Are you ready for the #31DC2015??

It's that time of year again!

Tomorrow starts the first day of the 31 Day Nail Art Challenge.  This is a grueling challenge of creating a nail art look each day for 31 days following a set of prompts.  I first tried to finish this challenge in 2013 but fell off the wagon after week 3.  I was a little upset with myself for quitting.  Then, last year, in 2014, I finished the entire challenge for the first time!  Woo Hoo!  I shared all of the challenge manicures here on the blog and on my Instagram.  I was so stinkin' proud at the end of last years challenge.  The glow of accomplishment beamed from my face.  I hope to feel that same pride this year.   I am a little nervous though, as I am reviewing a great deal more collections this year than I was last time around.  Hopefully, I can keep up with both the swatches and the nail art.  With that in mind, you will likely be seeing many more posts from me in September.  I may even share two posts a day, one for a collection review and one for the nail art challenge.  Last year, I did weekly recaps.  I will definitely do those recaps again this year but will also try to share individual manicures on the days they are due.  I will always be posting my #31DC2015 mani on my Instagram account daily, so feel free to follow there to make sure you see each and every one.

Who's with me on this epic journey?!?!?

Learn more about the #31DC2015 here on Sarah's blog, Chalkboard Nails.  And check out the daily prompts below.





Here, you can check out the nail art looks that I did last year:

week 1 roundup

week 2 roundup

week 3 roundup

week 4 roundup

Wish me luck!  And please, join in on the fun if you can :)

-Amy McG (McPolish)

Lavish Polish - Scouts Unite Collection

Hey all!

Press Sample

I have some delicious sparkly polishes from Lavish Polish to share with you tonight.  Lavish Polish makes some of my favorite crelly polishes.  But Emely sure knows how to make a nice glitter, too!  The Scouts Unite Collection is a 5 piece set of polishes inspired by Sailor Moon.  I am familiar with Sailor Moon but I haven't really watched the show (shame on me), but I still think they polishes match the photos and stories that I have seen/heard about the cartoon.  This collection launch yesterday afternoon so you can go out and buy these polishes now!  Lets get into some swatches :)

Click through for all the photos!

SinfulColors - A Class Act Collection, 3D glitter toppers

Good evening!

Press Sample

I have a few new iridescent glitter toppers from SinfulColors to share with you all tonight.  These polishes are part of the A Class Act Collection and found in the All Nighter display.  I chose two of the three limited edition toppers to review.  Both of these had a tinted base but were not made to be opaque on their own.  I wanted to show you the difference of both of them over a dark color and a light color.  SinfulColors describes them as 3D Glitter Toppers, likely because of the iridescence that give them a lot of depth.  Let's take a look!


"Late Night Haute" has a blue/teal jelly base and is packed with blue/green iridescent shreds and bar glitter with tiny shifty microglitters sprinkled in.  I used one coat over black and a minty blue.  The shreds can be difficult and some will stickup if you aren't careful.  I used a thick coat of glossy top coat to smooth it all out.

"Sinful Sunrise" has a light pink tinted jelly base with a nice mix of pink/yellow iridescent hexes and shreds.  There were a few bars in there but they were sparse.  I used one coat over black and a baby pink creme.  Again, the shreds can be bumpy and stick up so be careful with application.  I smoothed it all out with a glossy top coat.  I think this one was my favorite of the two.

The SinfulColors, A Class Act collection is available now from Walgreens and other retailers.  I have personally seen the All Nighter display at my local Wallgreens already.  According to the SinfulColors website, Sinful Sunrise (pink) and Night Owl (purple) are exclusive to Walgreens.  Each of these retail for only $1.99!  The look to be limited edition, so grab them up if you see them.

Check out the other All Nighter shades on the SinfulColors website and more nail art looks on their social media pages (Facebook Twitter Instagram).

Have a nice weekend!

- Amy McG aka McPolish

*products provided for honest review by Diane Terman PR*

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Butter LONDON & Allure Arm Candy Collection and Giveaway!

Hey loves!

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School has started and hurricane season is upon us.  That means one thing...fall is coming!  Tonight, I have some lovely polishes that are perfect for autumn.  butterLONDON has teamed up with Allure and created the Arm Candy Collection.  This is a collection of 6 full sized, individual nail lacquers and a 4-piece fashion set of smaller bottles.  butterLONDON sent me two sets of the 6 individual polishes, one for me and one for you!  Make sure to check out my giveaway at the end of this post.  This collection is a nice mix of rich cremes, a glitter, a metallic and a sheer.  There is something for everyone this fall here.  Let's take a look!

Click through for swatches and giveaway!

Takko Tuesday! - Jabberwocky

Happy Takko Tuesday!

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This week I have a special treat for you.  Not only do I a have one of the most beautiful Takkitos to share with you, but my friend Lotte is joining in on a Takko Tuesday fun as well!  Lotte is my lovely  pen pal/nail polish swapper/awesome buddy in Germany.  She is a Takko addict as well and we have joined together to share our swatches of Jabberwocky today.  Be sure to check out her swatches here on her blog, Marzipany.  

"Jabberwocky" is a STUNNING dusty teal jelly base with a shifty coppery shimmer.  I literally gasped aloud when I applied this polish.  No joke.  The formula is fantastic and just the right amount of squishy.  I used two thicker coats for full opacity (because I nubbinized!) but if you have longer nails with more white tip exposed, a third coat may be needed.  I love pairing contrasting colors together and the way the shimmer plays with this dusty aqua base is just beautiful.  The shimmer looks like it just pops right off of the nail.  Jabberwocky might have just edged itself into my 'Top 10 Polishes" list!  This was originally offered as Gloss48 exclusive last year but has since been restocked on the Takko Lacquer online store and other stockists.  Let's see this beauty!

Drool worthy, right?  I am not sure when Jabberwocky will be restocked, so be sure to follow Takko Lacquer to learn about upcoming sales.  I do know that Sheryl will be having a restock of the Summer 2015 Collection as well as three original Takkitos (Blushing Nude, Wanderlust and Electric Apple) on September 3rd.  You will also get to see the new Takko logo and labels!  They are very similar to the current labels, just a little more sophisticated.  Set your alarm!!

Here is where you can get your Takko fix:

Takko Lacquer shop and restock info

Takko Lacquer IG

Takko Lacquer Twitter

Takko Lacquer stockists: Mei Mei Signatures, Femme Fatale

And don't forget to check out my friend, Lotte, and her own Jabberwocky Takko Tuesday here!

XOXOX
- Amy McG aka McPolish

*product provided by the maker for honest review*

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Powder Perfect - The Upper Kingdom Collection

Happy Sunday!

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This weekend, I have some super sparkly beauties to share with you all.  I was sent the Powder Perfect Upper Kingdom Collection from my favorite indie nail polish stockist, Color4Nails.  I have been purchasing international indie brands from Color4Nails for a very long time now (since they were just a Facebook page and took orders via email 2 years ago!).  They are my go to stockist and I love them.  Prices are great and they ship quickly.  So, as you can imagine, I was pretty excited to become part of their blogger team to help promote new collections they are stocking.

I have been eyeing this Australian brand for a while now as well.  Powder Perfect has a great range to holographics and glitters that are quite eye catching and I have heard rave reviews about them.  Well...this collection of 5 full coverage microglitters did not disappoint!  The Upper Kingdom Collection is inspired by Ancient Egypt.  I am truly loving this collection and it makes me want to try even more of Powder Perfect's line.  The formulas were perfect and opaque in two coats.  Let's get into some swatches and macros!

Click through for all the sparkle!

Takko Tuesday! - Let Them Eat Cake

Happy Takko Tuesday!

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Tonight, I have a fun little glitter topper from Takko Lacquer to share with you.   "Let Them Eat Cake" was originally released last summer and has been on my wish list for a long time.  Takko doesn't has a lot of glitter toppers in their repertoire, there are only three that I can think of right now (Let Them Eat Cake, XOXO and Kitsch).  Sheryl is all about dat shimma!  But these few glitter toppers are always quite interesting.  "Let Them Eat Cake" is a clear based polish that is loaded with gold holographic hexes, satin mint and aqua hexes, matte white hexes and medium sized mint dots.  the combination of mint and gold is just so fancy and sophisticated.  I wore this manicure yesterday and was loving this glitter!  I used one coat of "Let Them Eat Cake" over Color Club "Look, Don't Tusk" and "In De-Nile" with a glossy top coat.  The glitter coverage was good for one coat and I didn't have to fish for the lager dot glitters.  If you want a denser glitter look, just do two coats.

Be sure to follow Takko Lacquer on their social media outlets to get up to date info on restocks.  There will be a restock of older colors soon as well as a restock to MeiMei Signatures.  Unfortunately, Llarowe is not stocking Takko Lacquer or other indie polishes anymore.

Takko Lacquer shop and restock info

Takko Lacquer IG

Takko Lacquer Twitter

Takko Lacquer stockists: Mei Mei Signatures, Femme Fatale

Yay, glitter!
- Amy McG aka McPolish

*glitter topper provided from review, base colors purchased by me*

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Glam Polish - Think Pink Trio

Hello lovelies!

Purchased by Me

Tonight, I have a stunning trio of polishes to share with you.  This is the first time I am sharing this brand on the blog which is weird because I am a little obsessed with their polishes.  Glam Polish is an Australian indie nail polish brand that cranks outs amazing collections like nobody's business.  They always have to most interesting mixes of holographic bits and super sparkly finishes.  I have not been dissatisfied with any purchase so far.  Sometimes, I have to physically stop myself from going on the Glam Polish website because I know that I can't leave without trying to fill up a cart with pretties.  (confession...I have managed to fill up a cart as I write this because I had to go copy links from their page...so bad!)  I purchased the Think Pink trio when it launched a few months ago.  They have since come out with another trio with the same polishes as this trio but in blue.  I am pretty sure they are going to continue this trio theme, so if you like these pink babies, check out their other colors.  The Think Pink Trio is limited edition but is currently still available on the site.  Get your grabby hands ready after you check out my swatches!

Click through for all the photos!

SinfulColors - A Class Act, Chalkboard Diaries picks

Hello friends!

Press Sample

Tonight, I have three shades from the new SinfulColors, A Class Act collection.  Just in time for the back to school rush, SinfulColors has released a set of 9 colors in a demi-matte finish.  There are classic black and white as well as a variety of pastel chalk shades.  I have three of the colors to share with you today as well as some fun, super easy nail art.

"V.I.Peach" is a pastel yellow with the slightest peachy undertone.  This dries to a semi-matte finish.  It is not super matte and chalky like I thought it would be.  I used three coats alone for this swatch, no base coat or top coat.  Just like most yellow polishes, this was a little streaky.

"Pink Break" is a pastel pink that also has a little bit of a peachy undertone.  The formula for this one was exactly like V.I.Peach, a little streaky.  It dries to a soft, semi-matte finish.  Not completely matte but not exactly satin.  Matte rubber finish?  The color is great though.  I did three coats on the bare nail with no tap coat.

"Hazed" is a deep pink hued purple shade.  The formula on this was a little different.  The base had more of a jelly/crelly consistency which allowed it to self-level much better than the other two.  It dried a little more textured than the other two as well.  It may just be more noticeable because of the darker color.  I used three coats on the bare nail without a top coat here.  And I didn't have any problems with staining.

And now for some nail art!  I did a little floral dotticure using "Hazed" as my base and "V.I.Peach" and "Pink Break" for the flowers and dots.  I used a medium sized dotting tool to create the flowers and a tiny dotting tool for the little polka dots.  I did not use a top coat for this look.

The SinfulColors, A Class Act collection is available now from Walgreens and other retailers.  I have personally seen the Chalkboard Diaries display at my local Wallgreens already.  According to the SinfulColors website, Pink Break as well as Blackboard and Whiteboard are exclusive to Walgreens.  Each of these retail for only $1.99!  Such a steal!

Check out the other demi-matte shades on the SinfulColors website and more nail art looks on their social media pages (Facebook Twitter Instagram).

Enjoy!

- Amy McG aka McPolish

*products provided for honest review by Diane Terman PR*

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Takko Tuesday! - Blushing Nude

Happy Takko Tuesday!

Purchased by Me

Today, I am sharing a super duper special Takkito with you.  This is the one that started it all!  "Blushing Nude" was part of the inaugural collection from Takko Lacquer back in July 2012.  I didn't even start my nail polish addiction until October 2012 but "Blushing Nude" was on my radar before Christmas.  I needed it.  Like NEEDED it!  You could say that this polish was my very first lemming.  After months and months of trying to snag this beauty at a Takko restock and failing, I bit the bullet and ordered internationally from MeiMei Signatures.  So this polish was made in Florida, shipped to Singapore for me to buy it and have it shipped all the way back to Florida to me.  Silly, right?  But when you see this lovely polish...hopefully you will understand.

"Blushing Nude" is a nude based crelly with a bright pink/fuchsia iridescent shimmer.  The shimmer peeks out at certain angles which gives your nails a blushing like quality.  The base color is so close to my natural skin tone that is gives me that mannequin hand look but with a flash of pink blushing at an angle.  I wore this polish today as an entire manicure and people thought I had on clear polish with a pink shimmer.  It's so delicate, so subtle and is a perfectly work appropriate nail polish color.  I used two coats with a glossy top coat for my mani.  There is still a subtle visible nail line but that is what I like about it.  My nails but better. :)

Do you remember those old Takko Lacquer bottles?  I only have a handful for the older round bottles.  I do prefer the current little rectangle bottles that Sheryl uses now.  Wearing this polish today made me feel a little nostalgic for my early crazed excitement over indie polishes.  What was your first lemming and have you gotten your hands on it yet?  Tell me!

Takko Lacquer shop and restock info

Takko Lacquer IG

Takko Lacquer Twitter

Takko Lacquer stockists: Llarowe, Mei Mei Signatures, Femme Fatale


Smooches!
-Amy McPolish McG

*product purchased by me*

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Cirque Colors - The Warby Parker Collection

Good evening folks!

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Have you guys been loving the collections that Cirque Colors have been doing for Nordstrom as much as I have?  Well...this month is no exception!  Each month, Olivia Kim curates a special Pop-In Shop at select Nordstrom stores and online highlighting independent designers.  For the month of August, Warby Parker has brought some of his awesome eyewear to the shop.  Cirque Colors has taken inspiration from his collection to create polishes that compliment the colors and feel of the Warby Parker.  There are 5 polishes in this limited edition collection that are combination of cool blues and grays.  Gray polish is my most favorite color of polish.  So you can imagine just how much I squealed in excitement when I saw these polishes.  I love every single one of them!  No lie.  This collection from Cirque is only available from Nordstrom and will go away on September 6th.  So get it while you can!  Let's get into some swatches :)

Click through for all the photos!

Chirality Polish - El Amor De Mi Vida Colección

Hi Lovelies!

Press Sample 

Today, I have a new-to-me indie polish brand to share with you.  Chirality Polish is husband and wife team that started making handmade nail polish after Amanda ended her chemo treatments.  She is cancer free and pumping out some beautiful polishes.  This new collection, El Amor De Mi Vida Colección, is a group of 5 holographic polishes in darker tones.  I hope you enjoy these swatches and check out some of their other collections!

Click through for all the holo goodness!

Takko Tuesday! - Constellations

Happy Takko Tuesday!

Press Sample

Tonight, I have another new polish from the Takko Lacquer Summer 2015 collection.  The takkitos are currently sold out on the main website.  But tomorrow, you will be able to score the new collectoin from Llarowe along with some older shades.  Sadly, this will be the last restock on Llarowe since she is closing up the shop to focus on her own brand of polishes.  So use up those points on some Takkos tomorrow!

"Constellations" is a deep blue jelly polish with a sprinkling of real sliver flakies.  Application was very smooth and squishy.  Since it is a jelly finish, it is a little sheer  I used two thick coats in my swatches but if you have longer nails you might want to try three coats to get it more opaque.  I like showing off my visible nail line, so I dig it.  I am showing you this polish with both a glossy and a matte top coat.  Mattifying jelly polishes is oh so fun!  

Have you been enjoying my weekly Takko Tuesday posts?  I have!  I love to share gems from one of my favorite brands with you all.  Be sure to follow Takko restocks so you can get your trigger finger ready and snag you some takkitos!

Takko Lacquer shop and restock info

Takko Lacquer IG

Takko Lacquer Twitter

Takko Lacquer stockists: Llarowe, Mei Mei Signatures, Femme Fatale

Smooches!
- Amy McG aka McPolish

*product provided by the maker for honest review*

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