September 28, 2013

Enchanted Polish August 2013 Swatches & Review

Hello readers!  The hype surrounding Enchanted Polish finally got to me.  I had to see what this brand was all about so, I spent my some time a few Saturday's ago stalking the EP website for the August restock.  I managed to snag the monthly polish, August 2013, and today I wore it for the first time.


August 2013 is a dusty blue holographic polish.  In certain lighting it leans a little more towards teal.  The formula was great and went opaque in two coats.  I know it's not bottle shots you came to see though, so bring on the swatches!




Photos show two coats of August 2013 with one coat of CND Super Shiney top coat.  The top four photos are in direct natural sunlight and the bottom two are in shade.  If you've read any of my past posts on holographic polishes you know that this level of holo is my favorite. You still get that rainbow on your fingertips in sunlight but it looks soft and shimmery, not blindingly bright.  I also love the silvery depth this polish has in the shade.  Normally at this point in the post I would direct your the Enchanted Polish shop to pick up a bottle of your very own if you liked the colour.  However, I can guarantee you every single polish is sold out.  So, go check out the Enchanted Polish facebook page.  There you will get all the info you need to catch future restocks and get your hands on some gorgeous polish.  I know I'll be looking for more polishes of this style in the future too.  How do you feel about Enchanted Polish?  Is the time spent stalking the restocks worth it?

September 27, 2013

Voodoo Lacquer Witch's Brew Swatches & Review

Despite the title there are actually two polishes I have to show you in today's post.  First up is the colour I was originally planning on just using as a base colour and not even photographing.  However, once I realized that it was a one coater, I had to show you guys.  It's China Glaze's Tongue & Chic from the Autumn Nights collection.

Tongue & Chic is a shimmery dark teal polish.  If you didn't catch it the first time, the formula is fantastic because it goes opaque in one coat.  ONE COAT! Also, it is just a really pretty polish overall.



Pictures show one coat of Tongue & Chic with no top coat in natural sunlight.  Please forgive my not great clean up job.  I was in the very middle of my manicure and didn't want to do a full clean up just to put more polish right on those same spots.


So what was Tongue & Chic the base colour for?  Voodoo Lacquer Witch's Brew.  This polish has a sheer light blue base filled with small green squares, small purple hexes and medium blue hex glitter.  The formulas was great and applied evenly and smoothly.




Photos show two coats of Witch's Brew over China Glaze Tongue & Chic with one coat of Seche Vite top coat.  The top two pictures are in direct natural sunlight and the bottom four are in the shade.  This is the first polish that I've tried from Voodoo Lacquer and really like it!  The end result kind of reminds me of a peacock.  If you want a bottle of your very own check out the Voodoo Lacquer Etsy Shop.  Halloween is starting early this year.

September 25, 2013

Indie Polish Swatches & Review

Disclaimer:  This product was offered at a reduced price or at no charge to manicuremanifesto.com in exchange for published reviews.  All reviews are fair, honest and reflect my personal opinion.  

Hello readers!  Last week I received some samples from a brand I hadn't had the chance to try before, Indie Polish.  Get your eyes ready for lots of pictures!

Odd Duck



Odd Duck is a feather effect polish with lots of tiny bar glitter in a rainbow of colours.  The formula was easy to apply and dried very smoothly. I wasn't able to get this polish to become opaque though so if you want the bar glitter colours to pop but don't want a visible nail line then I would suggest wearing it over a white or nude creme.



Photos show four coats of Odd Duck with no top coat in natural sunlight.  I was impressed with how smoothly this polish dried even though it's full of glitter.  The little bar glitters really shine when they catch the light.

Winter White



Winter white is a super shimmery white polish.  The formula was great and easy to apply.  It took three coats to become opaque.  I did find that it took longer than I was expecting to dry though.  My patience was worth it though.  I wore it for three days and didn't get a single chip.



Photos show three coats of Winter White with one coat of CND Super Shiney top coat in natural sunlight.  It was hard to capture how shimmery this polish is in person.  I really liked this one.  This is a really pretty polish that could been worn pretty much anywhere.  I think it will be an awesome colour for winter and match the snow too!

Enchanted Purple

Enchanted Purple is a shiny purple crelly.  It is the perfect balance between the translucence.  It only took three coats to become opaque but is sheer enough that you can sandwich glitters between coats and still have them show through.  I used a coat of Darling Diva Polish Naughty list between the second and third coats of Enchanted Purple on my ring finger.



Photos show three coats of Enchanted Purple with no top coat in natural sunlight.  I really loved this polish... until I took it off.  Unfortunately it made it through my base coat and Nail Envy and stained my nails a bright pink.  I managed to get most of it out by scrubbing my nails with a lemon juice and baking soda past but it was a bit of a hassle.  I really wish that it didn't stain because it's a gorgeous colour with great application.  I should note that this is the only polish out of the four I tried that had any staining issues.

Cashmere Sweater


When I first read this polish name I instantly thought of the Seinfeld episode where George buys the discounted cashmere sweater with the red dot and tries to gift it to multiple people.  "Oh Geoorrrge... Is that cashmere???".  Anyhow, back to the actual polish because... this is a polish blog after all.   Cashmere sweater is a shimmery nude with a subtle holo that appears in sunlight.  The formula on this one was fantastic.  Only two coats to become opaque but if you were in a rush you could get away with one.



Photos show two coats of Cashmere Sweater with one coat of CND Super Shiny top coat in natural sunlight. I really love the look of this polish. It has the perfect amount of holo (for me). Enough that it sparkles in the sun but not so much that it's like "LOOK AT ME! I'M BLINDINGLY SHIMMERY RAINBOW!". This is another colour that you could wear pretty much anywhere but still has personality.

Conclusion

My personal favorite of the four polishes is Cashmere Sweater.  It just looks so soft and shimmer and delicate. All of the polishes had great formulas and for the two that I wore for several days (Winter White and Enchanted Purple) I didn't experience any chipping, which is rare for me. If there's a colour that caught your eye you can purchase them from the Indie Polish Etsy shop. You should also go check out the Indie Polish facebook page.  There's a giveaway going on right now too!  This is a brand I will be keeping my eyes on in the future.  Bonus (for me) is that this a Canadian brand.  Go Canada!  I love when I can support business close to home.

September 21, 2013

Black Sheep Lacquer Surf's Up Swatches & Review

Hello readers!  A couple of months ago I told you that I have won a 'design a polish' contest from Black Sheep Lacquer.  My suggestion was a slightly off white crelly polish with a light gold/champagne microshimmer. Then I would add light gold (not bright yellow-ey gold) small square glitter, sheer light teal small square glitter and and medium sheer iridescent white square glitter.  Last week I received the final creation and I am so happy with how it turned out!


Surf's Up has an off white crelly base with a light gold shimmer.  It is packed with blue, teal and gold glitters.  The formula was fantastic and easy to apply.  It took three coats to become opaque and dried very smoothly.



Photos show three coats of Surf's Up with one coat of CND Super Shiney top coat in natural sunlight.  I love how this polish turned out.  It's so shimmery and I love how the glitters peak through the polish layers.  Erin at Black Sheep Lacquer did a great job of turning my idea into a gorgeous polish.  If you want a bottle of your very own Surf's Up is available in the Black Sheep Lacquer Etsy shop.  Erin does custom polish orders too, so if you have an idea bouncing around your brain she can help make it a reality.
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