Round Up: Nail Polish Combos

Contains Press Sample Purchased Myself

Hello readers, 
Today I've got some recent polish combinations I've worn to share with you. Let's take a look at swatches. 

Brand Challenge: Pretty & Polished

Purchased Myself Contains Press Sample

Hello readers,
Today I'm sharing two untried and one very long time since I've tried Pretty & Polished shades from my collection. Let's take a look at swatches.

Pretty & Polished Summer 2015 Collection Swatches & Review

Press Sample

Hello readers,
Today I have four polishes from Pretty & Polished's Summer 2015 collection.  This collection features a variety of colours and finishes so there's bound to be something for everyone.

Strawberry Lemon Ice

 

Strawberry Lemon Ice features a very pale pink crelly base with pale pink, white and yellow hex glitters.  The formula on this one was easy to work with.  I brushed on the polish and then did a tiny bit of dabbing to ensure even coverage of the crelly base.  It does dry a little uneven due to the glitters so I used a coat of Gelous to smooth things out.  Photos show two coats of Strawberry Lemon Ice with one coat of Gelous and one coat of CND Super Shiney top coat in daylight spectrum lighting.

 

 Solar Flair

Solar Flair features a sheer milky base with tiny yellow and red glitters along with larger yellow hexes.  When exposed to sunlight the base turns a sheer bright red that borders on pink.  The formula was very easy to work with.  I used two coats over Sally Hansen White On to get good glitter coverage and then sealed everything up with a coat of top coat.  Photos show two coats of Solar Flair over Sally Hansen White On with one coat of CND Super Shiney top coat in indoor (daylight spectrum) lighting.

This is where things got a little tricky.  When I went outside to take pictures of the colour change the polish in the bottle changed to red right away but the polish on my nails stayed clear.  What's going on here?  After some experimentation I discovered that my top coat was inhibiting the colour changing property of the polish.  It must filter out whatever wavelength triggers the colour change.  Photos below show the colour change (or lack of colour change) with one coat of CND Super Shiney top coat.

I added one more coat of Solar Flair (so three coats in total if you're keeping count) and didn't put on a top coat.  You can see that there's a nice rosy colour shift now.

With this new knowledge I went and did the entire mani from scratch - two coats of Solar Flair over Sally Hansen White On - but this time I didn't use any top coat.  Unfortunately, by time I had finished repainting my nails the clouds had rolled in.  In cloudy daylight there's still a good colour change as you can see below, but not as strong of a shift as you get with direct sunlight.

Nina of Model City Polish reviewed the same shade with Gelous as a top coat and didn't have any problems getting the polish to change colour in the sun.  Moral of the story... If you want a strong colour shift from this polish, make sure you do a test swatch with your top coat of choice before hand.

I'm Just Orchiding

I'm Just Orchiding is a bright medium purple creme  It was also the most difficult polish to photograph with any colour accuracy.  The photos below are pretty damn close, though in some lighting it leans a tiny bit less blue to the eye.  The formula was great.  I used three coats to reach opacity.  It dried to a matte finish so a top coat is definitely needed.  Photos show three coats of I'm Just Orchiding with one coat of CND Super Shiney top coat in daylight spectrum lighting.

Who Wears Short Shorts

Who Wears Short Shorts features a dusty blue crelly base packed with fine shimmer and an assortment of small blue and aqua glitters.  The formula on this one was perfect.  I used three coats to reach opacity.  This polish dries smoothly with a waxy finish so top coat is recommended for shine.  Photos show three coats of Who Wears Short Shorts with one coat of CND Super Shiney top coat in daylight spectrum lighting.

Conclusion

My personal favorite of the four is Who Wears Short Shorts with I'm Just Orchiding in second place.  I love the combo of shimmer and microglitter and the formula was just perfect.  These four polishes along with the rest of the summer collection release today, June 1st 2015.  You can find Pretty & Polished on:

https://shopprettyandpolished.com

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Happy polishing,

Michelle

Pretty & Polished Maleficium Swatches & Review

Purchased Myself

Hello readers,
Today I have polish from  Pretty & Polished's Dark Arts collection to show with you.  So many indies have been coming out with metallic flakes over the last year, but P&P did something a little different.

Maleficium features a white crelly based filled with a rainbow of tiny metallic flakies.  The formula was a breeze to work with and it dried completely smoothly.  I used 3 coats and it got about 95% opaque.  You can see the whites of my nail tips look a bit lighter than the rest of the nail.  If you wanted a 100% opaque finish you could always layer a coat or two of Maleficium over a white creme base.  Photos show three coats of Maleficium with one coat of CND Super Shiney top coat in daylight spectrum lighting.

I really love how Pretty & Polished used the flakies in a crelly base instead of mixing them in a clear base.  You can find Pretty & Polished on:

https://shopprettyandpolished.com

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Happy polishing,

Michelle

Colour Blocked Lead Lighting Nail Art

Purchased Myself Press Sample

Hello readers,
I went a little crazy with the nail art and combined 6 polishes into one mani.  I started out with a base of Pretty & Polished Maleficium.  Over top I did two tone stamping using Julep Michelle, Zoya pinta and Cheeky jumbo plate D.  Finally, I filled in the design with sheer polishes to give it a colour blocked look.  The jellies I used were Finger Lickin' Lacquer Terrapin, Finger Lickin' Lacquer Here I Go and Zoya Frida.  Finally, I sealed everything up with a coat of CND Super Shiney top coat.  Photos were taken in daylight spectrum lighting.

Happy polishing,

Michelle

Pretty & Polished Tomboyish Swatches & Review

Hello readers! I hope you all had wonderful long weekends and, if you're a Canadian like me, enjoyed a tasty Thanksgiving meal. Today I have my first ever thermal polish to show you.

Tomboyish by Pretty & Polished is a soft shimmery muted green that shifts to a dusty blue when warmed up. The result? Depending on how warm your finger tips are you either end up with funky french tips or a gradient.

The above photos show four coats of Tomboyish with one coat of CND Super Shiney top coat in natural sunlight.  This seems to be the typical colour shift for my nails.  There's definitely a difference between my nail beds and tips but I like that it's a soft transition rather than a hard line.

Cold

Warm

In Transition

I also took a few photos of the extremes courtesy of running my hands under warm and cold water.  These photos were taken under halogen lighting. Initially, I wasn't sure how I would feel about thermal polishes. However, after trying this one I am in love. I really love that the two colours really complement each other and that it's a soft transition. The only thing that left me wishing for more was the opacity of the polish. The above photos show four coats and when it's the warm dusty blue my nail lines are still clearly visible. Under normal conditions though, i.e. I don't have my hands under hot water, the polish is pretty much opaque. If you're feeling some love for thermal polishes go check out the Pretty & Polished shop. They have a ton of colour shifting polishes to choose from. How do you feel about thermals. Are they a trend that's here to stay or just a gimmick that will go out of style?