The Pink Cart Nail Art Trio from Native War Paints

Good evening,

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I have a very special charity polish collection to share with you all tonight!  Native War Paints has teamed up with Cascade Cart Solutions to raise money for the American Cancer Society via nail art.  The Pink Cart is a trash receptacle that not only supports breast cancer research but also spreads awarenes by having that cute pink can sitting out by the road on garbage day.  Native War Paints has created a trio of amazing pink polishes that comes with a mini pink cart as well as some nail art supplies.  When you purchase the Pink Cart Nail Art trio, $3 will be donated to the American Cancer Society.  You can also get even more money donated by sharing your nail art!  I will list all of the purchasing and donation info after the swatches.  Let's take a closer look!

Click through for all the photos!

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!

Takko Lacquer - Smitten Kitten

Howdy!

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I have some photos of a lovely little thermal polish to share with you all today.  You have heard me gush about Takko Lacquer on the blog before but Sheryl creates such amazing polishes it is hard not to gush.  I recently swatched some of her winter releases and 'Smitten Kitten' was one of them.   This polish is so cute and girly and cute!  And did I mention cute?


'Smitten Kitten' is a pink thermal polish with an intense shifty blue to pink shimmer.   When the polish is warm, it is a soft baby pink color and the shimmer is very prominent.

Once the polish becomes cooler (like at the very tips when your nail isn't laying right against your finger) if will change to a bright Barbie pink.

I am not usually into super girly colors...but this polish is amazing.  I can't wait to wear it again.  For these swatches I used three coats to even out the lighter color.  So what do you think about this beauty?  Takko Lacquer is currently out of stock.  The restocks can be crazy, so be sure to follow the restock info and prepare your grabby hands.

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

Thanks for stopping by!

-Amy McG (McPolish)

*Product provided by maker for honest review*

Takko Lacquer - Babycakes

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Hello lovelies!

Today, I have a quick little swatch for you from one of my most coveted Indie brands, Takko Lacquer.  I have been pining over Takkos and stalking restocks like a crazed addict since I started this whole crazy nail polish journey.  These polishes go so quickly at restocks that I have had to refrain from throwing my laptop across the room in frustration of not getting any polishes.  (yes...addiction at it's finest!).  But over the year I have grown my little Takkito army and they are still some of my most favorite polishes.  So you can imagine my sheer delight when Sheryl contacted to review some of her polishes.  I think I might have peed my pants a little with excitement.  (wow...I just got a little excited typing that out!  Is this real life?)

So here is the first of many Takko Lacquer beauties to share with you all!  Say hello to "Babycakes".  This is one of Sheryl's newest colors.  It is a dusty rose pink creme with a gorgeous golden shimmer.  There is also a subtle linear holographic shimmer as well which really helps to give this polish dimension.  I used two coats for this swatch but I probably could have gotten away with one.  I am usually drawn to warmer dusty pinks, so you know I just love this!

Gorgeous right??!?!  "Babycakes" sells for $13 from the Takko Lacquer store.  You can also get takkitos from MeiMei Signatures and Llarowe.  Be sure to keep up with restock info to get your hands on these babies.

Thanks for stopping by!

Amy "McPolish" McG

Zoya Dita

I can't believe how long it's been since I've polished my nails with something other than gel polish! I never thought I'd get into gel polishes, but here I am neglecting my polish stash. Last night Today I'm wearing the gorgeous Zoya Dita! The weather here in coastal South Carolina is starting to warm up, and I'm always drawn to brighter reds and pinks for spring and summer!

Dita is a creamy light berry-red polish. The formula was very excellent (typical for a Zoya creme), not too thin or too thick, and opaque in two coats. Photos below are two coats with Seche Vite topcoat after a day or two of wear (you can see some faint scratches in the finish, but no chips so far)!

Next to the many reds in my collection this one looks almost pink, and I love. The color is similar to Butter London Snog, but Dita is a bit more purple/berry toned than the coral-toned Dosh. This shade is amazingly unique in my collection (although it's not a terribly unique color overall).

Do you have a favorite bright red-pink polish?

Emily de Molly Where Boys Fear to Tread Swatch!

If there's one thing I love, it's a good holographic polish. When I first started getting interested in polish I was crazy for shimmers, but now it's my holos that get the most love. Some of my favorite holos are from Emily de Molly, an Aussie indie brand. Emily de Molly holos are colorful, and intense linear holographics! Where Boys Fear to Tread is no different!

Emily de Molly Where Boys Fear to Tread is a hot pink linear holographic. The formula on this is excellent, and the same as my other Emily de Molly holos. These polishes are opaque in two coats and the balance between the base color and holographic pigment is perfect for me (I like holos that aren't so jelly-like that they are sheer, but not loaded with holo pigment so that they just look silvery and chalky). Where Boys Fear to Tread wore really well and I can usually go a few days without any chips (which is a big deal to me).

I think these pictures speak for themselves! This is two coats of Emily de Molly Where Boys Fear to Tread with Seche Vite topcoat under my daylight. In the sun these are even more stunning!

What brand makes your favorite holographic polish? Do you prefer a different finish of polish?

-- Rebecca

Smokey Mountain Lacquers - Naughty Collection

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McPolish here!  And I have come swatches to share with you all.

I found Smokey Mountain Lacquers on Instagram last fall when Kim first opened shop.  I was very pleased with my first purchases from her.  So when Kim was looking for swatchers, I jumped on the opportunity.  So here is the most recent addition to the family, The Naughty Collection.  This trio of polishes is perfect for Valentine's Day.  

First, we have Afterglow.  This is a soft, white crelly polish with a subtle pinkish/purple shimmer.  I used three coats in this swatch for full opacity along with a top coat.  I really like the softness of this white! It was not too stark and the shimmer gave it a little extra something.

Next up is That's the Spot, a raspberry/fuchsia polish is a mild holographic shimmer.  This is not a strong, in your face holo but it gives it just enough to be special and stand out from your classic shimmers.  I wore with all day and got several compliments.  In this swatch I used two semi-thick coats with a top coat.

Lastly, we have Make Me Blush.  This was my favorite out of the trio.  Make Me Blush is a soft pink shimmer with darker, hot pink flakes.  The flakes were very small, more like flecks really.  I am not much of a pink polish girl, but this is my kind of pink polish!  Just beautiful.  I used to easy coats and a top coat in this swatch.

You can purchase this entire collection for $25.65 or each polish separately from both the Smokey Mountain Lacquers site and Etsy shop.

-Amy McG



Deborah Lippmann Girls Just Want To Have Fun Swatches!

I spent most of the summer searching for the perfect tangerine coral. I've stared at page after page of swatches, and by now I've purchased 4 or 5 of these colors trying to find the shade I'm imagining in my head. The trick with these colors is that they are very difficult to photograph. Some corals look pink in photos while others look orange. I end up purchasing polishes because I love the look of the swatches, then don't care for the color in person. Girls Just Want To Have Fun was just another polish on my quest to find this color. It just so happens that I can't get color accurate photos of this one either!

Deborah Lippmann Girls Just Want To Have Fun looks more orange in photographs than it does in person, but try as I might I couldn't get the color just right! In person this polish has a bit of a bubblegum pink hue to it (but it's still very clearly coral). The color I'm searching for is the color that this looks like in photographs, perhaps one day I will find it!

Girls Just Want To Have Fun is a crelly/jelly formula. It doesn't apply like a jelly or dry semi-transparent, but it required far too many coats to be a true creme. I used 4 coats for the photos below because I had some issues getting a smooth flawless finish.

This bottle shot with flash captures the color a bit more accurately, although it still isn't quite pink enough.



Overall this is a gorgeous polish, even if it wasn't exactly what I was hoping for!



Are you ever disappointed in a polish after falling in love with the swatches?

Butter London Primrose Hill Picnic

Just a quick post today! I haven't had much time to do my nails lately (I've been wearing the same polish for 5 days straight) so I don't have much to show you!

This is Butter London Primrose Hill Picnic, one of my favorite pinks. I'm always searching for the perfect pink creme. I want something bright but not neon, The pink shouldn't be too blue toned or coral, and a decent formula is always a bonus. Finding my perfect pink is much harder than you'd expect!

Primrose Hill Picnic is a bright pink creme. It's a bit of a crelly formula, but still definitely a creme. The photos below are three coats with top coat. It dries to a shiny, gorgeous creme finish and the pink is overall quite nicely balanced. It's currently my go-to pink creme!

(I would also like to apologize for how terrible my cuticles look in these photos. I had no idea when I took the photos and this color is just too gorgeous not to share!)

Do you have a go-to pink? What makes it your favorite pink?

Urban Lacquer: The Opposite of Good Collection Swatches and Review (photo heavy)

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Today I have a gorgeous new collection to share with you from Urban Lacquer! This collection is called the Opposite of Good Collection, and it's a great mix of polishes and finishes. This collection launches tomorrow, Sunday August 11th at 6:00 PM Central in an Urban Lacquer's restock!

The Opposite of Good Collection consists of 5 polishes that play off of everything that is the opposite of good, in other words, very very bad! Here's the idea behind the collection:

"It started with Illuminaughty.  I wanted to name a polish Illuminaughty for quite some time, but never felt I had created an appropriate color that would match that name.  So, after thinking about this polish name, and playing off the word “naughty”, I decided to create a collection based on things that I consider to be bad, or, in other words, the Opposite of Good.  This collection is comprised of 5 polishes – 4 polishes based on “bad” things, and 1 polish that is bad, but in an oh-so-good way." - Brenda of Urban Lacquer

I love the theme of the collection, polishes based on things that we just know are bad! Without further ado, here are my swatches!

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First up is Muffin Top, a beautifully shiny pale purple linear holographic. Who doesn't know the agony of a muffin top, whether it's feeling it or seeing it, no one wants that. Muffin Top, although named for that horrible look and uncomfortable feeling of being too fat for your pants, is the exact opposite!

Muffin Top is gorgeously shiny, with linear holo that is prominent but not overwhelming. Muffin Top is beautiful and feminine, a nice light lavender with a soft shiny finish even when the holo isn't visible. The formula was great, photos are with two coats and top coat!

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Baby Cake is a pink shimmer, although it is so much more complex than that! Baby Cake is a bright pink jelly base loaded with tiny flakey shimmer that seems to shift between gold and green. The shimmer is really something and I don't have anything quite like it!

The namesake of Baby Cake is those awkward life-like cakes that just look too much like the real thing! I've found you an example here. Not good. Very, very not good.

"This polish was inspired by a cake I saw online that was in the shape of…a baby.  Not a baby-doll-baby, but a for-real-no-kidding-kinda-looks-like-a-real-baby cake.  A strange combination of creepy and edible, and definitely the Opposite of Good." - Brenda

Baby Cake was the most sheer of the bunch, the photos below are three thick coats with top coat. It applied very easily and smoothly and I didn't need any cleanup. Brenda warns that this polish is very concentrated and will stain. I didn't experience any noticeable staining with my nails (mine are already horribly stained from wearing so many reds that I doubt I'd notice), but be warned!

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Next is Coffee Breath. Coffee Breath is a dense glitter mix of brown, copper, and gunmetal silver glitter in a clear base. The glitter is a complex blend of sizes and shapes, and much more pleasant than your typical morning coffee breath! This is Brenda's take on a beautiful camo-inspired glitter.

The formula was great, the glitter was incredibly dense and not difficult to apply. For the photos below I layered Coffee Breath over Urban Lacquer Muffin Top. With one coat there was a great glitter distribution and it's easy to see the different sizes and shapes of glitter in the mix.

Furthermore, Coffee Breath would easily be opaque on its own, below is two coats over Muffin Top, and the purple is barely visible. The photos below are two coats plus top coat. I tend to prefer to wear solid glitter shades, so it was absolutely perfect for me, I'll definitely be wearing this again and again!

The best part about Urban Lacquer Coffee Breath: the glitter is holographic! Check out that sparkle that only shows up in the blurry photo. Stunning!

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Reply All was an unexpected favorite for me. I love the name (definitely one of my pet peeves!) and the polish is gorgeous. I've seen quite a few black and white glitter mixes but never thought they were for me until wore Reply All.

Reply All has a mix of small black and white glitter as well as some bigger circular white glitters. I'm a sucker for circular glitter and I love this combination!

The formula was great, I used the dabbing method to get an even distribution of glitter in a single coat. The photos below are one coat of Reply All over Zoya Caitlin with top coat.

Here it is layered over Baby Cake! I love it with the contrasting color. Isn't this just too fun?

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Lastly, I have Illuminaughty, the inspiration for the collection and a stunning midnight blue. Illuminaughty was another favorite of mine, and it's gorgeous!

I love Brenda's description and just have to share it with you:

"This is the *only* polish in the Opposite of Good collection that is bad, but in an oh-so-good way.  When I was creating Illuminaughty, I wanted the overall vibe of the polish to be…Sexy.  Strong.  Alluring.  This polish is dedicated to the not-so-secret society of bad ass nail polish fiends everywhere; join the Illuminaughty." - Brenda

Illuminaughty is a  midnight blue jelly base loaded with holo glitter. The jelly base gives it incredible shine and depth and the glitter is very sparkly (see the blurry photo below). The formula on this polish was very good, I used two coats and top coat for the photos below. With the glitter this one does dry a bit rough so it needs a thick top coat to smooth it to the glossy finish you see below!

Overall, I love the Opposite of Good Collection! It is a great mix of colors and textures, and I was surprised by how much I fell in love with several of these. The formulas were all great and I didn't have any issues at all. Reply All is going to be a new favorite glitter topper of mine and I can't wait to wear the dark and sultry Illuminaughty all winter long!

What do you think of this collection? Which are your favorites?

Don't forget, The Opposite of Good Collection launches tomorrow Sunday August 11th at 6 pm Central from Urban Lacquer on Etsy! Also look for more swatches of this collection and updates from Urban Lacquer on Facebook.