Takko Tuesday! - Fullmetal

Happy Takko Tuesday!

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This is the last Takko Tuesday of the year!  I can't believe I have been doing this little weekly spotlight for six months and haven't run out of takkitos to share with you all.  Hopefully, the glorious takkos will never end!  And, hopefully, you are enjoying Takko Tuesday as much as I am.

Tonight's Takko Lacquer spotlight is "Fullmetal" from last year's winter collection.  Metallic flakies were all the rage last year and this polish was a different take on the ultrachrome version.  "Fullmetal" is a mix of soft black, silver and gunmetal colored microflakies in a clear base.  There is a sprinkling of some real silver metallic flakies and some sort of iridescent microshimmer in there as well.  The flakies are all very small so them apply so smoothly on the nail.  You can wear this polish as a topper or build it up to be opaque on its own in 3 coats.  For this mani, I did three coats on my thumb, pointer and pinkie with one coat over P2 Mint Mademoiselle on my middle and ring.  Everything was topped off with KBShimmer's Clearly on Top.

 I upgraded my iPhone for Christmas and these are the first photos I have taken with it.  I am really happy with how consistent with brightness and skin tone coloration is turning out.  My previous iPhone camera would auto-adjust things and I would need to edit the brightness and color sometimes to make the polish more true to the real life color.  I haven't done anything to these photos other than crop and add my watermark.  I also do not have a macro lens that fits this new phone but should have one soon.  Until then...ultra cropped, pseudomacro shots!

Make sure to stalk Takko Lacquer on all their social media platforms so you can be up to date with news on restocks and new releases.  Also...stay tuned to my Instagram for an awesome Takko giveaway planned for the New Year.  Exciting stuff, guys!


Takko Lacquer shop and restock info

Takko Lacquer Instagram and Twitter

Takko Lacquer stockists: Mei Mei Signatures, Femme Fatale

Thanks for stopping by!
- Amy McPolish McG

*product provided by the maker for honest review*

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Karma Naturals - Organic Soybean Oil Nail Polish Remover

Hello all!

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I have a new to me product to share with you tonight.  Nail polish and nail polish removers can be nasty and contain some not so great for you chemicals.  I try to stick with 3-free products as much as I can and there are plenty of brands out there that are 5-free.  But I am guilty of using acetone.  Heck...I just bought a gallon jug of it from Sally's Beauty Supply last week and got a crazy look from the clerk when she asked if I was a nail tech and my reply was no.  I use a lot of acetone, especially for clean up and stubborn glitter removal.  It is super drying and not great to breathing in all the time.  So, when oasisXchange contacted me about reviewing an all natural, organic remover available on their site, I was excited.  You can heard me talk about oasisXchange before on my Takko Tuesday post here.  They are an online retailer that only sells products from brands that are eco-friendly and gives 10% of every purchase to charity:water to bring clean drinking water to nations in need.  Awesome, right?

I was sent the Lavender scented Soybean Oil Nail Polish Remover from Karma Organics Spa.  This company produces organic nail polish, nail polish removers, essential oils and other skin care products.  The nail polish remover is soy based and non-toxic.  There are two kinds of safe solvents used in this product as well as Vit E and Lavender essential oil.  To be honest, I wasn't expecting this to work great.  How can soybean oil remove this stubborn nail polish?  But boy was I wrong!

I used a piece of standard cotton ball with one splash of the remover and was able to remove all five nails on one hand with a plain creme polish.  I did not notice any difference in the amount of time it took me to do this with the Karma Organics remover than it did with my regular remover, Zoya Remove+.  For glitter polish, you do need to let the remover soaked cotton ball sit on your nail for a minute or two, but it still removed the glitter in the same amount of time as the Zoya Remove+.  I even tested it on the mother of all glittery nail polish, Zoya's Magical Pixie Dust, and I still saw the same results as I did with regular remover.

 But what makes this natural nail polish remover so great is the soybean oil.  My fingers and nails were not dried out in the slightest.  The remover was actually moisturizing!  The photo below is what my nails look like immediately after using the remover.  The first few times I used it, I felt I needed to wash my hands afterwards because there was too much oil.  But then I just started to rub it in after removing the nail polish and applied lotion.    I let that sit and then applied my next manicure after cleaning my nail beds off with a little alcohol.  For swatching, this probably wouldn't be my go to remover because of the extra time.  But for a normal person that does a manicure once a week, this stuff is amazing.  If you are looking for a non-toxic, non-drying, effective natural nail polish remover...this brand is for you!  I have been using this bottle for a few weeks now and 100% approve!!

You can get this from oasisXchange for $12 a bottle (4oz) and it comes in three varieties: Lavender Oil, Tea Tree Oil and Unscented.  I have only tried the lavender scent and it was pleasant and not overpowering.  I am a huge lavender fan, though.  I really hope you give this remover a try.  If you do, please let me know what you think and if you got the same great results I did.

Many thanks!
- Amy McG (McPolish)

*product provided by oasisXchange for honest review*

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Takko Tuesday! - Ugly Christmas Sweater

Happy Takko Tuesday!

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I thought that the Tuesday before Christmas was the perfect day to share this festive polish from Takko Lacquer.  "Ugly Christmas Sweater" is one of the rare glitter toppers from Takko.  There are not many glitters in the takkito army.  This polish was just released with the Winter 2015 Collection earlier this month.  The base is clear and it is jam packed full of silver holographic microflakies and silver holo-dust.  Then to give more of that holiday flare, Sheryl added in some white, red and green hexes.  You can wear this as a topper over any color or alone with enough coats.  I chose to wear this with one coat over white and three coats on its own as my double accent nail.  Smooth application with great glitter distribution.  "Ugly Christmas Sweater" is basically the same as "Kitsch" just with different colored glitters.  With the red and green glitters, it totally screams Christmas nails.  But you could layer it over other bright colors for a fun topper at other times of the year.  I dig it :)

I am unsure when this will be back in stock.  So make sure to follow Takko Lacquer on all of their social media platforms to get up to date info on restocks and new releases.  I might be breaking out this polish again for my Christmas mani this year.  We will see!

Takko Lacquer shop and restock info

Takko Lacquer Instagram and Twitter

Takko Lacquer stockists: Mei Mei Signatures, Femme Fatale

Happy Holidays!
- Amy McG (McPolish)

*product provided by the maker for honest review*

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Cirque Colors Icon Duos from Pop-In@Nordstrom

Hey babes!

Purchased by Me

I have some gorgeous little Cirque Colors duos to share with you tonight!  Cirque Colors has teamed up with Nordstrom's Pop-In Shops again this month.  These are small little "shops" curated by Olivia Kim that pop up in select stores and online.  The items sold in the shops are all themed and for a limited time only.  Currently, the Pop-In Shop is in collaboration with NYC fashion brand Opening Ceremony.  Inspired by the colors of these fashions, Annie has created three gift sets, each including one creme and on holographic polish that is exclusive to this event.  I was able to snag all three sets to share with you all.  I thought it would be fun to do some double side dots which each of the duos to show off the different shades.  These Cirque Colors Icon Duos will only be available to purchase through Nordstrom until Jan 3rd.  So if you like them...grab them quick!

Born Pretty Store - Silver 3D Nail Stickers

Hello!

Press Sample Purchased by Me

I have some more easy nail art from Born Pretty Store to share with you tonight.  In my last post, I tried out nail stickers for the first time.  I was really happy with how those turned out.  For my second go around, I was again, pleasantly surprised.  The stickers were easy to apply, were not too thick and stuck to the nail well.  I like this mani so much that I wanted to do the same look on my other hand and were it.  But I didn't have enough of the same sticker to do all 10 nails.  So if you want to recreate this look, grab a second sheet!  There are plenty of other options to decorate all 10 nails with bows though.  And you don't have to use a sticker on every single nail for a manicure to look awesome.  You know I love a good skittlette mani!

For this look, I first painted my nails with a base color of "Queen of Scots" from A England's Elizabeth and Mary Collection.  This is a gorgeous deep, dark blue with an amazing metallic shimmer.  Almost a one coater!  I purchased this from my favorite place to buy all of my A England polishes, Color4Nails.  Next, I placed the lacy, silver half-moon stickers on each nail towards the base.  I had to trim the a little bit of edges off the pointer and pinkie nail stickers with cuticle nippers to make them fit.  Since the base color was much smoother, you can see the demarcation of the edge of the clear sticker backing a little more than in my previous post.  But it not look bad at all!  I actually preferred the first photo without a top coat.  In the second photo, I topped it off with KBShimmer's Clearly on Top and it drug a tiny bit of the silver off of the sticker.  You can see it on my thumb and ring finger.  But honestly, it is not that noticeable unless you are taking photos of your nails.  But the top coat will keep your manicure looking smooth and stay on longer than wearing it without one.

Do you dig it?  I dig it.  Again, pretty happy with these little sticker packets from Born Pretty Store.  They are simple to use and inexpensive.   This sheet (option #TY006) is only $1.75 and there are other designs to choose from.  You can get an even better deal on your Born Pretty Store order by using my discount code at checkout for 10% off - AVAW10.  The items are coming from China, so shipping may take a few weeks but the prices are great.  Make sure to tag me if you recreate this look!

 Have a great weekend!

- Amy McG (McPolish)

*nail stickers provided by the supplier for honest review, nail polish purchased by me*

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Butter London Shadow Clutch

Good evening!

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Need some last minute Christmas gift ideas for the makeup addict in your life?  Or maybe you are a makeup addict like me and want some goodies.  I have been getting sucked into the makeup world this year.  Eye shadows and lippies are my weakness.  So, I figured I would review things that are more than just nail polish and nail related products.  It's the Etc part of PolishEtc, right?

A few months ago, Butter London sent me one of their new eye shadow palettes.  I wasn't really sure if I would review it because I haven't done any eye shadow reviews here before.  But I decided to give it a go!  I am new to makeup review and don't really have a set up to take good photos of my face and to be honest, I'm not too keen on showing my face all over the internet just yet.  So hand swatches it is! :)

The Butter London Shadow Clutch is such a great idea!  It is a real treat to have an eye shadow palette that contains all of the shades you want for multiple looks.  But most of the time, there are a few that don't work for you and you have to reach for another palette or single shadows.  Well, Butter London created a customizable palette with interchangeable single shadow duos.  There are 2 clutches available now with 3 different duos of single shadows.  I have the Natural Charm Shadow Clutch to share with you!

Guest post for RockYourNails!

Hey guys!

I did a little guest post on my pal Mely's blog today.  Every December, she does a little holiday nail art challenge called "The 12 Days of Christmas Challenge."  This year, I did a manicure for the prompt 'Presents' and created a festive wrapping paper look.

Please head over to RockYourNails.org to see how I created this mani and check out all the other awesome guest posts for the #12DOCC!

Thanks!

-Amy McG (McPolish)

Serendipity Nail Polish - Coastal Christmas Collection

Good evening!

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Two posts in one day?  We are on a roll, people.  I have a brand new indie nail polish brand to share with you tonight.  Serendipity Nail Polish has just launched their new nail polish line and the first collection is Coastal Christmas.  Their polishes are 5-free, vegan and never tested on animals...all good things!  The Coastal Christmas Collection consists of 5 polishes, three cremes and 2 glitters.  When you look at the collection, it has more of a Valentine's Day collection feel.  But these colors can be worn year round and not just for the holidays.  Overall, I am quite happy with this inaugural collection.  Let's take a look!

Takko Tuesday! - Electric Flamingo

Happy Takko Tuesday!

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This Tuesday, I am joined by my favorite German, Lotte, in sharing swatches of a bright and fun Takko Lacquer polish.  Lotte and I have been working it out so that she can join in on Takko Tuesday once a month.  I hope you are enjoying her posts as well!  Today, we are talking about "Electric Flamingo" which was released in Takko's summer collection this year.  It is a bright pink jelly/crelly packed with iridescent red and green flakies.  The base color is very bright, almost neon, medium pink.  It is perfect for summer but since it isn't actually a neon, you could wear it year round.  I really love iridescent flakies.  They always look cool with both a glossy top coat and a matte top coat. Overall, the polish was slightly on the thick side because of all the flakies but still applied easily.  Clean up was a breeze since it is a jelly/crelly formula.  For this swatch, I have two coats of Electric Flamingo topped with a HKGirl by Glisten and Glow.

I am unsure when this polish will be restocked.  So be sure to keep up to date with Takko Lacquer restocks on their website and social media platforms.  I heard a rumor that they were going to have a Facebook page up and running soon, so keep and eye out for that.  Don't forget to check out my polish sister from across the pond, Lotte, in her Takko Tuesday post today. Here is the link!

Takko Lacquer shop and restock info

Takko Lacquer Instagram and Twitter

Takko Lacquer stockists: Mei Mei Signatures, Femme Fatale


I hope you all have been enjoying Takko Tuesday!  I am having a blast sharing my takkito collection with you :)

-Amy 'McPolish' McG

*product provided by the maker for honest review*

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KBShimmer Winter 2015 Crelly Polishes

Hello lovelies!

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I have another handful of polishes from the KBShimmer Winter 2015 Collection to share with you tonight.  These four polishes are all a crelly formula.  A Crelly is a cross between an opaque creme polish and a sheer jelly polish.  They are typically opaque in 2-3 coats but still have a squishy quality to them.  KBShimmer is known for their amazing crelly with glitter polishes and these four are no exception.  These are all from the winter collection but they aren't colors that scream Christmas.  They would work well year round.  Let's take a look at the squishies!

Click through for all the pics!

KBShimmer Winter 2015 Holos

Happy Sunday!

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Today, I have some gorgeous holographics from KBShimmer's recent winter collection.  These three polishes are cool and icy and perfect for the season.  They can also be worn year round as blue and grey aren't just for the cold season.  Linear holographics have been the hot polish finish this year.  I have been loving all of the extra little bits of fun indie makers have been adding to the holographic mixes.  And these three all have a little something extra!  Let's take a look. :)

Click through for all the rainbows!

IBD Hideaway Haven Nail Lacquer

Good evening!

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Tonight, I have a collection of soothing colors from a new to me brand to share with you all.  I feel badly, as I have taken much longer than I intended to with this review.  But I have all of these pretty polishes to go over with you now!  Better late than never, right?  IBD is a big gel polish brand but they also have regular nail polish as well.  I was sent this collection along with some base coat and top coat.  I was very impressed with all of the products.  The base coat is sticky and lasted at least 2 days for me (my manicures do not typically make it past the first day) and the top coat was shiny and dried super fast.  Let's take a look at these tranquil shades!

Click through for all the photos!

Lavish Polish - Christmas Collection

Hi friends!

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Tonight, I have a lovely little holiday collection from Lavish Polish to share with you.  This a set of five polishes, all of which have a different finish.  There is only one shade that is obviously Christmas.  The rest of the collection could be worn all year round and not make you think of Christmas.  The Christmas Collection released last week and is available for purchase now.  You can get these polishes individually or save money and buy the whole set.  Let's take a look!

*Click through for all the photos*

Takko Tuesday! - McTakko and Black Creek

Happy Takko Tuesday!

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This is the most special Takko Tuesday ever!!!  

I am sure you are well aware of my Takko Lacquer obsession.  I have been doing Takko Tuesday for almost 6 months now and have been able to share with you my Takkito collection.  But today, I am not just showing you a brand new polish, but two new shade that I collaborated with Sheryl to create! Ermahgerd!  My very own Takkos that I helped create!  I don't really have the words to describe just how cool this is for me.  For many nail bloggers, collaborating with great brand to create a blogger collab shade is a huge accomplishment.  I know it is for me!  Sheryl and I worked on these two shades for a few months tweaking the shimmers and pigments.  I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.  Please, let me know what you think!

*Click through for more swatches!*

Cirque Colors - Holiday 2015 Collection

Hello lovelies!

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Today, I have some super special polishes to share with you.  Everyone loves Cirque Colors, right?  They always have the coolest colors and the smoothest application.  Well, their holiday collection this year is no exception.  It is small but it is mighty.  There are only four polishes in this collection.  One will be a permanent shade, two are limited edition and one is a return of a classic holiday topper.  I have all four to share with you today and just a warning, this will be a picture heavy post.  The two super reflective polishes in this set are so difficult to photograph, I included several different shots of them both.  So let's get into the blingy goodness!

*Click through for all the fun!*

Born Pretty Store - 3D Feather Nail Stickers

Hey all!

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I have a little bit of easy nail art to share with you today.  I have reviewed some nail art supplies from Born Pretty Store here before.  There are tons of items to choose from and many of them make adding a little flare to your nails super easy.  Nail stickers are one of them.  To be honest, I had never used nail stickers before.  The ones that I had seen in the stores and nail shops all seemed too thick on the nail and a little tacky.  So, I was pleasantly surprised when I used these feather stickers from Born Pretty Store.  Not only were they the easiest to apply nail art item ever, but they looked elegant!  I was anticipating these 3D stickers to be bulky and it be very obvious that there was a sticker on my nail.  But no!   I can't even make out the edges of the clear sticker base in my mani.  I did use a shimmery base color which probably helped.  If I had used a shiny creme polish, you might have been able to see the outline of the base more.  These get an A+ in my book.

Nine Zero Lacquer - Holiday Collection

Hi friends,

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Time for more holiday inspired indie nail polish collections!  Today, I have the first Christmas collection from new comer Nine Zero Lacquer.  Jessica has created a collection of 6 different polishes that are super sparkly and perfect for the season.  Everything is better with glitter, right?  The Nine Zero Lacquer Holiday Collection has been launched.  People are crazy about this new brand so make sure you are following them on social media to keep up to date on restocks and preorders.  Let's take a look at these pretties!

Click through for all the bling!

Takko Tuesday! - Muse

Happy Takko Tuesday!

Purchased by Me

I have another delicious shimmery shade from Takko Lacquer.  "Muse" is an older takkito but still a favorite of mine.  The base of this polish is a grayed out purple creme with a deep dusty quality.  There is the most beautiful shifty shimmer in this baby!  The bright purple shimmer is very present at a slight angle and will lean more pink at an extreme angle.  The formula was fantastic, very creamy and opaque.  I did two coats here with a glossy top coat.  Such a great color for winter!

I am not sure when this shade will be restocked so make sure to follow Takko Lacquer on all of their social media outlets to know about new releases and restocks.  Takko Lacquer is going to be having a restock of the Fall 2015 Collection and launch of a Blogger Collaboration on December 9th.  Stay tuned to my Instagram and here for swatches of the collection.  It's very special ;)


Takko Lacquer shop and restock info

Takko Lacquer IG

Takko Lacquer Twitter

Takko Lacquer stockists: Mei Mei Signatures, Femme Fatale


Thanks for stopping by!
- Amy McG aka McPolish

*product purchased by me*

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