Brand Challenge: Picture Polish

Purchased Myself

Hello readers,
Today I'm continuing to swatch my way through my Picture Polish collection. Let's take a look at swatches.

Zoya Luscious Collection Swatches & Review

Press Sample

Hello readers,
Today I have Zoya's Luscious collection for fall 2020 to share with you. Let's take a look at swatches.

Brand Challenge: LynBDesigns

Purchased Myself

Hello readers,
Today I'm continuing to shop my collection and have four untried shades from LynBDesigns to share with you. Let's take a look at swatches.

Brand Challenge: Grab Bag

Purchased Myself

Hello readers,
In my efforts to shop my collection more I picked a shades from a mix of different brands that I only have one unworn polish from. Let's take a look at swatches.

FingerPaints 50 Shades Of Ashley Swatches & Review

Purchased Myself

Hello readers,
I usually associate strong contrasting shimmer with indies, but when I saw this shade in a FingerPaints display while browsing at Sally's I knew I had to give it a try.

OPI This Color's Making Waves Swatches & Review

Purchased Myself

Hello readers,
I probably didn't need another metallic teal polish, but the bronzey flakes in this one called to me from the clearance bin at Sally's and somehow it ended up coming home with me.

Revlon I'm Electro Swatches & Review

Purchased Myself

Hello readers,
Today I shopped my collection and came across one of the chromes from the limited edition Revlon Spiderman collection.  The icy blue seemed perfect for the snowy weather outside.

Fish Scale Stamping and Finger Paint's Sailor's Lure

Purchased Myself

Hello readers,
Today I have Finger Paints Sailor's Lure to show you along with some stamping inspired the the 'fish scale' texture this polish is supposed to mimic.  I'd seen lots of swatches of the Finger Paints Enchanted Mermaid Collection out there and I wasn't particularly impressed.  The textured look didn't do much for me though I loved the based colours.  I was in Sally's the other day checking out their 50% off all clearance polishes sale and noticed one of these polishes in the bin.  I figured for just over $2 it was worth a shot.

I used two coats of Sailor's Lure first.  The formula was not terrible but not great.  I found if you didn't pay attention the texture glitters would kind of clump together.  Then I added a generous coat of Gelous and waited for it to dry.  Finally I stamped fish scales over top with China Glaze Liquid Leather and Bundle Monster plate BM-502.  A coat of CND Super Shiney top coat was added to seal everything up.  Photos show this mani under daylight spectrum lighting.

So, how do I feel about this textured polish?  I'm still not sure.  I definitely don't like it without top coat, however, when it's smoothed out it does look kind of interesting.  I absolutely love the base colours of this collection (Pssst.... Fingerpaints.  You should totally release these without the texture).  I think for this design the texture actually works out quite well since it adds depth to the scales.

Happy polishing,

- Michelle

Summer Of Untrieds Day 20: Duo/Multichrome/Shifter - CrowsToes Huginn & Muninn

Hello readers,
I'm falling a bit behind on the summer of untrieds challenge but I'm still trying to do every theme.  The theme for day 20 was duo/multichrome/shifter.  I recectly got Huginn & Muninn from the CrowsToes Nail Color Nine Realms collection which fit the bill perfectly.

Huginn & Muninn is a blue based polish which shifts from purple to dark green.  In some lighting I also noticed hints of blue and red shimmer.  There is also a nice holo shimmer which comes out in direct sunlight.  The formula for this one was problem free.  It became opaque in three coats though I think you could get away with two.  Photos show three coats of Huginn & Muninn with one coat of CND Super Shiney top coat in natural lighting.

The photos speak for themselves.  This polish is awesome.

Happy polishing,

Michelle

Elevation Polish Pic De Subenuix Swatches & Review

Hello readers,
Today I have my first ever Elevation Polish to show you.  I'm a fan of shimmers and duochromes so Pic De Subenuix automatically appealed to me.  I also switched things up by doing a little subtle stamping on top.

Pic De Subenuix is a periwinkle shimmer with a strong green flash.  The formula was easy to work with and went opaque in three coats.  I used China Glaze Hook And Line to stamp the swirly design from Pueen plate 59 over top.  In dimmer lighting the green flash of the polish is the dominant colour but in direct sunlight the blue shines through more.  Pictures show three coats of Pic De Subenuix with one coat of CND Super Shiney top coat in natural lighting.

I really liked this polish and I can see why people become addicted to this brand.  I just bought three more in the last llarowe restock so my Elevation collection which grow a lot soon.

Happy polishing,

Michelle

The Lady Varnishes Raven King Duochrome

Disclaimer:  These polishes were 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.

Today I decided to back to my favorite family of polish colours, dark jewel tones.  The LadyVarnishes has two polishes call Raven King in her shop.  One is a holographic polish and one is a duochrome.  I decided to try to the duochrome version.  Raven King is a dark shimmery blurple with a green micro fleck glitter.  The results is a deep shimmer that really comes to life in sunlight.  The polish shifts between purple and blue depending on lighting and the angle you look at it.  The formula was great.  It was easy to work with and took two coats to get opaque.  It dries to a satin finish so if you want a really glossy look you'll just need to use a shiny top coat.  All pictures show two coats of Raven King with one coat of CND Super Shiney top coat in natural sunlight.

This a great polish if you love darker colours like me.  I might toss a matte top coat on this later and see how the shimmer shines through.  If you like what you see you can get your very own bottle from her Etsy shop at https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheLadyVarnishes.  What do you think of this polish?

Spring Swatch Spectacular: Ruby White Tips Part Three

Disclaimer:  These polishes were 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.    


The next polish I have for you from Ruby White Tips is The Sword from The Kill Bill Collection.  This polish is a pearly colour shifting polish with a silver holographic glitter sprinkled through out.  In sunlight it shifts from purple to a light gold.  In some indoor light I noticed a slight green tinge to the gold. 

All of the pictures show three coats of The Sword in natural sunlight.  I didn't use a top coat because the polish dried perfectly smooth on its own.  The holographic glitter may make it look a little rough in the pictures but I assure you this is an illusion.  After three coats you could still see the nail line a bit but only at certain angles.  When the light was hitting it directly and the purple colour was more pronounced the polish appeared opaque.

The formula on this polish was great and it was a breeze to apply.  It ended up being a much better layering polish than I originally expected after first coat.  I did try applying CND Super Shiney top coat after taking these pictures and it didn't affect the look of the polish at all.  I really like this one.  It could also be used as a shimmery top coat over a solid base colour.  Ruby White Tips polishes are always 3-free, vegan and are never tested on animals.  If you'd like a bottle of The Sword you can check out the Ruby White Tips Etsy shop at https://www.etsy.com/shop/RubyWhiteTips.

Indies! Digital Nails Convergent

Today I'm excited to share with you swatches of another indie polish I just got, Digital Nails Convergent.  This polish is a super shimmery teal-blue.  At certain angles it turns into a shimmer purple, but the teal is definitely the dominant colour.  There is also some tiny holographic glitter that really pops in sunlight.

My first impressions were that is was a bit lighter than I expected based on the pictures in the Etsy shop but it was still gorgeous and so shimmery!  I thought it would take a good number of coats to reach opacity but to my pleasant surprise it only took two!  The formula is a great consistency and very easy to apply.  All photos show two coats of Convergent with one coat of CND Super Shiney top coat.

Overall I am incredibly happy with this polish.  The shimmer is just unbelievable.  The seller even included bonus toe separators and a mini buffer in my package even though I only ordered one polish.  If you want a bottle of your very own you can check out Digital Nails on Etsy at https://www.etsy.com/shop/DigitalNails.