Takko Tuesday! - To Infinity & Beyond

Happy Takko Tuesday!

Purchased by Me

I hope you all had a love holiday!  Mine was short and busy but still nice.  Today, I have another older Takko Lacquer shade that I scored in an awesome destash.  I am not exactly sure when "To Infinity & Beyond" originally released, but it has been a few years now.  I think it is a great color to wear in the winter.  It's a little grey and drab but has a nice duochrome effect.  You know I love grey polishes!

Violet Nails for the #31DC2017Weekly

Howdy!

Press SamplePurchased by Me

We are 6 weeks into the weekly version of the 31 Day Nail Art Challenge and so far I have been using a Zoya nail polish every week in my manicures.  I hope you are seeing some Zoya polish that you like because tomorrow starts their annual Earth Day sale which you can get all polishes for 50% off.  For my purple nails this week, I used a shifty Zoya as my base and some water slide decals from Born Pretty Store.  Let's take a look!

Takko Tuesday - Starships

Happy Takko Tuesday!

Press Sample

It is the last Tuesday of the month and Lotte is joining me one more time to share in Takko Tuesday.  My German nail polish love has been featuring Takko Lacquer all month on her blog.  I am so glad she was able to get all of those lovely takkitos swatched!  Today, we are taking a look at another shade from the recent Fall collection.  "Starships" is a gorgeous polish!  I think it is just perfect for fall and winter.  The base is a green to slate duochrome that is packed with shimmer and sprinkled with holographic flecks.  The finish leans more metallic and can show some brush strokes, so apply carefully.  It is pretty darn opaque, too.  Not one of those sheer duochromes you need to layer over black for the best effect.  I am showing you two coats with a glossy top coat in these photos.  The first shot is with straight on light but the last two are with two light sources to show off the duochrome shift better.

Pretty darn cool, right?  Takko Lacquer will be restocking the Fall 2016 Collection in the next week or two.  Be sure to pay attention to the website and their social media accounts for details.  And don't forget to visit Lotte's post on Starships on her blog.  I bet you she has some water droplet photos!

Takko Lacquer shop and restock info

Takko Lacquer Instagram and Twitter

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


Smooches!
 - Amy 'McPolish' McG

*products provided by the maker for honest review*

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Takko Lacquer - Maneater

Hello!!

Press Sample

Today I have a special shifty polish to share with you from Takko Lacquer!  There is a Takko restock today and this polish is included in the restock line up.  We all know that Takko restocks can be crazy.  So set your alarms for 8pm EST to get a chance at this beauty.

Here is "Maneater" which is a holographic duochrome polish.  The base color is a deep magenta that shifts through copper, green and gold.  Then there is an amazing, strong linear holographic effect that basically makes your nail shoot rainbow laser beams.  The formula is fantastic, no dragging or balding.  I used two coats in this swatch but it was opaque in one coat.  Wow!  And now for some pics...

This last photo was taken using two different light sources to try and show off the different color shifts of this polish.

Amazing?  Yes.  So head over to the Takko Lacquer shop tonight at 8pm EST to get this beauty along with a few other polish restocks as well as a special Valentine's Day mystery polish.  Here are all the other places you can get your Takko fixes!

Takko Lacquer shop
Takko Lacquer IG
Takko Lacquer Twitter
Takko Lacquer stockists: Llarowe, Mei Mei Signatures, Femme Fatale


Happy restocking frenzy :)
Amy McG aka McPolish

*Product provided by the creator for honest review*

Polish Alcoholic - Nail Art with the Superheroes Collection

Happy Sunday!

Press Sample

Today, I have two super fun polishes to share with you all.  Polish Alcoholic has just released the Superheroes Collection which is a set of 6 polishes all inspired by comic book superheroes.  I was sent two from this collection for review and I just loved them.  I hope you do too!

First up we have "Magneto", a shimmery blurple polish.  This was a little sheer and did take three coats for full opacity.  But the extra layers really give this duochrome dimension.  This polish really glows from within with a slightly red glow and a blue to purple shift.  So pretty!  I don't think I have anything else like this in my collection (and that is a feat!).  I added some sliver and purple rhinestones to create a little gem flower double accent nail.

The other Superheroes polish sent was called "Loki" and again, super unique to my collection.  "Loki" is a brown based shimmery duochrome polish that has a striking green flash and a red/pink shift.  You know when you have a hard time describing what I am seeing in a polish, it's gonna be awesome!  Like Magneto, Loki was a little sheer and I used 3 coats to build opacity.  I used Loki in a little green and brown skittlette mani.  The stamping was done with Mentality Nail Polish "Green Opaque" and MoYou London Suki 07 plates.  The textured polish on my pinkie is OPI "What Wizardry is This?".

I am in love with these polishes...are you?  It is difficult to give me a polish that I don't already have something similar in my collection, but Sabrina did it.  Be sure to check out the rest of the collection in the Polish Alcoholic shop and let me know which ones you ended up ordering. :)

Polish Alcoholic shop

Polish Alcoholic IG

Polish Alcoholic FB

Polish Alcoholic blog

Thanks friends!

-Amy "McPolish" McG

Butterfly Nail Art

I've wanted to try the butterfly manicure ever since I saw the tutorial on Pinterest (link here). It's such a fun, recognizable pattern and the tutorial makes it look really easy. I went with a bit of a different color scheme, blue and purple, rather than typical monarch butterfly orange. More like this butterfly.

For the base color I used Ozotic 505 then added details with a small nail art brush and Sally Hansen Black Out and Sally Hansen Whirlwind White.

Butterfly Mani

Butterfly Mani

 The tutorial was really easy to follow and I think it looks just like butterfly wings. Have you tried the butterfly tutorial yourself? Is this something you would wear?

November 8th No Hate

Today I'm proud to be part of the November 8th no 'H8' movement. 

Bullying is not funny. It is not cool. It is not right. And more importantly, it is not okay. 

Most of us are, thankfully, residents of countries that support tolerance and many of our families have settled in these places simply for that reason. Generations later, it is our responsibility to perpetuate that message of tolerance across our new social platforms, including the internet.

As members of the nail polish blogging community, we all share a love of beauty, color, and lacquer. Other than that, we are remarkably different: from our race to our religion to our hair color...even to our polish application techniques. To marginalize anyone because of those differences is completely unacceptable and today I take a stand against that. I refuse to allow other people's view of "normal" dictate how I behave, believe, and blog.

In solidarity with a multitude of bloggers linked below, my purple manicure represents my proud commitment to the No H8 movement. Today, November 8, I dedicate my post to ending bullying of any kind and to encouraging diversity and imperfection among our colorful community.

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Color Club Port-Folio. Purple base loaded with green shimmer that has a duochrome effect from green to red (which I couldn't capture with my camera). Gorgeous polish for a wonderful cause.

Color Club Port-Folio

Color Club Port-Folio

Color Club Port-Folio

Ozotic 505

Since I've been wearing a lot of reds and purples lately I thought it would be good to change it up and wear something blue.

This is Ozotic 505, a strong multi-chrome that shifts from teal to blue to purple to amber.  This is my first Ozotic polish, and I finally understand why they are so popular. I haven't come across any color-changing polishes with this much color shift. The formula was pretty sheer (which is expected for any good duo/multichrome), I layered two coats of 505 over Deborah Lippmann Dancing In The Sheets, a gorgeous dark blue shimmer.

Check out this multi-chrome!

First up, the teal side of 505...

Ozotic 505

.....the blue...

Ozotic 505

.. a bit of purple...

Ozotic 505

... the full spectrum...

Ozotic 505

... and lastly, an ugly angle to see the amber that's visible at extreme angles.

Ozotic 505

In reality Ozotic 505 is all of these colors at once. It's hard to capture in pictures but it's amazing in person!

What's your favorite color-shifting polish?

*Ozotic Polishes are available online in the USA from Harlow & Co, Ninja Polish, and Llarowe. They are expensive but worth every penny! (There will also be one available in my next blog giveaway... ) *

Subtle Stamping, Blue Shimmer, and Color Shift!

Today's mani is one I'm very proud of! It took me quite a bit of trial and error to come up with something I absolutely loved, but I truly do love this!

I started off with two coats of Zoya Tallulah, a gorgeous bright blue with silvery shimmer and a slightly green-hue in my opinion. Then I stamped with OPI Give Me The Moon!, a sheer light grey with bright blue shimmer, and Bundle Monster plate 314 with the gorgeous filigree design. Lastly, as if this mani couldn't get any better, my Harlow & Co order came with Girly Bits Cosmic Ocean so I added one coat of that. Cosmic Ocean has a gorgous green to blue shift that matched perfectly with this mani.

Blue Manicure with Zoya Tallulah

Blue Manicure with Zoya Tallulah

The outcome? WOW. It's even more gorgeous in real life. Give Me The Moon was sheer so it made a subtle design, exactly what I wanted. I wore this to a party and got tons of compliments! What do you think, do you like your stamping subtle, or bold?

To learn more about the 31 Day Challenge:

Sephora Pantone Universe Jewel Lacquers Swatches and Review

When I first saw Sephora's new Pantone Universe Jewel Lacquers I knew I had to try them out I picked out Violet Quartz, Reflecting Pool, and Purple Parachute. PP was the color that origionally attracted my attention, but once I saw what was available I picked out the other two for their beautiful colors and multichrome finishes.

Violet Quartz has a dark brown base loaded with purple shimmer that shifts to amber. (I applogize for my horrible clean up! I blame exhaustion.) The brown base is hardly noticeable because the shimmer takes center stage. This one is quite stunning and my favorite of the three.

Sephora Violet Quartz

Sephora Violet Quartz

Reflecting Pond has a blackened green base with strong teal shimmer that has a slight purple shift that I had difficulty capturing in pictures.

Sephora Reflecting Pond

Sephora Reflecting Pond

Parachute Purple is a dark purple with bright greenish-blue shimmer. The shimmer is more apparent in the bottle than on the nail and the color is a bit darker than it photographed. I've heard that this color is a bit similar to Rescue Beauty Lounge Scrangie, but I'm not sure how they compare.

Sephora Purple Parachute

The bottles are pretty, but it's a lot of glass compared to polish (although the polish is 11 ml / 0.37 oz compared to an OPI or China Glaze that is 15 ml / 0.5 oz) and the brush isn't my favirite. Formula on all of these was pretty nice, it was very thick and dried rapidly so I had to be careful and quick with each brushstroke. I used two coats for each swatch.

Sephora can be purchased from Sephora.com (which is where I purchased them, I'm not sure about in-store availability as I don't have a Sephora near me) and the Jewel Lacquers retail for $9.

Overall I'm pleasantly surprised with these polishes. No, they aren't 100% unique, but gorgeous shimmer, multichrome, and interesting color combinations makes them well worth adding to any collection. Which one is your favorite?

Zoya Charla, a Unique Blue!

I've been eyeing Zoya Charla for quite some time. Zoya describes Charla as: a "tropical blue sparkling metallic." An apt description... but Charla is so much more. The shimmer particles in Charla are large and have a very strong green shift. In shade or indoors the green is very apparent and difficult to capture on camera.

Zoya Charla - sun

Zoya Charla - shade

Zoya Charla - indoors

Overall a beautiful beautiful color. It's bright blue and still very unique! Zoya impresses me yet again. Do you own any Zoya polishes? Which one is your favorite?

Dandy Nails Bathed in Light Swatch!

I wrote this post a few days ago as I'm currently preparing for my comprehensive oral examination for graduate school which is tomorrow. I have to stand up in front of 5 PhDs who can ask me any question about biology or marine biology for about two hours. The results of this exam determine whether I leave the program or officially become a Master's Degree Candidate. Wish me luck! If I don't post tomorrow it's because I failed and have to re-take the exam... in which case I will probably be too upset to post.

Today is Bathed in Light by Dandy Nails. I'd had Parallel Universe in my Etsy shopping cart for some time, but didn't ever get around to ordering it. Then I saw Bathed in Light, which is basically Parallel Universe with holographic glitter, and I had to have it. Bathed in Light is a pink/grey duochrome with tiny holo glitter in it.

The formula was excellent (which I have come to expect from Dandy Nails) and applied with ease. I used two coats and it was still a touch sheer, but I really like how it looks like this. It's soft and feminine, but with glitter and the duochrome to give it a fun kick.

Dandy Nails retails for $8 and is available from the Dandy Nails store on  Etsy. 

I expected the polish to be a little bit darker, but I'm still definitely a fan. This has the same glitter as Dandy Nails Look Around. It dries a touch rough but doesn't need any special attention from the top coat to be smooth as glass.

Sephora by OPI Mermaid to Order Swatches and Review!

Sephora Mermaid to Order is not a polish I've ever seen before. I've seen similar colors, but I haven't seen Mermaid to Order swatched. I picked this polish up in a blog sale for $2, and I can't believe how great of a deal this was. :) It's from an old collection, so I'm not sure how easy it is to find (although I just looked and it's available on amazon.com, and there's even one for sale on ebay). 

Mermaid to order is an aqua blue metallic frost with a faint blue/green duochrome. When it came in the mail I immediately painted my toenails (because they were due for a new pedi!) and fell in love with the color. For the last two days I've been looking at my toes wanting to try this as a mani. It's just so bright, vivid and shiny, definitely Mermaid-scale-like. 

The formula wasn't perfect, although two coats made it opaque, I had to be very careful to avoid obvious brushstrokes (a common problem with frosts) and even with all of the care in the world it bubbled. I used good ridge filling base coat under this one since frosts are soo good at showing any little flaw in your nails. The overall finish ended up being nice and smooth although you can see the dent in my index finger where I got a little overzealous with my chef's knife a few days ago. :)

Click read more to see more photos (it was quite the photoshoot)

Zoya Ki

Zoya Ki is a pretty little gem that somehow escaped my notice until recently. When I was trying to decide what to buy with Zoya's Earth Day 50% initiative, I came across her, and I couldn't be happier.

Blog Redesign and Wet n Wild Grey's Anatomy

After trying out the new "dynamic" views for my blog I'm back to an old fashioned one. Although the dynamic view was fun and made it easy to navigate through posts quickly, it made it much harder to find some of the blog characteristics that we are all so familiar with so we're back to normal. What do you think of the new blog design?

Next I have my NOTD, Wet n Wild Fastdry Grey's Anatomy.

The first thing I learned about Grey's Anatomy is that there are lovers and there are haters. Other nail polish gurus either thought the color was an absolute marvel or said that they would never wear it again. Personally, I'm a fan.
Although the bottle shows a gorgeous duochrome, in most lights the duochrome isn't very strong, and I mostly see a silvery purple lilac (which is still very pretty). In the right light the polish really shines and you get hints of green and pink. It's sublte enough that I can pull it off in a professional environment but gorgeous enough that I love to look at it.

This is four coats and it is still a bit sheer (visible nail line) but it's not that obvious in real life.

China Glaze Full Spectrum and Wet n Wild Coloricon comparison

I just picked up China Glaze Full Spectrum and decided to do a quick comparison with two Wet n Wild Coloricon polishes.

Pointer and ring fingers are China Glaze Full Spectrum. Middle finger is Wet n Wild Jewels For Your Highness and pinky finger is Wet n Wild Coloricon The Crown Is Mine. Three coats of each polish with no top coat.

Jewels For Your Highness is more pink than it appears in these photos and doesn't match Full Spectrum. In real life, Full Spectrum and The Crown Is Mine are a near perfect color match. The China Glaze polish is denser and seems to have more of the larger multicolor glitter than the Wet n Wild Polish. I think you could probably get away with either the Wet n Wild polishes or the China Glaze since these are so similar.

Both polishes are equally sparkly and pretty. I think any of these would make a layering polish.

Wet n Wild Jewels For Your Highness Swatch

Jewels for your Highness has a blend of glitter mostly tiny silver and pink multichrome glitter, but with larger blue, pink, red, orange, green, yellow, and silver glitter.

The dominant color is a light pink, but it shifts into a slight purple near the edges of the nail and silver or gold from extreme angles. The multichrome is very subtle, more noticible in the bottle than on the nails and I had a hard time capturing it in the photos.

I used three coats of top coat to get a glass finish and it is very pretty.

Please excuse the disgusting cut on my ring finger! I wouldn't post this except I am out of old swatches to show you and it's such a pretty polish.

Sally Hansen HD Laser

I've been wanting to get my hands on this color for quite some time now. I saw it in the local CVS Pharmacy and I had to have it! Got home and did some quick swatches. This is three coats with no topcoat.

Laser is a bright blue glass fleck with a purple duochrome which I sadly couldn't capture in my pictures. It is quite sheer but application was great.

With flash

Without Flash, here you can see the purple duochrome if you look at the bottle closely.

Blurry to see the sparkles