WingDust Collections Bombshell! Swatches & Review

Giveaway Prize

Hello readers,
I finally got around to trying a polish I won from WingDust Collections a few months back for entering a #wingdustwednesday contest.

Bombshell! features a clear based filled with hot pink, peach, silver and black glitters in various shapes and sizes along with a hint of iridescent blue shimmer. I used it as a glitter topper over Cirque Midsummer Night (a cobalt blue jelly with red shimmer). The formula was great and very easy to work with. I didn't have to do any dabbing to get the glitter evenly distributed across the nail. The edges of the stars and largest hexes stuck up a little for me, but that's just because of my very curvy nail beds. A single coat of top coat was more than enough to smooth everything out. Photos show one coat of Bombshell! over Cirque Midsummer Night in daylight spectrum lighting.

You can find WingDust Collections on:

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Happy polishing,

Michelle

Reverie Nail Lacquer Tide Pools Swatches & Review

Purchased Myself

Hello readers,
Today I have a new to me brand to share with you. I've been eying Reverie Nail Lacquer for a while now and I finally caved during their last sale and made a sizable purchase.

Tide Pools features a blue jelly base with a hint of silver shimmer packed with blue, copper, green, silver and white glitters in various shapes and sizes. The formula on this one was fairly thick due to the sheer amount of glitter in it. The technique I found worked well was to brush the polish on the nail and then use the brush to dab any sheer spots and nudge apart the odd glitter clump (aka many glitters sitting on top of each other). This takes a little more work but the payoff is that this polish only takes two coats to become opaque. I used a good coat of Gelous to smooth things out and then a coat of CND Super Shiney top coat to seal everything up. Photos show two coats of Tide Pools with one coat of Gelous and one coat of CND Super Shiney top coat in daylight spectrum lighting.

The verdict? The end results is very pretty but personally I think I would have preferred a slightly less glitter dense formula even if it took an extra coat to become opaque. Overall though, this polish is gorgeous and the little bit of extra work to apply is definitely worth it. You can find Reverie Nail Lacquer on:

Etsy

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Happy polishing,

Michelle

Cirque Midsummer Night Swatches & Review

Gift

Hello readers,
Today I have a polish that came out as part of the Kontiki collection but only made it onto my nails now.

Midsummer Night features a cobalt blue jelly base, red shimmer and a sprinkling of super fine gold glitter.  In shaded lighting the red shimmer shifts to green and gold.  The formula was a bit sheer but did layer up nicely.  After three coats it was 95% opaque.  In direct bright light (like my lightbox) you can still see the nail line peaking through a little bit.  It dries to a satin finish so a glossy top coat is recommended.  Photos show three coats of Midsummer Night with one coat of CND Super Shiney top coat in daylight spectrum lighting.

Unfortunately, this polish was a limited edition and is hard to find these days.  However, the shimmer reminds me a lot of Girly Bits Cosmetics Shift Happens and I think you could come pretty close by layering it over a cobalt base.

Happy polishing,

Michelle

Arcane Lacquer Lambient Light Swatches & Review

Purchased Myself

Hello readers,
Today I have a shimmer flecked spring polish from Arcane Lacquer to show you.

Lambient Light is a bit of a trickster.  In indoor light it leans more pink but in sunlight it looks like a bright lilac.  It also features lots of iridescent blue flakes.  The formula was easy to work with and took two coats to become opaque.  Photos show two coats of Lambient Light with one coat of HK Girl top coat in daylight spectrum lighting.

You can find Arcane Lacquer on:

https://www.arcanelacquer.bigcartel.com/

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Happy polishing,

Michelle

Jelly Gradient With Paisley Stamping

Purchased Myself

Hello readers,

Today I have a mix of nail art techniques to show you. I started out with a base of Model City Polish Fritillaria, a soft flecked peach orange. Then I built up a jelly gradient using Nfu Oh JS26. It looked more purple in the bottle but ended up looking more fuchsia on the nail with the hint of orange showing through. I only used the brush to apply the jelly polish, starting at the tips and then slowly working my way down with each extra coat. Finally I used Moyou London Fashionista Collection plate 11 and China Glaze Liquid Leather to stamp on a paisley-esque design. Finally, I sealed everything up with a coat of HK Girl top coat. Photos show this mani in daylight spectrum lighting.

Happy polishing,

Michelle

Model City Polish Fritillaria Swatches & Review

Purchased Myself

Hello readers,
I have a super pretty spring colour to show you today.  I'm not one to usually go for orange polishes, but the flecked shimmery finish of Model City Polish's spring collection immediately caught my attention.

 

Fritillaria is a peachy orange polish with peach microflakes and a soft scatter holo shimmer.  The formula was easy to work with and it took me two coats to reach opacity.  It dried smoothly though with a slightly satin finish so a high gloss top coat is recommended for shine.  Photos show two coats of Fritillaria with one coat of CND Super Shiney top coat in daylight spectrum lighting.

Ok, I admit it, I like an orange polish.  It is a perfect spring shade and I love the flecked shimmer.  You can find Model City polish on:

https://www.modelcitypolish.com/

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Happy polishing,

Michelle

Birchbox Canada April 2015 Unboxing & Review

Purchased Myself

Hello readers,
My April Birchbox showed up in the mail this morning and that means it's time for an unboxing!

This month all Canadian subscribers (except gift subscriptions and people getting their very first box) were promised a floral print Rifle Paper Co. box on their facebook page.  However, I still got a boring brown box.  I emailed them about the discrepancy and was told theme boxes were a program they were rolling out slowly to Canadians.  Guaranteeing something to all subscribers and then failing to follow through doesn't sit well with me.  The insert it this month's box does a great job of describing the box I didn't get.

BeeKind Shower Gel | Full-size $19

Well the contents are off to a good start.  Shower gel is something I can definitely use and this is a good size sample.  Honey and lemongrass sounds pretty yummy to me.  Based on the full-size price, this sample is worth $2.41.

Temple Spa Peace Be Still Calming Face & Body Balm | Full-size $37

Another good size sample of something I will use.  Not super exciting, but a staple for sure.  Though the card says the full-size is worth $37, on the birchbox.ca shop, it's listed at $29 for 150ml.  Based on the full-size shop price this sample is worth $4.83.

Laqa & Co Sheer Lip Lube Pencil | Full-size $25

This is the sample I was most looking forward too, but unfortunately it showed up covered in purple smudges of product.  (There's some on my temple spa balm too).  I'm not sure what happened there since the cap seems to have stayed on.  I'll sanitize it before trying it just to be sure.  I emailed Birchbox about this and they compensated me with 50 points.  Based on the full-size, this sample is worth $17.50.

Jelly Pong Pong Glow Getter Highlight | Full-size $16.50

No, this is not nail polish, it's a liquid facial highlighter.  I love highlighters so I will definitely give this a try.  It does look quite shimmer so a little bit should go a long way.  This is full-size, so it is worth $16.

Lulu Organics Lavendar and Clary Sage Hair Powder | Full-size $36

This is the only product from this month's box that I won't get any use of.  Hair powders and dry shampoos just aren't my thing.  Combine, these two samples are worth $3.17.

Conclusion

I really happy with the contents of this month's box.  I'll use most of the items and there weren't any really tiny samples in there.  The total value was $43.91 which is way more than the $14.95 I paid for the box.  I am rather disappointed at the Rifle Paper Co box mix up and response though.  I get that mistakes happen, but don't act as if it's completely OK to promise customer something and then fail to send it.  If you want to find out more check out the Birchbox Canada website.  Don't forget to review your box items for an extra $5 in birchbox points.

Happy polishing,

Michelle