square and hex microglitters.  The formula was really fantastic and it applied like a dream in 2 coats.  No topcoat used.    

Glam Glaze Vintage Pin-Ups V-Day Collection (Partial Review)

Good morning dolls!  Happy Sunday.  Happy Super Bowl Day!  Are you going to be watching the game?  Having a party?  I am both of the above, but don't care who wins - I'm just watching for the commercials and the half time show.  Of course this is after morning soccer, the best sport ever!  So of course I am a busy mama bee, but I did want to share a post with you today.  Glam Glaze Polish is a new-to-me brand brand on the indie scene.  Jessica, the maker, opened in 2013 and has several collections under her belt.  She offers a wide variety of finishes: chameleon, shimmer, topcoats, glitter, holo, thermal...you get the idea. She even does customs for no additional charge!  So while you mull that over let me present the brand new Vintage Pin-Up VDay Collection!  This is a gorgeous collection full of romantic shades and pretty finishes.  The inspiration is unique and fun too!  You can pre-order the 4 piece Vintage Pin-Up collection right now for $30, or for $8 each.  Shipping will begin the first week of February.  These will be the perfect little touch to make yourself feel beautifully retro for Valentine's Day!  So I think it's time to take a gander at some polish!

*press sample*

Glam Glaze Polish: Shop, Facebook, Instagram

I'm All Yours, a soft, shimmery, cool shade of lilac that contains real sterling silver micro flakies!  I was impressed with the formula of I'm All Yours.  It was creamy and thick and covered perfectly.  The sterling silver micro flakies really create a gorgeous and luxurious effect.  There looks to be a touch of holo shimmer as well because I did see a tiny bit of rainbow sparkle.  I used 2 coats of I'm All Yours and finished with topcoat.  

Check Out My Rose Buds is the limited edition shade of the collection.  I am not positive, but it looks as if it may already be sold out in the pre-sale.  If so I do apologize for sharing something that is unavailable to you.  Check Out My Rose Buds is a beautiful champagne-rose gold shade full of rainbow and gold shimmer.  It's got a very slight mauve undertone to it as well.  I love the femininity of this polish and the very boudoir feel to it.  I mean hello sexy negligee for your nails!  The formula is a touch sheer but it builds up nicely in a few coats and does not feel heavy or thick.  I used 4 coats of Check Out My Rose Buds and finished with topcoat.  

And last is Make Him Beg For It, a fabulous metallic fiery red with gold sparkle.  The finish and color on this one is gorgeous, so glamorous.  If you want to feel like a centerfold then you need this polish!  Make Him Beg For It applied a bit patchy with the first coat but evened up beautifully with the second.  Do make sure you let each coat dry fully before applying the next so you don't get any polish globs towards your tips.  I used 2 coats of Make Him Beg For It and 1 layer of topcoat.