Inspired by a Song for the #31DC2016Weekly

Hi friends!

Purchased by Me

Sorry that I am a day late on posting my #31DC2016Weekly mani but I had numerous nail art fails yesterday and ran out of time.  But I am happy with today's attempt!  This mani was inspired by the hit song from DNCE called 'Cake by the Ocean',  I am certain you know this song, it has been a huge hit!  Not only is this song super fun but I have been dying to try out beach nails.

My base is a gradient of Zoya "Ling" and Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in "Shocking Nude" made with a makeup sponge.  Then I a a spray water marble technique to make the water effect.  I dropped a drop of white nail polish into water then sprayed it with some aerosol hair spray.  The alcohol in the hair spray makes the paint separate and gives it that cool effect when you dip you nail in.  

Next, I used a little cake image from a Winstonia plate.  I did a little reversed stamping and colored in the cake with pink and purple and threw it on the nail.  I topped it all off with a glossy top coat.  And bam!  Cake by the Ocean!  Haha.  I know it is a little silly and literal but they used a great big slice of cake on the beach in the music video, so I though it was fitting.  Plus, I really like how the spray watermarble turned out.  If you haven't seen the video before, check it out below!

Be sure to check out all of the other ladies participating in the challenge but perusing the #31DC2016Weekly tag on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Thanks!
 - Amy McG (McPolish)

*products purchased by me*

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Takko Tuesday! - Milkshake

Happy Takko Tuesday!

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Today, I am sharing with you the other brand new takkito releasing celebrating Takko Lacquer's 4 year anniversary.  I shared with you one of the two anniversary polishes last week.  "Milkshake" is a unique shade.  The base is a soft purple leaning pink creme packed with microflakie shimmer that flashes from white to a bright purple.  There is also a good amount of matte microglitters in a variety of colors; white, neon pink, coral, yellow, purple and aqua.  The formula was slightly sheer.  I did three coats here but it did look just fine with two coats.  I topped it off with a glossy top coat to smooth out all of the microglitters.  The purple shimmer is really pretty and very apparent in real life.  This color matches nicely with the other anniversary polishes!

I am mad at my macro for this polish.  I tried everything to get this to turn out color accurate.  It kept showing up blue toned purple and making my skin tone yellow.  I still wanted to show you all the glitters and shimmer up close.  But the previous full mani shots are more color accurate.  

Another fun addition to the Takko Lacquer shop are these super cute pins.  The Takko Lacquer  tattoo pin is just so chic!  I just love the logo design so, so much.  Sheryl has also added two cute macaron pins.  One is a cat and one is a unicorn.  Too stinkin' cute.

Takko Lacquer will be doing another pre-order for these polishes.  It worked out really well last time!  The shop will be open from 8:30-9:30pm EDT on July 28th for pre-order.  Once those order ship, there will be a regular restock free-for-all.  You will be able to order Milkshake, Cereal & Milk and C.R.E.A.M. as well as the pins.  Which polishes will you be getting?

Takko Lacquer Instagram and Twitter

Takko Lacquer stockists: Color4Nails, Mei Mei Signatures, Femme Fatale


Thanks for stopping by!
 - Amy 'McPolish' McG

*products provided by the maker for honest review*

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Whimsical Ideas by Pam - Summer 2016 Collection

Hello all!

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Today, we are taking a look at a new Summer collection from an indie brand that is very nostalgic for me.  Whimsical Ideas by Pam was one of the first indie brands that I bought from as a fledgling nail polish collector.  She had the cutest little bottles and always had really creative polishes.  I always look forward to seeing her new collections even though I haven't ordered from her in a while.  So, I was flattered when Pam asked me to review her new Summer 2016 Collection!  There are six polishes in this collection, all of them are a different finish.  They are available now to order, so let's take a look!

Click through for more!

My picks from the Masura Golden Collection

Hi friends!

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I have 5 beautiful polishes to share with you today from the Golden Collection by Masura.  I have shown you a few of their amazing magnetic shades (here and here) before but they also make polishes in all types of finishes.  The Golden Collection is a large lot of polishes for summer/fall 2016.  I chose 5 from the collection to try out.  I tried to get a few different finishes but you will see I was on a yellow and turquoise kick.  Again, I am super impressed with the quality and finish of all of the shades I chose.  Let's take a look!

Click through for more pics!

Inspired by a Color for the #31DC2016Weekly

Hi!

Press SamplePurchased by Me

We are in the final stretch of the challenge!  This is the part of the 31 Day Nail Art Challenge that I typically fizzle out.  For the last 10 days of the challenge, you are supposed to do manicure inspired by colors and movies and fashion.  It was always difficult for me to come up with something new and exciting every day.  Now that I am doing the challenge weekly, I will have more time to come up with cool nail art looks for these tougher prompts!  This week, we are doing manicures inspired by a color.  I chose a color of manicure that is classic and traditional.  My mani today is inspired by pinky nudes.  Pink toned nude polishes are so classic and work appropriate.  People may say they are boring but I love wearing them.  Plus, they can be jazzed up in so many ways.  So that is what I did...jazzed them up :)

I started with a base of a soft gradient of pinky nude cremes from Cirque Colors.  The darker pink is "Jane on Jane St." and the lighter pink is "Whitney".  They are both delicious creme colors with amazing formulas.  All of the Cirque Colors Metropolis Collection cremes are fantastic.

Next, I applied these cute water decals from Nicole Diary in a delicate black floral pattern.  I have been really impressed with the water decals from this brand.  They are so easy to apply and smooth onto the nail flawlessly.  They are super thin and even stretch a little to fit around even the curviest nail beds.  They don't wrinkle when you apply a glossy top coat either.  You should definitely check them out!

I did this mani on both a glossy top coat and then a satin matte top coat just to see which I liked best.  I like them both!  Which do you like best?

I am really happy with out this manicure turned out.  It is very delicate and girly but still appropriate for work.  I am excited to see what everyone else doing the challenge has come up with this week,  Be sure to check out the #31DC2016Weekly tag on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook to see more awesome nail art!  Have you been enjoying this weekly challenge?

Thanks for stopping by!

 - Amy 'McPolish' McG

*polish purchased by me and water decals sent by the maker/stockist for honest review*

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Pahlish - Hothouse Flowers

Hi pals!

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I have another colorful collection from Pahlish to share with you all today.  The Hothouse Flowers collection released earlier this month and it is filled will pretty jelly and crelly polishes inspired by tropical flowers.  There are some classic Pahlish shades in this collection which I just love.  Let's take a look at them all!

Click through from more photos!

Takko Tuesday! - Cereal & Milk

Happy Takko Tuesday!

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Guess what!  I have a brand, spankin' new Takkito to share with you all today.  Takko Lacquer is turning 4 years old and to celebrate, Sheryl has created two new shades.  They are similar to C.R.E.A.M. which was last year's anniversary shade.  Today, we are looking at "Cereal & Milk" which is a soft and sweet polish color.  It has a milky white base that is on the sheer side, just like skim milk.  It is packed with matte microglitters in dark pink, light blue, neon yellow and light peach along with a soft white microflakie shimmer.  In the bottle, the yellow glitters make the base look like it has more a of a yellow/green tint but on the nail it looks milky white.  I am showing you three coats here and you can still see my nail like a little bit.  All of the microglitters will make it have a slightly textured finish so be sure to use glossy top coat to smooth it all out.  I think this makes a lovely companion to the C.R.E.A.M. polish from last year.

Pretty polish, right?  I am digging it for sure.  This new shade will be available on July 28th.  Since the pre-order for the summer collection went so well, Takko Lacquer is going to do a similar preorder event for the two new anniversary polishes.  On July 28th at 8:30pm EDT, the site will be open to pre-order the polishes you want for 1 hour.  So there isn't any crazed rush to try and get the polishes before they sell out.  After the pre-order packages go out, there will be a regular restock.  Stay tuned for next week's Takko Tueday post to see the other anniversary shade!

Takko Lacquer Instagram and Twitter

Takko Lacquer stockists: Color4Nails, Mei Mei Signatures, Femme Fatale


Thanks for stopping by!
 - Amy 'McPolish' McG

*product provided by the maker for honest review*

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Cadillacquer - Valhalla Collection

Hi folks!

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Today, I have some fun shimmers and crellies to share with you from an indie nail polish brand that is new to the blog.  Cadillacquer is a indie company out of Switzerland.  They were actually once of the first international indie brands that I have ever order from, which was years ago.  I always loved their interesting and contrasting color combos.  It has been a long time since I have tried any new shades, so I was thrilled to review this collection for Color4Nails.  They are the American stockist for the brand and offer great international shipping rates.  The Valhalla Collection is available now.  There are 10 beautiful shades all inspired by Norse mythology.  Let's take a look at these pretties!

Click through for all of the photos!

Watermarble Nails for the #31DC2016Weekly

Hey there!

Purchased by Me

For week 20 of the #31DC2016Weekly, we are doing watermarble!  Oh, the dreaded watermarble.  This is typically the hardest prompt for people.  I am still not that good at doing this technique.  I have had the most success with jelly polishes and Pipe Dream Polish cremes.  Every year, I use some of the Pipe Dream Polish cremes to do this prompt.  They just watermarble so well!  This year, I used three polishes from the Mellowed Out Cremes collection.  Unfortunately, they are no longer available.  But Pipe Dream Polish does have a new collection of Tie-Dyed Jellies out right now that watermarble very well.  I haven't been able to snag them yet but I plan to!

For this mani, I used three colors: Chillax (dusty blue), Peace Out (dusty purple) and Peace Out (dusty orchid pink).  They applied smoothly and I did not use a base color under my watermarble design.  So what you are seeing is just one coat of the watermarble over the bare nail.  They are super opaque!  I would like to say that it only took me one try for each nail but I had to redo the watermarble design over and over again.  Like I said, I am not a pro.

Then I just had to add a little bit of holographic bling to the mani.  Everything is better with a little sparkle, right?  I topped this manicure off with a think coat of Ride the Boogie, also by Pipe Dream Polish.  It is a simple topper with silver holographic glitters of various sizes.

I hope you liked this manicure!  Watermarbles are always hard and I am stoked when they come out nicely.  This ends the second part of the #31DC2016Weekly.  Next week, we start the home stretch and the most difficult themes.  I will have to use my creative brain much more for the rest of the challenge.  If you want to check out what other ladies have been doing for the challenge this week, check out the tag #31DC2016Weekly on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook!

Many thanks!

 - Amy McG (McPolish)

*products purchased by me*

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Rose Gold Bling

Hey there!

Press SamplePurchased by Me

I have a easy but beautiful manicure to share with you all today!  I have been super into rose gold nails and jewelry over the past few years.  It's girly but still sophisticated.  When I received some dainty rose gold jewels from Born Pretty Store, I knew I wanted to do a super blingy manicure.  I have always liked seeing nail artists to those jewel encrusted accent nails with acrylics or gels.  It looks like jewelry on the nail!  So, I wanted to give it a try.  I chose a metallic rose gold base that has a linear holographic shimmer, Himalayan Pink by Cirque Colors.  Once that was dry, I applied a thick layer of glossy top coat and pressed in the tiny rose gold jewels.  I chose a non-quick dry top coat for this because I wanted it to stay a little wet so I could move around the jewels if needed.  If filled in some sparse spaces on the nail to make sure it was nice and uniform.  If you want a more long lasting jewel encrusted nail, use a gel coat to hold the gems on.  I really liked how this turned out!

Here are how the gems come to you from Born Pretty Store.  They are shaped like traditional solitaire gems with a pointed base.  They appear to be acetone resistant because I was able to clean all of the polish off of them without dulling the finish.  The amount in this container is what was left over after doing my accent nail.  So you get a pretty good amount!

And how about a look at Himalayan Pink on it's own!  This is two coats of this rose gold shade with a glossy top coat.  This was from the Cirque Colors Speckled and Sparkle Collection.

I hope you enjoyed this simple accent nail.  You can get these exact gems (micro zircon rhinestones) from the Born Pretty Store here.  Use my code 'AVAW10' for 10% off of your BPS order.  It is not an affiliate code, just a coupon for you to use :)

Thanks for stopping by!

 - Amy McG (McPolish)

*gems provided for review, polish purchased by me*

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Takko Tuesday! - Sakura

Happy Takko Tuesday!

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Today, we are looking at another one of the new creme polishes from Takko Lacquer.  They have created a new collection that will be constantly added to as time goes on.  It is The Curiosity and Exquisites Collection that will include creme polishes and top coats.  "Sakura" is a creme from the initial launch of this collection released this summer.  She is a soft bubblegum pink creme.  This color is super girly and sure to be a hit this summer.  The formula was a little streaky and I needed three coats to even everything out.  A glossy top coat really smooths out the slightly satin finish.  Takko Lacquer uses Vitamin E infused base for their vegan, cruelty-free polishes and it makes them dry a little dull on their own.  Here is what "Sakura" looks like on my way too long nails.

I added a little floral stamping using an Uber Chic plate and Takko Lacquer "Irezumi".  I like the contrast of the soft pink and the bold blue.

Takko Lacquer just had a restock of this color last week and it is still available in the shop!  These creme colors should be continually restocked, so if you miss out on it now it will be back.  Also, there are always the stockist sites you can try your luck at.  Here is all the info on Takko Lacquer!

Takko Lacquer Instagram and Twitter

Takko Lacquer stockists: Color4Nails, Mei Mei Signatures, Femme Fatale

Thanks for stopping by!
 - Amy McG aka McPolish

*products provided by the maker for honest review*

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Digital Nails - Multiverse

Hello!

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I love a good flakie topper.  Digital Nails makes a fair amount of interesting, shifting flakie bombs and I love them all.  Their newest flakie topper is "Multiverse" and she is a stunner for sure.  After the huge hit that my #FlakiesOverNakies post was a few weeks ago with two other Digital Nails flakie toppers, I knew I had to share this one with you all.  This polish is such a chalemeon.  I can't even tell you how many photos I took of this polish.  I edited it down to 20 photos but I knew that I couldn't post them all.  So I chose a handful to share with you here.  My photos are all in different lighting and angles to try and show off all of the different facets of this topper.  So shifty!  Let's take a look!

First, I am going to to show you "Multiverse" on it's own.  This is a clear based topper filled with red to green shifting unicorn pee shimmer, a sprinkling of silver holographic microflakies and green/gold ultrachorme flakies that shift to an aqua/teal at an angle.  So freaking cool!  I am showing you two coats alone over the bare nail with both a glossy and a matte top coat.  Gotta matte those flakies!

Galaxy Nails for the #31DC2016Weekly

Howdy!

Purchased by Me

This week's prompt is a fun one!  I always like doing galaxy nails.  It is really difficult to mess them up and you can try so many color combinations.  I always say "this year I am going to do pastel/neon/colored galaxy nails" and then just do traditional galaxy nails in the end.  I am infatuated with space and photos of far away worlds, so the traditional galaxy designs are always my favorite.  This year, I decided to use all Zoya colors!  Zoya makes the most perfect galaxy nails base color, Storm.  Storm is my most used Zoya nail polish for sure.  It is black and sparkly and magical on the nails.  When in doubt, Storm out!

Ellagee - Summer of Love and Strawberry Moon

Hello!

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Today, I have two lovely holographic polishes from Ellagee to share with you all.  Holographics are all the rage in the summer.  The bright sunshine just makes the rainbows pop off of your nails.  Ellagee is releasing two girly shades with a strong holo effect later this week.  Let's take a look at these pretty polishes!

Click through for more rainbows!

Takko Tuesday! - Rose Quartz

Happy Takko Tuesday!

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It's that time of the week again!  Time for some new Takkitos :)  This week, we are taking a look at another fun shimmery polish from the Takko Lacquer Summer Shimmers Collection.  This collection will be restocking in a few days, so if you like this one, be sure to snag it.  "Rose Quartz" is a pink toned nude creme packed with a nice mix of gold and silver microshimmer.  I really like the mix of metallic tones in this shade.  And the base color has a certain vintage feel to it.  The formula was a little bit thicker with all of the shimmer and it didn't level out as effortlessly as the more jelly based shades in this collection.  But I was still able to get it completely opaque in two coats.  A glossy top coat is recommended because the Vitamin E infused base dries a little dull/satin.  Another work appropriate shade that has a little something extra to get you through the dull work day!

Such a pretty color, right?  I really like it.  Like I said before, Takko Lacquer will be restocking this color along with the rest of the Summer Shimmers Collection and the Curiosities and Exquisites Collection later this week.  You will be able to get all of the shimmers, the amazing creme polishes and fun top coats along with Mani Bombs and a cute little Takko Lacquer pin.  Restock is at 8:30pm EDT on July 8th.  Make sure to set and alarm!


Takko Lacquer shop and restock info

Takko Lacquer Instagram and Twitter

Takko Lacquer stockists: Color4Nails, Mei Mei Signatures, Femme Fatale


Thanks for stopping by!
 - Amy McG aka McPolish

*product provided by the maker for honest review*

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Half Moon Nails for the #31DC2016Weekly

Happy 4th of July fellow Americans!

Purchased by Me

I am a few days late with my mani for the #31DC2016Weekly this week but you will forgive me, right?  I have been hanging out by the beach with my mother this holiday weekend and just haven't been able to sit down and write this post.  I have a few minutes now, so let's get into it!!  This week's prompt is Half Moons.  I always like this nail art look.  It looks classy and can be made pretty funky, too.  I wanted to repeat my manicure from last year.  But that is not the point of the challenge.  You are supposed to do something new to you.  So, this year, I did a little gradient half moon.  This look was very much inspired by a recent tutorial by The Nail Trail.  In Hannah's look, she did ruffian instead of a half moon but the blue gradient under the nude nails looked so good, I just had to try it myself.   I made my half moon a little bit larger than you would typically see but I really wanted to show off the colors better.

KBShimmer - Exclusive duo for Color4Nails

Hi all!

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Great news!  KBShimmer is launching at Color4Nails today.  That means even more people from around the world will be able to snag KBShimmer beauties from across the globe.  Color4Nails is my favorite indie nail polish stockist and they have great shipping rates world wide.  To celebrate, KBShimmer has created two polishes that will only be sold through C4N and no where else.  There will not be an unlimited supply of these, so if you like them, grab them.  At 3pm PDT today, you will be able to get these two new exclusives, the entire Summer 2016 Collection and 20+ additional shades that are popular in the KBShimmer line.  Yay!


Berried in the Sand - A raspberry pink jellyish base with a strong linear holo effect and lots of shimmery microflakies.  This one is awesome!  It is very holo in real life and the formula is fantastic.  I am showing you one coat topped with Clearly on Top.  ONE COAT!  Isn't that amazing?  I think so.

What the Shell - A grey/taupe crelly base that is packed to the brimmed with bright pink shimmer and sprinkled with teeny tiny square holo glitters.  The formula on this one is a little thicker and not as smooth of an application because of all of that shimmer.  But the final look is worth it.  I am showing you two coats with Clearly on Top.  I like these work appropriate neutrals with a little extra something special.

Aren't these two pretty?!?  I am torn on which one I like the best, I really like them both.  If you want to pick these up, head over to the Color4Nails shop at 3pm PDT tonight.  I am sure they will be a huge hit and fly off of the virtual shelf.  

Color4Nails online store

Color4Nails social media (Facebook Twitter Instagram)

KBShimmer online store

KBShimmer social media (Facebook Twitter Instagram)

Thanks!

 - Amy McPolish McG

*products provided by the maker/stockist for honest review*

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