Saturday Random Swatchfest 2/21/2015

Hello again everyone!  This Saturday Swatchfest happened to fall on the birthday of my daughter and mom!  So Happy Birthday to two special ladies in my life! :)  As usual, at our swatchfest we're going to look at 10 random polishes from the untried portion of my collection.  If you'd like to see live application of formula you can do so here:

Let's look at the polish:

OPI In a Holidaze is our red polish and I actually really liked this one- such a great classic red crelly polish.  This is two coats.  A

Sally Hansen Sugar Coat Pink Sprinkles is a raspberry pink with little gold flecks throughout.  I'm showing you two coats and I wish it had reached a bit more opacity.  B-

Sinful Colors Ring the Bellini is a new polish from the Citrus Twist display.  It's a mandarin yellow-orange with tons and tons of shimmer.  This is the amount of opacity reached at two coat.  I was only ok with this one.  It probably looks better as a topper.  B

Julie G You-niverse is a gold/green duochrome and I've shown you two coats here.  This one does show the brushstrokes a bit, but I do think it's really pretty.  A

FingerPaints Leonardo's Lime is a fabulously weird green cream polish.  I thought the formula was great and the color is just so cool.  This is two coats.  A

For blue I'm sharing Sonia Kashuk Naval Academy which is a really pigmented navy blue.  I've shown you just one coat here without topcoat.  I thought it was great and especially pleased with how easy application was.  A

Formula X for Sephora At Your Own Risk is our purple polish.  What a great shade!  I love this hot pinky-purple.  I barely reached opacity at two coats, and wasn't sure if I was going to like this one, but it totally grew on me.  A

Zoya Loredana is our neutral polish this week.  It's a matte velvet from Zoya so it dries matte, but it looks absolutely stunning with topcoat, which is how I've shown you here.  This is two coats of the charcoal gray.  A

Our glitter polish today is Urban Outfitters Violet Sugar.  What a cool polish! I love all the glitters in this violet crelly base.  The base doesn't get super opaque at two coats, but I still really liked it.  A

We've finally arrived at my A+ polish of the week and it is the incomparable Cirque Erda.  I received this polish as a gift from Ashley at nailsaloveaffair.blogspot.com so that makes it extra special for me.  But on top of that- I just love this slightly blue-toned emerald luster.  This is two coats.

And that wraps it up.  I hope you're having a great day and I'll see you back next time.

Over and out

Virtuous Polish Women of Valor Collection with Live Application

Hey guys :)  I've happy to show you an indie polish brand today that I've had my eye on for a bit.  Finally when they had another restock I quickly snatched the Virtuous Polish Women of Valor collection for review.  What's cool about this brand and collection is that they are faith-based and this collection in particular has 7 polishes all named after virtuous women of the Bible.  If you'd like to see live application of formula and a quick stamping demo, you can do so here:

Concerning formula- they are all neon creams and they are on the thick side.  Some are one-coaters, but none need more than two coats.  They all dry matte but I prefer them with topcoat, especially as it helps the polishes even out a bit.

Let's look at these neon polish swatches:

 This first polish in the collection is a bright blue called Deborah.  This is one easy coat with topcoat.

They gave us a great neon yellow called Magdalene that does not need undies(a white base).  This is two coats.

 This gorgeous medium blue-toned pink is called Miriam.  I am showing you two easy coats.

 Wow, what a gorgeous bright turquoise in here called Naomi.  This is one easy coat.

Another of my favorites is this gorgeous bright blurple called Queen Ester.  I'm showing you one coat and it's just breathtaking.  I wore this for three days and had no chipping issues.

The other green in the collection is called Rahab and is much more of a bright mint. I've shown you two coats.

Last up they've given us this pink/coral called Ruth.  Very very bright, this is two easy coats.

Overall I was very pleased with this collection.  The bottle gives you 15mL of product and the brush was suitable, not too big not too small.  As I mentioned earlier, the formula is on the thick side but I really didn't have any issues.  Also- they work great for stamping over black and if you want to see that demo it's at the end of the video I linked above.  I purchased these polishes at virtuouspolish.com

I hope this helped give you a more informed look at the collection :)  Have a great day and I'll see you back tomorrow.

Over and out

Saturday Random Swatchfest 2/14/15

Playing catch up here, I know :)  This is my Saturday Swatchfest from Valentines Day.  I uploaded it to my channel, but I've been sick and wasn't able to spend the time on my blog that it deserves.  As usual, if you'd like to see the live application of formula of all these ladies, then you can do so here:

Let's look at the polishes :)

For red we're looking at OPI I Sing in Color which is a deep blood red crelly.  This is two coats without topcoat.  Not really my shade, but it definitely has it's time and place.  B

China Glaze Escaping Reality is our pink polish this week.  This one dries semi-matte and it's a nice blue-toned pink.  This is two coats without topcoat.  B+

FingerPaints Stardust Blush is our "orange" polish this week.  It's not orange obviously, but it's a red/gold textured combo so I put it in this spot.  Something about this polish was kind of off-putting.  I think because it was too thick I just didn't really enjoy it, but the concept is nice.  This is one coat over Escaping Reality shown above.  C

Our yellow polish this week is from Covergirl and it's called Haughty Lemon.  It is very sunny and has a very subtle shimmer.  I thought they did a great job with formula.  This is two coats.  A

For green this week, we have Revlon Enthrall.  This is a gorgeous deep olive shimmer with a bit of brown in it.  This is just gorgeous and the formula was smooth and easy.  This is two coats.  A

American Apparel Mount Royal is our blue polish this week.  I am so in love this the shade of this polish!  It's just one of my happy colors :)  The formula is easy, you almost reach opacity in one coat but I've shown you two.  I usually swatch without topcoat so the original effect of the polish is shown, but this is a polish I would probably topcoat just because it's not naturally glossy.  A

Julep Sylvia is a basic grape cream.  I've shown you two coats here and even though you're looking at a clean swatch, I had to work for it.  The formula was not great, and for that reason I can't give this more than a C+ because there are so many polishes out there just like this one.  

The neutral polish I want to show you this week is Avon Gel Finish Iceburg White.  This polish has the nicest formula of any white polish I've tried.  You're looking at two coats and it was just so easy and shows no nail through at two coats.  Loved it! A

My A+ polish this week is Zoya Savita.  It's one of their matte velvet polishes and on it's own it looks like this at two coats.  But...

with topcoat it looks like this- just majestic!  So regal and I just love that glow from within.

And that wraps it up!  I hope you enjoyed our Swatchfest :)  What was your favorite polish this week?  Have a great one and I'll see you back next time.

Over and out

Polish is My Valentine Day 4: Date Night

Welcome back to the fourth and final day of the Polish is My Valentine mani collab I've been doing with Charlie from Pocket Money Polishes.  Today's final prompt is "date night."  Actually the hubs and I had our date night last night.  We stayed at the theater for two showings which was definitely out of the ordinary, but we felt like kids again and enjoyed our time out :)  Here's the design I came up with for date night:

I decided on formal attire for a date night, although goodness knows I went super casual for my Valentines date night this year.  I hope you hop on over to see Charlie's manicure for our final prompt.  You can find her design here. and on instagram here.  Happy Valentines Day to you and if you recreate any of these designs please tag me @phoebemoon14 so I can see :)  xoxoxo

Over and out

Polish is My Valentine Day 3: Vintage Romance

Well hello! I'm so glad you've stopped back for day three of the Polish is My Valentine collaboration I'm doing for Valentine's Day with Charlie from Pocket Money Polishes.  This has been so much fun and today's prompt is "Vintage Romance."  Here's what I came up with:

When I think of Vintage Romance I immediately go to lace, I don't know why :)  But I went with little bits of lace on each finger and full lace on the accent nail.  I also chose a very classic red for my "vintage" feel- and it is China Glaze Red Satin which is a lovely, deeper red crelly.

Don't forget to check out Charlie's post here.

Hope you're having a great day and I'll see you back tomorrow for our last Valentines Manicure.

Over and out

Polish is My Valentine: Day 2 "True Love"

Hello again! Fancy that, I'm already back with another blog post :)  I know I've been seriously slacking with my blog lately, but I'm so happy to be bringing you my second mani in the Polish is My Valentine collaboration with Charlie at Pocket Money Polishes!  Today's prompt is true love and so without further ado, here's what I've come up with:

For the base of this chocolate-lovers mani I used Zoya Kristen and then used plastic wrap to create the distressed look on each nail.  I decided chocolate would be my muse for this true love manicure and picked some of my favorite forms of chocolate :)  All work was done with acrylic paint except for the base polishes.  What is your true love??

Please check out Charlie's manicure for today's prompt it is the cutest thing ever!! You can find her post here and on instagram here!

Xoxo to you and we'll see you back on Friday, day after tomorrow, for the next installment.

Over and out

Polish is My Valentine- First Day: Cute

Hello again friends :)  I hope you're having a really great day!  I'm super excited for this week because I actually have a lineup of nail art to share with you!  I'll be sharing a collaboration of manicures with the lovely and talented Charlie from Pocket Money Polishes or on instagram she is @FrostFromFire.  She came up with four fun prompts for us to celebrate polish as our valentine and I thought it was a brilliant idea!  We will be sharing our manicures on instagram as well, and the first day (today) has the prompt "cute."  I knew exactly what I wanted to do for today, so without further ado, let's take a look at today's mani:

Now, while Conversation Hearts aren't necessarily my favorite Valentines Day candy, I do think they are the cutest!  My base polish is Spoiled Cotton Mouth and the rest of the work is done with acrylic paints.  The inspiration for this design is taken directly from this little box of candy I bought for my daughter.  It promptly got gobbled up, but I was still able to use the box :)

I hope you enjoyed this design and please hop on over to check out Charlie's manicure!  You can find her post here and the rest of her links:

www.pocketmoneypolishes.wordpress.com

https://www.facebook.com/PocketMoneyPolishes

www.instagram.com/frostfromfire

We have three more manicures coming up this week, tomorrow's theme will be "true love."  I really hope you stop by to see what we've come up with and I hope you recreate our manis and share with us on instagram!  Just tag me @phoebemoon14

Have a great day and I'll see you back tomorrow!!

Over and out

 

Saturday Random Swatchfest 1/7/2015

Hello! On Saturday I had my usual Swatchfest and today we're going to look at the polishes. Actually, it was slightly unusual because all the polishes I shared came from my swap with Hannah Eve Nails It, so I didn't randomly chose these polishes from my untried stash.  As always, if you'd like to see these polishes swatched live, enabling you to see formula, you can do so here:

Let's look at some photos:

First, I want to share one of the amazing glitters she sent me.  This is Candy Lacquer Unicorn Bubbles.  I've swatched it over Zoya Neely and it's a clear jelly base with holographic microglitters and then different sizes of rainbow-colored circle glitters.  This is two coats without topcoat.  A

I loved all these polishes, and they're all getting top marks from me, but this was probably my favorite and received my official A+ mark- although a lot of them were in that same place.  This is Color Club Beyond from the Halo Hues collection and this is just one coat!  It goes on like butter and it was not difficult to get this holographic magnificence to show up on the nail.

Next up we have this amazing glitter from FingerPaints called Violaceous Vase.  It's a purple shimmering base and then there are multi-sized hex glitters of the same color.  This one is stunning! This is two coats on its own.  A

Another glitter Hannah sent me is Glisten & Glow At the Door @ 54 which is a warm pink jelly base with microglitters in silver, blue, pink, and holographic.  This is two coats and I felt like the level of opacity was pretty decent.  Loved it.  A

The next polish I have to show you is Orly Passion Fruit which is a hot pink crelly and I'm showing you two coats.  The picture is almost showing you how bright this is, it is neon sexiness!  A

 

Next up we're looking at Revlon Colorstay Bold Sangria.  This is two easy coats and it applies so easily.  Deep grape wine, this one is a must-have staple for your collection.  A

She sent me a couple Zoya polishes; the first I'm going to share with you is Zoya Blu.  I've heard about the epic nature of this powder blue for a long time.  This is two coats, but I nearly had it opaque at one.  The formula is just so great because usually really light polishes like this can be streaky, but not this polish :) A

The next Zoya we're going to look at is Neely, from the same collection.  This one doesn't have quite as special of a formula as Blu, but it's rather spectacular at two coats.  I love this powdery, dusty sea green.  A

The next polish she sent me is another Revlon Colorstay polish, and this one is Buttercup.  This is a great pale yellow- one of the better formulas I have of light yellows.  You're looking at two coats and it didn't get absolutely opaque, but it has a no-fuss formula which I like.  A

Last up we're going to look at the final glitter in the pack.  This is Color Club Blue Beaded and it's a clear base packed with white and blue micro-matte-glitters.  It's really special and unique and I have absolutely nothing like it :)  It's super subtle, especially over Zoya Blu, but it's so cool.  A

That's going to be it for today.  I hope you're having a great one :)  See you next time!

Over and out

Zoya Naturel Satins Live Application Review

Welcome back to my blog, fellow polish-lovers :)  Today I have a special 6 piece collection to share with you from Zoya.  It's called the Naturel Satins collection and they all have an impressive formula. As always, if you'd like to see live application of these polishes and see formula for yourself, you can do so here:

Let's look at the polish:

First up, the lightest of the bunch, this is Ana.  I've shown you two easy coats in it's natural finish, with no topcoat.  Zoya describes this as a toasted almond cream.  It applied easily without any tricky fuss necessary.  Just lovely.

Next up, let's look at the light rosy mauve called Brittany.  This is two coats, without topcoat and it applied like a dream.  You can both call this a nude and a pink.

My personal favorite of the collection, this is Leah.  This is a barely lavender taupe.  A combination of two things I love so much, taupe and lavender.  The application of formula was easy as with the others.  Just perfection.

The deepest polish in the collection, this is Rowan.  Zoya describes it as a suede taupe.  Same easy, smooth application.  I've shown you two coats without topcoat.

The polish with the most colorful pigmentation, this is Sage.  It's a mossy sage green and I've shown you two easy coats here.  Applied like butter and nearly opaque at just one coat, this one is a must-have if you love green cream polish.

Last up we have Tove.  This polish is described as a misty slate gray cream.  Another great addition to the collection.  I particularly love gray polish, and this one did not disappoint.  Two coats shown here without topcoat.

That will wrap up the collection.  I hope you found this review helpful, and you're better able to make an informed decision about these Naturel Satins.  I'm sure it's clear, I loved this collection and highly recommend it to you.  Have a great day and I'll see you back next time :)

Over and out